#anyways turns out you actually can't just explain yourself betterer and betterer and make everyone understand what you're saying

[truecorvid]

starting to suspect that i am not very good at engaging in open/honest/non judgmental conversations on the internet actually

[livinginshambles]

You'll never compare to her | James Potter

Pairing: James Potter x Fem! Reader

Word Count: 3.8k

Summary: you're in a relaionship with James, but he keeps on comparing you with Lily subconsciously until he says it to your face on a drunken night.

Notes: Hi, sorry I got into a major writer's block and couldn't for the life of me find a fitting ending, because I can't forgive this easily from own experiences, but I do like happy endings cause copium. Anyway if y'all have suggestions, I'll make a part two :)

Not proofread, grammar mistakes, spelling mistakes, etc etc. ENJOY!

Masterlist

______________________________

“James, wait up!” you yelled across the courtyard, catching the attention of about everyone except James. You watched James turn the corner with Peter, an exasperated expression on your face. You looked down dejectedly but then you saw the stares of people around you. You grinned widely at them, covering up any signs of embarrassment.

“There’s just something about boys and hearing problems,” you joked with a nonchalant shrug, and the surrounding students giggled in understanding.

You hummed to yourself while you walked off. You’d give James his wand later. He probably wouldn’t need it for Potions class anyway.

Peter looked up at James in confusion. “Prongs, did you not hear her call out to you?”

James sighed. “We’ll be late for class if we stopped, you know. I mean, I love my girlfriend, but she’s just sometimes a bit oblivious, and once she starts, we’ll be stuck there,” James explained in a complaining manner.

“But you love her,” came a voice behind him. Sirius parted James and Peter to walk between the two of them. “Right?” He swung his arms across the other marauders’ shoulders.

James gave him an annoyed look. “That’s what I said, but great hearing.”

“Better than you if you couldn’t hear her calling you,” Sirius laughed, but his eyes seemed to have lost a mischievous spark. “Do you think if you keep saying you love her, you’ll actually believe it?”

James glared at him and shook of Sirius’ arm. “If there’s literally any guy I wouldn’t take advice from, it’s you, Pads.” Sirius raised his hands in surrender. “Touchy today, are you Prongs?”

You sat down on the seventh staircase, opening your book. It was a muggle book that Lily had given to you as a birthday present. You looked at the necklace that James had bought you for your birthday. You had been afraid that he’d forgotten and been so thrilled when he had shown up at 10 in the evening.

The pendant was a flower, and even though you were not a botanical expert, you were very well aware that the flower was not a romantic rose or anything typically cheesy. You had a hunch what flower it was, but had refused to look it up, knowing that you would only be hurt.

Lily took a seat next to you. “The seventh staircase? Really? What’s wrong with the third?” She asked, utterly out of breath. You laughed, “hey, you invited yourself,” you defended with a fond smile. “Besides, since this is the highest staircase, it is the only one that is always in in a downward position, and won’t tilt and go upwards.”

“I guess,” she grinned, and she scooted over to see how far along you were in your book. “Oh my goodness, you’re getting to the good part!” she squealed happily. You gave her a warning look and closed your book. “No spoilers,” you sternly told her. Lily rolled her eyes playfully and nudged you. “I would never spoil this for you.”

“Alice and Marlene invited us for Hogsmeade this afternoon,” she casually mentioned, but she fumbled with her hands, signifying that she was nervous about something.

You raised your eyebrows. “Oh, well James and I were going to go together, so I don’t think I can join you guys this time,” you hesitantly told her.

Lily bit her lip. “James and the rest of the marauders already told Alice that they were going to join us this afternoon,” she softly explained. There was a conflicted expression in her eyes. “He overheard Alice and me talking about it.”

You pursed your lips. “Oh,” you nodded.

“Y/N, why do you let him do this to you?” Lily decided to ask you anyway.

“I’m not letting him do anything to me,” you defended. “He forgot to mention it to me, not a big deal.”

Lily protested. “We’re literally leaving as soon as their class is over. He wouldn’t have been able to tell you, Y/N. You would’ve-“

“-been waiting for him,” you finished her sentence. You bit on your cheek in thought. “I know, Lily,” you sighed.

“Then why-“

“Because I do believe he loves me,” you quickly tried to defend him, your voice raised in volume and Lily looked down. “He’s not perfect, but no one is,” you convinced yourself, recollecting yourself. You leaned against the stair post and looked down at the other stairs that changed directions, and the panicking first year students, who still hadn’t gotten the hang of it quite yet.

“He makes me feel so loved, you know,” you sighed when you looked back at her. Lily looked at you sadly. “When he remembers you, Y/N. When he remembers he has a girlfriend.”

You didn’t know what to reply because she was right. James could be the loveliest boyfriend when he wanted to. “It’s enough for me,” you eventually replied.

“It shouldn’t have to be,” Lily pointed out, but she sighed, knowing that this was a pointless battle. But she felt the need to bring it up whenever she noticed James discard you like that. She felt guilt. Both of you knew that the girl who was most often on his mind, was Lily.

Lily had finally given James a chance in their third year after a good two and a half years of James’ advances. Having outgrown James and the marauders’ childishness and bullying, specifically after the ‘Snape incident’, she’d broken up with him only three months in, leaving him devastated. You had been his friend, mostly through Sirius and Lily, and you had found him in the common room, disheveled from crying, so you had comforted him.

Something inside James had felt a pull towards you then. A sense of comfort or familiarity no doubt reminiscent of Lily, and his mind had been set on you. Of course, you had rejected his advances for over a year, absolutely appalled by his seemingly quick recovery from his breakup. And so another year would pass.

You hadn't even seen it coming. You didn't have a romantic interest in James, until you did. All of the sudden, you found yourself in love with James Potter. Not that you would ever admit that, of course. No, you remained steadfast in your resolve to keep things platonic, as the mere idea felt like a betrayal of your friendship to Lily.

But Lily had noticed of course. You had looked away ashamedly while assuring her that you were sure that it was just a fleeting crush, something that would blow over soon. Instead of judgment, her face expressed understanding and compassion as she encouraged you to stop pushing your feelings aside, going as far as calling James over, effectively starting your relationship for you.

And now, she watched as James treated her closest friend like crap.

“How about we head down in advance,” you suggested, dusting off your Hogwarts robe.

“Yeah, about time, don’t you think?” You peered over the stairs to see Marlene with her hands on her hips in a waiting manner.

“Hey guys, what are you doing here,” you laughed as Alice dragged herself up the last few steps to stand next Marlene.

“Picking you up of course, the guys are all waiting outside.”

Your heart warmed at the thought. Of course your friends would never have left you waiting by yourself to no avail. With a fond feeling, you and your friends descended the stairs again to go to Hogsmeade.

Sirius was sitting on the ground, knees propped up while they were waiting for the girls. He twirled his wand between his fingers. “Why are we going with McKinnon and such again?”

Remus next to him shrugged his shoulders. “They invited us, I think.”

Peter shuffled his feet uncomfortable. “Alice was inviting Lily and James invited himself and us.”

James grinned widely. “I mean, how awesome is it to go in a big group?” He enthusiastically asked. It was a rhetorical question, but Remus still felt the need to respond. “That’s great and all, but I thought you were going with Y/N?”

James blinked once and then twice. He jumped up from his leaning position against the wall. “Shit.”

Sirius burst out in laughter and threw his head back, hitting his a little too hard against the wall. “Oh Prongs, you crack me up,” he shook his head. “And you say that I am the worst at being in a relationship,” he huffed. James didn’t have time for finding the humor in this situation though.

He started to pace around. He completely forgot to tell you, he realized. “I’ll be right back, I’m going to go find her,” he quickly made up his mind.

“Find who?”

James’ head whipped around to find Alice and Marlene looking at him curiously. Trailing a few steps behind them were you and Lily, engrossed in a conversation about the book you were holding.

“Your girlfriend perhaps?” Marlene tilted her head innocently, but every fool could see the warning look in her eyes. “Don’t worry, we’ve got her back.”

You and Lily finally caught up to the group. “Hey,” you awkwardly waved, relieved when Remus and Peter threw you a smile, and Sirius got up to pat you a little too hard on the back, making you stumble a little. You smacked him in return, but a friendly laugh on your face. “I will hex you Sirius,” you threatened half-heartedly.

“Not with James’ wand, you’re not,” he replied and nodded towards the wand in your pocket. You huffed. “Well I don’t need a wand, I can beat you up with my bare hands,” you joked. Sirius took a step back to scan you up and down. “Not with those arms, you’re not,” he grinned.

Something tugged inside James, and he surged forward to catch your attention. “Y/N, how was your class?”

You frowned, but before you could answer, Remus spoke up. “She didn’t have class today, Prongs,” he remarked.

You nodded in confirmation but held up your book. “I read this book instead.” James instantly recognized the book “Little Women”, one of Lily’s favorites.

“That’s a nice book,” he airily commented. Your brows shot up. “You’ve read this book?” James nodded. “Well, I listened to it, you could read it to me if you want sometime. I mean, Lily-“

“I knew you would never willingly read a book,” Sirius interrupted him suddenly. And Lily shot Sirius an appreciative look. James quickly looked away. Right. He quickly glanced at you, to see if you had noticed the way he had almost mentioned when Lily would read to him on date nights. If you had noticed anything, you didn’t seem to show it.

James offered his arm, and you tucked the book under your arm before linking the other with his. “What fine weather, do you not agree, Milady?” James exaggerated in a posh accent.

You laughed and looked up at the sky. The sky was covered in dark clouds, and it looked like it could rain any given moment. “Why the weather certainly is… weathering,” you managed with a covered grin.

You handed him his wand from earlier this morning. “And you forgot this in the library,” you added. James twirled it around and the wand disappeared up his sleeve. “Is that why you were calling out to me, darling?”

“So you heard me?”

James’ heart skipped a beat, and he racked his mind to find a suitable reply. A lie. “Well, Peter did, but we were already gone,” he managed to excuse himself. You frowned a little and looked back at Peter who couldn’t look you in the eyes and you sighed.

“You heard me,” you repeated, and your grip on his arm was loosening. He felt you letting go and quickly adjusted himself, grabbing your hand instead. “You’re right, I heard you. I’m really sorry I didn’t wait for you,” he admitted. He brought your hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to it.

“Okay.”

When you arrived at the Three Broomsticks, James expertly pulled back a chair for you. “Just a butterbeer?” he asked. You nodded in response, but you hadn’t said much to him anymore and James frowned at the lack of your enthusiasm. When he returned with everyone’s order he sat down to your right, with Lily to your left. “Tadah,” he said, and he held up an extra package of sugar triumphantly.

“Merlin, I still can’t believe you drink butterbeer with extra sugar,” Sirius fake gagged. You kicked his leg under the table. “I just like sweet things,” you stuck out your tongue. “Besides, why are you not saying anything about Moony, he is literally crumbling pieces of chocolate in it right now.”

Sirius snapped his neck to Remus who looked up flustered. “Hey, why are you attacking me,” he complained.

James grabbed your mug and quickly sipped away the foam on top that you disliked and dumped the sugar into the mug. “There you go, on the house,” he proudly said. Your heart filled with fondness, and you appreciatively sipped from your drink.

James leaned in. “I love you,” he whispered, and he pressed a kiss to your temple, succeeding in making you flustered. “I’m in love with you too,” you mumbled back.

Gryffindor had won their first Quidditch match of the season and naturally, they threw a party in the common room. You had wanted to go when Remus and Peter had invited you, but James and piped up. “No, she doesn’t like those things. Too loud,” he confidently said, absolutely assuming.

“I like parties though?” you replied. You wanted to hang out with James and the marauders, and you were not scared of disagreeing with James. James looked at you with an unreadable expression. “Oh, well obviously you can come if you want. I just didn’t expect you to want to be among loud drunk people,” he recovered.

“What if she is one of the loud drunk people,” Sirius remarked from behind James. “Just because Li-“ James elbowed him in the stomach and Sirius groaned.

Perhaps it would have been wiser of you not to go. Maybe you should’ve been a little more like Lily, who had stayed in the dorms, snacking and reading. It sure would’ve hurt less.

“You will never compare to her.”

All you could manage was a  bitter smile. James looked defiantly at you, but his eyes seemed to find it difficult to find focus. Your throat tightened and you tried to swallow, but still couldn’t find an adequate response to James’ hurtful words.

“I know that, James,” you eventually wryly replied. Of course you knew that, despite your attempts to be a better girlfriend by being more like Lily. You cleared your throat and furiously blinked away tears that threatened to show the impact of his words.

“You should go get some sleep,” you murmured, and you tried to coax him into laying down on his bed, desperately trying to ignore the issue at hand. Perhaps if you paid it no mind, you could pass this off as nothing more than a drunken insult that you could pretend never happened.

But James doubled down.

“You will never compare to her,”  he repeated. This time he added some emphasis as well. You inhaled sharply. His words were no longer slurred, and his eyes seemed to bore right into yours. You’ve never felt so small in your life, your skin crawled uncomfortably as time passed in silence. You frowned deeply now and stared out the window behind James. What were you supposed to do with this information? It wasn’t new, but it was the first time the words had outright left his mouth.

You looked him back in his eyes. “Okay. I’m going to go and get you a glass of water for a hangover,” you slowly spoke up, trying to keep your voice calm. “Don’t forget you said this. I want you to remember that you said this because I need you to apologize for it when I get back, James.”

James groaned; his headache started to get worse. “Fine, go, but don’t come back today, I’ve had enough. And I won’t apologize tomorrow either.” James turned around a faced his back towards you. He was drifting off. “You’ll forgive me anyway, you always do. It’s the one thing you’ve got.” He mumbled. “At least you’re easier than her.”

 Your face burned in embarrassment; your eyes shifted across the room as if trying to make sure no one had heard him. How long could you hold back your tears to keep your dignity, you wondered. Would you at least make it all the way to your own dorms?

“Okay,” you resigned shakily with a nod, slowly getting up while staring at his back. “I won’t be back.”

His breaths seemed to slow down to a steady pace, and you knew he had fallen asleep. Your arms hung defeatedly next to your body and your hand tapped your leg restlessly before reaching for your wand. You murmured a spell on the glass of water on his bedside. It would help him with his hangover tomorrow, and it would be the last act of affection you would direct at him, you decided.

You closed the door behind you and quickly untucked your hair from behind your ears, letting it cover your face. The path back to your own dormitory seemed longer than usual, each step weighed down by the burden of uncertainty.

You passed Remus in a hurry, who seemed to look at you in a concerned manner. Remus turned his head to see Sirius looking worried as well.

James stared at the ceiling. Against his own wishes, he remembered yesterday evening crystal clear. He frowned as he closed his eyes and sunk deeper into his matrass.

Of course he felt bad about what he said, but you were in so many ways like Lily. From the strange muggle expressions you had picked up from her, to your mannerisms, like the way Lily laughed with a hand in front of her mouth to cover her teeth, to your handwriting. Though he knew it wasn’t fair to you, it was so easy to compare you. If anything, it was difficult not to do so. But he was sure he loved you regardless.

You never left James’ mind as he got ready to head downstairs to the great hall. He should apologize to you, James figured. He walked over to his bed and downed the glass of water on his bedside. He laughed somewhat fondly to himself when his mind cleared up immediately. You had enchanted it, he realized. So how angry could you possibly really be, this time.

Feeling rather confident, James headed towards the Great Hall. The Hogwarts Great Hall buzzed with the usual morning chatter as students filed in for breakfast.

As he scanned the room, his eyes found you sitting beside Lily at the Gryffindor table. There was something different about your smile, a subtle sadness that didn't escape James' notice. He felt a pang of guilt wash over him, knowing he was the cause of your distress.

Lily, ever perceptive, shot James a cold look before nodding toward the empty seat next to her. James approached cautiously, unsure of how to navigate the tension that hung in the air.

"Thanks, Lily," he offered gratefully, though the discomfort in the atmosphere was palpable. Lily didn’t spare him a glance and got up. “I’ll wait for you outside,” she smiled encouragingly. She clasped her hands together and nodded at you before leaving. James stared at Lily.

You cleared your throat, drawing James' attention fully to you. His heart skipped a beat as he caught sight of your determined expression.

"You look dashingly beautiful today, darling," James remarked, hoping to lighten the mood with his usual charm.

But you met his gaze head-on, your resolve unwavering. "I'm not going to be the one you settle for," you declared firmly, your words sending a chill down James' spine.

Confusion clouded James' features as he struggled to comprehend your words. "Wait, darling, come on," he pleaded, reaching out to grasp your hand gently.

You pulled away; your tone was unwavering. "I'm not joking around, James. To me, we ended yesterday," you asserted, your voice steady. James felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, realizing the gravity of the situation. That this wasn’t a joke or a call for an apology. An apology wouldn’t fix this, he realized. How could he fix this? James’ mind raced.

"Yesterday- What? If it's about what I said, I was just drunk," he protested weakly, desperation creeping into his voice.

You sighed, feeling a mix of frustration and resignation. "You literally doubled down twice, James. Well, it doesn't matter anymore, but I wanted to close this off properly. That's it," you explained, placing your knife and fork on your plate, and pushing it to the middle of the table, where it magically vanished towards the kitchen. You rose from your seat.

James reached out to stop you, his words tumbling out in a rush. "Y/N, I swear, I was drunk. And I love you," he confessed, his heart was pounding in his chest. He felt his friends look at him in pity and he understood that they had already been filled in the situation.

But your resolve remained unshaken. "Yeah, I'm sure you love a certain part of me," you muttered under your breath, forcing a smile onto your lips. "Look, we can stay friends, yeah? You're a nice guy, James. And a damn good friend too, I just don’t think you were ever ready for another relationship," you concluded.

James was stunned by your resolve, unsure of how to respond, just feeling defeat. He could see that you had closed off. Trying to maintain some dignity, he nodded in acceptance. "Okay.” He whispered quietly.

“Well then, I guess I'll see you later," you managed to say, as you awkwardly nodded, catching yourself as your hands were mid-air, ready to clasp together the same manner Lily always announced her leave. Instead, you awkwardly held two thumbs up before turning on your heels.

As you walked away from James, a whirlwind of emotions churned within you. On one hand, your heart ached with the weight of unspoken words and unresolved feelings and heartbreak. You had been so in love with James.

On the other hand, somewhere deep down, you knew that the only way to get him to keep wanting you, was by imitating the girl he actually wanted. You had let so many things pass, not wanting to break up with James. But you’d done it. It was over. And you almost felt guilty for feeling so relieved.

Taglist: Some of the tags didn't want to work so sorry if you didn't make the list, the rest will be in a reblog

@mellowarcadefun @marauderssimpthings @tortured-artists @kazimierasm @ssc7514 @ietss @chieffanfun @narcissuspetal @jamesweather @nyrasunderwrld

@joeytribbiani18 @rafeslovergirl @peacheerries @littlenerdybee @anglfclulu @folksmione @daisydark @moonys0chocolate @fearlessmoony @vcosette

@moonyslibrary98 @poetsneil @olivshe @ihatethinkingofnames10 @petparkr @iamlizardgod @ttkttt @rosieandthethorns @eedwardss @meepmoopmopsworld

@xcinnamonmalfoyx @k0la22 @quackitysdrugdealer @lovelyteenagebeard @padf00ts-l0ver @littlemisslovestoread @queerqueenlynn @dot-erdana-blog @siimplyalea @stilesks

@daisiesformylove @lixzey @uwiuwi @jeansworld16 @v-loves-frogs @liv2post @nokkoongie @tylerstacobell @momdisappointment @jasminesacademia

[luvvixu]

mind over matter pt. 4

synopsis: witness how your marriage was bound to fall apart with you on the front seat and your husband gojo had missed the show—now, he gotta figure out the story on his own.

content: arrange marriage au, angst, husband!gojo, mean!gojo, mention of blood, strong languages, some unsettling scenarios, emotional trauma, read at your own risk

a/n: ok, im such a bad author now huhu, i always broke my promises about updating the new chapter :((( should've just wrote in advance but i'm afraid i don't have that enough free time oqsjjanswjaj anyways, here's the anticipated chapter!! THANK YOU FOR Y'ALL PATIENCE <3 MWUHEHEHHEEHHE

previous / masterlist / next

the next day comes and you've got yourself some visitors. megumi, yuuji, nobara, maki, and inumaki was in your room and they were all seated around you as you talk.

panda and your two third years were not around at the moment because this is a non-sorcerer hospital and people would freak out to see a big ‘talking’ panda. during your two third years, they were out of town and were on a mission but they still text you to get well and even send you some fresh flowers.

“wait, i still can't believe that he's your husband.” nobara couldn't explain his shock at the revelation. out of all, she didn't think that her goofy teacher was someone's husband.

you chuckled at her reactions as you turned your gaze on megumi, who's still his mouth hanging. “megumi, i thought you're getting a hint?” you tease the boy. although it was true, you actually thought he already had an idea because you've known him for almost his entire life and even once lived with you as a kid.

“no…” was only his answer.

“so, gojo-sensei was the one you're talking about when you said that he was a busy man. most of his job requires being out of town. but he never fails to shower you with love and he is making sure that you two would still communicate despite his busy schedule?” your eyes widened when yuuji literally just said what you had said from before, word-by-word!

“i—i supposed he is.” everyone in the room sweat dropped at your answer.

what do you mean you supposed?!

“y/n-sensei, is it okay if we ask your baby?” maki chooses the gentlest approach because she heard that post-pregnancy can make the mother quite crikey, sensitive, and is prone to depression. but to her relief, you respond to her warmly.

“oh, the baby is being treated since they're premature. i really can't wait to meet them once i get better. but right now, shoko was the only one who had seen my baby.” you smiled softly at the thought of your baby.

“gojo-sensei still hadn't seen the baby?” maki’s eyes went wide.

you nodded. “yeah, he said we should go together so i must heal quickly for that to happen.”

the door suddenly opened and it revealed your husband with food in his hand. you smiled at the packages not because you're hungry, but because you had finally persuaded satoru to go out and leave you even for just a few minutes.

how did you do it? well, you just give him an earful after what he did yesterday night and he's like;

“i don't know how you did it but you should've just gone to the convenience store or the hospital canteen just for an oatmeal and eggs. and look, i'm not upset over the fact that you just had the ‘very easy to get’ food delivered on this doorstep. what concerns me is you seem not to trust me very well to handle myself— well in fact i've been doing it since i was a kid and blah, blah, blah, blah…” it was your turn to yap but a little longer than he did. you even probably bought up some of his minor mistakes like not taking out the trash on random sunday night.

and he was like, “i'm sorry. i won’t do it again ( •̯́ ^ •̯̀)”

“y'all done backstabbing me?” satoru teasingly smiled at you all.

“oh, we're just getting started. so why don't you take a seat and hear us out?” you patted the empty space of your bed beside you.

satoru playfully huffed and gave the foods to his students and let them distribute it themselves. sitting beside you, he gave you the separate plastic with food and helped you feed yourself. the two of you had your moment with you telling satoru to just let you be and stop feeding you like a kid, but satoru was like nuh uh—and it goes on and on.

meanwhile, the students watch you two with surprise in their eyes. they still couldn't digest the fact that you two had managed to hide your marriage for like five years or so. and out of all spouses out there, they couldn't believe their eyes that you married a guy that is a total opposite of you.

“i still cannot really believe that you're married and have a baddie wife.” nobara almost never tears her gaze towards you two.

“yeah, much more is that they look so in love!” yuuji agrees to what nobara said as his words made you two stop bickering instantly.

like a cold water being poured, you two were suddenly experiencing a reality check that this so-called in love was very far from the two of you actually is. coughing slightly to hide his awkwardness and nervousness, he just let himself chuckle. while you? you're an expert at this, you maintain a smiley expression and wordlessly (and also forcefully) agrees to what the boy said.

“oh my, do we?” putting a hand on your cheek, you smiled with your eyes closed. your act looks so legit but satoru has seen this multiple side—he knew this facade was all fake.

maki suddenly puts herself into attention by calling your name. “anyway y/n-sensei, i've noticed you two don't have a ring—” before she could even finish her sentence, you already beat her to it.

“that's because the two of us, mostly him, are constantly fighting curses and both involve using our hands when we use our techniques. it would be risky to wear it and we're scared that we might get it lost or damaged.” you explain meticulously.

you watch the students agree to your explanation, while satoru is looking at you with meaning. you stared back at him too, hoping that he would get your telepathic message.

“alright guys, your y/n-sensei needs to rest now. we'll just see you guys soon or you can all just drop by tomorrow after your training.” satoru called everyone's attention by clapping his hands then started to playfully shoo the students.

you watch them pack their things and wave you a happy goodbye, in which you return their enthusiasm as well. when they all left, you let out a sigh and started to gently lie your body on the bed. satoru, who was done cleaning just now, sit at the end of your bed and carefully massage your legs.

“did you have fun with them?” you just lazily hum at his question and proceed to rest your eyes.

“i…i'm surprised you managed to convince them about our marriage.” satoru continued quietly.

opening one of your eyes and looking at him, you said, “of course, i've been doing it to a lot of people for the past five years.”

that alone made him shut up.

satoru looked down to his hands, which were still busy massaging your legs. you've noticed that his eyes were casted down and his behavior was somewhat familiar to you, he's feeling something that is related to guilt and regret.

clicking your tongue, you're in no mood to deal with his behavior today. so to find a solution to this problem, you just put yourself to sleep and let all of this just go on without a single care.

it has been two days and you're getting better day by day. today was probably the bestest day so far because you're about to finally see your own baby!

“calm down, mama. do you want your stitches to open again?” shoko holds your knees to stop it from shaking anxiously as you were currently sitting just right outside the neonatal intensive care unit (nicu) where your baby was.

you understand that the doctors need to prepare the room first before you all come in, but you wished that they speed it up.

“but sho, i'm finally seeing my baby!” you squeal at your friend who just ruffles your hair and tells you to be patient—in which you definitely can't.

meanwhile, satoru, who was standing beside you while you and shoko were sitting together, has been eyeing you since this whole waiting. he understands that you're excited about seeing the baby because he is too, he is excited. but he couldn't help but to feel a sensation that you would rather share your excitement with others than him.

he knows that he sounds ridiculous and undeserving to say that in the first place after what he did to put you through, but he still couldn't help it and he wouldn't even dare to say it to you.

the door of the nicu just opened and it revealed the doctor who was wearing protective gear to keep bacterias and viruses from entering the room and harm the baby. before he lets you all in, he first instructs you all to change the same gear as him and then proceeds to give you all some explanation in which you actively listen and take notes.

and after that, he finally lets you go inside.

the moment your eyes traveled on a crib, you saw your child laying down there with some breathing apparatus that is connected to their little body. you could feel your eyes swell with hot tears as you inch yourself towards the bundle of joy who's their crib was also protected with glass and only small holes on both sides were there.

satoru and shoko watched you with pure warmth at your sight—it was a nice scene of mother's love. finally, a tear escapes your eyes the moment you get a whole view of your child.

“isn't he pretty?” shoko said beside you, someone who you didn't notice had come near you.

you gasp, “he? m-my baby is a boy?” your cries go even harder, but it was just pure happiness. you couldn't bring yourself to tear your gaze away from your child even though he looks fragile for being premature but you love him dearly.

“can i touch him?” you look at the doctor who assisted you earlier without caring that you might look like a crying mess. you're far more thrilled to be with your child than to be pretty at this moment.

the doctor smiled at you and he agreed. he pointed out the small hole on the side, telling you to stick your hands out to feel your baby. you do what he said with your shaky hands, and when your fingertips touch his warm skin—you feel like you could die from the burst of euphoria.

“my b-baby, my baby is n-now here!” you really can't hold your emotions back as you keep on passing your fingers through your baby's arm until it reaches his closed hands where you slightly and gently open it for him to grab index finger. and when he does, your smile becomes even wider.

“hi baby~ this is me, your mommy. it's so nice to finally see you.” you whispered softly, hoping that despite the glass, he could hear your words.

this is the bestest day of your life. your baby was here and that's all you need.

the scene continues to unfold with you still getting emotional and shoko was just watching you with a smile on her face. while satoru, the father of the child, the husband of the mother, was a little distant but he could still see the baby. he was all quiet and couldn't bring himself to utter a word but he's not speechless.

his eyes behind those glasses were trailed on the child, but most of his gazes were on you. satoru watches you become all smiley—this is probably the happiest smile he had seen on your lips for the past years of your marriage.

and he would absolutely never forgive himself if he breaks it—but he already did.

shoko notices his odd behavior and promptly leaves your side for a while (but you're busy having a baby talk with your baby to notice her leaving) to go talk to him.

“what? you're just gonna stand there and watch y/n?” yup. still the same as before, hostile towards the man. satoru let out a sigh and didn't give her attention. instead, he walked towards y/n and just focused on his family.

“you’re so tiny!” you continue to cooed at your son who keeps on moving slightly which is a good sign that your son is responsive and fighting. you also noticed that satoru was now right beside you and is looking at your son too with adoration tinted in his eyes.

“i don't think i could let myself be away from him anymore.” you said. your cheeks were now hurting from constant smiling but you don't mind.

satoru only looks at you briefly because his attention was now on his son, fully. “hello, it was nice finally meeting you.” his eyes trailed on his own flesh and blood with the most care of all.

on the other hand, you're not dumb to not notice that satoru was acting hesitant towards this scene and you knew what his reason was. you think that satoru thinks that he was undeserving to be here, and you're correct about his assumption.

but as a woman who grew up with an experience of being inside a shattered family, you absolutely would not want that to happen to your own child. and as much as you would also like to satoru be away at least for now because you're still that sensitive about what he had said during those conversations in the clinic and hallway, you respect his role as a father.

you'd give him a chance to prove his worth as a father to your child, but he's far worse to have a chance to prove his worth as a husband to you. if he messes this up real bad and without any proper explanation, this will be all over—satoru would no longer have you and your child as his own family.

“stick your hand on his hole, that way you could feel him.” you guided his hand towards the hole that you had said before and watched his hands turn shakey as he reached for the baby.

once satoru had finally experienced a skin-to-skin touch with his baby, he wanted to cry so badly but he didn't allow himself to, at least not yet. he felt like this was one of the best moments in his existence.

satoru would like to punch himself for questioning the baby for his plans as he seemingly thinks it would affect him. but just when he look and touch his baby, all of his recollection about the mixed emotions he felt when the baby is on the board has suddenly vanished and it was replaced with gratefulness and adoration for both of you.

it was like a full 360 degrees turn was done after the early birth of his first born. plus, he had seen you be ever so happy that you are with him. and deep inside him, satoru deniably hopes that this kid, this child, can at least help him save this marriage that was destined to fail and doomed.

because he now finally realizes that you're slowly wrapping him around your tiny fingers.

your tears had made him be a better person, your recent experience had made him behave. it almost cost you and your baby's wife just for him to realize the importance of your five years of marriage, and he's planning to tell you that soon.

“have you finally decided what name we should give him?” shoko asked you and she didn't fail to see your eyes sparkle at the mention of name.

ah yes, baby names.

that was something that a mother and father should decide together because it comes very crucial because the name that your baby will get is a symbol of you two's relationship. but the thing is, you and your husband hadn't talked about a single thing or just anything related to this matter.

that's probably why you're still embarrassed whenever you think about nanami accidentally seeing you open a website into one of the school's computers about unique baby names with its meaning.

you're four months pregnant at that time and you're spending your free time in a teacher's lounge. you're very invested in your mini research to the point that you didn't notice an old friend peeking at your screen. you actually only notice his presence when you're about to stretch but accidentally bump his torso, and to your surprise, he was there.

and then the rest becomes a story and history. nanami helped you pick baby names for both genders or even unisex until you came out with…

“kazuki. let's name him that.” a soft smile was decorated on your lips as you watched satoru, who's looking at you, plays with the hands of your son.

“kazuki…that's a nice name, y/n.” satoru said happily. however, you can see his disappointment behind those words and you know why. you didn't even invite him to search for your baby's name because why would you?

“does it have any special meaning?” shoko asked you.

you nodded and said, “of course, kazuki means hope of peace—and i really need that.”

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[part 5 will be just there right around the corner — ©luvvixu2024]

[lizhaoyu]

Why so shy? PART 2

(A/N): Hello, gaymers. I'm back at it again. Sorry for the late update, I've been busy malding in VALORANT lately. Thank you for all of the support in part 1, it means the world to me. Now, some of the things here are referenced to that one casual Iso fic. Huge thanks to whoever wrote that, I'm in love with that fic. I physically gagged and cringed at the part where I made the reader channel their idk to do sum shit I can't do this. Enjoy thirsting, gaymers.)

(I also accept requests, please request about Iso)

(Iso x Shy!GN!Reader)

Part 1

Part 2 (You are here.)

Part 3

Part 4

Nervous.

That's exactly what you were feeling right now.

Not nervous for yourself, but for Iso.

Today marks the day of Iso's first ever mission in the VP. To your advantage, you were assigned as Iso's lead comms.

You were busying yourself with taking breathing exercises in KJ's command room.

Iso was gonna be hearing your voice, following your orders and intel, counting on you to tell him what to do at the right moment and he's probably gonna fall inlo-

A knock on the metal door of the command room broke your trail of thought. It opened, revealing Iso.

"Hey." Iso walked in with a small smile, nodding to you.

You look up from the mission brief that Brimstone gave you and look at Iso. This time, you actually managed to train yourself to try and not stutter in front of Iso. You're not exactly there yet, but you're trying your best.

"Hi, Iso. Ready for your mission?" You offer him a small smile, feeling a little nervous for him and his safety.

"Yeah. I made sure to read the brief at least five times." Iso nods.

"Better safe that sorry." You smile, typing in the last command needed to start the mission.

"Right, uh... I just wanted to say that I wish you a very good luck on your first mission." You try to smile despite your nervousness.

"Thank you, but... I don't understand why I have to do this mission alone." Iso sighs, shaking his head.

"Brimstone says that he thinks that you're strong enough to handle it yourself, but I think he just doesn't want to admit that everyone is busy with everything else, so they can't go with you." You stifle a laugh.

"But I agree with Brimstone, whether or not he thinks you're strong enough. Your abilities are really powerful and you handle yourself pretty well. I think you got this." You smile at him, trying your best to hide your blush.

"Thanks a lot for your encouragements, it helps a lot." Iso smiles.

"And our training sessions, too. They're really helping me improve." Iso adds.

That alone was enough to make your heart race faster than normal.

"A-Anyway, I'll be the lead, and only, comms for today's mission. If you have any questions, calling for backup, or need help locating the target, I can help." You explain, turning to the table behind you.

You carefully took an earpiece from the table, turning to Iso and offering it to him. He follows your gentleness, taking the earpiece with careful hands.

In the process, his fingers brushed against yours. It was enough to give you butterflies on your stomach.

"This is what we use to communicate to each other from great distances. You can talk to me or hear me through it." You explain, snapping out of your thoughts.

"We have two trackers on you. One on your phone that we requested you to add, and one on your earpiece. Although you can turn off your location trackers, I advise you not to, just in case." You smile at him, hoping he'd understand what you were trying to say.

"I got it. Thanks for explaining it to me." Iso nods, taking off his left earbud and replacing it with the earpiece.

You took note of his actions, observing him closely.

"By the way, if I did ask for backup later on..." Iso paused.

"Yeah?" You tilt your head with a smile.

"Since you said that everyone else is busy, will you come?" Iso asks.

IS HE IMPLYING SOMETHING????????? AM I JUST DELUSIONAL OR WHAT, you thought.

"W-Well, yeah. I'm still responsible for you and your safety, according to Brimstone." You nod, pushing the thoughts to the back of your head.

"I'm glad." Iso nods, smiling.

WHAT DOES THAT MEANNNNNNNNNNNN???, you thought.

"Can I only talk to you about anything related to the mission?" Iso asks.

"Not necessarily, as long as you're not in the middle of a gunfight." You shook you head.

"Great. Uh, one last thing." Iso rubs the back of his head.

"After my mission, do you think we can go out for hotpot? My treat." Iso smiles, looking at you.

WHATWHATWHAT OHMYGOD IS THIS REAL FUCKFUCKFUCK, your thoughts raced.

You had to take a moment to process what Iso just asked you. Was this some kind of prank? Maybe Phoenix told him to prank you? Was this just a friendly gesture-

"You okay? You don't have to say yes, or we can get different food. Anything you like will do." Iso smiles.

"I- No! Hotpot is fine... A-Anyway, yeah, we can go out after your mission as long as you come back unscathed." You nod, your face turning visibly red.

"Then, I'm looking forward to it." Iso smiles.

"A-Anyway... The jet should be ready to transport you to the mission site. You can head to the departure wing now." You look back to the screen.

"I'm going, then. Thanks for your help." Iso nods.

You look back at Iso and smiled.

"Good luck on your mission, Iso." You nod as Iso walked out of the room.

You turn back and sat on the chair, all while letting out a shaky sigh. Was it just a friendly gesture or something more?

Suddenly, your thoughts were interrupted by Iso's voice in your earpiece.

"Hey, can you hear me?" Iso asked through the comms.

You snap back to reality and let out a small huff.

"Yeah, loud and clear." You nod to yourself.

"Right, thanks. I'm in the jet right now, heading to the location." Iso says.

"I got it. I'm writing the report for Brimstone right now." You reply, typing out a document.

After a moment of silence, Iso speaks up.

"Hey, when you first arrived in the VP, how was it?" Iso asks.

"Huh? Well... It wasn't really easy." You say, recalling back to your newbie days in the VP.

"I was kind of an outcast and everyone thought I was creepy and stuff." You shrug, still typing.

"Why's that?" Iso asked.

"Well, just like Omen and Fade, I have abilities related to shadows or darkness." You paused.

"I was really quiet and stuff, so some were afraid to even look my way, because I can just merge myself with their shadow without them knowing." You shrug.

"But hey, I managed. Omen became my very first friend. He understood me." You smile.

"Wow... Omen? That's kind of him." You hear Iso hum.

"How about your first mission? How did it go?" Iso asked.

"Back then, I had little to no control of my abilities. I was merging myself to shadows back and forth because I didn't know how to control it." You laugh.

"But I learned how to control it, thanks to Omen. He knew exactly how I felt and why, and he taught my how to control it, even if he can't control his own." You sigh.

"My first mission went really well because Brimstone paired me up with Omen. He was really helpful, teaching me how to defuse the spike." You explain.

"Anyway... How about you? How are you feeling? This is your first mission, after all." You ask.

"I was kind of hesitant when Brimstone first told me." Iso says.

"But when I found out that you're gonna work closely with me, I feel much better." You could almost hear Iso smiling. Wait, was that even possible?

You could feel your heart beating faster and your face turning red. Surely, he didn't mean it that way. Maybe it was just a friend thing?

"I think I can handle this mission." Iso continues.

You quickly shook off the lingering feeling.

"I'm sure you'll do great." You nod.

"By the way, what kind of milk tea do you like? Sorry, that was a random question." Iso chuckles.

"Me? Well, I like heavy oolong milk tea with tapioca pearls." You paused for a moment.

"Jett and Phoenix often made fun of me for being so basic, but I think it's really good." You smile.

"What about you? What do you like?" You ask.

"I actually like the same thing. I get it all the time." Iso replied.

"Whoa, really?" You smile.

"We have a lot of things in common, hey?" Iso says.

"That makes me really happy." Iso added.

It was starting to get hard trying not to think of this as a gesture of interest and not just for friends.

"Oh, we're landing now." Iso says.

"Be careful, Iso. You'll just need to eliminate the Omega Earth Radiants and defuse the spike if planted." You nod.

"You'll come if I ever need help, right?" Iso asked again.

"Yes, I will. Don't worry." You assure him.

"Okay, I'm heading out now." Iso says.

For the past hour, you've been helping Iso locate the enemies and giving him instructions. You watched his location attentively while writing a report, all while talking to Iso.

"Iso, there's one enemy left. Do you think you can defuse the spike until half?" You ask.

"Yeah, I think so. I'll try." Iso replies.

On the other end, you can hear Iso running to the spike. You heard beeping, which means that he was defusing now.

"Don't let your guard down. Don't rush, there's still plenty of time left." You remind him.

"Almost half, come on..." You hear Iso mutter.

A few seconds later you could hear a Vandal being fired, then Iso grunting.

"Iso?!" You stood up from your seat.

"Spike is half... I got shot on the shoulder..." Iso groans.

In the background, you can hear Iso firing his Sheriff, presumably at the assailant.

"Okay, okay... He's down, I can still defuse with my other hand..." Iso coughs, followed by the beeping sound again.

"Iso, listen to me. Just hold on and keep defusing, okay? I'm coming." You connect the comms to your phone, running out of the room.

"Really? You're coming...?" Iso asks, his voice low and pained.

"Yes, I'm on my way. Just a little longer, okay?" You ran to the departure wing, getting on the jet.

"I'll wait for you." Iso grunts.

"Keep talk to me, Iso. I need you to stay awake." You frantically went through the jet's storage for some medical equipment.

"Put some pressure on the wound to prevent excess bleeding. I'm on my way." You say, your voice shaky.

"Will we still go out for hotpot after this?" Iso asks, his voice low.

"Yes, I promise we will when you get better." You promised.

The jet hovered over the mission location. You shout for the pilot to open the door, as it'd take longer if you waited for the jet to land.

The door opens for you and you look out from it. Your eyes scanned the mission area from above, looking for any kind of shadow you can merge with. Once you do, you stepped back to prepare yourself to jump.

"I see a jet in the sky, is that you?" Iso asked, coughing.

"Yeah, it's me. I'll be with you soon." You breathe out shakily.

"What are you planning to do?" Iso asked.

But before you can answer, you dashed out of the jet. Your eyes locked onto the shadow of the building, preparing to channel your ability. You closed your eyes, letting your shadow take over.

In seconds, your body turned into a shadow-like orb, heading for the shadow of the building. Your body reached it immediately, merging with it. Once you did, you jumped away from it and ran to Iso.

"Iso! Hey, I'm here." You pant heavily, kneeling beside Iso.

"Hey..." Iso grunts, sitting up slowly. Beside Iso was the defused spike.

"Don't move, stay still. I'll do my best to help you, okay?" You mumble shakily.

How will you even do this? You weren't a healer, you weren't even trained for this. You look at Iso's pain expression and you knew you had to do something, anything.

You could make use of your abilities, the shadows. You remember what Omen told you, about how if you channel enough energy to your shadow, you could make it do what you desired. If you could do it, you could use them to absorb the wound, the pain and the bullet and save Iso.

Could that even work? Were you crazy? But you knew you had to try.

"Iso, listen to me." You hold his bloody hand shakily.

"This'll hurt a bit, okay? Do you trust me?" You squeeze his hand gently.

"I trust you." Iso nods.

"Stay with me." You mumble, letting go of his hand.

You place your hand over his wound and your other hand on your shadow. You close your eyes, channeling your shadow to your hand. You press your hand firmly on Iso's shoulder, your shadow entering his open wound, earning a pained hiss from Iso.

You focused your mind into commanding your shadow to absorb whatever it would have to absorb in order to heal Iso. You didn't know what you were doing, you were going crazy.

You let a few minutes pass, with your palm pressed on Iso's wound. You didn't know if what you did worked, but you were growing lightheaded.

pleaseworkpleaseworkpleaseworkpleasework, you chanted in your mind.

Once you feel your shadow disappear from your hand, you opened your eyes, slowly removing your hand from Iso's wound.

It was gone.

The would was no longer there, just the skin of Iso's shoulder through the hole of his hoodie. All that was left was Iso's blood.

"It... It worked..." You let out a shaky sigh, still not believing in what you did.

"What?" You hear Iso ask as he looks at his now-gone wound.

"It's gone? How did you..." Iso looked back at you.

"I don't know, I..." You mumble, looking at your shaking hands.

"No, I... It doesn't matter right now. Let's go back to HQ." You shook your head, shakily standing up.

"Can you stand? Do you need me to support you?" You offer your hand for him to take.

"I think I can." Iso nods, using his other hand to take your hand as you pulled him up.

"How did you do that? You never told me you could do that." Iso asked, looking at you in awe.

"I didn't even know that I could do that." You shook your head.

"Let's go back to the extraction point. I'll definitely need to write a detailed report about this..." You mumble, walking with Iso.

You and Iso walked for a few minutes, before finally arriving to the extraction point. You both got on the jet as it took off.

You plop down on the seat, still feeling a little lightheaded.

"Are you okay?" Iso asked, sitting beside you.

"I should be asking you that. How are you feeling? No more pain?" You sigh.

"I feel fine. It doesn't hurt anymore." Iso shook his head.

"Hey, thank you." Iso says.

It was enough to catch your attention, so you look at him.

"You came to save me, and I'm really thankful for that." Iso smiles.

"We can't have you dying on your first mission, Iso." You smile.

"But you hurried here, you tried your best to use your ability and ended up learning that you can actually heal me." Iso shook his head.

"Can I be honest with you?" You ask.

"I came to you despite knowing that I couldn't help at all." You admit.

"I had no medical experience and I wasn't anywhere near Sage's level." You sigh.

"But I still came to you. It was... an urge." You mumble.

"But now, I'm glad I came, after all. I learned a lot." You smile.

"I'm glad you came." Iso smiles.

-

After that, Iso was sent to the medic wing, where Sage checked Iso's health.

Brimstone informed you of this, so you went to check up on him for your hotpot with him later.

As you were about to slide the door open and walk in, you heard Iso talking with Sage.

"I'm glad you're okay, Iso." Sage says.

"Thanks a lot, Sage." Iso replied.

"Hey, do you think we can go out for milk tea later today?............" That was all you heard before your ears blocked out every other noise.

And here you thought that you were making progress. You really thought that Iso liked you back? Of course it was Sage.

You thought back to his interactions, how he'd look at her, how he'd call her his senior. But you were dumb and ignored all of it.

Now, here you were.

You had hoped for something when he talked to you earlier today when he asked to go out for hotpot with you and only you.

Maybe it really was just a friendly gesture.

[the-fiction-witch]

Little Lamb

Media - The Artful Dodger Character - Jack Dawkins Couple - Jack X Reader Reader - Miss Y/n Y/l/n Rating - 18 (Blood / Gore / Nudity) Word Count - 2609

Jack was working late in the morgue everyone else in the small hospital already fast asleep, but he tinkered away under the electric lights in the hospital basement practicing a new surgical technique on a fresh cadaver. Every so often checking his book and struggling with the swirling words to understand what he was meant to be doing.

However, the silence soon came to a end as he heard footsteps. Jack's eyes shot up from his book to the entrance of the morgue he’d left the doors open as he never lived being shut in here so late, he was concerned for a moment but soon realised it was just Y/n. Jack had a lot of affection for Y/n, he would very nearly say he loved her, she was a nurse in the hospital and the two spent an awful lot of time together. He wanted to make her his wife but… the rules and social etiquette of Victorian dating were something Jack didn’t understand and frankly couldn’t be bothered to learn,

Jack let out a sigh of relief. "Don't sneak up on me like that."

Y/n stood in the doorway in her little silk nightgown her curls loose around her, clearly she'd been in bed. But she carried a book in hand, "I didn't mean to spook you, Jack,"

Jack’s eyes wandered her body for a moment before focusing again. "What are you doing down here? You should be asleep."

"I had a question" She hurried inside shutting the door softly,

Jack turned his body more to her. "A question? You do know it's the middle of the night, right?"

"Well you’re awake, I'm awake. And I have questions" she shurgged opening her book and flicking through her various notes,

Jack let out a soft groan, but didn't protest. "Alright, go ahead."

"... Mr Clarke in bed seven. We've been dosing him on morphie and noticing his shaking and trembling hasn't stopped I pondered... Did we ask if he smoked?"

Jack sat there for a moment, processing. He mentally slapped himself for forgetting to ask such an important question the last time he spoke to the patient. "No, we didn't ask."

"Could that not be why he's trembling given he hasn't been allowed or able to smoke for the last four days?"

Jack leaned against the table, and let out a sigh. "That's... very much possible. Good point. I can't believe I forgot to ask. Bloody hell.” Jack looked at her again, “Is this what you do at night?”

“How so?”

“Just lay in bed with your note book thinking about patients?”

“... Yes,” She nodded, “why? What do you do in bed?”

“Sleep,” He answered,

“I mean like before you fall asleep,”

“...Drink. Or gamble.” he explained, “Or… think about you,” He suggested trying to give her waist a playful tickle but she elbowed his stomach before he even got close,

“Hands to yourself Doctor Dawkins,”

"So... why such... little clothing?" he smirked,

"I thought I was asking you questions not the other way around?"

He chuckled, “I’m curious,”

"what's wrong with it?"

He was quiet for a moment, his eyes wandering her body again. "Nothing at all. Just very... revealing."

"it's Australia. Its summer. Our bedrooms are both in the attic. Oddly enough I'm hot." She explained, "Besides why is what I wear to bed any of your business."

A smirk formed on his face, as he jokingly said, "Never said I didn't like it. Besides… it’s nice to know what you wear to bed, I can better imagine you now.”

she rolled her eyes "Anyway... I've been considering Mrs gains I don't think she actually has muscle pain... I think she has hysteria"

He raised an eyebrow. "Hysteria? Why do you think that?"

"... She complains about every... Three weeks or so coincidentally the time her husband goes out of town for business, complaining about muscle pain in her upper thigh, and every time we send either you or sneed over to give her a thigh massage that seems to fix it. I don't think she actually has anything wrong with her... Just wants a man to touch her while her husband's away"

It took Jack a moment to process everything that she'd said and then he let out a sigh and ran his hand over his face. "So... Mrs Gains only complains about muscle pain in her thigh every three weeks. Coincidentally the time her husband goes out of town... she complains about it to us so we send over me or Snead to give her a 'thigh massage' and then suddenly it's all fixed as soon as her husband arrives home again.. correct?"

"exactly, does that not seem suspicious to you?"

Jack stood there for a moment, thinking. It did sound rather suspicious, "I suppose but... she's married. Surely she wouldn't cheat on her husband. Right?"

"I don't think she wants to cheat on her husband I think she just likes having you boys massage he upper thigh"

Jack let out a sigh, "Bloody hell.. I've been spending hours just massaging her thigh while her husband is away for work? Christ."

"yeah exactly" she Nodded

Jack groaned again and rubbed his eyes, before looking at Y/n again "How'd you even come up with the idea she might have hysteria anyway?"

"... When you break it down that's all female hysteria is jack, it's women fainting and faking for attention so doctors go over and make them feel better"

Jack sat silently processing. "That's a dark way to think about it but... I suppose you're right. I think you may be right."

"of course I'm right" she smiled shutting her book "That's all, that's what was swimming in my noggin before bedtime."

A soft laugh escaped. He stood close, now towering over her. "Right. Well.. do you mind if I ask another question myself now?"

"... Fine" she sighed

Jack leaned down closer to her "Do you wear clothing like this every night? Or just for me?"

"every night... Why?"

Jack shrugged but had a small smirk on his face and leaned even closer, so close that their bodies were almost touching. "No reason in particular. Was just thinking that I'd like to see you wearing this more often, it's very pleasing to the eye."

she scoffed "Whatever would people think they saw me wondering around the hospital in my nightie let spending time in said nightie alone with a bachelor such as yourself" She used her proper lady tone

Jack chuckled softly and whispered in her ear, "Oh I'm sure we both know nobody would have a problem with the two of us spending time together in here alone."

she glared "You know full well if my father found out you were alone with me he would come down here pack my things and march me home. After beating you with his cane to a bloody plump"

Jack sighed and leaned back slightly, having a grimace on his face. "And don't remind me how much I bloody hate your father. Honestly, he has no good reason to hate me."

"... Doesn't he? You are often alone and make lewd remarks towards his only unmarried daughter."

Jack let out a small 'pfft,' and chuckled "I think 'often' is.. a stretch. Besides, how is flirting with his daughter a reasonable reason for him to hate me?"

"If you had a daughter and found out some boy was flirting with her you wouldn't be angry?"

Jack sighed and rubbed his face again, contemplating an answer. A few moments of silence later, he responded. "I understand it'd be... worrying. But why anger? You're not a child anymore, you're an adult, You can defend yourself and know what's appropriate and not appropriate. So why shouldn't you flirt with the opposite gender if you please? Namely me."

"because that's not how society works jack."

Jack scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Bloody society. So because society says it's not okay for two people to flirt, it's not okay for a man to give a compliment to a woman. Makes perfect sense."

"I didn't make these etiquette rules."

Jack sighed, and slowly wrapped his arms around her waist. "I know that. But that doesn't mean it's reasonable to follow these bloody etiquette rules."

she rolled her eyes resting her hands on his, "I am an unmarried young lady and you are a bachelor. Like it or not there are rules we have to follow. We get away with alot more because your a doctor and I'm a nurse we have excuses to be alone together. If we weren't if you wanted time alone with me you'd have to court me like everyone else."

Jack chuckled at first before rolling his eyes. "Court you? That's a damn joke. You know damn well I won't court you just to be able to spend time alone with you. Besides, if I went and courted you, I'd have to meet with your bloody father, and I'm not exactly in any rush to see that old bastard again."

"...he'd let you, you know." She said quietly

Jack raised an eyebrow, surprised by her answer. "Would he now? The ol' prick would truly give me permission to court you?"

"he's told me before. He'd give you permission if you actually went about properly"

Jack fell silent for a moment, contemplating what she'd said. "... And what exactly would going about it "properly" require me to do?"

"To bathe. Get dressed up in your best shirt. Come to the house. Perhaps bring gifts for my family. Sit down to dinner. Then ask my father for permission to court me."

Jack groaned and rubbed nose against her neck as he imagined the scenario she was describing. He groaned again and rested his forehead against her shoulder. "Good god... that sounds like absolutely torture." He stayed rested against her for a long moment, not saying anything. After what felt like forever, he lifted his head up. "... Say I did go through all that. The bathing, the best clothes, the family dinner and all that bullshit... would you actually say yes?"

"... Not my choice. Father will decide if you can have permission then you'd have to ask me and then go about the courting"

Jack groaned again, "How many damn steps are in this courting situation anyway?"

"... Well asking for permission, asking the lady, first stage of courting where your chaperoned, second stage where you’re unchaperoned, balls and formal events, then engagement."

Jack groaned again, "Christ... that sounds... bloody exhausting."

"oh it is."

"And this is all because society says two grown adults can't spend time alone without being bloody chaperoned?"

"Yep." She nodded "I mean... You could try your luck do all the same things and just ask father for my hand. It's more a risk but if he agrees you jump straight to engagement "

Jack lifted his head back up and raised an eyebrow. "And what exactly is the likelihood of him agreeing? Because if I'm going through all this bullshit I'd like to know if it's pointless or not.."

"... Agreeing to court, I'd say 70% leaving room for potential social issues. Asking for my hand... 50%... If you catch him on a good day... And maybe wait till he's a few whiskeys deep"

Jack chuckled softly. He was surprised to hear those odds. "Damn. That's a surprisingly high chance. I'd assumed it'd be in the 10% range."

"as I said. He's told me before if you were to go about it properly her happily allow it"

Jack let out another long sigh. "Alright. I'm... slightly considering this now. Very, very, slightly considering this."

"you do realize either way we'd have to get married?"

Jack went silent, staring at the ground to the side while he processed that. A few moments later he spoke in a quiet voice. "Y-Yeah... I'm very much aware of that…” He went silent again, thinking. It was hard enough for him to actually imagine himself getting married, but… for y/n. A frown formed on his face as he spoke again. "Bloody hell... your father as my father-in-law..."

she chuckled "You'd only have to see him like once a year"

Jack groaned again. "One too many times if you ask me. Honestly, I can't stand the thought of being in the same room as that old bastard." Jack went silent for another moment, staring at the floor. But after that moment, he let out a long sigh and spoke up again. ".. But I suppose having to deal with him once a year would be... bearable.. if it meant being married to you"

"hum... Getting to see under my nightie really worth that much to you? That you'd go though all the chaos of courting, marrying me, and dealing with my father for the rest of your life?"

Jack couldn't help but chuckle a tiny bit. "Trust me, seeing under your nightie is only a part of the reason I'm considering this. Getting to marry you is the major reason." he pressed a gentle kiss to her cheek, "Besides... I would rather marry the woman I love, even if I have to deal with her father being a pain in my ass for the rest of my life"

"or you could just go down the pub and pay a lady a few pounds to see under her dress and just remain a bachelor forever?"

Jack chuckled again and slowly leaned even closer to her. "Ah, but there's only one little problem with that idea. I'm in love with bloody you, not some random pub girl."

she chuckled "Well, you know your options, now can I get to bed or you just going to keep me down in the morgue with you all night?"

Jack let out a sigh and very slowly released his grip on her waist. He took a step back. "I suppose you can go off to bed. I'll see you tomorrow as usual?"

"of course, first thing in the morning. You want me to wake you or just meet you in the ward for rounds?"

Jack shrugged and let out a yawn. "Just meet me in the ward for rounds. I'm planning on staying up a little later, you can go get your beauty sleep."

"alright" she chuckled heading to the door but just before she left she turned back "you’re really thinking about this aren't you?"

Jack stayed silent for a moment, as if he was contemplating the question. He eventually let out a sigh and nodded. "... Yeah, I am. I'm actually... genuinely considering it."

she chuckled and nodded slightly a wicked look on her face for a minute "Well..." She smirked her fingers moving to the small straps of her silk nightie and pulling them down to her waist for a brief few seconds exposing her collar, chest and bare breasts before she quickly moved it back up concealing herself again

Jack went completely silent and still while she lowered the straps, his jaw-dropping as his eyes rushed to memorize every tiny little inch of her skin,

"Some encouragement." She blew him a kiss before she headed out of the morgue "See you in the morning doctor Dawkins"

He let out a breath he didn't realise he was holding, "Bloody hell..." he whispered before quickly composing himself "Y-yeah.. see you in the morning."

Jack continued to remain completely motionless after she'd left. He just stood there for a while, his mind and body practically frozen while his brain desperately tried to process what had just happened. The image of her for those few seconds was now burnt into his memory.

After a few minutes, he seemed to finally have enough self-control to move again. He let out another heavy sigh, running his hand through his hair to try and keep himself from feeling the burning sense of desire. He quickly tried to distract his mind by thinking of the patients, the paperwork, anything that could make him push that goddamn image out of his mind but too late he saw and he was so so happy he saw.

[yxngbxkkie]

a new home (l.y.f)

good afternoon everyone! i hope you all are doing well. what do we think of skz new album?? cause i'm in love with it 😭 anyway, i finally finished this beautiful felix piece. it's pretty cute, and i can't wait to see what you all think! feedback is always appreciated 💖

I can't believe I'm in Korea. You think to yourself while looking out the plane window. You fumble with your fingers, feeling kind of nervous all of a sudden. I can't believe I'm seeing Felix again.

You worked with Bang Chan, Felix's friend who also lived in Australia, to organize the whole thing. It's been almost five years since you've seen your best friend. A part of you couldn't believe it's finally happening.

The plane touches down at the airport, and it takes almost ten minutes for you to actually leave. Your grip on your suitcase tightens every few seconds, feeling your stomach begin to flop.

After releasing a deep breath you begin your search for Chan. You smile under the face mask you're wearing before rushing over to the brunette.

"Chan!" You call out his name, watching his head swivel in your direction.

A smile graces his lips, raising his hand to wave. "Y/N, you're here!" He says while walking up to you. "I was a bit worried I was at the wrong gate."

You chuckle and nod your head. The two of you begin walking towards the exit when you speak. "Yeah, the pilot took forever to get us to the terminal," you inform him.

"How are you feeling, by the way?" Chan asks you, his brown eyes gazing down at you.

"I'm nervous," you truthfully mumble, letting out another deep breath. "It's been a long time since I've seen him. We hardly text anymore, but I understand that he's been busy with Stray Kids and whatnot."

Bang Chan rests a hand on your shoulder and squeezes gently. "If it makes you feel better, he never stops talking about you," he says with a small smirk. "Your name pops up in the majority of our conversations."

Your cheeks burn at the statement, feeling a bit embarrassed. "Really?" You ask in disbelief.

"Yes, absolutely."

You shift your gaze to the floor beneath your feet, a smile coming to your lips. "I can't wait to see him," you sigh, excited to feel his arms around you again.

"He's going to be very surprised," Chan laughs as the two of you walk out of the airport. "I do need to talk to you about something first."

You hum in response to him, waiting for him to continue as he places your luggage into the black colored sedan.

"We're filming something for the company at the moment, so, there will be camera's just about everywhere," he informs you, causing your heart to jump.

The two of you pile into the vehicle before Bang Chan begins to drive off. "Is that why you guys are here in Jeju?" You ask him, knowing that the group lives in Seoul.

"Yeah, and the fact that we haven't been able to go anywhere for two years," he nods his head. "I just wanted to let you know about it, in case you were uncomfortable."

"Thank you for the consideration. It means a lot to know beforehand for sure. Uhm, as long as they don't film me it's okay," you tell him, glancing towards him.

He nods his head while turning onto a different road. "They won't, and if they do I'll have them blur your face out in editing," Chan offers.

"Perfect."

-

You and Bang Chan pull up to the house he and the seven other members are staying in before parking the vehicle. He unbuckles his seatbelt while opening the driver side door.

"Stay here for a moment," he mentions. You nod your head, and he swiftly shuts his door before running inside.

"This is crazy," you mutter to yourself while getting out of the vehicle. You quietly close the car door, not wanting to alert anyone else of your presence.

Bang Chan comes back outside and motions you to come closer. "Okay, so, three of our members haven't come back from fishing yet. Now's the perfect time to surprise him," he explains.

You nod your head and bounce on your toes, feeling more and more nervous. "Okay. Let's do this," you smile.

The brunette smiles and pats you on your shoulders. "Alright, come on."

You slip your shoes off after walking through the front door. You can hear a group of voices come from your left. Your fingers are linked together behind your back as Chan leads you through the fancy looking house.

"Felix, I brought something for you," he calls out to your best friend.

He replies to Chan in Korean, not understanding what exactly he said. It's been a few months since you've studied the language.

You follow Chan into the kitchen and your eyes instantly meet Felix's. Your breath catches in your throat at how pretty he's become. "Hey," you breathe out, shyly waving at him.

Felix's eyes widen and he stands up from his seat. "Y/N!?" He asks, stumbling towards you.

"It's me," you whisper as you begin to feel emotional. Tears pool in your eyes as Felix rushes over to you.

He wraps you up in his arms, his actions gaining the attention of the others. "Holy-" he cuts himself off and pulls back from you. His hands resting on the sides of your arms. "I can't believe you're standing in front of me."

"I can't believe it either," you giggle while gently gripping into the sweater he's wearing. "I've missed you."

Felix smiles cheerfully at you and brings you back into his chest. "Oh, I missed you, too. I'm sorry I haven't been around," he sighs into your ear, feeling his fingers gliding along your shoulder blades.

You nuzzle your face into his chest as your heart pounds. One of the other members starts to speak, causing you to pull back. Felix rests his hand on your lower back before turning towards the others.

"This is my best friend, Y/N. She lives in Australia," he introduces you to four of the members.

"Hello," the platinum blonde smiles shyly at you.

You return the smile and take a seat beside Felix. "That's I.N," he informs you before pointing towards the guy sitting across from the blonde. "His name is Changbin."

"Hi," you mumble, giving another shy wave.

He greets you in Korean, and your gaze moves to the person beside him. "And that's Lee Know," Felix mentions, bringing one of his hands to your thigh.

Lee Know bows his head slightly while greeting you. You scoot your chair closer to the table as the other members go back to the conversation they were having before you came in.

"Do you want anything to drink? Water, coffee?" Felix asks you, giving you his full attention.

You shake your head in reply, giving him a smile. "No, I'm okay. Thank you for asking though."

"Okay," he smiles and squeezes your thigh gently.

Bang Chan shifts his gaze between the two of you when an idea comes to him. "Felix, since she's going to be here for a few days, will it be alright if she shares a room with you?" He asks the dark-haired boy beside you.

Your heart skips a beat in your chest as you glance towards Chan. Wait, what?! You think to yourself. "Oh, y-yeah, that'll be fine," Felix stutters over his words.

"How about you show her where it is? She may be tired," Chan intervenes, his brown eyes glancing between the two of you.

"Yeah, yeah, of course," your best friend mumbles and turns his gaze to you. "Is your luggage inside?"

You nod your head. "It is, yeah. I left it in the living room," you tell him, and Felix stands up from his stool.

Bang Chan smirks at you once you meet his eye. He attempts to wiggle his eyebrows as you follow Felix out of the kitchen. Your cheeks blush, covering one of your cheeks with the palm of your hand.

"Are you going to be okay with sharing?" Felix's voice echoes off the walls, causing you to lift your head. "There's only one bed in my room. I can sleep on the couch if you want."

"Oh, it's fine. I mean, we used to have sleepovers when we were kids," you smile at him, reassuring his nerves.

His hands grab a hold of your suitcase as the two of you head towards the stairs. "Okay, great. It'll be like old times," Felix smiles back at you, carrying your suitcase up the steps.

You smile to yourself and continue following him to the room you'll be staying in. When you enter the bedroom, a light gasp escapes your lips. "This is the view?" You ask Felix as you slowly make your way towards the windows.

"Yeah, gorgeous, isn't it?"

"It really is," you mumble, taking in the breathtaking view.

Felix watches you with a smile on his lips. He subconsciously takes a step forward and slides his hands along your hips. He couldn't even begin to explain how it feels to be near you again.

You lean back against him, your heart fluttering in your chest. You've missed his touch. Felix rests his chin against your shoulder, the two of you staying silent.

"I'm really glad you're here," he whispers, causing a shiver to run down your spine.

Your gaze shifts towards him, bringing one of your hands to his head. You comb your fingers through his dark hair, humming in agreement.

"You should move to Korea."

Your breath hitches in your throat and you turn to face him. "Are you serious?" You ask him with wide eyes.

Felix becomes a bit shy, diverting his gaze towards the window. "I mean, yeah. I know moving to a different country can be scary, but you have me," he explains.

"You're actually serious," you whisper to yourself, hoping he didn't hear you.

Your best friend laughs, bringing both of his hands to your face. "Of course I am, silly. I can't go back to Australia any time I want, so, having you move here would be a simple solution. That way we can see each other more often," he smiles at you, his thumbs gently stroking your cheeks. "I can't go another five years without seeing you in person."

"I can't either," you sigh, leaning into his touch. A sudden laugh leaves your lips as you consider the idea. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but, I'll move here."

Felix's eyes widen at your words, feeling your hands wrapping around his wrists. "Yeah?!" His dark brown eyes light up, growing excited.

A chuckle leaves your lips, nodding your head. "I'll have to look at apartments while I'm here," you mention while moving to sit on the queen-sized bed.

"If you need any help let me know," he says with a smile, sitting beside you.

"Are you going to be my Korean teacher? 'Cause I'm going to be very lost," you laugh, resting your head on his shoulder.

Felix laughs along with you, taking your hand in his again. You look at him through your lashes, noticing his gaze fixated on your hand. "Of course I'll teach you," he mumbles while playing with your fingers.

-

5 Months Later…

You rush towards your apartment building, doing your best not to run into anyone. You greet the doorman outside your building before skipping up the six steps. 

It takes two minutes for you to get onto the fourth floor, almost sprinting out of the elevator. You apologize to the couple you almost mowed over, adjusting the bag on your shoulder.

You reach into your large bag, trying to find your keys. "Oh come on," you huff, managing to find them under your wallet. You go to unlock the door when you find it already unlocked.

Your heart pounds against your chest as you slowly open it, peeking your head inside to see someone sitting on your couch.

"Felix?!" You softly call out your best friend's name, watching the brunette swiftly turn to face you. You place a hand over your mouth before running inside, slamming the door shut behind you. "Felix!"

You discard your bag and jacket as Felix pushes himself off of the couch. His arms wrap around you, and yours circle around his neck. He spins you in his arms as your fingers run through his hair.

A few weeks after you officially moved into your apartment in Seoul, Felix and the other seven members had to go to Japan and a few other countries for events. Which happened to last for three months.

"I'm so glad you're back," you mumble into the nape of his neck, inhaling the faint smell of cologne he's wearing.

Felix hums in agreement, his grip on you tightening. "I missed you," he whispers into your ear.

He sets you down before pulling back, his hands resting on your hips. "Do you want to stay over?" You ask him, pushing some of his hair back.

"Yeah, I planned on it actually," he chuckles, his cheeks blushing.

"Great," you whisper, smiling widely. Your fingers gently stroke his flushed cheek, your affection for him growing.

The two of you stare at one another and Felix leans into your touch. "You're so beautiful," he mumbles loud enough for you to hear, not being able to take the tension anymore.

"Am I?" You laugh, a blush coming to your cheeks.

He nods his head, bringing his hands to your face. "Extremely," Felix confirms while slowly leaning in.

Your heart sits in your throat and your eyes slowly flutter shut. A light gasp comes from you when his lips brush yours. "Is this really happening?" You ask in a whisper, hoping that you're not dreaming.

Felix let's out a breathy laugh, nudging your nose with his. "This is really happening," he hums, feeling his thumb stroke your cheek. "I love you."

"I love you," you smile, your heart swelling in your chest.

He leans forward again, capturing your lips with his. You move your arm, wrapping it around his neck as he presses your body against his.

After Felix pulls away from you, he presses a light kiss on your forehead. Your fingers mess with the hairs that sit on the base of his neck, a deep breath coming through your nose.

"I never thought that I'd be able to call you mine," you chuckle, moving your hands to his shoulders.

"I felt the same way," Felix laughs while tucking some hair behind your ear. "We're going to be home for about a month. I would like to take you out when you're free."

You grin ear to ear and nod your head in agreement. "I'd love that," you tell him before kissing him quickly. "But, for now, can we cuddle?"

Felix groans and tightens his grip on your hips. "I thought you'd never ask."

tagging: @thewxntersoldier @spacegirlstuff @reddesert-healourblues

[evereinefaust]

. . . ⇢ ˗ˏˋ 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲 ࿐ྂ

Pairing: Yuuichirou Hyakuya X afab!Reader X Mikaela Hyakuya

Synopsis: In the midst of a day at the carnival with friends, MC finds herself caught between the affections of childhood friends, Yuu and Mika, who compete for her attention.

Word Count: 2,267

"[Name]-chan~!" a certain lavender haired girl called out.

Hearing her constant yelling outside your house, you grumbled in your sleep, positioning on your sides to get a better sleep.

"[Name]-chan!"

"What?!" You bolted upright, brows knitted together in annoyance as your hands formed into a fist, clenching on your blanket. Your half-lidded eyes stared at your oak wood floor.

"E-eh..."

You turned to your side and saw the gang standing outside your room, your door opened. A grinning Shinoa, a poker-faced Mitsuba, a sweat dropping Yoichi, a blank-faced Mika, and a nervous Yuu and Shiho. You glared hardly at them as purple aura emerged from your body, surrounding around you.

"What?" You calmly asked, trying to compose yourself.

"Well, we are wondering if you want to join us—"

"Nope," you bluntly said, cutting off the poor Yoichi who 'eh?!' in surprise, covering the blanket over your face as you went back to bed.

"Come on, [Name]-chan~ it will be fun~" Shinoa went to your sides and poked you.

"Stop it, it's annoying." You groaned then buried your body deeper into the mattress.

A sigh escaped Mitsuba's lips then went out the room, she motioned Shiho and Yoichi to come with her, in which they obeyed. Yuu decided to convince you to come so he went to the bed and kneeled down.

"[Name]?"

You poked your head out of the covers and looked at him. You can't stay angry at Yuu and Mika since they're your childhood friends. And of course, they're not annoying like Shinoa.

"Yes?" You asked, though you obviously know that he'll ask you to join them.

"If you're free today, will you join us? We're planning to hang out at a carnival since there is a festival going on." Yuu explained.

"And there will be fireworks too, your favorite, right?" Mika added, flashing you a smile that could melt your heart.

You hid your blush from them by covering your face with your blanket. "S-sure... just let me refresh for a while. Having you guys invade my house, especially my room, made it hard for me to think."

Yuu sweat-dropped as Mika sighed.

"Well, it was actually your mother's idea to go straight to your room to wake you up, since she said that you're a heavy sleeper when having your little siesta." Yuu laughed nervously as he stood up, rubbing a hand behind his head.

"Yeah, right." You rolled your eyes because of your mother. "Wait for me in 5 minutes. Tell mom that I'll be joining you guys."

Yuu and Mika smiled while Shinoa just grinned. She grabbed the boys out of your room and closed the door behind her.

You sighed, removing the blanket from your face, before smiling at the thought. "Fireworks, huh?"

After you fixed yourself, you exited the room and went downstairs. You can hear laughter and fighting in the living room and so you sneak up and took a peek inside. And as usual, you saw the pinkette and the raven haired boy having a staring competition with each other, sparks of rivalry in between.

"Hey, hey, hey," you smiled then leaned on the door frame, arms crossed.

Everyone looked at you as the two stopped their little contest.

"Ah, you're already awake~" your mom chimed as her eyes lit up, hands clasped together in front of her chest.

"Well, I can't probably go back to sleep without someone annoyingly continue to disturb me," you said and glared hardly at the Hiiragi, making the others know who you are referring to. Shinoa just smiled at you sweetly.

Mitsuba sighed. "Anyways, thanks for welcoming us into your home, Mrs. [Surname]."

"Oh, no! It's fine, you're my [Name]'s good friends, after all." Your mom gave them a smile.

"Okay guys, let's go," you called out to them and they nodded, standing up from their seats.

"Have fun everyone!" Your mom called on you as you and gang are standing outside of your house.

"We will!" You shouted back.

"And oh! Yuu-kun, Mika-kun, please take care of my [Name]!"

"We will!" The black-haired male replied.

"Please don't worry," Mika assured and smiled.

"Mou!" You pouted and puffed your cheeks in all cutesy, face flushed by your mother. "I can handle myself, thank you."

"Okay, then. Have fun!" Your mother chuckled.

"Yes!" With that said, you and the gang walked your way down the pavement towards the known carnival place.

Once the gang entered the park, you can only stare in awe at how much the park had changed from the last time you saw it. A lot of people are roaming around, playing at game booths, eating or just loiter. A slim hand slipped itself into yours and you instantly tensed up at the touch. Your flustered face turned and saw Mika staring back at you, a slightly pink tinted his cheeks.

"M-Mika-kun...?" You asked, unsure of his actions.

"The crowd is thick and I don't want to lose you, your mom might throw a tantrum because of it." He explained, looking back to the crowd to prove his point.

"Y-yeah... right..." you answered, a part of you want to sweat-drop of thinking of your mom having a fit.

Unbeknownst to you, Shinoa is a grinning mess for watching the cute scene and Yuu can't help but scowl at his brother.

"Okay, guys!" Shinoa's voice caught everyone's attention.

You and the others turned around to face Shinoa. And once you did, you could feel a shiver run down your spine after seeing her expression. She is already grinning from ear to ear, a mischievous glint appeared in her eyes. Whatever she is thinking, you don't want to know it.

"Since we are now at the park, I am actually thinking of going in pairs to have fun."

"Who will pick the pairs then?" The brunette asked.

"We'll decide with this!" She pulled out 7 sticks from who-knows-where. You instantly know what it is for. "Since we are 7 right now, there will two pairs and a trio. I had prepared this before we left."

"And we're gonna pick who we are paired with, right?" Yu asked, looking at Shinoa who nodded to answer his question. Somewhere deep in his heart, he wanted to be paired with you and spend the day having fun, he is also somewhat jealous because of the intimate gestures his brother is giving you earlier.

"Let's get this over with." Mitsuba sighed then got one stick.

Yoichi followed after the blonde, then Shiho, then Mika and Yuu at the same time. You and Shinoa are yet to pick. You glanced at the lavender-haired Hiiragi and gave her a nervous glare but all she return to you was a cheeky smile, shoving the two remaining sticks closer to you. You sighed then grabbed one.

"Okay! Removed the white tape from the bottom, there you will see a color. The persons with the same color will go together as pair or trio." After that, everyone did what Shinoa instructed and ripped the tape, revealing three colors—red, yellow and blue—indicating that there are three separate groups.

By now, Mika already removed his hands from yours(for which you are grateful for but soon missing his warmth) and ripped the tape revealing a blue tipped stick.

"I guess we're a pair then," you said then showed him yours.

"I couldn't ask for more." He chuckled.

"Oi! I got blue!" Yuu yelled and raised his blue tipped stick. Your heart dropped at seeing this.

"Stop your yells, idiot! We don't want any passers-by to stare at us like we're crazy!" Shiho smacked the ravenette's head in annoyance, a tick mark appeared on his forehead.

"Ouch! What the hell is that for?!" Yuu rubbed his head then come to touched the redhead's forehead. After a while, the staring contest started.

"H-Hyakuya-kun, Kimizuki-kun, please calm down." Yoichi tried to make them stop as he sweat-dropped.

"I can't believe that I'm paired with this girl..." Mitsuba's eyebrows twitched in annoyance as she stared at the yellow tipped stick. The said lavender haired Hiiragi just smiled sweetly at her.

"W-well... Yuu-kun," you rubbed your temple and called out to him, hoping that somehow, he and Kimizuki would stop for once.

"Hm....? What is it, [Name]?" He asked and turned his full attention towards you.

"Mika-kun and I got blue as well." You said then showed him your stick.

Yuu's green eyes blinked a few times before pink dusted his cheeks. He then comes to you and pulled you into a hug, a gesture which surprises you.

"I'm glad to be your pair, [Name]!" He gushed. You just stood there shocked. He then pulled away and stared into your [e/c] orbs, hands on your shoulders. "I promise to make your day the best!"

The blonde male just glared at his brother for a good minute before breaking their moment. "Ehem!"

Yuu instantly removed his hands from your shoulders and both of you looked at Mika.

"Let's go." Was all he said before interlocked his hands with yours and began to walk.

"H-hey! Wait for me!" Yuu called out and caught up. Mika just looked back at Yuu and glared in which the ravenette didn't hesitate to return.

By now, you and the others are already separated and had your time with both Hyakuya brothers. You can't help but notice that they are trying to get close to you every now and then. They would also scowl and glare at each other when you're not watching. At first, you and the boys went around to admire all merchandise. But then they started to buy you anything that you want. Then they played games to win prizes for you. Of course, you accepted the gifts but somewhere deep in your heart, you wanted them to stop giving you all of these, it made you feel a bit guilty about it.

After the game, the three of you rested first on a bench with the foods that you guys recently bought. Yuu tried to feed you takoyaki, in which you humbly decline but insisted anyway. Mika would let you drink his beverage whenever you are in need of liquid, and of course, you being oblivious that he already drank it also.

Yuu notices this then started glaring hard at the male who returned the favor with a smirk. And so, Yuu had his ways. After eating, your trio went around once again to admire the scenery and everything. During that time, he had excused himself from buying something. Mika was delighted by that then entwined his fingers with yours. You didn't question him this because you know that he thought you might get lost, the crowd is getting thicker after all.

After Yuu came back, he held an unwrapped lollipop and handed it to you. Your eyes brightened up at the sight of your favorite [f/f] lollipop and didn't hesitate to shove it in your mouth. Unknown to you and to Mika, the ravenette boy already licked the lolly before giving it to you. Now he already had an indirect kiss with you as well.

"Wah~ I'm tired!" You yawned as your trio walked towards a grassy field.

"You're right, it's getting late now," Mika stated, still holding your right hand.

"Let's rest over there. The fireworks are gonna start in a few minutes," Yuu informed, pointing a finger to an open grassy field. His other hand entwined with your left(yes, by now, Yuu started to hold your hand as well).

"Sure." You nodded and walked towards the place. The boys following beside you.

After you and the boys settled down on the grass(with you in the middle, of course), you turned to them and smiled.

"Thank you guys for this day."

"It's no problem." Answered Mika as he focused his gaze on the skies, awaiting the fireworks with his cheeks painted red. Luckily for him, the skies were dark and so you didn't see his blush.

"You're always welcome, [Name]." Answered Yuu as he averted his gaze to the side to hide his blush from you.

"Actually..." you turned around to see Mika staring at you. His handsome features up close made your face heat up.

"We've been thinking..." this time, you looked to Yuu and saw his face inches away from yours. You could already feel your heart's gonna explode any moment now.

"That we............" and as on cue, the fireworks exploded in the sky, making Yuu's statement falter by the loud booms and earning your attention as you instantly switched your focus on the colorful sky.

And once you did, the two didn't hesitate to use the opportunity and kissed both of your cheeks at the same time. Your heart skipped a beat, yours eyes wide and face flushed. The two pulled away then gave you a sweet smile while interlocking their fingers with yours.

"We love you, [Name]."

[azullumi]

okay okay— hear me out, what about streamer kaveh dating popular streamer s/o in secret and the only reason they get found out is cause of kaveh forgetting to turn off his camera and they're acting all lovey dovey on stream LOL i can't help but think how he'd explain to a chat that's moving so fast

summary — kaveh is way too loving and... careless.

pairing — kaveh/gender-neutral reader

tags — fluff, modern, established relationship, steamer x streamer, not proofread ; headcanons

words — 1520

note — my alarm didn't wake me up;;; but anyways, i really loved the request anon :D i had so much fun writing it though i guess it was a little bit rush and i could have done better. but anyways, here! i hope you'll like it!

"Bye, everyone! I hope you all had a great time! Thanks for stopping by and I'll see you all next time."

You enthusiastically waved at the camera, smiling as your eyes scanned the chat that was going too fast, trying to read all of the messages that were being sent. Your eyes could only recognize the word "goodbye" in different variations being commonly sent and after a few moments, you stopped the stream—closing the camera and taking off your headphones before you stood up and stretched your back that was aching after only remaining seated for so long.

It was yet another normal day for you, streaming on a platform or website for hours as you were a well-known streamer and content creator, a lot of people's favorites and especially famous on the internet.

"I'm a little bit hungry," Perhaps it was because you only ate a few since you really couldn't leave your seat and that it was nearly dinnertime also; it was already 6:47 in the evening.

Although the work can be exhausting and repetitive at times, you were having fun and clearly enjoying what you were doing—aside from the fact that you get to earn a lot of money to sustain yourself, your needs and your wants, you were also greatly loved and cherished by your fans and most especially, by your boyfriend, Kaveh.

You decided to check up on him, walking out of your room to head to his that was only steps away from yours since you're under the same roof. As you approached and near his door, his voice and chatter was getting more and more clearer and louder, you could even make out some of what he was saying.

"...Are you…"

"I have… Lovely…"

"Show them? I don't want to. Why? They're way too beautiful for your eyes."

"Just say that you're lying and you don't actually have… Hey! I swear, I'm not lying—" He paused once his eyes glanced at the door, in the direction of where you were standing. You noticed how his eyes sparkled and his expression brightened once he saw you, making you smile and your heart flutter upon seeing the small yet noticeable change.

Are you okay?—you mouthed and gestured to him, avoiding to be heard by his audience as he was streaming live as of the moment. A nod before he spoke in a low voice, "I'll be finished in a moment, wait for me."

You could only give him a thumbs up and a smile before you leaned against the wall, watching him as he calls it a day, finishing his stream and saying goodbye to everyone. You approached him—once you concluded that he's already done with it as he took off his headphones—having no restrictions or worries that you might be seen by anyone.

"How are you, sweetheart? Did you miss me?" The blonde-haired man greets you, pulling you to his lap and pushing the strands of hair on your face behind your ear. He gave your forehead a kiss that made you melt in the hold of his hand on your waist and the caress of the other on your cheek and you let out a hum before responding: "I'm good but I missed you."

It was known that the two of you have a significant other but nobody knows who it is nor you were one another's lover, the only known fact is that both of you are in a loving and healthy relationship. There was no reason—aside from just privacy reasons to avoid nosy people sticking their ass up in your businesses—for you two to be hiding it but I guess you could say that it was the better?

"Archons, it's only been a few hours—" He laughs, looking at you with eyes beaming with adoration, love, and care as if his gaze was touching on your soul, and he places yet another kiss on your temple before continuing, "—You're so needy. What even will happen if we won't see each other for a day?"

You couldn't help but roll your eyes upon hearing what he said and another soft chuckle was pulled out of his throat. "I was kidding, okay? I'm sorry, don't be angry at me."

He sounds like a puppy who got scolded by his owner and if it's not for the teasing smile on his face, you would have thought of him as one already.

"Whatever. What's for dinner today?"

"Hm, are you craving for something?"

You went into a quick thought, "I have nothing in mind. Should we just order takeout?"

"If that's what you want, sure. Let's just rest up a bit before we order, I know that you're still tired."

You only nodded as an answer, resting your head on his shoulder as you closed your eyes which had been strained and hurt after only being exposed to the computer for hours. The moment between you two was silent with only the sound of your light breathing against one another and a sigh that slips from his lips—a smile tugged on the corners of your mouth as the feeling of warmth, comfort, and happiness wells up in your chest.

You flutter your eyelids open, your eyesight adjusting to the brightness of the computer screen, seeing yourself on it and some rapid stream of texts—Wait.

"Kaveh…"

"Kaveh."

"Kaveh!"

It is only when you whisper shouted his name that he responded to you, confusion trailing his tone as he knits his eyebrows.

"What? What is—"

His voice came at a complete halt when he also turned his head to the sight of his monitor, seeing what made you urgently call out to him in such a panicked voice.

The camera was turned on and you could see the projection of you two on the screen being lovey-dovey and sweet to another, and a spam of messages on the side—blood rushed up to your face, embarrassed and feeling shy, and you hide yourself with the man's chest as you listened to him frantically trying to explain, if you even call what he's doing as that.

"At least now we have proof that you really have someone—You're quite a positive person, aren't you?"

"I can't read any of the chats! Slow down, will you?"

"It's (Name)? Yes, it's them, do you have a problem with it?"

"Congratulations on your relationship, I hope that the two of you will have more happiness to come—Awww, thank you so much user LetMeCryInTheCorner!"

"Wait—fuck—How do I even explain it to you guys?"

"You don't have to explain everything when we've already seen how sweet you two are—Ah, whatever then! I'll see you guys next time. Go to sleep, pay attention to your homework, or anything!"

It seems like he has totally given up on it as he just stopped the stream and turned off the camera completely—this time he was sure that he really did—before bringing his attention back to you who has calmed down for a bit from what you feel, bringing yourself back to the grounds of reality.

"Now what?"

"What do you mean now what? We're going to order some food." He says as if everything was normal and nothing happened which induced a reaction to smack him from you.

"Ouch! What was that for?!"

"You're too careless and calm!"

He received a glare from you and he laughed—softly and gently like he was soothing your worries and scrambled thoughts, reassuring you that everything is fine and there is nothing to worry about—it''s honestly strange how he's so collected right now knowing how he often panics and thinks over the small things but I guess it didn't really matter, the publicity of your relationship with him, I mean. It's not like the two of you made a pact to keep it a secret.

You just heaved a sigh, releasing the unnecessary things that plagues your mind, "Well, now they know."

"And? Just let them know."

He leans his face close to you, lips only inches away from each other that you could feel his warm breath fanning your skin, and spoke before capturing you in a loving kiss:

"Let them know that I belong to you."

—

Bonus:

"Wow, they're rejoicing for me because it turns out that I wasn't lying after all."

Kaveh rolled his eyes when he saw the reaction of everyone on social media upon knowing you and his relationship with each other. The internet was bombarded with news about you two dating, a lot of questions being raised, and everything—It was all and only about him and you.

He places his phone down the bedside table before returning his gaze back to your sleeping figure turned to him, watching your relaxed and soft expression, and he sighs to himself, scooting closer to you and wrapping his arm around your waist.

It didn't matter anyways. He just loves you so much and as long as nothing will interfere and get in the way of your happiness, as long as you're okay and happy, as long as he gets to hold you close, then everything is fine.

© azullumi — do not plagiarize, copy, repost, nor translate any of my works.

[crime-wives]

ok so i've been rewatching the good place recently and there was once scene in season 2 episode 6 that stood out to me.

the scene between michael and janet in his office where michael refuses to kill her. "why are you making such a big deal about turning me into a marble forever?" "because of reasons. there are reasons. they exist, and I just don't want to explain them right now." "what are the reasons?" "they're reasons, janet!" "okay, but what are they?"

"the reason is friends!"

after he says this, we see michael blink in shock over the fact that he actually, truly cares for someone. it surprises him that he even has the ability to care. it humanizes michael to the audience by showing that even after years of nihilism, he still cares somewhere deep down. this is the first time we've seen michael express his feelings honestly. and it feels raw and real in a way that is emphasized so well in the show. before this moment, michael was trying to form excuses over his reluctance to kill janet, i.e. 'vicky will find out' 'we need you to escape to the real good place' etc etc. after the shock has set in, michael stands by his statement.

"but for me, our… our relationship has become important. you're my oldest, my truest, my most loyal friend. i can't just get rid of you and replace you with some other janet I don't even know."

in this moment we see michael recognize the value of external connection and companionship. the realization that things, that people matter to him.

i talk a lot about michael, but this moment also humanizes janet. i mean this in a way that's different from michael. throughout the show so far, we've seen janet as a comic relief, or as someone who really isn't very fleshed out as a character. she's mostly used as a device on the show for the main characters to gain items or knowledge for their own benefit. it's established very early on that she's not human and therefore does not have feelings. however, as we progress through the show, after all of the reboots, we see janet begin to develop feelings. she becomes more human because of that. additionally, this scene impacts janet as well. this is because it's different for janet to matter to someone not just because she's useful to them. michael values her because she's his friend, because he cares about her. not what she can provide him. maybe it started like that, but now, she has value outside of being useful. it shows janet that she is not replaceable, no matter what she may think. however, even with her developing psyche, she's still pragmatic to a fault. insisting that killing her is the choice that causes the most good.

in fact, now that i think about it, this is an interpretation of the trolley problem presented for michael. 'kill his closest friend to save the neighborhood, or not kill her and let the neighborhood be destroyed, and his experiment deemed a failure, risking retirement'

in the previous episode titled "the trolley problem" we see michael's fickle grasp of ethics as he plots on how to cause the most carnage. however now, when faced with the exact scenario in a way that applies to him, he is unable to do anything. he chooses to save janet's life, risking the entire experiment, his future, and the existence of everyone else. and is that selfish, sure. but it shows that michael has grown. that he prioritizes the people he cares about over all else. it shows that michael is loyal, a trait we have not seen him display so far in the show.

anyway, what was i on about again? oh right, the importance of michael and janet's relationship in the development of both of their characters. about how friendship, having people to lean on, being vulnerable, caring, having external support can help you build yourself into a better person. i think that good place is a show centered on the belief that everyone can change, that it is never too late to improve oneself. the good place shows that being "good" is a choice. that you have to choose it over and over and over again. and that even in this bleak world, it matters. all you can do is be kind and caring and good towards others, and i think this is the moment where michael chose it for the first time.

[call-me-a-simp]

Heal My Wounds

Dresses, Suits and Cakes (part 30)

Rhea Ripley x Reader

Summary: You are in a toxic relationship with an abusive man but manage to run away. A tall, black haired woman picks you up from the streets just in time so your ex doesn't get you. But who is she and why does she seem so familiar to you? As you get to know each other you start to notice weird feelings you never had before whenever she's around.

Dominik and you went out again to eventually find the perfect dress, this time without any complications. In the meantime Rhea was out on her own, not to find a dress, but a suit.

She didn't want to wear a dress, as everyone would expect a bride to do. She wanted to break the standards and what could be better than wearing a suit to a wedding as a female.

But not just any suit, Rhea wanted a unique one. So she went to the tailor she trusted most and known for years and explained to him exactly what she was visioning.

After that she went to look at some black/purple and gothic-themed deco. After all it should fit her style and she already asked you, who didn't have a problem with having a black/purple-ish wedding. You actually really liked the idea.

And as that was done and she gathered some ideas she went to pick you up, hoping you and Dom would be done by now and you could go taste some cakes.

'hey, you done by now?' she texted Dom.

'ye almost I think, why?' he replied

'cause I wanna pick her up to taste some cakes'

'ooh damn I think we just found the perfect dress, hell Yeah she' s looking goood'

'DOMINIK! DON'T TEASE ME LIKE THAAT😭'

'😂😘'

Rhea huffed as she read the message and hopped into her car. But she had to chuckle a little, Dom knew exactly how to tease her when it came to her girlfriend.

She drove off and arrived at your and Dom's location about half an hour later. She found you, again, eating ice cream. "Hey baby" you say and hug her, kissing her cheek lightly.

"I see you got some ice cream there" Rhea smirks. You grin and shake your head "it s okay, take it" you chuckle. "I'm not gonna steal it from you! I just want a taste" she states and takes your ice.

"So" Rhea licks on the ice "where's the dress?" she asks and you take back your ice cream from her. "it's in my car" Dominik says. "why? I wanna see it" your girlfriend pouts a little.

"You said it yourself sweetie, you're not supposed to see it until the actual wedding" you tease her and blow her a kiss. Rhea huffs and takes your ice cream again. "Hey" you exclaim and Dom laughs.

"Come on now, if I can't see the dress I at least want to taste cakes!" Rhea says and starts making her way to where she parked her car. "Ooh can I come with you? I love cakes!" Dominik asks excitedly.

"No!" Rhea turns around "you were mean to me and mean boys don't get to taste cakes!" and she walks off again. Now was your time to laugh at him "come on Dom, you have my permission"

He lets out a happy squeal and runs to his car, before he enters he turns around shouting "Thank youu". You chuckle and wave it off, heading to Rhea's car.

You arrive at the bakery and get out. "Hey, I said you aren't allowed to come" she dares Dominik "Hey calm down babe, I told him it's okay. We all know it's a joke from your side anyway, isn't it?"

"Of course it is" Rhea breaks character "come here domi-boi" she holds her arm out for him and he happily accepts the little hug.

You enter the building and get taken to a table where they already put some cards with different cake options and stuff. "Here you go, you can take a look and then tell us what you would like to taste" the waitress says.

"Okay, thank you" you smile at her. You take a seat and start looking through the cards. "Do you want to go for a more chocolaty or fruity cake?" Dom asks.

"I don't know, they're both good in their own ways.." you and Rhea say simultaneously and chuckle. "Okay, more to taste, I don't mind" Dom grins. Rhea shakes her head smiling, that was so typical Dom!

You order some samples and taste them all, eventually deciding to go for a dark chocolate cake, with dark chocolate frosting and cherries inside. Dominik didn't get to do much except eating cake, but he didn't complain. Why should he? He's as happy as ever.

"Can you make it three layers, coated in black with a purple, kinda waistband and some edible flowers and.. And I want the judgement day logo on it cause I know it's important to my fiancée and.. And I want two brides on top!"

You go on and on, excited to get your dream wedding cake. But before you walk out Rhea wishes to speak to the bakers alone, telling them to give one of the brides, her, a suit.

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

Part 30. Is it normal to get tired of writing sometime and feeling like it's some kind of burden, like you have to do it because people expect you to?

Anyway, here's the taglist: @babybatlover @legit9thlunaticwarrior @thatonepansexual2000 @nox-fire

[toomuchracket]

just saw a random post of parents taking their 3 week old to get their library card. immediately had birthday party verse brainrot about it. maybe first little outing together outside their bubble. like to them it’s more important than getting baba her passport.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS ASK i am a literal library girly (like that's my job rn) so this is really special. also library dilfs are an absolutely exceptional breed of man and i think matty would fit right in. anyway! i think you and matty are big fans of your local library even before the baby is born - you're convinced that such free and available access to a massive range of literature really helps inspire and hone your own writing, matty thinks it has chill vibes and loves watching you get excited over books, and it's also the perfect walking distance from your house (not too far, manageable, and really pleasant). when you're pregnant, you take advantage of their section of parenting books, and sometimes matty wanders over to the kids section and looks through the picture books, smiling at the thought of you reading to your baby like you do with him (and mayhem lol); when you go to check out your books, he says to the library staff "i can't wait until we can bring the baba down here and choose books for them" and kisses your cheek, which makes you swoon a little bit and the staff go "awwwww".

it lingers in the back of both your minds when she's actually born, hidden behind overwhelming love and tiredness and awe of your tiny girl, so naturally it's the first thing you suggest doing when matty asks where baba's first big outing (excluding being registered and going to visit family) should be - his face lights up at the thought, and he nods excitedly. the next morning, you get your daughter dressed in a little lavender onesie and kinda dress yourself up a little bit too (you swap leggings for a summer dress and put some makeup on) - it's your first outing in a while too! - and the three of you go for your first little walk together! it's a beautiful day, and baba is as good as gold in her pram (meaning she sleeps soundly), and life is perfect; matty looks dilfy as hell pushing the pram and cooing lovingly at his baby, frequently turning to kiss you and smile. his and your smiles get bigger when you get into the library itself, and the staff quietly exclaim at the fact there are three of you now - you park the pram in a little secluded spot and matty lifts baba out (she still stays sleeping, bless her) and carries her over to the desk. you hand over your returns first (because of course you have books to return!), and then you're like "can we please get our girl set up with her own card?", and you get to fill out a little form for her and then that's it! she has her first library card! matty cheers, and then winces when baba stirs, which makes everyone laugh; he grins sheepishly like "m'just excited for her. she's going to be the smartest most well-read kid ever now. her mother's daughter, of course" and kisses your head.

next comes the fun part - choosing books. she's awake at this point, but still groggy against her dad's chest as he carries her around the building explaining to her what section's what; you snap some sneaky pics of them as he does, grinning, and then promptly start sniffling when he pulls a book from the shelf and says "this is the best book in here, though, munchkin - it's mummy's, the one she wrote when you were only a little bean in her tummy! this is a very special place to mummy and me, and i hope it will be for you as well". but before you can fully cry, matty wanders over to the picture books and one-handedly starts rifling through them, talking to baby as he does and making you laugh - "that one looks alright! that one looks a bit trite, though. we're better than that in this family, my girl, aren't we?" lmao. and when matty catches you giggling he smiles and holds his hand out to you, so you go over and help the two loves of your life choose some books - you leave with a good little stack, eager to go home and read to your baby girl with your husband, and then to come back to the library with them next week and do it all over again <3

[mythologyfolklore]

Liù'ěr Míhóu joins the jttw gang, or: How to redeem an all-hearing celestial monkey with a superiority complex and a seriously bad attitude

(A/N: TW: mention of SA, genocide, alcoholism)

Chapter Twenty-eight: Awkward reunion

.

Èrláng looked slightly different from what Wùkōng remembered.

Maybe it was the different attire; white and beige robes, rather than the golden and cyan armour from before.

Maybe it was the unhealthy pallor and tired eyes; gone were the oppressive gaze and the fire of battle lust in those black orbs, so it seemed.

“Good evening, Illustrious Sage”, Wùkōng greeted politely, even though he had to refrain from gnashing his teeth.

“Great Sage Equal to Heaven”, Èrláng replied, with the most forced smile Wùkōng had ever seen. “You have converted to Buddhism and accepted its teachings. Surely you will be rewarded with a lotus throne of your own, once your journey is finished. Congratulations.”

Why is he telling me that? And why is he sounding so bittersweet about it?

But Wùkōng pretended not to hear the bitterness and replied: “That remains to be seen, so don't congratulate me just yet. We – that is, my master, my fellow disciples and myself – have been travelling for almost nine years now and with how it's going right now, it'll take another five. Anyway, we're staying at the Kingdom of Sacrifices right now and we're trying to help out the local Buddhist monks …”

From here he gave a run-down of the situation, while his former nemesis listened intently.

“… so I was hoping you could lend us a few hands”, finished Wùkōng.

Èrláng smiled, more genuinely this time. “Well, my brothers and I are just coming from a hunt, so it's not like I have anything better to do. I'll gladly help you. Although … I don't know what kind of villain lives here-”

One of his brothers piped up: “Èrgē¹, have you forgot? Scattered Rock Mountain and Emerald Waves Lagoon are the home of the All-Saintly Dragon King!”

Èrláng chuckled sheepishly: “I … actually might have forgot about that. Wait …” His eyes narrowed. “The All-Saintly Dragon King has never caused trouble before.”

Wùkōng arched an eyebrow. “He has now, but it's mostly that son-in-law of his …”

Another brief explanation later, Èrláng said: “Well, if you already killed the patriarch, it's wiser to take down the rest of them now, while they're unprepared.”

“Can't it wait until tomorrow?”, said Bājiè all of the sudden. “It's getting late and we're all tired-”

“Speak for yourself, you lazy hog!”, Liù'ěr Míhóu threw in. “Unlike you we're not a bunch of slobs! Yeah! I'm also here!”, he jibed, as everyone turned to stare at him. “Nice of you all to finally notice me!”

Wùkōng paid close attention to Èrláng's reaction. He seemed … curious?

“I don't recall Bodhisattva Guān Yīn mentioning a second monkey demon being one of the Tang monk's disciples?”, he remarked.

“I only joined about nine months ago. Hello to you too, Zhēnjūn². I'm the Six-Eared Macaque, my religious name is Sūn Wùhuàn, I'm about 1100 years old and I'm the youngest of the Tang Monk's disciples”, the white monkey introduced himself.

The Little Sage opened his Heavenly Eye, only for all three eyes to dart back and forth between the Six-Eared Macaque and the Monkey King.

“Your auras are similar”, he observed. “I always thought the Great Sage was unique.”

Wùkōng's right eye twitched. What the fuck did that three-eyed arsehole mean, he wasn't unique?!

Liù'ěr Míhóu explained: “He is unique. It's just that we're two of a kind. There's another two of us, but they live far, far away. And for your information, they prefer to stay under the radar, so please don't look for them.”

“As long as they don't make trouble, sure. But do tell me … what in all three realms is a radar?”, Èrláng asked.

Liù'ěr Míhóu looked a bit sheepish. “Uhhh, something that won't be invented for another 1300 years, so don't think about it too much.”

If everyone hadn't looked at him with WTF-faces before, they were now.

Good to know that Wùkōng wasn't the only one confused by the other macaque's anachronistic references.

Bājiè on the other hand looked completely indifferent, like he had simply resigned himself to not thinking too hard about the weird shit that sometimes came out of Liù'ěr Míhóu's mouth.

Finally Èrláng shrugged. “Oh well. Either way, it's a pleasure to meet you, Miss.”

“I'm a male”, corrected the Macaque. “I may look and sound female, but … uhm … hey. Are you okay?”

The Little Sage had grown even more pallid and was covering his mouth with his hands. His black eyes were wide and … wait, was that a tear?! Holy shit, was he-?!

Then, without a warning, he grabbed Liù'ěr Míhóu, embraced him tightly and proceeded to sob into the shocked macaque's shoulder.

What?!

What the actual-?!

Okay, now Wùkōng's head was reeling!

What in all eighteen hells was this, he couldn't even-

His gaze met that of Bājiè, who seemed to have figured something out that he hadn't. And wasn't that a novelty! Could Bājiè have figured out, why Èrláng was getting so emotional after Six-Ears had revealed his true sex? Seriously, why-

Oh.

Oh.

Ohhh!

“Finally figured it out?”, Bājiè whispered.

“How did you know?”, Wùkōng whispered back.

“I'll explain later”, murmured the boar demon, before clearing his throat and saying aloud: “Ahem, as beautiful and heartwarming as this is, we still have a draconic issue at hand.”

Èrláng coughed, let go of his stunned captive and dried his eyes.

“Of course, of course”, he muttered. “My apologies.”

He can apologise for that, but not for what he did to my babies …

“And just to be clear: this is staying between us. Tell anyone what happened and you can say goodbye to your tongues.”

The three monks shrugged; it wasn't like anyone would believe them anyway.

Bājiè spoke up again: “So, what about putting the attack off until tomorrow-”

“An army doesn't wait, until the timing is convenient for their opponent”, Èrláng cut him off and suddenly he was the warrior god from then again. “Right now they're unprepared for battle. This is the best opportunity to wipe them out completely.”

“But-”

“Second Brother, they won't be that much better prepared tomorrow either”, one of Èrláng's sworn brothers suddenly spoke up. “That villain and his family live here, so they're not going to run away anytime soon. Why don't we all relax for the rest of the evening and destroy them tomorrow, when we're fresh and well-rested?”

“Lăo Kāng.”

“Lăo Yáng. Aren't the Great Sage and his fellow brothers our guests now? What speaks against having fun tonight? We can entertain them and we have enough food and drink for everyone! And is these three entering the path of virtue not a good reason to celebrate? Besides, we can also discuss details of a battle strategy, while we're at it and tomorrow we'll be as prepared as can be!”

For a brief moment, Èrláng's expression remained neutral. Then he seemed to resign himself to being outvoted by his own sworn brothers and sighed: “You know what, you're right. Let's make camp here for the night, our opponents really won't run away.”

Wùkōng too had to accept the fact, that today nothing would get done anymore.

“But we do have dietary inhibitions”, he informed the seven, just to be sure.

“Don't worry, we have fruits and the wine is dietary”, the Little Sage assured him.

Wùkōng was about to question that, when another of the Seven Sages spoke up:

“And the wine is dietary, because someone-”, he side-eyed Èrláng with a scowl, “-doesn't fucking stop, once he starts drinking!”

Èrláng snapped back: “Okay, first off: language. Secondly: tell the world, Yáo! Thirdly: since you apparently have enough leisure to nag, you might as well start setting up our tents! And don't you forget to take your evening medication again, or so help me!”

Brother Yáo made an offensive gesture at him and stomped off to fetch their camping equipment, followed by four of his brothers.

The sixth one stayed back with a fuming Èrláng and the three Buddhist monks, who were now exchanging awkward glances.

The sixth Sage cleared his throat and addressed Wùkōng: “Great Sage. Gentlemen. Do you mind, if I have a private word with my Elder Brother for a moment?”

“Of course not.”

The other man smiled politely, before taking Èrláng to the side with a more stern expression.

I wonder what they're talking about.

Suddenly Liù'ěr Míhóu snorted: “Heh! He's getting chewed out by Zhāng Bóshi for snapping at Yáo Gōnglín like that.”

“What was that for anyway?! How can anyone treat their sworn brothers like that?!”, Wùkōng questioned.

Liù'ěr Míhóu shrugged: “Eh, don't get too hung up about it. Alcoholics always get stroppy and defensive, if they're called out in public. Speaking from experience.”

“As a call-out guy or as an alcoholic?”

“Both.”

“Okay. But still!”

“Hey, easy does it. Celestials and humans don't do sworn siblinghood the way we do. To us, it's either an alliance or a form of marriage. They go all out on the sibling part. Shit talking, banter, the whole works.”

“That's true”, confirmed Bājiè.

“Besides, Èrláng seemed to be pretty concerned about Yáo forgetting his medicine for the evening – kinda concerning, that he needs to be reminded of that, but okay-”

“What kind of medicine?”, asked the Monkey King curiously.

“Oh, Yáo Gōnglín has a congenital heart disease, that even immortality couldn't fix, so Laozi gives him magic pills to keep his heart from blowing up. And now Èrláng keeps babying him about it.”

“Oh … that kinda blows. I guess the snapping makes sense in that context.”

“Yeah. Oh, there they come!”

Indeed Zhāng Bóshi returned with a slightly humbled Èrláng Shén on his heels.

Hilarious. And satisfying.

That prick deserved a good scolding at least. If only Wùkōng had the words to give that three-eyed bastard Dìyù for what he had done. But he had no words. Because how did you reproach a mass murderer without sounding like a total hypocrite?

Liù'ěr Míhóu meanwhile clapped his two hands at the god and his sworn brother and laughed: “There you are! I heard everything! It was top nodge entertainment! What a funny and heartwarming dialogue! I felt like listening to a theatre performance!”

Okay, damn.

Zhāng Bóshi frowned: “You need to stop.”

Èrláng Shén scowled: “Is there anything you can't hear?”

Liù'ěr Míhóu grinned: “Only the thoughts in your head – provided they remain unspoken, of course. Thoughts are the only thing, that makes no noise. Everything else, however … you get the idea.”

“Can you tell, when someone lies too?”

“Obviously. Though what I hear depends on the person. Some people can't lie credibly to save their lives, whereas others do it so well, that even I can just barely tell the difference. The latter are usually psychopaths.”

Now Èrláng looked less angry and more confused. “What is a psychopath?”

“Someone with a mental disorder that leaves them unable to feel empathy, guilt and most emotions”, the white monkey explained. “The word won't be invented for another 1300 years, but-”

“You can hear the future.”

“And the past and present. Only the Buddha knows more than I do.”

“That's a bold claim to make.”

“And a fact”, Liù'ěr Míhóu stated. Then his face turned flat. “But if you think I'm gonna tell you what'll happen in your future, forget it.”

Wùkōng confirmed: “Yeah, fat chance. Flattery, threats, torture – nothing works. The only exception is when he warns us from dickheads, who want to harm our master – and that's only because he likes us. But other than that? The most you can expect is prophecies so cryptic they only make sense in hindsight.”

“And that's not gonna change ever”, the Six-Eared Macaque said coolly.

Èrláng Shén didn't seem disappointed at all. Just all the more intrigued. “What do you mean by prophecies that only make sense in hindsight?”

The monkey shrugged: “Well, since that's in the past I can tell you an example. About 600 years ago, a powerful demon king heard about my near-omniscience and had me brought before him. He wanted to find out what would happen, if he invaded one of the neighbouring territories. And because I didn't like the way he was looking at me, I told him this: if you cross the stream, you will destroy a great empire.”

“So he did and the empire he destroyed was his own”, Èrláng said flatly.

The white monkey snickered: “Obviously!”³

“That sounds like a pretty clear prophecy though. Didn't it occur to him, that he would lose?”

Liù'ěr Míhóu shook his head. “No. I phrased it like that, knowing full well that he would interpret that as him conquering another territory. They always do. Hubris is one hell of a poison.”

Now Wùkōng tilted his head: “Hubris? What's that?”

The Macaque explained: “It's the excessive arrogance, that drives some people to challenge entities far beyond their league, or even put themselves above them. For example, it was hubristic, when you accepted the Buddha's wager.”

Wùkōng narrowed his eyes. “Is that so? Well, I'll tell you what's also hubristic: stealing my identity and my kingdom and thinking you can get away with it!”

The white monkey raised his hands. “Alright, touché-”

“You what???”

Suddenly Èrláng leapt up, his face distorted with rage to the point, where his eyes were glowing red.

Uh-oh.

The Little Sage strode around the fire and got all into the Macaque's face.

“You dared to try and take the place of the Great Sage Equal to Heaven?! You?! Don't make me laugh! What ever made you believe, that you could compare to him! A face-stealer, who abuses his own abilities for deception! It doesn't matter that you're of the same kind as him, you're not like him! You never will be like him! You will never be on his level!”

The Monkey King's mouth was hanging slack.

Was that guy seriously defending him, or was he seeing things?

But Bājiè looked just as flabbergasted, so he wasn't hallucinating (after all, they couldn't have the same hallucination, right?).

And Èrláng was just getting started: “You cannot take his place, because no one can! All that glory and power need to be earned through hard work and sacrifice and you haven't earned them! You're not even close to having his calibre! If he's a ten course meal, you're a bloody appetiser! Work towards your own damn reputation! The only person, who has ever given me a real challenge, who has given me a battle worthy of being called such, and you have the audacity to try and steal his credit, are you kidding me, how freaking dare you …”

I'm starting to feel like I'm in the wrong novel here.

Sūn Wùkōng felt his patience dwindling, until he noticed, that the Six-Eared Macaque was tapping the gourd in his hand with a single finger in a systematic pattern.

Oh.

He was using that weird tapping code he had taught Wùkōng and the other pilgrims months before.

Zhū Bājiè clearly noticed it too.

In fact, he deciphered what their youngest brother was tapping, before the Monkey King did (sometimes he did have his smart moments), and chortled – which he quickly disguised as a pig grunt, when Èrláng glared viciously at him.

Suddenly a voice from the background called out and the still visibly irate three-eyed god excused himself to go and help his brothers set up a feast for them all.

“What was that you said?”, whispered Wùkōng to his fellow macaque.

Liù'ěr Míhóu smirked, tapped it again and this time the other monkey was able to follow: “Totally stealing that 'ten course meal vs appetiser' insult. Don't tell him.”

Wùkōng snickered, his mood improving a little.

.

“So, how did you know, that his temperament is like that of our brother?”, asked the Monkey King Bājiè later, as everyone sat around the fire, eating a dinner cooked by Èrláng himself.

Bājiè shrugged: “Eh, I noticed a few things and they got me thinking, so in order to have certainty, I just went and asked straight up him.”

“… You're shitting me.”

“No, he did do that”, confirmed Èrláng. “Went up to me and asked me, if my temperament was 'extravagant', as he put it, like he wasn't risking being killed by me on the spot. As you can see, he's still here, though I did threaten to kill him, should he ever tell anyone.”

Bājiè nodded. “Yup. Pointed his three-tipped spear at my throat and everything.”

Wùkōng's eyes narrowed: “Wait, is that what you meant earlier, when you said he hates you? Is it because of that?”

The boar demon grimaced. “No, it's not that. It's … uh … well …”

Èrláng sneered: “Oh, what's wrong? Don't have the spine to explain? Or is it because technically they already know, but also don't?”

What.

“I'll give you a hint”, said the three-eyed god and pointed heavenwards. Towards the moon.

Wùkōng blinked. “Cháng'é?”

“She's my best friend. And he tried to rape her.” Èrláng's face and voice morphed into something so monstrous, that the Monkey King felt a shudder run down his spine. “I would have slaughtered him on the spot, if Cháng'é wasn't too tender-hearted to stand such a sight. It's only because of her and Guān Yīn, that this pig got to live.”

Wow.

The Monkey King side-eyed Bājiè. “You know, Third Brother, I keep questioning your self preservation instinct and now I'm questioning it even harder.”

“Same”, said Liù'ěr Míhóu.

“Hey! How was I supposed to know that the most beautiful goddess in Heaven is besties with the most terrifying god in Heaven?!”

“You should have considered, that she has powerful friends, before you harassed her! But it doesn't matter! You shouldn't have touched her regardless!”, snarled Èrláng.

Zhū Bājiè muttered something that sounded suspiciously like “I couldn't think shit, I was drunk.”

“You don't think shit, when you're sober either!”, retorted Liù'ěr Míhóu.

“Also, what kind of pathetic excuse is that!”, snapped Èrláng. “'I was too drunk to think'! Pah! You weren't too drunk to bust into her palace and try to force yourself on her! What would the world come to, if everyone could excuse their misdeeds like this! Should I now try to defend my own actions, by saying 'I was just following orders'?! It's a rubbish excuse and anyone with half a brain can see that!”

Thus reminded of his slain babies, Sūn Wùkōng stood up.

Grimly he spoke: “I'm glad to hear you see it that way. Because those were my dear grandchildren you wiped out and for that I hate you. I regret becoming your sworn brother, because now I can't take it back and I'll spend the rest of my eternal life worrying, that you will hurt them again. My master keeps talking about mercy and forgiveness and who knows! Maybe I'll get to the point, where, in a thousand years or so, I will find it in my heart to forgive you! But today is not the day, nor will it be tomorrow or any time in the foreseeable future.”

The Little Sage held his gaze and nodded. “Good to know. I wasn't going to ask for your forgiveness in the first place, but I understand and accept your decision.”

Good.

But that sliver of satisfaction instantly went out the window, when Wùkōng noticed Liù'ěr Míhóu wiggling his ears and looking at Èrláng with a strange gaze.

Pity.

The Six-Eared Macaque was pitying the three-eyed god.

What ever he had heard in the other's past and future had caused him to actually feel bad for him.

The Monkey King made note to confront the Macaque about that later.

And then Zhū Bājiè asked: “Okay, but seriously, Eldest Brother, how did you become sworn brothers with these people?”

Èrláng Shén blushed for some reason and Wùkōng was embarrassed to feel his own face heat up.

“During our first fight, actually. It was a heat of the moment kind of thing”, Èrláng admitted awkwardly.

“Yeah”, Wùkōng confirmed, equally awkward. “We were duking it out and pulling no punches and he was like 'hey, you're pretty strong, fighting you is fun' and I was like 'thanks, you're pretty strong too and I like it', and then he was like 'let's be sworn brothers' and I was like 'fuck yeah!', and that's how it happened.”

“While we were still fighting”, added Èrláng and the Monkey King nodded.

In retrospect, it had been absolutely priceless. If not for all that had happened since then, maybe Wùkōng would still be able to laugh about it.

Bājiè meanwhile was gawking at the both of them, like they were complete lunatics, which was probably exactly what he thought.

But he didn't say it out loud.

Which, in light of the fact that Èrláng Shén's aura grew more murderous every time the pig demon opened his mouth, was definitely wiser.

Loath as the Monkey King was to admit it, he understood the three-eyed Celestial's anger in this case. If someone had tried to rape one of his friends, Wùkōng would've felt the same way. So while the monkey was cranky that someone was threatening his brother with murder, Bājiè had brought this one on himself, so Wùkōng supposed he could let his nemesis have this one.

Plus, Èrláng's rage was … really fucking beautiful. This flawless face twisted into a bloodthirsty grimace; the deceptively pristine hands, that were clearly itching to wrap themselves around their enemy's head to crush it like a grape; the bloodthirsty and slightly crazed look in his eyes; the suffocatingly heavy aura, intensified by his just barely contained wrath … this was art. A beautiful, twisted, living piece of art. Wùkōng wished he could ban it on paper. Sadly, he was a crappy painter, so putting it into poems would have to do. Sūn Wùkōng had met a lot of pretty people, but none had ever stirred anything inside him. Except for this monkey murdering, arsonist, regrettably beautiful and very paintable bastard.

The Monkey King didn't like what it was doing to him. Sure, he himself was murderous and violent, but never had he been as fascinated by other people, as when he saw the unadulterated anger of the three-eyed god. He had felt it too, when they had fought 560 years ago. A thrill pulsating in his veins and tingling in his marrow. A level of excitement never experienced before or since. Not even with the Six-Eared Macaque.

No one could arouse this feeling but Èrláng Shén.

Damn that hypnotic arsehole!

Frustrated, Wùkōng decided to focus on his food and put a spoonful of soup into his mouth. Only to tear up and wheeze, when his mouth started to burn.

Èrláng tilted his head. “Great Sage, are you okay?”

“Hot! Hot! Hot! Like molten copper!”, cried Wùkōng.

Someone handed him a gourd. It turned out to be filled with milk (who was carrying a gourd full of milk?) and he emptied it greedily.

As he finally recovered from the way too spicy food thanks to the milky remedy, he noted that the men around him were trying to hold back their smiles and giggles.

He huffed: “What? Not everyone likes it spicy!”

Cue the collective laughter.

Liù'ěr Míhóu was the first to stop snickering, and held out his hand. “Alright, now you're feeling better, so give me back my gourd.”

The Monkey King complied, though he did ask, why the Six-Eared Macaque was carrying a gourd full of milk.

The white monkey shrugged. “I like milk. It's yummy and a good way to sate you for a while, if you're not lactose intolerant or allergic, which I'm not.”

“What do those words mean?”, asked Bājiè.

So the Six-Eared Macque explained it to him and the others.

“The causes for those averse reactions will be discovered 1300 years from now”, he said. “But it's a biological condition, so there's no harm in telling you people about it. Might actually help some of you, if you eat something and find yourself sick without poison. And I happen to know that one of you is lactose intolerant!”, he added pointedly, looking over the Sages of Plum Mountain.

“You're not intending to reveal each and every one of our weaknesses to your companions, are you? Because threatening to reveal the deepest, darkest secrets of powerful gods is a very dangerous game to play”, warned Èrláng.

The macaque smiled with creepy serenity: “I only expose people, who force my hand – or rather, my ears. For now I simply want you all know, that I have all this knowledge and I'm not afraid to use it against you, if you give me no other choice. But I feel bad for you, Little Sage, so your dirty secrets are safe with me!”

Èrláng's face and aura grew even darker than before, as he told the six-eared monkey: “You shouldn't flaunt your knowledge so arrogantly. People who know too much tend to get silenced by those they know too much about.”

Liù'ěr Míhóu laughed: “Oh, certainly! But you won't harm me! I heard it in your future! Besides, other than you only a handful of gods actually stand a chance against me.”

“Just like very few stand a chance against me!”, Sūn Wùkōng felt the need to brag.

The white macaque smirked: “And yet you didn't beat me!”

The Monkey King gasped, offended: “Bitch, you didn't beat me either! And we duked it out in all three realms!”

“You're the bitch!”

“No, you!”

“No, you!”

Eventually Bājiè put an end to their bickering, by grabbing both monkeys' heads and slamming them together. “You're not little kids. Cut it out.”

“Uuugh, you shouldn't have done that!”, groaned the Six-Eared Macaque and rubbed his head. “I'm not made of stone, dammit!”

The pig demon gawked at him. “What! But you're both Spiritual Primates! If you're not made of stone like Eldest Brother, then what are you made of?!”

“Water, ice and vapour”, answered the other immediately.

“How does that work?”

“The same way Sūn Wùkōng being a stone monkey works. I hatched from an ice crystal made from the frost of a mountain, the gale of a blizzard and the vapour and water of a hot spring the wind pushed my egg into. Eventually the hot water made my icy egg crack and I came out. Any more questions?”

“… Nah, I'm good.”

“I have one”, said the three-eyed prick, “Do you have powers that the Great Sage doesn't have and some where the opposite is the case?”

“Oh, sure”, Liù'ěr Míhóu replied. “For example, I don't have his eyes of truth, nor can I create hair clones. He on the other hand doesn't have my plenary hearing, nor does he wield the Samadhi Water.”

“That exists?”, asked one of Èrláng Shén's sworn brothers.

Liù'ěr Míhóu arched an eyebrow. “Of course it does. And I can control it. It's the only type of water that can effectively extinguish the True Samadhi Fire. It also has a few other niffty powers, just like the Samadhi Fire does. There is also the Samadhi Wind, which is wielded by the Yellow Marten currently under custody of the Western Heaven.”

“Good riddance!”, Wùkōng grumbled.

“I know right, that guy fucking sucks! Anyway, those are the three extant Samadhi Elements. There used to be a Samadhi Earth, Metal and Wood too, but their last wielders died millennia ago and their skills have been lost to time. Kinda blows, that my hearing isn't enough to recreate that knowledge, but eh. Now there's nothing that can be done about it. At least we are still here to pass our knowledge on. Isn't that right, Èrláng Shén?”

Wùkōng's eyes widened.

Suddenly a lot of things made sense.

Why the fire had been as destructive as it had been, despite Flowerfruit Mountain's magic. Why so many of his monkeys had died, despite their names being erased from the Book of the Dead. Why he had only been able to restore the beauty of his island via magic.

Wùkōng couldn't help but let out a wail over his dead grandchildren.

He didn't care about the glances of discomfort thrown his way by the others as a result. He would grieve for his subjects, whenever he damn pleased, and if anyone had a problem with that, they could kiss his arse.

.

---

.

1) Èrgē: Second Brother 2) Zhēnjūn: True Monarch 3) according to a Greek legend, King Croesus of Lydia got a similar prophecy from the Delphic Oracle and became his self-fulfilling prophecy, when he was defeated by Persian Great King Cyros the Great.

[midnightcreator12]

I need to say this, cuz smth embarassing happened to me and now I can't stop imagining Chula in that scenario and literally any turtle.

Because yesterday, I was talking to one of my friends and on one word, I started stuttering SO much. Istg it was SO bad😭

I went "Haha, crazy that you said that cud-cu- don't- I-dont...do-don't.. huh???? Cuz you- don't.. what the fuck were we talking about??"

And now I can't stop this moment in my head and I need to get it out somehow. However, knowing my mind (hopefully) it won't stop anyways but yea, i've been imagining Chula as the poor girly-pop who needs to listen to Leo stutter as if he don't know how to fucking talk. Or she'll laugh, who knows?

She gon go "Oh don't worry bout my kid. He's okay. Or...mildly on drugs... morphine...maybe. Wouldn't know how THAT happened tho. Or he knows how to un-learn the whole shabbing alphabet. Could be it."

Don't mind me. Just a lil' guy that wants to feed myself and others some serotonin with these little shenigans.

Be sure to drink a lot and treat yourself to your favourite snack. And don't forget those blankets for some nice rest this night.

-Best regards, everyone needs therapy, but I do too, so that makes up for it.-

So, your ask got me think of what Leo could be rambling about to cause him to stumble over his words. Which made me think about when I stutter like I don't know English and how it happens most often when I'm overly excited about shows and movies and my brain moves quicker than my mouth.

And THAT made me think about the fact Chula basically lives in the Rise Lair now so, of course, the boys will be showing her all the Lou Jitsu and Jupiter Jim movies. And THAT made me wonder what Chula's relationship with sci-fi would be like.

Because she's LIVED THOSE THINGS, more or less. The 'fiction' in sci-fi is basically all the stuff she had as everyday items and events. But, since the tmnt shows are kind of silly, the silly shows within the shows are pretty ridiculous so Chula is basically watching a horrible interpretation of a rough idea that was a fully developed thing in her dimension.

In short, Chula Verd doesn't like sci-fi because seeing all the completely incorrect interpretations of how space travel and exploration and space wars work is just painful but she knows the boys like it so she just smiles and tells them that it was a great movie.

And then I wrote a dabble about Leo stuttering while they watch a movie! Enjoy!

“Oh, oh, oh! This part is awesome! This is when Jupiter Jim crash lands on the alien turtle planet and he’s gotta fight his way to the super secret base-”

Chula nodded along as Leo explained the scene playing out of the kid's holoprojector.

Since she was staying long term, they had all taken turns catching her up on ‘every modern culture medium she needed to know about’. And at the very top of that list were their favorite holo-drama franchises.

One of which was a series about this space explorer slash adventurer called Jupiter Jim. An absurdly massive franchise that, in Chula’s opinion, was following the worst interplanetary explorer she’d ever seen. It was a wonder he hadn’t started a galaxy-wide diplomatic incident and all the conflicts were usually contained to the planet he visited per film.

But the boys liked Jupiter Jim and she had nothing but time to kill, so she tried to pay attention when they dragged her to the beanbag chairs for a movie night, either as a group or one at a time. And in both circumstances, she would smile and nod and sit through the horrible inaccurate depiction of how space travel works and what the protocols were for making first contact and getting far more enjoyment from listening to Leo break down every scene and how it was made instead of actually watching the film.

Leo gestured to the screen, hands flapping almost too quickly to track as he chattered away, “Oh, the production details of this are really cool! Did you know this was made a decade ago and the effects still hold up better than a lot of the CGI they use now? Yeah, yeah, it’s ‘cause they were tryin’ new stuff, lots of stuff, the director was really trying to push JJ onto the big dogs franchise map with this! They had a whole studio that- that they made the sets in and- and- and the costumes were reva- rev- re- re-, bah, bah, bah- Revolutionary! They handmade every single cell- sale- sail- Fuck!”

Chula blinked when Leo cut himself off, crossing his arms and blowing an angry little raspberry. She waited a few moments for him to keep going, mild disappointment rising when he just made unhappy little grumbles under his breath. 

She glanced back at the holo-drama, fighting the urge to wrinkle her nose at it. She would never, ever tell the boys but…she had found out after the first Jupiter Jim film that she didn’t enjoy ‘science fiction’. Mostly because of the fact that most of the hypothetical ‘fiction’ was very close to things that were pretty standard on most of the planets she’d been to in two realities. But the movies got so many things so ridiculously wrong it was almost painful for her to watch. The only part she enjoyed about the sci-fi movies was how into them the boys would get, flapping their hands and ranting about their favorite part. 

So Leo not talking anymore was quickly sapping her enjoyment of the one-on-one, impromptu movie night. She leaned over to Leo, lightly bumping their shoulders and asking, “What did they handmake?”

“Huh?” Leo blinked, face smoothing out from the pinched, grumpy expression as he looked up at Chula. 

She tipped her head towards the film, where ‘Jim’ was not doing his job as a ‘simple space explorer’ very well, considering he started shooting the moment an alien poked their head into view, “You were saying that this was the holordrama that made the franchise take off, right? And that they handmade somethin’ that helped it do that?”

“Right, right, uhhh, the alien suits,” Leo, much more calmly this time, pointed to where a turtle alien was running across the screen. “The, um, costume department made every scale on the turtle suits by hand. It helped make them look super realistic.”

Chula nodded, waiting for Leo to keep ranting about the film.

Except he seemed to deflate, tucking his knees up and propping his head on them to stare at the screen.

It made Chula a bit sad, seeing all the excitement just poof away. She loved it when Leo got excited about stuff, waved his hands around, and talked a mile a minute. It was weird when he got too quiet, reminded her of the first few weeks of them traveling together when he was scared and lost and didn’t fully trust her yet.

She carefully poked at his side and jerked her chin towards the holo, “What was the secret behind the little sidekick’s tail? I imagine doing all those stunts was hard to pull off without looking fake.”

Leo’s head perked up a bit, eyes flicking up to see the small, red and white furred alien that followed JJ around, “Red Fox? Oh yeah, she’s a yokai! Me and my bro’s met her once, she helped us save Raphie and JJ from getting melted in acid.”

A part of Chula knew that that statement should have set off more alarm bells for her.

But something she’d learned with these crazy kids was that their lives were nuts and it was better to roll with the punches and weird, wildly out of context statments as they came.

So, instead of freaking out, demanding details, running to Raph to ask if he’d gotten any acid on his person during that event, she nodded and turned back to the holoprojector, “What led up to that little misadventure?”

And, like magic, Leo was rambling away again, sitting up to recount the epic tale of when he and his brothers had gone head to head to claim the coveted place as Jupiter Jim’s fake sidekick.

Chula listened, only interrupting to ask questions if Leo stumbled over his words again in his excitement and basking in the warm atmosphere of the room.

She didn’t like sci-fi, but she loved listening to the boys talk about it so she could put up with a couple hundred terrible movies.

[imnotsorryforanyofthis]

Quirkless Advantage

Chapter thirty-three: Making a Deal with Devils

Warning: Lots and lots of cussing…..

———

These chapters are going to be stupid and short. Enjoy reading! ——— I hear the door open and then close.

"You're here...safe... that's good," I hear Dabi say behind me.

I snap out of it.

"Dabi... Why am I here?" I ask, turning around to look at him.

"I can't tell you yet. Not now at least," Dabi says, looking at the mirror behind me. He doesn't look at me. He only looks at the mirror.

"I just realized that you called me by my name," I say out of nowhere, "You know... my actual name. Not that stupid annoying nickname."

Dabi finally looks at me. "Yeah... I did," He says, brushing my hair behind my ears. He leans in and whispers in my ear, "I still like Bunny more." I glare at him, slapping his hand away.

Dabi smiles and steps back, "Gremlin is a better name than any of those though."

Smile number eight.

I roll my eyes and shake my head.

The door opens. A man with light blue hair and hands all over his body walks through the door. Next is Kurogiri and Twice.

Dabi steps to the side of me and keeps his distance.

Lastly, a girl around my age comes in.

"Ooo! She's pretty!" The girl around my age says skipping over to me.

She stops only inches away from me and reaches out. Before she could touch me, Dabi grabs her wrist. "Don't," He says as he lifts up his other hand and ignites his flames

"Enough Toga... Dabi," The light blue haired man says.

Dabi sets down his hands and puts them inside of his pockets.

I look back over towards the other people in the room, "Why am I here?"

"A little friend told me that you are from a different world," The light blue haired man says sitting down on the bed that is across from the dresser.

My heart feels like it's beating out of my chest. "What do you mean?" I ask quietly.

"Oh, you know exactly what I mean... You know everything about us and what will happen," The light blue haired man says.

I glare at him, "Well... almost everything. Not every single detail but I know a lot."

"Yup," He takes off the hand that is over his face, "My name is Tomura Shigaraki but you already know that don't you."

"Yup," I say, continuing to glare at him.

"We want you to join us! Tell us everything!" Toga says jumping up and down beside me.

"Yeah... no. Not doing that," I answer looking over at Toga. She pouts, "Aw... but now we have to kill you."

I look over at Shigaraki, "What?!"

"We could make a deal you know..." Dabi says on the other side of me. I look over at him and glare, "No, i'm not going to make a fucking deal with villains."

"Well, didn't you kiss one?" Toga says.

"How the fuck do they know about this?" I ask. Dabi only shrugs, "Things get around."

"There's still an option of just killing you after torturing the answers out of you," Shigaraki says like it's not a big deal.

I mean... I really wouldn't like to be tortured and then murdered so...

"Fine," I finally say.

"But I have conditions... I'm not going to just spoil everything. I'll only give you simple hints that you have to figure out yourself... Also, I could explain certain things," I say, crossing my arms leaning against the dresser.

"Fine," Shigaraki says after thinking over it.

Holy shit! That actually worked... I honestly thought I was going to be a goner.

"It wouldn't be fun if I knew everything anyways," Shigaraki says standing up.

I still can't believe that fucking worked. I thought he was going to disintegrate me or something.

"Let's go and see Boom Boom Boy!" Toga says, following everyone as they walk out of the room.

Before Toga makes it all the way out she stops, "Are you two lovers coming?"

I look over at Dabi looking down at his feet.

I clench my fists as I glare at him, "Give us a moment."

"Ooo! Trouble in paradise?!" Toga asks, smiling her crazy smile.

I turn my glare from Dabi towards her. I walk over to the door and gently push her all the way through, "Not exactly a paradise."

"Now if you would excuse us... we really need to talk," I say, closing the door.

---

Here is the link to all of the chapters

Link to next: Chapter thirty-four: Fight

[nayvwriter]

Nexomon character:Lobo! Get 'im

So Lobo's another someone that I feel like I can't explain as well as my friend, but I'll give it a shot.

(n2 spoilers, cult mentions, and a lot of morbid thoughts about the Tyrant wars)

The thing is, Lobo was in Amelie's position many years ago. They've seen the Guild fighting the Tyrants... and very slowly losing. Cities destroyed, and quite probably people lost. The Tyrants are dead, and so are some of their Tamers, and humanity's being pushed back little by little. This can't go on.

Amelie deals with this by making machines to try and turn the tide. But Lobo takes a different approach. He looks at the problem, and tries to figure out why none of the Tyrants have won the war. And he comes up with a theory.

How did he get this theory? Who knows. Maybe he read it in an old book. Maybe he's psychic. I don't actually know whether he thinks only Omnicron can rule or if he thinks it's only one of Omnicron's line (and has somehow ruled out Nara). Possibly he doesn't know which and is going for the 'safer' option. It doesn't matter.

What matters is that he thinks of it, and none of the rest of the Guild are willing to listen (or at least no-one important is). They probably think he's gone insane. But he's going to do anything he can to stop this war.

He gathers followers. He can be quite charismatic. And over many years, his cult spreads across the land, searching for a way to achieve their goal.

Omnicron is bad for humanity. This is a truth. So why try and bring him back? Is the end of the Tyrant Wars worth it? And who knows what Lobo's thinking here.

Maybe he thinks humanity is losing anyway, but they can at least not leave a warring world in their wake. Maybe he just wants to restore the natural order of the world.

Maybe he genuinely thinks Omnicron's return would be better. I have a pet headcanon that humanity has only gotten stronger over the years and a Grandmaster could beat one of the Primordial Tyrants. Maybe he thinks that they could contain Omnicron somehow.

Maybe he's figured out that Omnicron's first death didn't kickstart the Tyrant Wars, but the second one did, and he's hoping he can figure out why and then after reviving him, kill Omnicron without restarting the Tyrant Wars. That's entirely possible.

There are a multitude of reasons Lobo could be trying to do this. But he genuinely thinks it's the only way.

Until Solus comes along.

Lobo has been working on his mission for many, many years. And a solution is walking in out of the blue. He wants to believe it, but he thinks it's a lie at first. When it's not...

Lobo is grabbing this with both hands. He'll do anything he can to help Solus. He also feels very guilty for going the wrong direction and is trying to make it up. This, plus the fact that speeches are useful for charismatic cult leaders, all results in a lot of overdramatic pledges of devotion.

I call Lobo a cult leader, because everyone else including the people ingame does and because his organisation does read a little like one. I don't know much about actual cults. But from what I do know, Lobo has one very big difference from them - none of this is for his own sake. If it meant his mission was fulfilled, he'd easily sacrifice himself.

Lobo is doing this for the entire world. No matter how many people think he's crazy or evil or anything like that, he won't be dissuaded. He'll keep fighting until he succeeds or he dies.

And when Solus comes along, Lobo's mission is soon fulfilled. So what now? What now is Lobo, out of habit and guilt and no idea what else to do, is basically just acting as Solus's servant. Whether Solus likes it or not! He... probably needs to figure out a new life plan. But when you've forgotten how to live for yourself, it's difficult to relearn.

thank you for the ask! sorry I took so long to answer it

[harmonyckrs]

Act 1, Scene 4 of Twisted Veronaville: A Party at Max Capp-acity

THE LAST PAGE

While Juliette was at the Monty Ranch, the other Capps were having an important meeting.

Consort: Thank you again for helping me plan this party.

Hermia: Of course, Grandpa!

Tybalt: We're honored to help.

Consort: It's been such a long time since we've had everyone over, so I hope the party goes well, and that none of those Montys try to sabotage it.

Tybalt: The guards are in place, Grandfather. There is no way any of those filthy Montys can get past them.

Consort: Good...and have either of you seen Juliette? She's been sneaking out an awful lot lately. It's not a good look for us if our heiress is getting into bad activities.

Tybalt: She's probably off mooching with her boyfriend.

Consort: Oh, Puck? Well, good for her. As long as she doesn't date one of those Montys, it's all good...maybe we can even arrange marriage for them, once they both turn eighteen!

Hermia: Um...

Consort: Oh, yes, it'll be beautiful! I can just imagine it already...and he'll be a perfect husband for her. I must begin planning this wedding as soon as I can.

Hermia: Should we tell him that Puck isn't the one Juliette's dating?

Tybalt: He'll have a heart attack! Do you want another family member to die?

Hermia: No? I'm just concerned about the "arranged marriage" thing...

Tybalt: If you feel so strongly about it, tell your boyfriend. And it's not that big of a deal, anyway. Teen relationships don't last that long, anyway.

Hermia: Tybalt!

Tybalt: It's the truth! And you shouldn't be focusing on relationships, anyway. You should focus on studying hard and making sure you get into a good college, and then settling for whoever Grandpa sets you up wi-

Hermia: Look! Mercutio's outside!

Tybalt: WHERE?...Hermia? Where did you go?

The days of the other Capps were going along as normal. Now that there was finally another gay man in Veronaville, Kent decided to try his hand at dating again.

Aktu: So...Kent, right? I like your hair.

Kent: It's a wig. I'm a Capp, so I have to come here in disguise or the Montys will start picking fights with me.

Aktu: Oh, sorry. We can go somewhere else, if you'd like.

Kent: I don't mind. Never cared much about the feud, anyway, and even if most of the Montys are my rivals, I did hear the food here was good.

Aktu: Interesting...do you know how the feud started, by the way?

Kent: Not really. My dad mentioned that Patrizio used to have a crush on my mother, but that was about it...

Aktu: Interesting...

Antonio: ...Is that Kent in a wig?

Patrizio: Definitely. Can't believe a Capp has the audacity to show his face here. Make sure to serve every other customer before him, even the ones that come after.

Antonio: I think he's on a date, though...shouldn't his date at least get food?

Patrizio: Oh, I thought that was a man.

Antonio: (I'm not explaining gay people to him again.) Let's just take care of the rest of the customers before rush hour.

While Kent was on his date, Goneril had just returned home from a grocery shopping trip, unaware of the surprises waiting for her.

Goneril: Hal? Where did you get that telescope, sweetie?

Hal: Daddy's friend gave it to me. He said it would help me see the stars better!

Goneril: Daddy's friend?...

Hal: He and Daddy went to the master bedroom to jump on the bed and scream...I think.

Goneril: (Albany, this better not be what I think it is!)

Goneril: HOLY SHIT!

Albany: Goneril, I can explain! He asked me and...why would it even matter to you, huh? This was an arranged marriage! You don't even like me! Pascal actually treats me RIGHT!

Pascal: Sorry, Ms. Capp...Albany, go clean yourself up. I'll handle this.

Goneril: You homewrecker! Did you even know who he was? Do you know who I AM?

Pascal: Yes, and yes. But do you know who you are?

Goneril: What is this weird philosophical shit you're trying to pull on me? I'm not listening to the man who fucked my marriage!

Pascal: A marriage that you never wanted but let control your life. You're a businesswoman with four kids, all of which you barely know. Is that really the life you wanted?

Goneril: Maybe I wanted four kids and a career at the same time!

Pascal: It's okay. We both know that the four kids was Albany's choice...but you still have the chance to take back control of your life and make the choices you want for yourself. Kent did it already, and you can too.

Goneril: (I could be the one living with Bianca instead of him...why was that the first thing my mind went to? What's wrong with me? This man just ruined my marriage! I shouldn't even be listening to him!)

Pascal: Farewell, Goneril. I have business to attend too, but I hope you can make the right choice.

Regan: Who is this?

Cornwall: I can-

Pascal: I'm Pascal, the man ruining your marriage.

Regan: Cornwall, the agreement was you were supposed to tell me when you bring someone else home to sleep with.

Cornwall: Yeah, sorry. But he told me to keep it a secret, because he had a husband back home.

Pascal: ...Well, there goes my plan...what even was that agreement?

Cornwall: Why would we tell someone who said he wanted to ruin our marriage?

Pascal: It's a...joke! Haha. Wasn't it funny?

Regan: I think it's fine, Cornwall...we got married so Father could be happy. Lavender marriage, if you will.

Pascal: I see...I hope you can find a marriage that's fulfilling. Love is a hard thing to find these days. Don't give up your chance with her like I did with mine.

Regan: Huh? Didn't you say you had a husband?

Pascal: That was also...a joke. Goodbye!

Regan: (Man, that guy is weird...and what did he mean by that?)

Bianca: So how was the date?

Kent: Your family "forgot" to serve us food. Aktu was really upset about that.

Bianca: Oh, I'm sorry...I'm sure you'll be able to find someone else.

Kent: Hm? No, you misunderstood. He got mad at the restaurant, not me. Not sure if there's going to be a second date, though...

Bianca: Oh, that's...better, I suppose. Sorry about that, though.

Kent: Eh, it's fine. Anything new happen to you today?

Bianca: Well, I was thinking of enrolling in Veronaville's "SFO" program. It's a program that provides housing for teens and children whose parents were killed from the feud. Are you okay with that?

Kent: Yeah, it's fine. How many of them are going to be here?

Bianca: Well, they assigned me a kid named Gabriella, but she said she wouldn't come unless if her five other siblings came with her. There's two teens, two children, and two toddlers

Kent: Oh, that's a lot...but I'm sure it's nothing we can't handle.

Bianca: Thanks! I'll contact them again and see if the six of them can move in tomorrow.

And the next day, after everything that happened, the party at the Capp House finally began...the perfect moment for Ripp to make himself known.

Juliette: Who's that? Did Grandpa hire a musician?

Hermia: Don't think so, but he's really good!

Tybalt: What is this filth? This is improper music for the party!

Hermia: Lighten up, Tybalt. Let's go dance, shall we?

Tybalt: Hmph. Fine...I suppose.

Romeo: Juliette! There you are. I've been looking for you the whole night! Where have you been?

Juliette: Watching the musician Grandpa hired. The guitarist? He's really good.

Ripp: Thank you!

Juliette/Romeo/Mercutio: AH!

Mercutio: That was a really good set, dude! Are you, like, a professional musician or something?

Ripp: I could be, one day.

Mercutio: Cool! So, like, where are you from? I don't think we've seen you around before.

Ripp: Oh, I just moved here recently.

Juliette: Great! So I'm guessing we'll be seeing more of you around, huh?

Romeo: Juliette...

Ripp: Yeah. I'd love to spend more time with you...

Romeo: Back away from my girlfriend, bro!

Titania/Oberon: (Romeo and Juliette are dating? Good for them.)

Goneril/Regan: (Did that Monty just refer to Juliette as his girlfriend?)

Consort: You're dating a MONTY, Juliette?

Juliette: ROMEO!

Mercutio: Romeo, we gotta go! BYE!

Romeo: Bye, Juliette! Bye, Rib or whatever your name is! We'll see you at school!

Ripp: ...Sorry.

Tybalt: It's not your fault. Romeo ran his mouth, and honestly you'd be a better match for Juliette than he'd be.

Ripp: I appreciate that, but you've known me for two hours.

Tybalt: That's just how low I think of that Monty...do you have some extra time? I can introduce you to my other sister, Hermia...and I think Puck is here too. He's a friend of ours.

Ripp: Sure! That's be great.

Tybalt: Ugh, not her too...

Ripp: Well she seems busy, so I should probably-

Tybalt: No. We can wait. It's not a problem.

Ripp: It's fine! I can talk to her later at school, and I think my aunt and uncle wouldn't want me here to late, anyway.

Tybalt: Okay. I'll walk you back home.

Ripp: You don't have to! They'll probably come here.

Tybalt: ...Oh.

Tybalt: There you go again, Tybalt...messing things up like always.

Hermia: You okay, dude?

Tybalt: You done with your makeout session with Puck?

Hermia: Yeah. He went home with Oberon and Titania after the party. Are you, like, legit okay?

Tybalt: I was trying to talk to that new kid and it was super awkward.

Hermia: I'm sure he'll get over it. It's better than what you do with most people, you know?

Tybalt: What are you implying?

Hermia: Ah...don't worry about it. I'm going to go talk to Juliette about...um...girl things.

Hermia: ...Where did Juliette go?

Tybalt: Damn it! She must've snuck off again!

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