#apparently I'm meant to tag things so people who don't want to see them won't and I hope I've done that correctly

[ask-the-rag-dolly]

// Why do you like Ragatha

(Unleash it. Type out the essay.)

// ... the essay warning tag really is going to apply here ^^

ragatha became my favorite character almost instantly the moment she appeared on screen . like i could remember even around the teaser for the show i was pretty fond of her , though i could chalk that up to me liking Any design that is remotely based off raggedy ann

she perfectly fits that oddly specific character type only I love , which is 'grown woman keeps failing no matter how hard she tries and it's marvelous to witness' , like i'm not sure how to explain it too well - she's not really a girlfail or a girlboss in my eyes ... she just . never wins ! and i love that , please keep fucking losing ragatha the amazing digital circus

to break it down , what's apparent in her approximately less than 7 minutes of screentime is that she's a goofy goober who's essentially the voice of reason . she's not emotional like gangle , unreliable like jax and zooble , or out of her mind like kinger . she was essentially the only one who tried to ease pomni into the circus instead of hard-hitting her with the reality as if that won't make her abstract on the spot . it's clear through her interactions with the other characters and how she talks to pomni that she acts like the Pillar of the group , with how compliant she is with caine's adventures and has a comforting presence .

the problem is ... that all of those 'positive' traits are ... Detrimental to her own wellbeing . like i'm sure a part of her positivity is genuine , but her optimism clearly hinges into toxic positivity and her selflessness is taken to the point of people-pleasing and neglecting her own needs . it's clear that she sees her own emotions as a burden that she doesn't want to put on other people .

and . she's dishonest . my girl is dishonest . she often brushes off things as not being as bad as they actually are , she picks her words to cause less conflict as possible , and it doesn't seem like anyone else is aware of her internal turmoil ... even when she's in Literal Pain she still brushes it off as being okay - and she stayed quiet instead of telling pomni that she's upset .

which is ... hilarious . there's just something about nice characters that tell the most lies to me . bonus points if it seems like they're the one who tells the most truths out of the entire group . everything about ragatha is Dishonest .

and it's funny yet again that these Really don't help her at all ! i think it's clear just from promotional material to the pilot that ragatha is meant to be a punching bag . her teaser shows a cleaver Being Thrown At Her , was tripped by jax and Literally Most Of Her Screentime In the Pilot Is Being In Pain , and that's not counting gooseworx's doodles . my girl's fucking Losing .

and it fits her avatar well since she's a Rag Doll ... she's basically never meant to win from the start . she was never the main character .

it interests me so much on how all of these will be taken in the full series since they're all very interesting setups , especially for the setting that the story is set in . i just need to see more of my girl and i wish that a lot of her content isn't limited to ship art . you guys do not understand how desperate i am to see content of ragatha interacting with either caine or zooble . i am Not normal about them .

also i want to kiss her on the mouth //

[spaceacerat]

are these not normal? they were in your tags from this post

Hello! I wasn't sure if you mean blisters, or random moments of pain, so I'll assume both! I tried to separate the sections.

TW: medical neglect, medical abuse from doctors (I think it counts as that anyways, especially under the cut), mentions of skin-based injuries

(I apologize, this ended up turning into a scrambled medical rant because I have a lot of big feelings about how kids/teens/young adults can be completely ignored for even very noticeable signs of disability or issues and grow up suffering for it. I'm also just very tired and feeling weird and am in a ranty mood wanting my pain and suffering to be heard 😭)

BLISTERS:

On the case of blisters, I have little frame of reference for how often normal people blister, but my partners never seem to. Whenever I look into it, normal people apparently blister from shoes being too tight, or hiking or something very strenuous.

If your skin blisters with heat or certain fabrics, from wearing shoes even if they fit, clothing, sleeping, sitting, standing, or walking, or comes off easily from a mild bump into something, it is Not Normal.

My old PCP, when I finally asked him about it, was stunned, and did a biopsy when I had blisters I didn't have to pop. He thinks it's Epidermolysis bullosa simplex, but I can't get an official diagnosis without a genetic test that insurance doesn't cover apparently, and the dermatologist I went to was useless.

I would give advice on how to deal with it if anyone is ever interested, but what works for me probably won't work for everyone.

I don't know how it's supposed to be dealt with according to medical science, and I'm apparently (according to a partners nurse mother) very lucky I haven't gotten an infection. After all, I do it the broke person "here's my value pack of sewing pins and some paper towels" way, not the "I have access to medical resources and specialized sterile needles/bandages" way.

PAIN:

In regards to feeling pain most of the time, I've had one of my partners ask what level of pain I'm usually at, and I shrugged and went "Ehh, most of the time a 1-2, sometimes a pang of 3, a 4-5 if something specific hurts, at worst a 6-9 if somethings wrong like a migraine or whatever." He then wisely told me "You know what level normal people are at most of the time? A zero. Most people aren't in pain unless something is wrong."

I suppose that put things into perspective regarding my health, after years of just dealing with random bouts of sudden health issues I had to deal with usually completely on my own growing up.

(side note, watching something like lord of the rings as a kid, which involved a lot of scenes of them all just walking or running, would make me cringe because "holy shit they must be in so much pain :( they're so brave, and so strong for still walking and running for hours when they surely have blistered by now! I hope they have plenty of sewing needles to pop them when they stop to rest!" because my dumbass couldnt even walk around an amusement park for a day without limping badly and slowly while being told to hurry up by an older sibling, and these guys were walking and running for months on uneven terrain. Still jealous about that >:( )

(more ranting under the cut but about other things I've come to realize weren't normal [AKA specifics about the skin disorder/medical issues] or just makes me mad because suddenly I just feel the need to about my personal medical crap. Maybe someone will see it and see themselves in it. Sorry about that 😅)

in reference of the tag, I meant how I blister. I came out of the womb missing skin, and have always blistered around my body very easily. The docs claimed it was eczema when I was a baby, and they didn't bother looking into it further, but from the few people I have met who have that, they don't show any of my symptoms. Meanwhile I grew up thinking it was completely normal, and that everyone was just walking around in pain and ignoring it better than me.

I can't wear tennis shoes/heels/sandals/flipflops/crocs because the backs always rub my ankles raw and they're too soft so every step they rub around my toes, (or flip-flops would just tear the skin between my toes) but I had to grow up wearing tennis shoes all the time. That meant every night after school I'd come home and have to pop the blisters to drain them before I could sleep. Now I wear flat combat boots with two pairs of socks and it's so much better, but still not perfect, since I can't really walk outside in the summer.

I've blistered from walking, sitting, lying down, being outside in the heat, sweating, sleeping with my thighs touching, all sorts of things. Skin can also come off entirely if I get scratched or bumped into something. One time my leg got stuck at a bent angle because I fell asleep without popping the blister behind my knee, and it dried to the point where I couldn't pull it apart without pain.

Something else about that is that I'm allergic to adhesives and latex. The few times I've 'had' to wear bandaids were hellish, as it would remove the entire top layer of skin with it since it blistered under it. When I had to do an allergy test with the adhesive (dermatologist decided it had to be an allergy, because he's a dumbass), I made them cut them and put them on my arms instead of my back, where they promptly blistered after a few hours and I had to peel them off myself with a leather belt between my teeth to keep from chipping a tooth (because when I say it was incredibly painful, thats a massive understatement).

No one around me cared that I was suddenly having to lean against walls and furniture to get around because my legs wanted to give out from under me due to sudden muscle weakness and a pounding heart/chest pains/dizziness, or the few migraines I got in middle school that made me throw up a few times which weirdly made the migraine go away after enough times doing that. Or my limping from blisters, or the medication side effects that showed up when I started taking antipsychotics.

On note of medication, none of the psychs I went to told me about medication side effects. I was 13 when I started Seroquel (my guess is because they wanted to sedate me because of a whole fiasco, my partners nurse mother was shocked when she found out I was on it at such a young age for what were incredibly mild bipolar 2 symptoms). It caused me to pass out a few times, and I just had to keep taking it despite it actually making my depression/hypomania incredibly bad through the rest of middle and high school, because I wasn't aware I should tell my doctor it was making me worse. Never got bloodwork for it either.

After a while I switched meds, but was still having the worst depressive symptoms and my hypomania got even worse. One of the ones a doc had me try basically short circuited my brain. I had a five second memory if that, was shuffling around leaning against everything trying to stay upright, could barely think or talk outside of slurred words... My family saw this, and just went "You good?" and when I half-muttered a 'yeah' because I couldn't think straight enough to realize I should say no, they just shrugged and asked if I could do the dishes. I shook my head and went back to bed, passing out for 10 hours. Refused to ever take that medication again once I woke up, despite my psych trying to tell me I had to give it at least two weeks to start working properly. Fuck that.

When I show signs that something is wrong and I mention it to someone, and everyone brushes it off, it becomes normalized in the brain. But it's not. Now that I have partners who grew up going to the doctor for their problems, they're horrified, especially when they see me actively struggling with it. I had an episode (sudden muscle weakness/chest pains/pounding heart/dizzy) last month in front of them, and they were seriously debating taking me to a hospital but I kept refusing and saying it would pass because it always did and I wasn't afraid. It did eventually pass after about 7 hours, but not before scaring the shit out of them.

And these were the same signs I showed at work, twice, neither time I went home. I worked as a janitor during one of them, my manager saw but didn't think to do anything. I still managed to clean, but I did lie down and pass out in one of the back offices for a few minutes and just got up and went right back to work because I didn't want to get in trouble.

Also, a shout out to the laundromat I was forced to continue working at when I had covid!! I thought I was dying but they wouldn't let me take work off until I had a positive test, so I was forced to work the place completely alone for 8 hours during the first three days of major symptoms because I was desperate to keep the job and didn't know I could just refuse or call someone!! I mean, have you ever had to wash/dry/fold 200+ pounds of laundry completely alone in one night while every part of you thinks you're dying, and then on top of that having to deal with customers/machine issues, lift heavy trash bags, and clean dusty airvents and the rest of the place aka bathrooms and floors?? It's incredibly awful!! I did my damndest to keep my hands washed to the point where the skin came off a bit on one of my fingers and wearing a mask constantly while trying to keep my distance. Worst three days ever.

[thothxv]

I really don't want to talk about the present AO3 controversy (I have opinions, I think anyone paying attention does, but I'm so. Very. Tired. And the internet chews up tired people with opinions and spits them out for fun. So that's not happening).

HOWEVER!

I see many people out there championing Squidgeworld as an alternative to AO3. If you don't like AO3's staff or leadership and want to go somewhere else, this is actually pretty reasonable. The Squidge folks have been doing this a long time, they know what they're doing. They are a smaller team, hosting on smaller infrastructure (a dog knocked over their server once, apparently), but they seem up to the task of running an archive.

However. I also see people talking how Squidgeworld's policies are better than AO3 in various regards. And I want to address this because it's... mostly wrong. There are some differences in the TOSes, but for most of you they will be the same.

First thing, top of the list: Squidge's TOS is much smaller and vaguer than AO3's. A whole ton of rules around tagging in the TOS are just... not there. There's a bunch of information in AO3's TOS about how complaints are treated, that's all gone, any specificity about how Squidgeworld defines what they do or do not consider acceptable behavior is just... not there. In their place, we have Wheaton's Law: "Don't be a Dick". You might thing that covers it all, but a good TOS that makes it clear what is and is not allowed gives a lot of piece of mind. Nothing is worse than waking up to see that you've been given the boot because you and the mods disagreed about what the TOS meant. It sucks, you don't want that. It probably won't happen to most people, especially if you're not an asshole, but it is a thing.

The next thing in the TOS is the CSEM clause (the technical term for most of what people refer to as child pornography), and this is what I heard a lot of people talking about. I have heard people say that Squidge "actually bans child porn". However, the only difference between AO3 and Squidge's policies on CSEM (which is, to be clear, they they do not permit it) The only difference is this line: "This includes anything deemed pro-child sex or child-sex advocacy symbols." The thing is, that's subjective. A fic that involves this kind of content is not necessarily pro-child sex. Yes, even if it's RPF. And no, RPF is not CSAM. Nor is RPF CSEM, which is a broader umbrella term. At least, not under US law or US definitions, which is what both AO3 and Squidge operate under. I have done my best to get the official definitions for these things: RPF isn't covered. This has nothing to do with my opinions on RPF, it's just fact. In short, if you're upset at AO3 for not banning sexually explicit RPF containing real-life minors, Squidgeworld doesn't ban that either. Whether or not it takes down a fic with that kind of content in it is basically down moderation staff opinion on whether it might be advocating for child sex.

Now here's the juicy stuff. Squidgeworld prohibits links to any kind of fundraising... except in the case of original work. So, if you are a writer who posts original work to fic archives and wants to link your Patreon... you can do that on Squidgeworld. Just don't do it on fanfics. Or in the comments or in your profile. Standard AO3 rules everywhere else. Honestly, unless squidgeworld takes off on a scale that is frankly unlikely, this probably won't matter, but for some of you, this is a good thing, and it's worth bringing up.

Squidgeworld, unlike AO3, does not allow AI-generated fanworks. Now, I'm sure a lot of you are very happy, but this does actually present some problems: Specifically, you can't always tell AI generated and human work apart. Sure, a lot of the time it's pretty easy, but you can mask it, and sometimes the output could be confused for real writing. More importantly, real people's writing could be confused for AI writing. I could easily see fic authors being attacked with accusations that their work is AI generated, or co-written with an AI. I don't know if that will happen, but... well, some people are assholes, and fan communities are often drama-laden. It could happen.

Squidgeworld prohibits web scraping for the purpose of use with AI. AO3 basically has the same policy, and they've taken more technical measures to prevent it now that we're aware it's a thing that happens (the first time AO3 was scraped was pre-ChatGPT, people just weren't paying attention to this stuff. I imagine squidgeworld takes similar anti-scraping technical measures, although I don't know for sure). I think people don't think AO3 does this because in the post where they explained this they also said they allowed AI-generated fics, and they went on to say that they couldn't make it impossible for someone to scrape the site and feed that into a machine learning model. That's something Squidgeworld can't do either: if you really want a website scraped, that website can be scraped. This is why AO3 went on to say that archive-locking your work would make it less likely for scrapers to catch it, and that you could do that if you were concerned.

So yeah. I think broadly that these policies shake out mostly the same as they do on AO3 in terms of content. There's more vagueness and subjectivity and more things that malicious users could potentially abuse to waste staff time and attack other users, but... well, you can always submit false reports. That's a problem on AO3 too. Same as it ever was. And hey, at least there won't be any blatantly AI-generated fics over on squidgeworld. Mind, I haven't seen any in any of my fandoms anyways...

[thoseyoulove]

@gayboymolloy thank you for tagging me! And let me say, your taste??? >>> I've been listening to Chappell Roan lately and her music is sooooo great. I've basically only listened to 3 people since 2021, but I have opened an exception for her because she's that awesome. ^^

Tagging: @jaypentaghast, @unhinged-nonsense, @hearfrost, @waterghoulcalamity, @andy4yippee, I tried to tag more people here, but it didn't work so... If anyone sees this and wants to answer, consider yourself tagged because I love finding more about y'all. :)

Anyway, this got too long because whenever I'm given an opening to talk about things I love I lose control... But here we go. :p

9 People You Want To Know Better!

Three ships: I'm terrible at picking a favorite anything, or even a top 3, I have like 12 or 13 ships that I'm equally obsessed with... But these are *SOME* of them. <3

Emisue (Dickinson)

Is it a gay thing to have beautiful kisses that look like a Renaissance painting? They're such a beautiful ship, but they impacted me on a personal as well. This was the first time I saw a queer ship that was beautifully written, had loads of chemistry and was executed with care (the fact they had so many queer people and women on the show, specially Ella - who played Sue - made everything even better). They weren't your subtle and digestible queer ship for conservatives and they weren't overly sexualized for straight people with a fetish. They were something else. The way their problems weren't really about being queer/internalized queerphobia and even individual things like Emily's 'coming out scenes' being full of acceptance, support and even celebration were SO FULFILLING. It was amazing to watch from a viewer point of view, but also really formative to me as I came to find and embrace more of myself.

Malina (Shadow and Bone)

Mind you that they aren't even together here, they're just imagining each other, it's just that the chemistry was THAT awesome. First love. Childhood love. Friends to lovers. Linked by destiny. Can just sense one another. They'll always find each other. But they also chose one another and made their own story in a way destiny never could do it for them. The world against them and them against the world. "It was always you". Malina mixed all my favorite tropes and some that I hated with a passion and created a masterpiece.

Royjamie (Ted Lasso)

A lot of their problems stemmed from the fact they were thirst for each other and they would've fixed things sooner if they'd just been grown ups about it and fucked yk. These two were meant to be a big part of each other's arc, but the fact they got even bigger than what it was initially planned because the actors were inseparable and crazy about each other? And the chemistry was that amazing? And how they grew so much as individuals and boyfriends through the seasons? And 3x06 that was basically the cutest and longest date ever with them exploring Amsterdam from morning to late at night, opening up, trying new things, riding a bike together etc? And how Phil and Brett are just one of the cutest, messiest, most insane and chaotic best bros in real life who kind of lost focus and had a consensual workplace relationship just makes everything SO MUCH BETTER.

First ship: I can't remember for sure, but if this wasn't the very first, it was the second, tops.

Villadero/Cordueva (Jane the Virgin)

Jane and Michael are really special to me because I think so often couples are about the flirting, sensuality and physical attraction, and it's not that they don't have that because they definitely do, but I think ships usually lack more. And when they do have more, it's usually a will-they-won't-they, on-and-off, love triangles, fights etc, because apparently writers believe dragging things out to the point it gets unbearable is better than just letting them have a stable and deep relationship? Specially back then, now things are getting better (I still think we're taking baby steps, but at least there's some progress), but Jane and Michael were the VERY FIRST couple I saw having that kind of relationship and it was a life-changing moment in television for me. That's not to say they didn't have some of those problems, they did, but they actually worked on them and evolved as people and a couple. I got to see them from their first meet cute (and it was the BEST meet cute ever), him getting a noise complaint about her 21st birthday party and a drunk Jane confusing him for a stripper, grabbing and shooting his gun, only to find out he was a real cop and then not only he didn't arrest her, but spent the whole night talking to her while she sobers up, getting to genuinely know her until it was morning?! Really, doesn't get more wholesome than that. And I saw them become full committed adults who grew together through the years, them working on their careers, Jane starting her first book, Michael getting his first medal, Michael being a close friend to her parents instead of just being a son-in-law to them, the two getting married, living together, being a family, going back home to each other at the end of a long day, going out to have some fun time... Being more than just two people who are attracted to each other, but two people who loved fully each other in every aspect of the word, who were best friends, confidants, who genuinely enjoyed each other's company, who would crack up out loud together, that had a life inside and inside and out of home. It was a gift. And so much of it was the natural chemistry of the actors that got along so well and loved that pairing, too. No wonder the entire cast rooted for them.

Last song: Fur Elise by Faouzia

There are ONLY THREE singers/groups in the world that I'm truly obsessed with and Faouzia is one of them. Her music is out-of-this world, specially her powerful voice and beautiful melodies (she has my favorite melodies ever). Tomorrow she'll be on the finals of a singing competition and she really deserves to win, specially after working herself like crazy making, recording AND releasing new songs, music videos, commercials, doing full concerts and even learning a bit of freaking Chinese ALL IN JUST *TWO* MONTHS! As I get ready to vote like crazy for her tomorrow, I'm listening to all of her songs for good luck. :p And Fur Elise is one of my favorite songs ever and a true masterpiece.

Last TV show: Interview with the Vampire.

Currently reading: Six of Crows by Lady Bardugo, but I'm gonna start The Vampire Chronicles soon. I have no idea if I will like them, let alone love it as much as the show (it's my favorite show in the universe), but I'm so curious to get to know the characters, be able to fully talk about the universe with other fans and know what can possibly happen in the future seasons that I will do it anyway... I just need to figure out where to begin, because I want to skip the first book (for now) since the show has already covered it. I hope it's possible to start with a book that has all the main characters that appear on the show, but I'm still gathering information to know what's necessary to read and what isn't, the best order to do it etc. :p Anyway, I have attention issues so that will surely be tricky, but I'm just so curious about IWTV that I have to do it, lol. And I also can't drop SoC or I'll forget it and will have to start it from scratch all over again... I've read like 3/4 of the book so I can't let that go to waste either lmao. I'll just give certain days of the week to each book and eventually finish them (hopefully in time for season 3), lol.

Currently watching: Still Up, Silo, House of the Dragon, The Purge, The Lazarus Project. I'm pretty early into these shows and don't really know what to think about them yet, though. I do have a soft spot for Antonia Thomas because she played one of my favorite and nicest characters ever (Claire Browne, The Good Doctor), so it's good to see her face. And Silo has Chinaza Uche, who had a supporting role in Dickinson, but he was so charismatic that I wanted to see him have a longer screen time somewhere else. I hear he's been promoted to a bigger role on season 2, so let's hope I make that far and get to see him shine lol. I also have some shows with sapphic and/or non-binary/androgynous/fluid characters people recommended that I'm gonna try. :)

Currently eating: Nothing, but the last thing was steak, rice and potatoes. :p

Currently craving: Also nothing, but the last time I craved anything was a cheeseburger with cheddar. Not even joking when I say it's been over a year since I had one lol. #fml

[dangans-ur-ronpas]

Chapter 4

man...mann.........

SEE HERE FOR GENERAL WARNINGS AND FIC SUMMARY

Some pre-chapter notes:

Immediately after this chapter Sayaka does her whole thing. I think the timeline here is a little wonky compared to the canon timeline but shh don't worry about that

I'm really tempted to write some stuff from Makoto's POV because I think it'd be funny as hell. Makoto trying his best to take care of this self-righteous rich boy who keeps on insulting him at every turn and insisting he doesn't need or want help, but also won't leave him alone and is making Makoto do stuff for him. It's like he picked up a stray cat that won't stop demanding to be pampered and also bites him sometimes for petting him. Typical normal guy and tsundere type dynamic. You did this to yourself really.

I love the importance of names and stuff when it comes to how people use them. Byakuya calls Makoto by his first name but I headcanon that he refers to Makoto by his last name in his head. In one part using Makoto's first name without honorifics because why would he use honorifics, but also using his last name in his thoughts because that's how he characterizes people, including himself. Until he respects them enough to use their first name in all cases

Content warning tags: more self-deprecating ableist language from Byakuya's part. Nothing extremely detailed or graphic but I'm going to note it here just in case

< previous - from start - next >

Naegi returns eventually, and with a flurry of apologies to explain his delay.

"It's, Sayaka was just feeling a bit scared, so-"

"I don't really care." Byakuya cuts him off bluntly. Whatever they needed to do to comfort each other wasn't his business, and he frankly didn't care to hear about it either. "Just shut up and listen."

He's sitting on the edge of his bed, one ankle resting on the opposite knee with his arms crossed, his back ramrod straight. Naegi shuffles before him, emanating his usual nervous energy.

"Makoto." Naegi twitches, snapping to attention. "What do you know about me."

"Er...what?"

Byakuya feels his eye twitch. "Are you dense? You heard me," He huffs. The impatience that had been building since Naegi left him earlier was working itself up towards a real, genuine anger, and there was a nauseating pulse in his temples. "Tell me what you know about me. Now."

"Um, well..." Naegi clears his throat. "You're Byakuya Togami. And...the Ultimate Affluent Progeny."

"And?"

"And...? And, you've already assumed the role of 'heir' for the Togami family, and started managing some of the businesses...and you have a lot of personal assets, which you achieved by yourself." Naegi hesitates for an instant. "And, um...you're considered really exceptional, even among all the Ultimate students. I mean, I just read this stuff from online, but apparently you're supposed to be one of the smartest people here, and-and a lot of economists and stockbrokers consider you to be defining pillar of the market, though I'm not sure what that means...oh, and-"

"Alright, alright, enough." He waves a hand to shut Naegi up. It was all mindless drivel that Byakuya had heard a million times before, and he covers his face with his palm, feeling a strange combination of irritation by the waste of time and, oddly enough, pleased by the praise. "That's not what I meant."

"Then..."

Did he really need to spell it out? He sighs, exasperated; there was no way to make his point clear unless he says it out loud, it seems, because otherwise the dimwit boy would never understand it. "My eyes, Makoto." He fixes Naegi with a stare, though he can't read any emotion off his face at all. "Don't tell me you haven't noticed anything?"

I know you noticed, he thinks silently, desperately, to himself. There was no way he didn't, no matter how stupid Naegi was, it was his observant nature that first pointed out the irregularity of his eyesight during their first meeting, in front of everyone. And when he directed Byakuya to his dorm room on the first day, and even when he let the young heir hold onto his hood to lead him through the dark hallway. There were too many coincidences. He had to have some kind of inkling, at the least.

"I..." He hears Naegi swallow audibly. "I...did. But I thought, with how you acted, that you didn't want anyone to know?"

Byakuya feels the relief like a weight shedding from his shoulders. His suspicions were right, then. Naegi was as observant as he thought, and even without his eyes, Byakuya had been able to reach the right conclusion. "That's right. But you know, don't you?" He lets his eyes slide shut for a moment. "To try and hide it from you would be pointless at this point. So, tell me how you knew."

"When we first met, I thought there was something wrong with your glasses at first, like the prescription was wrong, because you cleaned them a lot but you were still squinting after you put them on. And, you looked like you couldn't find your room, even though the little pixel icons were pretty clear whose was whose. And when it came to videos, you didn't watch yours, but you only went to grab yours after everyone else." Naegi pauses for a moment. "And...once, while you were in the cafeteria...you were reading a magazine upside-down."

It takes a moment for the words to sink in, but when they do, it's accompanied by mortification. Byakuya covers his face again, feeling his cheeks burning underneath his fingers. Had he really put on such an embarrassing display, without even being aware of it? "...Did anyone else notice?"

"It was just me and Sayaka at the time, and Sayaka was the one that pointed it out first." There's a note of sympathy in his voice. "But, she thought that maybe you were just out of it, because you looked really tired...and neither of us told anyone else! And you stopped when people started coming in for lunch, so I don't think anyone else saw."

That was a small blessing. But here he thought he had been so careful...what a disgrace.

"Alright. Putting that aside, I imagine that what happened earlier tonight must have confirmed your suspicions about my sight, am I correct?" A particularly defined piece of Naegi's hair bounces as he nods. "Let me say this right now. I have no intentions of letting this...detriment, of mine, become common knowledge. And even someone as half-brained as you can understand that there will be consequences if your tongue is loose?"

"Half-brai-? Yeah, no, I wasn't planning on telling anyone." Naegi reaches up, the green jut of his elbow bobbing as he scratches his head. "Is it okay if I ask why you don't want anyone to know, though?"

"...Need I remind you of our circumstances?"

"I meant-! Like..." he waves his hands around, trying to find the words. "Like, I don't know. If, hypothetically, we weren't being coerced into trying to murder each other. Would you still tell the others?"

"Probably not." Byakuya replies immediately. Even without threat of a killing game, to bring himself to admit such weakness to them - peers or not - would be downright foolish for one of his stature, regardless of whether it was one of their group who was responsible for the injury in the first place. "We'd still be trapped in here either way, and it's not like any one of us is the Ultimate Opthamologist."

"But...we could help you?" Byakuya feels a sharp pulse of pain in his head, and he clicks his tongue. Naegi's voice grows more hurried. "M-maybe we can't help you fix the problem, but couldn't we find other ways?"

Byakuya can't help the short, mirthless snort that leaves him, as his headache thrums to life again, and he presses fingers to his temple. "Enough. You're even stupider than I thought." He sighs, voice stiff and slightly strained.

He presses a hand over his eyes, enveloping himself in darkness. The coolness of his palm is slightly clammy, and he latches on to the feeling. How nice it must be, to be able to trust people so blindly. He thinks to himself. It was the one luxury he couldn't afford. 

"I will compensate you appropriately once we leave here for keeping my secret, but in the meantime I have no more use for you. Leave."

He waits, expecting to hear the sound of clumsy, shuffling footsteps, or the shut of the door, making Naegi's exit. Instead, he receives a quiet, disbelieving: "...Wait, what?"

"Did I not make myself clear? Remove yourself this instant." He repeats again, louder, irked by the disobedience. Usually, people cleared out of his way on his order, whether they were servants or not. But still, there was no movement from the other boy. "What, are you deaf? I said-"

"Yeah, I heard you. But I don't get you at all." He sounds upset, somehow. "You don't want to tell anyone. But I already know, and you don't want...you don't want me to help you, or anything?"

Byakuya snorts, a derisive sound. "What could you possibly help me with?" It wasn't like he was helpless. Today had just had too many unpredictable, stressful elements, which led to this...strained and delicate state. It had been a fluke. Nothing more. He says as much with an air of dismissive confidence, trying to feel as sure of that as he sounded.

"But, I think the days after this are just going to get even worse, right? Kyoko mentioned that the mastermind behind all this probably isn't going to stop giving us motives until something happens." At that, Byakuya clicks his tongue. It was annoying, but he - or rather, Kirigiri - were correct. "I...I can help with some little things, at least. Like I did earlier today?"

Like earlier today. He considers it for a moment; for as annoying and pushy as Naegi had been - forcing him out of his room for some food, clumsily prepared, then leading him back - it hadn't been an entirely unpleasant experience. Naegi was not butler material, that was certain, but he was obedient and seemed to know his place.

In any ordinary situation, Byakuya might have flat-out rejected such a suggestion. It was unbecoming and pathetic to accept offers made out of pity, and foolish to take on partnerships where the odds weren’t in his favor. Makoto was able-bodied, decently observant, and hopelessly bound by human connection - Byakuya was blind and cut off from his wealth and power.

But…there was also no real evidence of Makoto’s intent to kill. He was too caring, it seemed; too hung up on helping others, and easy to read. It would be a risky gamble, but Byakuya had taken more dangerous wagers.

It is only because of my eyes...if not for this, I would have no use for him.

"...I'll consider it." Is all he says instead. For the time being, he was still managing fine on his own. "But let me be clear now on some expectations. When we're around others, I expect you to not be so casual with me."

"Okay, got it."

"I expect you not to reveal anything regarding my condition to anyone, not even that girl you're so intent on fraternizing with."

"W-wait, do you mean Sayaka? I'm not-!"

"And don't overstep your bounds. If I don't ask you to do something, don't do it." The only thing worse than an incapable servant was an overly-presumptuous one. "If you're not sure about something, ask me."

"Can we please go back to what you said earlier?" Naegi asks weakly.

"Your infatuation with Sayaka is obvious, even to me." Byakuya replies bluntly. For a moment, he considers alerting Naegi, letting him know of his own suspicions regarding Maizono, before reconsidering. Saying something like that might jeopardize their newly-established agreement, especially if Byakuya didn't have any real proof to back his claims. "It was quite pathetic, listening to you hang onto her every word like some lost puppy."

He watches pink crawl over Naegi's neck. He's sure the other boy must be making some kind of amusingly mortified face, but it's not one he can make out anyways, so he continues: "On my part, there is not much I can do to compensate you while we're in here, but I won't ask you to kill for me, or lie on my behalf, nor will I ask you to die for me. I have no intentions on relying on anyone in regards to this game that we've been made to participate in." It was rather humiliating to admit it out loud, but it was the truth; there wasn't much he could offer while they were trapped in here. "I will also provide monetary reimbursement for your services once we leave here. Is that an amenable condition? Do you have any other requests?"

It takes the other boy a moment to find his words, likely still stunned from the earlier scathing remarks. "So, you won't ask me to carry out killing for you...would that even work, with the rules of the game?"

"Who knows? But I'm not interested in trying it out. You're not a suitable pawn for that sort of thing, and I don't like leaving dirty work to someone incompetent." There were still too many unknown factors; the rules regarding accomplices, and the extent of Naegi's loyalty. It was better to use the other boy only for what he was offering, and nothing more. "I doubt that the mastermind has any motive that can be used to move me to act recklessly, especially with these conditions. But enough about that - what do you want for serving me?"

"Er...nothing?"

That surprises him. Surely Naegi hadn't forgotten who he was talking to? "Excuse me?"

"There's nothing that I really need right now. I guess the biggest thing I want is for all of us to escape this place safely, but...I didn't offer to help with any intentions in mind. I guess please don't sue me when we get out of here?" He chuckles, a bit awkwardly. "I mean, I won't ask you to, like, kill for me either, or anything like that...I don't want to hurt anyone here."

Really. Even in a game designed for murder and betrayal, here he was nursing this innocent belief that they could all get along peacefully. "Fine then. But don't tell me you'd be satisfied with such paltry conditions? You know I can give you anything you want outside of here? Land? Power?" He quirks an eyebrow up at Naegi's hesitation. "There are even medical procedures that exist to add height to your frame, that would usually be out of reach for someone of your stature."

He can't help the smirk that pulls at his lips as Naegi sputters again, indignant and flustered. "Are you making fun of me?" He asks, suspicious, and Byakuya can imagine him, simple features pinched into a look of uncertainty and embarrassment. This was quite fun, this meaningless teasing; it was pointless, certainly, but it was amusing at least.

"Maybe I am. What are you going to do about it?" He rests his chin on his palm, and tilts his head with a languid smile. Naegi fidgets under his gaze, and turns away.

"Um, I don't really...need money, or anything. I'm not doing this for that." Byakuya opens his mouth, about to explain how he was capable of quite literally changing Naegi's meager peasant life, before he was interrupted. "But, you said that you can do anything?"

"Just about anything imaginable."

"Then can I ask you to save my family?"

The question takes him aback a bit, and he blinks. Of course, not everyone was like himself, with such estranged relations, and of course Naegi, with his average background, would have a loving, average family to go with it. He doesn't remember observing Naegi in any particular distress during the showing of the first motive, but then again, he hadn't been paying much attention.

But it wasn't like it was impossible for him. In fact, it'd be far easier for him to hire the private investigators and personnel necessary to carry out the task, than any police force or government. "Fine then. How many people do you need me to save?"

"My parents, and my little sister Komaru." There's a note of relief in his voice. "Komaru should be starting high school this year. My dad's a realtor and my mom works part-time at the hospital-"

"Save it for when we get out of here." He didn't really need to know Naegi's entire life story. Nor did he particularly care. "We'll put this contract to paper when we have a lawyer around, but in the meantime, we'll seal it verbally." He wasn't particularly fond of non-written agreements, but for now he would take what he could get. And he wasn't planning on giving Naegi any reason to disobey him, anyways. "Do you, Makoto Naegi, agree to assist me to the best of your ability and only on my order, and to not disclose any details regarding my current condition to any person, so long as we are within these premises?"

"Yes-? Yes, I do." He says, words fumbling. "Um, I, Makoto Naegi, agree to...to assist you, Byakuya, as best as I can, and without sharing your secret to anyone. As long as we're in these premises."

It was a clumsy paraphrasing of his own words, but an acceptable one. "Fine. Then I, Byakuya Togami, will swear on the Togami name to return your family to you safely, as soon as we-" He pauses. "As soon as I have safely left these premises. And compensate you monetarily for your assistance during this time."

"Wait, you don't need to-?"

"You'd be insulting me to refuse it. Rescuing your family would be a simple thing for me, and you underestimate how much I'm valuing your labor right now." He reaches out and jabs a finger into Naegi's chest. "Right now, you are being asked to be my eyes, more or less. Consider that an honor."

He hears a quiet whoosh, a sharp intake of breath. Maybe the other boy was realizing the weight of what he had offered, and how much Byakuya was relying on him to uphold his side of the agreement. Or maybe he was simply relieved, his family's safety secured.

Whatever the case, Byakuya didn't know, nor did he care to try and interpret it too deeply. He was full, and tired, and ready for bed. "If that's all, then leave. I'm going to sleep."

"Alright. See you tomorrow morning." As he rolls over to lie on his bed, he listens to Naegi’s footsteps padding towards the door behind him, before pausing with the soft creak of the hinges. "Good night, um...sir?

Byakuya snorts, eyes closed. "Just call me as you did before. You're hardly an official servant, so don't get so comfortable." He lifts a hand to wave over his shoulder. "Turn the lights off on the way out."

The quiet flick of the light switch. The faint red behind his eyelids was replaced by black. "Good night, Byakuya."

He listens for the shut of the door. He doesn't say anything back.

< previous - from start - next >

[m-feline]

To adapt, to survive, to live - ch 15

Silco x Freader

Tags: showing some skin, sitting on the lap, smells, slight pinning, fluff;

Masterlist

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A couple of days passed and I managed to get my tasting-the-air-thing in control. Apparently, the lack of food had made me lose control over myself. Being hungry made my body react strongly to scents as if I was looking for a meal. Well, it wasn't a meal but it made me overwhelmed. Now that I had eaten I realized that despite "tasting” the air, I had better control of myself and I managed to recognize the scents better too. I could tell exactly what condiments were used for the food and how much. I even asked Sevika to test me. She was skeptical about it but Jinx was more than eager to help and figure out how well I knew what was in the food.

“Cool! Does this mean you can cook anything now?” She asked. I probably could do that. More and more I confirmed that I could sense things like snakes do. I would have to go to meet Signed again to confirm it but so far this was clear.

One evening, I snuck out of my room to get a bite of something. Silco said that I shouldn't come out of my room till I was fine. But I was fine. Well, better than before. Plus, I had this urge of snacking on something. Just some crackers or a glass of juice… or maybe even liquor. I could try it now. But maybe better ask Sevika to be with me when I try it. Just in case I can't drink too much. And she knows a good liquor. I snuck quietly into the hallway and soon I found the living room. Unfortunately, people were there. I now tiptoed very carefully, wishing I could later learn to be as quiet as a snake, as I came to the corner and peeked into the living room. I saw Silco sitting on the wide comfy armchair. Sevika standing at his right, Ran and Dustin at his left a bit further away. And facing them was… Marcus? The Enforcer who came to the Last Drop looking for my kids. Why was he here?

“I refuse,” Marcus said with sure conviction. "I'm not going to aid you with this.”

“What I'm asking is for one simple thing, that no one even misses,” Silco said with a calm voice that was running with patience that was soon wearing out. Okay, now was not the time to get caught. I looked at Ran and Dustin since they were in the perfect position to spot me. And they soon did see me. Dustin saw me first, and then he subtly elbow-butted Ran to the side and nodded in my direction. I lifted my index finger in front of my mouth as a sign of silence and put my hands together in a begging manner. They both caught on to what I meant. Ran walked away from her spot as if she had nothing else to do as she walked in my direction. When she was behind the corner with me she stopped at my side.

“What is it?” She asked whispering.

“Sorry, I just wanted to get something to bite. I didn't know there was meeting,” I whispered.

“Can't it wait?” Ran asked.

“Silco forbid me from leaving the room. I haven't eaten anything for hours, and don't tell me there isn't anything left because I can smell it,” I said.

"From the kitchen,” Ran said mockingly.

“From your breath,” I said and her eyes went wide. "Cooked meat, potatoes, carrots, pickles, and liquor. Dustin even had pudding for dessert.”

"Okay, that's creepy. How did you..?” Ran wanted to ask but we were both caught.

“How about you both come out of there,” Silco called us with a mixture of sigh and irritation. Ran simply glanced at me and went to stand next to Dustin where she had been before. I gave up on sneaking and walked next to the armchair opposite side where Sevika stood. Silco didn't even spare me a glance until I was just a bit in front of the chair where he saw me even if he faced ahead. He had a cigar between his fingers and I could smell the smoke overpowering almost everything else. At least, I won't be overwhelmed by other smells.

“What part of you staying in your room, you didn't understand?” Silco asked with a tone I had heard him use when he was displeased with his people.

“T-technically, I was supposed to stay there till I was better,” I said defending myself.

“Are you now?” Silco asked not believing me.

“Y-yes. Yes, I am,” I said with more confidence. Silco glanced at me and his mood seemed to go dark. Was it because of what I was wearing? I had a simple white robe over me folded and tied. It was the most decent one I have been wearing for days. And I didn't have anything better to wear. Then again I only had a bra and panties underneath the robe, but no one would know it. Except for him apparently.

“Look, I just wanted to get something to eat, that's all. I didn't know you had… company,” I said motioning to Marcus. He looked partly surprised but also uncomfortable. Why that is, I could only guess. "I’ll leave you to continue your little meeting and…”

"You will go nowhere,” Silco chided me. And placed the cigar between his lips.

“I can just… Woah,” I tried to protest but then he simply pulled my hand and made me fall on his lap. "Si-Silco?”

”If you aren't going to stay where I tell you to, then you will stay where I can monitor you,” Silco said with a tone that left no room for arguments. Anywhere but his lap would have been better. Thanks to the wide armchair I was practically squeezed between the armrest and Silco while my legs lay across his lap. The robe slipped away and showed my bare legs to everyone. Silco simply placed his hand that he used to pull me down, on my leg, just a bit above the knee while his other arm rested on the armrest behind my back. As if I was a cat that he now had on his lap he rubbed gentle curves to my knee and turned his attention to Marcus who looked partly nervous and partly annoyed. Silco took the cigar from his lips and puffed a cloud of smoke before speaking.

“As I said earlier before the rude interruption,” Silco said and his hand that held the cigar squeezed a bit harder my knee but not painfully. "I only need you to get me a copy of the file. Since the date is old it shouldn't be even missed.”

"I said no,” Marcus insisted with angry tone.

“Even in exchange for a payment?” Silco asked. It was then that I saw Lock and another big guy in the room too. They stood behind Marcus. I hadn't seen them from behind the corner but now, on Silco’s lap, I saw both of them. The other guy, whose name I completely forgot came forward and dropped a heavy pouch full of money on the coffee table between Marcus and Silco. "It wouldn't be the first time, you take money in exchange for favors.” I was about to say something but one squeeze from Silco’s hand on my knee and I dropped it. Better just sit tight and look pretty, I guess.

“I'm not falling for that, not again,” Marcus said.

“Lost your guts when you saw some blood? Surely, you knew how things would end that day,” Silco said.

“Oh, I had an idea, alright,” Marcus said and glanced at me. "I had no problems with how you dealt with Vander. But others getting hurt was not meant to happen.” Did he think I would go mad knowing that Silco had something to do with Vander’s death? Too late for that. Maybe at the beginning, I might have been angry but now, after learning more about Silco and Vander’s past, I partly don't even care anymore. They had their fight and it got ugly. Yes, I miss Vander sometimes but in the Lanes, anyone can die if not careful. Putting a little wedge between Silco and me? Not going to work. Just to prove my point I rested my head on Silco’s shoulder and looked at Marcus with disinterest.

“If you were going to sow some discord between us, then you failed,” Silco said noticing the same thing I did. When he felt my head on his shoulder he rested his head on mine. "What you don't know is that (Y/n) hates Enforcers more than me. What really scared you then was that you had never seen your kind bleed or die before. That's something you should remember very well for the future. Don't you agree, dear?”

"Yes,” I said with an uninterested tone. "A good fear of death does set one's priority in the whole new order.” Marcus seemed a bit nervous. He should. I don't really care about the politics but I did care how it affected lives down here. Ekko and Jinx. Both have suffered because of this environment created by Piltover. Marcus was just one cog in the machinery of that. Silco seemed to find a way to use him. Yet Marcus tried to break free. I don't know what Silco needs him to do but I know that whatever he does it will be for something.

“I really wonder what makes you refuse the money you have accepted before?” Silco said and took a drag of the cigar. "As far as I know you haven't gotten promoted, yet.”

“I don't want your money,” Marcus hissed.

“But you did want it at the time. Either way, whether you want it or not living at the Topside isn't cheap. Everyone down here knows it,” Silco said.

“I don't need your money.”

His smell changed. His body temperature too. Did he… lie? The change is very small but it is there. He was nervous before and very emotional but now it spiked just a bit. I can't tell other reasons. I breathed through my mouth and I recognized the scents I detected before. Yes, there is some sweating, his breathing changed a phase, and his heart rate changed causing the temperature of his body to change too. He may be good at keeping his face straight but those scents are not easy to hide. Silco noticed that I had switched to breathing through my mouth. Not sure what he was thinking but surely he remembered how I acted the last time I was having a whiff of the scents through my mouth. His grip on my knee brought my attention to him. He seemed slightly mad at me for some reason. But I still thought he had to know what I figured out, so I leaned closer and whispered into his ear.

“He is lying.”

Silco quickly turned to look at me. I could see him ponder if I was serious or even right about what I had said. Okay, I may have acted weird before. But Jinx is more fickle than I was in the past few days. And it doesn't even have to be her day of the month for that to happen.

“I can smell it,” I whispered again.

“My pet tells me you are lying,” Silco said after one long pause as he turned to Marcus.

"Well, she's wrong,” Marcus said not breaking his façade.

“No, I'm not,” I said. "You didn't lie when you said 'you don't want the money’ but you did lie when you said ' you don't need the money.’ There is a difference.”

"You know nothing,” Marcus hissed.

“Mmph,” I pouted and turned away from him. Why did I waste time with Enforcer?

“And now you made her mad. Really, Marcus? She simply pointed out the truth,” Silco said lifting his hand that was on the armrest to pet my head. I didn't care what Marcus did or said but I didn't want to be in an awkward position with Silco. I should at least give him the truth. But what is the truth? Marcus lied but how to call the bluff? I need more information and more scents. I opened my mouth to inhale discreetly the scents again but the grip of Silco’s hand made me stop. I leaned closer so I could whisper into his ear.

“I need a better whiff of him,” I said.

“No, you don't,” He practically growled.

“I can tell he is lying but I need a better whiff of him to say what he is lying about,” I tried again.

“I said no,” Silco said quietly so only I heard him and his warning tone. But what really made me freeze was that his hand had moved on my legs closer to my thighs. I shouldn't push too far but I still had to find a way to figure out what Marcus was hiding. If I can't get closer to him to smell it, then maybe the scent could come to me.

“Can you open a window?” I asked as nicely as possible. Silco looked at me with a doubtful look. "It's too warm for me.”

“Bare with it,” Silco said indifferently. I pouted and realized that I had to result to something else.

“It's either open window or I get up and leave,” I whispered. Silco glared at me and was about to say something but I beat him to it. "I either leave or I need to take off the robe. I rather not do the latter with all the people present.” I didn't know I had the guts to say that. A ghost of a smirk played at Silco’s lips before he leaned to whisper to my ear.

“And if we were alone, would you do it?”

I had no comeback to that except that my face flushed like crazy. Silco leaned back against the headrest and gave a nod to Lock as a sign to open the window. I tried to regain my composure while Lock went to the window and opened it letting the cool evening breeze into the room. The only window in the room was behind Marcus, so when the breeze came in it also brought the smell closer to me. But now I had to pick it up. I inhaled the air, and at the same time, the snake on my back slithered to my face. Luckily, it was on my right cheek that only Silco could see. And he didn't miss the snake’s head coming behind my ear and coming just to touch my lips with its tongue. I didn't see his face but I felt his hand squeeze my thigh indicating he had seen it. But as long as Marcus didn't see it, it was all good. I inhaled another time and I could detect a very faint scent that wasn't similar to anyone in the room yet it came from Marcus. With the third whiff, I got it more clear, and I knew what he was hiding.

“I think we are done here,” Marcus said and got up from his seat.

“She is sick, isn't she?” I asked and made Marcus freeze. His eyes darted at me in mixture of surprise, fear and anger. Good, now I need to break him a bit. "I take a guess,.. she is... your wife? And the condition is serious?”

"Care to elaborate?” Silco asked me ignoring Marcus and his attempt to leave.

“There's a scent of a woman on him. Someone who he is very close to. She can't be a friend or sister, since there is also a scent very close to his lips,” I said. "And I can smell a hint of death. She doesn't have much time.”

“Really?” Silco said and turned to Marcus. "My condolences.” There was an evident conflict in Marcus, it was obvious on his face. He didn't return to his seat but he didn't continue his leave. Silco seemed to have already a plan set to this.

“Give him half of it,” He said to the big guy and he turned back to Marcus. "For your wife. But if you want more you know what needs to be done.” The big guy emptied the pouch of money in half and practically tossed it to Marcus who kept his eyes on Silco. The conflict was still there and there seemed to be anger there too. Just so he won't get any ideas...

“He will do it. The other scent on him tells me so,” I said. Marcus’s eyes landed on me and there was a clear threat in them. I simply ignored him and rested my head again on Silco’s shoulder. One might call me heartless for that but if the Enforcers didn't wish for the trouble they should think more before oppressing people down here.

“I believe we are done then?” Silco said and turned away from Marcus as if he was no longer interested. Marcus left with a dark expression on his face but didn't say anything. Silco waited till the door closed before speaking again.

“Put a tail on him. I want to know his moves. It seems besides money we need another leverage,” Silco said. Sevika nodded and glanced at Ran and Dustin. The two of them nodded and then left the room. I took that as a sign that the meeting was over.

“Are we done then?” I asked.

“We?” Silco asked.

“I meant, if I could go now?” I corrected.

“Are you in a hurry to somewhere?” Silco asked.

“I was heading to the kitchen before you made me sit on this chair,” I reminded him. "I haven't eaten for a while.” Silco hummed and took one drag of the cigar before he stomped it on the ashtray on the coffee table, leaning over me.

“Lock, tell Matt to get some food and bring it to the room. You are heading that way anyway,” Silco said. Lock nodded and soon he and the other big guy were leaving. Silco tapped on my leg and I took it as a sign to move. We both got up from the armchair but before I could say or ask anything, Silco took my hand and pulled me to follow him. He took me back to my room and practically pulled me inside before he closed the door.

“What in Runterra is wrong with you?” He partly hissed and growled.

“Me? What is wrong with you?” I asked. "What ruffled your feathers?”

"You."

Okay, now I was worried. Silco was obviously in a bad mood, so I had to tread cautiously. Perhaps he was not satisfied with how things ended with Marcus. Whatever Marcus had to do for him wasn't going to happen. At least, for a while. But in his eyes, it might as well be never.

“When will you stop acting like an idiot and be more conscious of yourself?” Silco asked hissing.

“Conscious of myself? I was in need of food, I have a very good guess what will happen if I’ll stay hungry,” I said forgetting my own advice to be cautious.

“And what would that be, hm?” Silco asked.

“I might end up sniffing someone without any restrictions and consideration of personal distance. Kind of what I did last time,” I said the last part a bit quietly but I knew Silco heard me. His face changed and he took a step toward me, making me take a step back.

“So you remember what you did then?” Silco asked as he took another step and so did I.

“Y-yes, I'm sorry. I was overwhelmed by the scents and…” I tried to apologize.

“So you were hungry, hmm?” Silco asked.

“No, I was… I was…weak. And easily overwhelmed. Look, I'm sorry, I…” I had to stop and collect my thoughts otherwise I just get myself more in trouble. "Look, it turns out my signia enforces my senses, my sense of smell most strongly. Because snakes are prone to smell or taste the air when they hunt. I can pick up scents on people or around them, especially when I inhale the air through my mouth.”

“It's that how you knew Marcus was lying?” Silco asked his mood apparently coming down a bit.

“Yes. At first, I didn't know if he was lying, I just smelled a change in his scent,” I explained. For some reason, Silco seemed to get back to his dark mood again, why? I have no idea but I rather not have it be because of me. "I went quickly through my head, any reason why his scent would change. His heart rate changed, which made the temperature change, he was sweating. Many of those symptoms are related to lying, then as I explained in the living room, I just pinned down what he said when he lied.”

“And you wanted to smell him more," Silco said with dark expression.

“Well, he wasn't going to budge. Evidently, I had to catch his reason to lie. Which is why I asked to open a window,” I said.

"And then you caught more of his scent," Silco said.

“Without leaving my place and I found the scent of a woman on his face, his right side to be exact. Probably, a kiss from her on the cheek. And with it was also a hint of… something sickening. I don't know how to describe it,” I said.

“Humor me,” Silco invited.

“Death. It smelled like a hint of death. She is dying,” I said.

“And the other reason, why you believe he will come back?” Silco invited.

“A smell of a baby,” I said sighing. I rather not tell him but he already asked so there was no point in hiding it.

“Boy or girl?” Silco asked.

“I don't know. I'm not that good to distinguish baby smells,” I said.

“Oh, well. I guess a simple congratulations card will be enough,” Silco sighed.

“You are going to use the baby against him,” I guessed.

“No, not for now. He has enough on his plate with his wife dying,” Silco said and walked to stand in front of the mirror that I used to look at my snake.

“How do you know it's his wife? I told you I guessed it would be his wife but I have no proof it's her,” I asked.

“It is her,” Silco said watching me through the mirror. "I had my own ways of digging into his background before ever making contact with him. He has a wife, who is very ill. I didn't know about the addition to the family. I guess, the birth has taken a toll on the woman.”

“He will come back because he needs the money to get her treatment and to keep her alive for the sake of the baby,” I said.

“Of course, and if he wants to earn that money, he has to get promoted. And that is where I shall step in but that is not what I wanted to talk about,” Silco said to face me.

"Then what?" I asked.

“I already said it; you.”

I didn't have time to ask or say anything before he came to me and pushed me to the bed and climbed over me. Scared of what he might do, I tried to push him back but he grabbed both of my wrists and pinned them over my head with one firm grip of his hand.

“This is a conversation that's way overdue,” Silco said with a mixture of growl and whisper in his tone. "Do you have any idea how you act sometimes?”

“W-what are talking about?” I asked with fear.

“You don't know. I wonder, are you really that naïve, or are you just teasing?” Silco growled. I had completely forgotten how scary Silco could be but now I had a very good reminder. I wasn't sure of what he was exactly angry of, but if the few times he had been angry at me before were of any indication, then I might have a guess.

“I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…”

“Didn’t mean what, dear?” Silco asked. "Something tells me, you don't even know what truly irritates me.”

"I... I… have been acting a bit foolishly … okay, not a bit, a lot. I'm sorry. It’s just that… I finally did the only thing my mother wished me to do and it was even better than I ever hoped. No, I didn't even dare to dream to have a serpent as my signia. But when I got it, I… I… kind of lost my mind. I didn't mean to cause trouble. Not for you, or Jinx, or anyone.”

“Hmph, at least you are aware of some things you have done,” Silco said and loosened just bit his grip on my wrists but not enough to let me go. "But that still wasn't what I meant.” What? What else could it be? I was getting scared. What could I have done to irritate him that I wasn't even aware of?

“But yes, you were right that after your last ritual, you seem to have lost some of your reason,” Silco said leaning close enough so his lips were right next to my ear, and when he whispered I thought my mind exploded. "I didn't know you were alright sleeping in the tank all naked.” Wait… Was he… mad about that? But then again, why did I agree to that again? I wanted to get over it fast and Signed said that the best and fastest way was to let the liquid get through my skin. Was he mad because I was… indecent? But he has seen me in a worse state before, and he wasn't that angry. Wait, he isn't…

"And not to mention how you have been during the last couple of days. Barely, wearing a thing. It is fortunate that I come to this room before Jinx or anyone else comes in,” Silco said murmuring to my ear. "I practically had to ban everyone from entering here. I can't let anyone see you that way. Only I can see you.”

Oooh, he is jealous. The difference between before and now is that other men may have seen me. Though, he should know better with Signed. But with Marcus, I should have seen the clues. The dominant attitude. When I came to the room he made sure that I would only stick to him. And only him. He got angry and moody because I was wearing so little. And when I needed a better whiff of Marcus, he thought that I would repeat what I did last time, didn't he?

“I can tell you figured it out,” Silco said pulling back to look at me.

“I-I- I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause a scene. But… once I get my stuff from Signed, I start wearing my regular …” I tried to convince him but his grip got tighter, and he leaned closer to me again.

“You will not wear those rags again,” He hissed. "It seems you didn't get my point, so let me spell it out for you. You are mine.” I wasn't ready for this. I wasn't even sure what this was. No one was supposed to be interested in me. Why of all people it had to be him? And why did he have to be so… possessive.? "And my people do look the part. I can't let you undermine my reputation as I change the Lanes, as I lay the foundation of Zaun. You, you will stand by my side, and only by my side.”

"S-silco, you're scaring me.”

"Is that so?" Silco asked as he loosened the knot that kept my robe fastened. "Where was that fear when I told you to remain in this room? Or when I told you to that you won't smell Marcus?”

"It was just a whiff, I… I wanted to help you.” I was getting more nervous and fear was taking me over. "Please, stop.”

"I told you to stop too, remember?” Silco said right next to my ear. "But you kept going.”

"I'm sorry. I won't do it again.”

"Oh, you won't. I'll make sure of it.”

Before he could do anything else there was a knock on the door. We both freezer and waited for something to happen. Either the one who knocked to identify themselves or leave.

“Umm, Lock asked me to bring this here.”

Matt. He had either the best timing ever or the worst luck. I wasn't sure which one, when Silco gave quiet groan and pushed himself off of me and marched to the door. I took the opportunity to get up and fasten my robe again.

“Seriously, (Y/n) can't you just come down and cook some food yourself as you used… Oh, hey boss,” I heard Matt say when Silco opened the door and Matt realized I wasn't alone. I could hear from where I was how Matt’s voice changed when he met Silco at the door. He wasn't prepared for that. Silco took the plate and roughly told Matt to beat it which he did as I heard the sound of him dashing away. Silco closed the door and I heard the lock click as he locked the door. Another wave of nervousness came over me as Silco walked back to me one hand holding the plate with food on it. He didn't come right next to me. Instead, he went to the small table near the bed which had two chairs.

"Come, sit, and eat,” Silco ordered without looking at me as he set the plate on the table, and he sat on one of the chairs. A part of me warned me not to go anyway near him but other part told me that he was still upset, so disobeying him would be unwise. So, I got up from the bed and went to the unoccupied chair to sit down. The plate had cooked potatoes and carrots, cooked meat, brown gravy, and two pieces of bread. Silco got up when I took the first bite, and he went to a cupboard and brought two glasses and a bottle of bourbon.

“Since your ritual is over, I believe you are allowed a drink,” Silco said as he poured the amber liquid into the glasses and placed one of them close to my plate.

“Y-yes. Though I don't know if I can hold my liquor,” I said.

“More reason for me to stay and confirm it,” Silco said. He took his glass and held it up for a moment. It took me a couple of seconds to get his gesture. I picked up my glass and held it to the same level as he held his glass. He brought his glass close to mine till our glasses made a clear cling sound. Silco then brought his glass to his lips and took a sip of his drink. I took a sip from my glass and right after I swallowed the liquid it burned inside my throat, making me cough.

“*cough* *cough* This… this is strong,” I said setting the glass down.

“Still, I rather have you taste the good quality rather than the bad ones,” Silco said. "It may not go well with your meal now but I will make sure you get better food with better drinks.”

"No thanks, if it means my throat will burn again," I said and focuses on the food.

“A shame. I thought you had now refined palette since you can 'taste the air’, as you put it,” Silco said smirking. A part of me wanted to say something to wipe the smirk off his face but I remained quiet. He was partly right. Besides smells, I should begin to train my palette. Though I have a good palette since I cook most of the time. But if my guess is correct, my signia could make my palette more sensitive. Maybe I could smell and taste poisons too. Many snakes are poisonous. But that might require some training. Maybe I should start with something simple, like… this bourbon. It's not poison but… it does have its own taste. I took another sip, a bigger one this time, and I ended up coughing again.

“Don’t force it,” Silco said moving my glass just slightly away from me. "If you drink too fast, you will get drunk. Take it slowly, savor the drink.” I just nodded and took a smaller sip of the drink.

“By the way, where is Jinx?” I asked hoping to make things less awkward.

“She went to test her new toys. She finished a couple of projects of hers. I thought it was a good opportunity to test them,” Silco said.

“And not let her see Marcus,” I added.

“Yes, I believed it was better this way. She was already worried for you, I rather not submit her to more stress.” Silco said sipping his drink.

“Thank you, and… I'm sorry. For all the trouble I have caused,” I said lowering my eyes.

“Just get better. We shall visit Signed next week so we can finish this ritual of yours and you can focus on Jinx,” Silco said. "And then we will see how things proceed from there.”

I simply nodded and continued eating. The rest of the evening I was quiet, till Jinx came back all covered with soot and dirt. But she was happy that I was better. And her projects seemed to be getting better. She said she would show me once I was better enough to go out

Next ->

[eschatologicalblank]

Darkness

This is a post I made on another blog (here) a while ago; I thought I might as well stick it on here too.

A metaphor that crops up in the Bible quite a bit is that of light and darkness. Unfortunately for me, I genuinely like the darkness – not the metaphorical darkness, the actual, literal darkness – which has always made the metaphor a little confusing for me. I find very bright light – especially bright sunlight – uncomfortable, and the dark is by comparison comfy. And there’s a reason I’ve stuck with a photo of the starry design of my bedroom blind as a profile picture for so long – because I hate my face really like the stars.

Well, now I have moved Up NorthTM for my Master’s, my route back from evening services goes through a pitch-black forest and I suddenly have a newfound appreciation for those metaphors.

It is, as you can probably guess, really spooky. I have to observe basically every piece of advice I’ve ever read in a fantasy novel to convince my lizardbrain that I won’t be eaten by some monster out of folklore – no running, no stopping, no meeting the gaze of reflective eyes among the trees, no leaving the path, and absolutely no looking back. But the most important enabling factor is my phone’s torch. In fact, the other day I had to take a massive detour because my phone’s battery got low enough that it wouldn’t let me turn the torch on.

In Psalm 119, the narrator addresses God, saying “Your word is a lamp for my feet, and a light for my path” – like my phone. Unlike my phone, the Bible doesn’t run out of battery – that is, there is no point at which reading it stops being illuminating. Even if you’ve read a verse a hundred times before, there’s always something new to draw from it, to comfort and to guide – especially when reading it with others.

But like my phone, it’s important to remember that the Bible cannot illuminate the entire path before us, only a little ways ahead – it’s good for figuring out what to do in your current circumstances, but you can’t figure out what’ll happen five years from now from it. After all, fitting the entire life stories of everyone who would ever read it would make it even longer than it already is.

Of course, sometimes the darkness that strikes fear into my heart is a little less literal than a dark forest. I think most people have had the experience of looking at current events and being afraid; whether it’s climate change not being taken seriously enough, pointless infighting among people who should know better, politicians making statements seemingly designed to stir up hatred and misunderstanding, or large news companies uncritically presenting the opinions of a genocide advocate – and those are just the ones going on in the UK – it can often feel like the world is full of threats formed by the twin evils of apathy and malice.

This is because it is, which makes trying to assuage these fears fairly tricky. There are of course a number of verses I could quote here about dealing with fears like these, but for better or worse the thing that’s helped me most isn’t actually from the Bible at all – instead, it’s an excerpt from the poem ‘The Present Crisis’, written nearly 20 years before the American Civil War about the evils of slavery. Some of the theology in it is a little dodgy – I’m fairly sure people get more than one chance to decide whether to stand “for the good or evil side” – but a lot of it is both generally applicable and accurate, including:

Though the cause of Evil prosper, yet 'tis Truth alone is strong, And, albeit she wander outcast now, I see around her throng Troops of beautiful, tall angels, to enshield her from all wrong. [...] Careless seems the great Avenger; history's pages but record One death-grapple in the darkness 'twixt old systems and the Word; Truth forever on the scaffold, Wrong forever on the throne,— Yet that scaffold sways the future, and, behind the dim unknown, Standeth God within the shadow, keeping watch above his own.

Can you see why I like it? It acknowledges the fear and frustration of looking at a world where it seems that those with power do not have your best interests or your continued existence at heart, and where it looks like God isn’t doing anything, and makes the claim that God knows exactly what He is doing. Sure, Truth isn’t on the throne, but she is both protected and – despite the outward appearance of powerlessness, exile and defeat – in the position of real power. And that is far more comforting than any platitudes about which way the moral arc of the universe bends or whiggish theories of inevitable moral progress because it doesn’t rely on faith in people and in society – who, may I remind you, are the ones who got us into this mess in the first place – but on a faith in a God who is good and steadfast.

It also doesn’t brush over the fact that sometimes Wrong gets the short-term victories, and that really sucks for everyone involved. Sure, Truth gets a squad of angelic bodyguards, but a ‘death-grapple in the darkness’ necessarily involves injury or death. It’s not a comfort of everything being alright for you now; it’s a comfort of knowing which side wins in the end.

I gather that callbacks are an important part of structuring essays, so here’s one; remember earlier, when I said that my phone ran out of battery ‘the other day’? Well, the other day in question was in fact the thirty-first of October. Although I didn’t see anyone doing it, I’m sure someone somewhere dressed up as the creature from Frankenstein – although as we all know, university dropout Victor Frankenstein was the real monster.

Recently, I’ve been seeing a clip from a song called ‘creature’ (wow this is such a good segue) by a band called half alive on TikTok (yep, I’m down with the kids like that /s). Here’s a bit of the lyrics: I know I'm made of clay that's worn Blighted by imperfect form But I will trust the artist moulding me I am creation, both haunted and holy Made in glory Even the depths of the night cannot blind me When You guide me Creature only

See? It’s even got a bit about being guided through darkness, so I can pretend this post has some kind of thematic coherency.

Not too long ago I was talking to someone about what a theology of the body might look like – how faith should impact our views of our bodies – and I think this really articulates my instinctive reaction to that question. The body is both ‘fearfully and wonderfully made’ (Ps 139:14), and ‘this body of death’ (Rom 7:24), both ‘dust’ (Ps 103:14) and destined to ‘clothe itself with the imperishable’ (1 Cor 15:53)- both haunted and holy, broken and being made new. Inasmuch as it is beautiful, it inherits that beauty from being a shadow of better things long since lost and better things yet to come.

So when the body betrays us, does things that we never wanted nor asked for – well, what were we expecting? Things go awry, down here in the dark, and our efforts cannot perfectly fix them – although they can come very close indeed. How fortunate that they will be put right ‘in the twinkling of an eye’ (1 Cor 15:53) when dawn breaks.

Anyway, now I need to think of a conclusion to this weird ramble. Maybe something like “In conclusion, the light that shines in the darkness is beautiful and wonderful, but it would not do to forget that the darkness is as yet still there; though it is a balm for all ills, it is not necessarily the balm we would have asked for or expected.”

Yeah, that’ll do.

[spaghettificationandpretzels]

Rest Your Weary Hands Part 2

Part 1

Requests are open

Warnings: Gambling problems and taking advantage of a working child. Mild medical gore.

1,956 words

Comment if you want to be tagged.

Queen Aslaug walks into your little Healers store with one request, help her son. Said to be blessed by the gods, you find your life becoming more and more intertwined with the young prince as you do your best to ease his pain. It will soon be apparent that outside forces have other ideas.

"Ivar, I know you hate it but we have to keep going." Aslaug was getting sick of this, Ivar would not listen to her, and it was making her life miserable.

"It hurts Mother!" his tone was distressed but you had been clear, and if the last week or two had anything to show, you knew what you were doing.

Aslaug took a deep breath, and remembered what you said

If it gets to the point where Ivar can't take it, leave the cream on his skin for 15 minutes, then go back.

*************

"Is it still painful?" Aslaug was careful not to make Ivar feel weak.

"Not so much, it just feels hot." Thank the Gods.

It had been a few weeks since you had first started helping Ivar, you had yet to come and see him, telling her every time that you have very many orders to complete or that certain plants needed tending.

But it was coming up to winter, and the latest raid meant many of your customers were off looting, which meant no plants to care for and not enough people in need to justify being at the shop.

This time, you would come when she asked you.

"You are serving Ragnar's Sons now, why aren't you making more money?" Your Father was getting worse, he had started taking money right from the till.

"I told you Father, if I charge them more they'll find out and lock me away for stealing, and then you won't have any money." he seemed to take that, going into the back to get some bread you had made for your customers.

He spent the next ten minutes lazing around complaining. Then the Queen arrived.

One of her other Sons, Hvitserk was with her this time, he looked like he knew he was the prettiest thing in the room.

"Hello y/n." Your Father had changed in a heartbeat at The Queen's greeting.

"I don't believe we've met My Queen, I'm y/n's Father." his tone was kind and friendly.

She seemed unimpressed.

"No we haven't. No matter, winter is coming up and I will need your Daughter's services in person for the next few weeks."

Your Father looked like he was going to shove you out the door.

"Of course my Queen, she will be happy to help" you didn't look happy, but you knew your Father wouldn't give you the option.

"I will need to let people know where I'll be in case of an emergcy, I can't let other people get sick no matter who I'm treating."

The Queen seemed to be happy with that, then she was throwing a bag of coins at you.

Oh no

"I'll keep that safe for you until you get home y/n." Sure you will, you knew it would be all gone by the end of the week.

"Thank you Father, I'll close up before we leave, that way, you don't have to remember to cover anything if it starts to rain.

It had taken you about an hour to close up, Hvitserk was walking up to you as you locked the front door.

"You can ride on my horse if you like." What a smug ass.

"No thank you My Prince, I have my own horse."

************************************************************************

The ride to Kattegat was pleasant, it wasn't cold enough yet to need to rush inside so you got to enjoy the changing countryside.

You spent your time talking with Aslaug and Hvitserk about your work, The Queen listened well and asked complex questions, Hvitserk on the other hand, less so.

"Can you cook too?"

"Yes My Prince."

He gestured to the sword hanging on your saddle.

"Do you know how to use that?" There was no malice or condescension in his voice.

"Yes, My Prince. I work in a store filled with exotic and intoxicating herbs and spices, I've been robbed more times that I can count." He looked almost worried.

"They've never managed to take anything, don't worry."

You couldn't see it, but Aslaug was smiling.

*******************

Kattegat was amazing, there was the constant bustle of people and the ocean breeze carried the smells of the town through the air in a swirl of salt.

"I imagine I'll be staying in the inn?"

Aslaug didn't even look at you.

"No, you will be staying in the servent nook in Ivar's room. I had it set up for you this morning, the bed is comfortable enough and I made sure you would have plenty of furs."

I sleep on the floor at home so that's an upgrade.

"That way you can tend to Ivar whenever he needs it."

"You know Lady y/n, Ivar's room is right next to mine. Maybe you can come in and rub my feet." Hvitserk was incorrigible, it didn't seem he meant anything nasty by it, he was just clueless.

"You wouldn't like that, I'd have to find something wrong if you wanted me to stay. Do you want me to find something wrong with you?"

"Come now Hvitserk, she's going to be busy with your Brother, you shouldn't bother her." The Queen didn't miss the subtle dig you made at her son.

Be grateful you're healthy.

************************************************************************

"Clink slide, clink slide, clink slide, clink slide"

"Mother, are you back for your outting yet?"

You didn't have time to take in the Great Hall before you met Ivar which was a shame but he didn't stay long.

Ivar took one look at you and your trunk and turned and crawled away.

"I'm sorry, he can be a bit like that. He wasn't happy when I said you were coming for a visit." You could understand why, the last few weeks can't have been fun for him.

"It's ok My Queen, I'm sure he'll warm up."

The fact the Ivar didn't want you there made you question, why were you here?

"Why am I here if Ivar didn't request me?" You hoped you didn't sound accusatory.

"Ivar doesn't know what's best for him sometimes." the way she said it made you think she wasn't just talking about his legs.

*********

"Knock knock"

"Prince Ivar, I need to put my things away, may I come in?"

You hoped he would at least speak to you while you were here.

"No", you couldn't help him with this attitude, whether you understood it or not.

"That's ok, Prince Hvitserk offered me his room so I'll stay in there." The door was opened as you started to walk away.

You knew that would work.

"Fine, but don't bother me."

Ivar's room was nice, it was large enough that he could fit a four-person table and some chairs, there were trunks throughout the room and the floor was covered in more furs than normal.

"Mother has you in there" He gestured to the doorless doorway, through which was a small room with just a bed and a side table.

"Thank you My Prince."

The rest of the afternoon went well, and you managed to get Ivar to speak to you for more than a few sentences. Come dinner time, it seemed that you two would get along well.

"So you're Ivar's new nurse" You hadn't spent any time with Sigurd yet, he didn't come to the store like Ubbe and he didn't seem as charming as Hvitserk.

"Not really My Prince, I won't be staying here long so I don't think that qualifies me as Ivar's personal nurse."

Dinner was nice, it had been a long time since you had been able to sit down and eat a nice meal. Ivar didn't talk much and he spent most of his time glaring at you.

************************************************************************

It was late now, you were getting ready for bed when Aslaug came in.

"I was hoping you could do Ivar's legs tonight?" Ivar looked pissed.

"Mother, no. She'll just do it wrong." You sensed he was very used to getting his way.

"Well we'll have to see then" You were surprised at her sternness.

Ivar was laying in bed by the time everyone was ready to start, he had the blanket thrown over him and he was staring at you like he was looking through you.

You had a feeling he didn't want you touching or seeing his legs but there were no other option.

You picked up some things from your corner and sat down at the edge of the bed with Aslaug.

"I was thinking of trying a liquid oil this time, it will be a bit more messy but I think it will be easier to use in the long run"

Aslaug nodded along as you explained what was in it and how it worked, when she went to pull the blankets back, Ivar flinched and held on.

"Permit me to be frank My Queen." she pursed her lips but didn't say no.

"Ivar, your legs will not be the worst thing I've seen, last week I had to treat a man whose legs were rotting off his body. Unless you have cocks growing out of your knees you can't shock me."

Ivar went bright red, and Aslaug tried her best to stifle a giggle fit.

"Can I start?" Ivar gave one short nod and you pulled the blankets back.

Ivar looked so scared and ashamed.

"Oh, this is nothing. If one were 'normal' legs and ten were the legs of a rotten corpse you're a four, you're not even in the top twenty worst things I've seen" Ivar visibly relaxed but he still looked so sad.

"Please no stories, miss y/n, I don't think my stomach could take it. You were grateful for The Queen's interruption.

"Please tell me if I hurt you My Prince, this time around is meant to feel nice"

You start slow, rubbing his calves in long sweeping motions, Ivar was getting more and more comfortable. The Queen was looking at your hands intently, as if you'd suddenly sprout knives from your fingers.

Then she was looking around and getting up.

"I think I'll leave you to it, you seem to be doing a good job" You looked at her like a dear about to be shot by a hunter.

"Whatever Ivar's feels comfortable with is ok with me." But Alsaug didn't give her son the option, she was walking out the door before he got a word in.

"Can we try something with you feet on the ground? I'd like to what your kness are like." Ivar hesitated for a moment but pushed himself up and used his arms to swing his legs over the edge of the bed.

"You're very strong Prince Ivar" you watched the muscles of his arms and back sift under his shirt.

That's a good sign

"Don't patronise me." his tone was short, he almost sounded a little hurt.

"I'm not, I can see how well built they are under your shirt. That's a good thing Ivar, it means you've already done some of the work yourself" you hoped you had soothed his worry a bit, judging by the way he was looking down at you, something you said had helped.

"Mother was right, you are beautiful." You felt the rush of blood to your face, you hoped he couldn't tell that you were flustered.

"Thank you, Prince Ivar, you're very sweet."

You spent the next twenty minutes feeling his knees and rubbing his legs, Ivar staring at you the whole time, it was as if he was trying to memorise every pore.

"Will that be all tonight, My Prince?" He gave you his hand to help you off the floor.

"Yes y/n, thank you."

"Great! Tomorrow the real work starts." Ivar's blue eyes went wide.

What the hell did you mean by that?

Part 3

I'm not really happy with this chapter, I tried to make their meeting feel more organic rather than dramatic

Tag list

@ladynightshade30 @katshuya @istorkyou @smears-and-spots @youbloodymadgenius @draculasbride-blog @profoundtyrantharmony @vikingsfranatic @hellie98 @localtrashopossum @polly-jayne

[liibrii]

fem!Miya!reader x Ginjima Hitoshi & Akagi Michinari || part of the Third Miya series

Synopsis: It’s just a courage test. Just a nightly walk through a labyrinth of statues. Even the moon refuses to peek out from behind to clouds to witness your stupidity. Oh, did I mention there've been ghosts sighting here? There've been ghost sightings here.

Warnings: cursing, some spooky atmosphere, spooky things happen, some prime examples of sibling love

wc: 2.3k

a/n: should I post this chapter after the one establishing Reader's friendship with the team? Yeah, probably. also what I could do is write a little author's note that Reader is a friend with all the boys on the team and move on from there, ya know? 

In case you missed previous chapters, Twins call their sister San, while others simply refer to her as Miya. (I'm experimenting and trying to use y/n as little as possible. lemme know if you like it). 

if you wanna be tagged in future chapters lemme know and as always feedback is greatly appreciated! 

Nothing scared you.

Well, except Mr-No-Gaps Kita Shinsuke but you're pretty sure there isn't a being on this planet that wouldn't be afraid of him so that disqualifies him from this particular competition; or mom that one time she discovered nobody had taken the trash out even though she said to do it several times. And the dark sometimes. And ghosts! Ghosts are spooky. You can't punch a ghost

But other than that nothing scared you.

This nightly walk though is making you reconsider the statement. Maybe the time has come for you to put 'dark' and 'weird noises whose origin you can't see' to the top of the list. Shivers run up your spine and you step faster, closer to Ginjima beside you. He gives you a questioning glance but luckily doesn't say anything. You hope he won't mention it later either. The only thing worse than your brothers finding out what a scaredy cat you're being right now is... Well, nothing would be worse than that.

The Gallery Tangle is what this place is called and you find the name strangely fitting. Stone statues, some crumbling and all overgrown with moss, stand lined by the path going in twists and turns. No matter where you turn cold unseeing eyes watch you. If you were the one choosing the name for this place it would be something along the lines of 'that corner nobody in their right mind would ever go close too'. Some people believe it used to be a cemetery but really it's just a meadow where someone left an unwanted statue once, and then another, and before you knew crowds of curious tourists and stupid teenagers visited the place all the time. Even the moon refuses to peek out from behind to clouds to witness your stupidity. Oh, did I mention there've been ghosts sighting here? There've been ghost sightings here.

So naturally it's the perfect place for a courage test. The only one at fault for this entire situation is Osamu for daring Akagi and Ginjima to go visit the site, and you for falling for his trap when he turned to you and, with that annoyingly sweet voice pretending he's a caring older brother who's just looking out for his little sister, said: “Thank the heaven yer too much of a baby to go out of the house after sunset.“

Yeah well, maybe you are and he knows it, and he also knows the easiest way to get you to do something is to tell you you don't have the guts. It's all a well tested trap you keep falling into. Walking amongst countless silent statues you want to ponder how the mice traps are always so obvious and yet the mice keep falling for them like dummies, but that would be a silly thought to have in the middle of the night and taking your current circumstances into consideration also incredibly hypocritical.

Nothing much scared you, except for Kita Shinsuke, but if you were given a chance to get help from one person right now you'd chose him. As much as the mere thought of him makes you straighten up and check if your clothes are on point you're sure ghosts and demons and other creatures of the night would rethink once or twice before coming closer to bother you. Not to be rude but he'd probably be a better ghost repellent than trembling Ginjima beside you who at the moment is being more of a ghost attractor. Can ghosts sense fear? Apparently even horses can smell fear so why would ghosts be any different? Maybe better for that question to go unanswered.

“Are ya sure we're goin' in the right direction?“ asks Gin.

“Maybe.“

“Akagi-san ya do know that's not the answer we wanna hear right now, right?“

“I'm yer senpai so I can't lie to ya,“ answers Akagi and you wish he wasn't your senpai so you could give him the well deserved kick in the shin. As Osamu would put it, getting a straight answer out of him was sometimes harder than eating udon noodles with only one chopstick. Your smart-ass replied with 'Just drink them', which was a funny response at the time, a justifiable enough reason for Osamu to slap your head, but in the end this solution didn't really apply to the libero. “We're takin' a little detour to avoid inhabitants of this place,“ Akagi says and if you didn't know him better you'd think his words were meant to reassure you.

“Ya mean the statues? I don't think they really mind us trespassin'.“

“Ah no, not the statues.“ He turns and points his torch up to light up his face. “I meant ghosts.“

“Ha ha, very funny,“ you say pretending a shiver didn't just run up your spine. Your hold on your own torch tightens.

“Skepticism doesn't suit ya Miya. There's a ghost of a little boy hidin' round here. Ever since his old house was demolished he walks around lookin' for his parents.“

“Sure he does,“ you answer and quickly change the topic because if Akagi doesn't stop you're sure Gin will climb in your arms and the question if you're strong enough to carry him is another one you don't want to know the answer to. “Where did Samu say he left the scarf?“

When Ginjima answers his voice is strangely high pitched: “By the statue of an old lady with a cat.“

Akagi nods. “We should split up so-“

“No!“ you and Ginjima half yell.

“We could get lost,“ you add, feeling heat rise on your cheeks.

“Exactly,“ Ginjima agrees, “look how many statues there are! It's a labyrinth 'round here!“

Akagi gives in without much convincing with a gleam in his eyes you really don't like because it looks suspiciously similar to the gleam Atsumu has before blackmailing you with one of too many embarrassing things he knows. “Right, right, last time I was here the cat lady was on the other end.“

“Was?“ Ginjima follows close behind and you're just glad to have you back covered.

“Statues move sometimes. Usually when no one is lookin'.“

“Funny,“ is all you say.

Still, as you continue the expedition you don't let your gaze wander around. It's not like you could see anything anyway. It's too dark! At least that's what you keep telling yourself. Anything could hide out there.

You shudder. Why did you think it was a good idea to leave without taking a hoodie? As if summer nights aren't chilly. Or maybe you just walked past a cold spot where ghosts linger. Now that sounds like something Akagi would tell you.

You're acutely aware of how close Ginjima is walking and you're glad he is. His shoulder bumping into yours every now and then and the sound of his steps are the last things keeping you from letting your imagination run free.

That's the thing about imagination. It makes the pile of unfolded clothes look like a child crawling out of the floor. It makes sitting stone statues seem to blink and turn their heads when you pass by.

When you nervously glance over at Ginjima you notice he's clenching his jaw so hard you start fearing for his teeth. He puts you at ease. As much as that is possible while walking in the dead of night around seemingly endless line of statues. If he was as carefree as Akagi you would, all your foolish pride be damned, most likely burst into tears right then and there.

The nearby bushes rustle and maybe it's just the wind, or a cat on a nightly adventure, or maybe it's something entirely different, but whatever it is lures you into making the mistake of looking over at the statues, where you catch a pale face with unblinking eyes behind long, black hair staring back at you. You scream. Jump, trip over a stone and end in Ginjima's arms, your ears ringing from the high pitched shriek you presume is his.

Akagi jumps too and points his torch around to see what made both of you finally lose the brave facade. He searches around the statues but there's nothing to be found. “It's gone now.“

“Ya sure?“

“What was it?“

“A white face and... black hair.“

“So, a ghost?“ asks Akagi and you nod, holding tightly on Gin as if your life depended on it. A sly smile spreads across Akagi's face. “See, I told ya there's ghosts.“

“Not helpin' ,“ says Gin as Akagi's words make you shudder.

Only then does it hit you Ginjima is holding you bridal style and you swiftly climb back down, still shaken and now completely embarrassed as well. You don't even dare think how much bribing will take to convince Akagi to keep his mouth shut about this. Oh, if your brothers find out they will never let you live it down.

“Maybe we should go home,“ suggests Ginjima still holding you up because your knees turned to pudding.

“Like hell we are,“ you sneer, the blood rush turning fear into burning determination. If this is what it takes to shut Samu's annoying shit mouth, then so be it. “Cat lady, right? I bet she's this way.“ You pick up your torch light and head into the wrong direction.

“Miya, we have to go right,“ Akagi calls after you.

“I am goin' right!“

“The other right.“

You turn on your heels and head into the 'other right' direction. You think you hear Akagi snicker. Step by step your sudden burst of determination and fearlessness drains but like hell are you going to show it. It's just ghosts and spooky demons and maybe some cursed children, what are they going to do? Scare you? Joke's on them, you're already scared! And cold, and embarrassed, and you just want to find that damn scarf already and go home.

It waits neatly wrapped around the cat's neck. It's eyes have an almost mocking look. As if the stone is judging you for taking on this courage test in the first place. Well, you think, it ain't wrong.

“There, now we can go,“ you proclaim when your trembling fingers finally manage to unknot the silky fabric, and as if some cruel fate or inhabitants of this eerie place watched you only a few statues away something rustles.

All three of you freeze and listen. In the distance you can hear cars driving by. A late night train stops by the station.

“What was that?“ asks Gin.

You stuff the scarf into your pocket. “Doesn't matter, we got what we-“

“Let's go check it out!“

“O hell no,“ is the first thing that leaves your mouth but for some reason Akagi thinks it's a sunny Sunday afternoon and the perfect time for a stroll.

“Let's go,“ Gin nudges you to get you to follow Akagi but you don't budge.

“No.“

“He's our senpai Miya, we can't just let him wander off.“ He lowers his voice. “He might get in trouble.“

“Let him. I've had enough of this place,“ you say and head into the opposite direction. Ginjima hesitates, casts a few lost glances between you and Akagi before he decides the prospect of something happening to you would get him into much bigger trouble. “Are ya okay?“ he asks when he catches up.

You give a stiff nod. All you want is to get away from this place.

It doesn't take long for Akagi to come running back. “It was nothin',“ he says, out of breath and smiling as always but if you'd pay more attention you'd notice he's a bit paler.

And you are about to find out why.

A white figure appears from behind one of the statues, howling and shrieking, or maybe that's Akagi and Ginjima. Your heart stops for a mere moment before jumping into overdrive. You grip your torch, step back with one leg to gain momentum, and chuck your only source of light into what you guess is ghosts head.

“Aargh!“ shrieks the ghost before it starts screaming its lungs out at you, “Are ya stupid?! Ya could've hurt me ya shithead!“ It pulls the sheet off to reveal a very irritated Atsumu rubbing his forehead where the torchlight hit him. “OW!“ he shrieks again when you kick his shin. You'd probably kick him again for good measure if another figure, this one clad in black and with an oni mask, didn't jump from behind the statues and scare you into leaping in the air. The figure laughs and avoids the kick aimed at it's knee. “Samu!“ you shriek. “This isn't funny!“

“It is a little,“ says Akagi and to his luck he's your senpai and standing out of your reach. At least Ginjima doesn't look amused by your utter embarrassment.

In an effort to regain some of your pride you pull out the scarf and chuck it into Osamu's face. “Here, yer kitchen cloth.“

“San don't speak about mom's clothes like that,“ teases Atsumu who at the stare you send him immediately takes a careful step back.

Osamu pinches your cheeks and not even a death glare stops his teasing: “Maybe ya ain't such a baby after all. But ya do scream like one.“

“Absolutely hilarious,“ you deadpan. “Who was the white faced lady? Suna?“

“What white face?“

“Don't play with me ya shit pig. The one that almost gave Gin a heart attack!“

“Ya screamed louder than me-“

“That wasn't us,“ your brothers shake their head. You don't believe them because, why would you?

Akagi bursts into laughter. “Maybe ya saw a real ghost after all!“

A... a real... ghost. The rest of you exchange uncomfortable glances.

Gin is the first to speak. “It's gettin' a little chilly. Maybe we should,“ he gestures towards the path, and you nod, enthusiastically.

“It is gettin' late. We'll hear it if we come home past curfew,“ says Osamu.

Walking away you don't want to look back but something compels you to throw a quick glance over your shoulder. Wide unblinking eyes stare as you leave, face ghostly white and almost glowing in the dead of night.

Or maybe it's just your imagination.

tag list: @espressons @trashy-simp @nachotrash @megumiisee @foxxtrot-116​

in case you’re curious, Gallery tangle is based on a real life Statue village in Japan.

[tardytothepardy]

Fruits Basket - Vol 23

It's the final banquet babyyyy

(i hate how blurry that picture is but my camera just wouldn't fucking focus)(also yeah i colored in the speech bubbles, they were kinda confusing without context and didn't have anything to do with this specific frame)

So everyone's gathered in the main Sohma house, and no one really knows what's going on. They have no idea what to expect. Hiro notes that the grown-ups are "the ones who can't sit still today". Some miscellaneous stuff happens but I'm not sure if it's worth talking about? After the miscellaneous stuff, it is announced that Akito is ready for everyone to see, and out she steps in a kimono (I bet it's red; she'd look great in red, I think) and asks where Shigure is, because he apparently dipped out. Ritsu is in complete awe, does Akito partake in the same hobby he does? No, Ritsu, this is who she is.

There's a brief flashback to the previous book, where Shigure gave her something, and said "I guess you could call it a farewell present." Akito did not take kindly to that at all, and lashed out, accusing him of being the first to abandon her. He asks where she got that idea, he meant that she's finally becoming her own person, rather than the person her father wanted her to be, and his gift was something to commemorate that. Welcome in the new Akito, and all that.

Back to the present, Akito explains that the rest of the Juunishi were able to become their true selves, beyond the curse, and so she decided to as well. She tries to apologize, but she can't-- she knows that won't make up for anything that she did, at all.

It goes back to that memory with Shigure (this chapter is just a series of flashbacks and flashpresents) and he teases her, saying that he didn't know he was so important to her, and Akito insists that wasn't the case, that he was the one that she was most afraid of, the one that strayed the furtherest from her, bond or not. He says he had to keep his cool, be nonchalant, because otherwise he'd explode (ka-blooey). He says that he's childish, and doesn't like getting hurt, he hates losing, and he can't stand sharing things. This causes Akito to basically go Ó///Ò in realization, and he confirms that realization (the realization being that he likes her as well, in case you didn't catch it. It kinda took me a second on first reading, and I'm not exactly explaining this the best), and says that if Akito wants to reject him, now's the time, that if she comes to him again, it'll become a Thing. They'll become a Thing.

Back to the meeting, Akito says that she still wants to live with the Sohma family, because there are still things she feels she needs to do. She still is, at the end of the day, the head of the family, it's her duty (probably). She plans on talking to Ren, which I imagine will go well. After the meeting (I think, I don't think it's before, though timey wimey stuff is difficult), Akito is with Shigure, and he's asking if she wants him to stay at the main Sohma house, and she asks if he's angry about it. The vibe I get from him is "yesn't", honestly, but hey if they're happy, I guess it's fine.

Next chapter!

So there are two exposition characters (I'm sorry but that's really all they are) at school, and one of them sees Kyo. She gets excited, maybe she can go talk to him, and the other thinks he's waiting for Tohru, his girlfriend, to finish up with her tests. The first girl goes, "Whaaa?? When did that happen??", and the second says that it happened shortly after Tohru came back from the hospital. The first girl's hopes and dreams are apparently destroyed, I guess she liked Kyo.

It pans back to Tohru, now finished with her test, and the teacher, Mayu, wishing her a good summer vacation, it'll be her last. She also asks if something happened in the Sohma family, because a certain He seemed a little happier when she saw him yesterday. Tohru took "he" to mean Kyo and Yuki, and was basically like "yeah I guess so". Mayu played it off, yeah yeah those two that's definitely who she meant yeah totally see you next school term byeeee.

At the house (Shigure's house), Kyo, Yuki, and Tohru are talking about the meeting, and how it felt like it came out of nowhere. They were surprised that Tohru already knew about Akito, but she had to pretend she didn't for Akito's privacy (you don't just out people, that's rude). She asks if it was that much of a shock, and Yuki says he's mostly dumbfounded, though there has been a lot going on lately, a lot to think about. Kyo says he feels weird about it, simply because now he knows he's been violent with a woman all this time, but also says something about if Akito was a man, Kyo would be in trouble if there was another guy who liked Tohru. I'm not really sure where he got that idea, but Yuki thought it was pretty funny. It made Tohru realize that the air between Kyo and Yuki had cooled off significantly, and they seemed to be more at ease with each other than they ever had before (i mean in the beginning yuki would sneeze and kyo would be like "and i took that personally", so yeah they've changed a lot). She asked Kyo what had caused that change, and he told her that Yuki beat the crap out of him, and knocked some screws loose, but it was okay. They needed to be loosened.

Later, it seems that Kyo and Tohru went to Kazuma's house, where Kazuma said "I have no regrets. At this point, I'm prepared for death at any time.", because he's happy, y'know? But Tohru and (that other guy whose name completely escapes me wtf) protest at that, saying that you can't say things like that, it's not true! The other whispers to Kazuma that he can't die yet, because when they get married and have kids, he'll be a grandparent, which he seems to like the idea of. He tells Tohru that he eagerly awaits that time, but since Tohru didn't overhear it, she just awkwardly agrees that she also can't wait. (Kyo kinda caught on though)

Izusu comes in, says, "This is stupid, by the way", then walks out before anyone can respond. Tohru follows after her, and Kyo asks what Izusu was saying. Kazuma says that a lot has happened recently, and not everyone is going through the same thing.

Going with Tohru, she finds Izusu in another room, saying that she doesn't get it, how can he (Kyo, presumably) act like nothing's wrong, after all that's happened, and how Tohru can do the same, after she got so hurt?! Those kinds of hurt don't go away easily. Izusu continues, and says that if she had to choose to forgive Akito or not, she wouldn't, because she can't. She doesn't want Akito to apologize, and she can't help but feel like she's doing something wrong, because she can't make herself accept everything and move on. Tohru reassures her that there's nothing wrong with her, she didn't do anything wrong. Izusu wonders if her demeanor will turn Haru away, if it will disappoint him. Tohru says that there's no way that Haru could hate her.

The scene changes to Akito, who is talking to that one old lady who pops up every now and then, but I've never seen her name, who says that Akito went to see Ren again, but heard that she wasn't able to really talk to her. She says it would be faster to chase her out of the house, but it's also possible that Akito complicated things by staying at the house. She continues, saying how it must be nice being young, and being able to change your life so easily. She notes that she was born with the Sohma family, and raised with them, and has lived at the house for sixty years, she couldn't change her life now. Akito says that no one can change every thing, and no one would be asking her to. Maybe all she needs is a helping hand. In the end, the maid simply walks away, but y'know, not everyone wants to change, or feels like they can, it's fine.

In the next chapter, it seems like it's the date with Tohru and Kyo that Uotani and Hanajima decided to tag along with. Kyo is thinking back to that moment when he tore off his bracelet, and how afterward, Tohru picked up all the beads. She put them in a little bowl in her room, next to the picture of her mom. In the moment, he could only watch as she did it, and in all honesty he wouldn't have minded if she had tossed them into a fire, but it also occurred to him that he might regret not having them. As he watched Tohru pick up the beads, he thought of it like she was "protecting both the me of now and the me of the future". Alternatively, and this one is a bit spoopy, she was gathering the memories of the people over the (many, many, many) years that had worn that bracelet. Either way, he realized that loving someone isn't just about loving the person as they currently are, but as they were, and as they will be.

That's what he thinks anyway.

I mentioned the date but I didn't talk about it at all. They went to a zoo, Uotani got excited about seeing elephants, and they went to a place with cats, and the cats did not care either way about Kyo. It was neat. By the end of the day, Tohru went off to use the bathroom, leaving Kyo with Hanajima and Uotani. This is when Hanajima asks Kyo if he's going to take Tohru away with him. She knew the time would come, eventually, when she, Uotani, and Tohru, would part ways, but it still hurts to think about. Uotani says that, despite how they might act, they do like Kyo, even if they think he's a bit of a dumbass (Uotani's words, btw), and it's because they both think he's a good guy. He just has to take care of Tohru, because she's like family to them, so he'd best not fuck up.

When Tohru comes back, Kyo says there's a place that he wants to take Tohru before going home. Can we go see what Yuki's up to first? Okay yeah we're going to do that now, we'll get back to Tohru and Kyo, don't worry.

So Yuki's at Kakeru's place, and it seems that they're talking about their college plans. Apparently Yuki's going to a college pretty far away from where they're currently at, but if they have subjects that he's interested in, it's fine. (I don't think it's ever said what exactly those subjects are. Like, what's his major? Do I really care? Eh. But it's still nice to know. Same thing for Kakeru, what is he doing?) When Yuki says he'll be living on his own, Kakeru asks if he can manage, he doesn't want to go for a visit and see an emaciated Yuki (living on like,, partially-cooked instant ramen noodles, and several scattered half-empty water bottles in a nest of laundry and schoolwork). Yuki is more optimistic, saying he's going to learn by doing (so that means those cups of instant ramen will be completely cooked). Apparently he told Machi about it and she's fine with it, though she would not be fine if she heard Kakeru saying that anyone is "climbing the stairway to adulthood" which honestly I wouldn't be fine with that either, that just sounds stupid.

Komaki asks how Yuki's going to get the money to live somewhere, and Yuki says that he considered asking his parents, but in the end he asked Ayame to help. Ayame was overjoyed to help, and went nuts to find a place that would suit Yuki's needs (Or be the foundation of his "empire", as he phrased it).

When asked about college, Kakeru said he'd go, not because he really wants to, but mostly because people keep telling him to. He was planning on taking over Komaki's family business (they run a laundry service), but he supposes he'll go anyway.

Later, Machi shows up with a package of meat, which Komaki was very excited about. Kakeru trotted out his "stairway to adulthood" line on Machi, and Machi punched him in the face along with the meat, she somehow balanced the meat on her fist to smash into Kakeru's face, much to Komaki's distress (over the meat, not Kakeru).

Anyway, let's go back to Tohru and Kyo.

Kyo took Tohru to the graveyard, and they're standing at the Honda's family tombstone(memorial? thingie? idk), and he says that after he graduates, he wants to leave, because he's spent his whole life up until pretty recently avoiding life, and not letting himself get involved in things. But now that he's a normal person, he wants to live in the world as a normal person, with Tohru, and because of all of this, he wants to go outside of this place that he's been his whole life. Tohru asks where he's planning to go, and he says that Kazuma knows someone with a dojo, but it's really far from where they presently live. He says he's planning on going there first, attending the dojo while he works, and then one day, he'll inherit Kazuma's dojo, using the experience from the first dojo. He hesitates on asking Tohru to break away from everything and everyone she's known to go off with him, but Tohru agrees, and says she wants to go with him, as soon as possible.

There is one thing that Tohru wants to tell Kyo, and it's that she's sure that her mom never hated him. Even if she did say that she would never forgive him, Tohru is confident that she didn't say it out of hate, she knows it. She will go along with Kyo, even if it hurts to leave everyone else, because it would hurt her more to be apart from him (🥺). To end this section, Kyo says that he'll keep the promise he made to Kyoko about Tohru, all that while back, and he'll keep it for his whole life.

(don't mind me i'm just screeching and wheezing simultaneously this shit is too much i'm gonna die)

Onto the next section, it actually has to do with Kyoko and Katsuya. Mostly Kyoko, and her last thoughts before she died. At first, it was weird. What's going on? She can't hear anything, she doesn't even really hurt. Why is it so dark? Oh crap, Tohru! She can't leave yet, she doesn't want to leave Tohru alone, she only just got into high school. She hopes that she loved her enough, and that Tohru knew that, though she wished she could have had more time to love Tohru. She finally understands, though, that leaving people behind and being left behind, they're both so hard. She hopes that someone can be there for Tohru, to protect her, stay with her as she cries.

She then sees Kyo, and recognizes him as the little orange-haired kiddo she used to talk to sometimes, and hopes that even if he forgets about her, that the next time Tohru gets lost, Kyoko wants him to find her, even just once. If he doesn't do that, she'll never forgive him(that's what she meant, out of what he heard, by the way). She hopes that he can somehow take her place, and protect Tohru, and let her be happy, let her be loved by lots of people. Even if she gets lost or makes a mistake, Kyoko wants Tohru to be proud of the life she lived.

Then she wakes up in a place. I don't really know what the place looks like, but I imagine it as a light blue shimmery place, and she can see someone walking towards her, from a distance. Katsuya. Suddenly she's young again, with her long hair and uniform, and she can be with the man she loves again. (🥺😭 dissolves in my tears)

There's a time skip, now Tohru, Yuki, Kyo, Hanajima, and Uotani have graduated, and it soon after shows Tohru and Kyo cleaning up their rooms, and reminiscing about when Tohru first arrived. A lot has changed in that time, it's incredible. Tohru thinks on how she will miss everyone, and all the things that have happened (in the span of a year, right? This all mostly happened within a year or two?). Kyo then says that everyone loves and appreciates her, and it's not like she'll never see any of them again, it's just the start of something new. Then Tohru's stomach grumbles and she gets embarrassed (oh no im hungry how embarrassing 😖)

We then jump to Yuki and Machi, and Yuki gives Machi a key to his new place, because he doesn't want her to think that he's cheating on her (why would she think that???) and then nearly fuckin yeets it out the window when she says that she's not worried that he'd do that. (So he does want her to have trust issues? Yuki, dude, you're confusing me on this) I think that Machi is a year behind Yuki, so she won't be starting college the same time as he will, but she promises that she'll follow after him and be back with him as soon as she can, which is very sweet.

This whole section is mostly jumping from one group of people to the next, so I think I'll try to summarize:

Ritsu and Kagura are talking, it seems that Ritsu is giving Kagura his old kimonos. He's cut his hair shorter, and he mentions how Shigure apparently has quit being an author, much to the relief of his editor, Mitsuru. Kagura asks if Ritsu is going to marry Mitsuru, which leaves him very flustered. Kagura still is hung up on Kyo, and says that she'll see Kyo and Tohru go just to see Kyo. She won't well wish them, because she knows that they'll be happy regardless.

Hiro and Kisa are walking past Shigure's old house, speculating on what is going to happen to it. Hiro says he thinks it will stay as it is for a while, which makes Kisa happy. She hopes that it can stay up and that a new household can live in it. She then starts crying, thinking about Kyo and Tohru leaving, but she says that she will smile when she sees them go, on the next day. Hiro tells her to not be upset over crying, that she can cry as much as she wants, because he knows how much Tohru means to Kisa.

Haru, Izusu, and Momiji are talking, and Haru mentions how Hatori said that eventually, Shigure's gonna get punched in the face, but he never did. Momiji says that it didn't happen because they are all more mature than Shigure. He says as an aside that he doesn't think it should be allowed that Kyo is "taking away" Tohru, because he's being selfish, and that he wants to pinch Kyo. Haru asks why he shouldn't do it tomorrow, and Momiji says that he can't do it in front of Tohru, but this whole thing has given Momiji a new sense of motivation, to find the best girlfriend in the world, and then he'll show her off to Kyo (not the best motivation to find a partner but okay). Izusu pops up by saying that she thinks Tohru should break up with Kyo. I'm not sure why though.

It's shown that Hanajima is working at Kazuma's place as a cook, which is something that Kyo was not pleased to find out, but despite his best efforts, The Guy Who is Also There at the Dojo Whose Name I Cannot Remember can't figure out how to get her to leave. Kazuma says that he will miss Kyo, but he won't worry about him. He's in good hands now.

Uotani is on the phone with Kureno, saying that she'll send his regards to Tohru and Kyo. She also says that she will miss Tohru, but she's also excited for her, for the both of them. She asks if the cherry blossoms are blooming yet, and that she'll have to make her way out to see them (and Kureno) soon.

Ayame and Mine are sending well wishes gifts in the form of big flouncy dresses, for Tohru (who I imagine would be flattered but I doubt she would wear them). Mine says that now that the time has come, she finds this sensation of "children leaving the nest" to be lonely, and Ayame agrees, and says that's exactly why adults put obnoxious amounts of love into cardboard boxes with instant ramen, socks, maid outfits, what have you. (They then say that they're going to send similarly flouncy dresses to Yuki, who I doubt will respond kindly)

Mayu and Hatori are on a date, and he offers to take her with him on a summer vacation to Okinawa. He says he's never been on a "decent" vacation, and that he wants to see the country. Mayu starts cracking up at the idea of Hatori in a swimsuit, then sobers quickly at the idea of herself in one, saying that her figure isn't ideal for a swimsuit (from the way she talked about herself I think she'd be all the rage in early 2000's Western fashion).

Akito says that she's not going to see Tohru and Kyo leave, saying that if she wants to visit Tohru, she'll go and see her, but I imagine it's also for the sake of everyone else that would be there.

Finally, we end with Yuki going to talk to Tohru. He tells her that he's happy about all that has happened, and that he's glad that he has gotten to this point. He says that he was weak, that he couldn't handle being around people, but he wanted to be loved, and be needed. All he ever did, he says, is want. But during that crucial time, Tohru appeared, and fulfilled that wish without even trying. He learned so much from her, and she gave him what he needed, and that's how he is able to be the person he presently is. And he also finally says that she was basically his mother, in a way. He wonders if she was like that to everyone, with how warm, welcome, and gentle she is to everyone she meets. He goes on to say that in this time, when everyone is parting ways, everyone is thinking of Tohru, wondering if she's happy, if she's crying, if she's doing well. Finally, he thanks her, and says that he's so glad that he got to meet her, and that she was there for him, and for all of them. (He also actually says her name, which he's never done, I don't think. It's always been "Honda-san", but never "Tohru", but now he's said it. There's really not an English version of that, as far as I'm aware, but from what I know, it is a pretty significant thing.)

There's a little bit of an epilogue, showing a child walking into a house, asking where Tohru and Kyo are. A woman replies saying, "That's Grandma and Grandpa to you!", but the child pouts and says that Grandma said she could call her by her name, and that they left her behind again on their walk. The woman tells her to not get in the way of their "lovey-dovey alone time", and there's a final establishing shot of Tohru and Kyo walking together, holding hands, with Kyoko's words: "Repeat the good, and the bad. Do it all, and pile on the years."

And that's the end!

I think I'm heartless, because I didn't cry at the end. I wanted to, but I didn't. Overall, I really liked this series! It was a lot of fun to read, a lot of shit goes down, it was a rollercoaster. Thinking back on how the story started, knowing some of the events that occurred before the story started, it all kinda leaves a bitter taste in my mouth (mainly the teasing that Kyo gets about him "training in the mountains", and knowing what was actually going on, it's kinda hard to laugh now 😬). One thing that I was kinda expecting the story to mention, but never did, was Izusu's mark on her back. It looks like some kinda of scar, but I never saw anything addressing it. Now that I think about it, it could have been from a number of things, but it was never said explicitly, which I think is weird. I think I'm gonna leave it here (I'm typing this last portion on my phone at 3:45am so it could be better).

[that-bajan-kid]

Boku No Hero Academia Chapter 293 SPOILERS

(These children used their one collective brain cell and decided to rush head first into the arms of Death with zero fucks given)

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Oh that orange hair is not a good look on Shiggy. Izuku looks adorable in anything I can't argue.

We get an adorable panel of Eri eating a cracker/cookie next Lemillion bursting forth from the ground once more. Izuku ask him how he's here rn and apparently this boy has just been chilling at Nighteye's agency, which is conveniently not to far from here. He had to of had his quirk for a while now if he was at the agency right?

Omg look at Eri!! She's so cute I literally have to point her out whenever she's on screen. I don't make the rules here, that's just how it is. And Ochako is doing her hair!!!! I'm gonna explode from the cuteness. And all that other stuff they're talking about is important to I guess.

SHE'S SO FUCKING CUTE I LITERALLY CAN NOT

They're all babies. She looks so happy to help out too. The little bounce she does when she looks back at Dadzawa for permission. AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH-

Mirio is asking for back up cause even he can't take on 4 NHEs by himself. So of course Bakugou, with the two holes in his abdomen, leaps in to action even tho he really shouldn't. I swear these kids are all suicidal.

THESE FUCKING KIDS AND THEIR LACK OF SELF PRESERVATION IS GOING TO BE THE DEATH OF ME I SWEAR. Also, I believe the time is now upon us my brothers and sisters.

(Edit: I just realised I've been spelling his fucking name wrong this whole time. My brain just autocorrected it to the proper spelling and I didn't even noticed lmao. Please forgive me.)

Of course Spinner thinks it's cool. IS JEANIST FUCKING CRYING LMAO

I like it. It's very Katsuki Bakugou and not nearly as bad as the first two. You go, Dynamite. Man, I can't wait to see the fandom's reaction to this. How many people are gonna throw a tantrum cause its not Ground Zero? Or fucking Kacchan?

Mirio says he thinks it's funny and Dynamite says it's not meant to be funny. Mirio quotes Nighteye speech about there being laughter and you to balance out the sorrow and apologises for the absolute disrespect he just showed my son's new hero name.

Enji, sweetheart, I know your in shock about your dead son not being dead and that you're literally on death's door, but Shouto is going to fucking die if you don't move your ass. I'm not mad and I understand why you're not doing anything right now. But, and I mean this in the nicest way possible, i would sacrifice you in a heartbeat if it meant saving Shouto's life. Don't get me wrong, I like your character a lot, but you dying would be a nice end to your redemption arc if you end up saving Shouto. And at this point I honestly don't care about what happens to Dabi. He's trying to kill my son. Fuck that guy lol. Doesn't mean I don't like him tho.

Why are people defending this guy again? Cause of his trauma? Don't get me wrong, I like Dabi as much as the next guy but if his death means Shouto gets to live, I don't have a problem with that either. Dabi and Enji are in the same boat.

My boi Deku coming in clutch with Black Whip even tho he really shouldn't be to save his best friend. Dabi's gonna try to burn him too, I can feel it coming. Also Izuku is thinking about how his arms and legs don't have any strength like that's the only thing wrong with them. He'd be lucky if he can even move them when all of this is over.

"Don't put this in a Doujin" I am deceased. Cris is no longer among the living. She has ascended to the heavens. Who ever this translater is, they're doing God's work. I can't wait to see the discourse about Izuku's speech in the tags. I can already hear the "Izuku is defending Endeawhore therefore he supports abuse #canceldeku2020" posts in my head. Anyway, I like what Izu says here tho, it's very much in character for him. I also like his Froppy inspired Black Whip: Projectile Vomit Mode. Very unexpected tbh.

Izuku yells "You are not Endeavour" and Dabi responds with "No shit, Sherlock" and asks if Izuku pities him even a little bit and I wouldn't fault him for straight up saying "No" considering everything Dabi has put him and his friends through. Hell, if I was Midoriya I wouldn't even be trying to get through to him rn. A trait I strongly admire about Izuku. Dabi goes on to say he is the culmination of all of Endeavour's sins and we get a panel showing threads snapping and I don't know if it's supposed to be what's left of Izuku's mental stability or Dabi's. Or if it's an actual thread snapping. Dabi goes on to spout some bullshit about how evil will never prosper and justice will crumble now that he's shown the naive citizens of Japan who to blame, which is the heroes apparently.

Uhhh so that snapping thread I mentioned earlier is actually the carbon fibre wire Jeanist is using to keep Machia contained and like all of them just snapped like twigs. Dabi continues his speech about how chaos now reigns supreme while everyone panics about Machia. Meanwhile Deku is having a moment.

Correction, Endeavour was the one having a moment and has decided to take action despite his obvious condition called dying. He rockets his way towards Machia and bitch slaps him in the face and immediately follows that up by saying he feels numb. He totally gonna die and I'm totally gonna feel sad about it. I'm already tearing up.

FUCKING FINALLY GOD DAMNIT

I knew it was gonna work. Never doubt my gurl Creati. She's the smartest kid in class for a reason. It feels like it took forever but it was probably only a few mins. I can't wait for everything to go wrong again. Also, everyone who thinks Endeavour is either going to die or, end up with a debilitating disability, raise your hand 🙋. Mans suffering from the most severe case of heat stroke to ever stroke and is running on burnt lungs and he was impaled by Shigaraki/AFO. He's not having a fun time.

I think it's safe to say that Eri won't healing anyone after this. It looks like all her quirks energy went into giving Mirio his quirk. Meaning all these injuries that the heroes are getting won't be magically disappearing. Aizawa isn't getting his leg back, Izuku's arms are probably never gonna work again, Gran Torino is fucking dead just like Endeavour's career, and Endeavour is probably gonna fucking die too. Cause Shouto doesn't have enough trauma in his life.

Time for me to venture into the tags and see what the latest discourse is. Can't wait for everyone to call Izuku an abuser sympathiser even tho he called out Endeavour during the sports, or say that the heroes are somehow abusing Eri like Overhaul did cause she gave Mirio his quirk back even tho she clearly wanted to do it. The chaos fuels me.

Until next time.

[gyucore]

in the orb

pairing: trapped soul! beomgyu x reader

tags: fluff, angst if you squint, reincarnation au, supernatural au

word count: 1.8k+

warnings: implications of death, light swearing

— you were cleaning your grandmother's attic when you stumble upon an old glass orb that just happened to talk on its own

A cloud of dust scatters around the room after you drop the glass orb on a particularly dusty couch. You've lost it. You've definitely lost it. You're quick to cover your face with your sleeve, fighting back the urge to sneeze. The orb sits still on the couch as it should, a sheet of gray still masking its surface.

This was supposed to be an average weekend. Your grandmother had invited you to her house for some quality time together during your break, and you thought you'd offer to help her clean her mess of an attic, to which she was more than happy to accept. And right now, the sweet old lady was tending to her garden downstairs while you were up here, freaking out.

It's said that people often imagined hearing strange noises when frightened and alone. And you were in a dark and creepy attic at an old person's house. This could just be another case of the common I'm-so-lonely-I'm-starting-to-hear-voices scenario. It's simply wasn't possible for a dusty old orb to start talking when you pick it up. It's just not.

“Hello?” You call out, immediately finding yourself silly for even attempting to communicate with an inanimate object.

The dust in the room eventually settles, and yet still no response. “See, Y/N? You were just hearing things.” That conclusion seemed convincing enough. You felt the need to give yourself a good pat on the shoulder for going along with the sane route.

With that dilemma out of the way, your attention couldn't help but wander back to the large piles of junk occupying nearly every space in the vicinity. One could only hope for your grandmother to clean regularly. “Right, now back to work.”

“What work?”

“Oh, you know. Cleaning.” You answer its question from earlier.

You freeze, eyes wide, a chill running down your spine. There it was again. You weren't sure if you heard it right this time or was just hallucinating, but there was one way to find out.

Silence. You almost called it a day after considering that you were probably just tired and needed some rest.

Half a step outside the door and the voice spoke once more. “Are you still there?”

You pause, brows raised, and back still turned. Somehow, you didn't know if it was safe to face the big ball of dust just yet. “What do you mean? Of course I'm still here. This is my Grandma's house.”

Thank the heavens for modern technology and the invention of smartphones. Speaking of which, you fish for yours in the depths of your pants’ pockets. The voice recorder app should come in handy during times like this. You know, to confirm you're not crazy. With the app on, all you needed to do was have the orb talk again.

“Grandma? Oh! Then you're her grandchild?!”

“Uh, yeah?” The orb apparently knew your grandmother. Strangely enough, that was the least odd tidbit of information you obtained today.

“Her grandchild.. Wow, to think I'm finally meeting you! Or at least your voice?” The orb lets out a giggle and the more you heard it talk, the more human it sounded.

“Sorry, can you excuse me for a minute?”

Never in your life had you thought the day would come where you'd be excusing yourself from a conversation with some sort of decorative object but life has its ways. You were never a stranger to off days anyway.

“Oh, sure, uh, go ahead? I can wait.” The orb swiftly replies. For a second, you could swear something was moving from inside the orb after the light outside the window had hit a clear spot in the crystal.

Heavy footsteps echoed in the room as you dash downstairs, taking your phone out and bringing it closer to your ear, replaying the recording. Sure enough, the voice was caught in the audio loud and clear.

“Holy shit. I'm not crazy.” An exasperated sigh leaves you as you slump back on the wall in disbelief. For a moment, you considered running away and warning your grandma about the cursed object, but part of you was curious enough to disregard the warning signs, and possibly risk your life by going back up there and approaching the thing. You decided to go with the latter.

“Are you back?” The orb asks once you've gotten close enough for it to hear your footsteps.

“Yeah. Just had to do something real quick.”

“I see.”

You wait for the orb to continue but it doesn't. It continues to lie on the couch lifelessly as if it hadn't been speaking to you in the past few minutes.

“Um..” You clear your throat, hoping to get another response

“Oh!" The voice from the orb seemed startled after hearing you talk. “How are you're still there?”

You frown. “Why wouldn't I be?”

“Well for starters, a talking glass orb isn't quite the public friendly concept you'd think it'd be.” It answers. Only now have you noticed that the orb had a particularly low masculine voice. “People don't usually stick around long enough to find out why I can talk in the first place.”

You blink. “Fair point. Though, I don't see the need for you to ask over and over again when I already said I was back.”

The orb chuckles. “You'd be surprised how many times people have reassured me of their presence only to leave halfway. Plus, I can't really see you right now to actually know you're there.”

“You can't see me?”

“The dust.”

“OH.” Not knowing what came over you, you immediately lunged forward and started wiping the orb with one of the dust rags you had lying around. It didn't take long for the thing to clear up and look like its old glorious self again. “How about now?” You ask, inspecting the orb as you hold it up.

“Better.”

It takes everything in you to resist dropping the orb on the floor when a glowing face of a man appears from the inside, smiling brightly at you. “I think I'm gonna pass out.”

The man visibly panics, pressing his face closer to the glass. “Wait no! If you pass out now, I won't have anyone to talk to! I haven't spoken to a single person in decades!”

“But you mentioned my grandma earlier, I thought you—”

“She could never hear me, but I could see and hear her.” The man explains, his voice a little quieter than before.

You bring the orb down, still cupping it in your hands. “How is this possible? Are you a ghost or something? How did you get in there?”

“Wouldn't you like to find out?” He winks, resting his head on his hand. “Take a seat and place me down somewhere soft.”

This seemed ridiculous by all means, but you oblige. The couch should be soft enough, and so you place him down gently while you take a seat on the floor, making yourself comfortable. “You were saying?”

“I—” The man accidentally bumps his head onto the glass as he leans forward, chuckling as he rubs his head gently. “Ow. Sorry. I'm just so happy to finally have someone to talk to. You can't imagine how long it's been. How the world survived without a single soul hearing my heavenly voice for all those years is beyond me.” He cracks a joke and you couldn't help but laugh.

“It's okay.” You say, shifting in your spot. “Go ahead.”

The man nods, the smile slowly fading from his face. “My name is Choi Beomgyu. You can call me whatever you like. I had a friend once, and she was a witch. Oh— not the kind that you hear from stories, no. She was really nice and cared a lot about nature, her friends, and her family. That type of person, you know?”

You nod along, assuring him that you were listening, and he smiles again.

There's just something about his smile that just seemed so happy and endearing. Perhaps it had truly been so long.

“She was this ball of sunshine. And back then I was a pretty different guy. Our personalities might've clashed and we butted heads a few times but somehow we ended up becoming close friends.” A faint smile graces his lips before disappearing as quickly as it came. “But then I got involved with the wrong crowd.”

The statement piques your interest and you draw closer. Beomgyu notices this and tries to talk louder.

“Remember how I said she was a witch unlike the ones in the fairy tales? Well, there were also people who were exactly like those witches. The ones that used their knowledge and abilities for their own nefarious purposes.” Beomgyu continues, his hair slightly covering his face as he looked down. “Let's just say that I got myself in a situation where they ended up hunting me down for my soul.”

“What?”

He frowns. “My friend saw me being chased down the streets one night and helped. We both knew that even when together, we were too weak to go against all of them. They had us cornered in her home, and that's when we knew it was the end for us.”

Beomgyu's voice started to waver as he spoke and you were about to ask him if he was alright, and tell him that it was okay if he didn't continue but the look on his face when your eyes met was enough to tell you that he needed to do this. He must've wanted to talk about this matter for so long, you think.

“She.. pushed me towards her workroom, telling me that she'll keep me safe no matter what. I didn't know what she meant until she cast a spell on me and I passed out. The last thing I heard were her screams. I never found out what happened to her after that, and I can only assume the worst.” He shakes his head, trying to getting himself together in front of his new friend. “Next thing I knew, I was inside her old glass orb. I've been trapped in this thing for years with no escape. No one to talk to— forever regretting how I didn't stop her that time, and regretting getting in the way of those witches in the first place.”

His story nearly brings you to tears, and before you knew it, your hands were reaching out for the orb. “Beomgyu, I..”

“It's alright.” Beomgyu smiles. “In the end, the orb ended up in her younger sister's possessions.”

Your eyes widen. “You mean.. Grandma?”

“That's right.” Beomgyu chuckles. “Though she had never able to see or hear me, unlike you.”

“Oh. That's uh, too bad.” You smile awkwardly, releasing the orb. The two of you sit in silence for a while, both needing a little mental break after that.

Shortly, your attention was brought forth back onto the orb when you hear Beomgyu laugh. You find yourself chuckling along. “Entertained are we, Gyu?”

The laughter stops and his eyes shoot up at you. You hear him mumbling something incoherent before hesitating to speak. “No, no.” Beomgyu shakes his head. “It's just.. It's kinda funny. I'm trapped here repenting for my whole life because of what I've done to her, or thinking about what I could've done.. but you know what? To be completely honest, I was starting to forget what she even looked like. But looking at you now, and hearing your voice..”

The idea popped up in your head and you weren't sure if it was even possible to begin with. But then again, you were talking to a soul inside an orb.

“You were easily granted access to the true nature of the orb, and are the first person to have ever done that without running away.” He kids. “Could it be?”

“I wouldn't count on it.” You tell it to him straight, getting up from your spot on the floor and dusting off your jeans. You knew what he was implying and there was no way that you were even considering yourself to be your great aunt's reincarnation no matter how ridiculous the situation already was. “I'll get back to cleaning. Feel free to talk while I do that.” You tell him before rushing to the other side of the attic, avoiding his gaze as much as possible. You'll figure out what to do with him later.

Beomgyu watches you fondly. You had told him to not even count on the thought of you being the one he's been hoping for all these years but it was too late for that now. 

“Entertained are we, Gyu?” Her voice rings in his mind, and he shakes it off.

“How do you always manage to do such amazing things? I'd appreciate it if you'd stop stirring my heart.” Beomgyu's gaze rests upon your busy silhouette, and he smiles in content.

“It's nice meeting you again, Y/N.”

[staytiny-angel]

Grace and Country 2/5

Rating: M

Pairing: 'Hangman' Adam Page/F!OC, One-Sided Kenny Omega/F!OC

Warnings: Canon-Typical Violence, Harrassment.

Co-Written with @lilmissriottbliss

Taglist - @moxleyunstable, @axelwolf8109

Summary: Ava and Adam go on that date, it goes about you'd expect with the Dark Order involved, Things with Kenny come to a head.

"Violet!"

"Ava? Mon Cher Smackdown is about to start why are you screaming?"

Violet gave Finn a look before putting her friend on speaker "Mon Roi is here too, what has you so excited?"

"ADAM ASKED ME OUT ON A DATE!" The younger woman yelled

Ava could hear Violet cursing in French from a small distance. “Really? That’s amazing! Give me details now!”

“I lost my phone and he found it near your adopted brother and then Kenny was annoying me again so he covered for me by saying we were going on a date so we’re actually going on one!”

“I’m so happy for you!”

“Could you do me a solid?” Ava asked

Of course darling," Violet agreed

"Could you guys not tell the big boss?" Ava begged "You know I love Seth to death, he's my dad shaped person but he wasn't happy about this whole AEW deal and he'll be even less happy to know I'm going out with one of their biggest stars"

Violet and Finn silently looked at each other before agreeing to the younger woman's request 

"We have you covered darlin" Finn said

"What are you going to do about Omega?I'm starting to worry. He's really not taking no for an answer"

“I honestly don’t know” Violet handed Finn her phone, taking out the one meant to contact family. “I think she’s going to threaten Malachi into watching over you” Finn laughed.

Ava sighed in relief. While Malachi Black, formerly Aleister to Violet, was dark and broody, he did scare Kenny with a simple stare.

“So how’s Mox doing?” Violet asked

"Good, he got Omega off my back last night at Dynamite, threatened him with Ruby." Ava said "He said something about promising Seth to look out for me?"

"Seth called him and Miro when you decided to go to AEW." Finn explained 

"Called in a couple of favors. You are the baby."

Ava rolled her eyes even though the couple couldn't see her "You've got to be kidding. I can take care of myself"

“We know you can take care of yourself, Seth has a overprotective complex” 

Ava sighed but didn’t disagree. “We got to go now, see you tomorrow!” Violet hung up.

Ava turned off her phone, seeing a text from Kenny. Rolling her eyes she deleted it. “Is he ever gonna get the point?” she asked herself before flopping on her hotel bed with a sigh. He thoughts turning to the next day and the date she'd been dreaming of for years. 

-Next Day-

She met Adam outside a café, the cowboy looking handsome in normal street clothes and without a certain purple and black group shadowing him.

“Wow, you look great” He said. As she grinned and twirled once, showing off the chic black suit she'd chosen for their date. 

“Hope you don’t mind but I invited Violet and Finn just in case your friends crash this”

Adam laughed. “They probably will ”

Inside the cafe, Finn and Violet were waiting at a four person table, surprisingly without their daughter in tow.

"Where's my honey bunches?" Ava said with a pout, that Adam found adorable

"Becky and Seth have her" Finn explained "Shes having a playdate"

“Next time you bring her” Ava pointed. Finn raised his hands and laughed. Violet slid over a black coffee to Adam. 

He accepted it with a smile. “So you’re both going after the top titles in Smackdown” he grinned.

“Yup!” Finn grinned. “It was fun in NXT but I wasn’t spending another week without my husband there” Ava sighed.

“It’s harder to get a title shot in AEW, I have no idea how to get to Britt”

“I lost the chance to be the inaugural champ because someone thought an ass deserved it” Adam muttered.

“Adam I think your shadows are here” Violet pointed to a booth in the corner

Sure enough, the purple and black clad Dark Order filled 2 corner booths, trying and failing to be inconspicuous.

"Oh god" Adam murmured "I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have told them where we were going"

"They really care about you" Ava smiled at Adam causing that feeling to flutter in his chest again.

"You may not, have been the first AEW champion but you've got a shot at Kenny at All Out" Finn says

"Sure do" Adam says "I can't wait, I've owed Kenny an ass whipping for a while now"

“Fucking creep” Ava rolled her eyes. “How’s Paige?”

“You don’t know that from Mox?” Violet raised an eyebrow. Ava shook her head

“She’s ok, doing wonders with her makeup. Her and Sonya are planning a wedding”

Ava nodded. “Sorry about the Kingdom disbanding” 

Finn rolled his eyes. “Of course Vince brings up Shotzi and us but doesn’t want Kyle, Millie, Priscilla or Jordan”

Adam and Ava share a smile knowing while AEW wasn't a paradise by any means…it wasn't run by Vince. 

A loud bang sounded from the back of the restaurant and every turned to see one of the corner tables flipped on its side as John Silver looked around sheepishly. 

Adam dropped his head in his hands as Ava giggled "I'm sorry, I'm gonna go uh…handle this" he said rising from his seat and heading toward the back.

"They are quite the band of misfits aren't they?" Violet said as she tried not to laugh as they watched Adam easily lift the table back in place and start seemingly scolding them for crashing their double date.

"They love him, and with the entire….mess with the Elite…their very overprotective." Ava explained

“Reminds me of Seth” Violet said. Ava’s eyes widened.

“It totally is!” Finn laughed as Adam came back and sat down.

“They swear it’s just a coincidence they all wanted to come here on the same day and time as my date”

Violet flipped her hair and put on her flirty voice. “So this a date?

Adam blushed hard. “Um…well, it’s definitely not a…friend thing…we’re not friends. I mean we are friends!, but I want to be more then friends!" 

Ava blushed as she watched Adam flounder under Violet's question 

"Leave him alone, mo chroi" Finn finally rescued the younger man from his wife. 

“I was just being a good friend” Violet smirked.

Adam took a breath. “I don’t know why but I have a thing for goth people”

Ava looked at Violet.

“Really? Is that why you went to the Dark Order?”

“Honestly? Kenny ruined tag teams for me. The Bullet Club went to shit after you were kicked out”  

Finn’s eye twitched, remembering how the Young Bucks fucked him over.

“The Bullet Club is nothing to me now. They ruined it!”

“The Elite’s worse, nothing but kissing Kenny’s ass, apparently he was looking to go to Impact and take their top title”

“Thank god the old man bought them, Impact might have been the worse part of my career but AEW would have ruined them” Violet sipped her ice coffee.

Adam sighed.

“I don’t know what happened. One minute he was my brother, now he’s a stranger” Adam said quietly as Ava rubbed his back

"Its okay, your going to take the AEW title from him at All Out." Ava consoled him.

The 2 couples finished their meal and left the restuarant, Finn and Violet heading to the arena to get ready for Smackdown, and Ava and Adam walking though the city streets enjoying each other's company. 

"This has been great" Ava says as they finally end up back at the hotel

"We'll have to do it again sometime" Adam replied causing Ava to blush again.

"Maybe next time….just the two of us?" He asked softly

“No demon and vampires. No Dark Order” Ava agreed. Adam hugged her.

“Adam!” Evil Uno yelled. The pair looked at the stable. Anna walked over. “Well, the date was a success so Alex made you this” She handed a black jacket to Ava. It had a purple rose stitched in the back.

“Wow, Alex’s a suckup” Adam joked. “I’m totally wearing this next week” Anna smiled.

“C’mon Adam, before the idiots start screaming” 

He rolled his eyes but hugged Ava goodbye, kissing her hair before walking away.

The Next Week 

After spending the weekend and into the next week bouncing between elation over her successful date with Adam (including spending a hefty amount of time texting back and forth with the cowboy) and annoyance that Kenny just would not stop texting and calling, it was finally Wednesday and time for that weeks episode of Dynamite, at which Ava had a match against Nyla Rose.

 

Over the past few days she had gone hunting for more appropriate gear to compliment her new jacket and was now wearing black leather shorts with purple accents and a purple and black corset top. 

"Don't you look like a full fledged member of the misfit society, I really thought you'd have better taste Sweetheart" Kenny said walking up to her, the Young Bucks flanking him

“I’ve liked purple and black before the Dark Order existed” Ava snapped.

Kenny grabbed her arm. “Let go!”

“I just want what’s best for you” Kenny said fiercely 

“HEY!” Darby Allin hit Kenny with a skateboard.

“She’s said no to you for weeks now, get lost!” He roared, Ava seeing why Mox had pretty much adopted him.

Kenny looked panicked and all but ran. The Bucks, glaring at her as the followed

“Thanks” Ava said to Darby. “I hate that fucker”

"Join the club" Darby replied 

Later that night after beating Nyla Rose, Ava was celebrating in the ring when Kenny's music hit and The Elite surrounded the ring. 

"I really tried to do this in private Ava, baby but you just won't listen to me, you'd rather hang out with those losers instead of being part of The Elite"

“I. Am. Not. Your. Baby!” Ava screamed,.

Kenny stepped in, smirking. “Just accept the date”

The crowd began chanting variations of yes and no. 

Then the music of the Dark Order hit, Adam leading the stable to a beat down. Colt tackled Kenny, Adam waving sarcastically at him before going over to Ava, "You okay Darlin?"

"Yeah, fucking asshole. Why won't he leave me alone" 

"Ava, Ava!" Kenny panted, "I have a deal for you, since you and the drunk, seem so close lately, Next week….you and Adam against me and Britt Baker. You win, you get a title shot at All Out. You two lose, Cowboy loses his shot, and you go out with me"

Ava looked at Adam, who was clenching his jaw. Anna and Evil Uno nodded their heads.

Ava grabbed a mic. “We accept! And let’s raise the stakes!!! If we win and move on to kick you asses at All Out, you leave me the fuck alone!” 

Kenny gulped "Done!"

“I’ll add to that!” Adam yelled. “When I kick your ass, you don’t get to have a rematch as long as I’m champion. Let someone else get an opportunity”

"Deal!" Kenny said cockily "It doesn't matter anyway "You two are gonna lose and when you do...not only will Adam never get a shot at the AEW Championship,  Ava...baby...your all mine" 

[giorno-plays-piano]

You were all I wanted Part 3

Pairing: mob!Peter Parker x plus-sized!Reader

Warnings: yandere, obsession, swearing, human trafficking, mentions of non-con, minor character’s death.

Words: 1600.

Summary: You are bought by the head of Stark crime family for a kid he cares about.

Part 1

Part 2

P.S. Peter is an adult!

This chapter turned out to be shorter, but it's still pretty eventful. Hope you're going to like it <3

___________

"But what... what if he won't like me? What if he'll take me away?" You sobbed, panic taking over you as you imagined Tony Stark pressing a gun to your forehead.

"No, he'd never do that." Peter left a little kiss behind your ear. "Mr. Stark doesn't take the gifts he's made back. You don't have to be afraid of that."

You sniffed at his words. That's what you were now. A gift. A possession. A pet whose job was keeping its master happy. You had to be grateful you were given to someone like Peter, at least. You didn't know whether he would always treat you kindly, but as of now he had never threatened to hurt you. You could only pray for him to fancy you so he wouldn't throw you away like some garbage - apparently, Tony Stark treated his women exactly like that.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up in the first place. Of course, you got upset." Peter cuddled with you some more, but you weren't sure whether he was being sincere. Wasn't he sending you a clear message?

Don't go against me or you'll end just like her.

"Oh, I have an idea. Let's go out! Do you wanna see the movie or something?"

You did your best to wipe away your tears and stared at the boy, perplexed. "What?"

"We have a nice little cinema not far from here. We could go right now, just let me check what they've having today."

"But didn't you say I can't leave this place?"

"I meant without me." He showed you the same smug smirk Stark was wearing all the time, and you lowered your gaze to Peter's chest instead. "With me close you can go wherever you want to."

Funny thing to say. In thruth, you could go wherever he wanted to take you.

"Wow, they're having Beyond Darkness in 30 min! We gotta go, you'll loooove this."

"Sure."

In five minutes you were already hurrying after Peter and trying to look nowhere but your shoes. Regardless of what was there in Stark's Tower, you didn't want to see it, not even mentioning all those guys with guns scattered across the building. Peter was saying his hello to each and every one of them as if he were some mafia's social butterfly.

Whatever. You knew Peter was Tony's favorite not because he had a pretty face. You had never particularly asked what his role in all this was, but it was obviously something way bigger than running errands for the gang. Maybe it was better to never figure it out.

"Hey girl, wanna have fun?" Somebody to your left asked you, and you flinched involuntarily, keeping your head low.

Peter stopped in the very same second and sent the stranger a hard look.

"Mike, you offer my girl drugs one more time and I'm gonna shoot your cute little brother in the leg, you hear me?"

You raised your eyes to Peter's smiling face and regretted it immediately. There was something so dark in his gaze you wanted to turn around and run until you were back to your room, hiding somewhere in the corner.

"Shit! Sorry, Spidey!" The guy's high-pitched voice sounded frightened. "Didn't know you got a girl!"

"Yeah, yeah, see you later, we're kind of busy now." Peter grabbed your hand and pulled you away, heading to the exit. "I forgot to mention before that we don't do drugs. At all. They're good for business, but not for us, ok, Baby?"

"Yes, Peter." You answered and kept chewing your lips, thinking of all the things he had just said. You suspected him to be more ruthless when you weren't around, but never to such extent. How damn scary was real Peter Parker?

"And don't worry, I'd never shoot his brother in whatever part of his body." The boy said it like it was something obvious and you didn't even need to pay attention to it.

Why then did that guy look completely horrified?

When you had finally stepped outside and felt the wind playing with your hair you were ready to cry. Just walking out of the Tower was a fucking torture.

It was already dark, and you pulled the zipper on your pretty blue jacket up, going almost shoulder to shoulder with Peter. Normally you'd be at least a little scared to walk the streets of a big city at night, but the guy your mother had warned you about was already holding your hand.

The place the boy brought you to was truly small but cozy with nice vintage red seats, the delicious smell of caramel popcorn spreading everywhere. It turned out that the movie was something in between Star Wars and Star Trek, which wasn't surprising because Peter was a sucker for anything related to sci-fi. Anyway, it wasn't bad and you actually enjoyed watching it. The movie helped you to keep your mind off your earlier encounter with the drug trafficker and the words Peter said.

The only way to live like that and stay sane was to turn a blind eye to anything that happened around, you thought. It was cowardly and revolting, but what could you do against one of the most, if not the most, dangerous gangs in New York? Surely, even if by some miracle you could flee the Tower and go to police, would they really be willing to help you? No, they would return you to Mr. Stark. You were a hundred percent sure he got it covered.

"Are you feeling tired, Baby?"

You snapped out of your thoughts and looked at Peter who smiled at you so lovingly it could make any girl cry.

"Just a little bit."

"Want me to give you a massage when we gonna get home?" His expression quickly turned devious, and he winked at you.

Yeah, great, now you'd have him fucking you before your knees were giving out. The kid had such stamina he could be an Olympic athlete, no less.

"Aw, I love when you blush like that." Chuckling, he put his arm around your shoulders and inched closer to give you a quick peck on the lips. You forced youself to enjoy his little signs of affection and start thinking you ought to be thankful he wasn't into heavy BDSM practices or something like that.

While you two were kissing again, you heard someone's loud footsteps as if this person just jumped out of the corner, and then there was a hateful outburst, "Stay were you are. Your wallets, quick!"

You froze, your hands getting cold as you stared at the face of a guy standing in front of you with a knife in his hands. He was clearly unstable, sick - you could see the dark circles around his eyes, the unhealthy color of his skin, and his greasy hair sticking to his forehead. You didn't know what was wrong with him, but he was twice bigger than Peter. The guy would probably have no problem with slicing both him and you into pieces if you didn't comply.

"I said g-"

"You gotta be fucking kidding me." Peter let out a frustrated sigh before you heard the loud sound of the gun firing.

There was a little black hole in the guy's chest, blood seeping through his dirty white t-shirt and coloring it in a beautiful deep ruby color. You could see the confusion in the eyes of the stranger, his mouth half-open. Slowly, he went down before his legs gave out and he landed at the ground with a loud thud. He didn't move after that.

"Come on, attacking a couple of high shoolers? You're such a psycho, man. Who were you gonna go after us? Kids?" Peter rolled his eyes and hid the gun under his bomber, turning away from the man he murdered and shouting to someone behind him. "It's ok, people! It's just me, your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man! Calm down, go home, it's late!"

You were still staring at the large pool of blood spreading beneath the body of a stranger - lack of light made it look like it was an odd black liquid. Before you could take your eyes elsewhere, you felt bile quickly going up your throat and vomitted, moving to lean your hand on the wall of a building. He killed him. Peter killed him. You didn't even see him pulling out the gun.

"Oh Baby, I'm so sorry." The boy gently held back your hair when you threw up again, feeling scared, disgusted, feverish and cold at the same time. "That's why I don't like drugs and what they do to people. That shithead lost his mind, you see? No sane guy would ever jump on me or my girl like that."

Despite him being so tender, you couldn't even turn your head to look at him as you started shaking from his touch.

You kept emptying your stomach a few more minutes before Peter softly wiped your mouth with his handkerchief and took your arm, walking you back to the Tower and saying all those unnecessary things about how terrible some people are and how everyone has to take care in the dangerous world they're living in. You didn't hear half of that, but you cared little for his chattering.

Peter had shot the man without showing even the slightest regret. He'd shoot you the same way if you ever turned against him - he was Stark's favourite, after all.

__________

Tags: @finleyjayne @alexakeyloveloki  ​@helenaeisenhower @villanellevi @hurricanerin @void-hoechlin @abyssaint @msruchita @opheliadawnwalker3

[dorotheajanegilmore]

Devil’s Daughter [Dean Winchester]

Catch up: 1

CHAPTER TWO

I came too in a warehouse, tied to hard metal chair with wet ropes that were burning my skin.

"Well look who finally decided to join us." Came a male British voice. The man stepped out of the darkness, walking towards me with a bottle of water. He was wearing a black suit and had a smirk tugging at his lips, looking at me with a cruel smile.

"What do you want from me?" I breathed out, my flesh sizzling under the rope.

"My name's Crowley and I need your help devil spawn. I want your father's ass back in a cage and you and your little powers are the only thing that can help me."

"Excuse me?" I lifted my head, looking up at him in bewilderment. "My father? Cage? Powers?"

"Yes?" Crowley narrowed his eyes at me and looked me up and down. "There's something wrong with you..."

"Gee, thanks."

Crowley bit back a smirk and shook his head. "No. You're more...human, than I expected. Do you know who you are?"

I shook my head and he sighed. I shrugged and told him, "It's like my head's been wiped. I had a flash back earlier but it was just of my friend calling my name."

Crowley stepped closer to em, it was a slow menacing step that had adrenaline cursing through my veins. He reached into his deep pockets and pulled out a knife. He flipped it in his fingers so the blade was pointing towards me.

"Whatcha got there friend?" I mumbled, starring at the metal blade that he was about to pierce me with.

Crowley chuckled and lifted the rope from my arm. He sliced the ropes and let them hit the floor before holding out a hand to me.

I skeptically took it and he pulled me from my seat. He threaded my arm through his and helped me walk out of the warehouse.

The sun had disappeared and was now replaced with a starry night sky, a beautiful dot to dot of sparkles.

We turned a corner and there in front of us was a shiny black car. It was a vintage beauty, gleaming under the moonlight. As we got closer the two front doors opened and two tall men stepped out.

I recognised the first guy from earlier and sent him an uneasy smile. He looked relieved to see me, he gave me an uncertain smile. "Hey Dean." I nodded and he nodded back, not saying anything.

"Elle, we're gonna go somewhere and I'm going to explain everything to you. I may be evil but I'm certainly fair." Crowley told me in a raspy voice as he placed a hand on the small of my back and guided me to the car, Dean opened the back door and I got in.

I slid across the smooth leather until I met the other door. I strapped in and tried not to cry, feeling my emotions rushing the surface. I truly had no idea who I was, where I was going or what I was about to face.

We were thirty minutes into the drive when the guy in the passenger side spoke up. "So, Elle is it?"

"I think so." I answered truthfully. He gave me a sympathetic smile and nodded.

"Well, I'm Sam. I'm Dean's brother. He told me about those guys and I'm so sorry."

The memory of Clay and Davey entered my mind and I looked at Crowley with wide eyes. "Were those your guys?" I snapped, feeling fear creep up once again.

Crowley gave me a sad smile and raised his hands. "I needed to get you somehow. But hey, as far as I was concerned you were this mega evil devil child that would kill me."

I narrowed my eyes at him and shook my head. "So what did you just hire these guys to ambush and drug me or were the beatings your plan too?"

"Just a simple drug and drag, they had to fight you. You were a feisty one." Crowley sighed and pulled out his phone. He brought up the name clay and pressed call.

"Hello imbecile how are ya? Yeah it's Crowley. Listen, so the girl you kidnapped for me...yeah, brown eyes...that's the one...all right, calm down...yeah she is...say that again and I'll rip your throat out! Disgusting!"

A shiver ran up my spine and I felt disgust at whatever that horrible man was saying about me. It's a good thing I'm not some powerful being, I'd tear his head off.

"Yes, well turns out she's not the girl. Mhm...no no, I won't punish you, not for this. Simple mistake really." Crowley continued and rolled his eyes at me, he raised a hand opening and closing his fingers to his palm, mocking him as Clay yapped in his ear.

"Righto. Well I was just calling to let you know that she's not happy with your treatment, and neither am I. You see you took the torture a bit too far and now I have to deal with a skittish vessel and that's not gonna do me any favours. I'd watch your back if I were you."

Crowley hung up the phone and gave me a big smile. "Don't worry, darling. As soon as we get your powers back he's all yours."

"I thought you said you had the wrong girl?" Dean cut in from the front seat, clutching the steering wheel so hard his knuckles were turning white.

"Well I had to say that didn't I. Nobody can know about this. As soon as word gets out that Lucifer has another child, especially a more powerful one, hunters from all over will start to track'er down."

I shook my head and tried to block out all of his nonsense. As soon as we get to wherever they're taking me and I figure out who I am, I'm outta here.

———

I followed them into a run down building that looked derelict. Sam referred to it as "the bunker" and told me how they were legacies of The Men Of Letters, a phrase that meant nothing to me. But I nodded politely and followed him inside.

Something about Sam put me at ease, made me feel safe. Dean had an uneasy vibe about it, sure he might have saved my life with turning his shirt into a tourniquet but right now, he seems like he hates me.

Walking through the front doors I noticed two people stand up and approach us. I hide myself behind Sam's large frame and he held a hand out for me to grab. Worried that Clay and Davey had returned I grabbed his hand and squeezed tight, praying that they wouldn't hurt me.

"You can stop praying, we won't hurt you." One of the Guys said, sounding much different than Clay or Davey. I peaked around Sam and saw a guy in a camel coloured trench coat and a younger guy in a plain white t-shirt and jeans.

“How did. I didn't.. what?"

The man shrugged not knowing what to tell me.

I shook my head, I must be going crazy. I cleared my throat and followed Sam, Dean and Crowley into the parlour. They offered me a seat on the couch and I took it, feeling exhausted and the burning on my thigh increase.

I hissed as my thigh hit the leather and Sam looked at Dean in concern. Dean disappeared around the corner and reappeared seconds later with a medical kit.

Dean sat beside me and gestured to my leg with his large hands. "Can I?" He asked and I nodded. He brought my leg up to rest in his lap and began untying the blood soaked flannel.

The two men stood behind the couch opposite us as Crowley sat down, scrolling through his phone without a care in the world.

The flannel came off and I looked away, not wanting to see the hole in my leg. I heard a gasp and turned to see Dean looking bewildered at my leg.

"What?" I asked before looking down. My pale thigh had a thick layer of blood but there was nothing fresh.

Dean took a cloth and began to dab at the wound, looking at me for a reaction. But it didn't hurt. He did it harder and all of the blood was wiped up, ravelling a scar-free thigh.

"Was there definitely a wound?" The friendly guy in a trench coat asked.

Dean nodded. "Yeah, I plugged it with my shirt."

"I felt it burning a few seconds ago." I told him and he nodded.

Feeling self conscious I lifted my leg from Dean's lap and twisted so I had both legs on the floor and was able to rest my elbows on my knees. I hide my face in my hands and tried not to cry.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and then heard Dean awkwardly clear his throat. "Hey, Elle. It's okay. We're gonna help you ok, well figure this out."

I let out a tired laugh and shook my head in my hands. "I have no idea who I am, where I am or what you people are gonna do to me. I'm willingly sitting on a strangers couch with wounds that healed in a matter of hours. With a guy who can read my thoughts, a guy that was beaten with me but is apparently fine now, his brother and the guy who sent those freaks after me."

"Hey, we can help you." Dean confirmed. I sighed and pulled myself up to look at him, I raised a brow and he took a deep breath. "I promise. And I don't break promises."

"No offence but that doesn't mean much to me."

"I wouldn't expect it to." Dean nodded with a chuckled. "But give me a chance."

Tags:

@lilulo-12

[obsessivestar]

Steamy Love (Tom Hiddleston x Reader) Part 5: ~Let Them Find You~

Summary: You watch Crimson Peak with your best friend the night before the move, recieving a call before you get to bed.

Warnings: Light swearing, mention of smut from Crimson Peak, emotional talk.

Read it on my Wattpad: @/HiddlesStar

Word Count: 1'819

Tags: @theoneanna @midnightdragonzero @drakesfiance @kcd15 @ihthr

Once you got back home, you spent the last 6 days streaming a bit more, making sure to pack up everything you needed bit by bit every day, packing the streaming equipment last of course. On the night before your flight, you invited your best friend over to watch Crimson Peak together, now that you finally have the time. Your friend had informed you that there apparently was a love scene between Tom and the actress from the live action Alice movies. Oh God. Was it graphic? You didn't ask. You wanted to see it for yourself.

Well-- Okay--

You didn't--

It's not that you WANTED to see it.

It's--It's a scene in the film--

J-Just watch the film.

As the movie went on, you talked with your friend every now again when it seemed like nothing too interesting was happening.

"So, you're all gonna be living in the same neighborhood?" Your friend asked you. "Yeah. It's all being rented out for a set." You replied. "It makes it easier to make it all look realistic. Like, it makes the set appear more natural, or so I'm guessing.." "You're gonna be neighbors with Tom Hiddleston. I swear to God.." Your friend ran their fingers through their hair. They were happy for you. "I know, I still haven't even processed it.." You gave a soft chuckle. "I have to be his love interest, oh my God..."

"You think there's gonna be a kissing scene?" Your friend asked. "Obviously. It's a romantic film." You replied. "I'm pretty sure there's gonna be more than one.." "Oh my God!" Your friend giggled. "You're gonna fuckin' kiss Tom Hiddleston!" "It's purely professional!" You stated, trying to hold back the urge to smile. "It's just acting.." "Your lips get to be on his! That's insane!"

"It's acting!"

"It's a kiss!"

You both started laughing a bit. You didn't want to admit how excited you were for the movie, for more reasons than one. You wanted to act professional about it, but your friend did have a point. While it was acting, it wasn't going to be a stunt double or anything. You'd really have to kiss Tom eventually. What if they make you do multiple takes? Sometimes simple scenes could be taken up to 10 times. Will you get to kiss him 10 times?

Shortly after that conversation was over, you continued to watch the movie with your best friend. Eventually, the love scene showed up. While your friend was a bit of a smiling and giggling mess, you watched with an interested expression. It wasn't lewd or sleazy. It was actually a pretty beautiful scene, especially knowing the context behind the scene. You had to cover your eyes slightly when his...'English Countryside' was shown, your friend just giggling even more.

"Oh my God!" They laughed. "That's actually his ass!" "Stoooppp.." You playfully spoke with a shy smile. "(Y/N), Look! He's got a pretty soft ass.." "Stooooooppppp!.." You giggled, finally able to look at the screen again after a moment, but the scene wasn't over.

"He kinda looks into it, eh?" Your friend smirked at you after calming down. "(BF/N), he's acting.." You gave a shy smile. "He looks into it because he's acting." Your friend clarified, making you give a bit of a shrug. "...Okay, he does look a little bit into it, actually.." You giggled slightly. He's a good actor.

Whenever a ghost or anything creepy would pop up, your friend would curl up and get all nervous, but it didn't bother you as much as you thought it would. The effects were pretty good, but it wasn't really scary. More so interesting.

By the end of the film, you were actually in tears. You didn't expect to get as emotional as you did. Once the film was done, your friend patted your back as you wiped your eyes.

"I didn't expect to cry.." You gave a little chuckle as you sniffled.

"Hit you hard, eh?" Your friend chuckled a bit.

"Yeah, I guess..." You chuckled back, blinking a bit to calm down. You definitely made a mental note to praise Tom's role in the film and the film itself. It was brilliant.

Your friend collected up atheir things once you turned off the TV, following them to the front door.

"Guess I won't be seein' you for a while, eh?" They asked you.

"I'm sure I can fly you down to visit the set eventually.." You smiled. You two would be apart for the first month or so. You'd miss hanging out, but you were still very excited to start your career.

You shared a warm hug before they gave a final little wave, closing the door as they left. You locked it and turned off the outside light, moving into your room to get ready for bed. You brushed your teeth and got into your pajamas, but before you'd get to lay down, your phone went off. You were getting a phone call.

You picked up your phone to check the Caller I.D.

It was Tom.

You immediately answered the call, of course.

"Hi.." You spoke in a soft tone, hearing a slight sigh from the other end before hearing his voice.

"Hi.." He spoke, his voice slightly raspy. Did he sound tired or sad? You weren't sure which.

"H-How are you?" You asked, quietly sitting down at the side of your bed. Another sigh left him.

"N-Not too good, if I'm being honest.." He admitted. "Been a bit of a rough night for me...wanted to talk to someone.."

Awe. You felt a little sad hearing that he wasn't in a good mood. He's always seemed like such a chipper man, as if their wasn't a single thing on this earth that could bring his positivity down.

"Who else have you called? Any family?" You asked curiously. You didn't mean to sound rude asking that. You were just curious.

"No, I called you first, actually.." Tom admitted. That immediately made you blush.

"M-Me?" You blinked, sitting up more.

"Yes, you.." He replied with a slight chuckle. You could practically hear his little smile grow. "I don't know, I just....wanted to hear your voice, I suppose.."

You felt your heart want to jump out of your chest. You had just listened to this man's voice in a movie, and now you're having a personal conversation with him. He's even using that natural charm of his. Maybe he doesn't even realize he's doing that. Either way, he's such a sweetheart.

"I hope that's alright." He spoke again.

"Y-Yeah! That's alright, I'm here.." You admitted with a little smile. He called you first? You almost didn't believe him, but it still warmed your heart.

"What's got you down?" You asked curiously, laying down somewhat with your upper torso still sitting up by leaning back against your pillows.

"I wouldn't say I'm down or sad.." Tom spoke. "More so...tired. Exhausted, even.."

"Exhausted?" You repeated.

"Mhmm.." He hummed. "It's a bit complicated to understand.."

"Try me.." You gave a slight confident smirk, even though he couldn't see it.

You got a little tired chuckle from him. His voice could sound pretty sexy sometimes.

"Ah, well...its just hard moving away from home over and over sometimes.." He admitted. "I had been on a couple dinner dates with a nice girl, but when I told her I'd have to be in America for the film, she didn't want to keep in touch.."

You gave a slight frown. You had heard Tom's public dating life was a bit of a mess, though you didn't believe it was his fault. The media tried to paint Tom as the bad guy, all because he's a man, but you could tell he wasn't like that.

"That's...shitty." You replied, earning another little chuckle from him.

"Yes. Very shitty, though I don't blame her.." He admitted. "Some people cannot handle being away from their partner for long periods of time.."

"Were you two actually together?" You asked.

"We weren't a couple, but I was nearly ready to ask her to go steady.." Tom admitted. That's how it's easy to tell that he's a sweetie. Go steady? That's an old fashioned term.

You loved it, of course. He's such a romantic. It's beautiful.

"You'll find a good girl for you someday, I'm sure." You spoke in an optimistic voice.

"I'm not sure the issue for me is finding a woman. It's keeping her close that I seem to struggle with.." Tom admitted with a slight sad sigh.

"Hey. Every man gets his leading lady.." You reassured with a warm smile.

"I know, I'm just...getting tired of searching, I guess." Tom admitted. "It's exhausting.."

"Then stop searching." You replied with a little shrug. "Maybe you don't need to be the one searching. Let the woman find you this time.."

You had hoped that was good advice. His silence became worrying, making you frown a little.

"...That makes a lot of sense, actually.." He admitted, his voice sounding softer. "Perhaps I'll take up that advice. Thank you.."

You could already hear that he was feeling a little better. That made you happy.

"Anytime." You spoke.

"You ready for tomorrow?"

"Oh definitely! The little neighborhood we get to live in is so quaint and small. I think it's perfect for the film." Tom approved.

"I agree!" You chirped. "You think we're gonna be neighbors?"

"We might." He replied in a positive tone. "I'm very excited to be working with you more."

"The feeling is definitely mutual.." You smiled to yourself. "I'll make sure to bring my best romantic side for the film.."

You got another chuckle from Tom. "Your best romantic side? Do you have multiple romantic sides?" Tom asked curiously. "Yep!" You chirped with a big smile.

"Ahh...perhaps I'd like to see every one of those sides one day.." He gave a little purr. You weren't sure what that meant, but you liked the sound of it. "Sounds pretty good to me.." You gave a slight chuckle, laying back more in bed.

"We've both got to get up rather early, so I guess I should goto sleep.." Tom spoke. You yourself hadn't realised how late it already was. You're not even gonna get 8 hours of sleep at this rate.

"But thank you for talking to me. I really will use that advice. You've really made me feel better."

"You're welcome.." You replied, giving a warmer smile. "I'll see you tomorrow, yeah?"

"Indeed you will.." Tom spoke in a happy, yet tired tone.

"Goodnight, (Y/N).."

"Goodnight, Tom.."

You both hung up.

You plugged in your phone and turned off all of the lights, looking at all of the suitcases you had waiting for you.

Tomorrow, your new life begins.

For now, get some rest. Tomorrow, you're Tom Hiddleston's leading lady.