#but it's my bedtime now so i'm just gonna get some frustration out and go to sleep

[rollercoasterwords]

feel like i shouldn't have to say this but if ur gonna copy and paste quotes from my fanfic as ur tiktok content the very least u could do is give me credit for my own writing 😐

[diagonal-queen]

hello can i request dazai, kunikida, and fyodor with an insomniac s/o who's really tired after a busy day but can't seem to fall asleep no matter what and gets frustrated bc of it

"Can't sleep?"

♡ pairing: Dazai Osamu, Doppo Kunikida, Fyodor Dostoyevsky x gn!Reader

♡ synopsis: How do they help their S/O with insomnia get to sleep?

♡ cw: Reader is an insomniac (I genuinely don't know how that would manifest itself as a trigger but hey! I'm just one person in a sheltered world. Stay safe everyone <3), probably super inaccurate because I myself am not an insomniac and don't really know everything about it, Dazai horny, mentions of taking medication, mentions of alcohol, swearing

note: I feel like garbage cus my writing takes forever and I feel like I'm letting y'all down for taking so long with reqs, but I don't know what to do to fix itttttttt. Apologies for errors and I hope you enjoy x

Dazai:

Well reader. You're lucky you cuffed yourself a night owl

He'll help you calm down from your frustration and tell you that it's fully normal. Everyone has trouble falling asleep, and you just haven't figured out an effective routine yet. He doesn't really know what he's talking about but if it makes you feel better then meh

His first suggestion would probably be sex, to tire you out. Even better if you go for multiple rounds just to be sure~

Yeah right Dazai, like anyone's gonna wanna fuck every single work night (besides him lmao). Safe to say, the idea is thrown out pretty quickly

He'll throw some similar ideas around (not necessarily sexual but certainly 'if they're tired out then they'll fall asleep faster') but those are all just temporary solutions, so he gives up quickly. What else did you expect from him?

He might also suggest drinking yourself to sleep since alcohol is a depressant and makes you tired. You have to remind him that excessive drinking is actually not good for you and should NOT be used as a substitute for sleep meds

He reckons that it's best for you two to let sleep overtake you naturally, and so you may as well just stay up for now.

From then on Dazai treats every single night like a sleepover. He'll wanna watch movies, eat snacks, and talk all night even if it's a work night and you absolutely shouldn't do that

If you want, he's happy to do something more chill like cuddling while sharing a pair of earphones playing mellow music

Whatever it is that the pair of you decide to do, he'll likely find that it helps him just as much, maybe even more, than it helps you. And he's grateful for that

Kunikida:

I feel like Kunikida also has at least mild insomnia, so he knows just how you feel and is right there to help you out

He's got it all ready. Fans/blankets to balance out the room's temperature, a warm drink (milk, tea, whatever you prefer), basically all the stuff Google would suggest

He would do all of that stuff alongside you even if he's already tired enough to fall asleep on his own because he understands the struggle. He doesn't give up until you're asleep and honestly get you a man who would also do that

He also discourages you from things like caffeine before bed or napping during the day to help you get more sleep at night

He'd make a whole new bedtime routine for the two of you and adjust it based on what works, it'd be like a whole thing that he takes super seriously

He'd suggest reading before bed and recommend/lend you books that he likes, and also read to you if you really pleaded for it. He really enjoys reading and he would be thrilled if the pair of you had a little thing you did together <3

If they don't give any side effects/react poorly with any meds you may already take then he would also give you some of his sleeping pills (because let's be real he's fully stocked with them. this man)

Kunikida would let you cuddle him in your sleep whether or not he likes it or it makes him sweat, because let's face it you need the sleep and he needs the physical touch. It's basically a win-win

He gives you permission to wake him up if you can't sleep and need his help, or if you want company in your waking time.

He honestly does whatever it takes to help you because he cares so much about you. Perfect man fr

Fyodor:

Bold of you to assume that Fyodor sleeps. Like ever. He's too busy being evil or something

When he learns that you're an insomniac he's fully willing to let you stay up late with him while he's working if you're in need of company. He doesn't care whether you're just on your phone or reading a book or whatever

If you ask him he'll also let you sit in his lap and cuddle him (as long as you don't bother him- if you do he's sending you right to bed)

Fyodor knows that calming music is a good way to help people sleep, so if you're down he'd be willing to play something mellow and soft on his cello for you

He probably wouldn't admit it but he kinda likes that you find it hard to get to sleep since it gives him an excuse to spend more time with you

But if you really do wanna get to bed then he'll have some tea made for you and he'll read to you. His voice is very relaxing and nice to fall asleep to and he kinda knows it (he's smug about it too because he's a bastard)

If you find that you actually sleep better in his presence then he's more than happy to move a couch into his office and let you sleep there.

He's also happy to forfeit (SOME) work so he can come to bed earlier and help you sleep. And he's also happy to cuddle you because you're warm

Fyodor will basically just help you get to sleep with methods that he uses to get himself to sleep because it's the only way he knows how. Even if it doesn't work please give him credit for trying because he really is trying super hard T-T

taglist~ ♡ @gettinshiggywithit, @fyodorhatr, @flower-of-darkness, @bejeweledgirl, @kokoenjiandco

[pedge-stuff]

PLEASE WRITE A PART 2 for accident! I’m obsessed

I hadn't planned on it, but... this has been arranged.

accident p. 2 (pedro pascal x gn/m!reader)

a/n: same vague universe as “marked," as always.

summary: you let him fuss.

It's well past midnight as you key into the apartment. Pedro busies himself by getting you settled, although his movements are almost as sluggish and haggard as your own. Six hours in the ER had taken its toll.

"Why don't you head up?"

You'd sat on the chair by the door, intent on untying your shoes, but had apparently been staring at them for the last few moments. Without a second thought, Pedro kneeled before you. "I'm gonna take the dogs around the block, and then I'll close up down here."

You are struck, not for the first time this evening, by an overwhelming wave of gratitude. How did you get so lucky?

He jingles the leashes, pausing to kiss your forehead before heading out.

It takes you way too long to get up. Some combination of exhaustion and low-dose Vicodin have you zoning out, effectively sleepwalking without Pedro to move you along. There is a pharmacy baggy on the counter, but by the sluggishness of your thoughts, the remainder of the prescription might need to go untouched.

Eventually, you drag yourself upstairs.

Everything feels dirty. The loaned scrub pants come off easily, shed in the doorway of the ensuite, to be dealt with later. (Thrown away, burned, ripped to shreds... Dealer's choice. Anything to be rid of them and put the whole evening behind you.)

You want to take the hottest shower possible, and scrub off the invisible hospital residue until your skin is raw. But the prospect of standing for long enough to get clean is... logistically impossible.

At least your dominant hand is uninjured. You reach around, fumbling with the buckle on the back of the sling. For a broken bone, it wasn't very high tech— just a few pieces of fabric holding the two halves of your left clavicle in place. But the damn thing may as well have been a rubik's cube, for how impossible it was to unstrap.

That's about where Pedro finds you: back down to your underwear, hunched on the closed lid of the toilet, frustrated to tears.

"This is so stupid."

"Baby," he starts softly. His dinner attire has been pared down to slacks and an undershirt. "Please let me do this for you."

A brown paper bag is set on the counter, so he can gently remove the sling, followed by the scrub top. Eyes closed, you wilt on the lid. Pedro reaches to plug the tub, without asking, though you nod slowly as he looks back.

The man busies himself as you watch on: changes into a well-loved pair of flannel pajama bottoms, tosses some lavender epsom salt into the slowly-filling water, swears a blue streak doing something suspiciously loud in the other room.

When he returns, slightly red in the face, the bath has been filled.

A not-insignificant part of you had hoped he'd be joining, but Pedro chooses instead to perch on the side, running a hand through your hair as you settle against the porcelain. From within the paper bag, a bag of mini Reeses cups are presented.

"Bodega dinner," he says proudly, adding, "you gotta eat something, baby."

"I'm okay," you whisper, though you're not talking about the peanut butter, at all.

"But you almost weren't," he says hoarsely. "I keep replaying that phone call over and over again in my mind. I think my heart stopped for a second. I just..."

You can only nod, mutely. The feverish, borderline frantic look in his eyes traps any response in your throat. (Honestly, he'd been looking at you like that all night. Hasn't really taken his eyes off you since he found you in the hospital hallway.)

So, you let him fuss.

Out of the tub, you lightly dread bedtime, though you've been fantasizing about sleep now for hours. The doctor had specifically warned against sleeping on either your side or back, instead sending you home with a diagram of how to sleep sitting up. Which sounds worse than a car accident, frankly.

But, upon entering, you discover the bedroom has... transformed? Your bed, normally centered, has been pushed into the corner. One nightstand has been abandoned in the middle of the room.

"I'll move that later," Pedro says sheepishly.

All the pillows on the bed, and from the chaise in the opposite corner of the room, have been gathered in a clumsy pile. The dogs have already assumed their positions against the footer.

Pedro shucks off his undershirt, and crawls into the makeshift nest. With pillows to support his often-fragile back, he reclines against the wall corner. Pats the mattress.

"You can't lay down," he warns, as you shift onto the bed. "The doctor was really particular about that."

"Sitting up," you echo. Although, at this point, you'd crash standing up if it meant you could finally fucking sleep.

Pedro splays his legs. "Come here."

Carefully, one-handed, you maneuver yourself according to his gesturing. Settling, back-to-chest, against him; legs between his legs. Propped up like a rag doll. As if on autopilot, Pedro's arm comes up to wrap across your stomach.

"This can't possibly be comfortable for you," you protest.

His lips brush your temple. "I promise." His grip tightens; you are a human teddy bear, which feels appropriate, since your brain is full of stuffing.

Each rise and fall of Pedro's chest presses warmly against you. There is nothing to wake up for tomorrow, no alarm to set— you'd cancelled your Sunday Brunch plans sometime between the IV and the x-ray.

"Hey." You loll your head against his shoulder. Can't meet his eyes, from this angle, but in the darkness of the bedroom, it doesn't really matter.

"Hey."

Your fingers lace with his, where they clutch around your side. "I love you."

"Mm." His chin hooks over the top of your head. "You have no idea, sweetheart."

[genericpuff]

I always enjoyed reading LO, though as of late I've gotten more critical of it and aware of the flaws in storytelling, art, pacing, etc (one can still like trash while recognizing it's trash, I guess), and it's been super weird being the only one in my friend group who's not seeing it as this perfect flawless comic anymore. Your retelling so far has been super refreshing and a joy to read, the art and character design is recognizable yet distinct and great on its own (I LOVE YOUR DIONYSUS SO MUCH HOLY CRAP HE'S SO GOOD), and like... I'm interested in where things are going! It's fun reading this! I still do enjoy LO (maybe it's the sunk cost fallacy, idk), but I'm invested in your version so much more now. So thank you for your work, it's really great :)

I know the story is focused more on H&P than the mostly cast of side characters, but are there any other myths that might get revisited as well? Eros/Psyche, maybe Ariadne since Dio is here...?

Absolutely, I say it a lot when the topic of "LO stans vs. LO critics" comes up but none of the criticism is meant to be persuasive debating, while it can be frustrating to voice our criticisms and be met with "yeah well that's just your opinion", we're also not criticizing the comic purely to convince you that it's trash, we're legit just engaging with the comic in our own way. The best way any LO fan can react to it is either to acknowledge the criticisms and move on, or not go out actively seeking the criticism in the first place if it's something that bugs them. But in the end, no one is talking about the comic in this way as a means to strong arm people into riffing on LO, we'll still be talking about it way past everyone's bedtimes regardless of whether or not you chime in and/or agree. I think a lot of people who enjoy LO have a hard time separating those two things because they love the comic so much that any criticism is automatically flagged as "they're trying to make a hater out of me". And yeah, maybe we are a little bit (because it's fun to riff on this comic and the crit community has genuinely some of the nicest and funniest and most creative people I've ever met) but for the most part it's not our goal to make you hate the comic, we can't take your enjoyment of it away from you, even if you do recognize its flaws yourself. By all means, enjoy LO if you want to, we won't try and tell you not to! Just don't think that gives you permission to tell the critics to stop criticizing because that's a double standard we just ain't gonna stand for LMAO

All that aside, I'm glad you're enjoying Rekindled! As for the other stories, I'm trying to reel in Rekindled's plot to focus solely on H x P because I feel like that's what it should have stayed as. One of Rachel's biggest mistakes IMO was when she stated she "wanted to include as many myths as possible" because it's clear it's resulted in her prioritizing low effort Google-level lip service and Marvel-esque nostalgia referencing over telling an actual cohesive story. I'm taking a lot of the additional myths that Rachel tried to do in LO and leaving them on the cutting room floor, but when Rekindled is done, I'm hoping to pick up what was discarded and do them as little side stories after the fact. I feel like that's the best way to do it especially considering so many of the myths Rachel included didn't happen until after Hades and Persephone were married (including Eros and Psyche). I'd especially love to tackle Orpheus and Eurydice, it's one of my favorite myths :) Dio x Ariadne is also one I'm hoping to tackle, though that one I'll probably work more into Rekindled itself as Dio plays a huge role in Persephone's character arc, we'll see !

[mybrainismelted]

part 4 of my little Office Au! Previous parts (part 1 , part 2, part 3) Or read it all on AO3 here

A few minutes later, they arrived at Mickey's building, and he headed up the stairs to his second floor apartment. His progress was somewhat hindered by the tall redhead behind him who couldn't seem to stop groping Mickey's ass…. but he wasn't really complaining.

They made it to the door of his apartment, and he found himself wrapped up from behind by a pair of long arms, hands wandering around his torso, and a pair of warm lips attaching themselves to the side of his neck. "Ian…." he practically whined. "I need to unlock the door. You gotta stop"

Ian let out a small huff, but did back off…. about an inch. Mickey fumbled a bit, but finally managed to get the door unlocked, and stumbled through with a human backpack still attached. As soon as the door closed behind them, he found himself spun around and pressed up against it, every overheated inch of his body being pressed into by the gorgeous man in front of him. "Fuck" was all he could get out as the sensations started to overwhelm him.

Suddenly, Ian stopped and pulled away, looking down at his feet. "Oh my god! Your cat is adorable!" he gushed. Apparently completely losing interest in Mickey, he turned all of his attention to Colt who was winding himself around their ankles. He sat down on the floor, petting the cat, and making goofy baby sounds at him. Mickey could only stare in disbelief. "cockblocked by my own cat" he thought.

"Uh… yeah." he muttered. "Ian, Colt, Colt, Ian. Guess he likes you." Ian scooped up the cat and wandered off towards the living room, muttering nonsense and rubbing his face all over Colt's fur.

Mickey shook his head, grumbled to himself, and kicked his shoes off, figuring he might as well get comfortable. He walked into the kitchen and grabbed a couple of beers from the fridge, still shaking his head and trying to get his brain working again. When he walked back into the living room, he found Ian sprawled out on his couch, with Colt on his chest, purring like a madcat. Ian had his eyes closed, a soft smile on his face, and was gently stroking the cat.

Mickey took a seat in the armchair after putting Ian's beer on the table beside him, and just sat watching the sweet but VERY frustrating situation playing out across from him. After about 15 minutes, he realized that Ian's hand had stopped moving, and his face had relaxed. Fucker fell asleep on his couch, with his cat, after getting him so worked up? "Fucking asshole." he muttered quietly. "Damn good thing you're so hot. And you…" turning his attention to Colt "better be glad you're adorable, 'cause I wouldn't put up with this from anyone else."

Getting up from the chair, he grabbed himself a snack, and wandered off to his bedroom to pull up a movie on his laptop. Let sleeping beauty get his rest. He'll make him pay for it tomorrow. When his movie ended and there was still no sign of the redhead, he sighed to himself, and grabbed an extra blanket. He quietly moved back out to the living room where he found Ian still sound asleep, now curled up on his side, with no sign of the cat. He gently covered him with the blanket, poured some food into Colt's bowl, and went about his own bedtime routine. "Night Gallager" he whispered just before turning out the lights.

When Mickey's alarm went off the next morning, he groaned, mumbled, and finally managed to turn it off. Cracking one eye open, he found Colt in his usual spot on the other pillow. "Guess you still like me at least a bit, huh?" he grouched, reaching out to pet his best friend.

Picking up his phone, he finally noticed the text notifications. He snorted, realizing that there were four messages from Ian.

Ian: OMG Mickey Ian: I am so, so sorry Ian: I can't believe I fell asleep on your couch. You must think I'm such an asshole Ian: I'm gonna go…. shit. I'll see you at work. Please don't hate me.

Mickey smiled to himself, imagining the panic when Ian woke up at…. apparently 2am and realized what had happened. He was going to have a LOT of fun with this.

[ganbaruwayo]

ロミオとシンデレラ・Romeo and Cinderella

doriko ft. Hatsune Miku Translation by Platonic水を食べる / Free to use with credit and a link back to this post or the cover video.

私の恋を悲劇のジュリエットにしないで Don't make my love into the tragedy of Juliet ここから連れ出して… Take me away from here…

そんな気分よ That's the feeling I get.

パパとママにおやすみなさい Say goodnight to papa and mama, せいぜい いい夢をみなさい at the very least, let them have sweet dreams 大人はもう寝る時間よ Bedtime's come for the grownups now

咽返る魅惑のキャラメル Recoiling from choking on that captivating caramel,* 恥じらいの素足をからめる sweet like the way it entwines my bashful and bare legs** 今夜はどこまでいけるの？ How far can we go tonight?

噛みつかないで 優しくして Please don't bite—Be gentle with me, 苦いものはまだ嫌いなの since I still hate bitter things, ママの作るお菓子ばかり食べたせいね 'cause I ate nothing but mama's homemade sweets

知らないことがあるのならば If there's something that I don't know about 知りたいと思う 普通でしょ？ I think I'd want to know, that's normal isn't it? 全部見せてよ Show me it all, あなたにならば見せてあげる私の… and only if it's to you, I'll show you my-

ずっと恋しくてシンデレラ Always yearning, I'm Cinderella, 制服だけで駆けていくわ I'll run away in nothing but my school uniform 魔法よ時間を止めてよ Just like with magic, put a stop to time, 悪い人に 邪魔されちゃうわ or else the villains will come and interrupt us***

逃げ出したいのジュリエット Wanting to run away, I'm Juliet, でもその名前で呼ばないで but don't call me by that name そうよね 結ばれなくちゃね That's right, we have to stay tied together,**** そうじゃないと楽しくないわ Or else it's no fun at all!

ねえ 私と生きてくれる？ Hey, will you live together with me?

背伸びをした長いマスカラ I put on a bit too much mascara いい子になるよきっと明日から I promise that I'll be a good girl tomorrow, 今だけ私を許して so just for now, please excuse me

黒いレースの境界線 This black lace marks the line of the border, 守る人は今日はいません and today there aren't any guards present 越えたらどこまでいけるの？ If you cross over, how far will you go?

噛みつくほどに 痛いほどに Keep on biting down, so hard that it hurts, 好きになってたのは私でしょ I was the one that fell in love with you, wasn't I? パパはでもねあなたのこと嫌いみたい Papa, though, seems like he really hates you

私のためと差し出す手に You said it's for me who you're holding out your hand 握ってるそれは首輪でしょ and held inside—that's a collar, isn't it? 連れ出してよ 私のロミオ Take me away, my Romeo, 叱られるほど遠くへ So far away that we're scolded!

鐘が鳴り響くシンデレラ The bells are ringing, and Cinderella ガラスの靴は置いていくわ has left behind her glass slipper だからね 早く見つけてね so, hey, hurry up and go looking for her, 悪い夢に 焦らされちゃうわ or else she'll become frustrated by bad dreams

きっとあ���子もそうだった Undoubtedly, Cinderella did it like that too— 落としたなんて嘘をついた She lied when she said she dropped it on accident そうよね 私も同じよ That's surely right, I'm the same as her, だってもっと愛されたいわ because I want to be loved even more by you

ほら 私はここにいるよ Hey, look at me, I'm right here

私の心そっと覗いてみませんか Won't you take even a tiny peek into my heart? 欲しいものだけあふれかえっていませんか Can't you see how it's full of nothing but desire? まだ別腹よもっともっとぎゅっと詰め込んで I've still got room for dessert, stuff me tightly with more and more いっそあなたの居場所までも埋めてしまおうか Why don't we go until the place you are is totally filled up?

でもそれじゃ意味ないの —But that doesn't have any meaning at all!

大きな箱より 小さな箱に幸せはあるらしい They say that happiness comes only in small boxes どうしよこのままじゃ私は What to am I to do? If this doesn't change, あなたに嫌われちゃうわ you're gonna end up hating me!

でも私より欲張りなパパとママは今日も変わらず But, greedier than I am, Mama and Papa won't change today either そうよね 素直でいいのね That's right, since honesty is so good and all, 落としたのは金の斧でした "What I've dropped was the golden axe…"

嘘つきすぎたシンデレラ I heard Cinderella, who told too many lies, オオカミに食べられたらしい ended up getting eaten by the wolf どうしようこのままじゃ私も What am I to do—If this doesn't change, いつかは食べられちゃうわ I'll end up being eaten some day too!

その前に助けに来てね Come and rescue me before that, okay?

Translation notes *咽返る as in 咽せ返る, removing the せ makes it read as "pulling one's throat back," hence the "recoiling" **The verb here - karameru or "entwine" - is almost identical to the spelling of caramel in the previous line, making it like a comparison. ***I think it's worth mentioning that 邪魔 here is a word used in the phrase is お邪魔します, which is common to use when entering someone's room/house and means "sorry to interrupt you." Just a funny double meaning/connotation that I wouldn't want to be left vague or totally lost given that the only 'villain' we're given in this story is their parents…if you get it you get it. ****結ばれる means to be united/joined in marriage but also "to be fastened" as in like…tying together a knot. I mean like uhhh yeah you know what this is also if you get it you get it like if you know you know, you know?

[glaivenoct]

so as requested here is a OTP prompt. #7 Who would build a pillow fort just because, and how would the other react to it?

Thanks for sending one in! :D I think I wrote a fic a few years ago for Noct's bday about Nyx surprising him with a pillow fort-esque set up for a relaxing movie night. But in the case of doing it Just Because, I'm gonna say Noct <3

He used to do it all the time with Ignis when they were kids. He'd keep everything up for a few weeks and lure Regis to tell him bedtime stories there. Sometimes Noct reminisces on those memories and just thinks "y'know what fuck it, pillow fort". Nyx thinks it's cute and fun; romantic at times even if one time Noct did not construct properly and the whole thing caved in on them :p

On another hand!!! This scenario came into my head that I just CANNOT let go of now! So, it's one of those restless nights where Noct can't sleep well because of his old injury. Nyx is out late on guard duty and at this point Noct will do anything to not think as much about the aches. Thus, fort construction ensues!

Noct'll fish out some old string lights to wrap around the whole thing (I think I put that in that old bday fic as well). And you know those fun bluetooth water speakers that change colors and make the water splash to the beat of the music? (I used to have them they were so fun QuQ) Noct 1000% has those and puts them inside, puts on some some relaxing lofi. So when the lights are turned down and he snuggles up in the big comfy nest he arranged inside - it's peaceful, bright on the outside and colorful on the inside.

And when Nyx finally comes home the reaction is stopping in his tracks and, "Uhh.. Noct?"

Noct's effectively blanket burritoed himself. Curled up cozy in the pillow fort, maybe playing his small, portable console as another distraction. He'll hardly move, just look up at Nyx from the little opening.

"Couldn't sleep."

Nyx will smile fondly, but definitely recognize the bags under Noct's eyes, and the frustration in them that comes when Noct wants to sleep but can't.

"Didn't know pillow forts became your new Can't Sleep routine."

"Jus' needed something to do. M' achy."

Of course, at that, Nyx will frown. "Back or leg?"

"Both." He'll pout. "Come cuddle?"

"Make some room, little king. I'll be right there."

Nyx just needs to get the comfy change of clothes he keeps at Noct's place. Tie his hair back for the night and brush his teeth. Then it's nestling into the cozy little pillow fort with his little king. He'll ask exactly where it hurts, and Nyx'll massage him there. Talk about his day and ask Noct about his while the lofi keeps playing and the speakers keep splashing colorfully.

"Missed you." Noct will mutter sleepily against Nyx's chest, because at this point Nyx is now essentially his pillow. And maybe they didn't get to see or talk to each other all day.

"Missed you, little king. Rest, alright?"

But Noct's already asleep in his arms.

[ashterblaster]

Little vent bc it's just... really frustrating me.

So I reconnected with an old high school friend about a month or two ago. Then we hung out like, once or twice after that and I was like 'Ah, this is nice, maybe it can be an occasional thing!'

And every weekend since (basically his days off are Saturday night through Monday) he's asked me if I wanna hang out. Which at first I was like 'Oh sure!' bc I genuinely didn't have anything going on. We were gonna go to a shooting range and fish and just do whatever. At that point when I said yes, I assumed he'd have everything put together.

Fast forward to the weekend we're supposed to hang: I've bought earmuffs and cleared my day for this thing. We're texting and he isn't even sure if he can GET the place. I thought he meant like, a REAL shooting range or whatever, but apparently it was either some farm his buddy owned or somewhere like, SUPER secluded and out there.

Now, it's not that I don't trust the dude. I actually really liked him in high school and still do! But he kept not being sure on if we were even actually going, and after a few back and forths without confirming a time, I finally just said maybe we'd have to push it back.

Ever since then, he texts me and gets like, pissy when I don't respond back immediately. He even called me once and was like "Wow, you not answering this call really hurt me" like bro what?? We hung out barely FIVE TIMES in the past couple months.

So this afternoon, he of course texts me again and is like "What are you doing tomorrow? Better yet, what are you doing tonight?" I fell asleep bc I'm battling anemia/depression/generally feeling super overloaded and not getting decent sleep at night. And when I texted him that I'd nodded off he was all, "Yeah, must have from the no response."

I'm just... not feeling comfortable with the conversation any longer. So again he's like "Wanna smoke tomorrow?" And at this point, I understand that I'm gonna have to be more firm when I say no. Even though he doesn't need to know anything about my life, I let him know that I'm going through a shit ton of changes with my medication and how I can't really smoke/drink like I was fine doing before. I'm REALLY trying to get my life together and I don't really want to do the things he wants to, especially when his plans are super spur-of-the-moment. A year ago I would have jumped at the opportunity to hang like that. But I'm not in a position to DO that anymore, and I stated as such.

I don't know if he responded, only that he read the text. I told him I wouldn't be replying to anything more tonight because I have a bedtime and I'm trying to stick to it so I can get my sleep schedule back on track.

I just don't understand how someone can barely talk to you, yet feel entitled to like, have me spend all his free time with him just because he asked.

Idk. I'm just disappointed, but not really because most of the people who were in my life at my low points I don't even talk to anymore, mainly BECAUSE I'm working on improving myself and trying to get better, and most of them have remained stagnant and pretty much give out negative/toxic energy.

I won't apologize for trying to grow. It's natural. And I'm not gonna force someone to conform to my needs just so we can hang out. Like, it's not the end of the world if we can't. We just aren't compatible. (As if I'm his fucking partner, jeez.)

Besides that, I really do feel better because I'm finally making the changes I've always wanted to. It just sucks when the people "close" to me aren't supportive.

[dzpenumbra]

1/3/23

Today was pretty decent. Pretty fackin decent, Julian.

I slept like shit. Yep, despite being super exhausted last night, I slept like ass. Woke up at least 5 times. Got up when my cat puked on the floor again, this time was not a hairball. I have no idea what to do when that happens. I brought it up with the vet and they barely reacted. Like she's either puked up a hairball or just fluid probably... 4 days this week? At least? And she has thyroid problems and kidney disease. So like... I feel like I should be doing something about it, or at least be concerned... But my theory on it is that she's being fed too far apart. I mean... too close together... Agh it's complicated. I feed her in the AM (like 1 or 2 PM), and I get my first bit of food. Then we both feed at like... 8PM? Maybe 9? And then we both don't eat until the next cycle starts. That's just what life has been since I stopped free-feeding her a while back. And now she's on a super strict prescription diet, she doesn't even get treats, so... I kinda have to schedule feed her. It's a tricky one. The answer really is to get up earlier, but I've really been struggling with sleep.

Weirdly enough, the problem is not falling asleep, which used to be the big problem for like over a decade. The issue is staying asleep and getting to bed. When I get trauma shit set off, I feel like... I am more prone to self-soothe, self-care. Which is good, it's very good. But... I do tend to hyperfocus on it, because I will not settle for a mediocre self-care method, I will find the best one out there. And then I get sucked into it big-time, because it's working. Then I look at the clock, and it's 5:30AM. This happens constantly and it doesn't really matter whether my normal sleep schedule is in place or not. I could be on a normal bedtime of like... 1AM, and I'll just be so engrossed in my self-care thing that I just... ignore my tiredness. Like the ancient meme from the Civilization series "just one more turn..."

And that's the most depressing part, because honestly, I would rather be playing a game or making art or music or whatever the thing I was engrossed in was. Because going to sleep is a risk. It's a chance that I'm gonna get some really nasty dreams. The thing I'm hyperfocused on is safe, it's good. So that's tricky. But that shock to my sleep schedule doesn't right itself overnight. Emotions need to recover first. But, during the winter, I lose a lot of my go-to emotional healing methods... specifically... going into nature. Because it gets dark at fucking 4PM, and when things are rough I'm not getting out of bed until like 2. Mandatory shower is half an hour. Caffeine and food is another half hour. Then I look at the clock and I have an hour to do anything. Say I want to go to this State Park. 18 minute drive. I have 40 minutes, and my ass isn't walking back to my car through the woods in the dark, so cut that in half. 20 minutes in, 20 minutes out. I hate to ask "is it worth it?" but like... is it? I feel like it'll just leave me frustrated and wanting more.

So yeah, PTSD strikes again. Go figure, staying up 5 hours past your normal sleep time for a few days completely throws your life off. Who woulda guessed?

On a less dark note, I got my furniture list put together, that was good. I was actually really locked in as far as getting house stuff on paper. Now I have more of an idea of what I'm looking for from Goodwill or the Habitat for Humanity place when I go.

I called the vet, I made sure they had more of the prescription food for Max, got them to order more of her arthritis supplements and set up a follow up appointment to check her blood levels. Poor thing, she's going through so much. At least she gets Gabapentin every night, she's gettin some real good sleep.

I did my yoga, it was good. The theme was "Listen" which I thought was ironic because I couldn't hear half of what she was saying, I guess I had the volume too low. I also couldn't follow some of it because I didn't really know what pose she was transitioning into, I don't really know the poses, so... I did my best. My hamstrings and my hips are in rough shape, my lower back feels like it just straight up doesn't bend... my shoulders have always carried all of my tension and are finally getting the rust out of the hinges, and my neck is slowly starting to come back into some semblance of a normal human neck. It's gonna take time to fix my horrible posture, but it's worth the work.

The big highlight of the day was getting my big comfy chair. I've been waiting for it, and it finally got delivered. It's a 6 foot beanbag style chair filled with shredded memory foam. Max has been sleeping in it all night, she absolutely loves it! I do too, it just needs some more time to expand I think, they said it can take up to 4-5 days to like... get where it's supposed to be. It's still cool, and I'm really glad to have it.

But here's where it gets a bit complicated. So... when I'm in my comfy chair... what do I do? I was picturing watching TV or something, just chilling and getting really comfy and watching something, but... I don't have a TV anymore. So I have to like... figure out a TV. And figure out what to hook it up to. It just isn't as simple as it used to be. Plus, this is the part that was a little... tough to process today. I haven't been shopping for a TV, or even looked at TVs or monitors in like... probably over 10 years. I think my current monitor is about 10 years old, maybe 8 or 9 minimum? So... I go... "okay, I just need a TV and maybe a wireless receiver or something and I'll be good, I guess?" Because I've seen people cast stuff from their phones to TVs before, so I know it's a thing, and... okay, I'm gonna simplify this thought because I'm super tired. I felt super old. TVs and monitors are basically the same thing, and TVs now all have operating systems and shit on them? Which I don't really... need, honestly. And monitors are not the right size for what I'm looking for. So it just kinda culture shocked me a bit, I guess. Like every fucking TV has a Siri built into it now, it's odd to me. But, I'm pretty sure I found a TV that has Chromecast built into it, and that might (and I stress, might) do what I want it to do. So I might opt for that.

Okay, seriously, I shit you not, I am doing all of this to avoid fucking advertisements and avoid being cornered and peer-pressured and forced into buying a subscription to something. I just want to watch my YouTube, maybe some Netflix stuff on my family account? And Twitch when I'm in the mood. And play Xbox sometimes. And not be bombarded by fucking ads. That's all. I don't think that's too much to ask. And my computer can do that. But I can't do that in my comfy chair at my computer. So...

Okay, I've lost interest in this, I'm sure anyone reading had long before I did. I just felt old doing that. Looking at tech nowadays and just getting frustrated because everything is made to "make things easier", on the assumption that you want to do what they want you to do. And then they intentionally engineer it to be super difficult to do things they might not want you to do. And they really don't talk about that part much, you know? So yeah, ease-of-use? Definitely. But not user-friendly. And I am straight up NOT shelling out that kinda cash for an ad machine, sorry. I might've tolerated it in the past to a degree, but targeting schizophrenia injection medications to someone in extreme isolation during the pandemic every fucking day is... abuse of advertising privileges. It's really fucked up. You don't target people with mental health issues and try to sell them medications, you are not doctors, you are not prescribers, we cannot buy these medications, just stop. Until they put a little more work into actually getting their demographics right, I'm not willing to pay that kind of price so that someone can make a few pennies. I feel like they could be advertising booze to recovering alcoholics and would not give half a shit. Oh shit, let's not forget the Reddit ads I was getting for bulletproof vests when I was moving to the city for the first time, really fucking helping the mental health crisis in our country there, assholes.

Tired. Okay. Good vibes, let's find them. Played the Ancestors game again tonight. Had a surprisingly good story line this time. Rescued a male, the two females got pregnant, then rescued another female after the male was tragically mauled by one of the 20,000 gigantic mean-ass cats around. The new female was sent out on an expedition to explore. She ended up finding where the old settlement was, surprisingly not too far away. And came really close to dying from a snakebite, like barely survived. Then she found a male stranded in a tree, dying of thirst with a gigantic anaconda nest at the base of the tree. She went to get him a coconut, but fell from the tree and broke her arm. She still soldiered up and got him the coconut, he joined her, they started heading back to the settlement. The male told her to stay put and went to get something to help with the broken bone, he gets sliced up by a big cat and they both have to book it. He's bleeding out. They make it to a river and patch both of their wounds. The river happens to be the one that the settlement is at, at the top of the waterfall. They breed, and at the end of the recording tonight, I had to figure out how to make them give birth. Yep, you have to manually give birth to offspring, it's not like... wait for them to mature, it's like... welp, you're pregnant so... give birth whenever I guess. It totally makes sense... But, logical fallacy aside, three babies were born. So I'm not locked anymore, and the tribe has a chance to grow and evolve. Yay.

[little-fairy-forest]

Heyyy, hope ur doing well!! i had this great idea about angst+ reader being a badass with Izuku, Shoto, and Bakugo.

Let’s say that they had a bad day or (you can make up ur own senario for this) and in a fit of rage, they say some breakup worthy stuff to reader, but instead of crying or leaving she just smacks them in the face right across the face and tells them to “say that shit again” with a bored look. and now they are like *shocked pikachu face* bc they just got smacked by their gf.

Boys reacting to reader who doesn't take their shit anymore

Midoriya, Bakugou, Todoroki, slight angst

Midoriya

Izuku hadn't had the best day so far, All Might had to postpone their one on one training due to health issues, he wasn't able to make progress in his new move and finally he had a lot of study to catch up on from being stuck in the infirmary

To his suprise, you showed up with a tray of some food, you knew Izuku would neglect his needs when it came to hero work, so you made him some dinner with a portion for yourself to eat with him to keep him company

All Izuku wanted was to get stuck into his work, not talk to you.

He started to ignore you as he ate his food and read over the material from today, he would nod his head as if he was listening to the story you were talking about what happened today in training

Izuku was getting frustrated with you, couldn't you take the hint that he wanted to be alone?

"Can you seriously not take the hint to be quiet?! I'm trying to read here and your yapping like a whiney kid–" Izuku got cut off his a harsh smack to the back of his head

He froze and he processed what you done...you hit him?!

"Say that shit again...I made you a dinner from scratch, came to keep you company since you had been by yourself in the infirmary all day, and you brush me off as if I'm your maid?! Excuse me?!" You spoke will intention to get it through to Izuku he can't always brush you off

Izuku didn't know what to say, yes you were right to be pissed, but he didn't think you were this angry

"Call me when you can understand gratitude and be greatful for the things people do for you, good night" you say as you take your leave

Izuku sat there in shock, what the hell does he do now?!

Bakugou

Bakugou had been pissed off all week. From coming 4th with Midoriya placing 3rd in a Maths quiz, to his gauntlets malfunctioning and not being able to be replaced until next week.

All he wanted to do was relax and go to bed early.

His plans were thrown out the door as you knocked on his dorm door at 8pm. Great, now he has to entertain you

"Hey katsu, I have some snacks for you" you say as you wait for him to open the door for you to come in, instead he took the snacks and went to close the door but you put your hand in the way

Katsuki wasn't happy that you stopped the door from closing, can't you take the hint that he doesn't want to talk?

"Am I able to come in for a bit?" You ask waiting for the blond to respond, instead of a decent reason for him not to want to spend time eith you, he deicdes to not use a filter before speaking

"No, now leave me alone I don't wanna hear ya' ramble about useless shit for hours. I'm tired so fuck off" He says as he goes to close the door but instead you barge the door open and give this boy a piece of your mind

"I haven't seen you all week, haven't had a decent conversation without you getting pissy and storming off. Now you want to just throw me to the side and what? Wait for you to be ready to be my boyfriend again? Tough shit Katsuki when your in a relationship your gonna have to use your real words to get a message across instead of acting like a child" you say as you wipe your face in frustration,

You went to go leave before this turned into a huge argument, as you began to close the door behind you, you spoke to Katsuki one last time until he was ready to sort things through

"When your ready to act like an adult let me know, until then it's passed your bedtime"

Todoroki

Unfortunately it's been a long weekend for the boy as he had to spend it at his house where his dad trained him relentlessly

Shouto planned to have something to eat and get his school work done before going to bed after school, he turned his phone off since his dad was pestering him non stop about training,

This led to him missing your texts about if he was feeling okay since he seemed a bit off today and if he wanted to chat

You decided to being over some strawberry milk and some mochi as to ease your boyfriend comfort before talking about his time with his father, you knew how the situation was between the two

As you knocked a few times but left unheard at Shouto's door, you opened it slightly only for you to over hear a conversation he was having with who you think was Midoriya

"They don't understand how hard I work, and they want to waste my time by hanging out? They're selfish and don't understand my situation" shouto says coldly, he must of read your messages regarding your plans with him

Shouto continues by saying with frustration " They need to leave me alone for a while since I can't handle their neediness! I can't balance everything" you take this has your que to make your presence know

You leave the food and snacks on the floor beside the two boys, Shouto was in shock, you must of heard their conversation

"Here, it will only go to waste" you say calmly as you face Shouto and say with dullness "our relationship must be useless if you can't understand honesty, which is key to a healthy relationship shouto" you say as you bow before you leave signalling to the boys you were sorry for intruding on their conversation

You take your leave before your boyfriend could make he situation worse, you were already useless were you not?

Thank you for reading! My tag list is open but my requests are closed :)

-> masterlist

-> General tags : @aomi04 @justheretoaskandread @rebekah-trader @veenxys

[respectable-username]

"It Glows in the Dark" Chapter 7: Interludes out now!

This chapter, released on 6 Dec 2021, marks exactly one year since I first opened the Word doc that would become IGITD. I hope you enjoy!

Summary: Some quiet moments between best friends as they prepare for the final day of fighting.

Chapter preview below the cut

---

Swing hit, swing hit, swing hit.

There's something almost meditative about mining a giant hole. The rhythmic swinging of the pickaxe was a welcome piece of mundanity for Scar after the chaos that had been plaguing the world the last few days. Something comforting about having such a clear progress marker after so much uncertainty.

Swing hit, swing hit, swing hit.

They were two-thirds of the way through hole number three. If he and Bdubs could keep up this pace, they could get five holes dug for the diversions team to fill in the morning. Five!

Swing hit, swing hit, swing hit.

Of course, they'd had Cub's help for the first two holes before Scar had insisted he go home to sleep. After all, Cub could defend them much better tomorrow if well-rested, Scar had argued. He and Bdubs would be safe until the next day. Cub had begrudgingly agreed.

Swing hit, swing hit, swing hit,

So maybe not five holes then, but four should be enough. One per person. That should work well. He wondered how the others were doing. Mumbo and Stress had started the dig for the main bunker, and Grian had volunteered to dig a hole under the treasury for Etho.

Swing hit, swing hit, swing hit.

Scar came to the end of his side of the layer, tearing down the last few blocks along the centre line. A centre line that was a lot higher up than it should be...

Scar hauled himself up the mini cliff dividing the two sides of the room. He found Bdubs leaning back against the hole's wall, eyes closed, one arm crossed while the other rested on the handle of his pickaxe.

"Hey, hey Bdubs," Scar said. "Bdubs, are you ok?"

Bdubs opened his eyes with a start, gripping the end of his pickaxe tighter.

"Oh, hey Scar," Bdubs said, relaxing.

"What's wrong?" asked Scar again.

"Nothing, I'm fine," said Bdubs. "Just... just tired, y'know. It's way past my bedtime."

"No, no it's not that," Scar said. "I know an over-tired Bdubs when I see one. I've caused an over-tired Bdubs more than enough times for that! What's really wrong?"

Bdubs sighed, hugging his arms across his chest. "I'm just... I'm worried, ok!" he said. "We have an overpowered megalomaniac running around the world doing whatever he wants, and we're just sitting here digging a hole! What if this Evil X guy shows up right now out of nowhere, huh? I mean, my PvP skills are even worse than yours! We won't stand a chance."

"But that's why we're preparing," said Scar. "We can't stand a chance alone, so we'll do it together."

"This isn't a Disney Channel Original Movie, Scar," chided Bdubs. "We're not going to save the world through positive thoughts and 'the power of friendship'. This is the real world. And we're fighting against a real monster who can mess everything up with a few taps of a keyboard. What in the world are we supposed to do against that? People are gonna get hurt!"

"I know!" Scar said with a frustrated sigh. He flopped against the wall over beside Bdubs. "It makes me sick to think what Evil X has already managed to do. How badly he got Etho and Cleo. How much worse it could have been. How there is absolutely nothing I could do to stop it. I know how we're so ridiculously outmatched here. If he even just did that same wither trick again right now, we'd lose. And I don't want to think about what losing means."

Scar closing his eyes as he pushed his hair back from his face, sweaty from the hours of digging.

"We're useless at fighting. We're useless at redstone--"

"Hey!" Bdubs interrupted.

"I'm useless at redstone," Scar corrected. "We're not going to be capturing ravagers or building fancy vaults or rigging up TNT explosions. And unless Evil X is afraid of flowers or really well-made trees, I don't think building and landscaping is going to be of much use here. All we can do is help the others so that they can stop Evil X for us."

"So, you're agreeing that we're useless then," said Bdubs.

Scar grimaced. It was one thing hearing your inner voice shouting it, but quite another to hear the words coming from one of his best friends.

"We're not heroes," Scar said eventually. "But that doesn't mean we're useless. We're just... we're the support class. We're like R2D2 and C3PO. They didn't fight either, but without their help, Luke, Han, and Leia couldn't have defeated the Empire. Oh, you're 3PO in this analogy, just so we're clear."

"But it's not like we're carrying secret plans with the weakness of the Death Star, or Evil X, or whatever this analogy is supposed to be," Bdubs pointed out. "Also, ha, you made me the taller robot!"

"Yeah but I'm the cooler robot," said Scar with a smile. "And we have shulker boxes full of stone and sand and dirt and logs and gravel. We can turn on farms and we can craft in bulk. We can take things to the others so they don't have to stop what they're doing to grab it themselves. And we can dig hole after hole after hole while the others recover enough to do the actual day-saving tomorrow."

"Can you stop looking on the bright side all the time?" said Bdubs. "It's super annoying."

Scar chuckled. "It's all I've got," he said, his smile tinted by sadness.

"I guess we'd better get back to work then," Bdubs said, hoisting his pickaxe off the ground.

"Bdubs," Scar said, his voice suddenly small. "Do you think we stand a chance?"

"Honestly? No," replied Bdubs. Scar nodded solemnly. "But if we're gonna go down, we can at least go down fighting!"

Scar pushed himself off the wall and held out a hand to Bdubs to pull him up too.

"To fighting in the ways we can," Scar said.

Bdubs accepted the hand.

"Let's get this bastard!" Bdubs said.

---

Keep reading here.

[azucanela]

Okay so i'm feeling pretty bad atm because my best friend replaced me and i need some fluffy rn. How about hcs for the reader being coldly abandoned by their previous best friend. Believing she is alone, she falls to her knees and cries outside in the middle of the rain. A moment later, she glances over to see Bakugou, Kirishima and Shinsou behind them trying their best to cover her from the rain with their jacket. Thank you♡

COMFORTING YOU AFTER A FRIENDSHIP ENDS HEADCANNONS + SCENARIOS

[ft. bakugo katuski, kirishima ejirou, shinsou hitoshi]

SUMMARY: In which you are abandoned by your closest friend and are found by the boys. 

WORD COUNT: 2.7k

WARNINGS: mentions of murder, mean friends, me being violent, y/n has those main character moments in the rain its nice, 

A/N: bb im so sorry that they did that,,, please know that im here if you need anything and i will fight this person :D with your permission of course.

BAKUGOU KATSUKI

your so called friend ended up ditching you

im going to throw hands literally 

you end up leaving the caf�� you have been waiting for her in, near tears, and as if it can’t get any worse, you have no ride home, so naturally, you are now walking whilst trying to keep from crying

you’re about half a mile from UA, the hill is visible in the distance and you are very relieved because you just wanna cry in your bed

then it starts to rain

so yeah it did get worse

out of frustration and the built up sadness, you just kinda start crying, coming to a stop and falling to a seat at the side of the road

you felt so alone, the one person you thought would always be around he replaced you

clearly they didn’t feel the same

meanwhile, katuski is running with his jacket above his head, cursing out the skies

and then he spots someone crying in the rain, he initially thinks nothing of it, until he realizes its you

the girl who he “begrudgingly” helped study on weekends, the one who he was up until 2AM with, even though he slept like a grandpa

now he’s cursing for a different reason, he comes over to you

he is gonna wanna kill someone when he finds out and tbh you should let him but thats just me

in the past, people have abandoned him due to his personality, and though it hurt in the moment, he got over it pretty quickly 

and tbh, most of the time he had a little squad of jerks following him around so he didn’t really care abt anyone else.

Staring at the text she’d just recieved, Y/N let out a shaky breath, trying to compose herself. Her so called best friend wasn’t coming, and would never be coming again. Apparently she had better things to do than hangout with some wannabe hero. Blinking away the tears, Y/N stood making her way to the exit of the shop, she stepped outside. 

She was beginning to regret ever leaving the UA campus, because at this point she’d much rather be crying in bed rather than in public. Y/N was suddenly grateful that the café was relatively close as she speedily walked down the sidewalk.

The one person she thought would be there for her through everything, through all the pain and joy and anything in between, was gone. Great. 

At least it couldn’t get worse than this, she decided as she saw the UA Campus in the distance, relief flooding her as her pace quickened. 

Then she saw lightning in the distance, thunder rattling in the sky, Y/N couldn’t help but wince. As water began to poor over her she paused her steps, exhaling deeply as she looked up at the sky. 

Then the tears began to fall, a hand coming to her mouth to quiet the sobs escaping her as she fell to the ground, seating herself at the side of the road, Y/N felt her body shake as she tried to force herself to even out her breathing.

Meanwhile, Katsuki was cursing out the skies, he’ been on his way back from visiting his parents when it began to pour. Immediately bringing his jacket over his body to try and shield himself from the brunt of the rain as he ran through the now empty streets. Save for one shaking person on the side of the road, causing him to raise a brow at, it was pouring rain and they were just sitting there?

He slowed temporarily to try and get a better understanding of what was going on, only to realize he recognized the person. Y/N. His classmate, the one he begrudgingly tutored on the weekend, the one he cursed out when she forgot to eat, the one who kept him up until 2AM even though his bedtime was normally 9PM.

Katsuki grimaced, coming up behind her with his jacket overhead to try and shield her from the rain as he spoke, “what the hell are you doing out right now? You’re gonna get sick.” 

Y/N jumped at the sudden voice behind her, though she knew it was Katsuki, she turned to see he was holding his jacket over the two of them, the red of her eyes a dead giveaway that she’d been crying. She couldn’t bring herself to speak as she looked up at him in shock. What was he doing here?

Katsuki’s face fell as his eyes scanned her for injuries, “who did this to you?” He wasn’t the best when it came to comfort, and he feared that would show as he began to interrogate her. 

Blinking Y/N realized what she must’ve looked like, trying to shake off the feelings she was experiencing she spoke, “we should go.” Wiping the water from her face, she moved to stand, and Katuski moved with her, his eyes still on her face. 

“Hold this side of the jacket.” He ordered, and she did as she was told, bringing one hand up to the left side of the jacket, which was now soaked in water and doing little to help. This action provided Katsuki with a freehand to put on the small of her back and push her forward rather aggressively. He lead them to a small grocery store on the street, pushing the door open. 

They were dripping wet, and looking up at Katsuki, who had returned to interrogating her, Y/N couldn’t help it when more tears leaked out of her eyes and she lunged forwards to tackle him in a hug.

He quickly shut up, body stiffening momentarily before he allowed his hands to wrap around her waist and return the hug. “Thank you,” she mumbled, burying her head in his chest.

Brows furrowed, Katsuki scoffed, “yeah, yeah. Whatever.” He turned to the view the rest of the store, “pick out some food, I’ll cook you something when we get back.”

Looking up at him, her mouth gaped open, “are you serious?”

“Did I stutter, you idiot?”

kirishima ejirou 

okay so

kirishima definitely is gonna hound you with questions when he finds you crying

like he cannot allow his bb to cry

not that you know you are his bb but like

it would be unmanly of him to just leave you in such a state so he does his best to comfort you.

has likely never experienced something like this so he can’t really empathize with you but he’ll try

basically tries to make you smile and laugh the entire time you are upset

contemplates talking to the girls for help, but he doesn’t know if you want others involved

instead texts them how girls like to be treated when sad but in a very vague way and tries to pass it off as some obscure tik tok trend

they go along with it, thankfully, mina has a major obsesssion though so shes upset she didn’t know about this trend

thats how kirishima accidentally started a tik tok trend

will respectfully commit a murder

respectfully

i’ll help

least likely to acc go through with murder tho

he’s going to try his best

also goes the food route, based off his studies via the “tik tok trend” and he will gladly hold you

Exiting the convenience store with a plastic bag of candy in hand, Kirishima sighed. He’d been out longer than anticipated, and it was already getting dark. The grey clouds above signaling the possibility of rain, Kirishima grimaced, he needed to get back to UA quickly.

He’d intended to have a movie night with the rest of the Bakusquad that night, and maybe even invite Y/N. He’d been trying to work up the courage to finally ask her out, but it hadn’t been going well. He didn’t feel very manly each time he chickened out, and Kaminari’s teasing didn’t help at all, escaping him was the main reason Kirishima agreed to pick up the candy that day. 

Sighing, Kirishima continued to walk, though the rain came faster, pouring down onto him as he groaned in annoyance, hoping that it wouldn’t damage his snacks as he pulled his jacket off to provide himself with some cover. Though it wasn’t very helpful, it was better than nothing. 

He begins to speed up, jogging slightly when he notices someone on the curb, seated. Kirishima frowns, moving behind them and bringing his jacket over them, “hey, what are you doing?” Considering how much it was raining now, and the sound of the thunder overhead, he figured the storm that was coming would only get worse. Being outside was the worst idea. And as a hero in training, he simply couldn’t allow this action. 

The mysterious person turns around, and Kirishima suddenly realizes its his classmate, his frown only deepening when he sees her swollen eyes. “Kirishima? She says, confusion clear in her tone as she looks up at him, eyes wide. They knew each other fairly well, though he could be shy at times, he was fun, and nice. And of course, rather respectful during all their interactions, she liked him. 

Kirishima pauses before finding himself sitting beside her in the pouring rain and allowing the water to hit him as he lowered his jacket, pulling a candy bar from his bag. “What’s wrong?” He asked, extending the candy to her. Though it would likely react poorly should she open it and the candy came in contact with the rain, it was the thought that counted.

Y/N’s mouth gaped open as she smiled sadly at him, taking the candy bar from him, “thank you.” She whispered, “it doesn’t really matter anymore, though.” She looks up at the sky, water cascading down her face as she inahles deeply.

Suddenly, Kirishima’s hand is in hers, “it’s bothering you, so obviously it matters.” He tugs her hand to get her to stand up alongside him, “and it wouldn’t be very manly of me to leave a pretty lady out in the rain.” 

A laugh escaped Y/N at this, “and I could never force a handsome man like yourself to stay out in rain.” Comes her reply, “let’s go.”

She wasn’t alone. Not while she had him.

shinsou hitoshi

WELL

definitely the best at comforting someone especially with something like this

feeds you sweets because food makes everything better, will be affectionate just for this instance because he knows you just want some love during this time

the best to talk to about it tbh, he’s very good at giving advice and listening to your problems

i feel like shinsou has probably experienced something similar in the past and he’s gonna understand what you are feeling

won’t try to make you open up but you’ll want to, he has a comforting presence

very calm about it, gently speaks with you and guides your actions, makes sure you take care of yourself if you are in a really bad place

once you’ve stopped crying he’ll ask you what happened and should you tell him he’ll honestly be VERY mad

like why would someone do that to an ANGEL like YOU???

is genuinely confused and potentially in a murderous mood

and he has the quirk to get away with it

wants to go off on this person though, desperately, and should he ever run into them they are going to get a piece of his mind

a really really mean piece of his mind

Shinsou frowned as he felt a droplet of water fall onto his head, realizing that rain would likely come soon, he picked up the pace of his walk. He’d been out at the bookstore, and was suddenly grateful that he hadn’t bought anything as he watched everyone in the shopping center begin to retreat to their cars and into shops. 

He watched a lightning flashed in the distance, brows furrowing at the realization that a storm was coming when thunder accompanied the sight and pouring rain soon followed. UA wasn’t far, but he didn’t really want to have to run in the rain up the hill the school had been built upon.

Turning a corner, his eyes scanned the area in search of a shop he could wait out the storm in when they fell on the figure of someone seated in the rain, no umbrella or hood to protect them from the downfall, and their body shaking. 

Then he recognized the hoodie. It was his actually, and he knew exactly who he’d lent it to. 

Y/N L/N. The pretty girl in the hero course who’d threatened anyone who spoke poorly of him, defending his honor even though he never asked. She was always kind to him, even when they weren’t the closest of friends. Though that had changed, the pair now talking almost daily about a variety of things, something Shinsou was grateful for.

Questions flood his mind as he removes his jacket and brings it above him, going over to her, and when he’s close enough he can hear her small sobs, barely muffled by the palm of her hand. Shinsou can’t help but feel concerned as he brings his jacket above her to shield her from the rain, “hey, let’s go.” He mumbles gently. 

Y/N looks up at him, her eyes red and puffy, and if it weren’t pouring Shinsou would’ve hugged her right there. “What are you doing?” When she’d simply collapsed in the rain, her emotions overwhelming her, she hadn’t assumed Shinsou would randomly appear.

“Getting you out of the rain.” Came his response, “come on, we can wait out the storm in the café.” Shinsou would’ve extended a hand had he not be preoccupied by holding up his jacket, which was now soaking through.

Sniffing, she nodded, “yeah, you’re right.” She stands, and he follows her movements, jacket never leaving her figure as the pair makes their way to the door of the café. Y/N pushes the door open, and they both enter, allowing him to finally put the jacket above his head down, though it started soaking onto the floor. 

He threw it outside, much to Y/N’s shock, “I don’t wanna dirty the floor.” Shinsou explained nonchalantly, his purple hair sticking to his forehead. “Have you eaten?” 

“Sorry about your hoodie.” She mumbled, at they moved out of the way of the entrance. 

Raising a brow, he extended a hand, “that didn’t answer my question.” 

Y/N’s brows furrowed as she looked to his hand, tilting her head in confusion as she placed her hand into his, Shinsou gave her a small smile before leading her to the line of the café as she replied, “no. I didn’t.”

His brows draw together as she looks at her, she seems resigned, quieter than normal. “How about a muffin then? Or maybe a cupcake?” He peers into the display window, squinting at the variety of foods. “I say cupcakes,” In his experience, sugary foods always made things better, to an extent at least. 

Giving him a tight lipped smile, she nodded, “sure.” He was trying. It was better than nothing if she was honest. Considering the fact that her best friend had abandoned her today, it was a nice reminder, that she wasn’t alone. She had other people, regardless of what had happened.

Shinsou’s eyes met hers as he sighed, bringing his free hand to the back of his neck, “you wanna talk about it?” He knew they’d have to address it at some point, there was no denying that she had clearly been crying, something had upset her. 

Shaking her head, Y/N pulled him closer using their joined hands and brought him into a hug, “not right now.” It was an oddly intimate moment, despite the fact that they were in public.

Regardless, he pulls her tightly against him, wrapping his arms around her protectively as he responds, “alright. 

A/N: if anyone ever needs to talk or anything pls know im here! my dms are always open to anyone for anything :D

anyways, remember to sleep well, eat food, and drink water!

[uwua3]

may I request taichi with friend/crush reader? reader asked taichi to help them dye their hair, and while the hair dye is processing they start to awkwardly flirt/joke with each other to the point that they don't notice how much time passed and the dye became too dark. i'm sorry if this is too specific, but thank you so much in advance if you do write it! take care! c:

hi hi, anon~ ☆ thank you so much for requesting! this made me sososo #Happy because taichi deserves all the love in the world 💗 !! ∪･ω･∪ please give our baby puppy nanao your heart 🥺👉🏻👈🏻 he deserves it! you also deserve love, anon~ ‧⁺◟( ᵒ̴̶̷̥́ ·̫ ᵒ̴̶̷̣̥̀ ) please accept all my #Love 💖✨ for this prompt! thank you for everything, i love you lots, okay? :D 💕

summary: when your best friend, taichi, texts you there’s an emergency, you come running to a bad hair day

author’s note: please love taichi lots, reader! that’s all~ have a good rest of your day and remember taichi & i will always love you sososo much !! (>◡<♡).:｡

word count: 3,055

music: dream boy – waterparks

bad hair day!

🍁🛹 nanao taichi

“where is he?!”

sakyo stared down at you, opening the door after waking up to repetitive pounding that nearly shook the whole dorm

you were still in your pajamas and out of breath—did you run over here?

before sakyo could angrily swear at you for making no sense just past midnight, you ducked underneath his arm and escaped around the corner

although some dorm lights were on, most of the rooms were pitch black as expected of it being a school day tomorrow. you were about to sprint into the slightly ajar door of room 105 before omi stepped out, an amused smile greeting you

“taichi’s in the bathroom, if you’re looking for him.” omi gestured towards the shared bathrooms at the end of the hallway, to which you gratefully thanked him and ran off again

(omi looked after you, a smile upon his tired expression. “kids these days.” omi yawned, heading back into his dorms and shutting the door softly behind him)

you didn’t take as much consideration into your actions before you slid into the communal bathroom, slamming the door behind you with uncontrollable force. you leaned against it, panting as you finally saw him

nanao taichi was sitting near the sink with three (3) boxes of random hair dye on the counters, very obviously confused and distressed

“taichi, what’s the emergency?!”

“my hair dye isn’t the right shade!”

“... are you serious?”

this was it. it was hair–dye day

except this time, it wouldn’t be just taichi’s hair transformation—you were getting a new look, too!

how did you get yourself into this mess exactly? maybe sleepily reading an urgent message from your best friend late at night declaring he was having an “emergency” wasn’t a good idea after all...

there was something about taichi’s big puppy eyes that couldn’t make you say no despite all your frustration, so here you were, tiredly following an overexcited boy down the aisles of the local convenience store

did i mention it was way too late? on a school day, by the way? i didn’t, well, now you know!

“taichi,” you called out, rubbing the sleepiness from your eyes and tried not to wince at the bright led lights of the display. taichi barely paid attention, humming an incoherent answer as he browsed the rainbow shelf of hair dyes in front of him

“don’t you think... we should wait until tomorrow?” taichi seemed to process your words a moment late, because he turned towards you, bewildered as if you were the crazy one

yeah, you were crazy. taichi definitely wasn’t holding three wildly different boxes of hair dye and debating between all of them. he also definitely didn’t mislead you into thinking something happened when all he had was s bad hair day. you knew you had to intervene or else his usual red would become kazunari’s palette

“tomorrow? what’s wrong with now?”

“it’s almost midnight, we have school in nearly seven hours, and i know for a fact you didn’t do your homework.”

(taichi flinched at that and you were unsatisfied to see you were right, as always)

“i know that, but!—” “it’s midnight.” “hey, new day, new you, right?” “we have school in a few hours.” “think of how cool you’ll be showing up with dyed hair!” “you have homework.”

“i know, i know,” taichi shrugged, holding the boxes up to his line of sight with serious consideration as he glanced at you. with one look at your tiredness, taichi put the red cart down and completely faced you, putting his hands on your shoulders with a pout

“come on, don’t be like that!” taichi whined, nearly stomping his feet when you just huffed and looked away. jumping so he stayed in your view, it was like a pet wanting attention and using its cuteness as its charm

“hey, hey, look at me, please~?” taichi dragged out, moving his hands so they cupped your cheeks. he made you look at him and all you saw was a backwards baseball cap on a head of nearly half black hair and wide cyan eyes. he looked fully awake, you wondered where his infectious energy came from

“turn that frown, upside down!” taichi turned the corners of your lips up with his pointer fingers, making you automatically smile with the way his giggle got louder. “that’s my best friend!” taichi patted your cheeks again and bounced back down to his heels, rocking back and forth on his worn down sneakers

“look at us! we’re two high schoolers about to make an impulsive decision! nothing could go wrong!” taichi laughed and although there were a million things that could’ve gone wrong, you just sighed with a smile on your face

“you’re right.” you said even if he wasn’t. taichi just picked the cart back up and tilted his head towards the dyes, asking for your opinion on what colors you liked

you chose red, too. when taichi questioned why curiously, you patted his head and responded with, “so we can match!”. the boxes of hair dye you both bought were red just like taichi’s face when you answered honestly

sneaking back into the bathroom to avoid the “you have school” lecture from a very pissed off sakyo who still couldn’t go back to sleep, you and taichi failed at hushed whispers. everything felt like a joke and it didn’t exactly help taichi found everything you did hilarious and comical

setting down the boxes like it was second nature, taichi let out a sound of excitement at the colors. even if you were running on little to no sleep, you felt the same with the adrenaline of looking like a new person in just a few hours

“we’re gonna look so cool!” taichi squealed, taking his time mixing the dye color with the bowl and brush quickly

you sat on the sink counter, swinging your legs as taichi leaned onto the surface next to you, rambling away about how popular red was this season and how all the students will fall in love with his trendiness

used to your friend’s lovesick, hopeless romantic antics, you fondly rolled your eyes as you stretched, stifling a yawn

“is that why you decided to dye your hair tonight?”

“... maybe. there was advice that having perfext roots would attract any woman in my favorite love advice column!”

“...” “do you think people will like my hair?” “they might think we’re a couple since we’re matching.”

taichi suddenly stopped mixing, staring at the bowl wide eyed at the red dye. you were about to ask what happened, before taichi nervously laughed and looked towards the ground

“u–us? a couple?! no way...” taichi blurted out, avoiding your eyes as he began mixing even faster

“do you want me to change my color then—?” you cautiously started, about to change your mind before taichi interrupted hastily, almost knocking the other boxes over by waving his gloved hands

“no! i mean, haha... no, no, it’s fine! don’t worry about it!” taichi laughed so you slowly nodded, not buying it but deciding to go with the flow anyways. you were too tired to think about it too hard

you both unanimously agreed that taichi would dye your hair first. after all, he had more experience doing this by himself until you came along

one thing though, you didn’t want to ruin your pajama shirt. after rummaging through his closet quietly, you felt a t–shirt land on your head and heard a victorious laugh from the doorway

lifting the shirt, you recognized the one–eyed monster graphic design on the front, its tongue sticking out with some graffiti text above its head

“are you sure? you always wear this one?” you hesitated to take it before taichi forced it back into your hands, his expression easy and humorous

“take it, it’ll look better on you, anyways.” taichi casually said and you wondered how many smooth pick up lines he’s been reading. but, one look at his light smile and you could tell he genuinely meant it

returning back into the bathroom wearing a black t–shirt, you had changed into his t–shirt as well. while you were making sure all the dyes were separated to avoid any accidents, you barely noticed taichi stop dead in his tracks

(how come you looked so... good, in his t–shirt? maybe, he should give you his clothes more often... taichi gulped, wondering why he was suddenly feeling this way. it must’ve been the lack of sleep, the tiredness of staying up past his usual bedtime, that’s all!)

“are you ready for the best hair day ever?”

unexpectedly, taichi was quiet for the next hour or so. you could tell from the way he carefully applied just the right amount on your roots to how he knew the time on the box without even looking

maybe it was the way neither of you had proper sleep schedules, but you nearly fell asleep when taichi began combing your hair. after letting it develop, taichi began evenly distributing the red color while humming a popular pop song from his playlist in the background

you didn’t know when you dozed off, but you woke up to a flash of a camera and heard taichi’s snickers right in front of you. rubbing your eyes, you sat up straighter to notice a plastic bag was wrapped around your hair with an empty bowl of red dye discarded in the sink

“morning, sleepyhead~!” taichi greeted way too happily at this hour, making you groan as you stood up. “you didn’t sleep, taichi?” you wondered out loud, noticing how he scrolled through his phone aimlessly with a nonchalant sound

“yawn—i mean! i’m not even tired, gotta wait for your timer to go off to rinse your hair!” (it was his rule that he was always the last person to sleep if he was with you) taichi proudly held up his phone and showed you the screen, as if you could see it from there

(maybe if you could, you would’ve prevented the disaster about to occur in the very near future)

“your turn, puppy. come over here.” you stretched and taichi squealed, running over just to nearly knock over the chair from excitement. taichi always liked doing things with you, and you pampering him made him feel a lot happier than he’d like to admit

“can you stay still?” “i’m trying~! geez, so mean first thing in the morning... uuh...” “awww come on, don’t act like a kicked puppy, taichi!” “woof...”

it was the saddest bark you’ve ever heard. you smiled even if taichi was squirming in his seat and pet his dry hair, your best friend automatically leaning into your touch with a content sigh as he closed his eyes. oh, finally! taichi went still, letting you start the dye process quickly

just like you, taichi was on the verge of staying awake and falling asleep. it was nice to have someone taking care of you like a little kid, not to mention how neither of you have slept for more than half a hour at time. as you applied the rest and making sure all the sections were even, taichi stirred in his sleep with a cute yawn again

“i’m cool, right?” taichi mumbled, seemingly getting closer and closer to snoring. you held back a snicker, nodding your head as you kept going with the dye. for your first time, it wasn’t even that bad

“yes, of course. you’re the coolest boy at o high, taichi.” you reassured truthfully, to which taichi pouted like a kid, crossing his arms and leaning his head back. you made sure none of the dye dripped off before you started painting the bright red on again

“that’s not true... juza and tenma go to o high... they’re so popular, everyone loves them.” taichi added on sadly, but you knew he meant it and it wasn’t just fishing for compliments. wondering why a boy as amazing as taichi would have an inferiorty complex, you frowned and tried to focus on applying the dye

“well, i think you’re the coolest to me, then. after all, juza and tenma don’t have this cool red hair!” you almost ruffled his hair but stopped, knowing it’d mess up the part. taichi must’ve sensed you were about to do so, because he let out a loud, sudden laugh with a big smile

“hehe, you’re the coolest to me, too!” taichi trailed off into a low voice, about to fall asleep for good. you wrapped his head to make sure the hair stayed in place, satisfied with your hard work and dedication to your best friend’s appearance

“do you say that to everyone you meet?” you joked, but taichi just shook his head vigirously, entering sleepy puppy mode anyways

“no, just you, you know why~?”

“why?”

“‘cause... i like y...”

taichi snored, his head falling lower as he fell asleep for good. you didn’t even process it, deciding to take the seat next to him without checking the time

time to get some shut eye...

you slowly woke up, realizing that you were now laying your head on top of taichi’s. he was almost drooling on your shoulder, even breaths leaving his lips as he continued sleeping. you lifted your head to look around for the reason why you woke up, until you noticed the constant ringing of taichi’s phone on the sink counter

“puppy, wake up, it’s time to rinse our hair.” you pushed taichi off, automatically waking him up as he rapidly blinked, trying to focus his blurry vision as he yawned

“... has the sun always been up?”

you froze, staring at taichi’s casual expression before it morphed into shock, his wide eyes finding yours with urgency. don’t tell me...

you rushed off the chair, nearly hitting it to the ground as you grabbed taichi’s vibrating phone, looking at the screen. instead of a timer for rinsing, it was labeled for starting the school day

“taichi.” you said, slowly turning to see him staring back at you. the realization dawned upon both of you severely. “we have school in less than a hour.”

mankai bathrooms were always chaotic in the morning, especially with twenty (20) plus boys all sharing one space. yet, today might’ve been the worst day to use the bathroom yet

you and taichi immediately began cleaning up and rinsing your hair at the same time, losing your minds over the lack of time as you two knew both your hair could not be saved

“what if i’m not cool anymore?!”

“can we focus on going to school on time?”

(banri and juza were exchanging their usual harsh morning greetings to each other, walking side by side to the bathroom only to hear taichi’s pierching shriek and your immediate scream back. they shared a look before collectively going back to their room, not wanting to know. it was the first thing they agreed upon in a while)

taichi dashed out of the bathroom with half a hour to spare, quickly putting on his uniform on without noticing omi who stood by the door, holding onto taichi’s backpack with an amused glint to his eyes

when taichi finally found his o high dark green blazer and pants (his dress shirt buttons were mismatched, but that wasn’t important), he was about to run right past omi before omi put his arm out, stopping taichi from leaving

“forgetting something?” omi held out taichi’s backpack with a packed lunch, making taichi exhale with relief as he took it gratefully. “omi, you’re the best ever!”

omi instead shook his head and crossed his arms, gesturing towards the bathroom where you were still cleaning up the red mess

“no, they’re the best. make sure you tell them that.” omi scolded gently, ruffling taichi’s hair but suddenly narrowing his eyes, looking the teen up and down with a confused look

“huh...? didn’t you dye your hair, why isn’t it that red?”

“don’t remind me, omi!”

(fun fact: leaving hair dye on for longer than 45 minutes will in fact, make the color much darker than intended)

(also... dry hair...)

you luckily brought your uniform, thinking the big emergency would require a sleepover. you stepped out of the bathroom and apologized to the bewildered and incredulous line that formed outside, rushing off to find taichi shoving a piece of bread in his mouth

“here! catch!” you assumed taichi tried to say, because his words were muffled as he threw you something from the kitchen. you caught it with ease, putting it in your pocket as you and taichi said goodbye to everyone in the dorms

you two didn’t even bother addressing why taichi’s hair was many shades darker and why yours was red as well. you two just left and prayed to whoever was listening you’d make it to school on time... or else

half way through making it out the door, you and taichi finally caught each other’s eyes and burst into laughter, nearly falling onto each other in the middle of the sidewalk like a bunch of weirdos

“yo! look at our hair!” taichi spluttered out, reaching up to touch your now red hair. you wheezed, trying to not cry from the sheer audacity of the strange situation at hand

“dude, look at your hair! it’s even darker!” you laughed and even though his bright red hair was apart of his identity, taichi couldn’t stop laughing just because he went through it with you

“am i still cool?”

“definitely, even cooler now, i think.”

the laughter died down and taichi wrapped his arm around your shoulder, grinning like there was no tomorrow

“you’re the best. i’m so lucky to have you.”

you suddenly remembered something you didn’t respond to just mere hours ago, and figured it was better late than never

“i like you, too.”

when taichi overcame his visible shock and multiple “are you serious?! don’t play with my feelings like that!” and figuring out you were being honest, he slipped his hand into yours with a visible jump to his step as you two walked to school

even if he wore gloves, his hands were still somewhat stained red from the hair dye that started it all

(“did you do the homework this morning?”)

(“... we had homework?”)

(“oh, taichi...”)

[narvaldetierra]

Hide and seek

This is the Kidnapped prompt for the #BarsonBingoAugust2021 created by @simpforbarba

Warnings: Blood, psychological torture, some descriptions can be graphics. Let me know if I forgot anything. Words: 4181. Disclaimer: English is not my first language.

“What do you say if we go for some Chinese food and go to your apartment? We may find Noah still awake if we go now.” Said Rafael standing at Olivia's office door.

The lieutenant looked up and put down the papers she was reading, surprised because she hadn't heard him arrive. She gave him an exhausted smile and took off his glasses.

“That would be great but…”

“You have a case.”

“I have a case.”

“A case for which they are pressuring you a lot, according to what I heard” He approached the desk. He already knew these kinds of cases, they resonated that much in the newspapers, that became a political issue, so the high levels pushed the police to the limit.

“That's right, but every clue we have just led us to a dead-end road.— Olivia sighed and dropped the paper in her hand. All that she wanted was to leave the station, take a walk with Rafael and be there when Noah went to bed, so she could read his bedtime story, for the first time that week.

“Hey… I know you are in a difficult position, but it's no use that you stay here all night, without sleeping” Rafael sat in the chair across the desk “You need to take a step back and stop looking at all that evidence for a while. When you come back tomorrow, after a good night’s sleep, you may see this and find something you didn’t see.”

“You may be right” she granted, still a little upset that she couldn't move further in the case.

A series of corpses had been found. Two each time, couples, according to what their family said. They had rope marks on their wrists, traces of sedatives, shoots in their chest and heads. All the women were raped. The Killer Match the press had called it. All the beginning, it seemed to follow a path with just heterosexual couples, but they suddenly found a sapphic couple and another one gay. They had found five couples, the last two had appeared after the investigation of the third, unlike the first two that were found thanks to the ongoing investigation. They were three weeks apart each time, and they were running out of time before they had a new couple on the coroner's table.

Olivia stood and took her stuff, purse, and coat. Rafael smiled back at her and stood as well, held out his hand towards her. As they left her office, he crossed an arm over her shoulders, and kissed her cheek, trying to improve her mood.

“When we arrive at the apartment, I will take care to spoil you.”

“With you being by my side is enough. Besides, I’m so tired that I’m not sure I’ll be able to eat dinner.”

---

They were sitting at a table, waiting for the takeaway food. A glass of wine in front of Olivia, and scotch in Rafael’s hand. It should have been 15 minutes and it had been already 20. After a long day, Olivia was a little impatient, her mind thought in that case, again and again, reviewing in her mind the evidence they had. After another five minutes, Rafael went to claim their food and she was left alone. Then she almost had an epiphany. She took the file from her purse, checked some papers, and then she made a search on her phone. She gasped as she realized.

“What happened?” Rafael asked when he came back, as he knew that look in her eyes “What did it happen when I wasn’t here”

“I… I found it” she replied still surprised by her own words “I know who he is, I know where he is. It was in front of us all this time, and we didn’t even notice!”

Rafael knew right away that they wouldn’t go home, after the last week, she wouldn’t let it be not even a minute more. They got into her car and Rafael put the food on the back seat. He would follow her till where ever she wanna go. He didn’t need to ask her anything.

She parked in front of a flower shop, behind the shop was the owner's house. Due to the time, all the shops in the area were already closed and the street looked almost deserted. Without her police radio, she took her phone and called for reinforcements. Olivia walked determinedly to the door of the flower shop, she took out his gun and his badge willing to be herself the one to arrest him. Upon closer inspection of the flower shop, she could see that the door was open, which gave her the green light to enter.

“Rafa, stay here”

“But Liv…”

“No, no but. The reinforcements are on the way, it is just a guy and you are not authorized to be the ADA in my case. You just wait here, and when the patrol arrives you send them inside.”

She didn’t let him make any reply and entered the flower shop. Identified herself as NYPD, just in case there was someone near enough to hear her, she couldn't let this case get lost on any kind of legal technicality. The shop lights were off, some street lights hardly leaked through the window. She advanced slowly with her gun in hand and alert. The first room cleared. It was when she went to the backroom when she felt a prick in her neck. It was too fast, just a little pressure and when she turned back, she fell to the ground just like a puppet whose strings had been cut. The gun, still in Olivia’s hand, shot up when it hit the ground. Rafael heard and he immediately went inside.

“Liv!” He exclaimed entering the back room.

She still had her eyes open and used all her will to try to move and warn him, but it was useless, she couldn’t even feel her arms or legs. Rafael ran to her across the door and before he could reach her, the perpetrator hit his head with a flower vase, knocking him out instantly. Barba fell beside Olivia, who looked at him terrified and then at the guy who was looking at them with a wide satisfied, and creepy smile on his face.

---

She woke up and everything was dark around her. She felt dizzy and sleepy. Her eyelids were heavy and she had a hard time staying focused. She could tell she was in a car. No. She was in the trunk of a car. She could feel the movement and the only thing she wanted was to hear the police siren following them near. She focused on what she could hear, but there was nothing outside but the normal sound of traffic. Little was the space she had to move and even less was allowed by the ropes that restricted her movements. Her mind threatened to bring back horrible memories of her tied up and gagged, in the trunk of Lewis' car moving with complete impunity. She tried her best not to think about it and tried to break free. It was then that she realized that she was not alone in the trunk.

Her heart stopped for a moment. Because her hands were tied up behind her, she had to lie on her side to be able to touch him. She looked for his pulse or any other vital sign, she begged for him to stay alive, and he was. Without being able to see him, she was guided by touch and when she felt the suspenders across his chest, she knew it was Rafael. It had to be him, she didn’t want to think of the alternative if it wasn’t him. She settled next to him, she wanted to feel his warmth and breath, somehow it made her feel better knowing that she wasn’t alone. She immediately felt guilty about it, since her relief was due to Rafael being kidnapped. There wasn’t anything she could do about it, and feeling Rafael by her side gave her the peace of mind that helped her repress the memories of those four days.

With the sedatives still in her system and prived of any external stimulus, she fell asleep again.

---

When Olivia opened her eyes again, she was alone. She was still tied up but in the middle of a forest. The sun was shining high, dazzling her eyes. She tried to stand, a difficult task with her hands tied behind her back, but after a few tries, she did it. There was no sign of Rafael nor even the guy that took them there. In front of her, leaning against a tree, there was a bag. She was sure that The Killer Match would be back soon, so she hurried to find something to release herself, so she could have a chance to do something.

She had a hard time trying to get something from the bag without looking, just feeling with her hands. Something pricked her left hand and as she could feel, she knew it was a Swiss knife. The blade didn’t seem very sharp but should be enough to cut the ropes.

While she was trying to free herself, a sound caught her attention. There was no one around, and it wasn’t a sound from the forest. She realized that it came from the bag, it seemed like a radio and when she looked inside the bag, she could see the antenna peeking out from under a compass and a canteen.

She finally released her hands and before anything else, she hurried to get to the canteen. She hoped it had some water, she felt thirsty and needed to drink anything. She wasn’t lucky at all, and the canteen was empty. She sighed with frustration and checked the bag. To the bottom of the backpack, she found a first aid kit pretty much empty as well. What she thought was a radio turned out to be the receiver of a baby monitor, just like she had used it when Noah was a baby. This one seemed to have been manipulated by hand.

“Hello… hi… testing… 1, 2, 3… Can you hear me?” A male voice came from the radio.

Olivia stood and took the bag, knowing that would be useful eventually. She looked around, looked for some path, looked for footsteps, and looked for something that helped her find a way to Rafael and understand what happened to him.

“If I'm not wrong, you both should be awake by now. I bet you already found the bag, but if you haven’t, now you do. No, it wasn’t left behind by a random hiker, is there for you to use it. We’re gonna play a game.”

“Both”, he said “both”, which meant that Rafael was somewhere in that forest too, probably confused and worried as she was.

“These are the rules: you both are on the opposite side of the forest, you both can hear me, but neither of you can communicate with each other. You can try to run away alone, or you can try to find each other. Either way, if I found you first, it’s game over. My dog has a good sense of smell, so I hope you can run fast.”

Word after word, Olivia began to understand all the victims went through and the kind of psycho this guy was. He was not just an amateur or a simple serial killer. He was calculating and careful, he had planned this very well.

“Lieutenant Benson… How is your head? It hurts, right? I’m sure you are thirsty too. Don’t worry, it’s just a side effect of the sedative I gave you. It will only get worse if you don't get some water.” She heard derisive laughter “If you follow the right path you will find a river that crosses the entire forest, you can load the canteen there. But… You will realize that this will reveal your location. It’s your choice. The game begins… Now!”

---

Rafael was on the opposite side of the forest. He had dried blood on one side of his head and his shirt collar. His wrists were red where the ropes had been. He also had his backpack and he was looking for a way to know where to go and find Olivia. It had always been easy for him to orient himself with the cardinal points, but he didn’t know in which part of the forest he was, so he didn’t know where to go. He thought he could climb a tree, but he dismissed the idea immediately, he hadn't done that since he was a kid. He wandered his gaze through the woods around him and chose a random direction, he had to trust that he was going in the right direction.

The forest was peaceful. Sunlight trickled through the leaves of trees, which were shaken by the slight autumn breeze. He heard birds singing from the treetops, so high that he was not able to see them. However, his vitals were racing, with the same adrenaline that he had only felt with the most important court cases, or even more. He walked in a hurry and wondered where the hell they were. He thought that the trees and birds around him should have been a way to know that, but little was all he knew about it.

“I can see you” heard from the radio after a few minutes with silence. Rafael's heart stopped for a moment. He couldn’t be sure who of the two was he talking to. From what he came to see, it wasn't him. “I can sense your horror.” He heard the dog barking in the background, coming from the radio, then he knew it wasn’t talking to him. “It’s already too late for you to try and run away”

Rafael felt despair grow inside him, he lost the composure he had tried to preserve and ran through the forest. He prayed he was heading in the right direction, he prayed he could reach in time and he prayed that Olivia could run faster from that guy or his dog. His lungs burned and his vision became somewhat blurry, but he kept running until he heard the gunshot. The sound echoed both over the radio and in the forest. He stood in shock without knowing what to do. His full attention was on the radio and the sounds that came from it.

“Run while you still can, your time is running out” heard the guy said, only then he could breathe again. Olivia was still alive. And because of the gunshot, he knew where he had to go. That way he ran again, willing to get to Olivia before the psychopath did.

---

Meanwhile, Olivia was running desperate, tears in her eyes. Her head was killing her, but she didn’t care anymore. She had heard everything on the radio and needed to make sure Rafael was okay. From what she had heard, he had managed to escape from the Killer Match, she just hoped he'd dodged the shot. She already knew where she had to go. She knew she was more likely to meet The Killer, but she didn't care, she just wanted to reach Rafael in time.

“Do you think your partner is still here? I think we are already alone” said the guy. “Don’t be sad, you are not the only one. It was the same with the first two couples. You think you found the love of your life, but when the time comes, they just look for themselves.”

“Don't listen to him Rafa” Olivia thought. She was doing her best to keep running. Self-defense classes kept her fit, but being inside the gym in a controlled environment was not the same as being in the middle of a forest. “I’m still here. I won't leave you. Don’t give up now, I’m coming for you.”

“This started as an experiment, you know? It turned out to be a lot more entertaining than I thought. I saw the cops go and come with the bodies I left behind. They never thought I was suspect, until now. Did you know you didn’t find them all? There are still two more couples out there. I don't think you ever will. Neither of you will return alive.”

“Not on my watch,” she thought.

She didn't notice it until she heard the click. It was that fast that she couldn’t do anything about it. Ropes moved through the trees and raised an extensive net, hidden on the ground. Before she could tell, she was hanging ten feet off the ground, trapped in the net.

“No, no, no…” Overcome by panic, her heart stopped for a moment, she clung to the net and struggled with it.

“Oh, oh… Someone fell into a trap” heard the voice from the radio and with a chilling whisper he added, “I know where you are…”

Olivia's breathing was racing, her mind was fuzzy, she was desperate to get rid of as soon as possible so she could run away. She just wanted to find Rafael and get the hell away from the forest. She wanted to see her son again, hug him, and never think about The Killer Match again. It took a lot of effort on her part to be able to focus, when she did, she recalled the Swiss knife. She took it from her pocket, her hands shaking so much that she feared it fell. She squeezed her hand tight to avoid accidents. She sought to cut a hole large enough in the side of the net, to be able to pass through. Her plan was to hang from the net before jumping, to reduce the distance to the ground.

“You can’t hide from me. Just wait for it, I’m almost there.”

With great speed, the razor's edge passed over the rope of the net. She could felt how she was running out of time. She was sweating cold and her heart was beating as fast as a mouse.

“I prefer young couples for this game, but I had to admit that you are being entertained enough. I’ll enjoy killing you two.”

With two ropes off, Olivia was able to sneak out. She hung for a moment from the net and then she fell to the ground. Although she tried to calculate her fall, her hands did not hold out for long. A scream escaped her mouth due to the impact against the ground, she could felt her right ankle hurt. However, she had no time to lose, she needed to run as fast as she could go.

She stood up, laying his weight on the tree next to her, and then she ran.

---

Rafael fell on his knees. His lungs did not allow him to continue running. He was short of breath and already felt dizzy. He could feel like his heart wanted to jump out of his chest, his throat was dry and burning. He puts his hands on the ground trying to calm himself. He could feel the throbbing in his legs. He cleared his throat and used all his willpower to get back on his feet. Olivia needed him and that psycho was near to her. He stood for a minute and then ran again.

“I’m getting closer. I can hear your footsteps thumping loudly through the forest.”

“No! Liv, run… please, just run,” Rafael thought. He didn't care if she ran away and left him there, he didn’t care to die in the forest, as long as she was safe. The sound of a breaking branch interrupted his thoughts. He hid behind a tree and took the Swiss knife, with the blade ready for anything. It wasn’t much, but it was better than fight just with his fists. He heard footsteps advancing trying not to make noise. He wondered if it could be Olivia, but then he heard the dog and he knew it was The Killer Match.

“You are not very good at hiding, I can see you…”

He heard the gun charge behind him. He closed his eyes and let the air out of his lungs. He stood and turned around slowly. Just like he already knew, the killer was in front of him, just a few steps away. He raised his hands in the air and their gazes met. The killer smiled sadistically and licked his lips, just like a beast ready to devour its prey. He took the radio and brought it to his mouth.

“You can say goodbye to your man Lieutenant. It’s game over for him.”

Then he just shot. The Killer liked to play with his victims, so he wouldn't let the fun be over so soon. He made sure to hurt him, without killing him immediately. The bullet got to the low abdomen, on his right side. Rafael fell to the ground moaning in pain and dropped the knife. Blood gushed from the wound in great quantity and his first reflex was to pressure the wound. The Killer approached and pointed his gun at Rafael's head.

“I hope you know Lieutenant, that you just confirmed my theories. In the end, you just chose to save yourself.” He hooked the radio back on his belt, crouched next to Rafael, and put the gun to his temple. He took a pair of handcuffs from his pocket and handcuffed Rafael. Although he had the gun pointing to his head, offered some resistance, something the Killer enjoyed. He picked up the knife with a wide, terrifying smile on his face. “Perhaps I can still have some fun” He rested the knife on Rafael's cheek “Stay still, do not try anything” made a quick cut, moved the knife against his chest, and made a new cut, this time even deeper, which needed more pressure and strength. Rafael bit back a cry. “What else can I cut? A finger? A toe? Which would make you scream more? I want to hear you” He positioned the knife against the pinky, knowing that it would take a while to cut the skin, muscle, and tendons to separate the bone.

Out of nowhere, Olivia appeared. She pounced on the killer, took him away from Rafael, and knocked him to the ground. In the process she got him to drop the gun. “I was waiting for you to show up,” he yelled in amusement and fought against her. With his free hand, he wanted to strike a blow against her head, which she blocked with a hand. Automatically he thrust the knife into her other hand. Olivia screamed. Adrenaline ran through her body just like when she beat the hell out of William Lewis after four days of torture, so she dealt repeated blows against the face of the Killer, who only laughed.

He kicked her to get her off him, then he stood up and spit out some blood. Then he pounced over her. Due to her bad ankle, she lost stability and fell to the ground. Aided by gravity, he imprisoned her under his body. His hands moved up and down all over her body and Olivia struggled to take him off. He opened her shirt, ripping out the buttons before a new gunshot was heard.

Rafael had done his best to get to the gun he held in his bloody hands. There were just a few times that he had shot in his life, he didn’t feel comfortable holding a gun and it took him a long time to decide to shoot because he did not trust his aim. But the shot was clean. The Killer fell over Olivia, gushing blood from the shot on his head. Both Olivia and Rafael froze for a moment, their breaths were heavy and after a moment they could react. Rafael dropped the gun, Olivia pushed the corpse and ran to Rafael.

“Rafa!” she exclaimed, becoming aware of her aching body again. She knelt on the ground and put a hand on his wound. “Rafa… you’re gonna be fine, don't worry.”

“Liv, are you ok?” he asked, worried about her and the first gunshot he had heard from the radio. He hadn’t realized yet that it had been a mind game the Killer made for them, like a bait, to guide them towards him.

“Yes, yes… I am” she wasn’t aware of the tears that were falling down her face. “I… I’ll get some help.” Then she looked for a phone in the corpse pockets. She dialed 911 returning to Rafael's side and pressed on his wound. “I am Lieutenant Benson, from svu, I need a bus.” She gave the details to the operator and explained that she didn’t know where they were. They tracked her phone and soon enough the help was on its way. A few minutes later Olivia leaned over Rafael and kissed him, relieved to hear the sirens approaching. They were going to be fine.

[thedyingmoon]

🖤 I See My Future Before Me 🖤

***

XVII

***

It was the happiest moment of my life. The moment we spoke our vows, the promise of our unending love, the feeling when he slipped the ring on my finger, and that time when we kissed,...

... it was as if the universe conspired to make everything perfect for the two of us as husband and wife.

But, that was a year ago. Despite our efforts, we could not help but be crestfallen for the thing we desired the most but could not gain - offspring.

We consulted every possible expert we could think of but, it seemed that it really was impossible for me to conceive. And one day, we just,... stopped trying. I knew there was something wrong with me, and I could never deny it.

But, my husband, despite this condition of mine, stayed with me and remained patient and understanding. He never gave up on me and never once left me. He gave me all the love that he could, despite the fact that I was unworthy of it to begin with.

No, he never thought of me as unworthy. Never.

Then, one day, he gave me the most wonderful gift in the world. Gifts, in the form of three very different, yet precious, little girls who stood before me that one morning during my birthday.

He called them Galatea, Andromeda, and Cassandra. They were the three sisters of fate - The Bearer of The Past, The Protector of The Present, and The Aspect of The Future. The three loyal Muses that served him and guarded him.

Despite them not being human, and also not Demonic, in nature, they do mimic everything that normal little girls do. They play, sing, dance, they ask for bedtime stories, they yearn for love. And they were the most beautiful beings in all of existence.

They were,... perfect.

From that day onward, they have become my three darling daughters who stayed with me at all times, protecting us and making us whole and happy,...

***

"Talk about a fine line between love and hate.

We've lost more than our direction of late.

Talk about a fine line between lovers and friends.

We've never been lovers now we're not even friends.

In this invisible war, it seems we're waging an invisible war.

Everyday I seem to lose you more in this invisible war.

Wounded deeply the scar is here to stay,

Opening up the little things I do or say.

You always want things to be as before.

So I make you angry and you bleed a little more.

In this invisible war, it seems we're waging an invisible war.

Strained maneuvers keeping silent score in this invisible war."

"Where is V?" You asked Nico for the third time that day.

Instead of saying that she didn't know, the freckled woman sighed. "Is there something wrong, hon?" She inquired as she repaired one of Nero's Breakers.

"Ah, nothing." You let out with a dejected sigh.

"You sure?"

You nodded.

"Whatever you say,... "

It was a really cold and cloudy day. Nero was snoring loudly on the sofa, Nico was doing some more Breakers for him to kill time, V was, indeed, nowhere to be found,...

... and you?

Ever since that strange encounter you had with him earlier, you couldn't help but feel unnerved. It's like a part of him drastically changed the moment he went back from his talk with Fleminger. You so wanted to ask him what's bothering him, to comfort him and to offer a shoulder to lean on.

But, the fact that you just saw him got hurt with something unknown? It was like watchig a loved one suffer from the other side with bars separating them, making it impossible for one to reach the other. And it really took a toll on your sensitive emotions.

You just couldn't stop thinking and worrying about him. And it awfully hurt not to see the usual V you have grown to admire and adore.

Silly, yes. But, you missed him so much,...

And the sad song on the radio was really not helping with your current situation, at all!

Nico noticed your behavior and cleared her throat, which succesfully gained your undivided attention.

"If you're just gonna grumble all day, then we might as well try out my new invention."

"What's your new invention?"

The Artisan at Arms proudly smiled and crossed her arms.

"Oh, you'll see what I'm talkin' about." She gloated with a wink.

A few hours later, the two of you arrived at the farthest and most abandoned site in the city away from Fleminger's mansion.

Nico dropped her huge rucksack on the ground and took out several pieces of unflattering clothing from it.

"What are these?" You curiously asked as she handed them to you.

"Those are special clothes made from a very durable and expandable fabric that absorbs extreme heat and pressure. I was developing it a week before this whole fiasco began."

"And this is for me?"

"Of course!" Nico answered, crossing her arms and looking very proud. "You can't burst out of your clothes every time you transform into that thing! We need to innovate! And we,... " she took out a video camera from the rucksack, turned it on, and focused it at you. "... are going to test that right now."

Staring at the woman, clueless, you muttered, "Ah, so I have to change now?"

"Of course, dummy! And make it quick!"

After scrambling to a secluded, hidden place to change, you came out wearing Nico's invention looking like a huge walking fashion faux pas.

"Is this it?" You questioned, looking at the huge sleeves of the gray jumpsuit - like outfit that was several sizes too large for you.

"Pretty much, yeah." Nico answered as she settled her video cam on a tripod. She took a peak at it and waved her arms. "Hey, uh, I need you to move farther away."

You took a few steps away from Nico. "Like this?"

"Honey, I mean, further, further away. I don't want to get disintegrated!"

"Fine,..."

You walked several feet away from Nico, trying to measure just how much the impact of your transformation would make, and when you faced her once more, she finally gave you a thumbs up.

"Okay! I need you to transform on the count of three!"

"Alright!"

"Whenever you're ready!"

"I' am!"

"Alright, then! ONE, TWO, THREE!"

You called the entity's name, summoning it, and when you felt its presence, it instantly took over your body, enveloping you with that blinding light and disintegrating everything within your immediate vicinity.

"Never gets old, (Y/N)." Nico said, whistling as she captured your mind - blowing transformation on camera. "Never gets old."

The entity hovered on the ground for a moment, waiting for a command, until Nico finally gave it.

"Alright, hon! You can go back now!"

The seven - foot creature spread its arms, enveloping itself once more with light. And after a few heart - stopping moments later, you changed back to your original form,...

... butt - naked from head to foot.

And from the moment you realized how exposed you are, you gasped in fright, covered your private parts, then hustled back to that secluded place where you've been before to put on clothes.

A few minutes later, you were back, horrified to see Nico laughing non - stop,...

... and the camera still recording!

"Are you really my friend, or not?!" You shrieked at the woman, not caring in the least that your movements were being documented.

"Dude, chill! I need this for documentation!"

"Of your crappy invention?!"

"Hey! It's a - HAHA - work of - HAHA - art!"

"Ugh, SHUT UP!"

Despite your complaints, you were back to where you transformed, wearing another one of Nico's inventions but, this time - in the form of a school uniform.

"What,... IS THIS?!" You yelled at the woman, disgusted at how extremely short the skirt was.

"Uhh, never mind that!" Nico, who was fortunate that she was far away from you and, therefore, could not be seen sweating, answered nervously. "Another round!"

You sighed, shook your hands, took a deep breath, and morphed once more into the entity.

And, once more, Nico recorded it, along with how you morphed back, and how you were naked again.

"THIS IS NOT WORKING!" You shrieked like a depressed banshee as you made your way towards your hiding place to put on clothes.

"You're almost there!" Nico reassured you a few moments later as she recorded you once more, this time with you wearing what looked like a risqué pop idol cosplay. "Don't worry! You look hella cute!"

"Just get on with it!"

And so, you transformed once more, went back,...

"THIS IS NOT GOING ANYWHERE!" You angrily shrieked, this time not even bothering to run away to get dressed. You just strode angrily towards Nico, who was still filming you in all your naked glory. "And why do you have to film me getting myself naked? You're planning something, aren't you?!"

Nico laughed nervously, her sweat instantly giving her away. "What do you mean by that?! I'm so not going to let V see this!"

"UGH!" You let your frustration out as you facepalmed. Of course, she's planning to let V see all this!

However, at the mention of the poet's name, you heard a noise coming from somewhere not far away. Nico stopped panic explaining as soon as she saw you getting your guard up.

You swore that whoever's watching you, they would not get out of this alive. Not when you've exposed yourself over and over.

You took simple, wary steps to your left.

"Hey, Nico," you began. "I think I left something at the van."

"What's that?" The woman played along, knowing your plan by instinct.

"V's jacket! I remember he told me to mend it,..."

And surely enough, the two of you heard the noise once more. It sounded like,... a squawk?

Your eyes widened. You gave Nico a subtle nod and made a quick dive behind one of the boulders.

There was a struggle, a lot of noises and curses, and a few agonizing minutes later, you finally came out, dragging a blue demonic bird by its beak.

"MHMH! MHMH! MMHHMMHH!" Griffon yelled through his muffled beak.

"Ohoho, so the little chickee really wants to be cooked in a steel pot, after all!" Nico taunted, making the bird struggle even more, to no avail.

"BRING OUT THE STEEL POT!" You madly boomed, not letting go of Griffon's beak. "I WANT TO KNOW WHAT THIS BIRD IS BREWING UP!"

"MMMHHHMMM! NNNYYYEEERRRHHHGGG!" The bird panicked once more but, this time, he was able to let out a weak electrical current, enough for you to let him go.

"FUCK! FUCK! FFFUUUCCCKKK! I THOUGHT I'M DONE FOR!" Griffon squawked, flying just a few inches above your head. "WHAT'S YER PROBLEM, WOMAN?! YE TRYNA KILL ME BY COVERIN' MA NOSE?!"

"Ah,..." you stuttered but, then, remembered that you wouldn't do such a thing to him if he didn't start anything in the first place. "YOU CAN'T BLAME ME! You know, all you need to do is ask and I'll definitely allow you to come along,..."

"Wait, don't tell me Chickee here knows the secret?!" Nico exclaimed, pointing at you and Griffon.

After a minute or so of explanation on how Griffon came to know your secret, Nico nodded knowingly, finally accepting the fact that the bird was now in on all your secrets from that fateful day onward.

"So, let me get this straight, Chickee knows the secret but, V doesn't?" Nico questioned.

"Y - yeah,... ?" The bird hesitantly answered.

"WHAT'S THAT? YOU TOLD V, DIDN'T YOU?!" You yelled at the bird as you grabbed his wings.

"NO! NO! I SWEAR BY MA OWN FEATHERS! SHAKESPEARE DOESN'T KNOW A SINGLE THING! I SWEAR! I SWEAR! DON'T MURDER ME WOMAN, I BEG YOU!"

"He's telling the truth." You finally admitted as you let him go.

"WAIT!" Nico, who seemed to not let go of the issue just yet, stopped you. "If you're here, then V is here, too!"

Griffon's eyes widened. "Hehe, well,..."

"AHH!" You shrieked in embarrassment as you covered your parts and literally collapsed on the ground, feeling your body heat up.

"HAHAHA! WAHAHAHA! LOOK AT YA! WAHAHA! WAHA - !"

Now, it was Nico's turn to grab the demonic bird by his beak.

"Keep messin' with us, and you'll really have to say bye bye to your pretty little Shakespeare!"

"SQUAWK!"

After a few more threats to the poor bird, you three had finally managed to settle down. You, now fully dressed and officially through with Nico's experiments, were taking a nap, leaning against the wall inside the abandoned building. The freckled woman was putting the camera back to her rucksack,...

... and Griffon? It was safe to say that the bird has started sniffing you for some unknown reason. Your friend noticed this and called his attention.

"Hey! I know that's a chick you're sniffin' there but, ya just can't do that without V's permission. He'll get real mad!" Nico mumbled in a whisper to avoid waking you up.

"Ah! Haha! Well, tryna sniff some bugs out,..." Griffon nervously lied, then whispered, more to himself, "That's weird, I can't smell anythin'!"

"I heard that!" Nico retorted as she quickly made her way towards you and him to shelter herself from the impending rain.

"Can't ya smell anythin' weird about her?"

"Weird? You mean bad odor, or - ?"

"Not bad odor!" Griffon shrieked.

"Sshh!"

"Oh, sorry."

Nico raised an eyebrow as she sat next to you and wrapped her arms around her knees for added warmth. It really was getting a bit colder.

"You've been actin' weird. Especially that Shakespeare dude! Where's V, huh? And you better start tellin' me the truth."

"He's,... ah,... somewhere! Yeah, somewhere,... "

"Really?"

"Well, I can't really tell ya! Just know that he's out there but, not close here, yeah?"

"Whatever." Nico said, rolling her eyes. She pushed the rim of her red - framed glasses closer to her nose bridge and went on interrogating the bird. "And what do ya mean by that odor?"

If birds could sweat, Griffon could probably produce buckets by now. Fortunately, it was slightly hard to see through his real emotions due to his brash nature.

After all, Nico would surely suspect something if he told her that V sent him to spy on you.

And for what reason?

V actually didn't fully believe everything that Fleminger person told him. He said to him the exact opposite of what he truly believed in, and, confused to the core he may be, he wanted to make sure if the guy was telling the truth, or not. He just couldn't do the spying, himself, as of the moment. It just felt wrong to do it to a lady such as you.

After all, he did come to adore you despite the really short time you've been together. And he's not letting anyone ruin that.

Not now when,...

So, he wanted to make sure by first sending Griffon to you. If the demonic avian failed to produce results, then he'd be the one who will do the interrogation, himself but, only as a last resort.

He would never believe that YOU were the Dreadnought, and he's willing to prove it so that he could slap that hard truth to Fleminger's face. Along with Shadow's scratches to boot.

The only problem was, he didn't know that you were hiding secrets from him, yourself. That alone was truly suspicious, and Griffon knew all that. The Demon just opted not to tell V that, for he had also learned to love you as a friend after the Malphas event. You've been a really good person and a protector to him, and he, like V, hoped that Fleminger was wrong about you.

"Hey!" Nico said, snapping her fingers to get Griffon's attention.

"What?!"

"The odor? I was asking about (Y/N)'s odor."

Ah, crap, Griffon thought. Should I let this woman know?! She's her friend! She could easily tell whether (Y/N)'s the fuckin' Dreadnought or not!

"Well! I, uh,..."

"Speaking of which," Nico interrupted, much to the bird's rotten luck. Or, was it? "... Nero has been bugging me with this non - existent apple pie he's been sniffin' round about three days ago. I mean, I can't even bake. But, if it's Kyrie then - !"

"If the pimple kid's a Demon, then that makes total sense! I - " Griffon blurted out without even thinking, making the woman stare at him in disbelief. He gulped audibly, his nerves getting the better of him. "Ah, oops?"

Nico raised an eyebrow in suspicion. "And what does that supposed to mean?"

"Ah, what?"

"THAT?!"

"AH! AAHH! NNRRGGHH!" Griffon squawked and started flapping his wings wildly in panic.

"HEY! I'M ONLY ASKING A QUESTION!" Nico said in an effort to make the bird calm down. "Unless,... " she stood up and pointed a tattooed finger at him. "... YOU'RE REALLY HIDING SOMETHING FROM US!"

"WWWHHHAAAKKK! QQQUUUAAAWWW!"

Griffon was moving too much that he accidentally scratched your arm in accident.

"DUMBASS!" Nico grabbed the bird's talons, taking them away from you. "LOOK WHAT YOU'VE DONE!"

"G - guys,... " You muttered, finally waking up due to the noise and the sudden pain in your arm. "What's happening?"

"It's the chicken's fault!" Nico shrieked, shaking the bird in annoyance.

You gave them a confused look, then glanced at the now bloody wound on your arm. You shook your head in disbelief.

"Do not be too hard on the creature. I will heal." You tiredly responded, standing up and making your way outside despite the rain.

"Hon, it's still raining." Nico pleaded as she finally let Griffon go.

"It matters not." You answered monotonously. "This body would soon perish, after all,..."

"Come again?"

It took both Nico and Griffon a few seconds to realize that your voice sounded different, the way you moved looked suspicious,...

... and your eyes seemed a different shade,...

"(Y/N), is that you?" Nico asked, wary of her own movements.

"That is the name of our vessel." You answered, further confirming that you were taken over by the entity in a space of only a few moments right after waking up.

"Our?" Griffon added. "What do ya mean by that, sweet pea?"

"Feeble minds would never be able to comprehend the meaning of our existence. Humans and Demons alike perceived us as one." You glanced back at them, only for them to see that you have completely changed your appearance.

To Nico and Griffon, you now looked like a tall and slender woman with beautiful dark skin and equally dark and abundant hair. Your large, mournful eyes shone brightly and looked upon them with such enigma that none of them dared to utter a word.

"We are one. However, at the same time, we are three. I' am the Aspect of The Future." You, or the entity, made yourself known. "I' am here in this crucial moment to partake of a vital information from the near future."

"Future?" Nico bravely asked whilst Griffon remained silent. "You have a prediction for us?"

The entity, or The Aspect of The Future, bowed her regal head.

"In four days time, two hearts would be ripped open, blood shall be spilled, and emotions will clash upon uneven ground. A Prince will awaken and a King shall rise. The Pale Ones would make their move and engulf the whole world in darkness. Only then would the third and final heart, the one who would regret the most, be stabbed by their own doing."

"That sounds,... cheerful,..." Nico added sarcastically to somehow lighten the mood. She might have poked fun at you for changing into that light being who can disintegrate your clothes but, she just couldn't make fun of this particular entity who made unfunny prophecies.

Griffon flew towards the entity before Nico could even stop him.

"You said something before about crying and kneeling, and whatever that was." The demonic bird questioned. "What's up with that? Another twisted plot on a fuckin' t.v. show?!"

"My answer remains the same." The entity answered calmly. "At the final hours of the evening and the last radiance of the wounded moon, the past will weep, the present will kneel, and the future will die."

"The future will die?" Nico cut in. "Is that what you mean by your body perishing soon?"

But, the entity did not answer. Instead, she went past Griffon and made her way towards the woman.

"Would you weep, human?"

"Uh, it depends,..." Nico said matter - of - factly. It's the plain truth! Why would she cry at the prophet's death?

"You are strong and vigilant. Remain as such until the promised hour." The entity answered, then went back towards Griffon.

"Ahh, ya have somethin' for me?" Griffon asked.

"Remain true to your instincts." The entity told him. "Even in the face of true danger."

"Okay,... WHAT?!"

The entity nodded, then faced away from them, glancing at the depressing weather outside. Nico, who was curious to know more, followed suit.

"Why are you telling us all this? Isn't the future kind of forbidden to tell? And why show yourself now? Because the world is ending and some shit?"

"And so, you believed me?"

"Well, yeah! I believed in my friend, and her power comes from you! Of course, I believe you."

"Such innocence,..." the entity simply stated, then released a sound that sounded strangely like a chuckle. "There was a time when I was stoned by my own people for warning them of such dangers. No one believed me, and that is my eternal curse. A curse for turning away a powerful lover. He gave me this power."

"No one's stoning you here." Griffon said, joining the two. "That's just barbaric."

"Is there a way to prevent all this bad stuff from happening?" Nico finally asked, positively itching to know the solution. Well, there must be! "Like a plan B, or somethin'?"

"There is no alternative. Everything I told you is inevitable."

"So, that's it, huh? All of us will fuckin' die?" Griffon slightly yelled at the entity for being so pessimistic.

She looked at him and gave him a meaningful glance. "There is,... an alternative."

Griffon and Nico's eyes widened as they looked at each other in utter surprise.

"And it all depends on one." The entity finished.

"One what?!" Both Nico and Griffon questioned, to which they were just ignored as the entity glanced back at the weather outside.

"By then, the past shall still weep but, not for long, the present shall forever kneel but, the future,... may no longer die. That is,... a nice thought. If only,..."

"If only,... ?" Nico asked in an attempt to keep the entity talking.

However, the strange creature remained silent as she watched every single drop of the rain.

"It has been,... a long time since I watched the rain." She quietly said, her voice as gentle and calm as possible. "It is so calm, so peaceful. A fitting start to an end."

Nico sighed. They never truly heard something positive from her other than her proposed plan B, which was still very vague, much to their distaste.

"I'm afraid I'm keeping your friend." The entity told them. "I must go, for her strength must be replenished."

"WAIT!"

Both the entity and Nico looked at Griffon, surprised at what he just blurted out.

"Speak, creature of the night."

"I, ahh,..." Griffon began, unsure how to bring up the Dreadnought issue. "I just wanna know, is,... is (Y/N) an, ah, err, an,... ah, how to say this?"

"Just spit it out, Chickee!" Nico blurted out, crossing her arms once more.

"Is (Y/N) an enemy? I just wanna know." And just like that, the words were finally out from him like removing a thorn piercing his heart.

"ENEMY?! WHAT ARE YOU - ?!"

"I see." The entity said. All of a sudden, her body was engulfed with light, like she was catching on fire. "It entirely depends,... on the beholder."

And with those final words, the entity vanished, leaving behind her vessel.

Your eyes were closed shut, and when you finally opened them, you were surprised to see both Nico and Griffon staring at you with open mouths.

"Did I just do something weird?" You asked them, which made them convinced that you did not remember everything that just happened.

"No!" Nico answered with a nervous laugh.

"That's it! I just gotta tell V that she's not an enemy, right?!" Griffon said to himself, entirely forgetting that you and Nico could totally hear him.

"What are you talking about?" You asked him.

"Ah! Nothin' ! Gotta go!"

"Wait!"

And, just like that, the demonic bird flew away, his strange words and behavior making him even more suspicious.

***

~ A V X Reader set in an Alternate Universe wherein heavy rain means lost videos and Apocalypse. 🖤

~ Tagging @heaven-on-a-landslide , @lessy86 , @boundbysoul , @simmy-ships , @ehrzeth , @ceruleanworld , @gxthghoulfriend , and @diabeticsugarush . Thank you for all your support.

***

"I will wait for as long as it takes. I only ask for one thing: don't forget about me."

***

🖤🖤🖤

***

[whyam-here]

I wrote a dnd campaign for my friends, and it's mostly original (with a lot of references to other ideas people have posted, mostly on here - see horrible goose and ice skeletons wielding swords of mercury). I let my friends know about it a while ago, and asked them to create characters.

2 friends made characters in a reasonable time frame. Their characters were good, one came with a solid idea and one asked for help I was more than willing to provide.

2 more players, the point of this post, didn't give me anything at the time. Nor, did they provide it a reasonable time after that.

No, a full month later, I asked the players to please provide me the character sheets by that Sunday, as the plan was to play the following week.

Thankfully for them the start date was pushed back by a couple weeks, as one of the two players, a bit after midnight, said they hadn't realized it was Sunday and that they'd work on their character. The other chimed in, saying that they'd be available in an afternoon a couple days later to go over creating the character.

The afternoon rolls around, and the player says nothing (they hadn't specified a time so I was just waiting for them to contact me). Finally, I pinged them on discord asking if they were available. a bit later, they said yes, they were, just give them a sec to hop on their pc. I quickly grabbed my stuff and went to my room so I could vc them without waking other members of my household.

An hour later, I have-jokingly asked if they'd actually, physically jumped on their PC because they hadn't said anything since then(keep in mind I'm now in my room, which doesn't have ac, so I'm quite warm). they respond and say they'll be on soon, they just had to move some stuff around.

they other player lacking a character comes online and starts detailing their character. well, they gives me the characters race - not the most helpful info. they then say they haven't come up with a personality cause they're making homebrew changes to the characters race. .....ok sounds interesting? they give me some background info about how the race came to be (offshoot of existing race) but doesn't even attempt to place the race in the world.

finally, frustrated, I spend less than 10 minutes writing the rest of the backstory for the character's people, where they are living on the map, and some possible reasons the character might have left their community and joined the party. no response.

the other player, the one that didn't jump on their PC, just turned a sec into over an hour, finally chimes in and adds a character sheet they made a while ago (they'd previously mentioned this one to me). the character was not at the correct level (the adventure I'm running requires high-level characters) so we were gonna increase the levels and call it good. except...

this player has never played dnd before (tbf, the rest of the group has only played a couple of times) and so (reasonably) decides not to play a druid and instead choose a different class. We basically had to rewrite the character from scratch.

by the time we'd finished, it'd been about 3 hours and was past my bedtime. I still had chores to do around the house that had to be done that day.

players, if this is you (or if you happen to be one of the people I'm calling out in this post) please either get your character in within a couple weeks of being asked to or just have your dm pull one up for you. if you have an idea but aren't sure how to execute it, I'm sure your dm would be more than happy to pull up a character sheet and explain it to you - I know I would.

In light of these and other events, though, I'm now a bit worried about the campaign. I'm not sure if it'll turn out good or even get finished at all. I might post an update in a couple months if it either really well or if it goes as poorly as I fear, I'm not sure though.