#but this is the first (and currently only) one I’m thinking of

[moonstruckme]

Hello ! I hope you are okay, I have 2 Idea for the new girl/who's that girl au, so i'm sharing it with you ! First idea : she locked herself out of the flat (closed the door and left the key inside, so she is just here waiting for one of the guys to come home and hoppen the door. Second idea : she found a dog (a border collie , yeah it is clearly inspired from something that happened to me x))and she bring the dog home while she try to contact the owner. Or you can put the two idea together and she is locked outside her appartment with a stranger's dog. Thank you for reading my request , have a good day ^^

Thanks for your request angel! I did start to use both of these, but then I had an idea and the second one ended up somewhat altered haha, hope you still like it <3

cw: modern au

roommate!marauders x fem!reader ♡ 1.2k words

You’re slurping up the last of your iced latte when the door to your flat opens. 

“Oh.” Remus stops short at the sight of you sitting cross-legged on the floor of the hall. “Hello.” 

“Hi,” you say cheerily, careful not to jostle the pocket of your hoodie too much as you stand. You pat Remus’ shoulder as you go past him. “Thanks.” 

He had clearly been on his way out, but at your entrance he circles back inside the flat. “Have you been out there long?” 

“No.” You dump your empty cup in the trash. Your pastry’s gone cold, but you think it might still be good microwaved. “Just forgot my key, figured one of you had to go in or out eventually.” 

Remus tracks your movements with his eyes, taking another few steps in from the open doorway. “Why didn’t you knock?” 

“Didn’t want to wake anyone.” 

Your flatmate makes a sound you’re becoming familiar with from him, a sigh mixed with a laugh. Bafflement meets amusement meets exasperation. “You don’t need to worry about that. Please don’t, actually. James is out on his run, but I’ve been up for an hour. And whatever he tells you, Sirius doesn’t actually need to sleep until the afternoon.” 

You grin at him as you set your pastry in the microwave. The way the boys tease each other is immensely endearing to you, but you don’t feel familiar enough yet to partake yourself. And you certainly know better than to mess with Sirius’ sleep. 

When the loud beeps from pressing the microwave buttons makes you wince, Remus gives you a wry look. 

You shrug in response. The movement causes the slumbering creature in your hoodie pocket to stir. You cup your hand over it instinctively. 

“What do you have there?” asks Remus. 

“Uh…” You imagine you look very sheepish right about now. “Don’t worry, I’m not trying to make us keep it.” 

His eyes narrow. Your pocket wiggles. “Why? What is it?” 

You reach inside the pocket of your hoodie the way a criminal suspect might reach for their weapon at gunpoint; slow, careful, showing you have nothing to hide. What you pull out is gray and striped and so small it nearly fits in the palm of your hand. 

“I found him outside,” you say. “Isn’t he cute? I couldn’t just leave him.” 

You didn’t imagine your flatmates would be thrilled about adding a fifth occupant to your living situation. You figured you’d probably have the best luck with James, but you’ve got your spiel all ready—how you’ll keep him in your room, only temporarily, just until you can find his owner. They have to live in the building, right? He was only just outside. But Remus does something you didn’t anticipate; he melts. 

“Oh,” he breathes, voice softening to a near whisper as he bends to see the tabby kitten currently cupped in your hands. “You found him by himself?” 

“I didn’t see any other cats around,” you say. You stroke your thumb down the kitten’s side. It leans into the touch sleepily. “And he was crying. You should have heard it, it’d break your heart.” 

“I’m sure. Hi, darling,” Remus murmurs, that lilt of his suddenly more prominent than ever as he scratches the kitten’s tiny head. “Hello. Were you making a fuss to get softhearted girls to bring you inside, hm?” 

You find your face warming for reasons you can’t discern. “It was a very convincing ploy.” 

“Mm, I can see that.” Remus pets behind your new friend’s ears, stooped so low he’s nearly at eye level with the tabby. His expression is all soft fondness, eyes warm and the hint of a smile ticking up his mouth. You catch yourself admiring the freckles that smatter across his cheekbones. “Are you sure there weren’t any others like him around?” 

“Not that I saw. Why?” 

“Well, there’s—” 

The microwave goes off. You react like it’s a bomb detonating, the beeping shattering your bubble of quiet and causing you to stiffen your back abruptly. Remus straightens back up, too, chuckling. He sets a pacifying hand on your head, and you relax some. This is his way of conveying affection, you’ve learned; James is incredibly liberal with it, Sirius slips it in through teasing and jibes, and Remus lays his palm atop your head like you’re a cat in need of calming. It makes you feel a bit like you’re glowing when he does it. No wonder you felt so drawn to your homeless little friend. 

You smile at him, sheepish, but you both turn when you hear the loud groan from down the hall. Sirius’ door opens. 

“Could we please stop setting off alarms and whatever the fuck before the bloody sun has come up?” he fumes, trudging down the hall. 

You look out the window, perplexed. The sun is well and high. 

But Sirius has stopped in his tracks. His eyes are fused to the kitten in your hands. “What is that doing here?” 

“I found him outside,” you say, holding him up for Sirius to see. “He’s sweet, don’t worry.” 

Your flatmate takes a step back like the creature might leap at him. “Remus—” 

“I know,” Remus sighs. “I was about to tell her.” 

You frown, bringing the kitten close to your chest. “Tell me what?” 

“That thing is fucking wild.” Sirius glares. 

“No, he isn’t,” you defend him. “He’s super friendly. He loves being pet.” 

“Nope.” Sirius shakes his head. “He comes from a twat mum, who had a bunch of twat spawn, and now they’re infiltrating our flat. It’s a fucking plot, is what it is.” He jabs a finger towards your chest, and the kitten hisses. Sirius reels back. “See?” 

“He does seem like a housecat, but there’s a colony of strays in the alley next to us,” Remus explains more gently. “One of the girls had babies before they could catch her to spay, and they all look a lot like this one.” 

“But…” You look down at the kitten nearly falling asleep again on your chest. “...he’s being so cuddly.” 

“It is strange,” Remus agrees. “Maybe he just really likes you.” 

“Um, hello.” James spreads his arms as he walks inside, sweaty and in his absurdly short running shorts. They make you stifle a laugh every time. “We’re just leaving the door open now? Is this some new attempt at being neighborly?” He, too, pauses once he sees what you have in your hands. “Oh, you’ve found one of Mrs. Norris’ kittens.” 

Sirius shudders, seemingly just at the mention of the name. “She’s brought it inside.” 

“I can see that.” James’ head cocks interestedly as he comes over. “Why?” 

“I didn’t know he had a family,” you explain dejectedly. 

“It’s good that he does, though,” says Remus, touching your elbow kindly, “isn’t it?” 

You sigh. “Yeah.” 

“And now that we know,” Sirius says emphatically, “banish it from whence it came.” 

You narrow your eyes at him. “Weren’t you sleeping?” 

“I was.”

“I can see why you didn’t recognize him as a stray.” James is rubbing underneath the tabby’s chin while it preens. “He hardly seems feral at all.” 

You hum. Taking the kitten from your chest, you hold him out towards Sirius experimentally. He hisses; Sirius scowls back. 

“Seems like it’s just you,” you deduce. 

“It is not.” Sirius crosses his arms. “That thing is evil.” 

James takes the kitten from you. It goes willingly into his arms. “Definitely just you, mate.” 

[renskaji]

a quiet place to land

ren kaji x hiragi!sister reader, wc: 3k, req? yes! find it here.

You know it’s a bad day when Ren Kaji shows up at your front door. 

It’s not like you don’t like him. You’ve known him since middle school, back when his hair was still dark and your friends warned you to stay away from that Kaji boy because his temper was unleashed and uncontrolled. You ignored them, stopped hanging around those who refused to see how hard Kaji tried to keep himself sane, and watched the changes happen in him from start to finish. 

It’s bad, because Ren Kaji is standing in front of you, and your brother won’t be home for hours.

“Toma isn’t here,” You say upon opening the door. He’s standing on your front stoop, hair a little disheveled and something that looks suspiciously like a fresh set of bruises littering the skin of his cheeks and jaw. Sure enough, one glance at his hands clenched in fists at his sides, you see the skin torn from a fight. 

It doesn’t scare you. You’ve been watching your brother get in fights since elementary school. What you are wary of is the fact that something went down, something bad enough to bring Kaji to your door, and Toma isn’t there to help fix it. 

“I’m not here for your brother.” Kaji’s voice is harsh, but that’s his normal. You twist your lips to the side, chewing on the inside of your cheek as you study him carefully. His headphones are resting around his neck and he has a lollipop sticking from his mouth, which is nothing of note. You’re more concerned about the way he’s clenching his jaw and how his gaze seems hidden, ducked to the side and refusing to meet your evaluative stare. It’s almost protected. Like he’s worried about you seeing what he’s feeling, despite the fact that he showed up at your house. 

And he’s not there for Toma.

You sigh, pushing open your front door wider and leaving him to enter on his own. He’s been over enough times to know the rules of the house, to know how to navigate himself to the living room. You’re suddenly way too conscious of the fact that you’re only wearing a random hoodie you quote unquote borrowed from Toma and athletic shorts you’ve had for far too long. 

Not that it should matter. Because under no circumstances can you entertain the idea of anything with Kaji. Nope. Absolutely not.

And it’s not like this is the first time he’s ever come over without intending to see your brother, either. There have been a handful of occasions, like the one you’re currently in, where something happened, where life got too loud, and Ren Kaji found himself on your doorstep wanting to see you. 

It’s really no wonder you fell in love with him along the way, honestly. 

“Sit,” You throw the order over your shoulder carelessly as you retreat further into the house than the living room, gesturing vaguely towards the couch as you go. Kaji follows your command without fuss, which is just another sign on the long list of red flags he’s already flown that something is wrong. Usually, he’ll grumble out a ‘don’t tell me what to do’ before complying regardless. But now he’s silent, and you’re struggling to put the pieces of the puzzle together. 

The first aid kit is well stocked and kept within arms reach in your household. It takes less than a minute to collect it, but by the time you return to the living room, Kaji’s already retreated into the sanctuary of his headphones blaring rock music to drown out whatever was bothering him. 

You don’t think anything of it. You’ve known Kaji for years, and you’ve come to understand how to exist in the same space as him without overstepping. Which is why you know enough to grab your own headphones on your way back into the living room, and you busy yourself with connecting them while you settle atop the coffee table directly in front of Kaji’s position on the couch. It’s cramped, but you make it work with your knees slotted between his casually spread legs and a blush burning the tips of your ears. 

As soon as your own music starts playing, you set your phone to the side and look to your patient for the time being. He’s staring at you, but you know he’s not really seeing, so you nudge his foot with yours and stick out your hand, palm up and fingers splayed. With the music playing in both your ears, words are useless. 

Kaji knows to set his own hand in yours, because he’s been through the routine too many times, too. You’ve lost count of how many nights you patched up Toma and his gang, Kaji included. You’re pretty sure even Sako still knows the drill, and he hasn’t shown his face to you since junior high graduation. 

The alcohol wipe stings, but Kaji is already tensing his jaw so tight that he doesn’t show a visible wince. Regardless, you know it doesn’t feel good, so you make quick work of cleaning the torn skin on his knuckles. He watches you work carefully, obediently switching hands without you even needing to tell him to. 

The scratches on his face aren’t anything serious, either, so you finish disinfecting in a matter of moments and apply necessary bandages to smooth skin. He’s still watching you carefully, but you know he’s finally seeing, and the recognition that he’s coming back to himself makes you let loose the tension you had been unknowingly holding in your shoulders. 

Your mind inevitably drifts while doting on him, and you find yourself studying his face too closely for just simply looking for injuries. Especially when you’re looking at his lips more than his bruises. 

He’s still wearing his headphones when you finish packing up the first aid kit, so you know he needs more time until you can bother him about what happened. He’s not running off, which is an improvement from middle school, when he would tug his hoodie over the top of his head to block out the world. Now, he’s drowning out sound while scrolling through his phone on your couch. 

The thought makes your cheek twitch with a smile. You know better than to comment on his growth. 

Instead, you stand from your seat on the coffee table and return the first aid kit to its rightful home. When you make your way back to the living room, you choose a spot on the couch with a comfortable distance between yourself and Kaji. In place of badgering him, you pull out your own phone and begin to scroll. 

There’s no message from Toma about a big fight happening in town, which makes your face twist in silent confusion. Your brother has always been good about warning you about Bofurin’s actions in a bid to keep you away from the trouble. The lack of a text makes you glance at Kaji, trying to piece together how he could’ve gotten so injured without a noteworthy Furin fight having gone down.  

But the blond seated beside you offers no answers without you having to dig for them, so you fire off a message to Toma and shut down your phone, tucking it between your leg and the couch cushion. You twist in your seat until you’re leaning back against the arm rest, feet pulled up on the couch to give you something to wrap your arms around and rest your chin on. 

You study Kaji’s profile for as long as it takes for him to notice you’re waiting for him. Or maybe, for as long as it takes for him to work up the resolve to take off his headphones. He sets them on the coffee table, and you know that means he’s ready to talk. 

“Thanks,” He mumbles out to break the silence. You’ve never known Kaji to be an overly talkative person, so you take the opportunity he’s given you with both hands and ask the question that’s been bugging at you since he arrived. 

“So, who’d you fight this time?” You keep your voice light, non-accusatory. You’ve never loved all the fighting, but you know they’re doing it for a good cause. And you also know Kaji is too good of a guy to get in fights for no reason. 

“Dunno their names.”

Kaji shrugs, attention fixed on his abandoned headphones on the coffee table. Now you’re confused, because there’s something far worse than a regular fight wrong with him. He can handle scraps with random troublemakers on his own, without needing to see you. Something about this fight in particular is bothering him. 

“Kaji,” You try again, a bit more forcefully. He finally looks at you, but he’s just as quick to glance away. You frown, and shift further down the couch until you’re directly next to him, your sock clad feet only a few inches away from his leg. Part of you thinks you see the tips of his ears start to turn bright red, but part of you knows that would be ridiculous. “What happened?” 

There’s a telltale crack as Kaji’s jaw clenches over the lollipop he’s been savoring since before he arrived. His face is stony, completely giving away the fact that whatever did go down before he arrived at your door was bad. 

“I really don’t know their names. But they were wearing the uniforms from your school.” He explains, though it sounds like it’s taking a lot for him to get the words out. Like each one has the same feeling as poking at an unhealed bruise. Your face twists in confusion, but you stay quiet, hoping that encourages him to keep talking. “They had some stupid shit to say.” 

“About you?”

“About you.”

“Oh,” You’re not sure where to take the conversation from there. Toma has always told you that you’re too headstrong for your own good, which you never thought was a bad thing. You’re not oblivious to the fact that some of your classmates don’t like you, but you never thought that they would talk so poorly about you that Kaji would fight them. 

It makes a heavy weight settle in your chest, and you look away from Kaji with a frown anchoring the corners of your lips downwards. You wonder what they said, if the boys he’s talking about actually knew you. 

There’s a few unsavory thoughts running through your mind, but you’re abruptly dragged back to reality when Kaji nudges your shin. You know you’re still frowning when you glance at him, but it all melts away to surprise when you see what he’s offering you. 

It’s one of his lollipops. The peach kind, too, and distantly you think that he said one time that those were his favorite. It makes your throat tighten and your sinuses clog with emotion you really hadn’t expected to feel when you opened the door twenty minutes earlier. 

“Thanks,” You sigh as you take the candy. The shake to your voice is hard to ignore, but Kaji is good enough to not comment on it. You’d almost think he doesn’t notice the way your eyes are a bit shinier than usual, but the candy he’s offering is proof otherwise. “You didn’t have to do it, though.”

“Huh?” He’s turned fully towards you, now, and it’s hard not to burn up under the total weight of his attention. Most days, you’d love to revel in his focus, but now it feels too hot, too close to something you’ve never been brave enough to address. 

“You didn’t have to fight those boys just ‘cause I’m Toma’s sister,” You clarify, voice quiet and close to shattering. It’s the only reason you can think of that explains why Kaji would bother dealing with some random assholes. You busy yourself by popping the gifted lollipop in your mouth, savoring the taste of peach on your tongue, folding the wrapper into a neat triangle, then half it again. 

Under different circumstances, it would be almost amusing to watch him process what you’re saying. It’s almost like his brain stutters, then stalls, before needing to reboot and start over. You watch as flashes of confusion shine in his eyes, then disbelief, before finally settling on annoyance. 

“You stupid or something?” He asks, and you snap out of your self-pitying to glare at him, mouth already open to retort with your own insult by the time he barrels on. “I didn’t do it ‘cause of your brother. I did it because I like you, a lot, and those assholes don’t get to talk about you like that.”

You’re still a little pissed off at the stupid comment, so it takes you longer than it typically would to realize he just confessed to having feelings for you. 

In the stretch of silence you foolishly let build after his admission, Kaji groans and reaches for his headphones to hide from the world again. His blush is crawling up his neck, and all you can think about is how adorable you find it as you hand shoots out to grab his sleeve. 

His focus snapes to you the moment your touch finds his sleeve. He’s frozen, half leaning forward to grab his headphones off the coffee table. You’re convinced that one wrong move will send him flying out the front door and avoiding you forever. 

“You’re really shit at this kind of stuff.” You find yourself saying before you can think about it. It falls under the category of a wrong move that will send him flying out the front door, but you’re holding the sleeve of his sweatshirt so tightly he can’t go anywhere without dragging you with him. 

“Just forget it.” He grumbles, a glare he doesn’t mean fixed on something over your shoulder. You can’t help the way your grin finally breaks free, but he misses it by avoiding your gaze. 

“Now you’re the one being stupid.” You tease. “The guy I like just beat up bullies I didn't know I had and confessed his feelings for me. I’m not just going to forget it.” 

You’re leaning closer towards him now, hoping he’ll get the hint that you want him to kiss you. The lollipop is plucked from your mouth, held by the stick in your hand that isn’t currently bunched in the fabric of his sweatshirt. You think you’re inching closer towards your goal when you spot his gaze tracking the way your tongue darts out to wet your peach flavored lips. 

“Your brother—” He starts, but you’re quick to interrupt. 

“Now it’s finally about Toma.” You tease with a playful roll of your eyes. “My brother loves you. And he trusts you, too. He’s not going to be bothered by us.” 

Kaji’s ears burn impossibly brighter at the mention of an us, which makes you grin and lean even further into his space. This is so not the direction you thought your afternoon would go, but you’ll take it. 

He’s quiet for a moment longer, so you decide to give him another nudge, another tease that will hopefully push him over the edge towards action. 

“If you really want, we can call Toma and ask—”

You’re interrupted by his hand suddenly cradling your jaw, angling your face just right in the seconds before his lips crash against yours. It’s a little sloppy, a little inexperienced, but it makes your head feel dizzy all the same. You press towards him the moment you get your bearings, desperate to show him how much you care for him. 

It’s nearly embarrassing how breathless you are after the kiss ends. But Kaji’s panting too, so you know you’ll be alright. Your smile is a little dazed, but there’s no way for you to miss the determined look in his eyes. 

“I owe your brother so much, but it’s never about him for me. It’s always you.” There’s a weight to his confession that you’re not quite sure how to unpack. Kaji has idolized Toma for years. But to think that as deep as that devotion goes, Kaji’s commitment to you goes deeper—

You’re not sure what else to do but kiss him again. 

It’s shorter than the first kiss, but no less meaningful. You see the way he’s blushing under your touch, your attention, and you wonder how you went so long without drawing that reaction from him. He’s too adorable, and it makes you decide that you’ll do whatever it takes to keep him blushing, always. You’re smiling, and it’ll take a lot to keep you from doing so.

“We still have to tell my brother, you know.”

“Don’t remind me.”

+ bonus

“Have you heard from Kaji lately? Word is he got into a brawl in town and no one’s seen him since.”

Toma Hiragi groans at his vice captain, reaching into his jacket for both his phone and stomach medicine. It’s one thing for Kaji to get into a fight while on patrol, but it’s another to disappear after. 

He pops a gaskun-10 pill into his mouth while opening his phone. There’s no texts from his underclassman, but he has one from you, his younger sister. 

Kaji showed up at the house. I patched him up but he seems off. I’ll talk to him and figure it out. Oh, and get me that bread Ume was talking about before you come home. 

Toma huffs at your text before turning off his phone and shoving it back in his pocket. He doesn’t actually remember what bread Umemiya recommended to you, so he’ll have to ask and endure a ten minute lecture on bean sprouts. 

But you’re cleaning up Kaji for him, so it’s the least he can do. 

“Kaji’s fine.” Toma explains to the small crowd of Bofurin that had gathered while waiting to hear about their teammate’s whereabouts. “He’s with my sister. She’s taking care of him.”

And maybe you’ll put him out of his misery and finally admit you’re in love with each other.

[gojosatoruhumper]

Don’t leave me behind | Yeon Si-eun x reader

Summary: what if Y/n was the one that got hit by the truck instead of Si-eun?

Warnings: kind of angsty, comforting fluff

WC:1.7k

Notes: I think it is a little rushed, but I already got a better idea in mind, ill try to upload it as soon as I can

˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗

You and Yeon Si-eun have been friends for a little while now. You are Su-ho’s sister, always been close with him. Although you were only a year younger than them, Su-ho always tagged you along with Si-eun and Beom-seok.

You were shy around them at first but grew close to them, especially Si-eun. You could see right through him - he really needed a hug and someone that cares about him.

Su-ho would always tease Si-eun about you, telling him to not hurt you and always take care of you, even calling him brother in law to piss him off even further.

At first he hated the constant teasing, but soon realised maybe he did care a lot more about you than he should have.

At first it started with lingering stares that lasted a little too long, then studying sessions with him when you couldn’t understand certain subjects because Su-ho wouldn’t been much help.

He didn’t show it directly but he really did like helping you, quiet time together and you two being so close together when he explained the questions.

Sometimes when his dad wasn’t home you would cook him food as a thank you, inviting Su-ho from time to time.

And sometimes when he was focused on his own work he would suddenly hear your breathing change - you would fall asleep. At moments like these he would gently tuck you into his own bed, texting your brother you fell asleep and would be staying the night. He wouldn’t admit it to himself, but he would definitely crack a smile at the sight of you, peacefully sleeping in his bed.

You always felt bad when you would wake up in his comfy and warm bed while he slept on the couch.

You would always scold them for getting into fights, helping them with the wounds, cuts and bruises. You would always feel sorry for them. But never Beom-seok. As well as you could see right through Si-eun, you always had a gut feeling Beom-seok wasn’t as nice.

And after the incident, you broke. After you heard what happened to Su-ho you ran straight to the hospital.

You opened the door, tears already falling down your cheeks. Si-eun was already sitting there, you could see how broken he was.

He almost thought you were gonna be mad at him, for not coming to him in time. But how could you be mad at him?

He stood up, now fully facing you as you walked over to him, sobbing.

“Y/n” he said just above a whisper “I’m sorry” he felt his eyes watering, a hot tear streaming down his cheek.

You looked up at him, “Si-eun why are you sorry?” “None of this is your fault” you continued crying, suddenly feeling warm hands around you. “He’s going to be okay” he tried to reassure you, not even sure himself if his friend will really be okay.

You both stayed the night at the hospital, you falling asleep on Si-eun, staining his shirt with your tears. He woke up before you, slowly getting up and putting his blazer on you. Even with your eyes closed he could see how swollen and puffy they were from crying.

As he stood beside you, he gently brushed your hair out of your face with his delicate fingers, observing you. He always has been an observer.

˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗

And well after him beating up Woo-young and Beom-seok, he needed to move to Eunjang high school. In his mind he did that for Su-ho and you. You cried in his arms once again. And he let you.

Eunjang was further away from your current school, which is closer to Si-eun’s old one. But that didn’t stop you from visiting him as often as you could. Sometimes even taking a taxi to his home late at night when he couldn’t fall asleep.

The sleeping pills didn’t work, but you sleeping next to him did. You started seeing him more than a friend a while ago, but never saying anything since you didn’t want to ruin the friendship you had.

You could see that Si-eun was still having a hard time in school, getting into fights again. You would always patch him up, like you used to.

His mom didn’t mind having you around, she could see you had a good impact on her son. When Si-eun’s friends spotted you two together walking home, the teasing started all over again.

Si-eun never stopped blaming himself for what happened, but you always reassured him it was most certainly not his fault.

˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗

It was late already and you were heading home, worried about Si-eun. He told you what has been happening in school and it made you so anxious. You felt your phone buzz, picking it up.

“Hello, is this Y/n, Ahn Su-ho’s sister?” you were confused for a second. “Yes?” you answered, eager to get home faster so you could go check up on Si-eun.

“Im calling from Sungang University hospital, i couldn’t reach anyone else but you, your brother is in critical condition, is there anyone who could come right away?” You stood in the middle of the crosswalk, frozen.

You felt tears swelling up “..huh?” you said, still frozen in shock as you look up to a truck driving. Everything went black.

˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗

Si-eun got the heart wrenching phone call. You were in the hospital, Su-ho in critical condition. He dropped everything he was doing, not waisting any time, running as fast as his legs could go. He couldn’t lose you as well. He wouldn’t ever forgive himself.

As he stepped into your room, machines connected to your body, he was fuming with anger. Angry with himself, if he was there, with you this wouldn’t have happened.

He checked up on you and Su-ho, and finding out Su-ho was doing better he went back to your room. He stayed there by your side till morning, falling asleep to the beeping sounds.

You were moved to another room in the morning, only an oxygen mask and a heart monitor connected now. Hu-min, Hyun-tak, Jun-tae as well as your grandmother came in to check on you during the day. Si-eun needed to go back to deal with Beak-jin but he couldn’t bring himself to leave you like this.

The sun started to go down and he was still worried as ever. His eyes were on you, all day and night.

He was now alone with his thoughts, thinking about all the times you were there for him. He couldn’t thank you enough for that. He felt guilty for putting you through so much worry, you always checking up on him, always coming over to cheer him up the best you could.

He felt you shift on the bed, hand reaching for the mask on your face, trying to take it off. Your eyes landed on Si-eun, not even thinking you started smiling to yourself, he really cares about you, doesn’t he? He stood up.

Suddenly your smile dropped as a sat up, stinging pain appearing in your head. You whined at the pain. “Y/n, lay down” he said, but you didn’t move. “Is he okay..?” you asked with furred eyebrows, eyes looking at Si-eun with concern. “He’s okay now, don’t worry” he somewhat smiled at you.

You loved it when he smiled at you, it showed how he cared about you. And right now he looked so cute with messy hair, standing and looking at you.

But suddenly you can see tears prickling at the corner of his eyes as he watched you. “huh, Si-eun is everything okay?” you asked. “Y/n I can’t lose you, not after what happened to Su-ho” he sat down, looking at your expression.

You didn’t want him to worry about you, he already worried about enough things, you couldn’t make it even harder for him than it already is.

“Si-eun” you spoke, throat dry. “Hm?” he replied, raising and eyebrow. “Come here” you said, moving more to the edge so there was somewhat space in this small bed.

He stood there for a second. “I said come here, please?” you asked. He slowly got in bed with you, looking at your delicate face. “Si-eun I’m fine, nothing will happen to me” you explained, knowing he probably was blaming himself for what happened to you.

Your faces so close you could hear his light breathing. You reached your hand to his face, brushing his bangs from his eyes. “Si-eun did you know how pretty you are” you say, barely awake, whole body aching, your hand going back to your side.

He stiffened in shock, not knowing what to do, he never really knew what to say in situations like these. He didn’t know what to say, but he knew what to do. His hand was on your cheek, caressing it, slowly bringing his face to yours, just millimetres away.

Your heart was beating now faster, the beeping on the screen going faster, making you a bit embarrassed. He closed the gap, his chapped lips coming in contact with yours.

You both broke the kiss, him surprised at his actions. You smiled at him, bringing him closer, hugging him and resting your head on his chest. “Can you please stay with me for tonight?” you asked, now eyes closed.

He relaxed a bit, not replying. “Y/n..” he said, looking up at the ceiling, bringing his hand over your torso, hugging you lightly. “Hm?” you hummed, listening to his heart beat.

“I think.. I think I’m in love with you” he said, cracking the smallest smile, you couldn’t see it, but you could tell by the way he said it.

You stiffened up, but relaxing seconds later, hugging him harder. “I love you too, Si-eun” you replied, almost in a whisper. “Please never scare me like this again” he asked, closing his eyes and bringing you even closer to him, hugging you harder, like he never wanted to let go and protect you from all the horrors in this world.

[notsorryiml8]

Thoughts that pop into my mind before bed. And a possible hot take. 🤷🏽‍♀️

So, a lot of people say that Kakashi was this brainwashed little lap dog of Konoha because of his unrelenting loyalty. And that’s why they don’t like him. Fair enough - you don’t have to like him.

But was he a lap dog, tho? I’m sure someone has mentioned it before, and I’m not the first, but his passive aggressive white-haired behind protested the establishment from the day Obito died.

I know it’s like, huh?!

From a cultural perspective, Kishimoto is from Japan. A country which is known for its structure and adherence to norms, especially punctuality. He created Kakashi, who from the day Obito met The Rock, said I’m going to be late for EVERYTHING! Not just minutes late, but HOURS late. He intentionally created him to be outside the norm.

Meh, I know, ok, ok, so Konoha isn’t necessarily Japan and they may do things differently. Let’s let that slide. People are born with pink, white, and blue hair there and they’re currently fighting aliens and cyborgs. So really can’t compare. Cool. But even in this fictional world his lateness was an outlier and considered rude.

Okay, but hello, Kakashi is also in the military. Ain’t no military in the world, fictional or real, gonna put up with blatant disrespect for time. I’m from a military family and there’s an old military saying that goes, “early is on time, on time is late, and late is unacceptable.” You just don’t.

Kakashi really doesn’t care. Hello? He was late to the Third, who happened to be his commanding officer, elder, and village leader’s, funeral. The ultimate disrespect. Why was he late? Because he was paying homage to his friends and father who were all dead in the name of the village who couldn’t care less about them. Kakashi blatantly disrespects and disregards everything the village stands for ALL THE TIME and that scene was the epitome. And he does it not so subtly. From being late to everything to reading erotica in public (*faints and clutches pearls*) to failing all previous kids in the academy that were sent to him, which is him saying he plays by his own rules not Konoha’s.

I think people forget how high ranking Kakashi is (literally only the jonin commander, the elders, and Hokage outrank him). In the war, he’d be the equivalent of a general. Put his actions into the perspective of his rank and you really will see how he spat in their faces.

They could have demoted him, stripped him of his rank. Kicked him out of the forces. Reprimanded him in other ways. Etc…but the reality was they couldn’t. He was their cash cow. With the Sannin gone, he was bringing in the most money for the village, so they had no choice but to let him do as he pleased and he knew that. So for as many people who say he was Konoha’s lap dog, Konoha was his.

But, wait, he could have left. Right?? Nope. Why’d the little punk stay and be loyal to a village that destroyed his life? Why? Because. He was anchored to that forsaken village by guilt. If he can’t leave those graves to show up on time for a funeral or to train his squad or go on a mission, then lawd knows he’s not leaving those graves permanently to go rogue. Even if they’re dead, his family and friends are there. As are his living ones. Even at his lowest, he wouldn’t/couldn’t leave them behind. Something…something… blah blah blah about being scum. So, he internally, as in within the confines of the village, and subtly went rogue on a daily with passive aggression, resistance, and defiance.

[desturns]

──── favorite position. m.s.

part one

warnings. some grinding, tickling session, major pussy behavior

a/n. bye i decided to make a pt two to this randomly, but this might just be a little series with only three parts sooo... this is fun!!

୨ৎ

matt didn't attempt to move once. after you had fallen back to sleep and somehow melted into him even more than before, it was like he died and went to heaven about fifty times. how else would he have been so lucky to have this angel sleeping right in his lap, practically straddling him as your head rested on his shoulder? it was everything he'd dreamed of and more.

of course, his brothers weren't very angelic when it came to their teasing.

“i’m just sayin’, kid, maybe it's time to actually do something instead of sittin’ back like a bitch—”

“chris, hey! he's not a bitch… he's a pussy, there's a difference.”

“oh, wow, thanks for the help, nick,” matt sarcastically replied as he simply rolled his eyes, no longer focusing on the game as they all just talked. he noticed you wiggled slightly, but didn't think much of it.

“just the truth, bro. only pussies have their crush—” “—not my crush—” “—sleep on their laps without making a move. y’know, not while they're asleep, but y'had the opportunity to do something when she woke up.”

“she was tired and was gonna get off me, me asking her to stay was me making my move.”

“damn, matty, your moves are weak then.”

“shut up, chris.”

“i’m just sayin’, matt. when the opportunity presents itself, y'can't be a pussy and back out. get her, dude.”

again, he felt you move against him and at first, he wasn't going to question it. maybe you were just having an intense dream or you were stirring around on his lap to get more comfortable. that seemed obvious, right? but it wasn't until he felt your hips roll against his thigh that matt thought to himself, okay, a little strange, but whatever.

and then it happened again. and then once more. now being both incredibly confused and slightly curious, he pulled his head back enough to look at your face, and it was no surprise when he saw you were still soundly asleep. both your eyes were closed and for a second, you looked like the perfect essence of peacefulness.

and then it happened again, this time a bit more firmly, and your eyebrows furrowed ever so slightly, followed by the smallest whine. matt was positive if he was still entertaining chris and nick, he wouldn't have even been able to hear it.

oh.

oh.

so you were having an intense dream

it all clicked right there for matt. his eyes widened a bit and his body tensed up, and he could practically feel the blood rushing to his dick. in his defense, nothing could've prepared him for this. here you were, the girl he's been secretly pining after for months, having a wet dream right on top of him, your body subconsciously grinding against him for some relief. yeah, he knew getting hard at the scene was probably extremely wrong and disrespectful in many ways, but he just couldn't help it.

he could no longer hear chris or nick teasing him about his poor flirting skills or even pay attention to the trio on the screen about to kill him because before he knew it, you were rocking your hips again. he bit his bottom lip in order to suppress a groan as his brain was currently racking up ways to get out of this situation. at least before you woke up and it got really awkward.

“matt, hello? y'there?” in that moment, he didn't really want to be.

“y-yeah, um, i’m here, uh,” he stumbled over his words for a second, his hand leaving his controller and moving to your hip, softly holding it so he could get the courage to stop you and toss you onto his bed. okay, maybe not toss, but to stop you definitely. “actually guys, um, i-i’m gonna get off, ‘kay?”

“kid, we’re in the middle of a game right now, are you serious?”

“yes, chris, ’m serious.” was all matt responded with before leaving the discord call, his hand still firmly on your hip as you occasionally rocked your hips, his other working fast to exit out of everything on his pc.

the dim light from the monitor plus the sound of your shorts rubbing against his sweats was starting to become a bit too much for him. matt wasn't dumb, any longer and his dick would be rock hard and then that'll definitely be awkward if you woke up. so, with much restraint and strength and now holding onto both of your hips, he stiffed your movements, bringing you to a stop. he couldn't just get up, he wasn't that strong. plus, matt was a bit nervous he'd drop you before he could even reach the bed despite it being a foot away.

he could feel your body trying to protest the halt, your hands around his waist tightening slightly, more little whines escaping your mouth and matt honestly wanted to die right then and there. of course, the first time he gets you like this, you're not even conscious of it, and there was no way he'd take advantage of you. not like this.

he was going to do it the right way.

suddenly, your body stopped and matt could feel you tense up.

now, to say you were horribly mortified was an understatement. when matt stopped you in real time, it was like your dream came crashing down. the mysterious faceless man in it stopped his ministrations and you were so incredibly pent up, so pent up that your body refused to find solace in sleep any longer. it didn't take an idiot to figure out what the hell happened, especially when you woke up with soaked panties sticking to your folds and matt's hands on your hips. did you…? no. surely not. right? no, there's no way.

but it was hard to deny when you could now feel matt's dick through his sweats and suddenly, you were shooting your head up from his shoulder, no longer tired. “oh my god, matt! i am so– i'm sorry!” you were speaking with a raspy voice, both from the ridiculous amount of exhaustion and humiliation you just experienced.

he quickly shook his head, trying to hide his flustered expression while also finding the strength to take his hands off you. it’ll come eventually, he was sure. “no, no, i-i mean, it happens, right? you're cool, it’s fine!”

“i can't believe i did that, matty, i am so sorry!” you shrieked again and hid your face in your hands, shaking your head at yourself. you were sure your cheeks were now tomato red and, with the way his hands were on your hips, it was getting worse.

matt stared at you as you tried to shield yourself from his gaze, trying to save yourself from the embarrassment. he thought it was downright adorable, the way you got all flushed and shy. he knew it was for good reason, and he so badly wanted to tell you that it truly was okay, that he didn't even mind. but something held him back and instead of making a move, or charm you into having him ease that ache of yours, he chose the safest route.

and maybe he just wanted to see you smile again.

he took one last moment to look at you perched on his lap, all self-conscious now and guarded up before slowly moving his hands from your hips to your sides. you were confused when you felt his hands move, but before you could even question it, his fingers were tickling the most sensitive part he knew would get to you. your hands immediately moved from your face, moving to try and grab him to stop as laughs and giggles left your lips.

your predicament of getting yourself off on his thigh was momentarily forgotten, now focused on getting him to stop making you squirm in a new way.

“s-st-stop, m-matt!” was all you could express as you flailed on top of him, your face burning itself in his shoulder.

there it was. he could see your lips stretched wide across your face, your smile making him forget about his own arousal as he continued to make you laugh. “not until you promise to stop actin’ embarrassed about it,” he chuckled, the teasing tone in his voice making your stomach flip.

“i-it-it's an emb-barassing thing!” you tried to defend yourself through the forced involuntary giggles that were escaping you. as he tickled you, you slowly but gently began to fall off his lap and onto the floor, but that didn't stop him.

“it is, but it's normal!” he rolled his eyes, his hands now moving under your arms and to the back of your neck. god, who needed grinding and sex when just the sight of you rolling around in laughter was enough to get him off then and there. “y/n, babe, i promise— i don't care. i’d just prefer that next time, you're conscious for it.”

his words made your brain freeze. ‘babe’. ‘if next time, you were conscious for it’. next time? he wanted there to be a next time? you tapped his arm twice, the silent but serious “enough” signal the two of you created and he took the hint almost immediately, his hands leaving your body in an instant as he looked down at you.

you were on your back on the floor, all flushed, chest heaving and your hair sprawled out beneath you. you looked gorgeous. and matt was glad he didn't follow any of his brothers advice. and as you looked up at him, you didn't know what to say. thankfully, matt didn't waste time before continuing, his voice now a bit unsure and hesitant as he realized what the hell he just said.

“i mean, y’know, if y’want to. i wouldn't want to make things weird between us or ruin things or make you, um–y’know what? forget i said anything, actually–do y’need some pajamas or anything, wanna go in the living room—”

“matt,” you cut him off once you caught your own breath, a small smile now on your face. “stop worrying. next time, i’ll definitely be conscious for it.”

it was if you took your fist and physically hit his stomach. he thought he was being too straight forward, but knowing that you were agreeing, that you seemed into it... it was doing things for him.

as you got up from the floor and moved to the living room, as matt's brain caught up with the intense beating of his heart and as he ignored the countless texts from chris asking “what the hell was going on up there”—there was a silent understanding.

and that was good enough for matt.

[aceecee]

Insatiable - Extra #8

The original idea I had for Insatiable, actually I didn't have a title for it back then. It was meant to be a Sylus fic, I have no idea how it turned out to what it's become.

I might write this in the future.

Masterlist

The man is silent as he enters your apartment. 

The air is heavy with regret…guilt.

You know why he’s here. You can feel your heart breaking at the realisation but you hide it all. Nothing on you gives away any feeling. It’s not fair to the man, he’d been honest to you from the start that nothing real would ever form between you two. He told you all about the woman he truly loved, the one he was waiting for. You don’t feel any malice for her, from the way he had described her, she was an astonishing person, someone who deserved a man like him by her side.

“I’m guessing you found her,” your smile is soft because even though it hurts, his happiness wins over your desires. 

“Yes.”

“Okay,” you know what’s coming. The two of you had discussed this. “I guess that's it,” you follow up. 

“This is goodbye then, Sylus.”

“Goodbye.”

Sylus doesn’t know what to feel as he walks away from you.

He shouldn’t be this conflicted. It was never meant to be difficult. 

He was never meant to get attached.

Whatever the two of you had was always transactional. He had sought you out - a hacker with excellent capabilities - you had a reputation around the N109 zone. At first the both of you kept a clear distance, your help made his operations a lot easier. As time progressed so did whatever it was between the both of you. He made sure to keep his intentions clear, it wouldn’t be fair otherwise.

It was just sex, he told himself as he held you in his arms.

It was just sex, he told himself as he kissed you.

It was just sex, he told himself as he caressed you.

He repeats those same words now as he walks away.

Six months pass and not a day goes by when he doesn’t think of you.

Things with Miss Hunter never take off. Her heart now belongs with someone else and Sylus doesn’t even care. He’s the only one who remembers their past together, there’s no need to burden her with the memories. Instead, the two become fast friends. 

One night, he finds himself telling her about you. She offers no kind words as she berates him for leaving you. 

“You idiot! You’re clearly in love with her. What are you still doing here?”

He’s back at your apartment. He found himself here a lot these last months, simply standing outside but never knocking. For he had left you, what right does he have to come back in your life?

He knocks this time.

No response.

“[Name]?”

Nothing. 

Sylus has been in the game for a long time, one thing he’s learnt is to never avoid his instincts. They had helped him with never making deals with the wrong people, and helped him with finding the right person to trust.

And right now, those instincts were screaming that something was wrong.

He easily bypasses the electric lock on your door. What greets him inside is nothing. All the walls are devoid of any decorations, the photos you had up of your deceased family and current friends are gone. There’s no furniture anywhere. The entire place has been swept clean, not a speck of dirt left behind.

If someone figured out how to leave the N109 zone, it would be you.

Five years and six more months have gone by. Not a single trace of you has been found, you haven’t made it easy with your capabilities. None of your friends know where you are. You’ve left everyone behind.

He still hasn’t given up, no matter how long it takes, he will find you. Mephisto misses you. The twins miss you. 

Sylus misses you.

The little girl stares back at him.

“Are you Stylus? Mummy said to give this to you,” she pronounces his name wrong. With red eyes and white hair, it doesn’t take a genius to know who this kid is. She hands him a letter. 

“It’s Sylus,” he explains. The kid blinks at him, clearly not expecting such a deep voice. As he rips the letter open, the kid repeats his name over and over again.

Sylus,

If it is you reading this letter then I suppose you’ve met Ruby.

He looks back into those red eyes that mirror his. His daughter’s name is Ruby…how fitting.

“What is your favourite gem?” he asked as the both of you perused the collection.

He watches as you pick you out a gem and hold it next to his eye. “Perfect match,” you grin at him. 

“Right now it’s rubies.”

He brings the kid inside, get’s her situated while he reads the rest.

I would have told you but I only figured out I was pregnant when I had already left. I tried to get in touch but the number you gave me no longer worked and I was not going into that area while pregnant or with a child in my arms.

I’ll admit a part of me didn’t want to, I was afraid you wouldn’t accept our child. That I would ruin your future with your hunter.

I know deep down that you’re not that kind of man but even I get insecure sometimes.

I don’t know how but some shady organisation discovered she’s your child. I have a theory that one of them must have met you and if you’ve seen Ruby, then it’s obvious. I did some digging on this organisation and it’s not good. At first I thought they were some small fry but I’ve discovered transactions that go deep, they have a lot of rich people in their pockets which means they’re very powerful. What they have against you, I have no idea. They’re good at covering their tracks.

It’s why I sent Ruby to you, you’ll be able to protect her. 

I made them think that I was running away with her while I sent her alone to you. I led them away so she could get to you.

Don’t come looking for me. If I’m successful in tricking them then I’ll come to you and we can finally have the conversation we should have had years ago. If I don’t come back, then I’m dead. I offer no leverage to these people so they’ll kill me.

I’ve attached a hard drive containing all the information I have on them, with your resources it should be easy to end them.

Take care of Ruby for me, okay? She’s all I have. Tell her I love her so much.

P.S. she’s allergic to nuts, her bag has epipens but make sure to keep many around the house! She also needs a story every night or she’s not going to sleep. She has a lot of energy (I blame you for that) so make sure to burn it out of her every day. She has a sweet tooth but don’t give in! She’ll flash you puppy eyes but you have to stay strong, she’s a menace and she knows it.

You don’t sign it with your name but you don’t have to. It’s clear the letter is from you.

The familiar sensation of regret wraps its arms around him. You had been pregnant when he left you. All this time, you had dealt with it all on your own. You might die on your own too.

He can’t have that happen.

A small hand tugs at his pants. 

“Are you my dad? You look like me,” Ruby asks.

He leans down and pokes her cheek. “You look like me, I’m older,” he says softly. 

It’s the confirmation the girl needs, her walls crumble around her father. Tears gather in her eyes. “Will mummy be okay? I want her back.”

Without thinking, he cradles the girl into his arms. His shirt becomes wet with her tears. 

He’s already failed you twice. There won’t be a third time.

“I’ll bring her back.”

Tag list: Tag List: @serenity-loves-red @crimsonmarabou @reni502 @r0ckb1n @queenkymmie @plzdonutpercieveme @perqbeth @mephisto-with-a-knife @tumblingdevils @angelwhizpers

[mirai-e-jump]

Dengeki Tokusatsu Tsushin Vol.3 (Summer/2000) FACE UP!! 2000 SPECIAL ft. Odagiri Joe x Katsurayama Shingo (translations below)

Publication: August 20, 2000

FACE UP!! (Free Talk Segments)

Odagiri Joe

I've loved movies ever since I was a child, and never thought about doing work outside of the film industry. When I became a high school student, I had other things I wanted to do, but they were all related to foreign countries. Something like a translator, or a Japanese language teacher in a foreign country. Still, at my core, I wanted to study something in relation to film. So, I looked into various schools, and found that the California State University in Fresno made the most sense to me. In my head, I had the idea that movies were made in Hollywood, so along with there being few Japanese people there, this place would be close to Hollywood. When I was deciding on my major, "Drama" caught my eye. What came to mind from Drama was "TV dramas," so I decided to "go with that." However, it turned out to be a major related to theater (laughs).

While studying abroad, my first exposure to acting was when I helped out behind the scenes for their quarterly theater performance. I also took an acting class, but it wasn't until I returned to Japan that I began to seriously study acting. When I was over there, I was essentially a blank slate, so it felt like I didn't know what was going on (laughs).

During one of my acting classes, we were told, "This is outer space, so swim freely." We spacewalked the whole lesson (laughs). I thought it was a truly American styled class. At the time, I was full of wonder, as I was curious on how this would relate to acting. I was the only foreigner in my class. I wasn't the type to go out of my way to join in with the others, and was always the "straggler" of the class (laughs). Having the English skills of an exchange student, performing Shakespeare, a classic of Western literature, was a challenge in itself, and there were times when I was considerably depressed. Still, in the end, all those hardships became my passion for acting, and the experience I gained over there was an invaluable asset.

I played drums in a band during middle and high school. There were times when I played in about eight bands at once. Because of that, the music I covered was all over the place. It'd be anything from X to The Beatles (laughs). When I was in America, alternative music was popular, so I'd listen to groups like Smashing Pumpkins, Beck, Cake, and Bjork. If I had to pick one of my favorite musicians, it would be Tom Waits. Still, I also listen to Japanese music. The first album I ever bought was by The Timers. That's why I still like Imawano Kiyoshiro-san. I even covered his music in one of my bands. I also like Frank Zappa, Stan Getz, The Lounge Lizards, The Velvet Underground, James Brown, among others, so I listen to a really wide range of music. It depends on how my mood is on a given day. It probably seems like I have a large number of CDs when I say this, but I don't have that many. Although, I've never counted. On average, I think I buy about four a month. When I return home, I put on music or play a movie tape. I always feel that there's some kind of noise in the room. However, only when I'm writing for "Monthly Odagiri" is it quiet (laughs).

Karaoke? I go. In terms of the type of vocals I have, I'm close to Original Love. I've also sung songs by Oasis and Michelle Gun Elephant, as they put importance on excitement. I'll also sing songs by UA, Bird, and Sheena Ringo too. I prefer songs by women that are cool when sung by men. For women, I want to sing songs by Pizzicato Five and CHARA when I’m in a good mood (laughs).

What am I into currently? Food crawling (laughs). I eat alot. I always eat two bentos when we're on location. My favorite food is noodles. Ah, I'll never forget the Vietnamese ramen I used to eat when I was in America, I'm pretty sure it was called "pho." I've never found it in Japan. It has certain herbs in it, so you'll either like it or you won't, but I was addicted to it. I don't dislike anything. Even if it's weird looking, I'll probably eat it out of curiosity (laughs).

Since I'm usually busy, I try to meet up with friends on my days off. The other day, I walked home from Shinjuku with a friend who lives in Daitabashi. It took about three hours. I actually like walking (laughs). This is why I haven't seen any movies from over here in awhile. When I was working part time at a rental store, I used to watch tons of movies for free (laughs). My favorite movie is Jim Jarmusch's "Down by Law." I like alot of Jarmusch's films. "Stranger Than Paradise" and "Dead Man"…I especially like those with black and white footage. Another recent favorite is "Buffalo 66." My American friend sent me the tape and I watched it multiple times. I think films that put importance on the atmosphere and the mood, as well as the idea, are more interesting than films that spend an excessive amount of money on production. I also watch Japanese films. I thought "Sonatine" was good. It's somewhat of an obscure film among Kitano Takeshi-san's works though. As for actors, I really love Steve Buscemi, who appeared in the film "In the Soup." I want to become an actor like him, someone who can create their own role and have free rein on the sidelines.

Katsurayama Shingo

In fan letters and on the bulletin board of my website, I'm often told, "I thought you were married." I don't think even I've settled down yet. Even my room is messy. That's why I clean and do laundry on my days off. The day before a holiday, I'll go out for a drink, and do two loads of laundry in the afternoon (laughs). I'm not a strong drinker. I'm the type where it shows on my face right away. I also like karaoke. When I've had a long day at work, I'll go to karaoke and sing to refresh myself. If I have the next day off, I sometimes sing until morning.

I'll sing anything, but I like Ozaki Yutaka-san. I think my vocals fit his songs fairly well. I like ballads that I can sing with ease~. For Ozaki-san, it would be his song "forget me not." It's not just singing, as I've been listening to Ozaki-san since I was in middle school. I'm pretty sure the first album I bought was his "SEVENTEEN'S MAP." I was in shock when he passed away. I had met him once before. We met backstage at a concert, where he told me, "Next year, I'm going on tour and releasing an album, so come see me," but then he passed away around the beginning of that year.

I used to sing not only ballads, but also up tempo songs where I'd go wild, but as you can see, I've settled down now, I think (laughs). I suppose this is simply an age related change. Recently, I've felt these kinds of changes in alot of places. It's the same with my food preferences. I used to be very picky with what I liked and disliked. It was almost as if I ate nothing but meat and rice. But now, I'll often eat simple fish dishes. I used to be a vegetable hater, but I'm slowly getting better at eating them. However, eating tomatoes is still a no go (laughs). My favorite food is white rice. Even when eating out, the restaurant has to be one that serves rice. When I find an izakaya that serves rice, I'm like, "Uwah! I've found it!" From there, I'll stick to that place for awhile.

I like cars, so I'll often go out in one. As you can imagine, I've been too busy to go out these days. Ah, but during this year's Golden Week, I had some time off, so I had a barbecue at a riverbed near my parents house. What's more, going back to my parents house may have been just the right drive I needed (laughs).

When I first moved to Tokyo, I thought about trying a highway that I'd never been on before, so I once raced across the Kanetsu Expressway during winter. I ended up at a ski resort in Yuzawa. However, since I went there in my casual clothes, I just said, "What a gorgeous view," and then went back home (laughs).

To be honest, I tend to go on random trips without reserving a stay at an inn or hotel. One time, I was driving alone and gradually felt like taking a bath. I arrived at a public bathhouse, and after taking a bath, I laid down in the tatami room used for breaks since there were no other customers there. When I woke up, I saw a girl in a short skirt walking past me and thought, "What a nice view." After a moment, I took a closer look around and saw that it was packed with customers (laughs). I was surprised and thought, "I really fell asleep in a place like this, huh?"

There are still many parts of me that are perceived for my visuals, rather than as an actor. If I don't surpass that, I won't be able to move forward as an actor, and the viewers will get bored with me too. That's why I'm very interested in taking on different roles from the one I'm playing right now. I'd like to be able to mix my own playful side with the role I present in my performance so that the human qualities of an actor can come pouring out.

For that reason, work is important, but on the other hand, I think it's also important to have fun and connect with a variety of people. From now on, I'd personally like to continue having fun with friends around my age, like companions. While I have alot of memories from my school years, once you enter the workforce, your friends go their separate ways and you get together less often. Until now, I've often jumped into the lives of people older than me, so at this point, I think I'd like to value interesting friends of the same age. Besides, when you're the same age, you can't compromise. In spite of that, it makes me feel like, "I can't lose," but in a good way. Not just for acting, but also for what I want to do, and how far I'll pursue it. I'm the spoiled type, so I'd like to receive more stimulation like that. Being with good friends is the most fun, don't you think? _

Odagiri Joe VS Katsurayama Shingo

Odagiri: The first time I saw Katsurayama-san, I thought, "Ah, he's gotta be an actor." He's got a good looking face and figure.

Katsurayama: You've done nothing but compliment me as of late (laughs).

Odagiri: I really have.

Katsurayama: My first impression of Odagiri-kun is pretty much the same as it is now. I guess you could say that he acts as his regular self. When I enter a new set, I tend to become nervous and it shows. Odagiri-kun may be nervous, but I can't really see it at all.

Odagiri: I just do things at my own pace (laughs).

Katsurayama: I also thought that during the script reading. When I heard your first line, I thought it was so natural.

Odagiri: What line was that?

Katsurayama: I'm pretty sure it was when you were taking care of the lost child at the airport in the first episode.

Odagiri: That was the first one, wasn't it? When I talked with Katsurayama-san during the reading, I thought he was a serious and hardworking person. As for me, Kuuga was the first time in my life that I read a script, so I was already overwhelmed.

Katsurayama: I was at my limit too (laughs). Going to a new set for the first time makes me nervous. Also, before I met Odagiri-kun, I had heard that for this Kamen Rider, they were looking for an actor who would play the main role differently from the past, and who would be more like an ordinary big brother than a hero of justice, so I wondered what kind of guy they would get. When I actually met him, I thought, "Ah, I see."

Odagiri: Is that right? Katsurayama-san knows stuff that I don't.

Katsurayama: Even after it was decided that I got the role of Ichijou, I went to the audition for the role of Yusuke.

Odagiri: Does that mean you were looking at the audition through the eyes of Ichijou?

Katsurayama: I…suppose so. I tried to match my lines with the people who came to play Yusuke.

Odagiri: I played the role of Ichijou at my audition. I also played Kameyama. I think they specifically had me do the scene where Ichijou and Yusuke meet for the first time. I did my best to talk at the audition. I'm the kind of person who'll sometimes do crazy things at auditions (laughs).

Katsurayama: I'm the type that can't do anything at an audition and goes home (laughs).

Odagiri: When I went to the auditions, we just rehearsed some scenes. I got thirsty during the rehearsals, so I always purchased a one liter carton of tea. When I brought that with me to the audition, it was directly connected to Yusuke's love of tea (laughs). His juggling setup seemed to have been decided on from the beginning, but when I said "I can do it," it seemed like that was also connected to Yusuke.

Katsurayama: It's a role that was made for Odagiri-kun. It's fate. Things like his clothes are different, but aren't you usually like Yusuke?

Odagiri: Yusuke is the personality that exists within me. It just so happened that the personality I have fell in line with Yusuke. Still, at first, I was worried about how to approach this. Now, I've come to understand that I should explore from within myself.

Katsurayama: I guess there's an Ichijou within me too. It's probably my serious and stubborn side though.

Odagiri: But at drinking parties, Ichijou wouldn’t be the one to make alot of noise, right?

Katsurayama: Yeah? (laughs).

Odagiri: The other day, you passionately sang at karaoke. How long did you end up staying?

Katsurayama: Until around 1 a.m. I think.

Odagiri: Katsurayama-san is talented.

Katsurayama: No, no, that would be you Odagiri-kun.

Odagiri: Uwah, please cut it out (laughs). When I sing, he harmonizes with me.

Katsurayama: I like harmonizing.

Odagiri: The two of us will harmonize songs by groups like the Blue Hearts. That's why Katsurayama-san's usually different from Ichijou's character.

Katsurayama: Even during filming, Ichijou doesn't smile, but there's been many parts where I almost do.

Odagiri: Me on the other hand, I seem to smile too much. Sometimes the staff will tell me, "Don't smile so much." In episode 14, when Yusuke falls into the river and Ichijou-san rushes over to him, there's a scene where I look back at him and smile, but I was told, "You shouldn't look so pleased."

Katsurayama: That must be difficult, huh? (laughs).

Odagiri: It's complicated. It's like I can only do this~ much. If I enjoy my acting too much in an "Odagiri kind of way," I get scolded with, "That's not Yusuke, that's Odagiri" (laughs).

Katsurayama: "That's no good" tends to come out. Still, it also helps us to establish our characters images.

Odagiri: Now that you mention it, we haven't really given each other advice on acting. For me, the Ichijou-san Katsurayama-san plays is like Ichijou-san himself.

Katsurayama: I don't really care one way or another about other people's performances. There are times when we talk about what we should do for scenes where it's just the two of us. I think it'll be more interesting if we can create things that aren't written in the script by ourselves.

Odagiri: The set allows for quite abit of adlibbing, so I'd like to include more of it.

Katsurayama: From Ichijou's point of view, you don't do anything poorly when adlibbing~.

Odagiri: Yeah, that's right. Yusuke does a variety of things depending on the mood of the scene, such as the scenes with Hikari Sensei. Still, it'd be bad if "Odagiri" comes out too much there (laughs). Aside from Ichijou-san and Hikari Sensei, I don't work with the police that much, but I have shot scenes with most of my costars.

Katsurayama: I think all the characters are in a "good friends" situation.

Odagiri: I think it's more friendship than love. Still, I'm sure Ichijou-san has a love story, maybe with someone like Nozomi-san. There are rumors that Nana-chan might become an Ichijou fan too. This makes me sad as Odagiri more than it does as Yusuke (laughs).

Katsurayama: Everyone has their own personality. Both when they're playing their roles and as their normal selves. This is especially true for someone like Oyassan (laughs). When we're together in a scene, I want to laugh with him, but I can't (laughs), because I'm Ichijou.

Odagiri: Oyassan does some interesting things in the test shots right before we shoot for real. It's such a waste since the most interesting parts aren't what's being aired. Speaking of wasteful, there are quite a few scenes that are filmed, but then aren't used.

Katsurayama: There are. The other day, there was a scene where Sugita-san was teaching Nozomi how to brew tea.

Odagiri: Yeah. Sakurai-san was also with them in that scene.

Katsurayama: I guess it all came down to time, but it's a shame that it wasn't aired.

Odagiri: It seems that after much deliberation, the Director reluctantly cut it out.

Katsurayama: It's alittle sad when any of the scenes or takes that I personally wanted to see don't make it in.

Odagiri: Like which ones?

Katsurayama: It's just some small things. I've always liked detective stuff, so I like the parts where the undercover patrol car's lights go off. We filmed it, but when I watched the broadcast, it had been cut. I guess even stuff like that gets cut (laughs). On set, I tried saying something funny like, "How about a slightly silly side of Ichijou's character?" In a scene where he'd be alone, I'd say a joke that wasn't funny. However, it really didn't seem like Ichijou, so I stopped (laughs).

Odagiri: Just as Sugita-san is putting all his energy into a scene that's supposed to be a masterpiece, Ichijou-san will come out of nowhere and "steal" the viewers away (laughs). It's always the same.

Katsurayama: But recently, Sugita-san's been taking over some scenes. Sugita-san's character has developed. In the beginning, Yusuke, Ichijou, and Sakurako were the main three creating the drama, but now, the other actors and staff are rapidly creating the characters, which has made it more interesting for us to watch.

Odagiri: I look forward to it. I feel lonely when there's about a week between filming.

Katsurayama: That reminds me, we went out drinking with Tsubaki-san for abit. I had promised Odagiri-kun that the two of us would go out for drinks together, but then they bumped into each other at a certain station.

Odagiri: Right, right, when I was waiting for the train at the station, Otsuka-san just happened to be standing next to me reading a newspaper. I invited him to join me since I was going out for drinks with Katsurayama-san afterwards. Then, to my surprise, when we got on the train, Nanamori-san was sitting diagonally in front of us (laughs). Otsuka-san and Nanamori-san had never met each other, not even within the show, so I loudly introduced them to each other while on the train.

Katsurayama: It surprised me when I was waiting at the station, as I thought, "Is that the Rose Tattooed Woman over there?" (laughs). Because, not only was it Odagiri-kun, but Nanamori-san and Otsuka-san were also there. I wondered, "Do they have filming today?"

Odagiri: It was a creepy coincidence. Something like that happened not once, but twice.

Katsurayama: You can no longer say, "There's no way I'll encounter them."

Odagiri: Speaking of which, the other day the two of us went out to buy a computer, and right next to me was a child saying, "No, that's Pegasus Form!," but he didn't notice us at all.

Katsurayama: Odagiri-kun's appearance was different, and I wasn't wearing a suit. We do usually ride in a car together though.

Odagiri: I'll occasionally ask him to take me home on the way back (laughs).

Katsurayama: I'm sure people would wonder about that if they saw us. We're not in a black patrol car (laughs). We've never been recognized when walking together. Sometimes I have when I'm by myself. I'm usually just wandering around.

Odagiri: I ride my bike everywhere (laughs).

Katsurayama: Whenever we go out together, it's either for a meal or for drinks. You wanna go fishing next time?

Odagiri: Ah, please take me with you.

Katsurayama: I'm afraid he'll get mad at me if we go alone, so I'll invite everyone. And when I say fishing, I don't mean anything that serious, we'll just be sitting on the breakwater all night.

Odagiri: That sounds nice. Let's go. _

Bonus Secret Story

For the first half, Katsurayama-san says his dialogue with a Kansai dialect. He usually speaks in Kansai dialect.

Odagiri-san brought his polaroid camera. The purpose was to take pictures for "Monthly Odagiri," a popular corner on TV Asahi's website. He occasionally took pictures of Katsurayama-san talking and Katsurayama-san eating.

Unrecorded Conversation 1 (from a conversation in which Ichijou calls Yusuke by his full name)

Katsurayama: "Godai Yusuke, can you hear me?" How many times have I said this line?

Odagiri: You say it every time.

Katsurayama: "Unidentified Lifeform #10 has appeared somewhere."

Odagiri: "Yes, I understand."

Katsurayama: I also said that for the new toys that are coming out.

Unrecorded Conversation 2 (century eggs were used in the dish that was brought out to them)

Odagiri: I heard that Otsuka-san was a century egg in a previous life.

Katsurayama: Are you a previous life fortune teller? (laughs).

Odagiri: After it ferments, it finally becomes Otsuka-san (laughs).

Katsurayama: He's probably sneezing right now.

[kxsagi]

“𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐥𝐲, 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐥𝐲, 𝐢 𝐠𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐢’𝐦 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐥𝐲”

a/n: guys the dante brainrot has not left, it's a lifestyle

title inspired by the song that dante OWNS, vintage by eva (i think it’s russian? correct me if i’m wrong)

(art credits go to seyyy_12345 on x)

you weren’t here to win hearts. you were here to win tickets. 

the arcade smelled like popcorn, cheap carpet, and faint childhood trauma. the ceiling tiles were probably older than you, and the air-conditioning wheezed like it had asthma, but none of that mattered. because you had one mission and one mission only: absolutely demolish the high score on “dance frenzy 3000.” 

your fingers hovered over the start button, eyes narrowed. the current top score glared back at you from the screen. “D@NT3 – 785,000.” 

“dante?” you snorted. “who spells it like that?” 

“i do.” 

you turned. slowly. like a horror movie protagonist. 

and there he was. tall. lean. smug. arms crossed over his chest like a final boss. his silver hair fell perfectly in place despite the humidity of a thousand screaming children, and his smirk? it should’ve been illegal. 

“you must be the one who's been hogging the machine every friday,” he said, stepping closer. “thought i’d see who had the guts to challenge me.” 

you looked him up and down. dramatic red coat. shiny boots. some kind of sword strapped to his back, because of course. 

“… do you wear that to the grocery store?” 

“only on weekends.” 

you blinked. he didn’t. 

so naturally, your brain did the only logical thing. “wanna dance battle?” 

a beat. then his grin widened. “i thought you’d never ask.” 

round one: danger zone (remix) 

you went first. the screen lit up in seizure-inducing neon, the beat dropped, and your body moved like it was possessed by a dance demon. 

left. right. spin. double stomp. perfect. perfect. perfect. 

you could feel the eyes of fellow arcade-goers watching. a toddler dropped his slushie in awe. somewhere in the distance, an elderly man saluted. 

you struck the final pose with flourish. the score flashed. 812,200. 

you looked at dante. “your move, silver fox.” 

his brows lifted. “silver fox?” 

“dance, old man.” 

“you’re gonna regret that.” 

round two: heartbreaker (nightcore edition) 

he was annoyingly good. infuriatingly good. 

you hated how graceful he was. how his coat flared with every step like he’d rehearsed it. how the machine hit him with a “SICK!!” rating and you somehow felt that in your soul. 

but something shifted in the air mid-song. he caught your eye. for a second, the intensity melted, replaced with something softer. 

admiration? amusement? a devastatingly attractive combo of both? 

you looked away first. 

he missed a step. 

“HA!” you cheered, finger-pointing like a victorious rival. 

he flipped you off mid-spin, which the toddler’s mom definitely didn’t appreciate. 

round three: “mecha rave showdown” (sudden death mode) 

you both played with the ferocity of two people trying to win a gold medal or possibly a marriage proposal. maybe both. 

the score? tied. 

your lungs? burning. 

your pride? on the line. 

the music ended in an explosion of bass and neon, and the screen blinked furiously. the final verdict? 

DRAW. 

you both dropped to the floor, chests heaving, limbs vibrating from the effort. the world spun. your dignity floated somewhere near the popcorn machine. 

“you,” dante said between wheezes, “are the most annoying person i’ve ever met.” 

“right back at you,” you panted. then grinned. “had fun though?” 

he looked at you, and this time, he didn’t smirk. didn’t tease. he smiled. slowly. like it surprised even him. 

“you know,” he said, “i think i just fell in love.” 

you blinked. “excuse me?” 

“yup.” he sat up, brushing hair out of his eyes. “madly. deeply. hopelessly. tragically. you, me, arcades, forever.” 

you stared. “are you okay?” 

“no.” he pointed at his chest. “you danced and now my heart does that anime sparkle thing.” 

“you mean palpitations?” 

“romantic ones.” 

you laughed. he leaned back on his elbows, looking smug again, but this time it was softer. fonder. 

“listen,” he said. “if we don’t get married and form an elite dance crime-fighting duo, i’ll consider this the biggest missed opportunity of my life.” 

you tilted your head. “you always flirt with people you tie with?” 

“not at all ma’am. only you.” 

“… so you want my number.” 

“yes. and also a strawberry sundae. but mostly your number.” 

you dragged it out, just to be cruel. “you’ll have to promise not to cry when i beat you again next week.” 

he leaned in. dangerously close. eyes gleaming. “only if you promise to wipe my tears with a plushie i win for you.” 

you bit your lip to hide the smile. “deal.” 

you gave him your number. he saved it under “dancefloor soulmate <3.” 

and that was how you accidentally, casually, and entirely iconically made dante fall in love with you in the middle of an arcade. 

the machine (and dante) never stood a chance. 

© 𝐤𝐱𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐢

[nowimjustastranger]

What is this, a crossover follow-up?

You know it! Thank fuck Part 2 is finally done, it was fighting me this whole time and I finally managed to wrangle it into submission lol.

Art by @tearosepedall

Part 1

“You’re going to have to remove a few layers if I’m to administer proper medical attention.” Ford grunted, scanning Jerk Ford to keep an eye on his surprisingly stable vitals. They were just now starting to dip into potentially life-threatening territory, which was impressive considering that Jerk Ford had been riddled with holes for at least an hour.

“Only if you take off your helmet." Jerk Ford retorted, his words at odds with how he moved to dutifully hold his hoodie and undershirts up so Ford could scrutinize his wounds unhindered.

“No.” Ford snapped without conscious thought, a knee-jerk denial to such vulnerability. Taking off the helmet would remove his prescience from the equation and tip the scales in Jerk Ford’s favor. He couldn’t afford to give Jerk Ford any advantage or he might take control of the situation.

"You're asking me to strip in the middle of a grimy alleyway, the least you could do is take the damn bucket off. We have the same face for fuck’s sake." Jerk Ford scowled, his grip on the bunched up fabric of his layers tightening. His nails were brittle, indicating an underlying health problem beyond his current injuries.

Ford grimaced, acknowledging that Jerk Ford had a point. And, for the sake of keeping things somewhat amicable, he supposed that it was a small price to pay. Besides, he still outmatched Jerk Ford in terms of both speed and strength. If his counterpart tried anything, he was confident that he could handle it.

Ford reached under his jaw, fingers finding the metal side release buckle and unclipping it with a firm press on either side. The thin, needle-like probe plugged into the port embedded in the back of his head slid out and folded away into a hidden compartment before he hesitantly dragged his helmet off. He squinted at the sudden wave of sensory input, no longer filtered by the helmet.

"Huh, interesting. That a prescription helmet? Or did you bite the bullet and get some Space LASIK?" Jerk Ford huffed, sharp eyes roaming over his face as if committing it to memory; or perhaps searching for something. Either way, Ford felt exposed under his piercing gaze.

“I had eye surgery to enhance my vision.” Ford mumbled, oddly self-conscious about his voice now that he didn’t have the built-in voice modulator to mask certain emotions. It was easier to talk to people when they didn’t know what he was thinking or feeling. Of course, that’s not to say his composure wasn’t immaculate, but it was hard to hide from himself.

Jerk Ford nodded, his eyes drifting to the mouth of the alley as he let go of the cloth clenched in his hands in favor of dragging his hoodie up and off, closely followed by his undershirt and thermal shirt. He carelessly draped all three items over one of his arms to keep them off the ground but out of the way, his free hand adjusting his glasses since they had been knocked askew as he stripped.

The first thing that Ford noticed was how thin he was, his ribs visible under sickly pale skin. The brittle fingernails, the almost grayish cast to his complexion, the dark circles under his eyes, and the sheer amount of layers he wore on a pleasantly warm day had Ford suspecting that he was anemic on top of being malnourished. Ford contemplated giving Jerk Ford one of the snacks he kept stashed on his person before they parted ways, though he doubted it would be well received.

"How did you end up in the multiverse?” Ford asked, shedding both his gloves and trench coat to maybe help the other man feel less uncomfortable by further baring himself. His arms were covered in extensive scarring from blades and burns and bullets, though Jerk Ford didn’t give them more than a passing glance, far more interested in his face for some reason.

Ford rummaged through the pouches on his utility belt, retrieving a serum to kick-start the healing process and a second one that would help his body replenish the lost blood faster. Ford instinctively pressed a warm palm to Jerk Ford’s side as he stuck the first needle into the bullet wound, administering an equal amount into each hole in Jerk Ford’s torso before waiting for them to start steadily closing to make sure he didn’t need another dose.

"Bill possessed me and tried to start the portal, but my brother came downstairs to stop him. There was a fight." Jerk Ford recounted, mouth twisting as his eyes got distant, staring at nothing in particular when his attention turned inward. "Bill pinned him against a control panel and burned him, and he kicked us back as a knee-jerk reaction."

“I see.” Ford said in a carefully neutral tone, processing the freely offered information as his gaze swept over each injury to ensure that the damage was repaired, leaving sensitive pink skin where gaping wounds used to be.

"Knowing him, he still feels guilty about it, all these years later.” Jerk Ford sighed, blinking a few times as he returned to the present when one of Ford’s hands cupped his forearm, the other using two fingers to prod Jerk Ford’s inner elbow to search for a vein.

"If he hadn't kicked you into the portal, Bill would have made you kill him.” Ford stated, uncapping the second syringe to ease the needle into the vein that seemed most promising.

"I can hardly tell him that from this side, dumbass.” Jerk Ford scoffed, watching Ford slowly press the plunger so the iridescent liquid could enter his bloodstream. A beneficial side effect of the serum was that Jerk Ford would be warmed from the inside until the serum was fully converted into red and white blood cells, which would ease the complications that came with being anemic.

"Do you miss him? Your brother?” Ford asked, tucking the emptied syringe into the same pouch that held the first one before stepping back. Jerk Ford took that as his cue to shrug back into his undershirt and trademark hoodie, Ford himself pulling his trench coat and gloves back on.

"What a stupid question, of course I do. Every fucking day." Jerk Ford declared in such a casual tone that Ford paused, his brows furrowing as he scrutinized this strangely open variation of himself. He’d said those words like it was a simple fact, like it was expected and shouldn’t be surprising to hear in the least. "Most of the Fordverse does, but you know that pride and ego get in the way of admitting it.”

“You’re very self-aware for a Ford.” Ford remarked, tone cautious. He was used to navigating a minefield of bitterness and excessive anger –or even outright violence on occasion– when he brought up a Ford’s variation of Stanley; this was jarringly different from the usual routine of arguing with a man who would rather commit suicide desperately trying to kill a cosmic god then admit that they missed their brother.

"We all have the ability to be. But for a lot of us, we're too stubborn. The sin of pride hangs over my head as it does any other version of us; the only real difference is that my ego is not the most important thing in the multiverse to me." Jerk Ford said with an indifferent shrug, bracing a hand on the wall to push himself up straight, looking pleasantly surprised when he found that his legs held his weight.

“What is the most important thing to you then?” Ford asked, intrigued by this strange version of himself who’s brutal honesty came off as jerkish and abrasive. Ford has met all kinds of Fords from every stage of life; but this Ford, this so-called Jerk Ford, was the first one he had met that he didn’t actively want to maim.

"Going home. It's been a long time, but I know there's at least one person who is still waiting for me." Jerk Ford admitted, brushing himself off. He was avoiding eye contact and his posture indicated that he felt awkward, all signs that pointed toward Jerk Ford making himself look occupied on purpose. It was a common tactic used among Fords when the matter of feelings came up.

“And what of Bill Cipher?” Ford prompted with a grimace. Uttering the name made his mouth feel numb even now, all these years later. The chill that crawled down his spine was expected, as was the sudden flare-up of his rampant paranoia. Suddenly, he wanted the helmet back on more than anything, wanted the comfort of his technology.

"What about him? He's probably being a total bitch to someone else right now." Jerk scoffed, waving a hand dismissively. Ford was momentarily stunned by how… unaffected by the topic of Bill Jerk Ford was, as if Bill didn’t have the same hold on him as the demon did other Fords. “If I wanted him on my mind 24/7, I wouldn't have bothered with a metal plate."

“You’re not concerned that he might seek revenge against you and your family?” Ford asked, his voice harder than he’d intended. Jerk Ford’s eyes cut to him, staring with an intensity that made Ford posture on instinct.

"I can either go back to my dimension and seal it against him because I'm the only one from my Earth who knows his weaknesses. Or, I can die in a suicide mission against him, and no one seals it. It's not a hard choice. I'm not some hero trying to take on some omniscient triangle who's mad at being told ‘no’." Jerk Ford bit out, crossing his arms.

“And the destruction and pain he will cause because you didn’t destroy him?” Ford seethed, hands curling into fists. Jerk Ford’s narrowed eyes briefly darted down to them, something flickering underneath the defensive anger before it was swiftly buried again. “Do you often let others suffer the consequences of your mistakes because you can’t be bothered to fix them?”

"First you want to know about my relationship with my twin, and now you're getting on my case about Bill Cipher?” Jerk Ford retorted, bracing himself in a manner that signalled that he was ready to bolt at a moment’s notice. “If you're so concerned, why don't you go around eradicating that isosceles bastard and all of his alternates? Is it because you're too busy committing the most elaborate method of self-harming possible?"

“You can’t just go home and pretend he doesn't exist and that he doesn't have a personal vendetta against you!” Ford snarled, closing the gap between them with an abrupt burst of movement, slamming his counterpart up against the wall. Jerk Ford’s annoyed expression finally cracked, revealing the unmistakable wariness beneath. “He will destroy everything you care about and everyone you love, saving you for last. And if you’re lucky he’ll just kill you and be done with it.”

"I don't think this is really about me right now." Jerk Ford said slowly, one of his hands tentatively moving to Ford’s wrist. His fingers curled around the sliver of skin beneath his sleeve, gently squeezing, and Ford’s entire body hummed with the cautious contact. "Look at me, I can't even fight you. If I tried to take Cipher head-on, it's going to end with me dead, Cipher alive, and my dimension unsealed. It's my fault, I'm not going to lie about that, just like most versions of us I did this. But if I'm gonna fix it, I can't do it from out here."

“I–” Ford cut himself off with a shuddering breath, his grip on Jerk Ford’s hoodie loosening. The red film over his vision slinked back into the bowels of his mind, leaving Ford staring at his counterpart, towering over Jerk Ford’s slightly shorter frame menacingly. “I… can see where you’re coming from. The best offense is a good defense, as it were. Play to your strengths.”

Ford let go of Jerk Ford’s hoodie. Stepped back.

“That’s all we can do, out here.” Jerk Ford murmured, his lax hold lingering, a welcome warmth against Ford’s skin. He breathed in deep, holding for a few moments, before exhaling slowly. Ford’s insides were jittery, but the contact grounded him to the here and now. He wondered how Jerk Ford had figured it out, or if he had simply made an educated guess and hoped for the best.

"You never did say why you hounded me. Any version of us would be down for a philosophy chat if that’s what you were looking for. You're not after a bounty. And the Hate Club has a policy of shooting someone dead if they 'sympathize' with me.” Jerk Ford changed the subject with surprising tact, finally relinquishing his loose grip. Ford watched his counterpart’s arm fall limp at his side, a part of him mourning the loss.

"I wasn't after your bounty specifically, no. Though you were brought to my attention due to a wanted poster.” Ford hummed, taking the out that was freely offered with no small amount of relief. "I was mainly concerned for your brother, so I figured I would evaluate your character to determine whether or not you were as bad as your hate club claims.”

"Oh no, I'm definitely as bad as they say. Except to my brother. You won't believe me when I say this, but he is literally the only person in this whole multiverse that I've never been mean to. It's not like they ever believed that… or bothered to ask.” Jerk Ford snorted, something akin to bitterness in his tone. Ford really couldn’t blame him, not when the vast majority of their variants were insufferable.

"So long as you're an adequate brother to Stan, I could care less if you're good or bad.” Ford grunted, striding over to where he had discarded his helmet in his rage, scooping it up and wiping the grime off the otherwise unblemished surface with the sleeve of his trench coat.

“Why do you care at all?” Jerk Ford asked, his voice closer than Ford expected. Ford turned to confirm that, yes, Jerk Ford had trailed after him. Ford had been one wrong word from inflicting bodily harm no more than a minute ago and his intended victim wasn’t running for the hills. How peculiar. “Don’t you have your own brother to look after?”

“My brother…" Ford pauses, a lump forming in his throat. He swiftly donned the helmet to hide behind carbon fiber, fiberglass, and expanded polypropylene. He swallowed thickly, mouth twisted with grief and guilt. When he tried again, his voice was monotone after being filtered through the built-in modulator. "My original brother. He's– well. I haven't seen him in decades.”

"Like the rest of us?" Jerk Ford drawled, raising a brow.

“I'm just one of the many Fords who didn't realize the damage they were doing until it was far too late." Ford said blandly, head ducking a bit so he could stare down at his hands. Being destined for greatness meant very little when it had cost him half his soul, a price that Ford realized was far too steep far too late. "I have no one to blame but myself for what happened.”

“Hm.” Jerk Ford hummed, his expression giving nothing away. Ford had no idea what he could be thinking, it was… unsettling. Ford would analyze his counterpart to figure it out, but he didn’t actually want to know what the other man thought of him now that his inadequacy was made so glaringly obvious.

“No scathing comment? From what I’ve been able to gather about your character thus far, it’s unlike you.” Ford huffed, attempting to make light of the situation, but it fell horribly flat. Stans excelled in this area, but Ford had never seemed to get the hang of coping with humor no matter how much time he spent around variations of his brother.

"Look, I've been called a lot of things; a jerk, an asshole, a jackass, a bitch–and all of those things are true.” Jerk Ford stressed, his brows furrowed. He almost looked offended by the implication that he would be that cruel, and his next words confirmed it: “But I'm not a monster.”

“No, you’re not.” Ford agreed, his attention drawn away from his counterpart when his proximity sensor chirped at him. Ford’s eyes flicked to the icon, selecting it with a blink. Movement at the mouth of the alley, steadily making its way closer. The dot was moving slowly, indicating cautiousness. There was a high probability that whoever was approaching was one of Jerk Ford’s allies, over 70%.

"I did have to sink that low once. Once. It was to save my life, but I still wish I didn't have to.” Jerk Ford continued, as if he couldn’t stop himself, like he was trying to convince Ford –or perhaps himself– that whatever he had done didn’t make him scum. Once upon a time Ford would’ve been able to relate, but now there were only a handful of lines that he would not cross.

"We all do things we're not proud of to survive. I would never hold that against you, doing so would make me a hypocrite.” Ford offered, multitasking between keeping track of the dot and presenting his own opinion on the matter. He could tell that his words settled Jerk Ford a bit, easing a deep-rooted doubt that no amount of empty words could soothe.

“Psst! Jerk!” A familiar voice carried through the quiet alley, Ford turning to get eyes on the colorful man that was crouched behind a dumpster nearby. The Anti-Ford’s gaze kept straying from Jerk Ford, anxiously checking to see if Ford had moved. “Dude, let’s get out of here before… he tries anything. S is waiting around the corner for us.”

Jerk Ford heaved a sigh and shuffled forward, bypassing Ford to reach his ally, who lurched to his feet in order to meet him. Quite brave of the Anti-Ford considering he was clearly terrified, all but dragging Jerk Ford back the way that Anti-Ford had come. The Anti Ford was whispering a mile a minute, continuously looking behind them like he expected to see Ford rushing at them.

However, Jerk Ford only looked back a moment before the pair turned the corner to meet up with this mysterious ‘S’ figure that the Anti-Ford had mentioned, his expression once again unreadable.

[hugnknee]

Apartment 224

pairing: Spencer Reid x neighbor!reader

summary: After Spencer Reid gets his parking spot stolen, he must confront the culprit to get it back.

warnings/tags: N/A

word count: 861

authors note: Hii! This is my first post on here. It's not exactly my best work, but I hope y'all enjoy!

Spencer couldn’t believe that he was so upset over something so trivial as this, but there he was: on the phone with Penelope using her expertise to track down the owner of a car.

Every day, Spencer parked last spot in the left corner of the lot furthest from the door. He knew he wasn’t home often, so his car typically stayed at his apartment.

Today was his day off, so he decided to ensure that all was right with his vehicle. He was only gone a few hours, yet when he got back, he noticed a car. A different car. A car that was not his parked in his parking spot. Parking spots don’t have names, yes, but Spencer believed that it was common decency to know that if someone parks in the same spot every single day, it is their spot.

Spencer hated her. No. Not hated. Hate was a strong word that he’d rather not use. Loathed or extremely disliked was better. Either way, he refused to let anyone disturb his way of life.

He parked next to the car.

He could do nothing about it besides storm off. He didn’t know her at the time, but he wanted to. He wanted to tell her that that spot was rightfully his and that he should be the only one to park there. 

“Found her,” Penelope said.

“Who is she?” Spencer paced around his apartment, car keys in hand.

Penelope said her name; he didn’t recognize it. Spencer didn’t talk to many people in his building, though. His apartment served as more of a house than a home. Penelope also said her apartment number: the one directly across from his. 

“Spencer, what are you going to do?” Penelope asked.

“I’m going to ask for my parking spot back.” Spencer stopped his pacing.

“Okay, and don’t hate me for this, but it is just a parking spot.”

To Penelope, it was just a parking spot. To Spencer, it was the most convenient place to park his car, especially for someone who was never home. In all of his years living there, he always parked in that spot. He would have liked to continue it. 

“Which is why she should have no problem giving it up. I’m going over there. Thank you for your help.” Spencer hung up his phone and shoved it in his back pocket. He ran a hand through his hair—all of this stress had given him a headache. Taking a deep breath, he trudged across the hall.

The door read “Apartment 224.” Music that he didn’t recognize blared through. He felt sorry for the eardrums of whoever lived in there. His hand rapped against the door harsher than he intended, but it still worked. He was coming with complaints, after all.

The door opened. There stood a woman with deep brown skin and blonde braids flowing down her back. She stared at Spencer. “Hi, can I help you?”

Every complaint he had left his mind as he took in the silk pajamas she wore. “Umm. Hi, I’m Spencer,” he muttered. In his head, he thought he was coming to lay down the law. “I know this is super menial, but the parking spot you’re currently parked in is mine.” His head lied. “Well, rather not mine, but I prefer to park there because I work a really weird schedule so my car just sits there and it’s the best way that I can keep it out of peoples way, so for future purposes, I would prefer you use any other parking spot than the one you’re currently using.”

He sounded dorky, as opposed to the assertive nature he wanted to put on. He couldn’t help it, though she distracted him. Her eyes never left his, and he was sure he was getting lost in them. 

The woman nodded. “Okay, that makes sense. Sorry about that, I also work super hectic hours. I guess we were thinking alike.” Her voice was like iced tea on a hot day to Spencer. He wanted her to keep talking. “Would you like me to move it now or…”

“No. It’s, umm, fine. You seem to be in a very relaxed state, and I’d hate to disturb you.” Spencer wanted to keep this going, but he didn’t exactly know how. His brain was scrambled, and the raging headache he had was not helping him. The music still raged behind them. 

The woman nodded again. “Sounds good. Thank you for telling me.” She went to close the door. Spencer had one last chance.

“What music are you listening to? I don’t think I’ve heard it before.” 

The door swung back open. "You've never listened to Beyonce?"

Truth be told, he'd only heard her in passing from Penelope's office, or if Savannah was playing it at Derek's house. "No.

The woman chuckled and smiled. Spencer’s knees went weak. “Why don’t you come in? I could give you a lesson about the greatest performer of this generation.”

Spencer smiled. “I’d like that.” He stepped into her house, music thumping in his ears. “But do you think we could turn it down a bit?”

[deangirlsstuff67]

Her Biggest Fan Part 3

Jensen Ackles x Reader

Summary: Who doesn't love a good fantasy or escape from our normal lives. When Y/N started this online adventre she never dreamed it would land her smack dab in the path of her favorite actor. Is there a chance this fantasy might become reality? And will the reality live up to the fantasy?

Warnings: fluff, talk about divorce, talk about trauma, language, soft Jensen, a little sexual innuendo

Authors Note: Here you go! I love that y’all are loving the hell out of this story. Don’t worry smut is coming !! I wouldn’t leave you guys hanging :) I love Jensen and his family. This is purely fiction and for entertainment purposes only.

Catch up with part two here | Masterlist

—————————————————————————

Jay: So can I ask why you started doing OnlyFans sweetheart?

You’re relaxing on the back deck tonight, watching the horses graze in the west pasture. Today was busy around here. Your kids came home from their dad’s house, you had your friends and their children over for a fire and BBQ. There is nothing that beats a beautiful summer evening hanging with friends.

Now the kids are tucked into bed after video chatting with your ex husband to say good night and you are finally enjoying nothing but the night creatures making noise as you decompress.

Jensen and you have been chatting all day. He’s up here in Canada filming again. I guess that means he can text more often without having his wife asking questions.

The more you talk, the more you two are becoming closer. It’s a surreal feeling considering you’ve never met the man a day in your life.

Me: At first it was for fun honestly. I am single, get bored easily, and needed the extra money anywhere I could get it. I had done it once before when I was still married, that didn’t end up going well in the end. This time around I didn’t have anyone looking over my shoulder or getting jealous constantly about something that didn’t matter in the end so I figured why not. Any side hustle I can start that can make me some extra money to throw at the life I have, I’ll take.

Jay: So the ex didn’t enjoy it?

Me: In the beginning he did. He got all the videos and photos sent to him and he even was in some of them. Helped pick out outfits. That best friend he’s with now, she was doing it with me and that was when they started getting closer and cheating on me. If I had to guess he was afraid I would do what he was already doing to me.

Jay: Ah, so it was his guilt playing with his jealousy. I guess I don’t have much room to talk.

Me: I’m going to say your situation is different. You guys are just staying together for show not so much because one of you is still holding onto hope for the marriage.

Jay: No, I don’t think many people will see it that way of it ever gets out though.

Me: People judge what they don’t know. I have a question?

Jay: Shoot!

Me: Does Danneel know about me?

There’s a long silence between it showing that he read the message and any sort of response. You’ve been thinking about it for a while now. Their marriage might be over, but they were still married to one another, how was that affecting her?

Better yet, what did that mean for you? Was she going to come after you or blame you for something. Or was she completely fine with it? There are a lot of questions now that you know who he is.

You wish you could talk to your best friend about it. Problem is you haven’t told her who Jay turned out to be. It’s not that you think she wouldn’t believe you, more that you don’t want to throw him under the bus. Jensen and you have been developing a good foundation for a deeper connection between you, while you know your best friend wouldn’t say a word, you still feel like you shouldn’t say anything without his consent.

Especially considering who he is and what he’s currently going through. Divorce is rough as hell without some woman running her mouth and it getting out to the world.

Ding.

Jay: Yes, she knows that I’m talking to someone and you make me smile. Like I said it’s complicated. If we are around family or friends we have to act married and happy. That also means I can’t be on my phone texting this beautiful country girl who brightens my day no matter what. However, when it’s just her and I in the house she asks about you. I give general answers and try to keep the personal stuff at bay. Dee actually badly wants to speak with you, she’s asked for your number many times.

Me: I’m sorry what? She wants to talk to me?

Jay: Haha does that sound weird? It’s not I swear. She started to notice a difference in my behaviour when we started getting close and was curious. For a year now Dee actually has had a boyfriend herself. We talk about their relationship once in a while. We never separated on bad terms, but there was a long period where it was just weird to be around each other and having to act in love still kinda sets us on edge. Before I met you, I tried to avoid her as much as possible. Still do but we are slowly working on a friendship again.

Me: No not weird. It's what my ex husband and I try to do as well. His girlfriend happens to get in the way alot and makes it more difficult, we do try our best though, there are days when it's a cage match because she has meddled and we take it out on each other. Nothing is gonna be perfect, but if you can find a way to accept and co parent with minimum conflict, not only does that help your mental health with divorce but it benefits your kids as well.

This conversation is getting deeper than you pictured for tonight. You've noticed that has been happening more and more since he sent the photo last week.

Assuming he feels like a giant weight has been lifted from his shoulders now that he no longer has to hide who he is from you. Being able to be complete honest has a relaxing effect on ones soul in the end.

I'm glad he trusts me enough to be this honest and relaxed with me.

Well you would enjoy a romantic relationship with this man, the solid foundation you have been building through these last few months has been just as amazing if not more so.

Jay: You're pretty smart you know that. I got a million questions for you pretty lady, I can honestly say I've never met someone like you.

Me: I ain't nothing special Jay. Just a single mom who lives on a farm and trying to figure out how to live this life in my new normal.

Jay: You don't give yourself enough credit sweetheart, I wish you could see yourself through my eyes.

Me: You're sweet Jay.

-- Incoming FaceTime From Jay --

Oh fuck off right now, seriously.

Reluctantly you answer the call. It's both extremely tempting to see him "in person" per say but also nerve racking as hell. Come on he is Jensen fucking Ackles, even if I have had emotional conversations with him and made him cum over and over again, this is still scarier as fuck.

The call loads and your screen is invade by a beautiful green eyed man standing in the kitchen of his trailer, eating. Smiling at you with his signature childish grin as he waves hello.

Chuckling at the man in front of you, "Hi Jay."

"Hey Darling." He grabs the phone off the counter and moves to the bed, laying down with a grunt.

"Long day I take it?"

"Lots of fight scenes today. I enjoy it, but I'm getting too old for this shit."

You can't stop the laghter that bubbles up from his comment. Jensen gives you his best bitch face, "awe that's so cute, you're trying to look mad."

"So sassy in person ain't ya sweetheart."

"You don't even know the half of it big guy. For the record you aren't old, you're lie whiskey... get betters with age."

"I go down just as smooth too," sending you a flirty wink before softly chuckling.

Fuck me, this man is something else.

"Oh look at you with those one liners. You look exhausted. It's late here, I'm guessing it's late there as well."

Rolling onto his side, "yeah it is. I had an urge to see you in and talk to you instead of texting. Seeing you right now makes losing sleep completely worth it."

"I'm glad you called, however I am saying you are going to bed. No fighting."

Smiling softly he lets out a yawn, "no fighting, good night baby girl. I'll talk withh you tomorrow."

You sign off and head inside to get ready for bed yourself. The new development of this relationship has you floating on cloud 9.

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Taglist:

@bitchykittenconnoisseur @spnaquakindgdom @nancymcl @tspmoff @lessons-of-red @supershygirl @yvonneeeee @syrma-sensei @neii3n @leigh70 @idontwannabehere78 @foxyjwls007 @kimxwinchester @multiversefanfics @mostlymarvelgirl @chilledbabydoll @senjoritanana @deansimpalababy @impala67rollingthroughtown @jayhalsteadfan-2417 @barnes70stark @maggiegirl17 @justwhisperingfantasies @jamerlynn

[cuddlepilefics]

Well, it sounds to me like you need a little bit of TLC.

Fandom: Stray Kids

Sickie: Seungmin

Caregiver: mainly Felix

Prompts:

Feveruary 2025: 13 “I wouldn’t even trust you to boil tea in your current condition.”, 24 “Don’t you think you should stay home today?”, 28 “Well, it sounds to me like you need a little bit of TLC.”, alt 4 sneezing fit @feveruary

Fluffbingo:  forehead kiss @flufftober

March whumpness 2025: 1 “I’m fine.” @marchwhumpness

No one’s POV.:

“Don’t you think you should stay home today?”, Felix hummed, voice even huskier than usual as he had just woken up. He dropped his spoon into the bowl of cereal and got up from the dining table to check on Seungmin, who had just shuffled out to the kitchen, dressed for a day of schedule. Shaking his head, the younger suppressed a sniffle and claimed: “I’m fine.” – “You probably don’t want to hear it but you don’t look fine”, Felix pointed out, taking Seungmin by surprise when he cupped his cheeks. The vocalist pulled away and shrugged: “Looks can be deceiving.” – “Yeah, but- You’re also running a fever”, the Aussie frowned, “Are you going to claim, your temperature can be deceiving?” – “Your hands were cold, so your perception was probably off”, Seungmin hummed, scanning the counter while discreetly running the cuff of his sleeve under his nose.

None of his options for breakfast looked appealing at all to Seungmin, probably because his throat ached, but he knew he’d need the energy to get through the day. Defeated, he opted for a fruit smoothie and winced at the sound of the blender. Gosh, why did his head feel like it’d split in half just because there was a normal everyday noise? “What’s first today?”, he yawned, barely able to avoid an embarrassing voice crack. Pulling out his phone, Felix scanned over their schedule and smiled: “Lucky you. Meeting in the morning, photoshoot around noon and then after lunch, we’ll have dance practice for the rest of the day.” Seungmin groaned. How was he lucky? There was no way he’d be able to focus during the meeting. He was indeed running a fever, so being cooked under the professional lighting would definitely make it worse. Not to mention dancing. That sounded like hell.

“What? The meeting is chill, you won’t have to do much but sit there. You can rest your voice during the photoshoot. Just smile and look pretty as you always do”, Felix chuckled, “You won’t be participating during dance practice anyway, so since it’s last for the day, you’ll get home early.” – “Why wouldn’t I participate?!”, Seungmin huffed, forcing down his smoothie. Giving the vocalist an incredulous look, Felix sighed: “You don’t really think that Chan will let you once he had a look at you?” The younger wanted to argue back but his nose had started to itch and he had to turn to the side, catching a throaty sneeze in the cuff of his sleeve. “Bless you, is your throat ok-“, Felix frowned but got cut off by a second, more forceful sneeze. “Ow”, Seungmin sniffled and massaged his throat. When he caught the Aussie’s look, he shot him a glare though, warning him not to mention it.

Despite not wanting to let on that he was feeling a bit under the weather, Seungmin still put on a scarf that didn’t exactly match with the rest of his outfit. At least it protected his throat and felt soft enough not to irritate his fever-sensitive skin. He had downed something for the headache after he finished his smoothie but so far, it hadn’t kicked in and he really prayed it would before the meeting. If only his nose would stop bothering him. “Did you bring tissues?”, Felix asked worriedly, watching the vocalist scrub at his face. Glaring at the Aussie with watering eyes, Seungmin groaned: “Of co-ourse. Do you- do you think I’m stu-huh hNXT-uh! H- hNXT heh- hNXT *sniff* Heh'ESHHuh!“ – “Bless!”, Felix laughed, “You should probably use one then. Stop stifling though. You’ll hurt your head.”

“You want to what?! No! Most definitely not. What were you thinking?”, Chan frowned closely scanning Seungmin. Even to Felix, who had seen the younger this morning, it was obvious that the trip to the company building had been draining already. Seeing Seungmin’s face fall, the leader added: “I really think you should’ve stayed home today. You don’t look well at all and dance practice is absolutely out of question.” – “But I’m fine, hyung”, Seungmin sighed, cursing his voice for ruining his argument by cracking. Chan shook his head: “You’re not. I can tell you’re running a fever just by looking at your eyes and you never sneeze like this unless you’re sick.” – “Like what?”, the younger pouted, scrubbing at his nose as he hoped it wouldn’t betray him. “In fits like you just did when you walked in”, Chan sighed, “Really, Seung, take it easy today.”

Seungmin didn’t intend to overdo it. He just wanted to participate like everyone else, nothing more but also nothing less. The meeting truly wasn’t so bad, if only his nose hadn’t been so incredibly itchy. It seemed Chan had a point, Seungmin found himself caught in multiple sneezing fits over the course of the meeting, which he of course stifled as to not disrupt the conversation. As Felix had predicted, by the end of the meeting, Seungmin had a splitting headache and his eyes watered from the built up congestion and pain. He couldn’t imagine the discomfort of standing under the flood lights and have his pictures taken.

Once the meeting was finally over, Seungmin reached for his water glass desperate to soothe his throat. Just when he was about to lift it to his lips, he was overcome by another sneeze. “Heh’ESH! Heh-Heh’ESHHuh! H-Heh'ESHHuh!” – “Bless you”, Jeongin laughed as he took the glass from Seungmin’s shaking hand. When the vocalist looked down, he realized what had the maknae so entertained. He had spilled most of his drink on his shirt and he couldn’t help but shudder when the moisture soaked through the fabric and touched his feverish skin. Jeongin’s smile immediately faltered when he noticed the tears of frustration springing to Seungmin’s eyes. Before he could comment on it though, Chan had already shrugged out of his hoodie and held it out to the second youngest, smiling: “Change into that, so you don’t get cold on the way home.” – “Thanks. Thought we’re having a photoshoot now”, Seungmin sniffled, rubbing his eyes. Clicking his tongue, the leader agreed: “The rest of us yeah, you’re going home though. Our stylists are great but I don’t think they’ll be able to conceal how poorly you feel. Seriously, I wouldn’t even trust you to boil tea in your current condition.”

Seungmin didn’t even have the energy to feel offended by Chan’s statement, secretly glad the eldest had made the decision for him because he could never make that decision himself without the guilt eating him up inside. “Try to get some rest and I’ll be home soon”, Felix informed. He was still banned from participating during dance practice but he had intended to at least watch. Holding back a cough, Seungmin forced out: “If you want to watch, you can do that. I can handle myself, Lix. You don’t need to leave early for me.” – “Well, it sounds to me like you need a little bit of TLC”, the Aussie chuckled, “If you need medicine or anything I should pick up on the way, text me. I really don’t mind.” – “I’ll give you your hoodie back once I washed it ‘cause it’ll probably get some snot on it”, Seungmin rasped, making Chan laugh. Petting the vocalist’s head, Chan hummed: “Don’t worry, it’s fine. Just focus on getting home and resting, so you get better soon.” The younger nodded obediently and hoisted his bag over his shoulder. He had already turned to leave when Felix called after him: “And Min, stop stifling your sneezes!”

When Seungmin got back to the dorm, he regretted not having listened to Felix earlier. The headache had gotten so much worse and if the congestion was truly to blame for that, he might actually give into the desire to take a hot bath. Sniffling thickly, he shuffled to his room and grabbed some warm pajamas before filling the tub. Maybe a few drops of eucalyptus oil would clear him up, so it was a good thing Felix always kept a small bottle in their bathroom cabinet. Wasn’t it also supposed to help with muscle aches? Hopefully. Seungmin felt painfully stiff and sore after sitting in that meeting for so long and the car ride hadn’t helped with that. Yet, he reminded himself that as much as he wanted to relax, he mustn’t fall asleep in the bath.

Falling asleep in the tub soon became impossible anyway, as Seungmin had to realize. The strong scent of the bath oil had him trapped in repeated sneezing fits that drained him of what little energy he had left but also frequently startled him awake again. The hot water must have raised his temperature because by the time he couldn’t stand the tingling in his sinuses anymore, his muscles had seemingly turned into dough. Getting out and draining the tub took unspeakable effort and Seungmin weakly sat down on the fuzzy rug, towel wrapped tightly around his shivering form. Despite having prepared his pajamas, he only managed to throw on his bath gown before laying down on the rug and closing his eyes.

Felix unlocked the door to their shared apartment as quietly as possible, so he wouldn’t wake Seungmin if he managed to take a nap. A small smile tugged at his lips when he recognized the scent wafting through the apartment. It seemed the vocalist did his best to take care of himself. What Felix hadn’t expected, was to find the other curled up on the bathroom floor, hair still damp. “Min, hey? What are you doing down here?”, the dancer hummed as he crouched next to Seungmin. Blearily blinking up at Felix, the younger breathed: “When did you get home? What time is it?” – “I just got home and it’s five pm now. You didn’t faint, did you?”, the Aussie explained, helping the other sit up. “Fuck”, Seungmin rasped, rolling his shoulders, “No, was jus’ asleep.” Sleeping on the bathroom floor for close to three hours certainly hadn’t helped his sore muscles. “Let me help you to bed?”, Felix offered, holding out his hand.

After hoisting his dizzy dongsaeng to his feet and maneuvering him onto the closed toilet lid, Felix left and turned on the kettle. When he returned, Seungmin had changed into his pajamas and tried to walk back to his room himself. Noticing the younger sway, Felix wrapped an arm around his waist and accompanied him the rest of the way. Settling the vocalist on the edge of his bed, Felix sighed: “Did you have any medicine yet?” – “No, didn’t eat either. Jus’- jus’ wanted a bath”, Seungmin sniffled, pulling the collar of his pajama shirt over the lower half of his face, “Heh'ESHHuh! Heh-hh'ESHH *ugh* h-heh- *sniff* h’Eshuh!” – “Bless you!”, the dancer hummed sympathetically, “Your tea should be ready in a moment and I’ll go grab some other supplies too, yeah? Be right back.”

As promised, when Felix returned with a steaming cup of tea, he placed the bottle of fever reducers right next to it. Taking a seat on the edge of the mattress, he turned his attention to the fruit in his hands and smiled: “Before you take your meds, you should have something in your stomach. I figured you didn’t have too much of an appetite but you should still have some vitamin c.” Felix calmly peeled the tangerine and handed Seungmin the bite-sized bits. Though completely drained and not hungry in the slightest, Seungmin nibbled the few bites, Felix so fondly prepared for him and tiredly downed the pills with a few sips of tea. He hadn’t wanted the dancer to come home early because of him but now he was glad that he had. “Do you want to sleep some more, Min?”, Felix whispered and helped the other pull the blanket all the way up to his chin to help with the chills. Nodding, Seungmin mumbled: “Would you stay, Lix?” He wouldn’t openly admit it but some TLC might really be all he needed right now.

[ihopesocomicask]

HELLOOOO! I actually wanted to send this ask a week before but ig tumblr decided it was the best time to shadowban the blog :( Anyways before I say something I love love LOVE your comic and the character writing, it actually helped a lot on writing my characters too! I’m currently trying to put up a webcomic script that also tackles ableism and abuse with those characters, but I was worried about something you guys pointed out in the MP analysis video. Specifically, the idea that the way Nothing is literally rigged against the narrative and gets tossed at in every direction is not at all empowerment for disabled characters, and is what can be most likely summarized into “trauma/suffering pxrn for plot”. The fact that you guys are VERY RIGHT makes me kinda worried because I also have a disabled character who is abused by their family in their childhood, but is shown to be perfectly capable and does overcome the influence of their abusive family eventually. The REAL problem would be that after all that character development, I’m…killing them. Yeah. I can’t even remove it bc this will act as a point of an “everything goes downhill from here” moment and is CRUCIAL to the plot. I’d been thinking about it ever since I saw your analysis and if this event will just, quote on quote, “…a message that - regardless of your limitations - you can achieve just as much as anyone else and, for the majority of its run, it repeatedly rams the counterargument down your throat.” Not repeatedly, I suppose, since you can’t kill someone twice, but still, I do think killing a character after all that development might not be good. The fact that I AM partially doing this for the plot does not make it better, and now I’m wondering if this will end up conveying a message that is Not Very Good like how MP did. I’ve been thinking about this for a while and it would be a honor for me to get your points of view about this. Sorry for the long-ass question, and I wish both of you the best of luck. Love you two!

Oh hey, I remember your ask and yes, Tumblr did indeed eat it. That's another symptom of the shadowban, I'm afraid. Tumblr shall render any asks in your inbox invisible and therefore you cannot answer them. We sincerely apologise for that. oof First of all, thank you so so much for your kind words concerning the comic and our characters. That's super sweet to hear. Now to your question. An important thing to point out - and what we shall keep pointing out until we're blue in the face - is that My Pride was sold as an inspirational, empowering story to the disabled and promised a story where the disabled main rises above her oppressive society.

Which... never happens.

The narrative kinda tries to do that with story beats such as Nothing fighting Quickmane despite only being a kid, her 'chosen one' subplot and - more infamously - Feather's speech.

But it very much feels like it's going through the motions that all "pro-disability" media that has been criticised in the past goes through. Whatever progress Nothing makes always has to be undone by the plot kicking her in the groin. Her final battle against Fire is a major example of this: not only does the plot demand she lose her brother - one of the few characters that truly cared for her - but it also demands she get her ass kicked, even though there was no reason for her to have lost the fight aside from her being disabled.

And that's one of my major issues with My Pride: it reels you in with its seemingly empowering plot and some choice quotes that do not reflect the full script and then it ultimately offers nothing but a depressing ride. Now, to the secondary issue of 'is it bad to depict ableism in your story'? Despite what people of a certain online persuasion might try and say, our issues with My Pride is NOT because the show has ableism in it and no, Tribble is not automatically an ableist because she has ableism in her story. She is an ableist because she put on a front of being an ally to physically disabled individuals and then presumed to know better than us whenever criticism was given while writing ableist tripe and presenting it as empowering.

That's literally it.

So, no, having ableism by itself in your story is not a bad thing on its own. It's how you ultimately handle the topic and present it that plays a part. I'd have a lot to say if you were presenting this story as a form of escapism for disabled readers, but that doesn't appear to be the case. As for the subject of your disabled character being killed off: I think you really need to stop and ask yourself what kind of story you wish to tell.

Naturally, this also depends on the type of story you wish to tell. For example, is it a tragedy where everybody in the cast is treated the same and they all encounter hardship or is this just specific to your disabled character? You need to be straightforward with your genre.

Why does this disabled character have to overcome all obstacles just to die in the end? You mentioned it's 'for the sake of the plot' and acknowledge that this on its own isn't really a good reason for making such a decision.

I agree with you. It just sounds like a bit of a letdown and actually very soap opera-esque to do this purely for plot reasons. And I don't mean 'soap opera-esque' in the essence that it's cheap or lowbrow. I mean that this is the kind of thing that soap operas do when an actor doesn't renew their contract, has no intention of returning and they therefore have to kill off their character.

It's just very obvious and on-the-nose, if that makes sense? And it's something that disabled people have seen many times in media.

And what's more, it's done because there's often no choice outside of replacing the actor. Whereas you do have the opportunity to explore other options and ways to tweak your plot, especially when you already sound uncomfortable with this development anyway. Not just because of what we say but because you personally see a point in what we say. I don't know the ins and outs of your story and you shouldn't have to share it for me to get it but, from what little you've told me, I'd personally be rooting for this character to not have their struggles be all for nothing as an audience member. And this actually reminds me of a trick that Richard Adams pulled when it came to the ending of The Plague Dogs. Snitter and Rowf were destined to die. However, because we as the reader naturally willed them to live as we followed their journey and bonded with them: Adams decided to have the dogs fished out of the water and have their happy ending. Because we as the audience willed that into existence without us even realising because of how real Adams made these characters.

What I'm saying is that - sometimes - going for the most obvious and 'cliche' ending can often be the most creative choice, depending on the type of audience you're trying to appeal to and the type of characters you write and how exactly you write them. You're already writing about real issues that affect real people, so your writing shall evoke a deep connection from your audience. Take advantage of that but also reward your audience for their perseverance rather than trying to make your audience feel a certain way through cheap means (i.e. through shocking moments that seemingly come out of nowhere). You don't need to fall back on a shocking twist to make your plot interesting. You're already there with the abuse storyline, in my honest opinion. I appreciate that the depiction of abuse has been watered down by media but - trust me - it is still a topic that - if handled correctly - can evoke certain emotions that a character death often cannot. Anyway, I'm very sorry this got extremely long. I really hope my rambling was helpful to you, anon, and I wish you the best of luck with your story! c: - RJ

[threecowsusingthistoreadcomics]

hi :)

my autism has been seized by just roll with it Prime Defenders at the current moment, and I’m working on a larger hermitcraft project, so have an Ariana Griande poster I made a while ago :]

[mossy-paws]

hi uehmm idont know if you do shipart requests but could you do medbrand (medkit x firebrand)…. that would be awesum,,,

I don’t usually draw ships often, but sure!

[biasomnia]

Just had a stupid dumb idea that I have to put into the world bc it’s too late and I don’t want to forget it.

What if Kuina (Zoro’s childhood friend) faked her death bc her father is a misogynistic shitbag that won’t teach her any more and she goes to sail to find a new mentor. And somewhere along the way runs into Dracule “Greatest Swordsman” Mihawk who decides to mentor this small girl with skill and spite (reasons unclear rn bc again it is late I’m spitballing quickly here). So when Zoro is paw-pawed away to goth island (I don’t remember it’s actual name) not only does he have his “wtf” we see but also eventually bumps into Kuina again and has to go “HUH??” They get to bicker & whatnot and after Mihawk agrees to train Zoro she will NOT stop holding it over his head that she met the greatest swordsman first and is learning his techniques. Kuina would also get along great with Perona.

Maybe will draw some silly comics of this idea tomorrow.

^pic of Kuina bc I can’t blame people for forgetting stuff one piece has a lot in it and is. long