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lilsocksiswriting · 1 month ago

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Academic Weapon Chapter One

Summary:

You were like a lot of humans, born with just enough curse energy to see curses but not enough power to do anything. Your greed has helped you hold in the Jujustu Sorcery program. it is this same greed that tends to blind you to the danger you are in.

Sukuan sees you as a weak pretty thing that he can hold a conversation in his class. This is what he tells him to do he falls for you, his student because the curse refuses to believe this is love.

Oh, then there is the murder.

Characters: Reader, Ryomen Sukuna, Satoru Gojo, Suguru Geto,Ieiri Shoko, Iori Utahime,

Pairings: Sukuna X Fem!Reader

Tags: College AU, Professor X Student, Modern Fantasy AU, NSFW

Masterlist || Chapter Two || Ko-fi

Notebook, pencil case, hydration, iPad…. You go through the mental checklist to make sure you are not forgetting anything before heading out for the day. Behind you Utahime is sitting on the livingroom’s old couch as many students had done so before the four of you moved into the on-campus apartments last year.

Mei-Mei is perched on the edge, leaning just the slightest to have a look at your finalized schedule. Shoko was still dead asleep, having pulled an all-nighter in the infirmary to help out with influx of the wounded sorceress coming back before the new semester started. Mei-Mei and Utahime thankfully not being one of those wounded and came back from their missions safe and exhausted last night.

Giving the two a brief look as you mosey around the kitchen island to grab two mandarins and a small bag of bite sized cookies then return to put them in your bag. you frown, Here we go. Utahime’s wide eyed expression the slight tremble in her fingers were a dead giveaway. He was always so fidgety. Mei-Mei was a little harder to tell, but there was a small crinkle of concern knitted between her perfect brows.

"Alright, " you cross your arm look in between your two roommates. "I know you two are worried but-“

"Of course, we're worried! just look who you have for curse theory!" Utahime turns the phone screen to emphasize her point. She practically climbs over the back of the couch to shove the phone in your face. As if you were not the one to enroll yourself in his class.

You step back from the screen Then venture into the kitchen. “I know who I’m taking Utahime. I’m the one who enrolled in the class.”

Mei-Mei nods in agreement with that cool smirk of her's a mask that hides her true emotions so well, "Even I must admit that you may be biting off more than you can chew. Barley anyone passes his class after all.”

"I want the challenge and he's like a 1,000 years old. Imagine what he could teach me?” you argue.

"Imagine what he can do to your GPA!" Utahime argues.

"And your mental health," adds the silver-haired woman.

You pout, this was not something new. They were about this with everything that posed a threat of harm to you. You turn your back on the two women and go back to finishes packing book bag. You your lucky enough to be paired with the three since freshman year. It was nice to have roommates you were such close friends with, but sometimes….They need to let me be a dam adult.

"Is it because of my curse energy?" your voice is quiet while your question is point blank.

"No," Utahime is too quick to say.

While Mei-Mei answers with an honest, "Partly."

"Mei-Mei," Utahime scolds the women on a hushed tone.

you grab your water bottle and grip it tightly, the urge to pick at the stickers strong, but they’re really cute so you resist. You try and remember they do not mean to hurt you with their concern. And as long as you are never said what was really on your mind, they would continue to be oblivious to that.

You take a deep breath to dissipate all the angry thoughts festering instead you head, you tell yourself that hurting them back would do no good. So instead, you sling your book bag over your shoulders and turn back to the two women with a one of you bright reassuring smiles.

"I have until add drop next week to decide if I can take it. So at least let me try."

Though your intention was not to hurt your tone was still a little too sharp and as a result Utahime cannot look you in the eyes as she says, “That seems fair enough..."

"We'll be waiting to hear how it goes at dinner?" Mei-Mei offers an olive branch, and you gladly accept

"With all the gory details, bye!"

Since you live on campus the walk the Jujutsu Tech building was a short one. It is the tail end of summer, late August too. Autum was already creeping across campus in the form of a leaves from a lazy, cool morning breeze. It would not be too long now, and you cannot wait. Because when all leaves from the oaks and maples die leaving behind pretty colored corpses , when you have sweaters and cardigans to protect you soft skin form the sharp cold, and you are knee deep in research for class assignments at hat one table in the cursed collections library, that is when the semester will rally get started!

Professor Sukuan on the other hand ,just sees the upcoming 16 weeks as another dull way to pass his time. The curse has been teaching curse theory along with a few others Jujustu classes for decades now. The modern age of sorcery was a lot more diverse and entraining than it was in the Heian era, just enough so to let the maggots live and continue this petty war they have with cruses.

He watches with an unimpressed expression as once student after another entered his lecture hall and takes a seat. Even in his human form he stands over most humans tall and intimidating. At the front of the hall leaned against the desk he crosses his arms over his broad chest.

weakling, weakling weakish, Mabey promising, oh a curse speech user? Never seen one this old.

Then you step into the lecture hall.

You, with your bright eyes and excited smile. A long-pleated skirt swishing back and forth as you walk down the lecture hall steps. A pretty silk ribbon tying back some of your hair out of your face. It bounces along like it too was excited to be here. The sight of this adorable mortal with barley an ounce of her own curse energy bounding into the King of Curses class?

Oh, how foolish this one is, Sukuna thinks. I will have fun breaking you today.

You drop your book bag by your chosen seat then tuck your long skirt under you as you take a seat in the third row. You go about pulling out you water bottle, pen and notebook , and the two pieces of fruit, all while feeling like you are being watched by a hawk.

Glancing up your body tenses as the professor's red eyes narrow in on you. You look to your left then your right. Yup it is definitely you he is staring at. No one had taken a seat by you yet. You look back at your professor with a weary expression written all over your face.

There is a small part of you that feels giddy to have the Professor’s attention. That would be the over achiever in you who tries so desperately to make up for your lack of what everyone else in the program has.

A more grown part of you knows that it will neve be enough.,

The pictures and glances you have seen of him around campus really did not do Sukuan justice. He is a dangerous, quiet kind of handsome. A monster dressed up in a nice long sleeve dress shirt and black slacks held up but a brown leather belt. You wonder what the product he uses to slick back his hair smells like?

Pinned down by the King of Curses glare you feel like you can’t do a thing but stare back like a doe caught in the headlight. A flush crawls up the back on you neck when the eye contact become too prolonged .

Ok.... maybe Mei-Mei was right, you admit to yourself.

Sukuna breaks eye contact looking down at his watch. 9 a.m. on the dot.

"Alright, " his authoritve voice echoes in the lecture hall grabbing everyone's attention. "You know who I am, I won't care who you are until you prove you worth my time. You all are adults with what I hope is enough sense to read over the syllabus on your own time."

He unbuttons his cuff links. You swallow thickly as he rolls them up his think forearms. Two thick bands circle each wrist that are the same color as the sharp markings on his face. And peeking out the front of his shirt.

"And with that, we're going to go ahead and get into lecturer."

the flurried sounds of people digging to something to write opening their laptops and adjusting their seats. You click your ink pen. This was to be expected. You had done your research before deciding to enroll in the Curse Theory with Professor Sukuna. You read all his reviews on Rate My Professor. Students had a lot of cons about his classes and the only pro was his tendency to end class early. You had even managed to speak to a few who had managed to pass his class. They all agreed against taking his class. It was an elective for the jujutsu sorcery program. You could have gone your whole four years without taking it.

But something that each person and review noted was what they were learning. Professor Sukuna was one of the leading experts on curse theory. He had such a deep understanding of curse energy and how it works that it would be such a missed opportunity to not take this class.

You just had to be brave enough and smart enough to not drop out....or fail.

Your hand cramps from jolting down so many notes. You are thankful for the 15-minute break. As Sukuan erases everything he had bothered writing on the board you pay a little too much attention to his back flexes under his dress shirt as he goes about doing so. A sudden chill runs down your spine.

Fuck he’s so big, he could just fall over onto oh my and I’d go SPLAT

It doesn’t take much for you mind jumping form Sukuan falling over and killing you, to being on top of you , to having a lot less clothes while on top of you. You tear your eyes away and reach for your water bottle. Your clumsy finger pushes it off your desk. You watch with your heart in your stomach as the hydro flask clanks and clangs down the steps of the lecture hall.

Professor Sukuna’s red eyes are back on you the next second a a water bottle covered cutesy stickers stops at his feet. His eyes look down at the water bottle, then back up at your horrified expression. He takes this as an opportunity to confront the foolish girl who possess the gull to prance into his class.

You watch as the professor reaches down, grabs your water bottle, and makes his way up the steps in slow even strides to your seat.

The sound the water bottle makes as he slams it down on the desk quiets the students who decide to stay in the lecture hall for their short break.

Sukuna leans in close getting into your personal space and dominating it as his own. His eyes, that's all you can see of the professor. A red so deep you can get lost in them in the worst way. Like a never-ending nightmare you would not want to wake from.

What is wrong with me?

"Do not let it happen again," he warns.

"Y-yes sir," you nod.

Sir, Sukuna likes that. Many students have called him such in the same fearful tone. But this is the first time he suppresses a smile when a student does so.

You let out a breath you did not realize that you were holding in as Sukuan stands back up to his full height. He still stares at you, making you feel so small and vulnerable, but you refuse to wither and die under his gaze. That was for the leaves and you are no leaf trebling in the wind.

"What are you even doing here?"

The corner of your lips twitches. You have spent so long having to fight for your spot in the Jujutsu Sorcery program that you can tell when someone is mocking you.

"I'm here to learn curse theory to apply to my research."

That mean smirk spreads across Sukuna’s face. Oh, this one has some bite.

"You barely have any curse energy yourself. Those old fools are losing their wits if they let you into the program,” He announces to the whole class.

you look the last bit unphased continue to smile, " I am aware of my curse energy. your point professor?"

"Weaklings don't last long in my class, fool," he forewarns.

You watch as Sukuan turns his back on you and makes his way to the front of the class. This was not at all new to you. The names, the looks, and the assumption have become common place shortly after you began university. You have developed a pretty thick mask to hide yourself behind over the past few years. You usually try to ignore people like Sukuna. You motto has been keep you head down and go on. But there is just something about Professor Sukuan that really got under your skin. Sparking a need to prove yourself further and to stand out amongst the rest your cohort.

"Alright," he announces taking his place at of the front of the lecture hall. His eyes scan over the seats filled with students. Picking out those that are now empty. "The first part of the class is the lecturer, and the second part is applying what you learn though discussion. Which you all will be graded on."

Sukuna’s eyes land back on you. He is not sure why his attention was drawn back to you. he is not as all pleased with what he sees. You are flipping back through your notebook looking over all the shorthand notes you had taken while other students around you are put into a panic. You are looking forward to class discussion as is a way you can prove yourself to the curse.

When you look up back towards the front of the class Sukuna sees a spark in your eyes he wants to watch die.

"You, the clumsy girl,” the professor singles you out. He won't bother to learn your name unless you prove to be worth his time and energy teaching you. "Reverse curse technique, explain it to me."

You feel your heart drop to your stomach again as the curse waits for you to answer. His expression looks bored and uninterested in what you might have to say, but those eyes. Sukuna stares you down making suppress of tremble of excitement. You …like it? you like the way the curse stares at you like he is challenging you to dare to even speak in his presence.

"The way I think of it is like algebra. Multiply two negatives to make a positive but it’s something easier said than done since most sorcerers aren't used to using cruse energy this way."

Sukuan has to admit he is a bit impressed that you seem to have a good grasp on the concept, and you speak so confidently in front of him, but he doesn't let it show. "Now dumb it down for those who are looking as clueless as newborn babes."

"So, you basically take two different sources of cursed energy and multiply them against themselves. And on top of that you'll need to do so by using your brain, not your gut like we’re all used to using when it comes to cursed techniques."

"We’re all,” Sukuan mocks. “Just because you have a good understanding of basic curse techniques does not make you a sorceress. “

His jaw clenches when you smile at him. That was not meant as a damn complement.

You cannot help but to smile. You did not make a complete fool of yourself and actually got something that Sukuna deemed worthy as right in his ancient mind.

"You with the annoying bright hoodie, what's it used for?"

a guy from the last few back rows of the class in a highlighter yellow hoodie answers in confidence," Healing, sir."

Sukuan rolls his eye. Of course, a Zennin brat has confidence but no brain. “Useless, ” his eyes shifted away from the gawking man and back to you. "Water bottle girl.”

Your back tenses up all over again. Professor Sukuan glares at you, waiting for you to answer, looking like he wants to eat you alive. You want to crawl under the table and hide form his gaze.

"Well, it can be used for healing...but at its core RCT is the opposite of cursed technique. So, in theory, instead of energy that destroys RTC is energy that can create," you click your pen you have something to fidget with. "I feel like this is where the difficulties in wielding RTC come in because in order to use it to heal you first would have to have a deep and précised understanding of how the human body works on a cellular level. You can't just go on slapping skin cells over a cut and call it healed."

"But" yellow hoodie cuts in trying to redeem himself. "If you can just visual the cut being healed that should suffice."

"Silence,” Sukuan demands not bothering to look his way. His red eye are still trained on you much to your chagrin .

You turn in your seat to look back at the man which Sukuan finds annoying for some reason. "That can work, but that's like having fleshy cotton stuffed into a cut. If it's a small wound I guess it can work, but when you start to get into more serious injuries like cuts that get into muscle and bone - or even a major blood supply you have to be able to visualize all the working components of a human body to properly heal them."

"She has a point," A girl sitting in the same row as you hums tapping her Apple pen against her glossy lip in thought. Sukuna finds himself sucking on a sharp canine in annoyance when your attention is now on her instead of fretfully looking at him. "Sure, it's easy to visualize a wound being healed, but then you got to manipulate the positive energy you've created to create what it takes to heal the wound."

"Well, at least some of you know the basics," Sukuna comments letting his eye linger on you until moving on to the rest of the class. " So, let's get into the theory of that."

If you think that Sukuna moves on to interrogating the next poor soul with such intensity, you are sorely mistaken. In his defense, the curse does not mean to keep singling you out. The faces you make whenever he calls you by that horrid nickname never fail to amuse him. Plus, you are far more entertain to converse with.

by the end of class, you let out a breath and finally let your shoulder relax.. Before Sukuna dismissed everyone to flee from the lecturer hall he assigned the first assessment of the semester; a two-page paper on today's topic, RTC, printed. He does not waste his time with modern technology.

"Water bottle girl!"

you nearly jump out of your skin and end up almost dropping your water bottle again. Sukuan rolls his eyes. He is mostly annoyed with himself for being so intrigued by such a weakling.

"What's your name?"

your chest does an odd little flutter, and you forget to stop from smiling.

Sukuan hates it.

"Y/N, sir," you answer.

" Well Y/N, wipe that look off your face and get out of my lecture hall."

___

"And then he told me to get out," you finish recounting your morning class over a late dinner at the university's cafeteria.

Shoko hums stabbing at her salad, "So not a bad first day."

"Wow," Mei-Mei agrees with a nod. "Look at you’re becoming a teacher's favorite so quickly, our little overachiever."

you stifle a laugh, "Please. I felt like I was being interrogated the second part of the class. I could barely breathe."

"So... do you think-" Before Utahime can finish her question another voice cuts her off.

"Heyy Untahahiimeee~"

Satoru Gojo, not only the Jujutsu sorcery program but the entire jujitsu world’s progeny , sling an arm around the women. Being born with both the six eyes and the limitless technique of the Gojo clan, good looks, and a charming persona Gojo was one of the most popular students here at the university. If Sukuna was thought to be a devil by some then Gojo was their god.

"Gojo," Utahime grumbles. “ Get. Off.”

"We heard Y/N's taking one of Sukuna's classes this semester," and wherever Gojo was Geto was bound to be close by.

"Hi, Geto," you greet the dark-haired man with an easy wave that he returns.

Suguru Geto ranks right up there with Gojo in terms of the strongest. Very much like the white-haired man Geto was handsome and his calm, laid back personality attracted just as many people like Gojo’s confident, snarky demeaner did. Unlike Gojo and more like yourself however Geto was not form a sorcery family

You know the two-star students mostly through Shoko, the three being friends since high school. Though sometimes, from the way the two seemed so close, you wonder if there was something deeper than friendship between the two man.

"So," Gojo shakes Utahime’s shoulder as if it were your own. “How’d it go?"

"Good? I'm still going on Wednesday."

"Really?" both Utahime and Gojo asked in union both carrying that same note of concern.

you pop a fry in your mouth to letting the salty taste subdue your anger subside before speaking, "Yeah, I think I can do it. I like the way that he seems to want us to push ourselves to think outside of what's been traditionally taught to us."

"But this the Ryomen Sukuna. Don’t you find that a little daunting having to be in the same room as him twice a week?" Geto asks.

"Yes, he's terrifying,” You agree. " But come on guys, have a little faith in my capabilities."

"Well, if anyone could keep up with that hellish course load it would be Y/N," Shoko points out. "Just don't go doing that thing you do when you take on more than you can handle."

"I'm getting better at it..." You mumble.

You have had the need to be an overachiever and deep down you know it was your way of making up for what little cursed energy you possessed. If you cannot prove yourself with a curse technique or master over curse energy then you will through your knowledge. Sure, Gojo and Geto had powerful curse techniques, Utahime could make any curse technique more powerful, and Shoko's control over RCT made one of the best healers of their class, but you were the one who put in hours and hours to understand how that all worked.

Later after dinner, you stay up past 12 to get to work on your paper for Sukuna's class. The assignment is pretty open ended , he just wanted a 2-page paper over what you all had discussed in class, the reverse curse technique. It should be easy, if this was an easy class and Sukuan was just any other professor in the Jujitsu program. Dyslexia isn’t making it any easier.

Just the first class you can tell that Sukuna does not want some generic paper over the inner workings of RCT that you could pump out in a few hours. No, he wants the students to delve into theoretical territory, and honesty that is exciting to you.

Becoming a great Jujustu Soccer was a lot of learning the basics then applying that to your own technique and refining said technique to a lethal degree. This is what you wanted to take curse theory. You want to spend more time on the basics part. In this class, Sukuna is pushing students build on existing knowledge and go beyond what is known. To use the exciting knowledge ponded into everyone’s head during freshman year, for some student like Gojo since childhood, and build upon it to reach something new.

Said Curse was also up this late. He lays in his California King bed staring to at the ceiling of a just as big house. The higher-ups paid him well to behave.

He cannot get that weak girl out of his head. The way you came into class, and that pretty bow bounced with each step as you walked down the steps to take a seat before him. The way you look so terrified the whole class, just like the rest of those maggots....so what made you the one to wiggle you way into his mind?

Once of the curse’s four hands idly trail up and down his stomach, tracing the ink marking near his hip. In the privacy of his home, he dropped his human form and let himself relax in his true form. Over the years he has found that humans tend to be easier to deal with when confronted with something of the same shapes as them.

His thoughts wonder to how he can crush your spirt. Somone like you did not belong in the world of Jujutsu Sorcery. He is suspiring you have lived this long. Sukuna does not care how smart you are, he just wants to rid himself of you.

How cute she’ll look in tears, terrified before me…below me?

from his bedside table his phone buzzes. One of his bottoms hands reaches out for it. Although it is tinier in his true form hand, he can still use it. Tapping his screen to life he sees it is an email from the dean Yaga to all professors.

Opening the email and reading over it an excited smile stretches over his face, "How interesting."

#sukuna x y/n #jjk sukuna #gojo satoru #geto suguru #public stacks #sukuna #jujutsu kaisen #jjk #ryomen sukuna #sukuna ryomen

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cherry-flavoured-thot · 1 year ago

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Daily snippets (OM!) - pt 1

this was so fun to write, there will be more parts. this is inspired some of the chats about 666.

there's some suggestive stuff (cant help myself lmao), also poly!mc, set in og om!

Sunday - Morning:

'Come to the entrance hall asap! Need help!' Is followed by several stickers spammed over and over again. You sigh, knowing that Mammon has probably done something dumb again. Unfortunately, he might be an idiot, but he's your idiot, so you're beelining straight to the entrance hall. Only to hear banging on the front door, and the Avatar of Greed pacing about in front of it.

"Mams. Whose at the door?" He perks up at your voice.

"Debt collectors." You're not surprised, in fact you're slightly annoyed you got out of bed for this. "Listen I need you to tell 'em I'm not here!" The temptation to say no, is strong, but his eyes widen in a silent plea. You sigh.

"Alright fine." He cheers, before inching across to be out of view once you open the door. "Coming!" You call out, heading over to the front door. Upon opening it, you're greeted by a demon wearing a crisp suit, holding a brief case in his left hand and a bright red sheet of paper in his right.

"Hello I'm here on behalf of 666, we are looking for Mammon. He's neglected to make payments on his debts." Of course he has. Is what you almost say in automatic response. Instead you pretend to look surprised.

"Oh really? That's too bad, you just missed him." You pause, thinking of an excuse. "He's gone away on a holiday." From the corner of your eye you notice Mammon make a gesture of confusion by your lie.

"Do you know when he'll be back?"

"A month, maybe a year. I'm not really sure he didn't say." The debt collector seems puzzled.

"That's strange we called earlier and Lucifer said for certain Mammon would be here." You glance quickly across to Mammon, who grimaces at the mere mention of Lucifer, before reverting you gaze back to the demon outside.

"Well he decided first thing this morning he was going to go. Maybe he caught wind that you were coming?"

"That does sound like something he'd do. Well thank you for your time." The demon hands you the red sheet of paper. "Please be sure to hand him this remind him to pay his debts." It's a notice, explaining to him what will happen if he can't make a repayment within the next week.

"Don't you worry, I will. See you!" You close the door, handing Mammon the notice the second its shut. "Just out of curiosity, how much do you owe those guys?" He whistles. "Oh boy." You seem to be more worried about the debt than he is. He's quick to scrunch up the paper into a ball. "Just so you know that isn't going to solve the problem, all it takes is for them to make one call to Lucifer and he'll personally drag your ass to their office."

Mammon goes quiet. Then pale. When the colour returns to his face, he's staring at you with an expression that you know means he's scheming. "Unless you block their number on his D.D.D. for me." You sigh, coming to terms with the fact you're well and truly roped in to this one.

"...you've really thought this through, huh?" He's nodding. Already starting to list off the numbers you'll need to block.

Sunday - Noon:

While you could undergo some secret mission to swipe Lucifer's phone. You decide to try and easier measure. "Can I have your D.D.D.?" Going into his study, and flat out asking him. Lucifer, who is working on todays crossword in the paper doesn't even look up to answer you.

"No."

"Why? Don't you trust me?" You're feigned indignation only makes him raise an eyebrow.

"I received a message from 666 saying they'd been by this morning, and passed on a notice to a human resident for Mammon." He pauses, directing his attention towards you. "As far as I'm aware, there is only one human living here."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"I imagine he's set you up to block all of their numbers on my D.D.D." Sometimes you wonder how Lucifer can be so perceptive, but considering he lives with Mammon, Belphegor and Satan, you imagine he has to be.

"Mammon? Sweet, innocent Mammon? Absolutely not." His brows furrow, and face contorts into a scowl. "Would it really be such a bad thing if the debt magically went away?" He scoffs.

"If you're about to make me spend my day off explaining how debts work, know that I will not be impressed." You attempt to give him the puppy dog eyes, he sighs. "No. I will not pay off his debt, how is he going to learn responsibility if I do it for him?"

"...what if you paid off half?" His scowl deepens.

"Absolutely not. If you ask any further I'll curse him to stay away from you for two weeks."

"Wow harsh." He sighs, again leaning back into his chair. His expression softens before he speaks again.

"I disagree. Harsh is having you come in here and speak about Mammon and his schemes instead of allowing me enjoy your company." Your heart races slightly at his words.

"I promise Lucifer, if you did half as many dumb things as Mammon did, I'd spend just as much time supporting you as I do him." Lucifer relents, but you're going back to the drawing board.

Sunday - Afternoon:

You find Belphegor and Satan together in the lounge. Belphie is asleep on the couch, while Satan is reading in one of the armchairs. "Whose up to help me try and steal Lucifer's D.D.D.?" Satan quickly marks a page in his book, and places it down on the armrest. He leans forward in his seat with a smirk.

"You had me at steal from Lucifer." Belphegor rises up from the couch like a zombie. A glint in his eyes as he considers all of the possibilities of this scheme. They never learn. But then again you don't really either.

"Dibs on sending embarrassing messages to Diavolo once we get it." You dread to imagine what the contents of those messages are going to contain, but that's a later problem.

"You better let me send some too." The Avatar of Wrath chimes, and Belphegor nods. He continues, turning his attention from his brother to you. "So, what's brought this on anyways?"

"Well, Mammon needs me to block 666's numbers from his D.D.D. but Lucifer knew what I was trying to do earlier so..." they exchange a look. Satan sighs shaking his head, sounding completely unimpressed as he replies.

"I thought they were coming today to threaten to take some of his stuff if he didn't pay up."

"Yeah, but I told them he went on a long holiday." There's an overly dramatic sigh coming from the individual sitting on the couch.

"Mammon's got you wrapped around his greedy little finger. Must be nice." You scoff as the other demon nods along with Belphegor's comment.

"I don't want to hear it from either of you, I have single handedly sweet talked both of you out of some major punishments that you kind of deserved."

"It's not the same." The youngest whines.

"It is too!"

"I'd beg to differ."

"Not you too Satan!"

Despite the back and forth, between the three of you, you all manage to conduct a plan to get Lucifer's D.D.D. Satan will 'accidentally' trip over Belphie, who happens to be 'sleeping' in a perfect spot to spill some juice all over Lucifer's clothes, forcing him to shower. You'll then sneak into his bedroom and retrieve the device. You block the numbers, let them send a few messages and then place it back from whence it came.

Sunday - Evening:

You're not going to lie. You're a little suspicious. Every thing has gone too well. Lucifer's even left his bedroom door open, and his D.D.D is right in the middle of his bed. But you think of Mammon's pitiful plea from earlier, and you charge in regardless.

The door slams shut the moment you walk inside. Lucifer was waiting by the doorway, already in a fresh pair of clothes. He doesn't look happy.

"I should have known you wouldn't give up." You're in so much trouble, you can feel it. "But to think you'd drag in Belphegor and Satan to help. If you think you're getting out of this scot-free you're wrong." His smoldering gaze is almost enough to make you shrink in place.

"Come on Lucifer can't you just help Mammon out a little?" His eyes narrow, and you think that he might be considering following through on his threat from earlier. "Surely you think its wrong that they're going to try and repurpose some of Mammon's stuff!" You muster up the best puppy dogs eyes you can manage. He sighs, rubbing his temples in consideration.

"I suppose I could come up with something." You're about to cheer, only to pause when you notice his expression darken. "That doesn't mean your off the hook. I still intend to punish you for your little stunt." You let out a nervous laugh.

"I'm gonna guess an apology isn't going to suffice?"

"Not one with just your words."

Sunday - Late:

You've just finished having a shower, opening the door to your room, fully prepared to pass out on your bed. Only to see Mammon sprawled across it. "There you are, I've been lookin' for you everywhere." He sits up, making space for you to sit down next to him. "Turns out Lucifer is going to pay off my debt for me and have me do some jobs for him in return."

"You're welcome." You grin while plopping down beside him.

"That's my human! Always lookin' out for their first." He leans across and ruffles your hair, laughing when you start to pout. "How'd you convince him?" He eventually asks.

"My negotiation skills." You wiggle your eyebrows at him for good measure.

"Wh- no way! If I'd known that's what you needed to do I would've just found my own way to pay it off." Now he's the one pouting, crossing his arms over his chest with a huff. "Stupid Lucifer takin' full advantage of my situation."

"Imagine if they put that down as a reason to pay off your debt." You grin, laughing to yourself before even finishing your joke. "If you don't your brother will get some in exchange for bailing your broke ass out."

"I take back anythin' nice I said about ya. Bad human." You stick your tongue out at him, and he threatens to throw a pillow at you.

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dojae-huh · 6 months ago

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i couldn't imagine my ask would spark this much discussion from other anons. And im not a jw shipper like that anon accused me, i've been here since sticker era. it's just like huh check the timeline, it's 50/50 now, i won't discuss about it until there's more info about it.

Anyway, i really like the way mischievous jh randomly (the vid was cut but still) said he didn't need a coffee truck (to support him during the filming of his drama) but his full face looked at dy with full of anticipation haha and doyoung looked at him like "??" but to our surprise, johnny said he's already ordered (a coffee truck) for jh (im not sure he's being serious or not). I wonder if dy will send one to jh soon.

Since you're busy and maybe you haven't watched all the content during dy solo yet, there are 2 little things i notice. 1 is when dy slipped and mentioned jh name instead of saying 'suggest' (재현 - 제안) https://twitter.com/panyeey/status/1782331563679846828?t=Q5Cw71Be-jnGvsCLub0Lxw&s=19 i think if other idols mentioned another members name by mistake like this, normally they would laugh it off and make a funny joke to ease the atmosphere, but dy looks panic right away, stutter and repeat the correct words 2 more times haha why you have to be so nervous bunny lol remind me of the time he did it once during sticker era too lol

the 2nd one is johnny is on a good terms with dy, with how he was being mentioned by dy a lot, the part of he's a drink mate along with mk hc dy could pay an important part of their friendship

Miscommunications happen. It is especially easy to be misunderstood on i-net, where we have only text as means of communication and language barrier/cultural differences. Everyone should simply keep it in mind and give their opponents and conversationists some slack, not get all defensive right away.

I haven't watched solo promotional and new 127 content yet. Only the MV and some performances on music shows, Dingo, etc.

Link

Funny. It happens, when a name is said every day many times, so misplacements of similar words happen.

28:13

The woman on the background left, and the cameraman in black changed to a manager with a phone, Jaehyun finished eating, so enough time was cut off.

Tae didn't react to Jae's words, he was focused on texting on the phone. Do was alarmed. Taeil was ready to see an episode of his romcom, Woo lifted his head to focus on the people talking and understand what's the new topic, Yuta was distracted by his own thoughts, Johnny answered instantly.

Which makes me think Johnny and Jae had been talking about his drama. Maybe the food truck Jae sent to the staff. Johnny reacted too quickly, he continued on the topic he was involved in.

Johnny said "Already ordered", by Korean rules there was no pronoun. It can be I/we/someone. However, seeing the conversation and reactions, it was Johnny who sent it. There was a short moment, when Jaehyun seriously asked "Really?" (his back of the head to the camera, focus on JN). What's interesting is that JN was talking to Doyoung about the truck, heh. Yes, I ordered a truck for your boyfriend. Even Yuta got confused and said his joke to the wrong person.

JN was serious, he talked about choosing and sending a picture. ANd editors highlighted him with "what a man" comment. I expect the truck will be reveiled later.

But back to Jaehyun-ie. Yes, he was super cute being so sly, hinting he wants a food truck again from Doyoung. It was Johnny saying he will send a food truck, but Jaehyun looked sideways at Do.

Do's expression sends me. Jaehyun just earned himself something, because Do's face screams he miscalculated/forgot and needs to correct the situation. Some big gift is on the way.

Lol, It's been how many years, and Jaehyun is not different from that time he was saying it's OK to not receive anything from Doyoung on his BD, that he didn't anticipate, ShowChamp PDnims' congratulations were enough.

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gingerteaonthetardis · 2 years ago

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Thinking about that scene in boom town where they all pull out shitty early 2000s mobiles despite the fact jack and nine are time travellers and theres really no need for them to have them except. I'm fully convinced they bought them to keep in contact with rose when she's being jeopardy friendly

Anyway. So nine has his boom town phone ten has the flip phone Martha gave him and maybe rose (in a rose stays au) has the same phone or she keeps getting the same phone because it's what she's used to do and she does not want to update, she doesn't care what these new phones can do. But then the old companions are trying to set up a group chat so she finally relents

But they're time streams are so often out of sync that they still don't hear from the time travellers all that often and they start to wonder if they're dead or something but then they'll get a message from rose like 'cant talk right now we're being held in a dungeon again and about to get tortured for information. See you Sunday when we get out of here :)' and it's always some insane shit like that. I don't where I'm going with this but I think the companions should be allowed to share their insane lives with each other with the doctor and rose occasionally popping in to give updated before disappearing again because they had to reset the timeline again

i sat here and just nodded the whole time, you're so right on every count.

- jack and nine having special rose phones!!!! are you for real!!!! yes!!!

- also nine has, like. three numbers on speed dial. one is rose and the other is a pizza place that closed in 1983 and never reopened. the third number is cher, but he does not know that because he's never called it

- i think rose would only upgrade when a) yes, the gang beg her to join the groupchat but also b) she discovers that getting an iphone or whatever doesn't mean you have to give up all your cutesy nokia phone charm whimsy!!!! she goes to some random market and sees a stand selling the most extra phone accessories imaginable. pop sockets with aj mclean's face on them. glitter gel cases. stickers that squish when you press them. cases shaped like burgers and unicorns and stuff. like, she can truly just get whatever she wants and that's what ultimately sells her on the upgrade. (i firmly believe bill is the one helping her with this. to her chagrin)

- rose being the most unhinged in the groupchat also tracks to me. she'll on the one hand be like hey martha, can you ask your mum for her roast recipe? but then she'll follow immediately with btw can't make it to dinner, we're currently on a sinking ship in kublai khan's fleet and martha is just like..... *sigh* *flips through recipe cards*

- rose and jack have a complex and inscrutable shared emoji language. i don't make the rules

- unlike david tennant, nine knows what the eggplant emoji means and he uses it indiscriminately and with extreme prejudice

#nerdie faerie #abbey.txt #dw #rose tyler #ninth doctor #martha jones #bill potts #captain jack harkness

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devilishlycute · 2 years ago

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Hear me out, fem reader giving Hayate a reassurance smooch

A little reverse comfort huh? Love it and love everything about it! 💕🥰

"Y/n... Please don't laugh at me..."

Boyfriend!Hayate Ichikura x Girlfriend!Reader

Summary: You and Hayate have been together for nearly a whole month! So your relationship is still very much new, so you soon come to realize that your boyfriend can be.. A little shy when it comes to his self image. Let's go pay him a surprise visit!

Typing away on my laptop, indenting, paraphrasing, reading over what I just typed. Just a typical night for a college student. Feeling my eyes strain from the laptop's glare, I decide that now would be a great time to take a good five-to-ten minute break for a mental cool down. My stomach suddenly rumbled, "Yeah... Me too buddy." I pat my stomach while standing from my chair, getting ready to leave my room.

A familiar ringtone blares from my phone, "A text? From who??" Unlocking the screen I see that it was Hayate! The cute little blue bear icon I have for him, pops up again.

"Hey."

"Umm.."

"Do you have time to talk??"

"I just.."

"..."

"If you're busy I can text you later."

He sends a sticker of the blue bear in a dogeza pose.

"Oh.. Geez! At least give me time to answer you goof!" I whine as I pull up my keyboard quickly typing back a response.

I sent a sticker of a f/c bear shaking their head.

"No!"

"I'm not busy! I was just about to take a break anyway ^^"

"What's wrong Hayate? Are you olay?"

I smacked my lips and huff in irritation, correcting my text.

"* Okay?"

The loading bubbles appeared, then disappeared, then reappear again. Making me giggle under my breath. "He's overthinking again.." I say softly, as I imagined Hayate's cute face all scrunched up trying to type-

"Is it okay to call you?"

The message he sent pops up, causing my heart to ache. "It must have been something serious.." Grabbing a jacket, gathering my keys, wallet and mini backpack (as well as a means to defend yourself). "I'll talk to him on my way to the convenient store.."

I expertly typed with one hand as I locked my door and head out.

"Sure! Voice or Video?"

"... Voice please."

Soon my screen goes black, then lights up showing the picture of Hayate looking absolutely smitten at the dog park you happened to pass while on one of your past dates. Sliding to answer, I moved my phone towards my ear.

"Hayate, is everything okay?"

I hear nothing from his side, for one solid minute.

"Haya-"

"Is it true that women's clothes have tops without straps to hold them?"

...

I hold back a choked laugh, I could just see Hayate squirm.

"P-Please don't laugh.. I'm seriously asking. I think... I think I embarrassed myself in front of people." His voice wavers at the end, making my heart squeeze.

"I understand. And to answer the question: Yes. Some people like that style, they feel comfortable and confident. But I would say you didn't embarrassed yourself, you just didn't know. No harm, no foul." I reassure him.

Walking into the store, I collect my favorites. Making sure to talk in a volume where it doesn't disturb anyone. "It was really embarrassing.. I thought I was being courteous, I asked if she knew that her shirt was in danger of slipping of her shoulder. But my friend just told me that it was supposed to be like that- I thought I was gonna die on the spot."

Softly giggling, I notice one of the fridges had Hayate's favorite ice cream. Grabbing it, I went to the counter to pay for my items.

"Not only that, I made a wrong move at the Izakaya I work at and got scolded." The worker bagged my items and wished me a "Good night.", I place the items in my mini-backpack, and hoist it back over me. I asked Hayate to elaborate what happened, and he explained that he tried to be more "chummy" and "refreshing" and the manager immediately chewed him out.

Feeling laughter begin to bubble, I cover my mouth. "I-I see.." I stop at the crosswalk, waiting for the lights to change. "But you shouldn't try so hard to be someone different, you're perfect as you are." The light changes signaling me to cross, I make sure I'm heading to Hayate's by looking at the street names.

The street looking more and more familiar with each passing block. "I'm thinking about quiting the Izakaya job and trying to find somewhere a little closer." I hummed and saw Hayate's apartment complex, "If it's what you want to do Hayate, I'm there for you." Walking up towards the door, you typed in Hayate's code,

"Hmm? Hey, I'll be back. Someone's at my door."

"Yeah, it's me! I have snacks!!"

...

"HUH?!" Hayate shouts over the phone, the red light soon flashes green and the sound of the lock unlocking let's me know it's okay to walk in.

"H-How did you get here so fast?! Did you seriously walk over here at night?!" He asks, his worried voice amplified from the phone. As I walked upstairs and down the hall, " Yup! I got here while talking with you. You know how I said I was about to take a break? I was gonna go on a late dinner-slash-snack run before you texted me. Hurry up and let me in you goof, I got your favorite ice cream and another surprise for you."

I hear some muffled footsteps and shuffling inside, "B-But it's messy inside." His voice whispers through, causing me to pout. "Then I guess you get no ice cream and no surprise!"

He goes quiet, the drops the call. The door unlocks and Hayate opens the door a smidge, "W-Welcome.. Come in." He moves to open the door, his minimalist apartment wasn't as messy as he made it out to be. Just a couple of JUMPs scattered about, but that's it, pulling out the bag I hand it over to Hayate. "It's mostly my favorites, but I made sure to get the ice cream and chips you like." I set my mini-backpack on the hook attached to his door, I turn around to see that he's setting the bag down on his coffee table.

Hayate opens his ice cream and eats it with the wooden paddle it comes with, sitting down across from him. Watching him, more specifically his lips.

"I did say I had a "surprise".. It's appropriate to start kissing right?? We've hugged, h-held hands... Even walked to University together! It's been a half a month... Surely he wouldn't mind.." I debate with myself, not noticing the Hayate's turning red. He moved the spoon away from his lips, "Did you want some- mmp!" I leaned over the table and gave his lips a soft peck, my cheeks resonate heat.

Pouring my feelings for Hayate in that one single peck, I pull away and give him a bashful smile. "That's the surprise, a little pick me up for the nerve-racking day you had.. Sorry that happened to you, Hayate." I watched as his face exploded in red, he covers his mouth and turns away.. "Not.. Fair... I wanted to be the one to.. Ki-ki-ki..." He mumbles.

I let out a cheeky laugh and go to open my bag of chips, "Sorry for making the move first Haya'~" His blush worsens, "..You can stay as long as y-you want.. Just let me walk you home though. It's dangerous to walk alone at night." I felt my heart race and my smile widened, popping a chip in my mouth. "You got yourself a deal! Be prepared Hayate- I love cuddles."

" "Cu-Cuddles"?!" I laughed out loud, placing my clean palm under my chin. Staring lovingly at my shy boyfriend resume eating his ice cream

" Hayate Ichikura, the easily embarrassed and highly introspective.. How cute." I mentally coo. You can't help but plan more kisses for him in the future.

A/n: Whoop! Whoop!! Another fluffy drabble down, Hayate's very adorbs and deserves reassuring vibes and comfort every time he feels embarrassed!

#cool doji danshi #hayate ichikura #hayate cool doji danshi #ichikura cool doji danshi #hayate ichikura x f!reader #x f!reader #play it cool guys

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dulcewrites · 2 years ago

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I think modern Myrah and Aemond are so interesting! I imagine Myrah being in the know of all the trends and Aemond being all: what??? I was watching the tiktok of this girl, and in the video she did a mini booty shake and was like we do this when we brush our teeth and he bf was just straight faced next her and goes “no. It’s what you do”.

I just love Myrah and think it’s funny how much Aemond simps for her. She’s just so 🫶🏼 (I also have a please let me merge before I cry sticker so I feel seen)

Lmao yes very that. I imagine modern Aemond, sort of similar to ewan, has a very obscure digital footprint. Also quite picky and intentional about the type of media he consumes and where he gets it from. Opposed to myrah who needs have the tv going, music blasting in the background, Twitter on her phone and tumblr on her computer up to feel stimulated 😭

She makes him try things she saw on tiktok or go to restaurants she sees. They can be sitting on the couch and randomly she’ll go “baby do you think I’m deer pretty or bunny pretty.” Aemond is just like ‘?? Does that matter you’re pretty regardless. I don’t even know what that means’. then she gives him the look and he sighs bc he knows he’s about to learn about a niche trend he doesn’t really care about.

But if myrah wants it, he’s gonna do it!

#modern fcc asks #she thinks she’s deer pretty but Aemond is set on bunny 🤷🏽‍♀️

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selfship-shenanigans · 1 year ago

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SELFSHIP ASK GAME WOOO

🔎 (something f/o related in your room)

💌 (a snippet of a conversation you had)

🎁 (for a gift)

Ayyy ty for the ask!! <3

🔎 - oh boy, where do I even start? I have many, many things related to him!! Mostly stickers and art prints on my walls, but also an amiibo figurine and a couple of keyrings. If clothing counts then I have several tshirts of him, and he's also my phone and laptop wallpaper :3

💌 - I've written a ton about him and Ray, mostly in the form of Ganondorf x reader fanfics because I find it easier to imagine myself as my S/I if it's written in second person. But none of them are really meant for other people to read, so they're just very basic drafts and not proper fics. Anyway, here's a snippet of one of my favourite conversations between them, not too long after their first meeting:

"You are perhaps the most unusual Hylian I've ever met," [he says] "Not that you've met very many Hylians." [He raises an eyebrow at your attitude] "What?" [He scoffs] "Although it is true that the vast majority of my duties require me to remain here, that hardly means that I have no contact with the rest of Hyrule.” “I know, I’ve just never seen you, or any Gerudo, in Castle Town. Or anywhere, for that matter. You really do keep to yourselves a lot. Anyway, what do you mean—why am I so unusual?” “You don’t seem to be afraid of me, for starters.” “I was at first. When I got caught the first time and you came to question me.” [you meet his eyes] “I thought for sure I was going to die there. But I’m not scared anymore.” “Because I let you go.” [you nod] “Three times. And then you invited me back.” […] “You’re very confident in your perception of me.” "Is that a bad thing?" "I find it amusing that you think you know me so well after so little time." “Well… I guess I’ll just have to spend some more time with you then. That way I can get to know you better.”

(I hope that wasn't too painful to read LOL. I can also give a bit more context if anyone is interested.)

🎁 - gift giving is very much my love language, so I'd probably give him stuff all the time. But I headcanon that he really likes jewellery (I mean just look at the TOTK version of him), so I think his favourite of all the gifts that Ray has given him over the years was a pair of ruby earrings quite early in their relationship. He made a point of wearing that specific pair around Ray for a long time afterwards, plus all the other bits of jewellery that they later ended up giving him too.

#ask game #king of evil? more like the king of my heart <3

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alwayzraven · 2 years ago

Text

Kardeşlerim Ep 72

Gunul ran away and didn't help Sengul. Akif saw her and then heard Sengul screaming. He found her and called Orhan. Berk got them to the hospital. He really did his best to get Sengul to the hospital as fast as possible. He called Sengul “Sengul annecim” which means "mom" and Sengul told him not to call her that 😂 Ayla didn't let Berk stay at the hospital but he really wanted to stay and see the baby. Later, Aybike send a message to Berk telling him that her brother was fine and thanked him for everything.

Berk was so happy. Ayla came to his room and saw how happy he was. She asked him why he was smiling and he said that he watched a funny cat video. Ayla didn't believe him and basically snatched his phone from his hand. Ayla saw that it was a message from Aybike. Ayla complained as usual and was pissed that Berk defended Aybike. When Ayla was leaving she said: "I am going to show you and your girlfriend". What I understood from this scene is that Ayla is going to do something to Aybike soon. I say we strap in and brace ourselves for the storm 🙄

This sudden opposition from Ayla and Sengul is going to lead to something drastic in the end. Btw, did you notice that Berk has a new room. Did they move again??? Damn they are really rich, they change houses like outfits.

I love the “less talk, more party” stickers on the wall. You can also see the weights by the window 😂 and they always put a guitar in Berk’s room, I am not sure if it’s for decoration purposes or if Berk plays the guitar.

The next day at school, Aybike showed Berk her brother's pics 🥰

Berk: “How are you sweetheart?”

Aybike: “I am good, you?”

Berk: “Also good! Come on show me those pictures”

Aybike: “Look”

Berk: “Oh, look how cute he is Aybike! Look how handsome he is”

Aybike:”He looks exactly like me when I was a baby! Mom didn’t say anything about this but I think we look the same”

Berk: “I believe it, he inherited the cute genes, look at him, he definitely inherited them ”

Aybike: “He is so cute, I didn’t want to leave him and come to school this morning”

Berk: “So when can I see him ?”

Aybike: “You?”

Berk:”Yes”

Aybike:”I don’t know”

Berk:”What do you mean you don’t know? I want to see him, I want to get to know my brother-in-law. What’s wrong with that?”

Aybike:”Okay, let's do this….But mom is always with the baby. Okay I will find a way”

Berk:”You can do it! What gift should I get for my little brother-in-law”

Aybike:”Don’t be ridiculous, what gift?”

Berk: “Don’t be ridiculous? Of course I am going to buy him a gift. I mean I have to buy him a gift for our first meeting, so my brother-in-law will love me”

Aybike:”How will he know about the gift you got him when he is just a baby? Don’t worry, there is no need for a gift”

Berk:”He will know, he will know. Come on, let’s go to the garden”

And then he asked her to show him the pictures again.

Guys I am getting a strong “Ayber are going to get married soon” vibe from this episode 😆😆 Berk never called Oglucan his brother-in-law before but he called Umutcan his little brother-in-law. Also, he called Sengul "mom". Usually, the son/daughter-in-law calls their mother in law, "mom" in Turkey.

Later in the evening, Berk came to see the baby. Aybike asked Oglucan to cover for her while she showed Berk the baby.

Aybike: “There is someone precious that I would like you to meet ”

Aybike:”Here is your little brother-in-law”

Berk:”Your so cute my dear! Aybike, he really does look like you”

Aybike: “Look don’t say this to Oglucan because he’s been walking around the house since morning saying that he looked like him”

Berk:”When we grow up and get married, I think we’ll have a baby like this”

I love that he knows that they can’t get married right now because they still have to go to uni and then get a job. I expected Berk to propose to her as soon as they graduated high school tbh but I think he might just do it after all because of his mom.

Aybike:”No, I can’t imagine myself being married and with a kid”

Ayibike: “You should go or my mom will come and this will end badly”

Berk:”wait a minute, I didn’t give him my gift yet”

Aybike: “Did you get a gift for him? Berk you’re so sweet!”

Berk:”Ta-da!”

Aybike:”what did you get him?”

Berk:”remote control car ”

Aybike:”You bought a remote control car?”

Berk:”Yes, it’s the classic toy choice for boys. What? Is it not an appropriate gift?”

Aybike:”no it will be appropriate at some point in the future but now I am not sure that he even sees us. He’s a couple of days old”

Berk:”You’re right! That was an amateur behavior”

Aybike:”it’s okay”

Berk:”what should we do? You’ll play with it when you grow up”

Aybike:”Then we’ll play together when he grows up, okay?”

Berk:”exactly, we’ll play together my little brother-in-law. By the way, I am calling him brother-in-law spontaneously, because we’re close now ”

And then they heard Sengul scream at Oglucan and looking for the baby so Berk had to leave.

Btw, I am pretty sure they used a doll for this scene because of the way Melis was holding the baby.

Do you guys think that if they elope, Berk will come to her window that day and Aybike will have to leave through her window to run away with him without anyone noticing?? I feel like this window means so much to them ❤️️

Leyla saw Kadir's picture when she went to study with Asiye and Asiye explained to her and Afra everything about Kadir's accident. She told her that they weren’t able to catch the person responsible for the hit and run. Since Afra dropped her phone and cannot use it anymore, Oglucan gave her a phone he found in Sengul's closet. This is the phone that has Kadir's accident video. In the end, Afra didn't use it and gave it to Leyla since she doesn't have a phone. Leyla turned the phone on and saw the video and recognized Kadir and Susen.

In the teaser, we can see Leyla asking Susen: "So you didn't witness the accident?". Not sure if she's going to tell her that she saw the video and maybe we'll see how Leyla will die in the 2nd teaser.

Also, I can't tell if Orhan knows about Ayber but doesn't care or if he doesn't know? I think he still doesn’t know? but Berk called Sengul “mom” and he heard it. I think he knows but he’s cool with their relationship. Speaking of relationships, I think he’s going to leave Gunul soon. The way she acted this episode pissed him off and if he finds out that she left Sengul in the forest after she fell then he will definitely leave her.

Overall, I liked this episode and loved the focus on Ayber’s future 🥰

#kardeşlerim #kardeslerim #ayber #recap

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demoreelrewound · 1 year ago

Text

On the ~Antagonist(s)~!

Episode 1:

Right at the end - a letter

Dear Donnie Dupré

We represent Swede filmmakers everywhere [...] we saw Be Kind Rewind first [...] we will make you pay [...]

P.S. If our demands are not met, a disaster beyond your imagination will occur!

Episode 2:

Messages on the answering machine.

Mr Dupré, my name is Tom Collins, I represent SWAG.

In case you are wondering, SWAG is the Swede Actors' Guild.

Needless to say, we are pretty awesome! ^_^

But you my friend, are not!

I'm going to assume you received our little letter, and I'm going to assume you've ignored it - well you can't ignore me.

...

I'm assuming you deleted my other message, here's the continuation: YOU CANNOT IGNORE ME!

...

You may have fooled those two buffoons you call actors, but we know better.

Mark my words, there will be no happy ending for you so long as your movie remakes continue - this will be your final warning!

...

Hey baby, just letting you know I got the milk and -- crap, did I just f*cking redial?

Ahem, ahem, just ignore that -- THIS WILL BE YOUR FINAL WARNING!

Episode 3:

No mention.

Episode 4:

First silhouette appearance.

"I have a secret report from within the Guild. Four people have come to our attention regarding a plot that can jeopardise the Swede Actors' Guild. Donnie Dupré and his team have refused our orders to halt their production company, Demo Reel.

While they are still small and unaware of their talent, our analysis indicates there is a danger.

I recommend sending several Guild agents to their location, to stop them, by any means necessary.

The cheap must flow.

Phone call to Tacoma:

Mr Narrows?

Do you like remaking movies?

Are you at home?

And Miss Stone, where is she?

That's all I needed to know...

A car following Tacoma - two masked figures who jump him and pelt him with Swedish pancakes.

Phone call to Rebecca:

Go to the window.

Do you like remaking movies?

Well not for long~! Ooh, is that your spine starting to shiver?

Shit! Just a second. Yo, hey! I got a handicap sticker!

*points gun at Donnie, unclicks safety*

Episode 5:

Silhouette scene

Tom: Donnie Dupré will no longer be a nuisance to us. After my associates picked him up at gunpoint from the airport, they dropped him off in the middle of the woods, where nobody can find him. Let's just say that the troubling nature of Demo Reel, and Donnie Dupré, will no longer be on our radars. *evil laugh*

♤: dude, what's wrong with you?!

Tom: what?

♡: you kidnapped a man at gunpoint and left him to die? That's fucking messed up!

Tom: he, he was threatening our operation :-(

♤: guy, we're Swede filmmakers, we remake films badly, we're not the goddamn mafia!

♡: what are you, a psycho?

Tom: but -- but --

♤: dude, I don't even wanna look at you - the less I'm associated with this, the better

♡: yeah, I'm off to be an Internet reviewer - they're mentally stable

Tom: wait! Wait! Where are you going?! *beat* Does this mean you won't be at the Christmas party?! ;_;

Someone moving in a dark doorway unnoticed by Tacoma who walks past. (After he accidentally insults Rebecca)

Episode 6:

In-person appearance of Tom Collins five minutes before the ending.

I'll be taking that!

I am *fumbles with taking his mask off* Tom Collins, grand leader-master of SWAG! And I believe this is mine!

*draws gun*

*unclicks safety*

"This is your last chance: give up Demo Reel, or face the consequences!"

"Really? Why don't you ask your friend Donnie how crazy I am?"

"Oh he's fine... maybe. -- actually, really don't know where he is -- do you?!"

"You're right, I can't kill anybody -- but there's something I can kill!"

*points gun at SD card in his hand while Quinn just stands there like a lemon*

"Then give up DEMO REEL!"

"You leave me no choice..."

*shoots SD card*

*laughs evilly*

*shuts right up when Fabrizio interrupts*

"What the hell do these people do here..? *shakes thought away* Anyway -- wait. Wasn't there another person?"

*whimpers and cries in pain as Reba whales on him*

"No! Get off, get off!"

"BACK! Get back you girly little bitch!" *gun at Tacoma* "You too!" *gun at Rebecca*

*gun at camer-- I mean Quinn* "You three!"

"Get back! You may have won this round, but the battle is far from over you hear me? The battle's---"

*jumps back once he notices Donnie*

*gets punched, groans on the floor*

*gets up and tries to run away, whimpers, gets pushed back by an emerging Karl*

"Oh god!" (I think? Maybe?)

*whimpers and groans as Karl kicks his ass, and as he is able to get up and Karl takes his gun, and as he gives him one last kick*

#{original reel}#tom collins demo reel #{from the blogger}

0 notes

hwaightme · 11 months ago

Text

fiRST OF ALL LOREN OMG I LOVE YOU LIKE PLS THAT IS SO AMAZING OF YOU TO WORK IN PAEDIATRICS WHAT HADJKGHSKDsgdJKHGDS YOU LEGEND-

the rest i am putting under a cut because i literally wrote an essay i am SoRRY-

second i am LITERALLY MELTING RIGHT NOW PLEASE THIS MEANS THE ENTIRE WORLD AND MORE TO ME!!!!!!!!!! YES!!!!!!!! I feel like stickers are honestly one of the most joyful yet visually clear ways of expressing support and achievement.... so.... please.... let us have our cute stickers we BeG (as for Hwa... man.... every sticker is like a medal, and because he lets the kids choose the type of sticker... the design of it, he essentially can more or less remember what kiddo put what sticker where <3333)

plEASE I WILL CRY THAT IS SO CUTE YES ADORABLE DATES TO KMART WITH HWA TO GET THE GOODIES OH MY GOSH IMAGINE MAKING LITTLE SCENES WITH THE FURNITURE AND TOYS SO THERE ARE THEMES AND THEY VARY DEPENDING ON OFFICE OR SECTION OF A PLAY AREA I-

Hwa literally will sacrifice anything and everything if it means his precious patient has a good time and goes out of that room happier than how they were when they came in ;~; literally tries to figure out the 'vibes' and predisposition of the little one so things aren't spooky, because at the end of the day everything might be hella new to them, and it is unfair to expect literally no emotion ;~; THE POWER OF NYAH TO SAVE THE DAY!!!!!!

He puts that schedule into his phone as a separate option on the calendar so he can check when you two are both free or not - this calendar is also shared with you so you can make little bookings during the day to see each other for a snack break <33 also if say, he had outpatient day and there was nothing too intense, while you had a very serious surgery, you bet he is cooking a comforting meal for you and running a relaxing bath with salts - pyjamas are sOft and prepped so you can knock out straight away ;~;

I see Wooyoung as one of the overlords of paediatrics especially when it comes to the youngest kids - i get the vibe he might even specialise in neonatology... so when critical times hit he is in that neonatal ward RULING IT; and then that translates to the parents essentially trusting him with their babies fully. So like... in my head at least at the moment I see Woo more baby/toddler, while Hwa is slightly older toddlers, children to young adults maYhaps.

yES!!!! Genuinely power couples and supporting passions is just so SO IMPORTANT and REAL AND NEEDED AND GRADFJHDGFKHGSDKJG YES

*would you..... be interested.... in a collab???? mayHAPs???? do dm if so because i do as a matter of fact have some chaotic notes down huehuehueheuehueheehueUEHEUH*

POET BAI ADJFHSDKHSDGJKDhgKSDJHGSf

Hwa literally short circuited so hard because the dreAMS THEY CAME TRUE he is literally planning everything and thinking of the pinterest boards he will make like wHat DO YOU meAN he HAs TO DO MIDNIGht ROUNDS nAH bOI i need to plan my wEDDiNg (jokes he will probably feel the weight of responsibility too hard to take out his phone except to send you spam of heart emojis and then a ring emoji)

i think medical pickup lines are supreme and are a need for society, we MUST MAKE THEM MORE WIDESPREAD!!!!!! MEDICAL RIZZ SUPREMACY!!!!!! It's just what the doctor ordered~

genuinely this means the whole universe to me, i read and reread your reblog and am still grinning so heLLA WIDE!!! thank you so much for making my heart so dang full ilysm

*and really if you are down to brainwave..... im down....~~*

Page me

(masterlist) (taglist)

🩺 pairing: paediatrician!bf!seonghwa x neurosurgeon!gn!reader 🩺 genre: fluff, doctor au, established long-term relationship, festive fic 🩺 summary: in the early hours of a shared night shift right before christmas, the present turns into a gift, and seonghwa can't be happier and more in love 🩺 wordcount: 7.8k total 🩺 warnings/tags: slightly edited, the fluff is strong, simpery is real, two doctors with heart eyes, marriage, proposals, family, hwa is yearing, woo cameo, woo+hwa banter, yeo+yunho mention, mom+kid side ocs, needles/syringes, injections, hospitals, night shifts, unconventional marshmallow toasting, a lot of love and sharing life <3 🩺 taglist: at the bottom of the fic 🩺 a/n: happy holidays and merry christmas~ the idea for this was in the drafts for ages, reignited hardcore by @starrysvn(...the cameos hehet), and it feels right for the festive season~ much love! comments, reblogs, notes all appreciated

Clean and comforting. The poster-room of an office, personalised, and yet retaining all the professional qualities necessary. The gentle swaying of the tulle that transformed the twinkling of a myriad of skyscrapers outside and a magnificent deep navy and inky black star-filled sky into a soothing haze, the ticking of a clock adorned with illustrations from the doctor’s favourite franchise. There was a unity even in the multicoloured shelves and cupboards. Stickers, kindly left behind by particularly pleased, proud and excited patients turned into permanent decorations on the sides of the otherwise strictly uniform desk, bringing relief and encouragement to its occupant. The newest additions - a small desk Christmas tree that was decorated on theme with the rest of the space, and a couple of garlands elegantly hung on the top cupboards and above the tulle served as reminders that it was, in fact, the festive season, and celebrations were only a day away. Even so, healthcare could not take a holiday, and the hospital was busier than ever.

“Hey… do you like… Lego?”

It had been long enough since the beginning of the appointment, as Doctor Park Seonghwa had noted, but the little patient sitting in front of him was still refusing to succumb to the wrath of a ‘spooky scary needle that makes him go ouchy’. Seonghwa could not blame the boy though - if there was something he never did, it was to project a child’s behaviour outwards into adult societal expectations. As a matter of fact, he rarely did that for adults too. He never saw the point, nor did he wish to impose some alternative spin on reality onto anyone who he had the pleasure of meeting, especially his patients or their relatives. As L/N Junseo crossed his arms in disapproval, Seonghwa could not help but spin a tiny fraction on his stool that he used during appointments such as this, and sneak another piece of sporadic scrutiny towards the mother. As he had assumed, there was little comfort to be offered from her side - she was sitting in a corner across the room, fanning herself and sending worried glances in the approximate direction of both the doctor and her son.

So, he had no choice left. He had to pull the most powerful weapons out of his arsenal - inspired by the many pieces that served as baubles on his desktop tree. Seonghwa was grateful that he had the foresight to not unpack the disposable syringe before checking the kid’s tolerance. Judging by the smile that spread across the boy’s face, and the confused expression gracing his mother’s, Seonghwa knew he hit the jackpot and there was potential for him to catch a break if the appointment did not run over, and if he was lucky enough, perhaps the main reason behind his rush would be free too. The simple thought inadvertently crawled into Seonghwa’s mind, and he lowered his gaze to suppress a shy smile and return to being the amiable paediatrician that he needed to be.

“Now, mister Junseo, will you wait a couple of seconds for me?” After receiving his patient’s enthusiastic nods of approval, he spun around on his stool, and rolled towards the cabinet that occupied the majority of the right wall of his office.

Stopping himself from crashing into his desk with a fast hand, he opened one of the lower doors to reveal a series of colour coded and labelled trays, each one filled to the brim with even more vibrant hues, but maintaining a strict order. Pulling the first and then the second tray from the top, the doctor inspected the contents, and decided to give the final decision to Junseo, turning to him with a grin on his face.

“Dinosaurs or spaceships?”

“Spaceships!” just as Seonghwa had thought, this question broke through the storm clouds of doubt and fear, cutting right down to Junseo’s primary interests, some of which the young doctor just so happened to share �� the only difference was that the latter had to also remember that he had a job to do, and that job involved convincing, or cleverly deceiving with good intentions, a little kid into a routine shot. It was hard not to wonder what your, his life partner’s, reaction would be if you were in this room with him, considering that this environment was probably the furthest a space from your natural habitat - the operating room, could be.

“A man of good taste I see. I mean, dinosaurs are cool too, but I will let you in on a little secret… I have matching spaceship band aids,” As he pulled out the tray that contained some pre-built spaceships, with the bricks being from a younger-child-friendly set, along with stray pieces that turned the set into the perfect cognitive and sensory exercise, Seonghwa took time to explain his actions to the boy. In a way this was not too dissimilar from the preparation of instruments for surgery, so perhaps you would find joy in this interaction to the same extent as him. He shook his head lightly, reeling himself back to the matter at hand.

Sometimes, Seonghwa pondered whether too much of his budget, and, on occasion, personal finances, went towards making his office be more of a playground than what one would imagine ‘a doctor’s lair’ to be – in his mind, that was your office, one that he visited enough times to memorise. An ode to modernity, with books and documents, diagrams and an anatomically accurate model of a brain with various labels - just what one would expect of a real doctor. But both fortunately and unfortunately, this was a style that Seonghwa would not attempt to achieve in his own office. There was a mat on the floor made out of foam puzzle pieces, there was every form of toy transport he could find, animals, dolls… he swore he appeared in toy stores more regularly than in the pharmacy at this point. But the joy with which his patients’ faces lit up was more than encouraging, reminding him that he was on the right path, he was doing well, and that everything was worth it.

“NO WAY!” Junseo yelled out, excitedly kicking his feet. The paper towels that lined the bench rustled slightly, the link between the sheets being stress tested – much like the mother, who appeared to be speechless, but at least no longer faint.

Seonghwa imagined that his present conclusions and responsive actions were not too distant from how teachers felt when they saw a certain type of action be executed by a child, and then saw its origins during parent teacher conferences. The conclusion had come to his mind on its own accord but resounded loudly enough for him to send a reassuring gleam to Missus in the corner, and observe her delayed reactions as she, evidently, was battling the instinct to throttle him to the ground and save her child from danger. How wild and fascinating the generational sharing of fears and burdens was. Seonghwa turned his attention back to the star of the show, who was eagerly waiting for the eloquently advertised, and much anticipated, spaceships.

“Yes way! And I can show them to you later.” Seonghwa responded with a chuckle, setting the tray next to the boy, making him turn to the side and better expose the arm that was to receive the intramuscular injection. Even though Junseo was now fully immersed in the toy provided, he still expressed his gratitude, forcing the man to use every ounce of strength in him to not melt.

“Thank you so much Doctor Park!”

"No, thank you! Lego is my favourite, you know, but if you picked dinosaurs, you could have heard my tyrannosaurus rex impression." He could hear some shuffling outside of the room, turning into a thud as he introduced his ‘special ability’ when it came to distraction tactics. It was straining, conducting all his appointments without a nurse, since quite a number had arranged to go on holiday for Christmas, including his favourite in the form of a tall man with the brightest smile and enough energy to power the whole building - Jeong Yunho. Was it a challenge for Seonghwa? Perhaps, but he was coping. Besides, would he really want anyone here with him except a certain someone who was not even in this specialisation?

"Awh... no... but that sounds so fun I wanna hear, I wanna hear!!!" The cute boy was practically begging, giving Seonghwa his best puppy dog eyes with a turn of his head – that would not do for the doctor’s mission, however, Junseo needed to be practically in a different realm for it to work.

"Could you attach this jet engine please?" In the softest voice he could muster, Seonghwa guided attention back to the spaceships, commenting on how well Junseo was assembling them. He infinitely admired the ability that children had to disregard common practices, ignore rules and simply create. As Junseo would get older, he would undoubtedly have to succumb to standardisation, but in the meantime, he could enjoy picking a wild palette of coloured bricks, not think about astrophysics when constructing the ships, and be perfectly satisfied with what he was crafting.

"Mhm..."

Using the moment of distraction, Seonghwa turned and reached for the hand sanitiser pump on his desk, cleaning his hands. With practised motions, as he returned to his seat in front of the kid, the doctor took out the prefilled syringe out of the pocket of his white coat, peeling the decontamination seal to fish the item out. He had a small window of opportunity and needed to act fast to seize it. From the other pocket, he produced a packet with an alcohol swab, carefully tearing it, as far away from Junseo as possible so that he would not be shocked by the smell.

"Now, Junseo, could you sit a little closer to me, so... oh thank you!" The child obediently shuffled, not taking his eyes off the Lego pieces. "You might feel a little cold on your arm, but don't worry I will roar that away, okay, you with me? Ah wait, how do we make that ship the strongest in the galaxy?" breath in, breath out. Watching the child’s movements so that he would not accidentally hurt himself. Lifting the sleeve of the t-shirt the Junseo was wearing ever so slightly, Seonghwa crept towards the bench on his wheeled stool, praying to every higher power that he would be done with this appointment soon, but retaining his professionalism. It was now or never.

"Imma show you-"

"Nyaaaaaaah~"

As soon as Seonghwa started, he was done, and the syringe was long hidden behind his back as he pressed a cotton ball to the area, though Junseo could not care less, having broken into a fit of giggles over the interesting interpretation of a t-rex. No matter how exhausted he was, this was one of the things the doctor lived for – having the ability to make medicine, doctor’s visits, and hospitals just a little bit less miserable for the little ones, something of a game or an adventure, him being of the opinion that these pocket-sized humans did not deserve to be exposed to the struggles quite yet. If it was in his power, he would have changed the ‘quite yet’ to never, but that was far too utopian, and something wiped out of him in first year of medical school. So, Doctor Park simply tried his best.

"DOCTOR PARK THAT WAS NOT A ROAR!!!" Junseo proclaimed, still giggling as he clutched onto a bright green brick. Seonghwa chuckled, sliding to the left to dispose of the syringe in a biohazard bin, stretching himself out so that he could still keep holding the cotton ball. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the mother beginning to come to her senses, the ‘high alert’ mode dropping to a more manageable, generally healthy parental worry.

"Then come on, show me what you've got. I bet you have a-"

"ROOOOOOOOOAAAAAR!!!" With him being startled by what he should have expected, he could not help but throw a glance at the other adult in the room, finding her surprised. Hands clasped together, she whispered ‘goodness gracious’, and upon finding out that she had a one-man audience, gave a sheepish grin and looked down. Seonghwa was calming down from his ‘performance’, the doctor, actor, caregiver and child-friendly comedian in him began to leave his body, giving way to a straightforward happiness of a man who could see that he helped out people in need.

"Wow now that is IMPRESSIVE Mister Junseo! Ah wait, could you hold this for me?” he gestured towards the cotton ball, and once the boy complied, backed away to get some more hand sanitiser. “We are done!"

"Huh? Wait... no ouchy?" genuinely confused, the toddler asked, dropping the Lego pieces entirely and blinking in slow motion.

"We scared the ouchy away with spaceships and your awesome roar, didn't we?"

"WE DID!! WE DID!!" With the cotton forgotten, Junseo was about to hop off the bench, his hands pressed into the dark grey material he had been sitting on, but before he could Seonghwa caught him, easily picking the boy up in his arms despite the weight that it put on him. After all, patients came first, and this was always a clear sign that he was trusted – besides, the kid did not have any other ailments, so a little hug would not hurt anyone, especially not Seonghwa’s soul.

"We did! I promised you a cool band aid too so... ah hold on let me... watch your head please." With Junseo still in his arms, Doctor Park ambled towards the other side of the office, closer to where the mother was now standing, to reach into one of the shelves and retrieve the packet of what he considered to be something akin to achievement stamps. A final well done from him to the patient, for being so courageous and letting Seonghwa poke them with a needle.

The rest of the appointment went by in a blur. The boy was safely back in his mother’s arms, sporting a colourful bandaid, babbling away about spaceships, quietly repeating Seonghwa’s dinosaur impression, and emphasising for the umpteenth time that ‘the injection actually did not hurt at all’, much to the mother’s delight. She looked to be on cloud nine as she held her bundle of joy, and even though he was bouncing on her lap to the point where the doctor would assume that she was in discomfort, the woman showed no sign, and instead gleamed at him, expressing genuine gratitude.

"So sorry for all the trouble and that I could not help in any way, please accept my-"

"No need no need! Junseo is such a sweet boy, and it was all his bravery in the end. I am just doing my job." He tried to assure her, flipping through the vaccination booklet she had provided and filling out the details of the shot. While checking the date just in case, despite him having a mental countdown to Christmas with the precision down to an hour practically built into his brain, he still noted the clock on his computer, memorising the time in order to figure out when approximately you would be done with the surgery you had arranged for this evening. Maybe he would have enough time to stop by your department, and manage to catch you there to ask about what plans for celebration you two would dare have in between busy schedules. His attention was guided back to the jovial duo on the armchair, as the mother spoke once more.

"You perform miracles, Doctor Park. Really. You are truly one of a kind! Before today I was convinced that he was wired to cry at every appointment..." she lowered her voice a little, just as Junseo turned away to pick at one of his trouser pockets.

"If you are worried about him developing any phobias and the like, I can recommend some amazing medical experts who can work with you and him?" Whenever anyone voiced a concern, he took it as part of his responsibility to respond wholeheartedly, and as such, once he completed the record, offered assistance. Perhaps this was also a safe zone for him, a removal from what otherwise would inevitably make his heart melt or ache. But to no avail.

"Oh no, no, I think I found the cure right here. Really, my husband will be so impressed about this!”

Husband. Happy family. There it was. Seonghwa felt the corner of his mouth twitch as he lifted himself off his chair, shut the booklet and returned it to the mother, and wife. It was difficult to convince himself that this was not jealousy tugging at his nerves and heartstrings, as the more he pondered the image of what had to be a perfect union, the dinners, the days out in the park, the little meet ups for lunch if either partner was otherwise busy… the domesticity got to him and made him want to slam the table in frustration. So, he did the next best thing, and clasped his hands behind his back so that he would not dare act out of line.

“Is that so?” he forced out, remaining composed as he returned the mother’s bows while she ushered her son forward and stood up to head for the door. He could not help but imagine the duo walking under the lights that adorned every shop, every street and coming home to their own tree, coming together as a small family in a cosy atmosphere. Similar routines, similar time off, the space to love and to live and to enjoy being ‘one’ to the fullest.

“I think he will want to come with us next time, to meet you, really… of course if you don't mind us scheduling check-ups with you from now on?" meet him… so Seonghwa could see the whole assembly… Really, right in the moment when his head was filled with thoughts of you, he had to be reminded of just how adorable some aspects of paediatrics could be, to the degree of malicious irritation.

He bet that the reason why you were so relaxed about your relationship was because you were not in direct contact with families and cute kids, for the most part. The closest you came to communicating with patients was in briefing, de-briefing and maintenance of their condition pre- and post- operation. He had to see the bad and good, the downs and ups, the rollercoasters and the memorable highs over long periods of time. Some of his patients he had known for so long, they were basically his relatives, and the personifications of sunshine that would rush to greet him, nearly stumbling over tiny shoes and sometimes barely reaching his waist, or even mid-thigh, restored his faith in the universe. It was exactly because he was aware of the downsides, and still desired this closeness and this next step with you, that he was cursing time itself for not allowing him to express this hope properly. Sure, you had discussed marriage, and both of you were more than committed to one another, but no words had been said about the part where someone popped the question. Was there ever going to be ‘the right time’? Especially when both of you were at the early stages of your medical careers, and were caught adrift in the chaotic shifts, training, exams and had to sacrifice yourselves for thousands who came through the doors of the hospital.

"Ah, whatever you would prefer, Missus Hwang. It would be an honour.” He squashed his nerves for the remainder of the appointment, and peacefully parted with the two visitors to KQ Hospital, wishing them the happiest holidays and for a stable recovery from the vaccination.

Seonghwa remained standing in the corridor, his back propping the door to the office. Closing his eyes, he listened to the opening of the elevator, and let out a breath he did not know he had been holding once Junseo’s excited, shrill voice was muted by the doors. Gears moved into action as the machine carried the mother and son away from the paediatric ward. The doctor rolled his head in an attempt to relieve at least some of the tension that had built up from the back-to-back out-patient care, the abominable late nights, and the vexatious haze that plagued him in his own life.

It was going to be a long night. And he was barely a quarter of the way through his night shift; perhaps the winter cold and the shorter days were to blame for the melancholy mood. As he straightened himself up once more, Seonghwa instinctively reached for the phone that was hidden in the pocket of his black trousers, hoping for any kind of distraction. Checking the time, messages, whether you had even seen his text about the maintenance people coming to check the plumbing next week… any sign that there was a world beyond his job. But the communication flatlined, and he resorted to simply staring at his lockscreen: a picture of the two of you during that one vacation that you had managed to book together. The one where, three days in, both of you had severe work withdrawal, but thankfully laughed it off and soothed the pain by falling asleep in each other’s arms. That was what he missed. The simple things. If there was one thing he wished for this Christmas, it was for you and him to spend it together - no one else, no pagers going off incessantly, no family members intruding on your time, not even friends. He missed you, even though you were right there. Of course, he still felt blessed to be able to embrace you almost every time you two would be floating into dreamland - be it in the morning or in the evening, aside from when shifts did not align, but he craved more, always. Maybe he was being greedy, wanting for even more of your time. Nonetheless, he hoped that his readiness to sacrifice all of his for you would, at some point, result in his most romantic dreams, akin to castles in the sky, coming true. He wished to well and truly build a life with you. Seonghwa had never thought that he would pay so much attention to labels, but something about settling down officially, being together ‘in sickness and in health’, as he had heard in the vows at his friends’ weddings, was leaving him in a state of longing, constantly, until it was a permanent buzzing in his head.

"So... Doctor Seong-nyah-" rudely tearing through his daydreams, a familiar voice startled the doctor, causing him to gasp and shove his mobile phone into his pocket with panicked haste.

"Wooyoung, don't test me, you are not my patient." Seonghwa gasped, and retorted with sudden venom, spinning to face the man who, evidently, had been loitering around in the corridor behind him for a lot longer than he would ever accept.

"But I want a sticker or a bandaid please~"

But the action only resulted in a stupor, as right there, hands in pockets, the ghost of a mischievous smile on perfectly tinted lips, was his favourite person. Doctor L/N Y/N, neurosurgeon, and definitely the one who had changed his brain wiring to short circuit every time he saw you. Before Wooyoung got any cheekier due to the lack of a response and the less than discreet gawking from Seonghwa’s end, he forced out a random commentary; anything to keep himself from going into cardiac arrest.

"You keep stealing my Disney princess ones anyways!?"

"Can't help it. Besides I've seen you snatch the toy sword so consider us even."

A light blush was threatening to coat his cheeks as he gazed at you, mesmerised by your cheerful reaction. Without a doubt you were imagining the scene, and had you been alone, would coo at ‘just how endearing’ it was. This was not the kind of ‘break between appointments’ that he was imagining, and while you were here, before him, very obviously free, Seonghwa was questioning whether this was a manifestation of luck or a curse.

"That was for safety… and… uh… hello my love.” he mumbled, while you smiled at him, and gave him a gentle wave, already anticipating that even if you were to speak, you would crack and reveal what you had been planning - a major step forward that had been plaguing your mind at almost all hours, even in rare snippets of quiet. Technically, what you had said to Seonghwa was true - it had been an operation, just of a different kind. Careful to not let the mandatory Santa hat you had tugged on your head as part of your department’s senior residents’ effort to ‘keep the spirits up’ slip, you adjusted it to be more snug, and rapidly returned your attention to your boyfriend, who was intently studying you, admiring every detail as though he had not seen each one a million times over.

"Y/N here found the dinosaur impression cute, just so you know." Stuck in a limbo between locking himself in his office and throttling Wooyoung to the ground, Seonghwa chose neither and was simply amazed at how you could remain so nonchalant.

"Were both of you… listening to the… but that is not-”

You and Wooyoung exchanged a knowing look, causing suspicion to rise in Seonghwa. He was not fond of it. Not in the slightest. There was something brewing, and that glint in your eyes was less than reassuring. What were you hiding from him? A million questions a second ran through his mind as he subjected you to scrutiny. First off, you had said that the surgery could be challenging. And yet he could not detect the slight furrowing in your brows, the slouch, the pursed lips that you normally had if you were monitoring a patient in critical condition.

"They were around the department, and I just so happen to know that you are a certified clown so..." Wooyoung began, purposefully winding the taller man up until he was ready to break the Hippocratic oath and cause harm.

"Says the person who can literally replace the fire alarm with his-"

“This is why you should follow my methods and do the whole ‘energy drink and coffee” cocktail before those ghostly long shifts, I tell you-” crossing his arms, Wooyoung appeared to be enjoying every moment he spent teasing his fellow colleague, ignoring how you were starting to get impatient, glancing down the corridor and back to the bickering friends.

“How even-”

"Well, I would more than like to consult the lovely, charming clown please, because I have a whole circus on my hands and need some help.”

That was all that was needed to regain all attention back. Seonghwa gave Wooyoung one last sidelong stare before focusing on you, attempting to figure out just what you were scheming. He knew better than to pry, however, if there was anyone in your relationship who was an expert in dissecting, be it literally or metaphorically, it would be you. That was exactly why he stood and waited with bated breath, fingertips dancing on his upper thigh. In trepidation, the young man’s mind replayed every shared moment with unfathomable clarity, leading him to wonder if this mischievous glint in your stunning orbs was further foreshadowing, much like your sudden announcement that you would be working the same hours as him today, and upon questioning passed it off as “a bit of Christmas luck”.

“Right…” Wooyoung’s voice appeared distant, barely audible against the thrum of nervousness and lighthearted suspicion. Running a hand through his wavy, neatly parted long hair Seonghwa gave you a lopsided grin before following you down the corridor and giving his colleague an amiable wave, along with a cheerful call of “see you later”. His friend had the whole night ahead of them - much like you and Seonghwa. Except, unfortunately, you and your partner were floors, departments away. Not that far in the grand scheme of things, but far enough for Seonghwa’s heart to start hurting when he least expected it.

Just like now, despite you being within arm’s reach, the proximity reminded him of just how much of a luxury such moments were, and how, should anything go wrong, you would metaphorically evaporate. The beeping of a pager would be enough to make you or him leave, that damned device having to be strapped on and prioritised above everything else. As less and less time remained until Christmas, the probability of it going off climbed higher and higher, so every step was a risk, and every scheduled consultation or out-patient care call when Seonghwa was mandated to hand off his monitoring duties to another resident - a temporary salvation.

You were in your scrubs, and were sporting a standard issue doctor’s coat, ever so professional. Though your back was facing him, Seonghwa could easily imagine the identity card clipped to the pocket above your heart, along with the embroidered hospital name and emblem, and your department. Neurosurgery. The top of the top, an art and a science so complex that Seonghwa was in awe of you eternally. How you dedicated your life to the mystery behind a person’s eyes, and how you could heal the terrifyingly enigmatic organ with astounding success. Determined, passionate in all ways, that was what had drawn the enamoured man to you, and what had made him fall deeper and deeper and vow to stay for as long as you would allow him. Would you be fine with him tagging along, just like this? Would you be willing to walk in the same stride?

“Hwa,” turning your head, you exclaimed your boyfriend’s nickname and then turned back to scan your pass to let you both through to another corridor, “how has your day been so far, lovely?”

“It’s been good, not too bothersome. Last appointment was a vaccination - not sure how or why the literal holidays were chosen for this, but who am I to judge,” looking around, Seonghwa responded. Quickly, he caught up to you, and in a matter of moments you felt how his fingers intertwined with yours, and his palm was pressed against you, as though a mirror image. Jigsaw pieces falling into a perfect union, your hands, stilled in harmony.

“Maybe not everyone wants to skip school,” you mused, poking fun at the times when your boyfriend did just that - at least before university and him choosing to major in medicine hit like a truck; in the blissful middle and high school days, so easy in retrospect - a fever dream.

“I’d love to hear what the little patient would think about that one… but really, Christmas? Why would you run the risk of having side effects over Christmas?”

“That’s true… but I bet you made the appointment a really good time. In fact, from what I have heard I am sure you did,” you teased, making Seonghwa squeeze your hand and click his tongue in pretend annoyance.

“Hey, I’m trying my best here-”

“-and you are making the world a better place,” you cut him off, squeezing back and urging him on, closer and closer to your final destination.

Seonghwa shook his head, bewildered at the sudden outburst of affection. You were normally not the kind to get too sappy at work - if anyone, it was him who would gush about the simplest things to you during a brief lunch break, while you would be nodding along with a grin on your face. You were excited about something, without a doubt. What it was, however, was beyond him, so he let you lead, while playfully questioning your behaviour.

“What’s gotten into you? Did you forget to put the plates back in the cupboard at home?” he squinted, slightly relieved when you chuckled but still left without a concrete answer:

“Can’t I praise the love of my life every once in a while?”

“You can, but-”

“-Besides, Yeosang, you know, my friend from paediatric neurosurgery, he said kids who you had treated talk about you non-stop. Maybe you should pay some of them a visit. If their treating doctors allow it, of course.”

Eyes widening, Seonghwa barely noticed you slipping away from him to grab a large bag you had stationed by a heavy exit door, and in bewilderment was concerned if he should believe your overwhelmingly kind message. All those little lives he had the honour of getting to know and trying his best to help… remembering him? It was at times like these, even the hardest days were worth it. For the present and for the future. He returned to reality only when he felt a gust of freezing cold air hit his form and goosebumps ran over his skin. Your proud, loving smile greeted him and encouraged him to walk on. When Seonghwa attempted to query your spontaneous adventurism, you waved it off - forward, only forward. Making a note of something fluffy in texture peeking out of the bag, he hoped for it to be at least a scarf; a doctor should know to not expose themselves to the risk of colds.

You led Seonghwa to one of the many secluded areas of the hospital - forgotten by most staff, this portion of the roof was the prettiest at night, when the lights of surrounding high rises and the rest of the metropolis stretching out as far as the eye could see all glimmered like a blanket of stars laid down on the precious planet. The city, forever awake, bustling with activity. A hand brushed against his upper arm, and he turned his head to see you holding his coat that he swore he had left in the call room. Gingerly, the article was in his grasp, and yet another question was travelling for you to tackle:

“Now when did you get this? I know I did not just leave it lying around.”

“Mhm, call room. Coat hanger. By the door. I am very aware. I picked it up on the way.”

“Sounds like someone had a lot of time…” trailing off, Seonghwa put on the coat, watching as you did the same. Apparently, that was not all that was in the bag, and with each item that was revealed, his surprise grew and grew.

“Just enough to prepare a little something,” in one swift movement, you caught your boyfriend off guard with sudden Santa hat attack - nearly covering his eyes with the white fluff, previously styled hair shooting out in different directions from under the accessory, you still deemed the mission successful, and giggled, elaborating: “now, we match.”

He could not not love you. Much like the nights in December were dark and his exhales turned to steam that was to be whisked away by the wind, he was confident in the fact that he was born to love you, and only you. It was funny to think that years ago he thought of other kinds of forever, only for them to fall apart in months. Seonghwa mused about different realities, but was never afraid of losing them until inevitably happened; not because he did not care at all, but because his heart was never in the right place. Now that his heart was home, it was clear. Most of all, the clearest sign of the truth that belonged to your relationship, was the subconscious fear, continuous and blended into every note of adoration. It was in his love for you that he found what it meant to be afraid to lose.

The young man did not want to lose these priceless moments - how you would make an elaborate plan and surprise him with it. How out of nowhere, before his very eyes was a blanket that you laid down on the roof, a portable heater that emitted a glow akin to that of a campfire, and a large wool throw that he assumed you wished to use to keep you both warm. That shine that he swore was coming from something heavenly within you as you dragged him to take a seat, your adorable cooing over him as you wrapped the two of you tight with the throw, and scooched until your body was pressed against his. On instinct, Seonghwa’s arm was around you, and he leaned in until he could smell the faint, comforting aroma of your strawberry shampoo. Staring into the heater, he imagined a gentle flame, falling into a beautiful daydream - a world where there was just you and him.

This was a long-standing fantasy of his, a picture of which he had painted for you many times while you counted stars on the ceiling of your bedroom, drifting off to sleep just before the chirping of the birds, the dawn bidding you farewell and wishing a good rest. Somewhere nowhere, in a place with no name, surrounded by no one and nothing, you two could stay for a little while and indulge in simplicity. An escape from the daily stresses, a dive into the daily bliss of being enamoured and having found one’s soulmate. In a little cottage that you two could rent out, with a little spot outside so you could pretend like you were properly camping, Seonghwa prayed for time in an earthly utopia.

“I couldn’t find sticks, So I hope you are fireproof,” a marshmallow was held between two delicate fingers right before his eyes. A large, white cloud and a hint that you might have been listening a lot more intently than you had let on.

“I- are we- are we about to be toasting marshmallows?”

“Yes.”

“Okay,” the doctor followed your lead, stretching out his hand to the heater, imagining the marshmallow roast away; if Seonghwa were to squint hard enough, he could almost see the colour change.

A giggle escaped you, and you huddled into him, at peace due to the safety which you always said he naturally oozed. Without fail you told him how he was a walking spring day, a blessing, a shining star. The more you said it, the more confident he became in accepting the words as truth, and then, one day when he caught you admiring him from afar while waiting for him to finish rounds, acceptance turned into a fact. By loving you, and by letting you love him, Seonghwa learned to love himself. Thoughts of fond memories prompted him to give you a gentle poke, making you lift your head in perplexion. This, however, was quickly dispelled by a the sweetest kiss, deepened by a gentle hand that found purchase on the nape of your neck.

Lips so familiar, so addicting; each time they met was the kindling of a miniature paradise. A journey through time, to end only in the future, the present turned into a miracle in which he could immerse himself, all of his senses attuned to you. The touch of your lips was the rays of a sun in May, kind and soothing, blossoming into the finest beauty and the most satisfying serenity on verdant green leaves and gorgeous flowers. The only thing he could hear was the breeze creeping across the not quite as picturesque cement and metal, and the ghost of a mumble of “I love you” as you parted for air, still close enough to share it.

Lost in your eyes, Seonghwa wished he could never be found. He was willing to endlessly draw the maze that trapped him in them, adapting it to formulate a personal infinity. Eyelashes, eyebrows, nose, cheeks, lips, every blemish and freckle and scar were all priceless to him. You, in all your personal divinity, a universe that so intently studied him, loved every part unconditionally and invited him in to do the same. A symbiosis, a system of two stars orbiting one another - a gorgeous celestial waltz was how he saw you and him. Under the night sky full of constellations, you two were still the brightest. Seonghwa’s heart was full. He ever so softly let his hand slide to the side of your face, thumb gliding slowly over the skin of your cheek. Once, twice - perpetual motion, each one marking another second in which love grew stronger, and the yearning for his dream more intense. If only he could put it into words. And yet, courage only allowed him to muster a mere two which were far too general, ambiguous:

“Thank you.”

“I am glad we could do this,” you answered, sharing in his delight. You did not need anything else, seeing past the mellow, pleasant triviality.

“I think the only downside is that now I want to do this all the time,” his hand guided your head into the crook of his neck, so you could sit side by side, looking out into the urban expanse. Silence weighed on you, until a long-awaited suggestion reached Seonghwa’s ears.

“Well… we could. At least for Christmas.”

“As if we will be taking days off, yeah.”

“Who says we won’t?”

“I- huh?”

You took his hands in yours, and shuffled for you to be face to face. Much to your astonishment, when it came down to the critical moment when you would start being blatantly obvious in your intentions, you were not as anxious anymore. Everything felt more than right, and the comfortable quietude resembled the globe holding its breath for you.

“I have an idea,” your boyfriend was intrigued, but doubtful. He had hopes, sure, but he knew better than to keep them up, “so… ahem, well, for us it is standard practice to not schedule anything major on holidays, just in case, and thankfully I could… reschedule some things…”

“Uh-huh,” he nodded along, raising his eyebrow. Your hands held his more tightly on their own accord, shaking a little as you spoke.

“Well, so, yeah, you know how the head of… the head of paediatrics is a big family person right?”

“Yeah, comes with the job I suppose, and?” tongue darting over his lips, Seonghwa began to sense what you were getting at, and he swore there was not enough oxygen to sustain him, and a dizziness settled over his mind, clouding it, leaving behind only you, you, you-

“Hm… well… I think they would be more than happy to let a new family celebrate together… yeah?”

“...Yeah…yeah?”

“So what I’m saying is-”

“Will you marry me?”

“Beat me to it,” gleaming, you pulled him in, stopping a mere few millimetres away, seeking approval.

Hints of tears welling in his deep brown eyes induced your own. Pressed forehead to forehead, you memorised every tiny detail, how you felt, how Seonghwa felt, how you were both fondly mumbling ‘yes's and ‘always’s and ‘I love you’s over and over again; vows uttered at the beginning of a new chapter of a miraculous life, in perfect harmony.

“I’m sorry for the ‘no ring’ situation-”

“I’d marry you with paper rings,” Seonghwa responded at the speed of light, quoting one of the many songs that both of you loved to listen to, and would blast in the living room many times over, “how did you even plan this-”

“Don’t bash me, but Wooyoung was an accomplice-”

“Of course he was,” he flicked your nose with his and guided you into another kiss, your hat sliding away and almost falling to the ground, saved only by Seonghwa’s reflexes. Smiling against your lips, he only deepened the sensual expression of devotion, parting simply to confess,

“To think we were rehearsing the same thing but I was too scared to say it.”

“You are too precious. And I’m sorry if I’m too scary, angel,” you winked, earning an amused, airy laugh.

This could not be the furthest from how Seonghwa felt; the notion of you terrifying him was hilarious. Everything but you was the issue. You were his safe haven, his clarity. The one to whom he had already given away all his hours, be it in closeness or in his dreams both in the day and night. You were his and he was yours, and now that the one change he had been begging all the goodness in the galaxy for finally happened, he wanted to shout this from every rooftop, starting from this fated, isolated spot that must have been made for just you two.

“No, I am just more certain that you can read minds,” he gestured to the heater, the untouched marshmallows, the stars, and finally stopped at you, alluding to what was to be your proposal, turned mutual.

“Just because I poke around brains-” you began, only to be stopped by unparalleled cuteness in the form of a scrunched up face and a tiny smirk.

“Yeah, yeah, you aren’t even a cardiologist and you stole my heart-”

“Park Seonghwa, cease the flirting, we are getting married-” playfully, you slap his shoulder.

“Oh, you only saw the beginning,” a wiggle of the eyebrows. Your very soul fluttered at the sight of his megawatt grin, and the innocent peck left on your cheek.

“...I hope so,” your wish. To cherish the many sides, colours, shades, edges, angles of your spectacular Seonghwa.

“It’s decided. I’ll hit you with all the festive pick up lines starting tomorrow.”

As you settled back into an embrace, regarding the golden glow of your inner oasis that transposed onto all, previously dark, surroundings, you unwillingly played the role of the realist.

“Ask your department head first.”

“For a blessing?”

“No, silly, to confirm your freedom.”

“Yes, Doc’,” in jest, your fiance saluted you, and you wrapped your arms tighter around his waist, brushing your jaw against his shoulder.

“Page me after."

“I will page myself across the hospital to tell you.”

“Awh, my Seonghwa Claus and my present in one,” absent-mindedly, you reached for a stubborn strand of his hair to push away, and twirled it around your digits, careful to not ruin the perfect balance of the themed hat beneath which they tried to establish their own order, threatening to disturb your elated angel.

“My future spouse- oh I’ll be saying this so often.”

From one day to the next, under the sun and moon, with many seasons passing by, you became the time that you seeked and previously fought against. As you looked to one another for more and more in your lives, it was destined that eventually, the idea of any other path would be simply impossible. At the end of a year came a new beginning, witnessed by the observant stars and by the long winter night.

“Me too, my love, until I can call you my husband.”

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ashintheairlikesnow · 3 years ago

Text

Learn to Fly

CW: Self-loathing, some internalized victim-blaming, references to parental death and grief, VERY vague reference to past noncon once or twice

Note: I made a decision to switch a little of the timeline around, so Laken and Chris’s breakup at this point happens after the original conversations about the Speak Out Arc start happening but before the Olympics themselves. I’m folding this bit into the larger Speak Out Arc.

Follows Time Apart and It Doesn’t Work As Well As You’d Hoped

He curls up on the couch in the coffeeshop, sipping something warm he barely tastes. It might have coffee in it - he feels a little drowsy, and that usually happens when there’s just a little caffeine.

Maybe that’s just because he hasn’t slept since Jake was hurt, not really. And he’s slept even less since... since he and Laken broke up.

Outside, there's unseasonable heavy rain. The clouds are low and heavy, a deep gunmetal gray that blocks out the light and has the streetlights on at 9:30 in the morning. The raindrops seem less to fall than to slam into the ground with terrible violence.

The baristas talk in low voices about how grateful they are for the rain, burying the wildfires outside the city in a deluge the heat can’t overcome. Chris likes the rain, too, if only because it reflects the inside of him, suggests that the world can tell he is a storm within himself and reflects it to him.

He takes another sip.

He hasn’t showered in three days. His hair is dulled with it, like a penny left too long in the dirt. He’s dressed himself like he used to, back before when he was still learning he was a person and not a pet - in one of Jake’s hooded sweatshirts over his compression shirt, so oversized on him it’s nearly a tunic, and a pair of mesh basketball shorts. His knees still look knobby, he thinks.

He can see the ghosts of the bruises there that used to never quite heal before his Sir sent him to his knees and made new ones to lay over them. He can see a couple of scars, some from training when the baton would crack into the backs of his legs and send him dropping like a stone, some from gymnastics, some from just being a kid.

Chris’s eyes lower, to look at his own hands holding his coffee cup. He put star stickers on his nails last night, and a few of them have already peeled off. Those that remain glitter, just a little.

Something about the sight of it - the memory of when he put star stickers on Laken’s cheekbones at a concert until they sparkled under the starlight, laughing, a blur of bright eyes and dark hair - makes his throat nearly close, sends a new rush of tears to burn hot behind his eyes.

He has to close them to hold them back.

“You’ve had a hard time of late, have you, then?”

The voice is a rumble, cracked with decades of cigarettes and too much liquor, but Chris remembers it, anyway. At least, he remembers it now.

He turns to look up at the old man, in his shirt and slacks, a bit bent with age. There’s a merry twinkle in his slightly rheumy eyes, though, that shows that a young man is still there, under an old man’s experiences. There’s a slight smile on his face, warm and welcoming.

Chris swallows, struggling to find the words. They flit away from him, he has to chase them down, but eventually he manages to clear his throat and says, “I, I, um. I know you. You, you, you knew my dad.”

“I did, at that. Worked with him for years.” The old man settles onto the other end of the couch, giving Chris plenty of space, a nice wide berth for safety. “What’s got you looking like a television commercial for depression, hm, Tristan?”

No one calls him that.

Chris feels his heart twist, a little.

By the time they saw the meteor, Tris, it was already too late for anything but a blink or two. When it touched down into land, it was so big the end of it was still in space. Can you imagine anything so big? Can you?

No, Dad.

The earthquakes alone would have been immense thousands of miles away. Imagine, you’re eating leaves, living your life, and you see a shadow - and then in an instant, the world is shaking and you’re breathing glass. How does life go on after that?

I, I, I don’t know, um, um... how how does it?

It just does. That’s what’s amazing, Tris. It just goes on.

“Nothing. I, I, I broke up with my, my partner is all.”

“Hm, that nice young person who comes with you to the shops?” The old man nods, slowly. He’s got his own cup of coffee, plain black, steaming gently into the air-conditioning. Outside, the rain creates a curtain that walls them off from everything else. Chris can’t even see all the way across the street. He can barely see a woman with an umbrella racing from her car into the nail salon place off to the side.

“Yeah, them. I’m, um. It wasn’t anything they they they did.”

It’s something I did.

It’s something I am.

It’s something I’ll never stop being.

“Well, breakups do happen now and again. Usually the one who does the leaving isn’t the one who does the moping about and staring at rain, though.”

“I didn’t want to.” Chris sits back, keeping his coffee cup in one hand. The other drops to his stomach, to tap, soothing his nerves at being so close to a man he knows and doesn’t-know. His memories are there, fuzzy and hazy from being overwritten by fear and pain, but they’re there. He knows this man, Mr. Malley, who would watch him sometimes when his parents went out, or when his father needed to stop by work.

The memories are there, but they still hurt.

His head starts to throb, a pulsing pain behind his temples.

“I didn’t-... I, I love them, I d-didn’t want to.”

“Well, now, that’s a conundrum, isn’t it? Are you moving, then, Tristan?”

It hurts to hear his name, but it hurts in a way that feels good. He was that person, too, before he was Chris. He hums, low under his breath. “No. I, I, I just… you know, um, I’m just. I’m… hard. Difficult. To, to, to, to be with, to, um, to-... there’s a bunch wrong with-... with me.”

“You sound like your dad.” Mr. Malley laughs, a deep chuckle that rumbles more in his chest than out of his throat. “You know that? You sound just like him.”

Chris ignores the pain in his head and he turns, now, to look fully at Mr. Malley, blinking rapidly. “My, my, my dad?”

“Yep. Paul was a good man, and a good dad, but before he was that he was a scared boy with a baby on the way and a plan that might not work.” Mr. Malley sighs. “A scared boy who’d always had it a little rough, trying to make the world work for him when it did nothing but work against him. You were always his spitting image. He’d probably be tickled to see you still are.”

There is a sense, in Chris’s mind, of a blurry man with short red hair, sitting near him but not quite touching him, speaking with animation about how there are dinosaurs that lived closer to human beings than they did to other dinosaurs.

He remembers a man whose eyes sparkled with animated focus when he talked about the world millions of years ago, who loved him by sharing the information he held within his own mind.

He and his dad had understood each other, in ways that no one else did but his mother, and Chris was beginning to see that it had been her determination to know him that had fueled his mother’s actions, her endless support. The same way Jake and Nat were determined, and stubborn, and kept trying even when they got it wrong.

Everyone gets it wrong sometimes, but that doesn’t… that doesn’t mean they aren’t trying.

Maybe he got it wrong.

“He never broke up with your mom, but oh, he thought about it. You know, when he came to work with us, he had a plan. But plans… they have a way of going off the road and into a ditch. He worried he couldn’t make it work, he worried that it would be too hard for Ronnie to be with him and have a child, too.”

Ronnie.

Chris’s throat closes up, and he closes his eyes.

All right, Tris, I got you these so the noise won’t bother you so much. We’re going to have a good day at the parade, okay?

“Her family never liked him, for one. That’s a rough spot to be in, I think.” Mr. Malley is quiet for a moment, sipping his coffee and watching the rain fall. “Ronnie didn’t see it that way, of course. That woman was a freight train and God help anyone who got in the way. My late wife, God rest her soul, helped Ronnie with some things when her own family wouldn’t. She’d come over big as a house, eyes sparkling. You were a kicker, she used to say, kept her up all hours of the night. Just a girl, still, your mom, but she had a steel spine and she wasn’t going to live any life but the one she wanted. But your dad… he worried, that it would be too hard on her.”

“Having, um, having me would?”

“No. Having him. Paul was a smart man, you know. He knew his job would be trouble. He gave her chance after chance to go, if she wanted. But that’s the thing, isn’t it? She didn’t.”

Chris looks at his phone, lying on the little table in front of the couch. There’s some text messages he hasn’t looked at. Couple of voicemails he hasn’t listened to.

“Maybe he, he, he didn’t want to keep hurting her,” Chris whispers.

“Hurt’s a part of living, lad, take it from someone who’s given out his fair share of it and more.” Mr. Malley hums. Outside, a car pulls up, almost bumping the curb. “Perhaps you’re meant to separate from your young partner, Tristan, perhaps not. It’s like I told your dad, way back in the Stone Age. You choose if you love someone, to be sure, but they choose if they love you back. You can’t decide that for them.”

“But, but I’m-... but, but I’ve been… what I am, it’s-”

“I know what you’ve been made to do,” Mr. Malley says gently. “You don’t have to explain, lad. We knew.”

Chris’s lips tremble. He doesn’t want his coffee any longer. He sets it down next to his phone, on the little table. The baristas talk quietly about a date that one went on the night before, there’s a low sound of machinery. It all filters into Chris’s mind, a cacophony of sound he picks apart or doesn’t. Right now it’s hard for him to think around all the sound, but he tries. “Then, then, then why… if you knew, um, why… didn’t you-”

He can’t finish the question.

Why didn’t you save me from it?

“We couldn’t. It’s shite, is what it is, but we couldn’t. And by the time we could, you were with that nice young man who you live with now. I’m sorry for the time you lost, Tristan, and sorrier still I can’t give it back to you somehow. You’re your dad’s child through and through, but you’ve got your mother in you, too. You know what Ronnie did when there was something she couldn’t get through?”

Chris turns to look at this man, who knew his mother and father in ways he never could have. He swallows. “What?”

“She went over it. Or around it. Or blew it to smithereens and went through the wreckage. Whatever it took. They tried to kick you out of school when you were a wean, she fought them ‘til they realized they’d never win against her. They tried to tell her you wouldn’t read, she told them to go, well, to go sit on a thing or two and not to tell her what her boy could or couldn’t do.”

Chris thinks of Nat sitting next to him on the floor, patiently encouraging him to keep trying to turn the letters into words, despite his headaches, his tears, his certainty he’d never get reading back.

You will, Chris. I know you will. Just keep fighting for it. They won’t take anything from you forever, I won’t let them and you won’t let them either.

Don’t let them keep you from yourself.

“They told her she’d never have a happy life, having a wee one so young, but she built that happy life anyway with her own two hands and dared anyone to try and knock it down.”

“Someone… some, someone did, though.” The gunshots, his mother’s eyes going dull and blank, her whispered I love you so much, Tris…

“Sure. Yes.” Mr. Malley’s expression goes serious, and sad. “But it took breaking into her house at midnight and bullets to stop her. You’ve got plenty of your mom in you, lad. Plenty of your dad, too, he was always a stubborn git himself. Do you love this person you’ve broken up with? Hm?”

“Yes.” The answer comes without hesitation, even though his voice shakes and his heart races. “I, I, I do. That’s, that’s why I don’t want to-to keep hurting them by, by, by by being messed up from what, um, from what happened to me, I don’t… I don’t want to keep h-hurting them-”

“Let them decide how they feel about that,” Mr. Malley says, voice gentle and low. “Plenty of people are hurt and find their way forward together after.”

Jake and Kauri, laughing in the kitchen as Jake spins Kauri around in a circle, dips him backwards, presses a kiss to his nose that has him giggling.

Antoni at the stove, sighing but with a smile on his face, watching them. Being pulled into the hug not quite against his will, all three of them laughing then. Kauri bright and sparkling, Jake a deeper harmony, Antoni soft and genuine.

“Maybe it won’t last, maybe it will - but don’t let a hard past keep you from the people who love you. I’ve seen many ruined by believing you may only be loved if you’ve no pain inside you. We’ve all got pain, lad. Carrying it together’s a sight easier than trying to go it alone.”

From the car parked right outside, an elderly man unfolds himself, opening an umbrella to shield from the driving rain. Mr. Malley looks up and smiles. “Ah, right on time, must be ten sharp. That’ll be Cilly. D’you remember Cilly, lad?”

Chris looks as the man shuffles his way inside, pushing open the door. The little bell over the top jingles and the baristas cut off their conversation, standing up straight to call out a familiar greeting to a regular customer.

He squints.

“Not… not very well,” He confesses, a little ashamed.

“Ah, well, that’s not a problem. He and I’ve known each other a long time. I was an angry man for a while after my wife died, you know. Seemed a crime that I should outlive her, when Christa deserved to live to a hundred and six if she so wished. Cilly helped me carry that anger when I needed to be angry, and he helped me put it down later on.”

He gives a wave to the man - to Cilly - who looks at Chris and then back to Mr. Malley with clear surprise, then heads towards the counter to make his own order.

“Be angry, Tristan,” Mr. Malley says, a little heavily, leaning over to him on the leg as he pushes himself, with a grunt of effort to his feet. “You may need your anger, in the days ahead. But if you’ve a love to help you carry it, who wants to help you carry it and who will be angry right there with you, and you love them back… well… don’t let the wickedness of others keep you from the happiness you could have. You’ll be a poorer person for it.”

Mr. Malley walks away without another word, leaving Chris by himself again on the couch, tapping at his stomach, thinking. He keeps looking at his phone, thinking about all the texts he hasn’t read, the way he’s refused to call them back when Laken kept trying to reach him.

He leans over to reach out.

He stops, hand hovering just above the plastic with its colorful case, the sensory sticker on the back of it that Laken had bought him.

What happened after all the dinosaurs died, Tristan?

I, I, I don’t know, Dad.

Trick question, buddy. They didn’t. Paul’s eyes, bright and vibrant, gesturing to a bird in a tree nearby. Nothing stays the same and lives forever except alligators and sharks.

Right because, because they’re perfect.

Exactly. Dinosaurs died, sure, but they didn’t die, too. They just changed to suit the world after the one they knew how to live in was gone. Imagine, Tris.

Imagine what?

Imagine the world destroyed and in darkness, buried in ash. Everything you know is gone, ruined, wrecked beyond repair. And imagine… imagine that you learn to eat seeds and little mice instead of big animals and leaves. Imagine you become smaller and smaller. Imagine that your arms turn to wings, that your bones hollow out to carry you higher above the piles of ash that turn to grass and to life again.

What? I, I, I don’t, um, I don’t understand-... Dad, um, I don’t, I don’t... know what you mean.

Right, sorry. Just... imagine you’re a dinosaur.

He’d laughed. Okay.

Now imagine your dinosaur family is gone, and you have to become something else. What do you become? Being a dinosaur means dying, right?

Um. Right.

So imagine that you look at death and say, no thanks. No, you’re not going to be over. This isn’t it for you. Even a meteor the size of the entire sky can’t end you. Instead of dying out, no, you look at history, at geological time, and you say…

Paul had trailed off.

Say what? What, what do I say?

Don’t tell your mom but-... you look at the end of the world and you say... fuck this, I’m going to learn to fly.

Chris picks up his phone, finds Laken’s name and photo in his contacts. It’s a photo of the two of them together, Chris and Laken smiling and laughing as he smears whipped cream on their nose and they smear a cross of fluffy white into his forehead.

He dials.

They pick up on the third ring.

“Chris? Oh my God, Chris, are you okay? Are you-... are you okay, baby?” Their voice shakes, and he closes his eyes.

This time, he lets the tears slip out and run down his face. “H-Hey, Laken, um, I, I, I-... I’m… I wondered if you, um, if you could, uh… are you busy?”

“Am I-... Chris, where are you?”

“The, um, the coffeeshop-”

“I’m on my way. Don’t you dare fucking move.”

At their usual table, at their usual time, Cilly and Sean Malley start to talk amicably about the week ahead. But he keeps an eye on Paul’s boy, where he speaks a few sentences and then hangs up the phone, looking out the window at the rain.

It’s twenty minutes before a new car pulls up outside, and umbrella-less, the partner Sean has seen with Tristan before comes racing inside, a blur of black clothes and black hair and brown skin. Paul’s boy stands, and his partner throws themself at him so hard the two of them fall backwards onto the couch.

They start laughing, and shortly after to cry.

Their hands come up to either side of Tristan’s face, and they lean forward to kiss the scar on his forehead. He can’t hear what they say to each other, but he doesn’t need to.

Ronnie, he thinks, would like this spitfire person that Paul’s boy is so in love with.

That’s one wrong put right, at least for the moment.

One more to go.

Sean smiles and sips his cooling coffee.

@burtlederp @finder-of-rings @endless-whump @astrobly @newandfiguringitout @doveotions @pretty-face-breaker @gonna-feel-that-tomorrow @boxboysandotherwhump @oops-its-whump @cubeswhump @whump-tr0pes @downriver914 @whumptywhumpdump @whumpiary @orchidscript @nonsensical-whump @outofangband @eatyourdamnpears

Just Go On from Kimmy Schmidt

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