#complained a male teacher said something not appropriate

[ilhoonftw]

the way some school teachers love beefing with kids and also bullying them 💀 35 year olds getting mad at some 12 year old, insulting them and shit, probably giving them trauma. and kids have to just deal with it because (in my experience) teachers get away with saying fucked up things. or not even knowing how to deal with kids using like proper psychology. they use the 'it's my way of disciplining them' argument. or 'my students have good grades and i'm upset that one kid will lower my average'. or 'im harsh because i want to motivate them'. or my favorite 'so many students fail my class, you have to work hard to pass' as if it's not their fault that kids fail insanely complicated tests

[a-room-of-my-own]

A Church of England school teacher told a pupil she was “despicable” after she refused to accept that her classmate identifies as a cat.

The 13-year-old girl and her friend were reprimanded by their teacher at Rye College, in East Sussex, on Friday at the end of a Year 8 class on “life education” in which they were told they can “be who you want to be and how you identify is up to you”.

The row, which has infuriated parents, was allegedly sparked by one of them asking a fellow pupil: “How can you identify as a cat when you’re a girl?”

Their teacher told them they were being reported to a senior leader and were no longer welcome at the school, part of the Aquinas Trust, a Church of England network of 11 schools, if they continued to express the view that only boys and girls exist.

‘They are genuinely unwell – crazy’

The Telegraph has heard a recording of the heated exchange taken by one of the pupils, in which the teacher starts by saying “how dare you – you’ve just really upset someone” by “questioning their identity”.

The pupil responded: “If they want to identify as a cat or something then they are genuinely unwell – crazy.”

The teacher then asks the girls “where did you get this idea from that there are only two genders”, adding: “It is not an opinion.”

The teacher said that “gender is not linked to the parts that you were born with, gender is about how you identify, which is what I said right from the very beginning of the lesson.”

She added that “there is actually three biological sexes because you can be born with male and female body parts or hormones” and “there are lots of genders – there is transgender, there is a gender who are people who don’t believe that they have a gender at all”.

The girls said they “don’t agree with that” and that you “can’t have” a gender because “if you have a vagina you’re a girl and if you have a penis you’re a boy – that’s it”.

The teacher interjected in a raised voice: “What do you mean you can’t have it? It’s not a law ... Cisgender is not necessarily the way to be – you are talking about the fact that cisgender is the norm, that you identify with the sexual organ you were born with, that’s basically what you’re saying, which is really despicable.”

The teacher suggested they were homophobic and confused, which the girls denied. When the pupils said their mothers would be on their side, the teacher responded: “Well that’s very sad as well then.”

The teacher said that “if you don’t like it you need to go to a different school”, adding: “I’m reporting you to [senior staff], you need to have a proper educational conversation about equality, diversity and inclusion because I’m not having that expressed in my lesson.”

‘The shutting down of debate’

The Telegraph has contacted the school and the trust for comment.

The parent of the pupil who took the recording expressed fury online and thanked “those who have been kind and supportive” to her daughter.

A parent of another Year 8 pupil at the school who has received the same lesson told The Telegraph: “I understand the point the teacher was attempting to make, what bothers me is the shutting down of debate in such a threatening and aggressive manner, which I don’t believe is appropriate in an educational setting.

“Regardless of the subject, education should serve to build awareness of differing points of view to widen the understanding of a subject. It shouldn’t be a case of indoctrination.”

The Church of England trust that manages the school along with others in East Sussex, Kent and south-east London reportedly told its teachers earlier this year to “re-educate” those using “negative language” such as “that is mental” and “stop acting like a girl”.

A spokesman for Rye College said: “We are committed to offering our pupils an inclusive education. Teachers endeavour to ensure that pupils’ views are listened to, and encourage them to ask questions and engage in discussion. Teachers also aim to answer questions sensitively and honestly.

“We strive to uphold the highest standards across the school. We will be reviewing our processes and working with the relevant individuals to ensure such events do not take place in the future.”

[autisticlee]

I just had a school memory unlocked from a time a grown ass man, a teacher/principal sexulized me as a minor and blamed me for it.

when i was a teen, i tried very hard to be as feminine as I could to ~force myself to be a girl~ just to make everyone happy, since they were very unhappy with my boyish ways that didn't go away as i became a teen, like they expected would happen. so they bullied me into wearing a feminine mask, so to speak.

anyway, I dressed overly feminine for a few years and copied hayley from paramore as much as i possibly could, because i didnt know how to be a "girl" and she had a fun fashion sense and was very loved and adored. seemed like a winner, so i chose her to emulate. if you know her, you may know of her often wearing shorts with tights under them, and that became my go-to outfit choice for a few years in school. I didn't like having bare legs, so when it was hot out i'd wear shorts with tights or leggings under them (winter was bright color skinny jeans).

there was no rule against this in dress code. nothing about tights related to shorts. only that tights can't be snagged/ripped and you had to wear something over tights and leggings and they can't be worn as pants alone. also, shorts/skirts had to be finger tip length. which they were. i made sure all my shorts were long enough. they were tights like this with green denim shorts over them:

well, one day the principal randomly pulled me from my lunch table and took me to a quiet, secluded spot to complain about my outfit. "has no one told you what you're wearing is inappropriate? *gestures to my legs*"

me confused, replying ????no?? I've been wearing this for a few years. and him telling me to never come back to school wearing that again. I asked him why, but of course, he didn't have a real answer besides "it's not allowed," while staring at my legs the whole time. I said it's not in the rule book, i checked before wearing it, so he said something like it should be obvious that it's not allowed to purposely distract the boys and male teachers, that I was knowingly trying to attract them to me and be ~sexy- and that's not appropriate at school. 😬

I said I was just wearing what I wanted to for myself. because people complained I wasn't feminine enough, it was hot out, and i dont like to have bare legs showing??? why is the combination of shorts and tights bad?! the rules say leggings need to have shorts or skirts over them. I don't like skirts. I even showed him my shorts are the proper length. but he still decided I was trying to be a whore at school for some reason. 🤢🤢🤢🤢

i'm asexual. and the sex repulsed kind to top it off. the pure insinuation of such thing was enough to make me insanely nauseous.

I was very distracted and uncomfortable the rest of the day in every class. literally no one else was distracted by my COVERED LEGS, though, like that man claimed.

that was the only time i'd ever gotten any complaints or mention of my clothing in 3 years i'd been wearing that same kind of thing. no one else cared. it was the first time he'd even seen me! I felt so uncomfortable and the way he talked and stared felt so violating.

that was the final straw that broke my gender and caused me to go full transmasc mode at that time. I was so disgusted that trying to be a girl for everyone meant I was sexulized as a literal CHILD that I gave up. I only wore "boy" clothes after that and cut all my hair off.

fast forward, we had to do a final presentation before graduating and I learned he was one of the judges for that. we had a "professional dress code" we had to follow for it. girls were to wear nice dresses or skirts and guys button downs and ties and stuff like that. one girl (who I suspect was actually also closet trans, nb, or trans masc) got approval for girls to wear dress pants. so I wore the most boyish outfit I could. pants, button down, suit vest, and tie. basically just to spite that man and the gross way he talked and looked at me. I wasn't going to satisfy his weird need to sexualize teen girls. I can't remember his reaction because I had to focus on doing a presentation in front of a bunch of people and that was a pain in the ass. it was a sensory nightmare so my brain made that part foggy.

I basically stick with androgynous to this day, because of gross shit from men and boys like this who decided being a girl or feminine is a crime because it means you ~must be trying to attract them and make them suffer~ i'm uncomfortable exploring feminine things even if I want to. this is why it took so long to fully figure out and explore and come out with being nonbinary rather than trans masc. I have even more traumatic stories related to gross men who went after me and made me push femininity away as much as possible, like the freak that blamed me for making him be a pedo 🤢 but yeah, maybe those are for another day....

[thetravelerwrites]

Dr. Mael Halvorg (Part 2)

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Relationship: Male Part Fae/Female Part Fae Additional Tags: Exophilia, Monster Boyfriend, Fae, Naga, Reader Insert, Anthropology, Genetics Content Warnings: Children, Pregnancy, Incubation, Infertility, Birth, Oviposition, Egg-Laying Words:

Commissioned by @ivymemnoch​! The reader and Dr. Halvorg discuss his lingering infertility problem. Amai lays her final clutch of eggs. Please reblog and leave feedback!

The Traveler's Masterlist

“Good morning, class!” You said on the first day.

“Good morning!” Fourteen bright voices responded.

All of the children except for baby Yenu were sitting on their tails behind desks in a room that had been set up as a classroom by the staff.

“So, every day each week we’re going to work on a different subject,” You began. “Mondays are reading and language comprehension, Tuesdays are maths and sciences, Wednesdays are social studies and economics, Thursdays are geography and history, Fridays are fun days with arts, crafting, music, and educational games. Today is Monday, so we’re going to start with reading. You should each have a workbook appropriate to your developmental level in your desks, so please take out your reading workbooks.”

As the children shuffled and searched for the right book, Dr. Halvorg stepped inside the classroom with a clipboard. You raised an eyebrow.

“To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?”

“I’m observing the children in a school setting to see how they adapt,” He replied.

You narrowed your eyes at him. “And I’m also assuming how I teach, correct?”

He dipped his head sheepishly. “I was curious. And it’s for my research.”

You raised an eyebrow at him. “Mm.” You turned back to your students and fell into your teacher’s voice. “Keenai, if you would begin reading the first sentence, please?”

Keenai picked up his workbook and started reading. “The small dog lives in a red house.”

“Can you tell me which of these words are verbs?”

“Um…” He looked at the sentence, frowning.

“To remind you, a verb is an action word, something someone does.”

“Uh… lived?” He replied slowly.

“Very good.” You said, and he smiled in relief. “Tani, you’re next. Read the next sentence in your book.”

“The red house was built on a wed… wedeness…”

“Wednesday,” You said. “That’s a hard word, I know. Can you tell me what the noun is in that sentence?”

“House?”

“Good! A noun is a person, a place, or a thing. I’m a noun, you’re a noun, the room we’re in is a noun.”

“Is Nenish a noun?” Jinsa asked.

“Yes.”

“Ha ha, you’re a noun!” Jinsa said, pointing at Nenish.

“So are you!” Nenish interjected.

“Hey, hey! Settle down, please!” You called over them, sitting on the edge of your desk. “Fuma, you next.”

Fuma read from his book, and then Amaia. Next, you went down the line of the four-year-olds, having them read a sentence and find colors, shapes, numbers, or sounds in the sentences. The three-year-olds were next, and they simply read small sentences. You then had the one-year-olds spell and say three-letter words.

Their quick development was normal for nagas, as they tended to age quickly until they hit puberty, when their aging progress slowed to accommodate for yearly hibernation, but it was also startling in conjunction with the developmental levels of similar creatures. You had never studied the advancements of a species’ young so closely before, and you had to admit, it was fascinating. You could see why Dr. Halvorg found it so interesting.

You set the children writing tasks appropriate to their learning level and took a moment to talk to Dr. Halvorg, who was scribbling quickly in a notebook.

“They have computers now that you can write on, you know,” You told him, amused.

He looked up over his glasses at you and quirked an eyebrow. “I am aware of that, thank you. I’m not quite so old-fashioned as I seem, regardless of what Amai might tell you.” He looked back down and continued scribbling. “I’m a chronic note-taker. A bad habit I can’t seem to break, though with my profession, it’s often a strength rather than a weakness.”

“Hmm,” You hummed. “And what do your notes say about my teaching?”

“Adequate,” He replied, still scribbling. “Don’t misunderstand, that’s not a criticism. I hold everyone to an extremely high standard. If you hadn’t met expectations, I would have dismissed you.”

“So I meet your expectations?” You asked sardonically.

“At the moment,” He said, snapping his book closed and standing up. “I still want to observe your other classes before I’m completely satisfied.”

“Hmm,” You said again.

True to his word, Halvorg attended every class that week, observing you interacting with the children. Other than a question or two about your future curriculum, he stayed quiet. At the end of the week, he asked that you submit a weekly progress report until you either found a replacement or were dismissed.

It seemed excessive to you, and you were beginning to wonder if he still saw the children as an experiment. He seemed to care about them, but how much of that was genuine and how much of it was his own self-interest? You were starting to feel leery of and disconcerted by him.

Perhaps he picked up on this, because he seemed to go out of his way to avoid you. He had you direct all of your questions and reports to his assistant and rarely picked up his phone. Any conversations were brief and succinct. He did send you notes on your curriculum, making suggestions for each child. If you weren’t already suspicious of his motives, you might almost have though it sweet.

“I think Halvorg is avoiding me,” You told Amai when the two of you went to lunch together. Now that the two of you could hang out after all the years, you made it a point to set time aside for each other and had lunch at least once a week.

“What makes you say that?” Amai asked, drizzling dressing over her starter salad.

“Ever since he watched me teach classes, he’s barely spoken to me. He seemed excited to exchange research notes when I first arrived, but now he seems to have no interest in speaking to me since he finished observing class.”

“He could just be busy,” Amai suggested. “The four year old’s birthdays are coming up. He always does something special for the kids on their birthdays.”

“Are you concerned that he only sees your children as test subjects?” You asked her. “He seems obsessed with them.”

Amai laughed. “I thought that way in the early days, but he genuinely loves kids. If anything ever happened to me or Yenuno, I’m confident Halvorg would take care of them.” She took a sip of her mineral water. “Are you coming to the kids party? You’re invited, obviously.”

“Will there be clowns? I hate clowns.”

She snorted. “Nothing so gauche. I think Halvorg set up a treasure hunt. The kids always love whatever he plans. Honestly, I know I complain about him, but he does make it easy for me sometimes. I haven’t had to plan any major events since the kids hatched.”

“Hmm… I don’t know. It’s strange to me how involved he is.”

Amai sat back in her seat and eyed you shrewdly. “Did he ever tell you about his son?”

You looked up in surprise. “Son? I thought you said he had no children.”

“He doesn’t… technically.” Amai set her fork down. “You didn’t hear this from me so don’t repeat it, but he had a wife nearly a hundred years ago who cheated on him. He raised a boy, thinking he was his son, but the child was actually fathered by the other man. His wife left him and took the boy with her and he never saw him again. I don’t think he ever got over that.”

“Oh, god,” You replied, horrified. “I can’t imagine what that’s like.”

“He’s spend the last several decades saving dying races from the brink of extinction. In a way, he thinks of those children he helped bring into the world as his children, too. And every time he has to let them go, it’s like losing his son all over again. I think the fact that he gets to help raise our babies is something of a gift for him. Trust me, it’s not something he takes for granted.”

“I guess I hadn’t thought of it like that,” You said in dismay.

“Halvorg is stuffy, strict, and a stickler for protocols, so he can be difficult to read, but I assure you, he loves my children as if they were his own. It may have started as research, but he has a family now and I think that’s what he wanted all along. Try not to judge him to harshly.”

You conceded with a nod. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

The following Saturday, you attended the kids birthday party as requested. The kids were excited and zooming around the receiving area, shrieking and laughing, all of them wearing party hats and nothing else. Amaia was piggy-backing on Dr. Halvorg, her tail wrapped around his waist for stability and her arms hugged around his neck. Dr. Halvorg walked around completely normally, as if this was a typical action and he was used to it. He watched the children playing with a wide, fond grin on his face.

You walked over to Amai and Yenuno, who were watching from the refreshments table with Yenu, feeding her crackers.

“Nothing like a little bit of chaos in the morning,” You said.

They laughed.

“You’ve never seen them after a group kill,” Yenuno said. “They’re uncontrollable after they’ve taken down an elk together. It’s pretty incredible to watch for me, personally. Nagas in the wild typically don’t work together and they especially don’t hunt together, not even siblings.”

“They are very close and friendly, for nagas,” You remarked. “Markedly different to most snake-related species I’ve met.”

“It’s Amai’s blood and influence that’s doing it, I’m sure,” Yenuno said, kissing his wife’s cheek. “She’s the most friendly and cheerful person I’ve ever met.”

“To be fair, sweetie, you haven’t met all that many people,” Amai said, laughing.

“That is fair,” Yenuno conceded. “My point stands, though.”

“Alright children, gather ‘round!” Halvorg called, and they flocked to him, swirling around him like a whirlpool. “Now, you guys are going to split up into teams to help Nenish, Tahara, and Sadji find their gifts. Nenish will have Tani, Jinsa, and Keenai on his team. Tahara will have Amaia, Osan, Ishni, and Dashu on his team. And Khuzho, Chidil, Fuma, and Itheti will be on Sadji’s team.” He handed a small leaflet to each team. “Follow the clues to find the treasures! Go!”

The kids scattered, giggling madly.

“Come get something to drink and rest for a minute, Halvorg!” Yenuno called. “I think you’ve earned it.”

Halvorg grinned boyishly, an expression that brightened his face and made him look… well… rather handsome. He jogged over to the table and had a ginger ale. Elves have hypermobile ears, and his ears were high and wiggling slightly, a normal indication in elvish peoples of happiness and excitement.

“I think they’ll really enjoy their gifts this year,” Halvorg said, taking sips of his soda. “And the treasure hunt is half the fun. It’s challenging, but not too difficult. If they work together, it should be no trouble at all.”

“You didn’t get them history books like last year, did you?” Amai asked with her eyes narrowed. “You might as well have burned the money you spent on those for all the use they got out of them.”

“No, I learned my lesson,” He said defensively. “I bought toys.”

“Educational toys?” Amaia asked shrewdly.

He stopped mid-sip and looked at Amaia with an eyebrow raised. “…maybe,” He said into his cup.

Amaia rolled her eyes. “At least Yenuno and I ordered some stuff the kids will like.”

“You don’t know that they won’t like them,” I said. “I loved educational toys.”

“Yeah, but you’re a nerd,” Amaia said, poking you playfully.

“So what? Your kids could be nerds, too. I’m pretty sure Osan is going to be a Star Wars fan. He’s been talking my ear off about the Mandalorian.”

“It’s so strange,” Amaia said, ignoring your response and looking off in the distance. “I thought that because the kids were hatched in clutches, they would be like twins or triples or the like and have similar interests and personalities, but they’re all so different. Different likes, different traits, different styles. It’s amazing.”

“It amazes me, too,” Yenuno said, staring into his drink with a wistful expression. “My siblings and I separated when we were young, so I don’t know what they were like or if we had similar interests. Honestly, until recently, I never gave them a thought. Watching my children work together… it makes me wonder what my own siblings were like, and if they’d still be alive today if we had helped each other.”

There was a contemplative silence for a few minutes, broken by excited voices reentering the receiving area.

“We found it!” Tahara said, holding up a wrapped gift. The other four were carrying smaller treat bags that had their names written on them. “Uncle Maël, look!”

“Excellent! Well done!” Halvorg said, bending to give Tahara a hug. “Now, let’s wait until your brothers return with their gifts before we open them, okay? How about you five play tag until then?”

“Okay!” Tahara said.

“I’ll play with you,” Yenuno said. “I’m starting to get fat, preparing for the incubation period.” He patted Amai’s belly, which carried his three eggs, likely to be the last clutch they’d have together.

“How soon?” You asked Amai as Yenuno took off to chase with his children.

“Any day,” Amai said with a weary sigh. “And I’m ready for it. These little guys are heavy.”

“Boys or girls?”

“We won’t know until they hatch. It’s too hard to get a clear picture with the ultrasound, and besides, even if it could, both the male and female genitalia are internal, so it’s nearly impossible to tell.” She took a sip of ginger ale. “We’re really hoping for at least one girl. Don’t get me wrong, we love the boys more than anything, but we’d like Amaia and Yenu to have some sisters.”

“I’d like to be present for the laying, if that’s okay,” You said.

“For your research?” She asked.

Your head rocked back. “No, because you’re my friend and I want to be there for you.”

Amai smiled fondly. “Oh. Of course, thank you.”

Dr. Halvorg had not added anything to the conversation with you and Amai, and instead went to the table and made a plate of snacks. You gave Amai a look and a cocked eyebrow, and she nodded understanding, slipping away from her spot to watch her husband and children play.

“Dr. Halvorg?”

He flinched and looked up, glancing around furtively and noticing that the two of you were alone. “Yes?”

“Why are you avoiding me?”

He opened his mouth and closed it again before responding, “I’m doing no such thing.”

“I’ve requested at least three meetings with you this past month, and you’re always too busy,” You said dryly.

“Well, I am,” He said, turning. “If you’ll excuse me…”

“Are you avoiding me because I asked you out?” You asked bluntly.

He missed a step in his stride and stopped.

“I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable. I should have realized from your professional demeanor that you wouldn’t be open to interoffice dating. I apologize.”

Halvorg sighed and turned to face you. “It’s not that. Not exactly, I mean.” He set his plate on the table and looked you full in the face for the first time in weeks. “I haven’t given a thought to dating in…” He rubbed his forehead. “Gods… decades. The question took me off guard, of course, and I actually had to sit down and give it some thought. I’ve been wrapped up in my work, of course, but I think I was just distracting myself.”

“From what?”

He sat on the edge of the table and crossed his arms. “It’s hard to talk about. I don’t even really talk about it with Yenuno, and I would consider him my closest friend.” He sighed heavily and avoided your eye. “I’ve ignored my personal life in favor of spending my career and fortune in this century helping races achieve something I want for myself.”

“Children?” You guessed.

He nodded a little morosely. “Not just that, but that is a significant part of it. I’ve been following the reproduction rates of Celtic fae since the fae were originally integrated and it’s decreasing year by year. I live in constant fear that my own race will be extinct in my lifetime.” He quirked his head at you. “Your race still seems to be fairly prolific, is that correct?”

“Oh yeah, I have a bunch of brothers and a truckload of cousins. No problems there.”

He sighed. “I don’t know what the problem with my race is. I’ve studied genetic traits, magical impediments, marriage and divorce rates, and ratio of coupling to conceptions.The numbers are terrible and I don’t know why. That’s what drives me crazy. I hate not having an answer.”

“Have there been miscarriages?”

“No, that’s the crazy thing, the rate of conception is extraordinarily low. I think there have only been three live births of Celtic fae blood in the last year.”

“Oh, jeez,” You said, sitting against the table next to him. “I didn’t realize the problem was that severe. Have you considered whether it might be a physical problem?”

“How do you mean?”

“Have you ever done a sperm count? Or had an MRI of the area to see if there’s a blockage? That kind of thing can be genetic and men tend to be shy about stuff like that.”

He tilted his head and frowned. “No, I haven’t. It actually hadn’t occurred to me. Honestly, I’ve been so focused on my work to distract myself, it may have worked too well and I ignored such things.” He looked at you and smiled. “You’ve given me something to think about.”

You smiled back. “Good. I wonder if the females of the race have a similar issue. It may have been something bred into the people over time, over centuries.”

“That’s possible,” He said. “There’s certainly a precedent; some creatures have been bred to extinction. Remember the pug?”

“That tiny dog breed with the squashed face?” You said. “Yeah, they died out a while ago, didn’t they?”

He nodded. “That was human interference, though. Yenuno’s people were dying out due to antisocialism; too reclusive to even propagate their own species. Yenuno was the only one of his kind to take up this project, and even he was reluctant.”

“He seems happy now,” You remarked.

“Yeah,” Halvorg said softly, watching Yenuno laughing and chasing his kids with a sad kind of jealousy. “He does.”

You watched his face, the deep, deep sadness creasing his face and making him look older than he was.

“Follow up, Halvorg, see a specialist. This may have a fix that didn’t exist the last time you tried.”

He nodded, smiling at you, though it didn’t reach his eyes. “I will.”

As you stood up, you bumped his shoulder lightly. “Thank you for talking to me. I appreciate that you trusted me enough to discuss such a sensitive subject. I get the feeling that you don’t share yourself with many people.”

He laughed. “No, not really.” He looked up with a smile that seemed more sincere. “Thank you for listening.”

Amai went into labor three days later. She was taken to the laying room, where both Yenuno and Dr. Halvorg were present in addition to the interspecies OBGYN. You were suited up in scrubs and the paper gowns that surgeons wear, as was everyone else in the room besides Amai, who was completely naked, and Yenuno, who never wore clothing. There were natal heart monitors on her belly and an EKG hooked up to her chest.

Amai was sitting on a specially designed chair that would allow her to pass the eggs through her birth canal and into the waiting arms of the doctor. She was already sweating and panting by the time you arrived. The OBGYN and Dr. Halvorg were having a quiet conversation. You went to the other side of Amai and took her hand, trying not to wince when she nearly crushed your fingers.

“Is she okay?” You asked in alarm.

“She’s not fully dilated yet,” Halvorg said, pulling his braid into a surgical cap. “The eggs are getting impatient, it seems.”

“Yeah, well, so am I, so they can settle the fuck down!” Amai shrieked at him.

He bore the abuse with no reaction other than a wry smile. Yenuno wisely said nothing and simply wiped Amai’s forehead with a cloth.

“It won’t be long,” the OBGYN said. “She’s almost there.”

“Just saw me open and get them out,” Amai moaned. “It would hurt less.”

Yenuno tried to kiss her cheek, but she swatted him away weakly.

“No,” She said peevishly. “No touching ever again.”

“You said that last time,” He said, smiling fondly.

“Yeah, but I mean it this time,” She said sulkily.

“Of course you do, darling.” He patted her head. She scrunched her face up at him in annoyance. She was always adorable when she was miffed.

“I’ll make you into shoes,” She said sourly. “And a matching purse.”

It took a while for Amai to dilate fully, and by then she was very tired. Yenuno was looking worried; she’d laid several eggs over the years and never struggled this much before. Perhaps this being their last clutch was a good idea.

“Okay, I think we can start pushing now,” The doctor said, getting ready to catch the eggs. “Amai, when you feel the next contract, hold your breath, bear down, and push.”

“Okay,” She breathed. “One’s coming.”

We all braced for the push. Amai took several quick deep breaths and held it, her face pulled tight in pain and effort, doubling over in the chair as she did. You and Yenuno held her hands and patted her back and murmured encouragement. Halvorg was waiting with a soft cloth to take the eggs for cleaning, after which they would be laid in a specialized incubating carrier to be taken to Yenuno’s cottage.

The first egg came slowly and with much screaming. The doctor caught it and handed it off to Halvorg. The shell of the egg was soft and needed extremely delicate care, but Halvorg was well practiced by now and got the egg washed and into the carrier under ninety seconds and returned for the next.

The second egg came more quickly, but Amai screamed the whole time. By the time the third and final egg was laid, her voice was raw and she was too exhausted to scream.

But it was over. She fell back into the recline of the chair as if boneless and breathed in shallowly, her eyes barely open.

“You were amazing, darling,” Yenuno said gently, kissing Amai’s face. “Rest. I’m taking the eggs to the cottage. The children will visit you when you’ve slept.”

She turned her head slowly to look at him and touched her fingertips to his face, tracing down his cheek, chin, neck and chest before letting her hand fall back to her side, and her eyes closed. Nurses came to whisk her away to a recovery room, the OBGYN following behind. Yenuno and Halvorg left to take the eggs to the cottage for the incubation, and you were left alone in the laying room.

As you were shedding the paper gown and surgical cap, you noticed a small book lying on the ground. It looked to be one of Halvorg’s research journals, though it was smaller than his usual ones. He must have dropped it out of his back pocket when he was disrobing. You picked it up and took it with you with the intent on returning it to him in the morning.

And of course, you’d completely forgotten by the time you woke up.

Amai recovered enough in a few days to be up and walking around. She and the children took turns keeping Yenuno company, as he grew morose if he was left alone too long. You had declared half days until the new babies hatched so that they could have more time with their dad.

One afternoon, after the children had left class for the day, Dr. Halvorg came in and sat on the edge of your desk.

“Hello,” You said pleasantly, closing the folder with their latest work for grading. “To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?”

“I wanted to let you know I took you up on your advice,” He said, looking a little bashful. “I went and saw a specialist. They’re going to be doing some tests soon. Sperm count, blood tests, an MRI. Any test that can be done will be done.”

“Good!” You said, swinging your chair around. “I’m glad. Maybe you’ll finally get an answer.”

He sighed, looking pensive and anxious. “I’m trying not to get my hopes up, but I still wanted to thank you for pushing me to do it.”

“I didn’t push you to do it, Maël,” You said. His eyes narrowed at your use of his first name, but he didn’t say anything. “I just brought the subject up. It was your decision to do it.”

“Well, thank you all the same,” He replied. “I admit, I’m nervous about it. I could either get wonderful news or have my worst fears confirmed. I don’t know how I’ll react to either option.”

“Would you like me to come with you?” You asked him.

He looked at you in surprise. “You… you don’t have to do that.”

“I know I don’t,” You replied. “But this is the kind of thing you need friends for. And since Yenuno is tied up with the eggs, I could be a good substitute. You don’t even have to think of me as a friend, if you don’t want to, just an emotional support associate.”

He was quiet for a moment. “I think of you as a friend.”

“Well, thank you. I was hoping we’d get there eventually. So? What do you think? Want some support for this?”

“Not for the tests, I can do those by myself perfectly well,” He said, adjusting his tie nervously. “But… for the results… perhaps… a friend would be nice.”

“I’ll be there for you, then,” You said, standing and patting his arm. “Does Yenuno know about this? Have you talked to him about it?”

“No,” He replied. “I didn’t want to tell him while he’s dealing with his own new babies. Besides, if the news is not good, I don’t want people feeling sorry for me. If the news comes back positive… I don’t know… I think this is one thing I’d rather keep to myself.”

“Except for me, you mean,” You said.

He nodded concedingly. “Besides you.”

“Let me know when the results come back and I’ll go with you. We’ll make a day of it, go to a spa, get a bikini wax together, eat some overpriced salads, buy something ridiculous we want but don’t need. It’ll be a blast.”

He actually laughed a little. “Sounds like a plan.”

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My Masterlist

The Exophilia Creator’s Masterlist

[oikawas-fav-alien]

Dominant | Taichi Kawanishi x Reader

✧ Summary: Student body president to the most renown school in the Miyagi Prefecture, it made you wonder how Kawanishi, a regular on the infamously dominant volleyball team, was such a lazy jackass.

warnings: language, otherwise none, rated K+ :)

✧ Masterlist  ✧

As the student body president, it was your sworn duty to uphold the high ethics as a student and leader. Many often described your personality as rough or overly haughty from your mean-looking resting face. However, they continued to vote for you simply because you were the most qualified and your very presence screamed authority. You wanted to pursue politics in the future and therefore treated the role professionally. In your first-year, you were already elected as a delegate to the student government. Second-year, you were the vice president. And in your third-year you were the highest position possible. The only thing that kept you held back before was the very fact that underclassmen were not allowed to run as president.

You used the position as practice and cared for your potential constituents. There were a few major players here and there, thankfully they were your friends. Growing up alongside Ushijima and Tendou had their benefits. If you had the favor of the volleyball team, you might as well have the whole school crawling in the palm of your hand. Thankfully, none of the people actually on the team could run for student government since they were so busy with the sport. To win over the rest of the student body, there was a fairly popular second-year student who came from a wealthy family that many just looked up to. You often questioned why she did not run for student govt. and once asked her why.

After spotting her at the library, you decided on approaching the girl, “You would be perfect and I don’t see why not.”

“Thanks senpai, but nah. After you’ve seen the shit that I’ve seen... You wouldn’t want to be the leader of such arrogant little sheep.”

You laughed at her metaphor and asked, “I didn’t know sheep could be conceited?”

“Of course! They’ll give you all the attitude in the world, but still follow you in the end.” She joked. Behind her you recognized the light tuft of brown hair that indicated the presence of the current starting setter of the volleyball team.

“It’s a pleasure to see you, Shirabu-kun.” You nodded to the boy who was waiting for the girl in front of you, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to keep you from your boyfriend.” Almost instantly, they both denied the claim. The both of them were rather sheepish in their words and you wondered really if the two of them did not have something going on.

“That’s cute. Well, when you guys end up going to the spring formal together, be sure to send pictures to the Shiratorizawa Academy page on Instabook!” You advertised to the blushing couple, walking away before they assaulted you with more denials.

You were early to your class and browsed away on said application to see the newest posts. Since you were the secret wielder of the Shiratorizawa page, you saw everything. People were still liking the post of Semi and his girlfriend at the autumn formal and that had been months ago. There were various other couples scattered throughout the page, but when other students saw Semi and his significant other, they could not help but think, “Goals af.”

They were going strong and you could not help but feel a hint of jealousy. You grew up in Shiratorizawa Academy in both junior high and high school and there was not a single person in your year that you were not already previously associated with. The boys were those who were immature or simply someone you did not see pursuing. After seeing Tendou eat four-crayons in fourth-grade or Ohira singing along to the barbie-girl theme song, you could say that your view of many of the boys was incredibly skewed. You knew them for too damn long and there was no way you could date any of them. On the flip-side, the people you spent most of you life with knew your name, face, and outgoing personality more than any other candidate. You won the popular vote with a landslide majority, even during your first-year when three other people were running for the same position. This also came with an obvious disadvantage. Almost everyone knew you and that put yourself in a large spotlight. Your daily life was constantly broadcasted and you had to put on a sunny demeanor even if you were having a bad day. Teachers expected the very best from you and anything less would indicate that you were not prepared to be president, forget being prime minister.

It was unfair of your teachers to take advantage of your position, but you took it with stride and a chin held high. It was your sworn duty and you would not slack on any given responsibility. You would volunteer to help clean a classroom in addition to your duties in student government. To do this and uphold good grades in advanced classes, your social life was nearly obliterated. The only person you kept in daily contact with was him, a new project that a teacher assigned to you almost out of spite.

He was a starting middle-blocker on the volleyball team. That fact in itself made you assume that he was as diligent as Ushijima or his very roommate Shirabu, or really like most of the other members of the male volleyball team. His transcript showed his engagement in advanced classes since junior high. And yet, the teacher aggressively requested that you tutor the young man.

And you learned rather quickly that Kawanishi Taichi was an ass.

It really bothered you that a man with his potential failed to fully utilize it. You had better odds finding Kawanishi asleep in his dorm than in the library with his supposed study group. In advanced, you asked several times for the two of you to meet the group and study there. And more than once, he failed to show up and you simply studied with Shirabu and his not-girlfriend.

After that escapade, you made sure to show-up directly at his door with the reading material, snacks – so he could not complain about being hungry – and enough prayers to Jesus to help you through this trial.

You were sat-up on the edge of his bed, dictating to him which sections of the chapter and the appropriate equations he should memorize for the upcoming exam. Kawanishi was previously sitting next to you, but he opted to lay back with his hands folded behind his head. His roommate, Shirabu, was out (probably studying in the library with you know who.)

You sighed loudly and almost slammed the book shut. “You’re so cute when you’re angry, (F/N).” He commented.

“Flattery won’t help you pass abstract algebra, Kawanishi-kun.”

“I’ve told you to address me by my first name. And hopefully, it’ll get me a date with the most elusive girl on campus.” He slowly drew out.

“And I told you not to.” You sighed again, adding to the innumerable amount, “You were the only one who qualified for college prep classes in your second-year and you’re taking advantage of this by… failing advanced math.” You stated.

“Ouch.”

The pure fact that he shared the same third-year level math class was impressive. You sat in the very front and your attention never strayed from the professor’s lecture and had failed to notice the young-man before. But once you saw Taichi's work ethic up close, you knew he was nearly a lost cause. It was rare for him to study and you only wondered why. The teacher originally told you that Kawanishi had the capacity to be the best in class, only he was barred somehow.

Ugh.

You reiterated the question once more, “Prove that if a and b are nonzero integers for which a | b and b | a, then b = ± a.” You looked over and was not surprised to see that Kawanishi had the audacity to close his eyes! You dropped the book on the ground, startling the boy. “I’m leaving.”

“You have to give me time to think, babe.” You were halfway across the room when he sat-up to write some solution to the problem. Unsure if he was actually doing the question, you went back to look-over his shoulder.

Before you could read to the bottom of the page, he slowly turned his head towards you to say, "Since a | b, there is an integer m with b = ma. Since b | a, there is an integer k with a = kb. Substituting a = kb in the equation b = ma we get b = m(kb), so since b is nonzero we can cancel it to get 1 = mk. Since both m and k are integers, and |1| = |m| · |k|, we must have |m| = 1 and |k| = 1, so either b = a or b = - a.”

You looked back into the book to see that yes, Kawanishi’s answer was correct.

He was giving you his lazy stare, one that even you could not decipher. Kawanishi was waiting on you and you hesitated, completely dumbfounded, “Well… It seems you’re ready for the exam.” You gave a weak excuse and exited from his dorm. He did not fight it and seemed to lie back down as you left.

Kawanishi was an utter conundrum. This was not the first time that he amazed you with his intelligence. You brushed off these previous events as rare, but it seemed to not be the case as time went on. The teacher never indicated he was failing, you only assumed so by the many red-marked on his returned homework assignments. But homework was only a small percentage of the final grade, falling in importance by attendance. Outside of your tutoring sessions, you did not really know Kawanishi in his natural element.

You decided on watching the game between Shiratorizawa and Johzenji High. You spotted other people in the crowd, like the supportive girlfriend of Semi and not-girlfriend of Shirabu, but decided on straying from the rest and sitting elusively alone. Kawanishi was just switching into the game, standing right next to the net. After spending extended time with Tendou in and out of class, you knew the basics to volleyball and his role. It just so happened he shared it with Kawanishi.

He played an offensive and defensive role that competed with the tallest members of team. The tallest person was probably Wakatoshi, but he was middle blocker. After that, Kawanishi seemed to tower over the rest of them – Tendou included. The problem was that Tendou shun so brightly, with his unusual hair and outgoing personality. Everyone was aware of his skill and given nickname, the “Guess Monster.” You could almost call the two middle-blockers opposites. To any outsider, Kawanishi was giving a completely impassive appearance to the enemies on the court. But you knew he was thinking and that the little hamster in his brain was working tenfold. He was capable of blocking the spikes of a certain loudmouthed Johzenji player, who made it necessary to yell at random moments. Kawanishi made it appear as if he was putting little to no effort – probably to keep his cool-looking exterior – but you knew better.

Maybe you judged Kawanishi too quickly?

Shiratorizawa closed both sets in their favor and you made your way down to the court before the crowd could block your way.

“Could I get a picture of the victors to send to the Shiratorizawa page?”

Tendou was eager to nod in agreement before grabbing an underclassmen you recognized as Goshiki Tsutomu and an expressionless Ushijima Wakatoshi. Kawanishi spotted you and looked away, deadpan appearance still displayed on his face.

What the hell was that?

During your private tutoring session, Kawanishi was a man filled with unending charisma and charm. And in this instance, not a full day later, he was ignoring you entirely. Who could possibly explain the paradox that is Kawanishi?

“Why do you want to know so badly, huh?” Tendou supplied your question with not an answer, but another question. You shared an English class with the guess monster and decided that during break, you would ask more about the young middle-blocker.

“You know I tutor him… And I fear that I might have judged him too quickly.”

“He’s an ass.”

“Well, I know that.”

“He doesn’t talk to his teammates much.” He candidly stated, “Kawanishi is very similar to his roommate.”

“Shirabu?” You asked incredulously.

“Yeah, they’re both quiet little shits. They like to sit and observe others around them, only speaking if they were called out. Taichi is quieter than Kenjiro though, the latter is hella salty and has no problems sassing his older ones!”

“Huh.” This description seemed like the opposite one that you were used to. Kawanishi had no problems calling you nicknames and there was never a quiet between the two of you. It seemed like he even took amusement in constantly teasing you.

“Something wrong?”

“Not at all what I expected, that’s all.” You confessed, “He seems pretty lazy.”

“Oh he is!” Tendou interjected, “Don’t get me wrong, Taichi has let a ball hit the ground perfectly in! But he’s smarter than he gives off. We play the same position, but his blocking methods are more experiential. Taichi sticks to read blocking, but when he’s in the zone he guess-blocks like me. And if all else fails, he’ll go for the option he knows he can block.”

“That’s… clever.” You were hesitating in your words and Tendou noticed it, evident from the narrowing of his wide eyes, but he did not comment on it outwardly.

Instead, he replied with, “But it’s obviously not as impressive as my method!”

You laughed lightly and complimented, “Seems like no one can compete with the attention of the guess monster.”

At this point, the teacher entered the room and continued with class. Your thoughts often surrounded the elusive man and you wondered if Kawanishi really did act differently around you than the others, but you were running out of options to ask from. If Tendou’s description was accurate, then there was no way that Wakatoshi could give you more valuable information. Shirabu was Kawanishi’s roommate and closest companion, he must know more than the rest. But surely, he would convey to the middle-blocker your interest and you could not handle Taichi finding out.

You went to the second best.

“How’s my favorite kouhai?” You attempted to coerce the popular second-year into conversation, but she gave you the face that knew what you were up to. It was a widely known fact that she was Shirabu’s best friend, member of a second-year study group that included him, and gossip queen – she had to know something.

“If you need something just say it, (L/N)-san. Better make it quick, I have class soon and I can’t be rude to the only senpai that I like.” You caught her in the hallway, typing away on her phone.

You sighed, “What can you say about Kawanishi?”

“Taichi?” She put her phone back in her bag to look down at nothing in particular, whilst frowning. “He’s a lazy piece of shit who knows better than to act like how he is now. You’re tutoring him, so you’ve probably seen it.”

“Yeah…”

“He’s pretty quiet, but not at all shy. Taichi has a personality that’s rough around the edges and it seems like he has a permanent bitch face on. But he opens up to those he can trust.”

“Oh.”

At that reaction, your kouhai quickly stepped in front of you and stopped walking, blocking your immediate pace. “What do you mean, ‘Oh?’ Do you like him?”

“No, it’s just he’s been acting a certain way around me. I was wondering how much of him I really knew.”

“Like how?”

“Like teasing me, calling me ‘babe’ of all things.” Her eyes widened at the newfound gossip and you could almost feel the internal screaming she was projecting. You were unsure if you should walk-away at the stunned girl or shout to grab her attention.

“How cute.” She simply stated, composing herself in a single second and then was on her way.

That conversation did not help your nerves at all and your next class was shared with the aggravation of your thoughts! You approached life like a simple equation. There were variables here and there, but eventually all would be solved and revealed. Math was your shit and yet Kawanishi defied every prior algorithm of judgement you had unofficially convened in your mind.

Since you were relatively early to class, you took the empty seat next to Kawanishi – which was the very last seat in the back! He strolled in with headphones buried in his ears, showing not a single care. His dark eyes narrowed at your presence, but this time he actually acknowledged you with a casual wave.

“Are we still on for tonight?” He did not dignify you with a response, just a sly lift of his eyebrow that you knew suggested something! But you simply rolled your eyes, happy to see your usual Kawanishi and continued, “For studying. Don’t get anything in that head of yours.”

Woah, take a step back.

Your Kawanishi? Since when did you think of Kawanishi as yours? That thought slipped your mind quickly and almost naturally. That fact alone scared you. The two of you had spent numerous nights studying alone and it was clear that he thought of you as a friend, as per his insistence of using his first name. It seems his determination and utter repetition were finally getting to you. And you were surprisingly okay with that.

This was your hardest class and there were exams every week. The professor handed the last test back and you almost cried at seeing your eighty-nine out of one-hundred! Thank the lord! Amongst the few that took the torture known as abstract algebra, the topic for the last exam was agreeably the hardest and you would not be surprised if you were the curve.

Once the professor returned to his desk, he announced, “Sorry class, there is no curve on the exam grade this week.”

What the fuck?! You had never dropped below a ninety math and it was rare for anyone to be ahead of you. There were a few times that the curve was slightly above you by a point or two, but never a full letter grade.

You looked over to Kawanishi and saw the perfect score that he was failing to hide. His expression was a grim line and you reached over to take the paper off his desk. He did not fight you and allowed you to compare answers.

His work was perfect, his penmanship was sloppy, but the answers were completely legible and circled at the bottom. You even remembered him leaving the classroom earlier than you during the exam. At the time, you figured he was going to take a nap – which he did – and not be bothered by the importance of the exam. But boi, you were wrong.

You felt like an ass.

“Looks like you’ll be tutoring me from now, Taichi-san.” You teased. Kawanishi froze at your sudden playful-tone, one he had perceived before, but never seen used against him. He urged you several times before to use his first name and, of all times, you decided now in the middle of class.

Taichi had observed you through junior high and now. You were smart and made it widely known that you and you alone were the leader. You would inwardly groan at teacher’s directions, but do it anyway because that was simply how you were. He grew in the contrary direction and wanted to know why you were so damn happy leading a bunch of idiots.

The student body was easily swayed and not worth his time to keep a reputation. It was easier to keep an impassive disposition than appeal to those he simply did not care about. And yet, you were just as smart as him and you wanted the favor of those beneath you. Kawanishi wanted to know why you subjected yourself to this arduous task through the years. What could be so good about volunteering time into people who widely did not deserve it?

Kawanishi was willing to let all six-years go to waste. Spend his time merely watching you and never actually saying anything. He could easily grab your attention, but what was the point? Your heart belonged to the student body and you would never dedicate time to just him, another student in a sea of others.

Until his matchmaker of a math teacher forced you to.

Kawanishi silently thanked whatever deity was watching over him. He wanted to push your buttons, see how far he could go before the kitten would show her claws. You were put alongside the rare amount of people he could truly express himself with. And damn, you were pretty entertaining. He loved seeing the determined glint in your eyes after he paid even the slightest bit of attention to your tutoring. Or the way you rolled your eyes in amusement after he gave a rather presumptuous statement.

You were a mature intelligent young-woman, a year his senior, with an honest-heart and an ass to boot.

When you were riled enough, you fought his teasing with your own harsh words. Taichi could literally watch your usually composed demeanor collapse at his words. Your usually kind vernacular would get replaced with punitive and ruthless sayings towards him and it strangely invigorated him to see more. You would heave a sigh and force deep breathes to calm yourself and he loved seeing the dramatic rise and fall of your chest.

Taichi long-accepted his interest in you and was not at all shy at expressing this. But you were just??? So dense??

But now that you were finally teasing back… Kawanishi fought down the strange heat rising to his cheeks and attempted his most casual tone of voice, “You can drop the formal suffix, (F/N).” Damn, that was too low! I sounded like a male pornstar.

You laughed, he was could not pinpoint the exact reason since you were smiling so radiantly at him, “Alright, Taichi-kun.”

He sighed at your teasing and refused to respond to your mischievous statement.

Oh boy had the tables turned.

Neither of you could pay full attention in class since any movement from the other person would catch your immediate notice. The two of you did not have to voice it out loud, but it was obvious that you were both on edge, eager to say something but never actually saying it.

The professor decided on letting the class out early and you grabbed his hand, “Hey. Want to have dinner first before we study?”

Kawanishi mulled over your request, frown slowly tilting to a smile when the classroom emptied. “Can’t get enough time with me?”

“Yeah, whatever.” You joked, grabbing your stuff and walking alongside the male. He was keeping an unusually large distance, but at this point you could almost understand the puzzle that was Taichi.

You were a contender for a spot in the top ranked students in the Academy and it was for obvious reasons. And after observing Taichi throughout the week, his personality seemed clearly defined to you. He was not shy or held-back, but honest. Quiet, since he found no reason to speak to those beneath him. Taichi did not radiate the same intelligence as others, but you could still sense his pride and hidden tenacity.

However, you could not explain why his frank behavior was pointed towards you. You were never a member of the volleyball team and yet he treated you like one of his close friends. Kawanishi was a year your junior and you were the president, so maybe he found the need to place formal respect? But he never exhibited the same regard for other seniors or delegates to student government. You glanced back to the hazel-haired male. He was walking at a leisurely pace, his permanent little scowl displayed to the rest of the world.

You swiped into the cafeteria, grabbed some food, and sat in a booth across Taichi. Conversation was mostly comprised of you talking with his occasional comment. This was definitely new behavior, but maybe not at all. This must be his normal disposition and you were entirely okay with that.

It made you feel special, that he talked differently to you in private.

But the small privacy of the booth did not last long. “Hey, (F/N)-san!” You spotted Semi’s girlfriend, arm-in-arm with her setter. “I just had a quick question about prom.”

You were whisked away with multiple questions of what not to wear and the theme. She ended up taking a seat next to you. You were not at all troubled, it was only part of your duties as student government and you were delighted to share details about the most massive event of the year. Semi scooted into the booth next to Kawanishi. Both boys watched the conversation in silence, giving only a polite greeting to one another.

After giving many thanks, the couple took off with a wave. You and Taichi continued in your dinner and you off-handedly asked, “How do you feel about losing so many senpai’s?”

He frowned and sat-back, “They’re moving onto better things. I trust Shirabu.” You nodded at his explanation and the rest of dinner went by casually. His words were concise and you found his current curt vernacular very similar to Wakatoshi.

The moment the two of you were completely alone, in the comfort of his shared dormed room, Kawanishi did not hesitate to slam the door behind him and flash you a flirtatious smile. “What’s up with you lately, babe?” He walked over to his bed, throwing his backpack on the top. You realized it was not as heavy as yours and spotted his textbooks scattered haphazardly on the floor. You did not comment on it, not this time.

“Why?” You had a raised brow, but wide smile on your face.

“Why do you keep smiling at me, (F/N)?” He questioned, sitting on the edge and leaning forward so his elbows were on his knees.

“Why do you treat me like this, Taichi-kun?” You asked, “I’m not complaining, but I seem to be on a special list in your mind. I just want to know what I did to earn it.”

His gaze shun with understanding and amusement, traveling for you to a spot on the floor, “Maybe you’re not as smart as you think you are.”

Back to the teasing! “Well, you’re definitely smarter than I first thought. So I am sorry I misjudged you for a lazy idiot. You’re just lazy genius, it seems.”

His bit his bottom lip and kept a firm gaze back on you. It was rare to see such an intense stare coming from the boy and you fidgeted in your spot, standing in the middle of the room. “A compliment just to knock me down?” There was no hint of a smile despite his amusing tone, and he continued, “Should I punish you?”

Your smile was wiped clean off your face and you looked at him with wide eyes. There were no words you could respond with to make sense of the conversation, so you simply stated, “Do you think you could handle me?”

Oh my god, why do this sound like the beginning of a porn?! You shrieked in your mind, confidence outwardly radiating but on the inside you were literally screaming.

He gave a light chuckle, smirking away at how easy you were to read. Taichi stood up, leisurely walking in your direction and not showing signs of stopping, “It’s easy to get a kitten purring.” And he continued strolling right past you to his desk. “But first I have to tutor you. Now be a good student and sit-down.”

At this point, you were inwardly heaving at the obvious tension and the fact that his smirk looked so hot. You were always the one who brought the study session back to its true purpose when the two of you deviated. And yet here Kawanishi was, getting you all riled-up just to walk-away from his obviously effective work.

This is bullshit!

You were a whole year older than him and the most powerful student at Shiratorizawa – there was no way this tall-ass sloth was going to one-up you! Taichi, you learned overtime, loved to be in control of a situation. He observed other people from afar and would act according to what he wanted as the outcome. And you refused to be another marionette in his game.

You grabbed his shoulder, whipping him around to sit back down on the bed. Taichi leaned back, eyes wide with surprise. You propped your knees onto the edge, initiating a very intimate very dominate position, and pushed the subject, “I think it’s time you learned your place. You can endlessly tease me when I’m trying to help, but I can’t? You better answer my question here and now.”

“It’s because I have feelings for you.” His eye-contact did not waiver, so Tachi easily perceived your astonished-look despite how well you thought you were hiding it.

You opened your mouth, words not coming out, and slowly leaned closer to the man. At this point, any outsider could observe your pose as straddling his waist. But! This was simply not his way. With you still in a daze, Taichi had no problems switching the positions with him now looming over you.

He grabbed a hand in each of his, placing them above your head in his grasp. “Sorry sweetheart.” Taichi murmured above you, noses gently bumping each other. You leaned upward and closed the distance, lips molding against each other. He tasted of mangos, a fruit you would not have expected of the quiet boy.

You felt the sweep of his lips against yours and opened at the invitation. Taichi previously had a knee on the bed, but now he was fully inclined on top of you, hips to hips and to nose to nose. He moved his left-hand from your shoulder to grasp the back of your head tenderly. He was invading all your senses and it seemed his only goal was to deepen your already intimate contact. Your left hand found itself on his shoulder, gripping tightly as the other hand threaded between his auburn-hair.

You moaned at a particular sensation and Kawanishi leaned back to get a full-look at your flushed face, “Well? I like you too. Keep kissing me, you idiot.” You spurned him on, earning a smile as he pushed you further up his bed to a more comfortable position.

He continued in his dominant pose, not hesitating to place himself over you. The heavy-air was incredibly evident and you knew your eyes were hazed over with lust. You traveled a curious hand from his hip to the bare-skin of his stomach and you swear he basically growled. He was sporting that intense gaze again and you only wondered how you were not aware of his feelings before. Taking away by your thoughts, Taichi returned your favor by placing a warm-hand on your waist and roaming upwards underneath the comfort of your shirt. But he was not stopping.

His hand stopped at the crest of your breast when –

“Oh my god!”

“Leave a sock on the door or something, holy shit.”

You broke apart to see Shirabu and his not-girlfriend in the doorway. She had her hands covering her face, but not her eyes. His poor roommate looked entirely done and not at all surprised. The two of you quickly sat-up, but Kawanishi secured a firm hold on your waist. Shirabu and his study partner did not leave the room, but in fact walked-in further.

Your kouhai was quick to compose herself and started, “Wow, (F/N). You work fast! And you said you didn’t like him, no wonder you were gushing all—”

“Are you leaving?!” You interrupted.

“This is my room.” Shirabu stated, sighing. “But we’re just stopping here to grab books and then to the library to study.” Kawanishi was dead-silent, lips a straight-line, but the hand on you was drawing lazy circles on your skin.

“Don’t hesitate to text me if you need anything, (L/N)-san! Some snacks? A condom?” Shirabu flicked the girl on the forehead before grabbing her and almost dragging her from the room. "You were gushing over me?" Taichi asked, stating the question dangerously close to your ear. "I'm going to kill her." He laughed and extended another hand, both of his arms resting across your waist as nibbled lightly on the shell of your ear. "Now, don't be mean because she was honest." Kawanishi whispered, a tingle traveling up and down your spine and causing you to arch forward into his touch.

“That was hella embarrassing.”

He pulled back, “It’s embarrassing to be with me?”

“No!” You were quick to answer and grab his arm, pulling him back, “Not at all. I just don’t want an audience when I’m being intimate with the guy I like... What if they walked in a little later?”

He raised a brow at your question, smirk splayed on his face yet again and returning to his close-position by your ear, "What do you think we’d be doing?”

“I don’t know!” You covered your face with your hands, corrupt thoughts popping up and you were almost sure Kawanishi could see your thought bubble. He laughed and placed the hands away, returning back to lean his forehead against your's.

“You’re cute.” And he enveloped you back into another kiss.

You were not the sort of couple that would hold-hands in the hallway and Taichi would rarely ever kiss you out in public. But you would not have it any other way. His affectionate side was for you alone and he made sure to affirm his affections the moment you were behind closed doors. You noticed the little things, lingering looks or a smile thrown your way. In the comfort of your privacy, Taichi would not hesitate to have roam his hands on your skin.

Taichi Kawanishi was one-of-a-kind and you thanked whoever was out there for blessing you with such a charming boy. He was still an ass, no doubt, but he was your ass.

You loved him fully and he would not hesitate to do the same.

[mocha-sim]

For a while now I’ve wanted to write out a post concerning where I stand on the whole issue with YanSim and its developer (in short: neutral, leaning heavily towards the negative side, but I like the potential of the story and characters). There are a lot of problems and I really want to throw in my two cents

This might not be necessary, but I need to get it off my chest, and hopefully make some people think about other points of view

Warning: long post ahead

1. Six years and still in development

I can really see both sides here

On one hand, six full years without even one rival - the single most important part of the game - and a game still full of placeholder assets, and terrible code on top of that, is pathetic

On the other hand, Yandev is working with only a small team of volunteers and himself, who (no matter what he claims) knows very little about game development (from what i’ve seen, he’s made one before, but it looks like a very small-scale and basic fighting game, unlike YanSim which is much more large-scale and has a lot of features)

Professional game teams do have full, high-quality games made in less than six years, but that time is also a product of game company employees being extremely overworked. Lately I’ve seen a lot more people talking about this issue, which is good, but isn’t it hypocritical to not also apply that logic to Yandev?

Again, though, I’m not sure how much time he spends actually working on the game - to me, it seems like he spends a lot of time on discord, reddit, etc. even if he does only stream for a few hours every night. Maybe the “harassment” that’s “slowing down game development” wouldn’t be such an issue if he didn’t spend so much time online interacting with these people?

2. The writing and characters

I’m not a huge fan of how the game’s story is handled, either

I don’t think it’s 100% fair to cast a final judgement with the game the way it is now - Osana not being out is in no way a good thing, but it also means that there hasn’t really been any opportunity for story or character development yet, especially for the rivals. That being said:

I feel like there’s a lot of wasted potential with characters’ individual stories and with the game’s story as a whole, like the “Aishi curse” - I just can’t think of many good stories with a main character who’s basically an empty husk. If Ayano had emotions from the beginning, and actually had to struggle with them, she could be a much more interesting character. There doesn’t even need to be a magical curse for it to run in the family - the way children are raised has a serious impact on the person they grow into. If Ayano is raised by a crazy, abusive stalker of a mother, she may well turn into the same thing.

Taro, too - he has so many contradicting character traits. He yells at Ayano for “scaring him” when she’s carrying a box cutter or laughing, but has the courage to run right up to a murderer and take off their mask?? He doesn’t care about reputations for Osoro or Oka, but won’t love Ayano if her reputation drops too low?? We’re told that he’s “friendly and respectful”, but we’re never shown that part of his personality. On top of that, we’re not really given a reason to like or pursue him as the goal of the game - when he’s not interacting with Girl of the Week, he doesn’t really do anything except sit by the fountain and read. I feel as though Taro should have a routine that involves interacting with other characters and gives us more of a feel for the personality we’re told he’s supposed to have

Raibaru as a whole makes no sense and feels like a satellite character to Osana. In Osana’s shoes, I would want to have a word with her about personal space. There’s not a lot to say about her aside from that, because... she doesn’t really do anything except follow Osana around all day and shut down the player’s attempts to kill her. She feels more like a soulless obstacle than a character

I think there should be more true pacifist options than just matchmaking - even the befriending elimination route will, in Yandev’s own words, involve someone getting hurt. If we’re supposed to have a choice on whether or not to hurt and kill people, there should be more variety in our options

3. The game’s code sucks/it’s poorly-optimized

Yeah.

I don’t know much about coding but the amount of awkward stretching/bending limbs on corpses, clipping through walls, low fps, etc. makes this obvious. It was definitely a bad move on Yandev’s part to start a project like this without at least taking a coding/game development class or something

I think the best course of action for Yandev would be to get a professional programmer on board after Osana is released and spend a few months fixing the game’s code before he starts work on the next rival

4. The character models are just stolen Unity models

They are just unity models, but not “stolen” at all - YanDev paid for them.

That being said, they’re sort of ugly and inexpressive, and personally i’m hoping they get replaced soon

5. The characters are all minors

They’re not. It’s in flashing red letters on the screen when you open the game. I can’t help but feel like the reason people keep insisting that the characters are minors is so that they can feel like heroes for defending them or something

It doesn’t make a lot of logical sense, but there’s still plenty of time for this to be fixed. I think it was recently confirmed that Akademi is called an “academy” now and won’t be referred to as a high school again

Imo YanDev should just change it to a post-secondary school, since that’s probably the most seamless way for all the characters to be adults

One last thing I want to say on this is that, when it gets brought up, I often see people use the excuse “the age of consent in Japan is 13″. 1: it isn’t - the Japanese government lets each prefecture decide its own age of consent, but 13 is the minimum. As far as I know, no prefecture has set it below 16. 2: even if 13 was the age of consent, that doesn’t mean we should accept and defend it as “part of a different culture”. It’s still pedophilia. 3: Japanese people actively protest against things like this

6. The uniforms are middle-school uniforms/don’t look like they belong in a prestigious school

Yeah

However there are multiple uniform options, and it looks like the default uniforms will be completely changed in the final game

7. Panty shots

YanSim is an 18+ game, but there is such a thing as too far

I’ve seen people who tolerate it, but I haven’t seen a single person who actively likes the panty shots and would complain if they were removed. Imo the part that makes this bad is the fact that we, the player, actively have to point our camera up a girl’s skirt and take a photo of her underwear with it being in full view; the whole way this works makes it obvious that the feature was put in there for titillation more than anything else, and it just feels uncomfortable. If it were more like Uekiya’s key-stealing minigame where all we have to do is push a few buttons, the whole gross/uncomfortable aspect could be taken away and a lot of people would probably be fine with it

It would also be better to replace it with an expanded version of the phone-stealing feature: this would let the player get “points” for students of both genders, plus it would still make sense to gain more points for certain students, like the student council or the bullies. Maybe you could even steal teachers’ phones under certain circumstances?

8. YanDev is homophobic

Again not too sure on this one

Iirc, most of the comments people bring up on this are from years ago when he still went by EvaXephon

But speaking as a wlw, I think some of the ways I’ve seen him talk about f/f relationships are pretty creepy. And on top of that, he seems to be considering adding a “female senpai” option to the game, but no male player character? (though i guess i can see the point of view that a male mc would need a lot more new voice lines, animations, etc. while the senpai follows a mostly fixed routine and would only need so many. still, it seems wrong to have one without the other). I hope I’m wrong about this but his support of the LGBT community seems mostly focused on the L and more for his own entertainment than any actual support

9. YanDev is making more money than he should (and handles it poorly)

His Patreon may be dropping, but his YouTube channel is raking in even more money with 2M+ subscribers, and he’s making even more money from things like merch and donations... all while apparently still living with his parents (which i don’t find hard to believe). He’s also apparently bought 2 switches and a sex doll instead of using the money to hire the help he desperately needs with his game

Assuming he really does still live with his parents, I fully support the petition to get his Patreon suspended until he at least finishes Osana. Most game devs don’t make any money off of their games until they’ve finished it completely

10. YanDev wrote rape fanfics

So I did briefly check his old ffn profile some time ago, and as far as I could see everything had the proper ratings and warnings

Tagging/warning/rating is a fanfic author’s only responsibility to you. You make the choice on whether or not to read it. If everything is appropriately tagged and you read it anyway, that’s on you, not the author. If you are mature enough to be on the internet unsupervised, then you are mature enough to curate your own experience.

Fiction is the place to explore controversial themes and topics. It doesn’t mean in any way that a content creator would condone the things they write about in real life

11. YanDev steals art/assets

He does, and still hasn’t apologized for the DLC rivals thing. In fact he made a post defending himself for it, and even compared himself to Andy Warhol in the process (lol)

I’m not sure but I think I heard something recently about him continuing to do this type of thing (the grass, etc.). In which case we should continue to put pressure on him until he credits the creators of whatever art/assets he stole. Art theft is inexcusable

12. The fanbase is mostly kids

This is unfortunately true, and it’s a big problem (i’ve had to deal with it myself on my youtube channel)

However I would personally say that this problem is outside of YanDev’s control. Kids seem to be drawn to edgy/violent things, or things they shouldn’t be allowed to see (just look at Call of Duty). I put the blame for this on the parents who aren’t monitoring their kids’ computer activities. As for YanDev, he’s not a babysitter and it’s not his responsibility to censor his content for kids who shouldn’t be viewing it in the first place

Underage or not though, he should really avoid calling his fans things like “fuck kittens”. Even from the perspective of an adult that’s super creepy to hear

13. The character designs suck

Some are alright, others are absolutely awful

I think that, in a game built on anime tropes, characters should be allowed to have unnaturally-coloured hair. I mean, a lot of characters in anime do have weird hair that you wouldn’t see in real life (seemingly without any dye), and it can add a lot of personality to their designs

But some YanSim characters push that too far. The science club is the worst of the worst imo, despite being otherwise one of my favourite clubs. The neon streaks are ugly, and what’s up with the visors? Why are they allowed to wear those outside of club time? Why do they wear them during club time, as opposed to actual goggles or something? (i have this issue with a lot of club accessories, imo the accessories are unnecessary in the first place)

The bullies and the light music club also take things too far. Their designs are crowded, hard to look at, and out-of-place. Nothing against characters with multi-coloured hair, but there’s a time and a place and a “prestigious” school setting isn’t it

(also, slightly off-topic, but why does almost every “intended couple” look like they could be siblings?)

I could probably make a whole separate post on the character designs in YS, but I’ll save that for another day. (i’m just very passionate about character design)

14. YanDev has collaborated with porn games 3 times now

Once I could overlook (after all, the characters are 18+ and YS is already not for kids) but a third time? Seriously? And so soon after the last one?

Not only do I have mixed feelings about Yandev doing crossovers when his game isn’t even in the demo stage yet, isn’t this game supposed to be taken seriously as a horror game? I can’t think of a single other horror game that has willingly put its characters in porn.

Also I can’t help noticing that he advertises the porn game crossovers a lot more than he did with that one Dark Deception crossover. Did he ever even mention that one? I only ever saw it on the Dark Deception Twitter

15. YanDev is rude to his fans

I don’t have a lot to say against this one. As far as I’ve seen, he is, and he doesn’t take criticism well at all (just look at the subreddit - yes, a lot of the things that were removed deserved it (unfunny cum chalice jokes, etc.) but there have also been completely innocent questions, fanarts, jokes, and fanfics that have been removed. Not to mention mods going through peoples’ post history and banning them for being active in r/Osana. Both he and his mod team seem insanely paranoid)

I think he’s going to have to grow a thicker skin and stop censoring critiques if he wants to get anywhere with this game. Not just fans who bring up tiny details that might need changing, but also big, glaring issues like the code and character designs and such. He also doesn’t seem that professional for a game developer who wants to be taken seriously

That being said, if you’re the type to spam the discord server/subreddit/fan communities who have nothing to do with Yandev like the amino, you deserved that ban

16. YanDev defends pedophiles/the “sex license” thing

“No adult ever has any excuse to do anything sexual with a child. As soon as you touch a kid, you have crossed the line from being someone with a mental disorder to being the worst scum imaginable. Having a mental illness is involuntary, but touching a kid is a choice. If you have a mental illness, I feel bad for you. If you violate a child, I feel disgust and contempt for you, and I think you deserve the death penalty.” -From YanDev himself on this page

The sex license thing is also debunked on the same page: the whole conversation was taken out of context and the hypothetical “license” was supposed to be something that only an adult could meet the requirements for

17. “Corona-chan”

This was a really insensitive move to make in the middle of a pandemic, and I agree that the design was racist

However, YanDev listened to the fans’ complaints and removed the easter egg a day later, plus gave an apology. I think that this was the best thing he could do in that scenario and idk what else people are expecting him to do about it

18. YanDev’s general portrayal of high schoolers

Honestly, it’s not 100% realistic (especially in some of the dialogue. you know what i’m talking about)

I’m surprised that more students don’t seem to have friends outside of their clubs. It seems like all the students mostly stick within their club/group - walking to school together, spending their breaks together, etc. A lot of the ways the characters behave are very robotic, like walking in a perfectly straight line everywhere they go

That being said, a lot of the things i’ve seen criticized in regards to this are not part of the problem. By the time you’re in high school, you’ve probably hit puberty. It doesn’t make a character automatically sexualized if they have bigger breasts (though some designs in the game are over-sexualized, like a few certain staff members)

19. Muja, Mida, and Hanako

Let’s start with Hanako: Yandev has already said that she’s not romantically interested in her brother, she’s just insanely clingy and doesn’t want him to get a girlfriend out of fear that he’ll forget about her. If you still insist that she’s in love with Taro, then that’s on you

Muja and Mida I have mixed feelings on.

If every student is 18 or older, meaning that the first-years are 18, that makes Taro, a third-year, 20-21 years old. If Mida and Muja are in their early 20s as Yandev has said, that means that the age gap isn’t an issue. However, it’s still wrong for a teacher or a nurse to pursue their student/patient

I don’t think Yandev should need to spell out “hey, Mida and Muja are not good people” in flashing neon signs. The game is rated M and anyone who’s old enough to play it should be able to understand that without it being said. If you need morality in fiction spoon-fed to you, you probably shouldn’t be watching/reading/playing anything rated above PG

On the other hand, YanDev has a nasty habit of making these things into a joke, which is really insensitive and creepy. Like saying that Mida’s favourite food is “the spit of a younger man” (yikes), that she’s tried to seduce her own students 69 times (haha 69 so funney right guys XD), or that whole confession scene mess. It’s less of a problem with Muja, but it’s still there. As much as the audience shouldn’t need everything served to them on a silver platter, issues like these should still be treated with respect, not made into gags

20. Yandev wastes time on “Easter eggs”

I have to agree that he does spend time implementing unnecessary things sometimes (like the abc challenge), but as far as I know the Easter eggs are what he does in his spare time while waiting for assets from volunteers. However: snap mode, which was hyped up for years, turned out to be a flop with zero purpose, disappointing a good portion of the fanbase.

21. Love Letter

So far I’m really liking the look of this game: I like the models and the school environment they’ve shown, and it seems like they’re doing a lot of things in better or more interesting ways than YanDev, like not outright telling us who the rivals are. I don’t think it’s fair to accuse them of “stealing” anything, when it seems like most of the assets the games have in common are the things they bought from the Unity store (Love Letter even changed the base Unity model to have a more appealing look)

I'm glad to see that they actually listened to criticism from fans on things like Setsuna’s design (I love her newest look and I hope it’s the final one). From design alone she’s already a more interesting protagonist, and she looks like the sort of character you’d actually enjoy playing as

Not sure I totally buy the claim that it was all done in two weeks, but even if it was over the span of months, that’s still miles better than YanSim’s six years

Knowing that Dr. Apeis has already ditched one project I’m staying open to new information on this, but as of right now I’m looking forward to playing the demo!

Overall: A lot of the hate against the game and the dev are unnecessary, but some is justified and we shouldn’t blindly defend everything he does (seriously, you can admit that the character designs are shit. no one is going to stone you for it).  There are a lot of improvements Dev could make, both on the game and on his behaviour towards fans.

I think that the biggest improvement would be for the game to just stop taking itself so seriously. At this point, it’s so full of memes, cringy google translate names, excessive edginess, and gags that it may as well just be a fun ridiculous anime game instead of a serious horror game. I feel like taking this approach could make it more successful (plus, it doesn’t really have a lot of horror elements aside from the gore)

There are a lot of cases of people taking things too far. Like spamming YanDev with explicit gore/animal abuse, trying to swat him, spamming volunteers with weird porn, trying to hack into volunteers’ accounts (including bank accounts), etc. That is going way too far, no matter how awful or pathetic you think a person is. If you are doing these kinds of things, you are doing more harm than Dev or his volunteers

Attacking YanDev’s appearance is unnecessary and not related to his behaviour or skills. Same with the chalice memes

However, I’ve seen a lot of YanDev’s defenders lashing out against “gremlins”, lumping all of them in with the kinds of people who do these things. If you check r/Osana, you’ll see that most if not all of the people there condemn this behaviour: the gore and porn spammers are a loud minority (and i’m willing to bet most of them are the basement-dwelling losers from KiwiFarms and 4Chan)

Attacking and/or spamming fans who are just trying to enjoy the game is also unnecessary. Someone liking a video game you don’t like is not doing you any harm. Be mature and move on

I’m not sure if some of what I’ve said above is 100% accurate so if anyone actually read this and has evidence against it then feel free to add

I think that’s about all I have to say on that. Again, i don’t know if it will change anything in the fandom but i really just wanted to get this off my chest

[just-emotional-trash]

An Outranked Romance Ch. 3

Pairings: Eventual Romantic Prinxiety, Logicality, and Remile

Story Summary: At Camp Regality, lords, ladies, and royalty alike learn the values of being a member of court in the Kingdom of Animiria. Prince Roman is thrilled at the chance to get out of the stuffy palace! Virgil, the son of a lowly Baron, is ready to leave the moment he gets there, and plans to slip through unnoticed. But what happens when a certain Princely figure won’t leave him alone?

Inspired by this post by @ironwoman359

Chapters: World-building - First - Previous - Next

Chapter Warning(s): None (that I see, but please tell me if you find one!)

Words: 2.8k

——————————

The first thing that Virgil heard when he woke up the next morning was humming.

Quickly after that, he noticed that Remy wasn’t in their bed. Instead, they were in the bathroom, most likely doing their make-up. That on it’s own wasn’t out of the norm. What was strange was the fact that they were softly singing Disney Princess songs whist doing it. Remy, for all of their amazing traits, did not sing princess songs. They claimed it was to protect their ‘cool factor’ whatever that meant. So waking up to a rendition of A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes was a new experience for Virgil.

“Remy?” Virgil called out as he entered the bathroom, “Are you... having a good morning?” Remy looked at Virgil in the mirror with a smile the size of a dinner plate.


“I am having a wonderful morning, thank you! My crops are watered, the sun is shining warm on my face-”


“-But your eyes are photosensitive-”


“-and the cutest boy in the kingdom is here! At this camp!” Remy finished their dark purple lip with a flourish as they turned to Virgil.


Virgil was taken aback with the realization that Remy had done their eye make-up. “You... you did your eyes! They look amazing!”

And they did, with subtle eyeshadow and eyeliner with a wing so sharp it could cut glass. All this seemed to overpower their red eyes that were normally kept hidden behind shades. Their ocular albinism was fairly severe, and while it didn’t impair their vision much, the red eyes freaked most people out. Not to mention they would go blind if exposed to sunlight for too long. They wore shades for a good reason. But because of said shades, they normally chose to not wear eye makeup because... what was the point? Unless, of course, they knew they might need to take their shades off for someone they wanted to impress.

“I know right? It’s the first day I’ll be here, I’m sure many students and teachers will try to force me to take my sunglasses off.” Oh, thought Virgil, that’s why, I thought he just wanted to impress- “So when I inevitably have to take them off in front of Emile, he might not be too freaked out.” Virgil started to assure them that their eyes were nothing to be ashamed about, but he quickly registered the unknown name.


“Emile? Who’s Emile?”


Remy rolled their eyes like it was obvious. “The duke? I asked around with higher ranked nobility. Apparently he’s not very well known because he’s shy and doesn’t attend many events. And honestly, if all he had to hang out around was those stuffy nobles, I can’t blame him,” They finished with a shrug. Vigil laughed and agreed.

“I can’t argue with that, but Remy. Really, you don’t need to try and disguise your eyes. Do you really want to be with someone that would drop you for something as simple as that?”


“No, but first impression are everything! Come on, hurry up! I’m starving and my duke awaits!” Virgil laughed again and followed him out the door to get ready.

—————


Breakfast sped by quickly, with far too much food and people far too awake for 8:30 in the morning. Then they had classes in the “Palace of Perfection” - aka the Pompous Palace to Virgil and Logan, who dubbed it so last year because of the way most of the staff and students acted. Virgil and Remy waved goodbye to Logan as they made their way to the classroom for Barons.

There are 5 “levels” of nobility in the kingdom of Animiria. The highest is Royalty. Those born into the royal family are considered top tier. Kings, queens, princes, and dukes alike find themselves in superior ranking. Underneath them are the Marquis, then the Earls, then Viscounts, then Barons. All members of nobility are distinguished, but Barons are the most common. The Insomni line of nobility is one of the weakest, and furthest from the Royal family. Neither of the Insomni siblings had ever even been to the palace. They lived on a small estate, a few days travel from the capital city. Because of this, most other nobles never knew Virgil or Remy, and they were commonly isolated in what few noble gatherings they did attend, closer to home.

Ranking was everything, especially to the more old fashioned nobility. The recent king had been trying to fade this discriminating rule out, but to little avail. For example, Logan’s family, all Viscounts from the Moreno line, were particularly stiff on this rule. Logan could only have friends of his rank, or one below or above. Anyone lower is “not worth his time” and anyone higher is too important to be bothering with his presence. His family considered this rule incredibly generous and flexible. Logan didn’t seem to mind, as he tended to keep to himself.

Such rules were common among noble families. As such, classes were divided by ranking. In these classes, students learned knowledge appropriate for their ranking. Barons, being the lowest nobility (most of whom were estate holders), only got classes in manners, some ethics, and of economics. A lot of economics. Most of the morning was economics. Virgil was nearly asleep by lunch a few hours later.

Lunch came and went with little fuss. Remy complained about the monotone teacher - “Maybe I should hire him. He nearly put me to sleep, do you know how hard that is?” - and Logan simply read through a new book he had found in his free time at the large library in which the Viscount’s lessons took place.

Finally, it was time for the only fun part of camp - electives. Before camp starts, they send you a letter of invitation. You have to send them back a letter including what electives you’d like to be placed in. Virgil was in art, archery, and music. Art was first, and was usually filled with mostly female nobility. Last year, the only other male was a second year Marquis named Ethan. He had graduated, so Virgil was expecting to be the only man this year. Not that he had a problem with that, but he wasn’t excited about the teasing he would receive from the teacher.

However, these fears were wiped from his mind when he opened the door to find Prince Roman talking and laughing with the teacher in the proud, obviously fake way he’s been using with all of the nobility. Virgil quickly finds a seat toward the back of the room. Prince Roman moves to take a seat at the front as the teacher calls the class to attention.

“Good afternoon, class! Welcome to art. I’m Baroness Matilda, and I hope to have a great year!  As you may have noticed, this year our roster includes our own Prince Roman.” Giggles flew around the room as the Prince in question turned around and smiled. Virgil just rolled his eyes. “He has asked that we as a class treat him as just another student, and I expect that of each of you.”

The Baroness moved to her desk to pick up a clipboard. “This is a class for all forms of art, but we will begin with traditional. You have been assigned a random partner for our first project. You must get together during free time and sketch each other by the weeks end. This is our first project, so it does not have to be perfect, however I expect more than just stick figures.” She made a pointed look around the class, then looked down at her clipboard.

“I have the list of partners here, I will post them on the board. Please come find your name and partner and get started.” She took a paper out of the clip and taped it to the chalkboard. Almost immediately it was crowded. Virgil slowly made his way up to the front, as to not have to wave through the crowd.

As the squeals of disappointment and excitement filled the room, Virgil found his name listed beside another of significantly more importance. And one that was likely to be a royal pain.

“You’re... Virgil, right?” A gravely voice said behind him. Virgil turned around to see the prince himself. “I’m-“

“Prince Roman.” Virgil finishes for him. The royal seemed taken aback.

“Have... have we met?”

“No, but they made sure your name was known last night.” Virgil answered dryly.

Roman smiled sheepishly. “Yes, I suppose the overdramatic entrance would have done that.” Virgil just shrugged. The prince took that as a cue to continue talking.  “I’m excited to learn more about art. All forms of it really. I’ve dabbled in many, but I’m the best at writing. I’ll show you one of my works one day!”

Virgil rolled his eyes. “No offense your highness, but can we focus on the project?” He looked upset at the prospect, but nodded.

“Of course. But please, you don’t have to call me by my title, just call me Roman.” Virgil raised an eyebrow at that. Maybe Roman wouldn’t be like every other insufferable noble at this camp. He could hope. “Anyway, when can we meet up to work? I’ll only need an hour or so.”

“If you say so... Roman. It’ll only take me an hour as well, but it will only take me a few minutes to snap a reference photo so...” Roman flushed at that.

“Well I’m sorry, I’m not used to the combination of technology and art! Do you know how long it took me and my father to convince the royal advisors that cell phones weren’t evil?!”

Virgil scoffed. “Come on Princey, do you expect me to believe that you couldn’t just use them anyway?”

Roman made... some kind of offended noise (Virgil had never seen anything like it before, but he clutched his heart and made high pitched noises, he seemed offended), and responded, “I’ll have you know that it’s hard being a Prince!” Virgil raised an eyebrow. “No really! I have to constantly be perfection, and any mistake is amplified to the nation!”

Virgil chuckled. “Oh no, afraid your fan club will realize that you’re a human, not a perfect god?”

“Whatever, Emo Nightmare.” Roman huffed.

Virgil raised his eyebrow. “Emo Nightmare?”

“You called me Princey!” Roman accused. “I thought we were doing the nicknaming thing!”

“Ok, Romano”

“You cannot call me Romano.”

“I am so calling you Romano.”

Roman made his offended Princey noises once more. “Come on, I’d far prefer Princey.”

Virgil smirked. “Oh, and what are you going to do, issue a royal decree?”

“Yes!” A church bell rang in the distance, the signal for changing classes.

“You have fun with that.” Virgil picked up his things and started to leave the room. “Bye Romano!” He called as he passed the door.

“You’re insufferable!” He heard from the room as he laughed and walked out to the archery field.

—————

Virgil had already had a strange day. He had not expected to encounter the prince, much less poke fun at him. But what he saw at the field defied all known logic.

In the year he had known Logan, he had been predictable. His choice of friends followed his parents rules. He rarely smiled, even rarer did he laugh. If there was a book near, he was reading it. But this, Virgil could never see coming.

Logan was sitting on a bench, book closed on the bench next to him. And on the other side was the Royal Duke Patton, and Logan, laughing and smiling along to whatever he was saying. It was enough to stop Virgil in his tracks.

“I’ve only known him for like, a day, and I know this is weird.” Remy said as they walked up next to Virgil.

Virgil shook his head. “I’ve never seen him like this. I’ve heard Duke Patton was a personified ray of sunshine, but I never took them seriously. I guess he’s just like that?”

“He really is.” Virgil and Remy jumped as they noticed another had joined their party. “Hey,” said Duke Emile, as he walked up to the other side of Remy. “I’m Emile, he/him. Please don’t call me by title, I’m just a normal person.”

Virgil smiled at his meek introduction. “I’m Virgil, he/him. And this is my sibling Remy.” Virgil put his hand on their shoulder.

Remy had yet to reply, and was instead looking dumbstruck at the object of their affections. They seemed to finally pull themselves out of their reverie and flush red. “Remy, they/them. It’s... it’s nice to meet you.” In what seemed like a dash of courage, they took Emile’s hand in theirs and kissed the back of it.

He flushed and stammered, “It- it’s nice to see- I mean meet! You as well!” Virgil smiled and left the blushing idiots to themselves as he walked over to the pair on the bench.

“Logan, how many times do I have to tell you? Please don’t call me by my title, I’m just a normal person! I’m no greater than you, or Emile, or any other person on this planet.” The Duke Patton talked enthusiastically, waving his hands around to accentuate his words.

Logan frowned “I’m not sure what you mean, you are indeed ranked higher.” Patton threw his hands up in exasperation, just in time for Virgil to walk up behind him and get hit in the nose. The force knocked him back and onto the ground behind him.

“Oh my goodness gracious, are you okay? I’m so sorry!” Virgil looked up to see a duet of worried faces, both looking down at him. Logan seemed rather amused, despite the fact that his best friend was sprawled out on the ground. The other, who must have been Duke Patton, looked incredibly guilty. He had big, round eyes and he was offering his hand to help Virgil up.

Virgil just shook his head and laughed as he took Patton’s hand and lifted himself off of the ground. “I didn’t see you coming up behind me, I feel really bad, is there anything I can do?” Patton asked.

Virgil smirked. “You can tell me how you got Logan to laugh, I’ve known him for a year and only seen him genuinely laugh maybe once or twice.” Logan and Patton tinted pink and Patton laughed nervously as he tried to answer.

“Well, I guess I’m just a funny guy! Anyway, I haven’t introduced my self! I’m Patton! And please do-”

“Don’t use your title, you’re just a normal guy like everyone else.” Virgil interrupted. “I’ve heard the same thing twice today from your brother and cousin.”

Patton smiled sheepishly. “Sorry, we’re just tired of being held up on some pedestal.”

Virgil shook his head and chuckled. “It’s fine, I just find it funny that the three people at this camp that have the most power are functionally the most humble.”  

“Trust me, it gets really annoying fast.”

Virgil hummed in agreement. “Anyway, when did you two meet?”

Logan finally decided to butt in. “We are both taking a class in astrology, and we ended up next to each other in the front of the classroom. We just started talking and our personalities compliment each other well.”

“Well that sure is a fancy way of putting it but yep! Anyway, I’m gonna go find our instructor. Class was supposed to start five minutes ago, the silly goober,” Patton smiled and waved goodbye. Virgil looked at Logan with an expectant expression resting on his face.

“If you’re hoping for more details, I’m afraid you’ll be sorely disappointed,” Logan shot him down quickly. Virgil laughed at the dry response.

“Just tell me one thing.” Logan just raised and eyebrow in invitation to continue. “Isn’t he of much higher rank? Wouldn’t your parents disapprove of you two being such casual friends?”

Logan sighed and ran his hand through his hair once. “My parent’s ideals are old fashioned. It’s not as if we are courting one another or betrothed, we are simply... friends. And what my parents don’t know won’t hurt them. Now if you will excuse me...” With that he walked off in the direction that Patton had left. Virgil just looked on with a shocked expression as Logan and Patton met up, and Patton gave Logan a hug. Albeit still and hesitant, it was a hug nonetheless. Logan, who had never touched Virgil for more than a handshake or a high-five, was hugging the royal duke.

“How much stranger can this day get?”

—————


iknowthisissuperlatepleasedontkillme

At least it is nearly 3 times longer than usual? Does that start to make up for it?

Yeah no, but we can pretend. i did not think this chapter would be this long. I’m happy we get to start seeing some actual interaction between the ships this time!

Taglist: @monroig @anaussiefander @www-dot-ohshit-dot-com @treasureofpriam @ghosttb0y @mostpeopleannoyne @athenashipsthings @icequeenorginal @cas-is-a-hunter  @justastressedprincess @rebeyerfdog @felicianoromano @roxiefox24 @laytonsartblog @bestbluebouquet@colorfulamo @alexanndrite

[kuriquinn]

just because it ain’t broke, doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be improved

I feel like a few things need to be qualified about the feedback culture discourse if it’s going to stay civil.

Feedback advocates ARE NOT demanding every single consumer leave feedback on every single piece of art or story every time they log on to the internet.

Consumer advocates ARE NOT suggesting that fanartists and fanwriters are not entitled to feedback ever.

Let’s not go putting words in each other’s mouths, that way inevitably leads to lurking trolls deciding to become keyboard warrior anons.  

Feedback discourse is not meant to shame anyone, consumer or writer, it’s to open a discussion about how the general culture could be changed for the better.

That said, fandom in general is in need of a change in how consumers and creators interact with one another. 

One of the main arguments I have seen in the past few days is that passively consuming fandom works (with the occasional outlying consumer occasionally or always leaving feedback) has always been the norm, is currently the norm and will always be the norm.***

Which to me boils down to, “we’ve always done it this way, why change it?”

(I doubt I need to give all the historical examples of where that kind of thinking has gotten us, or how it’s been challenged.)

Just because it’s normal practice now and everyone does it this way and supposedly always has done it this way, doesn’t mean we can’t strive for something better. Fandom creators and consumers are in a symbiotic relationship—without the consumer, we have no one to share our work with but ourselves and maybe a few close friends; without the creator, consumers don’t get access to new content related to their interests (or at least have diminished access). 

We need each other.

If tomorrow some law is passed that basically bans all fan created content from the web and some major purge happens just deleting everything that doesn’t belong or isn’t endorsed by the actual creator, what happens to the fandom? I can tell you right now, creators will keep creating—we just won’t be able to share it with anyone but our closest, real-life friends. And consumers might keep consuming fan-created content, but it will be in a much smaller capacity. 

Neither side wants this.

So why not discuss ways to make the fandom experience better for both sides here? Including listening to the parties in the relationship who are basically explaining something that is discouraging/damaging to them?

It’s a pretty simple equation: 

creators produce/share free content --> consumers enjoy free content--> consumers provide feedback--> encouraged creators produce/share more free content, continually improving over time-->consumers continue to enjoy free content

VS

creators produce/share free content -->consumers enjoy free content without providing any indication they care about the content-->creators still produce free content but at lower frequency/quality over time (months, years, etc.)-->consumers continue to enjoy free content without providing any indication they care about the content -->creators still produce content but not longer share their work or start putting their work behind a paywall--> consumers complain that so many favorite creators now want money for their creations

Obviously, this is a generalization and doesn’t speak to every single creator and consumer’s behavior, but as both a creator and a consumer, this has been my experience more often than not. 

Now, I know not every single person is going to provide feedback on every single piece of art or writing they encounter. But right now, the average fandom consumer defaults to the following behavior:

Consume fanfic/fanart + [leave likes/kudos] + move on to next

(At the moment, even the kudos is entirely optional, since a majority of consumers don’t even bother with that. )

We need to change this default behavior to:

Consume fanfic/fanart + did I like it? = No? + move on to the next

Consume fanfic/fanart + Did I like it? =Yes? + reblog/share [and/or leave a comment]

(I’d make a flowchart, but I’m doing this on my phone, so...kinda hard.)

It takes the same amount of energy to reblog/share a fanwork as it does to leave kudos/likes. So if you like something but don’t have the energy/confidence/interest to comment, the least that can be done is boost the signal and pay it forward.

We need to normalize this behavior instead of passive, entitled consumption.

Again, this is NOT a call to FORCE people to leave feedback.

It’s more like when you’re a kid and your parents teach your to say “please” and “thank you”. Obviously, their goal is that as you get older, you will automatically say those things in the appropriate contexts, such as when you would like something or are expressing gratitude.

Does that mean everyone in the world uses “please” and “thank you” when interacting with others? Not at all. We’ve all run into some real dickheads that are downright rude for the sake of being rude, as well as people who are unintentionally rude because they don’t think it’s worth their time to be polite. Would the world be a better place if everyone did use “please” and “thank you”? I like to think so.

The reason we’re talking about feedback culture now is because we want a better future in the fandom. We want a better situation than what we have right now.

And honestly, if we can have people start treating fan writers and artists better here at the unofficial level that is fandom, think of how that kind of change and discourse could change the way art and literature is viewed in the world at large? Because right now, we live in a society where funding for the arts is more often passed over for funding sports, business, military, etc. The only sectors of society that are treated worse than artists and writers are the teachers, nurses and retail workers (and don’t even get me started on the trend of female-dominated sectors of the economy rating lower than predominantly male-dominated ones!)

Personally, I think a lot of these disagreements could be mitigated by an update to Ao3’s feedback system.

Kudos is like a checkmark on a list. “Yep, read that...Yep, read that.” 

The only time I don’t leave kudos on something is if I didn’t finish reading it. And yes, that is my personal experience, but we’re human beings and we tend to frame the actions of others based on our own practices.

The kudos feature should be replaced with a new system either emojis (think Facebook) or canned comments (pre-written responses generated by a simple keystroke). For the simple fact that these can better convey the emotions of the consumer than a faceless kudo.

Having started using an emoji based system last year, I can tell you from experience that every week or two, I have someone comment to me how much they like being able to use an emoji to get their words across because they’re not good with words / their first language isn’t the same as mine / they’re still processing what they’ve read and can’t formulate a response yet/ etc.

TL;DR: The purpose of discourse related to feedback culture is to try to normalize leaving feedback on fanworks, instead of passively consuming—not forcing people to leave feedback.

_______________________________________________________________

***It has NOT always been this way. I have been part of several fandoms in my time— Lord of the Rings, Gundam Wing, Beyblade, Harry Potter, Inuyasha, Supernatural, Rurouni Kenshin, Doctor Who, Naruto, Batman/DCU, to name a few. And twenty years ago, people left way more feedback than they do today. Even on the really terrible stuff (and I say this as someone whose first fanfics were exclusively dedicated to horrible Mary Sue OC self-inserts), if you posted a chapter of something, within the next day you had a half dozen comments—more if you were writing a one-shot/completed fic. Ten years later, I noticed feedback started to be almost half of that; now it’s even less. The content hasn’t changed; the quality of writers hasn’t changed. However, the mindset of the consumer has definitely changed.

[thesalemsaga]

𝟮 — 𝗮𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻

—   𝙨𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙙 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙖𝙡𝙚𝙢 𝙨𝙖𝙜𝙖.

𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙙 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩 : 6.9k words

𝙨 : in order to go beyond the walls, seren will need to assemble the best of the best to tutor. of course, they may be proven to be a little more difficult when she sees the personalities she will have to clash with to get what she wants.

the breakfast menu changed daily, and for the past three years in which she has been attending this school, seren has never changed what she ate.

it was a saturday morning, so most students were out of the school, enjoying a brisk weekend visiting family downstairs in the city, going to the beach or just enjoying the blissful feeling of being away from school. of course, to be allowed out of school on the weekend, you would have had to be on your best behavior. if you haven’t, then you’d have to stay.

but even with the choice of heading into town, some students chose to remain in their dorms and enjoy the access they had to the library and the training chambers. third-year students especially were willing to sacrifice their weekend in order to prepare themselves for upcoming exams. and since seren basically lived in the school, it is very rare not to see her in the cafeteria eating breakfast on a saturday morning.

as per usual, she had gone and chosen french toast and eggs, along with some fruit juice to sustain her for the morning. a good meal like this one would usually keep her satisfied until lunch time, that is if she didn’t have training lessons in the morning. she had a lesson later that day, and usually after it, she would flee to do something she longed for. tap dancing, going shopping, watching a movie.

today, however, it didn’t seem like she was going to catch a break.

that night before, she could barely sleep. because her father had accepted her offer, but the job had only just started. seren had proposed the idea of building up a team of the best students and take them beyond the walls to perhaps fix the issue regarding salem. it was a lot to ask, and it was going to be anything but easy, yet seren loved a challenge.

through the chatter and orchestra of cutlery echoing through the enormous cafeteria, the principal’s daughter sat alone at her usual table. the windows surrounding the place were immense, allowing a clear view of the sky outside and if she rose from her seat, she might have been able to peek at the ocean. but her gaze remained nailed to the screen of her student tablet.

seren had been glancing through student profiles, accessing deeper files that her father gave her the permission to look into, in order to find the ideal people to help her complete her mission. yesterday, she had suggested the role that the top ten could play, but even in the top ten, there would be some people who wouldn’t be too resilient for something like this.

hence why she checked some teacher feedback, looking for anyone who might be slightly courageous or reckless, who had a history of being able to protect themselves, who could be trusted to cooperate with others and maintain a good relationship with teammates.

although she had written some names down, seren had crossed them out at least five times before coming to a firm, final decision. although looking at profiles was useful, it would be perhaps better to look at these people in action, to approach them and talk to them and make her own judgement instead of relying on teachers who might be picking favorites.

“ shit, this is difficult ”, seren was not the type to curse, but finding the right people to help her save the world was proven much more difficult, you can’t expect her not to feel the pressure. and if she were to give up, she might suffocate on the feeling of seeing her father’s disappointed face.

the chatter within the cafeteria didn’t really matter to her but she looked up and tried to recognize any faces. she saw some people who were in her alchemy class, none of whom seemed to be in the top ten.

but then she suddenly stopped.

one of the faces stood out to her the most in particular, a handsome face laughing among a circle of friends enjoying a conversational breakfast. if seren wasn’t mistaken, she had seen this face whilst looking at the top ten students. perhaps it was why she had stopped instead of grazing over it. she was glad she hadn’t.

romeo yahontov, rank four, gunner. he had a particularly slim face with hollow cheeks and a sharp, defined jaw, and his eyes appeared rather kind. since it was a weekend, all students were out of their uniform, and perhaps it was why seren at first didn’t see what the big deal was about this fellow, until she recalled some of the comments teachers made and just the type of gunner that he was.

if she were to pass this opportunity, she would regret it. and although surrounded by friends, seren thought that his care-free attitude would bind well in helping her recruit more people. he had that friendly face, and he seemed assertive enough. please, let this work.

seren did not want to assume that everyone shared the same ambition as her, but she was almost certain that romeo, looking at him now, wouldn’t exactly say no. teachers called him a daredevil, albeit a rude one at times, but still someone who sought out adrenaline and did not lack any resilience when it came to trying new things. this was no class demonstration, though; this was a dangerous mission.

the girl peered at her empty plate and set her tablet aside and rose, feeling her summer skirt brushing briskly against her ankles. what she became cautious of was the fact that she couldn’t raise any suspicions among the other students, this was supposed to be top secret. and she never really approached her classmates to talk to them, so she would have to think of an odd way to pull romeo aside and really talk to him about the plans she had in mind.

the table was filled mostly by third-year boys except for one girl who seemed to one of their girlfriends. seren really didn’t want to interrupt their conversation but it had to be done. she hesitated and then after debating something within her own troubled mind, proceeded towards their table, crossing over without backing away or giving up.

they didn’t seem to take too much notice of her when she eventually walked closer until she had cleared her throat. romeo was the first to turn. the surprise in their eyes was, well, no surprise. seren hardly spoke to her classmates, which many have claimed comes with the narcissism of being the daughter of the principal, but it was just that she never knew what to say to them, how to befriend them. but this time around, she had reason to pull romeo aside.

“ romeo yahontov, may i borrow you for a second? ”.

if he was confused, romeo definitely did not show it. he simply peered over his shoulder at the female with a slow smirk encasing his lips. the letter man jacket he wore didn’t make things any better, he truly looked like a walking stereotype of a jock. 

“ sure thing, i wouldn’t miss it for the world, being able to talk to an angel. ”

based on the reactions from his friends, groans and faked gags, even a light punch on the arm, the comment wasn’t exactly appropriate. seren didn’t really understand why for a moment, angel? she didn’t get it. if there was a joke, then it had gone right over her head.

not to be discouraged, the girl nodded and watched the boy stand up with a level of enthusiasm she’s never really seen in someone before, before leading him out of the cafeteria, out of anyone’s ear shot. as she said, top secret. if someone came to her father complaining about not being invited to the mission, she’d be dead meat.

romeo paced alongside her with his hands tucked into his pockets, pleasantly whistling until he stopped and hummed, “ where are you taking me, angel? if it was a confession spot, you could have just left a note in my locker. it’d be a little bit more romantic. ”

seren stopped in the midst of her steps, peering at him with raised brows. “ sorry? ”, she questioned, shaking her head. “ no, no, i’m not doing anything like that. ”

having met the male for less than five minutes, she did not expect to see his face suddenly burn pink with embarrassment this early on. was she too curt? if she hadn’t approached him so timidly, maybe he wouldn’t have gotten this idea. “ o-oh ”, he voiced, scratching his cheek slightly. “ oh, so you’re not confessing? ”.

seren shook her head quickly. “ i-i see . . . what did you call me here for, then? ”.

he appeared to have gotten himself together and out of his previously embarrassed state. seren felt comforted to start talking, seeing as how the hall was empty. she still took a step closer just in case. “ i’m . . . i’m assembling a team of the best students in the school ”, she revealed. “ top ten, preferably. it’s for a mission, you could say. ”

romeo raked his fingers through his hair, “ and let me guess. you want me to join? that sounds like fun, what kind of mission is it? ”.

seren would have been happy to hear his willingness to help if he hadn’t been so loud. the word ‘mission’ tumbled so clumsily and loudly from his lips that it did make some passing heads turn, and she was glad to have stopped him. she smacked her hand over his mouth and shushed him, brows knitted together.

he held up his hands apologetically, but seren didn’t remove her hand. “ it’s a secret one that only my father knows about. and it’s good that he remains the only person in the school body who knows of it. it’s a journey . . . beyond the walls ”, she dropped her voice to a mere whisper, yet the shock seemed to impact romeo regardless. his eyes widened suddenly. “ i know, i know. it’s an insane idea but i feel like if we wait until graduation to do something about salem, we won’t see many days of happiness after leaving. ”

the boy murmured something incoherent.

“ sorry? ”.

romeo chuckled and then grasped her wrist, removing her hand shielding his mouth. “ i said that’s dark. but you’re right ”, he claimed, sighing slightly. “ to be honest, i don’t think i’m gonna get much action in this school aside from tournaments. and we all know how boring they are, always fighting the same people . . . it’d be nice to leave this place one day. ”

finally, someone who shared her ambition. she thought that due to sheltered up-bringing from stiff parents scared of sending their children out, that people would repel from the idea of venturing out and seeing the world for themselves. but it some were resilient like her, and for that, she was grateful for.

“ so, will you join? ”, seren raised, only then realizing that the male had still been holding her wrist and she quickly motioned for him to let go, which he did. “ i know i ask a lot and it’s probably not going to be the smoothest ride but, if it’s for a good cause, we’ll just have to sacrifice comfort for the greater good. ”

romeo shrugged, “ why not? it’s better than being stuck here having to deal with awful lessons and worrying about what path i wanna take after graduation. hell, if we’re lucky and come back with good results, i might be able to choose my own path. ”

though not one to ask people personal questioned when dealing with something professional, seren couldn’t help it this time. “ what path do you have in mind?”.

“ open up a club or a bar. maybe help my mom with some stuff at home. anything but selling my soul to the military so i’ll get killed off in the midst of a useless expedition ”, he answered, giving her a meek smile. “ to have a life of my own is what i dream of. so, yes angel, i’m in for it. ”

in all honesty, seren was not expecting such good results in the beginning. but something within her now said it was only going to become more complicated from that moment on, yet she was willing to persevere. she wasn’t going to grow discouraged if someone said no. yet she could not help the sigh of relief. 

“ who else do you plan on having on this team? ”, romeo inquired.

that, she remained uncertain of. she didn’t have too much time to waste, she had to approach many more people within a short amount of time to get what she wanted, to convince them to join. her negotiation skills weren’t too flawed but perhaps she would be able to use some help from romeo now that he had agreed. she knew some people wouldn’t take her seriously since she did not come off as the confident or stubborn type. 

appearances deceive, however, because she was burning to get this mission to work.

having looked at the list all too many times, she had become familiar with the names and skills of certain people. people whom she thought were eligible for the role. and if they were going to be as easy to charm as romeo was, then it wouldn’t be too much of an issue. but in the case that they weren’t, she didn’t mind getting physical.

and by physical, she means the pleading dance.

“ i have a few people in mind ”, the girl spoke, and brought her speech to a slight pause when a name rang in her mind, seemingly awakening a part of her mind that had completely shut down. the very person who brought her to come to this decision, the inspiration for it. the moment she looked at him, she had her epiphany. seren abruptly gasped. 

“ w-where would kailen cassius be today, right now? ”.

time skip . . .

finding the boy who had sparked the idea to begin with was proven to be a difficult task. according to romeo, kailen would be in school around this time and if they were fortunate and quick enough, they might be able to stop him before he goes into town and then have to wait till monday to bring the subject up once more. 

seren was hopeful that the journey would start on monday, yet with the struggles that they had already faced to find kailen told her it was going to take much, much longer than that. ted was unavailable on the weekend because he was enjoying what one might call a ‘spa day’, so she could not ask him to lead them to kailen.

the search had started early in the morning, and after asking around, checking in the library and cafeteria twice, searching all of the floors on the elevator even to the platform where the yggdrasil railway stopped and running through the outdoor yard at least twice, it was noon. and the girl was famished, exhausted and in dire need to find this boy.

kailen was an archer, someone with a keen eye and attention to detail, he would be a perfect addition to their team. from what she knew, he didn’t have a complicated or big personality, meaning he would work well in a group. or even help keep the group solid. he had to be in this, he was the one who helped her come up with the idea, so she had a lot to thank him for.

still, when the bell rang for lunch, there had been no sign of him.

romeo had settled on the bench of the yard outside, yawning loudly. “ it’s no use, seren. you’ll just have to wait until he comes back from town, or something. he probably went to buy a cook book, he likes that sort of stuff ”, he stated, stretching his limbs. his gaze flicked over to her. “ but you won’t be able to wait, right? ”.

was it that obvious? seren was on edge, pacing in a slightly circle, chewing on her bottom lip whilst her hands trembled. when she starts to panic like this, the universe usually has some mercy and blesses her with something to ease her down, but nothing had happened as of it. maybe all of the predominantly negative thoughts in her head were attracting, well, bad things. and that took shape in not finding the right candidates for her quest.

“ god, i’m sorry ”, the girl eventually sighed and took a seat on the same bench, adjusting her skirt. “ i just really wanna get this done. it’s too early to get this anxious but the quicker we assemble a team, the less time my father will spend contemplating his decision. ”

romeo appeared confused, “ wait, so he hasn’t said anything yet? are you doing this without his permission? ”.

“ i-i did ask for his permission. he said that if i could gather the right people since it was my idea, he’d allow me to go through with the plan. but i know my father and i know that it takes him ages to reach his final verdict, and it’s likely he’ll retract all that he said ”, seren confessed, groaning and tilting her head back to peer at the blue sky.

it is easy to get discouraged when your father uses these tactics to get things to work in his favor. as stated, he was a man of honor, but the honor would not always come from humble intentions and it is very quick for the man to break a promise. it has happened countless times in the past. and that is what upsets seren, the inconsistency in his words and the inability to completely throw her trust on the table when dealing with her father.

yet she had witnessed something different yesterday, a different approach to something which she has never seen some out of arthur armsend. he seemed almost willing to complete her wish, possibly because he knew she was going to counter, and argue and argue until his ears were practically bleeding. on most occasions she will give up if the matter is not important, but this was major. this was a big deal, and he knew that.

he knew his daughter was going to have her time of taking her fate into her own hands and he would be unable to stop her.

still, even if he rejected the request after she went through all the work of gathering these people, seren would go against his wishes. she would sneak out if it was necessary, but she was not going to let her old man get in between her intentions to nurse the world and save it from the grip of another destruction.

“ if he does not give you permission, you probably won’t give up either way. ”

“ of course i won’t. ”

having had rested for a minute or so, the girl stood once more as if willing to continue her journey, she wanted this so badly, she couldn’t just stick around any longer. upon rising from her seat, she turned to romeo and smiled. “ well, there’s no time to waste. we’re not finished looking ”, she stated.

romeo let out a faint hum, “ there is one place i failed to mention, a place most don’t visit but that is where we’ll most likely find our favorite archer. ”

the place he was talking about was none other than the ranged shooting range that was embedded in between one of the many lower floors of the school, a hall for archers and gunners and mages alike who wanted to train their accuracy in peace. and that was where they went.

seren allowed herself to relax on the walk to the said location, feeling hopeful that this would be the place she would find the male and have a bit more luck. she hoped he would be easy to convince, he was the one who inspired the idea to begin with and she could feel her heart begin to drop if it were to go wrong, if he were to say no. he was a likely candidate. 

when they entered the chamber, it was like entering an indoor arena, with ranges stationed and spaced away from each other to allow students to conduct whatever crazy maneuver they wanted so long as they hit the target at hand. nobody was really around except for the tutor who was away in his office, and upon seeing an arrow claim its target square in its head, they became aware that they had come to the right place.

romeo spotted kailen on the middle range with his bow in his hand, rather eccentric in color but it looked like it could do a lot of damage. he was the best archer the school had, not to mention the semblance that he had which made his hunting almost too powerful. seren didn’t feel intimidated when she first saw him the other day, but looking at him now, there was a pang of apprehension in approaching him.

his eyes were particularly cold as he stared ahead, but upon noting of the two approaching figures, not to mention romeo excitedly calling his name, he dropped his bow, the holographic arrow disappearing and so did his frown, replacing it with a warm smile.

“ romeo. what brings you here? ”.

“ my friend here has a question for you. ”

when she felt herself being pushed forward, seren was reminded of her primary school days, in which the unwanted attention would always be on her. whether it was for her wealth or her father’s status, it always felt like people were watching her, waiting for something, maybe a chance for her to mess up and then mouth her off for as long as they could. 

but this would be different in some ways, because she was grown up. she was no longer lost or really all that alone, she had at least someone who could look out for her, that person being romeo. she felt like in the short hours that they had known each other, he would be someone she could approach even if this went wrong.

the girl rose her meek gaze to meet the archer’s and smiled softly, “ kailen cassius? ”.

his gaze seemed to soften, some pinkness flooding to his cheeks that she didn’t know the origin of. what is bad she had said his full name? it sounded as if she was going to scold him, she probably should’ve just been more direct.

this isn’t going well.

“ y-yes, that’s me. ”

seren smiled, “ i’m . . . going to ask something crazy of you that might make me sound like an insane person, but it’s something i’m very serious about and i was hoping you’d be able to help me. ”

“ sure, what’s up? ”.

keeping herself calm and trying not to verge too much on her enthusiasm, the girl proposed the same idea she had given romeo. she didn’t miss a single detail, she touched up on the idea of doing something good before graduation and perhaps being part of a group that could change the fate of the dying planet, that could nurse it back to its original state, that could rid it of this parasite leaching off of it.

the more she thought about the possibility of accomplishing this ambitious goal, the more she wanted to do it, the faster she wanted to make it happen, the braver she felt to leave the only place she had ever known growing up, albeit not alone, but still, putting distance between herself and her home.

and upon seeing the reaction that grazed the boy’s face, something similar to romeo’s, with that flicker of imagination and hope in his eyes, seren felt like it was worth it all along. she wasn’t just pursuing something she wanted, she would be pursuing something many more people wanted but didn’t know where to start from.

kailen looked to the side with a hum, setting his bow aside. “ are you sure you’d want me on your team, though? ”.

“ yes ”, she quickly replied. “ you’re a very capable archer. you’re known for being good with teams and cooperating, even leading in some instances. i can’t imagine someone best fit for the role. ”

she heard romeo grunt behind her, “ careful, you might boost his ego too much. ”

she was clueless as to what he was referring to until she peeked at his face and saw a redness pooling around his cheeks that made her believe she had said too much. it tends to happen when she gets too passionate, too involved. she just really wanted the male to join in, and she wasn’t just saying these things to flatter him. they were not empty compliments, they were very genuine.

kailen appeared to struggle slightly to respond, rubbing the back of his neck. “ you don’t have to say these sorts of things to get on my good side, seren ”, he mumbled.

the girl suddenly stepped closer, not realizing she might be getting in his face in almost aggressive manner. “ i’m not ”, she stated with a minor pout. “ i don’t say things without meaning them. i want you on this team. ”

“ i’m not qualified as opposed to others, though. ”

“ kailen, for fuck’s sake, just say yes before the poor girl starts crying. ”

it was too late, the girl had teared up ever so slightly. it was obvious how important this was to her, but at the same time, she could not force this down people’s throats and she realized it now that she might have come off as way too aggressive and maybe was scaring him off.

bottom lip quivering, seren lowered her head, embarrassed to the core. “ i’m sorry. i-i’m certain you don’t want to be risking your life for what some might claim to be a child’s fantasy, b-but it’s for a good cause . . . for me, at least ”, she voice, going more and more reluctant by the second.

a sigh came from above her, and only when she looked up did she realize how tall the male was. she felt like an ant beside him.

“ what other people are there on the time? ”, kailen posed arms crossed over his chest. “ i’m assuming romeo is going to be there. ”

from behind, romeo threw a peace sign and gave a cheeky grin, “ you bet your ass i am. the party doesn’t start till yahontov walks in. ” 

kailen chuckled, amused, before rolling his eyes and bringing his attention to a conflicted seren. “ listen, you don’t need to make that face. it’s clear you’re passionate about this, and it can’t be easy having to sit around and not having the means to make things happen ”, he spoke in such a sympathetic tone that it made her want to cry properly. “ you really want me on your team? ”.

the girl nodded eagerly, she might end up giving herself whiplash if the boy keeps asking the same thing. she suddenly squeaked when she felt an arm being thrown around her shoulder, recognizing romeo’s happy hum.

“ you heard the lady, cassius. and trust me, when a pretty girl comes up to you with a deal like this, you don’t want to be the idiot saying no ”, he argued, peering down at seren with a toothy grin which she struggled to return, mostly because of the physical contact, it made her shy. “ seren here is best thing that’s going to happen to you in your miserable teen life. so say yes, man. ”

“ my life isn’t miserable! ”.

“ you’re gonna tell me you’d rather spend your weekend firing at the same thing over and over again, instead of heading off into the wild with some friends and a cute tutor by your side, kicking ass and saving the world? ”.

seren hummed, lips pouted. cute tutor?

if kailen had been slightly shy talking to seren, then he became ten times more timid in front of romeo. because he posed the real questions, in a fashion that made kailen look like a fool. but seren didn’t think he was, he was just contemplating, he was allowed to make his choice even if she really wanted him to join them.

the archer mumbled softly, “ i mean, my cook books . . . ”.

“ kailen! ”.

“ alright, fine! ”.

kailen turned to seren and beamed down at the girl with a level of energy she had hoped to see previously and seeing it now nursed her worries and doubts quickly, “ i’ll join you, seren. thank you for considering me, and believe me, i won’t let you or the team down. ”

the loyalty radiated off of him in such a pleasant way that she couldn’t help but smile brightly at both him and romeo, who gave her a tight side-hug, content with how things had turned out.

time skip . . .

yesterday had been a success for seren. if she slept only four hours friday night, then she slept zero hours last night, too excited to even think about hitting the hay.

on a sunday morning, you might see her going about something that meant she would have a little time for herself. that often came in the form of tap-dancing or doing some online shopping since she never really left her room on the weekend. however, that morning, she looked over at tap shoes with dismay, not particularly interested.

she had been dancing since she was rather young. a fondness for dance that started a ballet and turned into tap after a major injury that left her with a minor limp for many years. if you see her running, you might witness the limp. an operation had to be done, and it impacted the way she walked. it was something seren tried not to think about too much.

after getting changed into her jeans and warm cardigan and converse, the girl left her room and her dorm and didn’t think to bother her father as he would not be in his office. sundays often meant he was away playing golf with some of the teachers, the only time he was free to be a normal man his age when he was not being the leader of a revolution.

it was her intention to get breakfast first, so she aimed to reach the cafeteria before her seat got taken and before the food got cold. there was a skip in her step, she was just so content that things had gone down so smoothly yesterday, that two strong people had agreed to help her on this important journey. with the way romeo accepted it so easily and how kailen showed a little more reluctance, she was not expecting things to be so easy.

she still needed three people to complete her team, and she had some names in mind, though it was a matter of seeking them out or letting lady luck make her move like how she did yesterday when she found those two boys. seren glanced about the cafeteria in search of any new faces, but instead, she was met with romeo beckoning her over. was he sitting at her table? that was a first.

“ morning, angel. did you sleep well? ”.

seren chuckled, “ i didn’t sleep at all. ” placing her food down, she sat opposite of romeo and took a quick glance around. “ where’s kailen? ”.

“ said he had something to do. but listen, i think we’ve just found some people who might be able to help you out ”, romeo stated. seren’s eyes grew in size and hope. “ don’t get too hopeful, though. they’re prodigies, but they’re going to be hard to charm. ”

of course, her theory was right. seren stared down at her plate, letting her mind run with possibilities. the worst thing that could happen is every single one of them turning the offer down, but as she stated yesterday, she was not to be discouraged. she still had an impressive gunner and archer in her team already, she just needed more people. and if the top ten wouldn’t do, she was fine looking elsewhere.

“ two of ‘em just walked in, no don’t turn around. one of them doesn’t like being stared at. ”

seren remained staring ahead, following romeo’s advice. what was so bad about them that she could not look back? “ w-who are they? ”.

“ the yin and yang duo ”, romeo replied, catching her furrowed brows of confusion and quickly adding on. “ they’re insane fighters. one’s actually one of the rare mages within the school, the other is a brawler you will reduce you to dust if you get on his bad side. okay, you can look now. ”

seren tried not to make it obvious, peering over her shoulder ever so slightly as if to reach into her bag even though she didn’t have it. she caught sight of two boys walking beside each other, one radiating a pleasant air, and the other radiating something equivalent to the feeling of being suffocated. 

the tall one was intense, his eyes were intense, his posture was tense and he seemed to have quick eyes, which is another way of saying that he was one to pay attention to detail.

the other, slightly shorter, wore a smile on his face and carried what seemed to be a drawing pad against his chest. his clothes were a little warmer in color. seren understood why romeo had referred to them as yin and yang, they didn’t seem like they would be friends at all but they were talking, seemingly sharing a pleasant conversation.

“ evangelos chrysanthos, fuck that’s a mouthful, and perseus ursa. apparently they know each other quite well, even if they look like they belong in separate worlds ”, she heard romeo say, eventually ripping her gaze away. “ evan is the brawler. and percy is the mage, they’re a killer duo together. did you see their double duel in last year’s tournament? ”.

seren blushed and shook her head, she wasn’t really seen in school events of the sort.

“ come on, armsend, get with the times ”, he groaned in response and took a sip of his coffee. “ listen, if you can get those two on your team, you might just end up having a four member equivalent of an army. but we’re lacking something. ”

“ a healer. ”

romeo nodded.

even if you had a tyrant-like force behind you kicking the ass of every creature or man who dared to pose a challenge, they’d be nothing if not for a healer watching their back. they were essential to a group and they were seriously looked down upon despite the time and effort it takes to learn all of the enchantments and all of the healing spells applied to combat. 

seren knew that regardless of a swordsman, a gunner, an archer, a brawler and a mage, it would mean nothing if there wasn’t someone who would be healing them on the sides, saving their lives.

“ have you got anyone in mind? ”.

“ there’s only one person. rank two ”, romeo spoke, tilting his head. “ alexander sallow. ” of course the name rang a bell, her father would never stop talking about the male during his staff meetings. a healer in the second rank was almost unheard of, yet he managed it effortlessly. 

she needed him on this team.

“ kailen went up to him the other day. he turned it down immediately, said it would just be a waste of time, energy and a reduction of five men that could be added to the army ”, romeo suddenly grunted with clear hostility. “ i’ll show him one day. ”

seren gave him a desperate look, “ can you give me good news? ”.

romeo’s eyes appeared to soften. “ kailen also went up to the yin and yang boys. and i won’t lie, i think they’ll be interested a lot more when they see who they’re working with. two handsome and strong men, not to mention an adorable tutor such as yourself ”, he stated, motioning towards her.

this time, she did blush.

“ if they’ll be easier to convince than alexander, i’m content with the chances we have. they seem like good players, so i’m happy ”, seren said with a meagre nod and smile. “ you and kailen are doing god’s work. i would freeze up if i were to go up to them . . . they seem really intimidating. ”

a chortle came from behind her.

“ do we now? ”.

oh, how far her stomach dropped. seren turned slowly, feeling as if she had just found herself in the midst of a horror movie scene. but it was only perseus and evangelos standing behind her, peering down at her and romeo. she gulped and turned away.

“ fellas! how lovely of you to join us ”, romeo called excitedly, motioning for them to sit down. only perseus made the effort to move, settle his hands on the back of an empty chair beside seren. she tried not to look. evangelos, meanwhile, remained where he was. and even though her back was to him, seren could feel his eyes digging into her like daggers. “ you’ve been acquainted with our tutor, have you not? ”.

seren only looked at them both, and waved shyly in greeting.

“ you didn’t say it was going to be principal armsend’s daughter ”, evangelos grunted. “ you sure miss out on the important details, romeo. ”

“ hey, i said it was going to be someone of importance and someone cute. there’s only one person who fits that criteria ”.

“ i’m failing to see the cuteness aspect. ”

ouch, evangelos! seren tried not to flinch at how deeply that wounded her.

romeo sighed, “ listen, she’s gone out of her way to beg me and kailen to join in. she just wants a team, man. and i think you’re going to be complaining less when your name goes down in history as the person who led a mission that brought salem’s reign to an end. ”

perseus suddenly spoke, “ that’s the reason behind the journey? ”.

feeling the attention shift to her, seren kept up her act as best as she could. she was not as strong when faced with difficult personalities.

“ salem is hidden somewhere in russia, probably planning her next move and we don’t know whether this one is going to be fatal. we’ve trained a lot for this and all we’ve been told is that we’ll use the skills in case there’s a war. but there will be a war regardless, one which we can prevent if we get up and do something. ”

silence settled over the table. she had repeated the same thing she had told her father the night before, and it was because people needed to be reminded of that. the world was not going to grow or continue in this period of peace if they stayed cooped up within these walls.

“ you said you needed five people ”, perseus recalled. seren had the courage to lift her gaze and look at him properly for the first time. “ who’s the fifth? ”.

“ alexander sallow. ”

evangelos snorted, “ good luck with that. ”

at that moment, it was clear the tension needed to be broken. and as stated, she could not handle it by herself when they were so critical. romeo sensed her troubles quickly and cleared his throat, “ okay. she’s managed to convince an idiot like me to join, and an insecure soul like kailen, as well. if she can do it to someone as annoying and stuck up as alexander, no offense to him, then you two have to join. ”

it was a good deal. but it meant she would have to deal with the most difficult personality across the board, someone who had sent kailen away when he so kindly approached him with the idea. seren would have to do at some point, and if doing so granted her the final two people needed to complete her group, so be it.

and it seemed to be a plan both boys seemed to be on board with.

“ looks like you’ve got a lot of work to do, armsend. ”

the scathing comment from evangelos didn’t bother her too much, she was accustomed to the underestimations. she was just ready to get all of this done and get the engine running.

the clock’s ticking, however. she really does have to get to work.

[blueboxesandtrafficcones]

You’re My Best Friend

(Ooh, you make me live, now honey!)

In response to this prompt from this list, sent a very long time ago now, but after giving in and asking my beta for help (the lovely @stupidsatsuma!) I was finally able to come up with something.

Rated PG-13 for occasional bad language.

AO3

---

Ellie trudged up the path to Hardy’s with a yawn, thinking of the lovely dream from which her alarm had thrown her.  The specifics were fuzzy now, but she had a vague, calming sense of… peace.  Of being on vacation with someone she loved, of no responsibilities other than choosing where to go for meals.

A stark contrast to the chaos getting the boys up for school had been; she’d ultimately had to leave them to her father’s care to make it to Hardy’s on time.

She was so lost in her thoughts that it wasn’t until she was on the patio she realized that the sliding glass door was open, and what was more, Hardy was talking.

How could he already know I’m here? she wondered, only to reach the doorway and find him with his back to her, speaking to an empty room.  He was already dressed, ready to go but for his suit jacket, and stood with one hand on his hip, the other in front of him where he could peer down at the writing.

It was a pose she was greatly familiar with, though usually a room full of detectives stared back at him, rather than his furniture.

“Who can tell me what the most important job is, for police?”

Ellie leaned silently against the door frame, watching him watch the empty room.

“You are aware that walls aren’t people, right?” she finally commented, when he didn’t continue.  “They can’t actually answer.”

“Ellie!”  Hardy spun around, eyes widening as he caught sight of her.  “Bloody- is it already seven?  Sorry, just a moment.”  He folded the paper up and tucked it away, shrugging on his jacket and hurrying to the desk for his briefcase.  “Can you…” he asked vaguely, waving towards the kitchen, and she fetched the two prepared travel thermoses full of tea, pausing to remove the lid from ‘hers’ and take a few, greedy gulps, sighing softly as even just the smell of the caffeine started to work on her.

“Let’s go,” he barked, gesturing her towards the door with his trademark impatient scowl, and she moved, rolling her eyes and replacing the lid.

“All right, all right, don’t get your knickers in a twist,” Ellie sighed, eyeing him speculatively as he locked the door and they started back down to her car.  “Can I ask-”

“No.”

-

They traveled an hour out of town towards Bristol for what turned out to be a five minute interview.  Back in the car and on the way back to town, Hardy spent rather longer than usual complaining about the wasted time.

“All I’m saying is-”

“What were you doing?” Ellie interrupted around minute twenty-three, unable to take another second of his bitching.

“What?”

She took her eyes off the road long enough to give him her best don’t be thick with me glare – bringing the day’s total up to every significant male in her life.  And it’s only half eight.  “What were you doing when I found you at your house?”

“Does it matter?”

“It does if you’ve gone barmy.  Honestly, why were you asking your walls what our most important job is?”

Hardy grumbled for a moment, sinking deeper in his seat, but she waited him out.  “I was practicing,” he finally said quietly.

“Practicing?”

“For tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?”  Ellie ran quickly through their upcoming work events, and came up with nothing other than a few budget meetings and a semi-annual sexual harassment seminar where she would have to listen for days afterwards as he ranted about stupid people unable to keep their hands to themselves.  “What’s tomorrow?”

His exasperated gaze burned a hole in the side of her head, making her flush.  “The thing, tomorrow,” he said vaguely.  “For Fred’s class.”

“What?”  She nearly slammed on the breaks in surprise, just managing to keep the car under control.  “What thing for Fred’s class?  What are you talking about?!”

“You don’t know?”  Hardy sounded surprised, but she barely noticed, frantically trying to recall anything related to Hardy, Fred, or Fred’s class.  “Sorry, Miller, I thought you did.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Ellie said through gritted teeth, failing miserably at keeping the hurt feelings away.  “Explain.  Now.”

He shifted next to her, running his fingers through his hair as he spoke carefully.  “Last week, when Fred came to visit you at lunch, he wanted to talk to me, remember?”

He waited for her to nod, which she did, only vaguely remembering the instance.  For reasons unknown to her, her younger son had taken a shining to her partner, and found him absolutely hilarious.

“Anyway, what he wanted was… his class is doing a career day, and he’s asked me to come in and speak.  I was practicing my spiel when you arrived this morning.”

A lay-by was only a few yards ahead and she pulled in hard, having to stop and put the car into park before closing her eyes and leaning her forehead on the wheel, fighting back nausea and horror.  Why didn’t he ask me? her heart cried, aching, as she tried not to cry in front of Hardy.  Why didn’t he want me?

“Hey, hey, hey,” Hardy said softly, soothingly, resting his palm between her shoulder blades.  He didn’t rub, let his hand just sit there, but it helped to anchor her.  “He couldn’t ask a family member, Miller, otherwise he’d have asked you – he told me so.  It’s all right.”

“What?”  To her horror she sniffled, but he didn’t comment except to hand her an honest-to-God handkerchief.

“He wanted to ask you but it couldn’t be a relative,” he repeated.  “I don’t know why he didn’t tell you about it at all, but that’s why he didn’t ask.”

Ellie chanced a peek at him, only to find the most caring, sympathetic expression she’d ever seen on him – possibly even more so than It was Joe.  “Don’t look at me like that,” she snapped without heat, pressing her lips tightly together.

“Sorry.”  His expression didn’t change, though he removed his hand, and she gave an involuntary moue of regret at the loss of the warm touch.

“Not your fault, I suppose.”

“That’s a change.”  His lips twitched, and she reluctantly smiled back.

Clearing her throat she straightened up, rolling her shoulders in an attempt to ease some tension there.  “Erm, sorry about…” she gestured, leaving the sentence unfinished, but as always, he knew what she meant.

“S’all right.  D’you want me to drive back?”

Ellie gave two slow blinks in surprise, jaw dropping.  “That’s the first time you’ve ever offered that!”

“Well?”

“Oh, don’t be stupid,” she scoffed, putting the car in drive and checking her mirrors.  “The day I let you drive will be the day the world ends.”

She pulled out, snickering, and after a moment, Hardy groaned.  “I told you, I have no relation to that bloody actor,” he insisted, as he had often had to do.  “Besides, you’re hardly driving a Bentley.”

“I note you’re not denying being a demon,” Ellie teased, but he only huffed, crossing his arms and sitting back.

To keep from getting lost in her thoughts she turned on the radio, and it only took two notes to recognize the song.  For the second time in fifteen minutes she nearly crashed the car, this time because of laughter, but managed to keep control and sing along with the music.

”Oooh, you make me live, now, honey!”

The rest of the ride back to Broadchurch, Hardy sulked.

-

At half-nine the next morning, he stopped at her desk and crossed his arms.

“D’you need something?” Ellie asked without looking up from the training video she was watching.

“Time to go.”

“Go where?”

Hardy sighed heavily.  “Please, can we not do twenty fucking questions again?  Won’t I get plenty of that soon enough?”

“Oh.  Oh!  Erm, have a good time, then,” she paused the video to smile up politely at him, wondering if he could see the dark circles under her eyes, would know that she’d cried herself to sleep the previous evening.

He nodded but didn’t move, just staring at her expectantly.

She stared back, raising her eyebrows.  “Did you need something?”

“Time to go,” he repeated, giving his trademark woe is me heavy sigh when she didn’t move.  “C’mon, shake a leg.”

“Why am I going?” Ellie asked stiffly, wondering if he was being deliberately cruel.  It wasn’t like him, though she knew if they polled the entire office, she would be the only one to think he didn’t have a cruel, nasty bone in his body.  At least, not for anyone other than murderers and the like.  Even then, it was more about justice for victims than hatred for criminals.

“You’re my partner.”  Hardy said it so matter-of-factly, with a casual shrug, that a little bit of the pain her heart eased.  “I can’t talk about my job without you – you’re half of it.”

The balloon of her hurt popped like that, deflating, and she couldn’t help a smile.  “Well, if you insist.”

-

A half-dozen other family friends of Fred’s classmates had been pressed into presenting as well, but Ellie was the only guest, and stood at the back of the classroom watching.

It had been gratifying when she walked in and Fred all but tackled her, shrieking with glee to see her, and she smiled even wider to see his greeting to Hardy had been significantly tamer, though still more enthusiastic than he was at others, taking him by the hand and tugging him to the front of the room.

She’d had a vague idea before, but now, watching him interact with a classroom full of six-year-olds, it was clear that Hardy was a natural with children.  He talked with them, not at them, keeping them engaged for the entire ten-minute presentation.  Despite the heaviness of the crimes they typically investigated in CID he kept it relevant and age-appropriate, and the kids loved it, shouting out questions and answers to the point where the teacher and other guest presenters looked fairly irritated.

Eventually he was cut off, returning to the back of the room to stand next to Ellie and watch the next guest drone on about insurance.

“You did well,” Ellie murmured, earning a pleased, hopeful smile from him.

“D’you really think so?  I mean, I would certainly hope.  I don’t want to embarrass him,” he whispered back, glancing around, and she had to grin at how many of the children smiled at him and he waved back.

In an uncharacteristic show of affection given that their relationship was built on insults and distance, she took his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.  “Really.”  Ellie smiled up at him, seeming to short-circuit his brain – his expression froze before going soft and thoughtful.

It wasn’t until they walked out of the school that she realized they were still holding hands, when they had to let go to get into the car.

“So, back to the office?”

Hardy cocked his head, surprising her with, “Why don’t we get lunch first?”

-

They ended up at a little roadside café, taking a few minutes first to stare at the menu.

Once ordered, though, Ellie felt a weird vibe, inexplicably nervous.  It’s just Hardy, she reminded herself sternly, but the butterflies in her gut refused to leave.

“So-” they started at the same time, laughing softly as the tension seemingly broke.

“Go ahead,” Hardy encouraged, folding his arms on the tabletop and leaning forward.

She grinned back, matching his posture.  “I was just going to say, you did very well.  The kids loved you, though none more than Fred.”  Her son had looked positively enamored, and she was looking forward to his recap that night at home.

“I enjoyed it.”  His tone said he was surprised, a wistful quality to it she didn’t immediately understand.  “I had to do the same for Daisy, once, when she was… oh, a wee bit older than he is.  Her classmates seemed to enjoy my presentation, but Daisy…” he trailed off, staring down at his hands, an old sadness clear on his face.  “She was embarrassed, said I didn’t do it right.  That I’d made her the laughingstock of the class.  Tess, she went to the presentation too but didn’t speak, agreed.  They both thought I was shit.”

Ellie’s heart broke for him.  She was brutally aware of what it felt like to be rejected by your child, and once again felt anger at Tess on his behalf.  “I’m sorry.  Is that why you were so nervous?”  Unthinkingly she reached out her hand, putting it halfway across the table, surprised when he settled his on top.

“Yeah.”  After a moment he rallied, looking up again and smiling.  “Never mind, all in the past.  But, really, I’m pleased he was satisfied.”

“Well, I was certainly was happy,” she teased, trying to concentrate through the warmth of his hand on hers.  “You said some awfully nice things about your partner – she sounds great.”

Hardy kept looking at her, the heat of his gaze almost enough to make her uncomfortable.  “She’s one of the best detectives I’ve ever met,” he said truthfully.

Ellie’s eyes widened, cheeks burning, and she dropped her eyes to stare at the tabletop.  “Don’t exaggerate,” she mumbled.

“It’s true.  She’s also the best friend that I’ve ever had.”

Unbidden, the lyrics to the song from yesterday flashed through her mind – on the surface it was a nice song about friendship, though one only had to listen to the lyrics to realize it was a love song.

Oh, you're the best friend that I ever had/I've been with you such a long time/You're my sunshine and I want you to know/That my feelings are true/I really love you/Oh, you're my best friend

Peeking up at him from below her lashes, she found him watching her, a strange peace on his face.  Like that her nerves disappeared, and for the first time since Joe’s arrest, she had a clear vision of her future, of what she wanted life to look like.

“You help restore my faith,” she said softly, tentatively, “whenever this world is cruel to me.”

Hardy’s expression lit like the sun, a dazzling smile appearing, and she waited with bated breath to see if her message was received, and possibly, maybe returned.

“I know I’ve gone off and left a couple times now,” he replied slowly, hand pressing hers into the table, “but I seem to keep coming back to you.”

For the second time in as many days tears pricked at her eyes, though this time, they were of happiness.

“You’re my best friend.”

It was awkward, with the table between them, but they managed to meet in the middle and share a sweet kiss, one that promised many more.

Ooh, you make me live.

[basicsofislam]

THE COMPANIONS OF THE PROPHET (PBUH) : Abdullah bin Mas’ud (r.a.)

Abdullah was a young shepherd. He used to herd the sheep of Aqaba bin Abi Muit. One day, while he was with the sheep, two guests arrived. The guests told him they were thirsty and asked him for milk. The young shepherd said to them,

"Yes, there is milk but I cannot give you! These sheep have been entrusted to me. I cannot give you milk before I ask permission from the owner. Otherwise, I will have misappropriated."

Thereupon, the guests wanted from the shepherd, who was a child, a female goat that had never copulated with a male goat. The shepherd brought a goat like that to them. One of the guests held the goat and prayed. The other started to milk the goat.  It looked as the udders became full of milk suddenly. They took a bowl and filled it with milk. They drank the milk and quenched their thirst; the person who milked the goat prayed again; the goat returned to its previous state.

The young shepherd, who did not know that one of them was the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) and the other was Abu Bakr, asked in excitement,

"Will you teach me what you read?"

The Messenger of Allah put his blessed hand on the shepherd and said,

"You are a taught young man."

And this child, who received prayer of the Messenger of Allah as soon as he entered Islam, became superior to all of the Companions in terms of reading the Qur'an and became famous as one of the "Six Abdullahs".

Yes, this innocent and sensitive shepherd was Abdullah bin Mas'ud. Thus, he received the honor of being one of the first Muslims.

When the pressure of the polytheists increased in Makkah, the Companions came together and started complaining that they could not read the Quran aloud in the presence of Qurayshis. Hz. Abdullah said,

"I will read the Quran aloud to them." The others said,

"We fear that they will do something bad to you." They said that they found it better if someone from a strong tribe read it. Abdullah said,

"Allow me to read. Allah will protect me." He went out and went to the place where the polytheists of Quraysh gathered near the Kaaba. He said Bismillah and started to read the beginning of the chapter of ar-Rahman.

The polytheists were astonished first; then, their astonishment was transformed into fury; they approached Abdullah and began to hit him on the face. However, Abdullah did not stop; he continued reading. Then, he returned to his friends. When his friends ran toward him anxiously, Abdullah said:

"By Allah! There are no people simpler than these among the enemies of Allah in my sight. If you want, I will go and do the same thing tomorrow. "

Abdullah, who was a young and weak shepherd but turned out to assume a spiritual power that could challenge the world after finding the secret of belief, clearly showed that he disregarded the so-called great leaders of Makkah and humiliated them all. Thus, the goal was attained. Therefore, the Companions did not consider it appropriate for Hz. Abdullah to go there again the next day and risk his life. 

Abdullah bin Mas'ud was one of the Companions who gained the virtue of migrating twice. When the tortures of the polytheists became unbearable, he migrated to Abyssinia. However, he missed the Prophet a lot and returned to Makkah after a while. When the permission to migrate was given, he migrated to Madinah. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) made him brothers with Zubayr bin Awwam.

The Prophet made Abdullah stay in a place next to the mosque. For this reason, he always served the Messenger of Allah. He always walked with the Prophet, helped him put on his shoes and carried his things like his staff, pillow, perfume and miswak. When the Prophet slept, Abdullah Ibn Mas’ud would wake him up.  Therefore, the Companions called him "Sahibus-Sawad was-Siwak". Hz. Abdullah was together with the Messenger of Allah so frequently that the people who came to Madinah first thought he was from Ahl al-Bayt. The famous Companion, Abu Musa al-Ashari, who came to Madinah after the Conquest of Khaybar states the following regarding the issue:

"When my brother and I came to Madinah first, we thought that Abdullah and his mother were from Ahl al-Bayt because he entered the house of the Messenger of Allah so frequently." 

He was asked who was the closest person to him as a guide. He said, “The person closest to the Messenger of Allah in terms of being a guide and in terms of character is Abdullah Ibn Mas'ud.”

We learn another narration about his closeness to the Messenger of Allah from Abdurrahman bin Yazid. He states the following regarding the issue:

“Once, we asked Hudhayfa al-Yaman, ‘Who is the closest Companion to the Messenger of Allah in terms of living style? We want to accept him as a model.’ Hudhayfa said, ‘The Companion who is closest to the Messenger of Allah in terms of lifestyle and character is Abdullah Ibn Mas’ud. We do not know anybody else.’”

Hz. Abdullah read the Quran in a very nice way. The Prophet advised the Companions to learn the Quran from four people. One of them was Hz. Abdullah. 

According to a narration in Bukhari, the Prophet Muhammad asked Hz. Abdullah to read him the Quran. Thereupon, Ibn Mas'ud said,

"O Messenger of Allah! Shall I read you the Quran though it was sent down to you?" The Prophet said,

"Yes, I like to hear it from someone else!"

Ibn Mas'ud began to read. When he read up to the verse “How then if We brought from each people a witness, and We brought thee as a witness against these people?, the Messenger of Allah said,

"That is enough for now." Tears were coming from his eyes. 

Abdullah bin Mas’ud had a different place in the eye of the Prophet. Once, he said,

“Follow two people after me: Abu Bakr and Umar. Follow the way that Ammar shows. Follow the advice of Ibn Mas’ud fully.”

Once, Hz. Abdullah climbed a tree to get something. Meanwhile, his legs, which were very thin, were seen. Some of the Companions laughed when they saw this. Our Prophet did not like their act and said,

"Why are you laughing? Abdullah's legs will be heavier than Mount Uhud on the Day of Judgment."

Ibn Mas'ud participated in all wars with our Prophet. He fought heroically. He cut off the head of Abu Jahl, whom he found in a wounded state in the Battle of Badr and took it to the Messenger of Allah. He participated in the Battle of Yarmuk after the death of the Prophet.

Hz. Abdullah, who was one of the students of Suffa, who was in close terms with the Messenger of Allah, who did not leave the Prophet alone except for obligatory situations, who devoted his life to the Quran and who could enter into the presence of the Messenger of Allah without taking permission, had a unique understanding of ilm. He states the following regarding the issue:

"I swear by Allah that there is no chapter from the Book of Allah that I am not the one who knows the best where it was sent down! There is no verse that I am not the one who knows the best why it was sent down. If I knew that there was someone who knew the Book of Allah better than me in a place where I can go on a camel, I would mount my camel and go there. "

Ibn Mas'ud (r.a.) was also famous in the ilm of hadith. He narrated 848 hadiths. When he narrated hadiths, he acted very cautiously. His face would fade and change color. He did not usually speak definitely by saying "the Messenger of Allah said." He feared that he would attribute lies to the Prophet. Some of the hadiths he reported are as follows:

“The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said, ‘He who has in his heart the weight of a mustard seed of pride shall not enter Paradise.’ Thereupon, somebody said, ‘Verily a person loves that his dress should be fine, and his shoes should be fine.’ The Messenger of Allah remarked, ‘Verily, Allah is Graceful and He loves Grace. Pride means disdaining the truth out of self-conceit and contempt for the people.’”. 

“Adhere to truthfulness. Truthfulness definitely leads to righteousness, and righteousness leads to Paradise. And a man keeps on telling the truth until he becomes a truthful person. Avoid telling lies because a man may keep on telling lies till he is recorded as a liar before Allah.”

“Whoever suffers from destitution and he beseeches the people for it, his destitution shall not end. And whoever suffers from destitution and he beseeches Allah for it, Allah will send provisions to him, sooner or later.”

“No Muslim is afflicted with harm because of sickness or some other inconvenience, but that Allah will remove his sins for him as a tree sheds its leaves.” 

Hz. Abdullah had an exceptional place in the science of fiqh. He issued many fatwas. A great scholar like Abu Musa al-Ash'ari respects his knowledge regarding the issue. He said, "Do not ask me anything when Ibn Mas'ud is with you." Hz. Umar complimented on him by saying, “Ibn Mas’ud is a leather bag filled with ilm."

Abdullah was both a good scholar and a good teacher. He taught what he knew to others in the best way. In an assembly where Hz. Ali was present, somebody said, "We have never seen a person having higher ethics than Abdullah, a person more compassionate about teaching, more pleasant in conversation, and more pious than Abdullah." Hz. Ali replied, "Yes. O Lord" Bear witness that I approve what they say and even more." 

Knowing his merits, Hz. Umar appointed him as a teacher in Kufa. He also wrote the following letter to the people of Kufa:

"I am sending you Ammar bin Yasir as an emir and Abdullah bin Mas'ud as a teacher. Both of them are among the distinguished ones of the Companions. Be subject to them, obey them and listen to their words. Know it that I preferred you regarding Abdullah Ibn Mas'ud."

With this last sentence, Hz. Umar said that he needed Abdullah often but he preferred the people of Kufa to his own self, stating that he gave him the opportunity to benefit from Ibn Mas’ud.

Fulfilling this duty in the best way, Ibn Mas'ud continued serving as a qadi and issuing fatwas during the caliphate of Hz. Uthman, too. In addition, he was an official of the Treasure. In those years, the needs of the mujahids who fought against the Byzantines were met by Kufa. Ibni Mas'ud fulfilled this duty very well too. When the movements of mischief became widespread during the last years of the caliphate of Hz. Uthman, he returned to Hejaz.

Hz. Abdullah was sick. Hz. Uthman visited him and asked if he had any complaints.  

Abdullah Ibn Mas’ud said, "I have only one complaint; it is my sins!" Hz. Uthman asked Hz. Abdullah what he wanted. He said that he wanted Allah's mercy. Hz. Uthman said,

"Shall we get you something?" He gave a short answer:

"I do not need anything." Thereupon, Hz. Uthman said,

"You can leave it to your children." Abdullah said,

"Do you fear that my children will go hungry? I ordered them to read the chapter of al-Waqia every night. For, I heard the Messenger of Allah say, "Whoever reads the chapter of al-Waqia every night will not suffer from poverty in the world." 

Hz. Abdullah died at the age of 64 in 32 H. He was buried in the cemetery of Baqi.

Two of his noteworthy statements are as follows:

"It is better to prefer being poor to being rich through haram things. It is better to prefer being modest by obeying Allah to obtaining honor by disobeying Allah."

Abdullah said, "Never be an imma’a." They asked, "What is imma’a?" He gave the following response:

“An imma’a is a person who says, ‘I do not have a personal opinion. I do what people do. If they become Muslims, I will become a Muslim; if they become unbelievers, I will become an unbeliever, too.’ Say, 'Even if everybody becomes unbelievers, I am determined to remain a Muslim.'”

[winetae]

⇾ money shot (m)

↳ in a pornographic movie, refers to the sequence in which the male actor ejaculates onto his partner’s body.

⇁ female reader x yoongi

⇁ smut || pornstar!au

⇁ dom!yoongi, submissive!reader, verbal humiliation, spanking, roleplay, rough sex, cum play, dirty talk, this is porn ok and everything is consensual

⇁10.9k pwp 

. . . 

“Don’t look so put off. Min Yoongi’s indisputably one of the best in the industry. He’s extremely professional and experienced—and handsome to boot. You’ll be in the very best hands. He rarely works with newbies, so consider yourself special.”

↳ or ; the author just really wanted to write a pornstar!au but got carried away;;

a/n; in no way is this story meant to depict the real life working conditions of adult film stars. contains inaccuracies ! + i couldn’t have written The smut scene w/o my #1 perv ilu

(!!) pls re-read the warnings !! may contain triggering content. roleplay includes portrayal of a not so ethical or appropriate relationship (teacher/student) and the verbal humiliation makes use of degrading names/slut shaming, so please don’t read if that makes you uncomfortable !! 

(!!) if your name is mj stay away from this fic !! also if ur jordan’s sister stop reading smut khkjh

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In front of you, a manila folder was slammed down onto the table's wooden surface, the sudden movement making your cup of coffee wobble dangerously. You cupped the drink between your cold hands, intent on not letting a drop of your 5.79 dollar purchase go to waste. Only once the liquid had stopped sloshing around did you bother to greet your agent with a cordial nod.

Dressed in an all black, pressed suit and with his hair combed back, he seemed ready to head off into a business meeting, not discuss your next adult film project over a cup of coffee. Choosing to skip over the small talk, he leaned forward on his elbows and waited for you to take the folder and peer into its contents.

You spared it a cursory glance, not expecting much from its uninteresting appearance. Still, you decided to humor him—after all, Seokjin wouldn’t have called you out to meet in person if it wasn’t urgent. Unless legal paperwork was involved, your usual means of communication with the self-proclaimed Important Man was limited to phone calls and e-mails.

“Your first big movie,” was what he said in lieu of greeting, a proud smile pulling at his lips. You relaxed somewhat. He looked visibly pleased with himself which could only mean good news for you. “Now, no need to thank me...but I did pull a few strings to land you this job.”

“Uh-oh.” You stared hard at him, trying to detect the underlying message behind his words. Knowing him, ‘pulling a few strings’ could mean anything from calling in a favor to giving the director a blowjob in the back of his car between shoots. He was that kind of agent.

Seokjin shrugged, choosing not to put your worries to rest. “I know the casting director well—we were in the same frat. We catch up from time to time and when he mentioned he was looking for a fresh face, I immediately recommended you. They reviewed your portfolio and really liked those test shots we took of you two weeks ago.”

Your mind drifted back to the two hour long photoshoot that had taken place in Seokjin’s friend’s villa. Judging by the way the place was decked out to look like a pimp crib, you were half convinced that it was owned by a seedy nightclub owner or something of the sort. You were probably not too far off from the truth but all talks of shady property owners aside, the house served as a spacious and luxurious backdrop for your swimwear shoot. The concept of the day was ‘slutty trophy wife’. No added photo filters or retouching had been needed to make your skin look perfectly slick and shiny; your body had been waxed smooth and slicked down with baby oil—your tiny bikini basically just an accessory.

At the time, you had grumbled and complained about the set-up, cursing the burnt-red color that had appeared on your skin after posing provocatively by the poolside in the blistering heat. Your skin had needed a week to recover from all of the consequent peeling and redness and you had been obliged to cancel some of your schedules. Some things just couldn’t be fixed with makeup... And no one would pay money to see a girl with a bright red, flaky nose giving head. But all of that trouble had been well worth it if the finished pictures had gotten you such a coveted job in the end.

He gestured to the file in your hands, “You’ll be working with Min Yoongi.”

“Eh? Min Yoongi?”

Certain you had misunderstood, there was no use concealing your incredulity. Min Yoongi’s name held so much power on its own—the mere mention of it was enough to have you straighten your back. Surely this had to be a joke of some kind, right? The entire thing was just so absurd; it felt too good to be true. Frankly speaking, Yoongi was way out of your league. You hadn’t even been in the industry for very long...yet someone deemed you fit enough to work with a big gun?

You eyed the corners of the quaint coffee shop with suspicion. You tried to spot any hidden cameras, fully expecting a crew from MTV to bust out from the shadows at any moment and unveil the prank.

Seokjin let out a sigh, disappointed by your lack of enthusiasm. “Don’t look so put off. This time, you—or rather I—struck gold. Min Yoongi’s indisputably one of the best in the industry. He’s extremely professional and experienced—and handsome to boot. You’ll be in the very best hands. He rarely works with newbies, so consider yourself special.”

“I’m not put off,” you were quick to defend. “I’m just... I’m having a hard time believing any of this is real right now. Can you blame me?”

“Well believe it. Why do you look so surprised? There’s a reason people would open their wallets to see you on film. You’re very photogenic, you look great on film. Lots of people have hot bodies and pretty faces, but not many give off the same energy as you.”  

You watched him plop in a third cube of sugar into his black coffee, not thinking much of his compliments. The thing about Seokjin was that he knew exactly what to say—the well-timed flattery basically second nature to him. At first, you couldn’t help but be charmed, however you soon came to realize that you were just one of the many people his sweet-talk had an effect on. Seokjin had absolutely no qualms using the same lines and buttery tone with anyone he met, and after seeing the way he operated, everything about him seemed too rehearsed and contrived to be genuine.

Seokjin waited until all the sweetness had dissolved into his drink before continuing, “You know that we always advise against filming anal and DP scenes right away for a reason. It's hard to make a living off of porn because people naturally tend to lose interest once they’ve seen everything you have to offer. Over time, talents tend to lose their shine. Being in the industry changes you. Doesn’t matter if they’re the best actor out there, the dead fish eyes will always give them away... It’s like they’re not really present during the scene, you know what I mean? If the performer is bored, so is their audience. If the audience is bored, no one will be willing to hire them anymore.” 

“Well isn’t that lovely,” you intoned drily, silently contemplating your own fate. How long would it take before you eventually became that jaded? What a bleak future to look forward to.

“I’m just being honest,” he raised his shoulders, his ever-present smile dimming a little. “It’s better to be honest about this. I don’t have any time to be spewing any inspirational bullshit. And you shouldn’t listen to anyone who tries to feed you that crap, either. You should always know what you’re signing up for.”

You supposed there was some merit to his words. Even if he was heavy-handed with his praises, he had never painted you an idyllic picture of the adult film industry. Before signing the contract with your agency, they had made sure that you had known exactly what you were putting on the line, what you were risking. You had never ventured into this world with false hopes; they had made it quite clear that if you didn’t make it big within the first few years, it would be hard to find your footing in an industry that was constantly on the lookout for new talents. Considering how the average span of a porn star’s career was less than three years, you understood the pressure to cement your name before your time was up. Building a solid fanbase was crucial if you wanted to survive as a porn star.

With this thought weighing on your conscious, you regretted not showing more gratitude to your agent... Without him, you probably would still be filming low quality videos that you tried to pass off as artsy. Seokjin had been a huge help in launching your career. He was basically fetching you deals left and right that no rookie without connections could ever get. In the past, you had been eager to seize these chances before they slipped away.

This time, however, you couldn’t shake off the mix of feelings that churned in the pit of your stomach as your eyes skimmed over Min Yoongi’s long list of impressive credentials and accolades. On the one hand, you were excited about being granted this huge opportunity right off the bat because being partnered with a renowned porn star meant that you got to ride off his fame. It meant getting more exposure, which was something you certainly wouldn’t refuse. (Only a fool would turn this offer down!)

On paper, it wasn’t that all different from any of your previous jobs—show up, get your makeup done, take your clothes off, get fucked, maybe fake an orgasm or two. Yet, for some ridiculous reason, you couldn’t help but feel strangely inadequate for the job. Nervousness crept up your spine the longer you let your gaze sweep over his lengthy résumé. Shooting with someone with this kind of reputation also meant that if you fucked up, everyone else would know about it the next day. The industry was a lot smaller than it appeared to be from the outside. One mishap could have you spending the rest of your career trying to erase the label you had inadvertently earned on set.

It wasn’t that you lacked confidence in your skills. You gave a mean blowjob and your pussy was nice to look at. Because your body was your bread and butter, you dieted and worked out daily in order to ensure you stayed in the best shape.   Maybe it was vain of you to proclaim, but you looked good on camera, especially with your clothes off. And it wasn’t like you lacked any experience, either. You had filmed your fair share of pornography, so you knew you were able to keep the public interested, if the rising views during the weekly cam sessions were any indication of your popularity. But the stakes wouldn’t be the same this time and that was what scared you.

Perhaps Seokjin sensed your distress because he offered you an encouraging smile, his whitened teeth on display. “You’ll do great. If I didn’t think you would make it big, I wouldn’t waste my time on you. I always put my eggs in the right basket so I’m confident that this will go well. This isn’t going to be some seedy shoot filmed on a three hundred dollar budget. They’re pulling out all the stops for this one... The director is hoping this will win him another AVN award this year but we’ll see. Don’t mention it if you see him, by the way. He’s a bit sensitive and it’s best not to step on his toes too much.”

All you could do was nod, distracted by other, more worrying thoughts. Were you ready to actually go through with this? Would you be able to do a good job? What if you somehow messed up? You stopped yourself from continuing this line of thought. That would be counter-productive. It really wasn’t like you to doubt yourself this much but the minute your agent had dropped Min Yoongi’s name, you had been putting everything into question.

Seokjin held your gaze, his eyebrow raised expectantly as he waited for your inner ramblings to cease.

“Now, if you could just review the terms of the contract before signing and we’ll be all set.”

You stared at the dotted line, pen in hand. Seokjin hadn’t hired a fool. It didn’t take very long to finish signing all the legal paperwork.

Despite your initial fretting, you were excited to finally be part of something so big. The production cost for this movie was noticeably more significant than any of your past works put together. That meant better filming equipment, better filming locations, better actors. The more you thought about it, the more convinced you were that this would be your breakthrough role. This movie could potentially change your life and help you make a name for yourself.

It became all the more apparent that your key to success would be working with Min Yoongi.

Before this, you had only heard about him in passing—his name one you had overheard whispered by the gossiping hair and makeup staff, one that you saw plastered on the covers of glossy magazines and online news articles. You had seen printouts of his face on the front of a handful of film posters that lined up the walls of your agency’s building. He was someone you knew of, someone you knew about, but you had never experienced this burning curiosity to know about him before today.

With so much at stake, you decided to do your homework. You did your research, watching his interviews on YouTube and searching his name up on various web portals. Through the pieces of information you had gathered by watching his interviews, he seemed like a calm, collected man—completely different from the image you initially had of him. His cockiness wasn’t showcased through self-praises and obvious boasting; but rather by the way he coolly and confidently answered the blunt questions hurled at him from prejudiced interviewers. Never had he flinched or faltered; never had he let anyone intimidate him with twisted questions intended to cause controversy.

It was his cold, no-nonsense kind of behavior which led you to wonder: what sort of person was he like to work with? Without the firsthand experience, the only way you could find out was by personally purchasing a movie he starred in. Which you did—for research purposes only, of course. There was no shame in wondering what your partner looked like in action or how he worked once the camera started rolling, right?

Watching his movie meant that you were taking your job seriously, you reasoned  Seokjin had assured you over and over again that you would be in good hands, but what weight did his words have when he wasn’t the one getting spanked in front of a filming crew? You just wanted to know what sex with this man would be like. What was it exactly that you had to look forward to?

You set up your laptop and made sure everything was plugged in properly (the last thing you wanted was for your computer screen to black out during the good bits). Pillows propped behind you, you wriggled around beneath your fleece blanket until you found a comfortable position.

The movie you had picked out was supposed to be on the tamer side of his porn filmography. You had selected it in the hope that it would ease you into things. It was a typical let's-fuck-the-babysitter scenario so you didn't really expect much. Scenarios like these were predictable because they had been done so many times before. How much would you be willing to bet that it followed the cunnilingus+sex on the couch+blowjob formula? But with how popular he was, you didn’t really know what to expect anymore... What made him so different from the rest? A part of you was worried he had a monster dick or something equally impossible to recover from. Guys with huge dicks always made it difficult to keep up your filming schedule and a good fuck was never worth that setback.

Laptop nestled in your lap, you pressed play. The screen of your laptop lit up, signaling the start of the movie, and you held your breath as you finally got to see what all the fuss was about.

The first thing you were immediately struck by was how incredibly handsome he was. Even though his female partner was no less attractive, your eyes couldn’t help but stay glued on him. You could tell just by the way he carried himself and the way he spoke that he was very confident and self-assured. He never looked away from his partner, his lids heavy and eyes dark with the promise of more to come. You couldn't look away; his simple presence demanded you pay him attention.

The more you watched, the more you understood why people when wild for him; his charisma coupled with his experience had evidently made his career long-lasting and successful. Surprisingly, any line he delivered sounded convincing. He made a cheesy, over-the-top porn script sound hot. How the hell? You put the volume up, your earphones picking up the slightest noise—every rustle of the sheets, every sigh of pleasure from the girl, and every slick and obscene noise coming from her pussy as Yoongi thrust into her were loud enough for you to believe you were there as it happened.

You weren’t exactly sure when, but your eyes had fallen closed somewhere along the way. The audio in your ears helped fuel the lewd scenarios you conjured up in your mind; it wasn’t hard to imagine yourself in the place of his female counterpart, Yoongi working his hips against yours, his heavy breathing tickling your ears as you moaned out his name. Sliding your hand beneath the waistband of your panties, you were barely surprised to find yourself already damp with arousal. You carefully circled a finger around your entrance, coating the digit with your fluids until it was lubricated enough to slip in.

Quickly, you built up a steady rhythm. Your finger tried to mimic the pace he had set—each thrust inside your wet pussy a weak imitation of what his hardened length would feel like inside of you. One finger wasn't nearly enough to satisfy the growing need that pulsed between your legs. You eased in a second digit next to the first, feeling your walls stretch to accommodate the newest intrusion. Breathing out a sigh, you kicked your head back as you worked yourself to a frenzy, letting the loud sounds flowing through your earbuds lull you into a trance.

“Such a good pussy.” The wet, squelching noises almost drowned out his groan of appreciation. You mewled in response and spread your legs wider as if to urge him deeper, but it was no use. Your fingers couldn’t bring you the same satisfaction that his thick cock would. Squeezing in a third finger, you tried to imagine him working his hips against yours, his lean body sticky with sweat as he filled you up to the brim with every thrust. “Hear that? You take my cock so well, baby.”

"So fucking—tight." He growled out, the primal sound loud in your ears. Lust coursed through your veins and you could feel it burn, melting away any of your inhibitions. Sucked deep in your fantasy, you could vividly picture his pink lips curling into a smirk as he watched you slowly start to unravel before him.

Tears stung your eyes. You arched your back, hips rutting against your hand, as you tried to alleviate the burning ache within you. Your fingers twisted around, rubbing your walls, searching for that sensitive spot inside of you. But your efforts were futile—from the angle you were sitting in, your fingers couldn’t quite reach it, no matter how much you tried. Forehead shiny with perspiration, you keened in frustration, too wound up to continue. You wanted to cum so badly that it hurt. Desperately horny, you changed your course action, circling at your swollen clit instead with renewed determination.

The first slide against your nub was electrifying and your entire body shuddered, overcome with pleasure. The obscene sounds from the video blended in with your own soundtrack. Breathless and dizzy with want, you failed to register that the moans spilling from your mouth were echoes of Yoongi’s name. Your pleas for release grew louder as the fire inside your lower belly erupted into an inferno. 

"I can feel you around me, fuck, you gonna cum soon, baby? Yeah? Gonna cum all over my cock?" Yoongi whispered harshly into the crook of your ear, his heavy breathing sending shivers down your back. “Fucking cum.”

His name on your lips, you threw your head back as the band inside you snapped, your body his to command. Trembling all over from the force of your orgasm, you clenched your eyes closed as you tried to prolong your trance. If you imagined hard enough, you could feel his hot breath fan your skin, his fingers bruise your hips as he kept you still. 

Yoongi’s voice echoed inside of your head long after the aftershocks of your orgasm had waned, haunting and promising all at once.

.

.

It took another useless glance at the clock to confirm that you were early. You were filming the second sex scene today. The first scene had been filmed already and you hadn’t run into any complications. Your male co-star’s dirty talk could have been better, but his handsome face and skilled tongue had made up for it. You could still remember the delicious stretch of his long fingers inside of you, and how his deep baritone voice growled in your ear as he fucked you pressed up against a window. Off camera, he had been nice and easy-going, cracking the occasional joke between takes.

With how great things had turned out yesterday, you were anticipating today’s scene almost as much as your character was. Today you were filming the scene with Min Yoongi—the grand finale, the climax of all climaxes. The Big Nut. Makeup and hair done, you had already filmed your intro video and were now killing time before the actual shoot began.

Better early than late, you tried to console yourself. Waiting around like this made you jittery; the amount of caffeine pumping through your veins filled you with a burst of energy you found hard to keep under control. It wasn’t even noon and your daily dose of coffee had already been exceeded. You bounced your leg up and down, the constant fidgeting giving away how nervous you really were.

You tried to distract yourself by reading over the film script, ignoring how your fingers trembled slightly like a chronic smoker who hadn’t gotten their fix.

The movie was scheduled to run for one hour or so, with two sex scenes filmed in two different locations with different actors. The scenario was your cliché go-to porn plot in which you would be playing the role of a naughty student who gets caught fucking someone after school hours by her teacher. Punishment ensues. You fuck your feelings out. The end.

Well, that was definitely something you could handle, you thought to yourself as you leafed through the script. Although there had been more lines to memorize than you were used to, you had confidently assured your agent that you would be able to do it. You were glad that your two years hanging out in the theater club back in high school wouldn’t be for nothing... It was a shame that you could only showcase your acting skills in a porn movie because you knew a lot of people would skip over the plot and jump straight to the filth. During the last few days, the mediocre porn dialogue had become your bible, your bedside book that you read religiously before going to sleep. You had read it over so often, you were confident that you could recite every line in your sleep.

A polite cough interrupted your pre-show pep talk.

You looked up, not expecting to meet Min Yoongi’s gaze. Blinking, you took in his features, not realizing that you were blatantly staring. Who could blame you, though? There was something so virile about Yoongi that had you doing a double take. He exuded masculinity with every step he took towards you. Something inside you clenched. 

“____?” He called your name, gaze flicking over your features in turn. He took a seat opposite of you and holding out a hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Likewise,” you smiled as sweetly as you could. His grip was strong and secure, his touch cold. 

“Hm.” He let out a noncommittal sound while he perused a file on his lap. You recognized the papers Seokjin had typed up beforehand, your name headlining one of them, but your attention was quickly diverted.

Your eyes were instantly drawn to his long and elegant looking fingers, the veins in his hands prominent whenever he flipped a page over absentmindedly. It was strange seeing them in person... Just the other night, you had been salivating over the thought of them inside you, thrusting and curling with expert precision and unwavering focus, every movement intended to coax a moan of pleasure from your lips. You had seen how lethal they could be through the screen of your laptop... Now you were going to be experiencing those skills firsthand. The thought sent a rush of excitement through your body.

“I’ve taken note of your hard limits.” His smooth baritone tone snapped you back to attention. “The scene doesn’t require we go that far anyway, but just in case you get too uncomfortable with anything, your safe word is ‘cobbler’, correct?”

“Yes.” You gave a short nod, your neck stiff as you tried not to break eye contact. 

“Have you read through my form?”

“I have, Mr. Min.”

A snort escaped him then, his lips curling into the kind of smile that bordered on a smirk. “No need to be so formal. You can call me by my name outside of a scene.”

“Yoongi, then.” Your hands felt clammy all of a sudden and you wiped your palms on your skirt, hoping that he wouldn’t notice your incessant fidgeting. The glint in his eyes indicated that you weren’t nearly as successful in masking your nervousness as you would have liked. You didn’t even know why you felt so antsy. This wasn’t your first time meeting an attractive porn star. Yesterday’s shoot with Taehyung had gone without a hitch. So why were you getting so worked up now? You weren’t eighteen and impressionable anymore.

His gaze swept over your body, interrupting your line of thought. You felt it brush over your delicate throat, your supple curves, your bare legs. The scrutiny made the surface of your skin heat up, your legs clench together. 

“Ah, I’m looking forward to working with you.” A ghost of a smirk crossed his features. For a moment, you believed it to be a product of your imagination, but he shot you a wink as he got up to his feet, the action suggestive enough to have you swallow thickly. 

.

.

In retrospect, maybe it was a good thing you were nervous—it made your acting a lot more believable. You wrung your hands together, head bowed in a show of contrition.

"While Mr. Jung and I don't see eye to eye on a number of subjects, some of his methods of punishment have been very enlightening—albeit a tad primitive.” He regarded you with detached interest, his eyes sweeping over your figure. His impassive stare made you fidget in your seat, the scratchy material of your skirt rubbing against your thighs. “I could just let you off with a detention slip, but students like you need to be put back in their place."

Yoongi was so good at this, his tone convincing enough to have you believe in his words. For a moment, you let yourself pretend that all of this was real—that you had really acted up when you weren’t supposed to and that he was now going to punish you for your misbehavior. It was so easy to slip into your role when he appeared so serious and forbidding.

"Bend over."

He punctuated his command by tapping his ruler against his wooden desk, his tongue clucking in a show of impatience when you refused to move. You licked your dry lips, silently wishing you could have a glass of cool water to quench your sudden thirst.

"A-are you serious?" you croaked, finally remembering the lines you had memorized.

"I assure you, I am not the type to joke around."

With his arms crossed, he looked every bit like the imposing figure he was playing as. Gulping audibly, you slowly gathered to your feet. You kept your gaze trained on the polished floorboards, making sure to avoid his probing stare.

"I find that corporal punishment works wonders on troublesome students like yourself. Writing lines for an hour hardly has the same impact." Above you, his low chuckle could be heard. Goosebumps raised to attention as your eyes fluttered to a close.

“Skirt up. Let me see that ass.”

“S-sir.”

“You had no qualms flashing me your filthy cunt the other day. Up, now.”

You hurried to obey, his stern tone jolting you into action. Your fingers reached behind you, hiking the material of the skirt high enough so that your skin was exposed to the cool air. Behind you, Yoongi patted your cheek in mock praise before deftly fitting the hem of your skirt into the band of your waistline so as to keep the fabric in place.

Not expecting him to kick your feet wider apart, you barely managed to stifle your yelp of surprise. You attempted to anchor yourself by clutching the sides of the desk, your legs now stretched too widely apart to be considered decent behavior. The position you were in was humiliating, intended to make you feel vulnerable and exposed.

“Good.”

The single word had your pulse race. His praise felt like a physical caress, and you closed you eyes to let the feeling wash over you.

“Now tell me.” Yoongi’s voice was now deceptively smooth and you knew right away that he was toying with you. “How many misdemeanors was that in one night, hmm?”

You blinked, suddenly remembering that you were supposed to be portraying a misbehaving student. Cursing your lack of focus, your mouth opened as you tried to recall the script. When you took too long to answer, Yoongi went on with the scene, sidestepping your blunder.

“Too many,” he supplied with a sigh, sounding disappointed; whether it was with you for forgetting your lines or with your character, you weren’t sure. Either way, the remorseful look on your face wasn’t extremely hard to fake. You felt nervous again, wondering how well you would be able to perform today.

With an easy yank, your panties fell to the ground, leaving you even more indecently exposed than before. As Yoongi crouched down to peel them off of your body completely, any worries you might have had didn’t seem of much importance anymore. What mattered was the touch of his fingers on the backs of your thighs—cold against your burning skin.

"I wish you could see yourself right now." He mocked, voice laced with something akin to smugness. You felt his hot breath tickle the insides of your knee, the sensation almost enough to make them buckle. "Skirt up, legs spread wide open... So wet and ready for a nice cock between your thighs, isn’t that right?”

The bright lights from overhead spotlighted the acute shame and arousal that raged within you. Both coalesced into one intense emotion that reduced you to a big puddle of desire. You weren't sure if it was his husky tone or the shocking amount of filth that spewed from his lips, but you felt the coil in your stomach tighten with each word leaking into your ear. Your heart raced wildly in your chest, your hands hanging uselessly by your head. His words made you want to hide your face behind your arms, but you knew that wasn’t an option—not when a camera was intent on capturing every shift of your expression.

Your lack of response didn’t seem to deter him for he continued on, merciless with his interrogation.

“Is this turning you on? Do you like being reminded how desperate you are to be stuffed full?"

Every question left you short of breath—you felt each of them like physical thrusts that made the crux of your thighs ache with a need to be filled up. A heavy haze muddled your thoughts. All you could focus on was the throbbing in your core; all you could here was his voice crooning obscenities in the crook of your ear.

"I can see your tight hole clench.” Yoongi let out a disbelieving laugh, the derisive sound making your cheeks bloom pink with embarrassment.

The flush that adorned your cheeks only darkened further when you realized the camera probably had a perfect, unobstructed view of your sopping center. You could only imagine what the sight would look like on screen—your inner thighs glistening from your slick, your lower lips slightly swollen and flushed pink from your obvious arousal. With the way you were bent over the desk, presenting yourself willingly to his hungry stare, you had no doubts that you looked like an expensive dessert ready to be devoured.

"Y-Yoongi, please..." Eyes glassy, you felt yourself clench again as you imagined his dark eyes drinking in the sight of you bent over, wet and ready for him.

"Don't talk to me so informally," he scolded, pinching the inside of your thigh as punishment. A yelp escaped your parted lips—not because it was painful but because you felt a sting of pleasure zap straight to your bundle of nerves like an electric shock. “Address me properly.”

It was easy to give in if it meant you would get what you wanted. “Y-yes, sir.”

“Now, let’s start this again.” Holding your breath in anticipation for what was to come, you struggled to stay still in the position he wanted even though your knees ached. How long were you expected to stay like this? It probably hadn’t been very long, maybe five minutes at the most, but you could already feel the muscles in your thighs straining. “When I ask you a question, I expect a verbal response, understood?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Good girl.” Thankfully your voice was stable this time. He patted one of your exposed cheeks in praise, the little slap enough to have you wanting more.

Your legs were so spread out that you didn’t notice you were making a mess on the floor until Yoongi brought attention to the drops that spotted the wood, "I'm not even touching you and you're making a mess. What? Pretty boy Kim Taehyung fail to get you off?"

"Maybe he would have if you hadn't interrupted," you bit out, true to the script. Frustration seeped into your every word, but it was more directed at yourself for getting so aroused by his words and actions. You couldn’t remember the last time you felt so affected; usually you had to play it up a lot more for the cameras but this time you barely registered the filming crew that stood a few feet away.

"I don't need to touch your dirty cunt for you to cum," he huffed. Although you couldn’t see his expression, you could picture his stare hardening and his lips thinning into a straight line. "You’re soiling my office right now and all it took was for you to offer your pussy to me. You’re proving to be quite the slut tonight. I think I’ll leave you like this, legs open, empty and aching for cock, as your punishment.”

"Wait—no, please!” The desperation in your voice was alarmingly real. You could feel your eyes well with tears of frustration because the prospect of being denied release was simply too cruel to fathom. You didn’t know how long you would be able to endure having nothing filling you up. In every one of your past films, the scene had always had minimal foreplay and little to no plot. Normally at the 5 minute mark, you would have already swallowed his dick down your throat... You weren’t used to having this drag on for so long. Never before had you felt this engaged while shooting a porn scene. 

"I don't want you to beg. I want you to apologize—no, to grovel."

Shameless, you whimpered, “I'm sorry. I'm so—please, I'm sorry.”

His hand crashed down on your burning skin with a resounding smack. The unexpected force behind the swat ripped a cry from your throat, the sound raw and primal. Your eyes watered as you panted, breath cut short when he brought his hand down on the opposite cheek.

"And what exactly are you sorry for, slut?"

The hands soothing over the sting contrasted with the unforgiving edge in his voice. You suddenly remembered what Seokjin had said, that you were in capable hands. You believed these words, trusting Yoongi to make the right decisions.

"I'm sorry for sneaking out past curfew."

"What else?"

"I'm sorry for... Sorry for behaving indecently with Taehyung."

"Not specific enough," he chided, his rebuke underscored by a harsh slapping noise. 

"I'm sorry! Please, ah, I'm sorry we were kissing. Sorry for letting him—nhh—touch me." With every new admission, he delivered a firm spank to your reddening cheeks. The blows weren’t hard enough to really hurt, but the repeated swats onto your sensitive skin would probably leave a blooming bruise. You couldn’t wait to see the visible reminder of your punishment, the red mark from his hand his personal brand of ownership.

"And where did he dare touch you?" Yoongi’s lips curled into a scowl, his voice low and dangerous.

"My breasts. B-but only over my vest," you were quick to add after sensing Yoongi's form tense over you. "And my—my thighs..." You were desperately trying to remember the lines of the script you had practiced so hard to memorize, but the exact wording kept escaping you with every firm swat of his hand against the globes of your ass.

Yoongi's deafening silence urged you to finish your confession. He rubbed circles over your stinging skin with the palms of his hands, squeezing the soft flesh between his fingers as he waited for you to resume talking. 

Taking a shuddering breath, you obliged him, "He—he filled my pussy up with his f-fingers..."

"Did he? And did you enjoy that? Did you like having his long fingers fuck your greedy hole?" He reached down and delved a hand between your legs as he spoke. With a skilled index finger, he ran it across your wet lips tentatively to gauge how ready you were for him. Pausing at your entrance, he swirled his finger around, coating it in your copious amount of arousal. Just one finger was not nearly close enough to the friction you craved. You bucked your hips in response, silently beckoning him for more, as if that would somehow convince him to put an end to the teasing. 

Immediately, he chastised you by smacking your sopping wet center. Arching your back, you felt all the air leave your lungs with a drawn out whimper. Echoes of pleasure vibrated throughout your body, from your head to your very toes. Your clit throbbed, swollen with arousal. The tingling sensations made your inner walls clamp down and you found yourself wishing not for the first time for his cock to fill you up. 

“Answer me.” Yoongi hissed between his teeth—a warning you didn’t dare ignore.

"Y-yes, yes, I did," you finally responded after struggling to remember the initial question. 

"Is that all? Was that all he put inside of you?”

“No.” With a swipe of your tongue, you licked your dry lips. 

“No?”

The one word question was enough to know that he wasn’t going to let it go until you elaborated your answer. You squirmed in his hold, your heart pounding as you finally admitted what he wanted to know. “He put his cock in-inside me.”

“You let him fuck you?” The incredulity that colored his tone sounded so genuine you almost believed his act. You shuddered. “I should’ve known a dirty little slut like you wouldn’t be able to keep her legs shut.”

“I’m sorry, sir. Please, p-please fu—” You gulped, your throat dry.

“Speak up, girl!” He snapped, slapping the palm of his hand over your slick center. As soon as his fingers hit your clit, you felt your back arching and your sensitive nipples rub up against the hard, wooden surface of the desk. The searing pain hit all of your nerve endings, effectively rendering you speechless. Meanwhile, your hips futilely chased after his punishing touch, hoping to finally get the satisfaction you were craving for. "Tell me, do you like getting humiliated? I'm trying to punish you but you seem to be enjoying this far too much. I thought that a girl like you would need a firm hand to get her act together, but I think that you need more than that, don’t you?"

"Answer me.” Yoongi punctuated his command with another smack to your lower lips, the sudden blow leaving you dizzy and bereft of coherency.

"Yes—ah fuck, sir please!" Gasping, the feeling of the harsh sting shot straight to your swollen, sensitive bundle of nerves like an electric shock. For a short second, your mind felt blissfully blank as the zap of pleasure traveled through your entire body from one extremity to another. "Please touch me, I need to come!"

"I can see that.” He laughed, spreading out your cheeks out so he could have a better look at the proof of your shame. “Your hole keeps clenching, asking for fingers...or perhaps it needs a nice, thick cock? Hm?"

A whimper left your lips before you could think of subduing it. The thought of finally having him buried deep inside of you was nearly too much to bear. From the way you were bent over and spread wide open, you were basically offering yourself to him. All he had to do was take what was his.

“Please fuck me now,” you moaned, hoping that he would douse the fire between your legs. The need for friction was so unbearable you thought that you would burst at the seams. You tried to undulate your hips in a silent plea for more but his left hand kept you pinned down and immobile to the table.

"I thought as much. What makes you think you deserve mine? Do you honestly think you deserve this cock?” As if to tease you even further, he pressed himself against your exposed backside. Your entire body shuddered as it felt the prominent outline of his erect length through the material of his pants. Even through the layers of fabric, you could tell that he was well endowed. Images of him on screen, feeding his cock to his partner as she begged him to fuck her throat, flashed through your mind. Your mouth watered at the prospect of finally having him in the way that you so desired.

“Please, sir.”

Your mouth was so dry that your plea could barely be heard over the thundering of your heart. Somehow, he had understood your dire need, for he spoke, “Little whores like you should know how to beg for a fucking properly.” His voice was full of disappointment as he stepped away from you. Panicking from the loss of proximity, you hurried to placate him.

“Sir! Please fuck my dirty pussy. Fuck Taehyung’s cum out of my pussy. Please, sir, I’m your slut, only yours, please make your slut cum.”

Your watery plea was met with tense silence, and it was then that you realized that you had said the wrong thing. 

“Up,” he ordered, finally breaking the stifling stillness.

Your reactions were somewhat delayed, dizziness dulling your senses and slowing you down. Still feeling unstable, you gripped the edge of the desk, your knuckles turning white. Blood rushed to your head and you had to wait for a few seconds before the spots of light that danced in your vision faded away.

"Naughty sluts don't wear clothes, do they?"

Even though it was clearly a rhetorical question, you replied anyway, head bowed in shame, "No, sir."

Without waiting for his verbal command, you began to strip yourself of the cheap, white blouse. Subconsciously, you made sure to face one of the cameras as you slowly undid the buttons of your top one by one. Normally, you would be acutely aware of how everyone's attention was focused on you, but the only thing you could focus on this time was Yoongi's predatory stare. It was the minute changes in his expression that gave him away—his pupils were blown wide with lust, his nostrils flaring slightly as he drank the sight of you in—and, of course, the bulge in his slacks that he didn't bother to hide.

Next came the skirt. It hadn't been covering much to begin with, but with the way it was bunched up useless at your hips, you didn't feel any more exposed than you previously did once it came off.

Left in only your lacy bra, you played coy, your fingers just barely keeping the flimsy material held up. This part of the scene hadn't been explicitly discussed beforehand, but many things had deviated from the original script. And since nobody had interrupted the two of you yet, you figured that you were allowed to take a few liberties. Instead of feeling confused and lost from the unpredictability of the events, a strange feeling of excitement surged through you. It didn't feel like you were going through practiced motions; you felt wholly engaged in the present. You only had a vague idea of where this was headed and the element of surprise kept you on your toes.

Yoongi, ever in character, was not amused by your games. He clucked his tongue and narrowed his eyes in warning. Tilting his head as if silently asking you 'do you really want to play this game?’ you finally cowered. Your hands fell to your side along with your last material scrap of decency. There was not a single thread to cover you any longer—Yoongi was free to scrutinize every inch of exposed skin without a barrier to block his view. By slipping off your last item of clothing, you had bent yourself to his will and surrendered your body to him.

“On the desk, on your hands and knees. Ass up and hold yourself open for me.”

You scrambled to comply, not wanting to test his patience. Maybe if this was another day, in another place...but here, right now, you felt yourself follow his lead as if your body was on automatic. 

The position was somehow even more degrading than the previous one. From this angle, Yoongi now had a better view of your drenched pussy. And by holding yourself open for him, you felt like a willing participant to your own humiliation. Perched on all fours atop the piece of furniture, you felt like just another object of decoration—your sole purpose to be used or admired as pleased. 

You felt terribly exposed, but there was no denying the resulting spike of arousal in your stomach. But just as quickly as the burst of desire spiked, it disappeared, leaving you even more sexually frustrated than before.  

"CUT!" the director yelled from somewhere behind you. The sudden reminder that you weren't alone, that this wasn't real, made you flinch. It felt like someone had yanked you straight back to reality without forewarning and you were left confused and disoriented, stuck between the truth and fantasy. "Good, you guys are doing good. Let's take a short break. We need to fix the lighting.”

Film breaks weren’t uncommon but you had been so immersed in the scene that you were slow to react. "Fix her makeup before we prep for the second part," came the second set of instructions. 

Truthfully, you weren't paying attention; too busy steadying your racing heart. A young woman came forward and blotted the sweat at your hairline with a tissue before reapplying a layer of gloss on your lips and retouching your eyeliner. You barely registered her actions, not focused on your surroundings in the least.

"We're going to stick the bulb inside of you now, okay?"

It took several moments for you to understand that they were talking to you. As the words finally registered, you nodded your agreement.

The strange, artificial mixture felt cold inside of your walls. It was probably the usual stuff they used when they shot creampies, you thought distantly, not caring. Every squirt inside of you made your hips twitch in reaction although there was nothing sexy about this; the clinical approach dampened your arousal and gave you time to clear your mind. Your eyebrows knitted together as you patiently waited for the faux semen to fill you up. They made sure not to shoot it deep inside, so you felt it slowly start to ooze out as soon as the assistant stepped away from you. 

"Yoongi, we'll restart from your last line, ‘ass up and hold yourself open for me’, got it? Everyone ready? Scene 2, take 2, aand action!"

Silence fell upon the watching crew members. This way, it was easy to erase their presence and give your attention to Yoongi. 

"Hold yourself open for me." Softly, he whispered, his voice smooth like liquid silk.

You reached behind you, fingers gripping your now sore skin, and held yourself open so that he could inspect your pussy. His hot breath fanned over your backside, and it took all of your strength not to squirm away from his proximity.

"Look how easy you are. Head down, ass up like a bitch in heat."  Every word had you spiraling deeper into submission. You whimpered, low in your throat, the degrading words making you throb, "I bet Taehyung had no trouble at all sliding in this greedy cunt. You probably asked for it, didn't you? Can't live without something filling this hole up."

"Silly slut," he pinched your throbbing clit, ripping a pained yelp from your throat. "Your pussy is mine. Only I get to cum inside. You take my cum, and only when I think you're worthy enough for my seed."

The thought of belonging to him, of having him use you like his own personal plaything, made your body quiver with desire. More than anything, you wanted him to fuck you good, to take what belonged to him. In that moment, you were his. His voice controlled you, his hands disciplined you, his cock would reward you. Every inch of your pleasure belonged to him.

Your mouth watered—a burning thirst raging inside of you. You were more than convinced you would be willing to do anything to douse the ache that ate away at the remaining bits of your sanity. "I only want your cock, sir. No one gives it to me like you, I can only cum with your cum inside of me."

"Get your fingers nice and wet, slut. Get yourself clean and ready for me."

The slippery fluid inside of you felt no different than cold lube. As your fingers pumped in and out of your tight hole, the mixture spilled out of you, staining the insides of your thighs with opaque white. The mess you were making was of little importance—all of your senses were focused instead on your burgeoning orgasm. Yoongi had already wound you up so tightly that you felt the coil inside of you ready to snap at a moment's notice. 

Suddenly you remembered that Yoongi was watching your performance with hawk eyes. Afraid of the consequences you would have to face if you came without permission, you slowed down your movements, hoping he would allow you at least this. 

But no such mercy came. The sharp sting on the side of your right cheek made you lurch forward, your knees sliding against the sleek and polished surface. Yoongi's hands were instantly by your hips, grounding you in place. His strong grip made your worries ebb away; you trusted him to keep you from toppling over onto the ground. 

The stark contrast between Yoongi’s reassuring touch and the hard edge in his tone was startling. "Is all of his cum out yet? No? Then get back to work," he snapped out his command, his hands now spreading your cheeks wide open so that he and the camera could have a perfect view of your messy pussy. “Look how fucking filthy you are, it’s leaking all over. Just how much cock did you take for it to make so much of a mess?”

You could feel your skin heating up again, his lewd commentary setting you aflame with renewed desire. Your fingers worked the cum-colored lube out of your core, every loud squelch picked up by the cameras. Mouth parted; whine after whine escaped from your lips. Your need for release was becoming more unbearable by the second, and you were reaching that point where the consequences of your actions started to matter little.

“Little slut wants to cum?” The mocking lilt in Yoongi’s voice told you he wasn’t going to let you have it easy. Your head lolled forward, resigning yourself to more of what he had in store for you. “You won’t, and want to know why?”

He wound his fingers through your tresses, before yanking hard. Your scalp burned and you had no choice but to tilt your head back and meet his steely stare. From above, he exuded dominance and authority; his icy expression and firm grip in your hair challenging you to not break eye contact. 

“No, sir,” you rasped, finding it hard to form the words with the way your head was bent backwards. 

“You won’t because dirty whores can only cum with a fat cock inside of them, isn’t that right?” He spat, his features twisting almost as if he was disgusted with you. 

But you knew that was far from the truth. After all, you weren’t blind to the way his pupils were dilated—only a thin circle of brown was left, the hunger in his eyes having eclipsed the rest. His nostrils flared when you mewled in response to the humiliation—another visible sign of his arousal. You knew he wanted you, but the problem was that he, unlike you, had perfect control over his desire. 

Try as you might, it was impossible to taper the need pulsing between your thighs. You craved it as much as the air you breathed. 

“I can only cum if I have you inside me,” you sobbed, giving in completely. Any reservations were gone; you knew you would do anything to please this man. Hand still buried in your cunt, you begged, “My pleasure is yours, sir. I’m want—only want your thick cock inside of me, please take what’s yours. I’m yours, just yours. I’m a dirty slut, please u—use me.”

Shivers wracked through your frame when you heard him slide down his zipper. All of your senses were trained on him, your body reacting to even the slightest rustle of clothes. 

“Good slut.” The silken croon made its way to your ears and you closed your eyes, letting the praise wash over you. “Let me see if your cunt’s ready for me.” When Yoongi easily replaced your fingers with his own, you instantly felt the stretch. He crooked his digits inside of you, listening to your needy whimpers with relish. Two fingers quickly became three, the force of his thrusts never slowing down. 

“I’m going to fuck you from behind, slut. But that’s how you like it, don’t you?” You sniffled, not trying to refute the claim. To be taken from behind like some animal in heat, forced to submit to the brunt of his passion... When he phrased it like that, it sounded so humiliating, so degrading. Here you were, bent and kneeling on a desk, your naked ass perked up for his viewing pleasure, just like the common slut he was accusing you of being. “Like a good little bitch.”

You didn’t deny his accusations because you knew it to be true. Your breasts only got this sensitive if you were ovulating or if you were really turned on. And there was no use denying the former, not with the way your cunt was shiny and drenched with your own fluids. 

“Bend over the desk properly if you want to get fucked.” 

Never before had you completed a task with so much enthusiasm. You stretched your limbs out, your feet finding purchase on the ground while your hands gripped the edge of the desk. Excitement pooled in your gut; you had never felt so eager for a fucking before. You were unsure how much time had passed since the start of the shoot, but it somehow felt like lifetimes ago. You had been ready for his cock half a century ago.

It seemed like Yoongi was done dawdling around as well. He eased the tip of his cock inside of you. There was so much of your slick and lube, that it took two, three tries before successfully pushing in. You let out a shaky breath, body shuddering. Above you, Yoongi let out a grunt, his hands kneading your reddened flesh between his fingers. He kept you open for him, his attention fixed on the way your warm walls gripped his head snugly, eager to be fed more. Unable to form coherent words, you clenched around him, attempting to draw him in deeper. 

“A perfect plaything, letting me use her up however I want.” His words cut off into a growl as he bottomed out, his balls slapping against you. Your eyes watered, the girth of his hardened shaft stretching you out deliciously. Sweat beaded at your brow as you struggled to stay still for him, wanting him to use you as he pleased. 

Yoongi started up an easy rhythm, each of his thrusts making you slide across the surface of the desk. You felt stimulated from all over—you stiff nipples rubbed against the polished wood while his cock worked its way inside of you. Expletives intermingled with the occasional praise; and his grunts of satisfaction coaxed out your moans of pleasure. 

“Tell me, can Taehyung fuck you this good?” 

Distantly, you recognized this as a line from the script and your body reacted as if on auto-pilot. “No one can fuck me as good as you.” 

“Is that right? Then why did you let him inside your cunt?” A deep thrust made you choke out a high-pitched moan, the sound slutty even to your own ears. He stayed buried deep inside of you, but you barely had time to catch your breath before he tightened his fingers around your locks and pulled. Using the grip in your hair to guide you into the position he desired, he yanked you upwards, your shaking arms now propping your upper body up. 

“B-because I’m a slut,” you admitted, your head hanging low in shame. You weren’t even sure if it was an act or not, but the words seemed to spur him on even more, his thrusts speeding up once again. “I like having cum inside of me.”

“A cumslut, huh?” You struggled to stay propped up, but every harsh piston of his hips made stability difficult to maintain. “Can’t go without a man’s cum filling you up. You like being a cumdump for men that much?”

“O-only yours, only for you.” 

“That’s right. I own this slutty cunt.” Yoongi brought his mouth close to your ear, his teeth biting your lobe before mouthing down the side of your neck. As he left a trail of hot kisses down the column of your neck, he brought his hands up to cup your breasts, feeling them bounce in his hold with every slap of his hips against your own. You felt his breathing becoming ragged, the sound doing things to your insides.

He sunk his fingers in the supple flesh, probably leaving another set of marks to match the ones on your hips and ass, and used his hold as leverage to fuck into you faster. Every thrust inside you knocked the breath out of you—your desire spiraling to new heights with each whispered word into your ear. The pleasure started to become too much to bear and you clenched around his length to signal your approaching orgasm. 

“You’re gonna cum already? Should’ve known a slut like you wouldn’t be able to control herself when fed the right cock.” He didn’t slow down at all, his cock impaling you over and over again with no reprieve in sight. You knew if he kept this up, you wouldn’t be able to hold yourself back anymore.

“Please sir, let me cum,” you begged, your plea coming out in short pants. You didn’t know which one would give out first—your legs or your arms. The only thing that kept you upright and standing were Yoongi’s hands kneading your breasts and his hips pinning yours to the desk. 

Yoongi released your nipple with a hard tug, the free hand snaking up to your parted mouth. Instinctively, your lips wrapped around the invading digits, sucking it like it would a cock. “So greedy. You don’t get to make the demands here, slut. But I’ll be nice today because you took your spanking so well. Go on then, little slut.”

The fact that you couldn’t even see the fact of the person who was stuffing two of your holes made the fucking so impersonal. A new wave of shame swept over you, and you felt like you could drown in it. Your body thrashed in his hold, a lightning bolt of pleasure zapping through your entire body and making you starry-eyed. Your entire world shrunk, until all you knew was him and the thick cock spearing you open.  

Yoongi’s hips stuttered, his own release in reach. You felt his length twitch inside you but he quickly pulled out, his right hand stroking his slick shaft in furious strokes. You barely registered the first spurt of semen land on your well fucked pussy, the rest of his seed painting your lower lips in fields of white. 

The force of your orgasm wiped you out and you took a few seconds to regain your bearings, eyes still closed, blocking out the outside world.

It took several moments for you to be brought back to reality, spots of light still dancing in your vision whenever you blinked. Your chest heaved from exertion, your eyes watery. Your body felt incredibly light, like you could float away from the ground at any moment like a hot air balloon.

“____?” Someone repeated your name, trying to snap you out of your daze by shaking your shoulders. “Here’s some water.” A set of arms helped you sit up, and a cold glass of water was pushed into your numbed hands. “You did so well! There was no reason to be nervous, I knew you would do great.”

Belatedly, you realized that it was your agent speaking to you. He wrapped your shoulders in a pink, fluffy bathrobe—the soft fabric a welcome comfort. Seokjin showered you in praises, asking if you need anything more, but his voice faded into white noise. Your eyes flitted around the room, restless, searching.

As if feeling the weight of your gaze on him, Yoongi looked up from his phone and smiled at you. Even if his cheeks were flushed pink and his hair matted with sweat, he looked infinitely more composed than you felt. Biting the inside of your cheek, you wondered how you could possibly approach him. 

A faint buzzing pulled you from your train of thought. When you looked down, you saw a message light up the screen of your phone. Your thumb swiped the surface so that the newest message could fill up the entire screen.

 [unknown number] : hey. i cant wait to work with you again ;-)

 .

.

.

[edit: short continuation.]

Although your body was thoroughly sated, there was still an eagerness that hadn’t been completely quashed. You were still drunk off your high, your body now hooked to Yoongi’s touch. You wanted a repeat. Badly.

After the initial swell of elation had ebbed, you steadied your trembling fingers to type out a hurried reply. Thank God for autocorrect was your first coherent thought. You weren’t sure if your inability to spell the simplest of words was because of your stubby thumbs or because Yoongi had fucked every last feeling out of your body, leaving you numb all over. Did it even matter? The end result was the same, either way.

A minute passed. Your thumbs stumbled across the keyboard in your rushed attempt to correctly type out your response. It took another two tries before you finally succeeded in writing a message that was 1) free of spelling mistakes and 2) simultaneously made your intentions obvious (a flirtatious winky face included for good measure). However right before you were about to hit ‘send’, a new set of vibrations put a halt to your actions.

[unknown number] : i’m jimin btw. :) the 2nd AC.

What?

[unknown number] : you look really pretty on camera :)

[unknown number] : and in real life too! not just on camera.

[unknown number] : sorry if i sound so forward. but it’s been a long time sinc—

Your brain screeched to a halt as more messages flooded in, one right after the other.

Jimin…the second assistant cameraman?

.

(edit added 12.08)

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.

ɛ sequel here ! ᴈ

[thestangossip]

not saying that that's an excuse but isnt pedro pascal gay?

To back Belle up, sexuality and gender identity are not excuses for any behavior. This is everyone’s favorite gay teacher anon back at it again with insight of “just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.” Lord I’m sorry Belle forgive me I go back to work tomorrow now that break is over and I’ve been in a mood so thank you for sharing your platform with me.

Inappropriate behavior isn’t exclusive to sexuality, it can be as simple as making an age appropriate joke, knowing when to discuss religion or politics, wearing the right thing to an event, etc. The nature of what makes something appropriate or not also ties into consent and can depend on many factors. Like, you wouldn’t go to a funeral in shorts and flip flops unless asked to just as much as I wouldn’t make jokes based on sex, alcohol, partying, or drugs to my students as a teacher even if my they were 17 and far from being innocent. We tailor our way of speaking, dressing, and doing things with appropriateness and consent in mind without typically thinking about it and it’s why holding others accountable if they somehow don’t recognize potentially problematic behavior is important. As a gay woman I wouldn’t be okay with men undressing themselves in front of me without my consent just because I’m not interested in their sad excuse for a sausage McMuffin just as my female friends know they don’t have to worry about me crossing boundaries in public changing rooms knowing I’m gay. It’s about consent, communication, and age/gender/race/religious specific boundaries.

This point also ties in with another anon who said they’d never do what Pedro and Bella are doing in the interviews with their male friends. I do want to mention that I happily do with friends of all genders with their consent and comfort, but the difference is that we’re all in the same age group. I’m absolutely okay with dog pile cuddling my friends but not if they’re significantly younger or older. Different generations come with different cultural and societal expectations and behavioral meanings that need to be considered because something I say or do may come off as innocent to my friends but may have a whole different meaning to someone not from my generation. The way Gen Z and Alpha treat the internet vs Gen X and Boomers is a good example of this. Regardless, accountability is important to setting and enforcing boundaries and I need people to understand that, again, in any other profession Pedro would get into serious trouble for his behavior. Part of my mood is that I had a meeting with my principle yesterday after my meetings because a very religious family complained that I was being inappropriate with their kids regarding sexuality. The kids in question asked why I used they/them pronouns for a fellow teacher and I told them “it’s because Mx so-and-so isn’t a boy or a girl, they’re a person.” That’s it. 💀 My principle had my back over it but it proves my point that something can come off as innocent to one person but hold more weight to another and I’m having those kids moved to a different class out of respect for their family’s wishes despite my right to teach as an openly queer teacher. Accountability requires everyone involved to ensure boundaries and consent are respected and isn’t something one person can dictate for others or not based on their own lives experiences. We’re normies and grooming and inappropriate behaviors will look different on celebrities that need to be held to tighter and higher accountability than not and I wish more people understood this.

All these paragraphs worth of points.

[inazuma-eleven-translations]

IEGO Fan Novel Rantaku

Inazuma Eleven GO fan novel Rantaku Anthology ‘I Fell in Love with my Childhood Friend’

Story 2 Sukoshi Zutsu, Haru ‘Our Springs, One by One’ p32-42 (10 pages)

Note:...Is there anyone else who still cares about Kirino and Shindou’s friendship? translates anyway

Kirino Ranmaru’s school bag was orange.

Shindou Takuto was shown this school bag by Kirino himself on the day it arrived during the middle of March, so he’d known about it in advance of them both entering elementary school.

Even now, Shindou could still remember the way his childhood friend screwed up his face in disappointment when they opened the box his grandmother had sent and looked inside to find a dull orange school bag.

Since there was less than a month left before they would start elementary school, Kirino’s parents were busy sorting out uniforms, school supplies and attention information sessions. The school bag was not the black or dark blue Kirino himself had asked for, but that dull orange.

It’s not orange; it’s bronze gold, Kirino’s mother told him while reading the pamphlet that came with the bag, however, Kirino, as the person who would use it, protested that it WAS orange and he hated it.

Send it back! Grandma is an idiot! I’m not using that! Kirino complained, though his mother wasn’t persuaded by his complaints. Though there was the potential to send it back, they wouldn’t have time to get a new one before the first day of school (where pictures would be taken), nor could she possibly fathom the rudeness of sending back a present her mother that had so graciously sent them.

The second reason was one Shindou only heard from Kirino’s mother after they both entered middle school. Unfortunately for Kirino, his own dissatisfaction took second place to showing appropriate gratitude to his grandmother.

Though the backpack was sturdy and well-made, and sent with Grandma’s best intentions,  Kirino - who hated being teased about looking like a girl more than anything else - found his pride sorely wounded. If he wore an orange school bag, he would once again be made fun of for looking like a girl.

Yet despite all of his complaints, when Shindou met Kirino and his mother as they walked together on the first day of school and said good morning, sure enough Kirino was wearing that dull orange school bag.

Kirino’s mother was wearing a suit, Shindou’s a kimono and they fell into step together, beginning to chat - despite frequently meeting each other, those two never seemed to run out of things to talk about.

On the contrary, Kirino had pulled his yellow hat down far over his face and, walking with his head down, he nudged Shindou and whispered.

‘I bet there’s no other boy with the same color school bag as me.’

It’s definitely bothering him, Shindou thought, looking around them. There were plenty of new students walking alongside their Moms, but nobody had the same color school bag as Kirino.

‘I guess not.’

‘Thought so.’

‘You really hate it, huh?’

At Shindou’s words, Kirino shook his head, finally looking up at his friend.

‘Dad looked it up on the internet. This really is a boy’s bag. Grandma picked what she thought was the coolest one.’ Kirino said, looking a tiny bit pleased.

‘Your school bag is cool, Kirino-chan.’

‘Really?’ Kirino asked shyly. ‘Really.’ ‘Really, really?’ ‘Really, really!’ ‘Really, really, really…’ The two childrens’ conversation continued along the same lines as they walked, two little yellow heads bobbing together, hugging the straps of their orange and black school bags tightly.

‘But I really would prefer a black one. Like yours.’

‘Okay, next time why don’t we swap?’

‘Yeah! You can definitely use mine!’

That’s fine, Shindou thought. The orange school bag looked good with Kirino’s dark uniform, and stood out more than Shindou’s black school bag - it suited Kirino.

I guess we’re both a bit jealous of each other.

As Kirino ran ahead, Shindou chased after him. Their school bags were empty save for a newly bought pencil case, which bounced around as they ran.

‘I hope we’re in the same class!’

‘Yeah!’

The morning sun shone through a row of trees as cherry blossom petals danced around them lightly in the breeze, sending them off on their six year journey through elementary school.

As the only boy with an orange school bag, Kirino stood out. There were four classes of twenty students throughout all of first year. That was quite large for recent elementary school classes. Though luckily they were both placed in the same class, from the first day of school onwards, an older male homeroom teacher immediately began to treat Kirino like a female student. Kirino got into uproar several times about this, and throughout just the first term, found himself attending many meetings between his parents and teachers.

One day Shindou returned home and, to his surprise, found his father there - unusual for a week day. ‘Where is Kirino-kun?’ His father asked, to which he replied with a wan smile that his friend had once again been detained after school, and that his mother had a meeting with their teacher.

‘Kirino-kun gets into fights a lot, huh?’

‘No! Kirino-chan didn’t do anything wrong! It’s not Kirino-chan’s fault he gets into fights.’

‘I know, I know.’ His father said, ruffling his hair. Shindou hated when Kirino was kept after school - it meant they couldn’t walk home together, and the next day Kirino would be in a bad mood, sulking silently to himself.

‘ ‘Cause Mom was really mad, okay?’ For Kirino, being stuck in a room for an hour while his parents and teacher talked to each other using complicated words he didn’t really understand wasn’t nearly as bad as his mother scolding him once they got home.

Despite his effeminate appearance, Kirino was not by any means weak - he was a strong, clever child. In fact, Shindou was the more fragile of the two, a little rich prince who would cry at the slightest distress. Kirino took it upon himself to take care of his more timid childhood friend.

When Kirino showed his newly bought soccer ball as well as a match’s video to Shindou, Shindou became completely absorbed in it and declared that when they started their club activities in fourth year he would join the soccer club. As the two began their second year and were separated into separate classes, Shindou was still timid and quick to burst into tears, and Kirino was still frequently singled out for looking like a girl.

As they walked once again along the cherry-blossomed lined path for their second year of middle school, Shindou sobbed that they should have been in the same class, as Kirino smiled and wiped the tears from his cheeks.

‘Don’t worry, Takuto. If something bad happens, I’ll come help you right away.’

For the first time, Shindou felt a sense of responsibility when his friend said those words and after his usual response of ‘Yeah, thanks, come help me,’ he added:

‘And - and - if Kirino-chan is in trouble, I’ll come save you too!’

‘But I’m stronger than you, Takuto. That’s impossible.’

‘N-no it’s n-not!’

It certainly was, Kirino thought as he continued to wipe away Takuto’s tears. But surprisingly, Shindou continued to protest this time. Even if you think I’m weak, you can’t protect me forever.

‘ ‘Cause we’re friends! I’ll always be there to help you.’

Kirino looked surprised, before replying, alright, with a small smile.

Shindou didn’t really understand why Kirino’s smile was so small, but it seemed he had somehow convinced his friend, which he was pleased out. Shindou took the hand Kirino was using to wipe his tears in his.

‘I promise, I’ll save you from any trouble.’ With that the two linked their fingers, Kirino looking at their interlocked fingers for a moment.

‘Alright, I’ll play soccer too.’ Kirino said, as the cherry blossoms continued to swirl around them.

---

One beautiful spring day passed after another, and soon the beautiful blue sky of summer could be seen from every window. When club activities had ended and club members began leisurely changing out of their uniform while chatting casually to each other, Shindou stood separately from all of them, sighing as he looked over the club journal.

‘And then…’

When Matsukaze Tenma tilted his head to the side, the former Captain looked up, tilting his own head too out of reflex.

‘What were we talking about…?’

‘Oh, what was it again…?’

The current Captain and the former Captain looked at each other in baffled confusion - you could practically see the question mark rise above their heads. They’d already finished writing in the club journal some time earlier.

‘Weren’t you talking about how it’s best not to make Kirino-senpai angry?’

‘That was it! Wow, you were listening really well, Kariya!’

Kariya, who had been previously folding his uniform a little bit too carefully and seemingly pretending not to listen, butted in from behind them. At Tenma’s words the tips of his ears went red, and he hurriedly thrust his uniform haphazardly into his bag.

‘N-not that I wanted to listen! Not that I care!’

‘But you do care! You don’t really want to make Kirino-senpai angry!’

‘Doesn’t matter to me.’

‘But you were listening to our conversation! You do care after all.’

‘I do not! I don’t care at all!’

‘You do, you do!’

‘Shut up!’

Shindou let out a sigh, smiling wanly as he chose not to interfere with the first year’s energetic conversation. Kirino picked up the club journal from the top of the desk and flicked through it. Shindou’s childhood friend was generally very patient, but his elementary school years was a topic he’d probably rather not talk about.

‘Let’s go home, Shindou.’

‘Huh? Wait! I wanna know what happened!’

‘Yeah, you might as well go home all embarrassed.’

Kirino hit the back of Kariya’s head with the club journal with a thump.

‘It was the spring of our fourth year of middle school, huh. Kirino.’

Shindou, who was still sitting down, looked up at Kirino while wearing his usual smile.

‘Don’t confirm it with me if you already remember. Yeah, a little bit before May.’ When cherry blossoms still covered the paths and fresh green leaves were blooming.

Kirino still hated whenever anyone made fun of his orange school bag, perhaps because even now Shindou would do his best to reassure him that it looked cool - maybe that was why he hated it being laughed at so much…

---

They became fourth years, chose their club activities and Shindou and Kirino spent every Tuesday to Friday after school attending soccer practice.

Shindou was still very close to Kirino but gradually his friend began to call him ‘Shindou’ a lot more than ‘Takuto’. When he asked why, Kirino said, with a complicated obsession on his face, ‘I don’t want anyone else to call you Takuto’.

‘Oh, I see.’ Shindou nodded, and from then on ‘Kirino-chan’ became just ‘Kirino’.

They were in Class 3 and 1 respectively. Though their classrooms were on the same floor, they were very spaced out from each other, so aside from club activities the two couldn’t spend a lot of time together.

One day a little while after they’d entered the soccer club, Kirino was late to Friday’s soccer practice. When Shindou asked him why, Kirino replied that it was nothing, but when practice ended and Shindou looked at Kirino’s school bag he immediately understood.

The front of the bag, the place where you put the books into, was damaged, and the lower part of the bag was stained black, and there was evidence that the metal clasps on the sides had been damaged. No matter how sturdy the bag was, it had already been in use for 4 years, so there was no way it would look as pristine as it did when Kirino first started using it.

‘Kirino, who did that?’

‘No one.’

Kirino began to walk forward while clasping his schoolbag and seemingly pretending not to see the damage, all the while not looking at Shindou. When he looked at the black ink that spread over the back of the school bag, and the effect it had on Kirino who walked with his head down, Shindou could tell just how angry his friend was.

Tuesday next week during club activities, Kirino didn’t appear. While taking the balls and cones out of the storehouse, Shindou called out to one of the guys from Kirino’s class who was also a member of the soccer club. He said that while Kirino had left the classroom, his school bag was still there.

‘Come to think of it, that guy was by himself in the classroom. I saw him say something to Kirino during cleaning time; they probably had another fight with each other.’

‘That guy?’

‘The guy who spilled black ink on Kirino’s school bag before.’

‘He said something to Kirino today?’

‘Yeah.’

The image of Kirino holding his head down and staring at the ground floated into his head.

‘Sorry, I’m skipping practice today!’

Still in his soccer uniform, Shindou dashed out of the club room. When he reached the font entrance, he found it had already been locked. Damn, I have to go the long way around. Shindou rushed to the other end of the school and back to the entrance, without stopping to change from his spiked boots to his indoor shoes. That didn’t matter right now.

Kirino’s in trouble, so I can’t wait. He’s definitely thinking of doing something.

Had Kirino forgiven that guy for saying he looked like a girl? What about the guys who pulled his long hair? Or the guy who jeered him that he should come to school in a skirt, and tried to pull down his pants? Would Kirino react with violence? Or give up in frustration?

There’s no way he’d take the latter option. This was no different from all those times. Kirino wouldn’t forgive this guy.

The fourth year classrooms were on the second floor, and Kirino’s was the closest.

[op-law]

One Piece x Reader {Join My Club} Ch 10

(F/s) - Favorite Soup

~~~~~~~~

(Y/n)'s Pov

"Hm, I like (F/s) but Law might not feel the same way... Actually, if he didn't like it then why is it in his house?" The man was still in the shower though I knew he wouldn't take long so I placed the can down before I began to look for his can opener. "Where the hell does he keep it?... Hm, not here... Not here either" It was strange it wasn't with the other utensils, but I didn't give up hope as I opened yet another drawer. "What are you looking for (Y/n)-ya?"

"Ah! I thought you were in the shower Law?" My heart was threatening to pop out of my chest right now though I found it odd that I never even heard the water turn off. "Try not to scream so loudly (Y/n)-ya someone might think you're in danger. Now, what is it that you're looking for?" It took me a few moments to find the words but eventually, I did start to reply. "Where's your can opener Law?" When the man didn't answer my question right away, I became a little annoyed, but I let it slide since he was sick.

"Earth to Law. Where is your can opener? I can't open this soup without one" As he leaned back against the countertop, I watched his eyes lock on the can but instead of being reasonable, he decided to tease me instead. "I don't own one (Y/n)-ya though maybe if you ask nicely, I'll open it for you" How in the world did Law expect that he was going to open the soup without one? "Oh, great and powerful Law! Please open this soup for me! I'd be forever grateful if you could do me the honor!"

"Room... There you go (Y/n)-ya. I take it you can manage to heat it up on your own?" As my eyes went wide, I noticed Law didn't even bother to stick around as he took a seat on the bed. "W-What was that weird blue circle?" I had never seen something quite like it before, but it had appeared soon after the man said that word. "Aren't you familiar with devil fruit users (Y/n)?" As I thought over what Law had said I was still confused since I didn't know what some fruit had to do with any of this. "A devil who?"

"Didn't your father ever show you his abilities?... Hm, come here (Y/n)-ya I'll tell you everything I know about the fruits" Wait did he just mention my father? I knew our relationship hadn't been the best over the last few years but was he really hiding something like this from me? "Room... Shambles. I don't like to be kept waiting (Y/n)-ya and you know that" This must have been another one of Law's powers though as my eyes shifted back to the kitchen counter I started to reply. "But I have to make you some soup so you can get better"

"The soup can wait until we're finished with this" Hmm, he's probably not going to take no for an answer, and I was curious about these powers anyway, so I'd allow him to speak. "Alright Law but why do I have to sit in your lap?" It wasn't an uncomfortable position, but I found it odd that he would want me to sit on top of him. "... All questions will be answered later (Y/n)-ya. Now let's begin with the basics..."

~~~~~~~~~

Hawkins' Pov

"Drake would you like your nails trimmed this morning?" My partner's claws needed to be trimmed a few times each week to keep them at an appropriate length, but I also knew he didn't care for sitting still for me that much. "Hm, didn't you cut them a few days ago Hawkins?" As the male admired his claws, I leaned farther back in the tub though offered a quick reply before I did. "Yes, but it's time for them to be trimmed once again. May I see them, Drake?"

As the man placed his arm into mine, I admired his claws although when Drake started to complain I shifted my attention to his face instead. He always would bite his lip when asking a request of me and it was too adorable to miss out on. "I don't want them cut today Hawkins. Can you wait until tomorrow night?" Since his claws did appear to be too long, I would give in to his request though something else needed to be done before classes. "Very well Drake although your hair to due for a wash this morning. Please select a shampoo and lean back for me"

"Oh, alright Ha-"

'Ding'

"Was that your phone Hawkins or mine?" It was strange that Drake had received a text so early in the morning, but I didn't think much about it as the man started to dry his hands off. "I believe it was your phone Drake" As my eyes shifted to the left, I watched him lean over the tub before unlocking the device and reading over the text. "Hm... (Y/n) wants to know if I have a devil fruit. What do I say, Hawkins?" Devil fruit users didn't often make themselves known to the public although with Drake I knew even telling me about his powers was something that took months.

I had become aware of his fruit early on but to keep my partner calm and collected I never brought it up until he wanted to inform me about them. "Do you wish for her to know about your fruit Drake?" My partner was damaged so I could understand the fear that rested behind why he hid his powers, but he behaved differently when (Y/n) was involved. It was a good change though I still had my doubts about whether that girl would negatively or positively affect him. "Not really... Hmm, actually I don't know. She's my friend and lying to her wouldn't end well but what happens if she judges me?"

Since Drake was detracted by his phone, I leaned over his shoulder to whisper a reply into his ear. He always tensed up, but it was just a lovely reaction indeed. "How is it that she became aware of your powers? I thought you hide them from the public" Not everyone was familiar with the fruits since most thought of us as monsters without souls although that was how the world worked. People feared what they did not understand. "D-Don't do that H-Hawkins! H-Hold on I'll ask her... Oh, Law apparently is telling her all about the fruits and mentioned us to her"

So, (Y/n) was just as oblivious of the fruits as most people in the city? That was interesting, to say the least since her father was a Logia user if I remembered correctly. It was possible that the girl was just never informed of devil fruits but somehow, I doubted it was that simple. "If (Y/n)'s with Law does that mean she spent the night at his house?" Those two had only met the other day and Trafalgar was not known for committing to one female but there was a connection between them. "... That would make sense but I'm not going to question her about it. My fingers are starting to get wrinkles can you wash my hair with this shampoo?"

"As you wish Drake. Lean back for me"

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Killer's Pov

I had been up for the past two hours now, but my partner was still sleeping, and judging on the time we were going to end up being late again. "Kidd?... Come on Kidd wake up we're going to be late for class" He wasn't a morning person by any stretch of the imagination though as his eyes popped open, I recognized that glare. It softened soon after when he noticed me sitting beside him but when the male started to speak, I felt my ears begin to ring. "I'm not fucking going!"

"That's not an option today Kidd" As my hands gripped the blanket, I threw it to the side before taking a hold of his hands so he couldn't make any attempt to receive it. "Give me back the blanket Killer! I'm not going to ask you twice!" Kidd might have sounded hateful and angry, but this was his normal behavior, so I was used to it. The male was mostly bark though if someone made him angry enough, he would occasionally bite. He wouldn't dare go against me so I could get away with giving him orders here and there. "No, there's a test this morning and you can't afford to miss it. I'll go prepare some breakfast but when I come back you better be up"

My parents had left for a business trip yesterday so we had the house to ourselves for a few days and if Kidd had his way, we would never leave the house during their time away. Unfortunately for him I actually cared about his education. He probably wouldn't use anything he learned but it would be a nice thing for him to have if he decided to further his career path. "Why in the hell are you so demanding this morning?"

"Go shower Kidd then put on the clothes I laid out for you" Once I had made sure Kidd was sitting up, I moved to leave the bed, but his hand stopped me. "You're lucky that I love you, Killer... About that picture... I'm handing it so don't worry" Yesterday was hell but I was slowly getting over what had happened at school. It wasn't Kidd's fault, and I couldn't hold this against him forever. "Is that where you went last night?" I had briefly woken up last night when Kidd left the house but remained quiet since I didn't want to upset him. "Yes and no. Law needed help with something"

I had nothing against the man but those two were together far too often for my liking. Kidd was loyal to me though there was a small part of me that couldn't push past thinking Kidd might one day cheat with someone else. "Law... you were with him?" As soon as he started to reply the gears in my head started to turn. "Yeah, the plan was to beat the hell out of the teacher that's been failing (Y/n) but he wasn't home. It turns out the bitch is some sort of stalker, and he had this wall with pictures of her. Creepy as fuck if you ask me"

That definitely sounded like something Kidd would do but I was almost glad the teacher wasn't home since bailing my partner out of jail wasn't something that was easy or cheap. Although as I replayed what the male had said I was left with only one question. "Wait who is (Y/n)?" I didn't recall him ever mentioning someone by that name but at the same time, I was a little curious who she was to Kidd. "Law's love interest or fuck buddy. Not really sure which but since she's nice I'm leaning more towards a love interest. You remember that girl he was walking with yesterday? That's her"

Now that Kidd mentioned it, I do remember seeing a girl wearing Law's sweater. It was strange but who was I to judge what the male chose to do with his free time. "Oh, I didn't think Law had time for a relationship" At least if Law turned out to be in a relationship, I could rest easy when those two hang out together. "Yeah, I didn't think so either, but he seems to really like this girl. Can't see the appeal though you should have since him last night. He's going to kill that man that's for sure. Hahaha"

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Law's Pov

"Does that all make sense to you (Y/n)-ya?" The girl hadn't moved from my lap during my whole explanation but as she started to smile, I felt my cheeks get a small amount of blood rushing to them. "Nope not at all but that's okay I'll still be here for you no matter what... Where did you find your devil fruit Law?" I had left out the detail for a reason but if I was going to be around (Y/n) then I would need to be honest with her. "It was obtained by illegal means. How familiar are you with Diez Barrels?"

"The creepy ginger that lives across the street from me? Hmm, he does not like me very much. Why do you ask Law?" That was a little surprising but then again, she did mention that Drake was her neighbor. "I got my fruit from him although my brother was the one who stole it" It might have sounded like a was involved with the wrong crowd but if it bothered (Y/n) she didn't show it. "Why?... Wait I thought you were all by yourself who is this brother of yours?"

"Well, he's like foster brother and he wanted to cure my illness. This fruit is the only reason why I'm still alive" Her eyes did widen slightly though they quickly returned to normal as she offered me a hug which I never returned. "Oh, okay that makes sense. I would like to meet this brother of yours someday. He sounds kind" Cora-san did have his good moments although there was still that side of him that terrified even me. "He's one of a kind that one but I ha-"

'Knock' 'Knock' 'Knock'

"Law, open the door! Hurry up it's Doflamingo he's overdosing again!"

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To Be Continued...