#could i choose a better second image? yes. should i choose a better second image? yes. am i going to? no.

[onepiecebdays]

april 27th - streusen

debut chapter: 858

recent chapter: 1096

epithet: gourmet knight

current age: 92

affiliation: big mom pirates

bounty: unknown

[illyrianbitch]

Where I Left My Lover

Pairing: Reader x Azriel

Summary: After a brush with death, Azriel makes a difficult decision to protect you.

Warnings: angst!!!! & bad decisions.

Word Count: 3.8k

✹ ✶ 𖧷 ✶✹

With a forceful push, the door to Rhysand’s office swung open as Nesta swept into the room, eyes blazed with a fury that made Azriel swallow. Cassian’s loud footsteps echoed as he followed after his mate.

"Tell me it isn't true," she demanded, her voice a low, dangerous growl.

Rhysand moved to intercept her, his hand outstretched in a futile attempt to stop her from her warpath. "Nesta, perhaps we should—"

“Don’t fucking touch me,” Nesta shoved him away with a forceful gesture, her gaze fixed on Azriel. The shadowsinger stood eerily still, even his shadows unmoving. 

"Azriel," she said, her voice trembling with anger. "Tell me it isn't true."

His gaze faltered, and suddenly he found himself unable to meet Nesta's accusing, burning stare. He looked away, his shadows curling into themselves behind him, as if retreating in shame.

Nesta's anger flared, hands clenching at her side. She breathed out sharply, the sound a mixture of frustration and rage. Whipping around to face Rhysand, she leveled a searing gaze at him.

"I expect something like this from you," she spat, her tone laced with contempt.

Rhysand's expression hardened into a withering glare, but before he could respond, Nesta turned back to Azriel. "But you?" she continued, her voice dripping with disappointment. "You're supposed to be better than this."

Azriel's jaw tightened as he grit his teeth together. From behind Nesta, he watched as Cassian approached, staring at him with a frown and furrowed brows. Azriel looked back to Nesta.

“You don’t understand-”

 "I don't care," she retorted, her tone icy. "You cannot do this. Not to Y/n."

At the mention of your name, Azriel's heart clenched, a wave of sadness washing over him like a relentless tide. He swallowed hard.

"This is for Y/n," he responded, his voice low. Flat.  "To keep her safe."

"That is not your decision to make," Nesta snarled, "You are stripping her of her right to choose, and you know deep down she wouldn't want this."

There was something about the way Nesta spoke, how she stared at him with such disappointment, that made him angry. Azriel was making the right decision. He was being selfless, yet everyone was seeing it the other way, seeing him as some monster.

Within seconds, his control slipped, a low growl rumbling in his chest as he took a step forward, his eyes flashing with a dark intensity. "She almost died!" he exclaimed, his voice laced with desperation. "She almost died because of me. I don't care what she wants. I'm doing this to keep her safe."

Cassian moved quickly, placing a firm hand on Nesta's shoulder. “Watch it,” he growled as he met Azriel's gaze.

Azriel blinked. And then he was composing himself once more, moving back into a straight posture. "I'm doing this because I love her," he said, his voice softer now, tinged with sorrow.

"No," Nesta said, her voice sharp. "This is not love. This is wrong. And if you go through with it, I'll never let you forget it."

As Nesta turned to leave, Azriel felt a pang of regret gnaw at his heart. A wave of guilt washed over him at the realization that he had disappointed someone he cared about so deeply. He truly cared about Nesta, respected her strength and conviction, and the thought of her walking away, angry and disillusioned, made him sick to his stomach. Had he lost two people today? Was he truly doing the right thing?

Yes, he reminded himself. Images of you conjured in his brain— your pale, bruised and bloody body, the way you laid limp in his arms. He thought back to how he’d relished in the screams of the soldiers who had tortured you, how he took his time carving them out for what they had done. He thought about how long you’d been in that bed, unmoving with shallow breaths, how scared he’d been that he’d lost you. You were human. You were something he could lose. And his life, his duties, had almost cost him your life.

Azriel looked up to meet Rhysands gaze, who had been standing in quiet observation, making no move to talk or intervene. Azriel had already spoken to Rhys, had gotten the same discussion from him. His gaze flickered to Cassian, who was shaking his head as he stared out of the door his mate had left through.

“Nes is right,” Cassian said, “I mean, we’ve done our fair share of questionable things, but this?”

He paused for a moment, eyes darting between his two brothers.

“It’s what needs to be done,” Azriel said.

Cassian shook his head. “No. It’s what you think needs to be done. And you’re wrong.”

Azriel let out a deep exhale, his jaw clenched. 

“Rhys,” Cass said, turning to face the High Lord. “C’mon. You know better than this. You really think this is okay?”

Rhysand held his gaze. For a moment, Cass believed he’d gotten through to his brother, that perhaps he’d realized how far this was going to go, how wrong Azriel was. But Rhysand simply straightened his posture.

“I’m not a part of this,” was all he responded.

Cass shook his head once more, poking a finger into Rhysand’s chest.

“Don’t give me that bullshit. Az has lost his goddsdamned mind. Why are you entertaining this?”

It was Azriel who moved next, walking up to Cassian and pushing him away with a small shove. He gave a snarl, shadows swirling around his forearms. Cass looked down at the hand pressed against his chest, and then up at Azriel with flared nostrils and a look of deep disappointment in his eyes.

“You have no idea what you’re talking about,” Azriel growled, “You think this is something I want to do?”

Cassian pushed him off.

“I think you’ve lost sight of what is fear and what is reason.”

“Enough,” Rhysand commanded, walking to the two males to separate them with his extended hands. He turned to Cassian and let out a small exhale. Cass saw it, then, the sadness in his eyes. 

“In the centuries that Azriel has been a part of this family, a part of this court, he has not asked for favors. He has asked me now, and I owe it to him.”

Cassian let out a small scoff. It was a losing game. They were all stubborn— it came with their lineage, with their dna. So he settled at casting Azriel another glance and frowned.

"This is selfish, Az," he said, his voice heavy with regret. "She is not only yours. She’s family. She’s Nesta’s friend. She’s my friend—"

Something flickered in Azriel's eyes, a weariness settling over him as he grew tired of defending his actions. "Do you want her as a friend or do you want her alive?"

Cassian slightly recoiled, a small tick in his jaw. “That’s not fair.”

“Cassian,” Rhys said slowly, “Leave.”

Cassian rubbed his jaw, a heavy anger simmering beneath his skin as he shot one last glare at Azriel. "Whatever," he muttered in disappointment, "I can’t even look at you."

And with that, he turned and stalked out of the room.

✹ ✶ 𖧷 ✶✹ 

The soft chirping of birds filled the air, the sounds a gentle caress against Azriel’s skin. The beauty around him stood out in stark contrast to the heavy silence that hung over him like a suffocating cloak. He’d always loved your little home, loved how secluded it was, how quiet. Everything was slower here, more timid, more calm. 

You were inside with Rhysand, now, and Azriel could hear the faint echo of your voices. It didn’t last long. Within moments it went quiet, and Az clenched his fists at his side.

The longer he lingered outside, the more he felt the pull of your presence, the echo of your touch haunting him like a ghost. Azriel fought every urge to run back inside, to hold you and kiss you again like he had moments prior. It wasn't long enough. He should have taken another minute, another hour. But he knew, deep down, it would never be enough, that it would never be the right time. The longer he spent with you, the longer he felt your touch, it broke him even more.

Azriel’s shadows pulled at him, wrapping around his ankles as if to pull him back inside. He scolded them, his wings twitching as he slightly kicked his feet. They swarmed once more. They were angry at him too. Azriel knew this. He felt it in their touch, in the way they’d whisper. He did his best to ignore it.

He wasn’t being selfish. He was putting you first.

There was a faint creak as the door opened behind him. Swiftly, he turned around, his eyes locking with Rhysand's as his brother stepped out and closed the door behind him with a deliberate slowness.

Rhysand gave Azriel a small, curt nod.  "It's done.”

Azriel's chest tightened, a lump forming in the back of his throat. "Is she-" he began, his voice catching in his throat.

“She’s alright.”

There was a heavy ache in Azriel’s chest now, something tender like an open wound. His heart felt hollow. Empty. He looked down at the ground, at the shadows at his feet, and tightly shut his eyes. 

Rhysand’s face softened. “Az,” he started, but Azriel simply shook his head. 

"Don't," he whispered hoarsely. And before Rhysand could respond, he disappeared.

✹ ✶ 𖧷 ✶✹ 

Azriel stood outside the small inn, his heart pounding in his chest as he hesitated at the threshold. He knew he shouldn't be here, shouldn't risk drawing attention to himself or risk the chance of undoing what he’d chosen to do. But the pull of his own longing had been too strong to resist. He’d lasted longer than expected, but even then, he’d been in agony. He was restless, angry, and above all else, he was lonely.

With a deep breath, he adjusted his posture, making a mental check of the glamour he’d put around himself, concealing his wings and any other identifying features of his. Even with the cover, he kept his wings tightly folded against his back, just in case something went awry.

And then he entered, casting a wary glance around the room as he made his way through the crowded floor. His hands were tucked securely in his pockets, his shadows coiled around him like protective tendrils. He’d done his best to make them blend into the black material of his clothing, told them to stay put and ripple like fabric would. 

Finding a small table in the corner, Azriel made his way over, but as he lowered himself into the seat, a nagging voice in the back of his mind warned him of the folly of his actions. This was stupid, dangerous, and entirely self-indulgent. Dangerous, dangerous, his shadows echoed. He tightened his jaw. He would only be here for a few moments, he told himself, he just wanted to see you��� once. That was all.

His shadows whispered louder, a small anxious buzz in his head. He needed to leave before it was too late.

But before he could make a move, he looked up and froze, his breath catching in his throat.

“Hello,” you said timidly, giving him a small smile. Azriel’s heart leapt as the sound, a sudden rush of warmth filling his veins. Your hair was shorter now than the last time he saw you, and you wore a few dainty gold chains around your neck that he’d never seen. Had you bought those recently? Made them with your friends? They looked beautiful on you. And you had so much color. You looked alive. You looked happy.

A moment passed as Azriel simply stared at you, and then he was shaking his head slightly, freeing himself of the daze he had fallen into. 

“Uh, hi- hello.” 

It was then he finally noticed the two small glasses in your hands, both filled slightly with an amber liquid. You followed his gaze, looking down at your own hands. You frowned slightly and then you extended one towards him. 

“I’m not sure why I brought this,” you admitted, “But here. This is for you.”

Azriel swallowed, gently reaching out to take the small cup from your hands. His fingers brushed against your skin ever so slightly and he nearly jumped at the contact, a tingling sensation filling his body.  Your brows furrowed as you observed his hands, your gaze tracing over the perfectly smoothed, tan skin.

He had them glamoured too, just to be safe. 

He watched as you blinked, your expression shifting with a mixture of confusion, as if you sensed something wrong. A wave of sickening guilt rolled through his stomach. His shadows circled at his feet— subtly enough that they’d blend in to the darkness of the cornered floor, but strong enough to where Azriel felt them, pawing at him like dogs to an owner.

“Thank you,” Azriel finally brought himself to say.

Your gaze instantly flickered back to his eyes. You scanned his face, taking in his features, the brown of his eyes. And then you gave him another smile, a small blush forming on your cheeks. You looked over to the empty seat in front of him. 

 "Do you mind?" 

Azriel felt a surge of flustered panic coursing through him, his heart pounding in his chest as he struggled to compose himself. "Oh, yes, of course, please," he stammered, his voice barely above a whisper. He readjusted himself in his own chair.

As you settled into the seat across from him, Azriel couldn't tear his gaze away from you. He watched, mesmerized, as you took a small sip from the glass, the soft curve of your lips bringing back every memory he’d held of them.

He watched as you scanned the crowd. Every fiber of his being screamed at him to look away, to break the spell. This would only make things worse for him. But try as he might, he couldn't tear his gaze away from you, couldn't tear himself away from indulging in your presence. It took every ounce of restraint within him not to lean forward, to reach out and caress you.

You caught Azriel's gaze as he quickly averted his eyes, a small laugh escaping your lips at his sudden shyness. "I'm sorry for interrupting your quiet time," you said.

Azriel shifted in his seat. "No," he replied, a bit too quickly, his voice catching in his throat. He cleared his throat and tried again. "I mean, I don't mind."

You smiled, a warmth in your eyes that made his heart flutter– something just as painful as it was comforting.

 "This may sound silly, but it feels like I was supposed to come talk to you," you confessed, your voice soft.

A tug in his chest. “Really?" 

"Yes," you replied, your gaze drifting momentarily to the crowd before returning to him. "I'm quite good at listening. Maybe you need a good ear."

Azriel chuckled softly. You always were great at listening, even better at talking, too. It was a perfect balance. He’d always loved that about you. Your presence was so calming, so quiet compared to the loudmouths he called family, even if he loved them dearly. He missed it, how gentle you were. 

"I don't know if that's what I need.”

You tilted your head, studying him with a curious expression. "What brought you here today?" 

Azriel thought for a moment, his gaze falling to his glass as he traced a finger along its rim. He knew he couldn't hide the truth from you, not when you were always so good at reading him, so stubborn at getting what you really wanted.

After a brief pause, he finally admitted, "A girl."

Your eyes lit up with interest, a smile gracing your lips as you leaned in slightly. "Yeah?" you asked, “She somebody special?”

Azriel met your gaze, attempting to muster a smile, but a lump formed in his throat, choking back the words he struggled to say. He bounced his knee nervously under the table. “She was. I can’t seem to let her go.”

Your frown deepened at the admission, a pang of sympathy tugging at your heart. "I'm sorry," you murmured. 

But Azriel quickly shook his head, a faint smile touching his lips as he reassured you, "It's alright."

Silence enveloped you for a moment.

"She was the love of my life," Azriel said, his voice softer than he’d ever heard it. He glanced up at you, instantly finding your attentive gaze that met his own.

You remained quiet, but he knew the look on your face. Eyes wide, slight furrowed brows, a small smile. You were urging him to continue, waiting for him to finish, to be heard.

"Beautiful, kind, funny," he continued, his voice soft with reverence. "Also a great listener."

As he spoke, memories of moments shared with you flooded his mind, each beautiful and painful in their own rite, a haunting sense of longing drowning his senses. 

You gave a small breathy laugh. 

"No wonder you can't let her go," you said. There was a ting of sadness in your gentle voice. Azriel wondered what it was for. 

"Yeah," he agreed softly, his gaze drifting back to his glass.

Silence settled between you once more, the air heavy with every unspoken thought and emotion that Azriel felt. He wasn’t sure why he did it, why he let it slip. But before he could stop himself,  Azriel looked up, his gaze searching yours as he asked, "Have you ever felt that way?" 

You paused, caught off guard by the sudden turn in the conversation. For a moment, you opened your mouth to respond, but the words eluded you, leaving you with a furrowed brow and a frown of uncertainty.

You slumped slightly in your chair, a heaviness settling over you as you admitted, "No, I haven't." 

Azriel's heart sank at your response, a pang of disappointment coursing through him despite his efforts to suppress it. He had hoped, perhaps foolishly, that there might have been a glimmer of memory within you, somewhere deep in your bones that recognized him. 

He didn’t know why he pressed further, didn’t know why he couldn’t stop himself from talking. He felt his shadows slowly rising from his feet, now surrounding his thighs. He pushed them back. 

"Have you ever been in love?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

A part of him dared to hope yet again, to cling to the possibility that you feel the same yearning, the same ache that he’d felt for years. But even as he spoke the words, another part of him recoiled in shame, knowing that he had no right to ask, no right to expect anything from you. He had dug his own grave. This was his doing. This was his choice— and he was being selfish. He was being so utterly selfish as he sat there before you. 

Still, the longing lingered, a flicker of hope that refused to be extinguished, even in the face of his own self-imposed exile. But as he watched you, the sadness etched in your features, he knew that his hopes had been in vain.

Your gaze met his, troubled and uncertain, and you hesitated before answering, "I— No. I don't think I have."

Azriel felt a wave of sadness wash over him at your response, a deep ache settling in his chest. His heart was burning now, a pain that made him queasy, made him want to cry and scream at the same time. He decided this was worst than any torture– having to sit across from you as a stranger, as someone who was unable to touch you, hold you, tell you how beautiful you looked, and listen to you say you’d never been in love. Because you had been. You were deeply in love, so in love it scared you both. 

A hot anger filled him. He mourned his old life. He mourned his future with you. You were something real. He had something real. But his past, his duty, his life, it had prevented him from keeping it all, from indulging in a life much simpler than his own, one where he could sit across from you in a run-down inn and watch drunken village males make bets with one another. 

But it was still his fault. He had done this. And you sat before him, a look of frustration on your face, as if you could feel something was off. Shame filled him. He needed to leave. 

Quickly he brought his cup to his lips and chugged the remainder of his drink, the burn of alcohol a bitter sensation that he welcomed with open arms. 

"Thank you for the company," Azriel said as he pushed himself up from the table.

Your gaze followed him, a flicker of concern in your eyes as you watched him rise. "You're leaving?" you asked with a frown.

Azriel nodded, his movements stiff as he straightened his posture. "It was very nice meeting you," he replied, his voice strained as he turned to go.

But before he could take another step, you spoke again, your words stopping him in his tracks. "Wait," you said, the chair sliding on the floor as you stood.

Azriel turned back to face you, his heart pounding in his chest as he awaited your next words. It was getting harder to breathe now, his heartbeat shuddering in his ears. He needed to leave. 

"I hope that one day I'll experience a love like that," you said, pausing for a moment. With a soft, but hesitant, smile, you continued, "That one day, someone will love me like you loved her."

A flicker of surprise crossed Azriel's features. His mouth fell open slightly as he took a sharp inhale. And then he was swallowing heavily, blinking away the pressure building up behind his eyes. 

“You will,” he responded, his voice a slight croak. He cleared his throat, looking to the floor for a second. Then, his gaze was holding yours for a lingering moment. "Goodbye, Y/n.”

You watched his retreating figure with a small smile on your lips. But then, like a sudden bolt of lightning, a realization struck you. You frowned.

Your feet moved of their own accord, propelling you forward faster than your mind could process. You dashed to the entrance, flinging open the door as sunlight flooded your vision, momentarily blinding you.

"Wait! How did you know my—" you began, the words catching in your throat as you stepped outside, your eyes scanning the area in search of Azriel's retreating form. But to your dismay, there was no one there, no trace of him to be found, only the empty street stretched out before you, bathed in the golden glow of the afternoon sun.

Your voice trailed off into a whisper as you finished your sentence, "name.”

Your name.

How did he know your name?

Frowning, you brought a hand to your chest, feeling a small burning fluttering sensation in your ribs. With a sigh, you bit the inside of your cheek. You turned around and made your way back inside, your heart now heavy with a sensation you didn’t quite know how to name.

✹ ✶ 𖧷 ✶✹

a/n: since in death & his reaper azriel forgot about reader, i obvs had to balance the scales and write one where the reader forgets az. we luv angst!!! hope y’all enjoyed 🫶🏻

[blakeswritingimagines]

Call My Name *SMUT*

Summary: Having always been an out-of-control child with not many options left, Alicent chooses someone who has been on a great track in life and could tame her dragon son...You.

A/N: You all picked Aegon for male reader so here it is I tried my best, and your last name in this is Blackwell because that's what I came up with.

Word Count: 5.4k

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the House of The Dragon/Fire & Blood characters nor do I claim to own them. I do not own any of the images used nor do I claim to own them.

Being known as a strong warrior out in the field of war and as one of the smartest men to help your people, who recently caught wind of an arranged marriage for you and someone you'd only heard of in passing, arriving at King's landing and meeting everyone curious as to who you would be marrying only to hear you'd be with the second oldest Targaryen child which helped none as to who that was. Meeting Aegon during a party to celebrate, but didn't know he was the one you would marry, especially since it was odd being with another man but greeted him as you drank from his goblet of wine speaking in a confident and relaxed tone "I take it your one of the Targaryen children?" Aegon turns from the woman he has been flirting with and looks the stranger up and down, "You could say that, yes." His voice drips with boredom as he answers. "And yourself?"

Watching on as the lady quickly left while Aegon was distracted but looked back over at him, giving him a respectful bow after learning he was, in fact, a Targaryen before you spoke up once more "I am Ser Y/N Blackwell, I suppose a very important prospect soon to your family as I hear a marriage will be taking place soon with me and a Targaryen." He nodded "A-ah." He blinks, his expression surprised. Was this the man for whom all this fuss was being made? "You're to marry… my sister?" Chuckling softly as you shrugged your shoulders, not knowing which one was to be your partner since your parents and their mother Alicent were the only ones to know "I honestly have no idea who is to be by my side, I'm not privy to that information it seems." He slowly nodded along to your words "…hm. I see." Aegon crosses his arms and his expression becomes disinterested. "Then, we should perhaps get better acquainted." He looks you up and down. "You a good fighter?" You took notice of his body language but chose to ignore it as you nodded your head, thinking it would be nice to become friendly with different members of the Targaryen family you would be marrying into, nodding your head confidently at the thought before you spoke up with pride and a gleam in your eye "One of the best, during my stay here your younger brother Aemond as even asked to practice with me."

His gaze lingers a moment longer and then looks you over once more. "You do look like the type who knows how to handle himself." He holds out his hand to shake your hand. "Aegon. Pleased to make your acquaintance." Smiling to yourself as you shook his hand, then nodded your head at his words, having been in enough fights to know how to take care of yourself "You'd be correct, Prince Aegon, and I too am pleased to make your acquaintance I'm quite sure we'll get along just fair." He lets go of your hand and smirks. "Indeed, I think we will." He looks around the room, at all the men and women, many dressed up in fancy clothes and jewelry, and he scoffs. He found all this utterly boring. Not sure how anyone can stand this, really. He takes a gulp of wine "What say we get out of here?" Glancing around the loud over-crowded party as you drank and finished the wine in your wine before looking back over at Aegon, raising a brow as you knew it was important for you to make rounds getting to know people but grinned as you slightly tilted your head curious as to what kinda trouble Aegon just might get you tangled in "What did you have in mind?" Aegon eyes you for a minute, before he chuckles to himself and says. "Well, since you're a man who enjoys fighting, why don't we… see if we can't find some trouble?" He grins and holds out his hand. "We'll make this party a little more interesting." He's already a little drunk. You looked around as a smirk on his face appeared. "I can always make a party more interesting," you said. Aegon takes your hand, still looking out at the sea of people, deciding what form of mayhem to get into tonight. "It's only a good night if you cause trouble, and trouble is not what I'm best known for."

"Oh, I have no doubt about that," he smirks. "You're a man of… action, are you not?" Aegon sips his wine, his expression amused. "Very well then." He raises his goblet and grins as he looks around the room. "That's good. You're my kind of fellow." He drinks a little more of his wine, his expression turning flirtatious as he looks at you. "I can certainly think of some places where you can be a little… uh…" wiggly finger sign, up and down gestured toward you. "You know, get more familiar with that blade of yours." He laughs as he nudges you playfully. You chuckled as you returned the nod of recognition. Your face felt slightly warm from the wine and a soft smirk stretched up over your lips. "Aye, I think you could say that." He laughs when the meaning of Aegon's words settles in, "I can certainly be…a bit more active than most, on certain occasions." His eyes move over your form, then back to your face, a low chuckle bubbling out, "That sounds like a proposition to me." You spoke playfully, and as you did your eyes flick around the room. Once it's clear that none of the lords present are paying any attention to them you move closer to Aegon and speak quietly, but with a smile that shows how entertained you are by the idea. "I do hope you mean what I think you do with that kind of comment. I think it's about time I see what else this blade can do."

Aegon smirks as he takes another sip of wine. "Now you're speaking my language." He glances around at all the people at the feast. They look so… boring. So proper. It's all so stuffy. "You ready to let loose?" he lowered his voice and looked you up and down. "This night needs some… excitement." He looks around, his gaze lingering on a group of nobles in the corner. His eyes fall on yours and he smirks. Aegon smirks, "I think you know exactly what I mean." He leans in close and whispers in a quiet, yet firm, voice "Let's… get out of here." His tone is almost flirtatious, though whether he intends it or not - is unclear. He gives one last look to the room around them before he takes your hand and pulls you out of the room, away from prying eyes. A spark of fire lights in the pit of your stomach at the suggestion, though your face remains calm as you walk with the blonde male. Eyes roving over the room at the party-goers, a smile of understanding creeps across your lips. "Aye, I think I do." Your free hand rests on the hilt of your sword as you move closer, eyes locking with Aegon's. "A man can only endure so much propriety conversation before he becomes restless." You turned your head back towards the group of nobles Aegon was motioning to, your smirk grew into a grin, and you were quite pleased with how things have gone up until now. The wine has loosened you up a fair bit giving you the confidence you wouldn't have normally about such talk, and you make no effort to hide the excitement in your expression."I like your thinking, Aegon." You whisper back to him before he leads you out of the room, his eyes scanning the hall for somewhere you both can find a bit of privacy. "Where exactly are we going?"

"Away." His voice is low, and his gaze piercing - but also, there is a playfulness within it. He leads you down the hall, towards an empty bedroom. His expression is almost daring, and he gives you an almost flirtatious look. You can see the lust in his eyes, and a hint of mischief in his expression, as he moves to block the entrance of the room with his body. He speaks in a low, sultry voice. "Let's… have a little fun," you smirk as he guides you out of the feast not expecting to be alone the alcohol-filled Targaryen. It is hard to keep from admiring his pale beauty as you pass by the guests until alone- his eyes inevitably falling towards your hips. "I would have to say you are right, we should let loose tonight." The prince laughs before grinning when he meets your gaze, "Now you're speaking the only language that I understand." He chuckles, his eyes sparkling with mischief.

Aegon smirks at you and then steps close to you, his smile becoming more seductive. He leans in and whispers close to you, his hand grazing the side of yours as he speaks, his gaze piercing through you. "Why not, let's go for it." He grins and then pushes you against the wall, his body against yours. "It's been much too long since I've let loose… But with you? I'm sure we can make that up." He whispers with a grin and a slight lick of his lips as if looking forward to ruining the good boy image you had made for yourself. You grinned as Aegon pressed against you, your hands sliding up Aegon's sides. You felt your heart race as your skin brushed together, your breath catching slightly in his throat. "A man gets tired of good boy behavior." You chuckled as your hands came around to the front of Aegon. "One only can behave so well before it becomes….unbearable." Your eyes drop to Aegon's lips for a moment, before they shift back to his gaze. "I think it's time I stop behaving." Your breath quickened as your throat tightened slightly as Aegon pushed you up against the wall, your head tilted back and your gaze locked on Aegon's. There is a fire in his eyes and a burning heat in his blood. "We can do…anything you want." A grin stretched across your lips as you breathed in deeply, pulling Aegon's body flush against yours. "The night is ours for the taking…and I'm not going to hold any punches." Your hand falls to Aegon's lower back, and you pull Aegon in closer still.

You were being brave, fearless, and not afraid to show the lust in your eyes. Aegon stares at you with admiration and lust, before his expression changes to one of determination and passion. He grabs your hand and brings it back around to his own waist as you both embrace. His other hand wraps around your strong frame as he steps even closer to you. "I like being bad." He leans for a kiss, his body pressed up close to yours. "Now let me show you how it's done." His breath catches as he leans into you, his gaze flickering to your lips. "Let us… do as we please." His expression becomes slightly more serious, and his hands move across your body, grabbing at your hips and pulling you in tight. Aegon whispers in a sultry, seductive voice, "Just let me…" He stops talking and then leans in and kisses you, passionate yet gentle. As if he was exploring your body for the first time. His hands explore your body, his eyes flickering with lust and desire.

As Aegon's lips move against your lips, you lean into the kiss until your lips part, eyes closing as you press yourself into Aegon's body. One hand traces against Aegon's back, over the shape of his form as the other slips down Aegon's arm and rests at your side. The hand pauses in its movements as Aegon's hands travel over your body, his fingers gripping at the fabric of your shirt until it's lifted just above your hips. Your eyes fluttered open as you leaned into the kiss, your lips brushing against Aegon's as you tasted the sweet wine on Aegon's breath. Your heart pumps furiously in your chest as you kiss Aegon. Your body is pressed entirely against Aegon's now with hands running up and down the smooth fabric of Aegon's arms and back every part of him touching. He breaks the kiss and lifts his head only slightly. The hunger and lust in your eyes are undeniable at this point, your hand caressing the back of Aegon's neck while your gaze locks with Aegon's. "Let us." It's unclear if you're agreeing to let Aegon show you what it's like or agreeing to let all inhibitions go.

"Yes." An answer to both of your statements and his lips crash against yours with a passion that matches your own. His hands slide up and down your body, as you both press together. Aegon is drunk on your lips, his fingers caressing your shirt, pulling the fabric up and exposing the flesh beneath. You let out a soft moan as each of your hands roam over the fabric of each other's clothes. He pulled you closer to him once more, his eyes hungry and lustful as he kissed you even harder now. Aegon's kisses are sweet and seductive, as his hands roam over one another. The kisses become more passionate, more intimate. He bit your lip gently and then your ear. He pulls back from the kiss momentarily and speaks softly. Your eyes meet, and Aegon's expression is full of sensuality. "I want you." He speaks softly, his voice almost a whisper, but there is a hint of hunger behind it.

Your heart is racing in your chest, mind spinning and body trembling as Aegon's touch travels over you, his kisses sending goosebumps creeping over your arms. You pulled Aegon closer, pushing against the wall and leaning in to nuzzle against Aegon's neck. Your breaths were quick and shallow, your eyes half shut as Aegon's kisses left your body in a whirlwind of passion. "You have me," you whispered back, your voice thick with lust and hunger. "In any way you want me." A low moan escaped you as Aegon kissed you deeper. His lips were tender as he pulled away and began trailing kisses across your neck and collarbone. "I want you, too." Your voice is tinged with desperation as you whisper into Aegon's ear. "There is something…about you." Your hand runs down the small of Aegon's back, tracing soft circles in the smooth fabric of his clothes. "I've never felt…anything like this."

You kiss Aegon's shoulder, your eyes flickering with lust as you hungrily devoured Aegon's skin. Aegon kisses you deeply, pressing your body flush against his as he lets out soft moans. "I know what you mean." He speaks seductively as his hands explore your strong form palming you through your pants. "Oh… you are…" He moans again, his mouth still kissing at your shoulder. "You're…" He trails off, his mouth moving to your neck. "I don't think I want to let go of you." He whispers, his tone thick with lust Aegon breathes softly, his lips against your ear. "I understand." He whispers gently. You were so close, so warm, so…He lets the words hang in the air before he tugs you even closer. Your lips find one another and his tongue runs the length of yours as Aegon begins to move his tongue back and forth. Laying back on the bed with you hovering above him Aegon's legs wrap around your waist.

You moan deeply as Aegon pulls you into the bed, eyes rolling back slightly against your will not used to such attention. Your teeth find Aegon's lower lip then you start to kiss and lick it until your lips are coated in a layer of Aegon's saliva. Your tongue teases Aegon's mouth before it enters, and you begin to explore Aegon's mouth with it. Your fingers run through Aegon's hair as his mouth roams before your hands move downwards to pull on Aegon's clothing. The fire in your stomach grows thankful for the liquid courage, and you pull Aegon even closer grinding your hips against his. "Mm…" Your voice is low and seductive as you hold Aegon close to you. Hands roaming down Aegon's torso, your fingertips trailing across his warm flushed skin. Your lips trail up Aegon's neck, kissing him deeply. Your weight pins Aegon underneath you as your hand rests on Aegon's hip, your mouth wandering along Aegon's collarbone again.

A low, hungry moan escapes you as you begin to pull Aegon's shirt up. Aegon's body is hot with heat, and his breathing grows heavy as the both of you continue to move to the beat of your own lust-filled hearts. He held you close with his arms and slowly lowered his head. His lips press lightly against your neck again, teasingly, but finds a spot soon after and begins to nibble. Slow. Methodically. A moan escapes his own lips as he pulls on your shirt, missing but undoing the buttons in his eagerness. His lips move against the soft flesh of your neck, trailing down to your shoulder. Aegon bites, softly, the sound of his teeth biting down into and sucking your skin caused you to groan. His hands move across your skin and unbutton your trousers. Your touch sends waves of pleasure through Aegon and he closes his eyes, losing himself in your touch.

Your own desire begins burning in the pit of your stomach. In the moment, for once you were unable to think straight. You felt like a beast, and you were acting like one. As your hands run up and down Aegon's body, you grow increasingly more aggressive in your exploration of Aegon's body. You move down Aegon's torso with your mouth, your tongue swirling around his nipples as you pull at Aegon's shirt. "You taste so good." You whisper with a grin before leaning back up, kissing Aegon's lips deeply with an almost frenzied urgency. Aegon moans softly as you nibble and mark his neck, his hands running through your hair as your bodies continue to move and grind together. Another moan escapes Aegon's lips. Aegon's eyes flutter open again, and he stares directly into your eyes as he leans in for a kiss. He pulls you close again, his hand tangling in your hair and pulling it, almost forcefully, but with his hands still caressing your skin. He breaks the kiss for a moment and his voice is almost a whisper now. "…More." His voice is tinged with lust.

"I've never felt like this before," you muttered breathlessly, his mind almost spinning out of control. "I'm not sure what this is…but I know I need to have you." Your hand runs up Aegon's thigh and move underneath his clothes easing your fingers into his tight hole, the urgency that was evident in Aegon's words only fueling the desire within you more. You kiss Aegon again but this time a hunger is evident in his kiss, as if you were attempting to consume Aegon completely. Aegon whimpers his pleasure at your touches, and his legs wrap firmly around your waist, his hips raising to meet yours. His hand travels down your torso, grasping at the cloth between your legs and caressing your hips. He moans softly, breaking the kiss a moment, before finding your lips once again. He looks into your eyes and whispers again. "Oh God. I've never wanted another man like this," his voice is almost a whisper, yet his desire is burning hot. Aegon's body responds quickly to your touch. He moans with pleasure as his hands grip your body tightly, his voice is breathy but almost desperate. "It's been so long for me too…" Another moan escapes Aegon's lips. "I need you." Then his lips find yours again, and the two begin to move together again, as their breathing becomes heavier.

You were completely lost in the moment. Any and all rational thoughts of caution or self-preservation have left you. You were like a starving man, ravenously taking everything Aegon had to offer and giving him nothing less in return. A low, hoarse moan escapes your throat as you push your hips against Aegon. "God." You mumbled again. "You feel so good…how can a man be so beautiful?" You lean in once more and give Aegon another deep, passionate kiss. Your eyes flicker shut as Aegon's words touch a nerve within you. At that moment, you're a person burning with desire. Lost in Aegon. Your kisses become more urgent as Aegon's hands grip the sheets of the bed with almost painful force. You shift your weight and ease your cock into him with a groan. Your voice is quiet and hoarse as you respond. "…Gods above, you feel so good." Your eyes flicker open and look at Aegon. Your hands explore Aegon's body with a touch that is both soft and hard. Your tongues explore one another with a hunger that is almost feverish. Aegon bites the edge of your lip. "Oh, God, yes." His eyes flutter shut. The pace of your movements picks up in intensity, and you move together at a pace that is almost frantic. Your hips pound against Aegon's harder hitting a certain spot inside of him, your breathing fast and hard. "Oh, God, yes! More." Aegon grunted.

A deep breath escapes past your lips as Aegon's words send a wave of pleasure through you. This was nothing like you had ever felt with any other man before. You were overwhelmed with emotion as your bodies met in perfect rhythm. "I never…felt…" You trailed off in an attempt to collect yourself - to find the words for what you felt - but the words escaped you. Your voice trailed off as the pleasure mounted, your body shaking a little as you closed your eyes. "Gods, gods…" You pressed Aegon more into the bed, your hips moving in steady, deep thrusts. "I-I…yes…" You kiss Aegon deeply once more, groaning against Aegon's mouth as he leans forward more into you. Your body begins to tense as pleasure wracks through you, your breath growing shallow already feeling close due to all the build-up. Aegon lets you take control. You were the one guiding the pace of the movements, you were the one who was controlling the rhythm. In some way, Aegon realizes, You were taking him. And he likes that. He moans with pleasure once more. "Oh, yes." He bites his lower lip, his eyes flickering open. His arms wrap around you for a deep kiss. "More." His voice sounds desperate. "I want you. Don't stop." He sounds almost urgent. He grips your body, moaning softly as your hips roughly press against his while your hand came down on his pale rear. "Oh, Gods." His voice is breathy, and he is close in that moment, so terribly close.

"I…" Your breath trails off as your eyes flutter shut, your body wracked by the pleasurable sensations. The room takes on a haze that matches your senses, "Oh, Gods…yes…I…" Your eyes slowly flicker open once again as you kissed Aegon deeply, your pace slowing but the pleasure building. Your voice is hoarse as you gasp for breath. "So…." You pause for a moment, your body shuddering with pleasure as you struggle to catch your breath. "…good." You whispered the words and wrapped your hand around Aegon's cock tugging on it for extra pleasure. "Yes, yes, yes…" You grit your teeth together as the pleasure begins to build, heat rising within you as your body moves within Aegon's. Your eyes flicker open, and your gazes meet. Words are lost to you the second your eyes lock, and what little control you had over yourself is cast away. Your hips move more desperately inside Aegon, your body beginning to shake with the tension mounting. Aegon's body releases the tension in a wave of pleasure, his head tilts back with a gasp. "Oh, Gods." His body is still shaking, his heart pounding out of his chest as he pulls you impossibly close once again. In that moment, in that release, Aegon's body is shaking with pleasure, his heart pounding in his chest. He grits his teeth, his eyes wide as he stares into yours. For that moment, the world around you both comes to a stop, and Aegon feels the warmth flowing through him, the pleasure radiating through his soul. In that moment, You are Aegon's world.

You woke up early not recalling much about the night before until you slowly looked around the room, feeling your nerves run cold as you noticed this wasn't your room, then the sleeping Targaryen male next to you both still naked and bare. Slowly getting up and dressed before you left the room holding your head trying to place what happened but going about your day cleaning yourself up. Joining everyone for the first meal of the day smiling as you spoke to everyone even as you greeted a tired Aegon only to feel confused as he reintroduced himself again as if you didn't remember the night before. Aegon yawned as he stretched his arm, waking to reality. The room was filled with sunlight as he began to think back on the night before. A hint of a memory in the back of his mind. He thought to brush it away and get up but decided to stay in bed, letting himself relax as his mind searched back through the fog. "You seem…familiar." Aegon was staring at you once he took his seat ignoring nearly everyone else, unable to place where he had seen you before. You seemed…well-known by everyone at the dinner table, "So…have we met before? Or are your features just that easy to remember?"

At Aegon's words you almost spit out the bit of food you were chewing. "Familiar?" The question catches you off-guard and stammer over your response, clearly surprised to discover that Aegon doesn't remember last night. The memories are slowly coming back to you, but don't feel your head is clear enough to process it all just yet. But you do glance up when Aegon speaks again, and your eyebrows raise slightly as you note the blonde's confusion. "Hmm?" You spoke, your voice was a bit hoarse but your smile is still intact as you looked at Aegon. "No, I'm quite sure we've never met before." Your words are casual, but you can see the spark of recognition on Aegon's face. Alicent cleared her throat once she heard Aegon's normal spot of going out even though often pretending it wasn't true, clasping her hands together as she slightly leaned forward thinking over her words before she finally looked up at everyone as she spoke. "It seems that Ser Blackwell has caught the attention of many at court, as many consider him to be the most eligible bachelor in the realm, especially among those who stand in opposition to the crown. Mayhaps you might consider this arrangement, Aegon, It is customary for a King to wed, you both would make a great match. Coming from a noble house with loyal soldiers. And has an impressive reputation as a warrior and will be able to defend you on the battlefield. Furthermore, the family has a vast network of spies, which will be useful in keeping an eye on those who attempt to threaten House Targaryen and the realm at large. I believe that your union will bring great strength to the Seven Kingdoms."

Aegon looks over at Alicent in surprise, his eyebrows raised. He then slowly turns to look at you, his face still a little red from drinking too much wine the night before and continuing with it. "So…let me get this straight. You'd like for me to marry this person?" The thought hadn't occurred to him before, and he was genuinely surprised by the sudden thought. His eyes drift to you once more, his mind going over Alicent's words. It wasn't a bad idea, he realized. You did seem to be charming, loyal, and a fine warrior. He sighs and closes his eyes shaking his head as he listens to Alicent as she speaks about you, praising and recommending you quite highly. Aegon notices the eyes around the table are on him, "Yes. Yes, all of those things may be true…But why?" He asks, his voice has a hint of frustration in his voice. You listen intently as the two speak, your eyebrows rising slightly as Aegon questions Alicent's suggestion. You had a feeling you should interject at some point soon, but for now, you are interested in seeing how Aegon will respond. At Aegon's response, you smirk somewhat playfully. "I can think of far worse choices than me, your grace." You spoke though it's done with a fair amount of mockery. "And a marriage proposal made by our parents is all but the norm for families." Not having thought he'd be the Targaryen you were going to marry.

Another sigh leaves Aegon's lips as he looks at both his mother and you. He was tired of everyone suggesting someone new to marry at any given opportunity. It felt almost as if everyone was conspiring to pair him off in a marriage, but to whom and when he didn't truly know. His eyes glance at you as he speaks and his smirk widens, "…I'm aware of that." He responds with mild irritation but he keeps his tone even-keeled. "I'm also aware this isn't your place to speak of such matters." He seems to ponder over what you said a moment ago. "it would keep my mother happy as well…." His voice was almost distant as his thoughts wandered before he smiled at you. "Aha! And now that I look at you closely…yes, you would make an excellent match for me." His smile is almost mischievous at the end, almost like he's teasing you slightly. Your face lights up as you pick up on the teasing and mischievousness on Aegon's part. Your smirk widens and you lean back in your seat, the smile that was on your face remains. "An excellent match, your grace? I'm flattered." The words are said with feigned humbleness, your voice dripping with sarcasm. As you speak you lean forward, resting your arms on the table. "But why do I feel as if that's not the only reason you're interested in this match? You wouldn't be considering my other… qualities…would you?"

"Hmm…?" Aegon seems to be trying to suppress his amusement. "Oh, pray tell, tell me what qualities I could be so interested in?" His eyes have a subtle sparkle and there is a mischievous edge to his words. "Ah, you caught me." His voice was once again calm, but there was the slightest hint of flirtation there. "Let's just say you have…a certain look to you. A certain…charm." Aegon gave a smile almost teasingly as his eyes lingered on you. "And I think I'd quite like to get to know you more, my good man." Aegon's voice was almost breathless as if he was trying his best to contain himself. You had to suppress a laugh as Aegon's words and demeanor caused you to feel the same heat from last night. "My good man, eh?" Your voice has become more teasing at this point, your eyes wandering over Aegon's body with a familiar gleam. "And would you like to get to know me…better? Is that why you found your way into my bed?" Your voice is softer now, the humor in his voice replaced by something slightly more earnest even with others around. Your eyes drift back up to Aegon's, a slight smile crossing your lips. The playful banter is almost too much for you to handle. It's a far cry from how you normally act almost as if no longer a gentleman, but Aegon is drawing a side out of you. Your smirk widens, and your eyebrows raise suggestively as you lean forward. "A certain charm?" You questioned, your voice low and teasing. "Or perhaps…is it my skills in battle or in the bedchamber?" You grin knowingly at Aegon, your eyes lingering on the blonde for a moment too long.

Aegon smirks at you, enjoying the playful teasing and your open admission of certain desires having already taken place. His eyes flicker up and down your body, as he takes you in. It takes everything in Aegon not to blush and turn his face away. It was as if you were daring him to flirt back, dare him to do something…and he was almost ready to take the bait. "Perhaps it's all of the above, Ser." His voice is soft, low, and almost…seductive as he stares at you with a hint of mischief in his gaze.

[acealonsowrites]

Subaru Mini Fic Pt 2

Pairing: MC/Reader x Subaru Kagami

Tags: SFW. Slight-ish(?) angst, misunderstanding, Subaru's all-around oblivious. Sorta mean Frostheim gen students (eventually). Leo's an asshole (currently). Ends in fluff.

Summary: When Subaru receives a confession letter asking him to meet up in person, all signs point to it being from you. Unsure of his feelings, Haku and Zenji encourage him to go for it, but will you be the one to show up at the Ethereal Spring?

Subaru's mind was still afflicted by thoughts of you as he walked the corridors of Darkwick's main building heading for Sho's food truck to meet you and Lyca. Haku's words rang clear in his head, swimming around with the idea of having to reject you in a matter of hours. How was he even going to get through lunch with you? A part of him wished he hadn't done the only thing that could confirm your ownership over the letter.

"Reject?"

"Well," Haku started, "Zenji's right. If you don't feel the same about MC, you're gonna have to reject them. And I know you can be shy but don't even think about not showing up. I won't let you. Whatever you decide I'll support, but come what may, you'll be going to the Ethereal Spring tomorrow."

Subaru looked down at his hands on his lap, his eyebrows creasing. "What if it's not from MC, though?"

"Would you feel better if it wasn't?" The vice-captain asked, clearly trying to gauge the actor's thoughts.

"It would probably be easier if it wasn't. I can't really stomach the thought of rejecting MC and losing their friendship."

"Is that really what you want to do?" Haku questioned. For a moment the pair sat in silence. Zenji slinked about above them, anticipating Subaru's response which never came. Haku sighed before continuing, "Well, there's one surefire way you could find out if it's from them or not." He held the envelope up, still in his hands from when he Subaru had given it to him to read. He motioned for the captain to take off his gloves. Subaru hesitated for a second before complying.

When his hands met the smoothness of the paper, his vision began to blur into the memories of the letter's handling. It had been typed so he could not go further than the moment the paper was spat out by the printing goat in the library. Subaru barely had time to process that disturbing image before you came into view. Without a second glance at the words on the paper, you folded it neatly and placed it into the envelope he was now holding.

Subaru came to with a dazed look on his face. The use of his stigma had been too short-lived this time around to actually affect him beyond a subtle pain in his head.

"So? What did you see?" Haku peered at him over the rim of his teacup, having been mid-sip.

"MC..."

"Well, then you should probably sleep on what you're gonna say to them tomorrow. If you do decide that rejecting them is your...preferred course of action, just make sure you let them down gently. Zenji and I will be supporting you from the sidelines, whatever you choose."

"Oh, yes. It will be absolutely devastating but only you know what is best for you, dear friend!"

"And hey, don't feel too bad about it. I'll personally make sure they rebound properly," Haku said with a wink. The teasing tone in his voice did little to quell Subaru's nerves. If anything, his words made him more uneasy with the suggestive nature behind them. He felt a brief pang in his chest, choosing to ignore it as he finished the rest of his tea.

Subaru paused in his tracks when he saw you in the hallway, making idle conversation with the tall ghoul from Mortkranken. If his memory served him well, the student's name was Jiro. Though he still had no idea how he was supposed to interact with you now that he was sure of your feelings for him, he made his way towards the two of you. The first sound his ears caught as he approached you was that of a deep, melodic laugh, one that obviously came from the Mortkranken ghoul.

He swallowed a lump in his throat before speaking up, "MC! I'm glad I caught you here. I was about just on my way to Sho's truck right now." He watched you turn to look at him, a smile lighting your face as you greeted him with a bow.

"Oh, Subaru. Great timing, I was just about to head over, too. You know Jiro, right? Vice-captain of Mortkranken. Jiro, this is Subaru, the captain for Hotarubi."

"Patient #0671, Subaru Kagami. Yes, I'm aware of him.," Jiro replied stoically. He seemed to pay Subaru no mind as he bowed and introduced himself properly, his ruby eyes trained on your neck. Subaru watched the ghoul bring his hand up to your shoulder, slightly pulling down at your collar. The suddenness of this action made you flinch, turning your attention back to Jiro.

"I was looking at your mark," he said, unprompted.

You unconsciously brought your hand to your neck once his had retreated. "Why? Is something wrong?"

"Not really. I just remembered Yuri said we'll have to take pictures during your health checks from here on out, to make sure it doesn't change shape, size, or pigmentation."

"Oh, I see." You let out a laugh, brushing away your obvious discomfort. Subaru could only watch, conflicted. Once again, he had felt the same pang he had yesterday at Haku's words. This time, though, it felt too important to ignore. He almost got lost in his thoughts of what this could mean when you faced him once more. "Did you want to walk together, Subaru?"

He gazed into your eyes, just now noticing how big and bright they got when you smiled at him. He wondered if you looked at anyone else like this. "Yes, I did."

As the two of you exited the main building, the campus around you was buzzing. General students were flocking to their preferred lunch spaces. Some familiar ghouls were loitering about as usual, most of them sending you greetings in passing.

"So, um, are you on a mission with Mortkranken now, then?" Subaru asked after a brief lull.

"No. Surprisingly I haven't been assigned again yet. Now that I've gone to every house I never know what to expect next. I'd rather have a break from Mortkranken, though."

"You don't like them? I can imagine the work must be more difficult there than usual."

"It's not that I don't like them. Actually, they're quite enjoyable to be around. Compared to most of the other houses, that is. Yuri can be a bit much at times but he works hard. You kind of have to give credit where credit is due, in that regard. And Jiro's just Jiro, I guess. He's very useful. I'd probably say he's one of the strongest and most talented in combat that I've seen of the ghouls."

Subaru listened to your ramblings, not missing how your appraisal of the two ghouls made his heart ache yet again. He was becoming increasingly aware of the sinking feeling in his chest. "I don't know Jiro all that well but I'd have to agree with you. I know I'm no match for him on either front."

"Oh, I didn't mean it like-"

"It's okay. I didn't take it any sort of way, I was merely making an observation. But I do hope you can rely, not just on Mortkranken, but on all of us ghouls to help you break your curse. As captain, I've made it one of our top priorities in Hotarubi."

"...Thank you, Subaru." He took a glance at your smiling profile, your eyes locked on the ground as you walked.

"I wanted to thank you for the letter," he said shyly after a moment.

"It was no problem. Oh! I'm sorry, I forgot your umbrella back at the cathedral. I can go get it real quick-"

"No! Um, I mean, it's fine, really! And we probably shouldn't keep Lyca waiting any longer. He gets quite agitated after a while."

Your steps faltered as you processed Subaru's uncharacteristically loud tone and rushed words. If you didn't know him to be such a graceful person, you would almost think he was flustered. "...You're right. I'll wait till after lunch. Anyways, did you find out who the note was from?"

"No, actually, but I think I have a good idea of who it's from."

"That's good. The girl made it seem like it was important." Subaru was somewhat surprised you were still going with your story of the general student. He wasn't sure what to do in this situation. Should he hint at his knowing the letter was yours? Or should he play along until you both met up later?

"I'm rather shocked someone would leave such a personal letter in a third party's possession," he said innocently, settling with a mix of both.

You stared at him quizzically, not really sure what he meant. "I'm not sure if you're trying to accuse me of something, Subaru, but promise I didn't read a word of that letter," you teased.

"I wasn't-," he started to say, pausing when he saw you hiding a chuckle behind your hand. "Well, then I guess I can tell you that it was a confession letter. I'm supposed to be meeting them in about two hours so I'll know for sure who it was from then."

Your heart thumped in your chest, your smile quickly fading as Sho's food truck finally came into view. Suddenly the trek to Highway to Home felt way too far away. "So I delivered a confession letter to you. Wait, you said you have a good idea of who it's from, right? So, then, how do you feel about that?"

"If it is who I'm thinking about...I'm not really sure anymore. Even yesterday when I was talking to Haku and Zenji about it-if I'm being completely honest, I wasn't sure if I was going to accept it or not. But now, I guess, I'm considering it. Accepting it, I mean."

"That's great, Subaru. I'm very happy for you." You tried to give him your best smile, your steps quickening ever-so-slightly. This wasn't exactly what you were expecting to hear.

You delivered a confession letter to Subaru. The idea was so ridiculous it was almost laughable. You were hyper-aware of your feelings for the actor. You weren't sure when they had developed, just that they did. And here you were giving him another girl's confession. It probably wasn't ethical but you were beginning to wish you had read the letter before sealing it, if only to flat-out refuse to deliver it. But, the more you thought about it, you couldn't say you weren't happy for Subaru. That much was true, at least. You certainly weren't planning on confessing to him, not until your curse was broken- if it got broken at all.

You let out a soft, inaudible sigh, feeling more conflicted than anything else. "We should hurry up."

When the two of you finally found Lyca in line for the food truck, you were grateful to not be alone with the Hotarubi captain any longer. You lingered by the pair as they conversed, not paying attention to what was being said. You greeted Sho when you were at the front of the line and thanked him when he gave you your food, fully comped as per usual. It wasn't until the three of you made it to the terrace, snagging a bench as soon as you got there, that the conversation caught up to you.

"MC, you're being too quiet. Stop it," Lyca said between bites of his chicken over rice.

"Sorry, I guess I'm a little tired today." You immediately tried to perk up a little bit, fixing your posture and putting a small smile on your face. "How's your chicken, Lyca?"

"Why are you asking? It's always good," he answered rhetorically. "You should come to the bar if you're tired. Rui's always saying he misses you. You can use the room you slept in last time."

"Thank you. I'll be sure to stop by sometime this week."

The three of you went on with your meals, making small talk when there was nothing left to say. You had finished your plate quicker than you had intended when you realized just how suffocating being next to Subaru felt at the moment. You were eager to get away, wracking your brain for any excuse imaginable. Subaru's umbrella would have to wait another day, there was no chance you'd want to see him again before his big meet-up with the Frostheim general student.

Just then, your phone buzzed where it sat on the bench between you and Subaru. Both you and the actor glanced down as a message from Jin lit up your screen. Not exactly someone you'd call a savior, but a welcome excuse, nonetheless.

"Sorry guys, the King doth beckons," you said in your best mocking tone. You excused yourself politely, the pair watching you leave as they continued eating their respective lunches.

"Lyca," Subaru said once they were alone, "I have a favor to ask of you. I just want to confirm something."

The werewolf hummed, sizing up his friend. "What is it?"

"Can you smell this for me and tell me what, or rather, who you smell?" The actor pulled the envelope out of his school bag. He held it in front of Lyca's nose, intending for him to sniff it, which he did.

"It smells like goat," he replied, groaning in displeasure.

"And...?"

The werewolf gave a deeper inhale, obviously confused about what was happening. "Hrm, it kinda smells like MC a little. Why?"

Subaru pulled his hand back, hesitant with his next words. "I'm not sure I should say."

"Then what was the point of me sniffing that?"

"Well, it's just that I wanted to know if anyone other than MC has touched this, is all."

"You're being weird, Suba. What's the deal with this paper, anyways? What is it?" Lyca wiped at his mouth, growing impatient at Subaru's evasion.

"It's a confession letter. From MC, I'm pretty sure." Subaru felt a weight lift off his shoulders as he finally said it, the full picture coming into view for him.

With your talk on your way to the food truck, he was beginning to doubt himself. Maybe his stigma didn't take him far enough in the memories of the paper. Would he have been able to see beyond the printing goat's mouth all the way to the computer it was typed on? It was unlikely but not impossible, he supposed. But with Lyca confirming that only you had touched him, the image solidified in his mind. He was fully prepared now, knowing that he would meet with you in just under two hours, and he was set on accepting your confession.

"Confession? I don't get it," Lyca said in his usual manner, his eyes filled with curiosity.

"I don't really know how to explain this but MC likes me," the actor blushed at his own words.

"So? I like you, too. And I like MC, too. Doesn't mean I'm gonna go write letters to you."

"Right. But this is a different kind of like. More special, more romantic..." He really couldn't handle explaining any further, now he was just hoping that by some miracle Lyca would understand.

The werewolf stared at him for a few seconds, eyebrows knotted in concentration until they finally shot up. "Oh, you're saying MC likes-likes you! Rui's talked about this before. Does that mean they want you to be their boyfriend?"

Subaru could feel his face burning as if he were engulfed in flames, struggling to look into his friend's eyes as he responded, "Yes, that is what that means."

"Hrm...then do you like-like them too?"

The actor pondered the question for a moment, forgetting to be shy or embarrassed as he mulled over the possibility. "Yes, I think I do."

Just then, he heard a sing-songy voice call from behind him. "Kagami~ fancy seeing you here."

The two looked up simultaneously, Subaru's gaze locking with a pair of mischievous golden eyes.

"Who are you?" Lyca asked beside him.

"Lyca, this is Leo, Vagastrom's vice-captain. He's friends with Sho," the actor explained.

"Ever the loyal customer, hm?" Leo jutted his chin to the container on Subaru's lap. "Cute. Anyways, I couldn't help but overhear a bit of your conversation."

"What's it to you?" Lyca's tone was defensive as he quickly gauged Leo's negative energy despite his sweet-sounding voice.

"Kagami, I didn't know you were friends with Obscuary's mutt. I guess someone has to feed it and take it on walks, hm?" At that, Lyca began to growl, Subaru failing to calm him down as Leo kept talking, "Well, whatever. I just wanted to say it's adorable that you think the NPC likes you, considering they already have me as their boyfriend."

Subaru felt himself choking on the words he was using to settle down his friend, his voice suddenly becoming raspy. "What?"

"MC would never date you," Lyca snapped back at Leo.

"Ugh, I know, I know. I'm way out of their league. But y'know I'm just super generous so I'm used to doing charity like this." Lyca's growling grew even more intense. Subaru had stopped trying to soothe him, almost wanting to let him drive Leo away. Maybe some biting wouldn't hurt? Subaru glowered at Leo, who was clearly enjoying this new range of negative emotions he had coerced out of the 'perfect actor.' Leo let out a soft chuckle. Of course, he didn't care at all about his fake relationship with the NPC. This was just an opportunity he simply couldn't pass up. As soon as he had heard Subaru saying he liked you, he knew exactly what to do. With Sho busy with the food truck, he had to find entertainment elsewhere, right? "I just wanted to let you know that you have no chance, Kagami. I mean, between you and I, I'm a hot, trending influencer and you're a washed-up, out-of-work actor. The choice is really not that hard."

And with that, he was off, giving the pair no opportunity to retort. They watched as his figure faded away into the small crowd of students scattered throughout the terrace. Lyca looked to Subaru, noticing a rare, sour look on his face. Even his smell was different than usual. What Leo said must have really gotten to him. "Don't listen to him. MC would never date him. He's too mean and his scent is the worst I've ever smelled."

Subaru snapped his head back to Lyca, sporting his most sincere smile. In this moment, he was very grateful to have a friend like Lyca. Not just him but Haku and Zenji. And you, too. He was starting to realize that people like you and his friends kept him grounded, something that Leo sadly was lacking. And just like that, he knew Lyca was right. It was impossible for you and Leo to be dating because you would have grounded him as you did for himself. He didn't want to think too much about it, though. He now understood that he wanted your humility, your grace, and your kindness all to himself. He let himself be vain for a second to think that you weren't on this earth for people like Leo. You were here for him. And he was here for you.

Subaru stood up, his mood much airier than it was ten seconds ago. He bowed at Lyca, thanking him for having lunch with him and assuring him they would do so again tomorrow, and started making his way to the Ethereal Spring to wait out the remaining hour-and-a-half before he'd see you again.

Yay I got some cameos into this one! This is super not proofread and I only write at like three in the morning so sorry for any mistakes. I didn't intend for this to be a three-parter but, because of these cool talents I have called oversharing and yapping (which translate into writing, trust me bro), here we are. So anyways yeah, like and reblog and lmk if a part 3 is wanted. Okay love you bye.

[staarlostt]

One of the main reasons I absolutely loved klaroline, is the way each of them developed on some way with each other.

You can say all you want but for me klaus is the better match for Caroline no matter what and here’s why I think this way.

From the start we could see how Caroline is severely insecure, she’s a misunderstood teenage girl, her parents are divorced, her mom didn’t have time for her always putting the work before her daughter, she always felt left out whenever it was at home or with her friends..and even with boys, Caroline felt like Elena’s shadow..and It was true. Whenever Elena wasn’t available they always choose Caroline as second option.

When Bonnie argue with Elena, she go stay with Caroline and completly ignore Elena, Matt went out with Caroline to try to move on from Elena, and same for Stefan. I felt like in later season him and Caroline was..I dont know but it was clear that he still loved Elena and yet he went with Caroline cause he needed to move on..so yeah Caroline was always Elena’s shadow.

”yes i am..I’m Matt’s Elena back up, I’m your Bonnie backup.

You don’t get it why would you ? You’re everyone first choice.”

I personally found it painful for Caroline to feel this way, she went her teenage era by being really insecure and felt unloved and not enough..that’s why she put the perfect image, that’s why it made her create some barrier over herself, she needed to be perfect at everything, she needed to put a mask for others to actually like her and love her, she couldn’t be really herself and no one understood her for real anyways.

And as we saw all her relationship with mens it was always her who was putting a lot of effort, it was always her who fought more for the guy, she was always chasing them, she put their needs first and forget her own.

Until..klaus came.

And here’s where we sense a change and a development more in her character in this aspect.

Like we saw klaus was the first and only one who saw Caroline’s really beauty instantly.

He saw that she was strong and smart, beautiful and full of light.

He even saw the darkest part of her and still kept fancy her and admire her at first..Klaus was the only one who could treat Caroline right.

He was always there reminding her of how beautiful and strong she was, he valued her more than anything, he draw for her many times, he gifted her expensive jewelry and dresses, he wanted to know everything about her, her hopes, her dreams, everything she want in life.

He always put her first for the first time above anything.

Even when the time goes she still meant something for him and still prioritize her when he could.

We could see that in the originals, how he didn’t even hesitate to save Stefan when he knew how worried she was even when it meant to put his life and everyone’s he loved In danger he still saved Stefan for the sake of her, that proved how she still had impact on him after years, he never doubt her skills or something like that.

He saved her from danger when he could, he supported her crisis and couldn’t say no to her to whatever she would ask, he really valued her, even compared her to a princess, that’s how klaus loved her, he never hide it from her.

And that was exactly what Caroline needed, she needed to feel loved without doubting it for a second.

While others made her feel insecure and unloved, klaus made her feel strong, with him she always brightened, she had power and felt better.

In her relationship with klaus she was the one who was desired and he was the one who was chasing after her..and like she said it was always the fun part anyway.

Also the fact how klaus could make her easily confident and all is amazing. And I think this is exactly what a right person should make you feel.

The right one would never make you feel unwanted and insecure, if you are with the right one you would never doubt it.

And this is how she felt with klaus unlike with others for the first time in her life she didn’t need to change for someone, she only was herself with him.

The way she felt like her existence lacked of meaning after she became vampire and it was showed in her birthday how she didn’t feel like it to celebrate it cause she realized that she will stuck in the between, and stay seventeen for the rest of her life.

She clearly lost taste of her life as she knew that she will live forever and it wasn’t as more exciting than before knowing that when you’re human you tend to enjoy every day of your life cause you don’t know when you will die.

But again, after she got bite by Tyler klaus had showed her another view of the world, he told her that there was a whole world waiting for her outside, that there was genuine beauty, art, music..he told her how eternity is beautiful in it’s own way too.

And he even gave her the choice to whatever or not she wanted to die if she really believed that her life meant nothing.

And that was at the moment when she realized that she didn’t want to die, also that was when she embraced completly her vampire nature and decided to be okay with it.

Due to him she accepted that part of herself and was more at ease with it.

After that she became more confident and used more her vampires abilities and all.

She wasn’t ashamed of being who she was anymore.

And when everyone excepted her to only give birth to the twins than disappear from their life and all.

And was always reminded that they weren’t hers actually.

Just like she reminded klaus of it every single time through the phone call, and he said how it was clearly stated by her boyfriend.

And still he knew that she wanted to be like a mother to them, he knew and comforted her about it,

He even confessed and share with her how he realized that at the end his family is what made him truly happy.

And told her then that it wasn’t a crime to love something we cannot explain.

Again only klaus could knew what she truly wanted and what she needed.

And while she was insecure about it before, after her talk with klaus she became more confident about it. She acknowledged it and accepted it.

And we could see the change when she argue with Alaric later.

“Our kids.

My kids. They are mine caroline, mine and Jo’s.”

And after that she clearly told him to not disrespect her like that anymore. And even when it is true that they weren’t completly hers by genetic, she still the one who gave birth to them and almost got killed while doing it. She was also the one who raised and taught them. She loved them truly like a real mother should and protected them with all her powers.

That’s how much klaus had impact on her.

He always made her feel better and confident.

It’s alway due to him to how she can accept some things that made her insecure before.

He made her knew her worth and she learned to value herself and respect herself too, she didn’t let others disrespect her the way Alaric did and all.

He brought out the best in her.

The fact that she went from feeling like no one in the world actually loved her, to feel loved for once.

She went from feeling always the second choice to actually be Someone’s first choice for the first time.

She went from feeling stupid, useless and shallow to actually feeling strong, confident and full of light with klaus.

She went from doubting others feelings toward her to actually acknowledging it fully.

”I fancy you, is it so hard to believe ?”

“Yes.”

To:

”I know that you’re in love with me and anyone who is capable of love is capable of being saved.”

Even when several years passed by, klaus made sure that she knows how her place for him remained the same.

”if we didn’t met until now, I wonder if you would even notice me.”

”it would be impossible not to notice you Caroline, your essence would hover around me, harangue me until I did.”

That’s why I will always think that klaus was the better match for her.

He was the only one who could understand her more than anyone, he didn’t even have to know her for a long time like her friends to actually know what she needed and wanted.

He could easily see through her the same she did with him.

When everyone were only searching the cure for Elena only klaus asked Caroline if she wanted to take It

Even tho he already knew that she wouldn’t, it showed his deep understanding level to her.

He always made sure that the others need to treat her well, just like he asked Stefan if he truly loved her, just like he made Stefan promise him to only do right by her cause it meant for him a lot.

Just like he asked Tyler if it was worth it to see her smile and then give him time to run even tho he never chased after him for Caroline’s sake.

No matter what Klaus is the only one who ever treated Caroline right.

He was the reason of her development.

Let me know what y’all think I’m really curious but yeah this is what i truly analyzed. 

[echoalyssa]

For the Last Time | Dick Grayson

image generated by Midjourney AI

just an angsty smut piece for my fav bat boy

~~~

We had split weeks ago, but here he was, silhouetted against my front door. It had been ugly, and the wound still felt raw, but we still gravitated towards each other. Despite the terrible memories that lingered, we always ended up together. For better or for worse. 

“Hi.” My voice comes out whisper quiet and he hesitantly steps inside, nudging the door closed with his foot.

His dark hair falls in front of his eyes and he lifts a hand to push it back behind his ear. 

The air is thick with tension and the words that had gone unspoken. He follows me to the couch, making sure to leave ample space between the two of us. He’s looking at me so intensely that I can’t help but find the bookshelf fascinating.

There is so much to say yet nothing to say at the same time.

I draw my knees up to my chest and wrap my arms around my legs. I rest my head on my arms and just take a second to look at him. It’s been too long since he was last on this couch. Even being in his presence had a calming affect. 

“What did you want to talk about?” He asks, playing with his thumbs. He looks up at me quickly and then drops his head.

“You asked to come over.”

He nods and pulls at a loose thread on his shirt. “So then you should pick what we talk about.”

It’s stupid really, we both know what needs to be addressed but for fear of disturbing the calm we’re both tiptoeing around the topic.

I nod at him but still stay quiet.

“I’m sorry. I watched you disappear before my eyes and I was too absorbed in my own head to realize that you needed me. I should have never left you and I should have been someone you could depend on. I let you do everything for us financially and I still expected you to clean up the apartment. I’m sorry. That’s not a partnership and you deserved better.”

It’s everything that I have ever needed to hear from him, but was it too late? The damage had been done.

“Why couldn’t you see that before?” I ask him.

“I was selfish. I was jealous. I didn’t care to and that was wrong of me.”

I choose to stay quiet, knowing that he’s asking for my forgiveness, the problem is that we’d done this before. An apology followed by the exact same behaviors that got us here before. To tell him that I had forgiven him would be a lie and that wouldn’t benefit either of us.

The silence stretches between us and he stands up to stretch. He rolls his neck and the soft crack of the bones fills the air.

“I miss it.” He says softly, looking around the apartment that we had once shared. It had been his home too. More than that though, disguised under his words was that he missed all of it. He missed me.

He sits back down, closer this time. He sits in his usual spot, and he places his hand on my knee. His thumb traces the curve of it gently, as if I might vanish before his very eyes.

We sit in silence for a few minutes until that line of tension snaps and he’s pulling at me just as much as I’m reaching for him. In one swift motion I climb onto his lap, straddling his hips. It’s like we’ve both been allowed to breathe for the first time and neither of us can get enough of it. His arms wrap around me, and he pulls me in so close that there isn’t a millimeter of space between our bodies.

Dick tucks his head into the crook of my neck and lets out a shaky exhale. I’m holding him just as tight. Tears prick at the corner of my eyes, and I sniffle into his shoulder. His fingers drag up and down my back, kneading at the knots that had accumulated without him. He touches me like it might be the last time he ever gets to.

His fingers slip lower, playing with the hem of my shirt. “Is this alright?”

He’s giving me an out but that was the thing, even if I tried to take the out it was inevitable that I would end up right back where I started. Here. With him.

“Yes.”

“Look at me.” He says quietly, his fingers wrap around my jaw, and he angles my face so that I have to look at him. “I love you.”

I duck to avoid his eyes but I whisper it right back to him because that was the only part of this mess that I was certain about.

“Look at me.”

I pry myself out from the crook of his neck, eye contact had never been my strong suit. The second our eyes meet I can feel the impending tears come rushing back. His mouth meets mine and then it’s a mess of teeth and hands and clothing hitting the floor. 

“You’ve lost weight.” He doesn’t say it in a bad way, but he’s acknowledging that our break had been harder on me than he had thought. His voice is laced with concern. “I’m so sorry. You’re tiny.”

He wasn’t wrong, it hadn’t been intentional but whenever I was stressed my hunger pangs would disappear, resulting in my noticeable weight loss. Dick, knew just how much I valued having an athletic physique and the drastic difference had brought tears to his eyes.

“Stop that.”

He doesn’t need me to tell him twice, knowing full well that I won’t talk if I don’t want to, and flips me over. His fingers press me up over the back of the couch and he guides my hips back. He pauses briefly to step out of his shorts but then I feel him right where he belongs.

The physical size difference between us means that we line up perfectly. We moan in unison as he seats himself inside me. His hands press me into the position that he wants and then his right hand tangles in my hair. He yanks it slightly, causing my back to arch and groans, dropping his mouth to my shoulder.

“If you could see the way that you look right now…”

He’s rough with me, in a way that makes my legs weak. It’s weeks of tension that had been building up to this point and neither of us can deny it.

“Please.”

His knee knocks my own further apart and the grip in my hair tightens. We had been doing this long enough for him to know exactly what I need. The new angle has him hitting parts of me that only he can find. 

The force of his thrusts has me pinned to the couch. I sob, holding the couch as if that could keep me grounded. 

“Oh my god. Oh my god.” My orgasm is approaching rapidly and I open to my mouth to tell him that but it rips through me before I get the chance.

My back arches and my vision goes black, the force of it all renders me completely silent.

“Fuck.” He grits out but he never lets the pace slow. All I can do is hold onto him as he fucks me through it.

~~~

I can already tell that I’ll be sore the next day. Coming off two back-to-back orgasms the oversensitivity was bordering on uncomfortable, but I loved every moment of it.

He’s staring at me through lidded eyes, trained on me like I’m the most beautiful thing he has ever seen. His lips are parted slightly, and his hand is wrapped tightly around the headboard. The veins in his forearm stand out prominently. His other hand dips between us and I can feel my eyes blow wide as he rests two fingers on top of his shaft and peers up at me expectantly. ‘Take it.’ His eyes whisper to me. I was already struggling to take him into me, let alone the long thick fingers he has ready for me.

“You can do it.” He murmurs, and the deep rumble of his voice sends another wave of pleasure through me.

He drops his hand from the headboard, curling it around my hip to hold me in place. I’m drowsy with pleasure but I let my body press closer to his, pulling his fingers and his length into my body.

My head falls back immediately, my eyes rolling back into my head. It’s such an intense feeling that my head empties of any thought that isn’t just him.

He’s moaning underneath me, twitching slightly as if he’s fighting the urge to move inside me.

“Look at you.” He murmurs, curling the fingers that are inside me for emphasis.

I sob, and my nails dig into his chest. He’ll have marks tomorrow that he probably won’t be too pleased about.

“I’m so close baby. You look so good taking me like this.”

My nerves are on fire but I’m still dragging myself across him, watching the way that his face contorts with pleasure. His hips snap up, meeting me halfway every time. His thumb brushes against my clit, adding to the pleasure.

“I-I’m going…”

His body tenses under me and I feel him twitch inside me. I cry out his name, collapsing into his chest as the waves of pleasure roll through me. Dick shudders underneath me, finishing with a few small thrusts.

His fingers slip into my hair and he kneads at the back of my neck. Neither of us is concerned about cleaning up the mess we had created. We were just basking in the pleasure of each other.

“You really love me, don’t you?” He whispers while dragging his fingers through my hair soothingly.

Emotion gathers in my throat and all I can do is nuzzle into his hand and close my eyes. Even though we were together tonight, I still wasn’t sure that I would experience him this gentle with me again. I would enjoy this for as long as I was allowed to have it.

[imekitty]

Star Error VII

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14, Part 15, Part 16

Star investigates Danny’s glowing freckles.

-----

Star held her locker open, staring at the bouquet of orange roses inside. Or what was left of the bouquet, anyway. The roses had died from lack of sunlight and water, their golden luster dried up, nothing but wrinkled petals now.

And yet, she couldn't bring herself to throw them away. Not just yet.

"Hey, Star," said Paulina, coming up behind her.

Star quickly shut her locker and whirled around. "Oh, hey," she said, tossing her hair over one shoulder.

"Why'd you run out of the cafeteria?" asked Paulina, holding her books to her chest as she leaned against the lockers. "The boys ended up eating the rest of your lunch."

"I, uh…" Star scratched the side of her nose. "I just forgot that I was supposed to talk to my economics teacher during lunch," she said, choosing a teacher that she knew Paulina was not familiar with.

"You sure that's it?" Paulina pouted and tilted her head. "Or did Danny say something that broke your heart again?"

Star could feel warmth in her cheeks. "He didn't break my heart."

Paulina raised a brow, a knowing smile on her freshly glossed lips.

"Look, the guy's a weirdo," said Star, trying to sound convincing. "You know that. I can do better than him."

Paulina's mouth puckered. "If there's anything I've learned from listening to all the girls on the cheer squad, it's that you really can fall in love with anyone."

Star frowned, genuinely puzzled. "Even you?"

Paulina shrugged. "Even me. I fell in love with a ghost, after all."

A ghost. She meant Danny Phantom.

Star again remembered her encounter with Phantom in the library, his wounded side. The way Fenton jumped up from the cafeteria table when she jabbed him in the same side.

It made no sense and yet it made all the sense in the world.

The bell rang, signaling the end of lunch period. Paulina and Star began heading for their next classes.

"But how would you feel if you found out the ghost boy wasn't who you thought he was?" asked Star. "I mean, what if you found out he's really just…a freak? A loser?"

"That's not possible," said Paulina.

Star waited, curious.

"He's saved our town so many times," Paulina explained. "He's even personally saved my life. Someone like that just has to be…" Paulina sighed, looking up at the ceiling. "Wonderful."

Star sucked the inside of her cheek.

"And he's super cute; I've seen him up close. You can't fake good looks." Paulina scrunched her mouth, her brow furrowing. "Well, boys can't."

An image of Fenton smiling entered Star's head, so genuine and kind and yes super cute, she could not deny it.

She felt a blush rising up her neck and fought it off as hard as she could, turning her face away so Paulina wouldn't see it.

…

Throughout the second half of the day, Star kept her eye on Fenton, watching him in the hall during passing periods, waiting for some kind of sign, a signal, no idea what but she was sure she would recognize it when she saw it.

She watched him from a distance, careful to stay hidden so he wouldn't see her. Because if he turned his face in her direction and actually smiled at her, she was sure she'd fall apart, melt into a puddle, unable to reform.

But this was so stupid, this was Fenton, the biggest loser in school. Well, maybe that was being hyperbolic, maybe not in the school, but at least their grade. Well, okay, maybe that was also an exaggeration, maybe he wasn't the biggest loser in their grade, but he was definitely certainly absolutely not in her league and there was no good reason why she should be feeling so weak in the knees when she caught sight of his dopey blue eyes and his doofy soft hair and his dumb muscle-toned arms and his—

His side—

Fenton was gripping his side with both hands, fingers splayed, slightly bent over. Star knew exactly which class Fenton had next—English with Lancer, same as her—but instead of going to class, Fenton was heading for the nearest restroom, grimacing and digging his fingers into his right side. He pushed open the men's door and disappeared inside.

Star glanced down the hall in the direction of her next class and made a split-second decision, barreling toward and through the men's door before she could change her mind.

Inside the restroom, Fenton was standing in front of a sink, using one hand to lift up his shirt. He was inspecting three scabby gashes on his right side.

Star froze. The gashes looked an awful lot like claw marks, claws like the ghost monster in the library had.

Her body tensed and shook as she stared at the wounds, fluid leaking between cracks in the scabs. Fenton jumped when he caught sight of her and dropped his shirt, his eyes wide as he stared back at her.

Silence stretched between them. Star breathed deeply, again and again, her heart racing.

"I want to ask my last question now," she said, her voice wobbling.

Fenton turned so he was facing her more fully. "Okay," he said just above a whisper.

"And—and you have to be honest."

"I know. I will."

Star pulled in another breath, bracing herself. "Are you Danny Phantom?"

Fenton did not answer for many long seconds. When he finally opened his mouth, the door to the restroom swung open. Dash barged in and groaned when he saw Fenton and Star.

"Can you two maybe wait to make out until after I piss?" grumbled Dash, making his way to one of the urinals.

Star's face burned and she sprinted out of the restroom, down the hall and toward her next class. Her legs ached and sweat dripped under her shirt but she did not stop until she reached the classroom door, panting and choking on her spit.

She swallowed and entered the classroom, taking her normal seat next to Paulina. Paulina gave her a curious look but thankfully did not comment on her haggard appearance. Dash entered the classroom just as the bell rang, but Fenton was not with him.

Lancer stood at the front of the room and was counting students with one finger, silently mouthing to himself.

"Mr. Fenton is tardy again, I see." Lancer clicked his tongue in disapproval as he bent over his desk and wrote something down on a sheet of paper.

Star watched as Manson and Foley looked at the empty seat between them and exchanged confused glances with each other. She clasped her clammy hands and breathed in to quiet her thudding heart.

[howi99]

I dreamt of a blue butterfly 8

Ozpin: *looking at his scroll* Hm...

Glynda: I don't like that sound of yours. Tell me: what is it this time?

Ozpin: *shaking his head* Nothing wrong per say, except for the cameras not working properly.

Glynda: *sigh* I knew i should have made one last inspection. Port can't even use the tv remote, let alone cameras.

Ozpin: *perplexed* For once, i highly doubt that our dear friend is at fault. *Signal Glynda to get closer* See those images?

Glynda: *looking over him* They are clear, without interference, why?

Ozpin: Well, not even a minute ago, all i could see was statics. Furthermore, isn't it weird we never saw where the young Arc and Ms Xiao Long were until she appeared alone atop a nevermore?

Glynda: *replacing her glasses* His semblance might be akin to Pyrrha's?

A flash, then thunder

Ozpin: *surprised* lightning? But there's not a single cloud...

Glynda: A semblance?

Ozpin: *shaking his head, looking at his scroll* I don't think this is a semblance.

___________________________________________

Jaune: I SUMMON YOU, DANTÈS!

As Jaune said those words, a wave of power seems to flow through him. As if he finally could express himself freely, without consequences. At the same time, something began to form over him. A humanoid wearing clothes from a begone era, a mask of silver covering his visage.

Dantès: The contract is signed and you choose to fight. I shall now help you in your endeavors for i am thou and thou art i.

Jaune: *more preoccupied by the Shadow rapidly approaching* Well i don't want to urge you, but i think i'd really appreciate the help right now!

Dantès: *chuckle* You already know how to wield me.

Jaune, strangely enough, did know what to do.

Jaune: *unsure, point his finger at one of the Jack-o'-lanterns* Zio!

A single lightning bolt comes crashing down on the shadow, vanquishing it in a single blow.

Jaune: *looking at what he did* Woah... That's awesome! *Point at a group* Mazio!

The little group disappears, alongside two other's until...

Jaune: *wincing, as his vision becomes unfocused* Wha?

Dantès: Sadly, it seems you cannot use my power at his full potential yet. *Disappear in thin air*

Jaune: *refocusing* Fatigue, guess that means i'm low on mana... Or something. *Look around, seeing the shadow retreat* Gosh i thought i was done for... *Takes his scroll, using the GPS to track down Yang* Good things we synchronized our scroll, i can't let her fight that thing alone.

___________________________________________

Meanwhile

Ren: *looking at the strange girl* And you said you are from Atlas?

Penny: *smiling while doing a military salute* Yes! I was supposed to be in Atlas, but my father said Beacon was a better place for my personal development!

Ren: I see.

Penny: And now I have a partner of my own! Oh this is gonna be sensational!

Ren: ... *Smiling a bit* I'm sure you'd like my friend, she's a lot like you.

Penny: *scanning area* Oh? Tell me friend Ren, is it normal for a huntsman to ride a nevermore?

Ren: *surprised by the question* No?... On second thought, i probably know someone who would try that.

Penny: *point to the sky* Then, shall we help?

Ren: *looking up, seeing the nevermore being repeatedly punched by Yang* Uh, i guess there's two who would try that. *Look at Penny* We should help her.

[aotopmha]

Oh hey, the second good scene with Zenos in Endwalker.

Exaggerations aside, I was so grateful for this scene because I'm one of those of the opinion that he should've stayed dead in Stormblood and all we've gotten out of Zenos within Endwalker up to this point is him wanting to fight you.

*Technically* that's all he is in Stormblood, too, but at this point he's been dragged along with the story for almost another 2 expansions.

I kind of at least want *something* more out of him.

And, well, at least now his one-mindedness got just a little more depth.

He basically says, well, people are all self-righteous assholes, who want to change the world in their image and call themselves heroes for it, so I'm at least not going to pretend and be honest about what I want, which is a fight with the WoL because fighting is the only thing that makes me feel something.

Loss of life is loss of life and bad regardless of the reason it happens.

The issue with this is that you can say it about every single person ever trying to do any good in the world and even more so for flawed people trying to do good in the world.

So should we just stop trying to do any good because everyone might have a personal or imperfect reason for it?

Yes, self-awareness is absolutely a very good trait to have when you aren't perfect and have made mistakes before and so is self-reflection regarding your actions, especially if it involves doing bad to do good, which can be a slippery slope.

But this is the repeat of the Elidibus scene in terms of morality: despite him giving you a lecture on the morality of your actions, he is also a perpetrator of multiple genocides.

Fact is, sometimes bad things have to be done in the name of good because there is evil in the world that does not listen to reason and needs to be stopped.

A response to this would be the idea of good and evil being relative to someone's flawed perspective, but I like to stay grounded and say, maybe killing millions isn't much of a matter of perspective, especially if they are all equally sentient.

I think therefore I am and all.

I've seen people bring this up in response to the characters forgiving villains and the like, but to me the key here is that Zenos could... y'know choose to just not kill lots of people.

Gaius backs his words with action. Fordola backs her words with action. Nero goes under this, too. Redemption is earned, not given out arbitrarily. This story is incredibly consistent with that at least, but even if it wasn't, people will always be imperfect in some way, so even Alphinaud still qualifies under this considering his mistakes and attitude during A Realm Reborn.

No, a good reason is not "better". Emet, Hermes, Elidibus, all had "good reasons", but not once was what they ended up doing framed as (or said to be) "good, actually".

You can empathize without excusing.

Alisae's response is also really good; Zenos will probably never actually find "true fulfillment" with the principles he laid out, a path of violence is generally also a path of loneliness, and the truth is he, too, seeks some sort of connection via wanting to fight the WoL.

Violence is just the only way he can express this wish to connect with someone.

I also like this scene for Jullus getting to say his piece.

A solid scene before the hell that is 80% of the lvl 88 quests.

(Finished all of the lvl 88 quests today, so more posts are probably coming about them. I'm also probably Endwalking tomorrow, depending on how everything works out.)

[thedragonagelesbian]

@isayashai replied to your post “I should write smthing......”:

kyr x sosiel sketching/painting fic 👁 ? cyrus x halsin cuddles? 👀

​wahhhhhhhhhhhh thank you <33333 yes much to consider.. it's not a full fic, but you inspired me to write a lil something for kyr & sosiel!!

Wrong. And wrong again. Paper crumpled, charcoal smudged, one hand heavy and aching, the other still a fist wrapped around the ghost of Graham's collar, both trembling in the wick-thin light of the guttering candle.

Another sketch. Another scowl. Tore the page from his sketchbook, tossed it aside, and tried again.

Grapes on the vine turned to strips of whipped, peeling skin.

"Sosiel..." Eyes like his own that he could not recognize no matter how many times he drew them, dredging warmth up from the recesses of his memories only for it to turn cold at the tips of his fingers. Again, again, again, he had to get it right-- "Sosiel."

Kyr's voice was sharper the second time, but it was his hands that broke Sosiel from his stupor, palms cool against the fever pitch of his cheeks. Sosiel blinked, and suddenly he was in the study again. In his body. Sore from base of his skull to his knuckles to the pit of his empty stomach, stiff even in his thoughts as he looked up at the Knight Commander.

"What is all this?"

Sosiel realized for the first time that he had destroyed half his sketchbook in one sitting, desk and floor alike littered with his failed attempts.

He shuddered.

"A foolish endeavor, nothing more."

Kyr glanced down at the last thing Sosiel had drawn: a man whose smile had become a snarl despite his every effort.

"Your brother?"

"Trever..." Sosiel couldn't say his name in anything other than a whisper, the kind of frightened prayer that came at the end of the world. "A-as best I can remember him, but I can't... I see him so clearly in my mind's eye, as the good, kind man I knew him to be, and yet every time I try to draw him, the image is distorted. As if my hand knows that it is a lie. And now when I try to think of him, it all blurs together. Everything that the Hellknight told us, all that vile cruelty taints my memories."

He spoke faster and faster, as if trying to catch up to that memory of Trever before it slipped from his fingers entirely, words and images spilling.

"If I forget him now," tears bleeding together, suddenly slow, "the only thing left will be a monster."

And Kyr. Aeon. Judge. A dhampir fit for hating other monsters. Would do his duty if they found him.

And would that not be justice?

"It will not be the only thing." There was something in Kyr's voice. A slight, hesitant quiver against his usual dry deliberation. "Remember what Halaseliax told us: as long as someone is alive, they can still change. Trever still has that. Will always have that. The possibility for redemption."

Whatever Sosiel had been expecting Kyr to say to comfort him--perhaps nothing at all, perhaps his wounds were not worth tending, made to be borne alone--it was not that.

Not after Kyr had warred with himself so bitterly just to let one cultist leave Terendelev's lair.

Sosiel looked up at him through watery eyes. "Do you really believe that?"

Surely you of all people must believe that we can all change for the better.

I have not changed.

"Yes." Kyr's thumb traced the tears along Sosiel's cheekbone. "I am trying to. Believe. In this, in second chances and salvation and choosing to be better. We will give Trever that chance when we find him."

These sketches--messy, brutal, unforgiving toward subject and artist alike--had made for poor worship of Shelyn. As, it seemed, did most of Sosiel's drawings these days, dwelling on the mutated flesh of Areelu's lab and the Ivory Sanctum. Whatever faith he still nurtured, a seedling of beauty tucked away, preserved but hidden, it flourished now. Not as any fruit or flower, something that would inevitably spoil and rot, but evergreen, pine needles all the more beautiful for the snow their boughs supported.

"Thank you..." Sosiel's voice broke with his body, unable to sit upright any longer. He crushed himself against Kyr instead, too feverish for his usual worries about impropriety. Instinctive, safe, hopeful as he nuzzled the other man's chest. Listened to that death-slow pulse beneath his shuddering. "Thank you, thank you."

It took a moment--it always did--but Kyr wrapped his arms around him and held him tight. "You're welcome."

[forestshadow-wolf]

So I had a thought... I know i know it won't happen again (yes it will) but anyway ghost in high heels. And I don't mean like platforms or wedges. I'm talking like wicked 6+ inch stilettos. They're black, of course. They're also suede and made of real leather.

Soap found them in ghosts room. He was keeping ghost company as he was filling out paperwork.

"Hey, ghost? What're there?"

"Shoes, Sergent? I'm sure you've heard of 'em"

"Yes I know that, but why do you have 6 inch jimmy choos in your closet? Do you even know how to wear them?" A second later ghost can hear soap wisper to himself, "steamin' jesus these musta been expensive"

It is at this point that ghost turns around. He does indeed know how to wear them. quite well, actually. But why does soap know that they cost so much? Hmm? Better yet why does he know the name on them? A smile pulls at ghost's masked lips.

"I do And because I bought 'em. Put them back, they were blood expensive"

"I know how to handle heels, I had sisters, ya' ken... so... you ever gonna wear them?"

"Buy me dinner first"

"Got nothin' planned this weekend. I'll take ya somewhere real nice"

Ghost chuckled, but he could also tell the scot wasn't joking, so he nodded affirmative.

The weekend rolls around, soap is changed and now sitting on ghost's bed as he changes in his private bathroom. When he comes out he's wearing a black button-up with a white suit vest, and matching black pants. The pants are tight, I mean hug his ass and calfs tight. Soap's wearing almost the exact opposite, except he's got one less button to show off his chest more.

Ghost goes over to the closet to grab the stilettos, when he catches something out of the corner of his eye. He does a double take. Soap's got two pairs of shoes, one are black dress appropriate loafers, and the other a pair of white heels. An image of his johnny in thoes heels flashed through his mind. He quickly shakes it from his mind and grabs his heels.

(Lord this is getting long) anyway soap chooses the heels so he's not too much shorter than ghost. Ghost switched his balaclava for a black medical mask, then they head to dinner. They look fantastic, lots of pictures are taken. They look like they should be at an awards show, it's a good thing they're going to a 5 star restaurant.

(Will I elaborate more on this at some point? Maybe..if I don't forget about it)

[tscfsr25w]

Yume Nikki DS Theme!!

(for TWiLightMenu++'s Original R4 skin)

A fun little project of mine from a while back, I dread not having my special interests on my devices... so here's what I eventually came up with.

It never wound up on the official twlmenu theme site, due to me submitting another theme along with it, a template theme I used for exact measurements of UI elements' positions and size (yes, they cannot be altered in this skin :c )

The Theme Itself!

Here are the raw photos! Saving these with the filenames logo.png, bckgrd_1.png, icons.png and bckgrd_2.png should do the trick and make it work! Otherwise, you can just extracting the ZIP with all of the working files I've used onto your console:

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/477151458257535003/1112134104142577674/Yume_Nikki_original.7z

With that out of the way, I will talk about my process making the theme, including whatever else I had in mind for it!

Process

I wanted this theme to feel... dynamic, I always try to go for this whenever I do customize something, make the best of what I have and even try to tell a story with it, or make it immersive... make it relevant. Do all themes need to do this? Not really, I'm just like this.

My vision was pretty simple really, since this skin in particular does not allow for a lot of freedom, just four images and all the interactive buttons are... not customizable (in size)! But, they lack graphics, so we can use the background to make graphics for them (the only button with a graphic is the manual which you can see in the first picture, bottom screen, top right).

So let's start! For the three main buttons on the first screen, they represent choosing a game, booting the cartridge, and launching GBARunner2, the GameBoy Advance emulator/hypervisor/whatever!

I believe what I originally had in mind was making all the buttons part of Madotsuki's room, but... that plan soon fell down since I realized... Madotsuki's room was too small! But I realized it was big enough for two buttons... and I thought, huh, I suppose the first and second button DO seem more related than the one for running GBA games, so boom, both of them are now packed in Madotsuki's tiny room... Selecting a game is Madotsuki playing on her console, while launching the cartridge is... an indescript boxart I referenced of NSMB, it's not great but it's also like 2 pixels large so... I didn't think it mattered that much.

And so, only the GBA button remained, my initial plan was to have Uboa on a separated white-desert-like island, but that plan fell through quick as I did not want to make more custom graphics than thhat little DS box...

Thinking what I could replace Uboa with, Poniko came to mind! And there couldn't have been a better fit, I loved how well it just worked! Madotsuki's room was latched to the bottom of the screen, while Poniko's was latched to the top...-right corner, but alas!

The final touch was making Poniko look at the door, almost as if looking at Madotsuki, I feel like this is my favorite detail out of all of them, plus some funny little gay subtext (/j /j but also the light novel exists so.)

That's it for the bottom screen of the intro images, the top screen is just Madotsuki's balcony at day, which when entering the file selection, turns to night time!

And as entering the file selection is represented by Madotsuki playing NASU, you also have NASU on the bottom screen, albeit a very squished down version of it... along with the TV and a graphic for quitting... (since it's an input that I just don't see mentioned anywhere else ever...? The graphic for "START" in it was also made by me!)

Scrapped Ideas!

Only the bottom screen in the first set of images is changed, it's just a minor alt of the placement of Poniko's room and her sprite, now facing forwards.

The second set of images is a different background for the top screen, the file selection screen, that of Mars-san... I wanted to convey the idea of going deeper into Mado's mind when you select a game, but that's still conveyed somewhat in the original, as the day turns to night, and you see NASU on the bottom, speaking of! Another difference in that screen was just hiding Uboa instead of FACE, an entirely inconsequential change, but one I wanted to mention nonetheless.

Another idea I had for bottom screen during file selection was Masada looking at the game or folder you are about to pick! This one... just didn't fit at the original resolution of the screenshot, and with the other UI clutter (the unremovable microSD/SD text in the bottom left...), it just seemed too busy, I feel with a bit of tinkering something nice can be made... but honestly I didn't want to mess far too much with it, despite my perfectionism in every other aspect of this theme.

[teeth--thief]

I would be interested in so called “hater diaries”.

- Rodka

[Referencing this post] Of course you would, you absolute angel... Imma tag you now that you have a blog @atomshchik ☆

The channel I was talking about is Chernobylite (yes, as in the Chernobylite - the game one). Listen... if anyone should be able able to criticise this guy, I think it should be me. Pole on Pole violence 👊💥👊💥

Let's get cracking... under the cut.

One thing you have to keep in mind when watching anything on the internet about Chernobyl: if they bring up HBO's show as a credible source, quote it, use mostly stills or photos of the scenery or actors instead of of the real stuff etc etc - that is a flag more red than that of the Soviet Union, okay? HBO in thumbnails? Unless it's a "this show is extremely inaccurate" kind of video, that's most likely due to a) the lack of knowledge about actual credible sources or b) need for profit (monkey sees, monkey does clicks - the show is incredibly popular, putting imagery related to it means a higher chance people will choose your video).

To keep it short and (not at all) sweet: this guy is like the evil brother of That Chernobyl Guy. This is That Bare Minimum Chernobyl Man, though. He uploads a video at least once a week and they always JUST BARELY hit the 10 minute mark. But they always do. Hm... I wonder why... I sure do wonder what the number 10 and YouTube have in common... oh. Oh yeah. It starts with MONETI and ends with SATION Need a hint? Mhm, I didn't think so. Speaking of time, the intro is usually almost 2 minutes long, the outro a minute and, there you go, suddenly there's actually even less content than expected.

He has some genuinely bad takes sometimes, too. I don't know if I'm just sensitive about Toptunov specifically (I very clearly am) or if his video on him is just especially offensive to me... and it's 12 minutes 😍😍 two more than usual! And so, I'll use this video as an example. (edit during drafting: he had just released a video on N.M. Fomin which... I'll watch once I'll have some time to waste and we'll see how bad that one is...)

>Not even 20 seconds in and he just HAD TO hit us with that ThAt Is ThE cOsT oF lIeS, of course, you know it brother 💯🔥‼️ Oh get over yourself. Find another quote. And stop putting pictures of my favourite operator next to his blonde twink counterpart from the show. I'm offended on his behalf.

>I like how he just takes random pics off of Google Images or something. The photo he uses at 2:00 is from a Reddit post on r/chernobyl, and it's a picture of a picture - didn't feel like looking for a better one, huh? Someone's a little lazy?

>The video ACTUALLY starts at 2:30. Girlllll (gn) you are so slowwwww, pick up the peace, we're all getting old waiting for you to start.

>The picture slideshow we're getting is almost never relevant to what he's saying. He's saying where Toptunov was born and all we see is the reactor after explosion. Like, okay brother, I didn't know that's how SuMY, in BuRYN, as he says, looked like then. A map from Wikipedia wasn't available? That's the best you can do? Not to mention a few of his videos literally have the same b-roll. It feels like the same video over and over again.

>He claims that "his father's connection probably were useful" when it came to him pursing a career in science... would you like to show me when exactly they could have been useful? When he was taking an entrance exam for uni just like everybody else? Or was it when he had to work his way up from the very bottom of the NPP food work chain? Unless you were a child of someone real high up and wanted to pursue a career of doing fuckall then your nepo baby status wouldn't help you all that much. Your party connections would help you move up faster, sure, but you wouldn't be able to not pass the necessary training and/or exams.

"(...) no good scientist could dream of a good job in a nuclear programme without being somewhat involved in local politics." We don't even know if Toptunov himself was in the party. We know that Akimov was quite the dedicated party man, sure. But Stolyarchuk wasn't in the party at all and Dyatlov wasn't cool with the party and the party wasn't cool with him. How many more times can I say party? Too many parties. I hate parties. He also goes on to say that, after graduation he could only get an entry level position because "He would need really good connections to acquire higher ranking job without any previous experience" I am very sorry to inform you but that's just not how real life works. Maybe if you have a good degree, you can immediately become the CEO of all the janitors in the building but that's about that when it comes to the seriousness of the job.

>Now, the part that made me audibly GASP starts at 6:30:

(...) many power plant staff were dismissed, including those from the night shift at unit 4. Including Toptunov, many were labelled non-essential personnel and sent home. That was probably a part of managing the disaster from a propaganda perspective. Fewer people on site, fewer witnesses.

This is an actually DERANGED take. This was my breaking point... like, you cannot be serious right now. Not the evil Soviet scientists and their evil propaganda...! The evil propaganda of safety...! I'm sorry to inform you but ever single person in charge there wasn't immediately thinking "By Lenin, how can we ensure these horrible bottom feeders, also known as our colleagues, we're employing at our power plant don't say a word to anyone outside?" They were most likely thinking "If this part of the personnel is literally useless, why would they stay in this potentially dangerous zone? Let's get them out - for their safety and liquidation organisation's sake."

>"As he later stated (...)" We don't know what he stated. We don't have a single word that came out of his mouth recorded anywhere. It's all they said that he said. Or the authors of books want to show how much they think they know (look no further than Medvedev's "acording to Toptunov..." yes, I'm sure you know exactly what he thought about everything. Surely. You must have spoken to him. Through a Ouija Board, clearly). We'd need the statements from the KGB and whatnot to actually determine what any of them said or thought.

>"(...) During that time when he felt better, he had spoken multiple times to both Akimov and Dyatlov (...)" Acording to some book, I'm sorry, I don't remember which one, he was one of the few people that actually didn't get up from his bed to participate in the discussions, probably because his legs were already in a bad shape. Take this with a grain of salt, though. Nobody explicitly said he NEVER hang out with anyone at the hospital. It's just that worth noting that there's a possibility he at least didn't do that as much as the rest of the guys.

Overall grade: read a book. Change the boring ass b-roll shots. Change the stock sounding "creepy" music. Put some effort into everything. Stop relying on HBO's Chernobyl.

Conclusion: you'll never be That Chernobyl Guy xoxo That Chernobyl Guy for the president

[itsahotminuteinbetween]

do we get to kiss the narnia au blorbos 👀 how does our relationship with them develop throughout the course of the story? how does it start with both sun and moon and how does it end up? any significant trouble spots you can hint at without spoilers (unless you dont care abt spoiling!!)

and also i forgot if you already pointed this out somewhere but is there an aslan character? if so, who?

*inhales*

THANK YOU

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME TALK ABT THIS

okay. SO:

Yes, you probably will get to kiss the narnia blorbos...probably. Thing is, I'm not really good at developing romance plots (mostly cuz my brain never actually goes that far in planning and I always get caught up in leading events), but yes, I'm hoping I can actually get that far.

In terms of development...? Definitely Sun first, simply because he falls hard the second he meets you. Unfortunately, it's less because of you and more because of his past with humans and how scarce they are. You're the first human he's ever actually been able to talk to, you're there and you're real, and he doesn't want to let go of that. And it gets even better when he realizes that you like him too; after all, why else would you keep coming back to this dull and dreary world? He hasn't talked to anyone in a long time, and he doesn't want to give that up so soon, and of course, he has to protect what's his, doesn't he? Yes yes yes,especially in a world as dangerous as this one! He feels a strong need to protect you, especially after you meet Moon, who has a...slightly less pure love for you.

(Keep in mind, by the way, that Sun can be just as dangerous as Moon should he choose to be.)

Moon is definitely interested in you upon meeting you, but for...other reasons. He hasn't seen a human around in a long time either, or at least, not one who's lasted so long without his notice. Sun's lucky that Moon looks out for him, or the White Witch would surely punish them both for not handing them over. Thankfully, Moon is there to correct Sun's grave error by collecting the human himself! He hasn't had a new charge to tend to in a while, after all.

The Stone Garden is quiet up on the hill.

Moon does find you sweet and charming in your own little way, and he likes you, but like Sun, he wants to keep you for himself, and so he tries to convince you to take up his offer on visiting the Stone Garden and stopping by sometime, he's sure you'd like it, and he could protect you so well, just like all his other silent charges. You're so fragile, and fragile things need to be protected, yes yes, that's his job, the silent protector. And you're on board with it, too! Sure, he hasn't specified how long your visit would be, but you didn't seem to mind, none of his charges did in the end, or else they would surely say something about it. Every time he tries to take you, though, something pops up, and you leave him behind. Someday, he thinks, someday he'll have you all to himself.

Anything that could get you in trouble...? Well, a lot of things, actually, not that you really seem to mind. You find a good deal of interest in this world and its inhabitants, and they're all so friendly. Fortunately enough for everyone keeping a lookout for you, your obliviousness keeps you blissfully ignorant of all that goes on in the woods, and everyone is free to conspire as they wish. A few words of advice Moon's charges could have given you if they could voice them, however:

Trust no one.

Do not test the Dark Moon.

Beware the White Rabbit.

Avoid caves.

Don't eat anything offered.

Leave while you still can.

As for Aslan....

*laughs nervously*

weeeeelllll, someone suggested it being Michael, but the image of Freddy as a literal god was just to hilarious not to include, so I left it at that. Unfortunately I don't know much game lore regarding Michael (I really gotta do some research when I have the time), but I'd probably include him in Aslan's army as one of the people who escaped before Afton rose to power. After that, none of Aslan's followers were able to leave on account of being trapped in ice, and most of them were swiftly dealt with.

[banzaitaka]

Yandere themes

Hunter x Hunter_Phantom Troupe_Masterlist

Feitan Portor x gn! reader

Response

"You slept well?"

A question that should be relatively easy to answer. Even if one would consider the quality of their slumber to be hard to put into words, or determine if it was a positive experience or not, that question shouldn’t leave someone with a tight throat. Locking eyes with your captor for a second, you pondered about how you should answer. Answering truthfully, as if it wasn’t the cold-hearted man who kidnapped you that was standing in front of you, and instead someone you’d deem close to you like a friend, actually was pretty easy; No, you slept horribly. Insomnia already had been in your life for a while, but this was getting on a new level.

Your heart was always beating so hard you could feel it all across your body. Every little sound made you flinch. And the blinking, red light of the camera in the upper corner of the room had you frozen, scared to move. Under these circumstances (and more) it was obviously hard to relax, which is why you only ever were able to fall asleep when you were absolutely exhausted and could barely keep your eyes open. (Unless Feitan felt generous enough to drug your drink with sleep medicine) Still, you rarely fell into a deep slumber. And instead your situation plagued you even further in dreamland. What you had hoped could be an escape from the “love“ of your captor revealed itself as something just as horrific, maybe even more so.

On good nights, your nightmares simply replayed some scenarios you felt uncomfortable in, on bad nights, they replayed scenes you prayed to only witness in fiction. And on the worst nights, your fears of what else could happen, no matter how silly the thought was, welcome themselves in as well. You started cursing out that part of your brain that was responsible for the images of your inner eyes for it being just as much of a sadist as the one demanding you to call him your lover.

Lover.

It was clear to you that Feitan‘s attraction to you was more obsession than anything more innocent and pure like “love“. You dared to utter those thoughts to him only once before. The way his eyes wrinkled with joy at your words made you regret your words instantly, you couldn‘t even begin to guess why he was smiling befind the big collar. Was he amused by your guts to dare say such a thing to his face? Was he content with the word you used to describe his feelings towards you? Was he imagining your face twisting in pain as he punished you for your boldness? It never came clear to you, and that‘s why you went back to walking on egg shells around the man, more on your toes than ever. Oh, how you wished you could read him better, or he would reveal more of his wants, you believed it would make your life- no, this wasn‘t a life- your stay much easier. And maybe a good rest, with nothing but an endless void of nothingness in your mind, would find its way to you. A fantasy like this was all the hope you could get, so you took it, wholeheartedly.

Feitan raised a brow at your hesitation. This was a simple ‘yes‘ or ‘no‘ question, answering shouldn’t take so long even if you were an idiot sometimes. He was not oblivious to the war going on inside your head wether you should speak the truth or not. That was exactly the reason why he thought you were an idiot. The hand sliding over your waist had you snapping out of your thoughts and your gaze back to the black-haired laying next to you on the bed. The soft circles of his thumb over your exposed skin was a huge contrast to the cuts and bruises he gifted you before. So much of a clear contrast that you got the feeling he was urging you into choosing one answer over the other. A hint of how you could make the day into a good one for yourself. A hint of what he wanted.

You took it, clutching the shimmer of hope in your hand as you sighed, “Yeah, I slept real good.“, your smile was small, but present. You even made sure to wrinkle your eyes just a tiny bit to make it look real. And you really hoped that would be enough happiness, even if it was faux, to satisfy him and his sick, twisted views. His lips closed into a straight line, face free from his seemingly constant frown, and you cheered for yourself in victory. You allowed him to pull you closer to him. If this is what you had to endure to have one good day, then so be it. You sighed again, this time with a real, relieved smile, snuggling closer to your ‘lover‘ to make him think you really meant it, just so you can relax for once. The hand that didn‘t rest on your waist crawled up into your hair, fingers combing through your locks. Okay, maybe putting your hand on his chest is a good way to respond.

One harsh tug on your hair destroyed all the hope you had, and you couldn‘t help but gasp in shock. With your hair in his tight grip, he angled your head so you‘d be looking at him. There it was, the frown. But! But didn‘t you respond the way he wanted? He was always the one who wanted to pretend what was going on in this house was okay, and saying otherwise was just asking for punishment. So why-

“You lying.“, oh, “I watched you sleep. Could barely relax your face.“, a smile edged on his face, “Now, what do liars deserve?“

[sunshine-overload]

[BSTS] Main Story S4Ch1 ‘Setting Sun’ - Part 1

reliving the heath angst era 😔✊

Chapter 1 

-starless office-

narration: The second anniversary performance ended, and Starless returned to normal business hours. The next show was planned to be Team B, but—

mizuki: What!? No one told me this. Who the fuck decided that?

unei: Yikes, it was the Boss of course...

mizuki: Who gives a fuck about that shitty owner. The next show is ours!

saki: (Apparently the next show which was planned to be Team B was suddenly changed to Team K... I wonder what's going on.)

-kei and haseyama walk in-

kei: Be quiet. Your voice could be heard all throughout the hallway.

mizuki: Oi, the hell are you planning, stealing B's show like that?

haseyama: What's this, Kei. Did you not get his approval beforehand?

kei: Do not jump to conclusions. I'm not stealing anything, Team B's show has simply been postponed to a later date.

mizuki: Post what now?

kei: It's been pushed back. You will eventually get to debut your show.

mizuki: So it hasn't been cancelled or anything then... Well, I guess that's fine.

saki: (That's good, it looks like things will be settled peacefully.)

-heath appears-

heath: We won't be postponed. Why should our show be pushed back for Team K's sake?

saki: (Heath-san...?)

heath: Don't insert yourselves into our show.

haseyama: My you look quite displeased there huh, Heath? In that case there's an easy solution. Just take over Team K's show by force, you lot are good at that aren't you?

kei: ........ (not happy)

heath: Why did you change the schedule on your own accord?

kei: I got approval from your team's leader.

heath: That's not an answer. B will perform, don't make any changes to the schedule.

haseyama: Oi, the announcement for K's show has already gone out. If you're performing too then it needs to be made a versus.

mizuki: A versus... Heath, are you all good with that?

heath: Yes.

mizuki: Then, it's a versus between K and B. Better prepare yourselves, Team K.

-heath and mizuki leave-

saki: (A versus... Somehow this situation seems different from usual though.)

kei: ........ (frustrated sigh)

—end

-

Chapter 1 extra

-starless lobby-

sinju: I know it's a bit late to be realising this, but there sure are a lot of last minute changes made at this store huh. Stuff that's decided in advance rarely gets carried through.

ginsei: B were told that their show was postponed though, why make it a versus? If it were me I'd choose postponement over a versus. Ah, take that poster down.

sinju: This B one? Ok. But I mean, that's just cause it's B right? They have an image that makes it seem like they enjoy doing versus’.

ginsei: Just how much do they like them then... Here put this K poster in place of the one you took down.

sinju: Oh? Woah, K's posters are always so cool.

-he puts the poster up-

sinju: ........

sinju: Say, Yakou's in Team K right now isn't he? I was happy when he came back for the second anniversary performance, but honestly... I'm a bit conflicted. Like, why did he join K?

ginsei: ...Kei must've had a reason for it.

-mokuren walks in-

mokuren: You're still putting the posters up? Get on with it already, don't leave the trolley behind.

ginsei: Sorry, we're just about done.

mokuren: Sinju, extra flowers were delivered out back. We need to go get them.

sinju: Ok.

-mokuren and sinju leave-

ginsei: (looks contemplative)

—end

-

Chapter 1 SideA

-voice training room-

rindou: Kei? Good day. ...The way you changed the show schedule like that was quite forceful of you. That's why I don't understand the reasoning behind making it a versus? Why did things end up like that?

kei: It was better for K to take this performance rather than B. That was simply the conclusion I had come to. The ones that made it a versus was the other party.

rindou: Is it because they didn't know why you came to that conclusion either, so B opposed you?

kei: Rindou, if you want to make idle chatter then move to the break room. I need to train here.

rindou: ...I may not know what it is that you're burdened with. But if there's any way I can be of help, then as work colleagues please don't hesitate to tell me.

kei: ..........

—end

-

Chapter 1 SideA extra

-city, day time-

taiga: Hey what the hell? What are you doing out here!?

???: Chill chill, don't use such a loud voice, you'll startle the people around us. What's the matter?

taiga: As if I can chill, I went to the hospital to see you only to be told you'd already left. Quit messing around, making a shut in like me run around this much... Why'd you get discharged without saying a word to me? Are you planning to up and disappear all over again? The entire reason I joined Starless was to find clues about your whereabouts. And yet you still haven't explained a thing to me!

???: Sorry, I've caused you a lot of grief huh.

taiga: ........

taiga: Anyways, what are you even planning to do now?

???: First off all I'm going for a job interview. I'm bringing my resume to Starless, I'll be returning to working there.

taiga: You're what...?

???: What about you? If you don't like the place then you can quit now right? Your goal has been achieved after all.

taiga: Huh? Ah, that's...

???: Well, it's your life at the end of the day, think it over yourself. I'll be going now, see ya.

-nekome leaves-

taiga: Wha... Wait... Huh? HUUH!? What the hell is he on about? I don't get a single thing he's saying!

—end

-

Chapter 1 SideB

-rehearsal room-

lico: What...? A versus? Over what?

mizuki: Huh? It's already been decided so don't go complaining.

lico: (big sigh) ...I told you already, did I not? No more versus'.

mizuki: Oh shut up, our show was going to be pushed back for no reason. Do you think I'd let them look down on the strongest team this store has like that?

lico: Could you not use your dumb ass logic here? For starters, quit deciding things without getting any consent from your number 2. When did I ever say you could just decide whatever you want cause you're the leader?

mizuki: Huh? Become the leader yourself then, quit whining.

lico: Are you giving me permission to take over? Wow I'm honoured.

mizuki: Fuck off, I'm the leader. B is my team!

lico: I'm not your freaking property.

-heath cuts in to stop them from fighting-

heath: Wait, stop it. I'm sorry for doing something selfish and not discussing it with our number 2 first. I was the one who rejected it. I didn't want to back down and let Kei have his way in postponing us. ...That's why I'd like for you to cooperate with us in this versus.

lico: (big sigh) ....This is the worst. I'll forgive it just this once.

heath: Ok.

mizuki: Who needs your forgiveness?

lico: By the way, are you even feeling up for it? You look pale as hell.

heath: I'm fine, the same as always.

lico: Whatever you say. Don't go collapsing on us again, it'll be pretty annoying.

-ran runs in-

ran: Woohoo, here I am~! Hey hey ain't this crazy, we get to do another versus? Let's beat the hell outta K!

mizuki: Hell yeah, I'm glad you get it, Ran.

lico: Tch, none of them are taking this seriously.

—end

-

Chapter 1 SideB extra

-break room-

kongou: (drinking) ....Phew. Sigh...

saki: Good work, Kongou-san. Was rehearsal difficult?

kongou: Ah, no, it's not like that.

saki: Um... Is everything alright with Team B? The show suddenly turned into a versus... Even though Kei had said your show was just postponed at first...

kongou: I would've just accepted the schedule change, it's something that used to happen all the time when I was still a pro wrestler. That's why the fact they turned it into a versus because of the postponement is a mystery to me. I don't really get why there was a reason for it.

saki: Yeah...

kongou: Sigh... Why do things always end up like this?

saki: (Heath-san was acting strangely too... I wonder how this performance will go.)

—end

-

Chapter 2

-starless office-

kei: This is Team K's performance schedule.

-kei hands it to haseyama-

saki: I see Yakou's a standard member.

kei: He will be put in the fifth position this time, that's all. Whether he properly becomes a standard member or not shall depend on his efforts from here on out. Yakou himself has already been informed of this.

haseyama: Harsh as always ain't you, Kei-sama. Don't you agree, little lady?

saki: Uh...

unei: Ah, stop! You can't just walk in unannounced, the boss is in the middle of a meeting!

-nekome appears-

???: If he's here already then that's perfect. Excuse me~

-he steps into the room-

???: Um, so you're the owner right? Hey there, I've brought my resume with me.

haseyama: Who the hell are you?

???: Oh, it's written right there on my resume. Hm? There's a young lady here too, could you be—

-nekome introduction cg-

nekome: My name's Nekome, nice to meet you. Hey, could you back me up here? I want to work here y'see.

saki: (So this person is Nekome-san... Wait, he just gave me his resume as well...!?)

-kei pushes nekome aside-

kei: Don't get so close to her.

nekome: Ah, did I frighten her? My bad.

haseyama: I've heard that name before. Taiga's older brother was it? Thanks to you dealing with the aftermath of the store was a massive pain in the ass, you know that don't you? Trespassing, arson, property damage. Just how many digits do you think I should charge you, huh!?

nekome: Ah, you've got it all wrong. The only thing I committed was trespassing, so just charge me with that thanks. Well, nevermind the circumstances, I understand that I've caused the store trouble. I want to make up for it. It'll be just fine, I can handle whatever. I'll wait for your call once you decide whether or not to employ me~

-nekome leaves-

unei: W-wait just a moment!

-unei chases after him-

saki: (Taiga-san's previously missing brother has returned and wants to work here?)

—end

-

Chapter 2 extra

-break room-

kokuyou: .......

nekome: Hey there, Kokuyou.

kokuyou: You... Why are you just roaming around the store like it's normal?

nekome: Ah, before we get into that, could you lend me a light?

-lights cigarette-

nekome: Thanks. ...Say, this store's pretty big isn't it? I was surprised, you could go adventuring in here. Though it's pretty funny not a single cent was spent on the back end, I don't hate it.

kokuyou: Oi, answer my question already.

nekome: Well that's cause it seems like I've caused everyone a lot of trouble? So I want to make up for it by working here. —That's all.

kokuyou: Does Taiga know?

nekome: Mm, it's not like I need to explain every little thing to him, right?

kokuyou: ...So you didn't even tell him the bare minimum then.

nekome: So strict~ You haven't changed at all, Kokuyou.

kokuyou: ...Neither have you. So, then where have you— No nevermind, what are you planning to do by returning here?

nekome: So you're not asking about the past but rather the future, that's just like you. I plan to do exactly what I just told you, work here and pay back the trouble I've caused.

kokuyou: ....... 

kokuyou: You really...

-takami walks up-

takami: Kokuyou, breaks ending soon, we need to get back to the floor.

kokuyou: ...Got it, coming.

-kokuyou leaves, takami looks at nekome before he leaves-

nekome: ........

—end

-

Chapter 2 SideA 

-starless kitchen dining area-

ginsei: Hey Gui... Hm? My staff meal is different today, is this fried rice?

gui: I made it myself.

ginsei: Huh? You made this?

gui: Kongou taught me how to.

ginsei: Is that so... Is that why it's got these conspicuous burnt bits in it then... But still, I never imagined you'd get into cooking.

gui: Ginsei, try it.

ginsei: You want me to eat it? Ah well... I don't have very good memories when it comes to fried rice so...

gui: .........

ginsei: ...Ok fine, I just have to eat it right? I'll try a bite then.

ginsei: ........ (eating)

ginsei: Hm, it's good. I’d say it’s passable.

gui: Passable... Next time I'll make sure to char it more.

ginsei: Um no, this is burnt enough as is. I think it's more how everything is mixed together? That you need to work on. What did you think? Do you think the food you made tastes good?

gui: ...I don't know. That's why I got you to try it for me. I'll be careful not to burn it next time, thank you.

ginsei: Cooking's all well and good, but how are you going with our show? Are there any parts you're unsure about? Like about the original text...

gui: Yakou was very thorough in his explanation, he's told me a lot.

ginsei: ...I see. I guess he is also someone that's into books.

gui: Also, you've taught me about 'Carmen' before Ginsei. Carmen was a shameless and devilish woman, so Jose stabs her to death.

ginsei: Wait, no, that's not how it is. Well nevermind, thanks for remembering what I'd said. If there's anything you don't understand just ask me, I'll teach you.

gui: Ok. I'll be going then.

-gui leaves-

ginsei: ...I need to do my best too.

—end

-

Chapter 2 SideA extra

-starless restaurant area-

kasumi: I heard Nekome showed up at the store recently.

sotetsu: That's quite the sudden topic to bring up.

kasumi: Seeing the restaurant reminded me of him. This is where he was found injured right?

sotetsu: He was found covered in blood by Kokuyou wasn't he? It may be repaired now but this place is totally the scene of the crime.

kasumi: I wonder why Nekome was here.

sotetsu: If you mean about earlier, I heard he was here hoping to get hired. Or I guess in his case it would be returning to work here. I saw Unei holding a resume and making a fuss, so I'd say this is accurate information.

kasumi: Huuh, is that so... At this store then.

-maica walks up-

maica: There's going to be a new menu added today, so please update each of your tablets.

kasumi: Roger~

sotetsu: I'm interested to see whether or not Nekome will be aiming to be a cast member now that he's returned.

kasumi: Guess we'll find out~ He has no reason not to after all.

maica: This Nekome you're talking about, he used to be a cast member at the old store didn't he?

kasumi: Yep~ He's one of the oldest members along with Kokuyou.

sotetsu: I actually heard that it was Nekome that dragged Kokuyou into helping him out with the store.

kasumi: Oh~ If that's true then that would make Nekome the original member then.

maica: Hmm, so how come this guy who no ones been in contact with for two years has returned now? Not to mention he appeared whilst there was a fire burning this place down. It doesn't make any sense.

sotetsu: Don't worry, I'm pretty sure we're all wondering the same thing.

maica: ...I wonder where the owner who disappeared at the same time as him is.

kasumi: I know right~ I'm intrigued by that too.

sotetsu: For now I'll stay in the observation party. There's bound to be drama if Nekoke ends up joining us again.

maica: Looks like you're enjoying yourself already.

kasumi: You've got bad taste as always~

sotetsu: What are you talking about, I'm enjoying myself plenty right now. Yakou got added as our number 5 for this show. Kei said whether he becomes a standard member or not will depend on his performance.

maica: ........

kasumi: Do you have mixed feelings about it, Maica?

maica: Hm? Oh, no... nothing like that. Everyone at this store has their own desires. In that case Yakou would be the same. Something must've happened for him to return to the store. I just need to keep singing, and if he decides to get in the way then I'll knock him down. That's all.

kasumi: Hahah, looks like you've been corrupted by this store too.

—end

-

Chapter 2 SideB

-starless balcony-

akira: (smoking) Haa~ A smoke when you're skipping out tastes great. I can leave those heavy beer kegs to that muscle gorilla, ok ok~ (yawns) Ah... I'm so sleepy... Hm?

-screen pans down to behind starless, akira is watching from the balcony-

heath: ...Get out of my way.

kei: Did you look at the contents of that envelope?

heath: And what if I did?

kei: Is it still too difficult for you to make a decision?

heath: This may just be something insignificant to you, but to me it's my life.

kei: The faster you come to your decision the better. The risk of side effects will be lessened.

heath: Only 'lessened' huh.

kei: It's not something that you can fight against without there being any risks. You yourself must already understand that too. What I'm trying to say is that you should make up your mind as soon as—

heath: Are you trying to make amends? I don't give a shit about your regrets, don't try reaching out to me now. Just keep feeling bad about it for your whole damn life!

heath: (coughing fit)

kei: Heath. 

heath: Don't touch me! (coughs, heavy breathing)

kei: ...The burden of that sin from back then will never be lifted. I will carry it with me for my entire life. However Heath, you are still able to fight it...

-balcony-

akira: I can't really hear what they're saying but man... that's one intense convo they're having. I can't go intruding.

-behind starless-

heath: If you care so much then win the versus and order me to do it.

kei: .....Fine. It's the same as always then. We'll come at you with full intentions to win.

-kei leaves-

heath: ...Godammit! (hits something) The one who's gonna win isn't you. As if I'd let you do whatever you want...!

-heath leaves, akira appears-

akira: They finally left huh. That sure was freaky. What the hell were they talking about anyways. This envelope... He threw it away but I wonder if that's ok... It sure didn’t seem like it.

—end

-

Chapter 2 SideB extra

-cafe-

takami: I was surprised to be invited out by you.

taiga: You're the only one who can help me out here.

takami: Well, what did you want to talk about? Though I can pretty much already guess.

taiga: My brother decided to discharge himself from the hospital, and now he's apparently returned to Starless already. I still don't know why he disappeared, and he keeps dodging the question of why he came back. I keep getting a really bad feeling about it, it's unsettling if I just leave things be. 

takami: You want to know every little thing about your brother do you?

taiga: Could you not make it sound gross? All I want to know is stuff in relation to his disappearance. It's the reason I joined the store after all. I have a right to know.

takami: Nekome didn't get you involved. You're the one that chose to get yourself involved. So I wouldn't say you have a right to know anything.

taiga: We're siblings.

takami: Ahaha that's a fitting response. It's definitely something someone looking for their brother would say. However, being 'siblings' with someone is where the depth of the relationship starts and ends. You can still have different values and outlooks on life, you could be completely different people. You have a right to ask for an explanation, and Nekome also has a right to refuse you one.

taiga: You're really just gonna keep taking his side aren't you?

takami: That's not my intention, I'm just saying that's how things are.

taiga: Tch....

taiga: That night, maybe if—

-flashback, old starless back room-

taiga: Hmm, doesn't seem like there's any shady external devices connected. Time to look around in the logs. It's been a while since I last saw you, PC-chan. Sorry, but please allow me to lay my hands on you once more~ 

-time pass-

taiga: Hmm...?

takami: Did you find something useful?

taiga: Nope, nothing. It's just it looks like the data I extracted last time wasn't damaged in any way. For now I'll just make a copy of the entire hard drive.

-takami gets a phone call-

takami (on phone): ...Hm? Kokuyou, what is it? ...Huh? (gasp) Where are you right now? Yes, yes ok, understood.

-takami ends call-

takami: Taiga, they've apparently found him.

taiga: Who, what?

takami: Nekome.

-flashback end, cafe-

takami: You wonder how things would've gone if you had been at the store to find your brother, that's what you want to say right? Do you think that would've changed something?

taiga: I'm... not sure. Big bro was out for the count so he wouldn't have been able to tell me anything anyways. But the person who was caught in the accident with him, I might've been able to verify their identity. I think I'm done with worrying over my brother.

takami: I heard that your reunion didn't go as you'd expected. How do you feel about it now?

taiga: He's alive so it should’ve been a happy occasion but... That wasn't all.

-flashback, city-

nekome: What about you? If you don't like the place then you can quit now right? Your goal has been achieved after all.

-end flashback, cafe-

taiga: I can't just go ahead and quit whilst things are like this. I can't just leave it alone. Big bro is planning something.

takami: ...Is that so? Well, you're the one that's decided that.

—end

To Part 2