#cw implied pokemon injury

[koffing-time]

Hello professor.

I know whatever i say right now won't make you feel any better. But i still have to say it, you know? You did great. Really, you did great things and i believe everything you did was the right thing.

Without you, Miku, I and all the others wouldn't have raided the Alola Base. And i think we were very successful. I think we helped a lot of pokémon that day. The alola base won't be used to make any more pokémon suffer, and the i think hundreds of pokémon we rescued from there will find a new and better home, even if it's gonna be at a shelter. This would have never happened without you.

And the same thing goes for the base in johto. There are countless pokemon that were saved, because of you. I... i don't know what i could ever say to make you feel better, because i don't think there is anything. I'm in a similar situation right now, you saw my request regarding the UD trubbish. My rational mind says i did everything i could. But i still feel like absolute shit. I wish i could do more. I wish i did more. I think it's the same for you.

Anyways. I think what i'm trying to say is: thank you. Thank you for everything you did for all these UD pokémon. Every single one. You made them heard. You made their suffering known. And you made them get into a better place.

[attached is a picture of an ultra-domesticated mareanie without spikes or barbs, sitting on a waterlily in a pond, smiling and waving with a little tentacle.]

Appleslice would like to thank you as well.

I have been in Johto these past few days, and not without reason. I feel that I should explain the situation.

On the second of June, Leinwin sent me a flash drive containing information about the actions of Team Calm. It has gotten out of hand. They cruelly experimented on Pokemon in ways I would rather not discuss again. We felt immediate action needed to be taken.

Many of you may be aware of the raid on Team Calm's base in Alola. There was also a covert raid on their base in Johto. I was part of that raid.

I waited at the rendezvous point and kept watch. I also helped load Pokemon into the truck, keeping them safe and warm.

A guard eventually found me, and I broke their nose. They alerted other guards and Professor Silverleaf helped fend them off while I kept the Pokemon safe.

Shortly after, the building caught on fire. We did everything we could, but we do not know if we got every Pokemon out. There were more Pokemon than we anticipated.

Many of the rescued Pokemon were sent to qualified shelters, but unfortunately most of these shelters are at capacity. I am currently keeping some of the Pokemon in my lab for the time being while we work on finding them suitable homes.

I am conflicted. The actions of Team Calm are deplorable. Something had to happen, these Pokemon could not be left in their care. The Pokemon's safety is priority.

Yet, the building burned. At night I fall asleep and have dreams of that fire. One side of my face always feels cool from the night, another feeling the heat from the blaze. Not even my white noise machine helps with these nightmares. I can still feel it and hear it, again and again.

I had made the initial call to action. I had gathered people for the cause. I never opposed a raid, in fact I helped plan it. I sat outside on lookout. I was there.

But this is not about me, it never was. We do not know how many Pokemon were still inside. We never will.

Blood is on my hands.

I am sorry.

[wyrdle]

Scribbly idea for Clavell and Tyme, based on @nitefise-art ‘s Zero Comic (Which you should really read and absorb/imprint into your heart and soul) and some discussions about the aftermath of said comic’s events. He tripped or something from getting away from some Ace Tournament hubbub, his pokemon + Tyme concerned and providing comfort.

[dragonsareoverrated2]

.

caps

fell off

fuck

ow

[taskforcedistortion]

♣ - a fading memory

Giovanni

[Ooc post]

[Hatred, fear, pain, knowing that his brother did that to his son- hurt him to get his DNA, needles... he hated needles...

Staring up at the tube, the familiar creature bringing him dread and making him feel sick to his core.

Why do you feel familiar...? You aren't Kenichi, who are you.

He wanted to throw up so badly-

"Ken... what did you do?!"]

[starmapz]

what you know - ch4: served || r. sukuna

❦ ryomen sukuna x f!reader [college au] [ongoing series]

❝ you've heard his reputation and you've seen first-hand the way he's late to class if he even bothers to show up. paired with him for the most important project of the year, you choose to give him the benefit of the doubt- but maybe that's more than he deserves when your perfect grades depend on him, or maybe there's more to the aloof and irritable sukuna than meets the eye. ❞

❦ cw ; mdni, 18+ only. contains explicit sexual themes and content. use of alcohol. use of cannabis. use of nicotine/cigarettes. angst. hurt/no comfort. hurt/comfort. implied injury. family trauma. smut. slow burn. anxiety. tags will be updated as series continues.

❦ additional tags ; college parties and themes. sukuna ooc warning as this is a realistic take on modern sukuna. reader is fairly preppy and implied to be smaller than sukuna, but he's 6"11.

❦ words ; 12k.

main masterlist || series masterlist || previous chapter || next chapter

When Sukuna was in the sixth grade, he read A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket for a project. He doesn’t remember the plot, the characters, nor any details of real importance about the series, but he knows one thing for sure.

The title could describe how his day unfolded.

Nothing is particularly out of place throughout his morning. He wakes up to the sound of his alarm, blearily rubbing his eyes as he gets out of bed for an early morning workout. He throws his airpods in and turns on his workout playlist as he lifts weights and hops on his treadmill before taking a cold shower to rouse himself from the clutches of drowsiness.

He wakes up the kids, helping Yuji get ready while he multitasks making oatmeal for breakfast and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for their lunches, which he tosses into their Pokemon lunch bags alongside some snacks. Mornings like these are like clockwork for him, simple and predictable, just how he prefers. No surprises.

With the first snow of the season chilling the air, he bundles both kids up in winter gear and grabs his heavy coat before walking them to school. He sets his alarm for their pickup, allowing him just enough time to get to his final class of the day, albeit a little bit late. Nothing new about that, though. As long as he isn’t late for your presentation, that’s all that matters. It’s the one thing he’s keeping at the front of his mind so as not to disappoint you.

He’s not sure why it matters so much, but like an itch he can’t scratch, the thought won’t go away. Ever-present and the only thing at the forefront of his mind since he accepted the presentation on your behalf. He’s not foolish enough to think that there’s any world in which you want to present at all, even though he knows you wouldn’t say no to the extra credit, and he could use it too.

He blinks snow away from his lashes, letting it melt from the warmth of his cheeks as his gaze sticks to the ground before him. His fingers fumble with the metal lighter in his pocket as he walks. He’s had it for a long time, evidence of how worn it is carved into the steel, but he’d sooner pull it apart and put it back together himself than get rid of it if it failed.

As he reaches the campus with time to spare, he spots one of your friends outside the building to his next class. He recognizes the blonde immediately, the one you sit next to at lunch, though he doesn’t recall his name. He knows they share an Accounting class, though him and Sukuna have never interacted beyond brief glances.

Keeping his distance from the blonde, Sukuna pulls out a cigarette as his thoughts are once again back on you, and all he can do is pray the nicotine dulls the feeling of his heart palpitating just at the thought of you like some pathetic teenager. The smoke billows and wisps in the air, more evident than usual in the cold, and he relishes in its brief reprieve from his thoughts.

It’s lust.

It’s nothing more than a reminder that he needs to find an excuse for his neighbour to watch his brothers so he can attend one of Gojo’s shitty frat parties and get laid.

With a glance at his watch, he stubs out his cigarette and trudges past the blonde without a glance. He makes his way to his usual seat isolated from the rest of the students in the corner closest to the door in case he needs to leave. Flipping his laptop open, he waits for the old computer to boot up so he can put together a semblance of an outline to work off of for the presentation at the end of the day.

It’s then that his misfortune begins.

His eyes flicker down to a notification in his email inbox and he sighs at the sight of the contact, his boss at the warehouse looking for him to fill a shift. Right now. He could accept the shift, miss European History, get off in time to pick up his brothers, bring them home, shower, and make it to Art History albeit a few minutes later than he’d intended. That wouldn’t be a big deal, you wouldn’t present at the beginning of class. It would also give him enough money to begin looking at Christmas gifts for the brats, which is an appealing idea…

He accepts the shift, and slips out towards the end of class. The shift isn’t unlike any other, nothing that would make anyone think this day is worse than any other. Sure, he stepped in a deep pile of snow on his way back from his shift and his ankle damn near froze and his socks are wet, but he’ll live. Not the end of the world.

He clocks out and picks up his brothers without a hitch, getting back with enough time to quickly shower the remnants of his shift from his skin and toss on a black hoodie with a Deftones logo across the front, and a pair of black jeans that were strewn over the back of his desk chair. His neighbor would be over any minute and he could head to class, only a few minutes late. An exhausting start to his day, but not bad.

A knock at the door sounds, and Sukuna’s brow furrows. Since when does his neighbor knock? He gave her a key for a reason.

“Choso! Grab that!” He calls as he throws his laptop and textbooks into his backpack, sure the sitter just forgot her keys despite being literally across the hall.

With a sigh, Sukuna casts a glance back at his room to see if he’s forgotten anything, when Choso peeks his head through a crack in the door. “Kuna? Someone’s asking for you.”

The tattooed man’s brow furrows further as he throws his backpack over one shoulder and follows after his little brother, who had shut the door on the person upon realizing it wasn’t their neighbor. The little boy stands a small ways back as Sukuna opens the door.

A man dressed in a long, deep gray peacoat with neatly styled hair stands at the door. Something akin to shock flickers in the man’s gaze at the sight of Sukuna, but it hardens as he addresses him.

“I’m looking for Ryomen Sukuna.”

Sukuna’s eyes narrow, his posture straightening. “What do you want?”

“Can you confirm you’re Ryomen Sukuna?” The man doubles down, keeping his expression indifferent.

With a scowl, Sukuna nods. “Yeah, I’m Sukuna. What do you want?” There’s more bite this time as Sukuna repeats his question.

“Excellent. I am here to serve you with legal documents. Please ensure that you attend your court hearing on March 23rd. By accepting these documents, you have been officially notified. Should you decline them, I am still obligated to make a note of this interaction.”

“The fuck?” Sukuna snatches the manilla envelope from the man’s hands, ripping it open and pulling the documents out. His eyes scan the words on the document, widening in disbelief. “You’re fucking kidding me.”

–

If Sukuna were a better man, he would have put your presentation in his calendar. He would have made an alarm. He would have sent you an email. Anything to let you know he was occupied. If he was a better man, he wouldn’t have torn his court documents in two. The ripped paper is hardly any concern when the handle on his door fell to the ground with a clank with the force he used to shut the door. At least one of those could be fixed with tape.

If Sukuna was a better man, he would have noticed his mistake before it got dark out.

With his head in his hands, he stares out the window by the table at the back of his apartment, brimming with anger when it all comes back to him.

The fucking presentation.

He wants to tell himself that he shouldn’t care, that you’re just a nuisance that wormed your way into his life and his mind. He wants to tell himself that you don’t matter and that he should forget about you like he had tried to last week, and accept that like everyone else in his life, he let you down.

But when he envisions your genuinely nervous expression at the thought of presenting even with him, his blood runs cold at the thought of you presenting without him.

He balls his hand into a fist, trembling from the sheer force of strength he puts into flexing his muscles.

“Fuck!” He hisses, slamming his palm down onto the table as he pushes himself up, sending ripped paper tumbling to the floor. His chair scrapes loudly across the scuffed hardwood of the dining space as he rushes to the door, pausing for only a moment at the sight of the handle he’d barely managed to screw loosely back into place. His jaw tightens as he grabs his keys and coat, tugging the door open a bit too hard as he hears the handle fall to the ground with a metallic thud inside the apartment.

As if he wasn’t already frustrated enough, this only serves to piss him off further. He considers himself lucky (if it can even be called that at this point) that his neighbor is still willing to watch his brothers (with a warning about the door handle) after the irritated dismissal he’d thrown her way earlier, but he’ll fix that bridge later.

There’s a more important one on his mind right now.

He’s not sure why he runs to campus first. Of course you won’t be there. Of course the professor won’t be in class, with the lecture hall closed and locked.

He tries the door again, as though a second tug at the handle might turn back time to three hours ago when he should have been here, but it’s nothing but wishful thinking. With his hand still on the unmoving handle, he slams his head against the door.

“Fuck!” With his brothers no longer around to hear, the curse escapes him in a furious roar. Whatever anger had been simmering at the surface for hours now bubbles over and explodes. In a flurry of frustration and pent up emotions, he reaches into his pocket and tosses the first thing that hits his fingers.

His lighter collides with the wall with a dull thud, falling in two pieces to the ground across the hall as a small dent is left in its wake in the drywall.

Sukuna’s hands rake through his hair, his teeth gritted as he inhales sharply, grappling with the weight of his emotions. He stumbles back until his back collides with the wall behind him, sliding down it with his head in his hands. He’s not sure how long he sits there before the sound of the cold wind whipping at the door outside brings him back to the present.

Running a hand over his face again, he grits his teeth as he stares across the hall at the lighter on the floor and frowns. Pushing himself to his feet, he crouches in front of it as he gathers the lid, hinge, and body, smoothing his thumb over the engraved name of his father on the steel.

Looks like he’ll be learning to fix a lighter sooner than he thought. Shoving it back into his pocket, he pulls his hood up over his head and makes his way back out into the cold. It’s well into the evening now, the cold snowflakes a sharp contrast to his warm skin as the night temperature falls well below that of the early morning.

His gaze rakes the empty Friday night campus. Distant laughter outside one of the bars on campus is all that disrupts the drone of wind and distant cars. You’re gonna be pissed. You have every right to be pissed, and he knows it, but for some god forsaken reason that Sukuna can’t make sense of, he can’t leave this be. He doesn’t want the image of your fearful expression as you present alone to be the only thing that comes to mind when he thinks of you.

Would it be stupid of him to show up at your door? He doesn’t even know. He doesn’t know what the protocol is for shit like this because this doesn’t happen to people like him. Sukuna’s only long-lasting friendship is with Uraume, who knows him well enough to know not to hold his fuck-ups against him. It’s a miracle they’re still friends, if he’s honest with himself. Of course, he has other people he hangs around with here and there, but no one close enough to bother himself with matters like this.

Fiddling with the broken lighter in his pocket, he sets off towards your place, bussing to the nearest stop as he makes his way there from memory. He buzzes your apartment, staring at the ground as the machine rings several times, before it eventually hangs up.

No.

He hits the button for your apartment once more, but you still don’t answer. You’re not home.

“Fuck,” he mutters, the remnants of his anger fizzling out into concern and something that twists in his gut- dread. The day has worn him down so much he has half a mind to wait for you to come home and try to talk to you, but with his mind and body as drained as he is, he doesn’t think he’ll make it home if he doesn’t leave now. That’s not even taking the cold into consideration.

Trudging back to the bus stop, he slides down against the bench and stares up at the sky. The stars are barely visible, but a few still shine brightly enough to be seen over the glow of the city lights. Like everyone else, he took Astronomy as an elective just for the credits, and he remembers that the stars that don’t flicker are planets. He wonders if the one he’s staring at is Jupiter, or maybe Venus.

He wonders if you like looking at the stars.

Sukuna leans forward with his head in his hands. He’s fucked, he’s so fucked. How many ‘unfortunate events’ do those kids go through in that stupid book? How many more can he take?

He swallows hard, reaching into his pocket for a cigarette and balancing it between his lips, reaching in again for his lighter. Although the cap isn’t attached, he hopes it still turns. To his relief, it produces a flame and he sets the broken cap over it to put it out, replacing the pieces into his pocket as he waits for the bus. The nicotine does very little to help dull the edge of his stress.

The ride home is quiet, save for the rumbling of the bus’ engine and the tapping of someone’s foot at the front of the vehicle. It’s not long before Sukuna’s back in his apartment with a screwdriver in-hand as he holds the doorknob back in place while screwing it back in. Its hold on the wooden frame is loose at best given just how badly he’d jostled it earlier and Sukuna has to turn to super glue to keep it in place.

Putting the kids to bed is a mechanical and empty action, one that he tries with every fiber of his being to hide from them. They’re smart kids, he knows they’ve already figured out something is up, but Sukuna needs to keep up appearances and make it seem as though nothing is wrong.

With the kids in bed, he sits at his desk with his laptop, his fingers hovering over your email thread. ‘sorry’, he types out, before hitting backspace. ‘howd the presentation go?’, he then types out, but that’s just about the worst thing he thinks he could send. ‘can we talk?’ he tries next, staring at the screen. He rubs his eyes with his thumb and forefinger before typing and hitting send before he can overthink his words.

sukuna.r@gmail.com - Friday, 10:02 PM hey. let me know if you get this. i owe you.

Shutting his laptop, he leans over his desk, his chin propped up on his forearms.

His mind is plagued with thoughts that make it feel as though a dagger is being plunged straight into his chest, each one twisting and dragging it through his body. He wants to fight back, he wants to fight back so violently that he draws blood, but there’s no one on the receiving end of his anger but the world itself.

He grits his teeth, exerting enough strength that he knows his jaw will be sore tomorrow. Every muscle in his body already aches, why not add another one? With a sigh, he finds it in him to sit back up, staring helplessly at the ceiling.

When Sukuna was in second grade, he read Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst. He doesn’t remember what that one was about either, but that one could be the title for his day as well.

–

You blink up at the ceiling the Saturday following your shitty presentation, emotionally drained. Though Nanami had proposed to take you for breakfast… or lunch or dinner, he had allowed you to decline this time, unlike on Friday. You’re no less thankful for him being there for you, but all you really want to do is take some time for yourself.

Pushing yourself out of bed to make tea, you stare out at the snowscape outside your window, glad you’re staying inside as you’re able to bundle yourself up in blankets. You pick up your laptop, setting it on your lap in front of you as you browse movies, looking for something that appeals to you.

Your email inbox number rises as you peruse streaming services, though you don’t bother to look at it. You’re not awaiting any emails. That is, until it’s rising steadily as you’re watching it.

You know who’s blowing up your inbox. It’s not the latest deals from the ramen store down the street, or Netflix requesting to change your password.

It’s the one person you don’t want to talk to.

Your mouse hovers over the ‘x’, your finger not even an inch away from clicking. Yet some sort of bitter curiosity gets the better of you as you click on your inbox.

Seven emails, huh?

You sigh as you stare at the emails. He’s replying to the thread of your last exchanges, so you can’t see a preview of what he’s written.

“Is it so wrong of me to be disappointed?” You remember asking Nanami last night, stirring the straw in your milkshake mindlessly.

He sits up in his seat. “He made you a promise, no? You have every right to be upset.”

You glance up at him. His sharp mahogany eyes are unreadable, but you can sense his sympathy for you through his actions.

You’re silent, absorbing his words as you return to mindlessly stirring your milkshake. The chatter around you is dull in comparison to the loud thoughts of inadequacy digging their filthy claws into your mind.

“I made a fool of myself.”

“No one will remember by Monday,” Nanami tries to reassure you, but it falls on deaf ears.

“I think I said that to myself after Prom.”

Nanami’s lips press together in a tight-lipped frown. “We were kids, back then. All of us, all of them. Things will be different this time around.”

“Do you believe that, or are you just saying that to reassure me?” You ask with a dry laugh, a nervous reaction to his sympathy.

Kento frowns, leaning forward. “I believe it with my entire being,” he replies firmly, ending his statement with your name. You glance up at him again, observing the way his jaw tenses when he sees your puffy cheeks and reddened eyes. “Don’t let this keep you from being you.”

You stare back down at the strawberry milkshake. It’s melting so steadily it’s hardly a shake anymore, it’s closer to strawberry milk.

“You know what the worst part of this whole thing is?”

“What’s that?”

“Well-” you laugh bitterly, “- I can't decide what's worse; That I’m actually still worried about him for some reason or that I ever believed him to begin with.”

Nanami’s gaze flickers away from you as he leans forwards over the table. He contemplates his words carefully, mindful of your obvious feelings for the burly man. “You don't deserve to contemplate that over someone.”

“What am I supposed to contemplate, then?” You chuckle wryly, finally taking a sip of your milkshake. It’s definitely just strawberry milk now. At least it’s not lukewarm yet.

“Did you see the latest episode of ‘Love is Blind’?”

You set your milkshake down with a clink. “Did you?”

“Well… No, but I heard Shoko and Haibara speaking about it at lunch.”

You crack a smile. It’s half-hearted and doesn't reach your eyes, but he senses your amusement anyways and returns your smile.

Now, staring at your unopened emails from Sukuna, Nanami’s words continue to echo in your mind.

“You don't deserve to contemplate that over someone.”

So why are you struggling to return to Netflix? You should just watch a movie and forget about him. If his words meant anything, he would have shown up when you needed him. He wouldn’t have made promises he couldn’t keep.

Sighing, you will yourself to click away and keep your mind off of him as you peruse movies on Netflix. Mindlessly scrolling through each category, it’s by the third one that it occurs to you that you haven’t actually been paying attention to your options, your thoughts occupied by the one man you’re trying to avoid.

After showing you his words mean nothing, why are you still so stuck to him like glue? Staring into your mug of tea, you frown when the answers to your problems aren’t swirling within the warm drink.

Against your better judgment, you take a sip of your tea and click on his emails.

sukuna.r@gmail.com - Friday, 10:02 PM hey. let me know if you get this. i owe you.

Frustration stirs within you. He knew damn well that you would be upset with him for not showing up and the best he can do is an ‘I owe you’?

sukuna.r@gmail.com - Saturday, 7:23 AM cmon just let me know youre seeing this

sukuna.r@gmail.com - Saturday, 7:28 AM fuck, i know i

sukuna.r@gmail.com - Saturday, 7:29 AM shit. hit send too early. i know i fucked up but give me a chance to explain

sukuna.r@gmail.com - Saturday, 7:33 AM please.

The sight of his plea staring back at you feels like a mockery. Burying your face in your hands, you groan loudly to yourself, as though it might help you make sense of your emotions. Sukuna doesn’t plead with people, he’s made that much clear. Everything with him happens on his terms and is purely transactional, so what’s changed to have him suddenly begging for your attention without asking for anything in return?

Some delusional part of you wants to believe that whatever he wants from you is more than just free babysitting services but he’s given you no reason to believe otherwise.

sukuna.r@gmail.com - Saturday, 8:41 AM ill make it up to you. idk how but fuck

You know he’s serious when his email ends with your name. Not Prom Queen, not some nickname that borderlines on flirty, but your given name.

Your mouse hovers over the reply button, thoughts racing through your mind. What if there was an emergency? What if he needs help? What if the boys are in trouble?

No, if something was wrong he wouldn’t be rambling over email. Nothing is wrong, Sukuna is just an asshole, and maybe you need to remind yourself of that. Maybe you’re too kind, maybe you give others the benefit of the doubt too often when they don’t deserve it. Maybe the rumors about Sukuna were always true. Maybe Gojo is right about him.

With frustration fueling your movements, you close the emails and shut the tab. He doesn’t deserve your time and you’ll be damned if you let him ruin your weekend with his incessant messages.

Returning to Netflix, you finally settle on a romantic comedy you’ve been meaning to watch and get back to your (somewhat cold) tea.

–

After a relaxing Saturday spent by yourself and a rejuvenating Sunday spent alongside Shoko, who convinced you (again) to forget about Sukuna, you feel miles better than you did on Friday.

Shoko was ready to put up a fight with your former project partner when you told her what had happened. Now that classes had ended for the semester and you only found yourself on campus to make use of the library, the extra free time only fueled her fire. Nanami, usually cool and composed, was no better when the two of you joined him in the library.

“How are you feeling?” He asked, shooting a glance at Shoko who he’s certain had heard about what went down.

“I’m okay. Thanks, Nanamin,” you shoot him a smile. Though you do seem more at ease than Friday, it’s clear that your anxiety and frustration runs deeper than simply being disappointed. You’re heartbroken. Shoko and Kento would have to be fools not to see the heart eyes you’d had for the History major.

“If you need anything from me, please feel free to ask,” he offers.

“Anything at all,” Shoko tacks on to his statement.

A smile pulls at your lips, even as you find yourself sighing. “Can both of you stop trying to fight him? I’m okay now, really.”

“I wasn’t suggesting that I would fight him-” Nanami begins, interrupted by Shoko.

“I was.”

You can’t help a laugh at her confidence and the grimace that Nanami dons at the sound of said confidence. Regardless, you’re thankful for their support, even if Shoko’s just a bit too eager to teach Sukuna a lesson.

You all fall into easy silence as you study individual subjects, simply enjoying being in the presence of your friends. The morning is quiet and still in the library outside of the sounds of pencils and pens scratching over paper and textbook pages turning. Only a few other students made their way to campus on the first official day of break aside from you, Kento, and Shoko.

Your focus wanes quickly as you find your thoughts wandering, something that’s been commonplace when you find yourself stuck in your own head. Your thoughts roam back to Sukuna’s emails, to his mention of wanting to explain what happened. Had something happened?

You shake your head, trying to remind yourself he’s not worth your time of day and you have no reason to trust his words.

The morning drags on as you struggle to focus on your studies and the moment the clock strikes noon, you’re immediately packing up and dragging your friends to the lunch hall, desperate for the reprieve from your hopeless thoughts.

“I think I’m fucked for my Bio exam,” Shoko sighs as you take a seat at your usual table in the empty hall.

“Perhaps if you had spent more time in your lectures and less time smoking outside my Accounting class, you wouldn’t feel that way,” Kento bites back, earning a laugh from you. He may be aloof and calm, but sometimes you forget just how sassy the blonde can be when he wants to be.

“Shit, that was your Accounting class?”

“Mhm.”

“Motherfucker,” Shoko mutters under her breath, looking off to the side when something catches her eye and she sits up straight suddenly. Both you and Kento take notice of her weird behaviour and go to follow her line of sight, turning your gaze over your shoulder until you’re eye to eye with none other than the cause of all your problems.

Sukuna’s chest rises and falls unevenly, as though he ran to the lunch hall in an effort to find you, his usual aloof expression long gone and replaced with something you’ve never seen on him before- regret. He’s in a black winter coat, his hands fiddling with something in his pocket as he stands there as though he’s debating what he wants to do.

Your heart clenches, your chest feeling heavy all of a sudden. All you can do is freeze, staring uncertainly at him as your body flips between a morbid curiosity to know what happened and the sparks of anger that you feel for him putting you through something you made clear you didn’t want to do.

Finally making up his mind, he crosses the lunch hall to you, only to be met with Nanami taking a stand in front of you. Kento is a tall man, though you would never know when he stands between you and Sukuna. Even with the horribly obvious disadvantage between them, there’s something heartwarming about Kento putting himself between you.

Sukuna’s gaze hardens, his jaw tightening at the sight of Kento. He opens his mouth to say something, but Shoko speaks up first.

“Leave, Sukuna.”

Your lips purse as you glance between Shoko and Kento. It’s sweet, really, of them to try to spare your feelings and fend for you, but you can do it yourself.

“Ken, Sho. I can handle this.” Your smile does little to convince either of them, but with a frown, Nanami sits down. With a resounding sigh, you’re able to finally get a good look at Sukuna.

You’re used to him looking tired, you’re more than used to him looking downright exhausted, but the expression he wears now isn’t exhaustion. His muscles are tense, eyes flickering between your friends before they land on you and it’s only then that his distress becomes apparent. He’s doing what he can to hide it, but his facade of indifference is already cracked, falling apart at the seams.

Your heart twists at the sight as you wrestle with your anger and concern, deciding finally to put yourself first for once. Something Sukuna is clearly incapable of.

“I don’t want to see you, Sukuna.” Your voice is firm and even, and you’re grateful you’re able to keep up the hardened shell you’ve built up over the weekend. He doesn’t deserve your tears or your anxiety.

“I know. You can tell me to fuck off and I’ll listen, but first you gotta give me a chance to explain,” his voice is raspy, evidence of some sort of strain, and you wonder whether he’s been crying or yelling, or maybe he’s been smoking more than usual. Conceivably all three.

You grimace, staring at the wall as you contemplate his words. “You promise you’ll leave me alone after?”

“Anything.”

He’s so quick to respond that it tugs at your heart strings. Why is everything about this interaction so unfamiliar? Where’s the Sukuna you know? Even as he had begun to open up over the last month, you’d never seen him like this. His hand is still fidgeting with something in his pocket, the faint sounds of metal scraping ringing out from his pocket, he keeps shooting glances back at your friends, and his usual air of confidence has fizzled out to nothing.

Then there’s his appearance. His hair is disheveled, pushed back and sticking out on all sides as though he’s been running his hand non-stop through it. His face is gaunt from a lack of sleep based on the dark circles under his eyes and his jaw has been clenched since the moment he arrived. In fact, that might be the only part of this encounter that is familiar, he looks about as angry as usual.

“Fine,” you sigh after a moment, observing the way he exhales in relief.

“Come with me?” He asks, nodding his head towards the door.

Kento and Shoko exchange an uncertain glance as you turn back towards the table and grab your coat and pack your backpack again.

“Call us if you need anything,” Kento speaks up, loud enough for Sukuna to hear as the two men throw scowls at one another. Sukuna knows he’s in the wrong, but he still doesn’t care for this protective behaviour Ken, as you called him, is throwing his way. You’re more than capable of taking care of yourself.

“Thanks, Kento,” you whisper with a dry attempt at a smile.

With one final challenging stare at the blonde, Sukuna turns to lead the way as you pull your coat on and follow him out into the cold. The snow has been piling up over the weekend, crunching beneath your feet and allowing the cold to seep into you, chilling you straight to your bones. You zip your jacket up further, wrapping your arms around yourself as you follow after Sukuna.

He glances back at you, at the way you’re obviously cold and struggling to keep in step with him given the height of the snow banks he’s trudging through. He diverts his path until you’re both in a spot that’s been cleared and you’re able to steadily keep pace with him, although you still keep a small distance back.

The air between you is heavy with unspoken words, and Sukuna knows he’ll deserve everything you throw his way, though it doesn’t make him anymore eager to get to his destination and keep his mouth shut.

“Where are we going?” Your voice is meek, and those sharp crimson irises observe you quietly from ahead for a moment before he replies.

“For lunch.”

“Oh, I actually brought my own lun-” Your words die in your throat at the sight of his brow twitching as he stares back at you. “Okay.”

You just need to grin and bear it through the next twenty or so minutes, and then you can ask him never to bother you again.

Keeping your eyes on the snow as it kicks up with each step, you’re silent for the remainder of your walk. You keep yourself a few feet back at all times, only catching up once he finally reaches his destination and holds the door as he waits for you to catch up. You pause at the entrance of the building, finding a cafe sign hung above the door.

With a nearly inaudible ‘thanks’, you slip past Sukuna into the building. You both pull your hoods down as you take a look around the cafe. Although it’s only a few blocks from the college, you’ve never been inside.

The interior is decorated in warm orange hues with deep wooden floors and plants lining the walls. There’s shelves from floor to ceiling filled with loaves of bread and a display at the front filled with pastries. Two menus hang above the back of the counter with sandwiches, soups, and salads, alongside cozy looking drink options. You make your way up to the counter slowly, followed closely by Sukuna.

“Get whatever you want,” he grumbles in a tone that would make anyone else think he’s frustrated with you, but it lacks the usual growl that would give that indication.

“Hm? Are you sure?” You ask uncertainly, knowing his financial situation all too well.

He nods. Luckily for Sukuna, he took an extra shift and he thanks whatever god will listen that he did and he can afford to buy you lunch. He owes you more than just food, but it’s a start and he hopes he can convince you to give him a chance to prove himself.

He brings a hand up to scratch his chin, the first signs of stubble poking through his skin and faintly visible around his jaw. It’s a good look on him although he clearly just hasn’t had time or bothered to shave.

“What’s good here?” You query, doing whatever you can to ease the discomfort between you, even though you want to tear into him for what he did.

“Ya haven’t been here?” He quirks a brow questioningly. You’re so close to the college he assumed you would have been. “I like the chicken and beef barley soups. The deli sandwich is good too,” he shrugs.

After a moment, you settle on a small soup and a grilled cheese, letting your attention wander to the plants as you wait for the food while Sukuna pays. Neither of you dare to interrupt the tense understanding keeping both of you from saying something you may regret, allowing the silence to suffocate you.

Even once your lunch is ready and the two of you find a quiet seat in the back corner of the cafe, it does nothing to ease the growing anger threatening to boil over as this frustrating man can’t even so much as apologize.

“How’s your food?”

You drop your spoon into the bowl. It clatters against the edge with a sound that startles the poor employee behind the counter, but your attention is stuck on the man in front of you. The stupid man who can’t bother to start with the one thing you truly want from him.

“You know I’m not happy with you, right?”

His gaze flickers between the spoon and your eyes, which are filled with a blazing fire he’s never seen from you before. He sighs, setting his own spoon down as he sits up. “Figured as much when you didn’t email me.”

“Oh, not emailing you back was what tipped you off that I might be upset? Not-”

“I know, I know.” He’s strangely somber as he accepts the way you’re tearing into him. “I didn’t mean to miss the presentation.” He hunches forward over the table on his forearms, his shoulders tense. There’s no subtle cocky bravado behind his demeanor as there usually is, he’s simply… here, listening intently.

Shaking your head, you chew on your lip as you do what you can to subdue your anger. “I’m sure you didn’t mean to miss our other meetings too, but you really had me thinking this time was different.”

“C’mon, those other times weren’t a big deal,” he gruffs, his forearms visibly bulging as he flexes the muscles. He’s doing his best to keep his frustration at bay.

“No, they weren’t. But this time, you signed me up for public speaking. I told you I didn’t want to do it. I even trusted you with my insecurities, and I thought because of that, this time would be different.” You swallow hard, shaking your head as you fight back tears. “But your word doesn’t mean anything, does it?”

“That’s-” His hand balls into a fist as he growls out the beginning of a sentence, but the sharp look you give him has him re-thinking his words. His hand relaxes, his fingers tapping on the table as he diverts his attention to a plant on the wall. “That’s not fair,” he manages, strained.

“How is that not fair? You told me you would handle it and you knew how I felt about presenting. How is that fair to me?” Your voice is low, somewhere between a whisper and a yell as you try to keep your voice down and more importantly even despite the tears pricking at your eyes.

Sukuna adjusts the way he’s sitting, his hunger subsiding at the sight of your growing frustration with him. “It’s… not fair to you.” All he can do is agree, because he knows he deserves this.

“So why couldn’t you grow a pair and at least warn me you wouldn’t be there? I could have prepared something at least!” You make a motion in the air with your hand in disbelief as your rage grows.

Sukuna’s jaw tightens as memories of why he missed the presentation flood his mind and god how he wants to walk out right now and not worry about you or your feelings, or hurting you, but that would be too simple for Sukuna’s life. No, whatever force of nature Sukuna had angered wanted him to suffer, wanted him to sit here and listen to your agony, pinned to the seat by his reverence for you.

He drags his hands over his face, shaking his head like a dog in an effort to come to his senses and come up with something to say.

His silence is somehow worse than his usual devil-may-care attitude. At least you know how to handle his arrogance and anger. His silence only serves to further the insult of his behavior. “You really have nothing to say about all of this?”

Sukuna has a million things to say, but his thoughts are so disorganized he doesn’t know how to make sense of what he wants to say. What needs to be said. He should have taken more time to come to terms with the gravity of the situation he’d gotten himself into, but he couldn’t bear the idea that you would be living with the thought that Sukuna had abandoned you. Yet he’s here now, with you, to disprove that and he doesn’t know what he can do to fix things with you. One misstep and he digs a deeper grave than the one he’s sitting in already.

That’s the thing about you. You’re the sun, able to brighten any room you walk into with so much as a smile, and Sukuna isn’t even the moon by comparison. He’s a distant star, flickering on the horizon but always outshone by those brighter. Even knowing this, he so selfishly doesn’t want to let you go. He hardly understands it himself, but he finds himself smiling more around you and that alone is worth the effort on his part.

“I’m sorry.” He blurts out a pathetic excuse for an apology, one that he knows won’t put out the fires he’s started, but it’s the best he can manage in his disheveled state.

You shut your eyes, letting out a long, dragging sigh. When you open them, you’re staring down at your reflection in your soup bowl, distorted by floating noodles. It’s a genuine apology, a rarity when it comes to him, but he’s lost your trust and good will. Of course there’s a part of you that wants to give him the benefit of the doubt, but he’s not giving you any reason to believe his words, let alone a reason to leave you sputtering over words at the front of your class last week.

Kento’s right. You don’t deserve to be constantly guessing, even if it tugs at your already fragile heart. Why did it have to be him that your heart decided to fixate on?

“I don’t know how I expected this to go, but I guess I should have known this would happen,” you mumble, getting to your feet and grabbing your coat. You need to leave now before you second-guess yourself.

“Wait-! Fuck…” Sukuna’s on his feet in an instant, unable to look you in the eye as he reaches for your wrist, staring at the point where your skin connects like it’s burning him.

“Shit, just…” He hesitates, his jaw tightening. “Gimme a moment.” He doesn’t dare let you go out of fear you’ll leave, his other hand dipping into his pocket as he fiddles with his broken lighter again.

It takes him a moment to gather himself but finally he finds his footing.

“Look, I owe you. I know I fuckin’ owe you, okay? It was a piece of shit move.” He finally meets your gaze, his resolve hardening. “I shoulda been there, I- I got caught up with something. I didn’t mean to miss it and I-” he hesitates, “- I’m beggin’ you to trust me.”

“Why should I trust you? You’ve never given me any reason to. This is just a shitty excuse to use me as a free babysitter again,” you shrug, trying to use reason so as not to fall for the excuses he’s sputtering that your heart so desperately wants to cling to.

His face contorts in disbelief. “Why the fuck would I care about that?”

“If that’s not what this is about, then what is it about? Because if you cared about me at all, you would have been there.”

“Fuck- No- That’s not-” He huffs, his anger threatening to boil over. Running his spare hand through his hair, he grumbles another curse under his breath. “Prom Queen-”

“Don’t call me that.” He knows that’s the cause of your humiliation in the first place, to bring it up right now is downright cruel.

“- Somethin’ happened- with the kids. I didn’t forget. I wanted to be there, I swear on my life that something came up.”

You pause, contemplating his words as he finally gives you some semblance of a reason for his absence, and it’s the exact reason you’d expressed to Kento that had you still worried over the man’s dumb ass. An emergency, a reason to be worried about him, even if he didn’t deserve that kindness from you.

“What happened?” You ask cautiously, sitting back down. Sukuna breathes out a sigh of relief and releases your wrist when you sit back down with him.

“It’s nothin’ I can’t handle, but I need you to believe me. I don’t care that you were babysitting the brats. And that wasn’t free anyway.”

It was, but you’ll let that slide.

Your brow furrows. “What is this about then? Since when do you care about anyone other than your brothers or yourself?”

“Christ, I’m not heartless,” he mutters, shutting his mouth when you shoot him a glare. Yeah, he deserves that. “I care. I do care.” He runs his tongue over his lower lip.

“You didn’t seem to care when you didn’t talk to me for a week and a half straight.”

“I thought we already established that I was a dick for that,” he grumbles, frowning.

“That was when this was a one-time thing. Twice, Sukuna? Really? How am I supposed to trust you when you pulled the same stunt again so soon?” You grimace, quietly observing the way his finger is tapping the table in sync with his leg shaking. At the very least, he doesn’t seem to be lying.

“I don’t expect you to, just give me a chance. Gimme a chance to prove I mean it.”

Kento would kill you for even entertaining the thought, yet… you can’t help it.

“Can you at least tell me what happened?”

Sukuna sighs, leaning back and crossing his arms. If ever there was a time to tell you what happened, it should be now. But Sukuna can’t bear the thought of bogging down your life with more issues than what he’s already thrust upon you. “I don’t want you involved in it.”

“You’re not doing yourself any favors by not telling me.”

“I know,” he frowns, “but I don’t want you involved. It’s messy and complicated and I know you and I know you like to stick your nose in my fuckin’ business,” he scowls at the thought.

“You could at least be nice to me since you’re trying to apologize.” You grimace, exasperated with the attitude he’s throwing your way. You’re tired of his bullshit and who can blame you?

“Right. Sorry. I’m an asshole.” He sees the gears turning in your mind. “I’m a dick,” he tries to appeal to you. Had he blinked, he could have missed the way your lips twitched at the corners into the smallest hint of a smile. “Just give me one chance.”

You stare down at your soup, which is surely cold by now, scrutinizing him as you think things through. Your silence is nothing short of miserable for Sukuna, but he’ll give you all the time in the world if he can have your kindness for one more second.

It’s that same kindness that you just know Shoko and Kento are going to absolutely kill you for as you let out a prolonged sigh after weighing your options. “One chance, Sukuna. One.” Maybe you’re naive for it, but you want to believe that whatever reason he had is a good one.

To your surprise, there’s no irritated grumble or begrudging sigh from him. No notes of disapproval. He simply nods.

“And you have to help me study.”

“Deal.”

“Oh! And you have to come eat lunch with me on campus again.”

His lip curls up in distaste. “Your friends don’t like me.”

“They’ll come around,” you shrug. “Oh! And-”

“Alright, alright. Don’t push your luck, woman,” Sukuna grumbles, leaning on his fist. You giggle at him and although he knows things aren’t back to normal, it’s a start. He’s not stupid enough to think he’s fixed everything right away, but even if it doesn’t quite reach your eyes, he’s thrilled to at least see that you’re smiling.

That smile that’s like the sun.

The rest of lunch is quieter than usual, the regular cadence of your conversations never fully returning.

“How are Choso and Yuji? Is everything alright now?”

The burly man’s eyes seem to dull at the question as they stay fixed on the soup he’s eating. “They’ll be fine.”

His reaction is anything but reassuring. He doesn’t seem nearly as sure of himself as usual, choosing instead to push the question aside. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

Fuck, is he ever difficult sometimes.

“You know, if we’re gonna try to be friends, I’d appreciate it if you gave me something to work with here,” you offer a wry smile, your best attempt at lightening the air. He shoots you a glance, spooning more soup into his mouth as he leans on his palm against the table.

“It’s been a shitty weekend,” he answers. Well, that doesn’t really give you anything to work with, but at least he’s being honest with you. You fall silent again, the steady clinking of spoons against porcelain and the buzzing of a lunch rush behind you seeming to fall to the wayside in favor of a quiet understanding that things aren’t quite back to normal.

“Am I allowed to ask how the presentation went or would I be digging my own grave?” Sukuna asks over a spoonful of soup after an extended silence.

“I humiliated myself, what do you want me to say?”

“I’m sure it wasn’t that bad,” he tries to reassure you, though it comes across empty.

You’re reminded of the laughter and judgmental glares, setting your spoon down as the reigns of anxiety stir in your stomach at the thought.

“I’m sorry, Pr-” he hesitates, his jaw tightening as the new meaning of his go-to nickname sinks in. “- Princess. I hope you at least took credit for my bullshit.”

“I did.”

Sukuna offers a proud smile. “Good girl.”

You blink down at your soup as your stomach does a backflip and your cheeks heat up, and all you can do is pray that he hasn’t noticed the effect that his words had on you.

It’s not long before you’ve both finished your meals over relative silence. “Um- thanks for lunch.”

“Yeah. No problem,” Sukuna gruffs.

“I should go.”

“Let me walk you back,” he insists, as though the uneasy silence wasn’t enough for him. With a lopsided smile, you grab both of your trays and dispose of the trash before you find yourself back out in the cold again.

Sukuna mindlessly fiddles with the lighter in his pocket again, a reminder that he needs to figure out how to put it back together, much like his friendship with you, if he can even call it that.

In an effort to mend things, you turn towards him as you wait to cross the street, smiling shyly. “You know, I do appreciate the effort, Sukuna. I honestly didn’t think you’d really bother trying.”

He scowls. “Sometimes you’re too honest.” He sighs, but he can’t be too upset when you’re giggling again, even if it’s at his expense. “But, that’s fai- shit!” He cuts himself off, whipping his hand from his pocket in a flash as he pats his jacket down.

Your lips are pursed as you watch him, puzzled by what he’s doing. That is, until a puff of smoke leaves his pocket. You blink at him.

“Did you just…”

“Shut up.”

“Light yourself on fire?”

“I said shut up,” he hisses, his cheeks reddening. He’ll blame the cold if you ask, but he’s embarrassed beyond belief, his cool exterior crumbling as he somehow managed to spark a flame in his own damn pocket.

You bite down hard on your lip in an effort to stop yourself from laughing.

“Don’t. Don’t fucking laugh.” He snarls, flashing you a glare.

But being told not to do something only makes it that much harder.

“You’re-” A laugh bubbles between your words and you do your best to swallow it. “You’re okay right?” You strain through your barely-contained chortles.

With a peek into his pocket, he pulls out the lighter, lid, and hinge pin, tossing them into the opposite pocket as he pats down his coat once more. “Yeah, seems fine now.”

Well if he’s fine- you absolutely double over in laughter, unable to bear holding it in any longer.

“Oh, laugh it up, short stuff,” he grumbles, dusting whatever ashes had clung to his skin off onto his jeans. He grits his teeth as he watches you double over at his expense, his cheeks no less red than they were a minute ago as the crimson glow spreads to his ears.

At least this time he can blame the cold, or the fire.

Not that you’d believe him.

As your giggles finally subside, Sukuna’s able to relax more than he has since Friday at the sight of your eyes crinkling at the corners in genuine happiness. Maybe embarrassing himself in front of you isn’t so bad, if it brings back a semblance of the connection he’d been chasing since he found you in the lunch hall.

Wiping tears from the corners of your eyes, you tilt your head. Cute. “How did that even happen? Don’t lighters have like a- a-” you wrack your brain, turning your attention to the overcast sky. “Like a safety or something?”

Sukuna digs a hand into his pocket that isn’t singed, holding the base of his lighter out to you. “It might have, but it’s broken.”

Curiously, you run your hand over the broken hinge, flipping the lighter over. The name ‘Itadori’ is carved in cursive across the back.

“Itadori?”

Sukuna hums. “My dad.”

Your face softens. “I think it can be fixed.” You hold it back out to him and he tucks it back in place.

“Maybe.”

Now that Sukuna’s not literally on fire, you’re able to cross the street and head back to the library where you’re sure you’ll find Kento and Shoko.

“Are you gonna join us?”

“Another time. I gotta take care of some shit.”

“Thanks for lunch. See you around, Sukuna.”

Before you can turn away, his fingers brush your wrist, as if he’s hesitant to stop you.

“Thank you,” he breathes quietly.

You smile.

–

“You have got to be fucking kidding me.”

“Sho, please, you weren’t there!” You try to insist.

“Girl. I’m begging you, you’re better than him.”

To nobody’s shock or awe, Shoko and Kento are equally as unimpressed that you’ve given Sukuna another chance. It comes from a place of concern, of course, but they insist you’re letting him walk all over you.

“There was an emergency with-” you cut yourself off with a glance at Nanami. You suppose you can’t go airing out Sukuna’s personal business to him given that he doesn’t know about the kids. “There was a family emergency,” you insist, “it was an accident.”

“You believe that bullshit?” Shoko’s whipping an unlit cigarette through the air like it’s a sword and it’s you she’s aiming to strike.

“I don’t think it’s bullshit,” you mumble.

With a sullen sigh, Kento finally speaks up in an unimpressed tone. “Had we not just discussed that you deserve better?”

You wince, his words searing. “He made a mistake. Accidents happen, Ken.”

“Hell of an accident,” Shoko shakes her head. “You’re actually hopeless.”

Pouting, you look to Kento for backup, but he doesn’t seem to be in agreement either.

“Give him a break,” you whine, “he literally lit himself on fire today.”

There’s a collective hum of confusion from both of your friends.

“He was messing with a lighter in his pocket and he accidentally lit his pocket on fire,” you grin.

Shoko scoffs. “That’s almost impressive, between the safety and the lack of oxygen in his pocket.”

“Well, the safety was broken,” you reason.

“Hah. Dumbass,” she snorts, exchanging a glance with Nanami. “Just… be careful with him, okay? He’s got a short fuse and a whole boatload of baggage that you and your scholarship don’t need to be involved in.”

“Don’t let him step on you,” Kento pleads in a tone unfamiliar to you.

Your brow furrows as you observe him, but his expression is aloof as ever. “I know, I know. I’ll be careful, I promise.”

–

It’s cold as you slip into the lobby of Sukuna’s building the following evening. You’d re-opened your email tab the previous night to find a message from him.

sukuna.r@gmail.com - Monday, 8:58 PM busy tomorrow? kids wanna see ya

englishlitstudies@gmail.com - Monday, 9:39 PM Just the kids want to see me? ;)

sukuna.r@gmail.com - Monday, 9:47 PM you coming or not

You could envision his scowl from behind the screen as you teased him, a stupid smile on your face at the thought of it. Things may not be back to normal, but your heart certainly isn’t aware of that as it palpitates at every thought of him.

Now, as you make your way up to his apartment with your GameCube, you don't really know what to expect.

The moment you crack the door to his apartment, you’re bombarded by Yuji in a tight hug as he’s practically leaping into your arms in utter excitement. Caught off-guard, you barely manage to catch him as he excitedly chants your name.

“We missed you!” He grins as you let him up onto your shoulders, ruffling Choso’s hair while he calmly smiles in greeting.

“That’s enough,Yu,” Sukuna mutters from the stove. He’s dressed in a pair of jeans, that same painfully tight black tank top from last week and a red plaid shirt that hangs loosely from his shoulders. A pair of wireless black headphones sits atop his head, but he pulls them down around his neck as you enter the apartment.

Yuji pouts as he begins to clamber down from your shoulders, landing with a thump! back on the floor before hopping over to the TV again.

Bringing you around the kids is likely a part of Sukuna’s scheme to bring things back to normal, now that you’re seeing him again. Kids are smart, too smart at times and they would know if something is wrong.

The apartment is warm in contrast to the cold winter evening, the smell of fried chicken wafting through the air. You bound up to Sukuna, peeking around his side. “I didn’t know you could cook.”

He clicks his tongue. “D’you think I feed them takeout for every meal?” He arches a brow as he looks over his shoulder at you.

“Maybe,” you simper, looking over the ingredients. There’s a rice cooker with a steadily descending clock and he’s frying up some chicken. “Katsu?”

“Mm.”

“It smells great!” You grin, turning back to give Sukuna space to cook as you head back towards Choso and Yuji. “So, I hear you two missed me?” You chide, your heart filled with warmth when Yuji eagerly nods and launches into a story from school that he’d been wanting to tell you since last week. You listen attentively and his eyes shine when you laugh along with him.

“Give her some space, brat. Come grab plates,” Sukuna instructs calmly, once Yuji’s story is over. He’s more at ease than he has been in a while, and even with the weight of everything going on in his life piled on his shoulders, he feels the familiar pull of your gravity keeping him grounded.

Like some sort of drug, you just seem to relieve his tension merely with your presence. You really are like the sun, warming his skin and lulling his worries to a dull buzz.

As Yuji excitedly runs over to Sukuna in the kitchen, Choso gingerly approaches you. “Thanks for coming.” His tone suggests he knows a portion of what happened between you and Sukuna and he’s grateful you’d give his idiot older brother another chance. Smart kid, just like you thought.

You return his smile. “How’ve you been, Cho?”

“I’m good. Um-” his gaze flickers briefly to the back of the apartment where Sukuna has his arms crossed over his chest as he watches Yuji set the table, handing the little boy three four plates. Choso’s voice lowers as he continues. “I think something’s wrong. Um- with Kuna.”

You tilt your head, following the little boy’s gaze. Sukuna doesn’t seem much different from any other time you’ve seen him. His skin is still somewhat gaunt, but he looks better than yesterday, no longer under duress. “What do you mean?” You prod softly.

“I don’t know,” he shrugs, perplexing you. “Someone came to the house on Friday,” he tells you. Your lips purse at the realization that Friday was your presentation. Maybe his reason for missing your presentation is bigger than he’s letting on. “He seemed mad at them and then he was gone most of the night.”

“He seems fine now,” you comment, but you don’t know Sukuna well enough to know who could have angered him at the door. “Don’t worry about it, sweetheart. I’m sure your brother’s fine. I’ll keep an eye on him.”

Choso nods, sunken eyes following Yuji’s movements as he places napkins around the table. It’s not long before you’re all seated with a plate of chicken katsu curry. 

“Thanks, Kuna!” Yuji cheers gleefully, digging in immediately. His mild expression cracks as he picks up his utensils, eyes flickering around the table to his two little brothers before landing on you. He may only hum in response to Yuji, but you see the subtle gleam in his eye, along with something else that you can’t quite identify. Sadness?

Choso’s words echo in your mind, but you can’t find any other sign of anything being wrong. You settle on keeping an eye on him, smiling gratefully at him for making you dinner. The meal is filled with Yuji’s imaginative rambles as he shares stories from school and stories that may only be about forty percent true. Kids, right? Either way, you laugh along and grin at him.

“You know,” you begin once all of your plates are clean, “if you go check my backpack, I brought something for you guys.”

Like cartoon characters, both kids’ eyes widen and they bolt off towards the living room, two bundles of thrilled laughter as their full attention turns towards the GameCube tucked into your bag.

As you join Sukuna with two empty plates where he’s cleaning up in the kitchen, he casts a glance at you. “You’re too good to them.”

Placing your hands on the counter beside him, you shrug. “I just like spoiling them.”

“I see that. They ask about you a lot.” Your heart swells. You’re not a grinch, but you think your heart grew three sizes just now.

“I think they get it from you,” you tease, poking his bicep. He scowls down at you, rolling his shoulder as though it’ll rebuke your teasing.

“They didn’t,” he grumbles, turning towards the sink and flipping on the tap to run water over the plates.

You follow his movement, leaning against the counter beside him. “Is that why you’re being so grumpy about it? Because they don’t get it from you?” You grin, giving him a bright smile.

Sukuna’s lips curl into a devious smirk and before you know it, he lifts his hand from the running water and flicks it at your face. His smile widens to a grin when you jump, squealing in shock.

“Sukunaaa!” You cry, wiping the water from your cheeks and forehead with the back of your hand.

He chuckles, making a point of letting the water run over his hand again as he shoots you a sly smirk.

“Don’t you dare,” you hiss, brow furrowed. But when has Sukuna ever listened?

He subtly flicks more water at you, chuckling when you swat his bicep and go to join his little brothers on the couch with a pout that’s just too cute. Both kids move to the floor as the familiar sounds of Kirby Air Ride fill the room and Sukuna joins you on the couch, sitting just close enough that his knee brushes your leg.

“You’re studying English Lit, yeah?”

You nod, shuffling slightly closer to Sukuna to hear him over the TV. “Yeah, this is my last year. I’m hoping I can line something up in the next couple of months.”

“What do you wanna do?” He queries, leaning towards you just enough to give you the impression he’s seeking your warmth.

“A book editor!” You grin, eyes shining.

He lifts a brow. “You wanna read half-baked books for a livin’?”

You can’t help but laugh. “Sure, something like that.”

Amused, Sukuna smiles, relaxing into the couch.

“Have you thought more about what you want to do?” You ask cautiously, tilting your head as you prod at Sukuna’s reinforced walls.

A muscle in his jaw ticks. “No,” he grumbles, pulling his gaze down to his lap. Before you can push him any further, he glances at his watch and gets to his feet. “Be right back.”

You purse your lips as he hurries out of the room as though he has something to do. Sighing, you grab your bag that’s sitting on the floor by Choso, dragging it to your feet in search of the gum that you know is buried somewhere in its depths. You offer some to both of the boys before tossing your bag aside when something grabs your attention.

A torn piece of paper is on the ground at your feet, it must have slid out from under the couch when you had pulled your bag to your feet. That’s not all that unusual given all three of them are students, but the logo on the paper catches your eye.

Decorated in greens, you recognize the bold logo of a law office on the other side of town. A crease forms in your brow as you stare at the logo, but the paper has been torn in a way that all you can really see is the logo and that it addresses Ryomen Sukuna.

Could that have been Sukuna’s dad? No, that wouldn’t make sense if his lighter belonged to his father and ‘Itadori’ is engraved into its side. It had to be Sukuna himself. You suppose you’ve never actually heard anyone refer to him by another name, but the name is fitting somehow, even if he chooses not to use it.

The sound of footsteps alerts you to Sukuna’s return and you tuck the paper back where it belongs, or at least where you found it. The nosey and concerned part of you wants to prod, especially given the apprehension Choso expressed to you earlier, but you know better than to push Sukuna’s limits.

Sukuna rounds the corner with tense shoulders, tilting his neck to either side as he cracks it.

“Everything alright?”

“Yeah, just didn’t wanna hear you nagging about what I wanna do.” There’s a little more fire behind his words than usual and you sense that this is not the time to be asking why in the hell there’s legal papers torn up under his couch like a rabid mutt got a hold of them.

“A little dramatic, don’t you-”

“Be nice, Kuna!” Yuji yells suddenly, pausing his game. 

Sukuna’s jaw slacks in disbelief at his little brother. “Pay attention to your game, brat,” he hisses.

“No! You’re gonna scare her off again! Meanie!”

“That’s it-” With a gleam in his eye, Sukuna lunges forward and tosses Yuji over his shoulder. He’s met with thunderous giggles as the little boy kicks and wriggles in an attempt to escape from his older brother. “You know what happens to kids who get in their older brother’s way?”

“NOOoooO!” Yuji cries out between giggles as he pushes his absolute hardest against the mass of muscles that is Sukuna. Choso is quietly laughing as he watches Sukuna toss his brother onto the couch, albeit gently. “No no no nononono!” Yuji puts his hands up in an attempt to block Sukuna, who pretends to sit on his brother, though you can see he’s not putting his full weight on poor little Yuji.

Putting only an ounce of his weight on his little brother, he slyly grins at you as you laugh along with the siblings, your eyes shining. He may be just about the most hardened and irritated (or maybe irritat-ing) man you’ve ever met, but it’s clear just how much he loves his brothers, even if he could use some time away from them.

“Kunaaaaaa!!” Yuji cries, weakly pushing against him.

“D’ya hear that? Almost sounds like my little brother, except it can’t be because he was a little shit,” Sukuna snorts, only to be met with giggles. You bring a hand up to your mouth as you laugh along with the poor little boy.

“Let me gooooooo!!”

“You done bein’ a brat?”

“Yesss I promise, yesss!!”

Sukuna stands up as Yuji dramatically rolls off the couch, feigning being dead. Sukuna plops back down beside you and runs a hand through his locks, mirth swirling in those striking crimson irises of his.

“You’re still a meanie,” Yuji sticks his tongue out at Sukuna, a mischievous gleam in his eye as he scoots closer to the TV, but Sukuna only rolls his eyes this time. “Don’t scare her.”

“If your brother keeps tutoring me, I’ll be back before you know it,” you reassure the young boy who grins brightly before his attention turns back to the TV. “Speaking of which, I should get going. My final project for Women’s Lit is due tomorrow at midnight.”

You begin gathering your things, pausing as you realize you would have to unplug the GameCube to pack up all of your things, so you settle on pretending to forget it, hoping that Sukuna isn’t paying attention, his eyes locked on the TV.

Checking to make sure you have your phone, wallet, and keys, you cast one last glance at the corner of the piece of paper beneath the couch that’s just barely sticking out, debating doing some snooping later.

To your delight as the boys hug you goodbye and Sukuna follows you to the door, he either forgets about the gaming console or lets it slide this time, leaning against the door frame.

“You make a mean chicken katsu,” you beam, “thanks again for dinner.”

“Mm. Thanks for the second chance.”

Your smile softens.

“I got work at one on Thursday. You up to watch the kids? If you drop by earlier, we can study beforehand.” He leans his head down to your level, the warmth of his breath fanning your face as he can’t resist flustering you at least once each time you visit. “And y’know, you never did get to tell me the third thing I owe ya,” he hums, his voice low and sultry.

Your breath hitches at the implication behind his tone and before you know it, you’re stumbling back away from his close proximity, fumbling for the button for the elevator as the rickety old door slides open with a jarring screech.

“See you on- uh- Thursday.”

“See you then,” he chuckles.

This man will be the absolute death of you.

main masterlist || series masterlist || previous chapter || next chapter

❦ a/n ; hiii loves! i hope you all enjoyed <33 very angst heavy chapter, i'm sorry :((( i absolutely adored writing sukuna's horrible day, the poor guy. i also had to consult my friend who's a lawyer on how one gets served documents, what a confusing process and i'm sure she was even more confused why i was asking her LMAO.

anywayyy i just wanted to say that the comments and tags and asks you guys have been sending in seriously make my day and i'm so here for it. thank you all so much for all the love and support <33 as always, it's super appreciated <33

❦ taglist ; OPEN. please comment here or on the masterlist if you would like to be tagged. age MUST be easily visible on your blog.

@yenayaps @rinachains @aiicpansion @fushitoru @gojoscumslut

@hellish4ever @creamflix @theonlyhonoredone @catobsessedlady @timetoletmyimaginationfly

@clp-84 @coffee-and-geto @candyluvsboba @favvkiki @gojodickbig

@spindyl @ohmykwonsoonyoung @kyo-kyo1 @officialholyagua @coldluminarykoala

@ieathairs @cinnamxnangel @nessca153 @aerareads @after-laughter-come-tears

@tillaboo @thepassionatereader @erencvlt @18lisee @a-girl-with-thoughts

@lauuriiiz @blueemochii @paradisestarfishh @erenxh @call-me-doll8811

@toulouse365 @dabieater @janrcrosssing @satsattoru @moonchhu

@privthemis @captainsarcasmandsass @ryomeowie @vitoshi @kunasthiast

@axxk17 @toratsue @bluestbleu @yuji-itadori-fave @totallygyomeiswife

if your handle is on this list but you have not been tagged, please check your settings.

writing & format © starmapz. art © 3-aem. dividers © adornedwithlight & cafekitsune

[egginfroggin]

Hiya!! You said you wanted an ask? Hmmm what about the cryptid Emmet au? Where Emmet is vibing doing his own thing while Akari and Rei follow his tracks in confusion because he is doing their job??? What is he doing?????

Does Emmet become like a folktale legend in this au???

(also sorry if I haven't responded/interacted in a bit the Fog ™ is real hahaha Orz)

Thank you for existing!! All the luck to you in defeating the Fog ™!!!

Hi! Thank you! ^^ Ough, the Fog is so real, you're correct. orz

Emmet is doing a lot of things in the Cryptid variant, including but not limited to quelling nobles, terrorizing the local pokemon populations with his slightly-overleveled team, and trying to ignore the fact that he hasn't received human touch in an increasingly long time. And of course, as always, he is doing his best.

As for what else he's doing? Well. It just wouldn't be an installation in the series if someone didn't get hurt at some point, right? :>

I wouldn't say that he becomes a folktale, but maybe a bit of a legend. He's a bit spooky, and tends to avoid people unless he's quelling Nobles or befriending the Ride Pokemon (also referred to as Nobles in my fics, admittedly). When he eventually leaves Hisui, his presence remains in exaggerated stories children from the Clans and Jubilife share with each other, as well as in a few records put down for posterity's sake -- Professor Laventon's diary tells the most about him, and even that remains relatively vague, with his name left a mystery in order to prevent any Time shenanigans from happening should someone come across the records in the future.

I hope to touch up on more of the other characters' POVs, especially the little twins'. Not that there won't be bits from Emmet's POV, but a lot of it is turning out to be Akari and Rei.

Also, my estimate for the wordcount of the fic -- currently titled Blind to All but Gold -- has noticeably gone up, so despite the results of the poll, I'm heavily doubting that it will be a oneshot. ^^;

Thank you so much for the ask! Don't worry about not interacting too much lately -- the Fog is an insidious thing, and when it hits, it hits. I hope it leaves you alone soon, though, and I hope you have a very good day! Thank you again! ^^

(Blurb under the cut! Mild cw for blood and implied injury)

The Gabite all but glowered at them, claws buried in the snow, and all Rei could think was of how it was a dragon-type, it was weak to ice, yet here it was, tenacious and strong enough to weather what should have killed it. Chimecho tilted itself, sending a warning series of chimes. There was something on the dragon's front, he noticed – something painted along its tightly muscled, scratched-up chest – it was darker than the red already there, gleaming in the faint light. The Gabite lowered its half-raised claws down and to the side, exposing its front. It rumbled, stepping back into the shadows, and neither of them dared to breathe. It came back, shuffling the snow before its feet, claws still held harmlessly down and away. Its tail lashed behind it as it shuffled just a bit farther into their light. It was blood that was smeared on its front. Patchy and dark, but unmistakable in the better light and in its viscosity. Raichu’s ears lifted slightly, and the Gabite shuffled back. Then forward again. It swung its head around, twisting, and they could see its tail swinging an agitated arc in the snow, kicking up powder heedlessly. It looked at them and keened, and Akari let out a breath, Rei doing the same.

[trainerlynda]

Yeeeeeeup.

Saw that world.

Had to fight it.

Almost got very burnt ^^;;

I want to through myself into Wyndon River and that thing scares me!!!!!!!!!! But the sun is more evil to me right now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! These exclamation marks hide a massive headache!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[zekrom-sword]

Hello! My name is Felix! I'm a Hunter. I'll maybe post videos of my work here! Feel free to strike a conversation! Uhm... I'm not sure what else to say...

I guess i can talk about the fact that i have three tamed Pokémon, that's pretty cool!

There's Aurora, he's a Scyther! He can sometimes help me on the hunt.

Then there's Tornado Warning. Tornado Warning is a Pelipper, and he helps me deliver my wares if i get requests from outside the village. I actually didn't tame him myself... he is from the big city, where they breed Pelipper for some postal network.

And lastly, there's SNEEF. She's a Chikorita and she mostly helps with tracking Pokémon. But she hates hates hates being in the middle of things and also can't see blood. So... kinda awkward. She mostly hides in my bag when it's going down

ANYWAYS i'm now here! If you want to request some pokémon materials, hit me up! Tornado Warning can deliver them, probably. You gotta feed him though, that's part of the service fee.

I have some spare part right now by the way

Oh also here's a picture of me!

I got the feathers from a Staraptor!

OOC below the cut (please read)

RP/Worldbuilding rules

- This blog treats the world as if pokémon were real, so this is a general #unreality warning. I will NOT tag every post with it

- This blog will deal regularly with darker themes such as injury, pokémon injury and pokémon death. These things will be tagged accordingly with a #cw [trigger], other triggers will be tagged in this format as well. Posts I'm not sure which trigger applies to will be tagged with #cw pokemon hunting. This means things like implied dismemberment, talking about using specific pokemon parts for things and so on. Explicit posts will also have this tag.

- Please don't hesitate to reach out if you want something be tagged. This goes especially for things considered "high stakes pokereality", i'm very unsure what would fall in this category.

- Felix is accepting "hunting" requests for most Pokémon! This can also be about certain materials, which can possibly be obtained without hurting the pokemon (like mareep fur). Felix will try to do that if possible.

- Felix lives in some sort of AU or Region or so where Pokémon are actually the wild beasts they are made out to be in Pokémon Legends: Arceus. There are only a handful of exceptions. Hunting Pokémon for food and survival is important in his community

- this blog is pretty obviously inspired by franchises like Monster Hunter, D&D and the Studio Ghibli movies (like Nausicaä). However this is NOT a crossover blog, and i actually would like to keep crossover interactions low.

- no sexual NSFW, full stop.

// Also: Hi, hello. I run this blog as a side blog, so I’ll like and follow from my main @fire-water-grass-core . If you need to address me (the player/mun), I’m okay with any pronouns, and if you need a name you can call me Kama, Nox or Cheese. My main RP blog is @koffing-time, feel free to look at stuff there. The rules from the pinned there also apply here.

// if i'm talking ooc, it will be marked with // and usually also be colored pink

//ask games (tagged with #ask game) are usually open indefinitely

[onestepbackwards]

What’s All the Buzz About?

@r0-boat‘s BeeGearStation AU has had me in a vice grip for w e e k s. I decided to take a shot at writing for the AU myself (❁´◡`❁) It’s heavily inspired by their AU, so please check them out! R0′s writing and ideas are so good! The design for Bee Hybrid Emmet was also heavily inspired by @antidotesprout designs for them. Please check them out as well! Their art is amazing! I hope you enjoy the start of this new series, and have a happy Halloween! Summary: After ending up stuck and injured in the old abandoned Nimbasa City subway tunnels, you don’t have much hope in escaping. Despite the odds, you try to push onward anyway, only to meet someone verrry interesting. CW: Description of leg injury (though not too graphic), broken leg, anxiety attack, slight dark thoughts, cave in, minor claustrophobia, (It all gets better at the end, I promise), Beehybrid!Emmet, King Bee Emmet, Implied King Bee Hybrid Ingo. Word Count: 4138 words! >Next: Link -----

Today was just not your day Well, that wasn’t entirely true. It really just hasn’t been your week, let alone year. But this… This certainly topped everything that has happened to you yet. “Of course. Of all things to happen. Of all things!” You grumbled to yourself as you pulled your leg out from a pile of collapsed rubble. You hissed in pain, but managed to pull your leg free. Scooting away from the fallen debris, you shone your flashlight to get a better look at your leg, and winced at what you saw.  “Well… that isn’t good.” You hissed through grit teeth.  Your leg was covered in bruises, and was certainly swelling a bit in a few places. You would be surprised if it wasn’t broken. No doubt a cave in partially falling on your leg like this caused a break of some sort, even if it looked okay(ish) now.  

Most of the skin was intact, thankfully. Just a few scrapes on top of some fresh bruises. You at least wouldn’t have to worry about bleeding out all alone in a dark cave. Silently, you thanked any gods out there listening for your higher pain tolerance, and the adrenaline running through your veins.  You sighed, feeling overwhelmed, and fought back hot tears that threatened to fall. You knew going into the abandoned train tunnels would be a bad idea. Why did you let them convince you? You blew a tuft of hair out from in front of your face. Right. To keep your boss placated. Look how wonderful that turned out. Bastard. You took a moment to get your bearings. Panic was threatening to seep through your chest. “Calm down. Deep breaths. Panicking will get you nowhere,” you told yourself. It was certainly true. You had read plenty of stories about hikers and cavers panicking when they became stuck in caves, only to make things worse by doing so. That being said, you never anticipated getting stuck in a tunnel like this. Not immediately panicking was a lot easier said than done. You were beginning to see why even experienced folk were able to become so easily distraught. Your heart rate was already beginning to spike. 

You took another deep breath. Hyperventilating would only make things worse. Biting the inside of your cheek, you flashed your light over the fallen rocks, and cursed From the looks of it, the way you came in was completely blocked off. Attempting to dig through this mess might just make things worse. Not to mention, the rocks still looked loose. One wrong move, and more might come caving in on top of you. “...Well, no use going back that way, I suppose.” You mumbled, sounding a lot calmer than what you felt. Oh how you desired to scream. Shuffling a bit, you leered behind you, further into the tunnels. Your flashlight could only light the way so much, but it was better than nothing. Better than wobbling around completely in the dark having a panic attack. At least you could fight your panic attack in some form of light. “Positive. Just think positive.” You mumbled as you hobbled to your feet. You let out a pained yelp as you tried putting pressure on your left foot. Yup. Something was most likely broken. This hurt like hell. Grabbing the nearby wall for support, you placed the flashlight in your jacket pocket, and fished around your other pockets for your phone. Finding the device, you unlocked it, only to let out a shaky sigh. No service. Fucking figures. “That’s… fine. I can just… make my way through the tunnels. I’ll either find an exit, or a spot for cell phone service. It’s okay. I will be okay.” You weren’t okay. But at least you could lie to yourself until the shock wore off. Shoving your phone back into your pocket, you took your flashlight back out, and eyed the tunnel ahead of you. “Well… no time like the present…” you spoke, swallowing down the urge to cry. Reluctantly, you began making your way down the tunnel. It was slow, and painful. Your leg may not be as bad as it could have been, but it most certainly was giving you trouble. Several times you thought about stopping, only to shake your head and press on. You had to get out of here as soon as possible. You feared if you took a break, your thoughts would begin to spiral, and you would lose the will to continue. A bit dramatic, but given the circumstances, well… You didn’t trust your brain at the moment. Not with the fear in the back of your throat. Slowly, you pressed onwards. Thankfully, limping down the subway tunnel surprisingly helped keep your mind a bit busy. The despair really didn’t hit you until you came across a fork in the road ahead. In front of you were two tunnels, where the tracks converged into one, leading back the way you came. You stood there, almost dumbfounded. Of course a subway would have diverging tracks. Why wouldn’t it? It was designed to take people to many different places across Unova, after all. 

Still, seeing the fork in the road did little to help you. If anything, it made you this much closer to losing your shit. You really wanted to cry right now. You had been walking for at least two hours. You were tired, scared, and in immense amounts of pain… All you wanted was to go home, and crawl in bed. Oh how you wanted to strangle your boss for putting you in this position. Who knows? Maybe if you make it out alive, you’ll get the opportunity to do so. The thought of murdering your boss briefly helped against your growing nerves. However, you still had a choice to make. Left, or right? For all you knew, one was just a couple of miles to a dead end. Choosing wrong could potentially keep you here longer, and may even be a death sentence. Your hands shook as you looked between the two tunnels. Even if you weren’t injured, this was still a big choice to make. You only had so much energy, and you doubt you’ll be able to easily turn around and walk back the way you came if you choose wrong. So right… ...or left? Time was ticking. You couldn’t afford to sit and anxiously fight with yourself. Every moment you wasted was a moment you could be using to get out of here. That thought only made the knot in your stomach worse. Taking a deep breath, you decided. Just as you began to make your way left, you froze. It was faint, but you could have sworn you heard a noise coming from the right. Almost like a muffled tink of some sort. Whatever it was, it had to be far away, judging from the small echo, and how faint it was. But it was a noise. You couldn’t move, your heart racing. Thoughts were flying through your head a mile a minute. Down here in the tunnels, one little sound could be anything. From a stray animal, a rock falling from the structure shifting… ...Or even a person. The thought made you anxious. You would think the idea of finding anyone down here would give you hope. But why would anyone else be down here? Surely not someone up to anything good. Even you weren’t supposed to be here, only having been coerced to come by your boss and coworkers. You licked your lips. But if it was a person, they might take pity, and help you. But they could also hurt you and kill you as well. It was a gamble. And for all you knew, it might not even be a person. It could be a wild animal that would attack you for entering its territory. You wouldn’t even be able to run or defend yourself, no matter the case. You took a shaky breath. Quite the gamble indeed. You silently weighed in your options. Go left, and head into uncertainty. Or head right, and possibly get help. Your leg ended up helping make the decision for you. It was beginning to really hurt, especially after limping on it for so long. Any chance to receive aid was a chance you were going to have to take. The longer you were stuck here, the higher the chance of your leg becoming permanently damaged. And, y’know. Possibly dying down here alone from starvation. “Positive thoughts. Think positive thoughts.” You mumbled out through gritted teeth. With that, you forced yourself to move. Despite the circumstances, you tried to remain hopeful. Both for your own health, and peace of mind. You couldn’t afford to drown in despair just yet. The walk down the tunnel was slow, and it ate away at your nerves. Your flashlight could only illuminate the path ahead of you so much, and the anxiety of not knowing what you’ll find ate away at your mind. Every little noise, or odd looking object in the distance had you on edge. It also didn’t help that the further you walked, the more you began to hear noises. Strange noises. You couldn’t place what they were. Sometimes it would be tinks far off in the distance. Other times, you would hear what sounded like rumbling in the walls. Your light was no help. Whatever it was making such sounds was still too far away to be seen. Or again, in the walls. These were not comforting thoughts. You couldn’t tell if you wanted these sounds to be real, or a figment of your imagination. Going mad wasn’t exactly something you wanted to deal with this early on, but… ...You weren’t sure if you wanted to see whatever was making these noises at the end of the tunnel, either. In fact, you could feel yourself beginning to wonder if this was a choice you were going to regret. The thoughts weren’t sitting well in your stomach. The further you walked, the more you were fighting the feeling of being watched. It was silly, you know. There was no one in sight. No matter how many times you looked behind you, you never caught sight of anyone. Regardless, you still felt your hair stand on end.

“It’s just my nerves. No one is here but me. I’m okay.” You tried to assure yourself. Speaking it outloud helped a little bit, at least enough to keep you grounded. You could at least pretend to be okay a little longer if you could fool yourself. However, there was one thing that was beginning to distract you. There was an odd scent in the air. Several odd scents, in fact. The further you had walked, the sweeter the air had become. You knew this scent, but couldn’t quite place it. The air was pungent with it, almost humid in a way. Another scent in the air confused you. It was almost waxy. It didn’t make any sense to you. This was an abandoned set of train tunnels. Why were there these specifically weird smells? That, and it’s not like someone could grow a lot of flowers down here. Sure, some might survive in the dark, but you couldn’t help but doubt it was flowers causing the weird scent. It was heavy. Whatever it was, there had to be a lot of it.

You wanted to have hope, and say it was perhaps a flower shop above ground, but you doubted that would be the case. You were far enough underground that you wouldn’t be able to smell a flower shop. Nor would one be this… pungent in a specific scent. Swallowing thickly, you carried on. Surely, something this sweet smelling couldn’t be bad, right? It didn’t ease your rising heart rate, or the feeling of eyes on your back. Then there were the ominous sounds. Not only were there rumbling in the walls, but the further you walked, the more it sounded like it was all around you. You idly wondered if you were going to die today. You already almost died once in these tunnels. Maybe whatever god was out there wanted to finish the job? ...You really needed to get out of here. Walking further in though, you couldn’t help but feel the urge to just turn around, and head back the way you had come. Each little noise, the scents, and the feeling of being watched only made you yearn to the other path you could have taken. But it was so far back, and you had already walked for so long. You were getting really tired… You stopped for a moment, and leaned against the wall. It had been hours. You were tired, hungry, in immense pain, and your nerves were shot. You wanted to rest. “I can’t. I need to keep going…” you tried to reason with yourself. You can’t rest just yet. It isn’t safe here. But your body was beginning to feel heavy and sluggish, despite how anxious you were. You imagine a part of it had to do with how much you’ve been fighting your leg. Otherwise, you’d be able to easily keep moving. Shaking your head, you gripped the wall to press onward, only to pause when you heard a loud noise up ahead. You don’t know what it was, but it was loud. Loud and big enough to shake the tracks on the ground, which vibrated with a hum, before slowing to a stop. Then you heard it. A loud buzzing sound coming from the end of the tunnel. Multiple buzzing sounds. Eyes wide, you could feel yourself shaking again. That… was not human. You didn’t know what was down there, but all your instincts were screaming to turn around, and hightail it out of here. You didn’t belong here, you needed to leave. You began to walk backwards, but before you could turn around- Your back ran into something solid. The blood in your veins ran cold. It took all of your will power to gain the courage to turn around. Slowly, you turned around, and saw you were face to face with a chest. You hadn’t been alone. You felt tears prick your eyes. Blood was rushing through your ears. 

Hands shaking, you tilted the flashlight upwards. After a few beats, the light landed on a smiling face. You let out a shriek, and stumbled backwards, falling in the process. Your flashlight tumbled out of your hands, rolling away towards the tracks. You couldn’t think, you couldn’t breathe. You were starting to hyperventilate. Oh gods, you were going to die, weren’t you? This guy wasn’t human. From the quick glance you got, his skin(??) was yellow? And his eyes were black and silver… You swore you could still see them watching you, even though the light was no longer on its face. You were shaking, and you could hear his footsteps getting closer. Desperate, you began to crawl backwards, only getting so far with your broken leg. In your panic, you barely registered the footsteps veering off to the side. You only became aware the being hadn’t been walking towards you when it picked up your flashlight. Freezing up seemed to be the only thing your body was capable of doing as it got closer. They stopped right in front of you, and must have watched you curiously for a few moments. A beat passed. Neither of you moved. You heard an odd buzzing. You could briefly see the figure lean down, and you flinched, tears threatening to fall. When the being began to lean down, you closed your eyes and shook, fearing what may possibly come. …Only for nothing to happen. After a few moments, you cracked an eye open, and saw the figure holding the flashlight out to you. Staring for a few moments, you shakily reached out, and grabbed it. Were they not going to hurt you? Hesitantly, you shined the flashlight upwards, and fought back a gasp that threatened to leave your lips. “Hello! I am Emmet!” he spoke, a smile wide on his face. You were speechless. A hybrid…? Yes, he was definitely a hybrid, now that you were getting a good look at him. His face was golden, but he had silver hair, hair that almost looked like fuzz. And then his eyes… They were silver, though where the whites would be, almost seemed black. Then you noticed the… Antenna? Antennae? And the faint buzzing… Looking behind him, you could faintly see what appeared to be bug-like wings. It hit you, just what exactly kind of hybrid you were looking at. “You’re… You’re a bee hybrid.” You spoke in awe. Insect hybrids were incredibly rare. Not many existed, and most that did, stayed with a hive or a colony. Other independent bug hybrids tended to stick to themselves. You swallowed nervously. He was very pretty. And also very huge. You don’t think you had ever seen a hybrid this size before… His smile only seemed to widen at your awed expression. “Yup! I am a bee hybrid, and you are a human!” He gazed down at you. You seemed at a loss for words. “Are you alright? That leg doesn't look very good.” His words brought you out of your daze. Eyes flickering down, you noticed your leg, and the throbbing pain suddenly became a lot more noticeable. You bit your lip. Walking as much as you had no doubt had put a lot of strain on it. You would be lucky if it didn’t have irreparable damage. You remained silent for a moment as the thoughts ran through your head. Thankfully, the hybrid, Emmet, you think was his name, was patient. “I… Got injured in a cave in, near the entrance down that way.” You told him, pointing towards the way you came. He glanced where you gestured towards, an odd look on his face. He turned back to you, and you nearly felt your heart jump in your throat from how fast he was. “I see. What was a human doing, entering these abandoned tunnels?” he asked. You felt a bit nervous, but decided to answer anyway. What could you even do? Run? Lie? Even if he seemed nice so far, there wasn’t a lot you could do for yourself. “...I came here with my boss and coworkers. They wanted to explore the abandoned tunnels. I didn’t want to go but… I was coerced into doing so, or deal with my boss’ temper, and risk my job. Said it would be a fun ‘bonding’ activity for the office…” you grumbled. You were still very much upset about this. All of this. You were exhausted, tired, and in a lot of pain. Your nerves were shot, you were alone in a tunnel with a stranger, and as far as you knew, he could kill you at any moment. You were tired. At this point, you weren't even sure if you could cry. Emmet looked at you, a calculating look on his face. You felt a spike of anxiety in your chest. 

If there was a single bee hybrid here, did that mean…

You felt your stomach drop. 

If a bee hybrid was underground, it wasn’t because they were lost or looking for flowers. The tunnels must be their hive. You were trapped in a tunnel leading to a hive. That explained the odd noises, and all the buzzing, you supposed. You felt a bit sick. You had been this close to presumably walking into a live hive. No doubt the drones inside would not take kindly to an intruder. Hell, the Queen would probably have had your head. Maybe it was a blessing this guy found you first, even if you weren’t sure of his intentions as of now. He was at least kind enough to listen to how you got here in the first place. Maybe he’d take pity on you and let you live? Or at least he could point you to where you need to go, so you could get crawling. In your internal musings, you were unaware of the internal debate within the hybrid’s mind. This was a golden opportunity! If you proved to be a nice fit, you had potential to solve all his hive’s major problems. If you proved unfit, well… Depending on how you act, they could either drop you off outside the city, or easily dispose of you. But he couldn’t let this opportunity pass! The hive was in too rough a position not to try. He was sure Ingo would agree, after listening to reason! However, he had to gain your trust. You were very much stressed and afraid. He felt for you, he really did! Being injured, and left alone in an abandoned tunnel with a different species was probably terrifying. He would be stressed if he was in your position too. He briefly looked over your leg, and fought back a wince. Sure, there wasn’t a lot of blood, most of the cuts having scabbed over. However, the skin was badly bruised, and there was swelling in a few places. Emmet didn’t need to be knowledgeable on humans to know that probably wasn’t good. And yet, he could help but admire this small human he had just met. From what he gleaned from your story, you’ve already been through a lot! Being betrayed by your boss and their drones? And to try and persevere by making your way through the tunnels, all while in immense pain? All for survival? He wouldn’t lie. You appeared to be very strong, mentally and emotionally at least. Even physically too! It was almost as if he couldn’t take his eyes off of you. He had been watching you for a while, ever since that fork in the road. His wings buzzed behind him for a moment in awe and excitement. Yes! Those made great qualities for a Queen of a hive! You could be a perfect fit! Plus, you were a verrry cute little human. He had seen plenty of your kind out and about, albeit hidden from their sights. You were way more cute and regal than any of those humans he had seen in the past. Now, he just had to convince you to try and take the role… …It wouldn’t be easy though, he’d imagine. Humans had their own lives, after all! They seemed to be verrry independent, and liked it that way, not wanting to be involved in other things unless they simply desired to. Not only that, but from what his hive has seen, humans were not huge fans of sudden change. Taking over a hive as a Queen no doubt would count as one of those sudden changes. So he had to make it tempting. But where to begin? His eyes landed back on your leg, and his antenna twitched. “Would you like help with that?” He asked you suddenly, and you nearly jumped at his sudden eagerness, hovering over your leg. “Huh?” You dumbly asked, not expecting the question. Help? What did he mean by help? “Your leg. You have put a lot of strain on it. It doesn’t look good. Let me help you.” You could only stare at him, trying to process what he said. “You can stay at the hive until you are well again!” He assured you, his smile seemingly growing excited. You couldn’t help but look at him a bit confused. “But… Won’t the uh, the Queen not like that?” You ask, slightly fearing for your life. If you ended up stuck in the hive with an angry Queen Bee Hybrid, you doubted you’d make it out alive. Especially if they were territorial. Emmet shook his head. “Our hive has no Queen.” Ah. His face almost fell as he said so. Well, that was one thing you didn’t have to worry about, but…

“What about the drones? And the other bees? Won’t they not take kindly to a stranger?” You asked, a bit hesitant. Not having a Queen made things less difficult, but that didn’t mean the drones and other bees would just accept you- “They’ll be no problem at all, I promise.” He spoke, confident as he attempted to assure you. “But-” “They will listen to me. I promise they will not hurt you. They will help you recover.” Silence followed his statement as you weighed in your options. Still, you couldn’t help but wonder… “Why would they listen to you?” It came out a bit more rude than you had intended, though he didn’t seem to mind. In fact, his grin grew incredibly wide. He leaned down towards you, almost like a bow, his wings buzzing behind him. “Because I am one of its Kings.”

[leggerefiore]

▲Subway Boss Masterlist II▽

🛑 = Yandere or Darker Content

🔞 = NSFW

Other list was literally glitching out as I tried to edit it. I write too much about these two.

Fics:

Invisible (cw: angst with happy ending)

Closeness (cw: twin wardens AU)

🔞Lesser (cw: fem reader, egg preg)

Bugtler Twins Fluff (cw: poly, em reader)

Times Gone (cw: blood, violence, dragon au, poly)

🔞Express Train (emmet/reader)

🔞Milk Drink (cw: reader with breasts, lactation, past-pregnancy)

Kyurem Emin Fluff (cw: eggpreg mentions)

🛑Night Train (cw: blood, attempted assault, vampires)

🔞Love Bu(gtler) (cw: fem reader, eggpreg)

🛑Used To Be King (cw: unhealthy relationships, god emmet)

Truth And Lies (cw: PLA Ingo)

🚫Fox God AU Angst

Those Words (cw: jealousy)

🔞Emmet x Galvantula Reader (cw: egg mentions)

🔞Love Fools (emmet x reader)

🔞D.N.A (cw: alien au)

Resort

🔞Tentacles (cw: alien au, breeding kink, tentacles)

Alternate Pathway (cw: alien au)

Feeling, Sweet Feelings (cw: alien au)

Dimmed Light (cw: angel au)

PLA Chandelure Hybrid Ingo Piece

Folklore (cw: fox god au)

Part I

🔞Part II (cw: breeding kink)

Linked (cw: aware au)

🔞Eelektross Emmet Smut (cw: egg preg)

Maid Cafe

Blood Bond (cw: vampire au)

Creepy-Crawly (cw: coraline au related)

Hot And Cold (cw: dragon au, eggpreg, breeding kink)

🔞Deuses Vulpes (cw: fox god au)

Entomophobia (cw: galvantula emmet)

Scotophobia (cw: chandelure ingo)

Vampirism (cw: vampire au)

Vampire Halloween Piece (cw: vampire au)

🛑Animatronic (cw: horror, reader death, animatronic au)

🛑Mould (cw: horror, monster ingo, based off RE7)

Fox God Emmet Transformed In Public

Suspicions (cw: Irida POV, pregnancy implications)

🔞Heated Cold (cw: egg preg, bug rut, frosmoth ingo)

PLA Ingo Winter Fluff

Post-Ingo Disappearance Comforting Emmet

🔞Tarachoptera (cw: Slither Wing Emmet, egg preg)

🔞Teasing, Teasing (cw: Domming PLA Ingo)

Deceit (ingo/reader)

🔞Antlers (cw: sawsbuck au)

🔞Lovely D(ee)ream (cw: sawsbuck au, breeding kink)

Comforting Insecure Emmet

Arranged Marriage

🔞Using An Ovipositor Toy On Moth Ingo (anal sex, bottom ingo)

HCs:

Train Twins Dating S/O With Big Tiddies

Train Twins Helping S/O With Their Period

Train Twins Swooping In On A Crush Post Break-Up

🛑🔞Yandere Chandelure Ingo (cw: kidnapping, implied injuries, noncon, AFAB reader)

Klinklang Emin

S/O Having A Nightmare About Train Twins Cheating (cw: cheating, sex mentions)

Fox God AU Assorted Ideas

Angel Train Twin HCs

🔞NSFW Alpha Silver Fox Emmet HCs

Train Twins With A Hybrid S/O

Train Twins With Lipstick Marks On Them

Train Twins Getting Angry For S/O's Sake

🔞Alien Invader Twins With Magical Girl S/O

Dragon Twins PMD HCs

Train Twins Catching Their Crush In A Suggestive Position

Train Twins Comforting S/O Down From A Panic Attack

Frosslass Ingo HCs

🔞Train Twins Dealing With A High Libido S/O

Train Twins Reacting To S/O Crying Over Joltiks

🔞Train Twins Sexual Fantasies About S/O

🛑Yandere Emin HCs

Dragon Twins Hibernating HCs

Noble Bug Hybrid Twins HCs (cw: reverse bugtler au)

Various Pokemon Characters Being Taken Rollerskating

Emin Christmas HCs

Assorted PokeHybrid Winter Cuddlings

Train Twins Helping S/O Deal With A Neckbeard (cw: unwanted flirting, uncomfortable situation)

Nonromantic:

Erin Getting A Skitty (cw: ingo's son oc)

Changes (cw: Dragon Emin)

PLA Ingo Failing To Remember Erin

Lost (cw: Ingo being a dad)

Drabbles:

Assorted Silver Fox Emmet Things (cw: AFAB reader, pregnancy)

PLA Ingo Angst (cw: ingo is a dad)

Domestic Ingo Fluff

🔞Ingo Gets Head

🔞Emmet Gets Head

🔞Fox AU Ingo Smut

Emmet Tries To Cook

Reverse Aware AU

🔞Ingo Gives Head (cw: AFAB reader)

Ingo Love Letter

Emmet Love Letter

Emin Love Letter

Dragon Emin Love Letter

Emin Writing Love Letters Through The Years

Ingo Comforting S/O From A Panic Attack

Galvantula Emmet Pondering His S/O's Body

Sexting PLA Ingo Using Unowns

Gifting Emmet The EleFish Square Cap

Slither Wing Twins Meeting S/O

Slither Larvesta Erin Hatching

Christmas One-Shots

🔞Sawsbuck Ingo Eating S/O Out

🔞Horny Alien AU Drabble

[wyrdle]

For the TrainerClavell au

If I read correctly, you guys talked about Clavell helping the kids with their nightmares and problems but what about Clavell having some really upsetting dreams about the professors :'D

Maybe it doesn't happen that often but when it does it's bad :'/

((ok now imagine Tyme comforting him🙂🙂🙂🙂))

SCREECHING. Ok. I had brain worms from this prompt. Enjoy a crazy spur of writing (it turned out way longer than i expected)

CW for: Nightmares, implied injury/traumatic experiences. Enjoy!!!! Hopefully this is a fun read lol

Clavell was huddled right outside the Zero Lab, a space cleared out for the scientists within  when they needed an escape from the stuffiness of the indoors. There was no breeze so deep underground, but the caverns were still chilly, and Clavell regretted not wearing something warmer. Stuffing his hands into his lab coat pocket, he gazed at the peaceful scenery around him.

Area Zero, for all the inconveniences it brought, was beautiful at night. There were the glittering crystals, but also the Glimmora blooming to life, their bio-luminescent petals reflecting in the pools of water. The ethereal quality of the land only made Clavell feel even more homesick.

The Tera Orbs were well on their way to being finished, a project spanning years. Though the scientists had had designated breaks to leave the place, Clavell sorely missed the rest of Paldea's crowds, its food, the sights. Plus, he was tired, the numerous late nights of research wore down on even the most devoted academics. The wrap up of the greatest discovery in his career couldn't come sooner! 

"Boo!" 

Jumping at the sudden scare, Clavell became the subject of peals of laughter.

"Sada!" He grumbled, almost pouting. "I came out here for peace and quiet."

"Not my fault you make it so easy.” His colleague and dear friend flashed a toothy grin, taking a seat beside him even as she asked: “Care for some company?”

Even Clavell, for all his gentlemanly niceness, had his limits tested when it came to the brash and brazen Professor Sada. 

“As if you’d listen to me.” he huffed, with faux grumpiness.

“True.” A third voice chimed in to gang up on Sada, to Clavell’s pleasure, even though he knew it’d be temporary.

Professor Turo, despite his quiet and less expressive demeanor, was a man who’d just as quickly strike jabs and jeers back in pettiness. At least he was too distracted by the three, probably scorching, cups of instant noodles in his hands to say anything. Yet.

“Turo! How could you!” Sada mock cried, dramatically wiping a shed tear.

Quietly, and with a smile on his face, Clavell passed her one of the cups, feeling his frosty fingers warm up as did his heart. Wedged between his friends who were complete opposites, he didn’t mind the badly cooked noodles, and the sadness from before was replaced by fondness for the two bright people beside him.

“Did you even put in the seasoning?!” Sada screeched.

“Um.” A cough. “Yes?”

“You put all of them into yours by accident, didn’t you?”

Dumbasses, both of them. Clavell mused internally, letting Sada tear at Turo’s terrible cooking for him. 

As he ate quietly between them however, something began to feel wrong. Did he eat too quickly? Was the spice getting to his throat?

“Clave11, is that y0u?”

Suddenly Sada and Turo’s banter had turned cold, their voices beside him twisted and electronic. Worst of all, it felt laced with genuine hatred and scorn. Directed at him.

He was choking on his food, that was the only explanation for why he couldn’t breathe. In his seat, he was frozen, unable to look up at either of them, the warm bodies by his side now cold and metallic. Staring at his feet, the ground shifted from the rocky terrain of Area Zero and into man-made obsidian tiles. Gone was the soft glow of blue, dangerous red drowning everything around him.

[OBSTRUCTION TO TIME MACHINE IDENTIFIED]

The sounds of Pokemon at night were replaced by the blaring warning sirens, the whir of a machine drawing power, the rumble of vertical constructs rising from the earth.

[PARADISE PROTECTION PROTOCOL INITIALISED]

"H0w c0u1d y0u, 0ld friend?"

The cup of noodles he had been holding had been hot, but they'd become scorching in an instant, the pain allowing him to break free from his paralysis to look up…

… at the angry, inhuman, glare of his two friends.

[PARADISE PROTECTION PROTOCOL HAS INITIALISED BATTLE]

[P-R-DISE PR0TECTI0N PR0T0C0L HAS INITIALISED BATTLE]

[PROFESSOR TURO AND PROFESSOR SADA HAVE INITIALISED BATTLE]

As their voices echoed from all around, Clavell was too frozen by his terror to dodge the blur of red and blue speeding towards him. Even as his very being screamed to run, to hide, the monsters drew close enough for him to see their long claws, open maws and sharp teeth.

"Tra1t0r!"

He screamed.

“Clavell!”

He was trembling, clothes sticking uncomfortably onto damp skin, lungs desperately attempting to draw air. A strong and warm hand was on his shoulder, gently shaking him awake. 

One moment he was in horrible pain and mind-numbing terror, the next he was lying on his back on his couch, blinking up at the familiar white lights of his office.

“You’re alright, Director, just breathe.”  Blearily, he recognised the owner of the comforting voice, glancing up at Tyme's concerned expression. 

How did he…?

"You were taking a break from the paperwork. We were going over the Academy budget for expanding student services." She helpfully explained, shifting slightly to allow Clavell's Houndoom to move forward and lick his hand, whining in concern. 

His heart was still racing, calming slowly through Tyme's comforting words and instructions to ground himself in the present. Houndoom’s soft fur under his hand helped, too.

Eventually, he collected himself enough to speak.

“...Tyme?”

“6:00PM.” She joked, at her own expense. Fortunately, it drew a bewildered, if shaky, laugh from Clavell. “We had a lot of papers to review, remember?”

Right. They were going to approach Chairwoman Geeta with several new proposals for further funding. In particular, to expand the Academy’s student counseling services as well as mental health first aid classes. Especially after… the events of Area Zero.

The glitter of crystals, the whir of the time machine, Not-Turo and Not-Sada’s expressions twisted with hatred-

Unwillingly, he shuddered, tensing up at the memory of his nightmare/memory. Clavell’s Houndoom, sensing his owner’s distress, decided to lick at his cheek, prompting Clavell to readjust his non-existent glasses. A bad habit, really, for anytime he needed something to distract his hands.

“Here.” Tyme presses his glasses into his palm, nodding wordlessly as he whispers thanks. She stands, informing him she’d be back with a glass of water, leaving him some privacy to recollect himself.

Sitting up with his full vision, he absorbed the comfort and familiarity of his office, pointedly ignoring the lab equipment he had kept in memory of… them. He had hoped, once, that they’d return, with all of their fiery personality and quips he’d grown used to after spending years in the labs together. 

But you never really knew them, did you? His vicious thoughts betray him, and exhaustion seemed to weigh him down even more heavily.

“Drink.” Tyme instructs when she returns, taking a seat on the couch as she hands him the cool glass. If it were eerily similar to his dream, Clavell didn’t comment.

“T-Thank you, Miss Tyme.” Remembering himself, he flustered. “I-I’m sorry you had to witness that-”

“Hush, you.” She sighs, shaking her head in what Clavell assumes to be exasperation. “Everyone has bad days, you’re only human. Do you… want to talk about it?”

Clavell winces, biting his lower lip. He was an adult, for Arceus’ sake, the director no less. It was highly inappropriate for his co-worker to be the bearer of his troubles… even if it was Tyme.

No, the real reason he kept tight-lipped was because of how much it hurt to speak openly of what he’d experienced, of the friends he’d lost.

“Take your time, Clavell.” Tyme cooed, patting his back gently. In lieu of a verbal response Clavell leaned into her side, appreciating the firm one-armed hug. “If ever you need a listening ear, I’m here.”

In the end, that was all the difference, between Tyme and the professors, wasn’t it?

Clavell’s grief and anger curled tightly around him, but just for that moment, he breathed easy in the comfort of a friend by his side.

[ficclique]

Episode 17: "Calm Down, Jim"

In this episode of Fic Clique, your hosts discuss "To Keep You Inside" by AirgiodSLV (Shades of Magic) @11:53, "Death of a Sparrow" by ionthesparrow (Pokemon Nuzlocke Challenge) @40:20, and "With My Feet Toward the Stars (let me remember you as you were when you existed)" by kariye (Star Trek 2009) @1:08:12. We muse on what we can ask from our relationships with others, what humanity looks like beyond the human, and how one author's prose can slap so hard. Also, this outro features a cameo by a Mom of the Pod!

Listen on Spotify, Apple Music, and more.

—

Nicole’s Pick: To Keep You Inside, by AirgiodSLV Shades of Magic series, Rhy/Alucard Our tags: post-canon, rivals to brothers, magical tournament, ceremonial duel, beach wedding (implied) CW: discussion of soulbond related consent issues ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16997871

Reid’s Pick: Death of a Sparrow, by @ionthesparrow​ Griffin's Pokemon Nuzlocke Run, Gen Our tags:  Ms. Beakman, a billion talons four hundred wings sixty eyes, this prose slaps, reid’s niche video game knowledge corner, one reference to death of a salesman CW: character death, musings on death, graphic depictions of pokemon violence ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8666644

Brenna’s Pick: With My Feet Toward The Stars (let me remember you as you were when you existed), by kariye Star Trek (reboot series), Spock/Kirk, Spock & The Enterprise Our tags: sentient spaceships, pushing the boundaries of vulcan telepathy, discovery, humanity, gardens CW: character death, some kinda gross injury stuff, mentions of forced prostitution ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/397856

[pokemonveterinarian]

Saint was in and out of sleep the whole time, but made sure to thank Archie and Maxie.

He fell asleep properly once they had left, cuddled up to Spike, and with Winnie and Wishbone taking a well-deserved rest as well

[End of thread!]

[Closed Starter for @dark-type-mischief and @pokemonveterinarian]

Mid day, at around 4 in the evening, it started.

The raid started.

Portals opened in the woods of Santalune Forest, close enough to the house for it to be not much of a walk, but far enough to not be heard at first, Maxie narrows his eyes at the sight of the house, face warping into a sarcastic smirk. "Of course his house would be run down... of course..."

A few grunts surround the area, quickly getting into the positions they were told, after all, this is Maxie and Archie's kid, they're here in case something goes wrong.

Pokemon were let out of their pokeballs, mainly canines and other small pokemon, the pokemon leading the pack being Bite, Fight, and a large female Houndoom, the collar on her neck saying 'Smoke'.

Both Archie and Maxie hang back for now, letting the pokemon lead the charge.

Bite and Fight both quickly charge at the door at the same time, Smoke right behind them.

[taskforcedistortion]

[Time skip]

Saint gets a nice comfortable room, Winnie and Wishbone are allowed out due to them working with the staff and helping with their trainer.

Maxie and Archie leave once they see that he is alright and safe.

Though, Maxie leaves a small sticky note, telling him to not worry about any bills, as both him and Archie will take care of them.

Archie also went back briefly to leave a, clearly well loved, Poochyena plushy on his bed, the plush has a little tag on them calling them Spike.

[Closed Starter for @dark-type-mischief and @pokemonveterinarian]

Mid day, at around 4 in the evening, it started.

The raid started.

Portals opened in the woods of Santalune Forest, close enough to the house for it to be not much of a walk, but far enough to not be heard at first, Maxie narrows his eyes at the sight of the house, face warping into a sarcastic smirk. "Of course his house would be run down... of course..."

A few grunts surround the area, quickly getting into the positions they were told, after all, this is Maxie and Archie's kid, they're here in case something goes wrong.

Pokemon were let out of their pokeballs, mainly canines and other small pokemon, the pokemon leading the pack being Bite, Fight, and a large female Houndoom, the collar on her neck saying 'Smoke'.

Both Archie and Maxie hang back for now, letting the pokemon lead the charge.

Bite and Fight both quickly charge at the door at the same time, Smoke right behind them.

[taskforcedistortion]

"Ighty kiddo. It's gonna feel a bit weird heh." Maxie steps in front of them and pulls out his phone, typing something on it briefly before a portal opens right before their eyes.

There's another portal right on the other side of the first, only a couple steps away, a orange gravely platform under their feet as they step in.

Even for the quick moment they're in there, Saint would be able to feel the odd atmosphere, the air is cold but a little bit tough to breathe, like they're suddenly very, very high up.

But as soon as the feeling hits it, its gone, as they had stepped into the other portal.

Now they are at the hospital, right at the front entrance actually, the portal staying open long enough for Wishbone and Winnie to get through before it closes.

They quickly get him into the place, explaining- well, lying a bit- that they had found it in a abandoned building and that he got very hurt.

[Closed Starter for @dark-type-mischief and @pokemonveterinarian]

Mid day, at around 4 in the evening, it started.

The raid started.

Portals opened in the woods of Santalune Forest, close enough to the house for it to be not much of a walk, but far enough to not be heard at first, Maxie narrows his eyes at the sight of the house, face warping into a sarcastic smirk. "Of course his house would be run down... of course..."

A few grunts surround the area, quickly getting into the positions they were told, after all, this is Maxie and Archie's kid, they're here in case something goes wrong.

Pokemon were let out of their pokeballs, mainly canines and other small pokemon, the pokemon leading the pack being Bite, Fight, and a large female Houndoom, the collar on her neck saying 'Smoke'.

Both Archie and Maxie hang back for now, letting the pokemon lead the charge.

Bite and Fight both quickly charge at the door at the same time, Smoke right behind them.

[pokemonveterinarian]

Saint closed his eyes as he was carried, almost falling asleep. He felt safer than he had in, well... Forever, really. He felt so safe, in fact, that he was ready to fall asleep in his pop's arms

Winnie and Wishbone were staying close, and didn't mind the portal at all

[Closed Starter for @dark-type-mischief and @pokemonveterinarian]

Mid day, at around 4 in the evening, it started.

The raid started.

Portals opened in the woods of Santalune Forest, close enough to the house for it to be not much of a walk, but far enough to not be heard at first, Maxie narrows his eyes at the sight of the house, face warping into a sarcastic smirk. "Of course his house would be run down... of course..."

A few grunts surround the area, quickly getting into the positions they were told, after all, this is Maxie and Archie's kid, they're here in case something goes wrong.

Pokemon were let out of their pokeballs, mainly canines and other small pokemon, the pokemon leading the pack being Bite, Fight, and a large female Houndoom, the collar on her neck saying 'Smoke'.

Both Archie and Maxie hang back for now, letting the pokemon lead the charge.

Bite and Fight both quickly charge at the door at the same time, Smoke right behind them.