#despite the protests - terrible pay - and the fact that

[madefate]

i was literally going back and forth with a student over email at the time of their appointment, resent them the link and they still no showed. apparently this is the tone of the 2025 work year.

[kalims]

⋆ too drunk to recognize your boyfriend

feat. third years of diasomnia

malleus

"I.. have a boyfriend,"

to an extent. the guarded, suspicious look on your face would have concerned malleus to no belief, to others. he wouldn't have bat an eye whatsoever, but it's you so the feeling crawls up his spine and clouds his heart. he can't help the slight nudge of offense clouding his face cause you definitely shouldn't have any reason to make such a face to his.

the more his arm reaches out towards you—to ground your swaying form perhaps, the more you seem to be inching away from him. which shouldn't make sense at all! "child of man?" he murmurs. dropping the attempt to console you, to which you squint at him. back pressed against the front door to his dorm.

"who are you?!" you point at him, and he blinks. mortification spreads in his head. you've.. accumulated amnesia?!

malleus' fingers clench around the fabric on his chest, just after he had retracted the outstretched limb in fear of frightening you even more. there's a certain stiffness to his hand that illicit a drop of sweat from his forehead. him? he's your mal?

if he had the nerve to cry, he would.

but of course, you remain a priority. you exhibit unnatural behavior. no one just forgets important details in a day! you especially, won't forget about him! and he won't let you, ever.

you sway. your eyes darting around, and squinting like you're struggling to focus on one subject of your attention, a factor that might affect it is the fact you keep looking around instead on settling on something, preferably him. and, malleus is torn between steadying you, or him.

he chooses you.

despite your half hearted protest that audibly makes him sulk more, he twists the door to the dorm open and ushers you inside. not too much of a struggle, if anything, you seem lighter, and he almost actually hauled you around with minimal effort.

"must be a good night," a voice purrs, malleus doesn't have to glance at the source to know that it's lilia. years spent with the man does wonder with familiarity. it took him a couple of decades to get used to him. strangely enough he feels like he's known you longer, despite not.

the statement makes the taller male frown. lilia though, keeps the tiny smile, now tickled with a hint of amusement as the rubies shift from your blubbering form to malleus' face. oh? he's upset now. lilia muses. it's easy to ascertain his boy's move, like a sixth sense.

so lilia decides to probe further. "no? your face tells me otherwise."

malleus huffs a little. one of the habits he never seemed to grow out of ever since he learned to keep his... more draconic traits at bay. "you are less than accurate with your assumption," his eye twitches, either torn between distressed or irritation. despite the conflicting behavior, he still manages to treat you with a gentle hand while leading you towards the couch.

"it is a very terrible day." malleus continues. sad enough to complain, but fond of you enough to take the hint from your apparent cautious behavior towards him. lilia almost laughs when he spies him gloomy, sitting on the far end, away from you.

the lightning strikes just as the clouds roll in. lilia peers behind the curtains, chuckling a little at the weather.

well! he just hadn't seen malleus moping around this much since, what? when that gold trinket wouldn't fit in his tower anymore? "why so, my dear?" lilia coos, positively charmed by the 'adorable' disposition.

of course, he already knows. he'd heard your exchange moments ago.

lilia retains the easy look. "the child of man has forgotten about me," malleus explains. looking more stressed by the second. "whoever has done this, will pay." from a sad, faraway look to rage suddenly. "I beg of you, please return them." then switches back...?

he has half the mind to pretend like you're never gonna return normal but decides against it.

"of course!" lilia chirps. "they'll be well by tomorrow."

and, malleus looks like he had been holding the world by his shoulders seconds ago, a sigh of relief.

the next day, you're not sure why malleus is introducing himself in concerning detail. do you really need to know what color his assigned blanket was when he was given birth to...?

lilia

if anything, he's really the one who enabled your behavior.

"just one more." , "oh my, need another?" , "you look like you need it, come on now, don't be shy, you only live once~"

concerned, silver steadied you as you wobble on your feet. babbling about some nonsense under your breath which only illicits the boy to cast a disapproving glance at lilia (who only wears an amused smile).

"seems like they had quite the night." a cheery comment from the latter, and silver makes no move to resist when he moved closer with silent steps, then pries you to his side inside with a gentleness that would prove that he isn't.. actually the reason for your state, but not really.

lilia cooed, like he'd coddled them before. silver thinks but it is so distinct from the way he used to coax them into bed. "time for bed."

you peel your eyes open, squinting with a crease between your brows. you tug at your arm, of which doesn't really budge but lilia decides to humor the struggle so he lets go and raises his brows. "I'm not a kid!" you say, then turn your head to the side—like a kid.

oh, so adorable. lilia croons, swooning inside his head for a bit. how he'd like to simply hold you for hours end...

the romantic monolog of his daydreams though, is interrupted by you once more. ironic since you were the one he was just day dreaming about.

"oh, my. is that so? how lucky of me." he chooses to say instead.

silver sweatdrops. glancing between your hazy... anger maybe? it's not really anger in all honesty, just bordering. then to the lax demeanor his father exhibited. a glance would find normality in it, but he hasn't seen him pick on someone so...

he doesn't know the word for it, perhaps insisting on bothering a singular person as much as he can?

you gasp, snapping your head to silver. cause apparently you recognize him, but seemed scandalized by lilia's presence. "silver! protect me!"

amused, lilia watches you scurry back behind the boy.

"there's nothing to protect you from..."

"there's a man!"

"I'm a man too..."

"there's a bad man!"

your head peeks out from silver's confused frame, lilia's head follows the action. tilting to the side as you eye him hilariously warily. hmmm.. so very cute. "I'm an innocent, only wishing to steal my beloved." he replies, with a usual lightness. though the usual relaxation you had around him is replaced with irritation.

"you can't steal me away, my boyfriend and his children will strangle you."

lilia shares a look with silver. where did they get the idea of... such violence?

silver shrugs. not a clue, he seems to reply back, committed to just remaining a bystander even if he's technically in the middle.

"is that so?"

you nod vehemently, a more open vulnerability clear on your face than before. you point to lilia (well, technically you don't actually know its him! or maybe you're just playing with him?) squinting, accusing at all with him at the end of your pointer finger. the male only raises his brow, and flashes you a cheeky smile.

lilia contemplates playing with you. as in, replying 'why don't you guess?' because knowing you, even in this state you'd probably tell him: "how would I know?" then proceed to guess anyway.

you would have a cute expression, perhaps. but he isn't so cruel to the point where he would waste time—time you could be using to rest instead, preferably get sober, remember him when you wake up, and return to your lovey dovey self.

alright. maybe not lovey dovey on some days but he would definitely prefer that than you using his son as a shield against him, like the boy could actually hold him back.

well, it is technically his fault... but lilia had all the intentions to care for you if you ever got too drunk, he'd hold you up if you were too unsteady, guide you away from possible fiends, and make sure you recovered well the following morning.

but, this definitely didn't enter his area of expectations.

"yup!" you cry. "he might be short, but he can kick butt." for someone who's heard many arrogant words, he's never seen one who says one thing—a threat in your case, then you proceeded to cower behind the nonchalant silver.

you nudge silver.

silver blinks. "um... that's correct."

you glance back at lilia. as if to say I told you!

"so... he will kick my... butt?" lilia hums, indulging in using the word. goodness, good thing sebek is not here. that boy definitely would've kicked you out for endorsing such foul language.

he feigns a look of horror, to his amusement you seem to brighten.

simply adorable...

long story short. you seem to believe you've truly scared him off when he disappears.

concerned even more, silver watches you welcome lilia back with a dreamy sigh. like... you actually recognize him as your lilia, and not the guy you were just... threatening to bite the curb.

this is absurd... I should just rest... silver sighs.

lilia only beams at the showering affection.

[kurokawaia]

RIGHT HERE 彡 Izana Kurokawa

WC; 1.3k+ | !MDNI! 18+ | TW/CW :: tenjiku! izana, x fem! reader, afab, reader is wearing a skirt, club setting, alcohol, suggestive, izana is quite handsy, pet names 'mahal' 'princess' 'baby', voyeurism?? hickies, readers first time in receiving a hickey, reader is timid and shy, possessiveness mention + more

⋆·˚ ༘ *𝒮𝒴𝒩𝒪𝒫𝒮𝐼𝒮 :: it's your first time relationship with Izana, you know that he's relatively experienced, and he knows that you are not. Despite Izana being quite the dominant person, he's taking it slow with you. However, you should've kept your mouth shut and waited until the two of you were home.

m.list | tokyo revengers m.list

You've been here for a couple hours and Izana hasn't pressured you to do a single thing in the club. He knows that it's a dangerous place to be in when you're a woman, and being as sweet and pretty as you, he is not going to leave your side.

Izana doesn't mind staying seated with you on the red velvet longue because your all tucked up against him, his arm over your shoulder while he holds a glass of whiskey on the other. It's not hot or stuffy in here, in fact, it's quite chilly due to the air-con blasting on full, so Izana as donned his leather jacket around your shoulders.

The other members of Tenjiku where everywhere, on the dance floor, directly at the bar or flirting with the waitresses. The only people who weren't, were you and Izana who were watching from the VIP floor upstairs, along with Kakucho who was sitting on the couch horizontal from us to the side.

Kakucho wasn't really paying attention, he was quite engrossed on his phone. You wondered how he even got into the club, due to how he was fourteen going on fifteen, but Izana is quite influential and he follows Izana around everywhere.

However, you weren't paying attention to anything apart from Izana and the sensual music being blasted through the speakers. Your right leg was placed over Izana's left while his arm tightens around your shoulder and you sigh in contentment.

You know that Izana is possessive of you and his actions show that, he makes sure everybody knows who you belong to, so you'll always be safe. Although, there's been a thought running through your head the entire night, you'll nibble on your glosses bottom lip while fiddling with the hem of your short skirt.

Of course, Izana noticed the moment you started doing it, but he didn't want to pry you too much, simply just engaging in normal conversation with you. But, now? he really wants to know, you've been like this for hours and it's really riling him up.

He's motived how your cheeks flushed whenever you looked up directly up at him while speaking and he knows you have something you want to say, something dirty.

"What's with you, mahal? You've been acting strange all night," Izana hums after drinking the last of the whiskey in the crystal glass before he places it down on the table, his head moving to face yours.

You shake your head quickly, placing a hand on his exposed chest as your curl over into him and you instantly regret doing that because his toned upper body looks really good. Especially in a button down black shirt which was buttoned down quite a bit.

"It’s nothing! I’m fine," you protest with a gentle smile.

Izana lets a smirk cross his lips as his hand squeezes your waist every now and then, his purple iris' glint in satisfaction when he sees you beginning to unravel. "You're a terrible liar, mahal. Spill it."

You take a deep breath while gazing down, looking away from him. "It’s just... there’s something I want to ask, but it’s kind of... embarrassing."

"Oh? Embarrassing?" he teases, lips grazing just below your ear and your heart begins to pound in your chest. "You've really got me curious now."

"It’s not a big deal or anything! I just thought... maybe you could—" you stop mid-sentence, you bury your face into the side of his chest. "Never mind, it’s stupid."

Izana leans back into the soft velvet, and he cups your chin, amusement is evident on his face, specifically his lips, he is enjoying this. "Don't do that, baby. Tell me. Whatever it is, I promise I won't laugh."

But the way he said he wouldn't laugh made you believe otherwise. "I was wondering if... if you could... give me a hickey."

Izana blinks in shock for a few moments, you've never been this forward with him, it's always Izana guessing what you want and 10 times out of 10 he is correct. However, this was a shock to him.

"A hickey, huh?" he replies, his voice low as he whispers sensually in your ear. "So... that's what's been going through that pretty head of yours."

"I just thought it might be... I mean, I trust you, and... I’ve never had one before," you stumble over your words, trying to keep your composure but the way you are pressed so tightly against him and how hot is breath is to your skin... "But if you think it’s dumb, I—"

Izana cuts you off with a soft chuckle, his hand tilting your chin up so you can meet his gaze. "You think I’d let you ask me something like that and call it dumb?" his voice still in that teasing tone. "If you want one, mahal, I’ll make sure you never forget it."

"R-Right here?" you ask in disbelief. "Maybe we should wait until we get-"

You cut yourself off when you see the look in Izana's eyes, primal and need. It makes sense, this will be the most he has ever done with you and he's going feral, he's going to mark you up, everyone will know who you belong to and that you're taken.

A shaky breath leaves your mouth while butterflies stir in your tummy and lower abdomen. He's sitting there studying every square inch of your body, purple eyes gazing over your neck, your flushed cheeks.

Izana's fingers lightly trace your jawline, sending shivers throughout your body. This did nothing to quench the arousal you felt pooling in your underwear.

"You're so nervous, mahal," he coos in a low voice, his thumb playing with your bottom lip. "You asked for this, didn't you?"

You nod, your breath hitching as he leans closer, his warm breath fanning against your neck. He chuckles softly, and the sound is smooth.

Izana's lips touch your below your ear trailing to the dip of your neck before slowly trailing back up and you knew he could feel your heart pounding beneath your flesh. And he could, he was resisting the urge to take you right there and then on the couch, but he couldn't, he's promised himself to take it slow, just for you.

"Relax," he hums. "I'll take care of you, mahal."

He presses his lips against the side of your neck, soft at first, leaving a trail of kisses as he searches for the perfect spot. When he finds it—you whimper—just below your ear—he smirks against your skin before pressing harder, his lips tugging gently as his teeth graze the surface.

The sensation makes you gasp, you breath so heavily in his ear, whimpers mingling in, your hands instinctively gripping the fabric of his shirt.

Izana’s grin widens, his voice dropping to a whisper. "That’s it. Just stay still for me, mahal."

He works slowly, almost lazily, his lips and tongue leaving warmth and a faint ache that makes your head spin. He pulls back briefly, his eyes flicking to the mark before he leans in kissing your neck around the red mark gently while squeezing your thigh.

Your cheeks are flushed red and your heart continues to beat fast, not slowing down. Izana cups your jaw, tilting your chin up so you meet his gaze.

"Perfect. Now you have something to show off that your mine" he murmurs before his eyes flutter shut and place a kiss to your lips, pulling away he smirks gently.

You can’t meet his gaze, your face burning, and he chuckles, pulling you closer so you’re tucked against his chest.

"You’re cute when you’re flustered, you know that?" Izana chuckles. A few moments pass before he begins to stroke your hair down and he leans his head down to your ear. "But don’t get shy now, mahal. I’m not done with you yet. I'm thinking about all the things I'm going to say to you, what I'm going to do to you when we get home."

Do not copy, steal, modify, etc. Relogs and like are appreciated.

m.list | tokyo revengers m.list

that last sentence was a chase atlantic reference to their song triggered, if any of you cared to know...

[strawwritesfic]

Joel x Female!Amputee!Reader: (Don't) Hold Your Breath [Ch. 10]

Summary: You’ve made a lot of monumental mistakes in your life. Cutting your arm off isn’t even at the top of the list. Now you’re about to learn a lot of life lessons at the hands of your savior and her brute of a guardian–and they’re not about to let you learn them the easy way either.

Challenge: "#32 in His Rulebook" by Edible Heart Monster on Lunaescence Archives

Rating/Warnings/Tags: M (post-The Last of Us; excessive swearing; sexual references; violence against children; infected children; references to abortion; references to cannibalism; references to starvation; references to riots; implied domestic abuse; implied grooming; implied sexual relationship between an adult and a minor; death of a parent; violence; gore; blood; gun use; ableism; amputee!Reader; enemies to lovers; not canon compliant)

Pairings/Relationships: Joel/Female!Reader; Tommy/Maria; Reader/Male!OC; Ellie & Reader; Ellie & Joel; Ellie & Maria & Tommy

Tag List: @imaginesfire

Master List (with important note!)

Rule #10: Again, the enemy can hear you, so shut up.

Even when things were going terribly, somehow night watches still gave you comfort. Your eyes itched with fatigue and your muscles twitched in protest, but those were small prices to pay. You liked the dark and the quiet of early morning watches. You liked being in charge. In this world, you couldn’t trust anyone but yourself.

That was not to say that night watches weren’t boring as hell. You’d drawn the second watch that night. The only sound in the dilapidated room you sat in was Ellie’s quiet breathing. She’d woken you up two hours ago just as Joel left—to do what, he had not bothered to explain to you. Probably to see if he could find a way out of the quarantine zone. Four days stuck in that dingy apartment building, with, sure enough, a box full of infection scanners, but with a dwindling food supply and nearly no water.

You stretched in an attempt to get rid of the growing pain in your ass. Sitting all day long, trying not to move or make noise as the temperature dropped toward freezing, wasn’t much of a holiday in your book. Your movement did nothing but move your legs enough to stir the three Molotov cocktails sitting around your feet. Joel had stopped long enough to give you instructions: if anyone came, you were to lob those bombs at the doorway and get out with Ellie through the nearby emergency exit. Not exactly a shining tribute to your abilities, but it was actually the first time he’d willingly left you alone with her, though you chalked that up more to desperation than to any burgeoning respect he had for you.

With a stifled sigh, you shifted enough to look at Ellie. Despite the deep shadows of the room, you could see the dark marks of the clicker’s fingers on her neck. In the daylight, the bruises remained purple-yellow. Sometimes you caught Joel staring at them, somehow intent and soft at the same time, like he wanted to take them on himself. After the roof incident, Joel hadn’t spoken for a very long time, not until Ellie and he went off somewhere to have a private discussion.

He really was desperate, you thought, but for Ellie, not for himself. It was a weird thing to notice, and a weirder thing to be in the earthly hell humanity inhabited. Especially weird was the fact that Ellie didn’t seem desperate at all. Even as the days whiled away with no chances of escape, she remained as glib as ever. Ellie always controlled situations; the situations never controlled her. Even at fifteen, she just sort of exuded the feeling that she knew what she was doing. You wondered if you’d looked that impressive back when this all started. No. You’d been entirely out of your mind with fear. Out of your mind for four long years, only to come out sane enough to die.

You turned away before you could think more good thoughts about her. The last thing you needed was another tagalong kid to break your heart over. But even as you thought that, you relaxed a bit in the darkness and flipped back around. This was familiar, staying up in a dark room, with your stomach cramping and your brain wild with responsibility and anxiety. It was as though you had been transported back to those first eight months after you’d escaped the Northern California Zone. There you were, thrust again into a realm you had no training for, but that you had to stand up against for the sake of a child.

Your eyes settled briefly on the bandages wrapped around her arm. She never took them off, and you’d known her long enough that you wondered why. Most of the time, Ellie acted like they didn’t exist—unless she was looking at the infection scanners. Then her fingers would contract around the area as though she couldn’t keep them from doing so.

Shit, you were getting sentimental. Where the fuck was Joel? In a sudden fit of impatience, you twisted upward to peer out the grimy window. Nothing outside moved. At least you could be confident that Joel wouldn’t leave without Ellie—but that didn’t mean the gang in the zone hadn’t got ahold of him.

A burst of cold flashed across your skin as you hastily sank back down onto the dirty floor. If that was the case, what could you do? Joel doing the job instead was something you preferred. Though you couldn’t be certain, you thought you might have recognized a few of the shouts during that firefight.

If that was the case, and Joel really had got himself in trouble—

No. That couldn’t happen. If anyone could elude those guys, it was Joel. After all, he and Ellie slaughtered that entire camp almost a year ago, hadn’t they?

And why the fuck should you care anyway? If Joel got himself eaten, or even just staked outside the doors to serve as warning, that could only benefit you. Ellie was still green enough that you could probably get away from her. In fact, if Joel died, you’d bet your instant coffee Ellie wouldn’t be able to function when she found out.

Patience is a virtue—your dad had said that like it was going out of style. War, he told you time and time again, was spent mostly in waiting. The stretches where nothing happened were the worst, and if you wanted to keep your head, you learned how to stay calm during them.

You’d never managed to learn that particular lesson.

Sunrise would be several hours more in coming. You shifted a little in a vein effort to make yourself more comfortable. In the process, you knocked over one of the cocktail bottles. With a whispered expletive, you lurched forward to steady it—with your missing arm. It clattered onto the hard floor, and you stiffened instantly. They hadn’t found you yet, and you felt almost foolish.

Then you saw a circle of light quivering on the wall outside your room.

“Hey, man, I think I heard something up here,” you heard a man say.

“Probably the fucking rats. This place hasn’t been used in a shit ton of years,” a second man answered.

“Yeah, and we don’t know where that fucker and his girl went. Wouldn’t this be a good place to hide?”

“I don’t fucking know, dude. I just want to finish this and go to bed.”

“It’ll only take two minutes to check. You want me to tell the boss you let these guys go?”

“You want her to flay me alive? Man, I thought we were closer than that.”

“Ain’t got time for closeness in this world. Let’s go.”

Shit. Ellie remained asleep directly in front of the door leading to the flashlights. Only a few torn pieces of furniture stood in your room, and none that you felt safe enough to hide behind. The lights down the hallway danced across the window behind you. Your hand wrapped around the neck of one of the bottles as you tried to decide whether or not to wake Ellie.

You decided just as two men, one stocky, one with a dark shadow of hair on his chin, appeared in the doorway. They only had time to spot the slumbering girl on the floor before you launched the glass bottle with all your might toward them. Even as weak as you were, the distant was not so great that it didn’t reach. Flames burst upward, licking the wooden doorframe. Unfortunately, the makeshift bomb hit neither of the men.

“We got ‘em!” shouted the nearest man, the one with the naked face. The fire made his features blur in the surrounding darkness. You held your breath as you stared. The fire wouldn’t last forever, and you only had two more cocktails. But now they knew you were armed.

“Go tell the boys. I’ll hold them here,” he said.

The second man didn’t bother to respond. He disappeared back down the hall. The first man grinned widely at you and switched his flashlight off.

“You ladies are fucking fucked.”

“You’re fucking fucked,” you snarled. Fear clouded your ability to come up with anything cleverer. The fire by his feet began to die down. He noticed this as well, and in the moment it took him to take a step, you tossed the second bottle.

It struck him right in the chest. Maybe he had been too busy smirking to swat the cocktail away. Maybe you really had caught him off guard. Whatever the reason, the result remained the same: the man burst into flames. He screamed, beating wildly at the fire, but it had already caught in his hair.

Now was the time to move—now, before reinforcements arrived. Where you were going, you had no idea. How Joel would find you was equally a mystery. All you knew was that you had to get out, preferably with Ellie in tow. You turned toward her, intending to wake her up, only to see her already standing with the box of scanners in her arms.

“Let’s go,” she said.

She didn’t have to tell you twice. You paused only long enough to scoop up your last cocktail before you took off toward the adjoining hallway. God, you hoped it didn’t come down to a fight. After the incident with the roof, Ellie now had both guns and her knife. If anyone got too close, your Molotov wouldn’t be of any fucking use unless you wanted to go up in smoke, too. Oddly, you felt just as disinclined to go hell that night as you usually did.

The hallway was so dark that you could hardly see Ellie as she raced ahead of you. You hoped to whatever fucking deity had fucked things up so badly that an exit really did exist somewhere at the end of the corridor, one without a hoard of angry gang members gathering outside.

Ellie crashed through a door, and, following her, you found only another wide lobby on the other side. You shouldn’t have been surprised; the military changed the architecture of buildings at zone borders so much that everything got topsy-fucking-turvy trying to keep everyone from leaving. Even if this had been your zone, you wouldn’t have been able to find your way out. The first time you’d left had been the only time you left.

Your companion distracted you by throttling a nearby cabinet until it stood in front of the door you had just exited. Without another word, she hurried over to a nearby bar to shove her box of loot behind it. She was taking the safety off her gun when she resurfaced.

“What are you doing?” you asked as she started to rush off toward another hallway.

“Finding Joel,” she stopped long enough to tell you.

“What? But—”

“You killed the one guy that knew there was another door there, right?”

“Probably, but—”

“I’ve got to go. Before they come back.”

“Ellie, Joel wouldn’t—”

“Do you think I fucking care?”

You fell silent, heart thundering in your ears.

“I’m not leaving him.”

“Look,” you said in what you hoped was a soothing tone, “he’ll be able to find us if we stay put. If you go running around, you’re likely to get yourself killed, and you’ll miss him.”

“Just because you can’t handle being on your own out there doesn’t mean that I can’t. I’ve got both arms and I’m capable of taking care of myself.”

“This isn’t about me.”

“Oh, not everything is? What a fucking surprise!”

“We don’t have time for this,” you snapped. You couldn’t tell if you were more angry than scared, or more scared than angry. Ellie just couldn’t leave. Someone would kill you if she left you, whether it was Joel or the zoners.

Ellie quickly shook her head and closed the distance between you. “You’re right. Here.” She held out your old pistol. You took it without thinking. “Maybe if they show up, the adrenaline will be enough to get your aim straight.” Ellie had made it halfway across the room again before she added, “Remember: They can hear you. You might want to keep your fucking trap shut.”

And she left.

“Ellie!” you shouted after her, but no answer came echoing back to you.

For a moment, you felt blind with panic, capable only of staring numbly at the gun in your hands. Then you heard something slam in the not-quite-distance, in the opposite direction from where Ellie had gone. Before anything else could reach your ears, you dove behind the bar with the scanners. Just as you ducked behind the chipped counter, someone pounded on the door. You held your breath as the shattered remains in the cabinet jittered across its shelves. Once, twice, three times—the cabinet started to grind across the floor.

With an almighty smash, the door finally crashed open wide enough for two more men to shove their way into their room.

“Come out, come out, wherever you are,” one crooned.

“We heard you calling your little friend. We know you’re in here,” sang the other.

The sound of someone kicking over a long-dead potted plant filled the room. “You killed Jeffery, you little bitch. Might as well surrender to your fate.”

Before he could finish his sentence, you popped up and let off a single shot. You didn’t stick around to see if it met its mark, but it became pretty clear that it hadn’t when they started to scream at you and fire their own weapons. You stood again and fired, your hand shaking widely around your gun as you did. After the third round, you must have made a lucky shot. One of them spluttered and choked. You heard the distinct sound of a body hitting the floor.

Silence rang, but you knew it would be temporary. The horrible grinding sound of someone unable to breathe continued quietly, and then whoever was left shrieked.

“Oh, you’re fucking dead now, bitch! You think you can just waltz in here, into our turf, steal our things, kill our men, and get away? I don’t fucking think so!”

Your breath was wild in your chest. You lifted yourself up momentarily, but when you pulled the trigger, all your gun did was click. It had no more bullets. You had no further way to defend yourself.

He knew. He laughed. His footsteps echoed against the walls as he walked leisurely toward your hiding space.

“You’re gonna pay, bitch. You and your two friends. Don’t know where that man of yours went, but we’ll find him. That girl won’t make it of the building. And you? You just made sure none of you are getting an easy death.”

You dropped the gun, too tired to hold it up anymore. At last, your attacker appeared. He had a wide grin full of chipped teeth.

“There you are,” he whispered.

As he advanced, your hands scrabbled through the debris surrounding you, like a moment out of one of your well-worn nightmares. He drew closer, knelt—and that was just when your fingers found a plank of wood. You lifted it into the air without thinking and swung the object hard into his head. Again, you were lucky. Several nails had been drilled into the side of the wood, and you just happened to have sent them into the man’s skull.

“What the fuck?” he said, and lifted own gun.

You ripped your weapon out before he could fire. He dropped. That wasn’t enough. You were alone. You didn’t want him telling his compatriots anything. Again, you lifted the plank and drove it, nails first, into the back of his neck. He continued to twitch. You continued to beat him in more and more places. He fell still, but that still wasn’t enough either. You knew what torture meant for women, and you’d be damned even more if you let that happen to you.

“Holy fucking shit!”

You looked up. Ellie had returned with Joel in tow. Both of them stared at you, for how long, you couldn’t say.

Then you promptly dropped the plank and fell gasping to the floor.

[saltedpeppermintmocha]

MONSTERS DON’T DO BACKGROUND CHECKS - 5/?

-UFSans x Reader

Chapter One(Tumblr)

Chapter One (Ao3)

Summary: Moving across the country and starting your life anew on the basis of a rumour may not be the smartest thing you’ve ever done…but, well, you’re here.

If only you could stop running into that asshole skeleton, life would be pretty good.

Tags: underfell au, bara Sans, afab reader, enemies to lovers, fluff, eventual romance, eventual smut, slow burn, swearing, alcohol, smoking, past abuse, plot

Notes: Currently at 131k words and 18 chapters on AO3.

Chapter Four : Monsters Don’t Drink Spider Cider

“Damn…” You whisper, blinking wide-eyed at the screen. You really hadn’t seen that wild plot-twist coming, though, you’re not sure if it was a lack of cues in the movie or the fact that you’re paying very little attention. 

Despite your every intention to relax for the rest of your day off, your mind keeps drifting back to the news from this morning and it fills you with anger. Honestly, you want to go fight someone for putting that look on your friends face, for denying them something so simple. Who the fuck has to fight for the right to marry of all fucking things?? Have we really learned nothing from the past??

The only slightly not terrible thing to come out of this is a renewed public interest in Monster Rights. The internet seems to have gone wild at the news, rightfully so. Protests have started nationwide, and you’ve read of some being planned overseas as well. Crazy shit, but it does give you a little bit of hope that maybe for once humanity can do the right thing in the beginning, can fix this before it tumbles into something worse. 

According to the news, the first discussion for an appeal is happening in your city next week, at the courthouse in Humanside. It was deemed as a more ‘neutral’ place than Ebott or other human cities. You get the logic, sure, but all it does is make you worry about your home. This renewed interest and the court case is likely to bring humans with both good and bad intentions to the area. Depending on where the hotels are in Humanside, it could only be a moderate walk to Monstertown. Definitely not far enough to dissuade some assholes from deciding it’s worth it to pop over and cause some havoc. Sure, maybe you’re being a bit pessimistic, but you feel a bit protective over your newfound home.

So, yea, you feel pretty stressed, and you spend most of your precious day off marinating in that stress on your bed. You try to watch some shows or get things done, but it feels like every ten minutes or so you’re back looking at your phone for updates. Eventually you give up, put your phone to charge on the nightstand and head into the bathroom to shower. You turn it extra hot, and hope it’ll wash away some of your stress. By the time you come out, you know it hasn’t worked, but at least you’re clean. You’re in the middle of getting dressed when your phone pings. 

Quickly you shove on a shirt and, instead of walking around the bed, make the lazy choice to just plop back on the thing and reach for it. It’s a bit of a stretch, but you manage. Unfortunately, the charging cable isn’t long enough, and with the slightest pull, it pops out only to disappear behind the nightstand. Fuck. You'll have to dig for that later.

New Message

[Undyne]: Hey!!!! You have a car right????

You’re not surprised it’s Undyne -the two of you still text quite often- but the sudden question throws you a bit. You type out a quick response. 

[You]: Yup

[Undyne]: And you can drive????

[You]: …yea, y?

It takes a moment before the next message comes in.

[Undyne]: I need to ask you something

Well, shit. That sounds serious. The words and the lack of punctuation, really. You sit up, rereading the message with a frown. Sure, you’ve been chatting with the monster for a while now, but this seems like a whole other thing. Is Undyne, Captain of the fucking Royal Guard, really asking you for a favour??

[You]: Sure, what is it?

[Undyne]: Alph will be at MTT Resort next week for the case and needs a drive to the courthouse on Wednesday!!! Will you take her????

[Undyne]: Normally Mettaton would take her but we’re both stuck in Ebott :) 

[Undyne]: Shit!!!

[Undyne]: :( !!!

Oh. You’ve heard a lot about this ‘Alph’ from Undyne since the very first time you met her. Honestly, the idea of it excites you a bit. Quickly you pull up your calendar app. Shit. 

[You]: Sorry Undyne, I’d love to help but I’m working that day.

Incoming Call : Undyne

The call comes almost instantaneously after your text sends. Suddenly you feel nervous. You stare at the phone in your hand and hesitate before picking up. Texting is one thing, but you haven’t actually spoken to this strangely intimidating monster in months. Deep breath.

You answer. “Hi Undyne!”

“Is Chandace your boss?” She asks, straight to business.  

“Yea?”

“She’ll give you the day off.” 

Um…are we thinking of the same Chandace?? You pause for a moment, confused. “Uh, I really don’t know. It’ll be a busy week for the resort. I already got one ‘all hands on deck’ text.” The text was actually a lot more blunt and essentially said that all staff were officially on-call for the next week, but close enough.

A laugh. “Oh she will.” 

… well, that sounds ominous as fuck.  “O-oh…alright then.” You concede. “I’ll ask tomorrow.”

“Good!! And-” Suddenly her voice cuts off, the phone making a loud scuffling sound. Ouch. You pull it away from your ear and look at the screen to check the call hasn't dropped or something. Yup, you’re still connected. 

“Human?” A voice on the phone. Definitely not Undyne. You hesitate. “Human?!!!” Oh shit.

Quickly, you put the phone back to your ear. “Um…hello?”

“Fucking hell-” The voice gets quieter for a moment as they lean away. “-Undyne, are you sure this is the… fine.”  Then they speak into the phone again. “Hello human. My name is Dr. Alphys, Royal Scientist.”

“Oh!” You perk up, suddenly understanding what the fuck is happening. “Hi Alphys-”

“Dr. Alphys.”

“...Dr. Alphys.” You correct, losing a bit of steam. “It’s nice to meet you!” You try to put some cheer back in your voice. “Undyne has told me a lot about you!”

“...oh, has she?” 

“All good things, I promise!” You try, hoping to pull even just an ounce of positivity from this person. “Anyways my name is-”

“I know your name, human . ” She interrupts. “What I need is to ensure you’ll be adequate transport for next week.” 

“Oh, I can assure you that I’m a great driver-”

“Shut up.” 

“...kay.” You go quiet, blinking wildly in indignation. Who the fuck does this monster think she is? Well…the Royal Scientist apparently. That sounds high-ranking as all hell. You make the probably smart decision to push down the frustration and listen to what she has to say.

“Have you ever been pulled over for any of the following: drivers license violations, dangerous driving, stunt driving, driving under the influence or vehicular manslaughter?”

…

“Well?!”

“Uh, no.” You reply truthfully. “Can’t say I have.” 

“Hm. Acceptable. Now onto the actual questions.” 

Thus began the most oddly stressful evening of your life, as Dr. Alphys continues on for over an hour quizzing you on your driving knowledge and ability. You answer the best you can, and in the end you apparently ‘pass minimum standards’ which is both a relief and kind of insulting. The monster says she’ll text you on the day and to absolutely not be late, before suddenly hanging up. 

You pull the phone from your ear to just stare at it, bewildered. What the fuck just happened??

New Message

[Undyne]: Thank you!!! Alph is  a sweetheart!!! I swear!!!

…right.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

It’s only lunchtime and you already feel like shit. Great. 

You had been right yesterday, chaos cannot describe the shift you just went through -and it’s only half done , ugh. MTT Resort is completely full for the first time since you’ve worked there, which is bad enough, but it seems like the universe itself decided to smite you by having every piece of technology you need to actually do your job decide to stop working at once. So when check-in time arrived, you were immediately swamped with already stressed and frustrated monsters who were not able to get into their rooms. Chandace came out once the yelling started, called IT, and then the two of you had to devise some sort of manual way to check guests in for the meantime. A huge fucking mess for sure. 

The first thing to come online is the phones, which immediately start ringing off the hook. The calls are half actual guests or monsters trying to book, and half either news stations wanting to speak with monsters or random ass humans asking questions. You manage to evade most questions or and take the station names down to pass down to Chandace…but you have a feeling it’s just the start. 

The only good thing about this morning is that Chandace actually does give you the day off on Wednesday. When the craziness finally died down enough to actuall yask her, she was in a bad mood already. It wasn't the best time, sure, but it was all you might get for the foreseeable future. Of course, she was immediately on the 'no' side and sounded beyond annoyed that you'd even try asking, but everything changed the moment you told her what it's for. Or rather…who it’s for. You’ve never seen Chandace go completely still the way she does when you say it's a favour for Undyne, and her fingers go up in a never before seen ‘five’ position when you say you’ll be driving Dr. Alphys to the courtroom. She immediately changes her answer to yes and orders you to tell her nothing else about it. 

All in all, it’s a fucking weird morning. One that leaves you feeling completely depleted, frustrated and with a pounding headache. Normally your go-to for a situation like this would be to visit BP in the Emporium or maybe just go to your room to lay down, but the idea of staying in the resort at all makes you want to throw up. So the moment your lunch break starts, you practically book it for the front door. 

Once outside, you immediately feel better. A placebo effect, surely, but still. You stop and take a deep breath, stretching your hands up in the sky and relishing your momentary freedom. Your spine pop in all the right ways, and you let out a satisfied sound before setting off. It doesn't take you long until you reach your destination. Just a few blocks away from the resort, is a shiny new build. A cute little cafe with the name: Muffets Bakery & Cafe. Apparently it's a new branch of a big bakery in Ebott. Monsters had been talking about it for the past month, and you're excited to give it a try.

So you walk up to the adorable building. The colour scheme is a soft purple, with a beautiful awning and the cutest little curtains on the windows. Honestly, the only 'odd' think about it is the...theming. Themed bakeries aren't exactly new, but you've never heard of one that was themed with spiders. At least it's cute spiders. The decorations litter around the building. A spider-themed cafe is a unique idea for sure, but you're up to it. Maybe they have pastries in the shape of spiders??? 

You walk in, and immediately are hit by the smell of baking pastries. Your stomach growls in anticipation as you look around. Shit, it's just as cute on the inside too. As you enter, you notice that the line actually splits into two. A sign in the middle states 'Left for Spiders' and 'Right for Not Spiders'. You stare at it for a moment, smiling at the funny way they've incorporated their theming into everything, before heading in the 'not spiders' direction.

The line isn't long, with only a few monsters ahead of you. It gives you enough time to figure out what you want. Unfortunately, there is no app or website with a menu, so the only thing you can do is try to squint your eyes at the physical menu behind the counter. Still too far away.

It get's even harder to see when you're suddenly enveloped in darkness. A shadow. The hell?? You tilt your head upwards, and come face to face with the one monster that could probably make your mood worse at the moment.

A sharp grin. “you look like shit.”

You frown, turning around to face him in line. “The fuck are you doing here?”

He raises an eyebrow bone. “what? can i not get coffee now either?!"

“You know that’s not what I mean.” You roll your eyes, but pause. Shit. Are you being a little harsh? The last few interactions you've had with the skeleton have been remarkably positive, you don't want to ruin it by being an asshole today for no reason. "Sorry, bad day."

The line moves up one. You turn to step forward.

“...so, whats put the sand in your crotch today, doll?”

“There is no sand in my-” You stop, sigh and turn back to face him. “Fuck off. The Resorts a fucking mess today. Gonna be like it all week, at least until the courtdate."

“ahh, yea. that.” He mutters, looking away.

“Yea, that .” You grumble. “I’m just glad I have one day off in the middle of it. Think I’d probably just…wither away by the end if not.”

“woah. handy actually gave ya a day off??”

Pfft! Shit! That makes the corner of your lips turn up slightly. “I don’t think she had a choice.” You admit. “Once I mentioned it was for Undyne she changed her mind pretty damn quick.” 

Sans’ previously pleased expression darkens at the mention of her name. “...what’s she got ya doing?”

“Apparently I’m playing chauffeur for her girlfriend to the courthouse.” You shrug. “I don’t mind, got me out of work, plus I haven’t been to Humanside in-”

“-wait.” He interrupts, suddenly fully focused on you. “didya say yer drivin’ alphys?”

“Uh, yea.” You respond, words coming a bit hesitant due to the intensity of his gaze. “To and from the courthouse."

A long pause, where those red eye lights stare you down. “fuck. im coming with ya.”

“Oh yes, you can come. Thanks for asking! I appreciate it.” You say, deadpan.

By now, it's your turn at the counter. You turn away from the skeleton to the lady at the cash register. Oh shit. Maybe the theming is a bit more personal than you thought. The monster in front of you is definitely a spider. 

“Hello dearie~” She greets you. "Welcome to Muffets Bakery and Cafe! What can I get for you?" 

“Hi!” You smile, a bit sheepishly. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t look ahead of time." Thanks Sans. "Is there anything you’d recommend?”

“Hmm…If you’re looking for a drink and a treat…” One of her legs goes up to her mouth in thought. “I really love the Spider Cider and the Fruit Cruffin."

"Cruffin?" You ask.

"It's a Croissant-Muffin." She smiles, a far away look in her eyes. “They are absolutely delicious~”

“Then I’ll have that!” You nod.

“ya don’t want the spider cider, doll.” That deep voice behind you.

"Dude, shush." You turn to look up at him. That's so insulting, she literally just recommended it!  “I’ll get what I want.”

He grins and shrugs his large shoulders. “don’t say i didn’t warn ya.”

Frowning at him, you turn back to the lovely cashier and pay. She takes your name, passes you a bag with the 'Cruffin' and points you down towards one side of the counter. “When we call your name, please pick your cider up here! Have a lovely day~”

Well, that was nice. You think as you make your way to a nearby table and sit. You look back at the cash register, sort of expecting to see the skeleton and the spider in some face-off after he just insulted her favourite food. Instead, you hear her giggle as she speaks to him. You can't see Sans' face from this angle, but she has two hands now in front of her mouth now, laughing. The fuck? You squint your eyes, trying to listen to what their talking about. It's no use, they're too far away.  

Once he's done ordering, Sans, surprisingly, decides to plop into a chair at your table. It's almost comical to look at really, with how opposite his 'vibe' is to this entire place. While the cafe is all cute with doilies and lace, this guy is one hundred percent edge and metal. In fact, you're actually surprised he decided to come in here in the first place. 

Shrugging that thought off -who are you to judge, really- you open the bag and take out the 'Cruffin'. It looks great, with some sort of red jam in the middle. You take a bite. Shit, she's right. It's fucking delicious. Melt in your mouth delicious. The jam is a little messy, dripping out of the cruffin and onto your hands. Quickly you lick it up, ensuring it doesn't drip onto your clothes.

"ya really can't contain yerself, can ya, sweetcheeks?"

You flip him off, before realizing you're not exactly sure what he's getting at you for this time. The skeleton is just watching you with that familiar grin, clutching his drink -a drip coffee, likely as he doesn't have to wait- now with both hands. Ugh, how the fuck are you going to spend time in confined space with this guy? You looked up the distance to the courthouse, and it's almost completely across town. You're looking at about 40 minutes. Shit.

"Why do you want to go anyways?" You ask. "To the courthouse."

"huh?" He sits back up. "eh, i'll go support my bro. it's a big appeal afterall."

Oh. “Your brother?”

Sans raises an eyebrow bone. "didya not watch the conference?"

“... that’s your brother?!”

…

“...for fucks sake, ya blind or something?” He gestures down at himself. 

Your face flames. "Uh, well, you know, I didn't want to assume!" And because you can't shut your fucking mouth, you continue. "Like I didn't want to be- I don't know- speciesist or something!" 

Sans shakes his head, chuckling. "ya lucky yer cute." 

A shiver runs up your spine and you freeze. Out of the corner of your eye, a monster at a nearby table turns to look at you both with an open mouth. The furious blush already across your cheeks spreads to your ears. What the hell??

Someone calls your name. Your drink is ready. Feeling extremely off-kilter, you stand and quickly make your way to the counter. What the hell did he mean by that?? Your face is calming down already by the time the spider monster passes you over a surprisingly tiny cup. Shit. You didn't realize you ordered the smallest size. Despite having everything you need to return to the table...you don't. Instead you give yourself a few moments to just calm down. 

He didn't mean it. He's just trying to get a rise out of me. He's an asshole. You know that. 

So you keep your expression neutral as you eventually make your way back, sitting across from him. He's not even looking at you anymore, instead typing something into his phone. You take the moment of quiet to take a sip of your drink. It's warm, which is great on this cool morning, and has a flavour you have trouble placing. It's good though. Quite good. “I don’t know what you were talking about.” You say. “This is fucking delicious. It’s small though.” 

Sans is looking up at you again. He looks delighted, grin huge on his face. "yea? ya like it?"

“What?” You ask, frustrated. “C’mon. Out with it.” 

“didya read the label on yer cup?”

Huh? You look down at the cup in your hand. Label? Pulling it up to eye-level you turn the cup in your hand until you see a cute little font. It says 'Thank you for supporting Muffets Buffet & Cafe'. Cute enough. You glance over at Sans, narrowing your eyes at his expression before looking down. The font continues 'All of our spider items are made by spiders, for spiders, of spiders!" 

…

… of spiders?!

Immediately you slam the drink down, much harder than necessary on the table. Horror is etched into your very expression. The skeleton across the table from you bursts into laughter, loud and raucous in the small cafe. 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Luckily for you, the chaos dies down quite a bit in the following days. The general anxiety surrounding the monsters doesn't, and only seems to increase as the court date gets closer, but thats to be expected, and things have to move on somewhat as normal. The reception phone is still constantly ringing though, with humans asking insensitive questions or news stations looking for 'statements'. You wonder if any other monster business has to deal with this. It’s frustrating to have them consistently push and push for something they can use in their articles. You keep professional though, knowing that if you tell even one of them off it could be the thing they decide to publish. 

You have just finished hanging up another of these calls and are quietly counting down the hours till the end of the day when things suddenly get hectic again. 

-FUCK YOU!!” A female voice screams.

Surprised, you immediately stand straight up, looking around for the sudden noise. You quickly see the culprit: a pretty fish-like monster with a green body and blue hair. She comes into your line of sight from the direction of the elevator and moves through the lobby, rushing for the door. A few monsters move out of her way as she hisses at them, a scratchy sound that sends shivers down your spine. 

“C’mon baby! I didn’t mean it like that!” Another voice calls out. A familiar voice. You turn your head, equally as surprised to watch Aaron come into your line of sight, following the other monster. He catches up with the other monster just before the lobby doors, reaching for her. “Just come back to the room and we’ll talk-” She turns quickly, her face contorting into a terrifying image as she hisses at him. Shit, her teeth are sharp. Luckily for him, the merhorse seems to get the message. His hand drops, and she leaves the resort. The glass doors slam shut, but luckily do not break.

You glance around, ensuring there is nobody nearby that might need your assistance, before leaving the reception area. Walking up to the dejected-looking merhorse, you ask. “Uh…hey, is everything alright?”

Aaron finally looks away from the door, eyes focusing on you. “Oh. It’s you.”

You’d be insulted at his tone if you didn’t just witness that entire situation. “Was that uh, your girl?”

He huffs, a surprisingly horse-like sound. “Ex I guess.” A pause. “For real this time.” Somehow, you doubt that. You’ve met couples like this before. 

“What happened?” 

“We got into a fight.” He says simply. No shit. You wait for a moment, until he continues. “UGH! She wants to leave me to go gallivanting all over the country with her band. Like, how irresponsible can you get?!”

“I mean, she looks like she can probably take care of herself.” You glance around the lobby, where various monsters still look pretty shaken up from her. 

“What?!” He turns back to you. “Are you really taking her side in this?!”

“Well, no. I'm not taking any side right now...but...it’s her dream, right?” You shrug. “It's her right to chase it. Don’t you have a dream?”

He looks at you. “No.”

…

“Oookay. A goal, then?” You try again. “Something you want to achieve?” 

“Hm.” He huffs. “Well, yea. I’m tryin’ to get a twelve-pack.” He flexes.

You stare at him for a while, expecting him to go 'haha joking' and list another goal. He doesn't. 

“Well, fuck, okay, I’ll go with that.” You whisper, before raising your voice to its regular level. “How would you feel if she suddenly told you that you weren’t able to…work out or something?”

“What?!” Suddenly Aaron looks panicked. “I…I’d die.”  

Okay. Dramatic. But at least this is going the way you want. “Well…I assume she feels the same about her singing then.” 

For a long moment, the merhorse just stares at you. You're not entirely sure what to do, so you just stare back and feel awkward. It's like you can almost see the gears in his mind moving, as his shoulders drop and his entire stance shifts. Though...you're not entirely sure what it shifts to.

“You know, you give good advice, for a human.” Aaron says, moving a bit closer.. “Wanna give me more advice at the bar...tonight?"

...

"What the fuck, man?!" You take a step back. "Am I going crazy or did I not just see you and your ex break up like five minutes ago?"

"Yes." He nods. "And?" 

"And how in the hell did you think that was the time to try and make a move on someone?!"

He shrugs. "I don't like to waste my time." Ugh. You rub your hand over your face. "Okay, fine babe." Oh and now you want to hit him. "I was serious about the advice though. How about we meet after your shift in the bar and you tell me all of your ideas?"

...

"I'm not going on a date with you Aaron." 

"No not a date!" The merhorse nods. "Just a friendly hangout."

“I mean it Aaron.” You say. “Not a date.”

“Of course not, babe.” 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

You regret agreeing to this the moment you do. The idea of hanging out with Aaron feels weird, like hanging out with a fratboy or something. Still, you honour your commitments, so after your shift instead you head into the hotel bar instead of directly for the elevator.It doesn’t take you long to find him. The merhorse is sitting at the bar, looking at his phone. 

“Heyyyy!” He calls out loudly as you walk up. You glance at the two empty cups beside him.

“Started early?” You ask, sitting down beside him.

"You started late!” He counters, winking. “Now you gotta catch up, babe.”

“Hm, I don’t know about that.” You mutter, looking at the prices. Ouch. No wonder Sans wanted a drink here as a reward. Shits expensive. The bartender comes up and you order a -still ridiculously expensive- soda, deciding to just order the one and slowly sip on it. 

Aaron takes the lead in conversation, which works out well for you. You already know the guy can talk. You manage to spend the next twenty or so minutes just nodding your head or giving one-word answers. Then, his phone pings. The merhorse pauses in his sentence, and looks down. 

The vibe switches almost instantly, as he completely abandons conversation to grab his phone. You sip on your drink and watch as his face slowly turns red. 

“And now she’s trying to make me jealous, that bitch!” He exclaims, turning his phone around. You blink a few times before focusing on the screen. It looks like a new social media post. It’s uh, definitely provocative. Shit. Good for her. 

“I mean, maybe, but aren’t you two technically broken up now?” You ask.

“YES BUT-” He starts loudly, voice slurring a bit, before his voice quiets. “But still she…still she shouldn’t be…it’s so soon …” 

“Maybe you should try someone new?” You suggest. “I mean, you guys don’t seem to be healthy together-”

“You’re right!” He sits up, slamming his hands down on the bartop. You wince, hoping he hasn’t just broken his phone. A couple of monsters at a nearby table look over. “I have to make her jealous back!”

“Uh, not exactly what I was-”

Suddenly he’s leaning forward, one of his hands grabbing yours. He looks at you with a gaze full of intent. “Want to make her jealous with me, babe?”

…what? Your breath hitches, muscles in your back quickly tensing as your eyes go wide. Dread fills your stomach like a lead balloon, weighing you down till you can’t move. You’re suddenly frozen, unable to breath, unable to do anything but stare at this weird merhorse. Then, his thumb runs over your palm, and you’re free. 

“Wooah, Aaron.” You jerk your hand back. “The hell?!” 

“Aren’t ya playing hard to get?” He asks, wiggling his eyebrows.

“No.” You frown. “Not at all. Get the fuck back.” 

Heart in your throat, you glance around the room. There aren't many monsters around, and none you know enough to count as a potential ally. 

Aaron seems to deflate. “Oh. Shit. Really?” 

“Really really.” You nod, looking back at him. 

“UGH!” He leans back, turning to slam his head down on the table. “Sorry, babe, misread the signals there.” 

Relief floods your senses, and you feel like you can breathe again. An awkward silence floats between you, but you’ll take that over everything else right now. You turn back to your drink, taking a quick sip as you allow yourself to calm down. 

“Is everything okay over here?” You look up. The bartender -a bird monster- stands in front of both of you, looking critically between you and Aaron. She looks at you, eyes wide and seemingly concerned. 

Maybe you do have some allies here. You offer a small smile. “All good.” 

“Alright. But let me know if you need anything.” She nods and heads back down to the customers at the other end of the bar.

"Okay." You start, turning to look at Aaron. "We need to talk." The merhorse grimaces at your words. "In what way do you think I sent you any signals that I was interested in you?"

"Ouch babe. That hurts." Aaron grumbles. After a long moment, he continues. "I don't know...I just thought you were playin' hard to get."

"Hard to get." You repeat, deadpan. 

"Yea. I mean. You went out of your way to speak to me, to give me advice, to spend your time outside of work with me..."

"That's a friend, Aaron."

"...oh." He sits up and lets out a long breath. The two of you fall back into silence as the merhorse calls the bartender back over. He orders four shots of water magic, and pounds two of them back quickly. He pauses on the third, before looking at you. "Want one?" You shouldn't, but you saw this drink being poured and fuck if this wasn't a really weird night to start with. You reach your hand out and grab a shot, taking it with Aaron.

The silence continues for a bit. Then he speaks. "Listen babe, I don't know what you know about the underground, but it was a pretty tough place." You sit up a bit, surprised at the sudden direction of the conversation. "We didn't really have friends, and if you were interested in someone it made them your weakness. A weakness to exploit. Not a lotta monsters went that route at all. If you did...you had to be very forward about your intentions...and if the other person didn't want to...well...it was obvious." A pause. "Lots of monsters died that way."

That, uh...sounds horrible. Shit.

"Even Aboveground, lotsa monsters still have that mentality." He says. "Navigatin' a world that's had time to develop rules about shit like this, is tough. I hope I haven't put ya off me tonight."  He looks at you. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry I overstepped." 

"Um...wow." You blink, beyond surprised. "That's uh...thanks Aaron. I appreciate it."

It's a bit more comfortable after that, and you sip on your drink while mulling over what he said. Eventually, though, your curiosity does return. “I gotta ask, did you only ask ‘cause I was available?" You ask. Aaron turns to you with a confused look. You elaborate. “Aren’t I a bit different than your usual type?” With that, you gesture at your entire body, but especially your legs.

“That don’t mean much to monsters, babe.” He says. 

You blink. “Really?”

“Nah, too many different species to really think like that. I mean…we all got our preferences, but…” He squints at you. “You definitely meet mine”.

You kick him. Hard. “Stop it.”

“Owe, fuck. Sorry, sorry.” Aaron says, shifting backwards with hands up. “Shame you’re not interested though, you're a right dame.” He sighs, leaning against the bar top. “Preference or not, it’d be nice to hold that record. Definitely woulda got Shyren jealous.”

“...hold what record?”

“The first monster to fuck a human, of course!” 

…

Your mouth drops open, cheeks flushing. “That’s a thing ?!” 

“Fuck yea.” Aaron laughs. “We started talking about it on the Undernet . People were making polls and taking bets and everything.”

“...oh…” You’re not entirely sure what to do with that information. “Well…I’m sure there’s bound to be humans around who’re up to it.”

The rest of the ‘hangout’ is actually pretty fun. When he’s not being overly flirty or pissed off about his ex, the guy isn’t horrible to chill with. It's weird, to be honest. You had originally thought of the guy as almost like a stereotypical 'fratboy' and yea...he did act like it a lot...but there were moments there that he showed a lot of emotional intelligence, more than lots of humans even have.

You still wrap it up when you’re finished your drink though, ready to head back up to your room and wind down before another crazy day tomorrow. The two of you exchange numbers, and you think that you'd probably be up to do it again sometime. Aaron decides to stay longer and drown out his misery in alcohol, so you say a goodbye and head upstairs. 

It takes you a long time to fall asleep, and when you do you’re plagued by memories turned nightmares of faces you’ve long wish you could forget. 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The humans have arrived in Monstertown. It’s sort of a weird thought…since you are very much human yourself, but still. There are not too many of them, but it’s a stark difference to how it was before. At least nobody is causing trouble. So far just ‘tourists’ walking around and pointing at people. Rude. But not aggressive. 

It still puts you on edge. It seems to put everyone on edge. The guests are constantly looking around, worried. Chandace spent the entirety of yesterday's shift outside of her office, ensuring the lobby was in absolute perfect order. Even BP is a bit off, and doesn’t seem nearly as excited as you’d expect him to be when Chandace shortens the hours of operation for the Burger Emporium. 

You’re expecting another very hectic day, so you get up early and decide to go get an actual good coffee before your shift. This time, you’re determined to ask for a drink that isn’t made of spiders. Walking out of MTT Resort, you’re hit by a cool breeze that sends shivers down your spine. It’ll warm up shortly, but right now you regret your light clothing. You walk down the steps and turn to start on your way when a voice rings out. 

“-call the police!” 

You pause, looking around for the voice. It’s early, too early for anything like this. There, at the edge of the park is a well dressed middle-aged human woman. She’s yelling at a monster… a monster in stripes… shit . Quickly, you abandon your coffee plans and make your way over.

“What’s going on?” You ask once in range, looking between the woman and the little lizard monster. 

The woman looks up at your arrival, pauses, looks you up and down critically and then speaks. “This little thing here purposefully tripped me!” 

“I didn’t!” The monster kid exclaims, looking at you. “I just fell! It’s not my fault she wasn’t looking where she was going!”

“Why you little-” The woman starts. 

“Woah, hey. I think we’re getting too worked up here.” You step in, your customer service voice coming on full as you step between the woman and the monster kid. “It was just an accident, ma’am. It happens.”

She turns to you. “An accident?!” Shit, her voice gets louder. “This thing decided to try to grievously injure me and you’re calling it an accident?!” Grievously injure? Wait...did she just call the kid a thing?!?!

Sensing the escalation, you fully step in between her and the Monster kid, hand behind your back waving at the kid to leave. “I really doubt they tried to-”

“Hey-wait! It’s leaving”! The woman shouts -way too loud in your ear, ouch- and takes a step around you. “You! Monster! You have to stay here until the police come!” Turning to look, all you can see is the kids tail as they turn a corner and disappear from sight. 

 You let out a long breath. “Well, that’s that I guess.” 

“No. I called the police." The woman looks at you. " You’ll stay here until they get here.”

You snort. “Absolutely not.” 

“Oh, yes you will!” She grabs your arm, fingers immediately digging in.

Startling, your opposite hand goes up to hers, trying to peel it off of you. “Are you fucking crazy? Let go!”

The woman says nothing, just holding on with that shit-eating grin. Seriously, what the fuck-

“ya should probably what she asks.” A deep, menacing voice behind you. It gets only darker as he continues. "or i'll make you."

Both you and the woman jump, but otherwise have completely separate reactions. Immediately you recognize the voice, and can’t help but feel just a bit calmer than before, even with the threatening tone. The woman, however, looks absolutely petrified. You can’t help but watch with glee as her face contorts into an amazing mix of disgust and horror. 

She lets go stammering “I-I-I-I-I-”. You press your lips together to hold back a laugh as she takes a step back. Another. Another. All without looking away from the monster you know is behind you. Once she’s far enough away, she turns and bolts it down the street. You watch her run, not an ounce of pity or sympathy turning in your body for her. 

Rubbing your arm, you turn around to face him. “Thanks!” You say, looking up with a smile. Oh. Huh. You blink up at him. He looks different…sharper somehow. Not just his teeth, but his whole presence. 

Sans’ eyes are still where the lady had gone. “don’ worry ‘bout it.” 

It’s then that you notice a bit of movement behind the large skeleton. A familiar yellow head pops out from behind. Oh I see… The kid steps out fully. “Thanks for getting him, kid.” You smile. They grin back. 

“what happened?”

At that, both of you are now looking at the Monster Kid. “I dunno!!” They insist, looking straight at Sans. “I was runnin’ in the park with Dee and then I tripped and this human was just yelling at me!!” 

“Did you see her before you tripped?” You ask. 

They shake their head “No!!” Then they pause. “Well… actually …” They start. “I’ve seen her before, but not today!! She’s always round here in the morning, taking pictures.”

“She’s taking pictures?” You ask. The kid just nods so you ask. “...of what?”

The kid shrugs, kicking at the concrete. “I dunno. Everything I guess.” 

…

You share a glance with Sans. That sounds bad, right?

“Can I go now??” They ask, breaking your gaze. The skeleton nods, and the kid is off…surprisingly fast for someone without arms. The two of you remain quiet, watching the kid as they run back into the park until they are completely out of sight. 

Only then do you turn back to him. “Is there…someone we can tell about this?” 

Sans sighs. “not really, unless we wanna get the royal guard fucks involved.” Oh shit. He looks down the street. “let’s spread the word ‘round town, get more eyes on it.”

“Got it.” You nod. "Uh, she said she called the police. Is that...an issue?"

He chuckles, still looking far away. "nah. police dont come here." 

"Ah. Good then." The two of you fall into a small, contemplative silence for a moment, before you continue. “Seriously though, thanks for stepping in.”

“huh?” He blinks, looking back. “i said don’ worry ‘bout it, doll, didn’t i?”

Odd reaction, but okay. “What are you doing up this early anyways?” You ask. “I didn’t really peg you for the early bird type.”

“ ‘m not.” He snorts. “the royal guard has all the sentry’s doin’ fuckin’ patrol right now.” 

“Sentry?”

Sans startles, looking at you with a slightly panicked expression. “uh, yea. the job underground.”

Well, shit...he obviously doesn't want to talk about that. And after what he just did, you don't really feel the want to push. You pocket away that information for later and move on. Pulling out your phone from your pocket, you check the time. Shit. This whole thing took longer than you’d hope. You still have time to get coffee, but not enough to sit down and actually enjoy it before the shift. Ugh.

“Well…can you patrol from Muffets?” You ask. At the skeletons confused look, you continue. “C’mon, bonehead, I’ll buy you something.” 

The confused look only grows, so you reach forward to pull at the arm of his jacket. You are definitely not strong enough to make a monster that big move, but he does. He allows you to pull him into walking with you. You let go once he's beside you, and the two of you quickly make your way back to Muffets Bakery & Cafe. It's not a long walk, but still nice. A few monsters give you really weird looks, but you just shrug it off.

Conversation doesn't start until you're in line, when he makes a jab at you for drinking literal spiders last time. You, of course, refuse to take that lying down and snark right back. It comes natural between you now. The line moves quickly though, and soon the conversation is cut short as you have to make your way back. You go to say goodbye when you realize something. Quickly you log into your phone and open the contact number.

You turn back. "Hey, give me your number."

The lazy grin is expected. "bein' forward today, huh sweetcheeks?" A pause, and he leans forward. "i like it."

Damn. That hits a lot harder after your discussion with Aaron. You ignore the warmth in your cheeks and hold your phone out. "This way I can text you when I'm there to pick you up Wednesday."

He takes your phone and enters his number before passing it back. You check it, glad you do when you see he's put his name as 'Bone Daddy'. Rolling your eyes, you change it to 'Sans' -to his obvious disappointment-, send him a quick text so he has your number and then actually need to go. You say another quick 'goodbye' and head out. 

If you're walking out of Muffets with a small smile on your face, only you would know.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

That night, just before you put your phone away to get some sleep, you get your first text from Sans. 

New Message:

[Sans]: wtf is this?!

A picture comes through next. You frown, clicking on it to load. It takes a few moments, but when it does your jaw drops. It's a screenshot picture of you in snapchat -an app that you no longer have. You're at the bar in MTT Resort, looking away from the camera. You don't have a drink yet, so its early in the night. Honestly it's not a horrible picture of you. The lighting is fine, your face is fine, everything is fine except the caption. You clutch your phone too tight as you read it:

'on a date with this hottie 🍆🍆🍆'

Fucking HELL Aaron!!

[Previous Chapter]

[i-need-a-slurpee]

You guys already know I love spreading my akekita besties agenda

I saw someone post a video about a little porcelain figure they found and it was a crow in a big straw hat and a sweater and behind the crow was several different easels. The person filming the video dubbed the porcelain figure 'vincent van crow' so you see where I'm going with this. (Btw this is an AU where Akechi lives and he works with the phantom thieves because they can see he needs help and they're going to give him that help whether he wants it or not. Canon be damned.)

Akechi and Yusuke walking around different shops because yusuke needs new art supplies and guess who they find sitting on a shelf tucked away behind some miscellaneous items like mason jars and small vases of different dull colors. Vincent Van Crow. Akechi saw him first and thought Yusuke would appreciate the little porcelain figure, unaware of the artist's terrible spending habits. Yusuke would feel the same connection to Vincent Van Crow that he did with his lobsters and abandon the original mission just to buy him, insisting it was destiny. A crow that was a fellow artist, the only one on the shell and who better to point it out to him but Akechi himself.

Despite Akechi's protests that Yusuke's funds are limited and he should focus on finding the supplies for whatever new piece he was working on (it was a watercolor painting, several paintings, of the various different places in the backstreets where lebanc resided) Yusuke insists on buying him. Akechi doesn't quite understand how Yusuke can have such a sentimental attachment to an object he doesn't own yet but he can't afford to argue any longer because he'll lose his cool.

It isn't until they've finished their shopping and are walking back to the train station that he starts to really get it. Not because he had given the porcelain crow any thought but because Yusuke declared that this small, breakable and frankly unimpressive (to akechi at least) figure was a sign of their bond. A representation of different facets of their personalities and how despite the fact that nobody really understood it, Yusuke and Akechi made sense together.

On paper it was strange, an aloof artist and the famous detective prince but looking past the surface gave a glimpse into why they worked so well together. Yusuke was honest, brutally honest he never censored himself because he didn't see the point in doing so, he looked for a deeper meaning in everything which made sense since all art has some meaning behind it. It's second nature for him to evaluate everything he saw on a deeper level. Akechi appreciated having someone like Yusuke in his life because he never worried that Yusuke was using him like everyone else had. Yusuke's unrelenting honestly was a breath of fresh air for akechi, and no matter how hard he tried to convince himself in the beginning he could never fully believe that Yusuke's honesty was an act. He was too genuine and his perceptive abilities made him see past the act Akechi would often put on.

In turn Akechi was very critical, he had to be as a detective, and he was constantly aware of his surroundings. He always kept a look out for any danger and covered all his bases to make sure he could keep himself safe. Which was something Yusuke appreciated because he would often get lost in thought and wander off to various different places because they piqued his interest, he couldn't stay on task like Akechi could.

They helped each other and the time they spent together was time well spent, numerous discussions of various topics being viewed from two different lens. But they still managed to consider the other's position in their discussions, Yusuke would consider the analytical mindset that Akechi had and Akechi would pay more attention to the finer details and emotional aspects of a situation like Yusuke did. It was an odd but wonderful friendship they had.

So on the train ride back to their homes, Akechi considered the porcelain crow and his porcelain easels, the shine of his feathers and the way his beak twisted into a sweet smile and he felt a small warmth fill his heart. Warmth at the thought that his friend, his real friend that he had made on his own, would keep that small crow on a shelf or a table and think of him whenever he saw it. Warmth because he wasn't alone anymore, he was wanted by the people around him. Wanted enough for his friend to buy an insignificant trinket that put an extra expense on his limit supply of money just because it reminded him of the detective. Warmth because he was loved.

Your honor that's their son, they coparent him for tax benefits

[finn-m-corvex]

Whumptober 2023 Day 15 - Makeshift Bandages

FINAL ONE OF THE BATCH! Congrats folks, if you've read every single one of these you have officially read 30k words worth of my work in a matter of hours. If you want to be included in the taglist for the next batch please let me know so I can put you on the list!

@splinnters final tag until the next batch because I already know you're going to want to be there!

Words: 2.1k

Jay felt it as soon as he tried to move his leg.

It took everything in him to not scream as the wooden plank shifted, and he grit his teeth when he pushed himself up on his elbows. There was unfamiliar sand piled under him; it must’ve been what cushioned their fall from the sky.

Where were they, exactly?

He spit out a mouthful of sand, finally turning back to see what was wrong with his leg.

And had to quickly look away because the sight almost made him sick.

“Gotta fix it, Jay,” he said to himself, steeling his nerves and looking again. He saw the plank that was pinning the limb in place, noticing that it was one of the destroyed Bounty’s floorboards. With shaking hands, he reached out to grab the end of it, his back twinging in protest and the cuts on his arms stinging. It took a firm yank to dislodge it, and this time he couldn’t contain a small scream as the wood left large splinters behind, buried in his skin.

Definitely wasn’t the worst injury his leg had ever suffered, but damn it was up there.

With another pull, his leg was technically free, and Jay took a proper look at it. It was scraped to high heaven, leaking fresh blood onto the sand and staining it a dark brown. There were large patches of skin missing, and Jay could feel every grain of sand settle itself into the injury, almost like they were burrowing into his muscles. He felt nauseous watching the exposed muscles flex when he tried to move it, and suddenly his vision was tunneling and his air supply was running out as his chest turned inside out.

Oh, he could not afford to start panicking right now.

“Guys!” he shouted, leaning against one of the ship walls that he happened to land near. He hated the way his voice cracked, but there was nothing he could do. “Guys! Anybody?!”

Now that he was paying attention he could feel all of the scrapes along his chest, his back ripped open like he was dragged along a cheese grater. Somehow his gi was almost completely intact despite the damage to his body, and Jay would be lying if he said he wasn’t at least a little bitter about the fact that his clothing seemed to be more durable than him.

“Jay?” he heard Kai yell, but as soon as he tried to answer back his leg twitched hard; it felt like someone had lit it on fire. Instead of calling out Jay screamed, hand going to clutch at his leg in desperation for the pain to stop.

That was a bad idea. Jay’s head was swimming, and he swayed dangerously from the bolt of pain shooting up from his calf where his hand had landed. The feeling of blood coating his hand was far too familiar in the worst of ways, and Jay hurried to pull it back and scrub it on his gi.

Except it wasn’t coming off.

Why wasn’t it coming off?!

“Cole, Zane, I found him!” Kai shouted, rocketing around the corner of the wall. He slipped on the sand, stumbling, catching himself and paling as he took in Jay’s condition. “Shit, holy shit. Get some bandages! We got a man down!”

He would’ve laughed if he had the oxygen. Why were Kai’s zingers always so terrible?

Kneeling down next to the blue ninja, Kai looked him over, and Jay could feel his warm hands ghosting up and down his back as he tried to guage how injured Jay was. “Jay, Jay can you talk to me? Say something, please, I gotta know if you hit your head or not.”

Jay clumsily nodded his head, shutting his eyes and trying to control his dizziness. Panic threatened to overtake him, but he kept running. The world needed to stop spinning before he did anything else. “You got water?”

Looking relieved, Kai pushed some of his curls out of his face. “Yeah, yeah I think we found some. It’s on the way.”

“I know I hit my head,” Jay said, reaching up with a shaky hand to massage his sore jaw. It clicked softly, but the pressure rocked Jay’s vision like it was on a ratchet joint. “But I dunno how hard.”

“I’ll check for a bump,” and Kai did just that, running a single hand over Jay’s scalp. He didn’t find anything, but he was startled when Jay threw his own hand away from his face. Jay’s face lost its color, breathing turning stuttery as the blood ran down his cheek where his hand had been pressed against his skin.

There was blood on his face.

His blood on his face.

“Kai,” Jay said breathlessly, groping around and latching into the fire ninja’s knee, “Kai-”

But Kai already knew what he was going to say. He took a corner of his red gi and wiped Jay’s face as gently as he could, making soft shushing noises as Jay whimpered. “I got it, Jay, don’t worry.”

Zane finally showed his face around the corner, and the nindroid’s look of alarm only made Jay even dizzier. “What happened?” he demanded, sinking down in the sand next to Kai. He started analyzing the debris stacked around the three of them, and Jay cried out when Zane tried to move one of the large pieces of metal his leg happened to be leaning on.

The cry attracted Cole, who was hauling a large and mostly intact crate filled with various bits and bobs that Jay could not be bothered to identify right now. “Jay!” his best friend cried, dropping the crate and rushing to Kai’s side. Jay should’ve been relieved to see all of his brothers alive and well, but there was only the impending feeling of vomit coming up his throat as he watched his leg glisten with fresh blood. Anxiety tended to have that effect when left unattended.

“Move,” he gasped, shoving Kai to the side, “move-”

And not even a second later and he was emptying his guts into the sand, watching it turn from a fine gold to a disgusting mustard. Kai thumped his back, and Jay could hear garbled words from Zane even if he didn’t know what the nindroid was saying. Too much effort.

“-find bandages. We cannot leave his leg like this,” Zane said firmly.

“Yeah, no shit Sherlock,” Jay spat out another glob of gross body stuff, Kai being the only thing holding him up after the red ninja had moved to sit behind his back. “Hurts like a bitch, though.”

“I bet,” Cole said sympathetically, face pallid from looking at Jay’s injury for too long. “At least you still have it.”

“Did you want me to lose it?!”

“No! I’m just saying it could be worse!”

“If his leg becomes infected,” Zane popped in, “and gets any worse, then we may have to consider amputation. Jay could still very well lose his leg.”

“What I’m going to lose is my fucking lunch if you keep talking about cutting my leg off,” because for as brave of a face as Jay was putting on, the idea of amputation terrified him. He was sure that they would build him a prosthetic, but would he still be able to be a ninja? Could he still save people? Would he even be able to work properly? Amputation and anxiety were not a good mix, what a no-brainer.

Kai snorted. “I think you already lost it, bro.”

“Amputation is the last possible option,” Zane assured, patting Jay’s uninjured knee and squeezing lightly. “Cole, did we find anything that can work as a bandage?”

The earth ninja started rummaging through the crate, looking for any sort of anything that they could patch Jay up with, but Jay was suddenly tilting to the side as his vision went topsy-turvy, and Kai was the only thing keeping him from dropping like a stone into the vomit-soaked sand.

Blood loss, his brain supplied helpfully, and Jay groaned from the dizziness that overwhelmed him. Everything was moving in circles, and he barely recognized Kai snapping his fingers right in front of his face. He was trying to get Jay’s attention.

“Shit,” Kai muttered from behind him after seeing how unresponsive the blue ninja was, and he thought quickly. “Zane, give me your sleeve.”

“What?”

“Just trust me,” Kai reached for his own gi sleeve, tearing it off at the seams. He quickly ripped the sleeve open so that it was completely flat, and while normally Kai would’ve done anything to keep his gi intact this situation was an emergency. Zane mirrored his actions on his own sleeve and handed it to Kai, who quickly tied them together. Jay’s head thunked against his chest, and Kai started panicking upon seeing his brother’s closed eyes.

He shook Jay harshly, eliciting a pained groan. “Jay, stay awake. We need to keep an eye on you.”

Frowning, Jay squinted up at Kai’s face. “I am awake, just dizzy. I don’t want to see everything spinning.”

Kai startled when Cole took the makeshift bandages out of his hands, adding his own black piece to the mix. Cole didn’t have sleeves, but he still tore off a large chunk from the strap over his shoulder, letting the front of his gi fall down and expose a couple scratches across his chest; they were nothing compared to Jay’s wound.

Handing it over to Zane, Cole reached for Jay’s limp hand, lacing their fingers together. “Squeeze if you need to, Sparky. This is gonna hurt.”

“Huh? What’s gonna- '' Jay didn’t finish his sentence before he screamed, and Kai was suddenly very hyperaware of the fact that they were in the open. They didn’t know what was in this realm, dangerous or otherwise, and they were sitting ducks with Jay downed like this. Any sort of sound alerting others to their weakness needed to be shut down.

Fumbling around, Kai’s hand eventually closed around a good-sized stick, and he hastily shoved it into Jay’s mouth and told him to bite down on it. Jay whined but did as he was told, strangling the life out of Cole’s hand while Zane wrapped his leg as quickly as he could. It was one of the longest five minutes of Kai’s life, watching as his little brother squirmed and sobbed and knowing that there was nothing he could do to make it better.

“Where’s Wu?” Kai asked as Zane finished, tying the makeshift bandage off with a tight knot and checking it over once more. Cole reached up to take the stick out of Jay’s mouth, grimacing at the splinters that it left behind and the drool leaking down his chin. He wiped away the drool and Jay’s tears as gently as he could.

Zane kept rubbing Jay’s knee to try and comfort him. “He is safe, don’t worry. Cole and I left him in the shelter.”

“Should we try to move Jay to the shelter?” Kai asked, smoothing his hands over his smaller brother’s sides and kissing the back of his head. Jay’s hair was covered in sand but Kai didn’t care; his brother needed the comfort.

“Give him a minute,” Cole said quietly, noticing the way Jay’s chest was heaving, sweat dripping down his brow and the collar of his shirt. He tugged out all of the splinters that he could find, aided by Zane, until there were none left that he could see. Kai kept Jay still, rocking them back and forth as gently as he could.

They heard a roar in the distance, and Kai’s grip tightened out of fear. “We need to move. Cole, get him up, but be careful.”

He and Zane kept a careful watch while Cole took Jay from Kai, debating the best way to carry the blue ninja to safety. Eventually deciding on just a simple carry, he hooked his arm under Jay’s back and the other under his knees, lifting. Jay’s head flopped onto Cole’s shoulder, and Cole could feel his brother’s eyelashes against his skin as his eyes blinked open.

“We’re going somewhere?” he mumbled, hand latching onto Cole’s shirt out of pure instinct.

“Yeah, bud. There’s a shelter nearby that we’re taking you to,” Cole said, starting the brisk walk across the desert sands to the Bounty’s cabin where they had left little Wu, “so just work with me, okay? It’ll be over soon.”

“Okay,” Jay said, and Cole could tell that he was trying to be quiet despite every movement of his leg eliciting a small whimper; it wasn’t long before Jay had his buried in the crook of Cole’s neck, and Cole did his best to ignore the blood leaking through the makeshift bandages and onto the sand below. 

He just hoped that dragons or Oni or whatever else lived in this realm couldn’t smell the blood to track them.

[thevoiceofthebard]

Chapter 5 - Sven I: Before The Storm

Sundas, 17th of Last Seed 4E201 Early Evening

Sven

I never particularly liked my hometown of Riverwood. Perhaps it's because of the constant state of twilight the town lives in, nestled between two of the tallest mountain ridges in Skyrim. Perhaps it's the fact that I was never the rough type, like the other children I grew up with, who always wanted to play Guards and Bandits.

Maybe it's the overwhelming presence of my mother.

Whatever the cause, no one was surprised when I leapt at the chance to leave when I'd heard the Bard's College in Solitude was searching for applicants. I scrounged together all the spare septims I had earned from doing odd jobs around town, and left despite my mother's protests. Solitude and the College were beyond anything I'd ever seen before. And when I completed my training, my freedom became infinite. I would travel wherever I desired, from Markarth to Winterhold. I even travelled to High Rock and Cyrodiil. Every inn would trade me a meal and a bed from a night of revelry. And of course, the beds were plenty large enough for two; I rarely spent a night cold and alone. It was so severed from my childhood, and I loved every minute.

And I despise every minute I waste away here in Riverwood once more.

I'll admit it's hardly the worst place I've plied my trade. Winterhold comes to mind; no amount of the finest Blackbriar Reserve promised by the innkeeper could convince me to spend another bitter cold night amongst those equally bitter mages and malcontents. I look around from the porch of my mother's house. Here, at least, the weather is serene, the patrons are boisterous, and that old haggler Delphine pays me a decent wage for my nights at the inn. Good Colovian Brandy, too. Not that Honnngbrew swill from down the road. Too bad all the women in town were married and, more importantly, faithful. (Not altogether too terrible a problem, hard to avoid a cuckolded husband when you live mere houses away.)

From the corner of my eye, I notice movement at the Riverwood Trader. Lucky me, the one unattached woman in all Riverwood is arranging wares in plain view. Camila Valerius. A gorgeous Imperial woman who opened the store with her brother sometime during my absence. Despite my best efforts, and her obvious interest, I've yet to entice her into bed. I've had more than my fair share of rejection, from whispered apologies to slaps and thrown drinks. But this... This is different. I've never pined after the local tavern wench, or felt pangs of jealousy when they flirted with other men or mer. I wonder when I realized I was courting Camila rather than merely chasing her skirt.

It's due to this recent realization I find myself scowling, despite her presence nearby. Not because of Camila, but because of another man, chopping wood just across the path, thankfully out of sight. A rival of love, and the main obstacle standing between myself and Camila. Faendal. The damned pointy-eared tree-hugger somehow managed to worm his way into Camila's life. And for some gods-awful reason, she seems just as interested. I silently seeth as I furtively glare at the wood elf, working away in silence. What she sees in the waif-ish fool, I can't tell. Even now, he's lazing about, chatting up some stranger in robes. But their private conversations and shared laughter during my sets at the inn make it all too clear how close they are growing. It's unbearable.

I hear a yelling from behind me, startling me out of my silent animosity. Reluctantly I face the second roadblock to my romance. My mother.

"A dragon! I saw a dragon!" She raves, pointing to the sky.

For a moment, I'm completely puzzled. "What? What is it now, mother?"

"It was as big as the mountain, and black as night. It flew right over the barrow!"

Gods, it's getting worse. "Dragons, now, is it? Please, mother, if you keep on like this, everyone in town will think you're crazy." The fact that she undeniably was touched in the head notwithstanding. "And I've got better things to do than listen to more of your fantasies."

With that, my mother droops her head and shuffles away, muttering under her breath petulantly; "You'll see. It was a dragon. It'll kill us all, and then you'll believe me."

My mother. The bane of my life. I'd been sojourning in Cyrodiil when a courier found me, bearing a letter that mother had contracted Brain Fever. I rushed home, expecting a funeral, but instead finding a brain-addled parent who had survived almost certain death. Whether blessing or curse, I was unsure, considering it left her incapable of caring for herself.

And so I remain.

...

"She's right, you know."

I near jump straight out of my clothes at the sudden voice behind me, turning to find the stranger from earlier standing just over my shoulder. "S...Sorry?"

"About the dragon. She did see one. I'm Talao, by the way."

I take his proffered hand instinctively. "Sven. I'm sorry, but did you just say my mother actually saw a dragon? Surely, you jest. It's not possible; dragons have been extinct since the Second Era."

"Ah, true. I suppose the flaming ruins of Helgen were assaulted by a figment of my imagination then."

I laugh nervously, but the man's expression doesn't change. "By the gods, you're serious. Helgen gone?" Visions of Riverwood going the way of Helgen flashed before my eyes, and I had to repress a shudder. "You had best tell the Jarl in Whiterun. He needs to know about this."

"Most certainly, Sven. But I need your help with something, and that fellow Faendal said you might be able to assist me." I must not have been able to disguise my disgust at the mention of the damned elf, as he continues, "Faendal made the same face before he mentioned your name. Bad blood?"

Frankly, I wasn't sure how much I should tell the man. Gossip is always less enticing when the subject is yourself. But along the same lines, my love life is hardly a secret in this town, and he'd be certain to hear about the particulars soon enough. And better he take my side than that wretched wood-elf. Mayhap he could even help me somehow. "I suppose you could say we're rivals of love. Camila Valerius knows I'm the best man in Riverwood. That elf is kidding himself if he thinks she would choose him over me. I've seen him sneaking over to the Riverwood Trader to speak with her when I'm not around. He's wasting his time."

A wry look appears on Talao's face. "Yes, two people spending time together never blossoms into courtship."

His response peeves me. "Is that sarcasm? I've heard better wisecracks from Orgnar, and I've never seen him smile." At this, Talao bursts into laughter, rather than become insulted. It puts me at ease, knowing he can take a barb in good nature. "Still, you have a point. Camila letting Faendal visit her isn't a good thing for me."

"What do you plan to do about it? Though, far be it from me to intrude on your business..."

Yes, he could definitely help me. "Perhaps... I could forge a letter filled with venemous nonsense. If you delivered it to Camila and claimed it was from Faendal, she'd be sure to spurn his advances." I almost laugh at the simplistic brilliance of it.

However, instead of agreement, I found myself faced with silence. "I do hope that wasn't your final plan."

Confusion. Irritation. "And why not?"

"You seem under the impression she'll take the letter at face value," he says, crossing his arms. "But what if she confronts Faendal about it? Or if he seeks her out?"

This gives me pause, as my mind reels at the possibilities. "He might convince her he didn't write it. And I'd be the obvious suspect."

"Aye. You'd likely come off as rather childish and desperate."

"Driving Camila further into Faendal's arms." I sigh, my good mood deflating. "God's what a fool I am. What am I supposed to do?"

"Do you love her?"

Do I love her? What an asinine question. But before I fire off a witty retort, I realize his question is one I had never truly considered before. Camila was a beautiful woman, to be sure. But had I ever regarded her as... more? Someone to spend the rest of my life with, rather than a night or two of passion?

The answer came more quickly than I would have imagine. "Yes. I do."

Talao's face breaks out into a broad smile. "Then what are you waiting for? Go tell her so. As only a bard can."

As only a bard can? "Well, I had been composing a ballad for her..."

"Rubbish. Toss it."

"Pardon? You just said..."

Still the grin doesn't leave his face. "Composing is far too cerebral for a declaration of love. Save it for an anniversary or a wedding. Find your lass, and spill your heart to her. Let your emotions flow like a stream, and the sincerity will do far more than any mere couplet."

It all seems... Too simple. I want to protest, to tell him of every barrier that stands between us, but he interrupts me once more; "No, no protestations, no excuses. Whatever you may think is holding you back, it's nothing that will dissuade her if she truly returns your feelings."

Somehow, his words inspire me with the confidence I had been lacking. "If this works, you can have whatever it is that you had planned to ask me for earlier." I've never wanted to be in someone's debt more than this minute.

Chapter 4 - Hadvar II: Before The Storm x Chapter 6 - Ralof II: Before The Storm

[divinemissem13]

The Heat Is On In LA

2024 Eight Character No True Pair Challenge Fandom: Star Trek Voyager, The Closer Pair: Kathryn Janeway & Brenda Leigh Johnson Word Count: 1,173 Prompt: beating the heat

Kathryn looks down over the boardwalk at the throngs of people walking, skating, biking, and dancing in the hot sun. They don't appear to be bothered by the heat, but then they are all dressed for it. She could kill Tom Paris for picking out this white polyester pant suit. Not only does it seem a bit out of date, but the synthetic fabric is sticking to her in all the wrong places, plastered to her skin by sweat. This is decidedly not the right outfit for a day at the beach in 20th century LA.

No wonder this entire city got swallowed up by the ocean, Kathryn thinks bitterly as she peels the damp strands of her ponytail off of her neck, hoping to at least catch a breeze on what little bare skin she has. No such luck though because in addition to the heat, the air is oppressively stagnant and as an extra bonus, smells faintly of exhaust and burnt rubber.

Kathryn sighs and attempts to sneak another look at her tricorder. It's hard to go unnoticed when she already sticks out like a sore thumb in this stupid suit. Briefly, she wonders if maybe Tom was wrong about this too — if maybe it wouldn't be so odd for her to be looking at a hand held device out in the open — but decides it's better not to chance it as she ducks her head to peek inside her jacket, hoping that she doesn't look too terribly suspicious.

If she has to hear Tau explain the forensic evidence on this case one more time, Brenda is going to scream. They have been sitting in this van for four hours (only four?!?) and they still have another two before Buzz and Gabriel show up to take over. There has been absolutely zero criminal activity, she ran out of candy an hour ago, and she is pretty sure that the air conditioning is malfunctioning.

Brenda doesn't often admit to being wrong, but she really should have listened to Fritz this morning when he said that the team could handle this one without her. It's just that she hadn't really wanted to spend the day with Fritz either, shopping for new sheets or towels or something, so off to the stakeout she went. And now, she's paying for it.

Brenda adjusts her glasses and squints at the screen. She is looking for any excuse to get out of this oven and she finds one. "What's that woman doin' over there?" she asks, pointing to a woman who keeps looking at something inside of her blazer and then looking over her shoulder as if she's being watched (well, she is being watched but that's beside the point).

"I don't know, Chief. But you know, DNA indicated that we are looking for a male latino, so-"

"I'm gonna check it out anyway," Brenda interrupts with a tone that leaves no room for argument. "Looks like she's got a camera. Maybe she got something useful without even realizin' it."

Before Tau can protest again, Brenda is out of the van and squinting into the bright California sun. She probably should have grabbed her sunglasses, but she's not going back now so instead she marches herself over to the woman in the white pants suit (Sharon would be proud because even Brenda can tell that it's out of fashion. Although the suspect does wear it well).

"Excuse me, ma'am, I'm Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson of the LAPD and I was hopin' I might get a look at whatever you've got on that camera." Brenda tries to act casual, despite the fact that she began this conversation by giving her full name and title, but she's never really been good at casual.

It doesn't seem like this woman is too good at casual either because she appears to grow about a foot taller as her face morphs into a no nonsense expression of authority. Her hands go behind her back in what Brenda recognizes as a military stance and she is all at once intimidated and intrigued. Who is this woman?

"Captain Kathryn Janeway of the… of the Bloomington Police Department," Kathryn declares, deflating just a little as she stumbles over the name of her department. She drops her arms to her side and smiles crookedly. "Sorry, reflex. I'm just here for a visit. And I'm afraid I haven't taken any pictures today."

If Kathryn wasn't sweating before, she certainly is now. She's trying to fly under the radar and instead practically gives her full name and serial number to a police officer? And a deputy chief too, which, if she had to guess from the look of pride on the other woman's face definitely outranks a captain in this hierarchy.

She curses Tom again for coming up with this ridiculous outfit, and for leaving her all alone out here. Where the hell is he anyway? They were supposed to be doing a quick perimeter search but it's definitely been more than the agreed upon five minutes.

Kathryn looks back at Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson who was not deterred by Kathryn's lack of photographs and in fact is now squinting at her, as if trying to figure Kathryn out. That really won't do. She needs a distraction.

Kathryn gathers her ponytail again and pulls it over her shoulder, hoping to create at least a small breeze with the motion. When that doesn't work, she begins to fan herself desperately with her hand. "Sure is hot out here!" Kathryn mentally kicks herself. Why is it so easy for her to open diplomatic negotiations with a hostile alien species and yet so difficult for her to make small talk with one single human woman?

Brenda still doesn't know quite what to make of this woman, but she is pretty sure that she doesn't have any sort of involvement in her case. She is definitely intriguing though — far more intriguing than listening to Tau drone on for another two hours. She glances back at the windowless van where she knows Tau is watching, waiting for her to return, and she comes to a decision.

"Well, Captain, from one police officer to another, how 'bout I show you where to get the best ice cream on the boardwalk?"

Kathryn almost says no. She should stay put and wait for the rest of the away team to return. But it is so hot she can barely think straight. And on a day like this, refusing ice cream would certainly be more suspicious than accepting, right? Right.

"Do they have coffee ice cream?" she asks with a grin.

The deputy chief shrugs, "Probably. I always go for the double chocolate chip myself."

"Lead the way!" she declares magnanimously and then she follows without even a glance over her shoulder. She's the captain, after all. If the rest of the team gets back before she does, they can damn well wait for her in the scorching heat.

[nursc]

@tuhpring asked : [ call out ] sender calls out to receiver to help them in a moment of grave danger / (the angst potential ahhh)

the information comes in fits and spurts, finding its way to every corner of the ship despite its supposedly confidential nature. the news is greeted with a mixture of shock and discomfort, the idea that an old beacon of knowledge and power could fall to a faceless enemy, without warning, almost impossible to comprehend.

more reports reach them the closer they get to the eye of the storm, some of them contradictory, some of them bordering on fantasy, but when there is a moment of silence, they can at least stop and put together what they all agree on:

it is already too late.

vulcan has fallen.

it is the gorn.

pelia is pushing the engine to the brink, frizzy blonde hair spiraling around her as she steals bits and pieces from seemingly random locations. no one stops her. not when she gets more speed of the ship every time. the bridge is as silent as a crypt, while sickbay is the opposite, everyone rushing around to ready beds, conducting their own crazy experiments on the tech to get the emergency transport to extend its reach.

and right in the middle, barking orders like a war general — which, maybe, despite her denials and inhuman suppression, she is — is christine. the enterprise set-up is meant for peace, for treating each patient like they are the only thing that matters. this is how starfleet trains its doctors. but it is now how you save people during a war, and she cut her teeth in the worst of the worst. she knows better. with ruthless efficiency, she gives a crash course in emergency medicine to the rest of the staff, rearranging the set up for ease, all the while praying under her breath.

it is a selfish sort of prayer. not worthy of any god or of a medical officer who should be focusing on saving every single vulcan still trapped on the planet. no, her prayers are reserved for the safety of one person.

and though she does not deserve it, her prayers are answered. a god she doesn't even believe in finds enough time to protect one soul when thousands perish by the hour.

joseph pulls her out the floor, steady hand on her arm as he whispers he’ll take over, motioning with his eyes for her to go into his office. if anyone else interrupted her, there’d be hell to pay, protests and downright refusal to comply at least. there is no time to waste, but before she can form one word, she catches sight of his eyes. brown hues are as familiar as her own, more so, in fact. she finds there what she was waiting for, and it takes everything in her not to run.

the quality of the image is terrible, flickering in and out of focus as she approaches. dark clouds swirl behind the figure, sapping away the light of the afternoon sun, leaving the red-tinted planet clouded in perpetual darkness. but it doesn't matter, she'd know her even blind. the screen crackled again, the image sharpening, and she looked at t’pring. tired, weary, alive. the sight gave her permission to finally breathe. the blank expression in his eyes, a mask of professionalism she adopted to hide the panicked worry inside her heart faded in a blink, blue eyes gleaming with unshed tears as her fingers reached forward to touch the screen.

❛⠀ ⠀you’re alive. ⠀ ❜ ⠀

"YOU'RE THE ONLY PERSON I CAN TURN TO" PROMPTS

[violasgamingpalace]

Radiant Dawn Thoughts 1-1

I assume they don't, but Sothe talking about Sacrifice having to be hidden makes me wonder if any of the other members of the Dawn brigade knows Micaiah is branded. It would be a whole thing in part 3 if they knew, so I guess they just kinda accept sacrifice without knowing it.

Edward is dumb and idealistic, Leonardo is smug and Cynical, and Nolan is the smart one with facial hair. Works fine to establish exposition for the political landscape.

"Hey, Edward Kinda sucks, leave him in the back he's weak". True statement though Nolan has given me plenty of game overs on this map. Mostly because of his terrible steel axe making him unable to double and clear enemies out.

I want that village. I'm sure it has garbage but... I don't totally remember .. what if it's really good actually! It takes Leonardo awhile to join the main squad if he grabs it though, so it's def not worth it. (I checked after beating the map. It's a vulnerary, I'll be fine without it. Leo is very necessary to help out in hard mode)

Strategy was Nolan tanks the front line and softens up enemies, everyone else gets kills. Had to do some trades and unit positions to keep it working but cleared out the map easily enough.

I really like the "Daein civilians stand up to soldier scene". Really helps to sell the population that was just "Racist assholes" in the first game. Now they're racist assholes, who are being occupied (and you were clearing the way for the occupiers in the first game). I remember a (Bad) discourse with people calling the scene unrealistic bc.... A colonizing force wouldn't murder the civilian population for protesting... I suppose it's nice I haven't seen that idea floated around recently.

Micaiah and Sothe are kinda endearing in this chapter. I usually don't care for them together, but I like Sothe constantly worrying about Micaiah, while she doesn't care about herself at all, sacrificing herself time and again for her "Community". It's really great when it pays off in part 3.

I'll probably write up the fanfic on Sothe's perspective, despite him not showing up in gameplay. He does a good chunk, and Edward, Nolan, and Leonardo didn't do anything standout in gameplay. And I'm not gonna pretend ponytail boss man is giving me anything besides having a ponytail.

New Unit breakdown:

Nolan is here now! He's the one "Good" Dawn Brigade member. He's strong enough to be a fine endgame unit in fact, and will contribute the rest of his chapters too. Nolan is the easiest unit to train up (that requires training) for 3-6, especially with his prf axe. I usually use him a ton, but hard mode is pretty unkind to him.

Nolan suffers a lot from that lowered experience gain, and if you're using more than 1 of the meh part 1 units, he just can't get enough experience to be decent. Still, credit for being the Best (non-Jill) tier 1 unit?

[mistwraiths]

3 stars

A Fragile Enchantment has everything I would like but somehow, this didn't hit the mark for me. It had regency, romance, political plot, and magic. I do think that for some people they will eat this up and that's PERFECTLY FINE and I love that for them. However, I can't always turn my brain off and when I find myself disliking characters it makes it harder to enjoy.

This book didn't really dive into these big topics it brought up. Niamh is Machish (Irish) and her people have been treated terribly by the Avish (English), enough so that there's been a major walkout and protests. Niamh is suffering from an illness caused by using her magical ability lots that will make her die quicker, and it's mentioned that it happens within magical bloodlines. The royal Carmine family is nearly bankrupt and despite a throwaway line about the Parliament mostly running the country/government in the beginning, and the fact that somehow the Prince Regent Jack has kept everything quiet about it so no one not even the advisors know about it and everyone is just like Jack loves to control everything. Even Jack's and Kit's terrible childhood and Kit's alcoholism is a topic brought up. But if you think ANY of these get anything in depth other than a gloss over of we'll have to figure something out and oh yeah Kit only smokes now, prepare to be disappointed.

This makes the conclusion of this story so lame. Nothing actually gets fixed or better. Congrats Kit and Niamh are married. They're still broke and not paying servants. The Machish are still being treated terribly, what will become of the reparations and better pay and practices, who knows. The illness is still there and like, okay I appreciate the terminal illness not being magicked away and I'll touch more on this a bit later.

I do appreciate the message this book mostly pushes about being kind to yourself and gentle to yourself and allowing yourself to live and be happy even if it's selfish. You deserve that because what kind of life is that and that isn't fair. However sometimes the people that are telling Niamh, who is working SO DAMN HARD on so much work that makes her ill and die quicker, to slow down and have fun etc are the SAME DAMN PEOPLE who employed her to do massive amounts of work on a strict timeline. It just felt VERY ridiculous.

I liked all the side characters actually but I really couldn't get behind Niamh or Kit. Niamh annoyed me so much and I know it's partly because I don't enjoy extremely sensitive and emotional characters. I just felt constantly like I was being told Niamh felt this and then this and then this so strongly she started crying! Half the times I was just like that's not professional throughout the book. Also Niamh is so clumsy she trips on air and never sleeps or eats because she's so busy is just all annoying traits to me. Kit is just... I didn't fall for him. He turned red a lot.

Overall, this was cute but I didn't enjoy it much. This is my second Allison Saft I didn't super enjoy so I don't think her books are for me.

[shadowsshowdown]

Deus Ex: Human Revolution Shadow’s Showdown 66

The blue among black.

Detroit. Connor's apartment.

Laura stood a few steps away from the Aston Martin, expecting an answer. During her visit to Rupert, she had almost forgotten that her wounds had not yet healed, and now they reminded her about their presence with a piercing pain twisting her mouth in an unnatural grimace. The whole situation overwhelmed the woman more and more, and Connor wasn't making anything easy for her.

"We'll talk about it at home, okay?" he suggested with calmness in his voice. "You're tired, and barely staying on your feet because of the pain. Please don't protest."

A long, loud sigh answered him. Calm, Dale always was calm. Sometimes even suspiciously and unnaturally as if someone had programmed him, she thought. The woman nodded and got into the car. Had it not been for the pain, their conversation would have turned into an argument, one of those similar to a hurricane. During all the travel they remained silent. Dale decided not to try to change this fact and focused on driving the car, which moved smoothly on the asphalt and braked gently at pedestrian crossings and red lights. Even when he stepped on the gas to overtake the car in front of them, he did so with great accuracy. At such moments, it's better to take a step back than to impose himself by talking about the weather. He turned on the radio but as soon as the first words of a song came from the speakers he immediately regretted it.

In our headlights, staring, bleak, beer cans, deer's eyes On the asphalt underneath, our crushed plans and my lies Lonely street signs, power lines, they keep on flashing, flashing by (flashing)

The lies, his lies, with which he fed Laura, were unforgivable, and being aware of this, he continued to press on with this shit. He continued pretending to be a model friend and a knight on a white horse. Someday shit will hit the fan, and the price he would pay would be enormous. He reached out looking for the button to turn off the radio when he felt the touch of her hand on his.

"Leave it on. I like this song," she said quietly.

So he had to continue to endure this torture but despite his desire, he did not protest. He bit his lip so hard that he immediately felt the sweet-metallic taste of blood in his mouth.

And we keep driving into the night, It's a late goodbye, such a late goodbye And we keep driving into the night, it's a late goodbye

When they reached the house, he helped her take off her jacket and shoes. In doing so, he expected a terrible argument, but Laura was calm. Too calm for what she had accustomed him to. She marched to the bathroom and then straight to bed before he had time to suggest it to her. Dressed in his pyjamas, he joined her moments later, handing her a mug of hot cocoa.

"Wounds bothered you a lot when we were at Rupert's?" he asked, turning a grey mug in his hands. For her, he prepared a blue one. He bought it on purpose, though he knew it would disturb the harmonies of the grey. Maybe that's not a bad thing? "Yes and no," she replied. "I forgot about the pain for a while, but then it reminded me about its existence."

Connor turned the mug in his hands again, giving by that an expression of nervousness, and looked at his reflection peering at the surface of the brown liquid. "I didn't tell you about Adam and the funeral because I saw the state you were in. I knew it would have killed you. I was afraid, so damn afraid. That's why I kept silent."

Honesty, a step forward, a step toward being a better person. Am I sure I’m still human? Where does humanity end? Maybe I am already a machine? - these questions have haunted him for many years. He set his mug down on the nightstand and wanted to go to sleep but when he turned his head he encountered Laura's green, sparkling eyes. They seemed unnaturally large and extraordinarily beautiful to him. They attracted him, hypnotized him, tempted him. He fought the temptation, although anyone else in his position would certainly have given up without a fight and seized the opportunity. He wouldn't, despite how close they had become in recent times. Despite how much events had brought them together. He trembled more and more overwhelmed with fear.

Your breath hot upon my cheek and we crossed that line

He did not know when it happened, but their lips joined in a long, passionate kiss. His struggle proved futile, and he felt bad about it. It went against all his principles, yet he couldn't break the moment. They had already kissed at Sarif's ball, but then it was completely different. It was just a game. At least that's how he explained it. He wanted to push Laura away, but his hands froze in mid-motion. The body stopped listening to commands. It gave up.

You made me strong when I was feeling weak and we crossed that one time Screaming stop signs, staring wild eyes, keep on flashing, flashing by (flashing)

Her lips were soft and sweet, perfectly balancing the bitterness ingrained in him. Laura was very forceful, perhaps even slightly insistent. He could have sworn she stroked his palate with her tongue, but maybe it was his imagination that was more creative than usual. They lingered like this in non-being, somewhere between waking up and dreaming, in a stagnant silence broken only by the hum of cars that passed by his house from time to time. When he decided to get carried away with the moment and accepted that he was lost, she cut the kiss by pushing him away slightly.

"I'm sorry, that was inappropriate. I don't know what I was thinking. I'm stupid." She looked away, embarrassed, blushing, beautiful. "We're just humans, and humans do all sorts of strange things. Apparently we both needed it," Connor replied calmly, though he did not know by what miracle he was able to put aside his emotions. Embarrassment came later and was even greater when he realized he had used the word "both." "I gave you unnecessary hope," she said. "Nonsense. We've known each other for a while. If there was going to be a fiery feeling between us, it would have happened long ago." He lied. The feeling had long since burst into flame, but only he knew about it. "But…" "Forget about it," his voice now took on a firmness, sounding almost like an order. He had to, otherwise things would get bad. "Fine," she replied, gaining a slight smile. "If you had told me about the funeral earlier, I would have bought flowers," she changed the subject, sensing that Dale was not at all easily distanced from her gesture. "I don't have anything suitable to wear." "Relax, there will be plenty of time in the morning. We'll drive over to your place and then to the flower shop." "Mhm…" she muttered.

Laura fell asleep before Connor had time to add he should change her dressing. He covered her with a quilt and a moment later fell asleep beside her himself. He should go to the other room but didn't have the strength. Besides it could look awkward in the current situation and negate his earlier statement.

The morning broke into Dale's sleepy reality with a loud purring and merciless scratching of his belly. He probably would have ignored this fact had it not been for the accompanying excruciating pain and the simultaneous feeling that the room was terribly hot. His sleepy gaze soon sharpened on the big cat eyes staring at him.

"Stalker…" he muttered quietly, not wanting to wake Laura.

He blinked several times trying to catch the focus of his vision and verify he was at his home. Moments earlier, he had been sitting in the cockpit of the spaceship, typing in the coordinates of the planet he was about to travel to on the touch screen. Master Pai Mei gave him an important quest to find socks. Not just any socks. One was to be right, and the other left, both in a perfectly harmonious grey colour. He visited plenty of empty planets, asked the locals, and was even in a nightclub where he intended to rest before departing but the place was uninteresting and only a few people were lazily swaying to the fast pace of electronic music so he decided to move on. After dozens of hours of travel he had about a hundred pairs of socks but none of them formed that perfect pair so he continued to fly aimlessly and the journey seemed endless.

As he untangled his legs from under the quilt, he noticed he was wearing jeans and a thick wool sweater. This was more ridiculous than his dream. He hurriedly took the cat in his arms and marched to the kitchen. Through all the commotion, he forgot refilling the food dispenser. In the process, he replaced the water in the bowl with clean water, while incessantly thinking why he slept with his clothes on. He was sure he had put on his pyjamas but maybe through fatigue he only thought so. The clock ticking on the wall announced it was about seven in the morning, so he was going to change his clothes, go back to bed and indulge in a little more sweet laziness. On his way to the bathroom he saw his pyjamas lying on the floor, his jacket right next to it, his cap carelessly thrown on the cabinet and his muddy shoes, one of which was lying near the door and the other standing by the pouffe. Once he had put all his things in order, he noticed a scarf hanging from a lamp. He pulled carefully at its end while sighing helplessly. He suspected it was Laura who had played a prank on him however he could not ask her about it. Having changed his clothes, he marched to the bedroom and, sitting on the edge of the bed, slipped his slippers off his feet, placing them perfectly evenly next to each other. The tip of the left slipper was already beginning to rub through, making it less grey than the other at this point, which irritated Connor immensely. That's why it was so hard for him to accept he could leave his clothes scattered and his shoes dirty. Unfortunately, in addition to further analyzing the bizarre event, he was quickly overwhelmed by new concerns about how Laura would behave at the funeral. He sincerely hoped nothing untoward would happen.

An hour later they were sitting together in the kitchen eating breakfast although it was more Dale who swallowed the prepared meal while Laura bit into her sandwich maybe twice. They didn't talk much beyond the necessary communication. When they finished, Connor went to the bathroom, while Laura returned to the room and prepared her clothes to go out. Dale, mindful of Laura's condition, tried not to rush her, but there was not as much time as he assumed.

"I'm sorry for being so clumsy. We'll probably be late," she sighed with resignation as she tried unsuccessfully to zip up her jacket. "We'll make it in time if you know what you want to wear and what flowers to buy," he replied, helped Laura deal with the zipper and corrected her cap, which was tilted to the right a bit too much.

A quarter of an hour later they were already outside her house. Connor wanted to go with Laura, but she assured she could manage on her own and it wouldn't take too long. Actually, she wasn't lying, although what she was wearing made his fears confirmed.

"I don't think you have any intention of…" "Yes I do," she replied in a firm tone, interrupting him in mid-sentence. "But…" "If you want to be on time, you'd better save the remarks for yourself," she added. "You've obviously forgotten we're going to a funeral, not a party," he didn't want to give up but if they were going to make it in time, he had to give in to her so he sighed, let out the air loudly and started the engine.

On the way, they stopped in front of a flower shop. Dale didn't want to know what she would come up with this time. She came out carrying a bouquet of forget-me-nots and an amaranth orchid. He had hoped for something more appropriate but it could have been worse. Connor drove the car as perfectly as he behaved every day, and that irritated Laura, especially today. If she had been the one driving, at least a few times she would have allowed herself to exceed the speed limit or speed up when the light changed from green to red. She had a feeling that even Adam wouldn't be so by the book.

Detroit. Cemetery.

The cemetery, placed near the church, was not large, making the gathered people crowd like ants in an anthill. Rectangular space was fenced with a stone wall, having not many gravestones on it and a few old trees. Laura recognized some of the faces she saw in the company corridor. There were those obnoxious whores, who saw in Jensen only a nice ass, and also those who would most willingly get rid of Laura. Her observations were interrupted by a sudden tug on her arm. The woman's gaze went straight to the source of the gesture.

"It's good you came. Otherwise, I would have torn you apart with my own hands," she heard Faridah's quiet but extremely aggressive tone. "Although I should for what you’re wearing." "Let her go," interrupted Connor firmly. "You don't even know what kind of hell she's been through." "Are you going to defend her now?" she snarled, stepping back and intertwining her hands on her chest. "We'll talk about it later and in another place. For example, at my house after the funeral," he suggested. "Be that as it may. Now follow me. After all, you are more important than half of these insincere colleagues."

Malik paved the way and soon they found themselves next to Pritchard, Athene and David Sarif. Frank looked odd, to say the least, in his black coat and panama type hat. There were also two people there whom Laura didn't know but guessed were probably Adam's parents. The man stood confidently on his feet, upright with his head proudly raised. He was tall, slim and athletic, bringing to mind a security guard or military officer. He gave the impression of someone of icy character as if he didn't care he had lost his son. He wore a perfectly tailored black coat and an elegant hat. Next to him stood a woman, rather slim and reaching the man's shoulder in height. She couldn't see the faces of both of them because at the moment they were standing with their backs to her, exchanging a few words with Sarif, who was so nice that if she didn't know him she would get caught in those business tricks.

Before the ceremony began, it started to rain, which momentarily turned into thick snow. Soon a sea of umbrellas spilled over the cemetery, and Connor looked triumphantly at Laura, who only sighed. Before they got out of the Aston Martin she had argued with him about the umbrella he now held over his head and hers. The anticipation was increasingly unbearable. She felt like she was hearing whispers, accusations and remarks. She wouldn't have cared so much if it had been about appearance. Unfortunately, they were talking about the fact that she was the one who contributed to the death of Adam and many other people. She wanted to run away, to disappear, to squander everything she had worked out during her visit to Rupert. The woman looked behind her trying to find the best route of escape, carefully planning every move. Her intentions were interrupted by the Scot, standing together with Demelza not far from the old oak tree. He was her salvation in this difficult moment. One look from him was enough to give her strength.

The ceremony, though it seemed long, flashed by in time, stopping at a question addressed to those gathered. "Does anyone want to say anything?" - rumbled in her head. A growing hesitation, uncertainty, and fear. Maybe she shouldn't, but after all, she wanted to. She had to.

"I'd like to say a few words," she announced in a loud, confident tone.

The crowd murmured, Connor looked at her in horror. Faridah shook her head, escaping with her gaze to the side. Sarif, on the other hand, remained unmoved, as if Adam was just one of his pawns to be replaced. Laura stepped forward and stood next to the pit where the coffin rested. It was cherry-coloured and had an ornate plaque with name, surname and dates. Adam Jensen - the inscription proclaimed. She still couldn't believe it. It still didn't occur to her that she had lost him as well. A rotten world, full of insincerity and evil. Unfortunately, this is not a movie. Here there are no superheroes with immense powers. There are only ordinary people, mostly indifferent to what is happening around them. Reconciled to everything that follows.

"I know most of you are outraged by my appearance, however, I think Adam would not like to see us depressed. Especially if it is forced by the situation. That's why I'm sincere and will say goodbye to him dressed in a blue coat, dress and wide-brimmed derby hat. I will say goodbye to him as he deserves, and in my memory, he will shine like gold, forever. I will smile and rejoice because he probably travelled to a better world. Free of lies and conspiracies. This is not goodbye, but only a fond farewell, because one day maybe we will meet again and you will greet me with that husky voice of yours saying "Good morning". I will miss you, though I hope you are happy."

The crowd murmured even more like a swarm of agitated bees. Laura walked closer and threw a bouquet of forget-me-nots on the lid of the coffin.

"I will never forget you, grumpy Cerberus," she whispered.

As she turned back to Connor, she could have sworn that Sarif's lips twitched in a smile of recognition or disdain. Faridah wanted to say something but only opened her mouth. Laura looked back toward Rupert, who silently clapped his hands, letting her know her actions were right. Soon the ceremony was over and the crowd slowly dwindled, walking through narrow gates. Malik still couldn't believe Adam was gone, although she was more surprised that Laura didn't shed a single tear unlike her. After all, they were already so close and she cared so much about him. What had happened beyond her knowledge? And why is Laura moving with such difficulty?

"Are we going home?" asked Dale, again shielding her with an umbrella. "I'd like to talk to Rupert for a while, and then visit one more place.

Connor guessed who the orchid was for and fear gripped him again. He followed the woman with his eyes until Faridah interrupted him.

"I can come at five o'clock today if you don't mind," she said in a cool tone. "Of course, you're welcome," he replied politely, though he knew it would be a difficult conversation.

"It's good to see you, my dear, despite the circumstances," Demelza greeted her with usual kindness, then wiped her eyes with a checkered handkerchief. "It’s good to see you too. Your presence has helped me a lot," she said looking at them.

Only now did grief overwhelm her and Laura realized that she simply was stressed. She felt the chill of the wind blowing and the cold snowflakes hitting against her cheeks. Rupert, seeing the state she was in, came over and shielded her with an umbrella.

"Thank you," she said quietly. "You're welcome. You were very brave today. I may question your choice of outfit, but you were able to push the boundaries. You will be remembered, that's for sure. Maybe even appreciated." "I don't care about recognition. I did it for myself, that's what my conscience and gut dictated. Adam was very principled, however, I know he wouldn't want me to worry. Besides, I often went against his principles."

Rupert smiled slightly, suppressing laughter due to the seriousness of the situation and respect for the place. "It's true, he was the complete opposite of you, and yet you understood each other perfectly," he admitted, nodding at the same time.

Laura wanted to say something more but was interrupted by Connor as if he didn't want her to talk to Rupert.

"Forgive me for interrupting, but we should get back," he suggested. "You can go back on your own, I'll stay here some more," she replied.

Dale didn't want to argue, not here. He didn't want to be overprotective either, but the woman needed to rest in a warm bed, besides, they were going to visit one more place and Faridah will visit them later.

"Faridah will visit us today."

These words electrified Laura, causing her to anxiously shift from one foot to the other. She had not expected this confrontation, not today. There seemed to be nothing left of the old friendship, only regret and hostility.

"You know you can visit us anytime you want," the psychologist reminded her. "Now I certainly know," she replied jokingly. "See you around. Stay safe." "See you, my dear. We'll be waiting," Demelza replied.

Detroit.

Connor knew which place Laura wanted to visit so he just drove while she silently held an orchid in her hands. The Aston Martin gently turned right and fit into the gap between the two cars. The woman got out on her own and disappeared into the alley after a while. He didn't even ask if he could accompany her. Maybe he should go there? What if someone is there? If she is in danger again? Doubts rolled around in his head creating surreal images. Still, he restrained his imagination before the creations escalated into something even more preposterous. He turned on the radio and immediately cursed quietly under his breath. Today he certainly has bad luck with his song selection.

Birds are born with no shackles Then what fetters my fate? Blown away, the white petals Leave me trapped in the cage

The endless isolation Can wear down my illusion Someday, I'll make a dream unchained

Laura looked around the yard. She had the impression that time had stood still here. The old, dirty mattresses, from which springs were sticking out, still remembered the events of that evening. The broken glass had not been cleaned up by anyone. The lamp post invariably looked on from above with the eye of a bulb hidden behind half-shattered plastic. Even the outlines of the bodies that the police had marked with white paint were still visible on the dark, cracked concrete. Everything was the same, except for the framed picture lying on the ground. The woman crouched down to take a closer look at it. It depicted a black silhouette trapped in a reddish-black lump resembling solidified lava. The figure had broken purple wings from which red liquid, probably blood, was dripping.

Laura's first instinct was to run away, she was overwhelmed with horror that once again Kratos was trying to dominate her life. She wanted to be as far away from this place as possible, to hide somewhere where he wouldn't find her. She was beginning to descend into madness again, and the madness consuming her was nothing but another victory for the enemy. Enough! - she shouted in her mind. So many times she had promised herself she would take up this fight, and each time she lost. Adam's life, Joe's life, how much more must happen for her to finally be hungry for vengeance? She hid the picture in her handbag and looked around the square once more, searching for something that could be a vase. She found a paint can, which she weighted down with a few stones and put the flower in it then went back to where Joe had died and placed an orchid on the ground.

"I will not run away again, Joe. Your wings will now be mine, I will fulfil my dream of freedom. I know I keep saying this, but I promise you that Kratos will pay for everything. Every our scar will be his scar. Finally, you will be able to be proud of me. You will always have a place in my heart, I will always remember your every smile, every bad day, our arguments and what separated us. Something that was supposed to be ours and never became real because of Kratos. I will always love you, Navras."

Let my heart bravely spread the wings Soaring past the night, to trace the primal light Let the clouds heal me of the stains Gently wipe the sorrow of my life I dream

The wind swept across the yard, hitting Laura with a piercing cold and almost snatching the hat from her head. She gripped it tightly with both hands, waiting for the wind to stop. She heard the sound of breaking glass and ringing metal. Her gaze momentarily went in the direction from which it came, but she saw no one. It was certainly the wind, so she ignored the incident, focusing her gaze on the orchid for a moment longer. Parting was something she couldn't handle at all, so she stood despite the biting cold and snow. The woman closed her eyes, and after a moment the feeling that she was not alone here overwhelmed her. She felt warmth as if someone was embracing her, and a warm breath right next to her ear made her tremble. She let the feeling carry her away. If only for a moment.

"I know you'd like to stay here a lot longer, but we should get back. It's getting colder," Connor's quiet voice made her jump slightly in place. "You scared me," she said a little angry that he had interrupted such an important moment for her by invading her private space. Nevertheless, he was right, the weather was getting worse, she was not feeling well, and the edge of her coat was gradually soaking up with water. Besides, Faridah was about to visit them. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to disturb you, but I had to," he tried to explain with a partial lie. Yes, they should be home by now however he was actually worried about whether someone had attacked her. "Give me a moment more, I'll be right there," she asked, though it was the kind of tone that doesn't like refusal. "Okay, but not too long," he muttered and reluctantly returned to the car.

Left alone again, Laura took the picture out of her handbag and took another look at it. She wondered who could have left it there. Was it really Damien, who had smashed glass while watching her, and tripped over a garbage trash can while running away? Her head spun but she managed to catch her balance and immediately moved toward the main street.

"Goodbye," she said, stopping for a moment and looking back.

What is meant by miraclе? A word outside my days Once again, with the bubblеs But how could I escape?

No further hesitation On those unanswered questions So now, I'll make a dream unchained

Connor breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of her, but the expression on his face clouded slightly when he saw with what difficulty Laura was moving. He momentarily got out of the Aston Martin, helped her reach the car and take her place in the passenger seat. The woman was remarkably calm, even cheerful as if she got rid of the burden she had been carrying all along.

"Let's go home," she said quietly fastening her seat belt.

Dale merely nodded and started the engine.

All  chapters can be found: [AO3], [dA], [Wattpad]and[Tumblr

[foxydivaxx]

Gossip Girl: Bad Romance Chapter 2

Trigger warning: Mentions of suicide attempts, sexual assault.

Still no signs of S or Z so far. These two are getting better at hiding their whereabouts and motives which is a good thing given the explosive weeks we have had so far. As we speak, everyone is looking out for the duo. Everyone wants to catch a glimpse of them, especially S, given his reputation, especially in light of his contract. Sources tell me that a lot of record labels worldwide want to sign S because regardless of the scandals, he is still a valuable star. Funny because the powers that be want S to remain blacklisted, meaning no music. No performance. 

We are talking about the former face of Aogiri here who became the biggest boyband within the span of like 3 years. But only time will tell if the group will be able to work that same magic especially since a lot of fans have started boycotting the group in protest to S' maltreatment. Some fans even stated that this maltreatment started way before he was eventually kicked out. I wonder if Z has something up his sleeves. Perhaps that could be why he took S away to wherever they went to. 

Still, the S saga is getting pretty interesting. Like who cares what SU, E, and the others still on the Upper East Side are doing when the power couple were always the main draws to begin with? Without those two, the Upper East Side loses a lot of steam. Let's just wait and see. 

XOXO, 

Gossip Girl.

Grimmjow gets down to work and begins to gather up the files needed. Some industry insiders that he knows of have sent him the evidence needed to expose the Puddings. How these people managed to escape jail time is anyone's amazement. But then again, money talks. He himself had a nasty experience with Charlotte's older sister Eliza years ago. So this is vengeance not just for Sanji and himself but for every single person that family hass screwed over.

At that moment, his phone began to ring. He picks up. "Hi Elliot." 

"I have sent some more data to your e-mail. Trust me, you would be mindblown by this discovery." Grimmjow goes through the data sent to him and is stunned. The data presented clear evidence that exposed the nefarious contract Sanji was forced to sign. Elliot managed to get information and even bribed the lawyer of the record label to cough up that info. According to the deal presented, Sanji was stripped of 99% of his earnings, leaving him with only peanuts. Basically 50 dollars per promotional cycle.

All his endorsement deal earnings went to the record label despite the fact that he was the reason the group became a thing in the first place. Meaning that the entire group was broke and do not realize it. Or maybe Eren is the only one who knew and ended up dating Sukuna to pay his way out of his debt. Heck, Sanji allowed Lelouch to join even though the others protested. In fact, speaking of Lelouch, the now former manager of the group Kisuke Urahara who resigned from the job about two years in stated that there were incidents of Eren bullying Lelouch. Sanjii was the only one being nice to Lelouch. 

It will only be a matter of time before Lelouch finally announces his departure from the group now that Sanji is no longer there to save him. "What a terrible mess. This poor guy does not deserve this shit." He knows what to do next. He had already told Zoro his plan and now is the time to act. The more people that know the better.

In Manhattan, Sukuna and Eren are at a newly opened fancy bar having a chat. "You know, I have always wanted to know this pretty face for a while. Never got the chance to." says Sukuna. Eren chuckles. "Well, I used to come from Philly but then moved to Atlanta with my family when I was 8." Sukuna raises an eyebrow. "Really?" 

Eren nods as he sips his Martini. "People always get shocked when I say that." 

"That's because you do not sound or act like a Philly kid." Eren just giggles when he says that. 

"What about you Resident Bad Boy extraordinaire?" 

"I was always born here in Manhattan. Dad and Mum divorced when I was 5. Been living with mum ever since. Though Dad and I keep in touch."

"Sounds similar to my own family. My older brother lives with dad. Myself and my younger sister live with mum."

"How are you finding the Upper East side?" 

"It is quite interesting. Loads of rich people." he says in a joking manner. "Oh you will love it once I work my magic." What Sukuna does not realize that Eren has some secret motives of his own.

*********************************************************************

Sanji groans as he stares at his reflection in the mirror for the first time in weeks. Zoro was still asleep. He had been running away from the mirror for a long time as he hated his reflection. How he and Zoro managed to evade the paparazzi is anyone's guess. But this is Zoro they are talking about after all. "God I look like shit." He used to be the shiny golden boy, Mr Picture Perfect, the guy everyone wanted to date or fuck or both. At times he believes that his looks distract from his talent. Like hello!! The ladies called him King Nasty then because he was that sexy. But then again, that is a well-known idol curse. No one cares about the talent so long as you are good-looking.  Well, depends on the way you are packaged because idols at the end of the day are disposable goods. Once you have served your purpose, they cast you aside.

He stares at his face. His wounds from the punches Sukuna gave him that day had healed but his eyes and nose look weird now. He lifted up the fringe of his hair at the left side and there was a nasty scar on the side of his head. He shot himself there as the pressure was getting to him. How he survived is anyone's guess. Yet he is still here. He then stares at the rest of his body. There were visible scars on there, some old others new. The recent ones were from Sukuna.

Why did he hook up with Sukuna then? Like, there were a lot of red flags. He got carried away with his emotions and allowed that bastard and everyone else to manipulate and eventually blackball him. This was not the first time. The last time this happened was when he was like 12 or 13 when he and Charlotte started dating. The girl put something in his drink that day and it knocked him out, giving the bitch the opportunity to film that sex tape. The disgusting part? She had the audacity to sleep with his then-best friend that same day. How did he find out? He saw them and packed his bags and moved to the Upper East Side and never looked back. 

If the bitch thinks he would come back crawling to her, she should think again. Anger begins to overwhelm him as he thinks about the betrayals he was subjected to. "Fuck them....FUCK EVERY SINGLE DAMN ONE OF THEM!!" He sinks to the floor and starts crying again. It is not like he cannot call his family but it is best they do not get bothered by him. 

"Sanji..."

He looks up to see Zoro who was rubbing his eyes. Sanji flares up almost immediately and grabs Zoro by his shirt. "THIS!! ALL THIS SHIT IS YOUR FUCKING GODDAMN FAULT!!" Zoro does not say a word because Sanji had a point. He could have helped earlier. Perhaps he chose not to do so out of anger for Sanji dumping him back then."YOU!! YOU HAD ALL THE MONEY AND CONNECTIONS IN THE WORLD AND YET YOU LEFT ME TO SUFFER!! ALL BECAUSE OF THAT MOTHERFUCKER SUKUNA!! AND YET YOU BROUGHT ME HERE!! TO A COUNTRY I KNOW NOTHING ABOUT!! FOR WHAT HUH?!! JUST TO BOOST YOUR EGO OF COURSE!! BECAUSE YOU WERE THE FUCKING KING OF THE UPPER EAST SIDE!!"

"Sanji that is enough!!"

"NO IT IS NOT!! I HAVE SO MUCH TO GET OFF MY FUCKING CHEST!! I AM TIRED OF BEING SILENCED!!" Tears keep flowing down his eyes. "WHAT IS THE POINT OF BEING AN IDOL OR ANYTHING?! I KNOW FOR SURE THAT I HAVE BEEN BLACKLISTED BY THE ENTIRE INDUSTRY!!" Sanji starts sobbing. "I....I do not know what to do with my life anymore. I cannot sing anything or rap or do anything music-related." 

Zoro smirks. "Who told you I was not working on something." Sanji pauses and stares at him. "What do you mean?"

"I contacted an old friend of mine in New York and he is getting in contact with a private investigator and a couple of industry insiders that know those bastards. Charlotte and her stupid family outsmarted me and managed to hide as much evidence as could incriminate them. Not so much now. Once we gather as much information, we are taking them down. As for your career, why did you think I brought you to Shinjuku in the first place?"

Sanji's eyes widen in shock. "Y-You did this for me?" Zoro smiles softly and hugs Sanji. "Babe you and I have a long history. All these bitches envy our love and wish to tear us apart. Not this time." Sanji smiles and hugs him tightly. "Thank you Marimo!!" Zoro grins. "You will get the justice you deserve."

Grimmjow did not waste time and immediately set up a special Twitter account and began to post all the evidence that had been found about Charlotte and her family, including Charlotte sexually assaulting Sanji thus producing the tape. The Internet shut down that day. Other information that was revealed was Judge Vinsmoke's past abusive behaviour towards his son and the current sexual assault with actual footage that showed Judge actually raping his son and Zoro saving his ass.

"This is horrible!!" a fan exclaims. Immediately #JusticeForSanji began to trend online as people came forward to give Sanji love and support. "Fuck those bastards!! He does not need that stupid group!! He is a bigger star than them!!" says another fan. Lelouch soon announces via Twitter that he was no longer in Aogiri and left tthe moment Sanji was kicked out.

I am sick of the lies and bullying. These bitches never cared for Sanji or me. They only hung around Sanji because of his popularity and once he got that, they discarded him. Evil souls. I no longer wish to participate in this farce. I am out. #JusticeForSanji

A lot of fans applauded Lelouch for this and #ThankYou Lelouch began trending.

Zeff smirks at this development. He always knew that Charlotte was bad news. "This is definitely Zoro's handiwork eh?" The other Vinsmokes came forward about their father.

"We were scared to speak up because this man has threatened to ruin us or end our lives.:" says Reiju via a livestream on Instagram which ended up with her breaking down in tears.  Judge is immediately arrested for his crimes. Not just him but the Pudding family, and their many accomplices too thanks to the lawsuit that Zoro secretly filed on Sanji's behalf.

Meanwhile, Sukuna and the rest of Aogiri watch in horror as everything unfolds. "Man we seriously underestimated Zoro." says Natsu. "WE ARE NEXT!!" Eren shouts. Sukuna does not say anything and is just frozen. How long did it take for Zoro to put all this together? This is his handwork or he probably paid someone to do this for him. Either way, well played.

"Whoa!! This is huge!!" says Sanji, his face lighting up with a smile as he watches everything unfold. "Looks like we have a date in court," says Zoro with a smirk. 

Just when we thought things were going to be calm and peaceful, the opposite finally happens. Looks like Z finally flexed his muscles and put C and her family plus S' dad in the slammer. Now we await the big court date. I am sure that the power couple will finally make their long-awaited comeback. Oh, I can't wait. Now I have to go find my best outfit for this case. This is gonna be hot!!

XOXO,

Gossip Girl

[icharchivist]

If you could spend a day with either Mari and Meg, Gabriel and Europa, Cupitan and Tristette or Katalina and Vira, which would you choose?

And for the gays, uhh. Lucifer and Sandalphon, Yurius and Albert, Lancelot and Vane and Aglovale and Tor

Which would be the least awkward to third wheel?

oh this is SO tough to answer are you kidding me.

for the lesbians, all of them would come with their amount of drama this would be terrible. Cupitan and Tristette would be too busy out-toxic-ing one another to really register me so it would probably be the most awkward because you'd be caught in their crossfire.

Katalina and Vira would eventually be fine if not for the fact i can sense Vira sending me subtle threats if i look at Katalina too long. Like we're eating and suddenly i get a kick under the table and i look at her and she's smiling at me and also holding her knife in a very suspicious way. Too stressful.

so it leaves Mari&Meg and Gabriel and Europa, both who have a major case of "ignoring everyone around them as long as they are dazing in each other's eyes. Mari has the most chance to eventually kill you if you look at Meg too much and if a threat happens Meg will go banana, so it kinda leaves Gabriel and Europa as the safest lesbians of the bunch + the possibility of Gabriel inviting you aren't zero.

... but because i love their level of insanity, i want to be with Mari&Meg and show Mari i'm her number one cheerleader. Please.

As for the gays well.

the only group among them that would really make you regret your stay could be Yurius and Albert out of the fact Yurius has a mad scientist streak, and with his lines with MC he loves to toy around with MC, so it feels like being in between those two will either have them be lovey dovey or Albert trying to stop Yurius from doing experiments later on.

For the rest of the pair, i know all too well what being a third wheel for Aglo and Tor is like and i don't know if i could stand it on the long run. It's just Aglovale constantly showering Tor with affection while sometimes giving him reproach because Tor didn't accept his gift and now they're fighting at the tea table because Aglovale wants to spoil Tor and he only turns to you to say "wouldn't you agree Tor needs to be spoiled?" while Tor is protesting, it would be unbearable.

Lancelot and Vane tend to be a good pair to hang out around, they're fun, they're sweet, they do try to involve other people in their whole thing... but sometimes they completely forget other people are around and they just start talking about their shared past and stuff and suddenly you feel like you're intruding despite the fact THEY invited you to start with--! Also it's important to note that when Vane is here Lancelot doesn't bother putting on a front anymore and it means that you will have to deal with the fact Lancelot is a teasing demon when he DOES pay attention to you, do you want to live like this.

Sandalphon and Lucifer meanwhile, well. They like their alone time for sure, and will be sooo lovey dovey this would be sickening to watch. But i'm inclined to think that while they can lose themselves in each other's eyes and everything, as long as you're not intruding (ie, if they invited you), they probably would be good host to you. You'd just need to deal with Lucifer waxing philosophy about the world and love and everything.

Mhmmmmmm so with all of that in mind it plays between Lancelot and Vane, and Sandalphon and Lucifer for me. The rest is too much.

But all of them would be awkward to thirdwheel and in this essay i.... already did but--

[brokenmusicboxwolfe]

What bothers me the most about what my brother said to my friend (my only friend, I might add) isn’t that he was nastily bad mouthing me to someone that at that point I didn’t even know. He’s like that.

He once introduced my to his college friends using an anecdote meant to humiliate me, and despite the fact my parents and I were protesting that is was NOT true** it was obvious his friends would believe their confident and often charming pal over the fat, ugly, insecure stranger.

No, what gets me is he was telling her to never help me. And what bothers me about that isn’t that his words might deprive me of help, but that he actually assumes I would ever actually be asking for help!!

Yes, I did ask for help on here to pay for my photo storage, but since I post my photos on here it seemed fair. Other than that, I haven’t asked for help from anyone. Any time someone helps me they have to not only suggest it, but practically force me to take it.

In fact, my friend is frequently bugging me about it, getting offended I won’t ask for help. Despite what my brother told her, she loans me her lawnmower. Or should I say one of them. She has a big, fancy riding mower but I borrow her small push mower. I helped her put it together, she doesn’t use it much, and I pay for the gas. I’d spent years doing all my grass cutting with a swing blade, which is incredibly hard on the body (esp. in summer) and very time consuming (push mower: 2hr swing blade: 2days). And STILL when she offered to loan it to me I had to debate it, and accepted with great reluctance.

By nature I do NOT want to be a burden, a bother, a leech, or an annoyance. I never, ever want to take advantage of sympathy/pity or wear out generosity. If I actually ask for help I’ve run into something I can neither do on my own nor keep avoiding dealing with. And even then I do it with incredible shame and the assumption I will be rejected.

So to discover actually believes I go around begging for help, with no sense of self reliance or self respect, REALLY stings! I mean, over the years I have said a thousand times that he thinks he knows all about me but he hasn’t got a clue, but this….

It insults me.

**He’d inverted things, so an incident about him became about me. He’d actually rewritten his memories, which we’d seen over the course of a year, covering his embarrassment with the more palatable “Stephanie is always the coward” narrative. He actually has done this a lot, claiming some of my memories, projecting others onto me. The terrible thing is, where once I had the rest of my family to verify my memories, now it’s my word against his and he shouts much louder.