#dropped my brother off here so he could play in a Smash Bros tournament so it’s not a total waste

[floral-hex]

Thought I’d get out for the night, so I’ve been sitting in this gaming lounge for the last hour and it’s… meh. Ordered an overpriced milkshake, just kind of hanging out. Honestly, I’d rather play games by myself at home than deal with whatever’s going on here. Well… it was worth a shot 😒

[karasu-calls]

General Headcanons for the Brothers

These are just some thoughts that live in my head rent free. Enjoy!

◇◇◇◇◇◇◇

Lucifer:

He is one of those people that cleans up his room/office of any clutter before anyone visits him JUST to obnoxiously insist how "awfully cluttered" his space is. It's all to maintain the illusion that his living space is immaculately cleaned but really with all of his paperwork and the chaos he deals with, it can clutter quickly. If he can't clean it up before a guest enters, he'll just cast a spell on the room that gives the illusion of cleanliness. His pride wouldn't have it any other way.

Mammon:

This dude would be covered in piercings, all with diamond or 24 karat gold jewelry if he could. Lucifer will not let him, however, calling it tacky and embarrassing if he has more than just his ears pierced. That doesn't stop Mammon though, as he likely has a few hidden piercings here and there. Like a tongue piercing or piercings in more private areas.

If Mammon senses that his brothers are feeling down, big brother mode will kick in and he'll do something to cheer them up, even if it means getting himself into trouble. He may try to make them laugh or take something to give them just to make them smile. If that doesn't work, sometimes he'll just do something dumb to take their mind off of their own issues and instead focus on "dumb Mammon". For him, it's worth getting into trouble but no one really knows this. He never tells.

Leviathan:

This guy is a vocaloid fan. Has cosplayed at least three of his favorites (Miku, Luka, Kaito) and owns all the Project Diva and Project Mirai games. He's a master at the hard levels and he mashes the buttons so quickly that the controller is hot afterwards. Don't take him to an arcade with a Project Diva. He can and will beat anyone who challenges him. Never drops a combo.

Smash is another story. He's fantastic as Super Smash Bros, yet somehow Asmo always beats him by button smashing. It ENRAGES him, as a SSB connoisseur who follows and watches all the professional tournaments.

Leviathan glows under black light. Something about bio luminescence in his more aquatic nature makes the dude glow under black light, even in his human form. He hates it, as it makes him stand out in the clubs that Asmo drags him to.

Satan:

Satan loves Studio Ghibli films. It didn't start that way, as he had seen Levi watch one before and simply chalked it up to being simple anime, which Satan has no interest in. Yet, after reading Howl's Moving Castle, he decided to watch the movie adaptation and be the angry judge of how accurate it was to the book. Despite the ghibli adaptation being so divergent of the books plot, he fell in love with the calm atmosphere that it gave. After that, he asked Levi to let him watch all of the films. Satan's favorite is The Cat Returns, despite his proclamation that it is on of the weakest of the Ghibli films. He won't let anyone know that it's his favorite, but the idea of a secret cat kingdom is so enthralling to him. He prolly listens to ghibli piano covers as he reads.

Speaking of cat kingdoms and books, Satan DEFINITELY had a Warrior Cats phase. He read all of the books and still denies that he used to watch Warrior Cats AMVs (he can't lie, Belphegor caught him and uses it to tease him)

Asmodeus:

Asmo had a theater kid phase and drug Satan into it. Both of them love Broadway plays, Asmo being one who loves musicals and Satan being one who enjoys story writing and literature. Asmo tried his best to start a drama club at RAD and succeeded to a degree, but ultimately lost interest when he realized how much work it was to constantly put on productions. It dug into his self care time.

Asmos love for plays started with the classical Greek plays, which also got him into Greek myths. He knew it was all human fiction, but honey the ☆aesthetic☆.

Little fact about Asmo, his demon anatomy has a special little quirk. Under his tongue are two little glands that he can use to mix a potent aphrodisiac into his saliva. This is usually just for times when he's indulging in his sin, but sometimes a little will make its way into his saliva on a normal occasion. If anyone drinks after him, beware that it might be a day when this secretion is a little more potent. Hell, if he licks someone they might start to feel a certain type of way as the chemical seeps into their skin. But alas, with someone he cherishes, he makes sure to give them chaste kisses in case deepening it could have unforseen outcomes.

Beelzebub:

He's a bug saver. Not just because his demon form is insect-like in quality or that his namesake means Lord of the Flies, but because he feels bad for them. They're so small and helpless and he can't help but sympathize. Little spider in his room? He just wants a comfy place to live. The brothers shriek when a devildom recluse spider makes its way into their space, but Beel calmly scoops it into his hand to take it outside. He tries to be as gentle as possible but accidents happen. One time, Asmo begs Beel to remove a moth from his room that he fears will eat his clothes. Beel tries to remove it, but in the process accidentally squishes it. Afterwards, Beel always goes off to grab a cup to trap moths in because they're just too fragile for his strong grip.

Belphegor:

He can enter into people's dreams and alter them. A lot of times he simply observes, but sometimes he way wreak havoc and turn dreams into nightmares. When the brothers wonder why he knows strange things about them, he keeps his mouth shut about spectating their dream the night before. Can and will use what he learns for blackmail, if given the chance.

[lordseochangbin]

the luck in your hands- seo changbin

word count: 10k  

fluff, smut, angst imagine based on the bollywood movie “zoya factor” on netflix. 

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰

“ok guys... we’ve practiced for this moment, right? let’s make sure to get the win!” changbin exclaimed in an encouraging mode as the stadium roared.

 it was the match that would qualify changbin’s team to the world’s annual tournament, and changbin believed with enough practice they’d be able to get the win. even if they lost, they’d still be qualified to go--however with the lowest ranking...and the disappointment of their team’s manager.

it was discouraging when the announcer never failed to mention their recent loses. every since changbin took the captain’s spot, the only wins they received were from the easiest teams. the team’s president was disappointed and forced changbin to take action. the team worked hard as well, practicing day and night until they couldn’t take the pressure anymore, resorting to blaming each other for their losses.

changbin shaked it off as he walked onto the stadium, patting his teammate’s backs and praying to the gods that he would at least get this win as he looked up at the president in the stands.

he watched as the president mouthed the words, “fucking. crush. them” 

he took a deep breath, nodding at the president before he would stand in his position. 

“ok, on a count of three.. one two-”

“SEOUL STAYS!” the team exclaimed.

seconds later the stadium was quiet, the game going on much to changbin’s disappoint. 

“the score is now 18-23, looks like the angels are ready to beat the stays again!” the announcer called before minho--one of changbin’s teammates-- could get the ball.

and from there the game ended, the other team winning by 4 points causing changbin’s team to go to the tournament but at the bottom of the league. 

“and that ends it! angels beat the stays-- guess lee’s shot just wasn’t it folks” one of the two announcers called from the microphone. 

“that better SERVE him right” the female announcer called, remembering minho from their one-night stand a few months back. changbin pulled minho away from the court before minho could smash the ball on the floor.

“oop- looks like lee bee is getting angry again. someone better give some chill pills” the lady sarcastic called on the intercom before changbin could pull him away, minho turning around to flip off the intercom girl.

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰

“UNACCEPTABLE. FUCKING-- what the fuck were those playing skills?” the manager yelled at the boys. minho, one of the players, rolled his eyes at the coach earning a smack from behind.

“keep giving me that attitude minho and you won’t be able to play in the league, got it?”

“.. i understand” minho muttered under his breath,his fists clenching under the seat.

“and you!” the coach pointed his finger directly at changbin as the boys huddled around him. “get your shitty team together or paychecks are cut off. i selected you as captain because i thought you’d benefit for the team, but if you let this team down i’ll select chan next year.”

changbin couldn’t help to find chan smirking to himself in the corner, his head down as he tried not to show his satisfaction. 

“next game is in three days, i expect perfection at the tournament in incheon. got it?”

changbin stood up before his manager, his head high as his team stood up behind him. 

“GOT IT!” they exclaimed.

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰

you woke up to your brother tossing a basketball onto your bed. “FUCKING IDIOTS! THE STAYS LOST AGAIN!!” 

angered by your brothers actions you threw the comforter onto the floor, grabbing the basketball and chasing your brother out of your room. 

“LEAVE!! JUST LEAVE JISUNG!!” 

“NO NOO PLEASE DONT TELL DAD” 

you abruptly stopped, causing jisung to stress on why you were so calm all of the sudden. his eyebrows wrinkled as he watched you take a deep breath before screaming, “DADDDD!! JISUNG IS BEING ANNOYING” 

your dad ran upstairs, stealing the basketball from your hands. 

“jisung. that’s enough. lets go buy some takeout” 

“you would’ve asked for chicken if the stays won” jisung spat out 

“well if that changbin kid could be a better captain!“

“that lee minho kid needs to work on his anger issues!” 

god. this is what you hated about living with your dad and your brother. basketball, basketball, basketball; it’s all they talked out. you could literally yell that you were pregnant with the team’s defender and they would care. 

“GUYS?! GUYS?!” you exclaimed, waving your hands in the air as the two men continued to argue 

“I'M PREGNANT WITH HWANG HYUNJIN'S CHILD!! HWANG HYUNJIN!! THE HWANG HYUNJIN!!” 

“hey! chan is obviously the best player on the team” your dad shot back at jisung, literally ignoring your presence 

“ HWANG HYUNJIN— HWANG BANGED ME!! WE’RE HAVING HYUNJIN BABIES!! TINY SCREAMING HYUNJIN BABIES!!!” you yelled in exhaustion as you attempted to break the fight 

you clenched your fists as they continued to fight and ran downstairs to grab a drink before the sight on the tv could catch your attention. 

“seo changbin, another loss bro” the news reporter said, patting changbin’s shoulder 

“it’s a bummer, but i know we’ll come back stronger during the tournament” he replied with a wide grin on his face 

“that’s the spirit! now what do you think will keep these boys up and running?” 

“practice. practice makes perfect. i strongly believe in that” 

the boy in a suit popped onto the screen, hovering the camera. “you only requested 1 question and you know changbin doesn’t like physical interaction, please respect the captain. we end this interview now” 

the boy grabbed changbin’s hand as he was dragged away from the screen. “wait- wait!” the news reporter called before the camera could zoom into the man’s face. 

“and that’s the leader of the seoul’s stays. the team representing korea in basketball. no. physical. interactions. no communicating” 

your brother turned off the tv practically awakening you from your deep thoughts. “the captains hot right? stop eye fucking him” 

“i was NOT eye fucking him jisung!” you said in disgust, grabbing the pillow and shoving it in his face. 

“hey basketballs aren’t the only balls-”

“I HATE BASKETBALL!” you yelled, kicking the couch and running to your room.

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰

it started when you were younger. actually, to be exact, the day you were born. y/birth month, date, year (sorry i couldn’t think of anything LOL). you happen to be born on the same day as the seoul stays basketball team won their first tournament . it was legendary, your father kissing your forehead and blessing the lords. but in exchange for your birth, came your mother’s death the next day.

your eyes watered at the sight of the fireworks every year in remembrance of the nation’s basketball win, reminding you of your mother and her sparks of energy. you definitely got it from her, your father always reminded.

“you.. y/n. you are a basketball goddess” he whispered. from there, your father believed your birth led to the win of the basketball team.

basketball was your first word. your father remembering the moment precisely in the middle of your brother’s high school game. your father took it as no coincidence when your brother’s team won at every match you attended. you were han jisung’s “good luck charm”, as he liked to call it. one breakfast with jisung’s team and he was sure to win the whole thing. 

growing up with two basketball geeks, you decided basketball was the thing you hated the most. you HATED basketball. but ironically, you worked for the seoul stays team’s manager.

“you’re joining the team on the tournament. i can’t make it” the manager said, crossing his legs in his seat as you sat across from him in shock.

“you.. you can’t make it to their biggest tournament of the season?” you asked

“no, unfortunately not. now i need you to pack your bags and join them at the hotel they’re staying in-”

“wait wait wait.. wait a minute. im going with them?! to every game?!”

“yes, no excuses. now pack your bags. you know what you’re expected to do”

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰

the morning of the next day, motor vans lined up at the entrance of the hotel. the paparazzi crowded the lobby, waiting for the seoul stays team’s arrival. you sat in a separate van, of course, your palms sweaty as you held their laminated agenda in their hands. 

“oh my god…” your jaw dropped as girls screamed. three boys; one with a cat phone case, one with prince-like features, and another with a smile like the sunshine. they looked perfect, and you could only wonder who else was in that team of 12. you didn’t know their names regardless of working for the team, the game was irrelevant to you and you heard enough of it from home.

you got out of the car to catch up with the team and their employees before being pulled away by the swamp of people. 

“wheres our manager?” you heard one of the boys whisper 

“IM RIGHT HERE!!” you replied from behind the crowd. it wasn’t loud enough to catch their attention however, as they continued to walk towards the hotel lobby. 

2 hours later you found yourself finally at the front desk, your hands waving your reservation as you spoke to the lady out of the breath. “one room, please hurry with my bags” you panted, tossing your 5 inch heels to the side. 

“got it miss, here’s your card.” she handed you a maroon colored hotel key as another employee escorted you to the elevator. 

“thank you so much, what floor is the room?” you asked before entering 

“floor 23 miss” he replied

“thank you” your heavy heartbeats finally stopped. finally, the day was to yourself. maybe a massage will do, or a movie under the comfy sheets of this five star hotel. 

you stared in awe at the detail of the elevator as you entered, a little boy staring at the buttons before he could send you a very delirious smile. you smiled back. and he clicked all the buttons so the elevator could stop at each floor before going to 23. 

“WAIT NO-“ you exclaimed, watching the boy giggle before running away. 

you cursed under your breath, banging your head against the elevator wall and grabbing your hair in distress as two people joined you. 

“are you okay miss?” a voice peaked from your right side. 

“I HATE BASKETBALL!” you exclaimed, throwing your hands to your sides as you turned to the stranger who bothered to ask about your well-being. 

you choked on your spit as you realized the man next to you was the only and only… wait were you dreaming? you blinked a few times to make sure it was real. the most popular basketball leader in south korea in your eyesight, seo changbin. 

“I MEAN-“ you gently patted his shoulder, a nervous smile on your face as you tried to correct your words 

“i mean the game.. not the players, totally not the players” 

changbin posed a fake smile as he nodded in agreement

you continued on rambling “and..and some boy pressed all the buttons and left so now we have to stop by each floor and visit everything” you closed your eyes to prevent tears as your daily headache started to kick in 

 “and exactly why are you banging your head against the wall?” changbin said with a chuckle, he couldn’t help but notice how cute you looked when you tried not to get in trouble. 

“oh my god! ive just had such a terrible day…” you went on every floor like that. complaining to changbin about how his manager forced you to join the trip, the agendas, the crowds. 

“that’s the basketball life” he chucked, “imagine being the captain” 

“oh god” you sarcastically laid a hand on changbin’s shoulder before remembering the news reporters words from earlier. “no. physical. contact” 

“EEK” you drew your hand away from changbin as he stood there. 

“are you okay?” he asked, confused at your sudden drawback 

“im.. im fine” 

“well! this stupid agenda tells me seungmin has to wear a different pair of top brand white shoes daily? i obviously can not afford them but we’ll find some knockoffs ” you laughed before covering your mouth in shock. 

“oh my god, changbin please don’t tell him i said that” 

“don’t tell seungmin you said that?” he questioned 

“yes! yes this is my job at risk please” 

“so you’re asking me to lie to my teammate? for your job?” he asked, inching closer to you as you stepped back against the elevator 

“yes…” you responded slowly 

“and break the trust of one of my teammates? so you don’t lose your job?” he said, raising his left eyebrow in anticipation 

“exactly!! perfect changbin!” 

his hands were on your sides, you trapped against the corner of the elevator as changbin’s lips seems seconds away from yours. but they never meet. 

“no can do” he spat before the elevator could reach floor 23 and he could leave you with a heavy beating heart. you clenched onto it to calm your breathing down from the steamy moment. 

“oh my god. im gonna get fired” you said, grabbing the knock off pair of nikes you bought earlier and face palming yourself in disappointment.

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰

the next day, you decided to go to the buffet room early. you were in line when you noticed a familiar face next to you. 

“bang chan?!” you exclaimed, nearly

dropping your plate as you went to shake his hand. 

“y/n?!! what are you doing here?! god it’s been so long, how are you??” 

“ive been alright, im the “co-manager” for the seoul stays” you emphasized, grabbing a slice of watermelon and tossing it in your mouth

“really?” he asked, his eyebrows furrowing in question. “im on the seoul stays team”  you spat out the slice of watermelon as the news hit you

“you are?!” you asked followed by a gasp of excitement, “i guess your dream came true bang chan” 

“indeed, now you have to tell me what’s going on with you now that i know we’ll be seeing each other more often” 

as the buffet line came to the end you looked at the filled tables to see none open for you. as chan joined you, he grabbed your plate. 

“how about you join the team for breakfast?” he offered 

“wait for real?” you asked in surprise 

“yeah, they wont mind” 

you joined the table, greeting by the whole team except for changbin. chan quickly introduced you to everyone, leaving them in shock of their young manager as minho sat you down across from seungmin. “hey y/n.. did you ever get my new shoes?” 

“oh yeah!” you picked up from your bag from the floor, shuffling through some things before pulling out a pair of white “nike” shoes and handing them over to him. 

seungmin looked at the pair of shoes, investigating every detail before looking back up to you. 

“are you sure these are nike?” he asked before changbin could interrupt 

“seungmin! remember that prank you pulled on me awhile ago, and i mentioned if i fell for it id do whatever you want” 

“yeah, that shit was so funny!! what about it?” 

“here”, changbin stood up with a nike bag, pushing it towards seungmin as he opened the box. “here’s a brand new pair of white nikes. i hope you like them” 

seungmin smiled at changbin before opening the box, “thanks man” 

hyunjin, one of the new players, bursted into laughter at the gesture . “god y/n, you had to be there. that prank was amazing! changbin walked into the room and boom! he was so pissed off” he said, making all the players laugh and you as well. in the midst of it all you managed to steal a glance at changbin, thankful that he’d bought a pair of white nikes for seungmin.

you watched as a smile formed on his face as he looked down at the floor before looking up to lock eyes with you. he smiled at the contact making you blush before minho could catch your attention. 

“look at my cats!”

“woah, you really like your cats huh?” you asked, peeking at his home and lock screen. 

“i… i tend to get really angry sometimes. like anger issues i guess but one look at soonie,doongie, or dori and i feel relaxed again” 

“really? who’s dori?” you asked out of curiousity

you watched minho scroll through photos of his cats before receiving a text message on your phone. 

changbin (?): you owe me 

you looked up at changbin before replying. 

me: i do?! 

changbin: yes, for being the sweetest guy on the planet. tonight after the game 

me: ok okk 

“changbin” chan glared changbin, “do we have practice today too? before the game??” 

“it’s the rockets. what do you expect? i know they’ll crush us but they won’t crush us completely” seungmin pouted 

“oh come on guys, have a little faith in our team. after the game we can go watch the fireworks or something” changbin bribed 

“that’s so funny, that’s exactly what my father used to say on my birthday” you mentioned, gaining everyone’s attention 

“your birthday is on New Years?”  seungmin asked

“no no, the day the seoul stays won their first worldwide tournament-“

“y/birth month,date,year (sorry i couldnt think of a date LMFAO)” you, minho, and hyunjin said in amazement. 

“wow! that’s crazy!” jeongin added 

“yeah, chan do you remember? my dad would force me to eat breakfast with you guys every morning. it’s because i was your guy’s ‘luck factor’” you laughed 

“seriously?!” he questioned, trying to remember 

“yeah! just one breakfast with you guys and bam, you were sure to win the game” you said, laughing at their reactions 

“wow, even my uncle said her birth sign is lucky too. it must be a sign” seungmin replied

“hey hey”, changbin interrupted. “basketball is not a game of luck, it’s a game of strategy. practice is the only thing that matters” he said, straightening himself in his seat. 

you took a sip of water as you hummed in agreement. “wow, wise leader. i agree” 

chan tapped your shoulder, asking you if you’d like you come to his suite and catch up like old times. you sadly had to refuse, work being an overload and the game coming soon. you promised another day however, remembering how close you to used to be before excusing yourself from the table. you noticed changbin smile at you on your way out. what a cutie. 

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰

you sat on the bench as the game started; the score was worse than you thought. “come on stays! you can do it!“ you cheered on along with the crowd. it was a home game so it was easy to encourage them but for some reason their game was low. 

after the first round the boys sat down, chan turned to minho giving him a small push to the shoulders. “minho, you can’t keep getting angry on court!” 

“they’re purposely trying to make you mad minho, can’t you see the way they shoved your shoulder? you completely lost your game after” jeongin complained 

changbin ran his fingers through his hair anxiously as he looked at the scoreboard. 

“minho, are you getting angry at the other team or something?” you asked him

“yeah y/n, i can’t help it” he shrugged 

“how about this” you looked through minho’s bag to find a photo of dori, grabbing a piece of tape from your school bag and taping it onto his sweatband on his wrist. 

“everytime you get angry, just look at this” you suggested, remembering how easily he mentioned it calmed him down

changbin smirked to himself as he watched your advice “you seriously think that’s gonna work?” 

“back on the courts folks, it’s time to get on with the game. it seems to be on the celtics favor as expected” the announcement called 

you draw lines into the sketchbook that was supposed to plan the team’s game as they gathered around the coach and before you know it, the buzzer rang. 

you watched changbin in amazement at how well he played ball. he lead the team through commands on court and it showed how well of a leader he was. as changbin’s team played offense, they did nothing but score points. it was almost amazing how fast they caught up to the celtics before the timer could end 

the boys huddled around in amazement as the crowd roared. 

“wow! the seoul stays definitely making a comeback!!” the announcer called 

“guys, what the fuck is happening?” hyunjin asked 

“we’re doing so unbelievably well, it’s crazy.  i didn't think it was possible to score that many points at once” minho continued 

“im telling you guys, it’s y/n. we ate breakfast with her and her luck is rubbing off on us!!” seungmin said, all eyes went on chan as they wondered about his childhood. 

“were the games like this too? for your team?!” jeongin asked in curiosity 

“now that i think about it, kinda? our records were hard to believe” 

seungmin clapped his hands in realization, “that’s it! it’s y/n” 

“it’s not y/n, we actually practiced today” changbin argued

the boys pouted as the buzzer went off again and the announcer called. “one more point and the seoul stays and celtics are tied!” the reporter called 

“i think they’ll be able to do it, seeing how well they have been doing” the other reporter responded

the timer started. 

changbin passed the ball to chan who dribbled it down the court before passing it to hyunjin. it seemed as though the other team’s defense was off, even though they were known to be brick walls. they seemed down on defense and changbin made sure to take that to his advantage as jeongin shot the ball. 

“yang shoots- and it’s not in! oh-oh wait i think seungmin is going for the rebound… and.. and he makes the rebound!!” 

the timer pauses as the boys cheer to themselves. “come on guys!! we can do it” changbin cheered on as the crowd encouraged them. 

“we?? you mean y/n??” changbin looked away from seungmin when he mentioned your name, making him nervous about where the real determination of the game was coming from. 

the timer had 50 seconds left. the ball was in minho’s hands. the second the buzzer went off, you watched as the celtics drilled through the other team and shoved minho to the ground. 

minho’s eyebrows furrowed in fury, his face heated as he knew their purpose. “uh oh, looked like minho is angry. will he screw up the whole game for the stays?” the announcer called 

minho took a second, pausing to stare the photo of soonie on his wrist. “i-is that lee minho?? smiling on court?!” the female announcer called. 

“yes! and minho gets back on his two feet! but the buzzer is at 10 seconds, what will minho do?” 

minho ran to the half court line, shooting the ball from a questionable distance. the crowd silenced, everyone on the edges of their seats as they watched the ball fly around the rims of the hoop, only to fall right in with the buzzer went off. 

“and the stays win the game!!” 

changbin looked around in confusion. “US?? WE DID IT!!!” the boys huddled together, jumping in circles as the crowd cheered them on

“perhaps the seoul stays will not be disappointing us this season. looking forward to what they have to show”

changbin ran up to you, picking you up and twirling you around in happiness as he gave you a tight hug. 

“thank you y/n, for giving minho that stupid idea” he scoffed 

“you're welcome” you laughed as changbin slowly stepped out of the hug, realizing how awkward he was 

“now for that date? can you bring the team’s agenda?” 

“is it a date if you’re still in basketball mode?” you asked, wondering why he would ask for the player’s agendas.

“who said it’s a date for the both of us? i want to get to know the players more” he laughed

“pfft, like id ever date you” you said, turning around as the media started to crowd changbin 

“in your dreams y/n!!” changbin called from behind, making you smile as you drove back to the hotel

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰

around 9 pm you heard three knocks on the door. you rushed to the door, opening it to see changbin in a hoodie and jeans, a coat over his hoodie to make a look. he parted his hair for his forehead to show, three bracelets on his wrist and a small gold chain to complete his fit. 

“wow..” he said. you looked at yourself from head to toe. you were wearing blue jeans with an white embroidered long sleeve shirt and a pair of white boots. 

“um.. wow?” you asked, a small chuckle leaving your lips as you allowed changbin to come inside.

chan turned the corner of your hotel floor to surprise you that night, only to see changbin enter your room. “was that changbin?” he wondered to himself, he looked up at the ceiling to prevent himself from tearing up. he seemed to be on the edge the whole day, thinking about confessing to you after 8 years of waiting. but it seemed like you moved on, and even worse with chan’s biggest enemy. he knew he had to get you back somehow. chan left for the elevators, his head speculating on how he would do so.

“wow(wowwww shes hot, ok sorry 3racha), this hotel room is a mess,” changbin continued, flopping onto the half made bed that had magazines scattered on top of it. he grabbed one of the magazines to find his face in the front cover. 

“staring at photos of me?” he asked with a smirk on his face.

“no! no.. totally not. just gotta check the news, right?” you replied, stuffing the bra you left on the floor into your check-in bag

“do you have the player’s agendas?” he asked, turning off the tv

“yeah! but you want their agenda to get to know them better? why not actually try to get to know them better?”

“i know their personalities, i don't know their interests outside of basketball however”

“well that’s why you communicate, just get to know them better” you suggested, sitting next to him on the bed with your legs crossed

“talk with them? i talk with them everyday”

“then ask them what they like when you’re having a conversation, just slip it in there. here try it on me”

“hmm.. other than being the manager’s secretary, what do you like about basketball?”

“that wasn’t what i meant but i like nothing about basketball, moving on-”

��not even the players?” he asked, arching an eyebrow 

“the players… don’t seem that bad. i know chan-hyung from your guys team!”

changbin rolled his eyes, “what about me?” 

you leaned back on the bed, was this his way of flirting? even though you had just met him today, a sense of trust was built between the two of you. he felt free to share his concerns with you and you felt free to speak your mind around him.

“you’re not bad” you replied, laughing at changbin’s pout

“pfft.. right”

you took advantage of the hotel service and ordered a bottle of wine as you and changbin sat on the bed, just talking about the team and how you grew up with a father and brother that actually looked up to changbin. you talked about your ex who broke up with you a couple weeks ago because he was in love with lee minho and how basketball was the source of all the karma in your life. he couldn’t help but laugh at how blunt you spoke about your dislikes on basketball but he understood you. he seemed to cheer up as well when he discussed the stressful measures about being the captain of the basketball team that represented korea. 

“see how easy it is to communicate” you said, “you’re doing just fine. you literally got me to spit out all my interests”

“i don't think that's cause of my social skills” changbin said, his fingers intertwined with yours

“oh really? then what is it?”

“i think we just have a lot in common” he smirked, placing his head on your shoulder. you giggled as his feet played with yours

“me? with the seo changbin?”

“oh come on, i'm not ‘ the seo changbin’” he laughed as he leaned closer to you, his face centimeters apart from yours. your lips parted from the close proximity.

“can i?” he asked, his eyes diverting from your lips to your eyes

“does it look like i’m complaining?” you whispered before he smiled into the kiss.

his hands slithered from your legs to your waist, you grabbing his face as he turned you so you were on his lap. he pushed your hair away so you could kiss him once again, his eyes asking for permission as he tugged on your white shirt. “is this okay?”

you giggled as his cold fingertips tickled your skin and nodded your head in approval as you threw his coat off. your hands found themselves under changbin’s hoodie as well, touching every area and complimenting his figure as he pulled his hoodie over his head. 

changbin hummed into the kiss as you straddled his lap, turning his neck as you could kiss his skin making him shut his eyes in satisfaction

“y/n.. you work wonders on me” he whispered as you places small kisses down his chest, making sure not to leave too many marks as he was a celebrity

you pecked his lips one last time before you and changbin could squirm under the sheets, the wine having its effect on you and making you fall for the captain of the basketball team--seo changbin. 

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰

you woke up to the doorbell, changbin sleeping soft and sound next to you as you quickly fixed your hair and threw on his jacket. you weren’t expecting anyone, so you figured it was room service asking about breakfast.

before answering the door, you woke up changbin. “hey, changbin” you whispered into his ear

“changbin..” you pinched his skin but he wouldn’t budge. a smile came on your face as you realized what would wake him up. your lips could themselves on his neck, what you discovered last night to be his weak spot as you sucked on the skin. changbin smirked as he grabbed your hips and placed you on his lap, “what’s up y/n?” he smiled as he saw you wearing his hoodie

“someone’s at the door, i think it’s room service so just hide under the covers”

“oh.. okay sounds good” you got up from the bed as changbin slapped your ass, laughing playfully

“stop it” you bickered, making him chuckle even more as he hid under the comforter

you opened the door to see hyunjin, minho, jeongin, and seungmin.

“good morning y/n!” jeongin greeted before you could hear a loud thump

“did something fall over?” hyunjin asked, trying to peek inside

“no! no, maybe just my bags” you said, peeking inside to see changbin on the floor as he tried to listen to the conversation

“anyways, we wanted to invite you to breakfast with us. last night’s win was crazy, and we think it’s because of you! we got your own seat for tonight’s game as well” seungmin said

“oh… don’t you think you should discuss this with your captain first?”

“oh come on y/n! i’m sure he’ll be fine with it” minho replied

“i don’t know… plus it’s just a belief that my father had. i can't ensure you guys the win”

“please y/n!” seungmin begged, this hands tugging at yours. 

“see! you’re wearing one of our hoodies too! it’s destined, its a yes” hyunjin said

“fine” you complied, “but if the captain says anything about it, i’m out”

“perfect!! we’ll see you in an hour” the boys rushed down the hallway, skipping in the midst of their steps as say ‘yippies!’ and ‘woohoos!’ were heard

you shut the door, changbin now throwing his shirt on as he realized the time. “are you fine with me eating breakfast with the team?” you asked

changbin pulled you into his arms, placing a reassuring kiss on your lips. “as long as you sit next to me” he said before grabbing his things.

“i’ll see you in an hour, keep my hoodie as a souvenir” he winked before heading off.

the second he closed the door you collapsed onto the sheets, stuffing your face inside of the comforters as you screamed in excitement. every second felt like a fairytale and you wondered how you were so (ironically) lucky to end up dating the captain of south korea’s basketball team.

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰

you were getting ready to go to the game when a boy named felix came to visit you. 

“hey y/n…  my names felix? im the last one on the roster”

“what’s up felix?!” you asked, grabbing the two of you a coffee. 

“i don’t know, can we talk? there’s been something on my mind and i know the rest of the team is busy so i don’t know who to go to” 

“yeah sure, go ahead!” 

“my whole life i have been playing basketball. it was my dream to join the national team and now im on, but im always on the bench. changbin hyung, bang chan hyung and the others, i look up to them so much. i really want to play y/n” 

“aww felix, i know how you feel. you know what changbin always says” the two of you rolled your eyes as you mocked changbin’s voice 

“practice makes perfect” the two of you said in unison, making felix laugh

“and im sure changbin is going to notice you, ill make sure of it” you said, making a mental note to talk to changbin about felix 

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰

before the game started, the team got together to discuss with the press. 

“now boys, can you explain how the hell minho made that half line shot? that was literally legendary!”

minho was given the microphone, “well, i’d like to call it luck. we actually have i suppose.. a lucky charm among our team”

“hmm, spill the tea minho” the reporter responded.

“we dont have a lucky charm, it’s just some stupid belief among the team” changbin interrupted, grabbing minho’s microphone.

“i believe our team has put in a lot of effort into their game, and minho has definitely been keeping their head in the game, along with the rest of the boys. we’ve been doing a great job. end of the conference”

the boys got up at changbin’s rough command, leaving the meeting room and getting ready for the game.

it was the game against a team from france, known for having the best defense. the boys were nervous; minho staring at the photo of his cat like madman, seungmin pacing around the court, hyunjin talking as fast as he can to take his mind off the game, and jeongin silently screamed like a dolphin to let out his anxiousness.

chan however, sat next to you the whole time. you smiled and nodded while he talked as you ensured everything was set for the game but at the same time you kept stealing glances at changbin. he checked on each member making sure they were alright and encouraged them like he always did. at one point he even caught your eye, raising his shirt to expose his six-pack and using the hem of his shirt to wipe the sweat off his forehead. the whole moment played in slow motion, the swamp of girls behind you screaming at the top of their lungs when he winked at you.

“and yeah i’ve been trying to get in touch- y/n? y/n?” chan asked, tapping your shoulder

“yeah! you.. you wanted to talk to me chan?” chan simply smiled and got up. “maybe another time” 

you waved him off as the game started and god was it a miracle. the whole team did amazing on defense but the whole stadium roared at how well changbin did in offense. he made 3/4ths of the shots despite chan having the best shooting record on the team, and when changbin finally best chan’s record the crowd screamed in amazement.

“wow! it looks like seo changbin is having a lucky day, the seoul stays are back at it with another win!” the announcer called.

once the game was over the cameras were all on changbin and his team, you resorting to leaving early and getting some rest at the hotel. 

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰

you smiled, clutching your purse into your chest as you thought about breakfast this morning. you sat right next to changbin wearing your favorite dress, his hand resting on your thigh under the table and his thumb drawing circles.

“stop it” you kicked changbin in the shin making him jump in his seat

“hey changbin, everything good?” minho asked

“yeah, yeah. lets just eat and get on with practice” he replied with a smile on his face.

you laughed, stabbing your fork into your scrambled eggs before changbin could place his hand back on his thigh.

he talked with the other members about the game, but his hands kept busy as they crept up your thigh. 

you shut your eyes in bliss as his fingers slipped past your wet folds, changbin turning around to whisper in your ear

“no underwear?” he said with a smirk

“mhmm” you hummed, your eyes focused on your plate as his fingers played with your clit.

he pushed two digits in, your hands resorting to your knees to grab onto as you felt your stomach churn

you turned to changbin, “can we be excused early?” you asked

“no can do love, that’s why i need to finish you off first. i guess this is a thank you for last night” he winked as he slipped in a third finger, thrusting them in and out as you pressed your legs in tight

changbin continued on with his discussion as you cummed on his fingers, making him smile as he grabbed a few tissues with his other hand.

he cleaned you off with the breakfast napkins before straightening out your dress.

“okay boys, off to practice?” he asked, brushing his hands on knees and getting up.

you smiled remembering the exact moment. it was totally sexy.. he was so sexy, you thought to yourself before being interrupted by chan.

“hey y/n!” he called after you 

“chan, what’s up?” you said

“look.. i don't mean to kill the mood or anything, but i’ve been watching you and changbin and i just want you to be careful”

“be careful? why?”

“did you see how well he played today? i’m sorry y/n, he’s obviously dating you for your luck. you know he loves basketball more than anything”

“chan, you know i dont believe in my luck either” you frowned

“fine then, just looked at this” chan pulled out his phone, his screen showing a clip from this morning’s press conference.

you watched as changbin took the microphone, “we dont have a lucky charm, it’s just some stupid belief among the team” 

“see that y/n, he thinks your stupid, a nobody. he’s just playing you”

your eyes watered as the clip replayed on chan’s phone, running the elevators and letting the tears fall into the palms of your hands. chan was right, if some guy could dumb you because he was in love with a cat-loving basketball player, why would korea’s most handsome captain date you? he obviously had some incentive. 

you grabbed some tissues as you ran into your room realizing changbin not only played basketball, he played with your heart.

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰

you were packing your bags, the tv playing behind you announcing the win for the seoul stays. they didn’t fail to mention changbin’s new record, making you grab the tv remote and turn in off. 

“y/n!!” changbin opened the door, running up to you and giving you a hug. 

“y/n did you see my shots?! i guess the practice came through this time” he laughed. 

“your practice? or my luck?” you asked, pushing him away from you to zip up your bag. 

“what do you mean?” changbin asked 

“changbin..” you bursted into tears when you said his name, “you can stop acting, i know you’re just pretending to be with me for my luck!” 

“y/n that’s not why i like you!” he replied 

“really?” you threw him your phone, the clip from the press meeting playing

“we dont have a lucky charm, it’s just some stupid belief among the team” changbin watched the clip twice before you could take your phone away from me

“no y/n, that’s not what i meant! im just trying to get the boys to not rely on you for our wins. we earn our wins!” 

“we?? your team?? or you changbin? because the fact that you made a whole new record after sleeping with me really says something” 

“y/n—” 

“forget it, we’re done. im leaving this trip. im done with basketball, and their players” you spat in his face before leaving 

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰

you didn’t show up to breakfast that day, resulting in an easy loss for changbin’s team but luckily for them it was a mock game. 

with your absence, the boys lost confidence in their game. changbin never explained to the boys why you had left and he had no way of cheering them up. 

you watched the mock game from your tv, sighing in disappointment as you watched changbin being mobbed by the paparazzi. 

he looked like he had been crying for awhile, his eyes downed with eye bags as he walked past the crowd. 

that same night, you felt worried about changbin’s well-being. the final match was tomorrow and you wondered if he was overthinking about the loss. you remembered how well he poured out the stresses of being captain, and came to the gym to find him by himself shooting hoops and practicing alone. 

“changbin?” you called out, watching as the ball changbin shot went into the hoop. 

he looked at you with no expression, grabbing another basketball and shooting it right into the hoop. constantly making points. 

“look, im sorry” you apologized, “i'm sorry for going off on you and accusing you” 

changbin didn’t respond, grabbing another basketball. 

“and you’re right. i gave your team false hope and i can’t go to any of the games. im sorry, okay?” you continued

“no y/n” changbin replied, dropping his basketball

“maybe you’re right. the one day you’re not here with us, we lose. when you’re there we automatically win. maybe this whole time… maybe it wasn’t skill and practice, it was luck. getting into the basketball team, becoming captain, meeting you. maybe this whole thing was just luck” 

“changbin..” you sobbed, giving him a hug. “what have i done to you?” 

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰

day of the final tournament— south korea vs united states 

“i heard y/n left, and i had to skip my vacation to fill in for her” the manager yelled at the boys, making them scrunch up in their seats. 

“anyways, why the fuck did you lose that easy match against the pelicans?! they played like high schoolers! and who are we?! the champion team! changbin, you don’t get the win for us during finals and your cut from the team. chan will easily take over” he exclaimed, leaving the room in fury 

the first half of the game, changbin’s team suffered the biggest loss. the crowd was failing to cheer on the team knowing that they couldn’t possibly win the game with the way they played. the team constantly begged for breaks, discussing plans and pissing off the opposing team with their decisions. when changbin put chan in the game the crowd cheered on, putting smiles on everyone’s face. 

“bang chan is in the game!! it looks like changbin is finally making some good decisions for the team” 

but bang chan did nothing but disappoint. the second he got the ball he would drop it, staring around in embarrassment. it was almost as if he was doing it on purpose, you realized. at one point minho shoved chan to the ground, “get him out of the game!” minho exclaimed to changbin before the buzzer could ring. 

“wow..” the announcer called 

“i thought the seoul stays would be some sort of competition to the american team but i guess i was wrong. they seem to be completely messed up. i don’t know what’s going on with them” 

“they seemed the be lucky this whole time i guess…” 

“let’s see what happens during the second half”

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰

the boys sat down in the locker room, exhausted and disappointed from the game. 

“look, guys why are we like this?” changbin asked the team

“y/n’s not here, we need y/n! without y/n we’re gonna lose” jeongin responded 

“you guys! don’t you hear yourselves? you’re already losing hope. you don’t need y/n! you need yourselves! think about it, when you first started playing, even before you played on the national team, was y/n there?” 

the boys shook their heads no as they listened in on what changbin was saying 

“then just imagine a time when y/n wasn’t there and play ball. pretend like there’s no one there. no gym, no crowds, no managers. let’s just play like we did when we were younger, when we played on the courts in our school in front of the girls in order to gain someone’s attention. let's play our best, okay?”

the whole locker room was quiet before a sniffle could be heard from hyunjin. hyunjin got up and hugged changbin, “that was fucking beautiful man” he cried, making the whole team laugh

“let's do it!” the whole team cheered 

“1..2..3.. seoul stays!” the team rushed out of the locker rooms but changbin stopped chan on the way

“chan, i’m gonna have you sit on the benches this time… replacing you with felix” the freckled boy stood up from the benches, “me?!”

“yes you” changbin laughed

“you seriously think he can replace me? im the best one on the team!” chan argued

“well it didn’t seem like it earlier” changbin shrugged, grabbing felix’s hand and leading him to the courts

“wow! as if the game couldn’t get better, changbin has just replaced their best player bang chan with a rookie, lee felix!” the news reporter sarcastically exclaimed

“let’s see how well his decision will turn out”

“ok guys…” changbin said as the boys huddled up, “just remembered told you.”

as the game went on, the crowd seemed more and more on the edges of their seats. seoul stays were already passed the united states team and were so close to winning. the timer was so close to zero as felix was passed the ball.

at first he seemed afraid, the americans coming to play defense on him as he dribbled down the court.

“to me, to me!” felix heard changbin’s voice and quickly passed the ball, running down the court. 

the crowd screamed as the time grew closer to zero and felix was passed back the ball. seungmin, jeongin, minho, and hyunjin made sure that felix was safe to play as he dribbled down the court and finally before the timer could go off, he shot for a lay-up.

“and it’s in!” the announcer called, the team running up to felix and screaming in excitement

“congrats to the seoul stays, you have won the worldwide tournament!!

you squealed in your seat as you watched the game, jumping up with your couch and doing a boogie dance before you could hear your brother and father walk in the door.

“you’re watching the game too?!” jisung asked

“their win was pretty crazy” your dad said, sitting next to you

“tell me about it” you replied

jisung sat down in front of you as a new face peeked in.  it was woojin, your brothers best friend since you were younger. he seemed like an older brother to you as well, always helping you out when you needed it.

“woojin!” you exclaimed

“woojinniee” jisung mocked

“shut up” you retorted, giving woojin a hug as he sat down with jisung and your dad.

“look kiddo” your dad said, “you seemed a bit off when you came home from work. that’s why i brought the boys here, are you okay?” your dad asked

you shrugged your shoulders, leaning back against the couch. “guys, if you screw up something in a relationship. i dont know, you have a misunderstanding and you go off on the boy.. what do you do?”

“communicate?” woojin suggested, making you laugh at how stupid changbin’s communicating skills were

“wait.. you were in a relationship?” your dad asked

“that’s not the point here” you responded

jisung got up, pointing his finger at the door. “if i was a true bro, i would come knocking on that door right now begging for you, no cap” 

the doorbell rang.

jisung covered his mouth in shock, “woojin hyung, do i have psychic powers?!”

“for god’s sake, go answer the door” woojin responded, making the three of you laugh

your brother ran to the door, opening it to see seo changbin with his motorcycle. 

“hey..” he glared inside before looking back at jisung, “i’m here for y/n?” 

“y..you’re… y-you’re seo changbin.. you’re her boyfriend..”

“oh, you must be y/n’s brother!” 

“BRO! YOU FUCKING WON THE TOURNAMENT BRUHH” jisung pulled changbin into a hug before you could pull him away. 

“ji-jisung you can go now”  you said, dragging him by the arm

“you’re a legend, i love you! saranghAEE!” jisung said before you could shove him into the hallway

seconds later you returned back to the door, “your brother is just like how you described him” changbin said, nervously scratching the back of his neck and putting his hands in his pockets

“what are you doing here?” you asked, “you should be with the team”

“i was… but then i realized how much i missed you. i realized how much i missed you next to me. i wanted you there y/n… everyone was happy and smiling and it killed me knowing i didn’t have you there next to me. not as my lucky charm but my girlfriend”

“showing your feelings while communicating aren’t we, your social skills teacher would be proud” you smiled, making changbin feel at ease 

“i only learned from the best” he replied, pulling you into a hug

“y/n, please forgive me. i’ll eat breakfast with you everyday unless there’s a game, i’ll talk to you every night with my stupid communicating skills, i’ll give you all my hoodies.. just make me the luckiest man on earth and be with me”

“a terrible choice of words” you laughed

“oh.. right”

you took a step back, cupping changbin’s cheeks in your hand before placing a kiss on his lips.

“i make you the luckiest man on earth in my room tonight” you winked

“i’m willing to take a shot at that”

[puroresu-musings]

PWG BATTLE OF LOS ANGELES 2019 Final Stage DVD Review  (Sept 22nd, The Globe Theater in Los Angeles, CA.)

Battle of Los Angeles Quarter Finals Match Dragon Lee vs. Jake Atlas  ****1/4

Battle of Los Angeles Quarter Finals Match Bandido vs. Brody King  ***

Battle of Los Angeles Quarter Finals Match Jonathan Gresham vs. A-Kid  ****

Battle of Los Angeles Quarter Finals Match Joey Janela vs. Rey Fenix  ***1/4+

Battle of Los Angeles Quarter Finals Match Darby Allin vs. Penta El Zero M  ***1/2

Battle of Los Angeles Quarter Finals Match David Starr vs. Jeff Cobb  ***1/2

Dark Order (Evil Uno & Stu Grayson) vs. Rey Horus & Aramis  ***1/4

Battle of Los Angeles Semi Finals Match Jonathan Gresham vs. Joey Janela  ***

Battle of Los Angeles Semi Finals Match Bandido vs. Dragon Lee  ****1/2

Battle of Los Angeles Semi Finals Match David Starr vs. Darby Allin  **3/4

Team Ugg (Caveman Ugg, Orange Cassidy, Jungle Boy, Artemis Spencer and Paris DeSilva) vs. Team Taurus (Black Taurus, Mick Moretti, Lucky Kid, Tony Deppen and Kyle Fletcher)  ***3/4

Battle of Los Angeles Finals Match Bandido vs. David Starr vs. Jonathan Gresham  ****

Photos.

It’s that time of the year again; Pro Wrestlig Guerrilla’s annual BOLA tournament. I’d be lying if I said this years line-up filled me with much enthusiasm (beyond living legend Daisuke Sekimoto’s inclusion, of course), but I’d heard this final day was worth checking out, and it certaintly didn’t disappoint. It featured a bunch on great matches, countless madman moves, and if you were playing a drinking game in which you were to take a shot every time someone slapped their thigh, you’d be in an alcohol induced coma by the midway point. PWG is a promotion I’ve sort of fallen out with in the last couple of years. Every now and then they’d have an occasional show that I’d really like (last years BOLA was mostly great), but generally, the roster since mid 2017 hasn’t sparked my enthusiasm, and their shows have just been average more often than not. Well I’m pleased to say this was a return to form of sorts.

Action kicked off with a bang with Dragon Lee’s fantastic, all-action victory of Jake Atlas, which left a lot to follow. Lee had the two best matches on the show here, and I hope wherever he ends up post CMLL split, that he’s featured at the top of the card. Atlas held his own here too, it must be said, though Lee was obviously the standout. There was a crazy sequence where Lee hit a Hurricarana out of the ring, and Atlas took out the front row, and another, straight out of the Hiromu feud, where they traded 8 straight German Suplex’s, then traded reverse rana’s, before Lee hit a running knee strike for a near fall, dropped the knee pad and hit another to advance in 10:55. Bandido’s win over the massive Brody King was good, but couldn’t follow that, and they decided to do a “Lucha” match, which was both impressive, given King’s size, and terribly messy at times. Bandido won with the 21 Plex in 10:40. The Octopus Jonathan Gresham’s win over Spain’s A-Kid was an excellent contest that started off as a compelling technical outing, then broke down into a heated hard-hitter, and was the most “real” looking fight on the entire card. Gresham worked over Kid’s leg all match, and won via ref stoppage after repeatedly stomping on it, and driving the knee into the mat at the 18:03 mark. This was great. 

Joey Janela surprisingly advanced over Fenix in another good match. However, at 15:58, this was much too long, and had it gone 10 minutes, probably would have been much better. Fenix was roughly a hundred times better than Janela in this, but The Bad Boy got the upset after turning Fenix’s mask around, thus ‘blinding’ him, and hitting a super kick for the three. Darby Allin and (the sometimes) Pentagon Jr had a very good outing next which told a compelling story, and featured even better selling by Penta, after Allin bashed his knee with a chair in the early stages. The masked man pulled a tremendous sell-job, needing help getting his leg over the ropes whenever he tried to enter the ring. Of course, they fucked it by doing a piledriver and Canadian Destroyer off a ladder, neither of which were the finish, and Darby just popped up from them, hit some moves and won with a figure four cradle at 16:24. Had it had a different finishing stretch, this too would have great, but alas, they had to epitomise everything that frustrates me about indy wrestling nowadays. David Starr and Jeff Cobb had a very different bout next, it was a fun wrestling match which saw Starr pull off the upset by defeating last years winner, and current PWG World Champ, Cobb after nailing him with a belt shot behind ref Aubrey Edwards back (which would later play into Starr’s semi final bout), then hitting a massive Lariat to advance in 11:15. Post intermission, the former Super Smash Bros., now Dark Order defeated the Lucha tandem of Rey Horus and youngster Aramis. This was another good match-up, but I wasn’t too invested in this. Dark Order won after hitting their cool Fatality finish on Aramis at 14:48.

BOLA semi final action commenced with Gresham making short work (8:30) of Joey Janela, in a fun little sprint (which did needlessly feature Gresham kicking at one form a Package Piledriver). Apparently, Janela has won all his tourney matches with a super kick, but Gresham kicked out here, which threw the Bad Boy, resulting in him ‘losing it’ and throwing a bunch of chairs into the ring, which he was Germaned onto. The Octopus locked on the Manjigatame for the submission win. Dragon Lee and Bandido had the match of the night next. This was something of a dream match, and whilst it was a wild 12 minute all-actioner, I can’t help but wish they went maybe 5 minutes longer here. Regardless of this, the match was still excellent stuff indeed, and we know what to expect here; Lee hit a tope suicida maybe 4 rows deep, and Bandido hit an Orihara moonsault that literally grazed the balcony. They went full-speed, hit all of their signature spots, before Dragon Lee no-sold a top rope Moonsault Powerslam, and scored a near fall with a devastating top rope Desnucadora. Bandido countered a Powerbomb into a Destroyer, then hit the 21 Plex, but rolled through into a Deadlift German for the win. The crowd showered the ring in dollars in the post-match, whilst Bandido got them to chant “Please Come Back” at Lee. And in the third semi final, David Starr was victorious of Darby Allin in the weakest, and shortest, match on the show. The main story here was Starr trying to bully and intimidate referee Aubrey Edwards, pushing her around, before she finally shoved him to the mat to a huge pop, all the while Darby just... lay around. As Allin made a comeback, Starr caught a Coffin Drop into a Powerbomb backbreaker, then got the win at 5:39 with another big Lariat.

The prerequisite ridiculous BOLA 10 man of first round losers followed, and it was just as preposterous as previous years, if probably a little more entertaining. This started as just a comedy outing, but turned into a highspot fest. Team captains Ugg and Taurus’ exchange was the highlight here, as both powerhouses bealed their teammates into one another in order to bring the other down, but to no avail. There was all kinds of crazy shit here; everyone hit a big dive, Cassidy did a nonchalant balcony dive, Moretti was nearly killed in a terrifying reverse rana Tower Of Doom spot, the massive Ugg followed that up with a Phoenix Splash (!!!), the dinky Paris DeSilva hit a Shooting Star DDT (!!!), then Cassidy pinned Tony Deppen with a cradle at 25:49 to win for his team. Yes, it was silly, yes, it was overly long, but it was a ton of fun. And finally, Jonathan Gresham, Bandido, and David Starr faced off in the elimination 3-way 2019 BOLA Finals. As a triple threat, this was great stuff, they got so much out of a figure four, it was unbelievable. Starr was first eliminated after Gresham locked him in Manjigatame and started raining down hammer fists, which prompted referee Rick Knox to call for the bell for a ref stoppage elimination. This boiled down to Gresham and Bandido, and they had a nice back-and-forth, which saw The Octopus kick out of a 21 Plex. He then once again locked in the Manjigatame and started hitting the hammer fists, and Knox again teased the stoppage to great drama, but Bandido powered out with a Samoan Drop. The masked man then took Gresham up top and hit a reverse version of his Moonsault Powerslam, and hit the tournament winning 21 Plex to claim to trophy at the 23:26 mark. Bandido celebrated with his father and brother, and Dragon Lee in the post match, and promised to beat Jeff Cobb for the title in the future.

PWG is in a strange impasse at the minute; most of their key talent has been swallowed up by either AEW or NXT, and I don’t see either of their top guys, Bandido and Jeff Cobb, not being snatched up when eithers contracts with ROH are up, and where PWG goes then is anyone’s guess. I certaintly don’t see them knocking out shows of the same quality of years gone by. Of course, there’s always a chance they become a kind of unofficial developmental league for AEW. However, despite this potential black cloud, the Cali rebels produced a great show here. It was 3 and a half hours, but never dragged, and featured nothing that could be seen as less than good, and a whole bunch of great (though nothing could touch last years final, in my opinion). Also, I can’t review a BOLA without going on my annual production rant, but for God sake guys, it is 2019. Surely we’ve advanced beyond these shows being filmed on a single hardcam, and a lone handheld around ringside. It’s so RF Video circa 2002, its ridiculous. Especially when promotions such as AAW look great nowadays. Please sort the presentation of these DVD’s out. Thanks.

NDT

[imajin-bangtan]

Again-A Jungkook Scenario

Because I’m Jungkook trash and I cry a lot because of Begin — M

Sweat dripped off of Jungkook’s forehead as he came to a stop. His work out before his private dance practice was finally finished. Jungkook didn’t do this often after a long day of group practice, but lately he did it everyday. He stared at his reflection in the mirror and watched his chest rise and fall. Negative thoughts invading his mind. Doubts that he was good, thinking he had reached his peak. Anger surged through Jungkook. He needed to work harder. He was slipping up. Pathetic.

Jungkook walked over to the speaker and pressed play. Music boomed through the speakers and he walked over to his starting position. Adrenaline pumping, Jungkook began to dance. About 30 seconds in Jungkook cursed as his feet slipped and he incorrectly landed on the ground. Angry at himself, he got up and restarted the music. Jungkook’s practice went like this for hours into the evening. He was punishing himself. Though he had no proof, he was convinced that he was somehow letting his hyungs down. Jungkook worked himself to utter exhaustion. At 3 in the morning, he finally called it a night.

Jungkook tried to be quiet as he entered into BTS’ apartment. He entered his room and collapsed on the bed. Jungkook didn’t even bother changing as he felt himself drift off into sleep.

Light streamed in through the window as Jungkook opened his eyes. Panicking he checked his phone and cursed when he read that it was 12:00 PM. Jungkook leaped out of bed and called out, “Tae? What happened? Why did you let me sleep? Was practice cancelled?”

He expected to hear a response from his roommate but his heart dropped when there was silence. Jungkook checked their shared bathroom and found it empty. Nervous, Jungkook began to search the entire apartment but found it just as empty. Jungkook finally found a note on the kitchen counter.

“Jungkook, you were sleeping like a rock. We went to practice, we can talk later. -Namjoon”

“Shit,” Jungkook thought, “I’m about to get a lecture on being lazy aren’t I? God I’m such a disappointment.” 

As anxiety bubbled in his stomach, Jungkook disposed of his dirty clothes and put on fresh clothes. He did minimal clean up for his appearance and headed to the door. Hopefully he could catch the end of the group practice and make it up to the hyungs by privately practicing for the rest of the day.

Arriving at the studio, Jungkook braced himself for what he would have to face and pushed the dance room doors open. What he found on the other side left him speechless.

His hyungs were waiting patiently for him at a table filled with Jungkook’s favorite foods. They all looked at him warmly and invited him in. Jungkook’s stomach grumbled from starvation and he felt dazed.

“What’s this?” Jungkook cautiously spoke as he took a seat.

“It’s time to talk Jungkook.” Namjoon answered calmly. Jungkook immediately thought it was time for his lecture on how he should stop slacking. He started to assume the food was a prank.

“Listen, hyung I’m so sorry I slept I-”

“Jungkook.” Yoongi’s voice silence him. “Don’t apologize. We were all glad to see you sleeping so deeply.” Now Jungkook was throughly confused.

Jimin spoke next, “Please eat. I know you didn’t eat breakfast on your way over here.” Jungkook reached over and pulled a plate close to him, and chewed the food in front of him to keep silent. His eyes nervously searched his hyungs’ eyes for an explanation.

“To put it simply Jungkook,” Namjoon continued, “We’re worried for you. You’ve barely been eating, your sleep schedule is a mess, and it’s affecting your health.” Namjoon’s voice trembled at the last part and it caused tears to form in Jungkook’s eyes.

Any pain Jungkook felt was nothing compared to when his hyungs were sad. To see them sad crushed Jungkook’s heart. These men made him who he was today. Without them, he was nothing. Jungkook remembered the days he felt empty and purposeless. Then his hyungs entered into his life and he was forever changed. They truly were his brothers. But here he was as the source of their sadness. It was like his heart was shattering.

Jungkook noticed that Jimin was openly crying and he wanted to stand and embrace him but he was frozen in his seat.

“You’re pushing yourself too far, Jungkook.” Jin finally spoke, Jungkook looked at him and felt his tears leave his eyes. “You’re scaring us. You haven’t spoke to most of us in days, with the exception of practice. What’s going on?”

Jungkook sniffed before speaking. “I just…I just felt like these past week I’ve been performing badly and bringing the rest of you down. I wanted to work harder to better myself for you guys…”

Hoseok stood and crouched next to Jungkook. “We’re always proud of you. You have to know that. A minor slip up here or there is nothing. We don’t want to lose you-” Hoseok was cut off as he started to cry.

Jungkook comforted his hyung as best as he could but he felt himself collapse under the love of his brothers as it pushed away his fears and doubts. How could he have been so stupid as to believe that dumb practices meant more to them than him? Jungkook openly cried and buried his face in his hands. He felt Hoseok rub his back as he tried to calm Jungkook down.

“Seeing you asleep this morning in your work out clothes…” Tae finally spoke up, “That was the final straw for me. I couldn’t let myself just watch as you pushed your body to the limits. I miss my roommate and I miss the late night talks we shared.”

“We’ve missed you at dinners.” Jin added, “But when we saved leftovers for you, you never ate them.”

Jimin interjected, “Do you even realize how sick you look lately? Dark circles under your eyes, your body seems smaller and smaller ever day. What would happen if you passed out from exhaustion and we weren’t here for you?”

Jungkook’s body was shaking as he looked back up at his hyungs. How could he think that they didn’t care? Jungkook thought he was being selfless by practicing more and yet here they were disproving him. He cleared his throat and spoke again.

“I’m so sorry. So so sorry. I wasn’t thinking straight. I’m sorry to have caused you all to worry. I promise I’ll stop practicing so late. I’ll come to the dinners and go to bed early again. Can you ever forgive me?”

“There’s nothing to forgive.” Yoongi spoke gently, “Can we all go home and rest now?” Everyone answered with a resounding “Yes”. The atmosphere was still shaky until Yoongi continued, “Great! I can’t wait kick all your asses in Super Smash Bros!”

This earned a laugh from Jungkook and the rest of them smiled to see his demeanor change. He wiped the remaining tears away. “You’re going down Min Yoongi!”

They all packed up and headed home. During the car ride they explained to Jungkook that their management was going to give them the next two weeks off to rest. Jungkook kept quiet for the most part. He let the events of the last hour soak in. He loved his brothers so much but he wasn’t going to let them down again.

As they arrived home he stuck to his promise and kicked Yoongi’s ass in a round of Super Smash Bros. This led to a BTS tournament to see who was the ultimate champion. The rest of the day was filled with laughter, food, and a lot of video games. Jungkook felt like a regular teen just hanging with his friends for the first time in months. He would always remember this day. That night as Jungkook lay in bed, memories flooded his head. Meeting his hyungs for the first time, their first album being released, the first tour they went on, the time they all had to share beds because their hotel messed up their booking, going to the beach with his brothers; these memories and more played like a film reel through his head. Today was going to join this group of memories. The memories of when his life truly began.

[elasianstar]

The world on a turtle’s back Chapter 1

“Ok Mikey, now you have to ride Agro up to the Colossus's flank as its wing flaps drag in the sand, then you have to jump for it and climb up to the top.”

“Almost, almost….dangit i missed.”

“That's ok, just get agro and chase him down again before he gets away!”

“GO AGRO!”

“He's taking off hurry Mikey!”

“BOOYAKASHA! GOT IT!”

“Are you two still playing that old game? It's the fourth day in a row.”

Leo was standing behind us one hand on each back cushion of the couch as his icy eyes scanned the screen where Mikey was taking down the flying snake falanx. The bright sword piercing the rune on the furry back of the beast before it fell, diving into the sand.

“Its not a bad game bro.”

“Yeah leo don't smash the classics, the original shadow of the colossus pushed the boundaries of what a platforming game was in its time. Back then game designers had to figure out how to code everything in a game from scratch, the industry was full of miraculous advancements in that time and it blew the minds of the gaming audiences around the world. A lot of what we know about data storage and computing came from the early game developers of the 80’s and 90’s.”

“She’s right, I use the same basic coding in the Tphones that was developed to create pokemon red. On a bigger scale of course, that program literally refused to crash.”

“I have an idea actually, go get Raph, we’ll play an awesome game i'm sure you'll all love.”

Mikey ran off to the weight room to get Raphael while i pulled an ancient gaming console out of my backpack.

“Is that an original Playstation?”

“Yeah Don its my little brother’s old console, how do you guys feel about a Crash Team Racing Tournament? My brothers and I play this all the time.”

“I could use a break from training”

“Yeah sure,i would love to play a game on such a nostalgic console, the tech back then was archaic but it was impressively durable.”

Laughing i plugged the old wires into the back of the tv.

‘You're telling me, Gabriel once shoved a PB&J in here when Charles had pissed him off. It still works like a charm.”

Donnie was turning the squat square console in his hands admiring the worn casing before pressing the button to lift the top disk hatch.

“You weren't lying, there’s a little dried jelly stuck under the scanner, its amazing this thing still works.”

Setting it down i popped the disk inside, pressing the power button only for it to freeze on the logo screen.

“It's done this from time to time ever since it went through a house fire, all it needs is a little…”

I slapped the machine and the disk continued playing like normal.

“Percussive maintenance.”

When Mikey and Raph got back i tossed each of them a controller as they sat on either side of me on the floor between the couch and the tv.

...

“I CALL CRASH!”

“This N-GIN fellow seems interesting, is that a guided missile.”

“Yep he’s good in the battle maps Don, I’ve got dibs on COCO.”

“I’ll play as this Polar bear guy.”

“I’ve got... Tiny Tiger?”

I started us on an easy map that each of their characters would have an even footing on and within a few races it had turned into an all out war, missiles and bombs flew across the track and the boys were jostling to block each other's views of the screen. Tension was definitely building.

“TAKE THAT DONNIE! MY POLAR BEAR KICKS YOUR CYBORG’S BUTT ON AN ICE MAP!”

“MIKEY HOP QUICK YOU HAVE A TNT ON YOUR HEAD!”

“FUCK I WAS WATCHING THE WRONG SCREEN!”

“AHHH SEAL!”

“WHAT THE FUCK LEO, I JUST GOT IN FIRST FUCKING PLACE AND YOU SHOOT ME WITH A DAMN ELECTRIC BALL!”

Raph jumped up onto his feet, getting in his older brother’s face with his lips pulled back in a snarl and his hands balled into fists.

“All’s fair in love and war Raphael, now stop making such a big deal out of a game.”

“I'M THE ONE MAKING A BIG DEAL OF THE GAME? YOU'VE STOLEN THE TROPHY FROM ME THREE DAMN TIMES NOW!”

The two stared each other down for several moments, Raph's anger seeming to visibly build itself off of Leo’s, before Raphael’s huge fist made contact with Leonardo’s face. The two rolled off behind the couch where they started beating the shit out of each other, curses flying while Mikey attempted to shield me and the console from the fury of the two behemoths. Within a few minutes the fight burned out to both boys staring at each other tensely, Leo rose to his feet and postured dominantly while Raph slunk back in defeat, leaving for the tunnel to the surface.

Pulling away from Mikey i gently waved off his concerned glance and moved toward Leonardo, He wasn't the only one who could pull the dominant shtick. Pulling my wings up to make myself look bigger though the blue turtle had nearly a foot on me i stalked up to Leo on my toes. Moving like a predator  my eyes flashed away from their usual green-blue hue to burn bright gold. We stared at each other in much the same way the brothers had moments before, although neither of us showed any sign of breaking into violence neither of us was willing to submit to the other’s will either.

“A good leader takes all of their followers’ thoughts and emotions into count before any action. I’m not saying Raphael was right in throwing such a fit but you could have handled that much more tactfully. I suggest you learn to understand your team better. They are warriors yes but they're also your family, and they're all you’ve got. You might consider not driving them away.”

Splinter’s voice interrupted us from where he was reading his romance novels on the overstuffed recliner.

“The young lady is wise Leonardo. You may benefit from heeding her advice.”

Leo’s eyes fell in submission to his sensei as I turned on my heel to follow Raph.

I found him a few blocks away sitting on top of an old apartment complex, his eyes on the horizon as the sky lightened for the coming dawn. At the sound of my landing he pulled in on himself a little tighter. I had seen the two eldest fight several times in the last week but I had never followed either before. Seeing this side of Raphael was something I never even considered as I sat quietly on the rooftop near him. My very presence seemed to make him relax, as if he were responding to my emotions. The first pop of sunlight struck us as the bright sphere edged over the horizon, golden rays sparking in his eyes and making them dance like embers floating over a campfire.

“What are ya starin at.”

I dropped my gaze to my hands, gently twisting the agate ring around my finger.

“nothing, sorry.”

After a while he stood up, holding out a hand to help me to my feet.

“Thanks, for sitting with me. I don't know why but it helped.”

“you're welcome.”

we were both a bit fidgety, but i’d had some time to think and had come up with a theory i had to test.

“Hey Raph, have you ever heard of empaths?”

“why.”

“It's just you seem to be very in tune with others emotions though you may not realize it.There was little reason for you to get so worked up down there but your energy was buzzing with all sorts of competition and spite and anger. You were mirroring and amplifying your brothers’ emotions to the point that you just lost control of it all. I think it may be the root of your more extreme anger issues, you absorb others’ turbulent emotions and compound them on your own without realizing until you get explosive….”

the look he gave me set my nerves off again and i hid behind my hair,  “Sorry was that too creepy and analytical?”

He nodded a bit looking at me skeptically, indecisive on whether he believed what I was saying or if he thought it was unsettling how easily I could read him.

“here,”

I placed my hand over his and thought of my favorite memory with my brothers.

“What do you feel?”

His eyes fell on our hands, a small hint of a smile tugging at his mouth.

“How are you doing that?”

“I'm not doing anything more than reliving a pleasant memory. I can help you with this though. Empathy is a common skill even amongst humans, you simply have to learn to realize which emotions don't originate from you and develop ways to deal with them without letting them cloud your own mind.”

“And that will keep me from being such a dumbass?”

I smiled wickedly, slapping him gently on the arm with the back of my fingers.

“Sorry I can't cure dumbass, but I can help you reign this in. All you have to do is give it an effort, Deal?”

His large hand grabbed mine like he was afraid to break it.

“Deal.”

…

The next friday I texted Raph and asked him to meet me on the roof of my apartment just after their twilight patrol. I set out a large blanket and packed some snacks and drinks, i stretched my wings out in the warm light of the setting sun to wait.

About an hour after sundown i heard the low thud of Raphael’s landing on the roof behind me. Looking over my shoulder i quickly sat up, laying my wings comfortably behind me i motioned for him to sit across from me on the blanket.

“So how are we doin this?”

“Well first you're going to have to actually make eye contact.”

He looked up at me and I could tell he was worried, but I didn't bring it up. He would get more comfortable with practice.

“ Close your eyes, were going to start by simply getting you to differentiate between your own emotions and those transferred to you by another. Breath deep and tell me what you feel, I will block my own aura from transferring so you won't get any crossover from me.”

After a few moments of breathing he spoke.

“Well I'm still pissed at Leo for his usual high and mighty bullshit, and at Mikey for waking me up with a water balloon.”

“all right, anything else?”

“well the ache in my muscles from a few quick laps around the city, it's relaxing. And sitting here, that's…. Why do I have to do this?”

“because if you can't decipher your own emotions how will you tell the difference between them and another's?”

I began projecting a heavy sadness, watching as his shoulders slumped and his breath shuddered.

“stop,... please.”

I pulled back behind my wards, leaving a slight soothing behind to apologize.

“if you can't tell an enemy from a friend how could you ever guard yourself in battle? It is the same for your psyche. Now seeing as your anger is the hardest for you to control I want you to focus on a memory that makes you angry without causing a meltdown, a mild irritation.”

When I noticed his face twitching into anger I pushed a little, adding my own similar memories and emotions as I watched his face screw in on itself as he bordered on rage. His fists balled and his thick arms bulged as he fought to restrain himself.

“focus Raphael, don't let yourself get lost in the fog.”

His eyes snapped open, burning into my own before cooling as I withdrew the emotion.

“What did you feel? Explain your way through what you just experienced.”

“It started with me remembering a time when Mikey bent one of my Sai trying to use it to poke a hole in the wall to run a can phone between his and Leo’s rooms. Then it just kept getting worse, like fire ants biting but inside my mind, it kept pushing me, stinging and getting more intense for no reason…”

“anything specific about that sensation you think you could recognize if you tried again?”

“maybe?”

After about ten tries and an hour's work he was starting to notice the same “fire ants” sensation within a few seconds of intrusive emotion.

We tried a few times with some other emotions but with a change in emotion came a change in sensation so it was back at square one. We did manage to lock down the sensations for the big three emotions before I had him emotionally exhausted.

Anger= burning stinging “fire ants”

Sadness= heavy clammy “mud"

Happiness= soft and warm “fur”

The whole time I watched his aura, monitoring the color change from red to blue to yellow. With the addition of intrusive emotion each one changed, becoming streaked with a slightly different shade of the target color.

Now he lay flat on his plastron, eyes still closed as I helped him clear his mind of all of the tumultuous emotions of our session. I had put on some gentle music that used natural sounds and radiated calm peaceful energy that he soaked up like a man lost in the desert guzzles water.

“I know you're doing that.”

I spoke around a mouth full of the cookies we were munching on.

“What?”

He took a swig from his water bottle.

“Making me feel all calm and peaceful on purpose. It feels like a warm sunlamp.”

“you made some good progress today, but you frazzled yourself. sue me for wanting to help.”

He did that laugh/smirk thing before burying his face in his crossed arms, a muffled thanks nearly silenced.

“It won't be that easy with others, I was pumping some pretty deliberate emotions your way using my abilities as a soul reader. Unintentional exchanges will be harder to notice before they've influenced your core emotional state. We’ll keep working with weaker and weaker signals and more varied emotions until you're completely familiar with each new sensation.”

He just hummed, and soon snores started to rumble through him as he fell asleep. He must have been more exhausted than I thought.

Careful to not wake him I drug the blanket he was laid upon under one of the rooftop awnings, throwing the other blanket over his splayed out body. I sent a quick text to the brothers explaining that Raph had been doing some training at my place and i had offered for him to crash here over the daylight hours. Nestling myself amongst my own wings I took up residence at the mouth of the awning and fell asleep to the rising sun.

RAPH POV

I woke up with a major kink in my neck, the late may heat feeling nice on my skin with the cool breeze.

Peeking my eyes open I noticed that I was under some sort of plastic dome thing that was open on one end like an igloo or something. Near the door a small black lump lay guarding the entrance, stray feathers and wisps of dark hair being blown by the breeze. I couldn't help but smile at the thought of her literally making me a blanket nest and guarding me while I slept.

“Morning Raph.”

She spoke without even a change in her breath to tell me she had woke up. It startled me, how long had I been watching her?

“hm. Mornin.”

Her wings rose first, fluttering a few times to fix the messy feathers before she sat up. She stretched her spine and rolled her shoulders, light cracks and pops betraying  her poor sleeping position before looking at me with those big eyes. They were emerald green ringed with blue and soft in the scattered light.

“you think you could sneak downstairs to my apartment or do you wanna just sit tight up here while I make breakfast.”

My stomach growled at the mention of food.

“as long as there aren't any helicopters around I think I'll manage.”

She poked her head out the front of the shelter and looked around before waving me on to follow her. Staying low we slid through the roof access door and down the flight of stairs to her apartment door.

The place was studio style with most of the space being one big room, a kitchenette sat off to the right and the living space was to the left. Above the bathroom was a small loft blocked from view by a tapestry of the night sky. The hardwood floor was scattered with black shed feathers and the windowsill was filled with long planters each holding several large plants. All of the shelves were covered in rocks and sculptures and little things, and there was a freaky looking stuffed raven sitting above her computer that creeped me out. the thing was watching me i swear.

She motioned for me to take a spot on the worn love seat facing the kitchen while she got to work cooking.

“Is sausage and eggs Ok?”

She was already pulling a large black iron skillet out of the cabinet and placing it loudly on the stove.

“You don't have to…”

She whirled around on me holding the spatula threateningly.

“Not another word, how many times have you guys had me over for dinner at the lair in the last two weeks, between feeding me after a medical visit or me just crashing dinner while hanging out I'm eating your food most nights. Now is sausage and eggs alright?”

her spunk always surprised me, so much spark in such a little bird.

“Throw in toast with some of that kiwi jelly you brought splinter last Tuesday and I'll shut up.”

She smiled, taking a jar out of the fridge with a tub of butter before digging out her toaster, The smell of cooking food making my mouth water.

Between flips she fumbled with her phone and the light guitar intro of Bon Jovi’s Dead or Alive started playing as she moved around the space.

“I'm a cowboy, on a steel horse I ride. I'm wanted, Waannteeed, dead or alive…”

She tossed her head a bit while the guitar solo echoed in the small space

“And I walk These streets, worn out six string on my back. I play for keeps, because I might not make it back. I've been everywhere, still standin tall, I've seen a billion faces, and I've rocked them all!”

She knew every word, singing along with the music as she took something out of the skillet.

“And I'm a cowboy, I've got the night on my side, and I'm wanted, Dead or alive. And I ride, dead or alive!”

“So you're a classic rock fan.”

She reacted like she hadn't realized I had actually been watching as Panama from van Halen blared. She turned it down a bit as she cracked eggs into the skillet.

“Oh uh yeah, my youngest brother is really into it and it kinda re-lit my flame for the genera. Not as good as seeing it performed live…”

“you've seen Bon Jovi live?”

She ducked and waved it off.

“Yeah, well another me did. Should have seen her back then. I think my brother Felix still has my favorite leather biker jacket somewhere, he borrowed it last Halloween and hasn't returned it. I was a total rock chick back in the 70’s.”

The image of her in a heavy leather jacket while she sat on a wide and low red Harley flashed through my thoughts.

“Anyway food’s ready, ummm…”

She was looking between the dining table and the couch.

“You might be a bit too heavy for the dining chairs that came with this place. I'll let you eat on the couch this once but if this is going to become a regular thing I'll see about getting something sturdier for you.”

She handed me a plate loaded with food and placed a couple of glasses of milk on the coffee table before going back for her own. There were strange dark brown disks like hamburger patties on the plate, I picked one up and sniffed it, unsure of what it could be.

“have you never had country sausage before?”

My expression must have given me away, this thing was a sausage? What happened to the long linked ones Mikey would sometimes have April get from the Italian market?

“Try it, it's the same thing just without the casing, I personally like to dip them in my egg yolk.”

She tore the disk in half, dipping it in the runny egg before popping it in her mouth with a satisfied hum and an expectant look.

ELASIA POV

He seemed unsure of the new food but with a bit of coaxing he tried it, tossing the piece of sausage in his mouth like it was a shot that needed to be downed quickly before the taste hit his tongue. When it did however his eyes went wide for a second and settled as he slowly chewed, savoring the smoky flavor.

“farm raised pork from back home, there isn't much better.”

Shoveling another whole patty in his mouth he mumbled something that sounded like, “we need to make you cook at the lair more often.”

I couldn't help but feel proud at that, puffing up a bit before speaking.

“I figured you'd want me all to yourself!”

The way his expression changed and how he choked on his food made me realize how that sounded.

“my...my cooking that is.”

RAPH POV

She got really quiet after that, staring down at her plate while she picked at her food.

I reached across the table and stole one of her sausages, her face flushed with shock as I popped it in my mouth.

“maybe I should keep quiet, wouldn't want Mikey to HOG all of this deliciousness.”

The snorting laugh she made when she realized my pun had me reaching over to teasingly attempt another sausage theft but she smacked my hand away. We both smiled as she nibbled on a piece of toast, awkwardness forgotten.

...

“Uggggghhh, no more woman, are you trying to make me explode?”

“It's not my fault you loved my cooking so much that you decided to steal half of my meal as well as the double helping I had made for you.”

She moved to take my plate and cup but I blocked her hand before she could.

“No you cooked let me help.”

Rolling up off the couch I grabbed my dishes and followed her to the sink.

“I'll wash and you can dry.”

She tossed me a ratty grey towel and started filling the sink with water and soap.

CRASH!!

“Shit I'm sorry, let me...fuck.”

I had dropped a wet plate on the floor and in my rush I stepped on a relatively large shard, embedding it in my foot.

ELASIA'S POV

Moving quickly I took the brunt of Raph’s weight on my shoulders as I helped him hop over to the couch and sit down. Kneeling in front of him I gently took his large 2 toed foot in my hands inspecting the damage before grabbing the biggest piece of the shard.

Raph had been quiet through the pain so far but hissed and jerked away as I tried to pull out the glass. I looked up at him with a calming gaze, immediately feeling him settle.

“this is going to hurt like a sonofabitch but I have to get all of the glass out before I can seal to wound.”

His gold-green eyes looked back into mine, searching for something before he nodded.

“I trust ya.”

When I pulled out the shard his heavy hand came down to grip my shoulder. Grabbing a pair of tweezers and a large sewing needle I set to work removing the smaller slivers, extending my wing up to comfortingly brush against his side and the arm that was gripping me. After a few minutes I had gotten out all of the shards and allowed my magic to work on the wound, sealing it shut and leaving a small scar in the arch of his foot.

I don't know why but I pressed a small kiss to the scar before turning away to clean up the glass and finish the dishes, leaving Raphael to watch dumbfounded from the couch.

…

A little while later the sun set and I heard a tapping on the glass door to the balcony. Pulling back the curtains I was met by the three figures of Leo, Donnie, and Mikey.

“Come on in guys, Raph is just watching fast N loud in the main room.”

Mikey and Donnie rushed past while Leo stayed back with me.

“I’m afraid we can't stay long, we have to get on patrol before the purple dragons start getting too active.”

“I understand.”

He rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably.

“Actually I have a couple things I need to say first. I'm sorry about the other night, you're right, I need to start trying to understand the unique ways my brothers think. It would not only help my role as a leader but it would connect us together better as a family. Especially Raph. And uh, speaking of Raph would you mind explaining this special training you mentioned last night?”

I had promised Raph that we would keep the details of our sessions private.

“It was nothing much, simply honing some innate abilities I believe he may possess. It's strictly confidential at this moment.”

“Yes, well then we really ought to be moving. Have a pleasant night Ms.Elasia. Mikey, Don, Raph let's move.”

Mikey gave me a quick hug and invited me down Sunday for game night and Donnie patted my hair claiming he left some files on my laptop that he’d like for me to look over before the two jumped off the balcony after Leo.

“Hey, um today was...nice.”

Raph lingered at the railing of the balcony, one hand gripping it ready to fling himself over.

“Yeah it was, next friday?  maybe?”

He smiled a little.

“Yeah sure, and ill...I'll practice a bit this week.”

Two beats of silence passed between us before I hopped up and wrapped my arms around his neck in a hug, my wings snaking around his shell. He froze for a second before I felt his strong arms around my waist and his chin sat firmly against my hair.

When I let go he was gone.