#except they actually make one another worse💔 | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

kikyoupdates · 2 months ago

Text

Heartbreaker ⭑˚💔⭑ 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑠𝑐𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑐ℎ

bnha x f!reader

reverse harem, isekai, my hero academia x fem!reader, slowburn

You awaken one day with virtually no memories. The only thing guiding you is some strange system that likes to dictate your every move, and for some reason, it insists that you make certain people fall in love with you. Desperate for answers, you decide to go along with its demands. After all, how hard can it be?

previous | story masterlist | next

You didn't know what had happened to you, but you needed to get to the bottom of things—one way or another.

[“𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠?”]

“To the police,” you gritted out. “I should have done this in the first place. Even though I’ve lost my memories, surely someone will be able to help me. Or at the very least, they can admit me to a hospital so that I can be examined by a doctor. You claim I have no family, but there must still be some sort of documentation for them to go off. I’m confused, and really scared, and I don’t know what the hell you’re on about, making people fall in love with me or whatever. I thought you could help me, but it doesn’t seem like you’re willing.”

[“𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐝𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭.”]

“No offense, but I’m done listening to you. All you’ve done is made me more confused. I need someone who will actually help.”

You didn’t know where exactly the nearest police station was, but you figured you could find your way by asking around.

Except you apparently weren’t permitted even that much.

“Ugh!”

Your head was hurting again, except easily ten times worse than before. It was so bad that you ended up crumpling to the ground in a fetal position, pressing your hands against the sides of your head and biting back tears.

The system clearly wasn’t happy.

[“𝐈 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐧𝐨. 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐚 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐦 𝐭𝐨 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝. 𝐍𝐨𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞. 𝐈𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐡𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮? 𝐈𝐭’𝐥𝐥 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧; 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐧𝐨 𝐝𝐨𝐮𝐛𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐝𝐨 𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐚𝐲 𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐬. 𝐘𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲. 𝐘𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐡. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐲 𝐝𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐥𝐝. 𝐍𝐨 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐞𝐥𝐬𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐝𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮.”]

Fucking hell. You gritted your teeth and wiped at your damp eyes. This system really was a major pain in your ass. It expected you to do their bidding without even questioning anything. How could they even be sure that your memories would come back if you completed these so-called tasks? If anything, they were probably using your amnesia to their advantage. There was no guarantee that your memories would return even if you went along with their demands.

“Please let me go,” you begged. “All I want is to remember. That’s all. I don’t want to be your puppet and make people fall for me or whatever else. Is that too much to ask?”

There was a lengthy pause, and when you heard the next ping, the edges of the projection seemed to have turned a reddish color. The color of anger.

[“𝐘𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭. 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧. 𝐈 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐞 𝐧𝐨 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞. 𝐈 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐚 𝐛𝐢𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡.”]

Your face turned pale. “What? What does that mean? Hey! What are you trying to say—”

Once again, your world was plunged into darkness.

You couldn’t tell if it had been minutes, hours, or days. When faced with a vast expense of nothing, your sense of time was understandably warped.

Just like before, you couldn’t move a muscle. All you could do was talk, and for a while you did exactly that—cried out into the darkness begging to be released, begging for the system to let you out. But you didn’t receive a response. They were deliberately ignoring you, and you guessed that placing you back here was meant to be some sort of punishment.

A very cruel punishment, for that matter.

You stopped struggling after realizing that it was futile. Tears rolled down your cheeks as you sobbed quietly, but no one came to help you. In here, you were completely and utterly alone.

[“𝐒𝐨. 𝐇𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐚 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭?”]

The system was talking to you again. You blinked wearily, vision partly blurry from all the tears stinging your eyes. By now, it was undeniably clear that they weren’t an ally. They were your own personal tormentor. They could lock you up inside this endless void for as long as they wished; torture your mind for all of eternity, if they so desired.

After two instances of this sensation, you decided that you never wanted to be trapped in here again. You’d already had enough. If cooperating with the system was the only way to avoid such a thing and possibly regain your memories, then it looked like you didn’t have much of a choice.

“Alright,” you said weakly. “I’m just... tired. All I wanted was for things to make sense. But I’ll listen now. I promise I’ll listen, so please don’t lock me up in here again. It’s horrifying. Please.”

[“𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐝. 𝐈’𝐦 𝐠𝐥𝐚𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧. 𝐃𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐲. 𝐈 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐬𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐰𝐫��𝐧𝐠. 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭, 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐫𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮. 𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭, 𝐈’𝐦 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧, 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐛𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐰𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐮𝐩 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧.”]

They had already proven to be incredibly untrustworthy, so you didn’t want to put complete faith in their words, but it didn’t seem like there was any other option. You just hoped that as suspicious as they were, they weren’t also a liar.

“Can I go back now? I want to get out of here. I can’t take it anymore.”

[“𝐎𝐟 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞. 𝐈’𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐰. 𝐈 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞.”]

When you opened your eyes, you were back in the exact same place as before. It didn’t look like anything had changed since you’d left. Based on the sun and sky overhead, you doubted much time had passed either. Did time flow differently inside that isolated space when compared to the real world?

[“𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐝. 𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝. 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫.”]

Honestly, you weren’t sure whether or not to be relieved. On the plus side, it sounded like there were no consequences to being pulled into that strange void. Your real body wasn’t vulnerable in the process of doing so. But on the other hand, that meant there was no limit to how long the system could keep you there.

You really could be trapped for eternity, and the thought was so horrifying that it made your entire body tremble.

Like before, a projection of a map appeared before your eyes.

[“𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐨. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐲 𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝, 𝐬𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐨𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐈’𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐩. 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠.”]

You definitely needed a proper break, not a time-out inside some lifeless prison. The thought of being able to sit back and kick your feet up was certainly appealing. It wouldn’t solve all of your problems, not by any means, but at least it was a start.

After following the map for a little while, you arrived at your destination. Thankfully, it hadn’t taken very long to get there. You supposed the system had purposely brought you to an area near your home.

You were standing in front of a house. It was on the smaller side, but then again, you were only one person, so you doubted you’d be in need of much space.

“How do I, um... get in?” you asked.

[“𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞’𝐬 𝐚 𝐤𝐞𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐭. 𝐔𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭.”]

What the... how long has that been in there?

You decided not to sweat the small stuff, and as expected, the key was able to unlock the front door. After taking a few moments to collect yourself, you stepped inside.

Well... it was certainly minimalist, that much was for sure.

And by that you meant that there was literally no furniture. It looked like your dreams of sinking into a plush sofa were something unattainable. Goddammit. You had no memories, practically no autonomy, and now no furniture either.

[“𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐥? 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤?”]

You decided not to risk upsetting them again and chuckled weakly.

“It’s nice,” you lied.

[“𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤. 𝐘𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞’𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐲. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐟𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞. 𝐈’𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐨𝐰.”]

“Uh, what?” you gaped.

[“𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐯𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐮𝐬𝐞. 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐧𝐨𝐰, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐝𝐨 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐢𝐭. 𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐧𝐨𝐰.”]

Right on cue, a new projection popped up. It was an image of a wooden chair with what appeared to be a cushion seat. You furrowed your brows, wondering what you were meant to do with this information.

[𝐂𝐫𝐚𝐟𝐭 𝐒𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐖𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐫 + 𝐂𝐮𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐞𝐚𝐭?]

>> [𝐘𝐄𝐒]

The second you tapped on “yes”, something bright flashed in front of you. You let out a little squeal and shielded your eyes. When you reopened them, the chair from the image had somehow appeared, as if by magic.

Stunned, you gently tapped on the chair, just to make sure that it was real. It was solid to the touch, so no doubt about it.

You’d just created that thing out of thin air.

“That’s so cool!” you gushed, but unfortunately, your excitement didn’t last long. All of a sudden, you felt drained beyond belief. If you were a battery, then you’d just about completely depleted your charge. Your exhaustion was so heavy it felt like you’d been hit by a truck.

Thankfully, you now had a chair to collapse onto.

“Ugh,” you groaned. “I’m so... tired. I-Is this normal? Did I do something wrong with my crafting?”

[“𝐍𝐨. 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭. 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐯𝐚��𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐮𝐬𝐞, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦. 𝐈𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐥𝐥 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟. 𝐄𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐲, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬.”]

You supposed that it was still nice to have an ability like this. Since people apparently had all sorts of powers called Quirks, you were glad to have a power of your own. If only the system wasn’t such an asshole at times.

“Can I make food too?” you asked hopefully.

[“𝐔𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲, 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐜 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝. 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐝, 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐬, 𝐞𝐭𝐜.”]

Figures. That would have been a bit too over-powered.

[“𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧, 𝐡𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫, 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐲. 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐚 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐧. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞’𝐬 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐝𝐨 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡. 𝐈𝐭 𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐚 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤. 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐈 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐤 𝐫𝐮𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐭 𝐛𝐲 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐞.”]

You blinked. “Creating money? Like... counterfeit bills? But that’s... illegal. I shouldn’t be doing something like that.”

[“𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐥, 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐥𝐝. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧’𝐭 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭-𝐩𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐣𝐨𝐛, 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐨𝐰𝐧. 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐰𝐚𝐲. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐧 𝐨𝐫𝐩𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐫 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞. 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐚𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐫 𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐭𝐨 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐦 𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐚𝐬 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐲 𝐚𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐲. 𝐍𝐨 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞, 𝐧𝐨 𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬.”]

The pit in your stomach told you that you weren’t the sort of person to relish this choice of behavior. But you supposed that so long as you were only using enough to live... it was okay. You didn’t know anything about what your life had been like up until now, after all. And defying the system didn’t seem to be an option, otherwise they would put you through hell again.

It was the only way. That was what you told yourself to avoid feeling like an awful person.

You slumped back in the chair and let out a heavy sigh. God. There was so much to think about. So much that you didn’t know. Not only were you physically exhausted after using the system’s powers, but you were mentally exhausted too.

The system seemed to realize as much.

[“𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐬𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐩. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞’𝐬 𝐧𝐨 𝐛𝐞𝐝 𝐲𝐞𝐭, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐚 𝐟𝐮𝐭𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐫. 𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐧𝐚𝐩. 𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐮𝐩, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐝. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐚 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐭. 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐈’𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐭, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐦𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐧.”]

You nodded weakly. Sleep was good. You were really craving sleep. Maybe a bit of sleep was just what you needed. Maybe you’d wake up with your memories fully intact. It sounded like a stretch, but it wasn’t entirely impossible. Given everything that had happened with the system so far, you could confidently say that much.

You barely managed to unfold the futon before you were out like a light.

As it turned out, you were so tired that you ended up sleeping all the way until the next morning. And this time, when you woke up, there was a new message there to greet you.

[𝐃𝐀𝐈𝐋𝐘 𝐓𝐀𝐒𝐊: 𝐑𝐮𝐧 𝟓 𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬.]

“What the hell?” you muttered. “I have daily tasks too?”

[“𝐘𝐞𝐬. 𝐎𝐧 𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠-𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦 𝐠𝐨𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲. 𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐬𝐤, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝. 𝐄𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐲, 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐢𝐭 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞.”]

You supposed going on a run certainly wasn’t the end of the world. Since you had amnesia, it was probably important to maintain your health and fitness. The last thing you needed was to develop other medical complications as well.

“I’m hungry,” you groaned. “You said I had a wallet somewhere, right? Can I please have it? I’ll go for a run and then buy something to eat afterwards.”

[“𝐒𝐮𝐫𝐞. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲. 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐰.”]

[𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲?]

>> [𝐘𝐄𝐒]

They were right that you didn’t have much else apart from the wallet. The only other thing was what looked like... a hospital wristband?

“I want the wallet,” you said. “And I’d like to take a look at the wristband as well.”

At your words, both items appeared in your hands. The wallet was, well, literally just a wallet, but the wristband intrigued you for some reason. You lifted it up to get a better look at it, and oddly enough, the writing on it appeared to be faded. You couldn’t tell what it was supposed to say.

Why do I have this?

You tried asking the system the same question, but they said they didn’t know. They could have been lying, or they could have been telling the truth. It was hard to tell.

You felt that this wristband was important, though. For reasons you couldn’t put into words.

“I’ll put the hospital wristband back for now.”

Just like that, it disappeared from your grip and reappeared back in the inventory screen you had open. Your head was hurting again, although you were starting to get used to the pain. It would probably be a recurring trend.

You stashed your wallet in your pocket and let out a sigh. “Alright. I guess it’s time to go for a run, and then I can finally get some food.”

Despite the fact that you knew almost nothing about yourself, it seemed like your body’s physical state was fine, for the most part. Running didn’t cause you any excess pain or otherwise indicate that you had any injuries.

You didn’t feel like you were incredibly athletic, though. If you had to fathom a guess, you were fairly average. But it wasn’t like you were trying to win any awards or anything. Being average was just fine by you. What you cared about was regaining your memories. Running 5 kilometers was a small price to pay if it would eventually get you closer to your goal. You could probably finish that distance in about thirty minutes.

Or so you’d thought.

You ended up slowing to a stop, but only because you’d caught sight of a familiar face. There he was again. Bakugou Katsuki. The same guy you’d spoken to yesterday, and based on what the system kept saying, someone you needed to get close to.

Except this time, he wasn’t alone. There was another boy with him—one that had curly hair, big green eyes, and freckled cheeks.

For some reason, he also looked familiar. You winced, a palm instinctively clutching your head, which was throbbing once again.

Oddly enough, the system wasn’t saying anything. Didn’t they want you to approach Katsuki again? That was one of your tasks, wasn’t it?

Maybe they were just waiting to see if you’d be proactive on your own. Maybe this was a test. And if you didn’t make the right choice...

You shuddered when you remembered being trapped in that god-forsaken void.

No way in hell am I going back there.

With apprehension fueling your actions, you changed your direction and headed for the two boys instead. They were talking. Well, not really talking, actually. Arguing was probably more accurate. And if you were being even more precise, only one of them was actively saying things. The other was shrinking away out of what you could only assume was fear.

Katsuki was harassing the other boy. You watched as he grabbed onto his victim's shirt and pulled him closer, steam rising from the point where his palm had connected with fabric.

You weren’t sure why exactly, but something told you that you had to intervene. If you didn’t, the freckled boy was going to get hurt.

The thought of him getting hurt made your chest ache for some reason.

“Stop it!” you cried out, pushing Katsuki away from the other boy without even thinking it through. You realized your mistake quickly enough.

Shit. You were supposed to get closer to him, not make him hate you even more!

At first, Katsuki’s eyes widened from shock, but it didn’t take long for them to narrow. He was glaring at you the same way he had yesterday, when you’d introduced yourself for the first time.

Actually, scratch that. He was easily angrier right now.

“You again, stupid bitch?” he grimaced. “What the hell? Are you stalking me now or what? Who the hell gave you the right to touch me?”

STATUS UPDATE:

[Bakugou Katsuki thinks you are incredibly annoying.]

[-10 love points.]

𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐒 𝐔𝐏𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄:

[𝐁𝐚𝐤𝐮𝐠𝐨𝐮 𝐊𝐚𝐭𝐬𝐮𝐤𝐢 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠.]

[-𝟏𝟎 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐬.]

Fuck! I shouldn’t have cut in! So much for being a good person.

“I-It’s not good to pick fights with people,” was all you could think to say. Honestly, though, you would’ve been better off not saying a word. Katsuki kept on reaching new heights of anger—ones that you hadn’t even thought were possible.

“Don’t you dare tell me what to do,” he gritted out, then shoved you back so hard that you tripped and fell onto your butt.

[𝐁𝐚𝐤𝐮𝐠𝐨𝐮 𝐊𝐚𝐭𝐬𝐮𝐤𝐢 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐩 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮.]

[-𝟏𝟎 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐬.]

Noo! They keep decreasing!

“If you ever show your face to me again, you’re going to regret it,” he warned.

On that note, he stormed away just like last time. You heard one final ping before another projection popped up.

[𝐁𝐚𝐤𝐮𝐠𝐨𝐮 𝐊𝐚𝐭𝐬𝐮𝐤𝐢 𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮.]

[-𝟏𝟎 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐬.]

[𝐂𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬: -𝟒𝟎/𝟏𝟎𝟎]

Devastated, you just stayed sitting on the ground. You weren’t sure how you’d managed to fuck things up so badly. Clearly, you’d underestimated just how easy it was to piss Katsuki off.

Just as it seemed like the day was off to an awful start, a timid voice cut through the silence.

“T-Thank you.” It was the boy that Katsuki had been about to hit. You’d managed to keep him from getting hurt, at least. That was better than nothing.

The system isn’t going to be happy, though. I might actually snap if they put me back in that dark place again...

“That was really brave of you,” the boy continued. He was blushing a bit while speaking. Perhaps he was naturally shy? “Helping a total stranger like that, I mean. I-If you don’t mind me asking, what’s your name?”

Surprisingly, you heard another ping.

𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐒 𝐔𝐏𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄:

[𝐌𝐢𝐝𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐲𝐚 𝐈𝐳𝐮𝐤𝐮 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬 𝐮𝐩 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮.]

[+𝟑𝟎 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐬.]

[𝐂𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬: 𝟑𝟎/𝟏𝟎𝟎]

Huh.

Well, then. You thought that you’d made a total mess of things, but in the process of pissing off one of your targets, you’d made a good impression on the other.

It was funny how things worked out.

You managed a smile and slowly stood up. “I’m [Name]. And you?”

previous | story masterlist | next

More chapters are available on Quotev, Ao3, and Wattpad!

⊱.⋅follow + post notifications on for story update announcements or join the author's discord!⋅.⊰

💔 main masterlist ♡ oneshot masterlist

45 notes · View notes

tacky-jack-with-a-hat · 1 year ago

Note

California 🎃 💔 ☠️

🎃 Halloween costume:

His usual clothes except his shirt is

💔 Breakups

•California is neurodiverse with high rejection sensitivity

When dumped:

•Even if the relationship was short (3 days or less) he'll still mourn it weeks after both due to inexperience, rushing into relationships and valuing gestures more than stability.

• Cali in his first relationship he didn't actually care who his partner was, he was just excited to woo them with Hollywood gestures (fancy restaurants, jewelry and personal gifts, romantic getaways). His partner loved this at first but slowly became more exhausted and requested staying in instead of going through another of Cali's carefully thought out date nights. California misunderstood this entirely.

Freaking out that his partner had gotten bored of him (or saw him as unattractive), Cali began increasing the big romantic gestures with the assumption they'd get their happily ever after. His partner actually felt smothered with the final straw being when Cali suddenly suggested they move in with him without actually asking his partner if that's what they wanted.

Cali didn't give up and still tried to impress his now ex with extravagant gifts and public declarations of love which only gave his partner second hand embarrassment. Cali stopped after his ex got a new boyfriend. After months of silence Cali began working on his perception of relationships and decreased the quantity of gestures in future relationships, but this didn't fix his main issue of comparing real life to Hollywood and not getting to know his partners first.

•This leads to his partners usually ghosting him when he gets too clingy.

•His worst relationship according to the other states was this guy who clearly didn't like Cali and used him for clout and the gifts. They were completely obnoxious and demanding to the point even Florida wad concerned but Cali kept insisting he was fine. The turning point was when the states found out he was deleting birthday messages on California's phone without him knowing to make it look like only they remembered California's birthday. They confronted Cali who didn't believe them, thinking the other states were playing a cruel joke on him and were trying to stomp on anything that makes Cali happy.

The states had a vote to determine how to split them up. Eventually, asking Gov to look into this guy's past and blackmail them. Gov was reluctant at first but during a night at the statehouse he saw just how miserable and paranoid California had become.

To California's knowledge, that guy was just one of many partners who ghosted him... To the states it's both the cruelest and kindest thing they've ever done to Cali.

California never questioned why the States were so kind to him after that breakup.

When dumping his partners:

•He prides himself that he's never broken up with anyone- as most of the states pointed out it's not a good thing given his terrible standards.

☠️ Random hc (tw eating disorders)

•California preaches veganism and healthy eating, however he secretly binge eats when states aren't looking. This is followed by an extreme amount of guilt and purging.

•This also coincides with his break ups as he assumes that all his partners eventually get bored of him and subsequently thinks he needs to be skinnier to make up for it. This is also what made Gov change his mind on the State's breakup plan.

•Florida was the first person to discover this. When he was staying with Cali, Florida would go to the kitchen for a midnight snack. He kept finding Cali eating from a secret stash of junk food and (not fully understanding the severity of the situation) Florida teases Cali for being a hypocrite. This made California feel worse and he stopped eating for the remainder of Florida's stay, throwing away any of the junk food he kept.

Florida realised on the last day when he saw Cali with thin hair, desperately chewing a candy wrapper, unable to fully move from exhaustion.

Not knowing how to properly help the situation Florida brought Cali a gift basket to share of all Florida's favourite foods as a "thank you" for letting him stay over and promised Cali he wouldn't tell the other states about his "cheat day" mistaking Cali's eating disorders for a break in a diet. Florida genuinely thought this helped, unknown to him most of that food was vomitted the moment he left.

•Florida didn't keep his mouth shut for long and one night made fun of Cali to Loui about California being a hypocrite. Loui was more concerned and ended up checking in on Cali. When his suspicions were confirmed he told some of the other states who staged an intervention.

•California is currently going through recovery but has shown signs of relapse but this time the states are aware of his symptoms.

#wttt california #wttt #welcome to the table

24 notes · View notes

bluelolblue · 6 months ago

Note

Hiiiiiii!! I inspired myself with the stabbing bit from the last ficlet: imagine Santino getting investigated and/or punished by the High Table. Poor baby would be so stressed! Do you think that has ever happened to him? What might he get reprimanded for and how would he react? Do you think John's there to defend him, or maybe it's after he performs the impossible task for John and he has to deal with the consequences all alone... 😔

HIIII :3

Thank you so much for the ask as always YAAAY! AAHH yes that ficlet was really inspiring AND ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS 💖

That's a really delicious ask very yummy >:3

Aaawww poor baby can't catch a break (from us LMAOO, that stabbing part too in the ficlet 💔)

He would be VERY STRESSED OUT

He probably broke a very dumb rule, or "unwritten rule" or he himself got a bit too greedy for something, and they just decided to punish him for that. Or he just crossed paths with a wrong person who holds grudges against him. In the High Table world, I think if you just look at one of them wrong, they call a hit on you.

And knowing how Santino can be bitchy, even if maybe doesn't necessarily mean it in a bad way, someone will take that the wrong way. You really have to get to know Santino before making a judgment 😭

Also, one of his bodyguards could've simply just killed someone who tried to attack him, and it turns out it was someone "important" so now he faces the consequences. And it was self defense :(

Another idea, he got scammed. I mean scammed in a way of him making some kind of a deal with a WRONG person, someone who later on tricks him, uses him to get something and manipulates the whole situation. Probably when he didn't have much experience in his role, when he was just staring to get into all this (so he was very young and naive). Although, it can still happen. Hight Table members and whoever is around it can be good liars.

But it could also be his own fault... because sometimes he thinks too much with his own feelings and ignores the possible consequences. If he's extremely pissed off, he feels anger, and that's the only thing he feels and wants to express. So he isn't really thinking the way he should which results with him making bad decisions that to HIM seems right, but to someone else (for example to John who is with him during his rage), it's not a good decision. So, really, during that, he needs to have someone (John) with him during that.

But in every scenario... HE IS PISSED OFF, but also feels lots of self-hatred and... hatred towards everyone else, except John. But yeah, he does snap at him, but he feels bad when he comes back to his senses :<

Especially... if they hurt him as a punishment for breaking the rules. He is angry, he is sad, he is just so overwhelmed with everything and it can be too much. He wants to punish himself even more. But that ends up with him breaking down into crying. They just hit his weak spots with that 😞

John NEEDS to be there for him, he needs to protect him because because how DARE THEY HURT HIM?? Absolutely not, John is not having that. You can't just punish Santino and expect to go without facing John's consequences. And this time Santino is the one saying "But they'll kill you if you do that. I know you want to protect me but you'll break even worse rules. I want you to be with me, that's all, just be here with me." Please just keep each other safe you sillies 😞🙏

Oooh but that idea after the impossible task!! Let me write abt that too ehehe!

After he helps him and has to deal with it ALL ALONE 😭💔 and he is facing those consequences because of helping John. Because he actually cares for him, he doesn't want to interrupt John's "free" life. But he still ends up hurts, he still has to deal with it all alone and just think about how John would comfort him and probably protect him.

AGHH, just thinking about Santino having to go through it ALL ALONE and imagining that John is there with him 😭💔

Basically... Santino can't catch a break, everyone just uses him and make him break rules or whatever so he is the one that ends up hurt 😞 but John is there for him, he has to be 🖤💙

#santino has no breaks poor baby 😞#making him suffer again AAGHH #okay at least john is helping him 😭🖤💙#thank you so much for the ask!! <3 <3 <3 <3 #santino d’antonio #santino d'antonio #john wick #john wick x santino d'antonio

4 notes · View notes

lemonhemlock · 2 years ago

Note

It's Weird how every and each male character in the show has been made much worse than their book counterparts . Viserys who was by all the accounts good to Alicent , has become a Pedophile, rapist and an abusive husband and father. Even the likes of daemon and larys are much worse than their book versions lol. Literally all of the males characters are worse ... except Aemond ... hmm I wonder what the reason for it ... when Aemond objectively and by all the accounts is one of the cruelest , most ruthless, misogynistic characters out there dude was maegor in the making , so what Ryan saw in him to wet his pants like this over him? Is it because Aemond got a sapphire eye and ride Vhaegar who was the largest dragon at the time , so probably Ryan thought Aemond is not that bad and misunderstood because he got a kool eye? I mean you can't be bad if you are kool. So if Ryan will adapt the sons of the dragon, I'm certain he will get it wet for Maegor since he was hot , has baelerion the black dread (the biggest, strongest and greatest dragon that the targ has ever had) he wielded Dark sister + blackfyre . And a dude who is a sexy , hot, an absolute badass and kool can't be that bad you know

he will make Maegor poor sad boi that couldn't have his dragon ,he will make Aenys the big bad bro who is an absolute monster , that will team up with his wife to bully poor sad Maegor . also he will make Aenys or probably Aegon i abuse maegor sexually to explain why Maegor is so fucked up and to explain why he can't have a boner to fuck all of these women so he can have a child of his own . Honorable Maegor tried to bring peace to westros and make it a better place by the power of love and friendship , but those filthy religious fanatics and unwashed peasants misunderstood his intentions and rose against him💔 Maegor in truth wanted to give his nephew Aegon a hug but Balerion the prick got overwhelmed by his dorne ptsd and killed Aegon and his thug dragon while Maegor was screaming for balerion to stop. Ryan actually know the real history of Asoiaf while the Evil Maesters lied to us💔. In the real history Maegor was actually called Maegor the kind not the cruel but All of those cringe Septons and Maesters conspired against him💔 maegor was in truth one of the most tragic , misunderstood, and kindest figures 🥺

#justiceformaegorthekind

Dear anon, I obviously have no idea where Ryan Condal stands on Maegor and if he believes he can be "redeemed" or made sympathetic to the audience, so that part of the ask is pure speculation, unfortunately.

As to the first part, I'm going to have to disagree with you again. Almost every character has been made more sympathetic in the show than their text counterpart, except Aegon (I've complained about this at length already). Viserys is a prime example. He has a better relationship with Helaena and his grandchildren in the books, but he is not better, lol. He is still very much a pedophile, as you say. He marries Aemma when she is 11 years old and consummates when she is 13 - in fact, it is implied that her young age is the reason why she had so many difficult pregnancies and eventually died from complications, because her body hadn't fully developed. It is also implied he had an affair with Alicent (another teenager) while Aemma was still alive.

Likewise, Daemon is very much worse in the text. Implied murders of Laenor and Harwin, tries to steal Rhea's inheritance, teaches young Rhaenyra oral sex, takes Alicent's maidenhead, kills the son of the Sea Lord of Braavos for Laena's hand, fucks only lily-white Valyrian-looking women (Laena & Mysaria are canonically as white as snow + blonde), likes to find the youngest possible prostitutes to sleep with.... Yes, some of these actions are relayed at rumour-level, but out of all the possible crimes they could have pinned on Daemon, he got off easy in the show.

I have no idea why they decided to make Aegon the problem child out of him and Aemond, but I'd be lying if I said that I would trade show!Aemond for a better-characterized Aegon. I really like what they did to Aemond and he deserves to be fleshed out as anyone else. If you really think about his origin story, what they did in the show makes a lot of sense and represents some logical build-up. Also, in the text, Alicent & Aegon seem to love him, so there must have been more to him other than burning the Riverlands and MILF pussy. I just wish they would have put as much thought into, you know, the freaking King of Westeros.

#ask #anon #hotd critical [aegon]#hotd critical [daemon]#hotd critical [viserys]#hotd critical [aemond]#i'd argue criston also gets a bad rep in the show #anon is currently off while i make my way through my backlog

5 notes · View notes

imraespace · 3 months ago

Note

HIHIGIIGJijihihigiihihih dailt chekcin becofe i start my work

today was actually kinda okay ish i finally participated in my chem class and actually said something that wasnt as stupid than what i usuallt say AND THE TEACHER DIDNF SAY I WAS WRONG SO YAYAY

in my cooking class i was looking at… BOOKING FLIGHTS, HOTELS, RENTAL CARS AND RESERVATIONS FOR RESTAURANTS?? HELLO WHY IS THIS PROJECY REAL IM ABOJT TO WORK ON IT BUT I WANAN DELAY IT EVEN FURTHER CUZ IM A LITTLE UPSET RN

ididnt get jnto the graphic designer position and im like forcing myself to be upset over it or else im gonna be sad over it later and i feel like thats worse bc then at that point its gonna be irrelevant so BUT IM ALSO LIKE WHO?? CARES?????? ITS NOT THAT DEEP AND EVEN IF I DID GET IN ID BE PISSED OFF THAT IM MAKING A POSTER AND NOT STUDYING FOR A TEST OR SOEMTHING HELP and the club is actually irrelevant as hell so it doesnt even really matter

plus anyways theres another thing i signed up for so ill wait for that one instead mueheuheheh but i dont think im getting in that either but at least i applied idk …….

UMUMUM theres nothing else that happened today OH I FINISHED MY NAGI EDIT ITS BEEN FINISHED ACTUALLY HELP IDK WHEN TO POST IT EXCEPT ON SATURDAY WHEN IK IT PROBABLT WONT FLOP AS HARD 💔💔 BUTITS OKAY 😈😈 i need to think of another edit idea or finish that sae edit its been .. pending for like two months now i swear.

i have a test on friday and then another test next week tuesday for history I WANAN DROP OUT OF THE CLASS SO BAD WHY DID I CHOOSE TO TAKE HISTORY AND IM IN THE ADVANCED CLASSES TOO 💔 chem isnt that bad but im scared for the unit test but her tests dont seem as hard HELPME I FEEL LIKE IT SHOULD BE HARDER CUZ ITS CHEM BUT THEN AGAIN ITS ALSO LIKE IM HAPPY IT ISNT AS HARD ITS JUST I STILL DONT GET THESE TWO CONCEPTS AND I REALLT NEED TO LOCK IN FOR MY SUBJECTS

how do i even study for history cuz other than stuff like all i know is inflation, the fiat money system, and how my history teacher hates the united states and they can all suck his bald head bc they all suck and “EW AMERICANS!!!” apparently AND I SEE HIM FOR TWO PERIODS TOO HELP 💔 HE LEGIT ENCOURAGEd US TO DROP OUT OF HIGHSCHOOL AND IM LIKE HELLO ARENT U SUPPOSED TO MAKE US CONTINUE SCHOOL URE LITERALLT A TEACHER BUT OKAY.

im lowk tweaking because i reallt dont know how to study for history and my test on friday i feel so unprepared but to be fair I LEGIT HAVENT STARTED STUDYING YET AND I DONT PLAN TO UNTIL TOMORROW .. and i feel like i should start studying for my history test and im like erm maybe tmr ..! SO TECHNICALLY IF I STICK TO THE SCHEDULE I MADE FOR MYSELF IN MY HEAD WHCIH IS FINISH ALL MY ASSIGNMENTS TODAY (impossible) IT GIVES ME ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD TO STUDY FOR MY TWO TESTS WHICH LEAVES TIME FOR ME TO STUDY FOR MY CHEM TEST IN LIKE ESTIMATED 2-3 WEEKS BUT THEN I KNOW I CANR STICK TO SCHEDULE 💔 if i finish my cooking assignment today somehow then ill be able to do this and i sleep at like 11 pm today bc momi got mad i slept at 12 yesterday HELP. IMSORYR MOM I FELT GROSS I HAD TO SHOWER AT 11 OR ELSE I WOUDLNT BE ABLE TO FALL ASLEEP

i usuallt shower once i get home from school but yesterday my dinner meal thign project was due so i wa slike ok i have to prioritize this over my own stinky AND I DID FINISH IT MUEHAUYAIEGAPBX NOW I HAVE TO DO IT AGAIN BUT FINISH IT IN LIKE 4 HoursHELP HOW LONG SHOULD THIS EVEN TAKE HE SAID ITS REALLT SIMPLE AND COPY PASTE BUT IM ALSO REALLY SLOW WITH ASSIGNMENTS IN GENERAL .. ☹️i get distracted too easily HELP.

i dotn even have a lock in playlist like i do my liked songs on shuffle and skip wvery songim not innthe mood to listen to i actuallt need to invest in playlists or else i cant do this shuffle liked method anymore ……

illcome baxk if i finish my project early ….. ILL ACTUALLY LOCK IN TODAY TRUST BUT DAILT UQRSTION TIME

would you rather be a gojo plushie or a smiski figure im just starign at them and theyre like right next to each other HELP I HAVE TWO FIGURES FROM THE CHEER SERIES??? IDK EXACTLY BUT THEYRE CUTE I WAS GONNA COLLECT MORE BUT 15 DOLLARS PER SMISKI MYSTERY BOX IS KINDA A SCAM FOR ME 💔

- 🐙

HAII today was okayish for me as well my typing class was kinda fun the teacher wasn't scary today!

YIPPEE!! GOOD JOBB

HELP WHAT ALL OF THAT INN COOKING CLASS??

LMAO i hope you get upset or something.. that sounds mean HELOME IDK IF I SHOULD COMFORT OR NOT

LMAO making posters sounds fun tho.. yet I make legal documents in class🙄🙄

DANG GIRL DO YIU HAVE A LIST YOU CHECK OFF WHEN SIGNING TO CLUBS?

OMG NAGII I'm gonna work on my drafts maybe on friday.. and rin smau.. I got a random rin spark of inspiration when reading these romance mangas..

OH WAIT THAT REMINDED ME THAT I NEEDED TO GIVE YOU AN EDIT IDEA ILK THINK OF ONE

ew I hate history ALSO YOU CAN DROP OUT OF A CLASS? I mean i heard of it but idk.. I'm too caribbean for this HELP

when I used to do chem I was so confused but I somehow passed history on the other hand idk what i did or if I passed or not THATS HOW UNINTERESTED I WAS IN HISTORY BC THEY DONT TEACH US STUFF THAT APPARENTLY EVERYONE SUPPOSED TO KNOW IT WAS LIKE LOCAL STUFF AND IT WAS kinda boring.. SAME WITH WHEN I USED TO DO GEO THEY DIDNT TEACH US STUFF LIKE THE DIFFERENT CONTINENTS N STUFF MY FRIEND THOUGHT EGYPT WAS IN EUROPE I wasn't that bad like him.. BUT THATS MY POINT THEY DONT TEACH US IMPORTANT STUFF HERE so luckily I had business! well I chose business bc I wanna own my nursery or maybe a pre-school I like children and I have patience I think.. everyone thinks I'm crazy heh.. maybe I am..

HELPME THAT TEACHER REMINDS ME OF MY OLD DRAMA TEACHER he saw my gc messages once and HE TOOK OFF WITH MY PHONE

DANG SM MOTIVATION I wish I have that LMAO I asked my momma for help and she said when she used to go to school when she comes home she just go n play games ans she never studied she just had a good memory😂😂😐😒😒😒 I DONT I FORGOT WHAT I DID THIS MORNING I have no motivation hahaha..

YOUR MOM GETS MAD AT YOU? well mine does as well bc since I'm anemic I need 8 hours of rest bur (I don't go to sleep early) so I always get yelled at when I feel lightheaded BUT I TAKE NAPS IN THE AFTERNOON sometimes SO I HAVE A BURST OF ENERGY IN THE NIGHT plus I'm reading so

LMAO I GET DISTRACYED EASILY AS WELL that's why I'm up at 11pm and haven't started my notes bc imON MY PH9JE

ou playlisys are my favorite thing ti make! I have like 20 playlists public bc apparently I learnt my friends use them bc one asked me when I'm gonna update it and I'm like whag ans I have a bunch more in private

i woukd rather a smiski bc i searched it up and it looks cutiepie!

IDK WHAT'S A SMISKI OR WHAT SERIES IR HAVE

#imraesrandom #imraes inbox !#- 🐙anon #imraespace -♡

0 notes

zablife · 1 year ago

Text

@brummiereader I'm sorry it's taken so long to comment on this amazing chapter! However, I'm fully tuned in now to give my thoughts so I hope you're prepared for screeching!

The first scene was a frustrating, hair pulling delight as Y/n attempts to hold a conversation with her mum. What I mean by that is, you've captured a universal experience brilliantly. (The little details in your writing are always superb--telling her to move away from the freshly painted wall!!) Is there anything more annoying than seeking comfort only to be met with endless criticism? Boy...Jesus, did she still see you as the unruly teens that used to wreck havoc on the streets of Small Heath? This line made me lol bc that is exactly how mums see their children even as adults, making it difficult to take them seriously. So nerve wracking!! I can see why she says going to visit was a stupid idea 😂 (Another line that made me giggle)

But then we finally have the touching moment where she actually provides a bit of solace and that made me teary eyed. The way they reminisce about Y/n's father and George is quite telling bc they held Tommy in high regard. Y/n's mother actually surprised me by saying she should talk to Tommy and clear the air. I would have thought she'd tell her to move on, but she obvs sees how important the relationship is to her daughter and seems to be supporting her.

Now the screeching will begin bc I was not prepared for the vicious way Tommy speaks to Y/n at the Garrison 😱 I knew he would be angry, but your description here is full of venom. His words about Danny cut deep! And the way he dismisses her attempt to defend herself, then leaves her hurt and crying on the floor, left me speechless. This scene was so well-written! My heart is still aching 💔

I wonder how much worse it might have been had Polly not been there to interject? And I have to say that I adore John for sticking up for Y/n in the moment. Everyone except Tommy seems to know she wasn't the one to betray him. It's nice to see the Shelbys rallying around Y/n to offer support, esp Polly. And, of course, she would be the one to uncover the truth about Grace! It's perfect that you've kept the canon detail about her confrontation, complete with threatening hat pin! I was ready for her to stab that bitch 😡

However, the most rewarding scenes come last as Tommy is forced to realize what a fool he's been. I think Polly relished that! You've expertly worded this scene as well to convey the sheer panic of his situation and I was living for it! My eyes were flying across the screen and my heart was pounding as I read about him rushing to the train station, wanting him to stop her but also not bc I wanted him punished. (Devilish of me, I know, but he has to learn that his actions have consequences!)

Of course now we have the pleasure of seeing him chase after her and grovel like no man has ever groveled before. I can't wait!! And now bc I've waited to read this chapter I can go to the next one. *Squeals with glee* More thoughts to come! (As if you haven't heard enough from me 🤭)

PREVIOUS PART

Hopelessly Devoted (PART FOUR)

Summary: After spending the remainder of the day at your mother's house restlessly trying to keep you worries at bay, Finn, the youngest member of the Shelby family accompanies you to the Garrison after telling you the news of Tommy's victory. Taking your mother's advice you enter the pub in hopes that you and Tommy will finally be able to talk and clear the air. But with the betrayal Tommy's believes you made still firmly at the forefront of his mind, the nights events threaten to take a different turn.

Warnings: Language, angst, mutual pining, mentions of blood

"Y/N are you listening to me?" your mother asked as you sat at the table beside the window in her kitchen, pulling back the embroidered netted curtains as you peered out onto the empty streets of Watery Lane.

" Yes I'm listening" you huffed back as you let go of the fabric, your hands coming down to rest on your lap as you nervously pulled at your fingers, wishing your thoughts would settle. After leaving Tommy in the cemetery you had the stupid idea to visit your mother, clearly you hadn't had enough gloom for one day. You had been told that morning by Polly to stay home until Tommy and his men had returned. So, ever the sucker for punishment you decided to forgo the cramped bedsit you called home and come here to your childhood home, to your mother who was currently sat across from you, her brows knitted together in frustration at your lack of response to her relentless rambling. She had taken this rare opportunity in which you visited to badger you with endless questions as to what it was you was actually doing with your life. Admittedly, It had been a good distraction from Tommy and the anger still churning in your stomach after your heated row in the cemetery. But what you couldn't seem to distract yourself from was the real reason as to why he followed you there. His ridiculous excuse as to why was exactly that, ridiculous. Just as Tommy had picked up over the years as to when you was lying, you too had picked up on when he was holding back, unable or unwilling to express what was really bothering him. Closed off and straight face was a demeanor he had adopted for many years. The only difference now was he wouldn't let you in when you had once been his first port of call. You thought to yourself as you stood up, aimlessly walking around the kitchen as you opened various draws and pots to further distract yourself whilst your mother watched on, the crease in her brow deepening.

" You need to get your life together Y/N" she said as she walked over to you, nudging you out the way with her hip as she shut one of the cupboard doors you had carelessly left open, her orderly home disrupted by your inability to stop fiddling with things." Find a man, and stop wallowing in self-pity over that Shelby boy" Boy...Jesus, did she still see you as the unruly teens that used to wreck havoc on the streets of Small Heath? " He was trouble then, and he's trouble now" she added as you rolled your eyes feeling the lecture that was coming your way.

" I'm not wallowing" you said crossing your arms as you leaned against the wall, squinting at the window to see if there was any movement outside. The street was quiet, eerily quiet. Was something wrong, had word come back that Tommy's plan had fallen apart?

" Off" she replied, ushering you away from her freshly painted kitchen walls.

" He was never trouble, he just got into trouble" you said as you looked down at your feet, tucking your hair behind your ear. " Or trouble finds him" you mumbled under your breath, defending him like you always had as you bit the corner of your bottom lip, looking up to see the picture of your little brother sitting on the shelf across from you.

" He liked him you know, your father too" your mother said with a sigh, her voice softening as she glanced up to your brother's picture whilst she folded the tea towel in her hand for a second time, a flash of sadness spreading across her face.

" He liked him because he wanted a big brother instead of a sister. And dad always did like a rebel" you replied, a small chuckle leaving your mother's lips as you tried to comfort her in the only way you knew how with your strained relationship.

" Georgie liked him because he made you smile. And your father liked him because he reminded him of you. Two peas in a pod he'd always say. He was convinced you'd get married one day" she said as you sat back down next to the window, your hand coming up to brush through your hair.

" Yeh well things changed, he changed" you said as you felt the past few weeks emotions well in your eyes, threatening to escape in front of the last person you would ever want them to. Shaking her head your mother walked over to you, digging in her apron as she pulled out a small white hankey.

" Here" she said as she sat down handing it to you.

" Don't need it" you said defiantly as you turned your head away in attempt to hide the tears now staining your cheeks.

" Take the bloody rag child and wipe those tears away. They'll do no good sitting there, building up. Just let them out...dear" she said as your bottom lip wobbled, your face reddening as you tried to hold back from completely falling apart.

" Mum..." you sobbed as you covered your eyes unable to keep up with the assured image you always tried to portray in front of her. Standing up your mother walked around to sit next to you, bringing you into her arms for what felt like the first time in a very long time, her chin resting on your head as she held you close to her.

" You may be two peas in a pod but shelling the stubbornness out of you both is enough for anyone to toss you in the bin" she chuckled as you smiled, wiping your tears away with the hand stitched cloth. "He's never stopped being trouble dear but his heart has always been in the right place, right here" she said pointing at yours as you looked up at her. " Don't fret child, he will come back. He's just brewing over his thoughts"

" He's been brewing for five years" you said with a huff as you sat up in your seat handing the hankey back to her.

" Yes we'll he's a man, it's what they do. Talk to him, clear the air. No doubt there's been a fair amount of misunderstandings, hm?" she said as she pushed your hair away from your face, pausing before her eyes darted to the window. " Jesus bloody Christ, it's that Finn Shelby again!" she said abruptly standing up, pulling back the curtains as she furiously knocked on the glass. "Putting sticks down my drain, i won't have him clog it up for a second time" she said as she stormed over to the kitchen counter. " He'll feel the back of my tea towel on those scrawny little legs before he has a chance!" she huffed as she picked up the checkered kitchen towel ready to march outside.

" Wait, wait I'll deal with him" you stood up wiping your cheeks as you walked past her to open the front door. " You're about to have holy hell come down on you" you said stepping down onto the porch as the youngest of the Shelby family was about to put a large stick into the drain, mischievously grinning from ear to ear.

" My brothers said if anyone hits me I'm allowed to hit 'em back twice as hard" he said as he stood up straight peering around you to see the scowl on your mother's face, the tea towel grasped tightly in her hand.

"Your brothers says a lot of things, a lot of things that will get you in trouble" you said as you bent down taking the stick from him.

" Tommy says your mum's a witch. Is she?" He asked, watching your mother squint her eyes at him as she turned to walk back into the kitchen.

" What a witch?" You replied biting your bottom lip, trying to hold back your laugh as he nodded his head in reply. Of course Tommy would say that, you thought to yourself. He and everyone else in the neighborhood had felt the back of her tea towel at least once in their lifetime, earning her a formidable and now whole new other reputation thanks to him.

" Yes, and she cooks up naughty little kids in her big cauldron for shoving sticks down her drain. Tommy should know he nearly ended up feet first into the hot bubbling water for doing the very same thing" you winked to him as his sudden wide-eyed expression relaxed into a toothy smile.

" I think you're telling porkies Y/N" he giggled as you stood up smiling to him " You coming" he said grabbing your hand pulling you with him down Watery Lane.

" Finn wait hang on, where are we going? " you said coming to a stop as he tugged at your hand adamant on continuing. "Finn?"

" The Garrison. We won Y/N. Tommy won!" he said as he smiled to you, your own smile unable to hide itself as relief washed over you, his promised good mood the perfect opportunity to take your mother's advice and finally clear the stagnant air that had been looming over you both for the past five years.

As you both approached the Garrison the laughs and chatter of the punters inside radiated from within the small pub out onto the mud and dirt filled streets of Birmingham, a celebration was in tow for yet another step up in Tommy's never ending endeavor for more control, more power. Pushing the large wooden door open you was met with the smell of sweet tobacco filling the air, a wave of beer and whisky engulfing your senses and what you were pretty sure was vomit, this was Small Heath after all. With a quick glance around the room you spotted Tommy with his back to you talking to Polly on the opposite side of the room. Swallowing harshly you walked forward into the middle of the pub, your hands resting on Finn's shoulders as he led the way when you felt a hand grab your arm spinning you around.

" Arthur!" You said turning your head to face him, your eyes lighting up to see the eldest Shelby standing in front of you unscathed and in one piece." Finn just told me, congratulations" you smiled as Arthur's attention quickly darted behind you, a flash of worry washing over his eyes as you furrowed your brow in confusion at his unfamiliar demeanor. "Arthur?"

" Did he now" he replied as he looked down at his younger brother, taking his hat off then ruffling his hair. " Y/N..." Arthur said as he smoothed down his mustache, his arm resting on your upper back as he started walking you away from the middle of the room and back to the Garrison door.

" Arthur what's going on ?" You quietly asked, taking note of the small sigh leaving his lips.

" Nothing love, nothing" he replied sending you a quick smile before his eyes cast down to the floor ahead of him. " It wont be long until it starts getting rowdy in here. There's been too much drinking, brawling will start soon" he said as he cleared his throat, his hand on the door as he glanced behind his shoulder " Be an angel and take Finn home for us, ay? " Arthur asked as you let out a small laugh in response. Finn had seen more than most grown men ever would in his short eleven years of life, a few potential pub fights was a teddy bears picnic in comparison to what his innocent eyes had already endured. You thought to yourself as you looked up at Arthur, his eyes barely able to meet yours. Something was wrong and you wanted to know what.

" Arthur what's goin.."

" Y/N!" Tommy shouted from across the room cutting you off as the pub suddenly went a deathly quiet.

"Tommy" you smiled as you turned around letting go of Finn as you walked towards him. " Congratulati.." you started to say when you noticed the expression on his face, his jaw clenched, his eyes piercing into you as he stood there staring at you without saying another word as you felt Arthur trying to pull you back from what he knew was about to unfold. "Arthur?" You said turning to him, looking for an explanation as to why everyone had their eyes on you when he gave your forearm a gentle squeeze in a small reassuring manner. Reassuring you for what though?

" You dare to fucking show your face after what you did?" Tommy finally spoke as Polly tried to pull him away, her attempts only brushed off as Tommy stalked forward towards you.

" What? " You replied the heat rising in your cheeks as you met his stare. Confusion spread across you face as your eyes darted around the room to everyone nervously diverting their attention else where, namely the bottom of their drinks or the wooden floorboards below them.

" Tommy not here " Polly said trying to stop him for a second time only to be ignored once again.

" How long had you been planning it, hm?" Tommy asked, now only a few feet from you as you tried to step back when he grabbed your wrist, his mounting anger towards you making the uneasy knot in your stomach tighten tenfold.

" Tommy what...what are you talking about?" you replied as you looked down at his strong grip, his fingers inching further into your flesh.

" You hate me that much?" Tommy said through gritted teeth quietly against your ear, his voice laced with hurt and fury. Pulling your head away you was met with his eyes boring into you, glazed over with a film of unspent tears from the rising anger within him. " You betrayed me" he said quieter than a whisper his voice shaking as he let go of you with a push taking a step back, fearing what he would do next.

" Betrayed you?" You questioned, your eyes widening at the mere suggestion you would do such a thing to anyone let alone to him.

" You fucking betrayed me!" Tommy yelled. His contained anger erupting into a loud bellow that boomed from wall to wall within the small room.

" Out! Out, everyone out!" Polly shouted as the whole pub scrambled through the door leaving you, Tommy, Arthur, Polly and John alone in the Garrison." You too" Polly said as her head snapped to Grace standing in the corner by the bar, her eyes briefly meeting yours as she turned around, placing the white rag in her hands on the counter as she casually walked off.

" Will someone please tell me what's going on? " you asked wiping a lone tear as Tommy scoffed in reply, reaching for the pack of cigarettes in his suit jacket. His hands shaking from the fury rapidly coursing through his body as he attempted to light the end of one between his fingers.

" Y/N" Polly said as she hurried over to you, her hand resting on your upper arm. " Y/N, someone let slip about Tommy's plan to take Kimber out. You was seen with his men the other day. Tommy, Tommy thinks.."

" That I let slip?" you replied, your own anger at the accusation now building within you as you stormed over to Tommy sitting on the edge of the table, his thumb rubbing across his brow.

" What you think I told Kimber?!" You said standing in front of him." Tommy they pinned me against the wall, threatened my..."

" I don't want to hear your lies, I don't want to fucking hear them. Danny's dead because of you!" Tommy cut you off as he stood up, his intimidating figure looming over you

" That's enough Tommy!" Polly shouted as your eyes widened.

" Danny's dead? Rosie, the boys..." you said as you looked back to Arthur watching him sniff back his emotions as he downed the glass of whisky in his hand.

" Widowed and fatherless, your doing" Tommy pointed at you, staring you down as you blinked away the tears, swallowing the lump that had formed in your throat. Not only was he accusing you of betrayal but now he was blaming you for the death of Danny Owen, the boy who used to live only three doors down from you when you were kids.

" Tommy you're talking bullshit" John said defending you as he threw his tooth pick on the floor, pushing the chair in his way to the side. Tempers were high, too much liquor had been drunk. Arthur was right, alcohol only added fuel to the flames.

" Just get the fuck out Y/N" Tommy said ignoring John and anybody else's attempts to reason with him.

" No" You said adamantly as you stood in his way, your voice catching in your throat from the tears pouring down your face." Tommy look at me, please..." you pleaded as you held onto the front of his suit jacket. " You know me. You've known me my whole life. I'd never do this to you" you sobbed as you gently placed your palms on either side of his cheeks, his skin scorching hot from the fury bubbling beneath him."Tommy" you said softly, turning his head to face you as he raised his hands, resting them on your arms while you gave him a small smile, gently rubbing your thumb across his cheek.

"You never loved me" Tommy whispered in your ear, pushing past you as you stumbled back, tripping on the leg of the chair behind you as your hand came down onto a broken whisky glass on the floor, missing the table you hoped would steady your fall.

"Fucking hell!" Polly gasped as she rushed over to you, clutching your hand in hers as blood poured down your wrist whilst Tommy looked on, brushing his hand down his face. " Tommy hand me that cloth" Polly said motioning behind him at the towel siting on the bar counter.

" Just get her out of here"

" Tommy..." his Aunt replied, her eyes wide from his lack of response, from his unrelenting hostility.

"Get her fucking out of here! Do you here me? I never want to see her face around here again. You're fired Y/N, get the fuck out of this town!" he shouted as he turned around, his hands resting on the counter of the bar as his jaw clenched at his reflection in the mirror in front of him. Pushing past his brother Arthur picked up the cloth beside him, giving Tommy a sharp elbow to his back.

" Git" Arthur said through gritted teeth as he turned around, walking back to you and Polly.

" Tommy..." you sobbed as you walked to the door wrapping the cloth around your hand. "Tommy! I didn't do anything I swear" You pleaded when he refused to turn around and look at you.

" Don't you worry love we'll get to the bottom of this" Polly said quietly in your ear as she opened the door not wanting the situation to escalate any further, unsure the love she knew her nephew still had for you enough to stop him from doing something he would regret.

" I'll walk you home" Arthur said as he took your arm.

" No" you replied shaking your head as you turned back to Arthur, John and Polly in front of you, your eyes looking past them to see Tommy still looming over the bar. " No" you answered again turning around, suddenly feeling like an outsider as they all watched you leave. Did they believe the same as Tommy, did they believe you betrayed them? As the door to the Garrison shut Polly stormed over to her nephew about to swing at him when Arthur pulled her away.

" You fool, you fucking fool!" Polly hissed, her eyes boring into him as her face trembled with anger. Grabbing her bag Polly stormed out as John followed behind, leaving Tommy with his own choice of insults.

" You're on your own with this one brother" Arthur said picking up his coat as he marched outside, slamming the door behind him.

" Fuck!" Tommy yelled as he threw the glass beside him at his reflection in the mirror, his nostrils flaring as his knuckles turned white from the strain of his clenched fists.

" Tommy?" Grace said as she reappeared from around the corner, slowing approaching him as she gingerly looked around the empty pub. Snaking her hand up his back, she rubbed the side of his neck as she placed the other on his chest, her head resting gently on his shoulder. If her intention from the beginning was to stay back and console him after the bitter row she knew Tommy would have with his family she was in for a rude awakening. It only took a few seconds after feeling the heat of her body pressed against him for Tommy to push her hands away, not entertaining nor giving her an ounce of his attention before he stormed out the Garrison doors leaving her alone and seething for the second time that day. Had Tommy finally realised his mistake?

It's only me" Polly said as she knocked at your front door. It had been a week since that night at the Garrison, the night when Tommy accused you of the unthinkable. Pulling the bed sheets off you walked over to the door opening it then quickly returning to the spot you had barely moved from for the past week, back to staring at the small crack in the wall beside you. Walking in Polly let out a sigh as she looked around the darkened bedsit. Marching over to the opposite side of the room she threw open the curtains, unbolting the window to let in some much needed fresh air. "Tea?" She asked cheerfully as you pulled the covers up to your chin. " You haven't touched any of the food I brought you " she said as she opened the glass bottle of milk in the small basket, its pungent smell making her eyes water as she quickly discarded the contents down the sink. " Y/N?" She said walking over, sitting beside you as she pushed your hair away from your face. You were pale, the colour from you drained. Had you even slept? She thought to herself as she turned your chin to look at her, the wells of your eyes filled with tears. "Oh love, come here" she said as she pulled you up into her arms. The warmth of her embrace comforting you the same as it did when she would cradle you in her arms after your father's death.

"Tell me again love" she said as she collected your hair in her hand, twisting it around her finger into one large curl.

" I've already told you Pol. Kimber's men, they approached me after I left the Garrison. Told me they heard Tommy was up to something and that if he didn't play by the rules both our lives were on the line. Pol, he put my name out there, they knew who I was" you sobbed looking up at her as she wiped the tears from your face with her thumb.

" Fucking idiot" she huffed under her breath thinking about her nephew as her brain ticked over, trying to think of her next plan of action. " When did he tell you he was going to make a move on Kimber?" Polly asked, she was determined to get to the bottom of this mess.

" The day after his birthday. He wanted me to write down the dates John gave when I saw the black star in his diary"

" And you're sure you didn't write that black star down yourself?"

" I'm sure " you sniffed as Polly's head turned to look out the window. " Y/N, does Tommy's diary always stay in the betting shop?"

" No, yes...I don't know, he takes it with him sometimes, to the Garrison" you said as you sat up straight to what you really wanted to say. " Pol I was talking with my cousin who lives in London, her landlord has a new letting advertised " you said as you reached into your bed side table pulling out a piece of paper then handing it to her.

" A train ticket to London King's Cross for today, one minute past noon" she said as her hand dropped into her lap, her eyes widening.

" I can't stay here, you heard him. He never wants to see me again. Small Heath belongs to him, I'm not welcome here anymore" you said as you swallowed back your tears. "I have a few savings I can use while I find work, this place never cost much to rent" you said as you looked around your small bedsit.

" Fuck him and his weak threats. Because that's what they are Y/N, weak. He won't do a thing" Polly said as she folded the ticket back in half throwing it beside her onto the bed as she grabbed your face in her hands." I will sort this out" She said nodding her head in attempts to reassure you.

" Polly I've already packed"

" Wait for me until the last minute, if I'm not on the platform then you go love" she said as she brought you back into her arms, squeezing you tight. You may not be blood but Polly always treated you as one of her own, and the one thing she wasn't willing to do was let you turn your life upside down for the sake of her nephews deluded accusations. Standing up Polly walked over to the door, hooking her handbag on her arm. " Pretty sure I saw a rat lurking around the Garrison. We're long overdue a good culling, don't you think?" She smiled sending you a wink as she fixed her hat on her head, shutting the door behind her. Falling back into bed, you pulled the covers around you, your head turning to face the wall as your eyes fixed on the crack you had been endlessly staring at, wishing you had as much confidence in Polly's abilities to get to the bottom of what felt like a neverending pit of hopelessness and despair.

Leaning against the side of the Garrison bar with a cigarette resting between her lips, Grace lit a match when the sound of the pub's heavy wooden doors swung open and a gust of wind blew out the flame in front of her eyes. "We're not open yet" she huffed in irritation as she looked up to see Polly standing by the doors, removing her hat from her dark brown locks.

" Why don't you pour us both a drink " Polly smiled as she graciously sat down at one of the chairs in the middle of the room, pulling out a long sharp pin from her hair. Polly had never been a gambling woman, but she was willing to take a bet that the ace up her sleeve was worth the risk. Or as they called it in the gambling world, calling someone's bluff.

" Ever heard of knocking?" Tommy said as he sat up in his office chair flicking the ash from the end of his cigarette in the small glass dish beside him as Polly stormed in.

" There he is" she said with a satisfied smirk on her lips as she walked over to his desk " Boss of the Peaky Blinders, King of Small Heath and now the proud owner of Billy Kimber's business. Was is worth losing the only thing that truly matters to you?

" What do you want Polly?" Tommy huffed as he opened his pocket watch. Twenty to twelve, he noted as he snapped it closed, his hand coming up to rub the bar of stress sitting along his forehead.

" I've just been to see Grace" Polly replied as she dropped her bag on his desk. " You're not so clever Tommy" she added as she crossed her arms. "She didn't half scurry out of there when I told her you'd be coming for her, gun loaded after hearing what I just heard. You got played Tommy" she said pulling out his diary in front of him, turning the pages back to the black star noted down a week ago. " Y/N wasn't the only person you told about your plans, was she?" So caught up in your own bitterness and self-pity you overlooked that scheming little wench that's been digging her claws into you for the past few months " Polly said as Tommy's brows furrowed, his throat suddenly going dry as he looked at the small black star in front of him. " Called her bluff... She's been working with Campbell. She's the one that betrayed you, she's the reason your plans fell apart" Polly seethed, slamming the book shut as Tommy's eyes widened at the realisation whilst Polly stepped back watching the wheels turn in her nephew's brain. " Yeh let that sink in. The girl who has been hopelessly devoted to you since you were teens, still is. The love that poor girl bears for you has no match" she added enforcing her point, letting him feel the guilt and pain he had unfairly forced upon you for the past five years.

" Call the train station, tell them to stop all the trains" Tommy panicked, brushing his hands through his hair as he abruptly stood up.

" What?" Polly replied as she moved to the side watching Tommy frantically put his coat on.

" Y/N's getting on the train to London Kings cross in ten minutes" he said feeling a heavy surge of nausea settle in the pit of his stomach.

" You bloody knew? Do you also know every time that girl takes a breath?" Polly sighed as she pinched the middle of her brow." Tommy I was meant to meet her, I won't get there in time and neither will you" she said as she grabbed hold of his arms.

"I'll run. And believe me, if I could know everything she does every minute of the day I would" Tommy replied as he put his peaked cap on opening the door to his office.

" Jesus fucking christ" Polly mumbled under her breath." It's too late, you're five years too late!" She shouted to him as she hurried out his office after him.

"Then I'll spend the next five years making things right " Tommy shouted back as he ran out the betting shop onto Watery Lane.

"London Kings Cross now boarding" the rail dispatcher shouted blowing his whistle as you glanced back behind you.

" Mam, your bags" a young employee said as he approached you, offering you help as your eyes darted around the platform, suddenly realising you was the only passenger left standing there.

" What's the time?" you asked him as you both walked to the the carriage door.

" Twelve mam, the train will be leaving in one minute" he replied opening the door, placing your bag inside as he gave you his hand to help you up the large step. The last minute, you had waited just as Polly said. Turning around you watched as the train door closed, your choice to leave cemented as the sound of the lock closed on the opposite side.

" Hey stop the train. Stop that fucking train!" Tommy shouted as he ran onto the platform, slamming his hands on the side of the carriage as he walked along the side of the train trying to open each door when the whistle blew.

"Sir, Sir! Step away, the train is about to leave" The rail worker instructed as he grabbed Tommy's arm pulling him away as the engine started.

" Here, here take it!" Tommy said holding onto the man's suit jacket as he pulled out a bundle of cash pushing it into his chest as he looked back, his eyes widening in panic." No no no, Y/N!" Tommy shouted letting go of the employees suit jacket as the bank notes he was holding against his chest floated down to the platform floor, the screeching sound of the train wheels turning muffling his desperate calls for you.

Sat in the carriage you clutched onto your bag, tears forming in the corners of your eyes as the train started to leave, feeling as is your heart was parting with everything and everyone you had ever known and loved.

" Probably a late comer" an elderly gentleman chuckled to his wife as them and a few other passengers curiously looked out their window at the commotion outside.

" Y/N!" Tommy shouted desperately as he started to run along the platform, banging his fists on the sides of the train. "Y/N wait!" Tommy yelled stopping in his tracks, unable to keep up as the horn blew and a large cloud of smoke funneled along the top of the train. Sitting back in your chair you turned to face the window, wiping the tears away from you blurry vision, the panel for Small Heath passing you by, the final goodbye.

(Part Five coming soon!)

Tag list: @cosniffee @jonsncws @powellssaturn @jessimay89 @bruher @riseandreigns4u @mariaelizabeth21-blog1 @chimchimjiminie16 @gaslysainz @calicoootalks (unable to tag) @weaponizedvirtue @vlryexsworld (unable to tag) @shittyprofilebutfuckit @peakyswritings @kammsinn @mysticalbouquetwolf-posts @cherryslyce @esquivelbianca @taliawz (unable to tag) @answer-the-sirens @dielgonacoffee @cicilysgrace @nadloves @fanatics30 @httyd-marauders @beeposstuff @yeppaweshallsee (unable to tag) @ja-4-leyvam (unable to tag) @xmariakx @slighltyaboveaverageiq (unable to tag) @fairypitou @youngbananamilkshake @call-sign-shark @peakyltd @jeysbae @muhahaha303 @mornixgstar18 @adaydreamaway08 @artzyhobo (unable to tag) @atomicsaladapricotcreator (unable to tag) @1lellykins

#zablife recommends #brummiereader📚

671 notes · View notes