#hate to love him but CAN'T GET ENOUGH gimme gimme

[babyilluwu]

fun fact I actually don't think I hate anyone on HxH except like... genthru. And even then it's not HATE hate it's that cold dejection and wish to simply erase him from existence that some would argue is the true opposite of love. And the reason is: he is dull. He is SO. FRIGGING. DULL. I just zone out whenever he's on screen.

So I stg any character can be like ANNOYING or ABUSIVE or commit WAR CRIMES and Togashi makes it WORK. But I draw the line at him writing the dullest villain to ever grace the pages of that work. I just can't stand the dull.

[venusbby]

characters/pairings: itoshi sae x reader

warnings: fluff. the reader is an avid reader lmao so funny. sort of clingy sae? annoyed sae? just sae. maybe ooc too but idrc.

note: self indulgent because i've been reading this one book nonstop for the past week and can't think of anything else. wondered how sae would act with a reader who likes to read a lot like me lol this is lowkey bad forgive me sorry for typos

🌊 summary: sae starts to get annoyed because you won't stop reading your book. (and also because you won't give him your attention, but that's a secret— that isn't as well kept as he thinks it is.)

"y/n," sae muttered. he watched you with a glare, noticing how you had heard him clearly yet still ignored him, continuing to smile to yourself with your bottom lip between your teeth. he rolled his eyes, trying again, this time resting his hand on your thigh. his fingers impatiently tapping against the soft skin.

"y/n."

no response. you even giggled as you read the lines in that book you had been attached to all day long. that little 600 page romance book that entertained you so much more than he could— what the hell was it even about?

sae knew you loved books. you visited the library nearby almost every week, and he couldn't even decide if it was because the lady there was so nice to you or because you wanted to get away from him. there was no way he was that boring, right?

it was always sae who accepted all your amazon packages for the books that hadn't yet arrived in the library— and although the sight of your excited smile when he told you it was finally here was something, he never understood the hype at all.

why would he, when his sport was his all-time focus? books weren't ever as exciting to him as they were to you. so as long as you got any and every book you wanted (he made sure of that) he was alright.

but right now, sae had this urge to hide all your books from you.

especially this one.

because it stole you from him.

sae was annoyed. and he was even more annoyed that he started to think about hiding your books away from you like a madman, because it's fucking embarrassing that he's going borderline insane just because you haven't talked or even looked at him for the past two hours. and he's been in bed next to you this whole time.

he cursed under his breath and subtly thrashed around under the covers like a child who didn't get the toy he wanted. he shifted closer to you in the midst of his little quiet tantrum. "y/n. look at me."

"yeah?"

when you finally looked at him, it was as if he'd found oxygen.

and he hated it even more. why was he like this for you?

but then you went back to that book.

that stupid fucking book. again.

sae was going to cry.

fuck no, he wasn't. he won't. not ever. that's lame. so lame.

whatever. if you liked your book that much, maybe he should find something else to do too, he decided.

he turned around with his back to you and shut his eyes.

and then he heard another sigh. a dreamy one, at that.

"alright, enough. give me that." he jumped up from his sleeping position, grabbing the book from your hands. he didn't even know how to properly hold a book, but he didn't find it in himself to care as he shut it close, a breath of relief escaping from his mouth just as you started to whine.

"sae, no," you struggled, trying to get the book back, but you knew better than to fight against your boyfriend who was glaring at you like that with his lips pressed in a sad, thin line. his hair was still a little damp from the shower he took while you were just into the first 60 pages of the book. he swept his hair back, setting the book beside him, where you couldn't reach— atleast not without getting through him.

"i was almost done," you said slowly, trying your best to explain now that you were out of that world. "i promise, just gimme it now 'n i'll finish the first part in just 20 minutes."

sae scoffed. "fucking no."

he stared at the book placed near his side, literally judging it by its cover. "what's in this that has you giggling so much? some dude?"

you gasped, dramatically. "okay, he is not some dude. he is my husband."

"oi," sae groaned, things still not getting better for him even after that book had been closed and put away from you. "i'm sleeping next to you shirtless, and you've been giggling with your book husband?"

"you're always shirtless, though."

"that doesn't fucking matter." he retorted, huffing and looking to the side, chin up. you pursed your lips, placing a soft hand on his back, and leaning closer to leave a kiss on his shoulder. he always smelled so nice. he shook you off.

"baby, my sweet sae, if you wanted me to stop reading, you could have just said so." you smiled, watching him run another hand through his hair, his fingers pulling on his roots this time.

"first of all, i don't want your attention." he said blankly, finally looking at you. "and second, you ignored me when i said your name. guess you were too busy with your husband."

you laughed quietly, incredibly amused. about an hour ago, you were actually expecting sae to go back to sleep after showering— but for some reason, you were glad he didn't. this new side of him was so adorable that you never wanted it to end.

you sighed, lying back down, urging him to do the same. he listened as you explained, with you on your side facing him. "you know, i love this book a lot."

"i can see that."

so snarky. you resisted the urge to kiss his slightly puffed out cheek.

"it's really romantic. it's about the relationship of this newly married couple, how it develops day by day, and it's so cute. the main guy— my 'husband', is so good to the main character."

sae raised an eyebrow lazily, still opting to look at the ceiling and didn't respond. you weren't going to gain his attention this easily after that.

you went on. "and this guy reminds me of you. like, you guys are similar to an unhealthy extent. and the reason i was so invested in it was because there was a particular scene where things got a little hot."

"so?" he asked, still not convinced.

your cheeks were reddened from embarrassment. "so, whenever he said or did something, i thought of you. and that is why i was giggling."

sae turned to look at you. his eyes looked much more focused on your lips. he had forgotten how much he missed the feeling of kissing you. again, feeling another annoying pang in his heart because seriously, it had just been two hours. he had to stop acting like you'd been away for days.

"so basically you were having sex with 'book me' in your mind."

"oh god, no!"

"that's exactly it."

"you're so wrong."

"shut up, i'm right."

you groaned, covering your face with your palms and closing your eyes. you felt sae's arm slowly trailing around your stomach, him shifting closer until you could feel his breath fanning against your neck. you giggled out of nervousness and embarrassment, both. "that was not what was happening, okay?"

his lips twitched slightly at your state. "you know i'm way better than him."

"...are you, though?" you peeked one eye open, dragging out your words, guilty. fictional men were just different—

"ah, do you need proof?" he said, a smug look on his face as he began hovering over you. your laugh echoed through the room as you smacked his chest playfully, your arms going around his neck to pull him down on top of you.

"i don't need proof, thank you very much." you said softly with another laugh, letting sae rest his head on your chest. "but i wanna make it up to you for ignoring you. im sorry, my sae. i'll be better. you were just really cute."

"don't do it again," he said, staring up at you from his comfortable position. "or else you might have to go back to your 'husband'."

"i won't really mind— wait, baby, don't go! i was joking!"

taglist: @hyomagiri @yoimyas @beanxiv @hqfeatbetty @shuvvloverrr 🤞🤪

[heartfullofleeches]

Got a fletcher ask cause that man gives me penis worms. I imagine fletcher giving silver fox darling massages cause they old and I’d imagine they’d have back problems, I feel like than man would be good with his hands if you get what I mean 😏

- Cap Anon🧢

Darling complaints about a knot in their lower back one morning while climbing out of bed and out pops Fletcher from his hiding place outside their window to bang on their front door with the neighborly offer of a full body massage. Built up his hands and muscles nicely over the years with farmer work - not to mention his natural bulk being a Flemish Rabbit. Plus, his aunt and uncle were a bit up there in age when he was sent to move in with them a kid so he's got some experience already. Had he not developed a love for the land and quiet life outside the city - Fetch might've become a masseuse.

He could also help with some stretches- Wouldn't want them to pull anything when he finally slips a ring on that finger and gets them into his bed

-

"Gimme five...ten minutes top. I'll have you feelin' like a brand new fox in no time. Can't relax and enjoy your retirement with that crook in your back, now can ya?

As much as you'd hate to admit it, this rabbit's got you cornered. The pain was manageable when it was just in your back, but after pushing yourself harder then you should've small aches have begun sprouted all over your body. A nice massage might aleve some of your stress- Enough for you to get a good night of sleep for once.

"Five minutes. Not a second longer. Do a decent job and I might reward you by letting you come back."

The farmer sports a toothy grin, eyes beaming with opportunity.

"Promise I won't disappoint."

A promise he surely kept-

Decades of tension and the tax of hard labor melting right off your shoulders as Fletcher kneds the taunt muscles of your neck and back with his large, capable hands. Your tail hasn't been this active in years, whipping against his thigh as the man struggles to keep his eye trained on his duties. Once you grew accustomed to his touch, you halted the session briefly to remove your shirt as it took too much away from your relief.

If that didn't do Fletcher in, a close second was the wistful sighs and drops of praise falling from your lips.

"That's it... Get your elbow into it if your hands are getting sore... Little lower... Right there... Good boy."

Fletcher chuckles - anything to distract himself from the effect your words have on him. "Same time tomorrow?"

[hanafubukki]

for no other reason that i'd love seeing malleus and lilia freak out over you (men who keep it together SNAPPING when they see their loved one hurt? hell yes gimme), please imagine you visiting diasomnia dorm and accidentally take poison that was snuck to harm malleus.

i was replaying book 4 recently and remembered jamil taste-tests everything, but i don't remember his retainers doing the same... malleus probably grew some immunity due to lilia's cooking lolol jkjk ok but i wonder if he ever was under that eye... granted he's powerful enough that barely anyone would dare, but there must be someone who wants him gone, like, look at rollo lol that man had no fear.

so yeah, you're just doing your thing, hanging out and talking malleus' ears off while he's grabbed a snack or something, and maybe he playfully shoves the spoon into your mouth as he teases you "breathe, child of man" with a grin on his face (you know the one, the one he does when you poke him too much in the home screen and he says he'll "overlook your rudeness". sir you are not fooling anyone. you love getting our attention. ANYWAYS—). lilia's there, leaning on the counter chuckling while you roll your eyes, playing along–

and then your mouth goes numb. at first is your tongue, so you blink in confusion, not fully registering what's happening. malleus stares at you in confusion as well while lilia's the one narrowing his eyes now.

next it's your jaw that numbs, and you touch your face feeling a pang of worry–it's the next second, when it becomes hard to breathe, that panic sets in. and it sets in hard. you're clawing at your throat while your body fights for air as you panic. you hear the clang of a plate and the rustling of robes near you, and your vision is full of black and neon green as malleus' form covers you, trying to see and find what is wrong.

lilia is too familiar with said attempts, having been acquainted with nobility and a senate that hated his guts for centuries, plus the tensions among the fae kingdom centuries past. one touch to the food numbs his finger and he immediately knows, so he's out in a flash to find crewel's office where he knows there might be what he needs.

bonus points if the antidote is administered via kiss because you can't swallow it and cough it out :3

the fun part though (to me, i am not sorry lol) would be malleus going absolutely ballistic to the point where there is a storm on the whole school. maybe the island, even while lilia looks one step away from going back into general–mode. "maybe it's time i pull my old weapon out." "father, please don't."

(sebek and silver are your friends too so they'd be pissed off as well, or if you're into a whole polycule you can imagine them freaking out as well.)

but now everyone in the diasomnia dorm is under heavy scrutiny. who'd have the balls to try and go poison malleus draconia? someone with a deathwish, that's who. though now you get pampered to death by them, including some open heart talk about malleus feeling guilty you took the hit for him, albeit accidentally.

if you want the lite version with no poison, just pampering and no snapping, just imagine malleus giving you a cold or the flu, except he doesn't get it himself. his body just doesn't feel the symptoms because he's that powerfully built, but you do get it from him (does this make sense? no, i personally think the virus would avoid him alltogether but let's just go with the flow (flu, heh) here) and you fall sick in his presence a few days later, red and feverish–passing out on him on the couch, too! you didn't want to stay at ramshackle and rest when he'd been looking forward to hanging out with his favourite people, so you just popped some meds and went out anyways. congrats, now you'll be pampered to death as well! maybe literally, if lilia insists on making that soup...

(me personally i prefer the poison one because desperation + love is delicious. plus the antidote giving through a kiss. clichés are in my blood. though i'd also love the other way around where you save malleus instead, i admit it's hard for me to imagine a poison that's able to get that man at all... but hey maybe there is one! or lilia's the one that gets it accidentally. that would make both you and malleus go absolutely feral on the spot, and silver? oh boy. yeah you three are out for blood. sebek for once would be the calmest of the group while still being pretty pissed off about the whole ordeal.

but hey now you get to pamper your old man or prince a little bit! :D)

YESSS ANONIE YESSSS 🥳🫶🙌

ALL OF THIS

I love when the calm/happy ones snap. You know you’re out of luck when that happens. Whoever dared?? Their days are numbered big time.

And something caused by poison?? When it was meant for another? 🤌 yes give it to me.

I feel Malleus would have a poison resistance that he accumulates over the years. And even if his dorm is filled with mostly supporters and those who worship him, it doesn’t mean there isn’t anyone that doesn’t want to hurt him or the others.

There can be many reasons. Maybe they hate his stance with humans? Maybe they want to hurt Lilia. It could be an aftermath of his OB.

But either way, you have been harmed and that cannot be. An innocent who was a friend (or maybe something more) to them and they dare harm you?

And for Malleus to have “basically fed” you that poison? Oh the guilt and the horror.

Lilia, from experience alone, probably has a panacea or the ingredients needed. If not, crewel’s lab is getting raided. How could he have let this happen? How could he lower his guard like this? All of this he’ll have to reflect on later. Even now, enemies are in his shadows.

Administrating the antidote through kiss? Yesss

Forcing your mouth open and making you drink it. Slowly rubbing your throat to make sure it goes down.

Crewel and Vil are called to check up on you. While Lilia? He’s using his UM to find answers.

His eyes glow wine red. The shadows around him spreads. He is eerily quiet. He is hunting now.

Anything with a kiss always has me kicking my feet, I don’t care how cliche it is. I will eat it up like it’s a fine course meal and I have been starving 💞💞

Diasomnia is going to be extra protective of you for the next coming weeks minimum. Get ready to be cuddled 🥰🥰

Delicious, so delicious, thank you for this meal Anonie 🥰🥰

[peach-top]

➤ ❝𝙐𝙉𝘿𝙀𝙍 𝙋𝙍𝙀𝙎𝙎𝙐𝙍𝙀❞

➤ 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙞. | 𝙗𝙤𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜.

➤ 𝙒𝘼𝙍𝙉𝙄𝙉𝙂: nah

The next day, Sebastian let out a frustrating sigh once the young scientist arrived into his room. [Y] greeted Sebastian with a bright smile on his face which made the fishman more annoyed.

“Ugh. It's you again…” Sebastian huffed.

“Yep, it's me.” [Y] beamed before grabbing a lollipop from his pocket, “And I brought more lollipops~”

“Gimme.” The fishman huffed. The young scientist swiped the lollipop from Sebastian's reach, “First, let us get to know each other.”

“Why should I?” Sebastian deadpanned.

“Because it's important to bond with another. I don't give up so easily. Just like my mother says: “Don’t y'all give up and keep moving y'all ass forward”. So…I won't stop until you're open to me.” [Y] grinned with determination. Sebastian furrowed his eyebrows, “You literally just said yesterday that you won't force me to open up to you.”

“To me, that's different. So~ Let us start, shall we?” The young scientist winked. “I'll start. Ahem! I'm [Y] [L]. Aged 19. Born in a farmyard with eleven older sisters and two older brothers. I'm by far the youngest.”

“The fuck? That's like…1…2…3…14 of you. How did your mom survive that shit?” Sebastian raised his eyebrows.

“That's something I'm not sure about. She's a strong woman even when she's close to her 60s. Which is the reason why I became a doctor and a scientist to be sure she's perfectly healthy.” The young scientist explained.

“And…here it is…” the young scientist shows off a photo of his family on the farm. Sebastian's eyes widened, “Damn. That's a lot of them…”

“Right? Which is enough to help ma and da with the farm. It's a…crazy farm, but it's fun.” [Y] chuckled.

“...” Sebastian is sitting quietly and listening to the young scientist’s tale, but he's curious. “How come you don't have a southern accent?”

“Y'all think I can't keep up with these words without my accent? No. Do ya know how hard it is to stay professional as a scientist?” [Y] asked in a southern accent, catching Sebastian by surprise. “But I'm only using that accent when I'm angry. Ma has that anger issue going on. She can get madder than a hen.” (this part kinda hurts to write, i'm trying😭)

Sebastian snorted, “You seem like a completely different person when speaking in that accent.”

“Force of habit.” The young scientist spoke in a normal voice. Sebastian hummed, “...You're lucky to have a family to go to instead of being imprisoned here for something you've never done…”

“...I can tell you have a mother. What's she like?” [Y] questioned. “But...you don't need to tell me if you don't want to.”

“...” The fishman only knows this young scientist for a day and he's starting to trust him. But he doesn't trust him enough to physically touch or befriend him. There's still some way to go. “...You know, like how some mothers are. Sweet, loving, gentle, and always love you no matter what. But what's worse you can get…is a look of sadness and disappointment on her face when she finds out that her son was convicted of 9 murders that he never committed.”

“And yet…he'll never be able to see his family after he…he turned into this…” Sebastian growled, observing himself. “Being stuck here and turned into a monster is worse than receiving a death sentence. Those bastards did this to us.”

The fishman then rises up from his bed, raising his voice, “We are forced to become monsters! What did I do to deserve this, huh?! Why?!”

“I just want to prove my innocence! Clear my name! And go back to my family! It hurts! It fucking hurts…” Sebastian whimpered, covering his face to hide the tears from [Y]’s view as he slowly slid his back against the wall and plopped down on the bed. “...I fucking hate it here…I want to go home…”

“...” [Y] frowned and was going to say something, but the senior scientist called in to the young scientist. “Dr. [L]. Your time. Is. Up. Leave it be and move onto the next one. Now.”

“...” The young scientist furrowed his eyebrows at the senior scientist. He turned his attention back to Sebastian and handed him two lollipops. Sebastian didn't accept it and plopped face-first in bed, so [Y] left the suckers on the nightstand and a sticker on a wrapper. He whispered, “We'll continue this tomorrow and figure something out.”

“...” Sebastian turned away, facing the wall.

[Y] let out a sigh before leaving the room with the senior scientist. After they left, Sebastian turned to the lollipops on the nightstand.

“...I don't need his pity…” Sebastian muttered, gripping on the pillow. “I don't…I just…want to go home…”

· · ─ ·𖥸· ─ · ·

[Y] arrived into the underwater laboratory. The senior scientist forced him to only take one minute. Why the fucking change? Jealous? Anger? Disappointment? [Y] doesn't care if he disappointed his senior unless it's his mother.

The deal doors open up, revealing Eyefestation who was waiting for the young scientist’s arrival. What's more interesting is that they're wagging their tail. They must've become interested in [Y].

“Aw, did you miss me? I've come just as I promise. However, I am forced to stay for only one minute.” [Y] huffed with his hands on his hips. “Sounds very unfair, right? Which means I won't be with you for long. But hey, I think I might know what can keep you company.”

“...?” Eyefestation tilted their head.

“I've decided that I can bring my glowing goldfish tomorrow and…sneak them in the tank with you.” [Y] whisper the last part, “Please don't eat them. They've been wanting friends for a long time. And I thought that you might need someone to accompany you while I'm gone.”

“FrIeNd…?”

“Someone who can be close to you and never leave your side. A companion. So like, you can swim around with Ziya. I'm sure you two will be best of friends.” [Y] grinned. “...Geez…if only I can set you all free. Being here can be such a hassle.”

“It's always so dark and bland. There's nothing to do here. Where are those times where you all can finally see the light? The green? The sky?” The young scientist questioned as he observed the dark area. “This is like a factory holding a bunch of animals hostage while pretending to be a good company that—”

The glass window was sealed before the young scientist could finish his sentence. That fucking senior scientist interrupted him and one minute wasn't even up yet!

“Excuse me? It hasn't been 1 minute yet.” [Y] glared at the senior scientist. The senior scientist scoffed, “One minute. Check the other monsters. Don't waste anymore time and keep your mouth shut.”

“Tch! It pissed me off how you even allowed me to do this and yet you won't let me do my job properly.” [Y] growled.

“You're a scientist. Act professional. There's no optimism here at Hadal Blacksite. Understood?” The senior scientist furrowed their eyebrows.

“...What-fuckin-ever…” [Y] huffed. He softly tapped on the seal and gave Eyefestation a soft “see you tomorrow” before following the senior scientist out of the underwater lab.

· · ─ ·𖥸· ─ · ·

Life sucks, why the fuck did they even give him 30 seconds to communicate with the monsters or is it just the senior scientist? Bullshit. Maybe…

“So, I would like a 30 minute communication with the monsters. I was able to communicate with them without any harm.” [Y] explained to another senior scientist. “You see, Dr. ███████ wouldn't allow me to communicate with them a little longer. It's part of my job as a recruiter. I can't get to a higher rank if Dr ███████ wouldn't allow me to. So, you don't mind me as a scientist, may I have a 30 minute interview?”

“...You do have a great degree. Your optimism isn't suitable for a professional, however…you are the only one who was able to keep them in check, so it wouldn't hurt to give you 30 minutes. Starting tomorrow.”

[Y] clasped his hands together, “I was hoping for more time today, but tomorrow is great.”

The young scientist then sent Dr ███████ a smug look, “See ya tomorrow, doc?’

“Tch!”

· · ─ ·𖥸· ─ · ·

“You seem to be working a dangerous job. Are ya sure ain't harm this time?” [Y]’s mother asked after her youngest son showed her some pictures from the Hadal Blacksite.

“Nah. I'm fine. Fresher than a fresh apple.” [Y] grinned.

“Ya don't seem to mind handling these dangerous tasks, huh?” the eldest sister raised her eyebrows. “I'm sorry that these monsters might harm ya.”

“They're not monsters. They're just hostages who were forced to be experimented on which is why I'm planning to find a way to expose the dark company and their scheme.” [Y] explained. “Sis. You're a chief officer, ya got those documents I can research on…Sebastian Solace?”

“Sebastian Solace? You mean that man who committed 9 murders? Why?”

“He's one of those experiments that was declared dead. Z-13…” [Y] said, placing the files on the table for his elder sister to grab. The elder sister observed the files and she was…not surprised, “I knew it. They're up to something, but it isn't enough evidence to expose the company. We'll need more.”

The elder sister’s twin brother led over and checked the files, “I've heard of that company. They took some of our animals, didn't they? Cuz’ we mistaken them as a company that helps animals.”

“Yup. That's the one.”

“Let us try to figure something out in order to have them exposed. We should collect more evidence.” [Y] hummed.

“But ya gotta be careful now, sugar plum. It could lead to you being killed.” The mother frowned.

“Don't worry, ma. I'll be alright.” [Y] smiled. “Promise…”

“Mm.” The father muttered. That's right, the father couldn't speak, all he could do was mutter. “Mm. Mm.”

“It's ok, da. As your youngest son, I'm doing my best to try to free them from that rotten place.” The young scientist smiled.

╭      ⁞ ❏. facts

┊      ⁞ ❏. [y]’s siblings name all start with b

┊      ⁞ ❏. [y]’s mother will bake pie for sebastian who [y] told her about

┊      ⁞ ❏. [y] will one day get in contact with sebastian's mother

➤ prev.

➤ next.

[fanficwriterlover]

This is my first, so bare with me I'm adjusting. Honestly reading stories of Ghost x Reader won me over so here's my little idea of Simon "Ghost" Riley x Reader, I'm hoping to make this a series and learn as I go. This been sitting in my drafts for like....ever and I feel it's about time to share my efforts. Enjoy !

Safe With a Ghost

+18 Readers Only

Chapter One : You're Mine...

Summary of this Series : Dating Ghost has it's ups and downs, you both are busy with your jobs(you work at the ER) . Some days it takes a toll on you during his leaves. You live peacefully nonetheless and always happy when he returns, because no matter what, nothing bad would ever happen to you...right ?

What to Expect : Simon "Ghost" Riley x reader, female reader,SMUT(18+ Only), fluff, flirting, romance, kissing, touching, teasing, emotional obstacles, and more,

Word Count : 4.5k

Pet-Name : Varies but mostly using Pigeon and Kitten (18+)

════ ⋆Safe With A Ghost MasterList⋆ ════

═══════════ ⋆Chapter 2⋆ ════════════

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Looking down at the chart after filling out some collected data and results about your patient, you glanced up at the clock seeing the time as you noticed it was 06:47. You give a soft yawn after a long night shift finishing up your last chart. As you were just finishing up, in your peripheral line of sight, you see a dark silhouette standing in the corner of the ER hallway leaning against the wall. Glancing up from the chart, you beam with a smile, before striding over to the man whom you've loved and missed....Ghost but as you know him Simon.

You rushed towards him in your lab coat, as he slowly moves away from where he stood embracing you back. Both holding each other, his colossal hands wrapping around your small waist as you press your head into his black hoodie chest. Eventually pulling away looking up at him you compose yourself "I can't believe you're here ?! I thought you weren't returning for another week ? " You say softly with excitement.

Ghost eyes soften at the sight of you finally in his arms, his balaclava moving as he spoke "Got let off earlier." he said gruffly taking you in, as he was quite distracted seeing you in your work outfit. He always found you attractive in your medical uniform with your hair tied up high in a ponytail slightly exposing your neck. Without even registering, Ghost had lifted his mask just enough over his nose to kiss onto your bare neck licking there gently. You squirm under his grasp, giggling softly from the sudden affection, yet playfully batting at him to pull away. "Not here babe...I haven't even clocked out yet" he growls softly near your ear nibbling it before pulling away finally looking down at you. "How much longer ? " he asks eyeing you intently. You rub gently over his biceps feeling them flexed under his hoodie, as he holds you in an embrace looking at his chest taking in the moment that he's in front of you. You bite your lower lip glancing up at him. " Gimme, few minutes. I'll meet you in the parking lot." He nods his head curtly, before leaving he leans down to kiss you affectionately, needing, craving, sucking you in as he's longed for you as you for him. Breathlessly catching your breath, he makes his way out of the ER, somewhat grateful rather to wait outside as he hated being in a hospital from past experiences.

You watch him stalk away, wondering if he's caused any other patients to have a heart attack from his large demeanor and skull mask to top it off. You giggle to yourself how many times patients thought he was death itself ready to take them. Snapping back into focus. You finish up your last chart, putting it into files and writing down the time you're clocking out. You make your way to your locker grabbing your stuff, and quickly getting out of your lab coat putting it into your locker.

Eventually you make your way out of the ER into the parking lot, as you see Ghost leaning against his car...our car. You smirk at him taking in the view, as he eventually notices you staring a glint of fire in his eyes as you make your way over to him. "Like what you see, doll ?" He says smoothly, causing a shiver down your spine as you are now in front of him looping your fingers onto his shirt as you gently glide your hand underneath to touch his abs as you make a quip remark "What's not to like ?"...he lets out a husky chuckle which makes you want to melt missing his voice and laugh " Easy lovie, thought you don't wanna make a scene at your workplace...." His eyes squints and the twitch of the mask makes you aware he's grinning underneath as he continues...."Unless you want me to humiliate you in the parking lot, kitten ?"

If it wasn't already humid outside, your body was truly steaming from his flirtatious words. Between your legs itching for the longing attention from him to ravish you was tempting. However, you felt the tiredness creep in, having to work double the amount of night shift lately. You didn't even respond yet, but Ghost knew immediately you were worn down as his eyes softens, reaching up with his skeleton gloved hand to touch your cheek " Let's get you home lovie, we have time to catch up." He says softly, you felt contented and relieved he understood and knew your needs as you smile up at him leaning up to kiss his masked cheek.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The drive home was hazy, you make this kind of drive to work every day driving two hours to the ER and home. Ghost drove you home, and the drive home was silent but comfortable. He had his hand placed on your thighs, as you laid your hand over his, you hands comparably tiny to his as you looked out the window of the view, before eventually drifting to sleep.

When you arrived, you didn't even know you had arrived, as you were fast asleep, overcome with exhaustion. You began to wake up however, when you felt Ghost unbuckle your seatbelt and was carrying you bridle style close onto his chest into your apartment. Was a cute two story building with trees on each side, a fenced gate in front (one which he opened while carrying you with such ease) and cute porch.

Slowly coming to, he obviously notices you start to stir in his arms as he looks down at you seeing you want to be put down. He was tempted to hold you up longer despite it, but knew better, setting you down onto your feet carefully. His hands sliding up to your waist as you slowly wrap your arm around his neck with the other near his neck to slowly pull up his mask, which he allowed, as you slid it up just enough to show his lips, with a scar slit slanted over them. You lean forward kissing him more, as he pulls you closer deepening the kiss. When you finally pull back you let out a soft pant. Turning on your heel you unlock your apartment door, entering, with Ghost following close behind, as he closes the door behind you locking it. Making your way upstairs you let out a soft yawn stretching as you glance back at him, he was still following you up the steps his hand on your waist as you both make your way up to your shared bedroom.

It was spacious, the bed was queen size, with two nightstands on each side, lamps on both. You slept on the right and him on the left, you both have your own closest on both sides and a small lounging couch behind the bed. Already beginning to undress not caring Ghost was watching, you slip out of your clothing, taking in the view of your back exposed only with a bra. You let your hair down out of a ponytail as you drape it over your neck, before glancing at him, giving him a cocky smirk. God he missed you. "You keep staring like that you might burn me alive." He chuckles walking over to you after removing his leather jacket exposing his tattoo sleeve arm and strong biceps. Now only in a short sleeve black shirt that was tight on him, nothing fits him honestly, there's literally no fitting size for his body. "Maybe you're making it hotter in here. Should stop teasing me with your body lovie." He says gruffly as you pat his chest looking at him, your sharp eyes, which was what caught his attention of you so long ago that you're still together. Everything about you, you were bold, smart, caring, and classy. You both been in a relationship for 3 years. Sometimes he had to remind himself you were his, but the reminder always hit when he came home and sees you light up whenever you saw him. Of course you knew nothing about his work, he kept that part private, all you knew was sometimes his job called him away longer than you liked. Despite that, you understood. As someone in the medical field you too were often sent to different hospitals that needed your expertise or meetings. He was just glad the mission was finished early to come home to you. Now he just hope no one disrupted it.

You look at him "I can't help but tease you Simon, you're too easy " you give a smirk, he chuckles removing his mask to reveal his handsome face. He had scars adorning his face, but despite them, if anything, made him look more handsome, almost like he was "a tapestry of scars". He had told you long ago the stories behind his face scarring, it was when he was more determined to take your relationship to another level. His brows furrow you didn't even realize he backed you up to your closet door as you let out a gasp looking into his eyes the whole time, his towering figure leaning over you with his arms outstretched over your head against the closet "I'm that easy you say ? Didn't seem to be the case the last time you whimpered for me to go easy on you." The remembrance of the night before his last departure, you two were in a heated passion you were screaming out in the moment of lust that the words slipped out of your mouth. You were blushing intensely, it was obvious. Simon knew his way with words and remembering every word you say, he'd use them against you. You fumbled with your words "Well... I- " before you could finish his hand was on your throat, tongue pushed into your mouth as you let out a moan through the heated intense kissing. Your hands reached up to his neck sliding up his nape, you could feel Simon's other hand that was on the closet slide down pulling you towards him at your waist, as he slid more down to give your ass a squeeze. That got a whimper out of you. Despite your tiredness, you wanted, needed to feel him, all of him. You moved your hands down his pectoral muscles as they seem to tense as you glide your hand down his stomach, as you slid your hand up under his shirt to touch his bare abs. Your hands were cool, so this caused him to tense under your touch with his heated abs warming your fingers to the touch. Simon, lowered himself more as he broke the kiss, to kiss onto your bare exposed neck. You willingly tilting your head to the side for him to have full access as you lift your head slightly back, as his kisses and licks sent a shiver down your core.

Your soft moans lingering in the air, as it made Simon go even crazier, he sucked onto your neck to leave little marking knowing you'll scold him tomorrow when you're not in a heated trance about not making them obvious. But he didn't care, you were HIS and he wanted to make sure everyone saw that. His hands were already making their way down to unclip your bra, the snaps easily coming off with just one hand as it released from behind. Eyes looking down to examine your body, he could see your perfect breasts and nipples hard as his one hand slid the straps off over your shoulders, as you allowed so he can see your full breasts. His dark eyes lingering on them as you pant softly, his eyes than bore into you as he gave a smirk "Now how easy am I going on you kitten ? You're already panting" he chuckles moving his head down to lick between your breast getting a whimper from your lips "Y-Youre not being fair- " he picked you up in that moment getting a yelp from your lips as he throws you onto the bed on your back. You sprawled out onto the bed blushing even more as he hovers over your small body, smirking down at you, his hands pressing down near your head "Oh ? Didn't realize this was a competition? If that's the case..." He leans down closer to your face kissing your shoulders as he starts pulling down your pants exposing your panties. Simon stands up looking at your body in your tinted pink panties, they fitted nicely but barely covering your cunt. It was already wet, he chuckled moving his hands up your thighs making his way to your pantie line, before pulling them down slowly. Tossing your panties aside he looks down at you more hungrily, as a predator ready to eats his meal, and you were his prey and main course. His hands spread your thighs apart resting one of them over his shoulder as he kneeled into the bed moving down to lick your wetness.

You let out a moan as you feel his tongue begin to lap over your clit, it was already throbbing your walls were tightening from the tease. You wanted to squeeze your legs shut but would than feel strong arms keeping them open and his warm breath growl against your cunt "I'm not done with my "fair" share kitten" it made you shiver as he spoke with licking your clit, it made it harder not to want to squeeze your legs together when he pushes the tip of his tongue into you. That really threw you over the edge. Your back arched as Simon's hand slid under you gripping and clawing at your hips as he kept eating you out. His voice rumbled against your cunt "Mmm, sweet little thing, you must've missed me that much eh ?" You squirm as he continue, now more aggressive as he grips at your hips as you whimper and moan out "F-Fuck, yes I missed you Simon" he chuckles lowly sucking your cunt and juices heavily seeing you were close, but instead he pulled away right when you were about to hit it. Your eyes were begging, lips trembling, thighs shaking from the closeness of your climax "S-Simon...let me cum" he shushes you grinning down at you as his dog tags hand down on his neck brushing between your breasts, his hand gripping your thighs as he presses his bulge onto your wet throbbing aching cunt "Negative, not till you beg properly" he had an eyebrow raised at you as it made you ache more feeling him grinding against your cunt, you knew what he meant and your cunt was aching for it "Please fuck me..." You let out a pant, as your eyes looked into his whimpering as he presses himself more into you "Oh yeah ? You that desperate for my cock, kitten ?" You moan out only able to nod your head as this made him press harder onto you gripping your neck "Use your words, kitten, or I'll leave you aching" Eyes locked into his, he was hungry, it was like a game to him making you beg and ache for it "Yes ! I want you to fuck me hard !" You pant out as you rock your hips back on him, he was pleased with this smirking down at you "Much better" he says gruffly, working his pants down as your mind was frantic and busy trying to settle your lust, your felt his throbbing tip hitting your wet entrance. He was fully erected, stroking it up and down against your clit, making you squirm and pant "Put it in Simon" you gave an impatient whimper as he cocked his head slightly raising a brow still teasing your clit "Nah, not until you ask properly" he was torturing you and your body was screaming for him to push inside you as you bit down on your lips saying softly "....please", within a second he was already pushed inside you. Your body immediately coils as his large cock forces your walls to spread around his hard shaft. He grunts feeling your walls tighten around him as he begins to set a pace thrusting in and out of you. With each thrust your walls clench and making the juices coat his cock as he groans out looking down at you "Fuckin' 'ell you gotten tighter" he keeps going making your cunt spread to his size, his hand still around your throat with the other gripping your ass as he pushes himself into you hovering over your body.With each thrust, your body shakes from the impact, letting out a panting moan. Simon keeps working your cunt making it more easy to slide in and out, his cock throbbing inside you feeling your insides swallow him whole. He looks down at you as you're in utter bliss from the pleasure, a long awaiting passion you've yearned for when he returned.

He pushes harder and deeper making every thrust count. You were close, he could feel the way your legs trembled and your eyelids grow heavy. After a few thrusts you both hit your highs, you climaxing first as your body shook from the release with Simon continuing his pace. Until he reached his high burying himself deep into you as you both hold each other. His forehead pressed onto yours as he looks at you “Was I easy enough for you kitten ?” He chuckles as you whack him playfully “Shut up” both laughing until you fell asleep in each others arms. The morning sun peeking through your window as you both slept contently.

Two Weeks Go By...

Probably one of the most relaxing last two weeks Ghost has had in a long while. Hearing nothing from Laswell or Price was almost refreshing. Besides the normal annoyance from Johnny sending him random messages about his day to day.

Soap : Yo LT !!! HOWS IT GOING ?!

Ghost: Was going nice.till you messaged.

Soap: You don't mean that LT ! Bet you lonely and miss cracking your lame war jokes.

Ghost: I'm not lonely.

Soap: oh ? You with company these days ? Who ? Why wasn't I invited ?!

Ghost: You ask too many questions.

Soap: alright. I get it I get it, keep sulking by your lonesome. See you soon LT !

Ghost: Hope not.

Ghost snorts, he somewhat meant it, at the same time he was glad Johnny was doing alright. He glances up from his phone looking up at you as you were wearing his shirt. The way his big shirt nearly passed your thighs as you were cleaning up in the kitchen after having a lovely breakfast together, you took time off from work to fully spend every day with him which he was glad, it was nice just being home in each other's presence, with of course the normal "activities"... A vibration snapped his attention back to his phone seeing an unknown id number calling. He almost gripped the phone tightly as he knew who that could be. He answered. It was Price.

Aye Ghost...I know I promised you a longer vacay but...we need you back at base. Laswell found a lead. Apparently the cartels are up to something big.

Part of him clenched his jaw as he darted his eyes into your direction before standing up from the couch making his way to his office. Closing the door behind him so you didn't hear the conversation.

When do I need to leave...?

This question he dreaded asking as he stood in the center of his office near the door. That's when he could hear Price puff out a smoke and give a heavy sigh, as Ghost could imagine him smoking his cigar as if he were in front of him. Just hearing him give a sigh he could tell he wasn't going to like the answer.

Tonight...I'll send a heli to pick you up at midnight. We'll meet at base to discuss a strategy. This lead....it's big Ghost. Bigger than anything we've gotten in a while. Could finally figure out why the cartels are smuggling shit through the borders of Iran.

Hearing this, made Ghost clinch his fist, as he pressed his head back against the door. He hated having to tell you he's leaving again, as he hoped he'd have more time with you Why can't I fuckin have time...now I have to fuckin tell y/n out of the blue I got called away for a mission, and just up and leave...

'right Price...I'll be there. Ghost out.

The line ends...

He glances at his phone for the longest time. Just when he thought he could live in peace he gets dragged right back into hell again. This was his life, he knew that when he joined 141, there was no going back the minute he took on being Ghost. He thought that was the only life he could live until he met you... As much as he knew how understanding you were, sometimes he felt he didn't deserve you. The thought of you always waiting, never knowing what he does or when he'll return, must weigh down on you every waking day. Prior to you two meeting, even though he never told you exactly what he does, you were very aware and understanding to always having to be called away. For all you knew, you only knew he was in the military. That barely was enough to scratch the surface of what he truly does. He doesn't know how long he was staring for, until he heard a gentle knock against the door he was leaning on....until he heard your soft voice speak...

"Simon ? Everything okay ?" You noticed his body tense from the kitchen as you didn't know the nature of it. Watching as he shut the door to his office room as you frowned slightly. Made you worry when he shut himself into a room, you could only presume it meant something was wrong and he didn't want you to hear or know about it. However, how could you not ? He's all you worry about whether here or not. The only family you have, and someone you love dearly. As you look at the closed door in front of you, you notice the doorknob turn as you stand back slightly to see Simon's eyes, how they almost seemed...hollow. He seemed to no longer try to hide anything from you lately as you have already mentioned how much it upsets you seeing him actually show emotions made you ache. You say in a soft voice "Your base called....?" He just looks down at you eyes squinting a little, as he seems to wince when you mention his job. Nodding your head and biting your lip trying to hold back tears Shit...don't cry in front of him. It'll make him feel worse... "um, when do you leave ?" Seeing him seemed to flinch and clench his phone tighter, you were going to make a joke about him going to squeeze the life out of it but decided against it because your voice ran away when he answered "Have to leave tonight..." Felt like the whole roof came crashing down on you, and like a waterfall your tears came down gushing.

Simon knew this would hurt you and he hated it. Seeing you squirm yet already know the inevitable was just your facade to stay strong. Yet he knew...your eyes always seem to never focus, brows furrow, and lips purse when it runs through your mind and makes you sad. In a second before a tear came down, he had his arms around you gently, enveloping you, holding you. "'S alright pigeon let it out..." He hated this...it made him want to burn everything to the ground. All these missions and leaving you. He wish he could just walk away from it all..Mumbling softly stroking the back of your hair "I'm sorry pigeon...I thought we had more time too, but you know I'll always come back" you sniffle burying your face into his chest taking in his scent "I-I know...but still. I never know when you'll be back. What you do...and God Simon...I don't want to have someone from the military come to our door and tell me you're - " your voice hitches with sobs. As a doctor, you've watched tons of patients weep for their loved ones when you've had to announce a coding. It never was easy. Or telling someone they have something incurable and that they only have so long to live. You could look patients, their families, loved ones, and friends in their eyes and tell them this...yet the thought of being on the other end scared you most.

Simon lifts your chin looking deep into your eyes, his other hand caressing your cheek to wipe your streaming tears. "I know I can't promise you time...but..." He breathed through his nose waiting to have your attention which he does as you sniffle blinking your eyes to stop the tears...heart wrenching to watch "I swear. I'll always come back, bleeding or broken..." He gives you a soft smile, one that he sees is returned with yours. The twitch of your lips wanting to but giving up. "I know no matter what state I return in... I'll always make my way back to you." This gets a more softer smile from your lips, one that makes his heart beat hard and put into memory when things are tough in the field. "Atta girl.." stealing a loving kiss from your lips, you return with same passion and love one he deeply will remember until he returns. For now...he held you close until he couldn't.

Two hours before departure...

With his balaclava back on, leather jacket and cargo pants, duffle bag in hand. Simon...Ghost was pulling on his skeleton gloves about to leave. You came out of the kitchen with a box of his favorite tea bags, handing it to him, as he smiled under the mask. "Thanks, pigeon." Glancing at you, your eyes were red from crying yet you were trying to keep a stoic face, he thought to himself Tougher than my rookies... He leaned down kissing the top of your head as you look up into his eyes giving a smile. "Promise you'll message me when you can ?" You gave a pleading look, those eyes which would make him cave in. "I promise lovie, don't forget to get some food...and..." she sighs out waving her hand dismissively, one no one in his unit would have lived to see another day had they interrupted him. "I know...don't come walking home late alone. "Don't want no bloody douché looking at my girl"" as you give off the best British accent of Simon, giving a smirk. He chuckles "Pigeon, I love you, but that accent is shitty" you smirk "Learn from the worst I guess." He raises a brow at you as he thinks to himself Cocky little thing, should've called her hen instead. Picking up his duffle bag and truck keys, he lifts up his mask to give you one finally kiss, making it deep as possible before tearing away.

"I love you Simon..."

"Ya...I love you too y/n"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks for Reading !

ꨄ︎Taglist: @kat-nee

[satorustyles]

you can't fall asleep (a kento nanami one shot)

a/n: a nanami version of this one shot! thank you to everyone who liked my first post, there's more to come! <3 -bear

pairing: nanami x fem!reader

warnings: implied smut at the end, but mostly just pure fluff

word count: 1,750

gojo version here!

sukuna version here!

Despite Kento’s busy schedule, he was always the last to fall asleep. He would stay up longer finishing paperwork or answering emails, and there would always be a bottle of beer next to him to help him ease his stress. Not only was he a full-time worker, but he was just recently promoted to a higher position. Which meant higher pay. Longer nights.

Ever since he got the promotion he’s been staying up longer than his usual bedtime, signing papers all while checking his laptop for emails. After dinner, you were almost invisible to him, with his attention solely on his remaining work and you had to wait for your time until he was finished–which was around eleven late in the evening.

“You should go ahead, baby.” He had told you, giving you an apologetic kiss on the lips. He still wore the same suit that he had on, minus the coat and the tie. He couldn’t fall asleep knowing he had unread emails and unchecked paperwork.

And you tried to sleep without him, you really did. But the bed was colder and quieter without him, without his strong arms wrapped around your smaller body and having his warm breath tickling your neck, plus the occasional, sleepy kisses you would get when you were close to falling asleep.

You missed cuddling with Kento before bedtime. You missed waking up to his kisses and groggily telling you how much he loves you and would promise to spend the rest of the evening with you, however you wanted.

But the promotion took him away from you.

You sighed frustratedly as you left your bed, padding towards the kitchen where he was still situated on the island counter, faced with piles of paperwork and a bottle of beer. The light from his laptop screen illuminated his tired features, dark circles underneath his eyes, and his blonde hair in a messy state.

“Nami,” You whined, calling him by the nickname you gave him that he immediately loved to hear. His head was quick to snap in your direction. “S’too much work. Come to bed with me.”

He smiled tiredly at you, and your heart ached at the sight of him. You hated how hard he worked every day, barely getting enough rest that he deserved. Whenever you asked him to take a break, he would shake his head and tell you that he was doing this for the both of you. So he could provide for your own needs as well.

And you hated that you couldn’t help him yet. You were still in school, and the least you could do was wake up before him and prepare his breakfast and make him dinner when the evening comes. But you knew that wasn’t enough.

“I’m sorry, baby girl.” He apologized as he stretched his arm out for you, asking you to come to him. “I just have to finish this, okay? I’m almost done.”

You walked towards him and he looked up at your sleepy face, smiling at how adorable you looked. “Gimme a kiss,” He whispered.

You shook your head. “Not until you get in bed with me, Nami. You can just finish that tomorrow.”

He sighed as he stared back at the papers in front of him, the light coming from his laptop screen already straining his eyes. You were right. This was already too much.

“C’mere.” He told you as he pulled you towards his lap and you obliged. You straddled his legs, facing him, while he did his best to clean up his mess and shut off his pc while ensuring you didn’t fall from his lap. “Thank you for reminding me, angel. If you didn’t come out for me I would have stayed for another hour.”

“You’re overworking yourself. This is too much work, even for someone who was just given a promotion. You’re like a working intern who was given all the heavy load.” You were angry. Not at your boyfriend, but at the fact that his company promoted him to a better position but the work given was somehow a downgrade. It was paperwork and meetings all over again. “I mean, I’m not one to judge, and I certainly have no clue what your responsibilities are, but I know better that you shouldn’t be working way past your eight-hour shift. That’s so unfair.”

Kento sighed and you looked up, worried that your words had upset him. But, you were surprised to see him smiling fondly at you.

“I agree. I really was planning on talking to the supervisors about this. Maybe ask if I could get an assistant so that I could have someone divide the workload.” He replied just as his hands held your waist and pulled you closer to him, keeping you from slipping down his khaki pants.

“I miss falling asleep next to you.” You sighed as you stared up at his tired eyes.

“I know, baby.” He cooed, leaning down to kiss your forehead. “I know you couldn’t fall asleep without someone next to you. I’m sorry. But you’re right, this is unfair.”

His hand rested against your back and pushed you down to his chest, keeping you there as his other hand grabbed his phone from the counter and began dialing someone.

“Who are you calling?” You questioned, struggling to move your head so you could look up at him since his hand was still on your back, his grip strong as he kept you from moving so much.

“Shh, this will be quick love.” He muttered before kissing your forehead quickly. And so you remained silent. You loved how small you felt in Kento’s hold, his strong arms wrapped around you, feeling the way his chest would rise and fall with every breath he took, inhaling the faint smell of perfume, sweat, and alcohol, and how his hand would slowly start rubbing circles behind your back…

You were slowly dozing off.

“Mr. Yamato, good evening,” Kento spoke, his deep voice rumbling in his chest and you could feel the way it vibrated against your head. “Yes, I am aware of the time. I just wanted to call and let you know that I’ll be taking the day off tomorrow.”

Your ears perked up. He’s asking for a day-off? So unlike him.

“With that, I would also like to discuss further a possible assistant you could give me. I know you trust me enough with the position you have bestowed upon me, but it has been taking too much of my free time and my wife doesn’t like how I still work even when I’m at home.”

Your heart jumped. My wife?? His wife? He called you his wife??

You squirmed underneath his hold but his grip was tighter around you, as if silently asking you to stay put.

“Ah yes, of course. We’ll discuss this further the day after tomorrow. Thank you so much, Mr. Yamato. Have a good night.” He then hung up and threw his phone on the counter.

“Now, where were we?” He sighed in relief, his eyes down at you with a cheeky smile and all you could do was stare at him in disbelief.

“You asked for a day off?”

“Why, yes of course.” He replied nonchalantly, his hands on your sides keeping you steady as you moved to sit up and face him properly. “I told you, you were right. My work was getting too much. And the day off would be a quick recovery for me to get more sleep and spend the rest of the day with you.”

You couldn’t even bother to hide the smile on your face as you excitedly leaned in to kiss your boyfriend square on the lips, catching him off-guard but eventually relaxing with a slight chuckle.

“Yeah? Sounds good, right? A day off with my baby girl.” Kento mumbled against your lips, sighing contentedly. “We’ll sleep in, just order takeout for lunch, and you’ll give me cuddles in the afternoon, and maybe have some more fun…”

His kisses began going downwards as his words trailed off, peppering your throat and collarbone with wet kisses and you sighed at the feel of his tongue tickling your skin. Beneath you, you could feel something hard subtly poking your core. 

You knew Kento was getting needy. It’s been a week since you had sex, and there was his promotion to thank for it. You tried your best to avert his attention, even just for an hour, because you knew you could at least help him with his stress just a little. But he was always adamant about finishing his work.

“I’m so sorry I never got to spend more time with you, y/n.” He sighed, letting his forehead rest against your shoulder. “I let this promotion get the best of me. I never even bothered considering that you would need me, too.”

You wrapped your arms around his broad shoulders and rubbed his back soothingly. “Nothing to be sorry for, Nami. You were just doing your best. I’m just glad you could at least have a day off to yourself and finally talk with your boss about getting an assistant. I’ve been telling you that since Monday,” You told him and he sighed on your shoulder once again, his arms tightening their hold around your waist and pulling you closer to him, as if you would suddenly disappear from him if he loosened his grip.

He suddenly lifted his head, looking you straight in the eyes. Your heart hammered against his chest at the sudden action and the way his brown eyes stared back at you intensely.

“This time, I’ll be making it up to you.” He growled and you gasped at the sudden change of his demeanor. Before you could reply, his lips were on yours once again, his kisses suddenly becoming needier and hungrier as he gripped your thighs and pulled you up with him, taking you to your shared bedroom.

“Kento…” You sighed against his lips, your hands gripping his shoulders to keep yourself from falling from his hold.

“Shhh, let me take care of you this time, angel.” He muttered when you both finally reached your bedroom. He dropped you on the bed with a soft thud and he was immediately on top of you, capturing your wrists and trapping them above your head. 

“Let Nami make it up to you for those days when he's been busy.” He then gripped your lounge shorts and pulled them downwards, and you knew that you weren’t getting any sleep tonight at all.

[captain-mj]

Hey gimme that alien thing

Glad you finally sent me this! I loved talking about it with you! btw if you guys want to talk about an idea, feel free to message me

This is really horny but Roach is a human biologist with an alien Soap and Ghost (different species).

Roach felt weird being the only human on ship sometimes. He and Ghost were also the only species evolved from predators which only made it worse. His instinct to smile or stare at them directly when they spoke made most of them uncomfortable, too reminiscent of what they expected from the apex predators of their worlds.

Roach would never blame them! It was their instincts that made them afraid just as much as it was his instincts to be polite. He tried not to get irritated at them when they'd flinch or make a big deal of telling him that he was "Staring predatorily" again. Eventually, he just covered the bottom of his face so he didn't have to worry about it.

Ghost understood. He looked like a predator. Unlike Roach who was omnivorous, Ghost was an obligatory carnivore. Beside occasionally eating these plants that tasted like mint, he only ate meat. His teeth mostly resembled several canines, though some were clearly meant to break bones. His ears were sharp and pointed like a cat that could easily swivel all the way around. A fascinating part of his biology was his voice. Or more accurately, his vocal cords. They were designed to mimic sounds. His voice was not his own. Apparently, it came from some man from Manchester that talked to him and then was killed later. Didn't even remember his name. Just noticed it put others at ease.

"Gary." Ghost purred, sounding like gravel. "You're doing it again."

Roach shrugged. "I like categorizing our crew mates. I am a biologist."

"Planning on exploring my anatomy again?" Giant dark eyes with vertical pupils stared at him. Meant for hunting at night. Ghost looked amused with him.

Roach hated that he wore a mask. His features were gorgeous. Sharp and attractive. But he refused to unlearn baring his teeth and looking calm all the time. So he wore a mask just as Roach did. Kept himself carefully under wraps. He heard rumors that Ghost was disliked by his own species. Roach couldn't think of a reason why.

Ghost and Roach stayed perched where they were, staring down at everyone below. They acted so... odd. Almost herd like.

Except for Soap.

Johnny Soap MacTavish.

Roach would love to explore his anatomy. Maybe his psyche as well. He was a strange man. Right now, he was sniffing the air and looking around, soft deer like ears flicking up. Roach had a feeling the creature he evolved from was similar from a Cervinae. His ears were so big and soft, designed to hear things for miles. Long legs meant to run quickly and a poof of a tail that seemed to mostly just give away his mood. Roach wasn't sure what other uses it would have. Despite the sniffing, Roach knew he was not that sensitive to smell. He had to rely on his hearing and sight. It was close to impossible for any of them to sneak up on them.

Well, not Roach and Ghost. It was almost too easy for them unless Roach wore his cologne. Soap never seemed to mind. He never scolded Roach for walking too close or jumped out of Ghost's way when he saw him coming through.

Soap had giant eyes. His face looked very human because of it. And... innocent. Roach knew he wasn't. Soap had made jokes so dirty they turned Roach's ears red. He seemed to find a special joy in it. But it was hard when giant blue eyes blinked at him.

Ghost tapped sharp nails against the metal they were sitting on. Roach watched it.

"Nervous tic?"

"Hunting instinct. It's to check if my nails are sharp enough."

"You can't eat crew." Roach gently reminded.

"Two types of hunting, Gary. There are more hungers than just food." Ghost stood up, long tail lashing behind him. Roach wished he knew what it meant. His species relied mostly on body language, meaning he probably spoke volumes more than he bothered to translate to Roach.

Instead, he finally went downstairs to eat. He sat next to Ghost like usual.

Unlike usual, Soap sat in front of them. He seemed agitated, ears and tail twitching every few seconds. However, he straightened up and tilted his head at them, ear standing up. It was his version of smiling and looking Roach in his eyes.

Ghost pulled his food a little closer to himself, eating faster. Roach followed suit. It felt really weird, eating meat in front of Soap. He didn't miss the way his eyes followed it, watching it disappear into Roach's mouth.

Soap started to eat his own food. "Is it true humans regularly drink coffee? I heard it's toxic."

"To a lot of species, it is. It's because of the caffeine. You would probably be fine."

Soap hummed. "Is the stuff here any good?"

Roach shook his head immediately. "No. Next time I find some good coffee, I'll tell you."

Soap leaned forward, giant eyes blinking at him. They didn't look him head on. Just slightly down but still more direct than was considered proper. Roach stared at him openly and watched him blush. He didn't seem scared though, so he didn't look away.

The three of them kept eating. Ghost licked his fingers, getting the blood off of it. Roach grimaced and he grinned.

"Not my fault you need it to be cooked."

Soap tilted his head. "Because of bacteria right? Meat contains more bacteria and potential parasites so humans need it to be heated."

"What's an engineer doing researching humans?" Roach turned his attention back to Soap, watching his flinch and the way his eyes tilted back down.

"I research all my crew mates."

Ghost leaned in. "Need to know what might eat you?"

"Need to know which machines are more vital. How much oxygen is the right level? Nitrogen? If one of the machine for food storage fails, what needs to be prioritized?"

"And you decide that?"

"On paper? Not at all. In reality? Yes. I fix the machines. I'm the first person that messes with them. If an emergency happened, I don't always have time for order."

Ghost tilted his head. "And what would you prioritize?"

"High nitrogen levels. High oxygen isn't a necessity. It would awful to make you wear a mask, Roach, but if you need to, you'd have a much easier time and you'd be the only one really affected as long as we kept the oxygen levels above about eight percent. Also, you guy's food. Hungry herbivores for a few days means some complaining. Irritation. Hungry you two? One of us might be on the menu. Risky business."

"Saying I can't control myself?" Ghost leaned in, giant teeth bared. The still healing mark on Roach's shoulder throbbed.

Soap swallowed, looking at his mouth. "Aye. That's exactly what I'm saying. If you had to eat one of the crew, who would it be?"

Roach hummed. "Morbid question. I could live on plants for a good while."

Ghost licked his teeth. Black tongue dripping with blood. He swallowed. "I'm meant to survive a few weeks with no food. I'm sure they'd hurry up and get food before I start getting dangerous."

Soap nodded quickly. "Still. Question remains. Hopefully, I never have to get a proper answer." He smiled. It was an awkward expression, one he clearly wasn't used to making. "Regardless, I hold you two in high esteem. I doubt either of you would ever be dangerous if it could be helped. I'll talk to you both later." Whatever had irritated him before seemed to have gone away.

Roach got a weird feeling that he was both being mocked and also complimented.

Ghost left before Roach could turn to him to keep talking. He didn't need a translation to read his body language as irritated.

Soap continued to get closer. He had never been one that looked afraid, but now he seemed almost comfortable around them.

Roach found himself drawing in closer. Bewitched by Soap. A simple taste and maybe he'd be cured.

The next time the three of them were together, because it was always the three of them, that Soap smiled again. It looked more natural and both Ghost and Roach wondered if he practiced it.

Ghost thought of slipping off his mask. To stare directly into Soap and see if it made him afraid. That or grab that little tail of his and bend him over the desk.

He sighed and rubbed his eyes. It was the mating time of his lunar year. It meant nothing to anyone else. He did not emit hormones or act like an animal or try to drag people into his office or room for the sole purpose of fucking.

Ghost just got a little easier to irritate and his mind would come up with silly things. Like how Soap could manage to look past his claws and his teeth. With Roach, it was easy to ignore. His nails were similar enough to Soap's. Their hands, though differently sized, were the same general way. Ghost's finger were longer. Made to grip and hold struggling things. Scars dotting him.

Roach saw him as a bit of fun. A "chance to satisfy scientific curiosity" about what certain aliens looked like unclothed. He had said so himself while Ghost had been undressed in his bed. Above him and vulnerable. His gentle hands holding Ghost's shoulders when he felt like he'd shake apart from the sweet contact.

It was silly to think things would change between them or that Soap would be any different. They were... better than Ghost was. Far better. He was a problem. Incorrect on his own planet. Incorrect here. Too big or too small.

Soap's hand on his shoulder caught his attention and his eyes flicked over to him. "Save ya a seat, sir?" He looked to the left of Ghost's ear. It gave the illusion of directness. Horribly rude normally. It made Ghost want to touch. To feel connection.

How pathetic of him. He still sat in the seat Soap saved.

Soap was enraptured by the two of them. Their sharp eyes. Lean muscle designed for endurance. The teeth.

He was well aware his tastes were... well. Among his people, they would outcast him in moments. Finding those traits so alluring. Despite being almost their height, only about two inches shorter than Roach and six under Ghost, he knew they could easily pick him up. He was built for speed. Short bursts to easily get away from things just like them.

Soap had tried to push it down. The feeling of longing. The jealousy when they so easily understood each other. He knew logically that it was just because they were the ones that stuck out. But they fit together so well and Soap wanted that. Yes, he could play pretend and get people's attention all day long, but it never felt substantial.

They never looked at him. While they should be normal. He shouldn't want to be viewed. The way Ghost and Roach looked at him as if he had their whole attention. How their eyes trained on his in a way that monsters had before pouncing. It made his heart race. His mouth go dry.

Soap wanted. longed. needed. He wasn't sure what. Maybe it was as simple as just their attention.

He got it when Ghost put his hand on his back. His hands. They were made to rip apart things like Soap. Get inside and devour. But it was gentle. Sweet even. Just a careful press. His tail started to swish side to side like wild and he could feel the tip brushing against Ghost's gloves. He found it hard to breathe.

"Johnny."

"Simon."

His thumb started to rub in circles. "Roach is omnivorous. He would survive just fine without meat for a while, it's just not their ideal diet. It's why he wouldn't answer your question that day."

"oh."

"But me? I'd eat the accountant that lives in the room next to mine."

Soap looked up at him. "Why?"

"He's the closest thing to a creature I had on my home world. It's from the water. A lovely little thing. You just pop those in your mouth and sink your teeth in. I think he'd taste similar."

Soap nodded. "You've thought about it?"

Ghost hummed. "Emergencies as you said. Sometimes, we don't have time to think. And if came down to it. Well. I'd rather make a level headed decision instead of a rash one. Might hurt someone valuable."

"It's cruel to place us on a value system."

"Not much different than you decide who breathes easy. I'd rather eat an accountant than my only engineer."

Soap did not miss that Ghost said "my engineer". Not the ships. Not even ours. Just my. He looked at him and swallowed.

Slowly, he moved closer. Their tails brushed and he didn't miss the way Ghost's breath caught. For Soap, it was a bit like brushing hands. A simple gesture to show affections. Judging by Ghost's reaction, he had a feeling for him, it may mean a bit more.

Roach caught up to the two of him. His eyes were crinkled like he was smiling. Soap wanted to see it properly. Without the mask. Those beautiful brown eyes. He felt weak to them. He had once heard the term "puppy dog eyes" and when he looked at Roach, he thought he might understand the phrase. While they did not quite match the canines he had seen (and quickly learned to loathe), they did have the same adorableness. They were also perfect for begging as Roach had proved countless times by looking at him and asking politely to try whatever Soap was eating. He gave it up each time without a second thought, even though it could never be reciprocated.

"Soap. You look nice today."

His heart somehow sped up more. It hurt his chest. "Ah. Thank you. You look lovely yourself."

Roach's ears went red and they fell back in line. It felt easier when the three of them were together.

Soap stayed with them late in to the night as Roach did his research. He studied one of the new animals he had gotten from a planet, gently coaxing it to eat. It was like a moth, though it's wings were made of a material he was not familiar. Standard procedure would lead him to dissect the poor thing, but... well. He felt too guilty.

Ghost kept glancing at Soap. Usually, if he and Roach were alone in his lab, he could convince him to come to bed with him. That didn't work if Soap was there.

"So, why is a high ranking member of the ship such as yourself sitting in here while a biologist works?" Soap asked.

Roach hummed. "Ghost helps me with experiments occasionally." He gently grabbed one of the... scales? that had fallen off his creature. He slid it under a microscope.

"What experiments? Maybe I could also be of assistance?" Soap's tail wagged. He looked so excited.

Ghost huffed. "He means we have sex."

The wagging stopped and Roach whipped around. "Simon."

"What?" Ghost's tail twitched. He was getting agitated. It wasn't Soap's fault but Ghost wanted... fuck he just wanted.

Soap had a pretty blush on his face. "My apologies. I didn't mean to interrupt."

Roach paused. "Actually. Soap. Could you..." He looked at him.

Soap paused before swallowing thickly. Alone. With two predators. Being asked... "You want me to... what?"

"Undress for me. I've been curious because most of the diagrams we have of your species don't cover everything. So, if you really would like to assist me." Roach batted his eyelashes.

Damn those puppy dog eyes.

Soap swallowed and started to unbutton his clothes. He was always so confident around them. Always ready to push further. As his shirt slid off his shoulders, so did any form of bravado he might've had. His hands shook as he undid his belt, fear and arousal fighting hard. They wouldn't hurt him. He knew that. But they were looking at him.

"Take off your mask." Soap asked as he pulled the belt from his loops.

Roach slowly did. Pretty mouth. Freckles.

Ghost didn't quite yet.

Soap kicked off his shoes. "Please, sir."

His mask fell on the floor next to Soap's shirt. Giant teeth. Scarring. Gorgeous hair that kinked and curled.

Soap finished undressing and closed his eyes. He resisted the urge to cover himself up.

Roach's hands, he could tell by the softness and bluntness of the nails, brushed against him. Every bit the scientist, he actually did take notes. Measurements and pictures. He gently tilted his head so his face would not be seen.

"Why do you have a tail?"

"What?" Soap felt like he was on fire. He didn't know where Ghost was but he could feel their gazes burning into him. Normally, he'd say with certainty that his body was attractive but was it what they'd find attractive?

"What purpose does it serve? Is it behavioral? For balance?"

Ghost grabbed Soap's tail and his free hand was on his waist, moving him easily. Soap gasped, mouth hanging open and more blood rushed to his face as his body reacted. "Think I found it. Mark that it's a mating thing."

Roach actually did. Soap could hear the scratching of the pencil and it made his head spin. It was so cold and calculated and borderline cruel but he liked it. Liked that Ghost's hands tightened their grip.

Breath right against his ear. "Johnny. Are you okay?"

"Yes." Soap nodded frantically, mouth falling open as Ghost gently ran his fingers down his side. He burned all the way through. It only got worse when Roach's deft fingers touched his cock.

"Similar anatomy to a human's." Roach had a tinge of disappointment in his voice. "I wonder." He gently traced his fingers up and down and Ghost's hands were the only thing that kept Soap still. "Soap. Am I okay to continue?" Gary sounded unbearably sweet. Both of them breathing him in and he was stuck between the two of them.

"Yes, please. Please."

Ghost's mouth pressed to his throat at his pulse. They sank to the floor, careful with him. Roach used something on his fingers to make them slick and then he was gently pressing against Soap's hole. Ghost's hands kept his legs spread and Soap's hands were split between holding on to Roach's shoulder and desperately exploring Ghost's chest.

Soap panted softly. The texture of Roach's hands was... new. It felt so good. He wanted to try something. Carefully, remembering where he was, he tilted his head and pressed his mouth to Ghost's. His tongue gently lapped at Soap's lips.

Soap came with a shudder, body tensing.

Roach hummed. "That was a lot faster than I was expecting." He went to pull away and Soap quickly yanked him back.

"I'm meant for multiple rounds, just keep going. Please keep going, whatever you want to try on me." Soap kept kissing Ghost, pulling him closer.

Roach smiled and gently bit the inside of his thigh, loving the little shivers and tremors that ran through Soap. He gently pulled his fingers out and Soap whined.

"Gary?"

Roach kissed his tummy which made dozens of butterflies erupt in both of their stomachs. "Do you think I could fuck you properly?"

Soap nodded desperately.

Roach undid his pants and looked at Ghost. His dark eyes. The way his teeth stabbed into his bottom lip. "Take turns? You're quite a bit bigger. Might be a good idea."

Ghost nodded and kept Soap held open. It was for the best, he'd be too worried he'd hurt Soap to really enjoy himself. This also gave him a very, very good view. Roach went to bury his face in Soap's neck and Ghost growled, making it clear he wanted to see both of their faces. His face went a brilliant red as he kept eye contact with him. Soap still had his eyes closed, lost to the world and in utter bliss and that's where Ghost wanted to keep him. Blunt nails and claws dug into him, keeping him in place. Sharp teeth and rough tongues ran over his throat and his shoulders and his collarbones. Marks that wouldn't heal for weeks.

Soap arched so hard Ghost worried he'd snap as he came again, making tiny, almost pained moans. And then he came a third time. He was almost at the end of his fourth when Roach came in him. Soap groaned when Roach pulled out of him but he was immediately moving again. He tried to copy the way they nipped at him, biting at Ghost's throat. It sent something sharp up Ghost's spine and he picked Soap up with ease and twisted him. His face was pressed to Roach's chest and he pulled his arms behind his back before sinking into him.

Ghost growled softly and his head fell back. He didn't let Soap have a moment before he pulled back and Soap writhed, feeling an odd sensation.

"Fuck, fuck..." Soap cursed and sniffled. "You're... Yeah, you're big. You..."

Roach cupped Soap's face and looked at him, loving the way he squirmed. "His anatomy is unique. Ridges along each inch that give a great feeling. I could bore you with my theories on the evolutionary process but judging by your expression, I think you're a little too cock drunk for that."

Soap most definitely was. His eyes were unfocused but staring back. Desperate. He reached up and managed to kiss Roach. Ghost continued to count Soap's orgasms. A fifth. Sixth. Seventh. He really was meant for multiple rounds. Maybe later, he and Roach could talk. See how many they could get out of him.

Ghost yanked him to his chest and shoved all the way in as he came inside him. Soap finished one last time, barely lucid anymore. He tried to press down on him, get him even deeper. His body fluttered as he let out beautiful little whimpers.

Ghost put Soap over his shoulder and snatched up Roach who had just managed to grab their clothes. They were a bit heavy, but it wasn't difficult to carry them. Well, except for Roach squirming and insisting he get them both dressed. He did not, instead bringing them to his room. He curled around the two of them, tucking them both into him and dragging Roach back when he tried to get out of bed to get dressed.

"No."

Roach sighed and put his head on Ghost's chest. "Fine. Fine. You're lucky no one saw us."

Ghost didn't mention the cameras. He'd just delete the footage in the morning.

[limetameta]

I don't know why more fic writers don't utilise the Wayne Gardens Halfway House for criminals and then the consequent Wayne Enterprises employment like Bruce Wayne is out here doing his darndest do give the Rogues a safer and easier transition into the real world post Arkham and yet I don't think I've ever come across a Halfway house fic once. (This is me begging for fic recs about this BTW feel free to gimme)

Like this concept is from the btas episode Double Talk where Arnold (Scarface's ventriloquist) is well enough to leave Arkham and he gets to the House, and he has a job in the Wayne Enterprises mail room. It's a very sad episode for other reasons but it's still so touching how much Bruce tried to make this difficult period of house finding and job searching all but done for them already.

So what I'm getting at here is what if more of the Rogues got to this point.

Ideas under the cut

Harley decorating her room however she wants and putting Ivy's plants in there because she doesn't have to worry about if doctors or guards will make a fuss about it. This is her space. She has a job now, too. A paper pushing job, but she's in a programme to get her licence back and everything is looking up for her! Thanks Bruce!

Edward making a dnd campaign group with his fellow Halfway House rogues because Harley commented that once curfew sets in she doesn't know what to do with herself. He shows up at work at Wayne Enterprises on the dot every morning, having set like 7 alarms so he doesn't sleep through because he isn't going to waste his one chance. He's the game developer in their suspiciously newly minted game department.

Plus, he has Temple Fugate to wake him up, who lives right next door and is up before everyone else. Man knows how to bake. He bakes and says that it's a calming activity with a set schedule that if he deviates from it will be catastrophic. Besides, it's nice to have hobbies.

At this point, Jonathan Crane, also in a programme to get his licence back, comments about how he'll probably be back in Arkham sooner than later. Harley laughs. "You can't SERIOUSLY be thinking of applying as a doctor there AGAIN?" And Jonathan, with the biggest shite-eating grin, just says: "Oh who's to say. Maybe just to see the reactions."

Gimme a fic where they break away from the cyclical status quo. Where you can feel the hope . Where they all treat this as seriously as they can because Bruce Wayne truly believes in them. And that's so rare. After everything that's happened.

Pamela who works in a botanical garden funded by Wayne Corp. Mr Fries who is allowed to research with scientists employed by Wayne Enterprises on how to cure his predicament. His wife Nora (Post movie) supporting him every step of the way (maybe she and Grace (Harvey's fiancee) are friends and helping each other as well as the men they love)

Harvey getting the operation finally and having a chance to recuperate. Though him, I think they might pull him quickly out of the Halfway House because he's a high profile man and some might think that being in a Halfway House would be beneath him. Maybe this works for him. He works as a lawyer in Wayne Enterprises and all he can say to Bruce, when he sees him is this: "Thank you for never giving up on me, old friend."

Though Harvey does get hooked on dnd and he does come by to play once a week. Edward is looking forward to a promotion to head of department.

They all know that sooner or later they'll need to leave the Halfway House and find different accommodation but they all tentatively agree that they won't push themselves before being fully, truly ready for it.

Harley points at Edward and tells him: "I'm gonna miss you guys so much! Why don't we all live together or get apartments in the same building like in a sitcom?"

And Jonathan is the only one who says he hates this idea, though it's very half-hearted and they know he isn't fighting the idea of that.

Waylon gets a job as a fisherman. Man is living out those A perfect Storm dreams of his. He gets paid the most from all of the Rogues because he's always been very materialistic and money means very little to Bruce Wayne.

Mary Dahl and Matt Hagen respectively get jobs working in a theatre group in Gotham. It isn't that visited, but they aren't ridiculed for being who they are. Romance because I ship them and I think this makes more sense than Waylon/Mary lmao. They're in counseling anyway so it's not like they can be that toxic to each other.

Speaking of romance~

The only one who's never gotten as far as the Wayne Gardens Halfway House is the Joker. But you see, that man can do whatever he puts his mind to. He's bored so he might as well speed run his way out of Arkham.

And everyone is worried about this. Because if there's one person who can undo all of their careful progress just by being his loathsome clown self, it's the Joker.

But he, just like all of them, winds up his alarm to get to his Wayne Enterprises job. He is nail bitingly saccharine to them. One time, he even washed the dishes that weren't his in the communal kitchen space. Something's off.

Once confronted, the Joker just smiles and says airily: "Oh pish-posh! I'm just in a good mood is all. I can finally see my boyfriend on a regular basis. Mon amour, Mon petit chou-fleur. Mon âme!"

Something is definitely off because Edward says that the Joker got a nicer job than all of them. He works CLOSELY to Bruce Wayne as his assistant. And that doesn't make sense. Why would Bruce Wayne let that happen? Surely he'd want to avoid someone like the Joker.

And it's Jonathan that sighs: "Do you think that his boyfriend IS Bruce Wayne?"

"No??? Why?? God??? God no???"

"Think about it. Bruce Wayne is the 1%, they're all very weird people with kinks that us in the psychology department would relish in untangling. What's some clown fuckery on the side? If anything, that's a lot tamer than what most of his contemporaries are doing behind closed doors."

Immediate horror from everyone. Harley is the first one to shout: "If that good for nothing clown fucks up this good gig we got by breaking Bruce's heart I'm going to kill him!!"

So they confront the Joker by knocking on his room in the middle of the night. And maybe they shouldn't have done that because he's supposed to be out cold, having been prescribed sleeping pills and all that. But they knock again, nonetheless.

They hear a bang. And a crash from the inside. And half of the Rogues just kind of take a step back. Harley and Pamela are the ones who stay closest to the door. Pamela shouts: "Open up, clown!"

Jonathan narrows his eyes as he cranes his way towards the door, trying to make out the sounds on the other end. He coughs to swallow down a laugh: "There's a lot of moaning in there."

"Hey, hey, you're going to get us all in trouble if you've brought folks over! It's past curfew!" Harley yells.

And it's at this moment that the moaning kind of stops. There aren't any crashes. Someone grips the door handle from the inside and turns it open.

The Rogues all take yet another step back, this time all of them.

It's Batman. The portion of his face visible from the cowl is covered in red lipstick. He sighs, and his voice doesn't quite manage to lose that post make out tinge: "Nobody's going to get in trouble. I'll talk to Bruce Wayne and clear anything up. Go ahead and play your dnd. Thank you, goodbye." And just as he closes the door, the Joker erupts in a fit of laughter on the other end.

"I'LL TALK TO BRUCE WAYNE, HE SAYS! HA! OH!! OH, THAT'S SO FUNNY!!"

[pinkangelcafe]

SAKE ➡ Rindou Haitani

❣︎ Synopsis ⸝⸝ You go to Sonya’s Hideaway to unwind after a long day of handling business with a rival gang. Needing a peaceful drink to unwind for the night, you notice one of your rivals, Rindou Haitani. Not wanting to start any problems, you decide to keep your distance. Unfortunately for you, the guy purposely gets on your nerves to gain your attention. Finally giving in, you decide to put down the barrier that divides you both only for a moment after too many drinks.

❣︎ Warnings ⸝⸝ Mild Language ⸝⸝ Alcohol Use ⸝⸝ Drunkeness

❣︎ Trope ⸝⸝ Enemies To Semi-Lovers

❣︎ Word Count ⸝⸝ 𝟐,𝟕𝟓𝟓

✉︎┆⤿ Note From Manager › This wasn't proofread and I was tired so if you see any mistakes I dearly apologize! ໒꒰ྀི․ ․⸝⸝⸝ ꒱ა

In the heart of Tokyo, nestled between gleaming skyscrapers and neon lights lay a small Izakaya called Sonya’s Hideaway. It was a cozy spot, adorned with paper lanterns and a wooden bar. The air inside was thick with the aroma of grilled Yakitori and the comfort of sake.

Whenever you needed a quiet drink to unwind to get your mind off of anything gang-related, that's when you went to this place. The low murmur of conversation intertwined with the soft clinking of glasses created a cozy atmosphere. This bar was enticing enough to seek solace from the bustling streets of Tokyo.

You were the leader of (Gang Name) and had to fight other rival gangs to make it to the top. Your friend was the one who gave you this idea to become a part of the Yakuza world. It was tiring having to work this hard to make your gang known, but at least it was getting there.

Her dream was to be in a gang with you while you both shared the pleasure of being in the top three gangs in Tokyo. You, on the other hand, didn't have a solid explanation for wanting this, so your only reason was to make your friend's dream come true.

You smiled to yourself before downing a glass of sake. The burning sensation of the alcohol hit your throat but soothed by the nice feeling you received after. You'd admit being in a gang was a pain in the ass yet doing it with a desired goal made it better. Even if it wasn't necessarily your ideal plan.

After coming here a few times since you disliked going to different bars, this was like your sanctuary. You had also grown fond of the regular patrons and Jinkisonya, your favorite bartender who always knew your regular schedule, "Gimme another one, please, Jinji!" You called out to the woman.

Hearing you, she rolls her eyes while walking towards you with a bottle of sake, "Here ya go, but don't overdo it!" She warned before pouring the beverage into the glass.

After getting her out of that strict nature of hers, she's started to love-hate you. Yet she liked you enough to allow you to call her cringe nicknames like Jinji, which meant 'baby'. If it was someone else, they would've been sent to the hospital by the ambulance already.

"I can't promise you I won't, so I'll tell you I won't instead." Truthfully answering Sonya, you heard a male get louder further down the bar from where you sat.

Figuring out that unmistakable voice, you look in the noisy direction to see it was by Rindou Haitani. Seated at the corner of the bar, he discussed different topics with friends. He was also from the rival gang you were fighting against earlier. But even before that, you both have been at each other's throats every chance you two get.

It all started when you first went to high school together. He would always do something childish to gain your attention. At first, it was as small as throwing paper balls at you until it escalated to putting gum in your hair. Never giving you a piece of mind, you finally got fed up and ended up fighting him.

There have been countless times when you both used to fight, and it'll end up being a win, lose, or draw. Since then, whenever your paths had crossed, it resulted in bitter confrontations and heated exchanges. This was somehow happening more often than usual, making it seem like wherever you went, he went.

"Tch." You rolled your eyes, resisting the urge to leave, but the lure of the sake was strong. Besides, you weren’t going to let him ruin your wind-down time with his foolish antics.

Continuing to mind your own business, you took a sip of your sake while thinking about how you wish you didn't recognize the man. This was cause you weren't in the mood to drink anymore, which also made you wonder how a single guy's presence could get you so worked up. You sigh to yourself, realizing the situation you're making up in your head—he didn't recognize you were here, and yet you were more than ready to leave.

It wasn't long before you sensed someone staring at you. Turning once more, you were met with Rindous gaze while a smirk tugged at the corners of his mouth as he raised his glass to you in a teasing manner. A scowl etched on your face, your fingers unknowingly drumming rhythmically against the wooden tabletop.

Noticing the tension between the two, Jinkisonya decided to add her opinion, "Y'know, I know the difference between love and hate, and from what I'm seeing, that doesn't look like hate."

"Then he's a damn fool if he thinks I'm gonna love his ass back." You scoffed in response to what the woman was saying. It was foolish to think of him as a potential lover, so why would that even cross your mind? It was something you'd never commit to unless you were held at gunpoint.

"Guess that makes him a damn fool then." She replied before Rindou signaled her to come over, "Let me take this order, and I'll be back to give you another refill." She told you, making her way to the group of men.

"Alright." You sat there scrolling through your phone to see you had a missed call from your friend. Nine times out of ten, it's about a guy she just met, you decide to call her back later.

After a few minutes of finally enjoying yourself, Jinji came back with a generous cup of sake, "This is for you, from him." She slid you the glass before pointing to Rindou, who flashed a lazy grin.

"I don't want it." You refused the offer, pushing the glass to the side with a mug on your face.

"I understand you're not fond of the guy or whatever, but you're not gonna waste my sake." Her voice was cold enough to send a shiver down your spine. It was one thing to waste her time, but throwing away alcohol because of some petty hatred was something she didn't tolerate.

"Sorry." You apologized for attempting to pour out a freshly prepared drink.

She rolls her eyes once more, this time with a sigh, "I still like you, just don't pull that stunt again." She accepted your apology.

Now you were questioning what he was planning by buying you a drink. You then curiously looked back at him, observing him get up to walk towards you. Taking your eyes off him, you assumed he paid for the drink to get closer to you. The audacity for him to think he could easily talk to you just because of a drink pissed you off.

You hear the same annoying voice greet you as you swirled your glass around, "What are you sulking for?" Rindou teased, finding a seat beside you.

Taking a nice sip of your beverage, you choose to ignore the guy so it won't start any conflicts since that's exactly what he wanted from you. The silent treatment secretly bothered him, causing him to search for the right words to get a reply, "Is that how you treat someone who’s bought you a drink?"

You shot him a glare because he was acting like you were being ungrateful, "You could’ve picked anyone else, and yet here we are." You uttered, picking up the menu, and avoiding Rindou's intrigued gaze at you.

"I'll give it till the end of tonight," Jinji murmured under her breath as she walked off to finish serving other people.

"Ever heard of a chill pill?" He quipped, leaning back in his chair as if he owned the bar. "You seem a little too uptight for someone in a bar."

"Says the one who thought buying me a drink was gonna make me speak to you." You shot back, your tone sharper than intended. Rindou simply laughed, unabashed by your comment.

"It's working, ain't it?" He smirked, trying to prove a point that was proven to be true.

You were about two seconds away from losing the last bit of composure you had until a thought hit you, "Why won't you leave me alone?" You had been wanting to ask this for a while, yet you were either distracted or forgot.

The blonde male with blue streaks made his head tilt a bit, wondering if you were genuinely asking. "Hmm..." He hummed in thought. It made him sound like he couldn't figure out why he wanted to be your opponent.

"It's cause I saw you as a potential rival, and it obviously worked." He answered except that's the lie he's always told himself and everyone else.

He wanted to become enemies because he thought it would last longer. He assumed he'd be able to see your face more. This theory was true, whereas every time you both saw each other, it was bound to go left, but at least he got to see how determined you were to see him as a competitor. He would be lying if he said he didn't like this strong side of you.

"But why? I mean, I never did anything to you for you to see me as a 'potential rival'." You wanted clarification more than anything.

No matter how angry you were at him, deep down in your heart, it was hurting you. The only reason for you to keep this going was for some type of explanation. You hated holding grudges for a long time, and it messed with your consciousness. Even if you both were still enemies after clearing the air, it would've eased your mind.

"It's because of your sharp, outspoken, and fiercely independent attitude. Not to mention your strong determination. I craved for someone like you to be my opponent, but I ended up choosing you instead." Rindou simply stated, taking a sip of his alcohol.

"I used you for my personal wants without acknowledging the fact you weren't aware. Sorry." He apologized, causing you to give him a surprised expression.

It was probably the alcohol that made him want to express his feelings to you. You were happy knowing he took accountability for his actions. But you wanted to hear it when he was sober since it didn't count if he needed alcohol to help him.

"You know, I’ve been a jerk to you just as much as you’ve been to me," you admitted, your cheeks flushed from the alcohol just like his.

"True," He replied, a teasing smile curving his lips, "But how boring would it be if we were just friends?"

"Don't get me started." You laughed.

After a few rounds of sake, the tension began to loosen. Each sip was like a small toll on the wall you had built around yourself. Seeing how Rindou's light-hearted banter revealed a side to him that wasn’t just the cocky rival you so despised. You finally decided to knock down the barrier you built between you two for a moment.

To your astonishment, conversations flowed easier than you thought. You both exchanged stories—you spoke of how your life changed being a part of a gang, while Rindou shared the downsides of doing it. As the evening deepened, the rivalry melted under the warmth of homemade sake, revealing the vulnerability behind your competitive facades.

Hours passed, and people started to leave. Rindou found himself pondering over one question that hadn't been answered, "How did a girl as to yourself get caught up in all this?"

"You remember Ariane, right?" You asked him, earning an eyebrow raise.

"The pink and blue-haired girl that looked like cotton candy?" He questioned back.

"Yeah, after graduation, she told me she wanted us to be in a gang together so we could be one of the top three gangs in Tokyo." You truthfully replied, going back to that day when she first asked you.

Her eyes sparkled at the mere thought of being in a gang. Not to mention, this is what she wanted even before graduation. There wasn't a day that went past when Ariane was talking to you about her plans to make it to the top.

Her consistent and precise mindset convinced you this was something she wanted. Ariane showed you how seriously she took this, which made you feel like she wasn't wasting your time. Rindou, on the other hand, was a bit bothered that she pulled you into this mess.

"Was that something you wanted?" He wondered if you were genuinely into being a delinquent or if you just wanted to make a friend happy.

You nodded in disagreement, "Nah, I more so wanted to get a bar of my own and be a businesswoman. Being in a gang is fun and all, but after I'm done, I wanna live my regular life." You stretched your limbs with a yawn behind it. Sake did have its tendency to make you relaxed and then sleepy afterward.

"It would be a story to tell my kids when they're older." A laugh escaped your lips as your eyes wandered around the half-empty bar.

"I understand. The only reason I became a delinquent was to follow behind my big brother. He's been my inspiration all my life even though we fight and argue from time to time." Rindou agreed even though you both had similar but different reasons for doing what y'all did.

Your reason was to make your friend happy while he wanted to be like his brother. Guess you could say you both were alike in different ways.

"Okay, quick question." Rindou begrudgingly placed his glass down, "Is that why you're so uptight every time I see you?"

You raised an eyebrow, impressed with that's how you seemed to him. "Is that what I am? uptight?"

"That's how it is to me." He shrugged.

"Fair enough," you giggled, leaning forward with intrigue. "But when it comes to achieving my goals, I don't think about letting up any time soon."

"Even if it's for someone else's goals?" He playfully mocked you.

"Sure. It just comes to show how much I care for her." You brightly smiled as Rindou studied you for a moment, the gleam in your eyes drawing him in.

"Alright, you two, the bar is closing in a few minutes." Jinji came back to announce that the bar was closing real soon.

"Two more drinks, on me," Rindou ordered before Jinkisonya left to come back with a bottle of premium sake this time.

"It's on the house. But don't get used to it!" She poured the liquor into each of your glasses, "Thank you!" I smiled at the woman.

When the last of the sake had been consumed, you two stumbled out of the bar. Walking side by side through the glowing streets of Tokyo, you felt the lines of rivalry blurring. You couldn't explain this fuzzy feeling you had while enjoying his company, but you weren't complaining. The lack of hatred you'd usually have wasn't affecting you and it complimented this nice stroll.

"Maybe we should do this more often." Rindou suggested, his smile seemed inviting, "You know, enemies turned friends—or lovers?" You felt your cheeks warm again. At around this time, you started feeling more of a buzz from the semi-strong liquor.

"You think you can win me over that easily?" You teased him back, but your voice lacked the usual bite

"As if I would let you go without a fight," Rindou replied, stepping closer, his eyes holding a promise that made your heart flutter.

"Haitani you're just drunk." You reminded him, instantly assuming It was the sake talking.

"I can handle my liquor, (Y/N)." He whispered in your ear before you pushed him away, "Still! It's gonna take more than a drink to win me over." You huffed at the male walking beside you.

"Don't worry, I know." He laughed before you stopped at your house. Since you were technically drunk, he refused to allow you to walk home by yourself. Even though he did this out of the kindness of his heart, he'd want a favor from you for his 'kind' services.

After safely coming home, you both exchanged goodbyes before he left. Overall, you enjoyed Rindous's presence, despite being rival gangs which was something you chose to keep a secret. Now whenever you come into the bar in your spare time you looked forward to seeing him there.

[thevondoom62]

He's a big guy... for you. It's finally here. At long last. For years, I've waited for that ideal Bane. My favorite Batman villain, favorite Batman character, favorite DC character period. Everything before this has been based on designs I hate, too damn big, or really outdated. Or broken in the case of the last MAFEX Bane I owned, based on his appearance in The Dark Knight Rises. Still, that's movie based. I wanted something that was based on the comics or close enough. Unfortunately, most Bane designs outside the comics deviate in ways I can't stand, like giving him an open mouth/nose mask. I was left without many options.

All that preamble to say: I've been waiting for this one. I love Bane a lot and I love this figure a lot. It's not perfect. The paint is sloppy in some areas, especially the hands. Mine actually came with two right open hands! That stings. Still, he comes with so many options that I don't find myself missing that so much. Also HLJ had my back there and I'll be getting a replacement, woooo.

Everything else, though? Golden. Scale, sculpt, and articulation are all there. He even came with two face options. Both are good, but gimme that angular eyed ANGRY look anytime. Pure Knightfall-based goodness. Osito not included btw, I stole that from a FvJ Jason figure.

Now that I have a great Bane, I'm more open to really getting a solid Batman collection going. I'm not the biggest DC fan, so I'm not out to build a whole universe, but I do like Batman. Also, for any companies listening, I'd be totally down for some good Teen Titans figures too. Those are my two corners of the DCU.

[sixofpomegranates]

♜ More Than You Asked For ♜ – S.R.

Request: idk if you're doing requests or not BUT IF YOU ARE: "spencer lends his hoodie to reader on one of their adventures. After he's dropped her off, she realizes she forgot to give it back. While folding it up, a few things fall out, including an old iPod. Curiosity getting the better of her, she can't help but look through the music and finds a playlist with her name as the title" — @wherewitcheslie

Pairing: Best Friend!Spencer x Fem!Reader

CW: Fluff | NO USE OF Y/N | friends to lovers, tooth-rotting fluff, pining, a kiss

Cases have the tendency to escalate at times; I know that's what is to be expected in this job. What I had not expected, however, was a freaking chase through the sewer system of New York.

By the end of this Hollywood movie cliché, I smelled so bad I actually felt like crying. But the unsub was caught, and the last victim was now asurvivor.

Stepping out of the hotel shower, I blow dry my hair. I brought heat protection and a leave-in conditioner so I don't fry my poor hair to death. Slipping into stretchy, actually comfortable jeans (Yes, those exist. Yes, they were expensive.) I put on an oversized pajama top and stumble out into the hotel room.

Spencer stands there, packing his go-bag, already done with packing mine. I love having my best friend be my co-worker. Fucking hate packing, and it's nice to see that he packed my sewer-clothes into a separate plastic bag.

"Feeling better?" he asks with his boyish grin.

I nod. "I needed that shower."

A chuckle escapes him. "Yeah, you reeked."

I throw my towel at him. "Thanks, cunt."

He catches the towel mid-flight and watches me drop onto the bed. Within a second, the towel is thrown onto my face. I grab it, giggle weakly, and roll it into a ball, tossing it onto the floor.

"You should put on a sweater or a jacket. I know we're just getting into a cab and then into the jet, but you're freshly showered, and it's starting to rain."

I have packed nothing comfortable. The shitty part of looking professional is that professional clothes are professionally uncomfortable. I definitely need to go shopping and buy stuff that ticks off both comfortable and professional.

I let out a childish groan. "I don't wanna..."

"C'mon, you're gonna catch a cold," Spencer tells me in a firm but gentle tone.

I roll onto my stomach, pressing my face into the mattress while complaining about my clothes. I hear him come closer, lean in, and reaffirm my protests with "Uh-huh"'s.

I run out of oxygen and stop whining. That is when Spencer sits down next to me, rubbing small circles into my back.

"Would you want to wear something of mine?" he offers.

I instantly jump up, kneeling on the bed and nodding. He chuckles, opening his go-bag. I know him well enough to know he gets uneasy when I rummage through his neatly folded clothes, so I just look at them.

"So, what do you want?" he asks. "A cardigan, a shirt-"

I interrupt him. "Can I wear your hoodie?" He raises his brows. "The grey one."

"I wore it to bed."

I know that. It's one of his favorite sleeping items when it gets colder.

"I know," I say, making grabby hands. "Now, gimme."

Pulling out his hoodie, he says, "What's the magic word?"

I sigh, trying to reach the hoodie, which he starts holding further up. "Spence."

"Wrong. Try again."

"Please," I tell him and get the soft hoodie placed into my hands.

"Wasn't that hard, now was it?"

I stick out my tongue and then let myself get swallowed by the hoodie. It smells like old books, coffee, and Spencer... or maybe all of that is Spencer. I happily flop with my arms, the way too big sleeves flopping around.

"You know, this is the best thing that came out of your fling with Max," I tell him as he hands me a pair of socks.

"A little harsh, isn't it?" he says, still smiling.

I shake my head. "She was a bitch whenever I tried befriending her."

"Yeah, but that was mostly my fault," Spencer quickly defends the woman who dumped him and moved to New York.

"Not true."

"Very true."

"Why should that have been your fault?" I ask as I put on my shoes.

"Because I constantly talked about you. She felt threatened."

"About what? Us being friends?"

There is no chance Max was actually jealous. I was the jealous one because she was constantly around my best friend, making alone time impossible.

Spencer shrugs, grabbing both our bags and leading me to the door. "Just repeating what she told me when we broke up."

I stop in my tracks. "She broke up with you because of me?"

He quickly shakes his head. "No, no, sweetheart. It just didn't work out with us."

"But- But why didn't you mention it earlier? You and Max broke up a year ago."

Why did my best friend not tell me that I was part of the breakup talk his girlfriend gave him?

"Wouldn't have changed a thing. You only would've bullied yourself into thinking it was your fault." He looks at me for a split second, then smiles. "You're doing it right now."

I shake my head, lying. "No, I'm not."

He leans closer while locking the room's door. "Liar."

I love when his face is this close to mine. It makes it so much easier to see the green specks in his hazel eyes.

"I'm not lying," I insist, but he knows me too well.

Letting go of the key still sticking in the lock, he tickles my side until I'm backed up against the wall.

"Shame on you for lying. Evil little thing," he chuckles with fake appall.

I try to squirm away without actually trying to escape. Because once he stops tickling me, we stand here, his body pressing me against the wall, his face way too close to mine.

We're both quietly staring at each other, and I wonder if he feels it too.

Okay. Maybe just calling him my best friend is hypocritical and dumb and simply not true.

I have been somewhat crushing on him since I first met him. Doesn't speak for my taste in men that it was when Tara had taken me to visit him in prison. I had seen him, he said hello, and my stupid heart skipped a beat so intense I am still recovering from it.

I joined the BAU as Dr. Spencer Reid's temporary replacement for the time being as he went to prison. I had practically jumped at the opportunity to play with the big guns, and when everything was cleared, the dust Mexico and Mr. Scratch had created had settled, Spencer had made sure I was promoted to a permanent part of the team.

He softly whispers my name, and I think he feels it too... this connection that is hunting us while we pretend to just be friends.

We jump apart the second somebody opens a door on our floor. Luckily so, because Emily and JJ come out of their room, joking about something. Spencer and I avoid our gazes until all of us are in the elevator; there, we just smile at each other.

Like...Friends.

*****

At home, I throw my go-bag aside, dump some clothes into the wash, and collapse on the couch. I'm too tired to grab a blanket, so I shove my hands into the pocket of Spencer's grey hoodie, hoping that's enough to keep me warm.

But there is something in the pocket I haven't noticed before.

Spencer's old iPod.

I love that he refuses to simply get a smartphone. It's one of those not-fully understandable quirks that just make you way more fond of somebody.

Turning it on, I decide to snoop a little – Checking out what my favorite doctor likes to listen to... It's only fair. He's all over my stuff too. No secrets; we're best friends, after all.

Putting the headphones in, I go through his playlists and...Oh My God, Spencer is a Swiftie.

But then I stop in my tracks. I need to look twice.

There is a playlist with my name.

Okay. Nothing too out there. This playlist can have a multitude of reasons. Maybe those are songs he knows I like, maybe ones he thinks I'll like once he shows them to me... Or what if they're songs that remind him of me?

I open the playlist and go through the songs. Yes, there are some that I like, but why in the world are most of those songs about unrequited love?

I sit there (rather lay there) on the couch for almost an hour, just having the songs play. As"I Can't Make You Love Me"by Bon Iver stops playing,"Line Without a Hook"by Ricky Montgomery starts...

Why?

Why does it seem like I am not the only one holding feelings that go far beyond friendship?

I sit up and turn off the iPod.

Is Spencer in love with me? Am I actually that fucking lucky?

Do I now just confront Spencer about it? What if I read the playlist wrong, and it's actually just a playlist like any other, and I make myself out to be a gigantic dummy, ruining my friendship with him?

This is stressful. But... Spencer wouldn't end our friendship just because of my little crush. The one I have since I first saw him. The one that makes me want to say"I love you"whenever he makes me laugh.

Right?

No. No, not Spencer. It's not like I decided to fall for him. It simply happened. He'd understand that should he not return my feelings, right?

Yes. Definitely.Maybe.

Maybe I should just stay quiet? Leave this question unsolved.

Is not knowing better than taking the risk? Is it smarter?

My phone rings, the picture of my best friend lighting up on the screen. Sometimes I am worried that he's able to read my mind.

I pick up, sounding so calm and cool I wanna pat my own shoulder. "Hey, Spence."

"Hey. Uhm... Did- I- You don't know by any chance if I left my iPod in my hoodie pocket, right?" he asks quickly.

"Yeah, I have it right here," I tell him.

"Cool. Cool," he answers, still sounding unnaturally stressed.

"Is everything okay?"

"Yeah. Of course. Listen, sweetheart, would it be okay if I'd come pick it up real quick?"

I frown. "Okay, what secrets do you have on that thing? Nudes? Porn? Homemade porn?"

"What?" he asks back, confused.

"Nobody loses it that much when their best friend has their iPod unless there's something on it you don't want me to see. So, is it nakey pics of you?" I tease. "Because if so, I can't guarantee that I won't be snooping for them."

"D-Don't turn it on. It- It's nothing suspicious. I just want- I need you to. It's cause..." he stutters and stammers until his voice falls silent.

Thinking about it for a second, I decide to take a leap of fate. I can easily play it off as part of the teasing, after all.

"Is this about the playlist with my name?"

The other end of the phone call is quiet. For a solid minute, I wonder if Spencer became unconscious. This silence somehow speaks louder than any excuse he could throw at me.

"Spence?" I ask.

I hear him swallow roughly. "Y-Yeah?"

"Is it about the playlist?" I whisper.

"Yes."

Goosebumps form on my entire body.

"Why?" I ask.

Almost silently, he says, "I think you already know why."

I hold my phone between my ear and shoulder so I can pinch my left hand. "Ouch."

Not a dream. I am wide awake.

I am wide awake, and Spencer returns my feelings.

I should buy a lottery ticket because this was a one-in-a-million chance of ever happening, and I should use the universe's decision to favor me as much as possible before my good luck streak fades.

"What happened?" Spencer asks, alerted by my whimper.

"N-Nothing," I answer quickly and a little dumb. "I just pinched myself."

"Why would you do that?"

Because I'm an idiot, Spencer.

"Wanted to make sure I didn't fall asleep on my couch."

He chuckles softly.

"Hey, uhm, Spence? Can we, like, I don't know... Meet in the park next to the De Luca Bookstore?"

"Of course. Why?"

"Because you asked for your iPod back," I say. "And maybe we could... I mean, weshouldtalk."

"Meet you there in 15?"

I agree. "Meet you there in 15."

*****

I walk through the park, glad that the rain we had encountered in New York hasn't reached DC yet. The sun is setting and casting a beautiful golden light over the little lake full of ducks and their little ducklings.

I pass a couple of benches until I reach the one Spencer sits on, staring at the water.

"Hey," I say, sitting down next to him.

He jumps a little, seemingly having been deeply in thoughts. "Hey."

I hand him his iPod. "Sorry for snooping. Wasn't cool of me."

He chuckles weakly, shoving the iPod into the pocket of his suit. "You know I don't mind when you're all over my stuff."

I giggle childishly. "Dirty."

He joins my laugh, making all of this way less awkward. As he stops laughing, a deep sigh escapes him. "I'm sorry you found out about it like that."

"How else would you've let me know?" I dare to ask cheekily.

"Honestly?" he laughs. "I would've taken my feeling to the grave with me."

"Why?" I tease. "Does being with me sound so bad?"

"You know that that's not the reason," he says, leaning closer and bumping me softly with his shoulder. "What would I've done if you didn't feel the same? I couldn't risk losing you."

Suddenly he jerks upright. "I- You- Do you even feel the same, or am I making a fool out of myself right now?"

"If I were to turn you down, I wouldn't still wear your hoodie," I mumble, amused, pulling the sleeves over my thumbs and feeling my face heat up.

A silence spreads between us, but it's not an uncomfortable one. We both seem nervous, but the good kind of nervous... the kind of nervousness you feel when newness in a relationship occurs.

Suddenly, Spencer's hand reaches for mine. I practically jump at this opportunity and enlace our fingers. He lifts my hand, placing a kiss on the back of it, and my heart skips a beat.

"I want to take you out on a date if that's okay with you," he says, making me nod excitedly.

"You have to pay, tough," I tell him. "Only brought my keys and 5 bucks."

Spencer chuckles. "You wanna go home and change first?"

"If you take me home now, we're staying in," I warn him with a smirk.

His tongue darts out, wetting his lips and a pink blush spreads on his cheeks. "We can always just order and watch TV."

I nod, and Spencer stands up, pulling me onto my feet.

As the night creeps in and the lanterns turn on, we walk towards the park's exit, still holding hands. All of a sudden, he stops his steps and pulls me in for a gentle yet longing kiss that lets me feel just how long we have wanted to do this.

"Sorry," Spencer smiles against my lips. "Couldn't wait any longer."

I peck his lips again, the butterflies in my stomach being the sweetest feeling I've ever felt. Then I grin.

"Look at you; got your iPod back, and it even came with a girlfriend. You really got more than you asked for today, huh?"

Continuing to walk, Spencer laughs. "Now imagine how much sooner we could've had this ifyouhad asked for it."

Giggling, I punch his arm. "Oh, shut up."

[jacks347]

I MISSED THE NEW BVZ PREMIERE (THANKS JOB)

So now y'all get my live reaction! (I've never done one of these before, this is gonna be fun)

SPOILERS AHEAD IF YOU HAVEN'T WATCHED IT

Intro is great as always, I love this song so much

Here we go~

WHO?? WHAT??

OFF TO A STRONG START

"Lack of cooperation" My guy it's Albus, that's literally his entire thing

On your family?? YOU LEAVE FAITH OUT OF THIS (and Kerano and Devlin)

OH??

HI DEVLIN WHAT

That design is so good, Glowbat you wonder

Plot twist #1, I expect many more

We're not even 5 minutes in, this post is going to be a fucking Bible-

Does Devlin have freckles?? Did he always have freckles?? Beautiful

Oh Devlin got sassy during the break I like :P

Of course he calls for his brother, the strongest person he knows how sweet <3

Miracle of faith, in more ways than one

Oo, that sounds painful

~DINNER BREAK~

ALBUS! LANGUAGE!

Ooo scary protective Albus

"My brothers. My battalion." Oh-

Aaaaand there's the Albus we know and love XD

"Fuck you and your hat!" Pfft you leave Devlin's fedora alone XD

Oh, back to our regularly scheduled program

Waiter I'm afraid you got some capitalism in my cowboy fantasy

GIMME CROSSBOW I WANT A CROSSBOW

I don't even think Albus knows where Albus went, he just heard his brother calling and left

Ewwwww TMI Albus

LIGHTSABER?? WHO LET ALBUS PICK UP A LIGHTSABER

Oo who's at the door? And why do I not trust it-

Oh it's just Devlin-

Uh oh, Albus has to explain his family~

Hi Mahatma! I still don't entirely trust you!

Why am I playing organizing Tetris-

...oops

"Can I ask you something?" I mean you just did so-

"Do you ever feel...powerless?" Well ain't this a pleasant conversation

"Like you can't save the people you care about" WELL AIN'T THIS A PLEASANT CONVERSATION

Look at Hipswitch showing off his detective skills! I'm so proud

Oh? What's on that ship??

Oh god not more new characters-

The mafia's back that's not good-

Why is the mafia fighting the Triad I'M SCARED

THE MAFIA SHOT DOWN THE PALADIN SHIPS?? WHY?? I DON'T LIKE WHERE THIS IS GOING

Another point to the man that can't even fuckin read that he's just a tad bit stupid :P

Boys, boys! You're both pretty stop yelling XD

"Interesting" is certainly a word for it Doc, wait until you hear about the woman they're both in love with-

"Caused any distress" ...do you hear yourself Devlin?

...awkward silence...

Paladins of Cindergorn eh? Looks like we are gonna learn about Faith today

Devlin being a smartypants, Hipswitch giving the most sass I've ever heard in a single sentence, this is great

Ewww I hated everything about that metaphor

"Something doesn't feel quite right" Of course it doesn't because nothing here is ever simple

WHY IS DEVLIN CHANGING COLORS??

"Is there anything else you can actually swallow?" ...Doc that is the wrong person to ask

"Oh...eugh" 10/10 Love that reaction XD

Poor Devlin, he spent enough time single-handedly running a ship-

When did Albus attempt to learn to cook?? And why??

"Don't worry about me" Faith's healer senses are tingling

"I saw you get goosebumps, did I scare you?" Honey considering how this story is going I don't think it was fear-

HIPSWITCH THIS IS NOT THE POSITION YOU WANT TO BE IN WHEN DEVLIN GETS BACK

Oh the secondhand embarrassment is crawling up my spine and it hasn't even happened yet

Please God get off of him before I explode-

And we're safe thank god

"You don't trust him at all, do you?" Would you if you were in my position?

This is really just the backstory episode isn't it

Albus, the hired gun where his last job got him killed, wasn't too keen on being a bounty hunter until he saw the paycheck. Okay that stings a little-

"I'm sure they're fine" *Cut to them being very not fine*

Devlin proudly proclaiming he can't read, 10/10 tension diffused

"We won't tell a soul, right partner?" Sir I couldn't even if I wanted to my mouth is literally just for decoration at this point (don't take that out of context-)

Destroy a sacred scripture surrounded by Paladins of Cindergorn, a certain priestess just felt her eye twitch

Yes Doc, show off that psychology degree you worked so hard for (hi I'm a psych student so it's also the degree *I'm* working so hard for)

"Is Devlin a father?" He's not just a stepdad, he's a dad who stepped up 💪 (that was so bad forgive me-)

Devlin...what did you do...

Okay I do not trust any of what just happened, what are you after Devlin?

Oh god the mafia's back

DOGS?? OH GOD PLEASE NO

NOT DOC!! ALBUS SOUNDS SO WORRIED

Show em what you're made of Albus

Don't talk to Albus like he doesn't know what being trained from birth to be someone's dog is like-

Devlin's going through it again, someone save the poor boy from his flashbacks

Y'know, Redacted being the one getting killed instead of doing the killing is rather cathartic in a bittersweet kind of way

Time to rewrite history! Again!

"What exactly can he do?" Great question, I'll tell you when I find out

Oh great, GB's back on his villain shit what piece of lore are we getting today

I don't trust that music, what's about to happen and is it a sand worm like this is Star Wars (we already had a lightsaber it wouldn't shock me)

I KNEW IT!! ASK ME HOW I KNEW GO ON ASK

WHO IS THE MAN IN THE MASK I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS

"I have someone for this kind of thing" Yes go visit your wife and her special bandage technique :D

"Is it a hooker?" "No! It's not a hooker!" He sounded so offended for her, I love that

:O Let someone else fix you up?? And betray wife?? Wait no Wife is Gienne (hello GB Twitch chat :P)

Where's Faith I saw the cast list where is she

WHAT DO YOU WANT YOU BIRD NOSE FREAK

:D KERANO BABY

Oh that art is adorable

SHE CALLS HIM DAD MY HEART IS GONNA EXPLODE

Oop there's Faith-

And Kerano calls her Mom ughhhhh I'm not gonna make it y'all

"It's been x amount of time" Kerano I love you

"Death is too good for him" Yikes

"That's a relief!" "It is?" Pfft-

Faith went from furious to worried in 2 seconds hearing about Albus, that's our girl

"You didn't tell him about your father's death" HEH?? HONEY YOU DIDN'T TELL *ME* ABOUT HIS FATHER'S DEATH WTF I THOUGHT WE WERE IN THIS TOGETHER FAITH

Oh poor Devlin :(

"I miss him, Faith" Is that the first time we've ever heard Devlin call her by her name? Back in BW he always just called her Sister

Awww hug him for me Faith

Oh yeah, Faith is the only who can actually read-

"Something called Operation Sub Delta" ...what

Oh my god don't read it Faith please god don't read it

And she's reading it-

"You just want an excuse to see him again" Oh look, he's reading the thoughts of the fandom (YES WE WANT ALBUS TO SEE HIS WIFE AGAIN SO SUE US)

"I've actually met someone" EXCUSE ME?? DEVLIN YOU HOE WHO IS IT??

"Look at my choice in men" Ah so she realizes it XD

Come on Faith, connect the dots, I know you're smart enough

And she's done it

Who is Agent and what the hell is happening

Uh oh-

They have the files of the subjects that Devlin doesn't

Which means they can use Albus like their own weapon by probing his training like Kravatas did

Oh I really don't like where this is going

WHAT??

THAT'S THE END??

YOU CAN'T JUST END IT ON THAT WHAT THE HELL

Oh my god this series really loves throwing me for loops doesn't it

OKAY ENDING THOUGHTS

Absolute 100000/10 episode GB you madlad you've done it again

Was completely worth the wait, love seeing the whole cast together again including our new players!

The art is flawless, I expected nothing less of Glowbat

Keep doing what you do you mad genius GB, I'll be holding my breath for the next one (try not to kill me I can't do another 4 months-)

[cuddles-with-dragons]

Avengers incorrect quotes?!

Steve: You disgust me.

Clint: *eating a kitkat sideways* I realize this and don’t care.

Thor: I will send my army to attack! Thor: *releases a dumpster of raccoons*

Thor: You know, there's something weird going on with your face? Natasha: What? Thor: You’re smiling! I didn't know you could do that?

Natasha: I’m never donating blood ever again. Natasha: The second you walk through the door, it’s just one invasive question after another! Natasha: ‘Where did you get it?’ 'Why is it in a bucket?’ I mean, do you want it or not?

Steve: What can therapy do for me that screaming in my car for 30 minutes can’t?

Bruce: There's nothing worse than people using big words they don't understand. Steve: I photosynthesize with this.

Clint: We have a problem. Steve: Let me guess, you caused it? Tony: Gimme a sec, I'm not drunk enough to listen to this yet. Bruce: And it's another Tuesday, your point? Natasha: Would shooting you solve this problem? No? Then shut up. Thor: If you mean the fire, that's our solution to last week's problem.

Thor: If this plan goes down the drain, where should we regroup? Bruce: The afterlife, I guess.

Bruce: I'm gonna need a human skull but you can't ask why. Clint: Only if you also don't ask why. Clint: *pulls four pristine human skulls out of his bag* Bruce: ... Bruce, grabbing a skull: This one will do.

Bruce: Throw lamps at people who need to lighten up, and throw handles at someone who needs to get a grip! Clint: Throw a refrigerator at someone who needs to chill! Tony: Throw scissors at someone who needs to cut it out! Steve: Throw a clock at someone who needs to get with the times! Natasha: Throw matches at someone who needs to get fired up! Thor: Throw a brick at someone to kill them.

Bruce: If you got arrested what would be the charges? Tony: Theft. Thor: Disturbing the peace. Steve: Aggravated assault. Natasha: Arson. Clint: All of the above. In that order, probably.

Tony: Are you trying to give me a fucking aneurysm? Natasha: Pretty sure we all are. Bruce: I wasn't. Thor: I was. Steve: I was trying to stop them, for your consideration. Clint: I just cause aneurysms naturally.

Bruce: Go and tell Tony why you insisted on putting a normal-sized carrot in a bag of baby carrots. Clint: Bruce: Do it, tell him what you told me earlier. Clint, stuttering: I-it's because... th-they need adult supervision... Tony:

Tony: Your smile? It makes my day. Pepper: Your happiness? I live for that. Natasha: A room? Get one. Thor: Hotel? Trivago.

*The Squad is on a hike* Natasha: It’s beautiful out here. Steve: And quiet. Tony: Too quiet. Clint: Did we lose someone? *cut to Thor with a bear in a headlock*

*Something crashes* Tony: Shoot- Steve: *running into the room in a panic* WHAT FELL?! Thor: *walking by the room calmly* What died?

Kidnapper: I have one of your friends. Tony: Which one? I have seven. Kidnapper: The loud, annoying, rowdy one who never shuts up. Tony: Which one? I have seven. Clint, distantly: HEY!!!

Thor: I wasn't injured that badly. The doctor said all my bleeding was internal, that's where the blood's supposed to be!

Bruce: I hate taking off my glasses, because without them, my vision goes from Full HD all the way down to buffering at 240p and I just can't handle that.

Thor: I WOULD DESTROY THE WORLD FOR YOU GUYS! Bruce: Okay, can you do the dishes? Thor: No!

*at a zoo* Thor: What are they in for? Steve: Thor, this isn't prison. Thor: So they can leave? Steve: No, but- Thor, pointing at a meerkat: I bet that one murdered someone.

Bruce: I just want someone to take me out. Natasha: On a date? Clint: With a sniper gun? Thor: Both if you're not a coward.

Thor, Clint & Bruce: *screaming* Natasha: *runs into the room* What's wrong, Bruce?! Thor: Wait, why are you asking Bruce that when Clint and I are also here? Natasha: Because Bruce wouldn't scream unless it's an emergency. You two scream whenever you have the chance.

*Squad reactions to being told ‘I love you’* Thor: Thanks fam! Clint: Oh no. Bruce: *cries* I love you too. Natasha: Sounds fake, but okay. Steve: *A flustered mess* Tony: Can I get a refund?

Thor: *trying to buy a Father's Day card for Odin at Hallmark* Thor: Excuse me, do you have any that just say "You are my dad?" Associate: Well, I- Thor: How about "You impregnated my mother?" Associate: No... Thor: You know what, I'll just get a blank one. Thor: *writes* You are a father. This is a day. Here is a card.

Steve: Accidentally indulged in too much ‘free time’, turns out I've been reported missing for over sixty years and presumed dead by most local and national authorities.

Clint, bleeding out on the ground: Blood loss? No, I know exactly where it is.

Thor: What did you order this morning? Bruce: What do you mean? Thor: I heard you answer the door, and I sensed food.

Clint: .. .----. -- / … --- .-. .-. -.-- (translation: I'M SORRY) Natasha: What's that? Clint: Remorse code. Natasha: I'm even angrier now.

Bruce: Synonyms are weird because if you invite someone to your cottage in the forest, that just sounds nice and cozy. But if I invite you to my cabin in the woods you’re going to die. Tony: My favorite is explaining the difference between a butt dial and a booty call. Clint: It’s called connotations. Steve: Try this one on for size, “Forgive me, Father, I have sinned” vs “Sorry, Daddy, I've been naughty." Natasha: Great news! Language is now banned!

Loki: Twilight Sparkle was the main character because she represented the element of friendship— Clint, tied up: PLEASE, I JUST WANT TO SEE MY FAMILY AGAIN! Loki: I'M NOT DONE! Loki: And Rainbow Dash was the sporty girl—

Natasha: I’d kill someone if you asked me to. Steve: I’m pretty sure you’d kill someone even if I didn't ask you to.

Tony: Hoodie pockets are so great. I can fit like three sandwiches and a grenade in there and my hands are still warm.

Clint: We need a distraction. Steve: Is anyone here good at jumping up and down and making weird noises? Thor, whispering: My time has come.

Steve: Do you have a bobby pin? Natasha: Yeah. *searches in her hair* Natasha: Oh, no, wait. I’m not a nine-year-old girl.

Bruce: New challenge! Don't say stupid shit for 24 hours!

Bruce: So oxygen went on a date with potassium, it went... OK. Tony: I thought oxygen was dating magnesium, OMG. Bruce: Actually oxygen first asked nitrogen out, but nitrogen was all like NO. Clint: I thought oxygen had that double bond with the hydrogen twins. Natasha: Looks like someone's a HO. Tony: NaBrO. Steve: I'm done with all of you!

[aoki553]

GRGRGRGRG FINALLY AN OPPORTUNITY TO INFODUMP ABT HIM!!! tysm @makifishcake and prepare for a long ramble abt best boy ever (to me) and why saijun is real... let's start with an introduction to a canon crossover character only The Loser (me) cares about! this is gonna get messy in writing near the end cuz its like 3 am for me rn.

Kouno Jun is one of the two protagonists of Asou-sensei's older work, Our Hero Studies and is one of Haganeno Ken's students at Holy Lance Academy (a private school that either exists the same town as Saiki or some neighboring one)

The only translated OHS chapters so far show us who Jun and Haganeno are as characters. Kouno Jun's a generic tsukkomi high school student with normal teenage boy interests and crushes... he's baby and a total boyfail.

Jun likes video games (Kaisou Monogatari, an in-universe franchise), ramen, melon soda and Yayumi - the class rep. Pretty normal dude that's just being constantly bothered by his classmates and the teacher he hates...

...and then there's Haganeno Ken - THE delusional cosplayer hero wannabe teacher with huge interest in roleplaying and RPG video games, who immediately takes a liking to Jun, mainly for his name (his name means shield, while Haganeno's mean sword. you see where i'm going?)

most of the ohs panels will be machine translated cuz i have no strength or motivation to continue my actual translation work ngnhnh one day maybe... 😔

He may look like a generic high school shonen manga protagonist, but it's actually really charming to me how adorable he can be despite the boring presentation lolol HIS CRUSH ON YAYUMI IS SO CUTE UGHNHNH

And yeah of course he shows up in Saiki bc WHY WOULDNT HE???

Asou-sensei put him there twice. In the Christmas chapter where he's walking with a girl (MOST LIKELY YAYUMI), sees Kusuo sitting alone and being like "haha that's so sad to be lonely on christmas lmao"... EXCEPT ITS HILARIOUS CUZ HE DOES THE SAME THING IN HIS OWN MANGA'S CHRISTMAS CHAPTER.

and in the Hero Studies crossover chapter, right at the end as an unused character. (wouldn't make sense to have two tsukkomis there tbh so i get it lolol)

Same thing happens in the anime except Jun in the Christmas episode wasn't animated like he's an actual pre-existing character, except just a background character so he looks different but has the same jacket with his initials so its definitely him.

so here's all his screentime:

his terrible sense of style was referenced by Takeru at one point as well. yes, Jun dresses terrible and he has outfits much worse than this. hes a loser and i love him

okay but what's with the saijun thing? orz

basically its a silly ship me and my lovely sweetest gf (@lu-kario ) came up with and it kinda stuck around. "omg haha what if the two protagonists from different manga dated" but yeah it became an actual thing with thought out scenarios between us.

Me saying it'd be like satousai but Kusuo finds someone "normal" with actual personality would be not giving this ship enough justice. I can't tell much rn cuz I forget 90% of the stuff i make up unless i write it down BUT all i'll say is that

I like to imagine Jun and Kusuo having a calm and nice relationship, lots of quality time spent playing video games or going out to get some ramen together. Kusuo gets to have someone more usual by his side and Jun isn't likely to be bothered by Ken when Kusuo is around (:3).

and yeah, they do get another scene together in volume zero! how lovely! the christmas episode is also one of the reasons i find the ship cool but even despite the sillies having canon scenes and illustrations together i like it simply for fun.

canon crossover ships are cool and epic

my final words: go read ohs its fully in japanese online and 5 chapters are in english so far.

seriously go read it the fandom doesn't exist its really lonely.

and if you care abt our hero studies u can motivate me in the ask box, gimme a kick on the butt so i go and translate this work again after like a year or more of hiatus

[joanofexys]

jude angst if it’s exists if not gimme that angel/harper angst pleeeeaaasseee <3

- @ninyard

Nin the way I got SO EXCITED when I saw Jude's name related to an angst ask. I have not talked enough about what I've put this boy through

tws for suicide/suicide ideation and self harm

So I mentioned in the first post I made about Jude that in college he started struggling with suicide ideation and thoughts/desires to self harm and then actually acting on that and I didn't go too much into it other than mentioning it was something he sought help for pretty quickly but let me get into it now

Jude was raised as an only child to two loving and very supportive moms. He grew up with an incredible support system and he's always known that he has people who will have his back for everything.

Jude decides to move out of his childhood home and move closer to USC for his sophomore year when he's 19 years old. He moves out in the summer a couple months before school starts. He is, immediatley, incredibly homesick. He made sure to get a dog friendly apartment but his moms convinced him to wait till he got settled in before moving Stevie out with him. And it just makes things so much worse. He hates having an empty place.

He starts just inserting himself into everyone's business. He knows the coaches are at the court building more often than that and he has the code so he just starts showing up unannounced. He'll sit in the nurses office on an exam table, talking someone's ear off. He naps in Rhemann's office. Coach Lisinski lets him go wild with the equipment before she leaves. They'll let him run laps and throw balls at the goals for hours. He sits in on freshman training, ignores starry eyed looks, and doles out compliments alongside criticism when asked. Anything to not be alone.

Then the school year picks up again and he's anything but prepared. He can't be around people, his team, all the time. Outside of practices everyone has classes and even the people who absolutely adore him can't entertain him 24/7. And there's only so much of Jude sitting in his office to do homework that Rhemann can handle.

By October he's actively self harming. It's easy to do in an empty apartment with no one around to catch him. Easy to lie to his teammates when he genuinely feels happy on the court, surrounded by them. By November he decides he's had enough "settling in" and brings Stevie with him when he visits home for thanksgiving. It helps a little. He accepts fewer invitations to go out. Spends most nights on the bathroom floor, cabinet handles digging into his back, and calls his moms every time he's done. Every time he tries to force the words past his throat. To tell them he's not okay, that he just hurt himself again, and he wants to go home. Instead he laughs, puts a smile on his face, says "yeah, yeah it's been good. Yeah I'm really proud of the time. You know, classes have been hard but the challenge is good. Love you too, good night", and hopes his voice doesn't crack. Stevie sleeps in his bed every night, he feels bad that she has to see him cry every night and thinks maybe he's not taking care of her properly. But she's also one of the only things keeping him going and maybe it's selfish but he can't bring her back home.

He goes home for Christmas, enjoys his winter break. For a few weeks it stops. He doesn't know how to hide his self harm when he's sharing space with people so he stops trying to sneak off to the bathroom or his room. It makes him sick to his stomach when he realizes that he misses it. That he had found some comfort and relief in the repitiveness of it and how easy it had become. He goes back to school and by mid January he shoots Rhemann an email asking if he can stay after practice and they can talk. It all comes pouring out and it's messy. He wrote it all down on a piece of paper so he could actually get it out. He managed to get through about 3 sentences before his voice cracked and the ugly crying started. He gave the paper over to Rhemann to read, rambling through an explanation rife with apologies.

He spends 2 weeks benched, a month and a half with shorter play time on the court. Two weeks for trying to find a therapist, seeing a doctor, and getting prescribe anti-depressants for the first time. the month and a half for while he's adjusting to the medication while he tries to find the right dosage. He's tired a lot throughout this, not at his best, more apathetic than he's ever been. He just feels numb. He hates every minute about it.

It's the medication they figure out first. Once they get him on the right meds with the right dose and he adjusts he's not so tired all the time. He starts playing longer during games, he's fully involved in every practice. He swings by practices he doesn't need to be at. He's out of the house again, actively choosing to spend time with his team. Stevie comes with him about 80% of the time. He spends the summer with his moms and moves back in with them his junior year. His senior year he moves back out but gets a roommate this time, a very excited Cody Winter. (the fact that the current senior and 5th year seniors in tsc were Jude's little freshmen & sophomore's is everything to me tbh)

So yeah, I swear he gets better and I guess I couldn't help myself with adding a little bit of comfort and noting that things did get better for him but there's some of Jude's angst. As I was writing this I had another thing for him that's angsty pop into my head but this is long enough as is