#i am CERTAINLY not saying that you should adopt these ideas for yourself but rather i am sharing what has worked for me...

[uncanny-tranny]

The biggest saving grace I feel I've done is to get into death positivity, to learn to appreciate death. It's definitely not going to help for many, but I have found that not stigmatizing my own interest and desire for death has greatly helped. Being able to interact with death not as a punishment, but as a way to express humanity has been truly what has made me feel more human. I no longer want to feel ashamed of this aspect of myself, and it's made me want to live. Death has done unto me life.

[thestarfishinjootsoffice]

W: yandere behavior, obsessive behavior, disturbing actions such as kidnapping, stabbing, abuse, ooc etc+

Sorry there wasn't much "be their little girl" thing. And i just pulled whatever i could out of my ass because i absolutely did not know how to write this. I might make a better version of this in the future.

Yan! Hannibal & yan! Will x fem! Reader

What will you do?

You awokened sitting across the room as the two men who you thought you knew are talking so lovingly to each other as if they didn't have someone bound to a chair by ropes.

Your most logical instinct is to try to pry away the ropes but you knew better than that when they're right there in front of you. that would be stupid. Now the most logical thing you could do is just sit there and look pretty in order not to anger the two men considering what they're capable of.

As terrifying as it was it was quite funny as they had set up a small tea party for the three of you, although the cups were wine glasses. Calling you pet names and discussing small talk almost like acting as a family.

And looking down you realised a disturbing change of clothes. Your clothes looked similar to that of a little girl.

"Will and I have discussed our opinions of this but never thought of asking about yours, what colour of wallpaper would you like your new bedroom to be?" hannibal turned to look at you.

"I wished I would've asked you before hand so it could be a surprise but Will thought it would be rather be a peculiar question for you."

You glanced at Will who has a smile on his face and waits for your answer.

"... Uhm.. (C/N-"

"(C/N)?"

"see I told you!" Will's small laughter almost makes you forget the whole situation. Hannibal takes a sip from his glass, he has a slight look of defeat but smiles.

"well then, (C/N) it is."

You don't know why you were so calm, was it because the whole situation seemed so light hearted? But you didn't want to be here atleast you knew that and they did too.

You don't even know where to begin to start planning for an escape, you subtly positioned yourself in a way you'll feel the items in your pockets but you felt none in either of them. They kept asking questions in order to keep the awkward silence at bay, you didn't find the energy to answer them.

"Y/n, you haven't taken a bite out of your food, why's that?" hannibal asked you, almost tauntingly. Where would you find the need to eat in a time like this? Will looks a bit guilty.

They both know what you're thinking, that look on your face says it all. They're not delusional and you're not sure if it's bad or good, but they'll try anyway.

"try it, it's gonna get cold." Will smiles one more time to convince you.

You weren't in the mood nor have an appetite for this but you certainly didn't want an upset Hannibal near you. Forcing yourself to chew down the piece of food Will has fed you, it wasn't dry. It had flavor and juice but it didn't quench the dryness of the inside of your throat.

Despite the piece of meat having a soft texture, you found it difficult to swallow.

Just as Will was about to ask a question to break the silence, you found yourself unconsciously building up the courage to go and ask a question.

"why am I here?"

The already thick tension now doubled now suffocating probably all three of you at the same time. Should they just say it? Would it be a good idea to tell you it's basically a forced adoption? You looked at them. Cautiously but swiftly grabbing one of the sharp silverware placed near your plate of food with your free forearm. Your heart was pounding out of your chest, terrified they were going to hear it.

Hannibal proceeded to look at you and ask, "why are you so scared y/n?"

He probably smelt the fear and sweat in your body. At this Will stood up "can we talk privately?" Hannibal complied and moved to the kitchen.

It was a stupid decision but all you were more concerned about was getting the fuck out of here. You used this opportunity to cut the ropes around your elbows, and the ones on your ankles. It was cliché but you were glad it was.

You were about to burst tears of joy when you successfully sliced off the last rope. Your wrist was hurting from the constantly pressure and movement but you couldn't care less. Your heart dropped down to the floor when you heard their voices getting closer, you wasted not a single second and went sprinting straight to the front door.

Will and Hannibal became highly alert when they heard the dashing of footsteps. And to their horror, finding your seat empty.

Will ran after you but Hannibal stayed behind. Looking calmly at your seat and the missing utensil. Then he started walking to where you were.

You were running as fast as you could've but your body started feeling heavy and light at the same time. At the worst possible time. Until you couldn't even stand straight anymore. And you felt the frightening hands of Will.

"Y/n what were you thinking!?"

Will tried to drag you away and out of panic you pulled the knife from your pocket and rammed it into his hand. As Will yelled out in pain you heard Hannibal call out Will's name in concern.

You were absolutely scared shitless now. If you get caught you know they are not going to go easy. Adrenaline was rushing inside you but your body couldn't keep up for some reason. You were right in front of the door when a hand wrapped around your mouth and arm, ultimately stopping you so. This was it, you couldn't help but let a tear drop fall down.

"I don't like rude people. And i definitely do not like a rude brat."

You were struggling to pry yourself off of the man's grip, the hand on your mouth was removed but before you could make a noise, your vision blacked out.

When you awoke, you were greeted with the sight of an angry Hannibal and Will. That was the day and night you were the most emotionally and psychologically fucked up. Hannibal only held back because Will told him if was enough.

You never even thought of escaping again. That's okay, just behave like a good daughter and maybe Hannibal might be even nice enough to remove that memory from you.

[lingshanhermit]

Lingshan Hermit: The Distinction between Yidams and Deities

Many Vajrayana practitioners in Han regions fail to distinguish between yidams and deities. In their view, yidams are merely deities with greater power (capable of trampling deities like Mahesvara under their feet).

This is why many people's egos become stronger as they practice. Many Han Mahayana practitioners may never consider themselves as Sakyamuni Buddha in their entire lives, which helps them maintain humility. Some proud Vajrayana practitioners may express pity towards them, believing that they lack the opportunity to access Vajrayana teachings. However, I am truly unsure whether it is good or bad to give initiations to those who are unprepared—something that happens every day. Perhaps there are some long-term benefits.

But I sincerely hope that you can gain some understanding of Mahayana before receiving a Vajrayana initiation. How much do today's so-called Vajrayana practitioners understand about Mahayana? I know many people directly go for initiations when they first encounter Buddhism. They know nothing before the initiation and remain clueless after it. Studying Tantra without understanding Mahayana is basically equivalent to skipping elementary and middle school and directly entering university. I cannot say that absolutely no one can do this, but most people certainly cannot. Many Han Vajrayana practitioners consider themselves as heruka after receiving an initiation. Sadly, they have no idea what a heruka truly is. They believe it to be a rather fierce deity. They lack an understanding of the true meaning of yidams. Previously, they firmly believed they were human; now, they firmly believe they are deities. Perhaps not so firmly, but they will think this way when their egos are challenged: "I am Vajrakilaya, I am Tara. You are all ordinary beings, what do you understand?" This inevitably inflates their self-confidence to the extreme.

The ego will never miss such an opportunity. When you do not understand what a yidam is and cannot differentiate between Vajrakilaya and the Taoist deity Xuantian Shangdi, viewing yourself as a yidam only provides an opportunity to develop a greater ego, one that is more problematic than the previous small ego. Before, you were not arrogant to the extent of considering yourself the sole venerable one in the trichiliocosm. This is why many so-called Vajrayana practitioners are haughty and domineering. They neither understand what a yidam is nor know the difference between yidams and deities. The ego cleverly exploits their ignorance. For them, mantra recitation and visualization may only serve to constantly feed their ever-inflating egos.

I am not saying that you should not view yourself as a heruka after receiving a heruka initiation. But clearly, it is also important to understand what a heruka is. Otherwise, if you merely adopt the appearance of a yidam while lacking the wisdom of a yidam, I do not know what will become of you in your next life. I heard of someone who constantly viewed himself as Yamantaka, but he lacked the compassion and wisdom of Yamantaka. This caused him to be reborn in his next life as a creature that looked like Yamantaka but was definitely not a Buddha. You all know that Yamantaka is Manjushri Bodhisattva. Manjushri Bodhisattva is a Buddha.

The stronger our egos, the less we can tolerate offenses, and we become more fragile than before. If we become more easily angered and offended than before, then you should ponder what has gone wrong. Why have you practiced for so long without seeing results? Are you cultivating the yidam, or is your ego using your practice to cultivate its greed, anger, and delusion? Only you know the answer.

I should say that I am very fortunate. Before encountering Vajrayana teachings, I had spent many years reading books like the Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch, The Transmission of the Lamp, and Essays from the Bamboo Window. I believe these books were crucial for my understanding of Vajrayana teachings. These early readings allowed me to easily comprehend the wondrous teachings of Vajrayana. I wish to pay homage to the authors of these books, the great masters of the past.

This article was first published on August 27, 2014.

Copyright Notice：All copyrights of Ling Shan Hermit's articles in Simplified and Traditional Chinese, English, and other languages belong to the natural person who owns "Ling Shan Hermit". Please respect copyright. Publishers, media, or individuals (including but not limited to internet media, websites, personal spaces, Weibo, WeChat public accounts, print media) must obtain authorization from Ling Shan Hermit before use. No modifications to the articles are allowed (including: author's name, title, main text content, and punctuation marks). We reserve all legal rights.

灵山居士：本尊与神袛

[alwaysachorusgirl]

Adoption Day

Pairing: Frederick Chilton x Female Reader

Word Count: 2089

For: Covers the Animal Shelter square for @adarafaelbarba 's fall moodboard bingo

TW: very brief mention of past childhood abuse and animal abandonment, but other than that, it's mostly fluff

Dedication: This is for the world's best cat mom, @madamsnape921 ,because it's her birthday! Go send her some birthday love today!

Author's Note: Jumping back a little in the Cat Daddy Frederick timeline to cover Buttercup's adoption story. Per my previously established continuity, this would take place in January, right after New Year's, and prior to "Not According to Plan"

Tags: @itsjustmyfantasyroom @prurientpuddlejumper @thatesqcrush @welcometothemxdhouse @raulesparza4eva @teamsladsandgents @rosequcrtz

The winter wind howled outside the window and snow drifted across the windowpanes, but inside Frederick Chilton’s ornate home you were safe and warm. No, our home, I live here now, you thought to yourself. You were still getting used to thinking of it as your home, too. You were unpacking the last of the boxes from your recent move. A fire was roaring in the living room fireplace, giving the room a cozy, comforting glow. You inhaled the aroma of the hearty vegetable stew that was cooking in the crockpot in the kitchen, and your stomach growled. You were going to need to take a dinner break soon, and as if he was reading your mind, Frederick entered the room and came over to where you were placing your books on the expansive built-in shelves.

“How goes it with the books? Do you need more shelf space? I can always move somethings into my office if you need more.”

“Thank you, Frederick, but don’t worry; I think I have more than enough. I am, however, getting rather hungry. I think it’s time we ate dinner, don’t you?

“I couldn’t agree more, my love, shall I set the table?” he asked, taking your hand, and helping you to your feet.

“Thank you, Frederick, that would be lovely.”

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

“This stew is fantastic, my love! We’ll most certainly have to use this recipe again.”

When you didn’t respond right away, Frederick started to worry and reached for your hand. “Darling?”

“Oh! Sorry! I zoned out for a moment, must be more tired than I thought; Thank you, Frederick, I have a whole slew of crock pot recipes that are perfect for cold winter days.”

“Y/N, are you alright? Have I done something wrong? Is it the house? Is there something you’re not happy with?”

“What? Oh, Frederick, no!” You squeezed his reassuringly. “You haven’t done anything wrong, my love, and the house is perfectly fine. It’s just…” you paused, not sure how to broach your thoughts.

“What is it? Whatever you need, I’ll make sure you have it! Cost is no object!”

You took a breath and tried to collect your thoughts. You loved cats, but your previous apartment had not allowed pets. You had promised yourself that when you eventually moved you would be a cat mom again. It had been far too long. But it was something that you and Frederick hadn’t discussed yet, and you had no idea what his feelings were on the subject.

“What did you think about getting a cat?” You blurted out, bracing yourself for what you were sure was going to be an argument.

It was now Frederick’s turn to go silent, taken aback by your unexpected query. He mulled it over in his head before answering.

“Honestly, my love, I’ve never thought about it before. I never had a pet of any kind growing up. My parents did not allow animals in the house.”

“Oh, Frederick, I’m so sorry, I didn’t know.” In theory, you knew you probably should have guessed that. You knew that Frederick’s father had been a hard, cruel man, and had been abusive toward Frederick and his mother. Frederick’s mother had been so worn down by it that she eventually shutdown, mentally and emotionally, and neglected to protect her son when he needed it the most. Of course, they hadn’t allowed pets, they hadn’t even allowed their son to have a normal childhood, or an ounce of happiness.

“My darling, you have nothing to apologize for,” said Frederick, placing soft kisses on the back of your hand. “If it’s a cat you want, then a cat you shall have. I’ll do some research after we finish here. Cats need supplies, right? Food, litter, toys, those fancy cat trees, cute little sweaters?”

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

After dinner you and Frederick sat side-by-side on the couch with your laptops, him researching what kind of supplies you going to need to buy, and you were looking at your local SPCA’s website.

“Good god, I had no idea how many different types of cat litter there were!”

“Oh, Frederick, if you think that’s bad, wait until you see how competitive the cat food market is. Hmm…that’s interesting…”

“What is it?” asked Frederick, looking over at your laptop.

“This listing here,” you said, pointing at a blank gray box. “There should be a picture here, like there is for the other listings, but it’s blank. It says it’s supposed to be a 2-month-old black female…. hang on; I have an idea.”

You grabbed your phone off the coffee table and scrolled through your contacts until you found the name you were looking for. You hit “Call” and waited.

“Hello?” A voice finally picked up on the other end.

“Joanne! Hi! It’s Y/N. How are you?”

“I’m great, how are you? It’s been ages since the last time we hung out.”

“I’m good, and you’re right; it has been too long. Is this a good time to talk?”

“Sure! What’s up?”

“Do you still work for the county SPCA?”

“Oh, you bet I do! Oh my god, are you finally in the market to adopt?”

“Yes, I am, and I have a question about one of the cat listings on the website. The one that’s missing a picture?”

“Yes, I just noticed that a few hours ago. Our website person put that up prematurely. The kitten was just spayed, and normally we wait until the animal has had adequate recovery time before we add them to the site, but accidents happen. Last I checked, the little one is recovering nicely and should be ready to interact a couple days. She’s the sweetest thing. Someone dumped her in a cardboard box at our front door. She had a leg injury, but that’s also healing up. She loves to play, loves to cuddle, and I’ll think she’ll thrive in a good home. Would you like to make an appointment to see her?”

“Yes, I would! What time slots do you have available?”

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

A few days later, you and Frederick walked arm in arm into the county SPCA. Frederick had rush-ordered all the supplies you thought you’d need and then some. You both excited and nervous. You’d already taken a huge step by moving in together, and now you were adopting a pet. You looked over at Frederick and noticed the uncertainty in his eyes. He also seemed leaning on his cane for support. He always seemed to do that when he was unsure about something. You gave his arm a gentle squeeze and kissed his cheek.

“It’s going to be okay, Frederick, you’re to be a wonderful cat dad. I believe in you.”

Frederick blushed and placed a soft kiss on your temple.

“Thank you, my love, I appreciate your faith in me, even though I’m still not sure what’s done to deserve it, or you.”

Before you could respond to that, Joanne came out her office and rushed toward you.

“Y/N! It’s so good to see you!”

“It’s good to see you, too, Joanne.” You enveloped her in a big hug and then motioned to Frederick. “Joanne, this is Dr. Frederick Chilton, my Frederick.”

Frederick gave you the most loving of looks, and nearly melted into a puddle at your feet at sound of you referring to him as “your Frederick.”

“Nice to meet you, Dr. Chilton,” said Joanne, extending her hand.

“And you,” he replied, shaking hands.

“Well, I suppose you want to meet the little one; right this way!”

You and Frederick followed Joanne to cat section of the shelter. You walked past several cats, each one trying to get your attention from their enclosures. If you had your way, you’d take them all home, but you didn’t think Frederick was quite ready for that yet; but maybe one day…

“Here she is, “announced Joanne, stopping in front of one of the enclosures. A tiny black, fluffy kitten was inside, and her eyes lit up when she saw you. She was immediately on her feet, and you noticed she still had a slight limp in her injured leg, but she was full of energy and mewing incessantly. Joanne opened the door and carefully lifted her out. You reached out to take her, but the impatient kitten leapt out of Joanne’s hands and into your waiting arms.

“Oh! Hello! Hi baby, hi sweetheart,” you cooed.

“Mew, mew, mew!”

You looked into her eyes, and it was love at first sight. You did your best to hold onto her, shifting and adjusting your arms to accommodate her constant movement and attempts to climb up your shoulder. You gave her a little scratch between her ears and kissed her head. She was perfect.

“Mew! Mew!”

“Yes, baby, it’s okay, I’ve got you, I’ve got you.”

Frederick stood there watching you with the kitten, completely dumbstruck. Just when he thought he couldn’t fall anymore in love with you, you had to go and surprise him. You were a natural cat mom, cradling the tiny ball of fluff and talking to her like she was a human. He saw the kitten rub her nose against your chin and looked like she was giving you kisses. He also saw the look of pure love and joy on your face, and he lived for that, wanted to see that every day. He didn’t know anything about raising a cat, but for you, he would try.

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

Joanne led you to a visitor’s room so that you and Frederick could spend some quality time getting to know the kitten. Frederick removed his coat and offered to take the kitten so that you could take off yours. You demonstrated how to hold the kitten and then handed her to Frederick. He held her close to chest and sat down.

“Mew?” the kitten looked up at him, confused as to who this new person was.

“It’s alright, little one, I’ve got you,” he tried to reassure her. A lock of his normally perfectly quaffed hair suddenly flopped in his face, and the kitten’s eyes grew wide.

“Mew?” she raised a paw and tentatively batted at Frederick’s hair. “Mew…”

“Oh, that’s adorable,” you said, plopping down next to them on a bean bag chair. You saw the smile on his face and nudged him with your elbow. “See? She likes you. And I think she wants to play.” You looked around the room and saw the toy boxes, filled with various dog and cat toys, but then something else caught your eye. “Frederick?”

“Yes, my love?”

“Hand her back to me and take off your scarf, please.”

He did as he was told. You carefully placed the kitten on the carpet and proceeded to dangle the scarf in front if her. Her eyes went wide again, and then she crouched, wiggled her backside, and pounced. Her little paws batted at the scarf, then she would roll around kick at it with her hind legs.

“It certainly looks like she’s enjoying herself,” Frederick chuckled. “So, what are we going to call her?”

“I was thinking ‘Buttercup”,” you said matter-of-factly.

“I am not the least bit surprised,” he replied, immediately picking up on your reference. He looked at the kitten. “Well, what do you think about that little one?”

“Mew?”

“Your name,” you told her, “Buttercup, do you like it?”

“Mew, mew.” She forgot about the scarf and crawled into your lap, kneading you with her paws.

“I think she likes it.” You threw Frederick a smile.

“Yes, I quite think she does. I have an idea, how about a story? Would you like that Buttercup?”

“Mew.” She replied with a yawn,

“Darling, if you check your bag, I believe you’ll find a book there.”

You checked your purse, and sure enough, in the largest section was a children’s book, one that you instantly recognized from your own childhood.

“If You Give A Mouse A Cookie?”

“It came highly recommended by the lady at the bookstore.”

“It’s perfect, Frederick.” You handed him the book and leaned your head against his knee. As he began to read, Buttercup curled up in your lap and shut her eyes, she was soon fast asleep, purring away. When he finished reading, Frederick caressed your cheek with hand to get your attention.

“So, shall we go find Joanne and make it official?”

“Yes,” you replied, gazing down at Buttercup, “If we don’t take her home today, I think I’ll cry.”

“Then let’s go fill out the paperwork and bring her home.”

[dazaisbiitch]

Mistress Of Evil

This is a My hero academia Oc story but it can also be read as an X Reader

All credits for the plot, storyline and characters go to Kohei Horikoshi, except the parts of the story that are my own and my own original character.

WARNINGS: May include adult themes, adult activity, hard language, intense or persistent violence, sexually-oriented nudity, drug abuse or other elements

Description:

"This is where my fun begins"

That's all she said that she took one step forward and off the tallest building in the area.

Only to land perfectly on her feet at the bottom, without okay in the world.

No one will be able to stop what's coming" 

Those were the final words of the night as she slipped away into the alleyways, as the sun began to rise signaling the start of a new day in the first day that she'd finally be her true self! 

Prologue

"You have to focus Rairaku, you have one of the most powerful quirks anyone has ever seen. You need to learn how to control and harvest the full and complete power of your quirk, then no villain will ever be able to get away from you. Once you're a hero, you will quickly rise in the ranks as a pro. Your quirk will make you a great hero someday, you will be respected by your colleagues and feared by every villain, you'll be able to open an agency to teach and guide others, just like I have with you… None of that will happen though if you don't focus on your training right now!"

"Yeah whatever, you really did a number on me, what would I have done without you to turn into a freak show. Do you think people are intimidated by other people's quirks? How insecure do you have to be in your own power to believe someone is better than you just because they have a better, stronger, flashier quirk than someone else? That's not how this shit works. No one gives a fuck if you have a strong quirk, they judge you before they know you… All this society cares about is if you have a quirk or not, if you do, well you have a chance to be a hero or a villain… Quirkless people are cast aside and left forgotten… You should take yourself as an example here, you had an amazing fire quirk, a villain came along, you lost a battle and lost your quirk, how quickly did the hero commission cast you aside as less than worthless? No one even remembers you as a hero, you only still have a hero license because you know a few tricks here and there that come in handy from time to time… The reality is that they don't care, no one does… You have this crazy idea that if you push me and push my quirk to its limits until my body collapses my quirk will be this superweapon you can offer to the commission on a silver platter, so much that at this point, I don't even know what my quirk can't do… nothing surprises me anymore!"

"That's the beauty of it, there's nothing it can't do. You have no limitations, except the ones you place on your own body essentially making it weak! You keep that strong quirk of yours trapped inside that weak and feeble body of yours, but fear, not I will fix that. You'll be training five more hours a day starting now, so back to training young lady!"

It's no use… My body can't take anymore, it needs a break, but this bitch is never going to give me one… This person should have never been a mother, thank god I'm adopted! I'm so fed up with this training. I don't remember a time I was not training my stupid quirk. I don't even want to be a hero and be just another puppet for the hero commission to control, I want to be free…

This whole shit show will soon end, if it's the last thing I do I'll make it end! I have exactly one month to come up with a plan, a month before I start attending U.A high school, the best hero school in the whole country. I got in through recommendations thanks to my dear old mother.

Making the executive decision to sneak out and try to find some way or idea to execute any sort of plan, but also have fun doing stuff that I probably shouldn't be doing, but who cares? I certainly don't.

Sneaking out has become very easy, living in a fancy neighbourhood isn't all that, live here long enough though and you learn to move in the shadows, allowing myself to become one with the darkness of the night and all that just so nosy neighbours don't see me and start commenting on my "behaviour"...

It's not the first time I've snuck out, certainly won't be the last, but this is the first time that I've gone into the city. Yokohama is truly a beautiful city, especially at night. I love to watch the nightlife, it's the time when villains shine the most, but at the same time, I cannot live among pigs that think they can drunkenly take advantage of an innocent woman just walking home.

Luckily I haven't encountered anything like that tonight, instead, I'm casually relaxing on a rooftop in the middle of the city, looking down at the world like God looking down at his subjects.

"What's someone so young doing up here?" an intimidating voice calls behind me. I already knew someone was approaching me minutes ago…

"Well, if I'm being honest I would say I'm thinking about the murder of a certain ex-pro hero… But better to be here and as far away from them as possible or who knows what I'd do to that bitch… I'm so tired of her living in glory as the world pities her for losing her quirk, while behind closed doors she's an abusive piece of shit!"

"Then jump. It will end all your tiredness, once and for all"

"As much as I'd love to, especially from up here, with this view, I can't, as soon as I start falling my quirk will just levitate back up here. Also even if I could, I'd just be proving her right, proving to her that I'm just as weak and pathetic as she thinks I am, so much that I took the cowards way out. No thank you. I'd suffer a while longer and have the satisfaction of watching her take her last breath. I will not die, not until I shove all her fake heroic ideologies down her stupid throat."

"Hmph… Perhaps then you shouldn't jump… I can however help you deal with her. This world must be cleansed of fake hero pretences and false ideologies. Back to the time where people knew the true meaning of what being a hero truly is!"

"So what? You'll kill her? If so then just go ahead and do it! No one will care about her death. To her, I am just another job the hero commission gave her, one she wasn't even qualified to do. If you do it, don't do it for me and my sad sob story. Do it because you truly believe in cleansing hypocritic heroes from this world. If that is indeed what your goal is I will give you all the information you need on her and all the other corrupt heroes in this society."

"What's your name kid?"

"Rairaku Ishii, you can call me Rai though. And I'd rather for you to not say your name out loud, you never know who could be listening, but I know exactly who you are, I'm telepathic, and it's a pleasure to meet you, I must say I'm a fan!"

"Good. Now about that information, you said you'd give me…"

"First ex-pro hero Pyro, she used to be very popular as Endeavour's sidekick, but now she's lost her quirk. She's basically useless, but people still praise her for some reason. Make it slow, she deserves a slow painful death, "heroes" should never abuse their power or others!"

"Are you sure? There's no turning back after this"

"I've never been more sure of anything in my life. She has to be punished for what she has done. Starting today, I'll be the person I want to be."

"And who might that be?"

"Don't know yet! I could be your accomplice, after all, it seems we'll be seeing a lot more of each other."

"Fine, just know it might take a while, I have pressing matters I need taking care of first"

"The longer you take will just make me kill her myself"

End of the day it really should be me. I should be the one to kill her, I should be the one to do it. After everything, she's put me through? After everything, she's done to me? Killing her… Would that make me a villain? What better than that, a villain goes against every hero ideal she's ever tried to engrave into my brain…

Yes, that's it. I'll be the worst type of villain this world has ever seen.

This is where my fun begins!

[imagine-loki]

What About Trust, Chapter 6

TITLE: What About Trust CHAPTER NO./ONE SHOT: Chapter 6 AUTHOR: fanficshiddles ORIGINAL IMAGINE: Imagine Loki owns a bookshop on Midgard. He had to do something there to try and avoid getting any attention. But he’s not fond of having customers, is rather grumpy and guarded. But then he meets a bright, bubbly and trusting young woman who doesn’t recognise him. To his dismay, he finds himself becoming rather fond of the mortal.  RATING: M

Cleo made her way down the street to Loki’s shop, she was just about there when she saw a young couple running out of the store as fast as they could, almost tripping on their way out.

‘AND DON’T BOTHER COMING BACK!’ Loki roared at them as he stepped outside to make sure they left.

‘Well, that’s one way to get recurring customers.’ Cleo commented, raising an eyebrow at him.

Loki’s face instantly softened. ‘They were spilling coke on my books! They almost spilled all over the very first edition of The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter! Do you know how much that is worth?’

Cleo’s eyes widened. ‘You have the original, like, the very first one ever? The Tale of Peter Rabbit?’

‘I do… And it was almost ruined by those imbeciles.’ He growled.

‘Can I see it?’

Loki huffed and folded his arms over his chest. ‘You’re not listening. It was almost ruined! Value, gone. Poof.’

‘Well we better check it over to make sure they definitely didn’t ruin it.’ Cleo said as she went past him into his shop.

He followed her in and she had already spotted said book on the table by the fire place. She sat down on his chair and pulled it in closer to the table, then carefully opened the book to the first page.

Loki knew he could trust her with his books. She was the only one he knew for certain wouldn’t wreck his prized possessions.

‘Oh wow, this is incredible. I can’t believe it’s the first one. Seriously, how do you get hold of these?’ She asked in awe as Loki wandered over and perched on the arm of the chair.

‘I have my ways… My adopted parents were rather, well off. I grew up surrounded by many of these books they’d managed to acquire over the many years.’ Loki said.

‘I wish my parents had been as into books or music. I mean, they did read and listen to music, but not to the extent that I do. I was always told off for living with my head in the clouds. My nose always stuck in a book or my headphones in to listen to music.’ Cleo admitted.

‘If it’s any consolation, my brother and father was the same. My brother especially was always mocking me for being a book worm. But there’s nothing wrong with it, nothing at all.’ Loki said softly, making her smile.

She looked back at the book and read through it, careful with every single page. When she finished, she closed it and gently put it back on the table. ‘Well, it looks fine to me. So I think it got away unscathed from the coke spilling.’ She smiled up at Loki.

‘Thank you for so graciously checking.’ He chuckled and grabbed the book to return it to its rightful place.

‘You’re welcome.’ She grinned and hopped up to her feet. ‘So, I was thinking.’

‘Uh oh, dangerous.’ Loki teased, smirking as he walked back over to her.

She narrowed her eyes at him. ‘Ha. Ha… I was thinking, if you’re not doing anything tomorrow night, perhaps you’d like to come along to a gig? My friend is in a band and they’re playing at Grand Central Pub.’

‘Hmm.’ Loki folded his arms over his chest. ‘I think I’m washing my hair tomorrow night.’

Cleo glared up at him and put her arms across her chest, too. ‘Don’t be such an ass. You might even enjoy yourself, where’s the harm in that?’

‘Being in a room full of sweaty strangers dancing and gyrating against one another is not my idea of a fun night.’ Loki drawled and wandered over to the nearest book shelf to tidy up a little, even though to Cleo it already looked tidy.

‘What is your idea of a fun night?’ Cleo queried and leaned against the book shelf next to him, getting in his way.

He scowled down at her. ‘A quiet night in with a good book and chocolate is all that I need.’

‘Well, it starts at seven, if you do change your mind. And it’s not a nightclub, it’s a pub. Table seats and a chilled atmosphere.’ Cleo shrugged and started backing away from him. ‘They’re a good band, you might just surprise yourself and enjoy it.’

‘I doubt that.’ Loki mumbled and concentrated on front of him.

Cleo rolled her eyes and shook her head. ‘Alright, your loss.’ She called to him as she headed out.

‘I look forward to hearing all about it the next time you come in to bug me and steal my chair.’ Loki said, his voice dripping with sarcasm, just before she headed out the door.

-

Loki sighed as he looked up at the pub on front of him. He couldn’t believe he had talked himself into going along.

It wasn’t like he had anything better to do anyway, but still.

If it had been anyone else but Cleo inviting him, he would’ve definitely refused. But the thought of spending more time with her was far too appealing, he couldn’t help himself. And she clearly wanted to spend more time with him, too. Since she had invited him, after all.

When he walked into the bar, he was indeed pleasantly surprised to find it was a relaxed atmosphere. It was busy, but not too busy. There was still room to move around without being pressed against other people.

‘Hey, Luke!’ Came a familiar voice.

He turned to the side and smiled when he saw Cleo at a small table at the back. She motioned him over and grinned when he approached, holding out a bottle of beer towards him.

Raising an eyebrow, he took the drink from her and sat down with her. ‘How did you know I would turn up?’

Cleo shrugged and took a swig of her own beer. ‘I wouldn’t say I knew you would, but I hoped you would. I figured if you weren’t here by ten past, then you wouldn’t turn up and I’d just go join my friends.’

‘I might’ve been fashionably late.’ He shrugged.

‘Nah, you certainly don’t seem to be the type to ever be late to something.’

Loki tilted his head slightly. ‘Why are you not joining your friends? Or having them join us? Where are they?’

‘They’re over there, near the bar.’ She pointed to a table of five people, two guys and three girls. ‘Our friend is the drummer of the band. I also guessed that if you did come along, you wouldn’t want to be subjected to conversing with my friends.’

Loki frowned. ‘We can join them if you want.’

‘Do you want to? Or do you want to stay here at this table?’ Cleo asked, smirking as she knew exactly what his answer would be.

‘It is cosier here…’ He said sheepishly.

Cleo laughed. ‘Don’t worry, I said I’d catch them for a quick catch up after the gig.’

Loki smiled and clinked his bottle with hers. He felt warmed that she had thought about what he would prefer, what he would be comfortable with. No one had really gone out of their way for him before or made a sacrifice to make him happier, no matter how little it was it meant a lot to him.

He ended up really enjoying the gig when it started, even bobbing his head a little in tune with the music. Cleo was moving around in her chair dancing and cheering plenty between songs.

Though Loki found himself looking at Cleo more often than at the band on stage. The way her eyes were sparkling in the light, she was such a cheerful and happy soul. It made Loki feel fuzzy inside whenever he looked at her and was with her.

He knew he was in deep trouble now.

After the gig was over, Cleo went to see her friends and Loki decided to go with her to meet them. He thought after all she did for him, he should at least make an effort and be polite.

Cleo was pleasantly surprised when Loki wasn’t like a bear with a sore head towards them. He greeted them all and commented to her friend in the band about how good the gig was.

‘Are you coming along to the party?’ One of her friends asked.

‘I have to work tomorrow, so should probably head home.’ Cleo said sadly.

‘If you give me five minutes, I’ll walk you home.’ One of her other friends offered, one of the guys. They were always wary about their female friends walking home alone in the dark. Even though it was well lit.

‘I’m heading home too, so I’ll make sure Cleo gets home safely.’ Loki jumped in.

‘Are you sure?’ Cleo asked.

‘Of course.’ Loki nodded with a smile.

After saying bye to her friends, Loki and Cleo headed out into the cool night together.

‘Don’t even say it.’ Loki drawled.

‘What? I didn’t say anything!’ Cleo said, but he had known from the way she skipped along the pavement that she had been about to say something.

‘I know you were about to.’ Loki narrowed his eyes at her.

She grinned and began walking backwards just ahead of him. ‘What, that I told you so?’

‘Yes. That.’ Loki rolled his eyes, making Cleo laugh.

‘Well, in my defence I did tell you so… But I am really glad that you enjoyed it.’ Cleo settled back walking next to him.

It wasn’t too far to Cleo’s place. She lived in a nice block of flats not too far from the city centre. But down a nice quiet residential street so it wasn’t too crazy.

Loki walked her up to the front door of the building.

‘Thank you for inviting me along tonight. It was a pleasant enough evening.’ Loki grinned.

‘I’m glad you decided it was more exciting than washing your hair.’ Cleo quipped, grinning back at him.

Loki chuckled and ran a hand through his hair. ‘Yeah, it turned out to be a little better than doing that.’

‘Because of course the company was exceptional.’ Cleo teased, mocking a bow.

‘It was indeed.’ Loki purred.

The both of them paused a moment, looking into one another’s eyes. Loki’s heart started pounding against his chest and so did Cleo’s. They both began to lean in closer, slowly moving towards one another. Loki glanced down at her lips, almost there…

Suddenly the front door swung open and a tenant from the building came bustling out, moving right through between Loki and Cleo. ‘Sorry, excuse me!’

Loki cleared his throat and Cleo stepped back a bit, feeling a little shy suddenly.

‘Uhm, well, thanks for walking me home, Luke. I really appreciate it.’ She smiled sweetly at him, her cheeks red.

Loki opened his mouth slightly for a moment, about to admit his real name. But he found he just couldn’t do it. Then she would know who he truly was, and all the bad things he’d done… He didn’t want to risk her hating him.

‘The pleasure was all mine, darling.’ He ended up saying charmingly.

He waited until Cleo was safely inside the building and out of sight, heading upstairs, before he headed for home… Muttering curses at himself under his breath the entire way.

[sou-ver-2-0]

“Midori is Meister’s son,” and other Sou theories

I’ve had a theory for a while that Original Sou is the son of Meister, the likely Mastermind behind the Death Game. I’ve alluded to this theory before, but I haven’t made a proper post for it until now.

I came up with the theory because it’s the easiest way to put Original Sou under Meister’s power and influence. It’s the simplest explanation I can think of for why Original Sou was both an Asu-Naro member and a planned Death Game participant. That’s a strange combination of things to be, but it’s not that strange if that’s what your father raised you to be…

However, there’s more to this theory than a mere hunch. In the first two chapters of YTTD, we learn the story of the Satous: Gashu the father, Kai the human son, and Rio Ranger the doll son. I believe that the story of the Satous is foreshadowing for the story of Sou’s own family.

Gashu is a villain dedicated to the cause of Asu-Naro. He raised Kai to be an Asu-Naro agent. Part of Kai’s job was to watch over Sara, a planned Death Game candidate; he grew to care for her. Kai becomes a participant himself and is one of the Game’s first victims. After Kai dies, we are introduced to Rio Ranger, a sadistic Floor Master. He is a broken doll who wears smiling masks. Rio Ranger is similarly fated to die, and Gashu is then revealed as the father.

Let’s try changing the names in that story. Meister is the main villain behind Asu-Naro. He raised Sou Hiyori to be a top agent. While on the job, Sou developed a close relationship with Shin, a planned Death Game candidate. Sou himself is the first candidate to die, before the Game even begins. However, we meet him again in the “Graveyard of Broken Dolls” as Midori, a sadistic Floor Master who masks his cruelty behind a smile. Midori instructs the participants to kill him… Perhaps leading to a scenario where Meister will finally reveal himself.

I’ll dig into these parallels deeper beneath the cut. But before I go any further, I want to give credit to @joukester​ who came up with the “Shin was a replacement candidate for Sou” theory, which has influenced my thinking a lot. I also want to credit @novatoast​, who pointed out the important Kai parallels and many other ideas to me! I’m very grateful. While Shin is my favorite character, Sou is the character I enjoy speculating about the most. I’m excited to finally share my thoughts on the ramifications of this theory.

Some words on Meister, and the role of the Man from the Memorandum

I should be clear upfront that I think Meister is the Man from the Memorandum, the winner of the Previous Death Game, who loved and lost a “17-year-old School Girl.” I subscribe to the theory that Meister is recreating the Death Game to mold Sara into his beloved High School Girl by putting her through the same trials, and he is hoping she will win this time.

In order to make the perfect recreation, I think the other Death Game participants are also meant to fill in the previous participants’ roles. I believe that Shin fulfills the role of the “Man” himself, which was likely an antagonistic role. However, I believe that Sou was originally meant to play this antagonist role. I think that Shin’s First Trial is so unusual because it was designed to twist Shin into adopting Sou’s personality. That way, he could better play the part.

The first thing we learn about the Man is his confession, “In the first trial, I killed a person.” If Sou had survived to the Death Game, it’s possible that his First Trial would have been to literally kill Shin. Instead, Shin’s First Trial is only that “Sou” metaphorically kills “Shin.”

I want to bring up another possibility for the Man’s role; it may be a doomed role. It’s possible that even if Sou had survived to the Death Game, he might also have had a zero percent chance of survival. The worst outcome for the Mastermind may be seeing a ��repeat win” for his own role. While I love the theory that Shin’s zero percent survival rate is due to his own agency (having a self-sacrificial nature), there’s a poignancy to the idea that both Sous turn to villainy out of desperation in the face of certain death. Knowing that the Game is rigged against them in favor of a teenage girl.

Perhaps, even knowing that your own father favors a strange girl over yourself.

Even if the role isn’t necessarily doomed, I think Sou Hiyori still knew more about Meister and the Death Game than any other planned participant. If Meister was Sou’s father, and Sou was serving him faithfully, wouldn’t it make sense for him to be upset that he isn’t the favored “Chosen One”? Knowing that he will someday participate in a Death Game, with a high chance of death, but his father isn’t even rooting for him?

What would that horrible knowledge do to a person?

Kai Satou and Sou Hiyori: Two Different Kinds of Stalkers

Let’s talk about the Human Sons, Kai and Sou. Kai was raised to work for Asu-Naro and he was trained to become an assassin. However, he could never kill a person, and so his ranking in the organization was low. I’m suggesting that Sou was also raised to work for Asu-Naro, but since he took on so many important jobs of manipulating participants’ lives, he was likely in good standing.

The most interesting parallel between these two agents is that they each developed an attachment to another candidate. Kai was instructed to watch over Sara, the strongest candidate, and he grew fond of her from afar. Sara never even knew his name. Although Kai had noble intentions, Sara feared him, and lived with the anxiety of having a stalker.

In contrast, Sou developed an intense, abusive relationship with Shin, the weakest candidate. Instead of keeping his distance while spying on the boy, Sou seems to have become Shin’s closest friend.

Sara and Shin share a similar trauma of feeling stalked. Watching eyes and grabbing hands haunt them.

Another clear parallel between the two stalkers is that they both left written accounts of their observations. We see Kai’s notes about Sara on his laptop, and we see Sou’s notes about Shin in his “Shin Tsukimi AI Test Data” book, to Sara and Shin’s chagrin.

Kai grew an emotional attachment to Sara in spite of his job to watch her. Now the question is, how much of Sou’s relationship with Shin was “strictly business”?

Was Sou’s interest in Shin really all for Asu-Naro? Was he instructed to form such a close relationship with the boy? Or did he also grow close to his chosen candidate in spite of his job? We can’t say for sure yet. However, the closer parallel to Kai would be that Sou’s feelings for Shin became more “personal” than “professional.” Personally, I find it likely that Sou wanted to exercise control over a vulnerable person because he didn’t feel like he had much control over his own life.

I speculate that a major difference between Kai and Sou is knowledge of their fate. I think that Sou grew up knowing that he would one day be a Death Game candidate, while Kai did not know this until the last minute. In a similar way that Shin only becomes a villain if you tell him his survival rate, I think that Kai’s innocence of his fate informed his nobler personality. Meanwhile, Sou’s knowledge of his fate could have harshened him.

How do these two men behave in the face of death?

Death: An act of resistance?

“This is... resistance. Our lives toyed with to our enemy's whims, we are unable to save even a single person... As we die off, this is... my feeble... resistance. But it is one large step... toward counterattack...! It is a step I was able to take... because you bought me time. It is surely... not futile. I entrust them to you...! Our regrets...!! Our hopes...!! I... am satisfied.”

Kai’s suicide in the First Main Game is framed as one of the most courageous acts in the story. Kai takes his life into his own hands, rather than let himself be abused by Asu-Naro a minute longer. He also uses his final words to give an inspirational speech to Sara and entrust his hopes to her. It is a heavy burden for Sara to carry, but she doesn’t have a choice. Nobody has any “easy” choices in this Game.

How does Kai’s death compare to Sou’s death? While Kai took his own life in resistance of Asu-Naro, Sou was murdered by Alice, presumably in service to Asu-Naro.

That’s certainly how it looks…

But what if? What if Sou’s early death was his own form of resistance? What if he deliberately provoked Alice to kill him, knowing that this would mess up the script? Knowing that this would make things more complicated for Meister? Is that so unthinkable?

Why would he do that?

It’s not like Sou’s life was particularly meaningful. He lived in service of an evil organization, possibly with a father who didn’t love him. His only close friendship we know of was with a helpless teenage boy, and Sou treated him terribly.

But…I’d like to share my most outrageous Sou theory, because I might as well go big or go home.

In the same way that Kai entrusted his regrets and hopes to Sara, it’s possible that Sou was entrusting his own regrets and hopes to Shin.

What I’m saying is that: it’s possible that Sou died thinking that his death would give Shin a fighting chance.

“I gave Sou to Shin. He’s already Sou by now, you see.”

This quote has always stood out to me. From our point of view, it was Shin’s own choice to take Sou’s name! Sou didn’t “give” it to him!

Unless…Sou knew that his own death would force Shin into the Antagonist Role? He might have known that his own First Trial would be to murder Shin, and he wanted to avoid that? He might have wanted Shin’s First Trial to make the young man “stronger”? He may have even liked the idea of Shin carrying on his own name and legacy?

Following this interpretation, it’s possible that Sou rationalized his abuse of Shin was “good” because it would have “prepared” the boy for the upcoming Death Game. Shin ought to learn how cruel people are. From a “friend.” If the story were to actually frame Sou’s abuse of Shin as “teaching Shin,” this would also tie into Shin AI’s line, “Though I learned a lot of things at his house.”

There’s an obvious argument against what I’ve just suggested. It comes from one of Midori’s most memorable lines.

“Since he was going to die anyway, I wanted to kill him with my own hands…”

Midori the doll says cheerfully that he wanted to kill Shin himself. That clearly shows his intentions towards Shin are purely negative. That line is not befitting someone who might have died to “help” a vulnerable person.

However, I have a counterargument for that. It’s that Sou and Midori aren’t the same person. YTTD’s narrative makes it very clear that the dolls and humans can have separate personalities, shown most clearly with Reko and Fake Reko.

And Midori doesn’t parallel Kai. He parallels Rio Ranger.

Rio Ranger and Midori: the sadistic broken dolls

Rio Ranger is an incomplete doll. His father Gashu strongly imbued him with “a strong sense of inferiority, which gave birth to jealousy and hatred.” Gashu also “discarded what [Rio Ranger] originally possessed.” “Kindness… compassion… happiness… / Nearly all of [his] positive emotions.”

I think it is possible that something similar happened to Midori. Sou’s feelings for Shin may have been more complex than simple sadistic pleasure at Shin’s pain. If Sou truly paralleled Kai, he may have had hidden “positive” emotions for Shin as well. Inconvenient, rebellious emotions that Meister would want to “discard.” Leaving Midori as the purely sadistic doll we know now.

I realize that this would be a shockingly positive development for Sou’s character if any of this is true. Original Sou is currently treated as a hate-able joke in the fandom because he is so cartoonishly evil. I feel obligated to say that nothing I’ve written would make Sou’s treatment of Shin “okay.”

And it could be that nothing I just wrote is true! I’m simply drawing parallels with Kai’s death of “resistance” and Rio Ranger’s loss of “positive emotions,” and trying to show the implications of what that could mean for Original Sou and Midori. But it could also be that Nankidai will write Original Sou’s death in an opposite way from Kai, and that Midori is more of a “broken person” instead of a “broken doll.” In fact, my favorite difference between Midori and Rio Ranger is that Ranger only knows what it’s like to be a doll, while Midori has the complex memories of human existence. Honestly, there are many ways Nankidai could approach this. I just don’t know yet.

For example, Original Sou could have even been instructed to allow Alice to kill him. I can’t discount that possibility.

Nankidai could also approach a death of “resistance” in a nuanced way. Perhaps Sou stumbled into conflict with Alice without meaning to take things so far. Like Kai, he didn’t want to die. Perhaps he escalated the tension because he was feeling more emotional than logical. Perhaps he found himself in a fight with a larger man, a fight he couldn’t win, and then he finally started rationalizing to himself that his death could still have meaning. And that meaning could have been a combination of feelings of spite for his job and obsession for his friend.

We do have evidence from Midori’s behavior that he seeks mutually assured destruction, and he even seems masochistic. This could lead to a death of “resistance” which is still very different in tone from Kai’s death.

“But I’ll try my best to make it one shot, one kill… I wanna take at least four people with me…”

“How nice hatred is… It lets me satisfy a person 100%...”

I do think that the only interesting thing to do with Midori’s character is to humanize him. He could get sympathetic traits to make him feel more realistic. I think this could even make him scarier! What’s most frightening about the character isn’t his campy villainous vibe; it’s the fact that he’s an abuser. And abusers use sympathy to get what they want.

Rio Ranger is mostly demonic in the story until we finally learn about his father, Gashu, who “puts Ranger in his place” by killing him. Something similar may happen with Midori.

Conclusions

This is getting long and I’ve already written about the most interesting potential parallels between Sou and the Satou brothers, so I’ll wrap things up.

The reason I find Sou/Midori so fascinating is because he is a man of many contradictions. He is a participant and floor master, alive and dead, aggressor and victim. He could be a victim within the cycle of abuse himself, if they develop his relationship with Meister as much as I’m speculating.

Even if my theories and conclusions are wrong, the parallels between Sou Hiyori and the Satou brothers still exist. We have two Asu-Naro agents who developed an attachment to a candidate before becoming early victims. We have two “broken” sadistic doll floor masters. I feel instinctively that these parallels must mean something. I want to think that the parallels mean that Sou could have a father figure, similar to Gashu, and the most likely candidate is Meister. We can also use these parallels to infer how Sou/Midori could be written to be a more complex character.

Thank you for reading!! @ Nankidai good luck writing this bastard.

[vrisrezis]

the matsunos reaction to knowing their s/o have a kid and meeting them?

YES PLS

Also if u want I can do hcs for these specific kids and the matsus bc god . I have ideas

Gender neutral reader

“Wait.. you have a kid?! How?!” Osomatsu asks, bewildered. How hasn’t he known about this? Why hasn’t he met the kid yet? He’s a bit disappointed at first, not that he hates kids he just.. it means there’s another parent in the equation right? So he kinda asks you about that whole thing, are they just dead? Or like were they a dick? Or? Is your kid just adopted?

However, he’s very excited to meet your kid! He wishes you told him about your little girl sooner. He’s not worried he’ll mess up at all, (he probably should be). He doesn’t even ask any questions, he just wants to meet the kid.

You were a bit worried.. and for good reason. Your daughter didn’t exactly .. like people. She was anti social. Besides.. things had been kinda difficult for the both of you upon having to take care of her on her own. She’s been waiting for you to introduce her to Osomatsu, the man you’ve been dating for months now.

Your daughter tended to be a bit judgmental, especially when it came to your relationships. D/n may only be twelve, but she has a knack for being able to sniff out unsuitable future dads/moms/parents. The thing about your daughter was.. she was Osomatsus complete opposite. She’s serious, hardworking, an over achiever type of gal. She knows what she wants and will do anything to get it. Point is, you were a little worried about how she would take you dating a literal neet.

As you walked into your house, your daughter was reading on the floor. As per usual. She looked up, he eyes widening a little to see the male next to you. Red hoodie. She stood up, walking up to osomatsu, and he smiled, taking his hand out for her to shake wordlessly, and she takes it, shaking his hand. “Nice to meet you! I’m Osomatsu!” “So I’ve heard. My name is d/n.” She said, her face more deadpan, in contrast to his smile. He didn’t seem to mind though, like he didn’t care, which made her raise a brow. Your past lovers tended to be intimidated by her seriousness.

Seeing how well behaved your kid was, how serious she was. He didn’t even think she was real, she’s literally the perfect child. Seeing how sweet you were being with her as well. God you were a great parent that raised such a well behaved child and he couldn’t help but sigh out of pure love..

Maybe that’s what won her over, and actually be willing to be nice and have a conversation with him.

“Wait so you’re a neet?” “Yes.” “Are you looking for a job?” “Nope.” She lets out a loud sigh as he smirks. “

They talked for a bit, and honestly? Your daughter couldn’t help but sigh at some of the things he said, only making him laugh more. You are surprised she hasn’t blown up in his face yet.. but.. is she… laughing? At a joke he made? That’s so… unlike her..

You can’t help but smile at the two.

Karamatsu is extremely surprised, but he doesn’t mind. He doesn’t ask about the other parent, it’s personal and he understands if you don’t wanna talk about it. Very excited about meeting the child as well honestly. Tries to keep that cool guy act and pretend he’s not overly excited but it couldn’t be more obvious, he always brings it up whenever you see eachother as well. “So.. heh.. how are s/n and d/n.. hm??” Trying to act cool about it. You simply deadpan, “do you want to meet them karamatsu?” “YES!” He then coughs suddenly, “ahem, yes..”

You wondered if he was excited because they were identical twins. Yes, you had two kids. A son and a daughter, absolute monsters. They’re teens though, so it’s to be expected. Being age fifteen was not easy! But.. you often found yourself scolding the two of them for something new.

You weren’t too nervous about him meeting them, it would certainly be an… interesting night. He seemed rather nervous though. You gave him a reassuring smile before walking in…

Only to find a mess before you, as you expected. You sigh, “d/n!! s/n!! Get down here and clean your mess!!” You yell in a tone karamatsu has never heard you yell. Such a motherly tone with strictness to it. He heard loud stomping, only to see the two rush down the stairs. They originally would just rush, and get back upstairs but the two of them stop upon seeing a man beside you.

“Who is that?” s/n cocks a brow, and before you could answer, your daughter interrupts, hitting his arm. “Ow!” “It’s the new daddy right?! Right? I’m right! Right..?” She smiled excitedly, and he couldn’t help but blush a bit. Dad..dy.. maybe one day? You couldn’t help but blush yourself, “this is my boyfriend karamatsu. Karamatsu this is s/n and d/n. Okay you two, clean up and make it quick.” You say as they both quickly nod, yelling a “nice to meet you!” Before cleaning up all the chip bags, clothes, and wires on the floor.

Karamatsu was having a trouble time acting cool in front of these teens. They were oozing with confidence, and that is intimidating. No matter HOW young they are. They are definitely your kids. They have your confidence, your talkative and mischievous personality, your teasing, everything. “Wait so what’s your job?” “Do you live by yourself?” “Do you have any siblings?”

“Kids..!” You looked at them with that stern look, and they quickly shut up. “Sorry!” S/n grins, “maybe we’re being a bit much..” he laughs sheepishly, as so does his sister. “We’re just excited!” She whines, and karamatsu only chuckles, saying that it was fine.. “I understand you have a lot of questions about dear old me..” he adjusts his shades, “I am a sextuplet.. I love with my brothers..” “woaaah!!” “Seriously?! You love them that much?”

“What about the job?” D/n pressed, and he sweats. “As for a job.. heh.. I..” he pauses. Oh god here it comes.

“I have no plans..!”

“Jeez you paused just for that?!” Your daughter says in annoyance, as your son laughs. “Hahahah! This guy is awesome!”

“Really? Awesome?” He asks, trying not to sound hopeful.

“Yeah!” They both say at the same time, smiling.

He had to stop himself from letting out a loud sigh of relief.

Choromatsu spits out his drink, gaping at you. “You have a WHAT?!” He just can’t believe it to be honest, but at least he won’t ever have to have a talk with you about having kids with you (a talk he was terrified of having) so he’s actually thankful you have children already. He was a bit nervous about meeting the two little girls, they were age 10 but they were little demons.

As you walked in the house, you yelled, “girls! I’m home!” and he saw two little girls run up to hug you “mommy/daddy!” You hugged them back, “hey girls.. you gonna say hi?” You gesture to the man behind you, and they back up from the both of you and they wave “hello!” “Hi!” The twins say at the same time. For some reason, he felt like he was in the same room as Todomatsu. Fake cuteness and kindness to it.. god you were so right, these two were gonna be absolute monsters weren’t they?

He was a lot more scared now rather than just plain nervous, however your girls were good at conversing with him despite their younger age, asking him what he likes to watch and stuff. Not really the .. adult stuff. Which he was thankful for, it’s not like they need to know he does nothing… right?

Well, that was until the younger twin said something. It’s always the youngest isn’t it?

“Oh… I… uhm… I don’t really have a job” he rubs the back of his neck, “oh! Why?” She asks, “uhm… because I.. don’t want to..?” He says honestly, and she looks to you “can I not work because I don’t feel like it?” she looks innocently, but you know her better than that, shaking your head no. “Awww!” She pouts, but smiles. “Well, that’s okay! You can just work at home or something, like .. uhm..” she thinks for a moment, the elder twin pops in “like a malewife!”

He felt his face grow red, malewife?

“Okay girls go set up the table for dinner!” You butt in, smiling.

“Okay!” They say in unison, running off, and you notice them giggling mischievously. You roll your eyes.

These two were gonna be a lot, he knew it. But instead of feeling scared, he felt happy, relieved even.

He was a part of a new family now.

Ichimatsu is surprised as well, a kid? Well it’s not like he minds it exactly, he secretly likes kids a lot.. besides this means he can technically have one of his own if he plays his cards right with you. Which hes much more determined to do. A young 12 year old boy, a 16 year old girl. He can’t wait to meet the two of them.

The younger one was… much more energetic, mischievous even. However, he will hand it to him for digging the color purple, as it was obvious from his dyed purple hair, black and purple striped skirt, (yes, your young boy was wearing a cute skirt), a stylish young boy full of confidence. Despite his smirk though, something about him had a similar aura to his own. Then there’s your daughter, complete opposite. Pink clothing to contrast her brother. With a permanent grumpy frown on her face, he assumed that was normal for her, which he wasn’t wrong about.

As he conversed with them for a bit, it seemed like he had a lot in common with the little boy. “Hehe~ I love cats! Big sis likes em too.. she likes to act all tough and like she doesn’t tho!” He said in a teasing tone as for once looks up from her phone and stops texting. “Not true!” She blushes a bit, and he laughs.

He can’t help but smile himself, making your son smirk with a bit of pride at making your intimidating boyfriend smile. He’s definitely been trying to show a good impression this whole time. Unlike your daughter who doesn’t care either way, she’s definitely like Ichimatsu in many ways.

Though by the end of the day, when he didn’t try conversing with her as much as your son she started putting in effort.

“I didn’t take you for an anime nerd.” Ichimatsu admits, “maybe you should meet my brother.” He says, referring to Choromatsu in particular. “Oh shit you have a brother?” “Yeah. Your mother/father didn’t tell you? I have like five brothers.” “Holy shit that’s horrible” your sister looks in disgust, as her younger brother just laughs at her dramatics.

Your daughter showed much more of her true personality upon the shock of him being a sextuplet, and he ended up chuckling at her ridiculousness.

He already loved the hell outta your kids.

“Cool! When do I get to meet them?!” Jyushimatsu asks rather excitedly, and it’s hard for you to be too surprised by that kinda reaction. Of course he didn’t care you had kids.. three, to be exact. Triplets, all three girls. Yeah.. all three. Originally, you had two girls and one boy, but things have changed, and that was just fine by you, who was once your eldest child and only son, was now your eldest daughter.

Jyushimatsu was eager to meet all three, they’re all 16 years old. The eldest, was the “chill” one of the three. She often likes to just relax and can be seen as overly patient and calm. The second, often with a bored or deadpan look, she reminded Jyushimatsu of Ichimatsu. And the third, who honestly was a spoiled brat, she was grumpy at times and she always got what she wanted.

He ended up talking to the girls a lot, talking about being a sextuplet, being a neet, and of course baseball. Your eldest listened, “oh that’s cool! I love baseball!” She went to get a picture showing him pictures she’s taken with famous baseball players, as the youngest rolls her eyes. The second eldest was as quiet as ever as your boyfriend and your eldest conversed about their similar interests, the youngest complaining, Jyushimatsu laughing it off.

He had lots in common with the youngest too, and was able to eventually gain her approval. He eventually talked with the second daughter about things, which was also nice. She seemed to like him. Your second eldest tended to be the shyer nervous type despite the cold exterior that she puts on, so she really liked such a friendly dude.

He seemed to really like them. And he was really good with them. You couldn’t help but think how sweet he was being, he’s always sweet but it’s different. He’s being different with them. It’s nice.. it’s good. He would be such a good dad.

You smile at the thought.

Todomatsu is certainly surprised that you have children. He’s curious to learn more about them too. “So when do I get to meet em!” He’ll excitedly ask, “whenever you wanna totty” you smile, “though, I must admit.. they can be a bit much sometimes” you rub the back of your neck and he gives you a deadpan look. “Have you met my brothers?”

Good point.

And that’s why he’s here now, talking to the three of your kids. Three identical twins!

Technically your son is the eldest, he’s a grumpy guy though. Always yelling or cursing at something, you think to yourself that maybe it’ll go away, he’s only 16. The other twin, your daughter, is much more outgoing and hyper, his complete opposite. And finally your youngest child. They were more of the silent, mysterious type, even shy.

The eldest was nonchalant with him and honestly you could tell your boyfriend was a bit nervous with him. You smack your son at the back of his head whenever he gave a backhanded comment. He didn’t like your boyfriend at first, but he kinda gave in. Only reason was when he noticed how he looked at you when you were helping your youngest with something, it was like that stupid I’m in love with my s/o look.

He got along with the second the most, she’s easy to get along with given her friendly personality. Besides, she is always in on the newest internet drama, she was bound to get along with him the most. She adores him. And of course, the youngest. The youngest got along with him quickly, actually thinking he was pretty cool. They liked his style, his being more pastel and pink, a huge contrast to their emo style. They weren’t as kept with drama but they definitely were in on clothing trends which they both conversed about. They warmed up to him and got out of their shell, even calling him totty by the end of the night along with your daughter, your son refusing to do that.

Seeing how each one of your kids interacted with totty, it was obvious they all liked him.

He was gonna fit in great with this family.

[alyasgf]

I can trust you, right?

mlb fanfic master list

Summary- ladybug: "chat I kinda told someone in my civilian form that I am ladybug"

chat noir: "huuh not me? Well its only fair if I tell someone, byee"

ladybug: " wait don't- "

next day at school:

Adrien:"marinette I need to tell you something but don't freak out"

Notes- I saw this tweet by Mina (@lovesquaree) on Twitter and could not stop thinking about it until I wrote it. Go follow them and as usual enjoy

Word Count- 3255

AO3

Begin

After Marinette told Alya her identity she ended up staying the night while Marinette explained everything. After hours of comforting on Alya’s end, Marinette was starting to feel better.

Alya hugged her and told her everything would work out as her best friend cried into her arms. Maybe love wasn’t on the table right now, but she’d always have her.

Eventually they fell asleep, Alya holding her tight as Marinette snored softly. In that moment, with Alya’s warmth surrounding her, Marinette truly believed everything would be okay.

Unfortunately Marinette awoke with a new problem on her mind.

“Alya, how am I supposed to tell Chat that I revealed my identity?” She panicked. “He’s going to be so heartbroken. He’s going to think I don’t trust him!”

“Calm down girl, you stress yourself out too much. Just take a deep breath.” She gave Marinette a moment to breathe. “Chat loves you, there’s no denying that. Sure he might be hurt, but you’ve been so overwhelmed he’ll just have to try to understand. You’re under a lot of pressure Marinette, it was only a matter of time until you broke. I’m just glad I was there before it got too bad. You’ll be okay.” Alya said this last part as she pulled Marinette into another tight hug.

“I love you and I’m here for you.” The brunette said for the thousandth time since the day before.

Marinette relaxed into the hug. “You’re right. I love you too, Alya. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

Marinette began tearing up again, but she was determined not to cry anymore. She had Alya now. As a team there was no way she’d be alone anymore.

———————————

For the first time in a while Ladybug was early to patrol. As she paced she repeated Alya’s words to herself.

“I’ll be okay, I’ll be okay, I’ll be okay.” She mumbled.

Just then she heard a thump behind her. Even now, his presence calmed her.

She turned around with a smile.

“Looks like I’ve attracted a stray.”

“You know I can never resist your pull M’lady.” He replied, taking her hand to place a kiss on it.

She pulled it back giggling.

“Sit for a moment?” She asked. Her nerves were returning but she was determined to keep her cool.

“Something wrong bug? You’re early and I know you well enough to recognize that look on your face.” Chat sat beside her and looked into her eyes expectantly.

“Yes? I don’t really know.” She let out a nervous laugh. “Depends on how you take it.”

She looked back at him to see him as confused as ever.

“I’m sure you’ve noticed how different I’ve been since I became guardian. With juggling school work, superhero stuff, and my guardian responsibilities, I’ve had to lie to the people closest to me and it’s made me more absentminded than ever.

I’ve been missing patrols, doing work last minute, ruining relationships, and losing my friends trust. Yesterday I hit my breaking point.”

“M’lady if this is you apologizing it’s okay. I understand. If you need to talk I can be here for you too. Sure, your actions at the movies were a little odd, but nothing to worry about.” Chat said with a reassuring smile.

“No Chat, it’s not about that, although I am sorry about that and in a way this is leading to an apology, but for something entirely different. Yesterday I-“ Ladybug tried to figure out the best way to tell him without hurting him. “I revealed my identity to my best friend. I just felt so hopeless and I needed someone to take some of the weight off my shoulders. Kitty I’m so sorry I can’t tell you, you have no idea how much I want to.”

Chat sat there for a moment, processing the information he was just told.

“Wow. I just always thought we’d be the first to know. At least that’s what you always said.” Chat tried to mask his hurt but it was evident on his face. “Did it make you feel better?”

“A lot. All of my responsibilities feel just a little more manageable. Are you mad at me?” She asked looking alway and crossing her arms to hold herself.

Chat saw how worried she looked and decided he couldn’t hold it against her. Anything for her to be happy. Still, he couldn’t let her go scot free.

“I could never be mad at you bug.” He said softly. “You did what you needed to do. I know you wouldn’t reveal your identity unless it was your last resort.” He pulled her into a hug. “Although I have to say, it seems a bit unfair that you can reveal your identity to someone and I can’t.”

“Chat, we can’t reveal our identities to each other.” She pulled from the hug. “It’s just not safe right now.”

Though she still looked serious, she looked far less stressed than before. That was a win in Chat’s book.

“Okay, then what if I revealed it to someone close to me? Someone I trust and know would never tell anyone? Fair is fair after all.” Chat nudged Ladybug’s shoulder.

“Uh actually Chat I don’t know if-“

Chat jumped up. “Really! This is great thank you so much bugaboo!”

He was practically hopping up and down when Ladybug stood up.

“I thought I told you to stop calling me that.” She teased, grateful he wasn’t hurt. Maybe that is a good idea, she thought. This way she could subtly let Chat know she trusted him.

“You know you love it. Now come on, don’t we have a city to patrol?”

And with that he bounded off onto the next building, leaving Ladybug to laugh softly to herself before joining him.

————————

Adrien got back home that night excited. He jumped through he window and de-transformed immediately.

“Plagg! I get to tell someone my identity.” Adrien flopped onto his bed to stare at the ceiling. “Who should I tell?”

“I don’t know! I’m not in any way apart of this I just want my food.” Plagg phased into the safe full of cheese and came back out with a large wedge of camembert.

“Should I tell Nino?” Adrien asked, ignoring the kwami’s previous statement. “Actually I don’t know, he’s dating Alya. What if she accidentally lets something slip on the Ladyblog? I need someone trustworthy, someone who always puts others first, someone… someone just like Ladybug!” His eyes lit up as he came to a realization.

“That’s it Plagg I know who I’m gonna tell!”

Plagg laughed loudly. “Sounds like a great idea kid.” He said before delving back into his cheeses.

Adrien went to bed that night shaking with excitement.

————————————

The next day Adrien could hardly wait. He ate his breakfast faster than normal and was already waiting at the door when The Gorilla showed up to drive him to school.

When he arrived, he joined Nino in front of the school and looked around.

“Hey bud, what’s up are you looking for something?” Nino asked as he noticed Adrien’s wandering eyes.

“Have you seen Marinette? I want to tell her something.” Adrien said nervously.

Nino subtly jabbed his thumb at a bush towards the left.

Adrien turned to the bush and heard a loud rustle before Marinette tumbled out with a yelp. Alya walked from behind the bush and gave them a small wave.

Adrien turned to Nino with a confused look before shrugging and walking over.

Adrien put his hand out to help Marinette off the ground and she took it with a deep blush.

“Hey Alya, mind if I borrow Marinette for a minute?” He asked. He realized he hadn’t let go of Marinette’s hand yet and adopted a slight bush of his own before dropping it.

“Of course you can Adrien!” Marinette let out a squeak as Alya said this.

Alya gave Marinette a pat on the shoulder and chuckled before walking over to Nino.

Now that they were alone Adrien’s excitement turned to anxiety. He was so nervous he felt like he was going to throw up.

“So…uh Marinette,” he began as he took in her demeanor. She seemed as nervous as him. This made him feel a little better. “I need to tell you something but don't freak out. I can trust you, right?”

Marinette looked stunned but she gave a small nod. Adrien took a deep breath.

“I’m Chat Noir.”

A beat of silence.

“Hey Mari, you okay?” Adrien asked, worried he’d broken her.

He put his hand on her shoulder and she jolted, now fully back.

“Sorry sorry I’m fine.” She rushed out.

“So I can trust you to keep this a secret?” Adrien’s anxiety began to return, even though he knew Marinette would never tell anyone and this was an irrational fear.

“You can always trust me Adrien.” She said with a fondness she had never used with him before. “Though I have to ask, why tell me? Why not Nino or Chloe? They seem closer to you.”

Now it was Adrien’s turn to blush. “Well when I thought of who I wanted to tell, I figured why not tell the most Ladybug person I knew?” He said sheepishly.

“And you’re in love with Ladybug, right?” She asked as though confirming.

Adrien blushed harder. “Well, yeah.”

“Okay well thank you for trusting me Adrien, really it means a lot to me.” She pulled him into a hug.

“We should probably head into school, the bells about to ring.” She said dragging him over to their pair of friends a couple feet away.

———————————

“What’d you say to Adrien?” Alya whispered to her once they sat down. “It’s weird. He was actually the blushing mess this time, rather than you.”

“I can’t say too much because he told me not to tell anyone.” Marinette confessed. “But let’s just say it solves a few of my problems.”

Alya looked more confused than ever and Marinette just giggled.

———————-

Marinette was playing it cool, but on the inside her brain was jumping hurdles.

Adrien and Chat Noir were the same person?

It wasn’t completely unbelievable, she’d heard Adrien tell horrible puns before and Chat was certainly cute enough to be a model, but it was still a shock to her system. At least now she could finally stop denying her feeling for Chat.

Still, what were the chances after she specifically told him not to reveal his identity to her he’d do just that. There’s no way it was on purpose thought, Marinette doubted he’d have kept his cool of he knew who she really was.

Which meant there was only one logical explanation. Plagg put him up to this. Call it entertainment, call it annoyance at their continued antics, it was most definitely in Plagg’s nature.

And yet Marinette still couldn’t shake the feeling that this was just fate leading them on their way.

Marinette tried to talk to Adrien all day, but there was never really a chance to talk about anything of substance due to the continued presence of other people. She just couldn’t find a time to catch him alone.

In the end she opted to drop by his house later as Ladybug and let him know the truth, while also taking the time to chew out Plagg. She couldn’t wait to see the look on his face when he realized his mistake.

As she watched Adrien walk to his car she called, “See you later Adrien!”

He seemed a little confused but gave her a well meaning wave anyway.

———————

“Do you think Chat Noir would love me if he knew my identity?” Marinette asked.

She decided to walk Alya home that day, and was starting to rethink her decision to reveal her identity to Chat Noir.

“Have you seen that boy? He’s head over heels for you. I doubt anything could change that. Does this have something to do with your conversation last night? You never told me how it went you know.” Alya’s reporter side began to show.

Marinette loved Alya for that. Her quizzical smart nature was what had attracted Marinette to her in the first place. Marinette smiled at her friend as she thought about that.

“It went well...” Marinette began, choosing her word wisely. She didn’t want to accidentally let Alya know that Chat Noir had revealed himself to her today. “We came up with a resolution to show him that I still trusted him, and I think he understands a little bit.”

“Girl that’s amazing! I told you you’d have nothing to worry about.” Alya squeezed her hand as she said this, and Marinette couldn’t help but appreciate her warmth.

“Yeah yeah I know. You’re always right because you’re super smart and the best friend ever.” Marinette laughed along with her brunette friend.

“And don’t you forget it.” Alya stopped in front of her house. “Call me if you need me okay?”

Marinette nodded, Alya kissed her cheek, and that was that.

Marinette decided to take the long way home that day. The longer she took to get home, the longer she had to decide what to do about Chat.

As if reading her mind she heard Tikki from her purse.

“What are you going to do about Adrien, Marinette?” Tikki had taken the Alya situation pretty well. Still Marinette wasn’t sure how Tikki would feel about her plans.

“Well, if I know his identity why shouldn’t he know mine? I am the guardian after all, and he’s my partner.” She decided.

“I’m not going to push you, because it is your choice. But if this isn’t absolutely necessary why do it?”

“I just feel like he deserves to know. He’s trusted me blindly for so long, it’s time for me to do the same for him.”

Tikki nodded and they were quiet for the rest of the way home.

—————————

Once she greeted her parents and headed upstairs, she went up to her balcony and called out her transformation phrase.

It was getting dark, so she knew Adrien would be home from fencing by then.

As she leaped across buildings she attempted to calm her nerves.

This was her goofy partner as well as her longtime crush. He was both of her favorite boys in one. No big deal.

There was one thing she was sure of though. Nothing she could say would change how he felt about her.

This comforted her as she neared his mansion.

————————-

Adrien was still riding off the rush of the day. Marinette seemed to take his confession in stride. Maybe this was the push their friendship needed.

Overall, he was glad he chose her to tell. That was one thing he would never regret.

He entered his room after the long day and threw off his white over shirt, Plagg along with it.

“Hey! Be careful with me I’m not a toy!” He complained, zooming back over to Adrien with his arms crossed.

“Sorry Plagg I forgot you were there to be honest.” Adrien sighed zoned out and laid out on his bed.

“I take it you enjoyed telling pigtails?” Plagg chuckled.

This snapped Adrien back. “Yeah I did actually, why?” Adrien said, voice full of suspicion.

“Oh I’m sure you’ll find out soon enough.” As he said this, Plagg phased back into the safe after a quick look over his shoulder.

Right as Adrien was about to demand what that was about, he heard a tapping on his window.

Confused, he turned to see Ladybug.

He ran over to open it immediately, almost tripping over his feet.

“Ladybug! What are you doing here?” He asked, helping her down from the window ledge.

“Is it wrong to visit my favorite civilian?”

Adrien blushed, earning a laugh from the hero.

“I actually came here to talk to you about something Adrien.”

“Oh?” Adrien was more confused than ever. Ladybug had never stopped by before, why would she start now?

“I understand you know Marinette Dupain Cheng?”

Adrien’s heart dropped. Had Marinette really revealed his identity to Ladybug?

“Listen Ladybug, whatever she told you I’m sure I can explain! I promise I didn’t think she’d tell anyone, much less have to means to tell you.” Adrie felt so guilty. He shouldn’t have told anyone. Now who knows who else knew his secret.

Adrien was shocked to hear Ladybug laugh.

“No one told me anything, Mon Chaton. At least not on purpose.” She walked over to his bed and pat the spot beside him. Still in a daze, he sat down without a word.

“Tikki, spots off.” She said quietly.

There was a flash of pink and there on his bed was none other than Marientte.

Adrien gasped, eyes widening and jaw dropping. “I- wow I had no idea when I told you I swear!” He managed to get out.

“I know. I assumed Plagg had something to do with it.” Marinette said, looking around for the black kwami.

At that Plagg came out from his spot.

“All I’m guilty of is not stopping it. It was all his idea. You guys needed to hurry up and tell each other anyway. I was getting bored.” Plagg huffed.

Tikki flew over to him and pulled him away, muttering about the importance of secret identities and his irresponsibility.

Adrien turned back to the girl. “So you told Alya I’m guessing?”

“Not on purpose. Right after she and the other girls got akumatized the other day, she asked me what was wrong and I broke down and told her.” Marinette replied, looking at her twiddling hands.

Adrien took one of her hands, her eyes meeting his again.

“Well now you have two people here to support you Mari. You won’t have to hold this weight by yourself anymore. You have us.”

Marinette teared up but wiped her eyes quickly before anything came out.

“You know this doesn’t change how I feel about you right? I know there’s still Luka, but I can’t sit here and pretend that my feelings haven’t only grown stronger knowing the truth.” Adrien confessed, searching her eyes for any immediate reaction.

What he hadn’t expected to see was the amount of love that filled them.

“Oh kitty, it’s always been you. Whether you were Adrien or Chat Noir, you’ve held my heart.” Her hand went up to cradle his face as she said this. “I wasn’t sure how you’d feel about my identity so I didn’t want to push anything on you, but I’ve felt something toward you ever since that day in the rain, ever since I realized how I could never truly be Ladybug without you. I love you, Adrien.”

Adrien looked shocked yet again. First finding out her identity and then this? Adrien couldn’t believe his luck.

Without another word he leaned in to kiss her.

As his eyes closed he felt her soft lips meet his. They were warm and tasted of chocolate. He could smell her hair, which was strawberry scented. He did everything he could to take this moment in, remember it to the fullest extent, but his mind was turned to putty by her touch. Her hand still cradled his face and he brought and arm around her to pull her closer.

When they pulled apart to catch a breath, all Adrien could think of was how his skin was still hot where her hand had been, how his stomach was still fluttering looking at her dilated eyes and freshly kissed lips.

“I love you too, my buginette.”

End Notes- This one was a lot of fun! Reply with your favorite parts because that makes my day and leave a like and reblog if you enjoyed this! I think I’m getting back to my writing swing so let’s hope the first wave of exams don’t ruin that, but if I don’t finish Adrinette April feel free to blame them.

[justauthoring]

To Be Loved (1/?)

Prompt: Perhaps, you understand Harry Potter better then anyone else. Perhaps, it’s why, when your eyes meet his for the first time, you feel an instant connection. Perhaps, it’s why, you love him.

Based off of: The Harry Potter Series Pairing: Harry Potter x Black/Tonks!Reader, slight Fred Weasley x Black/Tonks!Reader A/N: So here it is!! The very first part!! I really hope you guys enjoy the series because I am so incredibly stoked for her -- specifically movies POA, GOF, and OOTP!! I have so much planned, lol.

Also, Fred won the voting poll -- meaning, Y/N will have a small bit of romance with him, before she eventually ends up with Harry.

Chapters will also be longer after this one, but I felt an introduction was needed, so it’s a tad bit on the short side.

“Lupin, I... we...--”

There’s an echo of silence. Andromeda finds herself unsure of what to say, or rather, how to say it. Her mind was fuzzy with great confusion, her chest tight with fear. She could hardly believe it -- how could it... it couldn’t possibly be true.

Her husband seems to understand her meaning though, understanding the thoughts that race through her mind. With a brief glance her way, taking in the lost expression in her eyes, Ted swallows thickly before glancing over to the young man sat in front of him. He looked tired, terribly so. He looked misplaced, as if he didn’t belong where he was sat; uncomfortable too. His eyes were dull, no light in them, no spark of joy.

Ted didn’t blame him. This man had lost four friends in one night. This man had lost his happiness completely. The dull look in his eyes was an understatement of what he’d endured, witness and gone through.

“It’s true then?” Ted asks quietly, not really sure how else to phrase the question. He felt like he was walking on eggshells, not wanting to set off either of those sat around him, but desperate to know the truth. “He... really did do it?”

He doesn’t have to say a name for Lupin to know who he’s talking about.

“It would seem that way,” Lupin whispers, voice gone, faint, cracked. Ted regards him carefully, with a watchful eye, but also, pity. Understanding of something he didn’t truly understand. He had no idea the severity of how the young man must be feeling, and in all truth, he didn’t want to. Ted had been friends with him too, but not like Lupin. “He’s being sent to Azkaban.”

“What about the boy?”

It’s the first coherent and full sentence Andromeda has managed to find herself able to speak. It’s the first time she’s felt she’s been able to find her voice again. Her eyes flicker to Lupin’s and hold his own scared and sad ones firmly, worry in her gaze for that young baby. The Boy Who Lived. The boy who no longer had parents of his own. The boy who was alone in this world.

“Dumbledore says he’ll be staying with the next of kin,” Lupin explains, voice numb. “Lily’s...--” And he chokes at the mention of her name. “Lily’s, uh, sister and her husband. The have a child Harry’s age.”

Ted nods, makes the most sense. Of course, he didn’t know what Lily’s sister really was like.

Lupin did though.

Andromeda’s head turns, glancing up at the stairs of her house, to where you lay, peacefully asleep. She’d put you asleep herself not an hour ago, held you in her arms when the world had seemed alright. She’d told you that your father would be back soon, that daddy was coming to see you. At the time, it’d been true. Now, Andromeda felt like nothing but a filthy liar.

Turning back to Lupin, her mind set; “we’re keeping Y/N.”

“D-Dromeda--” Ted stutters, appalled by her words. It wasn’t that he didn’t feel the same, he didn’t want to give you up either. Not with everything that’s happened. Not after your father...-- But, he didn’t know if it was their place to be making any demands. He didn’t know if they’d be allowed to keep you. 

Andromeda’s fierce and determined eyes fall on her husband. “She belongs with us.” She says, voice firm and raising slightly with distress and plea. “We’re her next of kin. We’ve already taken care of her this much. She needs to be with us, she needs a sense of familiarity. I won’t just pass her off like some trophy for the winning and I certainly won’t let my family have her.” Then, she turns to Lupin. “We’d take great care of her. We already have. We’d raised her loved. Adopt her so she’s really part of the family, last name and all.”

“Dromeda,” Ted hisses lightly, placing his hand over her own, squeezing it tightly. “Lupin’s her Godfather.” He turns to Lupin, whose yet to say anything. Or really even react. “Y/N belongs with him just as much as us.”

There’s an air of silence. Both Ted and Andromeda turn to Lupin, waiting, expecting.

Shifting in his seat, Lupin leans forward, clasping his hands together on the table. A small, almost thoughtful smile curls onto his lips as he keeps his gaze lowered. “Sirius named me her Godfather,” there’s a pause at the sound of his name. “It’s true. And I love Y/N like my own daughter. But, you,” and his eyes set on Andromeda specifically. “Will raise her better then I ever could.”

Andromeda eases, and a small smile curls onto her lips. Ted seems a bit more reluctant.

“Are you sure, Lupin--”

Lupin nods. “I have one request however.”

“Anything.”

“I’d still like to... visit her.” Lupin whispers, body tensing as his vulnerability shines through. “I’m afraid I won’t be able to see Harry because Dumbledore would like him to grow up away from magic. But... I couldn’t bare to...” And he doesn’t finish, not sure how to.

Andromeda reaches across the table, taking Lupin’s hand in her own, which elicits a soft gasp of surprise from him, before she squeezes it firmly. When Lupin meets her gaze, her eyes are warm and inviting, and despite everything she’s found the strength to smile. “Of course,” she whispers with certainty, “you can visit Y/N anytime. Our home is yours.”

Lupin nods, smiling his thanks.

They finish the night off with a promise from Andromeda that she assures Lupin that Ted and her will take great care of Y/N. Lupin has no doubt that they will. Sirius had left you with them in the first place, as protection from everything. And even now, after everything, Lupin is assured he’d never cause harm to you. Never you.

Ted and Andromeda Tonks home was the best home for you. 

He makes his way up the steps, wanting to say farewell one last time because it might be a bit before he can see you again. He creeps into your room, making sure to be extra quiet when he sneaks past the Tonks daughter Nymphadora’s room, slipping into your own. A sense of ease floods him at the sight of you, peacefully sleeping away. Your tiny little thumb was in your mouth and your H/C hair came out in wisps around your head.

But Lupin knew, if you’d open your eyes, he’d see Sirius staring back at him.

Lupin finds himself then, glad that you’re asleep.

Leaning over the edge of your crib, the tips of Lupin’s fingers ghost across your skin softly, touch gentle, eyes adoring as he smiles faintly down at you. The smile doesn’t reach his eyes, but, he does find himself at peace with you. An innocent baby who had no idea what your own father just done.

“Your father wasn’t always like this,” Lupin whispers, wistfully. “There was a time he...he--” And he can’t finish. It’s too painful. Memories of his friendship with your father, with James and Peter too... it hurts too much that words can’t even properly explain it.

“I’ll see you soon, Y/N. That’s a promise.”

When he’s making his way out the door, bidding farewell to both Andromeda and Tonks. he finds himself making one last request. “Don’t tell her about Sirius. No one really knows he even has a daughter.” And at the confused and baffled expressions he receives, he adds. “At least, don’t tell her the truth. She doesn’t deserve to have that weight placed on her.”

Sirius Black’s daughter; just as crazed and evil as he is.

Sirius Black’s daughter; a murderer for a father.

Sirius Black’s daughter; hated by everyone because he killed James and Lily Potter.

You don’t deserve that.

And Andromeda and Ted have no reason to argue. Because he’s right.

-

11 YEARS LATER

-

You wake with a start. 

Today’s the day.

Jumping up to your feet, you hastily start to get ready. Your feet bounce with each step you take and you can hardly contain yourself as you start rushing about your room, trying to brush your hair and teeth at the same time. Trying to pull on your shirt while washing your face.

You can hear the distant sounds of pots and pans downstairs and know that breakfast is being made. But even as your stomach rumbles in hunger, you find you don’t really much care about whatever’s being made for breakfast that morning. Because, today’s the day.

You come bounding into the kitchen, a knowing smile on Andromeda’s face as she hears your racing footsteps come barreling down the stairs. Ted smirks behind his coffee cup as you come running into the kitchen, breathless, your hair a knotted mess upon your head, the sleeve of your sweater hanging off your shoulder.

“Good morning, darling,” Andromeda greets with a light laugh, quirking a brow over at you as you take a seat at the kitchen table. She places the prepared plate of food before you, before turning to do the same with Ted, who presses a grateful kiss against her cheek in response, before moving off to grab a plate for herself, not saying anything else.

Your eyes watch her carefully, anxious.

“My God, Y/N,” begins Ted, setting down the paper he’d been reading to glance over at you, feigned shock plastered on his face. “You can barely keep still in your own seat. Is there something on your mind?”

You huff at him, shaking your head. How typical of him to forget. “Today’s the day!”

Teasingly, Ted glances back at Andromeda, who, like him, feigns understanding.

“What’s today?”

You only shake your head again, choosing not to answer -- they should know -- and exasperated with them as you take a big bite out of your toast, As you quickly sip some orange juice, you turn your attention back on them. “Has the post come yet?”

“Oh!” Andromeda calls, setting down her plate before walking back over to kitchen counter to grab a handful of letters. “Thank you for reminding me, darling. I’m expecting a letter.”

Me too. You watch carefully, food forgotten, as she stifles through the handful of letters, leg pouncing with anticipation. 

It has to be in there. It has to be in there.

But it isn’t. Andromeda goes through all four letters in her hand and not one of them is for you.

Your heart falls with devastation, plummeting to the pit of your stomach as your shoulders slack and you glance down at your lap. You almost want to cry you’re so disappointed. But today was supposed to be... It should’ve come today...

“What’s the matter, Y/N?” Ted questions, taking another sip of his coffee. “Were you expecting a letter?”

With a moan, you nod, poking at your food.

“Perhaps a letter from... Hogwarts?”

You raise your head, eyes flickering upwards as a bright, big smile curls onto your lips when you see the letter levitating before your eyes. A glance back at Ted and Andromeda and you can tell, if it hadn’t been obvious before, that they’d been teasing you purposely and with a roll of your eyes, you quickly snatch the letter, practically ripping the envelope open.

You open it with with eager eyes, barely able to contain your happiness as you begin reading aloud:

Dear Miss Tonks, 

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. 

Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall. Deputy Headmistress.

Your excited eyes fall on your adoptive parents. “It’s true then?” You question, voice pitching, hopeful. “I’m going to Hogwarts? Really?”

Laughing, Andromeda nods. “Yes, it’s true, dear.”

A squeal of joy leaves your lips and you practically hug the letter tight to your chest, eyes clenching shut in joy. You’ve only ever heard about Hogwarts from your parents and your sister, Nymphadora, who had graduated not that long ago. They were all in separate houses, and every story they told you, you held on tightly to, absorbing it with great fascination and interest for the day you finally got to go yourself.

And it was really happening!

“I wonder what house i’ll be in,” you wonder aloud, voice soft with curiosity, nervous eyes peeking over at your parents. “I wonder who my friends’ll be.”

“I do believe the Weasley’s youngest son starts his first year this year too,” Ted offers, nodding to himself as he smiles over you. “I’m sure you and Ron will be able to help each other out.”

You smile, nodding. “And the twins too! They’ll be in their...” You pause in thought for a moment, before grinning. “Third year!”

“Yes,” Ted laughs, nodding. “The twins too. They’re quite fond of you.”

A small blush comes to your cheeks.

“And,” Andromeda moves to add, meeting your gaze firmly. “We’ll support you no matter what house you end up in. I was in Slytherin, Ted, Ravenclaw and Nymphadora in Hufflepuff.” She pauses, before a thought occurs to her. “And then, Lupin was in--”

“Gryffindor!” You answer for her, smiling big. “Ooh! I’ll have to send him a letter, tell him i’m going to Hogwarts. He’ll be so happy. Do you think he’ll be proud?”

“Of course he will.” Andromeda smiles, “maybe he can take you shopping for your school supplies.”

Biting your lip, you set down your letter. “Do you think he will?”

Ted shrugs. “I don’t see why not.”

“I’m sure Uncle Lupin would love too.” Andromeda assures you, before her eyes fall on your plate. “Now, eat, darling. You’ve got a busy few days ahead of yourself, what with starting Hogwarts and all.”

Your stomach rumbles as Andromeda finishes, and you comply without complaint, moving to finish your breakfast eagerly. But still, even as you eat and the two of them chatter off absentmindedly, all you can seem to focus on is Hogwarts. On what you have to expect. All the wonderful new things you’ll learn...

You hope you’re Gryffindor like Uncle Lupin. He also told you that your father had been Gryffindor, and even if your father would never be able to tell you, you’d do anything to make him proud. Plus, almost all of the Weasleys are Gryffindor’s too. You’d love to be in the same house as Fred and George.

Slytherin would be cool too. Especially since your mom was apart of it. So would Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff.

But Gryffindor... to be closer to your dad...

That’d be nice.

-

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[cno-inbminor]

hello, kay! i hope you've been taking care of yourself well and that life has been kind to you for the most part. i want to ask, how do you feel about kita shinsuke? your akaashi is exquisite and incredibly characterized that i always find myself coming back to your stories should i need my keiji fics, and i realized that it would probably be really interesting (and beautiful) to meet kita through your words. no pressure, tho! as always, i am grateful for whatever you write. ♡ all the love x

you’re an absolute sweetie -- i hope you’ve been well too! i’m honestly at my wit’s end but we’ll survive somehow, right? ahahaha // i’m still incredibly flustered whenever someone mentions how much they like my keiji characterization -- he’s one of the ultimate comfort characters for sure! so thank you for giving my keiji fics that honor <3 

i’ve definitely developed some love for kita over time! i love anyone who’s incredibly dependable -- my love language (that i’ve recently re-discovered) is acts of service and i can see him embodying that! 

i got carried away: here’s ~1.7k of some hazy kita appreciation, or some strangers-to-lovers ideas sprinkled together. my brain has died from finals, but i hope you like this anon!

-

the first time that kita shinsuke even crosses your mind, you mistakenly think, “he’s certainly a bit dull.” 

it’s not that you forgot he existed by any means -- the boy certainly carries a presence and emanates it in a calm, quiet manner. you just can’t remember him saying anything that wasn’t related to speaking out loud in class or social pleasantries. he’s certainly not much more than a blank canvas to you, and the only splotch of color thrown on is that he’s a member of your nationally recognized volleyball team. other than that, you know nothing else.

it all changes when you two are paired for classroom cleaning duties your third year. 

when your homeroom teacher announces your name after his, you glance away from the window to the boy sitting diagonally in front of you to your right. his back sits upright, elbows bent to indicate he’s probably sitting with his hands linked on top of his desk, legs still and placed together underneath the wood. besides the two-toned grey and black hair, you would think he’d be the perfect poster child for japanese education. 

the first morning of cleaning duties, you’re sprinting through the halls in your slippers, hoping that the student council president isn’t anywhere near your classroom. the subway was absolutely packed and nobody seemed to be in the usual pace of the morning rush, which caused some delays and for you to cut it very close. you slide open the class door with all the force you can muster, panting and out of breath with apologies falling off your tongue. unbeknownst to you, your brain had been expecting kita to give you a small smile and ensure that it was okay for your two minute tardiness -- instead, you were at the receiving end of a blank yet heavy stare, and seemingly scathing words of, “don’t be late next time.” 

your second thought of kita is that he’s too rigid and austere for a seventeen year old. bitterness festers in your chest as you practically stomp towards your desk, setting your stuff down before you head to the erasers in front of the chalkboard. even though there isn’t much dust left on them, you’re searching for excuses to calm down and be a little more level-headed. 

you’re so caught up in your thoughts and staring out into the open sky that you don’t register kita’s presence looming near. but it’s his timbre voice that startles you out of your stupor, though they’re nothing more special than, “you can sweep the other half of the classroom. i’m getting started on the desks,” and he walks away. 

in gliding the bristles over the wooden floor, you take another peek at your partner for the time being. it’s hard to miss the way he methodically cleans each wooden surface, leaving no corner unwiped, no speck of dust lingering. something about it is somewhat endearing to you, a rather drastic juxtaposition to how you were feeling not too long ago. maybe you were wrong about him -- kita shinsuke might still be a little boring to you, but he’s just...diligent. 

in home ec, you’re partnered up with ojiro aran (which proves to be in the best of your luck). but he’s good with small talk, and it’s not like you two have never spoken before. so three weeks later over the folding of meringue into the other batter, you decide to pop the question of, “what’s kita-san like as captain?” 

aran can’t contain his muted surprise at your inquiry, seeing as you two rarely ever get into the details of his volleyball playing, much less so about his team. but it doesn’t stop him from giving a truthful answer, “he’s no nonsense, keeps everyone in line. we have some rowdy underclassmen and no one scares them more than shinsuke.”

“a hardass?”

“when he needs to be,” aran chuckles. “but he’s very thoughtful and goes out of his way to care for everyone. the guy lives and breathes by routine.” 

there’s something that stirs within you, a small flame being lit, one that flares the next morning when kita walks by your desk and greets you, “good morning, l/n-san.” seeing as he usually never does, you stumble over your reply and shock, all the while berating your heart for beating as fast as it is. kita’s just being polite and using social pleasantries, nothing more. 

but he does it the next morning, and then the next, and even incorporates, “how are you?” into his line of words on days you two clean. little by little, you get to know more about him -- not a lot, but enough to correct yourself for ever thinking that he’s a dull, austere, mean human being. you tell yourself it’s nothing more, especially when you start looking forward to their games and join the student cheering squad. it’s nothing when you eagerly await for the moments that kita gets subbed in; absolutely nothing when he looks away from the court and into the crowd, catching your eyes and allowing his lips to slip into a demure smile before turning back around. the pounding of your heart and sweating of your hands aren’t related at all, just physiological effects of the game. 

and before you know it, graduation comes around and you think you’ll never see him again after this. you’re laughing and taking pictures with your classmates, later spotting aran over the crowd of families. he catches your waving arm and bounding figure, bright grin on his face as he congratulates you. “i’ll miss you all,” you confess and aran affectionately pats your head. “same here. have you seen shinsuke?”

your brows furrow. “no, why? is he looking for me?”

“you sound confused by that. weren’t you two friends?”

“i wouldn’t overassume that...but i doubt i’m on his mind right now.”

aran only nods and adopts a pensive look, taking a moment to think before confessing, “you meant something to him. after all, he greeted you every morning, right?”

you nod. “but what does that have to do with anything?”

aran’s parents interrupt and attempt to drag him away before he can answer, but he beckons for them to give him another minute. quickly, he pulls you into a one-arm hug, telling you over the bustling crowd, “you were part of his routine.” 

you’re stunned, frozen in your tracks as aran and his family walk away. their departure creates some space between everyone, and you find yourself looking straight into the golden eyes of the man that had been plaguing your thoughts for months now. he doesn’t back down, not out of defiance though -- rather, he seems to be trying to convey that he sees you, acknowledges your existence and long wedged a placeholder for you in his life. 

but the spell is broken when one of your relatives tugs on your arm for you to leave and go home for a big lunch celebration, and that’s the last you see of him.

at least for the next two years. you have a part-time job at osamu’s onigiri shop, having met the man in some cooking classes over the years. while you’re up front most of the time, you occasionally help out in the kitchen during rush hours. evidently, you missed any of the information on the exact source of the rice, remembering nothing more than the fact it was special and held a certain place in osamu’s heart -- because when kita shinsuke walks in to make a special, personal visit, your brain splutters and ceases all deep cognitive functioning.

he looks well, happy, strong, more than he did back in high school. the same air of confidence still surrounds him and encases the entirety of the shop, and instincts nearly have you dropping to your knees so you can hide behind the counter and catch your breath. 

“oh shinsuke, you’re here!” osamu calls out from behind you, popping out of the kitchen to help with the rice bags. the most you can muster is a gentle bow before messing with the cash register, pretending to be busy organizing receipts and bills. you tune out most of the conversation cleaning counters, checking customers out, wiping down tables, and anything else that’ll take your mind off the guy your heart could never seem to forget. 

but osamu bidding goodbye to kita snaps you out of your reverie. and instead of walking towards the door, kita’s figure approaches you until there’s nothing but 5 feet of wood between the two of you. “it’s good to see you,” he greets softly, a gentle expression casting onto his face and tone. 

“i-it’s good to see you too, kita-san,” you barely reply in time, doing everything you can to fight the blood rushing into your face. 

“i’d like to take you out for coffee when your shift is over, if that’s okay.”

oh. 

“oh, well, yes, but um, my shift doesn’t end for another hour and--”

“oh, you’re good to go for the rest of the day,” osamu calls out with his head popped out the kitchen door, sending a knowing look towards his former captain. in fact, you remember that the owner had been somewhat insistent that you come work today of all days and you never knew why...until now.

that fucker.

shinsuke’s eyes glimmer as the realization hits you, the same demure smile as the one he sent you all those years ago during a volleyball game sitting on his lips. excitement bubbles within you, and you attempt to tease, “only if you can untie my apron for me?”

there’s no hesitation in his demeanor as he walks around the counter and plants himself right in front of you, mere centimeters between the tips of your shoes and his. you can’t bear to look away as an arm reaches around easily undo the bow at your lower back. neither do you miss the ghosting of his fingertips at your waist that burn through the cotton of your t-shirt, and you’re just thankful that no customers are around to witness this heated, intimate moment. 

“lead the way, captain,” you can’t help but say. something dark and dangerous crosses his eyes, sending a thrilling shiver down your spine. and you think that yes, yes indeed, you’d like to see those eyes more often if you can. 

[archadianskies]

croissant aux amandes

→ on Ao3

@dbhrarepairs​ Saturday Day 6: Meet the Family •  Reverse AU; Mob AU RK900/Simon

Ronan supposes he should be thankful his mother is keeping this particular meeting just between them. He’d rather be uncomfortable in private than openly humiliated though he thinks there’s a degree of humiliation regardless.

“We could do with a connection to the DPD,” Amanda swipes up on her tablet and the screen fills with a detailed profile. “Gavin Reed, former detective, freshly made Lieutenant as of two months ago. Negligible age gap, questionable morals but gets the job done. He likes cats, which is in your favour.”

“With all due respect, mother,” Ronan makes a face, “I’d rather be disowned.”

“Duly noted,” she nods, swiping a new profile onto the screen. “David Allen is your senior by thirteen years, Captain of SWAT Unit 32 and wields immense influence. His team is loyal to him, and he is known to be a kind, honorable man. He likes dogs which isn’t to your favour, though he is not against cats.”

Ronan studies the profile for a few moments- it wouldn’t be a bad match but it still didn’t feel right. “Perhaps in another life?”

“I will put Captain Allen as a ‘maybe’,” Amanda notes. “If not the DPD, then we could accept Carl Manfred’s offer.” The screen populates with a new profile, lengthier and more detailed. “Markus Manfred is an excellent candidate: no age gap, powerful family, powerful connections. Kind, thoughtful, charitable, and very well educated. Not sure where he stands about cats, but he’d be cordial about it I’m sure.”

“I find the older brother far more tolerable company,” Ronan scoffs, turning away.

“Leo?” Amanda says incredulously. “Leo Manfred has nothing to offer, that son squandered his inheritance and spent half a decade high on red ice, disgracing his family.”

“He’s gotten clean and is redeeming himself. He’d be a far better companion than his pretentious, insufferable -”

“Enough,” his mother commands, and Ronan cuts himself off. “There is of course Elijah Kamski, since he is unmarried and of similar age to his cousin Reed. We already have the Kamski connection through your brother, though.”

He tries again. “Are they the only options?”

“They are the best options we have researched,” Amanda turns the screen off. “There are female candidates as a backup but you said you prefer men so these are the male candidates. The gender is of course irrelevant; your fiance must be the one who brings the most to the table.”

“Mother,” Ronan sighs miserably, and Amanda sits beside him. She rests her hand over his, and knowing she is not an overly physically affectionate person only makes the gesture more meaningful. 

“You have submitted no candidates yourself, Ronan, these men are just the ones my team have found,” she reminds him carefully. “I want you to be happy with your choice, whether it be genuine affection, or an amicable arrangement like your brother.”

He knows it could be worse. He knows she could force an arrangement and there would be nothing he could do about it. The Stern family controls this city and it isn’t out of character for his mother to want an advantageous match now he’s turned thirty and declared no intentions to marry yet. It is a kindness, doing all this for him when he has been dragging his feet the past year, knowing this was to come. 

“I can postpone the luncheon, if you would like more time,” she says gently, squeezing his hand. 

“I’ll have an answer by then, I promise,” Ronan vows, because he does not want to disappoint her and delaying it will only prolong this particular brand of suffering. 

 *

Connor finds him under his favourite tree by the pond, and Ronan scoots over to make room on the blanket.

“That bad huh?” His older brother teases, though his smile is apologetic.

“It wasn’t...bad,” he concedes with a wince, “just awkward. And uncomfortable. She suggested Reed at the DPD.”

“Oh, yikes!” Connor laughs and Ronan manages a brief smile. His expression softens as he shifts to wrap an arm around Ronan’s shoulders. “Hey, it doesn’t have to be The One, you know? I don’t- I’m not... inclined romantically or sexually. Chloe is a wonderful friend, and I treasure her company. Our marriage provides her power and influence and security, and safety to nurture her relationship with North under the guise of a bodyguard.”

“You are...happy?” Ronan asks curiously, and Connor smiles.

“I’m very happy,” he nods. “It might not be romantic love, but there’s love in our friendship. You can have that too, brother, if you want.”

 *

It’s a lot to think about. It’s too much to think about, really, and so after too many hours of being stuck in his own head, Ronan escapes to his favourite spot in the whole city: Jericho. 

The cafe is somehow in the heart of town but so hidden it feels like stepping into an entirely different world, and he’s been escaping to its bare brick walls and cosy interior for years now. It’s owned by the Lambert twins, Daniel and Simon. Though the older twin is abrasive and curt, the younger is shy and gentle and always has time for Ronan.

“You look like you’ve had quite the day,” Simon laughs, already reaching for a mug and starting to make him coffee. “Take a seat, I saved an almond croissant for you.”

“You’re an angel, thank you,” Ronan takes the corner booth and watches as Simon goes through the familiar, well practiced motions. It’s close to closing and there’s only one other patron, so Simon decides to sit opposite him with his own mug of coffee.

“What’s got you looking like you’re carrying the whole world on your shoulders, hm?” The blond prods, and Ronan delays answering in favour of sipping the perfectly brewed mug of coffee in his hands. 

“My mother was being a little...overbearing this morning,” Ronan says hesitantly, leaving out the big details. “With the best of intentions, of course. She means well, but I still feel like I’m being slowly backed into a corner.” 

“I’m sorry to hear that, it must be difficult,” Simon frowns empathetically, earnestly, because he is a good and kind friend. Ronan thinks if he weren’t the son of a crime family, he would marry Simon. 

They would have a soft, quiet life full of love and be entirely uneventful and Ronan would manage the business side of things for the cafe so Simon would never have to worry. Maybe they could adopt a cat or two. He wouldn’t even mind a dog, honestly. He’s partial to german shepherds. 

But that’s never going to happen, and it’s with a sinking feeling Ronan realises once he marries he may have to cut ties with Simon completely as he takes on more and more of their family’s work in the criminal underworld. 

“I… am to be married,” he says no louder than a whisper but Simon hears it, Simon’s lovely blue eyes widen at those words. “Well, in the future I mean. My mother is trying to matchmake me with- with certain friends’ sons.”

“In 2038?” Simon asks in disbelief. “Your mother is trying to matchmake you in the year 2038?”

“She means well,” Ronan repeats, sighing tiredly. “She just wants me to marry ‘the one who brings the most to the table’.” He echoes her words with the same regal air and Simon laughs though not unkindly.

“Sounds intense.”

“I have a luncheon next weekend with all of our extended family and friends, and she expects me to announce an answer then.” He picks at the almond croissant, and it’s as perfect as always- buttery, flaky and fresh. The layers are light, the almond slivers paper thin, and the sweetness just right. It feels like a last supper, knowing he probably won’t be able to return. He’d never want to drag Simon into his world of blood. 

 *~*

Danny arrives in time to help him sweep and mop up. His brother is a warm, comforting presence in his peripheral, and Simon soaks it up like warmth from a blanket.

“Saw one of those supervillain black cars the Sterns use on the way here, was it Ronan again?” Danny asks as they’re putting the mops away. “You know he’s getting engaged next weekend, right?”

“How did you know that?” Simon blinks in surprise as he hangs up his apron.

“Leo told me,” Danny shrugs. “The old man said he’s pushing for Markus to marry him.”

“Oh,” Simon tries not to sound so disappointed, and he’s not even sure what for- that Markus is to be married, or that Ronan is the one marrying him. 

“Yeah, I know right? Ugh, gross,” his twin makes a disgusted face. “Poor Ronan, imagine having to marry Mr Perfect and run the criminal underworld.”

“They’re a respectable family!” Simon argues, feeling a twinge of indignant anger on Ronan’s behalf. “The Sterns have transformed the educational landscape of the city- Kara was able to open a kindergarten because of their philanthropy! Imagine having that influence- I’d- I’d completely revamp child services and open shelters and proper mental health centers for abused children and adolescents. I’d make sure no one ever had to go through what we went through.”

“You sweet sweet child,” Danny snorts back a laugh, though it isn’t mocking in the least. “They’re a necessary evil for this city because the senator is an incompetent but dangerous fuckwit. Don’t get me wrong, I like them- they get things done. It’s just the thought of the Manfreds joining that circle that gives me bad indigestion.”

“Markus Manfred is- he’s an amazing man, Danny. Ronan and he would be perfectly matched,” Simon chews his lip, feeling his chest ache. “He certainly would bring the most to the table.”

“What?”

“Oh, it’s just something Ronan said,” Simon flashes an apologetic smile. “He said he has to marry ‘the one who brings the most to the table’.”

“Brings the most to the table ,” Danny repeats, stressing the start and end of the sentence. Simon looks at him, eyes wide. “You don’t think-”

“Oh I do think,” his brother’s grin falters slightly, “But only if you want to, Simon. It’s a pretty crazy idea and uh, we might mysteriously disappear only for our bodies to be found in an underpass somewhere in a couple of weeks.”

It’s a ridiculously crazy idea, Simon knows this for a fact, but it’s so crazy it might just work.

* 

The Stern estate is beautiful, even from the other side of the huge wrought-iron gates. 

“You boys must be lost,” a guard drawls, sauntering over to the driver’s side. “Best you head back down the driveway and forget you ever came this way.”

“We're catering for the luncheon you dumbass,” Danny rolls his eyes. “So best you step aside and let us through so we can set up.”

The guard falters, frowning heavily. “There’s no mention of-” he looks at the side of the delivery van, “Jericho Cafe on the guest list.”

“Because we’re not guests,” Simon tries to mimic Danny’s impatient, snappy tone. “We’re catering for the guests.”

“Hey, listen, honest mistake,” Danny shakes his head. “No harm done. Let us in and we’ll do our job and you can do yours.”

“I-I’ll run it by the boss,” the guard fumbles for his phone.

“Ask Ronan,” Simon says firmly. “He’s the one who booked us, not- not the boss.”

The stretch of time as they wait for an answer feels like an eternity, like Simon is awaiting sentencing where the outcome could very well be execution. Is he signing his own hit? Is dragging his twin into this the worst mistake of his life?

“Alright, sorry about that,” the guard apologises, pocketing his phone and waving at someone up ahead. The gates part, and Simon doesn’t know whether to feel relieved or even more fear. “Go on through, the service entrance is on the right-hand side.”

“Thanks buddy,” Danny salutes lazily before driving through the now opened gates. He’s gripping the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles are white.

“Danny-”

“No, shut up, we’re doing this. He ran it by Ronan and Ronan okayed us to come through,” Danny exhales slowly as he brings the van to the service entrance. A couple of confused kitchen staff come out to see them. 

“Alright,” Simon swallows thickly. “We’re doing this.”

* 

They unload and designate whole delivery trays laden with baked goods to be carried by the staff. Simon leads the way, trying to will his hands not to shake as he carries the feast he and Danny spent all yesterday prepping for, and all this morning from the crack of dawn baking so it would be as fresh as fresh can be for this very moment. 

He enters the dining room and there is Amanda Stern, matriarch of the Stern family. There is Ronan Stern, handsome as can be in a sharp tailored suit, and beside him are a couple- his brother Connor Stern, given the resemblance, and a lovely blonde lady in a periwinkle blue dress.

“Simon-”

“Madam, I have come to ask for your son’s hand in marriage,” Simon commends his voice for not trembling as he sets down the tray on the long dining table. Behind him, Daniel places his tray down and soon the staff follow, more and more until the table is absolutely brimming with food. “This is what I bring to the table.”

Amanda looks at him, expression unreadable and Simon thinks oh, he’s absolutely about to be executed. “You’re the Lambert boy,” she looks him over as if taking him apart atom by atom. “That cafe in Capitol Park.” “Yes ma’am,” Simon nods, clasping his hands behind his back so she won’t see how badly he’s shaking now he isn’t holding anything. She turns her eyes to the spread on the table.

“What is Ronan’s favourite?”

“The almond croissants,” Simon answers immediately, gesturing at them. Amanda nods and he picks one up using a pair of tongs, serving it to her on one of the bread plates. He risks a glance at Ronan who still seems frozen in shock, and it’s as if everyone is waiting with baited breath as Amanda bites into the croissant. Chewing thoughtfully, she sets the plate down and looks over at him. 

“I prefer blueberry danishes, but I can see why he likes these,” she’s smiling now, an amused matronly smile. “Is he your chosen fiance, Ronan?”

“If he would have me,” Ronan replies softly, reaching for Simon’s hands. “If a life with me is what he wants.”

“Yes,” Simon smiles, “I do.”

~*~*~

{ Inspired by [this tumblr post] about the intricacies and formalities of the 'Bride Price'.}

[krisdreaming]

PART 2 | A PLAN

｢ Masterlist ｣  |  Next >

Pairing: Kuroo Tetsurou x gn!reader

Summary: Somehow, you ended up agreeing to bring your non-existent boyfriend to the family Christmas gathering at your grandparents’. Your chem lab partner and fast friend, Kuroo Tetsurou, agrees to play the part. Your developing feelings for him won’t cause any problems, right?

WC: 1.7k

A/N: As you’ll (maybe) notice there are a few small tidbits I lifted from the original fic, but this is very different from it in a lot of ways! I hope it isn’t seeming too repetitive for those of you who have read the first one. Also, I know it’s a bit of a slow start, but I promise it’ll really get going in the next part.

You plan to meet Kuroo at the coffee shop again a week later. This time, you beat him there, which gives you the perfect opportunity to gather your thoughts. As you wait in line to order, you remind yourself for the hundredth time that this is really happening. Kuroo Tetsurou with his messy hair and his teasing jabs and that stupid smile has agreed to spend three whole days pretending to be your boyfriend. What could possibly go wrong?

Luckily, before your mind can concoct an answer, your turn to order comes up. Remembering last week, you order a cup of black coffee in addition to your usual macchiato. It’s a french roast, described as “dark and bold” on the menu. For the guy who reminds you daily that adding anything to coffee is only for the weak, it seems fitting. The comment is always paired with a teasing wink that shoots right to your middle, but that’s definitely not what you need to focus on as you carefully carry the two mugs to a table by the window.

You get situated and you’ve just taken your first sip when Kuroo plops down across from you. “Hey.”

“Hey! Here,” You push the mug in his direction.

“Oh,” He peers into the mug and gives a small, approving nod, “Thanks, you didn’t have to do that.”

“It’s for last week,” You say with a wave of your hand, watching as he lifts it to his lips and takes the first sip. When he sets it back down, he holds the mug in front of himself with both hands.

“You were right,” He says suddenly, “This coffee shop is better than the one on campus.”

“Oh really?” You grin smugly.

“Don’t look too proud of yourself,” He laughs, lifting his mug and taking another sip, “You’re the one who has to hire a fake boyfriend.”

“I didn’t hire you,” You snap back quickly, “And it was your idea, if you’ll recall.” You sigh, propping your chin on your hand. Judging by the expression on his face, he’s already enjoying this far too much.

“Details, details,” He waves his hand. “Doesn’t matter. I am curious, though. Why exactly did you tell your family you have a boyfriend when you don’t?” The question comes from a place of genuine curiosity, but you still feel your cheeks begin to burn. You glance down into your own mug so you don’t have to look him in the eye.

“It just gets old, you know?” You mumble to your coffee. “Having everyone ask about it at every family gathering. It seemed so easy to just make up a tiny story. It wasn’t supposed to get this big,” You laugh weakly. “I know it was stupid to lie. I guess I just didn’t want them to be disappointed in me.”

“I get that,” He says softly. “But hey, what do you need me to do?”

You shrug. You haven’t thought about that end of things as much as you probably should have. “Just... be my boyfriend. Charm their socks off. I know you’ve got it in you.” You chuckle. “It’ll be nice to have someone there,” You add after a beat.

“Yeah?” He says, leaning in a little closer. You’re a bit surprised by how much he genuinely seems to care. Half of you had expected him to treat this whole thing like it’s a big, elaborate joke.

“A lot of my cousins have significant others already. Maybe that’s why I felt like I had to make one up. Sometimes I just feel like the odd one out. Don’t get me wrong, I love them,” You add quickly, “But it’s just…”

“I get it,” He saves you from your floundering. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll be there. And as an honorary grandson, tell your grandma she can feed me as much as she likes.”

You stifle your laughter behind your fingers. “You think it’s a joke, but she might just take that as a personal challenge,” You shake your head, already feeling a little bit lighter. “Anyway, we need details, don’t we? About our ‘relationship’?” You lift your hands to make exaggerated air quotes.

“Probably a good idea,” He nods, “How awkward would it be if our stories didn’t match?”

“I’d rather not think about it.” You squeeze your fingers tighter around your mug. “So we started dating a few weeks into the school year, I guess?”

“Sure, makes sense,” He props his chin on his fist, his lips curling into a half smile as a teasing tone cuts into his voice, “And was it love at first sight?”

You think back to that first day of class. You’d been running late because you were having trouble finding the room. You’d slid into one of the few open seats left, next to that ridiculous head of hair, and you’d glanced at him in a silent apology as he flashed you a quick smile. Love? Probably not, but you can’t forget the slight leap you’d felt in your middle and chalked up to nerves.

“Why not?” You say lightly instead, adopting his teasing tone. “And for our first date… we saw a movie, then came here for coffee after. That’s normal, right?”

“Sounds like it to me,” He shrugs. “And you can call me Tetsurou. I don’t mind. Or even Tetsu.”

You think about it for a moment, mentally testing the words on your tongue. His full name seems strange enough, never mind shortening it to a nickname. “Tetsurou,” You clear your throat, “Tetsurou is fine. Thanks. And you can call me Y/N.”

“Perfect. Y/N.” He says it experimentally, a strange small smile on his face. Something in the air between you feels just a little heavier, but you push forward before you can think about it too much.

“And I should warn you,” You run your fingertip absently around the edge of your mug, “My grandma is going to show you every single photo she’s ever taken of me. Last year, it took her almost an hour to get through them with my cousin’s girlfriend.”

“Oh, perfect, I was running out of things to make fun of you about,” He just barely dodges your hand as you reach across the table to swat him.

“And my family loves all kinds of games, so we’ll probably end up playing a lot of different ones,” You continue, choosing to ignore the playful jab. “So I hope that’s not too boring for you.”

“Are you kidding? Boring is sitting at home with my dad and eating the dinner he ordered from the store. Honestly? I’m looking forward to this. Christmas with your family sounds kind of like paradise.” He looks into his mug for a few moments before lifting it to his lips and draining the last swallows. “If you want the truth, I think you’re pretty lucky.” He finishes softly.

Your breath catches in your throat for a few moments. You forget, sometimes, that not everyone has a close, crazy, embarrassing family like yours. You open your mouth, but before you can come up with a response, his expressions shifts back to his easy smile as though he hadn’t said a word.

“We’re going to have a great time. I won’t let you down,” He lifts his hand, pinkie extended, and you don’t catch on right away. “Promise,” He prompts, sticking his hand out a little further. After a moment of hesitation, you reach out and link your pinkie with his. He grins.

“Thanks. Hopefully I don’t let me down,” You say with a chuckle, pulling away and lifting your mug to swallow the lukewarm dregs in the bottom. “I should be getting back,” You say as you set the mug back down, “I have a history exam before break starts, and I really need to study for it.”

“I should get back too, I have an assignment due tomorrow that I haven’t started yet,” He admits sheepishly.

“Tsk, tsk,”  You tease as you push back your chair and stand, knowing full well that you’re the last person who can scold him for procrastinating. Judging by his incredulous expression, he’s fully aware of that fact. Side by side, the two of you step out into the early winter darkness.

“Really though, thanks for helping me out,” You say as you start making your way down the sidewalk, your words puffing steam into the air, “I appreciate it.”

“Anytime,” He knocks his arm against yours. “To be honest, after all your talk about your grandma’s cooking, I might have tagged along even if I didn’t have to pretend to be your boyfriend,” He laughs.

“You certainly won’t go hungry,” You agree, “She’ll make sure of that. Just don’t blame me if it affects your volleyball physique.”

“Don’t worry, I’m naturally slender,” He pats his middle, “I’ve got the quickest metabolism you’ve ever seen.”

You shake your head with a chuckle. “If you say so.”

The remainder of the walk back to campus is relatively silent, the two of you walking with your hands shoved down in your pockets against the cold. Occasionally, his arm brushes against yours. It’s nice in a way, just being next to him like this. You don’t feel any pressure to fill the silence with mindless chattering, and he obviously doesn’t either. You’re content to just walk together through the chilly night.

Winter break starts in less than a week, and you and Kuroo will be leaving for your grandparents’. In an odd way, you’re looking forward to this. Of course you always enjoy spending the holiday with your family, but knowing that Kuroo will be there too has you anticipating it just a little more than usual.

You’re so lost in your thoughts that it takes a few moments to realize you’ve come to a stop in front of your dorm building. “Alright, guess I’ll see you in class Tuesday,” Kuroo says, lifting his hand in a wave.

“See you then,” You wave back, watching his retreating back for a few moments before turning to go inside. You close your hand into a light fist at your side, remembering the feel of his pinkie linked with yours. It isn’t until you’re back in your dorm that you realize that, despite the long walk in the chilly evening, you don’t feel cold at all.

[angst-fairygodmother]

Light Fingers (The Umbrella Academy)

Diego’s vigilantism brings him repeatedly across the path of a young cat burglar. But as he finds himself developing feelings for the thief, he begins to wonder if there’s more to her than meets the eye, and whether they’re really on opposite sides. And as their relationship deepens, it brings with it a plot involving his estranged adopted father, and threatens to destroy all of them.

CHAPTER 13: DARKNESS FALLS

Word Count: 2362 Pairing: Diego Hargreeves x Reader Rating: T Content Warnings: swearing, references to violence (canon-typical), heavy angst, sort of spoilers for TUA season 1? Cross-posted to AO3: here

Previous Chapter: Confrontation || Masterlist

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

Two weeks after your visit to the Academy, and everything that followed, a headline caught your eye as you poured coffee for a couple at the diner. ‘Eccentric Billionaire Reginald Hargreeves Under Federal Investigation. Crimes include Smuggling, Arms Dealing, Fraud’ screamed out at you in bold black print and you barely managed not to scald yourself as your hand trembled.

Your mind was racing. It hadn’t seemed real, when you were making phone calls and “visiting old friends” and whispering in the right, or wrong, ears. It was a stab in the dark, that you never expected to amount to anything. But it seemed like someone, somewhere, had listened and moved on D.S. Umbrella and your father-in-law.

A bubble of elation built up in your chest. Unable to contain yourself, you yelled out that you were taking your 15, despite the earliness of the hour, and jogged down the street to pick up a copy of the morning paper for yourself. As you scanned the article, more snippets jumped out: “midnight raid,” “suspicious and hazardous materials,” “illegal within city limits.” They also mentioned looking into his accounts, heavy investigation into recent break-ins at the warehouse that authorities suspected were to cover up evidence, and a re-examination of the adoption records for his now infamous Academy of children. That last one made your heart skip a beat. You hadn’t wanted to drag Diego or his family into any of this, and certainly not risk having his world flipped upside down. Still, there was hope nothing would come of that bit, and he would never have to be involved, and everything else was well worth it.

With a giddy giggle, relieved and stunned that things were going better than you could have hoped, you tucked the paper into your bag and returned to work, feeling lighter than you had in a while.

~

“This is insane,” Diego said, dropping onto the couch, head in his hands and the copy of the paper you’d brought home on the table in front of him.

“Is it?” you countered, sitting down on the far end and tucking your knees up to your chest. “We knew he was up to something…”

“But not this! Why would he raise us the way he did if he was a criminal?”

“Covering his tracks maybe? Or there’s something bigger here we haven’t put together.”

“You’re not even a little surprised by this,” there was something flat to his tone.

You shrugged, knowing that he knew you too well to deny it.

“What did you do?”

“Technically, nothing.” He fixed with you a firm, unamused expression that made you sigh. “I just talked to people. Gossip, anonymous tips, that sort of thing. I didn’t really think anyone would listen.”

His jaw clenched as he struggled to reign in his anger. “Who else did you talk to?”

“A few journalists, some law enforcement that Patch put me in touch with who wouldn’t ask too many questions, some folks in my line of work. That one clearly didn’t go anywhere, or we would have heard by now, especially if there’s an investigation too.”

“Thieves?”

“No waitstaff.” You rolled your eyes.

“What for?”

“I thought...I figured if some other crews went in, free looting, it would make it harder to figure out what we took, cover our tracks some.”

“That doesn’t make sense. He already knew we were there. Y/N, what aren’t you telling me?”

“It doesn’t matter. It’s done now. I’m sure nothing will happen, the authorities are probably in his pocket, and if not...Prison for someone like your father isn’t even that bad. It’s a penthouse, just one with a 24/7 guard at the door.”

Diego looked annoyed but didn’t say anything else. You bit your lip, the silence tense over the two of you.

“I’m sorry, Diego. I just thought...it seemed like a good idea at the time.”

He grunted in acknowledgement. A moment later, he stood, silently getting ready for bed, despite the relatively early hour, and went to bed without a word. You waited, fighting back tears, still curled on the couch. You didn’t expect Diego to be thrilled the way you were that something was happening with Reginald, but you also hadn’t predicted this anger.

“Y/N,” he called softly, an indeterminate time later, making you jump. “Come to bed, sweetheart.”

~

Things in the household felt fragile after that, even the dog could sense that both you and Diego were tip-toeing on eggshells, waiting for the outcome of the investigation, like the Sword of Damocles.

And then it dropped, with a breaking news bulletin, one that made you almost grateful that Diego had a late night at the gym. You wrapped your arms around yourself, shuddering, as you watched an all too familiar building go up in smoke.

“No one knows what, if anything, was taken by the miscreants seen fleeing the warehouse shortly before the explosion, or why they chose to destroy the structure so definitively,” the news anchor said, the rest of her words blending into a drone in the back of your mind.

At some point, you fell asleep there on the couch, waiting for Diego to come home, startled awake in the morning when the door slammed shut.

“Diego?” you asked, frowning and rising to greet him. “Are you okay?”

He laughed bitterly, shaking off your hand on his arm and stepping away. “You’re really asking me that, Y/N? After everything you’ve done?”

“What are you talking about, Diego?”

“I’m not an idiot Y/N.”

“No but evidently I am, because I genuinely have no idea what you’re talking about, baby.”

“Don’t,” he growled, shaking his head again. “D.S. Umbrella. Thieves, an explosion. You’re honestly trying to tell me you had nothing to do with it?”

“I didn’t! Not...directly!” you protested. “I promised you that I wouldn’t go after him, so I called in friends who could, who would.”

“How is that any different?”

“I...you said yourself that he was dangerous, and he proved that to me. And I got scared okay? I panicked, and when I saw a solution, I took it. Torch and burn, and salt the earth seemed like a good idea.”

“And Luther? Was he part of your plan or just an acceptable casualty?”

“What do you mean?” your frown shifted from one of upset to confusion.

“Pogo called, last night. Dad sent Luther to the warehouse had he got caught in your friends’ chemical explosion. He’s lucky to be alive.”

There was a slight hitch to his voice as he spoke, and you knew that despite the years of tension between them, hearing such news about his brother had shaken Diego badly. And you hadn’t been there for him. You reached out for his hand, to comfort him as you usually would before recoiling.

“That wasn’t supposed to happen. No one was supposed to get hurt.”

Diego scoffed in disbelief, nostrils flaring angrily. “Why should I believe you?”

“Because I don’t hate your brother, and I had no reason to want that. Because your father was the one who sent him in, alone and probably unprepared even though he knew better than anyone what hazards were in there. Because I’m your wife, and I wouldn’t lie to you, not when it mattered. Because I never wanted any of this, I just couldn't sit back and do nothing.”

“Why not? And give me a straight answer this time, Y/N.”

“While you and Luther were busy getting out all your boyhood aggression or whatever, I tried to find answers just like we planned. Only instead I ended up having a nice little chat with Reginald. And he said that everything was staged, that it was an audition. That I passed. And he threatened you, and he called the Academy a failed experiment.”

“You never said anything to me.”

“I didn’t know how,” your voice was sharp, pleading. “I have even less answers than I did when we started. All I have is that your father didn’t care about you, but he did about me, for something. He was willing to let you die to test what I could do. He was okay with the idea of hurting you to keep me in line. I...I had to protect you. So I did the only thing I could think of to do.”

“We’re s-supposed to be a team.” His eyes were still dry, but you could see the pain written across his features, and you closed your eyes against the sight.

“I know,” you said softly.

“W-w-we could have figured it out t-to-tog-gether if you had ta-lked to me…”

“We tried that Diego,” you wanted so badly to reach out for him. You hated that you couldn’t. Not now. “It had us spinning in circles.”

"So you just shut m-m-me out?" His lip quivered.

“Would you have done any differently?” you gave up on even trying to keep your own emotions out of your voice, tilting your head in question as you looked at your husband, the man you loved, and said words that you knew were breaking both your hearts. “Honestly?”

He was painfully silent, lips pressed together and eyes downcast as he considered your words, and what his answer would be. Rather than let the question continue to stew, you forged onward, almost afraid of what would happen if you didn’t.

“I’m truly sorry that Luther got hurt, and glad he’ll be okay. But I still stand by what I did. It was the right choice to make. If anything, it worked out better than I had hoped.”

“H-how could you say t-tha-that?” despite his stutter there was outrage in his voice now, raising the pitch to almost a shout.

“If it’s him or you, as far as I’m concerned, there’s no choice. I’m not sorry for that.” You shrugged. “And maybe almost losing his last loyal son will be enough to get your father to back off, to rethink, stop doing...whatever it is he’s doing.”

Diego’s body tensed and his eyes narrowed to a glare, the full fury and hatred locked inside suddenly directed at you. There was no trace of the pain in his voice now and it made your blood run cold.

“Luther’s an asshole, but he’s m-y family.”

“I know that, Diego. And I know how much family means to you. That wasn’t how I—”

“You know, you’re starting to sound a lot like my father.”

You stared at him, aghast.

“You’ve been just like him this whole time, haven’t you?”

“What?” you couldn’t keep the break and horror from your voice, didn’t want to.

“All this scheming and planning. Using the rest of us as puppets. It’s all about the so-called greater good. And screw anyone that gets in your way.”

“Diego, that’s not—” You tried to pull your emotions back into check but couldn’t. Hot, desperate tears pooled in your eyes before spilling down your cheeks.

‘Not what?’ you froze to ask yourself. ‘Not fair? Not true? Isn’t it though? Wasn’t he completely right, that you and Reginald were circling each other, playing a game with each other? Lay a trap, dance away from it. Steal a piece of information, change it’s meaning. Capture a bishop, sacrifice a knight. Move and counter-move. For months now.’

“I’m going to the gym tonight,” he said, making a dismissive gesture when you remained silent for too long. “I can’t do this anymore.”

He turned on his heel, throwing a few things in a duffle bag haphazardly.

“Maybe this was a mistake,” you said quietly as you watched him pack, rooted in your spot in the living room.

“Of course it was a mistake!”

“I don’t mean things with your father or D.S. Umbrella,” you took a deep, shuddery breath. “I...I mean us.”

“What?” his voice dropped, all the anger leeching away as he hesitated in the middle of folding one of his turtlenecks.

You took a shuddering breath, “None of this would have happened if we hadn’t gotten tangled up trying to pretend we fit together, in each other’s lives.”

“Y/N. Stop.” He shook his head, words clipped and forced. “Don’t say that.”

“Say what Diego? What we’re both thinking? I love you, so much. More than I can possibly say. But...I don’t think that’s enough. I was...we were better off alone. Everyone was.”

“That’s not t-true.” He took a step toward you and you took a step back. He looked like the world had just dropped out from under him.

“Tell me I’m wrong. Please?” you begged, voice and lip trembling. “If you can say that, after everything I’ve done, after all of this, I’ll believe you. But...don’t say if it’s not true.”

“That’s it?”

“I don’t know.”

Your gut gnawed at you, the still image of the burning warehouse catching in the corner of your eye. It felt like he was going to forgive you, even for a moment, for that, for Luther, and you couldn’t fathom that. And the more you spoke, the more you found yourself meaning the words. You loved him, and he loved you, and that could only hurt.

“I should go,” he said, half-heartedly, almost asking you to stop him.

“Yeah, I guess so.”

His keys rattled as he picked them up, and the door closing behind him seemed louder than you had ever imagined possible. It felt like one of his daggers was protruding from your chest. You couldn’t breathe.

“Diego, wait!” you called shakily, throwing open the door but not quite chasing him into the hallway.

He stopped but didn’t turn around. Silence hung like a wall between you. Your tongue felt like lead. What could you possibly say to undo what you had just done?

The minutes dragged on, the silence unbroken.

With a sigh you could almost imagine wafting back to flutter over you, he started to move again, and you stood there until his back disappeared. Only when he was truly gone, did you sink to the floor.

“Goodbye Diego,” you murmured, the words trailing off into a sob.

[shsldepressedlesbian]

Komahina for 30!!

30: "Such a needy little thing, aren't you?"

allow me to formerly apologize for how long this is, anon. what meant to be a drabble turned into a one-shot... solely because i had too much fun with it lmao

domestic komahina where komaeda bothers hinata while he's trying to work until he caves in and fucks him... those are always good, i like to think lol

ao3

-

"You'll definitely overwork yourself one of these days, you know."

Hinata blinks up from his paperwork just in time to take the mug his boyfriend held out to him, having not even heard him coming into the bedroom.

"It's not my fault there's so much to do, you know," he says after a quick "thank you", taking a sip of the freshly brewed drink, which turns out to be coffee. "I'm just doing Naegi a favor by taking over some extra documents. Which, I'm almost done, by the way."

He doesn't have to look at Komaeda to tell his expression. Just hearing the familiar, breathy sigh is enough.

"Well, either way, shouldn't you move your work desk somewhere else?"

"Ah, am I bothering you? I can go work in the living room if you want."

"No, that's… I just think it's a little shabby compared to the rest of the room, is all."

This is almost enough to get Hinata to chuckle. Well, maybe it didn't work with the aesthetic of their bedroom, especially when it's covered in papers, but Hinata liked having it in the bedroom. It wasn't like it was uncommon to have desks in your rooms. Plus, after a hard day of extra work, he could pass out in the bed right away.

But he can tell that's not truely what's bothering Komaeda, anyways.

"Look at it this way," he voices, shuffling some of the completed papers into a neat pile. "It's Friday, and so long as I get this all done, we can have the whole weekend to ourselves."

That was for sure a guarantee. Afterall, with both of their busy schedules causing them to barely have time for each other, the weekends were like their checkpoints. To be able to act and love each other like a normal couple: to relish in each other's company, even if it was something as simple and quiet as reading in the same room together.

Even if they were far from perfect, ever so little, step by step, as the world was rebuilt, so was their relationship.

"Sure, if you aren't still exhausted by then."

Empathize on "far from perfect".

Hinata turns to look at Komaeda again, giving him an expression that he hoped didn't look angry or annoyed, but rather just miffed or stern.

"It's only eleven, you know. I'll have this done by midnight, and I can still get all eight hours of sleep in. I promise."

(The only hard part would be falling asleep, of course. But as long as he had Komaeda sleeping beside him, it'd be a lot easier.)

Komaeda opened his mouth as though wanting to say something, before closing it again and merely giving a small shake of his head.

"Of course, Hinata-kun. I trust you, afterall."

It's a genuine, if not tired, expression, and even if it's small, Hinata is thankful. Hearing those words from Komaeda felt far more different than hearing it from anyone else.

He gives Komaeda a genuine small, if not apologetic, smile, before turning back to his work.

He hears Komaeda step further into the room, and he expects him to just rest in bed(afterall, it is late)while Hinata worked diligently, and he reaches for his cup.

Only to almost spill it when he feels a sudden pair of arms wrap around him from the back, eyes peering over him at his desk.

"What are you working on, anyhow?" In this close proximity, Hinata can hear just how breathy Komaeda's voice is, and it sends goosebumps down his skin(and maybe heat somewhere else). He also distinctly smells the scent of floral shampoo; it was clear he had taken a shower only around an hour ago.

Komaeda had never been one for spontaneous acts of physical affection, unless it was something he and Hinata had discussed beforehand. Of course, he could be clingy at times, but with this act, it was clear he wanted something.

But, Hinata wouldn't succumb that easily, taking a sip of his coffee and getting back to the paperwork as though this was completely ordinary for them.

"It's nothing that fascinating, really. Just some files of survivors that slipped past the foundation's priority."

"Oh?"

"Ah, yeah. I just got to… uh, well…."

It's clear to Hinata that Komaeda isn't even listening. In fact, he seems far more focused on massaging Hinata's chest through his button up shirt, clingy fingers working upwards and then tracing down what parts of the man's stomach he could reach from this position, all in a circular motion, purposefully skipping over his sensitive spots.

And yet, even then, it's almost unbearable, and it's starting to get difficult for Hinata to think properly as he attempts to go over the papers. Especially as he starts to feel a familiar strain in his crotch.

"Komaeda," he speaks, perhaps a little too harshly, and he finds himself almost regretting it when Komaeda's hands halt. "I really got to get this paperwork done, y'know."

There's a short pause, before Komaeda responds with a simple, "Ah."

Another pause, but ever so slowly, his hands begin moving again, this time tracing the buttons of Hinata's shirts softly with his fingertips, as though waiting for a quiet nod of consent.

When Hinata doesn't stop him(he probably should, but his arousement is getting hard to deny), he becomes a little more forceful.

"Ah, of course," he adopts the tone that Hinata could recognize anywhere, resting his head on his shoulder, and the warm breaths that hit Hinata's nape makes him shiver.

"Of course, I wouldn't possibly want to interrupt Hinata-kun's hard work." He toys with the buttons that rest right on Hinata's chest. "Working so hard. So diligently. Don't you think you deserve a break?"

With a small pop, he undoes the button he was fiddling with, as well as Hinata's patience.

He bolts up, perhaps too fast as he hears Komaeda make a faint squeak of surprise. But that isn't what he focuses on as he turns towards the other.

"Komaeda," he hisses, sounding more stern than he meant to be, and instantly regretting it when the man instantly backs down.

"Aha, sorry, Hinata-kun. I shouldn't have, I know, of course, I'm such-"

"Komaeda," Hinata says in order to interrupt his spiral, sounding more gentler than before. And when Komaeda stops for a second, looking confused, he takes the chance to put their lips together.

It takes only a second of fumbling before they find their footing, and sure enough, Hinata only has to nip at Komaeda's lips and press their bodies together to get eager access to his mouth, a low moan spawning from his throat.

The way they fit into each other’s curves, hands moving in all the right places, refusing to leave each other, the lewd noises and growls that neither would believe the other knew to make had they just known each other vaguely… it’s addicting, and Hinata quickly finds just how much he’s missed this.

Considering both of their sex drives, it defintely wasn’t an uncommon occurrence between them. They maintained a healthy limit- but they certainly did it far more than most people. One of the few exceptions was this week. They had been far more busy than usual, and so barely had the chance to get together properly.

Of course, it only seems to make sense how all that repressed sexual tension would unload the moment they finally got time to themselves. So, Hinata can’t possibly get mad.

When they finally separate for breath, already looking like drooling messes, he isn’t given a chance to clear his head when Komaeda instead attacks his neck, applying open mouth kisses and slinking his hands underneath his shirt, taking his time to further undo the buttons.

“Fuck, Komaeda…” Hinata fails to stifle a moan, backing into the corner of the desk for support while keeping another hand entwined in the other’s soft locks.

At this point, he’s going to end up being dominated, and so he makes the hasty decision in order to regain control.

“Wait, wait, Komaeda,” he urges, tightening his grip on his hair. Sure enough, Komaeda stops to make eye contact with him, a look of attentiveness, yet also an obvious urge to continue, which is also something Hinata finds weirdly humorous.

"You're getting way too excited too fast," he calls out, his voice breathy, yet his smile proves how he wasn't actually annoyed.

"Ha, well, you can't really blame me," Komaeda retorts with a small chuckle, massaging Hinata's hips in a way that makes him groan.

Looking to at least get back at him for that, Hinata forcefully grinds their hips together, which earns him a surprised cry from his partner that helps him earn back some confidence.

"Desperate," he muses with a smirk, as though it's an insult, and he raises his knee enough to push it in between Komaeda's legs, against his crotch and plenty visible erection, which spawns another appealing whine from his boyfriend. "What do we do about this?"

"Haaaa, Hinata-kun," Komaeda's voice is already shaky and his face already a disaster of arousement, and as though he knows this, he buries his face into the shoulder of Hinata whilst also grinding against the knee he held in place. "Please, I-"

"You're already going to start begging?" Hinata's voice comes off more condescending than he intended it to, but he doesn't think Komaeda will mind at all this time. "I still have a busy night, you know. Maybe it'd be better to just tie you up and leave you to play with yourself, until I finish everything."

He comes up with the scenario at the top of his mind, and while he wasn't sure how good it would sound at first, imagining it manages to make him even more aroused.

"NO!" That idea is quickly scrapped by Komaeda's own bark, as though Hinata actually fully planned on doing it. "No, i-it has to be you Hinata-kun. It has to be you that, that fucks me." Him stumbling on his words seems to be less out of embarrassment, but rather, desperation. And god, does it turn Hinata on.

"Fuck, alright, alright, Komaeda." Truthfully, he's already quite desperate as well. There's no way he could even think of leaving Komaeda with them both like this. He wouldn't even be able to focus on his work, anyways.

He pushes Komaeda away softly while still holding his sweatershirt sleeve, to make sure he didn't think he was rejecting him. A good thing to do, as Komaeda had seemed ready to walk over to the bed.

He gave a blink at Hinata's hold. "Ah, Hinata-kun?"

"I'm going to fuck you over the desk," Hinata states far too simply. "So bend over for me, Komaeda."

This seems to work wonders for Komaeda's own arousement, as Hinata watches as his eyes widen with a familiar, excited look before he's even seemed to analyze what he said, before giving a submissive nod and happily listening.

The two trade spots near the desk(though not before Hinata makes sure to push the papers into a messy pile at the other corner of it), and Komaeda balances himself by pushing his upper body on the desk, making sure to display his lower half properly.

Hinata, in thanks, makes sure to marvel over it properly: firmly gripping at Komaeda's ass, which gets him another gasp from the man. Ah, yes. He's definitely missed this.

While as much as he'd like to fondle Komaeda's thighs, ass, and hips all night, he's sure they're both already close to their breaking point, especially judging by his boyfriend's own small whines.

"Take off your pants, Komaeda," Hinata orders, turning away to go to the bedside and fetch some lube. He can hear a dissatisfied noise from Komaeda when he takes his eyes off him, but as long as they're in the same room, Hinata doesn't have to explain himself.

(He would have made a joke about how this was evidence it was a good idea to have the desk in the bedroom, but he decided against it for risk of ruining the mood.)

When he turns back after grabbing the half-empty bottle, he's greeted with the sight of Komaeda's own bare ass, him not even having bothered to step out of the leggings and underwear that now pooled at his feet.

He still didn't make eye contact with him: Komaeda still had his head facing into the desk, but the way his body trembles as his hips are grazed with a single finger is all Hinata needs to know to tell what his face looks like.

"I didn't tell you to take off your underwear," Hinata accuses, though sounding far from angry. Komaeda's breath seems to halt for a moment, before starting to rambling:

"Apologies, I just assumed-"

"No, I get it, Komaeda." Hinata interrupted, and once again he grips the other's ass(perhaps even more aggressively, judging by Komaeda's inhale), contemplating just spreading it apart and preparing Komaeda already.

"You just can't handle yourself, right? So desperate, so horny, you just needed to get them off." He grins when Komaeda just makes a few shaky noises, leaning forwards on his back in order to mutter in his ear; "Such a needy little thing, aren't you?"

"Hinata-kun," Komaeda seems to object, his voice almost trembling as though Hinata had already put it in. "Your being cruel, teasing… please."

Komaeda plays his own trick, pushing back into Hinata's clothed erection, causing him to hiss at the unexpected friction.

"Fine, fine," he huffs, but he can't say he doesn't sympathize with Komaeda. Afterall, he definitely wants to get into him real soon as well.

Finally applying a good amount of lube to his fingertips and placing the bottle on the desk chair, Hinata brought a finger to Komaeda's entrance only to tease and circle the rim for a second or so, but objections from the man made him finally push it in.

Even just the way Komaeda starts making consistent mewls and the constricting heat that wraps around his finger is enough to get Hinata even more eager, the eroticiness giving him the want to continue faster.

And luckily, it doesn't take long to prepare Komaeda at all, as the second finger slips in with relative ease, and Hinata, already on his own limit, decides that he's ready enough, as much as he'd like to tease Komaeda a little more.

His partner gives another small whine when Hinata pulls his fingers out, but he doesn't respond, too set on unbuckling his pants.

There's a feeling of relief when he finally allows his cock into the air, before reaching for the lube again to apply it. He's in the middle of stroking a fair amount on(his arousal winning over the initial chills of first adding it), when Komaeda once again makes a noise of dissatisfaction, pushing his hips out as though Hinata had already forgotten about him.

"Come on," he complains, this time turning his head to look over his shoulder ever so slightly. "I need you to…. to just hurry up already."

Ah. It's at that time Hinata figures, maybe, he could bare to tease Komaeda a little longer.

"What do you want me to do?"

"...Ah?" An almost genuine sound of confusion, followed with an almost instant noise of supposed realization. "I, I want you to-"

"No, Komaeda. I want you to show me where you want me to fuck you. Otherwise, I'll have no idea."

There's a moment of silent hesitation, or Komaeda merely trying to think of what Hinata meant, before it seems to dawn on him anyhow.

Ever so carefully, as though putting on a show, Komaeda, keeping his head pressed against the desk but turning it to look at Hinata, brought his hands to cup his ass, spreading it open to give his partner a view of his entrance, slick with lube and almost twitching, as though begging as well.

"Here," Komaeda gives a shaky smile. "I want you to fuck me here. Fill me up, Hinata-kun, use me until you're satisfied, just please hurr- HA!"

Hinata wastes no more time in slamming into Komaeda, and at first it's painful with the tightness(he worries if he hurt Komaeda, too), but the warm, pleasurable heat wastes no time in fixing that.

The noise that Komaeda lets out is almost a scream, or the beginning of one, as he tilts his head up with an open mouthed expression, clearly taken offguard.

"Fuck, Komaeda…" The name rings on his tongue so naturally he can't help but keep on cursing it.

The tightness of Komaeda's insides that seem to constrict around him everytime he tries to move, the satisfying heat, and the wet noises that spawns… it causes Hinata's head to already start going dizzy, wondering how he could have gone without this for almost an entire week.

But he doesn't get to ponder any longer, when Komaeda forcefully thrusts his hips back at him, clearly desperate to continue.

Hinata makes a small noise of acknowledgement, before holding onto Komaeda's hips. For a moment, however, he finds his hands tracing along everything else he can reach, appreciating Komaeda's ass, thighs, and reaching for his untouched cock, speckled with precum, only to be halted by another push backwards from him and a low whine.

Hinata finally gets a better, full grip on Komaeda's waist, before testing the waters by slowly grinding into him. The soft sounds from his partner spurs him on, and he lets out his own low sounds as he angles himself in an attempt to get deeper.

He knows he's hit a good spot when Komaeda lets out a small cry. "There…!"

Hinata grins at this, brushing the spot again, but never actually thrusting into Komaeda's prostate, which gets him another keel.

"You're… you're doing it again!" Komaeda breathes, once again attempting to turn his head over to Hinata, his face cast in a complete fluster.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Hinata lies, giving his best aloof impression, only to regret it when Komaeda once again pushes back with a new kind of intent, which gets him to let out his own embarrassing groan.

"Hurry up, Hinata-kun," he objects, already starting his own pace as he continues to thrust back bit by bit. "I… I need this. Come, come on, come on,come-"

He's cut off by his own primal yet breathy shout, when Hinata finally obeys and slams right into his prostate, nails digging into Komaeda's skin, and him digging into the surface of the desk.

"Yes," a hazed, pleased chant, "yes, yes, that feels good, Haj-"

But Hinata doesn't give him a chance to say anything, losing himself in favor of forcefully pounding into Komaeda.

The sounds of their skin smacking ruthlessly and Komaeda's lewd noises filling the room is erotic enough to get Hinata to loose almost all of his common sense, leaning forward to kiss the nape of his partner's neck.

"Komaeda," he sighs, slowing his pace, but only slightly. "Nagito, you feel amazing, it's so good inside you-"

Despite his trembling, Komaeda still meets Hinata's thrusts with each buck of hips, and yet even staying more forceful- as though doing his best to get Hinata to hurry, to go even deeper.

The whole situation is hot, both figuratively and literally, and as embarrassing as it could be to admit, Hinata was already getting close to his climax.

Losing much of his usual care, Hinata slows down only to angle himself correctly, and begins chasing his high by thrusting into Komaeda at a brutal pace.

His partner's own strangled noises that sound more akin to sobs than just moans and groans doesn't faze him, rather spurring him on.

It doesn't take long for Komaeda to beat him to his orgasm, as he lets out a shrill noise that has the same intensity as a scream, and the feelings of his walls clenching onto him is all Hinata needs to finally reach his own, giving a final desperate thrust or two before burying himself as deep as he can reach into Komaeda, and instinctively biting into his shoulder.

Their hips seemed to tremble together, until Hinata finished emptying himself. There's a moment of silence, the room being filled with merely their own harsh breathing, attempting to recollect themselves.

Komaeda's whole body is shaking so much that Hinata fears that if he pulled out and let go of his hips, he'd fall right onto the floor, and so he keeps his grip firm.

But the feeling gets uncomfortable soon, and he pulls out, ignoring Komaeda's own noises of discomfort. The sight of his stretched, wet hole is enough to arouse Hinata again, so he turns his attention on the other's back, loosening but still keeping a grip on his waist.

"We," he huffs, still out of breath, "...should take a bath."

He's surprised when this causes Komaeda to suddenly raise his head, breathing an almost inaudible, shaky, "no".

He also doesn't expect his partner to turn himself around by slightly straightening his back and grabbing onto Hinata's shirt, taking a step only to almost immediately crumble.

Hinata quickly catches Komaeda in his arms, a look of sudden concern filling his face. The man takes advantage of the support, swinging his arms around the other's neck to make proper eye contact with him.

Komaeda looks like a mess, tears staining the corner of his eyes and drool running down his lips, all while his face is almost entirely red. His eyes are also hazy, as though he's not entirely connected with reality.

"Hajime," Komaeda attempts a grin, especially when the use of Hinata's given name causes his boyfriend's face to get red, "let's go… another round."

Hinata opens his mouth to say something, but looking down at his clearly needy partner, he can't find it in himself to object.

So much for his plan to get eight hours of sleep.

[lygerastia]

1. Introduction (Takamaki Ann)

You're a model that just got the best gig: working with the famous Ann Takamaki! You didn't know what to expect; certainly not love at first sight. And she might be interested in you too.

Warnings: none

Chapters: 1 [completed] 

Words: 1536

READ IT ON AO3

***

You step on the set as confident as you could. Never mind that your nerves were high, your heart beating fast in your chest, palms sweaty. This was your first model job, and you were afraid you’re going to screw things up—despite all the training you went through to get here. It has been a painful and frustrating journey, but finally, you’ve been accepted in the big leagues. Today, you had a photoshoot with a   huge  fan favorite, so the stakes were high. One wrong move and you’ll be the laugh of everyone. You didnțt want to give a wrong impression to your coworker, the famous blonde superstar. You knew  of  her, even followed her on social media (she didn’t follow back). She looked gorgeous in the pictures, some showing delicious skin and others putting her in an innocent light. You could understand why she had a cult worshipping her; she was a natural at modeling.

You usually don’t care what people think, but you care what your partner will feel when she meets you. Which should happen soon if you decided to move out of the way. People were starting to stare at you, standing secluded in front of the exit.

You took a deep breath—

“[name]!” the voice scared the hell out of you, and you were embarrassed that you jumped a little at that. You turned towards the person that called you and then let out a sigh of relief. It was your manager, Tanaka-san, even if she looked rather annoyed. ���I told you not to be late!”

“I’m sorry, I—” you steady your nerves; Tanaka-san was your friend, and she  liked  you. It said a lot judging by the fact that she disliked everyone else. But she seems interested in you as a person. She’s not here just for the money. “I wanted to calm down before the big meet.” You put on your best charming smile, which earned a huff from the fussy old lady.

She crossed her arms over her chest, “Alright. Let’s say I forgive you—”

“Thank you, Mi—”

“But—” she stops you with a hand; never use her real name when others are around, “—you have to get it together. We rehearsed this before.” Tanaka-san put her hands on your shoulder, squeezing them motherly. Her gaze softened. If someone saw her, they might say she was possessed. But this was your  real  manager. And you were grateful for having her here. “You can do this.”

You nod, “Yeah. Let’s go.”

She quickly adopts her professional persona again and signals for you to follow her. You walk with her into the set, where people are flocking around  someone.   You assumed it was your beautiful partner. The scene today was a beach:   go figure.   Of course, they wanted to show off your colleague’s body  again —what leeches. Then again, this meant that you had to be exposed too. You wished that your first job would be more professional, but what can you do? Just endure and move on. Something better will surely come sooner or later, especially if you do a good job.

Tanaka-san doesn’t hesitate to push through the crowd, packing elbows left and right. You follow her, muttering apologies with a smile. You finally reach the one you were trying to meet, and for a few precious moments, time seemed to stop.

Because you’ve never seen anything like her before. She was gorgeous in pictures, but she was even more rapturing in real life. Your heart seized, and your breath halted, staring at her beauty. That long and wavy blonde hair, so natural and unusual in Japan. That flawless face with perfect skin, those lips painted with an innocent rose tint, and those eyes… You could get lost in them for an eternity. As bright and blue as the summer ocean. You barely even gave attention to her body, which was a favorite among her fans; but you could see why everyone was going crazy. She was slender and curved in all the right places, her long legs so enticing. She was just  perfect , the proportions just right.

Simply enchanting.

“Close your mouth, you fool,” Tanaka-san chastises you with a whisper, and you wake up from your reverie. This was no good; if you got this distracted by her, you wouldn’t be able to get  anywhere.  You won’t be considered a professional, and that was a big no-no. ‘Focus, [name]!’ you shook your head just as Tanaka-san opened her mouth, “Excuse me!” Everyone turned around to watch her, even the blonde beauty. You tried to hide behind your agent, afraid to say or do something wrong in front of your partner. But Tanaka-san was sharp; she elbowed you hard in the stomach, and you took the cue to come up with a huge smile (and hopefully charming) on your face.

“Hello, everyone,” you say in your most persuasive voice, just like Tanaka taught you. It was always good to be polite and friendly.

“This is [name], here to be your model,” the old woman says, smiling widely. Another agent, a male this time, approached Tanaka and shook her head respectfully. A surge of pride went through you, knowing that your agent was talented and respected in the modeling world.

“Welcome, welcome,” the other agent shook both of your hands, bowing. “It’s so good to meet you. Here,” he invited you over, “let me introduce you to our star.”

This is it.   Despite yourself, you gulp nervously. This was the moment that will change your life. The male agent guides you towards your partner, and,   finally , your eyes meet. A spark went through your body, and you saw on her face that she felt it too. The undeniable attraction was there, and it caused butterflies in your stomach, the old cliche syndrome.

And she—

“This is Takamaki Ann,” her agent introduces her.

Then, just the two of you were left. Neither seemed to make a move; a surprised expression painted on her face. Her pink lips parted as she checked you out, just like you did earlier. You felt your cheeks redden at the attention, but you also wanted to show her the best in you. She was already splendid and you—you were magnificent in your own way, but compared to her, you paled. Ann—her name  oh, so sweet  —was like the sun.

“I—” she finally moves to speak, but it was unbecoming to let her do it first.

You jumped in eagerly, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Takamaki-san.” Thoughts ran inside your head about what you should do now. Should you take her hand and shake it or not? The decision was made by the blonde herself, taking the first step in meeting you halfway. She was also unsure whether to shake your hand or not, but the temptation was irresistible. She extended her hand at the same time you did, and your palms met. Hers was warm and smooth, yours cold and sweaty. But, at that moment, it did not matter. You’ve connected, and it was a wonderful experience.

Ann smiles brightly, cheeks tinting pink, “Likewise. It’s nice to meet you, [name].” She let go of your hand, and you felt longing. You did not doubt in your mind that Ann was your soulmate, but it embarrassed you to think that. You felt like you were exaggerating, but this was something you’ve never felt before.

You sigh dreamily, “Looking forward to working with you.”

The blonde model wants to say so much more, her blue eyes sparkling with an unknown sentiment; you felt your heart leaping in joy. “I am sure we’re going to have a lot of fun!” she adds, giggling cutely while twirling a strand of her hair flirtatiously. But before you can go ahead and say something stupid (like ask her out all of a sudden), someone else captures her attention. She turns around, but not before she waves at you, a gesture that  promised  a lot.

After she was gone, you stared after her like a fool; but you knew for sure that you were done. Irreversibly, you were  in love.

**

After so much time, she was your  introduction  to everything. And you were glad that she was there for the ride. Your first secret kiss behind the stage, when the emotions before a big show got too high. Your first time in your new apartment after you moved together. Ann stayed by your side no matter what—and you wouldn’t trade her for anyone else.

“I love you,” she whispers on your lips, and you laugh sweetly. You embrace her tightly, picking her up and twirling her around. Years have passed since you first met—and now, at the peak of your careers, you both felt happy. She giggled happily and, as you put her down, the blonde girl kissed you passionately. You’ve been through a lot, through adventures, but you overcame everything. As you stared into her blue eyes, you knew you made the right decision in asking her out.

It has been a cliche, the idea of soulmates, but it worked out in the end. So you leaned into her, your heart singing:

“Love you too.”

–

[masterlist]