#i didn't watch this match past his entrance so i'm sorry about that

[likesummerrainn]

AEW Forbidden Door | 06.30.24

[oneforthemunny]

love drunk |bouncer!eddie munson x bartender!reader|

​​prompt: you and eddie work valentine's day at the hideout.

contains: 18+. alcohol, creepy old guys at the bar, mentions of road head, jealous!eddie, dacrphilia, mean!eddie, oral fem rec, spanking, hair pulling, degrading, p in v sex, aftercare. minors dni.

The Hideout was buzzing, filled with an unusual crowd of unlikely people, but what else did you expect on Valentine's Day?

Broken hearted men washing away their bitterness with beer and whisky, next to galentines celebrating their own freedom and singleness with shots and bad karaoke. The usual boys who were prowling the crowds for women desperate enough to go home with them, spewing horrible pick up lines that usually left the girls cringing and retreating the other way. Then there were the couples, some regulars and some not. They came to celebrate at the high top tables, people watch and enjoy their time together.

You'd been busy since you clocked in a little after four. You knew you'd be here well past last call, but that was alright, because Eddie was here. He was working the door with Tony, both in all black, leaned up at the entrance checking IDs and taking covers. Before your shift, Eddie had picked you up in his van, a dozen roses in the passenger seat.

You'd blushed, gushing to him about how sweet the gesture was. Eddie was sweet, so sweet. You'd never met a guy sweeter. He'd shrugged when you kissed him, smiley and gooey insides. "Anything for my best girl."

The two of you had only been together a few weeks, barely breaking the title of being official. You hadn't expected the gesture really, especially because you both worked. You figured you'd fuck after you got back to his place, you had wore your matching pink set for that reason, but the flowers were an extra effort that had your head swirling.

You sucked him off while he drove you to work as a thank you.

Now, you were pouring shots, mixing drinks, opening beers, collecting tips, slipping the wadded fives even some bigger bills into your bra with a wink and a dazzling smile. You knew the crowd would be big, and the tippers even bigger- the holidays always made people more generous when you were pouring drinks down their throats- so you wore your tightest, lowest top.

Eddie had noticed.

His eyes would catch yours from the door, rolling his bottom lip between his teeth when you bent over, shorts riding up over the nylon stockings you had underneath.

"C'mon, man." Tony laughed, shoving Eddie's shoulder.

Eddie smirked, nodding to the desperate girl at the door, who batted her eyes at him, eyes attempting at what he could only guess was sultry or sexy. He didn't care. They never worked on him anymore.

You poured another shot of whisky, sliding the glasses to the men in front of you. "Hey, sweetheart, take a shot with us." The old man slurred, tie loose and around his neck.

You smirked, adding their drinks to his tab. "Sorry, I'm on the clock." You said with an exaggerated pout. "My manager will get real mad at me."

The men sounded off their displeasure, smacking the bar with open palms so their glasses rattled. "Who, Mickey? I know Mickey, baby, he-he won't get ya in trouble. Not a pretty thing like you."

You knew these guys were big tippers which is the only reason you hadn't had them cut off and removed. They had been whistling, cat calling, and spewing every lewd, vulgar thing that came to their drunken, filthy minds and you and Tasha all night. You both would just look at each other, roll your eyes, and go back to the middle-aged women divorcees who were much nicer and sweeter to you.

"Just one little shot, baby. Hell, I'll pay for it." Jack Harrington, Steve's dad, slurred, grinning at you with a predatory smile. No wonder Steve hated the guy so much.

"I'll do you one better," They guy next to him, Marco- you think, boasted, pulling out his wallet. He slid a crisp one hundred dollar bill out, slapping it on the table. "One hundred dollars and I'll buy the shot. Make it top shelf, sweetheart." He winked, the other guys whooping and hollering with him.

Eddie had looked over at the commotion, dark eyes narrowed on the rowdy group of men. He despised when they came in. Regulars and assholes at that, always hurling objectifying, nasty comments to the bartenders there. Getting so drunk they could barely drive home. They were especially rowdy tonight after dinner with their wives and mistresses, who they hated, before coming here.

Eddie was waiting, just waiting for you or Tasha to give him the sign. Give him the signal that they needed to be gone. He'd take complete joy in tossing them out, making sure they hit the pavement on their way out.

"I tell you what," You started, placing your hands on your hips. You nudged Tasha who watched you carefully, pouring her ale into a glass. "Make it a hundred a piece for me and Tasha, I'll pick the shot, and," You paused, smirking at the way their eyes lit up. "You gotta go sing me a song." You nodded towards the stage.

The men howled in laughter as Marco pulled out another hundred, sliding it next to yours. "Deal, angel." He said smugly. "Any requests?"

You grabbed the money, sliding Tasha her's then sliding yours in your bra. You pulled out a shot glasses, lining them up Patron and a bowl of limes. "Something romantic." You smiled. "It's Valentine's Day after all." 

You pressed your glass against theirs, downing the harsh liquid with a grimace while they cheered you on, celebrating each other obnoxiously. Eddie's jaw clenched from the door, yanking the cover cash from a college aged kid a little too harshly. He knew it was your job, you were just trying to make enough money to pay your rent just like he was, but it didn't make it any less hard when you'd flirt like this.

You made your rounds, pouring, swiping, smiling, and maneuvering expertly around the bar. Stacking glasses, cutting limes and oranges, wiping away spills, chatting with patrons. You even filled up two glasses of water, light ice and extra lemon- the way Eddie liked it- bringing them to the door for Tony and him.

Eddie smiled when you brought it over, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Thanks, baby," Eddie muttered, stabbing his straw on the table in front of him, wadding up the wrapper.

"You need anything else?" You asked, looking at Tony then Eddie.

"Nah, do you? Those guys still bothering you and Tasha?" Tony asked, nodding to the group of men from before.

You rolled your eyes, shaking your head. "No, they're jackasses. Total dicks, but we're fine." You smiled, placing a hand on Eddie's shoulder, squeezing it gently. You didn't miss the way he was tight, tense against your touch.

He tensed even more when Marco got up on stage, sloppily serenading you to ACDC's 'Shook Me All Night Long' with added vulgar dance moves while he pointed at you, adding your name into the chorus lyrics. Eddie was fuming.

Closing time couldn't come soon enough. The love birds and broken hearted left as easily as they came, the miracle of holidays. You and Tasha finished your closing duties, laughing and scoffing while you exchanged stories from the night. Eddie and Tony helped you, tidying up the place, but Eddie didn't have his usual charm. He wasn't cracking jokes, flexing his muscles and exaggeratedly saying 'what he woulda done if he wasn't on the clock'. He was distant, quiet, even with you.

By the time the two of you walked out, your arms looped around his leather clad arm, his mind was reeling. "...I made a lot of tips tonight." You grinned excitedly to him. "It was a pretty good night actually. I thought we'd be dead on Valentine's Day, but I've got enough in tips tonight to pay my rent for the month!"

Eddie huffed, furiously starting the engine to the van. "Yeah, that's great." He muttered. "With how you were actin' tonight, 'm not surprised."

You faltered, eyes furrowing a bit. "Ed, what're you talking about?" You asked. He shook you off, peeling out of the parking lot furiously. "Hey, look at me, are you," You squinted, studying his features. "Are you jealous?"

You couldn't help the little grin that formed on your lips when you asked, eyes lighting up mischievously. Eddie huffed. "'M not jealous." He snapped. "Just fuckin' hate it when you entertain those douchebag guys." He snarled.

You snorted, smugly crossing your arms. "You're jealous." You declared. "Honestly, Eddie, do you really think I give a shit about those guys?"

"You sure act like you do." Eddie bit, eyes flashing over to you. "Takin' shots and talkin' all sweet to 'em. No wonder he sang that shit to you, and you were laughing-"

"-Because he looked like an idiot." You laughed. "Tasha and I we're making fun of him. Everyone was laughing at him." Eddie huffed, a pouty, childish huff that left you grinning.

"They're complete and utter assholes that are good tippers, Eddie. I am repulsed by them, honestly. They're so gross and creepy, and I'm actually a little insulted that you would think they're my type." You snipped, eyeing him carefully.

Eddie's lips pressed together, not necessarily mad but thinking. You leaned closer to him, arms wrapping around his torso, pressing kisses to the exposed, ink skin of his biceps. "Baby, please, you can't seriously think I'd be into them." You said, looking up at him with rounded eyes.

"Just don't like it 's all." Eddie muttered. "Don't like it when they say that kinda shit to you." His fists clenched on the wheel, knuckles whitening. Your heart fluttered.

You hummed, pushing a stray hair behind his ear, tucking it and trailing your finger lightly down his jaw. "Don't be upset, please?" You asked. "It's Valentine's Day."

"That was technically yesterday." Eddie grumbled looking at the clock on his dash, the time read 3:02 a.m.

You sighed dramatically, pulling back so you sat in your seat. "Oh, guess I wore this for nothing then." You said, with a small shrug, looking out the window.

You felt Eddie's eyes on you. "Wore your work uniform?" Eddie snorted.

Your eyes flashed at him, biting back a smile. "No-o," You sing-song, batting your eyes at him. "What's under it, silly." You teased.

You'd been more than happy to show Eddie once you got back to his trailer, his mood lightening severely with the reveal. You'd kneeled on the edge of his bed, pink hearts smattering the see through material of the bra and panties, leaving very little the imagination.

Eddie dropped to his knees when he saw you, hands roaming all over your waist, legs, hips, squeezing and grabbing at anything he could, eyes wide and mouth watering. You looked like an angel, an angel he was about to ruin.

He didn't taken your panties off the whole night. He licked you right through the thin material until they were completely soaked from you and him. He'd pulled your bra down under your tits, so they were pushed up and presented for him while he sucked bruises into the delicate skin, marking you completely.

When he did fuck you, after you were writing and begging under his touch, he was relentless. Pounding you into the sheets until you couldn't even utter a sound, moans and gasps caught in your throat, tears streaming down your face.

"Yeah? You like that, don't you?" Eddie asked, hand cracking down on your upturned ass, gripping the skin as he pounded into you. "Like being fucked like the little slut you are, don't you?"

You drooled into the sheets, tears and saliva mixing into the pool beneath you. Eddie was fucking you with vigor, much more than you expected after a late night, busy shift. Your legs shook, clamping around him again with a small whine.

"Aw, you gonna cum, baby? Gonna cum all over my cock, huh?" Eddie cooed mockingly towards you.

Your eyes rolled back, crying when you came, then gasping when he yanked your hair back, pulling you up so you were flush against him, one arm around your torso, the other tweaking your sensitive nipples.

"God, I've wanted to fuck you all night." Eddie growled in your ear. "You wore those short little shorts didn't you? Had to wear them tonight, didn't you, you little slut?"

You cried, tears leaking down your cheeks, gripping onto his wrist. You were so sensitive, every thrust of his cock felt like a jab into your belly, a blow that sent you spiraling into your white hot abyss.

"Fuck, look at you, so pathetic." Eddie sneered, gripping your jaw harshly. "Wish those guys could see you now, huh? See you crying' like this. And over what, huh? Over my dick?"

You whimpered, lip wobbling as you clenched around him. Eddie groaned, tilting his own head back. You loved it when he was mean, when he fucked you like he owned you. Eddie let you fall forward into the mattress face first, gripping your hips as he snapped his hips into yours rough and purposeful.

You gripped the sheets, clenching hard around him as he muttered behind you, bringing his hand down twice on your cheeks before cumming, buried deep into your sopping pussy.

Eddie bent at the waist, falling on top of you gently, sweaty bangs pressed to your back, pressing kisses up and down your spine. "Holy shit," Eddie breathed out, deep and slow, eyes still closed.

You whimpered when he pulled out of you, leaving you aching and empty. You cheeks were sticky with tears and smeared makeup, legs still shaking even as Eddie went to the bathroom to grab a rag and clean you.

He took his time with you after, cleaning you up slowly, pressing kisses into you cheeks, neck, down your sternum, on your legs. He wiped himself off before throwing the rag into the hamper, climbing into the bed next to you. You were pressed up into his sheets, legs over his torso, arms tangled together, sharing the assorted chocolate that Mickey had given everyone- a thank you for working the holiday.

"You like the fruit ones?" You asked, nose twisting up in disgust.

Eddie shrugged, popping the orange cream filled chocolate into his mouth. "Yeah, 's pretty good. You don't?"

You shook your head, burying yourself into his inked skin, lids heavy as he stroked your hair. "I liked the caramel ones, or the toffee."

Eddie scoffed. "Lame. Everybody likes those."

You giggled, vibrations rocking from your chest to his making him smile. Eddie looked down at you, your fingers wrapped around his sheets, lashes fluttering to fight against the sleep tugging at your eyes.

"Thank you for the roses." You yawned, looking up at him. "No ones ever got those for me before." You admitted.

"Really?" Eddie asked, you shook your head. "That's a damn shame. Glad I'm the first." He grinned, pressing a kiss to your head.

"Happy Valentine's Day, baby."  He whispered, feeling your body sink into his, heavy on his chest. "Maybe next year we'll get the night off, hm?"

[sydsaint]

Smug little baatard man. I love you <3

Summary: The reader is surprised to see Jack Perry finally back in AEW after his prolonged hiatus from the company. The two were close before the incident with CM Punk. But Jack never tried to reach out after the fight.

You are backstage for Dynamite talking with Willow and Kris after your match against Robyn Renegade a few minutes ago.

"The belt looks so good on you, Willow." You compliment Willow and the shiny new TBS championship belt hanging off her shoulder. "I can't wait to see you and Mercedes go at it. It's going to be such a good match."

"Thanks, YN." Willow smiles at you. "I saw your match with Robyn just now. You looked great back there." She pays the compliment back.

You, Willow, and Kris chat for a while about work. Kris is showing you a new photo of her pet lizard when the three of you notice the sound of the AEW crowd becoming rowdy.

"What's got them all worked up?" You wonder aloud.

"No clue. Wanna go see?" Kris shrugs.

You and Willow nod so the three of you weave your way through the backstage are. You make it down near the tunnel entrance where some monitors are streaming the show.

"Isn't that Jack Perry?" Willow is the first one to speak up. "What's he doing out there with the Jackson brothers and Okada?" She asks.

Your attention snaps to the monitor in front of you at the mention of Jack's name. You haven't seen Jack since the incident last Summer at All-In with CM Punk. Kris notices the surprised look in your eyes and remembers that you and Jack were hanging out a bunch before the incident.

"Hey, didn't you and Jack used to be close?" Kris asks you.

"Yeah." You nod. "I haven't talked to him since that fight he got into with CM Punk." You explain.

Willow turns around to join the conversation. "That long?" She asks you. "He didn't even like text you?"

You shake your head and turn back to the monitor. You watch Jack commit an assault on poor defenseless Tony Khan with help from The Elite. Your stomach churns at the despicable sight. But in the back of your mind, you can't help but notice how attractive Jack seems now. This new persona he's putting on is enticing, to say the least.

"Damn, that was brutal." Willow shakes her head when the camera feed cuts out, signaling the end of the show.

"I know." You agree.

Kris and Willow head back to the locker rooms so they can get ready to leave. But you linger backstage for a bit. You hang around and try not to act suspicious until eventually, Jack comes strutting back through the tunnel with his new friends.

"YN!" Matt Jackson greets you with a smug grin. "What are you doing hanging out all the way out here?" He asks you casually.

"Hi, Matt- er, Matthew. Sorry." You offer the EVP a small wave. "I was just cooling off and enjoying the show." You explain.

Matt nods and steps off to the side with Nick and Okada. Jack steps up to the front of the group and locks eyes with you.

"Hey, Jack." You smile at your former close friend. "You grew a beard! It looks nice." You pay him a friendly compliment.

"YN." Jack returns your smile. "It's good to see you again." He takes a step toward you and away from his newfound friends. "You've been growing out your hair? It looks nice too." He adds.

You smile at the ground sheepishly and nod. "Yeah, thanks. How are you?" You ask him. "I heard that you were off doing some work in Japan. How was it over there?"

"It was good." Jack shrugs. "I learned a lot while I was over there, that's for sure." He explains. "Hey...listen, YN. I'm sorry that I didn't call or anything these past few months." He rubs the back of his neck.

You shake your head at Jack's admittance of guilt. "Jack, no, it's alright." You assure him. You step forward and close the gap between the two of you. Jack looks a bit surprised when you place a gentle hand on his arm.

"You're forgiving me? Just like that?" Jack laughs. "But I was such a dick to you these past few months." He shakes his head again. "I mean. I just up and left! I ghosted you for so long!"

You shrug and crack a small smile. "You were getting railroaded!" You remind him. "Scapegoat, remember? I get it. And sure, it would have been nice to get a call or a text just to see how you were doing. But it's okay. I get it." You assure him one more time.

Jack laughs again and you suddenly find yourself trapped against his chest in a warm embrace. "Man. You've really got it bad for me, don't you?" He teases you. His new bad-boy persona breaking through.

You giggle and break out of his embrace. "I've got it bad?" You quirk a brow at him. "You spent half a year in Japan surrounded by groupies and yet here you are." You tease him right back. "Right here begging me to forgive you for ghosting me."

You and Jack both laugh at the ridiculousness of it all. You glance down at his hand now holding your wrist in the gap between the two of you. It's like he's making sure that you aren't going to go anywhere.

When you glance back up at Jack's face you find him staring at you with a tell-tale twinkle in his eye. You recognize the look to be the same one you used to give him when he wasn't paying attention. Like you are just dying to kiss him.

"If I try and kiss you right now, you aren't going to slap me, right?" Jack asks you playfully.

You shrug and match his playful smile. "I guess you'll just have to try it and find out." You tease him.

Your teasing remark earns one last laugh from Jack before he closes the gap between the two of you. You feel his hand snake behind your back, his palm laying flat against the small of your back as he pulls you flush against him. Your eyes flutter shut as Jack crashes his lips to yours in a sweet but passionate kiss. A kiss that's about three years in the making and about six months late.

But damn was it worth the wait.

[hurlingsupport]

"Late-Afternoon Meeting" (Reagan Ridley x Gender Neutral Reader One-shot)

Sequel ->

The straps of your mini backpack crumpled under your strong grip, and the robotic tentacle-like arm system you had within it struggled to stay inside it's tiny prison with your growing nervousness. You took a huff of air, which immediately went to waste when you screamed as someone suddenly grabbed your shoulder.

"Oh! Sorry- I'm really sorry, haha. Didn't think you'd react like that..." Brett, who's been your co-worker for the past few months, said with a regretful frown. He made a sad attempt at finger-gunning you before dropping one of his hands and rubbing his neck at the grimace worn on your face.

You sighed at his pitiful expression, before speaking up. "It's- It's fine Brett. I'm just kind of nervous right now." As you said this, your eyes cautiously wondered towards the double-doors in front of you.

"Oh, is this about the whole 'Reagan wants you in her lab later' thing? Cause if that's with this is about then I really don't think you need to worry!" He then proceeded to whisper not so discreetly into his hand, "Not that much at least."

You made a deadpan face at his unhelpful words, turning your head towards the entrance to Reagan's lab once more. You weren't scared of her, really! It's just that the way she always seemed to be glaring at you, not to mention always trying to one-up up you as if your lives were a constant competition, didn't exactly make you comfortable.

As if he could feel the anxiety pouring out of you, which he probably could, Brett gave you a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "Hey, don't worry too much! I mean, legally - Reagan isn't allowed to kill you." He said with a carefree smile, as if that'd make you feel any better. Instead you gave him a nasty side eye, watching as he scrambled to correct himself.

"I mean- Reagan's a nice person! Once you get to know her, which can take a while - but she's a nice person either way! You've got this broham!" He gave you an unconvincing thumbs up before running off in an awfully panicked manner for someone who considered Reagan to be 'harmless'. You couldn't blame him though, you feel bad for whoever will have to clean up your remains.

Taking one more deep breath - which this time didn't go to waste - you carefully opened Reagan's lab doors. And with a nonchalant 'come in' from Reagon herself, you stepped into the lion's den.

You could feel the way the air shifted as she stared up at you from one of her many desks, and when she put down the wire she was inserting to a coordinate frame of a robot, your breath hitched. "Right on time, although I thought you'd be a little earlier, this works out either or." She picked up a peculiar piece of metal as she made her way towards your form.

Reagan wiped one of her hands on her lab coat, avoiding eye contact like she always did, only this time her face was a little red. You raised a brow at her abnormal behavior, eyeing the steel piece in her hand, watching as she brought it closer to your face.

"Okay so, we both know that we match each other in our level of robotics, but-" she let out an almost aggressive sigh, "I was thinking about your technique and I found it to be, how do I say this? Interesting- I guess?" She briefly met your eyes, her glare harsher than it usually was.

"Look, what I'm trying to say is- I may have - kind of - replicated your style of robotics and created a prototype of some sort." She said the last bit in a fast paced fit of embarrassment, though your eyes could only focus on the piece of equipment in front of you.

It was just the end effector of an arm, but it seemed to sparkle with magic as you brought it closer to your eyes. "Wow, you made this, Reagan? It really does look similar to mine." You whispered in amazement.

"Pshh- I could make way better," She let her gaze fall onto your own, despite the fact that yours was still locked in on her creation. "But it is fun to experiment every once and a while." She let a gentle smile adorn her face.

"Are you going to make more? If you are, I could give you some blueprints so that you can really replicate my style?" Your eyes practically formed stars with your newfound excitement. Jumping in place, eagerly awaiting Reagan's answer while keeping the end effector safe in your hands.

Reagan held back a laugh at your animated demeanor, shaking her head almost fondly. "Maybe some other time, but uh- I actually wanted to ask you something." She patted her hands against her sides awkwardly, trying and failing to find the right words to express herself.

"I wanted to- I wanted us to- I don't know, do something? Together? Like an activity of some sort?" She hated the words that came out of her mouth, but anything was better than nothing, so she tried not to dawdle on her grievances.

You stared at her in confusion. Reagan? THE Reagan wanted to spend some time away from work to spend some time with YOU? Was this another run-in with her 'dating-robot-self'? You quickly did a once-over of her, seeing no shine on her skin, meaning this was definitely your Reagan.

"Uh, like a date?" Reagan's eyes widened and she instantly went to defend herself as if you had insulted her entire bloodline. Although, in reality she probably wouldn't care that much.

"NO! No- no of course not! Haha, I mean no way, you-" She lightly punched your arm. "-silly goose!"

The two of you stood in awkward silence, with Reagan's arm still extended from hitting you.

"Okay, yeah it's kind of a date, but- it's more like hanging out, y'know? Like those people with super close acquaintances do?"

You narrowed your eyes at her, "You mean friends?" She sighed.

"Yeah."

A warm smile made its way into your face, and you let out a laugh. "Man, if you wanted to hang out you didn't have to make everything feel so ominous!" You carefully set the steel end effector on one of Reagan's many desks, before making your way to her lab doors.

"What? What was ominous about it?" She stared up at you in confusion, a smile on her face nonetheless.

"You know- the whole 'always glaring at me thing' and the 'always trying to one-up me as if we're mortal enemies or something'! That wasn't exactly inviting." You let out an near sad laugh.

Reagan's smile faltered as the two if you continued to walk, entering the lift that would take you to the fake building entrance for Cognito Inc.

"Glaring at you? I don't think I was. I mean, admittedly I do stare at you a lot, but I'm not glaring!" Your cheeks warmed as she spoke, thinking about the implications of her words.

"And I'm not trying to one-up you! I'm just- trying to impress you, I guess. I've never actually met someone similar to me that I like." She let out a laugh, staring towards the ground as you focused on just her.

"You like me?"

Her eyes widened to the size of saucers, turning her head towards you so quickly you thought it'd spin right off. She opened her mouth, probably to defend herself again, but she seemed to realize something as she closed it instead.

"I guess I do, yeah?" She laughed again, this time a laugh filled with a warmth that matched her rosy cheeks. And as the Cognito Inc. doors closed behind you both, you realized it was a face you had never seen Reagan make.

"Well, I think I like you too." Reagan looked back at you, at first in shock, which then shifted to befuddled relief.

"That's... good? I'm not sure how to respond to something like that." You only took your eyes off her when you saw your bus pulling up.

"Well, maybe you should get used to it, I'll see you on our date, Reagan. Bye!" You frantically waved at her as you ran towards your bus. Watching as she slowly raised her hand to wave back, moving it back and forth in a state near of awe.

Watching as you hopped into your ride, Reagan let out a breath of shock. Out of all the ways this day could've ended, this had to be the best outcome. But as she thought about it more, she realized she didn't even have your number.

She laughed, punching the air violently as she made her way to her car. Oh well, she'd just ask Gigi for it.

[regarding-stories]

Inertia Itself: The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya

TL; DR: I'm gonna bash the series somewhat. (Sorry, folks.)

After it coming with a lot of praise and kept being recommended, the series itself didn't end up being what I expected, especially given the omission in Crunchyroll's synopsis blurb. I still watched it, and all the fan praise is... a bit over the top. (I'd say the movie deserves it, though.) Depending on your tastes and sensitivities, this can be a decent or good series. It has flaws - but it definitely is not just more of the same when compared to others.

This first part of the series aired in 2006, so you can expect spoilers.

The Setup

Initially we learn about a rather peculiar teenager named Haruhi who makes her entrance to high school by stating she's not interested in anyone who isn't an alien, a time traveler, or someone with PSI powers (also called ESPer after "extra-sensory perception").

Our actual protagonist-narrator, a regular guy we will soon know only by his nickname "Kyon," takes an interest in her and eventually befriends her. Little does he know that by doing so he unleashes a series of events that leads to Haruhi forming a club that does her bidding which she dubs the "SOS Brigade" which will look into the phenomena she's interested in.

The catch in the setup is that Haruhi is a being with god-like powers that is not aware of them. She can alter reality, but this happens unconsciously. It plays out mostly like a genie's wish: Whatever she wishes for has quite a bit of self-sabotage baked in. This is not apparent to her at all, and to some, I guess, the source of show's humor.

This leads to the following cast:

Haruhi Suzumiya: The universe centers around her, and she has the personality to match. She bosses others around to the point of bullying, becomes pouty and stubborn like a five-year-old when she doesn't get her way, and is often quite unreasonable. She's also a big tsundere which has a hidden crush on Kyon which she'd never admit, so she instead she treats him like a doormat. Her inner life is never revealed to us, except when others comment on how regular reality is after all, hinting that Haruhi's eccentricity is mostly on the surface. Beyond being a tsundere she's also a genki girl, being very lively, animated, and has endless motivation and stamina when it comes to put her plans to fruition. She's also kind to kids if not her friends.

Kyon: The everyman. Kyon is cynic and sarcastic, but almost never opposes Haruhi openly, instead playing an inner voice narrator commenting on everything. Most of the time he's a passive character, resenting being pushed around, but if put on the spot, he'd be forced to admit that he would never truly opt out. The show never makes it clear whether Kyon has some romantic attraction to Haruhi, even though at least Koizumi comments about it regularly. If he has, he's so put off by her antics that it never gets to surface throughout the run of the series.

Yuki Nagato: The resident alien, sent out by a near-omnipotent AI-like entity. As such, she's basically a robot, can conjure nano-machines, and whisper formulas that alter reality. Yuki is a "cold" character with no emotional response, and her supposed motivation is "to be an observer" because Haruhi seems to be an original factor that actually originates new things (which also suggests the universe would be kinda boring without her). Yuki is also the story's source of magic solutions to problems Haruhi causes and can be relied on to provide exposition when needed. And... she was recruited to the brigade to get Haruhi the former literature club's room.

Mikuru Asahina: A time traveler, and recruited to the brigade mostly to have a hot member. Investigates why no past exists before Haruhi entered middle school, but frankly, she really does nothing of her own through almost the entire series. Haruhi does whatever she wants to Mikuru, including dressing her in various embarrassing ways as the brigade's mascot, and in general Mikuru mostly sobs and goes along. Kyon also has a crush on her.

Itsuki Koizumi: This one is the PSI guy. He cannot do anything, however, except when a particular sort of crisis ensues: Apparently Haruhi's mood swings create destructive "closed spaces" in which giants start to destroy the world. The organization Koizumi is part of fears that if they are left to grow this would destroy the world, so he is the one pushing the most for keeping Haruhi in the dark about her own effect on the world and her powers, reiterating many times how he likes the world as is. Koizumi gets roped into the brigade because he's an exchange student and there must be something up with that, according to Haruhi, which she promptly forgets afterward. Koizumi's personality is rather manipulative and he can't drop it, and I can readily understand why Kyon is not especially keen on him.

But that's just the cast and their motivations, if any. What really matters is...

The Dynamic

What keeps the show going are the manifestations of Haruhi's powers based on her conscious and unconscious desires and the pushback from the other brigade members to keep those in check and preserve reality.

The roles in this are clear:

Koizumi will provide the rationale and some of the exposition, always arguing for preserving the status quo. (And also manipulate others.)

Mikuru will be comic relief and part of Kyon's motivation to get involved.

Nagato will provide solutions when the group cannot solve problems with regular means. She'll also at times provide information dumps, but mostly say very little.

Kyon will provide a reaction to it all, his narration provides an ironic take on the events, but his involvement will be crucial in driving the plot - where there is a non-magical solution, it will fall on Kyon to derive it and put it in place.

What I personally dislike about the show is this dynamic because it's focused on keeping things in place and preventing change. This is embodied especially in Koizumi, whose manipulations often leave a bitter aftertaste (and then he laughes them off).

But it's also present in Kyon's character. He will disagree internally with Haruhi but go along like a doormat. This then builds until a resolution of sorts or until one of the few instances where Kyon actually loses his shit after things have gone way too far and he's complicit in it for doing nothing and saying nothing. Most of Kyon's interactions with the world are internally, and whenever he's called to action, he often acts very late and when it's clear that nothing else will do.

Taken from another but similar angle, a lot of the story is about denying Haruhi satisfaction, and watching Kyon being basically an unhappy character who cannot enjoy things for what they are by constantly judging people around him. At least Haruhi tries to do things. Koizumi especially wants to prevent things, and Kyon mostly lacks impulses of his own.

Without Haruhi, Kyon would have fewer friends and lead a boring, ordinary life. With Haruhi, Kyon gripes about the hassle of having more than an ordinary life. What is his aspiration in life? Would he ever do anything?

Endless Eight

There's a special punishment hidden in this show, its absolute low point. A series of episodes titled "Endless Eight I - VIII". It reminds me of a quote by Douglas Adams: It is by eating sandwiches in pubs on Saturday lunchtimes that the British seek to atone for whatever their national sins have been. They're not altogether clear what those sins are, and don't want to know either. Sins are not the sort of things one wants to know about. But whatever their sins are they are amply atoned for by the sandwiches they make themselves eat. If there is anything worse than the sandwiches, it is the sausages which sit next to them. [...] The sausages are for the ones who know what their sins are and wish to atone for something specific.

(From "So Long, And Thanks For All The Fish".)

Leaving aside that the British should know what their national sins are, this encapsulates how I feel about having watched these eight episodes. It must have been some sort of atonement. Because they suck worse than the sausages.

"Endless Eight" itself is your garden variety time loop triggered by Haruhi's unconscious wish to have a never-ending summer break that she enjoys to her fullest. So they end up going through Haruhi's list of summer activities, only they end up doing it over and over again. The show suggests that the they do this more than 16,000 times and well over 300 years in total (repeating the same two weeks of August).

The characters react to this situation according to their dynamic:

Nagato actually knows but as an observer, she does nothing.

Mikuru notices the absence of a future beyond the end of August, but only falls apart, triggering a higher level of involvement by Kyon.

Koizumi drops exposition but does nothing to change the situation itself, except dragging Kyon into it and suggesting that if Kyon simply played the part of Haruhi's boyfriend, the situation would resolve (= he manipulates him).

Kyon does nothing with the information given to him and hesitates except for the one time he breaks the loop.

Frankly, seeing the group being dragged through this summer break makes me sorry for Haruhi for a change. She strives hard to make a fun summer in her bossy way, and everybody else looks like they've been run ragged. What would the summer have been like without her? Kyon on his couch, watching boring baseball games?

Endless Eight, ignoring the execution for now, itself exposes some depth in regards how it sees the situation. It plays with the concept of lucidity and a certain kind of probabilistic determinism. The characters will react to similar stimuli within a given range of variation, meaning the situation repeats almost entirely the same in the end. The only thing that can break such a situation is lucidity, and this lucidity is highlighted by slow motion moments in Kyon's awareness. In all other moments, everybody is sleepwalking through the same motions of their lives.

This view of human consciousness may be, depending how you see it, somewhat realistic and/or depressing, but there's nothing wrong with it - and it's one of the most compelling points the show puts forward in its run. However, the how is... horrible.

You see, the show repeats the same episode eight times with no real variation in plot - except for episode I and VIII. (Because August is the 8th month and an 8 laid flat is infinite and... pure lack of imagination.) Given the length of an anime episode this means you sit through about 160 minutes of repetition. The show does no montage of the events, it repeats the same key bits out. It basically makes you live, yourself, through part of the time loop in probably the least imaginative way - or at least the least narratively artful.

Now, while the story is roughly told identically beat by beat eight times, it is animated differently eight times. Camera perspectives change, meaning they each had to be animated individually. Same for the voice acting, lots of minor variation. (So they all did their job, I guess.) The eight realities subtly differ - what clothes everybody wears. Unimportant choices they make. Like what popsicle to get or what mask to buy on a Bon festival. Many people in the comments expressed their appreciation of the love of detail.

There's something wrong with these people. What they're saying is that they don't mind being served up the same story eight times if only the trappings change slightly. I guess this got us Episode VII of Star Wars...

To spoil it further: This run of episodes is a trap. There are no real hints to the resolution. You start seeing patterns where there are none. I even thought for a short while that the iterations might be counting backwards. They are not. And while this might get you to ask some questions, it's a really horrible, in-your-face, unskilled way of doing so. And in that it's the low point of the show.

The resolution is to make summer end by doing homework together. Does this somehow imprint the end of summer on Haruhi's brain? Does this mean she gets to spend more time with her friends on their instigation? Does it mean she was secretly hiding she didn't do her homework after all?

Whatever. The lame ending would have been excusable if they hadn't set the bar so high by walking us through an overlong movie version of this. This is the kind of stuff people walk out of a cinema for.

What makes up for it

Now, the way I describe Haruhi and Koizumi suggests I don't like them very much, but especially in case of Haruhi that's not true - not to the extent it might seem. She has definite character flaws, and they're probably quite intentional - but Haruhi, unlike other characters (looking at you, Koizumi) gets things going. And her inner motivation is relatable. Have we not all looked at the world at some point and thought "What if this place was less mundane and boring?" If not - why watch anime?

Nothing makes this more clear than the follow-up movie "The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya"!

This movie does its characters and premise more justice than the series did. Kyon ends up in an alternate reality/timeline where Haruhi isn't in his class, there's no SOS Brigade, and his friends are not his friends. And he doesn't like it one bit!

In a late twist reminiscent of Data from "Star Trek: TNG" we see a reality where Yuki Nagato is not a near-ominiscient robot, but a shy and adorable girl. Kyon fights to get his reality back. Mikuru, even though it's her future self, actually does something effective. Koizumi still is dragging things down, but can be tolerated. And Haruhi isn't actually gone after all.

The story has heart, and it contains some cruel choices. It lets us also sit through some parallel world "nobody shares my memory" shenanigans, but not for so long that you inwardly opt out. It's well-paced, and it's focused on moving things forward - even if forward means "back to the future." But I can't help but feel that Kyon has changed inwardly in response, realizing at long last that what a world without Haruhi actually means.

And that's just brilliant. It has a bit of heartbreak, it has tension and suspense, it has making choices. By taking the dynamic of the original and inverting it in parts, I actually like it a lot. (I still doubt I would rewatch the series, though.)

To be fair, the anime makers may have drawn out the original material - a lot. The movie is essentially one volume of the series, and that works. But the original 24 episode series (plus bonus material) just encompasses 3 and a half volumes, and that seems awfully little. (The manga adaptation apparently sliced the salami quite differently.)

Anyway, you might find something for yourself in this series. It has had a certain staying power and a fanbase, and not many shows would manage to still be talked about ten years after their reissue. The art is... nothing to write home about, but the premise is unique enough to be worth your time once.

Just skip Endless Eight II to VII... Unless you have a yukata/swimsuit fetish.

[momdontlook]

The Minotaur

(No beta, wrote this in a dark car between Indianapolis and Chicago, your minotaur boyfriend fucks the life out of you and then some, all the while dreaming about far kinkier things than you are. He loves you, though 🧡.

I'm a trans boy who says cunt, pussy, and clit, so if that's not your thing, don't read.)

"You're gonna- fuck, my god," he murmurs tightly, his voice hitching as the tip of his cock slides wetly away from your entrance, "You're too tight for me."

You squirm, breath coming a little faster in anticipation as he leans over you, fingertips just barely grazing the silky hot flesh of your pussy as he circles your hole. His eyes are half lidded, soft mouth quirked in a smile. "Gonna have to loosen you up if you want to fit me." You suck in a soft breath as his fingers work into you, your fingers grasping at his bicep as he shifts his weight to rest on his elbow beside your head. He towers over you, at least a foot taller. His sharp nails graze your soft walls, and you jerk away, whining in pain. He freezes, yanking his hand from your wetness, cursing quietly. He bends beside the bed, spreading your thighs oh so gently, now acutely aware of his claws as they press into your soft skin. He peers between your legs, gingerly spreading your lips to inspect the damage. You shrink a bit, shy under his unwavering scrutiny. He notices, of course, pressing a soft kiss to your clit as his gaze turns gentle. "Sorry, pretty boy, I hope I didn't hurt you," he says, sheepish.

You shake your head, smiling softly down at him. He smiles back, the warm and comforting expression turning devilish as the scent of you sinks into his nose. He presses another kiss to your twitching clit, his hot breath washing over your pussy. "I can think of another way to loosen you up," he purrs, then scoops his arms under your thighs and plunges his tongue into your pussy. You let out a startled cry, his tongue wriggling deeper past your entrance, pressing experimentally into your walls until he finds the spot that makes your legs tense and your moans sputter. He purrs luxuriously, then laughs in a muffled sort of way as your hands fly to his horns, dragging his face into your cunt. The girth of his tongue could match any human cock, and the way it squirms inside you, the way the vibrations of his moans and grunts travel through the muscle of it, how it flexes and presses and caresses your walls- you're so close to cumming already.

With a soft "haa-" his mouth detaches from your dripping pussy. You writhe, moaning for him to come back, to finish what he started, damn it! He shushes you gently, leaning over you again as his sizable hand presses down on your stomach, knuckle arching to bring the pad of his thumb against your clit. You arch, feeling yourself throb as he swipes back and forth with delicate pressure. He coos in admiration as your mouth hangs open, watching your eyes roll back as you get closer and closer, stopping just as you near the precipice. Your blissful moans dissolve into whimpers of need, and he is so happy to oblige you.

His mushroom head presses into your folds again, now soaked beyond reason. He groans, the heat of your core beginning to invade his mind, make him want to thrust into you, to take you and keep you forever on his cock. But he shakes the urges away, stroking his length as he pushes gently against your pussy. You groan, tensing reflexively, but he kisses you so gently, and the invading pressure fades into bliss as you return the kiss with passion. With a small pop, his head finally wrestles through into your heat, making you moan gutterally at the stretch. His breath becomes short, barely controlled as his eyes close, in rapture. His hips press slowly forward, hands holding your thighs firmly to the bed as you buck and writhe on him, your moans becoming nonsensical as he pushes deeper, and deeper, his cock so thick and heavy and throbbing inside you after such neglect- finally, you cum. Your cunt seizes on him, and he gasps, collapsing onto his forearm over you as your pussy tries to milk him, so tight he can barely pull out- not that he could think to anymore. Instead, he thrusts forward into you, sheathing his full length into your spasming cunt. You scream, the throes of the first orgasm crushed by the rising flood of the next. He growls over you, almost snarling as he starts to fuck you, holding you down and driving his hips into yours with unrestrained power.

It's ceaseless, merciless, the way he fucks you. His head drags at your walls, the stretch almost too much to bear as he almost pulls out, thick rim catching at the tight ring of muscle, then slamming back into you. You beg, cry, moan for him, breathless and already shaking with another orgasm as he thumbs your clit between thrusts. "That's my boy, my perfect, handsome, tight little fucktoy," he growls, watching you convulse under him. Your hands grab at him, the expanse of his chest, his taught bicep and forearm, his horns, dragging him down to kiss you as you beg against his mouth. "Perfect for me, so, so perfect, you like when my cock stretches you out, don't you?" he demands, his nostrils flaring as you nod desperately, babbling in incoherent assent. "Good, fucking good!" he snarls, and lifts you up, wrapping his muscled arms around you and fucking you down onto his cock. You're shaking in his arms, a leaf in a hurricane as he pounds you mercilessly, tears forming in your eyes as he wrings your orgasms out of you.

"Awh, you gonna cry, sweet baby?" he purrs, chuckling as you bury your face in his chest, "Do I make you feel that good? Do you love being my little toy that much? Do you love feeling me wreck your tight cunt?" -his thrusts become harder, slower, deliberately pushing your limits as he grinds into your cervix, emphasizing each word- "your perfect- tight- cunt?"

You nod, dumb and almost limp in his grasp. He kisses your head fondly, knowing full well when you're overwhelmed. He toys with the idea of wearing you for a while, maybe strapping your arms around his neck and letting you ride on his cock as he carries on with his night- pictures your tear streaked face as you beg him to let you down, imagining your screams when he agrees, only to push your sore pussy further down his cock.... But no. He shan't be so cruel. Not tonight.

He eases you down onto the bed, your body falling limp as he thrusts shallowly into you. He kisses your hands, up your arms, your shoulders, your neck- soothing and soft as he pleasures himself in your warmth. "Do you want me to cum in you, sweet boy?" He asks, and the spark of warmth in his chest blazes as you nod and push your hips up for him. "So good for me," he praises, fondly.

His hands grasp your hips, thrusting slowly and steadily. He watches you as you finger your clit, whining and whimpering for him, just for him- he imagines maybe not just for him, maybe for his friends too, a whole pile of hot minotaurs all fucking cumming in you, on you, filling you-

With a gravely groan he cums, pushes deeper, floods your tight hole with his seed as his back arches. His head falls back in bliss, barely aware of your breathy, exhausted moans as your stomach bulges with his cum. His senses return slowly, feeling your fingers trying to pry his grip loose, gasping as your stomach distends slightly. He keeps you there a second longer, then relents, letting you free. Satisfaction sinks into his bones as he watches his cum gush from your wrecked hole.

"That's my good boy," he sighs, kissing your forehead contently.

(thanks for reading!!)

[pico-digital-studios]

Into, Across and Beyond! Scripting: OMH Final Battle

PREVIOUS POST

During One More Hero's climax, the yet-to-be-named Blur Gang (sans OMT!Tails) were sneaking towards the Death Egg site together, each of them looking down at a new docking station not there previously.

EX!Alice: Okay. Nega's got a private elevator entrance from the laboratories to the interdimensional energiser below.

Mini Sonic: Didn't count on having an audience, huh?

They headed down to...

Death Egg Zone - Entrance Salon

Some guests walked past massive banners depicting Sonic: "THE SONIC MEMORIAL FUND".

All except Mr. Needlemouse: You've GOT to be kidding me...

Eggman Nega stepped out, waving to the crowd as the heroes watched from above.

Eggman Nega: Thank you, everyone, thank you! It's lovely to be here this evening to celebrate the legacy of our beloved hero, Sonic. He sure inspired many in his life. Kids love the Blue Blur, don't they? Still do, heh.

OMT!Mina (disgusted): Hmph. What a hog he is.

Mr. Needlemouse: I'm right here!

Mini Sonic: Hang on. Look at how the waiters are dressed. It's in poor taste, but...

He saw some waiters in Sonic outfits, or variants thereof.

Mini Sonic: ...it can't be that easy.

Cut to a moment later with them in fancy disguises and carrying a trolley through the fundraiser area.

Mini Sonic: Yeah, it's that easy.

Eggman Nega: I'm just sorry my grandfather can't see this event tonight.

They carefully weaved through the crowd, soon coming across Johnny as one of the bodyguards.

Johnny: Can I help you?

CR!Sonic raised his fists, though OMT!Mina lowered him down.

OMT!Mina: Yeah, sorry about that. It's our first day on the job and we were just looking for the kitchen.

Mini Sonic: Yeah. We just wanna make a good first impression for the gala tonight.

CR!Sonic raised his fists again, though OMT!Mina yet again lowered them without looking his way.

Johnny: Okay, let's see what you've got on this trolley.

He lifted the croche, revealing Mr. NM conveniently disguised as a pig dinner, with only his quills and ears noticeable amidst the disguise, complete with an apple in his mouth.

Johnny: Hahaha! I didn't know you were really going all out with this tonight. You even decorated the dinner's head with stuff fitting for the gala.

OMT!Mina: Uh, yeah! That's what it is.

Mr. NM briefly coughed up the apple before putting it back in his mouth, and before anyone could see him do so as well.

Johnny: A shame, really. I can't really eat roasted rabbit, or whatever your dish is.

Mr. NM: You don't deserve a cooked rabb-!

OMT!Mina hastily covered the plate up.

Johnny: Well, then. Kitchen's just right through there. Have fun, then!

CR!Sonic: Yeah, thanks!

The group headed off as Johnny sneakily raised a communicator.

Johnny: Yeah, they seriously think we're that dumb.

The heroes entered the kitchen.

CR!Sonic (amused): Oh, they are dumb!

OMT!Mina: They are so dumb!

EX!Alice: Over this way!

They stepped into an elevator leading downstairs. In the energiser control room, Zeena was firing the machine up.

Computer: Initialising primary ignition sequence.

As Eggman Nega entered his office, and the door closed behind him, OMT!Mina used her web-shooters to hoist the guards out of sight and sound. Inside, Nega reached the observation platform.

Eggman Nega: Prepare the ignition sequence!

Zeena nodded, a scientist taking one of Gerald Robotnik's old hairs to sample into a DNA sequence.

Scientist 1: Uploading Gerald Robotnik DNA sequence.

Scientist 2: Beginning scan for dimensional matches.

The energiser fired up, a computer monitoring and calling the machine's status.

Computer: Secondary ignition in 5... 4... 3... 2...

Nearby, the five heroes entered the chamber as the quakes got MUCH worse than before, causing panic back in the city as OMT!Knuckles, OMT!Amy, OMT!Cream and the SIGU Chief took note. In the Death Egg, CR!Sonic and OMT!Mina were nervous about what was coming, seeing the beginning of a dimensional collapse.

OMT!Mina: Sonic, you don't have to stay behind. I can do it.

CR!Sonic: It's okay, Mina. I already made up my mind.

They leapt to the ceiling of the room.

CR!Sonic: I'll put the goober in and take over the controls. Once you're gone, I'll blow it up. Good luck, guys!

They headed forward, and Sonic was about to activate the stick when their super-senses went off.

OMT!Mina: They know we're here!

Zeena leapt down from the ceiling.

Zeena: Nice to see you again, Maurice!

She threw CR!Sonic into the ceiling and pinned him there. The others tried to help him, but were flanked by Johnny and Surge as a joint force. As the dimensional rifts merged, the five fought the three henchmen of Eggman Nega. After Mini Sonic started glitching, EX!Alice made a mighty bound to rescue him.

EX!Alice: I got you covered!

OMT!Mina came flying in, seeing Surge hot on her tail.

OMT!Mina: Urgh... These guys are the pits!

CR!Sonic: Why is this always difficult?!

CR!Sonic struggled to work the device as Zeena strangled him.

Zeena: Any last words, rodent?

CR!Sonic: I-I need a minute to think about it. D-Do you have a pen?

Zeena (smiling sinisterly): Goodbye, Maurice Hedgehog.

Suddenly, she got punched seemingly out of thin air, which CR!Sonic reacted to in surprise.

Zeena: What was that?!

She looked around before seeing OMT!Tails and Kaede leaping towards her.

CR!Sonic: Tails?!

Zeena: Detective Ghost?!

Kaede/Ghost: Take this!

The duo knocked her backwards, letting OMT!Tails catch CR!Sonic as they landed on a balcony.

CR!Sonic: Wow, Tails! You're a professional at this!

OMT!Tails: About time, right?

The others reacted to seeing Tails in action for real.

Mr. NM: Hey! Look who showed up!

EX!Alice (overjoyed): Tails!

OMT!Mina: You figured it out, buddy!

CR!Sonic: I love you, man! I'm so proud of you! (to himself) Do I want kids now?

Zeena leapt back up.

CR!Sonic: Oh, yeah. Forgot about her.

The group notice a box entering the energiser.

OMT!Tails: That doesn't look promising.

Kaede: Sure doesn't.

In the control room...

Scientist 1: I've got genetic matches! Hold on... It's too risky.

Eggman Nega: Shut up and turn it up!

The seven heroes worked together to fight the bad guys as the room descended into pure chaos, and upstairs, OMT!Tails's family of choice and the SIGU were guiding people back out to the mainland.

OMT!Sally: Get to safety, everyone! We'll be right there!

Back in the chamber, fragments of other worlds started seeping through as things got crazier.

OMT!Tails: Guys, are you seeing this?!

OMT!Mina: Looks like our dimensions are coming to us.

CR!Sonic: Looks cool, though, right?

Kaede: We need to get back up there. Hopefully it's not too hard-.

The four quickly leapt out of the way as Zeena threw explosive snowballs at them. Nearby, Mini Sonic and Johnny were in full fist-fight mode, each putting up one hell of a fight before Mini Sonic grabbed Johnny by the legs.

Johnny: Get off of me! If I go down here, my name will be soured in the history of speed!

Mini Sonic: Hasta la vista, sharky boy!

Mini Sonic spun around at ridiculous speeds before lobbing Johnny sky-high, leading him to explode in a flashy style. Eggman Nega quickly entered the room when he saw what was going on.

OMT!Mina: Nega!

Eggman Nega: What's the meaning of this?!

CR!Sonic: The end of your endgoal, that's what, Egghead!

EX!Alice attacked Surge with her hammer, not making the same mistake twice this time around.

Surge: Why, you...! I'll hit you so hard, YOUR HEAD WILL SPIN!

She charged up her electricity and charged towards EX!Alice, before Mr. NM leapt up with a giant boulder.

Mr. NM: Rocks away~!

He threw it on top of Surge, catching her off-guard as the pair took her down as one.

EX!Alice: Alright, Surge! Back to your dimension you go!

They threw her through a dimensional portal.

Mr. NM: Aww, did dat feel like a wittle cartoon to you? (blows a raspberry)

OMT!Tails, OMT!Mina, Mini Sonic and Kaede then turned their attention to Zeena, tag-teaming to take her down as a group. During this, Mina was knocked backwards toward the big beam.

OMT!Tails: MINA!

Tails leapt after her, pulling her back out of danger.

OMT!Mina: I like the metallic sheen of that nanomachine suit!

OMT!Tails: Thanks! I made it myself!

CR!Sonic pulled the duo back to safe ground.

CR!Sonic: Heh, that was adorable, team. Now, hold on tight!

The three worked together to attack Zeena, finishing with Kaede kicking her into a wall.

Zeena: ARGH! ...If these stains don't come off later, YOU'RE ALL DEAD!

She leapt toward them, laughing like a pure maniac.

OMT!Mina: Buckle up, guys! This is going to take a while!

Just as suddenly, a huge truck flew past, hitting her and knocking her out of the fight.

OMT!Mina: Okay, never mind. Let's end this thing!

OMT!Tails was ready to take the lead.

OMT!Tails: I got it, guys.

CR!Sonic: I'll go. I'm the one with the goober, afte-.

He looked in his hand and saw it vanished, before noticing OMT!Tails had it.

CR!Sonic: Oh, come on...

OMT!Tails: Don't watch the mouth, watch the hands!

OMT!Tails did the iconic finger wag, before jumping through the chaos in the room.

CR!Sonic: Tails!

OMT!Mina: Be careful!

Eggman Nega: All defences, stop him NOW!

Lasers fired at him, though he flawlessly performed Kaede's manoeuvre from before, landing near the control panel.

OMT!Tails: Heh, wow. That was crazy.

CR!Sonic: We taught him that, right?

OMT!Mina: I didn't teach him that. And you definitely didn't.

Kaede: Heh, guess he's already learning a lot from me, too. Now, let's go!

They leapt up to join OMT!Tails as the rest of the multidimensional heroes followed.

OMT!Tails: Alright. I got control of the energiser!

He inserted the goober, beginning to disable the energiser's world-ending protocols.

Computer: Alert! Quantum polarity has been disabled!

Eggman Nega looked on in disbelief, FINALLY losing his shit for real and dashing to his Egg Mobile to settle the score once and for all.

OMT!Mina: Guess this is it.

EX!Alice: Well, it's nice to know we're not alone.

OMT!Mina: Yeah.

They looked at each other. They knew they needed to go for now, but part of them wanted to stay. OMT!Tails activated the machine and prepared a portal after entering a code.

OMT!Tails: I got the portal open. You first, Alice.

EX!Alice (smiling): Thank you, Tails. I really mean it. Until we meet again!

She leapt through the portal as a new one opened and that one closed.

Mini Sonic: Er, you guys are the coolest! Well, I'm taking this cube thing with me. I don't quite understand how it works yet, but I'll work it out.

Mini Sonic let go and disappeared. Next up was Mr. NM, holding up two huge mallets.

Mr. NM: You two, I want you to have these.

Kaede: Woah, those are pretty big.

Mr. NM: Don't ya worry! They'll fit in your pocket!

The two took them, putting them away in their equivalents to pockets.

Mr. NM: And with that, that's all, folks!

He leapt into the portal.

CR!Sonic: Wait, can he legally quote that?

OMT!Tails turned to OMT!Mina, for more than a moment.

OMT!Tails: Is it... alright if I say how beautiful you look, Mina?

OMT!Mina: Heh, you know I'm older than you, right? A couple of years, but it's pretty significant, if you ask me.

OMT!Tails: Well, Einstein did say time is relative, right?

OMT!Mina: Heh, nice.

OMT!Tails: ...Friends?

She smiled, giving him a sweet hug close to her.

OMT!Mina: Friends!

OMT!Tails: Hehe, cool!

OMT!Mina: Well, see you around, hero!

She made her departure with an elegant leap, leaving only CR!Sonic to go.

OMT!Tails: Your turn, Sonic.

CR!Sonic (hesitant): Yeah, yeah, right...

The three felt their senses go off as Eggman Nega smashed through the flying buildings to get to them.

Eggman Nega: You're not going ANYWHERE!

CR!Sonic: I'll hold him off! You guys shut the energiser down!

He leapt forward.

OMT!Tails: Sonic, that wasn't the plan!

CR!Sonic: Push the green button! Don't wait for me!

He prepared to charge at Nega, but was quickly hoisted back by Tails and Kaede's enerbeam bracelets.

CR!Sonic: What are you doing?

Kaede: You need to go home like they have!

CR!Sonic: This guy might kill you! I can't let this world's new hero die...

OMT!Tails: Neither can I.

CR!Sonic: It's okay.

OMT!Tails: Yeah, it is okay.

Tails drop-kicked him, holding him over a portal.

OMT!Tails: It's time to go home, Sonic. Your friends there still need you.

CR!Sonic (now sad and scared): H-How do I know I'm not gonna mess it up again...?

OMT!Tails: You won't, buddy. Trust me.

CR!Sonic: R-Right. I gotta take that first step.

Sonic let go, ready to make that change, smiling to his newfound friends as he fell into the portal.

CR!Sonic: Heh, not bad, kid.

This left OMT!Tails and Kaede to take on Nega together.

Kaede: Alright, Nega! It's go time!

They began their attack, with Tails swiping the gun out of Nega's hand.

OMT!Tails: Nuh-uh! That's cheating!

They leapt onto a flying subway train and saw the control panel in the middle of the room.

OMT!Tails: We gotta reach that button.

Nega grabbed OMT!Tails angrily, dragging him into the subway train and attacking him head-on. Fortunately, Tails could predict the hits and fought back, but ran out of energy to do a venom strike.

OMT!Tails: O-Oh, no...

Eggman Nega: Not so easy doing this all on your own, is it?

He grabbed Tails by the neck.

Eggman Nega: I can't wait to kill Sonic's little idiot friend!

Kaede watched helplessly, but suddenly, visions of Gerald Robotnik in multiple universes flashed around them, causing Nega to let go of Tails in shock.

Gerald Robotnik (in different realms): ...I plan to give you a taste of my revenge, once all the seven Chaos Emeralds are collected. Once I initiate this program, it cannot be disabled. All of you ungrateful humans who took everything away from me, will feel my loss, and despair!

Eggman Nega: W-What?!

OMT!Tails: I-Is this what you wanted? To see your grandfather be imprisoned and executed across multiple worlds?

GUN Officer: Is there anything else you want to say?

Gerald Robotnik: No...

GUN Officer: Ready!

Gun shots sounded out as each vision vanished, causing Nega to collapse to his knees in disbelief.

Eggman Nega: N-No! Spare him!

The train was now empty as Kaede and Tails made a dash for it, with Nega leaping out and glaring bitterly at the two.

Eggman Nega: You're not stopping this. Not today.

OMT!Tails: Sorry, Nega, but we ARE stopping this!

Kaede: And we're doing it NOW!

Nega did NOT hold back on pummelling the two, throwing them between flying structures in the chamber as Tails's family and friends watched from the observation tower. And by the end of it, Tails and Kaede were exhausted, finding it difficult to get an edge over the doctor.

Eggman Nega: The real Sonic couldn't beat a malware without giving his life up! You are both nothing! You took my grandfather, and now I'm going to make sure you'll never see EITHER of your families ever again!

Tails was hyperventilating, the trauma from OMT slamming right back into him, giving Nega the opening to throw him and Kaede into the ground. They were close to being finished off, when...

OMT!Knuckles: Tails, get up!

Their eyes snapped open hearing their friends and family rooting for them.

OMT!Sally: Come on, Tails!

Luna: Ghost, please get back up!

Max: Come on!

OMT!Tails: Come on... Come on...

It took the duo a few wobbly seconds, but they managed to get back up again, staring Nega down.

Kaede: There's something important you forgot, Nega. People like us WILL always find a way to get back up!

OMT!Tails: And no matter what life throws at us, unlike you, we'll ALWAYS have our families! Besides, you ever hear of a "shoulder touch" technique?

Eggman Nega: Er, what?

OMT!Tails flew right up close to him, using his tails to boost his height to ensure he'd nail it this time.

OMT!Tails: Hey~!

He put his hand on Nega's shoulder, the energy from his hand catapulting the doctor sky-high. Kaede threw her lasso at Nega's arm, pulling him towards the control panel.

Kaede: Hey, doc! Push that green button!

She slammed him down onto the control panel, nailing the impact and causing the electricity to go into the entire machine and begin frying it. The beam began sucking what it dispersed right back in, with OMT!Tails and Kaede hanging on for dear life, before exploding, blowing everyone in range backwards.

As the smoke cleared, the close ones stood back up, seeing OMT!Tails and Kaede still alive and well, having used the Chaos Emeralds as a last-minute trick to save themselves and those in the building, to which they received applause for saving the world, and by extension the multiverse, together.

That evening, OMT!Knuckles watched Eggman Nega be hauled off to prison to serve his time, as OMT!Sally and OMT!Amy watched as well. Tails came down to their level.

OMT!Tails: Hey, everyone!

OMT!Cream: Tails!

OMT!Sally: Hey, little bro!

The five shared a group hug.

OMT!Knuckles: You know, Tails. What I said back at school, it wasn't just talk.

OMT!Tails: Heh, I know.

OMT!Sally: So, maybe we could find a nice wall, privately owned, and you could "throw" up some of the art you've been doing with Uma?

OMT!Tails: Heh, okay, Sally.

OMT!Amy: Heh, you know, Tails, you definitely deserve a break after all that craziness today. You've done our home proud!

OMT!Tails: Aww, thanks!

Kaede leapt down with Max close by.

Kaede: Knuckles?

OMT!Knuckles: Oh! Detective Ghost! Listen, down there, that was- I mean, we all owe you big time.

Kaede: I'm looking forward to properly working alongside you guys!

OMT!Amy: Us too, Ghost!

Kaede: Heh, just call me Kaede. Just keep that between us, okay?

OMT!Sally: Fine with us.

OMT!Knuckles: Yeah, me too, I guess. I mean, I don't approve of the whole secret superhero style you got going on, but I guess we gotta agree to disagree.

Kaede: Thank you for your bravery tonight, heh, knucklehead.

OMT!Knuckles: Haha! ...Wait, what?

Kaede hoisted OMT!Tails on her shoulders as they headed out to the cheering crowd, their friends and family watching with shared smiles.

OMT!Tails: Thanks, everybody!

OMT!Tails passed the petition sheet back to Crafty who was amongst the crowd, who cheered from getting the required signature count.

Crafty: Yes! We did it!

Daylight: Absolutely impressive, Crafty!

Bobby: Way to go, Crafty!

Naksh smiled softly, applauding her.

Kickroyale: Never thought you'd be able to pull this off, but the kid did it! ...Wait, who are some of the other names on there?

Crafty: As long as it gets the job done, it shouldn't matter.

Picky: Well, let's go get that petition forwarded to the government!

OMT!Tails waved to Crafty to wish her good luck, to which she waved back, feeling confident that her aim to ban AI art could successfully go through. With that, the two heroes continued high-fiving the crowd members.

Bystander 1: Yeah, thanks, Tails and Ghost!

OMT!Tails: Yeah, I'm the new hero, at your service!

Bystander 2: Woo! You go, guys!

At the far end, OMT!Tails and Kaede shared a high-five.

Kaede: You go ahead and have your well-earned break, Tails. You really deserve it!

OMT!Tails: Heh, come on, Kaede. You deserve it too.

Max came by with Luna.

Luna: Heh, he's right, honey. You and Tails have worked so hard this week to save us all, and you definitely deserve some time out.

Max: Yeah! To me, it doesn't matter what style you are, you'll always be my big sis AND hero, Kaede.

Kaede smiled while tearing up, hugging both of her loved ones close.

Kaede: Aww, come here!

Max: Hehehe!

OMT!Tails returned to his friends, holding Sally's hand.

OMT!Sally: How about a trip to Balloon Park as a treat?

OMT!Tails: Of course!

OMT!Cream: Yay!

They headed off together as OMT!Knuckles and OMT!Amy watched, alongside OMT!Robotnik from afar. The multiverse was saved, and they were all proud of OMT!Tails for making that big step and becoming a hero in his own right.

[the-kcm-muggleborn]

Kind For You

Fandom: Hogwarts Legacy

O/C: Sebastian Sallow x Edwart Thompson x Ominis Gaunt ✨️platonic✨️ (My OC)

Warnings: None:}

Word count: 1k>

Chapter 4

Part 1

Weeks went by. November was at its end.

Edwart was studying hard, trying to keep up with everything that had happened the past 4 months, his head was a mess, and all that ancient magic was exhausting. He wished there was simply a book he could educate himself on. Edwart was disappointed and tired because there was still so much the Keepers were not telling him. And to add to it Ranrok and Rookwood were starting to get too close to finding the truth about this powerful magic. 

Edwart was sitting in the library working on his astronomy assignment when Sebastian came in looking for him.

“You're here. Brilliant.” He sat next to Edwart who just signed deeply.

“What is it that you need, Sebastian?” He spoke sharply.

“Uu someone’s in a sour mood. Relax. I just wanted to talk.” Sebastian raised his hands in a surrendering gesture. 

Edwart left his assignment and rubbed his hands across his face. He leaned in his chair and groaned. “I apologise. I've just been having trouble sleeping.”

“Again?” Sebastian spoke with concern in his voice. “Maybe it's time you got to Nurse Blainey?”

“No. No, I'm fine, it's just something that's been… Never mind that.” Edwart shook his head. “What did you want to talk about? I could use a distraction.” Edwart smiled slightly.

“I spoke with Ominis. I told him none of us will be able to avoid Dark Magic forever. So the more we know about Salazar Slytherin and the Dark Arts. the better prepared we'll be.” 

Edwart sighed slightly. Not the distracting topic he certainly hoped for. Sebastian continued. “Unfortunately. only a Gaunt knows the location of the scriptorium's entrance and Ominis won't tell me. I’m simply out of ideas.”

Edwart wasn't sure if helping Sebastian with this one was a good idea. But he deeply trusted both Sebastian and Ominis. So he decided they'd be safer together than apart. “Do you want me to try and talk to him?”

“You? I suppose it's worth a try. but don't get your hopes up. Ominis is annoyingly stubborn. Nothing new.”

“Okay then. Lead me to him.” Edwart packed his things and both boys headed to the dungeons. 

“Keep an eye out. Never know who's watching, although that hasn't stopped us before.” Sebastian said jokingly.

“Strictly speaking. it has. We were caught.” Edwart spoke back, matching his friend’s tone.

“Ugh. Don't remind me. Damned poltergeist - such a nuisance” Sebastian rolled his eyes as they kept walking.

Both boys finally reached the dungeons when they noticed Ominis leaning against a wall.

“Oh. There’s Ominis. Go. And good luck.”

Sebastian took a turn and awaited a few feet away. Edwart took a deep breath and walked over to Ominis who looked rather lost in thoughts.

“Hello, Ominis. How do you do?” Edwart decided to go about this friendly but firmly to not waste time.

“I'm… Alright. ” Ominis smiled lightly. “It's just Sebastian's been pestering me lately about something and I'm frustrated with him.”

“Can I be honest?” Edwart decided to get straight to the point but he did not want to lose his politeness.

“I suppose?” Ominis seemed suspicious.

“Sebastian told me about the scriptorium trouble. We were talking about Hogwarts founders, and he mentioned it. Wouldn't say much more, though.”

“I understand. Well, he seems to think it contains the answer to saving Anne. I think it's likely full of Dark Magic that is better left untouched.”

“You've never been inside?” Edwart asked with interest.

“Of course not! I only know about it because of my favourite aunt- Noctua. She thought like I do. Didn't agree with the family on the use of Dark Magic. She wrote regularly to my father about her efforts to gain access, and then she simply vanished.”

“Sebastian told me a little of what happened when you were young. What your family made you do. I'm sorry, Ominis.” Edwart treaded carefully. 

“Should’ve known he would have told you.” Ominis signed. “I think neither of us had the most idyllic childhood.”

“True. That’s why I think we could be stronger if we went together than let Sebastian go alone and possibly get himself killed.”

“Maybe you're right…” Ominis said hesitantly.

“That is a bit unnerving.” Edwart crossed his arms. “I understand your hesitation. I suppose even if it might lead to answers about what happened to your aunt. it does pose a risk.”

“Aunt Noctua went down this path with good intentions and lost her life. I don't want the same to happen again. To neither of you.” Ominis shook his head and started slightly pacing again.

“You don't know that history will repeat itself. Besides, you said your aunt thought like you. This could honour her memory and get you answers about Slytherin and Sebastian answers for Anne. Your aunt pursued this alone.” Edwart stopped Ominsi's pacing by putting both hands on his shoulders to grab his attention “We will do it together. I'll promise you. I am taking responsibility.”

Ominis swallowed thickly. As he was finally convinced. “Hmm. I see what you've done here. And, I confess, you've convinced me. I didn't think it was possible…”

Edwart backed away and thanked Ominis. “Let's go fetch Sebastian.”

“Edwart-” Ominis stopped him. “Do you..? Know what you're doing?”

“Can't say that I do.” Edwart chuckled “But there's safety in numbers. Trust me, Ominis.”

As the trio was finally together. Ominis led both boys to the alleged entry of the scriptorium. 

“I hope I… we don't regret this,” Ominis said under his breath as he stood to the side. “These braziers grant access to the scriptorium.”

“Now, you'll share? You wouldn't tell me when I practically begged.” Sebastian pouted a bit.

“It wasn't you who told me what I needed to hear,” Ominis said as calmly as ever. “Opening the entrance has something to do with threes.”

Edwart looked around, he noticed 3 symbols on a stone wall in front of him.

“Well- three heads are better than one.” Sebastian joked.

“It's two heads are better than one.” Ominis furrowed his eyebrows.

“And by that logic, three is better than two. Simple mathematics Ominis.” Sebastian smiled. 

“I see 3 symbols here” Edwart poked at a wall. “I think this is the stone door.”

“Well done, now to open it.” Sebastian said. “three braziers.”

“Someone’s been actually listening.” Ominis chuckled. 

“I do that…” Sebastian agreed. “Occasionally.”

Edwart cast 3 fast confringos. which opened the door. 

“Something's happening,” Sebastian said almost excitedly.

“I hope we're ready for this.” Ominis on the other hand looked as anxious as Edwart never saw. 

Part 2>

-------------- Autor's notes:--------------

Thank you so much for reading Part 1 of the new 4th Chapter! I know it's been long-awaited! I'm still working on it but it's certainly looking good. Many more missions to come and a third trial! I'll be skimping on those and some of the side quests that do not have cutscenes. Hope you enjoyed it

[breezybangtanbebe]

대취타 :Daechwita

Chapter 1: 하나

3.9k words

The rowdy group of high school students breaks through the doors of the museum into the sun.

"Alright, class! We meet back here in 2 hours. Do not be late" the exasperated teacher huffs as the students push past him.

He shakes his head in amusement as he watches his students disperse onto the courtyard of the campus.

One student lags, still transfixed by the ancient exhibits within the dark museum.

"Jungkook...are you coming?" Mr. Miller calls to the boy from the doorway.

Jungkook squints his eyes to read an inscription labeling an artifact.

"No, I think I'll hang back and check out the exhibit some more. Is that ok?" He turns his head.

Mr.Miller frowns. He knows Jungkook isn't the least bit interested in the exhibit. But he also knew that since transferring to a new school after a nasty divorce, Jungkook wasn't too keen on socializing with his classmates. He was going through a solitary brooding phase that Mr. Miller had to respect.

"Sure. Just be sure to be back on the steps in time to catch the bus at 4." Mr. Miller says before exiting the museum completely.

Jungkook sighs in relief at finally being alone. The museum was crowded at all, it being a weekday and near its closing time. So Jungkook enjoyed the free reign of the place as he strolled around with his hands in his pockets.

He found himself drifting towards an area marked off, a new exhibit that had yet to be opened to the public.

The sign above the area read "Daechwita: wars of the original clans: a South Korean exhibit coming soon."

"Hmm..sounds interesting..." he says to himself.

The entrance was marked with thick velvet rope clasped at both ends of the golden stands. Jungkook looked around curiously in search of any museum staff or security before ducking down and under the velvet barrier and into the exhibit.

"Wow..." Jungkook exhaled as his eyes circled the room full of artifacts such as authentic armor, scrolls of thick-lined calligraphy, war drums, and other instruments, tiny monitors playing recorded footage of the royal palaces of former south Korean kings.

It was a cultural overload.

Jungkook was indeed Korean, but since he'd spent the majority of his life in America, he hardly knew anything of his culture aside from the small glimpses he got when he visited his grandparents in Busan.

Jungkook walked deeper into the room until he reached the back wall decorated with tattered photographs and fades silk garments.

His eyes were drawn to one photograph, in particular, a king and what appeared to be his two sons. Beneath the grainy portrait was an enormous sword encased in a glass display.

It was beautiful, the blade thickness and black as onyx, stretching out to nearly match Jungkooks wingspan. The pommel was pure gold and on the handle, an inscription was carved neatly in Hangul.

"호랑이 송곳니"

Jungkook leans closer to see if he recognized any of the symbols, his hand touching the glass display unconsciously.

"Ya!! Don't you read?!!"

Jungkook jumps at the sound of a voice and whips around to face an elderly man in a navy blue jumpsuit.

Something about the man sends a sense of familiarity over Jungkook, maybe his tone and demeanor reminding him so much of his father and grandfather. He had a mop in one hand and the handle of a large bucket in the other, a deep scowl wrinkling his aged features.

"Sorry! I'm sorry, I was just..."

"Trespassing? Defacing museum property? Putting fingerprints on my glass??" The older man trudges forward, making Jungkook step aside. He sprays a blue liquid on the display and swipes vigorously until the glass is crystal clear of smudges.

"I was just trying to read the words on the sword." Jungkook mumbles.

"You shouldn't even be in here boy. Didn't you read the sign?" The elder hisses.

Jungkook frowns and looks back towards the display case.

The old man looks him over and rolls his eyes.

Picking up his glasses that sat on his neck on a chain, he places them at his nose and leans forward to read the inscription.

"Y..you're Korean?" Jungkook stutters with a tone of interest.

"No I'm Norwegian, shut up I'm trying to see.." he snaps, making Jungkook stifle a giggle.

"holang-i song-gosni...." the old man says out loud slowly. Jungkook blinks up at him in expectance.

"Oh, you want me to translate it too??" The old man grunts.

Before Jungkook can respond, he speaks.

"It means 'the tigers fang' "

"Cool...." Jungkooks eyes widen as he redirects them to the photograph.

"And who are they?" Jungkook points to the sepia portrait.

"Aish...you're kidding me, right? Why not wait until the exhibit is open to ask all of these questions? I have a job to do now, get going." The old man attempts to usher the boy away from the wall but has no luck.

"If you don't know then you can just say that.." Jungkook shrugs, side-eying the old man with a smirk.

"Who says I don't know? This is my culture! My ancestors. Of course, I know. "

"Prove it. Tell me who they are." Jungkook tilts his head stubbornly.

"It's not that simple, I cant just tell you who they are without telling the whole story. And it's long and I doubt you want to listen to it."

Jungkook regards the old man for a moment and to his surprise, he plants himself on the floor and crosses his legs pretzel style.

"Oh, no..what are you doing? Get up.." the old man grumbles

"I have time and I'm sure you don't have anything better to do." Jungkook grins.

"As a matter of fact, I do. It's called my job!"

"Tell me the story and I'll leave. I promise. You can summarize." Jungkook shrugs innocently.

The old man sighs and looks towards the exhibit's entrance then back at Jungkook.

"What the hell? I'm due for a break anyway...."

The old man huffs as he eases himself down to the floor next to Jungkook.

He clears his throat.

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

Long ago.

When ancient practices and modern technology were on the bridge of convergence...

there was a King...

Min Yongnum.

King of the Holangi Province and highest-ranking member of the Min Clan. Yongnum was a just and benevolent leader, deeply loved and respected by his people.

But peace among his land was short-lived in his reign when an opposing clan from the south set out to expand their claim over the four provinces.

War and bloodshed consumed the peace, leaving many households without fathers and sons drafted to fight under the name of their king.

Heads of their enemies hung like lanterns around the outskirts of the kingdom as a warning to any clan who considered challenging the fury of Holangi and her people.

And after 10 years of fighting, after hundreds to thousands of lives lost, and alliances were formed, King Yongnum and his men proclaimed victory over the enemy clans and maintained power over the vast land.

But unfortunately, due to the balance of nature, there was a cost to pay for victory.

With very few men to tend the fields and livestock, a time of famine seized the land, making it nearly impossible for the people of Holangi  to survive.

Fortunately, as the lone tiger would in the harshest of environments, Holangi prevailed and rebuilt anew.

As time pressed on to age the resilient leader, new death was on the horizon and Yongnum knew that his time as King would eventually set as the sun did.

So he decided it was time to create an heir.

The King chose a wife whom he loved and set out to extend his bloodline.

But after many years of disappointments and heartache, Yongnum grew desperate and sought out alternative methods to bring life to the baron valleys of his queen's womb.

Some practices were very modern and common.

While others were considered to be extreme, outdated, and unorthodox.

One of which he received from a spirit worker tucked deep within one of the oldest villages on Holangi land.

The king was told to embark on a journey into the wilderness to find the deity responsible for his clan and his kingdom's invincibility to seek her blessing in exchange for his show of bravery.

The tiger god herself, Holangi.

Many legends spoke of the majestic beast living high in the snow-capped mountains, or deep through the deadly jungles and beyond civilization. But there were very little stories of the god coming in direct contact with man where she let them survive to tell of it unless under dier circumstances.

It was said to be suicide to seek the beast, but Yongnum was desperate.

After trekking through the wilderness for weeks, the king found himself weakened and famished. He had caught zero glimpses of the enormous feline, but his will was stronger than his doubt. But unfortunately, his body was weaker than both.

Yongnum reaches the peak of the highest snow-capped mountain, trudging weakly to peer over the edge and take in the view over all of the provinces. It was truly a magnificent sight to behold.

He drops to his knees and directs his eyes to the bright sun above him, sending a plea of mercy to any god that would listen. But they fall on deaf ears as does the King.

His face pressed against the thin layer of snow, he's barely aware of the padded footsteps approaching him.

His eyes open and his shallow breathing hitches when sees the massive pair of claws only inches from his face.

Yongnum looks up and gasps at the sight of the most beautiful white tiger he had ever dreamt of seeing. She towers before him majestically and fierce, the wind of high altitudes blowing through her thick mane of striped fur.

Her tongue dashes out to lick over her whiskers as she stoops her head to lock eyes with the king, her cerulean irises connecting with the mortal's soul.

And from a place Yongnum cannot see, a voice speaks to him.

"You have shown great bravery seeking me out young king. I am impressed...."

The smooth feminine voice fills every corner of Yongnum's mind.

"....I am aware of your desires as I am privy to your sins. But I will choose to grant your prayers in exchange for your sacrifice...."

"...in the womb of your queen lives a son. He will be the greatest King to ever sit at the throne of this province. But you will suffer a great betrayal and great loss before this can come to be. Are you willing to suffer for the longevity of your people so that your son may rule them?"

Without a single bit of hesitation, Yongnum answers.

"Yes."

A low growl of acknowledgment grumbles from the deity's throat and the tiger bows her head.

"So be it. Now go." She says and as suddenly as she appeared, she vanishes on the icy breeze over the cliffs of the mountain.

Yongnum returns to his kingdom to find his wife caressing her protruding torso with tears in her eyes.

"Our prayers and your efforts have not been in vain my love." She whimpers as Yongnum pulls her into his embrace.

Months pass and Yongnum is pacing furiously just outside of his queen's private chamber.

Thunderclaps and lightning dances across the sky, still not drowning out the sounds of his queen's wails of agony.

This went on for what felt like hours until there was silence and the rhythm of the king's heart faltered at the absence of his wife's voice.

A shrill cry filled the chamber, making Yongnum sprint from where he stood pacing from just beyond the entrance.

He bursts into the room, his eyes widening at the graphic scene laying before him.

"Your majesty." The midwife steps to obscure the king's view of his wife. She bows her head and gazes up with somber eyes.

"The queen. She suffered a great loss of blood and I regret to inform you that she didn't survive the birth...My deepest condolences..."

Yongnum's chest caved at the midwife's news and he's frozen.

His queen. His love.

She was gone.

"....great loss...."

"Is this what the deity meant?" Yongnum thought to himself.

"...and what of my son?" He manages to say after a few moments.

Wordlessly the midwife steps aside, allowing the king to approach the bedside was a chambermaid sat with her arms engulfed by a large stained cloth from elbow to elbow.

Two tiny voices of different tones coo in tandem and the king gasps.

"Two.....I have two sons?"

The king's eyes widen at the sight of two tightly swaddled newborns with fair skin and distinct wisps of hair as white as snow.

"Twins your majesty. Blessed with the crown of the moon. A good omen. A blessing." The midwife says softly. She takes the slumbering infants from the chambermaid and hands them carefully to the king, who's eyes are filled to the brim with tears.

Bittersweet emotions overcome him as he gazed into the faces of his offspring, then to the still form of his beloved covered by the bloodstained fabric in an attempt to preserve her dignity.

In a matter of minutes, he has lost his queen, the love of his life...but an overwhelming sense of hope and joy flourishes within the king's heart.

And so King Yongnum cradled his two sons against his chest, the future of the royal bloodline sleeping soundly in the crooks of his arms.

Min Yonghwan and Min Yoongi.

The Princes of Holangi.

19 years later...

The sun was high in the sky as she ran on light feet through the field. The tall grass tickled her ankles as the wind of her sprint blew the fabric of her dress up against her legs.

She giggled with excitement when she glanced over her shoulder, spotting the dashing young man galloping after her.

His long white mane stretched out in his wake as he inches closer and closer to his prey.

She squeals when a quick hand reaches out and grasps her skirt, pulling her back into his chest. He embraces her tightly, panting hard against her windblown hair.

He plants a soft kiss to her nape and lets his lips linger on the curve of her ear.

"Caught you," he says, the sultry tone of his voice bringing chills down the girl's spine.

"It would appear so my prince" she responds with a smile. She turns her body to face him, not even attempting to escape his interlocked hold on her waist.

"What do you intend to do now that you have me?" She looks boldly into the boy's eyes, her bottom lip grazing her teeth at the heat in his gaze.

An elated smile spreads across his face, exposing the gums of his teeth just a bit as he leans his head down.

His lips press firmly against hers and she sighs in content at the feel.

Although chaste, his kiss held a deeply sated undertone of gentle need and adoration that lingered on the girl's lips as he pulled back.

"You shouldn't ask me questions like that Princess.." he murmurs, his lips a hairbreadth away from hers.

"Why? Afraid of what you might say?" She whispers.

He rubs the tip of his small nose against hers and she smiles.

"More of what I might do.." he says dryly, pulling back from her completely to look up at the sky.

He squints as he gauged the position of the sun and sighs bitterly.

"We should start back toward the palace." He says, looking over his shoulder and beyond the horizon of the knee-length grass field.

"Ah yes, you have your commencement to get to." She clicks her tongue.

He looks back to her face, sighing in appreciation of her soft delicate features.

Her wide brown eyes, her long and thick onyx hair, her smooth skin, and rosy lips.

Areum was the embodiment of beauty, given her namesake, and the young prince was completely enamored by her presence.

From the tender age of 7 when her father, a high ranking member of the neighboring Han Clan, would bring his daughter to Halgoni to meet with the King to discuss matters beyond the children's understanding.

She was bossy, tenacious, and bit rough around the edges. But one thing, not one would deny was her beauty and magnetic energy.

To know her was to love her.

And Yoongi did just that.

He tightens his hold on her hips and squeezes her waist possessively.

"Or we could just stay here. I could skip the ceremony and perhaps answer your question. But not with words.." Yoongi grins mischievously as he attempts to go in for another taste of her lips.

But Areum has other intentions.

She smiles sweetly, her eyes downcast to his lips the closer they drew to hers.

"Perhaps. Or..." Areum murmurs.

Yoongi releases his hold on her hips and reaches up to cup her face when...

She slips past him and turns around, walking backward with a daring look in her eyes.

"....you can race me back to the grounds and I actually show you that I'm still the fastest between the two of us." She grins cheekily and turns with the fabric of her skirt bunched up in her fists to give her legs more leeway.

He shakes his head in amusement at her challenge but he can't resist as he breaks into a swift jog that leads into a full-on sprint when he underestimates her speed.

The commencement ceremony was the mark of passage for the boys serving under the King's rule to emerge as men and take their place among his court, swearing to devote their lives and protection to the throne and crest of the tiger.

This was a very important day.

At least to most...

Yoongi stumbles as he rushed towards the training grounds. He glances around as he adjusts the band at his waist to secure his ceremonial robe and reaches up to ensure every strand of his long hair is tucked away.

The long line of young men standing at attention in the middle of the courtyard acts as a cover for Yoongi to scurry behind in an attempt to hide from the prying eyes of his father and other royal figures in attendance.

One of the young men in line spots Yoongi tiptoeing behind his human shield and sucks at his teeth in disproval before looking ahead patiently.

With finesse, he slides in to fill a small gap between two familiar faces and assumes the proper position with his shoulders squared and his hands clasped tightly behind his back.

"Cutting it a bit close, don't you think?" The young man to his left whispers out of the corner of his mouth. The man to his right chuckles under his breath.

Yoongi doesn't respond to Hoseok or Namjoon, making them both chuckle softly just as their teacher saunters through the large doorway of the dojang.

He walks down the steps, scanning the lines of highly trained young men, his students, speculatively until his feet meet the dusted ground.

"Your highness! Noblemen of Holangi and royalty of neighboring clans. I thank you for your presence in today's commencement of the next line of Halgoni stripes. These young men have trained diligently in leadership, integrity, strength, intelligence, and combat for 4 years. Today marks the final step in becoming true men in eyes of Holangi. "

As he spoke, Yoongis mind began to wander, effectively drowning out the usual introduction of the commencement.

The ceremony proceeded, each graduate earning their silk bands embroidered with the crest of Holangi in varying colors assigned according to ranking. Black being the highest.

Yoongi steps forward from the line and bows to his Sabonim, accepting his black band wrapped around the matching scabbard sheathing his sword, designed specifically for him.

The scoffing young man from before glowers in envy at the sight, his eyes flitting to the sidelines to spot the King beaming with pride as Yoongi accepted his stripe.

"Now First to demonstrate his adequacy....the one who has shown a natural affinity for the combat who remains undefeated amongst his classmates...."

"Prince Yoongi. Step forth."

Yoongi steps forward confidently, bowing to his teacher again and then to the audience. When he arrises his eyes lock with a particular raven-haired Princess sitting on the first row, nearest to his father and adjacent to her father.

Yoongi shoots her a subtle wink before walking to the center of the square, making her blush internally.

"And the opposing student who will demonstrate his adequacy is..."

One after one, a man stepped up to challenge Yoongi, all succumbing to his speed, strength, and skill.

All the while, at the end of the line, bitter eyes filled with contempt observed Yoongis agility and natural talent for combat. He seethes with envy, every snow-white hair standing on end at the sight of his younger brother. But he was not intimidated.

Prince Yonghwan knew his position. He was the heir to the thrown, having been the older of the two by a few minutes. It didn't matter if his younger brother surpassed him physically because whatever Yonghwan lacked in comparison, he made up for in cunning.

Another opponent falls to his knees, panting from exertion at the end of Yoongis bamboo staff.

The prince drops his weapon and steps forward to extend his hand to the defeated challenger and aids him to his feet. They bow to each other respectfully and step away, Yoongi to his corner of the square and the challenger to fall in line amongst the rest of the defeated.

Yonghwan sniffs and rolls his shoulders in preparation, knowing he was next to face Yoongi in a match.

Just as he moves to step forward, King Yongnum stands from where he sat at the sidelines, effectively making every man and woman in attendance focus their attention in his direction.

Yoongi drops to his knee along with the other students and their teacher in a show of respect.

Yonghwan is the last to kneel, his expression marred with confusion as he lowered his body.

"You all have shown great skill and adequacy. I am filled with honor to witness the future of our kingdom's protection. You should be very pleased with yourself. This completes our ceremony and I look forward to seeing you all tonight at the celebration of the newest line of our guard. Thank you." The king tilts his head at his bowing subjects.

He shoots a look of indifference towards his oldest son as he turns to leave, being closely followed by his guard and a few members of the royal court.

"What?" Yonghwan says to himself.

"He.....ended the ceremony...before.."

He turns his head as the rest of the graduates rose to their feet, cheering and congratulating each other happily.

Yonghwan blinks dramatically as he searched the small crowd of men until he spotted the bright blonde crop of hair among the sea of black. Yoongi grinned with pride and joy as he bowed and shook hands with the other men.

".....he knew Yoongi would defeat me. So he ended in the ceremony before I could challenge him..." Yonghwan admits to himself.

The realization hits Yonghwan like a wave and he clenches his fists as he turns to exit the courtyard, tearing the red silk band from his head.

[impossiblyatomictiger-blog]

Noelle was having a bad day. She definitely had a cold, but her mother wouldn't let her stay home sick; and both Susie and Kris had called in sick so she had no one to talk to ... besides Berdly. During class he talked over her, and it was now lunchtime and she was tired of him.

He was droning on about a kill he'd gotten in Pubnite, and she just wanted to be anywhere else.

Anywhere else.

She had found Kris and Susie ... about to make out? Noelle wasn't entirely sure what they were up to, but considering they had been out all day the previous day she wanted to investigate that closet.

She stood up

"I'm going to the bathroom. Please take notes for me?"

"Anything for you," Berdly said.

Berdly really needed a reality check. Or twelve.

Noelle went to the supply closet.

She opened it, only to find an open void.

She tripped.

The fall didn't feel like a normal fall. She had fallen out of a tree more than once whilst playing with Kris, and this felt much ... slower ... longer. She landed on her face, somehow injuring only her dignity.

She stood up and rubbed her eyes. This couldn't be real. She must be on something, like maybe marker alcohol? She was far too lucid for that, though. The world in front of her was a small town nestled in a forested valley. It was dark; maybe nighttime? But the town was busy; monsters of all shapes moving from place to place. And beyond the town was a large castle with a pillar of even deeper darkness past it.

She walked into town, hoping to find someone she could talk to. Some way home, no matter how much she wanted to collapse of fatigue.

She tapped the -- was it a shoulder? -- of a passing pawn.

"Hi. Where do you think I could go for directions back home?"

"Well, lightner, the Prince would be your best resource for this. Go to the castle."

And so she did, wondering whatever a lightner might be -- she only knew herself to be a boss monster, afterall.

The castle apeared to be backlit; though from what, Noelle didn't know. She walked into the entrance courtyard, but there were still no guards to be seen. As she knocked though, the fatigue started to get to her. A white furred monster called for help as she fainted.

As she came to, she heard the muttering of the monster who'd called for help.

"They're sick ... gonna hafta keep them here until they get better. Fuck, Ralsei. Do you know how to help a sick lightner?"

She tryed to, and failed, to sit up.

"Don't do that, please. What's your name? Pronouns?"

"Noelle. She/her." Talking hurt so much. She coughed a storm as soon as she stopped.

"Mine's Ralsei. He/him," he said. "Your throat sounds ter... There's water on the side table, though I guess you might need help."

He picked up the cup, and brought it to her lips.

"Sorry about the lack of a straw, couldn't find one when I grabbed this."

"It's okay."

Ralsei, now that she had a better chance to look at him, was cute. A thought of which, if she were more lucid, would've brought her to contemplate her sexuality. He wore a simple green dress over a black sweater, with a pink scarf and matching green glasses.

"Do you've anything else you need? I'll be making some renovations, so ring that bell if you need anything."

Noelle was already asleep before he stopped talking.

When Noelle woke again, a little blue monster was in the chair next to her bed.

"Hey miss lightner! I'm here to watch over you while little kindboy sleeps. You've anything you need?"

"Water?"

"One glass of water coming right up!"

They grabbed the glass off the nightstand. It now had a pink straw in it.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome. You know Susie? Big, pink thrashing lady?"

"Yeah. I'm in the same class as her, and I guess we're friends? Kris has been talking to me more, and she's always with them."

"We should hang out sometime!"

"When I get better."

"Yeah, when you do."

Ralsei knocked on the door as he entered the room.

"My watch up?"

"Yeah."

The little blue monster ran out of the room.

"What's their name?"

"He's Lancer. About the only person I trust to take care of you."

"He knows Susie?"

"Yeah. Kris and her first came down here a few days ago. We had an adventure and a half that first day." Ralsei looked contemplative. "Do you know them?"

"I've known Kris all my life. Susie ... I've only just started to know her as anything other than a classmate." And both as crushes. Though Ralsei needn't know that ... no matter how cute he was.

"I think I'd love to train you, once you get better. It'd be nice to get to know you!"

Was he blushing? No, couldn't be. Why would he like her? Noelle pushed down these thoughts to pay attention to Ralsei.

"Would you like a book or something? You must be bored."

Noelles stomach growled.

"You're hungry! Right, you've not eaten since you got here. What do you wanna eat? What do lightners eat when they're sick?"

Noelle wanted Toriels chicken noodle soup, but would Ralsei even be able to make that?

"Chicken noodle soup would be nice."

"Kay. I'll go make that now."

Ralsei ran out the door. The room Noelle was in was relatively barren: there was a nightstand, the bed, and the chair opposite the bed. There was nothing to do, and she felt like cotton was stuffed in each sinus. In other words, she felt like shit.

The nightstand did have a drawer, though. Seemed to be easily reachable. She wondered what might be in it? Her own nightstand had her journal, and she had no clue who's room this was. The colors did match Ralsei's clothes. Could this be his room?

Ralsei entered the room again. He was carrying a tray with a bowl of steaming chicken soup on it. Not that she could smelll a thing, though.

He placed the tray on the nightstand.

"Um. I might have to feed this to you. You okay with that?"

Noelle nodded.

Ralsei fed the soup to her daintily. He seemed nervous? While she had been close to the Dreemurrs she'd never been good at reading faces.

Once the soup was done Noelle felt far better. And far sleepier.

"Thanks for the soup."

"You're welcome."

And she slept again. Dreaming fever dreams, with the more pleasent ones having Ralsei, Susie, and Kris in them.

The -- was it morning? -- after started much the same. Lancer being Lancer, and Ralsei keeping her fed and watered. It was much more pleasent then this sounds! However, when Ralsei left to do some renovating, Noelle's curiosity piqued.

What was in that drawer?

She opened and reached it; all much harder to do when laying down.

It was a book. Ralsei's manual? It said please read on the cover.

Well.

If it says so!

The book was written in stuffy prose, but it wasn't anything too difficult to decypher.

Noelle read about the prophecy. About how a human, monster, and prince from the dark. Ah. So the monsters she'd talked to here weren't monsters, but these darkners. The notes in the margins, written in a much more conversational tone, put Kris, Susie, and him in these roles.

The rest of the book was a battle guide. Didn't seem much to relevant to herself.

"You actually read that thing?"

Apparently it was Lancers shift already. How long had she read Ralsei's book?

"Yes. It's not to bad, once you crack the prose."

"You're a strange one," he said, "anyway, you should drink this tea. He said that if you were still up it'd maybe, uh, help you sleep."

That was sweet of him.

"Uh, thanks."

"You're welcome. Glad I don't have to help you drink it."

The tea was calming, and as soon as she placed the cup on the nightstand she fell asleep.

She woke, and sat up to the view of Ralsei with a tea set.

"Lancer said you enjoyed the tea, so I thought I'd bring you some breakfast tea."

"Thanks."

"You're very welcome." He poured the tea. "What did you think of my manual?"

He seemed exited.

"Seems useful. The prose was a bit stuffy, though."

"This is my first book. Kris and Susie found it boring, though."

"That makes sense. Neither one of them is one for ... traditional literature."

Ralsei looked contemplative.

"Do you want to see my library?"

"Yes!"

Noelle immediately coughed.

"Maybe another t--"

Noelle was already out of bed. And wobbling on unused legs.

"If you insist I ... I have an idea."

He was already out of the room before Noelle could respond. Noelle sat, wondering what his idea could be.

When he came back it was quite clear what his idea was.

"I remembered I had this wheelchair. Should give you some mobility."

Noelle got in the wheelchair, and tried to move herself.

"Please, could you push?"

"Yep."

Ralsei pushed her through the castle, pointing out all the rooms along the way.

"That's Susie's room; that's Kris's; that's the dining room."

The library had the largest door thus far. It was a simple, arched, wooden door.

"And this is the library."

The library's defining feature was, after its books, the massive arched window overlooking the lake. On both sides of the larger, central aisle were rows of bookshelves, each fifteen feet high.

"This so cool!"

"It's my favourite place. I've read many of these books, some good, some bad, some worse."

A thought popped into Noelle's head. How long had she been in the dark world? Her dad would be worried sick about her. She was missing so much schoolwork.

Her spiraling slowed when she noticed that Ralsei was hugging her. It felt ... nice. He was so fluffy.

Noelle was ... crying? When had that started?

"There, there."

"I just ... my dad ... he might've..."

"Are you missing home?"

"A bit."

"I think you're almost better; how are you feeling?"

He started to unhug her, but she didn't want to let go.

"Stay. I'm so tired."

"Do you want to go back to m-- your room?"

"Not yet."

They stopped hugging, and Noelle's face became flushed. Was she ... into him? She'd never been into a guy, though she'd only really had three real world crushes before.

"Um, what's a book you'd reccomend?"

Noelle seriously wanted to think of anything other than Ralsei's fur and voice and outfit and how kind he was and that she was apparently bi and--

"What did you say?"

Was he blushing too? Now was to soon to confess a crush, right?

"Um... did you mean to say that out loud?"

She said that aloud? Fuck, he's gonna think she's trying to come on to him and hate her and --

"Because I've one on you, too. I think: I've never really had a crush on anyone before ... except maybe ..."

He continued to speak, but Noelle couldn't focus. He had a crush on her. She wanted to ask him out: that was what you were supposed to do if you confess and the feelings are returned, right?

"I mean, you're very cu--"

"Do you want to go out?"

"Yes. As boyfriend and girlfriend, right?"

"Yeah. Um, we should probably establish boundaries now?"

"Yeah, probably. Sounds like"

Ralsei was still right in front of her. She couldn't do this with him there.

"Let's do it in the sitting area over there."

The boundary discussion was, to say the least, very awkward. Noelle sat in her wheelchair next to Ralsei, and they both blushed feverishly throughout.

"What boundaries should we discuss? I've never seen this in any story I've read."

"According to Ms. Toriel, we should discuss exclusivity, romantic gestures, simple touch, and sex."

"Sex? Now?"

"Yeah, we can have that conversation later. Um... what's your boundary on exclusivity?"

"Yes? Um, where does being Poly lie here?"

Noelle was pleasantly surprised by that. She'd figured she was poly when she brought up her romantic fantasies involving Kris and Susie to her dad. She was ... not confidently poly.

"You're poly too! How did you figure out?"

"I've crushes on a couple ... friends of mine." Ralsei stared at his paws.

"No need to tell me who yet. I want to wait before ... attempting to ask out more people."

Noelle yawned, then coughed up a storm.

"Let's finish this discussion as we head to your room."

As Ralsei pushed Noelle to her room, they established their boundaries regarding touch. Hugs would be ok as long as they accepted noes, kissing would require asking, and anything beyond that would require further discussion.

As Noelle crawled into bed, they said their goodnights. And Noelle had a restful sleep.

In the morning Noelle felt much better; no longer was her throat sore. The day started as usual: with Ralsei bringing her food and water.

"Morning, Noelle."

"Morning, Ralsei. Did we really do that last night?"

"Yep. You appear to be better?"

Noelle was. And thus the day went. After breakfast, Ralsei took her to the library.

"You'll be going home later today. How does that sound?"

"Good. Cannot wait to see dad and Kris and --"

Was that Susie wielding that axe? She looked even more butch down here! Kris was beside her, looking ever the perfect knight. Noelle could have swooned over them. They appeared to be in the middle of an arguement with Lancer

"I was told not to let anyone near Noelle until she's not sick. And she was sick last I saw her!"

"Can we at least visit he- She's down there?"

Kris pointed right at Noelle, then waved.

Noelle waved back.

Susie barrelled down the hall.

"How did you end up down here? Did you fall? Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine. Got to meet Ralsei!"

Kris made a sign that seemed to suggest --

"Not yet, Kris. It's none your busi--"

"Not yet what?" Asked Susie.

Ralsei blushed and put his hands on his face.

"Um," Noelle said as she too became flustered. Had she really said 'not yet.'

"I asked if her and Ralsei have fu--"

"Not in front of Lancer," Ralsei interrupted.

"Fine. You two are together, right?"

"Yes."

Susie looked confused.

"Wait. You two just met?"

"Yes."

"How? Kris and I haven't even defined our rel--"

Susie stopped herself. She was so red!

"Enough about our relationships. We need to take Noelle home."

And so they did, Kris and Noelle bantering the whole way back.

"Goodbye, Ralsei," Noelle said at the way out, "Let's have our first date next Wednesday, if that's okay with you?"

"That'll work. Um, you want a goodbye kiss?"

And they kissed.

[lesbewriting]

because i had you

[cc!Quackity x Fem!Reader] [chpt.5]

SUMMARY: In which Quackity is left reminiscing about his past relationship with his ex-girlfriend after their breakup.

WARNINGS: mainly angst, um crying and mentions of moving on? there's like no fluff here sorry guys

A-N: gonna be completely honest, i literally just wrote whatever popped into my head at the time of writing this. So sorry, if some parts don't make much sense or match the lyrics lol. Also I'm back to writing from my tablet again now :) as I now have a keyboard for it so it's easier than my phone lol

[masterlist]

[series masterlist]

Quackity sat cooped up in a corner booth of a diner he'd found when wandering through random streets with no real place in mind. He felt tired as he sat there, awaiting the hot drink the wait staff had yet to bring out to him. His thoughts were jumbled, a mess if you will. He couldn't focus on something for one moment without drawing it back to you somehow. God, he missed you a lot. He missed when he could rely on you to help him with ideas for his streams or just plain youtube videos for his channel, when he hadn't any clue what to do himself.

Maybe it was some pretty unfortunate timing for him, when he suddenly heard the sound of laughter of two people coming closer and closer. He knew he definitely couldn't mistake for anyone else. It was so familiar to him, that he could easily remember the last time, he'd heard it directed towards him. He knew he probably shouldn't look up from where he had rested his eyes upon the table before him. It was surely a completely bad idea, it would most likely hurt him more. But yet, it was like some part of him told him to and without warning his eyes lifted up and to the sudden familiar sound.

Fuck, he wished he didn't. As stood right at the very entrance, just about to enter the small, yet busy cafe he resided in, was you. But you were not alone, in fact he briefly glanced behind you to the quite attractive person behind you. Who were they? Was one of the many questions that flew through his thoughts just then. Surely, it wasn't a date right? Quackity wouldn't admit it but he did feel a little bit of hope that maybe you were just there as friends. Yet, as he examined you two further, that bit of hope died and he felt his heart sink a little in his chest. He watched as the person beside you, carefully grabbed your hand and pulled you inside to a table on the opposite side of the diner.

To be honest, Quackity had no clue why he still felt sad when he silently observed you on your date with another person, that wasn't him, might he add. The fight/breakup was a month or two ago, he knew that you were allowed to see other people now and go on dates with them. He knew he should probably move on now too, if you were so clearly doing so. Then again, he couldn't help the next things to flood into his thoughts. Did you even love him? Did you even regret storming out of that door that day? Hell, were you even heartbroken over the fact that you had lost what you had with him? All these sudden thoughts, he desperately wanted answers too, and yet he had simply had none.

The raven-haired boy only snapped back to reality when he heard the footsteps of someone approaching his table. He felt his eyes suddenly move from where they were previously locked onto you, and drift to the figure near him now. It was only the waitress, bringing him his hot beverage. He murmured a quick 'thank you' towards her, and watched her scurry off in a hurry to collect more orders. He grabbed the warm mug and brought it closer towards himself. Perhaps, he should be glad that the waitress arrived when she did. He didn't want to risk you feeling someone staring, and turning around to find him there looking in your direction. That would be embarrassing on his part, and he didn't want to come off as a total creep or stalker.

Alex wasn't sure if he could keep sitting there, a few booths down from where you and your date now sat. He couldn't help but frown at the sounds of laughter that spilled from your lips, making his heart carefully ache. What was stopping him from simply getting up from his seat? What was stopping him from going up to the counter and asking for his drink in a takeaway cup? Genuinely, he didn't even know himself. Clearly, he didn't think he was ready to be in the same proximity to you. If he left right now, he knew it would save him from a whole lot more heartbreak. But, as he sat there and slowly took small sips of the beverage that was currently situated between his fingers and heating up his palms. The sun's rays of light gently beaming in through the large window to the side of him, he couldn't help but allow his thoughts to continue to roam.

He couldn't compare to whoever that was sat opposite you, making you smile like that. Making you smile and laugh, just like how he used to do. Atleast, he fully believed and thought that he couldn't. Eventually, he had enough of carefully observing the couple from afar and slowly taking sips of his drink. He just wanted to leave, and so he did. He got up from where he was seated, discarding the now half-empty mug of what he had been drinking. He needed to get home anyways, he did plan on appearing on one of his friends' twitch streams later today. Carefully, adjusting the beanie that most oftenly sat upon his head of raven hair, he moved through the aisle of diner booths and towards the exit.

His actions suddenly having caught the attention, of you who had peeked up from your meal that had just arrived now. You felt a brief look of sadness flash across your face as you saw him there, about to leave the cafe. Yet, it was gone in an instant when you remembered who you were still with. Did you even really want to engage with Alex? You knew you did miss him, of course you did. Wouldn't talking to him though bring up old feelings and reopen those wounds from that night? probably, so you didn't risk it. You both would be on the road to healing from that relationship, so talking to him right now you doubted would change anything between you two. So you sat there, attempting to fight the urge to call his name and go after him, while he slowly exited the building and onto the street.

You're with somebody I can't be, yeah

[the-bau-quinjet]

I've Always Loved the Rain

Summary: Request! Y/N can manipulate the weather, but sometimes her emotions get the best of her. What happens when Bucky brings his girlfriend to Tony's garden party?

Warnings: nothing except some angst!

Word Count: 2086

a/n: I really did have fun writing this! Thank you for sending it my way :)

Masterlist

"Are you ever going to tell him?" Wanda's thoughts appeared in your head causing your head to snap in her direction. "You've been staring at him for the past ten minutes."

"Actually, it's only been 8 minutes. And, no. I do not plan to ever tell him because that would be wildly embarrassing, and he would hate me forever." Your own thoughts were easily heard by the witch.

Before she could try to convince you, you got up and left the living room. You and Bucky have been friends since you joined the team. Everyone, barring Bucky, has told you how you must be special because Bucky has never trusted anyone as quickly as he started trusting you.

There may have even been a point where you thought he could've possibly returned your feelings, but that was before he started dating Perrie.

"Y/N, you can't keep running away from me." Wanda called out as she approached your room.

"I'm not running. I just have get ready for Tony's party." You rolled your eyes. You've never been one for parties, but you'd rather just go than have to deal with Tony complaining about you missing it.

"Oh, you mean the party Perrie is going to?" Wanda questioned from your doorway.

"Shut up! Someone could hear you." You quickly pulled her into the room, glancing down the hall before closing the door. "I don't care that she's coming. It's fine."

"I know you're pouting, even if you refuse to look at me." Wanda obviously saw right through your bullshit.

"Wan, he's my friend. I just want him to be happy, and if Perrie makes him happy then so be it." You resigned yourself to having to watch Bucky and Perrie together. "Just, promise me you won't say anything."

You nearly begged her, knowing she didn't agree with your method of bottling everything up.

"You're my friend. I want you to be happy too." She tried to avoid your request.

"Wanda, please." You nearly had tears in your eyes. You couldn't make it through this party if Bucky knew about your feelings. "I can't think about it. Tony will kill me if I ruin his perfect weather."

You joined the Avengers after Steve and Nat found you during one of their missions. You saw the two of them trying to sneak into a hydra base, but they had no way of approaching without being spotted.

In a moment of bravery, or stupidity really it could've gone either way, you ran up to them and offered to help. You managed to create enough of a storm that they could get inside without being noticed.

When they came back out, they offered for you to join them figuring someone who could manipulate the weather would be a good teammate to have.

"Oh, Y/N." She pulled you into a hug in an effort to comfort you. "I won't bring it up, I promise." She squeezed you tightly before letting go. "Now, let's pick out an outfit that'll have Barnes regretting not asking you out."

You shook your head at her playful laugh, but agreed with her nonetheless. If this is what it took for her to stay quiet, you'd do it.

-

The sun was still high in the sky when you made it out to join the party. Summer nights always seemed to last forever, the sun not fully setting until nearly 9.

A few clouds dusted the sky, but Tony really did have the perfect weather for his garden party.

You looked around, trying to locate a familiar face. Finally spotting Nat and Wanda, you made your way through the gardens to greet them.

"Y/N, you look incredible!" Nat cheered as you approached.

Wanda convinced you to wear a pale purple two piece set. The classy lace outer layer of your skirt fell to mid calf, the lining ending just above your knee. The top was cropped to end mid stomach. Perfectly matching the skirt, a form fitting lining was covered in a flowy lace layer.

"Thank you. You both look amazing, as usual." Nat wore a black midi dress with a slit. Wanda opted for a flowery yellow dress with buttons up the middle.

You fell into an easy conversation, discussing anything and everything you could think of to keep your mind busy.

"Ladies, looking good!" Sam complimented the three of you as he, Steve, and Vision approached. Vision immediately swept Wanda away to dance.

"You're not so bad yourself, Wilson." You laughed. "Steve, you're very dapper this evening."

"Thank you. Care to dance?" Steve held his hand out for you. Knowing Sam was seconds away from convincing Nat to dance with him, you nodded in agreement.

You couldn't help but smile as he lead you around the dance floor Tony had set up. The party had been going surprisingly well so far.

"You really do look amazing tonight." Steve broke the silence, smiling down at you.

"You're too sweet." You brushed it off, looking over his shoulder as you blushed.

"I mean it." He spun you around, eliciting a surprised chuckle from you.

Your smile fell when you spotted Bucky and Perrie by the bar. He wore khakis and a pink button up, something you were certain Perrie picked out to match her pink chiffon dress.

You were shocked to find his eyes on you. He looked sort of angry, but you hadn't the slightest idea why.

"I don't know what Bucky's doing with her." Steve followed your line of sight, commenting on the couple.

"He's happy." You turned away from Bucky, heart aching just from looking at the two of them together. You tried to mask the pain in your voice, but Steve saw through it.

"He's not. He might think he is, but Perrie... she's not right for him."

"What do you mean?" You shouldn't have asked, but you craved more information about Bucky.

"She just doesn't understand him. Not like you do." Steve's words hurt you more than they helped.

"Steve, he chose her." You could feel the tears brewing. You didn't notice as the sky got darker and darker. "I have to go."

You turned to walk away from Steve and the conversation only to walk directly into Perrie.

"I'm so sorry!' You quickly wiped your eyes, avoiding the concerned look Bucky was giving you. He lightly grabbed your elbow when you tried to walk past them

"Y/N?" The way he said your name had you frozen. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I, um, I have to go." You pulled your arm from his grasp, again trying to get away.

"No, Y/N-" Bucky's plea for you to talk to him was cut off by Perrie.

"James, we're supposed to be dancing." She whined, pulling on his right arm.

"It's fine, Bucky." Your face contorted into a tight smile. "Dance with your girlfriend." Your vision blurred as you tried to push your way through the crowd.

Nat found you first, pulling you off to the side of the party and gesturing for Wanda to join you both.

"Y/N, what happened?" Natasha tried to coax any bit of information out of you. You ignored the question, focusing instead on trying to control your tears.

Your powers, although you could mostly control them, were tied to your emotions. If what you were feeling manifested itself in the weather, it was almost impossible for you to regain control.

One tear finally fell from your eyes, a matching raindrop falling from the sky.

"Y/N? Why don't we go inside?" You managed a nod, breaths coming out shaky as you tried not to completely lose control.

You were only a few steps from the main entrance to the gardens when everything fell apart.

"Y/N?" Bucky called from a few feet behind you.

Just the sound of his voice caused the delicate balance you had achieved to shatter.

Your tears overflowed, thunder cracking in the sky. The thought of ruining Tony's part only made you cry harder.

The rain fell fast and heavy instantly soaking everyone outside. You stayed frozen, listening as everyone shrieked and ran to get out of the rain.

"You guys should go inside." You spoke softly to Nat and Wanda, gesturing for them to go without you.

"Are you sure?" Nat looked past you at Bucky before meeting your eyes again.

You nodded. "I mean, I'm already soaked." The rain continued to fall mixing with the tears on your cheeks.

They each gave you a quick hug before running to get inside.

"Y/N?" Bucky called again when you still hadn't turned around.

You took a deep breath trying to prepare for this conversation before you turned to face him. He was soaked, his hair sticking to his face despite his efforts to push it off.

"I'm sorry." You whispered so softly, you weren't even sure he could hear it over the rain.

"Don't do that." Bucky shook his head.

"What?" You scrunched your face in confusion.

"Apologize for your feelings." He spoke gently as he walked up to you.

You huffed a laugh. "Well, I was more so apologizing for the rain."

"I've always loved the rain." He shrugged, turning his head up to the sky. He stayed like that for a minute just letting the rain wash over him.

"I think I've always loved you." More tears fell as you admitted the truth. You closed your eyes in an effort to hide from his reaction.

"Y/N, look at me." Bucky pleaded, but you squeezed your eyes shut tighter and shook your head.

"Y/N, please." His hand came up to rest on your cheek, the other resting on your waist. He ran his thumb back and forth over your cheek coaxing you to open your eyes.

Your eyes fluttered open despite your best efforts to keep them closed. You had to blink a few times to clear the raindrops from your eyelashes.

"I love you too."

You searched his eyes for any signs that he was lying, but all you could find was sincerity.

"What about Perrie?" You couldn't help but ask, even if you'd rather forget about her entirely.

"I broke up with her the second she whined about me trying to make sure you were okay."

"You broke up with her because of me?" Your mouth fell open, eyes trained on Bucky's. He nodded sheepishly, but maintained eye contact.

"You're the most important person in the world to me. I probably should've realized what that meant sooner." He looked down, a pink tint blossoming on his cheeks. "She was actually the one who pointed out to me that I'm in love with you..."

"She said that?" Your jaw dropped even farther.

"Yeah. It was really Steve agreeing with her that clued me in though."

"You really love me?" You felt the need to verify what you had already heard. The rain lessening to a slight drizzle went unnoticed by both of you.

"I really, really do." He still held your face in his hand, now leaning his forehead against your own.

"Say it again." You whispered.

"I love you." He said the words quietly, but the meaning behind them was deafening.

"I love you too."

Your lips collided in a passionate kiss, years of hidden emotion coming out.

The rain clouds disappeared entirely, the sun set now visible in bright shades of pink and orange.

You finally pulled back when the need for air overcame your need for Bucky.

Your smile faded slightly, eyes showing a slight fear. Bucky noticed immediately, his own nerves growing.

"What's wrong?"

You gestured to the now empty gardens.

Aside from everything being soaked, the wind did a number on the decorations. Tables and chairs were overturned, plates and glasses smashed on the ground. The lanterns that had been hung were now strew across the ground in various states of destruction.

"Tony's going to be so mad at me!"

"He'll forgive you." Bucky stated with confidence.

"How can you be so sure?" You eyed him with furrowed brows, still nervous about facing Tony.

"He's forgiven worse, Doll. Trust me." Bucky eagerly awaited the moment you understood what he was saying.

Your eyes went wide, mind blanking on how to respond. That is, until Bucky smiled brightly at you.

"You've always told me joking about it can help. Figured I'd give it a try."

The two of you burst out laughing before slowly making your way inside, hand in hand and soaking wet.

Permanent taglist:

@averyhotchner @jesuswasnotawhiteman @madewithsebstan

[shenanigans-and-imagines]

Strange x reader drabble where they're arguing about something and being sassy, strange gets proven wrong and he has to take a moment to realize he's really into the reader when they're smug and confident?

A/N: I'm actually going to take this opportunity to write for an OC I've been playing around with in my head for the past week. Hope that's okay.

Strange and Cassandra moved carefully among the rocks, keeping their heads low while never losing track of the giant five tailed feline guarding the entrance.

"I think I can stun it," Strange whispered.

Cassandra shook her head. "Trust me, you don't want to do that."

"It's a Zheng, it's not impervious."

"It also won't attacked unless provoked. What we need to do--"

"We are not going to do anything," Strange insisted. "You are going to keep your head down while I take care of this."

"Oh I'm sorry, who died and put you in charge?"

"The Ancient One."

She raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed. "Uh huh, and how long have you been practicing magic."

He pressed his lips together, sensing a trap, but not knowing how to avoid it.

"Three years," he confessed. "And I am the Sorcerer Supreme."

She held up a finger. "You were Sorcerer Supreme. Now you're just a novice with an ego."

"Did I miss when you were studying at Kamar-Taj?"

"You missed me at your book club because I had been practicing actual magic since I was twelve."

"Reading tarot cards."

"At least I don't have to cheat by using the time stone, which you don't have any more."

"So why do you need me?" he countered.

"I don't know yet," she ground out, clearly frustrated by her own vision. "But if we follow your lead the answer will be cat food."

Strange let out a huff, realizing there was absolutely no arguing with the woman. "Just stay here."

Cassandra made a noise of protest unable to grab Strange in time before he stepped out into the open.

The beast turned it's head, it's giant eyes suddenly fixed on him. He didn't even give it time to bare it's teeth before pushing the spell forward, encompassing it in orange light. It stumbled against the weight, it's eyes blinking open and closed.

A satisfied smile tugged at his lips. Maybe this would finally shut her up. But before he could relish in his victory, the Zheng shook it's head, scratching at its face before straightening up to it's full height. Furious yellow eyes found Strange matched with long white fangs.

Shit.

Strange dove out of the way, feeling the wind of the Zheng pounce breeze past. He hard on his shoulder, hissing in pain and the Zheng turned, poised for another attack.

The cloak pulled him back, forcing him to his feet and out of reach.

The distance gave him only a moment to come up with some other plan.

The Zheng lowered it's ears hissing its displeasure.

"Hey!"

A rock hurled through the air, hitting the beast in the back of the head. It whirled towards the attack and Strange could see Cassandra standing straight, her staff in hand.

"We're not here to hurt you," she said.

The Zheng seemed to scoff and Strange had to wonder if it could understand her.

She raised her staff. The orb on the end shone a bright white light, illuminating the cave.

Strange shielded his eyes, but could just make out Cassandra stepping closer. He watched as the Zheng gazed into the light, following it until both were a safe distance away.

Cassandra let go of the staff, allowing it balance in place as the light dimmed.

The Zheng's aggressive expression faded, as it seemed to consider her with cautious eyes.

She bowed respectfully, never breaking eye contact as she held out her hand.

The beast then lowered its head, pressing its nose against her palm.

Cassandra then looked to Strange, nodding him over.

He approached carefully, not wanting to break whatever spell she had placed on the creature.

As soon as he was close enough, the Zheng raised its head. Its eyes narrowed, but held none of the murderous intent as before.

He copied Cassandra's motions, bowing and offering his hand.

As soon as its fur touched his skin, he felt it. Images flash across his mind; med school, the accident, Karma Taj, Thanos, Wong, Christine, Cassandra, Ellie, all piling one after another for an eternity and a moment.

Almost as soon as it had begun, it stopped, yanking Strange back into the present as the Zheng pulled away.

He stared in wonder as the great cat rested back on its hunches. With a turn of its head and flick of its take, the great stone doors and the edge of the cavern opened.

Strange felt compelled to say something, but soon enough Cassandra had grabbed his arm and pulled him through the doorway.

Only when the stone sealed shut behind them did Strange feel like he could speak.

"How did you know that would work?"

She shrugged. "No bones."

Strange looked at her confused. She rolled her eyes.

"There were no bones outside the entrance. If we were meant to fight it, we would have seen a lot more evidence of carnage. Besides, this is a place of knowledge, it's only fitting that someone seeking knowledge and not power is allowed to enter."

She glanced at him, her lips forming into a smug smile at his bewilderment.

"You read too many books Strange. Now I believe you owe me a few words; namely, you, were, and right."

He stared at her, unsure whether to be annoyed or astounded.

"C'mon, it's important to be humble," she insisted.

He let out a defeated sigh. "You were right."

"Ah, sweet bliss."

She strode forward, casually resting her staff behind her neck.

For a moment, he watched her go a smile forming on his lips. She really was proving to be so much more.

[lostcausezz]

F&MU

𝐒𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐮 𝐆𝐨𝐣𝐨 𝐱 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: 𝐒𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐀𝐧𝐠𝐬𝐭, 𝐍𝐒𝐅𝐖, 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐞𝐱, 𝐁𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐬

𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 1.7𝐤

𝐒𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬: 𝐁𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐅&𝐌𝐔 𝐛𝐲 𝐤𝐞𝐡𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐢.

𝐑𝐞𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐋𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 ♡

"I'M LEAVING GOJO I NEED TIME TO CLEAR MY THOUGHTS!"

As you slammed the door behind you and walked out into the hall you placed your head on the back of your apartment door. You looked up at the ceiling and the feeling of you about to shed tears was attacking you. You wiped off your eyes and went down the hall so you could go to the elevator.

You and Gojo never really argued like this but today he forgot something that was important to both of y'all. It was the day of your anniversary the day you two singles became one couple. You remembered it like it was yesterday but today he seemed like he forgot all about it.

You would never think Gojo would forget about something like this but you knew it was best to take your leave. You stepped foot into the elevator and pressed the button to go to the lobby and watched the doors close in front of you as you tucked yourself into a corner.  You pulled out your phone and scrolled through your pictures and every other photo was a picture of you and gojo.

It was something about him that made you stay by his side no matter what the issue was. You clicked on a video of him pulling you in by your neck for a kiss. You started to tear up until you saw that the elevator had hit the lobby.

You got out of the elevator and went to the door that was the exit to the complex. You walked out and inhaled all of the fresh air and stretched your arms out in the air. You started to walk off into a trail that was on the sidewalk that led to the river.

The scenery was always beautiful at night and you loved the way the lights looked on the water as it swayed back and forth. You knew leaving was the best option before you said something you would have regretted on a day that was meant to be the happiness of the beginning of your relationship.

As you were walking the sounds of screaming and yelling from the children that were on the riverwalk you will look to see there was a carnival in the distance. You looked up to see the lights shining bright and a huge colorful Farris wheel. You remembered when you and Gojo would go there for dates and that was the very first place y'all went when y'all first started dating.

You never expected to feel so lonely on a day that was meant only for you to be loved and taken care of on both sides of the relationship. As you finally caught up to the carnival gates you paid a five dollar entrance fee then walked in. First you went to the ticket stand to get an express pass so you could play games.

You knew things would be fun but it wasn't as fun without him.

You started to walk into the crowd and go and play the different games that were around you. You went up to each stand and played a game but the more "Fun" you were having it only reminded you more of *him*. All the time you were having was beating you up more and more. Your new thing was all you wanted to do was apologize and be with him.

At the balloon dart stand you played your last game and gave the employee a tip for being kind. You took the bear you won and ran off into the crowd. As you were bumping into people to get through you tried to apologize but it was urgent. As you navigate your way through the crowd you feel the rain start to pour.

As you reached the gates you looked to see it was Gojo infront if you but not by himself he was with another. You stood still in shock and thought "If this day couldn't get any worse." A tear started to flow down your cheek and you tied the knot on the hood of your sweatshirt tight and tried to walk past Gojo until someone bumped into you causing you to bump him as well.

He looked to his side and recognized that it was you and grabbed onto your arm. You looked up at him in his ocean orbs and he saw the tears that flowed down your face making your eyes puffy. You faced your head to the side and wiped your tears after you snatched your arm from his grip.

You walked back to your place and you let the rain flow down on you as the tears that came from your eyes were unnoticed. You caught sight of your huge apartment building and walked through the trail that led back to the entrance of the building. You wiped off your face and went into the elevator.

You placed some headphones in your ears and started listening to some music to calm you down. The music didn't even help it make you feel worse all you could think about was "Why her. Why me? Why did he make me feel so much like shit and why did I always deal with it." Walking out the elevator with your head down you pulled your keys out and went down the hall.

Your apartment was near the end and all you wanted to do was restart the day and for him to be different. You placed your key in the door lock and unlocked the door and the whole place was dark until you turned into the living room and saw two blue eyes staring at you that gave you a jumpscare. "GOJO WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED TO YOUR BLINDFOLD!"

"Oh shit my bad." He put the blindfold back on and approached you. You faced yourself away from him and walked to your bathroom and slammed the door behind you. You took off your hood and saw that your hair was messed up from the rain and your curls were frizzy so you decided you needed to take a shower.

As you opened the curtain as the water ran you stepped foot into the tub. The water started to run and you wiped your face off and let the water run through your hair making it curly. You heard a creak from the door and spoke out to Gojo that was intruding. "What do you want?" You could hear how heavy his breathing was as if he ran or did something quickly.

"Y/n I'm sorry for today and I wasn't cheating on you." You rolled your eyes and went back to cleaning off your body."Then who was she, Satoru?" He took a deep huff and finally was able to tell you what he was doing.

"It was for today but you wouldn't shut up so when you left I saw that as an opportunity. You just wouldn't stop talking." A smirk appeared on your face and you spoke out the words that were on your mind.

"Make me shut up then." You could heat the sound of him taking off his shirt and pants he had on. He placed them to the side and he opened the curtain and stepped foot into the shower and got stable as he stood in front of you. His pale skin shined as the water ran down his washboard abs.

You forgot how beautiful his body was as you looked back up to him he placed his hand on your cheek and pulled you in for a kiss. As you felt his lips connect with yours you felt his tongue slip into your mouth and you swirled yours with his. "Y/n turn around for me."

You did as you were told and he made your body press against the shower wall as your palms were up as well. His hand was placed on your neck and he lowered his head near your ear and whispered in his slightly deep voice. "Good girl, are you ready for daddy's anniversary treat?"

You nodded and as your breathing was heavy against the wall you felt him rub his dick on your ass then wrapping one arm on your chest and lifted you up so he could put his dick in your opening. fuck the water makes this so easier

His dick was inserted in you all the way and you flipped your head back to see Gojo looking into your lustful eyes. The cocky smirk he had on your face made you feel warm. He started to thrust into you. It wasn't too fast and wasn't too slow. It was a pace you couldn't describe, it was just perfect.

In every stroke you felt every inch making you wetter and at the point you were almost at your limit to cum all over his body. " Damn your ass looks good pressed against my body babe." The build up from a knot that was in your stomach was released all over as you finally reached your peak and came all over him.

Your breathing got so heavy and you saw Gojo pick up a washcloth and you did the same and washed each other off. The two of you rinsed and walked out of the shower and put on your matching white robes and he opened the door for you. Your eyes looked down at the floor and you saw rose petals. You followed them into the master bedroom.

You looked at the bed and saw not too many gifts for you on the bed but it was a box with a note in it that said "Check your bank account." Opening your bank app your eyes widened as you saw about a million dollars in your savings. You hugged him and he said to you, "I would never cheat on you and I'm sorry we had an argument. I hate to see you mad."

You looked up into his eyes and said with a smile on your face, "I love you Gojo."

"I love you too y/n"

[painsandconfusion]

Get In, Bitch, We're Going Shopping

Whumping the Whumpers: Part Nine

[Previous | Masterlist | Next]

(tw: mention of past conditioning, brief manhandling, death threats) Mostly fluff, sorry not sorry.

Ethan's tennis shoes squeaked softly under his weight with every step down the sidewalk. He kept his hands tucked in his sweatshirt pocket, picking at his cuticles under the fabric.

He had considered calling Nate more than once, but if the man wanted to find him, he would find him. He glanced at his phone screen. 9:58. Ethan tucked it back in his jeans pocket.

The city hummed around him. Traffic and chatter melded together, creating a quiet cacophony of irrelevance. He used to look over his shoulder everywhere he went, never knowing if Nate or someone else would see him. Find him. Hunt him down.

But this phone in his pocket...it changed everything. Nate knew where he was, so there was no reason to hide. He stood a little taller. Walked a little straighter. Cared a lot less about the people who may or may not be looking at him. Recognizing him. Following him.

It didn't matter anymore. Now Ethan walked with his head high.

When he moved through crowds of people, he didn't weave between them anymore, he stalked forward and watched as the crowd subconsciously parted around him. Anyone who met his eyes quickly looked away.

This is what it was to not be afraid. To be in control.

It was entrancing.

A flash of shining silver swerved up next to him. The car rolled along, matching his pace. Nate bent down, peeking through the window, grinning at him.

"Hey handsome, need a ride?"

Ethan rolled his eyes, but turned toward the car. Nate didn't bother putting it in park as Ethan slid in.

They didn't move. Ethan glanced at Nate, raising an eyebrow. "What?"

Nate looked over him.

Ethan gritted his teeth. "What?"

"Aren't you going to put on your seatbelt?"

"Are you serious?"

Nate blinked at him. "Of course I'm serious! You could die if we get in an accident."

Ethan huffed, turning back forward. "Then don't get us in an accident."

Nate glared at him. "I'm not driving until you put on a seatbelt."

Ethan raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Then maybe I should just leave."

Nate gave a small laugh and blindly reached toward his door. The locks snapped down.

"What the hell-" Ethan tried the door handle, but it wouldn't give. The locks fell below the window. His fingernails picked at it, but he couldn't get a grip to pull it back up again.

Ethan shoved down a jolt of panic and turned to glare at Nate

He was grinning again. Nate offered a small shrug. "What can I say? I take safety seriously."

Ethan set his jaw, but reached up to the seatbelt. He clicked it into place. "There. Happy?"

Nate flashed a smile. "Very happy, thank you." He glanced over his shoulder to find a gap in traffic, then pulled smoothly onto the road.

The car was quiet. Deadly quiet without the radio. Ethan reached to click it on.

Nate lightly slapped his hand away. "Nuh-uh, driver picks the music. That's a universal standard." He fiddled with the station.

Ethan rolled his eyes and reached out again, turning the dial until it hit an 80s rock station. Nate glared at him, then moved to change it.

He froze as music filled the empty space. Nate pulled his hand back, pouting at the windshield. "You're lucky this is a good song."

Ethan smiled - just a little - then turned to stare out the window as they went. He wanted to know exact where they were at all times.

They drove for ten minutes or so, Nate weaving carefully between traffic, until they pulled up to a farm and auto store at the edge of the city. Nate tucked the keys in his pocket and popped the door open. Ethan's lock mercifully clicked back up. He spilled out of the car.

Nate was already walking, but Ethan put a hand on his shoulder. Nate turned, looking up at him. He raised his eyebrows.

"Are you gonna wear that inside?"

Nate looked puzzled, glaincing down at his outfit. A crisp white linen button down, loose black tie, black slacks, and blue converse.

"Why? What's wrong with what I'm wearing?"

"Nate, this is a farm store. You need to wear - like - flannel or something."

"Pssh," Nate smacked his hand away, walking toward the store again. "We are here to shop for that stuff. Do you want me to walk in naked or something?" Nate shot a look over his shoulder, grinning. "You know, there's better ways to convince me to strip if you give it a little effort."

Ethan glared at the back of his head and followed, stuffing his hands in the pocket of his hoodie again as they moved through the doors.

The store was much larger than it seemed from the outside. It smelled like rubber, dog food, and oil. Nate leaned back casually while he walked, hands in his pockets. Thumbs out. He meandered through aisle after aisle until they settled in the men's boot section in the back corner of the store.

Ethan glanced up and down the aisle, trying to locate the right one.

"Soooo....What's the deal with Elias?"

Ethan didn't meet Nate's eyes, he just kept looking through the shoes. "What do you mean?"

Nate leaned against the shelf. "I mean what is his thing? People tend to stick with a trope. Like how Redd had the whole creepy bunker thing."

"Oh, or a basement dungeon?" Ethan let the sarcasm drip off his words.

Nate grinned. "I wouldn't call it a dungeon...but yeah, you get the picture."

Ethan rolled his eyes. He found the right boot and crouched down to check the size options.

"...So?"

Ethan's fingers trailed along the lables. "So what?"

"So what's Eli's gig?"

Ethan slid a size 11 box from the shelf, checking behind it to look for another. "He's a trainer."

"Well yeah, I know about the horses-"

"No, I mean he trains people, too."

"Hmm. Odd." Nate crossed his ankles, pondering as he leaned against the shelf. "Like the leash and collar pet stuff?"

Ethan groaned. He glared at Nate as he stood with the two boxes. He held one.

Nate didn't take it. He just stood, tipped against the shelf with his hands in his pockets. "How do you know those are the right ones?"

Ethan glared at the ceiling, pointedly shoving the box closer for Nate to grab. "I just know, okay?"

Nate laughed, stepping back from the box. "Aw, come on. That's a pretty specific detail. What's the harm in telling me?"

Ethan pursed his lips, analyzing Nate. It's not like it's a big deal. Nate already knows so fucking much.

Still, the words were thick in his mouth. "Elias has a thing for making people kiss his boots. Happy?"

Nate grinned. "Very, thank you for telling me." He took the box, pulling the boots out. He clawed out the paper stuffing and undid his converse.

"What are you doing?"

Nate hardly glanced up at him. "What? We need to make sure it's at least physically possible to put them on. I'm not having this backfire because you don't believe in proper prep." His foot popped into the boot with a 'fwoop!'. Then the other.

Nate pushed himself back up, arms spread out. "How do I look?"

Ethan rolled his eyes and grabbed the other size 11 box. "Somehow, that's worse than the converse."

"Are you sure that's the right size?"

Ethan opened the box, trying to ignore Nate. "Yes, I'm sure."

Ethan froze as Nate's hand pressed against his cheek, turning his face. "Are you suuuure? Maybe you should get on your knees for a better look. You know, try to recreate the scene a li-"

Nate cut off as Ethan gripped him by the tie, reeling him in, then slamming him back against the shelf. The metal rant and groaned under the force.

"Shut up." Ethan spat.

Nate clutched Ethan's wrist for support as his back pressed against the boxes of boots. A lock of hair tickled the corer of his eye, partially obscuring Nate grinning up at him. "Oh come on, I was just teasing." Ethan didn't let him go. His eyes dropped to where Nate’s pulse brushed against his knuckles. He was warm…

Nate shrugged. "Do you want me to lick your boots to make up for it?"

The image flashed across his mind before he could stop it. Nate on his knees. Looking up. So small in front of him...

Ethan hated how his pulse jumped at the thought. No. Fucking Focus.

His teeth clicked together. He shoved Nate again, then let go and turned to walk out of the aisle, trying to think about something else. "Do we need anything else here or are we done?"

Nate chuckled, dropping down to switch back to his shoes. "I think that's about it. I have everything else at home." He stood up, tucking the box under his arm. He glanced at the ceiling, considering. "Or the glove box."

Ethan glanced back. "Glove box?"

Nate shrugged as he caught up to Ethan. "Yeah, I was looking for a new roommate. Always gotta be prepared."

Ethan stopped. He turned on his heel, glaring at Nate.

Nate raised his hands in mock-surrender. "I'm kidding! I swear, you can check the glove box when we get back to the car. There's just an owners manual and some maps, I promise."

Ethan blinked at him. He shook his head, continuing toward the checkout. "Why do you have to be so weird all the time."

"Hey, you're the one who pinned me to a wall in public. I'm not the weird one here."

Ethan side-eyed him, gripping the box a little tighter. "I can't wait to kill you."

Nate laughed, skipping to catch up with him. He swiped a bag of lemon drops when they reached the checkout. "Again, why am I the weird one?"

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(tags: @prisonerwhump @whumpawink @mabledonut @heathenwhump @paleassprince @wormwriting @jadeocean46910 @distinctlywhumpthing @happy-whumper)

[nursegracecreates]

Sound Effects and Overdramatics- Pt Twenty Four

(Art credit: br0flovski) chapter selection

Night was approaching as we drove into Denver, and I had a feeling we would hit heavy traffic soon. It was nearing five and everyone would be going home, or to restaurants and bars, to end their day. 

Toby pulled into a parking lot adjacent to the back lot of a moving company. The moving vans were pulling in and pairs of movers were disembarking them and heading to their personal cars. Toby parked so he could watch the employee lot and turned off the lights, leaving us to sit, watching movers leave. 

Fifteen minutes later, during with Toby fretted with a string on his sweater sleeve, one last person exited a moving van. The person was tall, slenderly built, but obviously male. Not Helen, then. 

Toby opened the door and got out as the man drew closer. He was gone before I could even ask what he was doing, jogging towards the man, who was walking in our direction.

They met in the middle, and Toby spoke to him.  The man replied in kind and offered his hand. Toby shook it and gestured towards the car, and then they came over. 

I got out of the car and studied the man. He was around 6'2" and dressed in his work uniform. He had black shaggy hair, as black as night, the kind that has blue highlights. The highlights matched his eyes, like lapis lazuli and framed by black eyelashes that women pay for.

"Grace, this is Helen" Toby said.

Oh. Helen is a guy. I blinked for a second,  but honestly wasn't too surprised. When I was first starting nursing, I had a female patient named Robert. It's just what her parents chose for her.

"Nice to meet you, Helen" I said.

"Likewise" Helen said in a polite but disinterested way. His voice was soft, like he didn't use it often. "Though I prefer if you call me by my surname, Otis. It causes less... confusion."

I remembered Jane saying something about Helen's crime scenes being showings. And then I remembered some murders from a few years ago. The victims had been drained of blood, and their bodies had been hung and painted, as individual works of art, with their own blood. This must be the same person.

"Fine. Otis," Toby said "look, we need your help."

Helen gave the parking lot a surveying glance, then looked back at Toby curiously, "How can I be of service, Adams?"

"I'll have to explain everything later, I'm going to round up the two Jacks tonight. I'll have to arrange a meeting to fill you all in" Toby said, "Do you have a phone we can reach you at?"

"Of course" Helen said, pulling it out of his back pocket. 

"Exchange numbers with Grace. We'll be in touch soon, within the next day. Don't start any projects."

Helen seemed nonplussed as he turned to me. We exchanged phones and entered our information, then switched back. Helen had entered his number under only "Otis".

"Would this have anything to do with the weird weather?" Helen asked me.

"Actually yeah" I replied, surprised Helen had asked. Jane hadn't even thought to. Toby was getting into the car, "Sorry we can't stay to chat."

Helen wasted a smile on me that didn't reach his eyes, "It's fine. I don't really like chatting anyway."

I got in the car and Toby said "We'll be in touch" to Helen through the open door.

"Until then" Helen nodded and I shut the door, weirded out by Helen's placid politeness.

Toby started the car and backed out. Helen was walking toward the front of the lot, to the main road. We did the same and soon were driving towards the north side of town. Way north. Like past the outskirts. Just when I was beginning to wonder exactly where we were going, Toby turned into a parking lot. It was dark, but the headlights lit up the overgrown gravel lot and the sign proclaiming that we were at "Funland". All I could see was a high, dark fence. 

Toby parked as close to the entrance of the park as he could, pulling right up to it. The entrance was boarded off, hastily, the boards crossing over each other in places, gaps in others. Darkness loomed beyond it.

"Okay Grace," Toby said, "This is where Laughing Jack stays." He touched my hand, "You'll be fine, but… Jack is a clown. And he isn't human. He never has been."

I blinked slowly at Toby. I despised clowns. They were too happy, and I just couldn't trust that. And then add in it's not even a human clown?! "So we're going into a demon clowns lair. Unarmed." We had left our weapons in our room.

Toby laughed and shook his head, "Not demon. Jack was made by angels."