#i had to split this chapter b/c it was getting too long

[brynnewithane]

Kaiju No. 8 Light Novel: Closely Observed! Unit 3 [Translate]

This is an UNOFFICIAL TRANSLATION of the Light Novel Kaiju No. 8. The translation and proofreading were done by me. Since my bias is Hoshina, I only plan to translate his story.

Hoshina's chapter is split into six parts. The following post includes my translation of parts 1 and 2.

***The translation that follows is not translated from the original Japanese, but rather from Vietnamese to English. Since this is my first attempt translating literature and English is not my first language, if there are any parts that seem unnatural or out-of-place please feel free to point them out. I’m open for feedback!👾 ***There are some segments that I've referenced from the translation of Kaiju No. 8: B-Side posted on the Mangaplus website. ***Word count: 2725

Chapter 3: Vice-captain Soshiro Hoshina

[PART 1/6]

“Phew, alright…”

With a soft thud, Hoshina set the stack of papers down on the table and took a deep breath. In his hand was the report on Kikoru’s match from the day before. He was evaluating it, through the lens of a vice-captain.

“Who would’ve thought it’d take this long, huh.”

Finishing off the last sip of his now-cold coffee, Hoshina made his way out of the room. Although work hours were over, he still had other plans await. As he strode down the corridor, he spotted the Metro TV crew heading towards him.

“Director! How’s the filming coming along?

The director nodded in return, “It went pretty well, everyone has been very cooperative after all. Mr. Hoshina, would you mind if we get a few words from you?”

“Me? But I’ve already been around the block though.”

“Ha ha ha. No, I just wanted to ask about the rookies. All of the officers this year are really something. The performance that Officer Shinomiya did yesterday was truly remarkable.”

“Well, that’s ‘cause the West Tokyo entry exam was way tougher this year, probably the hardest we’ve ever had. Plus, there were way more standout talents than usual this time around."

“I see. But now I’m more curious.”

“Curious ‘bout what?”

“It’s about Officer Kafka Hibino. Compared to the others, his basic physical strength seems pretty lacking. Would you mind telling us why he’s accepted to the Defense Force?”

The director couldn't help but wonder; it was no surprise at all. For days Kafka had shown no significant improvement to the crew. Whether it was marksmanship or obstacle courses, he consistently ranked last.

“Of course, we don’t just recruit folks based on combat abilities, y’know? We take a lot of other factors into account too. One of the reasons we accepted Kafka Hibino is…

“Is…?”

“Comic relief!” Hoshina smirked.

“C, comic relief, sir?” Hearing such a response, the director’s eyes widened.

“Novelty, y’know? He’s entertaining does he not? The impulsiveness and silliness and all. I’ve never seen anyone with an unleashed combat power of 0% before, and despite being physically weak, he’s bursting with energy. Not to mention he’s completely oblivious to his true potential, so he kept ended up running around like a headless chicken on the field.”

“T, That’s quite the harsh evaluation…”

“But I don’t dislike dummies like him.”

“And why is that?”

“Back in the day…” Hoshina scratched his cheek. "I met someone who was just like that. This idiot was constantly told to give up on bein’ a member of the Defense Force, yet he just kept throwin’ himself into it, no matter what.”

“So there really was a recruit like that? What’s that officer doing now?”

“Beats me. He’s likely assigned to some other unit.” Hoshina flashed a brief smile as he started to walk off. “Oh right, I’m about to hold a private training session at the dojo. The rookies will be there too, you could drop by if you’re interested.”

⁂ ⁂ ⁂

“Yaaaah!”

The soldiers’ exhort resonated throughout the wooden dojo. Apart from the outdoor training area, the Defense Force base also featured an indoor training room. Many officers would come here to train after dinner.

“My, my... It’s so crowded even during break time.” The director mumbled in admiration.

“This year’s rookies are really proactive.”

Hoshina was scanning around the dojo when he saw two individuals, both wearing armour(1), fighting intensely near the entrance. One of them caught an opening and leaped forward, swinging his bamboo sword(2) and striking his opponent. The victor removed his mask, revealing none other than Haruichi Izumo.

“Not bad Reno. Have you done kendo before?”

“I picked up a bit during middle school… But I couldn’t see that last strike of yours coming at all.” Reno, Haruichi’s opponent, also lifted off his mask and let out a sigh.

“Nah, you almost had me there too, man.” Haruichi smiled gently.

Nearby, a match took place between two individuals with distinctly different builds. One was a kendo expert senior, yet he was outmatched by his bulkier opponent who launched many heavy knocks from overhead.

“Woah that officer is really impressive. Is he a rookie too?”

“Maybe it’s hard for you to tell with a mask on like that, but it’s ‘she,’ not ‘he’, and yes she’s a rookie, her name is Hakua Igarashi.” Hoshina shook his head and replied to the director.

“Igarashi… Oh, is she the younger sister of Officer Jura from the Second Division?”

Igarashi Hakua is a promising rookie and Kikoru’s close friend.

As Hoshina looked around, a male officer approached. This young man had a muscular physique, piercing eyes, and tanned skin. He’s Aoi Kaguragi, a former member of Japan Ground Self-Defense Force.

“Vice-captain Hoshina, would you mind having a sparring match with me?”

“Sure thing, let’s have a match.”

Once clad in his armour, Hoshina got into a ready stance, facing Aoi. As the referee signalled to start the match, a palpable tension filled the air. Others instinctively paused, as their attention was drawn to the two of them as well.

The fight began with two swords sharply clashing. Attacking first was Aoi.

“Ha-yaaa!” Aoi shouted as he charged forward, instantly closing the gap. He moved with a speed that left amateurs struggling to keep pace.

Hoshina skillfully parried with his bamboo sword and countered back. Aoi’s attack was neutralised. The two returned to a standoff, maintaining their distance once again.

Hoshina took the initiative this time. In response, Aoi swung his sword, attempting to strike first. Seizing the opportunity, Hoshina deftly flicked Aoi's sword upward, breaching his defence. A loud “thud” rang out as Hoshina landed a perfect hit onto Aoi’s mask.

“Men strike! (3)” (Face hit)

The referee’s voice rang out. The two exchanged bows at each other as the match ended. Once their mask was removed, Aoi’s face was glistening with sweat, in stark contrast to Hoshina, who remained calm and composed.

“Thank you, sir… I will strive to improve even more.” Aoi said, earnestly bowing his head.

“Nah, you did great! You’ve got some serious talent, y’know.” Hoshina complimented. Aoi was a rising star in the Ground Self-Defense Force, with relatively good kendo skills; he could even be ranked among the top in the Third Division.

(The rookies this year sure are outstanding.)

Applause sprang out as people enjoyed the duel between two formidable figures. Meanwhile, at the dojo entrance, an entirely different kind of match was unfolding.

“Heeeyaaah!!”

A man stumbled forward, ferociously swinging his bamboo sword. His wide, sweeping motions were all over the place, making it easy for his opponent to dodge, counter, and raise his sword high before slamming it down with force.

“Gack!!??”

The hit landed with such power that the mask seemed as though it was about to shatter. The man dropped to one knee on the floor.

“Sure-kill attack: Iharu Blade! How’d you like the power of my strike, old man!?”

“W, why you! Take it easy on me, won’t ya!?” Kafka stood up, removing his mask.

“That was me going easy. Seriously, why are you so ‘green,’ old man?” Iharu tilted his head.

“Well duh, I’ve never practised kendo once in my entire life. So, everyone else has, even Ichikawa huh… I guess all the Defense Force recruits are pros at this stuff…”

“Since you have zero experience in kendo, I assume you chose judo instead, yes?” Reno approached, striking up a conversation with Kafka.

“Hm? Nope, I don’t know judo either.”

“Huh? You weren’t required to take any martial arts class?”

“What martial arts?”

“Didn’t they require you to take either judo or kendo in middle school?”

“What’re you talking about?”

As the conversation drifted off course, Hoshina tucked his mask under his arm and walked toward them.

“Martial arts were made mandatory after the curriculum reform, which is why y’see nearly all of our rookies this year have some sort of experience—except you, Kafka.

“What, is that how it is!? Grk, even this has a generation gap!” Kafka stood up abruptly, clenching his fists. “Damn it, that means I need to train way harder. Vice-captain Hoshina, could you please instruct me as well? Let’s have a match!”

“Vice-captain, could I request the same for myself?”

“Hey Reno! Tryin’ to one-up me, aren’t ya!? Count me in too, sir!”

“Iharu, that wasn’t my intention.”

Seeing the rookies got all excited, Hoshina nodded, “Alright then. I’ll take y’all on—line up!”

A sharp "Thwack!" echoed through the air.

“Gack!”

A sharp "Thwack!" echoed through the air.

“Gurk!”

A sharp "Thwack!" echoed through the air.

“Agh!”

“All righty practice over. Y’all need to work on your basic skills.”

Upon the dojo floor, three members of Kafka lay scattered, their skill levels markedly inferior to Hoshina’s. After a lengthy observation of the scene, the director made his way toward them.

“Impressive! It’s clear that no one can even come close to your skill with the blade, sir. I wouldn’t expect anything less from someone hailing from one of the most renowned kaiju-slaying families in Kansai. Speaking of which, when you first enlisted, you weren’t here, were you? You were in Kansai, right sir?”

“Yeah, I got promoted by Captain Ashiro and transferred here.”

“I see! You must have been making a name for yourself since your early days then.”

“... That’s not the case at all.” Hoshina chuckled, looking a bit flustered.

This hesitancy of his somewhat confused the director.

“Vice-captain Hoshina.”

Hoshina shifted his attention when he heard a voice ring behind him. Kikoru stood there in her armour, her stern gaze peering through the mask.

“May I spar with you next, sir?”

“... ‘course.”

Raising her sword, Kikoru formed a ready stance. Judging by her form, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that her kendo technique was exceptionally polished. One could confidently assert that her skill was on par with Aoi’s.

(She's skilled in both firearms and swordplay. Truly astounding—a complete contrast from me.)

As Hoshina gazed at the rookies before him, memories of his own early days came flooding back—days before he joined the Third Division.

❅───✧❅✦❅✧───❅••❅───✧❅

*NOTE:

(1) Here, they are wearing a type of protective gear specifically used in kendo known as bōgu (防具) or kendōgu (剣道具). Since I saw most Western websites tend to use the terms “bogu” or “kendo armour,” I decided to simply use the word “armour” here for a smoother reading.

(2) Similar to that, I’ve chosen to use the “bamboo sword” here to make it easier to understand even though the proper term for it is shinai (竹刀).

(3) Men strike (面打ち) in Kendo is one of the most fundamental and commonly used attacks aimed at the opponent’s head. Other primary strikes include kote (wrist), dō (torso), and tsuki (throat thrust).

❅───✧❅✦❅✧───❅••❅───✧❅

[PART 2/6]

Hoshina was usually stationed in Kansai. However, on that day, he travelled to Tokyo for a meeting about a friendly kendo match with the Third Division, which was set to occur in a month. The kendo instructor of the Third Division was someone his father greatly respected, and a figure Hoshina had known since childhood.

“Sir, I’m glad to see you’re still doing well.”

“Not at all! I’m not as sharp as I used to be nowadays. I’ve been planning on stepping down as an instructor soon. So what do you say, Soshiro? Do you want to come and carry on my work?”

“Ha ha ha, I’ll consider it, sir.” Hoshina chuckled, quickly changing the subject.

Hoshina had received countless recommendations to become an instructor. Everyone in the Defense Force recognised his exceptional swordsmanship, yet they all believed it wasn’t suitable for practical combat. His father, superiors—everyone urged him to take on the role of a kendo instructor, suggesting he withdraw from the battlefield. Despite this, he still longed to remain on the front lines.

(I’m well aware… that my desires are selfish and stubborn.)

The meeting ended, and just as Hoshina was about to leave, he received a call from the general affairs office, informing him that the captain of the Third Division wanted to see him in the office.

(The captain? Wants to meet me?)

Even though Hoshina was completely perplexed, he had no choice but to go. Anxiously, he knocked on the captain’s office door.

“Come in,” a calm female voice replied.

As he opened the door and stepped inside, Hoshina was greeted by the sight of a young woman seated at the desk. It was Mina Ashiro, who had become the captain of the Third Division at a remarkably young age. The two were not far apart in age. He had seen her before, during the joint training sessions, but this was their first opportunity to talk directly.

“I apologize for interrupting you during your busy schedule. Soshiro Hoshina, at your service, ma’am.” Hoshina straightened his back and saluted to the captain.

“Third Division Captain, Mina Ashiro. I appreciate you stopping by.”

“Happy to do it, I have time to spare after all. I was planning to take a look around Tokyo for a bit before returning to base. Now then, what was it that you need me for, Captain?”

Ashiro turned her back, her gaze drifting toward the sombre sky beyond the window. 

“I’ve seen you in joint training before. Even from a distance, I can tell that your swordsmanship is exceptional.”

“Oh, thank you captain…”

(Why is she bringing that up all of a sudden?)

Hoshina couldn’t help but feel sceptical.

“Soshiro Hoshina, I heard that you’re a sword specialist.”

“Yes, that is correct.”

Hoshina could already sense what Ashiro was about to say. He let out a small sigh.

(Here it comes. She’s definitely going to tell me to give it up…)

The Third Division was in dire need of a new sword instructor during this time. It seemed that Ashiro would soon suggest that he leave the front lines and take on that role.

“I need your abilities. Will you join my force, Hoshina?” Ashiro said as she gently turned back to face him.

The gloomy sky gradually dispersed, and shafts of sunlight entered the room. Her gleaming eyes gazed directly into Hoshina’s.

“Huh…?” Caught off guard by the unexpected proposal, Hoshina felt as though his mind had gone blank.

“We cannot overlook the possibility that more powerful miniatured-size kaiju might emerge in the future. Also, unlike you, I’m awful with bladed weaponry. I wouldn’t even want to pick up a kitchen knife.”

(Okay but isn’t kitchen knives are a complete different matter…)

“When I pierce through the enemies, will you clear a path for me?”

“...”

No one had ever spoken to Hoshina like that, not even his father. He felt his heart racing intensely, unable to suppress the thought that, just by serving under her, maybe…  

(No, stop…)

Hoshina took a breath and exhaled slowly. He quickly regained his composure, and his heartbeat returned to a steady rhythm.  

(Don’t take it seriously; it’s just lip service. If I accept the offer, I’ll only become a laughingstock.) 

Since they were being courteous, one ought to return their gesture. That’s just how things should be done.

“I am truly honoured, but…”

Right after that, the shrill wail of the alarm echoed through the hallway.

“Excuse me, captain!” The door swung open as a bald officer rushed in. “We’ve received reports of a kaiju attack in Oume City. Miniature class, but there are large numbers of them, and over a dozen civilians were reported dead. About the details...”

Listening to the report, Ashiro nodded. “Understood. Ebina, rally the entire team, including those off-duty.”

“Roger!” Ebina responded promptly to the order. “Man, we’re still in the middle of restructuring the division and issues just kept cropping up.”

“We’re againsting the kaiju, they wouldn’t care less about our situation.”

Ashiro picked up the phone from the table and quickly issued orders. However, as she had just recently been promoted to captain, the chain of command was still in disarray. If they were to engage Kaiju, her unit would probably face a severe troop shortage. That was why she could stolidly make such a proposal.

“Captain Ashiro, I could head to the site as well if you will.”

“Wha!? You’re the guy who’s here for a business trip, right? You’re from a different division is it not?” Ebina frowned.

“I carried my suit and weapons. I can at least help with disposing of the yoju.”

“Yeah, but even so…”

Ashiro cut Ebina off. “Hoshina, as the captain of the Third Division, I’m asking for your aid. I’ll make sure to run it by your division as well.”

“Captain, are you sure about this!?” Ebina raised his voice. “Based on the kaiju’s estimated fortitude, this operation is going to be extremely dangerous.”

“He’s a close-combat specialist; he can definitely be able to help us a great deal. Isn’t that right, Hoshina?”

"Right." Hoshina nodded. "I'm the best there is when it comes to neutralising miniature kaiju."

────────────────────────────────────────────────

[miilkyrolls]

a finch rambleshit of id2's finale

now that id2 is fully released for vip and is on its way to being wide released. i have some thoughts in the form of a tag "rambleshit" noun: a long winded, strings of thought, typically about a choices book made by finch

minor spoilers, BUT JUST IN CASE

okay let's get my final feelings about the book/ last couple of chapters out the way. i've needed these last few days for 2 reasons: one, the last chapter came out on my birthday and i was literally sitting in the parking lot waiting for my reservation while watching the Himeme playthrough , and two, i needed to digest just how much exposition lore was dropped in the last 2-3 chapters that to a point I felt overwhelmed ! Anyways, overall score 8.5/10. it was a good book story wise, however, it had SO MUCH RETCON and plot holes to a point that i felt like id2 could've been it's own standalone, set apart from id1 (kinda like untamable vs unbridled). there's a few i could explain away, for example, the concept that was the entire point of book one about how vampires get sick from even the tiniest bit of fellow vampire blood, but we have an entire ceremony of vampires doing the exact opposite? or the scene where cas bites mc's lip and licks the blood away. now, imo this could be explained as A) the vampires are just biting for the symbolic purpose of the ritual OR they're injecting venom without drinking mc's blood (which kinda makes less sense then the former but anyways) and B) Cas just doing shit for the sexy thrill or whatever which i can accept

what I CAN'T explain away is things like..mc having powers that everyone just..accepts(?!) with no issue but with cas it's seen as some type of anomaly..? claims "the leylines can grant special abilities" but why only cas and mc? why not the oh idk leaders of the covens? or the elders or even just pull a warrior cats "Power of Three" situation and give gabe, cas and mc powers that's because they have a special destiny or are reincarnations or something freaky deaky about them being polyam or being from different covens IDK SOMETHING! and before someone mentions it, i know cas is a more direct witch descendant then the other vamps, but considering we know nothing about her family, if we go with the assumption that cas is last preforming witch since great grandmama constance, that still wouldn't explain why her powers get awoken now? like please for the love of god correct me if i'm forgetting something but the only connection we have is

cas gets cut from the business card, lennox's face morphs (again, odd ability cause cas's powers seem to be exclusively nature related and premonition doesn't seem to match that, unless she has mc's type of premonition from the leylines but that wouldn't make sense either cause mc's manifests in out of body, future seeing, while cas's manifestation is more like actual intention sensing *cough, they should technically switch their ability names cough*, the cut never heals unless cas let's the power out/or is happy and gets worse when she's upset. so when you think of it, there's really nothing that directly correlates with the leylines that connects it. maybe it's because the leylines come from creators and witches are split descendants of vampires so whenever the ley lines are getting fucked with it affects witches too?? idk

a few more unaddressed issues are but not limited too: what beef cas and gabe have in the branding room (i'll get back to that one later), libby having partial memory, (same thing as above), if vampires can actually sleep, how in the first book G+C can hear us murmuring their names from miles away but we can't hear cas screaming in the woods, having vampire sight but straining to see that pile of bones in back of the cave etc, WHY LEWYN IS STILL NEVER HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR KILLING HIS OWN COVEN MEMBERS??

that's my biggest issue with id2, there's so much guess-timating w/ info and lore that would be fun to theorize or hc in a standalone but in an ongoing series it creates more headaches and others are plain plotholes. i think id would've been more consistent if they spent more time explaining the lore of WHY things are instead of WHAT things are, you know?

now lastly, here are my id3 theories/ hopes:

libby is a witch. that's the only explanation we have for why she acts so odd all book + why her memories are the most intact despite her not doing anything to awaken them like mc's mom did

gas's beef with each other is explained. i saw someone hc that the reason gas hate each other beyond the typical Clement vs Venandi bs is because they're exes and while i would love the angst of exploring that + it would explain their sudden intrigue (if u choose the poly route end) to possibly get together + it would be so carnally delicious if we have some real slow burn enemies to frienemies to lovers out here but i doubt it. however their beef seems to stem from before mc came into the picture purely because of how gabe talks and treats cas in the first few chapters of book1 and from the branding room scene (my hc/ theory however: in the branding room premium scene, g+c talk briefly about a situation where gabe "was playing the hero", cas was "scaring humans" and as a result got punished likely by branding. my theory is that while as a human, gabe's grandmother was a fluked hunt by cas, with gabe protecting his nan, this sparks sarah to investigate into vampires more which leads to the covens trying to kill her. so gabe hates cas for nearly killing her and consequently getting him turned and cas hates gabe for ruining her hunt / giving her first brand)

gabe getting powers. we know gabe is kinda a literature nerd and can read specific vampire languages that seems like pretty rare ability for a newer turned vamp so maybe that could be his. idk it just feels odd that cas and mc have powers but gabe doesn't (even if reading super well is for NERDS 🙄/j maybe they can make it fun and unique to him)

witches are absolutely the villain of the next book, there's no doubt in my mind but since it seems like witches were playing both sides of the field of vamps v hunters, it's safe to assume we might befriend a teenage witch (possibly libby??) and we have to fight with against evil witches??? 🤷🏾‍♀️

more like point 4.2 but we could also possibly meet cas's family or even parents! while its safe to assume them being dead is what made cas an orphan, its pixelberry and there's a good chance they'd bring out that random of a plot twist, like with gabriel and lennox being cousins, out of the blue andddd the heirloom book cas has from her parents looks suspiciously like the grimoire astoria has🤔

multi pov: if id3 is assumingely the last id book, and they're going to keep teasing gas, i would love see that all exclusively from their pov's (ik it's unlikely pb would suddenly change the format of a book at the supposedly end of the series but these books need a new element or it's going to feel like a repeat of the last 2 books)

gas. self explanatory. they need to kiss regardless of which route you choose. idk how or why or when but it needs to happen

these mofo's will graduate human high school. yeah that very forgotten aspect of immortal desires is that it's a TEEN supernatural, so we need to pop in some extra credits or something and graduate since they're all seniors/ "18" (in my hc cas is a super senior and is like 19 when she was turned but anyways)

[biscuitblinkeu]

The Finale - Part 1 [10]

Park Chaeyoung x Fem!reader

Word Count: 2395

It’s the final chapter (b/c I need to end it all or I’ll go insane)! I hope this ending is satisfactory for you guys… but thank you for all your comments throughout my procrastination of this series, I pushed through thanks to you guys. I did have to end up splitting them in two bc it was way too long for me to finish tonight, tomorrow the next part comes out!

………………………………………………………………

“Do I want to…kiss your mom?” Rosé repeated slowly, a faint rouge-tinted blush rose to her ears. Of course she does, she always wants to, but in front of Nala? Your daughter, who’s going through your divorce? How would she feel knowing you’re not in love with Jaylyn and like her instead? This was complicated.

Before she could answer though, you're waving your hands around frantically and letting out hurried rambles. “That’s not what she meant! She just— Nala usually just says that when a person finds me likable? You know, it’s...”

“It’s really alright,” Rosé interrupts before addressing Nala. She smiles, “I do. She’s a great person.”

“Yeah, she is! Mommy is amazing!” Nala says before sneezing again. Rosé slides the tissue box over to her, receiving a grateful look from you and a thank you from the little girl.

You sink into the couch cushions, momentarily overwhelmed with that close call. You don’t know how to tell Nala you and Rosé are, as Nala understands how you and Jaylyn were, “together-together.”

For about half an hour, you watch the cartoon Nala had on the tv, scroll on your phone, and talk to them. Then you hear it: a prolonged gasp. A yawn. Someone is getting sleepy.

“Was that a yawn I heard?” You say slowly, inching closer to your daughter with tickle-monster hands. Nala is quick to shake her head and scoot back, “No! It was— it was Rosé!” Said woman looks up from her paper and stops drawing. Confused, she meets your eyes, you shrug.

“Rosé, what? Nala?”

“Rosé yawned first! Rosé infected me—” She whines.

Both of you turn to Rosè, and she catches on quickly. “Oh, yes. I yawned first. I suppose that it passed on to Nala.” Nala nods enthusiastically at her side. You let out a sigh as you lean your head back against the couch. “Okay, I guess you're free…this time.” They laugh at your melodramatics.

You close your eyes for a few moments and listen to their chatter about something random, not bothering to try and catch any of it. Your head snaps back up, and you frown at Rosé after looking at the time on your phone. “Rosé I’m sorry, I didn’t notice the time. It’s late… and I just realized you work tomorrow, don’t you? Aren’t you tired? I didn’t mean to keep you so long…”

She smiles softly at you and shakes her head. “Nonsense. I stayed this long because I chose too. So it’s alright, but I should probably head home now. This was fun.” She sits up on her legs. The paper she was sketching and coloring on was passed to Nala, who gasps. “Mommy look what Rosé drew for me!” In a hurry, she hops onto the couch next to you and shoves the paper into your hands, eager for you to look at it.

It was a scene that looked like it was from a ghibli movie. Different flowers sprouted from a hill, detailed and colored beautifully, and a pretty sky she colored and blended with blues and whites. She drew this all with color pencils too; that’s talent. You grinned at Rosé, “this is pretty good, you sure you don’t want to become an artist?”

She chuckled, shaking her head. When you gave Nala her picture back she dropped off the couch and ran over to Rosé, surprising both of you when she threw her arms around her. “Thank you! I love it!” Rosé hugged her gently, smiling warmly at the little girl, her heart so happy. “You’re welcome Nala.”

After Rosé gathers her stuff, you and Nala walk her to the door. “Why don’t you put your pj’s on Nala? I’ll be upstairs soon, okay?”

“Kayyy,” she drags out, and runs down the hallway and skirts around the corner, presumably to upstairs. You look towards Rosé and roll your eyes good naturedly. “I wonder where all that energy comes fro—” You pause, and tiny footsteps are running back down the hallway. Slightly out of breath Nala squeezes past you to the front of Rosé, “I forgot to say bye,” she heaves, and comically, you wait till she catches her breath. She grabs Rosé’s pants’ leg and looks up to her. “Bye Rosé! Come back soon okay?”

“I will, bye Nala.” And then your daughter is zooming back up the stairs, leaving you two laughing.

Through your laughs, you help her put her coat on, and once she’s all set you lean against the doorframe. “That was…”you begin; your daughter, unintentionally hilarious.

“Entertaining?” She suggests. You shrug. “Sure, we’ll go with that.”

A comfortable silence falls upon you, the two of you content just taking in each other's presence. She takes a step towards you, and you pull her in for a hug. “I’ll see you in a few days,” she says against your hair. You hum against her shoulder, “Thanks for coming over.”

Pulling away, she speaks again. “If anything comes up, call me. I will be there for both of you.” Then, almost shyly, she kisses your lips and says goodbye.

You return to the living room, cleaning up any leftover crayons or colored pencils your daughter might have dropped on the floor before going up to her room. She’s already in her covers, wearing her pajamas. You notice that she already hung up the picture Rosé drew for her on the wall adjacent to her bed, and smiled.

“What do you think about Rosé, baby?” You ask, sitting down next to her after she scoots over and makes some room for you.

Nala looks up, thinking, her lips pursed like a duck. She reaches for a lock of your hair before she answers you, twirling your hair around her small fingers. “Rosé makes mommy smile lots so I like her,” she says, then visibly perks up and looks at the picture hanging on her wall. Her free hand thrusts forward and she points to it, giggling. “She is a good drawer and likes SpongeBob too!”

“Rosé makes mommy smile, so I like her.” It was such a simple sentence but it meant so much to you. You would never have someone around if Nala wasn’t comfortable with them, she comes first, so this made you happy. “Yeah? You make me smile a lot too you know, you’re my—”

“Sunshine!” She interrupts, looking at you expectantly. “Yup! And maybe Rosé will draw you some more pretty pictures in the future and you’ll have a whole wall of them.”

“Mhm…” Nala absentmindedly hums, slumping further into your side and no doubt becoming sleepy from the way you’re massaging her scalp. Her eyelids slip closed and she opens them moments later, each time the duration is longer. Her fingers loosen around the section of your hair she was playing with and her arms slipped to her side. “Sleepy?” You ask, chuckling under your breath when she shakes her head no.

“I think you are,” you whisper, and with cautious movements, you support her head as you slide off the bed, laying it on her pillows. You pull the blanket over her and kiss her forehead, once again making sure she’s tucked in before turning her lamp off.

You return to bed shortly after you check your email and do your hygiene routine, and just as you close your eyes you get a message from Rosé wishing you goodnight to which you respond to with a cute gif.

You fall asleep feeling excited and nervous for tomorrow.

***

Three days later, you and Rosé would meet up with the girls (only Jisoo, Lisa, and Jennie this time) and tell them about your relationship at a Thai restaurant. They were insistent for you all to get together so you thought you might as well break the news. Although everyone seemed to know already, much to your amusement.

“So who asked who first?” Jisoo prompts, sharing not so discreet looks with Jennie and Lisa who look awfully giddy. What are they acting like that for?

“I did.” Rosé answers, earning a groan from Lisa and a shout of excitement from Jennie. You smile, not super focused on the conversation because you and her hands are intertwined underneath the table, and she rubs calming circles on your skin.

“I won! I won! I told you!” Jennie practically shouts, her fist hitting the table as a wide smile showing her gums appears. Rosé scolds her, you’re all in a public place after all, and she’s attracting unwanted attention.

Lisa turns to you, almost pleading, “Is that right?” She asks, hoping that you don’t agree and it’s just a joke of Rosé’s.

You nod, recalling that day. “That’s true, she asked.”

Lisa sighs, dragging her hands down her face. Jennie taps her on the shoulder. “Pay up woman, you heard her. It’s fair and square.” Jennie seems to be getting a kick out of this.

Finally putting their reactions together, you come to the realization. “You guys made a bet on us?” You ask, amused at their antics.

“Yes, yes we did. And I won, so hand it over Lisa!” Jennie all but shoves her hand out, palm outstretched to the sky as she looks at her wife expectantly. Lisa rolls her eyes before pulling out a £50 banknote and slapping in Jennie’s hand. Jennie looks absolutely smug and Lisa shoves her playfully, turning to you. “You owe me £50 (Y/ln), I really thought you were going to ask her out first.” Lisa grumbles jokingly.

“I’m sorry for your loss, but maybe you’ll get that £50 back one day.” You say, and everyone laughs.

“So, now that that's settled, what are you two going to do now?” Jisoo speaks up. Everyone turns their attention to her, she takes a sip of water from her cup before she continues. “We were planning on going out to eat with Naeyeon later, you guys should join us if you have nothing planned.”

“That sounds—“ You began, only to be interrupted by Rosé. She puts her hand at the small of your back. “Thank you, Jisoo, but we have some plans.”

“We do?” You whisper dumbly, turning to face her.

“Yes. I want to take you and Nala on a date if you don’t have other plans, if that’s okay?”

“Really?” You’re sure that cheesy smile is growing on your face but heck, you can’t deny you are feeling excited. “That sounds great, Rosé.”

Rosé and you picked up Nala from after school activities.

“Hi!”

“Hi sunshine.” “Hi Nala.” You both greet, and then walk back to the car, where you parked across the street, Nala’s hand in holding one of yours and one of Rosé’s as she tells you about school. (She’ll pretend this moment doesn’t mean the world to her.) You help Nala get strapped in her car seat while Rosé waits patiently in the driver seat.

“Where are we going?” Nala asks when the car starts moving.

“It’s a surprise.” Rosé answers.

“Ohhh…I like surprises.”

“You do?”

“Yup!”

“Good, then you’ll like where we’re going.” She hopes.

Besides you and Rosé talking about what not, it’s quiet except for the slight hum of the car’s engine, until Nala speaks up. “Are we there yet?”

“Almost,” You respond, despite not knowing where Rosé plans to take you two either, hoping to quell your daughter’s growing impatience. She didn’t stay patient for long after that, asking once again thirteen minutes later.

“Are we there now?”

“We are,” Rosé says, pulling into a parking lot. You’re really curious to where this is going. There’s nothing eye-catching in sight except a small building, the small sign appearing legible the closer you get. That’s where she leads you.

Turns out it was a hidden gem in the city: “Kaao Pottery.”

“Hello, how are you, Mary?” Rosé greets the elderly woman at the front desk with a kind smile upon walking in. The old woman’s face visibly brightens upon seeing her, and she greets her back enthusiastically. “Rosé! It's good to see you. I'm doing well, my grandkids are out today so it’s just me and my husband. What can I do for you and your friends today?” She asks, noticing Rosé is not alone. You and Nala look around curiously at the small trinkets and pieces of art on the shelves displayed, completely awed.

“That’s good. I’d like to rent two throwing wheels for a couple hours, and paint what we make.”

The old woman nods. “Do you need mentored?”

“No. I’ll teach them.”With that Rosé takes you over to one of the sections of the building. The sections are similar, each section has a wooden table (for painting your art after it’s shaped and out in the kiln), a kiln, coat hanger, and two pottery wheels. The table has an assortment of paints and glazes along with different sized brushes and tools.

“Do you come here a lot?” You ask curiously, taking off Nala’s coat.

“I do. I like to come here and make things when I’m in need of a break.” Rosé says as she takes your coats and hangs them up. “It helps me feel productive, so I find myself here a lot. I like to try my hand at making different things each time, and I thought it’d be fun sharing something I like to do with you.”

Next to your pottery wheels hangs navy aprons of different sizes. First she takes one of the child sized ones and helps Nala put her head through the neck area and ties the back. “All good?” She asks and Nala gives her a little twirl, “Yup!”

She smiles. “Great,” now, turning to you, she gestures to the other apron in her hand. “Would you like me to help you as well?” You nod, and she places a hand on your waist, to move past you and go behind you, her hands flutter down your back, tying the loops securely and she squeezes your hip when she’s done, facing you with a grin. “There, all nice and secure.”

You chuckle, face irrationally warm. “Thanks, Rosé.”

“What are we doin’ now momma? What’s that?” Nala tugs on your pants, pointing to the pottery wheels. “I’m not sure baby,” You humor, turning to Rosé.

“We’re going to make planters or vases.”

(There's a perfectly logical explanation to this.)

“Okay!”

Would you like to continue?

[nobully]

wang yi gets surgical i guess

author says slime takes on human form next chapter so that should be nice! let's go

ch 95: you knew after opening your eyes

so cute S-0 going on about the Daily Mission of the novel (this is such a memeable image)

anyways, wang yi's daily mission involves:

going crazy at the male lead

going crazy at the female lead

going crazy at everyone else

as well as researching experimental organisms (finally, lab safety 101)

meanwhile the poor slime's all (⺣ﻌ⺣) uwahhh i like my human. even though he wants to cut up this body and it hurts, i still like him~ as long as it makes him happy.

apparently it was just a nameless black blob in the universe until it gained sentience somehow and opened its eyes to realize it really really wanted to cling to a "certain person"

to him all humans look the same, so he had to look for the right one by checking out their souls and etc, which is how he didn't recognize wang yi until viewing the latter's memories

slime is going "if not for the fact that i like you i'd eat you by now"

"but since he's the human i like...it's okay"

meanwhile wang yi is observing how the inside and outside of the slime are identical and so it doesn't have a heart

X agrees that it has no heart, so it shouldn't even have a concept of "like" that only humans possess, so why is it still so "obsessed" with its human?

wang yi smooshes the slime bit on its finger which hurts the slime a lot, and it gets to wondering: can you see how much i like you? can't you feel it at all? S-0 is looking at this and going, "host you seem to be...overdoing it. it's all broken up now" wang yi's like "it's not too bad right? i completed the mission and all?" S-0's like "yeah the whole lab thinks dr. wang's some lunatic by now"

(specifically like the sadistic megane in kichiku megane an adult visual novel which..lol what a comparison)

anyways wang yi tells S-0 to go on ahead while he cleans up the lab space and S-0 struts off all happy because he found yet another cute kitty to play with (me: who keeps cats in an underground research facility?!)

meanwhile wang yi's like "this slime's pretty cute when it's not attacking my consciousness" and the slime blushes going "he complimented me?" u///u

meanwhile the rogue bit of slime running around the lab is devouring other experimental subjects while wang yi notices his own slime..seems bigger than before

and the slime gets alarmed b/c its split-body devoured something not so great so it's going.... (explode???) anyways it's expanding in the case uh-oh and telling wang yi to get out of the way, but ofc he can't hear/understand it

well next chapter should be exciting

[princessasmosprincess]

Charmed, I'm Sure

Chapter 5 First Chapter|Previous Chapter|Next Chapter

Summary: No human has ever avoided Asmodeus's charm. Except for you.

Pairing: Asmodeus x GN Reader/MC

Genre: Drama, angst

Warnings: Mild innuendo

***

“I am the best,” Asmo said to himself, “I am the best!” He was surrounded by six mirrors in the middle of his bedroom, enacting the ritual he did whenever he needed a boost of confidence or a little comfort. He blew his reflection a kiss. “Oh Asmo, you are one sexy demon!” he added for good measure, moaning his own name and reveling in the sound.

Feeling himself once more, Asmo got ready to go out for the night. Next to staring at himself in the mirror, clubbing was his favorite pastime. Not only that, he viewed it as a noble duty. How could he not make an appearance at The Fall and let all in attendance feast upon his beauty? It would be better than the other day, he promised himself.

As he got changed, his mind wandered back to you. Asmo had hoped to avoid seeing you all day but you ended up in his art class along with Satan, Solomon, and Simeon. The art professor thought it would be an “enriching” experience for the class to draw a real live human. Since you were the shiny new thing, (Solomon was already well known among the student body and even had pacts with several students and professors) you had been chosen to be the model. Why anyone would want to draw a drab human when an immaculate being like Asmo was standing right there was beyond him, but he acted like any good student would and he sketched you perfectly to completion.

He still avoided your eye whenever he could. It was Asmo who had spread those rumors about you on the first day of class. He heard you had almost been jumped by a few demons within moments of walking through the doors of RAD. The news was gratifying, and a little disappointing since you hadn't actually been hurt. But it also somehow made him feel… guilty? Demons weren't supposed to feel guilt.

That’s why he had taken the time to say his mantras. He wanted to wash away the cares of the day. It was all about him now.

He passed you and Mammon arguing on the stairs.

Typical.

But he didn't care to listen in on the conversation.

“Bye bye, you two,” he waved, making sure his exit was known. He was someone who always demanded attention, even from those he hated.

***

“I want to explore the Devildom.” You said as you watched Asmo pass you on the stairs.

“And?” Said Mammon, “What do I care about that?”

“You’re supposed to be looking after me. I can't very well go by myself.” You almost told Mammon what had happened earlier that day but you stopped yourself. He already thought you were pathetic. No need to give him another reason to tease you. It was already starting to get old.

A mischievous smile stole across your lips. This was the perfect time to practice engaging your pact. “Mammon, take me out and show me around the Devildom.”

“Ah,” his body jolted slightly as the command took hold.

You had only ordered him a few times before now. Yes, the pact made it easier for you to get Mammon’s attention. But you didn't want to abuse the privilege. You just didn't want to be holed up in the House of Lamentation all night. You still didn't know what to make of the brothers. Mammon, especially now that you had a pact with him, was predictable. You liked that about him.

You took in the expression on his face, feeling a little guilty. “Does it hurt… when I command you?”

“Nah, pacts don't hurt. Not usually, anyway. It’s just annoyin’.” Said Mammon.

You were relieved. “Good, I really didn't want to cause you any pain.”

“Like a little thing like you could ever hurt The Great Mammon,” He shifted his gaze to the floor, blushing just a little. “Fine I’ll take ya around the Devildom. Beel’s in charge of dinner tonight so we’d probably starve if we didn't go out,” He sighed. “But you’re payin’ for the night.”

“I think I can do that,” you smiled. An envelope had arrived that morning from Diavolo’s castle containing several thousand Grimm, what would be your weekly allowance. All paid by the Demon prince. It seemed excessive, especially since most of your time would be spent at the House of Lamentation and RAD. But this was the perfect opportunity to spend it.

The two of you got ready to go out. Mammon donning his customary brown and white leather jacket. You hoped your own clothing was acceptable for the Devildom. There hadn't exactly been much time to pack when Diavolo and Lucifer had essentially kidnapped you, but Barbatos had prepared a bag for you of your own belongings.

The Main Street of the Devildom was within walking distance to the House of Lamentation, which was very convenient. Mammon took you to Hell’s Kitchen first, which was apparently a popular eating spot for RAD students. He went over your order twice to make sure there wasn't anything that would accidentally poison you. He had definitely been paying attention to Satan’s little lecture at the breakfast table.

After your meal, he pointed out the popular locations down the street.

“There’s Café Lament. And across the street over here, that’s Majolish,” He indicated a hot pink building shaped like a witch’s hat, “Best clothing line in the Devildom if you ask me. Actually,” Mammon ran a hand through his hair. “I got a modeling gig comin’ up so you might see me on the cover of— MC are you even listenin’?”

“Hm… Oh, yes I was. It’s just… It’s always night time here,” you looked up at the moon. It appeared to be right behind the Demon Lord’s castle now.

“Yup,” said Mammon.

“How am I supposed to get sunlight?” You asked. “Humans need Vitamin D to survive.”

“Are you kiddin’ me?”

“No, why would I?” You stepped behind Mammon as a group of demons walked past.

He narrowed his eyes as he looked your way. “Humans are that fragile, huh?”

“I guess you could say that.”

Mammon shrugged. “Then I guess you’ll just die here.”

You shot him a look.

“I was just kiddin’. Calm down, human.” He slapped you hard on the back. “Ya need Vitamin C that badly–”

“Vitamin D,”

“Semantics. Anyway, I’m sure Goetia up here has tanning beds or somethin’. That’s kinda like the sun, right?” He inclined his head towards the beauty salon you were approaching.

But your eyes wandered to the huge purple building that looked like a wrapped present. Colorful lights pulsed in the windows to music you could hear through the walls.

“What’s that place?” you asked.

“That’s The Fall,” said Mammon. “It’s a nightclub, Asmo practically lives there.”

“The Fall,” you breathed.

“Ya know, come to think of it, it’s kinda messed up that the club is named after the most traumatic event in my family’s– MC where are you goin’?”

You were already walking toward the building. The music was calling to you. Dancing would be the perfect way to unwind after your first few days of classes, you thought.

“Let’s go dancing, Mammon!” you grabbed his hand.

“N-now?” He stammered as he looked down at your interlocked hands.

“Of course! Doesn’t it sound like so much fun?”

The two of you were already inside. You paid the cover charge before Mammon could protest.

***

Cross-posted on AO3

[idontblushsrry]

SFW Alphabet||Nanami Kento

A/N: A lil sumn sumn for the Nanami stans, yall have impeccable taste. I was gonna release an NSFW alphabet, but since this one was requested, I’ll post this first. Featuring a bit of rambling (srry I’ve got Nanami brainrot ig + I was tired writing some parts) as well as Gojo and Mahito slander!! 

Ft. a gender neutral reader

Word Count: 2888

A: Affection (How affectionate are they? How do they show affection?)

First thing is, he’s not big on PDA, while he does give affection liberally, especially when it’s through his actions, Nanami prefers to keep his gestures of love private. In private however, he shows his affection in a myriad of ways. One of his favorites being helping you with your hair, the act not only makes him feel closer to you but it also allows for him to take care of you, one of his favorite things to do.

B: Best Friend (What would they be like as a best friend? How would the friendship start?)

Nanami is definitely the best friend that is reliable. Sure he’s reliable as a friend, the two of you likely became friends initially due to this, but what makes you his best friend is returning that same energy. It’s draining to always be the one holding everything together, just once, Nanami would like to have a shoulder to lean on. Once you become that for him, it won’t be long before the two of you become best friends.

C: Cuddles (Do they like to cuddle? How would they cuddle?)

Cuddles with Nanami are so warm and safe regardless of if you’re the little spoon or not. His cuddles are also littered with kisses because when he’s tired, he gets a lot more open with his affection. He doesn’t usually talk when he cuddles but if he has a nightmare and you wake up to sooth him, the sound of your voice alone sets him at ease. 

D: Domestic (Do they want to settle down? How are they at cooking and cleaning?)

Nanami definitely wants to settle down. It’s canon that he’s only working so that he can make enough to retire early. If you’re the breadwinner, or even if he somehow makes enough to retire, he’s going into full house husband mode and no one can tell him otherwise. If it were up to him, he’d do all the cooking, cleaning, and home upkeep while you go out and work. But alas, life is cruel, and as such, he still enjoys cooking and cleaning but the chores are split between you two. Cooking however, is usually a team project, either the both of you make a meal and clean it together afterwards or one cooks and the other does the dishes, either way, it’s perfect for the two of you.

E: Ending (If they had to break up with their partner, how would they do it?)

Nanami is at his core, a very mathematical and precise person. His cursed technique is literally a ratio, because of that, he prefers to breakup with people as cleanly as possible. His breakups tend to sound like they’re following a script because of how to the point he is. When breaking up with you, he just bluntly states that he doesn’t see your relationship as beneficial going forward. Literally the most neutral way to break up with someone, how you’d choose to take it though is up to you.

F: Fiance(e) (How would they feel about commitment? How quick would they want to get married?)

Nanami is the type of person to just elope or have a small ceremony between the two of you. He doesn’t care much for the paperwork or ceremonial side of it, and he is definitely the type of person who just says “You know we’re getting married someday right?”. From that point forward (if you’re ok with it) he’d basically introduce you as his spouse, when questioned though, he just goes “Ah, we’re not married yet.” He’s not shy about commitment though, his dream life is just living in the countryside with his spouse and maybe some animals, he’s a simple man. Not to say that he’s not going to officially propose though, because he will once he finds something good enough to propose with, it’s just that the two of you are “married” before actually being married.

G: Gentle (How gentle are they, both physically and emotionally?)

Nanami is a gentle soul deep down. He cares about those he loves very deeply and would throw his life on the line to protect them. Emotionally, Nanami is always extremely respectful of your feelings. Even things as simple as ranting feel safe, almost like his very presence is cradling you. He’s also very open with you in return, despite his usual deadpan tone, he never hesitates to tell you of his thoughts and feelings once you both trust each other. Physically, Nanami is also extremely gentle. He loves to lavish you in soft touches and kisses. His most common spots for kisses are your nose and forehead. 

H: Hugs( Do they like hugs? How often do they do it? What are their hugs like?)

Depending on your clumsiness, this may topple you, but Nanami likes to lean into you when giving hugs. His shoulders decompress ad he unconsciously just sinks into you without warning. Now if you’re prepared/ stable enough, you might stumble a little but overall you’ll be fine. If you’re clumsy or not expecting it... let’s hope that there’s something soft behind you because Nanami’s going down with you.

I: I love you (How fast do they say the L-word)

Nanami is very slow to say that he loves you. It’s not that he’s oblivious or doesn’t realize he loves you, once he realizes, he just accepts that as a fact. It’s simply that he gets wrapped up in his own head, worrying about if you love him too, if he’s being too forward, etc. If you confess first, he’ll have a much easier time admitting it (although he may not immediately respond with ‘I love you too’), but if you leave it up to him...you’ll be waiting a while.

J: Jealousy (How jealous do they get? What do they do when they’re jealous)

Pretty much all of Nanami’s jealousy comes from the beginning of your relationship when he was a lot more insecure about the place he had in your life. When he would get jealous, he’d just kind of stew in it. It was obvious though that he was jealous and pouting at you and whoever was making him jealous. Later on in your relationship though, he doesn’t get jealous, try as you might. He knows that he’s your partner (a fact that the both of you have affirmed thousands of times) and that no one will come between the two of you. 

K: Kisses (What are their kisses like? Where do they like to kiss you? Where do they like to be kissed?)

Nanami’s kisses are like melting butter, they’re so smooth and gradually they just get more intense until he pulls away and you’re left dizzy. He’s so firm with his kisses too, he always has to be touching you in some way. Whether it be holding your face or resting his hand against the small of your back, Nanami’s kisses may leave you weak in the knees, but he’ll catch you if you fall.

L: Little ones (How are they around children)

Nanami’s really good with children but in the dad way where you’ll come back and see him and the child both sitting on the couch watching TV. Not to say that he’s lazy with kids but he tends to just let the kid do whatever. If the kid wants Nanami to wear a tutu and do the chicken dance, why not? If the kid wants Nanami to list off animal facts while Nanami listens, sure. Hell, even if the kid just wants to use him as a tablet holder, he’s cool with that. He’s good with kids because he just lets them be kids.

M: Morning (How are mornings spent with them?)

Mornings with Nanami depend on what the both of you have scheduled for the day. In Nanami’s perfect world, he’d spend the day relaxing with you at home, however, he understands that realistically the both of you have obligations. If it’s a work day for both of you, he’s made a small breakfast and something to drink. If it’s his day off, he spends a little more time laying in bed with you, enjoying the time before you have to leave. If the both of you have the day off, he spends a lot more time on breakfast (not including the extra time he’ll spend in bed with you), plating and serving you before himself and then listening to you talk about your day as he eats.

N: Night (How are nights spent with them?)

Contrary to popular belief, Nanami prefers to come home at a reasonable time and spend his nights with you. Honestly, he’d prefer to just live the house husband lifestyle, but hey, rent in Tokyo is expensive so he doesn’t mind if both of you are working. But because of the fact that he’s working, when he comes home, he sticks to a routine. Said routine consists of either cooking dinner together or ordering takeout, watching tv, and ending the night with cuddling. He’s a simple man, even if you don’t stick to the routine, as long as he gets to hold you when it comes time to sleep, he’s good.

O: Open (When would they start revealing things about themselves? Do they say everything at once or wait a while to reveal things slowly?)

It really depends; if you’re a jujutsu sorcerer or even just aware of the supernatural, you’d already either know or have a general idea of his abilities/the world he comes from. If you’re a non-jujutsu sorcerer however, Nanami gets kind of nervous because he doesn’t want you to think he’s crazy. Ideally, if you’re a non-sorcerer, he’d never tell you about that aspect of himself. It’s not like he doesn’t think you should know or even that he’s ashamed; it’s just that’s a chapter of his life that, unless relevant, he doesn’t think is important to know about. To him, it’s just a job, and he’d prefer if you thought of it that way too. 

P: Patience (How easily angered are they?)

Nanami is very patient. Not to say that he doesn’t get angry or upset, or even that he’s slow to feel these emotions, it’s just that he knows when’s the best time to express certain feelings. Even if he’s upset with you, he’s unlikely to lash out in an argument, preferring to cool down and then come back to talk it out in a constructive manner.

Q: Quizzes (How much would they remember about you?  Do they remember every little detail you mention in passing, or do they kind of forget everything?)

Nanami is the most attentive boyfriend one could ever ask for. He remembers every small detail about you like it’s his full time job. He rarely gets the chance to show you all the little details he remembers about you, so he tends to do so in subtle (and practical) ways. For example, when shopping for furniture like dinnerware, he tends to get sets in colors that are either your favorite or that you picture in your “ideal” kitchen. However, when it comes to remembering details, nothing tops morning pre-work Nanami. He knows your morning routine like the back of his hand and he’ll have the coffee (or tea if coffee isn’t your thing) brewing before you can even wonder what’s for breakfast

R: Remember (What is their favorite moment in your relationship?)

One night, Nanami came home from work dead tired. It was a shitty day overall, filled with deadlines that were suddenly moved up with no warning. As a result, he ended up coming home later than he wanted to, the thought of you waiting for him when he got home carrying him through the last round of paperwork. Everything was dark, and he’d assumed you went to bed. Imagine his surprise when he comes across a bath that you prepared for him with foam, flower petals, fragrances, all the works (it was still somewhat warm so you must’ve done this on his way back). All alongside a note that said ‘If you’re reading this, I’m probably asleep. But you’ve been working hard, take a break and enjoy yourself, Love you Ken.’ After a long day, your note put the warmest smile onto his face. He still keeps the note tucked away neatly in a box with other memories of your relationship.

S: Security (How protective are they? How would they like to be protected?)

Aside from the obvious, because of course Nanami would want you to be safe from curses, he’s protective of you in terms of privacy. Sure, being private about his relationship with you means less curses that would know to use you as a weakness against him, but more importantly, Gojo. It’s not that he doesn’t trust the man, it’s just Gojo knows too much about him that could 1) embarrass him or 2) make you uncomfortable (Gojo’s personality isn’t for everyone.) If you already know/ know about Gojo however, any Gojo warding that you do will be greatly appreciated. If you manage to distract the sorcerer enough for Nanami to slip away, he’s forever grateful. Sure, Gojo gets pouty about Nanami’s avoidance but in his opinion, anyone who knew what he looked like in highschool needs to never speak with him again.

T: Try (How much effort would they put into dates, anniversaries, gifts, everyday tasks?)

If it wasn’t clear from the moment you started dating this man, Nanami doesn’t half ass relationships. The amount of effort he puts into spending time with you/ getting gifts for you ties back to his attentiveness mentioned earlier. Don’t even get him started on daily tasks because he loves doing small things for you to make your day easier. Even if your day is hard, he hopes that his small actions bring a smile to your face regardless. 

U: Ugly (What are some bad habits of theirs? (I’m gonna add arguments here because they aren’t on the prompt list I found))

Nothing he’s the perfect man jkjk. In all seriousness though, Nanami has a tendency to come off as a “mother knows best type”. It’s never intentional and it usually comes from him just trying to help you, but at the end of the day, he has a bad habit of taking over different tasks/speaking over you. Sometimes it’s nice, like at restaurants, he’ll already know your order. Other times it’s overbearing, for example, if you buy something irresponsible, here comes captain Nanami to remind you about the importance of economic spending habits and if your purchase was really “necessary”. Like, love you but can you leave me alone.

V: Vanity (How concerned are they with their looks?)

He’s very concerned with his looks. Nanami believes in a standard of appearance that he has to uphold, as such, although his general outfit/styling choices may seem simple, he’s extremely meticulous when it comes to his looks. He’s not the type for anything flashy but best believe he’s not wearing a three piece suit and $400 watch without being impeccably groomed and styled beforehand.

W: Whole (Would they feel incomplete without you?)

No, Nanami doesn’t feel incomplete without you. He understands that the both of you are adults who had lives prior to this relationship. Not only does he enjoy his alone time, he’s also used to being without you for extended periods of time due to his job. All in all, Nanami is a firm believer in the phrase “hate to see them go, but I love to watch them leave.”

X: (E)xes (Any previous relationship experience. How does that factor into your current relationship?)

He has a few exes, all of them relationships that consisted primarily of sex or they were long-term relationships that didn’t go anywhere. After a while, he just kinda threw himself into work, so you’re his first relationship in quite some time. His past partners don’t really factor into your relationship aside from general lessons that he would’ve learned anyway such as; compromise, the value of alone time, showing appreciation for one’s partner.

Y: Yuck (What are some things they wouldn’t like, either in general or in a partner)

In general, he hates Mahito There aren’t many qualities in a partner that Nanami dislikes that aren’t already expected in a relationship (ex. boundaries, healthy communication, etc.). Overall, he just wants someone that understands when to give him space and when to give him affection, find that balance, and you’re golden. In general though, Nanami’s not really the type to have a specific standard that he looks for in a partner, he does have a tendency to seek out calmer people.

Z: Zzz (What is a sleep habit of theirs?)

Not necessarily a habit (although he did this a lot more before the two of you started dating) but Nanami is used to all-nighters, no surprise there. An unintended consequence of that is that once he goes to sleep, he’s going down for at least a day. When he knocks out, it’s the type of sleep that leaves you dazed and wondering if you time-traveled after waking up. When he finally does wake up, please bring this man food and water, he needs it.

[animefanwrites]

brother’s best friend [F] | pt. 3

b. chan x reader | brother’s best friend au

synopsis: “what happens when your brother invites over his (hot) best friend but forgets to even inform you about it? And what happens when you walk out of your bedroom and see him in your house with no sign of your brother in sight?”

word count: 1.9k

genre: brothers best friend au, teen rom-com

warning: fluff, language, tiny bit of angst

a/n: sorry i took so long for chapter 3! things have been quite hard for me this whole time. i hope you like it!

chapters: 01 | 02 | 03 +

status: on-going series

The night was quiet and almost no cars passed by while you looked outside. Seeing your reflection on the window, you carefully moved your gaze towards Chan, trying not to be so obvious. He was smiling slightly, hands holding the wheel. You smiled softly and turned to look at him.

“So, what’s this studio?” you questioned with a raised brow. Chan chuckled slightly but before he could answer you added “You said I can’t know where it is not what it is.”

“You got me there,” he replied while pushing some of his hair back. “Well, it’s a music studio. I don’t know if you’ll be interested,” Chan sounded quite hesitant as if you’d make fun of him for creating music. Instead, he was met with an enthusiastic gasp.

“You’re a musician?” you asked, eyes sparkling and lips formed into a beautiful smile. Chan was slightly shocked — he wasn’t exactly waiting for that reaction. He smiled and nodded his head, chuckling in the process while becoming embarrassed. “Jisung never told me anything! Will you show me what you have made?”

“S- Sure!” Chan internally cursed himself for stuttering. “Though, I don’t think you’ll like it. We’re not making anything big, it’s just silly lyrics with beats we make...” he added, wanting to warn you in case you had imagined anything big.

“If they’re original then I’m sure I’ll like it,” you assured him making a blush spread across his cheeks. He laughed and you could feel your heart flutter. Spending time with Chan was something that felt unrealistic but a dream coming to life at the same time. You didn’t even know the man for that long and you just wished you could sit down and talk about him for hours.

The car soon stopped outside a building and you quickly walked out slightly hopping from excitement. Chan walked beside you and opened the front door of the building for you, letting you walk in first with a “ladies first”. You thanked him and slowly followed behind him as you both skipped to the so-called studio.

He quickly opened the door with a key that he had in his pocket and walked inside, your eyes glowing with happiness as you looked around at all the different microphones, computers and speakers. It looked like they had paid a lot to get all that expensive stuff “just for silly lyrics” as Chan had mentioned earlier. Maybe he was just embarrassed to say what they were making.

“Well- here it is!” he chuckled and finally broke the silence that was haunting you two for quite a while now. “I can give you some headphones so you can listen, but um- again, I don’t think you’ll like this kind of music,” he muttered slightly and pulled some headphones from inside a drawer.

“Oh, come on, I’m sure I’ll like it if it’s from you!” you pressed and sat down in a chair, sighing at how comfortable it was. While doing the work, Chan was leaning over your shoulder, his head inches away from your neck and his arm extending from behind you to grip on the mouse. You gulped at how close he was — you could smell his cologne and see his pretty eyes from up close.

“This should do!” he smiled and looked at you, eyes staring right into yours. You nodded and immediately looked away to hide your blushing face. Without another word, he slid the headphones on your head and pressed ‘play’, seeing your lips turn into a big grin as you heard the music start. At first, he was hesitant, gripping the side of the desk without really wanting to, out of nervousness. Then, he saw you bob your head and smile up at him with a huge smile.

“It’s so good!” you exclaimed a bit too loud since you couldn’t hear yourself. He gave you a thumbs up and showed you a few more songs where the lyrics made you laugh and others that made you quite upset and almost even teared up. “It was... so amazing!”

“You think so?” he questioned while sitting on the chair, opening a program that you didn’t quite understand how it worked. “Maybe you can sit here too and help me choose beats?” Chan looked up at you with a hopeful smile when you were about to sit on the couch behind him.

Looking around, you didn’t see any other seat that could be moved next to him though. You were about to ask him about it, but he patted his lap which made you burn red right away, eyes going wide and cheeks getting a scarlet shade.

“CHAN!”

“I’m so sorry! I’m just kidding!” he laughed and covered his face in embarrassment. You could hear his heartwarming laugh as he tried sinking in the chair and hide his face. When you both calmed down from lauging, he pulled a stool from under the desk and placed it close to him so you could join in on the fun.

The whole time, you couldn’t easily focus on what Chan was asking you even if he explained it beforehand. You just nodded and randomly picked something that you liked. You were too distracted by the handsome man to pay attention to music right now.

The way he happily talked about how music helped him through his darkest times, how he relaxes while making it and pours his emotions into the lyrics. It made you even more interested in him — if possible. He looked at you and smiled shyly before speaking; " you know, we don't know each other for more than 24 hours but- I feel so relaxed around you, just like when I'm writing."

Once again, you were surprised by his words and were left with a mouth wide open. You sweetly smiled back at him and nodded while looking to the ground out of embarrassment. Finally getting the courage to look up at him, you gently placed your hand on his.

"I feel quite the same way," you replied and watched him blush a bright pink shade before chuckling and scratching the back of his head. You both knew it was quite early to say that you liked each other. But it felt so mutual.

You just knew that you were both thinking the same things, possibly having the same thoughts about the future and whatnot. You were looking at each other by now, his eyes hypnotizing your e/c ones and his hand slightly trembling at the thought of bringing you close to him. Just as he was about to lean in, a loud sound from outside made you both sit straight and come back to reality. You chuckled nervously and kind of awkwardly at the whole situation — you knew what was about to happen and it was rudely interrupted.

Maybe it was a sign that it was too early.

When you looked at the clock you gasped and so did Chan. You had spent two whole hours in there. Maybe they're right, time passes quickly when you're having fun. He stood up and held his hand out for you to hold onto, but even when you were standing, he didn't let go. Your firm palm fitting perfectly into his.

"It's a pretty night outside and... personally I don't feel like returning back yet. What do you say? Drive and go see the stars?" he asked with confidence that made you want to say yes right away. You held back though and pretended to think for a moment — which made him nervous in no time — but let out a soft laugh, in the end, agreeing with him.

“This night has been one of the best I've had in a while," you admitted once in the car. You were driving towards a high cliff that would give you a beautiful view of the starry sky. "Thank you," you smiled and turned to look at him, even if his gaze was at the road ahead.

“I didn't do anything, y/n,” he said and gave you a warm smile, turning to face you for a split second. “I'm just doing what I usually enjoy. Glad we have similar interests and enjoy each other's company!” he looked so happy and excited that you were enjoying yourself, especially if it was with his companion as well. From the start, his whole ‘plan’ was to make you happy, show you what he likes and see if you'll enjoy being with him while doing stuff he likes.

When the car reached the cliff, you both walked out and you sat down first, patting the space next to you. Chan sat down and stretched before one of his hands slid lower, holding your waist and bringing you closer. You bit your lip nervously and scooted closer, head leaning on his shoulder for comfort. That wasn't too much, was it? You soon relaxed and let a soft sigh leave your lips that Chan was looking at for minutes now, wishing he could kiss them soon.

How could someone be as perfect as you? Liking things he liked, a smile so bright he would replace the sun with, eyes that held the stars and all your secrets. He could find a billion reasons to show how perfect you are and they wouldn't be enough. Then it hit him. He could write them. Sing them.

“Chan, you good?” your voice snapped him out of his thoughts as he looked down at you, leaning on his shoulder and smiling slightly. “You were grinning just now, what were you thinking about?” you questioned while your eyes trailed back to the sky and its beautiful stars.

“Just... thinking about something that I can show you soon,” he chuckled and placed a hand on your head, softly. You nodded in response and hummed, which only made him more interested in his previous idea — spending more time with you would only mean more inspiration, more happiness, more... feeling loved and showing love.

He knew he had told Jisung that he would never date his sister, but on the other hand, Jisung told him that he wouldn't mind if Chan had a crush on her. That means he's okay with it, right? Absolutely.

A cute yawn from you made the boy chuckle and slowly stand up to show you that it was about time you head back home. You definitely didn't want Jisung waking up in the middle of the night noticing both of you gone. But, talking about Jisung, he was a heavy sleeper so there was little to no chance of this actually happening.

“Again, thank you for... this,” you chuckled and shrugged your shoulders once outside the front door. “It was a really nice night and spending it with you... made it ten times better,” hearing you say that, Chan blushed and laughed shyly.

"It- it was nothing, I told you,” he replied and his hand reached towards the front door. Before opening it, he turned to face you, a soft smile on his lips and his eyes looking at your figure in the dark with admiration - even if you didn't notice. "I wouldn't mind repeating it again,” he muttered, hoping you heard him. 

He opened the door and both of you froze, eyes wide and lips parting as a pissed-off Jisung stood in front of the door, looking at the two of you as if you were criminals breaking in the house.

“Where the fuck were you?!”

[nrrrdgrrrl2002]

Inconstans

Cause We Both Know You’re Unstable

“Casey jumped into his room, not even trying to be sneaky. He sat in a corner, hugging his knees.

He looked at his hand. The pink blood, now dried up, was still on his fingers. He shook as he started to hyperventilate.

He saw the glow under his bed. He crawled over quickly to grab the case. There were still a couple other doses left.

Just one. Just to numb the pain…

He grabbed the case and slammed it into a wall with enough force to crack the wall. The syringes shattered, causing some of the drug to splatter on him.

Oh god oh god oh god…

He shook as he wiped some mutagen from his face. He felt the drug flowing through him, far stronger.

No. Nononono

“Casey?” He grabbed the person behind him without thinking. It was his sister and she was horrified. He immediately let her go as he backed away.

She looked at her wrist, seeing it was bruising badly. She then looked at Casey. His eyes were glowing green with black sclera. His skin was inhumanly pale and covered in glowing veins.

“Oh my god.. bro what happened?” She asked as she tried to put a hand on his cheek. Casey panicked.

“NO DONT TOUCH!” He shouted as he nearly clawed her. He was mortified at his actions.

“I need to leave” he said as he ran past her. “Casey wait!” She ran after him.

He didn’t realize dad was home. “Where areee you goin” the man stopped Casey, clearly too blitzed to realize what’s going on.

“I can’t.. I-I can’t deal with this right now” Casey said as he tried to walk past. Only for his father to grab him.

“You don’t walk away from me, boy” he slurred. The man’s grip that once felt so painful now felt like nothing.

Casey felt the mutagen on him seep through his skin as the mutagen in his blood pumped. His body was twitching as he felt mutagenic blood pump to his brain.

No don’t don’t don’t

He grabbed his chest as he tried to fight his abnormally high emotions. “Dad stop!” Angel yelled as she grabbed the drunk man.

The man hit her in the chest to get her off, causing her to keel over. “Dumb b••ch” he stated to his daughter.

Stop don’t don’t

Casey growled as he felt his cheeks split. He grabbed the man’s head and slammed it into the wall. A crack and blood stain was left on the wall as the man fell unconscious.

“Dad!” Angel yelled as she saw her dad on the floor with his head bleeding.

What did I do what did I do??

Casey kneeled next to angel. He looked at what he’d done before asking her “sis. Are you- ahhhh!”

He screamed. He could feel his insides contort and rupture and break. He could feel warm liquid come up his throat.

He vomited. “Oh my god” angel said, seeing that he had vomited blood. She crawled up to him.

“No no stay away!” He muttered to her in a distorted voice. He was kneeled over as he hugged himself tightly in pain.

She put a hand on his back, only to immediately pull it away with a yelp as bone spikes shot out of his spine.

She crawled back in terror as she couldn’t help but stare at what was happening.

He took in deep, painful breaths and yelled as the transformation continued. He lied on the floor as the pain eased.

Angel got up and slowly walked over to him. “C-Casey?” She quietly said. Casey slowly moved to look at her. She couldn’t help but take a step back.

Casey’s mouth was split across his cheeks. His nose was gone, leaving an upside down heart shaped hole. His skin was as white as bone with glowing green veins all over.

Casey’s gaze turned to their unconscious father and he snarled, revealing fangs instead of teeth.

He stood up, revealing that he was now far taller. He had to hunch slightly to not hit his head on the ceiling.

His clothes and shoes were torn, showing his heart was also glowing green over his ribs and skin. His fingertips had bone claws over them and he had clawed feet.

He walked over to their father, revealing long bone spikes protruding from his spine. He grabbed their father and raised him up.

He growled as he had his claws out, ready to kill the man. “No Casey stop!” Angel said as she jumped to grab his arm.

Casey turned his head to look at her as she was dangling from his arm. “He deserves. Everything. I’m about to do” he said in a distorted voice.

“Casey. I don’t know what happened you but this ain’t you” she begged. Casey dropped their dad and lightly shook Angel off.

He then leaned down to confront her. “You don’t know me. You don’t know what I’ve done. You don’t know what I’m willing to do” he told her.

Angel took a deep breath and tried to keep her composure as she said “maybe I don’t, but I know what you’re not”.

His pupils relaxed as he truly realized what was happening. He held his hurting head, trying to push down the enhanced negative thoughts in order to see reason.

What was happening to him?

They both jumped as they heard sirens. They were coming towards their apartment.

“You?” He asked accusingly. “I didn’t” she stumbled. Casey grabbed his hurting head.

He didn’t mean to be-

“We need to leave” he said. “We?” She asked. He grabbed her gently in order to not hurt her, prompting her to yelp. He went to the window.

“Waitwait!” Angel yelled as Casey jumped out while holding her, using his claws to cling to the building and climb up.

“What about dad?!” She said. Casey didn’t answer as he ran off with her.”

[lostinfinity1]

Theory time : Trash of the count’s family

As usual, it’s pretty long.

And I don’t think I ever got a theory right. So if you don’t want to read a lot, skip it. Spoiler until chapter 480 of the light novel and a few things that I was spoiled. (I know, I still have a long way to go with 700+ chapter having been released, but the idea just kept coming back in my head and I was trying to not work on other things. So, I procrastinate to write this and to flee the tiny humans visiting who wanted to keep playing with me until exhaustion.)

Theory: Cale Henituse aka Kim Rok Soo ‘s soul/ heart is someone from the ancient time.

Why? There are a few things that caught my attention while reading the first 480 chapter.

I first thought about it because the ancient powers’ behaviour surprised me a little.

1.      The little hints in the ancient powers

               a.      The way the ancients power saved the “water of judgment”.  They burned a whole area in the North, created an epic mess and saved/ freed someone in the process. When I read about that crazy plan, I thought: that is something Cale would do. And the more I thought about it, the more I am certain Cale would have done something like that had he lived in that time. Create a big mess to save someone.  

            b.      The ancient powers personalities. Don’t they seem like crazy people that would gather around Cale had they lived in the present time? Also, Cale kept wondering if the Cobblestone was human since he killed so many monster in the tunnel between the two continent next to his villa. But if the ancient powers were not all human, it would parallel Cale present time where he befriends so many different races that look up to him. And while they worked together to save the water ancient power, they seemed to have split later on since they all died alone and they did not all seem to be friends.

                                          i.     It made me think of another theory, if the one person (Cale original self per example) they gathered around together died or disappeared (Cale is the heart of the group in this present time too), it wouldn’t surprised me that they would split. And that would kinda explain why the fight was so complicated that all evil and all heroes died if the strategist had died beforehand and that the core members had died while branching out.

               c.      The way the scary cobblestone kept asking: do you want to sacrifice yourself. Now we know that he wasn’t doing it to scare him (well maybe a little), but because he was worried and wanted to protect him. But what if he was asking and being worried because he and the other power knew his self-sacrificial tendencies from back in the days (and that they failed to protect him maybe)?

              d.      Cale can hear the ancient power while others who have ancient powers don’t. It was said that it was because the power didn’t fuse with him properly, but it might have been a subconscious choice from him. Cale also chose to not to fuse with them to keep hearing them. The reason could be because while he doesn’t remember them, he subconsciously didn’t want to lose them again.

                e.      The reason Cale was so lucky to find all five ancient powers could be because they all wanted to be found by him. Why? To protect him. They were all on the same side of the war. None of the powers are the ones that the white star or his subordinate had. I know most of them came from the Birth of a hero book from Nelan Barrow but (SPOILERS that I found out that happens later in the series, be warned, 600+ chapter ?) it was said that the current god of Death could be the first Choi Aka Nelan Barrow. He was also part of the group of heroes from that time since he was the only survivor of the last battle because he was protected by the Scary cobblestone. If he had known about the original Cale, he could have written about them for Cale to find because he knew they would have wanted to protect him. Remember that some ancient powers in the book were mentioned, but never claimed. That itself is pretty weird unless it was on purpose. And Nelan Barrow might have written down only the powers that he knew that Cale had met, if he had met the ancient power after they had split since I don’t think they say at what time exactly he arrived in ancient time. It could be before, in, or after the war.

               f.       The world tree hint. Chapter 172 I think : “There were people like you whom I could not see their pasts nor futures. I could only see tiny glimpses of their near future.” And later. “– The owners of the ancient powers were just like you. I could not see them. (…) I couldn’t see through the arsonist nor the rock for brains.”

 2.      Cale ability “record”.  I have a theory that the ability people awakened in his version of Earth are things or power that they either consciously or subconsciously wanted. Like his team leader embrace that stem from his desire to become an actor in the past. The ability to “record”, thus remember things, might stem from him subconsciously wanting to remember people in this time since he forgot (because of reincarnation probably) his past life (or lives).

 3.      The Henituse motto. "There is no reason to be recorded in history. Live for peace and happiness instead." The key word here is “recorded”. Knowing Cale’s ability, this sentence hits differently. What if the Henituse family had ties to Cale’s earlier life (ves?) ? Or was created by him at one point in time if he had more than one incarnation? It’s an old, selfless noble family that ended up protecting people from the forest of darkness while quietly living their life. The motto is essentially how Cale wishes he could live. I always thought it was fishy when I read it. The first incarnation of Cale may or may not have had the record ability though, but may reflect Cale’s desire not to known as a hero or recorded as one. However, the two sentences still hold true to what Cale wants and desire, especially if he lived in the troubled/war time that was the ancient times.

 4.      The birthday conundrum. It seems the Choi of the past and present and Kim Rok Soo share the same birthday. It might be the “link” that allowed the Choi and Cale to transmigrated into the birth of a hero world. But I wondered something else, what if (Spoilers again like earlier, so 600+ chapter spoilers that I saw online) the link was more subtle or emotional. If the first Choi, Nelan Barrow, chose that day, his own birthday, to incarnate people to protect someone. Kim Rok Soo friend, the nephew of Choi Han, ended up dying to protect Kim Rok Soo. Choi Han is currently acting as Cale’s sword. Nelan Barrow, possibly the god of death, is using Kim Rok Soo to save the world, maybe 2 worlds since he was also a hero on Earth.  Anyway, the God of death seems like a complicated story that will get worse as it goes on.

 5.      Cale’s aura. The fact that people keep mistaking him for dragons/demons/some sort of other being. He could be related to the gods or be a divine race, or just a human favored by nature (and possibly his past friends that had a close affinity to nature such as the ancient powers). It points toward the fact that Cale is someone special in any case.

 6.      SPOILER Chapter 600+. Cale’s mother from the Thames family has a time/fate? Ancient power. The Thames family also gathered information about transmigrator and the sort. So there is definitively something going on on that side that has yet to be revealed.

 7.      Raon power is the present. It sounds like a strange power and, as of chapter 481, he hasn’t really used it yet. I kept wondering why he had that power. But if Cale’s time is related to the past, maybe Raon is going to be needed to secure is time in the present or something of the sort. But I feel like his power is a clue to the events to come.

 8.      Cale time is warped according to the white star. That itself doesn’t say much, but (SPOILER Chapter 600+ that I saw) Original Cale had not his time warped apparently. I am wondering if it’s because Kim Rok Soo transmigrated or if it’s actually because it’s is soul/heart that is from the ancient time.

 9.      Cale/Kim was supposed to die, but didn’t according to the god of death. His friend from Earth weren’t supposed to die, it seems. Kim Rok Soo was supposed to die, but it was never cleared when he was supposed to die. It could mean that he was supposed to die in the past, the ancient time kinda past. Yet, he is here now. I also find it weird that his past team leader on Earth took the time to explain to him, he who can remember everything, how is special ability, Embrace, work when it was not standard to talk about them. I also wonder a lot about him since he was the first one to find Kim Rok Soo and that he was one of the first to develop an ability, but that’s off topic.

 Well, that’s all I could think off.

I’ll keep reading the novel when I get more time and probably think how a fool I was to write this. Bah, Tumblr is the land of fools. It would not be the first time I am completly wrong about something. And this novel is pretty good at being hard to predict.

[xiaoyunenigma]

Wrong Era Part 1 (Chase X Charlie)

A thief and cop AU because IF CHARLIE CAN BE A JANITOR, HE SURE AS HELL CAN BE A THIEF IASHWHSHSGSG👏👏😩😩😫

This is a seriously long ass chapter, so I'll split it into two or three, it depends😂😂👌

Enjoy~

___

"Ah Chase, thank you for picking up the parcel." Doc Greene said, handing the mech a brown paper bag.

"No problem, Doctor. Chief is busy at the moment, so I shall take his place for this short delivery." Chase nodded and transformered into his vehicle mode. "Fret not, I will avoid all and every human contact." Chase promised and drove away, taking care of noticed by humans.

"Just to make certain..." The mech said to himself and activated his holoform, driving down the winding road back to base.

"In approximately 12 and a half minutes, I shall arrive to base. Perhaps I should take a shorter route to shorten the time..." Chase murmured and turned into a dark alley, driving down the unoccupied area. His frame jumped up and down due to the uneven grounding and he sighed.

"Such unruly pathway. I must contact Chief about this. We cannot allow such disregard for road maintenance to be put off." he noted.

The vibration cause the item at the back seat tipped and activated, but Chase was still busy on the road to notice it.

By the time his behind was glowing, it was already too late.

"S-Scrap!" the mech yelped as he felt his body being sucked into a black hole and he disappeared, leaving nothing but his tire tracks at the scene.

Tumbling through the swirling vortex, the police bot groaned as he unceremoniously crashed in front of a...police station.

"What in the..."he rubbed the back of his helm, not realising that he had reverted into biped mode.

"C-Chase!?" Blades's voice rang out clear as day, making the blue and white mech stared up at the shocked helicopter. Behind the astonished mech, his familiar crews were behind him... With UNKNOWN human associations.

Stiffening up, the mech activated his visor and pretended to be monotonous as to not blow his cover. "I-am- Chase- the- police-bot-"

"Chase?! W-What...?" Heatwave rubbed his optics, not believing what he was seeing. "What the hell are you doing?!"

Seeing how natural his leader was around these humans, Chase relaxed a little. "I am...undercover? We are not supposed to reveal ourselves to the humans." he said.

"What are you talking about?" Miko asked, tilting her head up. "We've known you guys since day one!"

"Incognito doesn't work at all, remember? We're supposed to be living together with the humans and learn from them, not hiding in disguise of...whatever you're doing." Heatwave grunted.

"GUYS! WE ARE MISSING THE WHOLE POINT!!" Jack yelled, starting the crew. "HE'S NOT SUPPOSED TO BE HERE IN THE FIRST PLACE!!"

"I...do not follow? They are my team members. I am a fellow rescue bot member too, young citizen." Chase said, feeling a pang of uneasiness inside his tanks.

The team stared at the mech with disbelief, not understanding the situation either. Blades stepped out first, optics brimming with coolants as he tackled the mech and sobbed into his arms, breaking down before him.

"I don't care! This is our Chase and we're keeping him!"

"Blades, snap out of it! It's not him!" Heatwave growled, yanking away his friend. Glaring at the innocent mech, the firetruck spilled the truth.

"Chase died in mission. This isn't ours; it's an impostor."

___

"D-Died!?" Chase raised his voice and patted his chassis, panicking a little. "I-I don't understand! I need to speak to Chief!"

"Who's Chief?" Raf asked, pushing his glasses up. Behind him, Bumblebee buzzed the same question too.

"You mean the boss bot, Optimus?" Bulkhead offered, jabbing at the red and blue mech behind them.

"Optimus...?" Chase stepped back, getting more confused of this weird timeline. "B-But aren't you supposed to be on mainland?"

"I do not follow?" Optimus replied, watching the mech carefully. "You seemed... different than the Chase we know."

"I believe I must have... Time travelled?" Chase said and picked out the broken item from his cabin. "This parcel from Doc Greene glowed and the next thing I knew, I was transported here."

"Did he say Doc Greene?!" Frankie busted out from Smokescreen's side, staring up at the police bot with water in her eyes. "You know me, don't you!?"

"Yes. You are Francine Greene, or as you would like me to call you, Frankie." Chase replied. The small girl gasped as she started to cry too, making the mech felt even awkward at the situation.

"W-Where's - what- where's my daddy?" she sobbed into Miko's chest.

"I-I- He's at the lab?" Chase tried to answer.

"What lab? There's no lab in Griffin Rock." Boulders said.

"Okay, so we're still in Griffin Rock..." Chase said to himself, placing a digit to his chin. "I am sorry for this....sudden uproar, but I need to get back to my own realm. I do not...belong here." he said, dimming his optics at the last part. "You have my condolences for...my alternate self's death."

"Who's this Chief you were mentioning earlier?" Ratchet gruffedly spoke.

"Chief Charlie Burns, of course. He is the Head police in the island, working together with his four kids and my crew, the Rescue Bots of Sigma Seventeen."

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

"CHARLIE BURNS?!" All of them yelled.

"HE IS ANYTHING BUT A GOOD MAN AND I GOT THEM SCARS TO PROVE IT!" Agent Fowler yelled.

"HE'S THE REASON MY DAD IS MIA!" Frankie said in anguish.

"He's the cause of your death..." Blades weeped, wiping his yellow optics.

Chase gulped as he quietly took in the scene. Gripping his servos into a fist, he hesitantly asked the crew another question.

"Does he have a family here?"

"Yes, but only one-"

"It's Cody, isn't it?!" Chase cut the Prime off, dropping his usual calm demeanour. The poor fellow couldn't accept the fact that his partner was a murderer, a bad guy.

He could accept Charlie being a janitor because that man was still a good guy.

But this... This is wrong.

This isn't right.

"Yes." Optimus confirmed, blue optics soft and caring, contrasting with the freaking out mech before him. "Easy Chase, we will try our best to get you home."

"No offence sir, but what if he's an impostor? A liar? A mech created by Doctor Morocco?" Heatwave asked, still eyeing at Chase.

"Oh, he's bad in this realm too." Chase noted out loud, earning a snort from Arcee.

"Well, when is he ever not? Giving us quite the helmache, I swear to Primus." she sighed.

"Is Chief-I mean- Charlie, working with him?" Chase questioned, furrowing his optic ridges at the team.

Fortunately, the responds were negative.

"No. He's more of a... Cat burglar. He likes to steal stuff, pretty much." Agent Fowler said. "But I've gotta admit, that man is spry for his age, getting away from our hands like a slippery eel every bloody time."

"I see..." Chase replied, looking down at the asphalt ground. They were still outside of the police station after all.

Before the time-traveller could raise another question, an alarm blared from the station. Raf typed something on his computer before pushing up his glasses, staring at the team grimly.

"The bank has been robbed."

---

Chase's Energon went cold as he sped off, chasing after the only source of his familiarity. He didn't know why or how, but he felt as if he needed to see the man was as bad as the team had perceived him to be.

"I can only pray that Griffin Rock's map is similar to ours." Chase growled, putting metal to the petal. He had left the team in the dust, running off to the Griffin Rock Bank.

Lucky for him, the roads were the same as his realm and he arrived at the location just in time to see the man he was looking for.

Donned in dark blue and white suit(which briefly reminded Chase of Dani's suit), Charlie Burns was sprinting down the alley and away from human's sight.

Clicking his glossa, Chase floor the gas and chased after him, not wanting to loose sight.

Charlie, sensing someone was behind him, turned around only to jump aside as Chase drifted and faced in front of him, blocking his path.

"Charlie!" Chase yelled but stayed in vehicle mode.

The aging thief widened his eyes as his mind clicked with familiarity of the voice. "C-Chase?!" his voice quivered as he took a step back, dropping the sack of money on the ground.

Behind him, the team's siren came closer.

"Y-You're...alive?" Charlie stuttered, shaky hands grazing onto the car door. Chase tensed up for a moment, feeling bad for the man before him.

"DON'T LET HIM GET AWAY!"

Chase daydreaming was brutally cut short when Heatwave's voice came though the alley. Turning his rear mirrors to see the ashen-face Charlie, Chase went soft.

With a growl, the mech decided to break his code.

"Get in." he said, tone eerily deep. Charlie didn't think twice and dove in, letting the fast police car to drive away.

"WHAT THE FRAG!? CHASE!" Heatwave yelled, watching the alternate reality friend of his scampered away, Charlie Burns in tow.

"Guys! He's with Charlie! He's gotten away!" Heatwave yelled through the comms. Glaring at the now empty alley, Heatwave transformed and balled his servos, gritting his teeth with resentment.

"We'll find you. Both of you."

[itsclydebitches]

"I talked a little bit about this in-in chapter 9 um, but just uh, how we quietly had like, these little moments for Jaune all volume. Just like, kinda show his mind set of like 'I am gonna do the hard thing. I still gotta job to do.' Um, how that carried through all the way to this kinda like, ultimate moment." - I legit thought that for several volumes the point was for him to subvert gender stereotypes, I wonder what's the deal with "fearless strong leader that makes hard decisions"?

Yeah, we've long lost the subversion work Jaune was originally doing and even back in the early Volumes it was shaky, given that so much of his characterization that contrasts the traditional, masculine leader was also treated as a joke. Haha isn't it funny that a man lost a bet and has to wear a dress. Haha isn't it funny that he wears a onesie to bed. Haha Ruby is losing her mind over him in a bunny sweatshirt. We're supposed to laugh at the subversive elements, not embrace them as equally valid forms of masculinity. Now that Jaune is no longer the inept loser used largely for comedy? Well, he's treated more seriously now too. He gets the hottest, most talented pupil in love with him, grieving and trying to avenge her untimely death (classic quest for the guy). He's got all the hot moms lusting over him while he helps kids cross the street (because that in and of itself isn't manly enough to stand on its own — remember, that's treated as another joke). That sweatshirt is again covered up, he's got new gadgets, a new haircut that the crew obviously thinks is cool... and another redhead to grieve, stepping into the spotlight to make the hard call because our primary hero was tossed into a void after forgetting to use the power singularly capable of taking out their opponent. Jaune's subversion was always surface deep, riddled with its own complications, and looking back, it was never meant to last.

But also, what "hard thing" was he doing in Volume 8 before Penny? Jaune isn't the guy making the tough calls, he's the "How about both?" guy with an incresingly useful semblance:

Does the group help Mantle citizens or try to send a message to the rest of Remnant? Jaune suggests they do both.

Do they rescue Oscar or save the rest of Atlas from Salem's whale? Jaune suggests they do both.

Do they kill Penny or let the virus continue? Jaune's semblance can suddenly keep coding at bay.

Does he side with Ren who thinks they've made horrific mistakes, or Yang who thinks everything would be worse if not for their choices? Jaune goes for the random 'Stop bottling up your emotions' middle ground.

Jaune isn't making tough calls throughout the Volume, he's just put into situations where a) he already has the solution on hand (semblance), b) ignores the problem entirely (Ren), or c) points out an incredibly obvious solution (we can split this team of eight into two. You know, like how our original teams were). The rest of the time the issue of a choice isn't even brought up — there's no question of whether they'll go after Oscar or help the civilians Fiona is calling in for, Jaune isn't taking May's place and demanding that Ruby make a call about Atlas vs. Mantle prior to Penny distracting them — or the group is celebrating his bravery for no apparent reason. Ren just announces that Jaune isn't feeling any fear (which is not the same thing as bravery anyway) and he and Yang admire that for a moment, despite the fact that they're all heading into the whale to look for Oscar. Jaune isn't demonstrating any unique action here.

The one time I can recall him acting like a leader making a tough call (in Volume 8) is him reminding Nora that they have a duty to the civilians when the fight with Cinder starts. "Priority one." That's it. Even if Penny's death wasn't a badly justified mess, where was this characterization? Granted, Jaune did more and made more decisions than Team RWBY, but by that low bar criteria, so did Ren, Yang, and Oscar. I mean, it's not that I want Jaune to have all these tough, emotionally draining decisions to make when that work should be going to our title team, but it just feels like another instance of the writers having a version of RWBY in their heads that doesn't match up with what they put on screen.

[blu-joons]

DATING A⇴Z HEADCANON ⇴ Jay Park

A ⇴ AFFECTION

Jay is incredibly affectionate around you; he loves to have you nice and close to him and be able to wrap his arms around you. He feels incredibly supported when he’s able to hold out and touch you and know that you’re beside him.

B ⇴ BEFORE DATING

He’s not shy of confidence, so when you caught his eye in a local coffee shop, he was more than happy to go over and say hello. You were surprised for a few moments by his sudden appearance in front of you, but as he began to introduce himself, you couldn’t help but tell him all about yourself too, allowing him to get to know you.

C ⇴ CONFESSION

After a few dates together, Jay knew that he wanted to make things official with you. He made sure to pull out all of the stops to try and impress you, making sure that you had the best table at the restaurant that he planned to take you too. His confession was very honest, you could tell that he was talking from the heart, he wanted you to know exactly how he felt and exactly where he could see his future going with you.

D ⇴ DATES

Jay loves to spoil you; he loves to treat you nicely and take you to fancy places. He might not appear like someone who will sit down to a meal, but if it’s what you want, he’s more than happy to get dressed up and take you somewhere nice. He loves to show off to you, before dates, he’ll often appear at your front door with a gift, usually a bouquet of flowers, to set the tone of the evening nicely. He loves to have dates at the studio too when he’s working late so he can dedicate some time to you in his busy schedule.

E ⇴ EXPERIENCE

There had been a few brief dates and very short relationships in Jay’s life, but nothing ever felt as serious as things did with you. For the first time, he really felt as if he wanted to settle down with you and really begin to think about the future. He was nervous to begin with about the amount of time he could spend with you and if you’d understand his career, but over time, things naturally began to work themselves out. It surprised him sometimes how well your relationship worked, but one thing was for sure, he never took it for granted.

F ⇴ FIGHTING

The two of you definitely had a few little arguments every now and then, at times Jay was quite guilty of being stubborn and knowing what he wanted without listening to anyone else. If the two of you argued, he’d tend to go to the studio for a while rather than figuring things out straight away and would often come back with a gift in hand to try and apologise to you. He knows at times he can be stubborn, and he knows that it’s not fair on you so he always makes sure to accept that he can be at fault, as much as he’d like to suggest otherwise. He’s very good at sorting things out between the two of you and not letting things drag out.

G ⇴ GETTING TO KNOW HIS FAMILY

With his family split around the world, it was difficult for you to really get to know Jay’s family. You relied heavily on calls, Jay loved to get you over whenever he spoke to a member of his family so he could introduce you or tell them all about the things that the two of you had been doing together as a couple.

H ⇴ HOME

He was quite keen to move you into his house after just a couple of months as he loved having you around. At times, his house was very quiet, and he was desperate to have someone around who he could bounce ideas off of or greet when he came home from work. And you just so happened to be the perfect solution to that.

I ⇴ “I LOVE YOU”

Jay was the first one of the two of you to say, ‘I love you,’ when he came home from work one day to see that you’d waited up for him with a meal warmed in the oven. It was only a small gesture from you, but after the day that Jay had had at work, you had no idea how much he needed it and how grateful he was for you.

J ⇴ JEALOUSY

There aren’t too many times when Jay feels jealous, he’s confident in himself and you, he knows that not many guys would be able to compare to him. He loves to see you talking to people and getting to know his friends and staff at the label, so he doesn’t tend to get jealous. If he does get jealous, he’ll silently make his way into conversation, he’ll tend to show off his muscles a little more and begin to throw his weight around you to make it clear to everyone that you are his and no one else can have a look.

K ⇴ KIDS

Before meeting you, Jay hadn’t thought too much about children as he was so dedicated to his work. However, as your relationship began to progress, he definitely found himself thinking about it a little more. He was nervous more than anything about how he’d fit a family into his life, but after many late-night talks with you about the future, he began to realise that maybe it was something that the two of you could solve together.

L ⇴ LAUGHTER

Jay loved to make you laugh more than anything else in the world, it was exactly the sound he needed to hear at the end of a long day. He loved to come home and wrap his arms around you and tickle your sides until he was able to hear your giggle around the house. It was natural as well for him to just find himself laughing around you, at times you could just be doing nothing, but just the sight of you brought a smile to his face. Not many people had seen this sort of side to Jay before, but they loved seeing just how happy he was with you.

M ⇴ MISSING

Homesickness wasn’t something Jay felt often as he spent so much time away from his family, however, being away from you was a whole new chapter. He didn’t realise quite how much he needed your company until you weren’t there anymore. When he was on the road, he’d often send gifts to your place to make sure that you knew he was thinking of you and missing you. If the chance presented itself too, he’d fly you to wherever he was in the world in a heartbeat, only if it was for a few days. One thing Jay never did was turn down the opportunity to see you, no matter even if it was just for a few minutes or hours.

N ⇴ NICKNAMES

He loved to call you ‘love,’ Jay was quite traditional in that sense, he wasn’t one for fancy or over the top nicknames, he much preferred to keep things simple, still knowing that it was enough to put a smile on your face.

O ⇴ OBSESSION

Jay was obsessed with your bum, he loved to rest his hands against it or lay against it at night. He couldn’t help but instinctively place his hands there must of the time and pinch you gently.

P ⇴ PDA

Being affectionate in public wasn’t a huge deal for Jay, he was more than happy to hold your hand or keep his arms around you. He wasn’t someone that was too dramatic about affection, he knew he had an image to uphold in that regard, but he still always made sure to keep you nice and safe and make sure that you felt loved around him.

Q ⇴ QUESTIONS

There were often many times when he’d ask you for help or reassurance. He tried to put on a straight face for everyone at the company, but when he was having a difficult time, he’d always turn to you just to give him that push.

R ⇴ RANDOM FACTS

Whenever he went on the road, Jay would leave little notes around the house for you to find. He never really wanted other people to see how romantic he was, but he couldn’t help himself when it was just you and him. You’d often find little pieces of paper in the most random of places that he’d left lying around for you to find. Always making sure to remind you that he loved you and couldn’t wait to see you above anything else.

S ⇴ SEX

It was always a very passionate affair, Jay had a bit of a cocky aura about him when things got intimate, he loved to guide you and be the dominant one. He knew what he wanted from you, and he’d always make sure he got it. With that being said, he always took the best care of you too, he knew exactly what you liked from him, and even if he was a bit of a tease to begin with, you always got what you wanted too in the end.

T ⇴ TEXTS

You’d often get random texts from Jay throughout the day. If you were on his mind, it was just an instinct in him to text you and let you know that you were in his thoughts and that he couldn’t wait to see you at home.

U ⇴ UNIVERSE

A lot of people didn’t really know Jay, he’d portrayed himself to the world in the way he wanted to be seen. But around you, he truly felt like he could be himself, a little more like Jaebeom and a little less like Jay.

V ⇴ VACATION

Whenever he had a bit of time, Jay loved to take you on holiday and make sure that you felt special. Your holidays would usually involve going somewhere so that you could meet up with a few members of his family and meet face to face. You would never complain though, you loved meeting all those that were closest to him.

W ⇴ WHINING

He tended to crave your attention quite a lot, and if he didn’t, he’d be sure to kick up a fuss until he had your eyes very firmly on him.

X ⇴ XXXXX

You’d often feel his lips press against you whenever he had his arms around you, it almost became second nature for him. Jay would always make sure to kiss you first thing in the morning and last thing at night in the hope that you’d go to sleep dreaming of him. You loved to wind him up too by swerving his kisses or dodging out of the way, he’d always make sure to grab you a little tighter and refuse to let go until he got what he wanted.

Y ⇴ YOU

You were his teammate, the two of you made the perfect partnership together.

Z ⇴ ZZZ

The two of you would always make sure to sleep as close as you could to be honest. Whenever Jay was on tour, he’d fill your wardrobe with shirts and hoodies, so you had plenty of reminders of him to fall asleep with.

---

Masterlist

[silvysartfulness]

Silvy, I was (non sexually) edging myself by reading the mail notification of the update, squirming with happiness and then waiting a couple more hours before doing it again until I was finally calmed down enough to read it and let me tell you I'm DEAD, dying, suffering over here. I been in dire need of Xue Yang's perspective and the more delayed it is the more I need it because I KNOW it's going to be GOOD, when i was reading ch36 and SL noted XY becoming more manageable/mellow when he was being touched, and after the final scene? all I could think was "wait till you see how fucking agreeable he is the day after" and this chapter (37) sure confirmed it lmao SL can take XY when he is misbehaving, but good and obedient XY will blindside him lol (sorry if my expressions aren't fully correct, second language) anyway this isn't a question but I'm too shy to leave a comment this long in the fic so here you go lol

I'm loving the thought of people edging themselves (sexually or non sexually) with my fiction. This makes me delighted. Please do go on. ♥

Also gods, please, never feel shy abut leaving long comments or asking questions, either here or on the fic, I live for that stuff! This is not an exaggeration! A single Ask like this gives me dopamine/serotonin enough for my brain to finally work up the momentum to be creative for a while, I can not state enough how much it means to me!

Now, as for the actual points you talk about...

The thing about the long wait for Xue Yang's perspective here is that chapter 37 was originally, ahaha, over 12500 words long. Splitting that up into two separate chapters came with the double benefits of suddenly having one extra chapter in my buffer pile = being able to update sooner, and I crassly get more comments/scene on shorter chapters and I'm greedy and need the input to keep going.

So Xue Yang originally had a big fat 6000-something words POV scene in chapter 37, but now he'll end up narrating 38 more or less by himself instead. (And it's pretty much all porn.)

Don't hold your breath for any deeper emotional introspection on his part, though - he is notoriously bad at registering, identifying or admitting to his own emotions! Emotions are just there, they're gnarly and complicated, and 99% of the time, he'll just give them a quick once-over, shrug, say "hm, probably rage" and go kill someone about it. (An option currently unavailable, regrettably. :C)

Writing his POV is all about show-don't-tell, and weaving the clues to what he's actually feeling in between the lines, usually in his unconscious reactions or physical sensations. Which I love to do! It's a very fun exercise!

And so you get bits from next chapter like:

He grinned, blinking the strange sudden blurriness out of his vision, eyelashes oddly wet.

and:

Something twisted strangely in his chest, maybe because of the previous lack of air, and he furiously bared his teeth, a smile that wasn't one, not really.

and, from 39:

That would just have been too easy, and the world never fucking gave him “easy”. Xue Yang suddenly itched desperately to stab someone.

I write a Xue Yang who mostly registers emotional impact through how it feels physically, often blissfully unaware of the process of emotions that caused the sensation.

The fancy word for this is alexithymia, and that kind of emotion-blindness is pretty common in several of the pick-n-mix of diagnoses, mental traits and disorders I headcanon him as having (cen, cluster b, adhd, ptsd etc...)

That mixed with a deeply ingrained contempt for any emotion he perceives as weak or vulnerable leaves him... Well. A mess. A glorious, magnificent mess, and I love him dearly. ♥

And as for your second point - Song Lan may not be loving him dearly just yet, though at this rate it's a very slippery slope. 😁

He finds this new agreeable, pleasant, fond Xue Yang very disturbing - but not quite as disturbing as his own reactions to it. And of course, this isn't a Xue Yang being casually flirty - this is a Xue Yang trying very hard (and mostly failing) to figure out what Song Lan might find appealing and flirt that way.

A very, very delicate balance of not being his usual abrasive self enough to piss Song Lan off, not be shameless enough to scare him off, just... See how normal and nice and friendly I can be, right? You like that shit, right? This is totally getting the intended signals across... right?

[blaiddydbrokeit]

I'm going to see my psychiatrist today, but finding out two weeks ago that they migrated their systems a few years ago and lost nearly all of the older, more verbose records led me to look over the ones I did have a copy of, and it led me down an interesting self-discovery, and self-rediscovery.

It gets long, and it's personal, so I'll put it under a cut so people aren't disrupted by an irrelevant longpost on their dashboards.

So, back in 2016, I warded in the psychiatric ward - by years I was 14, but for this we'll need to be a little bit more specific. This was a few months before I turned 14. I was warded for psychotic disorder.

Here's where it gets interesting. Part of the reason I bring it up is because at the time, I reported multiple voices, but that only three were distinct. I had named them due to their recurring nature, based on "what felt the most appropriate".

Voice A was a masculine voice that often demanded violent acts, usually decapitations, dismemberments or strangling. I named him after a character who was a royal with blue eyes, blonde hair and who was beheaded. He was the loudest, but I also identified as closest to him.

Voice B was another masculine voice that demanded information, really. Things like answers, reasons, the sort of things that one would use to get back at another, to stew in hatred or fuel vengeance. I named him after a snarky swordsman.

The last was.... questionable. It was the one that was unclear if it was masculine or feminine, but they berated me more than anything. Compared me to someone else I didn't know. Made me feel useless if I couldn't even give them what they wanted, but they wanted peace and I didn't know how to give that. I named them after an androgynous character who came from abroad, known for tricks, voices and unclear allegiances.

At that age, I also abruptly developed a strangely morbid obsession with decapitation, especially that which was committed not by guillotine, but by blade, and more outlandishly, by hand. I was convinced that, with enough force, one could crush the neck of another person and pull their head off with their bare hands. Of course, this alarmed my psychiatrist and subsequently became another reason for my hospitalization.

Of course, it did not stop there. It only became more strange. In my 16th year, but before my 16th birthday - I was exorcised twice for strange behaviours, but to no avail. Behaviours that would perhaps read as dissociation in psychiatry, but possession to the faithful.

My parents had noticed that I had begun to at times describe terribly violent acts, twitching and smiling, even laughing while doing so, and when provoked, would lash back out as if I was in a trance, with an excess of strength that required multiple people to even half-restrain. They sought a medium, who was certain that it was the work of "several angry spirits strongly tethered to me", and hence hundreds was spent to try and expel said spirits.

Fast forward several years, to 2019. Laughably, with the release of Fire Emblem Three Houses, the house that I initially wanted to attempt was the Golden Deer. I lost interest at Chapter 3, and put away the game for a while. When I tried once more to play, it was with the Black Eagles. I reasoned that it was because I'd heard so much about how they had a route-split, and that it had much to do with Edelgard. Unfortunately, it lost me quickly in the Academy phase too. However, when I had settled on taking one last chance with the Blue Lions, something started to click once the C supports began to unlock.

What I think was my breaking point, though, was Remire Village. At that point, I was so thoroughly and personally invested that witnessing it broke something in me. I recall that I had to put away my switch. I cried myself to sleep with a splitting headache that night. It felt like something so familiar. In some way or another. And it seemed the further I went, the more things made sense about myself.

Looking back on nearly-14-year-old me's accounts, it's oddly laughable how apt the poor lad was in describing people he could not yet recognize proper. Father... Glenn... Stepmother... you really have been there all along.

[mirrorscomic]

MIRRORS: CHAPTER 6

Summary: Patoto and Kinpa are on another mission in Villainverse.  However, things are getting a little dicey for the pair...

Author Notes: heyyy this’ll be the first chapter posted in the new format!  i’m leaving the comic version of the first bit of this chapter up b/c i did work hard on those but i’ve rewritten that part as well.  i hope you enjoy what i have for you, and thank you so much for sticking with me through this project so far!

Time has passed since Patoto’s recovery in the alternate universe.  He and Kinpa are now on a mission on another planet, currently walking along a large rock wall next to some foliage under a pleasant, purple sky.  Things are quiet.

However, it isn’t long before Patoto senses something, almost as if they’re being watched.  He turns his attention to the foliage.  He doesn’t see anything just yet.

Kinpa stops and looks over his shoulder to his bodyguard.  “What is it, Patoto…?”

The larger saiyan suddenly reaches out a hand and fires an energy blast into the foliage.  Before it can hit, a lanky, rough-looking saiyan leaps over it to dodge.  The blast explodes behind him as he lands on the ground on all-fours, glaring directly at Patoto for just a split second before darting forward in an attack.  Patoto catches him, but the force of his approach knocks them both back against the rock wall.

As the attacker snaps his jaws at Patoto’s face, attempting to bite him, he’s flung to the side by a small energy blast fired by Kinpa.  He gets up on his elbows, glaring at the orange-haired saiyan.  He glances at Patoto before lunging forward and leaping over him to try and get to Kinpa, but Patoto quickly grabs him by the tail and yanks him back, causing him to yelp in pain.  Patoto then holds him tightly by the neck and pins him against the wall.

“So, what’s the deal this time?” Patoto asks with a sneer.  “You another hitman or something?”

“How’d you guess?” hisses the trapped saiyan.

“You’re not the first one that’s tried to kill me lately.  Tell me who you are and who sent you.”

The saiyan growls and wriggles in his grip.  “Why should I?”

Patoto tightens his hold in response, choking him.  “Because something tells me you don’t want your windpipe crushed.”

Unable to respond until Patoto loosens his grip, the saiyan bares his teeth, but responds after a moment.  “Fine...it...doesn’t matter, anyway…  My name’s Slane.  I was sent by a guy named Calabris.”

Patoto furrows his brow, the name striking something in his brain.  “Calabris…?  Why does that sound familiar?”

“He said you...took something from him.  He wanted me to...take you out.  So, he...busted me out of prison...to sic me on you.”

“He must have been the one who sent that Namekian, too, then, right?”

“That’s right.”

Patoto finally lets Slane go, dropping him to the ground, where he rubs his neck and pants to catch his breath.  The larger saiyan turns away and walks a few steps, thinking.  “Calabris…  Who is that?  What does he want with me?”

As the other has his back turned, Slane growls lowly.  He suddenly leaps at Patoto, but he’s just as quickly caught between the other’s large hands.  The two lock eyes for a moment…

...and then, in a quick movement, Patoto snaps his neck.  His lifeless body falls to the ground.  Kinpa doesn’t say anything for a few seconds, just looking at the dead body on the ground, though he seems unfazed; he’s seen this before.  “What do we do about this?” he asks, clearly concerned.  “We can’t have someone sending hitmen after you all the time.”

“I guess we’ll just have to wait and see if he rears his head so we can find him,” Patoto responds with a sigh.  “He’ll turn up eventually once he gets tired of losing, I’m sure.  He sounds like a coward to me; he can’t even face me himself.”

Kinpa watches him warily before they continue on their way.

Later that night, the two set up camp next to their pods, complete with a campfire.  Patoto gets comfortable against the rock wall, allowing him to keep an eye on their surroundings, while Kinpa sleeps as best as he can on the other side of the fire.  Patoto takes a while to fall asleep, but eventually, his eyes slowly close, and he dozes off.

In the middle of the night, a silent figure sneakily floats down from the sky and lands behind Kinpa.  No one notices their presence.

Morning comes soon enough, and Patoto’s eyes flutter open.  He almost immediately notices the absence of his partner, becoming alert and looking around.  “Kinpa?”

“Patoto.”

Patoto narrows his eyes as a strange voice comes over his scouter.  “...  You’re not Kinpa.”

“Good observation.”

“Are you Calabris?  What have you done with Kinpa?”

In another area of the planet, a cloaked saiyan holds the stolen scouter while its owner sits unconsciously on the floor, hands tied.  “Oh, don’t worry about him.  He’s here with me.”

Meanwhile, Patoto stands, hair bristling.  “What the hell kind of beef do you have with me?  Who are you?  How do you even know me?”

Calabris can be heard scoffing over the scouter.  “I had a feeling you wouldn’t remember me.  I was in your class.  We fought on the same team.  But when it was time to get promoted, they chose you over me…  A mistake that I won’t let go unchecked.”

Patoto sneers.  “Tell me where you are.  Now.”

“Don’t get too excited, Patoto.  I’m the one pulling the strings here.  You do what I say, and you’ll see him soon enough.”

Patoto growls, but doesn’t respond.  Calabris continues, “I’ll give you the coordinates to our location.  Come here and meet me, and I’ll hand him over to you without a scratch.  Understood?”

Patoto clenches his fists...but lets out a deep breath.  “...  Fine.”

From his ship, Calabris smirks down at his captive.  “...  Good.”

It doesn’t take very long before Patoto is flying across the planet towards the coordinates Calabris gave him.  He lands in a pretty barren part of the planet, save for a few rocks here and there, and looks around for any sign of movement.

Before long, he spots a saiyan walking out from behind a rock pillar.  He has a unique appearance--white hair, striking blue eyes, and pale skin.  Patoto frowns, turning to face the newcomer.  “Are you Calabris?”

The saiyan shakes his head.  “I’m Turnis.”

“Where’s Calabris?”

Instead of answering further, Turnis swipes his hand up, an energy sword forming from it.  It’s clear he isn’t here to talk as he gets into a battle position.

Patoto scowls.  “Fine.  If that’s how you want to do it.”

He moves into his own battle position, and the two stand there for a moment in silence.  All at once, they charge at each other.

Turnis attempts striking with his sword right off the bat, but Patoto manages to dodge it just as it swings by him and slams into the ground, debris flying up everywhere as the ground cracks.  Patoto then fires energy blasts to try and get some distance between them, but Turnis simply slices through them with his sword.

The white-haired saiyan then goes for a leaping strike, swinging his sword above his head, but Patoto catches it between his hands.  They glare at each other for a few tense moments before Patoto flings the sword to the side and immediately punching him, then kicking him away.

Turnis skids to a stop and retracts his sword, seeming to be changing tactics.  He holds his hands up close to his chest, focusing his energy there.  Suddenly, the energy shoots out from his hands in many missile-like blasts.  Patoto runs quickly in order to dodge them.  While he does this, he swipes his hand around and fires his own energy spears back at Turnis, who leaps up to dodge them.  While up in the air, he charges up what looks to be a high-powered energy blast, and Patoto stops to ready his own in response.  The two fire their attacks, and the struggle begins.

It seems the two are quite evenly matched at first, neither of them giving up ground.  However, with one determined push and a battle cry, Patoto increases his energy output enough to overpower Turnis’ beam and knock him back.  He falls limply to the ground, but he isn’t dead; Patoto made sure not to kill him just yet.

Defeated, Turnis rolls over onto his hands and knees.  He’s out of breath.  Patoto approaches, but stops a few feet away from him.  Turnis doesn’t look up.  “What are you waiting for?  Finish me off like all the others wanted to.”

Patoto furrows his brow.  “What the hell are you talking about?”

“All you elites have ever done was want me dead.  Now you finally have the opportunity.  Why not take it?”

Patoto seems confused, but then sighs impatiently.  “Look, guy, I don’t know what your problem is, but all I want to know is where Kinpa is being held.  If you tell me that, I won’t lay another finger on you.”

That seems to surprise the other, who looks up at him suspiciously.  “You’re not going to kill me?”

“I have more important things to do.  Anyway, why the hell are you working for Calabris?  He was in the same class as me.”

Turnis blinks in confusion.  “What?”

“He’s practically an elite, too.  Did he not tell you?”

There’s a silence as Turnis hesitates.  “...  No.  He didn’t.”

“Tell me where he’s keeping my partner, and I’ll let you go.”

Turnis finally manages to sit up, looking at the ground.  It seems he’s ready to talk.  “...  Calabris has him in his ship due north from here.  He was waiting for me to kill you and bring your body back before dealing with your partner.”

Patoto growls, nodding his head to the side.  “Get out of here.”

Hesitating for just a moment, Turnis rises to his feet.  He then lifts into the air, flying away with only a single glance back at the saiyan who allowed him to keep his life.

Back at Calabris’ ship, Kinpa is still unconscious on the floor of the control room while Calabris paces around impatiently.  Footsteps can be heard soon enough, and Calabris stops with his back turned to the doorway that Patoto is currently standing in.  He smirks a little.  “...  I see you took care of Turnis.”

Patoto doesn’t look like he wants to chat.  “He’s out of the picture.  I’m here for Kinpa.”

Calabris turns to look at his apparent enemy, flicking his singed tail underneath his cloak.  “You say that as if I’m going to make it that easy on you.”

Patoto glares darkly as he steps forward, but he stops when Calabris holds up a hand with an energy blast ready to be fired directly at Kinpa’s head.  “Ah, ah…  Surrender now, or he dies.”

That stops Patoto.  He clenches his fists, but backs off.  “Fine.  Do what you want with me, but let him go.”

This seems to please Calabris.  “Come a little closer.”

Frowning, Patoto takes a few cautious steps forward again.  He doesn’t see Calabris’ hand slip into his cloak and pull out a small device with a button on it, which he presses.  This activates a mechanism involving two metal clasps that shoot out from the floor and clamp around Patoto’s wrists before a high-voltage electric shock is sent through his body, causing him to cry out in pain before he falls to the ground onto his knees.

Calabris lowers his hand with a small laugh and decides to walk around Patoto, watching him.  “They let just about anybody be elites nowadays, don’t they?  You’re so easy.”  He walks back around to Kinpa, raising his hand with another energy blast ready to go.  “Let me just take care of this first before I get to you.”

Patoto yanks at his restraints, but is unable to break them.  “No!  You said you’d let him go!”

“I don’t remember saying anything like that.  I want this to be as painful as possible for you; why would I let him live?  At least he’s unconscious.  He won’t feel a thing.”

Patoto watches as his partner helplessly sits on the ground with the energy blast aimed directly for his temple.  This can’t be it!  He can’t let him do this!  “No…  No!!”

He tugs at his restraints a little harder, anger building up inside his chest...  

“NO!!!”

Suddenly, Patoto explodes in a bright burst of energy and power.  His dark hair turns a brilliant blonde, and his eyes change to blue.  He easily breaks through the restraints now, startling Calabris as he jumps to his feet.

Calabris barely has time to react as Patoto grabs him by the collar of his cloak and swipes him around to where he’s away from Kinpa.  He stares daggers into the frightened saiyan’s odd-colored eyes and holds a hand up.  Without hesitation, he fires a huge energy blast, destroying Calabris in one attack that blasts through the ship’s hull and into the sky.

Time passes after Calabris is taken care of, and eventually Kinpa awakens.  When he opens his eyes, he’s being carried through the sky by Patoto, who looks down at him.  If he looks hard enough, Kinpa can see what seems to be relief in the bodyguard’s eyes.  They both return to their ships, safe with each other.

[themangolorian]

look how long this love can hold its breath (ALT part 5)

I’m a mess and wasn’t happy with this as the final product so, for lack of a better word, the canon Chapter 5 can be found below. I won’t take this down just to be fair, but I’ll unlink it from my masterlist and the other chapters. i’m so sorry for being all over the place but thank you all for being so understanding.

Real Chapter 5

pairing: javier peña x reader

summary: (slow burn/fake married) When Pablo Escobar escalates his war on Colombian law enforcement, the DEA is getting desperate to pin down his location. Reader is forced to go undercover with another agent, one she can’t stand, Javier Peña. Worst of all, she’ll have to try to infiltrate the Cali Cartel while pretending to be Peña’s wife.

words: 5.7k

warnings: (18+ only) strong language, violence, sexual/explicit content.

a/n: all i can say is thank you all so much for being patient and waiting for this update. 💖 i know it’s been forever and i hope to have part 6 out much sooner than that. 😩 i hope there are still interested readers! please mind the warnings. 🛑 this chapter contains especially explicit sexual content so please please please don’t read if you’re under 18. 🛑 please enjoy! 💕💜❤️💖(p.s. not all the tags below actually linked but i’ll do my best to let anyone it didn’t tag know individually that i updated b/c i can’t think of a better system 😩)

You sucked in ragged breaths as you ran, your side starting to pinch painfully. The warm humid air of the jungle made it impossible to fill your lungs as you ran. You could hear Peña’s panicked breathing at your side and just behind you. Urging you on under his breath as low as he could. Every time you thought the voices of the men behind you had started to fade, one would yell. Each time, they sounded closer than the last. The roar of a small engine, like that of an ATV, sounded suddenly. Instinctively, you knew headlights would follow. A split second before it would have been too late, you dived sideways into Peña. And then you were both falling, tumbling down a steep ravine. Bright lights pierced the now empty air where you’d just been running.

30 Hours Earlier

“Are you alright?” You jumped in your skin when Peña barked the question at you, but your eyes were still darting in terror between Mario’s body and the half-open barn door behind which would appear any second a dozen narcos.

Luckily Peña was not so frozen in fear as you. He was suddenly in front of you, drawing your attention away from what you could only think of as looming doom. He studied you with eyes too soft given the circumstances but when he seemed satisfied, he swiftly moved into action.

Before you could stop him, not that your trembling hands would have allowed it, he was ripping the band and gun from around your exposed thigh. Then he was dropping to his knee and scattering hay out of his way. You opened your dry lips to question him when you suddenly understood: he was hiding the gun.

Peña dropped the weapon in a loose patch of dirt and shifted the hay back over the spot until it was piled high, then pulled you away from the wall.

The shouts and sounds of men talking excitedly were growing louder. They were almost to the barn. Peña pulled you behind him as he made his way to Mario’s body. There, he crouched down and swiftly pulled the now dead man’s gun from the back of his jeans, flipped the safety off, cocked the hammer and then shoved it into the man’s slowly stiffening grip.

Then Peña was turning toward the barn door.

“Espérate,” you managed to croak, your throat almost too tight with fear to speak. Your hand went to the strap of your dress, and you yanked, but your hands were shaky and you couldn’t-

“Déjame.” His voice was nearly tender but then he was roughly ripping the dress strap, jolting you off-balance.

Before you could stop him, Peña was scooping you up in his arms.

“Tienes que llorar.” He reminded you quietly as he strode towards the door of the barn, and you swore you could hear your heart beating through your chest.

You’d never before had to improvise while undercover to this extent, but as you felt more unbidden tremors pass through you, you knew suddenly it was not going to be difficult.

You curled into Peña’s neck as if seeking protection, your nails digging into his shoulder. Before you could stop yourself, the flood of fear and adrenaline you’d been holding back was released. For the first time in Peña’s presence, you began to weep. You were grateful that he merely thought you were putting on an act.

Cradling you in his arms, Peña strode out of the barn. He managed to make the power of his stride appear to be borne out of anger instead of urgency.

“¡Te lo dije, Pacho!” he raged at the man, only one among the many of those approaching.

The group of mostly men, some wide-eyed women, froze in their tracks.

“¿Qué es esto?” Pacho looked bewilderedly past the two of you into the barn where you were sure he could see- the results of what had transpired.

Peña didn’t slow his stride. “Ese hijoeputa tocó a mi mujer. ¡Te dije que iba pasar!” Peña spit out, rage evident in his tone.

“Mario. Muerto.” You heard called out indistinctly from the barn by the men who had rushed in.

Something went hard in Pacho’s jaw, but he was looking at the barn, not at either of you.

Still cowering into Peña’s shoulder, you could feel the tension in the air. Could hear through omission the way everything had gone quiet. As if the entire surrounding jungle was aware that a single sound might break through the lull, transform it into an explosion.

You felt someone brush past and knew from the heady scent of cologne it was Pacho.

Peña you were sure gave no outer indications that he was worried, but you could feel his arms tensing around you.

Then-

Pacho spit in the direction of the barn.

“¡Al fin!”

You released the breath you’d been holding when you felt Peña’s arms go slack with relief. But then he was pulling you closer, his hand cupping the back of your head gently.

The gesture alone brought fresh, real tears to your eyes, and you released a sob you hadn’t realized you’d been holding back. You heard the murmur of distress among the women.

Then Pacho was commanding his men to get rid of the body.

“¿Estás bien, ángel?” You felt a hand brush your arm but ignored the sentiment. Pacho could put on the appearance of being kind, but he was still dangerous.

Then Pacho was putting his arm around Peña’s shoulder and leading you both back towards the mansion, murmuring apologies under his breath and commending Peña for killing the son of a bitch.

Several yards later, Peña put you down gently but drew you into his side covering the back of your head with one large hand, letting you hide your face in his chest. You wrapped your arms tightly around his waist. While part of you hoped the gesture was convincing, there was another part of you that knew the embrace was genuine - at least for you. Although his holding you was necessary for the charade, you weren’t sure you could get through the next several minutes without his arms around you.

When Peña attempted an explanation as to why he’d taken things as far as he had, Pacho waved it away, reassuring him that Mario had had it coming for years, almost as if he didn’t want to hear what kind of monster he’d actually had in his employ.

Once back at the mansion, Pacho barked out instructions to his staff, directing them to start a hot bath in your room and to provide you with strong warm brandy.

At the foot of the stairs, he clutched Peña’s shoulder and apologized again, assured him that had Peña not killed Mario, he himself would have.

“Que se sientas mejor, mija,” he murmured, a hand lightly at your back, before departing.

You thanked Pacho in a choked voice and Peña draped his arm protectively around your back as he held you at his side now.

You clung to Peña until the two of you were back in the familiar bathroom, and even then you didn’t detach yourself completely. He too seemed reluctant to let you go. Instead he dismissed the staff kindly, thanking them warmly. Only when the door was closed did he extricate himself - gently - from your grip, so as to lock the bedroom door securely behind the staff. Then he was crouching next to the sink to ensure the gun you had stowed there remained in place.

Peña turned to you as if to express disbelief about having survived the ordeals of the last hour. But when his eyes landed on you, something in them softened, and he closed his mouth, as if changing his mind about what to say.

It was then you realized you were shivering despite not being cold. You lifted a hand and stared at it, watching bewilderedly as it shook of its own accord. Then your teeth were chattering.

Peña was in front of you in the next second. He seemed to hesitate, but then his much larger, warmer hand was enveloping yours and you closed your eyes at the warmth that simple gesture brought to your entire body. The next thing you knew, his other hand was taking your chin and lifting it. You opened your eyes narrowly to see him staring down at you in concern. The softness in his eyes struck you with a tenderness so intense that it almost hurt.

“You’re alright.” He promised. “He’s dead.”

And you had to close your eyes again to prevent him seeing your tears. The hand at your chin went to your cheek, and you felt his long fingers brushing against your temple lightly. You let your cheek rest heavily in his palm.

He squeezed your other hand and you felt a surge of panic when he began to withdraw both of his hands away from you, sure his intent was to leave you alone in the bathroom. But you suppressed the urge to keep hold of him, frightened somehow that such an attempt would make you seem weak.

You barely noted the regret his eyes held as he backed away towards the bathroom door. “Bañate…y hablaremos.”

You stared at the door as it closed behind him, saying nothing. Your teeth chattered violently as shivers ran through you though you were not actually cold. Your eyes drifted blankly towards the bathtub, the surface of which was steaming, but there was something foreboding and dark about the bottom of the deep tub. You eyed the shower now instead but couldn’t seem to draw forward the strength you needed just to move toward it.

So you stood there in place, shaking. Later you wouldn’t be able to say how much time had passed during which you just stood there with your eyes closed trying to keep your mind blank. Trying not to think about Mario’s cold blank eyes, about the moment you’d seen the life leave his eyes. You’d been around death before, but never so close.

You didn’t hear the door open, but you felt his warm presence, heard the slip of his bare feet on the cold tile, and so were not startled when he took your hands in his. You didn’t open your eyes, too afraid to look at him, afraid of what your reaction might be, could not stand to break in front of anyone again, least of all Peña.

He let go of your fingers and suddenly his large warm hands were running up and down your biceps as if trying to rub warmth into them. “You’re okay,” he said hoarsely, his tone of voice so different than usual. “You’re okay.”

He seemed to make a decision then. He let go of you again but then you heard the shower door squeaking open, heard the water blast to life. Not a minute later you could feel the heat and steam emanating from the open door. The next thing you knew, he was draping his arm supportingly around your waist, shifting most of your weight to him and leading you into the open shower.

You gasped in both surprise and delight when the steaming water hit your still clothed body. Slowly the cold that had somehow seized you began to dissipate.

Peña did not leave you. You stood, leaning against his broad chest, his hands gently clutching your arms. He began trailing his fingers lightly up and down the surface of your arms, displacing water as it fell. His touch was gentle, so gentle; it was hard to equate such softness with Peña.

So you opened your eyes to see it for yourself. His long fingers trailed over your wrists, then circled your hand so that the backs of your hands were resting in his palms. He used his thumbs to rub soothing circles into your palms for several seconds. He relaxed his grip on your hands and ran his fingers back up each of your arms to your shoulders, his nails lightly grazing your only now slightly tremoring skin.

You followed Peña’s hand with your eyes until you found your head turned, your gaze meeting his. You’d expected to find him uncertain, hesitant. Instead, you happened across a sweet openness and understanding. His dark eyes were wide open and viewing you with an intensity you weren’t used to, that made your eyelashes flutter now in your own uncertainty. There was concern and worry there too but they seemed secondary to whatever else was happening in his gaze.

Peña’s hands continued to traverse the planes of your skin, one skimming lightly across your collarbone, the other sliding down along the back of your arm. The shivers now racking your body were vastly different from those you’d had before. His hand fluttered up your neck until your jaw was resting in the large palm of his hand. His thumb brushed your cheek. You wanted to close your eyes again but could not tear your gaze away. Had his eyes always been so expressive and mournful?

His other hand found its way to your stomach as he furtively pulled you the last inch back into him. The movement, finding yourself flush against him, awoke something more in you now than just curiosity or relief. You found yourself hit suddenly with an onslaught of lust, a wave of bright hot desire that threatened to envelop you fully if you did nothing to satisfy it.

His eyes darkened at whatever flash he saw in yours. In the same moment, you were turning in his arms and he was swooping down at you.

The kiss was nothing like the brief one you’d shared before for show. Instead there was a clashing of teeth and a bruising of lips. You fumbled desperately at him, your arms clutching the back of his neck, dragging him down to your lips. He was scrabbling at you just as urgently, clasping your body tightly against his as he plunged his tongue into your mouth.

You moaned involuntarily, and Peña’s hips bucked into yours at the sound. A growl tore its way from his throat and he was backing you into the shower wall, water spraying every which way from the abrupt movements of your bodies beneath its stream. Without relinquishing the kiss, he was pinning your wrists almost gently against the cold shower wall, pressing his wet t-shirt and boxer shorts up against your torn dress.

You cried out into his mouth when you felt the stiffness of him at your hip. You grinded against him as you sucked on his tongue, trying to make the kiss as deep and intense as possible. No matter how much you gave into your desire, you felt as if you could not get enough. He seemed to share the sentiment- because then he was letting go of your wrists and dropping his hands to your behind and squeezing the flesh of your ass roughly, pulling you into him. Your hands dropped into his hair and you gripped it tightly, eliciting another husky groan from him.

Now he was lifting you with a fervent urgency, hooking your legs around his waist so that you were pinned against the tile only by the weight of both his body and desire. He broke the kiss to a moan of disappointment from you but was then sucking your bottom lip into his mouth, running his tongue along your flesh before letting it go and nibbling gently on it, all the while rocking his hips into yours, creating a frantic friction that was building both your desires to an anguishing high.

Then Peña’s lips were trailing down your chin to your neck where he kissed, sucked and nibbled at the skin there. All you could do was clutch his hair and surge your body forward into his.

You dropped one hand down to clutch desperately between your bodies, wanting to feel his length with your bare skin.

He let out a choked groan when you found the outline of his cock in his pants and squeezed.

“Please,” you begged, forgetting how to voice precisely what you wanted from him and hoping the appeal would be enough. “Please.”

“Fuck,” Peña’s voice was rough, as if he was drunk or had just woken up.

You nearly shrieked when he dropped you, but you landed agilely on your feet, gripping his hips. Then you were helping him peel the tight wet t shirt up and away from his skin. The shirt landed with a loud slap against the shower floor when he threw it, but you were already yanking his boxer shorts down, falling to your knees as you went.

You found your lips level with his cock and did not think twice before surging forward, your lips eagerly open. He gripped your head roughly with a guttural moan as you took him into your mouth. Your lips formed a tight o around his girth as you pulled back to run your tongue over his tip, enjoying the taste of his arousal on your tongue. He sucked air sharply in through his teeth, his grip on your head almost painful, but it was as if you could no longer feel pain.

You kissed the tip of his cock and then took him back into your mouth and began bobbing up and down, hallowing your cheeks and lapping at him with your tongue as you went.

“Así,” he grunted. “Así.” The word set your cunt to throbbing and you moaned.

When his hips began jerking almost involuntarily, he stopped you with a rough grip at your jaw. He thrust twice into your mouth, until his cock hit the back of your throat and you gagged.

“Fuck,” Peña rasped, jerking backwards.

He slipped out of your mouth with a loud pop but you had only a second to breathe before he was hauling you back up to him and capturing your lips once again, somehow more passionately than before. He ran his tongue over your teeth, tasting himself, before pulling away to take the hem of your ruined dress in his hands. Then-

Peña hesitated, his eyes going soft as he glanced up at yours, no doubt clouded with desire. A question. As if he was worried about being too forceful with you. Your chest went weak and you licked your swollen lips before leaning down to press a soft kiss to the corner of his lips, then another directly on his mouth, taking his bottom lip between your teeth as you broke the kiss.

You lifted your own dress now up and over your head. His hands joined yours, taking the torn dress from your grip where it joined the discarded t-shirt in a soaking pile of forgotten clothing.

Peña focused his eyes on yours for a second more, as if ensuring this was what you wanted. Then he dropped his gaze to take in the sight of your body. A sharp intake of breath that somehow made you more shy than had he not reacted at all. He seemed entranced. When he met your now bashful gaze, his eyes had darkened somehow further, desire dilating his pupils fully.

“You’re so fucking beautiful,” Peña said slowly, deliberately. He was at his gentlest now, cradling your face in his palm as he leaned down again to take your lips with his. This kiss was sensuous and so much more intentional than all the others. He took his time, devoting attention to every inch of your lips and tongue, even running his own tongue across the roof of your mouth. “So fucking beautiful,” he repeated deliriously after breaking the kiss again.

Too shy and unsure how to respond, you grasped his hand and brought it to your lips, wanting to somehow show the same level of devotion without words. You brought his fingers to your lips and kissed them softly all at once, then each individually, all the while keeping eye contact with him. His eyes flashed inscrutably with something more than just desire.

Peña’s index finger snagged on your lips, and he traced the outline of them briefly before you were opening your mouth to allow him access. His middle finger joined his index and he groaned. You closed your eyes in pleasure at the sound and sucked the digits, wetting them with your spit, running your tongue between them, letting him briefly fuck your mouth.

Then he was pulling his fingers out and you opened your eyes just as his fingers found your clit. You cried out, feeling your knees go weak, as you clutched his wrist, though you did not stop him. Using the fingers you’d wet with your mouth, he rubbed light circles over your clit. He had only to dip one finger lower to find you inconceivably wet.

“Fuck,” Peña gasped, gathering the wetness and dragging it over your clit so that you were almost crying his name.

You pushed desperately at his hand until he lowered it further again and you gasped loudly when his middle finger entered you first.

“Please,” you begged, catching his gaze, glad to see your hunger for this reflected overtly back your way.

“Fucking- so tight,” he muttered as if stringing words together incomprehensibly.

With your grip on his wrist, Peña began to pump his fingers into you, curling them inwards, hitting a spot that made your vision go half blurry.

“Please,” you sobbed again and Peña’s fingers stopped, still buried inside you.

He was suddenly at eye level, gave you one long blazing kiss, then whispered into your ear. “Tell me what you want.”

The tenor of his voice, the demand, almost made your knees buckle. Your head dropped to his shoulder. But you were no more than your want in the moment.

“Fuck me,” you breathed into his skin, wet from the still running shower.

Peña nudged your head aside and put his lips to your neck, kissing, then gently biting the exposed skin there. “What?” He said softly into your skin.

You bit back the frustrated moan, not wanting to give in, not wanting him to see the depth of your desire. But then his fingers began thrusting into you again, curling up into that spot that made you forget yourself.

“Fuck me,” you groaned again. He nipped at your earlobe and you cried out at the sensations coursing through you. “Fuck me,” you begged, louder. “Please fuck me.” You nudged at his jaw with your forehead until his lips were visible then surged up at him, capturing his lips in another bruising and demanding kiss. The movement dislodged his hand and his cock brushed lightly up against your slit.

Peña stiffened and let out a painful groan. Now he was the one losing control. He ran his fingers roughly up against your clit once more. Before you could even cry out in pleasure, he was pulling you behind him as he threw himself down on the built-in shower bench, dragging you after him. He sat on the edge and jerked you to him, directing one knee, then the other to the tiles on either side of his legs, so you were straddling him.

You could feel his stiff cock brushing the inside of your thigh. You were so drunk with want that you felt one more touch without completion might break you. His hands were on your hips but he made no move to sheathe himself in you. He leaned back, indicating you were free to continue at your own pace. You gazed down at him wondrously, studying the depth of Peña’s expressive eyes, the way shower water made his eyelashes sparkle with drops of wayward water.

Your cunt was throbbing with need, but you found yourself soft, yet again so soft, in the presence of a man you’d never thought you could feel such things with. You’d been with your fair share of men, but not one of them had made you feel a fraction of the emotion currently coursing through you. Surprising even yourself, you leaned forward to kiss him deeply, willing into it what you were feeling that he might understand the gift he was giving you, one you hoped you were adequately reciprocating. Before breaking the kiss, your warm hand found his dick and Peña gasped now into your open mouth and you smiled against the outline of his lips, laving at them once with your tongue.

His grip on your hips tightened almost painfully as you guided his cock to your entrance. You met his eyes with yours, intent to watch him as you sank down on him.

Peña let out a ragged, harsh moan, his fingers digging so deeply into your skin you were sure he would leave bruises. But the pleasure you felt drowned out the pain as your eyes shot closed, your lips forming an o of pleasure. He was so big and filled you so fully. Your cunt pulsed around him, though you did not move, and he groaned again almost as if in disbelief.

You only realized you’d been holding your breath when you let it out and began breathing shakily again. Your hands gripped his shoulders tightly, anchoring you as you lifted yourself back up until only the tip of his cock was within you. You could feel him slightly shaking beneath you from the pleasure of it all as you sunk back down on him. He filled you impossibly more than before and your back arched as your cunt sucked in his length greedily.

Peña’s eyes rolled back in his head as you began to ride him and his hips began to grind up into you each time you sunk down. Almost as if not knowing what to do with his head, he turned it to kiss the hand you rested on his right shoulder. Briefly he helped you bounce up and down on him, his hands tightly gripping your hips, but as you caught momentum, his hands traveled up to yours, taking them. Your fingers linked together and that was suddenly your leverage as you rode him up and down. His hips jerked upwards again and again.

You could feel yourself tensing from the tips of your toes to the top of your head, almost as if any one movement could shatter you as you held yourself together so tightly. Peña’s breathing grew ragged as you sunk down on him over and over, squeezing your muscles as you went. Both of you were shaking. Any second now-

You cried out in frustration when Peña lifted you completely off him. Your pussy pulsed almost painfully at the loss of his cock. But you had no time to react. Suddenly you were sitting in Peña’s place and he had fallen to his knees and twisted around. Before you could say or do anything, he was burying his face-

You cried out jaggedly, your spread thighs trembling uncontrollably as Peña’s tongue hit your clit, already sopping wet. He sucked your clit between his lips, then ran his tongue downwards and blessedly towards your entrance before dragging it upwards and running it over your clit again. The sounds his mouth were making against your cunt, even with the shower running loudly still in the background, were obscene. He moaned in satisfaction, as if he’d been waiting impatiently to taste you.

“You taste so fucking good,” his groan reverberated through you.

Then Peña’s fingers, wet with your juices, were plunging into your cunt. You whimpered loudly at each and every sensation. His mouth on your clit. His fingers pumping frantically into you. The way his nose brushed against your clit every time he furled his tongue downwards. Suddenly his other hand jerked out of your grip and he was pushing down on your belly just as his fingers curled upwards inside of you.

Your cunt pulsed intensely then and you lost your vision, seeing only black for several seconds as something within you shattered. Your release hit you in waves and you melted backwards into the glass and tile of the shower. A cross between a growl and a scream left your throat, the rest of the noise trapped in your throat. You felt wetness spurting from between your legs. Almost distantly, as if from above, you saw Peña hovering open-mouthed just above your cunt, licking his lips, saw the wetness of your juices smeared across his lips, chin and cheeks, caught in his mustache. You whimpered weakly, barely managing to breathe out his name as your body quivered in the aftershock of it all, feeling almost too weak to move.

You cried out when Peña leaned forward to lap at you one last time. The sensation was too much and gave you enough of a jolt to make you sit up and pull away from him. But at the same time, you were urging him up to face level so as to kiss him yet again. You could taste yourself on his lips and found your tongue darting out to catch remnants of your orgasm from his chin and lips, wondering what his reaction would be. His groan did not disappoint and you made a point of kissing along his upper lip, cheek and chin, gathering your own juices before returning to his mouth and kissing him deeply, tongues swirling around one another.

You were the one to break the kiss this time, and Peña’s lips followed yours upward, searchingly, wanting more. But it was your turn to take control. You pushed him away gently so you could stand unsteadily on shaking legs. You found his dick blindly with one hand and pumped once, twice, so he was bucking into your hand. But then you were turning away from him swiftly and bending over, against the cool shower tile, arching your back and spreading your legs wide.

“Fuck.” He spit. “Fuck.”

“Fuck me,” you ordered him now, looking back from where your cheek was pressed up against the tile.

He wasted no time in gripping your hips and sliding his cock along your slit. You yelped when his head slid over your clit. Then he was positioning his cock at your entrance and sinking into your wet cunt. You couldn’t stop the sharp cry that left your lips. The sensation was once again too much and not enough all at once. But Peña seemed past thinking. He pounded into you, sinking deeper than you had even managed to get him while riding him.

Your eyes rolled back in your head and you cried desperately into the cold tile, partly in pain, mostly in pleasure. His fingers gripped your ass tightly, as he snapped into you.

“Carajo,” he was muttering, his words slurred. “Fuck,” he managed as he slammed into you one more time before-

You swallowed half a scream when he hit your cervix, feeling your own pleasure building yet again. He stiffened behind you, freezing in place. A guttural groan. Then you could feel his cock within you spurting his pleasure deep into your core. He was coming inside of you. The realization itself, the throbbing of his cock within you and the noises he was making drove you once again to the edge. You gasped in surprise, then let out a long loud keening moan when your climax hit again as your cunt began pulsing around him.

“Jesus fuc-“ Peña’s hand slapped hard against the shower wall as your walls clenched tighter around him. Then he was half collapsing over your back, his cheek resting against just the back of your neck. You felt his shuddering breath against your wet skin. Then- a kiss. And another. Soft and sensuous as his cock slipped out of your still pulsating cunt.

You felt your knees beginning to give out. He seemed to anticipate that and before you could fall, one strong large arm came around your middle to hold you up to him.

Then Peña was standing you both up straight. He watched you with wide, soulful eyes. His hands came up to run lightly over the sides of your face. He took your chin in one hand, tilted your head up and kissed you once, twice. Then the tip of your nose. Your forehead. Fully sated, you let your head fall against his chest now. He held you like that for a few more moments, then leaned away briefly to finally shut off the stream of water behind you both.

The sudden silence in the shower did nothing to stop the roaring in your ears at the earth shattering orgasms you’d just experienced, especially not when it was magnified by the way Peña leaned down again to kiss the side of your neck, your shoulder, his mustache tickling you slightly.

Then he took your hand and led you on your trembling legs out of the shower. He was gone briefly before returning with two large warm white towels. Letting you just stand there, he wrapped one cozily around you, folding it over to keep it in place before wrapping the other around his waist. His arm went around your shoulder and he led you as if in a trance back out to the bedroom where he’d thrown the covers back so all you had to do was climb in. When you did, you shifted over to the middle of the bed. Without question, he slipped in after you, covering you both with the blankets.

His arm went sturdily around your waist as he curled his body around yours from behind. You shivered once, now with only pleasure and contentment. Your eyes closed when his lips pursed against the back of your neck once more.

“Duérmete, corazón. I’ll watch over you.”

Feeling more content than you had in years, you let yourself finally melt into him and give in to the demand of sleep hanging over you. Your last sensation of consciousness was the way Peña was rubbing the back of your hand that he held in his.