#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 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 can't straining to see that pile of bones in the dark in the 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 on 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 for 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 a random plot twist like with gabriel and lennox being cousins like that 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?

[sylphidine]

[Fic] Call Signs, Chapter 24

Fandom: Deltarune

‘Verse: Human AU

Pairing: Swatch/Spamton [Swatchton]

Characters: Swatch Paletta, Spamton Addison, T.M. Tanner [Tasque Manager], Mike Cowley

Rating: Mature

Chapter title: Exact Time To Failure, Part One

Chapter summary: Spamton's life seems to be resuming an even keel in the week before the 'quarter birthday' party he's planning for Swatch. Swatch, on the other hand, has a realization which sends their feelings into rough seas.

Author notes:  

No trigger or content warnings in this chapter. Any NSFW action is left to the reader's imagination.

Thank you all for your continued support of this story, and for your patience in waiting for updates. I did not expect to take quite this long a hiatus in posting chapters.

Many thanks to @jaimistoryteller for helping me to refine the midsection of this chapter.

Again, as in previous chapters, flashback scenes are in italics, and present-day scenes are in regular type.

_________________

The next day, Spamton woke up happy.  He woke up warm and secure. He never wanted to leave this bed.

He held his right arm bent at an angle, so that his hand was tucked under the pillow under his head.

His left arm was wrapped around Swatch, his left hand under Swatch’s thermal top and curled up at rest in the thick springy curls of Swatch’s chest hair. There was barely an inch of space between his nose and Swatch’s back, and he closed the gap to nestle flat up against them.

Both of Spamton’s legs were lying between Swatch’s as the other lay on their right side, their own right arm and hand crooked up under their own pillows, their left hand lying loose on top of the covers. He cautiously wiggled one sock-clad foot to make sure he wouldn’t get a cramp. Swatch’s left leg was bent at enough of an angle that not all their weight rested on Spamton’s calf.  Even in sleep, Swatch couldn’t fail to be courteous. 

Their chest rose and fell in even breaths under Spamton’s hand. Warm, alive, and just so… beautiful?  Yes, that was the word for Swatch.

He hadn’t realized he’d said the word “beautiful” out loud until he felt rather than heard Swatch’s laugh. 

For a split second he was embarrassed to have been caught, but then he mentally shrugged and decided it was his opinion and that’s all there was to it. He nuzzled his face into Swatch’s back even more firmly and started crooning, “ Beeee-yooo-tee-fulllll dreeeeeeeeeeeeeeamer, wake unto meeeeee… ”

Swatch shook with the effort of not laughing, but eventually a snort escaped them. Their voice had a rusty sound as they spoke. “You are either blind as a bat or lacking a sense of smell, considering where that pointy nose of yours is stuck. Probably both.”

At that, Spamton sat up in bed. He crossed his arms in mock offense and tossed back, “P-p-p-pointy nose? That’s funny, c-c-coming from someb-body with a nose like a b-bird beak.” 

That got Swatch to turn over and open their eyes to look directly at him  “I’ll have you know that this nose comes from countless generations of royalty and even more generations of hard workers.” Spamton looked away and stuck his own nose further in the air, but his lips were twitching to show he knew Swatch wasn’t really annoyed. 

“So you w-want me to say you stink? Okay, you stink.”

Swatch reached up and Spamton leaned towards them, letting them pull him onto their chest. He buried his nose in Swatch’s armpit and blew a raspberry, while at very nearly the same time Swatch rubbed the side of their face against his messy hair and then sputtered, “Ugh, you stink too. Guess we both should have showered last night after walking across half the city.” They gracefully rolled out from under Spamton and moved towards the side of the bed, only to have him grab them around their waist and whine, “N-noooooo, don’t gooooooo, I’m c-c-cold.”

“Then come with me. A shower will warm us both up.” They raised their arm and sniffed under it, grimacing. “When you’re right, you’re right. I do stink. Starlight and dewdrops are NOT waiting for me, unless you’re getting me a new body wash.” Swatch got to their feet and headed towards the bedroom door, pulling off their thermals as they went and throwing them on top of the laundry basket in the corner.

Grumbling halfheartedly, Spamton followed, shucking his own nightwear as fast as he could while enjoying the view in front of him. 

___________________

"Th-thanks for the ride, Swatch," Spamton said as Swatch guided the Corolla into a space in front of the campus library. "It's sure a lot c-colder out here today than yesterday." "You're welcome. What time do you get off shift again?"

"It - it should be around 5. But you don't have to  - have to p-p-pick me up, I can meet you guys at Luigi's."

"It's no sweat. I'm not going to jeopardize our two-income household by having you get pneumonia. Or me for that matter."

"Okay, if you insist, you c-can pick me up. But hopefully we'll both have b-b-better paying jobs someday. And c-can afford two - two cars."

Spamton got out and went around to the driver's side. Swatch rolled down the window to peck their partner on the lips.

They kept their cheerful expression until Spamton disappeared through the library doors.

Once he was out of sight, their smile fell away. 

It was suddenly very hard to breathe.

______________

T.M. was sprawled on the sofa studying in her own dorm for a change, since GiGi was spending the weekend with Leroux and his son. 

When her phone suddenly chimed with the “interstellar” tone it startled her, seemingly louder than normal. 

Without looking at the ID, she picked up the call and said, “Hey Birdman, what’s up?” Stretching a bit, she didn’t actually give them a chance to immediately answer, “I haven’t forgotten that it’s Luigi night.”

They huffed, “No, that’s not why I called.” The phone picked up the sound of her building door sliding open. “Ummmm…” the hesitation was a bit concerning, but she didn’t want to assume anything, “any chance I could stop by, Moggy? I’m on campus anyway.”

It became her turn to huff, amused as she pointed out, “When have you ever needed to ASK, Swatch? C’mon up, since I figure you’re down in the lobby.”

“Drat.” They muttered something unintelligible, then asked a bit more clearly, “What gave it away?”

“Oh you know,” she said coyly, “There’s that weird echoey sound when the door opens and shuts.”

This time their huff was closer to a frustrated laugh. “I need to get sneakier then. “I’ll be there in a minute.””

At least Swatch is still teasing. That’s a good sign, T.M. thought to herself.

They were upstairs and had wrapped themselves around her before the minute was even up, face buried in the crook of her neck as if breathing her in. 

Or not.

“Hey, hey,” she murmured, running her hands in gentle strokes along their back. The fact that she could feel their muscles knotted with tension through their winter jacket was worrisome. “What’s wrong?”

T.M. wasn't sure how long they stood there. It felt like hours and only a breath all at once, since Swatch didn’t reply. She kept the gentle pressure up until their entire body trembled in a sigh, breath hot against her neck as they released it and stepped away, blindly heading over to the window to stare at the overcast sky. 

Ah, the aftermath of an anxiety attack.  That she could deal with. She returned to her spot on the sofa, drawing on past experience and marshaling her inner reserves.

She knew when Swatch was like this, they needed physical comfort. But that being said, comfort had to be on their terms, as their body and mind disagreed whether to draw close or push away. And there was never any consistency in how long that battle would go on. She'd just have to wait it out.

The spot next to her was left open in silent invitation. 

This time it didn’t take Swatch all that long to get to the point where the need for contact won out. They trudged over, sinking into the couch cushion and flopping over so their head was on her lap. As her fingers rhythmically stroked Swatch's hair from the wavy ends upwards towards their skull, she could actually see the tension slowly draining out of them. 

It had never mattered whether she petted their hair or the reverse; it had always been a source of comfort for both of them. She didn’t know why, didn’t even care really. She was simply relieved that it hadn’t changed as they both gotten older. 

Lightly tugging at the end of one of their curls, she mused, “Your hair is getting so long.”

Swatch’s eyes were closed as they hummed, “Mmm-hmm.” Taking a shuddering breath, their voice was low as they continued, “I’m going to have to get it cut. You know, for job interviews.” A touch of bitterness entered their tone, “If I can even get any, this late in the game.”

She took a moment to choose her words as understanding hit. “Is that what has you going all tharn on me?”

“Oh god, THARN.” They huffed, burying their face in her leg to mutter, “ I haven’t heard that word in ages.”

“Stop avoiding the subject, Birdman.” She tugged again lightly on their hair at the beginning of the next stroke. “What brings you to my doorstep for cuddles instead of talking out your blues with your boyfriend?” T.M. continued stroking Swatch’s hair steadily. ”Not that I’m complaining.” She went still before she added, “Unless your boyfriend’s the problem. Then he’ll have to answer to me.”

They rolled to partially face her. “No, please don’t beat up my partner, Moggy.  It’s not his fault. Although…” Swatch’s voice trailed off dejectedly. 

Her eyes narrowed. “Although what?”

They tensed up again, shifting to a sitting position as they let out another full body sigh. Silence reigned until Swatch settled their arm around T.M.’s shoulders. She leaned into them, biting her inner cheek to keep from trying to drag things out of her bestie. It had taken years, but she'd learned that unlike her ever-bubbling speech-before-thought, Swatch's thoughts would just have to take as long as they took, and she would just have to wait.

Finally Swatch quietly said, “Although,” hesitation rife in their tone, “something Spamton said kind of started this ‘runaway train’ thinking in my head.”

T.M. reached over to wrap her fingers around the hand resting half in their lap, half in hers, squeezing reassuringly. She gave them another minute to put their thoughts in something akin to order before prompting, “And that was?”

“The party next week for my ‘quarter birthday’.” There was a heaviness in their voice she hadn’t heard in awhile.  “February 20th. FEBRUARY.” Yet another deep breath. ”February as in three months before graduation.  As in when you and I graduate, and the rest of our real lives are supposed to start.”

Swatch hadn’t even finished explaining when the rest of the situation became clear to T.M.

This isn’t one of those exasperating “nanny goat” moods Swatch sometimes gets into. It’s not just a random existential crisis. It’s their ability to overthink combined with everything in the last year. Why didn't I see that Swatch essentially put their life on hold? 

Unfortunately, time had a way of moving on when people didn't. This was real.  Life would be changing, and very soon. Too soon really. 

She snapped back into focus as Swatch continued,  “And now my not looking for an internship last year is going to come back to bite me in the ass, HARD.” Their voice wavered, then flattened. “Fairlight got sick, and I was all ‘Oh, I can’t think about the future right now, I’ll think about it later’. And then she died,” they shrugged, “and you know what I was like after that.” They stared blankly ahead until she squeezed their hand to get their attention.  “Yeah, I do.” She smiled sadly. “You were more worried about everyone else’s problems and you pushed your own feelings down, like you always do.”

Lightly butting her head under their chin, she added encouragingly, “Keep going, Birdman. I think I know where you’re going with this, but don’t keep me in suspense.”

I'm out of practice. it’s been a while since Swatch has been so introspective. 

They rubbed their chin against the top of her head for a time, a different kind of physical comfort, trying to find the right words. “Well, the ‘later’ for setting up life after graduation was going to be this fall. But time got away from me, and then –”

Okay. Perfect opportunity to lighten the mood here.

She interrupted, saying teasingly, “And then you fell in loooooooooooove.”

Swatch snorted at her, tugging their hand from her grasp to playfully slap at her hand. More of the tension faded visibly from their frame. 

“Well, you did!” T.M. retorted with a smirk.

“Hmph.” Swatch rolled their eyes. “What I was going to say, you brash vixen,” as they lightly squeezed her shoulder, “was that I had my accident. And then,” their voice softened and grew warmer, “yes, I fell in love.”

She nodded. “And now you’re punishing yourself for reacting like a human being,” she drawled, “and thinking that you’ve let the universe down somehow, and that emotions have distracted you from your destiny.” 

T.M. delivered the last two words in a Darth Vader voice to make Swatch smile. The two of them were always intoning, “it is YOUR DESTINY” to one another whenever they had these HDRs. And it achieved the desired effect once again when the hoped-for smile came through. 

Score one for tradition.

They squeezed her again. “Hey, you at least know what YOUR DESTINY is, Moggy. You were the smart one last spring snagging that sweet spot at WQXR. That’s going to get you places, isn’t it?”

"Hold that thought." She slithered off the sofa. “I’m not ducking the question, I’m just thirsty,” she explained as she headed to the suite’s kitchenette. “Want some ginger ale?”

"Sure."

Out of the corner of her eye, T.M. was relieved to see Swatch leaning back and relaxing deeper into the couch cushions. 

When she returned to the living area, she perched on the coffee table rather than resuming her seat on the couch. Her knees touched Swatch's so that they could still have some contact, but if her answer upset them, she could back off.

Here goes nothing. 

“Well, you might as well know.  I have,” she couldn’t help the almost boasting tone, “been offered a production assistant slot at WNYC, starting in July, after somebody goes out on parenting leave.”

Encouragingly, Swatch's only reaction was to arch an eyebrow at her over the frames of their glasses. “Oh?”

“Yeah.” She took a sip. “The fancy jargon says ‘Manage the work of an associate producer and their ongoing professional development, while building an environment conducive to high levels of productivity, creativity and professional fulfillment.’ In other words, I'll be herding cats. At which I am an expert." 

Swatch would have to have been made of stone NOT to snort at that, and they obliged.

T.M. raised her glass in a salute. "It’s grunt work, but it gets my foot in the door.” She grimaced, nose wrinkling in frustration. “And it still sticks in my craw that I wouldn’t even have had the nerve to apply for that internship last year if GiGi hadn’t let me know about it.”

“Mmm-hmm.  I remember,” Swatch answered between sips of their own.  "She was quite insistent.  I was rather taken aback."

“GiGi can have a sensible thought once in a while." She drained the rest of her ginger ale. "Once in a VERY long while.”  

Swatch copied her motion, clinking their glass against hers before they both set the empties down on the coffee table.  T.M. tilted her head and asked, "And so my having a job after graduation and you still needing one brings us to...?"

“Which brings ME around full circle to what Spamton has to do with all this.”

“I was wondering when you were going to get to that. Let me guess. It starts with an ‘Add’, ends in a ‘son’, has an ‘i’ in the middle, and has something to do with cybernetics.”

“Yup.”

“I don’t get what the problem is. How is this any different than my asking GiGi to put a word in for me to get an interview at Greene Space, or you asking your Uncle Julius if anything’s open at Ambit Automation?”

“Because!” Swatch got up abruptly and started pacing agitatedly. “Because I’m not dating GiGi or Uncle Julius. I’m dating Spamton. Or rather, G. Stanton Addison.  And the last person that G. Stanton Addison dated was only out to use him for the ‘Addison connection’, and that person did a HELL of a lot of damage to my partner.”

It took a minute to register, but then suddenly a lot of puzzle pieces that T.M. had been wondering about since September fell into place, and the picture was not pretty.

Tears sprang into T.M.’s eyes, matching the tears in Swatch’s own. Fiercely she said, “Let me know who I have to kill.” “Don’t worry, the guy’s already dead.”

_______________________________

November 21, 2016

The professor looked at his watch and said, “I’m sure you’ll all be grateful for a headstart on your Thanksgiving weekend. Our sessions will resume one week from today on Monday, November 28th, at 10am sharp. I’ll expect to see your outlines from each student for your final paper when we meet again.”

An assortment of under-the-breath comments and one sarcastic cheer greeted this statement. Spamton was in the middle of putting his arm through the strap of his backpack, ready to leave the lecture hall with the rest of the students.

“Mister Addison? A word, if you’ve got a moment.”

At the sound of Professor Cowley’s voice, he cautiously let the bag slide back to the surface of a nearby desk.

In the last month, he’d finally started to relax and put his experience at the fetish club out of his mind as a bad memory and nothing more.   He was grateful that his instructor seemed to also have left that distasteful evening behind as well.

This class was a challenge, and its coursework was different from anything else he’d studied. Spamton found himself gravitating more towards the psychological and sociological facets of AI than he did to its uses in advertising.

Unfortunately, the uses of AI in advertising was SUPPOSED to be the end goal of his getting a degree in Digital Communications. 

Spamton replied now, “Yes, Professor Cowley?”

“I know you have other classes to get to, but I wanted to tell you that I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the quality of your work in this course, especially since you’re a sophomore rather than the juniors and seniors I usually teach.  Your midterm marks were amongst the highest.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“I’d like to discuss some of your plans for future courses. I’ll be in my office this evening until 6pm if you’d care to stop by.  Room 269… I usually share it with Dr. Alphys, but she’s in Holland this semester.” 

There seemed to be nothing but kindness in the keen blue eyes behind the rhomboid bicolored glasses, so Spamton had no reason to doubt his instructor’s sincerity. He nodded and answered, “I can come by. I’ll see you tonight then, sir.”

“I’m looking forward to it, Stanton.”

And thus Spamton found himself knocking at the door of Room 269 at 4:15pm. A firm voice called out, "It's open!"

Professor Cowley was seated behind a desk that was almost comically tidy, compared to the crowded and messy bookshelves lining the walls of the office. He indicated a chair across from him, and Spamton sat, more curious than ever.

The only item on the surface of the desk was a thick folder, with a label across the front that read “A.Z’ Flowers”.

“I’m sure you’ve already completed your registration for Spring classes…” The gaunt older man with the deeply-lined face ran a hand through thinning hair of a faded red. “But I was wondering whether you might consider an alternate curriculum for next semester.  I’ve been handed a metaphorical ‘hot potato’ by one of my prior students, who had drafted an independent study proposal before he had to transfer schools due to a family emergency. Much of the groundwork was laid that I’d really like to see brought to fruition.”

He pushed the folder towards Spamton, who opened it gingerly and began to read to himself.

DESIGNING AND IMPLEMENTING A PROMOTIONAL CAMPAIGN 

Offers the independent research student an opportunity to design and implement a digitally based promotional campaign for an external sponsoring organization. During the campaign design phase, the student becomes part of a creative team, performs target audience research, analyzes the research findings, reviews key performance indicators, and develops a communication plan. During the campaign implementation phase, the student executes the communication plan. Implementation includes creating email marketing and social media marketing messages, calls to action, client presentations, monitoring campaign results, and performing an overall project assessment. Each phase includes project updates to the sponsor and self-reflection on the learning experience. The student develops deliverables and tracks their work using a leading-edge marketing automation platform.

As Spamton kept reading, he became both more fascinated and more frightened by the possibilities.  This could put him within reach of his goal of proving himself to Eos and to Ballew that he belonged in the family business on his own merits, not just as their baby brother.  This could also set him up for failure and disgrace if he couldn’t measure up to the expectations of whichever company sponsored this project.

Some of his worry must have shown on his face, because Professor Cowley chuckled drily and commented, “You don’t have to decide right this minute! Take the folder home with you this weekend, read the material thoroughly, and we’ll meet again to discuss matters next week.”

“Thank you, sir.” Spamton stood up and shook his instructor’s outstretched hand, which was cold to the touch, and as dry and hard as bone.

[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

[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.

[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

[karahalloway]

Sleepless in New York: Chapter 5 - Find Me In Da Club

Series: TRR

Pairing: Drake Walker x F!OC (Harper Gale)

Synopsis: What if Drake met Harper on the first night of Prince Christian’s New York bachelor party? A stand-alone AU written from Drake's POV.

Masterlist: Sleepless in New York

Chapter Summary: The gang arrive at the much-awaited club... where there are a few surprises in store for Drake.

Word Count: 4,400

Rating/Warnings: M (swearing, rude behaviour, angst, sexual tension)

Chapter theme song:

A/N: Apologies this took me so long! August ended up being quite a busy month, so I didn’t get as much writing done as I wanted to. Also... this is not the whole chapter 😅 Because this installment was getting close to 7,000 words (and it was still not done!) I decided to split it into two chapters to (a) give y’all something to read, since you’ve been waiting so patiently (or not, in some cases 😆), (b) make the posting on Tumblr a bit more manageable, and (c) this way I could use both chapter theme songs that I could not for the life of me decide between! The next chapter should be up a bit faster because it’s about half done already, and my schedule should be back to a bit more normal from September 🤞

Chapter 5 - Find Me In Da Club

"Let me guess..." I sigh, picking up the tumbler to tip the rest of my drink back. "Max's bright idea?"

I know that going clubbing was the original plan. But I guess I kinda hoped we'd have more time on our impromptu detour... Especially since Gale’s finally talking to me, and I don’t want to lose the hard-won progress I managed to make with her.

Plus — as she so aptly put it just now — I’m nowhere near satisfied yet and I want to keep her to myself for as long as possible...

"Nope!" declares Leo impishly. "It was actually the girls' suggestion. And it'd be rude to keep them waiting. So, chop-chop!"

"Alright, alright," I grumble, dropping the glass back onto the bar top and reaching for my wallet. "I'll be over in a minute."

"Better make it a New York minute," Leo advises with a clap on my back. "Because it'd be mighty bad form for the best man to miss the climax of the night!"

He saunters off with a rakish wink in Gale's direction.

I roll my eyes as I pull the platinum credit card out again.

If there’s one thing that Chris didn't need help with, it’s finding a hook-up... Which is why I bet on him last night.

But Leo’s right in that I probably shouldn't hang around too long. Because this trip had been my idea, and as the de facto best man (even though it hasn’t officially been announced yet), it’s my job to make sure that Chris gets the best night out that the Big Apple can provide...

...and that he also makes it back to the hotel — and to Cordonia — on time and in one piece, and ideally without any recreational drugs floating around in his system. Otherwise, the plane ride back (not to mention the all-important Masquerade Ball) is going to be rough as fuck for everyone involved.

"So, you're here... on a bachelor party?" asks Gale, her voice cutting through my thoughts.

"Yeah," I reply, raising my hand to signal my desire to settle up with the bartender.

"And you're the best man."

"Yup..." I confirm, tapping the card against the bar top as I wait for the guy to print off the receipt.

She cocks her head to the side with a frown. "You don't seem very happy about it..."

I respond with a nonchalant shrug. "It is what it is. How I feel about it isn't important."

"Shouldn't it be?"

Turning my head, I catch her gaze. She's looking at me with laser-like focus — like she had last night when she'd been trying to decipher where I was from... Only this time it feels like she’s trying to get a read on my very soul.

I quickly break eye contact. "No."

"Why n—?"

"Cash or card?" asks the bartender, cutting off Gale with impeccable timing as he places the cheque in front of me.

"Card," I reply, quickly scanning the list of items to make sure everything’s in order.

Christ, this girl’s more persistent than a dog with a bone...

But I can’t exactly tell her that I’m best man to a prince at the mercy of tradition, and the last thing I’m looking forward to doing is standing by Chris' side in a few months' time, pretending to be happy for him while I officially and irrevocably witness his marriage to a blue-nosed social climber in front of God, his family, and the entire kingdom.

Because we’re supposed to be here incognito, and I’m not gonna risk my best friend's last night of freedom by blowing his cover to some girl I only just met.

And even if I had been at liberty to talk about the upcoming wedding, and the social season, and how the only reason we’re here at all is because Chris got shafted by his brother, it would be a pointless exercise anyway.

Because talking — about any of it, especially how I said 'yes' to Chris without a second's hesitation, even as I felt my insides burn up with betrayal at the knowledge that I'll be complicit in signing my brother's life away in a loveless marriage of political convenience to a woman he barely knows... or worse, Olivia — isn’t gonna to help me, and it sure as hell isn’t gonna help Chris.

Not when we’re both powerless in the face of the inevitable outcome.

"Thanks," I mutter, pulling the card back out of the machine and stowing it away in my wallet.

Better to just bury whatever resentment I’m feeling at being an unwilling pawn forced to participate in the whole monocratic set-up — next to the same hole I stuffed my bitter rage at Dad's untimely passing, my hurt at Mom's departure, and my guilt-ridden sense of failure at Sav's unexplained disappearance — and try to enjoy what little time I have left with Chris before I lose him too.

"Hey," she says softly, laying a hand on my wrist. "I know it's not my place but—"

"It's not," I confirm gruffly, stuffing the wallet back in my pocket as I stand up. "You comin'?"

She stares at me for a long moment — as if wanting to say something more — but in the end just nods silently before sliding off the bar stool.

"Yeah! The PAR-tay's in da house!" hollers Max, raising the roof. "Whoop-whoop!"

"Now this is what I'm talking about!" agrees Tariq, sweeping his approving gaze around the club.

"Oh, wow!" gushes Gale's brunette friend, who I learnt on the ride over was called Hayley. "Check out the view!"

Chris claps Leo on the shoulder approvingly. "Looks like you picked well, brother."

I had to agree.

If there’s one thing that Leo’s good at — apart from sneaking out of official events and getting into the pants of any girl he sets his sights on — it’s having his finger on the pulse of every major city's nightlife.

And this place is no exception.

Located on the 16th floor of a swanky hotel, the club features floor-to-ceiling windows that lead out onto a large, wrap-around terrace dominated by an oblong hot tub set against an unparalleled view of both the Manhattan skyline and the Hudson.

And even though in real terms it’s still quite early — barely gone 10pm — the venue’s already heaving with what looks like the crème of New York's glitterati. Diamond-studded watches flash in tandem with Bvlgari jewellery under the strobing neon lights as glamorously dressed bodies move to the EDM beat.

In short? We've stepped into a Mecca of excess. And even though the flashy venue with it's high-roller clientele isn’t exactly my scene — you can smell the self-entitlement from the doorway — it’s the perfect place to cap off Chris' night.

Hell, the overall net-worth’s probably so high that no one'd even bat an eye at the fact that a bone fide prince has just waltzed in to join the party!

So, despite everything, I have to hand it to Leo — his days of flaking off have paid off big time. Because the entire club’s basically one oversized VIP area, which means that security’s tight, and I don’t have to worry about spiked drinks, kidnapping attempts, or someone recognising Chris...

...at least, not as much as I would have to normally.

"Ohmygod!" gasps Lucy, grabbing Gale by the arm. "Leo!"

The elder Rys chuckles. "I admit it is a rather divine set—"

Max shoves him out of the way with wide eyes. "Oh, my giddy aunt, you're right!"

"Guess we're not talking about me, huh?" observes Leo dryly, as shrieks of excitement erupt from the rest of Gale's girlfriends as they zero in on whatever it was that has got them all into such a tizzy.

Chris nods his head towards the other side of the club. "I believe it is that gentleman over there who's caught everyone's attention."

Leo follows his brother's gaze. "Ah. Should've guessed. The slightly more famous Leo. He's always stealing the spotlight."

"Undeservedly," mutters Tariq, craning his neck judgementally. "He's not even wearing a suit..."

"So?" counters Lucy tartly. "A suit doesn't make a man. He could be wearing a paper bag and he'd still look hot!"

I can't help but snort at the look on Besnard's face. "Told ya..."

"Keep it in your pants, Luce!" smirks Gale with a shake of her head... though I can see that her gaze is also fixed on the far side of the club.

"I'm just sayin'!"

"Holy shoot!" gasps Hayley, covering her mouth. "Is that Rihanna he's talking to?"

"Didn't they used to date?" asks Jamie quizzically.

"No!" scoffs Lucy. "How can you even—?"

"Come on," interrupts Leo, jabbing his thumb over his shoulder. "I'll introduce you."

Lucy's mouth drops. "You... know him?"

"Of course!" he affirms, looping his arm through hers and Gale's. "Met him at the UN a few times. Brilliant chap! Just don't ask for photos or autographs."

Gale cocks her head. "The UN? How did y—?"

"It doesn't matter!" squeals Lucy, bouncing up and down like a jackrabbit on crack. "He knows Leonardo DiCaprio! Do you know how long I've been—?"

"You're not seriously going to try and get him onto your podcast again?" asks Gale with a wry quirk of her brow as Leo starts leading the procession away.

"Why not?" comes the objectionable reply. "I'm an environmental commentator, he's an environmental philanthropist. We're a match made in influencer heaven."

Gale throws her head back — exposing her long, slender neck — her laugh ringing out like a bell despite the loud music.

But I don't catch her reply because in the next second, she's pulled into the press, and I lose sight of her amongst all the bodies.

I heave a low breath.

There goes Gale for the rest of the night...

I know I shouldn't be surprised. Especially after I cornered her into coming clean about the crap she'd been through with that dick of a boss, only to shut her down hard her when she tried to return the favour by doing a rundown of my feelings on the upcoming royal wedding.

Because conversation’s a two-way street. And instead of opening up to her — like she opened up to me — I basically told her to fuck off.

And normally I wouldn't give a damn. Because my personal shit’s exactly that — my personal shit. I don’t need people rooting through it like hogs on a muck heap. And if that doesn’t sit well with the counterparty, then they can lump it.

But, for some reason, watching her walk off just now without a backwards glance — even though it’s completely within her rights to do so — feels like a kick in the gut.

I mean, since when the fuck do I care who she talks to? A girl I met yesterday and am never gonna see again after tonight?

It's not like this is a date, or that she owes me anything. Right?

"You coming, mate?" asks Chris, laying a hand on the small of Hayley's back to guide her after the others.

"Nah," I demure. "I'm gonna hit up the bar."

I may have shot up the hard-won progress I managed to make with Gale tonight, but at least I’ll always have whiskey as a consolation prize.

"You sure?" he queries.

"Yeah," I affirm, making quick eye contact with the two undercover Guard to let them know I’m passing Chris over to them. "Don't worry about me."

"Alright..." he concedes, eyeing me sceptically...

...but I've already turned away.

I know he knows that something’s up.

But Chris had more important things to do, like actually enjoy his unofficial bachelor party in the company of a girl who he obviously hit it off with back at the karaoke bar, instead of listening to me piss and moan about things that are — and always have been — set in stone.

Best that I just take my irritations and drown them in booze. Alone. Like I always do.

Threading my way through the crowd, I arrive at the busy bar area, and I feel a growl of annoyance slip out of me at the sight of the heaving mass of humanity before me.

Just fuckin' great...

But, short of forking out roughly five grand for table service — assuming we can even get a table on such a busy night — there’s no alternative.

Steeling myself, I dive into the press, trying to avoid sloshing drinks and stiletto heels as I battle my way to the front.

This is the biggest reason why I avoid clubs like the plague. It isn’t the loud music. It isn’t the dancing. It’s the fact that the bar’s always swamped and you have to fight tooth and nail to get your hands on a hastily prepared drink that you can have for half-price anywhere else.

It's all for Chris, I remind myself stoically as I squeeze myself into the tight space that’s just opened up in front of me. You can suck it up for one night, Walker.

Leaning onto the minimalist, polished brass bar top, I try to catch the closest bartender's attention...

...but just as I manage to make eye contact, a wad of cash gets thrust in front of my face by an over-manicured fist, narrowly missing my nose.

"Oi! Murudda!" cries a female voice from next to me in the perfect octave to carry above the thumping techno music and general shouted conversation. "You deaf, or somethin'? I said we need tequila, pronto!"

"We got Casamigos, Patrón, or Jose Cuervo," calls the bartender in response while sloshing gold-flecked vodka into a row of shot glasses.

I feel my jaw tighten. This is how people got served, huh?

"Make that Maker's Mark, double," I holler back, angling myself back in front of the interloping woman.

I'm rewarded for my asperity with a nod from the other side of the bar. "Coming right up!"

"What the fuck, shit face?" objects the girl shrilly, giving me a shove. "Am I invisible, or somethin'?"

"Nope," I reply as I pull my wallet from my jeans. "Just rude and obnoxious."

Her mouth drops. "What did you just say to me?!"

"The truth," I hit back, pulling some cash out. "You cut up about a dozen people back there. And nearly broke my nose waving your hundred bucks around like you owned the place."

"How 'bout I break your nose for real, jackass?" she snaps, getting up in my face. "Teach you some respect, huh?"

"Respect is earned, missy," I tell her calmly, exchanging the bills for the tumbler of Maker's Mark that is deposited in front of me. "And gettin' into a fight over a drink ain't how you get it."

Grabbing the whiskey, I turn pointedly away, not bothering to wait for whatever outburst she was gearing up to throw my way.

Un-fuckin'-believable...

I know that New Yorkers have a reputation for being brash and impatient. But that woman had been next level.

And I want to put as much distance between us as possible because I have no time — and even less interest — in getting caught up in a shouting match with a pissed-off Karen.

Slaloming myself between bodies, I make my way back to the others.

Arriving at the back of the club, I pause in a slightly quieter corner to do a sweep of the crowd, quickly spotting the now disparate members of our group. Leo’s stood off to one side, in solitary conversation with DiCaprio. Max is busy channeling his inner Travolta in the middle of a small but growing circle of onlookers. Lucy and Jamie are...making out on the dancefloor?

Huh. Did not see that one coming...

Normally I’m good at picking up on these things. But, I’m admittedly more distracted than usual...

Lifting the whiskey to my mouth, I continue my sweep of the club. Tariq’s trying — and failing — to flag down one of the VIP servers by waving his gold credit card around like a moron. Meanwhile, Chris has parked himself on a chaise long in front of one of the floor-to-ceiling windows and is in deep conversation with Hayley about something, the two undercover Guard standing a few feet away.

The only person I can’t see is Gale.

Had she left?

I shake my head irately.

It doesn’t matter, dumbass.

She’a a grow-ass woman and can do whatever the fuck she wants. Up to and including heading off the rails, or even home with a hookup. She doesn’t need my oversight or my permission...

...even if the thought of her being felt up by some guy makes my teeth clench.

I throw the rest of the bourbon back angrily.

I know I shouldn't care. I know it’s none of my business. I know I have no right.

But something about this girl wipes all the God-given sense from my brain.

Hell, I barely know anything about her apart from her name and the fact that she’s pissed at me — again — yet all I can think about is ripping that flimsy crop top off and layering my hot and heavy apology all over her body until she’s begging me for salvation as she—

A sharp clink rends the air.

Glancing down at the empty tumbler in my hand, I see that a hairline fracture had appeared down one side.

Fuck.

This isn’t good.

I need air. Now.

Throwing myself out onto the terrace — before I shattered the glass completely — I’m hit in the face by the humid evening breeze.

But it does little to tame my pulse, or the latest iteration of the graphic fantasy that I can’t seem to get away from, no matter how hard I tried...

...which — if I’m honest with myself — isn’t very hard at all.

Because let's face it. The girl’s a pipe-dream. That I keep blowing up. So, an X-rated reverie’s the closest I’m ever gonna get to the real thing with her.

May as well keep on dreamin'...

I make it to the end of the terrace. Dropping the empty glass onto a nearby planter, I reach out and grasp the coolness of the metal and glass railing as I gaze out over the picture-perfect Manhattan skyline without really seeing it.

Instead, the mental images continue to dance in front of me, haunting me like ghosts.

Gale swaying her hips between my legs at the karaoke bar...

Gale looking up at me from the back seat of the taxi, her lips parted, her eyes pulling me in like the cusp of an event horizon...

Gale pushed up against the wall, moaning as my hands explored every—

I clench my eyes shut. Christ... I’m in too deep. I should never've—

"Drake?"

My head snaps around.

Gale — the real Gale — is stood next to me, face creased in concern. "Are you... okay?"

"Fine," I reply, tightening my grip on the railing as I look out into the night again.

I’m the furthest thing from fine. My palms are sweating, my gut feels like it's been tied in knots, and my heart’s going a million miles a minute.

But like hell am I gonna tell her any of that.

"Are you sure?" she asks sceptically. "Because you looked like you were going to throw your guts up over the side of the building just now..."

I snort wryly. "Trust me, I'm good."

The irony of the situation isn’t lost on me.

Neither is the fact that — just like Chris — she seems to have an uncanny habit of being able to read me like an open book... which is weirdly unnerving.

"If you say so, Dr House," she deadpans, lifting her arms up to rest them on the railing next to mine. "But just so we're on the safe side, I'm gonna keep you under observation."

I heave a breath. "Gale, you don't need t—"

"I do," she says softly, glancing up at me. "Because I want to apologise."

I reel back, dumbfounded. "Apologise? What in the hell for?"

"For trying to pry about something that's obviously a sore subject for you," she explains. "I should've just taken the hint and—"

"No," I interject, turning to face her. "You did nothing wrong. I gave you an answer you weren't expecting, so you tried to dive deeper. It was a completely natural reaction to have."

"Then why have you been giving me the cold shoulder for the past hour?" she asks patently.

"I..." I rake my hand through my hair with a sigh. "Because you're right. It is kind of a sore subject for me. But I'm not at liberty to talk about it."

She raises a brow. "Because of the bro-code?"

I blink. Who is this girl?

She throws her head back with a laugh. "Oh, don't look so surprised, bud! I grew up with three older brothers — I know all about your 'secret' ride or die rules." She raises her hands to emphasise 'secret' with sardonic air quotes. "So, I can respect the fact that you don't want to bad-mouth the groom — even if you think he's about to make the biggest mistake of his life."

"Erm, thanks," I mutter finally, managing to recollect myself. "For understanding. Most people wouldn't."

She shrugs up at me with a smile. "I'm not most people."

I swallow. Hard. Don't I know it.

She's close enough that I can feel the warmth radiating off her body, taste the sweet earthiness of her perfume drifting over me, see the chestnut-coloured flecks that ring her irises as I stare into her eyes.

But as strong as the undercurrent of attraction is, I can't let myself get lost in the pull of possibility. Not 'til I've squared my accounts.

"Even so." I pause to clear the sudden hoarseness from my throat. "I shouldn't've cold shouldered you like I did. It was a dick move, and... and I'm sorry."

She shakes her head. "Drake, you don't need t—"

"But I want to," I insist, closing what gap remained between us on autopilot.

"Does that mean you're planning to make it up to me?" she whispers, her breath tickling my mouth as she tilts her face up towards mine.

"One hundred percent," I confirm, reaching up to brush away that same lock of hair that had escaped her up-do again. "I still owe you a proper apology."

Her eyes search mine.

I hold her gaze… waiting… wondering what she'll say.

A slow smile curves at her lips. "In that case, cowboy," she declares, flicking her finger over the underside of my jaw, "you can break it down for me on the dancefloor."

My eyes widen. "Wait... What?"

This isn’t what I'd been expecting. At all.

Her telling me to fuck off? Sure. Buying her a drink, a late-night dinner... Hell, even going back to her place for Netflix and chill had all been on the cards...

But dancing?

At a club?

Especially after she stormed out halfway through my karaoke routine?

No fuckin' way.

"What's the matter, Walker?" she purrs slyly. "You only do solo acts?"

I scoff. "No."

"Should I ask the DJ to put on some Rod Stewart?" she continues conversationally. "Get you in the mood?"

I suppress a groan. "No."

I knew that song choice was gonna come back and bite me in the ass.... I just hadn't expected it to be so soon. But, I guess I deserve it.

"Or do you need to take your shirt off?" She trails her finger down across the buttons at the front with a smirk. "Make yourself more comfortable?"

"Why?" I counter, leaning in. "Is that what you want, Gale...?"

Her eyes widen in the face of my sudden flip of the proverbial table.

"...because if you're lookin' to undress me, there's easier ways to do it," I remind her pointedly, dropping my hands onto the railing on either side of her.

Despite her initial frazzlement, she recovers quickly to meet my gaze coyly. "What makes you think I want to undress you?"

I feel a smile pull at the corner of my mouth. She wants to play it like that, huh?

"You mean apart from the fact that it's written all over you?"

She lifts her chin defiantly. "I think you're imagining things, bud."

"Funny you should say that," I reply with a lupine grin, bending low. "Because I'll bet my bottom dollar that right now, all you're imaginin' is skipping the unnecessary foreplay and diving straight into the main event..."

I hear her breath catch in her throat at the thinly veiled invitation.

"...which is that pool party, right there." I incline my head meaningfully towards the hot tub.

Her jaw drops.

I pull back with a smirk. Turnabout’s fair play, girl.

But in the next instant, that mischievous sparkle ignites her gaze again. And before I can blink, she's up in my space, calling my bluff as she hooks her finger through the front of my shirt.

My heart-rate jumps to 100.

"Or maybe I'm just looking to make you sweat, Walker..." she breathes against my mouth.

All the blood in my veins dives south.

"...and I don't want you to ruin your fancy shirt." She gives the material a sharp tug.

I groan despite myself. Fuck, baby, you can ruin all my shirts...

But before I can grab her, or kiss her, or react in any way, she's already spun away with a sassy smile, pinging the cotton against my chest. "Because you probably got just the one."

I let out an explosive breath.

Sweet Jesus. Somebody needs to put a warning label on this girl!

Because while I can think of a dozen better ways to spend the night than getting bumped around on an overcrowded dancefloor like a pissed off pin ball, my feet are already pulling me back across the terrace after her.

Like the hooked idiot that I am.

Because I can’t say 'no' to her.

And she knows it.

Which meant I’m royally screwed.

The story continues in Chapter 6 - Let It Whip

Translations:

- Murudda = idiot / shit for brains

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Picture credits

Dancing - Rooftop - H&D - Drake - Bar - Harper - Skyline - Drinks

[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?