#i think the other cat hissed at them or bu hissed at the other cat and dupe

[snarp]

Two against one... has the red string no sense of honor...?

[venus-haze]

Homelander x Supervillain!Reader Headcanons

Note: Mildly fem-coded reader, but no other descriptors are used. This is mostly from Homelander's perspective. I always thought it was interesting how apart from the "superterrorist" arc in season one (and into season two), supervillains aren't really a thing in The Boys universe, pretty much everyone with superpowers is affiliated with Vought.

Warnings: Violence, some mentions of sex, Homelander being Homelander. Do not interact if you’re under 18 or post thinspo/ED content.

Your powers emerge later in life, so you aren’t one of the many lauded child prodigies who accidentally burned down their own birthday parties or took out a school bus, but almost as soon as you spit at a cat-caller and the side of his car melted from the acid, Vought had its eye on you

Unfortunately for them, you aren’t interested in the slightest. The money’s good, but signing your life away to a mysterious corporation was never in the cards for you. Why let a bunch of suits call the shots when you were the one with powers? Pretty soon you’re melting bank vaults, wreaking general havoc, and living on the run. You love every minute of it

Homelander knows he can take you on, but to his shock and fury, he finds himself in a meeting with Stilwell and the marketing team who tell him that having a supervillain “arch-enemy” would further mythologize him. As much as people love having someone to root for, they’re just as intrigued by the evil thing that goes bump in the night. Besides, you mostly damage property, not people, so they figure you’re not too much of a threat to the general public

He thinks it’s ridiculous, not letting him laser you in half or snap your neck makes him look weak, or even worse, that you’re as strong as he is. The first time he takes you on, you spit at him as a Hail Mary, and to both of your shock, he hisses in pain and his skin blisters–comparatively mild to the outright bone-melting your toxin was capable of, but it cements your space in his mind as his arch-enemy

To his frustration, the suits at Vought are right, social media posts that mention you in regard to Homelander get a lot of engagement and the general public sees him even more as an otherworldly protector figure

You don’t have a supe name, but Vought dubs you ‘Rosethorn’ because you’re “beautiful yet deadly.” They slap your face on comic books that fly off the shelves. You find it ironic that Vought still finds a way to make money off of you despite your refusal to work with them

Homelander isn’t nearly as amused. The first time he sees one of the Homelander Vs. Rosethorn comics he sees red. “More like thorn in my fucking side,” he growls at the cartoonified version of you. He resents you for taking half of his spotlight, but part of him knows his resentment comes from the fact that you don’t have to answer to anyone. You do whatever the hell you want, and some people regard you as a kind of anti-hero rather than an outright villain. He doesn’t understand, you’re a criminal. You rob, cheat, and steal, and just because you hand out fistfuls of dollars every once in a while, you’re turned into some kind of underground folk hero? 

Social media is buzzing with theories that you’re actually a Vought plant to make Homelander look good or that you’re stronger than him and holding back. Naturally, people begin shipping you because of course they do. He has mixed feelings the first time he sees #Roselander trending on Twitter. It doesn’t help that sometimes you leave notes at your crimes scenes that read ‘Give Homelander my regards, XO’ 

Despite the internet frenzy and Vought marketing, you and Homelander have only been face to face a few times following the first encounter, each one giving more fuel to Homelander’s fire as he broods, stewing in his resentment toward you. You laugh at him, taunt him, literally spit at him, and he can’t do shit because Vought says not to

He definitely fantasizes about hate-fucking you, they’re all extremely deranged and elaborate. Overall, he has a lot of really complicated emotions when it comes to you. There’s some underlying affection that he’ll deny to anyone who asks. Sometimes he lets his mind wander, and in the ideal situation you’d reform and join Vought and–who the fuck is he kidding, part of him wants to break the invisible chain that keeps him tethered to Vought and see if the grass is really greener on the other side

Homelander decides he’s going to end your reign of terror once and for all when Vought indicates they want supes in the military. They now think your existence is just one of the barriers standing in the way of that, making the other Vought supes, but especially him look weak and incapable. With you out of the way, it’ll show their supes can handle military missions

Easier said than done, because when he finally corners you, ready to laser you in half like he should have all those years ago, he hesitates, and that’s all it takes for you to pounce

“Why do you let them tell you what to do? You’re stronger than them. Why do they call the shots?” you ask, and he doesn’t miss the conniving ass twinkle in your eye. He knows what you’re doing, and his gloved fists ball up at his side as everything in him screams to just kill you already. He knows you’re right. He’s the one with the real power, but he lets them order him around like a dog

“Shut the fuck up,” he hisses through clenched teeth that he wishes were clamped around your throat–except he doesn’t, not really. You’re giving him an out, but he can’t take it, he’s too afraid to. After all, who is he if he’s not The Homelander?

You give him a sad smile, the kind old friends give to each other in movies when they see each other for the last time. He lets out a shaky breath. He won’t miss you. He won’t even think about you once Madelyn hears what he’s done and he gets supes into the military and Vought a lucrative contract with the Department of Defense. Another success for Homelander

“I really do like you,” you say. “I just wanted you to know that before you kill me.” Your heartbeat is steady, gaze locked in on his glowing red eyes. No one’s ever looked him in the eye upon facing their certain death from him before

He grabs your face, resisting the urge to squeeze it hard enough to break your jaw, “You’re a real piece of work. I don’t answer to anyone, got that, Rosethorn?”

You whisper your name to him, your real name, and he repeats it softly before letting go of your face and taking an unsteady step back. “You owe me. I didn’t kill you, and now you owe me.” You nod in understanding before disappearing into the night

He returns to Vought covered in blood, claiming victory over his arch-enemy once and for all. He never played poker, but you’re an ace up his sleeve if he could ever have one

[harusaki-hugo]

Look Like College Student, Is An Trained Assassin.

Fandom: Tokyo Revengers , slightly Assassination Classroom.

Tags: Violence, blood, chifuyu almost got baji-fied ,fluff , a bit of angst, age gap, chifuyu having internal crisis

Characters: Chifuyu Matsuno x Gn!Reader

Timeline:Bonten!Timeline!

Synopsis: Chifuyu almost got kidnapped by Bonten but a college student help him.

Matsuno Chifuyu always intrigues you, [name], a twenty-four (24) college student who always visits his shop not because you buy pet food, but to play with the cats he has inside, outside, and around his shop. Every time he sees you, it's either you in the alleyway playing with stray cats, near his shop playing with stray dogs, or straight up inside his shop playing with any animal you found and yes, including insect [cockroach and the other, he still doesn't know how tf you catch that cockroach] which make him and Kazutora almost burn the shop down.

Now, Chifuyu is not the type who falls in love with someone who younger than him, he just has a soft spot for a brat like you which Kazutora call it's bullshit because he sees how his face softened when he sees you and how his eyes lighten up when you enter the shop.

If anyone asks Kazutora if [name] reminds Chifuyu of Baji, he would say that maybe, because you remind him of Baji but if anyone asks Kazutora if Chifuyu fall in love with [name], then he will not hesitantly say "fuck yes, he did."

Is it because of your kind nature? hell no, you a fucking gremlin that bites a dog back when it bites you. One time kazutora catch you almost eating a dog treat and if he didn't enter jail once, he will think of sending you to a mental hospital. Or because of your beautiful/handsome appearance, maybe but Chifuyu is not the type who cares about looks.

Then what it is? what makes him fall in love with you?

Because you save his life without any hesitation.

It's happened that night when he on his way back home, walking towards his car Chifuyu almost able to unlock his door car when a blunt force hit his head causing him to crash on the ground. Holding his head, a drop of blood dripped down his forehead causing him to let out a hiss of pain.

He looks at his attackers and his eyes widen when he sees that the one who attacked him is part of Bonten. He curses himself for being careless, using his car as support he loosens his tie as he glares at the group, readying himself to fight.

Now, he might not be a delinquent anymore but that didn't mean he can't fight. But, twenty men is too much for him, he manage to knock out at least seven people before he received another pipe in the head.

With body bruises and head throbbing, Chifuyu can't do anything but lie on the ground. He groans in pain when someone grabs his hair and lifts his head, saying something about Kisaki will pay them money.

Of course, it's that little chicken-looking ass bitch idea.

Just before they can drag Chifuyu away inside that black van, a voice stop them. "Matsuno-san, you being kidnapped." No shit Sherlock is what Chifuyu will snap if it's not because of his weak condition and the fear rushing inside him when he realized the voice belong to you.

Looking at you with a panic eyes, he yell at you to run away but you just stood there, sipping on your box juice as you look at them with exhausted eyes.

"Erm...can you like let him go? If he dead, I can't play with cats and dogs anymore," you say making the men look at each other before laughing mockingly.

"Well, the boss did say to not let any witness."

One of the males walks towards you with a pipe in hand and honestly, after Baji dies he never feels this much fear in his life. He yells your name and begs you to run away but you just calmly staring at the male.

"Funny, karasuma-sensei said to leave no body."

Finishing the juice box you quickly duck down to avoid the pipe aimed at your head. without even waiting, you pull your arm back before punching the male in the face causing him to fly crashing on the ground.

"But, koro-sensei said to make it look like an accident."

You pick up the pipe the male dropped, throwing the juice box away you twirl the pipe around before you rush toward the two males that holding chifuyu.

There's something that Chifuyu notices, or either he goes deaf but the screaming and yelling tell him that he is not. you didn't make any sounds when running or walking, your footsteps are silence.

Your movement is something else. unlike on his delinquent day, when all of his gang members fought recklessly. you are accurate and calculating.

The way you slam the pipe on the guy on his right, it's accurate as hell, because you knock him out in one hit and make sure the wound is not fatal. moving to the one on his left, he is met with a kick on the stomach, and just like that he knocks out. he didn't double over or stagger backward, he k.o in one hit.

Chifuyu's body falls onto your awaiting arms. He feels his heart skip a bit at how gentle you are when you holding him and how protective are your grip is when you pull him closer to you. Slowly losing his concussion, the only thing he heard are;

"Sorry, I am quite possessive about something that is mine."

And when he regained consciousness he now laying on top of the most fluffy bed he ever lay on. and the most heavenly about the bed is? he was surrounded by three fluffy cats, one on top of his stomach, and two on his side. He can just die and end up in heaven. Rubbing his face, Chifuyu notice that his wound is treated and bandaged.

"Matsuno-san, are you awake?" His eyes travel towards the bedroom door where you leaning against the doorframe holding the cutest kitten he has ever seen, second to Peke-J.

"[lastname]...? What-" He then remember what happens early and he quickly sat up, the cats around him didn't even bother to jump away as the one on his stomach roll down to his lap and continue sleeping. "Are you okay?!" He looks at you with worry in his eyes.

"That's supposed to be my question." You walk towards the bed and sit down on the chair beside the bed. Chifuyu's eyes follow your movement and he noticed there is not even a scratch on you. "...You win?" He asks in disbelief.

"Win? Ah, that. Yeah, you can say that." You smile at him causing him to feel a bit flustered because you just take down thirteen (13) criminals on your own and have not even a scratch on your face.

"Matsuno-san...who are those guys?" Chifuyu tense a bit at your question, looking away from you he seem not to want to ask the question or perhaps he just didn't want to drag you into his mess. Seeing that he won't answer your question, you decide to change the subject.

"This is Riri." You suddenly say, looking down at the kitten you holding, "The one on your lap is Lili, the one on your left is Mimi and your right is Bob."

"why the fuck is his name Bob?" Chifuyu deadpan at the different name of Bob, you just shrug your shoulders causing the male to laugh a bit, reaching towards Riri he began to pat the kitten.

You look at him with a small smile, seeing how relaxed is chifuyu now than before. The male notice your gaze and his face is heated up a bit, licking his lips nervously he realizes how close you two are.

"Matsun-"-"Chifuyu." He cut you off making you look at him confusedly, clearing his throat he spoke seriously, "Call me chifuyu, [name]."

You nod your head, smiling bashfully as you repeat his name "Okay... Chifuyu."

He doesn't know what possessed him but as soon he hears his name on your lips he grabs the back of your head before smashing his lips against you. Pulling away slightly, his lips still brushing against you as he looks at you right in the eyes. "Again.." He studies your face, waiting for your reaction, and when he sees nothing but shyness he smirk.

"come on...say my name again.."

"..chi...Chifuyu.."

He can't control himself as he eagerly presses his lips again against you and this time you kiss him back.

Safe to say, before it can escalate quickly, your cats disturb you by meowing like a spawn of satan they are

Request open but not matchup.

Also, I freaking love Chifuyu but he's second to Mitsuya, he's everyone's bae and whoever hates Mitsuya, there's something wrong with you.

[iheart-nana]

xii. melting

☾⋆｡𖦹 °✩⋆｡° ✮

CHAPTER TWELVE ─ melting.

❛ i can't find my chill, i must have lost it i don't even know, i'm talking nonsense. ❜

Choi Yumi's Perspective

I let out my very best, oscar-worthy fake cough. Why? Well, I had just seen Kim Taesung smoking outside the school during lunch break. He turned to look at me with furrowed brows. He must have thought I was a teacher because his stiffened shoulders relaxed when he saw it was me.

"Oh, it's you," he said, relieved.

"Don't be so happy," I warned.

"Why? Are you going to turn me in?" he asked curiously.

"I'm thinking about it."

He let out a short chuckle. I couldn't help but stare at him. His fluffy hair fell messily on his forehead. His eyes seemed to permanently have a mischievous glint that reminded me of the Cheshire cat. Taesung's dressing style had been constant every time I had seen him─ a bright, vibrant biker jacket over his unironed school shirt with no tie and black bead earrings.

I tore my eyes away, diverting my attention to the ice cream packet in my hand that felt cool against my skin. My grip on it had begun to loosen as the ice started melting, leaving my hands moist. 

"Are you going to share that with me?" he teased with a cheeky grin, revealing his two dimples on each cheek.

"Not with that thing in your hand, I'm not," I pointed to the cigarette.

He tossed it on the ground and extinguished it with his foot, "Now?"

"Why would I share my ice cream with someone who litters?" I said thoughtfully. I was having too much fun. His desperation to eat the ice cream was kind of cute. He picked up the cigarette from the ground and tossed it in a nearby dustbin, dusting his hands.

"How about now?"

I let out an amused laugh, shaking my head. I broke the ice cream sandwich in half and offered him a piece.

"You gave me the smaller piece," he complained.

"Gluttony is one of the seven deadly sins. Do you want the ice cream or not?"

Ryu Sunjae's Perspective

Bus rides home with Eunyoung had become the highlight of my days. Even on a dull Tuesday afternoon, I found myself smiling at the thought of seeing her. The rhythmic beating of my heart every time I saw her was something I had never experienced before. It made me feel vulnerable but sent a rush of joy through me at the same time.

I felt a poke on my shoulder, breaking my train of thought as I turned to see who it was. My gaze met Eunyoung's in a moment of surprise. I could feel my heart threatening to jump out of my body as my eyes were fixed on her, not wanting to look away. Her eyes became little crescent moons as she chuckled at the shock on my face.

"Hope I didn't scare you," she smiled, standing by my side, clutching her school bag, "I turned in the article today."

"About the interview?" I asked, to which she answered with a brief nod.

"The teacher seemed quite pleased," she told me, beaming with pride, "I think it turned out nice too. They're putting it in next week's paper."

"I'm looking forward to reading it," I encouraged her with a smile. Eunyoung always looked pretty no matter what she did, but something about her when she smiled set butterflies flying in my stomach.

"I found a different angle on it. People tend to praise the interviewee in these articles, but I always thought it seemed artificial. I managed to write it so it could serve a deeper purpose."

"You seem to be really passionate about writing," I observed.

"I want to pursue journalism when I grow up," she replied.

"I'm sure you'll do great."

The bus came to a halt in front of them and the doors hissed open. A few people got off, after which Eunyoung and I stepped into the air-conditioned bus. The weight of the long day seemed to lighten as we sat down beside each other.

💿

The bus hadn't moved in what felt like ages. The muffled sound of cars honking outside fell upon my ears, as I let out a sigh. There didn't seem to be a proper reason for the traffic; It was just one of those days. Eunyoung and I hadn't said anything to each other in a while. I turned to look at her, only to find that she had dozed off with her head tilting forward slightly.

I felt my eyes widen in awe of her beauty. Her hair framed her face as her features softened by her drowsiness. It felt as if she was conducting a puppet show with my heartstrings. Her head began to tilt towards the window. Without a moment of thought, I gently placed her head on my shoulder, afraid that she would get hurt. The action was so instinctive that even I was surprised. The contact sent a jolt through me as warmth crept up my cheeks. She shifted a little bit, finding a comfortable position and then became motionless again.

I couldn't stop my lips from stretching into a smile of admiration. I could look at her forever and be just as mesmerized. My attention shifted to the palm of her hand that rested on her lap. Her hand seemed so tiny despite her height. It looked so dainty that I had to fight the urge to intertwine my fingers with hers. I recalled her grip on my hand the day we ran through the rain, my heart swelling up at the thought. I held my hand next to hers, comparing them. My heart fluttered just looking at it.

Choi Eunyoung, what have you done to me? I'm acting like a lunatic and it's your fault.

☾⋆｡𖦹 °✩⋆｡° ✮

nayoung's notes: okay, i know sunjae did the hand comparing thing in the show, but it was so iconic that i had to use it. i HAD to. anyway hope u liked it!

delphi's notes: yumi coughing after she sees taesung smoking is such a mood, like i would totally do that.

[awholelotofladybug]

On Ice 2: A Stammering Adrien AU Story

Based on this AU.

Disclaimer: The only characters or locations I own are the ones I make up. All other fictional characters and locations in Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir are the property of Thomas Astruc and Zag. Please support the official release.

Ladybug hissed at the cold as she navigated through a now-frozen Paris. Even with the new power-ups, every second she spent moving through the chilled wind felt like an hour. Her cheeks and nose were probably the coldest. She'd give almost anything for a scarf or a ski mask at that moment.

'Maybe thinking about warm things will help,' she thought. 'A blanket. No, warmer. Hot cocoa. Better, but still not warm enough. A nice campfire. Yeah, that's good. A big, heavy coat. That works too. Chat Noir. Wait, Chat Noir?'

Yes, amid her thinking, Ladybug saw her partner coming toward her, as fast as a torpedo.

"Chat!" she exclaimed with a smile.

"M'lady!" Chat shouted as he rushed to hug her. "Boy, am I glad to s-s-s-see you!"

Ladybug laughed. "You too, kitty. Say, how were the macaroons I gave you last week?"

"Delicious," said Chat. "Ate… Ate the whole box in one go."

"Careful, kitty. Don't want to overdo it with the sweets," Ladybug teased as she patted his stomach.

Chat chuckled. "Moi? Never."

Ladybug smiled. It was always great to catch up with Chat. It was just a shame it had to be during an Akuma attack. That's when the windchill came back.

"Brrrr. This cold is driving me crazy," said Ladybug. "We better get a move on and…"

"Put this Akuma on ice?" Chat said with a smirk.

Ladybug couldn't help but let out a snort. Yes, the pun was lousy, but in the funniest way. And she could see the smug look on Chat's face. He had one every time he made her laugh.

"Honestly," she said. "Are you a cat or a clown?"

Chat shrugged. "C-C-C-Can't I be both?"

With a few more chuckles, the young duo stopped their jesting and went through the streets to find the Akuma, hopefully before they caught frostbite.

Frozer laughed as he skated expertly across the frozen Parisian pathways.

"Ah, revenge really is like ice cream," he said. "Sweet and best served cold. Wouldn't you agree, Hawkmoth?"

"Overused metaphors aside," said Hawkmoth telepathically. "There's still the matter of Ladybug and Chat Noir's Miraculouses."

"Keep your jacket on," said Frozer. "I'm sure those little pipsqueaks are on their way right now. And once they get here, I'll make them into Ladybug and Cat-sickles."

"Ooh, Do those c-c-c-come in different flavors? I'm p-p-partial to orange, myself."

Frozer's eyes went wide as he spun around to see none other than Ladybug and Chat Noir in the flesh.

Frozer smirked. "Well, if it isn't Paris' favorite pair of pipsqueak protectors. Come to see me turn Paris into my own winter wonderland?"

"Sorry, Frozer, but we're here to serve you a piping hot plate of justice," said Ladybug.

"Ooh," said Chat. "G-Great one-liner, m'lady."

"Yeah," said Frozer with a grin. "Great one-liner. I'd even say it was COOL!"

FWOOSH!

With one swift motion, Frozer sent a barrage of sharp icicles flying toward the heroes.

"M'lady, look out!" Chat exclaimed.

As he did, he pushed Ladybug and himself out of the way, only getting half of his tail cut off.

"Yikes!" said Ladybug. "Chaton, are you okay?!"

Chat picked himself up. "I'm alright, m'lady. J-J-J-Just a little winter wardrobe malfunction."

Ladybug would have made a witty reply, but she and Chat found themselves dodging another icy blast as Frozer continued his assault. It was one dodge after another in what almost felt like a dance for survival. Ladybug even caught herself doing a pirouette.

"You kids are good," said Frozer, "Would have made some excellent students if the city hadn't decided to RUIN MY LIFE!!"

As the villain ranted, Ladybug and Chat took cover behind a frozen bus.

"I think now would b-b-be a pretty good time for one of your lucky charms, m'lady," said Chat.

"Right," said Ladybug as she drew her yo-yo. "LUCKY CHARM!"

With a burst of energy and a flash of light, a large bag of salt materialized before them.

"A bag of salt?" Ladybug pondered.

"Of course," said Chat. "When salt d-d-dissolves, the sodium and chloride separate and..."

Chat's statement found itself cut short when an icicle pierced the ground in front of him, forcing him and Ladybug to move.

"Layman's terms?" Ladybug asked.

"Salt melts ice," said Chat. "Quick, toss me the bag."

Ladybug tossed Chat the bag, but as she did, she couldn't help but worry.

'Does he know what he's doing?' she thought.

However, just before he rushed off, Chat gave her a wink and a smirk. Her fears were put to rest.

'Oh,' she thought. 'He definitely knows what he's doing.'

Once he was close enough, Chat opened the bag, and did what he did best. He ran his mouth.

"Hey, F-F-F-Frozer, next time, try for a more original gimmick," he said. "There's, like, a dozen ice-themed supervillains already."

Frozer snarled. "You're judging me?! Who's the one running around in a kitty costume?!"

"No judgment," Chat said with a shrug. "I'm just... I'm just saying. Ice-themed villains are a dime a dozen."

Frozer's temper flared as he kept blasting at the young hero, only for him to dodge every shot

"Oops, touched a nerve. You know, for an ice villain, you're a real hothead," said Chat.

"You insolent little whelp!" Frozer exclaimed. "When I'm done with you, there won't be enough of you to fit in an ice tray."

Chat chuckled. "You know, I think you need t-t-to lighten up. No need to let a few jokes make you SALTY."

Salt was sprinkled all over the villain in the blink of an eye, and whatever wasn't on him made it to the ice beneath his feet. The once-solid ice became a pile of slush, and the villain would find himself hitting the ground with a painful THUD.

"Ladybug, now!" Chat exclaimed.

Ladybug wasted no time, skating as fast as her skates could carry her. She rushed over and snatched the earrings from Frozer's ears, smashing them until the Akuma finally emerged.

"No more evil-ding for you, little Akuma," she said with a swing of her yo-yo. "TIME TO DE-EVILIZE!"

The butterfly was captured, cleansed, and set free.

"Bye-bye, little butterfly," said Ladybug. "MIRACULOUS LADYBUG!!"

She tossed the empty bag of salt in the air, and in an instant, Paris went from a frozen wasteland to the City of Love again. Frozer transformed back into Phillipe, who couldn't help but shed a tear.

"I meant no harm," he said. "I was just trying to save my business, my dream."

Chat stepped up. "I'm sure a few more c-c-customers and a good lawyer can help. Your dream doesn't have to be over yet."

"Chat Noir's right," said Ladybug. "In fact, maybe we can help. We've pushed a product or two in the past."

"You two would do that for me? Oh, merci, Ladybug, merci beaucoup," said Phillipe as he picked himself up.

Ladybug nodded. "Whatever we can do to help."

With everything settled, Ladybug and Chat ended the mission with their signature fist bump.

"Bien Joué!"

Luka stood outside the locker rooms of the ice rink, conflicted.

'She's right in there,' he thought. 'You could just knock on the door, ask her to come out, and talk about it.”

Did Luka really want this? Did he want to risk breaking Adrien’s heart by asking Marinette out? It’s not like Adrien couldn’t find someone else, right? Then again, he knew for a fact that Adrien and Marinette loved each other. Did he really want to disrupt that? This debate went back and forth as his hand unconsciously moved toward the locker room door. That’s when he heard a loud “Ahem.” He turns to see an irritated-looking Kagami Tsurugi, causing him to gulp.

"Kagami, I swear, this isn't what it looks like..."

"I hope not," said Kagami. "Because it looked like you were about to be a total scumbag."

Luka threw up his hands in defense. "I was just going to knock, that's all."

"And then what?"

Luka sighed. That one question managed to put an end to Luka's mental debate.

"You know, for a second, I really was ready to disrupt their melody, just to be with Marinette," he said. "But I can't... No matter how much I want to."

"I know the feeling. Part of me wants Adrien more than anything, but he's chosen his target, and it's not me."

Luka exhaled. "Yeah. But hey, it's not that bad, right? I mean, they make each other happy."

"Yeah... Yeah, you're right," said Kagami. "And besides, there are plenty of fish in the sea, right?"

"Exactly. I ought to know. I live on a boat," said Luka.

Kagami shook her head. She could tell Luka was prouder of that joker than he had any right to be. Still, the point was as clear as crystal. Marinette and Adrien were meant for each other, and Kagami and Luka's destiny lied elsewhere. As this thought began to sink in, Marinette and Adrien emerged from the girl's and boy's locker rooms respectively. Without missing a beat, Kagami and Luka rushed to them.

"Are you okay, Mari?"Luka asked. "You're not hurt, are you?"

Marinette blushed and smiled. "I'm okay. No harm done."

Luka felt a wave of relief was over him. Meanwhile, Adrien was being inspected from head to toe by Kagami and Gorilla, causing his face to turn a bashful pink.

"I-Is this n-n-necessary?" Adrien asked.

"Hold still," said Kagami. "Gotta make sure you're okay."

Adrien shooed their hands away. "I'm fine. Really."

"Hey, don't you dismiss me," said an irritated Kagami. "I was worried."

"I know. I'm s-s-s-sorry. But really, I-I'm okay."

Kagami smiled. Everything seemed to wrap up nicely until Kagami caught Adrien and Marinette awkwardly avoiding each other's eye contact. She groaned softly, growing weary of this emotional rollercoaster, but then, with the ding of a phone notification, Kagami got an idea.

"Hey, Luka, my ride is here. You need a lift home?" she said with a wink.

"O-Oh, yeah, sure. Thanks," said Luka. "I'll get my things."

Adrien and Marinette's faces both went pale as they heard their friends' plan. Adrien shot a desperate look to Kagami, and Marinette to Luka. Both expressions screamed, "Please don't leave!" But these pleas fell on deaf ears, for better or worse, as Luka mouthed 'Good luck' to Marinette and Kagami mouthed 'You've got this' to Adrien. Without another word, the heiress and the musician were out the door, and Marinette and Adrien were left alone.

Adrien could already feel himself starting to shake. Left alone with his crush. What was he to do? He couldn't just run. What would she think of him? But that blunder they had on the ice was just so awkward, so embarrassing, how could they even hope to address it? Then again, if they didn't talk about it, would anything change? That's when Adrien made his decision. He took a deep breath, forced himself to stop shaking, and looked at Marinette.

"Hey, M-M-Marinette..."

Marinette gulped. "H-Hey, Adrien..."

"About what happened on the ice," he said. "I'm really s-s-s-sorry. I was... I was caught up in what I was doing, and..."

"No, no, no, I'm sorry. It was my fault," she said before chuckling. "Clumsy ol' Marinette, right? You're fine, really."

"You're not that clumsy all the t-t-t-time. Besides, I'm... I'm the one who got on the ice without knowing the first thing about skating."

"Yeah, but this was my idea, and..." Marinette said before shaking her head. "You know what, this is silly, letting a little spill embarrass us so much. Accidents happen, right?"

Adrien gave a sigh of relief. "Yeah, yeah. Accidents. That's all that was. An accident."

Marinette blushed. "So maybe, if you want, we can do this again?"

"Yeah," said Adrien with glowing, pink cheeks. "I-I'd like that."

Just then, Adrien felt a tap on his shoulder. He looked to see his bodyguard tapping his wristwatch.

"Oops, that's right. I have to go," said Adrien.

Marinette then looked at her phone. "My ride's here too. Have a good night, Adrien."

The two youngsters parted ways. Both seemed calm, but they were doing cartwheels and backflips in their heads. Despite the awkwardness and embarrassment, both were excited to see each other again. A small victory. One both Marinette AND Adrien hoped would lead to something more.

Prev | Next

[plumoh]

a prayer and a coin; chapter 6

Natsume Yuujinchou & Noragami crossover fic.

Rating: G Wordcount: 3220 Characters in this chapter: Natsume & Sensei & Yato Summary: Takashi, despite Sensei's clear mistrust, calls the phone number. AO3 link

So lost in his own thoughts and distracted by Nyanko-sensei’s hasty retreat, Takashi completely forgot about the kappa who witnessed the entire meeting without saying a word.

When he goes back to the river on his way to school, the kappa jumps out of the water and looks so dejected that Takashi feels his guilt increase tenfold.

“Natsume, were the boy and the man from yesterday dangerous?” the kappa asks with wide eyes.

“No, I don’t think they are,” Takashi replies instantly, refusing to let Sensei’s suspicions pollute the kappa’s mind. “Rest assured, Sensei and I are going to make sure that nothing happens to you or other youkai in the area.”

“I swam back home once you left, so I don’t know what they did. This morning when I came here nothing looked different.”

So nothing has been destroyed, at least, which is good to know. If a god truly got upset because of an abrupt and rude departure, then Takashi is certain the country wouldn’t be standing anymore. Bad luck or not, gods are supposed to care for the land they walk on, right?

Takashi makes the kappa promise him to seek him out if he encounters any anomalies before heading to class. Sensei said he’d be on the lookout, in case Yatogami comes back for whatever business he has in the area—it should reassure Takashi, but instead it makes him worry that things will get messy should Sensei and Yatogami meet again. He can only hope that the day will be normal for everyone involved.

He doesn’t recount the encounter to Tanuma or Taki. There is no need for them to imagine the worst when nothing happened truly; on top of that, he doesn’t want them to fret over the existence of real gods, and the knowledge that their prayers might be actually heard. It’s already disturbing enough that Takashi himself has apparently met a god in the past and forgot him… The Dew God’s story remains fresh in his memory and he can’t let it repeat for anyone else.

-----

As soon as the bell rings, Takashi rushes out of the classroom while apologizing to Nishimura for leaving early. Sensei is already waiting for him, sitting at the top of the gate’s wall, like a polite pet waiting for his master to return. The other students love watching him, but as soon as they try to pet him, he hisses at them (“he’s not a real cat, after all”). Sensei jumps down, glancing back at Takashi to make sure he’s following, and together they head near the forest.

There is a payphone next to the bus stop. Somewhere isolated, away from prying eyes, and within easy reach of youkai friends. Takashi thinks the precautions unnecessary, but they are more for Sensei’s peace of mind than for his own. Sensei worries too much, sometimes, when Takashi least expects it.

“If the god doesn’t answer your call, we’re going home,” Sensei says in a tone that doesn’t leave room for negotiation.

Takashi fishes a few coins from his pocket, inserts them into the payphone, and dials the number written on his note. It hits him, then, that the motions of going through all these steps are comforting; there is giddiness and anticipation in equals measures, like this is the first time he calls this number. It brings back the memory of seeing the phone number tagged on walls and billboards, thinking that calling it was a last resort. He’s thrown back to his childhood and he thinks that maybe, this is a bad idea.

What if he’s repeating a past mistake and only setting himself up for disappointment…?

Takashi can hear his heart hammering against his ribcage all the way into his skull. When the phone keeps ringing and ringing, he thinks he might throw up.

And then, a click.

“Hi, thank you for calling! Fast, cheap and reliable, delivery god Yato at your service!”

It sounds surreal. At that moment, Takashi blanks—how do you greet someone you don’t really know anymore?

“Hello? Is anyone here?”

Something bumps into his leg; Takashi looks down to see Sensei narrow his eyes, impatiently waving a paw. Like he’s telling him that this was Takashi’s idea, and that he should take care of the situation alone.

Takashi swallows. His heart has never beat so fast, and so loudly.

“Y-Yes, sorry… I actually don’t know how I should put this…”

This conversation feels like déjà-vu. Takashi isn’t one to talk on the phone.

“Um… Do you remember the beast youkai you met yesterday…?”

Takashi hears Sensei groan and he feels himself getting flustered while his palms are starting to get clammy. What an embarrassing sight he must display.

“…What beast youkai?” Yatogami asks, confused, but still willing to continue this call.

“A wolf-like beast. White and big.”

“Oh! Yeah, of course I remember that one. Who’s asking?”

This is it. This is the moment where Takashi has to reveal himself. The ringing in his ears is killing him.

“I don’t know if you noticed yesterday but I… was with the beast youkai… My name is Natsume Takashi. We met a long time ago.”

A long time ago for Takashi, in any case. He most likely wouldn’t have remembered they ever met, had Yatogami not shown up. How many people and youkai did Takashi see when he was younger, and completely forgot as he grew older?

For an agonizing moment, only silence greets him. Sensei is sitting very still at his feet, ears clearly on alert even if he can’t hear much from his position.

“Were you a kid who asked me to kill an ayakashi that was bothering your family?”

Takashi wants to cry.

“I was!” his voice nearly cracks. “I mean, I think I did ask something like that? It’s been years so I don’t really remember but I know that you’ve helped me in the past.”

Takashi doesn’t even need to glance down to know that Sensei is sighing heavily, like he can’t believe that Takashi is still spouting this nonsense when he clearly warned him against gods of calamity. Yatogami’s voice is quiet and pensive, so unlike what Takashi is used to; is it a bad sign?

“Hey, you mind if I teleport to your location?” Yatogami asks.

Takashi blinks. He doesn’t object to it, of course, but… Oh well. Sensei will get over it soon enough.

“I don’t see why not.”

The words barely left his mouth that suddenly a silhouette appears next to him in a flurry of light and flicker, startling both him and Sensei. Yatogami still has his phone stuck to his ear while he stares first at Sensei, assessing and prudent—Sensei returns the distrustful gaze, going as far as taking a step forward to place himself closer to Takashi. Then Yatogami shifts his attention to Takashi, and the storm in his eyes immediately clears.

“The little Takashi, of course!” Yatogami exclaims, all smiles. “Wow, you weren’t joking when you said it’s been years, you’re not a kid anymore!”

Yatogami snaps his phone shut and approaches Takashi, ignoring the way Sensei seems to puff up and ready to pounce. He claps Takashi’s shoulders with both hands eagerly and keeps them there, in a gesture reminiscent of a family member seeing a young cousin or nephew and showing approval. Takashi, confused, feels a bit out of his element.

“How many years has it been? Do you know?” Yatogami continues on a joyful tone. “Must have been something like five years.”

“Six years, actually,” Takashi replies absentmindedly. “I’m going to turn sixteen this year.”

“Huh. You look way too well-behaved to still be a teenager. But I’m not surprised, you were a polite child.”

That might be the first time someone ever said that about him to his face and meant it. The glint in Yatogami's eyes shines with so much cheer that Takashi is starting to think his entire reaction might be forced. He dismisses the thought as soon as it comes because he is absolutely not going to be influenced by Sensei’s doubts.

“I didn't think you would remember me,” Takashi says softly. “I'm sorry I forgot about you.”

Yatogami snorts in an undignified way and withdraws his hands to stuff them in the pockets of his jersey, absolutely unconcerned by the remark. He’s exuding that carefree attitude that Takashi remembers most about him; it might be a façade to better lower people’s guard, in the scenario Takashi thinks like Sensei does.

Yatogami still doesn't acknowledge Sensei's hostile aura as he keeps conversing.

“Don't worry about it, humans don't always remember encounters with gods. I don't blame you for something you can't help.”

But it doesn't feel right, Takashi thinks. He doesn't want to continue living as if nothing happened; what if he forgets again in a few months? Isn't he the one who should make efforts to remember instead of simply accepting that it is the way the world is? Gods can’t keep living if there are no believers left.

“Besides, if I remember correctly, we only met a handful of times,” Yatogami continues. “It wasn't enough for your kid brain to believe that gods actually exist.”

Takashi isn't convinced, but Yatogami is smiling and it would be rude to ruin the mood by insisting that something feels wrong.

“I suppose,” Takashi answers, nodding slowly.

“Anyway! I’m really glad that you’re looking well. It’s rare for me to meet again past believers, after all, so seeing you all grown up is making me think I should check on other people. I could be surprised.”

“Are all gods of your caliber always this infuriating?” Sensei finally snaps.

When Takashi glances at him, he half expects to see his bodyguard baring his teeth—instead, Sensei is sitting very still, simmering in his wariness and irritation. Yatogami’s words haven’t alleviated any of his suspicions and he looks even more incensed than before. If a fight breaks out between a beast youkai and a god, Takashi isn’t sure he will be able to stop it.

“Sensei,” Takashi chides gently. “Don’t antagonize Yato-sama.”

“This guy hasn’t given me a single reason to want to be in his presence,” Sensei scoffs, and he manages to convey disdain by simply staring down at Yatogami from his position on the ground. “What does a god of calamity want from a human except making them their follower?”

Takashi should be used to Sensei’s blunt words and lack of tact but he can’t help wincing. It’s in this kind of situation, where Sensei is too stubborn and unwilling to disclose what actually bothers him, that Takashi realizes there is much about Sensei he still doesn’t know. He truly cannot read what is going through his mind—the last time he saw him so guarded, it was against Matoba-san.

Yatogami, for his part, waves a hand in the air in a dismissive gesture. Even to Takashi’s eyes, it somehow looks insulting, which further exacerbates his feeling of dread.

“I didn’t even do anything and I’m accused of committing some crime! Who is this, Takashi?”

Sensei doesn’t miss a beat and scowls.

“I am a great and noble beast youkai, one who will make you cower in fear,” he says haughtily. “You can call me Nyanko-sensei.”

A beat. Takashi opens his mouth, then promptly closes it. Doesn’t Sensei want to look more intimidating by revealing who he truly is…? Doesn’t this nickname severely undermine his reputation…? Now that he thinks about it, Sensei has never introduced himself with his real name; even in front of Matoba-san, he only ever responded to the name Takashi bestowed him.

Yatogami picks up on that detail as well, judging by the quirking of his eyebrow. He looks amused, but not angry or confused. Maybe he is used to youkai giving names other than their own—who knows what youkai think of when they want to play pranks on people.

“Very well, Nyanko-sensei. That’s a cute name for a youkai.”

“I, uh, gave it to him”, Takashi explains hurriedly. “Please don’t pay attention to him, Yato-sama, I don’t know why he’s acting like this. He’s not as rude usually.”

“I can be plenty rude if I want to,” Sensei grunts.

Takashi side-eyes him. “Don’t.”

“I have no idea what kind of relationship you two have, but it’s quite entertaining,” Yatogami says, nodding sagely like this is some performance he’s watching. “You’re too careful, Takashi. Your friend seems the type to dislike going in circles while no answers are provided, so my continued presence is driving him crazy.”

“I didn’t think you would be able to understand that so quickly,” Sensei snorts. “You’re smarter than you look.”

“I have experience dealing with people who don’t want me around.”

This entire conversation is bad for Takashi’s heart. This is like watching Misuzu and Hinoe wrangling Sensei into doing something that “sounds stupid and unworthy of his attention”, but ten times worse. If they don’t stop, he fears that they will truly start fighting.

“Stop antagonizing Yato-sama,” he tells Sensei again, with a pointed look. “He hasn’t done anything harmful and he doesn’t intend to. I think it’s pretty obvious he’s not the malevolent god you pretend he is.”

Before Sensei has time to retort something most likely scathing, Yatogami claps his hands and catches his attention.

“Everyone calm down! I still have no idea why I’m the topic of a misunderstanding but I swear that Takashi isn’t going to get hurt or anything. He hasn’t seen me in years and as a god, I’m more than happy to see that he remembered me.”

Yatogami turns towards Takashi and winks while holding two fingers near his temple in a salute, the perfect picture of someone being unperturbed by the circumstances. Takashi offers him a strained smile; this is the type of attitude that is most difficult to read and predict—even if there is no imminent danger, Sensei isn’t going to take at face value such blatant, over-exaggerated enthusiasm.

“Since I can’t hide it from the noble Nyanko-sensei, yes I am a god of calamity,” Yatogami continues, unreserved. “Used to, anyway. I don’t tend to announce it, it’s bad marketing, you know? I’m a delivery god who aims to become rich and revered by lots of people.”

“I do remember that,” Takashi pipes up, feeling the heavy weight of 5-yen coins in his pockets.

“Unbelievable,” Sensei mutters. “Gods don’t get to decide what they are or are not.”

Then, for a fraction of a second, Yatogami drops the act. His curled lips aren’t quite smiling, and the glint in his eyes looks…appraising. Dangerous. Takashi resists the urge to take a step back or to let shivers take control of his body.

“That’s what you think,” Yatogami says in an almost whisper, confident. “Watch me.”

Takashi thinks this is a prayer.

Who listens to the prayers of gods?

Thinking that enough is enough, that Yatogami doesn’t have to put up with them longer than necessary, Takashi bends down and gathers Sensei in his arms, ignoring his cries of protest. The flash in Yatogami’s eyes is a warning—against what, Takashi is not sure, but there is no doubt Sensei will take it the wrong way.

“I believe in you, Yato-sama,” Takashi states firmly. “You may be a god of calamity, you still helped me when no one wanted to.”

He reaches into his pocket, closes his fingers around a coin, and extends his fist towards him. Yatogami, momentarily stunned, only stares. Takashi shakes his fist a bit in invitation.

“I’ll remember you. And if I don’t, Sensei is here to remind me.”

“I didn’t agree to such a thing,” Sensei complains.

Slowly, Yatogami reaches out as well and places his palm under Takashi’s fist. Takashi drops the 5-yen coin onto his hand, and he doesn’t miss the way Yatogami slightly tenses upon being offered the proof of their shared past. Maybe more than shock that colors his face, it is surprise at getting that precious coin without even asking.

“I didn’t fulfill any wish yet,” Yatogami indicates, though he still closes his hand around the coin.

“I know. It’s a gift for answering my call and coming here.”

Sensei doesn’t try to ruin this moment. Takashi knows he senses that this is important to him; whether he’s acting in childish wonder or blind trust, Takashi will not abandon Yatogami like he did once. No more.

It is hard to pinpoint what emotion is flickering on Yatogami's face at that moment, unsmiling and still as he is. He most definitely didn't expect such a gesture, and it occurs to Takashi that he must have been wondering all along what would happen during this meeting. Nobody ever requests the presence of a god for a chat, after all.

“I'm not a child anymore. I will keep my promise,” Takashi says fervently.

Yatogami slowly, deliberately, relaxes his shoulders. It wouldn't have been visible if Takashi wasn't paying attention to it.

“Thanks, Takashi,” Yatogami says. “If only there were more humans like you.”

What a loaded statement. Takashi doesn't think he's anyone special.

“Time to go,” Sensei grouches, swatting at Takashi’s arm. “We've stayed here longer than necessary.”

“It was a pleasure to meet you, Nyanko-sensei.”

Yatogami flashes him a smile that is more mocking than sincere, and Sensei ignores him with such grace that Takashi feels oddly proud.

“Take care of yourself, Yato-sama,” Takashi tells Yatogami.

Yatogami nods. “You too. See you around then!”

And just like this, Yatogami turns on his heels and walks away, waving a hand in the air. This sight is familiar to Takashi, but instead of feeling like he’s lost something precious, his heart swells with relief. He commits that moment to memory.

Sensei waits until they are back at the Fujiwara house to speak about the encounter.

“I wouldn’t trust him yet,” he announces calmly, a lot less irritated than he had been during the day. “Don’t stick your nose into business that’s not yours to deal with.”

“Come on, Sensei,” Takashi sighs. “You saw that Yato-sama wasn’t dangerous, right?”

“For now he isn’t. You don’t know what will happen in the future.”

Takashi dangles a piece of the pancake he’s eating and Sensei immediately snatches it from his hand, successfully distracted. There is no point discussing about the topic further, given how adamant Sensei is—nothing, for now, will change his opinion on Yatogami. Takashi isn’t against practicing some caution or keeping a safe distance from a god who is apparently malicious, but he can’t bring himself to doubt Yatogami’s kindness. Who would spare so much effort into creating a positive image of themselves if they weren’t at least a bit honest about it? Is he being too naive again?

Gods and youkai are different, of course, but Takashi remembers missed opportunities he’s had with youkai. Misunderstandings, even, especially in Reiko-san’s memories. Gods most likely experience this feeling as well, despite their status. Takashi wants to believe that he still has a chance to reconnect with Yatogami because Yatogami looked so vulnerable when he accepted the 5-yen coin, as if that simple gift was something world-shattering.

Takashi won’t forget again. He knows so much now, thanks to Sensei—it is his own wish that he will fulfill.

[mike-wachowski]

I have to ask #29 Thanks in advance!

29: Share a bit from a fic you’ll never post OR from a scene that was cut from an already posted fic. (If you don’t have either, just share a random fic idea you have that you don’t plan on getting to.)

YEAHHHHHH HAHA THANKS INKYDROPIES

okay i have genuinely so many oneshot wips i could choose from to post for this but i think im going to choose an old fic i was working on- its a tumblr mutals fic lol, where lena and kara are both in the same fandom for the tv show "morgana", kara writes fic, and lena is her beta reader. the "morgana" show was going to be loosely inspired by jazzfordshire's morgana/red daughter au fics, and i actually got her permission to slip some references in there lol.

anyways, i think if i never end up going back to this i might cannabalize it for another fandom (maybe imodna? im still unsure) but without further adieu- the first part of the wip

The straps of leather between Morgana’s fingertips were rough with use and wear. Toying with them gently was as easy as toying with the woman beneath the form fitting armor, yet it proved itself quickly to be only half as fun. As Morgana trailed a finger down one of the straps of the chest harness, dragging slowly, she heard a soft intake of breath from her companion. 

“Do not tease,” El whispered, but her command held none of the bite Morgana so dearly craved to hear from the accented woman— truly, it bore the opposite: she heard only thick, unadulterated affection. El’s eyes flickered and shone ice-blue in the firelight of their shared hearth, and Morgana found herself drawing from all the power within her to stop herself from lunging forward and ravishing the woman’s lips. She wanted to be ever closer to El, bound hand and waist, palm and throat, lip and lip. She wanted to hear that rough voice, usually restrained by her knight’s mysterious stoicism, begging and crying out for her. She wanted to hear her say it— say the words Morgana hungered to hear-

“Kara. Earth to Kara.” 

The hands flying across her laptop keyboard freeze. Kara glances up from her desk. 

Winn Schott is staring at her over a dusty CatCo monitor. His eyes are wide, frantically oscillating between her and the door. “Ms. Grant just walked in,” he hisses. 

“Oh, shit.” Kara slams her laptop shut, grabbing her phone. She quickly slides it open to her mail app, scanning through all her recent messages— “Winn, did you forward me that message from IT?” 

“Already sent,” he nods, glancing up at her from his dual monitors. “And you have something on your shirt.” 

“Oh, darn it—” Kara glances down at her white oxford, sees the tan stain present beneath her chest pocket, and scowls. Stupid National City streets making the bus rides so bumpy. She didn’t even notice she spilled coffee over herself. 

Kara wrestles her blazer out of her bag, throwing it on top of her shirt and hoping for the best. She about faces, turning towards the door’s to Cat’s office, and, taking an exaggerated breath, steals herself for her first, and worst, interaction with Cat of the day. 

She pushes open the door. Cat Grant sits, regal, ruling the room from her ergonomic office chair. She types idly away at her laptop with one hand, and scrolls through her carefully curated morning news feed with her other. 

“You’re late,” she says to Kara, without looking up, even though Kara technically arrived to work before her. “I’ve been sitting here, waiting, for six minutes,” she continues, which, objectively, is true. 

 “Sorry, Ms. Grant,” Kara mumbles, pulling out her phone and clicking open her document with all of Cat’s itinerary for the day. 

Cat Grant starts speaking, then, and Kara tries to focus on her boss’s words, but her mind, as usual, wanders. She had been in such a groove on what she was writing, had finally broken through the haze of writer’s block she had been experiencing for nearly a week. And right as she’s about to round out the denouement of this fic, just in time for the end of the week, she has to be interrupted by her job. 

It’s really her fault, she knows. She should try to keep her home life and work life a little more separate— but the newest episode of Morgana dropped last night, and Kara had been filled with such inspiration for a scene in her current fic she spent nearly the entire bus ride here and the rest of the morning working through it. She’s nearly done too, she just has to send it off to—

Kara’s phone buzzes, perfectly timed, and she knows exactly who it is without even checking. 

Kara slides past her lockscreen and taps open the tumblr app. There waiting for her, past a wall of messages and notes, is a message from the one person she’s been hoping to hear from most all morning—the only person who could maybe help her turn this terrible morning around.

[] morgana-with-a-gun

read through what you added to the google doc last night. left some notes. its looking pretty good. 

Kara practically swoons.

[greenflamedwriter]

quick prompt

Shen Yuan transmigrates as Yue Qingyuan.

So he wakes up thinks fuck this shit, and decides to gather evidence that Shen Qingqiu is a scumbag and also thinking of ways to improve the protagonists life.

He has a system that stops him from directing helping Luo Binghe which makes him rage out but realises that he just doesnt HAVE to walk into the trap and get killed by thousands of arrows either way he ends up going through paper work trying to find evidence and break his ooc feature and decides to clean house.

So he finds out the entire cang qiong sect, the other martial siblings that were whispering poison that Shen Qingqiu is no good, is crooked, scum, worst of the worst etc. Have ALSO done some fucked up stuff.

Yue Qingyuan has let nearly everyone get away with murder! In a bid to throw Shen Qingqiu under the bus only- ended up revealing everyones dirty secrets.

Secrets that the system tells him he should investigate. So he holds a meeting and talks about how after losing his memory realises he's been too relaxed with certain siblings and their behaviour and finds it unnaccaptable. He brings up the siblings in question...

Shen Qingqiu, Mu QIngfan and Shang Qinghua.

He uses those ones first as they're the LEAST worst but almost there. Both Shang QInghua and Shen Qingqiu have been spending an abundant sums of money both summurise that its from their own pockets and savings and nothings been taken from cang qiongs treasury.

Shang has been ordering a quantity of paper and ink [for his writing] and Shen Qingqiu to his brothel visits, here Yue Qingyuan circles all the peak lords chairs as he speaks about following Shen Qingqiu and uses a tailsman to disguise himself then reveals that he wanted to see Shen Qingqiu red handed only to find time and again his shidi only went there to sleep. That the time spent was innocent. He reveals letters he asked the women to write and even payed then three times the amount Shen Qingqiu payed to reveal the truth.

"Now here," he spoke "The women could lie, and claim Shen Qingqiu is the worst sort and a degenerate even though I offered to pay for their services in the future that would let them be very comfortable." And even convert their establishment into a high luxary tea house instead.

"And yet here is what they wrote." He read them outloud of all the praise and eveything Shen Qingqiu had done, even letters from children and how he would book the entire inn so the children can sit with their parents as they relaxed.

"That Peak lord is utter scum, he should be banned from this estlablisment if this one ever saw the face of that man ever again I will have no choice but to tear his face off, damn that Xiao Qingwen oh, my mistake that wasn't about Shen Qingqiu." But he glared at the other martial sibling.

"That must be a mistake-"

"And yet if the Qing Jing Peak lord was accused there would be no mistakes." Yue Qingyuan glanced back at the letter and sneered "This is appaling, you are herby thorth banned from any brothels and sent to the Lingxi caves and reflect on yourself." Yue Qingyuan felt gross but felt more annoyed at the obvious projection of his martial siblings.

What was he? Some husband in a harem drama? Why was everyone here spitting and hissing like cats towards Shen Qingqiu who felt like the unfavoured wife? hah?

"And of course the Peak Lord from Qing Jing Peak is also banned from the Red pavillion." Shen Qingqiu glared his way.

"Excuse me sect leader? You may find this master can go where ever he pleases!"

Yue Qingyuan only gave him a dry look "Not when it reflects badly on Cang Qiong Mountain, you are a peak lord. Act like it and use a tailsman like any other cultivator." He rolled his eyes and noticed Shen Qingqiu relax when he realised that the Peak lord was banned, not him himself.

"And Mu Qingfan, these herbs...are not very legal. Do you have a valid excuse for these?" or any excuse in case the Sect leader needs to explain why Mu Qingfan is growing weed in his back garden.

Mu Qingfan explains he's a doctor and is expected to treat any illnesses, most cures come from those exotic plants.

Yue Qingyuan sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose "Still, I need a warrent at least, something legal on paper so it doesn't affect us in the long term. No one cares if you save lifes as long as you follow the rules." Annoying yes, but it had to be done.

"Speaking of illegal contraband." Shen Yuan glared at Qi Qingqi and saw her sweat, both she and Liu Qingge were the loudest to cause this meeting to expose Shen Qingqiu and punish him.

Oh, funny now that its THEM in the hole.

"These...what would you call it literature?" She tensed further "Yes?"

"Is there any reason you seem to have them? If it came out that Cang Qiong mountain had any copies of those books..."

She pursed her lips "This one was only curious, and none of this Masters disciples have read them." Yue Qingyuans eyes narrowed.

To think Qi Qingqi was holding kama sutra but the cultivation type, that would land all of them in trouble if it came out that they owned one!

Yue Qingyuan could see his chances of survivng dwindling before his very eyes- is that wha the original goods did? Acted like a ostrich and buried his head in the sand!?

Shen Yuan can't do that! But in a move that was supposed to expose Shen Qingqiu ended up revealing the guy was actually more complex than he thought and was weirdly innocent!

---

So in short, Yue Qingyuan is trying to throw Shen Qingqiu under the bus and betray him but ends up seeing him. Even Shen Qingqiu see's how Yue Qingyuan finally did something and helped instead of assuming he was guilty and trying to salvage and smile away the problem. But now he misses his Qi-gi and can't help but feel as if he's lost something important that he wont get back. He'll never know why Qi-gi abandoned him.

But isn't this what he wanted? To start over?

---------

Even more thoughts.

This story will split into two alternative endings. One good ending where Yue Qingyuan [aka Shen Yuan] ends up being a house husband to Shen Qingqiu and finds that being stepped on by the scum villain isnt that bad.

Or the bad ending, where he gains Luo Binghes attention by giving him a better cultivation manual but plays it off as the sect that deals with stratergy its survival of the thickest as the other secs act friendly but can strike them if their perceieved as weak, while Yue Qingyuan is trying to avoid cang qiongs destruction ends up gaining LBh attention and has to sacrifice himself to be Luo Binghes play thing and manage his obsession.

There is a cross roads decision, to choose to help Shen Qingqiu or Luo Binghe, in the event he misses Luo Binghe by being alone comes across Ming fan who is also going through trials Ming fan mentions they have fake goods so others will destory the decoys so their real treasure is protected when LBH admits that WAs his treasure, Ming fan cuffs him on the head calls him stupid but ends up finding it and returning it. Ming fan doesnt change but from a new perspective of survival gains LBH respect and both start to open themselves up. MF gains LBHs attention instead of Yue Qingyuan and is able to manage his obsession.

So, in good ending, Shen Yuan has to do missions for the system. His pathways and dialouge options are blocked unless he snoops around and gains items, etc to unlock them as well as talking to others about himself and his lost memory.

But when he unlocks the core memory of his past slowly but surely Yue Qingyuan is a wreck as he feels the emotions and has to work even harder.

Because if he tells SQQ the truth his system will punish him, he has to earn that 'speical ending' and in doing so finds himself wanting to save Shen Qingqiu with the same intesity as the original. So he tries to plant the mushroom he cant tell SQQ what he knows which makes it harder, but he manages.

In on stroke of luck of earning just enough b-points and making sure Shen Qingqiu was in a good mood Yue Qingyuan had unlocked the event he just had to say it.

The original would've balked, and Shen Yuan with his thin face would've ran away too. But the sight of Shen Qingqiu as a human stick made him stay seated and pour the truth of why Qi-ge failed to come back to his Shidi and 'left' him behind.

And bad end with LBH? Yue Qingqyuan is just chained to LBH's bed, as a trophy wife so much smut idk very kinky, Yue Qingyuan is huge and LBH is tiny like a twink and he likes the size difference, also Yue Qingyuans 'cultivation' is not great a one hit wonder so to say.

So bedroom performance apart, Yue Qingyuan actually manages to fight for his place in the harem as the main empress, the only one strong enough to beat up Binghe, and even manages his kingdom.

"We are NOT merging the realms." "But shifu the paperwork-"

"Shut up. I'll deal with it then!"

They're like an old married couple, but LBH is jealous and keeps dangling his precious Xiao Jiu over his head if Yue Qingyuan doesnt co-operate or play his game 'just' right.

Yue Qingqyuan cannot relax feeling as if he's about to be devoured any second that this peace is only here unless he makes a mistake, its temporary and fragile and Yue Qingyuan cant relax for a second.

[council-of-beetroot]

I love the idea of Tolys always being on his best behaviour around Ivan, always so obediant and eager to please, untiillll Gilberts involved. Then suddenly he's a snarling, hissing feral cat, laser focused on clawing Gilbert to pieces. The urge to wring Gilberts neck outweighs his fear of Ivan. Even at his most restrained he's still sarcastic and ready to throw Gilbert under a bus. Ivan finds it headache inducing, but then they're also unintentionally competing for his favour so theres that.

Yeah you know when you work a minimum wage customer service job where you can at least pretend to like everyone, smile and nod as the person you're bagging groceries for thinks you're the perfect audience to listen to their absurd conspiracy theories or pretend you pity them when they complain about prices when you work for $10 an hour and they have an expensive car and watch. But then there's that one customer you just can't no matter how much you try to feign that cheerful customer service façade. That's Gilbert to Tolys.

Take this excerpt from this fic of mine

"No! Wait! That's it! That's what I like about you!"

"What?"

"You, see? To everyone else you're nice, you do your work, and put up with everyone else's shit."

"But not to me! It makes me feel special!”

For Ivan it's like trying to introduce two cats without them murdering one another like "okay if I keep this one in the bathroom for a week and get the other used to the other's scent then maybe I can slowly introduce them for small periods of time?"

These two are so entertaining I swear

[xxwhiskeyxx]

Love Trope February!  Forced Proximity: Swiss x Aether

After a ritual, Aether and Swiss get stuck in a closet when the Multi drug Aether into said closest to try and engage in post Ritual “fun”, but the knob breaks. Swiss being Swiss is horny and is trying to talk Aeth into sex, maybe blows him first even though Aeth is insisting (not very hard and stoppin the horn dog tho) that they’ll fix the door soon and he can just wait till the bus. One things leads to another and suddenly things get steamy!

Hello, welcome to yet another Swiss x Aether fic, this is set in the same universe where they had mated, the one my one-shot is set in! So the pair are mated together, but they do indeed still have fun with other ghouls, their pack animals what do you expect them to be, monogamous? Anyways SMUT SMUT SMUT, this is basically all smut after like 5 paragraphs, so have fun.

Slight TW for Degradation and talks of breeding (can you tell I have a breeding kink yet or nah?)

-Love Whiskey

“Swiss, where the hell are we going?” Aether hisses as the Multi drags him down the long hallway, they had just finished tossing their picks and walked off-stage when suddenly Swiss had grabbed Aether’s hand and began to drag him after from the others, earning cat-calls from Sodo and Moutain and a call of “Don’t take to long boys~” from Cirrus, as the Quintessence ghoul is tugged along behind the smaller ghoul.

“I found this earlier, wanted to show you.” is all Swiss says as he finally opens a door and drags Aether inside, closing and locking the door, and clicking on the light. It was a simple, dimly lit, small storage closet with shelves filled with cleaning supplies and a mop and broom. “Okay, what’s in here that’s so important that for you to drag me here.” Aether asks, crossing his arms and turning to the smaller male, “Nothing, just wanted to get you away so we can have some fun~” Swiss purrs, moving closer to the other ghoul, who backs up slowly until his back hits the wall.

“We..we don’t have time for this Swiss. Come on, we can wait till the bus.” Aether tries to reason with the Multi as he presses his chest against the others, nipping at the exposed throat as Aether tilts his head up, earning a whimper. “But we’re here now, why wait to fuck in a cramped bunk when we have all this space.” Swiss purrs, tossing his mask to the side along with Aether’s. “Please Starshine, can’t you feel how much I want you?” he whines, pressing his lower half against the other’s thick thigh, where he is already fully hard. “Fuck, you make it so hard to say no.” he says with a sigh, Swiss grins thinking he won, “But we have to finish getting undressed before Papa throws a hissy fit.” Aether states as he gently pushes the other ghoul away, which earns a pathetic whine. But when the Quintessential ghoul tries to open the door, it simply doesn’t move.

“What the fuck?” he growls, trying again to no avail, Aether groans and pulls out his phone to text Mountain to come to get them out, but Swiss snatches it away and shoves it in his pocket, “Okay, real funny, give it back, we gotta get out.” Aether says, holding out his hand, “Mmm, no. See, we can say we got locked in and had no cell service, c’mon baby.” Swiss says, pressing Aether back up against the door, kissing and nipping along his now exposed neck as he gropes his thick thighs and ass. Suddenly weakened by the sudden stimulation to his sensitive neck, Aether whimpers, clutching to Swiss’ jacket, “Th..that’ll be suspicious. We can just wait, Swissy.” he tries to reason. But Swiss ignores his protests and starts making his way down the thick ghoul's body, pressing kisses to his clothed chest and belly as he kneels down.

Staring up with a smug smirk on his face, “O..okay, enough, let’s ca-” Aether is cut off when Swiss suddenly mouths at his half-hard cock, running his tongue over the slightly tented material of the pants. “Doesn’t seem like you want to stop Starshine, your cock here seems very interested in my suggestion.” he teases while he unbuckles Aether’s belt and unbuttons his pants before yanking down the offending item along with his boxers just enough to expose the Quintessence ghoul’s cock. Aether hiss’ when the cool air of the closet hits his overheated member but it turns into a moan when Swiss takes the hardening cock into his mouth, unglamored golden silver eyes staring up at him as that warm sinful mouth surrounds him. “Fi..fine, but we’re not doing a second round in here.” he growls, tangling his now unglamored claws into Swiss’ hair, gripping tightly, the Multi hums and begins to bob his head, running his forked tongue along the underside.

Aether moans lowly, tightening his grip slightly as he guides Swiss’ head up and down his length, whose braces himself against large thighs, the Multi may not be able to master any of the elements. Still, he has mastered sucking dick, simultaneously curling his tongue around the cock while he hallows his cheeks with every thrust and withdrawal. The larger ghoul can already feel the knot in his belly tightening as he leans his head back against the wooden surface of the door, knowing that if he continued to look into the glowing eyes of the ghoul sucking his cock that he’d cum a lot sooner than he wanted too. But his plans are foiled when Swiss suddenly takes him all the way into his throat and swallows harshly, tearing a loud cry from Aether, whose legs shake with the effort of holding himself up in combination to the sudden overwhelming feeling of the tight throat. Swiss smirks around the cock, knowing he’s won, he swallows again, tightening his grip on the trembling thighs as Aether cums with a loud keen.

Swiss groans at the taste, pulling off and swallowing the load in his mouth before standing and pressing his mouth against the tall ghouls. Aether moans at the taste of himself on the Multi’s tongue, wrapping his arms around the shorter’s shoulders as the kiss turns filthy, well even filthier than it was already, tongues tangling together as they desperately try to rid the other of offending clothing. Swiss ends up with his pants tugged down, and Aether’s shirt is thrown across the room, Swiss growls and suddenly Aether is whirled around, now facing the door as the other ghoul once again kneels. The Multi grins as he yanks the other’s pants down further to expose his ass; gripping the thick cheeks in his hands, he spreads them just enough to get a glimpse of the pink hole. “Such a perfect ass, all for me to enjoy~” he purrs, laying a smart smack to it, earning a yelp, “Gonna eat you out, get you nice and wet, so I can fuck my cock into you. How’s that sound Starlight?” he teases, knowing how that name effects the typically dominate male, “Ye..yes, please Swiss, give me your tongue.” Aether begs, leaning his sweaty forehead against the cool wall, “Ah ah, that’s not my name right now, baby, say the right name, and maybe I will.” Swiss growls, laying a second smack.

The larger ghoul jolts and whines, “No..not now, please, please I need it!” he begs, “Say my name, and I’ll give you want you, good boys get what they want, don’t you wanna be my good boy?” Swiss says sternly, teasingly dragging his claws down Aether’s ass and down his clothed thighs, “Pl..please, sir, eat me out and fuck me, please, sir I need it so badly.” Aether whines out, cock already hard even though he had just came 5 minutes ago and trembling with need. “There’s my good boy.” is all Swiss says before he suddenly spreads the cheeks and dives in, like a man starved, he licks into the twitching hole as if it’s his last meal ever, groaning at the pure taste Aether. A fun fact about Quintessence ghouls is that they have evolved to produce slick like Water ghouls do, not as much but it’s enough to prove helpful during sex, due to their species being quite rare, so it is possible for some males to carry kits. Typically they only produce the slick during heats but if they are horny enough, slick will start to drip. Aether normally only does produce his slick during his heats, but when Swiss gets him into this headspace, he becomes so wet it will leak down his thighs.

“Fuck Starlight, already so wet for me, no fucking needy and desperate for his Sir’s cock.” Swiss growls, swiping his tongue along the clenching hole before shoving it inside, the long appendage swirlings around and fucking into the Quintessence ghoul. Aether damn near wails at the feelings, clawing at the wall for purchase when Swiss’ tongue presses into his prostate, rubbing against the sensitive spot torturously as he fucks him open. “You taste so fucking good, Moonbeam, could eat you out for hours, just might when we get back on the bus. But I gotta stretch you before I fuck you, sweet boy, think you can last a little longer without my cock?” he purrs tantalizingly, “Ye.yes sir” is all he gets for a reply.

Smirking as he easily slides two fingers into the tight hole, earning a keen from the larger ghoul, slowly thrusting them in and out as he scissors his fingers, effectively stretching out the hole. Slick coats his fingers, almost dribbling down his wrist with just how turned on the Quintessence ghoul is, “Goddamn baby, your so fucking wet, your dripping!” Swiss teases, even though it’s not fully truthful, the slick is now making its way down the ghoul’s thick thighs from where it drips out. Aether whines at the statement, squirming as Swiss adds a third, “Pl..please, I’m ready, sir, I need your cock so badly.” he cries, fucking back into the fingers inside him. “Oh, just that desperate for my cock, my desperate little cockslut, aren’t you, begging for your Sir’s cock when I’ve barely gotten 3 fingers into you. I guess your stretched enough, don’t cry if this hurts you needy slut.” Swiss sneers, trying not to let the pleased twitch of his own cock at the pleading.

Drawing the fingers out of the tight hole, watching for a moment as it clenches around noting, he uses the remaining wetness to slick up his cock before standing and pressing up close to the Aether. Carefully spreading one cheek with a hand as he uses the other to line up his cock with twitching hole, teasingly slapping the head against it to make Aether whine, “Please, don’t tease sir, need you so bad” Aether whimpers. Smirking at the pathetic beg, Swiss slowly pushes inside, hissing at the tightness and warmth, “Fuck Starlight, should fuck you more often, you’re so goddamn tight!” he snarls as he finally presses all the way in. The Quintessence ghoul moans as he’s filled, the grip Swiss has on his hips now is the only thing keeping him grounded on Earth, otherwise, he’s sure he’d float off into space, “Pl..please, yo..you can move, fuck me please” he babbles.

This snaps the last of Swiss’ resolve. With a snarl, he pulls almost all the way out before slamming back in, setting a ruthless pace as he fucks into Aether with no abandon, groaning and snarling at the tight, warm, wetness that surrounds his cock. The larger ghoul is scrabbling for purchase on the wall when Swiss suddenly grips his wrists and pins them to the wall, pressing impossibly closer as the thrusts get even sharper, “Stay fucking still slut, you look so pathetic. Clawing at the wall like a whore being bred, is that what you want to be? My little breeding whore? Cause I can make it fucking happen.” Swiss snarls, sinking his teeth in a broad shoulder. Aether sobs at the words, nodding desperately with tears now streaming down his face, lost in the feeling of the cock pounding into him and the sharp pain from Swiss’ fangs in his shoulder. If they hadn’t already claimed each other then he was sure the Multi would’ve placed a claiming bite right then.

Swiss suddenly shifts his stance, angling his hips down slightly, so now his thrusts are aimed directly at Aether’s prostate, slamming the head of his into the sensitive spot inside of the Quintessence ghoul with every brutal slam of his hips. This new and sudden overwhelming pleasure has Aether wailing Swiss’ name, crying even harder, as his legs nearly give out, only held up by the grip the Multi has on his body, the knot in his belly tightening so tight it feels like he’s about to burst, “Go..gonna cum! May I please cum, sir? Please, can I cum!” Aether cries, shaking as he tries to hold off his inevitable orgasm. Swiss isn’t far off himself, the combined clenching making the already tight hole even tighter, and the noises the larger ghoul has been making have him already near the edge. “Yes, fucking cum for me. I’m not far off, gonna fucking breed this pathetic hole, make you a fucking Mama, fill you up so much there’s no fucking way you don’t catch, pump you full up kits as I fuck my knot into you.” Swiss growls, “Now fucking cum, but know I’m not stopping until I pop my knot into this sweet ass.”

With that, Aether cums with a loud, keening moan, painting the cement wall white with his cum, balls tight to his body, shaking so hard that Swiss almost loses his hold on the male. But as he said, Swiss does not stop, now slamming into the larger ghoul with an even more punishing pace, spurred on by how hard he clenches down, chasing his own end. Aether is babbling at this point, too fucked out to put together coherent sentences except for too much and knot, “Gonna pop my knot little slut, gonna fill you with my fucking cum!” Swiss snarls out, knot rapidly swelling at the base as he finally cums, it takes a few thrusts, but he quickly pops the large knot into the Quintessence ghoul with an obscenely wet pop, trembling as he pumps Aether full.

Now locked together, they nearly collapse to the floor. The larger sat in, the smaller’s lap, who clings to his mate as if his life depended on it. Panting as they try to catch their breath, Swiss hiss’ when he feels Aether squirm lightly, trying to get comfortable despite the knot in his ass, “Fu..fuck baby, stay still or we’re gonna be here a lot longer.” he pants, wrapping his arms tightly around the other’s thick waist. Aether is still floating in his head, the pressure of the knot pressed against his insides, near his prostate, plus the fullness, makes sitting still a hard task, whimpering out a soft sorry as he stills, leaning back against his mate.

It takes a few minutes for them to fully calm down when there is a sudden rap on the door, “Okay, you guys done? We’re leaving in like 5 minutes, and if you’re not on the bus, Papa says we’re leaving you, and you have to walk to the hotel!” Sodo yells through the door. Swiss groans, “Yeah, yeah, we’ll be there.” he yells back, but Sodo’s voice seems to snap Aether back into this reality, “Wait, Dew!” he cries, “What?” is the reply, “Can you ask Mount or someone to let us out..the doorknob broke..” There is a pause of silence before there is a loud cackle from the other side of the door, “Are you fucking serious?! You two are locked in?” Dew asks, “Yes, now, please, so we’re not left.” Aether huffs. Swiss chuckles and presses a kiss to his shoulder, “It is kinda funny love.” he says. The Quintessence ghoul shoots him a look over his shoulder, ‘You’re not helping’, is what it says. “Okay, I’ll get Dirt Boy to let you out, just please have pants on before we get back.” Dew says, cackling fading as he walks away to find Mountain.

Swiss’ knot takes another 2 minutes to deflate enough to pull out, Aether groans at the feeling of the cum leaking out of him. “Fuck, you better fucking make due on that promise of eating me out, 'cause walking around like this is gonna be hell.” Aether grumbles, tugging his pants up and searching for his shirt, finding it on the shelf, “Oh, you know you love the feeling of it, Pudding Pop.” Swiss teases, wrapping his arms around the unimpressed ghoul after he had yanked his own pants back up, “We can shower when we get to the hotel, and then we can move onto round 2 if you want.” he suggests, wiggling his eyebrows up at the taller ghoul, earning a chuckle. “I might be down, if you bottom this time,” Aether says, wrapping his arms around the other in return. They share a kiss when suddenly the door busts open. Mountain is standing with his arms crossed, seemingly having kicked open the door if the large boot print on the wood says anything. “C’mon, you two have 5 minutes to change before your left, Papa said that he’ll pay for the door and to not fuck in random storage closest again.” is all the stoic ghoul says before walking, Sodo pops his head in looking around the door, “Damn it fucking reeks of sex in here, I feel bad for whoever has to clean it.” He says, nose wrinkled in disgust.

“You love how sex smells ya little shit, and you’re just mad it wasn’t you getting the shit fucked out of you.” Swiss snarks, exiting the closet, “Sure, you’re always so bitchy when you get fucked Smiley. You’d think you’d be nicer after getting Aether’s cock in you.” Dew sneers. This accusation makes Swiss cackle, “Ha, wasn’t me getting my ass rocked this time ya little shit.” he laughs. Sodo’s eyes widen, darting between the laughing Multi and the now bashful Quintessinal, “You let this asshole fuck you, Aeth? I thought you were better than this.” he says as if he’s disappointed, “You let him fuck you literally two days ago Dew, so shut your trap.” Aether snaps, stalking down the hall to change. “He’s right, and here I was thinking of inviting you to join us when we get to the hotel, guess we’ll just invite Rain or Mounty.” Swiss shrugs, taking off after his mate.

Dew is stunned for a second, words processing in his head before he snaps his head towards where the Multi has run, darting after the still cackling ghoul, “Wait, I’m sorry, I’ll be nice!” he cries. Aether was already changed, and Swiss was shirtless when he finally caught up, slamming into the dressing room out of breath from how fast he had run, “If I apologize, can I actually join you guys?” he asked, hopeful. Swiss looked at Aether, who raised a brow, “I don’t know, you’ve been a little shit all day, Rainy has been so nice and a good boy and Mounty already offered.” he says, pretending to think. Swiss smirks as he slips his shirt over his head, slinking over to the larger ghoul, and wraps his arms around his waist, laying his head on a broad shoulder. “Maybe if he sits still and doesn’t say a word till we get to the hotel, we should give our Gremlin a chance. What do you say My Starshine?” Swiss suggests, pressing a kiss to his mating bite on Aether’s neck. This earns a light shiver from the Quintessence ghoul, “I like this idea, Anglewing, don’t you agree, Dewdrop?” Aether teases, looking at the Fire ghoul.

Dew’s mouth opens to reply but then remembers what they said, snapping it closed as he nods, folding his hands together in front of him. This makes the two larger ghouls smile with predatory intent, “Wow, never thought he’d be so willing to be good with no encouragement.” Swiss says, pretend shock on his face, “Well his encouragement is getting fucked by the both of my love, that always makes our Little Comet behave.” Aether purrs. The pair stalk over to the smaller ghoul, Swiss snakes a finger under his chin and tilts his head so red and blue meet golden silver, “Go get on the bus, sit on the couch, and do not move until we get to the hotel and we’ll decide on who gets to play with you first Fire Lily~” Swiss purrs, pressing a kiss to the Fire ghoul’s lips. Dew nods spastically before darting off down the hall towards the bus. The mates burst out laughing once he’s out of earshot, “You are evil my Troublemaker, I love you.” Aether whispers in Swiss’ ear, pressing a kiss to his lips, Swiss chuckles, “What can I say? I’m always willing to put our little Gremlin in his place” he says. The pair share one more deep kiss before following after Dew quickly so as not to have to walk to the hotel.

[evelhak]

Old art #18: Self portrait

Lol I found this one I had made for my DeviantArt profile in I'm guessing 2011, so I was probably 17. I was not that cute. Arina Tanemura was in my head. (Can you tell how much I had been reading Shinshi Doumei Cross, just by looking at that hair and face? Wasn't that some manga, huh. Would certainly spark... conversations these days. But even looking back, there were a few things that were quite captivating and great about it.)

Meet my whole cat gang. If you've been here a while, you already know Bell, she's the grey one. A little princess with two braincells and a bottomless stomach. Eats literally like a snake, without chewing. She's the pinnacle of self-centredness which she gets away with because she's just so dumb. Also very loud and fond of crocodile tears. Really, the complete lack of self-awareness is impressive. The way she walks through life sticking her butt and puke exactly where she pleases at any time she pleases reminds me of the people I was always kinda jealous of. The ones who can be as unapologetically annoying, shallow, selfish and boasty as they want and most people still love them. Probably because they are very pretty and perceived to be too stupid to be held accountable for their lack of consideration of others. Bell is also so pretty everyone compliments her face, her bones, her colour and the pattern of her fur. My drawing really doesn't do her much justice. Her beauty is very superficial and decreases significantly as soon as she moves or opens her mouth, because she just looks that dumb doing anything. But alas, I love her.

Then we have Aatu, the black one, who is Bell's kitten actually. Still small in this picture but he grew up looking a lot like his dad who was a neighbourhood cat and the biggest one I had ever seen. Very hairy, clearly some Norwegian forest cat in him. Aatu ran away when he was two, but I think in truth he just got hit by a car or eaten by a fox because he had zero self-preservation instinct and half a braincell. He went towards all animals and cars in oblivious curiosity as they approached him. He was attracted to the vacuum cleaner when it was on. He was literally not scared of anything. He thought he was a dog, an owl, a cow, and also human. He loved when you made him slide across the floor. He loved to be dragged around and ruffled in all ways. He didn't know how to hiss, growl or make any type of angry or dissatisfied sound. He was very, very happy. Apparently too happy and unbothered by anything to survive.

Then there's Nöpö, the big one. He died a few years ago at 17. He was our first cat. Braincell count would compare to a human. Very sensitive, very angry, dominating but also gentle, intelligent, pessimistic and depressed. The look of his build resembled that of a lot bigger wild cats, especially when he hunted. He wanted his own space, didn't enjoy people initiating touch, he would come to you instead when he wanted it. He was always like that but it got worse when Bell came into the house and was her charming self. Nöpö's nervous system clearly couldn't handle sharing his territory and had I been able to anticipate it, I wouldn't have taken Bell. Nöpö did everything with so much more care and attention. He needed time and space, he wouldn't even be able to eat with Bell, because she gulped everything down while Nöpö chewed each bite with care, and nothing would be left for him because Bell has no concept of moderation. So Nöpö would always need to be fed in a closed room. He would attack people and other cats frequently because he just had a very strong hunting instinct ever since he was born and didn't like anyone too close unless he asked for it. But he was also very cuddly when he wanted to be, and he didn't want his people to go too far away. He would come crying after me every time I went to get mail. Classic example of "Leave me alone, no wait, where are you going??" I miss that grumpy old guy.

This wasn't supposed to be about cats but there you go.

[razorsadness]

River Bridge

     I

Winter, stepping into the night trolley, quarter pint of scotch in pocket...No, not that one. The childhood story—Grandmother reading among her violets a poem about the elevated train slithering its worm down London’s spine. Not that one. I could tell you skeins of train stories, as now through this dense summer night, trees swarming green their canopy over the street of warm lit windows, the train slashes its path through the neighborhood, whirr and pulse, the heart and fuse of distance filling the room, hurtling through countless frames, the scenes—now that curtainless room of young men preening shirtless before their mirrors, now the ward of iron hospital beds. I’ve seen them. By the screen, the white cat swivels her ears to follow the train until it’s lost in glass smashing, the alley voices. Who’s walking tonight? Who’s hungry? The story I keep returning to is the one about walking hungry over that St. Louis railroad bridge. Why that one? Is it the bridge? Bridge linking one riverbank aflame in smokestacks, the slaughterhouses, to the bank where the city’s glittering Andromeda spilled itself before them. Bridge of flying hands and curses, iron bridge and the passage of colliers, boxcars, the gondolas freighting coal, dull sprockets, sleek carriages of lingerie and crystal. Distant, the sceptered city glints, a figment, I could begin. Or once, there was a time, the opening a fairy tale, simple, sinister.

     II

January, its savage tempers & mirthless North wind have iced the iron bridge’s spans. Between flaming riverbanks, the two walk thin as flame, a world refined to fierce purity— lungs blued to filigree, bare ankle, damp sleeve frosted beneath the other’s steadying hand. Stepping tie to tie, the river churned below its suicide babble, the nitrous drowned sopranos, sulfuric moans. Such a grand manner of entry, fareless, in stealth, the city’s lit gateway fuming like midnight’s wild schemes. Should I ask the obvious questions? Such as what was the engine driving the machine of their travel? Oh, fear, that’s familiar. Folly, leavened recklessly with hope. Lights multiply against the sky, the city’s slow Andromeda, a constellation the shape of what they seek, the streets inside of Berlined façades, people breakfasting in mid-air, walls torn down. The squatter’s palace. The rat’s domain, each moment rinsed in benzine, sharpened with amphetamine, the hunger. Alluvial voices hissing beneath them dogs of chaos, escape from the burning city, no time, no time. The river knows the story. The get-out-of-town-fast story. A dizzy trip through the ripped underside of things— that rough fugitive coinage, begged rides, begged meals. Somebody fed us. Somebody said get out of town. Those E. St. Louis backyards sooty with frozen laundry trees. Should I say the Mississippi knows the story of the room left behind, the bad deals? Like a scene playing out in a glass globe I might hold in my palm, I can watch them: oh look at those fools, the cold carving them up to some version of bewildered miracle.

     III

Deep freeze humming the rails, the entrance into the unknown city, the bus station pulsing fluorescent waves across ranks of pay TVs, a quarter a view for those laying over, for those mired in dim rooms, too long alone with themselves. You know how it is. The fact of death starts pearling large in the mind, darkening its banks of offices, ballrooms where you might touch some face you recognize, those staircases that spiral, collapse amidst the body’s mysteries, its harsh betrayals. Or love’s betrayals. Through static, the P.A. spits destinations, frayed galaxies of names—Columbus, Joplin, St. Joe, Points West, Kansas City... How does one thing part from another? Redrawing tendrils & roots, a lopped amputation that leaves this one raving in the street, the other cold, cold... alone in the room after such intensity, the way it would be, me leaving E. so crassly after the crazy journey. I think now I’ve become a character in this, must slip on the coat, these salt-wet shoes, sip the raw whiskey and in the drunken radiance the TVs spill over sleepers’ faces hear the late-night tapdancers, the anthems & jets. Then the station signal’s high bat-cry peeling away to the automated voice, Chicago, Detroit, Points North... After the parting, one from the other, there’s the long reclamation, flood plain, phantom limb. From one form to another: transit.

      IV

Oh, the anarchy of owning nothing but a constellation the shape of what they seek. The get-out-of-town-fast story. No bus fare, and where to go in this steaming plenty, the lit kitchens & parlors glimpsed from the street washed citron by lamplight. Is it the stolen car again in this version, or the abandoned movie palace? I can put them in the theater and show them making love, warm with each other & the begged bottle of scotch & they can sleep in moldering velvets. Stripped bare, sapphired in blue air, she’d be a woman served to the city’s glittering Andromeda. Like the Russian cellist broke in Berlin, the ‘20s, who’d sleep in the opera house, who one delirious night played, naked, his instrument into the shadows, the banked silent seats & rat galleries. And forgot the cold. That would be pretty wouldn’t it? But the theater’s barricaded, and so, it must be, as it always is, the stolen car. Beyond the city it will spirit them into the blizzard, the etherous drifts, until the engine stops & the road erases, trackless. And then she’ll know ice needling the blood to scarlet foliage. But, how to show the calm when she thinks, so this is what it’s like to die, a twisting bolt of black cloth dragged back through stations, the bare dusty rooms, chalk dust & sachet, the river’s voices deep nitrous green. How calm. Pocking snow on the windshield, heavy and damp as the voices of crows in her grandmother’s trees, a cry she mimicked at the back of her throat, harsh and wild. White crows now blessing her eyes. How calm.

     V

When the authorities lifted them away from there, they entered a world of steam, that fallen roadside constellation chromed with coffee urns, galaxies of white plates. Crossing the bridge back, again, the blood’s fierce arterial surge like arias, like alarming camellias scarlet with snow still frosting the ground. Heavy and warm, cups of coffee steamed in our hands, the good bitter coffee. But always, we were aware, hear still, the pulse and singing: I am the stranger coiled on the landing, singing this is the bridge of the flying hands, the mansion of the body. I am the one who scratched at your door, the one who begged rough coinage. This is the blessing & this is a hymnal of wings. Hear the heart’s greedy alluvial choir, a cascading train whirring the tracks: called back, called back from the river.

     VI

Chirring in her throat the white cat stretches on the sill, all ruffled ivory, present-tense, muscular pure. Can one possess a clear vision of oneself in the world? Dominion over all that bewildering wrack? This raised hand against the evening’s towering cream and smoke conjures a flurry of ghost hands, a crowd glimpsed blurred from the hurtling train. Clouds billow & unknot a sudden shower releasing that lavish wet asphalt perfume, the fragrance of countless showers over scores of cities, each one intensely now, now, this sweet wrenched only. From the turbulent river, moments swim unbidden to the surface, others never rise at all, the lost drowned arias, sunken avenues of camphored rooms, the walls with their watery initials. Phantom destinations, the P.A.’s St. Joe, Kansas City, Denver, points beyond the laden plains surging beneath waves of snow, blue perilous mountains, locales in the mind. The cat leaps, again a train, striking this time a smooth oiled chord, as if there might be singing on the other side of the tracks. Some Jordan. That otherness, those secret times, the bridges beneath the surface of a life. Pull on the rough coat and salt-wet shoes. Let the liquor burn your throat. Did I do that? Could that have been me? Those figures crossing the bridge, setting out, always setting out. Voices I must keep listening for in these sharpening leaves, among the stacks and flames, the smoking pillars. Someone fed them. Someone said get out of town.

—Lynda Hull, from The Only World

[bonefall]

saw that you take fic recs so have you read anything by Katiek101? Finding them on ao3 is what led me to warrior cat Tumblr! Who is your favorite author and what would you rec? ☺️

Sorry I didn't get to this ask right away, I actually went and read some of Katiek101's work! I plan to read the rest of it this week (I tend to read fanfiction while on the bus to occupy myself) but I finished all of "History Has Its Eyes On You"

I really like Blackstar and Russetfur as characters I feel that the main series wasted, so it was a real treat seeing them explored. I don't ship the two of them (and in fact, in my rewrite, I see them as gray-ace and WLW respectively, and Rowanclaw is a son of Brokenstar) but I can absolutely get behind their portrayal in this.

The "this couple is always arguing and it makes you wonder if they actually like each other" thing is VERY hard thing to pull off, but I think it's done really well by this writer, exactly because they don't become an 'official' couple. They're complicated, not mates but not just friends either ("their nests are as close as can be without being close at all," what an amazing line).

I also like their take on Blackfoot, it's a really good mix of staying true to the modern canon where he's kind of a bonehead, but keeping the ambitious, malicious parts of him. Especially in the work "Conscious Thy Name is Stonefur."

It makes me really hope they tackle Russetfur's death and the Sol Situation, I'd like to see how the character they're writing acts in those events. Thanks for recommending them!

As for my own recommendations, I don't think I'm saying anything new by recommending Fire and Water by Hissing Willows on FFnet (especially since Katiek101 apparently beta'd the first book), but it's downright inspirational. The story is a rewrite of TPB, following Bluefur not giving up her kits and Firepaw subsequently joining RiverClan. All of their changes make for a much stronger story and better worldbuilding for all four clans, tapping into a lot of potential that the main series sprinkled in through the years in hindsight (such as Tallstar having a relationship with Jake, Scourge being Firestar's half brother).

It's never afraid to just slow down and breathe, either, letting you soak in the relaxed nature of RiverClan and the developing relationships between its characters. It makes its romances much sweeter, and its deaths and dramas hit harder.

Tweaks have also been made to character motivations, particularly Tigerstar and Leopardstar, who I think is used to her full potential in this story. Fireheart also has a half-clan relationship, and I'm really trying not to spoil anything, but I think it makes both characters much stronger and sets up a really interesting situation at the fic's end. And speaking of endings-- WOW the way they end the BloodClan conflict is infinitely better than the actual TPB ending, and if you follow this blog at all, you'll know how highly I value TPB as it is.

After I finish Katiek101's WC bibliography though, I plan to go through Sunnyfall's Paws of Stars! After I finish re-reading TNP, I mean.

[genesysofthestars]

Day 57 (56.5)

His legs were starting to feel numb but when there's a cat deciding to use his lap as his napping area, there's no way he could move at all. So until this cat awoken, Erick resigned him as this cat’s pillow for the time being…

Until his bus arrived.

“Hey, Maurice. I have to go now.”

“Mrr…” The cat only cuddled deeper on his lap.

He didn’t want to leave the cat alone in the city. And it was already too late to search for his owner. Erick sighed. “Guess I had no choice.”

—

First thing he did was to give the cat some water. Who knows how long the cat had been wondering around in this warm afternoon.

Maurice immediately began sipping the water Erick laid down for him. “Hope you don’t mind staying with me tonight,” he said before letting him finish his drink.

After arranging his groceries and changing clothes for the night, Erick lay on the coach. It was quite late but he still don’t feel like sleeping. As he scrolled down on his phone mindlessly, a sudden weight landing on his chest caught him off guard. He moved away his phone to see the cat sitting quite comfortably on him.

“Mew,” greeted Maurice.

“Do you-?” He was about to shoo him away but the cat already tucked himself on him. Erick let out a tired sigh and said, “Fine, you stay there for a little bit.”

But a little bit became hours when they fell asleep not long after.

—

The sound of knocking both woke them up.

However, after opening his eyes, Erick didn’t think to glance to the door. The sound was not coming from a wooden material. It was glass. And there was only one person who would knock on the windows this late at night.

He hated how he got used to these meetings of theirs. But after so much times, he just got to adapt to her. Erick glared at the window to see the golden caped thief perched on the other side. “What is it this time?” he asked.

“You stole something from me,” she said from the other side of the glass.

He gave her a ridiculous look. “First of all, I’m not the thief here. Second, I didn’t steal shit, especially from you.”

Singularity crossed her arms. “You have my cat!”

“Cat? What cat-? Wait…” He suddenly lifted up Maurice, grumpy from being woken up. “This is your cat? Yours?!”

“Yes! His name is Maurice!”

Fucking hell… What a bloody coincidence. Fate truly hates him, huh?

Still he had his doubts. Erick set down Maurice, who was this close to scratching him from being awaken so rudely before going to the window. “Fine, if he’s really your cat…” He opened it to the fullest so she could enter. “Surely, he can recognize you-”

But before she could even take a step into his home, Maurice took off and suddenly jumped to Singularity… who was still perched on the window.

It was only Erick’s quick reflects that saved her and her cat from falling from imbalance. Grabbing one of her arms, he pulled her back with his full strength. However, it still caused her to tip out of balance and despite being recorded floating in the air, the thief wasn’t as light as news said her to be.

Erick could only let out a pained hiss as her full weight plus her cat crashed straight on him.

So much for a relaxing night.

[heaven-s-black-box]

Cats & Dogs- #2 & Kanitama

Return to File

Recovery date: March 9th, 2024

Description: Number two gets forgotten, again.

Notes: I've been wanting to write this forever, it's inspired by that one episode of pokemon (I think Indigo League) where they have to find their trainers.

Word count: 675

Back to directory

Number two looked right, then left, then right again. Then he looked back at the empty sidewalk behind him, and back at the road… He huffed a sigh before dropping his butt down beside the bus stop sign. Forgotten again. Honestly, it was absurd how often even Number one seemed to forget him. Granted he was almost ten times smaller than Tetsuya Kuroko, but size be damned Tetsuya would not stand for continuously being forgotten by the Seirin team.

He vowed that this time he would not be bought back so easily! No amount of apologetic cooing from Riko or treats and pets from everyone else would win him back! No amount of-

Tetsuya’s head jerked forward harshly as something hit his head. With a low yip, he whipped his head around to find a chubby white and gray cat with its paw raised. Slowly, cautiously eyeing the cat’s raised paw, Tetsuya raised himself to his feet and turned around.

The cat seemed to be sizing him up, deciding if a fight would be worth it or not. Tetsuya figured he could take this pest, he’d take down bigger prey– Kagami, who seemed to have run away with his tail between his legs, Tetsuya would have to apologize when he came back– he could certainly take on this chubby little thing who attacked him while his guard was down. He jerked as the cat slowly lowered its paw, backing down from the altercation.

The cat gave him a slow nod, and Tetsuya settled back into a seated position.

What a weird animal.

“Lap dog.”

Tetsuya was ripped from his contemplation by the cat’s scoff as it took another swing, this time at his jersey.

Before its paw was pulled away, Tetsuya snapped at it and earned himself a hiss as the cat jumped backwards. Tetsuya stood back up, this time much more defensive as he bared his teeth at the stupid cat.

He wanted to be invisible again please and thank you.

“At least I don't go around picking fights with others.”

The cat rolled its eyes as the entered another silent standoff. This time, Tetsuya didn’t relax when the cat put its paw down again.

A loud screeching noise filled the street, and Tetsuya turned to watch a bus pull up across the street. His tail began to wag wildly as he anticipated his rescue, but his excitement came to an abrupt end as the cat bit his tail.

“What is your problem!” Tetsuya yelped as he turned back around, licking gently at his tail.

“What are you doing here?”

“What?”

The cat tilted its head.

“I’ve never seen you here before, what are you do-”

“Kitty!” A soft gasp cut the cat off.

They both turned to find a young man with glasses and a baseball cap with an S on it. The cat scoffed. Meanwhile the man crouched down, the shopping bag in his hand crinkling as he moved, and slowly moved towards them. Tetsuya began to cautiously approach him, but the cat stayed still.

“Aw, is this your friend?” The man asked, patting Tetsuya as the dog rubbed up against him. “Here, I brought you some tuna.”

The man pulled a can from his bag and opened it, setting it on the ground and sliding it over to the cat. The cat slunk closer, sniffed the tuna, and then stuck his nose up in the air– much to the dismay of the man.

“Wah!”

“Number two!”

“Number two!” “Tetsuya!”

“Tetsu!”

Tetsuya stopped rubbing against the man and looked down the street to find the Seirin basketball team walking their way. The man must have also looked away because the next thing he said was, “Not again.” and Tetsuya turned to find the cat missing. Truely a strange animal.

He didn’t dwell on it any longer as the man scooped him up.

“I’m gonna guess you’re Number two?” He asked before looking back towards Seirin and yelling, “is this your dog?”

Seirin definitely wouldn’t get off the hook so easily this time.

[amarantine-amirite]

Bad Things Happen To Those Who Wait

The school band finally got a spa day for the whole group at the Palais Resort. We have a big concert on Friday. It's going to be televised, so our band teacher wants our hands to look nice. That was the purpose of the spa day: for us to get manicures.

I heard people say amazing things about the spa at the Palais Resort, but my experience made me feel like all those positive reviews were merely people parroting others instead of thinking for themselves. They can only take three of us at a time because some of the manicurists refused to come to work today. The lounge area in the spa has a bar license, so nobody under the age of 21 is allowed. We kids have to wait in the hotel lobby.

They said the people who went in before us would come to get the next three people. I haven't seen anyone come back. "Where the hell are they?" I muttered under my breath.

"They're coming," Grace mumbled, "you just have to be patient."

I shot her an exasperated look. "You've said that for the last hour and 45 minutes!"

Grace leaned back and glanced at me "Stop exaggerating, Judy. It couldn't possibly be that long." she shrugged her narrow shoulders and tipped her head to one side. "Why is it so hard for you to wait for things?"

I find waiting for anything unbearable because I never know how long I have to wait. I'm not alone in this regard. That said, people who also struggle to wait for things also put things off, and miss deadlines. They misjudge how long it takes to do something. They lose track of the time because they get distracted.

I never struggled with those other things. I set alerts to keep track of deadlines so that I don't miss them and make a schedule to avoid procrastinating. I even discipline myself to check the clock regularly.

Maybe my difficulty in waiting doesn't come from an inability to keep track of time. Maybe the problem is my life experiences conditioning me to learn that waiting is futile. "I learned that nothing good comes out of waiting," I let out a frustrated sigh.

I wasn't lying. When I was four, Grandpa said he'd take me to Legoland for my birthday after his nap. I never got to go to Legoland because he died in his sleep. On my first day of kindergarten, the school bus driver pulled over and told us to wait while he went back to his house to see if he left the light in his kitchen on. He parked on train tracks knowing full well that a train would hit us. And there's also the countless times we've had to wait for something we needed to be delivered only to find out we paid money for a product that didn't exist.

Grace narrowed her eyes slightly. "I don't think that's why," she said. She had a lot of difficulty believing what I had to say.

I raised an eyebrow "Really?" I asked. Her response intrigued me.

Grace leaned in closer. "Tell me the truth," she asked in a hushed tone.

Before I could tell her I was telling the truth, I overheard someone waiting to check into their room complain about her disaster of a home renovation. "It was a mess," she hissed into her phone, "we've got this toilet-trained cat that flushed the toilet in the wet room four times in a row and the septic system flooded the basement."

I froze. The words septic system, wet room, and toilet-trained cat spooked me. It reminded me of why we had to move.

We moved because I threw up on the carpet in our old house. My gastric juices burned a hole in the carpet, so now we have to have the flooring redone. When we replaced the floors, we discovered rotten wood and stairs tall enough for an old person to trip over them.

What should have been simple spiralled into an out-of-control renovation. Our only way to break even is to sell and move once the renovations are finished. The real estate agent refused to list the house unless it had an accessible bathroom.

Accessible bathrooms need showers flush with the floor, enough room to turn a wheelchair around in a circle, and enough space around the toilet to accommodate a wheelchair. It also must be on the ground floor. Putting one in is not for the faint-hearted. I discovered this the hard way when a couple of my classmates and I tried putting the bathroom in ourselves.

Our house had the third bedroom on the ground floor. We never used it because we didn't have very many guests anyway. We do have a ground-floor powder room, but it's hardly big enough to drown a mouse. As I pointed out to the real estate agent, "If you were a mouse, I would show you"

The longer she talked, the worse it got. "We called numerous plumbers, and they didn't even try to resolve the problem. They said we needed to hire a specialist. We did, and these guys told us the house should be condemned," she whined, "something about the fact that the septic system was crooked."

she got up and started to pace towards me. She waved her free hand harder and shouted louder. "I got the real estate agent on the horn and sent her pictures of the damage, but she didn't believe it.'' By now, people stared at this crazy bitch walking around the hotel lobby like a deranged turkey. "She told us that we both had to seek a psychiatric evaluation to rule out compulsive lying because she couldn't find any negative reviews about the people who installed the wet room."

My eyes widened when she mentioned that there were no reviews for the people who did the work. There were no reviews because it was myself and a couple of idiot boys from my old school, not a professional builder.

We removed the bedroom crap from the third bedroom. We installed appliances and laid tile. We knew how to connect everything to the incoming waterline, but we didn't know how to connect the appliances to the sewage stack. The dumb hairball who sits in front of me in math suggested we put in a septic tank. I said no. He didn't understand why that was a bad idea, so that was what we did.

The decision to put in a septic tank instead of figuring out how to attach a wet room to the stack was so stupid I could feel my brain cells dying just thinking about it. And it had disastrous consequences for the new homeowners.

I saw someone pointing at me as they said, "If you're looking for the person who fucked up your wet room, she's right here."

It wasn't me. I'm smart enough to not install a septic system in a house with a perfectly good sewage stack. It was that idiot boy that sat behind me responsible for that disaster. Of course, I felt so panicked I couldn't talk. No sound would come out and I would run out of breath every time I tried to say something.

The woman came over to me, ready to throw me to the ground. As she approached, I gestured to the restaurant and managed to squeak out, "The kid you're looking for went that way, into the kitchen!"

She stomped towards the kitchen. I waited for her to move out of earshot. "See? I told you bad things happen when I have to wait," I nudged Grace's shoulder, "that could've ended in disaster."

The next morning, we saw a video of what went down on the news. The woman who moved into our old house barrelled into the hotel kitchen, grabbed a waitress by the collar and shoved her backwards. The kitchenchen staff screamed as the poor waitress stumbled into the fryer.

According to the new report, the waitress died of her injuries and the woman who assaulted her was never identified.

@leopard-prompts