#i’m already so happy that they are in the finals HAAAA

[manosaldibujo]

YES INK AND ERROR IN THE FINALS UFFFFF POETIC THEIR BATTLE WILL BE LEGENDARY.

The battle probably:

[gabriel-xander]

Don't Forget

[Sans x Female!Reader]

28: Two Trucks Having Sex

A/N: The multiple shifts of tone in this chapter, I feel, is a perfect representation of this story as a whole, and how most people can experience life in a single day. Call it bad writing or disorganized, it’s okay. I’m perfectly happy with how it came out. :) That being saidddd 😩

TRIGGER WARNINGS:

In the last part of the chapter will include:

-Discussions about depression

-Minor mentions of suicidal thoughts/tendencies

-Very corny ass romance

Reader’s Discretion is Advised! I hope you enjoy this chapter: Two Trucks Having Sex 😩👍

♪────✿⁠(⁠✧◕⁠ᴗ⁠◕✧⁠)✿⁠────♪

HEAVEEEE!!!

HOOOOO!!!!!

You squeeze your eyes shut, pushing and pushing the mattress with all your might. No matter how much strength and effort, the amount of focus to ignoring your growing cramps, all the [Y/ussy] you’re putting in…

YOU CAN’T GET SANS’ FUCKING MATTRESS OUT OF HIS ROOM!!

Finally, almost a week later, they’ve successfully convinced you to move into Sans’ room while Sans roomed with his brother. You guys were in the process of moving the shorter skeleton’s belongings while you volunteered to move his dingy ass mattress. However, that was currently proving to be more of a challenge than your ego was ready for.

You lean pathetically against his worn-out mattress that was caught in the door, openly weeping at your own weakness and pain.

Papyrus, your beloved, was behind you and watched you with nervous eyes. He offered to do it himself, but you wanted to prove yourself for some fucking reason. Sans was moving his other stuff into his brother’s room, so it was just you and Skeletor.

“EHM… [Y/N]… ARE YOU ALRIGHT?”

“I’m shitting tears, Papyrus.”

“EW… ARE YOU REALLY?”

“No!”

You put your arm around your stomach, “Oh, God. My stomach…!”

“WH–[Y/N], WHAT IS WRONG?!”

Papyrus is right by your side, hovering his hands over you and unsure what to do. You’re legitimately crying now, hugging the mattress as if it loved you. But really, you know you’re projecting because no one will ever love you as Kōrenki did, and that one homeless crackhead at the gas station from 4 years ago.

This is it! This is karma for not getting cramps last time! Oh, fuck, you feel actually sick! The cramps are so bad this time!

“what’s going–” Sans shortcuts into the room when he hears you crying, though now he’s unsure if that was a good idea. “-woah, [y/n]. are you okay?”

“AHHH-HAAAA…!!” You sob pathetically, making them both scared, “SOMEBODY SEDATE MEEEE!!!”

──

So, this is a menstrual cycle! Wow, fascinating! Sans has only heard the legends, never once believing he could witness it firsthand!

You were back in the living, lying on the couch while wrapped in a bundle of blankets. Ah, humble beginnings, truly.

Papyrus eagerly volunteered to go to the store to pick up a few things for your comfort, such as a heating pad and a secret plushie that you didn’t ask for. You had already stopped crying but his little brother wanted to do everything to make sure you felt better.

And also…

“WHY DON’T YOU AND [Y/N] GET A LITTLE… CANOODLING SESSION IN WHILE I’M GONE,” His bother had teased, giving Sans a very obvious wink.

A traitor is what his younger brother is. Who could’ve seen this coming? Either way, you very much seem like you’d rather do anything else than canoodle, so the window of opportunity Papyrus gave him will be wasted.

“‘M sorry I got emotional,” You mumble in your burrito blanket, “My cramps just… They really hurt and I was trying to pretend they didn’t.”

“nah, don’t worry about it. you know, i can probably help you out if you told me what i was working with.”

You weakly laugh, “Are you seriously trying to get a human biology lesson from me?”

Sans’ grin widens as he shrugs, “better late than never, right? ‘sides, the more i know, the more i can sympathize with you and be miserable with you.”

“Charming.”

“i do what i can.”

Fine, whatever.

You caved in instantly because you remembered how traumatized Napstablook was when you told him. If you give Sans the actual gross explanation, it might be pretty funny, too. You miss that ghost actually; you text him regularly but you should ask him to hang out soon.

“Do you want to short version or the medical version?” You ask him.

He snorts, “who do you take me for? we’re both scientists here-”

“-Is that how that works?”

“doctors, physicists, tomato, tomato. either way, we’re on the same page here. give it to me straight, doc.”

You give him a look, “…Sure. First things first, I gotta explain the uterus to you.”

“the what?”

──

Sans has this look in his eyes, sitting hunched over on the armrest of the couch by your head, his elbows on his knees while holding his chin in his hands.

Bro is in shambles, but also incredibly flustered if the pink on his face was anything to go by.

You smirk smugly, rubbing his arm to comfort him. That made him more embarrassed of course, but a win is a win.

“That’s how I–well, that’s how women reproduce, and why our periods also suck ass. Thoughts?”

“…none.”

Mmm, pues.

“no wonder blooky was like that on that day,” Sans mutters to himself, thinking things over, “it makes sense…”

…Huh?

“Sannsss,” You whine, “I’m sorry, but can you please get me some cold water?”

“huh? oh, sure.”

He hops off the couch to do just that. He might’ve had his whole world turned upside down, but he’s not going to ignore you because of it. Although you gave him the best explanation to your ability, it gave him great insight on how Sans (and Papyrus too, if Sans were unable to) can help you out with the pain.

You’re sitting up when he returns to you, smiling at his return while holding both hands out for the glass of water. “Wotah,” You beam with an [exaggerated fake accent / exaggeration of your accent], “A glass of wo’ ah.”

“bone apple tea.

“Wo’ ah…”

You happily drink your cold, crispy water. This would hit so much more differently at 3 am.

“hey, i have something i wanna try. i think it can help with the pain,” Sans sits close next to you on your right, “can’t promise that it’ll work, but it won’t hurt you more than you already are.”

You reach over to the side to put the cup on the small table by the couch. Then you look at the monster while nodding, gesturing for him to do what he needs to do to work his magic. He slowly hovers his left hand over your stomach, looking at you for another round of permission. You nod, letting him continue.

His pink, gloved hand rests on your lower stomach, right over where you can still feel the cramps. His eye-sockets narrow in concentration as a light blue aura summons around his hand. Pleasant warmth settles underneath his hand, soothing your cramps almost instantly. You sigh in relief when he starts rubbing your lower stomach, his healing touch soothing your pain and discomfort. Admittedly it’s not completely gone, but holy fuck is that so much better than 2 seconds ago.

You lean to the side to get closer to Sans, smiling in satisfaction and amusement at his tensing up.

“You should call Papyrus and tell him not to buy the heating pad now that we know you can do this,” You say, being 100% serious, “What are you doing, anyway?”

“hm, the short and simple answer is i’m concentrating my magic but not releasing it. it starts to buzz and heat up. and as long as i don’t concentrate too much of my magic…” Sans shifts so you can lay on his side more comfortably, “it stays nice and warm, right?”

“Fuck. Yes. Dude.”

“maybe ‘cause it’s magic, it works a lot faster too, apparently.”

“Yeah…”

“you’re not listening, are you?”

“No, no, I am. I’m just sooo relaxed right now. I’ve never felt this good during a period.”

You can probably fall asleep like this, but how cliche would that be? Do you even care about something like that?

“Thank you so much, Sans. I feel like you’re always–uh, you and Papyrus, are always doing things for me. I don’t know how to repay you guys, or if I ever could,” You scrunch up your nose, “Wait, that sounded too emo.”

“you are the only person i know who’s worried about sounding too emo about expressing your feelings.” He shakes his head, an amused smile morphing into a soft one, “you’ve been great to us too, [y/n]. ain’t nothing you gotta worry about.”

“I’m really happy we turned out like this,” You say suddenly, softly and quietly as if you didn’t want him to hear, “I was really scared of you at first. About how’d you react to me, to an adult human in the Underground. On top of that, I’m like you in that I know how this place runs and what it means to know.”

“I really planned to keep my distance and to just keep everything from you. But… Here we are,” You look at his hand that hasn’t stopped moving on your stomach. “Thank you for giving me a chance. And… thank you for trusting me.”

Trust you? Yeah, Sans supposes that he does. He probably doesn’t trust you more than he trusts Papyrus, but in all fairness, that’s Papyrus. Does he trust you more than Alphys? More than Asgore? More than Grillby?

…

More than Toriel?

He looks at you from the corner of his eyes, watching your breathing get slower and deeper. You’re falling asleep on him. Sans can’t say he minds it, not really. He’s gotten comfortable too and could probably catch a few Z’s himself. He could sleep comfortably around you.

How terrifying.

Sans perceived you as a threat the moment he learned of your existence, and briefly, very recently he perceived you as a threat when you admitted you were like him (like Flowey by extension).

“You don't know if you can Reset,” do you even have a clue how close you were to dying on the spot just so Sans could check that statement? Would you actually be able to come back, or were you honest in thinking you can't? Would you remember the Reset if you could? How betrayed would you feel?

How miserable and guilt-ridden would Sans be once he realized you were telling the truth, and he killed the person he liked for no reason?

Was he willing to gamble such a possibility?

But then you were looking at him with your sad eyes, with your very honest, very vulnerable eyes. You knew what it would cost to reveal that information, and you did it anyway because you trusted that he’d trust you still anyway.

You did it anyway because that’s just the type of person you are.

You are the strangest addition to his life, and this is the last thing he would’ve thought about how your relationship would develop.

And yet, here you two are.

Nearly falling asleep on each other, trusting each other. Though maybe not fully, but enough that Sans could sleep right now and the only thing he’d have to worry about is accidentally waking you up with his bony structure.

Oh, dear.

This is happening faster than Sans was expecting. Faster than he was prepared for.

Sans removes his hand from your stomach and shuffles even closer to you. He reaches his right hand over this time, practically wrapping his arm around you to put his hand back on your lower stomach. He does the same trick, though faster and more improved. In return, you also lean closer to him, both of you using each other to stay upright.

Getting caught canoodling cuddling like this will be a little embarrassing once Papyrus gets back, but neither of you cares at the moment. You assume it’s magic, like always, but Sans' body is more solid than you were expecting. You think taking a nap wouldn’t hurt-

“thank you,” Sans says quietly, “for being better and more than what i gave you credit for.”

You find yourself smiling. You say nothing in return, feeling as if though it wasn’t necessary.

This is nice.

────

This is not nice.

You’re scanning items for the customer at Pollux’s shop, a dead look in your eyes from the cramps fucking you to tears. It’s a good ‘ol Tuesday were it not for the fact that your period started 5 days ago and you’re still in agony.

The heating pad Papyrus had bought for you was too big and bulky for you to take to work, and unfortunately, you couldn’t take Sans’ hand off his body and use his magic because that was “weird” and “would probably kill him.”

Fucking loser.

You bag the items and give the customer a fucking salute because you couldn’t be bothered to speak. The poor Snowdrake nods and scurries out of the store, probably never returning again.

You are bad for business today, and it seems Marcine agrees.

“Are you, like, okay?” Marcine asks without an ounce of actual care in her voice, “Not that I, like, care or anything. But you’re negative aura is kinda, like, making me stressed out. I just got a new skincare routine, and, like, one of the instructions is to avoid any stress for, like, the next month and stuff.”

…

You slowly turn to face her, frog blinking on purpose to creep her out. Marcine flinches, looking down at her phone, and shuffles away, mumbling about feeling her skin breaking out. You sigh heavily and slump on the counter, ignoring the bell of a new customer coming in. From the smell of vanilla, you can probably assume it’s Callimare.

You wish that was enough to make you feel better.

You turn your head to the side to take a look at the clock on the far wall. Oh, have you been moping and brooding all this time? Your shift is almost over in 10 minutes.

That’s embarrassing, actually. How did you not notice you were emo the entire shift?

Pollux did ask you why you were upset this time, but you couldn’t tell him without telling him your human biology. Instead, you said it’s a lady thing.

That, apparently, is enough even for monsters to understand.

“Oh, dear. You look so miserable.”

You groan, “Callimare.”

“Y-Yes?”

“Respectfully… With all the love in the world… Please… Just-”

“-AH-HA HA HA! Oh, [Y/n]!” Pollux jumps into the conversation with a nervous and obnoxious laughter, “Your shift is almost over and you’re clearly not okay, just clock out now, yeah?”

“…Yeah, okay.”

Callimare notices how you didn’t even argue, wincing when you drag yourself up to clock out in the employee room. She looks at your savior with a questioning look.

Pollux holds his hands up in surrender, “She said it was lady problem. I stopped asking after that.”

Callimare tilts her head. You can’t be that young, could you? Usually “lady problems” was just a nicer way of saying puberty for female-presenting monsters. Or if you’re pregnant. But you certainly aren’t pregnant, Callimare would know since her sister is currently pregnant.

Of course, she knows you’re actually human (she’s almost certain Pollux knows too) but that makes her wonder just how different it must be for you.

The bell of the door goes off, and Callimare flushes with red instantly, going to busy herself at the usual spot where she and Snowmill like to mingle. Pollux rolls his eyes with a smile, going to find Marcine to put her to work.

The bunny monster looks back at the door, flooding with both embarrassment and confusion at the sight of a skeleton monster walking in. She had assumed that it was Snowmill who arrived early, but it seemed her over-eagerness got the best of her.

She vaguely recognizes him as someone you hang out with a lot, and you’ve spoken about him too. “Sans,” she thinks his name is. Callimare wonders what he’s doing here since he has never shopped here before. Pollux looks confused about his arrival as well, though he doesn’t pay the skeleton monster any mind.

Finally, after a minute, the bell rings again and Callimare knows for sure now that it is Snowmill. Her face feels warm and there’s an uneasy jitter in her chest. Today is the day, she just knows it…!

You, on the other hand, had taken a few minutes in front of the heater in the employee room, pressing yourself against it to soothe your soul. Surprise, surprise, it does not help. In fact, it just made you uncomfortably warm. You finally clocked out and gathered your things, making sure you had what you needed before taking your leave.

As you exit the room, you hear faint voices belonging to Snowmill and Callimare, however, Snowmill sounds a lot more nervous than usual, and Callimare more quieter than she should be. You peek around the corner with concern, but really, you have nothing to be scared of at all.

A little surprised because Sans is also fucking here for some reason, but this ain’t about him!

Snowmilll was holding Callimare’s hands, his little dog face facing the other way but his tail was wagging frantically. Callimare was staring at him with her big ol’ eyes, nodding along to his love confession.

A LOVE CONFESSION!!

Even Marcine had put her phone down to watch, an extremely rare smile on her face! Pollux was grinning ear to ear, incredibly happy that his friends had finally gotten together. And you?

You made sure to sneak out as quietly as you could, trusting that Sans would get the hint and follow after. You think it had to be due to the skeleton’s magic, but the bell didn’t make a sound as you two slipped out.

You walked with him in silence for a moment, waiting until you were a respectable distance before stopping in your tracks.

Sans stops as well next to you, raising a brow, “you good? why you smiling like?”

You cover your grin with your hands, “Callimare and Snowmill…! OHHH, MY GODDD!! AH-HA HA HAA!”

He laughs at your enthusiasm, taking you by the elbow to keep you two walking. “gee, you’re reacting over here like they were your favorite soap opera.”

“BECAUSE THEY WERE SO OBVIOUSLY IN LOVE FOR MONTHS, BONE BOY! I HAD TO WATCH THEM PATHETICALLY PINE OVER EACH OTHER FOR MONTHS, I SAY! MONTHSSSS!”

“i uh–ah ha ha, i didn’t take you to be overly romantic.”

You wave him off to swing your arms with every step, “Oh, come on, Sans! Don’t you think it’s something wonderful?” 

Sans decided of all the moments to let more of his mask slip, it had to be now. “i guess it is for people like them.”

”What do you mean?”

“I mean… those two have been at it every timeline. over and over, they go through the same talk, the same emotions. this is the first time you’re witnessing it, but this isn’t the first time they’ve got their happy ending.”

You slow to a stop. ”…So… What are you trying to say, Sans?”

He shrugs, not picking up on your tone, “they’re happy now, but it's a little hard to be that happy for ‘em when i’ve seen this already from past resets.”

”Huh…”

Sans turns around at your dumbfounded tone. You’re looking at him with… pity.

”What… a miserable way of thinking,” You frown sadly, your words blunt and harsh, “Is that all you see them as now, Sans? I wish I could understand you, but… I just can’t agree with your melancholic nihilism.”

He scoffs, struggling with maintaining his permanent smile. “well, i’m not askin’ you to agree with me.”

”No, I guess you’re not.”

You continue walking, but your expression doesn’t give much away. It would’ve bothered him more if it weren’t for you sharing your thoughts even if your voice is rather flat.

“I used to feel like that, you know? Someone who couldn’t really feel much sometimes, but all I knew was that I just had to survive. That it didn’t even matter if I didn’t feel good or bad about being alive, only that I had to keep living anyway. I couldn’t be bothered to kill myself because I didn’t exactly want to die, but living was becoming too much of a burden in itself.”

The corner of your lips twitched up, “But then I met Kōrenki. I don’t want to be cheesy and say it was love at first sight, and I can’t say it was magical in any way since we bumped heads a lot when we first met. Oh, but Sans. Let me tell you, he changed my life forever, and for the better, too.”

“He made me feel so many things even when I didn’t want to: love, joy, excitement… Anger, resentment, sadness… a weird, inexplicable sense of betrayal. It was weird. He made me feel so many things and brought so much color to my life, but at the same time, I still had that underlying issue of still not caring.”

Sans looks down at his feet, his soul aching in a strange way he can’t describe. Jealousy knowing you used to be in love? Bitterness at how well you understand the mental capacity of his nihilism, yet still feeling emotions against his will?

…

Confusion at your implications…

”Kōrenki told me that he will still love me even when I’m at my lowest, and if I never get better at all. But I could see how much I was hurting him too. Maybe if I wasn’t so focused on how pointless everything was, I would’ve…” You force a chuckle, “I’m not going to tell you that you’ll hurt those around you with that attitude. You’re a grown-ass man, and you can do whatever you want.”

”then what are you getting at? ‘cause i know you didn’t tell me all of that for no reason.”

Your laugh is a little more genuine this time, “My point is… I know what it’s like to think the way you do. I hope maybe one day you can find something—or someone, to remind you what it’s like to care. Or rather, one day you’ll find someone that makes you want to care.”

And Sans, perhaps a little sensitive from the topic and conversation, spits out: “what? like you?”

To his surprise, you just laugh again. Not a fake laugh from hurt, or a laugh to mock him. Just… a laugh of finding something amusing.

Maybe this is one of the many reasons why he likes you. You seem to understand him even when he doesn’t want to be understood. Your smile is enough to make him more sincere even though he doesn’t want to be happy right now.

Is that what you meant? When you said this guy, Kōrenki, would make you feel things when you didn’t want to? He doesn’t think he’s ready to admit it to himself just yet, but maybe you are what he needed all along.

”Maybe! Who knows? I mean, I really like you, Sans. And… And if you feel the same way,” Your cheeks burn at the casual confession, pointedly looking away, “I hope that I can one day be something you can care about. Even just a little bit.”

Sans’ cheekbones darken with red fast, his eye-lights dilate bigger when he looks at you. You both stop walking again, with you slightly ahead.

The tension in the air is so strange and bizarre. One moment you guys are discussing that couple and their successful relationship. The next you’re calling Sans out for his depressive mindset. And now you’re acknowledging your mutual feelings for each other that you two had just let stay quiet this whole time.

If it was anyone else, Sans would probably be uncomfortable with how many times the mood and topic changed in the span of five minutes.

But it’s you.

You’re just as fucked up as he is.

You two don’t always see eye to eye (sockets), but you two understand each other so well. Obviously, there’s still more you have to learn about each other, but from the beginning, you two had fallen into a nearly perfect rhythm. Sans doesn’t have high hopes for himself, and he believes he’s going to feel this strange emptiness for a long time.

But…

If you’re there with him through it all, then Sans might as well enjoy it all with you.

After all…

Sans walks up to you, hesitating for a moment before taking your hand. To his pleasure and surprise, you squeeze his gloved hand. 

“misery loves company, [y/n].”

“Ha-ha! I don’t want to be in misery with you, bone boy. I want to be happy with you,” You say with a teasing smile, “And I think you’re just scared to be happy.”

He should be put off, he should be offended. But your body language, expression, and tone only tell him that you’re not going to push him away or leave him behind. You want to be in a happy relationship (?) and you want it with him.

“can’t blame a skeleton for not havin’ a backbone, can ya?”

“You’re so lame!”

Taglist:

@lemonboy011

@adriixboo

@fluffyart5000

@fetusbaconegg

[morsartis]

The Bets Are On

You didn't always get dragged along on tours with Marvus, preferring to stay away from the sheer chaos of the limelight. It wasn't that you hated it but you certainly weren't a big fan of having Marvus within reach and yet still not being able to see him. The packed schedule that came with his tours were a drag and you weren't even bound by them. But Ourani and Revell had both asked you to be there, it was important that Marvus and his band were seen in a positive light while on an Earth bound tour. A surprising side effect of the current alliance between the two was the fact bands were allowed to perform on both planets for the first time. It was an opportunity that no one in the entertainment industry could pass up on- not even Marvus. Which was why you were there- they were trying to involve as many humans as possible as a show of good faith. Revell had been the most excited about it as the band's human sensitivity trainer. The fact he wasn't even human in the first place was both amusing and a glaring sign of Alternia's many problems. It'd be insulting if Revell wasn't so serious about his job, often consulting as many humans as he possibly could over the most minute detail and advocating for an actual human to do the training instead of himself. Unfortunately his hands were tied on that front.

Lost in your own thoughts you nearly fell off the chair you were sitting in when Ourani slammed the door to the break room open looking frazzled. His usually slightly wrinkled but tidy clothes were a wreck- tie askew and shirt buttoned wrong with his hair sticking up at odd angles. He looked like he'd survived a mob. "Thaaaat's it! I caaaan't do this aaaanymore! Maaaarvus is driving me to drink!" He shrieked the second the door swung closed behind him. You winced slightly and gave him a sympathetic smile.

"How I've laaaasted this long is aaaa daaaamn mystery!" He continued tossing his clipboard onto the table. You could only imagine what he'd been having to deal with.

"What did he do this time?"

"Whaaaat did he do this time? This time? Its less whaaaat he’s done aaaand more whaaaat he’s going to do! He purposely faaaailed every single humaaaan sensitivity course he waaaas instructed to taaaake! Do you haaaave aaaany ideaaaa how haaaard it waaaas to even get him to those courses? Its like trying to herd feraaaal purr-beaaaasts!” He all but wailed sinking down into the chair opposite from you. It creaked under his weight- built more for humans than adult trolls- and you feared it might collapse under the poor rust blood. The last thing he needed to happen when he was already this close to a break down.

“I know I talk a lot of shit about Marvus but he can’t be that bad.”

Those were clearly the wrong words to say to Marvus’ top personal assistant as Ourani looked at you with an expression bordering on murderous and manic.

“Oh, you think so huh? You think you caaaan haaaandle being Maaaarvus’ Personaaaal Aaaasistaaaant? You think you can do better thaaaan I caaaan? Fine! Why don’t you do my job todaaaay then? He’s got aaaa full schedule aaaand haaaas aaaalreaaaady shown signs of trying to blow it aaaall off!”

“Uh-,”

“Even better ideaaaa! We’ll maaaake aaaa bet out of it. If you caaaan get Maaaarvus to staaaay on traaaack I’ll paaaay some of thaaaat debt you owe to Gorjek.”

“Wh-,”

“Aaaand if you lose? I’ll finaaaally quit!” He was grinning wildly now, eyes bright with glee at the thought of quitting.

“How about if I win you just schedule Marvus a little down time?” You offered instead. Trying to hopefully keep him from losing it further.

“Fine.” He replied looking slightly less like he might jump over the table and throttle you or the next person to walk into the break room. With a more steadying breath Ourani extended his hand to shake on the bet and you gladly took it. Anything to keep him from going full American Psycho on everyone there. You both nearly lept out of your skins when his phone went off to let him know his short break was over. "How about that bet starts now and you go home to get some actual sleep?" You offered, Ourani nodded vigorously to that already shoving his clipboard into your hands. He couldn't seem to get out of there fast enough it seemed. You hoped he'd get some actual rest, the poor guy was one of the most overworked people on the job. Glancing down at the clipboard you winced. Ourani really wasn’t kidding when he said Marvus had a full schedule, looks like you could kiss any other plans you had today goodbye. Straightening out your clothes you went to go find Marvus- wherever he could have gotten. Most likely he wouldn’t be trying to hide from you. He’d be expecting Ourani to be the one trying to hunt him down.

You’d been wandering for five minutes when you finally found him. He was actually where he was supposed to be- chatting with his bandmates who immediately perked up to see you.

“Oh shit! Look who it is.”

“Hey guys, mind if I steal Marvus away for a second?” You asked cheerfully. His bandmates had a soft spot for you and it was easy to get them to agree. Their soft spot would make this bet a little easier to win, hopefully.

“Whatchu need babes?” Marvus asked once the two of you had gotten far enough away. You smiled up at him warmly. "Well, first off-," You grabbed the sides of his purple jacket to pull him down closer to your height, "I'd like a kiss." "Shit babe, all you had ta do was ask." He grinned leaning into you. His arm carefully wrapped around your waist as he tilted your chin up to get better access. You huffed a small laugh as he gave your lip a small nip before kissing you. Letting your eyes close for a brief moment to fully enjoy the kiss you cupped his jaw with your hands before regretfully having to pull back- Marvus attempting to follow you. "Secondly," You murmured interrupted by another brief kiss, "You have a meeting in two minutes." "What." You grinned at his flat off guard tone. Not being able to help yourself as you giggled. "I have your entire schedule for the day." "No."

"Mm, yes."

"Babe-,"

"You also have a meeting with Revell to talk about those courses you flunked out of."

"How-,"

"Ourani went home for the day, I'm gonna be your PA so he can actually get some sleep."

"Oh?"

"Don't get any ideas." You interrupted already knowing where his mind was going, "I'm going to make sure you get through your entire schedule whether you like it or not."

"C'mon, just give me an hour." "I might consider it-," He grinned, "After we get through your schedule."

Marvus pouted.

“Work Marvus. Focus on work.”

“Aww, but you be lookin’ so cute when you take charge.”

“And you’ll be a lot more appealing when you actually do your job.”

“Damn.” He muttered under his breath already standing back up to his full height. “Alright baby, guess we cans go to this meeting.”

It looked, at least for the moment, you might actually win this bet.

Then again, you had yet to get him to go to his meeting with Revell. For some reason those two couldn’t stand each other- you’d zoned out briefly during one of his rants only catching something vague about their ancestors that only confused you more. Revell was actually a kind troll though his threshold for what he dubbed ‘highblood nonsense’ was practically nonexistent. He seemed rather fascinated by human culture, often asking you questions on things he didn’t quite understand- some of his questions not even you could answer with any degree of accuracy. But, Marvus and him were known for their fights. Not even in the pitch leaning way either. You had yet to witness their fights but Ourani had talked about them looking pale and shaky- considering the fact that he’d been witness to the usual Alternian concert slaughter fests that happened with Marvus you had to admit you were afraid to see what could shake him like that. If Marvus' PR team was surprised to see him actually at the meeting they didn't say, though they seemed happy to see you with him. Taking your seat next to Marvus you glanced down at the schedule again. He had this meeting, his meeting with Revel, an autograph signing, and then a meeting with a lesser known human band you hadn't even heard of. Knowing Marvus all of these would be a few hours each.

“You bein’ awfully quiet over there.” Marvus murmured to you while his PR team bickered. You glanced up from the clipboard you’d been staring a hole through to give him a flat look. Better to not put him on edge.

“Just trying to figure out how to get you from point A to point B.”

“C’mon baby I ain’t that bad.”

“Ourani would beg to differ.”

“Then he can fuckin’ beg.”

You smacked his arm earning a small chuckle as he turned back to the meeting.

This was going to be a very long day.

[jenivi7]

writing tag game!

Thank you @clyde-side and @bdeblueyes for the tag!!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

22 plus a small handful on ff.net that I still intend to move over to AO3.

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

30,445!  I’m surprised it’s that much considering how short most of those stories are. (And it’s a little deceptive since it doesn’t include the 80k monstrosity that is Ryou and the Thief. That one’s probably going to stay on ff.net though.)

3. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Those Things He Keeps for Himself (Total agreement. Personally I think this is the best thing I’ve written so far.)

Human (Was at #1 until very recently! I attribute this entirely to the story being on @shinayashipper’s Rivalshipping Rec List. Thank you Red! <3 )

Black (From when I wandered into Homestuck fanfic for a brief time! I’m still stupid proud of this one though.)

Ghosts, Goths and Other Anxieties (original short story) (I swear I’ll get back to posting the big bang version soon)

Finality (This one’s so old but I guess people still like their tendershipping! I mean, same~)

4. Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

I do try to respond to everything! I so appreciate when other authors respond to me and do my best to return that good good energy. Also I genuinely like chatting with people (especially about something I wrote lol) even if I get overwhelmed sometimes and can be slow ^^; 

5. What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

This is a tough one cause when I start a story, it’s usually with the goal of giving the characters a happy end but it’s probably Coffee and Cigarettes. It was for a pairings competition where the random pairing was Mana/TK Bakura and I gave them a weird little break in the middle of canon where they both know what’s about to happen and it just came out sad.  NO WAIT I’M WRONG. Lol I just gave my story list another look and it’s definitely Crazy for You! That was an insane asylum AU that’s ABOUT everything going straight to shit.

6. What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending?

Oh goodness, almost all of them! I love a happy ending. Like, the story doesn’t have to be all fluff, it can have an impossible looking problem or be about two people who just don’t go well together but I love a good, satisfying resolution. Most recent happy ending is No Betting, just a bit of adorable, domestic, peachshipping fluff. Favorite happy end is probably A Million Missed Chances, Mai/Valon. I feel like Mai is a challenging character to give a happy ending to. She’s just stubborn like that <3

7. Do you write crossovers? If so what is the craziest one you’ve written?

So, I haven’t written a crossover yet by myself but @miss-moberg and I will often throw around ideas for ones where we will use YGO characters or parts of the world building or magic system to fix things we don’t like in other canons. Right now we have a RP that’s a BNHA/YGO crossover where… oh, spoilers for BNHA: instead of going crazy and faking his own death, Toya grabs both his brothers and just fucking leaves. They run away to Domino, get picked up by Ryou and Akeifa (TK Bakura) and it quickly becomes the found family story I didn’t know I needed. We do some wild things blending the two canons. Domino is this little pocket where shadow magic keeps the hero and villain nonsense out and the citizens are pretty ok with it. Yugi and Atem are the city’s guardians. Ryou and Akeifa are not allowed to use shadow magic though they have access to it. I think Ryou and Yugi had proper quirks that they sacrificed to the shadows at some point, each for something different thing that they wanted or needed. Oh! We have quirks being derived from shadow magic at some point in the distant past and the shadows are always happy to take a quirk back to fulfill a wish or desire. They’re tricky though and usually corrupting. Very classic fairytale where it’s a thing you don’t want to make a deal with. Seto is quirkless and basically runs the city behind the scenes. He can’t deny the existence of heroes and villains but still refuses to believe in magic. This always gives Atem a headache when they have to coordinate to protect the city. Which is often.

8. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

A couple criticisms but no outright hate I don’t think. Or if I have it was so long ago I don’t remember. I was on ff.net at the worst times too and somehow all the hate just passed me by.

9. Do you write smut? If so what kind?

I love smut so much but I rarely write it. For stories I just usually end up with one or two erotic sentences. RPs are the exceptions to that though and are where all the good stuff happens. >.>

10. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Nope. Haven’t had one stolen, haven’t had one taken down. I’ve stayed small enough to fly under the radar for both things luckily enough!

11. Have you ever had a fic translated?

I wish! Man that would be amazing <3

12. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yes! Ryou and the Thief is a cleaned up version of @miss-moberg and my very first RP. (And the only RP of ours to ever hit an actual ending.)

13. What’s your all-time favorite ship?

Puzzle with Gemshipping very close behind though I ship many, many things.

14. What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

Phoenix. It was one of my very first fanfics started almost 15 years ago and while I’d love to finish everything, that one’s just not going to happen. It’s been too long and I’ve grown way too much as a writer to go back to it now.

15. What are your writing strengths?

I think it’s dialogue. And maybe the ability to be amusing. Not funny-funny but like, lightly humorous when setting scenes or winding up to something.

16. What are your writing weaknesses?

RUN ON SENTENCES. Sometimes they get away from me a bit XD

17. What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

Haaaa, actually when I first started writing fanfic I would throw in Japanese phrases and honorifics and looking back, it’s pretty cringe. BUT I can appreciate it as it was originally intended: learning and practicing a new language. If it makes sense for the character or situation though it’s really cute, like in Allargando by Slaycinder where Atem uses Arabic endearments for Seto. (Have I gushed about that fic on my blog yet? It’s so good.) Ancient Egyptian is the exception to everything I just said. I absolutely LOVE when someone takes a stab at putting ancient Egyptian in their fic. I go a little feral for it and it was the hardest but the most fulfilling thing about writing Ryou and the Thief was doing all the research write actual AE dialogue for Akeifa early in the fic.

18. What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Yu-Gi-Oh. I’ve done a handful of things for other fandoms but Ygo is the one I keep coming back to and definitely the one I’ve written the vast majority for.

19. What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

Oh no this is hard! They’re all my babies and I love them! Probably my favorites have been listed in previous questions already. Ryou and the Thief because of the sheer amount of work that went into it and the fact that we ran the boys through a whole ass adventure, Coffee and Cigarettes because it’s such a fun, quirky little thing with a great atmosphere and Those Things He Keeps For Himself because I feel like I was able to really capture the idea in my head effectively and there’s some great imagery in it.

TAGGING:  Oh my god this took me so long to finally sit down and complete that probably everyone I would tag has done it already!  So not tagging anyone this time but please do it if it seems fun!

[ashren]

13, 14, and 15 for Ren from the unplanned variable asks please!

Thank you so much for asking!!! I might have gone a little over board and this got long, so 14 and 15 are under the cut! 13. What do they want to do afterwards? -but do they get a happy ending? Ren has no idea what he wants to do after reviving the Hope colonists. He spends most of his time throwing himself into the job 100%, because otherwise he has to face the fact that he’s incredibly out of place in Halcyon. Ren basically just doesn’t want to stop helping save the colony. And Ren absolutely gets his happy ending bc I’m too soft not to lmfao

14. What do they think of the companions? (Oh boy this got long sorry >.<) Ren is closest with Parvati and Felix, mostly because they're who I played with the most in my first run so I have a soft spot for them. Ren is older (I keep forgetting his age and writing it as 36 and 38 so I guess I can average it out and call him 37 haaaa), so he has more of an older sibling relationship with both of them. He would never admit he has a favorite, but it’s absolutely Parvati because she was the first person he travelled with and she was nothing but kind and helpful when he was confused as all hell in Edgewater.

Ren and Max butt heads a lot at the beginning. Ren is not a religious man, and has some lingering distrust of the church from his time on Earth. The more he learns about OSI, the more it sounds like a convenient way to control Halcyon, BUT Ren isn’t an asshole, so he doesn’t outwardly fight Max on his beliefs. Ren just silently judges Max for them.

After The Empty Man quest, though, Max apologies, sincerely, for being such an ass before (and for lying about his intentions when they first met). Ren accepts his apology and the two actually become really close friends. AND yes maybe Ren has a little bit of a Thing (™) for the Vicar, purely physical really, and perhaps they act on it a few times….

I’ll be honest, I’m not a huge fan of Ellie. I think her character is kinda just annoying and I wish we had had a little more character growth for her in the game. Ren is hesitant to have her join the crew, because he doesn’t like that she feels like she NEEDS to. Ren let’s her because realistically, having a doctor on the crew would be helpful. He realizes slowly that she’s just lonely, and after her quest, they have a more open conversation. Ellie still doesn’t openly admit her affections, but Ren helps her find her own ship after the events of the game and they stay friends. Ellie even calls him a friend eventually, and Ren doesn’t mention it, but is actually really happy that he was able to get Ellie to truly trust him.

Ren had no idea what to think of Nyoka at first, but he liked her energy. He didn’t really have a good read on her until after she told him more about Charon. After finding Rebekah and Anders, Ren lets Nyoka have a little bit of a breakdown about it and they bond over some shared trauma. Nyoka asks to stay on after her quest and Ren agrees. He understands that she needs the support, and I also feel like Nyoka is closer in age than the rest of the crew (Except Max, but until Scylla, Ren’s not really close with him lol)

Ren also helps Nyoka set up the Charon group afterwards, and regularly meets up with her and her new crew when he’s on Monarch.

I’ll be honest… I don’t really use SAM at all in game so I don’t really have too many opinions on SAM as a companion.

15. How do the companion quests go? I’m actually not going to go toooooo in depth here because I’d like to write out the companion quests as full fics (I’ve already started actually, hehe)

I didn’t really mention Parvati’s or Felix’s in the last question, so I will say that Ren would do anything for Parvati so he has absolutely no issue helping her make the best date she could for Junlei. (Ren also has such a struggle coming to terms with Parvati moving to the Groundbreaker eventually, he loves that she has a home and found someone to be with forever, but he misses having her on the Unreliable the most. It helps that Parvati makes time to see him whenever he does land on the Groundbreaker.)

Felix’s quest is one that I have a lot of Feelings ™ about. Ren is pretty protective of Felix, he’s the youngest on the crew and reminds him of himself when he was younger. Ren does NOT like Harlow at all. Anyone who raised Felix's hopes and abandoned him is not a friend of Ren’s, but he also understands how important the man is to Felix. So he goes along, and for Felix’s sake, gives Harlow the benefit of the doubt. Things don't end violently but Felix leaves crushed and Ren feels awful having been a part of it. Ren worries he somehow pushed Felix away with the whole ordeal, because Felix is quiet and distant for a few days. But Felix finally comes to him and they have a talk~ I have story plans for this so I don't wanna go too much further lol Thank you again!!! <3

[kim-chann]

How would the Matsuno brothers deal with grief from the death of their S/O?

Sorry haha, just has this angsty thought in the middle of the night.

TW: Suicide mentions!

Osomatsu: Osomatsu would be absolutely devastated. He would shut himself out of the world like he was never even born. Ever since his S/O passed away, the sextuplets were often shown as quintuplets. Which would honestly worry the brothers by the strange assumption from strangers. Osomatsu would lock himself in the guest room where he lived with you, avoiding the shared bedroom which you and Osomatsu shared, at all costs. 

Something broke inside him ever since he was screaming for hours, days, and even months. He doesn’t know what to do. He loved you so god damn much, he doesn’t know where to go anymore. He felt like giving up, erasing himself from existence to show that he can’t deal with such grief. The tears that he spend months on were no longer active. He can’t feel anymore. He barely got any sunlight and often talks to himself in the empty house. His brothers would try to make contact with him, but Osomatsu would scream for them to go away, which is highly unlikely of him. 

Osomatsu would be emotionless for a long time. Depression was already intoxicating his mind as the thought of killing himself to be with you came through his head multiple times. But he can’t bring himself to it. Every time he was so close, he can’t. He just can’t. He would break down when he tries to remember your touch and voice. But that wasn’t enough. Because you were gone. Ichimatsu would suspect such a rise of depression of grief, and practically team up with his brothers to take Osomatsu out even if he fights back. His brothers and parents are his only hope on helping him through his stages of grief. So they did. 

Karamatsu: Karamatsu is no longer Karamatsu. His smirk, his painful eyes, sunglasses, songs-- were no longer there like they just disappeared out of existence. It was sudden, the brothers were worried for his sudden change of attitude. Instead of Karamatsu being peppy and poetic towards his brothers, he would just wouldn’t say anything, or just angrily push them away. He always wanted to be alone. He hasn’t even touched his guitar for a while now. Ever since his S/O passes away, he felt something squeeze him, suffocating him. 

He felt like dying then and there, passing out from the amount of shock that was pursed in his veins. He was in denial for the rest of the day, thinking that it was some prank that his brothers and S/O were making up. But when the night came, he was so used to your warmth next to him, and your body being squeezed against him was now gone. Just gone. The sudden realisation that you were truly gone struck him hard. Karamatsu would cry gently, tears running down his cheeks before his quiet sobs would turn into screams of misery. He would be begging that you would come home, to run into his arms and cheer him up and tell him that everything is going to be alright. 

He would lock himself in the house for days, weeks, and almost a few months just like Osomatsu. He would cry every time he rememberers sudden memorises of you and him. The fact that nothing like that can happen again was a knife to the heart. His eyes were so puffy and red, it seemed like his tears were never ending. He tries to avoid pictures, videos, any sort of valuable that was yours or something that reminded him of you. Yet he couldn’t. He can’t just do that. He leaves your stuff as it is, feeling weak every time it catches in his sight. 

This brothers, and even Chibita, would come over to the house and give him dinner while they be gentle with him. They were going to try to help him out of his grief by paying for his therapy sessions. 

Choromatsu: Choromatsu would feel like an ant. So small, so little, so vulnerable to the open world. He would feel like the scum of the earth and questions and questions in his head would turn into self deprecation comments that lead him to a self destructive nature. He would no longer be a bit narcissistic and prideful of his dedication to find jobs, he would just give up. 

His addiction to Nyaa-chan and Totoko-chan would deplete immediately. He would just feel numb inside from being shaky, weak, and scared to leave the shared house where you and Choromatsu stayed. Hell, grief would hit him so hard, instead of going through the stages of grief, he would most likely be diagnosed with schizophrenia because he literally denies that you died. 

He can’t let you go. Not ever. Not now. You were his weren’t you? And he was yours. So why did you go? His brothers and his parents would come over and be confused and worried when Choromatsu was his “usual” self, talking to thin-air, his brain painting up an image that you were still with him. Every time his family would invite him out to take a walk or go to a new Nyaa-chan concert, he would be angry and scared to leave the house, especially to leave “you” alone. His parents and his brothers would come up with a plan to get Choromatsu the help he needs, because his grief cursed him schizophrenia. 

Ichimatsu: Ichimatsu would be hit the hardest amongst the brothers. Ichimatsu would no longer feed the cats in the alleyway, torment Karamatsu, and not even sleep. Sleep was something he was known for in the Matsuno residence for how lazy he can be. But his lazy nature turned into restless nights. The comforting silence filtered with quiet breathes would be replaced by his sobs and screams of grief.

 He wasn’t the loud type, but his screams proved that assumption wrong. Ichimatsu’s self destructive nature would be way worse than it already was. Ever since his S/O was pronounced dead, he immediately skipped to anger instead of denial. Ichimatsu would very pale and skinny every time he was forced out of the house by his brothers. He wouldn’t even bother messing with his brothers anymore. Because the only thing in his mind was you. Every time he was alone, he can feel the urge to end himself right then and there. 

Ichimatsu would start cutting. Crying when he would slice his wrist and hug the pillow that you sleep on until he passes out from the blood loss. Luckily, Jyushimatsu was going to visit his older brother and when he noticed that the door was unlocked and saw his brothers bleeding out. He immediately called the ambulance. Ichimatsu would be angry and saddened that he didn’t die yet and was a bit pissed at Jyushimatsu that he saved his life. Jyushimatsu told Ichimatsu that S/O would not like him beating himself over their death. 

His S/O would want him to be happy with himself. Ichimatsu takes those words to heart, feeling stupid and embarrassed that you might be watching over him and watching him hurt himself when you were completely against that. He even promised that he would get better for you, but now that you were gone. He would fight his grief just for you. 

Jyushimatsu: Oh boy. He doesn’t even know what to do anymore. His smile would fall into a sharp thin line and his eyes were no longer filled with joy. He would stay in the first stage of grief for such a long time. Denying the fact that you died and thinks that this was some prank from you. After days and weeks, he realised that you were never coming back to him.

Just like Choromatsu, he may be diagnosed with schizophrenia and feel like himself again when he finally sees “you” home and gives you a long big hug, saying that he missed you so much. He felt so happy that he went over to his brothers house and presents that S/O is not dead and that you’re right next to him. He can see you, feel you, and hear you. Why can’t his brothers?

Jyushimatsu would be so confused to see the concerned expressions on his brothers’ face and get a bit annoyed, calling them rude, and leave the house. The brothers immediately try to take action, wanting the second youngest to get help as quickly as possible. Because we all know Jyushimatsu, he’s tough to crack. So it might take him years to finally let go of his grief for you.

Todomatsu: Todomatsu would go straight into anger. He would not deny your death, he would be so angry at your death. He would be pissed that you left him alone and that you were so stupid to die all of the sudden. Todomatsu’s attitude might continue for a quite a while, for even weeks maybe. When he moves onto the next stage of grief; bargaining.

 He would insult himself and laugh right in front of his brothers when they go to Chibita’s. “If I were stronger, S/O would still be here right now.” Then he would quickly add, “But I’m the worse aren’t I! I can’t even protect them when they needed me the most... hehe...hahaHAHA!” He would start laughing maniacally before he bursts into tears. His brothers would try to comfort him but he would push them away and run home. 

Todomatsu would be crying to himself, thinking that he was so useless to protect you which moves himself onto the fourth stage: depression. He would need guidance to help with such a thing, so Ichimatsu would Jyushiamatsu would be willing to fill in those roles. He would take his time trying to get better, but soon enough. He’ll go through acceptance. 

I got really sad writing this haaaa.

[emiefaunwrites]

helloooo, it's that one anon again with another song request/challenge thing. same prompt as my last ask but with the sing grow as we go by ben platt, please? also a random question: what are your thoughts on listening to classical music or like music that doesn't have words?

Hello again! Sorry it’s taken so long with this one - I wasn’t on my laptop at all yesterday and only had one or two chances to listen to the song and I wanted to do a good job!

I’ll answer your random question first before I go into what I wrote. The short answer is yes, I listen to classical/wordless music. I like a song to tell me a story as I listen to it and I have a few wordless songs in my D&D playlist for my OC. So long as I feel an emotion when I listen to a song, I don’t really mind if it has words or not!

And now for Grow As We Go. Well. This is a song, huh? It’s so freaking lovely! Another one I would never have thought to listen to without you, anon, and has made it into both my D&D playlist and my Broken Arrow playlist (yes, songs go into multiple playlists for me!)

So with this, I could have made it heartbreaking because the song is quite sad. But I decided against it and went with something more...uplifting, I guess? And yeah, I went nearly 2K (I just can’t do snippets I’m so sorry...) and I stuck with Ishileon for this because I could imagine Leon singing it to Taka. And this has taken me 4 hours to write...non stop. Haaaa...

I hope you like this, and please do send me more and more songs. I LOVE this challenge and find it so interesting to write this way. 

The cool evening air wisps around Kiyotaka as he looks out over the horizon. Here, above what seems like the rest of the world, he has never felt more at ease. Never felt more comfortable in a place he never thought he would ever wind up. Because in every vision he ever had of his future, he never saw himself in the American wilderness.

He had always had a plan; get himself through school, then college, then university. Get himself into politics. Build up his reputation and popularity. Show the world that the Ishimaru’s are not the monsters that they’ve been portrayed to be and become the best Prime Minister that Japan has ever seen.

For the longest of times, Kiyotaka was fully invested in this plan. The backlash of his grandfather’s downfall has weighed heavily on his parents for as long as he can remember. Their name dragged through the mud, the innocent victims of merciless mockery, working round the clock as a policeman or a midwife just to make ends meet and do what’s best for their son.

So of course, he wanted to give back to them. He promised, back at the tender age of six when he heard his mother crying one night after Prime Minister Ishimaru fell from glory, that he would do what his grandfather could not. He stomped down the stairs and shocked his parents with the announcement, giving up any chance at a normal childhood right there and then.

And it was worth it. He made sure it was worth it. Sure, he had no friends. Sure, he was bullied relentlessly. Sure, he came home battered and bruised a few times a month. But it was worth it because he knew that he would be his family’s saviour in the end.

But things started to change when he started Hope’s Peak.

It wasn’t a big change. Not at first. It started off with friendships. With Mondo and Chihiro, Makoto and Hina, Hiro and Hifumi. People who seemed to see past his name, past his constructed personality, and tap into the real boy. And he found himself having fun for the first time in nearly a lifetime.

And then Leon Kuwata entered his life.

He’d always been on the side-lines, a constant background noise that Kiyotaka admittedly gave very little attention. For the first year and a half of being his classmate, Leon spent his time chasing girls and living it large. Kiyotaka would often head to get himself a glass of water in the night only to see the boy be carried back to his room, blind drunk in the arms of Hiro or Mondo or whatever upperclassman he happened to befriend that day. He seemed to have no regards for his education, his health, or anything whatsoever and that irritated Kiyotaka beyond belief.

It wasn’t until Kiyotaka stumbled across the boy in the toilets one lunchtime, huddled into the furthest stall and crying into his arms, that the real changes started. For the first time, he saw the redhead for who he truly was; a frightened young boy that had built a reputation for himself that was becoming harder and harder to maintain. And Kiyotaka had just happened to stumble on what was one of many moments of weakness that had plagued the boy ever since he set foot in this school.

The two became inseparable in a matter of weeks. Kiyotaka vowed to be Leon’s confidante whilst Leon promised to calm himself down and start taking his life seriously. And he did really well. It was inevitably that he would slip up every now and again because old habits are hard to break. But Kiyotaka would never judge him, would never scold him; only hold him close as he sobbed and promised it would never happen again.

Their first kiss wasn’t exactly planned. Nor was it the most appropriate, Kiyotaka has to admit to himself when he looks back at it. Leon had relapsed after a rough day and gotten blind drunk, calling Kiyotaka in a panic when his senses kicked in, sobbing in his arms and begging his forgiveness. And as normal, Kiyotaka had held him, offered gentle words of comfort, running his fingers through the boy’s hair.

And then he kissed him.

He would like to blame it on the way the moonlight hit Leon’s flushed cheeks that evening. Or maybe how his eyes sparkled like glitter as he finally stared up at him with a wet smile. He’d also like to think that Leon made the first move; that when he leant forward to nuzzle against his nose it was a silent invitation. But in all honesty, none of those were to blame. Kiyotaka had already fallen for Leon long before that night and even though the boy had melted into his embrace the second their lips met, Kiyotaka knew that he had completely taken advantage of his drunkenness and acted on his own accord.

The I like you that followed was disregarded as intoxication. Kiyotaka made sure he stored that away in a locked box in his heart, never to reopen. Although a few days later, it was smashed into pieces as Leon initiated the follow up kiss halfway through their study session and out of seemingly nowhere. Red cheeks and flustered apologies, a heart-to-heart and more I like you’s. And then a promise never to let go followed by soft touches and passionate kisses.

And they didn’t. They stuck together through school and graduation, through college and graduation, through the application to university to study politics. Leon stood by him every step of the way; as his biggest cheerleader, his shoulder to cry on when things got tough, with unconditional love and a heart of gold. They were happy, happier than they’d ever been, and would have been content carrying on as they were for the rest of their lives.

But it was Kiyotaka who changed.

Sat in his politic lecture one afternoon, something shifted in Kiyotaka’s mind. As he stared at the words on the screen and listened to the droning voice of his tutor, Kiyotaka realised that this wasn’t what he wanted. The plan that he’d followed for his entire life, the one that would restore his family name, crumbled in front of him like chalk into dust. And all that was left was a hole of uncertainty and endless possibilities.

He wonders to this day if he should have told his father first. After his mother had passed away, his father had put his everything into supporting Kiyotaka’s dream. So surely he should have been the first to know that things had changed. And there are days, nights when he’s lying awake and staring at the sky, where he feels a small twinge of regret at not telling him. Because he thinks that if he had, things might be different.

But those days are few and far between.

It was Leon he told first. The second the lesson was over, he went straight over to their shared apartment and told him straight: I don’t want this anymore. Politics, education, the little apartment they rented so close to the university. It all felt so wrong all in the space of a split second at 2.48pm on Thursday 3rd April.

And he needed to go. Where? He didn’t know. To do what? Also a mystery. But he just knew that he need to get away from it all and that everything needed to change.

He expected Leon to cry. To beg him to stay, tell him to reconsider giving up his dream and to stop and think just for a moment. But he didn’t. Instead he took hold of his hands and said the five most beautiful words Kiyotaka has ever heard:

Then we’ll do it together.

It wasn’t easy. Dropping out of university was harder than Kiyotaka could have ever expected. He had to give back all the fees he owed, chipping into Leon’s hard-earned income to bail them out of tough situations. There were highs and there were lows, months of living on cold beans and bread. But they made it through together.

And then Leon suggested they go to America.

As Kiyotaka was still unemployed and Leon’s salary was barely keeping them afloat, the idea was ludicrous. They were constantly rescued financially by their families, who surprisingly supported Kiyotaka’s decision to change his entire life, so how could they possibly go travelling in their position? But neither boy could deny the alluring call of a fresh start. Soul searching, Leon called it. And Kiyotaka fell for it hook, line and sinker.

After a year and a half of research, of doing odd jobs here and there to raise enough money, of buying all the gear they could possibly need, of working out and getting in shape, they knew where they were going. The Appalachian Trail; the longest trail in the world. Five to seven months of travel if they wanted to do it all in one go. And they did want to do it all in one go.

So, after getting the blessing of their families, they quit their jobs and headed off. Jetted halfway across the world with no one but each other. And they never looked back.

It’s been hard, Kiyotaka muses to himself as he gazes out at the breathtaking sights around him. Because as beautiful as the trail is, it’s also brutal. They’ve spent a lot of nights cold and hungry after misjudging how far the next campsite is. They’ve slept in poor conditions in a tent that they’ve had to replace a couple of times. They’ve stumbled across the local wildlife; sometimes a little closer to them than they felt comfortable. And they’ve had to ask their families to help them out with their finances on more occasions that either of them would have liked.

But as the night falls around them, as the orange hue of the sunset dims and the blanket of midnight blue drapes over the sky, as his gaze lands on the back of the boy in front of him, Kiyotaka knows he wouldn’t change this for the world. They’ve seen things that they never would have done back in Japan. They’ve met people from all over the world, learned valuable skills that would have been useless in their old life. They’ve done so much that Kiyotaka never thought he could ever have done and impressed himself on so many different occasions in so many different ways.  

And it’s all because of Leon.

Stood on the edge of a cliff, the boy has no idea that Kiyotaka’s eyes trail down his body; outlining his relaxed posture to etch this moment permanently into his memory. His hair has grown out and only the tips are red now; the natural brunette strands pulled back into a messy pony tail. The small beard he once supported now long gone and replaced by dark stubble; caked with dirt and grime from the tiring day they’ve just had. The muscles he has always had are larger now; more toned and pronounced even when he doesn’t try.

Leon Kuwata is not the boy he fell in love with anymore. That’s undeniable given how much he’s changed. But as Kiyotaka wraps his arms around him, breathing in the scent of sweat and dirt that has become his favourite smell in the world, he knows he would give everything for the man who leans back into his touch.

“You okay, baby?”

“Hmm.”

“Ready for tomorrow?”

Who knows what tomorrow will bring? Nothing is written in the stars, nothing is set in stone. That’s what his life always used to look like; unbending, unchanging and terribly lonely. But as Kiyotaka smiles into Leon’s neck, as he presses a kiss onto the flesh and his fingers slip against the palm of his lover, he has never felt more comfortable with the unknown. Because at the end of the day…

“So long as you’re with me, I’m ready for anything.”

[solartranslations]

VF Pace Chapter 5: Heavenly Amore

Ash has been defeated by their love. Now the curtain of night falls…

~*Scene: VF Deck*~

Pace: Hey, you’ve got the Tarocco, right?

❤≪Pace≫ Seems concerned ❤≪Ash≫ Tarocco

Person: We’ve got to carry out our orders!

Arcana: What happened to everyone?

Person: The Tarocco thief might have his reasons too…

Arcana: What is the Tarocco anyway

Pain: Joshua is…

Ash: No, I don’t have it

Pace: Okay. Guess we’ll go look for it then, Ojou

Felicita: Yeah

Pace: You’re coming with us

Ash: Huh? Why should I! And my name is Ash!

~*Scene: VF Deck*~

Pace: Hmm, we walked around for a while but didn’t find anything

❤≪Pace≫ Seems as usual

Food: My instincts aren’t working…

Place: Right, we were attacked on the deck

Pace: The sun’s setting too, so let’s call it a day. The tiger might show up too

Ash: The tiger’s not coming so don’t worry

❤≪Ash≫ Seems to be hiding something

Person: Since the tiger’s me…

Pain: I’m worried about Joshua

Pace: Huh?

Ash: Nothing. And anyway, I know where the Tarocco is

Pace: Wait, really!? Why didn’t you say so earlier!

❤≪Pace≫ Seems confused

Person: If you knew, you should have told us!

Food: I’m hungry from walking around…

Ash: Well…you didn’t ask

Pace: Then tell us. Where’s the Tarocco!

~*Scene: VF Staircase*~

Pace: Huh! We saw that guy yesterday! He has it?

❤≪Pace≫ Seems confused ❤≪Ash≫ Seems to be hiding something

Person: The fancy passenger!

Person: Why does he have it?

Person: Joshua seems normal during the day

Person: Then, this’ll be quick…

Ash: Wha? You guys know Joshua?

Pace: Ahh, we should have asked him about the Tarocco back then. I totally though you’d have it since you stole it, Ash

>There’s no point regretting it now

(+10 Amore)

>Whose fault is it that we didn’t ask?

(No Amore)

>Let’s go see him right away

(No Amore)

Pace: You’re right, Ojou. You always know what to say

Pace: That’s why I love you, Ojou

Pace: Huuh!? Is it my fault!?

Pace: *sob*…so mean, Ojou

Pace: Yeah, Ojou’s right

Ash: Joshua’s in the captain’s cabin. If you’re going I’ll wait here

❤≪Ash≫ Seems to be hiding something

Person: I’ll leave the Tarocco to them

Pain: Even if I went, there’s nothing I can do…

Link: I want to save Joshua

(*grab) Pace: The captain’s cabin then! You should come with us, Ash!

Ash: H-hey! Don’t pull me!

~*Scene: VF Captain’s Cabin*~

Joshua: Oh? What’s the matter?

❤≪Ash≫ Seems concerned ❤≪Pace≫ Seems as usual

Place: The sun will set soon

Person: This glasses guy is stupid strong

Person: This isn’t the usual Joshua…?

Arcana: We’ll introduce ourselves properly!

Person: What does he want to use the Tarocco for?

Arcana: The Tarocco needs to be handled by someone who understands it

Pace: I forgot to tell you yesterday! I’m Pace from Arcana Famiglia!

Pace: We’ve come to get the Tarocco back. It’s here, right?

Joshua: Arcana Famiglia… That name sounds familiar to me

Joshua: The head of the Family is Mondo… Is he doing well…?

Pace: You know Papa?

Joshua: Alright…I’ll return the…Tarocco…. However, I…

Pace: Huh, is he acting weird?

(*whirring) (*flash)

Joshua: …The “Wheel of Fortune’s” power will be mine…

Pace: Ojou! Stay back!

❤≪Pace≫ Seems confused

Person: He’s after Ojou!

Link: I’ll protect Ojou!

Person: This guy knows Papa?

Joshua: I can finally return to my proper form…

Joshua: “Wheel of Fortune”…give me your power!

Pace: He becomes a skeleton at night…which means he’s a ghost too…?

Pace: Looks like we’ll have to fight, Ojou

>How do you know Papa!?

(+10 Amore)

>We’ll fight him together

(+30 Amore)

>We have to run

(No Amore)

Pace: It’s no good, Ojou! He’s already a skeleton

Pace: If we don’t fight, we’re done for

Pace: Yeah, I thought you’d say that, Ojou

Pace: …We won’t lose

Pace: Even if we run, he’ll probably just chase us down…

Pace: And there might be other skeletons outside this room

Pace: Okay. We’ll attack him from both sides…Ojou

Felicita: Yeah

(*dash)

(*step) Pace: Hyaaaah!

(*whoosh) Felicita: Hya!

Pace: Hyah!!

(*whish) Joshua: Hah…!

Pace: Ack!

(*grip) Joshua: Hah!!

~*Scene: VF Deck*~

(*crash!)

Pace: Uwah!

~*Scene: VF Captain’s Cabin*~

Felicita: …

Joshua: You contracted the Tarocco…and that’s all you’ve got!?

Joshua: Offer your power to me!

(*whish)

Felicita: !

Dodge!

>Hit

(+50 Amore)

>Miss

(-50 Amore)

Felicita: *dodge*

(*whack) Felicita: Ah!

~*Scene: VF Deck*~

Felicita: *slide*

(*shaky) Joshua: Raaaaa!!

Pace: Ojou

❤≪Pace≫ Ojou

Link: Follow behind me

Link: I love you, Ojou

Pace: Haaaa…

Pace: Porci Tutto…Trapassare!!

(*whish)

>Go from behind

(+10 Amore)

>Go from the right

(No Amore)

>Go from the left

(No Amore)

(*step) Felicita: !

(*whoosh) Pace: Take thiiiiis!!

Felicita: *jump*

(*whish) Felicita: Hya!

(*step) Felicita: !

Pace: Hyaaaah!

(*whish) Joshua: Hah!!

Felicita: !

(*slash) Felicita: Ah!

Pace: Ojou!!

(Skip the next duello box)

(*step) Felicita: !

Pace: Uraaaah!

(*whish) Joshua: Hah!!

Felicita: !

(*slash) Felicita: Ah!

Pace: Ojou!!

(Skip the next duello box)

Attack!

>Hit

(+50 Amore)

>Miss

(-50 Amore)

(*crackle) Joshua: Guh…

(*dodge) Joshua: …!!

Pace: Ojou! Again!

❤≪Pace≫ Ojou

Link: Kick him next!

Link: I love you, Ojou

(*smile) Felicita: Okay

(*dash)

(*whish) Felicita: Hya

Attack!

>Hit

(+50 Amore)

>Miss

(-50 Amore)

(*whack) Joshua: Urk!

Pace: Yes! Nice one, Ojou! My turn now!!

(*dodge) Joshua: …!!

(*whoosh) Pace: Uraaaaah!!

(*whack) Joshua: Graah!

❤≪Pace≫ Ojou

Love: Ojou, I L-O-V-E you!

Link: Keep him busy with your knives!

>My knives…!

(+20 Amore)

>A kick…

(+10 Amore)

>Next is…

(No Amore)

(*grip) Felicita: …

(*whish) Felicita: Hya!

(*step) Felicita: Hya

(*whish) Joshua: Hah!!

(*clang) Felicita: Ah!

(Skip the next duello box)

Felicita: *step*

(*whish) Joshua: Hah!!

(*clang) Felicita: Ah!

(Skip the next duello box)

Attack!

>Hit

(+50 Amore)

>Miss

(-50 Amore)

(*slash) Joshua: Guh…

(*dash) Pace: Too bad, I’m here too!

(*dodge) Joshua: Hah!!

(*dash) Pace: Too bad, I’m here too!

(*whoosh) Pace: Here I go!! Hyaah!!

(*whack) Joshua: Urk!

(*huh) Ash: What’s with those two? They’re not saying anything but they’re perfectly in sync

Ash: So this is Arcana Famiglia…impressive. And Strawberry Head’s actually…pretty good…

Joshua: Grrrrrrr!!

(*rumble) Joshua: Find your way to despair…Un Labirinto Atmosferico

Felicita: !

Pace: Ojou, watch out!!

(*crackle) Pace: Ugah!!

Felicita: !

Pace: I-I’m okay…Ojou. That was nothing

❤≪Pace≫ Ojou

Pleasure: I protected Ojou…I’m so cool! You’ve fallen for me all over again, right!

Pain: Ow…

Felicita: …

(*whack) Pace: Ow! Why’d you kick me!?

(*hic) Pace: But, I l-o-v-e that about you, Ojou

(*smile) Felicita: Yeah

Pace: Alright, I’ve got the power of your love. So let’s end this!

Pace: The earth gives rise to strength…a power that dominates everything…!

Pace: Mamma Mia!

Joshua: Gaaaaah…!!

Liberta: Ojou!

❤≪Liberta≫ Seems concerned

Person: Is she okay!?

Place: That was really loud!

Luca: Ojou-sama!!

❤≪Luca≫ Seems concerned

Arcana: Was that the power of “Justice” that I’ve heard about!?

Pleasure: Pace is with her

Pace: Liberta! Everyone!

❤≪Pace≫ Seems happy

Pleasure: Everyone’s alright!

Pleasure: I’m so glad…

Dante: Ojou-san, the “Justice” card wishes to return to its proper form!

❤≪Dante≫ Seems concerned

Link: It’ll be up to Ojou-san and Pace

Person: So that’s Joshua…

Jolly: Ojou-sama, make a wish to “Gli Amanti”. Tell it that you wish to free the “Justice” card and ask it to aid you in using the “Wheel of Fortune”

❤≪Jolly≫ Tarocco

Place: This ship carries many mysteries about the Tarocco

Arcana: Our target appears exhausted. –Excellent

Nova: That’s Joshua…. The contractor of “Justice”, “La Giustizia”… and apparently Papa’s son

❤≪Nova≫ Seems as usual

Arcana: That man is Papa’s…

Link: I’ll leave it to them

(*shock) Pace: Huh, what? Everyone showed up all of a sudden. Were we the only ones left alone?

❤≪Pace≫ Can’t seem to handle it

Arcana: I’m not following

Person: They’re talking about that guy, right…?

(*smirk) Debito: Hey, Pace. You guys are supposed to finish this, so we’ll stay out of it

❤≪Debito≫ Seems as usual

Person: Well, Pace does get credit for protecting Bambina

Arcana: Just do something about the monocle guy already

Pace: Huuuh? I don’t get it!

Felicita: …

Debito: Hm, it looks like she does though…

Debito: Come on, look at Bambina

Pace: Ojou…

❤≪Pace≫ Seems concerned

Link: With me…?

Person: It’s to save that man

>Pace, I want you to come closer

(+30 Amore)

>What are you whispering about?

(No Amore)

>Back me up

(+10 Amore)

Pace: Huh? Oh right, Ojou. I’ll be right there

Pace: I wouldn’t leave you alone

Pace: Huh!? I’m not sure why you’re mad!

Pace: I’m sorry, Ojou!!

Pace: Got it, Ojou. Just wait, I’ll be right there

❤≪Pace≫ Seems excited ❤≪Pace≫ Seems to want to cry ❤≪Pace≫ Seems concerned

Pleasure: I want to be near Ojou too

Person: Does that mean to hurry!?

Pleasure: I can’t leave Ojou when she’s so cute!

Debito: Wow, you’ve really got Pace well trained

❤≪Debito≫ Seems to be teasing

Pleasure: I can already see their future

Daily: I’ve got ask what they’ve been up to while they’re alone

Pace: Like this, Ojou?

Jolly: Amplify the power of “Gli Amanti”, and use it to spin the “Wheel of Fortune”…. That is why you are necessary, Pace

Jolly: If you fail to provide enough power…Ojou-sama will lose control. *chuckle*…

(*glare) Luca: Jolly! Don’t threaten them!

Pace: Got it…here we go, Ojou

Pace: Ojou! I…I…love you!! So I want to lend you my strength!

Gli Amanti: Hello, Ojou-san. It’s rare for you to call on me

Gli Amanti: You don’t have to speak. I understand the situation

Gli Amanti: I suppose I must apologize for this as well

Gli Amanti: Since its host has died and remains on this ship, the Tarocco cannot return to its proper form and remains in an inverted position

Gli Amanti: And the inverted Tarocco has even possessed its host…this usually would never happen

Gli Amanti: …*laugh*, here we go then, Ojou-san

(*float)

Felicita: !?

Pace: Mother…

❤≪Pace≫ Seems concerned

Pleasure: Even if you’ve forgotten…I’m glad we met

Link: Please watch over us…Mother

Pace: Mother, when we return to Regalo, I promise I’ll bring flowers to your grave!!

>Let’s go back to Regalo together

(+10 Amore)

>I’ll go with you

(+20 Amore)

>I’m glad everyone’s alright

(No Amore)

Pace: Yeah, Ojou…

Pace: Ojou…thank you

Pace: Yeah, I am too…

❤≪Pace≫ Regalo ❤≪Pace≫ Seems concerned ❤≪Pace≫ Seems as usual

Pleasure: Even if you’ve forgotten…I’m glad we met

Link: Please watch over us…Mother

Pleasure: And I love you

Link: It’s a promise

Pleasure: Even if you’ve forgotten…I’m glad we met

Link: Please watch over us…Mother/i>

Pace: So? Where were you all!? Ojou and I were…

❤≪Pace≫ Seems concerned

Daily: We should have a celebration at the bar when we get back!

Place: Did we not run into them because the ship was so big?

Luca: We’re the ones who should be asking where you were, Pace!!

❤≪Luca≫ Seems concerned

Place: …He was alone with Ojou-sama! …The two of them, alone!!

Pleasure: I’m so glad Ojou-sama is alright

Pace: Huh? Me?

Nova: When we were split up, we all regrouped right away

❤≪Nova≫ Seems as usual

Arcana: That’s just common sense

Person: The Deputy Chief Executive is even more disappointing than the Ocean Idiot…

Liberta: You’ve got to stay calm! Prioritize your safety and getting a grasp of the situation!

❤≪Liberta≫ Seems as usual

Arcana: I learned that in Intelligence!

Pleasure: I’m so smart!

Liberta: Even I can do that

Debito: We’re talking about Pace the glutton here. He went to go find food after saying he was hungry, right?

❤≪Debito≫ Seems to be teasing

Daily: He’s already taken a bite out of Bambina, right?

Place: He’s definitely why there’s so many apple cores lying around the ship…

Felicita: Yeah

Dante: Oh, the fog’s cleared. Okay Liberta, go to the wheelhouse and set course for Regalo

❤≪Dante≫ Seems as usual

Person: I must teach him to do the job of the Chief Executive properly

Place: Let’s set sail!

Liberta: On it!

Pace: Hey, so you’re all just saying I’m useless?

❤≪Pace≫ Can’t seem to handle it

Person: Ojou’s the only one on my side!

Link: But this is just how we are

Felicita: *smile*

Ash: Hey so…is everyone in the Family as strong as you? And they really don’t treat you too well

❤≪Ash≫ Seems concerned

Person: I can’t tell how strong they are

Arcana: This was Joshua’s Family…

Pace: Huh? Uh, yeah… It’s always like this… haha

Ash: …So this is, Arcana Famiglia

Jolly: You should join the Family if you’d like. You’d be welcome to

❤≪Jolly≫ Seems to be having fun

Daily: I’ve found a new student…not bad

Person: Luca has been useless lately…

Ash: Don’t be stupid! I’m not interested!

❤≪Ash≫ Seems confused

Person: I didn’t say I’d join!

Person: What’s that sunglasses guy thinking…

Pleasure: I’m interested in Strawberry Head though…

Jolly: *chuckle* …But, you’ll be coming to Regalo

Jolly: You stole the Tarocco and contracted one of the cards. You must meet with Mondo

Pace: Then when we get to Regalo, you should eat some lasagna with us

Ash: If Strawberry Head’s going, I’m in. She’s stronger than I thought so I’m interested. I want to know more

Pace: Nope! Ojou belongs to me

❤≪Pace≫ Ojou

Person: All of Ojou belongs to me!

Daily: …And all of me belongs to her

Pace: Right, Ojou?

Felicita: *smile*

Pace: …I love you, Ojou

~*End of Scene*~

Special Voice obtained. It can be heard in the Profile section

(Continue to Famiglia Epilogue)

(Continue to ED1: 700+ Amore)

(Continue to ED2: 400+ Amore)

(Continue to ED3: <400 Amore)

(Back to Directory)

[stardancerluv]

Being a Good Friend

Part 12

Summary: The charity fundraiser...all dressed up..

Arthor’s Note: Dialogue from movie in italics. Gave some David’s dialogue to Alex (will make sense when you get to that!) I also changed the one character’s name as well. This was more of a mingling of my story with the movie...I hope I did it justice.

“Hey, I want my money back!” Alex called out and you squeezed his thigh. He chuckled up loudly.

“Alex, hush.” Shaking your head, you smiled but it became broader as the music began to play. “Are we going to dance?”

“Well, it’s physical contact isn’t it?”

Soon, the two of your were hopping and twirling about. As you twirled the world spun. Your heart was racing and for once it all disappeared. It felt good. Twirling again fingers slipped from each other and before you realized what happened, Alex was giggling on his back. Feeling, very playful you went over to him, twisting your hip so you lightly pressed him back down, with your new heels. Giving him the entire view up your skirt, what you didn’t expect was him kissing your ankle. It gave you delightful shivers. As lady like as possible, you helped him back up.

To music was still playing, and you saw Rose and Juliet still twirling about with the other guests.

One of the old man, winked at you and clapped Alex on the back. “You cheeky bastard, in all my years coming, I never got a good glance like that.”

Alex chuckled louder. “She’s my lass, that helps.” You felt the sharp heat fill my cheeks.

“Good catch, my lad.” He walked away.

Taking, your hand then he pulled you close, right up against him. “Did you hear that?”

“That I’m a good catch?” You heart was still racing, you were incredibly flustered and the champagne was beginning to create a warm fuzz around you. So your ability to put two thoughts together at that moment was a miracle.

“Yes.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “He certainly, told me what I already knew. You are the best thing to ever happened to me.” He continued to move and his cheek rested against yours as the music moved the two of you. “I’m so glad you were my date for this. Contending with Juliet and David for another year would have been a complete bore.” He whispered before pressing a kiss on your cheek.

*****

“Alex, what are you doing?” Juliet asked, annoyance lightly fringing her voice.

Alex was making a pyramid of the glasses.

“Careful.” You whispered.

He put the final glass on top. He say back and surveyed his masterpiece.

David, rolled his eyes. “Stop playing Alex.”

“We can’t be masters of boredom Daivd.” Alex replied, as he lit one of his cigars. “This will be good.” He took a pull on it and exhaled to the ceiling.

“Y/N, hand me that full bottle of champagne.”

“Sure.”

“Don’t encourage him.” David’s eyes narrowed.

“It will be fine.”

Soon, he was creating a small champagne fountain, waterfall of sorts, it was kind of pretty. “Alex, that is quite brilliant.”

You happily clapped. Juliet and Rose lightened up and giggled and clapped.

“Look, can we talk about something?”

“No, not right now, I have an idea.”

He handed you and Juliet a glass and you then handed one to Rose. Alex, smiled broadly at how well it worked, giggling lightly. “It’s good.”

“It’s important.” David, enforced. “We need to decide...”

“Not now. Will you stop worrying.” He held up his glass, he looked at Juliet and Rose, then he smiled a little more when he looked at you. “To love and to happiness forever.”

“Forever and ever.” Juliet chimed in and the four of you clinked glasses. After having your quick sip, you kissed Alex’s cheek.

David, was like a wet towel as he looked at you all.

“What’s wrong?” Alex finally asked.

“I want to talk now.” He replied.

“Not till you drink to love and happiness forever.” Alex pushed.

“Now.” He pushed.

Juliet, even looked at him exasperated. David, could really push everyone’s buttons.

“Not, till you drank to love and to happiness forever.”

“No.” David pouted.

“After.”

“David, I promise that we will. Just keep him happy.” Juliet added.

“It’s not for me. It’s for love and happiness forever.”

Finally, reluctantly David finally grabbed a glass and had some of the champagne.

“Hey, look over there, it’s Cameron.”

“Who?”

“Cameron! You remember Cameron.”

You glanced over, sure enough it was the sad puppy of a man who saw in the bar with Alex that night in the bar. Was he holding a bucket, was that it? You really couldn’t tell.

“No, I don’t.” Muttered, Juliet squinting and looking over.

“What’s he doing here?”

“That’s not him.” Juliet disagreed.

“It is.” Alex, pulled on his cigar. “Cameron! Cameron, come over here! Come on!”

“What?”

Alex, took another pull on his cigar. “Nothing!” He exhaled a huge puffy white cloud of smoke. “We thought you were someone else.”

Both you and Juliet could not hold back on the giggles that bubbled to the surface.

“Good luck!” Alex, wished and chuckled again.

You wished he didn’t have such a mean streak at times. But you knew after the frustration of David and falling in front of all those people earlier drove him to be like that. He was getting better but that was him. Despite it all you still loved your less then perfect Alex Law.

“I love that guy.” Alex, finally said Juliet and you giggled more. “But why does he have to follow us around. The other night, he came over to Y/N and I at a bar.”

Juliet, looked at you across the table. She gave you a look at that said you have got to be kidding me.

You nodded. “He did. I think he has a crush on Alex.” You playfully nudged him.

“Well, how can he not? I am pretty amazing.” He quipped. All of you giggled then.

You snuck, another kiss on Alex’s cheek. “You are pretty amazing, you whispered.

“What I wanted to say was this...”David, finally began as our giggles began to calm.

Still close, to Alex you rolled your eyes as David began to talk.

“Ahhh....haaaa...the ever beautiful Y/N, long time no see. I thought I had spotted you on the dance floor.”

“Michael?” You turned to the voice confused.

“Do you care to dance?”

Alex, was to his feet before and standing in front of Michael before you could stop him.

“Ok, hold on. Hold on, Michael. Who do you think you are? You’re interrupting us.”

“I’m Michael Brodie. Host of this gala. And who are you?”

“Well, Michael Brodie, if you want to talk to my girlfriend you talk to me first.”

“Y/N?”

“You heard him.”

Michael walked away then. It wasn’t long after that you practically launched yourself at Alex. He took a thoughtful pull followed by a thoughtful exhale towards the ceiling. “Oh my god, I can’t believe you did that, it was wonderful.” You beamed at him.

Everyone was chuckling. “Good job, Alex.” Juliet gave him a reassuring smile.

“Not bad, Law.” You had to repress the shiver Rose caused in you when she referred to him by his last name.

He turned and looked at you, a smirk curling his lips. “You liked that?” He wrapped his arm tighter around your middle.

“I did.”

“I’m glad, I couldn’t just sit there and perhaps out of politeness you’d give him a twirl around the dance floor.”

“I probably would have.” You sighed.

“That is why sometimes, you are too nice baby.” He gave you a quick kiss before backing up. “Excuse me a moment, everyone.” He winked at you before biting down on his cigar and walking away.

Idly you sipped at your champagne.

The girls went to go dance again. You were stuck with David.

“David,” you tried. “Let’s just talk later, we’re all having so much fun right now.”

He narrowed his eyes at you. “I’m not.” He finished what was left of his champagne. “None of this actually doesn’t concern you or Rose. I only brought it up so perhaps Juliet or Alex would actually listen for once.”

“Oh...ok.” You sighed and lightly drummed your fingers, looking for Alex. Why, wasn’t he already back. You began to tap your foot.

*****

Getting up, you didn’t need to deal with the snide David. He’s always been nasty. You smoothed your dress and walked out of the large ballroom. You found the small hallway that led to the bathrooms.

Maybe you and Alex could leave now, most of the night was over anyway. You stopped pacing, but could not stop ringing your hands. Leaning, against the cool stone wall you were looking at what you had to admit were your incredibly cute looking feet in these new heels that Alex bought you when some bumped hard into you.

“Oh, excuse me!” You said, looking up confused by the sudden jostling. It brought you back from your worries.

You heard a bitter snicker then you saw the sneer and your heart immediately sank. “He’s whimpering in a stall.” Cameron, gestured to the men’s room door behind him.

“Yeah, go clean that shit up.” Another waiter appeared along of him.

“What did you do?”

You pushed your way past all of them. “Alex?” You called once you.

You heard a soft sound. “Y/N is that you?”

You went further in and gasped. There was Alex leaning in a stall blood was dripping from his nose.

“Oh Alex!” Your stomach grew ill seeing his bright red blood on and one of his eyes looked like it was already beginning to bruise.

“That asshole, laid in wait with his friends and they attacked me when I finished using the toilet.”

You shook your head. “Let’s get you home and cleaned up.” He wavered on his feet. “I got you.” You wrapped an arm around him holding him up the best you could.

@theblackmaskclub @rosionis @brookisbi @johallzy @darling-i-read-it @guns-n-marvel @proffesionalclown @starwarsslytherin @chogisss @obiwankenobiness @mac-n-cheesie @i-love-scott-mccall

[hattafan2593]

Couturiere - Chapter 12: I Know Who You Are

"Ha! Hahaha! Haaaa...I did it."

Chat collapsed on the ground, adrenaline completely drained.

He examined his leg, and the scissors still piercing it. It didn't feel like it had gone in too deep, nor did it look like it pierced anything vital.

He gritted his teeth and then quickly yanked them out, hissing at the sharp pain that followed.

"Uhhh…Chat Noir?"

Chat whipped his head around, and a huge grin broke out on his face.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng was sitting up from Chloe's bedroom floor, dazed, but ultimately back to normal and akuma free.

He threw his arms around her in joy. "Marinette! You're back!"

"Back? What do you...Chat, your leg! And your face! You're hurt!"

Chat blinked, then looked down. The wound on his leg had started to bleed all over the floor.

Ooooh...Chloe's not gonna be happy about that.

"Heh, so I am. Don't sweat it purrinccess. This is hardly the worst I've gotten during an akuma attack."

"Akuma...Chat, did I do this?"

Chat winced, then looked away. "...Yeah. You'd been akumatized."

And without Ladybug, there would be no fixing the damage this time...

Ladybug!

The earrings!

He was about to ask Marinette about them...but after seeing Marinette's devastated face, he decided not to. She probably didn't even remember swiping the earrings in the first place. There was no need to make her feel any more guilty than she already did.

And if the loud beep! from his ring was any indication, he didn't have time to look for them anyway.

He'd deal with it later.

"I'm about to change back. We need to get you out of here."

As Chat stood up, he heard a loud rip! and saw Marinette kneeling besides his leg. She was wrapping her jacket sleeve around his wounded leg.

As she stood up, he heard Marinette mutter bitterly, "The least I could do..."

   As they stepped of the elevator (now they decided to work quickly, typical) they passed someone that Chat guessed was a hotel guest. 

"Chat Noir? What's going on? Where's Ladybug?"

Chat winced as another loud beep! came from his ring. Only two minutes left. "Ladybug is...out of commission. But the akuma's been dealt with already." He suddenly remembered. "Oh, and check the basement. There's a girl down there...she's badly hurt."

The guest nodded, and ran off to get help.

"It's Lila, isn't it?"

Chat didn't answer. He didn't have to.

"I messed up badly, didn't I?"

"Don't blame yourself, Marinette. You were akumatized. You didn't know what you were doing."

As they reached the front door, Chat looked out. The thread was still there, but it hung loosely and looked like it could be easily pushed aside.

"Can you make it from here?" Marinette nodded. "You better head home then. I'm about to change back."

Marinette nodded again, and then pushed back the thread and disappeared out of sight.

Chat sighed, then ducked behind a large potted plant as his ring finally timed out.

   Tom Dupain and Sabine Cheng's head snapped up as they saw their daughter come in through the door.

"Marinette! There you are! We've been so worri-"

But Marinette ignored them, pushing past them as she ran up the stairs to her room.

Tom and Sabine exchanged worried looks.

   Marinette tore open her drawer and quickly put on the earrings.

Tikki appeared in front of her, looking relieved. "Marinette! You're-"

"There's no time, Tikki! Spots on!"

She hadn't even made it halfway through her transformation when she reached for her yoyo.

"Miraculous Ladybug!"

   At Le Grand Paris, paramedics were checking out the latest akuma's victims.

Though they seem to be physically unharmed, they had no idea how to remove their outfits. 

Lila Rossi was being loaded into an ambulance.

Suddenly, they were surrounded by a familiar swarm of ladybugs, and seconds later, they were all back in their original clothes.

The thread that had cocooned the hotel had disappeared, too.

Lila raised both hands, her arm no longer broken, shakily to her mouth, which was no longer sewed shut.

Then she burst into tears.

   Adrien limped down the street, having no idea how to get home.

There were large bloodstains on his shoulder and his pants leg. Marinette's makeshift bandage had been completely bled through.

There was no way he would be able to explain this injuries to Father or Nathalie.

Suddenly, he was swept up into a familiar warmth, and as he looked up to see a swarm of ladybugs disappear into the sky.

"My lady..."

A car pulled up besides him, and Nathalie and the Gorilla stepped out and confronted him.

"Adrien. Where have you been. Your father's been...you're bleeding!"

Adrien flinched. The Miraculous Ladybug had unfortunately failed to get the bloodstains out of his clothes.

"Not really. I just got healed. No more injury."

Nathalie glared at him sternly. "What. Happened?"

   Ladybug collapsed onto the floor, panting heavily.

"Marinette? May I come in, please?"

Ladybug quickly muttered, "Spots off," and then said out loud, "Yeah Maman. Come in."

Sabine opened the trap door and came into the room. "Your father and I saw the news. Are...are you okay?"

Marinette burst into tears. Sabine simply wrapped her daughter in a tight embrace and just let her sob against her.

"Mon pauvre bébé..."

   "Marinette? As in Marinette Dupain-Cheng? She did this?"

Gabriel's tone was as flat as always, but his face had gone just a shade paler.

"It wasn't her fault, Father! She was akumatized! This girl from my class, Lila...she's been bullying her, spreading lies about her and turning everyone against her.

"And...and I enabled it. I knew she was lying and I did nothing to stop her. I was able to escape, but..."

"I see."

"Please believe me Father! This isn't Marinette's fault! Hawkmoth took advantage of her, she didn't-"

"Stop." Gabriel raised a hand to silence his son, then gazed softly at him. "I believe you."

He turned to Nathalie. "I think Adrien has had a long day. Take him up to his room."

Nathalie nodded, and escorted the younger Agreste to his bedroom.

When she looked back, she saw Gabriel clutching his ascot, his eyes squeezed shut, his forehead touching the portrait of him and his son.

[chibimajo]

Popped Cherry.

Tim is confused and nervous, Jason left him in the middle of an enormous bed enough to fit 5 peoples right after Jason brought him to his room.

Tim is caressing the soft sheet of Jason’s bed and almost lulled to sleep because of its softness.

“Tim?” Jason called.

Tim jumps, “Yes?” Tim hates himself more because his voice cracked at the end.

Jason chuckled and walks toward Tim. Tim swallows and lifts his head to look at Jason, damn Jason and his good and tall build body, tanned skin topped with Cruella De Vil's hair. Tim unconsciously licked his lips.

Jason touches Tim’s chin and brushes Tim’s lips with his thumb. “So pretty.” Jason said with a fond smile, “Nervous?”  Jason asked while moving his hand to Tim’s cheek.

Tim leaned into Jason’s palm and hummed, “Hmm... Yes.” Tim’s heart beats a drum finally, Jason is gonna popped his cherry after so long of push and pull of “no I’m not going to do it, Tim, underage, remember?”

Jason’s hand lowered from Tim’s chin, neck, his hand lingered not too long enough for Tim’s liking. But Tim forgives Jason, of course. Cause after that, Jason let his hand wander Tim’s body, leaving Tim breathless, the touches feels intense. Tim let himself falls on his back, Jason stripped himself, leaving only his boxer. Tim eyed him up and down, licked his lips when he saw the bulge of Jason’s cock. Jason raised his eyebrow and shake his head.

Jason stripped Tim out from his shirt, pants and throws it somewhere in the room. Tim is already half-hard, Jason caressed Tim’s thighs, moving and touching lightly at Tim’s stomach before slipping his hand inside Tim’s boxer and stripped it out from Tim.

Jason lowered himself to kiss Tim slow and sensual, nipping his lower lips, Tim sighed and open his mouth, an invitation for Jason’s tongue, which Jason took happily. The kiss took a turn to a filthy, messy and Tim can’t help but moan into it.

Jason pulled back, lips glistening from the spit and red, licking his lips.

Jason took the lube from somewhere, Tim didn’t know and he couldn’t be more careless that he already am. “Turn around, Tim.”

Tim tilted his head, confused. “Why?”

“Gonna make it comfortable for you, Babe. First timer.” Jason teased with a smirk.

Tim rolled his eyes but complied anyway, “Rub in on my face, will you.”

Jason chuckled while squeezing a generous amount of the lube at his left palm and squeezing it right at Tim’s butt cheek

Tim hissed, “Jason, its cold.”

Jason hummed, his hand trailed lightly on Tim’s ass before circling his finger to Tim’s hole. Tim gasped when he felt one of Jason’s finger goes in. Tim moaned obscenely, hand fisting the bedsheets. Jason lowered himself to nips between Tim’s shoulder and neck, giving soft kisses Tim’s back while moving his finger in and out, before inserting the second finger and scissoring Tim slowly.

Tim moaned and starts moving back at Jason’s fingers.

“Jay...ahh” Tim panted.

“Still so tight, baby.”

Tim arched his back when Jason stuck another finger in. Tim mewled, Jason uses his right hand to heave Tim upward so Tim is straddling, facing away from Jason.

Tim pants and Jason managed to brush Tim’s prostate, Tim jolted and moaned.

“Jesus, babe. Your moan is obscene.”

Tim whined, “Jason.. haaaa, it feels weir-, aaahh.” Tim rolls his head back, bumping into Jason’s collarbone, cock leaking pre-cum and threatened to cum. Jason wraps his hand on Tim’s cock, slowly pumping and Tim arches his back again, searching for the friction.

“No, Tim. You came and you’re gonna get tired, you don’t want me to fuck you, hmm?” Jason hummed and bites Tim’s neck playfully.

Tim nodded, “Jason, haa, please.”

Tim can feel Jason’s smile at his shoulder before Jason pulled out his fingers and manhandling Tim on his back. Tim whined pitifully at the loss and Jason kiss him.

Jason takes off his boxer and squeezes the lube to coat his cock, later before lining himself saw Tim flushing all over his chest and looking at him with hooded eyes, Jason’s cock twitches a little.

“You’re so pretty, babe. Worth all the time holding back to fuck you.”

Tim can’t help but break a smile, “What’re you waiting for then?”

Jason kisses Tim at his lips, again. Lowered at his chin, littering love bites at Tim’s neck, shoulder, and collarbone. Tim’s hands found Jason’s back, scratching and leaving nail marks that leaves Jason hissing at the pain yet will wear it proudly, let it not be said Jason is exhibitionist when it comes to Tim’s claw mark.

Happy with his bites all over Tim’s body, Jason lined himself at Tim’s hole and pushes slowly, Tim bites his lips and reaches for Jason’s hand to intertwined it. Jason found it cute and complies with it with a fond smile.

Tim moaned and gasped loudly, when half of Jason’s cock buried inside of him, tears start flowing, Jason grunted and said “So tight...haa.” before burying his face to Tim’s neck.

Slowly, Jason finally bottomed out, letting out a sigh. Tim moaned and scratches Jason’s biceps, he wanted to move and let Jason in deeper, he felt it Jason’s tip brushing his prostate but it's not enough. At the same time, it hurts.

“Babe, relax. I know it hurts, not gonna move while you get used to it, okay?”

Tim nodded against Jason’s shoulder. Jason starts peppering Tim’s face with kisses making Tim laughed at his sweetness.

Jason smiles at him fondly, Tim relaxed enough and rolls his hips, Jason let out low grunts, “Fuck, Tim...”

Jason straightens up and moves slowly in and out for Tim to adjust. Tim let out a low whine, “You can move now, Jay.”

“Fuck, yes.” Jason hissed before thrusting in and out of Tim at a slow pace.

Tim swallows hard before moving, trying to meet Jason’s thrust. Tim jolted when all the moving manage to hit his prostate, it feels so good, Tim arches his back to find more frictions of it and Jason starts thrusting more harder.

“Jay, aaahh.. faster... haa.” Tim manages to crosses his legs over Jason's waist, squeezing as tight as he can.

Jason answered with a throaty growl and moves as faster as he can with Tim’s leg hugging his waist. Jason curled his hand on Tim’s cock, pumping it at the same pace with his thrusting.

Two thrusts later, Tim came with a shout, spilling all over Jason’s hand. Jason came not much later with a low moaned, while Tim still clenching him like a vice.

Heavy breathing fills Jason’s room. Jason kisses Tim’s forehead before pulling out and goes to the bathroom to clean himself up and soaked a towel with warm water to clean up Tim.

Jason smirked when he goes back to his room and saw Tim blissed-out post-orgasm. Tim sighed happily while Jason cleaned him up. Jason threw the towel somewhere in his room and rolls beside Tim.

Jason brought his palm to Tim’s cheek, “You alright?”

Tim hummed and leaned into the touch, “Yeah.” He looked happy but with a touch of something that Jason can’t read.

“What’s wrong? You don’t look really happy about it. Did I hurt you?” Jason asked, panicked.

“No, I’m happy,” Tim answered, scooted closer and hiding his face to Jason’s shoulder. Trust Jason knew Tim’s insecurity that he tries to hide.

Jason sighed and lowered himself to rub his nose to Tim’s neck, “Talk to me, Tim.”

“Just jealous.” Tim mumbled quietly and shook his head, “Forget it.”

“Why?”

“I’m jealous because I’m not your first one. I mean you’re so kind, you make me comfortable and and...” Tim stops himself and turns around so he is facing away from Jason.

“Hey, hey.” Jason pulled Tim closer so now they’re chest to back with no space between them, “You’re still my first love, you know. And...I want to blame my hormone for my first time but you know, it’s my fault. Believe me, I want you to be my first too.”

“Gosh, you and your words.” Tim rolls so he is facing Jason again, he can’t help but melted when Jason said things like that.

Jason smiles and kisses Tim’s forehead, “You love me for it.”

[thedailyotaku]

Married to the Mafia - Shinazugawa Sanemi X Reader

Second post of my smut fanfic, featuring Sanemi Shinazugawa as a Mafia in the present time 💕 hope y’all enjoy. Sorry in advance for grammatical errors, typos etc. 🌸

WARNING AHEAD. MATURE CONTENT CONTAINS ORAL SEX, BAD MOUTHING ETC 😂 IF YOU’RE NOT 18+ OR LEGAL AGE, SHOOO AWAY 😂✨

I sit silently in the dining room as I eat my dinner accompanied by the housemaids behind me. I sighed as I count the days that it’s been one week since I was married to my husband, Shinazugawa Sanemi, the most powerful mafia in the prefecture. I was hoping from the first night of our married life, he’ll talk and sleep with me. But instead he went out and go to another business, leaving me alone in our bedroom that night. I put down my utensils and stood up from the table. I was about to open the door to leave when Uzui-san pops out.

“Oh, _____. How’s your dinner? Did you enjoy the food?” Uzui-san said greeting me with a cheerful smile. Uzui Tengen, the right hand man of my husband. He is always with him during their businesses with the other mafias. But Uzui-san always greets me and talks to me whenever I’m alone. I’m quite happy since I have one person I can talk too since I moved in here in the Shinazugawa mansion.

“It was delicious, Uzui-san. I am full now and I’ll take my bath now. Is Sanemi-dono home yet?” I asked him, hoping that my husband is home and somehow spends time with me. I don’t have any lovers when I was single, I was doing fine like any other career women until my Father decided me to marry Sanemi-dono. Of course I agreed since I was admiring Sanemi-dono before, he’s handsome, refined, strong, reliable of his work and kind.

But now I can only feel sadness and loneliness from him. It’s been a week since we were married.

“Looks like a lot of thoughts are running in your mind right now, ____. Mind if we can go to the garden and talk?” he asked. I nod and go with Uzui-san to the garden. The cool breeze hits my skin and I stare at the cloudy sky above. Looks it will rain tonight huh, I wonder Sanemi-dono have an umbrella right now or else he’ll catch a cold. Busy in my thoughts, to my surprise Uzui-san laughed beside me.

“What’s so funny Uzui-san? Is something funny in my face?”

“No nothing really, just amused by your different changing expressions. Are you thinking of Sanemi-sama right now, ___?” he asked and I looked down feeling shy.

“Um yes, well it’s been one week since we’re married but he’s always busy that we never get the time to spend together.”

“Well I admit that Sanemi-sama is a hardworking and very busy man but believe me or not he’s working hard thinking of you, ____.” Uzui-san said smiling encouraging me. I blushed at the words and slowly smile to hear that Sanemi-dono does think of me. Before I mutter a word of thank you to him, raindrops starts falling in the garden. Immediately Uzui-san wrapped me in his arms and covers me from the rain as we run to take shelter inside.

“That was a bit unexpected haha. Suddenly raining down.” I chuckled and looked up to Uzui-san as we silly smile and laugh together. Then suddenly I can feel a very heavy presence approaching. I turned around and to be met by a loud slap in my cheeks. I felt scared and confused but I still looked up to see Sanemi-dono with a furious expression.

“You slutty woman, I was only away for a week and you got chilly with a new man. Is this your way of your fun?” Sanemi-dono said as he sarcastically laughed to the both of us.

“N-No Sanemi-dono, this is a misunderstanding. I’m not any kind of relationship to Uzui-san. We were just talking, that’s all.” I panickly explained to him about to burst tears that he got the wrong idea. This is bad, Sanemi-dono might hate me right now. As I struggle to think more of explanations, he roughly grab my arm separating me from Uzui-san’s embrace.

“You made me lose my patience woman, you’ll come with me to be punished.” He said coldly as he drags me to our bedroom leaving Uzui-san alone speechless.

Once we arrived, he roughly pushes me down into the tatami floor restraining my hands and my legs leaving me no place to escape. His heavy breaths and furious expression frightens me.

“Sanemi-dono it’s all a misunderstanding please.”

“Pathetic. You think you can fool me woman?”

“N-No…”

“You need proper punishment my slutty wife.” Sanemi-dono said as he moves to sit a nearby chair while my legs are still numb as I stare at him.

“Now open your mouth woman and suck me.” He said as he reveals his hard on already dripping with his precum. I nod and obliged Sanemi-dono's punishment. I heavily breathe and caress his hard on. I slowly lick his length and kiss it slowly. Then I started to suck the tip slowly sucking his whole.

“You know you can go deeper than that.” He said as he pushed my mouth further in his hard on and I almost choked. As I suck Sanemi-dono's hard on I caress the parts that I can’t suck on and I moaned, almost losing my sanity from the heat.

“Haaaa… you’re really good at this.” Sanemi-dono said as he roughly caresses my hair and from the action of it I can’t help but moan from his touch. His hard on is hot and throbbing in my throat and I can’t stop sucking him knowing I can hear his erotic moans.

“Tell me do you do this with other men, my slutty wife?”

“No. Only for you Sanemi-dono.”

“Don’t lie to me or I’ll break you.” He said gritting his teeth as he grab my hair roughly facing me to him.

“No I’m not lying Sanemi-dono, please believe me…” I plead as I hugged him tightly, so tight I can feel my heart beating fast.

“Then, if you’re not lying…” he paused then he slowly pushes me down into our futon. And he teasingly undo my obi with his mouth.

“____, if you want to prove your innocence. Satisfy me tonight. No breaks.” Sanemi-dono said as he slowly undresses me and my wetness continues to flow.

“Spread your legs for me, make them wide so I can see everything.” He said in a husky bossy tone and I shuddered from it. I nod and spread my legs to Sanemi-dono as he can clearly see my panties are now soaked. He chuckled as he ripped my panties and he spreads my pussy revealing my overflowing precum. I just covered my eyes with my hands but Sanemi-dono prevent it right away by restraining them.

“It’s not fun if you cover your eyes my slutty wife, you have to see it through the end.”

“A-Ahhh please…” I begged as I can feel tears forming in my eyes. But that doesn’t stop him from teasing me as he sucked his fingers with his saliva, inserting it to my pussy. N-No, he’ll find out!

“Hmm? Are you… are you still a virgin?” dejected that he found out, I sighed and nod.

“Yes Sanemi-dono, I am.”

“Impossible. You were flirting with another man behind my back.”

“I told you, we have no such relationship Sanemi-dono.”

“How can you say that?”

“Because… because I love you Sanemi-dono!” I said and my tears burst out that I’m holding out from the fear I’m feeling. I cry in front of him like a bawling baby thinking that I want of this to be over and hoping he can talk to me properly. Then Sanemi-dono slowly release my hands and embrace me as he caress my hair.

“I-I apologize, _____. I didn’t mean that we’ll end up like this. I, I just got jealous of Uzui thinking that you might have fallen for him. I want you to smile, _____. Not this.” He said as he continues to comfort me by caressing my hair and I slowly calm down.

I hugged him tightly and he faces me to him cupping my cheeks as our nose touch.

“Do you really? Really love me, ____?” he asked again making sure what I said earlier.

“Yes I do Sanemi-dono. All this time I admired you for a long time. I was very happy and overwhelmed when I found out I was getting married by the man I admired so much. A strong, reliable, refined, handsome and kind man. But…”

“But?”

“I got scared that you got angry when I was with Uzui-san and scared that you might hate me.”

“I’m so sorry that I frightened you. I just can’t control my cool when it comes to you, ____. I don’t want our first night to be like this. Especially now I know you have genuine feelings for me ____.” Sanemi-dono said as he continued to caress my hair and kiss my forehead softly.

“I want to take it slow, to make you comfortable ____. That you will only feel pleasure and love.” He said as he slowly slips his finger into my pussy again teasing me. He rubs my insides occasionally pinching my clit as he finds my gspot.

“Ah!” I squealed.

“Oh? So this is the spot… Well then, I’ll be focusing on this spot then.” He chuckles as he continues to rubs my gspot and I can’t stop moaning from his touch.

“Look, ____. It’s so pink and hot, it’s begging me to thrust it in. I’ll make sure to fill you up tonight my wife.” He teases as he continued to thrust his fingers in my entrance focusing on my gspot.

“S-Sanemi-dono… ahhhhhh please, please let me cum.”

“Not yet, ____.” He chuckles and he changed our positions so now I’m currently on top of Sanemi-dono. I can clearly see his face, his lips that are chapped, his silver eyes making me down on my knees, his flushed cheeks as he stares at me. As I was busy fantasizing, Sanemi-dono caresses my breasts and I moaned from it.

“_____ what do you say, that you’ll be in charge tonight. Be rough whatever you desire.” He chuckles as he caresses my cheek. By those words, I snapped.

“Whatever I desire, Sanemi-dono?”

“Yes, be yourself my slutty wife.”

“All right. Then, I’ll start with this…” I whisper in his ears and I sat down to his hard on while he lays down amused watching me as I take over. I slowly opened up my pussy and teasingly rub it from his hard on making us moan louder. Ahhh I can really feel the hot sensation of his cock. It’s so erotic and feels good. I can’t stop from teasing myself.

Feeling hot and aroused, I slowly take off my kimono and tease my breasts as Sanemi-dono watches me. Finally wearing nothing, I hovered over him and lick his neck down to his collar bone, down to his hot chest and abs. I can hear Sanemi-dono's erotic moans and I continue to lick him going down to his hard on. I pressed my lips at the tip and slowly sucks it whole, making him moan louder. So aroused I continue to pump him and I touch myself widening my pussy so I can rub my gspot.

“So hot… ____ my slutty wife, more give me more.” By those words I sucked harder and pump more as I can feel that he’s on the verge of cumming. My wetness continues to overflow in my pussy, later on Sanemi-dono's load of cum comes out in my mouth and I swallowed it making him satisfied.

“_____ it’s about time.” He said as he roughly catches his breath from our foreplay.

“Get on top of me and ride me, hard.” By those words I get on top of him and slowly open my pussy as it enters Sanemi-dono's cock and I moaned loudly as I feel my eyes rolled. He’s inside me so full I can feel him pushing through my entrance. He’s so hot and big, I can feel that my wetness squirts inside. I start to move and so does he.

He roughly rams me in with his huge cock making me crazy from the heat of it.

“____ don’t cum first not until I cum.” He said as he roughly thrusts his cock inside me despite he’s laying down making me horny and crazy from the intense action.

“Ahhhhh Sanemi-dono you’re making my pussy so wet…”

“Y-Yeah… you’re clenching my cock tightly ____. I’m getting insane… I-I can’t hold it anymore.”

“Ahhhhhhh.” I moaned and unintentionally cummed before him and I catch my breath.

“What a bad slutty wife, well then, off you go.” Before I muttered anything, he lifts me up and now I’m on all fours and he thrusts me from behind without warning and rams me hard.

“AHHHHHHHH! S-Sanemi-dono haaaa you’re too rough!”

“This is what you get from disobeying me my slutty wife. Haaaaa even from behind your insides makes me insane. It’s so hot and doesn’t want to let go.”

“Ahhhhh please… K-Kiss me Sanemi-dono…” I softly moaned out as I look to him from behind. Granting my request he softly kissed me turning to a rough one while caressing my breasts as he continues to ram behind me hard.

I can feel my orgasm approaching again so does he. Sanemi-dono continues to ram me hard from behind and I respond to his every thrust.

“Ahhh ____. I’m gonna cum. Make sure to take it all.”

“Y-Yessss pour it all to me Sanemi-dono, make me the mother of your children…”

“Yes yes, ____. Take it all and be pregnant my wife.” By those words we hit our orgasms and we both cummed. Feeling drained and satisfied by our love making, Sanemi-dono released me and lay us down in our futon and cuddles me. My head is laying down in his arms as I cuddle him and I unconsciously touched one of his scars on his chest.

“Oh I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to touch them.”

“It’s alright, you’re the only woman I’ll let to touch my body ____. You’re precious.” He said softly smiling as he kissed my forehead and I blushed.

“Still these scars… does it pains you to see them everyday?”

“Not at all. Each scar represents a memory of every event happens to me, including tonight our first lovemaking as a married couple.” He said smiling as he shows his right arm with the trace of my scratches earlier.

“I’m sorry again that I scratched your arm, I couldn’t help myself…”

“It’s a pleasure my wife to be marked by you, so I’ll always remember this night.” He smiled and embraced me and I indulge myself in Sanemi-dono's arms falling asleep as the rain pours down on our first night.

Xxx

It took me almost a week writing this fanfic (coz of school, sorry I have a life too! Joke 😂😂) I apologize again 😆😆. Hopefully y’all enjoyed! ✨

(PICTURE IS NOT MINE, CREDITS TO THE ARTIST.)

[seddm]

One week later

I think that this time, despite the magnitude of what happened in the show, managed to have a mostly non-kneejerk reaction to it, but a week (and a looot of thinking) later, I think I got a better understanding about how and why I feel about this episode, S4 so far, and the show’s future as a whole. Going to make this a bullet-point style list because making a single conversation about all of this would be either too long, or end up feeling disconnected at times anyway. Bad things first, then the good ones to close on a positive note, for a change.

THE BAD

- The thing I always loved the most about this show has been its ability to use individual events and interactions between the characters in almost any given segments, even ones more fillery in nature, as a way to slowly advance the growth of the characters from a pre-established Big Event™ to the next one. This always gave the show an aura of strong continuity despite its storyboard driven and episodic nature, and allowed me to claim that even events clearly facilitated by some sort of plot based compulsion (such as the Truth Cube in Sleepover, or the photo booth in Booth Buddies) were still largely natural, just more flashy ways to push the characters in directions they were already taking.

The first episodes of S4, up to Curse of the Blood Moon, didn’t really do this. They felt heavily more compartmentalized than the usual: S3 ended in an explosive way that seemingly set up all the characters for immediate changes or payoff, but then this current season kinda ignored that. Not completely, because both Moon Remembers and Ransomgram has Marco tell Star things like “rip the bandaid off” and “own up to your mistakes”, which could be clearly applied to the “Tell Tom about the kiss” situation (never mind that she didn’t do that, it was still relevant and her going the wrong way about it was part of the point), but between an increased focus on plot and plot exclusively, and a two parter season premiere that chose to focus exclusively on finding Moon (reasonable decision, really, but it ended up making 40 minutes of show feel a bit empty on the emotions side, in my very subjective opinion), Curse of the Blood Moon seemed to happen a bit out of the blue, especially considering that Star and Marco’s feelings were apparently so strong and so intrusive to justify even Tom being able to see them in the former case, and Eclipsa’s comfort and counseling having been needed multiple times offscreen in the latter. Things that we didn’t see at all in the first 7 episodes, with the exception of Star never reacting to Tom telling her that he knew the kiss with Marco didn’t really mean anything. It’s not a necessarily tragic scenario, especially if the show purposefully wanted to wait for Curse to kick start a new chapter in the shipping of the show, but this bridging between seasons taking one third of the last one felt a bit excessive and largely devoid of sufficient build up to me.

- Kelly / Kellco. Anyone who’s familiar with my blog should know that I always struggle to never insult ships, characters or elements from the show that other people might like. And even now I don’t want to cheapen the value of personal preferences at all, nor tell anyone “No, you can’t ship this!”. But at the same time I have to say that, in the context of the show, these new Kellco developments look (ready to eat back my words in the future, as usual) extremely pointless, and handled badly. Kelly feelings something for Marco, kinda unilaterally liking him, that’s something the fandom has been speculating ever since Lava Lake Beach. They shared an emotional moment over heart break, and then clearly developed a friendship from there, and hanged out more. Kelly’s lines in The Ponyhead Show then confirmed without doubt that she felt something from Marco, but that he seemed to be largely unaware and oblivious about it. Just like you’d expect Marco to be, especially a Marco who spent the previous season focusing on how strong and intrusive his feelings for Star were.

At this point essentially everyone, me included, expected for Kelly’s World to be used as a way to bring up Marco’s unrequited (as far as he knew) feelings once again, to introduce Curse of the Blood Moon. I expected Marco to either go something like “Sorry Kelly but I’m not ready to give up on my feelings for Star” or, at worst, a frustrated Marco who’d have thought and reflected about Kelly’s feelings for him. Instead, out of the extreme blue, we got a Marco who was uncharacteristically all too aware of the situation, going “I don't want these feelings for Star they're getting in the way of other feelings" while being all blushy and then being more than receptive to Kelly’s emotionally confused flirting. Now, if this was reality, there would be absolutely nothing weird in a kid like Marco being dual in his feelings, really liking Star while also being tired about all the pain those feelings have been bringing him for the better part of a year and being receptive to another girl being ready to jump his bones. But this is not reality, and these events absolutely lacked any form of proper build up, they were (wow, I can finally use the word Starco haters have been throwing around for years!) forced. Not entirely, but for a great deal. Jarco had Sleepover and Naysaya providing a strong buildup to the ship revolving around Marco overcoming some personal hurdles; even Tomstar didn’t immediately go for the ship after the well-timed dance in Club Snubbed, but first had Demoncism, giving some sort of basis to the exes getting back together, and Tom and Star had a pre-established relationship and we both knew that Tom still wanted Star, and that Star still had hung up feelings for Tom, if just physical attractions ones (from her behavior in Blood Moon Ball and Mr. Candle Cares, very spread out over the show, I admit). Meanwhile Kellco went from “ok they shared an important moment one season ago and Janna teased Kelly in a holiday special episode but after that their interactions have been nothing but background ones” to “Marco and Kelly lose track of time reading about fighting on a bench, then as the warm hues of the sunset wash over them they fight hand in hand, as one body and one spirit, and the fireworks and music happen and there’s more blushing in a single scene that there has been in the whole show and in all the kisses in it so far”. That’s... very, very, very heavy handed. Very “manipulative”. Especially since Kelly and Marco aren’t even properly together yet I guess, since Marco might have gotten over his feelings for Star (hahaha yeah as if), but as far as we know Kelly still isn’t completely over Tad. So where is this relationship going to go from now? Why does it exist? In what ways it doesn’t shit on what Jarco already taught Marco? How is it going to “end” once Marco inevitably realizes he still feels thing for Star without making Kelly look like a throwaway rag? Obviously I don’t have the arrogance to assume I know how things are going to play out from here on, so who knows, maybe Kellco is going to be part of an important arc, but from where I’m standing, from what I know now, it’s hard not to see it as a hamfisted attempt at going “Haaaa these confused teens, it’s only fair that they get their share of experiences!”. Which is ok, sure, fine, but FICTION ≠ REALITY and things need some kind of build up and reason to happen. If it’s just supposed to be padding to keep the situation in a status quo for a while, “Marco is with Kelly and Tom is with Star and everything is right in the world and they don’t have to think about their feelings anymore” then... bleah.

- This is tangentially connected to both the previous points, and it’s not really THAT bad, just me being a bit nitpicky about a still legitimate direction the show decided to take: by having this constant comparison between THE OTHER SHIPS and STARCO, now stronger than ever after Curse, the former being very casual but also ultimately unrewarding, “we hold hands we blush a little and we are ready to kiss and be a couple”, while the latter being “dozens of life changing events are needed to progress the ship even by little; NOTHING BUT PAIN can ever come out of Starco for the people involved until it’s officially recognized as being completely and utterly full, pure, complete, mature and life lasting love”, can kinda give a wrong message about relationships and teen love, or an annoying one at least. “Hey kids, don't try to actually have fun or be happy with romance, because that's not how True Love™ works. If you actually find it kind of easy to be happy with your significant other, that isn't love!" [quote by @ngame989]. Obviously I’m using a hyperbole for the sake of clarity, and it’s clear that Star and Marco’s relationship is based on finding it easy to have fun together, always. But if we talk strictly about romance and the way the show approaches to it, it’s kinda undeniable that Starco has been nothing but a source of sadness so far, and the only genuine moment of happiness, this one, lasted about three seconds and overlapped with a realization of True Love.

By now I have fully accepted that the show is not going for an early Starco relationship to then show it growing and changing as the two make the first steps together, but that they’re waiting for a “ok we’re both completely sure this is what we want”, and it’s a completely fair direction for the show to take, but it also contributes to this “fetishization” of true love. Still, execution matters way more than the larger brush strokes in this case, so we’ll see.

- The timing. I’m going to talk about why this incoming arc can actually be a very good thing in a moment, but at the same time introducing the idea that the Blood Moon might have forced feelings now, 30% through the last season, when absolutely nothing before that ever referenced of foreshadowed it, and with essentially no references to the Ball throughout the show (last direct one was in Naysaya and it was Tom throwing shade at Marco...), feels kinda jarring to me.

- This is a bit more of a personal note, but not entirely: Star and Marco enter a dance in their memories with the specific goal of “destroying their feelings”. One minute into spending time together having fun without any kind of distraction for the first time in forever, they literally fall in love. Not crush, love. The whole setup of the Severing Stone’s function literally confirms that. What kind of tension can Kellco and Tomstar deliver now that we know that Star and Marco can and will fall in love with each other if given a moment to truly think about nothing but each other and themselves? The endgame was kinda clear before as well, but now it has officially ruined any chance at making other ships feel worthwhile - beyond their value for the growth of the characters involved, obviously. I mean their intrinsic value as a ship / source of romantic drama.

THE GOOD

- Even if I’m not a fan of the timing, I can see a lot of potential in an arc revolving around the question “Are these feelings genuine? Is Marco/Star the person I truly love and want to be with?”. Now, obviously we know that the feeling were genuine and that the Curse didn’t force anything, so it’s not really the answer to the question that matters. What’s important is how they’re going to get to that: by having Star and Marco more or less directly tackle this question in a context where there is apparently no sadness and pain brought from unwanted feelings, some positivity can FINALLY be associated with Starco as a romantic relationship. Obviously we don’t know how things are going to play out now, but if both dorks are now convinced that they are only friends (something that didn’t happen at the same time since early S2) they can enjoy their relationship to its absolute fullest, and see along the way, together this time, that they both want more. I don’t know if one or both of them lied about not having feelings anymore, or if it’s placebo effect, or if the Severing Stone has some lingering after effects. What I know is that these two now feel like they can be completely comfortable around each other once again, while still having all the feelings of friendship that were the base for the romance once already,

and that the last time they had a moment to truly be together with each other and enjoy their feelings to their fullest, they fell in love, like love for real, certified by the Severing Stone taking that moment away as a price.

So yes, we all know the answer to this question already (articulated a bit better by the show’s composer in this post),

- Curse of the Blood Moon as an episode itself is far from being without merits: it opens with a wonderful display of one of the many sides that make Star and Marco’s relationship so adorable, with the duo having a secret cereal date at night without waking up Meteora; shows how in sync and how well they understand each other (yes, this was a set up for the scene but you can’t tell me it’s the curse’s fault, that’s bullshit); it literally had Marco tell us that he likes every single thing about Star and her personality (again, not the curse’s fault. That’s bullshit.), and the dance itself was utterly perfect and pristine and had Starco fun, Starco flirting, and Starco love all happening the moment they could focus on each other and forget about the rest.  Also, while I’m not necessarily the biggest fan of Tom having achieved “good boy status” simply by getting slightly better with each episode instead of taking some affirmative action on the nature of his relationship with Star, I don’t mind seeing him helping his friends, at all. Sure, this can contributed to making him feel more “pathetic”, with scenes like the spat on the elevator apparently underlying a lack of compatibility between him and Star compared to her and Marco, as many other scenes before, and that’s the part I don’t particularly enjoy, but the overall journey he went through, that’s good. It should have featured more defining moments of change in my opinion, rather than a simple “little by little always better and gets points for trying”, but it’s still vastly preferable to a world where we can’t get some Tomco bromance moments, and this kind of relaxed situation, as infuriating as it can be at times, could potentially contribute to what I said in the first point, give Star and Marco the chance to understand what they feel for the other in a completely or almost completely positive way.

- This is connected to the first point and not necessarily an objectively good one on its own, more like something that further contributes to feeling like there’s potential for things to develop nicely from her on: the brunt of the romance in Starco fell on Marco for most of S3, at this point Star was less of an active player than him when it came to liking each other. But Star is the Main Main Character, we can’t have that happen. With this new turn of events, with things being “reset” into New Game +, the spotlight moves once again on Star and this time we can finally have the Main Main Character answer the question “do we love each other?”. Obviously Marco is surely going to have a role as well, he’s still a protagonist, but it’s Star’s story before anything else, and this “Free Will and Choices” arc can easily tie Eclipsa / ruling Mewni to Love, and strongly relate to the blonde (ex) princess.

- On the same note of “elements that makes one hopeful about the show’s potential but still don’t really confirm anything about what’s going to happen”, we have this quote from one of Adam’s interviews:

Adam describes Star as someone who is “all over the place” in terms of life as compared to Marco who unlike Star has yet to outwardly reveal his feelings. “But, she’s one of those people who so much stuff is going on for that she doesn’t necessarily, in my opinion, she doesn’t really have time for a romantic relationship. She’s too busy. She’s got a lot of things going on her plate,” he explains. “But, she’s one of those people who, in my opinion–I’m not saying this happens, I’m just saying this is why I like them–I feel like she’s going to be one of those people who is gonna stop one day and have a second to breathe and then dust is gonna settle and she’s gonna look and see through all the settling dust and fog that someone has been there with her the entire time and she’s gonna see Marco,”

and while there’s absolutely no way to confirm this, especially since everything Adam says is always nebulous PR talk that has to be taken with eighty grains of salt, looking at list of episode post-mid season finale suggests that this “dust settling down” might happen sooner than later, the second half(ish) of the season having way more episodes with titles suggesting either Earth things, or a generic downtime for the teens to focus a bit more on their own lives, and a little less of Eclipsa. Obviously there’s still necessarily going to be plot happening, but I can also see how they could be going (strong emphasis on the could) for a journey that allows Starco to finally happen in the series finale in an explosive way, with both Star and Marco being utterly sure that this is what they truly want, and that they love each other, not just like or crush.

Cornonation Doop-Doop / Britta’s Tacos Beach Day / Gone Baby Gone Sad Teen Hotline /  Jannanigans Mama Star /  Ready, Aim, Fire The Right Way /  Here to Help Pizza Party /  The Tavern at the End of the Multiverse Cleaved 

To conclude and sum up, my greatest issues so far are with the way S4 handled romance and relationships in its first 7 episodes, rather than with the new arc Curse of the Blood Moon apparently set out, or with the idea that the show is almost certainly going for series finale Starco (still kinda hoping for just a little something before that though, with the finale being the true celebration of what they have). It’s not the show I’d have liked the most, but it’s still one that has all the potential, so far, to honor the kind of build up Starco had, and the amazing characters Star and Marco are. But this first third personally disappointed me in a number of ways, and it kinda hinders my ability to fully trust this potential to actually become the reality of a good execution. But “hinders” doesn’t mean I completely lost any hope, and there are certainly dozens of ways to properly pull this off. We’ll see.

[worldcakecakecake]

On Deutschland and Italia by Lovino Valenti

Lovino writes a series of blog entries on the relationship between Germany and Italy as he deals with a move to Hamburg, his brother’s wedding, and his budding romance (which he denies) to the infuriating Gilbert Beilschmidt.

                                                     Chapter 2

Waking groans, but in between, there were moans, kisses, naked bodies intertwining well beneath the messed covers. Ludwig raised a leg to let it wrap well around his waist and Feliciano enticed him more by scratching in all the blonde’s weak spots across his hair and back as they continued on with their kiss. A singular golden ring, encrusted with a beautiful ruby reigned over them as Feliciano had it raised high, its shine one that Feliciano couldn’t ignore as it caught his eyesight. He stopped the kiss to stare truly, to bring it between them so Ludwig could stare at the very familiar ring…finally now on its finger, an image of his dreams ever since he first realized he was in love with the person of whose legs he was currently in-between. Feliciano spun it, his smile intensifying the more, bringing it forward to kiss.

 “I still can’t believe it,” he shrilled.

 “To be honest, I still can’t believe you said yes.”

 “Dio! Ludwig! I’ve practically been in love with you since forever. Of course, I was going to say yes!” He laughed, wrapping himself well around him.

 “There were a lot of implications if you decided to be with me, Feliciano. I didn’t think you would accept them.”

 “I don’t care where I have to go as long as I’m with you. I really have no problem with it, Ludwig. I’m sure we’ll be really happy in Santo Domingo,” Feliciano alighted, trying to bring himself closer and closer, now covering Ludwig’s face in kisses.

 Ludwig sighed, “I don’t think your family will feel the same way.”

 The reminder to sour the atmosphere, to make Feliciano groan and fall back to the bed.

 “When are we going to tell them?”

 “About moving to the Dominican Republic?”

 “No, about getting married.”

 They were both pensive, silent, if they were distracted, it was because of the fingers that threaded softly through exposed skin.

 “How about…dinner, this weekend?” Ludwig ended up suggesting.

 “That sounds amazing! And we can invite everyone and tell them all by dessert! I’m sure they’ll be as happy as we are!” Feliciano excited, shown in the embrace and tightness he kept to Ludwig’s body.

 “Haaaa!!! And Lovino is going to be here! This is so cool!” He even kicked his legs in anticipation.

 All bliss left Ludwig at the mentioning of that name.

 “Wait…what? What do you mean Lovino is here?” Ludwig surprised, completely detaching himself from Feliciano.

 “Oh…yeah, I forgot to tell you. He got a transfer and they sent him here to Hamburg. He has to work on some articles and he’s really mad about it, well he’s mad about coming here in full, but he just arrived and he got one of the apartments above Nonno’s restaurant, so he’ll definitely come to the dinner!”

 None of it brought tranquility to Ludwig, whose expression continued to strike shock.

 “I…don’t think we should invite my family then. If anything, we can make another dinner for them.”

 “Nooo! Come on! We’re officially going to become a true family and I want them to find out together. Why do you look so worried? Our grandparents get along, our mothers, our fathers, our uncles, our aunts, our cousins-”

 “But not our brothers.”

 And that’s exactly when Feliciano remembered, understanding Ludwig’s concerns.

 “That was…that was years ago. I’m sure it’s not a problem now,” Feliciano tried to remain positive, pushing away all the recent…very recent memories of Lovino insisting he did not want to meet with Beilschmidts there, especially Gilbert. “They won’t do anything!”

 “Feliciano, I can honestly admit that my brother is one of the most annoying bastards I know. He'll find whatever opportunity to start poking at Lovino just to entertain himself, and from what you’ve told me, your brother’s temper has been the same for as long as I can remember. Trust me…it will end horribly.” Ludwig was sure, already concocting the worst outcome.

 “But…but…they’ve matured, they wouldn’t do it! Especially in such an important dinner,” Feliciano wanted to hope.

 “I seriously doubt they will care.”

 “We can try talking to them beforehand. If we really insist, maybe they won’t end up doing that.” Feliciano’s eyes shone with too much hope, in a shine that Ludwig was weak to, obedient, merciful. He sighed, wishing that in their coming marriage he could learn to be stronger against that begging gaze.

 “We’ll talk to them. Get them to understand the meaning of this dinner as much as possible…but if things go horribly, just learn to expect it.”

  “So there’s already the personal blogs exploring the relationship between Germany and Italy as you asked for my submission, the guide to Rome in three days, commentary about Margherita of Savoy, and a ‘What if Germany was still under monarchic rule?’” Lovino had his pen flying as he recalled them well from his list. To his superior, it was incredibly distracting.

 “Yes. Now, is there any sort of issue. Do you need access to anything?”

 “I’m perfectly capable.” Even he was honestly very annoyed by it all. For the money, he told himself, just so he wouldn’t come out with some rash comment to his boss, the person paying and offering him this opportunity. “Is that all?”

 “Yes. I assume they have given you your office, password for all our accounts, contacts-”

 “Yep, got it all! When can I leave?”

 Honestly, if it wasn’t for his writing and the audience he was getting in his platforms, he would have made a comment about his rude behavior. He held it out and let everything escape in a deep breath. “Yes, you can leave, Mr. Valenti.” And Lovino was off without a second to spare in that crummy office.

 He had to admit though, there were so many things surrounding him that shouldn’t put him in that foul mood he constantly presented in this journalist company. It was honestly a nice building, a well-located area in the center of Hamburg that was helpful to moving around. He had a beautiful office, with a good apple desktop, clean, organized, large, a beautiful view to the city. Many tended to dream about this kind of opportunity, and here he took his chair soured, wishing these articles could be written by themselves and he could just go home.

 One year, he told himself, only one year and that would be the end of all this.

  Yes, Ludwig was the one who had it all. Got himself a high position in a train engineering company, gaining millions, stable, proud, high stature shown in even his physical height, a jacked-up body, blond, beautiful blue eyes, and a gorgeous Italian boyfriend to paint it all the more perfect. Was Gilbert Beilschmidt jealous? In true honesty, hell no. He was actually very proud of his little brother. If there was something he wanted or regretted from it all…was not acting first on hitting on Feliciano when he returned to Hamburg, but he had to admit that him and his brother made an adorable and balancing couple and he did not dare come between that at all. He was honestly happy with the mechanic job he had in his grandfather’s company, getting down and dirty, with motors, oil, even fire. Here he could wear whatever he wanted, act how he wanted and even show himself however he wanted. Could Ludwig do that? No, and most probably he would rather live a hermit life in the mountains than ever show himself as dirty and disarrayed as Gilbert currently did as he worked and even got into the engine of this Alfa Romeo. Aldrich Beilschmidt did not mind this…what he did mind was the blaring of System of a Down added to the screeches of metal cutting, drilling and car engines running from across the workshop. To make it worst, Gilbert had no problem with screaming and singing with the song, drumming along with the engine and his tools. No matter how loud Aldrich called, he was not going to hear him, so he had to bring himself forward, harshly gripping him from his shoulder and turning him towards himself.

 “What the hell, Opa! You’re breaking me off from my awesome mood. What gives?”

 Aldrich rolled his eyes, “I have a pick up for you.”

 “All right, give me directions and I’ll skedaddle. What happened to this fellow?” He picked the documents from Aldrich’s hand, that surprisingly didn’t hold a name, Aldrich preferred it that way. He just hoped that the client for today had changed enough for Gilbert not to recognize.

 “Just broke down. A quick fix issue. You can have it gone from the workshop by tomorrow.”

 “Sweet. Let me go get the pick-up.”

  This car…was brand new. It was bought for the sole reason of shinning with style in such a bland country as Germany. It was to make envy, impression, all the men and ladies lining up to join him in a ride. Now it was fuming in some corner of the city, Lovino in his expensive suit, sitting in a near bench, contacting his family members about what just happened.

 ‘Don’t you dare call the Beilschmidts!’ he had texted everybody.

 “I’m sure it will get fixed very quickly, Lovi. But in the meantime, I have no problem taking you to your job,” Feliciano happily glowed from the other side of the line.

 “It’s fine, Feli. I can still take the train or even the bus,” he rolled his eyes, hating all the pitied looks he was getting by passersby.

 “Didn’t you hate it?”

 “I just…” to be honest, he just didn’t want to seem like a loser who had to depend on his little brother to take him to work, “…I think I like the one here in Hamburg better.”

 “That’s really weird of you to say, but I’m glad! See, you’ll love it here! Maybe then you won’t even want to leave!”

 Lovino wanted to laugh, but he held himself to let his brother have his positivity.

 “And Lovi, I really have to ask you, what are you doing this Saturday night?”

 “I’ll probably stay home and eat some pizza, why?”

 “Good, because that means you can come to Nonno’s restaurant! Me and Ludwig are going to make a very special dinner and you should definitely come.”

 “No,” he quickly decided.

 “Why not?!” Feliciano was heavily insulted.

 “Because whenever Ludwig is involved, another Beilschmidt is bound to thread behind him, and in this situation, I’m suspecting a particular asswipe that I am in no mood to seeing again.”

 “You…you don’t know if he’s going to come.”

 “You hesitated. I already know he’s coming.”

 “No, no, no, I’m just worried about…other Beilschmidts,” Feliciano really tried to play it off.

 “You should be, that’s why you shouldn’t expect me there.”

 “But…it’s really important…”

 “How so?”

 Feliciano didn’t want to spoil the surprise, biting his lips, kicking his legs as if they could jolt his mind to come up with something quick enough. “Really important…like life important really important. Come on, Lovino! It’s going to be really special and I want my big brother there to hear it!” The beg in his voice…just like that of a child’s. Was Feliciano ever going to change?

 “…I don’t know…” he was falling.

 “I can…I can…make sure Gilbert doesn’t come.” Too far fetch and if Ludwig knew he suggested that, it was a sure fight, but he had Lovino humming. He just wanted his approval, to expect him and just have him there. They could later deal with other consequences. “I swear and… I’ll get the cooks to make you that mozzarella pizza you really like!”

 “You mean, ‘La Italiana’?”

 “Yes!”

 “I hate how you can easily bribe me with pizza…”

 Feliciano celebrated, clapping his hands and surely making some stupid dance. “It will be best Italiana you've ever had!” He shouted with promise.

 “It better be! And I better not spot any albinos in that dinner!”

 “Got it!”

 “Hey, gotta hang up, I’m seeing a tow truck coming and I think it’s for my car, talk to you later.”

 “All right, ciao ciao!”

 The call was over, Lovino standing, ready to converse with whoever about what happened to his car. Hands on his hips, occasionally turning to seem distracted with some other building, he stood in such a way that made Gilbert whistle to himself.

 Damn, this dude had some legs, an ass, a figure, gorgeous curled hair. He was expecting the face of a god. He promised himself to later thank his grandfather incredibly for giving him this client. But okay, play it cool! Suave, a gentleman… don’t annoy him or get him angry. He was confident as he stopped and headed down, already a smile and a friendly greet. For a moment, Lovino was swoon at his quite handsome figure, unique, to be honest not the kind of guy he usually found himself attracted to, but he had to admit a fine man when he saw one. Yet, to both, there was something eerily familiar…it just hadn’t found its way to reach their heads yet.

 “Good afternoon, sir! Is this your car?” He pointed.

 Lovino only nodded, “yeah, this piece of shit is sadly mine.”

 Gilbert laughed, in a ring that brought just the right reminder.

 Lovino didn’t want to think, his family wouldn’t dare send who he thought they sent if they knew. This couldn’t be…this couldn’t be…but upon closer inspection, he noticed the ‘Beilschmidt’ logo in his shirt uniform, that rare color white hair, deep red eyes, strong structures in his body that in their youth must have been rounded.

 “Gilbert?” He dared question, hate already oozing in his tone.

 Gilbert was figuring out from where he would place the hook, but upon that questioning, that mention of his name, suddenly reminding that only one person could ever say his name like it was the world’s most ultimate curse word. That’s when he looked closely at this hot ass looking guy, realizing, matching it well with a person of his childhood that he had remembered well tormenting and just awful memories that he would have rather forgotten about.

 “Lovino?”

 Silence continued between them, as if plotting escape, any way to just not deal with their presence, but they were already there, Lovino expecting a service from Gilbert, there really wasn’t an easy opening.

 “Well, hey, hey. It’s been a long time. Never thought I’d see you here again,” Gilbert tried to keep it cool, eyes away and focusing on getting the car hooked.

 “Yeah…I didn’t think I’d see you either,” Lovino avoided his eyes as well.

 “I live here,” he reminded.

 How could Lovino gently tell him he had no interest in wanting to see him in the first place? That he planned on avoiding all the Beilschmidts for the year he was expecting to stay in Hamburg.

 “I’m working and I barely have any time to go out,” he excused.

 “Ah yeah. What’s it been? Fifteen years, I think? I have to admit, you look pretty good!”

 “Yeah…” Lovino strained, trying to keep his blush down for the compliment.

 At least he had grown some taste.

 “As expected, I’m working for my grandfather now. Feliciano mentioned you’re working for Boots. That’s pretty cool. I read their stuff from time to time.”

 “Feliciano told you?” He had to sustain his anger at that.

 “Yeah, he’s always telling us all kinds of things about you. From what I heard, you’re pretty much as angry and explosive as you were when we were kids,” he laughed, finding the place and beginning to get the truck to pick the car, while Lovino pondered on ways to make Feliciano pay.

 “I’m not…that angry anymore.” There was so much doubt in his voice, that Gilbert could easily tell the lie, rolling his eyes as he finished the hooking.

 “Well, everything is settled! So, come on, hop on. We’ll get to the work shop and I think your grandfather will come pick you up from there,” he offered and even opened the door for Lovino, who gazed on with question, even disgust at the idea of getting into such an unsightly vehicle.

 “What?” Did it stink? Did he leave trash again? He spotted the wrapper of a candy bar and threw right at the sidewalk, which only gave Lovino more discomfort. “Just, come on, it’s not going to kill you or anything.” Gilbert had to insist, Lovino having to obey, groaning to himself, hesitant in the steps he neared and then took upward to sit. Uncomfortable and goddammit did it stink of…Gilbert!

 The albino harshly closed the door, making Lovino shake and taking the driver seat as confident and cocky as Lovino had remembered him. The awful engine was on and they were off, Gilbert having at least the decency to turn his annoying music down. Awkward silence, in which Lovino spent trying to keep as far away from him as possible and Gilbert thinking of topics to talk about that wouldn’t earn him a punch in the face.

 “So…how’s it been?”

 Lovino didn’t answer, looking over to Gilbert as if the words had been an insult.

 “What?” He wondered. He really didn’t ask much.

 “Are you seriously going to try and befriend me like nothing?” Lovino couldn’t hide it any longer, letting a bit of his spite to resurface.

 “Are you still hang up on what happened when we were kids. Come on, we were like…five. Let it go, it was just stupid kids’ stuff.”

 “Stupid kids’ stuff? You constantly used to beat me up, you sent me insults that didn’t let me sleep, you tried taking away my stuff and ruined whatever positive things I had going on!”

 “I was a kid! I didn’t understand anything and that’s just my jerk as self being the usual,” Gilbert scoffed, not seeming to mind.

 “The usual?”

 “Yeah!”

 Lovino rolled his eyes, “must be hard making friends then now a days.”

 “Hey! I’ll let you know that I have a perfect amount of perfectly awesome and capable friends,” Gilbert insulted.

 “Do you really? I find it very hard to believe.”

 “What about you then? If you’re still so sensitive about stuff that happened years ago, I doubt you’re meeting people that can take it.”

 “Who I have befriended, who I keep in contact, stands by my side or later leaves, is none of your business.”

 “Yet you have no problem with just guessing mine.”

 “You had no problem with making my childhood utter hell.”

 “It was years ago, you ungodly creep!”

 Lovino gasped, “are you seriously starting this you soulless pit deepshit.”

 “Oh, still as harsh as I remember! You talk about me running your childhood, but don’t you think that I’ll forgot how annoying you made mine!”

 “What the hell did I do to you?”

 “Don’t pretend like you weren’t throwing insults and looking for whatever excuse to pick up a fight.”

 “If you weren’t so annoying and simply begging for it, then that wouldn’t be the case!”

 The rest of the bickering continued with both talking over each other, louder and louder until the cars of the vicinity could hear the fight clearly…as well as see their wild hand gesturing and just how their bodies moved with their shouts.

 Gilbert somehow managed to bring them back to the mechanic shop, still in the same fight that had constituted the most part of the trip. It was the scene that had greeted both Aldrich and Augusto as they stood waiting for them to arrive, having been happily conversing about their plans of dinner for the night. At what came, they sighed and had to silently agree that their plan didn’t work as expected.

 “I just hope you’re still peeing your pants!” Lovino shouted over the car, beginning to take heavy steps towards his grandfather.

 “Oh, real mature! Then I hope you shit your pants as much!” Gilbert in turn shouted as he made his way to some other part of the workshop, not wanting to deal with anything right now.

 Lovino saw as he moved away, leaving his car still towed on the truck. “Um…hello! You have to fix my car, dimwit!” Lovino still expected.

 “You know what, no!” Gilbert shouted furiously back.

 “What?”

 “I can decide whenever the hell I want to fix your car, and you know, I hope you’re ready to wait, because for hell will I be touching your disgusting thing!”

 “It’s your job!”

 “Exactly, and you know what, fuck you!” He was off, too far for any other insults, only leaving behind one last middle finger that Lovino joined him in, double as if it was shots strong enough to kill.

 “Lovino,” Augusto greeted.

 “You set this up didn’t you? You made me actually meet with Gilbert!” He blamed strongly, blazing more so than the older had expected.

 “To be honest…yes. I was hoping you would get over some issues if you did,” he tried to excuse.

 “Very clearly you didn’t,” Aldrich added.

 Lovino glared at him, and before things could get any worst, Augusto and Aldrich shared goodbyes, Augusto taking Lovino by the shoulder and pulling him back to where he had parked his own car.

 “You couldn’t behave…you couldn’t behave for once!” Augusto scolded harshly as they made their drive back.

 “You know that I have never, never! Been one to behave with that cocksucker in the same room!” He shouted back.

 “Watch your words and your tone young man! You might be a grown adult with your own apartment and car, but that does not excuse directing yourself in such a way towards me. I am your grandfather!” Augusto punctuated strongly, letting things cool down enough before he continued to speak in mellow tones. “Is it that hard to contain yourself? To just…smile and let things pass and forgive others.”

 “I’m not Feliciano, Nonno,” Lovino grinned his teeth, gripping his hands.

 “I know that! I’m just asking you to be more easy going and give yourself the chance to forgive and move on. You’re probably driving yourself away from what could be an amazing chance of friendship,” Augusto hoped.

 “With Gilbert? Are you crazy?” No chance could be seen.

 “It’s been ten years, Lovino! Gilbert has changed and so have you! For fuck’s sake you are not children!” Augusto hit the wheel and shouted, in a way that caused Lovino to move back in fear.

 Augusto sighed, the car in silence, both breathing and calming. “Your mother made that vegetable soup you like for dinner. Why don’t you join us today?” After everything, Lovino agreed as a way to unwind.

  Ludwig enjoyed from this silence, reading from a short book his grandfather had in the living room, both his grandmother and mother in the kitchen finishing up some last things for dinner. It didn’t last long, it was interrupted by a murmur of shouts, familiar, coming up the stairs to surely this apartment. Ludwig rolled his eyes, placing the book back and preparing for what was coming.

 “-and Oppa, I tried! I swear I tried! But the stick up Lovnio’s ass is too deep to try and remove…even with a fucking tow truck!” His elder brother brought the action to the home, smashing the door open, throwing his shoes in a corner and actively moving his body about in anger.

 “Will you ever enter this home without making such a ruckus,” Aldrich gently complained, picking up the things Gilbert threw and trying to organize them.

 “He does the same thing when he goes to my place. I doubt that will ever happen.” Ludwig went ahead to help him.

 “Luddy!” Gilbert shouted, calm and excited to go hug his brother, swaying him harshly as he always did. “How is my little potato doing?” Gilbert coed.

 “I’m not a baby!” Ludwig always complained.

 “You will forever be a baby in my vision! So what brings you here? Feli not cooking tonight?”

 “Oma invited me over, also I need to tell you all something. What happened with Lovino?” They went ahead to the kitchen to help the family with what was left.

 “The typical. Just like it had been for us when we were kids.” Gilbert picked up different plates to place on the table.

 “You two couldn’t have possibly started your usual fight after fifteen years.”

 “Yep.”

 It made Ludwig question once again over that special dinner he would soon invite them all to. Feliciano was really risking a lot by inviting Lovino and Gilbert into the same table. He continued to listen never the less.

 “I tried, Lud! I really tried this time to be nice! But then he started getting defensive and he started insulting me and I just couldn’t let him tarnish me like that!” He placed the water jar rather harshly on the table, Ludwig ordering whatever fell out of place.

 “You refused to fix his car and gave him the finger,” Aldrich wanted to add.

 “He gave me no choice! He had to learn his lesson and see that he still can’t mess with me!” Gilbert defended.

 “Couldn’t you just have…talked it out,” Ludwig suggested as they all came and took their sitting at the table.

 “That was not possible! And stop trying to fix this, it’s impossible,” Gilbert was sure.

 “Let’s just eat, talk about something nicer and then Ludwig can tell us what he wants to let us know,” Aldrich declared and they all nodded, enjoying from the food and whatever chats arose between them.

 As they spoke on about what they had recently baked, exchanging recipes and tricks, they had their food to completion, Oma Louise bringing in the Iced sugar cookies she had last baked, decorated in a beautiful flower theme that had all picking and enjoying from.

 “So what is it that you want to tell us, Ludwig?” Aldrich addressed.

 Ludwig suddenly turned nervous, now more unsure especially after what Gilbert had earlier said. “Feliciano and I have something we want to announce. We’ll do so in a dinner this Saturday at Antico and we want both our families present to hear it.”

 “We’ll be there,” Aldrich decided.

 “Is it something we should be worried about?” Louis wondered.

 “No, nothing to panic about. We’ll just appreciate you all being there.”

 “Sounds great,” Ludwig’s father decided on attending.

 “An old Beilschmidt-Valenti dinner. I kind of missed those,” Monika excited.

 “Lovino is going to be there…isn’t he?” Gilbert had to bring that harsh reminder.

 Ludwig sighed, “it’s a family thing, Gilbert. We all have to be present.”

 “Can’t you just tell me now so I don’t have to submit myself to that,” Gilbert groaned, hoping.

 “It’s something very special, and we would prefer to celebrate it as that.”

 Gilbert rolled his eyes and groaned. “I’m not going then.”

 “Don’t be so immature, Gilbert,” Aldrich scolded.

 “We’ll probably get a large table,” Ludwig convinced.

 “Sit you as far away as possible,” Louis suggested.

 “You won’t even have to look at each other,” Reinhardt laughed.

 “I doubt that would stop Lovino,” Gilbert groaned.

 “Gilbert, please, just…please!” Ludwig angered, gripping his hands, slamming it in the air as if stopping himself from begging worst. “We’ll get you far, you won’t even have to talk or even gaze at each other. Just be there to listen to what me and Feliciano have to say and if you want to leave afterwards as quick as possible, do so. But please, try to behave and be there for me.” It was the serious tone to get Gilbert to think, to understand, to sigh in acceptance and tell himself that this was for his brother, for who he would do whatever possible always.

 He nodded, although still annoyed murmurs continuing under his breath.

 “Fine…”

 To Ludwig it was more than enough.

< previous chapter                                                                                                        next chapter >

[benevolentcalamity]

This is my entry into the contest wherein we celebrate Zenny’s birthday! It’d be wrong of me not to let an angel’s halo truly shine.

Here’s this being okay... This is the only way I really know how to appreciate him. I won’t disappoint!  ♪ ＼(￣▽￣)/

#happybday_ZEN ^^

They say that time can either hang on a moment, or it can fly before you can blink fast enough to see it go. When you’re doing paperwork, it feels like it hangs, like your coffee mug could slowly get colder but the pile never gets higher. No matter how many papers you fill out, be it for your continued education - meant to guarantee a position that will secure your livelihood - or some other sort of benefit, the stack won’t get past half an inch. But you won’t stop with it, not until you’ve done what you need to do so that you have a home to go to.

Ping-ping-ping!

Blinking, you reach for your phone, taking it into your hand - your fingers are nimble from using it so much - and unlocking it. It’s not uncommon for it to go off whenever you seem to space out, so your heart has long since stopped leaping from your ribs whenever it did. A lot of people in this crazy world seem to know your name, as though they’ve known you for so very long even if you seem to have only known them in turn for about half a year. At least, it feels like half a year.

You smile upon seeing the familiar ‘Yoosung’ accompanied by a puppy emoji as the ID texting you.

“Studying hard for midterms, [MC]! We’re both going to work hard!”

On a normal basis, you’d figure Yoosung would quickly abandon such vitality towards his schoolwork. (Jumin would be in on that one, too, even if you secretly believe he has a hidden faith that he’ll shape up.) But lately, there’s been a bright light in his eyes, a bounce in his step. Maybe he’s been inspired by someone, maybe he’s adopted a new perspective? You’ll never know, but you appreciate that he’s deciding to try and be the greater person he’s always wanted to be.

Deciding to indulge his happy-go-lucky mood, you shuffle a bit in your chair to respond to him.

“You’re gonna do amazing, Yoosung! I’m already so proud!”

His reply is almost immediate, as though he’d been waiting for a proper moment to catch you. “Haaaa. The amount of work I have looks neverending! But it will work out, just you watch me!”

“And I’ll work hard, too!”

Deciding not to bother him anymore, you exit out of the private chat, your thumb lingering for a few seconds with each screen you visit while you momentarily pretend that the paperwork is doing itself.

Today has a strange air, you think, and you decide to check the calendar app to see if the reason lies there.

March 22nd...

Biting your lip, you squint, trying to think of anything that could be today or coming up after. The RFA isn’t having another party for a little while, and there’s not really anything- wait.

Changing apps, you flip quickly over to initiate a private chat with Seven. His head’s never empty, and he never sleeps, so he knows almost everything there is to know about everyone in this association. Maybe he could give you a clue? With the silent hope in mind, you send him a quick message.

“Seven?”

The reply isn’t immediate like Yoosung’s, but it’s a reply all the same.

“Top of the morn’ to you! Lolol” “What’s happening? Feeling lonely? What brings you to me?”

It’s so amazing how Seven always seems so bright in his chatrooms. When you first were getting used to being a member, he came across as an everyday geek: someone who looked like they couldn’t be bothered with you but were actually considerably amiable.

“Is there something coming up soon? I feel like something really important is just days away...”

“April Fools! How can you forget that? You should help me out with Jumin - give him something that’ll really make him upset!”

That’s not it, you think.

“Anything else?”

“Oh yea... Zen’s birthday’s on that day, too. I’ll give him something special, too!”

There’s an intense heat whirring in your ears all the way to your fingertips, and you nearly drop your phone. The only thing saving it from absolutely shattering is finding its way right onto your dog. A loyal Shiba Inu, that one. (You call him Pochie.)

Grabbing it while unwittingly dunking a strand of your hair in your coffee, you take a split second to recollect your bearings and look back at the screen. Coughing into your elbow, you quickly message the self-proclaimed defender of justice a thanks. It’s a blur even once you send it, but now that you’ve finally gotten what’s so important, there’s another part of things you need to address.

Contrary to a few other members, you feel you have a strong bond with Zen. He might be flirty as beans and treat girls the same way, it feels like he makes you feel extra special. Maybe it’s because you two are in the same association, maybe it’s because he feels like Jumin doesn’t deserve to be near you, but any scenario is fine by you.

Deciding to get back to Seven later, you flip quickly through your contacts to find Jumin, and when you do, you- Oh.

“Jaehee.”

You scroll up towards Jaehee - bless her soul - and initiate a chat. The woman had been constantly living off of 12 cups of coffee, maybe more, and at the time she was not always the most pleasant individual because of that, but you two respect each other. You've gotten bold enough as to say you’ve become something among the lines of best friends.

“Jaehee~ Is Jumin available?” You message.

This time, you’re able to fill out a few more papers before she responds, and she takes on a less formal tone than usual. She must be tired.

“Yes. He just got out of a meeting. You’ll want to keep it short though, since he’s always very busy.”

“Thank you~! <3″

Not wasting time, you switch gears back to Jumin, quickly texting, “Do you have time to spare?” This is just politeness combined with professionalism - something he says you desperately needed when you first took over Rika’s position.

His response is swift. “Yes. What do you need?”

“April Fool’s is also Zen’s birthday, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it is. If you want to celebrate it, such a thing would take convincing his directors to give him the day off so that we can with him present. But, it’s not impossible to do so.”

“I want him to have a proper celebration.”

“Understood. We’ll see what can be done.”

He leaves the chatroom right after sending that: an odd habit that you picked up on even in the first few minutes you’ve known him. Contrary to popular belief, Jumin is less than hostile. He’s a very fine man, having displayed that while he believes in you and has faith in you, he has high expectations of you even now.

Zen and Jumin have almost never gotten along. You even now don’t know why, even with how close you’ve been to both of them- no, the entire RFA. With how deeply loved you are by them in turn, you would have expected to be able to uncover every bit of information about them. After all, you are at the helm of this association.

But you’re not... Especially not like Rika did. She knew everything about each member, as the founder, all the way down to their nighttime rituals. From Zen’s face masks to when Jaehee walks through the door to her home. (You still feel unrelenting fury for how much Jaehee sacrificed when Jumin demanded so much of her.)

You shake your head. There’s no time to reflect on how things had been, now that everything’s passed. Saeran and Saeyoung are beginning to rekindle their brotherhood and fill the gap in the former’s missed years of the life he wanted so badly. The white dye’s washed from Saeran’s hair, and his conditions are being taken in and treated. Rika can no longer instill her venom into his innocence.

You wonder what Zen is-

“AAAAAAH-!”

A flick of your wrist, a sad attempt to push the green button on the ringing phone somehow ending in success, and the toppling of yourself and the chair onto the floor with a resounding ‘thud!’.

“... Hello?” You weakly manage through your mangled bangs.

“Honey, are you okay?” Zen’s voice chirps through the receiver. “That was loud.”

“It’s nothing, Zenny,” You assure, tugging your phone into your hand and to your ear, “I just fell out of my chair... In glee! I’m overjoyed that you called me!”

“Really~?” He sings, but then his tone turns serious. “Sweetheart, I’ve been meaning to reach you.”

You blink. “Is something bothering you, Zen?”

“Oh, honeyyyyy~!” He dramatically drawls, and you can sense him leaning back. “April Fool’s is coming up! Do you realize what happens on such a terrible day?”

You want to make a quip about his ponytail being chopped off if he isn’t careful, but that wouldn’t be very nice. Actually, that’s more Seven’s thing, when he isn’t tormenting Elizabeth the Third. That poor cat. (You worry about her, and not just because of Seven.)

“A neverending plethora of pranks,” You chortle,”Seven’s favorite time of the year.”

“Yes-! It’s so irritating - no one knows when to quit, even here! I’m so through with it, and it’s not even that day yet!” He sounds truly irritated... Only Jumin could irritate him this much- Oh.

“It’s also your birthday, isn’t it?” You ask. It wouldn’t be nice to pretend you don’t remember. You just know you can’t let him in on a party.

“Aaah~ You remember!” He coos. “Babe, just knowing that makes me so happy!”

You can’t help the small giggling fit that escapes you. “That’s my mission! I would say that Operation: Happy Zenny is go!” Okay, maybe that’s a bit much.

Some squeaking on his end, before he speaks up. “Oh god... You’re so cute-! The beast inside me grew by around ten percent, at this rate. Don’t forget, you’ll need to take responsibility once it overtakes me.”

A big smile is on your face. “Maybe I need to do a bit more then~?” You sing. “Like this? Huuu~”

More squeaking. “Baaabe~! Don’t tease me so much. Haaaa, how much I want to just get away from here and whisk you away.”

“I could slip by and bring you a frosted lemonade, if you want,” You hum. He’s warmed up to the drink, since he drinks lemon in a great many things. Actually, he loves frosted lemonade. It’s a good alternative to beer. (He’s been cutting down on that and his ciggies, by your request.)

“Aaaah! The special potion of my love! Her little witch’s brew shall let me do my very best~!” He excitedly proclaims. “Ah. You wouldn’t mind doing that? I’d love to see you. Maybe get a bit of love-love energy- Oh, come on!”

You blink.

“Honey, I gotta dash. The director’s looking for me. By the time you’re here, I should be done. I can’t wait to see you~!”

“Mmmwah~” You blow him a quick kiss as your farewell, smiling at more of his squeaking. “See you, Zenny~”

“I’ll see you later-! I love you.”

As expected of you as someone who’s going to be hosting and inviting people to the parties at RFA, you’re doing your best to organize something for Zen. You’re aware of his tastes, so decoration isn’t a hassle. Making the main halls and the ballroom look like something straight out of Phantom of the Opera takes the greatest ease. Something to appeal to Zen’s personal tastes.

While you’ve had people here helping you set things up, you asked Jumin to (nicely) keep Zen busy for the remaining time until the party. You also asked Seven to lay off on any pranks he’d have up his sleeve. He’s one of three - the others being Yoosung and Zen himself - who was the warmest to you even in the beginning, so as a close friend and the head of RFA, he listens to you. Won’t be able to keep him at bay when Elly’s in the picture, though.

You digress, checking your clipboard. It’d probably mean a lot more to Zen if a lot of people he didn’t know didn’t show up. You’re going to need to pull some strings to win over some folks from other production companies as an opportunity to meet the star actor himself. You’ve already extended the invitations to the normal guests that attend pretty much every other party, using your internalized wiles and eloquence to win them over completely. As Jumin observes, this may wind up being a birthday party/charity ball in one, but so long as Zen has a proper birthday party, you don’t mind.

Tugging the pen from behind your ear, you tap it against the clipboard, checking some boxes. “Invitations... check... Decorations...” You take a moment to survey the room, “... check. Food and drinks... check. Cake... Not yet.”

You ordered something big enough to accommodate the vast amount of guests - actually, probably even bigger. It’s more for personal taste, since you like when there’s leftover cake. The guys like to get on your case about your eating habits, even if you have been maintaining your figure. Moreso to make sure that you don’t let yourself go - a self-requirement at best. That and working out and eating right improves your overall health, so it’s a win-win.

A variation of ‘Ievan Polkka’ plays in your head to accommodate the calm coming with the stress.

“[Name]?”

You whip to your left to see Jaehee walking up with a clipboard of her own. She looks sleepy - not tired - but she also looks focused. It makes you feel bad to know you’re pushing her a bit, but you received her assurance that it’s worth it. Actually, she’s overjoyed; Zen is her favorite actor yet and as such she feels your conviction in giving him a good party. So, she’s putting in a little more effort. Maybe more than you?

“What is it, Jaehee?”

“The cake’s here. It’s just barely shorter than the doors...”

You scratch the back of your neck. “Sorry, Jaehee, about all of this.”

Upon hearing you say that, her entire disposition shifts to sunny. Her hand touches your shoulder, and her lips curl into a sweet smile. The kind that says there’s no need to apologize.

“You’re doing so great with this,” She praises, “Zen  deserves nothing less than the best!” I had a feeling she’d say that... “You’re very lucky. Ah, he is, too! I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone else work so hard to put together a birthday party.” Not even Jumin for Elly? You’ve actually seen him consider throwing a bash for her - and it took a lot of you to get him to stop entertaining the notion.

“Ah, before I forget...” You tuck the pen back behind your ear. “The guests were sent an invitation to be here at around 7:15, right? It’s  quarter to 7 right now, and I know it’s not very leader-like of me, but I’m a bit worried.”

“Our guests are known for, out of politeness, being at events approximately 15 minutes early so as to appeal to the host, so they should begin showing up at around 7 sharp.” Noticing your stress, she moves her clipboard into one arm and uses the other to hug you. “It’s alright. You’re putting your all into this, and I’m sure the results will be exactly as we plan.”

“I hope so...”

Just then, the door opens and reveals Yoosung, clumsily milling about, tugging on his clothes. (A dress shirt and nice pants and the sort, as you asked.) A pink hue colors his cheeks, deepening as he notices you and Jaehee. He isn’t walking straight, something you found usually signifies that he’s nervous. Then again, if he isn’t happy, he’s nervous or stressed. Usually it’s because of everything that went down, or him beginning to finally get through the hard work his college gives him.

“Yoosung?” You ask. “Are you okay?”

“They’re coming!” He cries. “What do I do, do I greet them? Open the door for them? And where the heck is Seven?” The answer to the last one is probably that Seven’s handling security, making sure everything’s in order and nobody’s trying to pull anything.

“Can you hold the door for them?” You request, to which he nods, running over and has the right door open in a second, a second person - an assistant - grabbing the other door and letting the river of guests to enter. Yoosung’s face is quickly hidden by them, but it’s apparent that he’s holding together as he does for every party.

At this point in time, you’re happy they seem glad for the masquerade theme to their clothes; as though they’re aware of Zen’s standing. Many of them are from affiliated companies with his profession, others being the normal guests. (A strange anxiety consumes your stomach.)

You bow, as does Jaehee, and thank them for coming as they greet you. Just then, your phone sounds from the pocket of your blazer. Tugging it out, you quickly unlock it upon seeing Jumin had sent you a message, raising one hand and bowing again in apology.

“He’s beginning to get testy. Is everything in order?” Letting Seven handle Jumin would be lazy.

You quickly respond after a quick survey of the ballroom. “Yes. The guests have arrived. He can come back now.”

“Understood.”

Now, it’s just a matter of playing the waiting game. As the instruments of the small orchestra - and by small you mean one that will be suitable for a building full of people - fill the air with notes and tones, you find yourself more at ease. Fiddling with your mask, you turn to Jaehee, smiling at her.

“Jaehee, you can go ahead and go dress up,” You tell her.

Excitement fills her eyes, and she nods, checking your mask and taking your blazer, handing your phone back to you after checking the pockets. She then rushes off, a large grin on her face. The last thing you’d want is for her to feel left out, so there’s no chance that you’d let her stay off to the side instead of enjoying the festivities. RFA, under you, is not an organization wherein its members can’t enjoy the same luxuries as the guests. You wouldn’t dream of letting it be like that.

Looking down at your phone, you open up the messenger app - just in time to receive a message from the birthday prince himself.

A selfie, first of all, greets you. He’s clad in a fanciful tux, a mask reflecting that of the Phantom on his face, and his hair is styled a bit differently aside from his trademark ponytail. Like usual, he’s wearing a wonderful smile.

Then the message. “I’m happy to dress so nicely, but I’m not too sure what’s going on. Jumin isn’t saying anything. Honey~ What’s going on?”

“Are you here?” You reply.

“Just about. I see so many cars and limos... I wasn’t told there would be another party, but at least he’s allowed me to look even better than I already do. I can’t wait to see you~ It’ll make this so much better.”

A grin etches itself on your face, and you lower your phone as the guests all grab some drinks. A variety of wines, champagne, whiskeys; sophisticated beverages to accommodate the high-class palate.

Stepping to the podium, you raise your wine glass, tapping the spoon on it close to the mic. Once you have the attention of the guests, you lower both hands, bowing slightly before speaking.

“Good evening, everyone. I welcome all of you to our establishment for yet another party. It gives me great pleasure to have you all here today,” You announce, fiddling with the papers slightly before stilling your hands. “Tonight, however, is not just a charity ball: it is a party to celebrate the birth of one of our most beloved members.”

Your eyes snap upward as the doors open, revealing Jumin - poker faced as usual - and Zen. With a smile, you stretch one arm out, motioning their attention to the pair.

“Everyone, please welcome and give your well wishes to my love, Zen! May all of your wishes come true! Happy birthday!” 

There’s flashes, but more than them there is applause. Through it, you can see a big smile on the face of your wonderful boyfriend. After having your fill, you step down, taking a route to the front in order to greet him. Once the two of you are face to face, you ignore the continuous flash photography,  smiling as he puts his arms around you.

“Oh, sweetheart... I would have been content with taking you out,” He says softly, but the appreciation in his voice is thick. “You’re so thoughtful.”

“I wanted you to have a formal celebration at least once,” You say softly, putting your hands around his neck, resting your palms on his nape. “It means a lot to me that you do. I haven’t seen you celebrate your birthday this way. Do you... like it?”

“Babe, even popcorn and Netflix would have been an ideal way to celebrate,” He mentions, brushing some hair behind your ear. “But it’s wonderful... You worked so hard. Now, I hope you’ll be able to relax. Perhaps a dance?”

You beam, nodding, moving your hand to take his as the guests move to mimic, and the entirety of the ballroom - you notice Jaehee now fully dressed and dancing with Jumin - erupts into a traditional ballroom dance in accordance to the music. From then on forward, all of you step around, sometimes swapping partners, eventually reuniting as the following songs reach their arpeggio.

Zen always makes these small jabs about sweeping you off of your feet like a prince charming would his princess. Though, he always likes referring to himself as a ‘sleeping beauty’ waiting for his princess charming to wake him in his sleep. (You know this since he would sleep with you during times when you were plagued by nightmares. Actually, the two of you sleep together very frequently, face masks aside.)

The clock stopped ticking forever ago, time stopping on behalf of you and your beloved prince. For all you’re aware, it’s still only seven in the evening, the sun remaining just above the meeting between land and sky. You still have time to spend awake, and Zen can remain awake for even longer. Even with this, you know that it’s nigh midnight, maybe past that, and the guests are beginning to grow fatigued. Some have left already - more because of their business than anything, and you accepted their apologies - and some are in the process,  but the others are sticking around even after the dance. Either to speak with one of you two or simply to socialize.

By now, Zen’s lead you away, over to where you two can be alone. Right now, the two of you are on the balcony, wine glasses put aside so that you don’t get too inebriated. You’re aware that even Zen has a limit, which is why you two are here. The stars are a proper curtain for the moment, the dark color of the night cloaking you as though protecting you from any force that would dare try to rip the two of you apart.

And in his arms, you feel the safest.

“I’m very thankful, honey.”

Looking up at him, you tilt your head. “For the party?”

A soft smile. “Sort of, but I’m thankful for you the most. In this big, beautiful world, I feel as though I’m the contender for the luckiest, happiest man. All of my life, I dreamed of someone to share my life with, but what the heavens above gave me was something ten times, a hundred, a thousand... no, infinitely better.”

You blush.

“For as long as I’m alive, I want you to know I’ll take good care of you. I’ll see to your happiness, and see to it that you never regret nor forget a moment. So long as the stars are in the sky, I will be beside you, loving you so vehemently.”

There’s a tug in your heart. Then more - and all of them are more intense than the last. Almost as though there’s something Zen is trying to communicate.

He takes your hand, moving it to his lapel. “Love, tell me... What do you think these clothes are made of?”

Huh?

“Umm...” You tilt your head slightly. Then you remember, and smile. “Boyfriend material.”

A hot whir in your ears erupts when Zen shakes his head, and becomes worse at the sight of him lowering to one knee, reaching into his inside pocket and tugging out a small box, opening it at you.

“No... With your word, they will become husband material.”

[mittensmorgul]

have you heard about the "major fan favorite" returning for the season finale? we've already seen so many people return, who do you think it could be?

HAAAA. YOU THOUGHT YOU COULD GET ME TO SAY IT OUT LOUD!

I have theories. I’m happy to discuss them in private but heck if I’m gonna post it publicly. :P

And technically I could reply privately to you here, but there’s a few characters I think we need to see again this season that might not fall under that “Major Fan Favorite Surprise Return” for the season finale level of O_O, I’m gonna use this post to make a short list, starting from Obvious and working my way to OH HECK I FORGOT ABOUT THAT:

Lucifer. I mean, he woke up in the Empty as a red-eyed goobooger at the end of 14.07, so I honestly expect we’ll see him at least one more time. Plus all the snake imagery we’ve been seeing lately it pretty lucifer-y. Hopefully someone shoves him in the ma’lak box and sends him back to the empty once and for all, maybe after shoving him back into nick. Two birds, one stone sunk to the bottom of the ocean, and everyone can finally have a reason to throw a damn party :P

Billie. WHAT! DO! HER! BOOKS! SAY! NOW!

The only two remaining refugees we know of from the War World: Bobby and Charlie. Can Jack open a rift to their world, and do they even want to return there?

Harper Sayles: She’s theoretically still out there sending letters to “Jack Smith, Lebanon, Kansas” dreaming of the day they can finally be together-- after she kills him and turns him into her zombie slave. Granted, she’ll probably find him a bit more difficult to kill now that he has his mojo back, so honestly good for him. But she still poses a threat-- if not directly to Jack, then possibly to anyone else in Lebanon that she might “settle for” if she fails to make Jack her slave, and I can’t imagine they’re gonna leave her floating out in limbo forever. But then again, they might...

Darth Kaia. She gave Dean her spear in 14.09, with the understanding that he would return it to her after killing Michael. Whoopsie? But she still wants help to get back to her world, and now that Jack is powered up again, he potentially has the power to help her get there. Unfortunately her spear is broken and I’m pretty sure she’s gonna be well and truly pissed about that.

But that special appearance in the finale? I have a few ideas (that are none of the people I’ve mentioned on this list), but nothing I’m willing to actually say in public... :P