#i'm gonna fucking lose it (i already lost it because one time I read a book where a greek woman was appalled by animal sacrifice)

[moghedien]

less people should be writing myth retellings and more people should be writing myths

[arminsumi]

“you’re short”

“okay? so put some inches in me”

-

all i can imagine is a sassy/bratty reader and a cocky gojo 😭

we’re going to ignore that i’ve only seen one ep of jjk and i’m already requesting smut over it ☠️

OOH, YOU FLIRTIN'?

💗 GOJO さとる

[ Note ] : 🥵😳 what a vision! and lol one ep into jjk n alr thirsty for gojo love that 👍 also u n me are so small compared to him 🫠 also idk if he's more cocky or dorky in this oops lol. and i am writing this on my phone at a sleepover lord help me i have been awkwardly shifting around and avoiding showing my screen to any eyes 😭😭

[ Warnings ] : 🔞 minors do not read/interact : suggestive/18+ content/smut, mentions virgin reader, getting caught

[ Playme ] : XXX

"You're so short."

"Okay, so put some inches in me."

"Yeah, I bet you'd like that, huh?"

"I would, actually."

"Ooh, you flirtin' with me, shorty?"

"Yeah, well you started it, big boy."

Big boy...? 😳

Gojo Satoru, your very cheeky and very bold classmate, who has not held back on flirting teasing you about your height since he met you, is rendered speechless for the first time.

But only for a moment. Soak up your victory quick. He stutters. His brain chokes up. His heart throbs like he's just developed an instant crush. His uniform pants feel uncomfortable.

And then he reanimates himself once he hears Suguru snickering next to him.

"That's pretty bold of you, huh?" he smirks toothily, sinking his shaky hands in his pockets. "Now you're gettin' me all worked up—"

"—oh yeah?" you lid your eyes and flirt. He's taken aback again. "Worked up how?"

"Get a room, you two. Honestly..." Suguru grumbles.

"Yes, I think we will." Satoru winks at you. It's a failed wink. Deep down, he's not confident in his flirting. No. Deep down, he's an awkward dork.

His brain short circuits when you continue flirt back. He actually runs out of things to say.

She's a mature flirt. I'm an immature flirt. How the hell do I keep up? Fuck.

When you and him get alone together, clearing up the chairs after a class, you tease;

"Come on, big boy, what's the matter? Lost your edge?"

"No... I'm just thinking." his voice cracks at the end, he clears his throat. It feels tight. His pants feel tight too.

"About what?"

"About what you look like naked."

You let out a laugh, and laugh and laugh, like he's the most ridiculous flirt you've ever met.

"What?" he raises a brow.

"You're so ridiculous."

Oh yeah. That irks him. That flippant comment. You're not even looking at him as you say it, you're scooting a chair into a desk.

He walks over to you and peers down, making the height difference between you and his 6'3 frame sorely apparent. What a big boy.

"Wanna repeat that for me?"

Ooh his voice is heavy and low, low enough to cause goosebumps on your skin. And the proximity? It makes you feel more than just small, it makes you feel a tingling between your thighs.

He comes closer. Grazes his lips across yours. Mixes breaths with you.

"Uh—" you get flustered.

"—haha, just kidding." he pulls away suddenly. Maybe because he got too nervous (true) or maybe because he felt victorious in knocking you off your high horse (also true).

"I thought you were gonna—" you begin disappointedly.

Satoru cuts you off.

"—do something? Aw, are you horny?" he winks.

"Yeah. For you." you roll your eyes.

Fuck.

My pants feel too fucking tight. Can she see the outline of my dick? Is she looking there?

"Is that so?" he raises a brow, staring right into your eyes. No one holds eye contact quite like Mister Six Eyes.

He chuckles, Addam's apple shifting up and down deliciously. "Aren't you a virgin?" he sneers.

"Yes. I am. Are you gonna do something about it, or just stand there like an idiot?"

He nearly chokes.

Wow. What? She actually just said that?

"Of course I'll do somethin' about it, sweetheart. But..." he leans into your air again, closer than before, 'n breathes tauntingly against your quivering lips.

"... does a goody-two-shoes like you really wanna lose her virginity in a classroom?"

"Stop stalling, big boy. I'm not a "goody-two-shoes"; I'm fucking horny." you seethe lustfully.

Fuck.

He's not sure how to respond. His brain is malfunctioning.

"Alright... then use your words like a big girl and ask me nicely to fuck you." he mutters, lips grazing yours. You can feel how badly he wants to kiss you.

Please say it.

The sexual tension has his heart racing, pretty cock pressing flush against the fabric of his dress pants.

"Satoru..." you begin, pulling on his collar.

He gulps and listens intently. The small touch your fingers make with his neck drives him wild.

"... fuck me."

Something just snaps inside him right there.

He crashes his lips onto yours with a feverish intensity, the rest his history—

—er, until the teacher walks in on you two right as things get toasty, catching Satoru with his hand up your shirt and your hand down his pants. And then you giggle off to detention with Satoru.

He promises to put some inches to your height. Uh... you know... by lifting you off your feet while he stuffs you up with his cock 😌

© arminsumi

No copying/plagiarizing/reposting. Do not promote me on other platforms.

[demelzathemer]

I'm watching the Doom Patrol episode for the first time ever and LOSING MY MIND, why didn't anyone tell me this is GOOD??? It's written by Steve Yockey and it SHOWS because the dialogue is absolutely the same as in the netflix series

Crystal is so catty and Edwin is fed up with people while Charles mediates, they're the same characters just played by different people?? I'm gonna add some shitty screensnaps here to yell about it

Obviously spoilers if you care about that;

Crystal <3 She looks closer to her comicbook self but has the same amount of sass as her netflix self

I swear I'm so normal about this bit of dialogue. Crystal telling Edwin Charles will protect him (with a baseball bat, mind you, they're in the States!) and their responses, I wish I could see Jayden and George act this part.

(I can hear "I'd do it anyway, won't I?" in Jayden's voice... weeps)

Edwin sassing out little girls again??? I lost it with the pose and voice

WEAK FOR THOSE BIG BROWN EYES

(Jayden's voice again. I know you hear it)

He should've been allowed to drape himself over Edwin like this too. Why would Netflix do this to me

"Love this." EDWIN??? He's way too happy that they're gonna smack their client with a shovel.

And CHARLES (pulls it out without anyone asking, he knows what's going to happen next) HANDS IT TO CRYSTAL so she can be the one doing the smacking???

And she's way too eager as well. What is happening here. Though I love how seamlessly they work as a trio now. Even if it's for the purpose of knocking out their unsuspecting client

"The price to open the door to afterlife is pain, and I'm the only one who can do it."

With the door handle being a BABYDOLL HEAD. With HELL FLAHBACKS. What the actual fuck?

I thought the doll spider was netflix original character??

And Charles immediately being "you don't have to do it, we can find another way in" I might be crying

Charles is afraid of water??? That's CANON?? It has to be, nothing has been changed about the characters so far!

Charles (with red-rimmed eyes): "I'm not scared! Just so you know."

Edwin (lying to make Charles feel better): "We know."

They're so in love. But what do you mean with "I'll make sure he's fine"? What are you gonna do, Edwin? Hold his hand on the boat ride? (They didn't show that part, so that's probably what happened.)

They had ONE episode and they still had to make sure that we know Edwin's gay.

I'm OBSESSED with this line and this repressed version of Edwin, I don't have the words right now but I read someone's brilliant analysis about it. (Pls link if you find it)

"I used to think that, too. But it's not 1916 anymore, you know?"

"Well, I'm not like you. But thanks for the concern."

Edwin, oh my god that is so sad. What makes you think you don't deserve happiness? I need to study him under a microscope

...Then STRAIGHT INTO death flashbacks??? They didn't leave anything out, watching this one episode spoils 7 out of 8 episodes of the netflix series?!

"She's good." Edwin appreciates Crystal! I love that they genuinely are a trio here and the boys know about her quirks like they know each other

Also David lore is unchanged too and Crystal bonding with Dorothy was so sweet

...THE NIGHT NURSE IS HERE TOO?? I thought she was a netflix original character too (Cat King, Tragic Mick and Jenny are, at least?)

AND SHE'S RUTH CONNEL??? ALSO WTF JUST HAPPENED

Her character is pretty different alright, and played very differently by the same actress??? And Charles just WENT FOR IT unprovoked?! Do they know about her in this universe, is she like a monster that's actively hunting them down and can be alerted by killing(?) I literally don't know anymore this is crazy

(Edwin was so cute jumping up and cheering lol. A bit jarring how much more he curses here though)

This is actually an insane episode, the trio with their huge amount of lore just drop in in the middle of already established group of characters and their lore and then, they're never seen again after this??

And they had flashbacks to both of their deaths without explaining ANYTHING about what the hell was that. Just five seconds of "being chased and covered in blood", teasing something about their relationship, Crystal dropping her goal of beating her missing memories out of a demon, no conclusion of wtf was "spider-face lady" aka the Night Nurse, etc etc. They needed their own show really badly huh

So netflix hurry up and give us a second season! After seeing this I'm blown away by the execution of Dead Boy Detectives and how Jayden and George really brought the characters to life. I'm so thankful we have that. Their chemistry really is what makes the show.

[bemygunstomyroses]

The Lost Boys riding in your car with you would include: Part 2

Summery: This is just unhinged, again.

Warnings: GN reader! Swearing, implying smut, the boys being like animals, we know the drill!

Read part one first before you read this one so ya understand it better! Love ya! ❤️

Alright, we're back in the car. Everyone is seated in their assigned spots. David is in the front passenger seat, Marko is on the right in the back, with Paul in the middle and Dwayne on the left. Double-checked and confirmed, right? Okay!

You and your boys are on the road again but this time you guys are going through the city.

Buckle up if you aren’t already because these boys are fucking maniacs once again!

The lights of Santa Carla are bright and bold as you slowly get stuck in traffic trying to reach your destination. Don't think you'll get bored because you won't. You have four dingbats with you to keep you occupied!

Marko is displaying road rage even though he's not the one driving.

“Come on! Pick up your lazy ass! We have places to be you asshole!” Marko would yell out the window with his head out making you embarrassed and keeping your head down from the eyes looking around.

Paul would probably join in the trash talk as well. Most likely will flip em’ off.

Your the kind that would keep a little basket of snacks in the back of the car in case you get hungry while driving, of course the boys are going to go through your stash and eat most of the snacks.

“Can one of you pass me that chocolate bar in the snack basket?” You ask pudding your hand backwards to get your treat. Meanwhile the basket is in Paul’s and Marko’s lap, digging through every inch of the tub.

"Oops, sorry babe, but we're out of snacks. Marko must have eaten the last one," Paul lied through his teeth, throwing Marko under the bus.

“No I didn’t you asswipe!” Marko yells, his voice booming in the car. This ends up with the two wrestling in the back seat, while bumping into poor Dwayne who is already smashed into the side of the door.

"You're both going to make me lose my temper! If you don't behave, I'll be forced to turn this car around!" You warned the two of them, shooting them a stern look.

They both mumbled a quick "Sorry" and then dove right back into snacking as if nothing had happened.

David’s hand is of course on your thigh, drawing little shapes and squeezing your soft skin, traveling his hand slightly higher making you a blushing mess.

"David..." you whispered urgently, making sure no one else could hear.

David leaned in close, tilting his head and whispering in your ear, "We can always throw them out of the car. I know I can make you fog up the windows." His teasing tone conveyed a mischievous confidence, and you could feel the smirk on his face.

You lightly smack his chest but he suddenly takes your hand and presses a soft kiss to your knuckles with ease.

While you all are waiting for the never moving traffic to move (Which is doesn’t) the two blondes take this opportunity to hop out of the car and basically do stupid shit.

Running around the car. Hopping out in front of other cars, presumably giving everyone the bird, meanwhile, the people are honking their horns and getting agitated. (I wouldn’t blame them)

When everyone is back in the car, Paul takes this time to go through your CDs and cassettes and pick out the “good music” he said.

“Baby, you need more music taste! Remind me to take you to the store”.

Paul, I'm going to throw you out of this car!

If you get too tired of driving, David or Dwayne, you know good well Marko and Paul ain’t doing shit.

As David decided to drive, you might wonder who would be relegated to the passenger seat. In reality, no one; instead, they would accommodate you by making space in the back, provided the car is spacious enough. In some cases, if space is limited, you may find yourself seated on someone's lap. The concept of seatbelts becomes minor when you are in the company of vampires!

Dudes all probably gonna pop a boner

When you sit with all three of them they are smothering you in kisses, Paul tickles your sides making you squirm and laugh loudly and Marko pinching your sides.

Dwayne being a cuddle bug and pulling you into his chest. <3

David obviously can’t miss out so he’s reaching his hand back to touch you of course.

“Hey man! You’ve been touching them all night!” Paul whined and cooed at the leader.

“Fuck off, Paul.” David barks and refuses to stop holding your hand.

As the evening unfolded, you found myself resting my head on Dwayne’s lap, with your feet reaching out to Marko, and Paul providing support in the middle.

Dwayne playing with your hair with his slender fingers making you almost fall asleep. Paul playing with your fingers and Marko massaging your feet. It’s all very relaxing, that’s until David decides he’s getting bored and break checks the car and you all go flying forward-

“Whoops, break check”. Is all David would say with a grin on his face. You all don’t take it seriously and just laugh who the boys make sure you didn’t bang anything up.

After all, David navigates the car into an open field for you all to sit and enjoy looking at the beautiful stars. Dwayne Grabs a blanket from the trunk and places it on the soft grass. Paul puts on the radio some soft rock ballads and turns the volume up just enough to head the music.

You all cuddle up on the blanket and stargaze the night away, while all the boys are stealing passionate kisses on your lips.

“Hey, the shape of those stars are making kinda looks like a giant dick-“ Paul said out loud and for a moment everyone is silent, then you all erupt in laughter, Marko and Paul then tries to find more “stars” and pointing their fingers up at them.

“That one kind of looks like a heart”. You say and you point your finger. The boys share a smile on their faces. “You’re right”. David said and he kisses your cheek.

Paul began to say, "That one kinda looks like-" but was interrupted as Marko and Dwayne playfully tackled him, and they all ended up wrestling in the dewy grass.

[biggothbelly]

You know, I've watched you spiral out of control for years at this point. I remember first finding you back in 2016. None of us really knew it then because you were so much smaller in comparison to the mass of lard you are now, but you were already too far gone to go back. Year after year, I watched you shovel endless amounts of calories down your throat, blowing your poor belly up so many times with a disgusting amount of food on such a regular and consistent basis, that there was no question that you were gonna get huge. However, I don't think anyone knew just how far you'd take it. I mean, look at you. Every ounce of your body is covered in fat. That tiny gut was forced to blow up into the massive, turgid, hanging food balloon we see it as today. You've forever ruined your skin and put so many deep, long, eye-catching stretch marks on your fucking gut. You've grown into nothing but a walking garbage disposal, and I'm sure you could easily outeat several grown men and still be begging for more food. The most shocking part is the fact that even though you're so close to 300 lbs, your greedy ass still wants to keep going. What's it gonna take to stop you? 300? 400? 500? What number could possibly scare you at this point? 600? 700? 800? I mean, if you're gonna go that far, you might as well just make a spectacle of yourself and go for an even 1000 lbs of pure blubber and lard. You'd be more relatable to a whale than a human at that point, especially with how much grease and junk it would take just to make you feel not hungry. No, not full, definitely not stuffed to the gills, but just enough so you can go without eating for more than 20 minutes. Let's just face it, you're fucked. You were fucked the moment you willingly decided to stuff your face for the first time because you wanted to see how good it would feel. Now look at you. You're an ever-growing blob that's just can't help themselves. You're never gonna try to lose the weight because you love being a fat slob so fucking much. You love how good it feels to eat and eat and eat until your stomach is begging you to stop and the weight of your poor, overfilled gut is pinning you down, so you couldn't even get up to get more food if you tried. I'd love to see you try to prove me wrong, but we all know you wouldn't last a day trying to lose weight.

This is the most inspiring ask I’ve ever received hehe tbh reading this made me hungryyyyy idk what I’ve done to myself tbh 😅 if went from something fun and every now and then to having to constantly feed my belly bc I’m always hungry and always so lazy I barely want to get up. I’ve given myself quiteeee the food addiction at this point all I ever do is think about eating and growing this belly. The idea of ever having to lost weight scared me bc I know I couldn’t handle it and I don’t think my belly would let me 😳😵‍💫 it’s hard lifting this gut around daily it’s so heavy my back and knees hurt all the time and a new thing I noticed is that my hips are starting to hurt when I walk. Now walking is getting harder and harder 🐖 I always feel like I have to sit my fat ass down. Who knows maybe one day I’ll be on my 600 pound life 🥴🫠 I have a seriousssss problem it seems hehe and you guys keep enabling me hehehe

[clanwarrior-tumbly]

104/150 with lethal company?

104) I can hear it calling my name

.........

[Y/n], January 29th, [Log 001]

---I'm afraid this will be my last log. So I'm keeping this encrypted.

Everyone's gone, but I'm still here. And I'm terrified. We started on this job as strangers, and we became family. Now I'm all alone because of a stupid mask. A piece of scrap we should've just sold off.

But he thought it would be funny to wear. I don't blame him. He was always a jokester, willing to do anything to turn a frown upside down and make light of our dreary trips. I know he didn't mean to hurt us. He thought it was harmless. Honest to god we thought so too.

Until he started vomiting blood and tried grabbing me. He tore off my helmet, along with my tracker, but I managed to get away. I still don't know how. But I wish I was smarter about it, because I got lost.

Then I heard the ship's engines.

They must've thought I was dead. Or maybe they all died and the autopilot kicked in. I'm not sure. I don't even know the current time. But what I do know is that I'm stuck here now. Possibly forever. I could make an SOS but that monster is still outside. I had to barricade myself in this storage room and wait until it goes away.

It keeps knocking. I can hear it calling my name. But I know it's not him.

To anyone who reads this, don't pick up the porcelain masks. They aren't worth shit. It'll tempt you to put it on. Don't. You'll find better loot elsewhere. If you see anyone already wearing it, kill them. Stun them. Run. Whatever. Just don't let it take you.

And if you see me wearing it, put me out of my misery. I promise I'll understand---

Finishing what would likely be your final log, you sighed and slumped back against the wall, letting the tablet slip from your hands.

You don't know how long you've been stuck here--whether it's been hours or days.

But all you know is that the Masked on the other side of the door hasn't left. It was using your coworker's corpse, mimicking his voice as it pounded on the steel and tried convincing you to let it in, even shattering the window. For some reason it refused to leave you alone, and kept begging and begging until it began screaming unintelligently...

That would go on and on until eventually it would cease, weakly clawing at the door, only to rinse and repeat once it rested its voice.

You were starving, trying your best to ration the jar of pickles you were luckily able to find in this storage room.

Unfortunately, that's as far as your luck will go at this point. They were sour and made you want to vomit every time you ate one. But while you didn't want starvation to take your life, you weren't exactly sure how you really wanted to go out instead.

It sure as hell wasn't gonna be from that bastard who took away your friends.

"It's clear....all clear......come on out....the ship is leaving..leave....out.....COME OUT..!! COME OUT!! COMEOUTCOMEOUT-!!"

With your heart hammering in your chest, you curled up and covered your ears, squeezing both eyes shut. 'Fuck, it's losing its mind again...this is a nightmare..why did I ever take this job?' You tried not to focus on the screams so much, and instead prayed for some kind of miracle.

But in space, would anyone really hear your prayers?

Yet somebody must have, because the screaming abruptly stopped a minute later, being replaced by the sounds of heavy thumping and growling drawing near.

You only knew one other alien creature that made those.

And you knew it was pissed off.

Getting up and backing away from the door, you fearfully clutched a stop sign as you heard a series of terrified shrieks, roars, slamming and crashing sounds....before silence followed, save for the low growls you heard earlier and chewing noises.

Cautiously, you went back over and pushed aside one of the things covering up the window, and the sight on the other side was quite nauseating:

The Thumper was hovering over the Masked's body, teeth covered in blood and flesh as it tore into it, clearly wanting to savor this midnight snack.. But eventually it decided to drag the rest of the corpse away and to another part of the facility, only leaving behind a few shattered fragments of white dirty porcelain.

You couldn't believe it.

You were actually happy that a Thumper, of all things, saved your skin.

But you sure as hell didn't want it coming back for a second lunch. Now was your window of opportunity to get out of here. The adrenaline pumping through your veins was the only reason you were able to grab your loot and book it out of that storage room, being careful not to run into that Thumper again.

At least now you could go outside and (hopefully) send an S.O.S.

[moongothic]

Do you think Luffy's death would have an impact on Dragon and Crocodile? it's a very headcanon question, but also, Luffy is surrounded by death flags as we get closer to the end of the series

Gonna put Dragon aside because I feel like we still know so little about him I don't really have a good read on him and how he'd feel. I mean I'm sure he'd be sad but there's like a range of ways he might express that sorrow (the range going from Zoro-esque stoicism to Franky-"I'm not crying"-ism, which is quite a wide range)

But as for Croccywocky himself. The short answer is that we actually kind of already know he might react if Luffy died? Post-War Luffy had been MIA for multiple weeks, and while we don't know what Crocodile himself was doing during that time, the way Daz talks to him about "wounds like that" needing "time to heal" and how Crocodile acknowedged it as Daz getting sassy at him? Yeah, the implication may be that Crocodile was moping for the past few weeks. Which makes sense if he had been unsure if Luffy had even managed to escape Marineford alive, let alone how the trauma of losing Ace would impact his psyche. So, much like how Crocodile had seemingly given up on live after his plans to take over Alabasta were foiled, if Luffy were to die now I feel like he'd fall into a similar depression as that, if much worse and deeper this time.

But you brought up Luffy's death flags, and anon, you see... You have now opened up a can of worms. Because we can't possibly discuss Luffy's death flags and how Crocodile might react to Luffy dying without also bringing up Law's Immortality Operation and Crocodile's own death flags

So, long answer, here we go

So yes, Luffy has some vague death flags going on; the many mentions especially during the pre-timeskip era, about Luffy pushing himself too much and causing too much damage to himself, shortening his lifespan in the process. Now, I genuinely do not think One Piece is going to end with Luffy dead, Oda would not give our rubbery protagonist a sad ending like that (similarly to how I don't think he'll kill ANY of the Strawhats). The timeskip itself was very specifically caused by Luffy realizing he was still far too weak to fulfill his dreams, to the point that if he and the crew just reunited and headed straight for the New World, they really would end up dead. Luffy had to learn this reality the hard way by losing Ace, yes, but Oda had been foreshadowing that reality since Baratie through how Don Krieg and his crew got fucked up not just by the Grand Line but by Mihawk. The Grand Line was always built up as being a dangerous sea most people could not survive, the most recent reminder of that having been Moria, a god damn Shichibukai the crew had to gang up on to defeat, who told us he had lost his entire crew in the New World. We have to be real here, most of the big threats the Strawhats had faced up until this point they had survived partially through dumb fucking luck*, and they were not keeping up with the powerscaling. That's why Luffy was starting to push himself so hard it started to impact his lifespan, they weren't ready for the New World, and if they continued on, they would end up dead. *Croc was overconfident and rusty after sitting on his ass for over a decade and didn't take Luffy seriously until it was too late. Luffy had an inherent DF advantage against Enel and without said lucky advantage would not have been able to beat him. Aokiji spared the Strawhats as a part of his own justice, but Luffy could not have been able to beat him otherwise. Moria was very much the same as Croc with the overconfidence, rustiness and not taking the Strawhats seriously until it was too late, but also the Strawhats literally had to gang up together on Moria to defeat him. Like I don't want to downplay the achievements of the Strawhats and how much stronger they genuinely had become during all their adventures, but at the same time- a lot of the time, they only won thanks to luck. They genuinely were not ready for the New World at this point

Now yes, there are still more death flags going on for Luffy (his heart literally stopping and his Vivre card burning away while fighting Kaidou being just one), but the major ones are pre-timeskip. And because of that, I don't think too much about them anymore. They mattered because they were part of the timeskip. And the timeskip happened, so to me? It feels like the death flags may be partially solved?

But Oda is bonkers, and you can never know, maybe he'll raise another 15 death flags in the next 3 chapters alone, who knows. But that circles back to what I said earlier; I don't think Oda would kill Luffy.

And that's where we get to Law, and where things get interesting. Because indeed, the Ope Ope Fruit grants Law the ability to make someone immortal, though at the cost of his own life. Needless to say, that is a huge ass Chekhov's Gun right there. And to be fair, we do already have one potential pay-off with the existence of the Immortality Operation, that being Imu's probable own immortality. Because Imu can be the pay-off for the Chekhov's Gun, we don't really need to have Law end up sacrificing himself to make someone else immortal, and let's be real, I can't really think of anyone Law would love so much he'd be willing to die like that for their sake.

But at the same time. The fact that Law is fully capable of doing the operation means the gun isn't off the table yet. And Luffy's theoretical death flags do make for a scary combo.

Now we don't actually know all that much about the Immortality Operation aside from the fact that it would cause the user to die. Now... this is wild ass speculation from me, but. Sometimes, Oda can and does give us misleading information. Either because he hadn't fully decided on some lore/backstory things (like Pell's infamous "there's only five Devil Fruit that grant the user the ability to fly" line, or arguably Baby Bonney art in the SBS), or because he didn't want to give us the full story yet and there was room for some in-universe propaganda (Robin having sunk a fleet of Marine ships as a small child being the cause of her bounty) With that in mind... The Ope Ope Fruit is most effective in the hands of a skilled surgeon/doctor, right. Because you need great medical knowledge to operate on people, right. I fully do believe that the Immortality Operation does come with the cost of a human life, but... what if the life doesn't actually HAVE to be the user's own life? What if they actually COULD use literally anyone's life for the operation, but the surgeon refuses this, because taking someone else's life to not just save another but make them immortal would go against the role and the very honor of a doctor?

Because, if that were the case, suddenly the door that is Law's Chekhov's Gun opens up a little more. Law, as I currently see him, would not sacrifice his own life to make a dying Luffy immortal (not unless they were in some real deep shit to begin with and on the verge of death anyway and it was the only way for Law to ensure the safety of his crew etc) But if Luffy was on the verge of death and Law could save him by making him immortal, by sacrificing someone else's life for the operation... That... I could see happen

Of course, as I mentioned before, while I'm sure any and all of the Strawhats would be willing to sacrifice their lifes to save Luffy via immortality, Oda would not kill off any one of them. If any one of them died for Luffy's sake, that would break him. Luffy loves his crew, his friends, so much. Oda wouldn't do that to him. Not again. And even if any of the Strawhats asked, I doubt Law would be willing to kill any of them to save Luffy, not on his honor as a doctor.

Which is why Crocodile would do it.

If all Crocodile ever wanted was for his son to be free and live however he wanted, without being hunter by the WG for sport, and they finally managed to overthrow the WG at the cost of Luffy's life... Like what would be the point in that? All those years of pain and struggling, finally achieving victory and for what? For his son to just die, just when he'd become free? Crocodile couldn't possibly accept that, could he? And sure, I don't think Law would immidiately be like "oh you wanna die to make Strawhat-ya immortal? Sure, c'mon in, we'll do the operation right away sir", I'm sure his pride as a doctor would still instinctually stop him. But I'm sure Croc would be able to convince Law with a few threats of destroying the whole world with his bare hands and forcing Law to watch if he didn't agree to do save his son's life. Because you know he would do that, if only to spite Law at that point. And even if Law had somekind of objections aboit doing it because Luffy wouldn't be okay with someone dying for his sake... If Luffy never finds out about them being related, if Crocodile only remains as 'that asshole who tried to take Vivi's country and hurt his friends' in Luffy's heart... Croc dying for Luffy's sake would not hurt him. Especially if Luffy never even learned the truth about why and how he died. Because Luffy wouldn't lose someone he cared about. They can just tell Luffy Crocodile succumbed to his wounds or something.

Almost a year ago I started writing this essay about Crocodile's death flags in the story, and I never finished it. I struggled with it for a long time because, while I feel like there might be an argument to be made for Croc having death flags, it's kind of... vague. Like the things you could read as death flags only come in hindsight if/when you start projecting Crocodad Propaganda into Alabasta especially, and without that projection it's dubious if it's even there. Like I feel like there might be something there, about a man who seemed to have cared about nothing and no one except himself, willing to sacrifice anyone else for his own ambition, only for him to do a true sacrifice and give up his own life for someone he does care about. But also, One Piece has this running theme of people sacrificing themselves, and when the sacrifice is rewarded by the narrative is so complicated (Sanji offering his head to Kuma because he considdered his life to be the most worthless in the crew vs Zoro offering his head because he genuinely believed he could survive whatever Kuma had to offer vs every single parental figure in the story who sacrificed their lives for their family)-- if Crocodile did (attempt to) sacrifice his life for Luffy, what category would it even fall under? Would, no, COULD the story reward him for it? But I can't quite find the words for it, and I can't quite come to a satisfying conclusion about whether or not those death flags even are there to begin with. I don't know how to write that essay. So you're getting this condenced footnotes version

And once again, I don't know how to end this post.

But indeed, I don't think Oda would kill Luffy at the end of the story. At most, I could see him get brought once again to the verge of death, and if Law doesn't have to die to save Luffy via immortality... Unironically, if Crocodad Real, Croc'll be the one who'll die at the end.

Second option is Garp if only because of Garp's own beliefs about how an old geezer like him should die to save the youngin's + to atone for Ace's death + he probably can't bear to lose Luffy too

[monsieuroverlord]

My honest reaction to this week's comics:

Spoilers Under the Cut:

Wolverine #50:

FREEDOM!

The ending wrapped up a little too neat, much like X-Force did.

Basically, before the battle against Graydon could even comence, Sabretooth got him first with a lethal blow.

I was kind of expecting a bit of a fight, but okay.

Also, Logan's a godddamn hypocrite:

How much have the writers just kind of glossed over? I'm guessing they've never read Remender's X-Force at minimum.

Like, Logan acting like killing your own son is inconceivable? It would've made more sense for Logan to harp on his angst regarding his own son here.

Sabretooth lures Logan to the heart of former Krakoa to be captured by the residue pit, but it just ripped his armor off.

But the side purpose of the armor is to reactivate his healing factor (because fuck it, of course it is).

The X-Force crew subdues Sabretooth, but Logan faces him one-on-one, and hacks him to bits as revenge.

This panel was actually a cool visual (artist did amazing):

With Akihiro front and center :(

And also Logan realizes (once again) that he's happier with "family" -- both found and blood family.

Laura doesn't get to react to her brother's death.

Phoebe turns off the Quire-head device (but we already know he's going to be resurrected anyway)

No Beaubier twin cameos.

Even Logan's man-pain is absolutely glossed over. Weirdly, he's not hating himself enough for a man who just lost his beloved son.

(I thought we were pretending that everything was fixed off-panel and he loves his son)

(The only other Akihiro cameo in this book. At least he doesn't have a beer this time)

Like, I know denial is a stage of grief, and its not unheard of to compartmentalize things, but we could still have had a moment where Logan just ~breaks~ at the end, you know? Like it all comes flooding in after the war is over and won.

I'm sorry, the ending was weirdly too hopeful for my tastes. It comes across as very shallow to me.

In general, I think the writing between Akihiro and Logan just lacks a lot of depth.

The most we've gotten from this writer is a brief mention or small moment here or there -- for example Jeff Bannister had mentioned once that Logan told him about Itsu during one of their hang-out sessions (from the Wolverine ongoing). Or Logan conisistently referring to Akihiro as "my son" with a more positive connotation.

There's just no real depth being built between Logan and Aki -- not even in monologue form. No reflection on how his son has grown and changed, become a hero, no thoughts on Itsu -- there used to be a time when Logan couldn't even look at his son without thinking about Itsu.

Its not like Akihiro was a product of a one-night stand -- he was originally a WANTED child. Logan not only married Itsu, but also knew he was gonna be a father before all that shit went down.

I'm just not seeing the expected reactions of man who was granted the opportunity to reconnect with his long-lost child in a relatively healthier format, only to lose him AGAIN. After implied healing progress was finally made. AND in a BRUTAL fashion -- that alone should be tramatizing.

Just in general, the writing style is great for a comic book format, but also, I think a lot of the plotline choices/character development are lacking if you've read up on Akihiro (and other characters in general -- Laura is written a little odd, like a mini-Logan)

As far as the side story by Larry Hama/Daniel Picciotto -- it was fun. It was a nostalgia trip. I have nothing to add and I liked it.

We also got ink pages (unlettered/uncolored) for the upcoming Wolverine series out in September -- Kurt is tracking down Logan, who is living with wolves again.

Hellverine #1

Oddly, I don't completely hate it yet. Like this issue had quality set-up, but its weird. The plot choices are weird. The implications of what's happening are weird. It's all weird. It's too weird to bash yet.

But its not bad writing, in terms of quality. The story flows well, it kept my interest -- but I still have reservations regarding upcoming plot deicisions.

Essentially, Akihiro, possessed by the spirit of Bagra-Gul, is going around hunting bad guys -- human traffickers, a corrupt priest, a cannibalistic supper club, etc.

The secret underground Pentagon organization is also trying to figure out the Hellverine is doing. They had harnessed Hellfire and infused into a bunch of of deceased elite soldiers--who immediately went rogue and escaped. But Aki/Hellverine showed up and tried to stop them -- presumably sensing the Hellfire stuff going on. But they managed to blow him up and escape while he healed.

In response, the Pentagon organization captured Logan, believing him to be the Hellverine (to be fair -- in the demon form, it looks a lot like him with a flaming skull). The head of the org interrogated him, lying about the Hellfire soldiers' origin, so Logan agreed to help him locate the Hellverine to take the soldiers down. Upon reviewing the video -- particularly at the moment of explosion, Logan recognized his son's tattoo.

The issue ends on a cliffhanger, with Aki going "flame-off" to reveal his beautiful face.

So Aki is NOT part of the secret underground Pentagon organization like I thought. He is an oddity. I'm assuming as this progresses, we'll find out why -- I'm currently assuming its an old shell, like a Krakoan era resurrection that was never disposed of properly, you know? Then mix it with demon-magic.

I still don't get the all the stitches -- I mean, if its an old shell, it would explain the mohawk (I miss the long, fluffy hair already. I mean, I guess the mohawk is more iconic, but he already has a unique tattoo, let him change up his style for a bit longer. I never got my messy hair-down panel ☹) .

But also, he 100% looks like Logan with a flaming skull in his demon form. Like, the tattoo canonically disappears, and he's short and hairy, and has Logan's claw placement.

The implications of it are weirding me out -- like I know Aki canonically has his father's shoulders, but he's taller and I've always headcanoned him having a relatively slimmer/wiry build overall. Mostly taking after his mama with hints of his father here and there. I guess it could be explained away with demon magic transformation, but I don't know how I feel yet. (like it would be weird to be specifically transformed into your father, right?)

The explanation for Bagra-Gul is that bonding to Logan fundamentally changed him -- as in, as a demon, Bagra-Gul still feeds on pain and violence, but now tinged with a sense of twisted justice so he feeds on the sinners/scum of the earth and taking the same demonic pleasures.

Does this mean Akihiro is also feeling his father's influence on Bagra-Gul? Is Bagra-Gul influenced by Akihiro at all? Does Aki know what he's doing? Is there even Aki's soul in there, or is it just an empty shell for a demon?

I guess we'll have to wait and see?

However, I am 100% worried with how this is going to play out. (Especially considering its likely the writer was planning this out since the beginning of the Sabretooth War arc)The Hellverine mini lines up perfectly to the relaunch of the Wolverine series. And I know I've said it before, but Logan only turns his back on civilization for two reasons: braining-washing or grief (or both.)

The caption teaser for Hellverine #4 is as folllows:

"HELLVERINE VS. WOLVERINE! BAGRA-GHUL has come for LOGAN's soul, but when the heat is on, who will survive - the HELLVERINE or the WOLVERINE?"

I really just hope it is just a fake-out and it means purifying Akihiro's soul and not making Logan kill him again. I am so tired. (and Aki gets to keep the character growth -- no hard reset making him a villian again)

But it really seems like they want Logan to hate himself for some reason and wouldn't be the first time they made him kill his son (or kids in general) to make him feel bad.

Or even just kill a shell of his son could be just enough -- Logan has never needed much to trigger the self-loathing.

Its lining up a little too well for comfort, if that makes sense.

I just want to be hopeful. Such as, maybe now that Akihiro is relatively front and center for this mini, we'll actually get some proper father-son relationship development. Maybe it'll end nicely wrapped up on a positive note -- where Akihiro is resurrected, relatively fine, and set up to join a new team, such as one of the books that hasn't been announced yet (Editor Tom Brevoort mentioned in an interview that there are still "first wave" new era books that haven't even been announced yet)

[missamyrisa2]

The Selection

Alex grunted in satisfaction. Another workout nearly in the books, and he was on a hot streak for slipping past selection. The new gym brought with it a wealth of always-clean machines, a quiet atmosphere free of the usual jabbering from muscletown devotees, and somehow the best smelling facility he'd ever been in. The Selection, was another matter. And one he intended to continue avoiding.

Letting the elliptical gradually slow, Alex carefully scanned his path of retreat. He'd seen too many people get nabbed coming out the locker room or nailed while filling their water bottle. Efficiency was the key: get in, do your work and get the fuck out. His inner voice echoed. Hey I wonder if the other guys lost out because they had no inner monologue. You know, that's really a thing. Like isn't it just so bizarre someone not hearing something like this? I can't imagine it. I can't not talk to myself all the time like this. Oh god, am I always talking to myself? Maybe that's weirder. Fuck! Gotta concentrate. Oh man, that girl by the entrance was talking about her fruit salads again and if she mentions the kumquats I'm gonna lose it. That is the funniest word seriously. I need to write that book about funny sounding words that'll totally be~

Grasping his ponytail, Alex silenced his inner self and started padding towards the cubbies on the far wall. Bypassing the locker room and simply keeping a tiny bag for his belongings while changing in the car had been his saving grace. Finally a perfect gym, and he wasn't going to let this little weird thing they do get in the way of that. Not with beach season rapidly approaching.

Everyone had to agree to this process in order to enjoy this unbelievable facility. It seemed like the simplest waver, mostly because no one really read the details of the terms. The Selection was supposedly random but he'd heard rumors the owners preselect the candidates, and he couldn't help but notice the guy working the entrance desk had been casting some careful gazes all morning. I'm already on my way out. There's no way now. I'll turn and run.

And yet, his heel could have made an audible skidding sound as Alex stopped dead in his tracks. The unmistakable tri-horn blaring of the process cut through the idle atmosphere of the gym. Gasps rose as the patrons turned. Alex could feel his cheeks lighting up, the shiver up his spine. Just run. His legs wouldn't respond. He felt the eyes on his form. Alex knew it was over. He grasped his little bag. The door was too far way, it seemed miles out of reach now. Even if he made it there, disregarding The Selection was an immediate lifetime ban and there was no way he could act like he didn't hear it now.

"Excuse me, um. Let's see. Alex! Alex?" The voice piped up from behind. Perky, yet with a bite of authority.

Alex sheepishly froze. The remnants of his workout still throbbed in his muscles, his throat suddenly so parched. "Uh?" He murmured. Who's Alex? Not this guy. Must be the guy who just left. Alex who?

"Come on, beast." The shoulder tap and a chuckle. Alex turned wearily. His cheesy silly smile scraped from the ID system was plastered across the TVs. They didn't do that when he'd seen other selections. No deniability; someone wanted him bad for this.

Led past the other gym patrons, some who kept their heads down so as to not be cast in with his lot, others looked with a knowing smirk having done their time. And of course, the one jerk who was all too pleased making like he had an invisible fishing line. "We got a live one! We're reelin' him in! Get your Alex!!"

"Ah ha. Ah ha." Alex attempted a fake laugh as he was led towards the back room. Good one, idiot. We'll come up with something really witty in the shower later.

The back room was surprisingly nondescript, looking like a multi-purpose studio with a few tall mirrors and some hooks on the wall. Alex had expected more of an ornate torture room, or at least something intimidating. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all. The Guy was maybe the same age as Alex, sporting a high and tight cut as opposed to Alex's grungier dirty blonde hairstyle. A little shorter than Alex, and commanding much more authority, he flipped over the sheet on his clipboard and gestured to the floor.

"Alright, you know the drill."

Alex absolutely did not know the drill. He didn't know there was a drill. He didn't want to let this guy down. This guy whom Alex had just met, but desperately felt the need to impress.

"Yeah, sure. Cool. No biggie." Probably just an inspection to make sure you're worthy. Those rumors were just to scare you. Like that time the guy in class said he sprayed you with liquid acid and convinced you you'd be tripping balls and then you thought you were and ended up breakdancing on the floor and shut up shut up shut up shut up

Alex shouted down his internal chattering and sat on the mat, knees up resting his arms on it.

"Uh. Heh." The Guy grinned and recognized what was on his hands. He knelt down and nudged Alex back, making him lay flat on the padded mat. "There we go, big guy."

What happened next happened so fast Alex's inner voice went silent. And his body shook with panic as he realized what it was like to have no inner monologue for a time. The Guy flashed a wicked smile and tapped his toes on a segment of the floor. With a whipping woosh, thick black restraints slipped out from the floor and captured Alex's wrists, ankles, and midsection. Still trying to make it look like he knew the Drill, Alex tried very calmly and quietly to test the cuffs around his body. His muscles flexed slightly as he realized this was real. He was completely immobilized and there was no way he could break out. This didn't feel like just a prank to scare or initiate him, this was bad.

"Alright, let's start the clock." The Guy remarked, businesslike but with an air of ... flirtatiousness? The oversized digital clock on the wall blinked to life as if on The Guy's words alone. The numbers shuffled and settled on 59:59. His clipboard set aside on the only table in the room, he knelt down and unceremoniously grasped Alex's black workout shorts.

"Hey wait what the!" Alex resisted, or tried as much as he could to stop this ingress which is to say he wriggled uselessly on the mat as his shorts were brought down. The soft mesh dragged past his lower abdomen, exposed his princely areas and finally left his thighs open before coming to rest at the knees.

"I thought you knew the drill, Alex~" The Guy's voice suddenly bent in a teasing taunting almost squeaking direction that made Alex full on panic, grasping the air and pulling his arms and legs uselessly. "I thought you knew~" He repeated with a lift on that last word, taking out a bottle of massage oil and working it slowly tauntingly into his hands.

"Get away from me you weirdo I'll knock your teeth out!" Alex demanded, his belly flexing and hips trying to buck and twist. He balled his hands into fists and snarled out. Sweat started to bead on his temples as he watched helplessly those oiled up hands floating right for his manhood. "What the fuck! Stop it don't touch me you're dead if you touch! I'll cream you and won't miss a beat!!"

Undeterred, the suddenly very squeaky teasy Guy grasped Alex's royal rod and began slowly working a gentle craft. "Only the best boys will do, and after all you're one of our best." He mused matter of factly, his experienced hands working a pressure and movement Alex found his body desperately wanting to love.

"Nhhh. Noo stopppittttt I'll grrr hhmmnghhhh!!" His mind flooded with imagery and resistance. Alex didn't want to give The Guy the satisfaction of making it that easy to take control of Alex's body. Snarling and seething, Alex surprised himself when it worked. His royal part stayed unresponsive save for a twitch or two no matter how The Guy pumped and stroked and rolled with his palms. Alex smirked seeing the frustration building in the face of his captor. "Messed with the wrong guy huh. I guess your Selection is pretty worthless. Maybe give me a month free and I won't tell everyone how bad you suck!" Alex tried his luck, taunting his captor and further keeping his body unresponsive.

The clock ticked slowly, but steadily. 55:00, 51:12, 48:30. Time marched on and Alex kept a slow hiss and growl as his anchor, his mental power working overtime to run out the clock and never give The Guy what he wanted. "Oh too bad. So sad. Running out of time huh? Do you spend every morning being a big failure?" The Guy looked unbothered but his body language was betraying an annoyance at not making any progress.

Finally, he slowed, and held Alex's limp member lightly. "Alright, big guy. Let's see how tough you really are." The Guy smirked, and nodded to seemingly no one but Alex's body shook with surprise when one of the ceiling length mirrors creaked open and a person emerged from the observation room. A woman a few years younger than Alex appeared through the beam of light, smiling brightly.

"Oh!" He stammered, never expecting this turn of events. And gathering some confidence having shaken off The Guy's efforts, he blustered. "Sending in the big guns huh? Pathetic. Calling some silly girl? What's she gonna do? Do my makeup? Ha!"

Her wall of honey brown hair bobbed and waved as she moved without a word but shared a look with The Guy - a very clear expression of curious amusement. Dressed in blue jeans and a dark floral top along with a gym name badge bearing nothing but a single letter "K", the mystery girl immediately set about to do her business.

With a wink to The Guy she scooted onto the mat and put Alex's head in her lap before holding up her hands to flash a set of perfectly manicured red nails shining in the overhead lights. "Oh give me a fuckin break. Seriously? This is your secret weapon? A girly girl and her nails? Ha!" Yet, Alex felt his stomach drop and his face ignite with blush as she smirked and began wriggling her nails down towards him. The flourish of red waving down quickly began cutting through his resistances.

"eeeehhhh stupid girl" he muttered nonetheless growing weary as she drew her taunting fingers closer to his underarms. He started pulling on the bonds trying to close up shop before those dancing looters arrived, and slipped a squeal when she pulled back before starting anew, nails wriggling high above and slowly descending once more. "Fff-mmmhh!!! ggrrr knock ittt offf!! you doorknob!" He protested as she continued undeterred, this time moving slowly down to fake out his biceps. Alex screamed a giggle this time and his tush bounced in protest as she reset and began again, her nails wiggling to start all over.

This time she leaned over to taunt his twitching tight belly. Alex growled and slipped a whimper as he felt her proximity more than ever and was being broken down by how her hair bobbed over him, how her bright twinkly eyes assessed his every reaction. And as he helplessly watched his belly being taunted with anticipation, he suddenly became aware once more of The Guy, who had been patiently watching and waiting.

"Unnngghhhhh!!" Alex groaned as he couldn't stop his princely part from swelling in the Guy's grip this time, who began ever so slowly working that craft once more. His fingers encircled and began gently stroking and further coaxing out the arousal. What he previously could ward off now was taking over Alex's royal rod and making him rapidly wanting more despite a stream of protests and growls. "Fghhhhhh you suck you can't even do the selection right you're messing with the wrong guy!!"

"Looks like he's being defiant." She mused, her fingers faking out his belly over and over with little wispy graspy and skitters right over the surface of his bouncing tummy. The Guy nodded and mmhmmmed as he continued working up Alex's swollen part, oiled fingers jerking lightly under the tip. "Are we being defiant, Aleeexx?" Her singsong sweet voice made him quiver and shake desperately, his face a mess of pink and strained expressions as he failed to stifle all he groaning growling moans wavering out. His desperate wanting sounds rose more and more as his throbbing prince part neared its climax as her wiggly wriggly nails and nearness continued to overload his senses.

"MmmmgHH! GHRrrr youuuu!! You'll payyyy for thisss unghhh mmhh!! Just justtt okay okayyy! StaAHAPP!! stapppittttt!!! Noo moreeee!"

"Well, you heard him. You can stop till he asks again." K grinned and nodded to the Guy who released Alex's wanting member and left him on the edge, his royal rod wavering and wanting. Alex screamed out in teased frustration, the tingles spreading over his writhing body as they looked down over him with a loving contempt.

The clock read 38:59 as The Guy stepped away into a different mirror door. K simply looked down at Alex as he suffered the edge, her fingers tracing his cheeks and gasping lips, the graze of her nails making him mewl out for her. She cooed and fawned over his writhing, brushing aside his messed up hair to playfully tease his ears with little strokes to make him squeal out for mercy.

Moments later, The Guy excitedly hopped back into the room. "Oh we're not even halfway through and he filled two tanks." K nodded passingly, as if this was not the big news he made it out to be. "And how's our little beastie doing?" He knelt down to Alex's midsection and lightly stroked Alex's falling arousal, making Alex stiffen and whine.

"Unnghhh!!! Quitt it!" The Guy snickered and wiggled his finger along the underside of the rod. "Quit iiiiit!!" Alex shouted again.

"Oh I think I found the quit it button!" He teased, lightly stroking and taunting Alex's member over to get the same protesting reaction.

Looking back to the clock, The Guy grabbed up Alex's princely part once more and began coating it with a fresh round of massage oil.

"Nhhhh~~" Alex groaned feeling it, his head shaking as he growled and grunted with renewed energy and deepness in his voice. "Ffffckk noooo! Nooo!! I'm nottt I'm nottt getting hard for you againnnn!!!"

And right on cue, her nails came wiggling down once more starting at his palms, faking out but grazing his skin more closely this time. First right at the hands then down his wrists and inner elbow. Despite his impressive display of flexing muscles and screaming snarls, she melted his defenses like butter.

"MFFHHHH! eEEHHH! Stopiitttt!! Those fffuckinngg nailllsss!! I hate thatt that's the worsttttt!!!" She cooed and clicked her tongue moving down to wriggle endlessly over his underarms, delighting at how he pulled so uselessly in the bonds. Down below, The Guy smiled knowingly as he felt that prince part inflating in his palm. Coating it with oil, he began at the base this time, gently squeezing and making Alex percolate with a big wanting giggly moan.

"Oooh I thought you weren't gonna get hard, tough guy~" She grinned and pinched at his armpits. "Uh oh!" Her fingers trailed lightly around, seeking out the hot spots to hotwire him further along with her toying words. "Ooh no! What happened? What happened huhhh?"

"Nnnnmhhhghh you can't make me hhaaarrrdddd you can't do this to mee! Staaapppittt stooopitttt!!" He arched, trying to growl at them but only ended up releasing a big squeaking whine as his princely rod betrayed his will and grew quickly in The Guy's hands, her nails and coos and being over him making it impossible to resist the edging.

"oooh yeah. Mmhmm. Nope, not at alllll ~ nope nope nope!" She taunted as The Guy slowly started working the ring of pressure up and down to edge Alex further and take advantage of the hotwiring. Her nails skittered down, thumb and index finger making the tiny pinches at his upper ribs. "Coochie coooo tough guy~"

Her taunts only frustrated flustered and infuriated Alex further. His head bounced in her lap, his midsection trying to twist away from The Guy's slick grip. "GHaAA! Damnn youuuu!! Noooo nooo stoppp thoseeeee damn naillssss getttt offa MAEHEE!" Giggles mixed into his desperate gasping moans as she lightly did the pinching motions all over his upper chest and collar and biceps, seeking out the squeaky spots and lingering there to make him go wild.

"Aww did you get hard? Did youuu?" She teased and taunted, her lips pursing and making kissy faces as he frantically angrily rolled his head around in her lap. He blushed furiously at how her red nails elicited so many ticklish reactions now, freely making him giggle and laugh out as she rubbed her thumbs down his shaking sides. Her lean only further ruined his resistances, her curves right over his pinkened body as The Guy merrily worked away stroking up the underside of his prince part's tip to milk out maximum arousal.

"Ghhhh justttt mmmhhh fffuckk shitttt damn helll!!! pleeeaseee make me cum make me cum!!" He begged out, fully admitting to what their treatments did to him.

The pair tsked and admonished, snicker at his request.

"I thought you knew the drill, Alex. I thought you were a tough guy, Alex. What's going on here, did you lie to me, Alex?" His husky tease voice with that bite of authority made Alex increasingly flustered frustrated, his body wriggling in reaction to this verbal discipline as K chimed in with the twinkly feminine taunts.

"Aww such a naughty boy. All oiled up and nowhere to go and pinkened and wanting and oooh so demanding!" She grinned and smiled at Alex while giving a slight nod to the Guy who released once more. "So so naughty tsk tsk tsk. No wonder he's not letting you cum~"

"nnnnhhhhnuahgttyyy I'm not naughttyyyyy unnnhhh I'm a goood boooyyyyyyy plehehesaee please make me cum!! unnnghhh I asked niiiiceellyyyyyy ghhhaaaunnHHH!" Alex carried on, now unable to resist gyrating and bucking gently, wantingly as he was totally overcome once more with neediness. Pleading and begging as he started to tumble down the edge again with moans and whimpers rising unnmmhHHH ooh oohhhhh ohhhh!! unnhg okkayy nnnhhh!!"

As The Guy scampered off to check the progress in the mysterious side room again, K once again traced his body with her nails as he writhed on the mat, held down and made to feel his body tingle off the tickly taunted bullied edge. Her eyes locked with his, blushing a bit herself as she took in his desperately wanting expressions.

"Mhmmm mhmmmm ~ I don't know I don't see a good boy just a naughty wanty mess. I thinkkkkkkkk more attention is needed after all…..you still can form words, cutie"

The clock ticked down to 18:13.

As he heard the mirror door opening Alex bargained. "Ummhh jeeeperwooggleeee ooosthiunnuuu!! mmmmaaamolgersss! Seeee those aren't words! I'm nnnmmh plenttyyy teaseeddd you can make me cum honestttttt ghhhaaaa okmhhyghhh I'm mmmmmhh you gottaaaa let me gogoohoooo I unngghghghghhh!!!"

The Guy flashed his fingers indicating eight tanks, his mouth agape in smiling satisfaction. K nodded enthusiastically and stretched out her arms, flexing her fingers and wiggling freely. The Guy started oiling up once more as they waited for him to finish whimpering down the edge and regain enough strength to drain it right back out again.

Alex growled as he tried to refuse the next round of teases, shaking his head furiously while begging at the same time. "Nnnhhh nnnnnmmmhhh!! GRRR! Pleehehasee don't leave me offf againnnn unnhhghhhh I'll never get hard for you againnn!! You get notthing goood day sir ... andand ma'am!" Unshaken, the nails began wriggling over his pinkened tummy and the flexing slippery skilled hands returned to his deflating penis, patiently waiting for the rebound and crumbling of his resistance. "No tiickles please not the nailssssss not the wiggles I can't take aaaaaatttttttt! the anticipashhhhhhiioooonn!"

"Ohhhh sweetheart how about we just leave you edged and go back to that cute tummy hmmmm?" she offered wriggling her nails. That motion, the threat and her words and nearness alone crumbled his defiance once again. Alex screamed out at her words, knowing he was about to be edged off as my tummy bounced wildly.

"Didn't you hear? He's not getting hard for us again." The Guy chuckled, his hands rolling Alex's repeatedly teased prince back and forth, idly playing with it until the inevitable reaction happened again.

"Oh yeah that's right. No hardness sweetheart? Not at alllll?" She leaned over his face her words trilling softly as she began skittering her nails casually over his belly and poking earnestly into his twitchy navel. And as she chased his laughing reactions in the bellybutton, her other hand wriggled through the air up to his ear and began taunting right beside it, letting him feel the breeze and hear the occasional click and tap of her nails hitting one another. So overwhelming were her tickles that his own hands began mimicking her motions, wiggling in the air.

He was screaming giggles, furiously bouncing, and rock hard in The Guy's hands within moments. He stroked a finger across Alex's foreskin, teasing that hyper sensitive circle which would chance a climax in a lesser skilled hand but instead kept their captive right at the very tip of the edge, indeed unable to form words as he yelped and mewled and squeaked for the heavens. K was keen to tickle mercilessly at this point, digging into his underarms and skittering up his ribs and grasping his belly to catch every increasingly silent giggle.

9:09, the clock ticked closer to the end. "We're all full up. It's all cake from here forward" The Guy skipped out from the back room, dramatically twirling and darting down to watch Alex's prince part quiver and tremble, his belly rapidly rising and falling and flexing and releasing.

"Aww poooor babeh~" K murmured, flexing her fingers and tracing his eyebrows to get tiny squeaks going. Though deep into the fuzzies, they worked in tandem with their cooing taunts and knowing touches to kickstart Alex back into an energetic fight. The Guy grasped his royal jewels slowly, his other hand's index finger ever so gently wiggling under the deathspot under the tip to wake Alex's rod up.

Alex dreamily shook his head like a kid being woken up too early. "Nnghhh!! nooo moreee neverrrr nottt nothingggg! hate youuu!!"

They chuckled. "Hims soo sassy. Hims don't wanna get hard for us again. But hims gonna." The Guy's tone cut through Alex's haze and raised his fury once more. K was right there to take advantage.

She moved so she could put her lips right to his ear, moving his hair aside and ruffling it playfully. "Unnnh. Nice soft touches. Nice gentle tiiiiickles right on your rod. Mmhmm. You want it. You know you want it. You love this. Yes you do. Yesss you do." Her nails began wriggling warming up once more across his chest. Alex shook his head rapidly, his body quivered as he summoned all he could to fight them off. He already lose summarily but wanted to at least deny their victory lap.

And yet once again, he was sold out. Alex's prince part responded to her whispers and sensual little moaning sounds. "Mmmh. So nice and tickly huh? Tickatickatickatickatickatickaticka" she started repeating as her nails grazed over his belly with the occasional fakeouts. "Tickatickatickatickatickaticka cooochiecooochiecoochiecoochiecooochiecoooochie" And that was it, his prince part was hotwired into hardness again, swelling up with The Guy following all along the way teasing that hot spot under the tip and tracing the base before seizing it with a squeeze to make Alex howl out a massive moan.

"Not such a tough guy now, are ya"

Alex rolled over, he was able to roll over. His body was a field of pink and strain. Through it all, his princely part still tingled and gently throbbed wantingly. He could feel the sparkle of her lips on his cheek. She had been planting a kiss right before things went dark. The clock on the wall was at 00:00. The light of day through the back door's entrance was long gone.

Oh hey. I'm back. What the everloving fuck was that? Alex sighed and looked around. He wanted to run out, leave and never come back. But also... the sensation was ricocheting over his body. They left him in a wanting state, one that he couldn't shake or deny. His hands drifted over the spots which tingled wildly. Recollection flashed in his eyes and his prince part started reacting. I can take care of this. It's bad but I have to. I need it.

Alex's hands drifted down and grasped his royal part, releasing a whimper as he finally had some relief. Nothing but pleasure, and soon nothing but release. At least, until Alex shrieked out in a scream, feeling his arms snatched away from his body. The clock clicked and buzzed as the numbers rolled wildly and reset back to an hour.

A prerecorded message from a familiar voice spoke. "Welcome to the after hours Selection tough guy. You were ever so eager to agree to this~"

He struggled madly in the loose bonds trying to get at his wanting royal part again, but was held back and made to tingle on the edge once more. "Fuuuuckkk!! Not agaiiiinn!! Let me let meeeee gooo!"

The machinery beeped and released his wrists. "Go on. Be naughty. You know you wanna." Alex furiously reached down and shamelessly touched himself before the machine beeped and snatched him again. And with a hum, feathered rollers began descending from the ceiling to start trailing his body with tickly teasy touches~

Alex glanced to the side as he whimpered out. 58:49.

[pedroshotwifey]

Favorite Bounty chapter 5

Series Masterlist

Pairing: Din Djarin x afab!bounty!reader

Chapter word count: 7.3k

Chapter summary: Being on the run is harder than you thought...

Chapter tags/warnings: angst, canon-typical violence, cliffhangers bc I like chaos, stuff I'm forgetting

A/N: Hey, y'all!! I'm so, so sorry this took so long to get out! I think I had gotten used to writing shorter fics, so doing a long chapter was just kind of a pain for me. I'm super happy to get this updated though. Gonna go ahead and say that this will likely be a short series with less than ten chapters purely because of the length of each one, but that's not set in stone. If this is your first time reading this series, there are four parts before this! <3

****

It’s easy to get lost in the crowd once you step off the Crest. Mando had landed fairly close to the open market but, unfortunately, a good bit away from the spaceport. You immediately get sucked into the throng of people browsing the shops, your heart pounding hard against your ribs. The only thought that settles your ridiculous pulse is that you must be pretty damn hard to find mixed in with this lot. Though, of course, you know Mando, and you know that if he really wanted to spot you, he would. Bounty hunting fucking bastard.

You can't help but look over your shoulder every couple of minutes. Each time you do so, you fully expect to see Mando trailing behind you, cuffs in hand. You choose to ignore the pang of hurt in your chest when you think about him—about how easily he betrayed you. It didn’t even seem like he gave it a second thought. You curse yourself for dwelling on the issue and shake your head. You can't afford to waste time on facts you have already accepted. 

You stumble as a man knocks into your shoulder, bringing you out of your thoughts and making you lose your balance. You narrowly miss running into a woman holding hands with a young boy as you struggle to keep yourself up. You flash her a sorry look in response to her dirty one. You really need to figure out where you’re supposed to be going. You’re unfamiliar with Nevarro’s layout so you have no idea what direction you should go.

You walk straight for a few minutes before you decide that isn’t going to get you anywhere. This part of the planet is so ridiculously congested that there's no point in even moving your feet if you don’t have a set path. There's no telling which way you might be swept. kriff, a few minutes from now, you might realize that you had been traveling in a circle, and hadn’t even noticed.

Deciding that you would like to avoid such a circumstance, you push your way out to the side of the crowd so you can find somewhere to get a better view. You have to be quick about it—you know you’re low on time as it is, you can’t waste precious seconds trying to figure out a game-plan. You need to come up with a quick and easy route in a quick and easy fashion. 

Fortunately, as you push your way out of the heated blob of people, you spot a building that looks easy enough to get on top of. It's not super high up, so you won’t attract any unwanted attention, but it’s just tall enough for you to be able to spot the space-port. 

You figure it’s the best plan you’re going to be able to think of for now, so you quickly scramble to the side of the building, stopping in front of the ladder that goes all the way up to the top. Grabbing the first wrung, you begin to climb up, glancing back every now and out of paranoia. Of course, Mando’s never there, but you can’t help but check just in case. 

On the roof, you find that it’s easy—just as you suspected—to spot the port over the thousands of people. You easily map out a path before rushing back down the ladder. It shouldn’t take too long to get to the port, most of the roads you picked out were clear of people for the most part. 

Once your feet are back on the ground, you take off toward the first turn in your plan. It looks pretty busy, but from here it should be smooth sailing.

You become part of the market crowd the second you turn onto the street. Your jaw drops at the sight of so many people in one place. And you had thought there had been a lot of people around the crest… that was nothing. It definitely didn’t look like that many people from above. 

The throng of people is quick to take you into its embrace as you hastily make your way into the streets filled to the brim with shops. Everywhere you look, there is some kind of cart or stand offering some kind of merchandise. You ignore it all as you try to push your way through the crowd. 

It’s a bit hard to do when there are vendors shouting in your ear and popping out in front of you, making you stop briefly as they shove their product in your face. You resist the urge to push people out of your way. You really don’t have the time—or patience—for this right now, but you don’t need to draw unwanted attention. 

You look for signs posted with directions, letting them guide you until you’re able to push your way out of the main strip and into a less crowded street. You let out a breath of relief as you take in your surroundings, noticing the port close by. It’s not a straight shot, but it should only take you another few minutes or so. 

You try to stay discreet as you cling to sides of buildings and use hanging awnings for cover. It’s surprisingly hard to act nonchalant and unsuspicious if you’re trying too hard to do so. Having a price on your head is a real pain in the ass.

Adrenaline starts to sneak into your system as you grow close enough to the ships to decide which one to take. You need to be quick and choose one that will be leaving within the next few minutes. You know well enough to be aware of the fact that security will start to check passengers if there’s word of an escaped bounty. You can feel your breath starting to grow thinner and your body getting hotter. 

There’s a passenger ship near the back of the port. It seems smart enough to catch something like that so you don’t seem like you’re, well, on the run. You look around again before starting that way, breezing past people to find the line for tickets. You cross your fingers that there will be spots available on such short notice. 

As you approach the stand, you discover that there are only a few people waiting to purchase a seat. By the time you’re standing still, there’s only one person in front of you. A warm feeling rushes through your body, making you almost light-headed. You’re so close to escaping. Nobody ever does that.  

“Next!” 

You take a breath as you step up, trying to calm your nerves. 

“Hi, I need to get one ticket to…” you glance at the sign hanging from the stand. “Coruscant.” You wince internally. That probably isn't the best place to go in this situation, but at least you’ll be off of this planet. 

The woman looks at you skeptically, obviously confused by why you didn’t even know where the ship would be going. You flash her what you hope is a disarming smile as she squints and tells you your total none-the-less. 

You quickly swing your bag around and unzip it, pulling out your money. You’re handing it over when you hear your name called from behind you. 

Your heart drops to your ass as you turn, wide eyed, to see Mando running full speed at you. You don’t even have a second to think before you’re running too, scanning the area in front of you for an escape route. 

Curses repeat themselves endlessly in your panicked mind as you spy a ship getting ready to depart. It’s beat up and seedy looking, but it’s also likely your only chance. With one more glance behind you, you turn sharply to the left and make a bee-line for your escape. 

You try to focus on your breathing instead of the Mandalorian quickly gaining on you. The ship you’re headed toward is already starting to descend, and you just about triple your efforts. 

You hear your name again, and it makes you wince. A dull throb starts in your chest. Being this close in proximity with Mando again, but now as official enemies, hurts in a way you didn’t think was possible. 

You’ve been betrayed before, but not in such an intimate way. The fact that he pretended to have genuine interest in you—to engage in sexual acts with you—when he knew the entire time that he would be turning you in for a reward, digs deep into your chest like a rusted knife. 

Tears are obstructing your vision before you can deny them, but you push through until you’re only a few feet away from your ship. The gangplank is still open about halfway, but it should be enough for you to squeeze through by the time you reach it. It’s maybe five feet in the air right now, so it’s going to be tough to get up there.

Mando is only a few feet behind you now. You lunge for the plank with everything you have, and your fingers grasp on by just a few inches, the jagged metal stinging as you pull up enough to get both arms up. 

You look at the ground, seeing Mando coming to a stop from where you just jumped. You’re up too high now for him to jump after you, but you forget he has his jetpack until it comes to life. You scramble up the plank as it continues closing to avoid getting cut in half. 

In the end, it’s your only saving grace. You and Mando are able to see each other face to helmet briefly before you’re closed inside, and you make sure to let him see the raw anguish on your face before it does so. You almost wish he had that stupid helmet off so you could see for yourself if the asshole has any kind of remorse. 

A shuddering breath escapes from your lips as you wipe your tears. You turn around on your knees to examine the ship. It’s dark, dingy, and smells absolutely horrid. There’s no crew in sight, to your absolute relief. 

Resisting the urge to gag at the stench, you begin to crawl quietly away from the closed hatch. There are crates everywhere, taking as much floor space as possible and stacked as high as they can go. You’re confused for a moment as to why there needs to be so much product on board, but then a heavy realization dawns on you. 

These chests are filled with spice. 

You’ve seen these come in at your job at the junkyard. Old ones that had surpassed any kind of use for runners. Never in your life though, have you ever seen so many in one place. You absentmindedly hold your breath as you crawl forward, trying to find a place to hide. 

You stop in your tracks when you hear laughter coming from the cockpit—at least two men. 

Shitshitshitshitshit

There’s no getting out of this if you’re discovered. Your heart races in your chest as fear overtakes your body. You really can’t seem to catch a fucking break, can you?

You look around frantically until you see a small space toward the ceiling. It’s partially covered by a crate, which will make it harder to get to, but better for hiding. You scootch to the end of the crate you’re currently behind, peeking your head out just enough to make sure the hull is clear. 

As soon as you’re in the clear, you bolt as quickly and quietly as you can toward the concealed space. As you approach, you map out the notches and grooves you’re going to use to climb up there. 

Step by shaky step,  you pull yourself up, ignoring the stinging cuts in your hands and forearms from the plank. They’re not very deep or wide, but the strain on them hurts almost just as much. 

The crate at the top wobbles as you put all of your weight on it, the entire stack swaying slightly. Your eyes flutter shut as you mutter a silent prayer. It’s much too precarious for your liking as you swing one leg onto the edge of the cubby. You’re way too close for this plan to fail now. 

You’re only able to take a full breath once your entire body is safely tucked within the small space. It’s cozy, barely enough room for you to sit comfortably. You don’t even think it’s big enough to lay down if you wanted to. 

Chatting and laughter continues from the front of the ship as you slowly pull the crate in front of you to conceal you better. It’s heavy as hell and you have to nudge it inch by inch so as to not make a screeching sound against the one below it. 

Once you’re satisfied with the placement, you lean back against the cold metal wall behind you. Now that the exhaustion is beginning to seep into your bones, you can’t help but think that the feeling reminds you of sitting in the Razor Crest. 

You don’t stop the tears that run down your cheeks now. You deserve to cry after the week you’ve had. 

****

You realize much too late that you have no idea where this ship could be going, nor how long it’s going to take to get there. You have food and water in your bag, but you don’t know how you’re supposed to go about your other…needs. 

Thankfully, it seems that the destination is close enough to only be in hyperspace for what you assume was about half the day. You’re half asleep when you feel the tell-tale jerk of the ship coming out of it. It startles you enough to wake up the rest of the way, and you silently scold yourself for letting your guard down for so long—though you can’t remember exactly when you last got some decent sleep. 

The ship rattles as it cuts through the atmosphere of whatever planet it’s dropping this shit off at. The thought crossed your mind at one point that you could have possibly inhaled some of the spice lingering in the air. 

How great would that be? Trying to plead guilty of whatever crime you supposedly committed and then failing a drug test. Really screams “I’m innocent!” You roll your eyes, tired of your brain making up scenarios to throw you through more hoops. 

The ship stops rattling after a moment, and you can feel the glide as it lowers to the ground. The crates rattle once again as the ship plants itself. The walls of the craft creak and groan as a swaying starts, which is strange considering you’ve definitely landed. 

The motion makes you sick to your stomach, but it’s almost a welcome distraction from the fact that you’re about to piss yourself. You need to find a way off of this death-trap before one of the runners discovers you. 

You hear the gangplank starting to lower, and as it does, a gust of heavy rain pushes into the hull. A cold spray hits your face, making you flinch and cover yourself with your arm. From the sliver of scenery you can see, the sky appears to be dark, but not enough so for it to be night. 

You’ve heard about places like this; planets that storm every day of the year and never see the sunlight. They’re usually only used for fishermen, junk yards, and spots for spice traders to meet up. Which absolutely makes sense at the moment. 

You back into the cubby as much as you can, making yourself scarce as two men walk out of the ship and into the dreadful weather. They appear to be dressed for it, both of them wearing rubber boots and thick raincoats. You watch them until they’re out of sight, and then wait a few minutes before climbing back down to the floor. 

You get low, bending enough to be concealed by the chests until you get to the opening of the ship. You let out a breath of relief upon seeing that there’s no threat anywhere near at the moment. You’re so sick of luck not being on your side. This is definitely a welcome change. 

The rain is bone-chilling as you step out into it, immediately soaking you. It’s so thick that you can barely see in front of you. A couple buildings are within view every couple of seconds when there’s a break in the sheets of rain due to the heavy wind. With no other options, you decide to head that way. 

As you trek through the unforgiving storm, you can’t help but compare the way the fat drops of water hit your face to being cut by shards of glass. Though even if you were being cut, you would never be able to tell with how fast the blood would be washed from your numb skin. 

When you reach the closest building, you don’t waste a second before pushing the door open. The loud atmosphere of a cantina immediately welcomes you into its warmth. Despite the heat, you still shiver as you make your way through the main room and to the back. You rush into the bathroom and wait until a stall empties. 

As you wait, you get a couple strange looks, but you’re too tired to do anything about it. You just want to pee and find some directions to get the hell out of this place.

****

When you get out of the restroom, you spot an empty stool wedged between a burly looking man with a beard and a plump woman who seems to have had one or a dozen too many. Every other spot is full, so you hop up and lean forward, trying to catch the bartender’s attention. 

She works quickly, cleaning glasses in between serving replacements and taking orders. It takes a moment for her to come your way, but when she does, you have her full attention. 

“What can I get you, hon?” 

The bartender is a clean but busy looking woman with frizzy hair and a stained apron. You clock the kindness in her eyes immediately, and decide to put your trust in her. She looks like one of those women who would offer up a pad or tampon even if it was her last one. 

“Hi, uh, I’m actually not looking for a drink,” you say, trying to keep the tremble out of your voice. You’re not sure if it’s there due to the cold, the exhaustion, or the anxiety. “Can you tell me–”

You stop talking when the woman purses her lips and shakes her head. 

“Sorry, babe, I can’t hear you over this damn ruckus,” she gestures to the people around you, and then points to a corner where you assume the entrance to the bar is. “Meet me right there.” At least she can tell you’re not here to party. 

You slide down from your stool and squeeze your way to where she pointed. She’s already there when you get there. She’s taken her apron off, which confuses you slightly. 

“Hey, I–”

“Honey, you need to get out of here,” she cuts you off, hanging up her apron. 

“What, why?” You ask through your stomach dropping. She flashes you a sympathetic look and you return a defeated one. You’re so fucking tired. How long are you going to have to put up with this shit? 

“Bounty Hunter’s Guild just sent out a high stakes bounty warning. Picture looked just like you, babe.” She raises her eyebrows and gives you a pointed look.

You nod at her. Great, so not only do you have pucks out for any hunter that’s willing to find you, but every being in the galaxy has gotten an alert to look out for you. 

“Yup, That would be me.” 

“Mhm, figured. C’mon, let's get you out of this place. I’ve got somewhere you can stay until you can get off-world.” She exits from behind the bar and takes your hand, attempting to pull you with her. 

You give her a wary look, confused as to why she’s helping you. 

“How do I know you’re not turning me in?” 

“Humor me for a second, just come outside at least. Please?” She stops and looks at you, a pleading look in her eyes. 

You lick your lips but decide to follow her. It really doesn’t seem like she wishes you any harm, but you can’t be sure—you never would have thought Mando would, after all. Just outside, like she said. No further until she spills.

You allow her to pull you back the way you came, into the rain, and then down an alley next to the bar. There’s a flickering street lamp tucked under an awning between the two buildings, which the two of you huddle beneath. 

“Look, I’m gonna make this quick,” the woman says before you have a chance to speak. She pauses and watches you intently. You nod at her, signaling for her to continue. 

“I know how this bounty hunting shit is. My sister was hunted for a good while because she was seen outside the scene of a robbery. She was just a pedestrian, but she got taken in and questioned pretty thoroughly and then ended up spending a few nights in a cell. It’s fucked, to put it simply.”

“I don’t even know what I did,” you tell her, your voice cracking just slightly as you shake your head. She gives you that same sympathetic look from the bar. 

“I know. I read the reasoning for your bounty. It was bantha-shit.” 

“Great,” you say, pinching the bridge of your nose. You’re well aware that 90% of the population doesn’t care about that—all they’ll see is the pay for turning you in. 

“There’s a place on the outside of the city, it’s been abandoned for a couple years. I’m pretty sure the heat and water are still connected, but nobody ever goes there. It’s an outdated complex. You okay with staying there for a bit?” 

You nod at her, not knowing what else to say. Maybe a thank you? She’s talking again before you get the chance to do that though. 

“Alright, you stay here for just a second,” she instructs before running back into the bar. You lean up against the building, listening to the rain as you let out a shuddering breath. The woman is only gone for a few seconds before she re-emerges with a piece of paper in her hand. 

“These are the instructions to get there from here,” she says, grabbing your hand and shoving the paper into it. “I’m here if you need me, but please don’t try anything if you don’t have to.” 

You look at her, and then the paper, studying the scratchy writing. 

“Thank you, really,” you tell her. She just nods and releases your hand with a tight-lipped smile. 

“Be safe, hon,” she says before ducking back into the bar. 

The trek to the safe house is absolutely miserable. Everything on your body is soaked down, and the paper the woman gave you was starting to fall apart. You had to keep ducking under buildings and awnings to memorize what you could of the directions. 

You’re glad you did, because by the time you reach the place, the paper is non-legible. The building itself is pretty isolated. It appears to have been apartments at one point, but is now just a tall junkyard. There’s piles upon piles of trash around it, but you suppose that only gives more of a reason for people to not go inside. 

Unfortunately for you, you don’t exactly have a choice in the matter. You run up to the first door you see, and curse when you try to pull it open. It’s locked, of fucking course. 

You walk around to the side of the building until you see a window that’s not boarded up. Your palms slip against it as you try to get some leverage to push it up, but with some persistence, it comes loose. You almost fall when it springs up, but at least it’s towards the room inside. 

You glance behind you one more time before pushing yourself in. You close the window behind you and take a deep breath as the deafening storm is somewhat quitened. It’s cold in the room you find yourself in, but it’s far better than being out in that shit. 

Looking around, you spot a stove surrounded by counter space, hanging cabinets, and a small, round table accompanied by four outdated chairs. Definitely a kitchen. There’s what appears to be a hall to your right. You walk toward it, trying to hold back your shivering. 

It’s not super long, but you notice how eerily quiet it is as you walk though. On the other side, there’s a room with a bed and a couch. There are three doors, which you can only assume lead to a bathroom, a closet, and the main hall of the building. 

You open the first door, which goes out into the hall. It sends a gust of even colder air into the room, making your teeth chatter as it envelops your wet body. You look left and right, and then reluctantly step into the freezing hallway. It’s dark as shit, but the occasional uncovered window allows enough—albeit dim—lighting to lead you toward the stairwell. 

There’s a sign tacked on the wall there, and you sigh with relief as you spot the directions to the maintenance room. That must be where you can flip the heat on. It’s not far, just down the first staircase and down the hall a little. Without the windows, the room is even darker than the rest of the building. 

You mutter a curse under your breath, figuring that your best bet is going to be blindly running your hands around the walls until you find a switch. You put your hands out and start to glide them slowly left to right, and then up and down until you find an abnormality in the wall. 

You shudder, trying to ignore the cobwebs that have accumulated on the panel which are now sticking to your hands. As long as they’re not spiders, it’s okay. You hesitantly flip the first one, and then the second. Nothing happens in your area, but you swear you hear a click come from one of the floors above you. 

In quick succession, you flip the rest of the switches, and a light finally comes above you once you reach the second to last one. You huff out a breathy laugh at your luck. Now that you aren’t in total darkness, you can clearly see the other panels around you, along with their labels. 

You flip the switch for water, and then another for heat. A low humming starts above you as you do so, indicating that at least the latter is working. 

A piping hot shower and half a ration bar later, you’re laying on top of a bed under a heater, still trying to warm up. You feel the most relaxed you have since you found your bounty puck, although it still isn’t enough to fall asleep without keeping an eye open. Eventually, though, the humming from the heating system lulls you enough to fall into a half-sleep. 

****

You spend three days on what you’ve learned is Attera Bravo before you run out of luck. Word of a Mandalorian bounty hunter is quickly spread, and you catch wind of such as you pay a visit to town for more rations. The panic which had ebbed away after the last few days is suddenly back in full force. 

You really thought you would have a second to catch your breath, but you’re quickly learning that there is no such thing when there’s a price on your head. While you’re in town, you pick up a few rations on the outskirts, and that’s it. You had wanted to find a rain jacket on your trip, but you decide not to risk being in town for too long. 

So you begin to make the trip back to the safe house without a cover from the cold, biting rain. It sucks ass, but it’s better than carbonite. Even though you’re on the outskirts, you still hug the sides of buildings as you make your exit. Your head keeps snapping towards the slightest movements; a flickering street lamp, a closing door, a flash of far away lightning. 

You break off into a sprint as soon as you’re a few feet away from the cover of the nearest building. You don’t look back as you push yourself, not wanting to risk slowing down. All you can see is the terrifying image of Mando catching up with you like he did on Nevarro. 

You glance at the spaceport as you run past, seeing if you can get a glimpse of the Razor Crest. You don’t see it, but that’s probably for the best. There’s no mistaking that the Mandalorian bounty hunter the town’s people are talking about is your Mandalorian bounty hunter, but seeing the Crest would probably crack something within you. That would mean that the kid is likely with him, and you can’t afford to think about him right now. 

You can hear your heavy breaths over the sound of the rain, and you choose to focus on that instead of the icy chill. You try to take breaths in through your nose to calm yourself, but you just get a nose full of water, so you scratch that and continue your panicked breaths through your mouth. 

Breath in, breath out, breath in, breath out, breath in–

Your breath hitches. There’s a buzz coming from behind you, steadily growing louder. You spare a glance over your shoulder, and you can just make out the headlights of what looks to be a speeder bike. The pathetic “no” that leaves your mouth would be extremely embarrassing if anyone were around to hear it. 

You try to pick up your pace, but almost trip with your effort. The bike is getting closer, you don’t have to look again to know. There’s no way you’re going to outrun it. You have an idea, but it’s going to be risky. You grit your teeth, thinking it over, and decide that the risk is better than definitely getting caught. 

You stop suddenly, just for a second, until the bike is almost to you. Then you turn around, seeing Mando atop it, only a bit away. He didn’t anticipate your stop, and doesn’t register the fact that he needs to slow down until you’re running past him and back toward town. 

You don’t get much of a head start, but luckily the space port is still close enough that it’s not absolutely necessary. As soon as you’re close enough, you dive around a crate to get out of the way of the speeder. Mando arrives right behind you, quick to hop off it and start on foot after you.

You make your way to where you remember the ship you came on had landed. The last time you passed here, you remember seeing the gangplank open. Either they make routine stops, or they’re here for a while. Either way, it means that your escape will be aided by the same ship that helped you the first time. 

By some incredible luck, it’s still there. There’s a group of relatively shady people gathered a few yards away from it, standing under a wing of another ship, but you’re getting used to dealing with shady things at this point. You run past them, not intending to stop until you’re alone without the threat of Mando. 

Without stopping to turn around or even check if there are people in the ship, you run up the plank, slamming your palm over the button to close it behind you. You hear a couple panicked “Hey”s from behind you, which you can only assume is the protests of the guys who own this ship. You run into the cockpit, which is thankfully empty. 

You start to flick switches and pull knobs, everything you can try to get this thing off the ground in the fastest amount of time. If you learned anything on the Crest, it’s how to work a ship’s panel. You hear pangs coming from the closing door, and look out the window to see that half of the group from earlier has run off, and are likely the source of the sound. 

You looked out just in time to see your Mandalorian coming to a stop in front of the other half of the group, who are blocking him from getting further toward you. You huff out a tiny laugh. Take that, asshole. The ship starts to ascend just as Mando throws his first punch. 

****

Once you’re back into space, your heart gets the memo that it can stop working overtime. You decide you’ll just cruise for a bit while you figure out where the best place to go would be—assuming Mando will be occupied with his opponents below for a moment. It needs to be somewhere pretty isolated and unknown for the most part, but also not painfully obvious. 

You consider going back to Jakku for a moment, but scratch that idea quickly. You would for sure be turned in by someone there. And besides, Mando would look there eventually. 

You sigh and lean back in the outdated pilot’s seat, staring at the stars around you. You hadn’t realized how much you missed this view. It’s quiet and peaceful, and it almost makes you forget everything you’re dealing with right now. A lump catches in your throat at that thought. 

You really don’t understand how you’re going to get through this. You don’t want to spend the rest of your life running; that’s no life at all. To be in constant fear of being caught, never being able to settle down, never able to make connections. It genuinely makes you sick to your stomach. 

You lean back and put one hand over your eyes as you try to think about what your next step is. It also needs to be somewhere where you can get more supplies. You need more clothes since all yours have been pretty weathered by the constant rain. You’re also going to need money at some point. 

How are you going to do that? Something tells you that you won’t be able to just snag a job along the way. You sit forward in your seat again, shaking your head. The air con on the ship has kicked on, hitting your drenched body and making your teeth chatter as you pull up the navigation system to browse nearby planets. 

You’re only pressing the first button when the ship suddenly jolts, a crashing sound coming from the back. It scares the shit out of you, your hand clutching tightly to your chest as you spring up out of your seat and look behind you. 

An alarm sounds, frightening you more as you realize that you’ve just been hit. The impact didn’t seem like enough to do a lot of damage, but you have no idea how to work the cannons on this thing—if there are any cannons at all. Judging by the looks of this thing, if it is equipped with a weapons system, it’s likely out of date and of no use to you. 

You speed up and grab the steering to quickly turn to the right, trying to get out from in front of the offending ship. Maybe if you can get behind them and far enough away, you’ll be able to get into hyperspace. It seems that your best bet is going to be running. You’re sensing a bit of a pattern at this point. 

You grit your teeth as the ship tilts slightly with the momentum of your turn. A couple of left over bins in the hull spill over, making you wince at the crashing sounds. There’s suddenly a sweet smell, and you close your eyes briefly as you pray that there wasn’t any spice in those crates. 

It was only for a split second, but when your eyes open, you’re face to face with another small craft. You swerve again to keep out of its way. As you do so, another pops up in your path, and then another, each of them coming out of hyperspace in quick succession. 

Your heartbeat picks up with your panic as you realize you’re surrounded. You can’t see behind you, and there’s no way to go forward. There’s got to be at least five or six of them, and they’re probably carrying between at least four to eight people a piece. They could take you out right now if they wanted. 

Gulping down your anxiety, you do the most rational thing you can think of in the moment, and reluctantly slow down to a gentle drift. As the ships come in closer with your surrender, you think ahead. If they take you onto one of their ships, you might be able to—

Your train of thought is stopped as you get an alert of an incoming transmission on the dash. You breathe out a shaky breath and press the button to accept it. 

A holo-image of an extremely pissed looking Weequay sprouts from the com. You stand tall and put on a brave face. He stares at you, his eyes narrowing. You gulp, hoping it goes unnoticed. There’s a sour taste in your mouth, and a sick feeling in your stomach. You don’t know if you’re getting out of this one. 

To make matters worse, the spice that had spilled with your turn is starting to creep up to the cockpit in a thick fog. The rusty-orange looking powder floats higher with every second, the effects quickly making you dizzy. 

“Okay, girl,” the rugged looking creature drawls with a weird accent you can’t quite place. “I personally was having a good day today, and I think you should know that, first of all.”

You furrow your brow but don’t interrupt. The creature starts to pace slightly as he speaks in a casual tone. 

“Everything was going great, I was making good sales, had deals going for that spice you have in my ship—which I’m sure you’ve discovered at this point. I was just about to have my guys deal with it—and then I got the call that some bitch stole my ship containing the goods. Would you know anything about that, sweetheart?” 

You wince lightly at the insulting pet name, a stark difference from the way Mando used to say it. The dust around you is starting to pick up to the point where your eyes are stinging. You wish you could think of something to say back, but all you can focus on is the bile crawling up your throat. 

“Hm, I think you would,” he stops to say flatly. “Now, my initial plan had been to force you off my ship and maybe take you out to have a little fun! Told my guys they deserve to have a little treat on me after their hard work the last few days. We’d just need you for a little bit, I’m sure these guys don’t have much stamina if you know what I mean…”

The man continues talking, but you’ve frozen in place. Your stomach twists at his threats, and you suddenly feel the need to throw up. The spice growing thicker around you is definitely not helping that factor. 

“...would have been such a good time,” you zone back into the man’s vulgar words. Letting your gaze drift back to him from where it had fallen to the floor. You find yourself wishing for Mando, for the safety you felt as you laid so briefly within his comforting arms. You want to punch yourself for thinking that. 

The pirate, obviously annoyed with your lack of response, continues rambling about this inconvenience, but you can hardly hear him through the ringing growing louder in your ears. The truth that you’re finally trapped is just catching up to you. 

 “Anyways, when I found your bounty poster, I thought just for a second that it must be your lucky day! But then, I figured that whoever wants you probably doesn’t give a shit about what kind of condition you’re in.” 

He laughs at the increasingly panicked look on your face. 

“Don’t worry, sweetheart! We won’t go too hard on you now. As long as you cooperate, of course. Just be good for us and we’ll send you to Nevarro without so much as a—”

There’s another crash from behind you, but this time it’s not your ship taking the damage. The man in front of you swivels around, straining to see the source of the sound. His eyes widen, and so do yours when you see the fear in his eyes. You take a step back. 

“What the—” 

The pirate is cut off again as his ship abruptly explodes right in front of you. His holo-image glitches out as you scream, falling back into your seat. Your ship is knocked back slightly at the same time you feel two other crafts quickly flying by you, chasing the shadow of the one you see above you. 

Two ships emerge from either side of you, and your heart skips a beat once you catch a glimpse of the one they’re chasing. You know that ship. Two of the smaller crafts race after the Razor Crest as it trails them away from you. 

That doesn’t mean you’re surrendering to anybody today. Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, you scramble to push the thrusters, planning to get as far away from here as you can. The two ships that aren’t tailing the Crest suddenly change direction to follow you instead. Shit.

You continue forward at full speed, making quick turns and dodges to throw off the idiots behind you. Unfortunately, it’s not working in your favor. You feel your ship jolt as a blast lands on the surface of it. You hear the sound of something powering down. 

Your craft slows to about half its speed, making you cry out in frustration. Out of the corner of your eye, you see the Crest take out one of the ships that had been pursuing it. Another hit comes to your ship, and this time the hit is so great that you jolt forward and almost hit your head on the dash. 

Another one immediately follows, and this time you do slip out of your chair and smack your head on the edge of the panel. Your vision blacks for a second, and you know it has to be at least a small concussion. A ringing starts back in your ears again as your vision blurs slightly. A big flash blinds you momentarily as—at least you assume—Mando takes out the other craft on his trail in front of your ship. 

For a second, nothing makes sense. There’s another blow to the side of your craft, and then one more, one right after the other. You get rocked back and forth forcefully, only making you more confused. There’s too much going on at once for you to process; time’s moving too slowly and the spice is making you hazy and the alarm’s too loud and there’s another big crash and muffled explosion as another ship is annihilated. 

You scramble, trying to stay up straight as you use your chair to push yourself up. You need to find a way to get out of here before you’re left alone with Mando. Does the hyperspace still work on this thing? Too bad you won’t find out, because as you reach for the dash, you get sent forward and smack your head again. This time, everything goes black.

***** Thank you for reading!! I'm going to try to have another part out in a few weeks!! I'm also making a taglist for this series if anyone would like to join.

[sallage]

An Unexpected Fight

The Unexpected Fight Series

Part 1

Warning: This is a tickle fic!

Summary: After "Winning" the sports festival years ago, Bakugo saw an opportunity to redeem himself in a student organized 1v1 circuit, where he faces off against Aya.

Pairing: Lee Bakugo, Ler Aya

Words: 5,510

Reading Time: 22 Minutes

A/N: Here is it! Part 1 of The Unexpected Fight series! I will admit, it was hard to rewrite this one and I'm not satisfied with it, but hopefully the rest will fall into place. Enjoy!

Read more ∘₊✧ Here ✧₊∘

A malicious grin slithered across Bakugo’s face.

His eyes flashed across his challenger, who was seated on a bench deep in thought. Her hands were in her lap and she seemed to be entirely focused on what she was doing, eyes closed in quiet meditation.

Bakugo was currently taking part in a student organized 1v1 circuit, particularly because of his “victory” at the sports festival from years ago. Each class was competing separately, and the winners of their respective groups would fight one another in a series of battles until only a single victor remained. As the blonde who had defeated his class was now getting ready to fight the other winners, Bakugo could not be bothered to even remember the name of the victor currently fucking around on the bench. He stood and waited for the match to start, not particularly concerned with whatever trick this feeble-looking woman could pull.

Bakugo exhaled a confident and arrogant scoff, doing a side lunge to loosen up and prepare for the upcoming fight. His thoughts were filled with various combat strategies, trying to decide on the best course of action for a quick victory. 

“Kacchan!” 

Bakugo's mood immediately shifted when he heard a familiar, shrill voice slither into his ears and knock around annoyingly inside his head. From the corner of his eye, his gaze landed on Deku, who was racing toward him like a green bat out of hell.

 “Hey, Kacchan! I know you’re busy getting ready, but I wanted to tell you something about-” 

Bakugo huffed obnoxiously, not bothering to hide a twisted and annoyed expression. “You think you can tell me something I don’t already know, nerd? Take a hike.” 

“But it’s about Aya’s quirk, you’re not going to expect-“

“I know a hell of a lot more than you, Deku! I don’t give a shit about what your damn strategies are! Fuck off.” 

Deku didn’t move. Instead, he rubbed the side of his arm anxiously. Bakugo’s eyes locked on the nervous movement like a shark, growing one hundred times more impatient with each passing second. He could tell that Deku was debating on either insisting or letting it go, probably mumbling up a fucking storm in his own head As much as Bakugo would have loved to watch the nerd explode from overloading his own mind, he just didn’t have the time.

“Well, hurry up and spit it out if you’re just going to fucking stand there. I don’t got all day!”

Deku looked back up at him and before he could lose his nerve, he came right out and asked. “A-are you still ticklish? Like from when we were kids?”

Bakugo froze. He would have cracked his neck if he whirled on Deku any faster than he did. “Huh? What the hell kind of question is that?”

Deku bit his lip, already regretting his approach. “It’s not- I mean, if you are-”

“Shut up.” Bakugo smoothly rose from the stretch and strolled up to Deku, getting in his face. “I grew out of that childish shit ages ago, got it? Now get the hell out of here before I blast you for wasting my time!”

“Kacchan please, I-its important- I mean, I just found out-“ 

“I’m not gonna say it again!” Bakugo grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. “Take the hint, you moron! Get lost!” Bakugo gave Deku a firm shove, not enough to knock him down, but enough to get his point across. Midoriya stumbled and stared at Bakugo with wide eyes filled with irritation, gripping his own fists tightly in anger.

“Fine.” Deku closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and opened them again. His emerald orbs softened into an expression that Bakugo almost didn’t recognize.

Pity.

“Good luck, Kacchan.”

With that, Deku turned and walked away.

Bakugo maintained a steady, unyielding gaze as Deku left, irritated that he had been pulled away from his preparations by such a weird and unnecessary distraction. He returned to his routine, pushing out Deku's interruption and any impact it had on his train of thought. Finally, a pair of ringing chimes alerted him to the start of the battle, at which point Bakugo confidently stepped onto the designated platform, his body filled with the vibrant energy and thrumming anticipation.

He stared at Aya from across the arena, his expression shifting to annoyance as he spotted her small frame and emotionless stare. Her curly hair coiled past her shoulders like winding trails of black smoke that rise from flames. Her cinnamon hued skin was riddled with healed over scars and trauma, one particularly curious one started at the back of her ear, wrapped down the front of her neck, and disappeared with a winding stretch underneath the collar of her shirt. Her eyes were wide and golden brown, like the afternoon sun shining through a glass of whiskey. 

He gave her one of his maniacal smiles. “You sure you wanna do this?” He unfurled his fist, letting powerful explosions slip through the cracks of his clawed hands, but his overcooked smugness faded slightly when her eyes refocused on his.

In one second, he felt the dynamic of the entire fight shift.

The vivid brown in her eyes disappeared, completely eclipsed in black, shining in the darkened emptiness of her pupils like a dying star before its collapse. There was something mischievous behind them that Bakugo couldn’t grasp, like an inside joke between friends that he wasn’t in on. Alarm bells instantly clambered around inside his head as he now began to question what the hell her quirk was. 

Shit

Ding!

Without hesitation, he used an explosion to propel himself into the air, before angling his body and firing himself downwards like a missile. The force generated from the blasts carried him forward with incredible speed, aimed directly towards her. With his extended hand, Bakugo launched a rapid barrage of explosions and without pausing to see if any of the blasts hit, he landed back on the ground with a heavy THUNK, and triggered one final explosion, causing the arena to tremble and shake with a deafening boom. The ground underfoot cracked and splintered from the force of the blast, and the heat generated by the explosion lingered briefly, filling the area with a fiery glow. Sparks and smoke covered the entire battle field, but through the thickness of it, he frowned. Lifting his hand from the lose ground, he looked at it, then looked around, dumbfounded.

She fucking dodged it. 

How the hell-

“Pssst.” A whisper behind him made him start. 

He whirled, but she leaned back, avoiding his sparking fist. She took advantage of his momentum and pushed his shoulder with the flow of the punch, causing him to stumble and flop onto his back. Bakugo let out a frustrated growl, quickly getting back onto his feet with a swift hop.

Aya stood in front of him, hands casually slung in the pockets of a hoodie she pulled over her uniform. Her eyes were half closed, sporting a bored and uninterested look. She waved away the smoke in her face, eyes locking on Bakugo.

He snarled. “You’re dead, freak.” 

He raised his arm. Explosions popped and flashed brightly through the smoke, lighting up the foggy area like a chaotic, flickering light show. He was about to end the fight in less than a minute when he suddenly gasped and slammed his arm by his side, the explosions in his hand dissipating in a cloud of black smoke. As quick as the feeling came, it disappeared. Keeping Aya in his sights, he quickly searched for anything that may have caused the unusual tingling sensation he felt under his arm.

The corner of Aya’s lip tugged upward.

Bakugo gifted her with a dirty look through narrowed eyes. Lifting his arm, he prepared to shoot out explosions again, but just before they started, he felt that strange, tingling sensation again, only this time it was more intense, like a worm or something was wiggling wildly against his armpit while fingers were spidering and poking down to his ribs. He shouted in startled surprise and shoved his arm hard against his side, his second hand automatically reaching under his arm to grasp whatever that was. Once more, he felt nothing, and his grip closed around empty air.

“The hell?” Bakugo looked himself over before his gaze fell on Aya. She tilted her head to the side and raised her eyebrows, an expression that read, "Do you get it yet?" 

“What the hell's going on here?" Bakugo's voice conveyed an obvious and palpable sense of frustration.

Aya's unbothered expression and overall demeanor could only be described as casually smug. She stood there with her hands in her pockets, treating the situation like it was nothing special, in a way that only added to Bakugo's frustration and growing embarrassment.

“Give up.”

Bakugo’s eyes grew wide. “What?”

“Surrender. Cry uncle, whatever you prefer.” Despite her neutral expression and tone, Aya's confidence rivaled Bakugo's, a show of strength and assurance that the mysterious girl held her own against the explosive fighter. “Give up.”

Bakugo huffed in disbelief and slowly assumed his classic fighting stance. “If you think I’m giving up without a fight,” He lit up explosions from both of his hands this time. “Then you’re dummer then you look, you frizzy headed freak!”

Her expression never changed, as if his insults were nothing but whispers in the wind.

“Why are you still standing there?” Bakugo gathered his explosives. “Fight me!”

This time, he changed up his strategy, releasing the explosions before his arms even moved, shooting them above his head, and chucking them toward her. Each explosion was condensed and rapid, flying at her with speeds faster than anyone could blink. The concentrated blasts would be impossible to block, and should cause her to be thrown back and knocked off her feet. 

The arena quickly filled with smoke as a few rushed and rouge explosions crashed to the ground, causing smoke to billow upwards and obscure his view. Bakugo was just about to blast himself over to Aya to deal the final blow, only to pause after seeing her clear some of the smoke with a causal wave. She was exactly as she was before, with the only difference being her slight movement to the right.

Right when their eyes locked, his surprise was cut short by the sensations that washed over him, causing him to nearly choke as he gasped and clutched his abdomen. His eyes widened as he stared down at his stomach, which felt as if a pack of fingernails were lightly scrabbling up and down on the surface of his skin, beneath his clothing. He grabbed a fistful of his shirt and pulled it to the side, revealing nothing but the smoothness of his skin and the groves of his abs. Even so, the sensations persisted. Bakugo's eyes flashed to Aya, where she gave a knowing, condescending nod.

Bakugo cursed, feeling a new sense of urgency as the reality of the situation quickly sank in. Aya's quirk seemed to possess the power to manipulate his nerves or his brain, to the point of inducing physical sensations that were not actually there. It was as if his sense of reality had been hijacked. The sensations on his stomach grew stronger, the nails slowly and interchangeably scratching at his skin expanded outwards, teasing the waistline of his pants and the sides of his toned belly. He clenched his hands into fists and his face twitched.

Instead of giving him a dignifying fight, she was playing with him.

This is exactly what Deku was trying to tell him. 

That puny bastard.

Aya noticed his mind working. She raised her eyebrows and nodded slightly towards the small crowd trying to gaze through the smoke, silently asking him if he truly wanted to go through with this in front of everyone.

Bakugo bared his teeth. “Listen here, if you don’t wanna get fucked up-”

Aya put her hand up. "You're out of your league here. Give up and I wont embarrass you.” 

Bakugo froze, his mouth set in a sneer as he stood firm in the face of Aya's challenge. There was no way he could give up, especially before anything even happened. Bakugo tried to recall the last time he was tickled, the memory bringing him all the way back to elementary school. He knew that he might still be a little ticklish, but enough to become incapacitated and unable to fight? He highly doubted it. The whole concept sounded incredibly ridiculous to him and it brought the confidence that he needed back to his face in the from of a cocky smile. If this hag was going to try to tickle him into giving up, she had another thing coming. 

As the crowd waited patiently for visualization to return, Bakugo lit up some more explosions in his hands, finding strength in his confidence.

“That kindergarten bullshit doesn’t work on me, but you can fucking try!” Bakugo blasted himself upwards, rising high above Aya to create space between them. He hoped that the distance would make it harder for her to use the quirk so if anything, he could take her out from the air. That plan was immediately thwarted when he felt a flurry of light finger scratches scraping rapidly against his sides. He growled and sent another barrage of explosive blasts down towards her, trying to push her back and give himself time to figure out how to gain the upper hand. Distance didn’t work, so maybe-

“AH!” 

A sudden burst of fingers rubbing, scribbling, and squeezing in his armpits forced an unrestrained squawk out of him, causing him to abruptly halt his ascent to shove his hands under his arms. It felt like there were three hands in each armpit, One set of thumbs kneading torturously at the bottom, another set of fingers scribbling endlessly in the center, and another hitting an impossible angle right at the top tendon where his bicep connected with the top rim of his underarms. Each hand rotated spots and techniques, maintaining a constant and inconsistent method. Caught off guard by the sheer numbers and intensity, Bakugo folded in on himself, elbows clamped to his sides. Choked laughter hiccuped in his throat, and even high in the air where no one could hear him, he struggled not to make a sound. His eyes widened when the fingers suddenly grew nails, causing him to go back on his pledge and splutter, his mind momentarily overwhelmed by the sensations of manicure-inspired torment.

As the ground grew closer, his chances of landing safely rapidly declined. The initial attack subsided halfway through his fall, but each time he lifted his arms to take control of it, the tickling would start again and he’d be forced to slam his arms back down. Finally, he had no choice but to keep his arms up and as he did so, a harsh and rapid squeezing sensation from all three sets of hands caused him to accidentally launch himself past his desired landing spot and across the field with a loud bark of laughter.

Bakugo slammed into the ground, his back taking the brunt of the impact. He had no time to pick himself back up before he felt the nails and fingers of Aya's quirk scribbling against his neck, collarbones, and even his shoulders. The sensation wasn’t nearly as strong as before, but with each scratch and scribble, he felt goosebumps spread along his skin. He rubbed at his neck as he stood, but the effort was useless. He groaned in frustration, stretching out his shoulder in time to see Aya, who had taken the small trip to meet him at the corner of the field. 

—

Izuku watched with concern as the smoke from Kacchan’s explosions continued to shroud the fight between he and Aya. Even though Kacchan acted like a total jerk, Izuku still felt the need to protect him. Midoriya didn't think it would be easy trying to warn the angry blonde about Aya, but he didn't imagine it would be that difficult. After receiving insider information from one of Aya’s classmates, he raced to find his childhood friend, hoping he could at least get a few words in before being kicked out or ignored completely. Unfortunately, he was hardly able to get a few words out before the other hit his boiling point. 

The warning had been given to the best of his ability, and that was all Midoriya could hope for at that point.

Aya's personality was well-suited to her quirk, which specialized in the manipulation of physical sensations, allowing her to impose and replicate almost any kind of sensory feeling on anyone she could lay her eyes on. Her quirk, coupled with her lack of empathy and remorse, unpleasant upbringing, and strong distrust of anyone she meets, made her a very scary and dangerous person to face.

Aya knew that her quirk, while powerful and insidious, would not be allowed in the tournament without some degree of restriction, as openly torturing students into resigning using pain and bodily harm was grounds for disqualification. Her creativity and outside-the-box thinking allowed her to find a whole new way to play, one that would prove incredibly effective. Her creativity and resourcefulness paid off, allowing her to beat her class and take the crown through her unique, unorthodox, and innovative use of her quirk. 

“AH!”

Suddenly there was a break in the mist. Izuku’s head tilted up, watching as his friend clamped his elbows to his sides and doubled over, face scrunched in effort. Midoriya bounced his leg impatiently when Kacchan let himself fall right back down. 

He sighed. 

No matter how the blonde treated him, he still wanted to see him succeed.

—

“Bastard!” 

Bakugo struggled to contain his sounds of discomfort, biting the inside of his cheek to maintain control over his twitchy reactions. The fingernails were beginning to spread out, from his neck and shoulders, down to his chest. He felt them teasingly brush over his pecks, the outer edge of his underarms and the inner sides of his ribs near his stomach, sending violent shivers down his spine. He held back the impulse to slap and claw at his body, feeling like there were bugs ticklishly crawling around underneath his shirt. He flinched when he felt fingers start to lightly and tentatively, intermittently squeeze his lower ribs and scratch at the edges of his belly.

“Y-You scared to actually fight or something? Ss-stop this stupid shit!”

Aya shook her head like she was disappointed. “Give up.”

He would rather die.

“Fuck off.” He sneered. His body was stiff with effort, and he closed his hands into tight fists. He cursed himself for not even being able to keep his arms up long enough for an accurate blast, or to save himself from a fall. Unless he wanted to become a blabbering incoherent mess on the floor, He needed to think of something.

His thoughts were interrupted by a harsh squeeze to his flanks, to which he reacted with a closed mouth groan and a quick bend to the side. “Fuck you! This is what you use your lame ass quirk for? Did the others tap out because you bored them into it? How the hell did you get this far with this weak shit? I’ll kill you and throw your damn head in the ocean.”

Aya’s amusement faded. “Last chance.”

“Fuck you and your chaAH!”

Bakugo spluttered and contorted his face into a pain induced expression, biting his cheek so hard, he tasted blood. He pushed harsh air through clenched teeth and pursed lips as he felt thumbs digging into his hips, rubbing the bone in agonizing circles. He felt stupid little girl giggles building up in the back of his throat but he quickly swallowed it. The worst part was having to stand there as it was happening, the blonde refusing to move and show any kind of weakness as he was getting the shit tickled out of him. He moved his arm slightly to the side, hoping to sneak a small explosion that would at least create some distance between them, but the flurry of tickles attacked his armpits again causing him to yell out and shove his elbows against his sides once more. Aya rolled her eyes at his efforts.

Bakugo was running out of options, and he realized that he couldn't just stand there and let Aya control the fight. He had to make a move. Quicker than she could react, he raised both arms, this time keeping them up when the flurry of fingers attacked, and blasted a sloppy round of explosions towards her, squeezing out a only few small, concentrated rounds before a crushing sensation closed in around his neck, like a steel bar randomly dropped on it. He stumbled backwards, hand gripping his throat before he tripped and fell hard on his back. As soon as his back hit the ground, the feeling on his neck lightened, but he felt his arms and legs prickle and give out, as if they had fallen asleep. He tried to move his arms, but it felt like they lost their integrity, only twitching in response.

Aya walked into his field of vision, a red and angry looking welt shone on her leg, shoulder, and chest, the wounds looking considerably bad under her singed clothes. Bakugo’s eyes flashed with recognition. 

He finally fucking hit her! “I hope that stings, hag.” He hissed.

 The look on Aya’s face went dark. "You're lucky we're not somewhere else, or I'd really be torturing you."

Her face twitched and Bakugo felt his limbs grow heavier, as if they were made of led. He grunted and struggled, able to buck his hips, move his elbows and knees, but even with a tremendous amount of effort, his arms and shins only lifted slightly. 

He grunted. “What the actual-” 

She leaned over him, so her face was directly above his. Her eyes were as black as they appeared, soulless and deep. A few drops of blood leaked from her shoulder, dripping down next to Bakugo’s head. 

She clenched her jaw, eyes flashing with sadism. “I’m not going to stop until you piss yourself or pass out.” 

Bakugo only had one second to register that sentence before hell unleashed on his body. 

He screamed as an immediately intense ticklish sensation bloomed on his stomach. It felt like fingers, nails, and brushes were all attacking him at the same time. The nails scratched at the top of his stomach right underneath his ribs, each individual finger nail on two hands scratching in small circles, following the downward slope of his ribs.

Another pair of hands scratched and kneaded his abs, using deviously sharp nails to trace and outline the prominent groves. Two nails, one on each side, scratched that horribly sensitive spot right at the corners of his stomach where it connected to his sides.

Fingers squeezed the area at his lower belly right above the waist line of his pants, hitting a sweet spot directly above his hips. Brushes scrubbed torturously on the pads of his abs and on his outer stomach, a rouge pair venturing out to tease his sides and slip over towards his back. The brushes that left the pack, used the very tips of their nonexistent bristles to tease his lower back at the spot where they connected to the outer part of his flanks. Even worse, the sensation spread without respite to the source, winding about in unholy circles. One small nail circled around his belly button, occasionally dipping into it to scratch at the inner walls at random.

He was able to hold still for for all of one second.

Bakugo slammed his head back against the ground so hard, his vision doubled. His shoulders lifted as much as they could from the ground and he shook his head back and forth. His face grew red and his eyes squinted shut. His breathing escalated and he pushed it out in one long breath, punctuating the last few seconds of it in an animalistic growl. His reaction was majorly grunts, curses and growls, the occasion shout and laugh disguised as a cough when the any of them honed in on a sweet spot. No matter how hard he pressed his back into the ground, the brushed persisted.

“FffffFFFFfffffFFHFHFHFHFFFFF-” 

Aya’s eyebrows rose mockingly in a surprised look. “Hm. That technique usually has everyone kicking and screaming.”

“MMMGGGHHH!”

Bakugo was sweating. The tickling he felt all over his stomach and lower back never dulled or tapered off. It stayed consistent, seeking out the worst spots to focus on. A pair of nails found that the jelly fishing technique at the center of his stomach made him writhe. A set of brushes found that interchangeably poking their bristles underneath and along the waistline of his pants made him buck. A pair of hands found that dragging their long nails slowly up his sides while wiggling them slightly made him desperately try to pull his body upwards, so they did that over and over and over again. His twitching and head banging evolved into bucking and desperate pulls at his limbs as the sentient and bogus tickle tools learned more about his body and manipulated it. He had never felt anything this torturous in his life, and God, he wanted it to stop.

And it only got worse.

Bakugo’s body seized when he felt fingers start to climb his ribs. The urgency in his struggling increased, involuntary yelps and muffled laughs slipping past his tight lips. He arched his back and spluttered, losing his composure more and more with each rung the fingers climbed. He pushed his head up so he could look down at his body. His eyes darted over the exact spots he was being tormented, but there was nothing to show for it. He tried again to move his arms, the effort monumental and pointless.

“FFFHMHMHMHMHM!” 

Aya was saying something, but he couldn’t hear any of it over the war he was fighting.

The fingers suddenly switched up. Instead of scratching, they started rubbing and kneading into the bottom half of his ribs, causing him to jolt and buck. Giggles escaped freely in the form of closed mouth humming, occasionally slipping through the cracks in his lips in the form of pained laughter. Aya leaned in closer, her small fingers wrapping themselves around Bakugo's wrists. With a slow and delicate movement, she lifted his hands up and positioned them by his head, his fingers twitching as he tried to resist. He realized that Aya did this not because she needed access, but just to make him feel as exposed and as vulnerable as possible. He hated himself for how well it worked.

Then he felt three pairs of hands attack his armpits. 

His mouth and eyes shot open, appearing as if he was laughing even before the sound came out.

“FFFFFFFFFFAHAHAHAHAK! AHH! AHAH!  FAHAKING SHIHIT! GAHA- GAHAHAD DAMN IHIHIHIT! NAHAHAHA STAHAHAHAP!”

Aya nodded. “Thats more like it.”

With his arms strained from the constant pressure he was exerting on them, Bakugo felt the fingers pressing and rotating into the grooves of his ribs, following the bones all the way to his back. He began to flail and thrash, bucking his hips and shifting his body from side to side. Bouncing his knees and flapping his elbows. Bakugo knew he looked absolutely ridiculous, he didn't care at this point.

“WAIT WHAIT WAHAHAHAHAHAHIHI- AHH! OHHOO MY- GAHH! WHAHAT THE FAHAHAHAK IS THAHAHA?!” 

He felt hundreds of thin fuzzy tentacles slither under his shirt, caressing his twitching body and hitting the little spots the fingers and brushes weren’t focused on. He felt them slither over his entire back, hitting a largely sensitive spot underneath his shoulder blades, running up his spine, squirming on the back of his neck, and wiggling over his collarbones. He felt them slither maddeningly over his flanks, making him buck and throw his weight around. He jolted hard when he felt arms wrap around him from behind and slowly massage his upper ribs. Bakugo shook his head rapidly, voice cracking when the hands used four finger to start a light massage dangerously close to his death spot. 

He was in hysterics, so when he literally felt hands slip underneath the waistband of his pants to attack his bare hips and thighs, he immediately dissolved into silent laughter. The fingers dug into his firm thighs, his laughter reaching soprano levels when they squeezed his inner thighs. Thumbs kneaded right into the crease where his legs bent into his hips, and another pair of thumbs drilled into the tendons that connects his inner thighs to his crotch. 

It was maddening. He tried to squeeze his legs together, tried to pull down his arms, tried to protect his back, but he couldn’t. The moment his feet came under attack was when his laughter turned silent for the second time.

Brushes scrubbed up and down his soles, while another pair scrubbed the tops. Each toe had its own pair of mini brushes as did the balls of his feet. The fuzzy tentacles swarmed all over and around, slinking in between his toes and wrapping around them like toe separators to constantly nuzzle back and forth, occasionally reaching down to attack the stems and upper balls of his feet.

Bakugo no longer cared about winning. The constant teasing and mocking he would undoubtedly have to endure for giving in was the farthest thing from his mind. He just wanted out; he needed it to stop.

Black smoke rose from his hands, but he was too hysterical to notice.

“GAAAHAHAHAHAHA! AAAHAHAH! OHOH- O-OHOHOHOHKAHA- OHOHOHKAY! FUCKINGOKAY STAHAHAHAHAHA!” 

But she didn’t. She didn’t even speak. He opened his eyes, but was blinded by tears.

 “I’m not going to stop until you piss yourself or pass out.” 

There’s no fucking way she actually meant that. No fucking way.

The torture didn’t cease.

“AH! NO! SHIT SHIHIHIT SHIT! NO!” 

The fingers massaging his upper ribs finally slipped into the little space below his armpits and right above his ribs. 

His mind went blank.

“NONONONAHAHAHAHAHAHAH! HAHHAH AHAH! NOHOHOHHOT THAHAHAHA- GAAAHAHAHAHAD! PAHAHAHAHAH- PLEHEHEHAHAHAHAHA- I CAHANT! I CAHANT FUCKING- NAAHAHAHAHA! STAHAHHAHAHAHP! GEHEHEHT OOAHAHAHAHAHFF, YOU BIHIHIHIHAAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”

Tears flowed down his face like rainwater over river rocks. The additional, continuous tickling behind his knees, along with another pair of hands squeezing his death spot proved to be too much for his already overloaded mind to bear. A massive explosion surprised them both, completely overwhelming and blinding him even through his closed eyelids. 

The release of the overwhelming torture was like a building being lifted off his chest. He took in the air greedily, sucking in breaths as if he had just done a twenty-foot dive into the lake. He rolled to his hands and knees, the suddenness of it all was enough to make him feel dizzy and sick. The area around him was covered in soot, and the ground was blackened and flat.

Suddenly, he caught a glimpse of Aya and did not hesitate, immediately chucking a large explosion at her. She dodged it, twirling and dodging with ease as her eyes turned to focus on him.

NO!

Bakugo braced himself, but nothing happened. His eyebrows furrowed as he watched her frantically try to wave away a cloud of smoke that wafted in front of her.

His jaw dropped.

Before he could think of the entire plan, he locked eyes in Aya’s direction and aimed his palms to the ground in front of her. He let out a series of explosions and a thick smoke screen swirled around both of them. 

Bakugo couldn’t even see his hand in front of his face.

He charged towards Aya, using his explosions to create a cover of smoke. Before she could see him again, he barreled into her, both of them falling to the ground. Aya got up first, and desperately tried to wave away the smoke around them, her eyes searching for him. However, Bakugo had already built up a huge blast of energy, aimed right at her chest. The explosion knocked her backwards and she slammed violently into one of the benches at the side of the arena. When the smoke partially cleared, Bakugo saw that she continued to lay there.

Unconscious.

He won.

The arena was silent, before loud applause and cheers filled the room in celebration. However, he was in no mood to accept praise. With his hands resting in his pockets, he turned away from the few students gathered near the entrance, heading to the door. As he walked out, he could see his classmates seated just a few feet away, Deku in the middle as the rest cheered and clapped. Bakugo's expression blank, completely numb. His body was weak and tired, and it was all he could do to remain standing and make his way back towards the dorms.

˚ · • . ° .

Part 2

[genericravenbrooksdude]

i don't mind if someone ship Nicky x Maritza or not, however there some...strange points for some people to hate them.Can you debunk them?

-As someone else i saw say, Once i find people saying this ship is wrong cause Maritza is 11 and Nicky 15(Yes they neither knew Nicky age)

-Nicky is canonically gay

-There are no clues or evidences

-Nicky think it's weird cause she is younger and Enzo sister so they won't ever date

-unilateral crush for Nicky, Maritza doesn't love him

-Maritza betrayed Nicky in buried secrets,she is a bad friend

-Nicky say he likes taller girls, Maritza is shorter

-Nicky feel uncomfortable with her

Oh boy looks like I'm gonna have to write a whole info lore on those points (as if i haven't already done this in other places) because holly shit, yeah they're view on this ship is just ridiculous and i highly advice anyone who ships Nicky X Maritza to stay away rather then just stick on they're level.

So i guess shall start this.

Starting with the first "Point" Really, REALLY? Ah yes nicky suddenly started aging in between ever month, that right there is one of the "points" where you trutly lost me because you can tell they didn't read the books fully.

Second one.

Look i don't hate anyone who ships Nicky X Aaron or with Enzo, Even i ship Nicky x Aaron but that right there is just a headcanon not a official statement that he's canonically gay, yes you can make you're own headcanon but that doesn't mean you have to force it on other people.

Third point

Once again it showcase of those people simply not liking the shipping or not understanding the characters. Because you can clear see with the amount freaking hints Walkin Nightmare and Buried Secrets is throwing in you're face like b r u h, like ever time he's around Martiza he emotions start kicking and starts acting weird like a real person should when you have a crush on someone and even he starting to say he's feels hot which basically is just him blushing, hell you can even see her starting blushing around him not to mention the time he say that he enjoys maritza laugh or smile.

By all means i could bring @spideysneighbor and the can confirmed it.

Fourth point

That right there is just nicky trying to hide it from Enzo because nicky thinks he would be mad on him or likely enzo coming up with dirty thoughts (because i remember nicky mentioning that in one of the books).

Fifth Point

She was having a fucking mental breakdown like COME ON pretty much she was worried that she will lose Nicky because of this investigation, it didn't help that she started remembering of Mya, she wanted to help nicky but pretty much she couldn't do anything about it, giving that everyone told her to stay away and not think about it and that just made worst.

Six Point

That right there is just completely ironiy you can literally tell it despite saying she likes tall girls, nicky literally has crush for a short one and pretty much is foreshadowing him getting taller the older he gets.

And the freaking last point

ONCE AGAIN is the feelings he has for her, when you're around someone you really love and have a crush on them you start acting weird.

I hope i cleared this out if anyone wants to add any points feel free to do it

[nights-legacy]

Can't Lose Them - MonoShin xReader

Masterlist MHA Masterlist

MonoShin x Reader (meaning Poly relationship. Don't like? Then don't read. )

2760 words

Angst/Fluff

Warnings: None

+You and Hitoshi have been friends since the UA days. You also may have had a small crush on the purple haired boy. One night, after another bad date, you make a move on him only to find out he's dating Monoma. You avoid the two like the plague. Hitoshi is upset, and Monoma has had enough. He takes the matter into his own hands to settle the matter.

I laughed as Hitoshi lost the argument with his cat, Blossom. He rubbed his nose where he got swatted. As I laughed harder, he turned to glare at me.

"Really?" He asked. I just nodded. He sighed. He got up and sat down next to me. I calmed down and set my head on his shoulder. He set his head on top of mine.

"What do you want to do now?" I asked. He made a hum and thought for a moment.

"Well, you're the one that needed cheering up so why don't you pick." He said. I sat up and nodded. I had a bad date and called Hitoshi. He insisted I come over to hang out and feel better.

"How about we have a few drinks?"

"Sounds good to me." He hopped up and came back with a few beers. 

After a few drinks, I was more relaxed. Not drunk but buzzed. I was staring at Hitoshi while he talked about something. My eyes traveled over his sharp jaw and up to his violet eyes. I had always had a crush on him ever since we met in high school.

"What? Do I have something on my face?" He caught me. I shook my head. He leant in and focused on me hard. "You sure?"

"Yeah." I nodded. My eyes darted down to his lips before looking him in the eyes.

"Y/N?" He spoke up. I moved forward without thinking and kissed him. I heard and felt him gasp. He didn't kiss me back and I pulled away.

"Toshi?"

"What the fuck?" We both turned quickly to see Monoma standing there.

"Monoma?"

"Babe!" We yelled at the same time. I looked at Hitoshi quick.

"Babe?" I asked. I saw his panicked gaze dart between me and Monoma. It finally hit me and I was overtaken with guilt and shame. "Shit... I'm sorry. So sorry."

"Y/N..." I scrambled up. I went for my jacket and shoes.

"I'm so sorry! Monoma, it was all me. Toshi didn't do anything." I looked at him and he was seething. "You can be mad at me all you want. This was all my fault. Don't be mad a Hitoshi. I'm just going to go. I'll leave you both alone."

"Y/N, wait!" I bolted out the door and away from Hitoshi's apartment building.

Ever since then, I've avoided the two like the plague. I had seen Hitoshi try and come talk to me but I would always run away. I can't even look at either of them. I didn't ever know that they were dating.

"How about you come out with the rest of us tonight?" Denki asked as he poked my arm.

"Who's us?"

"Well me, Kiri, Mina, Bakubro, Sero, Midobro, Hitoshi, Todoroki..." I held back a flinch.

"As fun as that sounds, I'm gonna have to pass, Denks. I promised to help my neighbor rearrange her living room after I got off. You know, Lina-san the older lady next door."

"Oh, I love Lina-san. Well that's a bummer you can't come out but at least your not just trying skip out."

"Yeah, definately not." I chuckled but felt bad because in reality I was. I wasn't lying about my neighbor but Anywhere Hitoshi was going, I wouldn't be. An alert beep caught both of our attentions.

"Well duty calls." He said before taking off, throwing a bye over his shoulder. My shift ended not long after and I headed home.

3rd POV

The get together was in full swing by the time Hitoshi got there. He was a little late due to a last minute villain attack. He sat down in between Denki and Bakugou before looking around. He deflated when he didn't see Y/N there.

"Hey Denks, no Y/N?" He leant over to ask.

"No. They already had plans after work. Helping their neighbor." He explained.

"Oh, okay." He sighed.

"You okay, Toshi?" Denki gave him his full attention.

"Yeah, just haven't been able to spend time with them a lot lately." He shrugged.

"Oh, yeah. You've both been pretty busy lately."

"Yeah." He nodded with a solemn look. Denki gave him a concerned look but decided to not press any further. Hitoshi pulled out his phone.

They're not here. - Hitoshi

You sure they're not just late? - Neito

Yeah, Denki said they had plans with their neighbor after work.- Hitoshi

Oh... I'm sorry baby. I feel like I came between you too. They're your best friend. - Neito

It's alright and not your fault. Y/N didn't know we were dating. I just hate that they're avoiding me. - Hitoshi

I know baby. Everything will get better. - Neito

"Hey Eye bags. Tune in will ya?" Bakugou hit his shoulder.

"Yeah, sorry."

Back at Hitoshi's apartment, Neito was getting ready to head out. He slipped on his shoes and grabbed his keys. He left really quick, heading towards Y/N's place.

Y/N's POV

"Your welcome, Lina-san!" I called as I left. I wiped the sweat from my forehead as I walked back to my door. I walked in before kicking off my shoes. I didn't get far before there was a knock on my door. "Coming!" I went back to the door and opened it. "Can I he..."

"Hello, Y/N." Monoma was standing there.

"Monoma?" I whispered surprised, taking a half step back.

"I think we need to talk." He said, looking at me with a soft look. I stood there opening and closing my mouth like a fish. He sighed and smiled at me. "L/N?"

"Oh. Um, come in." I stepped aside to let him in. He came in and toed off his shoes. I led him into the main room. "Um. Make yourself at home. I am going to get a little cleaned up. I'll be right out."

"No, no. Take your time. I am intruding unannounced. I'm in no hurry." He assured. I nodded before swiftly slipping away to go take a shower. I tried to calm down in the shower but I had no clue what Monoma was doing here. I walked out while towel drying my hair.

"So, I suspect you're here to talk about what you walked in on?" I asked shyly. He looked up at me from the couch. He nodded and patted the spot next to him. I took the spot and sighed heavily. "I'm sorry, Monoma."

"It's alright. Hitoshi told me what happened. About the bad date, the drinks, and to be honest... I've known about your feelings for Hitoshi for years."

"What?!" I exclaimed. He chuckled before setting his hand on mine.

"Yep. Ever since we were in UA. I saw the way you looked at him and I know how blind Hitoshi can be."

"Monoma..."

"Neito. Please." He insisted. We sat there in silence as I soaked in that he knew all along. "He's going to be pissed at me for telling but, Hitoshi had a crush on you too, you know."

"He did?" I turned toward him.

"Yeah. I'm surprised I was able to ever get anywhere with him because of it." He chuckled. "He's distraught you know. He's so worried and upset that you won't talk to him. He texted me from the party tonight saying you weren't there and I decided that I need to come talk to you. He doesn't know I'm here."

"Oh. I hate that I'm avoiding him but I just ... I couldn't face him. Not after kissing him and finding out you two were together. I couldn't stand the thought of coming between you two. I, I, I..."

"Hey, calm down. You didn't come between us. I promise." He took my hand. "Yes, I was surprised to come home and see it but after Hitoshi explained, I understood. I think I understood more than he did."

"I don't know what to do. I embarrased myself so badly with Hitoshi, I don't even know how to go about talking to him. It is never going to be the same now."

"Who said it needed to be the same?" He suddenly said. I furrowed my eyebrows.

"Neito, what do you mean..." My chin was grabbed and he turned my face gently before I felt lips on mine. I gasped before relaxing into the kiss. I looked at him confused when we pulled away.

"Hitoshi wasn't the only one who had a crush on you." He whispered against my lips. He looked into my eyes. I looked at him in shock. "I know I was a major asshole in school but my feelings were and are genuine. I couldn't help but admire you and fall helplessly in love with you. Both Hitoshi and I did."

"Neito..." I smiled and cupped his cheek. I kissed him again, pressing myself against him. "I never thought you were a major asshole, maybe a bit of one but not entirely. I figure there was more to the story."

He gripped my hip and pushed against me, laying me back. He leant over me without his lips leaving mine. I moaned and hooked my knee loosely over his hip. He pulled away gasping.

"As much as I would love to continue this, we should probably go tell Toshi what's going on, Mi Amor."

"Yeah, yeah. Probably." I gasped. He got up and held out his hand. He helped me up and kissed my hand.

"If you're ready, let's go Mi amor." I nodded.

We went back to their apartment and waited for Hitoshi to come back from the party. We talked for awhile. He told me about how he and Hitoshi got together. I also got to know the real Neito Monoma.

"Oh, he's just getting home. Hide! Let's surprise him." He said excitedly. I nodded and hid in the hall closet. I heard Hitoshi come in and greet Neito. The door opened and Neito hung up Toshi's coat. He motioned to follow him with a finger to his lips.

"They weren't there Nei. I don't know what else to do." Hitoshi sighed. I stepped out and saw him sitting on the same couch that we were on before.

"I know, Tosh. I promise we'll figure something out. I can feel it's going to be okay." Neito motioned me towards Toshi as he went to the kitchen.

"God, I hope. I can't lose them Neito. I wouldn't know what to do with myself if. I don't..." He rubbed the back of his neck. I could see how stressed he was by how tense he was. Guilt sat heavily in my stomach before I pushed it away.

"You haven't lost them." Neito said from the doorway.

"Haven't I?" I nearly heard the tears in his voice. I couldn't take it anymore. I set my hands on his shoulders. I began to rub them and he groaned.

"No." I said softly. He froze under my touch. "No, you haven't."

"Y/N?" I hummed an affirmation while still rubbing his shoulders. He suddenly grabbed my wrist and before I could say anything, he yanked me over his shoulder. I landed in his lap before looking up at him dazed. "You're here. You're here."

"Toshi..."

"I'm sorry! I should have reacted differently. I should have told you about me and Neito. I mean you're my best friend and I should have told you. Please, I'm sorry."

"Toshi..." He kept rambling on, working himself into a tizy. I looked at Neito and he looked as concerned as I felt. I looked back at Hitoshi. He showed no signs of stopping so I decided to shut him up. I reached up and wrapped my hands around his neck and yanked him down. I kissed him hard and strong.

"Umph." He stuttered for a moment before he wrapped his arm around my waist tightly. He kissed me hard, lifting me to meet him better. The heat built between us and he pulled me up to sit in his lap. I had to pull away to breath and he attached his lips to my neck.

"Toshi!" I gasped as he bit down on my skin. I tangled my fingers in his hair.

"As entertaining as this is to watch, you're getting a bit carried away for the moment." We heard Neito pipe up. Hitoshi ripped himself away from my neck and quickly but gently moved me from his lap. He quickly stood up.

"Neito, damn. I..." The blonde walked over to the couch, waving his hand in dismissle. I got on my knees on the couch and smiled at him. "I got carried away..."

"No worries." Neito leans over and kissed me gently, cupping my face with care. He pulled away and looked at me in the eyes. "They're easy to get carried away with."

"Wha... What?" He was staring at us confused. I giggled as Neito walked over to him. He cupped Toshi's face and kissed his nose.

"After you told me Y/N didn't show up tonight, I decided to go and talk to them myself. I couldn't stand seeing either of you so miserable. Plus I was getting tired of the run around." He turned to give me a pointed look. I shrunk back a little.

"Sorry." I said softly.

"It's alright sweetie." He smiled. "I wanted to get to the bottom of everything. Explain our side and ... confess our feelings."

"You told them how I feel?" Hitoshi looked at Neito hard. I decided to step in now.

"And I'm glad he did." I stepped off the couch and they both looked at me. "If he hadn't, we may have continued to run in circles. Toshi... I've had feelings for you for years. If Neito hadn't said anything, there's a good chance I would have most likely have continued to go on bad dates and never would have known that both of the men I've had major crushes on wanted me back."

"Wait, both of us?" It was Neito's turn to be surprised.

"Yeah, but you always seemed unattainable. You never seemed interested in anyone really. I guess I know why now." I chuckled. I stepped in close. "So don't be mad at him please. He was just looking out for the two of us. All of us really."

"You're right." He smiled softly. He reached out and he pulled both of us into his sides. He nuzzled into my neck and hair. "I am still sorry. I should of told you about me and Nei. You're my best friend after all."

"It's alright." I rubbed his back. "I could have reacted better. I was just so embarrased and couldn't face you." I felt Neito take my hand.

"That's all over now." He said with bright eyes. "You both made it past this hill. Now we can move on... together?" He looked nervous with the question. Hitoshi and I shared a look. There was hope and love in his eyes. A crooked, charming smile came across his face. He leant down and kissed me firmly. I kissed back earnestly.

"There's no way I letting you go again." He said as he pulled away. He looked at Neito. "You either. Your not ever getting away."

"Really?" Neito smirked at the other man. I saw a sultry look flashed across Toshi's face.

"Yes. And I'll tie you down with my capture weapon if I have too." My eyes widen at the scene in front of me. I saw a challenging looking in Neito's eyes. They seemed to get lost in each other.

"Do I need to give you two the room?" I joked, wriggling out of Toshi's grip. They snapped out of it and blushed.

"No!" They both exclaimed. Toshi was able to catch my hand. I raised the other in surrender with a giggle. I brought Toshi's hand to my lips to kiss it.

"If anything, we will take you to ours." Toshi pulled me into a steamy kiss.

"Mi Amours. You will be the death of me." Neito sassed. He pulled away and was walking back towards the kitchen, petting Blossom on the way. "How about we save that for a different evening? Yes. How about a nice dinner for the three of us tonight? I know Hitoshi hasn't eaten yet. Y/N, have you?"

"No, I immediately went to help Lina-san after my shift." I shook my head.

"Then it's settled. Now get your butts in here and help me." Toshi and I shared a look. "Are you coming?"

"Yes, dear!" Toshi called while ushering me into the kitchen, laughing.

Tag List: @lilparcheesie @dxnaii-rxse @iris-shihabi @l0vely-lee

[sdwolfpup]

I just finished reading HFoG and oh. Oh. My. God. I need to rant (you can totally ignore this if you'd like).

First of all, the scenario you've created fits them so well. Brienne as a mechanic is an amazing idea. She's still doing something stereotipically male (and kicking ass) at best unnoticed and at worst cast aside as no one takes her seriously or they outright mock her. You've kept her under patriarchy's thumb, and also as a powerful, simmering force waiting for someone to turn up that heat!! What an excellent mirror to her situation in the books.

Second: the extremely high risks + high adrenaline + mightily physically demanding + high rewards of F1 is another excellent transposition of their survival/quest situation in the books. I feel like that, as a setting, is what makes it feel very genuine to them as characters. Your characterization is great too! They're slightly different to the books but still familiar (they would probably act like this in this more modern, more subtle flavour of a patriarchal society). I mean. just. Man. MAN.

Also, turning a bit more to Jaime: The way all the events unfold was incredible. We go steady, quite calm but with an undercurrent of stress and anxiety, building, some doubts, triumphs, more building, more triumphs and then BAM. The dreaded doldrums where we pick up the pieces of a horrible shipwreck. Jaime never getting to that P-1 absolutely broke me. I literally held my breath reading those paragraphs, where time stops for the whole circuit after the crash, and the heavy moment of silence before Brienne hears him over the radio... MAN. I thought you were going to give him at least one P-1 before he lost his hand, making it bitersweet already at that point, and when you didn't I was SCHOCKED. You held back on that element and it worked WONDERFULLY towards the end. JB'S P-1 felt so earned, so fought for. Talk about good storytelling. AAAAHHH!!!!!

I ate it up between yesterday night and all of today. I slept at most, like, four hours. I couldn't stop reading. Congratulations, honestly. I usually don't read fics this long (or leave reviews this crazy under anonimity lol) because authors tend to meander (not a bad thing necessarily but it does get tedious at this scale) but this was SO not the case. Every. single. paragraph. mattered. MAN!!!!! (man counter: IIII)

I know you're probably quite done with it (and what a fucking project you did, my god), but if you ever want to write about JB in that universe again I see myself forced to BEG YOU ON MY KNEES to do more of their radio banter in your missing scenes section. I absolutely love it, the subtle flirting, the encouragement, and the oopsies (Jaime forgetting to turn the radio off and accidentally exposing himself as a I LOVE MY CAR MY CAR IS MY GF guy is soooooo funny). Ugh. Swooning. It has started an itch I need to scratch so bad (I feel like im going crazy a bit ngl. Give yourself a big smacking pat in the back.) that I'm just going to start re-reading it for those parts and also to get that thrill that is there between them at the beginning which is also so good! And so yummy!!!!!

Ok im done now i think.

TLDR: xoxo mwah mwah mwah i loved HFoG i worship and kiss the ground you walk on, etc etc etc. im obsessed, great job!!

"ignore this"?! Are you kidding, anon -- I'm gonna print this out and wallpaper my bedroom with it. 😂💕

I have been re-reading this ask off and on all day, wanting to respond appropriately to make sure you know how much I so sincerely appreciate you taking the time to leave this for me, and I just don't know if it's possible. I'm just... man, I'm grateful. (Man count for this post going up!!!) Seriously though: thank you, thank you, thank you. I'm gonna be riding this high all week.

(Also, I fought with myself about allowing Jaime to win the World Driver Championship and then lose his hand, so I'm always glad to hear that that choice worked for others. It was the right thing to do, but wow did that hurt to put him through it, heh. And pacing of long fics is a thing I take very personally, so I am ALSO pleased to know that worked for you, too!)

Anyway. THANK YOU. I'm gonna go back to re-reading this comment, hee.

[liminalpebble]

Teaser snippet for The Other Side

Hi Friends,

Some of you expressed interest in reading a WIP snippet of the new Eddie series I'm working on. No pressure at all to read or engage. Just thought you might enjoy.

Much Love!

Peb

---

The Other Side (Summary)

After the battle with Vecna and his presumed-death, Eddie begins his next life in the twilight world of the Upside Down.

His wounds are miraculously healing, but at the terrible price of a strange and monstrous appetite. Before long, Eddie is changing into something else...something not quite human.

Soon, Eddie the Banished finds himself in a battle to remain the man he is, before the dark dimension can make a monster of him.

On the other side, his long-time friend and classmate, Mina, goes on with her life, mourning the metalhead she always loved (though he never knew how deeply). She assumes that now he never will. Eddie had always taken her companionship for granted, but now their memories together mean more to him than she could ever know.

Mina and Eddie rediscover each other through mementos of their past, their interdimensional presence, and the lost pieces of themselves which the other manages to find. Will they find each other through the fog without losing themselves? Only time will tell, but for Eddie Munson, time is running out.

CW: talk of death, angst, eventual sex and gore

AN: OFC x kas!Eddie, slow burn, friends to lovers, Eddie's kind of a dick sometimes, but has a soft side...so, in line with the show's portrayal.

-----

All the World's a Stage (Snippet, Flashback)

Eddie crossed his arms over his chest, gave a pissy little twitch of his head and a brooding huff, sending up flecks of sawdust in his wake. At least he put the drill down first, pausing his work on the platform. His clumsiness, though endearing, made her nervous sometimes...much of the time, actually.

“Well, just to warn you, I heard the basketball team talking...daring Chad to ask you as a fucking joke.”

His tone came with a gloating sneer, an unspoken I told you so itching on the tip of his tongue.

“I know. He already asked me and I already turned him down,” she replied coolly, praying that she sounded a hell of a lot more indifferent and imperturbable than she felt.

Mina stared down at the bold black numbers on the yellow tape measure unraveled before her very intently. Even so, she could feel Eddie's energy boring a hole through her as surely as the drill would.

She smoothed the plastic line down for the fifth time although she already knew it was straight enough; yielding the same measurement yet again. It was much harder than it should have been to do simple geometry when the dungeon master played for attention.

Eddie's eyes lit up as they bounced back to her.

“You're not going? So you're gonna come to Hellfire?”

He had sawdust in voluminous his hair, and goddammit, she thought, why won't that idiot ever wear safety glasses or tie his hair back?

“Why? To bring brownies, like I always do, and watch you guys play because you're too busy being awesome at it to deal with a Level 3?”

“Come on! You know you love our company! You're just gonna mope at home then?”

He loosened his posture, flopping dramatically onto his elbows over the podium between them, fixing her with the those big, expressive eyes.

“No. I'm going to prom.”

“Alone?” He says a little too loudly, jumping back up and clutching at his heart theatrically.

Mina averts her eyes, embarrassed, as her heart hits the long black floorboards. She hides it, as she always does. She's so good at playing this part by now and considers, wryly, that maybe she should have auditioned for a speaking role, after all.

He could be so mean when he thinks he's being playful. The insult pricked like the sting of puppy teeth. It drew blood, but she was unable to hate him for it.

“Jesus H. Christ, Mina! Why? Alone?” he repeats.

“Yes, Eddie...alone...because for one night I want to dance to their shitty music, and drink spiked punch, and wear a pretty dress, and feel like I belong, even though I don't. Just for one night. Okay? And I would have asked you, but I know you'd never go...so yeah...alone.”

Eddie blinked as if struck, realizing he'd hit a nerve.

She's usually so easy-going. What is her problem lately?

The silence sat heavy between them for a moment. Now they stood like mirrored chess pieces, arms crossed, eyes down; a no man's land littered with taped-on multicolored marks between them. The powerful stage lights hummed and heated the auditorium, painting some areas with strikingly sharp clarity, others in deep, contrasting, shadow.

Their eyes hurt.

The tension in the deserted theater hung around them like humidity, like several hundred invisible eyes were glued to them; ghosts in every seat, leaning forward, eagerly awaiting the next line of this drama unfolding before them.

Finally, Eddie broke the standoff, asking softly, “What color is your dress?”

“Dark...indigo...like...a nice purple-y blue.”

“Sounds...pretty.”

“Yeah...it is. It's a shame you won't get to see it.”

Silence again. A crushing, aching, silence, broken eventually by Mina's exhausted sigh.

“It's almost midnight. I need to get home...See you later, Eddie.”

Eddie grumbled a “yeah, okay.”

She barely heard it over the sharp tap of her feet carrying her past him, away from the interrogating rays and into the wings as quickly as possible.

The glaring lights were behind her, yet her eyes still stung with afterimages and her skin still burned.

(Thank you, friends, for reading! P.S. The final chapter of Eddie's Education really is on it's way, I promise. I'm just taking my sweet time to make sure I stick the landing, so thanks for your patience. Muwah. Love yas.

@somnambulic-thing @fairyysoup @lexr86 @hellfirenacht @little-wormwood @littlexdeaths @bettyfrommars @lesservillain @josephfakingquinn @sweetsigyn @anukulee @loz-3 @buttercupcookies-blog @take-everything-you-can @word-wytch @munson-blurbs @leelei1980 @msgexymunson @thenotoriouserg @ladyofthestayingpower @mediocredreams @lolahasmoxie @ultrabuzzlightyear @fandxmslxt69 @kissmyacdc @veemoon @elegantkoalapaper @eddiesxangel @amberolivia666 @bookworm-christina

[feuqueerfire]

Unknown Live Blogging

I loveeeeee a younger pursuer character, especially when they've known each other for a while and the older is just like I love you kid (platonic/familial) while the younger is losing their mind with their crush/love/lust. Also, the fact that the novel it's adapted from is literally called Da Ge 大哥 ah, I've gotten more into adoptive or step-brothers trope since I got into live-action BL but I've only just watched Addicted/Stay With Me and Kiseki: Dear to Me 2nd couple, so it's exciting to add another one to the list.

This is also a novel from China that's being adapted in Taiwan so that they don't have to censor it, right? There are several other BLs currently in the works like this.

Anyway, seems like people really like this show (not counting the sex scene in ep 11 or something because I heard so much complaining about that lol), so my hopes are high.

Ep 1 (June 13)

ahhh crazy start/glimpse into future

starts when they're young but have been living together a while already

ahhhh trying to take care of things/the family/his ge by paying the bills using his gift money + some part time job maybe. isn't quite a grownup yet but he wants to be so bad

2007 - when they first met

oh fuck the child being hit with the metal pipe was scary and unexpected

oh man, Qian getting embroiled with gangs and doing their dirty work for money

oof, gonna have to win 3 boxing matches to leave the gang

Ep 2 (June 13)

the teacher saying an older brother is like a father

not them ganging up on Xiao Bao!

dang, Qian's mother hated him because he did well, that's wild

Qian is so attractive like woah

we've reached current year - 2016

Ep 3 (June 13)

Yuan to the rescue

Bao and Yuan's dynamic is so cuteee

damn, Qian mad as hell at Xiao Bao's outfit and it has a bit of the "proprietary" thing that so many father-daughter older brother-younger sister dynamics have (in media at least) but also most importantly it reminds him of their mother who they are both very traumatized by

I'm so nervous, I hope nothing bad happens to Xiao Bao (esp because we know this world has like gangsters and stuff)

Is this guy part of the gangsters? Does he know who Xiao Bao is?

Yuan recognizes the gangster oh no

Sam Lin as doctor, though I must say I would not recognize him if I wasn't already aware of this

sharing a bed

studying abroad mentioned

I don't wanna read thoughts of r/boyslove or look for gifsets on tumblr, I just wanna get to the next episode.

It feels like since they both scold/get upset at Xiao Bao in an attempt to protect her, she's not gonna retain any of the reasons they're worried about her but rather maybe rebel and end up in troublesome situations. please no rape storyline though plsplspls

Ep 4 (June 14)

Yuan's 18th birthday? adult Yuan alright

pls Qian thinking that Xiao Bao's saying Yuan watches porn

it's romantic stuff but is it yaoi/BL? because the one Sweet Summer or whatever novel seemed to be two guys on the cover?

Qian kinda reminds me of Na Jaemin (my NCT bias when I was into them) from some angles

I will forever love helping something with feet, whether it be shoelace tying, giving a massage/a foot bath, or now taking care of an ankle/foot injury. it's not even a foot kink, it's just... idek like lowering oneself... in aid of the other... taking care of them...

Yuan definitely doesn't wanna hear about them seperating and liking other people

this kiss must be in Yuan's imagination

so I guess Qian doesn't suspect Yuan's feelings toward him at all + also doesn't return the feelings (yet + he might be unconsciously feeling something but it's not as intense as Yuan's feelings). However, I'm unclear on whether he thinks Yuan likes boys? Like he saw Yuan's romance novel with 2 boys + asking about the high school class monitor...

Ep 5 (June 14)

I knew this was a daydream because of the dreamy filter + I kinda remember some post on reddit about Yuan's daydream but if I was watching this in real time, I would've lost my shit

oh oh my god okay. "Ge, do you already know that I like guys?" extremely forward and sudden, I wasn't expecting it

ahhh, I can't watch this, it's so T.T. like ik it's very Uncle Jim to Liming, looking out for their young(er) nephew/brother because being gay openly isn't easy but like T.T still

What year is this? 2016 right? while gay marriage became legal in Taiwan in 2019

I love a "it's my business who i like, not yours" or whatever

ah, Qian's nice to Yuan again, he likes gives him a little lecture but isn't like actually homophobic

Xiao Bao turns 18 too

damn, what's up with Qian? head hurts?

pls the colleague (is that San Pang? yeah right?) running into Qian's room to see him and Yuan in bed sleeping and cuddling and being like... hm

pls Qian himself being like "it's not what it looks like" before the other guy even says what it looks like

QIAN WHY ARE YOU TELLING HIM THAT YUAN LIKES GUYS?!

omg San Pang now coming over to talk to Yuan

pls I know why he's asking but the way he's talking about where Xiao Bao sleeps and where he sleeps like hey ! stop

that's her literal brother and they have no parents, I think it's fine if Xiao Bao climbs into her Dage's bed to sleep occasionally lmfao

oh I guess he was talking about Xiao Bao sleeping in Yuan's bed. whelp he'd have a point in that case I guess becuase Yuan def can like these siblings lol he just happens to not like the sister

pls Xiao Bao wants San Pang to ask about her, so whenever he talks about Yuan and Qian the way her eyes roll so hard that her whole head rotates, so funny

not the office fujos Noticing and Observing lol

ahh, Yuan's inner turmoil seeing his "future sister-in-law"

ah, San Pang straight up asking if the one Yuan likes is Qian

I just wanna know when the confession is gonna happen, is it gonna be next ep? because Yuan also has to go abroad (though I don't think that time skip takes too much airtime from what I've read). I want some stuff to happen after confession + after getting together too.

Ep 6 (June 14)

I wonder what role San Pang will play like will he help them figure it out or hinder all the way through? they're kinda hinting him with Lili, so he can't possibly be a "bad guy." I get him dissuading them now or giving them reasons why they shouldn't but once they do, I assume he'll be okay with it at least

"Don't tell me that guy also has some?" oh Qian

Qian feeling pity for Yuan and being like why do you have to like him... oh Qian, oh Yuan

aklsdfjalksdf ahhh Yuan about to me a drunken mess at this important work function plssss I'm nervous. but also... does the confession happen when Yuan's drunk? Is it gonna happen this ep?

Feng Ning is so cool I love her. if Yuan does anything that upsets her I'll get mad at him im negl

oh omg I have an image in my mind of when Yuan confesses maybe and it was not in this outfit and they were also maybe sitting, so the i like you and attempted kiss was like oh!

It also stressed me out that they're still at work

woahhh it hurts so good the way Qian not only punched Yuan but also didn't stop to care for his wounded hand

ahhh Qian avoiding Yuan and the home entirely

studying abroad plan on

Aw, Xiao Bao who is like ? wtf is going on, why are my brothers fighting and also Yuan literally going to NY

is that Yuan sitting on the floor with his paper on his face and crying? yes, same sweater stripes

The angst is done well. The situation must happen (I was anticipating the fallout from the confession so much!), it's not overdramatized (Qian reacts badly but then just avoids Yuan for the rest and Yuan tries to apologize a bunch but doesn't force anything when Qian ignores him), the acting-writing-directing are all good. I'm also liking the consequence of him moving away to a different country (for a few years?) because he's known Qian all his life and practically only talks to Qian, Lili, and sometimes people like San Pang or a classmate but he'll broaden his horizons now and it'll be less "he loves Qian because he only knows him"

Ep 7 (June 14)

damn, Qian's apparently been so apathetic that San Pang's like maybe I shouldn't made Yuan stay so that at least you wouldn't be like this

Qian's alcohol problem + his chronic headache bruh

San Pang straight up asking if Qian has feelings for Yuan too and Qian does not deny it

also it's been 2 years right? since it's 2018 now and 2017-2018 were blank for Yuan's height

Qian is truly so attractive. his face but also his mannerisms and expressions and gestures. woah. and of course my forever weakness: nice smile and there's a dimple too

2017 - 2023?! omg 6 years? that's a lot, I was expected 2-3 fr

Qian continues reading Yuan's texts but not replying to them. then impulsively calling Yuan and immediately hanging up again

first reciprocal contact in 6 years, if I was Yuan that call would've made me lose my whole entire mind fr

Bro, it's actally Qian who's losing his mind because he's sitting on Yuan's bed in Yuan's room and texting Yuan to come home if he misses it

Xiao Bao has truly become grown up model Lili

San Pang is at the office gathering, so who did she see at the door? would Yuan already be at home lmfao

ah, indeed Yuan's here lol

Yuan and Lili antics begin again, how fun

From a few Tumblr posts, I thought Lil iand San Pang's relationship was gonna get exposed? next ep i guess.

also saw some gifs that Yuan's gonna be petty toward Qian next ep and I'm so excited, how did people wait weekly for this? I can barely wait for tomorrow.

Ep 8 (June 15)

starting this around 7:30pm because I had to watch Wandee Goodday episode today. Hope I like this episode than I liked Wandee's

ah, Yuan's so bold now "Have you seen enough?"

The fact that Yuan made eye contact with Qian before handing the drink over to Xiong-ge. Qian expectantly holding out his hand but having to retreat and check afterwards that nobody else saw lmfao

It's killing me that Yuan keeps looking at the other two ges during the conversation while Qian keeps glancing at Yuan and can't keep his eyes off of him even when he tries

Yuan even thanking San Pang for making him go to the states...

the hickeys?!

Qian's incredulous look at 8:00 is really so Na Jaemin, why does he remind me so much of him

I would say Qian's slow for not catching on that they're together somehow but ig San Pang and Lili are LDR since she doesn't even live here anymore? and so Qian's not aware of it? but it's also funny to think his brain was barely working while Yuan wasn't here but managed to deduce it by glimpsing the hickeys as soon as Yuan came and Qian's brain started working again lmao

damn, Lili's literally shaking her head no, how dare San Pang make the executive decision to confess to Qian?

NOT THE BUTCHER KNIFE LMFAO

Yuan literally sitting back and eating fruits on the couch as he observes is so funny

and his smiles lmfaooo

and only inserting himself when Xiong-ge brings up Qian dating somebody else lmfao he's a menace

Yuan calling Qian as Wei Qian instead of ge is so .

Qian's mad because the two of them are dating and there's an age difference and San Pang's known Lili since she was a child and he figured it out through hickeys and he's the last to know and all those reasons but also... he's probably also mad that why isn't he with Yuan then? If those two can do it, why not him too?

Yuan knowssssss he's getting to Qian

I've seen a glimpse of a gif of Yuan feeding Qian ahh

and now that Yuan's indeed giving him his full attention at the table, Qian can't look at him

Qian's losing his mind and I along with him

Yuan's so bold now, it makes me nervous like chilllllll, move back like the way he kept walking toward Qian and nearly kissed him alksdfjla;ksfj

Yuan is suchhh a menace, the way he starting speaking loud and clear when he heard Qian at the door

my mom dragged me away right then but I'm back

plss he's talking about how he also likes somebody and both Xiao Bao and Ge know that person. lmfao. menace.

Xiao Bao reading from a script lmfaooo

Yuan truly is such a menace, sliding the family vacation into Lili's script pls

cryingggg Xiao Bao ditched the family trip to go to Milan

Yuan kept poking until Qian finally says to not keep feelings for him anymore, only to hit him back with "what makes you think i still like you?"

Yuan saying Wei Qian really does me in. "Wei Qian, don't you like Wei Zhiyuan?" was woah

agh, A'Le and gangsters next ep. hmph

I've been curious to see which other age gap older male/younger female ships I like because they usually give me major ick but I'm such a fan of age gap ships in m/m-f/f-noona romances. I think History 3: Trapped side side ship with the sister and bulter man is the only one I can think of and they barely existed lol. So I want to like San Pang and Lili, especially when she said she's the one who pursued him (I'm into that trope a lot too; like Yuan's also the younger one pursing the older one) but I wish San Pang wasn't a hypocrite/homophobe because if he's into Lili and has no problems getting with her but so disapproved and dissuaded Yuan, like the reason is homophobia yes? I wanted him to come to The Realization that Yuan liking Qian is... fine-ish when he developed feelings for Lili, not have him separate the two situations.

Ep 9 (June 15)

so many things to do but I'm watching this instead, goddammit. but been a little while since i've been so eager to binge and watch next ep (Kiseki and Triage last month I think)

Also, I saw a post that had a clip from the trailer that hasn't happened yet or something and I didn't watch it but there was text about how Qian looks Yuan in the eye when he confesses... omg now I'm so excited to see when that happens. I hadn't been thinking about how they'd actually come together but a confession must happen and I'd be very happy if Qian's the one who does it this time, even more so if he's very tortured about it

oh, abroad was 4 years ago? not 6

I like Yuan's whole spiel about I can't stop liking you but this is enough

Yuan calling Qian out on his bullshit, he can't kick Yuan out again

Qian can tell when Yuan's lying/hiding something

hmm they're calling Qian the snitch and the cops came back then... I feel like Qian didn't do it since he himself was involved

when's that napkin with the poem from?

what is the plan exactly? Lin's telling Yuan to remember that Qian cares about him...

damn, Yuan left for a trip with very short notice?

"You're acting like a wife trying to catch her cheating husband" read the room, San Pang. you can't tell this to Qian who is trying to not be in love with his didi

Dr. Lin so funny. also did We Best Love have eating raw noodles? I feel like it did...

Wei Zhiyuan means "belongs to Wei"

no but what was Yuan plan actually because mans just went to their lair, asked for Le-ge and now is just getting beat up lmfao

scary, Le-ge's got bullets

please why are we doing Russian Roulette rn T.T

Can't have a bullet in there if he's doing it on himself, right? I didn't see how many bullets he put in there. or is he just fucked up in the head enough to do it anyway lol

Qian hugging Yuan in desperation

omg that napkin was literally what Yuan wrote as he thought they were his last words stuck on a mountain during his study abroad. and Qian was avoiding speaking to him during that time godddd, what a tragedy it would have been

and it's a good time to reveal that since they just did the russian roulette for e/o

I don't wanna read ppls thoughts or look at gifsets, I wanna just watch the next episode omg but I won't look at anything after ep 10 until I finish the whole thing since ep 11-12 spoilers will also be there, so I should look at stuff now.

Ep 10 (June 16)

Qian remembering everything Yuan's said and done

nose bleed...

parallels w the hair drying and cuddling to sleep, it'd be funny if san pang woke them up again

does Qian think he'll die

lmaoooooo San Pangcame but unfortunaly Qian was aklready downstairs

i knew bout this blood clot

not the i wish i could tie you up with a rope

Idk how Qian thinks he could possibly hide this from Yuan lol I'm surprised he hadn't just listened in or bothered Lin about the info

the three of them just exchanging eye contact and the focus from San Pang -> Qian with a zoom! sound effect was very funny

Yuan is so funny to San Pang lmfao he keeps being like San Pang ge thank you <3 to the point of uncomfortableness

welp indeed Yuan figured it out on his own

ah, Yuan's mad that Qian hid it from him and keeps saying he'll deal with it on its own

Qian made all of Yuan's favourites to try to win him over askdf but Yuan's still mad

Yuan taking a brief break from ignoring Qian's existence to take away greasy food/beer and give him and San Pang salad instead

San Pang once again telling Qian to consider Yuan and getting with him seriously

Did he not that he wants Yuan to have a future without him?

I think I got a little lost about what exactly led to Yuan storming out but ahhh that convo, fuck. Qian's turmoil and inner conflict and Yuan being like it's mind to deal with, not yours but Qian not being able to let Yuan go.

Ep 11 (June 16/17)

I wanna binge these last 3 eps but it's Eid so I'm busy and gotta watch the rest later. I'm really excited for this ep since it's gonna have the confession and also the sex scene but I know it made everybody fucking mad because of the editing (they had flashbacks to them as kids?) + position top/bottom implications/confusions lmfaoo

The first time Qian took initiative to grab Yuan omg

wait, we're already going into the house okay

I need a pillow or stuffed animal to dig my nails into rn omg i keep grabbing air

what was the more correct translation of "I've been waiting all my life. This isn't fast at all." that made me lose my mind when I saw it and I hadn't even been watching the show back then

"You don't even know what I dream about you at night" hah. hahahah. haha. ok

hello why are we having flashbacks to a conversation from 5 minutes in between the sex scene instead of just... being linear??? I didn't know this happened bc it got drowned out w the other complaints ig lmao

yeah, interspliced scenes we haven't seen before + flashbacks of scenes we've seen during a sex scene are already annoying but then WHY ARE THERE CHILDHOOD FLASHBACKS. this is not the time to have kids on my damn screen wtf

also I just kinda took top Yuan from that, is it top Qian in the novel or something because I feel like people mentioned that it seemed one way but it wasn't supposed to be that way? or is it because the scene where Yuan had his bare legs splayed that gave the illusion of bottom Yuan and people didn't like that? I'm so curious

domestic morning kissing, they've really come all the way here

Lili's home?!

a fight? girl lmao ig Lili's the normal sibling who's not guessing that her other siblings are fucking, biologically related or not

what is this Le/Lin scene lmao

fancy dinner date at the same gangster restaurant as always lol but apparently Qian's reserved the whole place and made it romantic

Enough angles for one kiss!

restaurant owner gang uncle just witnessing all this lmfao I think it'd be hilarious if he gossips with Le-ge about Qian and his brother kissing

fuck, this nerve and surgery stuff is so scary fr

Okay, finished the last 10 minutes while having lunch the next day because I had to leave yesterday. Good to see both Yuan and Lili care about Qian and want to take care of him and such. Qian took up smoking again in all this stress. I still don't fully get all the mom stuff beyond she thoroughly abused him.

The sex scene was like... what??? and I'm glad I was already aware of its issues because I would've gone beserk if I was watching this weekly for 10 weeks and got that in return wtf. The whole show relies on their emotions and inner conflicts but it felt like neither aspect was truly explored in the scene and made worsened with the horrific editing.

Also I can't fucking reblog but this is maybe the post I was talking about with the translation during the sex scene. Yuan's line implies he's masturbated thinking about Qian which is like the most unsurprising thing ever.

Ep 12 (June 17)

Final episode, hope it at least ends well

Lili figures it out. she's kinda upset that she's the last one to know about it, her lines remind me of when Qian found out about her and San Pang haha

but what does she wanna say, why am I nervous that she's pregnant

lol Qian liking that Yuan's trying to help him out at work

I'm suddenly embarrassed, I really can't do office romances

Xiong-ge showing support in his awkward ways is nice

hehhehe Yuan coming to pick Qian up from work dressed up so nice and Qian kissing him outside after checking nobody's around

I got stressed out by Yuan kissing Qian at work omg in broad daylight with people around

yeah the office fujo will certainly keep this a secret lol as if a bunch of them weren't already gossiping like 4 years ago or whatever

I can't handle office romances guys my body shrivels up and my toes and fingers curl, I'm so embarrassed. can the employees stop squealing about it in public. I'm so stressed out by office gossip even if it's like shippy/supportive. also the excited fujo character can sometimes work for me in high school/college shows because it's like young characters but this in an office is like. no. their family and friends can know but i don't need to see their coworkers finding out unless it's meant to be a point of conflict

how can you be discussing top-bottom dynamics of your boss with your colleagues!! and asking your other boss about it !!!! let's get serious I hate this, I should skip through

HOW CAN YOU ASK THIS TO YOUR FUCKING BOSS?!?!?!?!? HOW CAN THIS BE A POSSIBLE THING?!?!?! this show is generally so grounded, even in it's more out-there aspects, that this is like... what world are we in? so inappropriate and also like probably homophobic because you would not be asking this if Qian was dating a woman

are they insinuating Qian's the top/tiger? That does not go with what I want form this trope so I'm ignoring it lmfao I can do verse because I can almost always ship verse but with the younger-guy-deeply-in-love-with-and-madly-pursues-older-guy-who-is-resistant-and-conflicted trope, I like a younger top

but i think people were also annoyed about this suggestion of top Qian lmfao, I think I remember reading comments about it

ah, Lili is indeed pregnant

aw, hug before the questioning but it's like genuine, not from anger. Especially important for them because their mother was terrible and they don't want a child to go through that again obvs

pls San Pang's also here loll I think it's good the ways they were all in different rooms

the panic when Xiao Bao knelt and the 3 of them also scrambling to kneel, especially when Qian also knelt

aw, Qian really was their da-ge, father, and mother all in one

Qian's afraid Lili will follow in their mother's footsteps (pregnant then married young) and be unhappy

why is this so good T.T

I can't believe the messy sex scene from last ep and the utter bullshit that was the office scene in this ep made me forget for a bit how good this show can be

Damn, they're really saving the surgery thing for the very last few minutes. anyway ik he doesn't die because everything would've gone up in flames if that happened

omg how much timeskip, there's a whole baby now

The office discussion actually made me so uncomfortable, it was so inappropriate and unnecessary, why didn't we take that time to... just show at least a bit of the surgery and aftermath or whatever? Like that was such a huge thing in the past 2-3 eps but it just... disappears and we assume it was successful bc of the ending

Overall:

I'm so glad I got over my pseudo-incest brother-lover aversion because I can now watch this stuff in delight. Though I must say, my favourite aspect of this show is the little family trio with Qian, Yuan, and Lili, with San Pang occasionally invited as well. I loved how they cared for each other and how though Lili was left out of the romantic duo inside their trio, it didn't feel like she was forgotten or sidelined. They each had specific relationships with each of the other people, their interactions had their own flavours and it was so good.

The romance itself hm I think the development was nice, especially from Yuan's side since we saw how he thought of Qian and how he supported him and such. We also saw a bit of how Qian was so lost when Yuan was gone that even San Pang was wondering whether Qian liked Yuan and it would've been better if they hadn't sent him away. It just feels like since there was so much angst and build-up for like 10 episodes, their actual coming together should have been grander. The sex feels a bit sudden, I don't think it should've happened right after that conversation because Qian was barely ready to admit whether he saw Yuan as more romantically than just a brother, and then the editing of it all was terrible.

The surgery stuff also kinda dwindled, if they'd brought it up, I wished they would've at least shown the direct aftermath or whatever. I despised how we had the office Yuan/Qian gossip for so long in episode 12, we could've used it for better things. At least we ended with the Lili pregnancy announcement and coming together over that, which reminded me just at the end why I liked the show.

Some other things I really loved: 1) Qian's face, holy shit. Qian is so beautiful, like incredibly attractive to me, woah. Reminds me of Na Jaemin who I was also taken by when I stanned NCT; is it the lower half of their faces/their mouths? 2) The 2 scenes where Qian finds out Lili and San Pang are dating in ep 8 + finds out Lili's pregnant in ep 12 and just going to kill San Pang lol (also loved how Yuan was enjoying it in ep 8 but was helping San Pang and Lili out in ep 12 lol). 3) The episodes, especially the earlier-middle ones, were so addictive, I didn't end up reading the on-air reddit threads because I was too into watching the next ep instead of reading about it.

In the end, I don't think I'll think about it often, especially not the Yuan/Qian ship unless just to remember the brother-lover trope and even then, Kiseki's Chen Yi/Ai Di gave me more intense brainworms for a similar trope I think. I'm disappointed that I didn't love the show, its flaws are at moments that are too important. So deeply conflicted about whether to give 6 or 6.5, I'll go with 6.5 for now.

Rating: 6.5/10