#if he’s gonna be ranked that far down you have no excuse not to

[madridfangirl]

Cricket with the Bellinghams

(Jude & Jobe Bellingham blurb)

'Should we ask her to play as well?’

Jobe asked Jude while nodding in Ananya’s direction. Jude finished setting up the wickets, then turned around to look at his girlfriend who was currently pacing around the living room while on a serious work call. On a Sunday afternoon.

‘She might go all can’t you see I’m dying out here and what makes you think I have time to spare for playing?’

Jobe nodded in support of his brother.

‘Yeah she shooed me away 10 mins ago for breathing too loudly around her.’

‘Exactly. On the other hand, she might go all feminist if we don’t ask her and be like so you assumed I can’t / won’t play just coz I’m a girl?’

Jobe nodded again.

‘Yup, can see that too. What do we do then?’

‘You ask her. She’s sweeter to you.’

‘Oh bollocks. You scared of your girlfriend bro?’

‘Talking about me?’

Both brothers jumped to find her standing right behind them. How did they not hear her come in to the yard at all?

Jude was a little tongue-tied wondering how much she had heard so Jobe decided to take the reins.

‘Just wanted to ask if you’d like to play cricket with us. If your work is done I mean.’

‘Oh it’s not done. It’s never going to be done till I burn that place down. Might as well play a bit.’

Jude scanned her closely - it didn’t look like she had heard much at all. He smiled and wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

‘Wanna bat first?’

‘Sure. Gonna beat your sorry ass with it.’

Jude’s arm dropped from around her, as did his smile, while Jobe giggled behind the stumps. He could already tell this was going to go places.

‘Excuse me?’

‘You heard me.’

‘You know Jobe and I used to play cricket in school right?’

‘And I’ve grown up watching it. What’s your point?’

While Jude was always fiercely competitive, he knew she was a demonic warrior when she wanted to be. This clearly seemed like that day. He still ranked himself far higher in skill, so he knew it would end the way he wanted it to.

‘Game on then.’

‘Yup.’

‘Not gonna go easy on you dove.’

‘Didn’t ask you to.’

Jobe looked between the two of them, wondering how a light fun-filled afternoon had completely turned on its head. What he didn’t know was that the couple had been arguing over small small things all weekend. The kind of fights where you won’t even know half way in what it really was about or where it started from. So what was happening right now didn’t just originate out of nowhere.

Jude counted the steps of his lineup and got in position. Though he had said no mercy, he still decided to bowl slow, just short of out and out underarm. Even with that he was sure he’d beat her. But at least it would look like a contest then.

He bowled the first delivery. She had all the time in the world to step out of her crease, catch the ball mid -air and hit it into the outfield.

It took Jude two seconds to process what he just saw, after which he chased the ball. By then she had taken two runs. Jobe hooted from behind the stumps, patting her on the back.

All mercy went out of the window then. Jude took a proper run and swung his arm fully for the next delivery. The pace of the ball and short length of this make-shift pitch made the ball go over her head for a bouncer.

She gaped and looked at him in horror.

‘That could have hit me.’

‘Please, that would have gone over Jobe as well.’

‘Tryna show off? Or intimidate me?’

‘Just taking the game seriously.’

He shrugged nonchalantly, which annoyed her even more.

‘Good to know there are a few things you still take seriously.’

‘Wait what’s that supposed to mean?’

‘Just go back and bowl.’

‘Don’t mind if I do.’

Jobe wondered if he should leave them alone and let them sort out whatever the hell was going on here. But both would have given him dirty looks if he even mentioned that. So he stayed shut.

The next ball whipped past her shoulder. Jude just looked her up and down, before walking back for his run-up. The unabashed cockiness pissing her off. He had done that consistently last few days - just setting her off with this air about him.

Next ball came. Straight on her legs. She swung the bat with all her might but couldn’t connect it properly and the ball grazed her front leg.

‘OUT. That’s an LBW.’

‘Nope. That was a no ball.’

‘No it wasn’t. I was way behind my line.’

‘Rubbish. I could see from here it was a no ball.’

‘Jobe?’

Jobe looked between the piercing eyes of both.

‘Yeah I’m not touching that with a barge pole.’

‘Coward.’

They said together, then looked at each other to acknowledge their telepathic connection, corners of their lips threatening to twitch with a smile. But the game was still on and neither was ready to give in.

However, Jobe decided to call it quits and said his goodbye after making some lame excuse. He would rather vegetate in bed than be the go between for this sparring hot headed pair.

‘One final ball. If I get you out I win. If you score even 1 run you win. Else it’s a draw. Deal?’

‘Deal.’

Jude weighed his options. Anything above her torso would be risky, she wasn’t good with ducking or swaying in time. But blocking she was quite adept at, from what he had seen just now, so a clean bowled or LBW targeting the stumps would be the way to go.

He stood on his mark. Before starting his run-up, he gave her a final look, almost giving her the window to back out. But she was a woman on a mission today. To humble his sorry ass. No matter what it took.

He bowled the final delivery. It was on target. Right on her front leg. She tried to block well, just like he had predicted. But it was a straight LBW. Clear as day.

However, celebrating was the last thing on Jude’s mind because in her rapid attempt to block, the ball deflected off the edge and hit her on her index finger.

She didn’t scream. She didn’t make any sound. But the bat dropped from her hand immediately and she turned around, holding her finger tightly.

Jude ran to her and was in front of her in a few seconds.

‘Show me.’

It wasn’t a request. He didn’t leave any room for her to be a sore loser & act out. Instead, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her other hand away to take a good look at the finger.

Then, he moved it a little bit and on one particular angle she cried out in pain.

‘Sorry, had to check for a fracture. But it’s just a sprain. Wait here.’

Again, it wasn’t a request. Jude came back in record time with a first aid kit and a pack of ice. He applied a quick ointment to soothe the nerves, then covered her finger with an ice pack, keeping it there for 2 mins sharp.

‘Try moving it now.’

She did. And just like that the pain was gone.

She looked up at his concerned face with a half-smile.

‘All good.’

Jude stood there motionless for two seconds. She wondered if he had even heard her.

But then he grabbed her arms and pulled her in for a crushing hug, kissing her head and face all over.

‘I’m sorry. I’m so so sorry baby.’

‘It’s fine it was just a sprain and it’s not your fault.’

‘Ofcourse it’s my fault. I hurt you.’

‘Jude, it was an accident.’

‘You got hurt because of me.’

‘Jude, it’s fin…’

He grabbed her face, tilted it up and kissed her like his life depended on it. Her hands came up to his biceps for support.

‘Are you mad at me? And I’m not talking about just now.’

‘No. I mean, I don’t know.’

‘I don’t like us snapping at each other like this. It sucks.’

‘I know baby. It’s just…I don’t know….maybe it’s work…it’s just been super crazy and…..’

‘And sometimes I can be a lot to deal with yeah?’

He looked at her so earnestly that she couldn’t keep herself from giving him a genuine smile.

‘Sometimes. But I know I can be difficult too and it’s just……’

‘Shhhhh it’s ok, it’s fine.’

He pulled her close again, peppering kisses over the top of her head.

‘I know just the thing to let out some frustration.’

‘If you’re talking about sex you can stop talking. I’m still irritated.’

‘Actually that’s an even better idea. But what I had in mind was more like a punching bag. Have one in the gym.'

'That....is a surprisingly brilliant idea.'

He shrugged cockily, and she rolled her eyes at him.

'Wanna give it a go, then? Can show you some punches.'

'Yes pls. Maybe we can make it a thing. I sure might.'

'So long as you don't imagine my face while punching the bag it's cool.'

'We gotta do what we gotta do.'

With that, she turned around and walked back into the house. While Jude stood there a bit, staring after her. She was full of surprises, never a dull moment with her. And Jude loved it all.

...............................................................

Was missing my babies so literally wrote this in 30 mins. Hope you like it :)

[hawkeyefierce]

every day i wake up and i shake a stick at nhl central scouting for having the fucking audacity to rank gazizov 192nd among north american skaters… are they just fucking stupid or do they actually hate him that much

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - The unexpected rise of cooking crush & seme bjs

Organized, in each category, with ones I'm enjoying most at the top.

Jan 2024 Wk 3

Ongoing Series - Thai

The Sign (Sat YT) ep 9 of 12 - I love this show so damn much. This may be my KinnPorsche. It’s just so endlessly entertaining in a perfectly unhinged way. I love that they looped Tharn’s dad back into the murder investigations.

You know kinksters have invented necklaces that can’t come off… right? Just saying.

Meanwhile, would it still be BL if our seme didn’t wake up from drowning and instantly go chase snake?

No. No it would not. 

Remember the one hard and fast rule of BL? When a seme gives a BJ it’s penance. Phaya is apologizing to Tharn for leaving him behind.

Heh. Hard and fast. I kill me. 

Pit Babe (Fri iQIYI) ep 10 of 14 - How is this absurd creature managing to rise in the ranks? Pavel turned in some stellar grief and ALANJEFF have my whole heart. I make Ikea puns in the... Trash watch happening here.

Cooking Crush (Sun YT) ep 7 of 12 - The make-out montage was absolutely charming and very much American rom com style - interesting (and rare) to see in a BL (not to mention from OffGun. How far we have come since Puppy Honey?)

Meanwhile, another wonderful grandma in a BL!

Next week we do an actual harken back to Puppy Honey, so obviously I’m now enjoying this whole show way more than before. I think it helped that I watched it earlier in the week, when it wasn’t competing with any other BLs. 

Last Twilight (Fri YT) ep 11 of 12 - Not gonna lie, I knew from you all that this was gonna be a rough ep. But I very clearly remember the penultimate Bad Buddy ep so I now have slightly more trust than others in GMMTV on this matter. 

That said, this was a crap episode.

You can’t set Mork’s truth and character motivation reveal up like that and then have his lover choose to dismiss him in a way that diminishes not just both character's growth AND all of Mork's actions towards Day, but also our faith in every other character. It was a shitty narrative thing to do to us, and it was a shitty thing to do to Mork. And that doesn’t even take into account the forgiveness allotted by the story to Day’s unrepentant excuse for a mother.  The doom should have been handled differently. The mom shoudl have leaned in even more evil and actively lied to split them apart.

I don't know if they can redeem this misstep in the final episode. But I'm interested to see them try. That said, this plot seem to be true to the book. 

For Him (Thurs iQIYI) ep 8 of 12 - A major trigger has landed. But also it’s clear who’s fault that incident was... and it’s not Him’s. So Blue's so-called-friend really is unhinged. This episode was a little bit more engaging than last week, but it’s only because stuff actually happened. I’m still not sure I enjoyed it. 

Twins the series (Fri GaGa) ep 12fin - Despite the fact that I’ve been annoyed by the show the last couple of episodes, I’m still sad for it to end. It was a good reveal and First had the right response. Also a very sports way to end it. Sprite is a v clingy bf. 

In brief?

A messy very Thai pulp sports romance that actually managed to involve sports in an identical twins trading-places plot. Basically Not Me meets HIStory 2 Crossing the Line (although vastly inferior to either) with an endearing main character and a good lead pair (poor things), both soapy and earnest without too much camp. It tried so hard but the plot, side couples, and extraneous characters let us down. Passable if not great. 7/10 

Time the series (Thai Gaga) ep 2 of 10 - Eh. Whatever. 

My Universe (Sun iQIYI) ep 22 of 24 - skipped this installment

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Although I Love You and You AKA Sukiyanen Kedo Do Yaro ka (Japan Gaga) ep 2 of 10 - Funny how quickly he retracted that confession and everyone called him out for doing it too soon (including me from a narrative beats perspective). It was a cute screw up - I see what your meta-arse is doing there, Japan. Also our Tokyo-boy’s serious reserved earnestness is extra adorable in the surrounded by Osaka enthusiasm context. His accidental flirting is that much more heart wrenching for our poor baby seme.  And they ended this ep with honorific negotiations!! Be still my heart. I’m really adoring this show.

Your hyung romance super fan is back in the game! 

Meanwhile the Osaka accent is beyond adorable. 

Sahara-sensei to Toki-kun (Japan Fri Gaga) ep 6 of 8 - Japan what are you doing? I do love the not-sorta-ex from the past. 

VIP Only (Taiwan Fri Gaga) ep 10fin - I loved all the young people in the hawker center supporting the campaign against the terrible mother. They make a good domestically sappy couple. But that is Taiwan's specialty.

In brief?

A sweet if aimless story about a writer and a chef finding love via noodles, fake dating, and family challenges. If it had a tighter script and a shorter run, more like a KBL this might’ve been quite special. But it didn’t and it lost me too many times. 6/10

I don’t like to be disappointed by Taiwan. 

It's done: I Need to Catch up

What Did You Eat Yesterday Season 2 AKA Kinou Nani Tabeta? Season 2 (Japan Gaga) 10 eps - will binge when I have any spare time. 2024 is crazy busy for me so far.

The Servant and the Young Master - from Vietnam so I assume it's on YouTube. I never even noticed. Anyone?

Began Beginning (Myanmar YouTube) - Is TRUST Entertainment bringing us the first ever Burmeses BL? I don't know if it's really the first, but @heretherebedork vouched for it, so I will give it a watch through.

It's Airing But...

[INTERNATIONAL] Cherry Magic (Sat YouTube) ep 3 of 12 - yeah Japan put the smack down on our boys. Sadness. You can use a VPN if you like. Read all about it here.

Beside You (Thai YouTube) - a 3 sp short that's supposed to have started but I can't find it.

Ossans Love Season 2 (Japan Gaga) - 5 years later, will anything have changed? This is Japan so… probubly not. I won't be watching this. I disliked Season one and actively hated the follow ups. No thank you.

Playboyy (Thurs Gaga) 14 eps - Dear Playboyy, it's not you, it’s me… I hate you. You’re about as deep (and as palatable) as a shot glass of cum. While I'm sure you’re someone’s kink, you're my weakest link. Goodbye. I DNFed this at ep 5. Frankly I'm impressed with myself for getting that far.

The Whisperer (Sun ????) 10 eps - Ends next week. Thai horror BL that ALSO involves cheating (what joy is mine). I don't think even the perfect single dimple can motivate me to watch. Word is... it's terrible.

7 Days Before Valentine (Weds WeTV) 10 eps - Giving me Luminous Solution vibes. I'm waiting to binge if safe.

Dead Friend Forever (Thai Sat iQIYI) - horror, meh, tell me if it's worth my time?

In Case You Missed it

All my year-end round ups:

TOP 10 BL Trends of 2023

Top 10 BL Secondary Pairs of 2023

2023 BLs Best Trope Execution Awards! TOP 10

All the BLs Announced for 2023 that didn't happen

BL 2023's Best:

Back Hugs Thailand & Elsewhere

Cute Bits of Domesticity

Boys Feeding Boys

BOOP!

Best Cuddles

Heads in Laps

Touching Head Touches

Thailand Put His Head on Your Shoulder

Put Your Head on My Shoulder (not Thailand)

BEST KISSES (not Thailand)

BEST KISSES FROM THAILAND

Next Week Looks Like This

1/23 Happy Ending is a new high school set Strongberry 20 min short staring the actor who played Milk on Choco Milk Shake, so... YES PLEASE. I'm not sure where it will air but we all have our fingers crossed for Gaga or YT. Or both.

1/24 Love For Love's Sake (Korea Gaga & iQIYI)- based on the Manhwa ‘Love Supremacy Zone’ by Hwacha. A young man is dropped into a game based off a novel he loves. His mission is to make another player, YeoWoon happy. But then the game starts unfolding completely different from the novel.

Upcoming BLs for 2024 are listed here. This list is not kept updated, so please leave a comment if you know something new or RP with additions.

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

Viva la BL grandma superiority! (Cooking Crush)

Cooking Crush casually givign us some lovely lesbians (as indeed did The Sign). GL makes for a lovely acessory BL, carry on.

Now GMMTV, give us the REVERSE.

I love this dork SO MUCH. (Pit Babe)

I love that Cherry Magic is doing this scene over. One of my favs from the original.

Yai is BEST BOY. MVP and most likely the winner for 2024's Namgoong award.

(Last week)

[juuuulez]

Business Transaction.

info: Carl x Saviour! Reader, use of the word ‘daughter’ but otherwise no pronouns, assumed fatherly figure Negan because I love him.

summary: You and Carl conduct a business transaction. He patches up your wound, and you return his supplies.

requests r open! plsss i’m so bored <3

There’s a deep exhaustion settled within your bones, a familiar ache that comes with days of working, commanding, leading. Grovelling, fighting, scavenging. But that’s what the apocalypse was, that’s the life you were destined to live.

Fortunately enough, you ranked highly amongst the Saviours. Negan had made the promise to protect you, to care for you. And you carry that promise with you every day. Yet, that’s no excuse for slacking. Being young didn’t mean that you didn’t have to pull your weight.

Once again, you’ve landed yourself in Alexandria. A few Saviours accompanied you, along with Dwight, who was providing directions to various citizens. The presence of Negan was missed, always feeling that extra bit safer when he was around. But for the citizens of Alexandria? They were far more relaxed.

There was a shuffling of footsteps behind you, enough for your jaw to tense and hand to hover over the pistol stationed at your hip. Before you could react, he was speaking.

“Hey.” It was quiet, simple. You barely knew Carl Grimes, but in the handful of interactions you’d had, he’d been civil. He stood a few meters away, hands stuffed into the pockets of his jeans. In a way, he looked awkward, holding the unfamiliar essence of a teenage boy.

There was a mutual respect between you two. A line that shouldn’t be crossed. While you hadn’t been there that night, where those two men where killed, you knew how Negan’s tirades usually went. The horrors this boy has likely experience, blossoming into a hatred towards the Saviours. You understood.

Regardless of this hatred, Carl found himself indifferent towards you. On one hand, you were a Saviour, and clearly in somewhat of a position of power. But you were also a teenager. Somebody’s daughter. In some ways, he felt as if he were looking into a mirror, a concept that frightened him. An individual burdened with the responsibility of their family. A reputation to uphold.

“What happened to your face?” Carl was speaking again, eyes squinted to spite the sun. His comment confused you for a moment, swiping feebly at your cheek before remembering the large gash that sat there, messily stitched up. It looked a little gruesome.

“Got fucked up on a run,” You replied, language harsh and crude alike to your predecessor. “Brass knuckles. Totally tore the shit out of my skin. Knocked a tooth out.”

The weight of your injury doesn’t seem to phase him. Carl inspects you for a moment, seemingly coming to a conclusion. It dawns on you: he wants something.

“That stitching isn’t gonna hold up,” He points out, “I could fix it. If you can get my stuff back from one of your goons.”

The implications of his statement were harsh, making you clench my jaw, brows furrowed. Still, it was reasonable enough. The stitching did look gross, shaky and uneven, messily done by Dwight in a moving car.

With this conclusion in mind, you shrug, attempting to seem nonchalant about the discussion. About your little deal. “Yeah, whatever. Sounds fair to me.”

You try not to notice how Carl perks up. How his spine straightens, and eye looks a little brighter. For the first time this conversation, he manages a small smile, nodding his head in the opposite direction before beginning to walk. You follow him.

The two of you don’t speak, making your way to the infirmary in Alexandria. Wordlessly, you settle down on a nearby bench, allowing Carl to collect the minimal equipment he’ll need and set it out.

You didn’t even flinch as he started removing the existing stitching, pulling it out in grossly bloody strands to be disposed of. Red seeped out of the disturbed wound, dripping down your jawline in maroon pearls. Carl pressed a cloth against it, careful in each of his movements.

“You didn’t see a doctor?” He asks, sparking a conversation you were fine to let die. This was a business transaction. A service for a service. But you couldn’t complain.

“Nah. Been out too much. Got back from a run, had watch duty, came up here,” You explain, words quiet and slightly muffled due to attempting to keep still. It was awkward, being confined to limited expression. “Up to Hilltop next. Circuit loop. Like a, uh, grand tour… kinda.”

You trail off, catching yourself rambling. He doesn’t care. Not about you, not about your work, nor about where you’re going. Stick to business.

Instead, Carl speaks once more. “Sounds like you’ve got a full-time job.”

It’s a small quip, a little playful, and a little critical. It feels like he’s judging you. Although, Carl’s gaze is always analytical, like he’s trying to pick a part your existence.

“Yeah, that’s kinda how it works. Doing my part for the community.” You reply, unsure of how to explain yourself.

It doesn’t matter, as Carl falls silent anyway. He continues to stitch up your wound, movements holding a surprising amount of care. After it’s done, he even gets a cloth and gently wipes the blood off your cheek, some having dripped down your neck.

Still in silence, Carl stands there awkwardly, clearly waiting to deliver his request. You beat him to it.

“Your comics?” You ask him, watching the way that his face drops, seemingly caught off-guard by your awareness. “I know where they are. But, I can’t give you all of them. Maybe… three volumes?”

Carl debates the proposition, looking down at his boots with furrowed brows. It makes you smile, reminded about how young he was. How young you both were.

“Three volumes,” He eventually repeats with a nod, “But from different series.”

Standing up from the bench, you hold a hand out to him, an inviting smile on your face, “Three volumes,” You repeat once more, and Carl takes your hand, shaking it firmly. The deal is set.

You have the feeling that your business together won’t end here.

[faulty-writes]

Hi, hello!

I found your blog on accident, but it was a really good accident. I love how you write for bnha boys and girls, haven't seen that of an accurate descriptions in a while! It's really enjoyable.

Could I request a female reader with Stymphalian Bird like quirk? Like reader has big wings with very sharp, metal feathers that she can use as blades or just shoot them out. She also has sharp claws that administer poison to the wounds and sharp teeth. Because of that, as her quirk is pretty deadly, she became a villain due to harassment and bullying, but she never kills or severely injures anyone, mostly just destroying property and stealing. However, due to the scale of the attacks, she is considered dangerous, high ranking villain.

But she does it rather to spend her anger and survive rather than actually trying to hurt anyone.

For the Bois Like Hawks, Aizawa and Izuku?

You don't have to write it if you don't want to, I tend to overcomplicate things 😅

[ I'm happy it was a happy accident for you! Apologies that this took longer than expected. Life sucks sometimes. But I hope you enjoy it nonetheless. ]

It didn't take a genius to figure out that while you were a high-ranking villain, you never actually shed the blood of the innocent. That's what he found most peculiar, and after months of hounding Madam President, he was finally assigned to apprehend you. Of course, he'd use that as an excuse to find out more about you and more importantly, why you spared innocent lives.

"Sorry there," the sound of your metal feathers crashing against the vacant building was a sound he wouldn't forget. "Guess I'm just a little faster than you, nice try though," he said at your first meeting. He recalled the way you growled, staring up at him with those intense eyes before again trying to strike him down.

Connecting with you was more challenging than he thought. This was even after expressing his interest in getting to know you. He even ventured as far as trying to gain your sympathy by sharing a little bit of his past, namely that his father was a villain and that's why he could understand where you were coming from, but you knew the real reason he told you this was because he hoped you'd open up. But no, you were stubborn and refused to tell a "hero" anything.

"Even with those sharp claws and teeth, you can still be a hero!" He yelled one day while engaged in another furious battle with you. His body had received a few scratches but nothing lethal, of course even if it were, he wouldn't care. He only wanted to convince you that you could still save yourself from this villainous path.

"Heh, well, it looks like you caught me," he joked, daring to smile as you pinned him against the wall with a satanic snarl. "But what's this? Not gonna use your poison, what gives? Or are you just too scared to use it?" His words sent a violent tremble through your body and as capable as you were of poisoning him, you backed away.

"You know, not that I'm much for looks even though I'm considered gorgeous by most, but you should smile more. You'd look even more beautiful than you are." You weren't sure if he meant that to be insulting or not, but why would you smile when you had sharp dangerous-looking teeth?

The two of you were locked in a fierce hand-to-hand combat session when you first met. You scared some innocent civilians and panic arose. Shota was the first on the scene and made the first move. However, he ultimately ended the fight because there was no illegal quirk usage on your end and that meant no crime was committed. You thought that would be the last time you'd see him.

He recognized your potential from the start, and while your skills could be used for a heroic purpose you were still a villain and one, he intended on stopping, yet he wasn't beyond trying to reason with you. He'd always say something along the lines of "I could care less about detaining you, but you could channel your quirk for a greater purpose." Often his words were met with more retaliation.

He taught his students about the dangers of vigilantism. There was no excuse for what they did. They were criminals, and yet he couldn't help but compare you to a young man he met years ago. He was a vigilante, but Shota let his antics slide and never thought he'd let that happen again but something inside him kept calling him back to you.

He knew it was foolish and dangerous to track you down, and he'd never forget the feeling of your claws digging into his flesh and the sickening feeling of his life slipping away because of the poison that ran through his body. Yet, even as he lay in the hospital bed, he knew that your intention wasn't to kill him and that he'd pursue you again.

You weren't sure if you were angry or relieved when he ambushed you in the alleyway. However, how he smirked at you when you pinned him against the wall with your feathers made you feel uneasy as did his words. "You didn't intend to kill me. If you really want a change in perspective, Yuuei can help you." He acted as though he cared, and you hated that.

"Don't just stand there, we may be heroes, but we all agreed to help you, and in exchange, your villain record will be erased." This was the compromise you had reached with Shota after months of arguments and being at each other's throats, you finally agreed to at least see the world of heroes. In return, Shota had promised no harm would come to you, and it was almost funny or pathetic that you believed him.

"I...I just w-want to know more about y-your quirk!" His words were coated in fear, and his eyes were fixated on your claws that were mere inches from his face. But his words also made you stop and think for a moment before declaring him a fool and shoving him to the ground.

His frequent visits quickly annoyed you, so you decided to poison the annoying pest to finally make him leave you alone. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. Izuku returned after being released from the hospital. "I k-know you didn't mean to kill me! A-and that means t-that you have c-compassion!" His words were greeted with laughter. Yes, quite a stupid kid he was.

"W-why did you become a villain? Your q-quirk may seem dangerous, b-but if…if you really want, I can s-support you because I think…I think you'd make a wonderful h-hero!" A small amount of blood was shed when your claws swiped across his face, but you knew no matter how much pain you inflicted on him, he'd keep returning.

"Here, I t-thought you might be h-hungry!" You weren't sure if you were hateful or grateful because Izuku brought you food. "You n-need to eat! Even v-villains…n-not that I think you are o-one, need…need to eat!" You could hardly believe that you thanked him for said food, but hell…it was less work on your part. Villains didn't exactly get a paycheck, so you mostly relied on stealing and scaring others to get food or material means.

When he showed you his notebook and all the details, he had written about you, it changed something. It made you think and wonder why he was so interested in a villain like you. However, thinking back to your previous encounters, you realized it wasn't because he looked at you as a villain but as a person with a troubled past.

When he started bringing his "friends" to you to prove that not all heroes would judge you, there was a certain rage that seeped deep inside you. The last thing you wanted was more annoying brats around, but to your surprise, they were curious and accepting about you and spoke highly of Izuku and you almost hated yourself for agreeing that the once annoying pest was…pleasant to be around.

[yanderes-galore]

Can we have something for our favorite muscly man, Clayton Carmine? We know he's gonna be a very protective and clingy man. :)

I love him so much.

Yandere! Clayton Carmine Concept

Pairing: Romantic/Platonic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Overprotective/Possessive behavior, Violence, Death, Survivor's Guilt, Trauma, Clingy behavior, Social isolation, Blood, Dubious turned Forced companionship/relationship.

You just KNOW he's going to be one of the more tragic yanderes in the series.

The Carmine family is infamous with not having relatives live that long.

Anthony Carmine was shot in the head in Gears 1.

Benjamin Carmine was eaten by the Riftworm in Gears 2.

Gary Carmine was killed by a DeeBee pod falling on him in Gears 4.

Elizabeth Carmine was killed by a malfunctioning Hammer of Dawn strike in Gears 5...

Safe to say, Clayton is probably filled to the brim with Survivor's Guilt.

Which is shown in his obsession.

Clayton, when he does eventually get attached to someone, is definitely suffocating.

He's so used to those he loves dying that he feels an urge to protect his obsession.

All to the point he comes off controlling.

Clayton takes some time to grow attached due to his trauma.

He knows he shouldn't get attached due to how easy it is to die out here.

Maybe he met you around Gears 3? Around that time only Anthony and Benjamin have died and he is able to comfortably show an attachment towards you.

I don't think Clayton cared much about Gary's death due to him being an Outsider and not COG.

But he certainly cared about Lizzie... which means when Lizzie dies his obsession is in full swing.

Clayton is intimidating, but towards you he just seems nice to be around.

He looks out for you due to being a big brother for most of his life.

Clayton's obsession can be platonic or romantic.

If he's platonic, he probably sees himself as a big brother to you.

In that case he wants to protect you... since he feels the guilt from his younger siblings dying.

If he's romantic, he cares for you and flirts with you a bit.

He likes to impress you and can imagine himself settling down with you when things calm down.

He even tries to make such an attempt after Gears 3 and between Gears 4/5.

Clayton's biggest fear is no doubt losing you.

He knows how easy it is to lose people, Marcus is similar when it comes to this.

The only way to soothe such fears for him is to keep you close.

If you're lower in rank than him, which you no doubt are, he has an excuse.

He's "teaching you the ropes", of course he has to keep you close and in his squad.

Clayton can be affectionate but he holds off most of the time.

You have no idea how much he wishes to hug you sometimes... if he loves you romantically then he definitely wants a kiss.

Physical affection is a comfort to him.

It reassures him you're still there.

Clayton would do anything to see you safe and happy.

He's known as a Grub Killer and is ruthless in his skills.

If other COG members speak with you, Clayton often interrupts and pulls you close to him.

Not many approach you unless Clayton approves.

He's primarily a protective yandere with possessive elements.

The man is ripped, too.

Others would be a fool to mess with you when he's around.

Clayton doesn't want to force your adoration, he tries to be patient with you.

Yet by Gears 5 he plans to have you locked beside him... all so he doesn't lose you, too.

If pushed far enough, as OOC as it seems, Clayton may not mind holding you close with blood on his hands.

He'll protect you from everything.

Grubs, humans, by this point he's lost enough.

He doesn't want you to fight him.

However... Clayton's lost enough, hasn't he?

He doesn't plan to lose you too... even if it means trapping you beside him.

"Listen to me. I will take care of you... I won't lose you. Ever. Don't leave me here...!"

[i-luv-carl-grimes]

A light that never goes out

‧͙⁺˚*･��☾ 𖤓 ☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙

-

Au: alright so some ppl actually likes this so far so here pt.2 and as promised I'll go more in detail with this part as well as go deeper into the story line ENJOY!!

-

Word spread with wild fire that someone was being "required" on task force 141 which was wrong but was also right. I spent my night at the shooting range when I should've been gathering my things, then I saw someone walk in. A strong looking man, maybe in his late twenties. He had a... Interesting hair style, one of which was a mohawk. He also had the British flag on his vest... Odd... A brit all the way in Texas? That's odd. Enough with the questions (Y/n) you came here to clear your mind. So do it.

I looked back down at my bandaged hand and noticed that the blister wounds had reopened and were now bleeding through the thin gauze. I ignored it and continued shooting. Not realizing the man had approach me.

"Hey there Girly" ....girly...? "Uh.., ya-?" can't people just LEAVE ME ALONE! "How long have you been at it?" he question... He didn't look like a higher up so I don't gotta be polite do I? "I'm busy, go bother someone else" I said and looked back at the targets then continued shooting. "Man aren't you snappy, and a dam good shot at that" why is he here and why is he talking to me? "I'm lookin' for a girl... Price said her name was (Y/n)-" "Rain, it's Rain to you" I snapped and he put up his hands. "My bad kid, I'm Soap" he let out a hand, I didn't wanna be completely rude so I let out mine... Forgetting about my now blood soaked bandages. "Bloody hell- what have you been up to? You shouldn't over to do" yeah okay dad. "What do you want" I said not enjoying how this interaction was holding up. "I'm pickin' you up" he said and I turned. "Excuse me?" he grinned and looked down at me. "You heard me Rookie now get your bags were leaving" he said once more wirhout giving me a real answer. I just decided to go along with it and I walked into the sleeping quarters, "Soap" was following behind he causing everyone else to whisper and stair. Why did HE have to come along? I walked into my section and the other girls lifted there head up and looked at me and Soap. "No fucking way.... They recruited you!?" a girl named Madie said. I didn't respond just grabbed my things and put them in a duffle bag. "Let's get going Private" wait... Private...HE WAS A HIGHER RANK!? god dammit. That still doesn't clear up who he is.

I was lead out of the camp and over to a large truck, standing next to it was Captain Price. "Rain, glad you could make it" he said and placed a hand on my shoulder. "This is soap, he's a field commander, you'll be working with him and the others for the next few weeks" he continued... The others? Holy shit... I really am gonna be working with the best. "Yes sir," he paused for a moment. "And (Y/n). I know your capable of this... Don't make me question your skill" he patted my shoulder then stepped aside inviting me to go into the truck. I climbed in and immediately force...

Sitting around me were two other extremely well built men. One specificly was wearing a skull mask, he looked to be the biggest in the group... And a little intimating... "Everyone, this is Rain. She'll be joining us on our next mission," Soap said. "Don't be dick heads, introduce yourselfs" he snapped and a man got up and walked over to me then let out his hand. "Gaz" he said... He seemed rather quiet I went to shake his hand then cringed when I felt the pressure against my wounds. "Ghost don't be a-" "she's gonna get killed" the man in the skull mask said and everyone went silent. "Price said shes better then anyone else in her group. She's one helleva shot too, saw it myself" Soap said, he was quick to my defense I appreciated that. "Yeah but he's a rookie, she doesn't have any real experience" this ghost guy was seriously pissing me off. "Give 'er a chance Ghost" he just rolled his black out eyes and I took a seat next to Gaz and soap as the truck started moving. It was quiet... And awkward till Soap started talking.

"How long have ya' been training?" Soap asked and I shrugged. "A few months, maybe 3 or 4" Soap and Gaz were nice and chill.... I cant say the same for the fuck head other there though (ghost)

"What's the mission about?" I looked over at Soap. "Hold your horses kid, it's your first day calm it would ya?" he replied and Gaz snorted. "And here let me see your hand" he took out some new gauze. "I got it" I said trying to take it from him but he pulled back. I then swiped it away from him quicker. "I said I got it" I looked at him through the corner of my eye. "Yes Ma'am" he let out a chuckle. I took off the old bloody bandages off. "How'd ya do that?" Gaz asked and I shrugged. "One two many round I guess, it doesn't hurt though" I threw the bloody ones away and put on the new ones. Gaz and Soap went back to talking while Ghost just sat there not moving a inch... What a weirdo. Wait... These are the solders on task force 141? Hell this WAS task force 141...mohawk guy, a dude in a mask and Gaz.... Interesting....

It was gonna be a while till we reached the UK so I grabbed a book I brought from home and opened it to turn part I last left off on.

-

Au: enemies to lovers??? (My fave trope)

-

[xarrixii]

F/B Chapter_43 : "One of the Good Ones"

CW: none that i can think of previous chapter | beginning | masterlist

/ / / / / | ---

“You’re the best pyro I know, Alph,” Reggie mocked silently. “I’ve never seen anyone in my 34 years of life that wields fire better than you. Good control, Alph⸺”

Alph put a hand over Reggie’s mouth. The gym teacher made them want to vomit excessively all over the floor. With cat hair, stomach acid, and that mildly radioactive meal served on that blue hot-lunch tray. Reggie licked their palm and they pulled off.

“Just saying. He’s weird, dude. Like retired intel recruiter weird. Are you being scouted?”

“No?” As far as Alph knew, the government wouldn’t want a pyrokinetic in its special programs anyway. “I think he’s just a piece of shit.”

“Kineticist piece of shit,” Beth nodded, suddenly leaning on Alph’s shoulder. “This guy needs a new hobby. I think he just stalks all of the kids with kinetics. Doesn’t help he runs the yearly exam. So the government can have information on its citizens.”

Alph snorted impolitely, then laughed at the sound of it.

“The fuck was that?” Reggie snickered, lightly punching Alph.

The gym teacher whistled, yelled blue, and Reggie shrugged and walked back into dodgeball hell. Alph replaced him in line, then turned back to Beth. “What’d you purposefully get out to tell me?”

“I did not purposefully get out,” Beth said loudly, then leaned in, “but Flash Fire’s getting an update. AJ was looking at his smartwatch for notifications on the ‘medic scooter’ waiting for someone to go down. Multiplayer and ranked battles. Something about secret maps for them?”

“Multiplayer?” Alph said louder than intended, glancing over at the gym teacher who stoically stood around doing nothing. “Like, online, anytime, no arcade multiplayer?”

Beth nodded. “They finally figured out how to code their AI models to fight more than one target at once reliably. Also some lag fixes and blah blah blah.”

“Urban.”

“Quit it with the fictitious boyfriend,” Beth understood which Urban Alph meant quick enough to be sarcastic. “We get it, you have to make excuses each time as for why he can’t come down to the arcade⸺”

“For your information he’s real and he’s cooler than you are. And he’s not my boyfriend.”

Beth pretended to become offended, scoffing and rolling her eyes as Alph was whistled back into play. She whispered with her teeth as Alph walked away, “But you wish he was.”

She received a polite middle finger back.

The conversation didn’t resume until Alph was walking home, head buried in their phone screen. “Yeah. They’ve released map teasers and have beta testers testing out the AI right now. Apparently accounts in the top 5% of players can access the beta for early feedback. No online play though, only lobby codes and LAN play.” 

Alph chuckled at the statistic, pausing halfway through a text. Camdyn waved it off. “Yeah, so what exactly? Alph?”

“If we want to play at my apartment, I’m sure my dad wouldn’t care. As long as no one else has any obligations.” Alph hit sent and looked up. “What? Come on. It’d be cool.”

Reggie voiced a leading note before actually speaking at a crosswalk, “Nah. I agreed to take over a shift. I think I’m already gonna be late, so I’m gonna split.”

“Seeya,” Camdyn said. Then he turned to Alph, Reggie already halfway down the intersection. “You’re not actually top 5% are you? I distinctly remember beating you at an arcade before, and it was remarkably easy. And I’m not even top 20%.”

“Uh, 4 point.... whatever. I don’t remember.” The remark reminded Alph all too painfully of walking into Decked Games at twelve years just to find out their high score had been beaten—eight times. UR. Over the next few weeks, with a month lapse stuck in the middle, each and every arcade in the city that had Flash Fire as an available game was overrun by a new winner that Alph could never catch in the act.

It was Urban, obviously. It was rare when Alph beat him on console. UR was for Urban Reichler. The kind of thing most everyone knew now from a simple search query, but four years ago was a fact known by the handful of people who either read the comics or did 100% runs. “Skill curve gets insane beyond that point.”

“We’ll see the real number when we get to your apartment anyway,” Beth jostled.

Alph threw up a hand the second the blast inched their vision, skidding across the street suddenly filled with glass and swiveling around to Beth and Camdyn. Ringing filled their ears more than their own voice, “Are you two okay?”

Beth gave a silent thumbs-up and Camdyn groaned out a thanks.

When they turned back to look at the newly-exploded building, they expected fire, just not the screaming child. “Call the cops,” Alph managed to get out before pushing off the ground back across the street to the burning building. The decision was met with barely any hesitation, Alph’s hands grabbing hold of the fire and whisking it away from themselves as they went toward the kid.

Alph could hear Camdyn protesting outside over the roaring fire.

“Hey, kid! It’s gonna all be okay, I promise you!” Alph yelled into the newly awakened pyrokinetic flame. “We’re gonna walk through this together, alright?”

next chapter | masterlist

/ / / / / | --- missing a content warning? let me know

it's actually so jarring to see how short this is compared to the two latest chapters i've written

taglist (ask to go on or off): @lychhiker-writes, @madeoforgansandtissues, @fins0up

[kalixora]

It is what it is

Part 3

Alexia! Play Low by SZA

@tapioca-marzipanpan @do-leannan @yooforia @fruitymoonbeams-blog @xheera @angelsquid @makastaco @random0lover@lovecats12345

Summary: You weren't seen as a high-ranking solider, and you were stuck in a position you didn't want, directly by General Shepard's side. You get a call one day about a new opportunity that will help you.

. Reader is presumed female

Note: I've never played any of the games, so please excuse any inaccuracies. Due to the use of Google Translate, any languages displayed may potentially be incorrect.

There will be explicit sexual content, as well as instances of harassment, cursing, and drug usage.

Callsign: Hound

You sighed as you closed the door to your room. Once more, it was only you and no one else. Your childhood memories ran through your mind with each blink as you walked over to your bed and laid down. 

Every memory, every voice, every touch, every emotion, He was there. He was never far away. Fuck. Participating on this task force very likely did not completely expel you from him.

Knock knock 

You groaned and jerked your eyes wide. A somewhat apprehensive Soap was waiting for you at the other end of your hasty opening.

He briefly diverted his eyes from yours before flashing you a timid smile. "Uh- Captain wants us in his office in 30."

“Okay.” 

"Are you alright?  I didn't in any way hurt you, did I?"  Soap inquired as he examined your face.

You shook your head. "Nothing wrong, Soap; thanks for checking on me." You started to close your door, but Soap sighed and placed his palm on the back of his neck.

“Hey listen Hound…” 

“Yes?” 

"If you ever want to talk lass, I'm willing to lend ya an ear, I doesn't really take a genesis to something's bothering ya," Soap said.

"Nothing's bothering me Soap-"

"Johnny, you can call me Johnny, John MacTavish."

"Oh... Y/N, I'm Y/N."

"Y/N, that's a nice name, your parents picked a beautiful name for a beautiful lass," Soap smiled at you.

You nodded at him, "Thank you... I'm gonna get ready now."

Soap nods, "Oh right, sure, I'll see ya later then."

You rested your head against the door as you shut the door and then closed your eyes once more. Your eyes began to burn with a hot torrent of tears that were begging to be let out. It's not like Soap knew; he was just complimenting you, and in all honesty, nobody else knew either. They are unfamiliar with you. Expect Price and Gaz. You had to keep it silent. They have only known you for a short while, especially Soap, whom you hardly even know. They can already tell something is wrong with you. You had to keep it on the low. Ensure that nobody knows. Your siblings or perhaps even a pet could be lost with just one mistake?

. . . . . .

Price greeted you as you stepped into his office, you stood next to Ghost as Price began to map out a mission to you all. From what you've gathered, it was a rescue and intel mission, which meant you had to go undercover to obtain information on a captive. You scanned the map Price had drawn out, pointing to the area you'd all be flying to. There was a safe house nearby where you would all go to prepare for the mission.

After you were all departed, you couldn't help but have the uneasy feeling that Price was closely observing you; it's probable that the others were also aware of it. Maybe it was because you were new to the team?

You started packing a few things and tossed them to the side as you mentally prepared to leave at nightfall.

Night fall came on the the plane you went, so how you got stuck sitting next to the captain of the team himself with Soap sitting right across from you. He glanced at you from time to time but never really said anything but give you a small smile.

"Don't mind him," Price whispered to you. "Mate's got a staring problem."

"You don't say," you snickered. "Say... Price? Can I ask you something?"

"What is it?"

"What's your life looking like right now? Aside from all this? You have a partner yet?"

Price chuckled, "So this is how you wanna pass the time huh? Alright I'll bite, can't catch a bloody break with this job."

"Why don't you try someone on base?" You laughed, "A good-looking guy such as yourself shouldn't have any trouble finding someone."

"Solider..."

Ah shit

You gulped slightly.

Price was attractive; what was there not to like about him?

He was affable, and from previous operations with him and Gaz, He was a gentleman. He was always cordial to you and treated you as an equal; he never made you feel like you had to be anything other than who you are or that you had to prove something to him. He was sincere with you. All he needed to know was that you were good at what you do. And you were god damn good.

Admiration for him was easy to hide from him; he was an inspiration not only to you, but also to Gaz and those around him. Next to him, you unwind.

Not drifting asleep, but your body felt at relaxed, and it was reassuring to know that Price was here, right next to you. In essence, he was your friend. Someone you can trust with your life...

Maybe you should tell him about Shepard? It wouldn't hurt, right?

"Thanks..."

Price mumbled a little. Knowing you might or might not have flustered him, you smile smugly. "You're very welcome, Captain."

The rest of the trip went without a hitch thanks to Soap's ability to start conversations and share bits and pieces of his life with everyone else, with the exception of Ghost, who you weren't too surprised by. The most of what you learnt about him came from Soap or Gaz.

Once you all landed you all began to head to the safe house on foot to a remote location. Once you got there you let out a groan, the place was small probably had one bathroom too. You dropped your bags and rushed towards the bedrooms, there was two. A master bedroom and another room that most likely was a kids room, it was painted a light blue with two beds on each side of the room. One bed had a brown stuffed animal on it. It even had a little red bowtie with a tag on it.

You felt a presence behind you as you entered the kid like bedroom.

You went towards the bear and picked it up checking the tag.

"Make up date soon ;)"

You whirled around, pushing the bear into whoever's chest you could find and fleeing the room.

"Woah what's wrong lass? You look like you seen a Ghost- ah see what I did there!"

Ghost walked out of the room hie eyes scanned you and Soap as he held the bear on his hand. "You scared of a stuffed bear?"

"No- no, I was about to puke…" you said as you pushed by Soap and into the bathroom. "Jet lag or something- I haven't been on a plane in a long time…"

You were on a plane. Liar.

"Do you need anything?"

"Nah- I'm fine, just give me a sec," you replied, your breath unsteady. You gazed down at your twitching arms, feeling dizzy and feverish. You were on the verge of puking. You went to the toilet and gagged rashly, without a second to spare.

On a mission, you weren't even safe. How did he find out? Kate should have been the only one who knew the location of the safe home; the less people who knew, the better. Unless this was a mission authorized by him, was this a way to keep track of where you were at all times?

Something has to be there-

There was simply no way-

How the hell did find you?

Were they in on it? Someone told him. Was it Soap? He's had his eye on you since you came…

Ghost, someone so elusive, must be full of betrayal...

Gaz would never do anything like that.

Price would not do it either, then who would?

Was that Kate?

No, she unknowingly saved you from Shepard.

Knock Knock

Your hurled once more The room seemed to be getting smaller by the second. It had no qualms about swallowing you completely. Your heart was beating, your body stiffened; you hadn't even been shot yet and you were already feeling like a fool.

Knock Knock

"Hound, I'm coming in alright?"

You coughed, turning your head to look at who walked in.

"Capitan..."

Prince kneeled down next to you placing his hand on your back, "What's wrong love? You broken?

"...No, it’s nothing I'm fine-"

"I know you better than that Hound, let it all out, you need to rest."

You nodded as Price gave you a water bottle, presumably his.

You sat upwards tilting your head so you can drink the water, Price held you head as you did this. You took a few deep breathes with his help and managed to calm down a bit. He helped you into the bedroom.

Price sat you on the bed, you grabbed his arm. what the hell are you doing?

"Lieutenant?"

"Stay- please."

Price stared at you for a moment then nodded, "Are you sure?"

"Yes..."

You can trust him

“Alright… I’m going to get changed, Gaz put your stuff in here already I’ll knock before I come in.”

You nodded as you watched Price grab a bag and head out the door. You were alone… but there were still eyes on you. Hidden ones probably in the walls or in the stars in the sky. This whole situation just isn’t fair. Why you out of all the lieutenants, the moment of fuckery that’s happening is just unpleasant.

You got up from the bed your legs still like jelly, you grabbed your bag thankfully Gaz put in right by the bed. You grabbed some clothes to change into and put them on making sure at least neatly put your uniform back on top of your bag and got into bed.

After a few minutes there was a knock on the door, you said a brief come in and in came the captain himself. He was wearing a white T-shirt and black sweatpants. He gave you a small smile before putting his stuff beside the door then heading to the bed right next to you.

Price let out a sigh then a small chuckle, “I never knew you had plane sickness.”

“It’s been awhile okay.”

“I thought you took a plane coking over to base?” Price asked you turning his head to look at you.

You sink into the bed not looking back up at him, “Felt sick too.”

Price hummed, “You sure about that Hound?”

“Yeah…very sure…”

“Y/N.”

“Yes sir?”

“Your broken.”

You looked up at Price, his eyes scanning yours and never did he drop his gaze.

“I’m not-“

“I know that look Y/N, it may have been a good few years since we’ve spoken but believe me my memory is still as sharp as ever.”

“…goodnight John…”

[anonymousewrites]

Of Two Worlds (Book 2) Chapter One

Fushiguro Megumi x Half-Curse! Reader

Chapter One: Shibuya

Summary: While Gojo heads inside, the other sorcerers wait beyond the curtain surrounding Shibuya to see what will happen.

            (Y/N), Megumi, Ino, Nanami, and Ijichi stood outside the curtain enveloping Shibuya. Everyone had been mobilized to investigate after non-sorcerers were trapped inside and only came to the edge to clamor for Gojo, even though they didn’t know him. And after Mechamaru was found to be the mole in the jujutsu sorcerers’ ranks (and subsequently killed by his curse companions), everyone was on edge and worried about this turn of events.

            “Any reception?” asked Nanami.

            “Blocked. All communication will have to be done outside the curtain or through us managers,” said Ijichi.

            “Sounds like quite the pain,” said Nanami.

            “Fushiguro-kun, (L/N)-kun.” Ino, a Grade 2 sorcerer, was trying to get their attention. “Curtains…the conditions that can be used to increase or decrease the barrier’s effectiveness are usually only things related to cursed energy. So, basically humans, cursed spirits, and cursed objects. Therefore, reception being blocked is a secondary effect of the curtain. But the curtain can’t actually block or allow reception.”

            (Y/N) frowned in confusion. “We know.”

            “Ino, stop trying to show off just because you’re older,” said Nanami.

            “Whaddya mean by that, Nanami-san?!” cried Ino.

            Nanami ignored him and looked at Ijichi. “Where is Gojo?”

            “He’s heading into Shibuya now. We are to wait to act,” said Ijichi.

            (Y/N) frowned. “What about the people?”

            Megumi glanced at her before looking down. “If the curses from the Exchange Event are here, then they’re in danger.”

            “Oh.”

l

            “There you are,” growled Jogo, spying Gojo floating far above them.

            “Heh, heh, heh. Look at you, all ready to go,” said Gojo, grinning as he landed on the tracks.

            Across from him, Jogo, Hanami, Miku, and Choso, another Death Painting, stood waiting.

            “No excuses this time if you lose again, okay?” teased Gojo.

            Miku snickered and looked at Jogo, who was already getting pissed off. Jogo narrowed his eye and said, “Don’t you worry about us…Just be sure to have your first-ever excuse ready.”

            Hanami lifted a hand, and roots broke out of the walls to trap everyone inside the station. The people gasped and stepped back nervously.

            “Don’t bother. If I run away, you’re just gonna kill everyone here, right?” remarked Gojo. “Well? I’m right, aren’t I?”

            “Close.” Miku smirked. “But not quite. You see—” She raised a hand, and dark clouds gathered on the ceiling “—we’re gonna kill them either way.”

            She threw her hand down, sending lightning into the crowds of people. Several fell, electrocuted to death instantly, and the rest scattered. While Gojo realized what was happening and Jogo began massacring the people, Miku lifted a hand blew a large cloud over the area, minimizing visibility.

            And with that, my job is done. Got to go greet our other guests. Can’t make them feel left out~! With a predatory smirk, she melted into the fog around her and disappeared. Kinda disappointed, but I guess I should be glad I don’t have to risk myself against him. The plan is a good one, but it requires a lot of risks.

l

A few days ago…

            “What?” hissed Jogo, the volcano on his head almost erupting. “What do you mean we won’t all be going against Gojo?”

            Miku herself was a bit surprised but not upset. After all, she was one of the ones who didn’t have to risk herself for long against Gojo. Still, it was strange. Jogo glared at Geto angrily, but Miku’s attention drifted to the redheaded woman. Geto might be the head of their little group, but she suspected that woman had planned quite a bit of this. Strange. Like Geto, she seems so human-like.

            “Before we seal Gojo, curses are going to be exorcised,” she said matter-of-factly. With her cold eyes and mask, her face betrayed no emotion. “There is no doubt about that. Splitting the strongest fighters ensures we have a reserve.”

            Geto nodded. “Miku will cast a fog to confuse the monkeys and then guard the hallways with Mahito and Nox.”

            At the name, all their eyes swiveled to the curse. He was standing a little ways off, simply observing the ongoings with sharp, silver eyes. Miku was quite curious about him since she was older than Mahito but young compared to Jogo or Hanami, and they seemed almost afraid of Nox. But he said nothing, like he already knew what Geto was speaking about. From the way he was respected, Miku wouldn’t be surprised if he did already know the plan. But Mahito, the youngest and most precocious, did speak up.

            “I thought he was supposed to be powerful. Wouldn’t it make more sense to send him to fight Gojo?” asked Mahito from where he lounged.

            “If you are going to live any longer than Shibuya, Mahito, you need to learn some strategy,” said Nox, a smile on his face. “We have a plan; we just need to execute it.”

            “The Prison Realm will trap him. But there are some conditions,” said Geto. “After opening it, we have to keep Gojo Satoru within a four-meter radius for one moment.”

            You could have heard a pin drop in the silence following his words.

            “Hey.” A dangerous, flaming aura surrounded Jogo. “I’m gonna burn you alive!”

            His volcano head began to erupt. Hanami took a careful step back so she wouldn’t be set on fire, and Miku prickled with protective lightning. Mahito grinned in sadistic pleasure at any sort of conflict, but Geto and Nox remained calm and composed. This merely inflamed Jogo’s wrath since no one else was admitting how ridiculous the idea of trying to keep Gojo Satoru still was. To him, this oversight that would probably potentially get him and his associates killed was an outrage.

            “Surely you didn’t team up with us to assign such an impossible task, did you?!” he roared, almost dragon-like with the flames wrapping around him.

            Miku sighed and watched as he continued his rage. At some point he’ll just peter out. But if he doesn’t, I’ll dump water on him A good rainstorm ought to cool him down.

            “Against that?! Under those circumstances? Even a thousand measly human lives wouldn’t be enough to distract him!” shouted Jogo, nearly turning Dagon’s domain into a sauna.

            A nice spa before the fight wouldn’t be too bad, though Miku absently.

            “Relax, Jogo,” said Nox, yawning and leaning back. “You’ll overheat.” He seemed perfectly comfortable, the flames not touching his icy skin.

            Jogo grumbled, but his head stopped firing all over the place. “What type of trap are we be dragged into?”

            “No trap,” said Geto. “When I say one minute, it’s one minute worth of time inside Gojo’s brain.”

            “And how do you plan for that?” asked Hanami. “Gojo’s mind is quick and clever.”

            Geto glanced at the woman, who had already walked off to speak in a low voice to the monk, before looking back at the curses gathered in front of him. “We plan to introduce an old friend. A good reunion gives everyone a good start.”

            “I believe a good number of reunions are in order,” said Nox. His face was a calm sea, no emotion disturbing the surface. But his cursed energy surged to the surface, and it took quite a bit of self-restraint on his fellow curses’ parts to not take a step back from the freezing sensation it gave them.

            Miku cocked her head curiously. It’s like Geto, Nox, and those two humans know something more than us. She shrugged to herself. Ah, well, it’s not like any of them want Gojo to be free, so what harm could come?

l

            With a dangerous look in his ice-blue eyes, Gojo looked over his shoulder at Choso and Jogo. The smoking remains of Hanami lay scattered like seeds in the wind behind him. “Next,” he hissed.

            “Choso! I’ll kill you myself if you’re not even going to help!” shouted Jogo.

            “Fine.” Choso sent two arrows of solid blood arching through the air, but Gojo effortlessly blocked it with Infinity.

            A subway train rolled in beside them. “It’s here!” Jogo grinned maniacally. The doors slid open, and transfigured humans fell out, ripping the people trying to escape apart. Gojo’s eyes widened. He couldn’t understand why they were eliminating their hostages.

            “Jogo!” chirped Mahito, skipping out of the train. “Mmm! Fresh air, full of fear! Maybe we should let a few humans survive. On the weekends, we’ll let them loose in the forest and hunt them. Can I burn down the forest? Hanami would be upset~”

            “Hanami’s dead,” said Jogo.

            “For real…? Aw, man.” Mahito grinned. “Guess I got to pick up your slack.” He jumped and tried to punch Gojo, but again, Infinity stopped the attack. “Haha! I really can’t hit you!” On the other hand, Gojo wasted no time sending Mahito flying with several punches. Mahito smiled madly. “Let me share one thing I find so disgusting about humans. There’s so many of them.” Hanami’s roots fell away, and people began falling down into Shibuya station.

            “Blood Manipulation: Convergence,” said Choso calmly.

            “Idle Transfiguration: Soul Multiplicity!” shouted Mahito.

            “Supernova.”

            “Body Repel!”

            On one side, powerful blood lashed at Gojo; on the other, transfigured humans barreled towards him. Above, Jogo jumped down to attack. Gojo reacted quickly and blocked Jogo by tearing off one arm, forcing the curse to back off for a moment while non-sorcerers fled for their lives in a wild panic all around.

            Gojo’s eyes closed for a moment as he made a decision. It was a tough, rather cold-hearted one since more lives would be endangered, but it the was the best option for the scenario. “Domain Expansion: Unlimited Void.” For 0.2 seconds, his domain enveloped the area. All of the transfigured humans fell to pieces around him from being affected by the domain. As the curses started in surprises, he stood amongst the wreckage, blood staining his hands and face, eyes fiery with danger.

            Mahito threw out a hand and sent his remaining transfigured humans after the escaping people. Gojo, who could only be heartless to a certain extent, quickly moved in front to block with infinity. A poor woman screamed as a transfigured human grabbed at her, and Gojo sent it flying.

            “Oh, god, thank you, thank you!” she cried, her tears mixing with the fabric of the mask she wore.

            Gojo turned back to the fight. “Get out of here,” he said. “There’s no time for talking.”

            “Oh, no.” Her trembling voice turned confident. “I’m thanking you for coming over. You made this so much easier.” She tossed down a strange cube and smirked. “Prison Realm: Gate Open.”

            The cube flipped open and extended into a fleshy sack with a large eye. In its pupil, Gojo’s icy irises reflected back. He could almost see himself being pulled in by the eye, into its inescapable depths. For a single, tense moment, Shibuya was still. Jogo, Mahito, and Choso held their breath. The woman, perfectly at ease, watched the proceedings in satisfaction. The second ended as quickly as it came, and Gojo turned to move, every fiber of his being telling him to get away from the Prison Realm.

            “It would be rude to leave before our guest arrives,” said the woman.

            Narrowing his eyes, Gojo turned to face her. She must be a curse user with them. Time to thin their lines. He raised a hand to release a straight shot of Red when someone else, dressed in dark clothing, stepped out of the crowd.

            “Yo, Satoru.” Geto smiled and raised a hand in greeting. “It’s been a while.”

            Gojo’s eyes widened, and his hands fell to his sides. He took in the familiar figure out his friend, the long black hair, traditional clothing, confident gait, even the cursed energy was a perfect match. A perfect match for the man Gojo killed a year ago. But there Geto stood, with only some stitches on his forehead differentiating his past from present.

            But those details were quickly lost on Gojo as his mind race. A thousand memories flashed through his mind. Meeting each other, training together, going on missions together, playing round with Ieri, taking Riko to the beach, fighting side-by-side, losing him to darkness, fighting him, killing him. Over three years of memories played out in his mind.

            Even though it was just an instant, for Gojo Satoru, one minute had already passed.

[luverofralts]

Arkhelios Adventures

"Ro. Ro, come on. You gotta wake up. Adrian's gonna be here in an hour. Come on, Saturnia's not going to take herself to school."

Roman grumbled something against Abe's shoulder that sounded like a protest and Abe had to laugh. After actually getting Abe Jr to bed at a decent time, the evening had taken an amorous turn, ultimately resulting in his husband snoring loudly into Abe's ear in the morning.

"No, Adrian can take her; I'm staying here. We're not moving today, I'm comfy," Roman whined. He nuzzled himself even further into Abe's neck, illiciting more laughter.

"Get up," Abe laughed, pushing his husband towards his side of the bed. "You're going to be late. Adrian can't cook to save his life, if you don't go, he's going to burn down the restaurant."

"That's what we have insurance for," Roman teased. "We'll be fine."

He tried distracting Abe with another kiss, earning himself a few more seconds in their warm and inviting bed, but Abe persisted.

"You're not burning the place down for the insurance money on my watch, Bellamy. You're worse than Theo, and he at least has the excuse of being a teenager. Come on, get up."

"I finished my muffin, Daddy. How are the omelets?"

"Getting there. Thanks for helping chop up the peppers. You did a great job."

Saturnia beamed with pride, happily taking her freshly baked breakfast to the table. She did do a decent job of cutting things up for her age, and Roman just knew that when she was Theo's age, she'd be eagerly helping at the restaurant without having to be begged like her brother.

"Breakfast smells good. My favourite bakers have been busy."

"We're out of pancake mix, so it's omelets this morning," Roman announced, sliding a plate to his husband. He slid a smaller portion towards his daughter, who loved baking, but didn't love eating eggs. "Try this much, Saturnia. It'll taste better because you helped make it yourself."

Saturnia wrinkled her nose at the plate, but began carefully poking the omelet obediently. Out of all of their children, Saturnia was easily the most reasonable. She was always willing to try things and was open to new ideas, unlike most of their children. The day Theo or Luci took their father's advice would be the day Roman died of shock.

"Hey, Bellamys! It smells good in here."

"Grab a plate, Adrian, I'm running late," Roman replied, his mouth full of food. "There's plenty there."

Adrian didn't have to be told twice. He'd already eaten breakfast, but he wasn't about to miss Roman's cooking. One of the greatest benefits of being married to Roman had been having access to his cooking all day, breakfast to dinner. The man had a gift.

"So, uh, hey, while I'm here, what were you thinking for your birthday this year?" Adrian asked. "Thirty is a big number. I mean, Abe and I are already old men, having earlier birthdays and all. Maybe for yours we should host a get together and celebrate all of ours at the same time."

"My mom won't come to a party or host it," Abe immediately replied. "I'm sure I could get the rest of my family to come to a free dinner though. Would, uh, your family attend, Adrian? Hypothetically of course."

"I'm sure Trent and Cindra will want to come," Adrian answered politely. They all knew the question hadn't been directed at his entire family, just the cousin currently wearing a crown. "I'm sure Her Majesty is far too busy to attend a birthday party for someone of my rank."

"I could make something for the party!" Saturnia exclaimed, cutting through the adults' tense conversation. "I can help make the cake too, like we did for Theo's birthday!"

"It sounds like a good plan, if we can pull it off in time," Roman said. "Thirty is a big milestone and a party would be fun. You do only turn thirty once. What do you think, Abe?"

"I'm all for it. Just let me know what needs to be done, and I can make some calls during Abe's nap."

"Then it's settled. Our three in one thirtieth birthday party will be the next big social event in Arkhelios. Don't tell Wanda, or she'll try to step in and plan it for us."

Abe scoffed at the thought.

"You mean, she'll have her assistant plan it and host it at her giant mansion without asking us if that's even what we want," he said.

"That place is huge, she'd get my vote to host," Roman countered. "No need to clean up our place and lock the valuables away from your siblings. We just arrive, party and leave."

"It's a thought," Adrian conceded before Abe could protest Wanda's involvement. "Roman, we need to leave in the next ten minutes. There's a delivery of shellfish arriving this morning. There will be plenty of time to plan our shindig later."

"Have a good day with the baby," Roman said, catching Abe in another kiss before heading to the door. "I'll miss you."

Adrian raised his eyebrow at Abe as he walked by with a knowing smirk.

"Someone's in a good mood today," he snickered. "Come on, Saturnia, let's get ready to teleport while your dads say goodbye. I have a feeling that our presence here isn't going to speed things up."

Abe grabbed his husband again, pulling Roman in for another passionate kiss as Adrian walked down the stairs.

"If you make it back on time, I'll have dinner ready," Abe whispered into Roman's ear. "I can leave the kids with my mom for a few hours once they're fed and we can pick up where we left off this morning."

Despite his best efforts, Roman blushed at the idea, something Adrian would probably tease him about if he saw.

"I'd like that," he replied sincerely. "I don't say this often enough, but you make me happy, Abe. Really happy. Remember when we first found out about Theo and we had all those dreams about our future together?"

"The ones where you were going to make pancakes for me every day while Theo was the perfect, quiet baby?" Abe laughed. "We were so stupid back then, I can't even imagine what my mother really thought about our ideas."

"Nothing good, I know that much. Probably what we would think if Theo was pregnant. But seriously, Abe. My therapist keeps telling me to share my feelings with you, so you feel secure that nothing...adulterous will happen again. You're everything to me. I mean that."

"Ah, well, I'm not perfect either, you have to remember that," Abe replied. "Stop beating yourself up about the past. College was pretty rough for me, and I hurt you too. The important thing is that we found our way back to each other. That and all the mandated therapy Maura ordered after the, uh, fallout. I'm sure she had an agenda with it, but it probably saved our marriage."

"Yeah, uh, about our marriage, I had something that I wanted to ask you about. Maybe we could talk after our alone time tonight?"

"Well, that's ominous. You can't just leave me with that all day. 'I love you Abe' and 'let's talk about our marriage'?

"Well, yeah, when you put it that way. I just...it's embarrassing."

"Too embarrassing to talk to me about? You can tell me anything, Ro."

Roman took a deep breath and just blurted what was on his mind.

"Ithinkweshouldgetremarriedbydemons."

"What?"

"I think we should get remarried by demons," Roman repeated, more confident in his words now that they'd been uttered and Abe didn't suddenly run away like he feared. "I miss feeling connected to you. What we had before was special, and even when we were being forced to get demonically married by the Sovereign, I was kinda excited for it. I know it always freaked you out though, but I've been thinking about it for awhile now and I think it's what I want."

"Demonic marriage?" Abe repeated. "Theo was just a kid when we last discussed it. He's certainly improved with his magic since then, if you still wanted him to perform the ceremony."

Roman's face lit up with excitement when Abe didn't immediately shut him down.

"Really? You think it's a good idea?"

"Honestly, I'm surprised that you never pushed back against the Sovereign when she said it wasn't necessary," Abe replied. "I mean, I was a little relieved that our six year old wouldn't be performing complex blood magic on us, but the idea was nice. To feel what you feel again, knowing how much you loved me, it was a little overwhelming at first, but after everything we've been through, and all the issues that we've dealt with, I think I'd like to experience that level of connection with you. We could even have our own ceremony the way we want it, not like the one that the Twikkii Island royal family dictated."

"I could make a proper cake this time!" Roman said eagerly. "Well, if you have time today, contact your sister and see what we need to get started, and we can talk to Theo when he's home this weekend."

"Roman! Time's wasting! We have to go!"

Roman dragged his husband out to the front porch to meet up with Adrian and Saturnia.

"I'm so happy that you're open to this," Roman exclaimed, kissing Abe once more while Adrian tapped his watch in the yard. "We can start over with a clean slate."

Abe smiled.

"Yeah, I really think that-"

Abe paused, unable to take his eyes off the two men walking past their house.

"Ah, Zane, buddy, you've got to let that sandwich go. You can't eat that much cheese all at once, it's not natural."

Roman momentarily peeled himself away from his husband to stare at the men walking by.

"That man looks so much like Zane Hydes. It's uncanny."

"If he was thirty when he died. He's way too old, Zane was just a teenager. It's weird, though. Really weird. Maybe he's Zane's biological brother or cousin. Wanda always says that their family tree is a mystery that she doesn't want to solve."

"I can't imagine why, with her mother."

"Look, why don't we try that fancy grocery store downtown? They have all kinds of cheese there. Just try to stick to the budget, you know how much funding we get here."

"Like a nice Brie?"

"Ha, keep dreaming. Maybe for Winterfest."

Roman and Abe stared as the two men made their way down the street.

"Do you think we should follow up on this?" Abe asked wearily.

"Nope. Not a chance in hell. If you want to tell Wanda her dead brother's doppelganger is walking around town, that's your own problem."

"Yeah, no. I'm just going to pretend this never happened."

[maxpaulll]

20 Questions for Fic Writers Game

I was tagged by @agentplutonium who knows I absolutely despise tag games so I'm doing this out of spite.

I will not tag anyone because I don't know who to tag and don't want to but you can feel free to use this as an excuse to do it if you want.

1 - How many works do you have on AO3?

3 because I don't write often and I orphaned all my old fandom ones

2 - What's your total AO3 word count?

hhhhhh uhm... 5,403 because again, I don't write often. When I do it's just a one shot cause that's all I can commit to.

3 - What fandoms do you write for?

Redacted Audio, and you can't prove any other fandom /lh

4 - What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

I'm gonna rank these but I don't have enough so they all get featured, Get rekt losers.

#1 is Adventure of the Mates' Night Out. This is just a silly little one shot abt the Shaw Pack mates & Baabe being cool as heck B]

#2 is Family Gets Nicknames which is a short lil angst fic about Quinn taking Angel & Tank/Darlin' not being able to do anything about it. Technically it's unfinished but I wouldn't expect an update

#3 is The Stars Are Gone Now. It is my FAVOURITE AND YOU ALL ARE COWARDS FOR NOT LIKING IT/J. It's about Imp!Vega's death and Pet's grief. I love it more than life itself but it's pretty heavy and a lesser beloved pairing so I understand why it's not super popular.

5 - Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Sometimes, if I'm feeling silly

6 - What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Stars are gone now. Hands down. Pets stuck in Vega's room with no idea what's going on during the rebellion. The only solace they have is the lights on the ceiling which relieve them that Vega is still alive... until he's not. (family get's nickames is kinda sad too but it was written to be more panicky. I write a lot of angst because it helps me deal with my 🌟feelings🌟)

7 -What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Mates' Night Out!!! It ends with everybody being fine and Baabe being super sexy n cool but I should give a TW for mild violence, sexual harassment and swearing <3

8 - Do you get hate on fics?

Not as far as I know?

9 - Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Once when I was like 15 and then never again. I'm no good at it.

10 - Do you write crossovers?

Nope <3

11 - Have you ever had a fic stolen?

No?? I wouldn't know

12 - Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope <3

13 - Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yes. In high school. On a twitter thread. With Pluto.

14 - What's your all time favorite ship?

I will die for Imp!Vega & Pet, I would give my life for Imp!Freelancer & Vindemiator, and I will kiss Gavin & Freelancer on their sweet little heads.

15 - What's a WIP that you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

I started writing this AU about Detective!Milo & Thief!Sweetheart that never made it past planning in gdocs but I think it would be cool to finish but I don't think I'll ever get there. There's also this one Playlist plotline I made because I wanted people to be able to see what I was thinking about when I listened to the songs. Making that into a finished fic would be cool but I don't have it in me. If you wanna read it, the link is here.

16 - What are your writing strengths?

I think my descriptions are my strong suit? I feel like my dialogue can be lacking but I feel good about my visualizations of scenes n stuff.

17 - What are your writing weaknesses?

Definitely making anything more than a one shot. I just don't have that level of commitment for something. When I write stuff it's because I'm in the moment and feeling what I'm writing. If I have to sit down and come back to it I lose my mojo.

18 - Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I'd feel way more comfortable doing if I or someone I knew understood/spoke the language. I don't trust google translate for that.

19 - First fandom you wrote for?

Listen. Wattpad was a place... where I wrote Good Omens things. BUT WE DON'T TALK ABOUT THE DARK TIMES.

20 - Favorite fic you've written?

THE. STARS. ARE. GONE. NOW. IT'S MY BABY, MY BELOVED, MY POOKIE DOODLE. AND I WORKED HARD ON IT. YOU SHOULD READ IT (If you wanna) AND THEN CRY ABT IT WITH ME. Or not, I don't really care /lh

okay thats all

[plumblossomcafe]

The Firmiana Leaf Falls (2/3)

Upon arriving at the cave where Shinnojou was being held, many officers were in the area while Shinnojou was seen trapped in a cage.

Paimon: What are you doing? Release Shinnojou this instant!

Kamisato Ayato: Stop this at once.

Kubo: It's the Yashiro Commissioner... Hmph! Well, we take orders from our Master, no one else.

Kamisato Ayato: Really... Then, please excuse me!

A battle began with the soldiers being at a disadvantage, and they were defeated, but during the battle, Y/n was stabbed.

Y/n: "That hurt, and Now I'm bleeding, but I feel that I used so much energy during the fight that I don't have the strength to heal myself, I'll just apply pressure to the wound to try and stop the bleeding."

Kubo: Blast! Let's go! We must report to Master right away! *ran off with the other guards*

Paimon: Hey! Get back here! *about to follow them*

Kamisato Ayato: No need to follow them. We need bait to catch the fish anyway. Leave them be. I think I saw a key fall to the ground during the fight. Let's free Shinnojou first. But... in all the chaos, it must have been kicked to one side. Hmm, where did it end up?

A tanuki runs past the area

Paimon: What the...? It's a tanuki! ...Oh, don't tell Paimon that the tanuki took it!

Kamisato Ayato: Let's follow it and see.

After finally managing to catch the Tanuki and getting the key back, they freed Shinnojou from where he was being held.

Shinnojou: Thank you, thank you... It was terrifying... They said they were gonna throw the cage into the sea with me still inside... Oh... Wait, you have to listen to me! Lady Chisato's wedding, they... It's all part of a scheme! Someone's trying to use the wedding for their own ends!

Paimon: Calm down, Shinnojou. It's okay. We know about all that.

Shinnojou: ...Huh?

Kamisato Ayato: Our suspicions were roused to this possibility, and so far, everything is unfolding rather as we expected. Those behind this plan are not going to give up easily. Their next move is imminent. We must devise sufficient countermeasures.

Shinnojou: Yashiro Commissioner, you're personally going to take action?

Kamisato Ayato: This situation has consequences for the whole Tri-Commission, and the stability of all of Inazuma is at stake. My hitherto-neutral stance ends now. The Almighty Shogun has always despised these pathetic power games. As a Commissioner, I am a servant of the Shogun, and it is therefore my duty to handle these tiresome matters on her behalf.

Shinnojou: Hmm... That's true...

Kamisato Ayato: Shinnojou, don't return to your post yet. Find somewhere safe and stay hidden. Aether, Y/n, Paimon. Let's get out of here.

A short while after leaving...

Matsuura: Well, if it isn't the Yashiro Commissioner. I hear you showed up here with no explanation and attacked my men. You wouldn't happen to be carrying out some sort of secret mission, now, would you?

Kamisato Ayato: I heard that someone was taking the law into their own hands. As a responsible official of Inazuma, I could not in good conscience stand idly by. Shinnojou may be your retainer, but the law does not grant you the right to abuse him.

Matsuura: Abuse? Nonsense! I was just teaching him a lesson. Out of nowhere, a low-ranking officer decides to barge in on Lady Hiiragi and start spurting out the most absurd and insulting nonsense one can imagine... A truly egregious loss of decorum! I daresay, the poor Lady was terrified.

Kamisato Ayato: So you're saying that you know absolutely nothing of the reasons for his actions? Because otherwise, why would you describe it as "out of nowhere"?

Matsuura: Two people from two different clans are getting married. That's all there is to it, and yet this young gentleman took it upon himself to fabricate a nonsensical disaster story around it. How should I know what he was thinking? Even if she marries into the Kujou Clan, Lady Hiiragi will always be the daughter of the Hiiragi Clan and the most distinguished member of the Kanjou Commission. We are, and always will be, her loyal assistants. It's our duty to see that she never has to worry about anything. Loyalty and duty are our guiding principles. Not only did this guard show no regard for either, but he went out of his way to upset our Lady. How could one do such a thing? Even if we put it down to a rare moment of impulsivity, I have to say I'm surprised to see one of such noble standing as yourself rushing to his defense.

Paimon: Darn it! This guy is good... Annoyingly good!

Aether: "He's a slimeball. But he's also difficult to argue against..."

Kamisato Ayato: Funny, I'm suddenly reminded of an anecdote I'd like to share with you. There's not been a dull moment since I took up my post in the Yashiro Commission. Every day, I've been exposed to new and fascinating things. *walks up to him* For instance, a merchant from abroad once told me about a curious kind of bird with the most extraordinarily long tongue. So long, in fact, that you can tie two knots in the portion of it that extends out of its beak. I'm sure someone as erudite as yourself should be able to guess what people do with these unusual avians?

Y/n: "Wait, those types of birds exist? Fascinating.... Wait, stay focused, Y/n!!!"

Matsuura: Uh... keep them as pets?

Kamisato Ayato: *walks away from him* Haha, you'd think, wouldn't you? But there's a catch. You see, this bird is of no use to humans whatsoever, and certainly doesn't make a suitable pet. If you catch one, the best thing you can do is actually cut its tongue off and throw it out of the window. The reason they give is this: "The longest tongue has the most to say, but don't be deceived as it chirps away... lest the song it sings lead you astray."

Matsuura: You...! I say, Yashiro Commissioner, are you here simply to mock the Kanjou Commission?

Kamisato Ayato: Far from it. In my mind, the Kanjou Commission is made up of honorable individuals, upright and forthright, conscientious, and loyal. It is unbecoming of such people to resort to lies, deception, and filibustering all as part of a plan to remove Lady Hiiragi from her position in the Kanjou Commission.

Matsuura: Yashiro Commissioner, please don't make accusations without any evidence.

Kamisato Ayato: *turns to face him* The evidence is standing right in front of me, is it not? I have a credible witness who can confirm you were quick to try and make him disappear as soon as he said something that you did not like. *shook his head* Dear me, I can't believe the grand Matsuura Clan is now represented by someone with less of a sense of loyalty than even an ordinary servant. You studied hard and took a government position, only to make it to where you are now just to play these petty power games behind the scenes... I'm not sure whether it's because you're smart enough to play the system or too foolish to know any better? In your years of service to the Shogun, not only have you managed to glean nothing good from the people around you, you have also let yourself be blinded by self-interest... And now you have ruined your once-bright future. I'm not angry, Mr Matsuura... I just feel sorry for you.

Matsuura: ...Hahaha! Is that right? Then tell me, if you're so bright, what exactly do you think you can do to me!? This is at most a Kanjou Commission issue. We'll handle this amongst ourselves. You are reaching rather outside of your bounds, Yashiro Commissioner, if you seek to involve yourself in other clans' affairs... Might I be so bold, then, as to question your motives in doing so? I think you are simply opposed to an alliance between the Kanjou Commission and Tenryou Commission because the new balance of power in the Tri-Commission would be a threat to you personally. So you come here with an elaborate excuse to try and break up this marriage!

Kamisato Ayato: Hm. So, that's how you view it. Well, I have to admit, you clearly are far more talented than I at monitoring the power balance within the Tri-Commission.

Matsuura: Let me be crystal clear. This wedding is going to happen, and nothing is going to change that. The notices have already been sent out. All of Inazuma City knows about it now! Most of the public weren't aware that Kujou Kamaji and Hiiragi Chisato were courting, but you can bet it's all anybody's talking about now. Once the notices go out, that's it! The wedding is a sure thing, even if it hasn't happened just yet!

Kamisato Ayato: Hm. I see. It seems like I was wrong.

Matsuura: Hah! So suddenly we see eye to eye?

Kamisato Ayato: I had expected you to at least be smarter than most. But it seems that I was gravely mistaken.

Matsuura: Kamisato Ayato! You...! How dare you!

Kamisato Ayato: You've made your move. Now, I suppose it's time I made mine.

Matsuura: ...What do you mean?

Kamisato Ayato: Do you seriously think this marriage will bring the Kanjou Commission and the Tenryou Commission together? Isn't it at all possible that the Kanjou Commission becomes marginalized as a consequence of this union?

Matsuura: ...Hmm?

Kamisato Ayato: Goodness me. Well, I've learned a great deal from talking to you. That will be all for now. If you would excuse me, I shall take my leave.

After leaving

Paimon: Hey, hey! What was all that? Paimon didn't follow at all!

Kamisato Ayato: They had their scheme, but fortunately, I was prepared. As I said, they ended up coming out from the shadows and revealing themselves. Let's see how things are in Inazuma City. Then I'll take you through the details of my plan. But first, we need to immediately take Y/n to Tenkubashi Clinic to see if the owner is willing to help heal her wound.

Y/n: I'm fine, I'll just apply pressure on the wound, and that's it. I don't want to bother anyone because of this.

Aether: It's not fine. Let's just do what Ayato says and no 'buts' Y/n.

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Yuzu: Hmm, look at this... The daughter of the Kanjou Commission's Hiiragi Clan and the master of the Tenryou Commission's Kujou Clan are getting married.

Furuya Noboru: Hehe... Sounds like an all-around perfect match, don't you think?

Yuzu: For sure. I'm just surprised, it seems very sudden. I hadn't heard a single word about it until now.

Furuya Noboru: Good luck to them, I say. I'm sure it must have been a hard decision.

Paimon: Looks like the wedding is definitely going ahead.

Kamisato Ayato: It's still too early to make that conclusion. Our adversary wants to push this marriage past the point of no return. However, we can still beat them at their own game. But only if Kujou Kamaji is willing to help us.

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Kujou Kamaji: Welcome. I just heard that the news of my wedding has been officially announced. It seems so sudden... I wasn't ready yet.

Paimon: Yeah, about that... It's kinda complicated...

Aether briefly explains the situation to Kujou Kamaji...

Kujou Kamaji: I see... So someone's trying to take advantage of our marriage...

Kamisato Ayato: If you proceed with the wedding, the repercussions for you are likely to be minimal. But we must take Lady Hiiragi's situation into consideration.

Kujou Kamaji: I've previously considered this possibility. But in the end, we are getting married for true love, and I've promised to her that I'll do everything in my power to protect her.

Kamisato Ayato: I understand where you're coming from, but to be frank, she should not need your protection. Or to put it another way, you have tacitly admitted that Lady Hiiragi will need your help to get through the hard times ahead, which perhaps suggests that, deep down, you realize all she stands to lose.

Kujou Kamaji: I...

Kamisato Ayato: I don't mean to criticize you. It is natural to want to protect our loved ones. You're an intelligent and gentle person, and I'm sure you would have been able to think about this more objectively were you not so emotionally involved in the situation. I'm sure you admire Lady Hiiragi for being the independent, gentle, resilient, and strong-willed person she is. For the sake of marrying you, this wonderful woman will become someone who has to depend on you for the rest of her life. Are you really okay with that?

Kujou Kamaji: ... I love her with all my heart and would do anything to make her happy......That's why I can't abide to see her suffer or be manipulated by other people. Yashiro Commissioner, you're right... It was naive and selfish of me to take things this far. But it's too late now, isn't it? There are notices everywhere...

Kamisato Ayato: I have a plan. But... it needs a villain. Sir Kujou, in order for my plan to work, you and I must both play the role of antagonists. But it is not without its risks. Are you willing to help?

Kujou Kamaji: If there's a way to salvage this, then let's hear it.

Kamisato Ayato: I've told the people at the Kanjou Commission that the marriage isn't going to unify the Kanjou Commission and the Tenryou Commission. On the contrary, it's a terrible idea that will marginalize the Kanjou Commission. The context for this is that they are planning to use this marriage to bring down the Hiiragi Clan, and the key to their success is coming up against no resistance to the marriage from the Tenryou Commission. But what if we were to imagine for a moment that since the affairs of the Vision Hunt Decree, the Tenryou Commission has been planning to make a move against the weakened Kanjou Commission... The only reason you have been hesitant to act since taking over the Tenryou Commission is because you care about Lady Hiiragi's feelings. And so, your plan is to liaise with the Yashiro Commission to marry her and bring her out of the Kanjou Commission as soon as possible. Once that is achieved, as the person in charge of the Tenryou Commission, you no longer have any reason to hesitate.

Kujou Kamaji: I see! This is an ingenious plan, and it takes advantage of the situation perfectly...

Y/n: This will make Hiiragi Chisato indispensable.

Kamisato Ayato: Exactly. Our purpose is to change Lady Hiiragi's position from an unnecessary burden to an indispensable asset. By doing so, we can even strengthen her position in the Kanjou Commission. Once our adversaries realize how the network of connections behind the scenes really looks, they'll do their utmost to stop this wedding from happening. Then, we simply leave them to clear up the mess they've created.

Kujou Kamaji: Got it.

Paimon: Ugh... So the network of connections... Ah, this is all way too complicated for Paimon! Can you just tell us what you need us to do?

Kamisato Ayato: We have to make sure that the behind-the-scenes story comes to the attention of our dear friends in the Kanjou Commission. Matsuura, with whom I spoke earlier, will now be fearing the worst. No doubt he'll be on the lookout for the first sign of a crisis. In that case, he will almost certainly have placed informants throughout Inazuma City. What we need to do is to use these informants as a breeding ground for our fake intel. Sir Kujou, there are certain things that I need you to attend to personally.

Kamisato Ayato explains the details of his plan to Kujou Kamaji. A while later...

Kamisato Ayato: It's almost time. My ninja has located one of the informants. Let's go and see if he'll take the bait.

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Kamisato Ayato: That person is one of Matsuura's informants. Let's follow him. Be careful not to get seen.

Upon hiding from the informants' sight, they listened in on the conversations that were occurring.

Hashimoto: Did you see that? Sir Kujou Kamaji just came past here with a huge group of people.

Nagase: Could it be related to the wedding announcement?

Hashimoto: Maybe... but from the look on his face, it seems like something much more serious. He and his men seem pretty intense at the moment. Isn't it all a bit excessive for a wedding?

Yamaue: The Tenryou Commission has sent a load of people to Ritou. I guess it must have something to do with the wedding. I think in all, there must have been about a hundred people so far.

Tokunaga: That doesn't sound good. What could be going on? Ah, I hope it's just Sir Kujou Kamaji being overcautious.

Y/n: *felt a cherry blossom petal land on her nose* Ah-

Kamisato Ayato: *quickly covered her nose*

Paimon: *took off the petal*

Y/n: "Thankfully, I didn't sneeze thanks to Ayato. This darn petal almost caused us to ruin our cover"

Hideo: The news is spreading fast, but it appears that Master's fears may be well-placed. There's no way they sent this many people just to escort the bride... I have to investigate.

Paimon: He ran off...

Kamisato Ayato: As expected. Let's follow him.

Y/n: Sorry for almost sneezing!!!

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Paimon: Wow! It's like the whole Tenryou Commission is here!

Hideo: Excuse me, has something happened on this road? I'm a businessman passing through, and it's a little disconcerting to see this place so heavily guarded.

Okabayashi: Ah, please don't be alarmed. As I'm sure you've heard, the wedding of Sir Kujou Kamaji and Lady Hiiragi Chisato will take place any day now. Sir Kujou decided to send for Lady Hiiragi ahead of time and have her live in Inazuma City during the run-up to the wedding.

Hideo: I see...

Okabayashi: We are here to clear the way for Lady Hiiragi. Not just us, either. You'll see more Tenryou Commission members as you go further along. We're all here for the same duty.

Hideo: ...Isn't this a little excessive?

Okabayashi: Sir Kujou holds Lady Hiiragi in the highest regard and wants to treat her with the utmost respect from beginning to end.

Hideo: I understand... Sorry to disturb your work.

Hideo steps away from the Tenryou Commission guards

Hideo: Drat. It's exactly as Master feared. They say they're here to guard the road, but really, they're poised to attack if Master doesn't allow Lady Hiiragi to leave Ritou... Wait, no... If Lady Hiiragi does leave, they'll have all the more reason to strike... But we're in no state to defend against a Tenryou Commission attack! I must tell Master right away! *runs off*

Paimon: He ran off again...

Aether: Now he realizes how serious this situation is.

Kamisato Ayato: That should do it. The seeds have been sown. In this atmosphere, mounting suspicion will nurture fear among the Kanjou Commission. Now, we wait patiently for it to grow and ferment. The calm before the storm is always the part that unsettles people the most.

Paimon: Are they really gonna own up and apologize, just like that?

Kamisato Ayato: If you're curious to find out, you can visit the Hiiragi Clan in Ritou in a couple of days. I have some other business to attend to. So I won't be spending any more time on this situation. In any case, we've made our move. It's only a matter of time before they give up and surrender.

Y/n: *felt another petal on her nose and sneezed* Why are you so confident?

Kamisato Ayato: "Cute." This is not my first time. Well, then. Goodbye for now. I truly hope that things will work out in Hiiragi Chisato's best interests. *leaves*

Paimon: He left kind of abruptly... Are things really gonna turn out like he predicted?

Y/n: I'm still a little worried about Hiiragi Chisato.

Paimon: Paimon, too! Well, let's go to Ritou again in two days!

Moments before checking the current situation at the city Bulletin Board and heading to the Tenryou Commission(Warning: cusrisng):

At Tenkubashi Clinic

Kamisato Ayato: Yomi-kun~

Aikawa Tsukuyomi: *annoyed* ...What the fuck do you want?

Kamisato Ayato: Come now, don't treat your cousin that way, anyways I need you to help with treating her wound *points at Y/n*

Y/n: *has blood coming out her mouth* Hi Tsukuyomi.

Aikawa Tsukuyomi: I'm not going to even ask.

After Tsukuyomi bandaged Y/n's wound.

Aikawa Tsukuyomi: That should do it. Just don't do any brash movements or fighting in your case.

Kamisato Ayato: Thank you, Yomi-kun~ *patting his head*

Aikawa Tsukuyomi: Get your damn gloved hand off me.

[thyr1a]

Interruptions - Aruani

Posted from my ao3 | Minors DNI! | Aruani discord server 

Description: Being ambassadors of peace wasn't easy.Especially when you had to sneak around to be able to spend time with your partner. Even more so when you keep getting interrupted by your friends in the most awkward of situations AND almost traumatising your friends in the process.

Warnings: sexual content, cunnilingus, semi-public sex. 

Sneaking around was never easy. Especially when Armin had high ranked Marleyan ambassadors practically breathing down his neck or he had piles of paperwork to fill out. He wouldn’t say he hated it, but all he really wanted to do was spend his time with his friends. And her. 

They had only recently called it official, and most of their friends weren’t entirely surprised. Apart from Connie, who had a look on his face as if he had just been told some insane government secret. Then again, he was always pretty oblivious to anything and everything around him. 

Annie and Armin had managed to at least get some time together before they were interrupted or Armin had to rush off, ruining the mood completely. And usually leaving Annie a little frustrated. But work is work. 

Other times Armin had fallen asleep at his desk doing paperwork.  the two barely had time to even talk alone before having to head to meetings and sit there for hours discussing the fate of both Marley and Eldia. 

Being ambassadors of peace wasn’t easy, especially when things were far from peaceful. But eventually, they had come up with a system. And it required a lot of sneaking around. At first, they had been caught a couple times. By various different people. 

Frankly, the sneaking around, as well as all the meetings was entirely exhausting for both of them. So the two had to make use of any time they could get the chance, even if it meant their friends occasionally moaning at them for being indecent at work. 

The first time they were caught, was by Pieck. The group had just finished a meeting, and Armin and Annie were left alone in the room. They had barely touched each other when Pieck returned to retrieve something she had left, catching Annie  seated on Armin’s lap and in the process of unbuttoning his dress shirt. She blinked at the two, processing what exactly it was she was seeing. 

“O- oh, excuse me.” Pieck said with a small awkward laugh. 

She retrieved the item she had left behind and headed out, to before winking at Annie before closing the door behind her. Annie internally groaned and quickly hopped off Armin’s lap.

“Lock the door next time!” Pieck teased from the other side of the door.

Safe to say, the two of them were far too embarrassed to continue and had just headed home instead. 

The second time, the two were caught by Reiner, who just so happened to arrive to the meeting almost 10 minutes earlier. When he walked in, he hadn’t noticed the two at first, as he was off in his own little world mumbling something to himself. 

Annie was sat on the table at the far end of the room where Armin sat and she had her back to the door. Her shirt was off and discarded on the  chair behind the two, exposing the back of her bra. Armin was kneeling down in front of her, face buried in between her legs that were resting on his shoulders.

When Reiner registered what he was seeing, he apologised profusely and stumbled out of the room, slamming the door behind him. 

“Fuck!” Annie grumbled out. “I’m gonna kill him.” 

“Don’t blamer Reiner, it was my idea.” Armin spoke with a sigh, the redness of his face exposing his embarrassment. 

“I didn’t even get to finish.” Annie mumbled and scowled. 

Armin chuckled and kissed her head, passing her shirt back to her. 

The two quickly put their clothes back on and sat down, pretending nothing had just happened. When the group came in, Reiner did an awful job at trying to hide, whereas Armin and Annie had managed to compose themselves pretty quickly. 

Poor Reiner had to sit in that meeting red faced for hours trying not to look Annie or Armin in the eye. When Reiner did happen to accidentally make eye contact with Annie, he almost pissed himself when she gave him a death stare. 

“Reiner? Are you alright?” Pieck asked him. 

Reiner made a noise in acknowledgement and nodded at her, whilst Annie and Armin exchanged looks with each other. 

Pieck gave the two a  look knowing exactly what Reiner might have walked in on and rolled her eyes before focusing back at what Jean was reading out. 

-

The most recent time, was by Connie, who had no idea what he had just walked in on rambling on about something he found of interest recently . He looked at the two before noticing Annie unbuttoning Armin’s shirt an his eyes widened. 

“For fuck sake! Lock the door or something!” Connie groaned before walking back out and slamming the door behind him. 

“Pieck, they’re doing it again!” Connie shouted behind the door. 

-

“We need to talk to you two about your insane behaviour.” Pieck spoke, Reiner, Connie and Jean standing behind her. 

Annie and Armin knew what was coming, and couldn’t do anything to stop it. 

“So first, you both need to apologise to Reiner. You literally traumatised him, and if he wasn’t traumatised enough.” Pieck put her hands on her hips as she continued to lecture the two.

Reiner made a sad look, making Annie roll her eyes and scoff at him. Armin sat oddly still for the amount of embarrassment he was feeling right now. Annie could tell he was pretty uncomfortable. 

“And please, for the love of god, Lock the door! And if the door doesn’t lock, don’t do it!” Connie added. 

The two sat there in silence, vaguely amused but also pretty embarrassed and uncomfortable. 

“You guys are just jealous you don’t get any.” Annie spoke, breaking the silence that had grown. 

After that, let’s just say Annie and Armin managed to slip away as the rest of the group argued between each other. 

The two stopped outside the building door when Armin turned to Annie. 

“Wanna go find some donuts?” Armin smiled at her 

“Sure.” Annie replied as her eyes lit up at the mention of sweets. 

------------- 

1k words. 

[unhinged-summer-fun]

Having a bit of fun thinking of uhhhhhhhhhhh hashtag Alpha in position Javier Peña

Cw omegaverse, au Javi (not in DEA lol), f!reader, wip

“Don’t even think about it,” Steve chuckled, readjusting his vest.

“How do you know what I’m thinking about?” Javier asked, eyes unmoving from their new point of interest.

“You only stand like that when there’s a tight pair of someone else’s pants you want to get into.” Steve looked up and fixed his partner with a deadpan stare, daring him to argue, but a flicker of amusement remained beneath the man’s expression.

Javier rolled his eyes but finally looked away from the pretty omega down at the edge of the triage tents going up. “So? We’re not on each other’s payroll.”

“Even if it weren’t a crazy fucking violation of the spirit of our contracts—”

“We using Ouija boards at work now?”

“—shut up—”

“Oooh, spooky tac vest, Murphy.”

“Fuck off, man. You don’t wanna get ten feet near that one.”

“That’s a bit archaic, even for you,” Javier said, crossing his arms and looking back at the omega, who had disappeared into a tent while he’d been teasing but was emerging now. She wore a pinched kind of expression, displeased by something he couldn’t see, until a broad-shouldered volunteer ducked past the tent flaps with a huge smile on his face. Untaken hints, probably.

“It’s not even that. I don’t doubt your pull, I don’t doubt her push just as much. She’s not interested.”

“What, you try?”

The omega whipped her head around and snapped something at the man—beta-leaning alpha or the other way around I’ll bet—but it didn’t deter the silly grin one bit. From this distance, Javier could see the buffoon’s eyebrows wiggle up and down.

“No. But I’ve had to pull her off enough upstart alphas who couldn’t take no for an answer that—”

“Walk me through that again?”

“I said, or you can just watch this scene play out, if this alpha doesn’t about face and hoof it in about ten seconds he’s gonna be left with the kind of omega handful that comes in a fist.”

“Well,” Javier shrugged, unfazed by the assessment his friend had drawn. He heard a sharp bite of tone on the wind, the words too far to make sense or shape, but the anger in the woman’s face and on her scent made it clear in no uncertain terms what she thought about the other man’s advances.

The other man thought this meant he could kiss her.

##

“Murphy, Murphy, put me down!” you screeched, trying to get back at the stupid idiot who had crossed the line.

“Nope, we’re not doing that, punchy.”

“My nose! You broke my fucking nose!”

“Come here, I’ll break it back,” you snarled, making another lunge at Lyle. The alpha wisely flinched back at your rage, before scurrying off to someone who would set the nose without asking many questions.

Having a makeup of nearly one-to-three omegas-to-alphas on the trip was fucking rough. With betas making up 80% of the rest, it wasn’t much of a surprise that you were singled out by the other cardinalities. What mostly started as a weak and watery bid to “look out for one another” always, always ended in “my biology told me to” or some other shit excuse.

You weren’t raised to let that fly, not for you and not for anybody else.

Steve Murphy was an annoying reoccurrence in your habitual dispensing of justice, however.

“If I put you down, are you going to run?”

“No.”

He didn’t budge. “Are you sure?”

Fuck. “Maybe.”

“Let’s give him a bit more of a head start, then. Javi, come help me out.”

Murphy’s partner, Javier Peña, had only been attached to your unit for a few weeks, but you’d seen him absolutely mowing down the ranks of volunteers with that headstone-straight, tomb-white smile and those deep dark grave-brown eyes of his that drove just about everyone crazy.

But not you.

Surely not.

“Put me down,” you said, in your most defeated voice. “That’s not necessary.”

“What’d he do this time?” Murphy asked, readjusting his vest now that you weren’t fucking with the Velcro.

“Asked me when my next heat was. If I was lonely.” You picked up the crates Lyle had been carrying out with a grunt. “Then he tried Voicing me.”

“He what?” Peña said, aghast. His voice was lovely, dark and deep in a Robert Frost forest kind of way, and you had to fight not to answer him.

“At least he knows he can’t mess with me now. And by nightfall all the other omegas will know, and the mission manager.” You were thorough in your scorched-earth approach to serial harassers like Lyle. You’d met omegas who were even more hardened than you were, but in a caretaking field like this medical outreach program, you had to temper your kindness with resilience.

Damn, were you tired.

“You need someone to walk you back to your tent?” Peña asked. Murphy sucked in a tense breath, not quite a gasp but close enough to one.

“Don’t insult me,” you muttered, before strutting off, thinking of cemeteries.

[kaigarax]

Take 382

Marco Bodt x Reader

Quote: “Fall in love through the beauty of contradiction.”

Love, to Marco Bodt, is something everyone should have the chance of experiencing. Not just romantic love per say, but a love that makes someone want to throw away the notion of common sense just to help the person they care about. And while loving was something everyone should experience, falling in love was a contradiction.

Countless fairytales speak of heroes who put their lives on the line to save the ones that they love (whether it be family or lovers). None of it was sensible, yet that was the beauty of genuine, unadulterated love. In fact, what the freckled boy considered most fascinating about love was that it simultaneously went against and with the self-preservation that's built into every living thing on the planet.

Love is depicted as gentle and kind, yet can simultaneously hurt and save someone at the same time. To love someone so much you’d be willing to die for them, yet you would never want them to die for you.

Was it selfish? Foolish, even? Marco had never decided the answer for himself. The implications of any answer would only make him more confused. After all, while Marco was fascinated by love’s juxtaposition, he also believed that love, and falling in love, are phenomena that don’t need to be explained.

And oh, what a beautiful contradiction falling in love was.

---

“I can’t believe we’re required to provide community service!” A brunette with an undercut mumbled, placing his bowl of food down and taking a seat. “We just survived a massacre. We shouldn’t have to help out with tasks as lowly as community service! I didn’t join the Military Police to help random people in the inner districts of the walls, I came here to live a safe and carefree life.”

“I think you’re blowing this out of proportion, Jean. It’s in our best interests to help support the community before we try and move up in the ranks.”

Jean rolled his eyes. “You may be the noble type, Marco, but I certainly am not. This sucks.”

Marco laughed, unintentionally irritating Jean, but didn’t worry about it too much. The seats of the mess hall were filled to the brim with new and unfamiliar faces.

“You think we can get out of community service if we-”

“Excuse me, but do you mind if we sit here?” Wondered a blonde. Despite how early in the morning it was, this girl had very obviously taken care of her appearance before heading down for breakfast. Her blonde hair was cleanly brushed and sat just above her shoulders.

Marco smiled and nodded towards the seat, earning a lopsided grin from the newcomer.

“Thanks.” She replied, promptly taking the seat across from Jean.

Before Marco had a chance to introduce himself, a platinum blonde male took the seat across from himself, followed by a raven haired male taking the next seat over.

“Hey Marlo! I was gonna save that seat for-”

“Who, your girlfriend?” The girl mocked the platinum haired male. He frowned at the girl’s quip but didn’t immediately reply. He seemed caught between caring too much and not caring at all. In any case, the girl laughed and poked fun at her companion. “Geeze Boris, lighten up! You’re always so dead in the morning.”

“Not everyone has enough energy to do hair and makeup before breakfast, Hitch. Getting up is more than enough work.”

“Apparently so.” The blonde girl, Hitch, mused. “I didn’t even see our little sleeping beauty this morning. I hope she hasn’t passed away in her sleep or anything.”

The male on the far side of the table, Marlo, frowned. “You shouldn’t say things like that Hitch.”

“Hey, I’m only joking! Is it still too early for jokes?”

“I hope you don’t mind me asking, but what regime are you guys from?” Asked Marco, earning the gazes of everyone at the table. An uncomfortable feeling of deja vu to be sure, but nothing he was scared of.

“104th Cadet Corps, North Division.” Marlo replied. “Third, seventh and sixth graduates respectively.”

“Oh, so you guys all know each other?”

“As if that wasn’t obvious from the way they were talking…” muttered Jean, but he was quickly brushed off by the others.

“Me and this guy are from the Southern Division of the 104th Cadet Corps. Eighth and seventh respectively.”

“You guys are from the Southern Division? Does that mean you were both deployed during the Trost raid?” Boris, who’d previously seemed rather disinterested, perked up. “Wow, so like, you guys have actually seen the Titans huh? And now you’re here. They must have been really scary to send you guys running to the inner district with your tails between your legs.”

“What’re you trying to say-?” Snapped Jean, but stopped as a new figure took a seat at the table - beside Marco to be specific.

“Please ignore my companion over there. He doesn’t really pick up on social cues as easily as you might expect, but he’s practically harmless. He won’t actively pick a fight unless you really piss him off, so please do be gentle with him.”

The girl Marco suddenly found himself sitting beside was you. Despite never having met you in his life, meeting you almost felt like… fate.

“What are your names?” You asked.

“Marco Bodt and Jean Krishtein.” The freckled boy smiled, holding his hand out to you to shake.

“I’m (Y/n) (L/n). First rank from the Northern Division.” Your eyes lingered on his hands and Marco, sensing hesitation, instinctively pulled away. “It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

“R-right. A pleasure.”

---

“What was I thinking?! Trying to shake her hand - I’m so stupid!”

“Yeah. You almost offended a girl and her boyfriend on your first day of being a part of the Military Police Brigade. Good job.”

“I should definitely apologize to both of them. I don’t want them to get the wrong idea or anything!”

“Yeah. And you certainly don’t want to pick a fight with a guy who doesn’t run away from Titans that he’s never seen before. I bet he would piss himself if he ever came face to face with a real Titan! What a little-”

Aside from Jean’s incessant rambling, Marco couldn’t help but think about you. His companion’s sarcasm aside, he really hadn’t been trying to offend you. Making enemies was the last thing he was trying to do as a part of the Military Police. He wasn’t sure if apologizing to you and Boris would patch things up but he had to try.

---

By the time all military personnel were allowed to return to headquarters for lunch, Marco had managed to think himself into quite the predicament. He had gone through multiple scenarios where his apology was taken well, taken poorly, and situations where he just didn’t apologize at all. To be honest, none of them were particularly ideal.

Since Jean had already left, Marco was just finishing up a few loose tasks that he deemed unable to leave for later. It wasn’t as if they’d reached high noon, but if he didn’t hurry up he would be waking back to the headquarters under the boiling sun - something which he noted was also not an ideal scenario.

This was all so frustrating, but it was no one's fault other than his own. He decided that he would find you in the mess hall to keep his intentions clear when apologizing. If a scene did end up occurring he had plenty of witnesses (for better or for worse).

“You’re Marco, right? I was hoping I’d run into you!”

“O-oh, (Y/n)!” Marco felt his heart jump out of his chest at the sound of your voice. “I thought you would have left for lunch by now…”

“Honestly I thought so too, but it turns out that there are a lot more people here than what was predicted. Would you mind helping me out?”

“Umm…” This was not one of the possible scenarios that Marco had thought up. “With what, specifically?”

“I’ve been writing letters for people all day, but there doesn’t seem to be an end to them. I know the captain said we were supposed to limit people to a single paragraph, but… well, let’s just say I’ve been consistently writing over the limit. So if it’s not any trouble, do you think you could lend a hand?”

Based on the dozens of scenarios Marco had run through in his head, it probably would’ve been best if he had said no to spending time alone with you. Yet there was another part of Marco, a part he didn’t often like to acknowledge, that begged him to stay.

So he did.

He stayed and helped you write letters, wills and documents for dozens of people. The work wasn’t tough, but it was tedious. With the two of you working in tandem, you both had little trouble completing tasks. By the time either of you had realised it, the sun was in the midst of setting.

Not only had you two managed to work yourselves past lunch, you’d actually managed to work well beyond it. As a matter of fact, the two of you had even had several enjoyable conversations.

Marco was a relatively extraverted person so making conversation wasn’t much of an issue, but talking with you was different. Topics never seemed to drag on and the flow of conversation was always natural. Not even the silences felt awkward or forced. This wasn’t what was supposed to happen, but maybe this was alright. It wasn’t as if he was flirting, anyway.

“Hold on, so you’re telling me that you’re ranked below that brunette from earlier?” You wondered, taking a stack of legal documents and sorting them into different boxes.

Marco couldn’t stop himself from laughing. “Jean may be hot headed, but even I have to admit that he’s good with ODM gear!”

“And there are still six more people ahead of you? I’m sorry, but that just sounds fake. Could you list the top ten of your division again?”

“Of course. There’s Mikasa Ackerman - the all star. Marcel Galliard who was basically a big brother to everyone. Followed by Bertholdt Hoover, Annie Leonhardt, Reiner Bruan and Eren Jaeger. Then there’s Jean and I, followed by Connie Springer and Sasha Braus.”

“That is one hell of a roster.” You marvelled. “I still can’t believe that more than half of your top guys decided to join the Survey Corps.”

“The craziest part is that everyone was surprised to find out that Marcel decided to join the Military Police. I haven’t really seen him around though, which is pretty weird.” Marco paused as he noticed your movements halt. It was a strange hesitation in your previously perfectly efficient movements, but he decided not to think too hard about it. “A-anyway, I’ve organized all of the wills I documented. Where should I put them?”

You didn’t respond immediately which put Marco on edge in fear that he’d said something wrong, but your eventual smile put him at ease. “Those can go right beside the letters.”

“Wow.” Marco blurted as he scanned over a few of the letters. “Did these people really say all of these things?”

“Huh? Oh no, they didn’t. The letters are like that because I wasn’t writing what they were saying word for word. I was writing down their words and the feelings that went along with them.” The smile you wore was soft, but it was also… full. It was unlike anything Marco had ever seen before, but he wasn’t entirely sure it was a good thing. “I guess you could say that I’m… deciphering their feelings to a certain extent.”

“Well you’re pretty good at that ‘deciphering feelings’ thing. How many letters have you written?”

“Thousands.”

“You mean like, you’ve written so many that it feels like thousands?”

“Oh… sure.”

“Reading some of these actually gives me goosebumps. It’s just… so good! I didn’t realise emotions could be expressed in such a genuine way on the page.”

“What can I say? I try pretty hard.”

“I’ve never really been good with words, or figuring out how people feel for that matter, so… erm… do you think you could teach me a thing or two?”

“I’m not a very good teacher, but I suppose I could try.”

Marco couldn’t stop himself from grinning as he took a seat on one side of a nearby table. He wasn’t sure if he was nervous or excited to spend time with you. When you finally took a seat across from the freckled boy, Marco’s heart began to flutter.

It was probably inappropriate to think anything of this feeling, so Marco decided it would be best if he just ignored the butterflies inside of him.

“Who is this letter going to be for?”

Marco squeezed his eyes shut (exaggerating his thinking process) which earned a small laugh from you. “What? Did I do something?”

“No, no. You’re fine. Have you chosen someone?”

“I have. I want this letter to be sent to my parents.”

“Alright. Tell me about them.”

“Well first off I want to say hi and let them know how life as an MP is so-”

You shook your head. “Don’t tell me about the letter, tell me about them.”

“Oh. Well, they’ve taken care of me for more of my life than I can remember and… they’re the best parents I could ever ask for?”

“Okay, what else?”

“What else is there?”

“They’re your parents. Tell me about them.”

Marco rested his chin in the palm of his hand and gazed into the sky. “Well my father always told me that ‘the sky’s the limit.’ I never really understood that one when I was a kid, but recently I think I’m starting to get what he was saying. He was always encouraging and supporting me to be the best person I could be, and I don’t think I could ever ask for more!”

“And your mother?”

“My mom? Well, she’s always baked the best loaves of sourdough bread. She owns the best bakery in my hometown, no question about it. I always loved it when my mom would bake and the house would fill with the smell of it. Honestly, there’s no better smell than freshly baked bread.”

“Is there anything else you’d like to add?”

“Umm…” Marco scratched at the table for a moment. He debated how vulnerable he should realistically allow himself to be around someone he didn’t know that well, but there was also a part of him that wanted to leap at the chance to express himself. It was definitely something that went against all of his self-preservation instincts as a newly-recruited MP.

“Marco?”

When the freckled boy let his eyes meet yours, he felt as if the world (and the dozens of horrible apology scenarios he’d previously come up with) had melted away and left the two of you alone together. The look on your face was just so genuine - it was hard to imagine that you would ever do anything to hurt someone.

“The only other thing I really think about is how both of my parents want me to be happy. They love me so much that they worked their butts off just to get food on the table every day. I can only hope that they won’t worry about me now that I’m an MP, but they probably won’t since you always worry about the people you love, but still…”

“I see.” You smiled. Marco watched you scribble down several more lines of words before you finally handed the letter over to him. “Like I said, I’m not really good at teaching so I can only hope that something from this conversation has proven useful.”

“Woah. This letter is really-”

“Creepy?”

“Accurate.” Grinned the freckled boy. “I mean, it’s everything I’ve always wanted to say but didn’t know how to say. Are you some kind of letter-genie or something?”

“Like I said, I’ve written thousands of letters.”

“Do you mind if I try writing one for you?” Inquired Marco, not so subtly catching you off guard. You opened and closed your mouth a few times, as if you were right about to respond several times but wouldn’t, until you finally nodded your head.

“Who do you want the letter to be addressed to? Your parents, a sibling, a friend, maybe even your boyfriend?”

“My boyfriend…?”

The dozens of apology scenarios flooded back to the boy’s mind the moment he realized that he was overstepping the line between friendly and too much. “Right! I am so sorry about earlier and the handshake! I wasn’t trying to be overly touchy with you right in front of your boyfriend and I’m basically hardwired to shake people’s hands when I meet them so I hope I didn’t upset you and-”

Marco’s senseless blabbering was cut short as soon as you began to laugh.

“Is something wrong?” Wondered Marco.

“I don’t have a boyfriend.”

“You… don’t? But I thought that Hitch called you Boris’s girlfriend?”

“And you believed her? You’re a lot more naive than I remember you being!”

Marco could feel his face beginning to heat up. “Please don’t mention this to anyone. It’s embarrassing.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t. You know, I think I’ve decided on the perfect person to write a letter to.”

“Really? Do tell.”

“I want my letter to be addressed to you.”

Falling in love has always seemed like such a contradiction. Marco couldn’t remember the last time he had been so utterly wrong about something, let alone taken by surprise. Even if he had misunderstood the majority of the situation, Marco couldn’t help but feel relieved by everything. As of right now, your letter was for him.

Fall in love through the beauty of contradiction.