#is this what you guys had to deal with in december. sorry. if it helps that guy (connor from december) is dead now and Yes i do still make

[itsalwaysdark]

ok well i read one of my journals and it did indeed make me sad

[gavitaffy]

Goals of the heart

Chapter: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

A/N: Heyy guys! I'm "back" after what..?😀 Since July and it's December rn, but I just started my last year at school, and I've decided to become a "IT student" so I gotta work my ass off rn. I've had 6 midterms in the course of 2 weeks... BUT I will start a little series called "Goals of the Heart", I'll try to post everyday of this series.

Paring: Pablo Gavi & f!reader

Summary: Y/N, an artist sketching in Barcelona, has her painting ruined when a stray football crashes into her easel. The culprit, a young man named Pablo Gavi, apologizes profusely and buys her new art supplies to make up for it. She later learns he's a famous footballer for Barcelona but brushes it off, treating him as just "the guy who ruined her painting." Gavi, intrigued by her indifference, offers to take her for coffee, hinting at the start of a surprising connection between them.

Warnings: none

Word count: 1,1k (i'm proud🥲)

Chapter 1: A Chance Encounter

The warm afternoon sun filtered through the narrow streets of Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter, casting golden light over centuries-old buildings. Y/N sat on a small stool in a quiet corner, her easel propped up in front of her. She had spent the past hour working on a sketch, capturing the lively essence of a street performer strumming a guitar. Around her, tourists and locals bustled, but in her mind, it was just her and the soft scratching sound of her charcoal pencil on paper.

She loved this part of the city. The worn cobblestones, the scent of coffee and churros from nearby cafés, and the chatter of different languages all created an energy she thrived on. Her hand paused briefly as she admired her progress. Just a few more details, and—

Thud!

Before Y/N could react, a football crashed into her easel, knocking it sideways. She yelped as her canvas toppled, splattering paint in every direction. The streaks of color ruined her meticulous sketch, turning it into an unrecognizable mess.

“¡Lo siento mucho!” a voice called out.

She spun around, her frustration bubbling over. A young man was jogging toward her, his dark brown eyes wide with concern. He was about her age, with slightly messy dark blond hair and a lean, athletic build. Sweat clung to his brow, and he wore a plain white T-shirt and shorts, looking like someone who had just finished a workout.

“Are you serious right now?” Y/N exclaimed, gesturing to the mess of paint and ruined paper. “Do you know how long I’ve been working on this?”

He stopped in front of her, hands on his knees as he caught his breath. “I’m so sorry,” he said, his voice warm and apologetic. “It was a bad pass. I didn’t mean to ruin your work.”

Y/N folded her arms, glaring at him. “Well, you did. This is completely ruined!”

He straightened, his expression softening into one of guilt. “I’ll fix it. I’ll buy you a new canvas and anything else you need. I promise.”

For a moment, she hesitated. He seemed sincere, but the frustration of seeing her hard work destroyed made it hard to let go. Finally, she sighed, shaking her head. “Fine. But you’re carrying my supplies back to the shop.”

His face brightened with relief, and he nodded. “Deal.”

As they walked toward the nearest art supply shop, Y/N couldn’t help but notice the way people were looking at him. A few passersby did double takes, and a group of teenagers whispered excitedly before sneaking out their phones to take pictures. She frowned, glancing sideways at him.

“Why is everyone staring at you?” she asked bluntly.

He looked slightly amused. “I don’t know. Maybe they’re just curious about the girl I ruined a painting for?”

She rolled her eyes. “Right. Sure.”

He laughed, a light, easy sound that caught her off guard. “It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”

They reached the shop a few minutes later, and he immediately took charge, picking out the largest canvas he could find and tossing in a set of paints and brushes for good measure. Y/N tried to protest. “You don’t need to buy all of that! Just a new canvas is fine.”

He grinned. “Nope. I’m making up for the mess I caused.”

The shopkeeper, an older woman with sharp eyes, gave them both an amused look as she rang them up. “You know who he is, don’t you?” she asked Y/N in a low voice.

Y/N blinked in confusion. “What are you talking about?”

The woman tilted her head toward him. “That’s Pablo Gavi. He plays for Barcelona.”

The name rang a faint bell. Y/N wasn’t a big football fan, but she had heard about the young prodigy making waves in the sport. Her eyes widened slightly, and she turned to look at him again. He was busy chatting with the shopkeeper, a lopsided smile on his face as he struggled to balance the supplies he’d just purchased.

When they left the shop, Y/N couldn’t resist asking. “So, you’re kind of a big deal, huh?”

He glanced at her, his brow furrowing in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“The shopkeeper said you play for Barcelona. I’ve heard your name before,” she said, her tone neutral.

He shrugged, a sheepish look crossing his face. “Yeah, I play for the team. But I didn’t think you’d recognize me. You don’t seem like the football type.”

“I’m not,” she admitted with a small laugh. “But now I get why people were staring at you.”

“Great. Now you’re going to treat me differently,” he said, half-joking.

“Relax,” Y/N replied with a smirk. “You’re just the guy who ruined my painting.”

He burst out laughing, the sound echoing down the narrow street. “Fair enough. What’s your name, by the way? I don’t think I got it earlier.”

“Y/N.”

“Well, Y/N, I owe you more than just a canvas,” he said, his voice softening. “Let me make it up to you properly. Can I take you for coffee or something?”

Y/N hesitated, caught off guard by the earnest look in his eyes. Despite herself, she smiled. “We’ll see. Maybe I’ll run into you again.”

“Maybe,” he echoed, his grin widening.

As she watched him jog off down the street, Y/N felt a strange flutter in her chest. What started as a ruined painting might just turn into something unexpected. Little did she know, this was the beginning of a story that would change both of their lives.

[cirilla-fiona-riannon]

Ikemen Villains - Harrison Gray

This is simply a fan translation and is not intended as a replacement for the game. Expect grammatical errors.

Tall man: "You're unlucky to witness our deal like this."

Kate: "Let me go!"

Round-faced man: "There's no way we can let you go after seeing everything."

Today is December 31st.

I was helping with the preparations for the countdown party at the castle. But I got lost on the way to the store and witnessed a suspicious deal involving two men.

I ended up getting caught, and now my hands and feet were tied.

(I need to escape!)

Recalling the escape method I read in a detective novel I borrowed from Harry, I subtly move my hands to gradually loosen the ropes without the two men noticing.

(I need to find an opening and get out of here!)

Round-faced man: "Hmm? Who are you people?"

Suddenly, one of the men called out to the entrance of the warehouse, and standing there was一

Kate: "Harry, Liam!?"

Liam: "Ehh!? They've got Katie!"

Harrison: "Why are you here?"

Harry and Liam, seeing me tied up and lying on the ground, widened their eyes in surprise.

Since I had just been captured a moment ago, they probably didn't even know that I’d been kidnapped.

(Did the two of them come here as part of the Crown's mission?)

(I think they were supposed to bust an illegal drug deal today. So are these guys the culprits?)

Round-faced Man: "Do you guys know this woman? If so, it'll make things easier."

One of the men pointed a gun at me.

Tall man: "If you care about her life, then drop your weapons."

Harry and Liam held their breath at the man's threat and tried to put their weapons on the ground.

Kate: "Wait!"

I quickly raised my voice to stop them.

Round-faced man: "What's with you? Do you want to get killed?"

Kate: "This gun is real. It's loaded and dangerous, so you guys could get killed!"

Round-faced man: "Ha?"

Kate: "Drop your weapons quickly! These two also have other weapons!"

Liam: "What's wrong, Katie? We obviously intended to do that."

Harrison: "I see. Got it."

After hearing my words, Harry pretended to place the gun on the ground and then shot the men.

Tall Man: "Gah! It hurts!"

With precise control, each of the two men was shot in the leg and arm.

Although it wasn't life-threatening, their injuries prevented them from fighting.

Round-faced man: "What do you think you're doing? Do you not care about this woman's life!?"

Harrison: "Sorry, but your threat won't work. That gun is fake, yeah?"

Round-faced man: "Why you...!"

Tall Guy: "Damn it! We're at a disadvantage now. Let's scram!"

The two men, protecting their injured legs and arms, fled from the warehouse through the back door, leaving me behind.

Harrison: "Are you okay?"

Harry quickly ran over and helped me up.

Kate: "Yes, thank you for helping me."

With Harry's assistance, I finally freed myself.

Liam: "I'm glad you're safe."

Liam: "But I was surprised when Harry suddenly shot those guys, even though you were being held hostage."

Harrison: "Their gun was fake."

Liam: "Huh? Does that mean..."

Kate: "Yes. Everything I said was a lie."

They couldn't really harm me, as the gun they pointed at me was fake and they didn't have any other weapons.

To convey that information, I deliberately shouted the opposite to make Harry see through the lie.

Harrison: "You didn't tell the truth to catch the opponent off guard, right? Well done."

Kate: "I didn't want to be a burden to the two of you while being captured."

Kate: "But they escaped, so we need to catch them quickly!"

Harrison: "They're injured. All we need to do is follow the bloodstains."

The blood droplets eventually split into two paths, so Liam and Harrison decided to split up and pursue each trail.

After a while, Harry and I arrived at the market.

Perhaps because it was close to midnight, the market was bustling with people eager to watch the fireworks for the New Year.

Kate: "Harry, over there!"

Amidst the crowd, we saw a tall man with an injured leg dragging himself away. Before we could even catch up, a carriage stopped at the man's side.

It didn't look like a regular public carriage but a privately arranged one.

Harrison: "So there were others in your group, huh?"

There's no way we can catch up with them if they get on the carriage.

I hurriedly looked around but could not find any other carriages.

Kate: "We can't catch up on foot. We have to give up the pursuit for now."

Harrison: "No, there's still a way."

Saying that, Harry took out his pistol and aimed it at the carriage.

Harrison: "If I aim for the wheels, it will stop."

Kate: "But shooting a gun in the middle of a street like this?"

The Crown is a secret organization under the edict of Queen Victoria.

Their existence and their evil deeds should not be noticed by the general public.

Harrison: "No one will notice. After all, it's almost time."

As if to dispel my anxiety, Harry smiled nonchalantly.

Kate: "Almost time?"

Townspeople: "10! 9! 8!"

As I was about to ask, I heard loud voices counting down.

(Could it be?)

Harrison: "3, 2, 1!"

A dull roar shook our bodies.

It wasn't the sound of Harry's gun, but the sound of fireworks being set off to celebrate the new year.

I was momentarily distracted by it, but when I looked back, I saw the carriage overturning, its wheel distorted by a bullet.

Kate: "You timed it with the New Year's fireworks!"

Timing the gunshots with the sound of fireworks made it less likely for the gunshots to be noticed. Moreover, people were looking up at the sky, making it easier to overlook what happened on the ground.

Harrison: "They say the best place to hide a tree is in a forest, but..."

Kate: "W-What's wrong? Is there a problem?"

Harrison: "I just thought I turned something you were looking forward to into a bloody memory."

(Come to think of it, I did mention before that I wanted to spend the countdown with him this year.)

(I'm glad he remembered my words.)

Kate: "Hehe. It's a little disappointing, but it was a countdown I'll never forget."

Kate: "Let's make next year's countdown even more wonderful, Harry."

Harrison: "The bar has been raised, huh? Well, I guess it's fine."

Afterward, we were able to safely capture the man from the carriage and hand him over to William, who said he had things to ask the man. After having the meal prepared by Victor, we finally returned to our room and took a breather.

Kate: "The first day of the new year was quite an ordeal."

Harrison: "The season doesn't matter when it comes to our duties. But if I could wish for something, it would be to spend more time with you this year."

I widened my eyes, surprised by his unusually straightforward wish. Sensing my reaction, Harry mischievously smiled.

Harrison: "Now, was that a lie or the truth?"

Kate: "I believe it was the truth. And if those words were a lie..."

Harrison: "Yeah?"

Kate: "I will stay with you so you will feel the same way."

Kate: "I'll do my best to make sure your lies change."

Harrison: "Heh? But that effort might not be necessary."

With a few words, Harry pulled me in and kissed me.

It was a sweet kiss that proved his wish was really true, capturing me and not letting go.

[crystalgastles]

i looove ur page, could u do some general hc’s nsfw and sfw both of them if ur comfie w it for jeff :3. tysm and remember to drink water and be easy on yourself💗╰(*´︶`*)╯♡

So, I don’t like writing sex scenes in general. The only reason I added one in after the flesh was because of the fact hiding your sorrows in sex, drugs, and alcohol are something I have dealt with and I feel like it was the right time in the story for it, (my character dealing with guilt about something I have yet to reveal and Jeff because of his religious trauma being brought back up) . I wouldn’t really have any general nsfw headcannons for Jeff just because I don’t write for smut fanfics (not that there is anything wrong with smut authors it’s just not what I do personally) but I’d love to answer for general headcannons since I haven’t really gotten in on appearance for him yet or personality. Sorry that was very long 😭 anyway here they are

His hair is very long (down to his mid back) with a ton of split ends because he only trusted his mother to cut his hair

My Jeff is autistic, specifically about food and what he wears because he’s very large in stature

He’s 6’7 the steeled toed boots he wears makes him around 6’8

He loves women, women took care of him, and it was mostly women who didn’t abuse him in the church so he has a very strong sense of justice when it comes to misogyny (my feminist king)

He doesn’t leave witnesses who can speak. He thinks that leaving them with the trauma is worse than just killing them

Has an intense fear of never being able to give or receive love

Had his eyebrow pierced when he was a teenager and never took it out, there is no eyebrow left but the bar is still there

Kills people over music opinions, mostly men who have no idea what good music is but act like they do

I headcannon him as bisexual but he leans towards women because he is more comfortable with them (go figure that’s my orientation too)

The entire right side of his chest and arm is covered in burn scars from when he burnt down janes house

He was childhood friends with Jane, her father found out Jeff was helping her sneak out at night to see her girlfriend and had her sent to conversion therapy and Jeff was forcefully baptized, the night he killed his family he burnt down her house with her entire family inside except for her.

He went in to try and save her but she wasn’t there, she was at her girlfriends

He was born on December 25th (religious imagery wow shock in my writing)

He lets very few people touch him, the people that he does however he likes to just have them close, most of these people are women

Very sharp features, his face is unique in my mind and I don’t know how to describe it but he’s very sharp but feminine in a way

He got his scar by cutting it open on stage for shock value when he was in a band

Was in a metal band in his teens called Glasgow, hence why he cut his face open repeatedly

He’s not good with relationships. He gets attached and jealous but will also leave for weeks at a time without warning even though he does not mean anything by it he’s just doing his thing.

Delusions are his falter. He has horrific cptsd half of the people he kills is for this reason

Extreme alcoholic, will drink rubbing alcohol if he has to

Has had four partners in his life, all of which are dead now

He hums to himself when he’s alone

When he loves he loves people, steals things for them when he can, buys things for them if he comes upon cash. He shows his affection like a crow

There are more but I’m running on empty currently but if there are any other characters you guys want to hear about let me know

[yeonjunszn]

ASAP! — TWENTY

PAIRING! mark lee x f!reader

SUMMARY! you’re not exactly the best barista at zhong coffee, but for some unknown reason (his massive crush on you), mark thinks you can do no wrong. sick and tired of his favoritism and your lack thereof due to absolute obliviousness, your coworkers are determined to fix this problem. asap.

MORE! 🙀🙀🙀 LEE JENO WTF IS WRONG WITH U (i’m sorry for making u a bad person my sugarplum i love u but ur a milf lover so it worked for plot’s sake)

◠‿◠ ‿◠ ‿◠ ‿◠ ‿◠

As if your day couldn't get any worse, just earlier you were taunted by Jeno in front of multiple customers (Mommy of the Month and her little posse of soccer moms) for not knowing how to steam milk properly. Leave it to Mr. I Love Milfs to make you feel small in front of, well, said Milfs.

And now, as you huff in front of an older male customer, he yells at you for not knowing the difference between a Wet Cap and a Dry Cap. Was there even a difference? You don’t even drink cappuccinos.

"You know, that's what I hate about young ladies like you, taking job opportunities away from men like me. You're so stupid, you can't tell the difference between these two cappuccinos? They're different in weight and taste. Are you tasteless? Blind? Maybe both? How do you even work in a coffee shop?"

As the man goes on criticizing you, you can't help but feel the tears well up in your eyes and start dripping down your face. Yet another problem over the stupid milk. Drip, drip, drip. It takes only a few tears to fall down your face for the customer to start getting angrier.

"Oh, look. The idiot girl is crying. Get me your manager, I need to talk to him about lousy, useless girls like you."

Renjun, who just happened to hear the last part of the customer's sentence, whips out his phone under the bar to text Mark. He knows he can't deal with this customer alone, not when you're damn near shivering like you went for a swim in the middle of December.

It’s not long before Renjun steps into your way as Mark grabs your hand, pulling you away from the customer. He laces your fingers together as he guides you towards his office, making sure it's empty as he sits you down in a chair.

"Are you okay?" Mark asks, eyes filled with concern and heart aching for you.

You shake your head at him, not wanting to speak out of fear that your voice will quiver much like your body is right now.

"Y/N... I'm sorry. I shouldn't have had you switch your usual shifts," Mark comments. He kneels down before you, thumb brushing across your puffy cheeks to stop your tears. "I would have never done it if I had known you were going to be treated like this. I know you’re used to the usual mid shift customers."

Mark’s other hand pats the top of your head comfortingly as you sniffle, finally speaking, "No, I... I promised you I would help. I just didn't know Jeno was so mean sometimes. And that old guys were capable of yelling at me like that."

"I'm so sorry, Y/N. I'll talk to Jeno and I'll switch you back to your mids with Jaemin and Yangyang," Mark sighs. He looks for any hint of upset in your eyes, but instead he gets a faraway look. Like there's something not quite there. "Do you want a hug to make you feel better?"

You nod your head slowly and Mark stands up, pulling you into his chest. His arms wrap around your waist as he begins to rock the two of you back and forth, swaying and humming to an imaginary tune.

After a while, you pull away and look up at Mark with a pout and hopeful eyes, "Mark?"

"Yes?"

"Do you think I'm a bad barista?" you ask.

"Well, I think you weren't as good as the other baristas before, but you are getting better," he replies, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear. If his hand had lingered for any longer, he would have been able to feel the heat pooling in your cheeks.

"Okay... Um, do you think I'm stupid?"

"No. It's practically impossible to tell those two cappuccinos apart unless you’ve been a barista for a really long time. That guy was just an asshole. If he ever comes back here, I'll beat his ass to a pulp," Mark answers you truthfully. He speaks clearly; he wants you to think highly of yourself and not listen to the words of some arrogant customer. A part of you believes him, taking his words to heart.

"One more thing..." you mutter, pushing yourself back into his chest and hiding your face.

"Mm?"

"Can I... can I have your chocolate croissant?" you ask, hesitation in your voice.

Mark bursts out into laughter at your silly question, his entire body vibrating as he holds you tight. "Is that it?"

"Yeah."

"Of course, Y/N. You can have whatever you want," Mark says. "Are you feeling a bit better now?"

"Yes. Thank you," you murmur, looking at his face — more specifically, his eyebrows. Something in you makes you a tiny bit shy, not able to look into his eyes as he smiles at you.

"Any time."

There's a racing in your chest, where your heart is, one that's never really been there before. Whatever it is, you hope that it will calm itself. Quickly.

TWENTY — chocolate croissant

PREV! nineteen — i will force his hand into a blender

NEXT! twenty one — #xiaojun_out

MASTERLIST!

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TAGLIST! @stardusthyuck @erin-calling @tddyhyck @bigheadchen @choiwonder @neozon3nha @sunflowerbebe07 @kissesfrmwonwoo @miyawwn @sserafimez @haechansbbg @lilyidk03 @mowchiie @jaemsrina @jeongintwt @shwizhies

[studyblrofarinika]

Hey guys! I’m back!!! After 9 years!

Technically I’m not back, because this is a new blog. After I’d decided to come back to Tumblr I’ve found my old blog and deleted it. Now I kinda regret it because it would be funny to write a post like „sorry guys I haven’t posted in a while” after nine years. Probably none of my old followers use their blogs anyway. So here I am with a new blog. It’s going to be a studyblr once again. Now - let me introduce myself.

I’m Nika, I’m 26, I'm Polish and I’ve actually finished university in June. „Why are you starting a studyblr then?” you might wonder. Well, it’s because I still haven’t finished my bachelor thesis :((((((

Unfortunately I’ve had serious health problems since December and the last semester was the hardest time of my life. I used to be the best student (I was the only person with a scholarship) and then suddenly I could barely manage writing my assignments on time and had zero time for my thesis. But now I have literally only about a month left to finish it and there’s still plenty of work to do, so I decided to come back to studyblr to help me motivate myself.

What will you probably find on this blog? Kinda like a diary about: how my thesis is going, how I’m trying not to use my phone too much (because when I’ve got urgent stuff to do, my phone suddenly becomes very alluring) and probably some complaining about dealing with insomnia and endometriosis.

Come along if you’d like to see an old a$$ like me finally complete her education :)

Btw my background pic was taken by me in one of the beautiful buildings of my uni.

[nellysview]

Heyyyy :33

I hope you all are doing okay. I don’t know how I am feeling like right now. Some days are good some are horrible. Tbh I am sick of this. Why can’t I feel better???? Recently, I am going to therapy. I like my therapist tbh. She is really nice and I like talking to her. It’s just hard to think about the past and how I felt the last 4/5 years. Idk. I hope it will be better soon, because right now I feel even worse.

Anyway, I wanted this post to be kind of an update about things. I try to keep it short but I can’t promise it. I don’t even know if you guys actually care. I don’t mean this in a bad way. It’s just I feel like there are way more important topics then this. But I know you guys are all so cute and awesome on this platform and I am sooo happy that I can literally tell you guys everything.

Okay…, there are a lot of things new in my life (just three or something ToT)

What is new in my life:

1. This is a quiet important thing. I told you guys about my ✨special person✨, right??? This person is actually my girlfriend. I couldn’t tell you before, because my besties are using tumblr their self’s so I had to keep it a secret until my gf I told them. Maybe it was obvious for some of you because of all the questioning got. So yeah…. I have a gf. She is amazing. I mean ofc we have our downs too but we try to fix it together. I never really believed in soulmates but I can definitely say I do now. We are literally soulmates!!

2. The therapy. I mean I told you about it before but I want to add something. Let me say my childhood was kind of different. And mostly because of my ,,mother” I have to deal with a lot of things lately. But I want to keep going (ig) and I want to except help.

3. I am going to a different school next year and I am sooo excited!! This school is more about science (i love science!! Especially chemistry and biology) I don’t like my old school +the most teachers were really mean to me when I was sick in December. They didn’t really get my illness. It was just stressful in that time. Anyway in my new school I will learn more about the things I am actually interested in and the school has labs and there are sooo niceeeee!!!

I think that was all. Sorry for the long post. Thanks if you were reading the whole thing. I am thankful for you all. You guys deserve the world and if you need someone to cheer you up- I am here for you! Always!

Love, nelly x

[callmewrinkles3]

Charlie

December 2022

Em really didn’t want to be out. She was constantly tired and still felt stressed, but Blake insisted. Her cast was off and she’d finished physical therapy so “cmon Timmy, the two of you are coming out for dinner and drinks.”

So she did what he told her and got dressed, the three of them sitting at a table and chatting. It was good food and relaxing and she actually enjoyed herself. Dan spotted where Blake’s attention was being drawn, a woman standing at the bar turning down a guy. She’d glanced over at Blake a few times but kept looking away.

“Have a crush, Blake?” He asked and their friend shook his head and pushed his glasses up.

“She’s cute. But you know me.” Em looked at him and stood while pointing at their glasses.

“Same again?”

“Yeah, please.”

Going up for drinks was just the first excuse that Em could find to go up to the bar and stand beside the pretty brunette Blake kept making eyes at. She’d deal with him being annoyed at her later, her friend deserved some happiness for once. As much as he tried to hide it she could hear the sadness when he said “you know me”. He’d put his personal life on the back burner for them.

It wasn’t that Blake didn’t want to meet anyone and settle down and be happy, but he didn’t have time. And it was entirely because of her and Dan. The thin walls between her old apartment and his worked both ways and she knew he’d stopped bringing anyone home over lockdown and never did again. Between how 2021 started, the mess of that year and how it ended, and the hell that had been 2022 he didn’t stand a chance. Instead he kept an eye on them, half brother, half parent, all Blake.

Officially his job was to be Dan’s manager but after everything he became a professional third wheel to make sure they were ok. He’d spent the last year keeping his barely functioning best friends going and ignored his own happiness. So for once Em - helped by the g&ts she’d drank already - was ignoring how shy she could be and telling the girl that Blake was interested if she was too. Em couldn’t even remember the last time she’d seen Blake’s eyes light up at seeing someone. It’d be worth his annoyance to make him happy. He’d put her happiness first, it was her turn to do that for him.

“Can I get a gin and tonic, a Jack and Coke, and another pint please? And whatever her next drink is too? Thanks so much.” Em pointed to the girl beside her as she ordered once she’d stepped into a free spot before turning and holding her hand out. “Hey, I’m Em.”

She saw the surprise on the woman’s face the second Em introduced herself. If someone ever did that to Em in a bar one night she’d probably run away, and definitely run back to Dan, but the woman didn’t. She had skinny jeans and converse on with a tank top and a flannel shirt over it. The woman stood there with her nearly empty glass for a second before speaking.”

“Hi. I’m Charlotte. Can I help you?”

“This sounds insane, but yeah, you can. I mean not exactly me but my friend. See the cute one over there with glasses? His name is Blake. He thinks you’re cute.” Charlotte glanced over and back carefully, but Em saw the “oh fuck” expression on Blake’s face.

“He does?”

“Yeah. I’m sorry about his face, he’s mad at me for telling you because he wasn’t going to say anything. But I promise, he’s a sunshine. The sweetest man in the universe after my husband. So I figured if you think he’s cute you can come sit with us and say hi. And if you don’t that’s fine, enjoy the drink. We won’t bother you.”

“You actually want me to say hi to someone at Daniel Ricciardo’s table? Really?”

“Sometimes I forget my h-boyfriend is a celebrity. But seriously, don’t think of him like that. Dan’s a regular guy, and Blake’s even more normal. So if you feel like it come say hi?” The drinks were out down beside her and Em tapped her card on the machine to pay. “I haven’t touched your drink, it’s all yours. It was really nice to talk to you, Charlotte.”

Em walked away from the bar barely balancing the three glasses in her hands, dropping them down on the table in front of her two favourite men barely spilling a drop. Her favourite part about getting back was how their jaws dropped slightly. She was never the one who did those things. She was the introvert, the one who hated talking to people. Especially talking to strangers. But three gin and tonics and a margarita meant she wasn’t thinking about how uncomfortable it was to talk to people. All she was thinking about was Blake being happy, even if it was just for one night.

“What did you just do?” Blake asked, staring at her as if she was an alien and not one of his best friends and his adopted sister.

“You mean to say “thank you”, right Blakey?”

“Where’s my sweet baby girl and what have you done with her?” Dan joked, trying to keep it together and not burst out laughing at what his wife had done.

“What did you tell her?” Blake sounded frantic so Em took pity on him.

“That my very sweet, handsome bestie thinks she’s cute. And then I paid for her drink and told her to come say hi if she thinks you’re cute too. She’d just said no to that other guy and I saw her checking you out, so I think she’ll come over. You’re welcome in advance.” Em took a sip of her drink. “When you get married I get dibs on maid of honour duties and to be godmother for your first child.” She shrugged and scooted closer into Dan. It was the least her thing she had ever done, but she owed it to Blake.

“You’re never gonna drink again. Ever.” She wanted to laugh as she watched Blake blush even harder, but she didn’t want to make things worse. Instead she smiled and snuggled into Dan as he wrapped an arm around her. “Seriously. I’m never letting you drink again.

“And you’ve never seen her when she starts drinking rose. That’s when she really says the weird stuff.”

“Dan!”

“You know it’s true!”

“Weirdos,” Blake murmured under his breath and Em could see how he was beginning to regret not only coming up with the idea to go out that night, but for Em to start drinking again after a few months off alcohol.

“I might be a weirdo, but I’ll have you know Charlotte’s looking over here.” She could see how Charlotte was trying to act normal while looking at their table and checking out their friend. It was a small smile half hidden behind a glass that she was trying to finish for some extra courage. It was the table where hometown hero Daniel Ricciardo was sitting with his girl and his best friend.

“She told you her name and you weren’t even going to tell me? Seriously, Timmy?”

“Oops?”

“Sometimes you’re so annoy-shit she’s coming over.”

If Blake’s cheeks were read before, his entire face may as well have been an apple. Em couldn’t remember seeing him so nervous I’m all the years she’d known him. He was always the composed one, especially at work, so seeing him blushing like a school kid with his first crush was the most adorable thing in the world.

“Hey, Charlotte, you joined us!” Em welcomed her happily, gesturing to the free seat beside Blake when she saw her standing next to their table.

“Is that alright?”

“I invited you over for a reason, right?” She smiled and gave a wink to make the other woman feel welcome and able to relax, even if for a moment. “Introductions, this is my h-boyfriend, Dan. Ignore if he tries to impress you and be fancy.”

“Nice to meet you, don’t believe a word Em says about me.” Dan held his hand out to shake like the polite man he was.

“And this is my best friend, Blake Friend. Yes it’s his actual name, and yes I tell him regularly it’s ridiculous. Blakey, this is Charlotte.”

“Hi. Call me Charlie, Charlotte is for strangers or when my parents want to ask something. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Hey Charlie, it’s nice to meet you too.” Blake smiled and offered his hand for her to grab like Dan had, but it was nothing like when Dan introduced himself to Charlie. Em could nearly see the sparks. This was the night she’d met Dan for her best friend and this new girl, she knew it.

“I need some air. Come out with me, Love?” She whispered to Dan and grabbed his hand to give the other two some privacy.

“What’s that for?” He asked when they got to a dark corner across the bar.

“Give them some privacy.” She leaned against Dan and gave him a kiss, hoping that it was going as well as it looked for the two.

[medusapelagia]

Steddie Week Day 6: The Party

May 27: True / Misunderstandings / You Looking At Me Looking At You by Ozzy Osbourne 

Rating: Teen and Up Relationship: Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson WT: angst and feels, misunderstandings, angst with happy ending, alcohol WC: 2791

It’s not that Steve thinks that his birthday is a big deal because it’s not. He doesn’t even remember the last time he actually celebrated it. When he turned six, maybe? It’s that Robin told him that she would have made sure that they celebrate it this time. 

But they will not. 

She is going with her parents to see some relatives for Christmas.

Because, obviously, Steve's birthday is the 25th of December.

She said that it was easy to remember.

The truth is that it's easy to forget.

Too many things to think about.

Presents, trees, families.

Steve's birthday is not on anyone's calendar.

It never was.

He used to get drunk with Tommy when he was younger.

They used to raid his father's liquor cabinet, even when they were far too young to drink, and they drank what seemed the more expensive bottle. The day after Steve was usually in a hangover so he didn’t really miss the celebration, either for his birthday or for Christmas.

For the first couple of years, his parents used to send him some stupid presents. Things that he didn’t like or he already had, then they stopped.

“You got money. You can buy yourself what you want.” His father told him the one time when he asked why they didn’t send him any presents.

It was true.

He had money.

He could have bought whatever he wanted, but he really wanted a present.

He wanted to have something to open. Something that someone chose for him, even if it was his father's new secretary.

He took a lot of time making presents.

For Nancy, for the kids, for Robin.

They just assumed that he was loaded and he went in a fucking shop and buy something, but he wasn’t like that.

He took an entire week to choose the new camera for Byers, asking for every detail until he found the perfect one.

He took note of everything that Nancy looked at and then, for her birthday, he bought her that dress she looked at in the window shop for at least one month.

For this Christmas, he has bought her a beautiful necklace with a black tourmaline for protection. She probably didn’t even know.

He has a pink quartz bracelet for balancing the heart chakra ready for Robin. He will have to give her the present before she leaves.

“What are you thinking about Harrington?”

Steve shakes his head and looks at Eddie.

He just drove Dustin to Eddie’s new house and he is still parked in front of the house.

“Sorry man. I got lost in my thoughts. I’ll leave you to your game. Call me if the little shrimps are too much for you. If not, I'll come back at eight, ok?”

“You could stay with us.”

“It’s not my thing… but thanks.”

“So, please tell me, what is your thing?”

“Not complicated games with too many dice and too much math. I’m still the stupid guy with the bat if you forgot.”

“And I’m the stupid three-time senior.” Eddie replies with a cigarette in his hand.

“You should quit. Your doctor said that it’s bad.”

“Are you going to rat me out?”

Steve shakes his head.

“That’s what I thought.”

Steve puts the reverse but Eddie stops him “Are you busy tomorrow?”

“I have the morning shift at Family Video but I can be free at five. Why?”

“I’d like to go shopping with you.”

Steve snorts.

“What?”

“I don’t think we like the same kind of staff. Maybe you should ask Gareth or Jeff. Even Dustin could be more helpful than me. I could drive you both if that’s the problem.”

“Is it so unbelievable that I’d like to spend some time with the guy that saved my fucking life?”

“You did the same for me in the lake.”

“Nope. I followed the girls only because I couldn’t stand the thought of being called ‘The Coward’. ‘The Freak’ is good enough.”

“Eddie! Have you finished flirting with Steve? We have a game to play!” Erica calls from the door.

“Sorry, my people need me.” Eddie winks at him “Tomorrow at five. I’ll wait for you. Don’t make me wait.”

“It’s a date.”

It’s a date?! What the fuck is wrong with him?! Jesus…

***

Five fifteen, and he is still waiting for Eddie.

When he finally comes out of the house his face is white and tired.

“Did something happen?”

“The usual nightmares. I must have fallen asleep after lunch. Sorry for making you wait.”

“No problem. We don’t have to go shopping. We could just stay.”

“Are you proposing to pass the afternoon in my bed, Harrington?”

Steve blushes “That’s not what I meant!”

“I know. Come on. I have some shopping to do. Are you good at thrifting?”

“I… I have never been in a thrift shop.” He admits.

“Oh! That’s great! I’m gonna show you an entire new world!”

When they enter the thrift shop the owner, a woman in her forties, greets Eddie, and Steve takes a deep breath that he didn’t know he was holding.

“I have some t-shirts that you are going to like. And maybe we can find something for your friend too. What kind of music is he into?”

“Pop music I supposed, any favorite group Stevie?”

“Uhm? No, not really.”

Steve leaves Eddie and gets closer to the jewel section. 

“So you are a jewel kind of guy? You are quite full of surprises, Harrington. So, what are you into? Bracelets? Necklaces? Rings?”

“Oh, not really. I’m looking at the crystals.”

“You know a lot about crystals?”

“Not really but I did some research. I bought a necklace with a black tourmaline for Nancy, for protection. And I’m going to give Robin a pink quartz bracelet, for the heart.” But he has seen something between the jewels. A dragon claw ring with a Tiger Eye. It would be perfect for Eddie. He should have to come back.

“Seen anything that you like? I’m actually searching for some presents for Christmas but I really don’t know what I should buy for you… so if you see something that you like I’ll be happy to buy it for you.”

Steve doesn’t say anything but something inside him breaks a little.

Eddie knows exactly what to buy for the kids, probably even for Robin and Nancy, but he has no idea of what he could buy for him.

“You could just give me the money.” He answers too harshly.

“Steve…”

“Sorry. I have to go home. Did you find what you came for?”

“Steve, I’m sorry if I said something that offended you. I didn’t mean it.”

“I’m good. I’ll wait for you in the car.”

It was presumptuous to pretend that Eddie knew him well enough to know what to buy for him. He should be grateful that he even thought about making him a present.

“Shit…”

He hates this stupid present thing. He should just give money to everyone. Not spending time searching for the perfect gift.

They are just objects after all.

Eddie comes back and they drive back in silence.

“Steve. I’m really sorry. I don’t know what I did to upset you but I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. We are good. Really. I just… I have to go home. That’s all.”

Eddie nods, unconvinced, and then he leaves the car with his bags.

***

“So, are you coming?” Dustin asks him while he is driving him back home.

“Where?” 

“To Eddie’s place. On the 24th. We are all going to spend Christmas with our family but we wanted to spend some time together so we decided to make a campaign on the 24th, Robin and Nancy are coming too. It will be just a one-shot. You should come.”

“I don’t think so. You know that is not my thing.” 

“Come on! Eddie even gave me these, for you.” Steve looks at the little package with three black dice “It’s his lucky set! You should come!”

“You know what? I don’t want to come and I don’t want a fucking set of used dice for a game that I don’t know how to play!” he snaps giving him the dice back.

Dustin looks at him perplexed “Why are you so angry Steve?”

Because no one gives a fuck about him. No one took the time to understand what he likes and the only person that maybe gives a shit about him forgot about his fucking birthday when she said that she wouldn’t have.

Fuck them.

Fuck everyone.

He is fine.

He doesn’t need them.

He doesn’t need anything at all.

***

On the 24th he doesn’t drive Dustin to Eddie’s place, but he drives there nevertheless.

He has a big bag full of presents.

Presents that he chooses with love and care.

That he collected throughout the year.

He is not the kind of guy that goes to the first shop the day before Christmas.

He leaves the bag in front of Eddie’s house and then he goes back to his place.

He unplugs the phone and starts to drink, as tradition.

He doesn’t care if it’s just six in the evening.

He will keep drinking until he falls unconscious on the stupid Persian carpet.

“Steve? Where the hell are you, dingus? Your line is always busy!”

Robin is here.

Shit.

He tries to say something but he is so drunk that he can’t even think.

He hears the sound of something that falls to the ground and then the feeling of cold hands on his face.

“Oh my god… Steve… what have you done?! Nance? Can you keep the kids in the kitchen? Eddie, please come here!” she sounds worried.

“Robs…”

“Oh god. Dingus. You scared the shit out of me! What the fuck did you do?”

“I’m celebrating…”

“No Steve, we were going to celebrate, you are just wasted. Eddie, can you help me? The bathroom is the last door on the left.”

“Come on big boy. Too much alcohol is not good for you.” He said to him, helping him on his feet.

“I’m fine…”

“No, you are fucking not.” The metalhead replies while bringing him toward the bathroom “Come on, Harrington. You know that that was too much alcohol, uhm?”

“I’m fine…” he slurs.

Eddie and Robin look at each other “Buckley, would you like to do the honors?”

“Nope. I think that your long fingers are perfect for this kind of situation.”

“Ok, ok, please don’t bite me.”

Steve is still trying to understand what they are talking about when Robin takes his head and Eddie sticks his fingers in his throat.

After a few seconds, he finds himself throwing up while Eddie makes some soothing caresses on his back and Robin keeps his hair away from his face.

When he is finally able to breathe again he looks at them with anger “Why that hell did you do it! And why the fuck are you here?!” he asks.

“Steve, you drank an entire bottle of whiskey on your own, I thought that you were going to die of alcohol poisoning!” Robin scolds him.

“It’s my way of celebrating…”

“Yeah, I know. But I thought that this year we were going to celebrate differently.”

“You are leaving. With your parents. What the hell are you doing here?”

“Well, dingus, let’s suppose, just for a moment, that that was an excuse? I knew you were going to sulk but I didn’t think that you were going to drink yourself to death!”

“An excuse? For what?”

“Maybe, and I say maybe, in your kitchen there are the kids and we made a little birthday party for the most lovely party boy. And maybe Eddie did an entire campaign just for you. And maybe, we convinced our family to spend Christmas’ afternoon at your place. And maybe you are a fucking idiot who left the biggest bag of presents on the fucking steps!”

Oh.

Oh.

“I thought…”

“You thought I forgot. Didn’t you?”

Steve nods still confused.

“I told you! Christmas day! Easy to remember! Now, you can’t go back into the kitchen like this. You are totally wasted. So I’ll say to the kid that you had company, they will not ask for details, and tomorrow afternoon we will be back to celebrate your stupid birthday. Ok?”

“Are we?” he asks, astonished.

“Of course, we are, dingus!” Robin looks at Steve and then at Eddie “Eddie do you mind driving the kids back and then come back to keep stupid Steve some company? There are too many expensive bottles in this house.”

“Sure, no problem.”

“You don’t have to. It’s Christmas Eve…”

“And Wayne is going to work all night. They pay double, so…”

“Sorry for being a dick, Rob…”

“Not a dick, just a dingus. As usual. So, go back to your room, drink plenty of water, and wait for Munson, ok? No more drinks. Promise me.”

He nods, waits to hear them all leaving, and then he goes back to his room.

An hour later he hears the familiar sound of Eddie’s van, then the boy enters with Robin’s key and goes directly to Steve’s room.

“I’m awake.” He says when the other boy waits too long.

“Sorry. I thought that maybe you had fallen asleep…”

“Thank you for tonight. And sorry if I was a dick the other day.”

“Everyone has bad days. I just don’t understand what I have done to piss you off.”

“It’s the present thing. It’s stupid.”

“Let me judge if it is stupid.”

“Well… you asked me if there was something that I liked. You offered to buy it for me. But that’s not what a present is. I… I love making presents. I try really hard to buy the perfect one. Sometimes I buy things months ahead to be sure to have the right present for that person. While my parents… my parents always said that I had the money and I could buy what the hell I wanted but… I just wanted someone to take the time to choose a present for me. And you were kind and I was a dick. And I’m sorry.”

“Steve… I understand what you mean. And I actually had a present for you. But I didn’t know if you would have liked it so… I wanted a backup present if that makes sense. Something that I know you would have loved.”

“What was your present?” he asks with curiosity.

“Are we exchanging presents now?”

“I left mine on your doorstep so…”

“I didn’t open it. Would you like to exchange our presents?”

Steve nods, still a little bit drunk.

“Ok, ok. But if you hate it it’s ok. Dustin told me you didn’t like my dice so…”

Eddie takes a notebook from his bag and shows him a picture.

It’s him, under the Lover Lake, with no shirt and a fucking bat in his hands.

“I draw this for you, to show you how fucking badass you were… but then I thought that maybe a picture that remembers you how you almost died was not the best present ever, but you don’t like music, don’t like games, you just like girls and I’m no girl so…”

“I like you.” He says, too honestly “And I love the picture. And I love that it took time and dedication and you did it for me.”

Eddie smiles “Good. Can I open mine now?”

Steve nods and Eddie opens his little package revealing the ring with the Tiger Eye.

“The Tiger Eyes gives strength, luck, and positive energy. And the ring is a dragon claw so… I thought you might like it.”

“I love it. But maybe you should take me on a real date before proposing with a ring.”

“I didn’t mean…”

“I know, I was joking.”

“But I’d like to.”

“Sorry?”

“I’d like to take you on a date. A real one. See a movie, eat something, maybe even kiss you goodnight.”

“You are drunk Harrington.”

“I am… but that doesn’t mean I’m not honest. Maybe I’m just too honest…”

Eddie laughs a little “Let’s make a deal. If tomorrow you will remember what you said tonight and you still want to take me on a date, I’ll say yes. If not, my lips are sealed and you secret it’s safe with me.” 

They remain in silence for a long moment, then Eddie looks at his watch “Oh. Look. Midnight. Happy birthday, Steve.”

“Merry Christmas, Eddie.”

They fall asleep like that. Steve in his bed, and Eddie over the blankets, waiting for the little shrimps to come back and celebrate Steve’s birthday.

[bulkyphrase]

Halloween Fic Recs 2023 Week 2: Stony

Wocome to Halloween fic recs week two! This week we've got spooky Steve Rogers/Tony Stark stories!

Blood Red, Snow White by SummerKnight717 (Teen And Up Audiences, 17,721 words)

Summary: Vampires. Of all things it had to be vampires. Mix an ancient artifact, incompetent cultists, and a way too curious playboy-billionaire-genius, and the Avengers are left with a problem that is weird even by their own standards. In which things go surprisingly well...till they really really don't.

hey there demons, it's me... ya boi by starksnack (@starksnack) (Teen And Up Audiences, 15,000 words)

Summary: this week on buzzfeed unsolved tony and steve investigate four haunted locations, and maybe find more than just ghosts.

The rest are below the cut!

The Icy Roots of Fear by YourFinalBow (@yourfinalbow) (Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Mature, 13,051 words)

Summary: “How are you doing?” Steve walked up to Tony, who was sitting at one of the lab’s tables. He sighed, thinking. "I don't like this. I don't like the not-knowing." “Yeah, I don’t like it either. I keep looking at Nat and Clint and Sam…” He swallowed. “And, and even you, and all I can think about is how you guys could be dead, but still standing right in front of me." — With a monster roaming the halls of a research base in the Arctic, Steve isn't sure what will get them first. The Thing, or the ice?

Ashes and Silver by Corsets_and_Cardigans (Teen And Up Audiences, 3,141 words)

Summary: “Sorry, but you can’t speak with her.” He looked apologetic, shaking his head at Steve. “Please, I’ve been looking for her for so long.” Steve put his hands together in front of his chest, praying to a God that had long forsaken him. “I just need five minutes of her time.” “Well, unless you packed a ouija board on your Harley, I can’t help you. She’s been dead for almost thirty years.” Steve’s heart dropped to the floor. “Dead.”~~~Steve is looking for something special and Tony’s mother. He finds so much more.

one more moment of this silence by Red (S_Hylor) (@s-hylor) (Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Mature, 2,227 words)

Summary: Tony can see ghosts. Not just any ghosts, but ghosts of people how haven't found peace yet, or refuse to. Ghosts of people whose bodies have never been found. The closer to their bodies he gets, the more he sees them, an ability, or a curse, that he uses to help the police find body's of missing people. It's never easy.

Twelve Days by elysianprince (@elysian-prince) (Teen And Up Audiences, 22,027 words)

Note: Look, I know this is really a Christmas story, but ghosts=spooky=Halloween

Summary: In which Tony finds himself in a town that looks like it crawled out of a Hallmark Christmas movie, trying to sell an inn he didn't know he owned, all while dealing with Steve Rogers, the resident ghost who has returned to haunt the inn each December during the twelve days of Christmas for the past seventy years. Tony has only one logical solution that benefits them both: break the curse that binds him - but falling for a man almost a century old wasn't among his plans.

the future whispers only by Red (S_Hylor) (@s-hylor) (Major Character Death, Mature, 3,421 words)

Summary: Nine of them set out on the trek over the snow, towards the mountains, along the route that Carol had plotted out. Four days hiking, along on of the most difficult routes, but they were well prepared and experienced. There's some things that cannot be prepared for.

dreamed your dream, written your name by janonny (@awesomelifechoices) (Not Rated, 8,198 words)

Summary: As they hid from Ultron, Tony and Steve might have discovered too late that there were far scarier things lurking in the dark than genocidal robots. He hadn’t spent time in an old house like this, consisting of wood and brick and mismatched furniture, out in the middle of nowhere. He just wasn’t used to all the typical sounds that came with it. Not that he could hear any usual sounds you would expect from somewhere so far from the city. There were no owls hooting, no rustling grass, no crickets, no…wolves or whatever. Alright, maybe he didn’t know much about what it was like being far from the city.

my darling dear by orphan_account (Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Explicit, 44,712 words)

Summary: Through the snow, the ice, and to the very ends of the Earth, Tony vows to bring Steve home. The nightmares Steve suffered drove him to accepting a dangerous mission from SHIELD that very nearly kills him until Tony finally fulfills his promise to save him. Yet, the nightmare continues when Tony realizes Steve still isn't safe. There are forces after Steve, wanting more than he could possibly ever give. Tony has one option to keep Steve safe, to escape the nightmare and the horror they both experienced. But can he save Steve before it is too late for both of them?

there's no dreams in the waves, only monsters by S_Hylor (@s-hylor) (Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Teen And Up Audiences, 70,441 words)

Summary: Driving while tired is never a good idea, especially when the weather is terrible, as Tony finds out the hard way. Now in pain, with a wrecked car and no phone service, Tony is stranded at a hotel perched on a cliff overlooking the flooded ruins of an abandoned town in the valley below. With no working phone, only three other people around, Tony isn’t sure who to trust or what to believe. Something isn’t right, something is stopping him from leaving.

with bloody feet across the hallow’d ground by sleeponrooftops (@sleeponrooftops) (Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Explicit, 22,408 words)

Summary: The setting, Tony decides, is perfect for a bad horror movie. Steve drags him along for a week into the wild because he’s friends with Thor, who’s friends with Clint, whose family owns a cabin in the woods. Tony hates all of them, particularly when they start dying.

Before the Darkness Swallows You by Veldeia (@veldeia) (Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Mature, 30,837 words)

Summary: Steve was gone. Tony was all alone in the dark, the blackness of the damp, rock-walled corridor only occasionally broken by the fluttering fluorescent lamps in the ceiling. He wasn’t afraid of the dark. An abandoned mine was by no means the scariest environment he’d ended up in. Still, he’d have been crazy not to be afraid of what lurked in these shadows.

The Little Things Unknown by coaster (@coastertoaster) (Mature, 27,618 words)

Summary: Tony Stark has three certainties in life: one, that science was where his mind worked best; two, that, since ghosts had become a science, anything was possibe; three, that he would never know if Captain America was that much of a paragon because the man was long dead. The subject of Certainty Three might be sitting at the foot of his bed. ~ Steve is a ghost. The Avengers bust ghosts. And Tony isn't sure what to make of Cap here. But hey, at least his other hauntings have stopped, right?

And Time Went On by Morena_Evensong (Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Mature, 106,811 words)

Summary: Two hundred years ago the Mandarin attacked Washington, the first stage of his plan for world domination. And the Avengers... vanished. All except Iron Man, who eventually managed to defeat the Mandarin with the help of SHIELD, a few other superheroes, and their friends. Now, nearly two hundred years after the death of Anthony Stark, the current Stark heir, Tony, is moving into the forgotten Stark Manor in order to avoid falling into the clutches of the United World Council. But Stark Manor isn't just an empty old house and mice aren't the only things that have been inhabiting it for the past two hundred years. As Tony uncovers the secrets of Stark Manor, and more than a few horrifying truths about the world he lives in, a powerful threat suddenly arises. One that leaves shattered cities and seas of bodies in its wake as it slowly sweeps its way across a world that no longer has a last line of defense.

Wasted on the Dead and Dreaming by LinneaKou (Teen And Up Audiences, 37,554 words)

Summary: Steve looked right at his friend, and he felt just as disoriented as he had when he woke up in Munich. “What the hell is going on?” Bucky winced. I think you’ve spontaneously developed psychic powers. And well. Wasn’t that just great. When Captain Steve Rogers got back from his tour of duty, he didn't expect to come back with the ability to communicate with the dead. When Tony Stark moved back into his childhood home, he didn't expect his dead father to still be inhabiting it. When Tony hired Steve to investigate the ghosts of his family mansion, they didn't expect to be swept up in cover-ups, corporate sabotage, and murder. Now, time is running out as increasingly disturbing dreams haunt Tony and the ghost of Howard Stark proves to be the least of Steve's problems. If they're lucky, maybe they won't end up ghosts too.

Never Seen by Waking Eyes by CSHfic, VSfic (Teen And Up Audiences, 6,319 words)

Summary: Tony inherits what appears to be the entire mildewed contents of his late great aunt’s attic, and Jan and Steve volunteer to help him sort through the boxes. Some of the objects they find are... slightly more interesting than others.

CCCLXXVII. by MilkSluice (@milksluice) (Mature, 1,926 words)

Summary: The school they're in is desolate, and near destroyed. And not fully their own. Steve and Tony, shortly after a huge argument, find themselves bound to a dimension, in which they appear to be the only living souls.

The Road Through October Country by indigostohelit (Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Teen And Up Audiences, 2,803 words)

Summary: It's a beautiful day in October, and Steve's hiding behind the library, his knee bleeding, when he sees the boy for the first time. Tony makes Steve laugh, and his hands are as cold as ice, and he doesn't leave footsteps in the mud. But in a cold graveyard after sunset, Tony asks Steve to make a choice that will change - or end - his life forever.

Betwixt by tsukinofaerii (Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con, Not Rated, 7,968 words)

Summary: Steve is pulled into an alternate universe that could have been plucked from his nightmares. All he wants to do is get home alive. Tony may have other ideas.

[eziojensenthe3rd]

Midnight Gaming: Ancient Egyptian Sleep Aid! How to handle your inner and outer demons through healthy sleep habits and overwhelming violence!

Hey all, happy new year and all that jazz. 2024 was only slightly better than 23 and hopefully 2025 ends up being better than how it appears. I suppose since this is the first MG post of the year, I feel its only appropiate to dedicate the news segment to an explanation. And hey in return you'll get 4, thats right, 4 games I had played past midnight during the december break.

So Midnight Gaming is a series born out of a strange coincidence in 2024. One night I played Crime Boss Rockay City and decided to check twitter a bit before heading to bed when news broke of trump having been shot at. I thought it was just an isolated incident and went on my merry way until the next event.

Another day, I played Fallout 76 past midnight, checked socials again and lo and behold, biden caught covid. Ok so 2 times thats happened, nothing to make a big deal of. Mostly just enough to make a doofensmirtz meme out of but surely it wont happen a third time.

Later on another day, I played Divinity Original Sin past midnight, checked socials and wouldnt you know it, biden stepped down and kamala replaced him in the presidential running. So now I have a thrice coincidence where I've played a game past midnight only for some major event to have happened. Hell later after I started this series, I played Deathspank past midnight, right as the stock market crashed. Seems like a good time as any to start a blog series intent on recreating those conditions.

Best way I can describe this series is that of a guy sitting by himself at the corner of a bustling bar, drunkenly rambling to himself about video game media and current events and maybe occasionally says some compelling shit. Thats pretty much it. As for what this series is to me, its mainly a means for me to get back into writing and creating stuff again since I used to do that in my early teens before burning out and just stopping.... so now Im finally trying to get myself back into that with this series, but it also helps push me into playing more games instead of just browsing youtube and social media, try and get into the backlog a bit.

I usually pick a game to play to or past the stroke of midnight, look up any major events or news, mostly gaming related, and then write about them the next day. Thats the gist of this series.

Honestly when it comes to opinion based thinkpieces about video games, theres bound to be a risk of someone getting irate over what I said. Sometimes its entirely my fault and I wouldnt mind the criticism, hell its why I usually ask for feedback at the end of these. But other times.... look, there are people who spend their working days writing articles with clickbait headlines, with paragraphs of what are arguably just expanded hot takes, who collect a paycheck at the end of the end of the week.

I dont get paid to do this, Im doing this solely for the love of the game. So if I say an opinion that you disagree with please understand that I am sorry, it will happen again.

Of course thats assuming anyone reads this....

ANYWAYS GAMES NOW

First up is Nightmare Reaper which is a rougelike fp... get back here. Yeah I get a lot of people might be feeling a bit of roguelike fatigue nowadays but this game is definatly worth checking out, assuming you havent already. Ypu're a mental patient in a asylum, go to sleep and murder your inner demons through various enviroment with any weapons you find in there. The combat feels pretty damn punchy with all the weapons you come across being effective and varied between either melee weapons, conventional firearms, explosives or even just magic.

Alot of the guns do seem to follow the borderlands formula of having different stats depending on the item rarity, with prefixes such as leech chance, reload speed, magazine size and of course the lovely random projectile which changes what your weapon shoots to one of several different projectile types which could either be plasma balls, ice shards, knives or in my case.... vegetables. Most of the time I just get vegetables as the projectile.

Of course you'd need to scour the map to kill every enemy, find every secret and collect every treasure (which can be irritating when you're stuck on a level looking for that crack in the wall hiding a secret) so you can get all the gold bonuses for completing them per level so you can use them to buy upgrades in an upgrade screen that has you play a super mario bros like game to get the upgrades. You use the gold to enter a level, complete the level and you get the upgrade. Its how you're going to unlock the double jump and dash abilities as well as your typical upgrades like max health and ammo counts.

You'll also unlock two other upgrade minigames with their own unique currencies, the topaz game being a pokemon game with pills that act as modifiers with drawbacks and the jade minigame which is a space shooter with the jade being gained from playing the arena gamemode accessed via a different bed. You can thankfully turn the minigames off if you dont want to bother with them and just buy the upgrades outright. Overall good game, made it to the end

So next up is Powerslave Exhumed, a remaster of the saturn/ps1 version of Powerslave that has been released on most consoles. If you didnt know already, there were two versions of Powerslave with the pc version being a build engine boomer shooter while the console version was more akin to a metroidvania with you collecting upgrades and backtracking to earlier levels to get past obstacles you didnt had the right item.

You know a game aint fucking around when it throws an m60 light machine gun as the 2nd weapon you find. Anyways aliens are invading egypt, the spirit of ramses offers some help and guidance as you travel to a number of locations, lighting up bugs, mummies and catgirls as you look around for the next item that lets you progress, as well as any transmitter pieces if you want that good ending.

The nightdive port does work fairly well, though in fairness I havent really played powerslave before so if there were changes or differences, im afraid I wouldnt notice. I can however say that I played this first on the easy skill to gauge the difficulty before bumping it up on hard and it definatly feels like a jump since not only do you face more enemies, there attacks do hurt a bit more. A lot of moments in my session resulted in me having low health, trying to find jars in the hopes they drop health power and of course dealing with the damn mummies who can't seem to decide whether their skull projectiles are homing or not. Sometimes they go forwards into a wall, sometimes they chase me with a bit more efficiency than doot skeletons rockets from doom.

From what I played so far, Its a neat lil game and I like the egypt locales and themes, especially since you dont end up in only desert temples and tombs. Theres some abandoned mines, a swamp, a lava cave zone and of course theres the lands that the aliens terraformed that you can go to near the end. One major complaint though, whoever made it so that the breakable jars can sometimes explode when broken, sending out exploding snakes that can damage or outright kill me when I was needing health or weapon power?

I hope you stub your toe. Anyways next game.

I played Blood West back when it was in early access and enjoyed it for what it offered. The 1st act where you rise as an undead cowboy in a wild west teeming with monsters and cryptids is.... well not really original. There are several other bits of media that cover a weird west kinda vibe, heck there's even a game called that made by ex-arkane devs. But were not gonna critique this on originality, just on what it does and if its fun. And what it does is pretty good and is pretty fun.

For one, stealth is prioritised heavily since a lot of enemies can either close the distance to maul, shoot at you with firearms and spells or a mixture of both and the rusty revolver you find early on wont do much to stop them unless you aim for the head, so you better do your best to sneak past them or find better equipment.... or just whack em up the head with an axe when they aint looking.

Yeah I havent really done a proper melee build in Blood West but you could handle a lot of early game enemies with just a rusty axe and some stealth so you can sneak attack some enemies. Heck if you pick the perk that improves your stealth as well as save up cash to buy the bone knife from the shaman early on, you can sneak around and backstab a good amount of threats like a spy from Team Fortress 2 doing a montage for his texas audience.

Doing a proper melee build would be neat to do since theres a good number of skills that work with it such as improving swing speed and doing more damage along with a berserker skill that lets you get health back with melee kills. Mostly I try to stick with the bow for early game before moving towards the sawn off shotgun and lever action rifle, though I mostly just use melee anyway to save on ammo. Hmmm.... I should actually get around to doing that run huh?

Anyways blood west is good, they have the VA for Garrat from the thief series voicing the cowboy, used to be a guy called Jake "the voice" or whatever but they replaced him with Nick Valentine. Also a dlc released recently for this called dead mans promise that has the Shadowman VA in it. Go play it.

So now, finally, we are at our final game for this 2025 start for Midnight Gaming and its a game I've been playing a lot past midnight, all night in fact. From 2024. Its pokemon sleep.

Given the formula I've settled for this series, sleep is gonna be something I have to balance to make sure I dont burnout again while doing this. So I figured I try to use a sleep app to help with that.... and I have a bit of history with Pokemon given I played a lot of blue on gameboy... I was pretty into pokemon as a kid to be honest. The games, the show, the films, the card game, nearly all of it at the time.

So I decided to go with Pokemon Sleep to try and build a healthy sleep schedule via means of bulking up a snorlax with berries and meals. And sleeping, that too is involved. You basically catch some pokemon by feeding them biscuits before enlisting them into indentured servitude to gather berries and ingredients while you feed them candy to make them stronger and get better helpers in your weekly sleep campaign.

So important thing I found from online reasearch early on was that getting a pokemon with the main skill Energy for Everyone gives them a chance to recover some energy for all your helpers, making them perform better throughout the day. Of course its best if the pokemon has a nature that boosts main skill chance as well as sub skills that boost the chance of an activation or a double activatiob, that way you can proc the skill and keep your "helpers" topped up like a living energy drink.

Igglypuff is a good pokemon to catch early on since they have the skill, evolving takes less resources and every evolution levels the pokemons main skill up by one, meaning getting a pokemon that you can evolve 2 or 3 times means you can level their main skill up a bit. Me though I went with a sylveon since they're apparently good. Though it takes a bit to get one. You need an eevee along with 80 eevee candies and about 150 hours of sleep logged with the eevee you want to level in your party. At the very least, I have them now and they have a good nature thats boosts chance along with chance boosting skills, so they occasionally trigger a double skill activation which raises the teams energy by a lot.

And I named them Astolfo. You might say its because they're both pink and you'd be half right.... buuuutttt its also because they remind me of a can of monster energy, so I named em after a character related to that drink thanks to a.....certain......picture.

If you know, you know.

Biggest complaint about Pokemon Sleep is that I have never gotten to track my sleep at all. The hours were saved but any other information beyond that is gone, an error that says they couldn't track my sleep info so I just get a balanced sleep type each time and left to go my merry way since the sleep points, pokemon attracting and other stuff still works.

Also the diets you feed your weekly snorlax are a bit strange. Theres three categories of recipes you can make that your snorlax will want to eat and only eat for their daily meals. Each week a different snorlax will have a different type so you end up cooking those foods for them. First off, Curries and Stews? Makes sense, you can build a decent diet out of that, I think. Salads? Again fine, pretty healthy though, since your aim is to bulk up your snorlax, there isnt very much calories that you can shove into them to fatten them up. And finally, Desserts and Drinks? Yeah... feed your Snorlax a breakfast of fizzy soda that sounds great and definatly not agonising on an empty stomach. Whats for dinner? A hot cup of milk, fuck you.

Its fine, Poke Sleep is fine. Add me on there so I could mooch candy from you.

So thats that. First post of 2025 and it was a big one. Hopefully I can get back to talking about one game and one bit of news for this series agaib and I hope to continue working on it. I generally want to do something that gets me creating something, while also pushing me to play more games. And if any these posts convince you to play any of the games I talked about, thats cool.

Anyways, thank you all SO much for reading this issue of Midnight Gaming. Feel free to leave feedback or game suggestions and I'll talk you all another time.

Ok you know what, it was this pic here and its comparing the size of the can to his co...

[superheroesofbothuniverses]

December 28 Holiday Prompt fic: Shieldshock

Prompts: Shieldshock, touch her and die, fir trees

Steve Rogers wasn’t a “Touch Her and Die” type of person, but when he encountered a fellow man mistreating a woman, his protective instincts flared up.

He heard a scuffle outside his apartment one evening and opened the door to see a skinny guy dressed in a tattered Santa suit arguing with an unknown person in an inflatable Christmas tree costume. He guessed the Christmas tree was his neighbor, as he’d never seen the man before.

“Listen, Ian,” growled the Tree. “I gave you the ring back. We are done. There is nothing else to discuss here. You cheated on me. You denigrated me. You don’t even look above my boobs anymore. Go, before I let my super jacked neighbor give you the Fists Of Patriotic Justice!”

Santa guy stumbled backward, and looked at Steve wildly, a very inebriated look in his glazed over eyes. Steve crossed his arms and looked extra stern, hoping he was dealing with an idiot drunk and not a belligerent one. Unfortunately, belligerent was the order of the day and Ian decided to charge Steve.

In half a second, he was grabbed by his collar and pinned against the wall in an iron grip.

“Listen, son,” Steve said firmly. “She already told you you’re done. The best thing you can do now is go home, sober up, and do a little self reflecting. Don’t bother her ever again.”

He infused as much force into his words as he could and It finally seemed to get through. Ian slumped and started whining pathetically.

“But I just want another chanshhh!” he slurred. “I shtill love you, Darshy! I’ll be better, I promishhh.”

Darcy the Christmas Tree put her hands on her hips.

“You’ve said that too many times. The answer is no. You can leave in an Uber or a police car.”

Ian collapsed on the floor blubbering and Tree Darcy sighed.

“I’m so sorry about this. He’s really an embarrassment. I’ll call him an Uber right now. Would you mind keeping an eye on him? He should be harmless, but I’m not taking any chances.”

Steve nodded and guarded the pathetic heap that was Ian until the Uber arrived, then he hauled the miserable man up, and escorted him all the way to the car.

When Steve came back upstairs, Darcy was out of her costume and looking apologetic.

“Thank you so much, neighbor,” she said gratefully. “Allow me to give you these cookies as a token of my gratitude. I may be a strong independent woman, but I really didn’t want to have to tase him in the state he was in. I’m Darcy Lewis, by the way.”

Steve took the offered bag of cookies, which smelled heavenly, and smiled at Darcy.

“You’re welcome. And I’m Steve, but I think you already know that.”

“Yeah,” she admitted. “Thor’s a good friend and talks about his Shield brother a lot. I saw you moving in, but I had to hide, lest I be caught drooling. I mean, the arms!”

Steve chuckled self consciously.

“They do come in handy,” he said, with a sheepish grin. “What’s the story with the tree costume?”

She turned a bit pink.

“Oh. I was helping out with my niece’s christmas pageant,” she explained. “It’s ridiculous, but so much fun. I wasn’t expecting Ian to follow me back here.”

She made a disgusted face.

“If he ever gives you any more trouble, feel free to let me know,” Steve told her seriously. “I don’t like bullies and cowardly man-children.”

Darcy gave a delighted laugh.

“I can tell. That was about as close to the “Touch Her and Die” trope as I’ve ever experienced. Ian probably wet himself.”

“Hopefully, he stays away for good. Next time, I might have to bring some friends along to up the scary factor if his skull was too thick to get the message.”

Steve gave an almost feral grin and Darcy looked like she wanted to jump him on the spot. She settled for fanning herself.

“I think we should have dinner sometime,” she blurted.

“I think we should, too,” Steve agreed happily.

[strange-little-spy]

Chapter Nine –Addison’s apartment, 10:05 am

Chapter warnings: some fluff, Steve being a puppy, Bucky being a royal pain in the tail

Word count: 1447

“Oh, good grief, Adds, I love you! She’s making her bacon!!” Bucky moaned as he closed the front door to Addie’s apartment, the smell of honeyed bacon wafted through the small living space. “I swear to everything holy you are going to ruin me.”

“Relax, Bucky,” She smiled as she covered the spitting pan as Steve walked into the kitchen with Bucky behind him. “It’s not like I’m going to threaten to stop making it. Hello, Stevie.”

“Addie—what—“

“Okay, before you ask questions, I have no clue how it happened, it just did.”

“Over-night??”

“I know, it’s crazy. But would I lie?”

“No, no, I believe you. I just wasn’t expecting it.” Steve assured.

“Thanks, baby.” She smiled, feeling a little awkward now that she was a whole three inches taller than him, and her shoulders were broader now.

“Oh lord I hope Peggy would hurry up and find him so he can be bigger.” She mentally begged, taking the lid off the pan and started to turn the bacon sizzling in the grease.

“Wait-“ She set the tongs down and looked at the men. “Didn’t you say this was December???”

“Yeah, it’s freezing outside.” Steve shivered, seeming as if the jacket he wore (probably Bucky’s) engulfed him.

“But, it was May when I fell asleep.”

“What?” Bucky scrunched his brows, his humor vanishing.

“It was the night you guys told me about your enlisting.” She put her hand on her hip. “And then Steve walked me home, I fell asleep, this happened, and then I hear Bucky banging down my door. Whats the deal with that??”

“You were here, Adds.” Steve said. “All the time.”

“You mean I was still in Brooklyn for seven months when I really wasn’t??”

“Okay, let’s back up,” Bucky held up his hands. “So you went to bed one night and then woke up somewhere else besides Brooklyn??”

“And it was in the future, too.” Addie waved the tongs before taking the batch of bacon out and setting it on a plate with napkins to soak up the grease before drizzling honey over the hot strips.  “I saw something that won’t be invented for another ten years.”

“Such as?”

“It’s just a gun.”

“As in a big gun?”

“No, as in a rifle.”

“Oh, okay. So, you woke up in the future, but do you have any idea how long you stayed?”

“I wouldn’t think more than 24 hours.” She rubbed the bruises on her arm as she turned and faced him.

“But—you were here, you were with us every day.” Steve objected, looking awful betrayed as if Addie had done something horrid.

“But I don’t remember that, Steve.” She tried to keep calm, but whatever was going through the smaller man’s mind was making her panic. “I want to, I really do. I would rather be here than where I was.”

Steve frowned and rested his chin in his hands. “So why did this happen?” He motioned to her stronger frame.

“I…”

That was a question she couldn’t answer, much less know. Was Pierce trying to make her another Winter Soldier? Well, technically, she would be the first one if she was in 1940—

“I really don’t know, Steve. I can take a guess, but the chances of that guess being correct are pretty slim.”

Steve sighed. “Alright.”

“Hey,” She sat next to him. “I’m still me, I haven’t changed in any other way. I still love you and Bucky.”

Bucky had gotten up and snagged two pieces of bacon which he inhaled.

Steve looked up and smiled, his lopsided puppy smile that made Addie’s heart skip a beat. “Sorry for being a jerk.”

“No, Bucky’s a jerk. You’re a punk, remember?”

Steve snickered and glanced at Bucky who was shooting Addie a death glare.

“Really? I take you in, I help you, I care for you and you call me a jerk?”

“Well-“

“I am scandalized, Addison Rogers Barnes.” He broke and snickered at the end of the sentence.

Addie facepalmed and shook her head. “You are a pain in the rear, Buck.”

“Flattery will gain you nothing, but your bacon has never been better.”

Addie just laughed and stood up, careful not the shove the table over. She needed the eat before her stomach would start making noises. She practically inhaled most of the bacon before Steve stopped her.

“Hey, I have to eat too.”

“Sorry, Stevie.” She ducked. “Here, you can have the rest.”

He smiled when he took the plate.

“Hey, whoa-“ Bucky commented as he walked back into the kitchen with the paper. His brows were knit together in worry. “Its four days til Christmas!”

“What?” Addie spun around, nearly coughing.

“Its not anything to freak out over, I was just saying.” Bucky shrugged and sat down.

“But I haven’t got your gifts!”

“You’re all we need.” Steve tried, biting down on more bacon.

Addie smiled at him. “Thanks, baby. I meant as in like maybe some cologne for you and a lighter for Buck.”

“Why would I need that when I can just hold my cigarette under you two when you look at each other?”

“Watch it, Barnes or you may not get a Christmas gift.”

“You wouldn’t dare.”

“Try me.” She gave a grin.

It was later in the day that Addie realized it was less than a year before World War Two would officially start. She just hoped and prayed she wouldn’t be called up for Pearl Harbor.

December 7th seemed to eat at the back of her mind for the rest of the afternoon as she learned how to do small things again, get dressed without tearing her clothes, take out her garbage, small things like that. But it was Steve she was worried about. He seemed to be getting weaker by the month, she wasn’t sure if that was okay, but she was growing concerned.

“Wanna tell me about the future again.” He looped an arm around her waist as she sat on the loveseat trying to thread a needle. She smiled and looked to him.

“Whadaya wanna know?”

“Oh, I dunno. Anything. Tell me about what you wanted after college.”

She sighed and set her hands in her lap. “I..I wanted to work in the police. Forensics is when you look at the evidence left  at the scene of the crime, and you use that to figure out items like who could have done it, what they used, how the victim died, all that sort of thing.”

“So you want to be a cop?”

“Forensics work with the cops, but they’re not law enforcement.”

“Ah.” He nodded. “You okay? You seem a little distracted.”

“I’m sorry, Stevie.” She leaned her head on him. “I guess I am distracted.”

“What’s happened?”

“That’s just it, it hasn’t happened yet?”

“Something in the future?”

“Mmhmm.” She nodded. “The war.”

“Its just in Europe, doll.”

“Yes, but it’s going to come to us soon. Almost too soon for my liking.”

“You think they’ll invade New York?” If she couldn’t hear the genuine concern in his voice, she would have thought he was making fun of her. But not Steve. He wasn’t one to do that.

“No, they wouldn’t do that.” She sighed, shaking her head. “Its just…I was always wondering was it was like to live in these times when I read books or was in class, but now..now I’m really here. I’m really living what I learned about. And…I’m scared, Steve. I’m scared stiff. I didn’t grow up here, I don’t know what to do.”

“Hey, hey,” He soothed. “Its going to be fine, we’ll make it through this war. You said it yourself. Buck and I will take care of you.” He planted a soft kiss on her temple. “We care too much not to help.”

“Thanks, Steve. I know it seems silly I’m freaking out about something that I know how it will turn out.”

“I know some people who would freak out over knowing the tv schedule.”

“Well, touche.”

They shared a snicker. “So, what did I miss in those months? Anything exciting?”

“But you were here to entire time, I don’t understand how you could miss something.”

“I don’t, Steve. I really don’t know what happened. I’m curious, that’s all.”

“Well, the German’s tried to raid England. And failed.”

“Go figure.”

“But they took Paris.” Steve continued, sounding very serious. She knew how much he wanted to get out there and fight.

“I’ve heard about that. In the future, I mean. Ugh, this is getting ridiculous.”

“Hey, at least Bucky’s here to keep us sane.”

“Yeah, right. And I’m Mickey Mouse.”

Steve laughed whole-heartedly. “Touche!”

Notes: There is some art coming for this series and will be posted in future chapters :D

thank you for reading 🥰✌️

Dividers by @strangergraphics

prompt by @the-superoriginal

written by yours truly, all relation to actual people are purely coincidental

tag list: @oh-to-be-a-murderer - @fictionalmenjusthitdifferent - @itzzkaylaaa - @crazyinlovewithmarvel - @natt-romanoff - @ohyeah-itssamwilson - @proud-owner-0f-americas-ass - @thebestmerc-1 - @daniel-barnes-the-ghost -

if you would like to be tagged in the upcoming chapters, please send me an ask and I will make sure to tag you!

[honney-pies]

Ma Cherie ❤︎

What Once Was

Pairing: Inuokku/f!oc

Length: 9.3k

Summary: Sometimes reminiscing the past can hurt, but sometimes it’s for the better.

A/n: omg hey guys, sorry for taking so long. I had a lot to deal with these past two week, so I’m a little behind. This chapter focuses heavily on kanae and the relationships she has with those around her. This isn’t totally proofread and my desk top has been glitching a lot lately, so please let me know and I will fix it!

Ma Cherie master list

─── ⋆⋅ December 2017 ⋅⋆ ── 

Kanae’s standing outside the classrooms, watching as her breath fills the air. She hadn't noticed that everyone had already started to leave until Inumaki tapped her on the shoulder. She snaps out of it and sees that Yuuta was also waiting for her. Kanae smiled at the two, noticing how their hands brushed against each other. The three of them had been toeing the line between friends and lovers for some time now, so it was quite adorable watching Yuuta start to figure out that the couple liked him quite a bit. As all the first years were walking away from class, goofing around and acting like kids, Yuuta stops and looks at the sky. Everyone else stops and looks at him, asking him what's wrong.

“Uh, well… I just had a bad premonition,” he responded.

“You’re imagining things.”

“Yep, imagining things.”

“Okaka.”  Kanae laughs softly at everyone’s comment. She looks at Yuuta and grabs his wrist before hurrying up to catch the others. 

“Huh? Guys wait!” She feels a nudge from Inumaki and she looks over at her boyfriend who tilts his head  and smiles at her, she smiles back.

“Well, your ability to sense curse energy sucks, you know,” Panda starts. 

“Figures it be dulled, with a curse like Rika constantly around you,” Maki finishes. As they all continued to joke around and make their way off campus Kanae could see a little white blob in the sky. A bird, she realizes. A really big bird. Kanae felt her phone buzz and pulled it out.

‘Incoming call from weezer🧿🧿’ 

“That's unusual.” Kanae looks up from her phone to see what Panda was talking about to see that the bird has landed in front of them. 

“Yuuta’s intuition was correct.” Kanae quickly answers the phone call to alert her brother that there was a bird heading for them, even though she knew chances are he already sensed it. As the bird landed, another figure fell to the side. Kanae could make out formal clothing, a Gojo-kesa, and a lot of black hair, but that’s not what made her freeze. That bloodflow, she thought, I know it. 

“You’re… not staff,” Maki observed as she pulled out her spear. She sees a person she hasn’t seen in a very long time, her beloved brother. 

“Sugu-nii,” she whispers into her phone, already forgotten in her hand. Suguru looks around for a second before staring right at her and smiling.

“Yo, Kanae-chan! It’s been a long time.” Tears started to form in her eyes, she didn’t know what to do. Her chest began to tighten as a wave of emotions came over her, she feels overwhelmed and she just wants to go to sleep.

“Sugu-nii, what are you doing here,” she asks. Although she didn’t know if she wanted to know the reason why. 

“You’ve grown a lot, well I guess that’s to be expected. How are your studies going?” He eyes the phone in her hand and frowns slightly. She felt the blood rushing to her ears and couldn’t move. Suguru appears in front of Yuuta in an instant and she can’t help but feel slightly jealous of how quickly he moved his attention to someone that wasn’t her. Someone with more power, she thinks.

“Nice to meet you, Okkotsu-kun. I’m Geto Suguru.”

“O-oh hi, nice to meet you,” Yuuta replied.

“You possess a truly wonderful power, I see. I believe that great power ought to be used towards great ends.” Kanae felt her frustration bubble beneath her skin, like a wildfire with no one around to stop it. The Suguru she knew believed that the strong must protect the weak, that shamans exist to protect non-shaman. 

“Have you ever questioned the current state of the world? This world where jujutsu shamans act in secret in order to protect the order of commonplace society. You see, there’s this established paradox,” he started as he let go of Yuuta’s hands and began to move more freely, “saying that the strong must protect the weak,” he continued.

Kanae could feel her blood begin to flood through her ears, slowly drowning out the utter bullshit he was spewing. She saw Suguru wrap his arm around Yuuta, but at this point she didn’t care to listen. She was so unbelievably tired. Tired of listening to his tangent that is so different to the lectures he used to give her growing up.

“-we would like you to help us kill all non-shamans and create a world with only jujutsu shamans.” And in a split second, the pedestal she held her dear brother crumbled underneath his very feet. The others saw how upset she was getting and were also starting to get riled up. You see, Kanae has known that Suguru was not the same, but it’s different seeing and hearing it. She has heard for years about how he was a traitor, murderer, cult leader, but she could always deny it in her mind. How could someone who taught her right and wrong end up being so very… wrong? She poured hours of her life into reading the files the school has made of him. Spent hours outside his temple hoping to get the courage to see him, to ask why. She’s spent years trying to prove to herself that her brother never changed, but she’s finally seeing what everyone has been saying. She’s seeing all the things she’s ignored and she has this revelation that maybe, maybe she didn’t know her brother as well as she thought she had.

Above all else, she’s infuriated at how someone who hurt not only hundreds of innocent people, but her family, herself, her dad, waltz back into her home as if he never left it in the first place. As if he never left her. 

“Could you stop preaching your crazy beliefs to my students?” With the voice of her brother, the one that stayed in her life, she felt her anger bury itself further under the surface, where she could manage it better. Suguru’s mouth pressed into a thin line before turning itself into a smile, but not the one he used to give Satoru, a fake up filled with nothing. 

“Satoru! Long time no see!” 

“First of all, get away from those kids, Suguru.” She looked at Satoru and saw how tense his face was. She could only imagine the amount of heartbreak he must be feeling. The man still had a hard time eating fried chicken after all this time, let alone even speaking of KFC. 

‘Guess we’re going to eat a bunch of sweets tonight’.

“I had heard this year’s first-years were all outstanding students. Now I understand. It was all your doing. A special-grade cursed human, a cursed corpse mutation, the descendant of the cursed speech users, our beloved sister, and the zen’in clan failure.” Kanae clenched her jaw and moved herself to be more in Suguru’s eyesight blocking Maki, her best friend. She could feel Maki pull her behind her as she juts her spear forward towards Suguru. The look on his face makes her want to vomit, he looks absolutely appalled by Maki.

“Watch what you do, because I don’t need any monkey like you in my world,” his eyes slid over to Kanae, “how unfortunate that you’ve chosen their side, Kanae-chan.”

“Monkey,” he called her, he called Maki a monkey. Tears that had been welling up in her eyes were finally threatening to fall, not from sadness, but from the unabated anger making its way to her heart. Yuuta made eye contact with her before pushing Suguru’s arm off.

“I’m sorry. I don’t really understand what you’re talking about, but… I can’t help anyone who insults my friends!” Suguru lets out a sigh before he begins to speak once more.

“My apologies. It wasn’t my intention to upset you.” She felt a hand on her shoulder shortly before she appeared in between Yuuta and Suguru. ‘Toru-nii’.

“Then what exactly did you come for?” Even with the bandages covering Satoru’s eyes, she knew that the soulmates were making perfect eye contact. 

“To declare war,” he responded. Kanae felt her jaw tense and she gently nudged Satoru after feeling his hand tighten against her. Suguru turned away from Satoru and looked at the others.

“Everyone gathered here, open your ears and listen closely! On the coming December 24th, when the sun sets, we shall conduct the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons. It will take place in the crucible of curses, Shinjuku, Tokyo, and the holy land of jujutsu, Kyoto,” He announces. 

“We will unleash a thousand curses upon each place, and of course their command will be to ‘massacre’. If you wish to avoid a scene straight out of hell, come and stop it with all your might. Let us freely curse each other!”

The smile on Suguru’s face unnerves Kanae slightly and she has the sudden realization that maybe, just maybe, she genuinely doesn’t know him anymore. The blonde girl behind Suguru lets out a screech that quickly wipes his malice laced smile into a softer one.

“Geto-sama! The store’s gonna close!” Her whining was giving Kanae a huge headache. 

“It’s already that late? I’m sorry, Satoru, Kanae-chan. My girls just insist on going to get crepes from Takeshita street,” he began, “so I’ll be taking my leave.”

My girls, so he really did replace me. 

When she looked up, Suguru set a hand on her head, though there was a slight delay. Satoru had activated his Infinity on her when he had grabbed her, only releasing it when knowing Suguru wouldn’t hurt her.  

“See you soon, imōto.” He removes his hand and all she can think is how much she’s missed him. The two of them watch for a second time as he leaves and this time it stings just that little bit more. She looks at the group and then at Satoru, and takes a deep breath. 

“Maki,” she says, “can we make some cookies?” Maki, who knew the other girl like the back of her hand, simply nodded, knowing she needed the distraction while their teacher and the rest of her family would undoubtedly be busy with meetings. 

“Gojo-san, we need to go.” Satoru looked down at the girl, his little girl, and gave her shoulder one more reassuring squeeze before letting go. 

“I’ll swing by later tonight, okay,” he whispers before taking his leave and giving the others a nod and going back to campus. 

As they walked back she could feel everyone's eyes on her, it made her skin crawl. It was as if it was on fire and it made her so incredibly uncomfortable, but she told them that she would talk about her feelings when she was ready. And they respected her wishes just like she’s done to them many times before.

─── ⋆⋅ August 2017 ⋅⋆ ── 

It was the first time in a while since Kanae had been sent to live at the Technical College. After Satoru graduated, he officially adopted Kanae. It was a day filled with happy tears, hugs, and an obscene amount of sweets. They had moved into an apartment and her family quickly grew from there.

Nine years later she’s back at the school and moving into a dorm with the promise of learning and finally earning money. It was about two weeks before classes were supposed to start, but she wanted to get back into the swing of things, help Inumaki move into his dorm and maybe make another friend. There was one person she had yet to meet and she wanted to at least be acquaintances with the other girl before classes started. One perk of your ‘bro-dad’ being your teacher, you find out about stuff before you’re meant to. 

Kanae had already met and was friends with two of her classmates, Panda and Inumaki. Although the latter is her boyfriend and future spouse, so she supposed it didn’t really count. She had heard that the other girl was from the Zen’in clan and was unable to see curses. She hoped the two would be friends since they came from similar filial situations. 

As she was moving that last of her things into her new room, or rather Satoru’s old room, she spotted someone moving into a room not too far down. She finished setting her things down and made her way over to the room before noticing the door was ajar. She knocked and smiled when the girl turned around. 

“Hi, I’m Kanae! I’m your classmate, I believe.” The other girl did a once over before walking a little closer. 

“Maki, you are.” Kanae looked up at Maki and smiled another bright smile. 

“I like your hair! Do you need any help setting things up? I’m nearly finished, so I can lend a hand if you would like.” Maki looked down at the girl and noticed a couple scars on her body, a deep, jagged one on her collarbone. 

“I can manage,” she replied. Kanae nodded her head before saying her goodbye’s before heading back to her room.

“Oh, I almost forgot! Let me know if you would like to explore the campus later.” Maki turned back around and nodded.

“You’ve already taken a look around?” She smiled and nodded.

“Something like that.”

————————————————————————————————————

Maki did in fact take her up on that offer and the two spent the next couple of weeks getting to know one another and becoming friends. They made a couple references to their families and although Kanae already knew of her ties, she would never want to pressure someone into opening up before they were ready. 

The four first years quickly became friends and it felt as if they had known each other for years. Well for three of them that was the case. Maki would later learn that Kanae and Inumaki were in an arranged marriage, and were quite happy about it, along with Panda and Kanae knowing each other from their childhood. They were the only children around each other on campus and a friendship blossomed from there. 

Maki and Kanae would later become best friends and share about their pasts. The day Maki found out about Kanae’s last name, she knew she could trust her with her’s. The pair became two peas in a pod and spent quite a large amount of time together, forming a sister-like bond. After one job together the two got matching beads to make bracelets with.

“They’re kind of like my favorite thing ever. Although if you don’t wear jewelry we can find a different way to match!” 

A little over a month after meeting, Kanae had confessed that she wasn’t that skilled when it came to using weapons to fight without using her cursed technique. She was taught hand-to-hand, but had refused to learn how to handle a blade herself after some instances in her early childhood. Maki had been the one to teach her, and quite frankly who else would you want? 

In the late nights beneath the blanket of stars, it was difficult for Kanae to ignore her trauma and all the emotions that consumed her mind. She kept up her more carefree, level headed  demeanor during the day with ease, but when there was nothing else to occupy her it became overwhelming. Due to this the four would spend many nights together under the gentle glow of the moon, just talking and messing around. Just acting their age. 

Later in the year Yuuta would show up and Kanae would be forced to see her brother take his last breath, but that’s for later. This is now. 

─── ⋆⋅ December 2017 ⋅⋆ ── 

When they finally made it back to the dorm everyone agreed that they needed to take a five minute break before they started moving again. 

Kanae went to the showers alone since Maki was going to set her spear back in its case. As she walked she imagined all the time Suguru had walked these halls, had placed his feet in the same places as hers. After he defected she had spent a lot of nights with Shoko due to Satoru being a complete wreck, he would cry and he never liked crying infront of her. 

“I’m supposed to be the one comforting you when you cry, not the other way around.”

He had been so depressed after, albeit he still is, but when the memories were still at the front of his mind, when the wounds hadn’t yet faded to scars, he would lay in Suguru’s bed and let his body be wracked with sobs. It was a heartbreaking thing to hear and most nights, or early mornings rather, she would sneak into Suguru’s room and curl against her brother. He would squeeze her tight and not let her leave until the last second. As if he was scared she would leave too. 

While her mind was distracted, her feet had carried her back to Suguru’s room. She hesitated to open the door, but when she did it was covered in a thick layer of dust. No one has been here for years. Well, maybe Satoru since he could use his infinity, but she couldn't be sure

“Only for a minute, Kanae, you still have things you need to do, a shower to take, and acne to scrub away.” Unfortunately it was not a minute, not even five, when she looked at her phone she noticed it had been closer to two hours. When she rose from his bed her body hurt and there was an outline of her body on the sheets. Her head ached from the tears she shed, yet her eyes still burn with the anticipation for those to come. 

She eventually made her way to the showers and could see how red her eyes were and how swollen her face was. She thought she looked similar to a weird looking squirrel. 

________

After her shower she set her things down back in her room and made her way to the kitchen where her friends were there waiting. They made no comments about her eyes and no comments about her face. Set on top of the counter were all the ingredients for baking cookies.

─── ⋆⋅ October 2017 ⋅⋆ ── 

It was the day of the exchange event and Yuuta was looking a little nervous. More like queasy if anything. 

“ ‘Kkotsu, you feeling okay?”

“Kamo-san! How are we supposed to fight other students?” 

“Kanae, ‘kkotsu!”

“Sorry, sorry! Kanae-san, a-are you not nervous?” Kanae patted him on the back and smiled. 

“You’ll do great, ‘kkotsu! I mean you have a target on your back, but it’s nothing to worry about. Maki and I ‘ll make sure you don’t die! Right, Maki?”

“Don’t drag me into this, Kanae.”

“I’m going to die!” She sighed and shook her head.

“Ah, sorry, wrong choice of words. You’re not going to die, however you might get a little injured. Although everyone does.” 

“I’ve accepted death.” 

“My god, you’re dramatic.” She quickly glanced down at Yuuta to see if he heard her, he had and looked… well pathetic. 

But like a good pathetic. No, Kanae, don’t think that. That’s gross.

Kanae looked over at Maki and motioned for her to come over. Maki saw this and turned around, so she didn’t see them. Kanae’s eye began to twitch ever so slightly.

“Maki!” The girl groaned, but turned around and made her way over and looked at him.

“You’re not going to die, stop exaggerating. You’ll be fine. Now get up and don’t embarrass us.” Yuuta looked up at the girl and shrunk back.

“I’d get up and listen, Maki doesn’t like repeating things,” Kanae whispered before grabbing his arm and hauling him up before Maki got too frustrated. The two girls were wearing their matching bracelets today, although they weren’t the most neatly made things, it showed that they were a pair. Maki had hers underneath the sleeves of her uniform while Kanae had 

hers, and the many others she’s made/collected, where everyone can see. 

Maki didn’t like wearing jewelry since it made a lot of noise and could get in the way while she fought, but for Kanae she’d wear one. Kanae looked over and saw the Kyoto school began to show up, so she brushed off any dirt on Yuuta and smiled at him.

“You’re going to be just fine. Toge, tell him he’ll be fine.” Inumaki rested his hand on Yuuta’s shoulder and gave him a thumbs up. Panda watched this interaction and had a slight blush on his cheeks. He made his way over to Kanae and bent down to talk to her.

“Kanae, are you seeing this?”

“Seeing what?”

“Are you okay?”

“Panda, is everything alright?”

“Inumaki is flirting!”

“Huh?”

“He’s flirting with Yuuta!” She looked at the two and shook her head.

“He’s not flirting, but it’s fine Panda!” Panda looked down at the girl before feeling her head to see if she was being delusional due to being sick. Kanae let him be, but not before sending him a questioning glance.

“Panda… you know I wouldn’t mind if he was flirting, right?” Panda placed another hand (paw?) on Kanae’s head. She sighed and gently moved his hands away.

“Panda, I don’t mind if Toge likes ‘kkotsu. I think he’s kind of cute actually.” Panda looked at the girl, confusion written all over his face. After a couple seconds she could practically see the gears turning in his head.

“Oh… so you both like him?” She shook her head.

“I don’t like like him right now. If anything it’s a small crush, but I think Toge does. Though who could blame him, he’s really adorable.” Panda watched as the couple both looked at Yuuta and noticed how they both had a light blush on their faces. 

‘Humans are… weird.’

“It’s not weird, Panda.” The said corpse looks at her in astonishment.

“You can read minds?” She laughed and shook her head.

“No, I can’t, just a guess.” Panda hummed and nodded his head rapidly. 

“Kanae, Panda let’s go!” The two made eye contact and giggled. 

“I’ll tell you about it later,” she whispered before making their way over.

“Coming my lovelies!” Maki raised a brow and had a small smile on her face.

“You’re hyper today,” she noted. Kanae smiled at her.

“I’m always hyper.” Inumaki looked at her and bumped shoulders with her and grabbed her hand. When they finally reached the meeting place, she saw Noritoshi and some of her happiness began to subside. In its place came many variations of emotions. When it comes to siblings there’s typically a sense of  attachment, however she hasn’t spent time with her brother in quite a while. Yet there’s still that underlying feeling where she knows that he may not be able to think for himself just yet, he’d still protect her if need be.

“Akane-san, nice to see you.” Kanae’s hand clenched around Inumaki’s as she plastered on a smile. And there he went, bringing up a past and its memories along with it. A past that had no business being brought up. However she couldn’t blame him the same way she might her father.

“Kanae, Nori. I guess in our time apart you’ve forgotten.” His mouth set into a thin line before trying to speak once again, but Maki beat him to the punch.

“Play nice for now and remind him up close and personal later.” The girl let out a small laugh into her free hand and looked over at her brother.

“Only if you have my back.”

“I always do.” The girls made eye contact and smiled. Kanae’s big and bright while Maki’s was more subtle. Platonic soulmates are always the best kind of friendships to have. 

As she looked at her older brother she remembered meeting one day in the middle of the brutal summer heat and smiled to herself. 

‘He’s so different, yet so similar all the same.’

─── ⋆⋅ June 2005 ⋅⋆ ── 

The sun was burning her skin, but she didn’t mind. As long as she didn’t have to see her family. Satoru and Akane were at a meeting for all the shaman clans and he had told her that she should come too. 

Now you see, Kanae is a well respected shaman-in-training when she’s older, loved by many, but when Akane was not. Akane was a nuisance and forgotten by most.

A burden

A useless child.

A waste of male, Kamo blood and inherited cursed technique. 

Shortly before Satoru began school, the young girl had begun to show signs of a cursed technique, over time it became aware that it was an inherited one. In the Kamo clan women used to be worshiped. Women were seen as gods, as holy entities that were meant to lead rather than be leashed. Unfortunately foreign ideology slowly began to seep its way into the everyday lives of the people and enforced their ideals upon them. 

For many in the shaman world, or any world for that matter, women are treated as second class citizens if they’re lucky enough to be seen as human at all.  In the shaman world women are meant to breed more shaman children, and then their children will breed more, and the cycle continues. Kanae was blessed with a powerful cursed technique, blood manipulation. It garnered a lot of attention. Many believed that it should have gone to a male member of the family, someone who would become an heir. Though she didn’t know why anyone was complaining, Noritoshi was born powerful and most ‘importantly’ a male. 

Akane didn’t like attending these meetings, but Satoru told her that she had more than earned her place to be here and she was willing to follow him anywhere.

“You’re Akane, correct?” The small girl turned and saw another young boy, a little older than herself. Her eyes widened at him, he’s gotta be the heir for Father.

“Hi. You’re Noshitori,” she asked. His borrows furrowed and a slight frown tugged at his lips.

“Noritoshi.” 

“Oh, sorry.” He huffed and moved his head to face her more.The young girl thought his eyes were closed.

“How old are you?”

“ ‘m four!” She showed him a bright smile and he didn’t need to open his eyes any more than they already are to know that there might be a few teeth missing from it.

“Why are you here? Father couldn’t have asked you to come.” She shook her head before remembering he couldn’t see her.

“Oh no, he didn’t. ‘Ru asked me to come.” His brows furrowed again and tilted his head to the side.

“Who,” he asked.

“‘Ru!” The boy looked even more confused.

“Gojo Sa‘ru!” His eyebrows raised and Akane thought they might fly off his forehead. 

“Gojo Satoru?” He clearly didn’t believe her, but with the way she kept on nodding her head it was difficult not to. The two stood next to each other and had a one sided conversation because even though she was four and it was sometimes difficult to understand her, she never stopped talking. She went on about some kids in her class and how she was learning her letters and numbers, but she couldn’t read quite yet. She made it a point to describe everything was seeing, so Noritoshi could ��see’ it too. He didn’t have the heart to tell her that he can actually see and that his eyes just look closed. While he was looking at her as she talked, he noticed the similarities in their features such as their eyes and nose, along with their hair. Her eyes were gray, albeit a darker shade, and her hair was black like his. 

Once the meeting was over and everyone began walking out, Satoru quickly made his way to the children and ruffled the girls hair.

“Akane! You’re so lucky you don’t have to go to these things, they’re so boring. Maybe if you went inside with me next time it would be more fun!”

“‘ ‘Ru! My hair!” He laughed in return and turned his head to look at the boy.

“Who’re you?” 

“Kamo No-”

“He’s m’ brother Nori,” Akane interrupted. She stood up from where she sat on the ground and said her goodbyes to the boy, wanting to leave before the rest of her family showed up.

“See you later, Nori! It was nice meeting you!” He nodded and a small smile threatened to make an appearance, but before it could his father spoke and called him away, back to the estate where his mother no longer was. 

─── ⋆⋅ October 2017 ⋅⋆ ─── 

When the exchange event came to its conclusion, Kanae hadn’t been as amazing as she had hoped. She didn’t make it to the final round of the one-on-one fights, and she made many mistakes in the group battle. She wished she could have done more, fought more. 

She got too ahead of herself and nearly passed out from blood loss. Yuuta had to carry her around for that last part of the group battle, which she was still incredibly embarrassed about. However he assured her many times he didn’t mind it. She had gotten an earful from Yaga and Satoru, Maki had smacked her in the back of the head, Shoko had looked at her endlessly, but kept her thoughts to herself (not before staring at her in a way that made her feel even more embarrassed than she already was), and somehow Nanami even found out and sent her a wall of text telling her not to act that recklessly again. Inumaki had signed so fast she could barely keep up, and she felt awful for making him worry that much. He had sat next to her until Shoko allowed her to leave.

“Try not to pull a stunt like that again, Kanae. Too much paperwork.” Kanae smiled softly, knowing that she was trying to show her concern without outrightly stating it. 

“I’ll try not to, Sho-nee.” Shoko nodded and shooed her away the second she got a text from Utahime. 

When they went outside, Kanae felt her phone buzz in her pocket

‘Incoming call from shadow wannabe’

“Oh, ‘gumi wh-”

“What did you do?” Kanae paused for a moment. What did I do?

“... huh?” she heard a long sigh on the other end

“Gojo sent me a text saying you wouldn’t be able to get me from school and you’ve never been late, let alone not there.”

“Aw, are you worried about me?” She smiled.

“Nee-san.” She laughed at the huff he let out.

“Ah, well I needed to see Shoko. During the event, I pushed myself pretty hard and so I had to stay in the office for a while. But I’m better now!” She looked at Inumaki and tapped her wrist. He then showed her the time. 

‘Thanks,’ she mouthed. 

“It’s pretty late, please tell me you didn’t just get home?”

“...No.” Kanae let out a sigh.

“Were you bullying kids again?”

“It’s not bullying if they start it, plus you’re the one who told me that bullying works.” She rolled her eyes.

“I said that ‘cause you’d pour ranch, ranch, all over your fries and then wipe your fingers on your shirt. It was gross, and now you don’t use your shirt as a napkin. Bullying is effective in some cases, like when it comes to siblings. I don’t think you need to get nearly expelled from another school. ” Inumaki was laughing quietly next to her as the two continued walking to their respective dorms. Megumi mumbled something under his breath that Kanae didn’t catch, though she could take a wild guess at what it was.

“Are you okay?”

“I’ll be fine, ‘gumi. Nothing I haven’t done before. You had a test today right? How was it?”

“It was fine, I guess. Boring, Nakamura-san tried to cheat off me again. If she wasn’t obnoxious I would’ve let her be, but she’s never returned my mechanical pencil and she even uses it right in front of me! So of course I tell the teacher after the test. She tried to get her little brother to beat me up. Her little brother.” Kanae laughed softly, voicing her frustrations and agreeing that maybe harassing children was okay in the instance. She had been watching Inumaki fiddle with her fingers as they waited outside the dorms for the call to be done. After a while, she looked around and noticed that Noritoshi was waiting for her on a bench just outside the dorms. 

“Hey, ‘gumi, I gotta go, but I’ll call you back later okay?” He stopped his tangent about how he couldn’t wait to be done with middle school.

“Can you facetime me later so I can see the ‘hottie’ you’ve been talking about lately?”

“Which one?” 

“Black hair guy.”

“Oh, Okkotsu. No, he’s asleep in the infirmary right now, but we’ll call you back okay? We’ll introduce you to him soon.” 

“Hi, Inumaki-san. Bye, Inumaki-san.” Kanae chuckled before hanging up. 

“Toge, you head back first. I’ll be there in a sec.” He nodded, but not before giving her hand a squeeze. Kanae made her way over to her brother and sat down next to him.

“What you did today was reckless.” She groaned.

“Not you too, I literally just sat down!” He looked over at her, the tiniest traces of a smile on his lips. 

“Yes, me too.” Kanae sighed and leaned against the back of the bench.

“It’s nothing either of us haven’t done before. I don’t know why everyone is acting as if there won’t be days where I’ll be put in a worse situation.” He sighed and looked at her.

“We all know that being a shaman comes with its occupational hazards, but that doesn’t change how -how idiotic you were acting. You were actively drawing blood out of your body and trying to control it with no medium to ease that burden. That’s dangerous! I know that we all will have to put our lives on the line a million times over for this job, but that doesn’t mean one should seek out death. There is a difference between risking death to win and being willing to die.” She peeked over at him and saw the furrowed brows, his worry lines creased.

“You sound like my dad.” 

“Well Gojo-san is right.” She looks at him with wide eyes before bursting at the seams, letting out a loud laugh. 

“I wasn’t talking about Toru-nii, to be specific, I meant in general.” He glanced towards her and frowned.

“He adopted you, did he not?”

“He did.” He nodded his head before looking back over.

“Is he- is he nice?” Kanae looked at him before smiling.

“He’s the best dad I could’ve asked for.” Noritoshi looked down at the ground, a smile fully formed on his lips.

“That’s good.” She glanced at him a couple times before she began to fidget, picking at her nail beds.

“I… I’m sorry for making you worry. I’ll be more careful in the future.” She moved her body to face his. She hesitantly wrapped her arms around him. He froze for a second before wrapping his arms around her.

“I’m sorry for not being there for you, for not being a better older brother, Kanae.” She felt her emotions bubble their way to the surface.

“I forgive you, it’s not like I was the best sister either. Thank you for being here for me now.” They sat like that for a while, not moving. 

That night they opened their hearts for the other. After years of competing against each other, it was weird, but it was for the better. The two would still get into arguments about their… family, but now they were no longer alone in the Kamo clan. In the future they would slowly grow a bond and finally become the siblings they have longed to be for one another. But that’s the future. Tonight was the first step into becoming a family, towards healing.

─── ⋆⋅ December 2017 ⋅⋆ ─── 

The sound of laughter filled the air as everyone was somewhere in the kitchen baking. It was a mess, but they would deal with it when the time came. Satoru was watching in the doorway, watching as children got to be children. He had planned on consoling Kanae throughout the night, but can see that she’s distracted for now, so he went home to bother Megumi. He’ll cancel classes tomorrow and spoil everyone, like an amazing teacher would. 

“Kanae-san, where did you learn how to make cookies?” She was sitting on the counter as Inumaki was putting the cookies into the oven for a couple minutes longer. Maki and Panda were trying to stealthy eat the leftover batter even though she said not to since there were raw eggs in it, and Yuuta was standing to the side of her, very close.

“Su-” she took a deep breath before continuing, “ My brothers taught me how to make them. Any time I had a bad day, we would spend hours in here making cookies, brownies, cake. Anything sweet really, Toru loves sweets.” He kept on twisting the ring on his finger, his connection with Rika. He then looked at her and moved closer so that his stomach was touching her knee.

“Do you mean Geto?” She hums and nods. He was watching every little twitch she made, making sure she was okay and that he wasn't overstepping. The two continued to talk about everything, anything, and nothing as they waited for the cookies to be done. Inumaki eventually made his way over and stood shoulder to shoulder, well more like shoulder to arm, with Yuuta, effectively corralling Kanae. She has a soft blush on her cheeks the more and more they move closer. She went to look around the room to see if the other two could save her from embarrassing herself, but they weren’t there.

How convenient.

“You know… since I call you by your first name, you should start calling me by mine.” There was a light blush on his cheeks as he said this.

“Yuuta… are you flirting with me?” That blush traveled to his ears. A slight nod of his head. Kanae leans in just a touch closer, though the blush she sported alo grew. She felt her blood rush to her head as Inumaki draw shapes on her thighs. 

“We’ll always be here for you. We will try our hardest to make sure Geto doesn’t hurt you.” She looks him dead in the eye and her face goes slack.

“Yuuta, Sugu-nii hurt me a long time ago. I- I appreciate the thought I really do, but I’d rather he hurt me than hurt anyone else. Actually, I’ve never told you about him, have I?” Yuuta shook his head. They all sank against the wall and onto the floor.

“Well, I first met him when I was four.”

─── ⋆⋅ September 2005 ⋅⋆ ─── 

It was a couple weeks since school started and the three first years had yet to actually become the friends they will be to one another in the future. Suguru and Satoru weren’t best friends quite yet, and Shoko hadn’t scammed her way to a medical degree either. They had yet to go through the horrific tragedy that was Riko Amanai’s and Haibara Yu’s death, Suguru had yet to adapt the ideology of wiping out all non-shamans. The future has yet to happen, but unfortunately it is inevitable.  

Satoru had been extra hyper that day, ready to get school over with faster than normal. He was getting on everyone’s nerves and Yaga had given up correcting him earlier within the day. When classes finally finished Yaga had pulled Satoru to the side and told him he needed to talk to him before Satoru could leave. 

Suguru had been on his way to his dorm room to finish his homework when he saw a small girl walking up the steps with a small bag wearing a formal, and quite beautiful, kimono. Suguru walked over to the girl and squatted down in front of her.

“Hi, I’m Geto. What’s your name?”

“Hi, I’m Akane.” The young girl did a deep bow and nearly fell over. She quickly raised herself, blushing from embarrassment. 

“Are you a firs’ year?” He raised a brow, wondering who this girl was, but nodded his head regardless.

“Do you need help? Did you get lost?” She shook her head, but Suguru still took her bag, holding it for her. She thanked him before asking if he knew where ‘Ru’ was. He was confused, seeing as he didn’t know a ‘Ru’, but told her he’d help her find him. It wasn’t long before it became apparent the girl knew more about the campus than he did. As they were turning the corner she heard a frantic ‘Akane’.

“ ‘Ru!” Akane smiled widely before taking off in the opposite direction. Suguru followed after her, however only needing to walk to keep up with her. When he saw Satoru making his way over to the girl, it finally clicked who ‘ru’ was. Satoru. He felt a little foolish for not catching on sooner, but watched as Akane launched herself into his arms, gripping for dear life. 

“Akane, I've told you not to wander off like that when I’m s’posed to meet you somewhere.” She tilted her head down and mumbled a small sorry. Satoru sighed before saying he’s sorry for taking so long. 

“Ah, sorry Gojo, it's my fault she wasn’t at the front. I was helping her look for you.” Satoru finally looked up from the girl, directing his eyes to his fellow classmate. 

“How annoying,” was all he said before getting up, while still holding the girl, and walking off. Suguru quickly followed when he remembered he still had the child’s bag. As he followed he saw Akane making silly faces at him and giggling. Suguru found it quite amusing, even more so when Satoru saw the exchanges the two were having. Satoru scoffed when he saw the young girl smile at his classmate.

“Are you jealous that she’s giving me attention, Gojo?” Satoru turned around with a disgusted look on his face. 

“Who would ever be jealous of you? You have weird bangs and an awful hairline.” Suguru pulled a face as if he’s sucked on a lemon and kicked his shin. 

“My hairline is not awful and my bangs are fine. You shouldn’t even be saying anything about my hair when your hair looks the way it does!” Satoru and Suguru were invading each other's personal space, faces an inch or two apart. 

“What about my hair, Geto?” Akane watched from her place in Satoru’s arms and laughed loudly. Both of them backed up and looked at the girl.

“You like each other!”

“... Huh?”

“Sensei says that if a boy picks on you it means he likes you. You pick on each other, so you like each other.” Oh how observant and blunt children can be. Both boys complained and made comments about how ‘wrong’ she was, but we as the readers (and those with common sense) know they’re just stupid. 

“Wait… Gojo, how do you know Akane? Is she from your clan?” Satoru looked him dead in the eye and with no hesitation responded.

“She’s my sister, you idiot. Ya know for someone who claims to be as smart as you are, you’re pretty stupid. How’d you think I knew her? Did you think I had a kid at eleven, that I kidnapped her and she has Stockholm syndrome?” Suguru looked to the side, letting out a nervous laugh.

“Oh my god you did, didn’t you?” Satoru shoved him before walking off with the girl, failing to remember her bag again.However, that may have been on purpose so a certain boy would be in his dorm later that night.

 When they finally got far enough Akane reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck.

“You called me your sister! Does this make you m’ brother?” Satoru looked at the girl, a laugh falling through his lips.

“I’ve always been your brother, since the day I met you.”

That day Kanae gained a brother and discovered she had one all along. That day Kanae opened her heart to another person without meaning to. In the future he will walk off with a part of not only hers, but her brother’s as well. When that day arrives, her brother will be there to comfort her, to remind her that he’ll always be there. When that day arrives, Kanae will learn that sometimes ‘soulmates’ doesn’t mean forever. 

─── ⋆⋅ December 2017 ⋅⋆ ─── 

Kanae felt the tears make their way down her cheeks, she felt Yuuta hold her in his arms as Inumaki got up to take the cookies out of the oven. She felt safe, loved, and appreciated. When Inumaki came back, he brought a plate of cookies with him.

‘Do you want to go to your room, or one of ours?’

“ Mine, please.” Her voice was soft, almost like she was whispering. The three of them picked up their things and made their way to Kanae’s room. Yuuta had only seen her room in passing, never actually stepping inside. It felt taboo in a way, he’d never been in a girls room before. Though the way the couple held his hands, guiding him in, there is no way in hell he would walk away. 

Stepping into the room, he saw that her room was cluttered, not messy, but covered with items. He saw that there was barely any actual room to be seen. There was something covering nearly every inch. What caught his eye were the polaroids taking up a good chunk of her wall. Some were faded, discolored at the edges, while others were more recent. There were so many different people in the photos, but some were consistent. In an older one, he saw two boys holding Kanae at the beach. The boys held hands and one of them was giving the older one a kiss. He could see how bright everyone's smiles were. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that the boys looked familiar. Yuuta’s eyes widened as he turned around.

“Kanae, is that sensei?” She looked over and nodded her head. 

“The boy next to him is Sugu-nii. They used to take me on trips with them all the time.” He saw the dates on the bottom of the pictures span across years. Small sticky notes to the side stuck close to the photos. Unlike the photos, he could tell that these weren’t old, they were relatively new. 

‘7/9/07 - last family trip to the beach’

‘4/12/07 - yu and ken-nii took me to the movies’

‘6/21/05 - first playdate with Nori’

‘5/17/05 - first playdate with Toge’

‘10/6/05 - last day with mother’

Yuuta watched silently as Kanae stood next to him, a vacant expression on her face, while she stared at them.

“What do you see when you look at these, Yuuta?” He looked confused at first before taking a closer look. What caught his eye was the way Geto seemed to go from a smiling, happy person to a cold, husk of a human. He also saw Gojo go from a carefree person to someone who bore a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. He saw Shoko’s eyebags grow darker, he saw Nanami grow more distant, he saw Kanae having a harder time smiling. He could see how much it pains her to stare at the people that are no longer in her life. 

“You… you’re hurting all the time, aren’t you?” She looks at him, her eyes dulled just slightly. 

“I’ve seen the more brilliant shamans come in and out of these dorms. I’ve seen them pursue successful careers, I’ve seen them die while attending here. I’ve seen so many people who feel the same as Suguru, I’ve felt the same as him. After he left I still held hope that he wouldn’t stay gone. That he would come back. I would leave voicemail after voicemail, asking him when he’d be home, that we’d welcome him with open arms. I think Toru-nii still would, to be honest. He could never move on after he left. I keep these photos as a reminder, to remember the people I have lost, to remember those who didn't get a chance to grow old like I have.” He sees Inumaki reach out and hold her. He holds her against his chest, trying to offer any comfort he can. Yuuta looks at Inumaki, silently asking him if it truly was okay for him to be seeing this, for him to comfort her. 

Inumaki reaches his hand out, an invitation for him, Yuuta hesitantly grabs his hand. Inumaki pulls him towards them and this time Yuuta doesn’t hesitate. He wraps his arms around the people he cares deeply about. He holds them for the rest of the night, taking his place in their hearts and solidifying his place in their lives. 

─── ⋆⋅ September 2007 ⋅⋆ ── 

The day started fairly bland if anything. The sun was slightly hidden by the clouds, it wasn’t too hot or too cold, Kanae hadn’t slept in and she made sure to carefully make her way from her brothers tangled limbs and tiptoed out of Suguru’s room before leaving. 

She went to school and no one said anything mean, she got a good score on her spelling test and she wasn’t late home. Suguru had told her before Kanae left for school that he would take her out for ice cream if she had done a good job. He had said that he would be there waiting for Kanae at the school gates. 

He wasn’t.

The six year old had thought that maybe he was busy, or that he lost track of time, although three missed calls later she decided to go home. Satoru had gotten her a phone after what happened the year before with the older kids bullying her so she could get help if she needed it. 

Throughout the walk back to the school, she had hoped that he would be there to greet her.

He wasn’t. 

She had sat in the kitchen, waiting for him to pop up and fulfill his promise of ice cream.

He hadn’t. 

She had sat on his bed doing her homework, hoping he was busy with a mission or out with Satoru.

He wasn’t. 

She had been wandering the halls, looking for him, when she heard her older brother yelling. It was then she thought that maybe he had died. That he wouldn’t be coming back. 

He hadn’t died. 

She watched as Satoru screamed and screamed, hoping for an explanation. 

She wouldn't get one for a long time.

She saw her brother a couple days later sitting on the steps of the school, eyes red, face swollen, as he explained to her simply. 

“Sugu-nii won’t be coming home, Kanae.”

“Did he die?”

“...no, not physically.” 

She had waited for Suguru anyway, waiting for him to come back and make Satoru feel better. 

He never came.

One day after school she walked and walked to see if she could find Suguru herself. 

She did.

“Sugu-nii? Is that you?”  she watched as he turned around, surprised to see her there. He had been talking to an older man with a faint mustache on his upper lip and spiky hair. 

“Kanae, what are you doing all the way over here? It’s not safe. Where’s Satoru?” She looked at him. She saw that his eye bags were gone, that the slump in his shoulders was no longer there, that he was gaining weight again. She also noticed that his hair was no longer in the tight bun he usually wore. 

“ ‘re you feeling better?” His eyes widened a small fraction and smiled.

“ I am. Where is Satoru?”  She looked to the side quickly for looking back at him.

“He’s not here. I don’t think he’d notice right now.” He frowned slightly before kneeling down in front of the girl. 

“I’m sure he will, Kanae. He’s just moping about. Satoru will be back to normal soon.” She shook her head.

“ It’s like you died, Sugu-nii. I don’t like it at all. Are you coming home soon?” He looked at the girl, thinking of what to say next. 

“Kanae, I’m not coming back.” Kanae’s brows furrowed before looking back at Suguru.

“What d'ya mean you’re not coming back? You have to, so we can be a family again!” He let out a heavy sigh. How do you tell the person who you view as a little sister, who you know if you stayed with you’d view her as your daughter, that you’re leaving and have no intentions of coming back? Suguru didn’t want to hurt her anymore than he already has or will, but he knew he couldn’t let her continue to hope that one day things will go back to normal. Even if he did, he would be executed for his actions. He reached for his wrist, taking off his bracelet, and handed it to the girl.

“Here, Kanae, so you can remember me. Satoru has a matching one, you’ll be his only family now, so you need to take care of him. Okay?” She looked at him confused.

“But you’re family too.” He opened his mouth then quickly closed it again. Suguru looked at the sky before looking back at her.

“I hope you’ll forgive me one day, or at least try to, but I’ve found a new family. One who understands me, who won’t judge me.” The small girl looked confused. All this time she had thought that they were a family, a happy family. Kanae thought that the love they had for one another would be invincible. Tears welled up in her eyes that she tried to fight back. 

“But I love you, isn’t that enough?” Suguru was at a loss for words. He had been the one to preach to the girl that love can save people, that respect can save people. How could he face her after everything he’s said?  

“I will always love you, you and Satoru, but I can’t stay in that place anymore. I was in pain and now I’m not,” he rose from where he was and pulled the girl into one more hug, “when you’re older, you can come find me, but for now you need to stay with your family.” 

Kanae hadn’t understood it at the time, but she did get older. As she grew up, she poured over the files of her brother, trying to understand why he did what he did. She sat at the steps of the cult for hours at a time, trying to get a glimpse of him. She even tried to go in, but Kanae could never open the door. 

As she grew older, she began to understand where Suguru was coming from, but that didn’t mean she agreed with it. She continued to deny her brother's actions, still clinging onto the hope he would be there when she woke up. 

He wasn’t. 

_______

-omg guys I’m so funny!!1! I was not originally planning on making this have so much angst, but i changed my mind later lol. The next chapter, ‘bona fide’ will be the final fight in jjk0 and bringing us to season one of jjk, which should be released 9/23. The next chapter after that, ‘purple lilac blooms’ will be a 5+1 fic which should be released 9/30. Thank you so much for reading and I hope you liked it!

[wasted-my-time]

A Friend From the Other Side

Part two: Presentations

Warning: One little swear word in English and a slightly bigger one in French.

-------------------------------------------------------

My eyes flutter open as I start to remember my weird dream: Steve Clark's ghost needed my help to take a physical form and he walked out of my mirror... My brain has strange ideas.

-I was starting to worry about how much time it would take for you to wake up. You scared me a lot, you know. I hear a voice on my left.

-Tabarnak! C'est toi qui a peur!? I scream as I jump out of my bed, English now out of my reach because of the surprise.

Steve is sitting by the bed on the chair from the desk, legs crossed and looking slightly amused by my fear.

-What did you just say? He chuckles, his smile growing bigger across his face.

-It was French, and Québécois slang. You could translate it to... To "Fuck! You're the one to be scared?!". I answer unsure of what the hell of a conversation this is.

-Sorry about that, but I had to draw your attention. He chuckled. So, what's your name?

-Antoine, but my nickname is Billy.

-Why? He asked, puzzled by the absurdity of it.

-My uncle, who is also my boss, started calling me like that because it was miles away from my real name and now everyone calls me like that in my town.

-Yesterday, you said you were here for a student exchange, how long will you stay?

-Until mid-December. But enough about me! You, how come you're like that?

-Well, it's like in the stories, sometimes when someone dies in a tormented state of mind they... Stay.

-Was it long, all that time?

Am I asking too much?

-It passes fast... But what year are we?

-2022, we're in late August.

-Good Lord! I thought it was something like 2005, at most!

-And what happened exactly, with the mirror and everything?

-I'm not sure. All I know about that kinda' stuff is what I heard in movies or stories. He deadpans.

-What? They don't sign you up to Ghosts 101 when you die?

-If only... But some things simply feel like they're going to work...

-Antoine, who are you talking to? I hear Mrs Rogers voice through the door.

Out of panic, Steve disappears into thin air and I see the chair being transported back to the desk. I desperate search for some excuse and grab my cellphone, just to make it look like something normal.

-Can I come in?

-Of course, I was calling my mother on Messenger, I was speaking English to, you know, maintain the habit.

-Could I talk to her? It would be nice to know her a bit.

-... She just hung up, she had to go, you know...

-Oh alright, do you want to eat lunch with us?

-Sure, I'll be there in no time. Thank you!

She turns around and closes the door as she leaves the room. Steve reappears besides the left closet, letting out a long sigh of relief.

-Do think she can see you?

-No idea.

-Let's find out. Just disappear and wait to be with them to show yourself.

-No... How would you react if some guy just popped up out of nowhere in your kitchen?!

-Well there aren't sixty way to figure it out, and if you do it really fast maybe they won't even think something actually happened.

-Okay, but you do the explaining if I get caught.

-Sounds like a fair deal to me. I smile.

I get out of the room, still in my pajamas, and although I can't see him, I'm pretty sure Steve is following me.

-Do you need to walk on floors and stuff like that, like us? I whisper to him.

-No. An eerie voice answers me. But I'd rather stay with you.

Oh, that's kind of sweet, should I tell him?

Nah...

-Well thanks!

Everyone is down in the kitchen, we couldn't have picked a better (or worse) time to try this.

-Good morning young man. Mr. Rogers greets me with a amused smile.

-This is rather early in Québec.

-I hope you don't mind quiche for breakfast. Madeline comments

Right at this moment, Steve pops up, to everyone's indifference, and we just stare awkwardly at each other. He then leaves only to start flashing like a Christmas light, unsuccessfully attempting to get their attention.

-Antoine, Antoine? If you really don't want to eat that, we have cereals, you know. She snaps me out of the focus I maintained not to burst in laughters.

-No, it's fine, I was just wondering what was "omelette" in English, but it's the same isn't it?

-Yes it is, little daydreamer. Nathalie chuckles.

-Good appetite, see you later. I hear Steve's voice in my head.

Thank you. I think back at him.

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Sorry it took so long, that part wasn't in the original text from school. Next part coming up God knows when...

[djfics]

Behind these Violet Eyes Arc 1 Finale

Chapter 37: Shelter

Summary: Evelynn found Aphelios and Veigar in the snow and decided to give them shelter in her mansion. Thresh paid the debts that Kayn and his friends had and decided to have a deal with Aatrox to open a company.

WC: 1,429

August 21, 11:30 A.M. - Thresh Co.

Kayn and his buddies arrived at Thresh Co. With their van covered with stickers, we don't know why they covered his van, but that's a story for another time. As they got out of the van, they entered the building and saw the inside as being vandalized.

"What the f*ck......"

"Looks like we're not the only ones who got vandalized....." Varus mumbles as one of the assistants appears. "Thresh is waiting for you guys," the boys followed the assistant, and they arrived at his office.

"Thank you, you can leave now," the assistant bows to Thresh, and she left. Thresh looked at the guys and smirked at them.

"As a reward for rid of my 'son', I decide to pay your debts for you guys." Kayn high five of his friends when they heard that Thresh is going to pay their debts.

"As a promise, I will help Aatrox build his company"

"Thank you so much, Thresh." Varus shook Thresh's hand to close the deal. "If you excuse me, I have some business to do." The boys decide to leave, and they see Mei carrying some files and falling. Kayn saw Mei on the ground and decided to help her.

"Are you okay, ma'am?" Kayn helped Mei picking her files and gave it to her. "Yeah... thanks, I'm sorry....is just, my son is not feeling well, and I have to work really hard." Kayn's friends saw him helping Mei, and they were shocked that he helped a lady.

"Hope your son gets better"

"Yeah, thank you for helping me, I know you have a good heart in you, sir." Mei smiled at Kayn and left.

"What the f*ck did you do Kayn?" Rhaast asks Kayn as he looks at him. "You thought I'm a cold-hearted jerk Rhaast? think again, I saw her struggling, and I have to help her like a gentleman. " Kayn leaves the door while his friends follow him.

"Actually....What the f*ck have I do!?"

Thresh was watching the boys leaving the company on the window and grins at them. "They thought that I'm going to pay their debts, think again," Thresh drinks his wife as Cedric appears.

"You called me, sir?" he asked as Thresh gave him some folders.

"Send this to Tahm Kench's work, let see he could resist"

December 21, 11:12 A.M. - Kench Mansion

"Welcome to my mansion, boys," Evelynn shows Aphelios, her mansion. It was huge and decorated with expensive stuff like vases, chandeliers, etc. He thought it only exists in movies, shows, soap operas, and Telenovelas.

"Is good to be back, Lady Evelynn." Aphelios was surprised that Veigar knew Evelynn, and she giggled. "Don't worry, Veigar is my servant, and he helped you and me with everything." Veigar was shocked that Evelynn called him servant, and Aphelios laugh at him.

"Why don't you take a bath? I got some clean clothes for you," Evelynn said as Veigar shows Aphelios the bathroom. The walls are white with gold lines, the sink, the toilet, and the bathtub are white with gold.

"The bathtub is ready, Phel," Veigar said and finished filling the bathtub with bubble soap. "I need privacy Veigs, I need some time alone." Aphelios shows his notebook to Veigar since he doesn't understand sign language.

"Very well, I also made some tea for you throat, and I brought a book as well, enjoy!!" Veigar leaves the bathroom and closes the door. Aphelios took off his clothes, underwear, and old bandages and looked at his body covered with wounds and scars.

He felt disgusted after looking at his body covered with scars and bruises. He looked at his damaged nails and sighed. "Wel, Phel, is time to dip." Aphelios enters the bathtub and sinks his body into the water with bubbles and suds. He never felt this nice in his life. He grabbed the cup of tea and a book to relax.

He looked at the book while sipping his tea. "This book seems familiar." Aphelios remembers the book that he read on Yuumi's Birthday Party and is about a woman who faked her death and created a fake identity to get revenge on her enemies.

He finishes reading the book and drinking the tea, and he decides to wash his long white hair with shampoo and conditioner. He never felt so good about washing his hair. He remembers that natural hair oil makes you lose your hair. He rinsed his hair and pulled off the plug of the bathtub to drain the water.

He went to the counter and opened the mirror. He found some nail clippers, nail files, a first aid kit, and some painkillers. He cut and filed his nails in shape, and then he applied some alcohol on his body, and he screamed in pain, then he applied some ointment, then, the bandages all over his body, and lastly, he took some painkillers and drank some water that Veigar brought.

He looked at his face. He had a black eye on his right eye, the burned scar on his left face, three scars: one on his eyebrow, and two on his lips. "I have to ask Evelynn about it," Aphelios grabbed his bathrobe and went to the guest room to dress up.

Aphelios finished wearing his clothes that Evelynn gave him. Is a white buttoned shirt with a grey vest and blue tie, grey pants, and brown shoes. Aphelios looked at the glasses that Senna gave him when they first met and wore them.He looked at the mirror and smiled. "I feel better n-"

"Phel!! Lady Evelynn is in trouble!!" Veigar said, and he decided to follow Veigar downstairs. "YOU WERE CHEATING IN ME YOU B*TCH!!" Aphelios and Veigar saw Evelynn's husband Tahm Kench grabbing Evelynn's wrist. "WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!!"

"I KNOW YOUR SNEAKING OUT EVERYNIGHT!!" Aphelios cannot stand Tahm Kench hurting Evelynn and blocks him with his body. "What are you doing!?" Evelynn was shocked that Aphelios protect her, Tahm Kench saw Aphelios, and he felt something on his chest and fell on the ground. "Veigar!! Call the doctor!!" Evelynn commands Veigar, and he calls Dr.Kennen.

"Doctor!! We need you ASAP!!"

Dr.Kennen came out of the couple's room and told Evelynn that his illness had gotten worse. "He doesn't have much time Ms.Kench, he wants to talk to you," Dr.Kennen said and left while Aphelios looked at Dr.Kennen, and surprisingly, he didn't recognize him.

"Let's go." Evelynn and Aphelios enter Tahm Kench and Evelynn's bedroom and see him on his bed really bad.

"Evelynn...I'm dying...." Evelynn heard her husband's weak voice while holding his hand.

Aphelios watched the interactions between Tahm Kench and Evelynn while holding his tears. "Hey... you...come..." Tahm Kench calls Aphelios, and he went to him. "I know who you are... your Thresh's son," Aphelios' blue eyes were shocked that Tahm Kench had known him since his appearance had changed.

"I'll tell you something, my boy...come here...." Aphelios came close to Tahm Kench, and he whispers to his ear. "He told me to keep it as a secret from everyone." Aphelios was confused about what Tahm Kench was going to say.

"Thresh is 'not your father.' " Aphelios was shocked what Tahm Kench told him, and he grabbed him by his pajamas. "TELL ME!! WHO'S MY REAL FAMILY!!" Aphelios yells and starts coughing so much while Evelynn tries to control Aphelios.

"You have.....to figure out....yourself kiddo, but I left something for you...." Tahm Kench starts coughing as he almost out of breath. "When I die... my lawyer will read the....Inheritance...." Tahm Kench looks at Evelynn and smiled weakly at her.

"Eve....my love....I know I treated you so....badly....but I didn't stop loving.....you...." Tahm Kench reached his hand to Evelynn and smiled. He looked at Aphelios with his weak eyes.

"Aphelios....kick Thresh's a**" Tahm Kench closed his eyes, and his hand fell. "He's gone....." Evelynn starts crying and hugs Aphelios. He comforted Evelynn, and she let her release everything she held inside while he looked at Tahm Kench's lifeless body.

"I will Tahm Kench...I will"

"I did like you said, sir,"

"Excellent Cedric....now I have to wait for t-" Thresh was interrupted by one of his assistants. "What is it?" he asks.

"Officer Darius is here," the assistant said and bows, and she left. "I bet it is about the vandalized places, I'll be right back," Thresh left his office, and Cedric sighed and looked at the files that he was supposed to send to Tahm Kench.

"I'm sorry for betraying you, sir, I'm following Lord Kench's orders,"

A/N: That concludes the first chapter of The Finale. It looks like Cedric is on the good side. I'll see you in the next chapter on Friday, which is the funeral.