#it's funny mine wasn't even about weight

[unabashedmoonlight]

[yan-lorkai]

.⁠｡⁠*⁠♡ Tagging: @kurtswld

"Human nature is something fickle," The words left Chrollo’s mouth, and they weren't pretty and charming as he always presented them. He was far too pissed off to care how he was presenting himself to you. Right here and now, he wasn't a gentleman, a well-mannered man who liked to read and discuss.

Looking at him now, he was the Phantom Troupe's leader. A killer and a monster. Your heart was beating louder at each step he took in your direction. It was a dangerous symphony, a requiem you weren't fond of. Yet, he seemed amused, fond of it, even.

"They lie, betray and kill," He kneeled in front of you, and while you tried to put distance between both of you, trying to crawl away, Chrollo pulled you back to him by your neck, his nails digging into your soft skin, making you whimper. 'You did all three of them in the span of two hours, darling. You lied to me,"

He chuckled. You weren't sure what he thought that was funny. You didn't want to know, you were far too afraid to move or talk to even think about what would he consider fun. Chrollo is a strange man, always were, always will be.

No... not man.

He was something else. Him and his little family. All murderers, all bad people.

He caressed your face in a tender way. The same way he used to when he first fell for you; the tears started to fall from your eyes at that. Whether it was because you really thought you could have escaped him or because you didn't want to know what he was going to do to you now.

"You betrayed my trust in you," He muttered, nuzzling his face against your neck, his hand still holding it, depriving you of breathing as he exhaled. "You betrayed my troupe's trust. And trust is something important for us. We have our backs, we're family, and when you lied to me, you lied to them."

"I didn't kill anyone..." You struggled to say, your last defiance slowly disappearing as you held onto his hand, trying to escape his grip, but it was impossible. "I'm... not like you."

Chrollo’s grip tightened slightly, his lips brushing against your ear as he let out a low chuckle. "Oh, my dear," he murmured, his voice dangerously soft. "Not like me? Perhaps you think you're better, untainted. But isn’t it fascinating how far desperation can push someone? How quickly survival overrides morality?"

You flinched, the weight of his words pressing down on you like an iron cage. He pulled back just enough to look into your tear-streaked face, his thumb stroking your jaw in a mockery of comfort. "You may not have killed anyone," he continued, "but your actions led to consequences. If you understand what I'm saying."

You shook your head weakly, choking on your own breath. "I didn’t mean for this to happen," you whispered, your voice barely audible.

"But it did," Chrollo said sharply, his tone cutting through you like a blade. "And now, here we are. You thought you could run, thought you could escape me. Did you really believe I’d let you go so easily?"

His hand slid from your neck to your chin, tilting your face up so you couldn’t avoid his piercing gaze. "You’re mine," he said firmly, like a promise and a threat, his dark eyes gleaming with a possessive intensity that made your stomach churn. "You’ve always been mine, and no amount of running or lying will change that."

The air between you was suffocating, and despite your trembling, you mustered the courage to whisper, "What are you going to do to me?"

Chrollo smiled then, soft and almost kind, but it didn’t reach his eyes. His mask was back on his face. "What I’m going to do, my darling, is ensure you never feel the need to run from me again."

He leaned closer, pressing a kiss to your forehead as though to seal his promise. "I’ll remind you of your place, remind you of the bond we share. And by the time I’m done, you won’t dream of leaving me again. You’ll know where you belong."

The cold finality in his voice sent a shiver down your spine. As he pulled you into his arms, cradling you like a precious possession, you realized there was no escaping Chrollo Lucilfer — not now, not ever.

[multi-fandom-imagine]

tossing you another overlord husk request for the heck of it.

he meets a sad reader during a party at the casino and finds out a overlord that owns her soul is treating them bad, so he wins her soul and treats her with the respect she deserves.

A/n: Excellent

It was going to be the most talked about party of the year, only the top of the top were invited. Husk let his gaze roam across the room until it finally landed on you.

'Breath taking'

That was the first thought that ran across his mind, he could see why so many people were flocking towards you....why did that piss him off so much?

Shaking his head, he made his way towards you but the closer he got to you, was that he could clearly see how miserable you looked. Running his tongue over his fangs, he glared at the people still around you.

"Scram!"

That made everyone bolt, your gaze slowly meeting his until you quickly looked to the ground as you took a deep breath in. "Can I help you with something,Sir."

Oh, he liked the way you called him Sir. What a sweet little voice you have. "Why are you all alone looking miserable baby?"

Before you could even answer, a golden collar appeared around your neck yanking you back into a solid chest.

"How about you stay the fuck away from my property"

Biting back a snarl, Husk could see the fear forming in your eyes. You didn't deserve that, you deserved to be treated like a Queen. "How about a little game, nothin too serious. A soul for a soul, you put your girl and i'll put up one of mine." Leaning forward, Husk gave the Overlord a large grin. "What do ya say? Do we have a deal?"

You could feel the weight of the collar, his collar slipping from your neck as the Overlord that owned your soul was dragged kicking and screaming from the casino but yet who's to say he wouldn't be worse?

Casting a weary glance at Overlord, you watched him light a cigar. "What now? What are you going to do to me?"

Blowing out a puff of smoke, Husk placed his claw gently under your chin as he made you look him in the eyes. "Baby, you're going to be treated like royalty."

You thought it would be a lie, that it was something he'd just say to make you fall in line but he kept his word. You had freedom, you felt like you could actually breathe. You weren't afraid anymore.

He treated you with respect. He set you free, you had your soul back.

Maybe that's why you fell in love with him, you know it was a silly notion to tell him but you felt like you had to after all he had done for you. It was easy since it was just 3 simple words.

"I love you."

You saw it in his eyes though, a moment of weakness. He was scared, like it wasn't real because why would someone like you ever fall for someone like him.

Though it did not take long for that smirk to come back on his face. His arm wrapping around your waist drawing you in close. He might have had that arrogant smirk on his face but it was his eyes that gave it way, gave his true feelings away.

"Isn't that a funny little thing. Looks like I love you too, I think you must realize it now, we gotta get married."

"How could I ever say no to the man that saved my life?"

[anantaru]

cw. yandere blade, toxic, suggestve, fem! reader

blade doesn‘t fall in love easily.

beyond everything, he never envisioned himself to be faced with such vigorous sentiments by origin— from first principles and a closer look at his perceptions, you can refer to his views as ignorance or blindness, something he gazed down on in an almost smug way.

but when he does, he doesn't think it was fun nor comfortable, but entirely has he decided that he‘d burn entire worlds down if it meant for you to remain close to his side, so you wouldn't be able to leave him behind.

then again, maybe he should burn them down regardless, not only for you, but to demonstrate the love he felt, or the very emotion he confused as love...

"it is a necessary hardness." a remembrance of his first sentence towards his cruel directions in life, you reminisce about it vividly. but you hold his eye contact, only distantly, yet refuse to give him any further satisfaction.

it really doesn’t need a genius to figure out what was displayed before one, it being the heart of a passionate, driven person— the emotions intense and wild, allied with a roaring storm, the bolds of lightning signalizing his darkened perceptions and blanketing any good, as if there was any good to begin with.

so he stood calm where he was standing before slumping down next to you, mattress shifting at his added weight. "you didn't have to do this." you silently speak again, just from below him, your breath hitching ever so slightly as his entire body leans into your figure.

you have to remain careful, you realize, but his eyes would be an intoxicating weapon, flickering up before you watch him place his hand on top of your lower stomach.

"do you love me?" his expression stood still, passive for the most time, but awaiting a quick response, he wasn't even sure you would answer his question, because his trust in you had graven limits.

you remark back, "i wouldn't be here if i didn't." and force your body to relax under his freezing handle before allowing him to slide his large hand into your garments, your entire skin slowly beginning to feel the untwist under his heedful but possessive ministrations.

"good." blade was simultaneously fascinated and petrified by your outwardly real devotion, "but do you love me?"

silence, blade again, doesn't think it was funny for you to ask such insolent question and demand an answer from him in the first place, so he leaves it unchallenged to obscure through the dark room and carried on to smoother a painfully slow motion on your cunt.

you found yourself longing the intimacy and pull your hips upwards, cradling your arms around the man and holding him close by his shoulders, but the lack of response flooded your mind with deeply broken thoughts. "you're mine." yet at last, there it was, a subtle meaning, with a hidden truth.

his fingertips were warm and dampened by your slick, working in sharp angles on your soft skin. it burned your body with a sort of desperate fever to be able to call yourself his. he could tell that you weren't entirely satisfied though, but blade, could he really answer your question how you so desired it?

your heart grew louder, pounding hard against his strong chest and a 'o' of bare lust formed on your glistening lips, pushing against him further, letting him get to know your scent— the one that set his loins on fire, made him lick his lips with a devil-like grin crossing the outsides of his mouth.

blade could feel you constrict around his first finger and wanted to push himself aside, he wanted to feel you for real now, feverishly dragging his skin against your own as he coos sweet ministrations into your ear.

did his words hold any graven significance? they might, he recalls becoming vulnerable whenever he had gotten intimate with you and it scared him, the thought in particular was frightening— of letting his cruel mask fall flat in front of another person.

but the man wanted to sink into every secret part of your body, experience each bend and curve, and be held. blade watches your back arch into his body as he adds a second finger into your tight hole, flawlessly pulling in and out of your entrance, in and out in and out, scraping his finger pads along your slicked walls.

he wonders how far he could go, or if he should ever tell you about the things you do not know, about commodities he did in order for you to remain devoted and obedient, unknowing and naive.

at the inside, he prefers the idea that came inwardly, occupying his mind— about the secrecy of it all, that he doesn't want your pretty head to worry about anything or everything, why else would you love him if he were to expose you to his blood stained intrigues?

he shrugs himself into your neck before locking a bundle of flesh in between his sharp teeth, sucking on your sensitive parts and keeping an almost calculative pace on your pussy, well, the one that belonged to him of course.

you should feel honored that he always feels the painful need to touch you the moment he sees you fly over his mesmerizing pair of eyes.

with a higher pitched whine, you writhe under his now warmer body, your thighs clamping desperately around his arm as blade adds a third and final finger to lengthen your orgasm filling you whole, laughing lightly as you came on his palm, hard and catching an unimpeded view of his erected length brushing against his pants.

he feels that impulse again and begins to unconsciously rub his hips into your thigh— right after feeling your little hole tense up and down, he hears you whisper a soft "please", only watching a few seconds longer before pushing his long fingers back into your cunt and catching you off guard, your lack of breathing control making itself visible in your aching throat.

to touch you more, to rip your clothes off your skin, to kiss every inch of your body, worship, it's feral, that's what it was, but was it love? there is much about him that you do not know, can never know because it would scare you even more, blade fears.

but presently, even just by doing this, by pleasing your needs, blade knows it's the only way for him to convey his love ...

... or the frightening emotion he mistook for love.

©2023 anantaru do not repost, copy, translate, modify

[5targh0st]

NUMBER ONE GIRL

31. you're mine (written)

prev // m.list // next

Neither of you talk much, but you have a great time nonetheless. It's almost as if you both know what the other is thinking and words weren't exactly necessary. However, something similar to fear keeps you from letting go; fear of your feelings not being reciprocated, of saying the wrong thing, and of messing up the weird and comfortable relationship you've built.

However, little by little the awkwardness disappears and everything seems to fall into place. You joke around and laugh. Everything feels easier without the weight of expectations and labels hovering over you.

"Can I ask you something?" His voice drowned by his own laugh.

"What?" For some reason, you can't help but smile.

"Why were you hiding in the bathroom?" He seems nervous, "I got worried for a second."

"I wasn't hiding," you can feel your face hot. "I was talking to my friends. Don't ask." You try to laugh but it comes out as a sigh.

And just before you go on a rant about everything and reassure him that you weren't hiding from him, he smiles and reaches for your hand. He knows. You're not sure how, but he knows; he wouldn't be smiling like that if he didn't.

Dessert arrives and you're so lost in his presence that you barely notice how people have started to leave the place. Has he always been so alluring?

When you finally have to go, you reach for your card just to be left waiting. "We haven't paid."

"I did. I paid in advance so you wouldn't pull any funny tricks."

You want to argue and say it's not fair for him to pay every single time you hang out. Then it hits you, are you really hanging out? This whole dinner thing has turned out to be more date-like than you anticipated.

"There's something I want to show you..." His voice interrupts your spiraling.

You just nod and follow him back to his car. Of course, you won't say it out loud but you just realized you'd go basically anywhere with him. Are you supposed to feel like this? Is it wrong?

After a short drive, you finally arrive at the place he wanted to show you. It's a recording studio, although way different than the ones you have at school. This place has a lot more equipment and looks cozier.

"Is this like your personal studio?"

"Something like that," he explains turning on everything, "I share the place with Heesung."

"I didn't know he's also part of the music program."

"He's not. His parents are doctors so they wanted him to follow their steps and, after a lot of arguing and screaming, they compromised on psychology so Heesung could still have time for music."

"He sounds brave."

"He is, but don't tell him that, his ego is big enough as it is." He jokes, but you see the fondness in his eyes. He sure loves his friends.

"Like you're one to talk..."

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

You both keep on bickering and laughing. Then silence sets in, but not the uncomfortable kind of silence, it's more like a natural kind of quietness. The same type of silence that comes before the sunrise; a breath of fresh air in the loudness of your lives.

"What did you want to show me?"

"Me."

You must look confused and maybe even concerned cause he laughs and looks away before explaining. "I know why your friends didn't like me, and I know at least one of them told you not to hangout with me or whatever.

I'm not saying they're wrong or that people misunderstand me, but they don't know the whole truth. They don't know me beyond the persona that, I confess, I've built to keep them out. But I want you to know me, all of me.

I'm an asshole, I was in love before and got my heart shattered, and I used that as an excuse to play around and maybe even hurt people. I'm not saying my actions were justified, but I did what I thought was necessary to not be hurt again..."

He is almost spiraling. This is the most honest he's ever been, but he sounds just so desperate.

"Yeonjun..."

"Please, let me finish. I like you. I'm not a good person, and I've hurt people and I'm a mess and I might fuck things up... and I like you. I know I was the one to say we should take things slow and see where it got us. From the moment I first laid eyes on you I knew you were gorgeous but now, after spending time with you and getting to know you a little, I like you and all of the things that make you who you are."

You don't know what to say. He likes you. You like him too, but you don't know how to say it or where to start. So kiss him.

You pull him in and he seems surprised. For a second you start to think that maybe you rushed a little with the physical contact but then you feel his arms engulf you and his lips moving against yours. Has he always been that good of a kisser? Your mind can't even begin to comprehend what got you here.

"I like you too..." you whisper when the contact stops. Too nervous to look at him.

"I kinda figured." He laughs and you feel his hands cupping your face and his thumb caressing your skin. Just a light touch.

"Shut up." You try to hide from his gaze.

He brings you closer and wraps his arms around you, as if he were scared you'd change your mind. "You ruined my speech, though. I even wrote a song so you'd hear about my feelings while I uncomfortably stare at you for four minutes straight."

You can't help but laugh, of course he would do something like that. "Play it for me."

"No way."

"Come on! I'll even pretend to be surprised and everything."

He gives in. Part of him thinks he'd say yes to anything you ask but that's a door he won't open yet. He just admitted he likes you, there'll be enough time in the future to worry about the intensity of his feelings.

he takes off his blazer and walks to the piano. "Please remember that you asked for it."

"You're doing great sweetie!"

He rolls his eyes and you can see his blush but he starts anyway, "This ain't for the best..."

His hands move swiftly yet hesitantly. It's been a while since he's felt so vulnerable. Your soft gaze follows his every movement and he can feel his skin getting warmer by the second. You smile for a moment enjoying the effect you had on him. Until he looks at you while singing.

Now you get it. It's not uncomfortable at all. It's rather intimate. Having someone so openly expressing his feelings for you in such an emotional moment makes you feel helpless and bare. It's almost magical.

"... delicate." He finishes and avoids your eyes.

"Don't get all shy on me now." You try to joke.

"I'm not shy!"

You bicker for a while and everything feels so natural. You don't know what made you feel so nervous at dinner, he's just Yeonjun.

"I do want you to know that I don't expect us to put a label on this right away." He explains while holding your hand. "I want us to go on dates and have like the whole experience. I wanna court you or whatever it is old people call it."

"I'd really like that." You can stop smiling. You didn't know it was possible to smile this much but here you are.

The drive home is different; the feeling of his hand in yours is comforting and yet it also makes you feel anxious. A good type of anxious though.

You talk about school and your plans for the week. It's all so natural and domestic, you've never felt like this before. Not even with Sunghoon. This is the first time you've let yourself be with someone after him and somehow it feels so much more real and authentic. Yeonjun doesn't make you feel as if you need to tone down who you are; you can just be yourself.

When you arrive at your apartment complex, he opens your door and tries best not to stutter while saying goodbye. You laugh and can't even figure out why. You're just so happy.

"See you tomorrow?" He asks shyly once you get out of the car.

"See you tomorrow." You confirm still holding on to his hand.

And then you seal your promise with a kiss...

notes:

I was so excited for this chapter

once again we love a communicative king

had an issue with the format but it's ok now

happy holidays btw

taglist: (32/50)

@estella-novella @poetryforthesad @lisaswifey @angelzforu @ihrtlix @gloriousqueenking @domfikeluva @circus-of-thoughts @conwunder @miniature-tragedy @jeonginplsholdmyhand @sh0dor1 @yourenzoo @tkshairband @realrintaro @castingjinx @amara-mars @hwangrfrnd

[pynkricee]

Sorry Mr. Tease....

"Choso stop teasing me like that... it's not funny. I was horny and you stopped it..."

Her face was so cute when she looked upset, I couldn't help but tease her some more and get her stired up..."Awww poor baby... My baby girl is mad cause I moved your hand away from my dick huh.."

Balling up her little fist, she nugged me in the arm. "Shut it Cho... " Her face was red as a can of paint while her arms were crossed and her head turned to keep me from looking in her eyes. The blush from her embarrassment changed her beautiful skin tone to a chestnut shade with a hint of pink that I couldn't help but laugh about. "Stop making fun of me.." He nugged me again but even harder this time and it was too cute with her lip poked out.

(She wasn't going to get away with that one..)

Sneering the corners of my mouth I grabbed both her wrist, forcing her hands to my stomach, moving closer and closer to my private area. "You play to fucking much y/n.." I let out a mischievous laugh pulling her hands down closer.. "It's my turn to play now.." I could feel her trying to jerk away but she wasn't going any fucking where.

"Choso what are you trying to ..."

"Don't worry about it since I'm this so called big tease.."

She forcefully ripped her grip from. Which surprised cause baby girl was strong..

She immediately climbed on top of me, stradding me on the couch. She took off her shirt, throwing it up against the wall.. her beautiful bare breast perked up in front of me. I wanted nothing more but to taste them . Caress them around my wet tongue. I had no idea what she was about to do but I was ready..

Leaning over she forced her tongue in my mouth pushing myself back as I moaned from surprise. Our mouths were having a nasty, full on battle til I felt her cold hands quickly pull my shirt off, pulling it over my head and tossing it to the side. My lips were wet with her saliva and I couldn't do nothing more but lick it off.

Breaking the kiss, she then stood up, holding her hand out to me. So I took it standing up facing her. She was so tiny.. my baby.. my princess. Whatever the hell she wanted to do with me.. I would let her....

Biting her juciy big bottom lip she wrapped her thumbs around the inside of my pants using her weight to pull them down as she fell bent down to the floor. Lifing my legs up one by one, she took and threw the pants to the wall. She then stood back up not breaking eye contacts ad I tilted my head to her, gleaming my eyes into hers..

"What the fuck..." Her push caught me off guard as she used her weight to push me down on the couch as she then straddled me , wrapping her legs on each side. Her soaking wet pussy dripping on dick as I leaned in forward using my tongue to lick her top lip. "SO.... this is when you're suppose to fuck the shit out of me huh?"

"Nah.... I'm not ganna fuck the shit outta you.. Ima put you to sleep..." Her warm hand wrapped around my erect penis. The precum was already dripping from my dick as she slowly slid me inside her.

"Shiiiiiiiittttt...Baby.... Fuuuuuu" Her pussy was so wet as she began to rock her hips roughly back and forth... I had no choice other than to grab and dig my nails in hips. Her moans filled the walls and my ears. The way an echo would bounce in the movie theater is the way it sounded right now as my moans fought with hers..

"Cho... baby.. I wanna make you cum.. ! " Her panting got harder as her lips rubbed up against mine. Both of our mouths opened, breathing against each other. My tongue licking the front of her teeth... "I'm tryna fuck your head up to only think about me baby.."

"Is..is that right baby?" I moaned leaning back , shooting my dick into her harder, touching her g-spot. Her pussy walls clenching to around my throbbing penis. My left hand gripping the skin off her ass as my right reached up grabbing her breasts, stroking her nipple. My hand went from her nipple straight to the back of her neck as I yanked her into my mouth, giving her this wet sloopy kiss that she couldn't resist.

My buns started to come undone as I could feel my dick on the verge of exploding. I then let out a load moan grabbing her hip even harder as her pussy was digging deeper ontop of my dick with her ass clapping from behind. Her juices making her ass clap harder on my lap as the splashes mixed with my cum hit my inner thighs.

"God Damnitttt Shiitttttt .... y/n...." I groaned grabbing the back of her head as much teeth sunk into the side of her neck.

"I told you...I'd fuck your mind up Choso.. " She was panting so hard her nipples stood attention from her shivers.

I pulled her back into my mouth, pushing my tongue against hers as we both were steady moaning.. my hips still slowly moving as my cum still filled her.

Breaking the kiss I looked her in the eyes..giving her that evil grin that always made her pussy drip...

" Hmmmm.. I don't wanna hear that shit.."I smiled as my lips softly touched hers..

[icarustypicalfall]

Cod men in a mall??

I am bored, so i am shoving all of them in a mall. This is supposed to be funny, idk man.

Silly drabbles for TF141, Vaqueros, phil and könig.

warnings: none! fluff :) proofread but might contain some faults

credit to owner for the divider I don't know to who it belongs!!

masterpost • AO3

Ghost

He didn't want to go.

After giving him the cutest puppy eyes he said yes.

"I don't want to spend three hours in makeup stores"

He gave you the Ultimest glare as you passed by the shop in question.

Ended looking around for perfumes and breaking one by accident.

The employee was too scared to confront him.

You tried to convince him into buying an green hoodie with cat ears.

*typical ghost glare*

Was happy when they said they didn't have his size.

Now imagine him wearing the same sweater, looking like a crop top on him while you took pics.

Never went to the mall with you again

"no chance not going"

(he said yes lol)

John Price

Spent good five minutes fighting with an employee over the way a cuppa should be made.

You tried on multiple bucket hats and took pics. He was grinning the whole time. :(

"John, do you think I can buy this mall?"

"Absolutely not Love."

He'd buy it for you if you asked, though.

You thrifted together some vintage sweaters and wore them over hot drinks, the same night.

He is the sanest of them all. (optional)

Gaz :)

He needed to restock, so you went to the mall.

You wanted to sit in the cart, and so did he.

Both of you sat in the cart, ended bumping in the vegetable section and kicked out.

You can't go there together anymore.

For the rest of the afternoon, you ate ice cream and threw a coin in the Fontaine

"Nah but seriously, love, I'd go into that bloody pool and collect all the money. A legit fortune for us, yeah?"

Soap Johnny Mactavish

He wanted to get a weighted blanket, considering the cold weather in the base.

He jokingly wrapped you in it.

You couldn't move and looked like a worm.

"Ya look funny, lassie. Liile worm, go.."

Soap wrapped himself in a weighted blanket as well and you made a race on who'll reach the paying section first. The owners wasn't very happy.

**

You took pictures in a photobooth, you frowned in annoyance at the first set, with Soap giving you bunny ears behind your back.

Although, it was cute.

That.. until a raccon randomly barged in. The astonishment was priceless and the pictures remain in your wallets.

Soap begged to keep the raccoon.

(It bit him.)

Alejandro Vargas

He wanted to buy you something special.

He didn't mind the price, while your eyes lagged at the series of zeros in the tag.

He shoved everything your eyes laid on in the basquet, calling it a day.

You had to hold him or else he'd buy the whole section.

He ended surprising you with a bracelet, one you always gazed at whenever you came.

He shushed you before you even open your mouth, smiling.

"nonono cariño, no thanks, i am all yours."

:')

Rudy Parra

:(

Sweet boy just wanted to buy a book.

He heard about a certain section in the library and wanted to check it out with you.

(you see where this is going)

You both chose a book, thinking the cute cover was a projection of what lays on the papers.

Wrong.

Two words in, you gazed at each other, put the book on the shelf and went to get a film.

You never entered that section again.

Aside from this, you had so much fun chosing each other fits and trying them on.

Phillip Graves

He is a proud American, of course.

Having his alarm as the national Anthem and riding to the sun with the eagle on his shoulder.

Anyway..

Phil practically begged you to get a certain pyjama, red white and blue to match his own.

He took your no to heart and gave you a cold shoulder (for five minutes only, he trailed afterwards on your feet like a lost puppy.)

He kept a hand around your waist, glaring at men who's gaze lingered on you.

"Eh darlin, there is no point in buying new sweaters, mine are yours. It suits you perfectly, beautiful!"

könig

He wanted new pants, and your opinion, so you went together.

And meanwhile you might think this is an easy task, allow me to say "NUH UH"

Have you seen this man?

He tried a pair of cargo pants, claiming it is his size.

Two steps in, the material ripped apart.

He took it off and, ever so calmly, he returned it in the back of the pile, as if nothing happened.

You left the store, and he uttered, pulling you to his side for warmth

"It's alright, not the first time, Maus.. They should make pants more stretchy, ja?"

[deathofacupid]

weighing scale

tw: eating disorder (purging, not eating), bodyshaming, ed shaming

btw, if it's requested, i can turn drabbles into full oneshots!!!!!!!!!!!!!

you guys are beautiful the way you are, and nothing anybody ever says or does will ever change that. remember that gaining weight is totally normal, and you can always lose weight, too, but please, do it in a healthy way. if you ever need anyone to talk to, and this isn't just for eds, i'm here, and you can reach out. if not, there are people who care about you and love you.

you're amazing you beautiful mfs

(also i'm sorry if this might not be correct for you, everyone has different experiences with eds)

(also, also, i did 1st person ... and this is just the way i thought when i was going thru this so i kinda made it relate w/ me??)

100.

98.

96.

she watched as the numbers went down, satisfied despite the fact that it was only one pound less yesterday.

90.

88.

even if it meant that she'd always be cold, or that her hair would fall out. it was a small price to pay to be beautiful. to be skinny. to be like all the other girls that peter liked.

y/n kept telling herself that. and it was enough to keep her going.

{four weeks prior}

(first person)

they had little packets for us to take home, like forms. something along the lines of "annual health check-up." the form was just... well, it wasn't a form, really, but more of an opt-out. the paper said they'd just check weight, height, and some other things, like make sure you didn't have scoliosis.

honestly?

i was just happy to be missing a good chunk of math.

everyone got called down to the gym by period, and mine was 5th period, right before lunch.

our class was waiting for them to call us down, so mr. callen just let us do whatever until then. i glanced over to see liz, kayla, and chloe in the corner of the classroom, giggling and pointing towards some of the boys, and eventually, mr. callen.

he was one of the youngest members on faculty, fresh out of college. and i'll admit, he's not bad looking. in fact, he's hotter than most of the guys. and if it wasn't peter that had my heart, maybe i'd think about someone else.

not that the whole peter thing was going great anyways, he seemed interested in liz. so maybe that was my hint to move on. but i don't know. i've just liked him forever, it'd feel wrong to stop now.

i'm just really loyal, i guess.

or maybe this is some weird first love/crush thing, because no matter what, i keep finding myself coming back to him.

it took me second to realize that i'd been staring at the same spot for a while now, so i probably looked funny. i re-adjusted my position and looked at the clock, noting there there was just a few minutes until we'd have to go down.

i looked by at the girls, then at the teacher. did they not realize that he had an engagement ring on? or where they just dense?

because honestly, i'm having a hard time figuring out which one it is.

liz pushed chloe over to the desk, giggling like a manic.

chloe bit her lip, trying to hold in laughter. "hiiii, cal. you know, like, cupid's day is coming?"

me, personally, i didn't really believe in the whole dumb blonde thing, but chloe was changing my aspect on this.

cupid's day was on valentine's day, and you could pay a dollar to have a rose delivered to someone. normally, the freshmen girls did most of the planning. freshmen girls were annoying. they were always together, and i didn't remember a time i'd seen one alone.

i didn't get any on my first year here. last year i got three. but it didn't really count, because mj got me one and betty did. i was hoping that i'd figure out who the third person was, but three weeks into that investigation, i kinda gave up. if they hadn't revealed themselves to me at that point, i'd figured that they probably wouldn't.

maybe junior year will go better.

if you were popular popular, you got at least seven, so it was kind of embarrasing to only get one. and it was probably even more embarrasing to only have, like, one friend. which was betty. but she hadn't hung around me that often since she started dating ned.

mj was an observer, and i knew that much. it was probably the only reason she got me a rose, because she felt bad. but then again, anyone could see how pathetic it was.

peter and i used to be pretty close, but then he met ned, so the attention he gave me got halved.

i would have tried to be friends with ned, because i know he's really nice, but i stressed out too much about it for some reason and gave up. social anxiety, perhaps? it didn't matter, it was too late to do anything about it now.

after that, peter started hanging around liz and some of the other popular kids, and entirely forgot about me.

did forget about ned, though. maybe beacuse i was a girl, and so peter got called "gay" a lot for that. i didn't have much of a chance compared to liz, so i just admired him from afar. it's not that we didn't talk, because we did sometimes, but... actually, i don't know what.

if peter wanted to, he would have.

and it's fairly obvious, but i'm delusional and chose to ignore that.

the intercom snapped me out of whatever zoning out i'd gone back to, "block d, block d. i-is this on? oh, it is? i- yes, block d down to the gym."

everyone got up and pushed their way out the door, i didn't have that type of energy, so i just waited for everyone to get their butts outta the way and then went myself. i followed them down to the hall, staying behind a little. when i finally got over there, i ended up last, right behind chloe, kayla, then liz.

for the most part, it only took a minute or two for each person, so the line didn't take that long.

well, i suppose that's subjective.

it took 15 minutes, but whatever.

when liz was inside, she didn't take care to close the door all the way, leaving it a couple inches open. that's on her.

that's on her for being irresponsible, so it's not really my fault if i accidently hear. i leaned in a little, suddenly very interested in the wall, with all it's cracks... and... paint, and...

"and step on the scale, please... that is," she paused, and you could hear scribbling of a pen.

"121.3 pounds. perfectly healthy. that's actually the average weight for girls your age," another pause, "make sure to give this form to your parents. have a nice day."

liz said something in return and i stepped back, done admiring the wall. "next!" the lady called in.

i stepped inside the room, and it smelt strongly of hand-sanitizer. "okay, honey, step up against the wall... height is... alrightly. now the scale, please."

i did as she asked, keeping my eyes trained on the numbers.

149.7 pounds. basically 150. that was more than liz's, right?

"149, okay, you're good to go-"

"is that around average weight?" i asked, and it was impulsive, i didn't even think.

"well, it's somewhere around that. you're perfectly healthy."

the intercom came on again, signaling my time was over, and the lady thought the same thing, because she ushered me out.

as i walked back to the classroom, i couldn't help but think;

149? no, 150? around average? so basically, i was above average. 30 pounds heavier than liz? no wonder peter likes liz better.

god, that's disgusting. i'm disgusting.

i trudged back to class, unable to stop thinking about it. and suddenly, an idea popped into my mind; why not lose weight? if i lost a little, maybe peter would care about me again.

that's genius. god, i'm a genius.

yeah. i lose a little weight.

when i got back, he'd already started the lesson, not that i cared. i spent the rest of that class figuring out the kinks, like how many calories i'm allowed to eat per day.

i settled on 800.

it seemed like a decent number if i wanted to actually make an impact with weight loss.

stupid kale smoothies weren't gonna get me anywhere, nor idiotic influencer workout routines.

before i knew it, the bell rung and kids were hustling through the hallways. i was kind of on autopilot as i walked to lunch, not really watching where i was going. i'd by mistake shouldered some people, and they gave me dirty looks. i shot them right back.

i couldn't help but silently, in my mind, judge everyone's body that i saw. and not just their body, but other physical features, too. it was automatic, i didn't even mean to. but i couldn't help it.

she's really fat. the gym exists for a reason.

how is she so skinny? i know she's anorexic.

and it just went on and on.

i didn't know what was going on. why this mattered to me all of a sudden.

it was like i didn't notice these things before, i wasn't looking for them, but now that i knew they were there, i couldn't help it.

i couldn't help a lot of things.

when i walked into the lunchroom, i saw peter sitting by himself, writing on some piece of paper, and if i knew him, he wasn't doing the homework due tomorrow.

he was doing yesterday's.

it didn't seem like i'd be bothering him if i went to go talk to him, so that's what i did. i figured since we hadn't talked in while, it would be great to now.

and it'd be a great distraction, too.

i sat down across from him, "hi, peter."

he looked up slowly, a smile rising on his face. "uh, hey, y/n/n," peter paused, "what, um, what did you need?"

"huh? oh, i didn't need anything. just thought i'd come by and annoy the hell out of you."

"just like old times," peter snorted.

"math homework?"

"yep. i have math-"

"-next period," i realized my mistake after i made it. "um, 'cause i see you when i'm walking to class."

in repsonse, he nodded like he was considering it.

i didn't notice i was hungry until my stomach growled, but something inside of me made the thought of getting food and eating it repulsive. i hesitated before grabbing on of peter's fries and popping it in my mouth. he didn't say anything, or really even care, and i didn't know if i liked that or not.

"okay. you have chem next, yeah?"

i blushed at the fact he knew.

"uh, yep," i snagged some more fries, feeling myself loosen up.

and then i realized, that's what this was; i was just in need of some time with actual people who weren't my parents.

i liked this. i liked talking to peter. it was easy. this was easy.

we laughed about some other things, like flash's new donkey haircut.

and i stole more fries. ned, betty, and mj (who normally sat two seats away) came over. the topic of cupid's day came up.

"how many do you think you'll get?" betty asked.

i looked up, "roses?"

"uh-huh."

ned spoke up, "you won't need to worry, bet, i'll get you a whole bouquet." he looked proud of himself.

"i'm not worried," she giggled, like the lovesick fool she was. it was gross. and yes i admit, it was slightly because i was jealous, but whatever. betty didn't have to act so idiotic and desperate.

betty's skinny, too.

"what about you, y/n?" peter said, locking eyes with me.

"i dunno. i never really get any."

something changed in peter's expression, but as soon as it was there, it was gone.

i took another fry. they were really good, for some reason.

"fattie," peter laughed, pulling his lunch tray back, "and then you complain about not getting roses!"

that caused a round of laughs in the small group, but my heart dropped to my feet.

i was right. i was overweight. even peter noticed.

freaking peter noticed.

god, i was ugly and fat, and even peter saw that.

of course he liked liz. he'd be crazy not to. she was curvy and skinny and petite and pretty and skinny.

she was skinny.

i didn't have her hourglass figure.

never did i ever want out of my own skin more.

"y/n?" pete frowned. "i-i'm sorry, it was a joke, i didn't-"

"no, no, not that. i, uh, i... forgot i was supposed to meet with a teacher. sorry. i have to go."

i didn't go to any teachers.

i did go to the bathroom.

and i hid in the handicapped stall. i didn't cry, or sob, or weep or whatever it was stupid girls did in hallmark movies or stuff.

i stood in front of the mirror and picked out everything i hated, making a mental list in my head.

i didn't finish that list, not even after 30 minutes when the bell rung.

-

the rest of the day flew by rather quickly, it seemed. i felt like i was trapped in a warm haze, but not the fuzzy, happy warmth. i didn't like the way i was thinking. it's like i wanted my brain to turn off, these intruding, ugly thoughts were taking up too much room.

i felt icky.

when i got home, i didn't have my normal after-school snack like i usually did. i went straight upstairs and did homework.

i finished two essays (one that wasn't due until two weeks, and one that was due two days from now), my math homework and studied for my math test, started my science project, and did my french flashcards (and studied them a bit).

i must have been locked in my room for hours, because by the time i got up, it was dark outside.

i wasn't a studious person, and the only reason i did any of this was to forget for a little while. to snap out of it. and for a while, it worked.

"y/n, honey!" my mom screamed from downstairs, and as i glanced at the clock, i realized it was time to have dinner.

but i wasn't hungry.

well, i was.

let me rephrase that; i didn't want to eat.

however, i didn't want my mother yelling at me, so i went down anyways. not that i was planning to eat.

"mom?"

"oh, hey. i already set the table, you seemed like you were working hard and i didn't wanna bother you. dad's working late. go sit down-"

"not hungry."

she frowned. "well, you have to eat something."

"but i'm not hungry," i said, hating how sharply it came out.

my mom gave me warning look. "look, i've had a long day, so don't start with me."

"mommmm," i whined.

"sit."

so i did. i felt bad about bothering her.

i ate. small, tentative bites, forcing it all down. we didn't talk.

silently, i put my dish in the sink, before heading upstairs. the food sat at the bottom of my stomach, like a pile of heavy rocks. i wanted them out.

so i turned on the shower and locked the bathroom door, kneeling in front of the toilet. i pressed my fingers to the back of my throat and kept them there for a second. at first, all i got was bile.

but then i threw up.

-

peter and i started talking more again. i think he got in a fight with liz.

i asked him if they were dating, and he said no.

i think he started hanging out with me again because i got skinny. i know for a fact that i'm skinnier than liz. i weigh less then her now.

the numbers told me that.

but i didn't listen.

i didn't stop, and how could i? when i'd gotten this far?

-

we got in a fight. not the yelling kind, though. well, kind of. i yelled a bit.

i thought he was complimenting me. he said i looked skinny, so i thanked him.

"no... i-" he paused, trying to get his thoughts together, "you look skinny, yes, but not in a good way."

"what? what do you mean? like, there's only a good way," i laughed, slightly nervous.

peter ingnored that. "have you been eating enough, angel?" his voice was soft, but there was worry in it. why was he worried? this is the best i've ever been.

"do you ask liz that, too?"

"i- what?"

"liz is skinny. you don't ask her that."

"that- that is different. y-you haven't been eating, have you? is-"

"god, parker! stop! it's none of your business!" maybe if i hadn't been so flustered, i'd have come up with a better comeback.

-

i was hunched over the toilet, but nothing was coming out. everything hurt.

my head. my stomach.

my throat was scratchy and raw.

i didn't hear the knocking on the door.

i don't really remember peter coming in. i thought i locked it. what was he doing at my house? i couldn't remember.

i wanted to sleep.

i think i was crying. i don't know. i only vaguely remember the hot tears.

i slightly remember him pulling me away from the toilet and into his arms. there were lots of holes in my memory for that day.

he stayed with me, though. one thing i'm sure about is that peter never left my side. i can recall bright lights. tubes. i was laying on something. white walls. white sheets.

what was engraved into my head was peter whispering "i love you" over and over again. in the bathroom. in the car. was it a car? as they hooked me up to cables.

all that mattered, though, was that i was skinny now. just the thought made me feel light and airy.

to think that all it took was a little motivation and a weighing scale.

[katsukikitten]

Warnings: Body horror, Violence, child abuse. This is a work of fiction intended to be consumed by those who are 18 or older. If you are not 18 or older dni.

Mafia Heir Bakugou Katsuki, Guard Izuku Midoriya x reader.

The sound of a metal bay door clangs to life, shoved open by two strong hands as the gears echo their groans to the warehouse.

His lip twitches, brows furrowed as he sneers at the contents of the space dimly lit from the flickering lamps on the dock outside.

Two large shipments sit side by side, covered in black tarp sitting atop wooden pallets so fresh that the smell of pine competes heavily with the stagnant bay.

"How did those idiots forget both?!" He hisses under his breath, white paper cigarette bouncing between his lips as he pats himself down for his phone to call the more volatile buyer but before he can hit the contact the harsh fluorescent lights buzz to life overhead.

"Who the fuck-" He draws his gun but his threat dies quickly on his tongue. Mouth agape as his lit cigarette falls into a puddle formed from the neglected roof.

"Those 'idiots' didn't forget either shipment." Your voice rings out and when the goon spies you he sees you sitting atop what was supposed to be your shipment. You're looking over your claws, paying him no mind as if you were bored and seemingly alone. Although the man would have to be a fool to think that you alone wasn't the worst option he had.

"I have some questions. About my shipment." You hop down from the pallet stacked with pristine products taller than yourself. Pulling down the tarp and the one next to it that was supposed to be delivered tonight, to him.

"Can you spot the difference, Tadashi?" You give the man your back, stepping backwards and your heels clack. Echoing around the silent warehouse, "See how mine is a little bit shorter?"

Your dark eyes flash to him, close enough he can smell your expensive perfume and tonight you're dressed to the nines.

Tonight was supposed to be the meeting of clan heads by the surrounding syndicates. Your shipment was to be delivered by morning and the other was rushed to tonight.

"I don't see that. No ma'am." He can't even see any difference from where you sat on top of the heavily Saran wrapped white bricks. You were by no means a small woman either, strong in stature and you were not called Madame Morte for nothing. Your laugh catches him off guard, it's pretty, the sound contagious and the only reason he doesn't laugh along with you is because he knows exactly who you are.

But that didn't stop him from his little fuck up did it?

He swallows thickly and you smile up at him.

"Hmm that's funny then isn't it? A half inch difference is clear as day. So something must be wrong right? Especially since you take good care to make every brick the exact same weight, size and dimension." You walk over to the two shipments and take one brick off of each, holding them up where he can see the miniscule difference that he tried to pad up with extra wrapping. What's concerning is that the obvious ones shouldn't have been on the outside, he was careful with everyone else, more careful with you. Sure to wait until comfort had sat in and that the head wouldn't bother with the shipments and goons never look past the outside layers, normally that was after five shipments and this was your sixth.

"Ya know I found this one in the middle, about three layers were like this," You cut the brick open with your sharp claws the white substance flutters down onto Tadashi's shoes, "But there weren't bricks like this in the Red Dragon's shipment. Not. One. Single. Brick."

You walk back to return the brick from the opposing stack, ass swaying in that body con black dress and Tadashi tries to look everywhere but. He's seen you gouge out the eyes of anyone who lingered over your body for too long, he was sure it's why you kept those nails so sharp.

"You're a chemist right? Specializing in Bliss, especially correct?" Swiping your middle finger over the substance rubbing it between your digit and thumb, "So you know the chemical structure of bliss right?"

"Yes ma'am."

"I have a chemist as well, she isn't as smart as you, at least not according to everyone else, but do you know what she found in over half of this brick? A different structure. Baking powder." You're still smiling, still cherry sweet with the hint of deadly poison in your eyes before it turns into pure acidic venom, "So which is it? Are you an idiot or are you fuckin lyin to me?"

"N-neither ma'am." You roll your eyes and your done up lashes flutter wildly from the action.

"Liar then." You snap your fingers and a large man with emerald green curls shoves a woman and her two children into the light. Tadashi's eyes widen with horror as he looks over the crying half family.

His family.

"I'm sure since you have no issue lying in front of me, you'll have no issue lying in front of your family." You hum, cradling the woman's jaw in your hand, tapping the tip of a sharp claw to her cheek. The kids cling to their mother with tears in their eyes, their quirks flaring in their time of stress.

"Guess you weren't the smartest chemist underground after all. Pay attention kids, this is what happens to liars." Patience thin, you pull out your gun from under the thigh high slit in your dress aiming the cool metal at the goon who thought he could undercut and insult you in the same breath. The guy was getting off lucky in your guard's opinion given the fact you were electing not to use your quirk.

"W-wait! Wait wait! I can prove my loyalty." He grovels, hands shaking as he holds his palms up to you. It makes you scoff and cock your gun.

"You already did with how you handled my treatment."

"Bu-but I have this- this new product." He fumbles in his pockets, a red dot appears on his chest causing him to freeze.

"'Ts fine Zuzu." You wave him off but all your guard does is move his finger from the trigger, when you glare his way he lowers his gun.

Tadashi produces a small red capsule bullet, needle at the end when he takes off the top and it makes you furrow your brow.

"And what's this?" Curiosity melting your angry features.

"Something In development for mass production. For Overhaul. His shipment is in the back." It's obvious confidence is starting to come back to his sinful face as he nods his head to a crate behind you.

"Oh Kai? Hmm. What does it do then?" By now your gun is returned to its holster and hidden away.

"Quirk deletion." Tadashi gives a nasty smile, like he's truly proud of his work, "Ya know like Allmight's guard Eraser head 'fore he died."

"Ah well let's see it then." You smooth down the fabric of your dress a final time before looking up at him when he makes no action to move.

"Wh-what?" He stammers and it grates your nerves.

"You wanna live? You want your family to live? Silence your quirk." He shrinks under the disgust evident in your sharp gaze and shapter tongue.

"I-I can't do that." His eyes dart around looking for any sign of an out but when you play these silly little games, you always go for the kill.

"That too hard? Well pick your least favorite, silence one of their quirks instead." You gesture between the two boys that whimper at the wave of your nails.

"B-but…"

"B-b-but." You mock rolling your eyes, "But it's insurance isn't it? Proof of your loyalty to me? Especially since you've already been lying. You know how I feel about liars, or at least bad ones."

He swallows, stepping closer to his family and it's obvious now he isn't going to choose himself. Looking between the two boys as their quirks flare, like he's deciding which one is worth more to him.

All while silently telling you he doesn't have an antidote.

"Make up your mind I'm already running late for an event." Quickly he grabs at the hair of his eldest son, pulling the seven year old up by his roots and pushing the needle into his throat. His yelp echos around the warehouse but the most malicious thing of it all is that even with his back to you, you can see Tadashi's smile pushing up his cheeks.

"There." He turns around, sniffling, fat tears brimming his eyes, who he's trying to fool you stents sure, you just know it sure as hell isn't you, "I'll have an antidote for you by next week."

He wipes at his face, coming closer to you, well within arm's reach. Red dot on his forehead but you've spared Tadashi once, he figures you'd spare him again.

Because what woman would let a seven year old go without their quirk not that it mattered to him either way. Good riddance if you asked him, his eldest couldn't control his quirk for shit and it was annoying anyway.

"So I've-" But his sentence is lodged in his throat, unable to get past your steely grip, your lip snarled up in disgust. Your eyes bored, dull and he's coming to realize why they call you Madame Morte from his own first hand experience.

There are legends around your quirk, rumors, that yours is similar to the Ashen King's, although yours was more painful.

Rot, slow and hungry. Greedy in the languid licks as it spread through his body starting from under your pretty hand wrapped around his thick throat. Claws digging into flesh that darkens with blight before pieces of it begin to fall away from his muscles and bones in thick chunks, scream scratching up his throat.

"M-mercyyyyyy." His voice comes out garbled before ending in incoherence as his tongue melts in his mouth, sliding down his throat and taking with it his scream. You lean forward, watching the life flicker in his eyes as he rots slowly, too slowly and only once it's been a moment or so that the flesh is separated from the body does it turn to dust at your designer clad feet.

"God has mercy. I don't." Holding his head as his neck separates from his torso before dropping him all together.

Your eyes flicker to the broken family, the children hiding in their mother's thread bare turtleneck. Tears tracking through her cheap foundation and further exposing the poorly hidden bruises on her throat. It was obvious they were malnourished and it makes you gather saliva into your mouth.

Producing a hissing spit before it lands onto a stray eyeball that turns to dust seconds later.

Izuku is already across the room, rifle slung over his broad shoulders, face stoic as he grabs onto your wrist gently. Taking out a towel to wipe off your manicured hand.

"Kaminari." You look into the shadows before he appears, golden eyes glowing like a cat.

"Yes ma'am?"

"Take care of this."

"Yes ma'am." Kaminari nods, helping the woman up to her feet as Izuku carefully slides elbow length lace gloves onto your arms, that thicken around your palms and fingers, concealing the skin. "Usual collateral payment?"

"250k this time." You spit in the direction of Tadashi or at least what's left of him, again. Just ash fluttering in the bay breeze. Denki nods, skull half mask hiding his smile as he ushers the family out.

"And get them a new apartment, would you? Their old one was a dump." You hiss before going on a small tangent as Izuku fixes your hair, "Can't believe I set foot in there, piece of shit stealing from me and couldn't even fucking provide. Another thing Denks, I need the name of the landlord of that apartment complex. I want it in my name by tomorrow. Tenants relocated."

"Whatever you wish ma'am, it is done." Denki calls back before he takes the family to the van he brought them in, now given orders to relocate.

"You should really stop using your gift when you're in designer dresses, ma'am." Izuku fusses, his emerald eyes flickering to your body as he scrutinized the fabric for any lingering he may has missed.

"Why do you think I always wear black Zuzu?" You give him that damn look, the one that makes his heart clench, the one he can't say no to. He's sure there isn't a person alive who could say no to you.

"Because you like to make every day a funeral." Izuku smooths over your dress, double checking the zipper. He's pulled his half mask down to settle around his throat the second he needed to attend to you. His eyes lingering over your jewelry to make sure it was still in tact until your claw settles under his chin. Tilting his gaze to even with yours even with him leaning closely to you.

"I'm fine. Really." You lean up on red bottomed heels to gently press your lips to his before you're settled back on your feet.

He gives you that pained look he always wears with the two of you get "unprofessional." Still it doesn't stop him from leaning over to kiss your cheek, lips grazing the corner of your mouth before he pulls away and draws the line in the sand by adjusting his half animal skull mask back over his face.

You always think the line is for you but really, it's for him. You live in blissful ignorance on what you do to him and what you allow him to do to you.

It's like you forget the lengths he's gone and still willing to go to protect you at all costs. Even if that means killing his idol. If you asked him he'd tell you he'd do it all over again.

"Aw Zuzu bear don't pout." You tease and his eyes crease in that fake smile he uses to make pretty girls swoon as he presses his broad hand to your back.

"I'll call the car Madame."

"No, no. I'll walk." He gives you a glare but doesn't fight it, talking over the coms to the two waiting outside.

Meanwhile Ochako stands outside in her suit, half mask tiger skull still secure around her pretty face, making her doe like brown eyes that much more deceiving. She flips her knife over and over in her hand. Playing with her quirk that she activates to send it higher before letting it fall back to her hand.

"She should be here by now." Ochako doesn't like waiting, makes her anxious and Sero sighs, more than used to his partner's mannerisms. Mask around his throat as he's hunched over to protect his cigarette he's trying to light from the wind.

"You know madam gets caught up sometimes. It's never anything to worry about." Sero says as he straightens himself out, watching pier bay 42 with the door open just half a block down. He watched the man go in, watched the lights come on but no red confetti yet.

He blows out smoke before his com crackles to life in his ear, Ochako's fingers twitch as the both wait for the command.

"She insists she comes to you." Izuku's voice rings in their ears.

"It's clear and we are on standby." Ochako answers as Sero tries to finish his cigarette while he can, otherwise he'd get fussed at by his pretty boss who chided him on how it would rot his lungs.

And how she would know best.

Once he sees you he flicks the butt, smothering the ember into the gravel under his designer shoe as you walk closer, your lap dog at your heels.

Izuku isn't the same kid that Sero and Ochako grew up on the streets with, no longer the shy, cautious boy he once was. Especially not after the three of them were forced to hop around for mercenary work before the clans popped up to take over the cities. Like a shadow government that the real one feared more than the masses.

The three of them were good at their jobs, Izuku the planner, Ochako the executioner and Sero the getaway driver. But being good, too good even, made them cocky. It wasn't until they went up against a syndicate they had no business trying to steal from did they learn their lesson.

Your father was ready to kill all three of them. They were just lucky enough you had forced your way into sitting in on this very important meeting moments earlier.

Bags torn from their faces and your eyes widened in delight when you saw they were all the same age as you at the time. The ripe age of fifteen.

"Oh Father, killing them would only be a waste of their potential." Sero remembers how you looked, how you still make that face to this day and often. Like a cat that's caught a mouse by its tail with nothing but delightful day dreams of batting it around.

"I want them to train to be my new guard. They're mine now."

"Absolutely not." Your father's voice boomed around the room, making the teens shake, helpless with their wrists bound behind their backs, "You took in that blonde stray two months ago I'm not going to allow-"

"And yet who's men did they slip past? How many layers of security did they slip through? The blonde more so than them but our shit is secure now isn't it? Besides." You hop down from your father's old mahogany desk, "Princess always gets what she wants. Isn't that right?"

Your father pinches the bridge of his nose, he made a monster of you, he truly did.

He'd be lying if he wasn't proud of it, especially after what happened to your mother.

"Fine. But no more strays. That's final."

"That's fine. I won't need anyone else."

That was ten years ago and in the past decade Sero had been treated better than he could ever imagine. He has a lot of freedom for a head of a department and you've made it clear that only the four of them had the option of getting out if they wanted. No strings attached as long as they stayed silent you wouldn't look for them.

But you haven't once given them a reason to leave.

Sero fingers the swirling ink on the inside of his thick forearm, the family crest sitting proudly on display when he's driving you around, hidden in the city so he can float throat the crowd like all the other faceless nobodies.

You're graceful, even in the uneven gravel of the parking lot, smiling genuinely as you approach two people you have and would kill again for.

"Sero, Ochako, thank you for waiting. Ochako love, I have a task for you dear. Inside is a crate that Zuzu has marked would you be a doll and make sure that it gets transferred to Momo's office immediately. I'd like for you to hand deliver it and call me once you're there." You talk as Izuku helps you into the car waiting for you to finish before he shuts the door, "And you'll have no problem keeping your girlfriend company will you?"

"No ma'am." Ochako blushes as you wear your knowing cat smile. Izuku shuts the door and rounds the car to sit on the other side. Sero turns over the engine. Ready to pull away on your command.

Ochako watches her reflection in the pitch black tint retreat as the window rolls down revealing just your eyes that sparkle with that dangerous glint.

"One more thing. If you could ask her to expedite this antidote please. I've got a seven year old waiting on it."

"As you wish ma'am." Ochako nods and watches her reflection grow this time while your eyes disappear before Sero throws the car in drive and tries to salvage some of the lost time hoping to make you no later than an hour late to the most important meeting of the year.

But you wouldn't be the Princess if you weren't always fashionably late now would you?

[countrymusiclover]

12 - Late Night Confession

Part 13

It’s About Time

Tags just ask - @lover-of-books-and-tea @bvbwestfall @bubble-bluee @liesanddreams @bethanymccauley @skeletonontheroad @ashsallyblue2

Georgie nervously responded with a blush on his face. “The more than best friends kind of feeling.” I hung my mouth opened so unclear of my next response to my best friend. 

I blinked my eyes a couple of times frozen in my spot standing in the room. I blurted out the question because I still wasn’t able to believe what he just said to me. “Georgie - are we sure this isn’t a dream or something?”

“I hope not or I snuck out of the house for nothing.” He responded with a half smile. 

Brushing my hair back out of my eyes I sighed. “Okay uh - just give me a second to think.”

“The fact that you’re needing to think about is scaring me. I think it’s a simple question: do you feel the same way or not?” Georgie asked, tilting his head. 

Sitting down on the end of the bed making it creek at my weight I stared at the bookshelf in front of me. “It’s sort of simple, I just need a minute here.”

“Look if you don’t feel the same way then that’s cool. I broke up with Jana but my charm can probably get her back and date me again.” 

I sent him a side eye. “Georgie, are you sure that’s the best idea? I doubt she’ll want to get back with you especially when it depends on what reason you gave her.”

“I told her I wanted to date other girls in addition to her.” He responded back to me. 

Covering my face with my hands I groaned. “On god.” 

“How was that wrong? It’s the truth cause I do really like you.” 

I chuckled at his response. “Georgie, you’re lucky that I like you even though sometimes you don’t understand some things.” 

“So you do like me. Like, like me more than a friend like me?” Georgie came over and sat down beside me on the bed where our faces were close like they had been at my birthday bonfire. 

I got up from the bed pacing back and forth in front of my best friend wrapping my arms around my body blurting it out to him. “Of course I care about you more than a friend, Georgie!”

“You’re being serious?” He asked me. 

Running my fingers through my hair I croaked through some tears feeling this huge weight being taken off my chest after all this time. “I’m 100% being serious. I mean we’ve been best friends since we were five years old. I’ve basically become a member of your family with all the time I spend at your house. Georgie, you know everything about me and I know everything about you.” 

“What's funny?” He raised a brow when a playful laugh left my lips. 

I grinned at the eldest Cooper boy. “I think everyone in this town has been counting down the days until we would get together.” 

“Sorry I wasn't smart enough to figure out it was so obvious.” He apologized. 

I stepped closer to him where our gazes met and our chest were nearly up against the others. “Don’t apologize. I wasn’t throwing it out too clearly on my end.” 

“But you shouldn't have to. In fact I ain’t gonna make you question how I feel ever again.” 

“How are ya gonna do that-” I gasped before he cut me off, cupping my face in his hands with our lips colliding together. 

It took me a second to process what was happening right now. Of course I had dreamt of this moment but now it was happening for real. My fingers gripped onto the fabric of his shirt when I begin kissing him back. We pressed our bodies against one another, moving as close as we possibly could. 

Georgie moved one hand into my hair cradling my face in his other. I threaded my fingers in his curly hair until we needed air and broke the kiss. “I can't believe we're really doing this right now.” 

“Neither can I. I must have been a darn fool to not see my feelings for you earlier.” He rested his forehead down on mine, gently letting his hands drop down to my waist. 

I ran my fingers through his hair a second time making him look me in the eye. “It doesn’t matter how long it took for us to get here. We're here now, that's all that matters.” 

Georgie and I remained staring at each other letting silence fill the bedroom. I broke the staring contest and wrapped my arms around his neck kissing him for the first time. He kissed me back, wrapping his arms around my waist tugging me closer. Somehow along the way we tumbled back onto my bed never breaking the long drawn out kiss. 

He finally broke it needing air seeing the time on my dresser clock. “I should get going before it gets too late.” 

“Or you could just stay and sneak out tomorrow morning before my parents take me to school.” I suggested not wanting him to really leave not when we just confessed. 

Georgie grinned leaning forward kissing me. “I can do that, darling.” 

“Darling?” I chuckled. 

He made a confused face back. “Ya don’t like it?” 

“It’s not that. You’ve just never called me that before.” I smiled, running my fingers through his brown curls a second time. “It’ll take some getting used to but don’t think I don’t like it.”

Georgie nodded, shifting his body weight on the bed to lay down. “I’ll have to start callin’ you it more often then.” He lifted up the covers after he kicked off his boots and socks, leaving his pants on since we weren’t near the point of sleeping together. 

I climbed underneath the covers crawling over to him and laying my head in the crook of his neck. “I guess having matching scars is good for a relationship.” 

“You bet your boots, darling.” He teased me where I quietly squealed before we curled up into the other passing out for a few hours. I was still in shock and over the moon about what just happened between us. 

The morning came far too soon for either of our enjoyment. My alarm started going off where I rolled over and shut it off about falling back asleep until the realization hit me. Sitting upright I saw that the clock read 6:15 am on it meaning I was supposed to be getting ready. Flopping over onto my other side I nudged Georgie trying to wake him up. “Georgie. Georgie wake up.”

“Wha - what’s going on?” He mumbled in his sleepy morning voice not opening his eyes. 

I shake his shoulders another time. “We're late or you'll be late. You were supposed to sneak out at 5:30. It's 6:15 and my dad usually comes to drive me to school at 6:45.”

“Dang it!” He opened his eyes quickly stumbling out of the bed. He yanked his boots on as fast as he could. 

I heard footsteps coming down our hallway before my father’s voice came through the door. “Y/n, are you ready?” 

“Uh not yet.” I called back to him. 

Georgie walked over to the window about to open it but needed my dad to not be listening. “Okay well I have to leave for work. Your mom can take you for today.” 

“Sounds good.” I responded before he left down the hallway leaving us alone. Georgie and I spared the other a glance before he climbed out the window and out onto the large tree limb. “Be careful. If my daddy catches you he'll shoot you off the property-” 

“With a ten gage shotgun. Don't worry I got this.” Georgie reminds me, slowly climbing down the tree. His right foot slips and he dropped to the dirt groaning for a second till he thankfully got to his feet. He got on his bike speeding off as fast as he could. 

I sighed, lowering my head into my hands for a brief moment, finally getting dressed for my day. Heading downstairs my mom was sitting on the couch waiting for me. “Are you ready for school?” 

“Yep.” I gave her a one word response going out the front door to the car and we made our way to school. 

She broke the silence that had appeared the minute we got in the car. “Is everything okay?” 

“Yeah why?” I answered her. 

She sent me a half smile. “You've just not been hanging out with Georgie like you have for years.” 

“Oh well we've been busy. But that's not what is bothering me.” 

My mom questions letting silence fill our car. “Then what is?” 

“I'm going to have to break up with Marlowe today at school.” I shrugged my shoulders looking out the window, our revenge plan seemed to have worked after all. Yet I had to play it cool and hide the huge smile that wanted to cross my lips. 

Comments really appreciated ❤️

[storiesbyjes2g]

3.119 Sparkly eyes

After enduring so much pain and heartache, adrenaline coursed through our veins, and our hearts pounded with excitement. We had to get out and celebrate our new chapter and returned to that fancy restaurant in Tartosa. Sophia glowed with joy over her pregnancy, and the sizzling hot leather dress she put on only made her even more stunning. Her radiant smile illuminated the entire place, and her eyes sparkled with a mix of joy and contentment. The way that dress clung to her curves accentuated her little baby bump, making her even more captivating. She had a gentle sway in her step and moved with a newfound grace. As for me, the weight of our struggles lifted, and I felt a surge of confidence I hadn't experienced in a very long time. I stood taller and squared my shoulders, dripping triumph and pride and newfound purpose. Other diners glanced at us as we strolled by, swagged out in all black. If they thought we were celebrities, I wouldn't blame them. We certainly felt like millionaires.

The hosted placed us in what I felt was the best seat in the house. We were inside, but right on the edge of the patio that had a great view of the ocean. As if on cue, as soon as I opened the menu, my phone rang; it was my sister. A lingering unease from last night made me hesitant to answer, especially knowing whatever she had to say might sour my mood. It wasn't just her unexpected pregnancy that unsettled me; it was the persistent apathy and weirdness I dealt with my entire life. I was at a place in my life where I wanted peace, and more often than not, she disrupted my peace. But despite my reservations, I answered the call. She was my sister, after all, and I loved her. As soon as I picked up, she dove straight into gossiping about Mama and Dwayne without so much as a greeting, causing my eyes to roll. She said something about an argument and him storming out of the house but didn't overhear any details.

Women were funny creatures and did weird stuff of whom Mama and Alessia were chief. I didn't think I would ever understand them and had to learn to be okay with that. So many questions came to mind, particularly why Mama wouldn't marry Dwayne, but frankly, I didn't care. That subject always disrupted my peace, and my wife's sparkling eyes beckoned for my attention. I told Less I was out with Sophia and would see her tomorrow at the party.

The ambiance in the restaurant seemed to match our high spirits. Soft music floated in the background, mixing with the clinking of glasses and low hum of conversation. The setting sun cast a warm glow on the patio that mirrored the warmth in our hearts. We finally broke free from the emotional prison that had trapped us. Everything felt brand new and wonderful as we rejoiced in the moment. We savored every bite of our meals, cherished each other's company, and laughed louder than ever before. The life we dreamed of was finally within our grasp, and every touch, every taste was a celebration of that victory we fought so hard to reach. We were invincible. Nothing could dampen our spirits or dim the sparkle in our eyes.

The sun had completed its descent by the time we finished dinner. I still had so much excitement brewing inside and wasn't ready to go home yet, so I asked Sophia to dance. The restaurant wasn't designed for dancing, but she didn't let that bother her like they do in the movies. She got up immediately, grabbed my hand, and pressed her body against mine. Her baby bump was so small, but I loved feeling it pressed into my stomach as we danced. It was odd, but I really felt like there were three of us present in that moment.

"How do you feel?" I asked.

"I'm good," she purred. "I'm better than good."

She turned around and gazed at the ocean, caressing her belly so tenderly. Knowing the baby couldn't feel what she was doing, could it feel the loving energy emanating from her hands? Did it know how much we loved it despite not being fully developed yet?

"I'm glad to hear it... Are you scared at all?"

"About which part?"

"I guess... The part where we're in charge of this little sim for the next 63 days and making sure they turn out decent."

"Hmmm...that does sound daunting. I'm not scared, though."

"Yeah?"

She turned around to face me, assaulting me with those sparkly eyes, and my readiness to return home increased exponentially.

"You're a good sim...I'm a good sim. We make a great team, and between us both, we have enough examples of what not to do, so I think the odds are in our favor," she said.

"That's a good way to put it."

She reached for my hands and held them gently.

"Let's promise that we'll always make time for this," she said.

"Date nights?"

"Maybe. I mean, let's make sure we always have time for us, no matter what that looks like."

I knew exactly what she meant because I saw it play out despite my parents' estrangement. Mama was always so wrapped up in making sure we felt loved and comfortable. She didn't really start taking time for herself until we were well into our teens, and Dad started much later. Raising children took a lot of effort and energy, and I watched my parents get sucked into our atmosphere time after time. My child wasn't even born yet, and it still consumed many of my thoughts. And knowing how mesmerized we'd be after its born, we definitely needed to make that promise. My love for Sophia will never die, but I could see us sacrificing our togetherness for the sake of our child's well-being, especially after working so hard to bring it into the world.

"I promise I will always make time to celebrate us."

[sophieinwonderland]

The "Sophie is Dangerous" doc targeting SAS, and refusing to take responsibility for their own actions.

In the latest update for the "Sophie is Dangerous" doc, the author has expanded their scope to targeting SAS, attacking SAS for... calling them out for their own actions?

The Minimization

Looking back in retrospect, it’s so crazy knowing that this stupid, one off thing has had such a profound effect on our life and where we are currently are now, including our standing with the pro-endo community, can essentially be traced back to us telling an anti-endo to suck our dick.

WOW! That "essentially" sure is pulling A LOT of weight in that sentence, isn't it?

I know you've dubbed your actions as "#cockgate" to present it as this funny quirky thing... but like, your first post that started it was actually just wishing harm on anti-endos.

Just look at the screenshots you posted in your own doc!

This was the inciting incident. Not telling sysmeds to suck your 🐓.

I don't even have much of a problem with this one, personally. It's just wishing the fruits of their labors, and what they have wished on others, onto them.

When you started talking about your 🐓, it was in the context of attacking people for having a disorder.

This was also one of the big things that convinced me to get involved in that situation.

Because you weren't just attacking sysmeds anymore. You were being openly ableist towards all CDD systems. Including pro-endo ones.

And when you did tell them to suck your 🐓, you did so by telling this group that consists largely of survivors of sexual assault that it's the only thing they were good for!

Every single post you've made talking about these actions have minimized them. Even after posting the screenshots, this was your takeaway:

This really hurt to see. Mod Dude was the reason we got harassed, sent death threats, and why the allegations got so out of hand.

No! YOU were the reason you got harassed!

YOUR actions led to SAS's response. And later, to mine!

We weren’t really sure what to do about it. Should we bring it up? If it was Mod Dude’s platform that got our blogs taken down, maybe we could ask Mod Dude and their followers to email tumblr staff to try and get our blogs back?

No! I first don't think that would have actually done anything. But it wasn't Dude that caused your blogs to get taken down. It was YOU. It was what YOU did. It was YOUR actions.

On one hand, it’d show that Mod Dude was genuine in wanting to change and it could be like an “olive branch” to the pro-endo community,

Helping someone whose actions overwhelmingly harmed the pro-endo community wouldn't be an olive branch to the pro-endo community.

You made these incredibly harmful posts in "#endo safe" tags, not caring that they could be triggering to pro-endos who are browsing safe tags to avoid drama.

and we could apologize for our behavior.

You still don't seem to understand why your behavior was harmful.

Even now, over a year later, you act as if the worst thing you did was just casually tell people to suck your 🐓. And the real problem was actually the people calling you out, whether it was SAS or myself.

You act as if SAS manipulated you because, in response to a post where it was obvious they didn't remember who you were, they seemed vaguely supportive.

We don’t remember all of it, overall they were supportive. But Mod Dude had brought up that they asked the other mods of @/sysmedsaresexist about us, and was told we were the ones who told anti-endos to suck our dick the year prior. Mod Dude expressed his amusement over this, and said they hoped we “haven’t changed”.

They weren't concealing their history with you. They legitimately had no idea who you were.

We reached out to Dude, explained we never intended to contact them again due to the trauma they caused us, and that people are STILL saying we intentionally hurt CSA victims.

YOU DID! You intentionally hurt CSA victims with posts that could be considered sexual harassment! You bragged about not having dissociative symptoms, and told a group that consisted largely of CSA victims that they were only good for sucking 🐓!

You did that!

These are your actions!

Instead of apologizing, Mod Dude used excuses for their actions and why they won’t publicly apologize.

You were the one in the wrong!

They just called you out on your behavior!

YOU AREN'T OWED AN APOLOGY!

Mod Dude has also threatened us, saying they’re “going to come forward” if “things don’t stop” “because enough is enough”. Up until now, we believed that Mod Dude hadn’t acted with malice, but due to lack of medical and personal support, just wasn’t really in a place in their life to healthily interact with others in a serious capacity. Now Mod Dude is employing abuse tactics to threaten us into silence. While this is deeply upsetting to learn that Mod Dude is in fact abusive, it’s also making our trauma around the situation worse. 

"The person I've been attacking nonstop warned that they'll post their side of the story publicly if I keep publicly attacking them. See! They're trying to silence me! This proves that they're an abuser!"

For the love of the gods, GROW UP!

We’ll also talk about how Sophie’s reaction to this is what made us change our views on her, and eventually lead us down the path of making the document about her.

And FINALLY, YOU ADMIT IT! 👏

That this whole document about me being so "dangerous" was born out of nothing more than a petty grudge because I called you out on being ableist and hurting the community.

I look forward to seeing how you spin this in future updates.

If you do, I realize that you won't have access to our DMs since that account no longer exists. 🥳

So here are the screenshots of me politely asking you to step away because you were harming people, where you responded by declaring that you weren't part of our community and telling me to "save my self-righteous act for someone else."

You made it clear to me that you didn't care if your actions hurt other pro-endos. If it hurt my community. Because you didn't want to be a part of that.

You said that it "wasn't your problem" if you triggered other members of the community, despite the fact that YOU WERE THE ONE DOING IT!

And the fact that you say you were trolling for a reaction makes it all the more absurd to demand an apology. You were given exactly what you wanted.

[king-paimon]

Houseki no Kuni Chapter 104 Thoughts: "My Way" By Frank Sinatra

Hello everyone! I hope your month had gone by well. Mine had been...eventful, to say the least, though I suppose things could have turned out much worse.

Anyways, that's not what this is about. I just finished going through the latest chapter and... wow. That last image. Many fans have pointed out the signs, and I think it's safe to say that those last few pages confirm how this long saga is finally going to end...

BUT before I get into that, as always, I'll share some of my thoughts in this post. This will be long and ramble-y as usual (I truly meant to keep it short this time, I swear! It just kept getting longer and longer...) and I may come back to update some things. And as always, please feel free to share your own thoughts!

BTW: After reading this chapter a few more times and struggling with a title for the post, "My Way" by Frank Sinatra kept popping up in my head. It's honestly pretty fitting. That's why it's my title now. Please look up the song and lyrics when you get the chance and you'll hopefully see what I mean.

View of Humanity Through Untainted Eyes (Or lack thereof...)

Like the last couple of chapters, this chapter was dialogue heavy and it was admittedly hard to pick which parts I liked the most. Eyeball's (Or should I address him as "Brother"?... I'm sticking with "Eyeball") dramatic performance at the beginning was very funny and informative. It really showed how much he not only hated humanity and yet valued the professor during her final moments. And his talk with Phos at the end of the chapter was engrossing. But for this section, I'll mostly focus on Phos's interactions with the pebbles; I'll focus more on the first pebble in the following section.

Phos has truly become a teacher/mentor-like figure ( and dare I say even parental figure) for these pebbles, especially because of how they spoke to them. Phos literally reminded me of a thoughtful pre-school teacher with how patient they are with each of the pebbles and giving them the chance to express their differing opinions and giving what I think were appropriate responses. In some ways, Phos's mannerisms in this chapter reminded me of Adamant, though Phos's approach with these pebbles seems more gently, at least to me.

Hmm...You know what's funny? As I was writing this portion, a little thought popped into my head claiming that Phos may have inadvertently adopted more of Adamant's habits than I first realized. I'll try to explain more on this in the next portion.

But let me first go back to another thing that I liked about Phos's interaction with the pebbles: their individual responses. It could have been so easy to have the pebbles all be likeminded after hearing the history of humans, but that's not what we got. Each pebble had their own opinion; some were curious, some were scared, some were right in the middle, and a few seemingly blasé. I don't know why but I like how these varying responses further emphasize that the pebbles individuality goes deeper than their varying appearances and mannerisms. And I'm also thankful that Phos and Eyeball weren't seemingly perturbed by their responses... at least Eyeball wasn't.

"I want everyone to be happy": Naivety or Profound Point of View?

Now let's focus on the main pebble, because of course, out of all the responses, their response to Phos and Eyeball had the most weight despite how simple it sounds on the surface.

You can argue that the pebble's response was due to their naiveté, but I think this pebble has repeatedly shown that their nuanced view of the world around them is sophisticated and mindful. After being told by Phos and Eyeball about how fascinating and yet awful humans were and even acknowledging humanities good and bad qualities, the pebble still believed that everyone deserves happiness, even those considered "bad".

I couldn't agree more with Eyeball and Phos on this page:

At first, I thought that these innocent and yet wise responses reminded me of old Phos, but the more I thought about it, this couldn't be further from the truth. While Phos was also very naïve at the beginning of the story, I think they were to lost in their own heads to truly think outside of their own unrealized desires, even when they claim their actions were to help everyone. So if you were to tell old Phos the stories of humanity and ask them the same questions, I don't think we would have gotten the same answers the pebble gave. And the more I think about, I doubt Phos would have ever made the same conclusion at any point in their story. There's nothing wrong with that, but that just has me thinking... It's interesting how this small pebbles seem more empathy for others than the previous human descendants, from the Lunarians, Admirabilis, and the even the Lustrous, even though they looked more human.

Tell me what you think! This was weird character analysis tangent and I'm curious to know if anyone has feels similarly or differently. But speaking of Phos's character... Onto the next section!

Friend to Closed Off Guardian: The barrier between Phos and the pebbles

While I was typing the paragraph that focused on Phos's mentor-like persona, I made a small realization. Is it just me or doesn't Phos's interactions with the pebbles feel different now? Yes, I pointed out that Phos is acting like a kind teacher in this chapter and I could be overanalyzing this, but while this interaction is cute on the surface, I can't help but feel there is more to this interaction. This is why I brought up Adamant, for Phos's interactions with the pebbles in this chapter reminded me of a certain aspect of Adamant's old relationship with the Lustrous.

As you may recall, Adamant assumed a leader/guardian role with the Lustrous over time. He had many reasons of doing so, including for their protection, but assuming this role came at a price; Adamant ended up keeping the Lustrous at an emotion distance. With the exception of Antarctictite and eventually Phos and Euclase, Adamant closed himself off from forming true close relationships to the gems, for their sake and his, effectively creating a barrier between them. This barrier only became obsolete after Adamant finally relented and opened up to the Earth gems after Phos's first attack on them, and even if it were just for a short time, Adamant and the Lustrous interacted on a somewhat equal footing.

Now lets go back to how Phos initially interacted with the pebbles. Not long after Phos found the first pebble, they didn't interact like how Adamant used to with the Lustrous. The two talked freely and sang together without a care in the world. Though Phos and this pebble are vastly different in many ways, it was clear that Phos saw them as a friend. An equal. And Phos was happy.

But now look at how Phos interacts with the pebbles now. I don't see Phos's interaction with the first pebble or any of the pebbles the same way anymore. Yes, Phos encourages the pebbles to speak freely, but to me, it feels like the same can't be said about Phos now. Phos isn't speaking as freely as they did before. They are selective in how they address the pebbles, kind of like Adamant. Phos is acting more like their guardian rather than their friend... like Adamant used to. Phos is fully embodying Adamants old role now and it's a little sad the more I think about.

After being alone for so long in more ways than one, Phos had finally found beings who treated them like a real friend. But because something in them changed, Phos is now slowly but surely assuming their role as the pebbles guardian and in doing so, that friendship connection is being replaced by a similar barrier that Adamant once donned.

Like I said, I'm probably overthinking this and giving Haruko Ichikawa more credit than what's due, but I just can't help but think about the parallels here. What do you think?

Acceptance: The End is Near

The last thing I'll touch on are the last few pages because...wow.

If I remember correctly from posts made by some keen eyed fans, the story had been hinting that the main sun is about to die. And one of the final stages of a star's death is that it would expand into either a red giant or a red super-giant, which was being depicted in that last image.

And if I'm interpreting those last few pages correctly, it seems that both Phos and Eyeball are aware that the sun will eventually consume the Earth. It will take a couple more thousand of years, but as we've seen here and in the previous chapters, time doesn't matter. The real end of everything is coming and those two are accepting it.

Yup. It looks like we have true confirmation for how this saga is going to finally end. And just like those two, I'm ready for it. Not out hatred or anything truly negative towards this series... I just feel like I'm ready for that final curtain call for this unique, thought provoking, and strenuous story.

I just hope the end will be a worthy end.

WHEW. This post ended up being even longer than I originally intended! Sorry about that. Regardless, I hope you liked it. Please don't hesitate to share your thoughts, even if you don't agree with me!

Until next time!

[d1g1tal-d1ary]

Ex‘s // Alex Turner

Summary: After yet another late night call, y/n finds herself in the studio once again with her ex boyfriend Alex Turner. So of course they‘re ought to fuck, aren‘t they?

Warnings: smut, cunnilingus, sex, blowjob, f!reader, p! in v!, ex smut, unprotected sex, oral sex (m! and f! receiving)

Wordcount: 2.7k

‧₊˚🖇️✩ ₊˚🎧⊹♡ ‧₊˚🖇️✩ ₊˚🎧⊹♡ ‧₊˚🖇️✩ ₊˚🎧⊹♡

Breaking up seemed funny to me. You'd spent so much time with the other person - shared the most vulnerable or emotional moments with each other that you started to forget how to live on your own. Sure, I still knew how to do the laundry and how to cook without anyone watching me intensly with so much adoration that my lungs were filled with anticipation but I forgot how to feel loved on my own. I didn't know how to feel wanted alone; without him whispering sweet nothings into my ear while taking me from behind.

That's why I wasn't the one to blame for all this chaos we left behind. Our break up was one of those that all of our friends had expected. They'd been watching both of our souls push themselves from one another only to come back sooner than later so often they eventually grew tired of it.

And the day we finally had the guts to cut things off, my friends were happy for me. They finally felt like they could talk freely to me again about him; how bad he treated me and what an awful narcissist he had always been. But even though they thought I was finally listening and changed my mind about him, I never actually did.

I was still addicted to him - to his touch that still lingered all over my body and to his voice that was still humming softly everytime I could't fall asleep and to the way he made sure I knew just how much he longed for me when he took each piece of clothing off my body.

Each "God, you haven't lost anything with letting that shit go" and every "You're better off without him" made me cringe internally as I knew I wasn't honest about what exactly had been going on ever since we broke up and I moved into another apartment.

I would have never dared to be honest with them; I knew they would have judged me. But they should've understood, they should've realized that no matter how many times I tried to get away from him - I was quickly pulled back by him every single time again.

And that night wasn't any different. I snuggled myself into a blanket on the couch with some sweets and some wine. I was mentally drained - work had been pulling all the energy out of me recently and I needed nothing more than him whispering everything's gonna be okay a glass of red wine with a reality TV show. And I knew by the way my phone was lighting up; by the way the only person who would ever text me this late at night that I was in deep.

>> Missing u <<

I hated him. I hated him for breaking my heart so many times I stopped counting, I hated him for still calling me up every once in a while and I hated him the most for putting me into the position to be the one coming to him.

Or maybe I was the one I hated. Maybe I was angry with myself for still looking into the mirror, making sure I was looking as good as I possibly could at midnight and leaving the comfort of my apartment just to feel something again. To feel him again.

And when he opened the door of the studio, I realized that I'd travel the world if he asked me to. His half lidded eyes met mine as he was leaning against the door slightly, taking in the sight of me. I shifted the weight from one foot onto the other when I got a little bit insecure about my odd outfit choice - a white top with one of those mini skirts.

"Took you a bit longer than usual," he murmured before stepping aside to let me in. I complied the unspoken demand and walked straight to the room where his guitar layed. Meeting up at the studio made me feel not as bad as I'd usually feel because it wasn't his nor my apartment. The studio wasn't that intimate; it was mostly used to simply record songs or sometimes even throw a little party.

I didn't notice that Alex had been spending nearly all of his time in the studio ever since I moved out. I guessed he always wanted to meet me there because of the same reason as I justified it.

"I walked," I simply replied as I sat down on the black leather couch. "It finally cooled off a bit outside."

"It did?" he curiously asked and took the seat on the opposite side of the couch. "How have you been, love?"

I shrugged off the way my heart started pumping quicker at the so simple four letter word and answered:" Y'know, as always. Work has been killing me lately."

"You have to quit," he shook his head while toying with his guitar a bit. "You haven't been happy a single day since starting at that company."

"That's not as easy as you make it sound like," I sighed. "Besides, they pay me more than the other companies would pay a woman. So I'll suck it up and continue."

An appreciated silence fell upon the room while I began watching him play soft tunes on the guitar. I even caught him hum a few times to one of the songs; making my heart melt at how easy and normal his company felt like.

"Are you starin' at me or the guitar?" he asked after a while and smirked in my direction.

"Both," I wasn't lying; I was staring at his hands fiddling with the guitar. "I want to know what it all means."

He exhaled sharply and gave me a look before speaking up:" Not all things or actions have to mean something, y/n."

"So you invite me to the studio nearly every night just to have a shag?" I shot back, clearly not satisfied with his answer. "You confuse me so much."

"I confuse you?" he huffed. "If anything, you're the one confusing me. You're in my mind all the time. Not once has your face left me alone since we broke up."

I didn't - couldn't believe his words. There was so much between us that was still unspoken from that night we broke up. He was the one who seemed happier after the break up; at least that's what my friends had been telling me.

"So that's why you always call me?" I mumbled and my own voice sounded drained because all I wanted to do was to reach out and hold the boy I fell in love with. "Because you can't fuck someone else without seeing me?"

"If you're here just to throw those lies against my head, you can go," he said without looking at me. "I thought you might understand me. Because no one else does. I can't be without you and no one else understands because they don't know what it feels like to be with you."

I wanted to cry right then and there. Finally, those words I craved the most during the last weeks finally stumbled past his lips and left a tingeling feeling in my body.

"Alex-" I tried to say but I was cut off by his low voice:" Have you any idea what you did to me, y/n? I dreamt about you nearly every night this week and it's driving me insane. You're driving me insane."

He stood up and walked to where I was sitting, coming to a stop when he could easily gaze down at me. I gulped when I saw him; his eyes were filled with so much longing that I was practically undressed just with the look of his eyes.

"You're everywhere I go," he continued and slowly sank down on his knees. His fingers gripped my thighs and spread them; making me gasp. "I can't get you out of my head. I can't fall asleep without you by my side and I don't ever want to live in a world without you."

When those final words escaped his lips, he pulled my skirt up and discarded my panties while I had lifted my ass up just a bit, so they could easily slide down. Without wasting any more moments, he gripped my ankles and pushed my heat towards him.

"You're so beautiful," he whispered before pressing a kiss on my inner thighs, his arms clutching to my legs so they were resting on his shoulders. "I never want to taste anyone else on you. I can't bear the thought of anyone else having this and not appreciating in enough."

I whimpered at the light touch and at his words and leaned my dripping cunt towards his mouth; silently pleading for him to finally lay his tongue upon there. And when I finally felt his mouth sucking on my clit, I moaned aloud.

"I love when you sing for me, sweetheart," he mumbled against my wet slit before returning to fuck me with his tongue. A shiver spread across my spine as I felt him slurping my juice like I was his last meal; occasionally rubbing his nose against my clit. Before I knew it, I had already been a moaning and whimpering mess beneath him.

"Fuck, right there!" I cried out loud and squirmed while my hands had gripped his long hair tightly. "Alex- yes! I'm.. cumin'!"

I knew I was over the edge when he added a finger to work on my clit - I came with a loud moan and I could've sworn I never had a more intense orgasm from a man's mouth.

Alex stood up and his sight gave me so much arousal; his deep eyes gazing down at my cunt while I could see the bulge in his jeans made me clench around nothing. Once my breathing was almost evenly again, I sat up on the edge of the couch and grazed his clothed cock with my hand.

"You're so fuckin' hot, d'you know that?" Alex mumbled as my hands slowly unbuckled his belt. I didn't answer, though I smiled up at him before I pulled down his jeans as well as his boxers. That sight was far from being new to me - remembering this had been the third time we met up just that week - but everytime my eyes layed upon his hard cock, saliva collected in my mouth. I'd never found dicks beautiful nor did they ever turn me on but something about his so perfect sized cock with those perfectly placed veins paired with his unshaved groin made me crave him being in me so desperatly.

Without wasting precious time, I spat onto his already throbbing cock and spread it with a few strokes. I looked up at him one last time; meeting his turned on gaze before taking him into my mouth slowly. His hands immediatly found its way into my hair and pulled it out of my face so he could see me taking his cock so well.

"Fuck.." he groaned and threw his head back. "Turn around."

I didn't hide my disappoinment that he clearly didn't want to cum from the blowjob but only used it as a way to collect enough moisture when I turned around on the squaking couch - giving him the perfect view on my arse while my arms were propped against the back of the couch.

"Don't look at me like that," Alex murmured. I could feel his hand push the skirt upwards so he could see my drooling pussy. "Thought I'd make you feel especially good tonight."

A shiver ran through my spine when his finger slid into me; just to check if I was ready. But fuck, I was desperate for his cock.

"Fuck me, Alex," I whimpered and wiggled around towards his hand. "Please, just fuck me."

I heard a chuckle from behind me before he guided his cock to my entrance. With a swift, yet slow motion he began pushing himself further and further into the warmth of my pussy. We both moaned in relief when he was all the way in and after a few seconds of adjusting, he began moving.

It was not long until the room was filled with the sound of him thrusting into me and the air got so hot and sticky that both of us began sweating. Every once in a while, he would completely bottom out; leaving me with the emptiness inside of me before thrusting into me so deep I swore I saw stars.

"You're fuckin' perfect," he breathlessly moaned and his fingers digged even deeper into the flesh of my waist - surely leaving marks. "I wanna hear you moan my name."

I couldn't help but cry out when he hit that bittersweet spot deep inside of me before I mumbled:" Fuck, just like that, Alex! Please, don't stop."

"I wanna see you, darlin'," he pleaded and his lips grazed my top that was still on. "Turn around, please."

As quickly as I possibly could, I had turned around and watched him sink into me once again; this time hitting a completely different side from within me. I didn't know where to look in my cockdrunk state - I wanted to see his beautiful face grimace in pleasure but I got so hot watching him disappear into me again and again. Luckily he took that choice from me when he leaned even closer to me and pressed his lips against mine hastily while thrusting into me slower but deeper.

"God, you don't know how fuckin' much I miss you everytime you're away from me," he gasped as I clenched around him tighter and our eyes met in that very moment. The way he bit his lips while his hair stuck messily to his forehead because of the sweat and his hands were practically everwhere on my mind - I felt like everything was slowly becoming too much.

"I'm- mhm.. I'm close, Alex," were the only words my foggy brain could form and my hands gripped his biceps for support.

"I can't look at myself in the mirror," he confessed while pounding into me. "Because everytime I see myself, I see the idiot that let you go. The fuckin'- ah! Idiot that didn't know how to treat a girl like you."

Those words were enough to send me over the edge, finally. I gasped and moaned and arched my back as a wave of pleasure rolled over me and hit me like a bus. With a few last thrusts, I had ridden out my orgasm and motioned Alex he had to pull out.

"Where do you want me to cum?" he asked and I sat up quickly while he stood tall in front of me. I began stroking him as quick as he had thrusted into me just seconds ago and when I could feel him twitch inside of my hand, I opened my mouth and let him cum all over my face. Alex's loud moans made me feel so hot and attractive that I licked the cum that was near my mouth off and swallowed it.

"Fuckin' hell, love," he said, his one hand cupping my face and forcing me to look up at him. I leaned into his touch when his thumb began caressing my cheek. "I don't deserve you. I know I should let you go, but I'm a selfish bastard and want you all to myself."

"Was it true?" I asked. "That you regret we broke up?"

The room was silent for a few moments. The air was still hot and smelt like sex but neither of us had the urge to move in any way. We both took our time; we both observed the other one and tried to remember all the features.

"Yes," he finally confessed which made my heart pound faster. "All of it was true. I crave nothing more than you. Sometimes I believe I only exist to love you because every minute I can't love you, is a wasted minute. Singing songs I wrote for you feels awfully wrong when I can't sing them to you."

(Omg!! I kinda love it?? Especially the smut 😜)

[cowboymantis]

Y'know what since it's pride month, I'll do a little random rambling about my identity, bc hell I am 22 whole years old and I am still struggling with my gender lmaoo 😭😭

But also, nowadays I think it's really funny that I took so long to properly realize I was trans and aroace

There were. So many signs. 💀

I almost dreaded to come out as trans to one of my old online friend groups, not bc I thought they were transphobic (bc we were always a heavily lgbtq group), but because I thought I took so long and now I'd have to explain myself. (Stupid I know, but my family is very transphobic, so I never got to be my true self irl, and idk if I ever will as long as my family lives, but maybe I'll be brave enough one day)

But one of the first reactions I got was just yeah I always thought you were gonna say that 😭 And us all talking AND OTHERS COMING OUT TOO it was just such a weight lifted from my shoulders, it was so great.

Because of my family, I'm not 100% sure how I feel about my gender, if I feel more nonbinary or male, it's more something in-between, but more towards male,, but that's why I just feel most comfortable without a label, I'm just me and I'm here 🛌

When it comes to figuring out I'm aroace, the thing is, I kinda thought about it before, but I wasn't sure. Even then, it wasn't too long before I realized.

I always hated romance and cheesy scenes, kissing and especially sex scenes in anything I watch make me super uncomfortable, I'd sometimes think about, if I'm grown up and in a relationship, I have to do all of that... And I was actually scared of needing to get in a relationship, or something like that. Part of it was pressure from my parents to tell me I need to find a partner, to, I guess properly live my life or something. And this is essentially what a lot of people think, that you NEED to have a partner to be complete, and I always found it so weird. I don't want a partner I just wanna sit in my room and play videogames all day :'D

Oddly enough, No Straight Roads, one of my favourite games ever, has indirectly helped me- NOW HEAR ME OUT. One name: Eve.

Omg I love Eve so so much, and her whole arc just made me slowly go ... I feel that omg

I was in one relationship in my life, I'm actually still friends with that person, they also came out as trans, but are in a poly relationship now, which is kind of funny to me because we went pretty much the exact opposite route, I love it 😭

Anyway, I never had any feelings of love how people describe it, I never had any attraction to people. But I was so desperate when we broke up, like I lost my one opportunity in life to be in a relationship, like I needed to have someone else no matter how uncomfortable I felt being in one.

And I just saw my younger teenage self in Eve and I think this is one of the reasons I am so attached to this character, gahhHH I love No Straight Roads so much. It has helped me in a time I was feeling down, it indirectly got me into kpop (😭😭yeah), which then also came at the right time when I had a downer phase, and the community of the game on release was just so sweet.

But yeah, to come back to it, throughout my life, I basically went from "I guess I'm pan or something, because I don't have a preference"

To "Okay the thought of being with a man disgusts me, so I have to be a lesbian"

To "Okay, but I just like looking at people in an aesthetical way, I simp for characters or actors as a joke, I just like looking at them or think they're cute, but that's about it"

And then I was just like oh. Oh wait. it's all coming together.

Realizing you're aromantic and/or asexual can be really hard, and I've seen others' experiences be similar to mine. I think, in a way, it's so hard bc pursuing relationships is the norm for most of the world.

Thinking back to that one lesson we had in ethics class I'll never forget, we had to write down something about the meaning of life. And then everyone should say what they have written down and what their idea was. Most people wrote down having a family. I don't even know what I wrote down (probably something like a happy life or something basic), but I talked about how meaning of life doesn't have to be having a family. And the teacher basically laughed at me for saying that bc that's the whole point of being a human!!!

And I guess from that day I had this one sided beef / grudge against this teacher bc how the hell are you an ethics teacher and think so one-sided 😭 Sure, humans start families so they don't die out, but not EVERY human needs to start a family to have a purpose in life?

So yeah, anyway. Aspecs are very nuanced, there are those who have platonic relationships, people who enjoy sex although they are not attracted to someone, I myself am absolutely repulsed by anything sexual and I don't ever want any type of relationship, I don't like being lovey dovey, and I hate being too close to someone, like hugging, etc. On the outside I've always been very distant, but on the inside I have all the love I don't have for romance, for my friends and for this world instead 😌🙏

I guess I can really seem too cold or maybe even angry, bc it's hard for me to properly show my emotions, and that's why I prefer text over word, I can express myself so freely and can add all the silly little emotes I want :3

Also, I always loved the I do not perceive and do not wish to be perceived bc yeah . Me fr jfhdjdhr

Also, I'm not too fond of sexualities and genders all having weird stereotypes, but god damit I love robots/androids etc sm I always would love to be one fr ‼️‼️ I guess that's one of the reasons I was immediately hooked on Tokusatsu- NO THIS IS NOT GONNA BE A TOKU POST THIS HAS DERAILED WAY TOO FAR

But speaking of-- Naki me belobed and ofc their actor, I love Nakayama sm man and recently read an a bit older interview of him and he's so real 😭😭 I've never literally me-d for an actor so much 🥲

[literaryfandomangel]

The Promise - Chapter Twelve

**TW** Not graphic, but does touch on domestic abuse and the like.

With my mind in such turmoil, torn between wanting to spill my secrets and letting them comfort me while the other half wanted to guard my heart, I began to cry. It wasn't the movie cry; it was ugly sobs that wracked my frame, red turning splotchy. My nose was stuffed up, and I felt like choking with every deep sob that tore from my body. 

I was picked up and set down on a hard, warm lap. Due to the strong tobacco smell that clung to this individual, I deduced that David moved to comfort me. He wrapped his arms around me, allowing me to cry. As I calmed down, left with a stuffed nose and hiccups, I realized this was the first time I had allowed myself to cry. 

I hadn't cried when Mom and I caught Dad cheating with his secretary. I hadn't cried when Justin had choked me in his basement after I weighed a pound over the last weigh-in. I hadn't cried when Mom told us we were moving, nor when Justin was beating me senseless. I hadn't let myself cry, holding it within. 

I felt lighter now that I had cried. I nuzzled into David's hold, letting him continue to hold me for a while longer. I needed to organize my thoughts and wasn't sure what to say. I knew I had to tell them, but it would need to be more detailed. I had only known them for two days, regardless of how comfortable I was with the four delinquents. 

"My family doesn't even know most of it," I finally breathed out, shifting in David's hold to look at the three others. They all had pained looks as if my sobbing had torn a hole in their heart. David rested his head on top of mine, arms woven around my torso. "I had a boyfriend back in Phoenix."

I stopped, hearing what sounded like growling emitting from the four males. It was straightforward to hear while on David's lap as I could hear and feel the vibrating in his chest. I wondered momentarily why they would growl but just waved it off. 

"I met him in 8th grade - right before prom," I gave a watery smile, remembering the beginning of our relationship. "At first, it was like the relationship every girl dreams of."

"He was sweet, charming, and funny," I recanted. "He'd bring flowers, take me out to movies. We were the "it" couple at our school. He made the football team, and that's when things changed. 

"Justin became controlling, almost obsessively so. He wanted to know every student I spoke with," I looked at Marko, whose face had hardened. He didn't look anything like the mellow guy that I knew. Now he looked pissed off. "It worsened when I had a group project. I forgot to tell Justin that I had been partnered with Zach. He went ballistic. That was the first time he hit me."

"What?" Paul exploded, jumping to his feet in anger. "I'll rip him to shreds!"

"Paul," Dwayne's voice sounded tight, but Paul heard the unspoken command in his voice. Paul sank down onto the couch, crossing his arms over his chest. 

"Justin thought that I was flirting because I had to ask the guy for his notes," I whispered, tears in my eyes. "After that, it just spiraled out of control. Justin knew I was insecure about my figure and started pointing out all my flaws. He'd make fun of my thighs, eat anything that I ordered that wasn't a salad, telling me I didn't need to get fat."

"No," Marko breathed, fists clenching in his anger. I knew Paul and Marko were the loose cannons, always ready and itching for a fight, but I'd just seen it tonight. David's body was tensed behind me, his arms like iron chains. 

"Justin made me strip down in front of him and weigh myself," I recanted. "He would praise me if I lost weight, berate me, and hit me if I gained. I wasn't allowed to spend time with my friends; anything he could do, Justin would."

"He didn't," Dwayne trailed off, finally understanding why I was so scared about pulling off my pants around the four men. I nodded; Paul stood up and went deeper into their cave. I jumped when I heard a loud crash. 

"It's alright, kitten," David's cool voice drifted into my ears. "Paul is just upset. Marko," Without hesitation, Marko bounced off the couch and started to destroy stuff with Paul. 

"Anyway, it ended because Mom got a divorce on Dad when we caught him cheating," I shrugged. "That's the jist of my background."

"Thank you," Dwayne's honey eyes gazed at me. His following sentence made me understand that he knew that wasn't half the story. Dwayne knew that there was more, but the way the two vivacious members of their group reacted, I wasn't sure how they would handle the rest. "If you ever need to talk, just come and talk, alright?"

"Thank you, Dwayne," I smiled. "I've gotten so used to being told not to talk; it's foreign to have the chance to talk."

"We always want to hear that pretty voice," Paul murmured, walking into my visual field. He stopped before me, leaning down to press kisses to my face. "Never stop talking."

"Paul," I giggled, his teased hair tickling my face. "You'll get sick of me eventually."

"Lies!" Marko gasped. David and Dwayne agreed, all of them endeavoring to show their mate how much they were loved by the four killers of Santa Carla. 

"None of us would ever push you like that, right?" Dwayne spoke, dead serious about the situation. David tightened his grip around my waist at my hesitation. Finally, with four sets of eyes staring at my figure, waiting for a response, I just shrugged. 

"We would never," Marko crossed over his heart. "We could never."

"I want to believe you," I whispered. 

"But you don't know us yet, kitten," David spoke, breath teasing at my ear. I shivered but nodded in agreement. David was correct. I didn't know any of the four guys in front of me. I just knew that there was a weird connection to all four. 

"I just want to see your hip," Dwayne said. "You will probably need some ice."

"We just want you healthy," Paul agreed, a frown on his face for the past fifteen minutes. 

My heart swelled at their protective natures and their reassurances. I felt hopeful and decided to try to trust them. So far, none of them had done anything untoward to me. I didn't believe they were saints, of course not. But they were decent beneath their personas. Plus, my connection with the four made me want to believe them. 

I hesitated for a while longer, just thinking about it. These four men made me feel secure and warm. Even though I'd known them for over a week, something inside me screamed to trust them. I knew if I refused, none would hold me down, forcing me to show my hip. Therefore, with a sigh and closing my eyes, I decided to take a leap of faith and trust. 

Chapter Thirteen