#just get rid of anyone who gets in trouble while drunk

[annacory-blog]

Dance or die

I fell in love with another fic by @ulysses000 and then Spotify provided me with a perfect song. I had to draw them to exorcise that image from my head.

As per tradition - below is my attempt in translation. I want to make complete translation so badly (this is probably one third)! I believe this story deserves more attention. But can some kind English speaker confirm it is readable???

Love this fic specially from WoD perspective, it cultivates such delicious feeling of emptiness. And while technically, it has a happy end, you can not get rid of bitter taste of loss. Their requiem is not life, and there no way back. All is gone!

—————————————————-

Music stops abruptly. The dancefloor is silent, mob looks around in bewilderment. All eyes are focused on a flimsy, dirty stage. There, litten by sophites, stands brunette, cladded in a black robe. Calmly she re-adjusts many necklaces and bracelets, adorning her bosom and wrists. She checks microphone, softly tapping it with elegant finger, nonplussed by screeching sound it makes or the yells thrown her way from down the stage. For a while she silently stares in the drunk faces below, until eventually rowdy voices are reduced to quiet, unhappy mumble in the back rows.

-"What would you like to say, before the end of the world?"

-"Go fuck yourself!" - someone yells back from the crowd. Brunette’s smiles softly. Her blue eyes sparkle. This sight will be their last before headless body collapses to the floor.

View from the stage is absolutely terrific. It reminds of a late spring evening in the mansion by the sea. Bodies sway in panic, almost as grass would in a lush fields. Writings on the wall glitter with red as if they were remnants of the sunset caught in clouds. Screams - voices of seagulls. Sweet aroma that spreads across the room reminds of freshly brewed Irish coffee. Eyes locked on the bright fountains. Droplets shimmer in the air with a multitude of colour. Content. Do not argue with Mother. It is a simple rule every kid should know. Because, no matter how kind, gentle and understanding Mother is, she is not all sweets and praises. She also has an iron glove to treat the unruly child. Anyone who dares to confront her will surely drown in their own blood.

-"Now, dance or die."

Music never heard in this walls engulfs space. Stirring voice of the violin is echoed by screams, cello is perfectly complimented by heart-rending howls. Robin is not at all surprised by this harmony of cries and choir chanting. Clocks have just reached zero and this means, time for celebration has finally come. Perfect night to forge a timeless bond between the beloved child and the dear friend. Trafalgar stands on the stage, as if he always was there. Pity no one minds what is happening in the spotlight. He looks tidier than usual, ceremonial. Shirt, tie, three piece suit, shoes - all in various shades of black, all fitted perfectly. His gaze briefly stops on the couple of cadavers lying by the stage, then moves to the brunette.

-"Playing with food, aren’t we?"

-"Tarao, symbolism never was one of your strengths." - She smiles softly and shakes her head, - "Don’t try to grasp, what is beyond you. Just think of it as a cog in the well oiled machine."

Flowers on wreath along the walls move, as if troubled by the gust of wind, candle lights flicker, and blond man appears by Robin’s side. Sanji fiddles with the hem of his suit anxiously, fixes invisible wrinkles on the bouquet wrap. Trafalgar thought he put more than enough efforts to look decent tonight, however he wouldn’t stand a chance if this was a competition. Sanji's clan has been know for this aura of perfection, but even among his kin - he is special. Where the rest emmit light of the full moon, Sanji’s light would blind you as hot summer sun in zenith. He holds ten white roses - stark contract against his black suit. Pale of petals resonates with pale of the skin, highlights the gold of his hair. Trafalgar cannot possibly look away and no disciplines are to blame for this magic. Little smile slips from under his control “this is beautiful” he thinks.

-"Sorry for being late" - blond tuck one long golden lock behind the ear. Eyes drift towards the dance floor, but do not linger there. Woman chuckles softly - so innocent.

-"I was worried you made your escape."

-"Please, don’t ruin the moment" - gaze of his blue eyes seems to be glued to the wooden planks of the stage, then he looks up, eyes meet with Robin’s.

They nod, almost simultaneously, and only after Sanji musters enough of courage to look to the other man. His gaze shamelessly devours all the minute details he can grasp, it is hard to tell, if he desperately tries to avert attention from the bloodbath on the dance floor, or genuinely admires the sight. Trafalgar thinks he would be happy with both reasonings. Laws lips move soundlessly forming few words. Sanji chuckles and replies in the same manner: “you too, idiot”.

-"Ladies and Gentlemen." - maybe a dozen of eyes flicker back in response to sweet, calm voice of the woman. Short break taken from tormenting the flesh, generously soaked with blood and tears. Bodies contort with the fear for their life. - "Tonight, before the Dark Mother’s eyes, souls of two cursed sons of hers will be united. Every kindred present here shall witness the making of endless, mutual death." - her eyes run across the dance floor, reading the mood of the guests. - "the Vinculum should not be broken. Anyone who dares an attempt to weaken the bond will be hunted by The Circle of the Crone," - she looks for a moment into particularly dark corner - "as well as by our brothers and sisters from Ordo Dracul."

Her gaze shifts to the dark haired man, waiting for him to return the attention.

-"Now you can speak your vows."

Trafalgar makes a step forward, reaches to touch cold pale fingers, swallows heavily before he starts to speak.

-"I, Trafalgar D Water Law, hereby take Vinsmoke Sanji into my Requiem forever." - envelops his hand gently and carefully - "I swear before all that is holy and all that is unholy that we, tonight, seal our fates by bonds of dedication and honor. When my partner is hungry, I will bring food." - Sanji chuckles quite and bright - "When my partner sleeps, I will watch and bear witness upon waking." - He squints, eyes slit, as if targeted by bright lamp. - "When my partner is afraid, I will give comfort, and when my partner is wronged, I will have vengeance." - Cool fingers caress back side of the hand. - "This I swear on the blood, and the flame and the spirit."

In his blue eyes flashing light reflects, candles burning twice as bright with the last spoken words. Law squises cold hand, trying to reassure, give comfort, prevent flashes from setting kindred's mind aflame.

-"I, Vinsmoke Sanji, hereby take Trafalgar D Water Law into my Requiem forever." - his voice sweetest thing that ever touched ears, in both life and un-life, - "I swear before all that is holy and all that is unholy that we, tonight, seal our fates by bonds of dedication and honor." - His fleeting touch playfully skims through tan fingers, icy sensation brings sober clarity and bliss of inebriation at the same time. - "When my partner is hungry, I will bring food." - Law’s smile is barely there. - "When my partner sleeps, I will watch and bear witness upon waking. When my partner is afraid, I will give comfort," - he is the most gentle and kindhearted, so much is obvious in every syllable of every word. - "And when my partner is wronged, I will have vengeance. This I swear on the blood, and the flame and the spirit."

Sanji’s hold on the hand gets firmer as he expects another rise of firy glow to radiate the room. Little girl steps forward from behind the stage, she is silent and obedient. So small, seven years at most, her deep chocolate eyes glazed with indifference, strawberry blond hair braided in two pig tales, white gown hugs fragile figure. She stares ahead absently, woman’s hands leading her by shoulders.

-"Time to make the sacrifice." - hand outstretched to pass the ritual knife. Fingers gently support ragged blade.

Trafalgar feels how kindred’s claws pierce his skin. He might have broken few bones, if older wouldn’t strengthen his grip in response. It is heard for Sanji. This is easily seen, his eyes shift frantically, his lips stripped of smile and crooked. Even his touch feels colder than before. He never have taken the life of a sentient being. Even in death Sanji remained pure, his hands and soul unmarred by murder of mortals. Law knows other is hurting, in his eyes this child is seen as a spit image of the older sister. Trafalgar himself lost in the shattered memories for a moment. Girl reminds his late sister, who died too young too long ago. Despite that he knows he will have enough resolve to put this innocent child to rest, as she obediently waits for her own demise.

This is essential part for the completion of the ritual. Sanji knows it. This is not news, but he can’t keep his long dead heart from burning and spasming disgusted by creeping acceptance. He was the one who proposed marriage. He organized most of the celebration. He thought about it many times, about this particular moment he has to take someone’s life, scenario played in his head on repeat. But it is not something you can be prepared for. This is wedding. They are about to enter mutual un-life, their souls are to be bound for the eternal death, forfeiting innocence, killing personification of their past. Together.

His hand is shaking, but Sanji hides it, only grip on the hilt gets stronger. Her face is gentle and soft, with neat childish features, but her eyes are dead already, trapped under Mother’s hypnotic influence. Embroidery on the gown matches hair colour. She looks like a little princess. Sanji forgets to imitate the leaving, his thorax freezes mid inhale, mechanical movement abandoned. He thought he would be able to do it, to confront the past, to kill for the sake of something new, for the sake of future. But this first step is terrifying. All his being is trapped, Staring in the eyes of the Beast, unable to move. Sanji doesn’t want to lose his humanity, he is afraid to slip, to get comfortable with the idea of supremacy over humans, his own strength, his right to take life. Few months in his death, as soon as fog of newly obtained supernatural powers thinned, allowing him to think clearly again, he made a decision to give his all to keep whatever “human” have left in this damned shell of the body. Once he got accustomed with business run by The Circle of the Crone, he found plenty of friends in each and every city morgues and knew without failure when fresh carcasses were delivered to local butcheries. When ritual required freshly drawn blood he used his own vite with no second thought. And now all workarounds are closed, blocked by unmovable boulders. Only one way ahead.

-"We are both dead. It’s not going to get any worse." His whisper is scolding hot against the skin, it reminds to expand lungs, air forced in with fake inhale. Warm palm touches softly, fingers carefully wrap around the hand that holds the hilt, the touch reassures, hand redirected slightly - outward and up.

-"Beheading is better."

For once Sanji is genuinely grateful that Trafalgar never listens and reads his thoughts at any given moment. -"One." He angles cutting edge . -"Two." Skin is burning hot -"Three." Thud. Mortal dread frozen in the eyes of the dead girl.

_________________________

And song that was a catalyst for all the efforts

[crusxs]

TIFFANY VALETINE ── `` DARK CONTENT﹕

blood play. knife play. death. NSFW content. kind of detailed. no protection + male reader. I may make this a real fanfic. ITS POSTED COMPLETED ON AO3. ✶ REQUESTED by a friend.

It was around 1 o'clock and you were hiding away the body of a police officer behind a garbage bin in one of Hackensack's various alleyways. Tiffany was in the car cleaning her nails from the cops' blood stashed underneath them. You never understood why she would kill people unnecessarily as this cop had no suspicions about the two of you. You supposed she had gotten nervous and wanted to make sure it was all okay. The cop was originally searching for a missing person. Tiffany did have something to do with it but the cop was on his leave when y'all confessed to just being a couple on their way from California to see their relatives for the holidays as Halloween was only a week away. As the adrenaline wore off, you couldn't help but feel a mix of guilt and fear. Tiffany, on the other hand, seemed strangely unfazed, her eyes gleaming with a sense of twisted satisfaction. It became clear to you that her darkness ran deeper than you had ever imagined. As you reflected on the events that had just unfolded, you couldn't help but question your own judgment and the choices that led you to this point. You realized that your connection with Tiffany was built on a foundation of deceit and violence, and you couldn't help but wonder how far you were willing to go to keep her twisted secrets. As you stood there, contemplating the situation, you realized that the best course of action would be to leave the area immediately and lay low for a while. You needed to ensure that there was no evidence linking you or Tiffany to the crime, and that meant avoiding any further interaction with law enforcement or anyone who might raise suspicion. It was time to disappear, at least for now. " I think we should leave," you said, practically running back to the car. Your back hit the back seat and the door swung shut loudly behind you. "Alright," Tiffany replied, putting her middle finger into her mouth and getting rid of the last of the blood.

The crime wasn't too far away from where you drove. Since you had trouble concentrating on the road ahead of you, you drove only a few miles away. It was impossible to stop picturing the cop's face when Tiffany slit his throat. The amount of blood that pooled out of him and splattered on your shoes and lower pants leg shocked you. The movies never pictured it as being as grotesque as it actually is. You lay your head back on the seat and immediately set it back forward out of fear your neck would be slit just like his. It's not like you didn't trust Tiffany you did as she hasn't laid a hurting hand on you in years. You just disliked how you could feel your neck stretch back. "Oh, come on. You said you were tough," she remarked, her voice tinged with both mockery and challenge. As she spoke, you couldn't help but recall the time you had confessed your feelings for her. Back then, you had confidently claimed that you could handle anything she threw at you. Her words now echoed in your mind, reverberating through every corner of your brain, making it hard to formulate a response. "I can," you finally managed to say, your voice steady but your heart racing. "I just didn't expect it tonight." The reality of the situation was harsh. She had killed before, but never this close to you. This time, you were so near that the spatter from the violent act had reached you, staining your clothes and bringing the grim reality of her world into sharp, undeniable focus. You looked around and noticed that the only person nearby was a drunk, hunched against the wall a few feet down the alleyway where you had parked to hide the car. You wondered if he would be a victim of Tiffany's as well but quickly shoved that thought out of your mind. "Probably can't even hold the knife steady," she teased, a slight jab at her comment making your eyebrows twitch. She had always tried to get you to kill someone: a nurse, a mailman, even one of her escorts. Every time you refused, she got mad, called you a coward, and did it herself, later claiming it was an accident of their own fault. You couldn't deny the adrenaline coursing through your veins now, making you want to get up and kill the poor guy outside the car. The thought made your heart beat faster with anticipation. You snuck a glance in the rearview mirror, only to see the drunk was no longer there in his previous spot. Suddenly, you heard a banging on the car; the drunk was hitting and yelling at you two from outside the car. You couldn't make out what he was saying, but it sounded like he mistook you for someone he knew. You took a moment to fully take in his features. He had a rough patchy beard, his eyes were baggy and he had drool slipping out of his mouth with each word he said. Tiffany looked at you expectantly and held out the small knife she had used to slit the cop's throat earlier. "Kill him," she said, her eyes piercing yours with a seriousness you had never seen before.

FINISHED ON AO3 - SEARCH THE ACC "greensalvation" to see the full fic or click the link I added on this post.

[quickthinkingharkertwins]

Please welcome Quincey Harker (HE/HIS/HIM) to Huntsville, WV. They are a 27-year-old VISITOR who lives in TOWN. You may see them around working as the TRAINER AT ABS-OLUTE GYM. Poor unfortunate soul. We’ll see if they survive.

quick facts

Name: Quincey Remus Harker Nickname: Thinks it's hilarious when people call him Quill Age: 27 Faceclaim: Otto Farrant Pronouns: He/His/Him Sexuality: Yes Moral Alignment: Chaotic Neutral Occupation: Trainer at Abs-olute Gym Role: Hunter

[+] appreciative, content, unperturbed, faithful [-] addictive personality, poor impulse control, destructive, crass

background

Quincey might be Quill's twin, but since birth it was made clear he'd be coming in second his whole life. His dad even calling him the spare heir, he thinks maybe his dad was trying to motivate him but it had the opposite effect. What was the point of trying to one up Quill? It was easier to just let his brother handle things and back him up, he got all the perks with half the work.

When their dad pushed them to befriend his former clients friends, Quincey didn't see anything wrong with it. Even when his dad added that it was their job to keep them safe and out of trouble, why wouldn't he cover for his friends? Getting paid to hang out with them and just enjoy the high life, there were no downsides to it.

While Quill was pushed to watch out more for Cosima Mariott, Quincey was pushed to watch out for Fleur Villiers. For once he felt like he got the harder of the two jobs, Fleur was fun but wild. When she asked to start dating to avoid being cut off, his dad and brother were in full support, pointing out the advantages to the match. It never hurt to have a good looking girl on your arm and he did like Fleur, besides they both knew it was for show. So what if he stopped sleeping with anyone else and they moved in together, it was all part of the image right?

When one of their friends during their party bus trip asked to drive during Quincey's turn he thought it was hilarious, and with Fleur's encouragement happily handed over the wheel. He still feels guilty, Quill not hesitating to remind him that he fully blames Quincey over their situation. He's mostly trying to just keep relaxing, getting a job as a trainer and stay close to his friends, though with the way Fleur is acting has him worried that things are about to change in a way he won't like.

misc

Like his twin brother, Quincey spent summers in Texas with their grandpa on their dad side. While he tried to get rid of his accent, it tends to come out more when he's comfortable or drunk.

Sometimes he wishes he'd asked if he could live full time with his grandpa, it just seemed easier and like less pressure, but the idea of disappointing his brother and friends kept him from following through.

He knows his friends can be a lot, but genuinely does care about them even if their friendships were built on superficial reasons. They're his people and he'd do anything for them, at least with them he's never felt like second best.

[bells-of-black-sunday]

Going to be very up front with the warnings for this one, because it involves Damian: Do not read this if you cannot handle discussions of self harm and mutilation. This is a man who took the 14th century practice of harming yourself to get rid of sin to a very extreme level, there will be a lot of that being discussed with sexual undertones. I mean it, I will be delving into uncomfortable topics involving it and while I won't be going into detail, I am still discussing it.

With that out of the way:

Damian is a very troubled person, he obviously had to have some reason that pushed him to live on the streets and take the path he did. Now I am not going to sit and speculate on his history or mental health, quite frankly I don't really care that much. What I do want to talk about however is his obsessive dedication to suffering to the point where you cannot have multiples of him in one party, because as he puts it "The burden of suffering can't be shared".

How I personally read it from his in game barks and what they come from, I think it's something very sexual for him that he's tricked himself into thinking is holy. I mean he literally was beat half to death by drunk people leaving a tavern and "forgave their sins" finding power in the pain that was inflicted on him. But with lines where he is practically begging people to hurt him it's hard not to read it as having sexual undertones. He wants to be hurt. He calls it ecstasy and hints in his amorous lines he wants to be hurt in the bedroom too. Still, he is a deeply religious man and calls it his holy path and says his blood itself is holy even going as far as telling people to drink it.

I don't think it's a mask for any deeper depression or anything like that, I think he's just a freak who doesn't know what kinks are, because it's a vague medieval/victorian period setting and their isn't even a label for it yet. It's easier to label it as God telling him he's on a holy path, because he can bear the suffering for others and carve out their sins on his own skin while enjoying himself in the process.

Okay onto actual "I literally have no in game supporting evidence for some of these" headcannons:

To be very up front and blunt; he self mutilates a lot to pretty extreme degrees. This is very obvious with his trinkets and level portraits. You have trinkets that are the pliers he used to remove some of his teeth, in the second game you have the part of his face he cut off himself, and lets not forget the brand he has that he burns himself with. I think he chases the pain, he loves the extreme forms of it, why else would anyone skin part of their own face off? Still, it did lead me down a rabbit hole that made me wind up on a study about eunuch's from the various cultures that practice it which talked about a extremist religious movement in R.ussia and S.lovakia from the 1800s where they'd practice it on themselves to make their bodies pure.

I think it makes sense that he'd be the same way with how he speaks about his body being holy and him being a part of a extremist chapter of the church, though to be a tad more tactful about it, I think he just gelded himself. If he's willing to remove his face for supposed holy reasons, it makes sense he'd go far in the other direction too especially with how dark the game can get. I don't think he regrets it at all and I doubt it comes up much and he absolutely is still a freak so obviously it did not do much. I don't think other people care much either, he can still enjoy himself. He's also a stupidly devoted lover, that man is an abandoned dog that attached himself to them. He is begging at their feet and wagging his tail every time they compliment or insult him, when he loves he falls hard just in his own ways. He's still very weird about everything he does, so expect him to ask them to hurt him or ask for their confession. He also holds grudges, so you better treat him right.

I think he's also extremely pleased with the symbol he carved into his chest and hates when he's not bleeding even minorly. He will absolutely be weird about other people's scars and get too far in their personal space to call their scars beautiful especially if he's into them, he pretty much preens himself over every wound and scar he gets. This man will never shut up if you get him started about it, he gets excited talking about it and will start pushing caltrops into his skin idly while he does so.

He is very anemic. Do not let him stand up too fast, he will get so dizzy.

Every inn room he has basically is his own penance chamber, he sets it up that way and rubs vinegar into his wounds when he's done praying. He has to confess nightly, it's a routine for him for all the harm he's done on the road, he has to keep his path holy. He would never be led astray which also makes him quite the stubborn party member and probably makes a lot of them hate mornings, because it takes so long to leave. This man prays a lot every day. Him and R.eynald probably do it together sometimes, but I don't think J.unia will ever like him very much with him torturing her and all when they were still at the abby.

For as much as he hurts himself, I don't think he pushes it onto others beyond an occasional comment about telling them to find power in the pain. He is very pushy about his religion though, that much is very obvious. I think with his whole line about not wanting to share the suffering that he just doesn't push it as the only correct way to worship, but he will also hear the parties confessions and carve their sins into his flesh so that they may be pure. It's weirdly a very nice gesture if a little disturbing.

[melverie]

Hehehe for the OC ask game!

Concept and design 08, Angel 03, Demon 05, Demon 09, Demon 10 I know you answered this one in private but I want everyone to see it too lol and Demon 11!

I wanted to ask more but I’ll wait some time later!

Thanks for making the questionnaire Melody!💚

You could have asked like half the list and I would have just been like "of course, my liege" lmao Btw cursing you with my mind for asking demon 11. The amount of trouble this question gave me >:(

And of course!! A second one is technically already in the works 👀

Also, I'm going to call Marchosias Maze here

Thank you for asking Ivy 💛💛

-> to the ask game -> to all asks about Marchosias

⸺ CONCEPT & DESIGN 08 ⸺ Anything you heavily associate with them? A color, a word, a picture, or something else?

In addition to the things mentioned here, this shade of blue that I've been using all throughout the ask game! It's the same shade as a piece of cloth that survived from her time as an angel and that's now also part of her demon outfit!

Also, idk if this counts but @today-in-the-devildom because guess who's running it <3

⸺ ANGEL 03 ⸺ Do they sometimes sneak out to visit the other realms?

Not while she was an angel, no. It's not exactly easy to sneak out when the seraphs constantly have an eye on your every move

She hasn't been to the Celestial Realm ever since she fell, and mostly only visits the human world when she's summoned. But outside of that she prefers to stay in the Devildom. The Devildom's constant night sky just feels like home to her <3

⸺ DEMON 05 ⸺ Have they forged any pacts yet? How eager are they to do so, and do they forge them often? If they haven't, why not?

Maze has forged A LOT of pacts over her lifetime, and she's not planning on stopping anytime soon. When asked, Maze will claim it's because she just enjoys how easy it is to manipulate demons into a pact and to collect their souls, but it's actually because deep down she felt like she was somehow lacking as a demon, and forging pacts left and right was a way to make up for it

That being said, she doesn't just forge a pact with anyone. She's still picky about who to forge one with

⸺ DEMON 09 ⸺ What do they do with human souls?

While the human is still alive, they increase her powers. So with way too many pacts, you can imagine how powerful Maze has become. She might not be anywhere near being as powerful as the pactless brothers, but she is definitely a force to be reckoned with

But after they die, well... At this point, she has so many souls that she doesn't even know what to do with them anymore. The ones she likes the most she keeps in her collection--which means she concentrates the soul's energy into a small glowing crystalline form and decorates the ceilings and walls in her house with it to create her own little night sky. If she doesn't want to keep them, then she tries to get rid of them in various ways, including dumping some of them in the different circles of hell

⸺ DEMON 10 ⸺ Solomon shows up at their doorstep in the middle of the night to ask for a pact. How do they react?

Imagine the following scenario:

Solomon (drunk) is standing before her, drenched by the rain and with an utterly sopping wet expression on his face. Marchosias is standing in the doorway before him, still in her pjamas. Her face graces the most flabbergasted expression demonkind has ever mustered. Slowly and without a word from either of them, she shifts into her demon form, her tails carefully inching closer and closer toward the human, only to suddenly come crashing down on him (though she makes sure to stop right before she would actually touch him). Solomon skedaddles away and she yells after him "Yeah, that's what I fucking thought!!"

Not even 5 minutes later she runs after him to usher him inside because it's the middle of the night and it's raining and he is drunk and dammit Solomon, why are you like this, we've forged a pact before you even became immortal

⸺ DEMON 11 ⸺ What is their opinion of Diavolo as a ruler? Have they experienced the reign of any other demon kings? How does Diavolo compare in their opinion?

Exploding this question with my mind as if I wasn't the one that came up with it in the first place. Pew pew

She fully supports him in and his reign. He's definitely a bit of a dreamer, sure. But so far he has been able to follow up on most his promises, so Maze has a lot of confidence in his abilities. Plus she gets to see glimpses of how hard he works behind the scenes thanks to both her role in RAD's Newspaper Club and the people in her life that are actually close to Diavolo. So she's fully aware of all the thought, care and effort he puts into every decision he makes and that he always has the best interest of his subjects in mind

That being said, she can't help but think he's too much of a dreamer at times, especially when compared to his father, who was more of a realist and more focused on the now. Under both of their reigns things obviously got/get done. But especially when compared to his father, Maze sometimes feels like Diavolo is too caught up in the musings of the future he wishes to create, and he tends to lose sight of the Devildom's current problems as well as the denizens' concerns in the process. Most of her doubts have been eliminated by now, but they were especially present when Diavolo first took over the role as ruler. The prime example for this is how Diavolo insisted on letting the brothers stay in the Devildom after they fell, while the denizens feared a war with the Celestial Realm because of their presence

On a more personal level, Diavolo is definitely a lot more approachable than his father. He sometimes is a little too friendly and enthusiastic for her liking—whenever you try to ask him something and he gets a little too close and his smile a little too wide, for example—but she appreciates that he takes every concern of residence of the Devildom serious. He always seems so welcoming, and his charisma is actually something she is very fascinated by. Meanwhile his father was the polar opposite. Maze fell after Diavolo's mother had died, so by then the Demon King had had already grown colder and more detached. He was still beloved by his subjects, but he also had standoffish aura about him. She only met him in person when she was a child, and because of his presence she barely even managed to get her awkward little "hello" out to which she then got an awkward little nod in return

Side note, but Maze sometimes has a bit of trouble remembering he's the ruler of the realm. While she might not be in his inner circle herself, as mentioned before, she's close to several people who are part of it. And so she gets to experience parts of his more casual (and sometimes goofy lol) side simply by happening to be around when Diavolo needs something of Mephisto, for example..........meaning it might have happened once or twice that Maze has dropped the 'Lord' when referring to Diavolo. Never in one of her articles, though!

-> to the ask game -> to all asks about Marchosias

[fairweather-fangs]

F was exhausted. He'd been working all day, staff had announced they needed someone to helo the grounds keepers pressure wash the outside of the building and when no one took the job F stepped up to save some miserable soul from being randomly selected. He hated that he was so compassionate, after all had he kept his mouth shut someone else would be stuck with this job and he wouldn't be in this situation but alas, when push came to shove F personally viewed himself as a sort of martyr. He'd take the brunt of the suffering for his fellow students, for no other reason than to promote happiness. It was stupid and thankless but there was one reward: he was trustworthy.

F was the go to great student of Wammys, not a good detective but definitely a great person. At this point he believed he was kept in the L rankings just to keep someone more volatile from going off after they were bumped to last place. The house keepers were happy to have him around, he was kind and very helpful, a very promising young man they said. His teachers spoke highly of him, always one to volunteer in class and while not exceptional like the upper most ranks, he was still dedicated. Yes F was truly a staff favorite in the orphanage.

Which is why after long hours of pressure washing he was summoned to Roger's office for an important mission.

"Ferrum," the old man croaked, "There’s something very important I need to discuss with you."

F sat down in the plush chair situated in front of a luxurious desk and focused at the sound of his ailias. Iron... not a terrible metal, but not exceptional. A great, perfectly ok and reliable element, just like F himself.

"Of course, Roger, what is it?" F asked in his most professional tone.

"There have been.. issues... regarding some illegal substance usage in this establishment. Several students have been lacking in their performance and at least two have been admitted to the hospital due to overdose. I was wondering, since you have such a pension for drug related cases, if you could help find whoever is distributing these substances?"

F nodded along. Hearing the words 'illegal substances' made him almost smile, but he had to maintain his persona.

"I came to you because truthfully... it could be anyone. I thought you might be the least likely to be involved in the trade. Please investigate the other students if you will. If you can bring me the ring leader of the market they'll be a hefty reward for you."

F gave one strong nod, "Of course, Roger. Anything to help rid our wonderful school of such a terrible epidemic."

"Thank you, Ferrum. Take as long as you need, but please help find whoever is distributing these drugs."

F smiled and stood up, "I'll get right to it."

With that he left the room and marched to his dorm with a fire in his eyes. Only after he entered his space and closed the door sid he finally react the way he truly felt.

Laughter.

F broke down cackling, that Roger thought he was the least likely to be involved in the Wammys drug ring. It spoke to how stupid the staff truly were.

F had been in a drug cartel himself before Wammys, his first friends were known drug abusers and he was known to keep a large portion of drug dealers out of prison to use for 'other cases.' Not only that but he was incredibly secretive about his room and pockets, often snuck around to the dark, secluded parts of the property and was fucking high and or/drunk half the time. Anyone with common sense would suspect him, but that went to show how much a little good behavior made the adults who ran the building over look suspicious behavior.

F was a good boy with a troubled past, he had a few bad friends at one point and everyone keeps a few criminals free for later use. F likes his privacy just like any other 17 year old boy, he lokes exploring and sneaking out at night to see the stars not do drug deals obviously, and F's behavior isn't weird, he's always like that. That's what the staff told themselves.

F sat down on his bed. He was lucky the staff trusted him because this was a golden opportunity to pin the drug issues on other kids who tried to compete with him. Of course, there were issues with the plan, so F had to plot.

"Ok," he whispered to himself, "Roger needs me to get this job done. If I do the job I get whatever reward he's offering and I get extra brownie points with the staff, not completing the job will result in likely punishment and a massive decrease in said brownie points and not to mention... added suspicion which may compromise the operation..."

'No... failure is not an option. Not at all...' F thought to himself.

In order to succeed he knew what must be done. He needed to frame another student as the largest drug pusher in the orphanage, collect enough evidence to look convincing and make sure no one interfered or tried to expose him. This plan presented a few major issues.

First off, F was the premier drug lord of Wammys. He estimated he controlled roughly 70% of the drugs trafficked through Wammys in some way or another. It would be very hard to make a convincing drug bust without sabotaging his own business, though he supposed he could lay low for a while after his culprit was detained.

Second of all collecting evidence would be hard. The cameras complicated things, staff would be abke to watch him investigate so he'd need to actually appear to investigate. Obviously a false investigation would raise suspension in the other students, though he supposed that worked in his favor. If thw staff asked why he wasn't investigating, he could always say he had to show no signs he was doing so, lest the other detectives in training notice.

This was the third issue. Interference. Certainly if an upper rank student was involved it would complicate things. F was not stupid, only lazy, but he knew that even if he tried he would not be able to succeed top five. If for whatever reason an upper ranked student decided F needed to go, they'd dispose of him. Getting the culprit to not snitch on F was also an issue. Naturally, exposing F as the real monster was the best defense so he'd need either someone who wouldn't do that or a way to scare someone into not talking. F could think of a few ways to break a man, that or manipulate them. Now that he thought of it... weak links in his chain of command were also effective dummy drug lords, but he was unaware if anyone in the so called Fang Gang would be willing to go down for their boss.

The more he thought about it, the more pressing the issue became. F held his head in his hands and sighed. He supposed that sitting around contemplating hsi predicament would not fix anything and decided he could at least work on his mock investigation. He needed a suspect list after all.

Walking down the halls he wondered who would make for a good scape goat. He had rivals who came to mind, some other students in the program, some regular orphans. He supposed someone with no detective training would be easiest to break, or better yet less likely to be able to retort against him in a coherent way.

Sitting in the library he observed. It was a quiet Saturday afternoon, and there wasn't much for entertainment around Wammys so naturally many came to the library for something to do in their spare time. F eyed the camera in the corner, placed perfectly to overlook a good portion of the shelfless space in the library. He wasn't sure of the specific range of all the cameras in the house but there was no doubt the camera could clearly see what he was doing.

In an attempt to look like he was actually doing something, he took out a notepad and began writing the names of people in the library, noting their behavior while trying to be somewhat discreet about watching them. Though of course, F already had a pension for people watching, so it was only the notetaking his peers would find strange. Regardless, he was in his own world, simply trying to reason which student to pin his blame on.

[daydreamerfox]

Mᴇᴇᴛ ᴛʜᴇ OC: Aɪᴋᴏ

I'll add a few facts about Aiko below the cut, I'll try to keep things short, but I usually end up rambling about things

TW: mentions of blood, murder and alcohol use

Aiko's a moody person, gets irritated easily, can be possessive, very insecure and paranoid at times

She struggles to understand what's right and wrong, she can't go out without carrying a knife with her in her purse (she gets very ancious being outside without it).

Specially when talking to someone new she has a very hard time letting hef guard down. She doesn't trust people easily and more likely than not she will be rude to the person, even if she does try to keep her appearances as a good person (mostly to her neighbors and family).

She needs money and she'll do literally anything she can to get it, from babysitting, to walking dogs to sex work and murder. She usually do odd jobs all the time, since she never managed to hold a job for too long.

Aiko had a twin sister called Ayako (Aya, for short) and a little brother called Angelo.

They lost their parents when the twins were 3 and Angelo was only 6 months old. They lived with their aunt Bianca for some time before being sent to foster care. They kept being sent back and forth between different institutions, mostly because of how much trouble Aiko would get into and, since Aiko was so attached to her siblings it would be ideal if they all were adopted together. That didn't work, though and the institution found a family for Angelo when he was 7. The twins weren't so lucky, though.

Aiko isn't a healthy person to be around. She's not trust worthy and will lie to you and use you for her own benefit. Though, truth be told she also struggles to trust people herself, sometimes even if she's close to them.

She wants to be spoiled and she doesn't care what she needs to do to get the life she wants. She doesn't mind getting in relationships to get someone to give her nice things (Yes, she would love to be a sugar baby).

If she gets too anxious about something, she'll probably try to drown those feelings down with alcohol, this woman have a very big problem with that, actually, which usually doesn't work or make her do stupid things while drunk. If that fails to ease her worries, or calm her down in any way, though, she'll most likely become episodic. At this state she becomes very aggressive, doesn't really think straight and might hurt anyone who approaches her or tries to stop her, be it someone she cares about or not. Depending on the reason that triggered her episode she might go after the thing (or person) who made her feel like that to "get rid of the problem".

She's fascinated with blood. Ever since she was a kid her brain always saw it as red paint (Due to traumatic situations, that was some way her infant brain found to cope with what she witnessed) and she does go out to "hunt" people and paing usually walls with her vitim's blood (what she paints can vary, though). Aiko usually paints roses and other plants or some other images, depending on how she's feeling. If she's having a really bad episode, though, she doesn't get to relax enough to paint, she sometimes just go after another vitim, usually getting herself in an even bigger trouble.

Aiko doesn't see what she does as something wrong and she doesn't feel guilty about it at all, since she doesn't know any of the people she hunts or even, when she does know, they're probably someone she hates or who have hurt here (if she's not having an episode), her words about it are: "If people are allowed to hunt animals for fun, why can't I hunt humans?"

She is aware that she can go to jail because of it if she gets caught, that's why she keeps it a secret from her family and anyone she meets, unless she trusts this person completely (and know they wouldn't have a problem with that), but she doesn't see that as something wrong, hence why she doesn't really feel guilty about it.

She is very loyal to those who manage to get to her inner circle of friends and she'll protect them as much as she can, even though she struggles a lot with empathy.

She has abandonment issues and is terrified of being alone (for the rest of her life, she does need alone time most of the time, but she needs to know she can count on someone), even though she hates being around people she doesn't known (mostly because she feels unsafe)

She is an attention whore and will do anything in her power to get the attention she wants.

At 18 she got released from the foster care, got a house to live at and adopted a black kitten, naming him Carbon who lives with her ever since.

Around the same time she has met a friend called Hiraliths (Or, how she usually calls him, Demro) who eventually started being more and more part of her life

[alwaysxangel]

rebellionevoked​:

     There was nothing to figure out, so a moment after the words had left Margot’s lips Sofia leant in and kissed them. She didn’t pull away immediately either, she lingered and was curious to see if her longtime friend would kiss her back. They’d each been through it. Separate journey’s and came back with different tales to tell but it was something curious to Sofia that they both were going through a similar wilding out phase simultaneously. It mirrored their childhoods a little and that spoke to her a little. Of course this was a first for her, kissing a friend and happy to makeout with her, she’d just gotten free from a marriage that she had stayed honest and loyal to. Some part of her, in the back of her psyche head most likely, told that it wasn’t smart to cross boundaries and blur lines as things would never return to what they once were when they happened. But maybe that result didn’t have to be negative. What could change was a friendship becoming stronger and more open. She doubted Margot, like herself, was not currently looking for a happy ever after. There was still safety there though. “That’s pretty normal. A part of you slept, or got cocooned, while your impulses drove for a while. It’s kind of like being drunk in a way.” In Sofia’s opinion she wouldn’t classify what her friend went through as ‘bad behavior’ but more so a release and to free herself, and that was something she understood as she’d always felt bound, too. “You don’t have to figure it all out now. That’s the beauty of it. Figure out what you liked and get rid of what you didn’t.”

     “I just want to be sure my kid has a good life. If I do anything in life let me accomplish that,” Hands together in prayer, Sofia shook them upward as if she were begging some higher power. “Other than that fuck that toxic prick, Nolan. I just look back and wonder what the fuck was I thinking.” But when it came to Margot figuring things out and talk about going to school, she was happy that her friend didn’t immediately shoot it down. What she saw in someone she’d known longer than most anyone was a resilient fighter that had a ton of experience to share. That was so valuable and needed. If Margot put in the effort then she could certainly accomplish the ideas she’d set forth. “That would be amazing and I think you would be a big help. Not only do you have a big heart but you’re objective and a great listener. Plus, you have experience that makes you easier to relate to and understand. I think it’s wonderful if you give it a shot. I think it would be really fulfilling for you.”

- Margot was a bit surprised by Sofia’s initiative in the moment. She shouldn’t have been though. Her dear friend had always been strong, but in the past couple of months she watched her blossom into something that felt unstoppable. Once her brain caught up to what was happening, her lips danced with Sofia’s - softly and sweetly. It was something she’d thought about doing more than she cared to admit, always wondering what if might feel like. Margot pulled away only slightly. Her nose brushed against the other. “Do you want me to stop?” She asked with a giggle. What could be wrong in doing something that felt so nice? But maybe mindsets like that were what got her into trouble in the first place. Her finger twirled a bit of Sofia’s hair.

“Danny will have love and space to be who he is. You’ve already accomplished that with him.” To grow up knowing no matter who you were you parent would love you felt basic, but at the same time a bit rare. She watched how her friend’s son seemed to thrive with the safety of that. A part of her felt jealous, envious of the warmth of their home. “You were young, Sof. You were trusting.” Everyone did stupid things when they were young. Margot could write a list as long as a phone book of all of the stupid things she’d done over the years. “Okay, okay, don’t get too mushy on me.” Margot always struggled at taking compliments that didn’t revolve around her abilities in bed or the way she looked. She never knew what to do with them. She nodded with a small smile though, thankful for the support. “We’ll see if I can get in anywhere first.” Truth was she wasn’t entirely sure of the process at this age, so far removed from high-school and tests. “Thanks, though. It means a lot.”

[texanredrose]

One More Story

Because this is still arguably the funniest thing I’ve done in my military career that didn’t involve a risk to any lives or equipment and I will never be able to publish this anywhere officially without Uncle Sam getting all snooty about it.

So... somewhere in the later part of 2013, my brigade pushed down a new order that said, basically, “no hanging out in barracks rooms of the opposite sex”. Now, I thought this was stupid but me and my buddies recognized a loophole; our barracks building housed our company area as well. The offices were in the basement of the building HOWEVER they didn’t constitute “barracks rooms” because they were part of the company area, not the actual barracks area.

So one night, my buddies and I decide to drink in my office. There were four of us- me, sitting at my desk, my drinking buddy/superior/subordinate (it’s... a whole other story to explain that, so just roll with it) sitting at his desk, the Desk Sergeant from the previous story in the chair in front of my desk, and the supply chick at the boss’ chair (the E-6). We’d been out drinking earlier and decided it would be cheaper to kill a few bottles in the office than staying out on the town drinking. Not only are we abiding by the new orders, we’re not anywhere we shouldn’t be; technically, it was my office, but it was the training office and I was the Training NCOIC, so I had every right to be there, along with my drinking buddy. The other two? Eh, we were with them, so it was fine. I mean, the doors had key card locks, and only 3 people had the card to unlock the door to my office: me, my buddy, and the E-6, who didn’t live in the barracks. As long as nothing serious happened that forced the E-6 to come to the office, no one would know!

20 minutes later, no shit, the E-6 walks in because there was a serious incident at our remote location. We all have red solo cups. I have one unopened 12 pk of coke by my desk, and a few half full bottles on it. Wild Turkey, Jim Bean, Jack Daniels; we were working our way through ‘em, as they were full when we started. The E-6 looks at the supply chick.

“Get out of my seat.” She fucking gets up and dips, DS follows her out. The E-6 looks at me and my buddy. “Look, I don’t care, but if [the E-7, the big boss, the ‘I will break you if you think about stepping one toe out of line’ E-7] catches you, I ain’t covering.”

I was halfway out of my chair when the other door to the office opens, the one leading into the E-7′s office. 

Guess who.

The E-7 looks at me and my buddy. “What are you two doing here? Did you hear about the incident?”

I got all the way up, walked in front of the three bottles of alcohol on my desk, and went to parade rest. “Uh, no, Sergeant, we were just-”

“Doesn’t matter; leave, we’ve got work to do.”

“Roger, Sergeant.” Behind my back, I felt for the necks of the bottles, grabbed them between my fingers, and went from parade rest to fast walking out of the office in the blink of an eye. My buddy got the door for me. We left our solo cups where they were.

I come up the stairs and CQ- who knew damn well we were down there- just stood with wide eyes as my buddy went out the door and I went to my room to hide the bottles.

Went outside to find the other three sitting in the smoker’s pit with 1000 yard stares. They’re talking about the impending Art 15s. Their careers. The Commander and BC.

I light up. “We’ll be fine. The [E-7] didn’t see.”

“How could he NOT see!? He was right fucking there!?”

“Plus, [E-6] saw! We’re screwed.”

I continued to insist. “Nah, nah, we’re fine. [E-7] was my platoon sergeant. If he didn’t say anything then, he didn’t see, and [E-6] won’t rat us out.” I left out the part where I’d covered for his ass enough times, he owed me, hence my confidence.

The next morning, I sat at my desk and finished my solo cup. My buddy shook his head but did the same. Waste not, after all.

A week passes. The E-6 mentions it once. Warns us to not do it again but he’s pretty sure the E-7 didn’t see. Easy enough. Everyone starts to think if we just never mention it again, it’ll be fine. We all pretend like it didn’t happen.

Around six months later, we’re all getting ready to leave. Summer is called ‘PCS season’ and it’s true. It’s time for us to rotate back to new units stateside. DS has already left, Supply chick leaves in a few days, I’m leaving the next week, and almost everyone else leaves over the course of the following month. 

My buddy goes out to smoke one day and the E-7 joins him. They joke around a bit. The guilt’s been weighing on him, so he brings up that night and comes clean to the E-7.

The E-7 gets pissed.

“YOU HAD WILD TURKEY IN THE OFFICE AND DIDN’T TELL ME!?”

When he told me he told the E-7, I got annoyed, but then he told me the E-7′s reaction and I just laughed. Yeah. That sounded like him, alright. I’d forgotten he’d mentioned before that Wild Turkey is his liquor of choice.

Also, the incident that forced both of them to go into the office that night? A patrol in the remote location broke protocol and went to McDonald’s off post for dinner, using the drive thru. Got an alarm call. Attempted to leave the drive thru, did not realize there was a curb and a dip. I think they broke the fender and damaged the suspension.

[darling-i-read-it]

Drunk

Arthur Morgan x fem!reader

Word Count: 1.2k

Warnings: vomit, alcohol, drunkenness

Author’s Note: I think …he is the cowboy of my dreams and I love him

Summary: You go get Arthur from the Saloon

Genre: fluff

I don’t own these characters. They belong to author/director/creator

(not my gif)

Mary-Beth fixed her shawl and smiled up at you pleasantly.

“Thank you very much Mrs Morgan.”

“Anything for you Miss Gaskill.” You had just helped her with her dress, also returning some valuables that had been taken from her while she was up at town.

“You know, I could be a cowboy,” she said. “Like you and the men.” You smiled gracefully, shrugging.

“You could be! Just gotta get rid of those awful dresses.”

“Hey I like these here dresses. They fit my figure nicely. You look awful in those pants. And you’re wearing Arthur’s shirt.” She shook her head disapprovingly.

“Arthur’s shirts are comfortable.” “Only because you wash them regularly. Can’t say that for most of the fellas around here. He’s more than lucky to have you.”

“Oh I’m lucky to have the doof too.” You tipped your hat at her and turned around to the rest of the camp. You would likely be off when Arthur returned from…wherever he was. You were willing to bet he was in town helping some poor soul out. You walked over to your horse, wondering if perhaps you should get some rest before he returned when there was a voice coming from behind you.

“Y/N!” You whipped your head around, meeting the eye of Dutch. “Can I trouble you for a favor?” “Always Dutch.” You leaned against the hitching posts.

“I don’t feel like asking anyone else,” he said, sighing heavily. He cleared his throat. “Your husband is in town, has been for a couple days now. I hear he’s gone on a pretty heavy bender.”

“You don’t even have to ask,” you said, shaking your head. “I didn’t know he was in town otherwise I would’ve gotten him earlier.”

“I imagined you would say that. Would you like anyone's help dragging him back to camp?”

“No, I think I can handle one drunk bastard for the day,” you said, grabbing the reins to your horse. You rubbed the side of her before jumping up onto her back. “Thanks for letting me know Dutch.”

“Anytime.”

-

Your ride out to Valentine was leisurely. If Arthur had been causing chaos for a few days already then he could handle a few more minutes. You approached the saloon slowly, leaving your horse out front.

You could hear the voice of your husband already. You let out a long sigh, opening up the doors.

“I think you-” He cursed under his breath and looked back up at the man who was speaking. “-should quit talkin to me!” You giggled to yourself, looping your fingers along your belt. Arthur was leaning against the staircase, stumbling back and forth while he spoke to the equally drunken man in front of him. “Don’t fuckin look at me that way!”

You decided then to step in before a fight broke out. You stepped forward and put your hand on Arthur’s shoulder.

“Hey!” he slurred and turned around. “Woah…you look like ma wife!” You laughed gently and nodded.

“Arthur, it's me. Your wife.”

“My wife is at camp,” he told you pointedly.

“I’m right here.” “Am I at camp?”

“No. We’re in the Saloon. It’s time to go back home.” He had completely forgotten about the man beside him and it seemed the man had forgotten about him as well. You grabbed his arm so he could use you as a crutch.

“My wife is so pretty,” he whispered, words slurring together. “I love ‘er.”

“I love you too Arthur. Come on now.” You turned to the bartender and tossed him a dollar. “Thanks for not letting him die.” He gave you a sluate as you led him outside. You grabbed the reins of his horse and yours, helping him get up on your horse. You got up behind him, letting him slump back onto your shoulder.

“Darlin?” he asked as you started to ride. You moved Arthur’s horse as well so it galloped slowly beside you.

“Yes Arthur?”

“Just makin sure you’re still there,” he whispered groggily.

“Do you remember what you did tonight?”

“Nah,” he grumbled. “Got some fights.”

“Oh?”

“Won.” “Good for you.”

He was silent while you rode back and by the time you returned he was practically deadweight.

“Who’s there?!” Bill yelled as you approached the camp.

“The Morgans!” you called.

“Both of ya?”

“Yeah,” Arthur said to you sleepily. You would have waved had you not been holding Arthur up with your entire strength. The horses came to a slow stop. You slid off the horse carefully before helping Arthur down. He nearly fell over but you caught him by the stomach.

“He cause much trouble?” Dutch asked from his tent.

“Always,” you responded. You helped him lay down at your shared wagon where he quickly drifted off to sleep. You took off his hat and shrugged off his coat before leaving him alone. You walked and grabbed a cup of water alone with an empty bucket no one was using. You set it beside his bed and kissed his forehead.

-

Arthur woke up with a start. His stomach was churning and his head was pounding. He looked around. The sun was high in the sky. Everyone around him was awake. He was at camp. Had he rode back to camp? He could see his horse with the others. Before he could think of much else he felt his stomach lurch. He turned to his side where there was already a bucket waiting for him. He picked it up and stuck his hand in it.

“He’s awake,” your voice came. He was so pleased to hear it that it made him instantly feel better. Maybe that was also getting the vomit out of his system. You sat down at the edge of the makeshift bed and picked up the water cup. When his head came out of the bucket you handed it to him and brushed his hair back.

“What happened?” he asked after chugging. “How’d I get here?”

“How do you think?” He chuckled.

“You can’t always take care of me, woman.”

“I sure can try.”

“I would kiss ya but…” he gestured to his mouth and you nodded, laughing.

“I’ll wait for you to get cleaned up. I paid your tab back in Valentine but if you’re gonna get drunk at least let me come next time.” He nodded once.

“Sorry darlin. I’ll remember.”

“I sure hope so.”

[candiedsour]

How Genshin Impact characters would react to someone flirting with you || (Mondstadt)

Hey everyone! I'll be doing these for the characters in Genshin Impact! There will be 3 parts, this one is for Mondstadt, the second one will be on Liyue and the third one will be on the other nations (〃ﾟ3ﾟ〃), although Liyue wil most likely have 2 or more parts because I have a lot of characters I'd love to do and unfortunately, I do not have enough time to write of all of them in a day ಥ‿ಥ

-a very much sleepy E

Characters included- Diluc, Kaeya, Albedo, Jean, Lisa

Heancannons

|

V

Diluc 🍷🍇

He's secure with your relationship enough to not be ticked off by some random clueless stranger at the bar

Still keeps an eye on you two to make sure the other person doesn't step over the line

If staring doesn't help and the person steps over the line he'd drop whatever he was doing and come over to resolve the situation

The person you were talking to leaned in closer and tried to press his lips against your face.

Since his breath reeked of alcohol and you did what any sensible person would do, put one of your hands up to your nose to cover it.

Diluc notices this immediately and started walking over to you two.

"Do we have a problem here?"

The dude who tried to kiss you nearly shat their pants after seeing Diluc and left before he could even adress them.

"Do not trouble yourself about him y/n. The next time he comes he will be paying 500 mora for assult and he will be apologizing to you in person. "

Kaeya 🥂🏴‍☠️

As much as he flirts with other girls he hates it when he sees someone being a little too close for comfort with you (Hypocrite, I know)

He's not insecure (Obviously) but seeing you with someone else just makes him want to drop kick whoever it is that you're talking to

People would normally don't attempt to flirt with you because they know that you're dating the Calvary Captain but there's ways an occasional traveler who has no idea how things work around Mondstadt

"Did it hurt when you fell from Celestia? Because your beauty is out of this world."

You awkwardly giggle, trying not to cringe. Lord Barbatos knows how long it has been since somebody other than Kaeya had tried to flirt with you.

"It was nice meeting you, but I have some work to finish at the Headquarters." You blurted out as a ditch attempt to get away.

Though, much to your dismay; the daring traveler grabbed your wrist and pulled you back to him.

"Damn, that's harsh. Not even a kiss goodbye, beautiful?"

You desperately pushed yourself away from him, obviously trying to get away.

Some people have started staring at you two by now and your face was red and tears were threatening to spill out of your eyes.

Luckily for you, Kaeya was amongst the staring people and had started walking towards you two.

Cryo vision at the ready.

Kaeya pulled you away from the traveler to behind him.

The atmosphere around him felt cold and threatening. Like that of the storm that once loomed over Mondstadt.

"Greetings from the Knights of Favonious kind Sir, we received a notice that a new Traveler came into the city and we need you at the Headquarters to confirm some... things with you." He informed the traveler with a fake cheery tone.

Even if you couldn't see his face you could sense his signature sadistic smirk by the aura that was surrounding him.

"I didn't do anything to him. He's just a little cold! That's why he's shivering. Isn't that right Traveler?"

Albedo 👨‍🔬📝

He's always busy with lab work, so he's not going to let anyone ruin anything on the rare occasions that you two go out

Always straight to the point

Since he's the Head Alchemist at the Knights of Favonious, he knows he isn't going to get into much trouble if he just decides to give the other person a taste of his punch

He usually wouldn't resort to such 'violent' actions on your date but if the other person is asking for it he knows you don't mind

"This one is on me." The waiter at Good Hunter said with a wink as he put some wolf hook juice in front of you on the table.

You shifted in your seat and Albedo instantly noticed your discomfort.

"We appreciate the gift but, can you please give this to another table? " Albedo stated as he glared at the waiter.

"Not even a thank you from the lady? " The waiter asked in a disappointed tone.

You both knew the waiter wasn't going to drop it so you and Albedo left and had a picnic on Starsnatch Cliff.

Honestly, you both enjoyed the cliff better and it became one of your favorite dating spots.

"This scenery is almost as beautiful as you, my love."

Jean 🐢👑

Jean is basically second Diluc

Doesn't mind if anyone flirts with you, but will step in if she sees that you are uncomfortable

Being Acting Grandmaster has its privileges (not that she'd actually use them, she just threatens people with it.)

"Come on babygirl, not even a kiss?" The creep said as you fastened your pace.

In your honest opinion, 7 am in the morning is way too f-ing early to be dealing with creeps.

If the creep wasn't as drunk as he was right now, he would probably have noticed that you were walking towards the Knights' Headquarters.

He didn't really realise where he was until he saw Jean herself standing next to you.

Almost instantly, he sobered up. He apologized to both you and Jean.

Even if his apologies didn't save him from spending the whole day in jail, the month of community service and 500 Mora fine Jean sentenced him, they were appreciated (kind of.)

"Following a woman around while making offensive remarks is a very serious offense, even though it was at 7 am in the morning while you were drunk. Although I can let you off the hook if y/n here agrees with letting you go with no punishment whatsoever. "

Lisa 📖💜

She's the same as Jean and Diluc

The only difference is that she'd use her vision to electrocute and humiliate the person in public

You don't really meet creeps because of this

Lisa's method of getting rid of creeps is amazing.

You thought to yourself as you relished in the fact that it's been a whole month since you've last seen a creep come up to you.

You walk by the tavern, getting stares from drunk men. But most of them adverted their gaze once they realized who you were.

For those who didn't, their friends or anyone from a table nearby would chuck their gaze to their feet and tell them the supposed 'rumours' of Lisa using her vision on anyone who looked at you funny.

"See? I told you shocking them would work. Honestly, I should do it to every creep in Mondstadt. "

[twoidiotwriters1]

Put your loving hand out, darling —(Sirius Black xF!Reader)

A/N: I don’t know what this is. I was in a mood and I wrote it. Also, I had to write something with this song, sorry if it’s bad -Danny

Warnings: Toxic relationship, alcohol (Sirius is tipsy). Oral (fem and male receiving) vaginal sex, and dom/sub dynamic, er, degradation ig

Words: 2,065

Twoidiots Masterlist

Listen to: Beggin’ -by Måneskin

It started when you and Sirius were seventeen.

Time seemed endless and you both felt like everything had been made for you, even each other. You were sex partners first and friends second, which meant there wasn't much talking between you two outside the bedroom.

When you graduated Hogwarts and your contact with Sirius ceased to exist, you thought nothing of it, you didn't care. A war was happening and you had things to do... Then you ran into him again.

You'd merely say a word when he pulled you closer and offered to take you to his place. Who were you to refuse? He'd only gotten better with time: Longer locks of hair, back wider and bigger hands.

One night he showed up at your place, tipsy and messed up in more than one way. You let him in and for the first time, you weren't thinking about stripping him naked and throwing him on the bed. You were slightly worried.

"You need to heal that."

"Hmm?"

"You're eyebrow. It's bleeding."

"Ah, that," He took a swig of his glass before continuing. "It's nothing."

You frowned and took the drink away from him. "You're on my couch. Get up, I don't want your blood staining my furniture."

Sirius smirked without looking at you, he pushed himself out of his seat and moved towards the bathroom, you followed him.

"How are you? Haven't seen you in a week—"

You scoffed. "You show up drunk and beaten at my house—I think I should be asking that question to you."

His grin only grew at your retort, he'd always liked teasing you when you were younger, something about getting you all red and agitated only to shut you up by kissing in lonely school corridors.

"I'm alive, aren't I? Can't seem to die even though I have nothing to live for," He replied with a bitter chuckle. "Don't worry about me, darling. I've always been smart, they'll need to try harder if they want to get rid of me."

"Trust me, if you don't look after yourself, they will," You raised a brow. "Sit down, I'm cleaning your face."

Sirius did as told and sat on the edge of your tub, your hands worked quickly while passing the wet cloth over his injuries, he didn't try to speak while you focused on your task, but once your hand moved towards the sink to grab your wand and start sealing shut his injuries, he stopped you.

"Have you ever thought of pursuing a career as a Healer? It suits you."

You rolled your eyes. "If I did then you would get in twice as much trouble just so you could flirt in the emergency room."

"Would you like that?" He smiled.

You didn't respond to his teasing, instead lifted your wand and fixed the cuts on his face. Once it was done, you grabbed a towel.

"Take a shower and come out once you're sober enough to drive back to your place."

"I'm sober," He frowned.

"Your breath says otherwise."

You walked out and he followed you like a puppy, you didn't try to push him back into the bathroom, he was an adult now, and you were not his mother.

You went to the kitchen and listened as he fell heavily on your couch.

"D'you remember when we were sixteen?"

"I do."

"The first time we slept together?"

"I do, Sirius. What about it?"

"I remember feeling like I was the king of the world," He chuckled. "Felt like a real man that'd touched a real woman. But I was just a kid— a really conceited one at that... I never understood why you chose me—anyone could've been better..."

"It was sex," You retorted without much sentiment. "I didn't care who you were, if I'm honest... you were good at it and that's all that mattered to me."

"Is it that way now as well?"

You looked over your shoulder at him, Sirius was laying on the couch and the back of it was covering most of his body, but his voice sounded vulnerable.

"What do you want, Sirius?"

"I want answers," He hummed. "You made me happy back in school, Y/N. I know you never cared, but you did. I don't think it was love... but it was something. It felt good. When we stopped having contact I missed you— don't know why, but I guess we can't control who we miss..."

You slowly made your way back to the couch and stood before him, arms crossed and waiting for the man to get to the point.

"Then I found you again and I knew that I wanted you, so I took you— but it's not... it's not what I want. I don't want to take you— I want you to take me. I want you to choose me again."

You frowned. "I don't know what you mean."

"I would've loved you had you asked me to," He sat up and stared at you with a strange ache in his eyes. "But you never asked. I waited and waited, and you never felt a thing. So I moved on because I'm not an idiot, I know when I'm not needed. Now..."

He stood up, his body towering over yours not in a threatening manner, it almost felt like it was crumbling above you, slowly cracking at the edges.

"My life isn't what I would like it to be, not that I could've done anything to fix it with a war going on..." He laughed dryly. "But perhaps it could be better."

He stretched out his hand for you to hold, you snorted.

"You got a fucking weird way of confessing your feelings, Black."

He looked down at his hand and shook his head slowly.

"I'm drunk, that's what," His gaze moved upwards and fixed on yours. "Kiss me."

You sighed. "You don't want me, Sirius. I'm not the right girl. I'm not good. I won't save you."

His hand slowly crept up your side until it was resting on your neck, his thumb grazing your pulse as he leaned forward.

"I don't want saving," He replied. "I just need to feel normal for once."

"That I can do," You retorted.

The moment your lips were on his, Sirius was a goner. You felt his arms pulling you closer and then lifting you up until your legs wrapped around him. He walked blindly towards your room and threw you on the bed, quickly tossing his shirt to the side.

You pulled your pants down along with your panties and crawled towards the edge of the mattress, Sirius stood still while your hands travelled up to his belt and unbuckled it. Excruciatingly slow, you unzipped his pants and palmed him through his underwear.

Sirius' hand closed around your wrist for a moment, you seized it and moved it to the back of your head, maintaining eye contact while pulling his boxers down. His cock was ready for you, and your hand wrapped around it expertly, your mouth watered at the sight and without wasting another minute you licked all the way from the base to his tip.

Sirius' hand held tighter to your hair, but he didn't move. He waited until you set the pace, and even then he barely moved. He wasn't always like this with you, so submissive, ready to please. But tonight he was acting different than other days, so you didn't question it.

Why hadn't you fallen for him? It was hard to tell, you tried at some point, but it was as if there was this empty space where your heart should be. Sirius' face had never brought any reaction on you. It was only with his dick in your mouth and his hands on your body that you felt butterflies in your stomach.

He pushed you away and with a soft pop, his dick left your lips and Sirius pushed you to lay down. He kneeled before you, eyes clouded with need and hunger.

"I'll make you love me," He groaned, a second later his face disappeared between your thighs.

"Yes," You whispered. "Yes, Sirius..."

His hands squeezed your thighs almost painfully, and your moans increased without you being able to control them. His tongue felt warm against you, it moved at just the right speed. He sighed and growled at the contact and you held onto his hair for dear life.

You didn't know if he'd meant what he said, about wanting you to love him. You didn't care, really. You couldn't. Not because you didn't feel it, but it would only result in tragedy. Your forearm seemed to burn, a reminder of the promise you made to a cause that welcomed you with no judgements.

Would Sirius promise you the same? You didn't think so, he never tried to see you more than just a fucktoy, so that night, you felt like hearing him beg.

"Do you like this, Sirius?" You spoke quietly. "You like eating me out? D'you feel how wet you make me?"

Sirius only moaned as a response, his mouth was moving relentlessly and his hips had started to grind against the air, you grinned at the sight.

"Such a cute pup," You pouted. "You want me to love you so bad, don't yo—?" Your comment gets interrupted by a moan, Sirius bit lightly on your clit, dragging his teeth against the skin gently to make you shiver. "Fuck, just like that baby..."

He was tipsy and desperate, usually he's not the type to obey quietly and waddle his tail at praising, even though he feeds on it. However, that night he needed it. He needed to believe that someone felt for him.

His lips started to move up, they kissed your ribs, and the side of your tit— he bit down on your collarbone while his hands moved on their own to massage your breasts. Sirius kicked off his shoes and pushed you up on the bed, you couldn't stop grinning at mockingly. He was giving you all the power for the first time since you'd started, and you were drunk on it.

"You're beautiful—"

"Just fuck me already, Black."

The way you snapped at him stirred him on, it frustrated him to see he was the only one showing emotion. Why weren't you squirming under him like always? Why weren't your eyes shiny and teary like all those nights before?

"Feeling brave, are you doll?" He raised a brow. "We'll see if it lasts."

Sirius turned you around, lifting your ass up against him. He expertly guided his cock into you, starting a punishing pace that was meant to hurt and leave you breathless.

"Shit— Right there, Sirius..."

"Yeah?" Sirius grunts, his hand went down to your neck and kept you against the mattress. "Look at you, taking my cock so well— it was made for you, darling, one touch and you're soaking..."

He moved in just the right way to hit your g-spot making you gasp. Your hands grabbed onto the sheets and you were trying to be as quiet as possible, but you could feel him everywhere: hands, thighs and dick buried to the hilt in you. For a second you believe his words, his body was made to please you, yet it doesn't mean it's meant to last.

His free hand pulled your lower half closer, you squirmed around him, and you knew he wasn't touching you in more ways because of the way you'd behaved. He was punishing you.

"Sirius," You breathed. "Touch me."

"What was that?" He tilted his head. "Nice girls plead, doll."

"Being mean to me won't make me love you," You grunted.

"You love me," He stated, his hips slowing their movements. "You love me so much that if I ask you to beg, what do you say, love?"

You pursed your lips together, Sirius stopped moving completely and you felt his front leaning over you, he whispered next to your ear:

"If I tell you to beg," He growled, slowly dragging his cock out of you as a warning. "What d'you say, puppy?"

You remained quiet, Sirius slipped out of you almost completely and you finally gave in frustration.

"Please! Please, Sirius— please fuck me..." You cried out. "I love you."

"That's it, baby," He sighed.

Without warning, he slammed back into you, this time his rhythm remained fast and hard, he kept you trapped between him and the bed. One arm wrapped around your waist and his fingers found your clit in an instant.

"Such a loving girl," He mocked. "See? You're not a brat, you just needed me to fuck the tantrum out of you... should I let you finish, then?"

"Yes!"

"You think you deserve it?"

"Please, Sirius..." You whimpered. "I'm your good girl..."

"Dam right you are," The man growled.

He changed the angle slightly and pounded right against the perfect spot. He had you trembling and moaning. You felt weak, it didn't matter what you did, he would always find a way to have you at his mercy.

"Come for me, darling," He panted, and it wasn't your mind who obeyed but your body, because it was made for him only.

Your words had no meaning as they spilt out of your mouth, your brain was fuzzy and you were only half-conscious of the way Sirius pulled out of you and painted your back with his cum. Once he was done, he brushed the hair out of your face and kissed your temple.

"Let's get you cleaned, Y/N," He said lowly.

You heard him getting dress and then felt him move you, he pulled you up to take off your blouse, when you snapped out of your daydream, it was too late.

"Shit–!"

You grabbed your blouse and put it on again as quick as you could, but Sirius was already stepping away, eyes fixed on the place where the dark mark was inked into your skin.

"No..." He muttered. "You didn't— Y/N, tell me you didn't."

"Get out of my house, Sirius," You answered, avoiding his eyes at all cost.

"How could you..." Anger increased in his voice. "Y/N, how could you? Our friends—!"

"I never had any friends!" You snapped. "I had you, and even then it was only a game. It still is. Don't even try to convince me about your change of heart— You don't love me, you're just lonesome. Leave."

"Y/N—"

"I said leave!"

You seized your wand from the nightstand and Sirius rushed out of the room, slamming the door close behind him. You stood and opened the door, but Sirius was ready. He threw a hex at you that you easily deflected, and responded to his attack with a curse.

"Get out!" It almost hurt to see the way he looked at you them. It wasn't pitying, just pure and honest shock, it made you sick.

He didn't try to speak to you, he fought back but you knew he wasn't trying that hard, he was letting you have an advantage and it upsets you further. You don't want his favour, you don't need it.

"He'll get you killed," He said, his gaze hardened. "You're an idiot. He'll get you killed and he won't even know whose body he's stepping on."

"I don't care, any death's better than a life with you," You replied.

Sirius' face lost all colour then, with a harsh flick of his wand the bookshelf next to you exploded and it pushed you backwards, then you heard the front door open and close.

You stood up, exhausted and pissed, wanting to punish yourself for letting Sirius discover your secret. It doesn't matter, though. He won't come back. He won't come to demand anything from you, and the best part is that he won't ever hear you beg for him again.

Forever Taglist.

@i-am-scared-and-useless-bisexual​ @greengarsstuff​

HP Taglist.

@siriuslysirius1107​ @aleksosoto​ @talksoprettyjjx​ @inkandpen22​ @theeicedamericano​ @hamiltonwc​ @thelastpyle​ @emilyyyvalenzuelaaa @azura-mist​ @tomshollandz​ @cedricisnotdead​ @letsfly-andbe-free​

[johnsamericano]

𝓓𝓪𝔂 4:

иαкαмσтσ уυтα

23 days of NCT masterlist.

taglist: @notbeforelong @curieouscapt @whathamelon @unknown5tar

warnings: yandere and possessive behavior, implied violence, implied rape, I do not condone any of this behavior.

“Honey, I’m home!” Yuta shouted from the front door, waiting patiently for you to come out and greet him. Anger started building up inside him as you didn’t come out of your shared bedroom. “Y/n!”

It wasn’t until a few moments later that he remembered you were chained, unable to leave the room without his permission. Your new restraints had been product of your pathetic attempt to escape a few days ago, you lost your privilege of even going out to the living room.

“Hi baby.” He entered the room with the most sickening smile ever. “What did you do while I was gone?” He was indeed insane, but not a monster, at least not in his opinion. He provided you with all kinds of entertainment, Tv, canvases to paint, books, you name it.

There was no response from you, your clouded eyes staring into the wall. He sat on the bed, right beside your legs.

“Are the chains too short? Would you like me to make them longer?” He acted as if he was the good guy, as if he hadn’t kidnapped you. “Oh, right! Your period arrived a few days ago, right? Should I buy more tampons?”

The thing is, your period hadn’t arrived. And you perfectly knew why.

Weeks ago, Yuta had come home drunk, forcing himself into you over and over again. It wasn’t the first time that happened, nor would it be the last. The wounds he’d provoked you were still healing, the purple marks on your wrists and thighs almost gone now.

You didn’t want to give him the pleasure of having a family, but you still needed to know what was going on.

“Buy me a pregnancy test.” There were no emotions in your voice, no happiness, no anger, no nothing.

“Are you...?” On the other hand, Yuta felt like he’d explode from happiness. A baby was on the way, his baby. “I’ll be right back.”

As suspected, you were indeed, carrying his baby. You felt sorry for the small being growing on your belly. It was the product of a rape, therefore, it was impossible for you to think of even loving it. Not when it’s father was the person you hated the most.

“I love you so much.” He smashed his lips against yours. “I’ll get you some vitamins as soon as possible, and you need to start eating again. I wouldn’t want to feed you through that tube again, but I’ll do what’s necessary to keep you both healthy.” His ice cold hands sneaked inside your shirt, rubbing the slightly inflamed area. “Don’t make that face, if you behave well enough, I might let you leave the room again.”

As your belly started growing, so did your hopes of escaping. He hadn’t forced you to do anything ever since he found out about your pregnancy, he even unlocked the chains, letting you wander freely around the house.

“Only five more months.” Yuta murmured, applying some cream to your round belly. You bit your lip, disgusted by his gentle touch. “Would you like to go for a walk?”

Your eyes sparkled with hope, nodding eagerly at his proposition. He was finally trusting you again.

As you walked through the park near his house, his hand grabbing tightly onto yours, a plan started forming inside your mind. There was a restaurant nearby, you’d often visit it when you were in good terms with Yuta. You knew for a fact that the bathrooms had a wide window, perfect for sneaking out.

“Yuta, I need to pee.” He didn’t suspect, for you had been going regularly while you were still inside the house. According to his research, he knew pregnant women needed to pee more often than normal people.

“I’ll take you.” As expected, he walked you to that familiar restaurant. “Do you want me to come in with you?”

‘What the hell is wrong with him?’

“You’ll get in trouble, just wait for me here.” Gathering all your willpower, you pecked his lips.

“Alright, darling.”

You locked the door behind you as soon as you were in, running towards the window and easily opening it. With a hand below your belly, you slid one leg out, then the other. You fell on your back, but it didn’t matter anymore, you were free.

You ran as fast as your legs and extra weight allowed you to, luckily finding a taxi.

“Just drive to the nearest police station.” You said out of breath. “It’s an emergency, please.”

The taxi driver nodded, driving as fast as he could under the speed limits. At last, you finally arrived to your destination, the driver extending his hand to receive his payment.

“I-I don’t have any money right now, but I think this watch will be enough.” You quickly got rid of it, placing it on top of his palm. It looked expensive, Yuta had given it to you as a birthday gift. “Please sir, I don’t have anything else to give you.”

Maybe he felt sorry for your desperate self, but he accepted your payment, wishing you good luck as you got off the vehicle. 

The police officer listened to your story attentively, typing everything down on her computer.

“Do you have anyone to call?”

“My parents, but he’d probably find me if I went to them.” And god knows what he’d be capable of doing to them.

“We’ll try to find somewhere you can stay at, with protection, of course.” Your hands twisted each other over the desk, afraid Yuta would come in and take you back to the apartment any minute. “You’ll be alright, miss. Let us find him and make him pay for what he did.”

But they wouldn’t, Yuta was way too smart to let himself get caught.

While you were busy with the cops, he was already looking for you. It wouldn’t be long before you were between his arms again, you and his child safe from the world’s dangers. And of course, you’d receive the punishment you deserved right after the baby was born. He wouldn’t stop until his love was by his side once again, even if it meant taking down everyone who came in his way.

[kinncman]

A LIST OF PLOTLESS TOWN RP-FRIENDLY CHARACTER IDEAS & CONNECTIONS INSPIRED BY MOVIES! (PART 1)

click here for part two.

i collected a couple of plot ideas from some of the movies i thought had interesting stories or characters that i hope can help you with your applications / character connections. please note that a lot of these are, by no means, the actual plots of the films and are only inspired by them. i’ve taken the liberty of making a couple of edits for them to be ‘plotless town rp-friendly’. also, i would’ve separated them by category (platonic, romantic, familial, etc.) but tbh a lot of these can be taken in any way so feel free to put your own spin on them, too, or even make combinations!

trigger warnings: nothing too specific, but there are light mentions of death, road accident, infidelity, illness, injury, drug addiction.

now, without further ado:

BAY OF ANGELS  // muse a met muse b on a vacation several years ago, brought together because they were both from the same home country and realized that they were traveling to run away from something. muse a came to learn that this wasn’t muse b’s first rodeo, and where this was the first time that muse a had tried to run away from their problems, muse b had been running for most of their life. muse b initially wished to emulate the same free-spirited, high-risk-high-reward principles that muse a lived by. however, muse b started to display totally erratic behavior that prompted muse a to question whether they were making the right choices. eventually, they went home. jump to present day where they meet again in their home country— muse b has toned down somewhat due to a traumatic event (a hard lesson to learn for them) meanwhile, muse a’s life remains the same cycle of events they can’t seem to break free from.

CLEO FROM 5 TO 7 // muse a suspects they are sick but refuses to go to the doctor to have it checked. most of their days are plagued with this feeling of doom enshrouding them, causing them to have a general distaste for life. they meet muse b who has profoundly positive disposition towards life. their company helps muse a to come to terms with the fact that perhaps their illness is something they should deal with. with muse b’s help, muse a starts to find meaning in death.

HAPPY OLD YEAR // muse a left town / the country for college, leaving behind all their friends and family, cutting all ties in a heartbeat, only to come back several years later a completely changed person who subscribes to the idea of minimalism and wants to get rid of all the clutter in their life, material or otherwise. this brings them to reconnect with muse b (and a variety of other muses if the mun wishes) when they find their old belongings and return them in order to be ‘minimalist’ and get rid of all the garbage in their home, which means getting rid of memories, too. however, muse b, who has now moved on from muse a and is with someone else, isn’t too pleased with having muse a back in their life. muse a is desperate to find the closure that muse b isn’t giving them, primarily because muse b knows that muse a is after starting over on a clean slate only to clear their conscience and not to make amends.

YI-YI: A ONE AND A TWO // muse a and muse b were each other’s first and greatest loves but are currently married to other people. when they are reunited through a chance encounter, they decide that it’s better to have each other in their lives as friends than not at all. they realize they still do have feelings for each other but because of their spouses, know that they can never be anything else other than friends. thus begins a journey of trying to bring their old selves back into the light as new people.

MIKEY AND NICKY // muse a and muse b are best friends since childhood. muse a is neurotic, childish, and wildly impulsive, and often has to depend on muse b to get them out of trouble only to show very little gratitude for it, much to muse b’s chagrin. in fact, muse b often finds themself thrown under the bus in muse a’s favor, though it’s not entirely muse a’s fault: muse b is an enabler. however, muse b can’t quite seem to quit muse a (either because they love the feeling of being needed and there’s no one who needs them more than muse a or maybe they’ve been in love with muse a since childhood— or both) until a certain event causes muse b to question whether they are healthy for each other at all.

IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE // muse a and muse b are neighbors, both living with their significant others. both muse a and muse b often see each other in the hallways or share an elevator up to their apartment when they come home from work. maybe they even carpool sometimes. however, they spare very little in the way of words until one day, muse a breaks down while drunk and admits that they think their partner is cheating on them. in an attempt to comfort them, muse b reveals that they think the same thing of their own partner. desperate for answers, they conduct an investigation until they realize that their partners are cheating on them with each other. muse a and muse b become each other’s support system, as they try to coach each other through an impending breakup all the while realizing that they might be developing feelings for each other and must now choose between indulging their feelings or deny themselves the hypocrisy.

TAKE THIS WALTZ // muse a meets muse b on a trip out of town and they instantly connect. they share the same flight back home and even a cab ride from the airport. however, they soon realize that muse b is muse a’s new neighbor, which makes things plenty awkward considering how a) they’ve been borderline flirty the whole time and b) muse a is married to someone who they now consider to be far less interesting in comparison to muse b. regardless, once they’ve recognized a mutual attraction with each other, muse a demands for muse b to keep their distance, only to keep running into each other everywhere, much to muse a’s chagrin.

LAST LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE // muse a is witness to a terrible road accident involving a pedestrian. muse a takes the pedestrian and their sibling, muse b to the hospital where muse b’s sibling is declared dead on arrival. despite being total strangers, muse a stays with muse b through the entire process. eventually, muse a takes muse b home but muse a refuses to let muse b leave, claiming they don’t want to be left alone in the house that they previously shared with their now deceased sibling. having money troubles of their own and on the brink of an eviction, muse a ends up staying with muse b not just for the night but for the week until they get comfortable enough with each other that muse b invites muse a to officially live with them to help with their financial problems, but mostly because they don’t know how to handle their grief alone.

THE FALL // muse a is in an outpatient physical rehabilitation facility after suffering from a near-fatal injury when they meet muse b. the pair are polar opposites in terms of their attitudes towards recovery: where muse a is more hopeful, muse b only throws pity parties for themself considering that this injury might prevent them from fully getting back to doing what they love. despite this, the two form an unlikely bond where muse b is completely enthralled with muse a, who tells them stories about their travels and their career and all the amazing things they’ve done, without realizing until they’re in too deep that they are all fabricated versions of the truth and muse b falls for every single one of them. what started as little white lies becomes a source of anxiety for muse a when the lies just get bigger and bigger.

COLUMBUS // muse a is a young, aspiring [insert career here] but to pursue this passion, they must leave their hometown, which they have constantly been refusing to do despite the numerous opportunities having been presented to them on account of the fear that no one else is going to take care of their mother (who, in the movie, is a recovering drug addict but it can be for any reason or relative in this case). muse b’s father is a well-known [insert career that muse a wants here] and is in town to hold a lecture/exhibit/performance/etc etc depending on the career, but then he suffers from a stroke. muse b, despite being estranged from their father for having been scrutinized by the man for most of their life, is forced to come to town and take care of him being their closest living relative. they meet muse a by chance, only to learn shortly after that they are a huge fan of muse b’s parent’s work. having spent their whole life in this town, muse a becomes muse b’s tour guide of sorts, while inadvertently helping each other come to terms with their relationship with their parents and how they can be kinder to themselves.

SECRET SUNSHINE // after their spouse’s passing, muse a moves from the big city to their spouse’s much, much smaller hometown so they can raise their child there. they meet all of the important figures of their spouse’s childhood including muse b, a local shopkeeper and an old friend of their spouse’s, who, despite muse a’s reluctance, helps them adjust to small town life. the pair eventually closer to each other and muse a to their spouse as they find out more about who they were before they met.

THIS IS WHERE I LEAVE YOU // (originally lgbtqia+ and written about older characters with grown children, but make of this plot what u will, tbh) muse a and muse b are best friends. both married, both with grown kids. muse a’s spouse died a long time ago so they’ve had plenty of time to help muse b take care of their spouse in the couple of months leading to that spouse’s death. in the process, the pair have grown intimate (with muse b’s spouse’s knowledge— in fact, they encouraged muse a to ‘take care’ of muse b in the event of their passing and wouldn’t trust anyone else to do so) but haven’t told their families yet in fear of what they might think of them given their age and how they’re basically uncles/aunts to each other’s children.

[mxltifaves]

The One About Last Night (Bucky Barnes x Reader)

Summary: After an eventful night you wake up with an unimaginable hangover and try to piece the events of the night before.

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader

A/N: Hey guys I've had this written in my for a while now so here it is. I got the inspiration from a TikTok I saw and Katy Perry's Last Friday Night. I hope you enjoy this mess.

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You groaned as you woke up. Your head pounding as the events from the night before tried to resurface. You turned your body only to feel someone next to you. Slowly opening your eyes only to see Bucky next to you. Your whole body froze, your eyes scanning the room realizing you were in Buckys. You looked down at your body, covered by a very thin sheet with nothing underneath. The last thing you remembered was going out with the team for some drinks. Slowly and carefully you slid off the bed. You tried finding your clothes but your dress was ripped in half. Great. Wrapping the sheet tighter around your body you carefully slipped out of Bucky's room and made your way to yours across the hall. What the hell happened last night?

You slipped in the shower trying to get rid of the alcohol stench you had. After you finished you put on a pair of shorts and a tank top. You made your way to the common area only to see it trashed. Bottles of alcohol all over the place, furniture misplaced, and a lot of broken things. What the hell? You went to the kitchen to trap a cup of coffee and saw the whole team, including Bucky, nursing their own coffee.

“Do any of you remember what happened last night?” You asked, walking over to the coffee pot.

“Not so loud,” Nat groaned.

“I’m pretty sure we drank all of the alcohol in New York,” Wanda said

“Figures, given the number of empty bottles out there,” you said pouring your coffee.

“What happened to you?” you asked Tony, pointing out the purple eye.

“No idea,” was all he said.

“Y/n what's on your neck?” Steve asked, causing everyone to look at your neck.

“What?” Your eyes shot wide.

“Is that…a hickey?” Tony asked, getting a closer look. You ran over to the mirror to get a good look at it. A clearly visible purple hickey sat on your neck.

“Uh y/n, you have another one on your shoulder,” Bruce pointed out.

“Is that a bite mark?” Sam raised his brow at you. You were going to kill Barnes. Bucky’s cheeks flushed red as he saw you looking at last night's evidence.

“Who did you sleep with?” Wanda asked

“I’d rather not talk about it,” your eyes landing on Bucky for a brief moment before turning back to the mirror.

As you finished your coffee you opened your phone and were greeted by thousands of notifications. You scrolled through your Instagram and there were pictures of last night. “Oh god,” you said under your breath.

Pictures of everyone at the bar, pictures of you doing shots with Wanda and Nat, some of you laughing, dancing on tables. “Have you seen these?” you asked Nat showing her the pictures. “Yea kinda hard too when your phone’s been blowing up every second,” she responded. You kept scrolling as more pictures of last night appeared. Sam holding a nearly empty bottle, videos of Thor pouring shots of his Asgardian booze, more videos of you dancing in tables but this time at the compound, pictures of Steve and Bucky streaking through the tower, Thor pouring his Asgardian booze down your throat, you hoped that was it. Even though the hangover was excruciating, last night looked pretty fun.

“Fury is going to kill us all,” Steve said. As soon as the words left his mouth Tony’s phone rang.

“Speak of the devil,” Tony muttered. They spoke on the phone briefly before hanging up.

“He wants us all downstairs in ten minutes,” he said

“Where is Thor?” you wondered looking around the room.

“F.R.I.D.A.Y, where is Thor?” Tony asked the A.I.

“He is in the pool,” F.R.I.D.A.Y responded. They all made their way outside to the pool and found Thor sleeping on an inflatable bed. You grabbed a pool stick and started poking him to wake up. He stirred awake slowly, opening his eyes to be met by everyone staring at him. “Come on Fury wants to talk to us,” Steve said. They helped him get to the edge of the pool to get out.

Once everyone was ready they all made their way downstairs to see Fury. Before Bucky could make it inside you pulled him aside. “What the hell Barnes? You bit me? And left a hickey?” you hissed.

“From what I remember you weren’t complaining,” he smirked “I barely remember what happened. How did we end up having sex,” you whispered. “It was the alcohol,” was all he said before entering the room.

Everyone was sitting down when Fury came in. “What the hell happened last night?” he yelled causing everyone to groan in pain. “If you’re gonna yell, do it quietly please,” you said.

“You guys are the avengers, you’re not supposed to be getting kicked out of bars, or starting fights, or run around naked,” Fury listed

“Well that explains Tony’s black eye, and why we ended up here,” Nat said

“You seriously don’t remember what happened?” he asked looking at everyone’s confused faces.

“Not really,” Sam said.

“F.R.I.D.A.Y, play the recording from last night,” he said “Oh god, you said to yourself bracing for whatever was going to play.

The first shot of the video was of everyone is stumbling in from the elevator, clearly drunk. Nat, Wanda, and you collapsed on the couch, giggling. Tony grabbed some ice for his eye, while the guys started pouring shots for everyone. Fast forward an hour later, everyone was playing beer pong which resulted in the table being broken in the end. You doing body shots with Thor and Bucky. Now that sorta explained how you and Bucky ended up in bed, I mean those abs. Wanda, Nat, and you dancing with each other on a table. At some point, you and Nat started making out. You and Nat looked at each other across the table and burst out laughing at the video. “Something funny, agent y/l/n? Romanoff?” Fury asked sternly

“No sir,” you both said trying to hold back your laughter.

“Look, sir, we are sorry for the trouble to be caused, it won’t happen again,” Steve apologized

“I’m not,” you said making everyone look at you.

“I admit we got a little too crazy but we work our asses every single day to make sure the people of New York, the world for that matter are safe. We deserve a night off to blow off steam and have some fun,” you said

“I guess you are right. But next time you decide to “have fun” do it here not out in public. Got it?” he said

“Understood,” you smiled proudly at yourself.

Everyone started leaving the room, heads still pounding, you grabbed Natasha and dragged her to your room. “Y/n hold on, what’s going on?” Nat said with wide eyes.

“I had sex with Bucky,” blurted out

“He’s the one that did that to you?” she gestured to the bite mark and hickeys.

“Yup,” was all that came out.

“Well it looks like you had fun,” Nat smirked

“Not helping. And I totally don’t remember all of it, but from what I do remember it was… pretty hot,” you said a small smile forming.

“You’re totally blushing,” the redhead teased

“Am not,” you denied it

“So you gonna do it again?” she asked

“Of course not, why would you even ask that?” you asked

“Because you clearly want it to happen again,” she said, which part of you knew was true but the more sane part said no.

“Okay maybe I want it to happen again but it won’t,” you said

“Whatever you say y/n. I gotta go cure this hangover, I’ll see you later. Try not to have sex with anyone,” she laughed exiting your room. You collapsed on your bed, thinking about what Nat said. A few minutes later you heard knocking on your door. You got up and opened it only to reveal Bucky standing there.

“Bucky, what are you doing here?” you asked furrowing your brows. He lifted his hands to reveal a bottle of aspirin and a glass of water. “To nurse you back to health,” he said

“Thanks,” you took the items from him letting him into your room.

“So about last night,” he began to say. “Before you say anything, we were incredibly drunk last night and we had sex. We should just move on and forget it happened,” you said, not believing a word you were saying.

“If that’s what you want, then okay,” he nodded, a little heartbroken at your words.

“Okay,” you stood there looking at his blue eyes, unable to look away. Before you realized his hands cradled your face and he crashed his lips onto yours. “What are you doing?” you said breathlessly. “I can’t just forget about it,” he said hoping you felt the same. This time you kissed him, wrapping your hands around his neck. “You sure about this?” he asked between kisses.

“Yeah,” you breathed out. The two of you collapsed onto your bed, let’s just say things got crazier than the night before.

[fanmoose12]

catch me if you can

Сharacters: Hange Zoe, Levi, Erwin Smith, Kenny Ackerman

Genres: Mystery / Romance

Summary: The Ackerman duo. Just the mention of this name filled Hange with so many feelings. Mostly, when she reread the files of their cases over and over, until her eyes watered, she felt pricking annoyance. Sometimes, when she stared at the dead bodies of those scarce unfortunates who stumbled upon their crimes, she was filled with hatred and a pushing need for revenge. Hange couldn’t deny, however, there were times when she marveled at the impudence of their crimes. And, when she was investigating the Ackerman’s cases and saw just how meticulously planned they all were, she couldn’t help but feel something close to fascination.No one knew who they were. No one had seen their faces, no one knew their true names. Almost everyone knew of their crimes.Hange was determined to unravel every last one of their secrets. She will put an end to their crimes and then she will get the elusive Ackermans behind bars.

Chapter 9/?

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

“We aren’t looking for Krista Lenz. We’re searching for Historia.”

Despite the evidence quite literally staring right back at her, Hange could scarcely believe what she herself had just said. Krista Lenz, the missing girl she was searching for, wasn’t actually Krista Lenz? Apparently, the girl’s name was Historia, at least, according to the birth certificate. But it didn’t make any sense, and, what’s worse, it raised so many additional questions…

The main question, of course, was the reason for why the girl was living under a false name, and how did Kenny Ackerman acquire this piece of information? And for what purpose?

Luckily, she had the person, who, hopefully, could shed some light on this new mystery. Hange shoved the photo and the document in Ackerman’s hands, staring at him expectantly. “Do you know something about this?”

He didn’t answer right away, and that gave Hange a semblance of hope. Perhaps, it was just a misunderstanding? Perhaps, the photo and the birth certificate were put into one envelope by a trick of fate? And Krista Lenz was truly Krista Lenz? Hange certainly hoped so. It would save her so much trouble.

Ackerman’s eyes were narrowed as he studied the document. Hange watched him with bated breath.

Her world crumbled when he gave a little nod.

“I think I know where Kenny got it. Remember the robbery of that politician’s manor? Kenny stole this thing from the guy’s safe.”

Hange remembered that robbery, remembered that murdered man. But how could it possibly be connected to her recent case?

“How did you know where to find it? And why did your uncle need it in the first place? It makes no sense…”

“On the contrary,” Ackerman shook his head. “Now everything makes perfect sense. I couldn’t understand why Reiss asked us to rob that guy’s house, but now I’m starting to think that your missing girl…”

“Wait! Wait!” Hange silenced him with her palm on his mouth. She whirled around, starting to pace around the room. What he was saying just now? He didn’t mean it, right? At least, not in the way Hange comprehended it. It couldn’t be, she refused to believe it. But what if Ackerman was telling the truth? What if— Hange turned back to him, her eyes pleading for him to say it was an ill-timed joke. “What was that about Reiss? Did you mean Rod Reiss, the member of the parliament? That Reiss?”

“Naturally.”

Hange slowly sank into an armchair. Her head was spinning, her thoughts were going in circles. Rod Reiss, the model politician, the law abiding citizen was working directly with Ackermans. It seemed completely outlandish.

“Are you serious?” she asked quietly, to keep herself from shrieking. “Are you actually fucking serious?”

Ackerman shrugged, looking so nonchalant, a stark contrast to her frantic appearance. “Why would I lie about this?”

Why indeed… Logically, Hange knew there was no reason for him to lie about Reiss’ involvement, but, damn it, she just couldn’t wrap her head about this. Even the notion seemed utterly ridiculous, like it was taken from a dumb conspiracy theory.

“Just before I dropped your case…” Hange began, desperately trying to find a way to contradict Ackerman’s claim. “He wanted to help me solve it. He offered me money and people, anything to get you behind bars.”

And that meant that he wasn’t working with them, right? It meant that Reiss was actually a good guy, who wanted to fight the bad ones.

He’s a politician, a voice that sounded suspiciously like Erwin reminded her. You can’t get so high just from being good.

Despite her endless stubbornness, Hange couldn’t disagree with that. Those who held a lot of power didn’t acquire it from being honest and honorable.

Reiss claimed he wanted to catch Ackermans, but that desire could just be his attempt to cover up his traces.

Fuck.

Ackerman was right. Everything was starting to make sense.

“I guess Reiss wanted to get rid of us,” Ackerman confirmed her guess. Hange’s heart sank. “Maybe, that’s why Kenny didn’t return him this,” he showed her the birth certificate.

Hange felt another wave of nausea. If she correctly understood what Ackerman was implying…

“Are you saying that the missing girl…” she swallowed, reluctant to end that sentence. It would become more real then.

“Yes,” Ackerman nodded, his voice a little softer. Was it his attempt at giving her a bit of comfort? Did he simply pity her? “I think that your Krista Lenz is actually Historia. And that her father is Rod Reiss.”

Even before he spoke, Hange knew that Ackerman had reached that conclusion. Reluctantly, she was almost ready to agree with him. But… her inner world was practically in shambles. Rod Reiss, the good-willed, kind looking man with a gentle smile, was working with the criminals. He had a secret daughter.

She really couldn’t trust anyone, huh? She should have learnt this simple truth by now. Levi Ackerman did a great job of teaching that lesson to her, after all.

Hange dropped head into her hands, letting out a deep, bone-weary sigh. Couldn’t she have at least one simple, easy case? One that wouldn’t make her revalue all of her relationships and lose her faith in the humanity?

A case like that would have been real nice.

But instead she had a case that grew more complicated with each clue and a girl who was waiting to be rescued.

If nothing else, Hange couldn’t let Krista Lenz down. Or Historia, whichever name was the correct one.

“Hey listen…” a tentative touch to her shoulder and a gentle voice in her ear made Hange jump. She looked up and saw Ackerman, standing right next to her. He was… gods, he looked worried. Hange didn’t know if she should be amused or slighted. Just how pathetic she seemed just now, if Ackerman decided to comfort her? “I know it’s a lot to take in…”

Hange brushed his hand aside, abruptly jumping to her feet. Ackerman could take his pity and fuck himself with it. It was a lot to take in, but she was fine. She had taken it all in, she dealt with that mind-blowing revelation. Well, she didn’t really deal with it, but she took a pause in dealing with it. She’d finish the processing after this fucking day was over and she’d get drunk at some shitty bar. But now, she had work that needed her attention. And Hange was ready to begin.

“Give me that,” she snatched the birth certificate out of Ackerman’s hand, studying it intently. The graph with the father’s name wasn’t filled, but the mother’s name was there. Alma. There was no last name, but still, it was a start. Certainly not very promising, but Hange did more with less.

Alas, there was nothing interesting about the document except the name of the child’s mother. The child was born here, in their city, twenty two years ago. Krista Lenz was exactly twenty-two years old. A small detail that simply couldn’t be overlooked.

Next, Hange turned her attention to the photo. The picture showed adult Krista, and it was shot from distance, only her profile visible. Could it mean that someone was spying on her? If Krista was Historia, and a daughter of Rod Reiss, it made sense that he was keeping tabs on her. However…

Hange’s eyes widened, the realization swiftly settling.

The photo and the document, it didn’t come from Reiss. Reiss asked Ackermans to steal it for him, meaning…

“Do you think Reiss has enemies?” she asked Ackerman. “Do you think that someone wanted to expose him?”

“Perhaps,” Ackerman tentatively replied. His eyebrows furrowed, as he continued, rubbing his chin. “The guy that we killed… he wasn’t supposed to be at home that night. Reiss said he wasn’t going to be at home.”

“But he was.” Hange uttered, confused.

“He was,” Ackerman agreed. “And I think Reiss knew about it.”

“You think he tried to set you up?”

“Possibly. Or it was a pure coincidence and the guy just decided to return from the party earlier. Or…” he spread his arms, his point more than clear.

Closing eyes, Hange rubbed her temples. Possibly, Ackerman said. Well, she was definitely getting into something she shouldn’t. Secret children, Ackermans, nasty politicians… It was well above her paygrade.

But she couldn’t just give up. And, fortunately, she knew a place where they could find more information. If the person spying on Krista wasn’t Reiss, then it was someone who was actively trying to expose him. Someone who had died before he could reach his goal.

Hange still remembered that brief conversation she had with the politician’s widow, remembered her mentioning something about a girl that worked for her late husband. Perhaps, that girl was the one who took that photo of Krista. And if she found Krista once, perhaps, she’d help them to find her again.

The plan of action was prepared, and that was enough to calm Hange’s mind. At least, for a short while.

“We’re going to visit the politician’s house,” she announced to Ackerman. “His widow might know something.”

“You want to go to the house of the guy we robbed and killed? Awesome.”

Hange hummed, letting her eyes linger on Ackerman’s bored face. There was a question that’s been bugging her for a long time now, ever since she learnt about his true identity. They weren’t in a hurry yet, so she decided to take another moment to satisfy her curiosity. “That guy… were you the one who killed him?”

Ackerman stared back at her, his eyes surprisingly honest. “Would it make you feel better if I tell you that my uncle did it?”

Would it make her feel better to know that he was just a thief, and not a murderer? Maybe. Or, maybe not. Hange wasn’t sure what feeling this knowledge would provoke. These days, she wasn’t sure what to feel at all. The only feeling she was certain of was the exhaustion.

“Back at the museum…” perhaps, bringing this up was unreasonable. Perhaps, completely unnecessary. But she had been thinking about it, a lot. She had already formulated an explanation. Now she wanted to hear Ackerman’s reasoning, and see if the two versions were compatible in any way. “I know you weren’t the one who shot me, your uncle is much taller. When he raised that gun, he was aiming at my head, I could see it clearly,” she laughed, the sound too broken to be genuine. “I thought I was already done for, so why…”

“Why what, four-eyes?” Ackerman snapped. “Why did I stop him? Do you actually not know?”

Ackerman was staring right at her, his impassive mask slipping to reveal his anger and… frustration? Hange couldn’t clearly interpret the look in his eyes, not when she was so confused herself. She swallowed heavily, her heart pounding as she struggled to look away. Ackerman’s gaze… was burning.

“I wouldn’t have let Kenny kill you. I couldn’t bear the thought,” he said, his voice raw. He took a step towards her, and, subconsciously, Hange took a step away from him, her back now pressed against the wall. Despite their height difference, Levi seemed to loom over her, his eyes brimming with feeling. The feeling of… what? Hange didn’t know if she wished to know the answer. “Do you actually not understand why I did it?”

Ackerman was wrong. She did understand. She had him figured out, all thanks to dark, long and sleepless nights.

“You still needed me, right? That was your reason? I was still useful to you, that’s why—”

“Useful?”

Hange flinched at his tone. There was no protest there, no anger. His voice was thick with pain. Her eyes widened at the realization.

“What did I use you for, Hange?” he grabbed the lapels of her coat, roughly pulling her close to him. His breath was hot on her skin, and his fists were clenched so tightly she could almost hear the sound of the coat’s fabric ripping. “What did I ever use you for? Did I steal something from you? Did I get some piece of information out of you? You gave me the keys to your damn office, I held your shitty notebook in my hands, and did I use it?”

In the face of his outrage, Hange felt numb. She didn’t try to push him away, felt too weak to escape from him. She could only stare helplessly at him, feeling small and insignificant. Feeling like she had missed something vital, a central piece of the puzzle.

“I don’t know,” she murmured. “I didn’t check, perhaps you did take something—”

He breathed a curse into her face, his eyes a liquid fire. Just as suddenly as he had grabbed her, Levi let her go.

His back was now facing her, as he stared out of the window, his breathing loud and irregular.

“You can think whatever you want about me,” he said, deadly quiet. “You can think that I am a liar, a thief and a scumbag. But I didn’t use you Hange. It was never my intention. And if you really don’t know why I didn’t let you die, then you’re a shitty fucking detective. No wonder you couldn’t catch us.”

He stormed out of the room a second after, leaving Hange to stare incredulously after him.

His words, his touch, his eyes, it weighted down on her. They made it hard to breathe.

The places where Levi had touched her were burning, his words were still ringing in her ears and she couldn’t quite shake off the image of his eyes, his stare furious, but simultaneously hurt.

She was hoping to gain some clearance, hoping to deal with one of the many mysteries of her life. But now she was even more confused.

She took one deep breath after another, clutching at her chest. What the heck had just happened? What was Levi so worked about, what was he— it was another lie of his, another act, it had to be, Hange at last decided. What else it could be? Levi, no, Ackerman, he couldn’t really speak the truth just now? Because if that was the truth, then—

The loud bang of the closing door snapped Hange out of her reverie.

She was being naïve and foolish, again.

She was letting him get into her head, she was allowing him to fool her once more. But she wouldn’t let him do it, not after everything she had gone through.

She also couldn’t let him distract her from the case. Be her name Krista or Historia, but that girl needed to be saved. Hange had to save her.

And she wouldn’t be able to find her if she continued to stare numbly at the wall.

Hange shook her head, pushed the hair back from her face and fixed the lapels of her coat. She had no time for confusing feelings, she had to get back to work.

She was fully intent on doing that, until she remembered what had helped her get her focus back. The front door was thrown closed…

Hange shrieked, her hands flying to her head. Ackerman! He had escaped!

With a lightning speed, she rushed out of the room and out of the apartment. She took two stairs at the time, hurrying to get to the bottom of the stairwell. Her mind worked just as fast as her legs, as Hange tried to predict what direction Ackerman would take. Where would he go? Would she be able to find him? Should she even find him, after everything that just transpired?

By the time, she reached the exit of the apartment complex and tumbled out on a street, Hange was completely out of breath. She took a fleeting second, doubling over in an attempt to stop her lungs from burning out. Shit, she was getting too old for this kind of thing.

With her breathes still coming out way too rapidly, Hange slowly straightened out. Left or right? Which direction Ackerman would take? Maybe, if she was lucky, she’d catch him before he ran away.

But as Hange turned her gaze to her left, she was surprised to see that the escaped criminal… didn’t actually escape. He was standing right next to her, lazily smoking a cigarette.

“I thought you had a girl to save, detective?” he asked in a bored, indifferent voice.

Hange hated how good he was at concealing what was going on inside him. She was still shaking.

She also hated how attractive the damn bastard was, especially while smoking.

But Ackerman was right. There was a girl, and she needed to be saved.

Hange shrugged, adopting a more confident stance. She couldn’t let him know she was worried that he left. Or how handsome she thought he was. She had embarrassed herself plenty already.

So with a determined face, Hange lifted an arm, hailing a taxi.

There was no time for feelings. Not when there was work needed to be done.

***

The time they’ve spent in taxi was spent in silence.

Hange was looking out of the window, stubbornly refusing to even look in his direction. Levi himself was staring at his knees, lost to his own thoughts.

There was a lot he had to think about, the main focus, of course, was on Kenny and his involvement with Reiss and his new-found daughter.

Levi had kept a faint hope that when they got to their apartment, Kenny would be there, laying on a coach with a cigarette in one hand and a bottle of beer in another. Until the very end, he hoped that this whole ordeal with kidnapping and letters from Kenny the Reaper was a result of a weird coincidence.

Unfortunately, his hope was crushed without mercy.

Kenny wasn’t at home, and what’s more, the state of their apartment frightened Levi. Kenny wasn’t as obsessed with cleanliness as him, but he had never created such messes either. At least, it had never happened during all these years they’ve lived together. Was the mess caused by the fact that Levi had left? Or was Kenny truly going crazy?

If he decided to kidnap a girl, Reiss’ daughter, and then run off to god knows where, then he was definitely not quite right in his head.

But that wasn’t the only thing occupying Levi’s mind. Ashamed as he was to admit it, Kenny wasn’t in his thoughts nearly as often as was Hange.

Their fight back at his apartment was, for the lack of better word, a complete disaster. He made a mistake, he shouldn’t have lost his cool, he shouldn’t have admitted the things Hange didn’t have to know.

For fuck’s sake, he practically admitted that he was smitten with her. Worse yet, he almost admitted just how far he was willing to go not to hurt her. It was dangerous and it was foolish. Luckily, Hange wasn’t too interested in listening to what he had to say.

And still, the things that she had said hurt him. More than Levi was ready to admit.

She really lost all trust in him, didn’t she? Perhaps, this outcome was not at all surprising, but… painful nevertheless.

Levi stole a glance at Hange - she wasn’t looking back at him. So he allowed himself to admire her profile. Her bright, brown eyes, that hawkish nose, those enticing lips… He sighed, tearing his gaze away.

Coming here was certainly a mistake, he could have hid a little better, could have tried to run from Hange for the second time. He could have done so much more, could have at least attempted to not get caught in all of this.

Too late for any regrets now, he thought bitterly. Besides, it wasn’t like he had come here for Hange, right? He had to get Kenny out of whatever shit he had involved himself into this time.

Kenny, he was there for Kenny. For him and him only.

He had to repeat this to himself a couple of times more, because with Hange sitting so close to him, with their thighs slightly touching in the backseat of the taxi, it was hard to remember his main and initial goal. With Hange so close, it was getting hard to focus at all.

He had to think of something else.

Levi looked out of the window, watched the streets they passed by. They were getting close. Close to the house of the man he murdered.

Levi gulped. Perhaps, the idea to focus on something else wasn’t as sound as it seemed at first.

Another train of thought then. He turned to look at Hange again.

He couldn’t think about her, but there was the matter of their case. He could try and pay attention to it.

“You mentioned that the girl is missing for almost a week. Why are you the only one who’s working on finding her then? Aren’t these types of cases supposed to be…” he waved his hand around, gesturing uncertainly. “Especially time-sensitive?”

Hange sighed, showing just how stressed she truly was. “They usually are time-sensitive. But… thing is… no one actually cares if I solve this case or not.”

“Do you mean—”

“Yes. Krista, or, well,” she winced, “Historia, doesn’t have a family. She doesn’t seem to have any friends either. We received the tip about her disappearance from a fucking anonymous call. No one even noticed that she is gone. I talked with the students at her college, and some seemed sympathetic, some even mildly worried about her well-being, but no one actually cared about her. No one truly knew her too, at least, no one knew her well enough. As I asked about Krista, I got the same answer. She was kind, always ready to help. She was attentive and diligent during classes. And that world ‘was’,” Hange shook her head, her palms clenching into fists. “It seemed like everyone had already accepted that she was gone for good.”

Hange sounded so sad, so frustrated, Levi desperately wished to give her what little comfort that he could. He understood now, why she was so determined to find that missing girl and bring her home.

It was good to know that people like Hange existed. People, who would do their best to try and help someone else.

Levi could be that girl, he realized. If he went missing and Kenny wasn’t there to find him, no one would care to help him. If something like that ever happened to him, he could only hope to come across a person, who would be as selfless and kind as Hange.

If there were more people like her, perhaps, his life wouldn’t be so miserable. Perhaps, he’d be a different person.

But pondering on it was pointless now. He was who was he was. For the better or worse, Hange was who she was too.

“So no one is pushing you to hurry?” Levi glanced at her beneath his fridge. “Then what was that shit about? When you ran out of my apartment, red in face and panting like a dog?”

“Oi,” Hange slapped his knee. “Fuck you.”

“Fuck me?” Levi raised his eyebrow, remembering their first conversation. “Aren’t we moving a little too fast?”

“Shut up,” she grumbled, turning her face away. Just before she did, Levi saw the red on her cheeks.

Hange blushed. Hange, the hot-shot detective and a huge pain in the ass, had actually blushed after his stupid joke.

Well… now Levi had something to be proud of.

“I just thought—” she huffed, moving hair from her face. “It doesn’t matter what I thought, but… thanks for not running away. I… appreciate it. Looking for you would be a large inconvenience,” she gave him a side-glance, her lips twitching. “Thanks for not creating even more problems for me, I guess.”

And who said that Hange wasn’t a paragon of politeness? Levi almost felt good about himself. He almost thought that things between them were… not as disastrous as they actually were.

“We are almost there,” Hange announced, nervously tapping fingers against her thigh.

The bubble busted. There was no time to fool around. There was no time for playful banter and witty back and forth. There was no time to… appreciate that bright sparkle in Hange’s eyes.

Levi nodded, acknowledging her words, but remained speechless. What was there to say? He was going to the house that belonged to a man his uncle had killed right in front of his own eyes. And he was going there willingly. God, his life was just a string of one fucked up shitty event after another.

Hopefully, this visit would help him learn more about Kenny’s new job and, maybe, even find Kenny himself.

Hope… that’s all he had these days.

The taxi took a turn and drove up to the tall, black gates. Levi remembered climbing over it during that awful night two months ago.

This time, he wasn’t climbing over it.

Hange got out of the taxi, just as they approached the front gates. She spoke through the intercom, requesting entrance. After a long moment, the gates slowly opened and the taxi drove inside, bringing them to the large doors.

Front doors. Last time Levi was getting inside through the back door. Well, another improvement. Another sign that this visit, hopefully, wouldn’t end so horribly.

Hange paid the taxi driver and told him not to wait for them. Together they exited the car.

As they walked to the door, she leaned in to him and whispered, “It’d be best if you don’t tell the grieving widow that your uncle killer her husband.”

“I’m not an idiot, four-eyes.”

Hange chuckled and lifted her arms, palms-up. “I’m just saying. I don’t think she’s eager to meet us as it is.”

When the front door had finally opened, they were met by a butler. A fucking butler, dressed in a suit and tie and with glasses on his face. Levi stared at him, incredulously.

Killing people in general went against Levi’s principles, and killing the owner of this house in particular was obviously wrong, but stealing from him? Perhaps, he and Kenny should have also taken a few paintings.

“Good day,” Hange smiled – to Levi the expression seemed a little forced. “I’m detective Zoe and I wanted to—”

“I know,” the butler bowed his head, gesturing for them to follow him. “The Lady asked me to bring you to her office.”

The Lady? It took all of Levi’s willpower not to scoff. Rich people were ridiculous. That’s why he preferred to steal from them. Served those fuckers right.

The butler led them through a big, brightly lit hall, up the majestic stairwell, through a row of ugly paintings, and finally they stood before a brown oak door.

“The Lady is inside,” the butler said, taking a step back. “I’ll bring tea in just a few minutes. Now if you’ll excuse me…”

Hange waved her hand, obviously not interested in his false politeness. She threw the door open, walking inside without waiting for the invitation. So that was detective Hange at work? Levi watched her, hiding his amused expression.

“Sorry that we didn’t give you a heads-up,” she spoke to the woman that was sitting behind a long, mahogany desk. Suddenly Levi realized it was the same room, where Kenny had killed a man. Suddenly he realized that he was staring at the face of a woman, who had lost a husband because of him and Kenny. Avoiding the widow’s gaze, he did his best to hide behind Hange. “But there’s something we wanted to discuss.”

“Did you find my husband’s killer?”

No, but I'm his nephew and I was there when your husband had died, Levi almost blurted out. But Hange had warned him. So he wisely kept his mouth shut.

“No,” Hange walked further inside, plopping down on a chair. Much more humbly, Levi did the same. “But we think your husband is related to our other case. So we were wondering if we can ask you a few questions?”

“Who are we?” the widow arched her perfectly thin eyebrow. “Last time we spoke, I didn’t remember you having an assistant.”

Hange’s smile became strained. “That’s, um, Levi,” she gestured at him. “My, well, he’s sort of my partner.”

“A partner, huh?”

“He helps me with the case,” Hange answered vaguely. “Now about our questions…”

The widow arrogantly waved her hand, allowing Hange to continue. “Just be quick about this. After my husband’s death, I have a lot of work on my hands.”

And all of it because of him and Kenny. Great. Levi sat lower in his seat.

“I remember you mentioning…” Hange took out her notebook, Levi cringed at the sight of it. As he watched her shift through it, he briefly wondered if that note he had left for her was still there. Did she tear it out, rip into pieces and then burn the rest? Or did she… leave it there, so she could stare at it whenever she felt especially angry? Levi wasn’t sure which option was more preferable and which one would make him feel more sad. Meanwhile, Hange continued, “A girl who visited your husband. Do you remember what she looked like? Can you describe her to us?”

The widow scrunched her nose, clearly displeased. She reached to the desk’s drawer, taking out a pack of cigarettes. She opened it, putting a cigarette in between her lips. “If you don’t mind,” she mumbled, flicking up a lighter. The widow took one long drag, letting the smoke curl up towards the ceiling. She lazily traced its movement, then, when the smoke had dissipated into nothing, she spoke, “I saw her only once, she was leaving our house late in the evening. It was dark and I didn’t get a good look on her face, but I remember that she was tall,” she squinted, looking at Hange. “Slightly taller than you. Had brown hair, gathered in a low ponytail. Her clothes were baggy, and, overall, she looked just like…”

“Like what?” Levi snappily required. “Like a criminal?”

“Well, yes,” the widow agreed, throwing the ash off her cigarette. “I think she was doing some shady work for my husband.”

“Do you by any chance have a way to contact her?” Hange asked. “A phone number or a home address…”

“And why do you need it?” the widow looked at them skeptically.

“Classified information,” Hange smoothly replied. “But it’s for the greater good, believe me.”

The widow huffed, obviously not buying it. But she put the cigarette down and reached for the drawer again.

“I don’t know if that will be of any help, but,” she rummaged through the drawer, taking out a yellow envelope. “I found this when I was looking through my husband’s things. He must have destroyed the letter that was inside it, but there is the sender’s address on the back, so…”

“Thank you for your time,” Hange spoke sincerely, snatching the envelope from the widow’s hands. “You really helped us. A lot. You might have even saved a young girl’s life.”

“Whatever,” the widow rolled her eyes. “Just get out of here already. I have the work I need to do.”

“Thank you,” Hange repeated, rising to her feet. “Have a nice day.”

“And…” the widow hesitated. “Good luck with your case. I hope you do better this time.”

The smile on Hange’s face faltered, but didn’t disappear. “I’ll do my best,” she promised, before walking out of the room.

Throwing a quick last glance at the widow, Levi dutifully followed.

***

The address on the envelope led them to the worst part of their city. To the streets that were filled with garbage, where the walls had paint falling off and most windows stood completely smashed.

Hange in her fancy light brown coat looked starkly out of place. Perhaps, Ackerman was right about her having too much privilege. Right now, the contrast between her and the more unfortunate ones were sharp as ever. Although, Ackerman’s attire wasn’t that humble either.

Hange stepped a little closer to him, in a futile attempt to hide from the unfriendly gazes that followed after her ever since they stepped into this part of the city.

“I’m surprised you’ve agreed to come here,” she spoke to him in a quiet voice, “Since I know how much of a clean freak you are.”

The look Ackerman gave her could probably freeze someone to death. “I wasn’t always living in a nice and neat apartment, four-eyes. People like me usually come from the places like that.”

Hange’s eyes widened at the realization. She glanced at the man beside her, tilted her head to study him more intently. It was hard to imagine sharp-dressed and clean-shaved Ackerman, or younger Levi living in a place like that, walking through the dirty streets with broken windows. He came a long way, it seemed. Hange was amazed at his perseverance.

“I think this is the right house,” she pointed at the grey four-story building. Hange took out the envelope, checked the address again. “Yes, this is it.”

Wordlessly, Ackerman started walking in that direction. Hange caught him just before he pushed the front door open.

“Shouldn’t we, like, knock?” she asked, doing a poor job at hiding her nervousness.

Ackerman just rolled his eyes. “Don’t be an idiot,” he scolded, adding a quiet ‘tch’. “There are several apartments here. You’re not trespassing on someone’s private property yet.”

“Oh, alright,” Hange mumbled, letting him open the door and following him inside.

The inside of the building… was dirty. There were bags of trash lying around, shards of broken glass and half-shattered empty bottles. The house wasn’t silent too, from somewhere deep inside the building a child’s wailing was heard. It was accompanied by the sounds of a fighting. Or, maybe, extremely passionate love-making. Hange desperately hoped it was the latter.

“We need to go to the basement,” she said to Ackerman, trying her best to sound nonchalant and confident.

“Basement?” he repeated incredulously. “Is the address actually pointing to a basement? Are we looking for a vampire?”

“I don’t know who we’re looking for. But here,” she thrusted the envelope to him. “You can check it for yourself.”

He pushed her hand away. “I’ll trust you on that one.”

They made their way down the stairs in silence. Not wanting to see something that wasn’t meant for the police officer’s eyes, Hange kept her gaze focused on Ackerman’s face. Unsurprisingly, his expression was indifferent. But his breaths were coming out more raged than usual and he was walking with his head bowed low.

Compared to his regular level of emotionlessness, Ackerman seemed almost overly distressed.

Was this place affecting him so much? He had hinted at his not so happy childhood before. Were bad memories the reason for his emotional state right now?

Hange placed a hand on his shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. “Ackerman, listen…”

Roughly, he slapped her hand away. “I’m fine, four-eyes. Focus on the task at hand.”

She stared at him, affronted. Here she was trying to— what was she trying to do? To comfort him? Because she was worried about him? Hange conceded. Perhaps, Ackerman had every right to scold her. She was losing her focus. She couldn’t allow herself that.

As they climbed to the end of the stairs, Hange looked around, searching for an apartment 009. It stood just at the end of the hallway, and without hesitation she marched right there.

She knocked, quite forcefully. And received no answer. She huffed, ignoring Ackerman’s amused gaze, and knocked again. Again, there was no answer.

Hange put her ear closer to the door, listening to any signs of life inside. There was… nothing.

“I think no one is at home,” she announced mournfully to Ackerman. “Perhaps, we can come back later…”

“Or we can stop wasting precious time,” he rolled his eyes. “Move your ass, four-eyes, I’ll get us inside.”

Ackerman went down on his knees before the door, searching for something in the pocket of his jacket.

It took Hange a long moment to realize what he was about to do. As soon as that realization kicked in, however, she rushed to pull Ackerman away from that door.

“What are you doing?” she cried out. “Ackerman, it’s illegal!”

He gave her a pointed look. “I’m a criminal, remember?”

“I’m not! I can’t let you break inside someone’s house, I’m a police officer!”

“And can you let a young girl suffer? My uncle is an impatient man, if she pissed him off…”

“Don’t joke about it!” Hange scolded. Fuck, she didn’t know what to do. On one hand, she couldn’t let Ackerman just break into someone’s house. On the other, she couldn’t really waste any more time.

“You can look the other way, four-eyes,” Ackerman proposed, his voice an octave softer. “I won’t tell anyone.”

Damn it, Hange couldn’t believe what she was about to do. Ackerman and his damn influence, if Erwin ever finds out…

She sighed, surrendering, and turned away from that door. “Do your thing already,” she urged. “I’ll be… on a look-out. Or whatever you people say.”

“You people?” he repeated teasingly. “What kind of people?”

Hange could practically hear the laughter in his voice. Well, at least, someone was enjoying himself.

“Criminals,” she gritted.

“Just don’t forget that it’s a nasty criminal,” he said, “That helps you solve this case.”

Gods, what a fucker. But he was right. He was helping her. For his own reasons, sure, but even so, Hange was working with him for merely a day, and already she accomplished so much. Perhaps, after all of that mess was over, she could even thank him.

If he wouldn’t give her another reason to hate him.

Ackerman dealt with the door just in mere seconds. Hange didn’t know that it was possible to break the locks so swiftly. He surely was talented.

“Wow, you really are good at it,” she marveled under her breath.

“Figures why you couldn’t catch us, eh?”

So he was not only a fucker, but a cocky one as well. Hange shouldn’t have found that trait of his attractive. He lied to her, for god’s sake. But she had to admit – he looked damn good while doing it.

Ackerman opened the door and let Hange go in first. She did, a bit precautiously.

The first thing she noticed was, of course, the absence of the light. Outside the afternoon sun was shining brightly, painting everything in warm orange colors, but here, in the basement, it was dark as ever. Distinctively, Hange could hear the sound of the pipes leaking, the steady drop, drop, drop that set her just a little further up on edge.

She blindly searched for the switch on the wall. As soon as she had found it, a lone lightbulb filled the room with faint light.

Apart from that, the interior of the apartment wasn’t so different from the interior of the whole building. It was in similar bad shape, with torn wallpapers and leaking ceilings. But, surprisingly, the apartment also seemed strangely empty, like whoever was living there didn’t actually consider it their home.

As Hange looked around, she found nothing personal there, no photographs or postcards or any other kind of trinkets people usually treasured.

There were some clothes thrown here and there, but that was about it. The rest of the apartment was disappointingly empty.

“I don’t think we’ll be able to find something here,” Ackerman said, as he walked inside beside her.

Truthfully, Hange was of the same opinion. But they came here. They broke inside. She wouldn’t leave until she finds at least something remotely useful.

“Let’s look around,” she said, deciding to start with the kitchen.

Unfortunately, there was nothing useful in the kitchen. The only thing Hange found was the insane amount of instant noodles and cheap beer.

No clues were found inside the living room as well. She looked under the dusty old couch and the rug, behind the shattered TV-screen and the wardrobe. But she found nothing.

Met with the absence of the clues and Ackerman’s increasing impatience, Hange was starting to get desperate.

“We’ll find something,” she murmured, to assure both Ackerman and herself.

He simply clicked his tongue. “I searched the bedroom already. I didn’t find anything that might be of some interest.”

“I’ll go and have another look,” Hange stubbornly pushed past him. “Perhaps, you missed something.”

“Or, perhaps,” he countered, his voice laced with venom. “This lead is a dead-end. And we’re just wasting our time.”

“Need I to remind you that this is the only lead we have? Because you’re unable to find your own uncle.”

Hange knew she had said the wrong thing as soon as the words had left her mouth. She didn’t mean it, not really. But she was frustrated. She was tired and lost, and Ackerman’s proximity and their shared history were making her even more stressed than she already was.

But all of it didn’t mean that Ackerman deserved her bitterness. Not in this moment, at least. Hange knew she was in the wrong, she wanted to take her words back, but then— then Ackerman decided to retaliate.

“And need I to remind you that the only reason I’m here is because you can’t solve this shitty case all by yourself. So stop accusing me of being useless when I’m helping you out of the kindness of my heart.”

“Out of the kindness of your heart?” Hange repeated, completely scandalized. She couldn’t believe that she was meaning to apologize to that shithead just moments ago. And he had the audacity— Gods, he infuriated her to no end. “You’re a fucking asshole, Ackerman. When you were lying to me like a total scumbag, were you doing it out of the kindness of your fucking heart as well?”

Ackerman was getting riled up to, his face became contorted with faint lines of anger. His hands clenched into fists, he took a step forward, breathing heavily. “Are you still going on about that thing, really? Yes, I lied to you, but I’m sure I’m not the only person in this life who did it. So can you just let it go already?”

“Let it go?” Hange felt like she was boiling, there was so much fury inside of her that it seemed like it was pouring out of her. She wanted to smash or break something, preferably Ackerman’s stupidly handsome face. “Are you seriously asking if I can let it go? Do you really not understand how much—” she faltered, choking on the hurricane of her emotions. “I trusted you, Levi, I believed you were a good man. For god’s sake, I was starting to develop f—”

Hange abruptly stopped herself. She was angry, true, she was overwhelmed as well. But she was not so lost as to reveal to him just what he truly made her feel. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of knowing how good his lies were and how much they’ve hurt her.

After taking a deep breath, she risked a glance at Ackerman. He was staring right at her, wide-eyed and shocked and… was that sadness in his eyes?

Before Hange could decipher his expression, it changed again, became more cautious.

She blinked, and Ackerman was already moving, rapidly, in her direction. All out of sudden, he was standing right beside her, close enough for Hange to hear just how loudly his heart was beating.

Confused, she wanted to push him away, she meant to do it, but before she could react, Ackerman had her encircled in his arms. He pulled her to the side, and just as Hange was trying to get away, they swayed and tumbled. In a mess of limbs, both of them fell onto the ground.

No more than a second later, Hange heard a loud, sudden noise.

A noise she knew so well. A gunshot.

Confused and with her ears ringing, Hange tried to make sense of her surroundings. There was a gunshot, and she fell but she wasn’t on a ground. Ackerman was on the ground, and she was lying right on top of him. Hange stared at him, wide-eyed and shaken.

Their sudden close proximity made her thoughts move even slower.

Still in Ackerman’s embrace, she turned her head in the direction, where that gunshot had come from. A girl stood there, her gun raised and aimed at them.

How long had she been standing there? How in the world Hange hadn’t seen her enter?

The reason for her lack of caution was still beside her, holding her tightly to his chest.

It felt good to be so close to him, Hange felt so warm and safe—

“Get the fuck off me,” feeling her face burn, she pushed Ackerman away, and jumped up to her feet.

“That’s the thanks I get for saving your life,” he grumbled, standing up as well and dusting off his jacket. “And I did it for the second time, four-eyes.”

“Shut up,” Hange gritted, returning her attention to the girl who almost shot them both. She was tall and brown-haired. Could it be their mysterious lead?

“I’m terribly sorry to interrupt… whatever that was,” for a second the girl’s lips curled in a wicked smirk, but then she gripped the gun in her hands tighter, her finger going to the trigger. “But who the fuck are you and what are you doing in my house?”

Still slightly shaking from the whole ordeal, Hange’s fingers trembled as she took out her police badge, showing it to the girl. “I’m detective Hange Zoe, and I came to ask you some questions.”

The hand that held the gun didn’t lower. “Regarding?” the girl asked.

“Regarding Krista Lenz’s disappearance.”

The girl relaxed. The gun was tucked safely inside her leather jacket. “So the police have finally taken notice of that case? Took you long enough.”

“I’m hoping to rectify that mistake. And I hope I’ll be able to bring Krista home. What is your name?” Hange smiled and tentatively offered her hand for the girl to shake.

“Ymir,” just as cautiously, she shook Hange’s hand. “And Krista isn’t her real name, you know?”

“She is Historia, right?” the smile on Hange’s face widened, as she saw Ymir’s genuine surprise. “We found that bit of information already.”

“Seems like you’re a real deal then,” Ymir concluded with a nod. “I’ll share what I know with you. But,” she raised a finger. “I have a condition – you’ll let me join the investigation.”

Their crew was rapidly growing, and two-thirds were presented by criminals, Hange thought grimly. Well, she was ready to do anything to bring Historia home. It seemed like she would have to stick to her own promise.

Just when Hange was ready to accept Ymir and her proposition, Ackerman took a step forwards. His eyes were narrowed to slits as he glared at their new companion.

“And what guarantee we have that we can trust you?”

“You have no guarantee,” Ymir replied, staring down at him. “But as long as our goals align and as long as you promise not to hurt Historia, I promise not to betray you.”

Ah, so their crew was rapidly growing and they couldn’t really trust each other. A recipe for a horrible disaster, but… Hange had no other options.

She clasped Ymir’s shoulder, giving her the most convincing of her smiles. “Welcome aboard then. What have you managed to find out?”

Ymir grinned and turned around, gesturing for them to follow. “Probably much more than you did. Come with me, I’ll show it to you.”