#let him be such a contrarian he will break everything he cares about as well as himself with his own bare hands just because fuck you!!!

[rawliverandgoronspice]

I wish there were more ganon fans that just didn't make him into a misunderstood little meow meow and made him into a complex leader who can be right about his reasons but still have red flags and be selfish

I'm glad people have fun with him, especially given the flurry of attention he received recently, and I'm glad there's a wide breadth of content to enjoy. I do prefer that version you're describing here as well though! I call this reading of the character "Morally Dark Gray Ganondorf"; the kind that definitively has a point, whose whole psyche makes a twisted kind of internal sense that one may absolutely find compelling, awe-inspiring and/or devastating, but who is also unforgivable the second you step outside of his own selfish "me against the world" conception of reality --while also understanding why he can't conceive of anyone as anything but pawns in a much larger game of chess played against gods who kind of demand to be opposed in absolutes. Still: all of this is cool and swell, but, also, do you know how many war crimes you're doubling down on just because you refuse to be owned??? Too many!! The answer is: too many!!

[drenix004]

𝐇𝐎𝐍𝐄𝐘━━━ 𝐕𝐀𝐋𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐀 𝐆𝐀𝐑𝐙𝐀

-> part 1

❝𝐇𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐲︙It was the candy she needed to cope with the life of danger and death she had willingly gotten herself into.❞

❛Her sweet, natural attitude reminded him of honey, and her peculiar amber eyes reaffirmed this❜

warnings: mention of alcohol, drugs, death, obsession, swear words, curses, among others, if you are not comfortable, don't read it !

rating: 18+

pairings: Valeria Garza x female Oc

WC: 1,2k

¡English is not my first language, so there may be mistakes, don’t hesitate to correct me.!

¡para las personas que hablan español, actualizo primero la historia en wattpad :) (for spanish speakers, I update the story on wattpad first!)

Link de wattpad-> Honey

━━━━━━━━》❈《 ━━━━━━━

Her screams and unrestrained pounding on the door echoed throughout the room. She had been doing the same thing for three days, she hadn't even taken off her bloodstained dress, her makeup was smeared and her hair was tangled.

-Let me out, dammit! -she shouted again as she kicked the door. But, again her screams had been ignored-they'll kill them all if I don't come back, please. -she whispered at the door before breaking away.

He walked over to the bed in the room and used it as a support as he sat down on the floor, and laid his back on one of the sides.

The room was a mess, everything was destroyed due to the fits of anger and irritability she was having due to withdrawal.

Jérémie controlled her with sedatives and other drugs in combination, which is why she was never able to escape. Now she only suffered the consequences of her system not receiving these substances; excessive sweating made her feel clammy, nausea and anxiety had only increased since the second day.

She had slight cuts on her hands when she broke the glass things in the room, the insomnia and the muscle and joint pains made her tired, she just wished it would be over.

-They're going to kill them," she whispered again, looking at her hands almost on the verge of collapse. Despite her state, she kept thinking about the women who were still trapped in that place.

They would kill them like cattle to erase all evidence, if she was alive they would kill the others.

Her energy was running out, maybe, and only maybe, she could sleep without feeling the Frenchman's hands on her body, she could rest for a moment, even if only.

-Ese vestido se te ve de la verga-She was so deep in her thoughts that she didn't hear the door open, she didn't hear anyone come in.

-Valeria? -Her tired eyes fell on her person; the woman with short black hair had blood splattered on her face, as well as on her hands.

Valeria gave the room a general glance before looking back at her.

-Disaster will cost me dearly-the contratia thought he was going to approach her, but walked past her toward the bathroom. He heard there would be a faucet, surely he was going to wash off the blood. -But, it's a small thing really. -He came out of the bathroom with a clean face and hands. She walked over and knelt down in front of her. -I have to get all the crap off you-he carefully touched her face, being careful with her split lip. -Lace doesn't even go with you, Laurie.

Valeria hated the appearance of the female from the first moment she saw her in that church, that was not her Laurie.

But she would take it upon herself to fix everything the French son of a bitch had changed.

-What's going on? -the contrarian barely asks -you were missing, how come…?

-The questions will come later, sweetie,- he interrupts her as he caresses her cheeks, -Let's give you a bath.

Valeria helps her up carefully, putting a hand around her waist to get a better grip as he helps her walk.

She sits her on the toilet and turns off the faucet she had left on to fill the tub.

Laurie lets herself be undressed by Valeria's delicate hands, she had missed her touch for a long time.

She felt her pause; most likely at the sight of the bruises and needle scars on her body, heard her curse under her breath as she resumed the action.

she did not look at her out of embarrassment, and Valeria didn't ask anything about it either, which she was grateful for, it wasn't necessary to know what had happened for her to have such marks on her skin.

Carefully she was put into the bathtub, and for the first time in 5 years, she relaxed at the feel of warm water and not cold as she had been made to get used to. Valeria's hands were soft and light as she bathed her and toweled off her smudged makeup.

-Lo haces bien, Dulce-The short-haired girl carefully untangled his hair, as it had knots in it, and she knew how much it hurt to remove those knots, especially if it was in curly hair.

-They'll kill them, Valeria- Laurie says after a long time, Valeria stops momentarily before continuing- they're going to kill them for me- guilt escapes in her tone of voice, her conscience blames her for what's going to happen to those poor women. -I have to go back, if I do they won't do anything to them.

-You're not going back, Laurie,-Valeria's voice becomes cold, authoritative. Contrary to the one a moment ago. Laurie looked at her on the verge of tears.

-I can't leave them, I can't abandon them. -Her trembling hand grabbed one of the Mexican woman's wrists, -Please.

Valeria stared at her before sighing, the woman had plans to destroy everything that belonged to the Frenchman, the man had dared to touch something that was rightfully hers, and she never let things go.

she didn't answer him, but Laurie knew he would think about it, he knew her so well. They were forty-five minutes in the bathroom, they took Laurie out and changed her into new, comfortable clothes, clothes they had brought while they were both in the bathroom .

The bed had even been made up and Valeria had not hesitated to put her in the middle as she snuggled her to her chest, not without first taking off her vest.

Laurie, on the verge of falling asleep said something to her that would unconsciously grow the business Valeria had illegally.

-In the laptop I have information about that place-Valeria frowns as she watches her fall asleep.

Place? had she saved information, and what kind?

Valeria barely had her in her arms after several years and she already had more work to do, including the idiot she had been torturing for hours.

Careful not to wake the woman, Valeria took her cell phone out of her back pants pocket and dialed the first number she had registered; it was only enough to ring once for them to answer.

-I am not going to repeat what I am going to say, you better listen well; look for the laptop that is in room 503 of the surgical residency dormitories in the south wing of the Sorbonne University. I don't want any mistakes, mas les vale no estar chingando.

He hung up the call and settled better on the bed, his head was scheming new plans for everything to go smoothly, plus they had to keep a low profile after the massacre he had committed a few days ago, the authorities were already getting involved, he had to end everything quickly and return to Mexico.

He had business to finish regarding his territory, and the constant problems with the Vaqueros was a loose end he could not leave loose, at least not for long. They were a plague that he had to at least get under control.

It would be a long week; full of stress and tension, plus there would be bloodshed… maybe it was good that he made himself known to the French.

It could stir up a hornet's nest.

Chapters: teaser, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6...

[the-heaminator]

Chapter 4 of the ace family thing

The morning arrived, and all three were very warm and unwilling to get up from where they lay, no one wanted to get up and out in such weather, an absolutely miserable day, all of 2 degrees celsius but still far warmer than it was last night, therefore blanketing everything in a thick layer of fog that would likely not dissipate till midday, perhaps longer if the weather decided to be contrarian enough.

Miserable weather, how fitting.

Just when they needed to get up the weather decided to want to keep them down (in actuality they were all just tired, sleeping too long does that Matt and Alfred, and Arthur had not slept nearly enough) but life has to progress anyways, so then proceeded the general morning routine.

Rushing around and getting to where they needed to be, and this time Raja had to wake Arthur instead of the other way around as it usually was, Raja had picked up that Arthur hadn't exactly been looking well recently, not like he seemed ever to look well but he did seem considerably worse, and his coughing fits seemed to have gotten far worse, though that may just have been because he smoked quite a bit.

Ever present eyebags seemed to have gotten darker, maybe that was just because he had broken his glasses and hadn't gotten a replacement yet, drawing more attention to his eyebags, this would be a viable excuse if it hadn't been for Arthur's glasses having broken months ago now, and the same excuse always coming to his mind whenever he tried to explain it away.

Plus they barely talked outside of the professional setting, and Arthur wouldn't appreciate the blatant invasion of his privacy, would he now?

But he was concerned, and he had every right to be, he had been seeing the same man for near to 10 years at the exact same place at the exact same time nearly every day and yet they had rarely exchanged words barring cordial greetings, and every few months he noticed how Arthur just looked worse and worse.

He was such a far cry from the not exactly fresh-faced, but not precisely so beaten down man that plodded behind him, struggling to stay awake slightly more than usual, just starting to grey but with the air of someone 20 years older. Maybe he was just tired, they all were, but he did seem worse than many, but not as bad as a few; he would be fine, and internally Raja berated himself for being such a busybody, let him exist without questioning his every move, he would hate if someone did that to himself.

They worked in a general run-of-the-mill editing company, Arthur had his own cubicle, and Raja had his quite far away, they were quite blank cubicles too, and they were not allowed to really decorate them or personalize them in any way, but most got around that rule in some way if they really wished to do so, and the management seemed not to care enough to do anything about it.

But really he was concerned, hangovers from having children he supposes, he knew Arthur had children of his own, though he rarely spoke about them at work, really just mentioning them in passing, but he knew they existed, so he would surely understand his motives behind this.

But what was "this" to be, how would he convey his concern without causing him to clam up and refuse to speak, that had never happened to him per se but it did seem like something Arthur would very much do, though he had not much time to complete his scheming before the day was in and out, them both leaving for the 5.30 pm train, Arthur got off a few stops after he did, getting off at the airport where he worked another job, well that was what he had gathered as much.

Well, he would figure it out tomorrow, he was tired himself and as soon as he was out of his sight, all thoughts about him were gone, and were mostly now fixated on his wife's biryani when he got home.

Oh well, at least the children were having a better day than him, Ivan had requested a rematch during break, and bought Tino along as well as bringing Berwald, another notoriously good hockey player, and one who made Matt feel like crapping his pants each time he looked at him, and he wasn't one to refuse a blatant challenge. The first was a simple challenge of getting as many pucks past Timo while Berwald played defence, and despite not getting all in, he still managed to get a pretty good 6 out of 10 through, two were deflected by Berwald and two were blocked by Tino, but for their reputation the timid year 5 getting that many pucks past them was absolutely insane.

By this time a large crowd had gathered, mostly other sporty kids and a large horde of year 5s and 6s, Alfred and Erza particularly were yelling at Matthew to win, Ludwig was trying, not yelling particularly but Matthew caught his eye before the game started and he got an awkward thumbs up.

The next one was Ivan vs Matthew, Ivan was very very salty after yesterday's match, and even as Matt was pretty tall for his age, Ivan fucking towered over him and looked positively murderous, this was a one v one, in which they both had to defend and attack, and whoever gets the most in after 7 minutes wins.

It was a very terse 7 minutes, the first score was scored by Ivan at 1.37 and the next was also by Ivan at a very short interval of 33 seconds, the next  one was Matthew, at 3 minutes 5 seconds, Ivan scored again after a minute, and Matthew scored two almost immediately, now they were tied and it was nearly 5 minutes in. The sides had gone absolutely wild, Ivan had a reputation to uphold, and if he lost the rest of the year 6s knew that somebody would surely die, if not they would have to experience him smouldering for the rest of the day, which was less preferable than a dead student.

In the next minute, no one scored whatsoever, it was now a race against the clock, Matthew scored, Ivan scored, and Ivan scored again, there were 25 seconds left on the clock and Matthew scored with 6 seconds remaining.

It was a draw 5-5.

Everyone held their breath, expecting a scrap to happen, at this point the lunch ladies were watching too, and they were ready for the worst, Ivan had a reputation after all, but nothing happened, it was almost anticlimactic, they shook hands and nothing more was spoken of it, at least not at this moment.

Matthew was very pale, whether from fright or tiredness Alfred didn't know, but he hugged his brother really fucking tight, so did Erza who also gave him the back slap of a century that he swore would have dislocated his lungs if his ribcage hadn't been there, Ludwig gave him a fistbump, well he tried, he got cabbage'd but the sentiment was still there.

Break was due to be over in a moment, and his head hurt like fuck, they were currently sitting down, Roderich had a music lesson and when he did Erza tended to hang about them, she was basically unofficially part of the gang, just then Timo and Berwald came up to them, and Matthew paled even further, he was so fucked now, he knew it.

Berwald muttered something that Matthew couldn't quite catch, Tino repeated it louder "He said don't be frightened, we come in peace." He held up his hands in surrender, and only then did Matthew's heart stop palpitating and some amount of colour was returned to his face.

He asked, hesitantly "...Yes?"

Tino smiled again and said "We just wanted to say well done, you played fucking fabulously."

Save from this, the two had never talked, so it was a little nerve-wracking for the both of them "T-thank you very much, you are very good in goal, and he" he was pointing at Berwald "Is amazing in defence."

Nothing more was said after that due to them being cut off by the bell, they had to return to class, Ludwig, Alfred and Erza lined up and Matthew had to go to his class line, and he was led upstairs with his class, he had English, but once a week during English lessons, he was taken up along with a few other students for creative writing, and this was that lesson, he was excited, but also very very lightheaded and kept stumbling when he tried to walk, not sure why that was happening he continued on with his lesson, him as well as Emil and Lili were taken to what was essentially the attic, it was a well-furnished one, it was used to store old books and the like, Matthew loved it up here.

Currently, they were reading a carousel of Jane Austen books, they were doing Jane eyre this lesson, the copies of the book they had were absolutely ancient, hardbacks with spots of damp and even a little mould on a few of the pages, they smelt something strange and you had to be careful with them lest half the book fall out, but he liked it. There were a lot of words he needed a dictionary for and it did help him work on his abysmal speaking skills, Lili and Emil were nice enough too, both kept to themselves as much as Matt did, but they had formed a sort of mutual trust triangle in their little corner of the classroom. Emil was very short for his age, and absolutely hated that Lili was 3 inches taller than him despite being quite a while younger, Matthew was a full half foot taller than him, they made a very odd trio.

But they were also the only people Matthew even remotely liked in his class, and he could discuss all sorts with them, Lili had always been in his class but they never really interacted before this started and Emil had just moved here from Norway last year.

His head really really hurt now, he started off the lesson very pale, the teacher had gotten quite worried when he looked like he was about to drift off, but hadn't done so just yet and got on with his reading, it took a while before he felt better, his head stopped spinning and he could properly focus, but by then most of the lesson was over, and he had Maths next.

They were sent off to their lessons, but the teacher did stop Matthew and ask if he had eaten well, it was her job to be worried, wasn't it? He had eaten that morning, and he said as much, but the teacher didn't look convinced, though she did still send him to his lesson.

His class teacher was Mr Yao, and he welcomed them and started going on about prime numbers, they all made quite a good amount of notes and the rest of the lesson was spent doing a worksheet.

Now it was lunch and he bid his classmates adieu and went to go sit with Alfred, for lunch they had *drumroll please* tuna sandwiches, Alfred was always hungry even after he ate, and at this point Ludwig bought an apple each time, not for himself, it usually ended up in Alfred and Matt nearly always bonked him on the head for not chewing because who on earth can eat an apple i 3 bites.

And every time his response was "But I'm hungryyy!" Trailing the last word as much as he could, mouth full of apple as it was he couldn't do it very well.

Matthew was looking warily around, it was a small school and he had seen people look at him oddly, most of them were watching the absolutely insane hockey game at break, then he saw Ivan approaching him.

Oh, now he was surely fucked.

A group of boys were standing behind Ivan, who seemed to be leading a charge of sorts, he looked absolutely pissed.

"Look I know we drew in the morning, but I don't think it's very nice to go around telling people I'm shit."

Toda really just seemed the day when Matt was about to have a heart attack wasn't it.

"I-I didn't do anything!" he managed to squeak out, Alfred got to his feet, he was tall but Ivan was still taller and he glowered at both of them, it seemed Alfred wasn't going to let the challenge slide and kept glaring, with his friends looking at him like they were going to be on the receiving end of punishment, not Matthew. Ludwig stood up now, he was built very similarly to Ivan, which made it look far more even than two spindly year 5s against an absolute beast of a year 6.

The situation was very effectively diffused by Tino turning up and telling Ivan to sod off, using far stronger language than is mentioned here and flipped him off, "Oh leave them alone you bastard."

Ivan knew when he was beaten, and slunk off glowering something fierce, his friends seemed to hang around for a bit before they were almost ordered to follow.

Oh, it seemed as if Ivan really was a cunt.

They thanked Tino immensely, they didn't want to think of what could have happened if he didn't step in to help.

"It's no sweat, he is a bit of a bully you know, molopää."

They didn't question what that meant but they assumed it was an expletive.

The rest of the day carried on without anything worthy to note, they went home as normal, and mooched around the house, watching some TV on their incredibly crusty TV set which still had an inbuilt VHS player, they had a lot of old VHS tapes from when their father was younger, or they were picked up from a charity shop, they were all in mostly working condition and today was Alfreds turn to choose what they were to watch after they did their homework.

He chose fantasia, they both liked the old-timey animation style and the music was comforting, they took their positions on the sofa and watched the whole movie in one sitting, then mooched around for a bit more, Matthew recounting what happened in Jane Eyre t a half asleep Alfred, they ate, Arthur had bought some garlic bread last night so they made that and ate it, and soon they were off to sleep.

Arthur came late at night as he usually did and collapsed onto the sofa almost immediately, he didn't even take off his shoes, god his back hurt but he was too tired to think about it, and slept like a stone for the night.

Tomorrow was Saturday, and he only had to do his stint at a security guard today, which allowed him to sleep in a but and spend some time with his beloved beloved children.

[demeterdefence]

insane to me! how every single time rachel went out of her way to paint demeter as the bad guy she ended up making her MORE sympathetic to the point that i was agreeing with her even when she was going off! like yes objectively parents mess up and it is okay for demeter to be wrong but everything she warned and predicted came true and she never gets an apology! never gets a BREAK im so mad

demeter is literally made by metis to defeat kronos, who is declared the worst tyrant of the universe - she's made to be a soldier, she says herself she didn't have a childhood.

she's the oldest child of three daughters, one of whom is an unknown fertility goddess, and demeter is immediately thrust into a horrific war that is unspeakably destructive (zeus himself points out to metis that it's taking longer and destroying more than they anticipated.) her mother doesn't let demeter do anything but train and fight, and any joy or moments of happiness are sacrificed so they can defeat kronos (because "it's our responsibility.")

then demeter has to watch her little sister get ripped in half by said tyrant, the consequences of which are understandable trauma the likes of which none of them can fathom, and it's strongly implied that demeter takes charge in caring for hera (fuck what hades said about how he was the only one who could understand her the man could not understand how to open a cereal box without a woman doing it for him.)

and then, in rapid succession, demeter watches a man she has feelings for devour her mother, which ends the war; the man then takes advantage of her, before choosing her sister, leaving her devastated; and everyone just goes on with their lives like horrific tragedy and violence wasn't the norm for decades.

it is abundantly clear how abused and ignored demeter is, despite doing exactly what was expected of her, exactly what needed to be done. she cares for hera and then concedes zeus to her; she cares for the entire mortal realm (and presumably does so during the titanomachy as well) without any thanks or respect; she does not raise hell that zeus lied to her in order to sleep with her, and she willingly raises the son she had with poseidon (which yes is a joke character but i'm including it because it's still fucked up.) none of the gods respect her or treat her kindly; she's constantly called a nag, a contrarian, scary, and mean, despite the fact that the nymphs she cares for clearly love her, and the mortal realm prospers under her.

when demeter tries to get just a crumb of acknowledgment for her work, hades goes out of his way to knock her down, and he doesn't do so in a small way, he's a massive asshole about it

literally he doesn't even just knock her down he goes out of her way to bribe zeus to help him what the fuck

demeter literally offers to trade hades - despite having no reason to play nice with him, she offers a compromise and a solution, rightfully pointing out that hades doesn't even live in the mortal realm.

this isn't even a snap insult btw he literally pauses to shoot back at her. he looms over her. we know that hades resembles kronos and while that's not his fault, him using his size to intimidate demeter, who has her own trauma around kronos, feels so fucking deliberate. he's using that to scare her.

completely erases that she's been holding the mortal realm together on her own, zero help, no title, for centuries.

insults her, gets further into her space, and then jabs at her, causing her to flinch back. like bro these are all the actions of an abuser, and demeter - the firestorm who scared ares and zeus and hera - recoils.

AND THAT'S JUST THE PROLOGUE! THAT'S JUST SETTING THE STAGE FOR WHY SHE MAKES THE DECISIONS SHE MAKES!

because years and years later, when demeter admits to being lonely, when her own family has turned their back on her, she creates her own daughter, and their relationship is demonstratively warm, loving, and healthy. in the early episodes, persephone describes demeter as being an affectionate mother who believed in persephone's abilities, and flashbacks of persephone's life with demeter showed her mother being affectionate, playful, and incredibly determined to protect her daughter from harm.

meanwhile, demeter continues to get mistreated (zeus setting her sanctuary on fire because she wouldn't hide his pregnant mistress, which would have been an act of war lbr, hades coming into her home drunk, and that's implied to happen more than once, zero title, etc) and continues to suffer trauma from the war and metis' demise.

and honestly, i hate the harpy subplot as much as the next critic (possibly more because i have demonstrated i'm a hater) but use it in context and it amplifies what demeter has been suffering from for centuries - the men in this world will use and consume women as their due, powerful women will find themselves the tools of greedy men, and just as she failed to protect her mother and sister, demeter could well fail to protect her daughter and lose her, too.)

demeter's entire life is structured around the abuse of men - created to fight them, lied to and manipulated by them, ignored and harmed by them. men shape her early trauma and she knows this. zeus tricked her into having sex; posiedon dumps a kid on her; hades is hades. most of the pantheon will side with zeus before demeter, and many of the male gods are related to, or owe allegiance to, zeus. demeter has no reason to trust any of the male gods, towards her, and towards her daughter.

and the worst part is, she's right. most of the men in persephone's life try to take advantage of her in some way - you can start as early as hermes, who (according to a patreon post) used to make out with persephone in demeter's sacred grove (in case this was not gross enough, persephone was younger than nineteen when this happened and was likely sixteen or so, which adds further disgust on this horrific meal.) ares meets her and immediately tries to seduce her; eros meets her and gets her drunk, putting her in a car for another man to find. apollo rapes her. hades grooms her. her assault literally happens the second day she's in olympus.

demeter is correct on every single account of just what could possibly happen. you can't even really argue that demeter's overprotectiveness made persephone unprepared for olympus, because she was getting up to underaged hijinx in the mortal realm. persephone is a literal child, in every sense of the word. she has the luxury of growing up in peacetime, she has the blessing of not fighting a war, for having time to explore her powers and explore how to grow. the argument that she's an adult just does not fly when you stack a nineteen year old against beings thousands of years old.

what especially grinds my gears is that, even in the face of the abuse demeter gets, she still does her best to protect persephone from the wrath of men. she goes to great lengths to hide the act of wrath, so no one will realize persephone is a fertility goddess and use her, and she puts her own safety on the line to ensure persephone will be spared.

one of my favourite, favourite, favourite demeter moments, is when eris first shows up - hades describes how awful eris is, and we get scenes of everyone being absolutely terrified of her, demeter included. but when there's a chance persephone might even mildly be at risk, demeter doesn't hesitate to put her own neck on the line.

rachel can retcon and edit as much as she wants, demeter's sole entire purpose is to protect and love persephone. that's all she wants. she literally wants to live in peace with her daughter, the way she never got to with her mother. persephone is absolutely allowed to want more, she's absolutely allowed to want differently, and she should be allowed to achieve that, but every action persephone makes is largely pushed upon her by a man. she's not choosing to live with hades because they're equals and she loves him, she chooses him because he's groomed her.

and we're not even half done the fuckery because demeter is then punished to live in the mortal realm for ten years!!! her entire wellbeing is dependent on persephone not fucking it up, which as we all know is not possible, so for ten years demeter is left to live as a mortal, no way to protect herself, no family or friends to help her. she manages to make connections and even finds love while she's banished, and she even ends up having a son, but of course loses him too because fuck demeter apparently. and no one! not a soul! asks her! about what happened to her!!!

the only time anyone bothers to ask how her banishment was, it's after persephone gets married and hestia is blaming demeter for the intervention.

hestia didn't even open with this - she sees demeter is miserable, and she jumps instead to questioning her about the intervention. and yeah, i'll agree it wasn't a good idea, and some awful things were said, but i am so fucking hard put to blame demeter for it. the characterization of demeter we've seen thus far would never do that, and regardless, she has to watch her daughter go off with a god thousands of years old, who looks just like a monster she had to fight, who abused her, too. demeter doesn't feel safe with hestia - she doesn't feel safe explaining the tragedy she's been through, how alone she is. her own daughter doesn't care to ask how demeter's banishment was, and only steps in to help with demeter's grief because it will make things smoother for her and hades.

literally i could go on further but this is already hitting the limit as is, demeter is not wrong. she's not wrong to say the gods of olympus are dangerous, she's not wrong to want to hide persephone and protect her from the ones who would use her. she is the only one to clock zeus and hades and the rest for exactly what they are: abusers of women, leaving a trail of grief in their wake. and she's the only one punished for it.

demeter was always correct btw. might go so far as to say she was never incorrect.

[persephonememes]

* (  EVERMORE ALBUM BY TAYLOR SWIFT /  SENTENCE PROMPTS.

These may have been edited for clarity or length or to better apply for roleplaying.

willow

❛ The more that you say the less I know ❜

❛ Wherever you stray I will follow ❜

❛ I'm begging for you to take my hand ❜

❛ I come back stronger than a 90's trend ❜

❛ Wait for the signal and I'll meet you after dark ❜

❛ Show me the places where the others gave you scars ❜

❛ I should've known from the look on your face ❜

❛ Every bait and switch was a work of art ❜

❛ That's my man ❜

champagne problems

❛ Your heart was glass, and I dropped it ❜

❛ I dropped your hand while dancing left you out there standing ❜

❛ Now no one's celebrating ❜

❛ I can’t give you a reason ❜

❛ This dorm was once a madhouse ❜

❛ I never was ready, so I watch you go ❜

❛ Sometimes you just don't know the answer till someone's on their knees and asks you. ❜

❛ She would've made such a lovely bride, what a shame she's stuck in her head. ❜

❛ You won't remember all my champagne problems ❜

gold rush

❛ I don't like a gold rush ❜

❛ I don't like anticipating my face in a red flush ❜

❛ I don't like that anyone would die to feel your touch ❜

❛ Everybody wants you ❜

❛ Everybody wonders what it would be like to love you ❜

❛ I don't like slow motion double vision in rose blush ❜

❛ I don't like that falling feels like flying till the bone crush ❜

❛ What must it be like to grow up that beautiful? ❜

❛ The coastal town we wandered round had never seen a love as pure as it ❜

❛ You know it could never be ❜

❛ My mind turns your life into folklore ❜

❛ I can't dare to dream about you anymore ❜

❛ At dinner parties I won't call you out on your contrarian wit ❜

'tis the damn season

❛ If I wanted to know who you were hanging with while I was gone, I would've asked you. ❜

❛ So we could call it even ❜

❛ You could call me "babe" for the weekend ❜

❛ The road not taken looks real good now ❜

❛ The holidays linger like bad perfume ❜

❛ You can run but only so far ❜

❛ I escaped it too, remember how you watched me leave ❜

❛ But if it's okay with you, it's okay with me ❜

❛ I'm missing your smile ❜

❛ We could just ride around ❜

❛ Sleep in half the day, just for old times' sake ❜

❛ I won't ask you to wait, if you don't ask me to stay ❜

❛ The heart I know I'm breaking is my own ❜

❛ It always leads to you and my hometown ❜

❛ You could call me "babe" for the weekend 'tis the damn season ❜

tolerate it

❛ I notice everything you do or don't do ❜

❛ If it's all in my head tell me now ❜

❛ Tell me I've got it wrong somehow ❜

❛ I know my love should be celebrated, but you tolerate it ❜

❛ I take your indiscretions all in good fun ❜

❛ I polish plates until they gleam and glisten ❜

❛ While you were out building other worlds, where was I? ❜

❛ Now I'm begging for footnotes in the story of your life ❜

❛ I’m always taking up too much space or time ❜

❛ You assume I'm fine ❜

no body, no crime

❛ We meet up every Tuesday night for dinner and a glass of wine ❜

❛ It smells like infidelity ❜

❛ No, there ain't no doubt ❜

❛ I think I'm gonna call him out ❜

❛ I think he did it but I just can't prove it ❜

❛ No body, no crime ❜

❛ I ain't letting up until the day I die ❜

❛ I've cleaned enough houses to know how to cover up a scene ❜

❛ They think I did it but they just can't prove it ❜

❛ I wasn't letting up until the day he died ❜

happiness

❛ I see this for what it is ❜

❛ I was dancing when the music stopped ❜

❛ In the disbelief I can't face reinvention ❜

❛ I haven't met the new me yet ❜

❛ There'll be happiness after you ❜

❛ I would've loved you for a lifetime ❜

❛ When did your winning smile begin to look like a smirk? ❜

❛ When did all our lessons start to look like weapons pointed at my deepest hurt? ❜

❛ I can't see facts through all of my fury ❜

❛ You haven't met the new me yet ❜

❛ There'll be happiness after me ❜

❛ There is happiness in our history ❜

❛ I can't make it go away by making you a villain ❜

❛ I pulled your body into mine every goddamn night now I get fake niceties ❜

❛ No one teaches you what to do when a good man hurts you, and you know you hurt him too ❜

dorothea

❛ Do you ever stop and think about me? ❜

❛ I got nothing but well wishes for ya ❜

❛ This place is the same as it ever was ❜

❛ It's never too late to come back to my side ❜

❛ Are you still the same soul? ❜

❛ Are you still the same soul? I met under the bleachers ❜

❛ They all wanna be ya ❜

coney island

❛ If I can't relate to you anymore then who am I related to? ❜

❛ Did I close my fist around something delicate? ❜

❛ Did I shatter you? ❜

❛ Sorry for not making you my centerfold ❜

❛ Lost again with no surprises ❜

❛ It gets colder and colder when the sun goes down ❜

❛ What's a lifetime of achievement? ❜

❛ I pushed you to the edge but you were too polite to leave me ❜

❛ Do you miss the rogue who coaxed you into paradise and left you there? ❜

❛ Will you forgive my soul? ❜

❛ Will you forgive my soul when you're too wise to trust me and too old to care? ❜

❛ Sorry for not winning you an arcade ring ❜

❛ Close your eyes ❜

❛ Did I leave you hanging every single day? ❜

❛ Did I paint your bluest skies the darkest gray? ❜

❛ When I got into the accident the sight that flashed before me was your face ❜

❛ The sight that flashed before me was your face when the sun goes down ❜

ivy

❛ Your touch brought forth an incandescent glow ❜

❛ My pain fits in the palm of your freezing hand ❜

❛ Your opal eyes are all I wish to see ❜

❛ I'd live and die for moments that we stole ❜

❛ It's a violent blaze in the dark and you started it ❜

❛ It's the fiercest fight of my life and you started it ❜

❛ You started it ❜

cowboy like me

❛ Dancing is a dangerous game ❜

❛ I'm never gonna love again ❜

❛ I've got some tricks up my sleeve ❜

❛ Takes one to know one ❜

❛ Never wanted love, just a fancy car ❜

❛ I could be the way forward ❜

❛ You're a bandit like me ❜

❛ Never thought I'd meet you here ❜

❛ It could be love ❜

❛ You're a cowboy like me ❜

❛ I know I'll pay for it ❜

❛ Forever is the sweetest con ❜

long story short

❛ I tried to pick my battles til the battle picked me ❜

❛ I fell from the pedestal ❜

❛ Long story short, it was a bad time ❜

❛ Long story short, it was the wrong guy ❜

❛ Now I'm all about you ❜

❛ I'm all about you ❜

❛ I always felt I must look better in the rear view ❜

❛ When I dropped my sword, I threw it in the bushes and knocked on your door ❜

❛ But if someone comes at us, this time I'm ready ❜

❛ No more keeping score ❜

❛ I just know there's more ❜

❛ I wanna tell you not to get lost in these petty things ❜

❛ He feels like home ❜

❛ Long story short, I survived ❜

marjorie

❛ Never be so kind, you forget to be clever ��

❛ Never be so clever, you forget to be kind ❜

❛ What died didn't stay dead ❜

❛ Never be so polite, you forget your power ❜

❛ Never wield such power, you forget to be polite ❜

❛ The autumn chill that wakes me up ❜

closure

❛ It's been a long time ❜

❛ Seeing the shape of your name still spells out pain ❜

❛ It wasn't right the way it all went down ❜

❛ Yes, I got your letter ❜

❛ Yes, I'm doing better ❜

❛ It cut deep to know ya, right to the bone ❜

❛ I know that it's over ❜

❛ I don't need your "closure" ❜

❛ Don't treat me like some situation that needs to be handled ❜

❛ I'm fine with my spite ❜

❛ I know I'm just a wrinkle in your new life ❜

❛ You’re reaching out across the sea that you put between you and me ❜ but it's fake and it's so unnecessary ❜

evermore

❛ I've been down since July ❜

❛ I replay my footsteps on each stepping stone trying to find the one where I went wrong. ❜

❛ I was catching my breath, staring out an open window ❜

❛ I had a feeling so peculiar that this pain would be for evermore ❜

❛ I can't remember what I used to fight for ❜

❛ Can't think of all the cost and all the things that will be lost now ❜

❛ When I was shipwrecked I thought of you ❜

❛ In the cracks of light I dreamed of you ❜

❛ In the cracks of light I dreamed of you and it was real enough to get me through ❜

❛ I had a feeling so peculiar that this pain wouldn't be for evermore ❜

[myfanwymusings]

TAYLOR SWIFT / EVERMORE

The following is a collection of lyric sentence starters from Taylor Swift’s ninth studio album evermore. Some lyrics have been slightly modified for ease of role-playing. Feel free to change any tense or pronouns. May contain mature content. This has been reposted from my old blog.

WILLOW

I’m rough on the surface, but you cut through like a knife

If it was an open-shut case I never would have known from the look on your face

Lost in your current like a priceless wine

The more that you say, the less I know

Wherever you stray, I follow

I'm begging for you to take my hand

I'm begging for you

I can feel you sneaking in

There was one prize I'd cheat to win

They count me out time and time again

Anywhere else is hollow

That's my man

I come back stronger than a '90s trend

Wait for the signal, and I'll meet you after dark

I'll meet you after dark

Show me the places where the others gave you scars

This is an open-shut case

I should’ve known from the look on your face

Hey, that's my man

Yeah, that's my man  

CHAMPAGNE PROBLEMS

You booked the night train for a reason

Your heart was glass, I dropped it

You told your family for a reason

You dropped my hand while dancing, left me out there standing

Love slipped beyond your reaches and I couldn't give a reason

This dorm was once a madhouse

Well, it's made for me

Soon they'll have the nerve to deck the halls that we once walked through

I never was ready so I watch you go

She would've made such a lovely bride, what a shame she's fucked in the head

Sometimes you just don't know the answer til someone's on their knees and asks you

You won't remember all my champagne problems  

GOLD RUSH

I don't like a gold rush

I don't like that anyone would die to feel your touch

Everybody wants you

Everybody wonders what it would be like to love you

What must it be like to grow up that beautiful?

I can't dare to dream about you anymore

My mind turns your life into folklore

I won't call you out on your contrarian shit

‘TIS THE DAMN SEASON

If I wanted to know who you were hanging with while I was gone, I would have asked you

There's an ache in you, put there by the ache in me

But if it's all the same to you it's the same to me

You could call me "babe" for the weekend

We could call it even

Remember how you watched me leave

You can run, but only so far

And the road not taken looks real good now

Hear me out, we could just ride around

The road not taken looks real good now and it always leads to you in my hometown

I won't ask you to wait if you don't ask me to stay

I wonder about the only soul who can tell which smiles I'm faking'

The heart I know I'm breaking' is my own

Even though I'm leaving' and I'll be yours for the weekend

​'Tis the damn season

TOLERATE IT

I notice everything you do or don't do

You're so much older and wiser

If it's all in my head tell me now

Tell me I've got it wrong somehow

I know my love should be celebrated but you tolerate it

I take your indiscretions all in good fun

I made you my temple, my mural, my sky - now I'm begging for footnotes in the story of your life

I'm begging for footnotes in the story of your life

You assume I'm fine, but what would you do if I break free and leave us in ruins?

Believe me, I could do it

NO BODY, NO CRIME

He did it

Her husband's actin' different, and it smells like infidelity

That ain't my Merlot on his mouth. That ain't my jewelry on our joint account

I think I'm gonna call him out

No, there ain't no doubt

I think he did it, but I just can't prove it

No body, no crime

I ain't letting' up until the day I die

Good thing my daddy made me get a boating license when I was fifteen

I've cleaned enough houses to know how to cover up a scene

She was with me, dude

They think she did it, but they just can't prove it

Good thing his mistress took out a big life insurance policy

I wasn't letting' up until the day he died

HAPPINESS

I see this for what it is

All the years I've given is just shit we're dividing' up

I can't face reinvention

There will be happiness after you

There was happiness because of you

Haunted by the look in my eyes that would've loved you for a lifetime

Tell me, when did your winning smile begin to look like a smirk?

I hope she'll be your beautiful fool, who takes my spot next to you

No, I didn't mean that

Sorry, I can't see facts through all of my fury

You haven't met the new me yet

There will be happiness after me

There was happiness because of me

I can't make it go away by making you a villain

I pulled your body into mine every goddamn night, now I get fake niceties

No one teaches you what to do when a good man hurts you and you know you hurt him, too

All you want from me now is the green light of forgiveness

After giving you the best I had, tell me what to give after that?

All you want from me now is the green light of forgiveness. You haven't met the new me yet and I think she'll give you that

DOROTHEA

Do you ever stop and think about me?

A tiny screen's the only place I see you now

I got nothing but well-wishes for ya

This place is the same as it ever was but you don't like it that way

It's never too late to come back to my side

You're a queen selling' dreams, selling' makeup and magazines

From you I'd buy anything

But are you still the same soul I met under the bleachers?

I guess I'll never know

If you're ever tired of being known for who you know, you'll always know me.

CONEY ISLAND

If I can't relate to you anymore then who am I related to?

And if this is the long haul how'd we get here so soon?

Did I close my fist around something delicate?

Did I shatter you?

Sorry for not making you my centerfold

What's a lifetime of achievement if I pushed you to the edge but you were too polite to leave me?

Do you miss the rogue who coaxed you into paradise and left you there?

Will you forgive my soul when you're too wise to trust me and too old to care?

We were like the mall before the internet

Were you waiting at our old spot: in the tree line by the gold clock?

Did I leave you hanging every single day?

When I got into the accident the sight that flashed before me was your face

IVY

Your touch brought forth an incandescent glow, tarnished but so grand

I just sit here and wait, grieving for the living

My pain fits in the palm of your freezing hand

My pain fits in the palm of your freezing hand taking mine, but it's been promised to another

Stop you putting roots in my dreamland

I wish to know the fatal flaw that makes you long to be magnificently cursed

Your opal eyes are all I wish to see

I'd live and die for moments that we stole

What would he do if he found us out?

Dare to sit and watch what we'll become

It's a goddamn blaze in the dark and you started it

It's the goddamn fight of my life and you started it  

COWBOY LIKE ME

Dancing' is a dangerous game

I'm never gonna love again  

I've got some tricks up my sleeve

Takes one to know one

Never wanted love, just a fancy car

You're a cowboy like me

I’m telling all the rich folks anything they wanna hear

You're a bandit like me

Never thought I'd meet you here

We could be the way forward and I know I'll pay for it

The skeletons in both our closets plotted hard to fuck this up

The old men that I've swindled really did believe I was the one

Now you hang from my lips like the Gardens of Babylon

Forever is the sweetest con  

LONG STORY SHORT

I tried to pick my battles 'til the battle picked me

I was in the alley, surrounded on all sides

Long story short, it was a bad time

If the shoe fits, walk in it 'til your high heels break

I clung to the nearest lips and long story short, it was the wrong guy

Now I'm all about you

Actually, I always felt I must look better in the rear view - missing me.

If someone comes at us, this time, I'm ready

No more keeping' score, now I just keep you warm

Past me, I wanna tell you not to get lost in these petty things

Your nemeses will defeat themselves before you get the chance to swing

He feels like home

Long story short, I survived  

MARJORIE

Never be so kind you forget to be clever

Never be so clever you forget to be kind

If I didn't know better I'd think you were talking to me now

If I didn't know better I'd think you were still around

You're alive in my head

What died didn't stay dead

You're alive, so alive

Never be so polite you forget your power

Nevеr wield such power you forget to be polite

I should've asked you questions

Should've kept every grocery store receipt cause every scrap of you would be taken from me

I know better but you're still around

I still feel you all around  

CLOSURE

It's been a long time and seeing the shape of your name still spells out pain

Yes, I'm doing better

I don't need your closure

Yes, I got your letter

Don't treat me like some situation that needs to be handled

I'm fine with my spite and my tears, and my beers and my candles

I know I'm just a wrinkle in your new life

Staying friends would iron it out so nice

EVERMORE

Gray November, I've been down since July

I replay my footsteps on each stepping stone trying to find the one where I went wrong

I couldn't be sure

I had a feeling so peculiar that this pain would be for evermore

Guess I'm feeling unmoored

Can't remember what I used to fight for

Can't not think of all the cost and the things that will be lost

To be certain, we'll be tall again

Is there a line that I could just go cross?

And when I was shipwrecked I thought of you

It was real enough to get me through

I dreamed of you

I swear you were there

I had a feeling so peculiar, this pain wouldn't be for evermore  

RIGHT WHERE YOU LEFT ME

Friends break up

I'm right where you left me

Help

I'm still at the restaurant

I swear you could hear a hair pin drop

What a sad sight...

I felt the moment stop

They expected me to find perspective

Everybody moved on, but I stayed there

You left me no choice

You left me no choice but to stay here forever

Did you ever hear about the girl who got frozen?

Time went on for everyone else

Did you hear about the girl who lives in delusion?

Breakups happen every day

I was still the one you wanted

If our love died young, I can't bare witness

If you ever think you got it wrong, I'm right where you left me

IT'S TIME TO GO

He's insisting that friends look at each other like that

The words of a sister come back in whispers

She's a crook that was caught

She was not in fact what she seemed

You know when it's time to go

Twenty years at that job, then the boss of the son gets the spot....

Keeping it how it was will only break hearts worse

Sometimes giving up is the strong thing

Sometimes walking out is the one thing that will find you the right thing

Sometimes to run is the brave thing

I gave my all

He gave me nothing at all

He's got my past frozen behind glass but I've got me

You will know in your soul that it's time to go

[komahinasecretexchange]

Title: Honestly

Author: @cellophanerose

For: @more-ofyou-tolove

Pairings/Characters: KomaHina

Rating/Warnings: Rated G. takes place during pre-trial chapter 5 in sdr2, so it contains spoilers, mentions of self-harm/suicide/violence, and angst.  Based only on the game’s canon and differs from the anime on an important point involving Kamukura.

Prompt: What if Hajime found out he was Kamukura before Chapter 6?

Author’s notes: Thanks for the great prompt!! I hope you enjoy it! 

When Hinata opened his eyes, he began to fall.  The plunging sensation turned his stomach inside out, and he strained his eyes trying to make out anything in the total darkness.  He saw nothing, but for some reason, it didn’t make him panic.  In fact, he had trouble feeling anything at all.

All at once, he was in a familiar scene: sitting at a desk surrounded by faceless - pointless - students.  Though their figures weren’t defined, the pressure he felt from them was overwhelming as he started to sweat.  He had to get away, he had to get away, but how?  Hinata was aware of his answer now, and could no longer look away.

His desire to be talented, his all-consuming need to be anything other than himself, led him to the reserve course.  Here, it was supposed to be better - at least, that was the lie he had been fed.  But even as the scene shifted around him and the backgrounds changed, the heavy feeling wasn’t released.  In fact, it seemed to be even worse here, as if the pressure building inside of him was working with its outside equivalent to tear him to shreds.  It was too much, far too much, as a distant yet familiar pain coursed through his head.  For some reason, Hinata knew this is where it should have ended.

But it did not.

Instead, the scene stretched on and on until he was up and running.   He knew, vaguely, that this was a memory and that he was breaking some sort of script, that maybe he was going too far, but the dream wouldn’t end and the pain became too much for him to bear.  The hallway he ran through kept extending, as if offering him more and more chances to turn back.

He did not.

The scene abruptly shifted and at some point, he had stopped running.  Everything was distorted as if someone applied a filter directly to his eyes.  Hinata’s limbs moved on their own, taking up a casual pace.  A terrifying sense of dread filled him, which was at war with the overwhelming feeling of calmness felt by his body.  He caught a glimpse of something out of the window - a curtain of sharp black, but he didn’t have time to contemplate that as his body stopped at a door and reached out to open it.

I have to stop, right now! Please!

His body paid no heed to his mind as he passed through the threshold.  A group of students seated around a table looked up at him as he entered, confusion visible on their features.

Hinata made one final bid to stop whatever this was and threw everything he had into stopping his own body, but it was to no avail.

“Who-” before the student had even started her question, Hinata was moving with lethal certainty and terrifying speed as he ripped though her.  Blood splattered on his clothes as the other students cried out and jumped from their seats.  There was no point though - for whatever reason, Hinata was inhumanly fast and strong as he continued to tear through the other students.  As he took the last student’s life, he felt nothing.  He walked over to the room’s window and only then did Hinata see himself: a grim figure with long black hair and eyes as red as the blood he spilled on his clothes.  A stranger who shared his face.  A brief and light feeling of disappointment flashed through him until he was once again left with nothing.

Hinata shot up from his bed and immediately ran into the bathroom.   What little food he had eaten yesterday threatened to come back up as he hunched and cried over the toilet.  Even when the retching stopped, his whole frame continued shaking with the force of his sobs.

There was no way that was real - logically, it was impossible…so why was guilt pouring out of every nerve of Hinata’s body? Guilt and regret were overflowing, but no matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t make sense of it.

After what had to be at least a half an hour, Hinata stood up on unsteady legs to wash the sweat and tears off of his face.  Every bone in his body ached and the shaking still hadn’t stopped as he turned the faucet on as cold as possible, collecting the water in his hands and throwing it in his face.  He didn’t want to face himself, but he forced himself to look in the mirror to chase away the doubts in his mind.  All the mirror reflected was a drained and sick-looking Hinata, with his normal green eyes and short brown hair.  Hinata felt something akin to relief and made his way back to bed.

He sat on the edge of the bed, but couldn’t bring himself to lie down.  Despite his body being exhausted, his head was buzzing with activity.  He curled in on himself, clawing at his biceps and dragging his nails across the length of his arms.  The sting felt good, but it wasn’t enough.  He gripped harder and he tried to chase away the dream by digging his nails into his skin as deep as he could.  He had stopped crying, at least.

…Was he capable of such atrocities?  Hinata didn’t want to think so, but doubt needled his mind. That sort of directionless slaughter he saw could only be done by a monster, and now Hinata wasn’t so sure he wasn’t one.

A lot had happened earlier that day, he reasoned to himself.  He had woken up on the brink of starvation and to another dead friend, learned from Komaeda that he really was just a talentless nobody, and then watched yet another classmate be executed after working through the class trial.

This was Komaeda’s fault, in the end.  Komaeda had gone and unlocked those unpleasant memories of being a reserve course student.  It was easy to be mad at Komaeda, to shift all blame onto him, and Komaeda seemed eager to be contrarian and rude to everyone since learning Hinata’s true nature.  But…if the earlier memories were true, what did that mean for his dream?  What was that dark visage he had seen in the windows of the school?  He was no murderer, or at least he thought.

Wasn’t Komaeda saying something to that extent?  Right before the class trial, Komaeda went off on a seemingly unrelated tangent about some book.

“The story is told from the point-of-view of a high school girl involved in a serial killer mystery…But when you get to the end…Surprise, surprise!  The girl was actually the killer!”

“The protagonist is just a projection of the reader…And this projection turns out to be the killer… Which means…”

“‘The killer you were looking for the whole time was inside of you all along,’ he said,”  Hinata repeated Komeada’s earlier words to himself, shaken by the implications he only now picked up.  He hastily jumped up as a revelation struck him.

“Komaeda said the Hope’s Peak file only contained information about me, and how I was from the Reserve Department, but…what if there was more to it than that?”  From the start, Hinata knew Komaeda wasn’t divulging everything he had learned from clearing the Final Dead Room, but he was too caught up in learning he was a reserve student to question it further.  Now, though…

“I - I need to know…!” Hinata was full of manic energy, as he rushed out the front door, forgoing even putting on his shoes, to go and confront Komaeda.  His heart was pounding wildly in his chest as it became all too clear to him that Komaeda had found something in those files that caused such a shift in his demeanor, and the odds that it pertained to what Hinata had just dreamed were worryingly high.  He didn’t bother to quiet his footfalls - if any of the remaining few classmates heard him, then so be it.  It must have been past 2:00 AM, but Hinata could not bring himself to care as he slammed his fist against Komaeda’s cabin door.  The lights inside the cabin flickered on and he heard Komaeda approaching the door.  There was no turning back now.

The look of disdain was clear on Komaeda’s face when he opened the door, but he appeared awake and alert.

“Really, Hinata-kun, I knew that you lacked any talent, but your added lack of consideration or timing is appalling,” Komaeda sneered, as his eyes raked over Hinata.  “…Are you even aware your arms are bleeding?”  No, in fact, Hinata had completely disregarded anything else besides his current goal, bodily injuries and humiliation included.

“That’s not important,” Hinata urged, “Let me in.”  Komaeda did not look impressed. “Hm, I would say it is important, seeing as how you’re getting blood on everything.”  Those innocuous words hit Hinata with another wave of nausea as he knelt down and held his head in his hands.  Komaeda’s eyes widened and he stood up straight from his casual leaning on the doorframe as he watched Hinata crumble in front of him and take loud, gulping breaths.  Komaeda knew the signs of a panic attack when he saw them, and through the cocktail of feelings he was bottling up at the moment, a bizarre urge to help welled up.

“Get in here,” Komaeda said, as he kneeled down to hoist Hinata back on his feet, keeping in consideration his injured arms.  After placing Hinata unceremoniously on his bed, he grabbed a cup of water and forced it in Hinata’s direction.  It seemed to take a few seconds for Hinata to process this, but after Komaeda coaxed Hinata’s hands out of his hair, Hinata grabbed hold of the cup and began drinking.  No words were exchanged as Komaeda flitted across his room, searching for something to clean and cover Hinata’s arms with.

Hinata kept his eyes trained on Komaeda while he finished his water and set the cup aside, unsure of what to make of the current situation. He had calmed down, somewhat, and was at a loss for how to now approach asking Komaeda for the file.  In his march over here, he imagined demanding the file from Komaeda, letting his anger carry him through his thought-up scenario.  But now, even after some snide remarks, Komaeda was running a wet towel over his arms, wiping off the blood and revealing the angry red marks that were easily identifiable.  

Komaeda kept his touch to a minimum and his mouth shut tight as he grabbed some bandages and began wrapping up Hinata’s arms.  The wounds were clearly self-inflicted…of course learning you have no talent would be devastating, but had it really driven Hinata to panic and hurt himself? Or…

When Komaeda finished his bandaging, Hinata avoided eye contact when he mumbled a quiet ‘thank you’, which Komaeda responded to with a quick nod.  Unsaid things hung heavily between the two of them.  The energy that carried Hinata over here was long gone, but his desire hadn’t changed.  Finally, he spoke up.

“I need to see my student profile, Komaeda.”  ‘Ah, so it is about being a reserve,’ Komaeda thought bitterly.

“Do you truly distrust me that much, Hinata-kun?  Or do you need to see it in black and white to face the truth?  Like I said, that’s all there was to it.  Just the fact that you are talentless and desperate to be accepted by Hope’s Peak..” Komaeda wanted to be resentful, but he couldn’t muster up much anger in the face of Hinata looking so small.

“There’s more, isn’t there?!”  There wasn’t any desperation in Hinata’s voice like Komaeda had expected.  All he heard was agony.   Komaeda watched as angry tears welled up in Hinata’s eyes, threatening to overflow, causing Komaeda’s own eyes to prickle.  “What did I do…?” Hinata whispered, most likely to himself.  There was something happening behind the scenes that Komaeda couldn’t see, and it scared him.

“Why are you here, Hinata-kun?”  They both knew that Komaeda was asking a different question, but neither of them acknowledged it.   Hinata didn’t answer him, choosing instead to stare blankly ahead.  Just when Komaeda was ready to call out to him, he spoke up.

“You know that book you were talking about?”  Hinata’s voice was surprisingly steady, as if he wasn’t fully there at the moment.  Both the words and the tone caught Komaeda off-guard.  “The one about the serial killer.”  As if Hinata had to specify.  Komaeda held his breath, knowing that whatever happened next was out of his control - he had simply poured gasoline near a fire ready to ignite.  “Were the girl and the killer really the same person?  Did she truly just…forget?”

Hinata’s cold stare landed squarely on Komaeda, eyes flickering with something intangible.  It caused a shiver to run down his spine.  “Or is it more accurate to say the girl we knew never existed?”  Komaeda was pinned in place just from Hinata’s deadly glare - not that he would go anywhere, but the lack of control frightened him.  He knew he had to choose his words carefully.

Unfortunately, it was easier said than done.

“Does it matter, in the end?  Memories or not, a killer is a killer, right, Hinata-kun?”  They were all Ultimate Despair - it didn’t matter how they got there, or that they didn’t remember it.  Whatever Hinata had remembered, or thought he remembered, changed nothing.  It’s unforgivable.  Unforgivable, especially for you, who was supposed to be the Ultimate Hope..!

“Of course it matters!” Hinata rose to his feet in anger.  “How am I supposed to know who I am if it doesn’t? The person I see…he isn’t me. Am I…Am I…?”  Hinata gasped and held his throbbing head as angry tears started cascading down his face.

Did Hinata know?  What Hope’s Peak had done to him?

“His name - my name - was…”  The embers licked at both of their feet.  All that was left was to burn.

“Izuru Kamukura.”

With those two words, the flames erupted to life around them.   Komaeda’s heart beat hard against his chest, as if trying to escape the inferno.  He held his breath, uncertain if there was any air left in the room.

“But I’m not him…! Right? Komaeda?!  Am I the lie, or is he?!”  With dizzying speed, Hinata was in front of him, hands latched onto Komaeda’s arms.  “Would I even want to exist if that…that thing was really me?”  Desperate for an anchor, he leaned his body against Komaeda until Komaeda was forced to put his arms around his waist so they wouldn’t fall.

But if we could fall together, maybe that wouldn’t be so bad.

“So you have to tell me,” Hinata’s voice rumbled against Komaeda’s shoulder.  The entire situation was completely overwhelming, both mentally and physically.  Komaeda had never been this close to anyone.   He felt needed - something he couldn’t remember happening before, and that heady sensation may be why the tight grip on his façade had loosened, even for himself.

He couldn’t bring himself to hate Hinata, no matter how much he tried.  The Hinata he knew didn’t deserve even a fraction of what Komaeda was currently facing alone.  Komaeda was willing to put his life down for the sake of hope, and despised despair with every fraction of his being.  This was a fact.  Komaeda was also in love with Hinata - well-meaning, hapless Hinata who admired hope, was strong in so many ways Komaeda wasn’t, and was loved by everyone.  This was also a fact.   These two conflicting truths warred in his mind constantly since he learned their shared history.  Lashing out at everyone, especially Hinata, felt good, or at least he had originally thought.  Now though, seeing Hinata so hurt that he would go to even Komaeda for resolution, he felt a strong pang of regret.  Would any of this have happened if he didn’t reveal anything about the student files?  Would he still have torn up his own arms?  Even now, Komaeda was hurting Hinata, by not telling him the full truth, by letting Hinata be held by someone who would betray him, who would die.  His next words fell out of his mouth without his permission.

“I’ll tell you what I know about him.  Call it a farewell present, to the you I…” ‘Thought I knew’? ‘Loved’?  It didn’t matter. Komaeda did not let himself fall further than he already had.  Hinata’s face was still buried in Komaeda’s shoulder, but the grip he had on Komaeda’s biceps tightened, signalling that Komaeda had his attention.

“Like I told you, you were just a reserve course student, completely ordinary with no stand-out traits. Maybe it was that complete lack of any semblance of talent that made them choose you - or maybe it was just luck.”  Komaeda poured all of his strength into keeping his voice steady and even, to reveal as little as possible, but even he had to scoff at the phrase ‘just luck’.  “In any case, you were chosen for an experimental procedure which would theoretically implant talent into you.  You would have every talent the school had ever seen, truly someone worthy of being Ultimate Hope.”  Komaeda paused to imagine it, and to steel himself for the next part.

“However, instead of becoming a beacon of hope, Kamukura was just as bad as the others.  Ah, but I’m no better, either…”  Komaeda didn’t feel the need to specify who the others were or what that meant.  He had a feeling Hinata wouldn’t care once he heard what came next.  “The file said there wasn’t a trace of Hajime Hinata left in him.  Whether it was intentional or not I don’t know, but you no longer existed.”  Komaeda heard Hinata’s sharp intake of breath and felt him stiffen.  “And that’s where it ended.”  Komaeda may have been feeling sentimental, but to say anything more than that would put his plans in severe jeopardy.  He couldn’t risk Hinata knowing the whole truth and piecing together Komaeda’s intentions.  None of this mattered in the end, he told himself, even if the thought caused his grip on Hinata to tighten.  They stood in their awkward embrace for a while, before Hinata finally regained some composure and took a step back.  He didn’t even have the energy to feel embarrassed.  Instead, he felt as if a chasm had opened up and was ready to swallow him whole.  After he was able to convince himself that he wasn’t going to disappear, he forced himself to ask Komaeda something he couldn’t possibly know the answer to.

“Then…who am I?”  Hinata let out an empty laugh.  “You said that I stopped existing, but that’s a lie, right? Right now, everything feels too real, and I can’t deny that what I feel is real, too.  Maybe I’m in hell for killing all of those people…maybe that’s how a ghost can mistake himself for a human.  There isn’t a single thing about me that was ever real, is there?”  Hinata’s mind and mouth were both wandering, looking for a truth to latch onto.  “In the end, I must just be a well-made lie.”  And isn’t that depressing?  Being a lie who had forgotten along the way that he was a cheap imitation of something that may have once existed - being something fake, yet still forced to feel this all-real pain.

“You’re wrong.”  Hinata jolted at the fierceness with which Komaeda said those two words.  Some color came back into his sight, and for once, he felt something other than dread pounding in his heart.

“To me, you’ll always be Hajime Hinata.  You exist as you are now, whether you like it or not.  Maybe to anyone else you aren’t real, but you are to me.”  Hinata looked at him owlishly, and Komaeda’s blood immediately drained from his face.  That was too much. “ A-A talentless reserve like yourself isn’t allowed to decide if he’s real or not.  Quit acting so presumptuous, forcing your worldview onto everyone else.”  He sounded like he was trying to convince himself, as well.  This is ridiculous. Komaeda was now looking everywhere but Hinata, willing his heart to quit beating so fast.  It almost worked, too, until he heard a muffled sob coming from Hinata.

His eyes locked back onto him, who was covering his mouth with one hand while using his other to blindly feel behind him for the bed and, without fanfare, crashed into it. His hand fell from his mouth, releasing with it the sound of unhinged laughter.  His face was contorted into a hysterical grin and tears were once again gathering in his eyes.  Komaeda had no idea how to deal with this, so he didn’t.  He wasn’t sure his voice would reach Hinata like this, anyways.

“Of course you would say something like that,” Hinata said breathlessly as the laughter died down.  Hinata looked at Komaeda - truly looked at him for perhaps the first time, without being blinded by admiration or hurt or betrayal, and felt a slurry of emotions, but above all, a connection.  A desire to get closer.  A hope that, maybe someday, when everything was over…

Things clicked into place for Hinata while on the other hand Komaeda was absolutely baffled.  He gets the distinct feeling that he’d been caught somehow, though.  He certainly felt transparent - so transparent, in fact, that unless he stopped this now, Hinata would see through to his desires and try to stop him.  What’s worse is that Komaeda was sure Hinata wouldn’t have to try all that hard to convince him to want to live, and that thought was frightening.  His mind flashed back to hospitals and diagnoses that served as death sentences.  He cannot - will not - cling desperately to a life that will soon be over when he could at least use his death in a meaningful way.

While Komaeda stewed in his own thoughts, Hinata began reaching out to grab his hand when suddenly the gravity of the situation hit him like a brick house.  He just let Komaeda comfort him, and that comfort caused Hinata to see things that weren’t there.  He came to Komaeda to get answers about himself because he knew Komaeda wasn’t telling him the whole truth.  Who’s to say he wasn’t hiding more?   The feeling welling up inside Hinata was far too dangerous, and he snatched his hand back as if he’d been burned.  He had felt so sure, but the doubts still started creeping in.  Komaeda caught the motion as he stared at Hinata, hurt and relief warring in his mind.  Hinata stood up suddenly, eyes glued to the floor.  He needed to get out, he had too much on his mind, he can’t deal with this-

“I’m sorry, I can’t…”

“…Me neither.”

What appeared to be an agreement masked the multiple layers of misunderstanding and fear, but they were both stubborn and scared, so they let it fall.  Hinata took a shuddering breath and walked to the door.  It hurt too much to face Komaeda as he said, “Thanks for everything.”  He heard Komaeda hum in response, but couldn’t see the despair swirling in his eyes.

“Goodbye, Hinata-kun.”  And, without another word, the night ended.

Days later, when Hinata is crouched beside Komaeda’s corpse, he thinks, ‘Ah, so this really is hell.’

“Goodbye, Komaeda.”

[dooplissss]

oc&oc fic, thats it thats the post good night

Here is that look again, this time in green and hazel. The disappointment, the panic, the regret, the betrayal, it’s all there, but it’s so much worse when it’s him. He looks down at her as the thingpulls it’s scythe-like head out of his chest, and she know it’s the last thing he wants from her but she can’t help moving forward to grab him, break his fall as much as she can. And he’s just staring at her all the while, judging her surely, hating her definitely. She promised him, she thought she could protecthim, and she was wrong, every time she is wrong and she never learns. She tries to staunch the blood, begging for his forgiveness, but he’s already gone, her friends aren’t far behind, why did she let herself think it would go any other way-

She wakes up. She can hear herself screaming, she cuts it off before whatever is coming out can wake the whole ship up. Her hands come up to her face, and she crushes her palms against her eyes to keep the tears in, lets out a deep shuddering breath. It’s not a new dream, not by a long shot, but there’s something about the way that thing has messed with her mind makes her dreams so vivid. She drags her hands down her face, looking up at the faux night sky on the ceiling for a moment before she moves to get out of bed, but there’s a light grip on her shoulder.

“You ok?” Somlen asks, still half asleep but quickly stirring himself awake. Whatever she was screaming didn’t seem to alarm him at least, hopefully no one else heard her. The last thing she wants is anyone fretting over a regular nightmare, especially one so familiar. She puts her hand over his and rubs her thumb against it, telling him, “Just go back to sleep.” She really doesn’t want to see his eyes.

But ever the contrarian, he sits up and gentle pushes her back down, the slight dip in their shared hammock making her roll to face him. He cups her face, lets her avoid eye contact but keeps his own steady gaze on her. He knows the signs by now when she’s thinking about it; if he doesn’t get through to her now she’ll be closed off most of the day, and especially not today, not when they have to maintain their high score at games night. “Tillian. It’s going to work, you know it is. You’ve spent centuries finding a way out, you have proof, it can’t have manipulated any of that.”

She sighs, already admitting he’s right once again, and she tucks her head under his chin, letting gravity fit them together. “It was you this time.”

He makes a sound like he’s been kicked in the lungs before wrapping her up in blankets and his arms and kisses the top of her head as usual. She can just barely feel the pulse of his heartbeat where her forehead meets his neck, hear him breath as he searches for an answer, and she cherishes his humanity almost as much as he himself does. He swallows and puts on a smile, “You don’t need to worry about me when the time comes. I’m tough, you know, I’m scrappy, and I’m going to be unstoppable, we all are. That’s the plan, right?”

She’s trying but she can’t help the defeated tone in her voice, “I know. I know, I know, but still.”

“We’re going to put everything we got into this fight, it’s going to be sung about for ages. Or maybe it’ll be way easier than you think, how embarrassing would that be for it?” he chuckles and he feels a slight shake from her and knows she laughed too. His voice softens but he lets a little judgement creep in as he asks, “What makes you think we can’t handle it?”

“It’s not that, really, its not. It’s all on me, it’s always my fault. I’m supposed to protect everyone but everyone ends up protecting me instead, and they get hurt every time. I should be taking the hits, I’m the one bringing everyone down, I’m the reason they’re here,” her fist lightly beats against his chest with every sentence before he careful takes it in his, bringing it up to his face to chastely kiss her knuckles. She sighs apologetically, continuing, “It always picks on my partners most during the fights. With Eider it was having the time of its life, but with Charlotte… there was real hate there, just pure rage. It usually really loves to play with its food, makes them ‘tastier’. And I’m terrified for you, I don’t want to see what it has planned for you. It could be quick, it could be hours, maybe even days, but it’s definitely not going to be painless. God, I’m so sorry.” This time she wraps her arms around him, pulling him close as she starts to tremble.

He remembers back when he was a doll, just sitting on the bed (with permission of course!) waiting patiently for morning, and she’d scoop him up in her sleep like a real kid’s doll. The first time he’d panicked, worried she’d be angry with him, accuse him to trying to make a move, but no, she’d woken up and gave him a squeeze along with a sleepy “Guh mornin’” and gotten out of bed like he hadn’t been dreading her response for sleepless hours. No kicking him out of bed, no passive comments trying to get him to leave faster, not even begging him to stay. Hell, she started leaving a spot open on the pillow for him and an arm crooked in case he wanted to crawl over and make himself comfy at any point, always on his terms. When did that become normal for them? Did it scare her at any point how comfy they were getting, or was that all him? Sometimes it hit him how lucky he was, that not only was she willing to save him but she happened to love him too. The idea that she was worried that their relationship wouldn’t be fulfilling enough for him was insulting, and if anyone but her had insinuated that he’d have knocked them out cold.

“I don’t care. I don’t give a shit what it does to me, because what you’re going to do to it will be far, far worse.” He barks out a laugh and Tillian jumps a bit, “As if it could even touch me with you around, as if you’d let it lay a tentacle on me! There’s nowhere on the planet safer than being next to you, that’s just a fact of my life. You saved me and you just keep on saving me. I’d like to see it try to get past you in this fight, it doesn’t stand a fucking chance.”

He smiles ear to ear against her shocked face, daring her to argue against him. But he’s right as usual, and the corner of her lip tilts up. “Don’t flatter yourself, I’m only getting in the way to make sure you don’t discover you have a weird, very specific fetish, that’s all.”

He snorts, settling back down again. He ruffles her hair as she untenses herself, reality washing out the false visions of her nightmare. She’s told him time and time again that he doesn’t owe her shit for saving him, the curse is broken and he’s alive and that’s enough, but still he chooses to return the favor, little by little. It’s a debt he plans on never fully resolving, because it isn’t really a debt; after all his years of being a Wesmaine fuck-up, he sometimes forgets that not all things have consequences, not everything is revenge lying in wait or opportunists making their move. It’s always been hard for him to recognize real earnestness, but its looking at him right now in their bed, trusting him completely, before curling up against his chest, telling him to sleep well, and thanks, you know, for everything.

[ikeservant]

Heyooo it’s been a while!! Hope you are well! (TW?)Can I get some hc for kenshin, masamune, ieyasu, and Hideyoshi on how they would comfort mc from anxiety?? Thank you❤️❤️

Yay! Hello again to my lovely ask box :D. As someone who has an anxiety disorder this was nice to write and actually helped me remember a lot of the coping skills I learned back in therapy lol. I tried putting in different anxious behaviors and causes for anxiety found with a lot of people since everybody’s anxiety is different.

TW: mentions anxiety and anxiety attacks

Kenshin: This man knows EVERYTHING about his mc so even the slightest nervous gulp doesn’t get past his attention. Is the “Mr.Fix-It” kind of guy that wants the cause of her anxiety to be something tangible so he can cut it down, solving everything. At first he thought that maybe keeping her in a cell or room would keep the outside world from doing anything that will cause mc anxiety, but realized that keeping her in a small isolated area without freedom would also cause her great anxiety and damage her mentality, so he instead encourages her to do what keeps her at bay and that she doesn’t have to do anxiety-causing tasks alone or at all, sharing whatever burden she holds with determination. But a lot of the times anxiety is rooted in a concept or idea. If that’s the case, then he offers to do ANYTHING he can to help mc feel reassured and safe. He’s already straightforward so giving clear, honest answers to mc’s questions about his feelings of her, if he thinks she’ll do well at something, or if they’re going to be safe going to battle gives her closure that he truly believes its all going to be okay. If he notices her getting into anxious habits like biting her lip, rubbing her hands/sleeves, or looking like she might be having an anxious episode, he’ll summon the bunnies to give her physical stimulation to help ground her and calm her. Hates seeing her filled with fear when he can’t do anything physically to stop the issue that is causing her to go into an anxious episode so he focuses on protecting and comforting her until she feels steady again.

Masamune: Dude RARELY experiences anxiety, like the last time was probably around his dad’s death. If mc is looking for exposure therapy, look no further! He doesn’t want mc’s anxiety to hold her back from living wild and free, so he often encourages her to try new things and help her habituate and say “hey that wasn’t so bad!” and do the opposite action of her anxious urges to isolate and turn down everything. If something overwhelms mc and throws her into an anxious episode, he offers a comfort snuggle and gives a good, reassuring pep talk that highlights the good parts and form a positive spin to it. The meals he makes depends on mc’s mood. If she’s too nervous to eat he’ll keep offering her light snacks so she doesn’t feel sick while also getting food in her system. If she eats a lot when nervous he’ll fix some GOOD COMFORT FOOD that warms mc up and makes her tummy feel satisfied. Would probably be the type of person that would either let mc stroke/play with his hair when she’s nervous to distract her or help calm her down by putting her head on his lap as he strokes her head with one hand while writing important documents with the other. Even if he doesn’t understand her anxiety he’ll find any way to cheer her up, be it distractions, lending a helping hand, or giving her positive reassurance and encouragement. 

Ieyasu: It’s very difficult for him to give words of comfort so instead he uses acts of service to help her with anxiety. If he notices that she’s biting her lip with a worried look while working on a project, he’ll slip out of the room and return with a herbal tea that is known to calm the nerves and give it to her while telling her she should take a break. If mc is feeling jittery or antsy with no major cause, he’ll “forget” to feed Wasabi and ask her to feed and take care of her, hoping that petting and cuddling Wasabi will give her something to do while also cheering her up. If mc is trying to hide her anxiety from him, he usually picks up from her body language and uses all his willpower to swallow his stubbornness and tell her what she needs to hear by reassuring her that he cares and wants to help any way he can and will listen to her worries no matter how small they are. If he notices her get anxious and panicky in crowded or big social gatherings, he’ll take her hand without hesitation and lead her somewhere less crowded and stay right by her side. He doesn’t like crowds or big gatherings anyway so he’s relieved to get away from that.  He feels like bashing his head on the wall when he says something curt and cold to mc, causing her to take it to heart and worry about those words now playing in her head on a loop. Definitely causes him to reflect what he’s saying and stops himself from saying anything contrarian and turn off his defenses so he doesn’t burden mc’s anxiety any more than it already is. Often gets anxiety about if he’s even worthy to be with mc if he is capable of hurting her with his own insecurities and cold attitude defense, but they both learn to grow and work on themselves for the sake of their own mental being and for their love’s wellbeing.

Hideyoshi: This man relates hella to mc’s anxiety because he is internally anxious 24/7. If he notices mc starting to have an anxiety attack over a mistake or accident while on the job such as breaking a pot, he immediately rushes to her and puts a warm hand on her shoulder while reassuring her that it’s okay and that he’ll help her clean up the mess. Will take her to a tea shop  or treat her somewhere to calm her nerves. Goes above and beyond in doing whatever he can, pretty much becoming a servant to mc such as making calming tea, trying to persuade her to let him take on any extra errands, offering shoulder rubs, etc. He encourages her to come to him with any worries and will lightly chastise her when she tries hiding signs of her anxiety, saying how it worries him even more when she tries hiding it versus communicating her anxiety to him. Mc would most likely throw those words back at him since he does the same thing, causing both of them to learn how to communicate and console one another about their anxiety and worries while reassuring one another. Probably convinces him to take better care of himself because he doesn’ t want to cause her to worry about his wellbeing since he slowly realizes how much he means to her as much as she means to him.

[thedistantdusk]

How about a cute hinny fic where ginny takes harry to a little underwear shop and tries some things on..... maybe getting a little steamy in the fitting room...

Oh, Anonymous... you should know better than to assume I would take this prompt seriously when you sent it to about a million different people! ;) Everyone else did an amazing job, so I decided to be a contrarian and skip the smut. For once. 

Thanks to @k-mi-la for proofreading and @floreatcastellumposts/Eslon for giving me some of the verbiage! (Side note, did you know they don’t have country biscuits in the UK? My mind was blown.) Anyway, enjoy! 

Happy belated birthday, @focusly!

On AO3.

_____________________

There’s nothing worse than this in between, Ginny thinks, staring at herself in the floor-length mirror. She shifts her weight, trying to ascertain if the dark purple bra fits her better than any of the others in the pile to Harry’s left. She slides her fingers beneath the strap and makes a face... because no, there’s still a space between the cup and the strap.

It doesn’t fit her — at least not yet.

For the past two weeks, she’s looked fat. Her face and body have swollen in odd places, and when Ginny looks at herself in the mirror, she doesn’t wonder why her changing body is a source of public speculation. At the moment, though, she doesn’t look pregnant; she just looks like she’s eaten nothing but butter for weeks on end while refusing to move from the sofa.

This awkward in-between phase is especially infuriating because they can’t dispel anything yet. Ginny can’t confront the shrewd stares and judgmental murmurs that follow her in Diagon Alley by announcing that she isn’t fat, thank you, she’s growing a human — she just happens to be in the yucky bit where she looks pale and bloated and sickly all the time.

The final blow to her self-esteem had arrived this morning as she’d dressed for their weekly Sunday at the Burrow. Ginny’s still not sure how, but literally overnight, the tips of her breasts swelled over the cups that fit her perfectly last week. She’d only been able to stare at her reflection in the mirror of their bedroom — at the chubby little crescents bubbling over the lace — as she’d wondered why her own body now reminds her of a sausage burst from its casing.

Ginny’s never been the vain sort, but she can’t bear to watch herself bounce beneath her clothes, either. So with a determined look in her eye, she’d marched up to her husband and informed him she needed new bras before facing her parents for tea.

Harry’d responded like he has to every single one of her demands for the past two weeks: by gulping, nodding his head, and doing whatever the hell she’s asked.

Ginny hasn’t quite figured out what’s going on with his newfound sense of submission, but not for lack of trying. Harry’s shrugged off her attempts to reason through the uncharacteristic silence and brooding stares she hasn’t seen since he was fifteen. Of course, he’d never dream of being rude or unkind. He’s Harry.

Still, the whole thing — the fact that they’re actually having a baby — has been a thrilling, terrifying, unexpected whirlwind. Ginny doesn’t blame him for casting furtive glances at her puffy midsection when he thinks she’s not looking. She’s certain he hasn’t meant to hurt her feelings, either, but the wide-eyed, fearful look on his face each time has done absolutely nothing for her already plummeting self-esteem.

Thankfully, Harry’s concerns (which she’s been utterly unable to wheedle out) haven’t stopped them from shagging. Albeit much more gently. Ginny hasn’t missed the way he grips her hips less tightly, even when she’s on top. Or the way he double and triple checks it’s ok before he does anything. Or the way he slides off her as fast as he can afterwards, as if the slightest pressure might make her crumble and break.

She peers over at the man in question as he sits in a chair in the changing room. He’s hunched over on his elbows, pensively staring at his clasped hands. Ginny bites her lip as she wonders — for the thousandth time — what’s changed. He’d been so happy when she told him. He’d cried. He’d held her and told her how much he loved her and that he’d never been happier and...

No.

She swallows and blinks. She won’t let her mind go there. She’s just confused that he hasn’t looked up at her since she’s put this bra on. Which doesn’t make her feel better. Ginny huffs, turning to the side, and vows to get out of here as fast as she can. But bleh, staring at her profile only makes her feel worse...

“Looks nice,” Harry offers from his seat in the corner.

Ginny sighs as their eyes meet in the mirror. “No,” she mutters, “it doesn’t. It looks—"

“—You look beautiful,” Harry says earnestly, his eyes focused solely on her face. Like he’s trying to convince himself as much as he’s trying to convince her.

“Harry,” Ginny sighs — and although she tries to fight it, her voice breaks. “For once, can you just let me feel like rubbish?”

Shit.

There’s a pause as she swallows against the pang of hurt shooting from her chest and into her throat. She hates how easily everything upsets her these days. There’s nowhere safe. Nowhere she can hide. She cries when a mother bird feeds her babies. She sheds a tear when an old man limps down the street by himself. She bawls in a changing room when nothing fucking fits her and her husband won’t even validate her by admitting it.

Aaaand lovely, that one’s done it, she’s going off.

Ginny feels Harry before she sees him. His soothing warmth presses against her back as the first tear slips down her cheek, but she still can’t bring herself to look at him. The world swims in front of her, a hazy blur of blue carpet and her own pale, chubby reflection.

“I’m sorry,” she manages a moment later, blinking up at the lights. “This is so embarrassing. I’m—"

“No,” Harry whispers, his chin nestled on the crown of her head. “I’m the one who’s sorry.”

She gives his reflection a plain stare, pleased she’s stopped crying long enough to speak. “What have you got to be sorry for? I’m the one crying in a changing room because absolutely nothing fucking fits me, and—“

“—No,” Harry cuts across, his voice firm. She cocks her head and peers back, but the look on his face tells her not to interrupt.

“Listen,” he starts gently. “It’s just... this whole thing is....” He heaves a sigh, his eyes fluttering shut. When he looks up at her again, there’s a low, resigned quality in his voice. “You’ve got to understand, Ginny, that I’m not supposed to be here.”

She narrows her eyes. “I’m sure plenty of husbands accompany their wives into—"

“—What?” Harry looks alarmed.

Oh. She must’ve misread that.

“That’s not what I meant!” Harry insists. “I don’t care about — hang on, did you really think I’d care about being seen in here?”

Ginny just shrugs, looking away. Fine. Something else she’s been wrong about.

“I mean we’ve shagged in a changing room,” Harry continues. “More than once. Why would I suddenly care about that now?”

But between a sudden wave of nausea and how ghastly she feels standing on display like this, Ginny finds she hasn’t the patience. She gives him a plain stare. Get to the point.

“Right, right, but that’s not what we’re talking about.” Harry sighs, running a hand through his messy black hair. “Let me... let me explain, yeah?”

His concerned green eyes meet hers in the mirror, and Ginny nods back. Yeah.

Harry takes a few deep breaths to collect himself, to choose his words very, very carefully — and when he speaks again, Ginny knows he’s using deliberate emphasis.

“It’s just... I’m not supposed to be here,” Harry says, meeting her eyes. “In general. I’m not supposed to be—"

“Alive.” Ginny feels the whisper rip from her throat as a chill races up her spine.

She stares at the corner where the carpet meets the wall and tries to keep herself from crying. Again. Ginny hates this conversation, no matter how hypothetical. But at long last, she has an inkling of what he’s been going through.

“I was supposed to die when I was 17,” Harry whispers in a rush, his eyes downcast. She gets the distinct impression that, for some reason, he’s been holding this back.

“You were supposed to marry some faceless man, and I wasn’t supposed to kiss you again. I think that’s why I felt your lips when—" 

He cuts himself off with a swallow, his breathing going ragged: He doesn’t want to cry right now. She gives his hand an encouraging squeeze. Harry doesn’t mind crying in front of her, but he wants to be strong; he wants to finish.

Harry lets out a delirious chuckle as the rest of the words come tumbling from his lips, even faster than the first set.

“I didn’t die, though,” he says, grinning again. “And neither did you. And I know we weren’t planning on this, but I’m... Ginny, I’m so happy.” His face splits into an enormous grin. “I’m so… I’m so happy. I never thought I’d have a family, but now we’re actually doing this, and it’s… it’s amazing, don’t get me wrong, but…”

Harry peers up at her cautiously, his hand continuing to brush against the newfound softness of her midsection. “You’ve got to understand. It’s a bit surreal, too.”

Ginny smiles back at him and glances at her stomach. Of all people, she certainly understands. Surreal is the least of it. Nearly overnight, the body she’d spent years working on and listening to and shaping has taken on a life of its own. It’s been hard — really hard — to accept that there’s an inherent grace in simply letting that go. Of abandoning control.

“Is that why you’ve been so quiet?” Ginny ventures a moment later. It’s never been clearer they’re both been in their heads. She’s just been too distracted to notice.

“A little,” he admits, shifting his weight. “It’s just, the whole thing has been a bit abstract and mad, yeah? Like, ok, I saw the positive test, and I’ve watched you get ill, but it’s…”

Harry waves his hand and trails off; Ginny knows him well enough to know he’s searching for a metaphor.

A second later, he finds one.

Harry starts again, his voice more energetic than before. “Pretend there’s a new Firebolt being built, yeah?”

Ginny opens her mouth to wonder aloud if her husband is seriously comparing their baby to a broomstick.

He plows on before she gets that far.

“And that’s great and lovely,” Harry adds hurriedly, “but it won’t come out for a long time. I’m not the one in charge of making the Firebolt either, so all I can do is hear updates. Everyone says it will change my life when it comes out, and I believe them, but it’s hard to imagine.”

He pauses to draw a breath.

“But until a couple of weeks ago, it was a very… theoretical Firebolt,” Harry allows slowly, his eyes drifting to her stomach. “It was something that sounded amazing — but it just… it didn’t seem real. It seemed too perfect and brilliant and…”

He sucks in another deep breath, one that comes out a moment later as another delirious chuckle. “But here we are, yeah?” His thumb grazes her stomach. “There’s proof, right in front of me, that I didn’t die and Voldemort didn’t win, and you’re actually buying clothes because…” He swallows. “Because someone loves me enough to let me be a dad.”

There’s a heavy silence after his words.

Ginny shudders as the feelings wash over her — the love so fierce it’s painful, the hope so earnest it’s blinding, the swell of anything and everything she’s been fighting since they found out — but this time, she does nothing to stop the tears from flowing down her cheeks.

Harry continues staring at her stomach, oblivious (for once) to her tears. “But it’s scary, yeah?” he adds, his voice gruff. “It’s scary. Because I realized the other day that even though you’re basically showing, this could all just get ripped away from us. We could lose everything we’ve ever wanted, all before we’ve had—"

“—I know,” Ginny murmurs, eyes downcast. With a sinking feeling in her stomach, she finally understands what the circumstances and hormones have thus far failed to explain. Harry’s not scared because she’s pregnant; he’s scared because he knows there’s a chance (however small) that she might not be tomorrow. Or the next day. Or the day after that.

In an odd reversal, she’s now the one reassuring him. Ginny wipes the tear tracks and clears her throat until Harry meets her eyes in the mirror.

“That’s not going to happen, Harry,” she says fiercely, as soon as they lock eyes. “Do you hear me? He’s here.”

She brings both of their hands over the soft swell of her lower stomach. Harry’s hand shakes slightly beneath hers. It’s almost palpable, she thinks… the way his anxieties and apprehensions are splintering, right in front of her eyes. The way his doubts are making a reluctant departure, even as they cling to the sides of his heart.

“I know you’re used to having everything go pear-shaped and watching horrible things happen,” Ginny says softly. “But, Harry... you need to believe this will work out. Because if you believe it, I’ll believe it. If we’re together on this, it’ll seem a lot less terrifying. Ok?”

She peers at her husband to see that his face has relaxed into another watery smile, his eyes flitting between her stomach and her face. Ginny grips his hand more tightly against her and feels an irrational amount of pride that it’s not shaking. Not anymore.

They stare at each other for a few minutes, grinning like fools, before Harry breaks the silence.

“He?”

Ginny shrugs. In truth, she’s known for weeks. She knows it’s a boy with the same certainty she’d known Harry wouldn’t really die. With the same certainty she knows he loves her. With the same certainty she knows he always will.

“Pretty sure,” she confirms, peering back at him in the mirror. Harry shudders behind her, gripping her even closer, and for several more moments, they just stand there — Ginny in an ill-fitting bra, Harry in a Weasley jumper — as the world finally, finally stops spinning. As everything starts to make sense.

As such, she’s so wrought and emotional that she doesn’t even complain when Harry flashes her a wicked wink, his lips traveling down her jaw. She doesn’t bat an eye when he brushes himself against the small of her back, his left hand coming up to caress her hip.

Harry pulls back a moment later, his eyes hooded, his breathing ragged for an entirely different reason. “Get the red,” he manages, nodding to the pile in the corner. “You’ve always looked stunning in red.”

Ginny just giggles and pushes him to the wall, her arms draped around his neck. All of a sudden, she finds she’s far more interested in Harry’s unabashed assessment of her changing body, in the proper evaluation she’s been denied for weeks.

And far less concerned with how her bra fits, after all.

[resplendentgoldenwings]

About Steven Crain

I’ve always been something of a contrarian even as a girl. If my old sister loved strawberries I loved blueberries. If she hated raisins I loved them. It was never personally I have simply always preferred to something different from what the others around me are doing.

The more different things we are doing as individuals in a group the greatest number of experiences are open to all of us. Imagine for a moment that you have a group of five people and five different paths in a forest. All the paths go to the same place, but each takes a different route. Now If all five group members take a seperate path and meet at the end of the day to share their experiences then it’s as if each member of the group has been in five different places all at once. This variety in taste and preference and response enriches us.

And so it is being this person that I am I find myself defending Steven Crain.

Over this last week I have been rewatching eipsodes of The Haunting of Hill House, limiting myself to one a day and taking it in much more slowly than the original ten hour Saturday binge. And in this second watch not only do I find myself not hating Steve I am actually find him a likeable and flawed character much like his siblings and pretty much every other human being in existence.

Spoilers follow.

It is very much Shirely’s response to Steve in the very first episodes that I think heavily influences fandom’s general opinion of the character and his actions. Shirely calls Steve selfish,accusing him of being a poor elder brother and insists that she is the one to take care of everything. Yet the actions of the rest of the family demonstrate something different.

The flashbacks of Nell, Luke and Theo show us a Steve that is caring and heavily involved in the lives of his younger siblings while Shirley actually features very little, except you know to make Luke leave his twin sister’s wedding so she believes he wasn’t there for her. Moving right along.

Steve is the very first person Nell calls when she reaches her breaking point, she calls Shirely when she can’t get ahold of him. When she finally speaks to her father her father directs her back to her eldest brother and then calls Steve immediately despite the late hour.

Now to be fair it was partially because she lived closest to Steve, but it’s telling that Hugh doesn’t pay Steve’s objections any attention or even know that Steve and Leigh are seperated; Nell can’t go to his house because he no longer lives there. Steve’s support and availability are taken for granted by the dad and the rest of the family.

When Steve finally does return to his apartment he finds Luke robbing him. He doesn’t react with anger, he gives Luke more money and let’s him keep some of the stolen items. He also doesn’t challenge Luke’s statement that the money isn’t for drugs. Instead he asks Luke if he’s cold, because he remembers that Luke told him feeling cold is a symptom of withdrawal, such a small detail of his brother’s life to recall two months after they discussed it.

When Luke has actually earned a day pass after completing a month of rehab he doesn’t visit Shirley or Theo or his own twin instead he choses to take Joey, an important friend to have dinner with Steve and his wife. Like Nell Luke knows that it is Steve he can reach out too  --not Shirely despite her insistence-- no matter how many times he messes up.

They do argue during this visit, but it is only as Steve rather adroitly points out that Luke should be wary of Joey, because she might burn him, which of course she does. To be fair he did it in a very irritating elder sibling way, but again it comes from a place of caring and Steve wanting Luke to succeed.

Even Hugh seems to lean heavily on the eldest Crain sibling, because it is Steve who is with Hugh at the lawyer’s office when they are children. Iit is Steve who has to hear his father say that he won’t fight to keep his kids with him and he won’t take any of the steps the lawyer is advising to keep the family together.

This seems less and less like the actions of a man who only looks out for himself and more and more like someone whose support, care and availabilty are so consistent that it is always taken for granted by his family. This is so much the case that they can rage at him about his book, calling him names, embarassing him in front of his fans and he still gives them the promised royalties and shows up when they need him.

Now about that book. I can’t even bring myself to condemn him for writing it. Now his siblings have every right to be angry at him because they don’t like being portrayed as mentally ill, but let’s pause here. Unaware of the supernatural events around him Steven Crain sees him mother succumb to mental illness and depression and kill herself. In this time of crisis his father provides absolutely no leadership for the family whatsoever and he watches Theo, Nell and Luke sink further into various mental illness as they age. 

Luke becomes addicted to drugs,Nell struggles with deppresion, PTSD and perhaps other symptoms to the point that no one is suprised by the idea that she went back the house and killed herself as well. And even though Theo functions she is completely, emotionally walled off from everyone she loves. 

Steve percieves a family in crisis, people that he loves in crisis and no one is doing anything about it. No one wants to name the illness, no one wants to get help. 

Now since his family has been so scarred by what happened at Hill House he writes a book about it and uses that money to get all of them a better fucking life. They may not have healed from the tragic events that took place there, but the story can pay for all of their dreams Shirely’s funeral home and her charity cases, Theo’s Ph.D and subsequently her practice, Luke trying over and over again to go for rehab and Nell’s therapy and pretty much anything else she wanted. 

The fact that Steve had  a vascetomy is perhaps one of the most telling things about his character. It tells us first and foremost that he sincerely believes what that the family is ill and in need of help, but more importantly it also show just how deeply affected by the events at Hill House he is.

Of all the children Steven Crain is the eldest he would have the strongest, clearest memories of not only his mother, but his entire family before that summer and so he can most clearly mourn for who they were, the promise of who could have become before that summer at Hill House. And I think he just could not bear the idea of having a child and watching them sucumb the way his mother did and the way his siblings seem to be.

And this is also yet another thing that no one else in his family seems to know about him.

The younger siblings feel a certain ownership of the family’s experience at Hill House. Steve is excluded from this in spite of the fact that he was there, he witnessed it and was as deeply affected by what happened as the rest. It silently tragic that his understanding of the events seperates him from his family as surely as Theo’s walls seperate her from everyone that she loves.

Steve isn’t perfect none of the Crain siblings are they all do crappy things to each other and make mistakes, this is the inevitability of life. But I think if you simply dismiss Steve as selfish or gaslighting his siblings you're missing out on a huge chunk of the characters and a huge chunk of the story.

[miyako-no-prince]

70 MasaMei and 95 SawaItsuRai ❤💛

thanks for the lovely prompts ❤💛 

the MasaMei got so much longer than I intended these prompts to be, so I’ll do the SawaItsuRai in a separate post

AO3

“After everythingwe’ve been through, you still don’t think that I love you?”

The silence thatfollowed was deafening. Mei didn’t even look at him, stubbornly avoiding hisgaze. It said everything, but Masatoshi was determined to make him talk anyway.Maybe if he said it out loud, he’d realize how ridiculous it was. How stupid andunnecessary this whole situation was.

“Answer me, Mei.”

More silence.Masatoshi resisted the urge to sigh, or alternatively shake Mei until he had nochoice but to finally say what he really thought.

As the silencecontinued, Masatoshi wondered if this really had been worth it.

They starteddating a few months ago, and Masatoshi had actually been happy with theirrelationship. They tended to have small fights a lot, but they were alwaysresolved easily enough, never weighing on his mind too much. It was just… everysingle one of them had been resolved by him apologizing, with Mei maybeapologizing back if he felt particularly guilty.

This just wasn’tan accurate representation of who’d caused those fights. 90% - the mostgenerous assumption Masatoshi was willing to make – were purely caused by Meibeing purposefully contrarian, lazy, or annoying.

Masatoshi knew Meiwas prideful and had trouble apologizing, even if he recognized he was atfault. Still, he’d thought wanting Mei to get over his pride just once, forsomething minor at that, wouldn’t be too much to ask. If he insisted just once,and Mei realized this was important to Masatoshi and just said sorry, then hecould shut up the tiny nagging voice that told him Mei wasn’t as committed orin love as he was.

Not wanting torisk any trouble to the team, he’d waited until after summer koushien to gothrough with his plan, and it turned out to be a good choice. Even though thefight had been stupid, and entirely Mei’s fault, and could’ve been entirelyinconsequential, Mei flat-out refused to apologize. Even at the threat thatMasatoshi wouldn’t talk to him until he did. Even at the threat that Masatoshi wouldbreak up with him if he didn’t. Mei just yelled at him and ran away.

At first, Masatoshihad thought Mei would just need some time to realize what happened, and then he’dcome to apologize. But nothing of the sort happened. They didn’t have topractice together anymore, and Mei made sure they interacted as little aspossible.

After a month,Masatoshi had simply assumed that was it, Mei really hadn’t cared much aboutwhat they had. It hurt, but there was nothing he could do.

He’d been resoluteabout staying away and just getting over it, until one night Tadano had knockedon his door, tears streaming down his face as he’d tried to convey the angerand despair he was currently feeling because of Mei. Masatoshi had known Meiwasn’t exactly business as usual at practice, but he hadn’t known just how badit was.

It simply wasn’tfair to let Tadano suffer on his own because Mei couldn’t deal with hisemotions any other way. None of this had anything to do with him. He was justthe easiest target. There was nothing he could do to make Mei behave like adecent human being towards him.

Masatoshi, on theother hand, could at least try. He didn’t know how much sway he still had withMei at this point, but it was certainly more than Tadano.

He’d really intendedto keep their talk focused on Mei’s behaviour toward Tadano, but Mei wasn’thaving it. He interrupted Masatoshi before he even had a chance to finisheverything he’d meant to say.

“Oh, I see, so youcan just use your kouhai who also happens to be your battery partner as you seefit and it’s all fine, but when I do it, it’s bad and I should feel bad? Forgetit. I don’t give a shit about Itsuki, but at least I don’t lie to him and tellhim I love him.”

Which ledMasatoshi to the realization that Mei was absolutely convinced he didn’t lovehim, even if he currently refused to say it directly.

“Mei,” he triedagain, “I’m not leaving until you answer me.”

“Fine,” Meipressed out between gritted teeth, “I know you don’t love me and I knew it fromthe start. Now you can just admit it and then we can be done with this.”

The absolutecertainty in his voice cut straight into Masatoshi’s heart. Mei wasn’t joking,exaggerating, or being dramatic. He believed it. Despite everything, all theirshared moments, movie nights, intimate touches, practice hours, wins andlosses, despite it all, Mei had never fully trusted his love. And Masatoshinever noticed. Never even considered the possibility.

But then, whywould he? He’d told Mei he loved him. Multiple times. Dated him for months. Didhis best to make it work. Mei had never expressed any kind of insecurityeither. In fact, Masatoshi had been under the impression that Mei knew way toowell how loved he was.

Maybe he should’vesaid that out loud, but instead, he asked “Are you an idiot?”

Which maybe wasn’tthe smartest way to go about this. Masatoshi realized it immediately, at least,and added “Why do you think I dated you, then?”

It calmed the furyin Mei’s eyes, at least a little. He shrugged. “I’m cute.” Masatoshi had toagree on that, but in any other situation, he would’ve scolded Mei for sayingit about himself. “You liked the sex.” Also true. But how shallow did Mei thinkhe was? “And I was the one who asked you out. If you told me no or broke up withme, it might’ve affected my performance, and thus your chance at winningkoushien. So you just strung me along until you retired, and I was useless toyou. Didn’t even wait a week.”

So Mei had actuallypicked up on the fact that he’d waited with this until after koushien. He justtotally got it wrong.

“I told you, whatI wanted was just an apology from you. I did wait out koushien on purpose,because you’re right, I didn’t want to ruin our chances, but I didn’texpect you to be this stubborn about it.”

“Bullshit! You cansay what you want, you never cared before if I didn’t apologize over littlethings! You were just trying to find a reason to break up over, and I for surewasn’t going to make it harder for you by actually saying sorry, because unlikewhatever you think, I’m not actually stupid!”

“Yes, you are! Whyis it so hard to understand that I just wanted you to swallow your pride forthe sake of our relationship a single time? It always annoyed me that I have tobe the one to apologize to you even if you were the one starting the fight! Butyou could’ve just fixed that, and we’d have been just fine.”

“No, we wouldn’t!What kind of relationship is it when you’re just annoyed with me all the time,huh? Is that love to you? You wanna get married someday and see your spousecome up to you and say their vows and you think ‘ugh how annoying I wish they’djust shut up’? Is that what you dream of?”

Mei had gotteninto his face at some point, and now that he was talking about marriage forsome reason, a part of Masatoshi’s brain wanted to grab him and kiss him, holdhim close and tell him how much he missed that kind of thing over the pastmonth, but thankfully there was still a larger part of his brain that told himto listen instead, and to respond, so he could figure out exactly what Mei wasthinking. What his actual problem was. And fix it.

“What, so you’remad that I was annoyed when you purposefully tried to annoy me?”

“No! I’m mad thatyou’re annoyed whether I try to annoy you or not! Even when I’m trying to benice! You can’t even tell the difference! All you ever say is ‘Shut up, Mei’!It doesn’t matter if I tell you about something I care about or just try tomake the most annoying noise possible, it’s all the same to you. I don’t knowif you actually think you love me, but I know you already noticed that I just amannoying. Down to my core, it’s who I am. That’s why you don’t enjoy spendingtime with me. Nobody does. Sooner or later, you’ll realize it’s too much, it’sjust not worth it, just like everyone else. I think you already did.”

What started as anoutburst turned quiet toward the end. There were tears glistening in Mei’seyes, and he slowly backed away again.

Panic spreadthrough Masatoshi’s chest. Mei was right here, so close to him, but Masatoshiwas losing him, and he just knew if he didn’t cross the distance right now, he’dnever manage to get a hold of him again.

And he couldn’t finda way to close the metaphorical distance, but his body reacted faster than hismind did, grabbing Mei by the shoulders and holding him in place whileMasatoshi struggled to figure out what to say. Not an easy task when he stillwasn’t sure he properly understood exactly what Mei meant.

“What are you eventalking about?” Masatoshi settled on when the silence was starting to stretchlong enough to be uncomfortable. “You can’t just go and decide these things forother people. Even assuming I don’t actually love you romantically doesn’t meanI don’t like being around you. And what’s with that ‘everyone’? You have plentyof friends, right? Everyone on the team, and your classmates… I’m sure theylike having you around.”

But Mei simplyshook his head. “No. I have people who tolerate and placate me because theyneed my baseball skills, and people who admire me because they don’t actuallyknow me. And I guess I have Kazuya, who’d rather be annoyed than alone. That’sit.”

Masatoshi couldn’thelp but feel a pang of annoyance that Miyuki Kazuya of all people got an extraspot in this listing, while he was presumably lumped in with the rest of theteam in the first category. But he swallowed it down.

“What about yourfamily?”

This time, theresponse was a shrug. “My mom and sisters are all just as annoying as me, so Iguess we can all just comfortably annoy each other. I honestly don’t know whymy dad is still happily married to my mom, I guess he must be some kind ofmasochist.”

“Well, maybe I’m amasochist. You don’t know that.”

While… this wasn’texactly what he’d planned to say – in fact he’d never thought about thisbefore and he was sure he’d found better ways to express what he meant if he’dthought about it for more than a millisecond – it did make Mei look at him forreal for the first time since he’d entered his room.

“What?”

Even if it was alook that was trying to figure out if he had gone completely nuts.

“Um, I mean, inall seriousness, I missed you, Mei.” Yes, that sounded much better, much morelike a normal person. “I honestly missed being around you, and even beingannoyed by you on a daily basis during the past month.”

“I guess thatkinda does make you a masochist.”

“Thanks.”

His voice was dry,but it was actually hard to maintain. He could see the edges of a smile tuggingat Mei’s lips as their bickering progressed naturally as it had so many timesbefore. It was a feeling like coming home, and it automatically made Masatoshihope, even if they still hadn’t really found a resolution to the problem athand. But they were getting there.

In the end, perhapspredictably, Masatoshi simply relented. He pulled Mei into his arms, and didthe one thing he promised he wouldn’t do this time. “I’m sorry.”

“But you said-”

“I know. And I’mnot sorry about anything concerning the small fight we had that led to all ofthis. That was your fault. But I hurt you. I didn’t mean to, I had no idea whatI’d cause, but I hurt you. I still don’t quite understand how you came to yourconclusions or how you feel, but none of that really matters. I’m just sorry,and I need you to know that.”

“I’m sorry, too,”Mei mumbled into his chest, “I was extra annoying because I was trying to seeif you’d keep me around when you didn’t need me anymore. Guess I got exactly whatI asked for…”

The apology fellfrom Mei’s lips so easily, with such a sense of relief, and finally it occurredto Masatoshi that maybe it hadn’t been pride – or at least not pride alone –that had kept Mei from apologizing first for so long. If he really saw beingannoying as part of himself, then of course apologizing felt like apologizingfor who he was, rather than a small one-time thing. And it always carried therisk of getting told the apology wasn’t good enough, that maybe Mei just wasn’tgood enough.

It didn’t exactlysolve Masatoshi’s initial issue, all it really did was complicate finding asolution they’d both be happy with, but Masatoshi figured it would be muchbetter to look for one together than stay apart out of misplaced anger, prideand hurt.

“Mei, I’ll alwayswant to keep you around, as long as you want me by your side as well. Let’sjust… talk, okay? We’ll figure something out, together. So we won’t ever bothbe sad and lonely for a whole month for no reason again.”

Mei nodded againsthis chest. “Okay. Yeah, that sounds good. But, before we do that, can I kissyou?”

“You missed that,huh?”

“Oh, you have noidea.”

“I’m pretty sure Ido.”

Before Mei couldfigure out his next retort, Masatoshi bent down, gently tilting up Mei’s chinwith his hand, and pressed their lips together.

They practicallymelted together, and finally, after a month of everything feeling out of place,the world was right again.

 Bonus

They ended upcuddling on Mei’s bed and talking way into the night, about their feelings andissues and experiences all the way to their perception of the world, and it waspossibly the closest Masatoshi had ever felt to someone in his whole life.

Just when theywere both about to fall asleep though, he remembered why he’d chosen to go toMei in the first place.

“I almost forgot,but you really have to stop treating Tadano as bad as you did. I know you wereupset, but he has nothing to do with this.”

Mei groaned. “Iknow. I was just trying to get him to hate me. He looked like he was admiringme when I was just feeling shitty about myself and it pissed me off. I wantedto disappoint him in the worst way possible.”

“Well, I don’tthink it worked anyway. He was totally desperate, but he kept asking how hecould get along with you, or how to make you acknowledge him, how he could getgood enough to be your partner. Even when from what I heard, I’d be at thepoint where I’d be asking my senpai for ways to kill you without gettingcaught.”

“What the fuck. Hemust be a masochist for real.”

“Maybe that’s onyou. You attract us.”

“Oh, shut up,Masa-san.”

[darkmindsthinktwistedthoughts]

Hush

This short has been brought to you thanks to a convo @xathia-89 who was talking about tales that had been bugging them in their mind recently. Mitsuhide and Masamune in the library with the reader (female) trying not to be overheard my Ieyasu. I cannot / have not attempted to write NSFW stuff since my first poor attempt at it but once again I find myself trying. I hope you all enjoy it. 

Warning: NSFW... Heavy petting, smuttish behaviour. A fox and a dragon playing games. Cameo form a porcupine... (this is starting to sound like a zoo)

Masterlist

---

Hush

The castle library was always an interesting room. Row upon row of shelves housing books meticulously organised into different topics. Whilst it was a fantastic room it was also a pain in the backside when it came to cleaning. Every book had to be removed and wiped before you wiped the shelves then everything had to be replaced again. If you were extremely unlucky you were given the task of cleaning after Mitsunari had returned his borrowed reading material and you found yourself playing the role of frustrated librarian as you reorganised the books back into their right locations as you went.

You made your way along the castle halls until you reached the room you wanted. Sliding the door open with your foot as you carefully balanced your cleaning supplies in your arms. It was not the best lit room in the castle but you could still clearly make out the figure of one curious person sitting silently in the room. His head rose from what he was reading and a thin smile graced his lips as he noticed you.

“Well if it isn’t the little Seamstress.” That disarming baritone voice almost seemed to drift in the air to you as you entered the room.

“Mitsuhide. I’m sorry I didn’t mean to disturb you.” You offered a meek apology as you set your small bucket and rags down near the first row of shelves.

“Disturb? However, would a little thing like you possibly disturb me?” Mitsuhide chuckled as he continued to watch you from his corner in the room. His citrine eyes almost seemed to flicker in the lamplight.

“What are you reading?” You attempted to make for polite small talk as it seemed he had no intention of returning to reading at that moment and his gaze was starting to make you a little too aware of his presence. Of all the people to find yourself in a room with it had to be him.

“Curious? I was just reading up on a couple of things that interested me.” Mitsuhide indicated the small stack next to his side. You had no idea what they all were about but something about Mitsuhide’s smile always had you on your guard with the slightest things.

“Well don’t let me stop you.” You ignored your curiosity and decided ignorance was sometimes bliss. Especially when it came to the castle’s number one tease of a warlord. You had just cleared a shelf of books, stacking them in order nearby.

With a damp rag in hand, you had started to lead into the shelving to wipe it down when a slender arm and long alabaster fingers brushed past you. There was a very slight soft pressure behind you as another body drew close enough to your own that you felt a slight warmth from them. “Er… Mitsuhide?” Your voice came out a little startled and you turned your head without realising that his face was so close your noses were practically touching.

You weren’t sure you had ever been this close to him before. You could feel his chest rise and fall on your back and his breath ghosting over your exposed neck. Even in the dimly lit space, you knew it not possible to hide the fact you were more than likely blushing as red as a peony.

“Mm? Oh, my apologies I was just looking for a new book.” He spoke completely indifferently making you feel like you were the one with a dirty mind. He glanced closer at you, putting a more meaningful smirk on his face. “Are you feeling quite alright you seem to have a fever?”

“No, no I’m fine just getting a bit warm from cleaning I guess.” You gave a feeble excuse and attempted to move but you realised you were actually blocked in. The door to the room slid open abruptly and while your eyes widened in surprise Mitsuhide gave what felt to be a small sigh next to you.

“What are you two doing?” The abrasive voice of Ieyasu effectively killed the mood dead. It was something you were both a little happy about but also sad at the same time. Mitsuhide slowly removed his arm from around you, a small book now in his hand.

“Looks like fun to me.” Masa laughed happily. He had his usual playful twinkle in his eye as he looked in your direction.

“Everything looks like fun to you.” Ieyasu rolled his eyes and came further into the room. Quickly replacing the rag into your bucket your decided it was probably a little safer at the moment to take the dry rag and dust off the books rather than remain close to Mitsuhide.

“No point in life if you don’t enjoy it.” Masa shrugged.

“Ieyasu. Masa. What are you…?” You looked between the two men as you brushed the dust from the leather covers and bindings of the books.

“It’s a library clearly I am here looking for a book. I have no idea what he is here for though.” Ieyasu sounded irritated, although it was difficult to tell if it was more or less irritated than usual.

“I was just following you.” Masa said as he put his hand on Ieyasu’s shoulder.

“What are you a puppy?” Ieyasu scowled as he brushed the hand off him.

“Me? Nah… I’m more of a Tiger. Right Kitten?” Masa sent a feral piercing look at you. That singular blue eye was no less powerful for having lost its partner.

“I think I’m getting a headache. Mc?” Ieyasu turned to you now as if attempting to ignore the very existence of Masa.

“Y-yes?”

“Give me that you look like you’re about to drop it in your daydream and if you get hurt it's going to be more of a pain for me later.” Ieyasu effortlessly scooped up the now cleaned books from you.

“Huh?... Oh! Thank you, Ieyasu.”

“Don’t bother I did nothing important.” Ieyasu quickly averted the thanks as he always did and began looking at the titles of the books in his hand.

“Aww that’s so sweet isn’t it Masa? Seeing out little contrarian being so helpful and friendly.” Mitsuhide moved next to the one-eyed dragon his cheerful teasing tone made Ieyasu visibly tense.

“Yeah, you’re nearly acting like a real guy there lad.” Masa nodded in agreement with the Kitsune.

“A real guy? I am a Man you know?” Ieyasu almost appeared to puff up as he spoke.

“Says the prickly thistle.” Mitsuhide muttered just loud enough for it to be audible to everyone.

“What was that?” Ieyasu glared at the white-haired trickster.

“Mm? Oh, nothing I was reading out loud from this book. Thistles are a prickly plant… see?” Mitsuhide turned the small book he held in his hand and showed a pretty ink drawing of a plant.

“I am aware of the plant thank you.” Ieyasu didn’t exactly back down but he did at least seem a little less like he was wanting to draw his sword.

“As to be expected of the resident specialist healer.” Mitsuhide smiled amiably.

“Can you eat it?” Masa enquired as he looked at the illustration.

“I wouldn’t recommend…” You answered for Mitsuhide who was no doubt about to make a dangerous suggestion as to the plants potential applications.

“I would suggest you try but I fear I will only end up having to care for your reckless self afterwards.” Ieyasu huffed. “Mc I’ll deal with these you get back to whatever it was you were doing.”

“Oh… yes. Thank…”

“Stop thanking me and just get that airhead of yours focused again on your job.” After tossing out his rejection of your appreciation Ieyasu took the books in his arms and moved further into the shelving and vanished out of sight.

“Don’t mind him, Lass, he’s just in a mood.” Masa pointed out his one as friendly as ever.

“How can you tell?”

A peaceful silence spread through the room after that. You had returned to your task of cleaning and Mitsuhide had returned to his corner. Ieyasu had not returned from the depths of the room and you actually suspected that he was sitting in his own corner somewhere ignoring everyone as best he could. Masa also decided to remain in the room, he had picked up a book and was reclining next to Mitsuhide flicking the pages over in it lazily.

You noticed it a couple of times out of the corner of your eye. First, it had been Mitsuhide. He had shifted in his position to lean towards Masa and whisper something. Then Masa had done the same thing minutes later to Mitsuhide. They could have been comparing information from the books together but there was something about these two warlords that just made the hairs on the back of your neck bristle. Alone they were both teases but together they were worse. You tried to ignore the internal alarm bell you heard and focus on your cleaning.

It was a faint throaty chuckle that sounded almost like a low purr that alerted you to the fact that someone was now right behind you. You had not heard him more or even seen it, honestly, if a warlord wished to move with stealth, they could give ninja’s a run for their money.

“You’re looking a little tired there Lass why don’t you take a break?”

“I’m fine, thank you. Why don’t you go back to reading your book?” You try to casually brush off Masa and continue your task. It would be nice to finish it today rather than have it take up most of tomorrow morning as well.

“Rejected already there Masamune? I thought you were better at the pursuit than that.” You practically jump as you hear Mitsuhide on the other side of you.

“I haven’t given up yet Mitsuhide. Besides this little Kitten didn’t exactly reject me.” Masa edged closer to you. Bringing his hand up to rest on your hip causing you to freeze at the sudden contact. Mitsuhide’s smile widened at the sight of your reaction to Masa and he too closed the gap from the other side causing you to be the filling in this rather attractive beef sandwich.

“What are you two doing?”

“Why whatever do you mean my dear? I am looking for another book obviously.” Mitsuhide brought his face closer to your neck as he bent down to speak to you more closely. “I have to say this one looks rather interesting…” He put his hand over yours and began stroking his fingers gently over your it, relishing the shudder of your body at the slightest of touches.

“Hey, no fair. I was looking at that one too.” Masa faked being upset as he stroked your cheek with the back of his hand before pushing some of your fallen hair gently over your ear. His fingertips grazing your sensitive skin just enough to send your already racing heart to rattle in its cage harder.

“I have no issue with sharing. You’ll just have to match my pace I won’t be waiting to turn the pages.” At this Mitsuhide moved his other hand to trace the neckline of your kimono. It was taking everything in you to just stay still at this point. Knowing that if you moved you had not just one but to warlords in hot pursuit.

“Wha- hey wait a minute I’m not a book!” You gave out a less than convincing protest.

“Such a noisy book. Hush my dear or would you prefer to gain an audience?” Mitsuhide’s reminder had you remember the fluffy haired porcupine nested somewhere in the library. You clamped your mouth shut, allowing that gently rising heat to spread through you as both men continued lavishing their attention on you. Their calloused fingers that wielded weapons focused on tracing every part of exposed flesh they could see.

“I don’t mind either way.” Masa purred a little louder in your ear as he took it upon himself to drag his tongue along the edge of it.

“Ever the showman. Well now…” Mitsuhide was now playing his fingers in ever increasingly tempting patterns up your arm as he slid his hand up the inside of your sleeve. You felt a faint tug at your waist and realised your obi had been slackened causing the layers of your kimono to shift and expose more of your neckline.

“!!”

“How intriguing this book is… these pages just abundant with information at my fingertips.” Mitsuhide brought his hand out of your sleeve and was now tracing those patterns of his down the side of your neck. His long fingers slipping further and further down past your collar bone and along the edge of the loose silk, his feather-light touches setting your skin alive with prickling heat.

“Mm…” A small moan escapes you in a voice you hardly recognise as your own, before you manage to catch yourself.

“I have to say you have no taste when it comes to food but I can’t complain about your choice of literature.” Masa pulled the silk draped on your shoulder sinking his teeth into your tender shoulder. The short stab of pain followed but the wet relief of his tongue as he licked the small bruise now blooming on your skin. “Delicious…”

“!” You nearly cried out and would have had it not been for the set of lips that locked onto your own swallowing your voice.

“Hush now little mouse.” Mitsuhide whispered as he drew his face back from your own his lips hovering over yours still as his beautiful bewitching face filled your vision. “If you are a very good girl we can give you everything you desire.” He forcibly stole another kiss. His tongue tracing your mouth as if looking for a hidden secret.

“Mhm?”

“Of course, if you are a very bad girl you can get more than ever dreamed off Lass.” Masa plunged his hand inside your now completely dishevelled clothing. You knew how you must look right now but that budding feeling of embarrassment and shame was obliterated as Masa began to rub at the space between your thighs.

“Ah…”

“There’s a good kitten. Purr for me.” He growled soft and low into your ear as he bit down on your lobe. His hand continuing to move as your body reacted with a mind of its own chasing his actions with ones of its own.

“…Masa.” His name came out as a breathless whisper.

“Such wonderfully honest reactions. I never get bored of watching you, my dear. However…” Mitsuhide too sunk his hand in joining Masa’s as if to not be outdone by the other man. He traced your slit, you could feel how your desire had coated his fingers allowing them to slip as smooth as the silk of your kimono over your skin. “I do believe taking action can sometimes be just as rewarding.” At this, he sunk his fingers into you. Your back arched at the sudden new sensation and as you bucked your hips you felt the undeniable pressure of both men next to you their arousals pressed into your back causing your mind to slip as you wondered exactly how much more of this you could actually take.

“Mitsu-hide…” His name slipped out of your mouth a little louder than you wanted it too given the situation. You certainly didn’t mind this but you didn’t want an interruption at this point.

“I don’t think she can keep quiet.” Masa spoke up as he raised his head from the crook of your neck to address Mitsuhide. He felt so hot it was like you were being held by a burning flame. That blue eye you loved seemed deeper drawing you into it more than usual.

“Mm… you could be right. I think a punishment might be in order.” Mitsuhide chuckled as he looked in Masa’s direction. His own eye’s hooded and nearly black with desire as he made his suggestion.

“Punish-?” Masa dragged his nail over your clit in perfect unison with Mitsuhide who had taken this time to silence you by curling his elegant fingers inside you placing the perfect amount of pressure expertly on your weak spot. Your voice cracked as your words died in your throat.

“Oh, I like the way you think. How about it Lass? Shall we take this somewhere else?” Masa asked already aware of how you would answer. He was enjoying this just as much as the other man who was also showing no sign of stilling his hand in its pursuit to cause you to become undone.

“How cute. Your silence won’t be helping you now though my dear. Punishment has been decided and punishment is what you shall receive.” Mitsuhide chuckled as he watched you writhing. Your skin flushed and beginning to glisten with sweat as you remained trapped between the two men.

“What are you going to do to me?” You somehow managed to get a full question out suppressing your desire to squeal between words.

“If you must ask that my dear then you are far too innocent to really be told the answers.” Mitsuhide moved the fabric closest to him away with his teeth exposing the edge of your collar bone to him. He traced delicate kisses along it, making you feel like you were melting.

“Don’t worry Kitten. We won’t hurt you.” Masa chuckled as he reassured you.

“He’s right. But by the time we’re through with you, your innocence will be a thing of the past.” At this Mitsuhide and Masa seemed to exchange something between them in complete silence. Both men stopped in their movements and your body was suddenly floating up in the air after being picked up by Masa.

“Eep!”

“It’s ok Lass I won’t drop you.”

“Be sure you don’t. We don’t want her getting hurt before we’ve finished what we started.”

You nestled into the broad chest of Masa partly seeking his heat but also in an effort to hide your shameless form as he carried you swiftly from the library int to castle proper and along the hallways to your room. Mitsuhide keeping pace easily as your side. You had no idea exactly what “punishment” they had in mind but you instinctively knew you weren’t going to complain.

---

[bladekindeyewear]

Boots Reads Homestuck Epilogue(s) Part 13 - Candy Page 23

==>

This is going well, despite all the weirdness... it might not be so bad by the time I get to the end of all this.  Maybe my stomach can stop clenching as much from the Meat poisoning.

Then again, that’s what I thought when I was up to four-fifths through Meat and thought things were going to be resolved before the end.

So.

Anyway.  Reading.

In fact, all she did was tip her head at him and blink a few times, her long eyelashes catching the light, making her eyes look like mirrors. It was disconcerting for reasons that he couldn’t put his finger on. It’s not like Roxy had ever been argumentative, exactly. He just seems to remember someone from his youth who was somewhat more contrarian in spirit than this person he’s married to now.

God damnit... hypnotized, basically dead Roxy is worst Roxy.  I need that fucking explanation soon.

If she doesn’t get upset after what he’s about to pull today, then...

John doesn’t know what he’ll do.

Gosh that’s horrible.  I wish I didn’t have to go back to Meat if I ever wanted any more Real Roxy again... please, PLEASE, if NOTHING ELSE gets fixed in this stupid fucking Candy arc, PLEASE HAVE ROXY BACK TO NORMAL BEFORE THE END

That... that would be just the fucking icing on the cake, wouldn’t it?  I was already upset about Dirk not getting his due.  I was traumatized over how Jane, Jade, and Rose were left.  But ROXY was fine.  Roxy, pretty much my favorite character next to maybe Jade, or a good number of the others.  If this timeline gives me an alternate cliffhanger to lean on that spares the others to leave HER to shit, then I’d basically be left with nothing to stand on!  It’d be fucking worthless almost.

My stomach isn’t clenching YET, but I’m starting to fill with dread.

JOHN: harry anderson, don’t tell your mother but... JOHN: we’re getting a new addition to the family today!

Pfffff

serious kidnapping

And who said John was just a blank slate with no will of his own?? Fuck you, Dirk.  You knew about this timeline and you STILL said it.

Dave and Jade materialize behind everyone, he in a pressed red suit, she in a glittering Space dress. They’re both holding gifts wrapped in spare printer paper.

Look, you two looking cute is just rubbing salt in the wound of the relationship you fucked over, Jade.  You should have waited to make sure Dave and Karkat FINALLY ACCEPTED THEIR FUCKING RELATIONSHIP before moving in and potentially pushing one of them out, WHICH HAPPENED.

Oooh, smart human babby Tavvy.  ...He isn’t going to want to leave his family situation, is he.  John’s off the mark isn’t he.

Dave ruffles Harry Anderson’s hair. It’s nice that Dave is so woke and great with kids, but that really does invite the question of why he and Jade don’t have any yet. There’s still something sad and wistful about Dave at the moment, as he pointedly avoids letting Jade take his hand while they’re led into the game room.

GAAAAHHHHH

Could we at least BE ALLOWED TO PRETEND THERE’S A POSSIBLE FUTURE WHERE THESE PEOPLE’S RELATIONSHIPS ARENT THOROUGHLY FUCKING MESSED UP?????

I KNOW THESE CHARACTERS ARE MESSED UP BUT YOU HAVE TO AT LEAST GIVE US HOPE

AND WHERE’S THE HAPPY POTENTIAL PAIRING FOR JADE??? IT SEEMS LIKE THERE’S NO POTENTIAL FOR REAL MUTUAL HAPPINESS FOR HER BESIDES JADE X COMA!!!!!!!!!!

X(

God damn it Jane can be creepy.

She gained his affection the same way she gains everyone’s affection: she fucking bought it.

UUuuuuuuggghhhhh

...pff stars vs enemies of the state

John, stop making this so stranger-danger.

JOHN: are you ACTUALLY happy about it? JOHN: about... everything going on here? TAVROS: I suppose,,, TAVROS: My mother tends to get displeased when i’m unhappy, so,,,

uuuugughghghuhh

TAVROS: It just seems like a thing that would eventually happen to me, does it not?

D:

Oh wow, callback to Dirkbro abuse.  THAT’S gonna set John off.

Oh wow, Tavros knows his situation is bad enough that he’s willing to GO for it. All he’s worried about is the security.  YEAH John!!  Do your Breathy thing and get him out of here!!!

Tavros takes in a sharp breath before spinning on his heel and stumbling toward his closet. John catches the ghost of a smile on his face before he turns and that’s all it takes to turn the pounding of his heart from terrified to thrilled.

AAaaaaAAAAAH THIS IS ADORABLE SOMEHOW

She twitches her dog-ears and raises her face. Her mouth is a neutral line, but her eyes are burning furiously.

OH NOOOOOOO

FUCK, Jade don’t stop it!!! She’s... she’s gonna put her foot down and stop this just so everything can be all candy-coated and good on the SURFACE without hurting people OPENLY even if she and Jane and all the others are DEEPLY hurting everyone else under the surface!!!! D:

JOHN: jade, i don’t know where you’ve been these past few years, but i don’t think things CAN get any worse!

Yes exactly

JOHN: but there isn’t one, because everyone’s been all... brainwashed by marriage, or whatever the hell happened over the last few years that made things be this way!

Hmmmmmm

JOHN: well, you’re nothing like the jade i used to know either!

D:

Alright, huge blowup. Let’s air out some feelings.

JANE: I let go! I was actually RELIEVED to hear he died!!! ROXY: uhh ROXY: janey wut

HAhahahaah YES let’s get all that dirty laundry OUT IN THE OPEN

......Okay that didn’t end as well as expected.  Or... well I guess I KNEW it wouldn’t end well, but I’d hoped otherwise.

==>

Wait, so Terezi and John’s conversation is “in the dream bubbles”? Is that just because he’s talking to her while she’s skirting the edge of the storm in the Void rocketways, or because John’s from a somehow doomed/irrelevant/side timeline?

(Why does Terezi always have to be dying.  She figured herself out and how awesome she is.  Stop dying.  And I don’t mean like the sad walking off in Meat, though I guess that kind of counts.)

JOHN: if she cared about you as much as you care about her, she wouldn’t have fucked off like this forever.

YES JOHN

LAY

ON

THE

TRUTH

(Ghost!Vriska is the only one who really deserves to matter anymore.  This “alpha” Vriska just sank deeper into her problems and delusions beyond being able to really redeem herself or recognize them.  That diatribe she gave her ghost self was horrible back when.)

Wait, wait hold on

JOHN: if she cared about you as much as you care about her, she wouldn’t have fucked off like this forever. JOHN: driving you crazy with doubt and uncertainty, making you chase her through infinite nothingness until you almost starve to death... JOHN: she would have at least given you the courtesy of closure!

Is... is Andrew talking about the comic here and his relationship with the readers

is this some sort of apology for not giving this closure, like, as if he were the vriska that launched himself into the sun over his own artistic ideals or

hmm

JADE: doomed is not a word i would use to describe the condition of those on this world. JADE: even if my work is unsuccessful, the stakes for everyone here have nothing to do with the issue of mortality. JADE: to frame the matter that way would be misleading. JADE: to the extent that it is my naturally endowed duty to defend the innocent from wanton acts of destruction, from degradation and dissolution, JADE: it is also my duty to tell the truth to those i protect. JADE: and the simplest statement of truth for all of you to know is this: JADE: we are the lucky ones.

Calliope lets out a long, thin sigh from between the teeth of Jade’s corpse. It’s more for effect than anything, as corpses don’t actually need to breathe.

JADE: we are the ones fortunate enough to live in a reality that is beyond the influence of the prince.

Geez, it’s like escape from Lord English’s influence all over again.

They won only for everything to just fucking start over, everything they struggled to stop?  That sucks!!!  >:(

Anyway, still reading... god damnit Terezi don’t fly off and die for no fucking reason.

JOHN: then what DID you want?! TEREZI: L3TS S4Y... TEREZI: 1 JUST W4NT3D TO G1V3 YOU TH3 COURT3SY OF CLOSUR3

Fuck.  Yeah, let’s just keep fucking over Terezi, another one of my favorite characters.  Yes she lives and goes to fuck off somewhere in Meat with the villain of the week, but FUCK, couldn’t we get a SLIGHTLY clearer picture of her potential happiness than just THAT?????

It’s like the whole purpose of these epilogues was just to remind us that these characters were too fucked up to ever be happy!!!!

Couldn’t we have at least been left to IMAGINE OTHERWISE?!?????

JADE: not until i am able to deal with the prince myself. ARADIA: and when will that be

The meteor is passing beyond the fall of night. Dead-Jade, standing half in light, half in darkness, looks up at the sky.

JADE: not soon enough.

Ahh.  I’m getting an idea of the Postscript’s circumstances, then.  That was alt!Callie in this black-hole-powered Jade body going from THIS Candy timeline to go chase after Dirk and help stop him like everyone else, giving her a more powerful card to play than just the adult Jade she was having guide the others. (Maybe she could have that adult Jade FUCKING WAKE UP AND ABLE TO HELP instead of keeping her in a coma. That would be a pretty fucking nice change of pace.  Too bad we have to just IMAGINE IT without any reassurance that she’ll be awake or okay for YEARS TO COME, HUH.)

Also that means that resistance fighting is gonna break out with artillery and stuff because Jane is apparently a dunpass in both timelines.  Fuck.

==>

Swifer, can you stop swifing?

KARKAT: HOW THE HELL DO YOU TWO TOLERATE EACH OTHER? KANAYA: Quite Thoroughly Enthusiastically And Often

Pffffff :D

...Oh my God MEENAH landed here???  All ring-of-lifeways from the other timeline?  I guess the Furthest Ring was outside the scope of those timeilnes so she could’ve fallen in any of them... huh.  Heck, maybe the same Terezi who experienced those conversations eventually met the John from the Meat side of the timeline too.  And she said John smelled younger than she thought he was, oh my GOD, it WAS that.  It was that exactly.  The Terezi we’re hearing was the same across both Epilogue-halves.  That’s actually fucking fantastic!!!

MEENAH: capisces?

Fuck that pun

(Also Meenah is talking about how they lost, but she was knocked away before she saw the conclusion of the fight, so.)

...Holy SHIT Meenah is really taking to this!!! This is adorable.  :D

==>

John’s having some canon/existential ditherthoughts, hm.

He’s been contemplating this melodramatically for maybe ten minutes when the sky rips opens above him and flashes violent waves of red and green across the landscape.

Hm.  So do the black hole wormholes have some tie to the cherubic portal device from Hiveswap?

It’s his father’s car.

Mhmm, that confirms all of it, really.  Same Terezi in both stories.

A vast cry of sorts.  :(

Heading out for a while; gonna start from Page 27 in the next post.  I feel pretty good, somehow.  The way these two timelines tied together with Terezi outside them makes it feel like it all may have ultimately meant something.

[selenecrawford]

Selene Crawford: The Lady, The Villain and The Contrarian

Warning: None for the moment.

The trip back to the office was done in silence. A tense silence that neither Masamune nor Selene dared to break. At some point Masamune took Selene's hand and never let it go unless it was necessary. For her the nightmare was becoming real. They will go after them now. What she can do, how could she protect them now? Should she...

“Selene? Selene?! Answer me, are you ok?”

Selene failed to noticed that they were on the parking lot of the building. She was so adsorbed on her thoughts that failed to see when they arrived. Masamune's was frowning very worried at her.

Taking a look at Selene he knew something was wrong. It got worse when he touched her hand which felt cold like a block of ice. Not risking getting attack on their way to the office he took her hand trying to giving her some warmth meanwhile she was unresponsive. She was looking directly to road oblivious to the rest of the world. He took her on his arms and hugged her until the color returned to her face.

“Where are we?” Selene felt disoriented, cold.

“We arrived safely. Kitten why are you so cold?” Masamune kept warming Selene's hands until they got warm.

“Sorry I guess I space out didn't I?” Selene gave Masamune a weak smile.

“Come on let's go we need to let the others know what is happening.” said Masamune confused at Selene state.

Both walked holding their hands and arrived to the office. Selene automatically went to her desk and started to work. Masamune decided to went to Nobunaga's office and do a report. Upon entering the office he found Nobunaga talking over the phone.

“Yes, he is here right now, do you want to speak with him? It's Detective Katakura.” Nobunaga passed the phone to Masamune.

“Date here.”

“Are you ok? We got a call to the mountains and found your house blown up. What is going on?” Kojuro sounded puzzled.

“Yeah, we managed to escape on time.” Masamune hold the bridge of his nose trying to ease some tension.

“We? As in more than one person? Is there is something I need to know?” Kojuro's questions were done in a rapid fire motion. Knowing Masamune there must be someone he had done and might have a woman involved.

“Look, our receptionist is the one being targeted.”

“You mean Oda's mistress?”

“What you mean Oda's mistress?”

“It's all over the news and the press. Don't you read the newspaper?” Kojuro's information was a new development.

Masamune took a look to Nobunaga only to confirmed that it wasn't a joke made by Kojuro.

“No, I haven't been informed I have to go.”

“Don’t hang up Masamune, we need you at the station for a statement. When you can come?” Kojuro's question was more an order than a simple question.

“Tell me when and I'll be there. Now I really have to go.”

“Alright, I'll send you a message. Just be careful OK?” Kojuro's concern was well funded.

“ Got it.” with this Masamune hang up and turned to Oda.

“So, I gather you already know the situation?” Masamune was the first one to talk.

“I read the newspaper and saw the news, what about it?” Nobunaga knew where this go, so he started to carefully think what he should say. Knowing Masamune he will explode at any time. He noticed he was troubled.

“This might complicate things. Selene looks like is struggling with the situation. And...they found out about my house on the mountains and send a missile we barely escaped” Masamune took a seat and bury his face on his hands.

“Things are escalating. What about you? How are you doing with all this?” it was Nobunaga's turn to ask.

“It's like dealing with myself, and...I'm terrified. I don't want to loose her.” the sincerity on Masamune's voice surprised Nobunaga.

“You won't, we are here for you, for her.” Nobunaga put a hand on Masamune's shoulder.

Shingen arrived to find Selene working on automatic mode. She might fool the untrained eye but she was terrified and occupying herself in order to regain a bit of control. Smiling softly he approach and gave a warm salute.

“Oh Good Morning, my precious angel. I believe this is the entrance to heaven isn't it?” taking Selene's hand.

Selene stood there while looking at him without reacting to his words.. Shingen frown this is not the reaction he was hope for.

“Princess are you...?”

“Oh, sorry I've been absent minded lately. Too much work Mr. Takeda, are you here for an appointment with Mr. Oda?” Selene tried to regain her normal self but she was struggling. She needed time to think, but then she remembered her promised to Masamune.

“This situation have me a little rattled up that's all. Forgive me, will you like some tea,sweets anything for Mr. Sanada, Sarutobi or Mr. Uesugi?” she gave a look to the rest of the group.

“Tea will be good for all since we are on working hours right Kenshin?” Sasuke gave a look to Kenshin who was sited pretending to read a magazine.

“Whatever, I'm here because there is no other remedy.” Kenshin didn't bother to look up.

“OK, just pass to the conference room I will be bringing the refreshments there I will let know Mr. Oda you had arrived.” by now Selene was acting professional and normal.

Selene guided them to the conference room once she made sure everyone was comfortable she let know Nobunaga. At the same time went to the little kitchen to make some tea and sandwiches. When she arrived Masamune was cooking, apparently she wasn't the only one with anxiety. The kitchen although not as big as the one on his home had all the commodities a normal house needed including an oven, Microwave and a full refrigerator. When Selene began to work she noticed the place was all ways completely stacked with food. Taking mental note she always made sure it was ready for use. Masamune either was there or working on a case. Since this time she was the case he was cooking. Selene observed him from the door smiling. He was wearing a black apron, while moving in his element.

“Like what you see kitten?” Masamune turned to give her a wink.

“Yes, I do. Although I'm not used yet to see you with an apron.” Selene approached and try to get some of the essence of what he was cooking. “ You ok?” his smile didn't reached like always do. His eye was trying to hide the conflict inside of him.  

“You scared me this morning when we arrived.” he was chopping some vegetables. He wasn't recriminating her for it , but he sounded defensive.

“I'm sorry, I guess I just went into a defensive mechanism. You know not everyday I begin my mornings with an incoming missile and destroys my...” both look at the same time looking for the elusive word that was escaping them.

“It's there a term for us at this stage?” she ventured to ask.

“If it is, no one sent me the memo. All  I know kitten, is that whatever it is I hope to soon change that to a more official term.” he gave her a rapid kiss on the lips while continuing his task.

Selene felt her cheeks getting hotter, deciding not to add anymore, she prepared the tea and some sandwiches, on her way out she added.

“BTW, Shingen and his group are here, it seems they will stay for a while.”

“OK, I will add more portions. Let me know if something changes.”

“Thanks.” giving him a flushed smile Selene took the tray to the conference room.

Upon arriving the room everyone was verifying all the clues they had gathered about the case. Copies of the letters were obtained thanks to Kincaid, while Detective Katakura called again to let Masamune know that the missile was robbed from a facility on Russia. Which meant it was acquired on the black market ending the trace on that part. The investigation kept going for the next days.

“We just hit another dead end.” said Mitsurani to Sasuke both were working the network and any digital media.

The threats didn't match any Modus Operandi of any case on the police data base. Neither any case worked by Shingen's group or Nobunaga's. Comparing also the cases of Masamune and Mitsuhide gave nothing making the situation frustrating for everyone. After the second attempt things calmed down. Even the threats stopped being delivered. But an envelop left one morning in front of the building gave a reminder to the group that their predator was still at large. The envelop has a group of photographs where Selene appeared with any of them. Sometimes in group others with Masamune or with Nobunaga. Since the shooting incident the press started to report on Selene often making her prey of some unlawful rumors. With the photographs was a note also in Blood.

“Give me what I want and I will go away.”

“Ha?, what is that suppose to mean? I beat I need a break” Yuki was so upset that went out of the room to clear his mind.

Everyone was at their limit, it was then that Selene seemed to remember something.

“There was an horror book that I read once, what really called me out was that phrase. “Give me what I want and I will go away.” The book was about a group of people each with their own dark secrets. At the center was this girl who was innocent and yet caught on with them. Since she never agreed to their bidding they made her life a living hell. I need to make a call.” Selene went to her desk to make the call when Kenshin called her out.

“So how the book ended?”

Selene looked at Kenshin and said in a solemn tone. “She killed them all.” and left.

“I know, I know, yes you can come tomorrow to visit. Bring all of them if you want. Just make sure he also comes alright?” Ian hung up. Turning around he faces the man if everything goes according to plan after tomorrow what belong to us by birthright will come back to us.

The man dressing all in black and red converse shoes smiles while adjusting is Fedora.

“Good, I cant wait to see you once again my love.”

Nobunaga parked his car, it has been 6 years since they spoke. He swear he will never come back again. But right now Selene might need him if something didn't work out on their meeting of tomorrow. Entering by the backdoor he knocked the door and a grumble resembling “Come in” was heard. A cocky smile drawn on Nobunaga’s features.

“I guess some things never change uh Yasu?”

Notes: For some reason I struggle a lot with this chapter. Any comment or feedback is welcome. I hope you guys like it.

@elievalentine @datemasamunemaiwaifu @colivara @unstoppablelinda @yeshasays @masa-little-kitten @kimi00twin @jennacat84 @xathia-89 @notsafefortum-blr @sengokuotaku82 @serenity-writes @la-piperina @louveau @epicdragonlady @mikamiw

[ikesenlemonadestandstories]

Mother May I?

Good after noon everyone! If it is in fact afternoon for you. Either way I hope everyone’s day’s are going better than mine. Here is the next chapter of ‘The Part Timer Series’, if you’re looking for the first part go ahead and search the tag or look it up on my Master List :) 

As I mentioned earlier this story is based off of some head-cannons that @ikesenhell and I talked about over some nourishment. Though it is worth mentioning that they don’t match the now cannon restaurant stories (have you all been able to play the Gatcha? If not have you seen some of the screen-caps?)

Tagging @little-mini-me-world per their request! Hope all is good!

As promised in my little give-away, in this and all subsequent chapters you are going to see @elievalentine‘s OC - Akiharu Natsuyuki and @one-eyed-captain-kinky ‘s OC - Zhari joining the gang. 

Under the cut to keep away dash clutter! 

Happy Reading Fam!

T~

Mother May I?

[YN]

Your alarm screeched to life at the much too early time of 745am. You dind’t need to be at work until 11am but you wanted to make sure you had plenty of time to get ready. It was Monday, and subsequently, your first day of training at Azuchi. Taking care to secure your long hair in a braid so you could pin it into a bun. Once your hair was in place you dolled your face up with a quick flip of your wrist for an almost perfect winged cat eye, accompanied by a splash of mascara. You finished the look there, deciding to leave the rest of your face natural. You didn’t need anything melting off of you or turning splotchy if the day got hard.

Hair and makeup presentable you got dressed to Hideyoshi’s uniform specifications. Putting on a black collared button-up, you rolled the sleeves up just past your elbows as instructed and tucked the shirt into the well-fitted slate  dress pants you had just slipped on. Finishing the look off with a black leather belt to keep your pants from drooping and your black non-slip shoes. You gave yourself a final look over in your mirror and laughed. If you didn’t know you were headed to Azuchi you’d think you were a mob boss, this was way too much black for one person to be wearing.

You arrived to work twenty minutes ahead of your scheduled start time, greeting Hideyoshi at the door. “Good morning Mr. Toyotomi.” he stared at you for a moment before breaking into a genial smile.

“Good morning (YN), just Hideyoshi is fine. Let’s go ahead and get you started.” he turned over his shoulder, “Ieyasu, can you seat anyone that comes in while I get them situated?”

“Whatever.” was the only response gave, but it didn’t seem to bother Hideyoshi much.

“That is our bartender Ieyasu, he’s a little prickly, but you can’t take what he says at face value. He’s just a bit contrary.” you had to chuckle as the aforementioned party shot daggers at the two of you.

“It’s nice to meet you Ieyasu. I look forward to working with you.” you offered a formal nod of the head as you smiled his way.

“Sure.” was his only response as he turned around, continuing to clean glasses and put them back on the shelf.

Hideyoshi walked you to a check-out station at the back of the restaurant where he punched in a quick code on the screen before turning back to you. “Go ahead and fill out the boxes on the screen and we’ll get you set up in the computer.” stepping aside to let you up to the counter.

“All finished.” You turned and stepped back letting Hideyoshi back in front of the screen.

“Sounds good, while we’re waiting for your badge to print let me take you around and introduce you to everyone.” and he did just that.

Most of the faces you recognized from your interview. Mitsunari, the silver-haired young man with glasses, was the finance manager and he sat in the shared office space with Hideyoshi and Mitsuhide, the other shift manager who had interviewed you. Though you didn’t get to say hello as he was off today. Upstairs was Nobunaga’s office, he was in, but it was clear he was busy, so you only stayed briefly to express your gratitude for being offered the position. Coming back down the stairs you were walked through the kitchen seeing Masamune the executive chef of the restaurant while also being introduced to the patisserie chef.

“Hello, I’m Akiharu Natsuyuki, the resident patisserie chef. Come to me if you need anything sweet or you need to get away from that one.” she pointed at Masamune “it’s nice to have another female on staff, I hope we get along!”

Akiharu was a short, slender woman, with soft features and bright brown eyes. Her hair was the color of chocolate mouse and looked like it would feel just as fluffy.

“Likewise.” You greeted her with cheer. “Let’s get along!”

“Of course.” she smiled once more before turning back to her mixing bowls.

“Hideyoshi,” you spoke up once you were outside of the kitchen “Are Akiharu and I the only female’s on staff?”

“No there’s one other. Zhari.” At the sound of her name, a young woman about your age popped up from underneath one of the counters. Wavy honey brown hair was pulled into a ponytail so high she looked taller than you, but as she walked closer, it wasn’t difficult to tell you had a few good inches on her.

“You rang?” the young woman quirked an eyebrow at Hideyoshi.

“Perfect timing. Zhari this is (YN). (YN), Zhari.” he looked back at her “She’s going to be training with you for the week, but let me know if you need any help. Have fun.” with that Hideyoshi headed back up towards the front of the restaurant.

[Hideyoshi]

I had to admit, I was impressed. You were a hard worker, and in the four days, since you had started, you could already see how competent you were. Zhari had asked for permission to have you on your own, and you now covered half her tables by yourself. We had been uncharacteristically busy as of late, but that didn’t seem to faze anyone, even you.

“Can I help you with that?” I knew better than to take a full tray of food from waitstaff but it was so hard to watch someone your size carry that much.

“I think I’ve got it but thank you Hideyoshi.” you smiled up at me “I’m going over to twenty-two if you want to follow just to make sure.”

“Ah um, no, I don’t want to get in your way. Just let me know if you need help carrying anything.” I hesitated before I walked back towards the front.

“If you don’t stop acting like a helicopter parent she’s going to file a complaint against you with Mitsuhide.” Ieyasu grumbled as I walked past the bar.

“Who’s going to come to complain to me?” Mitsuhide slinked in beside me

“Nobody” I quipped as Ieyasu answered “(YN)” himself.

“Good to know, I’ll go start the paperwork now.” and without another word, he made his way back to the office.

“Wait, Mitsuhide!” I shouted after him, but he wasn’t listening. Before I could chase after him the bell to the front chimed rooting me to my post for the next two hours.

“Good afternoon, how many will be dining with us today,” I asked the group of young girls. The looked to be about sixteen, it was summer break, wasn’t it? At least that explains why kids their age were here at this time of day. It would be reprehensible if they were skipping school just to come here for lunch.

“Five please, you wouldn’t happen to have anything in Ms. (LN)’s section would you?” the apparent leader of the group making a request for you.

“Of course right this way.” I lead them to a six-seater in Zhari and (YN)’s section “Can I get you ladies started off with something to drink?”

I walked back to the soda fountain and saw you loading up a tray. “Thanks, Hideyoshi,” you smile dazzled “I heard the order, if it’s alright with you I’ll take it from here?”

“Please.” I sat back and watched as you balanced the drinks and sauntered off to the table of happy teens.

“I see she’s a fast learner. Very nice job Hideyoshi. Is Zhari here for me to give my regards?”

“Regards no. A raise yes,” Zhari responded from around the corner carrying a tray full of food from the kitchen.

“Zhari that is no way to talk to your boss.” I felt my frustration rise at her tone. I didn’t need that precedent being set and you thinking that sort of behavior was acceptable.

“Chill out Hideyoshi, Nobunaga’s cool.” She walked by him giving him a fist bump before screaming back into the kitchen “Masamune! You better have something hotter than me back there ready for table six when I get back.”

“At your service!” He appeared at the window siding three plates in her direction. “Hey Nobu, Akiharu has a question for you.”

[YN]

Everyone gets along so well sometimes you had to wonder if you’d ever fit in. It had been four days, and you were starting to get a feel for the water. Mitsuhide worked nights, and while he was quiet most of the time, he was observant. You weren’t sure how, but problems seemed to resolve as if they were never there to begin with. He did like to tease, but in a very different manner than the others. It was sharper, witty. He kept you on your toes.

Ieyasu was, as Hideyoshi warned, a contrarian but he was always finding an underhanded way to help out. Even if the help still came with an insult. he got along with everyone from what I could tell save Mitsunari, but even I was starting to think that was a front.

Mitsunari was almost always in the back. You had only seen him away from his desk once, and it was to run an errand for Mitsuhide. He was accommodating, always looking to assist in some way, though someone typically stepped in before he was given the opportunity. You were still trying to work that one out, but his smile never failed to sell out Akiharu’s dessert special for the day.

Masamune was continually flirting, but the inappropriateness always reached new levels when he and Zhari were together, it was funny and made the whole experience a bit more relaxing and casual. While they were silly in their own ways, both were considerate and knew the best way to push me past any hesitation I might be feeling. If I was confident in my work, it was because of their encouragement.

Nobunaga was a great boss, doing what he felt was best for everyone as a whole. Everything was in the best interest of his customers and his employees. Though if he kept eating all of the sweets Akiharu cooked up we were going to have a problem. I was four days in, and I could tell something was going on there. Nobunaga took every chance he could to visit her back in the kitchen when Hideyoshi wasn’t there to reprimand him, he was practically kitchen staff. Not that it mattered, Akiharu baked up anything he wanted, so far sugar stars seemed to be the most popular dessert she made for him.

Then there was Hideyoshi. He was a weird one. Always mothering, there when you needed him, and when you didn’t. It was endearing, but you could see how it could get old. You had caught a few comments made to him by Ieyasu in passing, and you appreciate having someone look out for you. Not that you minded, as long as you weren’t talking disrespectfully to Nobunaga, he was very concerned with your well being so you let him help if it made him feel better and didn’t mess up your flow.

You were going to enjoy working here very much. Excited you stood near the soda machine and listened to Hideyoshi take the order for five girls who had been seated at one of your table. They were familiar, had they been in your biology class this past year? Filling up glasses as they ordered, you picked the tray up and made your way out to the table.

“Thanks, Hideyoshi,” he looked baffled “I heard the order, if it’s alright with you I’ll take it from here?���

“Please.” He motioned with his hand as if to say ‘after you’ stepping out of the way so you could get passed. Blinking a few times as you walked by.

[Hideyoshi]

I wasn’t dumb, I knew Nobunaga was going to get candies from Akiharu. At this point, I was more concerned with how you were going to do covering a table of young girls who clearly knew you, than dealing with his sugar problem. Would you be distracted? Nervous? Happy? I was interested in your reaction, you face seemed to make the most intriguing expressions, and I always found myself curious. You never reacted the way I thought you would, and I liked that.

Placing the drinks down with a flourish with a musical quality to your voice, everyone thanked you. You were friendly, and I was sure your smile could rival Mitsunari’s on dessert sales if you learned how to harness it. Tucking the tray under your arm as you leaned down towards the girls you took their order. You popped your pen and notepad back into the white apron we had given you, dropping straws onto the table. There was what looked like a pleasant exchange before you excused herself and headed to the kiosk to place the orders with the kitchen.

Personable and timely. Such a diligent worker.

“If you keep staring like that you’re going to burn a hole in them.” I jumped as Zhari walked passed with the food for her table.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m just supervising.” I felt the need to defend my actions, had I really been staring that long?

“Uh huh, sure. Just don’t scare them away with your constant mothering okay? I really like them.”

“Same!” Masamune jumped into the conversation backing Zhari’s comments up.

“Again I don’t know what you two are talking about. I’m going back up front.”

…

It had been a quick day, with summer vacation in full swing more people were visiting in the afternoon for lunch than they had been before. I was relieved from my post up front by the evening host and headed back to the break room to my locker trading my no-slip shoes for my dress shoes and a tie.  As I shut the door, you made your way back doing the same as I had hanging your apron after switching your work shoes with regular tennis shoes.

“You headed out, or just back to the office?” you turned to me as you hooked your lock back on the door.

“The office, need to finish up a few scheduling things. Everything go alright today? We didn’t overwhelm you with tables did we?” I looked up as I finished tying my tie.

“Not at all. I think I’m really starting to get the hang of it, but thanks for your concern.” you smiled, and the room got brighter, why was that happening? I really needed to get my vision checked. While I hadn’t been paying attention you made your way to the door turning just before taking the employee exit.

“Have a good night Hideyoshi. I’ll see you tomorrow. Don’t work too hard until then!”