#maybe on other delinquents but not innocent people he just met at the streets

[monostardust]

Am I really the only one who saw the similarities between Maxton hall and Hana Yori Dango?? I saw nay I smelled the similarities the minute I saw the trailer. Like highschoolers in the most expensive school. Ruby and Makino are both poor and in a scholarship in a very expensive school. James and Domyouji both have complicated family situation but can have comfort in their sister Lydia and Tsubaki. I think the only difference is that Ruby's family actually loves her very much and doesn't expect her to be their way to financial stability unlike Makino's family who'd sell her to Domyouji and become rich instantly if they could. And James actually doesn't bully people nor Ruby he tries to get her in trouble but doesn't actually sick people on her to hurt or bully her like Domyouji had done. In fact he actually gets in trouble for his own actions unlike Domyouji. As mush as I love Hana Yori Dango and all it's live adaptations all from different countries it's still pretty problematic with how Domyouji is an over the top bully and although he changes it's hard not to judge him for how out of control his behaviors were. James however never hurt anyone. Which makes him so much better on my books like ugh bro fell in love in an instant then didn't hesitate to show everyone he likes her rather than be an emotional cripple that's in denial of his feelings.

[heechwe]

but daddy i love him | 𝐬𝐣𝐲

୨୧ pairing: sim (jake) jaeyun x fem!reader ୨୧ word count: 10.2k ୨୧ genre: fluff, angst, smut ୨୧ tags: badboy!au, innocent!reader, opposites attract, sexual tension, corruption kink, dirty talk, fingering, oral (m + f receiving), 69, pet names (baby, angel, etc.), face sitting, protected sex. ୨୧ synopsis: Just because there's a new and seemingly bad influence in your small town, it doesn't mean you have to fall privy to his charms, no matter how beautiful he is. But when he takes notice of you, none of the gossiping wine moms can stop him from getting what he wants. ➸ shoutout to @kwanisms and @mini-mews for helping this fic come to fruition, ily guys sm and this is genuinely one of my favorite pieces ive ever written aaa.

“Have you heard about the new family who moved into town? The son is a real piece of work!”

“He’s twenty-one but acts like he’s still sixteen on that damn motorcycle. No class or consideration whatsoever!”

“Maybe they’ll keep him in check if they decide to come to church this weekend. You know Reverend Park has no time for miscreants and delinquents.”

The familiar crowd on your mother’s front porch greets you as you’re attempting to exit the house. They cool themselves off with their makeshift fans and drink your mother’s homemade lemonade in the Saturday sun, continuing to harp on the locals in town that they’ve known for years.

Somewhere in their conversation, they drifted to the topic of the new family that moved in across the street. Three days was all it took for them to begin spouting their judgemental observations, every act from the new middle-aged couple and their son fodder for their discussion.

You smile politely with every fiber of your being, despite your instincts to snap at them and be on your merry way. If only they knew how ironic they are, pointing fingers at others from their high horses when the town kept enough space for their dirty little secrets. “Nice to see you this morning, ladies.”

They say your name with grace, their tones all air with little substance. “On your way to bible study?” Mrs. Choi asks, gazing at you from the rim of her glass.

You shake your head. “Just tutoring.”

“With the Nishimura boy? What a sweet kid.” When Riki’s name leaves Mrs. Lee’s lips, all the women hum in agreement. “Such a bright future ahead of him.”

“Of course, as long as he passes English,” you joke. The women’s faces don’t change, not taking your teasing with an ounce of anything but seriousness. The bags under their eyes, lipstick smudged in the tiny corners of their teeth, and piercing attitudes begin to damper your excitement for the day. You bid them goodbye quickly with another smile, walking down the stairs and onto the path down the street.

As you turn down the sidewalk, still hearing the resounding chatter from the women, your thoughts run wild. Is this what life would be like when you were older, doing nothing but kicking your feet up on a neighbor’s porch with only other people’s business to fill your time? Spending endless days and nights at church, listening to the same sermons leave Reverend Park’s lips until you become as overly critical as they all are?

The screech of tires halts your thoughts in their place. “Watch it!” A young man’s voice pierces the morning air, making you step back even further. You hadn’t realized how far you had walked into the road until you were back on the safety of the sidewalk. You trip on a crack between the two slabs of concrete, falling backwards and meeting the ground hard.

“Shit, are you okay?” He takes his helmet off, immediately hooking it to his handlebars to check on you.

Sim Jaeyun.

You had not met him formally until this moment, but the motorcycle and undeniable looks gave away his status as your new neighbor. Your parents had decided to let the new family settle in before trying to visit and introduce themselves. If they could see you now, your maxi skirt hitched up to your knees and the boy barely a foot away from you, they would have had a field day.

Sure, you both are of age. Butlike Mrs. Choi, Mrs. Lee, and other local townsfolk always do, people will talk about such a compromising position if you aren’t careful.

All those thoughts fade away though when Jake kneels beside you, his face flooded with concern. His eyes linger on the broken skin on your legs and then across your flushed face. “Does it hurt?”

You shake your head. “It’s barely a scratch. Sorry I almost ran into you.”

“More like almost ran into my bike.” He laughs, his expression one of relief as well as humor. “I’m just glad you’re in one piece.”

“Thank the lord.” You brush your hands on your skirt and begin to stand up, but Jake grabs you by the hand to help, taking all your weight with him.

“Thank you,” you say, brushing the free hair from your braid out of your face.

“You’re welcome.” He unclips his helmet from the bar and gestures back to his bike. “I can drive you to wherever you’re going if you want. I don’t have a second helmet, but–”

You can’t help the laugh that escapes your lips, the thought of riding on the back of a motorcycle too ridiculous to envision given your status as the deacon’s daughter. What would people say?

Jake just furrows his brows, his lips turning up at the corners. “Is my offer that funny?”

“No,” you say, “I would love to, it’s just–”

“Sim Jaeyun!” The shrill sound of Mrs. Choi’s voice makes you take another step away from Jake, unaware you were as close as you were to him. His presence seems to be magnetic, just like his smile. “Stay away from her or so help me God!”

Jake turns to the old woman down the road and nods his head, trying to be respectful but clearly irritated from her meddling. “Yes ma’am,” he yells, stepping back and getting closer to his bike.

“Maybe another time,” Jake says, “when you’re not flocked by the whining wine moms.”

You laugh and nod. “Maybe.”

Jake rides away on his bike, the wispy ends of his hair your last picture of him before he makes a sharp turn at the end of your street.

“Why do I need to learn this?” Riki groans, laying his head flat against his desk. The church bells ring as he knocks his head in the same rhythm against the polished wood.

“Because you need to be able to interpret text if you want to go off to college, Nishi. Otherwise you’ll be illiterate and an embarrassment to the entire town!” You put on your best harping, disapproving voice. It makes Riki laugh as he lifts his head. You’re glad at least the younger kids appreciate your sense of humor, unlike the older brood flooding your hometown.

“Alright, fine.” He opens his copy of Heart of Darkness, beginning to read the page in front of him. “I avoided a vast artificial hole somebody had been digging on the slope…”

A knock on the classroom door makes you and Riki turn. Yeri opens it with a shy grin, saying your name with the same nature. “Someone’s here to see you!”

“Who?”

“Some cute guy on a motorcycle? But don’t tell Jungwon I said that!” She runs back out the door and leaves you puzzled. Surely it’s not Jake. You just met him; he wouldn’t make the effort to try and follow you to your tutoring session, especially at the church of all places.

You head to the window to see Jake sitting against his bike, looking around at his surroundings. He’s wearing the same leather jacket and gray jeans, his white shirt marked with several spots of sweat. Riki comes up behind you, making a sound of acknowledgement. “Oh, that’s Jake!”

“Jake?” You look closer. “I thought his name was Jaeyun.”

“Yeah, but I call him Jake.” He laughs. “He’s my cousin.”

You nod your head, taking in his words. Jake’s sudden move made a lot more sense, seeing as Riki’s mother was getting sicker every day. She must have needed some help from her family to not only manage her household, but make sure Riki stayed on track.

“He probably wants to see you. Yeri must’ve gotten it all mixed up.”

Riki grabs his phone, scrolling through texts with his thumb. “Actually, he did mention almost running over a cute girl on his way to work.” The young boy smirks. “I’m gonna assume that’s you?”

You blush, the flush on your cheeks making you feel hot. “Whatever. He’s probably just picking you up!”

“I brought my own bicycle, dude. And as cool as Jake is, his driving makes me nauseous.” Riki begins packing up his belongings on the desk as you wonder what Jake would want to say that hadn’t already been said earlier. Surely he had no interest in talking to you beyond another apology for almost killing you earlier, not that you would have noticed.

As your thoughts continue on, you barely hear Riki’s parting words. “Have fun making out with my cousin!”

You venture outside and are greeted to Jake’s soft smile as he looks you over. “Didn’t expect you to be teaching my cousin how to read.”

You laugh. “When would that have come up? Before or after I fell face-first on the sidewalk?”

“Technically, you fell on your ass.” He looks over the cuts on your leg again. “Still doesn’t hurt?”

“Barely remember it.”

“Damn. Didn’t realize I was so forgettable,” he teases. You shuck your backpack over your shoulder, pretending his joke didn’t land. But you can’t help how your mouth curves into a grin. “Wanna take me up on that ride now? I don’t see any wine moms in sight.”

Being clear headed and not in the midst of a compromising position, you take a better look at Jake. He may look rugged from the neck down, muscles standing out through his jacket, but his face is incredibly youthful and vulnerable without a touch of hardness. Maybe the wine moms had gotten it wrong; maybe Jake’s actually a stand-up guy bundled up in a lot of leather.

Before you can answer, your father seems to appear from thin air. He wraps his arm around your shoulder. “Mr. Sim, pleasure to meet you officially.”

Your father holds out his hand for Jake, and Jake takes it with a steadfast grip. “Nice to meet you too sir. My mother was telling me how much you’ve been helping my aunt since she can’t attend services anymore.”

“Akemi is a pillar of our church. It’s only right to take care of one of our own as the deacon.” Your father squeezes you tighter to his side. “Glad to see you and my daughter have met. I hope she’s made a good impression upon you.”

“Yes sir. Very much so.” He smiles in your direction. The dimple in his cheek makes your heart flutter in your chest, the butterflies undeniable.

“Well, please tell your parents to come to ours soon for dinner. It would be a pleasure.” Your father begins the quick walk to his car, the silent request for you to follow him clear in his stern posture. You give Jake an apologetic smile before you leave, hoping your eyes hold the promise of taking him up on that ride someday.

When you’re both out of earshot and in the confines of your father’s car, he turns to you with a frown. “Do not get yourself involved with that boy. He doesn’t strike me as very forthcoming.”

You stutter out an excuse. Surely the first day of knowing Jake wouldn’t be the last. “F-Father–”

“Listen to me, sweetie. I know what I’m talking about.” He starts the car and begins the drive home, tightening his fists on the steering wheel. “I mean it. Do not see that boy again.”

The next morning, you’re sitting in one of the front pews with your mother, Yeri, and her mother. You see your fellow townsfolk in attendance in the other pews, Jungwon being one of them, Yeri’s longtime boyfriend. Mrs. Choi and Mrs. Lee look like they are partially focused on the attendees, but also on their own gossip.

All of you are dressed in your best outfits, your hair wrapped in a bun to maintain the peak of modesty. It doesn’t seem particularly realistic for a higher power to be judging you for your hairdo, but you gave in to your mother’s ridiculous requests as always. “We are important people in this community, darling,” your mother said as she stuck the umpteenth bobby pin in your hair. “If they can’t trust us, who can they trust?”

Riki sits behind you, his pew empty save for him. When you offer the empty spot next to you before the procession starts, he shakes his head. “Jake and his folks will be here any second.”

Your gut tightens, the words of your father playing over in your head. You know you have to heed his orders at all times, but the excitement you feel at the prospect of seeing Jake is unavoidable.

A minute before your childhood friend Heeseung sits at the piano to play the beginning of How Great Is Our God, Jake and his family walk inside. Jake’s impeccably dressed, clad in a red dress-shirt and suit pants. His sleeves are rolled up to his elbows, revealing a handful of tattoos you didn’t notice the day prior. He has his mother’s arm in one hand and a bible in the other, looking completely out of place but incredibly mesmerizing.

He winks at you when he sits down, making you turn your head back to your friend at the piano. You follow in your mother’s and Yeri’s lead, singing alongside them and forgetting the new buzz in your veins. You can feel his eyes on you throughout the songs and sermons, and you should say that you don’t enjoy it, but you don't kid yourself. His attention makes your body tingle in all the right and wrong ways.

You excuse yourself in the intermission, walking outside until you’re a good ten paces away from the church. You take several pins out of your hair, grunting. The incessant tools had been scratching your scalp uncomfortably for the past three hours, and it feels like freedom taking them out one at a time.

It isn’t that you don’t believe in a higher power or the teachings your father and Reverend Park have supplied you with your entire life. The town is just too suffocating on days like these, setting you up to feel like you aren’t good enough no matter how hard you try every day to perfect yourself.

The fashion show of your humble, presentable outfit, the whispered chatter from your community, the watchful eyes of holy men. They all make your skin crawl, that itch only intensifying with every day that passes. How could you stay in such a small room for years and feel misunderstood by everyone? 

Jake saunters up to you, making you gasp in surprise. “Jesus Christ!”

He smirks, hands stuffed in his pockets. “I thought you weren’t supposed to say his name in vain.”

You shrug, smiling in relief to find it’s just him and nobody else. No-one to meddle, judge, or question your absence. “I’ll just say a few words of penance. I’m sure he’ll forgive me.”

“I knew there was a reason I liked you.” Jake chuckles and steps closer to you, his eyes lingering on your dress. It’s incredibly modest, the only skin showing high above your cleavage. but the look in his eyes still makes your nerves tremble.

 You wonder what thoughts are swimming in his head and if a majority of them are impure. Would it be so wrong to confess that you feel the same? That whatever he’s imagining mirrors your own fantasies ten times over?

“The updo doesn’t suit you,” he says finally.

You giggle and cross your arms. “It doesn’t, huh?”

He steps closer, so close you can feel his breath on your skin. It lingers across your neck and shoulder blades. You shudder, hoping he doesn’t notice how his presence affects you. He reaches behind you and takes hold of the hair tie keeping your bun together. He expertly undoes it, your hair falling in waves around your shoulders.

Before he walks away, the church bells signaling the recommencement of the procession, he whispers in your ear, “Much more breathtaking with your hair down, angel.”

The next time you see Jake, he’s across from you at your family’s dinner table, all laughs with Jungwon and Yeri as your father passes out the rest of the side dishes. Riki is also there, discussing his mother’s treatment with your mother and Jake’s parents.

You can’t help the way your eyes attach to Jake across from you. It’s almost a form of punishment that you were made to sit in such close proximity, the weight of his stare on you swallowing you whole.

The feeling of his hand in your hair, his mouth against your ear��it was all so incredibly inappropriate. You shouldn’t have thought about that day last week with such excruciating frequency, but you did. You thought about it when you heard the wine moms whispering about Jake on your porch, when Yeri and Jungwon talked about him as you studied, and when you were alone at night. 

In your dreams, it was even more painful. In a perfect world, he would take his hand from your hair and keep it on your neck, holding you close. He would move his lips from the shell of your ear to the side of your neck, kissing and tasting what skin was available to him in that moment to make you come undone.

Yes, sitting across from him is torment. But the alternative is worse, not seeing him at all and having to conjure images of him alone in the quiet of your bedroom.

“Deacon, sir,” Jungwon pipes up from his spot next to Jake, addressing your father directly. “I was going to study with Jaeyun and Yeri at my house if you wouldn’t mind your daughter tagging along.”

The muscle in your father’s jaw clenches. He’s clearly unhappy with one of the attendees being Jake, but he hides it behind a smile. “It’s up to her. What do you think, sweetie?”

On one hand, you should absolutely say no. Jake may take you into a random spot of Jungwon’s house and make any resolve you still have disappear with the flick of his wrist. Even in the company of your friends, you know no place is safe when he’s around and close to you. And were you willing to crumble so easily?

At the same time, the distance is eating away at you. You can’t take another charged glance in your direction, words unspoken but begging to be released. If you have to catch his bedroom eyes on your body one more time, you may just snap in front of everyone, and care little when you do.

“Sure. I’d love to, Wonie,” you say with a grin. “Nishi, you want to come too?”

Riki shakes his head, enjoying the fruitcake your mom set out. “I’ll stay. Someone has to help clean up.” Jake’s mom squeezes one of his cheeks. Riki’s face suddenly turns pink from his aunt’s affection, making everyone laugh.

On your way out the door, your father catches you by the arm. He whispers, “No later than midnight. Understood?”

On the cusp of 10 PM, you want to protest that time with your friends is already so limited, but you obey with a nod and walk out the door. 

When you get in the backseat of Jungwon’s car, Jake too comfortable beside you, you feel your body flicker to life. “So,” you say, “your house then, Won?”

Yeri and Jungwon laugh, a conspiratory look in both of their eyes. “We’re just gonna make a quick stop first.”

Kiss ‘Em Creek was the unofficial name of the lake that ran through your town, a spot for teenagers to spend a few hours alone with their friends or partners. It wasn’t scientifically-correct, but it stuck nonetheless, many of the locals taking advantage of the not-so-secret hideaway. What went on there you only heard about through Yeri and the wine moms’ conversations, their voices littered with disappointment and condemnation.

Jungwon parks his car and turns his eyes to meet yours in the rearview mirror, that scheming smile still playing on his lips. “Ready to take a dip?”

Your eyes widen. You shake your head at a rapid pace, making your friends and Jake chuckle. “No way,” you say.

“C’mon babe, live a little!” Yeri winks and exits the car, Jungwon hot on her heels. The two of them begin to strip to their underwear, eager to jump in the water together. Jungwon picks her up in a bridal carry, Yeri laughing the entire way as he takes the first step into the awaiting lake.

As the two lovebirds continue heading towards the water, you and Jake sit in comfortable silence, your heartbeat slowly rising at the prospect of being alone in the car together. No distractions, no disappointed parents, no judgemental hags. Just the two of you under a cloud of stars and beautiful moonlight.

“I didn’t know if you would come tonight,” Jake says, filling the silence with a quiet chuckle. “Thought you were avoiding me at all costs, like I’m some kind of plague.”

“No!” You turn in your seat to face him. His expression is teasing but holds undercurrents of disappointment, clearly confused where your feelings lie. And he has every right to feel that way. One minute you’re wishing he would pull you closer, and the next you feel it’s better he keeps his distance. “I just don’t know what your intentions are.”

His eyes darken and his lips curve into a beautiful but intimidating smile. “Is it not obvious?”

You squeeze your thighs together, a wave of heat spreading through your bones. “Maybe I just want you to say it out loud.”

He scoots closer to you, his chest a heartbeat away from yours. “Well, to start,” he says, “I would really like to kiss you.”

You smile. A breathless laugh leaves your lips, eager to know what it would feel like to touch his mouth to yours. “I’d like that too.”

Jake runs a hand through your hair and rests it on your cheek. His touch is as fragile as the tension between you. “Then what are you so afraid of?”

You shut your eyes, trying to come up with the right words and falling short. “It’s just everyone–”

“Fuck everyone else.” He forces you to look into his eyes, the words leaving his mouth being some of the truest ones you’ve ever heard in your life. “You’re not a bad person or a sinner for wanting what you want.”

“I know that.”

“You may know it but you don’t believe it.” Jake’s lips ghost over yours, his breath tickling your cheeks. “Stop thinking about what everyone else thinks of you. Think of yourself for once.”

Maybe Jake’s right. All of your choices in life have been dictated by what your parents, friends, and total strangers have felt. If you listened to your own heart, you would have left all of them in the dust by now, chasing what you really wanted far away from this place.

At the same time, you’re glad to be in this car with Jake. He’s so close to you, telling you to take the leap and choose yourself for the first time in a long time.

When you press your lips to his, the feeling of his mouth on yours soft and tentative, you know you can’t wake up tomorrow the same person. This choice will ripple into all the choices you make from this moment on, but you don’t seem to care.

All that matters is his mouth, taking more control and setting a fire deep in your belly. He presses his tongue to the juncture of your lips, diving inside without protest.

You moan into his mouth, feeling one hand firmly pressed on your neck as the other runs down your shirt to squeeze at your breast through your clothes.

“Fuck, tell me to stop,” Jake says with a heady whisper, still kneading your breast with his palm. “Tell me to stop if you don’t want this.”

You shake your head, moving closer to him to the point you’re halfway on his lap, legs intertwined with his. “So help me God, don’t stop now.”

He snickers, pecking your lips again. “You said his name in vain again.”

You roll your eyes as he chuckles into your neck. “That wasn’t the first thing on my mind.” You move your lips to his cheek. “Or the second.” They trail down to his neck, taking your fantasies and etching them into his skin. “Or third.”

“Fuck,” Jake curses, holding you tight against him. “You’re too good at this.”

You smirk. “Contrary to popular belief, you’re not the first person I’ve ever kissed.”

He laughs, the rumble of it vibrating against your mouth. “I don’t care as long as you keep kissing me.”

“Wasn’t planning on stopping.” By the time you reattach your mouth to his, you’re straddling his lap. His hands are nestled on the small of your back, wanting to inch down further but unsure where or what your boundaries are.

You take the initiative, suddenly bold, and put both of his palms on your backside. “If you wanted to touch my ass, you could’ve just said so.”

Jake licks his lips, his accent coming out in a husky whisper. “I want to touch you in a lot of places. Your ass just happens to be easily accessible right now.”

“Oh really?” You giggle. “Care to enlighten me?”

Jake sharply switches positions, your back against the expanse of the backseat as he towers over you. He rubs his hands across the outside of your thighs, eager but patient. “Gladly.”

He kisses your neck, suckling and licking with perfect pressure, making you whimper. “Jaeyun,” you say out loud, his name coming out like a question more than a statement.

“Use your words, angel. Tell me what you want.” His eyes pass over your face, your kissable lips and lust-blown irises. You’re too entrenched in him now to walk away from this car the same girl, and you wouldn’t want it any other way.

It may end badly, crash and burn completely like everyone expects it to, but that’s the last thing you care about right now.

“I want you to touch me.” You take one of his hands on your thighs and place it over your underwear, its center damp.

“Jesus,” he says in wonder, rubbing his fingers against the cotton.

“You just said–oh,” you stop short when you feel Jake’s fingers against your clit. The sensation makes you buck your hips up into him, him discovering the bundle of nerves without trying hard. He’s clearly happy at the wetness he finds. He rubs your folds in the same fashion, biting down on his bottom lip hard.

���You feel so good already. So perfect,” he whispers, taking hold of your lips again with his own while he swirls his fingers in and around your essence. He switches between teasing your clit and rubbing along your pussy, his movements lewd yet graceful. Only when he puts a finger inside of you do you gasp and look at him directly, your eyes clearly giving away your fear.

“What’s wrong, angel? Did I do something?” Concern floods his face, but he doesn’t take his hand away.

“I’ve never gone this far,” you confess, looking to your side to hide your embarrassment.

“Hey, look at me.” He turns your head to face him again, fingers laying under your chin softly. “We can stop now if you want. I don’t want you to feel pressured into doing anything you don’t want to do.”

His response makes your heart clench. Most guys, you’d imagine, would be pissed off or pleading with you to continue on, to do what they wanted and enjoy the moment. That was how Jongseong was, pouting the entire time after you told him to pump the brakes on your makeout sessions.

Somehow, with Jake, it feels right to continue. You suddenly have no anxiety clouding your thoughts or expectations weighing on your heart. You kiss his lips tenderly and shake your head. “No, I want this. I want you.”

A cheshire-cat grin spreads across his face before he goes in for another kiss. He runs his tongue along the inside of your mouth as his finger slides across your folds once again. He plunges it deep inside of your heat, your body adjusting to the new sensation with surprising ease.

You thrash lightly underneath him, matching the tempo of his finger with abandon. He slips another digit in, groaning at the feeling of your soft, gummy walls becoming accustomed to him. “You’re taking my fingers so well, angel. ‘S fucking incredible.”

You gasp and feel the fire from earlier heightening in intensity, spreading from your belly into the other seams of your body. It makes your toes curl and your hand press against one of the doors of Jungwon’s car, needing something to clutch onto while feeling yourself losing what’s left of your control.

“Jaeyun, I think I–”

“I know baby,” he says, pressing his lips to your forehead. “You’re going to feel so good in a second, I promise. Don’t be afraid.”

His thumb makes contact with your neglected clit, rubbing in rapid motions as he pumps his fingers faster in and out of you. You suddenly become overloaded with pleasure; its immensity is something you’ve never felt before. You feel it coat the back of your mouth and take what’s left of your rational senses, your body moving on its own accord as you ride out what’s remaining of your orgasm.

You blush furiously when you come back down to earth, giggling like a schoolgirl as Jake kisses your sweat-drenched cheek. “That was…amazing.”

Jake chuckles, a smirk painting his features. “You’re amazing.”

You tuck your face in your hands, embarrassed but still enraptured by what you just experienced. He pulls one hand away, taking it in his own, his expression suddenly shy. “So, I guess this is the part where I ask you on a proper date.”

You laugh and sit up, placing your panties back around your hips and adjusting your skirt. “I would hope so!”

Jungwon and Yeri choose that moment to run back into the car, their hair drenched but their bodies properly dressed once again. Jungwoon looks at the two of you in the backseat and grimaces. “Not in my car, man!”

Despite the warnings from your parents and the wine moms, you and Jake had become inseparable within a month’s time. It took many late-night impromptu meetings and secret rendezvous to keep your relationship private, but you had succeeded thus far. And it only made the moments you both shared that much more special.

Riki had kept your secret, keeping his eyes out for any prying townsfolk and covering for his cousin and you if need be. Yeri and Jungwon also cheered you on from the shadows, hoping one day you could be public like they were without criticism.

Sitting in the field near the lake, a picnic blanket set across the grass, you have your head in Jake’s lap while he absentmindedly turns strands of your hair into miniature braids. It’s a beautiful Wednesday afternoon, the two of you occupying the resounding forest with no outside influences.

“Have I told you lately how beautiful your hair is?” Jake asks, kissing your forehead before he takes another batch of strands in his hand. If he has to pick one of your best attributes, in his words, he’d say it was a tie between your lips and your hair, the two of them constantly making his heart race. You called him a liar, but as time revealed, he was nothing but honest with you every day, and not just about what turns him on. 

Over time, you discovered his fears, his ticks, his aspirations past the small town you both found yourselves in. You admire his vulnerability, how open he is when sharing the thoughts that occupy his mind.

“At least three times already,” you tease, running your hand across his leg.

“It’s not bad to hear it a fourth time, right?” He plants another kiss to the crown of your head. He drops the braid he’s just made across your face, making you laugh.

“I’d rather hear how work went today,” you say, getting up to press your back to his chest, snuggling into him.

He shrugs, wrapping his arms around you tighter. “Not much to talk about. Working with roofs all day isn’t exactly exciting, angel.” 

You know Jake doesn’t want to work at his dad’s construction company for the rest of his life. However, it provides stability, and that matters a lot to him. He knows what it did to his aunt when Riki’s father walked out early on in his cousin’s life, and he wouldn’t wish that lack of support on anyone.

“At least you’re not running a tutoring center and a daycare in the same church,” you joke, your tone anything but humorous. The brood you dealt with every day was completely unlike Riki. They were kids that were carbon copies of their parents, children that would one day become exactly like their absentminded fathers and speculatory mothers. It put a taste in your mouth you couldn’t stomach.

You fall into steady silence, the uptick in both of your nerves ebbing away the longer you hold each other. Sure, Jake hates roofing as much as you hate disciplining whining toddlers and helping apathetic tweens with mathematics, but it doesn’t matter at this moment.

All that does is each other, enjoying the midweek sunset and the sounds of the birds flying overhead.

“What would you do if you were somewhere else?” Jake asks into the crook of your neck.

You grin, imagining a world of possibilities. The question never came up before, not from him or anyone else. It opens up a plethora of choices in your mind, but you narrow them down quickly, knowing what your heart truly desires.

“I’d like to teach,” you answer. “Really teach, maybe at a university. Something like poetry.” You turn to look at him, a newfound fire in your eyes. “Yeah.”

Jake smiles back at you, moving stray strands of hair from your shoulder to rest his head there. “I think you’d be great at that.”

“What would you do?”

Jake ponders the question, going over it in the same way you were moments before. You see realization wash over his features, and it makes you smile. “I think I’d write. Not literature or anything, but songs maybe? Teach music in the meantime. Still have to make money somehow, y’know.”

You giggle and push him down on the picnic blanket, running your fingers through his hair. “Sounds like a plan.”

He nods, sharing your happiness. “Maybe a kid and a dog can fit somewhere in that plan.”

Chuckling, you raise one eyebrow. “As long as I’m not having a baby out of wedlock, that sounds perfect to me.”

He turns you both over, covering your body with his and kissing you intensely. The passion runs from his body to yours, your heartbeats matching in their strong beats against your chests. “Perfect,” he whispers, his lips meeting yours once again.

It may be too soon to call it love, but you know you’re tiptoeing that line, and you wouldn’t mind falling headfirst on the other side of it as long as Jake’s there waiting for you.

“Are you sure they don’t know I’m here?” Jake asks, hesitant to walk up the stairs to your bedroom.

“It’s fine! They’re at a seminar all weekend with Reverend Park and his son, I promise.” You kiss his lips before running up to your room. Still on the fence, you hear his tentative footsteps trudging behind you.

Another few months rolled by, and your parents had softened to the idea of Jake being around more often. He showed up with his parents to church every Sunday, even if you both snuck off to make out in the backwoods when nobody was paying attention.

He’d stick around for the deacon’s sessions with Akemi, brightening her spirits with his guitar and a couple of songs to replace the ones she missed during normal processions. It helped that she seemed to be getting better, slowly but surely, with treatment and daily prayer.

When you heard your father call Jake a “nice kid,” you knew they were turning a corner in their relationship that you wished for since the night Jake kissed you in Jungwon’s car.

Now, that doesn’t mean they would be happy with finding him in your bed on a Friday night, but you’ve broken enough rules at this point. What’s one more?

“You’re trying to get me killed,” Jake jokes as you rip his shirt from his body, discarding the article of clothing on your bedroom floor. You sit on your bed and marvel at the muscles on his chest and stomach, all of it yours to caress and kiss at any time.

“Don’t worry, babe. I’ll follow you to heaven,” you tease, pulling him closer to kiss his body. Each press of your lips to his skin makes him tremble, cursing quietly to himself at the feeling.

“With the way you’re touching me, I doubt either of us will make it there.”

You giggle and link his mouth to yours. You moan when his tongue hits the roof of your mouth.

The intentions you had for tonight definitely involved numerous bouts of kissing, but the way Jake’s making you feel will certainly end up with his face or fingers between your legs. And as good as that sounds, you don’t want him derailing you from completing your mission.

There had been so many moments of him giving you pleasure up to this point, you wondered how he had stayed so composed and content after without expecting anything in return.

So, tonight, you decided to give him a bit of satisfaction, even if you’re walking into such activities without any kind of road map. Yeri gave you a handful of tips, but doing it for real is another beast entirely.

“Jaeyun, wait,” you say, taking his face in between your hands.

He looks up at you with eager eyes, wondering why you pulled him away from your neck. “What is it?”

“I want to take care of you this time.” You say, hoping your expression gives off the confidence you’re trying to portray. “I’ve never done it before, but—“

“And you don’t have to, angel,” Jake says with a dopey, relaxed smile. What on Earth and heaven did you do to find a guy like him?

“Please,” you beg, scooting closer to the edge of the bed. “I want to try.”

Jake’s conflicting feelings are evident in his eyes. Surely any man wants his girlfriend to go down on him with the same eagerness that you're giving him right now, but he doesn’t want you to feel obligated. 

In his mind, pleasure isn’t about some sort of trade-off. He makes you feel good because he wants to, not because it’s some duty he has to fulfill and expects to be paid back for later.

But, you asked so nicely and your eyes shine up at him so beautifully. He feels his resolve crumble enough to concede and do what you want.

You begin to unbutton his pants, your fingers twitching not from fear but excitement. When you pull down his jeans fully and see the outline of his bulge in his briefs, your mouth falls open slightly at the size.

Could it fit in your mouth if it was that big?

Jake chuckles and takes your hand to press to the gaping material covering him. “It won’t bite.”

You look up at him and begin to stutter, unsure how to continue once you take off his underwear. “D-Do you want me to use my hands first?”

“Whatever feels right to you, angel. I trust you.” He rubs his thumb across your cheek, and it calms all the nerves that came to the surface.

It’s in those three words that you find the courage to pull the remaining article of clothing off of him, taking in the sight of his cock in all its glory.

You gulp hard, trailing your eyes from the tip to where it adjoins to the rest of him. You’ve never seen one up close before, and you feel like you’re invading his privacy as you stare at it for another long minute. But who can blame you?

“It’s all for you, baby,” Jake whispers. “Do whatever you want.”

You feel a sharp pang of heat at the center of your thighs, his words spurring you on. You spit into your hand, as Yeri instructed, and wrap your hand firmly around Jake’s cock. With an easy but deliberate pace, you look at Jake directly to see if you’re starting off on the right foot.

And boy were you.

Jake hisses at the feeling of your hand encasing him, loving the tightness of your fingers as they continue sliding up and down his dick. He had envisioned this many times in the solitude of his bedroom, images of you and your beautiful body writhing underneath him enough to get him off. But those nights were nothing compared to this.

“Are you ready for my mouth now?” You ask timidly. Jake wants to laugh at how innocent you sound, the words coming so naturally off of your tongue.

“Yes, angel, please,” he answers, wanting to caress you by the hair and guide you down to his awaiting, leaking cock.

You move closer until you're an inch away from his tip. Flattening your tongue to take it into your mouth, you keep watching Jake’s face for the right signals.

His mouth opens, a satisfied whine leaving his lips. You feel a wave of pride at the fact he’s enjoying it so much, egging you on further.

“Your mouth feels so perfect wrapped around me,” he confesses. He soaks in the sensation of your lips and teeth softly running over the veins of his cock, your head bobbing across his length skillfully. How can an innocent and dutiful daughter like you give such mind-blowing head?

He can’t ruminate on the answer long, releasing a guttural moan as he feels his tip hit the back of your throat, the gag that rumbles from you making his cock even more sensitive.

“Angel, I’m gonna come soon,” Jake warns. “If you don’t want me to come in your mouth, let me know now.”

You look up through your lashes at him as you continue sucking on him with fierce passion, swirling your tongue across his tip. 

His hand is wrapped firmly in your hair now, fucking your face as softly as he can without forcing anymore of himself down your throat. When you take a hand to cup his balls, softly kneading them between your fingers, he’s done for.

He whines pathetically as his seed shoots inside your mouth. The taste isn’t particularly pleasing, but you milk it for what it’s worth to watch him fall apart so perfectly under your attention.

The orgasm rocks through him with an unshakeable amount of pleasure, his body completely helpless as he continues to spurt into your mouth. He can only hiss and whine as you continue to touch him, letting him come down fully and taking all of him without complaint.

Jake breathes in deeply when he gains clarity again, taking you in his arms and shoving his tongue deep in your mouth. “That was probably the best blowjob I’ve ever gotten,” he states, running his fingers over your face with adoration.

You scoff and roll your eyes, his words making you shy. “I doubt it, seeing as that was my first one.”

“It was!” Jake puts a hand on his heart. “Swear to the savior himself.” Before you can rebut, Jake takes your legs in his hands and moves you to the edge of the bed.

You wake up to the hard knocks at your bedroom door, the morning sun peeking out of your window to prove the previous night has long gone.

“Honey? What did we say about locked doors in this house?”

Your father’s booming voice makes you jump up from bed, smacking Jake hard on the shoulder and chest to wake him up.

“We had an odd feeling at the hotel, so we came home early,” your mother says as you shake Jake from his sleep.

“Ow, what the fuck,” Jake grunts, his voice not quiet enough to go unnoticed. You curse yourself and the reality in front of what’s about to happen, knowing full well your parents heard him on the other side of the door.

“Sweetie, who’s in there with you?” Your mother’s shrill but concerned tone makes you cringe. Jake’s eyes bulge in response, quickly leaping from the mattress to pull on his clothes in haste.

Just when you throw your dress from last night over your head and Jake buttons up his pants, your father slams open the door with his shoulder. Your parents gasp and yell at the sight before them, the man they began to grow comfortable with in a compromising position with their only daughter and precious child.

“What in God’s name is he doing here?” Your father asks no-one in particular, stomping towards Jake’s shirtless figure and yanking him by the neck.

“Daddy, stop!” You plead, scratching and clawing at his frame to pull him off of your lover.

Your mother begins blubbering, teary-eyed before you. “Oh honey, what did he do to you?”

“Nothing,” you scream. “Please leave him alone and let us be.”

“I told you to stay away from him.” Your father stares you down, eyes blazing with fury. “Not only did you betray me, but you betrayed the sanctity of your purity. It’s a disgrace.”

Jake coughs, your father’s hands tightening around his neck. “The only disgrace is the two of you holding her back, like she’s some weak bird in a cage,” he croaks. “She can make her own decisions.”

“You stay silent, you insolent pest,” your father growls, yanking Jake out of your room and down the stairs. By the time you and your mother make it out to the bottom step, your father has thrown Jake out and onto the porch.

“Stay away from my daughter, or you’ll have another reason to pray you don’t end up burning in hell.”

“Stop it!” You step in between your father and Jake, the latter putting on what’s left of his clothes. People begin to hover too close to your family home, suddenly entrenched in the scene playing out before them.

Jake kisses your forehead and walks away in the direction of his parked bike, unsure what else he can do unless he wants to truly end up six feet under. 

 Your father grabs you by the upper arm and pulls you in the direction of your porch, but you resist with all your might. “You can’t make me go back in there.”

“I am your father and you will listen to me,” he grunts, holding on tight.

“Daddy, I love him!” You scream as you yank your arm away from your father, your inner strength giving way. “If you can’t accept that, I guess I’ll just have to burn hell with him. Better than wasting another second here.”

You run toward Jake’s bike and sit behind him, cinching your arms around his waist. He smiles to himself, feeling the press of your chest to his back as he puts his helmet over his head. “Are you sure about this, angel?”

You nod furiously, not bothering to look back at your red-faced family. “More than I’ve ever been.”

All you focus on is his motorcycle rumbling to life before you speed away. Your hair blows in the wind as you both escape the horrified stares of the local vipers.

You end up at a motel on the other side of town, far away from the scandal that’s surely rocking your small community by now. The deacon’s daughter running away with the bad boy next door? What a tragedy!

You run inside to miss the upcoming rain, both of you shivering from the barrage of pellets that did land on your skin. You settle onto the mattress as Jake drops the small amount of belongings he had in his possession on the dresser.

He turns to you with quiet concern, arms splayed out on the furniture as he looks at you, searching your face for any lingering doubt. “No regrets?”

You shake your head, exhausted but glad to be out of that house. “None at all.”

He breathes out a sigh of relief and sits down beside you on the bed, rubbing your thigh with his fingers. “I’m sorry.”

Your brows knit together, confusion pouring over you. You take his hand in yours, intertwining your fingers. “You have nothing to apologize for. If anything, I should be apologizing to you.”

 You feel tears build at your eye ducts, your voice suddenly growing thick when you recall the scene from an hour ago. “I’m sorry my father was so horrible to you.”

“Hush, it’s okay,” he puts his other hand on your face. He kisses your lips tenderly and gracefully. How did nobody else but you see he possessed the most kind nature of anyone you’ve ever known?

Jake moves his head, his lips curving into the smile that always takes your common sense away. “I love you too, by the way.”

Your confession from earlier hits you like a heavy rock, your eyes going wide and your face turning pale. “That wasn’t the way I wanted to say it.”

“Then say it now,” Jake urges, your face resting gently between his fingers.

There’s no fear or pressure when the three words leave your lips, only the feeling of a weight lifting off of your chest. “I love you, Sim Jaeyun. I love you with my whole heart.”

His face lights up, the words seeming to set aglow something deep within him. The only right reaction seems to be in the form of his lips attaching to yours in a passionate kiss, your shared love creating a beautiful path forward for the both of you.

He whispers his next words so lightly, you almost assume the statement is a figment of your imagination. “Marry me.”

You feel your face contort into a mixture of disbelief and elation, needing to hear him say it again for it to truly resonate. “What?”

“Marry me,” he repeats, his smile stretching across his face. “Marry me now, or in three months from now, or whenever you want. Just say you will.”

You exhale a breath of astonishment, unsure if he knows how much you want to say yes, to make this as real as it sounds on his lips. He leaves your side with a kiss to your temple to grab something from his jacket. 

He comes back in record time, standing in front of you and twiddling the black box in both of his hands with anxious fingers. “I brought it with me to your house last night, I just didn’t know how to ask then. But I do now.”

Like in all the stories you’ve read and movies you’ve seen in your lifetime, he sinks down onto one knee before you. You place a hand over your mouth as he opens the box, a ring with an opal-shaped diamond cushioned in the center.

“Would you please do me the honor of being my wife?” Those words on his lips, visibly shaken from his own question, make a thousand butterflies flutter inside your chest.

Months ago, if you knew then you would end up here, from the edge of the sidewalk to now, you would not change a single moment. The world had been so gray before, you didn’t know what it was like to step in the sun until he came into your life. What other answer is there?

“Yes, yes, yes,” you respond, tears flooding your eyes as he shakily places the ring on your finger. It fits just right, the stone at the center sparkling in the darkness of the motel room.

You kiss Jake’s lips with all the force your body possesses, certain there’s no better future than right beside him.

The feeling of the gold band around your finger makes Jake shudder as it touches his cock. Your body is nestled perfectly on top of his as you take what you can’t put in your mouth between your fingers.

He laps up your essence with his tongue, ecstatic to have his face covered in your juices and smothered if need be by your wet cunt. If people think wedding nights are magical, engagement nights have to be a step up.

“Fuck, Jaeyun, yes,” you roll your hips into his awaiting mouth, his tongue available for you to lay your slit onto. The expletive leaves your mouth like honey, the feeling fitting for such a dirty word.

He knows exactly how to make you fall apart and be put back together, and the thought of doing this for the rest of your life makes you want to cry again from the pure happiness inside your core.

Jake takes his lips off of your pussy and sits up. Before you can ask what he’s doing, he takes you into his lap on the bed and kisses you fiercely. You taste yourself on his tongue as he skillfully takes your breath away with his lips. When you part, he says, “Angel, I know we said we’d wait, but I don’t know how much longer I can handle not being inside of you.”

You whimper at his words and suddenly rock your center into the tip of his cock, making him groan in the process. “I mean—we’re just starting early, right?” 

Jake releases a joyous laugh and kisses you hungrily, his face in a constant state of ecstasy since you said “yes” hours ago. “Right.”

 The anticipation makes you even wetter, crawling to the head of the bed as Jake grabs a condom from the bedside table. If there was one thing he had promised, he swore he wouldn’t get you pregnant. Not yet, anyway.

He rolls the rubber over his cock before joining you on the bed, lining up perfectly with your center. He rubs his tip against your folds, biting his lip at how easily it gets coated in your essence. “Ready?”

You nod eagerly, a smirk filling the entire bottom half of your face.

He pushes the tip in, the pressure a foreign feeling you had never experienced before. It took time and practice to get used to the size of his fingers, but this is another level of fullness that takes your breath away.

Once Jake’s partially inside and gives you a moment to adjust, he asks, “Can I move?”

You nod your head, holding onto his shoulders for support as he begins to thrust inside of you. He loves to see his cock disappearing between your legs, your body eagerly taking him in and stretching itself out to accommodate him. He loves the way you whimper at the movement of his hips and the pleasure you’re receiving.

Better yet, he loves you. He loves all of you, from the nonsensical words you speak in your sleep to the wrinkle between your eyebrows when you get mad. You’re all his, and he’s grateful to be the only one you call yours.

“We may never leave this motel,” Jake says, his words breathy as he continues moving his hips. “I could stay inside of you for the rest of my life, angel.”

“I love you so much,” you say, inching your hand between your bodies to roll your clit between your fingers.

“I love you,” Jake says. He takes your face in his hands and kisses you like he wants to pour all of his emotions from his being into your soul, just so you know how deep his love for you goes.

It’s all so overwhelmingly beautiful, you feel the swell of your release cresting over you like a tidal wave. “Baby, I’m gonna come,” you whisper, your mouth open wide from the moans and cries you cannot suppress.

Jake groans and slams his hips into you harder, filling you to the hilt repeatedly. “Come, angel. Come for me.”

You cry out as the orgasm takes hold of your body, your fingers working on their own accord on your clit as you fall off the edge.

Jake stills not a second later, releasing into the condom and taking the last remnants of his energy to thrust inside of you a few more times.

He pulls out and throws the rubber in a nearby trash can. His sweaty body clings to yours, hands rubbing up and down your arm tenderly as he kisses the curve of your shoulder.

You see the flash of your ring in the glow of the motel’s neon sign, and you think about how the night could not have gone any better.

Jake may be a bit reckless and not what you initially imagined for your future, but now that you have him, you wouldn’t give him up for anything. All the parts of you that stayed buried for so long have resurfaced because of him, and you could not be more grateful.

With your left hand a touch heavier than it was some hours ago, you fall asleep to the sound of the rain hitting the window and Jake’s rising and falling chest.

You walk out of your mother’s house, happy to have made a visit with her before she ran off to do her morning errands.

What you’re not pleased to encounter is the same crowd of women huddled with their homemade fans and cups of lemonade. They weren’t there when you arrived a few hours ago.  Of course they show up when you have no chance of escaping them, like the vultures they are.

“Mrs. Sim,” Mrs. Choi says, her tone entirely made of stone with little warmth. “Pleasure to see you.”

Your new surname gives you indescribable amounts of happiness. It took your parents some time to get used to, but eventually, they realized you put your heart in the right place. Your father took his sweet time getting there, begrudgingly admitting a short time ago Jake is a very acceptable son-in-law, the turnaround of his perception of your husband complete.

You give the crotchety ringleader a fake smile and attempt to walk away, but Mrs. Lee interjects. “How’s your mister doing working at the church now?”

“Great,” you say, genuinely happy to talk about a topic you care for. “Jaeyun loves the kids. Little Yuna might actually be a guitar prodigy from what he’s told me.”

They all coo, practically synchronized in their sips of lemonade and fan flurries.

“Soon enough you’ll have one of your own, I’m sure,” Mrs. Choi remarks with sarcasm, her red-lipstick-stained front teeth on full display.

“Not too soon now,” Jake suddenly says, walking up the pathway to your mother’s house and taking you in by the waist. “My wife has to finish her Masters first. How else is she gonna start teaching at the community college?”

My wife. No matter how long it’s been since you officially got married in your church, that day a year ago forever ingrained in your memory, it still warms you to the bones hearing those words leave Jake’s lips.

The women all express signs of agreement, some nodding while others hum.

“We better get back home now, but you ladies have a nice day!” Jake bids them goodbye and walks you both down the stairs with his hand on the small of your back. Even if he were to be more than the perfect gentleman in front of them, they would still linger around with pesky eyes and constantly moving lips.

“They’re still betting we’re gonna crash and burn, aren’t they?” Jake whispers, teasing you with a wiggle of his eyebrows.

You shake your head. You fall more in love with him every day that passes, no matter what the people around you do or don’t see. They may have their opinions, but it won’t shake the foundation you’ve built. “Well, they’re sure to be disappointed if I have anything to say about it.”

Jake’s eyes widen, his expression humorous yet surprised. “Easy, angel. Don’t want to have to tear my wife off of a nosy wine mom.”

Your heart aches at his words, him fully aware of what two of them in particular do to you. “I love you.”

Jake grins, inching his face closer to yours. “I’d love nothing more than to kiss you right now, but what would everyone say?” He asks with a mock face of horror.

You shrug without much care, grinning. “Someone once told me ‘fuck everyone else.’ And right now I couldn’t agree more.”

Jake laughs before he places a gentle kiss to your lips, the sun radiating off of him in waves as he pulls you closer.

No matter what anyone in your small town has to say, your choices are yours; you’re perfectly happy with how your life has turned out whether they think so too or not. And you will always choose Sim Jaeyun, now and forever.

@yvnempire @sjylouvre @mini-mews @jayparked @heesuncore @yoursjaeyun @sungbeams @jenoslutie @loserlvrss

𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬 ౨ৎ˚₊

@kvanity-main @sweetvenomnet @onedoornet @sayxonet @violetanet @svthub @whipped-kpop-creators

[cheesus-doodles]

Toman finds out y/n is rich like crazy rich, her family are a bunch of millionaires or billionaires. I wanna their reaction to this new information about her.

‎‎Recommended Readings: A Friend In Me Chapter 1 | 2

Masterlist

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i think their most drastic reaction would probably be utter confusion at learning that you were from old money - first off, don't you know how much more dangerous the street was if anyone knew how rich your family is?? Who let you walk around without an entire army of guards (though no doubt the Toman founders think that their protection is a lot better) ? How is it your parents haven't already locked you up in some mansion for your own safety? You were just too naive, too sweet, too innocent to be left wandering the streets alone, like you had before meeting Mikey and Baji by coincidence.

And two, if you were rich beyond the average person’s wildest imaginations, then why in the world were you hanging out with delinquents like them? You had the means to do anything, go anywhere, yet here you were, staying in a modest house in a average neighbourhood, attending a normal (albeit more prestigious school), cooking them lunch with you own two hands - the boys aren’t quite sure what to make of the news. But you can be sure none of them dare ask should you actually start to consider a life away from them. Worse still, these two thoughts only help to churn more nightmarish what-ifs in the minds of your overthinking friends: imagine if you had met someone that was worse or nastier than them, that decided to take advantage of you instead of caring for you like they did; Mikey and Kazutora had to each spend a whole night cuddled with you just to banish the horrid thoughts.

Of course they were glad that your family didn’t think the same way they did, given that meant you would have never entered their lives, but someone had to be prioritising your wellbeing. They won’t change the way they are around you in the slightest though, given you were still you - you having money meant little to them. Though if you were still working for some reason, I would think that your friends would 100% make you stop for good this time, or if you refused, force the business to fire you, maybe by storming the store every time you were on shift and taking up all your time, or just threatening the customers and staff behind your back. After all, you could obviously afford to hang out with them, afford the groceries to cook their favourites, and still live a comfortable lifestyle without ever having to lift a finger, and the lesser you were outdoors and interacting with people that weren’t them, the lesser risk you were exposed to to begin with. Didn’t matter if you were rich or not, your Toman boys would have always had this line of thought, except now they have an actual reason to put it into effect.

If they could convince you to stop attending school as well, they would absolutely do that as well, though your sudden absence would most definitely raise a lot of eyebrows and attract unwanted attention; instead, what the boys decided on was to start “guarding” you more, making sure one of them was by your side at every time of day you were outside your house, taking shifts to accompany you to school and then after school. You, not knowing their true intention, just try to do your best to keep your jumpier boys nice and calm when they decide to join you for the day - allowing Mikey and Kazutora to cuddle and huddle as much as they like in your lap to turn their thoughts away from trying to fight every last schoolmate you had, bribing them with snacks and promises of affection. No, your desk mate was not “looking at you suspiciously”, and you certainly didn’t think your teacher was “attempting to kidnap” you. Even Pah was more difficult to handle during lessons, with the bored boy itching for a reason to do something other than listen and learn (you have no idea why he even wants to be here). You had to admit that you much preferred the company of your calmer friends, Draken and Mitsuya for one who are mostly content being seated beside you working on their own books and shooting a stink eye at anyone who dares to wander too close, and surprisingly Baji, who generally falls asleep on your lap or face first on your desk the moment your teacher starts speaking.

Depending on how they found out about your family’s wealth, their reaction to the news would also vary slightly. If you were the source of them information, you would get a few owlishly blinks at first as the news of your wealthy background settled in, before Mitsuya would come over and lightly smack you on the back of your head, scolding you about how you shouldn’t go about telling people this sort of information. Draken and Mikey teaming up to insist you tell them exactly who you had told this to over and over again once they had snapped out of their stupor, clamping onto you and refusing to let you go until you had promised and crossed your heart that you had never disclosed this. However if one of the Toman boys, maybe Pah, given his family’s connection to the real estate market, had found out through other means, oh boy. They would jump you as soon as you can, dragging you straight back to your house, insisting that you were in grave danger, that somehow now “everyone except them was out to get you”. And that you weren’t safe, that you had to stick with only them now, and they would cross their heart keep you safe. Kazutora balling his eyes out at the mere thought of you being threatened, Baji refusing to get up from the ground or let go of your arm, Mikey clung to your legs. You would have a long comfort session ahead of you consisting of handmade snacks, a full hearty meal, and a lot of promises just to get your friends to calm down and reassure them that no, no one else knew who you were.

One thing your Toman founders wouldn’t do unless in an absolute emergency would be to approach your family - you were safer with them than anywhere else, and the boys were so hesitant to change the working status quo. Oh no, imagine if your parents disapprove of your friendship with them, imagine if your parents decide to force you to leave them and go home (wherever that was; a brainwashing attempt, your home was with them). The Toman founders aren’t quite sure what they would do to stop you from leaving them - they didn’t want to have to break your legs or hurt you or lie to you to get you to stay - but there was no life without you there. Money could do many things, but no amount of money would be enough to replace what you were to them, and none of your nervous neighbours or delinquents were quite eager to find out what the boys would get up to if you weren’t there to reign them in.

[currywaifu]

𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: pansy 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩: hyodo juza/reader 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: sfw 𝐰𝐜: 3.3k words 𝐝𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨: Pudding~☆ ~, Anne, & ballpoint✨

𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: reader teachers juza how different flower colours can mean different things 𝐝��𝐬𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐫: this work is a part of the flower shop event, a series of unconnected flower shop AU one-shots

“Will you let him stay for a while?” Tsumugi asked you, your eyes immediately shifting to the tall, purple-haired man beside him. Though his expression was tough, he refused to even spare you a glance save for the when he first entered the store.

“Well…” you trailed off, still a little conflicted on what decision to make. On one hand, it was hard to refuse one of the flower shop’s regulars— especially when the explanation behind his sudden request reasonable enough. On the other hand, as nice as Juza probably was on the inside, if he was just going to stay silent the whole time it not only would be awkward, but there was a chance he’d scare some customers away.

As soon as the thought entered your head, you felt a little awful. He literally hasn’t said a word to you?

Making up your mind, you slowly nodded in response. “I don’t mind. He’ll just be observing the flowers, right? And looking at the reference book?”

“Yes, that’s pretty much it. Thank you for accepting,” Tsumugi turned to look at his junior, patting his arm lightly, “see you back home.”

“Thank you for your patronage, Tsukioka-san.”

“… see you, Tsumugi-san.”

As soon as the blue-haired man left the building, all was silent again.

What were you supposed to do? Would he appreciate you showing him round the store? Telling him about all the flowers? Do you ask him about what he needed to know for this role? Would he prefer to be left to his own devices and do it on his own?

When he suddenly called you by your name, well, surname, you’re caught off-guard. You turned to face him, and though he still can’t look you straight in the eyes, he at least knew you were listening.

“… sorry, I’ll try not to be a bother,” he says, frown still present but voice unexpectedly genuine, “…might scare your customers away, though.”

He didn’t sound sad about it, resigned if anything, but you found that you were kicking yourself anyway despite him not knowing what was going through your head a while ago. While you couldn’t comfort him or anything, there was at least something you could do to help him.

“Juza-kun,” you said, and for the first time, his eyes met yours. Perhaps if the two of you were to lock gazes at another place and time, you would have been intimidated; enclosed at the space of your flower shop, you somehow figured you’d end up enjoying his company.

“Would you like to see some flowers?”

…

Sunday.

“… don’t really get it,” Juza muttered, the pads of his fingers carefully brushing against the petals, “why I got chosen for this role.”

You paused your previous ministrations, setting aside your spray water bottle to look at him questioningly. By the manner Tsukioka-san explained Juza’s situation earlier, he made it seem as though the latter was enthusiastic to play this role— was he mistaken?

“What do you mean?” you asked, walking over to the same spot Juza stood. Neither of you faced the other, as though you two were talking to the vibrant colours instead.

“Flowers are delicate,” the petal slipped from his index, “I’m not,” he said matter-of-factly.

Neither of you could deny that.

“… maybe you’re focusing too much on thinking of flowers generally,” you replied, the silence consuming the both of you thereafter.

The two of you barely talked the rest of the day, the only other time the two of you glanced at each other was when he said his farewell.

Monday.

Coming back from school for your shift at the shop, you didn’t expect to run into the purple-haired man on the way there.

“Juza-kun?” He stood quietly at a street corner, his stillness making you wonder how long he’d been there. Weren’t… weren’t people looking at him suspiciously? Did he notice? What was he doing?

He greeted you back, and you found yourself in an awkward stare-off with him for a few seconds. With a cough, he darted his eyes away from yours. “You weren’t at the shop,” he replied gruffly.

Oh, was he waiting for you?

You let out a little laugh as you asked him to follow you, failing to miss the small hint of surprise on Juza’s face as he walked behind you. The walk was quiet, but your mind was noisy with questions.

“Did you want to look at the flowers again?”

“… thought about what you said.”

You couldn’t react immediately, already stood at the storefront. Stepping into the shop, you greeted your co-worker and your companion quickly distanced himself, taking to the assortment of potted plants instead.

“Is that delinquent your boyfriend or something?” your co-worker whispered quietly, peeking behind you worriedly. You stopped in the middle of tying your work apron, narrowing your eyes.

“What?”

“He was standing outside a while ago,” she explained, “but he left pretty quickly. I thought he was being shady, but then he comes in with you?”

You sighed, rubbing your temples. Right, you didn’t get the chance to mention Tsukioka-san’s request from yesterday. You didn’t think you had to?

“He’s not my boyfriend,” you corrected, immediately shutting down whatever notion she had in her head, “Tsukioka-san asked me to help him with something.”

You almost giggled at how quickly she perked up at the familiar name. You bet he didn’t even realise how popular he was.

As you bid your adieus in advance, you exited the storage backroom and nearly yelped at the sight of Juza hunched over the counter, looking through the reference book.

“Are you looking for something specific?” you asked, leaning onto the counter to peer over the pages.

“… yesterday, you said I was being too general.”

You raised your eyebrows. Was he still thinking about that? “Guess I did, yeah.”

He flipped over another page, eyebrows furrowed as he skimmed through the content in front of him. You were sure he was trying his best to absorb the content, but you had a feeling it wasn’t working out as well as he had hoped.

You placed a hand over the book, and though you barely covered anything he got your intention pretty quickly.

“That’s going to take you forever,” you insisted, angling the book to face you instead as you flipped the pages over to the table of contents.

“What do you need for your characterisation, anyway?” from the corner of your eye, you could see the gears turning in his brain.

“Something happy,” he started, and you found yourself mentally listing down all the readily available flowers that fit into that meaning. Should be easy enough, there were many flowers that corresponded to happiness—

“Something calm,” he continued, and you found yourself turning around to look at him incredulously. “Something innocent.”

Was he gonna keep going?

“Something passionate, and something about new beginnings.”

“That’s a lot,” you stated the obvious, racking your brain for any flower that could possibly mean all of those. Maybe even a set of flowers from the same family? Happiness and innocence were often associated with each other anyway, and there were many flowers that meant passion anyway— though more on the love side of things. The other two, though…

“I’d need to look a bit more into that,” you apologised, eyes flitting from name to name to find a similar flower, “did Tsukioka-san say anything that could help?”

Juza let out a small hum, “he gave me a list.”

You thought he’d pull out his phone or something, so you couldn’t help the small laugh as he brought out a ripped out piece of notebook paper from his pocket. As soon as he handed it to you, you found yourself ticking off the flowers that wouldn’t work— whether it be obscurity or having a too vague meaning.

Lavender… Lily… Magnolia…

You stopped at the next flower listed. Oh, that could actually work?

“I think I have a reference for you,” you said. Unbeknownst to you, Juza subconsciously registered that as the first time you smiled at him.

Tuesday.

Why weren’t you surprised he would be at the street corner?

“Juza-kun, just wait inside the store,” you told him, a little exasperated. You understood his intentions, but he didn’t have to keep waiting outside every time for your arrival? "What if I got back a little late?”

“S’fine,” he mumbled quietly, falling into step with you, “it was only for a few minutes.”

“Ouka High is a lot closer, though,” you reminded him, “at this rate you’re gonna end up as a landmark.”

The conversation fell short again, the background noise filling up your silence. The door chime rang as you opened the door, and you checked in with your co-worker while Juza found himself with the flowers again.

“Did the delivery—?”

“Yep, it came today! Aha, he’s actually looking at some of them right now?”

Thanking her, you headed over to him and stared at the vibrant pink.

“Gentleness,” you said, loud enough for Juza to hear you, “pastel pink pansies mean something along the lines of gentleness and innocence.”

With Juza’s head bowed down, you thought he himself looked a lot like a pansy— a flower that resembled the human face, intelligent and pensive, nodding forward late in the summer as though deep in thought. The colour of his hair didn’t help diminish your imagination, either. After minutes of silence, he finally spoke up again.

“Muku,” he muttered. You tilted your head in confusion.

“Muku?”

“… my cousin,” he explained, “is a lot like this flower.”

Maybe it was your imagination, but somehow he sounded, looked a little softer.

“You must be pretty fond of him,” even if he weren’t to reply, you knew you already had your answer.

Wednesday.

You were running. Somehow you got distracted by the new cookies they were advertising at a cafe near your high school. Perhaps it was because of your ongoing situation with Juza, but as soon as you read the words “dessert” and “edible flowers” you made a bee-line for the store.

… and you ended up buying more than one, too. A whole pack of 6, actually. Really, who could blame you? The blue, pressed pansies atop the honey glazed lemon shortbread cookies looked absolutely scrumptious!

But now you were in a rush to get to work, and in your haste, you accidentally bumped into someone. You found yourself a little shocked as you looked up, familiar purple hair coming into vision.

“Oh, Juza-kun,” you greeted, “you’re actually not at the corner today?”

“Got dismissed late,” he said with a shrug, “you?”

You let out a chuckle, lifting the paper bag so he could see. “I bought some cookies after school. I thought the flowers on them were cute,” you explained, and for a split second, you swore Juza’s eyes widened slightly.

“… cookies?”

“Hm? Yeah. Do you like cookies?”

“… they’re fine,” he turned to face sideways, though that didn’t hide the pink blooming on his cheeks.

Oh?

“I’ll give you one later,” you said, doing your best to stifle the laugh that threatened to escape. How unexpected! That was kind of cute, actually. “We’re going to keep blocking the sidewalk at this rate, we should go.”

Somehow, the silence wasn’t so awkward this time, a little calming, even.

Thursday.

That was weird. No sight of Juza on the way to the flower shop— was he running late? Would he not be coming today, after all? For some reason, the thought made you a little sad. Perhaps you were starting to enjoy his company, after all.

Your co-worker gave you a knowing glance as soon as you entered the building, and any confusion immediately dissipated as you saw your purple-haired… friend? (Did he consider you two as friends?) by the yellow pansies.

“Juza-kun!” you greeted with a smile, pleased to hear him say your name as he greeted you back. Even with just this much, you were glad to have crossed a new boundary with him.

You nearly ran over to him, only stopping midway as you heard quiet laughter. You turned to face your fellow florist, holding up your work apron.

Aha, right.

“I’m only doing this as a favour to Tsukioka-san,” she mimicked as soon as you stepped in the backroom, “he’s not my boyfriend~”

How was this woman older than you?

You groaned, trying to put on your apron as fast as possible before bolting out the door. “Byeeee,” you said, hiding from her line of sight as you rushed over to Juza.

“Hey,” you greeted again, alerting him of your presence, even though he probably already knew you were there beforehand.

“Haven’t seen this one yet,” he commented, eyes a little narrower as he looked at the bouquet of yellow blotch pansies. “You said they meant happiness, right?”

The corners of your lips turned upward. “Oh, you remembered!” you said in delight, if not a little proud, “yep! Happiness in general… but,” you trailed off, causing your companion to look at you with interest.

“Is there another meaning?”

You laughed a little awkwardly, not meeting his gaze while not exactly avoiding it either. “I mean, it’s more of a personal interpretation, so it’s not really important.”

You could still feel his eyes on you, making you feel a bit self-conscious. Aha, seriously, the atmosphere between the two of you was already good— what were you doing?

“… I do think your opinion is important, though.”

You coughed, looking at him with a mixture and disbelief. Surprisingly, he didn’t retract or back down from his statement at all, further amplifying your flustered feelings. He remained unbothered, almost as if he somehow didn’t realise your reaction?

“Um, well,” you began, “you know how there’s like a dark coloured blotch within the yellow follower?”

Juza hummed in response, letting you know that he was following.

“On one hand, I think it could mean pretending to be happy even though you’re in a dark place,” you explained, “but it could mean finding happiness even though you’re battling your inner demons…”

He doesn’t respond for what seems like minutes, and you have half the mind to quickly change the topic. Your interpretation was probably a bit of a reach, wasn’t it? Too edgy, perhaps?

“… that was good,” he said, “I liked what you said.”

Though his praise was simple, you found yourself beaming anyway. It… was nice to know that he appreciated what you said.

Before you could get another word in, you heard the door swing open. You should probably attend to that.

You turned your back to Juza, about to walk away from him until you felt a tug on your arm. You stilled, wondering what could have possibly prompted the sudden contact.

“Juza-kun?” you asked quietly, voice unexpectedly shaky.

“… your apron is loose.”

“Oh! Thanks, I, uh, probably didn’t tie it properly,” you reasoned, your arms reaching back behind you to tie it, a somewhat futile attempt but an attempt nonetheless.

You failed to notice the cherry red blush on Juza’s face, to focused on trying to remove your own.

Friday.

“So how many colours are there?”

“Way too many,” you answered, “like sometimes they come in one colour, sometimes two or three; sometimes pastel, bright, or dark— all of them probably have different meanings too.”

You propped your elbows on the counter, hands cupping your face. In the past few days, you were able to accompany Juza wherever in the shop, but Fridays tended to be more busy compared to the other weekdays, causing the need to be heedful for incoming customers.

“So even more colours to learn…” you laughed out loud. How seriously was he taking this? Just for one flower?

“I mean you only really need to stay until you have enough info to flesh out your character,” you pointed out.

He didn’t reply for a while, and you had nearly worried that something had happened back there, but Juza piped back in the conversation eventually.

“So red symbolises passion, right?”

“Yep!” you said, fingers idly playing with the loose thread of your apron, “though I supposed a lot of red flowers mean passion and love, huh.”

“… and the white pansies?”

“It can mean purity and spirituality,” you started to explain, “but some say that when you give it to someone, you’re telling them to give you a chance.”

The room fell silent once more, but over the course of a week you didn’t mind it anymore. It was a little comforting, actually, having someone around— not even to help you with the shop or anything, but just a friend to talk to.

As you were about to close the shop, Juza appeared in front of you.

“I think I have my character figured out now,” he told you, and you felt yourself swelling with happiness and accomplishment.

“That’s great! Our hard work finally pulled through!”

The tiny hint of loneliness that you felt got left unsaid.

“Sorry for bothering you all week.”

“Trust me, I wasn’t bothered at all!”

Saturday.

“Huh, he’s not gonna be here today?” your co-worker asked as you arrived for your shift, “I legit thought you were joking about just helping him out of the goodness of your heart or whatever.”

You smiled a little sheepishly, “he already figured out what to do for his role. I’m sure he must be busy practising now, so I probably won’t see him around.”

You pretended to not see the look of sympathy thrown your way.

Sunday.

Two weeks had passed since you last saw him, and you chided yourself for thinking that the shop felt a bit emptier lately. At what point did you get so fond of him?

Even now, on the way to the shop, you found yourself stopping at the street corner, as though he’d be there again and was just too shy to enter without you.

Seriously, just what were you doing? Friends could go a while without seeing each other, it wasn’t a big deal.

Or at least that was what you told yourself for a grand total of three minutes, because that all came crumbling down as you saw his familiar figure standing outside the flower shop.

“Juza-kun?”

You approached him with slow steps, briefly wondering if you just went through some next level hallucination, but the closer you got the more evident that he was the real thing.

“Umm, is there something you need?”

His eyes wouldn’t meet yours, not unlike the first couple of days you spent with him. “… here,” he unloaded the two things into your hands, one of which you recognised while the other was a mystery.

You checked the envelope first, a pleasant surprise greeting you.

“A play… your play ticket?” you asked him, and he nodded as though to confirm your assumption.

“I remember you said you weren’t busy during that time and day, so…” with a gentle smile, you tucked the ticket back inside the envelope for safe-keeping.

“I’ll be there to support you, for sure.”

With the mystery item set aside, only the white paper bag with the flower logo was left. Somehow, even without opening it, you already knew what the contents would be.

“… they had other colours and flavours for the cookies,” he said as you took out the small box of 6, “the ones with the white pansies are vanilla and cinnamon flavoured, and the ones with the pink pansies are dark chocolate and raspberry flavoured.”

It took a while for you to comprehend the situation, still a little befuddled by him even appearing again until you realised what he was trying to say.

“White and pink pansies,” you said with a laugh, before ushering him back inside the shop.

You suddenly felt a lot less lonely.

“ thank you for your hard work today at the flower shop! here, feel free to take home these pansies with you~ ”

【 pansy 】 admiration, remembrance  【 pink pansies 】 gentle tenderness, innocence 【 blue pansies 】 calmness, trustworthiness  【 yellow pansies 】 happiness, bright disposition 【 red pansies 】 passion, love 【 white pansies 】 innocence, purity, “take a chance on me”

“ maybe you’d like some more flowers before heading home? ”

-ˋˏflower shop masterlistˎˊ-  |  -ˋˏfic masterlistˎˊ-

[detective-with-one-arm]

💭 - your choice

Simon

Vanilla!Rachel & Android!Simon

I love him. I love him so much. I could watch him smile forever. I could kiss his face for hours if he'd let me. I'd kill and die for him. I'd go to the ends of the world for him. I'd do anything if it meant making a better world for him to live in. I don't ever want to be without him. I want to spend the rest of my life by his side.

Vanilla!Rachel & Mer!Simon

He's so cute and so sweet. It's kinda nice having someone like him in the tank with everyone. He's more like me. And it's fun having someone I can tease and play with myself. Plus, he gives nice hugs and it's nice sleeping next to him.

Aquarium Siren!Rachel & Android!Simon

He's my friend! He understands me! He sees me! I don't have to pretend around him and he wants to stay with me. He makes me happy and I want to make him happy, too. I want to see him every day!

Delinquent!Rachel & Undercover Cop!Simon

He's got guts. I'd like to see him again. He's very fun to play with and tease. Cute, too! Wonder what he does for a day job.

Demon!Rachel & Fallen Angel!Simon

I hate him. I love him. I love fucking him. I love being fucked by him. He makes me confused. He makes me scared. He sets me on fire. I never want to be without him. I don't ever want to go back to a life without him. I don't care about anything else but him. I just want him. He's my angel and I'm his demon. God's not getting him back and I'm not Lucifer's bitch.

Yandere!Rachel & Homeless Human!Simon

He'll understand. Even if he never loves me, he will understand that I am the only one who can protect him. I'm the only one who can provide him everything he needs. He'll see. He'll see that the world is horrible and that I rescued from it. And he'll see that I love him. I love him more than anything and that I would kill and die for him if it meant protecting him from the world that's hurt and tortured him his whole life.

Naga!Rachel & Homeless Human!Simon

Men are cruel. I've seen it. To women, children, and other men. Though...it's not always men. Nevertheless, I've seen his wounds before. Less frequently, though it breaks my heart to see them at all. That as much as the world progresses and improves, some parts remain the same. And it saddens me that it's the uglier parts. But, my home is a safe haven for people like him. So, Simon has a home with me. With my people.

Guardian Angel!Rachel & Homeless Human!Simon

Poor thing...he was done so wrong in his life. But I'll be there for him. I'll help him find his own wings and soar. I'll be his guiding light. His star in the night. His friend...his home. Until he's strong enough to live without me...

Hybrid!Rachel & Hybrid!Simon

A bit odd, but a chill dude. Not as creepy as some of the predators I've met and not as aggro as some of the large prey I've met. I trust him. Hope he gets by okay.

Werewolf!Rachel & Vampire!Simon

He's sweet. And kind. And gentle. And so compassionate. I don't think I've ever met a vampire as nice as him and I'm not letting him go. He's my mate and part of my pack, now, and we've gotta look out for each other. And I love him. Wish he wouldn't pretend to throw the stick or film me in the bathtub, though...even though it is really funny.

Vampire!Rachel & Vampire!Simon

Respectable and understanding of the symbiotic relationship between humans and vampires. A true gentleman and a responsible sort. A worthy vampire. Though, I wished he had been more honest about his feelings, I'm so happy that he is honest, now. It was painful living knowing that he'd been neglected for so long. He deserves to be loved as fervently as the others.

Markus

Vanilla!Rachel & Android!Markus

I used to think of him as above me. Not as a person, but as some sort of judge. A vector for my sense of justice and morality and how that connected to my sense of self. I was so sure I was unworthy of even standing next to him. But now...? I can't imagine doing what I do without him by my side. No matter what, we do everything together. We're partners. And...I love him. For who he is. For everything that makes him...Markus.

Vanilla!Rachel & Pagan God!Markus

I never thought that praying to the void would actually get me an answer. But...weirdly enough, knowing that gods are real brings me a sense of peace. And that one is on my side and genuinely believes in me and wants to help is...nice. It's nice knowing some part of the universe has my back. So, I wanna have his. It's only fair. Besides, he makes for good company and a good houseguest. Easy on the eyes, too, so long as he doesn't break my brain. I think we could be good friends.

Vanilla!Rachel & Mer!Markus

I trust him with my life. He protected me. Kept me safe. Made sure I knew that nobody would hurt me as long as he was around and made sure that the others knew not to hurt me. And made sure I knew I was safe around him. And he's so gentle...so affectionate and loving. I'm gonna miss him whenever we get the hell out of this tank...

RK800!Rachel & Human Detective!Markus

I find him...peculiar. And fascinating. His curiosity and inquisitiveness is infectious, I think. He holds my attention. And he's kind. And...sincere, I think. I like him. Detective Manfred is a good man and a good detective and I value him as a partner. I like working with him and I hope I will be granted more opportunities to expand our professional and personal relationship.

Hybrid!Rachel & Hybrid!Markus

Smug son of a bitch thinks he can get in my pants with a cute little smirk and a playful charming personality and a sensitive artist persona and a sexy voice...well he can, and I'm mad about it. It's not fucking fair.

Naga!Rachel & Naga!Markus

He thinks he can fool me with his innocent act. He seems sincere, but I will not be fooled again by a naga who means to take that which I have guarded for centuries. We will see his true motives soon enough. If his heart truly is pure...he will likely move on and never see this place again...he is a traveler, after all.

Werewolf!Rachel & Werewolf!Markus

He's not an alpha, I don't think. But I feel like I would follow him wherever he went. Like I would do whatever he ordered me to. I don't know why, but I feel like I can trust him. He fought alongside me and didn't even expect a reward. I want to know him. To be close with him. I...I want to be a part of his pack.

Frontier!Rachel & Frontier!Markus

Mister Manfred is a good man. A bit cocky and polished, but a good man. Hard worker. Good craftsmanship. Sheriff Anderson's taken quite a liking to him and he stays for dinner a lot. Can't help but feel like maybe I'm letting him get too friendly with me. I can't say the competition's very appealing, though. Besides...he makes for good company. And he's a kind man. A very kind man...I hope he knows how to protect himself out on the streets.

Leo

Vanilla!Rachel & Mer!Leo

He's very sweet, but he's kinda intimidating. Though, it's not his fault and he's super gentle and careful with me. With everyone, actually. Which I really appreciate. Besides, even if he doesn't think so, he's nice to cuddle, too. And a very kissable face.

Trans!Rachel (Richard) & Human!Leo

I love him. I love him so much. I still feel so shitty that I didn't tell him I was a cop...I should have. But he still gave me another chance. He still let me in. I won't make him regret it. I swear. I'll be everything he deserves to have in a partner. He's too good for anything less from me.

Guardian Angel!Trans!Rachel (Richard) & Demon!Leo

I don't know how. I don't know why. But, this charming demon is my charge. I will never truly understand the will of God, but none ever will. Not even us angels. And if God wills it so, who am I to argue? Especially if it means I can be myself without having to disguise what I am. And I've never met a demon so sweet and so kind. Perhaps now I understand how others fell in love with Lucifer. There is a certain...beauty to demons I didn't see, before.

Elijah

Vanilla!Rachel & Human!Elijah Kamski

How in the everloving fuck did I manage to land a multi-million dollar deal beta testing a line of androids specifically catering to monsterfuckers like me? How? ¿Como? Cum? Someone explain when my life got so fucking weird that I am now collaborating with a fucking tech company trillionaire beta testing his new line of androids SPECIFICALLY for monsterfuckers?! How did this happen????

Daniel

Vampire!Rachel & Vampire!Daniel

Unlike his brother, Daniel is...frustrating. He is archaic, dogmatic, and difficult to tolerate at times. But...I also understand where his beliefs come from and being forced to share residence with what is essentially food that he is not allowed to eat must be frustrating to him. But all he needs is...proper discipline. And attention. And...affection. I do care about him...deeply. I want him to prosper and be comfortable here. I want him to be happy. I want him to feel as though my manor is a home, not just somewhere where he is a guest. And I hope I can achieve that with him, somehow.

Alma

Vanilla!Rachel & Vanilla!Alma

I care about him. I care about him more than anything. I cared about him before. I like him. I like him a lot. He tries to hard to learn, but he's actually a really good learner. It makes me upset that he seems so afraid of failing. He won't say it or act like it, but I can feel it. The hesitance and even preemptive recoiling as though him messing up will bring him pain. But now that I understand where it comes from...I just want to protect him. I want him to know how much he means to me. How much I see in him. How much I care about and appreciate him for who he is. The man who looks up at the sky and maps stars in his silver eyes. The man who always asks questions and wants to know more than he already knows. The man with an insatiable curiosity and a kind heart. The man who will hear me rattle on about whatever random thing just because he likes hearing me talk about it and likes learning about it. The man who will do the same to me. I...I just wish that everyone he's stuck with at home could see him for who he really is. Not what they wished he was or what they think he is or what they think he's supposed to be. Fucking cunt doesn't deserve her own invention, if you ask me...

Vanilla!Rachel & Mer!Alma

I'll admit, he was kinda scary at first. I couldn't see him and suddenly he was inside me. Didn't even give me a chance to catch my breath or anything or prep me. Then, he looked really scary. But then...he got soft. And cute. And I just wanted more of him. Even now, I look at him, and I just wanna hold him. Let him rest his head on my chest and listen to my heartbeat for a while. He's hot as fuck when he's railing me, but god damn, he's so sweet, too. And cute. It's nice to hold him and kiss him. He makes the best faces. Especially when I mess with his lure.

Alien!Rachel & Space!Alma

He's different. So much different than I could've ever expected. I'd heard reports of the ambassador from Earth from the Congress, before. But...actually meeting him was something else. He isn't even human. He's so different from me, but he feels familiar. Comforting. Like...home, almost. And his interest in my people and our culture is hard not to like. Perhaps I can request that my team visit my planet. I think Alma would like to experience Essek for himself. And I want to show him all my favourite parts of it.

Elianna

Vanilla!Rachel & Android!Elianna

She's so pretty. And confident. And fun. God, I haven't been on a date with a woman in years. I really hope I don't scare her or make her uncomfortable. I wanna get to know her and I can't do that if I fuck up and scare her away before I get the chance to.

Arda

Vanilla!Rachel & Vanilla!Arda

If she's anything like Alma, I think I'll like her. And probably get just as protective and defensive of her as with Alma. I bet making friends with both Alma and her would piss Dr. Chen off. I wonder if Alma's told her about me...

Vanilla!Rachel & Mer!Arda

She's...beautiful. Honestly. And so soft and so sweet. I like just floating around the tank in her arms and sitting on her lap. She's just nice to hold and I like listening to her. She's so gentle and so loving. Also helps that she's really good with her mouth. I could fall asleep floating around on her.

Alien!Rachel & Space!Arda

She's beautiful. She's a lot like Alma. Sort of like hatchmates, I think. Though, they're closer than that. But she's very kind and considerate and I like her. I feel inclined to protect her and defend her, much like Alma. I wonder if she'd like to study the flowers on my planet. She seems the type to enjoy interplanetary botany.

[imaginesofeverykind]

Uncharted: Forged [Re-Write]

y’all the Sam Drake feels are hitting HARD, im replaying all the games atm and I reread my old fic from 2017 and decided I love Melissa so much so we’ll give this a red hot crack! <3 xx Majority of the fic is the same, i’ve mainly updated wording and layout, but of course some lines and inner thoughts have been changed to add more to the fic if you’ve already read the original! <3

OC x Sam Drake

Summary: It always went without saying that where you found the Drake brothers, Melissa Bridges wasn't far behind. More correctly, wherever you found Samuel Drake; Melissa Bridges wasn't far behind. The pair were quite literally as thick as thieves, partners in crime, their very own Bonnie and Clyde. It was short lived between the two of them. Sam's death struck a chord with Melissa, what she chose to do with the grief is the question. Better yet, what does Melissa do when straight from the 'grave' fifteen years later she is reunited with the oldest Drake brother?

Warnings: Swearing(?) Dorky as fuck Sam Drake,

Word Count: somewhere in the high 2000’s

|PART 2| PART 3||

Samuel Morgan had a reputation. Not only exclusive to the Orphanage he grew up in, but also to the sister Orphanage several blocks away; Sister Margaret's. He caused fights, disrupted the peace and was caught doing illicit activities on the building grounds. But believe it or not; he never truly used to be as much of a delinquent. In fact, his behavioural changes can be traced back to ten months ago when he met Melissa Bridges. As innocent she may seem, her bad influence on Sam caused quite a turn of events in his life, some good, some bad, some ugly. But when it came down to it, Samuel and Melissa were always there for each other.

[1] Boston: A Bad Influence

Every day like clockwork, Samuel Morgan would peer out his window, looking beyond the gates of the Orphanage to catch a glimpse of her as she walked by. Her hands always seemingly shoved into a denim vest that looked miles too big for her as it covered what appeared to be a faded pink dress.

On the days he managed to see her while he was out in the courtyard, he spotted smaller nuances and details missed from afar. The boots she wore looked as though they had stopped fitting several years ago, long exceeding their lifespan judging by the soles flapping with every careless step she took. Her hair was always tied up neatly in a ponytail to gather her long dark locks.

Some days — he noted — she was accompanied by groups of girls. Most days she would stride on her lonesome but regardless, alone or not; every day at Midday, Melissa Bridges would pass by the Orphanage in a direction that didn’t quite add up.

It confused Sam, considering Sister Margaret's was in the opposite direction and there was evidently nothing in the direction she was headed. If he wasn't so chicken shit to do so, he would find a way out just to talk with her for even five minutes, maybe even a polite ‘hello’ or ‘how are you?’

He spent an embarrassing amount of time watching her, understanding her routine to the point he questioned if his motives were borderline criminal. His curiosity and infatuation with the mystery that shrouded the peculiar girl always kept him from pulling away from her. When he told himself; let it go for today, he’d catch himself looking out the window at just the right time, like it was a habitual instinct he somehow developed.

On weekends she would walk by not just at midday but once more, later in the evening between seven and nine. The few times he mustered up the courage to finally leave, he got as far as opening the window before deciding against it. Despite slight behavioural issues, he was top of the class, rarely did anything out of line despite the occasional fistfight between other boys in the home.

One night in particular, however, Sam decided he was finally going to do it. Go beyond the gates and finally speak to Melissa, a girl he only knew from the distant affections via observation. Did he know her name? No. Did he know anything about her? Aside from her being in an Orphanage, no. Did he know her eye colour? Not at all, but he would like to.

Despite knowing less than the bare minimum about her, his infatuation with curiosity constantly drove him to the brink of madness, urging himself to find the answers he sought out. He wanted to know why she would walk so braisingly confident, in clear sight of St. Francis undeterred by the Nun’s there and where she was heading that was apparently so important she ditched her classes. What was she doing at said place— if she was even going to a destination. Most importantly, he wanted to know how she managed to pull a fast one on the Nuns, knowing how their eagle eyed scrutinous gazes fell on the boys here.

His watch beeped, displaying the time as seven o’clock. It’s time, he thought to himself, taking a deep breath before opening the window. The frosty Saturday night breeze spilling into the room, the chill bite prickling his cheeks. The boys would be attending dinner in the hall at this time of night which is why he decided now was the time to make a break for it.

Sam had a clean record...ish... He had high hopes that in the event he was caught out, he would only merely get off with a warning and maybe forced to write some convoluted, meaningless essay.

He vaulted out of the window and dangled over the ledge, recollecting the plan he had rehearsed in the forefront of his mind. It wasn't a special night or anything, simply the night Sam decided to finally 'grow a pair' and talk to her, this marking the first night he even got as far as dangling out of the window.

Sucking in a breath, he released his tight grip from the ledge and dropped down a few feet, hitting the brick roof of the lower level. The loose brick slates cracked under the sudden strain, however, absorbing most of the sound which came as a pleasant surprise. His heartbeat quickened as he chuckled to himself, "I'm actually doing this," the thrill of potentially being caught hung in the back of his mind as he scaled the side of the building. Reaching the front chapel and administration block, he stopped momentarily, his arms burning from the sudden intense activity.

On the streets below — like every Friday and Saturday evening — Melissa walked along the dirty streets, keeping her head down and hands jammed into her pockets as she strayed in relative proximity to the street lights. Leaves crunched under her boots, accompanied by the sounds of the loose soles slapping the sidewalk. She hummed to herself a leisurely tune — having listened to the beastie boys most of the day — she rounded the familiar corner where Saint Francis Orphanage stood.

It was always much more peaceful to pass it in the evening given that similarly to Sister Margarets; Dinner was around this time.

This night, however, as she finally strode by the fenced-off Orphanage she couldn't shake the feeling of being followed. Something lingered behind her, more so, someone. She cursed under her breath, not wanting to turn to see the figure on the principle of merely acknowledging it. If she didn’t look, it wasn’t there right?

Many scenarios crossed her mind, perhaps it was a Nun that had followed her out of the Orphanage, they were always watching her like she was on the brink of committing a major felony. Nevermind that their concern wasn’t an underreaction by any means. But if it were a Nun, they’d have her by the ear and on their way back now.

It could perhaps be a drunken stray from the pub she passed a block ago, this occurrence was regular more often than not. Of course, in her experience, the drunkards were quite lovely and just wanted some quaint company on their journey home.

Or... it could definitely be someone not as kind as the drunken strays and not as merciful as the Nuns. That thought crossed her mind too, it often did. Being a young woman, regardless of looks and attire, she was on her lonesome which made her an incredibly vulnerable target.

Or so many people thought.

She was positive someone was tailing her, their footsteps would stop every time she did and would start back up again when she proceeded. Around the corner she rounded, there would be fewer street lights, instantly darkening the streets actively causing them to look far more menacing. This hadn’t deterred her, though, she was hardly bothered by a lot. But the prospect of someone snatching her up from the street was something that bore into her mind and chipped away the panic that simmered inside of her.

Stopping just shy of the safe glow emitting from under the streetlamp, she waited in anticipation, counting quietly to herself before whipping her hands out her pockets. In a swift motion, she spun around, connecting her fist with the lurking figure behind her in an impressively powerful sucker punch. They groaned, stumbling backwards into the light. "Oh shit," She uttered, apologetically after catching a glimpse of the person she punched. Just a kid from Saint Francis.

Despite being punched by her, Sam couldn't deny she was as attractive close up as she was at a distance. Being even prettier than he imagined her to be, glancing through his eyelashes to look at her bright green eyes, tanned skin and plump lips. He had seen a lot of girls in his time, but none that took to him quite like Melissa had.

Samuel Morgan had just been sucker-punched by a girl, that would be quite the story to tell his younger brother Nathan. He was stunned as he held the side of his face in a dazed state, did that actually just happen to him, or was it a dream? Both fortunately and unfortunately for his ego, yes indeed it did happen.

"Crap. I’m so sorry, my bad..." Melissa's face softened as she stepped slowly toward Sam, outstretching a hand to touch his shoulder comfortingly, "I thought you were following me." she stated, a panicked chuckle falling through her lips, the sound was music to his ears.

"Uh-uh, I mean... Yeah, I was — well no, not like that! I mean — just put me out of my misery and hit me again." He stumbled on his words making Melissa laugh, squeezing her hand on his shoulder, offering yet another apologetic smile at the welt forming on the side of his sun-kissed face.

She clicked her fingers once recognising his features in better detail, once the light hit it at the right angle, "you're uh, that kid from Saint Francis, yeah?" They hadn’t met prior but he looked so familiar to her, perhaps they had sat near each other when both Sister Margarets and St. Francis’ homes came together twice a month for communal mass.

He stood upright at her question. Having always imagined what it would be like to finally meet the strange girl surrounded by a unsolvable paradox, none of the scenarios he thought of began with her sucker punching him in the middle of the street. He caught his bottom lip in between his teeth to stifle the minor laugh, scratching the back of his neck nervously, "there's a lot of kids at Saint Francis you're gonna have to be more specific." His tone was laced with a hint of sarcasm, a trait he was blessed with after years of dealing with the Nuns dull and humourless personalities.

Melissa rolled her eyes subtly as a smile ghosted her lips, the way he spoke was seemingly more familiar to her. Then it hit her. She recalled the last communal mass just a little over a week ago where the boy was dragged away by the Nuns for misbehaving during silent prayer. His name passing their holy lips as if it was a curse word while they dealt with him.

"Uh... Samuel something, right?" She tilted her head on the side and shrugged, her memory wasn’t all that great but she did recollect thinking how amateur it was of him to get caught like that. The fact that he got caught at all was amateur in itself.

"Samuel something?" He repeated, a smile pulling on the sides of his lips as his heart fluttered. She knew him. After thinking for quite some time she had no idea who the hell he was, this was a revelation that couldn’t help but make him giddy. His grin appearing more genuine as the palms of his hands began to perspire.

With a nod and a smirk, she quirked her eyebrow at him, "you got kicked out of church last week, yeah? I know because I was thinking how funny it was that you got caught… Rookie mistake,” Her tone was purely in challenge of his efforts, he too recalled being whisked away by the Nun’s and forced to write an essay on something he’d long forgotten.

He mustered up a laugh, bashfully nodding. His mind fixated on the thought of him getting her attention completely unintentionally, but thankful that it happened in the first place. What did she think of me? Was the question that flooded his mind, almost like it was flashing in neon lighting to keep his attention on it. “Clearly we’re not all good at getting away with everything — or does that come naturally to only you?”

The minute the words left his lips, he regretted them. Overthinking the tone of his voice, cringing at how much more sarcastic and blunt it came across than intended. When she merely scoffed at him, he felt relieved that she quite clearly had more tolerance to sarcasm than he originally anticipated, taking up the opportunity to feebly point to himself, “I’m Uh… Sam, Sam Morgan.”

She clicked her fingers yet again, instantly recognising the name, “Samuel Morgan, that’s right… I know you — our history papers get graded together and I know for a fact that you almost got a higher mark than me." She raised her eyebrows, a mischievous smirk on her lips. She drew out the ‘almost’ as it taunted him with her acute sense of pride.

Sam looked at her, in awe almost. He spent many of his waking hours thinking about what she would be like, she was much more confident than he imagined and that factor alone seemed to make her all the more desirable. A history buff and confident, not to mention the way her frame was highlighted by the street lamp behind her made it look like she was otherworldly. He was convinced she was merely a figment of his imagination, but the bruising on his cheek and slight blood nose stated otherwise.

"You must know a thing or two about history to beat me," he chuckled, shifting awkwardly once he found himself staring at her for too long, this night was not panning out like he had planned or visualized. But he wouldn’t have it any other way.

"Only a little bit." She smiled, gesturing with her pointer finger and thumb, attempting to repair the boys already significantly damaged ego. Although she knew based off the report she snatched from one of the Nun’s offices; she had beat him by a landslide.

"What's your name, sorry?" Sam asked, clearing his throat. He ignored the proud smirk she wore as she kept her thoughts to herself, he knew she was a lot smarter than she admitted at the expense of keeping his hubris intact. The fact she hadn’t been caught sneaking out yet also lent itself to her sharp awareness and intelligence.

Melissa perked up, dismissively apologising as she gestured to herself, "Melissa, but you can call me Mel... Follow me, I know somewhere to get your face all cleaned up pretty boy — once again... Sorry."

Pretty boy. His gut twirled in a nauseating fleeting motion, something he hadn’t felt before but he knew it wasn’t a bad feeling. She waves her hand, indicating for him to follow her as she slinked into the darkness of the street they were on.

Sam was stunned— albeit, incredibly intrigued and infatuated with the idea of her. Eager to savour the rest of the evening in her presence, he shook his head but followed her, "So...." He trailed off, walking in sync beside her, "where are we going?" Was all he could think of, wanting to hit himself for asking such a basic question in comparison to the myriad of ones he kept stored away, why was he so mundane? "I uh... I watch you— I mean, I see you...sometimes walking past the Orphanage..."

Melissa looked to her odd new companion, a smile tugging on her lips. "You've never been outside the gates before have you?" Her smile gradually turning into a grin, everything about Sam screamed goody two shoes yet here he was, outside against the strict rules the Nuns abided by.

Sam frowned and put his hands up defensively, "Of course I've been outside the gates before—."

She cut him off, shaking her head, "no, I mean outside the gates without supervision and outside of curfew." Her eyebrows were raised as she waited to get an answer from her newfound friend, he merely shook his head coyly, her grin grew wider and she had a bounce in her step. "Well, pretty boy… when we get you cleaned up, are you ready to have the most fun you’ll ever have living in this shit hole?”

Sam thought for a moment, the nagging at the back of his head, the rules he was currently breaking would have severe consequences, but the rush and thrill of it all was so appealing. Melissa was appealing. And his insatiable need to fulfil his curiosity often always bettered his own moral compass. "Hell yeah." He commented enthused, kicking himself for being a little too enthused. She quickened her pace and motioned for Sam to pick up the pace as well.

Melissa was an addict, a thrill addict. Although she went to Sunday Church every week with the other Orphaned girls and went on bible retreats; it was a facade. She craved adventure, close encounters and thrill-seeking. On this particular night was the night Samuel Morgan's addiction to adventure had begun. Awakening that feeling deep within him, reminding him of the stories their mother would tell them before bed, the artefacts and trips they went on. He was aching to break free, and finally, he did.

And there was no turning back for him.

[songofclarity]

I pity Xue Yang don't get me wrong I think he absolutely earned his ending, but he was a teenager (at least in the novel). A child that had not finished growing mentally when he committed his first crime and it's possible with the right kind of support he could have seen the error of what he did and came back from it but that's wishful thinking. He met the Jin clan who turned him into their personal killing machine, a text book psychopath. What a short pitiful life.

Hello, Anon! Since I wasn’t sure what inspired this ask, I've been mulling over it for awhile, because Xue Yang! Gotta admit, I enjoy him immensely as an antagonist even though I have a tangle of feelings and thoughts about him. So I’m going to try to iron some of them out since you brought him up!

Short version is I agree with you! Which makes me want to tread through why it is true. (And it’s a long tread so fair warning for under the cut!)

Because it was indeed a short, pitiful life. But then, he was perhaps the most pitiful character in the series. I'm hesitant to write any characters off as psychopaths, however, since this is fiction and that undermines his experiences and choices and the story he is meant to help tell.

Xue Yang was an an orphan growing up on the street. No parents, no money, no goals in life, no purpose in life. Already a very depressing start made worse by how incredibly self-aware Xue Yang is of his situation when he tells his story. Considering Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, Xue Yang isn’t looking any higher than the floor.

And then he was seven years old when he was used and abused by adults in positions of power. No one came to save him like Jiang FengMian did Wei WuXian. He has no one like Meng Shi who wanted nice things for him or a woman like SiSi who looked out for him like they did for Jin GuangYao. Xue Yang had only himself, so it makes sense that he grew up to only care about and understand himself--and by the time he makes a “home” with Xiao XingChen and A-Qing, he’s too far gone to mend his ways without serious intervention.

An intervention, absolution, or redemption might all indeed be wishful thinking, if only because that is a work of labor and love. Either someone needs to find value in Xue Yang as a person worth redeeming or Xue Yang needs to find a sense of security and self-confidence in himself that precludes the need to do murder from some point onward. Xue Yang has been ruined and ruined himself to such a degree that surely any attempt to “save” him would come across as an insult, would make him feel inferior, and might just make him more aggressive.

Sadly, even though he did very horrible things, monstrous things, the tragedy is that he was encouraged and empowered and effectively trained to do them. Before he was picked up by the Lanling Jin Sect, he was just an angry delinquent. He bullied street vendors, destroyed property, made a name for himself with general violence, but there is no hint or insinuation that he killed people yet. That happened later. That happened after he met Jin GuangYao. And we know Xue Yang wasn’t thought irredeemable when he first joined the Jin because of Nie MingJue:

Nie MingJue frowned, “Xue Yang of Kuizhou?”

Jin GuangYao nodded. Xue Yang had been infamous ever since he was young. Wei WuXian clearly felt Nie MingJue’s brows knit even tighter. He spoke, “Why are you wasting your time with such a person?”

Jin GuangYao, “The LanlingJin Sect recruited him.”

He didn’t dare to protest any further. Excuse being that he needed to care for the guests, he scurried to the other side. Nie MingJue shook his head and turned around.

(Ch. 49, Exiled Rebel Scanlations)

Nie MingJue lets it drop. Nie MingJue is ready to see Xue Yang executed on the spot when his mass murder crimes come out, but not now. Xue Yang is a concern, but so was Jin GuangYao. Nie MingJue is trying to big-brother Jin GuangYao into following the right path, so if the Jin recruited Xue Yang, maybe he, too, is on a better path now. Nie MingJue will realize this isn’t true later, and he’ll pay with his life for being the only one who tries to protect the common folk, which includes all the other innocent Xue Yangs out there who are poor and at risk to harm, but I digress.

Xue Yang still got what was coming to him, but it really was just the pitiful end to a pitiful life. He was treated like a dog, grew up to be feral, was not properly retrained, and then had to be put down. Did he have choices in the matter? Technically yes, but then he’s a still child when the Jin begin to use him.

Jin GuangYao, "Will you be free the next few days?"

Xue Yang, "Won’t I have to do it no matter what?" (Ch. 118)

Xue Yang isn’t unaware of his position on the hierarchy.

He was used by Chang Cian, because there are no consequences for abusing and maiming orphans. There’s some textbook psychology for little Xue Yang from Piaget and Erikson that I won’t get into, but the fact is an expectation as simple as ‘I do a task and get rewarded for the task’ resulted in him being beaten and maimed does a lot of distortion to both expectations in life and self-confidence.

He was used by Jin GuangShan, because he grew into a defensive and spiteful teenager whom people always looked down upon. He’s gone feral, but give a dog a warm bed, clean clothes, protection, and a new toy called the Stygian Tiger Seal to play with, and he won't bite the hand that feeds him.

He can be trained to bite everyone else, too, and definitely he wants to. He’s so quick to feel slighted, to wanting to avenge himself, that even Jin GuangYao, the master of self-pity, takes notice, such as when Xue Yang first meets Xiao XingChen and Song Lan:

Jin GuangYao mused, "They didn’t really do much to you, so why the anger?"

Xue Yang spat, "I find these fake, conceited people the absolute most disgusting. That Xiao XingChen was clearly not even that much older than me, poking his nose into other people’s business—annoying. And he started giving me a lecture. And that Song guy.” He sneered, “I only brushed past his arm, so what was with that look he gave me? Sooner or later, I’ll dig out his eyes and shatter his heart. Let’s see what he’ll do when that happens." (Ch. 118)

This might have grown from the seven year old who was minding his own business, promised candy for a task, and then grievously injured. This is aggressive self-defense. This is ‘I will hurt them before they hurt me.’ He’s looking for threats. Because did he know Chang Cian or the man who received the letter were going to hurt him? No. And he’s making sure no one hurts him ever again.

And yet.

He was used by Jin GuangYao, who understood Xue Yang the best as they walked side-by-side, as Jin GuangYao showed him kindness, gave him advice, offered him everything. Then once Jin GuangYao got what he wanted out of him, once what Jin GuangYao had helped make Xue Yang into was more a liability than a boom, Jin GuangYao told the cultivation world he was getting rid of him.

We aren't told what happened next, but I do have to wonder about the timeline. Xue Yang helped Jin GuangYao murder Jin GuangShan, Jin GuangYao announced to the cultivation world he was going to get rid of Xue Yang, then the next we hear about Xue Yang is that he is found, half-dead, on the side of the road by Xiao XingChen. Was Xue Yang one of Jin GuangYao's victims who got away? I wouldn’t be surprised since it fits Jin GuangYao’s methods, but that Xue Yang doesn’t storm the gates in revenge leaves room for doubt. But then a dog that has been severely beaten would know to stay away until he’s recovered, and we know Xue Yang, after he is found by Xiao XingChen, becomes distracted by this new domestic situation instead.

I also want to point out Xue Yang’s courtesy name: Xue Chengmei. I admit i don’t know the full background of when or how these Chinese names are given, but my current assumption is it was given to him by the Jin. The translations I’ve seen include "to help fulfil the wishes of others" (Exiled Rebels Scanlations) and also "help others do good deeds" (from the modao-zushi fandom wiki).

As Jin GuangYao was the one to bring him in, it’s possible that he was the one to explicitly name him. And this, to me, presents Xue Yang in the most pitiful light: Xue Yang was Jin GuangYao’s second pearl to his father. Jin GuangShan wanted a demonic cultivator and Jin GuangYao found what was needed to please him, to try to win him over. Xue Yang was not brought and kept at Koi Tower for self-improvement or self-growth. He was brought in as a useful tool. He was brought in so Jin GuangYao’s wishes could be fulfilled.

So Xue Yang's life is something that is meant to be used by others. It's no wonder he goes absolutely feral and delights in the macabre and abuse of others -- because physical power, the power to hurt, is tthe only power he understands. By the time he leaves Koi Tower he's a rabid dog with no place to belong, beaten once again by a trusted master, and harboring feelings of resentment and hatred in his inferiority. So when Xiao XingChen arrives and helps him, it’s another nice warm bed, new clothes, and new toys to play with in the form of Xiao XingChen and A-Qing's blindness.

But what of interventions? Of teaching him to do better? Remember that Nie MingJue tries to guide Jin GuangYao with good advice at their first meeting, and Xiao XingChen also tries to guide Xue Yang, by advising Jin GuangYao, at their first meeting:

Right after, [Xiao XingChen] turned his gaze towards Xue Yang, "However, even if he’s still at a young age, as he has taken a seat amongst Koi Tower’s guest cultivators, it’s still best if he learns restraint. After all, the LanlingJin Sect is one of the most prestigious sects. It needs to lead by example in many aspects." (Ch. 118)

The Lanling Jin Sect needs to lead by example -- but they don’t. Jin GuangYao has the power to be a good person, but he won’t. And Xue Yang pays for it. Everyone at Yi City suffers for it. Xue Yang doesn’t learn restraint and Jin GuangYao mirrors back what Xue Yang wants to see: someone like him. Jin GuangYao humored his macabre practical jokes. They sentenced innocent people to die together, showed their true faces to each other, and committed a most horrific fratricide together. Xue Yang was having fun, he was feeling powerful, and he didn’t feel like he had to stop when he met Xiao XingChen, whom he hated at first horsewhip-lash. Xiao XingChen can’t look down on him if Xiao XingChen is brought down to his level. It’s only a human tongue in that tea. It’s only Shuanghua in some dude’s chest. It’s hilarious, Xiao XingChen, you should see your face!

It’s nothing more than a child playing with a toy. Of course Xue Yang would end up destroying the one good thing he accidentally stumbled upon. Jin GuangYao had showed him kindness too, and looked how that turned. No one had ever done something out of charity and kindness for him, so how was he supposed to recognize it for what it was? The answer is he couldn’t, it was impossible, and then he spent the next ~7 years trying to get Xiao XingChen back and still it was for all the wrong reasons. Does he hate? Does he want? Is it love? Is it spite?

But Xiao XingChen had bandaged his wounds when no one else had. Xiao XingChen had given him the candy no one else had.

The last piece of candy Xue Yang held onto for all those years without eating...

A short, pitiful life indeed.

[a-very-bizarre-adventure]

i have a request, though if it’s very specific, feel free to ignore! okay so- sdc. dio has a very tender, sweet s/o. despite her cute looks, she has a stand- useful for spying. she’s been spying on crusaders for some time. but now they find out about her and force her to join? eventually, they convince her dio is bad. even though she hasn’t fully moved on from dio, she falls for joot and tells him when they got to hang out alone, already in egypt, close to dio? she is scared so her comforts her?

I AM SO SORRY I MADE YOU WAIT THIS LONG, I was just trying to make sure it actually sounded good and I really hope you like this! 

 It wasn’t supposed to end up this way. You were only supposed to follow the crusaders, gather information on them and their stands, and then report back to Dio. It was an easy task. At least, it was until they had cornered you. You didn’t plan on getting caught, but the sun and hot weather had made you a little sluggish and had caused you to let your guard down. This led you to make the biggest mistake of your life: taking your eyes off the crusaders- more specifically- Iggy. It slipped your mind that Iggy could smell enemies and when he started sniffing the air and walking towards your location with the other crusaders, you were innocently unaware. It wasn’t until you noticed shadows looming over you that you realized your mistake. As you slowly turned around, you were met with all five faces of the crusaders. Looking back at it all, maybe you could have done more to prevent all this from happening, but that’s all irrelevant now. Now, you’re a dedicated crusader.

There was no fighting or intense battle, you knew your stand wouldn’t stand a chance against all five of theirs. Instead, they interrogated you and explained their side of the whole story. It had taken a lot of time for them to convince you Dio was bad, but there was still a part of you that didn’t want to believe it. How could your Dio, the man who had taken you in and showed you love, be evil? You loved Dio, and Dio loved you. However, now your feelings were conflicted. You had fallen in love with the crusaders and their crazy antics. They welcomed you into a friendship unlike any other you had experienced. You understood why they had to defeat Dio and what could and would happen if they lost. Deep down, you knew you had to betray Dio. At one point you loved him, but now you knew the monster he had become.

Though you were close to all the crusaders, you were particularly fond of one specific delinquent: Jotaro Kujo. You honestly weren’t surprised that you fell for him. Jotaro was handsome, blunt, and though he seemed rough around the edges, you had been able to witness his kindness firsthand. A kindness that Dio lacked. The longer you traveled with the crusaders, the more you saw beneath his bad boy façade. You knew he could joke around, laugh, and be goofy. He also may or may not have saved your ass a few times. To you, Jotaro was no longer an intimidating figure that beat people up, he had become so much more than that. When you realized you had fallen for him, you knew in your heart that there was no room for Dio in both your heart or the world.

The two of you had been sitting outside the hotel for a while now. The sun was finally setting, and it plunged everything in a warm, orange hue. Jotaro sat beside you quietly smoking his cigarette as he watched the people bustling around the street. You had decided to tag along on his smoke break because you needed to discuss something with him, but your nerves were getting the best of you. Your group was quickly approaching Cairo, meaning Dio was just around the corner. With all the enemy stand users you all have encountered, you knew that Dio knew that you had betrayed him. You also knew that anyone who dares betray Dio was practically a dead man. So many thoughts were running through your head and you knew you had to confess to Jotaro before you reached Cairo.

“Jotaro, can I ask you something?” You felt your breath get stuck in your throat as those aquamarine eyes met yours. He took a long drag of his cigarette before finally letting out the puff of smoke.

“Sure, what is it?” He lowered his cigarette from his mouth as he shifted his body towards you. The warm glow of the sunset had made his features seem even more endearing to you. Your mouth felt dry as you tried to search for the words. He always had a way of making your train of thought crash. He quirked an eyebrow at you as you stumbled to get the words out. Finally, you bit your pride and blurted out the words you had been dying to say.

“I like you, but don’t say anything right now. I need to get some things off my chest.” You inhaled a deep breath as you gathered your thoughts. Jotaro’s eyes widened in shock before he took control of his emotions and kept his gaze locked on you. “I was in a relationship with Dio, that’s why I was following you all. I was spying on you all, as you all already know. I know we are almost to Cairo which means we are closer to Dio. He’s not going to have mercy on us. I betrayed him in more ways than one, I'm scared I only fueled the fire and that I’ll have to pay back my mistake with my life.”

You kept your gaze away from him as you feared what his response would be. A beat of silence had passed, and you felt your anxiety creeping up. Maybe telling him was a mistake. It wasn’t until you felt his hand on your shoulder that you looked at him. His eyes seemed softer as he stared at you.

“It’s okay to be scared. Even I am scared. There’s no telling what tricks he has up his sleeves or what other stand users he has working for him. We’re heading towards unknown territory, but I’ll promise you this; as long as I'm here, I won't let him hurt you.” His grip on your shoulder was firm. Slowly, you placed your hand on top of his.

“You promise?” You whispered. His fingers intertwined with yours as he placed your hand on the table in front of you all.

“I promise.”

You felt warmth wash over you as you stared at your intertwined hands. You glanced back at him to see that he had pulled his hat brim down, hiding his face. All you could do was smile as you realized you were always meant to be with the crusaders. You may have betrayed Dio, but with Jotaro by your side, you knew everything would be fine.

[thrushpot]

sixteen

Billy Hargrove x fem reader

“A fic where you and billy are exes, you've not seen him for a while bc you go to different schools. Billy sees you with a guy all over each other in town and goes to a party that night to blow off steam but you're there with your new bf. You and the boyfriend break up at the party because he was being a dick. You go off with billy and spend the night with him” requested by anonymous.

word count: 4,147

warning(s): swearing

a/n: was gonna split this into two chapters bc of how long it is, but I figured why not. this turned out lighter and funnier than I originally thought. oh and I made the reader and Billy nineteen going on twenty. love the idea anon, thank you! tell me in my asks if you guys like longer fics cause I can stretch all mine out. I personally love long ones. let me know! also left the reader’s asshole bf nameless on purpose, you can put in any douchey name you want.

—

If anybody were to tell Billy what he would’ve seen when he went on an innocent trip to the supermarket to pick up his favorite frozen burritos, he would’ve ditched the frozen food and just order in a pizza for himself instead. Nothing could’ve prepared him for the shock, then the disappointment, and not to mention the utter fucking disgust of seeing you play Happy Housewife picking up groceries with a boy holding onto you by your hip. You were laughing with the tall handsome stranger, pointing at the sprinkled donuts as if there was something hilarious or entertaining about them.

Billy had originally been strolling through the aisles at ease, happy to get out of the house and go do something besides work, class, or going to the gym. Becoming a young adult for Billy meant chores like grocery shopping, and attending community college as a fresh start, also working at the car place down the street from town. He’d been doing good for a change, and it was a different feeling for him. Usually something (or in this case someone) would have him kicking and screaming his way back to his old self. Back when he was never anything but angry, sat around and blamed the world and refused to properly deal with his feelings, or think over his actions. However, college started and he met new people, strived to better himself not just physically but mentally. He even ditched his regular tough guy workout diet, replacing the protein shakes once in awhile and grabbing a case of colorful mouth-watering mini cupcakes for himself instead. He was hoping to treat himself because he deserved it, but this is what the world would rather graciously gift him: his ex girlfriend pawing at some douchey delinquent right in front of his face.

Billy reacted quick, almost embarrassingly quick, hiding himself behind the nearest corner with his back to the wall, his treats still sitting in the grocery basket as he cautiously peeked around to see if you were coming closer in his direction. Seeing as though you weren’t there anymore, he thanked his lucky stars and at last minute grabbed a bucket of vanilla ice cream from the nearest freezer section, because he fucking can, thank you very much. That’s what seeing “the one that got away” sucking face with somebody else at the store had done to the poor boy. The blonde anxiously tiptoed around the perimeter of the store, looking for your hair or that guy’s ugly face. After his target seemed to have vanished in thin air, thankfully, Billy sighed in deep relief and ran a hand over his suddenly warm face, coming down from the mini panic attack that you just unknowingly put him through. He thought you’d ditch Hawkins like you always said you would, find a better home to break more boys’ hearts and get a degree somewhere fancy. But then again, Billy remembers that there’s a lot of things you said you would do and ended up not doing.

“Hi, thank you for shopping with us. Would this be all for you today?” The kind middle aged woman behind the cash register asked. Billy scratched his head before forgetting if Max asked for anything or not, then decided whatever munchies she wanted could wait for next time. But first Billy needed to find another fucking store to shop at now, feeling like this place made Hell look like a playground with you and lover boy waltzing around, having a jolly time.

“Um, d’you think we could get this over with? ‘M kinda in a hurry here,” Billy laughs out of his anxiety, seeing the cashier woman take her time ringing him up. He squeamishly reached into his back pocket for his wallet and pulled out a few bucks then handed them over. She took the bills and slided them into the register one by one after scanning all of his items.

“Of course, sir. Would you like your receipt in the bag, or —?” Billy nodded his head and rushed to grab his bagged goodies before his name got called by a voice he never wanted to hear again.

“Billy?”

Holy mother of God.

Billy slowly turned around as if he were a kid getting caught with his hand in the cookie jar, and there you were. He didn’t want to make it obvious that he was checking you out, seeing if you’ve changed a lot or just a little since three and a half years ago. And you did. You matured quite a bit, got a new hairstyle that suits you, and you have a cute outfit on with your usual style that hasn’t changed drastically since you were sixteen. Billy remembers all your adorable band tees you’d wear, and he also remembers yanking them off of you when he took you to his room. But he probably shouldn’t think about that right now, not with you and your new boyfriend right in front of him.

“Uh... hey,” he breathes out, clearing his throat and straightening out his jacket, even smoothing out his hair like an idiot as if it wasn’t too late to already. As if he still cared what you think of him and his appearance. You raised your brows at him and grinned like it was fucking amusing to see him get so worked up and uncomfortable, still a bitch, then grabbed a hold of the man’s coat and gave it a tug to signal him for his attention. The tall, dark handsome man looks over at Billy as you greet him.

“Hey there, stranger. It’s been a few,” you greet him as if he were an old colleague or some bullshit, not at all like an ex who’s heart you smashed to pieces. It’s unsettling to Billy, and he knows something is up, like you’re not completely being real, not acting like yourself. Even if it’s been a few years, there’s no way in hell you could have tossed your whole personality out the window. “Babe, this is Billy. He’s an old family friend of mine,” you introduce the two boys and they shake hands, your boyfriend’s grip much tighter and Billy’s more hesitant. What the fuck is happening?

“What’re you up to these days?” You inquire, probably faking interest in how he turned out after high school. Billy knows he doesn’t have it in him to stand another second of this conversation, and when shit hits the fan, he bolts.

“You know, sorry but I really gotta go. This was great, uh. Nice seeing you Y/N, and nice meeting you Amigo, ” he snatches his groceries before all but running out of the store, nearly knocking his head into the automatic opening door on the way out, recovering quickly. Leaving your boyfriend confused and you feeling somewhat lonely, suddenly wishing to be sixteen and by his side again.

—

“Family friend? What the fuck was that!” Billy punched the steering wheel before he strapped on his seatbelt and threw his comfort food in the backseat. He can’t believe you, that you’d call him a family friend after all you two had been through. You were the first girl he ever actually found himself liking, and after you transferred to another school and dropped him like trash, you had since been the last girl he ever trusted, too. It was early 1983 when Billy was finally getting the attention from girls he wanted and having the time of his life in his second year of high school. You came around and made the first move asking him out, even calling the shots on what to do when you first started messing around, like the drunk on sex and hormones teenagers you were. You stood out amongst the other girls, he noticed it immediately and thought it would be fun to have a partner he could try out all the stuff he’d wanted to do. Practice was what he had called it, for when the time comes that his performance in bed actually mattered, since he was just a kid that went no further than second base before in his short life.

Things took a turn, and looking back now Billy should’ve seen it coming. Catching feelings and spending an awful lot of time together made him weak, made him more vulnerable than he’d ever been before. You fell for him too, or maybe you just said that to appease him, Billy doesn’t know anymore and gets a headache when he tries putting the puzzle together. Always missing what the point of it all was. Meeting him, smiling at him and making the boy feel special, feel like a real man even at the tender age of sixteen. Teaching him how to fuck, how to make love, how to give head that could make a girl scream and beg for more, more, more. More importantly teaching him that it’s healthy to talk to people about how he feels, listening to others in return. Then out of nowhere, dropping Billy like a fly when you moved and never calling him back after you promised him you would. Like it meant nothing to you.

He had so much he wanted to say to you but you were untouchable. He didn’t know your new address to write you, couldn’t for the life of him look your family up in the phone book either. He’d never felt so hopeless, so alone. And it was a stab in the back that you never lived up to your word, promising you’d keep in contact with him and never forget about him. The then sixteen-year-old cried hard in his pillow every night for weeks wondering what went wrong to have you not even try to keep in contact. And to do that, to shove him away in a drawer labeled nothing by calling him a family friend... fuck.

Billy snaps out of the painful flashback and refuses to let any tears out. If he didn’t deserve an explanation or some type of closure, then you didn’t deserve any of his tears. He rubbed his eyes as he sped home, then almost forgets the bags of frozen food in the back with how distracted he had gotten. When he made it into the house, he heated up two of his favorite frozen burritos in the microwave and ate all his sorrow away.

As Billy finished up his greasy deliciousness, he wiped his hands off on his already dirty jeans and answered the telephone attached to the wall that obnoxiously rang. It was Tommy on the line, saying something about some banger being thrown tonight. Just like that, a lightbulb lit up in Billy’s head.

Hell yeah.

Getting drunk, dancing drunk, burying all his feelings in some college girl’s pussy and chugging vodka sounded heavenly. Anything to forget the feelings and thoughts he had that slowly but surely started coming back up to the surface about Y/N.

—

Pretending to have a good time when you’d rather be home asleep is exhausting. The day dragged on with your boyfriend taking you place after place, spending penny after penny on you in hopes to buy your love, your affection, and your time. You sighed and ran your fingers through your hair in distress as lover boy decided to take you to another party you weren’t too keen on attending. Drinking sucked and made you sick, your boyfriend hated when you got stoned, so that ruled out all the fun of these get togethers. You tried to protest but he was insistent on going, it was no use; he had to have everything he wanted, and damn anything or anyone that got in his way.

“I’m serious. Give me the keys. You’ve had your fun, now I can drive you back to yours and you get your car from mine in the morning, alright?” you tried to ask nicely twice already, but he either ignored or refused you. He was passed tipsy already, slurring as he called you names and kept whining about how you never want to have any fun. When you try to take the keys from his back pocket he shoved you away then poured the remainder of his beer in your face. Absolutely humiliated with all eyes on you, you grabbed the nearest full drink not giving a shit who it belonged to and did the same, drenching his face in whatever sticky contents were in the solo cup and gave him the finger, running upstairs. Knowing lover boy he probably won’t even remember what happened tonight, beg for forgiveness, try to buy you back to him. Not happening this time.

Finding the nearest empty room upstairs to cry by yourself then clean off the stench of beer from your face and your clothes, you weren’t quite expecting your ex from three and a half years ago to come stumbling out of the restroom, the toilet flushing behind him as he still struggled to zip himself. He had a cigarette dangling from his mouth too, looking about as “put together” as he did at the store. You laughed at the sight, classic Billy, and he snapped his head over to the sound and his cigarette nearly fell out of his mouth.

“You following me or something?” He asks, giving up on his belt and leaving it undone.

“Oh, actually I am. You caught me,” you replied, sarcasm blatant in your tone. You pulled the knobs to turn the sink on and cupped you’re hands to gather up a pool of water to wash your face that was still drenched in beer. Billy saw how disheveled you looked and wondered if it was because you were having a great time or a horrible time. Based on your attitude, he had to guess it wasn’t the ladder. “Is there anywhere you don’t smoke?” you ask, seeing as though he still smoked like a chimney even while taking a piss.

Billy chooses to ignore that, knowing you already had the answer to that question. Instead, he chooses to comment on your wet hair and beer stinking up your clothes. “Trouble in paradise?” He asks conversationally. You looked up at him and scoffed, giving him a glimpse of your ruined mascara now running down your cheeks.

“I’m not in paradise,” you answer vaguely, not wanting to bother him with the details. You just knew he wanted an I Told You So, but you were stubborn enough not give it to him.

“Sure seems like it,” he responds. You want to roll your eyes at the signature attitude he’s giving, but can’t help feeling odd by the fact that you two were alone in a room together and he still hadn’t put his belt on properly.

“You look like an idiot. Come here,” you beckon him with your finger and he doesn’t move a muscle, just staring at you with his sultry blue eyes. “Alright, have it your way. I’ll come to you, prick,” after taking four steps to meet him you yank his belt then strap it on the tightest hole possible, finishing up by lacing the strap through the belt loops. While pulling away, Billy meets your eyes and holds your stare, not even blinking before he snaps out of it and goes back to brat mode.

“Thanks, but I’m not a goddamn child anymore. And you stink like PBR.”

“Oooh, sick burn, dude. It was a Budlight, by the way. That all you have left in you?”

“No, I have more. You got time to hear ‘em?”

“Got all night.”

—

You and Billy stayed upstairs and got to catching up, also throwing immature insults like “you peaked at sixteen” and “at least I don’t smoke on the toilet.” When you both finally let up and started laughing at your past mistakes and not holding grudges because of them, that’s when the energy in the room took a turn and you now remember that this is the Billy you knew. The doofus in the supermarket that ran into the door. Now you both lay on the bed, the blonde boy propped up by the headboard still chainsmoking, and you on the other end of the bed with your feet in his lap. Billy’s heart sings with how much he missed this, missed talking and just fucking around with eachother. Not taking anything serious. It was one of the many favorite qualities he had about you.

“Shit, I can’t even believe you’re really here. Never thought I’d see you again,” he murmurs while looking down at you, playfully tickling your feet that were in front of him. You reacted by almost kicking him in the face with laughter, then demanded he knock it off to which he surrendered.

“Well, same goes for me I guess. I can’t believe you don’t even try buttoning your shirts,” you say as he laughs and hides his face in his hands, adorably self conscious. “It’s hot though, don’t get me wrong. I can forgive you for that,” you sit up and reach to tug on the collar of his red button up, before you suddenly remember how you got here in the first place. “Can you ever forgive me?”

Billy snaps his head up at the change in conversation, seeing as though you’re both getting to that point of the night. When you really start to talk about everything.

“Wouldn’t be here if I didn’t.”

You keep your eyes trained on him and scoot further up the bed right next to him before taking his cigarette from his mouth and giving it a drag yourself.

“Can you take me home?”

Billy turns his body towards yours and wraps one arm over your shoulder, as if protecting you. “I don’t know where you live anymore,” he rubs your back and let’s you lean your head in his exposed chest.

“That’s not what I’m talking about.” you whisper as he nods in understanding, taking his keys from his pocket and opening the bedroom door and opening it for you.

—

Billy drove you to his apartment and led you up to his room, which he kept much neater than he did back in the day. He even had a bookcase that was filled with the classics as well as a variety of horror novels. Posters of naked playboy women were removed and instead he now had his class schedule hung up along with metal bands and movie posters decorating the walls. His bed was unmade, but what made you laugh out loud was seeing three rolls of tissue that were crumbled up on his bedside table.

“What? I’m getting over a cold, you asshole.” He defended himself as he took off his shirt, not caring to tell you to leave as he changed. You had to double take when you saw the ink on his upper arm, where a cheesy old fashioned skull tattoo lay.

“You can’t be serious — this isn’t real. That cannot be real,” your eyes wide with disbelief and not asking for permission before trying to rub it off, expecting it to smudge.

“Nope. It’s totally real,” he goes on to tell you his experience going in and getting it on his eighteenth birthday after feeling extra rebellious. After his story was finished he realizes he forgot to ask if you’d even eaten dinner yet. “You hungry at all? Got these kickass frozen burritos, plenty to share,” he wiggles his eyebrows at you, and you agree that they sound fantastic right about now. Billy leads you back downstairs to the kitchen and plopping a couple of them on a plate and heating them up in the microwave.

“Billy, can I tell you something?”

“Uh, sure. If you wanna ruin our meal then go for it,” Billy answers, burning his fingers on the hot plate when he tries taking it out. The boy hissed and cursed, holding his sensitive hand as if it were a wounded animal. Still sitting at the kitchen table, you roll your eyes at his stupidity and impatience then grab the oven mittens from a drawer and grab the plate for you two.

“It’s hot,” you say obviously, stopping him from taking a bite of the sizzling meal.

“Yeah, thanks for the heads up.”

“I’m serious. We’ve been avoiding it all night, but I know I hurt you when I didn’t keep in touch like I said—“

“Y/N, stop.”

“No. You need to understand-“

“I said stop.” he snaps, quickly transitioning to defense mode, vastly uncomfortable with the change in subject. It was silent for too long, and Billy didn’t want to wait any longer for the food to cool, taking a bite and spilling beans down his shirt. “Goddammit,” he grumbled before you took the lead and grabbed a napkin to clean his tank top.

“You need a bib,” you advise.

“You’re not my fucking mom, alright! You ask me to to take you back here, make me feel like a child. You’re the child. You are! Go back to your snobby little boy toy, why don’t you? Christ.” he rubs his eyes after finishing his tangent, talking more under his breath about how “unbelievable” you are, and taking another sloppy bite from the burrito but nevertheless passing the plate to you and offering you some.

“I’m not hungry anymore, and I dumped my ‘boy toy’ right when he dumped his Budlight on me.” you quote Billy’s nickname for your new ex, then your stomach interrupts you by rumbling. He looks at you and then the plate knowingly. With a sigh, you grab the burrito and take a few nibbles before wiping your hands. Billy starts to stomp back up to his room before calling your name, pausing at the top of the stairs.

“I’m going to the gym tomorrow, Max is sleeping over at her friend El’s. You don’t have to stay.”

—

Billy doesn’t know what made him clam up so fast. Maybe it was how you still treated him like he was stupid, or that you wouldn’t drop it and bring up the breakup when he thought he was actually having a nice night. As soon as he enters his room he throws a pillow across the room and pouts before laying on his bed staring up at the ceiling. He surges for his back up pack of smokes and lights one up, the nicotine relieving him of his anxiety. Eventually he had to get up again to take a piss and when he exited the bathroom, there you were, waiting for him.

“Can’t get rid of me, William.”

“Who got rid of who last time, huh?” He blows smoke in your face with a smirk, happy about the cleverness of his comeback. “I already forgave you. Don’t bother.” He told you, strolling back to his room with his smoke trailing behind him.

“I’m sorry for referring to you as a family friend. Honestly, if he were to hear anything different he would’ve hurt me and then he would’ve killed you.” Billy stopped and turned around to where you stand, seeing your eyes brimmed with tears as you held your chest, trying your hardest not to fall apart.

Tugging on his heart strings since he was sixteen, Billy can’t help but give in.

“Come here.”

You fall into his warm embrace, with “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry” I’m repeat and he shushes you while petting your hair, holding you tight.

“Y/N, baby, don’t cry. Please don’t cry,” he pleads, not standing it when you’re sad and especially when he was the cause of it.

“I left you and I didn’t talk to you ever again because I’m replaceable. You could’ve found any other girl or... or anybody to keep you company the rest of high school. But you spent it moping about losing me like the fucking idiot you are!” you laugh out loud, and it wasn’t humorous. Billy leads you in his room and ashes his cigarette without taking his hands off you.

“Listen. No, listen to me. Shut the fuck up. I didn’t mope about just any girl, and I don’t ever cry and bitch about her leaving me unless she meant the fucking world to me,” he takes your head in his hands, wanting to make you understand.

“I still love you. Even if you smoke on the toilet and do all the other weird shit you do,” you smile as you sniffle, embaressed about getting his shirt wet. Billy assured you that it didn’t matter then pulls you close to his lips.

“And I love you, even if you still reek like PBR.”

“It was a Budlight that was thrown at me, actually.”

“Shut up.”

And now Billy can say he’s never been more grateful he went to the supermarket for his favorite frozen burritos that morning.

—

sorry this sooo long but the idea was just too cute for it to be a small basic one shot!!

[sarcastically-defensive17]

Times Like These - LRH. Chapter 1 - 2 months, 7 days, 6 hours and 11 minutes

It had been exactly 2 months, 7 days, 6 hours and 11 minutes since he had moved in.

It's not that she would want to see him out on the streets, or mooching off of their kind grandmother anymore than he had. She knew the spare room in her fathers' house was the best place for him.

It's not even that she didn't like being around him. It was that she hated his smug, self-centered attitude, and the blatant narcissism that rolled off of his tongue with every syllable drawn from his viper mouth.

In short, she hated her cousin.

He was two years her junior and acted as if he was the be all and end all of the universe. Now, Audrey would never admit it, but she could be rather selfish. In specific circumstances, she could be arrogant, but unlike her frustrating cousin, she has the capabilities of acknowledging the feelings of others.

Despite what her father says.

Jason Bernard Clifford, often called J.B by family and his overly obnoxious 'popular' friends, was the very bane of her existence.

She had just settled Alexis. Just as the little girls' brown eyes closed, obnoxious music blared through the upper story of the house.

The 10 month old jolted awake and adopted a deep frown on her face as she jutted her bottom lip out.

Audrey released a growl from her throat, pulling the babe into her hip and shushing her. It took almost 15 minutes to get her back to the point before sleep, and when they reached it, she was out of the room.

She stomped towards his bedroom, the same room that used to belong to her brother, and threw the door open only to be met with the strong stench of marijuana and the unmistakable toxic fog of teenage boy.

"Jason, for the love of god-"

"What the fuck do you want now?" He snapped, not even looking up from his video game at the presence of his cousin.

There was a pale yellow bong resting on the floor next to his leg, and garbage and clothes strewn over the entirety of the room.

She sighed through her nose, closing her eyes for a minute as she restrained her mind from delving into the idea of giving the boy a concussion.

"How many times do I need to remind you that there are other people that live in this house? I'm convinced that you enjoy watching Lexi stay awake all night because of your shitty mumble rap!" The same event had happened 3 times this week. It was only Thursday.

"Whatever," he still didn't bring his eyes from the screen.

She huffed, stepping in his vision and blocking the television, "You are unbelievable."

The thing about J.B, was that he could go from 0 to 100 in a matter of seconds when it came to his elder cousin.

They hadn't gotten along since they were little. In fact, he hadn't gotten along with many family members, the exception being his doting uncle Daryl.

"I'm unbelievable?"

"Yes, that's what I said, dumbass."

"Oh, you're such a little princess. Maybe if you pulled the stick out of your ass you could loosen up," he snapped, a sadistic laugh falling from his lips at the end.

"What the hell did you just say to me?" She growled, her eyes flaming with anger.

She had simply gone to his room to remind him that there are other people present in the house as well and to ask him to turn down his incessant noise. It was a very real possibility that the interaction would result in an argument, but to be honest, she was fine with that.

The boy irked her to no extent. He was 17 but acted as if he owned the house and could make the rules, and to her, it seemed like that was the reality.

Jason could do no wrong in her fathers' eyes, and it had been like that since Michael left and her parents marriage fell apart.

Her mother, the lovely Karen, was on a pilgrimage of Europe with her sister. A trip that Audrey rejected going on, for the sake of her university degree and her daughter. As such, the youngest Clifford child moved in with her father, despite her being old enough to live on her own.

University was economically draining, as well as emotionally. The only escape Audrey had was the casual job she had at the local tattoo parlor.

And even the money she made there wasn't enough to pay rent, travel, food for the two and babysitting.

"I said, you should try pulling the stick out of your ass, you uptight little-"

"Do you two ever stop fighting?" they both turned their heads to be met with the sight of the blond man she called her father.

Immediately she felt her eyes roll back into her skull, knowing that the argument will be brushed off and she will soon take her place cleaning the war zone in the kitchen.

"Sorry Uncle Daryl," Jason murmured, shoving his hands into the pockets of his grey sweats and adopting an innocent look. "I asked Audrey to clean the mess she made in the kitchen and she just blew up at me!"

"What? It wasn't my mess!" She screeched, raising her arms in the air when her father nodded at the boys words. Typical of Jason to change the topic. And her father would always believe it as well.

"I honestly think it may be that time of the month again," He whispered to his uncle, following it closely with a deep cringe.

Her father opened his mouth to answer the boy, a sympathetic look directed at him, but was cut off by the sound of Audrey grunting and stomping out of the room.

"I'm sorry about her, Jason. You know how ladies get at that time," she could basically hear the cringe on her fathers face as the words sounded through the thin walls.

She slammed her bedroom door behind her, and the sound of her 'Piss off, Jason' sign hitting the ground tore another growl from her throat.

Times like these, she wished for nothing more than her brother to talk to, or her mother to come back to Australia so she could move in with her. Instead, she was stuck in her old family home, with a man she thought too immature to be any sort of parental figure, and a teenage delinquent whose only purpose in life was to make hers and her daughters hell.

Audrey had more important things to focus on rather than the two impossible males she lived with.

She had first-year University work piling up, bags under her pale green eyes and an influx of shifts coming up in the next two weeks and a teething baby who was going through a hair pulling phase.

Unsurprisingly, she longed for the days when the only worry she had was kicking Michael's ass in Guitar Hero.

After a few hours of stewing in her bedroom, she had a shower to alleviate some stress. She decided her monthly self-care routine would be the best way to unwind in preparation for a long day of work as Lexi was sleeping peacefully in her crib.

Her mother had sent her a two tubs of a blueberry extract hair mask from France with her last postcard, and Audrey adored the substance. She had already planned to make a trip to the country in the future simply to get more of the product.

She was so exhausted by the time she was layering it on her blonde hair that she didn't pay particular attention to the overly blue colour of the product, nor did she make sure to keep her eyes open for the ten minutes it was meant to stay in her hair.

45 minutes later, she woke up and upon realizing she forgot to rinse her hair, went to do so; only to emerge with patches of blue dye coating her naturally blonde locks.

The entire house, and the neighbours surrounding it, were woken abruptly at 11:30PM by the sound of Audrey Clifford screeching her cousin's name at the top of her lungs and the aggressive grunts from Alexis as she woke with a start.

[shikihana]

The Sengoku Warlords in High School

This started out as I was trying to apply popular high school shoujo manga tropes to the guys, but I realized that they already are stereotypical tropes, so I ended up just letting my imagination run wild with them in a Japanese high school.

Nobunaga: Everyone in school knows him. He’s only a second year student but he is already student body president. He skipped becoming class representative and didn’t even campaign. He announced he was running, and everyone else dropped from the race. Not only that, they helped get him elected. It wasn’t like he intimidated them or seduced them or anything, but they all know he would win, and that he is the best guy for the job. Doesn’t have a favorite subject because he’s good at everything. His fans are avid, but they are the type that agree he is strictly for public admiration.

Masamune: Second year student. He would be the wild bad boy type that attracts many girls. So many girls. He enjoys his popularity, but does not exploit it. Except that it helps with his family business, which is a traditional Japanese confectionery store near school. He’s very passionate about food. He is head of the Home Economics club, where there’s one first-year who tries really hard and, though he wouldn’t admit, that kid is definitely his favorite member. Additionally, he is in the Astronomy club and is secretly obsessed with the moon. His favorite subject is Japanese.

Yukimura: Same class as Masamune. Obviously a student athlete. Captain of the football team (Neymar is his idol, and he wouldn’t shut up about that one time he met Hidetoshi Nakata on the street). Pitcher on the baseball team (he talks excitedly about his Koushien dream to anyone who would lend him an ear; “I want to go to Koushien, but it HAS TO be the summer Koushien!”). As a result, his club activities make him not that good at school work. Favorite subject is positively PE. He grew up with Masamune and they are neighbors, so they walk to school together. One in five girls who greet Masamune also blushingly says “hi” to him, to which he grins and greets them back. Masamune often jokes about him stealing members of the One-Eyed Fanclub.

Ieyasu: He’s the typical quiet, serious first year student. He goes to cram school because he wants to attend Tokyo University after high school. He has his whole life mapped out, and he loathes any distraction from that plan. Spends a lot of his time in the library because he does not “enjoy the company of others,” but he finds that the library isn’t always a foolproof way of avoiding annoyances. He joined the student council as secretary because (1) he wanted to be able to learn more from “Oda-senpai,” and (2) it would look good on his CV. His sports club of choice is Archery/Kyudo, and his best subjects are English and Chemistry.

Hideyoshi: Third year student who does not want to graduate because he is. Just. Too. Worried. About his underclassmen. ALL of them. He loves helping the teachers with errands and being there for his fellow schoolmates, so clearly he has to work in student council. At first he didn’t like being subordinate to someone younger than him, but the more he got to know Nobunaga, the more he approved of the kid. He’s in the Kendo club. All the first-years and second-years come up to him, calling him “senpai” and asking for help or advice.  His classmates and those in the same grade also started calling him “Senpai” as a joke, which stuck and became his petname. He loves it.

Kenshin: Third year student. Everyone at school knows his family is yakuza, because in his first year, someone leaked a photo of the nukibori (background-less) tattoo on his back of an ascending dragon. He is avoided out of reputation, rather than something he has actually done. Though his demeanor doesn’t help. Rumor has it that when someone accidentally crashed into Kenshin in the hallway, he grabbed their collar, stared at them so menacingly while muttering a threat and the poor kid started crying on the spot. Naturally, he is a loner. For an unknown reason, he’s never missed a day of school since kindergarten, so he doesn’t qualify as a delinquent. He could be really good at school, but he doesn’t care enough to try. And unsurprisingly, he’s not in any club either.

Mitsunari: First year student. He’s the friendly, air-headed kid with a refreshing smile that everyone loves to dote on. He helps out at the school’s library. He’s good at Social Studies. He joined the Home Economics club, if only because he loves baking, but he is clumsy as hell. For some miraculous reason, his baking results usually end up passably edible (edible is a far cry from palatable and is a whole abyss away from tasty); and he, the proud, innocent child that he is, would go around handing the treats to anyone he sees. No one has the heart to throw them away, except for that kid in the library who either refused the treat or took one bite and spit it out immediately.

Mitsuhide: He’s Hideyoshi classmate. He knows everyone in school: names, birthdates, bloodtypes, etc., the whole shebang. He keeps the information in his database, which he disguised as his electronic dictionary. What is it for, you ask? “If an accident happens to someone, I could provide EMT with necessary information to save their life,” he said, smirking mischievously. It’s probably for blackmailing. He seems to be the only one in school who has somewhat of an actual relationship with Kenshin. From everyone’s standpoint, they are on amicable terms. He frequently skips class but always manages to pass tests with high scores. Teachers can’t stand him, but let it go because chances are: he’s got something on them, too.

Shingen: That popular, young, handsome teacher that all the female students love to hang around and daydream about. He probably smokes, but not around students. When they go on field trips, the girls cannot help but squeal at him in casual clothes. He’d be teaching something like English or Math. He’s an easy grader, and he knows how to get the students engaged, so they all like his class. He is the adviser of the Astronomy club, and enjoys moon viewing on the school’s rooftop with Masamune every now and again.

Sasuke: He is very evidently the nerd of the first year, if not the whole school. He enjoys gaming and manga, but because he is a bit of an animation snob, he isn’t particularly fond of mass produced serialized anime. He keeps his hobbies to himself, not wanting to be labeled an otaku. He takes Arts as an elective and it’s his favorite class, for obvious reasons. It may come as a surprise to some, but Sasuke actually has a lot of friends. Despite not being the most animated or upbeat person, he’s a good conversationalist; because he knows a little bit about almost every topic, he can always join or add to any given discussion. If he does any sports at all, he would practice martial arts, such as Judo or Aikido.

Kennyo: Another one who isn’t a student. He would be the eccentric, strict, frowny faced teacher that the students badmouth and/or try to avoid. He has one Akita, three cats, two chatty budgies, a foul-mouthed cockatiel which he adopted, a baby water dragon (an iguana species, not a real dragon), a tortoise he inherited from his father that’s probably older than him, and a corn snake. His subject would be Chemistry. He’s constantly seen in his lab coat, and maybe goggles on his head, too. The story goes that the scar on his face was caused by an accidental explosion in the lab. He refrains from socializing with the staff and students, but Shingen wouldn’t have any of it and would drag him to have a drink whenever he can.

And these people are only connected because one day they came together and created a High School Host Club. Then a new transfer student accidentally broke an expensive vase and had to join to repay his (her?) debt.

If anyone here isn’t familiar with Japanese school system, high school has three grades, first year is the equivalence of a US high school sophomore, and so on. Also, Kenshin’s tattoo is a hundred percent inspired by Kiryu from Yakuza the game (by SEGA), if you were wondering.

[wanna1things]

Soulmate! Park Jihoon [Ver.2]

an angsty soulmate au? here? it’s more likely than you think sds i used a soft gif to distract you from how sad this is going to be

Genre;; bit of fluff, mostly angst + soulmate au

Warnings;; mentions of death + death of main character + dodgy stuff + just generally sad stuff

Pairing;; Park Jihoon x reader

Requested;; yes,, by anon here (I hope you like it!!)

Soulmate AU Type;; uhh reincarnation via souls + when you touch the soulmate, you remember all your previous lives together

Summary;; Is fate against you? Every time you find him, he’s gone.

Style;; bullet point

Word Count;; 2521

Other (happier) soulmate aus;; Daniel | Woojin | Jihoon | Jinyoung | Minhyun | Jisung | Kenta | Jonghyun

masterlist • request rules • request something

I wanted to do another Jihoon soulmate au since ages back and well i finally found a plot pff the end reminds me of west side story but!! i got the idea from a chinese legend hah

— “Our universe grants every soul a twin, a reflection of themselves. And no matter where they are or how far away they are from each other, they will always find one another. This is destiny; this is love.”

all human beings come from stars

and you were always drawn to this particular human being, like a moth to a flame

maybe you were from the same star, maybe you weren't

you were with him from the beginning of time, through the many years and eras

no matter what would happen, you two would find each other again, and live out the rest of your lives together

always, two souls as one

but never for long

in every point in history, something would break the two of you apart, cutting your two lives short

something inexplicable, a cursed twist of fate

and this time wouldn't be any different

you were living your life, knowing you had a soulmate somewhere out there, but where?

you didn't know, nobody did until they met one another

once you touched, you'd see all of your past lives, your ends and beginnings, and then you'd be free to live together

sure, sometimes it didn't work out, but in all the cases you'd seen it was perfect; your friends, family, teachers

two people, destined to be together, living out their lives as one

he came into your life on a cold winters day

you'd just finished college classes for the day, rushing home with your bag full of textbooks weighing heavy on your back

you made the sudden decision to drop into a coffee shop, find something to warm your cold hands

as soon as you saw him, sitting in the corner of the coffee shop reading a book all on his own, you felt something... different

it was like your heart was pulling towards his, like there was an uncontrollable force there

but before you could act on it, your coffee was in your hands and you were back on the way home

you didn't see him again until the blossoms appeared on the trees

this time, going into the coffee shop wasn't on a whim

you were with your friends, all of you stopping off for coffee on the way back from a day out

and there he was, the same corner, head buried in a different book this time

and the same deep, pulling feeling happened again

you didn't ignore it this time, branching off from your friends to take a seat in the chair that was opposite his, placing your drink on the table there

"Hello?"

he looked up from his book, and as soon as his eyes met yours it was like your heart had exploded

his face was so familiar, but you knew you'd never met him

you knew how he'd talk, all of his mannerisms before he'd even done them

"Hi..."

he looked at you curiously, before his eyes went back to his book again

you faltered a bit, confused as to why you were feeling this strange, supernatural connection

but you weren't about to let this feeling go, not if there was a chance that he could be your soulmate

"My name's y/n. What's yours?"

he looked up from the book again, his time placing it down in front of him, allowing you to see his face properly

to say he was beautiful would be an understatement, it was the kind of comforting beauty that made you feel at home in his warm gaze

"I'm Jihoon, why are you so persistent?"

you shook off his comment, holding out your hand for him to shake

unsurprisingly, he brushed you off before going to pick up his book again

"Please, tell me you feel it too?"

he froze for a second, his eyes meeting yours once again, this time seeing you properly for the first time

he stayed watching you for what felt like ages, no words spoken

"How do I know you?"

you shrugged at his question, you yourself not even knowing the answer, fumbling instead in your pocket to pull out your phone

"You don't, yet."

you slid the phone across the glass table towards him, hoping to get something from him - a number? an email address? hell, even his Facebook account?!

instead, he just slid it back to you with a lighthearted smile on his face

"Find me again, and I'll believe you."

with that, he stood up, putting the book he was reading into his small backpack and downing the last of his espresso before leaving

"How am I meant to do that?"

"I don't know, follow the feeling?"

like that, he was gone

you weren't sure why exactly you felt such a strong bond with such a... cold seeming person

but you swallowed your pride and made your way back to your friends, you coffee now no longer warm

"Who was that?"

your friends bombarded you with questions, wondering why you even approached such a person in the first place

your only explanation was... the bond

and you were determined to find him again, whatever it took

everywhere you went, you looked for him

every time you felt your heart beat faster, you searched around for him, but he was never there

when the leaves began to brown, you found him again

it was late in the evening, you were making your way home from a late study session in the college library

you felt your heart begin to tug, something you hadn't felt in months, and you knew he was somewhere

somewhere close... close enough for the feeling to be there

but as much as you frantically searched, he wasn't there

hell, you were out in the open - he could literally be anywhere?!

accepting failure, you kept walking down the back streets to your apartment, past alleyways and side roads

but as you walked past a particular alley, your heart felt like it would burst again

your walking ceased, and you found yourself staring into the poorly lit alley, trying to make out the face of the boy you couldn't forget

and you saw him, exchanging something with a man who seemed much older, much more dangerous than him

"If you lose this, I swear I'll kill you."

the words from the bigger mans mouth felt like a stab in the heart - who was the mysterious Jihoon? what was he doing around these kinds of people?

and why did this situation feel so oddly familiar?

you snapped out of your thoughts as you noticed Jihoon start to walk towards you, his own face dropping when he spotted you

"Y/n? Why are you here?!"

"I followed the feeling."

his hands dropped to his sides in defeat, his eyes searching yours once again in the dim light of the alleyway

"I guess that means you really are my soulmate."

something about this situation made you want to curse the world for giving you a delinquent as a soulmate, but something didn't feel right

he wasn't evil, he never was, and your soul was calling to you, telling you to trust him

but you'd seen what had just happened, what kind of innocent person hangs around people like that who make threats on his life so casually?

he approached you slowly, his gloved hand reaching out to hold yours

"Please, I'll explain everything."

as much as your mind was telling you not to trust him, your heart was still pulling towards him inexplicably

and so, you two ran in the night all the way to your apartment

you let him go in first, make himself comfortable in your studio flat

he didn't sit down, instead opting to follow you around closely as you prepared tea for the two of you

"I thought you were lying, when you approached me like that."

"Why would I lie?"

you poured the near-boiling water into the two mugs, passing one over to Jihoon, whose hands were still gloved

his hands flinched away as you made sure he was holding the mug fully, something which made you not only confused but... curious

"Why won't you let me touch you?"

he looked up from his mug to stare deep into your eyes, something he seemed to have become fond of doing

"I don't want to curse you."

he entered the living room, sitting down on the sofa and placing the tea in front of him as he explained as much as he could

he wasn't a delinquent, not really, at least not the kind you should be scared of

instead he was more... a messenger.

he worked with the gangs in your town to earn money and support his family and himself as much as possible

he was never in much danger, but he never wanted to risk it - risk his soulmate getting hurt

he explained that he felt as though something was never right with his soulmates, every time his friends would talk about how excited they were to meet the other half of their soul he'd just feel... sadness

and not longing, more like regret

it was something he couldn't explain in words, but you understood

everyone has a right to be jumpy around soulmates, anyone can claim they're yours but... it's a big responsibility

being the support of someone else, the other part of their whole... it's not something you want to pass on nonchalantly

he smiled when he realised you understood him completely, his whole reasoning behind the way he felt

and his smile was one that made you feel warm, convinced you to let down your defences

in that moment, you were happy

needless to say, it would be as short lived as ever

you and jihoon spent much more time together after that, going to the coffee shop together rather than meeting by coincidence, gradually getting to know each other

neither of you had any doubt the other was your soulmate, both of you wholeheartedly trusting one another

but jihoon still wouldn't touch you, something you noticed, but even as you fell for him you never took it the wrong way

and before you knew it, the two of you were truly in love

the way you looked at each other; anyone would know from a mile away that destiny had tied you two together

but it was all about to crumble down

you two had agreed to meet one night, to go out for a meal

and jihoon had finally decided that it would be the right time, the time for you two to touch one another and see your previous lives together

you were looking forward to it, more than anything else in the world, but there was a nagging feeling something was wrong

there had to be a reason why jihoon thought he was cursed, maybe something bad had happened in your past? were you sure you wanted to see that?

in all honesty, you weren't even sure yourself if this was 100% the right thing, but you trusted jihoon and he trusted you

and you loved jihoon, and he loved you

what more could you possibly need?

on the night of the meal, the moment you'd been waiting for, the two of you met up in the back streets of town, close to the restaurant district

you decided to meet there instead in the desperate hopes of finding an actual parking spot, but it was all strangely empty

even the restaurant was empty as you made your way in, except for the waiting staff

when jihoon asked, the staff mentioned something about the gangs going down on the other side of town tonight, and just that most people probably hadn't gone out so as not to risk it

you two ate your meal, chatting away about this and that, but both of you truly focused on what would happen after

fresh doubts continued to appear in your mind - what if he turned out to not be your soulmate? what if your history together is even worse than you thought? what if -

"Your bill."

"Thanks."

Jihoon offered up his credit card before you could even offer to pay, quickly pushing in his PIN number before taking back the card and standing up

he threw on his suit jacket and walked around to your side of the table, helping you up with his still-gloved hand

"Not long now."

he smiled brightly at you, both of your hearts fluttering in anticipation

but as you stepped out of the door of the restaurant, you knew straight away something was wrong

the same guy from the alleyway before stood across the street from you, his pose odd

you couldn't see properly in the dim street lights, but you could've sworn he was holding something

he shouted three words into the cold air of the night, three words that made your heart stop

"I told you."

a gunshot rang out, one that made you freeze on the spot out of fear

you felt as though you'd been shot, a sharp pain piercing through your heart, but as you looked down at yourself saw Jihoon flop to the floor beside you

the bullet had passed through his chest, you weren't sure where because the bleeding was so severe

but he was able to mumble something, words you never wanted to hear from him

"I'm so sorry."

you looked up from his wound to look into his eyes, his face growing paler and paler as the seconds passed

he went to repeat his apologies, but you quickly leant forward and cut him off, pressing your lips to his which where now cold and almost lifeless

your vision was flooded by a bright white light, and your history together started to play in your mind like a movie reel

each time it would start off happy, the two of you meeting with all smiles and happiness, touching and being revealed to be soulmates

but each time something would cut it short, a terrible tragedy that would cause it to change to another timeline

you recognised one of the stories as being more familiar than most, the most recent one

the two of you, dressed in clothing from the 60s, meeting and falling in love on the dance floor

but he was called away to fight in a war somewhere, and like that it was over

the white light faded out, leaving nothing but tears in your eyes

"Please, god, don't leave me again!"

you cried out, begging someone or something to save him, to not let this terrible fate happen all over again

you pulled him off the ground and to your chest, holding him to make up for all the time you'd spent cautious to not accidentally knock each other

you could feel his breaths slowing, his chest rising and falling less than before

with the last of his strength he held you tightly, his lips whispering into your ear

"I'll never leave you."

but he had.

— “In all the world, there is no heart for me like yours. In all the world, there is no love for you like mine.”

who is cutting onions in here

[mintchocolateleaves]

Requiem (2/16)

Summary:  When he was a child, Shinichi had thought he’d become a detective. Now he’s halfway there, looking into a series of attacks against delinquents in Tokyo, trying not to become a victim himself. Delinquent!AU

Notes: I have no excuse for taking so long in updating. But it’s here now, so please enjoy the second chapter of the delinquent AU!

[Part One]

Apparently, one of Hattori's guys has a name: KID.

If Shinichi's been told the story correctly, then the nickname is quite a common one. The pair of Osakan delinquents that had been attacked had been together when they'd been injured. Both had been talking about some unimportant thing – Shinichi doesn't know what, but he doesn't particularly care either – when they'd had their feet kicked out from beneath them, a punch each to their abdomen to ensure they remained on the ground, winded.

They'd been caught off guard; From what Hattori's told him, the two victims weren't the types to be easily snuck up on. Either the Osakan is lying, or their assailant is stealthy, able to get behind two boys without being noticed.

Shinichi suppresses a shudder.

“So they thought that there was more than one guy at first?” He asks, kicking his feet up on the desk. He and Hattori are sat in his family's library, and while he's gone so far as to offer a drink to be polite, Shinichi's not going all out.

He receives a nod, “he was quick, so they thought there must o' been more than one guy. But then they look'd up, an’ there was only one guy.”

Uncrossing his arms, Shinichi leans his cheek against his hand, tilting his head to the side. There's so much he feels like he doesn't know yet. Maybe he needs to actually investigate, play detective games like he did when he was younger, back when he'd imagined he'd become a police investigator.

Shinichi crosses his arms. He’s not certain he really understands, is trying instead to figure things out for himself. He says, “so if there’s only one guy, how can he be in Osaka and Tokyo at once?”

Hattori shrugs. “Maybe he travels between th’ two areas a lot? I ain’t that sure Kudo. I only got th’ details o’ what happened to my guys, not yours.”

Another nod. Shinichi’s the same – he’s not got the full picture of the situation, and so he’s pretty certain there’s going to be things he’s overlooking. If they had the times, the dates – God, even the areas of where the attacks happened – then they’d be able to figure out a pattern.

People always have patterns.

“I think we need to know more,” Shinichi says, standing up. “How long are you in Tokyo for?”

Hattori crosses his arms. It’s almost as if he’s offended Shinichi would be asking, as if Hattori assumes he’s not wanted – which, he isn’t really, but if he stays longer it’s not too bothersome. It doesn’t underpin any of the systems Shinichi has put into place in Tokyo.

“Until this gets sorted.” The Osakan says.

It’s the answer Shinichi had been expecting. Though they’ve not met many times, in fact, this is probably the second interaction between them, it’s clear to see that Hattori is stubborn, unwilling to budge on his ideals.

Good, Shinichi would think less of him if the man so much as thought about stopping his own little investigation. These people being attacked, yes, they’re delinquents, and Shinichi knows how society views them as lesser, simply because they don’t fit in, but it doesn’t mean they deserve this.

Broken bones and injuries? No. Shinichi can’t condone this, not on his streets. And if Hattori isn’t thinking the same thing, then Shinichi quite frankly doesn’t think they’ll ever get along.

Not that he needs to worry about that. Hattori seems in the same frame of mind as him.

“Okay,” Shinichi says now, nodding his head. “My friend’s father is currently looking into the attacks in Tokyo. I’ll see if I can get any pictures of his files, you know? Then we can try and find some sort of pattern.”

Hattori nods. “Sounds good. I’ll get Kazuha to pull up some files for me to, so we got th’ same kind o’ information.”

~~~

“So yeah,” Shinichi says later, his phone pressed to his ear, Ran on the other side of the call. “That’s why I thought we could look at the files.”

He doesn’t even need to see her, to know that she’s hesitating. Shinichi isn’t asking for something lightly. No, he’s asking for confidential files, information that she’d be risking herself by handing over.

“Shinichi–”

“I know it’s asking a lot,” Shinichi says, tapping at the edge of desk. “But… there’s someone attacking my friends, and I want to figure out who.”

“That’s what the police are for, Shinichi.” Ran says, and there’s static from her phone, where she’s no doubt shaking her head. “What would you even be doing?”

“The police find whoever this is,” Shinichi says, “and he’ll get charged for it. And I don’t think… I don’t know Ran, some of the guys I meet go too far sometimes, and they just need to be brought back a little.”

There is a pause between them. And then Ran, incredulous, asks, “you want to try and talk some sense into him?”

Shinichi shrugs. “Well, yeah. What’s so wrong with that?”

“You, a delinquent, want to try and talk sense into someone, who goes around sending delinquents to the hospital.”

Well, Shinichi can sort of see why she’d be nervous, but Shinichi’s got Hattori as back up. They’re both the strongest in their respective cities and have their guards up so it should… probably be alright. And if not well, Shinichi’s not a stranger to pain.

“That’s exactly it,” Shinichi says, “can’t you just give me the locations and times of the attacks? And maybe the ages and schools of the victims?”

A sigh.

“Yeah,” Ran mutters, “alright.”

~~~

She sends the details over in a word document a few minutes later.

Shinichi sits back against his bed and lets out a sigh. There have been seven attacks in Tokyo so far. Too many attacks in such a short amount of time for it to be a coincidence. Ran hasn’t listed any names – she can only give him so much, and not even she’ll risk the trouble she’ll get in if people find out she’s passed on the names of those who’ve been attacked.

From the information he’s read so far, the attacks had started two months ago. One every week or so, Shinichi supposes, if he’s only counting the Tokyo attacks. Although looking more closely, there’s an eight-day gap between the two most recent attacks.

He’ll have to follow up with Hattori tomorrow, when they meet up again, to see if the Osaka attacks are in between that time gap.

Okay, that’s the timings. They’re frequent, and to quick between for Shinichi to think they’ve been planned. Whoever’s KID is, they’re acting on impulse, not towards a plan. Which means they’re probably also acting on opportunity.

The locations will probably prove something to them as well then. If it’s based off opportunity, then it could narrow it down to the main area KID operates in. And well, looking at the earlier areas, the initial attacks, it does.

Shinichi’s got a district.

Ekoda.

~~~

Ekoda isn’t one of the areas Shinichi knows well. It’s a fair distance from Beika, about half an hour on the train across, and is generally one of the calmer areas in terms of delinquency.

In fact, Shinichi only really knows of two or three delinquents from that area. And even they’re mostly names he’s only really heard in the passing.

Except for one name. Shinichi thinks of Ekoda and thinks Hakuba Saguru.

He’s a new name, recent to the rumour mill. Born in England, with parents who live apart due business opportunities. The rumours go as follows: Hakuba had been expelled from the boarding school he’d been forced to attend, and so his father, a police inspector, had felt it necessary to move him overseas to get the seemingly needed patriarchal discipline he’d been missing in Europe.

“I don’t think he’s our culprit,” Shinichi says, over the phone to Hattori. He’s no idea where the Osakan’s been staying, but they’ve decided to meet by the station in Beika. There’s a café inside the station, somewhere they can plan through what’s going to happen next. “Not Hakuba Saguru.”

“I don’t know ‘im,” Hattori says, “what’s he like?”

Shinichi sighs, “I’m not sure. I’ve not met him either, I’ve just heard about him.”

The silence on Hattori’s side of the phone is enough to tell him to hand over the rumours Shinichi’s heard over the past few weeks.

“Well,” he says, kicking at loose gravel in the street, as he waits for traffic to come to a halt, so he can continue heading to their meeting spot. “I think he’s like, the polar opposite of KID? From what we know of them both, anyway.”

“What d’ya mean?”

“Well, from what you said about KID, he’s wild. An uncontrolled temper and willing to push past boundaries, right?”

Hattori hums a ‘yeah’.

“Hakuba’s the opposite. He’s controlled. He’s got his own set of rules that he follows, that he answers to, and he won’t go past them.” Shinichi says, “so I don’t think he’s KID. But I think he might be able to lead us to him.”

Hesitation. “Ya think he’s hiding KID?”

“Oh God no,” Shinichi can’t even resist the laugh that builds in his throat. “I think he’s probably going to be searching for KID as well, in one way or another.”

Hattori sighs, “how many people are searching for this guy?”

Shinichi pales. That’s a big question itself. How many people are looking for KID?

The police are searching, as are the delinquents that have been sent to the hospital. And now, other delinquents, like Shinichi himself, are searching for him. Who will find him first? And what will happen when KID is found?

“Enough that we need to be quick with finding him.”

~~~

“I got the information on the Osakan attacks.” Hattori says by way of greeting when he finally walks into the café. Shinichi’s certain that he’s only late because he’d gotten lost on his way but pointing that out is probably just asking for a dead arm.

Somehow, Shinichi’s pretty sure Hattori’s pride will not bode well with innocent teasing. Not from him anyway.

“Yeah?” He says instead, stretching his legs out under his seat. He’s not too keen on knowing most of the details, is only interested in the dates. “When did they happen?”

Hattori settles into his seat. “May 28.”

Which fits into their timeline. Shinichi nods his head. All they need to figure out now is why KID was in Osaka. Well, that and to get the message out to Hakuba Saguru that they’d like to meet him about the recent attacks.

“Why do we need his help?” Hattori sighs, despite knowing full well why. Shinichi hates repeating himself, but he does so anyway.

“Neither of us know Ekoda.” Shinichi says, “If we have a tour guide, we’ll be more likely to find different clues. Right?”

“I suppose,” Hattori says.

“I’ll send one of my guys over to Ekoda to find him,” Shinichi says, settling back in his chair. “And give a message that we want to meet. Then, Hakuba can let us know where and when.”

“Sure, whatever,” Hattori says. “while we wait though, I wanna take a look at th’ other areas than Ekoda. Kno’ any of ‘em?”

Shinichi nods.

And so, they begin their search for KID.

~~~

Across town, a boy pulls a bat behind him, leaving it to scrape across the floor.

It’s a violent sound. And, in a way, KID likes to think of it as a warning. For those smart enough to get away – those who’ve heard of him and don’t fancy their chances.

He’s been feeling a bubbling hysteria rising in his chest since this morning, a need that he can’t ignore. So now he’s here – Shibuya, making his way through the side streets, looking for another victim.

It doesn’t take long to find one.

Fitting within the perimeters he’s set himself, KID steps towards the delinquent. He’s blonde – dyed, not natural – and has gone for the stereotypical chain around his pocket. That’s just one thing of hundreds he hates about people like this – they lack imagination.

They also lack morality, but that’s something for another day. When KID doesn’t want to point out that he probably lacks that too.

KID nears him. Lifts the bat up.

What to do, what to do?

He lowers it. Places it on the wall beside him – it’s a risk yes. Anyone could show up, anyone could use it against him. But well, KID feels a rush at the danger it brings.

Forming a fist, he strikes. He sidesteps around the boy, his hand – bandaged, to avoid his skin cracking from the pressure of punches he’ll never pull – crashing into his cheek.

The boy does not go flying. They’re not in a T.V show.

Instead, he takes a few steps backwards, shock glazing his eyes as he lifts his hand to the area. There’s blood, only a small amount.

It’s not enough.

KID drops low, swipes the boy’s leg’s out from beneath him.

The delinquent crumples.

“KID,” he gasps.

“That’s me,” KID says, and maybe no one can see his expression from behind his mask, but he’s grinning at the recognition.

“Why are you doing this?” He’s asked, and KID takes a step forward, lifts the boy’s chin up with the tip of his bat.

KID tilts his head. No answer seems like it’s right, not really. He covets attention, craves it like a drug - he wants to be noticed, feared, whenever people hear his footsteps echoing in their ears. He soaks up the attention he is unwillingly given like a sponge, adrenaline coursing through his veins.

“A reason?” He laughs, head tipped back, hysterical laughed boiling out of him. It’s a repugnant, abrasive sound, almost like metal screeching against metal. He moves the bat away, smashing it down against bone.

“Why do I need to have a reason?”

~~~

To be continued

[coulscns]

— ✧ KELSEY CHOW ?? no, that’s just EUDORA MAY COULSON !! she’s the TWENTY year old adoptive daughter of PHIL COULSON & MELINDA MAY ( DAISY JOHNSON & LINCOLN CAMPBELL ), and an UNDERGRAD at paragon. i hear she’s PASSIONATE & ADAPTIVE, but tends to be DECEITFUL & SHORT-TEMPERED. her file says that her power is ELECTROMAGNETISM MANIPULATION.

   tell me who’s going to save me from myself                when this LIFE is all i’ve known.

SECTION ONE OF THREE: BULLET POINT HISTORY trigger warnings for death, arson, injury, murder ( ? )

what would prove to be the most defining moment of dora’s life would actually happen BEFORE she was born. before her mother, daisy johnson, even knew that she was pregnant with his child, her father, lincoln campbell, sacrificed himself to save the world - and he did do just that, but he never knew what it cost him

and, what it cost daisy

had he lived, then there was no question ; he and daisy would have raised their baby, together, creating for themselves the families neither had ever had. they wouldn’t have been ready, not even a little bit, but it would’ve been ok so long as they were in it, together. but he didn’t live, and when daisy found out how her life was going to change in such a huge way a few weeks later.. she panicked

she wasn’t ready. the people that say that all a kid needs is love are only right some of the time - she could love her unborn child with everything in her, but that didn’t mean she’d feel any more confident about what was to come. it didn’t stop the voice at the back of her head, telling her how all of her family, all the people she cared for, ended up hurt or worse because of her. it didn’t stop her from realizing that she couldn’t do it - so she decided that she wouldn’t. but she had been in and out of foster homes for her entire life. she knew how hard and unforgiving the system was, and she couldn’t do that to her kid - 

enter phil coulson and melinda may, daisy’s pseudo parents, everything she had ever dreamed that she would have in a family. how it came about involved far too many late night and emotional discussions - all that matters is that on february 21st, a baby girl was born, and on her birth cert she was named eudora may coulson

daisy remained in her daughter’s life, but never as a mother. if anything, she was a hip older sister figure, able to watch her child grow up happy and loved while said child knew nothing of the truth. they bonded over computer programming and video games playing, but dora was never any the wiser. it was just easier, that way. daisy knew that if she ever changed her mind, phil and melinda would allow the truth to be revealed - but even if she’d started to second guess herself as dora grew older, she couldn’t have ever ruined the family unit that they created for her

everyone else in phil and melinda’s shield family were her family too, of course, just as they would’ve been if she’d been raised by her mother. i imagine all the oldest people knew - but it wasn’t the kind of secret that everyone wanted to be the first to tell. it was one that was RESPECTED, if anything, and it wasn’t as if who raised her changed much. eudora was surrounded by an overwhelming amount of love and loyalty, and was a happy child, surrounded by strong people who she was able to look up to and learn from. the only complaint that people had with her was that she was obsessed  with shield

it was understandable, of course. her parents being so involved, all of the people she knew being the same, eudora grew up thinking that working with the organization was as normal as working for the post office. she loved the idea of joining up and becoming a hero - so much so that around the time she turned thirteen, she REALLY started to pressure phil and melinda

she wanted to know when she could join, and get her security clearance, and go on top secret missions with them. they’d taught her some self defense, enough to make sure she could take care of herself if needed, but she wanted MORE, now - she wanted to be an agent, and do whatever it took. and of course, they tried to keep her away from that life, for as long as they could. they tried to keep her SAFE

and they kind of became stifling, over protective parents, in the process

and everyone knows what happens, when a young teen feels stifled by their parents. they rebel - and for dora, that took the form of many after school detentions and low tier vandalism and delinquency, until finally, not long after her fifteenth birthday, they got the call that she hadn’t turned up to school that day. they naturally thought she was skipping a couple classes, and would turn up again eventually -

except, she didn’t

when they actually searched her room, they realized that she had took all of her money and things

her dream ? become a vigilante hero. yes, she was one of THOSE teens, who couldn’t just choose one. she thought if she proved herself as capable, she’d somehow prove herself as more than capable to be an agent - and at the time, hitting the streets seemed like the best of ideas. when she was six states away, however, lacking money and a roof over her head, she realized she’d kinda hecked up

but she was stubborn as all hell. she was gonna MAKE IT - or at least, she was gonna do her best to make a name for herself, before they tracked her down. she was good at covering her tracks, but dora knew that eventually, she’d get found. it was a question of when, but for the time being, she tried to do as many heroic things as she could

as in. she walked a lot of old ladies across the road and saved some cats ( and one parrot! ) from some trees. as it turned out, there wasn’t a lot of hero deeds out there for a homeless kid to do

a few more heroics, and a lot of near misses from her shield fam in tracking her down ( listen - they’re the best at their jobs, but the unexpected side effect of dora trailing them for YEARS was that she’d picked up on all the best ways to go on the run ), and we’re gonna fast forward to the second of dora’s defining moments

terrigenesis. i bet y’all thought i was gonna ignore this lil home slice being an inhuman. guess AGAIN !

it had taken an age, but dora had reached san diego - and at the diner she worked at ( shoutout to the people who had no issues in hiring an underage girl w no papers ), she overheard something that led her to what she thought would put her name into the young heroes hall of fame for life. it seemed like an arms deal. that was what it SOUNDED like, anyway. lots of “we meet at midnight”’s and “make sure to bring the gear”’s and blah blah blah, she kinda tuned out for the most part, but her sweet lil innocent mind had gone straight to GUNS instead of drugs, which probably woulda made more sense

she tailed the guy when he left the diner, managed to sneak her way into the warehouse after him, and watched as he met with just two other guys- two? two! that made THREE altogether, and any vigilante hero can handle three assailants 

they didn’t have any guns with them, though. or bags of drugs. just a small wooden box, which they were, she assumed, trading for the briefcase full of cold hard cash. she wasn’t about to tell the guy she’d tailed he wasn’t getting his moneys worth, though. she didn’t question it - as they held out the little wooden box she had appeared, taking out the guy she’d followed with a sweeping move, and then- yikes

one of the others had reached for his gun. he was raising it towards her, when they all realized at the exact same time that the little wooden box had toppled from the third guys hands in the commotion. it was sailing towards the floor, they looked like if they weren’t already destined to being too slow they’d have shouted, or tried save it, but they were all stuck and she was wondering if it was a bomb and then-

the wood splintered. the crystal inside shattered. the explosion of what seemed like dust enveloped all four of them, and the last thing that eudora thought was - dying thanks to asbestos fucking SUCKED

she doesn’t recall what happened next. she was too young, to go thru terrigenesis - and it’s been long since proven that anyone unprepared, or too young, or BOTH, will suffer consequences. for eudora, it was coming to exactly three days later getting wheeled out of a back alley on a gurney, the noise of the ambulance going right through her skull, the flashing lights killing her eyes. some lady had seen the passed out teen and panicked thinking that she was dead, and honestly, eudora wasn’t ruling it out as an option

she couldn’t remember anything that happened, after she had gotten to the warehouse. zilch. nada. nothing. which was kinda good, i suppose, considering the last thing she’d seen before terrigenesis took her was the petty criminals before her crumbling to dust. and also kind of bad, because when an EMT tried to lean over and check her eyes with another annoying torch, she, uh... 

electrocuted him

it was p bad

the other EMT’s screamed smth about her being a freak or whatever, and she was DEFINITELY freaking out, and it was a good job they hadn’t thought she’d be much of a threat and hadn’t strapped her to that gurney because she was fucking outta there like a flash, even though when they came to their senses, they tried to stop her

things were uh . how you say... not good ! 

she was alone, she was scared, she was going through changes that she didn’t understand - now would be such a good time to ruin her some more, but finally, something went right. a bystander from the whole ‘maybe killing an EMT and injuring three others’ thing followed her ( it’s not as creepy as it sounds ), and just.. well. happened to be a member of a very special group i can’t wait to namedrop

enter: a teeny tiny san diego based branch of the brotherhood of mutants, left mostly to their own devices. their scout brought in what she thought was another newly displaying mutant - and in her humble defense, after a display of their powers, eudora didn’t have any real. reason. to DOUBT she was a mutant 

it wasn’t like she knew she was an inhuman. because.. she didn’t. and she couldn’t remember what she’d gone through to get her powers, because, plot convenience. and really. it was a case of mistaken identity on like. both their sides

things looked up, immediately. the mutants she ran with for the next while were more than helpful at showing her how to use her powers, and under their leaders wing, eudora learned more about mutants and their struggles and .. more about herself, or at least, that’s what she thought. she was a mutant ( haha ). she was a part of the unfairly treated minority, now, and eudora had always been a passionate, strong willed, and STUBBORN girl. she fell RIGHT into their ideals, accepting them wholeheartedly, and 

well

remember when i said things would go right

i meant they’d go right for like a few months, tops, and then i’d ruin it again 

she was pretty powerful. especially in the tiny group that she ran with. and once they realized that, and realized that she was on board with them - hook, line, sinker - it got easier and easier to wind her up and watch her go. she started carrying out jobs for them. sometimes it was getting money, when it was low and they needed the cash to get by. sometimes it was help in burning down a warehouse containing weapons that they’d been tipped would be used at the next pro-mutant rally. sometimes, it was hurting people. twice, it was a lot more serious than that.

but eudora was among who she thought were her friends and allies - and in a way, she was, but that didn’t negate the fact that she was young and impressionable and wholly in over her head, and they took advantage of that fact

she was starting to do more and more questionable things, and it was bad

REALLY bad, in fact

there was an anti-mutant rally planned to happen the summer after she had turned eighteen, and eudora was their main event. from the sidelines of the huge stage those against her kind spoke from, she focused all of her power on the electricity lines. the microphone, the speakers, the lights - everything exploded. the wires went up in flames. the wood of the stage caught, the people on top were heading towards fiery deaths if they hadn’t dove in time -

thankfully, shield turned up.

a camera had caught eudora and some of her friends scouting the area in the early hours of the morning. facial recognition tipped off the team, and they had rushed to get there as soon as they could. if it hadn’t been for their presence, everyone on the stand that day would have died - thanks to eudora. not that they realized that, at first

her friends scattered and she was too stunned at the sight of her mom and dad striding towards her to do the same. the family was reunited in the chaos, but she had always been told that honesty was the best policy - and she told them then and there her involvement in what had happened that day. they didn’t take her back on the bus as their kid.

well. they did.

but she was also under arrest

#yikes

in a story full of yikes’ i really hate to end, but here is where i must. it goes without saying that they were able to have her freed and her record wiped, after a few call ins of favors. and with her back, they got some time together before they decided that maybe sending her to the academy would benefit her - she’d picked up a lot of extreme ideas while she had been away, it seemed, and they wanted their daughter back

but much as they wanted her back, she couldn’t just reappear from nowhere. and eudora HAD changed. she was different. she was a mutant - and yes, they foolishly allowed her to keep on believing that because she had already been through so much, adding in that her almost sister slash aunt was actually her mother would have been too much, full stop. and she knew what it was like, for mutants

she still wanted to help the brotherhood 

so once at the academy and away from her prying parents eyes, she reached back out to her friends-

and that’s where we’re at w eudora coulson! she’s an inside man that aint nobody suspecting! 

SECTION TWO OF THREE: EXTRA DETAILS

her quick stats page, which includes personality tidbits, can be found HERE

eudora isn’t bad. i feel like after all my talk of her brotherhood dealings, i needa clarify that. she ISN’T bad. or evil. or whatever else you’d apply to a typical ‘villain’. she’s misguided - especially given that she thinks of herself as one of their own. her first experience with mutant kind after her change was a very extreme mutant kind, and she’s adopted their ideals as her own, and wants to work with them, to help them. but that’s because she thinks she’s doing the right thing. all she’s ever wanted to be is a hero. she still thinks that in a way, she’s being one

she has a single, self done tattoo, on the inside of her left wrist ; roman numerals that she typically covers up with a very large bracelet, which make absolutely NO sense to anyone who doesn’t know what they’re looking for. they’re coded coordinates for the exact whereabouts of the san diego branches safe house - and an identification mark, for if she runs into anyone affiliated with them.

she used a codename while running with the brotherhood group that she ran with, which was HYADES - not just a cluster of stars, but also the name of the sisterhood daughters of atlas in greek mythology, of which one is named eudora. when she was little, she used to have a mythology obsession that everyone actively encouraged, because knowledge is power and all that jazz - it was the very first name to come to mind, and she ran with it for as long as she ran with them

she wasn’t always rly short tempered. that is .. tragically .. another terrigenesis side effect, on top of the whole ‘losing all the time immediately during and after the change’ thing. there’s just.. so much going on in her head, now. a lot of extra power flowing in her veins, etc, etc - all her emotions are heightened but its mostly when she gets mad that people realize, because eudora goes straight to RAGE.

SECTION THREE OF THREE: WANTED CONNECTIONS

one connection i REALLY want, and will probably put a wanted ad in for, is one that’s ,, a bit much to explain, but makes sense in my head. i want eudora, a self called HERO, to have her own ARCH-NEMESIS - and everyone knows that the best of those are the ones that the hero created, themselves. i’d love if one of the people doing the terrigenesis trade had ALSO been a dormant inhuman, and i’d love if they had gone through the change with her. i imagine that they’ve been out there not too far from her all this time, and are p angry about the whole ‘she kinda had a part in their friends deaths’ thing - n also maybe the whole ‘definitely having a part in them gaining powers that they mightn’t have wanted’ thing. i’d LOVE that kind of hero/villain dynamic, so if ur interested. pls. hmu

FRIENDS ! literally any and all kind. she dropped off the face of the earth for about 3 years, but before that she probably had plenty of all types of friends, and since then, she’s probably made more. i just want her to hav some connections, ya know?

looks to the shooting stars n wishes for a daisy johnson

 i dont kno ive been typing for two hours im so tired

ill come up w more

i swear

for now

pls lov

n plot w me

thank u for coming to my ted talk

[infragments]

BASICS

name: toshirou “shunsuke” magurashi nickname: aniki, shun age: thirteen birthday: jan 10 alignment: chaotic good series: digimon, fan made world/backstory 

AFFILIATION

digimemory: dark digimemory location: nape title: leader of nightmare soldiers main partner: dracmon --> yaksamon --> kyukimon --> kuzuhamon  digivice: black and blue

PERSONALITY

positive traits: honest, diligent, calm, responsible, sentimental neutral traits: independent, quiet, serious negative traits: mistrusting, rough, disreputable, tactless, faithless

due to his face and his behavior, plenty of those who do not know him tend to be put off by his attitude. it's gotten to the point where those who don't know him have a tenancy to believe he is a delinquent until his partner explains things.

BIOGRAPHY

From the very beginning, the world was one filled with dark shades. His family was small, insignificant to most. His father was another one of those corporate slaves who wasted away his money on booze, gambling, and women rather than at home on his free time. It didn't take long for him to be out of the picture, just two years, before slapping his mother (both figuratively and literally) with divorce papers to get out of what he called "a loveless marriage" right about the time his little sister born. His world was lifted again, if only due to solely living with his mother and her family.

His grandmother was a harsh woman, constantly torn between berating and doting on his mother --- her only child. He would suppose, on second thought, the woman was only harsh when it came towards himself. The unnaturally sharp eyes he held, even as a child, reflected their father more than their mother, bringing back terrible nightmares for her, even flinches when he would attempt to get her attention. His grandfather was similar but, oddly enough, more understanding. He was the one who taught him the basics of fighting, claiming it was in his blood and that it would be beneficial to him later, maybe even thinking he would be able to give the boy a piece of his dojo once he retired. 

And, for a while, it was fine. So long as he had his grandfather to believe in him and his little sister, everything would be fine.

Perhaps, it was that reliance that would both make and break him two years later. As they were walking home, his grandfather and his little sister had been caught in a deadly hit and run accident caused by a drunk driver. The blame had been set on him by his both his mother and his grandmother, as he would have been the one who would normally have picked them up.

It didn't take long from there for him to pick up and leave without a trace.

If he wasn't stubborn enough, maybe he would have returned home, but he'd found life on the streets tougher than he'd imagined. He'd seen how 'privileged' he had been, even if his world hadn't been a nice as his former classmates. It was during this time he’d met up with another band of runaway children. One girl reminded him so much of his sister, so he’d stuck with them, eventually acting as the leader of the band.  

His arrival to the digital world was fairly swift and terribly familiar. He’d been helping the girl with the cans she’d collected for some change. Along the way, there was a tight turn which was well known to be a blind spot for drivers, even the mirror above wasn’t helpful to racing drivers. It was an intersection he’d normally avoid, but she --- she chose to go this way.

He remembered the light flashing and his body moving as he pushed the girl towards the other end of the street just in time, looking over at her with a smug grin as his vision became filled with light.

He woke up on the cool, rock ground. It wasn't the asphalt, like he was expecting out of the street or even the slick feeling that came from touching his own blood, but he found he was able to breathe. Although, maybe, he was fatigued in some way, he was alive and well.

... And in a different world entirely, apparently, he noted, as he sat up. 

There were weird looking demons around him calling themselves "digimon," flabbergast by the equally "strange" human that arrived to their world. Some had imagined him to be a member of the "virus busters" whatever that meant and wanted to eliminate him. Only one strange looking monster chose to assist him, finding him innocent (or, perhaps, they’d been the guilty one), a dracmon.

Shun fought them, hand by hand, when the tattoo on his nape began to glow, bringing forth his digivice. It covered his ally then allowing him to digivolve to Yaksamon and assist in his fight. It was enough to end the fighting, and the others had began to listen. The’d conquered his first fight and gained a crew that very day.

He would gain more along the way, along with plenty of stories in regards to the “holy” digimon --- all of which were negative in his opinion. They seemed like aggressive, violent people who’s only goal in life was to lord over others, treating them like dirt.

It’s because of this he’s gain a new goal in this dream like world: to take down that nation and to liberate all he can.  

[kaceyrps]

Under the cut are some plots I would love to do. If there’s a couple you like, I am more than open to doing more than one rp with the same person, or even making a mumu out of it. If you like anything on the list just send an im, or like this and I’ll message you.

Muse A is the typical nerdy, smart girl who gets straight A’s and spends the majority of her time either studying or reading. Muse B is her tutor student, not the most popular guy, but he is in the right crowd. People know his name, he is on the basketball team, and he gets invited to all the parties. To say the two are on opposite ends of the social spectrum would be an understatement.  Where Muse A only sees him in an academic sense and more of dumb jock then anything, Muse B wants to see if he can break her out of her shell or prove that she is just as much as a teacher’s pet as people say. After endless sessions of pestering and calling her stuck up, Muse A agrees to let Muse B take her to some sort of party. One weekend Muse B takes Muse A to a party, seeing if she’ll let loose, which she finally does. After that night, Muse A and Muse B see each other in a different sort of way. Their friendship develops and Muse A begins to show her true colours, while Muse B does the same, proving them to be more alike then they thought.

broadway au: two girls that are the leads of the rival shows (sort of like smash tbh???) they are the complete opposite of each other, one is super fucking into musicals and like it’s their passion and it’s all they have ever wanted and the other is like naturally talented and loves it but like wasn’t introduced to it until like late into high school and they butt heads but always end up seeing each other at different events

I really want to do a 1x1 where Muse A and Muse B, met at a bar one night and ended up having a deep conversation that culminated in a make-out session. Muse A promised to call Muse B, but never did and Muse B didn’t have Muse A’s phone number. A couple of months passed with Muse B thinking about their night with Muse A - not being able to find that connection with someone else. Then Muse B finally meets Muse A again, only to find Muse A is dating their best friend. Despite both parties trying to push aside their feelings after meeting again, things get complicated. (They could either decide to keep things friendly or it would lead to a relationship, depending on how the rp goes).

we hate each other but had to do this dumb project together au

ok but what about a m/f plot where he is the innocent and kind one who volunteers at the hospital and walks old ladies across the street, while she is the stereotypical delinquent who drinks and fights and goes through hearts faster than cigarettes. and everyone disapproves of them because he is a distraction and she is a terrible idea, but it’s all irrelevant in the end because she shows him the world, and he shows her the goodness within it.

pls can someone give me a really domestic f/f plot kind of based on the fosters where they have a bunch of kids and they all just love each so much and one wants to have more kids but the other is kind of hesitant because they already have four kids and like there’s planning kids’ birthday parties and family outings and then anniversary dates that are interrupted and adopting pets from the shelter AND FUCK I NEED THIS.

you’re my best friend / wingman and this horrible, obnoxious human being has been hitting on me for an hour and wont take the hint so you come up and make out with me and wow i wan’t expecting to see stars au

13 going on 30 plot where they were really close when they were younger, and then they both went there separate ways. and then they meet up later on, and they just start spending a lot of time together and start becoming best friends and then they slowly start to fall in love with each other (✿◠‿◠) liKE PLEASE I NEED THIS!!

famous au where we played child best friends in a tv show when we were really young now its been like fifteen years and now we play love interests in this new teen hit tv show plot tho

i’d give anything for a mumu based on the secret circle (book series/short lived tv show). six young adults involved in a coven. most of them grew up together in a small, new england fishing town where everyone knows everyone. one day, they learn that they’re witches and warlocks, powers that were hidden from them because of their parents not wanting to get them involved in dark things. they’re supposed to use their powers to battle the forces of evil, to be good. what do they do instead? one makes it storm when her mother won’t buy her a new car. another changes their hair color every two weeks because they’re bored.  one of them makes it so music randomly plays whenever they walk into a room to get attention. there’s another that’s on the volleyball team at their college and they use magic to help them win. instead of using their powers for some epic battle of good and evil, they use them like any other millenial would – to get free breakfast, a few extra minutes of sleep, a nice apartment to live in, etc. we could each play three characters or maybe we have more than one mun involved but pleASE!!! someone give this to me!! i want a group of six young witches & warlocks being reckless as hell and loving life!! plus, imagine a giant brotp or poly ship?? like, PLEASE

Muse A and Muse B hate each other, and they’re not even sure why. They’ve never really spoken, but their personalities clash in almost every way possible. When they get paired together for the baby project in health class, neither of them are pleased about it. Especially since no matter how much they beg, the teacher refuses to let them switch partners, so they’re forced to try and find a way to at least work together or risk failing the class.

Muse A was dating muse B’s sister, but broke it off when he found out his girlfriend had cheated on him. Muse A and muse B had always been friends, and while muse B understood why muse A broke up with their sister, they had to take their sister’s side – which meant letting go of their friendship. Until muse A and muse B where picked to be the leading roles in the school – made complicated by the fact the lines between a staged and real romance begin to blur.

Muse A just had their heart broken and decided to shy away from relationships, so their friends dragged them out for a night to get them out of the house. Enter muse B. Someone who spends the night flirting with muse A, but gets nowhere. Muse B gives muse A their number, saying if they change their mind to call. Muse A, after some prompting from friends, calls muse B and they go out on a date – one they both enjoy. But just as muse A comes around to the idea of a new relationship, muse B finds out that muse A’s ex, is muse B’s sibling.

Muse A and muse B had the perfect marriage. They were happy, just bought their first house and had a baby. Until muse B tragically died – or at least that’s what muse A thought. Muse B had witnessed a crime, and had to be put in witness protection. Not wanting to risk the life of muse A and their child, muse B let them believe that they were dead. When the trial is finally over with, and the threat is locked away, muse B is left to go back to their old life but has no idea how to tell muse A about what happened.

Muse A and muse B attend the same boarding school, but have never gotten along. Muse B is friends with muse A’s former best friend, and has only heard bad things about muse A. Muse A thinks muse B isn’t as smart as he seems to think he is. The only problem is that their names are right next to each other on the register, so they keep getting paired together. As time goes on, the more they seem to hate each other and they just refuse to work together. Until one of their teachers finally has enough, and tells them if they don’t work together they’ll fail the course. Being forced to work together, they actually get to know each other – and while they still might not get along too well, they are learning they don’t hate each other quite as much as they thought they did.