#maybe some night I'll actually upload at a reasonable hour of the day

[angel-of-the-moons]

Nothing Is Lost

Khonshu x Fem!Reader

TW/CW: Descriptions of the events of previous chapter, death, lying to cops, bloooood

MINORS DNI I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR CONTENT YOU CONSUME

A/N: A shortish chapter; I cannot forgive myself for my wildly inconsistent upload schedule. I'll take a break to try and go through some of the requests backed up in my inbox! (Y'all really like Pavitr 😂) But for some reason writing this story is just so eeeeaaasy asdfghjkl

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Chapter 3:

Knowhere

It had been three days since that weird, shitty night.

Three days since you had to explain to your boss and coworkers a watered down version as to why your face was busted and bruised.

Three days since you saw in the news that the man who tried to rape you was in fact dead, and whatever hit him left him in that alley for a homeless man to find the next morning.

Three days since you kept the secret about what really killed him, or the cops would arrest you for murder, or lock you up in a mental ward.

Three days since you came home after the assault, stared at that statue... and saw your mace and taser were laying at the feet of the stone idol.

You had left them on your dresser. You were absolutely sure of it.

You still couldn't wrap your head around it.

What had happened? Like... seriously?

There's no-fucking-way a literal god decided to pop down from wherever the fuck He lived to come and save your stupid little human ass because you offered up some half-assed prayer and left some shitty offering.

No way would a god care that much about a little nobody like you.

Unless...

Then again....

This "Khonshu" might not have many worshippers anymore. After all, when was the last time you saw a church dedicated to an Egyptian god instead of the "mainstream" religions with only "One True" god?

So, maybe your prayer...

Agh! It still didn't explain what happened to you! What happened to that guy!

You found out in the paper that the man had actually been convicted of rape in the past, was on parole for one of them, and was a suspect in four more committed since his parole. So it's not like he was some random citizen who was drunk or just decided to go out and commit a crime...

Society as a whole was better because of it. Some women got closure in the knowledge he wasn't out there hurting other women, anymore. That he couldn't hurt them anymore.

But you still remembered the sound the bones in his face made when they were crushed. You remembered the blood pouring out of his nose and ears. The gurgling noise he made...

The only blessing was since that night, your dreams had a shift.

You were no longer standing in a void, bleeding a macabre river from your body.

These new dreams, you were in a canyon, dusty, sand sweeping through every crack and crevice of the reddish stones; the rock walls on either side of you reaching high above you, well into the sky, stars twinkling above.

On the winds of the canyon, you could make out the incessant whispers of the man you'd heard so many times before. You would take off in a dead sprint down the canyon, your bare feet pounding the sands and the rocks below you as you tried to run to the source.

But no matter how long it felt like you ran, you realized you were running in an infinite loop.

You'd keep running until blood dripped down the rocks, until the sand below swallowed you up.

And that's when your eyes would open yet again.

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You decided, on your next day off, you'd visit Jezebel again, ask her just what the possible fuck was happening.

You hadn't slept the night before, dreading another restless sleep. You were better off awake and running off coffee.

You walked up to her store, checking to see if it was open. It was closed. But the hours said it was open seven days a week, and it was 12:30 in the afternoon...

That's when you heard it. A croaking noise. The sound immediately set off your "feeling".

You lifted your gaze to the small awning above the door, seeing the white head of a crow peering down at you.

You'd never seen a crow like it. Its feathers were a gorgeous creamy white, the eyes a reddish pink, like two tiny red berries.

You almost fell backwards and smacked your head on the pavement when it fluttered down and latched onto your backpack, tugging on the zippers and your keychains with its beak.

"Hey! You--" You sputtered, struggling to reach back and dislodge the bird before it could do any damage. You knew crows liked shiny things, but this was ridiculous!

"Get offa me, KFC!" You grunted. "You're gonna mess up my bag!"

"Zephyr! Gods above, you know your manners!" Jezebel's voice called out.

You looked to your right to see Jezebel standing there, a Starbucks paper coffee cup in her hand, and a plastic takeout container dangling in a semi-transparent plastic bag in the other.

She clicked her tongue and held out the arm with the leather bracer, and Zephyr immediately made a noise and flew over to Jezebel, landing on her arm and waddling up to sit on her shoulder.

"I am so sorry, dear!" She apologized, smiling sweetly. "Zephyr isn't normally like this! He's a sweet boy, I promise."

"He's--he's yours?!" You sputter.

"Yep! Rescued him as a chick. Being an albino he might not have lived long in the wild. He's been my faithful little familiar ever since." She said, cooing at the bird on her shoulder while she rubbed his beak.

"I assume you're here because you have questions?"

How does she do that?!

"Yes!" You say quickly, looking around, your eyes darting to and from, making sure there were no eavesdroppers.

"Come in, come in. I'll keep the store closed just for you so we can talk uninterrupted."

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Somehow, you found yourself telling her the whole story. Where you were expecting her kindly wiccan act to drop and be revealed she was just some person extorting a gimmick, she simply nodded, providing input that calmed you.

Somehow.

Zephyr sat on his perch, blinking at you as he occasionally pecked at his seed stick.

She seemed... confused when you told her how the man was killed.

It didn't seem to be what she expected.

At all.

"...You didn't see anybody else in the alley? Anyone at all?" She asked slowly, setting her coffee down.

"No! No, that's what I'm saying! He just--just..." You ran your hands through your hair.

"I don't know what happened! But it was just me and him there and the next thing he's--he's dead! And I know I left my mace and taser on my dresser! Not at that fucking altar!"

"Shhh, shhh..." Jezebel replied softly, soothing you again, easing your rising nerves.

"And ever since that night, I've had these--these dreams! Different than my usual ones!"

She tilted her head down a bit, brows furrowing.

"Usual ones? Describe them to me."

When you were done explaining (or trying to), Jezebel looked at the table in thought.

"Dear, I don't think those are dreams. Those sound like visions."

"Visions?" You laugh dryly, as if it was crazy.

"I've been having these dreams for years! It's just that now, they're different! Why after all this time, and why only after I prayed to that fucking statue!"

"I know... I know how it must sound. But explain these new "dreams"." She spoke softly.

"I'm... I'm in some kind of canyon. It's nighttime but I can see perfectly. I can just barley see the stars above me, and I hear a voice. It--it could just be the wind in the canyon, but I start chasing it, calling out to it. I keep running, and running, but I never go anywhere. Then... then there's more blood. Dripping down the rocks, and I start to sink. I start to sink and can't breathe, I start crying and my chest hurts, and..." You swallow thickly, as if you drank a cup of sand instead of water, your mouth incredibly dry.

"And then I wake up."

Jezebel stayed silent for what felt like an agonizingly slow eternity, when it was more than likely just a minute at most.

The silence had you ready to chew your fingernails off.

She finally looked into your eyes again.

"These do sound like visions."

You groan, exasperated.

"If these are visions--why am I having them? What do they mean?!" You ask her, frustrated at this hocus-pocus nonsense.

"I... cannot say, dear. They sound like something you must discover. Maybe... some research might help? Try looking for images online of that canyon you dream of, see what you can find. Maybe that will start to help out things into focus." She explained.

"How is Google supposed to help?" You ask skeptically.

Jezebel smiled despite your impertinence.

"You are looking at your visions like they are meaningless mirages dreamed up by your subconscious. That they might be a manifestation of your fears, of your frustrations, your loneliness. You simply need to put a focusing lens to your dreams. If you find a location somewhere that matches your dream, looking into that location may be the first lens of the microscope you need."

You rocked your head back, leaning back in your seat as you stared at her.

How... how had she known? How could she so accurately describe how you felt about your dreams? How you felt about your life in general?

More importantly, how the fuck did she know exactly what to say to relax you, and give you a good starting point?

"Now, you should run along, dear. I have a feeling you have a lot of research ahead of you."

When she guided you out of her store, Zephyr perched on her shoulder again, she smiled.

"And remember, dear... don't forget to pray to Khonshu for his continued protection. Perhaps it just might save you again in the future."

Before you could turn around, she was already back inside her shop.

You frowned at your shadow on the sidewalk.

This was... confusing.

But you needed to know.

You wanted to know if your dreams were visions pointing to something.

And your journey started at the library.

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Of course.

Naturally.

Of fucking course.

Of course the rock formations in your dreams were consistent with only one place consistent with what you described.

And that, brought you back to square one.

All you could do was sit there, staring at the open books and computer screen in front of you.

Were gods real?

And did you suddenly have the ear of one?

It seemed, that all roads led to Egypt.

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Chapter 4: Link

[sanhatipal]

~~ Shards of Eden ~~

This is my little cove, and where I post art and dump other things occasionally. Come inside,have a look~

I haven't lasted 2 weeks on any other site since the fall of g+, except maybe twitter but that also drove me nuts and I always took long hiatuses, but have been here constantly since 2018. Which...says quite a bit. I'm a doctor by profession,but here on Tumblr for fandom (pretty obviously) and art

My fandoms:

Pandora Hearts

The case study of Vanitas

Fate series (mainly Fate/Stay Night)

The House in Fata Morgana

Shadows House

Rozen Maiden

Tegami Bachi / Letter Bee

Witch Hat Atelier

xxxholic

Witch's Heart/Majo no Shinzou

07 ghost

D gray man

Some others I'm into but not that crazy about: Touhou, Madoka Magica, Princess Tutu, Tsubasa Reservoir chronicle, Totsokuni no Shoujo (and more but my head is empty). I like seinen, josei and a very specific brand of shonen: aka things enough to mess up my brain. I don't enjoy romance, sexual things(says the Fate fan..HAH. but seriously,I don't.), or mecha unfortunately

I tend to draw Pandora Hearts, VnC and Fate fanart most

I collect figures,so you'll see them here,but since ,as you can see,most of my faves are a bit on the below the radar side,there hardly are any figures... you'll see custom figures here,and orginal character figures because I like those too.

I like a lot of things,but mostly whimsical, folksy aesthetics,forests and plants, and glowy flowers and things like wisp motifs (there's no limit actually).My favourite colours are,as you might have guessed, the multitude of shades of red, deep maroons and browns. I love fantasy,and folk tales and Celtic things in general have been my passion for a long,long time ,though I also love things inspired by Alice in Wonderland .

As far as music goes...I sang soprano at a choir for a larger part of my teenage,and choral music is very close to my heart. My favourite genres of music are Celtic, especially Irish traditional, new age, classical/neo classical, sea shanties,and whatever Yuki Kajiura and Mili have going on.

Now...art! When not doing fanart,I like drawing fantasy illustrations, and one day I'd like to illustrate books but that's a pipe dream. I'm self taught,and use mostly watercolour and ink. I also love sculpting. It started with trying to sculpt figures and while that's still what I do most,I sculpt other things too,and in general it has to be the favourite of my scores of hobbies . I also do bookbinding...and music box strips ...and doll customs...yeah there's no rhyme or reason to what I do and don't actually.

Sometimes I post photos of plants,I like taking photos and smelling wet mud

If you want to hop into my DMs to talk about fandoms or fanart,feel free! I would be very happy! Also I really love getting tagged and asked ,but often don't get around to responding because I'm a mess of procrastination...if that happens please don't mind, I really really appreciate it and it certainly made me happy,and I'll get to it as soon as I can.

If you've made it this far,thank you. It's been quite a long post,and thank you for reading,I appreciate it. Here are my other blogs:

@sanhatis-abyss absolute reblog hell,if you're looking for something I reblogged 2 days ago my condolences,you probably won't find it unless you scroll for hours. Sometimes I shitpost there , sometimes I scream about the latest thing that consumed me, that is ,if I don't accidentally do it here. Truly,an abyss.

@amaryllis-arachne my doll blog. I realise not everyone likes dolls,or photos of disembered plastic body parts,so I don't reblog those onto the abyss blog. Sometimes I put pictures of my own dolls there,and sometimes er...yes parts.

If you want my other links, they're all in the blog description. Except my Anilist, but it's really not worth anything,since I don't review or rate or anything,just use it to keep track. I do roughly-monthly uploads on YouTube of craft tutorials and drawings,but there's not much rhyme or reason to that either... anyways,hope you have a great day,and hope you find anything you like in this mess of a red coloured pit.

[lea-heartscxiv]

Renga Valentine's Day

Renga were the second winners in this poll and here is the date they had on Valentine's Day this year on our sims gameplay.

You can see all images (because here it can only be uploaded 30 images) and extras of Renga in our Blogger. (From me and @van-yangyin)

Blogger: English | Español

Read their date below the cut line ↓

It was getting close to 7:30pm and Reki and Langa started to close Dope Sketch store.

An hour before...

Oka: Reki, Langa, I'll leave you here to close whenever you want 😉 I have a date. Reki: With a new woman? Oka: Don't be so nosy, Reki. Langa: If you don't mind, we'll close before 8pm. Reki and I will go see a movie.

Oka: And have you already chosen it? Langa: No. Oka: Then let me recommend one for you two. 😁 «Reki, that's what you get for being nosy» - thinking. Reki: WOW, a special recommendation from Oka. Okay, tell us what you have to offer us. 😏

Oka: "桜の木に吹く風" (The wind among Cherry blossoms), it's a nice friendship between two friends, also one of the main themes is skateboarding. 😁 Reki: Oka, you're a genius! Oka: You're welcome. 😁 Langa: You must really like it to be smiling like that. Oka: Sure... I went with some friends and we had a lot of fun. And there they did some spectacular tricks. Maybe they give you some ideas. 😁 Reki: Okay, so tomorrow we'll talk about the movie, Oka.

Oka: Of course 😁 «You're welcome Langa, I'm sure Reki will hold on to you tight 🙌» - thinking.

So following Oka's recommendation; about closing when they wanted to; they were going to close it at 19:30h. When the time came, they packed up, changed clothes, turned off the lights and closed Dope Sketch.

Langa: I can't wait to see that movie.

Reki: Yes, especially because during the year it's very unusual to see skateboarding premieres... Although it's weird that I'm not familiar with it...

Langa: Reki... Maybe some of the other main topics are not so much of your interest?

Reki: Maybe, although that sounds even better, it means I'll enjoy it even more!

Once they closed, headed towards the movie theater and saw that two premieres were announced on the billboard.

They went inside and looked to see in which room the movie was being shown.

Langa: Room 1.

Reki: This must be the movie Oka recommended.

Langa: Reki... The shadow that appears on this poster has red eyes... Doesn't it remind you of someone?

Reki: *a shiver ran through his whole body* ... No! He doesn't remind me of anyone... He doesn't have a longboard so...

Langa: So we're thinking of the same person.

Reki: Well then I hope the character doesn't remotely resemble "that person", because then the story is going to get boring. 💦

Langa: But at least it will have good tricks.

They went to get two tickets and Langa also bought popcorn. It was half price so was quite cheap. They entered the theater and sat down to wait for the movie to start.

Reki: Do you think movie will be good? I don't see many people sitting down.

Langa: Well, movie starts at 8:30 pm, there's still time, Reki. It will probably fill up with more people little by little.

Reki: By the way... Why did they put on the ticket that movie is rated for 16 years and over?

Langa: There might be street fights, don't you think that would be a good reason?

Reki: But if skateboard fights aren't so dangerous... Unless are on "S"...

Langa: But it can be if are street fights.

Reki: Well, we'll see. It looks like movie is about to start.

When the film starts, Reki sees something weird about it. Why were most of the shots taken at night? Well... Okay... He knew that most of time he skateboarded with Langa, it was at night, especially if they were on the streets in the car lane... But... Why did all the shots and soundtracks seem like they were made expressly to be scary? After a while Langa had eaten all popcorn without leaving any for Reki, he seemed to be very excited about the plot. On the other hand, Reki thought that Oka had put more "tricks" than he was actually seeing on stage.

Langa still thought that guy with red eyes reminded him of "that person" although seen from a different point of view and more now that he was half an hour into the movie.

Langa: Reki, the guy with red eyes looks sad and full of anger, are you sure now that ghost doesn't remind you of someone?

Reki: Gho... ghost?!

Langa: Yes, a 御霊 (goryoo), I think it's called that way. ⁽*¹⁾

⁽*¹⁾ 御霊 (goryoo) are vengeful Japanese ghosts from the aristocratic classes.

Reki was so deep in his thoughts thinking about everything Oka told him that didn't understand much of the plot...and begins to realize that the movie is not romantic at all but... SCARY!!!!

Reki: Langa, are we leaving now?

Langa: But... The story is very interesting...

Reki doesn't hear anything and runs out in panic, towards the exit of the room.

Langa is left alone, sitting down.

Langa: I'll have to buy the Blu-ray to watch the ending with mom, I'm sure she'll like it.

While outside the room it can be hear:

Reki: OKAAAAAAA!!!!

Reki runs to the washroom in a panic and Langa runs out of the room and into the washroom with him.

Reki: Oka I knew it, he knew it was scary!

Langa: But Reki, the story is interesting, and tricks even if they were few seemed good.

Reki: I'm sorry, Langa. You know how I'm with anything scary....

Langa: It's okay Reki, I'll buy the Blu-ray and watch it with mom. 

Reki: Are they going to release Blu-ray of that?

Langa: I don't know, but they usually release Blu-rays of everything after a while.

Reki: You're right, hehe. Can I go in the bathroom for a minute and then we'll head to the Skatepark?

Langa: Sure. *spends some time* Reki...

Reki: Uh-huh?

Langa: I'll always be by your side when you're scared, so you can hold on to me tight... Like when in Miyakojima...

Reki: Thank you, Langa... Although you know that my fears are stronger than I'm... Shall we go to the Skatepark?

Reki and Langa arrive at the Skatepark and the former gets very close to the latter.

Reki: Langa, I know Valentine's Day is celebrated differently in Canada, but this is my gift for you. 

And gives Langa a kiss on the cheek.

Langa: Reki... Do you want to try tricks from the movie? They seem pretty easy to perform, I don't think they put much thought into doing something new.

Reki: But... You know I haven't seen almost anything...

Langa: I'll show them to you!

Reki: Okay, I'll follow you!

[AN: The mod we use for the skateboards doesn't allow the switch between Regular and Goofy, so here both are shown as Regulars, imagine that Langa has his right leg in front. Next time surely we'll make special poses if skateboards are used]

They tried performing several of the tricks shown in the movie, in which Langa was right, Reki saw that they hadn't innovated much.

Reki: Langa

Langa: Reki

Reki: Shall we go there?

Langa: Yes.

Both of them vibrate their mobiles and start reading the notification they have received from "S". (Read here if you want to know what Reki and Langa are reading.)

Langa: Reki, are you reading it? I want to participate.

Reki: Okay, but as soon as you participate I will challenge you to a beef. I'll get to give you the chocolate to prove my love, and I'll defeat all the other Regulars that stand in my way! And for me it won't be allegorical.

Langa: I can't wait for the day!

Reki: By the way, ADAM is also participating, if you see you can challenge him.

Langa: Yes, I'm sure many will challenge him to a beef and he'll have as much fun as I.

Reki: You're right. Joe was left wanting last time... But come on, Langa, go ahead and register if you want to. So I can challenge you to a beef. I want to be one of the first who wants to give you a chocolate.

Langa: That's it, Reki. Be that as it may, I'll always enjoy your chocolate.

Reki: But this time I'll give it to you, and I'll defeat everyone who wants to stand in my way!

Langa: This time?

Reki: I'm just saying, Langa.

~The End?~

Maybe you want to read too:

JoeCherry Valentine's Day | Miya Valentine's Day | TadaAi Valentine's Day | Shadoka Valentine's Day

[thegreathomestuckreread]

been having the kind of day where my brain simply will not stop ping-ponging all over the place and i have so much to do but none of it will click right, very restless

i did finish reading a book, i did a fair bit of reading today, for some reason that was fine, and so was fucking around in photoshop a little

but i have so many more things i want to do that are much higher priority and that i actually really want to do like apply to the two more job postings i found and work on one of my three crochet projects and edit my latest youtube uploads and send a few important messages i need to send

but instead i spent wayyyyyy too much time on this webbed site today with my eyes half glazed-over because everything made my brain twitchy and now it's past 3am

and my brain is also too twitchy to sleep. although i feel like that frequently and then it ends up not being a problem so maybe i'll be fine if i just go the fuck to bed

hey hot tip to reward you for reading this far don't use your phone in bed before going to sleep no matter how tempting it is. seriously the best thing i ever did for my sleep, it's amazing how quickly it almost entirely eliminated nights where i spent hours tossing and turning because my brain was too awake and moving too fast. and also i stopped waking up to my eyes feeling like they were going to rot out of my fucking head, which made getting out of bed at least a little easier, that's just always going to be hard for me i think.

i guess i am going to go to bed now because it is late and i am clearly not going to be able to do anything else anyway. bleh

[susiequaz12]

Carrot Top- 12: Silenced

Well, it’s here. I’ve been writing a lot more, I need to remember to edit so I can post stuff and not worry about it anymore. Also, woah. I didn’t expect this chapter to be as long as it turned out to be, but oh well I guess. Sorry not sorry.

CW: Restraints, defiant whumpee, possessive/controlling whumper, knives, non con touching (non sexual), dehumanization, blood, some mild gore? (idk I got kinda descriptive but not too bad I guess)

Tags: @imagination1reality0, @just-a-whumping-racoon-with-wifi, @thehopelessopus (let me know if you want to be added/removed!)

Masterlist is here. Previous part here.

- - -

Howe tried his best to calm the young man down as his chest heaved uncontrollably. His body was wracked with sobs. His heart pumped faster and his lungs beat harder as the tears streamed down the sides of his face.

The Doctor grabbed a clean rag and began wiping the tears away as best as he could. He was trying to hold back tears of his own as he gently cleaned the boy’s face.

“Shhh, it’s okay, calm down. You can breathe, you can breathe, you’ll be okay. Just remember to breathe now, come on.” 

He set the rag down and grabbed the anesthetic, beginning to insert it into the iv. Howe quickly turned back to the boy once it had entered into his system. 

“Don’t worry, this’ll all be over soon. When you wake up you’ll feel a lot better. You’re gonna get sleepy now, but that’s okay. Just breathe and relax for me. It’s okay, it’ll be okay.”

Andrew’s eyes darted back to the small box that contained the chip and he tried to hold back another wave of tears- but he had no control over his body. He didn’t want that thing inside of him. That was far worse than a collar- than a beating, or a couple of scars. That was permanent it was- it was full and complete control. 

A wave of sleepiness wafted over his body as his muscles ached and throbbed. He felt his eyelids getting heavier, spots coming into his vision as he was forced to relax.

Howe looked back towards the microchip and quickly moved it behind a pile of supplies on the cart next to him, hiding it from both of their views. He shook his head and wiped away the fresh tears that came, as Andrew’s eyes grew heavier.

“I’m just doing my job. I can’t- I-I have to, I-” He sighed, right as Andrew’s eyes fluttered closed. 

“I’m sorry.”

-   -   -

When Andrew woke up he was still unable to move. 

Not because he had the anesthesia or a paralytic or anything in his system, but because he was still strapped down to the table. 

The band going across his forehead had been released, and his head was instead propped up on a small pillow. But the thick straps still wrapped around his arms and legs, his hips, and his shoulders. 

Thick stitches and scars lined the front of his torso, a large line going from underneath his collarbone to his belly button. Instead of an intubation tube down his throat, a smaller one wrapped around his head hooking under his nose. 

It was a gentle reminder to breathe as he tried not to panic. 

Especially as he began to panic when the man that walked into the room was not Doctor Howe.

With the way that he was positioned, he was able to look down at his chest. He was able to see the scars that would stay there, able to feel the ache in his bones and the pressure that had been on his chest as he struggled to breathe. 

And all that he could think as Splice approached the table was that this was all his fault. 

And that anger rose throughout Andrew much stronger than the fear or the panic did.

For at least a moment.

“Go away.” Andrew croaked.

He didn’t realize how hoarse and tired his voice was going to sound. It made him instantly feel a lot weaker.

Splice ignored his words and pulled a stool over to sit down at the side of the table.

“The doctor fixed you up pretty nicely. How are you feeling?”

“Bothered.” He replied. “Leave me alone.” Andrew shut his eyes in an attempt to block out the man sitting next to him. That attempt failed as fingers locked into his hair.

Splice gripped the curls tightly and ran a hand through them, inspecting the strands before lifting them up and letting them fall back onto the table. 

“Well look at that. Your hair is already starting to fade. I wonder how long I can continue to call you carrot top before it completely loses its color.”

“Don’t touch me.” He growled.

Andrew’s eyes stayed close while the man ran fingers through his hair. He knew that that was a side affect of his powers. Using them too much had a tendency to deplete the pigmentation of his hair, and his freckles as well. It was almost as if his body was drawing the energy he used from the vibrance of his natural colors. When he didn’t use his abilities, it had no affect on him and his hair stayed a bright orange-red. When he overexerted himself, his freckles would fade, and his hair would begin to turn a bleach blonde, almost a white. 

He guessed that having his powers physically stripped from him through that device placed in his chest would have the same affect.

Splice traced a finger down the stitches along his chest. Goosebumps broke the boy’s skin and he couldn’t help but shiver. The man hooked another finger around the ring in his collar and tugged at it ever so slightly. Andrew jerked against his restraints but it sent a jolt of pain throughout his chest and he gasped at the shock.

The man laughed and shook his head. 

“Good to know you’re awake enough to move about. Or at least to wiggled.” Splice laughed. 

“Let’s see, should we have another grammar lesson? Surely you remember the first one.” 

Andrew kept his eyes closed and his mouth silent as Splice asked him the five questions.

“Who do you belong to?”

Silence. Splice sighed and continued.

“What are you.”

As the man’s frustration built he turned to another tactic and created a clone of himself. Splice seemed to melt from the top of his head, the ooze spilling onto the floor and then rising up again. The second man took shape and moved to stand on the other side of the table. 

Andrew’s eyes shot open as he felt two more hands on his body. Splice already had one on his collar and a grip in his hair, but now the clone placed a cold hand in the middle of his chest and a second one gripped his upper arm. 

“Where, and when?”

Andrew’s breathing got a bit heavier but he continued to remain silent, clenching his teeth. 

“Why?”

Splice gripped the collar tighter, lifting Andrew’s head slightly off the table as he forced him to look him in the eye. The boy hiccuped out a breath but didn’t speak.

“Why resist? It’ll just make it harder for you in the long run.”

The clone stepped back to grab something out of the corner of Andrew’s eye. He couldn’t make out what the object was as it was handed to Splice.

“Let’s try this again, shall we?” His fingers latched back into Andrew’s curls. “Who? Who do you belong to?” 

The boy breathed deeply. 

Himself. He didn’t belong to anyone.

He spoke the words carefully as he answered the question.

“Me. I belong to me.”

All of a sudden there was fire spreading around his leg in his left thigh. It was small but seemed to grow larger as the pain seemed to expand. It wasn’t until he had let out a gasp and a choked back sob that he realized it was a knife. 

Just the tip poked into his thigh. It was barely half an inch deep but already he could see the blood wanting to seep out.

“Wrong answer.” Splice stated. “Let’s continue though shall we? What are you?” 

Andrew knew what he needed to say, despite knowing he shouldn’t say it.

“A human with- with thoughts and feelings.”

He gasped and groaned through his teeth as the knife pushed into his leg deeper. Splice just shook his head.

“Where, and When?”

“Away from you.”

“You haven’t learned yet have you?”

As Splice spoke, the knife drove further into the flesh of his leg. Andrew stifled back a scream that soon erupted forth. After the initial pain had died down he felt able to breathe again. 

“Lastly, Why?”

“Because I- because-” he took a deep breath, willing his voice to be steady before managing to get his answer out. “Because you’re cruel and inhuman.”

Andrew shrieked as the knife was pushed into his leg as far as it would go.  There was a squelch and a thump as the hilt of the blade met his skin, blood pooling over the sides of his leg. 

Splice melted apart to form a third clone.

“It looks like you didn’t learn anything from your last lesson. Shall we try again?” 

The clone stood over Andrew, lifeless, emotionless. Just an empty shell of a physical body positioned to stand in one spot for the sake of intimidation. 

Splice gripped the handle of the knife tightly, and Andrew could feel the cold metal of the blade inside of his leg, fighting against the throbbing muscles and bone. 

Slowly, the man began to turn the knife inside of Andrew’s leg. 

Andrew felt the knife tearing at the muscles, blood spurting out with every movement, and he howled. 

He bucked against the table, thrashing as best as he could despite the restraints. He felt desperate to get away from the pain that was flaring up and down his leg. That fiery pain seemed to spread to his chest, making it tighter and harder to breathe. He sobbed as tears poured down his face. 

“I hope you’ll finally learn something this time, hmm?”

Andrew clenched his eyes shut.

“Who do you belong to?”

The boy choked back a sob. He didn’t want to answer. He didn’t want to give in, but more than anything he wanted to be away from the pain. And he knew that the only one to be free from pain, was compliance and obedience. 

Splice asked once more.

“Who do you belong to?”

“I- I’m yours. I belong to- to you.”

Splice smiled and pulled the knife out a few inches. Andrew gasped, throwing his head back as it the blade moved in his leg.

“What are you?”

Andrew heaved out a breath, the tears streaming down his face. 

“A- a tool. Used how- how you see fit.”

“Good, you’re catching on. Now where, and when.”

Andrew couldn’t breathe. Once more, he struggled for the breath that seemed to never come. But he had to answer. Answering meant less pain. Less struggle.

“Here. And for-” he hiccuped through a sob as he tried to form the words that he didn’t want to say. “And,- and for forever.” 

The knife came almost the full way out of his leg that time. Just the tip remaining inside his flesh.

“And lastly, why? Why am I doing this Andy?”

The boy choked back a sob at the nickname. 

That was something only his mom was allowed to call him. He’d lived without her for a few years now, but at this moment he wished for nothing more than to be curled up on her couch with his sisters- eating her home cooked food, laughing and smiling.

“Why?”

“Because I-” He could barely form the words throughout the sobs and wails that wracked his body. “Because I- I deserve it. I’m worthless.”

The knife left his body and clattered to the ground as Splice chucked it aside. Blood began to gush heavily from the open gash in his thigh, soaking his pants and pooling around the table.

Andrew was right. He felt worthless. He believed that he was. 

Otherwise he would have been stronger. He wouldn’t have been so weak and given in to Splice so easily. The last time he’d seen his friends was in an argument. They were mad at him because he was so selfish. Because he didn’t care about that, because he was a terrible friend.

No wonder they hadn’t come for him.

And they weren’t ever going to come for him.

Because he was worthless.

Splice smiled, clearly satisfied. 

“What did you say?”

Andrew moaned through his despair. The tears ran down his face. 

“I- I’m worthless.”

“That’s right.” Splice stated. He melted into another clone that took a spot around the table. “You are only what I say you are. Nothing more. This is no longer your life, but mine.” 

Beads of sweat dripped down the man’s forehead as he split into another clone, and then another. 

There were six of them now. They surrounded Andrew on all sides, leaning over him, blocking his vision. 

Splice was all he could see, and then it was all he could feel. 

Cold, unfeeling hands grabbed at his limbs, invading his space. They gripped his legs, around his arms and neck, resting on his head, chest, or shoulders. The hands didn’t squeeze, or pinch, or inflict pain.

They just marked their ownership. 

And Andrew was helpless to do anything about it.

He wished to be able to push them off. To throw himself off of that table and at Splice, tackling him to the ground, picking up the knife, to-

But he couldn’t.

He instead laid there. 

No longer himself, but an obedient mind inside of a useless body. 

Splice had claimed him. 

He’d marked him with a collar and a whip. The man had broken him- literally, and left him as an empty shell of the funny, charming and energetic self that he used to be.

“I. Own. You.” Splice stated. “Do you understand?” 

Andrew nodded. He was willing to do anything at this point to get the man’s hands off of him. To get Splice to leave him alone, to let him shrink into himself and hide. 

“I- I understand. I’m sorry. Pl- please don’t-, please- I understand, I do. I’m sorry, please just- just, don’t I- I’ll-” His words were cut off by his own choked back sobs as he tried to plead and beg. For what, he wasn’t sure. Maybe for a relief of the pain and despair that he felt. Maybe for some satisfaction in hoping that if Splice listened to his pleas, he would still feel some semblance of control.

“Shh, I have plenty of time to hear you grovel later.” Splice stated. “For now, you have to be punished for speaking back earlier. For being defiant and arguing with me.”

At the sound of a punishment the boy’s heart began to beat faster, and he started to panic again.

“No!” He cried. “Please! Don’t I’ll- I’m, I’m sorry. Please, don’t just don’t I’ll be good, I promise, -let- let me be good please- please… just don’t- don’t punish me, please-” 

Splice seemed amused and a little satisfied as the boy pleaded with him, but he remained stern. 

“This punishment is for speaking out, so don’t you think you might want to shut your mouth?”

Andrew’s pleas stopped nearly immediately. Instead dying down to a small whimper and a cry, as the man sent off one of his clones to retrieve what was needed for the boy’s punishment.

Andrew couldn’t see what was happening as large hands came near his face. The oxygen tube around his nose was removed and tossed carelessly aside. His eyes were swelled with tears, and blurry without his glasses. He couldn’t make out what was happening until something cold and hard was being pressed up against his lips. 

Instinctively he opened his mouth and the foreign item was shoved inside. It pressed up against his tongue and his teeth as he discovered it was made of rubber. As it was forced further into his mouth behind his teeth, thick fabric followed to wrap around his nose and under his jaw. The same cold hands lifted up his head, wrapping thick straps behind his neck and tightening them behind his ears.  

The material was a soft leather, but to Andrew it felt like the toughest substance in the world. It restricted all movement to his mouth, and the bit inside muffled any sounds he tried to make. 

A muzzle.

Out of instinct, he attempted to move his mouth to make any noise, form any word, but he couldn’t. He knew the efforts were futile. The leather was trapped too tightly around his face for anything to come out. 

A whimper died out quickly as Splice chuckled, letting the boy’s head fall back onto the table. 

“That should do it.” He stated.

Each clone melted one by one as Splice gave up the controls he had on them. They dissolved quickly, releasing their grips on Andrew’s limbs and body as the puddles evaporated.

Each of Andrew’s abilities to communicate had been stripped away. It had been nearly two days since he could move on his own, he had lost all control over his own body, and now, he couldn’t speak. 

All he had left was his eyes.

The boy’s emotions were clear just by looking at them. Tears welled up uncontrollably and flooded out, streaming down his cheeks and landing in his hair.

Splice chuckled, satisfied with his results as he left the boy alone. 

Broken, and silenced.

[furikakyo]

a return to roots | 5

pairing: kita shinsuke x f!reader

summary: y/n is a rising star in the music industry, having almost everything you could have ever hoped for as a small-town country girl. now after releasing two triple platinum albums in consecutive years, you face the dreaded artist’s burnout… in order to recover, your manager suggests, you should return to your hometown in hyōgo for a long-deserved break.

genre: socmed/smau, slice of life

warnings/tags: timeskip!, mutual pining, slow burn? more like rekindling, slight canon divergence

masterpost

Ichiro arrived right on time at 5:45 in the morning, buzzing your door just as you had gotten dressed after a quick shower. Steam wafted out of the bathroom as you rushed to the door to greet him and show him where the luggage was. Without anything to say, he promptly picked up one of the large hard case suitcases and you followed suit, going after him into the elevator. When your bodyguard loaded both of your cases into the trunk of his car and then opened the door for you to get into the car, you quickly said, "I need to double check everything in there is fine. I'll be back in a minute."

After reassuring Ichiro that you would be ok by yourself, you dashed back inside to survey your apartment, checking each room to make sure you hadn't left anything important behind. The kitchen and living room were clean, check. When you got to your bedroom, you paused, seeing one of your acoustic guitars sitting in the corner. Should you bring it? Were you actually going to write music? When you had announced your hiatus officially, you had stated that it was to gain inspiration for new music... but then that wouldn't really be a break, would it? You gnawed on your lip, remembering what Kuroo had asked of you the night before: "Take care of yourself in Hyōgo, alright? You're there for a reason; to take a break." 

You scowled, cursing Kuroo and his knowledge of your work habits. But, a voice inside you reasoned, it wouldn't be work if you were writing just for fun... You thought back to those moments in your childhood home, in your room, writing songs and uploading them to YouTube and SoundCloud without thinking that anything would come of it; back before you felt any pressure to perform. Back to when you wrote lyrics that weren’t very sophisticated, but earnest and heartfelt all the same… back to when you had your muse to sit beside you every step of the songwriting process.

Before you could convince yourself otherwise, you ran to the corner of your room and snatched the guitar, put it in its case, and then snapped it shut with finality.

If Ichiro was confused about you carrying down another piece of luggage, he said nothing, only staring ahead and driving when you were buckled. "Onigiri Miya," you reminded him, then settled into your seat. The ride there wasn't too far from your apartment; you had rented out the space because of its convenience, so anywhere you usually wanted to go to was within a reasonable distance. You watched the traffic with disinterest and spotted restaurants with dim lighting inside, most likely already prepping for the day ahead of them. The world kept moving on ahead, regardless of whether or not you liked it.

When you arrived at Onigiri Miya, Osamu was already out back in the van, probably waiting impatiently. You checked the clock in the car and clicked your tongue. You weren’t even late.

When you stepped out of the car, Osamu opened his door and got out too. You smiled widely. “Samu!” You rushed forward and gave him a strong hug, which he somewhat reciprocated. He wasn’t as big on physical touch as his brother.

Osamu only rolled his eyes though, patting your back as you told him he looked great. “You do, too. Want me to help with your bags?”

You led him to the trunk of your ride, where Ichiro was already opening it and carrying one of your suitcases. Osamu hefted the other one up, and you trailed behind with the guitar case. After securing everything in the back of the van, you turned to your bodyguard.

You smiled, a genuine smile, and then repeated what you’d already told him over text. “Well, Ichiro-san, I don’t know the next time I’ll see you. I’ll make sure to text you in advance if I plan on going to more public areas.” He said nothing, so you continued. “Thank you very much for all you’ve done for me, and I look forward to seeing you again in the future!” You gave him a bow, which he reciprocated stiffly before quickly getting back into his own car and driving off.

You sighed, then looked to Osamu. He quirked an eyebrow. “Ready?” You nodded determinedly, getting into the passenger seat of the van and buckling, him doing the same.

“Alrighty, then,” he cracked a grin. “Time for a road trip.”

After a while of scrolling through your social media accounts you sat back and stretched. Then you flopped back into your seat and looked over to Osamu. “Samu,” you whined in the most obnoxious voice possible, “do you have any food? I’m so hungry.”

Osamu rolled his eyes, jerking a thumb towards the back of the van. “Ya really think I wouldn’t bring food for the trip?”

Immediately, you turned around and began looking behind your seat for food. Sure enough, there was an insulated bag with onigiri. You gasped, bringing the bag into your lap with stars in your eyes. “You brought some?”

You ignored whatever his response was, instead unwrapping one and biting into it. “Mmm,” you moaned, chewing slowly. The nori was still crisp and the rice was fluffy yet still sticky. You closed your eyes to focus on the food. He must have made them right before you got there for them to be this fresh.

“I’m guessing you didn’t eat breakfast, then,” Osamu said, eyes staring ahead at the road.

Your grip on the rice ball tightened before you quickly realized what you were doing. Your apartment didn’t really have much left to eat after you’d finished up the gyoza last night, and even if you’d had food, you weren’t sure if you would’ve been able to keep it down. Butterflies had filled your stomach as you had tried to go to sleep, and they hadn’t really disappeared yet. “No,” you shook your head. “I woke up early in the morning and was tired.”

Osamu hummed and then didn’t say anything else. After another long beat of silence you squirmed in your seat, a little on edge. “Mind if I play some music?” He shook his head at your question and so you took over the AUX, playing some songs that had been stuck in the back of your mind lately. After the music started, any awkwardness immediately dissipated as you sang along and Osamu tapped his thumb on the wheel to the beat of whatever was playing. At one point you had even pointed out his cute habit to which he had denied before doing the same thing twenty minutes later. Giggling, you just looked out the window and didn’t comment on it that time.

After about an hour of songs, Osamu finally spoke again. “You can go back to sleep, if you want. Ya look tired.”

You looked over at him and then nodded, curling into yourself, rubbing your wearied eyes. Sleeping would be a good opportunity since you hadn’t gotten much last night. You leaned against the seatbelt and window and closed your eyes, ignoring the bumps in the road which made your head hit the glass each time. Before you knew it, you were asleep. 

After a little less than five hours, you woke up to Osamu driving, now playing the radio instead. You looked outside. Gone were the skyscrapers and bright lights; in their place were rows and rows of empty fields, all blurring past you. "Are we in Hyōgo yet?" you asked, turning back to him.

Osamu gave you a quick glance and then switched his gaze back on the road. It was just the Onigiri Miya van on the stretch, the rest of what you could see of the roadway completely devoid of another vehicle. "Yeah," he replied. "We have about an hour left. I was gonna stop at the next place to stretch, though." He looked over at you again. "Is that alright with you?"

You nodded and then dug out another rice ball from the thermal bag, munching on it as you stared out the windshield. The nori wasn’t crispy anymore but at least the filling was still yummy.  "So we're going to stop somewhere first. What's the plan after that?"

Osamu adjusted his grip on the wheel, driving with only one arm. "I was thinking that we could stop by your house, unload your luggage, maybe clean up your space since no one's been there for a while, and then go to do my business in Hyōgo." He paused, then added, "With Kita."

Your heart raced. It was your first day back and you were already going to have to face Kita. You could just stay home, a voice nagged at you. No, you thought, your face filled with grim determination. You could do it.

Almost as if sensing your internal strife, Osamu said, "Y'know, Y/N, I think Captain is just as nervous, if not, more." He continued staring ahead, not looking at you. Now he started tapping his thumb against the wheel again.

But you, your head snapped to look at him. "Really?" you asked, eyeing him skeptically.

Osmau nodded, smiling. "He's barely said a peep in the group chat he's in with me. Although now that I think about it, that's usually how he is." He chuckled. "Unless he's getting in between me and Tsumu."

You sighed, sitting back. Why had you expected Kita to hold anger towards you? Because you chose a career over him? Because you chose success over two of you, the voice in the back of your mind whispered. You ignored it, crossing your arms. You felt bad for thinking he would be anything less than how he always was in your mind (he was always Mr. Perfect), but it also made you feel better knowing he was scared too. No, not scared. Nervous, Osamu had said. Oh, god, how were the two of you going to act when you saw each other?

"Hey, Y/N." You turned to Osamu just as he pulled into the driveway of probably the only gas station within a 50 mile radius. He smiled, the corners of his eyes crinkling. "You'll figure it out."

As you followed him out of the van to stretch out your legs, you could only hope that you would figure it out. Preferably before you had to see Kita.

You had, in fact, not figured it all out by the time you and Osamu reached your childhood home. Instead of thinking about your lack of a solution, you resorted to reaching under the dingy welcome mat and pulled out a plastic bag with a key inside. “Still here,” you said cheerfully, showing the dirty bag off to your friend.

Osamu rolled his eyes and waited as you fumbled with the key to the house and then eventually opened the door.

You peered into the dark corridor and slipped off your shoes before stepping onto the hardwood floor. “I called the electricity and water guy,” you muttered, dragging one of the suitcases behind you. You paused and then grabbed the handle, which extended, then let the suitcase’s wheels do the work for you. “Everything should be functional by the end of the day.” When you got to the end of the foyer, you gasped. “What…?”

The inside of the house was, contrary to your belief, not at all covered in a thick layer of dust like you’d expected. Instead, it looked almost exactly the same as when you had moved out from there.

Osamu trailed behind you, taking his cap off and scratching the back of his head. “To be honest, I forgot that this was happening. Everyone here didn’t want to see your house collect dust and fall apart, so they..." He motioned around him, your eyes following.

The tatami mats in the living room and your parents' bedroom were clearly cared for, otherwise there would’ve been the overwhelming scent of dust or mold. You could imagine the diligence it would’ve taken to clean them so regularly. And the furniture— you ran a finger along the top of the kotatsu and then looked at it; nothing. You’d have to move the kotatsu into storage since it wouldn’t make much sense to have it out right now; you only used it in the winter...

You drank in the rest of the house, mentally planning where to place things and what to rearrange to your own liking. "I'll get the other case you brought," Osamu muttered, sidestepping around you to reach the doorway. You barely noticed him leave as you crept to your own childhood bedroom, sliding open the shōji screen door.

…Huh. It didn't look any different from what you last remembered. You walked inside. You had your western-styled bed, which still had the furniture sliders under the legs to protect the tatami mats; the bookshelves along the wall with your favorite books and shōjo manga... You paused at the string of fairy lights strung above your dresser. Clipped onto them were photos from high school: you and Osamu proudly holding a double-tiered cake you'd made in home economics, you and a few of the other Inarizaki boys fooling around after practice, you with your parents in front of the school in your third year. You laughed to yourself while looking at them, recalling the moments in which the pictures were taken; back when Samu's hair was grey and Tsumu didn't know what toner was, back when your only responsibilities were as Y/N the assistant manager and co-class representative of 3-A.

You stared at the end of the string lights, where there was a picture missing. You knew what was supposed to be there, in that gap. You were unsure of where it had gone though, so you searched your entire bedroom, taking out all of the books in your shelves and turning them upside down, removing all of the drawers in your dresser and peeking inside the base. You scoured your belongings for a sign of where that photo could have been, but to no avail. 

"You looking for something?" Osamu pushed off of the doorway he'd been leaning on and peered over your shoulder. "I can try to help ya find it."

You shook your head, smiling. "No, it's okay. I lost something but it's not that important." You stood up and dusted yourself off, brushing your hands together. "We have some free time now that I don't have to clean up around here. What should we do?"

Osamu nodded, thinking to himself. "Well, we could go reacquaint you with your neighbors… or we could get to the farm early. It’s,” he checked his phone, “around 3 right now so we would have a couple hours to check out the entire farm. It’s big, so having too much time on our hands wouldn’t be an issue.”

“Uh…” You bit your lip and stared expectantly at Osamu. You make the decision.

He lifted an eyebrow incredulously, then said, “Alright, farm it is.”

You dropped your phone into your lap in disappointment, tempted to just throw it out of the window of Osamu’s van. Kuroo really is kind of useless, huh, you thought, staring out of the window glumly.

The sound of the tires hitting gravel road caught your attention and you looked out the front windshield. You sucked in a breath. You were here. At Kita’s farm. Or rather, you thought, Kita’s house. You had parked in the driveway of his home which overlooked all the fields. They were still somewhat of a muddy brownish color from how far away you were.

“Ready?” Osamu tried to look grim, knowing of your inner turmoil, but his glittering eyes said otherwise.

You exhaled and then nodded. “Yes.”

The two of you didn’t end up getting very far along the fields before Osamu ran into someone he knew, probably someone else working on the rice fields under Kita based on the way he was dressed. He wore a wide-brimmed straw hat and, somehow, long sleeved shirts and pants. Osamu smiled, greeting the man, “Koji.”

His recipient smiled too. “Osamu. How’s business in Tokyo? Still thinking of opening another shop in Osaka?” Koji motioned for him to follow him down the path in between the rice paddies, and he did, already lost in a conversation. You watched as another group of workers came towards the duo, and you heard laughing and cheering as Osamu talked to them.

Well, damn. Osamu had left you behind. You looked around and then checked your phone. You still had basically two hours to kill. “Ugh…” Should you just wait in the van for Osamu? What if Kita saw the van pulled up and approached it, though? You did NOT want to be alone with him, just the two of you. Plus it would be hot waiting in there. You pulled at the front of your t-shirt. At least there was a slight breeze every once in a while when you were outside.

Am I really going to do this? You looked up at the sky and shielded your eyes from the sun. It was already beating down on your shoulders and back. Sighing, you started in the opposite direction of where Osamu and the workers had gone. There seemed to be a lot of property, you thought, admiring the view. Although the rice paddies were still muddy, the view you had from this side of the farmhouse was stunning. In the distance were lines of trees so dense, and mountains even further away, just a faint silhouette smoothed against the sky. You imagined what it would look like when the rice was ready to be harvested, all green and heavy with the fruits of labor. 

A few days ago you’d thought absentmindedly that life had been kind to you, Kuroo, and Kenma. But now, looking around the serene landscape and close-knit community of workers, filled with a fresh green newness brought from only the spring, you wondered: maybe the years had been kind of Kita, too. 

Behind you, you heard dull rustling, and you turned automatically. You froze, stunned. Your mouth moved and formed words before you could even comprehend what it was you were saying.

“Kita?”

a/n: ohhh my goodness i had the worst experience with a karen yesterday and i never thought i would have to deal with one for some reason…. fuck you amy and i hope i never have to see your bitchass face again 

taglist (pm me to ask to be added): @papiibuprofen​, @duhsies, @succulentmom, @kenmaslov3r​​​, @introvertatitsfinest

some ~fun facts~ 

- ichiro the bodyguard/driver may or may not have shed a tear or two after y/n left. (i told you he was a big softie)

- he wanted to give you a hug goodbye but wasn’t sure if that would be overstepping 😔

- imagine samu loading the van with your luggage and pushing off the doorframe after previously leaning on it with his muscly arms and glorious tiddies… BEEFY SAMU SUPREMACY 🧎‍♂️

- one of osamu’s guilty pleasures is pop music 😭

- one of y/n’s fav things to do on social media is just go through atsumu’s public profiles and read the thirst comments 😭😭

[2idiots]

Keep Yourself Alive

pt. 6 // pt. 7 // pt. 8a

word count: 1,667ish

NCT Frat Social Media AU // College Athlete & Fratboy Lucas x reader

warnings: not really any, kind angsty, more than just mentions of chronic pain

(I don't know how but the second paragraph got deleted when I first uploaded. I have since added it in. So if you see something new that's why)

---

Getting Johnny from outside the building to inside your room was a lot more difficult than you expected. This was partially because your best friend was much drunker than his texts suggested and partially because each step was sending a pain reverberating down your legs and up your abdomen. A pain that you knew the mild over-the-counter pain meds would do little to numb but you had taken them with false hope anyway. Before your best friend had forced you into letting his drunkass in you were curled into your bed with a heating pad pressed into your abdomen, hoping eventually exhaustion would win over excruciating pain.

This was the real reason you bolted out of Jet Lag the minute your friends were off in different directions distracted. The pain had triggered before Mark's open mic night started but you were not about to miss the night you friend had been talking about for weeks. This was so important to him and you had to be there. So you sucked it up and promised yourself to duck out the moment it was clear and Mark had performed. Woo noticing and staying over for a few hours was just a welcomed surprise. And the leftover baked goods he brought were another plus side, not that you had any appetite. At least your blubbering fool of a friend would benefit from the pile of pastries sitting on your desk, if you could make it past the giggling desk attendant.

The first time you walked passed her with bleary eyes, focused on only the task ahead she called out something about the “cute Oppa” at the door. Immediately a gag raced up your throat at that, Johnny? A cute Oppa? Gross. He was like your brother, actually more like your overprotective mother. Sure you joked about Johnny being a daddy, but it was all shits and giggles to make him mad with Mark. He wasn't actually one.  The second time she made some sort of pass at him that you blocked out and stifled another gag. You didn’t need to see or hear that child making passes at your best friend.

That wasn’t the only thing she was giggling at though. You and Johnny were quite the sight. He was a stumbling, stuttering fool and you were wearing pajamas that had been picked out in the dark, not even your shoes matched. These were things you had thrown on when Johnny begged you to let him in but your headache was pounding too much to turn the lights on, which was also the reason for the sunglasses. 

Speaking of Big Foot, he was using you almost completely as a support and he weighed a lot more than his bony ass looked. How he managed to make it to your building from 7th Sense was beyond you, he could barely make it three steps without giggling and sliding around. Honestly this made you more than a little nervous for Mark, usually he was the giggly one after a few drinks. If Johnny was this drunk, then Mark could very well be dead.

Overall the hardest obstacle for Johnny to maneuver around was your actual room. He tripped over everything. Maybe it was his long spindly legs combined with the alcohol, but he even fell just trying to walk over your rug. You had to catch him before he face planted. Of course he just contiuned blabbering about the night and how well it went the whole time, even while laughing at his clumsiness. “Then Mark fell! Kinda like how he is falling for sunflower boy but like fell… on the actual ground… like how I just almost fell!” To which you just nodded, handing him a pastry and an ice cold water bottle. “And Jae was so funny, he was talking about the basketball team and one of their parties last week where someone drank beer from a ball that had been cut in half. Isn’t that gross?”

“Yeah babe, real gross,” You nodded, trying to push him toward your bed. You might not have been asleep before he messaged but you were still in bed ready to sleep and you wanted to be back there. “Can you get in bed, Jojo? I'll tired.”

Following your direction like a lost lamb, Johnny swiftly removed all his out layers and climbed into your bed continuing to talk about the basketball team and how pretty and funny they were, all the while giving you very pointed looks. Or at least he was prattling on until he went completely silent and tense before screeching, “THERE’S SOMETHING WARM!”

Arms crossed and irritation pulsed through you at the scream, you leaned over to pull the heating pad out from under him and wiggled it around in your outstretched hand, “Johnny you’ve met HP before, HP meet Big Foot.”

“HP? You named your heating pad?” He questioned already snuggling back into your sheets like he owned the bed. This happened every time he was over, sober or drunk it didn’t matter; Johnny took up every blanket and pillow in your entire bed: partially because his size, mostly because he was an asshole. One of the many reasons you were hesitant to let him stay over anymore, even though you always ended up letting him stay.

“Might as well, he’s in my bed so often,” You grinned before grabbing another water bottle out of the mini fridge in the corner of the room and tossing it his direction. While this wasn’t a common occurrence, drunk Johnny, you did know that he would wake up in three hours whining about a dry mouth and you didn't want to deal with it.

“I mean he wasn’t on Halloween.” Luckily you flipped the lights off before you could see his suggestive eyebrow wiggle. Here was the worst part, talkative drunk Johnny taking an interest in your life and trying to lay down his tips on life. 

Grabbing an extra blanket for yourself you slid in next to him and laughed that thought off, “Actually HP was, ALSO I thought we agreed to not talk about Halloween, leave the past behind us and all.”

“Behind us? Is that how you like it y/n?” He let out a slight whimper when you turned over enough to give him a solid kick to the shin. This alcohol was giving him far more confidence than normal and you didn’t like it. Throwing his hands up, Johnny tossed out a worthless apology and whined, “I deserved that ok. But you know I wouldn’t call it the past, don’t you tutor the dude?”

That elicited a quiet response from you, a simple, “Yeah.”

“Isn’t it like two or three times a week?” He didn’t stop his incessant babbling long enough for you to answer, adding on, “You’re quite popular, my friends keep asking about you too.” Then a switch suddenly flipped in Johnny’s mind, evident by how he practically climbed over you to switch the lamp back on and give you his best mom glare, “Wait, you’re sleeping with HP?” You let out a few weak protests as the light flooded your room and his bony ass arm squished you down into the bed digging into your side. Drunk friends sucked. Too bad you loved them too much to leave them on the street. “So you’re in pain? You’re in pain and you didn’t say anything? You just went home alone and lied to Mark and me?”

“Johnny I always sleep with a heating pad and I’m always in pain. It's not a big deal.” Tonight just happened to be bad, still was, but you left that part out. “Also Jungwoo just left; I wasn’t alone.” That was accompanied by a successful effort to push him off so you could flip the light off again and snuggle into the heating pad again. “Now go to sleep, I'm tired.”

There was a brief moment of silence before you heard sniffling and an occadsional shuffle.

“Are you crying?” You asked incredulously, flipping over to see him hastily wiping away his tears in the ambient light filtering in through the window. Sure enough, your bitch-ass best friend was laying on the other side of the bed using his white undershirt to wipe his tears away. At least he was smart enough not to use your sheets as the tissue. “Stop crying.” This was new. Your friends probably knew way too much about how hard your days were getting, in fact Johnny had driven you to the ER one too many times over the past year and a half, but they had never cried in front of you. At least not about you. 

You hated it.

His immediate response was denial, no he wasn’t crying. These weren’t tears, they were allergies. "Leaks in my face." But you still heard him mutter a muted “I just want you to be happy and not in pain” as the alcohol running through his system finally knocked him out.

You were struck silent, not sure how to respond. Sure he was your closest friend and that meant he had to like you, but this affection made breathing a little hard: your chest not quite expanding like it should. You felt a warm tear roll down your cheek as you turned to face the other side of the room, an effort to get away. This was exactly why you didn't tell them about tonight, you didn't want them burdened with your pain. They should have to suffer just because you were. 

Ignoring the ache in your chest, you blindly reached out for where you set your phone on the bedside table. You still may not be able to sleep but you could get some reading done and maybe forget the sound of Johnny's tears. And maybe, just maybe, the words would lull you into some dreamlike state so you could rest. It was only a few minutes into reading that a text interrupted the chapter. 

summary: College is hard enough, right? Coursework, two jobs, a social life, and the state of your mental health. As if that was enough now the school’s no.1 athlete won’t leave you alone after a one night stand. And maybe you like him back but you have a tendency to run when life gets too difficult especially now that undiagnosed chronic pain just seems to be getting worse with each passing month.

(I've decided updates will be Thursday at 6pm. I hope you enjoy this chapter)

Taglist: @princeofshenzhenuwus

[lunatrick]

Since soooooome body took what I was gonna askkkkk....... I'll ask for Ezra, Rishi, May, and Zohar instead and Alex and Ten :3c (Cause I wanna know what u think about my babies)

SO MANY CHARACTERS AND I LOVE IT

Ezra/Bonez

favorite thing about them: Probably his capacity for love. He had a… Let’s say troubling past, and now he holds one of the highest positions one can hold in their community, which tends to corrupt or harden people, but he’s never forgotten that what matters is people. He built his own family, which continues to grow, and he never fails to give them everything they could possibly need.

least favorite thing about them: Hmm I think that sometimes he puts too much faith in people.

favorite line: ….. Umm… I can’t think of one, but it would probably be something really romantic, or some cleverly veiled double entendre. 

brOTP: Ezra with everyone in his quad/family tbh

OTP: Tezra/TenEzra (Ten™ Fish)

nOTP: Ezra with anyone in his squad(except Nico)

random headcanon: He loves classic rock, among other music genres, and he usually has it playing in his car or apartment, but if he’s flipping through radio stations or his mp3 is on shuffle and an Abba songs comes on, he will turn the volume up, grab a brush/spatula/dildo and sing at the top of his lungs.

unpopular opinion: “I actually liked the last two Twilight movies.”

song i associate with them: “Centuries” and “Immortals” by Fall Out Boy, “You Shook Me All Night Long” by AC/DC and “Pure Imagination”

favorite picture of them: The first sketch I ever did of him

Rishi

favorite thing about them: His optimism despite witnessing so many horrible things.

least favorite thing about them: How nosy he can be sometimes. But at the same time, he probably ends up helping JD and Alex a lot with his butting in.

favorite line: To Alex about JD after Jalex’s first kiss   "Oh no, I’m sorry, he’s not here anymore. You juuuuuuust kissed him. Oops, did I say kissed? I meant missed. You just missed him.“

brOTP: JDRishi

OTP: Dashi/DahliaRishi… Huh, maybe DioRishi, they’d have a lot of fun together honestly (And lowkey Tenshi/TenRishi but don’t tell Ezra)

nOTP: Idk, anyone who is mean to him. Lot’s of people are assholes to him tbh

random headcanon: He often takes food to JD’s apartment when he’s out of town but about to come home so he’ll actually cook for himself, or he’ll cook for JD. He also puts premade food in his frezer so he can just warm it up.

unpopular opinion: “JD is the best friend anyone could ever have.”

song i associate with them: “Story of A Girl” by Nine Days

favorite picture of them:

Maahes/May

favorite thing about them: His passion

least favorite thing about them: He can be kind of stuck up and very stubborn

favorite line: “Could you get Ten’s dick out of your mouth? I have an actual problem here!”

brOTP: MayMaka and MayBonez

OTP: MayTen Mayco/MayNico

nOTP: May/Any female. I know he’s cute, but the little bitch is GAY

random headcanon: He’s descended from a line of the Sphinx

unpopular opinion: “Fast food is disgusting.”

song i associate with them: “You Don’t Own Me” by Grace “Tightrope” by Janelle Monae, “Miss Independant” by Kelly Clarkson and “The Fools Who Dream” from LaLa Land

favorite picture of them: 

Had to include this fucking gem because who doesn’t like it when Ez gets teased?

Zohar

favorite thing about them: They are very forgiving, but will kick ass if they need to.

least favorite thing about them: Umm… Nothing? Mostly, I feel sorry for what I’ve done to them. So I guess my “least favorite thing” about them is their most prominent ability: empathy, which leads to their apathy.

favorite line: This might sound dumb to anyone who doesn’t know Zo, but Zo finally telling Hibiki “I love you, too.” is probably my favorite thing they will ever say, because that is such a big step for them.

brOTP: Zodon/ZoharJadon and to a lesser extent Ezhar/EzraZohar. He just tries too hard lol

OTP: Zobiki/ZoharHibiki(Hibiki™ Fish)

nOTP: Zo with… Like… Anyone else so far? I just don’t find them compatible with anyone but Hibiki thus far.

random headcanon: They have a cabin in the woods somewhere, or maybe in Antarctica or something, where they go to be alone because their empathy is so strong they struggle being near anyone. They stay there most of the time despite liking the sights and sounds of big cities.(Did I already tell you that? If I did, here’s another fact) Zo doesn’t have a sense of taste, which is probably something I included because of Kamen Rider OOO which no one will understand. 

unpopular opinion: “Hibiki’s first album was her best.” and “Hibiki’s ballads are her best songs.”

song i associate with them: “Numb””Somewhere I belong” “Shadow of the Day” and “Leave Out All the Rest” by Linkin Park and “I Have A Dream” by Abba/Amanda Seyfried

favorite picture of them: 

Alex

favorite thing about them: Everything… Just��� Everything… But if I have to pick, probably his loyalty and compassion, and how he’d do whatever it takes to keeps his loved ones safe.

least favorite thing about them: Probably that he doesn’t realize how amazing he is? And he’s so in denial about JD. Boiiiiiiiii. Yo like dat boi. Get over it and smooch him.

favorite line:  “Y-you don’t have anything to be afraid of Jadon.” because honestly, he’s afraid of so much, and hearing someone reassure him so genuinely really gets through to him. And honestly, their arguments are fun.

brOTP: … I feel like Alex would get along really well with Makana and Lydia. Mostly, Alex would be in awe of Lydia/scare/confused because of her, but Lydia would poison a bitch for Alex.

OTP: JALEX(Honestly my otp overall) Tenex

nOTP: DioAlex Maylex/MayAlex (May is too highstrung for him honestly, not that JD is a walk in the park either) but more importantly, Chadlex/AlexFUCKUCHADYOUTINYDICKFUCKWAD

random headcanon: Idk why, but I feel like he’d be good with whittling or clay sculpting, but he’d be especially good with charcoal art. Just, he’d be good with doing detailed things with his hands even though he has big hands.

unpopular opinion: “Crocs aren’t that bad.” “I mean… The Harry Potter Books can’t be that much better than the movies.”

song i associate with them: “I Won’t Give Up” by Jason Mraz(more Jalex), “You Will Be Found” from the Dear Evan Hansen soundtrack, “Gasoline” by Halsey and “Carry on My Wayward Son” by Kansas

favorite picture of them: It’s still this first one you and I did together

Ten

favorite thing about them: Ten tries. He has a lot of anxiety, and good/awful reasons for having them, but he always tries, even if he fails to get something done, he tries to try, and I love that about him.

least favorite thing about them: Sometimes he lets his anxiety take hold of him. anxiety is hard to manage in general, and a lot has happened to him, so it’s completely understandable, just sometimes it’s so sad to see him suffer because of his own insecurities and I want someone to wrap him up in a blanket burrito, and put him in a blanket/pillow fort and give him all the cookies he wants.

favorite line: “Like what…? Living vicariously through strangers loosing their shakeginity?”

brOTP: MayTen TenNaz

OTP: Tezra and MayTen

nOTP: TEATHER IS A BIG FUCKING NONO

random headcanon: One day while shopping in a human mall, Ten spots a really bright store and Ezra asks if he wants to go in. Thus begins their 5 hour adventure in a Sanrio. They find May there.

unpopular opinion: Thinks Batman should just kill the Joker already. Some people deserve to die.

song i associate with them: “It’s Time” by Imagine Dragons “Pretty Little Head” by Eliza Rickman, “Sail” by Awolnation and “Shatter Me” by Lindsey Stirling and Lzzy Hale

favorite picture of them: Obviously this one.

JK! It’s actually your current avatar/icon on a different site(you know the one), but I’m not about to upload it.