#n ya i gotta post more boring au too................

[bears-ao3-blog]

I loved to befriend a dove so much, I saw that the final chapter got posted while I was at work and just had to read the whole thing at my desk! Since you're taking requests I am also a huge lesbian, with a love for femfortress butch lesbian Sniper. A genderswapped sniperscout drabble with a butch Sniper who has the same well crafted personality as your guy Sniper in befriend a dove would be amazing. <3

Secretly Simple (AU: Fem Fortress) - Requested by Anon

It was a quiet evening, with most of the crew already tucking in for bed. As for Scout and Sniper, they were enjoying the crisp late-day air as they attended to their hobbies. Sniper was fixing up a rather dull kukri, and Scout was babbling on about whatever matters may cross her mind, the assassin beside her idly listening as she applied honing oil to her stone and resumed the quiet scraping of metal on grit. Scout suddenly stopped rambling for a moment before she spoke once more in a musing manner. 

"'Ey, Mickie? We should, like, go on a date or somethin'." 

Sniper pulled away from sharpening the blade to eye Scout with a cocked brow, obviously confused. She tilted her slightly as she replied. 

"Aren't we datin' already?" 

Scout threw her hands up, clearly exasperated at not being fully understood. 

"Yes, we are, and yet we haven’t gone on a single date." 

Sniper picked up where she left off with a soft hum, the shrill scrape of metal sounding behind her words as she spoke in a murmur. 

"We've gone 'n plenty dates. We wen' stargazin' that one time, an' before then we had that late-night bonfire." 

Scout gave her an unamused glare, her own brow raising. 

"We weren't together den, but nice try. C'moonnnn! It'll be fun! I can plan it an' everythin'! You don’t gotta worry about nothin', doll, trust me." 

Sniper paused, shifting to face the other in her chair, brows furrowed, scepticalness lacing her eyes as she argued back. 

"'Ey now, shouldn't I be plannin' it?" 

Scout pondered it for a moment. Sniper seemed to always take the reins in the relationship, using her affinity for dressing and acting more masculine as an excuse and explanation.  

"No, no, let me 'andle it." 

"You don't have to do nothin', 'roo, I've got it." 

"Just sit there an' look pretty, luv." 

Waves of frustration and stubbornness washed over Scout the more she thought about it. She could step up, too! Did Sniper think she wouldn’t be any good at it or something? Screw that! She totally could be! Scout suddenly turned back with a determination in her eyes. 

"Nope. Dis time I gots it all under control, an' you get to sit an' look pretty." 

She emphasized her last sentence with an eyebrow wiggle, and Sniper's eyes widened for a moment before she scowled, turning away with red cheeks. The markswoman seemed to think about it herself for a moment before sighing. 

"Fine. When ya thinkin'?" 

The speedster shifted in position so her knee held her head, and she tapped the bottom of her chin lightly as she hummed contemplatively. Sniper looked at her expectantly with a tilted head. Scout glanced over to see her boring eyes and quickly looked away. When she snuck another glance and Sniper's gaze was still there, her face pinched in slight irritation at being rushed. 

"I'll let ya freakin' know, alright? I still gotta actually plan da thing, jeez." 

Sniper let a small smile slip, making Scout frown deeper, feeling patronized. Her sour mood was quickly lifted, though, as Sniper leaned over the side-by-side arm rests of their chairs to plant a gentle kiss to her forehead. Sniper pulled back, the smile remaining, looking lovingly into Scout's wide eyes, the runner's cheeks burning and chest squeezing at the sight. 

"Lookin' forward to it, luv." 

Ok. It's official. This date's gotta be awesome. No room for error. 

...how the hell do you plan a date? Scout's little experience she had with them were with guys, and they usually did all the planning. She just had to show up when and where they told her to. Scout felt a twinge of nervousness firmly tug at her. 

Aw, jeez. She needed help. Bad. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Engineer was her first choice for advice, simply because that's who she always went to for advice. She was right outside the base the next day, banging away at her newest teleporter prototype with her wrench with loud, grating clanks. Scout scurried up to her with a bright, almost excited smile. Engineer smiled back. 

"Well hey there, pumpkin! How are ya?" 

"Good, real good, Engie. Hey, uhh...I wanna plan a date for Snipes, but I don't gotta clue how I'm s'pposta go about it. An' I mean, you know everythin' about everythin'!  Sooo...do ya maybe have any ideas?" 

Any hope for help on the inventor's part was swiftly squashed when Engineer's face scrunched in mild discomfort at the mention of "date". Scout's bright-eyed expression quickly fell as Engineer cringed. The older woman spoke gingerly, obviously feeling guilty about it. 

"Ah, I'm sorry Scout, but I've got no experience in that department. Gimme a gadget ta fix and I'll get it done in two shakes, but romance? Ehh...not my strong suit." 

Scout slumped in her posture and Engineer gave her a comforting pat on the shoulder. 

"There's plenty other gals who'll help ya out 'round here! Just gotta ask around." 

Scout sighed, obviously disappointed, but her determination quickly won over and she perked back up, nodding. 

"You're right. I'm gonna go, see ya later, Engie!" 

"Cya, sugar!" 

~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Duh, of course Heavy and Medic were the right ones to go to! They were the only other gay couple – that she was aware of – on the team. So, when she waltzed into the Medical Bay, expecting all of her problems to be solved by the end of their conversation, it was quite the disappointment when it, in fact, did not play out as she was expecting. 

"Guys, I need help takin' Snipes out on a date, what- Oh sweet Jesus-." 

The couple was knee-deep in a conversation while Medic was elbows-deep in Heavy's torso, rummaging through her organs, the doctor's red gloves shining with the much darker red of blood, and Scout swiftly turned around as nausea stirred within her. Scout heard an annoyed huff from the medical practitioner. 

"Fräulein, it is qvite rude to barge into someone's quarters vithout making yourself known first." 

Scout waved back dismissively with one hand, the other covering her mouth to stave off the bile that had risen up her throat as she made a uncomfortable noise. She cringed, swallowing, before taking a moment to pull herself together and turn around, much more prepared for the sight, though it didn't make her gut churn any less. Her eyes landed on a very unamused looking Medic and a slightly sheepish looking Heavy. Medic's face suddenly fell as if she made a realization, before it lit up brightly. 

"Vait, vhat was that about you und Frau Sniper? A date? Oh, how exciting!" 

Heavy also seemed to brighten at the mention and she perked up a little bit, the shift in her position making a small stream of blood spurt out of her abdominal cavity.  

"A date, you say?" 

Scout turned her head away at the sight in disgust, and Medic scolded Heavy in a hushed voice for moving. 

"Ach, do not viggle, Süße!" 

"Ой! My apologies, Doktor." 

"Qvite alright, just...try to be more still, ja?" 

Scout gingerly turned back, desperately averting her gaze from Heavy's open stomach and chest. 

"So, uh...date? Advice? It's gotta be good." 

Medic hummed contemplatively as she continued rummaging through Heavy's innards with an awful squelch of gloves and organs. 

"Vell, me und Heavy do not go on dates very often. Zis is our idea of dates, now zat I sink about it. Isn't that right, Heavy?" 

"Is true. Nice for us, но...perhaps not for you and Sniper." 

Scout eyed them with a mix of disbelief and frustration. 

"Uh, yeah not for me an' Snipes! Damnit...what do I do?" 

Heavy spoke up this time, her voice straining after a particularly painful tug from Medic. 

"I vould not recommend the Soldier for advice, I feel I do not need to explain why. ...Or Demowoman, she would not be much help either. Perhaps Spy?" 

Scout's face scrunched at the idea, scoffing in disbelief. 

"Uh. Yeah, not happenin'. I don't wanna talk ta dat old hag, ya kiddin'?" 

Both Medic and Heavy side-eyed each other and Scout slightly dipped her head in confusion. 

"...what?" 

Medic ignored the question, resuming her exploration of the gorefest below her. 

"Vell, she is your last option. It iz up to you if you vish to give her a chance." 

Scout's scowl faltered slightly. Medic did have a point. She would be shit at planning the date on her own...maybe she really did need to talk to Spy... Man, this was gonna suck. Scout groaned, looking up at the ceiling in exasperation, before dropping her head to pout at the two older women. 

"Lotta help you two were...I guess I'm gonna go. Have fun..., uhh, wit that, I guess." 

"Goodbye, leetle lady." 

"Auf Wiedersehen!" 

Scout offered a lazy throw of her hand as a wave goodbye as she pushed through the Medical Bay doors, feeling disheartened. She could already feel her pride shriveling into a sad raisin at the thought of asking Spy for help. God, what was she becoming? She trudged through the hallways begrudgingly before she finally found herself standing in front of Spy's stupid fancy door, the scent of cigarette smoke wafting through the crack and making the runner scowl in disgust. She lifted her hand, every part of her yelling at her not to, but pushed past it as she gingerly knocked. She could hear the clacking of Spy's obnoxiously tall stiletto boots before the door opened to reveal the older woman herself, glaring down at Scout with a cocked brow. 

"You? What do you want?" 

The immediate sass made Scout burn with anger and it took every ounce of her willpower, plus a slow, steamy breath through the nose, to withhold herself from yelling in the lady's face and storming off. She took another deep breath in before murmuring. 

"...I need help." 

Spy eyed her skeptically, her lip curling in distaste of the other woman's presence. 

"And zat would be because...?" 

Scout huffed, crossing her arms in a defensive manner. 

"I wanna take Snipes out, but I...don'reallyknowhat'mdoin'." 

Spy's brow raised further at the sheepish mumble and, despite making perfect sense of it, leaned in slightly, a smirk raising a corner of her mouth. 

"I'm sorry?" 

Scout gritted her teeth, shoulders rising as she fought the urge to deck this hag, and she took another composing breath.   

"I don’t. Know. What. I'm doin'." 

Spy's smug smile grew before she put on a neutral, prim expression, her head tilting slightly up as she readjusted her shades. 

"But of course! Why didn’t you say so sooner?" 

She then turned and walked back into her smoking room, leaving Scout to watch with an open mouth, completely baffled at how quickly she agreed. What the hell? She was half expecting the woman to tell her to fuck off. 

"Uhh...ok?" 

Scout was left to awkwardly stand as Spy sat down in her lounge chair, grabbing the cigarette she had left on her ashtray and taking a slow drag. Scout looked around, unsure what to do as a slow plume of smoke left the sleuth's mouth before she spoke. 

"Uhh...ya gonna help me or what?" 

Spy hummed, like she was considering it or something, and then opened her mouth with a small click of her tongue. 

"Perhaps. But I do not know much about ze bushwoman. I am going to need some information on your part before I can offer any advice." 

She crossed her legs and leaned back in her chair, obviously awaiting Scout's response. The runner puffed out her cheeks and rocked on her heels in an attempt to stave off any churning feelings of awkwardness as she thought about it real hard. The return of Spy's cocked brow did not do her any good on the matter. 

"Uhhh...she likes shootin', but dat's obvious. She's real outdoorsy, so like campin' or huntin' or goin' on hikes n' stuff. She's also into cookin, 'specially 'round a campfire. She likes peace n' quiet, so she's real into stargazin' or just sittin' around an' enjoyin' the view around her...so maybe a hike up to a nice spot? And we can have a little bonfire picnic!" 

The more Scout spoke, the more confidence flowed into her as all the knowledge of her girlfriend spun through her brain and out of her mouth. Her eyes shone brightly and a smile slowly made its way onto her face by the time she was done speaking. It quickly fell into quiet shock when she looked back up to see Spy looking at her with her own smile. 

"...I sink my work here iz done." 

Scout gawked at her, sputtering a few noises of disbelief before finally getting her words out. 

"You- you- you didn't even do anythin'!" 

Spy sighed, grabbing her glass of wine that had been awaiting patiently for her on her side table and swirled it around before taking a slow sip. She pulled the glass away from her lips and lightly smacked them, savoring the flavor before she finally decided to reply in a cold, neutral manner. 

"Exactly. Your self-doubt cripples you, Scout. You just needed to realize so. You can plan a date for her own your own just fine." 

"...oh." 

"Indeed. Well, off you go, I have important business to attend to." 

Spy waved her off, and Scout's face fell, an unamused expression replacing her shock. 

"What, ya mean drinking wine and looking atcha fashion magazines?" 

Spy scowled at her, any softness she would have felt towards the runner disappearing as swiftly as she herself does for a living. 

"Insolent brat. Goodbye." 

Scout sighed, approaching the door with a petulant gait. 

"Yeah, yeah, whateva." 

The speedster stopped at the doorway though, making Spy raise her head to look over at her questioningly. Scout suddenly looked much more sheepish than she had just a second ago. The Bostonian spoke quietly before quickly shutting the door and speed-walking off. 

"...thanks." 

~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

It was only days later that Scout popped by the camper looking oddly cheery, decked out in hiking gear and a big grin on her face. Sniper tilted her head, eyes looking up and down Scout's figure. 

"What's with the getup?" 

"Cmon, Mickie. We're goin on our date!" 

Sniper perked up a bit, excitement shining in her eyes and a small smile tracing her lips. 

"Are we hikin'?" 

"We sure are, toots. An' grab your grill! I'll wait outside while ya get ready." 

Sniper chuckled, leaning out of the door and down while reaching out to grab Scout's shirt, tugging her into a kiss. Their lips parted with a smack and Sniper mumbled a: 

"Just a tick, luv." 

and Scout watched with a red face as the door shut in front of her. She let out a slow breath that turned into an ill-stifled squeal. She was pumped. She got this in the bag! This was gonna be the best freaking date Sniper had ever gone on in her life! 

It was only a few short minutes before Sniper came out in her own hiking gear, slipping her rucksack on and hopping to the ground, shutting the door behind her. Scout jumped up from the relaxed leaning she had been doing, waiting for her girlfriend, and immediately grabbed Sniper by the hand, dragging her to the passenger side of the campervan. Sniper's smile fell into a skeptical look as she eyed the door. 

"You're drivin'?" 

Scout cocked her head, putting a hand on her hip and shifting her weight into one leg. 

"Uhh, yeah? An' what of it?" 

Sniper looked at the campervan and back at Scout before shrugging and hopping into the passenger's side. 

"Nothin'. Key's in the ignition." 

"I know it is!" 

Scout quickly jogged around to open the driver's door and slide in. She grabbed the wheel and looked over at Sniper with an elated grin.  

"Ya ready?" 

Sniper matched her grin, making Scout's pulse quicken and cheeks warm. She didn’t get to see her smile like that often but damn did it make her happy when she did. This was off to a good, good start. Scout's chest squeezed in excitement as she turned the key, shifted to drive, and off they were. 

It was about 5 minutes into their drive before Scout looked over at a very relaxed-looking Sniper, a content smile on her face as they were jostled slightly by the bumps of the road. 

"Ya not gonna ask me where we're headed?" 

Sniper looked over with a questioning look before humming. 

"You're jus' gonna tell me it's a surprise, aren't ya?" 

Scout pouted at her, her puppy dog eyes making Sniper sigh, acquiescing to the silent plead. 

"Where are we headed?" 

"Can't tell ya, it's a surprise." 

Sniper sighed, rolling her eyes with a small smile. Scout giggled, returning her attention to the road. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

They drove a couple hours over, the nearest, albeit short, mountain slowly coming into view. They made their way over to it, trailing up a few miles of winding road before Scout pulled over near a sign on the side that simply read "hiking trail". It was a mildly chilly day, which Scout knew Sniper enjoyed the most for weather on a hike. Scout hopped out, eagerly running around to open Sniper's door for her. Sniper chuckled quietly as Scout stuck out a hand in a gentlewomanly manner, bending slightly with an arm resting against her back. 

"My lady." 

Sniper took the hand offered and stepped out, nodding her head politely. 

"Why thank you." 

They both giggled together as Sniper shut the door behind her, and Scout quickly used the hand she had taken to drag Sniper excitedly towards the trail. 

"C'mon, c'mon! Ya gonna love dis!" 

Sniper let herself be dragged, smiling at the other softly. She honestly wasn't expecting much out of Scout – not necessarily in a bad way, of course – she just didn't think Scout would have put all this effort into something like planning a date for her. It made the markswoman's diaphragm tighten and head buzz at the implication that Scout would work so hard to please her. 

The trail was beautiful. Scenic but quiet, as it seems no one else was occupying it at the time. Scout kept looking around and nudging Sniper to look at things that caught her attention. There were two squirrels playing, darting between and up and around trees, chittering to each other. There was a nest of birds, the soft chirping of chicks making Scout coo and aww over them as they passed by. There was a quiet moment between the two and an elk a distance away, the animal lifting its head to gaze at the couple before walking off calmly. That made Sniper's breath catch in her throat, letting it out once the elk had disappeared amongst the brush. It made Scout grin like an idiot.  

When they finally reached the peak of the hike, there was a clearing to overlook all the terrain required to travel through to get to the peak, and as Sniper admired the view with wide, seeking eyes, Scout laid out a thick blanket and pulled out strips of meat, vegetables, and ingredients for smores, along with various cooking supplies. When Sniper was satisfied with the beautiful sight before her, she was surprised to see the set-up waiting behind her. Scout smirked at the look of mild shock. 

"Ya brotcha grill like I asked?" 

"Yeah?" 

"Well, bring it 'ere, toots!" 

Sniper smiled sweetly, walking over and plopping next to the other woman, tugging her rucksack off to rummage through it, pulling out the small grill she had packed. She was about to get up to set up and light the fire, but Scout placed a firm hand on her shoulder to prevent her from doing so, mumbling a: 

"Nah, nah, I gots it-" 

and getting up to do it herself. 

Soon, they were cooking up some foil dinners, laughing and joking, and before they knew it the sun was dipping below the horizon and making way for billions of tiny, sparkling pinpricks in the sky. Scout whipped them up some smores with an impressive proficiency. They snacked on the sweet treats as they leaned back to gaze at the sky. Sniper sighed, her heart feeling feather-weight but swollen as she looked over at her partner, the runner smiling as bright as the fire flickering across her face. Scout turned as well, the intense, loving expression on Sniper's face making her breath hitch. 

"Um, Snipes? What's up?" 

Sniper smiled. 

"Bloody hell, I don' know what I did ta deserve this. Deserve you." 

Scout smiled wider, leaning over to kiss Sniper slow and sweet. She pulled away only a short distance to mutter. 

"Y'deserve this an' more, silly. All for you." 

They knocked their foreheads together, giggling quietly. 

Safe to say, the date was awesome. And Scout couldn’t wait for the next one. She had a feeling Sniper couldn't either. 

[goodmorgan]

A Fair Sight

Summary: Arthur Morgan aims to put his skills to good use.

Pairing: Arthur Morgan x GN!Reader

Word count: 1k

Tags: One shot. AU Modern setting. Fluff, fluff and more fluff.

A/N: I wrote this in September and I never posted it! I just found it!

✿✿✿✿

You can tell that this isn't Arthur Morgan's first rodeo. When it comes to doing some shooting, the man is a born prodigy. He might just be the best damn sharpshooter in the county, hell, even the whole state.

He oozes confidence in his every move as he expertly sets the riffle against his rough shoulder, preparing his aim. He's proud enough to show his conviction in the skill but not cocky enough to flaunt it.

The night's summer soft breeze dances with his hair, but it's not strong enough to rattle him. He's utterly devoted to fulfilling your request, getting ready to put his talent to good use for once.

When he's ready, all his ducks in a row, he slowly exhales and the shots come faster than you can blink.

Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang.

A slight pause.

Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang.

He gives a light chuckle as he lowers the rifle. The scene before him can only be described as a massacre.

There are no survivors. All the yellow mechanical ducks at the shooting gallery are down. A victory tune plays over the speakers and some yellow and red lights flash to its beat. A sign up front lights up: "WINNER".

He turns around to give you a smirk and you go in for a short kiss on the lips. "That's my hero!"

He eagerly kisses you back in thanks for your praise. Shooting isn't the only thing he's good at.

"So, which one do you want?" You both look at the selection of prizes the gallery has displayed all around, most of them plushies. Tigers, bears, puppies, dolls. A very strange-looking giraffe. Some attempted bunnies. A horse painted as a zebra.

"That one!" You point to the big brown teddy bear sitting on the highest shelf to the left.

"Ok, gimme that one then." Arthur gestures to the bored teenage attendant who hands it over to him. "Here you go, darlin'."

When you grab it you're surprised by how big it is, needing both arms to hold it steady, much like you need with Arthur.

"You know bears are attracted to honey?"

"Is that so?"

"Must be why he likes you." Arthur's corniness always makes you smile.

"He kinda looks like you."

"Oh, you think he's ugly? Want me to get ya another one?"

You never care for his self-deprecating humor. "Oh, don't be silly!" You hug the bear tightly. "I love him! Thank you!"

"Anything for you, sweetheart."

He starts to lean in for another kiss and you get ready to receive it. But you're interrupted by the glimpse of something moving below you.

A little girl is now tugging at Arthur's sleeve. "Hey, mister. You think you can get me one too?"

He instinctively crouches down to match her height. "Sure I can. What's your name?"

"Emily." She sways in her pink dress and smiles broadly with anticipation.

"That's a pretty name! Ok, Emily. Let me see what I can do." You audibly denote your delight as he meets your eyes. "I'll be right back."

Back at the front of the gallery, he pays the attendant for another round and assumes the shooting position again. It's over before it's even begun. The ducks are down and the lights twinkle again. "WINNER". You and Emily give a big cheer at the outcome.

Arthur gestures to the attendant for another brown teddy bear, a smaller one that Emily can carry. He kneels again and hands it to her with a beaming smile. "Here you go, Emily."

"Thank you so much! I love him!" She surprises Arthur with a sweet hug, which he gladly accepts. Her little arms barely reach around Arthur's shoulders. She breaks it up to make another request. "Can I get a kiss too?"

You immediately see his cheeks turn a rosy color before he looks up at you. "Oh, I don't know, Emily. I gotta ask my friend here first."

"Don't be ridiculous!" you snicker.

Arthur plants a gentle kiss on Emily's cheek, which makes her laugh wholeheartedly. She lets out a "Thanks, mister!" before she runs off to show her mother her new teddy bear.

"That was adorable!"

Arthur rises from his knees to meet your gaze. "Kinda interrupted us kissing. But I'll let it slide."

"Well, I won't!" You grab both of Arthur's shoulders with your hands and squish the teddy bear between you as you reach for his lips. You linger on the kiss for a moment before the large size of the plushy forces you apart and you have to hold it again.

"You should've picked the zebra," he complains.

"I don't pick them ugly," you retort.

"Neither do I."

He leans in for another kiss before he's interrupted once again.

"Hey, you think you can help me out here?"

His patience has run out. "You're outta your damn mind, Marston!"

You watch as John stands a few feet from you, the rifle of the shooting gallery in his hands. You see he only shot a few of the ducks, not enough to win a prize.

Arthur suddenly grabs your hand and leads you away from the gallery, but you look back in time to see Abigail raise her arms in disappointment. "Is there anything you can do right?"

John inspects the rifle closely. "Arthur must have broken this thing!"

It's not long before you leave the fair with the sweetest bear wrapped around your arm. And a plushy teddy bear to boot.

✿✿✿✿

A/N: I'm not sure if mechanical ducks are still a thing. Sorry if they aren't!

[clownkillsyou]

PLEAAASE tlak abt specter more theyre something i LOVE on this blog that doesnt get enough love (including boring AU) hes just a guy... i want to kiss him on forehead...<3

OK I WILL DUMP A LITTLE BIT HERE.... no specific order or anything i am just typin whats coming into my head (also they would gladly accept a little kisskiss on da head i should doodle that sdhfjksdgfs)

its like. hard 2 tell cuz all grunts Look Like That but spectre in their grunt form is sort of more like the vague shape of a person? like in grunts eyes it would be like seeing a glowing figure whose features are difficult to comprehend and such

when they were living they didnt have much experience with fighting (honestly probably a little clueless in general), but they learned a lot just from trial and error with their new form

im still not sure in canon what determines if a grunt just goes to hell / the other place or becomes a ghost in canon, but in the spectre cases this was probably the result of some sort of experiment

speaking of, he has no memory of when he was alive Before this happened- he just knows his original body is gone and hes just Like This Now

also conveniently forgot their name too i totally am not using that as an advantage to not having to come up with one <3 ppl just refer to them as "the spectre" and it sticks for them they go "oh ok im spectre now i guess" (but they would probably be ok with any kinda nickname given to them)

as the spectre he feels "numb" and cant really feel anything, and forgets what things feel like, so when he gets a chance to actually touch things and stuff he gets kind of thrown off- especially with passive physical contact (his favorites texture is soft/fuzzy things whenever he gets to touch stuff again)

if the pain is ever too much when hes possessing a body hes just straight up like Yeah No Thanks and just gets out of there. let that guy deal with it

i like to think of this as a sort of "littlest hobo" situation just cuz of the spectres thing being possessing new bodies and getting caught up in madness/improbability A Lot- so theyre tossed from situation to situation quite often (they manage to get used to it and work against it but since you can never predict what the hells gonna happen in nevada...)

other than just accidentally wandering everywhere their main goal is to just find someone to help them and fix this, at least give them a permanent body

they dont really get the help theyre expecting, theyre hired to do a few missions for someone instead and in exchange they might get their best attempts at help (no <3)

despite all the shit they go through, theyre actually very chill and well-meaning outside of fighting and pretty polite. and very lost. and they probably have a few identity issues (they do sometimes snap / get annoyed / overwhelmed but they snap out of it pretty quick)

they just. really want to be on peoples good sides even if theyre clearly an enemy or just really want to kill them

OUT OF PLACE AND NOT TOO IMPORTANT BUT I JST REALIZED I NEVER BROUGHT IT UP.. they are demiboy + panromantic and use they/he pronouns +] (all of the body-hopping prompts them to explore their gender a bit more and they decide on the label as the spectre)

they usually dont have a body of their own, obviously they more often posses one and use it to their advantage in the current situation, but sometimes they do posses a body and stay in it for a little longer (and in a happy ending, they keep one but are still separate from it and can leave it whenever they want)

those bodies dont have a 'host' though- they arent dead, its difficult for them to posses a dead body, but in a hc of mine Very New clones are not really living when they are first created, so theyre basically just like a free body for them (though of course pre-happy-ending they dont stay for long anyways)

[hornime]

for your viewing pleasure | suna rintarou x gn!reader

camming was addicting in a way; he could be as lazy as he wanted with it and people would still lose their minds over the tiny crumbs he left them. it was suna’s sadistic little game, and he loved it.

warnings: 18+, college au, camboy!suna, male masturbation, mentions of drinking

w/c: 1k (this was not supposed to get this long oops)

a/n: no because suna is literally the perfect candidate for camming. he’s so fucking effortlessly sexy that it pisses me off but i KNOW i’d be pressing that follow button in half a heartbeat.

for your viewing pleasure: part one ↓ | part two

“fuck.” suna let out a guttural groan, his right hand moving rapidly along his shaft as he braced himself on his other forearm, naked body splayed out on his white bedsheets. “my hand feels good ‘round my cock but i’d rather it was you,” he grunted out to no one in particular. he took a shaky breath. “hngh, you know, if you were good, i’d cum inside. you’d like that, wouldn’t you? stupid whore, all desperate for some cum.” a few thrusts later, his stomach clenched and balls tightened, cum spilling heavily from his blushing tip. “oh god,” he moaned, “feels s’good.”

as he recollected his thoughts from his heart-pounding release, he reached forward and clicked the red button on his phone, stopping the recording. after playing the video through to ensure that nothing above his neck was in the frame, he posted it on twitter with a suggestive caption and headed to the shower. this was suna’s almost-nightly routine: film something filthy for his almost forty thousand followers and bask in the strange satisfaction of thirsty comments praising his cock and begging to get fucked. camming was addicting in a way; he could be as lazy as he wanted with it and people would still lose their minds over the tiny crumbs he left them. it was suna’s sadistic little game, and he loved it.

looking back, it’s almost inevitable that he started filming his solo sessions for attention, and eventually for some side cash. 

suna was always good with cameras—throughout high school, the miyas consistently kept him on his toes; he was constantly anticipating an opportunity for the perfect shot of osamu getting a set straight to the face or of atsumu getting tackled in retaliation for said set. just like on the court, he was observant: he always knew the best angles, the best lighting, and the best positioning, all coming together to form the perfect picture. 

and as for the porn part, well, he was a teenage boy once. he’d watched his fair share of erotic videos on all kinds of sites before stumbling upon the vast expanse of homemade clips on twitter, instantly understanding the appeal. a few months after he turned eighteen, he made his own account, figuring that he might as well use his cock for something other than his own pleasure. his peers always gave him hell for his apathy, especially in bed, but on the internet, strangers were in awe of just how little he cared—and how much hotter that made him.

by the time he reached ten thousand followers, he’d opened a venmo, making a few hundred dollars within a week. this isn’t too bad, he thought to himself. i could definitely get used to this. and he did, establishing a pretty solid side gig as a college student that could always use some extra cash.

speaking of college, suna wasn’t really one for parties. in fact, him attending the same party you were, being in the same room you were, and overhearing the only possible conversation that could possibly interest him, were all by complete coincidence. but damn, if he isn’t glad the fates aligned in his favor.

suna, in typical wallflower fashion, was standing against the wall, solo cup in hand, not doing much other than observing those around him and occasionally indulging in the flirtatious glances of a few other partygoers. thinking back, he wasn’t sure how he got so close to you and your friends, or why he was so keen on hearing what you had to say to them. all he knew then was that you were a familiar face from one of his classes, and you were irritatingly attractive. he could probably point to at least five different posts on his account in which he was thinking of specifically you, a person of definite sexual interest, while masturbating.

you’d been drinking, undoubtedly to the point of being tipsy, because there was no way you would’ve been talking about porn, especially at that loud of a volume in the middle of a party, sober. the few beers you’d downed had comfortably warmed your body, making your brain a little fuzzy and your actions a little more reckless. so when your friend had brought up the subject of pornography, you were quick to jump in.

“ya see,” you slurred, “for all the good stuff, ya needa be on twitter. your first mistake s’gunna be going on pornhub or xvideos or some dumb shit like that. you gotta be looking for the good kush on twitter. the homemade stuff. s’authentic and real.”

suna raised a brow at that, taking a short sip of his drink, curious as to what you were going to say next. 

“and once you’re on twitter, you gotta find some good,” you waved your hand vaguely, “content creators. ya know? some accounts you can rely on for all your needs.”

your friend asked you a question that suna couldn’t make out through the reverberating bass of the music.

“me personally? all right. this is my biggest secret, like, this guy is the holy grail of twitter porn. the user is...” 

suna nearly spit out the alcohol settling on his tongue as the username of his secret account escaped your lips. holy shit, he thought to himself, trying to control his quickening pulse. the idea of you using him to get off was way more arousing then he thought it could be. did you ever time your orgasm so that you both were cumming at the same time? did you stare with envy at his hand, wishing it was you? with nothing but your imagination and your fingers, did you pretend it was him looming over you, making you feel good?

his cock stirred impatiently in his pants. shit, i’ve got to chill the fuck out.

“i’m telling you, this man has the prettiest cock i’ve ever seen. like, you guys know, i hate sucking dick. ‘s the worse thing ever ‘cus their balls always smell like old cheese. but for this guy,” you rolled your eyes back dramatically, “i’d get on my hands and knees immediately. t‘so long and thick and curved and pink,” you gushed. “and his voice is so hot. i’d let him do anything to me.”

suna smirked from behind his cup. he likes you. maybe if you play your cards right, he’ll let you suck the pretty cock that you adore so much. and maybe if he plays his cards right, you’ll let him record it so he can watch it whenever he wants, and show off to his followers what a cockhungry slut you are.

making solo porn was getting boring, anyway.

>> part two 

© property of hornime 2021. do not plagiarize any of my writing and do not repost/copy my writing onto any other sites.

[buckys-black-dress]

campus - bucky barnes x fem!reader (college au)

a/n: hey y’all! so. this is my first ever fic being posted here! i’m super excited to be sharing my work on here :) that being said, thank you for reading! please feel free to share/reblog/leave comments, but please do not repost my work! this lil one shot was inspired by the song campus by vampire weekend. enjoy! - ali

wc: 3.4k

You worked in the evenings at your coffee shop on campus during the week. Being that you went to school in a major metropolitan city, there were endless amounts of students bustling in and out of the shop daily. Day in and day out, it was pretty repetitive. The same kids, stressed, ordering a coffee and snack, and then sitting at a desk or in the upstairs attached library for hours on end, cramming or stressing about some test that was probably the following day. 

But there was one part that always made your day brighter, no matter how horrible your day had been thus far. 

Him.

His dark, long brown hair that looked soft to the touch, his large physique that had you melting in seconds, and his voice. 

He was always kind when he spoke to you, never short or rude. He always took his time to ask you how your day was going, took the time to learn your name, and even sat with you in between customers at the counter. 

Today, it was him sitting through the lunch rush, and while you whirled around the coffee machines and mugs, he watched you and made conversation while you steamed milk for the next latte that was ordered. 

“So, what are your plans for the winter break? Seeing any family?” He questioned, looking down into his own mug of dark brew. 

“Yeah, usually I go up to Canada to see my family there. I miss them a lot around this time of year, can’t wait to see them.” You shrugged your shoulders with a smile. “How about you, Bucky?”

Bucky hummed, wrapping a large hand around the body of the mug and pulled it up to his lips. 

“Yeah, not as far as you, though. Can’t wait to see my ma and sister. Miss ‘em to death.” He matched your grin. 

“Aw, how is she? Doing better now?” 

You recalled one day where Bucky came into the cafe, head hung low. You immediately poured him a cup and sat with him as he talked.

“She’s doing great now, thank God. Would’ve had to take off from school to stay with her if she didn’t, and she’s still so young. No one deserves to be bound to a hospital bed when they’re a kid.” He spoke brightly, glad he could say Rebecca was out of the hospital.

“That’s amazing, Buck! Glad to hear it.” You grinned even brighter than you had before, and Bucky couldn’t help but to stare at the sparkle in your eyes. 

You were a shy girl, and Bucky had initially first seen you in your sophomore art class. For you, it was a core requirement, but Bucky was taking courses aimlessly, trying to figure out what he wanted to do. He was at school on a football scholarship, and almost everyone knew him and his teammates. But as soon as he spotted you in that class, he knew he had to get to know you. It was hard at first, he’ll admit. You weren’t quite as responsive to him as he’d hoped, but over time when he would see you more often, he would make more conversation and you eventually warmed up to him.

You never knew what to do with Bucky. At first, you thought he was pranking you when he tried to talk to you. But over time, you let your guard down. You often fantasize about him and what it would be like to be with him. You fell for the side of him that was kind and caring, the soft side. Others saw the big, brawny football player, but that couldn’t be further from who he actually was. 

“You know, you should come to our party tonight.”

You scoffed at that. 

“And why, Bucky, would I do that?” Your tone was incredulous.

“Because, sweetheart, I want you to meet my friends?” The nickname made your heart flutter, beating wildly against your chest.

“I’ve already met Steve and Sam, and as far as I know, no one else is relevant.” You countered.

“I- Well, you’re right, but I want to have fun with you! I never see you outside of work or school.” Bucky’s eyes shone with pleading, basically begging you.

“I… Fine, maybe I’ll drop by after work…” You compromised, but Bucky’s smirk grew. 

“Yes! I’ll see ya at eight, doll, but I gotta head out and help set up.” He tapped the counter and stood up from his stool, flashing you one last smile before heading out the door, the bell ringing above it.

And fuck, you couldn’t wipe that damn smile off your face. 

-

Eight o’clock couldn’t roll around fast enough, and as soon you clocked out of work you practically ran to your apartment. Your roommates were out, so you picked out the best outfit you could put together in half an hour. 

The walk to Bucky’s fraternity house was jittery, your hands shaking uncontrollably, and it wasn’t just because of the frigid November air. 

It was exactly eight. Music was booming, you could literally feel it from the front porch. Not a minute late or early, and you were wondering why you were so nervous. Of course, it was because of Bucky, but also about the prospect of a party. You don’t go to many at all, and to go to a college party was more or less social suicide. You didn’t want to embarrass yourself, let alone in front of Bucky.

You lifted your hand to knock and after a minute or so, the door pulled open. 

And that was definitely not Bucky. 

“You here for the party?” The guy said, a brunet just a bit taller than you, but you could tell he was older than you.

“Uh- yeah-” You barely got out before he pulled you in by the arm. 

“Great, uh, I don’t have too much time for formalities or anything, but drinks are there,” he said, pointing to the kitchen, “and if ya gotta yak, please, for the love of God, do it in a toilet.” He said, leaving you in the middle of the hallway with people stumbling around you, mumbling apologies as you bumped into countless people. 

You felt like looking for Bucky was hopeless, so you stayed by the drinks for a bit, seeing if he’d come by, and after a few minutes, he turned up.

But of course, not alone.

“Y/N! You made it, I was wondering if you bailed on me!” He was basically yelling over the music.

“Oh! Yeah, I made it, I guess.” You tightly smiled, giving a fake laugh.

“Where are my manners! This is Nat, ot Natasha. We’re in the same Human Sexuality course. ‘ve known her since freshman year, can always count on her.” Bucky announced, pulling the interest of the redhead that he walked in with. 

She extended her hand with a smile as you shook her hand.

She’s fucking gorgeous. Of course Bucky’s here with her. Fuck. Why did you think he would hang out with you tonight? 

“So, Y/N, what’s your major?” Natasha asked you, her soft voice pulling you out of your intrusive thoughts.

“I uh, I’m an English Lit major with a minor in Cognitive Psych.” You responded, wanting to be done with this conversation. Done with this whole party, actually, at this point. 

“Oh shit, that’s so cool! I’m just a boring Criminal Justice major,” she answered, taking a sip from her drink.

Suddenly, her eyes lit up, looking at you in shock.

“Buck! Get this girl a drink! She’s just been standing here empty handed!” She slapped his arm, causing him to curse.

“Fuck, Y/N, let me get you something. Any preferences?” Bucky asked, already turning to the counter. 

“Uhm, not really, just no beer. Tastes like shit.” You huffed out a laugh, looking down at your hands until Bucky handed you a cup that was almost full.

“Vodka lemonade, doll, sweet enough where all you taste is the burn.” He smiled a wide smile that made you realize something. Bucky was drunk. 

“Thanks, Bucky.” You smiled and took a sip. He was right, it wasn’t strong at all, but by the time you looked up, Natasha was pulling him back to the dance floor, throwing her arms around his neck and swaying to the beat. His hands almost immediately found her hips, moving at the same pace.

Somewhere deep in your chest, you felt a pang. You knew that of course, you had no claim over Bucky. But you thought that after really getting to know him that there was something between you two.

But seeing his gaze never waver from Natasha, you guess you’d thought wrong. 

Setting your cup down on the counter, you felt a hand land on top of yours, and he spoke before you could.

“Hey, another rule I forgot to mention. Never leave your cup unattended. We try to keep a clean act here, but some assholes always slip through.” It was the same brunet from earlier.

“Oh… I was actually just about to go…” You mumbled.

“Leaving so early? You make me feel like a horrible host!” He yelled dramatically, placing a hand on his chest. “Oh God, you don’t even know me, do you?” He questioned.

“I… I’m sorry, I don’t.” You responded, fiddling with the hem of your shirt.

“Well, nice to meet you. I’m Tony, but I prefer ‘Greek God’ or ‘Ruler of the Universe,’ up to ya.” He smirked.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Tony. I’m Y/N.” You shook his hand, looking around. You just wanted to go home at this point.

“So why do you look like someone just killed your cat, Y/N?” He asked, leaning back onto the counter.

“I just… don’t really think this is my scene, I guess.” You shrugged. It was the truth, this wasn’t where you wanted to be on a Friday night. But you came for Bucky, and right now he’s dancing with a gorgeous redhead on the dance floor, while you stand in the kitchen talking to a stranger. 

“I see… have you come to one of our parties before?” He asks, scanning the crowd.

“Uh, just a few with my old roommates, but not too many, but Bucky invited me…” Your words trailed off, spotting him in the crowd, head thrown back laughing at something Steve or Natasha had said. 

“Ah, I see. Bucky.” Tony smirked. “You like him, don’t you?” He questioned.

“What?” You paled, “No! He’s just a friend, we’ve had a few classes together, that’s all.” Your face turned beet red as you looked down at your feet. 

“Listen, Y/N, I don’t know you very well, but I can tell you’re not dumb. If you like him, tell him that. I almost waited too long to tell Pep, but now we’ve been together a whole year and I can’t imagine my life without her. What’s the worst that could happen?” Tony proclaimed, bounding away and pulling a strawberry blonde girl, who you’re assuming is ‘Pep.’

And although Tony’s word instilled an unusual wave of confidence in you, what you were met with when you turned your head towards Bucky made it disappear into thin air.

There he was, in all his long-haired, muscly glory, kissing Natasha. 

Oh.

Alright.

Your mind was blank, and before you knew it you were out of the house and running back to your apartment, ignoring your roommates calling you from the couch as you held back tears. 

Of course Bucky would never go for someone like you. 

-

Waking up and having to go to class on Monday was a feat on its own. But going to work?

Impossible.

You had been avoiding going on campus all weekend, although you had to go in for a studio hour. But all in all, you managed to avoid Bucky. Thank God you didn’t have to work on weekends. 

But alas, Monday came, and Monday meant work. 

And work meant Bucky.

You took your time clocking in and pulling on your apron in the back and as you emerged, you were met with tons of customers waiting in line.

No Bucky yet. 

Hm. 

An hour into your shift, you’re whirling around behind the counter, completing orders, when he walked in. Bucky quietly sat himself down at the countertop and waited for you to greet him with a mug of hot coffee and a smile.

All you could manage was a tight, rushed smile while placing the mug in front of him haphazardly. 

Bucky’s brows furrowed as you kept up your work, not even stopping to speak a word to him. He waited and waited, but you kept to yourself and served the countless students that walked into the cafe. 

Needless to say, Bucky was confused. 

“Hey, Y/N?” He finally piped up after almost two hours of watching you. 

“Oh, yeah, need something James?” You asked, focused on pouring the right amount of milk into a cup. 

James.

You never called him James.

“Uh, no. Just wanted to ask you if everything was alright?” Bucky inquired, hoping you’d give him something. 

“Yeah, just working.” You replied shortly. 

“Oh. Alright, doll.” Bucky took the hint, you thought. 

But he still sat there until you got off your shift, which is exactly what you did not want. 

While walking out of the cafe, you didn’t even look in Bucky’s direction. You walked right out, and by the time he saw you leaving he was sprinting out of his seat, but you had disappeared into the crowd of people walking about. 

The next day was more of the same. Bucky sitting and waiting, and you sneaking out to avoid him.

On Thursday night after work, you waited for the elevator in your apartment building, and just as the doors were about to close, a tall, burly blond slid his way in.

“Oh, hey Y/N.” He nodded down at you.

“Hi, Steve.” You muttered, looking down at your shoes.

“How ya been? Haven’t seen you around that much lately.” He asks.

“Oh, just busy with work and school, finals and stuff are coming up.” You answered, pursing your lips. 

“Yeah, Bucky’s been mentioning that he hasn’t spent time with you in a while. You should talk to him.” He looked at you. 

“Steve, are you here on behalf of Bucky?” You asked, anger raising inside you.

“Well, no, not really. My girlfriend Peggy lives on the 13th floor, so I gotta head out, but just… talk to him, Y/N? He misses you, I think.” Steve punctuates his sentence with the elevator doors sliding shut and leaving you with your thoughts.

-

Of course, you didn’t follow Steve’s advice. You didn’t know how to really act around him now, but you didn’t want to completely cut him off. 

So the following week had been a bit of the same, but Wednesday came, and that’s when it all blew up in your face. 

After work, you snuck out from the back, but the alleyway that was usually empty had one single person there, waiting for you.

“Hey doll, can we talk?” 

Fuck.

“Uh, yeah, sure what’s up?” You asked, standing a mere distance from him. 

“It’s just… why have you been avoiding me?” Bucky sounded unsure, like he was crazy.

“Bucky, I’ve just been busy, I’m sorry-” You started, but he wasn’t having any of it.

“Y/N, please. It’s been almost two weeks and you haven’t said more than five words to me. Did something happen? Did I upset you somehow?” He sounded desperate, like he was really trying. 

But all your mind could think of is him that night. His arms around Natasha, his lips attached to hers. 

And then it went to all of the moments you two shared. Hours of conversations, pet names, talking about everything under the sun.

“Bucky, I just… I don’t understand.”

“What, what don’t you understand, doll?” He was pleading with you here. 

“That party… why did you invite me?” You carefully asked.

Bucky looked confused now. “Because I wanted to hang out with you and have fun?”

You shuffled your feet against the gravel, scoffing at yourself.

“So why did you spend the whole night making out with Natasha?” You asked, pretty boldly if you would admit it to yourself. You were never one for confrontation, but Bucky had put you in a corner. 

“I… doll… I’m sorry, ya gotta believe, it was never my intention to make you feel unimportant,” Bucky’s eyes flashed with realization at what he’d done, “I was drunk out of my damn mind because Tony was pregaming and… I’m sorry, Y/N.” Bucky bowed his head in shame. 

“Just… was I all a game to you? Someone who was just there to comfort you when you needed it? Did I… ever mean anything more to you?” Your voice was meek.

“Y/N, please, look at me.” Bucky’s hand found your cheek, tilting your head up. “You are the sweetest, kindest, most intelligent person I’ve met in my entire life. There is no one else like you.” He spoke passionately. 

“Then… why can’t I be enough?” Tears pooled in your eyes. “Why can’t I be the one you hold when you dance?” Why can’t I be the one who gets the guy?

“You have to believe me, I was drunk, Y/N. I know that’s no excuse, but I’m so, so, so sorry. I was just afraid. You’re always so quiet, I never know how you’re feeling, so I just assumed you weren’t interested in me the way I was interested in you. I thought I was chasing a dead end.” He confessed.

By now, fat tears were running down your face, being gently wiped away by Bucky's large thumbs. 

“I just- I know I don’t talk much, but I always talk to you. It was so hard for me to open up to you and when I saw you with Natasha I just… I thought I had driven you away. I thought you’d found someone better because I wasn’t enough for you.”  You barely choked out the words.

“Sweetheart, you are more than enough for me. I come and sit with you at work for hours just to hear you talk. I just didn’t know how to tell you without freaking you out.”

By now, the both of you were crying, trying to understand how you got here.

“I’m sorry, Buck. You’re just so different. I never thought someone like you could like someone like me.” 

“Doll, please. I wouldn’t shut up about you to Steve, he was going insane.” Bucky cracked a smile, thumbing at your cheek still.

You giggled at that, sniffling. 

“Look at us. Two big idiots, huh?” You laughed.

“The biggest idiots. But I think I’ll be an even bigger idiot if i don't do this.” He  mumbled.

“Do what?”

Before the question could leave your lips, his mouth was on yours, capturing it in a sweet kiss that you didn’t even know you were longing for. 

After coming out of your daze, your eyes fluttered open when Bucky pulled away.

“What was that for?” You breathily asked, bringing your fingers up to your lips. 

“It was to show you how sorry I am. I wanna take you out and show you off, Y/N. I wanna make you my girl. Whaddaya say?” Bucky was smiling, but you could tell he was nervous.

“Sure, Buck. I’ll be your girl. But you gotta take me out for dinner first.” You smirked, clutching Bucky’s face in your hands. 

“I’ll take ya wherever ya wanna go, sweetheart. I’d take you to the moon if you wanted.” 

[mx-barnes]

Soulmate AU Pt.7

Summary: When you turn 18 you get the name of a song on your wrist. That is the song you and your soulmate share. It is also how you can communicate with them.

Word Count: 1.2k

Warnings: swearing, implied smut (I suck at writing smut so this is for the best), talk of abduction, a little bit of Bucky's trauma, pet names, Sad!Bucky, think that's it.

A/n:Sorry that this chapter is so short I am camping this week and wanted you guys to have a new part out. So I finished this before camping, I'll be logging off for the week I have a few things queued but not much. Sorry I will be back next week with my regularly scheduled post. Not edited, Charaters not my own (Marvel don't sue me) Gif not my own.

Chapter 6 Masterlist

The next morning you woke up to find James still in bed with you. You figured he’d already be up but apparently he wasn’t a morning person either. Last night was amazing you had shown him where you grew up. He seemed so entranced by everything. Maybe it was the fact that you were talking a mile a minute or he was just happy to be there with you.

Honestly, he seemed like a great guy. He hadn’t pushed you into anything last night which you know from your own shitty experiences can happen. Most of the men and women you dated tended to have an expectancy. That if you were laying down in their bed or even laying down in your bed that something was going to happen. But James didn’t seem to be like that. You were grateful.

Yes, you were soulmates. Yes, you were “made for each other” but you wanted to take it slow until you couldn’t handle slow anymore. You wanted to build a relationship first not just jump straight in. He may be your soulmate but you’ve heard of instances where soulmates moved too fast and ended up hating each other. You didn’t want that. You want a best friend, someone you could depend on.

You felt the figure stir beside you pulling you out of your thoughts. “Mornin’ doll. You sleep well?” His morning voice was beautiful. It was just the right amount of gravely to the deep tone. This man had you just swooning at his voice.

“Ya I slept great what about you handsome?” You said placing a hand on his shoulder as you snuggled closer to him.

“It was one of the best sleeps I’ve had in a while. So,” he paused looking down and chewing on his bottom lip. “My arm.”

“What do you mean your arm?” you pulled back to look at him.

“It’s- well it's metal,” he stuttered. Scared that you would reject him. Push him away maybe if you hadn’t already connected the dots. See that he was a terrible person.

“So. Listen, James,” the way you said his name made butterflies rupture in his stomach. “I can’t change it. I know about your past but everyone is so much more than their past. If we lived in the past we wouldn’t go anywhere. So as long as you don’t judge me on my past I won’t judge you on yours. We all have a story but each day we have a blank page. That story may be filled with unknown horrors but the fact that you are here and can share those horrors if you so choose is proof enough that you are a strong and capable man.”

"But if you know my past you know I killed hundreds. You deserve better than that. You deserve someone better. Someone who is broken. Some who can gi-"

"Stop. If the universe put us together it must have a reason. It must have a reason and this is not me rationalizing this. I want to be with you. You were brainwashed those terrible acts the other guy did was not your fault. You are enough for me. You are more than enough for me. Last night you followed me around my childhood home where I talked a mile a minute and you were probably bored out of your mind but you sat and listened. I talk too much, I ramble but you sat and listened to me. Listen James I know your past from the media, but I want to know your past. I want to get to know the real you. Not the one the media portrays, not the one you probably put on when you go to your therapist, the real you,” you rambled on.

His arms jut out to grab your face. Grabbing it he pulls you close you instinctively close your eyes then he hesitates you can feel his hot breath fanning over your face as he asks “Can I kiss you?”

You open your eyes. Stare into his beautiful blues for a second almost getting lost in them but manage to answer him. “I’d be disappointed if you didn’t.”

After hearing your response his face lightens you ca. See the glint in his eyes as he once again pulls you close and kisses you. Your eyes flutter shut. The kiss is soft. His lips are dry and cracked a bit but you don’t mind. It's sweet and way too short for your liking. When he pulls away you allow him and yourself to have a breath before you pull him once again.

He chuckles into the kiss. He pulls away once again and you whine. “We gotta get up doll. ‘M gonna make you the very best breakfast,” he gets up and starts to pull a shirt on. You didn’t even realize he was shirtless.

Pouting you quip “The best breakfast you could give me is if you stay in bed.”

That seems to pique his interest as he dives right back into the covers and begins kissing you once again. Let’s just say you and him had a full meal.

<~>

You must have fallen asleep again because by the time you looked over at the alarm clock it was 2 hours later.

Scrambling to get your things for work you manage to wake up James. He looks at you with such love in his eyes. “Mornin’ doll.”

It wasn’t fair how good he looked or sounded. He looked as he had been plucked from the gardens of heaven. His voice was melodic. It was drawing you back in. "Morning sorry I have to get to work I've missed the past couple of days and it's not like my boss is unreasonable but she does need her assistant. I am really sorry to just run out on you but I will be back I promise. I'll leave my number on the counter," quickly crossing the room to give him a quick cheek kiss. You ran out of the room a little disheveled but looking fairly decent. You scribbled down your number on an empty piece of paper. By the time you actually left you looked down to your watch and it was 8:30 AM.

<~>

By the time you actually got to Stark Industries, it was 9:45 AM your shift started at 9:00 sharp. Immediately you went to Peppers office. You knocked on the door hoping that she wasn't in a meeting. "Come in."

"Pepper I'm so sorry for not being here for the past couple of days. I was abducted and then I was with my soulmate and I overslept. I'm so sorry," you ramble on.

"It's ok. Wait you were abducted? By who?" Pepper almost scolds. Her face softens as she takes in the last bit of your sentence. "So you spent the night at your soulmate's house. That must've been fun. What's their name?" She questions.

"Well, his name is James Barnes. Don go off on how he's the Winter Soldier. I know he is and it's fine that wasn't him. I know I just met him but I think I'm already falling in love. He's not like any other person I've been with. Not Killian, not Amanda, not Jade, and definitely not Dawson. He's just different but a good different you know?"

"I know I can see that he makes you happy. That smile hasn't left your face since you came in here."

You hadn't even realized you were smiling. This was something that you had experience before sure your other partners made you happy but this has been a long time coming, to find that ethereal happiness.

Chapter 8

Taglist:

@oceanmermaidwitch @navs-bhat

[rareficsnstuff]

Happy Halloween!! [Akaashi, Tendou, Bokuto]

AN: Okay, Anon, I hope the wait was worth it. I was suddenly inspired by the recent holiday so I combined your request with that element and I thought it made sense to place it in the Kuroo, Bokuto, Tendou post high-school roommates AU that I accidentally started here. Enjoy!!

Summary: Akaashi is invited to a costume party at Bokuto, Kuroo, and Tendou’s apartment, but everyone is less than pleased about his costume. And where’s Tendou?

Words: 3,878

                                   ---------------------------------------------

The doorbell’s tone mixed with the cacophony of chatter that buzzed endlessly throughout the apartment. It caught the attention of Kuroo, who had been conversing with some friends on the couch.

“Bo, that’s your turn!” he shouted over his shoulder to the kitchen.

“Yeah!” came Bokuto’s boisterous, garbled reply before he quickly threw the last bit of candy bar into his mouth and made his way over to the door. He swung the door open jarringly and it collided with the wall behind, leaving a nick in the paint.

“You shouldn’t slam doors. Be more careful, Bokuto,” the new guest scolded calmly.

“AKAASHIII! Hey, hey, hey!! You showed up ~.” Akaashi stood there looking bored, hands clasped behind his back, but as soon as the elder was finished with his verbal greeting, the younger found himself being pulled into a suffocating bear-like hug and lifted off the ground by his overjoyed friend.

“B-Bokuto… I can’t breathe… P-please put me down,” he choked out as he awkwardly hung in Bokuto’s grasp.

“Oh, sorry!” he all but dropped Akaashi on the ground, rubbing his neck and smiling sheepishly while Akaashi removed his coat and hung it with the rest of the guests’. “So… a ghost, yeah?” he asked.

“Yeah. It’s all I had. Sorry…” Akaashi’s ‘costume’ consisted of a white thermal top, a pair of old ripped jeans, sneakers of no particular sort, and the classic white triangle strapped to his head.

“No, no! I like it! It’s like… modern ghost,” Bokuto punctuated with a grand, theatrical wave of his hands. “You look cool!”

“You’re wearing the same costume you’ve worn every year since I met you. Why don’t you ever try something different?”

“Why would I try something different?! This is the perfect costume! Owls are so cool, Why wouldn’t I be one every year?!” Bokuto shouted proudly. Akaashi’s response was to simply stare blankly.

“Right, stupid question. Sorry…” he added dryly. Bokuto shrugged, throwing a hearty slap to Akaashi’s back, knocking the wind out of the younger and making him stumble forward.

“Okay, okay, come in, Akaashi!! You have to see what Tendou and Kuroo did with the decorations! They’re awesome!!” Bokuto cheered, closing the door and pushing Akaashi further inside by his shoulders. “Oh, and their costumes are cool, too! But I bet you can’t guess what Tendou is ~,” he sang in a challenging tone. Akaashi sighed.

At that moment, Kuroo looked over his shoulder at the commotion by the front door. “Heeey, Akaashi! Good ta see ya!” He stood, moving towards them to clap Akaashi on the shoulder. Akaashi’s jaw fell.

“What the-- “

“Whoa, wait a minute, where’s your costume?!” Kuroo fussed, pointing a disappointed finger at Akaashi’s chest. The shorter made a lame gesture of presenting himself with a lazy wave of his hand over his body before he let his hand fall back limply to his side.

“… That’s it…” less of a question, and more of a disappointed statement. Akaashi additionally pointed to the white triangle on his forehead. “Oh, yeah. That’s- that’s much better. Your costume’s pretty wimpy there, Akaashi…” Kuroo finished, dropping the sarcasm.

“It’s all I had,” Akaashi blandly repeated from his earlier conversation with Bokuto.

“Really…” Kuroo’s tone irritated Akaashi. Was he trying to pick a fight or something? The shorter’s eyes narrowed ever-so slightly, but Kuroo still picked up on it. Kuroo reached out, grabbing Akaashi’s headpiece and pulling it away only to let it snap back into place. Akaashi winced, lifting a hand to swat Kuroo’s away.

“Speaking of costumes, what the hell is yours supposed to be?!” Damn… provocation expert for a reason, huh? Akaashi didn’t care right now, though – he just felt like glaring at pain-in-the-ass Kuroo just at the moment. Kuroo smirked with a chuckle.

“What, you can’t tell?” he stopped, waiting for Akaashi to try and guess. Akaashi only continued scowling. “Mad scientist, dud! C’mon!” Sure enough, Kuroo was wearing a white lab coat spattered in fake blood and green faux chemicals over a worn out, grey t-shirt. He had an old pair of torn up corduroys that didn’t quite reach his ankles, long, neon green socks and some old brown loafers that were about a size-and-a-half too large. His hair though, was the real eye catcher: people who knew him would immediately be drawn to the fact that you could see both eyes!! Gone was his usual style of rooster-esque bedhead. He must have spent a lot of time and product to get all his unruly, wiry locks to stand strait up like that. The final details – Akaashi felt were a bit over the top – were a bit of dark eye makeup beneath his eyes – to make him look sleep-deprived, Akaashi supposed – and a pair of large and broken, circular-framed glasses hanging from his t-shirt collar.

“Not much different from how you usually look, is it?” Akaashi snarked. Kuroo’s haughty smirk fell.

“Someone’s in a bad mood tonight,” Bokuto interjected, looking awkwardly between the two.

“Hey, Akaashi, you seen Tendou tonight yet?” Kuroo asked. There was an odd, baiting tone to the question, but Akaashi couldn’t begin to guess where this was going.

“No. I just got here.”

“Well, unlike yours ~, his costume is superb! And I bet you can’t guess what it is?” Kuroo almost growled. There was no question that was a challenge. Now Akaashi just needed to decide if he cared.

Perplexed, Akaashi asked, “What are you getting at?” Kuroo only grinned, eyes glinting mischievously and Akaashi’s brows furrowed untrustingly in response.

“Oh hey, Bo, it’s almost 8 o’clock! I gotta get going!”

“Yeah, yeah, no worries, man! Say hi to Kenma for me, okay?” Bokuto replied sweetly.

“Sure thing!” One final swig from a cup of apple cider nearby, a clap on Bokuto’s back and an elbow nudge at Akaashi before a quick stop at the entryway closet to grab his coat and Kuroo was out the door.

“Kuroo tried to get Kenma to come, but I guess the shrimp wanted to stay in this year. So he’s gonna go spend the rest of the night over there and watch horror movies n’ stuff…” Bokuto explained.

Suddenly, from somewhere in the apartment, there was a shout followed by a string of giggles. Akaashi figured it was coming from one of the bedrooms, but he didn’t really care too much; probably some idiots on a sugar high from all the candy and sweets. He rolled his eyes, but Bokuto looked towards the commotion and chuckled.

“Hey, hey, Akaashi! Look at this!” Bokuto exclaimed, suddenly jumping to one side only to stand in front of a black light that was set up against a wall. He crouched into a kneel on one leg with is arms wrapped around him like a vampire, the feathered sleeves and horned (and beaked) hood of the owl onesie providing more cover to his face. Pausing there a moment – to build suspense? – he suddenly looked up dramatically whilst simultaneously throwing his arms open in a ‘menacing’ way, his face dramatized into a bold, sneering grin. The light from behind caught his form, lighting up the white in his costume and face, making him look like a gargoyle from a children’s television program. Though that probably wasn’t quite the affect Bokuto had been going for. Akaashi stared, trying to process what he was looking at and contain the urge to press his palm across his face.

“Very spooky, Bokuto…” he finally said, to which the ‘gargoyle’ stood to his full height, fists on his hips, and laughed triumphantly – obnoxiously, in Akaashi’s opinion. But he’d be lying if he said he didn’t miss this at all and he found one corner of his mouth lifting. Only a little.

“Didn’t my roomies do a great job on the decorations?!” Bokuto asked proudly. Akaashi looked around, fully observing the décor for the first time.

“Yeah, they really did. The place looks great,” he said truthfully. Again, there was a sudden burst of laughter from somewhere in the apartment. Two voices this time, one more desperate than the other. Akaashi’s head snapped in that direction for a second before glancing back at Bokuto who was, again, grinning in that direction before he turned to meet Akaashi’s eyes with another chuckle.

“Anyways, there’s lots of food and drinks n’ stuff in the kitchen, so help yourself. And you have to try the apple cider; that’s my grandma’s recipe! It’s awesome!” he finished, pumping a fist into the air as he turned and went to mingle with his other guests.

Akaashi stood there awkwardly for half a minute before he decided to fix himself a plate of food. The evening was pleasant enough; he caught up with several old friends and acquaintances and even met some great new people. These were all friends and teammates from Bokuto, Kuroo, and Tendou’s high school years. All pleasant people in their own ways and Akaashi was almost fully enjoying himself after the whole Kuroo dispute. He hadn’t seen much of Bokuto since he left him to his own devices but the elder seemed to be getting around. He was in his element after all – one of them anyways. Every so often, however, there were those random bouts of laughter coming from somewhere in the apartment. He was never in the same room when it happened though; anytime he moved to another room, whatever was going on had suddenly moved to the room he had just left. And he had yet to spot the elusive Tendou...

By about 11 o’clock, the majority of the guests had gone home and more were trickling out by the minute. He and Washio were the only two left in the living room, comfortably chatting on the couch. Even then, with all the rest of the non-residential people left in that apartment, laughter once again sounded through the apartment. Bokuto’s laughter. Loud and boisterous intermingled with (apparently) Tendou’s own laughter. Akaashi thought about asking Washio if he knew anything about this, but decided against it, and all too soon, Washio was excusing himself to go home, going to find the other two for a quick goodbye before he grabbed his coat and walked out the door. Akaashi found himself alone, slowly nursing the last of his eighth glass of apple cider.

“Yooo ~, Akaashi ~! Haven’t seen you all night!” Akaashi turned to see, finally, Tendou emerging from the darkened hallway. Akaashi froze. What the hell was he looking at?!

Bokuto trailed in behind him looking like he’d just run a ten minuet mile; panting and cheeks glowing red, a sheen of sweat coating his forehead.

“Yeah, I guess… I guess we just kept missing each other… I’ve been here since eight,” Akaashi stammered, almost in a daze as his expression became something like concerned confusion. He was so distracted by-- what in god’s name was Tendou wearing?!

“Alright! Hang on! Wait! Full stop! Is that your costume?!” Tendou accused pointing a disgusted finger at Akaashi as his face twisted into abhorred imploration. The younger had to close his eyes, taking a minute to inhale deeply through his nose and release it in a heavy, frustrated sigh.

“Yes. It’s all. I had,” Akaashi bit out.

“Whoa, whoa, no need to get huffy, Kaashi, just making an observation,” Tendou attempted to sooth.

“You were making a criticism…”

“And what the hell are you supposed to be, Tendou!” Akaashi shouted, suddenly jumping to his feet.

“Yeah, you’re right, I was- but you gotta admit… your costume’s shit-“

“Akaashiii ~,” Bokuto sang, finally speaking up. “You’re supposed to guess ~.” The two residents both smiled at their guest, Bokuto’s expression was affectionate and playful while Tendou’s was smug.

Fuzzy. Red. Neck to ankles. Like he had taken part of an Elmo costume from a thrift store. There was a pair of matching red yeti slippers to complete the coverage while his fingernails had been painted black and a pair of black horns peeking out amidst his mess of spiky, red hair. The finishing touch, a bright green, feather boa lei necklace.

“How the hell am I supposed to guess?! You look like you just grabbed the first handful of things you could find at a second hand store!”

“Well, at least we know I put in more effort than you,” Tendou sassed to which Akaashi huffed. There went his good mood. “Anyways, you seem a little grumpy today, don’t you ~?”

“Yeah he’s kinda been that way tonight,” Bokuto confirmed, much to Akaashi’s growing irritation.

“I wonder why…” Akaashi mumbled under his breath.

“So… You really can’t guess what I am, Kaashi?” Tendou purred, creeping towards their grumpy ‘ghost’ guest.

“No. I have no idea. Wha- what are you-- ”

“You really need to guess what he is, Akaashi. But don’t worry, we can help you out with that ~,”

“Guys… What’s going on? You’re kinda freaking me out- please stop inching towards me.”

“I’ll inch wherever I want,” Tendou snipped playfully, looming ever closer to Akaashi and his growing unease of the situation. The red-head had him so distracted – and, frankly, terrified – that he entirely forgot Bokuto had been creeping up behind him.

“AH! BOKUTO! Put me down!” His old Captain had grabbed him from behind, scooping him up by hooking his arms under his Kohai’s. Now Akaashi’s heels were lifted off the ground and he could just barely manage to stand on tip toe. His arms dangled out to the side as he waved them around uselessly and his white thermal rose up to reveal a sliver of skin at his stomach.

“Still no ideas ~?” Tendou’s voice was oozing with mischief, giving Akaashi one final chance.

“… Wanna feel how hard I can kick?” Akaashi bit, snidely, making Tendou chuckle. And that was the last straw.

“Grmph!” Akaashi choked on a grunt, eyes widening into saucers and lips pressing together into a tight line. Every muscle in his body locked up in panic, but when Tendou’s thumbs on his sides continued in those unbearable kneading circles, he could feel himself starting to twitch and his diaphragm beginning to flutter with oncoming laughter. The laughter itself started as exhaled huffs of air and sharp inhales through his nose as his eyes closed and lips curled up more and more as the maddening sensation built.  When Tendou switched his touch to a claw-like kneading up and down his quivering sides, Akaashi couldn’t help the light chuckles that slipped from his throat as he turned his face into his shoulder and bit his lip to try and contain some of his more ridiculous reactions. Bokuto and Tendou grinned at each other.

“Oh, Kaashi… I think you can do better ~,” Tendou cooed, traveling his torturous claws upwards just to nibble at his lowest ribs. This had him spasming and trying to back away from the silly touch, but Bokuto easily prevented that sort of escape. The thing about Akaashi, though…, he didn’t hate his laugh, but… he had always been embarrassed to laugh fully in front of people. He didn’t even know why but, in this situation, he couldn’t really help it.

“Ppphht-hehe-- nooohohohahaaa!” Akaashi’s laughter picked up along with his struggling. He gave a few valiant attempts to pull his arms down, but ultimately realized that, with Bokuto being the one holding him in place, there was no chance of that… So, in a desperate attempt to protect himself, he reflexively brought his knees up as a flimsy barrier against Tendou’s searching hands.

“Oh, no, sorry, Akaashi. That isn’t gonna help you, bud,” Bokuto teased, feigning  pity as he turned his hands to flutter his fingers at Akaashi’s ears, making him squeak and shake his head. Tendou cackled at this.

“You would know, wouldn’t you, Bo-Bo!” he said, grinning. Keeping one hand at Akaashi’s ribs, he moved the other to one of the now presented knees, making him kick out in reflex. Tendou must have been expecting this response, because he stepped aside just in time to not be kicked in the gut. All hilarity aside, he did not actually want to know how hard Akaashi could kick. “Easy there, Kaashi…”

“Naho! S-stohop thahaaaat!” Stupid Bokuto! Why did he have to be so strong?! With all Akaashi’s flailing, his former Captain wouldn’t budge!

“You’re sooo wiggly ~!” the red-head teased, moving to loop an arm around Akaashi’s kicking leg so he could hold it in place while he scribbled black painted nails at the inside of his knee through a hole in his jeans while still keeping one hand free to explore elsewhere. “Soooo? What am I, Kaashi  ~? Any ideas yet?”

“Drohop dead!” Akaashi giggled, quite unthreateningly.

“Alright, now that wasn’t even an attempt at a guess… And it was kinda mean…” Bokuto said from behind, still occasionally ghosting against his ears just to get that squeak again.

“Yeeeah! It was kinda mean!” Tendou agreed, ominously. The tickling stopped and Tendou dropped Akaashi’s captive leg. The ‘ghost’ took this chance to catch his breath, finally letting his feet reunite with the ground and attempting to regain some composure – but with his pink face, glossy eyes, and twitching lips, there was little hope for that. It was a couple seconds later that Akaashi realized that it was quiet and the other two had yet to do anything. Bashfully, he looked up, meeting Tendou’s predatory gaze and impish smirk. The sight made Akaashi’s blood run cold.

“You’ve really done it now,” Tendou started, dangerously. “You’ve disrespected me. You’d better tell me who I am… Or I’ll never stop.” With that, at lightning speed, one hand latched itself to Akaashi’s hip while the other fused with his ribs, fingers kneading, digging, worming, and spidering any way they could, looking for the best reactions. Akaashi careened when Tendou vibrated his fingers into his hip, wheezing around his laughter. To be honest, Akaashi hadn’t even really been thinking about what Tendou’s horrendous costume could be; caught off guard by the sudden tickling and then being too busy laughing… he didn’t have the time or focus.

“Wait a minute, Tendou, hang on…” Bokuto said, sounding way too excited for Akaashi’s liking. To his horror, Akaashi suddenly felt Bokuto slipping his arms out from under his only to readjust his hold to have both his Kohai’s wrists held above his head in one hand. He couldn’t have resisted that if he tried.

“OOooo!” Tendou sang, fingers wiggling excitedly. “Thanks Bo-Bo!”

“Oh no, noho, no, no, no- guys, please! Pleahese dohahaaaahahaha!” With his torso fully vulnerable, Tendou dove right in once more, switching between scribbling, massaging, and vibrating. Akaashi was screeching. He seriously couldn’t remember giggling so hard in his life, with his wrists tugging desperately (but uselessly) at Bokuto’s restraining grip and his face getting redder by the minute-- god was he crying? “GAAA! B-Bokuhuhuhehee! Bohokutoho, DON’Ttthehehe!” And it was getting worse. Bokuto had started running his fingers along his spine, digging his finger into the backs of his ribs, and scratching at his shoulder blades and neck.

“Awww ~ Look at you all ticklish, Akaashi ~. I can’t believe I never knew about this ~,” Bokuto cooed, grinning at the way Akaashi arched away from his touch.

“Yeah, you’re really losing it here, Kaashi ~. Is it that bad ~? Is this just completely unbearable ~?” Tendou’s baby talk had him burying his face in his arm once again, stomping a foot on the wood floor – a vain attempt to alleviate the hilarious, buzzing sensations coursing through him. “Well, it’s gonna get worse, boyo. Who. Am. I?” The way Tendou’s voice shifted so quickly and drastically from baby talk to that ominously, teasing tone… If Akaashi wasn’t laughing so hard, he’d probably be cowering in fear right now.

“WHOAHAHA! HEHEY! NoaaAAA, NOHAAO!” Oops… there was a squeal in there… Yeah, he was never living this down. But Tendou had started running one hand from one of Akaashi’s underarms, down to his hip, while his other hand did the opposite: from his hip, up to his underarm. Akaashi’s brain couldn’t keep up. His knees buckled and he sank to the floor as much as Bokuto’s grip would allow.

“C’mon, Akaashi, you gotta have an idea by now, don’t you?” Bokuto asked, fingers nibbling at the base of his neck. The poor guy didn’t know which way to squirm. Akaashi nodded weakly, tears definitely falling now.

“Oh do you?! Aaand ~?” Tendou inquired, now concentrating solely on his victim’s hips. Akaashi stumbled forward, neck too weak to lift his head to protect against Bokuto’s ongoing attack and only allowing his head to hang down pathetically as he cackled like no one had ever heard him do before.

“AAAAHAha! PleaHA-- YOU-HA-- YOUHA’RE THE T-t-heehehehe! T-t-tTIHICKLE MOHONSTEHEHER! STAHA--! PLEAHEEESE- STAHAHAAAP!!” Wow… Now he had resorted to begging. They were never, ever going to let him live this down.

“Sorry, what was that, ghosty boy ~? I couldn’t quite catch it ~.” And of course Tendou was going to drag this out. He is the tickle monster after all…

Tendou went from massaging Akaashi’s poor hips to vibrating claws into them while Bokuto also switched to poke around under his arms.

“TIHICKLE MONSTER! YOHOU’RE THE T-TICKLE MOHONSTEHEHAHAAAA!”

“rrrRRRIGHT YOU ARE, BOYO!” And finally, the tickling stopped. For good this time and Bokuto released his wrists to gently lower him to the ground where he crumpled into a giggling lump as the other two grinned down at him fondly. “I gotta say, Kaashi, I’m pretty disappointed… It took you waaaay longer to figure it out than anyone else.

“Well, how was I supposed to know?” Akaashi panted lightly. “You look like you just grabbed a bunch of stuff from a second hand store and threw ‘em together into that disaster…” He opened one eye to glance playfully at Tendou.

“You want me to tickle you some more ~? Bo-Bo, get-- ”

“NO! No, okay, I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” The younger pleaded, making his two Sempai snicker.

“Well, actually, you’re not far off. That’s just about what I did do. I’d had the idea planned out for months, but I still needed the pieces, so I thought the easiest way to find them was second hand stores at stuff…” Tendou replied, a pondering expression on his face as he recalled the experience. Akaashi chuckled, throwing a palm over his eyes when Bokuto joined in heartily and Tendou followed soon after in his own string of wild giggles. When they had all calmed down, Tendou extended a hand to help Akaashi up who graciously accepted.

“Okay, be honest, Kaashi… is that really all you had ~?” the red-head prodded, cocking an eyebrow incredulously at the younger. Akaashi grinned.

“No. Heh… I just didn’t want to deal with it. I grabbed the first thing out of my closet and made the headpiece out of an old napkin!” he finished just before breaking out into giggles again and sending the other two over the edge as well.

“Hey, I still think it looks great!” Bokuto chirped, clapping Akaashi on the back.

“Thanks, Bokuto,” Akaashi said, grinning at his former Captain.

“Happy Halloween, everybody!!” Tendou exclaimed, throwing his arms in the air jubilantly, making the other two laugh again. Akaashi shook his head.

“Weirdest Halloween ever…”

[lalxca]

heyyaa! It's me again lol ❤ i hope ur doing well! what about some hcs for manbun!eren and tanjiro,, like the fem!s/o do the breakup prank on them and she make it last for hours cause she is cruel :o

mkay reader over here will be cruel >:D

also hello again uwu thank you for the request !

i might be posting a small eremin story if i finish it lololol

also currently reading the manga for these two, sorry if theyre ooc! anyways, enjoy reading.

also changing s/o to y/n or name since i'm more used to it 👁️👄👁️

also did kind of a modern au, hope ya dont mind

Reader does a breakup prank

Character/s: Eren Jaeger (Attack on Titan, Tanjiro Kamado (Demon Slayer)

------------------------

Tanjiro Kamado

You were bored one day until you decided on an idea to prank your boyfriend. A breakup prank, in fact.

You planned this in the morning while smiling evilly. (kArma?-)

Eventually Tanjiro woke up and went to the kitchen where you are making both your morning drinks. He sat down and watched you. "Good morning, (name)."

"Good morning, Tanjiro." You replied with kind of a cold tone, and also with his name, you usually call him Tanji more, which resulted him in a confused state.

"Something wrong?" He asked as he looked at you. "Well, we need something to settle about." You replied as you finished and gave him his drink. "Well, what is it?" He asked again.

"Tanjiro, I think we need a break."

"Eh?" He said as he looked at you while bringing his mug back down on the table. "EHHHH?! WHY?" He was so confused on why you guys needed to break up. "Did I do something wrong? Was it my fault?? Was I too busy?! I'm sorry (name)!" He said continuously. (oh this breaks my heart T^T why you do this)

Looking at him with his sad face literally breaks your heart but you gotta be strong and get this prank successful. "It wasn't your fault. I just figure this won't work. I'm sorry Tanjiro, this is goodbye. Thank you for everything." You said looking at him as you walked to the front door, getting your coat and went out to your parents' house.

You got him in a crying mess.

A few hours later, you can't take it anymore and decided to call him while going back to the house.

It immediately got answered. "heLLO? (NAME)? IS THAT YOU? TANJIRO HAS BEEN CRYING FOR MORE THAN 3 HOURS NOW AND HE WON'T TELL ME WHY!" You heard Zenitsu's voice. "Ah, Zenitsu-kun! D-don't worry, I'm coming there now, wait for me!" You said as you ran back to the house and hung up.

Then and there you saw Zenitsu and Nezuko trying to calm Tanjiro down. You then sweat-dropped at the sight but felt guilty at the same time. "Guys, I can handle this. You can leave now, thank you." You said.

The two looked at you as they nodded. They then bowed lightly and left.

Tanjiro looked at you as he sniffed. "(name)! Did I do something wrong?!" He said as he hugged you tightly.

"Now, now, Tanji. You didn't do anything wrong sweetie." You said as you caressed his hair. "Then what?"

"It was a prank." hA gOt eM

"HAH?! I CRIED FOR NOTHING?!"

You giggled. "Sorry, Tanji-kun~ I was bored."

Eren Jaeger

As you were watching videos on the couch, prank videos in fact, you decided to do a prank to your boyfriend. The lovely Eren Jaeger.

You looked at him as he looked at you and smiled. You then sighed as you smirked internally. "Eren, we need to talk." You said. "About what?" He asked.

"Our relationship." You said and looked back at your laptop. "What about it?" He said as he started to frown.

"I think we need to break up."

"What?" He asked, stunned "I'm done, Eren. This isn't gonna work out." You said and closed your laptop and grabbed your phone as you stood up. "Wait! I'm sorry! Was I hanging out with the others too much? Look, let's talk more about this, (name)!" He said as he held your arm, almost tearing up but he kept his emotions together. "Eren, please. I'm going to get my stuff later." You said as you took your arm from him and left.

"Shit, shitshitshitSHIT!" He said as he threw a pillow at the wall. "Did I just fuck up?" He said and held his head.

No, Eren. It was the one who requested this im sorry bb boi 😭

A few hours later, you came back as you decided to end the prank.

You opened the front door and saw him still on the couch, just watching a movie.

You decided to sneak up on him and gave him a back hug. "(name)? I thought you're just here to take your stuff." He said as he looked at you, giggling.

"No, silly. It was a prank. I'm sorry~"

"A prank?" He said and pulled you on the couch, making you lay down and him hovering above you.

"Well, someone's getting punished tonight."

_______________________________

Ok did you like it? owo

ig now that i did that eren ending ill do some nsfw now aHHHH KDOIEJJWJFJE

[shuahoonie]

you. [tom holland] - six.

PAIRING: tom holland x female!celebrity!reader

SUMMARY: ah, to be young and in love. it sounds great if only you and tom were actually dating out of pure love and not for the sheer reputation of your careers. it also should be great if you two actually got along, but life isn’t that easy.

WARNINGS: mostly swearing! mentions of alcohol! a bit of fluff, a bit of angst. it’s haters to lovers / fake dating au so take that information as you wish! 

WORD COUNT: 2735

SONG INSPO: can’t take my eyes off you - emilie mover 

A/N: hiya babes, again, sorry if this chapter is posted very late. i have absolutely no excuses this time, it’s just me really. times are tough and if i’m being honest, i’ve had a rough couple of weeks. my academics really hit me in the worst possible way and i’m really am sorry if i wasn’t able to uphold my promises to post over the break. 🥺 also, beware of my plot timeline! i had a rough plan that i wanted this to take place during pre-ffh days! anyway, enjoy chapter six and happy reading! x 

UPDATES EVERY SATURDAY 11 PM CST WHENEVER I CAN  [I��M TRYING TO POST EVERY SATURDAY, I REALLY AM]

gif credits: @parkerpunology

vanessa’s masterlist | preview | one | two | three | four | five | seven | eight | eight.5 [interview excerpt] 

Two months. You and Tom were already dating for two months. The last two months were a whirlwind for both of you, more so for you. Once the news broke out that you and Tom were dating, it was expected that people would lose their minds over it. 

However, like how news typically withholds its relevance these days, it died down a week after. You both actually didn’t mind it since it put you two at ease. You and Tom see each other for thrice a week, dropping a few nuggets that you two are together. 

Some days, Tom would drop by at your filming location. 

“Y/N,” Steven, a stunt coordinator, sang your name with a teasing look painted on his face. “Guess who’s here.” He was helping you with your scene, making sure that you were safe as you did your stunts.

“Please tell me it’s Charlotte with my phone,” You moaned as you fixed your shirt as Steven began unbuckling your harness. You were standing on top of a high platform and had just finished doing your stunt for the show, the Alchemist. 

“Honey, do you think I’d be this excited if it was your assistant with your phone?” Steven rolled his eyes. “It’s your loverboy,” He teased, pointing to a figure. 

Based on the state of altitude you were in, you could practically see everybody. You can see some of the crew were busy with fixing the set for the following scene. You could see the producer busy speaking to whoever’s on the other side of the phone. You could also see your ‘loverboy’ talking to the director. 

Tom was standing next to Alissa, the director, as they talked animatedly. He was wearing a grey shirt that hugged his body like a second skin and a pair of black joggers. He looked very casual, but as much as you hated to admit it, he still looked good. 

Catching your gaze, Tom gave you a smile and a wave. 

You were still getting used to the idea that you were seeing him, so you turned your head as fast as you could. It’s as if your crush caught you staring at him in middle school. 

Steven let out a small giggle, “You guys are so cute. You two are like grade-schoolers.” 

“Oh, shush.” You said as you felt your face burn, embarrassed that Steven caught what just happened. 

“Shush yourself, hon,” Steven laughed “It seems like Tom found it absolutely adorable.” 

You turned your head back to look at Tom and there with his arms crossed, he was laughing softly. He had his complete attention on you. 

You signalled him to give you a minute as you descend from the platform to greet your ‘boyfriend’. 

Seeing that you both were actors, you had to use your skill sometimes.

“Tommy,” You’ve grown to love that nickname for Tom, knowing that he absolutely despised it. “What are you doing here?” You asked, your tone sickeningly sweet, as you greeted him with a hug. 

For a moment, his eyes flickered upon hearing the nickname you just called him. “Came here to surprise you, princess.” He said with a smirk as he squeezed you in a hug. He knew you hated that nickname too. It was obvious that you two were playing the same game. 

“Oh, but you didn’t have to, Tommy,” You said with a huge smile, the words practically gritting in between your teeth.

“I know,” He replied. What he did next caught you off-guard being that you two never really displayed that amount of PDA out in the open. “However, I do miss my girlfriend and I wanted to surprise her.” He said before he held the side of your face and placed a soft kiss on your cheek. 

Boy, you were surprised alright. 

Some days, you would drop by at Tom’s filming locations. 

Tom had just finished his scene with Jake Gyllenhaal. You decided to visit your ‘boyfriend’ at his set for Far From Home. As soon as the director yelled cut, Tom caught your eye and gave you a wave.

“Are you getting bored, babe?” You turned to the figure who just asked you the question and saw Zendaya wearing her MJ clothes. You’ve grown a huge liking towards Tom’s castmates ever since Tom introduced you to them, especially Zendaya since she’s been nothing but nice to you. 

You gave Zendaya a small smile and shook your head no. You’ve sat and watched them shoot for a little over two hours now, and it was only reasonable that he’d ask how you were doing. 

“You know, you two are absolutely adorable.” She commented as she gave you a playful nudge, sitting next to you. 

“We’re absolutely not,” You chuckled, feeling shy.

“It’s true,” Zendaya laughed “Tom seems like he’s at his happiest whenever he’s with you.” 

As if on cue, Tom started jogging his way towards you and Zendaya with a huge smile on his face. 

“Hi, princess,” Tom engulfed you with a huge hug. “Are you still good? What are you two laughing at?” He asked in the middle of the hug. 

The intimacy you two had to show in public was still something you had to work on-not so much for Tom though. You weren’t used to displaying affection even when you used to date your ex.

“Oh, we’re just laughing at you.” You said nonchalantly, a teasing smile hanging off your lips. 

“Me? Why me?” 

“Because you’ve got it bad for Y/N,” Zendaya answered cheekily, “You’re happier around your girlfriend, Tom.” 

“Yeah, that’s true.” Tom acknowledged making you roll your eyes playfully. “I am at my best whenever I’m around Y/N.” He said as cupped the sides of your face and planted a small kiss on the top of your nose.

You begged to differ. Tom had to act like he’s at his happiest whenever he’s around you. 

“Liv, I look ridiculous. I don’t even have the boobs for this.” You said as you finished putting on the bridesmaid dress and examined your chest, as the dress sported a deep v-neck. You and Veronica were standing in front of a mirror, wearing a floor-length burgundy chiffon dress. 

“Shut up, Y/N,” Veronica said as she fixed the delicately pinned flowers on your hair. “You look great, I think Tom might actually fall in love with you.” Ronnie teased. 

“Fuck off, Ronnie.” You mumbled. “I can’t believe you actually let me invite him, Liv.” You told Olivia, who was busy getting into her wedding dress. 

“Uh, of course. He’s your boyfriend, ‘ya doof.” Olivia, who was putting on her dress behind the dressing panel, said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Also can you two help me with my dress? I need someone to zip me up.” Liv went out wearing a gorgeous wedding dress. It was an off-shoulder sweetheart cut white dress with touches of lace and glimmer. 

“Oh, you look gorgeous, Liv.” Veronica sighed as she stared at Olivia with tears brimming her eyes. “I still can’t believe you’re getting married this soon, girl.” 

“I know,” Olivia agreed, fixing her hair, “but I just love him you know? He makes me a better person. I’ve never felt love like this before.” She said while trying to fight off the tears that were forming on her eyes. 

You and Veronica rushed in to give Olivia a huge hug, tears were close to shedding and all of you didn’t want to sit in the makeup chair again. 

You were so sure that Olivia was rushing to get married, that maybe she wasn’t thinking things through. However, as you saw your best friend be at the happiest she’s ever been, you figured that getting married was probably the most adamant decision Olivia has ever made. 

At 24, Olivia found herself in the arms of the person she’s bound to spend her whole life with. 

“I gotta walk down that aisle before I ruin my makeup completely,” Olivia said half-jokingly, fanning herself. 

And so she did. Olivia managed to walk down the aisle without completely crying her makeup off, Josh, however, lost it. He was fully sobbing as soon as he saw Olivia walk. 

You couldn’t help but smile at the sight of the two of them, you saw two people so full of love that the only way to express it was to cry. 

As the ceremony proceeded on, your thoughts were somewhere else. You’ve always wondered if ever you’ll find someone who’ll make you feel the same way as them, that tears would start falling because you were so in love.

However, that would have to wait as you were currently tied with the person you were sure you weren’t going to be in love with. Your gaze automatically went to Tom, who was coincidentally staring at you. You turned your attention back to the couple who were getting married in front of you, your cheeks burning. 

Your mind was about to come up with different possible reasons as to why Tom was staring at you, but you had to stop yourself. You don’t need that in your life. 

“You okay, Y/N?” Ronnie asked as she took a sip of her champagne. You nodded your head and finished your third glass of champagne. “Are you sure? Because I’ve known you long enough to know that you start to drink heavily when something’s bugging you.” 

The reception was over and the newly-wed couple has had their first dance as husband and wife. People were now just letting themselves loose on the dancefloor. 

“I’m fine, Ronnie,” You assured her as you called the waiter to give you another glass. “Don’t mind me, you know how weddings make me feel.” 

“Yes, which is why I’m terrified.” Veronica murmured. 

“Don’t be silly, Ronnie. I can handle myself really.” You said as you scanned the crowd. You saw Tom talking to a couple of girls, seeming like he was desperate to get out of the conversation as soon as possible. 

Soon enough, he caught you staring and it seemed like he was relieved to see you. Not long after, he was practically running to you. 

“Looks like prince charming is coming to get you,” Veronica chuckled as she grabbed her purse and drink from the table. “I’ll see you later, babe. Text me if you’re leaving.” 

“Where are you going and why are you leaving me?” You practically whined. Veronica wasn’t surprised, you were whiny after three drinks. 

“I have to go and meet Josh’s parents, they wanted to see me after mentioning that I was looking for a place that I could do my internship,” Ronnie explained “Besides, it looks like you’re going to be taken care of. If you aren’t, call me ASAP.” 

You huffed and dismissed your friend. As soon as Veronica left, Tom arrived at your table. 

“Oh, thank god I saw you Y/N. It was brutal out there, some people just can’t get a hint-”

“Why are you here?” You asked as soon as Tom sat down next to you. Tom was caught off-guard by your hostility. 

“I-uh, what?” Tom wasn’t really sure what’s happening, sure enough, what he did wrong to have you act this way. This wouldn’t be much of a surprise if he knew that he pressed your buttons way too many times, however, that wasn’t the case. 

“Aren’t you busy talking to those girls over there?” You asked, now grateful for the newly filled glass of champagne that was just handed to you. The waiter was about to give Tom too but he kindly refused. 

“Actually, I was desperate to leave the conversation. It was getting annoying and they kept insisting that I’m just dating you for clout.” Tom explained as he massaged his temples. 

“They weren’t lying.” You mumbled before taking a sip from your glass. “You looked like you were having fun though-which I didn’t mind, by the way.” 

“Y/N-”

“Tom, you know you can just leave all of this, right? Like no one is forcing you to stay this long because you won’t get the short end of the stick. It’s me who's going to get most of the damage.” 

“That’s not true, Y/N. I’m just as affected as you will be.” Tom stressed. “Where is this all coming from?” He asked, getting frustrated. 

Much like Tom, you were getting frustrated too. Why are you being hostile around him? It’s not like he’s actually dating you, you have no reason to act this way. 

“Alcohol makes me see things more clearly,” You muttered. It was all that you could say. After all, nothing was making sense for you.  

“That’s what got us in trouble in the first place,” He claimed as he grabbed your glass and placed it far away from you. Tom stood up and offered his hand to you. “Come, let’s dance. It’ll clear your head.” 

“I don’t want to,” You moaned as you threw your head back. “I planned on drinking so if you’re not going to join me, then just leave.”

Tom shook his head no. “I got a note from Ronnie that I need to stop you after three drinks and apparently, you’re on your fourth so ‘nough is enough, princess.” 

“Even if I’m not going to drink, I’m still not dancing with you.” You said as you crossed your arms. 

“Wanna bet?” You just sat there and listened. You were interested as there was no way in hell he can make you dance. 

“That wasn’t fair, you practically set me up.” You grumbled as Tom happily led you to the dance floor. The jig was if you stood up, you’re automatically going to dance with Tom. 

Being the ‘sneaky little shit’ (Veronica’s choice of words) that Tom was, he secretly texted Ronnie and asked her if she could potentially lure you into assisting her to the washrooms. 

You were skeptical at first, but you eventually obliged. It was Ronnie’s choice of words that made you do it. “Y/N, I swear to god, I’m about to pee. If you don’t help me unzip my dress, I will physically hurt you.” 

Tom was now short of 50 bucks because of that favour. 

“Oh, c’mon, princess. You know that isn’t true.” Tom tried to keep a straight face but obviously failed as he was now grinning at your annoyed face. 

“This is ridiculous, you know that I’m a horrible dancer right?” You said as Tom put your arms around his neck and he placed his hands on your waist. 

“I think I’ll manage, princess.” He chuckled. 

“No, I’m not kidding. You will leave with a huge bruise on your foot-feet. I might step on both of your feet, there’s a huge possibility.”

Tom stared at you for a moment before saying, “I guess it’s a price I’m willing to pay.”

They were playing a slower version of “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” and you groaned softly. “What’s wrong, princess?” 

“You’ll never let that pet name go, won’t you?” You asked, rolling your eyes. 

“No, I don’t think I will.” He answered cheekily. 

You two slow danced to the melody of the song and you couldn’t help it but say, “God, I love this song. Why did they have to play it?”

“I guess it was meant to be- Oh god, it’s them again,” Tom said as he saw the girls who were trying to steal his attention all night. 

You took a look at the girls and sure enough, they were watching the two of you and were whispering amongst themselves. You didn’t know who they were so you were assuming they were on Josh’s guests. 

You weren’t one to start fights however, you were extremely petty though. It’s a habit you’re trying to get rid of. “Hey, Tom?” 

He hummed in response. “Do you want to finally get them off your back?” You asked him. He stared at you for a moment before nodding. 

“I’m going to do something but promise me you’ll forget it as soon as it’s done.” You disclosed, not even knowing why you’re actually going to do it. 

“Okay...” You knew he was getting curious. “What-”

You grabbed the side of his face and kissed the corner of his lips. To say that both of you were surprised was an understatement. 

TAGLIST:

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@sectusempried

[k-llama-llama]

The Rose

TXT AU: 6th member

Sara x TXT

Sara is not having a great time at a Christmas party.

A/N: Please check out my PATREON (patreon.com/kllamallama) for exclusive posts you can’t get anywhere else, as well as lots of other cool benefits!

Requests are closed, but your feedback is still greatly appreciated!

Masterlist and other Follow Me links in bio!

“Look over here!”

TXT turned obediently to the photographer, smiling at the wall of cameras. Sara held up a finger heart, giving a tiny smile as they were directed to move on.

“This is ridiculous.” She said for the thousandth time that day.

“You look nice.” Soobin promised her. “Besides, the worst is over. Now we just get to mingle and have fun.”

The Christmas party that they were attending was already packed with idols, and Sara swallowed before they descended into the room. Taehyun clutched the material of her skirt in his hands, staying close by her side.

“You’ll wrinkle it.” Sara scolded.

“Like you care?” He replied.

He wasn’t wrong. Sara had put up a fight when she’d been shown her dress, even though it honestly wasn’t that bad. It had elbow length sleeves made of a cheer material, but the bodice and knee-length skirt were made of a shimmery black material. Her tiny silver heels also weren’t that bad, but she was certain she looked like some sort of lumbering giant.

“Soo-ji!” Someone shouted, drawing their attention over to the snack table.

Sara couldn’t hold back a laugh as she saw Tori arguing with Jisung. Apparently she was too loud, but she shoved him away and waved Sara and the boys over.

Tori looked gorgeous, of course, and Sara immediately envied how comfortable she looked. Tori’s dress was short and strapless, done in a bright red to match her lipstick. She tossed a carrot stick to Jisung as Sara approached.

“You look amazing!” Tori gushed, pulling her into a hug. “Seriously, I think you’re the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen.”

“Calm down, Tori.” Jisung rolled his eyes. “We don’t need another dating scandal.”

Sara laughed. “You look great too. Have you guys been here long?”

Tori shook her head. “Maybe twenty minutes. But I’ve already hit my snack quota before I burst out of this dress.”

“Cookie, Noona?” Kai reached around Tori and grabbed a couple of cookies, one of which Sara accepted. 

“What are we supposed to do?” Sara asked with her mouth full. “Just talk?”

“I guess so. There’s supposed to be music later, but not everyone is here yet.” Tori answered.

Someone appeared behind Sara, poking Tori in the side.

“Noona!” I.N (Sara tried to remember his name, and thought it might be Jeongin), “ I brought you something.”

“Oh, what?” Tori closed her eyes. “Please be snacks.”

“Felix wouldn’t let me. Open your eyes?”

Jeongin pulled out a rose, and extended it happily to Tori.

“Ooh, it’s so pretty!” Tori beamed. “Where did you get this?”

“They’re just giving them out.” He answered. “I really hope you-”

“Guys!” Chan’s voice carried across the room. “Let’s go, pictures!”

“Crap.” Tori sighed. “We gotta go. I’ll meet up with you later, okay?”

“See ya.” Sara sighed.

Her own boys were busy ravaging the snack table, and she didn’t really know anyone else. 

“I’m going to go sit down.” She told Yeonjun. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

“You hear that guys?” Yeonjun said teasingly. “Sara says we aren’t allowed to have fun.”

“Ignoring you.” Sara sang, walking away.

There was a fountain in the middle of the room, and lots of people were sitting around it. But it felt too out-in-the-open for Sara, and she moved towards a row of benches lining the outside of the room.

Sitting herself down on the bench, she sighed in relief. Now that she wasn’t the center of attention, she felt like she could relax and just people watch. At one side of the room, she spotted Tori playing rock-paper-scissors with Felix, and to the other side, her boys had located Ateez and were busy presenting snacks.

She played absently with one of the flowers in the vase next to the bench, admiring the way the fake snow made it sparkle.

“Is Sara okay?” Hyunjin asked Tori, placing a hand on her back to draw her away from her battle with Felix.

“Soo-ji?” Tori turned around. “I was just talking to her. Why?”

“Because she’s been sitting on that bench for ten minutes, by herself, playing with a flower.” He pointed out. “She looks kind of lonely.”

“I don’t know, maybe-” Felix poked Tori in the back, giving her a knowing look.

Tori blinked. “What is wrong with you. Hyunjin just noticed that Sara is -”

“Man, she sure does look lonely.” Felix cut her off. “It’s a shame no one is keeping her company.”

“Should I go?” Tori asked. “Do you really think...”

Felix made an X with his hands, leaning forward and whispering in Tori’s ear.

Tori nodded. Hyunjin hadn’t noticed their exchange, as he was attempting to locate TXT in the crowd. But they were hidden from view, and Sara was still very much alone.

“Oppa,” Tori leaned closer to Hyunjin. “I have to run to the washroom. You should go see if Sara is okay.”

“Me? You should. You’re her friend.” He seemed surprised.

Felix rolled her eyes. “Wardrobe malfunction. Tori’s got to go.”

“You look fine, I-”

“My bra came undone.” Tori said simply. “Go. I’ll come join you soon.”

Felix gave Hyunjin an encouraging look, before placing a hand on Tori’s back and leading her away.

Hyunjin swallowed, before he made his way in Sara’s direction. This was probably a terrible idea, but for some reason he didn’t stop moving forward.

Sara looked up as a pair of feet stopped in front of her. She blinked. “Hyunjin?”

“Ah, hi?” He offered.

“Hi.” She said with a smile. “I thought you guys were taking pictures.”

“We’re all done.” He answered. “Are...um...you okay?”

“Am i okay?” Sara nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine. Why?”

“Sorry, this was stupid. I  just...Tori and I thought you looked lonely but then this whole thing happened with her bra so now I’m here and-”

“Her bra?” Sara tilted her head. “Nevermind. I don’t mind the company. Want to sit?”

“Ah, sure.” He sat next to her on the bench. “Oh, I brought you something.”

“You brought me something?” Sara asked skeptically. She was very confused about why Hyunjin was here, why he seemed so uncomfortable, and years of friendship with Yeonjun had lead her to never trust a surprise gifts. “Why?”

“Because...well...you didn’t have one. So I thought you might like one.” He lifted his hand, and Sara realized for the first time that it was clutching a rose, identical to the one Jeongin had presented Tori with.

She took it shyly. “Thank you. It’s really nice.”

“They were giving them out at that table over there...so I thought you might...” He sighed. “Sorry. I’m probably being really weird right now. We usually leave the making-new-friends thing up to Tori.”

“She is good at that.” Sara agreed, giving the rose a sniff. “But seriously, thanks. I love it.”

“If you’re not lonely...is there a reason you’re here all by yourself?” He asked curiously.

Sara shrugged. “I’m not much of a party person. Once the boys get bored of food, they’ll come find me. Plus, if I stand too long in these shoes I’ll probably break an ankle.”

“They look nice though.” He peered at her feet. “I mean...you look nice. The party look suits you.”

Sara wasn’t sure if she was blushing from the compliment or from stress. “Thanks. You look really nice too.”

Hyunjin looked down at his suit. “It’s kind of boring. The stylists usually save the good looks for Tori.”

“She does look really pretty.” Sara agreed. “That dress is amazing. I’d never wear it, but she looks incredible.”

Hyunjin shrugged. “I don’t know, I kinda like yours more. It’s more like...elegant, if that makes sense.”

Sara gave a small nod. “Yeah, I think I prefer this one too.”

They fell into a semi-awkward silence, both of them staring at the crowd around them.

“Tori’s not coming over, is she?” Hyunjin sighed.

Sara laughed. “I mean...she is kind of forgetful.”

“We usually call it excitable, to be nice.” He laughed. “But, I should go find her. Make sure everything is okay with her...”

“Her bra?” Sara raised an eyebrow. “You should probably do that.”

“Right.” He stood, his hands searching for pockets that weren’t there. “It was nice talking to you. I’ll see you around?”

“Yeah, for sure.” She held up the flower, still clasped in her hands. “Thanks for the rose.”

“Anytime.” He gave a sharp nod, and then practically marched away.

Sara bit her lip, giving the rose another sniff.

“Where’d you get that?” Yeonjun demanded as he appeared in front of her. 

“I was going to get you one!” Taehyun protested. “Did you get it for yourself?”

Sara shook her head. “It’s from someone else. You boys took too long at the snack table.”

“Noona, they had cheese cut like Christmas trees.” Beomgyu explained. “It was important.”

“Of course.” She nodded solemnly.  

“Are you having a good time, at least?” Soobin asked.

Sara wrinkled her nose, before nodding. “Yeah, I am.”

[ofstarsandvibranium]

Influential

Fandom: Star Wars (College AU)

Pairing: Poe Dameron x F!Reader

As requested by anonymous: can I claim a spot with a request for Poe x reader with the "you're a bad influence" prompt you just posted? unless you have that prompt already planned for somebody else :) 

You didn’t like how much of an influence Poe Dameron had on your life. For some reason, whatever Poe asked of you, you did it. No matter how much you told yourself no, you had to resist, you’d end up following Poe. Hell, you’d probably end up following Poe to the ends of the Earth. He was just that influential.....and it probably didn’t help that you were in love with him too.

___________

You’re in the house that you and several other people are renting out while you’re attending college. You’re sprawled out on your bed surrounded by books and notes while you’re studying for a test. 

The door slams open and you jolt in your spot. Poe is standing there with two big nerf guns in his hand, “NERF WAR!” he tosses you one of the guns and you catch it with a frown.

“No, Poe. I have to study!”

“Yes, Poe! C’mon, Y/N, you’ve been studying for hours! Take a break! Besides, you’re on my team against Kylo, Hux, and Phasma. I am NOT losin’ to them again.”

You shake your head, “Poe, seriously-”

“Pleeeeaaaase, Y/N?” he looks at you with his chocolate brown eyes, pouting his lips and looking oh so adorable. 

You sigh and push yourself off your bed, “Fine. Only a few rounds.”

“YES!” Poe kisses your head and runs down the hall, “FINN! ROSE! Y/N’S IN!” You mentally curse yourself as you head downstairs for this impromptu nerf war.

You had failed that test, but Poe made it up to you by helping you study for the next one. And, you couldn’t say no to his company, no matter how much your mind was telling you to keep your distance.

___________

You and Poe had been friends for a few years and it was just so easy to fall for him. He was handsome, funny, smart, kind. The perfect package. But he couldn’t possibly see you in any other way than as a friend. 

But then That Night happened.

“You’re being a bad influence,” you hissed at Poe as you and he hide from the police. 

It was a Friday night and Poe dragged you to a frat party, one that got way out of control, thus warranting the police to stop by and end all party activities. While students of all ages and backgrounds scattered and ran from being caught, Poe pulled you into someone’s bedroom closet. You’re standing only in your bra and denim shorts, due to playing strip beer pong, while Poe was in his boxers and socks.

He scoffed, “Oh, please. You make it sound like I was ever a good one,” he said with a smirk. You opened your mouth to retort, but he slapped a hand over your mouth when he heard the bedroom door open. 

“Anyone in here?” a deep, authoritative voice echoed through the room, probably an officer. 

“Check the closet,” another voice said. 

Without hesitation, Poe dropped his hand from your mouth, instead replacing it with his lips. The door swung open, blinding you for a moment with the bedroom’s light. 

Poe pulled away and feigned shock, “Holy shit!” 

“Kid?” 

Poe stepped out of the closet, brows furrowed, “Han?”

“Son?”

“DAD!” Poe suddenly felt really, really embarrassed as he stood nearly naked before his dad and family friend, Han Solo, “Uh, we were-”

Kes Dameron shook his head, “Nope. No need for an explanation, but, uh, the party’s over. Got too many noise complaints.”

You nervously cleared your throat, bringing back Poe’s attention to you, “Oh! Crap! Uh, Han, dad, this is Y/N. One of my housemates, remember?”

Kes and Han gave you an awkward wave and you waved back, “H-Hi, again.” you gulped and stepped out of the closet, heading for the door, “I’m just gonna-” you awkwardly gestured to the hallway, “Um, I’ll wait downstairs for you, Poe.” you then rushed out of there without looking back. 

Han chuckled and Kes rose his eyebrows questioningly. Poe nervously rubbed the back of his neck, “Sorry, you guys had to see that.”

“A closet? Really, son?” Kes asked.

Poe shrugged, “What can I say dad, she’s irresistible.”

When you got downstairs, you quickly re-dressed, happy to see that your clothes were thrown about during the scatter. You then sat on the couch and began to text Rey and Rose about what just happened. Both girls freaking out that 1) Poe kissed you and 2) his dad and Kylo’s dad catching you both nearly naked in a closet. 

“Hey.” you look up to see Poe approaching, his own clothes in hand. As he redressed, Han and Kes stepped out the door, “Han and my dad are offering to drive us back to the house since, ya know, we drank and all.”

“O-Oh. Um, okay.” you stand up and follow Poe out, quickly apologizing to those in the frat for them getting in trouble. But they just waved off the apologies. It’s nothing they haven’t experienced before.

You felt like you were in trouble as you were escorted into the back of a squad car, Poe letting you in first and then sliding in after you. Some students that hung around or came out to check out the commotion gave you two questioning stares. You could feel your cheeks heating up all over again and you began to slide down the seat, away from view as much as possible. 

Fifteen minutes later, you’re on the doorstep of the house, waving good-bye to Han and Kes. Before Poe steps inside, you stop him.

“Wait, Poe.”

“What’s up?” he tried acting nonchalant, but you could tell he was trying a bit too hard.

“Are we going to talk about the kiss or...?”

He shrugs, “I don’t regret it.” 

“Really?” you perked up at his comment.

“Yeah. I-I gotta be honest, I’ve been wanting to kiss ya for a while now.”

“Same here,” you breathed out, “I mean wanting to kiss you for a while, not me wanting to kiss me ‘cause how is that even possible. That’s so weird and I don’t think I’ve ever wanted to kiss mys-” you stopped your rambling when Poe laughed.

“You’re so cute, you know that?” he leaned in and capturing your lips, the kiss was much more soft and gentle than the abrupt one you shared in the closet. When he pulled away, he sighed contently, “Let’s consider that one our first kiss of many.”

You snort, “I don’t know, having our first kiss be while we’re hiding in a frat house closet half-naked is very unique. First kisses on the doorstep of our home sounds so boring.”

Poe snickered, shaking his head, “Of course. What was I thinking.” he then slips his hand in yours and tugs you to the door, “C’mon. We should get some sleep so we can wake up early and have our first date. Sound good?”

You nod with a goofy smile on your face as you follow Poe inside, “Sounds perfect.”

[ruiyuki-archives]

Todomomo Childhood-friends-to-best-friends-to-roommates-to-FWB-to-lovers Quirkless AU [Part 1]

This is an AU I wrote on the todomomo discord server eons ago. Since it’s forever buried in the server now, this is a copy-paste from the chat. 

Anything posted to this blog will be transcripts of old original work and not really edited, save for formatting. I have no guarantees if I will ever finish these AUs either so these will only be kept as an archive.

Originally posted: May 2018.

Part 1 (sfw) || Part 2 (nsfw) || Part 3 (nsfw)

Ok. Heres some garbage childhood-friends-to-best-friends-to-roomates-to-fwb-to-lovers quirkless AU that wont leave me alone for some few nights:

BASICALLY todo and momo knew each other since they were 5, coming from rich families as rich families do

(their moms were college friends or smth but then todo's mom got an arrange marriage w endeavor but idk lets just make enji's not as shitty of a father in this AU and doesnt abuse his family aghshcjfjsl)

BUT ANYWAY ye todo and momo grew up as childhood friends and their moms always arranged play dates for them

and momo's a super curious girl since day 1, and todo's his usual smol shy boy self

so during these playdates all the cute 5 year old shenangians happen like momo taking todo outside to explore her 20 acre backyard and them going on imaginary adventures, going through momo's mountain of books in their mansion's library, accidentally fall asleep together on the couch after a fun day n stuff

and todo slowly opens up from being shy but only to momo bc she's his first friend and a beautiful ray of sunshine and honestly who wouldnt love her

so with their families being so close they basically grow up together; todo and momo spending their summers together, always attending the same rich people balls and stuff that adults do but are boring for kids etc etc

they dont go to the same school so whenever todo visits momo she listens to him talk abt the weird stuff fuyumi and touya (dabi) get into bc theyre teenagers and honestly he doesnt understand

and at some point when theyre like 8 he talks abt how fuyumi is gushing over teenage shoujo romances and how kissing and all that lovey dovey stuff has gotta be weird and whats so special about it she wont shut up?

and momo listens intently but after todo's rant, momo, being curious as she is, is like "I wanna know what its like!!" "wat" "what its like to kiss someone!" "momo youre crazy" "No no seriously i wanna know! Can we try?" "WAT" "please :( kiss me :(" "..." "Pleaaaseeeee" "... ok fine one time"

he really cant say no to her

and so like, they have a little quick peck on the lips while theyre sitting outside in momo's garden on the swings

and a second later theyre like "..." "..." "... ew das weird lets not do that again" "yeah"

(Rmbr theyre 8)

so thats that until later.. 👀

when they reach middle school age momo moves with her family to america for a couple years bc of her dad's company

their moms still tried to let them telephone call or write letters to each other while apart

most of the letters exchanged were todo asking what momo's life was like in america, and momo rambling abt a new book or learning english or why on earth do american toilets suck (todo replies with a bunch of smug remarks and tells her to come home then)

momo checks up on todo to make sure hes making friends in middle school but ofc he tells her not to worry but really hes lonely orz

but then one day he gets a letter saying she'll be returning to Japan for high school n everything bc she and her mom are moving back but her dad is staying in the states. And she'll be attending the same high school as him!! 👀

and ya. That..  happens. LOL they meet each other on the first day at UA (prestigous school not for heroing) and theyre in the same class and they sit next to each other and wow this is too perfect

but also like, lets not forget, its been 3 years since theyve seen each other and well.

Puberty hit both of them like a train.

Welp. 👀

thankfully they havent lost their chemistry and (mostly) everything is the same.... but also different.

its like the aomine and momoi thing in knb; todo tells momo to call him "todoroki-san" instead of shouto and he goes back to (trying to) call her Yaoyorozu bc its gonna look weird to the rest of their class if theyre overly familiar w each other (especially with a wretched pervert sitting in front of momo)

but really they still call each other by name when theyre alone

(and also todo slips up calling her Momo a lot unconsciously still even tho it was him that suggested it in the first place)

and so, high school flies by with both of them being hyper aware of differences from when they were kids

shouto becomes more shoujo every passing year with fangirls and cherry blossom petals and everything and momo makes fun of him bc it was the exact thing he couldnt understand as a kid

they have a few moments of their own awkward suggestively shoujo moments too like in the home ec room on valentines day when momo tries to make chocolates but makes a mess out of the kitchen and todo passes by and helps clean up but they end up making a bigger mess and oops. Momo slipped onto the floor and todo tried to catch her but oops he slipped too and now theyre in a compromising position as aizawa walks in 😳

but does anything come out of it?... not really.

university applications come around the corner in their senior year and guess what. Their programs of choice are offered by the same university. And they both get accepted. Woohoooooo

and guess double what. Touya (dabi) suggests they rent a flat together bc why the hell not it kills two birds w one stone on their living situation (since dorms are offered to less.. wealthy.. students first or smth)

so they do. Theyre adults now. They've know each other for all their lives. Its good to have someone you trust nearby. It'll be fine, right? right?!?

WRONG.

neither of them expected to experience just how domestic they could be

ie. Momo walking into the kitchen in the morning to find todo, making breakfast, shirtless in just his pajama pants, hair still ruffled with bed head, offering her a cup of coffee

..... fuck since when did he get so hot. Wait what? Snap out of it Momo!! "three creams no sugar, here" "How did you know?" "Momo i've known you since we were 5. You like your coffee sickeningly pale that it shouldnt even be classified as coffee anymore" "..... thanks"

ie #2. Todo hearing momo calling him from the inside of the bathroom, while she's showering?!??!?!, like it was an emergency "momo what is it?" "Ummm i ran out of soap and forgot to bring a new one on the way in. Can you grab it for me?" "Wat?!" "Hand me the soap shouto. I bought a new one today, its in the kitchen. I left the door unlocked so just come in. Please!!" "... you trust me too much" he mumbles under his breath.

footnotes:

the ending of this is probably along the lines of oooo they realize some feelings happen and is it okay to fall in love with your best friend/childhood friend/roomate?!?!? and yes, the answer is yes

todo still does become friends w the deku squad while in UA

Theyve dated other people before the whole -to-lovers part (bc ya bet Imma throw in iidamomo or smth but it didnt work out) (gonna get reaaal awks when the fwb kick in)

somehow i'll throw in eri as dadzawa's daughter, some how

dabi knows

shouto doesnt even know what he knows, he just knows

> archives masterpost

[yoongi-sugaglider]

When a young girl spends her whole life seeing the masks of everyone’s personas, how will she react the moment a young drama student waltzes into her life without one?

Jimin x reader

Au: college au, artist reader, drama student Jimin

Warnings: Mentions of intentional allergy induction, angst, fluff, some crack here and there

Word count:13,105 (she a long one yall)

A/n: So I gotta hand it to myself, took me a week to put this bad boy together. This is my entry for the September college au prompt. First off I wanna thank the girls over @btsboulangerie for encouraging me to push through this. It just kept growing and growing and I was honestly getting a little overwhelmed. But in true supportive sister fashion they encouraged me and loved on the ideas I posted and I couldn’t have done it without them and without wifey aka @btsstan4life who always is just the most amazing post precious. Anyway! Love ya’ll hope ya enjoy the story~ If ya do drop a heart or a comment or a rage/ love ask to my inbox lol

I knew it was going to be a strange sort of day when I showed up to my first class surrounded by an overwhelming assortment of gray and deeper shades of green.

“Y/n! Wait up!” Mai Jin raced towards me, the reflective shades of green dancing across her teddy bear reminding me of a forest shrouded in the deepest of morning fogs.

“Did you manage to finish up the discussion questions for last night’s bio homework?”

I shook my head, adjusting the straps of my bag as I glanced at the clock displayed on my phone.

“Nah, was too busy working on inputting the grades for last week’s midterm projects. Professor Bradburn wasn’t taking too kindly to the fact that I’ve got responsibilities outside of her class and I swear this workload is going to kill me.”

“Aish woman, you’re going to end up old and gray before graduation day at this rate.” She slung an arm over my shoulder as we made our way into the auditorium.

“Truth. But at least I won’t have to see it.” I spit bitterly, more so at my own situation than in irritation at her words.

“Oh right, the whole mask thing.” She seemed to flinch as I tossed my bag on the table and I turned to her, pulling her into a quick hug before pulling away to smile brightly.

“Now don’t go feeling sorry for me. Just because I can’t see people’s actual faces doesn’t mean I can’t get through life like a normal human being.”

 Mai Jin nodded, sitting beside me as we pulled out our notebooks together in preparation for what we knew would be a long and ever so boring lecture.

Sure enough by the time we’d been dismissed from the lecture, Mai Jin had managed to nod off half a dozen times, surely earning her several bruises when her head slipped from her hand and landed square on the unforgiving desk.

“Crimeny, I swear Professor Kim gets more long-winded each time we go in there.” She groaned, rubbing ineffectively at her cheeks in an effort to wake herself up.

“Namjoon always did like to hear the sound of his own voice.” I couldn’t help but chuckle, thinking back to growing up alongside the man in his younger days. He was my brother’s best friend so I knew him well. I’d always longed to be like my older brother, tagging along with him and his older friends as they ran the neighborhood causing all sorts of trouble.

“To be fair though there’s nothing attention-grabbing about music theory and its effect on human history.” Mai sneered, tossing her bag over her shoulder and sticking her nose into the air.

“No. But please do remember you only took the class because you heard how hot my older brother’s friend is.” I could barely suppress a giggle as Mai Jin’s head whipped around to glare at me so fast it was a wonder she didn’t have whiplash.

“Excuse you??I did no such thing.” She tossed her nose in the air, stalking away a few steps before quickly rushing back to grab my arm.

“AH! Did you hear about the new theater department TA?” The giddy tone of her voice was only slightly off-putting as we headed on down the halls.

“No, I didn’t actually. Art major remember?” I turned the corner, dragging a now drooling Mai Jin along with me as I paused at the snack machine to grab a few sugar-loaded carbs.

“I heard he’s super hot and might even be the next Broadway superstar. Supposedly his voice is so sweet that even birds sing along with him...or something like that.”

Tucking my snack haul into the side pocket of my bookbag I turned to her with a critical eye.

“Aish yeah yeah I knowwww, the mask thing.” She pouted, slipping her arm through mine once more as we continued on.

“I mean, granted you’ve got a great taste in men but looks aren’t really going to get me anywhere love.”

Mai Jin let out a long-suffering sigh as we paused just outside the art studio. “I know. But I really wish you would for once just gush about boys with me. Life would be so much easier on you if you just got superficial for a little while. Live while you can and all that.”

I gave her my best smile, cupping her cheek and then patting it reassuringly. “Mai Jin my precious bestie love of my life. I told you about my mask issue so that I wouldn’t have to hide it from you anymore. It’s something I’ve lived with my whole life and besides not being able to see people unless I’ve seen a picture of them I’ve lived perfectly fine with it. So go, live your life drooling over boys, I’ll live vicariously through you.”

“It’s not the saammmee.” I could tell from the way she lowered her head and crossed her arms over her chest that her pouting had only increased.

“Same same. Now hush, I’ve got another painting to work on. And you’ve got research to do in the library.”

“How even does Professor Kim combine music theory and history together into one class and then spend the whole class talking about science and the impact of the Fibonacci sequence on how music evolved the first world war?? Like...is that even legal?” She threw her hands in the air, frustration and exhaustion laced in each word she spoke.

“Honestly? It’s probably some form of torture in a third world country somewhere. But I know it and you don’t. Go on now, to the library with you.” I couldn’t help but to crack a smile as she trudged off, losing her after a moment in the crowd. 

With a sigh and a giggle I moved into the studio behind me, taking a moment to inhale the scent of various painting chemicals and appreciate the quiet that came along with it.

“Mizz y/ln! I was wondering when you would show up.” Professor Bradburn’s puppy shaped mask glittered in shades of pastel pinks and yellows in the lighting of the studio as she trotted up to me, slinging a paint-covered arm around me and guiding me towards the large ring of easels that took up the majority of the center of the room.

“Sorry Professor B. Professor Kim got long-winded and held us up.” I slung my bag off my shoulder, tossing it beside the easel that’d been reserved for me.

“Aish that boy I swear.” Professor Bradburn huffed, letting go of me and stalking over the painting she’d been working on.

It wasn’t long before I’d made myself comfortable, having set up the paints and brushes I would need to complete my current project.

“Think you’re going to finish today?” Professor Bradburn had moved to the large floor to ceiling windows, opening them one by one as she knew I preferred working with natural light.

“Honestly, I don’t know… I’ve been hunting for this particular shade of green that I saw the other day but it’s proven to be elusive…”

The Professor gave me a knowing nod, moving now to the bluetooth speakers sitting quietly on her desk. “How’s about some music to lighten the mood?”

The dulcet sounds of rainforest bird song drifted through the air, filling me with a sense of calm. I sighed, giving the Professor a relieved smile of thanks as I turned to the painting before me and sought my muse.

For once she proved to be willing as the paint flowed from palette to brush to canvas. The smell of acrylic filled the air, a unique haze coming over me as my mind cleared and the details of the form before me came more and more into existence.

“Wow...that...that’s amazing.” A husky breath of words caressed my ear, the sudden disruption startling me so much that my brush dropped to the floor, smearing a new shade of gold along the rainbow of dried paint that’d been splattered there over and over through the years.

“Oh! Oh no! I’m so sorry!” Wisps of brown hair fluttered as the man who’d spoken hastily scrambled to pick up the dropped tool.

“Ah, it’s okay love. It happens all the time. You just startled me is all.” The soft smile that’d begun to form froze on my lips.

Warm toasted almond skin stretched over laugh lines crinkled beneath eyes of chocolate brown. Dewy lips pink and plush tugged up at the corners into a smile so soft and sweet as to cause my heart to stutter and screech to an almost immediate halt.

“H...Hi, uh….” I couldn’t find my voice, shock coursing through me like electric fire as my eyes traced over dumpling-like cheeks and eyes now curious as they scanned over the thunderstruck look on my face.

“You alright there?” he asked, voice soft as if he was trying not to startle me farther.

“Oh, yeah I’m… I’m fine. Sorry about that. For staring I mean.” I quickly clamped my mouth shut, cursing my malfunctioning brain for its inability to react coherently.

“Nah, it’s fine. Being on stage all the time, I’m used to it honestly.” His smile brightened as I finally took my wayward paintbrush back.

“On stage?” I clutched the brush to my chest as if it would shield me from the frantic beating of my heart.

“Mhm, I’m the new TA of the theater department. Park Jimin.” He stuck his hand out to me and I couldn’t help but stare at the smooth skin of the palm turned my way.

“Um...l/n f/n ...it’s a...nice to meet you?” My soul shook along with my hand as I glanced up into his soft smile and realized that no, I wasn’t dreaming. He did have a face, and it had to have been the most beautiful thing I’d ever witnessed.

“Well Miss l/n. It is an absolute pleasure to meet you.” He winked coyly, finally letting go of my hand and stepping back to shove his hands in the pockets of his ever so tight-fitting black jeans.

“So, tell me about your painting?” His eyebrow quirked at the canvas in question and the request seemed to finally snap me out of my stupor.

“Oh, this? Well…” I paused, smiling at the half formed mask with a swell of pride. “We’ve been studying something called persona in my advanced literacy class. It’s well...it’s the idea that everyone has a mask that they show society. From the mask they wear at home with family to the one we wear around family and friends and even at work or here, at school.”

I glanced up at him to see him watching me calmly, as if he could understand everything I was saying, though I could see a hint of confusion laced in the curved frown of those luscious lips.

“A mask huh? Sort of...like the ones we wear up on stage for improve and stuff?”

I nodded quickly, giving him an excited grin. “Exactly! And the idea behind these paintings that I do is that we’re always wearing them, each unique to us in some way, shape, or form. I set out to capture them, to show what these masks are and what they represent to us as an individual.”

I motioned to the teddy bear I’d begun to paint. “This one represents my friend Mai Jin. A sweet girl through and through despite the fact that she’s a little boy crazy and can curse like a sailor when she’s had one too many to drink.”

We shared a laugh and his giggle was just about the purest thing I’d ever heard in my life.

“Huh, quite the interesting concept.” He wiped at the tears of mirth that’d formed at the corners of his eyes. “I wonder, what kind of a mask do you think I’d have?”

His question was innocent enough, one I would have normally been able to answer with no problem thanks to my abilities. But for once I didn’t have an answer, and something inside me lit up at the thought.

“Honestly, I don’t know. Granted I’ve only just met you Jimin-ssi, but...some people don’t need a mask. And sometimes, that’s the best thing in the world. To...to meet someone honest with who they are? With who they portray to the world? That’s better than ever having to discover their mask.”

He tilted his head, giving me a smile so pure it melted my heart and curled my toes.

A tsk and a curse from Professor Bradburn startled the two of us and we both turned to find her jabbing at her canvas with a brush and palette knife.

We shared a giggle between us as he rocked back on his heels.

“Well Miss y/n, I gotta go, rehearsal starts in about 20 minutes and I’ve got to get up there to give some serious stage direction. But uh...I hope to see you around huh?” 

I gave him a smile and a nod in return, finally loosening the death grip I’d had on my brush and allowing my hands to fall into my lap.

“I really do hope so Jimin. It was a pleasure to meet you.”

“How is that even a thing though?” Her tone was skeptical as she stared at her reflection in the tiny compact mirror she’d been using to apply her makeup. “I mean, everyone you’ve ever met has always had one of these masks. Hell even your parents right?”

***

“I’m serious! No mask and the most beautiful brown eyes I’ve ever seen in my life! Oh god Mai Jin it was everythiinnnngggg.” I collapsed onto her roommate’s bed, having stopped by her dorm room at the end of the day to gush over my earlier encounter.

I nodded, staring up at the ceiling before rolling over on my side to watch her apply a line of eyeliner to her upper lid.

“Yeah, I mean...my whole life and I’ve never seen their actual faces except in pictures.”

“You would think they had the ability to show themselves to you...and yet all of a sudden you meet the hot new theater boy and he’s got a face?” She frowned at herself in the mirror before glancing up at me.

“God if anybody walked in on this conversation right now we’d be locked up for life.”

I snorted, tossing the pillow I’d been cuddling at her knees. “Dude you don’t even know the half of it. I mean I spent most of my early teens in therapy because my parent's legit thought there was something wrong with me. I went through no less than 12 therapists and a hand full of social workers before they finally just gave up.”

She closed up the liquid eyeliner bottle with a sigh, tossing it into her makeup bag along with the mirror before finally making eye contact with me. “That’s gotta fucking suck on a cosmic level man. I’m sorry.”

I shrugged, rolling over onto my back once more to stare at the warped paneling above me. “I mean, I dealt with it the best way I could. But honestly, there are people out there suffering far worse than I ever could dream of. I’m just grateful my parents cared enough to try and get me help, even if it was help I didn’t really need.”

“Still though, I mean to just grow up thinking there’s something wrong with the way you see the world?”

“Don’t worry about it Mai Jin.” I smiled over at her, wiggling my eyebrows at the way she was dressed. “You’ve got a date with that Jung Hoseok from your dance class right? Isn’t it about time you went down to meet him?”

The unholy screech that came from her as she glanced at the time on her phone left me cackling and earned me a retaliatory smack to the face with the pillow I’d tossed at her earlier.

“God, you are actually the worst!” She grinned, pulling me to my feet and wrapping me in a strawberry scented hug. “Listen, don’t think too much about it yeah? Get to know this Jimin guy, hell ask him out on a date or something. You need to get out some, I’m begging you.”

The pout she sent me tickled me to no end and I patted her shoulder. “Gee, who would have thought having a best friend meant she was more worried about me getting a date than about her being late for her own.”

“GOD FUCKING DAMN IT!!!” With a curse and a swear she ushered me out of her room, grabbing her keys and clutch on the way. With one last hug and a promise from me to ask Jimin out she was off, disappearing down the hall as quickly as her 6 inch stilettos could carry her.

It didn’t take me long to make my way down to the library. I’d gotten lucky in that my dorm wasn’t too far from the center of campus, meaning I was always less than a 20 minute walk from everything important.

With a heavy sigh of relief, I made my way into the massive library, forever grateful for the industrial air conditioning that frosted my skin the moment I stepped inside. Waving to Min Yoongi, the library aid currently manning the main checkout desk I made my way to the back of the building.

I preferred the large windows that spanned the two story tall walls. They provided a perfect view of the sunset and served to keep a goodly portion of my mind occupied so I could focus on studying the material before me.

With a huff, I dropped my bag to the surface of the table, plopping unceremoniously into the chair and kicking my feet out in front of me as far as they could go. I’d planned on spending the next few hours here, hoping to get caught up on a few of my assignments as well as doing a decent amount of research on Professor Namjoon’s next 9 page essay. I knew I had plenty of time to do it, but that didn’t mean I could slack off and push it to the last minute.

With a resigned sigh I began unpacking my bag, setting my laptop to the side and cracking it open so that it could boot up while I grabbed my notebooks and pen. Sitting back I smiled, hoping against hope that I’d get a decent amount of studying done.

“Y/n?” A soft voice spoke from behind me and I turned with a questioning look to see Jimin towering over me with a hopeful grin stretched across his face.

Heat instantly flushed my cheeks as I struggled to find a coherent response to his greeting. “Ah, uh h...hi Jimin ssi! It’s a...fancy meeting you here?” I squeeked, smacking my hands over my mouth in an attempt to smother the word vomit spewing forth.

“Cuuutteee.” Jimin cooed as he moved to sit across from me. 

“I...what?” I swiveled around to face him, shoving my personal items out of the way to make room for him and his bags.

“You’re cute!” he answered, dropping his chemistry book to the table and tucking a pencil behind his ear. With all of the nonchalance of a mime leaning on thin air he folded his arms on the book in front of his and proceeded to search the expanse of my face.

“I...I am no such thing. I’ll have you know I’m the plainest most boring person on campus in the history of this school!” With a hmph I turned back to my study tools, digging in my bag in search of my highlighters just so that I could hide the massive blush threatening to expose my pleasure at his compliment.

“Hmmm.” He continued to watch as I hunted for the cursed study tools, cursing under my breath and collapsing back into my seat when my search turned up fruitless.

“Is there a particular reason why you’ve decided to sit and stare at me Mr. Park? Or is there something I can help you with?” I tried to sound angry, hell even attempted to come across as frustrated, but the squeak of my voice at the last several syllables proved to be my undoing and I slide down further into my seat in humiliation.

“I’m sorry.” His smile was just so soft and kind. I couldn’t help but to watch as the bright pink tip of his tongue darted over his lips, moistening them to a glossy sheen and proving to almost be my undoing.

“Really I am. I honestly came here to study. But I’ve been having a hard time of it because that painting of yours just doesn’t want to leave my head.” He leaned back a bit, turning to stare out the window as he contemplated his next words.

“It...it got me wondering. What life would be like to go around wearing a mask all the time. To spend your whole life basically playing pretend with everyone you know.” He shrugged, turning back to me with a dusting of pink blooming on the apples of his cheeks. “Honestly it bothered me. Made me wonder if I had a mask like that ya know?”

“You don’t!” My eyes went wide at the words that’d forced their way out and into the open. How could I explain to him that I could see people’s actual masks? Would that even be an issue for him? Would he think me weird and not want to associate with me anymore?

“I...I mean you don’t seem like the type of person that would be dishonest about his feelings.” My coverup seemed to satiate him as the look of confusion that’d dared to mar his perfect face melted away once more into that soft smile.

“Well good. I would hope not.” He seemed satisfied as he finally decided to crack open his book with a resolute sigh.

“I really should be studying this.” His lips quirked up at one side as he glanced over at the material before me.

“What are you working on there?”

“Ah, Professor Namjoon’s music theory versus history paper.” I sighed, thinking back to my earlier conversation with Mai Jin.

“Honestly it wouldn’t be so bad if it weren’t for the fact that he leans so heavily towards the history side of it. I mean the class is Music Theory 101, not the history of what makes music theory so great and history was wrong about how music impacted the world and blah blah uughh.” I closed my eyes, groaning at the giggle that bubbled forth from Jimin.

“I know right? He can really get pretty long winded. Though I doubt he’s nearly as bad as Professor Seokjin. I took...well...attempted to take one of his culinary arts classes? Got booted because I didn’t agree with his take on the One Million and Two ways to cook ramen and still have it be healthy for you.”

I couldn’t help the ugly laugh that escaped me. Jimin had captured the elder Professor’s tone of voice exactly.

“Oof, speaking of long tall and always talking about food.” I nodded off to the side, watching as Jimin turned to spot said Professor walking over to an empty table just behind us with a massive cooler bag tucked over his shoulder.

“How much you want to bet he’s got a whole picnic in there just waiting to get spread out on the library tables over there?”

I shook my head, scoffing at the idea. “There’s no way he would do that! Professor Seokjin is one of the most respected educators in the industry. To blatantly break the rules like that? Nuh uh there’s no way long winded or not.”

Jimin chuckled, eyebrows raised at he watched me continue to deny the idea.

“Alright then Miss l/n. If I’m wrong and he’s just got lesson plans in that bag I’ll leave you alone right here right now to finally study in peace.”

“An...and what if you’re right?” I gulped at the mischievous smirk blooming on his face.

“If I’m right you have to give up studying for the day and let me take you out to dinner.”

I sputtered at the prospect. I mean come on! The hottest guy on campus just asked ME out??

“J..b….there’s no...n..no I couldn’t??”

His smirk continued to grow, eyebrows disappearing into the hair hanging like lace curtains over his forehead. “Oh? Couldn’t you? What’s the harm in it?”

He leaned back in his chair, hand coming up to sweep the hair off of his face, exposing that sinfully smooth expanse of forehead as he parted it and let it fall to either side and frame his face.

“Fffff….” It took everything in me not to react and Jimin leaned forward once more.

“Come on, it’s just dinner. A date with me is not the worst thing in the world I promise.”

I huffed in agreement, leaning forward and folding my arms over my books to mimic his posture from earlier.

“Fine, but if you’re wrong, you have to at least hush up so I can get a few pages of this done.

Jimin glanced behind me, a strange look coming over him as if he was trying to contain the most intense laugh he’d ever experienced. Nudging my hand he tilted his chin in the air, indicating he wanted me to see what was unfolding.

I spun in my seat, eyes instantly widening at the sight before me.

Sure enough Professor Seokjin had begun taking random containers out of the massive bag he’d been carrying, spreading them out all over the large study table as if setting up for a picnic. A few students had already begun to sit down around him, each taking out notebooks and pencils as if preparing for a study group session.

Seokjin spoke amicably with them, grinning wide as he offered them spoons or chopsticks and motioning that they partake in the spread.

“W...what is he doing?” I turned to Jimin with a hushed whisper, eyes ever widening when he shrugged with a grin.

“No clue but I can’t wait for Mr. Min to catch him.”

I couldn’t help but to giggle, because sure enough there came Yoongi, stalking forward in a beeline path aimed directly as the offending adult.

“Mister Kim Seokjin! What on God’s green earth do you think you’re doing in here?”

I don’t think I’d ever heard Mr. Min speak in more than a husky whisper, always courteous of those studying in the various rooms around him. To hear him actually shouting was a shock so visceral as to have my jaw drop almost to my chest as I watched it all unfold.

‘Ya! Don’t act like that Yoongi ssi. You know better than I do the importance of a good meal! We can’t have our precious charges starving while they study! They need brain food. Sustenance suitably sustainable to encourage mental stability and growth!” He motioned wildly at the students around him, most of which had the same shocked look that I knew I sported.

“Look at them. Half of them haven’t seen a good home cooked meal their entire life. It is my solemn duty as a Professor of higher education to nourish them to the best of my ability. It would be a stain on my reputation if I ignored their plight and allowed this malnourishment to continue without proper action!”

Yoongi growled, eyes narrowed to slits as he glared at Seokjin.

“I don’t give a damn if your Mother Teresa trying to feed the starving masses of an entire subcontinent. I will have you know that this library has a very strict policy about food. And among them includes the banning of all substances deemed a danger to any electronics and books this building may house.”

“Ba...excuse me? I have no such thing in my possession!” Seokjin looked fully indignant as he clutched at his chest in mock offense.

Yoongi pointed emphatically at the large soup bowl held up by one of the now guilty looking students.

“We Do Not Allow Soup In The Library Mister Kim.” Each word came out emphatically stated, punctuated at each syllable by a poke from the shorter statured man into Seokjin’s chest.

Mr. Kim stuttered, face bright red in either fury or embarrassment, I couldn’t tell which.

After a moment or two more of arguing back and forth, I could tell Yoongi had had enough. He reached up, grabbing Seokjin by the ear and dragging the flailing and screaming man from the library with a “Pack this shit up and take it to the front desk this minute!” Tossed over his shoulder.

By this point I could barely breathe. The air escaping my lungs coming out in short wheezed giggles as I turned from the now deescalated scene and buried my head in my hands in an attempt to regain control of my diaphram.

“Well then Miss l/n, with all of that being said I believe you owe me a date.”

My head jerked up from the safety of my arms so fast I could have sworn I got whiplash.

“W...what? N..no wait!” 

“Ah aaahhh, no backing out of it ma’am.” Jimin’s smug smile drilled into my core, sending butterflies racing through me so fast I now had dizziness to add to my whiplash.

He reached across the table, gently closing my laptop and placing the notebook I’d never even gotten the chance to open on top of it. “Come on, eat now, study later. I know this fabulous ramen joint just off campus. It’s only a 30 minute walk and I swear to you it’s well worth the exercise.”

***

The next few weeks went by in a blur. Mornings spent in class, evenings spent in the library studying or at various different cafes with Jimin hanging out and getting to know each other.

He’d decided I needed to experience the taste of the city, showing me everything from hole in the wall mom and pop places to some of the fanciest sit-down eateries I’d ever experienced.

And all the while I basked in the glow of being able to see each expression as it danced across his features. Reveling in the fact that I didn’t have to attempt to identify the color of the emotions he was displaying as they were so well written into the furrow of his brow or the cute crease he would get at the corner of his lips when he was particularly focused on something.

This bright Saturday afternoon found us at one of our usual haunts, the center of the quad. It was a large gathering area for those students who weren’t too hungover from friday night partying and had the wherewithal to spend their weekend studying for upcoming tests in the cool shade of the many trees that line the open area.

We’d decided to enjoy that very same shade, opting for a small impromptu picnic made up of sandwiches and ice cold drinks already sweating their condensation onto the large blanket Jimin had been sweet enough to provide.

“We care not for those who compel us to violence, for they shall rot in the eternity of the pit for their crimes and we would revel in the glory of life everlasting.” 

Jimin’s face contorted at the words, his nose wrinkling as he closed his eyes and groaned his frustration at the sky. “What the hell does that even mean? Glory everlasting? I mean they die in the second act. Who even gets pompous like that just to die later on?”

I giggled, putting my book down and rolling onto my side to watch him lean his weight back on his arms with the script he’d been studying tossed off to the side.

“It’s not about the act of dying Chimmy. They’re rejecting the violence, saying no to the people who want them to fight this war for them. Even if it means dying at least they know their conscience is clear.”

He humphed, rolling his head on his shoulders to give me an almost sideways frown. “I mean, I get that. But still, couldn’t there have been a better way to go about it all?”

I shrugged, placing my bookmark in the book and shutting it gently. “I suppose so, but considering this is just a play and all you’re doing is playing the part?”

He groaned, rolling his shoulders and dropping back onto the blanket with a whoosh of breath escaping his lungs. “Yeah, you’re right. And besides, the last thing I want to do is spend all afternoon arguing morals and logic with the likes of you.”

He snickered as I swatted at his leg, rolling over onto his side to face me with his head propped up in one hand.

“So angel, I’ve got news.”

“Oh?” I quirked an eyebrow, fingers steepled beneath my chin as I eyed him warily.

“Hey now, don’t give me that look, it’s good news I promise!”

“Well Mister Park, do tell. What is this news we speak so highly of.”

He chuckled aloud as he leaned in closer, a giant grin tugging at his lips.

“Thanks to a certain studying genius I happen to have finally managed my first C+ in biology.” He grinned proudly as I squealed, launching myself over and into his arms to hug him tightly in celebration.

“Oh my god congratulations Jiminie! I am so proud of you!”

“Well...well...well...If it isn’t Park Ji...Min…” A smooth and sultry voice interrupted our celebration and I pulled back instantly, cheeks hot with embarrassment as I searched for the woman that’d spoken.

She stood just outside of the edge of our blanket, pencil thin stilettos not even sinking into the soft earth beneath her. Her bare legs peeked from beneath a champagne colored skirt and her slim waist tapered up into enough cleavage barely covered by the bright red tube top to make a playboy bunny blush.

The thing that unnerved me the most was the large rat painted across her mask,and angry shade of bright toxic green flaring along its ridge as I stared into the rage barely hidden beneath her caramel colored eyes that surely had to be some sort of high-end designer contacts.

“Sung Mi...what are you doing here?”

I couldn’t even begin to understand the venom I heard in Jimin’s tone as he spoke to the woman, though with how familiarly he spoke with her it was obvious he knew her.

“I just so happened to be on my way to an audition when I spotted you here and thought I’d stop to say hello. Isn’t that something old friends do?” She tilted her head innocently, her judgemental stare boring into me and making me feel far too small for my liking.

“Old friends huh?” Jimin spat the words and to my surprise his arm circled around my shoulder as if he were trying to protect me from this strange woman.

I’d have indulged in the heat of his touch if it weren’t for the tense standoff the two people with me were having.

“Speaking of friends…” The woman, Sung Mi, crouched down, smoothing the skirt behind her so that she could stare into my eyes. Her cleavage threatened to spill from her shirt, causing me to blush and quickly shift my eyes to the ground.

“Who is this...dumpy little friend you have here beside you Jimin? My my how the mighty fall when left to their own devices.” The sneer in her words had my heckles rising as I turned back to her with an indignant glare.

“Excuse me? Dumpy?”

Jimin cut me off though before I could say more. “Sung Mi that is enough. You’re not wanted here. Leave.”

She clutched at her chest with one hand, feigning hurt as she stood once more. “Not wanted? And here I thought we agreed to be amicable ex-lovers.”

“Ex?” I turned to Jimin with a questioning look as he dropped his arm from my shoulders. With a huff he stood, beginning to pack up our picnic into the bag he’d brought it in.

“Come on y/n we’re leaving. The air here suddenly reeks.”

I nodded, sparing Sung Mi one last glance as I shoved my stuff into my bookbag. She’d crossed her arms over her chest, lifting her breasts even higher as if proudly putting them on display for the world. Ugly purple swirls mixing with the greens on her mask creating an almost nauseating effect that had me feeling far to uneasy for my liking.

I gave her a short bow as Jimin snatched up the blanket, tucking it beneath his arm and sparing the woman one last venomous glance before tugging at my elbow and leading me harshly away.

***

“Jimin?”

No answer. We continued walking, moving quickly past groups of students and buildings as we exited the quad onto quieter streets.

“Minnie please…” He continued walking, eyes scanning the environment as if he were half expecting to be attacked by something, or someone.

“Jimin please you’re hurting my arm!”

At my words he finally stopped, quickly dropping my wrist as if he had burned me and staring at me wide eyed and apologetic.

“Oh god y/n I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you I just…” He looked on the verge of tears and so I gave him a gentle smile as I shook the pain out of my hand.

“It’s alright honestly. I just knew if I didn’t stop you we’d have been halfway to the next city by now.” 

He chuckled, hand coming up to run through his bangs as he leaned up against the side of the cafeteria’s exterior wall. The blanket we’d been laying on slowly slid from where it’d been tucked into his elbow, slowly dropping to brush against the sidewalk as he struggled to collect himself.

“I really am sorry. It’s just...she gets to me ya know? And running into her like that just...ugh.” He genuinely seemed frustrated with himself so I reached out, gently brushing my fingertips against his elbow.

“Do...do you wanna talk about it?” I tilted my head to the side a bit, trying to catch his gaze. “I mean if you don’t want to that’s okay. But I hope you know I’m here for you if you need me.”

He shot me a smile, one laced with all of the pain and frustration but also gratitude that he was feeling. “Yeah, I mean I don’t mind talking about it. But...let’s keep walking huh? The fresh air’s honestly doing me a lot of good right now.” 

I nodded, reaching for the blanket and tucking it close to my chest. “Sure Jimin.”

And so we walked, following the path between buildings as I waited patiently for Jimin to gather his words so that he could tell me his story.

“It was last year. When I met her I mean.” Jimin sighed, fingers reaching up to brush the leaves of a low hanging tree branch as we walked beneath it.

“I’d managed to get the part as the lead actor in the department’s first public performance for the semester. I was super hyped because it meant for once I’d be able to invite my parents to the performance.”

I skipped over a crack in the sidewalk, allowing my arm to gently bump into his to let him know I was listening.

He huffed, silent for a few moments before he continued on. “Sung Mi was originally slated to be the understudy for the leading lady, basically a backup in case the lead got sick or couldn’t perform. We would meet up as a group, all of the leads and the understudies to practice lines and stage positioning and junk and around that time Sung Mi started singling me out. Flirting and trying to get my attention in various ways.

I didn’t think anything of it at first. I mean, she’s a good looking woman and since I was single at the time it was really flattering to get that kind of attention. We started dating about a month before we were slated to have our first opening night.”

He sighed, slowing his steps before gradually coming to a stop in front of a park bench that overlooked a small duck pond. Taking a seat he patted the bench beside me and I obliged, sitting close enough to him that I could lean my head on his shoulder as he talked.

“Things went pretty smoothly at first… I mean, she showed me a lot of affection and we would spend hours at night talking on the phone or studying together. But...opening night came and something shifted between us.”

My eyes wandered the duck pond, lips tempted to curve into a smile as a mother duck lead her babies across the water. My attention shifted though as Jimin’s tone became darker.

“We had all showed up, dress rehearsal went about as smoothly as it can get with no accidents or anything. Everybody was excited and pretty dang high energy. But 2 hours before curtain call the leading lady went missing.” 

“We searched everywhere, calling her phone over and over and even going so far as searching the caf and getting in contact with her roommate but nobody had seen her. This meant that Sung Mi had to go on stage as she was the understudy. It was like she became a completely different person. Really snotty to the stage crew and screaming when her makeup wasn’t done exactly the way she wanted to.” Jimin’s face had become bright red at this point, his fists curling and uncurling on the fabric of his jeans as he stared ahead into the distance. I could tell he was reliving that night moment for moment.

“Come to find out weeks after the final show that Sung Mi had given the girl cookies laced with peanut butter. Her claim was that she had no clue the girl had a peanut allergy, but we all knew. It was a pretty big rule with the crew that nobody bring any food to rehearsal that might have peanut protein in it. The girl ended up hospitalized for a pretty long time because of the allergic reaction.”

I hissed out a breath that I didn’t even realize I’d been holding, anger building within me at the callous nature of the woman despite me having only met her less than an hour before. “Christ Jimin…”

“I broke up with her soon after I found out. There wasn’t a thing I could do to prove she’d done it on purpose...but by that point she’d changed. It was like I was dating a whole different person. She spoke down to me. Criticized everything I did on stage...I even overheard a conversation she was having with her roommate about how she’d just been using me to get the lead role.”

“You have every right to be angry with her Jimin.”

He stared down at me with wide eyes, having been so lost in his story that he probably hadn’t expected me to react in any way.

“Even suspecting someone could be so ignorant is a good reason to question their moral judgment. You were used. And that poor girl was even made a victim of Sung Mi’s greed. I’m glad you broke away from her.” I huffed, allowing the anger to take hold of me for a moment.

“I swear had I known earlier I’ve have knocked her off those stupid stilletos and made her eat dirt.”

Jimin chuckled at my words, surely having a hard time seeing my normally gentle personality taken over by petty rage.

“I doubt all that angel. But I do appreciate the sentiment.” His arm came around my shoulder for a second time that day and I couldn’t help but to lean into the comforting touch.

“Thank you y/n. For letting me get that off my chest. It’s honestly the first time I’ve talked with anyone about it…”

I turned my head to him with a smile, reaching up to gently pat the silky smooth skin of his cheek. “Thank you for trusting me with the story. It really sucks that you had to go through it. But I’m so glad you didn’t let it turn you into a bitter person.”

He grinned, eyes disappearing like a waning moon on a star filled night. “I’ve got friends like you to keep me grounded. There’s no way I’d let that happen!”

We continued chatting, enjoying the cool afternoon breeze as the ducks swam along on the ponds rippled surface. And with each moment that passed and the lingering burn of his touch on my skin, I slowly began to realize that maybe...just maybe...I was falling for one Park Jimin.

***

“Jimin! JIMIN!!! Guess what!!” I skid to a stop before his table, chest heaving and eyes wide as I took in the sight of him eating his lunch. He paused mid bite, chopsticks loaded with rice slowly lowering back to his plate as he took in the haggard state of me.

“They ran out of kimchi in the main dining hall and Mr. Min and Professor Seokjin are fighting over the last bowl again?” He stared at me innocently as I scoffed, dropping heavily into the seat across from him and presenting him with the sheet of paper I’d been clutching so desperately.

“Ugh no that was last week, this is waaayyy more important!” I could barely contain myself as I watched him take the paper, eyes scanning over it quickly as I basically bounced in my seat waiting for him to finish.

“Wait...does this mean what I think it means?” He stared up at me wide eyed, face bursting out into an excited grin to match my own as I squealed.

“I’m getting featured in the art museum’s Master show this weekend!! I’m going to have a whole room to myself!!”

Jimin whooped at the top of his lungs, fist thrust into the air as he launched himself around the table to pull me into a bone crushing hug. He lifted me into the air, twirling me around enough times to make me dizzy with his excitement mixing so pleasantly with my own.

I couldn’t tell if the butterflies were nerves for the upcoming show or if it was from Jimin’s hug but at this point I didn’t care, I was just too happy.

Jimin finally returned me to my seat, though the pride filled smile never left his features. “I’m so excited for you holy crap!” He clutched his chest dramatically, eyes turned to the sky as he seemed ready to sing my praises to the universe.

“So um...the thing is…” I paused, a completely different set of nerves overtaking me as it suddenly became that much harder to meet his now intense gaze.

“Wait...you’re breaking up with me aren’t you.” He gasped, the theatrics turned on as he gave be a wounded puppy gaze. “I...I knew this day would come. I knew you were too good for me and I just...y/n I don’t wanna lose you! Please love me forever!”

I jumped at least 3 inches out of my chair when he slid on his knees before me, lower lip trembling as he grabbed my hand. This boy was causing a whole scene in the middle of the cafeteria and as it was lunchtime the place was well and crowded and everyone there had now turned to stare at us openly and whisper amongst themselves.

“Holy crap by the love of all that is right and good in this world Jimin please stop!” I spoke in the most urgent of whispered, grabbing his arms in an attempt to get him up off his knees.

He shook his head, arms wrapping around my lower half as he fake sobbed into the fabric of my jeans.

“Jimin I swear if you don’t stop I really will leave.”

He gasped, pulling away quickly with an injured look and a handheld dramatically to his chest.

“You mean you’ll stay?” It honestly looked like he was on the verge of tears. I had to give the boy credit he was good at what he did.

“Yes Jimin I’ll stay. Please, just get up!”

He obliged, letting out a barely suppressed snicker as he went back to sitting across from me. Those around us that’d been staring quickly lost interest and I heaved a sigh of relief as I tried to rub some of the heat of embarrassment out of my cheeks.

“ANYWAY. Like I was trying to say before you so rudely interrupted me.” I gave him a frown but it didn’t last long as the sweet look on his face melted away any anger that I might have had.

“The gallery said that opening night I could invite two people as my support system. And since my parents wouldn’t be caught dead anywhere near art I was hoping to invite you and Mai Jin.”

His eyes sparkled with delight as he clasped his hands in front of him. “Really? You’d invite me to something this important? I mean this is a huge first moment in your life. Are you sure you want me to be a part of it?”

I couldn’t help but smile at him, my heart going soft at just how sweet he was. “Of course Jimin. You’ve become a very special part of my life and I really honestly do want to share that part of my life with you. After all, if it weren’t for my art I doubt I would have met you.”

Jimin nodded in agreement taking one last bite of his lunch before standing up with a smile. “I would be honored to attend your first gallery opening as you date. But on that note I’ve got to get going. Got rehearsal and all.” He grabbed his tray, throwing a wink my way as he waved his goodbyes.

I could barely move though, shock stiffening my body with a thrill of nerves and excitement. He’d called it a date, though it couldn’t really have been more than a friend supporting a friend right?

I scoffed, shaking off my blatant fantasies. No, it was just a turn of phrase. And yet despite my mind trying to convince my heart otherwise the butterflies continued to flutter around as if they wouldn’t have a word of rationality.

***

It was Saturday evening and I found myself nervously pacing the length of the interior of the art gallery I was set to present my art in.

Mai Jin had spent several hours earlier in the day primping and priming herself in preparation for my big event. And the moment she realized I was planning to show up in a simple black skirt with a dress shirt and black blazer she’d quickly turned her fashionista skills on me.

Thankfully she’d stuck to simple, knowing that anything over the top would have left me far more anxious than anything.

“You’ve got to look fabulous. Your art’s going on display for the whole city to see. But more importantly Jimin’s gonna be there and that means we gotta make you as smokin hot as possible.”

The dress she’d chosen was simple, a red number with a low neckline that as she said, ‘showed off my biggest assets’ in a most tasteful way. It was a loan from her and where it would have barely reached her mid thigh it swirled around my knees in a way that almost made me feel like Marylin Manson strutting the red carpet. The makeup had been kept minimalistic as well, a smudge of coal to my lower eyelids and blush to cover the apples of my cheeks. Lips tinted red to match the dress and a low pair of heels that while comfortable I already knew were going to be abandoned halfway through the night.

I glanced around at the paintings surrounding me, fingers busy working a napkin into various knots and tangles as I quickly began second guessing every life choice I’d made up to that point. The various masks stared back at me, each painted intricately on dark backgrounds and expressing the various emotions in colors that seemed unnatural to the human eye and yet were something I was able to see on a day to day basis.

The greens of my most recent painting stared back at me, my piece de resistance and the reason I’d even made it into the gallery in the first place. I was sure that my face reflected that green, a shade to match the nausea that ripped through my insides and caused my pacing steps to falter as I paused in front of it.

Just as I was ready to bolt a buzz in the clutch that hung on a gold chain from my shoulder caught my attention, throwing me off enough to chase the nerves away for the moment.

I grabbed at the clutch, sliding my cell phone out of it as I glanced at the message waiting for me on the screen. It was from Jimin.

I smiled almost instantly, warmth flowing through me at the heartfelt message.

‘I know you’re nervous and that this seems like the end of the world or the worst thing that’s ever happened to you in your life but you’ve got this angel. I promise you that it won’t be nearly so bad once it’s all over. And as soon as they let us in I’ll come find you and be by your side the entire night. Just breathe until I get there okay?’

Instantly the fluttering in my stomach shifted, going from full blown panic to a soft glow that I’d come to associate with the warmth that was Jimin. I typed a quick reply, thanking him for his support and giving him directions from the front door to the gallery.

Moments later the doors opened and dozens if not hundreds of people flooded the various rooms of the gallery. From students to parents as well as what I could recognize as art critics from some of the most prestigious galleries in the country.

I turned to watch as they began to move through the place, stopping here and there at various pieces and whispering among themselves before moving on to the next canvas or sculpture as if disinterested in the entire affair.

I felt the panic begin to rise again and was just on the verge of bolting when a warm hand slipped around my waist and calmed me like a babe in its mother’s arms.

“I told you I’d find you.” The warmth of his breath caused the tiny hairs on my neck to raise in reaction.

I turned in his hold, cheeks flushed with warmth at the view of the man before me. This had to have been Mai Jin’s doing as the bright red suit that hugged his slim form matched my dress perfectly. He had the polished black buttons undone, one hand tucked into the pocket of his pants to expose the bright white button down shirt beneath that seemed almost to cling to his pecs like some sinful form of spider silk.

My breath dragged raggedly from my lungs as I looked up to see his umber locks swept off of his forehead for once, giving me what felt like a forbidden view of the smooth expanse of skin. He smiled down at me, lips lush and moist in the low light of the gallery and if it weren’t for the sheer amount of people surrounding us I just might have…

But no, I had to restrain myself. And so instead I returned his smile, the expression coming naturally as I realized that just his mere presence had banished any nervousness that’d been lingering within me.

“Thank the stars your here Jimin. I was just about ready to bolt honestly.” 

His chuckle sounded muted in the crowd and yet it was music to my ears as he began to steer me towards the houer d’oeurves table. “Let’s get something in your stomach, you’ll thank me later I promise.”

And so we spent the majority of the night together, walking amongst the art and in general just enjoying our time together. When it came to my turn to direct attention to my works Jimin was right there by my side, silent and yet the loudest presence in the room as I spoke on the subject matter.

After another 30 minutes or so we found ourselves outside in the cool night air, Jimin’s suit jacket tucked warmly over my exposed shoulders as we leaned up against the side of the building in companionable silence.

I’d been feeling a bit overwhelmed and so he’d suggested we come outside, just to breathe the fresh air and get away from all the noise.

“That went so much better than I expected.” I had the back of my head pressed against the brick behind me and so I tilted it slightly just to catch a glimpse of his face.

“Mai Jin really seemed to be enjoying herself.” Jimin chuckled and I joined him at the shared memory of walking up to one of the other art majors just to blatantly flirt with him in front of the gallery director.

“I keep telling her art nerds are hot. It took her this long to finally believe me."

Jimin snickered, the dusky sound filling the night as he winked at me. "She's not the only one coming around to the appeal of art nerds."

I couldn't help but gape at him, mouth hanging open as he slowly leaned in closer to me.

"You know...you looked pretty amazing out there, working the floor like that. I couldn't help but to be impressed."

My mind went blank as his teasing fingers traced the curve of my chin. His minty breath feathered over my lips and the telltale butterflies ever-present in his close proximity chose that particular moment to go silent.

"I have to admit my little artist...I think I might be falling for you…"

My eyes fluttered closed as the taste of cherry lip balm invaded my senses, leaving me breathless and flustered though the contact was brief.

Jimin pulled away with a hum, licking his lips as he stared down at me with pupils blown so wide I could see my own reflection in them.

“I’ve honestly wanted to do that since the first moment we met.” He whispered, the pad of his thumb caressing the plump form of my lower lip.

I practically purred in response, unsure as to how I could possibly answer him when the dead silence of my mind could form no words.

He coo’d, hand cupping my cheek as he leaned in to steal one more mind blowing kiss. “Come on angel, let’s get you inside. Can’t have you getting into trouble for missing the tail end of your own showing.

I followed behind like a lost little puppy, eyes wide and cheeks flushed and the only thing I could think was how absolutely insane Mai Jin was going to be when I told her over the phone later tonight.

***

True to form by the next morning I’d had my eardrum blown out and a hand full of swear words aimed at Mai Jin herself as she’d left the gallery opening early to as she put it ‘attend to an art nerd’s needs’. I wasn’t exactly sure what she’d meant but I knew deep down that...I really didn’t want to know.

And so after an hour spent giving her the details and squealing with excitement I’d finally managed to hang up with her. As it was Sunday I felt it was time to catch up on some studying in peace.

Shooting Jimin a quick text and after freshening up and grabbing a quick bite of breakfast I made my way to the library. Stack of books in hand I sat at my usual table, checking my phone one last time to see that my message from Jimin was still unread before I turned my attention to the slew of written text I would have to commit to memory.

By the time it’d rolled around to me having to prepare for the second night of the gallery opening I still hadn’t gotten word from Jimin, though the text I’d sent him this morning had finally been read.

I dismissed it from my mind. After all, despite the two kisses, we hadn’t really addressed what we were to each other. It wasn’t like I could lay claim to him or anything. And he was a college student after all, maybe he’d been studying like I had but was too busy to return my texts at the time.

I shook the ever evolving paranoia from my mind as the crowd of people in attendance surrounded me.

With my mind finally on my surroundings I noticed Professor Bradburn approaching, and elderly gentleman in an obviously expensive suit and kind almost grandfatherly smile trailing closely behind her.

“Mr.Spencer, I’d like to introduce you to Miss l/n. The artist behind the gallery of masks that you were so fond of.” Professor Bradburn glowed with pride as I shyly shook the art critic’s hand.

I thanked him for his attendance and he quickly began to gush over how much he loved my work.

“Honestly if it weren’t for the fact that my wife isn’t here to approve the idea I’d have begged you to allow me to display a few of your pieces in my gallery in New York.” He scratched his nose sheepishly as I blushed with pride.

“Truly it’s an honor to even be considered Mr.Spencer. I’ve spent my entire life with this passion to paint and to know that you approve of my work means the world to me.” I bowed my head, a bright smile never leaving my face even as Mr.Spencer and Professor Bradburn had gone on to other students, but not before Mr.Spencer had sworn to leave his card with my teacher so that he could get in contact with me once he managed to arrive back in the big city.

I sighed, eyes wandering the place as I walked towards the front entrance. There were still so many people to attend to. But I knew that if I didn’t get a moment of fresh air that my body would actually consider going into a full blown panic attack.

The cool night breeze caressed my cheeks, instantly calming me as I reached into my borrowed clutch and pull out my cell.

Though nothing could get the screen to light up and it was at that moment that I realised I’d forgotten to charge it before I left for the gallery a few hours earlier. With a disheartened huff I leaned up against the outer wall of the gallery, eyes wandering up to the few stars that glowed in the sky as the hand clutching my phone hung limply at my side.

A moment of calm flowed through me as I remembered Jimin’s words to me from the night before.

‘I’ve got you. Even if I’m not there I’ll be supporting you. So smile for me angel, because that smile to me is the most beautiful thing in the world.’

Even the thought of it pulled a smile to my face. Remembering him and the way his lips had felt on mine when he finally dropped me off at my dorm had the blush racing to cover me with a heat that chased away the cool breeze of the night.

With one last glance at the blank screen of my phone I turned from the stars, knowing that I’d message him as soon as my phone was charged again to let him know about the critic’s words. I made my way back inside to the hustle and bustle, quickly forgetting about my worries as I melted back into the crowd to continue the night as peacefully as possible.

***

Something was wrong, I could feel it deep in my bones and the restlessness from last night’s slew of strange text messages that I’d gotten this morning from Jimin kept me from even partially noticing my surroundings.

I’d awoken to a fully charged phone and as soon as I saw the 46 missed calls and text messages I’d scrambled to call him and send him as many messages as I could before the reality of the situation hit. 

He’d been in trouble and there wasn’t a thing I’d done to get back to him. I felt awful, like the worst person in the world as I remembered the tone of his voicemails, voice thick with unshed tears as he begged me to call him back.

“Yn! Wait up!” The soft lilt of his voice soothed me somewhat and yet the smile that’d bloomed at his words died away so quickly I knew he could sense something was wrong.

“Yn? What’s the matter angel?”

My stomach churned, panic filling me as I gazed forlornly at the golden butterfly etched across the mask that now sat square on Jimin’s face.

“Hey angel? What is it what’s wrong?” His voice heavy with anxiety the gold of the butterfly wings began to swirl with an ever deepening darkness, turning them almost black as he gently gripped my arm.

“N...nothing Jiminie. I’m sorry…” I shook my head, pasting as fake a smile as I could manage on my lips as he hooked his arm with mine.

“Aiyooo, you scared me!” The mask shifted, wings returning to a demure gold that only served to heighten my own anxiety.

“I uh… you didn’t answer my calls? Did...did something happen last night?” 

The silence stretched between us as we continued to walk towards the cafeteria. I paused, allowing a group of freshmen to rush past us as I waited for Jimin to answer me.

“N..no nothing’s wrong. I’m sorry for worrying you. I just...woke up from a nightmare I guess. I didn’t mean to text you or bother you or anything…” His rambling words did nothing to satisfy the beastly wave of terror racing through me.

How could this have happened? To finally meet the first person in the world that never wore a mask only to have his appear so quickly that there had been nothing I could do to stop it.

I felt lost, blankly going through the motions of eating lunch together with the lost boy as I tried to make sense of the situation.

His texts last night had sounded so urgent. As if he’d encountered something so terrifying that it’d left him scarred in a way that even I couldn’t understand. It felt so strange because at the gallery opening just the night before he’d seemed just fine. And yet between not having heard from him for an entire day when we normally would text each other pretty regularly and now to coming up to him and finding this… Something had to have happened and I knew I had to get to the bottom of it.

I spent the next week not quite avoiding Jimin. Except that's exactly what I was doing. Part of me felt extremely guilty for it as he constantly messaged me and called me, begging me to tell him what was the matter and if possible what had happened the first night of the gallery opening had changed something between us. Yet despite my constant reassurances, he continued on, but I couldn’t face him. Not yet at least.

Even glimpsing that mask set me on edge, knowing that this wasn’t his true face and being unable to do anything about it. A part of me suspected Sung Mi for this sudden change in him. I remembered all too vividly the effect she’d had on him the day we’d first been introduced at the quad. And remembering Jimin’s story had me so heavily suspicious I’d taken to keeping a heavy watch out in case I ran into her.

Little did I know that I’d soon be finding her, as well as my answer to what was going on with Jimin.

***

“Look at you, all high and mighty now that you’ve got that smug little artist bitch on your arm. You’re nothing without me Park Jimin and you know it.”

The voice echoed through the silent hall of the drama department.

I’d hoped that maybe I could find Sung Mi here after classes were out so that I could confront her, and unfortunately I had, because it sounded like she’d been having a conversation with Jimin as well.

“Sung Mi, you can’t talk about y/n like that. You know nothing about her!”

“I know that she’s just a nasty little slut that’s probably just sleeping with you to get attention.”

“Sung Mi that’s enough!” Despite the strength of his statement I could hear the tremble of fear and self loathing in his voice.

“Y/n’s done nothing wrong unlike you. I can’t believe you even followed me here. What do you want?”

“I came back to see you Jimin. Because I missed you. Because we need each other. You’re nothing without me remember?” The sickly sweet timbre of her voice had the huckles on my neck raising once more, a familiar feeling that’d I’d come to associate with her voice alone.

“Look at me Jimin. Tell me you love me. Come back to Seoul with me. I promise I’ll forgive you for everything if you just come back with me.”

The complete one eighty of that conniving rat had my head spinning as I made my way to the classroom door.

Glancing inside my eyes widened at the sight before me.

Despite her shorter stature she had him basically cowering in the corner, hands raised up in a protective manner as if he were trying to shield himself from her venomous lies.

A slap rang through the classroom and with that I’d had just about enough.

I stormed inside, grabbing her hand which had already been raised to deliver another blow.

“Excuse you! What the fuck do you think you’re doing you scheming little cunt?!” She spat the words in my face, struggling to get her dainty little wrist out of my grasp. But I refused to let go, giving her the most intense glare I’d ever given anyone in my life.

“How dare you hit someone that doesn’t deserve anywhere near the amount of malice as what you’ve been giving him. Jimin has done nothing wrong and I can’t believe you would just lash out just because you’re not getting what you want from him.”

She finally managed to wrench her hand out of my grip, taking a step back and scoffing as she folded her arms over her chest.

“Bah! And who do you think you are? Storming into a conversation that doesn’t have anything to do with you? Do you know who I am? I could have you arrested for assault.”

“Bitch please.” I shoved her out of the way with my hip,causing her to stumble over her own feet as I made my way over to Jimin’s trembling form.

He was hunched over, essentially cowering in on himself as if expecting another blow to rain down on him.

“Jiminie? Hey, baby it’s me.” I wrapped my arms around him, pulling his trembling shoulders to my chest as I whispered quiet words into his ear in an attempt to calm him.

“Get away from him you whore! Jimin’s mine! I made him what he is today. He’s nothing without me and he will always be nothing!”

“Get out! You’re the worst kind of person and I can’t believe anyone would ever give you the time of day!” My voice cracked as the pure rage flowed through me.

Sung Mi glared at me, the rat that engraved her mask seeming to swirl with a myriad of colors so quickly and sickly vibrant that it was starting to make me sick just looking at it.

But I had to stand my ground, the trembling of Jimin in my arms serving to fuel the anger as I glared death in her direction.

“You know, as pretty as you think you are, as talented as you think you are there’s one thing you’ll never get away from.”

The colors on her mask wavered and to cover it up she cocked her hip, hand coming up to grasp it as she took on a defensive posture. “Oh? And what’s that? Do tell little dumpy friend…”

“Just how ugly and vile of a person you are on the inside. You can put on all the makeup in the word, wear the most expensive designer dresses and have the hottest man in the world on your arm and you will still forever be a pathetic parasite clinging to the edges of society. And you know why? Because as much as you cover it up with your war paint people will always be able to see that darkness and the disgusting filth that is your soul.” I huffed, pulling the sobbing Jimin closer as I turned away from her as if dismissing her.

“I really hope you find redemption one day. That you realize the error of your ways and learn to become a beautiful person. But I doubt that’ll ever happen. You’re a lost cause at this point.”

I could hear her huff behind me, stuttered words of retaliation dancing on her tongue. But that didn’t matter. I was done with it. Done with here. What mattered now was getting Jimin out of there and so that’s exactly what I did.

***

It didn’t take me long to make my way across campus, a sniffling Jimin in tow as I finally found the duck pond bench that we’d come to think of as our own.

I sat him down, digging into my backpack as I pulled out a few tissues and a bottle of water for him.

“I...I’m so sorry…” His voice was so quiet and broken in the still night air that I’d almost missed it.

Instead of replying though I sat beside him, taking his hands into mine and pulling him close until his head rested on my chest.

“Hush now Jimin. You have nothing to apologize for. You’ve done nothing wrong. That woman doesn’t know what she’s talking about.”

“But…” He sniffled, burying his nose in the crook of my collarbone as he mumbled as if he were talking more to himself than me.

“I’ve caused you so much trouble. From the moment we met, I've been nothing but trouble for you.”

“Now that is not at all true you hear me?” I patted his back as I spoke, ignoring the coolness of the wind as I tried to find the best words to reassure him.

“From the moment I’ve met you I have honestly laughed more and loved more than at any other moment in my life. Hell the only reason why there even was darkness is because of the idiot Sung Mi and her stupidly inflated ego.”

Suddenly he pulled away from me, taking the warmth with him as he stood up, fists clenched at his sides.

“No, you’re wrong. This really is all of my fault. If I hadn’t transferred here you wouldn’t ever have been able to know the misery and stupid...stupid tears…”

“Jimin…” I stood, coming around to stand in front of him as I tilted my head to try and hold his gaze.

“How...how could I ever hate you or be upset that you’re here when I...when I find myself falling in love you?”

“In...in love?” His eyes were so hopeful and yet somehow so full of self doubt that it was slowly breaking my own heart into tiny shards of pain.

“Yes Jimin.” I gave him a soft smile, hoping that the words and emotion had finally broken through the fragile shell he’d been surrounding himself in. “Or at the very least deep deep...like really deep like.”

He sighed, eyes turning away from me and I could feel him withdrawing. Desperation took hold.

“Jimin. Listen to me okay?” I pulled his face close to mind, voice faltering as the minty coolness of his breath feathered over my cheeks.

“No matter what your past was like, no matter who tried to stand in the way of your happiness, I am here for you.” I leaned my forehead into his, trying desperately to get him to understand.

“I’m here. I’m real. Nothing else matters so long as you know that I love you. That I loved you from the moment you stepped into the art room all those months ago.” I pulled away to smile at him, thumbs brushing across his cheeks to wipe away the tears streaming from his eyes.

“One mistake does not make or break who you are to me. Because you are special. You are my first love. And nothing can change that.”

A sob stuttered from his lips as he wrapped his arms around me, pulling me close enough that I could hear the racing beats of his hesitant heart.

“I’m so sorry y/n. For everything…”

I shook my head, burying my face into the depths of his sweater, cautiously breathing in the apple pie scent of his clothing detergent and sighing happily.

“You’re here. You’re back. And I love you. That’s all that matters. Jimin. I love you.” I couldn't help myself, tears beginning to form as I pulled away to smile at him.

We sat there for hours, enjoying each other’s company and in general getting to know each other better. And as dawn began to break on the horizon his mask finally slid away. Revealing the face I’d spent so long trying to recapture. 

He was finally home and no longer hiding his true self from me. The mask shattered on the ground, crumbling away into dust to be blown away by the early morning breeze.

[vitalpen]

Redesign

(Yo.  Its been almost a year, Chapter 5 came out a couple weeks back, Squiggly was lookin’ for some stuff to read, and I missed this AU.  So have a little thing just talking about how scary change can be, but how necessary it is.  Not specific to Toon Henry, but using it as a setting becuase I’m (ironically) and creature of habit.  Here’s a link to a visual aid

https://squigglydigg.tumblr.com/post/166168062821/so-whatisthisnonsense-and-i-were-talking-a-little)

“Morning,” a tired man groaned his way down the stairs, still in mint green pajamas and rabbit slippers..

“Mornin’”, the cartoon character sitting on his couch, flipping through channels at a comedic speed, groaned in a similar fashion.

Henry Ross stretched a little, working out the kinks in his back and trying to wake himself up a little more.  “Where’s Alice and Boris?”

“Morning walk, the lunatics,” Bendy replied.

“Mmm,” was Henry’s only reply.  He wasn’t surprised.  Those two always did have an easier time getting up in the morning.  He was old and Bendy was… Bendy.  “How’d you sleep?”

“Dang storm kept me up.” The toon jerked a thumb upward, “Must be one heck of a bowling tournament goin’ on up there.”  In his groggy state, it took Henry a moment to realize Bendy was talking about Heaven.

“Yeah, must be,” he walked into the kitchen and looked in the fridge.  After a moment, he called back, “You eat yet?”

“Nope,” came the answer. Another thing that wasn’t surprising.

“I was thinking eggs and toast, sound good?”

“Ooh!  Can I help?”  The reply came from just on the other side of the fridge door.   Henry closed it just a little to find the toon with enormous, glistening eyes, and his hands folded next to his cheek, “Pleeeeease?”

“Sure, you can do the toast,” he replied bluntly.

Immediately the toon deflated… literally.  He just as quickly re-inflated with a nonplussed expression and an indignant puffing of his chest.  “The toast? What kind of amateur errand-boy do you take me for?”

“The kind that might still find a way to set something on fire.”  The toon’s track record in the kitchen was anything but spotless.

“You’ve got insurance,” Bendy verbally handwaved.

“And a fire extinguisher now on standby,” Henry countered.  It hadn’t been there two months ago.

With a final puff and dramatic sigh, the toon relented.  “Fine, I’ll do the stinkin’ toast.”  He grumbled his way past Henry to the breadbox and yanked the bag out.  

With a chuckle, Henry took out the egg carton and looked at the time.  “When did they leave?”

“Around half past 7.” Bendy climbed up onto the counter and sat at the ready next to the toaster.

It was about 7:50 now, which meant they would probably be back soon.  “Did they eat?”  He looked over to Bendy, who shrugged.  Henry pursed his lips for a moment, then decided against making something for them just yet.  The eggs didn’t take long to make.  If they hadn’t, he could just make some when they got home.  With that decided, he put two frying pans on the stove and grabbed a mixing bowl.  A little bit of milk, four eggs, and some mixing later, the scrambled eggs were ready to be cooked.  He melted butter in the bottom of both pans and poured the egg and milk mix into one, then cracked the last two into the other.  “Alright, put the toast in.”

“Oui, mon capitaine,” Bendy saluted and pressed the lever down on the toaster.

Henry pursed his lips again, debating something for a moment, then nodded to himself.  “Hey, can you head to my office?  In the top drawer, there’s a folder with a couple sheets I want you to grab and bring back here.”

“Sure.”  Bendy hopped off and left the room.

“Don’t look at them until you’re back in here, alright?”

“Sure, sure, keepin’ yer secrets, I getcha,” Bendy called back.  In less than two minutes, he was back, carrying a folder full of papers. He set them on the kitchen table and waited patiently.  “Sure you’re not worried about getting’ grease on’em?”

“It’s fine, we’ll be careful.” He flipped his eggs and continued moving around the slowly solidifying batter for Bendy’s.  “Open it and look at the first sheet, tell me what you think.”

With a curious raise of the eyebrow, Bendy did as he was told.  What he saw caught him entirely off guard.  The first sheet was full of sketches, designs, even a fully colored image.  He, Boris, and Alice, all looking a far cry from themselves.  He was probably the most untouched.  His solid black form, head shape, and gloves were all intact, but his limbs were a bit thicker, his proportions a bit less stretchy, face less rounded, and his bowtie was yellow.  Boris and Alice had gotten a much more thorough treatment.  Boris was sporting dark brown fur, blue overalls, and a brand new ascot.  Alice was by far the most striking.  The black had been traded for white on the dress, red on her gloves and boots, and blonde in her hair.  “What’s all this?”  He finally asked.  “You applyin’ to Hanna-Barbera?”

Henry chuckled, flipping his eggs one more time and starting to scoop Bendy’s onto a plate.  “No, just throwing some things at the wall, seeing what sticks.”  The toast popped and Bendy took the opportunity to get a rest from the new designs.

“Why?”  He asked cautiously as he climbed up and plucked the slices from their hot cradles.

Henry handed Bendy the plate of scrambled eggs and started getting his onto a plate.  “Well, the designs for you three have been around for decades.  Black and white, massive pupils, it’s something a lot of other studios have moved away from.”

“You thinkin’ of doin’ that too?”  Bendy set his plate down and held a hand out for Henry’s, still sorting out the feelings as they arose.

“Not yet,” the old man replied, offering the plate for his toast.  “But if we do, I want to make sure I have some idea on where we’d be going with it.”  He sensed the toon’s worry and offered a reassuring smile. “After all, I’ve got three very important opinions to take into account.”  They both took their plates to the table, and Henry retrieved the salt and pepper.  “Now, you’ve clearly got some feedback for me.”

“Is it that obvious?” Bendy grabbed the silverware for them and a carton of orange juice.  Henry just replied with a smirk as he set a couple glasses out.  “Well, if you’re up for a critique.”

“You don’t get by in the industry without it,” Henry replied as he sat down.  Bendy joined him, having grabbed some jam for his toast.

“Well, I don’t hate the splash o’ color, but I’m not sure how I feel about havin’ cheek bones,” the toon took a moment to tear into his eggs.  “However,” he continued with his mouth full, “I think the limbs are what looked the weirdest.  I’m used to these noodles,” he displayed his spaghetti thin arms to demonstrate, “not normal lookin’ arms and legs, you know?”

Henry nodded, the toon had been reflecting a lot of his own thoughts on the designs.  He liked them, and he knew that the three could do with some updating, but drawing them in such a starkly different way than he’d been doing his whole career, it would definitely take getting used to.  “What about Boris and Alice?”

“Well,” Bendy rubbed his chin, giving his thoughts time to form into words.  “Boris is the easier one to swallow.  He still just looks like plain ol’ Boris.  He’d probably like the ascot, when I think about it.”  He cast his eyes to Alice’s new look.  “That one gets me.”

“Thought I’d try something daring,” Henry explained.

“It’s daring, alright. Switching out the black for all this bright n’ vibrant stuff.  She looks a bit more angelic, that’s for sure,” he paused with his eyes squinted.

“But…” Henry urged.

“But it doesn’t look like her,” Bendy blurted out like he’d been holding his breath.  “You know me, I’m a ‘glory days’ kinda guy.  I like how we look, and seein’ that change is kinda hurts, you know?”  He stopped and stood up and started pacing, “But things gotta change, right?  Clinging to the past ain’t healthy,” he looked meaningfully at Henry, “we both know a thing or two about that.”  His circuit back and forth continued.  “And change ain’t always a bad thing, sometimes ya need it.  Most places are doin color shows by now, even the mouse put some red in his shorts years ago.  Most of the cartoons we make these days are in color, we’re the holdouts on that one.”  

Henry waited quietly as the toon debated himself, more than a little amused by how similar the train of thought was to his.

“But does that mean we gotta start lookin’ like the Jetsons?  Do we all gotta start wearing shit collars so talkin’s easier to animate?”  He stopped pacing and started tapping his foot with his arms crossed and his stare boring into the floor, after a moment he looked back at Henry.  “Am I overreacting?  I think I might be overreacting.  Maybe I’m just too much of an old man, scared by these new-fangled cartoons.”  He slowly made his way back to his seat, taking a bite out of his toast.  “But I don’t want us to do it too much, and lose all the great stuff we had in the first place.”  He looked at Henry again, a little lost.  “Am I making sense?”

That was when Henry finally had to laugh.  It was like was hearing his own thoughts acted out in front of him.  “More than you realize.”  He brushed the crumbs off his hands and turned to the next page.  “How about this?”

What was meant to be a glance at the sheet devolved easily into staring.  His eyes were glued to the paper, completely silent as he looked over every line, every detail.  As he looked, the toon’s lost expression changed to intrigue, then to wonder and a wide smile broke out on his face.  “Well, helloooo there, handsome.  Have we met?”  The page was filled with a second set of designs.  The first attempt had been such a tumultuous thought process afterward, he’d decided to try again.  It was always a good idea to have multiple takes on an idea anyway.  

Like before, Bendy was the most unchanged.  Instead of yellow, Henry had gone with red, changing his bowtie and the soles of his shoes. Boris was also mostly the same, with tan overalls colored different from his white face now and there was a bit of blush in the cheeks to accent the black and white.  Alice had the most done to her; like the first attempt, she’d been given a real skin tone, but instead of white and red, he’d kept the black and added some blue.  These designs also kept the more prominent eyes, just giving them whites to frame the pupils.

When he got his fill, Bendy looked up at Henry with a questioning look.  “You had these the entire time?’  With a knowing grin, Henry nodded.  “And you decided to let me have an existential crisis before you broke’em out?”

“I had some doubts and I wanted to make sure it wasn’t just me,” Henry defended.  “I didn’t expect you to get that far into it, though. Besides, I had a feeling you’d like these ones more.”  With that, he stood up and took Bendy’s empty plate, stacking it on his own.  “What do you think?”

“You’re right, I do like’em more,” Bendy grabbed their glasses and followed him, feeling oddly optimistic.  “They feel more like us, you know?  It’s not tryin’ to make us into something we’re not, we still look like we could stretch a little bit, like we belong in a slapstick show, not a cartoon family sitcom.”

Henry laughed; the comparison was fairly apt, he had to admit.  “So is that a green light from you?”

“Bright n’ shiny,” Bendy confirmed with a nod.  Henry took the glasses from him and he went to retrieve their silverware from the table too.  As they cleaned the kitchen up, the toon felt a thought nudge its way into his noggin.  It was only by the time they were done that he’d finally worked it into a question, “Change is a good thing, right?”

Henry smiled down at the toon and nodded. “It’s gonna happen anyway, so it might as well be.”

They walked to the couch Bendy had been occupying before and sat down.  “Then,” Bendy started, but stopped, forming the question a bit more before he tried to ask it.  “Why’s it gotta scare the heck outta everybody everytime it comes ‘round?”

“Because it’s usually not gonna wait for you to be ready,” Henry sat down and Bendy hopped up.  “Sometimes the only thing you can do is roll with it, try to keep up, and,” without warning, an arm hooked around Bendy and pulled him in close to the man, forcing a grunt and a chew toy squeak from the little imp, “make sure you’ve got a pal nearby to keep you going.”

Being allowed room to breathe, the toon cast a pair of annoyed, squinting eyes at the old man, then laughed.  “Yeah, well, lucky for you, I’m here, ya jerk.”

“Yeah,” Henry agreed, probably more sincerely than the imp was prepared for, “lucky me.”

[michaelmalloryfanfic-blog]

fic update: o thou, destroyer named - chapter viii

they are like two wounded animals, circling one another, waiting to see who will strike first

. millory outpost 3 au .

post links: chapter i // chapter ii // chapter iii // chapter iv // chapter v // chapter vi // chapter vii // chapter viii // chapter ix //

ao3 links: chapter i // chapter ii // chapter iii // chapter iv // chapter v // chapter vi // chapter vii // chapter viii // chapter ix //

chapter summary:

Welcome to Sanctus Manibus! Mallory takes the Big Sleep or...well, she certainly takes some Big Naps. Mallory sleeps a lot in this chapter but you would too if you were slowly dying from radiation poisoning okay??? Also!! Introducing! Andrew Channing, Amara De Feu, Kimberly Jackson.

a/n:

Okay guys. this is...a big one. Sorry. It might be a little boring but ya girl gotta do that worldbuilding shit rn. I'll try to make future chapters a little more interesting! Thank you and good luck!

Chapter 8: I feel it too

When Mallory wakes, she’s alone. The world around her is dark and empty. Her right cheek is hot and when she sits up there’s a slight squelch of her skin unsticking to the vinyl. Mallory winces and rubs her cheek. The skin is warm and tacky. As her eyes adjust, the backseat cabin of the SUV reminds her of the last few hours. The vinyl of the seat squeaks beneath her palms as she pushes herself up. Outside the heavily tinted windows, Mallory sees not gray, not pitch darkness interspersed with orange balls of light but rather an intense, uninterrupted expanse of white.

Not knowing what else to do, Mallory lies back down and presses her cheek back into the seat. She stares straight ahead and breathes deeply. A scent like midday heat and musk hits her and she quickly breathes in again but when she does the scent is gone. A few minutes pass as Mallory sits in the darkness knowing not which way she should proceed. One last deep breath and Mallory sits back up. Her head swims a little but even so she opens car door. It is so bright outside that she has to squint. She blinks into the unyielding brightness of the room and takes a step outside of the vehicle. Across the room, to her right the empty air hisses and there’s a whoosh of air as an opening in the vast emptiness appears.

In the opening appears a man. Mallory knows immediately that it isn’t Langdon. He’s too short, perhaps only a couple inches taller than Mallory. His face and body are illuminated by brightness of the room revealing him to be a simply but smartly dressed individual. Behind him, a much dimmer world peeks out. In his hands, he’s holding a tablet. His eyes are glued to his screen, his facial features obscured by the top of his head.

“Um,” Mallory breathes.

At the sound of her voice, the man looks up from his screen. He’s handsome in a way. Big, dark eyes, a wide mouth all within a square face. At first he seems confused but then his face breaks out into smile that is at once too cordial but lacking in warmth. His teeth are disturbingly white and perfectly straight. When he tucks his tablet under his arm and makes a beeline for her, Mallory decides she likes the darkness of the car better after all. She falls back into the cabin closing the door with her.

“Mallory,” the man calls with confused amusement. “Stop joshin’!”

Mallory scrambles to lock the r.doors but it’s futile. As soon as she gets the doors locked, there’s a simultaneous chorus of clicks as all locks are undone. Outside she sees the man waves the key to the car.

“Come on, Mal,” he says as though they’ve known each other for years. “Enough joking around. We’re already behind schedule as it is.”

When she doesn’t make a move, he shakes his head that same too-wide, too-white smile on his face. He opens the door and the light from outside comes pouring in.

“Gosh they didn’t warn me that you were such a joker,” he laughs and shakes his head.

Mallory has never been accused of being such a thing.

“In any case, I’m just glad you’re finally up. You were in there so long I wondered if ya up and died on me!”

Mallory is still huddled against the opposite side of the cabin as Andrew commits this verbal assault against her. When he seems to pause, Mallory opens her mouth to speak but before she can get a word in he’s talking at her again.

“Not that I’m complaining or anything. Mr. Langdon said to let you sleep as long as you need and that’s exactly what I did. And look at you! Rested and ready for the day! Although the day is way close to being over already. But time is fake amiright?”

She’s squints at him from across the car unsure if he will let her get a word in. Andrew’s expression changes from amusement to apologetic.

“Oh! I’m so sorry! I haven’t even introduced myself. I’m Andrew Channing. But you can call me Andy.”

He reaches into the car but when Mallory doesn’t take his hand he climbs in to the vehicle to get closer.

“Andy,” he repeats and continues to hold out his hand.

“Okay,” Mallory says, then takes his hand and repeats his name back to him.

His hand is cool and a little clammy. Mallory grimaces at the feel of her small, slim hand enveloped in his. She tries to pull away but he tightens his grip on her hand and leans in closer.

“Sorry for calling you Mal. Can I call you Mal? I just feel like I know you so well already. I’ve been reading up on your profile while I waited for you to wake up and just feel like we’re close even though your profile is pretty scant with you comin’ from an outpost and all.”

“My profile?” Mallory interrupts.

Finally, she wrenches her hand free and scoots away from Andy.

“Yeah! Everyone's got one,” he holds up his tablet and waves it from side to side. “Even Mr. Langdon but that’s classified.”

“Langdon? Michael Langdon?”

Andy hums in response and continues to ramble.

“You probably don’t know much about what is and isn’t classified, huh Mal. I mean why would you. But that’s okay. You’ll have me to rely on for that kinda stuff until you head to the Sanctuary.”

“I thought this was the Sanctuary?”

“Well, not exactly. Hey, Mal can we get out of this car,” he says while jerking his thumb towards the still open door. “We got things to be, places to d - oh well the other way around. You know what I mean. We're way behind schedule with your orientation.”

By now, Mallory’s eyes have mostly adjusted to the brightness outside. After considering his request for a moment, she decides that if anything bad is going to happen then staying in this car won’t stop it. The lock clicks softly as she opens the door and begins to exit.

“Oh thank goodness,” he said and exited out of his door. “So right now we’re in Manibus, Sanctus Manibus. There are four other branches just like this one positioned equidistant from one another.”

He pulls out his table and taps on the screen a few times then begins to draw. In a few seconds, he shows Mallory what he’s drawn. There are five dots, each one representing a community. He's drawn a line from each one to the next to show they are equidistant from one another. He explains that they are currently in one of those facilities. Next he draws her attention to the three dots within the first shape.

“These three are Sanctus Corporis,” Andrew says then points to one last dot that stands alone at the center of the triangle. “This is what we would call the Sanctuary, Sanctus Animo.”

“Sanctus Animo,” Mallory repeats her nose wrinkling as the words pass her lips.

Mallory wonders if there had been some huge Latin language renaissance that she just happened to miss out on.

“The holiest of holies,” Jerry says his tone still joking and even a little derisive but Mallory detects some reverence beneath his glib tone; there’s desperation there. “That’s where Mr. Langdon spends most of his time. I've never been, of course. Even though I was on the team that help engineer it.”

He pauses in his verbal barrage for a moment to look at her from the corner of his eye. Gone is his smile, the frantic humor behind it and all that's left is a blank stare.

“You'll have to tell me about it when you go.”

His voice is cold, hateful even and Mallory skin crawls at the way he says “you” like could have strangled her then and there. The tablet is between them and to her left Mallory sees the opening that Andrew has come through. She gauges how much time it would take for her to get through it.

“Um, where’s Langdon?” she murmurs inching towards the door.

Then like a windup toy sprung to life, Andy lights up. The smile is back and unfortunately so is his chatter.

“Oh Mr. Langdon has his own schedule to keep. I don’t have clearance to know where he’s at any given moment and neither do you. Best to not concern ourselves with it. Come on let's get going.”

He walks past her to the doorway. Without much choice, Mallory follows him. As soon as she steps through there’s a subtle hiss of air as a door slides down. Mallory let's out a little gasp of surprise and looks back to find the opening completely gone. She inspects the wall and it's as if there has never been an opening in the first place.

“Well aren’t you just the most excitable creature.”

Mallory doesn’t like it when Andy calls her a creature. It’s different from when Michael calls her this. Just like it seemed to be less of a violation to have his hand around her throat than to have Mead lay out a fresh set of clothes. The hallway they have entered seems to stretch endlessly in both directions. Andy, eyes glued to his tablet, turns right and walks at a brisk pace. Mallory follows and as they walk, she notices that the hallway has a slight curve to it.

They walk for a while, the hallway seeming to be just an endless curved tube except that every so often a hallway would appear but only to the left that would lead in another curving direction. Once, on their trek, one of those opening pops up suddenly as they pass. A young woman stands in the opening. Her head is shaved and she's wearing a similar sweater and linen pants combo to what Andrew wears. She too is entirely engrossed by whatever is on the screen in her hands but as she steps out into the hall she looks up and Mallory met with a an expression that is at first impassive but then melts to horror.

“Howdy, Kim!” Andy says with that incessant cheeriness.

Mallory doesn’t pause to ask Kim what is bothering her so much to make such a face. For all Mallory knows, that's just how her face looks. And in any case Mallory gets the distinct feeling that the Manibus isn't a place that appreciates many questions. So she pushes on ahead, trying to keep up with Andy's pace.

“Hey, Andy,” Kim calls weakly after them but the woman’s eyes stay glued to Mallory.

The woman soon disappears beyond the curve of the hallway and Mallory is left alone with Andy once more.

“That was Kim,” Andy says redundantly over his shoulder. “She's a bit of a stick in the mud but she's alright once you get to know her. She's a code-monkey over with surveillance.”

Mallory doesn't ask what a code-monkey is. She doubts he'd give her a straight answer. Occasionally they’ll pass by a certain section of hallway and Andy stops to explains that behind this wall or that people do some hugely important job, usually some kind of experimentation. Despite his tendency to ramble he never goes into detail about what kind of experimentation they do and to what end. On that front, he is pointedly vague.

“For the good and improvement of the human race,” is as far as he explains.

He talks ceaselessly about things of such minuscule consequence that she tunes him out almost immediately. Andy is, frankly put, a chore. He talks about a number of useless things but most of all, Andy talk about himself.

“I was only nine when I started teaching myself calculus. I wasn’t very good at it but my point is that math has always been a talent of mine. Just one of the reasons I was chosen to be here.”

By this point, Mallory has tuned him out so well that his is voice is just a hum ahead of her. Instead, her focus turns to Langdon. He’s here, in this same facility but he’s left her alone. Though she knows she has no right to, Mallory feels abandoned.

However, she doesn't have long to dwell on that feeling. Andy’s pace slows. The seemingly endless hallway has comes to an end and opens into a huge chamber. It's breathtaking, open and full of what seems like natural light and despite herself, Mallory is impressed. There are small pockets of lounge areas throughout the open space. Islands of large cushioned seats. Along the curving wall opposite of where she and Andy stand there are what looks like shelves of food. She crosses the room to it and is surprised to find that it is only a picture. She puts her hand up to one of the items, a vibrant image of a peach. As soon as her fingers brush it, the image begins to glow. In red lettering, a message appears and pans across the image.

User not found. Please contact admin.

"Oh that won't work for ya," Andy calls from behind her. "At least not until we set you up with an account but let's not get ahead of ourselves."

She nods though she doesn't fully understand what he means. She steps back from the wall and turns to continue looking around. She realizes quickly that she and Andy are on the bottom floor of this facility. Above them rises four more floors, each one is another circle that branches out into curved hallways like the one she and Andy have come from. She hasn't seen this kind of space in over a year. Her jaw hangs slack.

“Pretty awesome right? I’ve been down here over a year but the Fib-Se still gets me every time.” he saddles up besides Mallory and watches her gawk. “All the Manibus were constructed around the Fibonacci Sequence and this is its center. Simulated natural light, the cleanest, highest concentration of oxygen in the whole facility."

She doesn't respond, but Andy doesn't give up trying to get her attention.

He moves so that he's standing in front of her, "So what was it like in the outposts?”

“Uh-huh,” she replies still in awe.

Andy gives her a puzzled look. Her eyes snap down and sees his expression.

She quickly corrects herself, "Sorry I mean, it was...it was fine, I guess. I mean I’m sure it wasn’t much different than what you went through.”

He lets out a bark of laughter. It's Mallory's turn to give him a puzzled stare.

“I doubt it,” he says and lets out another high peal of laughter. “I heard that outposts were barely a few steps up from being on the outside. Then again, I was never in an outpost, never met anyone who was. So what do I know?”

“Shouldn’t everyone here be from an outpost? I thought the Sanctuary was a fail-safe, humanity’s last resort.”

This elicits another laugh from Andy but it is sluggish, less amused and more concerned.

“Now where did you hear something like that. Last resort? Hardly! Here at the Sanctuary Humanity isn’t just surviving. We are thriving!”

The realization arises, Mallory has not only been abandoned but she’s been lied to as well. The air seems to flee her lungs and the world shrinks. The light in the room, which had just a few minutes before felt so warm, joyus even, feels cold and too sharp. She feels that she has swallowed a lead weight but Andy shows no signs of slowing.

“Well, we got more things to do so we should head out,” he chirps and turns towards the entrance of yet another.

The thought of another long, curved trek turns Mallory's stomach.

“I want to lie down.”

“Oh don't be a party pooper! You've been snoozin’ for hours. Plus I wanna get through your orientation before Third Block ends and then you can meet the other operatives. Not to mention we still need to get you yo-”

“Andy,” she interrupts. “I need to lie down.”

Andy looks at her then and seems to see her for the first time. No one who really knew Andy Channing would ever mistake him for being sympathetic. He’d always been a calculating, reaching individual but had learned early on to mask his narcissistic megalomania with a cheery, disarming affect. It made it easier to get what he wanted from people and hadn’t his method served him well? He stands among the few, here at the end of the world. And truthfully, he cares nothing for Ms. Mallory Wilson. It's clear from her profile that she was nothing before the bomb. He had read enough to know that her Grey outfit brands her as even less than nothing after the bomb. Andy was chosen and she was happenstance. Still, her face is ashen and Andy thinks she might not even make halfway through the rest of her orientation. He sees no other option than to relent.

“Well...you do smell like a day old corpse. Let's get you a change of clothes and you can get washed up, yeah?”

Andy takes her down another hallway that leads them away from the Fib-Se and its light but this trek is considerably shorter than the previous one. After about only a minute or so, Andy pauses before a blank expanse of wall. He types something into his tablet then there is a hiss and pop of air as door appears and opens before them. Andy enters and Mallory follows, both silent and somber.

The room they enter is much like a hallway itself. Narrow, not much wider than five feet across but it is deep at least 30 feet or so. The walls are paneled with dark wooden doors. They are perfectly lined up in two rows, one on top of the other. Each door has on it it in silver and black, a barcode.

When they enter, Andy turns to the left where a small compartment covered by a glass panel glows with a blue light on the left wall. He holds his tablet up to a barcode that has been printed on the glass. The compartment lets out a soft, high ping and into the compartment drops a small package. Andy lifts the glass panel and pulls out a small square of fabric. He unfolds it to reveal a black tote bag.

He holds up it for Mallory to take and smiles, “Reusable.”

Andy moves quickly down the line of doors. The clothing come in general sizes, S, M, L but they were made to fit large in an effort to fit as many bodies and body types as possible. All the items are neatly folded into similar flat squares as the tote.

“Now I doubt you'll be in Manibus much longer so I’ll just snag you a couple sets things. I promise I'm not cheap,” he glances back to wink at her. “I’m just practical.”

Andy stops occasionally at a door, scans the barcode with his tablet then pulls out an article of clothing. He grabs her a pair of dark brown pants, a cream colored tunic, a cardigan, and a heavy sweater in similar tones, explaining each item as he drops them into her bag.

“Seems like a lot but believe me, you'll need the layers once you get up to residential areas. Heating goes way down after Fifth Block.”

Next he makes his way all the way down until he's about halfway through the room. Andy opens up one of the bottom cabinets and crouches down to reach inside. However, at this cabinet he pauses. He looks up at Mallory then gives her a quick but obvious once over.

“You're a little…uh practical up top too, huh? I'm not sure how well you'll be able to fill these out but I’ll throw ‘um in just in case.”

He holds up a small white bralette up for her to see while grinning. Mallory doesn't dignify his jeering with a reaction. He drops a couple pairs of panties in her bag which is quickly filling up. Last were a bundle of thick socks and a pair of brown ankle boots.

As he hands her the socks he says, “you hang on tight to those. They're practically gold around these parts.”

They leave the room. Andy seems back to his old self, chattering away like before. Mallory remains silent. She barely registers that Andy has led her into an elevator that takes them up to the top floor of the facility. They follow the curling hallway a short distance until they stop in front of a visible door. Another barcode is printed on the door at eye level.

“It isn’t exactly the height of luxury but I figured you wouldn’t mind since you won’t be staying long,” Andy says as he scans the barcode and it opens up to reveal a room not much bigger than her old room back at the outpost. “You’re supposed to be heading to the Animo along with Langdon soon.”

Without responding, Mallory shuffles into the room. What it lacks in space, it makes up for in luxuries that she would have never been afforded back that outpost. A small desk and chair set sits to the right of the door. On it sits a small lamp and besides that there’s a small black book. She makes to grab it but Andy swoops in and snatches it up before she can grab it.

“See that tech pad over there,” he motions towards a glowing pad on the left hand wall.

It’s height and width is a little larger than the average hand. It glows blue in the darkness of the room. From the corner of her eye, Mallory watches Andy tuck the small journal into his pocket. She looks back up at him and he smiles.

“You put your hand to that and it will open up into the bathroom. You can get cleaned up in there. Fifth Block ends in three hours. I’ll be back for you then.”

She nods and continues into the room. Andy stays in the doorway. The light outside cuts him into a dark figure. From her place in the darkness of the room, he seems to Mallory nothing more than a shadow. He’s still smiling at her.

“Mallory,” he calls to her as she’s turning away towards the bathroom. “A word of advice. Everyone here has a purpose, all of us were painstakingly chosen to fulfill that purpose. Everyone except you. I would suggest you find what your purpose is and soon because here in Manibus things without purpose get discarded.”

As he says that last word, his hand falls to the journal in his pocket. He stands for a moment longer, a smiling shadow in her doorway before saying goodbye and leaving her alone in the dark.

For a long time after, Mallory simply stands in the center of the tiny room. Her skin itches, feels far too tight. And the room, no bigger than the only other one she’s known for the past year, feels cavernous and unwelcoming. She glances occasionally at the techpad knowing that she need only put her hand to it and she can solve these two issues but she is rooted to the ground. Tears come unbidden, hot and painful. They close her throat and she chokes until her choking becomes sobbing. She falls into herself, folding like a sheet of paper.

She has no right to feel sad, no right. She has no right to feel hurt by his abandonment, his dishonesty. But she does . She feels it like a burning, a tugging like a rope is tied around heart. It pulls and pulls. She puts her hands to her heart as she doubles over.

“It hurts.”

It hurts, to see Mead laid out on the slab like a corpse. He'd seen her like this before, back when she had first been reborn through the womb of silicone and steel only back then he had been rapt with anticipation. The technicians had assured him that she just needed a routine check up made evident by the issues that arose during her update. Still, Michael insisted on overseeing it. He almost wishes he hadn’t. It is maddening for Michael to see her like this.

The room she had been placed in is empty except for the table she’s laid out on. The seamless white walls only serve to make the room feel even emptier, it’s hollowness more vast. Michael stands over her occasionally looking through the progress report that is displayed on the screen in his hands. She’s pale as a ghost and her face is like a statue’s. She could be dead. She could be sleeping but she is neither of those things. She is just broken. There’s a hiss and pop of a door opening behind him.

He straightens up instinctually, rising to his full height and says, “This system check is taking longer than you estimated,”

When he is met by silence, he turns to face the intruder and is faced with the unexpected and unwelcome sight of Amara De Feu, High Priestess of the Unholy Order. Amara would be a startling sight in any context but in a place like the Manibus, she is overwhelming. Unlike Michael, who has since arriving at Manibus adopted their utilitarian style of dress, Amara dresses in the great, sweeping silhouettes of the Amino. Her entire ensemble is black but is made up of intricate designs. Hundreds of lines created by hand-stitched piping flows in tight waves across her body. They stretch outward, from her right shoulder in a diagonal down past her left leg creating a dynamic silhouette that makes her willowy frame seem larger and more angular than it actually is. A square of black mesh falls over her pale face, floating just above the skin seemingly without any support. She is a nightmare, a vision and yet Michael is unimpressed.

“Amara. What an unexpected surprise.”

Behind her veil, her pale mouth splits into a simper.

“Veri Heredis,” she replies with a warmth that does not meet her eyes. “You were expected back at Animo days ago. I was worried you might be avoiding me so I came to see what held you.”

She saunters into the room. The fabric of her dress follows the movement of her body strangely, swaying in the opposition direction of each step forward. Despite this, Amara manages to move with some grace, caged in by her own clothing. She sidles up besides him. Michael resists the urge to hurl his body backwards, away from her.

“They told me that you were overseeing the repair of some droid. I didn't realize it would be her.”

The warmth that was missing in her greeting to Michael is found when she looks upon the visage of Miriam Mead. She raises her hand as if to caress the older woman’s face. Michael almost goes to grab her wrist. He feels ill at the thought of De Feu putting her hands on Mead or anything that belonged to him. However at the last moment, she pulls her own hand back and turns to face him.

“However, I was a little confused by the explanation. Surely a droid could be better serviced in the Animo.”

She wanders away from him. The ruffling of her clothing is loud in the silence of the empty room as she makes her way around to the other side of the table.

“It was more about urgency than artistry, Amara,” Michael says.

She stares across Mead's body at him. Her dark eyes on him are unnerving but Michael gives as good as he gets. Amara is the first one to break. Her eyes flit back to Mead's face.

“Fine, keep your secrets while you can. You know how I love intrigue, Michael.”

Michael takes her words as a threat and most things that Amara says are. His name from her lips makes his skin crawl and he struggles not to cut her tongue out of her head. But if killing Amara was that easy, Michael would have done it already.

“She meant everything to me once upon a time. Like a comfort blanket, I used to cling to her,” this time she does touch Mead. “But to lead one must put comfort aside. That's what she taught me.”

Her fingertips are topped with a pitch black cones that extend their length from the first knuckle to about four inches to the tip. But the rest of her hand remains bare, the pale, dry skin like pearl against the ink of her ornamentation. She runs her knuckles along Mead's cheek; her eyes snap up to meet his. She sneers at the disgust in his eyes.

“Hurry back to the Animo, Veri Heredis. Or else I may be forced to free you from whatever is that is keeping you away.”

Amara leaves and Michael is left alone. Five minutes and twenty-three seconds after her departure, Michael decides he has to tie up loose ends. He is going to kill Mallory.

When she wakes, Mallory knows she isn’t alone. Her body aches and when she tries to sit up, she fails miserably. To her right she hears a rustle of paper, there’s dim, orange light near the door. It takes some effort but she manages to turns her head to look towards the other body in the room and finds Michael Langdon lounging on the desk chair, a vision bathed in lamplight.

In his hand is an open book. He is silent as his eyes scans the pages, His clothing is far more casual than before, a grey collared shirt tucked into a pair of loose, dark pants. Over that he wears light sweater. Michael does so enjoy the ritual and pomp of extravagant ornamentation but there’s a time and a place. The Manibus operate by the virtue of utility and so he has chosen to keep his manner of dress utilitarian.

“You’ve been asleep for two days,” he pans not looking up from his book.

His hair is pulled up into a loose bun, a few stray locks fall around his face. He flips to the next page, the soft rustle of the paper resounds in the quiet of the room. Mallory only has enough energy to groan in response. Her head is pounding and her mouth is like cotton.

“If you’re thirsty, there’s some water here,” he says motioning to what looks to be a small plastic pitcher on the desk

Besides it is a small plastic cup. Mallory stares long and hard at the cup and pitcher. At this point she would be willing to kill for a just a drop of moisture on her tongue but for some reason her limbs just don’t want to comply. Mallory squirms a little, willing herself to get up and get at that water. Ultimately, she only manages to roll over on to her side to face him.

Michael looks up from his book when rolls over. She is staring at him, he feels the glare of those doe-eyes even if he cannot make them out in the darkness. She sticks out like sore thumb in the lived-in scene of this room. Michael knows little of what fate befell this room’s former inhabitant but he knows that she’s gone now but all of her things remain. His eyes fall to the book again and makes note of the page he’s left off on. He closes it, places it neatly on the desk besides the water and rises to his feet.

He approaches the bed, “I read Channing’s report.”

It is less of a bed and more of a mattress that sits on a platform that rises about about two feet off the ground. On the face of the platform are some drawers and a cabinet that holds clothes that will never be worn again. To Michael’s right there are two short steps that lead up to the flat top where the mattress sits. The walls that rise up around the bed is lined with shelves heavy with books that used to belong to someone. They will either be re-purposed or disposed of once they are both gone.

He crouches down to her eye level. “You didn’t finish your orientation.”

He hears her huff but he can’t see her expression in the darkness. Michael leans in closer, places his hands on the platform just besides the mattress to get a better look at her face. Her breathing is shallow, face ashen. Even as she staring at him, the dazed look in her hooded eyes tell him that she can barely focus. But she's in there, distrust looks out at him from her eyes. He doesn't need to step into her head to figure that out, it is plain as day on her face. And yet she doesn't fight him when he reaches out and presses his hand to her forehead. Her skin is dangerously hot, enough for it to be painful. He reasons with himself that what he is planning is a mercy to her. He is being kind.

“It’s no wonder you feel like shit. You never received your anti-radiation shot.”

There’s no tears, no trembling from her this time. Rather, she stares at him with unabashed suspicion. He stands and her eyes follow him like twin dark planets pulled by his gravity. They stare into one another, him from above and she from below. A moment passes but then her stomach croaks breaking the silence.

“Hungry? We’ll find you something but you need your anti-radiation injection first.”

She grunts in response, neither a yes nor a no. Her arms wrap around her middle as if she could silence her traitorous gut this way.

He raises an eyebrow at her noncommittal response, “Get up, Mallory.”

When she rolls over so that her back faces him, Michael frowns. That simply won’t do. He returns to the desk and picks up the pitcher of water. He pours the contents noisily into the cup. Mallory perks up at the sound. She twists her torso just enough to see him standing at the desk, cup in hand. He meets her eye as he takes a sip.

“Please,” she croaks, the word barely sounds human coming through the dry cavern of her throat.

Michael decides that he likes her pleading. He wonders if he’ll miss it when she’s gone.

“You want it?” he refills the cup and drinks deeply. “Sit up.”

Hears something like a growl from her but he can’t see her mouth. He doesn’t have to wait long before he sees her rise up. There’s something serpentine in the movement of her body. She sways a little, the fever bows her even when she is just sitting.

“Up,” he demands, he can feel her glare through the darkness. “Come here.”

Her silhouette remains static and Michael grows impatient. He slams the cup on to the desk. The force of it makes her jump.

His voice is low and dangerous when he says one last time, “Come here.”

Mallory squirms for a moment. Her eyes are downcast now, he sees the way her head is angled downward. Then, with shaky resolve, she stands and drags herself to stand before him. Up close, the blush in her cheeks is evident and her humiliation is clear. But still, she came.

Michael fights a snicker back. He refills the cup, her eyes follow his every movement. The cup is full in a few moments but he holds it in his hand. He considers knocking back this cup as well but thinks better of it. He delivers the cup into her greedy hands and she gulps it down quickly. Too quickly, she chokes a little but it barely slows her down. She finishes the whole thing in almost no time.

He watches her and shakes his head, “Stubborn girl.”

Her eyes find him over the rim of the cup. They are liquid with fury but her body is too weak to retaliate. So, she finishes her cup and the rest of the pitcher while she’s at it. When he certain that she isn’t going to keel over he leads her out into the hall.

Mallory is going round and round in her head. She’s like a live wire besides him. In contrast, Michael is resolved. There is one destination. He glances down at her and is surprised to find her already peering up at him. The distrust, the suspicions isn’t gone but with them now is curiosity.

She quirks her mouth and her eyebrows are jammed together when she says, “The apocalypse still has night time.”

He realizes that this is the first time she’s seen the Manibus like this. The backlights behind the white walls have been dimmed and have been switched to a dark, desaturated purple.The ceiling above is completely black, dotted here and there by small points of light, a simulation of the night sky.

“The lighting is controlled by an algorithm that follows the body’s natural circadian cycle,” he explains. “When they were developing this place there were particularly concerned with what effect life underground would have on inhabitants.”

He looks up at the ceiling and scoffs, “they thought stars might make people feel better about the world ending.”

He looks younger in the dark.

“I think that makes sense,” she says with labored breath.

The fever, no doubt, is taking its toll.

“It was too bright before, like being an Apple store 24/7. It’s better like this.”

He glances again at the mock-stars above and they seem different somehow.

If she wants to voice what has her so agitated, she makes no indication of it. Michael also feels no urge to speak or prod her further so they walk in an oddly comfortable silence. It would have been downright amicable had it not been for the fact that she was practically half dead and he’s planning on killing the other half. They travel down to the second floor where the med-bay is located. Like anything else in the Manibus, the med-bay’s design is heavily influenced by utility. He leads her to a room that is devoid of any comfort or warmth. The light here is cold and bright, all the lines are hard, sharp. He has her sit on the thinly cushioned examination table and she watches as he prepares.

The back wall of the room is lined by shelves. Stacked on these shelves are white plastic boxes all uniform in shape, size, and placement. Below each row of boxes is a barcode. All this is covered by a glass door that rises when Michael places his hand on a scanner besides these shelves. He chooses one box from the top shelf and begins to prepare its contents.

As he does so he tells her, “The clothes need to come off.”

She has the audacity to look scandalized and he just has to laugh at her, unable and unwilling to suppress whatever amusement he may derive from her. Soon enough he won’t be able to. He inserts the tip of the syringe in to the top of the top of tiny glass bottle in his hand and pulls the piston up; soon enough she will be gone.

“You’re body is heavily poisoned from being exposed for a year to radiation, anything that hasn’t been treated properly and stays too long in contact with it will become irradiated. Unfortunately, they don’t treat their clothes so they have to go.”

Mallory thinks it over for a moment but after a few moments he hears the sound of clothes ruffling behind him. When he turns around she is already down to her underwear. Her arms are wrapped around her body. She’s shivering, gone is the amicable silence. Her face is a portrait of annoyance and fury.

“You gonna have a seat?”

She doesn’t move a muscle. Her eyes dart to the medical bed then down to the floor. She clenches and unclenches her fists.

“You lied.”

He takes out an alcohol swab and motions for her to give him her arm, “You'll have to be a little more specific.”

“You lied about everything...about humanity being on the verge of extinction, about this being the last hope. It was all bull.”

“Yeah, you sure called it. Do you want an award?”

She recoils wrapping her arms around her body even tighter but its all for naught. He grabs for her right wrist and rips apart the cradle she’s made of her own arms around herself. He tries to swab the inside of her arm but she pulls it back.

“I don’t want the shot.”

He sighs, “and we were doing so well. Come now, we're almost done.”

He reaches out again but she resists. She pushes at him, slaps at his hands. When he gets ahold of one of her wrists, she freaks. A burst of energy surges through her and she manages to both push him off and knock the syringe from his hand. The glass of the barrel shatters when it hits floor. Something about the sound and the sight of it sets Mallory off.

“What did you bring me here for huh?” she screams. “You gonna fuck with me? Push and pull me around like a fucking ragdoll. Why? What’s the point? Everyone here has a fucking point? A purpose? So what's mine. What the fuck am I doing here?”

Michael stares down at the broken glass on the floor. Clear liquid oozes across the floor where the syringe lies shattered.

“You're purpose?” his voice is low and even. “Your purpose is whatever the fuck I say it is!”

Michael feels as if he is splintering. He isn’t even seeing her. Michael only sees Mead’s pale, prone body on the slab. He is seeing Amara’s sly smile behind her veil as she makes her veiled threats. He steps towards her and she cowers backwards but he doesn’t let her get far. He seizes her wrists in his hands and clasps them with an unforgiving grip.

“If I want to fuck you up, if I want to gut you with my bare fucking hands, then that's what I'll do. And you will sit there and fucking take it.”

He squeezes even harder and she squeaks. It thrills him and he hisses, “you’ll say thank you.”

Mallory is practically on her toes, he’s pulled her so close that he’s lifting her off the floor. Breathing comes hard for both of them. Mallory looks stunned and he can’t bare the look in her eyes so he unhands her roughly pushing her backwards in the process. She stumbles and falls into the wall for support.

After, they are both silent. Michael goes back to the shelves and Mallory catches her breath against the wall but it doesn’t take her long to break the silence.

Her breathing is still labored, “I know that I'm nothing.”

When she says this, he feels the searing memory of Andrew’s words like a wound in her mind.

“I've known that my whole life. You didn't owe me the truth back then, you still don't but it's what I wanted. I wanted you to be honest with me. I wanted to trust someone, anyone.”

Her voice cracks and he knows already that tears must be welling up in her eyes. Such a nuisance but he can barely contain the urge to turn around and watch her break. She’s so fragile that she can be nothing other than a hindrance but he can’t deny he’s relieved. He glances down at the broken syringe then to the rows and rows of boxes all perfectly aligned and fully stocked. Only one row deviates, one box missing. He knows he has to reach for the next one in that same row but he doesn’t.

Instead he stands still, his back to her when he asks, “What do you know about want?”

Mallory legs are about to give. She slides down the wall until she’s crouching against it.

“I know it hurts,” she pauses to steady her breathing. “It's jagged. It feels like having a piece of glass ripped out of you or rope tied around your spine that someone keeps jerking around like a fucking yo-yo.”

Her words pierce him like a bullet. And oh how he bleeds. He looks back at her. She is a mess of thin limbs, of sharpness and sickness. The shivering has worsened. Even with a proper dose of the anti-radiation serum, she’d been in for a long two weeks of recovery. The shot that she had shattered would be easier for them both, less painful certainly.

As if feeling his gaze on her, she looks up to meet it. She looks as though she’s been shot through as well. There’s no doubt in his mind that this is the most enrapturing distraction that he has found in the year since the world ended. Her humiliation, her vulnerability, her pain ; she gives all this easily to him. She is split open before him like some red, dripping fruit and Michael is starving. And a starving man, even one that is the Antichrist, the destroyer of worlds, finds it unconscionable to give up even a scrap of food.

So Michael relents. In many ways, resistance is a child’s game. He remembers his grandmother and how she tried so hard to keep him small, to keep him under thumb and how he had pushed back until she broke. He remembers Ben Harmon and how he had tried to fight back against Michael’s nature, against Michael fate. Ben fought so hard and so long but in the end he too is broken down. It is only youth that entreats one to resist and right now Michael feels so very old, older than he’s ever been or will be. Resistance is for the sated, Michael resigns himself to starvation and all the unlucky impulses that should come along with it.

As he comes to this conclusion, Mallory has closed her eyes. Her body sags beneath its own weight. He wonders if she knows how close she’s come to death once more. He prepares the new needle, knowing that it promises her at least a week of painful recovery and him an unknown but almost assured blunder. He goes to her. He tries to be gentle as he hoists her up and presses her into the wall to pin her up.

The movement jostles her back into consciousness and just as she opens her eyes, he presses the needle into her arm. Her eyes snap wide and she hisses as the needle breaks the skin and sinks down into her flesh until it finds a vein. When he begins the injection she gasps, in pain surely but there is another feeling in it, one that is deeper than either pleasure or pain. He feels it with her as the serum enters her system.

He removes the needle but doesn’t press down knowing full well that because he doesn’t a deep bruise will bloom on her skin within the day. He retrieves a clear plaster from the kit and puts it over the tiny red dot where the needle penetrated her. Through the plastic plaster he can still see the hole in her arm and Michael runs his thumb over it. He thinks about what she said, about how it feels to want.

Michael leans in and whispers, “I feel it too.”

God bless ya if you finally made it to the end of this behemoth. Sorry about that. I’ll try to write something a little more interesting <3

[plume8now]

Subscription to Death

Fandom: One Piece

Ship: Possibly seen as LawLu

Summary: Death met Luffy for the first time when he was a little boy. He looked confused, lost. That was normal. Law was used to that. People usually didn't realise it when they were dead. It could be so sudden. He leaned in, offered his hand to the kid and asked, trying to be gentle: “How did you die?” The kid looked up and said: “I'm not dead."In which the One Piece universe remains the same, except that Luffy is Immortal and Law is Death.

Warning: immortal!luffy, death!law, In Universe/AU, Death clearing being bored but is he bored enough to stand Luffy, Luffy or the boy who kept dying, that guy is way too reckless, honestly this fic is a revelation cause he should have died long time ago, Humor, Friendship, slow burn maybe, can be seen as ship or not, Nakamaship, philosophical ideas, Underworld, Character Death, obviously, Angst, just because i can

A/N: Things I should specify for this AU: - Death only takes care of souls, once the body dies, to guide them. Therefore, never went to the living world. - Death's dimension includes Law not being able to see the humans' world and vice-versa. - Luffy's immortality is a mystery. - Time isn't real in Death's world. - Death cannot heal a human's soul or body.Thanking my dear beta @blueflamebird who took time to correct this twice because I couldn't stop writing. This was supposed to be an OS but I decided to cut it here and write the following later. A Tumblr post inspired me somehow for this fic this is why it is part of my LawLu prompt works. I'd also like to thank the LawLu Discord Chat for encouraging me and motivating me A LOT. You're all amazing <3 Please enjoy~

[Find it on AO3]

Death met Luffy for the first time when he was a little boy.

He looked confused, lost. That was normal. Law was used to that. People usually didn't realise it when they were dead. It could be so sudden.

He leaned in, offered his hand to the kid and asked, trying to be gentle:

“How did you die?”

That was not the first thing you should say when you were welcoming someone. He knew that. But he couldn't help it – it was his introduction.

The kid looked up and said:

“I'm not dead. I still have to beat my brothers! They left me behind but I gotta catch up on them!”

“Your brothers?” Law repeated.

“Yeah, just because I'm younger doesn't mean I'm not strong!”

Law stood up again. Another weirdo. Awesome. He had a schedule, dammit. Well, that wasn't exactly true, since time didn't exist here, but still. He wasn't good with kids, nothing new.

“I'm sorry,” he lied, “but you'll have to wait for them to come for next round.”

“To come where?” he said, before realizing the place was clearly not what he left. Everything was dark. “Where- what's this?!”

He put his straw hat back on the top of his head, and Law noticed all the little wounds on his body, and that deep scar under his left eye. Was he a street boy? Well- at least he didn't die starving according to his health- no, he might have died from drowning or something like that- he looked wet.

“Do you remember drowning maybe?”

He had to make him understand he was dead before bringing him to the Underworld, and unfortunately, it felt like it'd take forever. But again, time wasn't real, so there was no problem, right?

“I didn't die,” the kid stated.

“Did you fall, maybe?”

“I was on a wooden bridge, it wasn't very stable.”

“I guess so,” Law sighed.

“I didn't die. I'll prove you wrong, Dark-Dress-Guy.”

Law almost choked. That one, that was new.

“Dark-What?”

The boy pointed at his costume. He was wearing that scarf in dark feathers and a long cape that covered his suit under.

“That's not a dress,” he stretched his arms. “I have a normal suit under. No dress.”

The kid frowned.

“A dress'd be better.”

“You know what; my clothes aren't important. Please just take my hand okay? I'll show you your past and you'll understand.”

“My past? What's to understand?”

Law almost replied 'That you died' but stopped right in time – this kid's answers were bothering him. He showed his hand to him again, suggesting what should come next, and asked:

“What's your name?”

“Luffy.”

Law faked a smile but Luffy was busy staring at his hand.

“Your... tattoos are so cool...!”

“I-”

Luffy made a move to take his hand and check the meaning of the letters written on his fingers – but didn't seize anything. Both of them peered at what just happened in disbelief.

“WHAT JUST HAPPENED?” Luffy yelled, half-excited half-shocked.

“It's- I-”

What? That never happened before? How come this kid's hand went through his? He was supposed to be able to grab the deceased by the hand to lead them to the Underworld!

Was there something wrong with the kid? Was there something wrong with him?

“D-E-A-T-H,” Luffy read, “wow that's so damn awesome! Where did you get that? Can I get tattoos too?”

Now that brat was really pissing him off, running around, bragging about God-knew-what.

“Just- Shut up would you? It's-”

And before he could add anything else, the boy disappeared just like that.

There was nothing wrong with him. The next dead people were just fine. He'd take their hands, and show them the way to the Underworld, and everything was fine.

At first, he couldn't stop thinking about that boy – that Luffy. What the fuck had happened? To that question, it took him three human years to get the answer.

Three human years where the boy would keep coming. Over and over again.

He only confirmed that idea after a while. After spending so much time with actual dead people.

Luffy was immortal. As in, Immortal.

The little guy couldn't die. Not definitely, that is.

At his second death, seeing him again made him gasp. Law never gasped. This time, he'd been eaten by a giant tiger, apparently. And this time again, he couldn't touch him, and neither could Luffy. It was as if they were made to oppose each other. And, to Law's great displeasure, that didn't seem to bother Luffy. That brat would take advantage of that to run around and go through his body just because he could. For fun. It was unbearable.

And it wasn't like he had to undergo that just once in a while, no. That kid died so quickly. It was as if his brothers were really trying to kill him. Or whoever he was with. Well, actually they weren't trying, since they actually succeeded in doing it. But the boy just wouldn't obey Life's laws. He was supposed to end his journey here. But every time, Luffy would say no.

He had stuff to do.

As if he hadn't heard that already before.

And so he saw him grow up. Law knew, for having watched every single dead person's past life, that this situation looked more and more like a tea time party. Well of course, the first human years sounded more like baby-sitting – something he learned he despised deeply – but after a while, Luffy started to be a little bit more mature. Except they didn't have tea, and not even the ambiance that a tea party asked for – but getting exchanges like this led to this feeling. Law never had the occasion to talk with anyone so repeatedly after all. Because that wasn't supposed to happen, he repeated to himself.

Losing his brother could have 'helped' Luffy's change. When they started talking more than he, running after him, in case he'd do something wrong – who knew what he could do? Immortal kids, he didn't have a guide to say what could be consequences of such a human being.

Seeing every single dead person's memories, he'd have remembered it if he'd seen the Immortal kid in someone's head. But he hadn't. So he told him.

At first Luffy didn't get it – but when he put it into a simple sentence, something like “I never met any kid who had you as a brother in his memories” summed up by “Sabo didn't die”...

It stopped his cries.

Law didn't like crying people. Not because it made him feel bad – no, for God's sake, he was Death – but because it was damn annoying. He was tired of crying people. But Luffy's cries triggered something more than tiredness, something different. He really didn't like it.

Later on, the boy told him he'd told Ace – that other brother. That he believed Sabo didn't die. And, for that, Ace punched him. Because, “'Death wasn't something you could joke about around'”, Luffy quoted. Anybody grieving would have been hurt by such statements, Law guessed. And adding something like “No you're wrong, he's actually a nice guy” as he talked about Death – about him – obviously didn't help.

Law twitched a smile. 'Nice guy', huh?

Luffy looked so proud of himself, and Law wondered what stupidity he'd done again to be here and look so happy about it.

“What brings you here today, Luffy-ya?” he asked slowly.

“I fell into the sea,” he put his hand on the top of his hat. “My boat sank.”

“Your boat sank?” Law repeated, unsure.

“This is my turn now; I've left for adventure!”

“And you died on your first day?” he faked applauds “Congratulations.”

“Actually, no, I've out there for like a week.”

“So you survived a week on the sea without dying. That's a great beginning as a pirate!”

“That's not funny,” Luffy pouted, “And it's been a while since we saw each other!”

“Barely a human month, I'm sure,” Law objected.

“Well, I'm dead again, we can't do anything about it can we? And also-” he looked around and shook his head “you definitely gotta change the decoration of your world. We should have done that way sooner, but now is the moment! There's change in my life, so we should celebrate!”

“By changing stuff in my world?” Law asked, sceptical.

“Yeah!”

“Why, you're going to visit me more often than you already do now?”

Luffy tilted his head. “It's all dark. And you're dressed in dark. You know, you should be more open-minded to new things.”

“New things? What if I don't want to change a thing? What if I already changed 'the deco' several times before?”

“Not since I'm here. And it's boring.”

“Now that's rude.”

“C'mon! I already die a lot so let’s at least  do some fun stuff! Let's redecorate!”

“You know there's a simple way to resolve that, you could think about taking care of your own life more for starters?”

“Are you gonna visit me in my world?”

“I doubt it.”

“Then nah.”

Law rolled his eyes.

“What do you want to do?”

“We need the sea,” Luffy declared. “Because it's freedom. You know what it's like, right? You've seen it in people's head.”

Law rose his right hand, and hesitated. It's been a long time since he'd changed anything here. A very, very long time. And he never would have thought about changing things again. Darkness and void suited him so well, after a while. He was used to it. People always said it was scary, but it was comforting to him.

Who knew? Maybe it was just how Death's tastes were.

“We can't do something too nice though,” he felt the urge to say. “I don't want souls to like it too much.”

“Why,” Luffy laughed, “you're scared they might come back?”

Law glanced at him. That little fucker.

“So the sea it is,” he said, choosing to ignore him, as he shove his hand in front of him.

And the sea appeared. Luffy's eyes widened, and even Law felt a bit impressed by his own doing. It had multiple shades of blue, and the waves – it felt like they could almost smell and hear like on an actual beach.

“Can we swim into this?!” Luffy yelled as he took off his shirt and jumped into it. Law wanted to hit his head against a wall several times – he'd seen a lot of humans do that in memories. Why bother asking if he didn't even wait for an answer?!

“Luffy-ya,” Law started. “This is an illusion. You can try to swim in it, but you're actually not doing that and-” he stopped, noticing the boy going deeper and deeper into the sea, and not looking like going up anymore. He crossed his arms and walked towards him.

“And,” he started again as he dissolved the sea around Luffy once in front of him, “therefore, you can't drown.”

Luffy stopped coughing, looked around, and frowned.

“But I was drowning!”

“No. It's only in your head. You're persuaded you can't swim so you drowned. But this is not real to start with. And, second, we're literally in the Dead World. You can't die, because you're already dead.”

“I was drowning!” Luffy objected.

“No wonder why you die so often,” Law mumbled. “You must take better care of yourself.”

The Straw Hat let out his usual 'shishishi'.

“Right now,” Luffy said more seriously, “what do you want?”

Law immediately searched for an answer – he was completely getting into his own mind when a hand waved in front – even through him, breaking his concentration.

“I asked you for what you wanted,” Luffy took a fed up look which honestly coming from him offended Law, “not to overthink. You gotta stop thinking and act.”

“Luffy-ya, I've spent eternity here.”

“You say as if it was an excuse,” Luffy said in an accusatory tone. “Just do whatever you freaking want. You're Death remember? There's no limits!”

And he disappeared. He left. Just like that. Luffy's coming backs to life were so random – Law had gotten used to them now – but he couldn't help it, it was so ridiculous.

He laughed.

A shame Luffy was already gone to see that.

A lot of souls came by before Luffy's. Law wondered if he had actually listened to him and been careful, or if it was only a period of contamination – or genocide, maybe? – which would explain all those dead people.

When Luffy finally died again, Law couldn't help but enjoy it. Not that he was encouraging Luffy to sacrifice himself for whatever reason it was, but he's been meaning to show him the changes he'd made around. Something that the souls appreciated, for some, and even gave him ideas for his new decoration. Giving Death advice for a new landscape in his world could seem odd, true. But no one ever said it was forbidden.

And so, Luffy loved it.

He'd left the beach and the sea, since it had been Luffy's idea. He'd also made a few ships based on a few souls' memories, and tried to design his own. Because he remembered Luffy's first words about the way he dressed, he changed his clothes into something more common – actually, he could almost look like a normal human being.

Except that he wasn't.

For a moment, Luffy stared at Law. Law didn't bother staring back at him. It was something he'd gotten used to, now. And if he ever did – which happened once, Luffy would take it as a staring challenge or some dumb game of this kind. Now, it was only a matter of time before he'd start talking.

“Torao,” he said. “Do you ever leave?”

Law turned to him,  genuinely interested by his question.

“Leave? Where?”

“I don't know, elsewhere. Isn't it just- the same thing? Boring?”

Law blinked.

“I've never thought about that. I'm always taking care of a human's soul.”

“You've never thought about that?” Luffy mocked. “And yet I believed you were the one thinking a lot here.”

He sighed.

“Because I'm always busy, and because I have nowhere else to go. I'm here, taking people like you,” he pointed at Luffy's chest and his finger went through his body – where a deep wound was situated, cause of his last death – “to the Underworld, and that's it.”

“What's the Underworld like?”

Law sighed again. Honestly, he was surprised Luffy asked him that only now. How old was he, seventeen? When had he started dying? Never before had he asked about Death. Instead, he'd tell him about his adventures, about Shanks, Garp, Daddan, his brother, his new friends – he'd almost met that Zoro by the way – but never once he asked about his world. And it wasn't something bad – it wasn't something bad at all. It made him almost feel like he wasn't Death. Death, feared by everyone, over-represented everywhere, in art, songs, literature, and especially people's mind. With Luffy, he wasn't such a big deal.

However...

“I can't tell you that,” he stated. “No one is actually supposed to know what's going on once dead. I'm lucky no one believes – or at least not a lot of people – you on your stories about me, I'm not giving you extra-information.”

“Hey that's mean! My crew believes me!”

“It's-”

“Ok, maybe not all of them, but Chopper and Usopp do believe me!”

If there's something Law had learnt about Luffy was that he knew the boy couldn't lie. And certainly so did his crew. Maybe, he thought, they just believed him to have hallucinations during his Near Death Experiences.

“You'll have to die to know,” Law joked.

Law's jokes were always dark. Luffy pouted.

“You know I can't die.”

And this time, he grinned.

“I know.”

“But,” Luffy tried again, “technically, I'm dead? So I could take a look?”

“No.”

That was strict. Categorical. There were no argumentations whatsoever. No was no.

But Luffy was too stubborn to take no for an answer.

“You do know I can do whatever I want, right? You can't catch me.”

And before Law got enough time to react, the Straw Hat started to run towards the Underworld. Or at least, where he thought the Underworld was. Because there was nothing. He could run as fast and as much as he wanted, it seemed he couldn't get to the Underworld. It was as if he remained at the very same place.

Death – Law appeared next to him and said, looking away, as if talking to himself:

“That's a theory answered at least now.”

“What the fuck?! Bring it there, Torao!” Luffy screamed in frustration.

“It's not up to me, I don't control everything. It's not my job. And you're not dead enough to go apparently. I have to bring you there.”

“Well then, bring me there!”

“You know I can't. And if I did, that'd mean you'd be dead. You don't want to die, do you?”

“I'm not gonna die,” Luffy repeated as usual like a spell.

“I know.”

“Could I die if I do go there?”

“Why bother asking if you can't do that, anyway?”

“Could I?”

“If you're going there, there's no way back. So yes, I guess.”

“But you're coming back.”

Law looked at him as if he was stupid. Well, he was stupid sometimes. Just like now.

“I'm Death.”

“And I'm Immortal.”

“You're basically perpetual life. That makes sense you can't go there.”

“That's discrimination.”

“That's the way it is.”

“Wait- that means you never went in my world?”

“Nope.”

“Never ever?”

“Never.”

“That sucks.”

“Not really?”

Luffy scratched the back of his head.

“You're missing tons of things. And, that'd be fun to have you as nakama. Even in my crew!”

“Are you trying to recruit me, Monkey D. Luffy-ya?”

“Shishi, maybe?”

Law shook his head. That boy was unbelievable.

“So,” he said as a sofa appeared as he sat. “How did you die this time?”

“A poisoned hook went through my body.”

“Damn.”

“I actually didn't feel the pain- well, not right away- and then I was buried by the sand, so-”

“Wait, you died suffocating?”

“I don't really know? You're Death, you tell me.”

“I can only say how you died by watching your past. And I can only watch your past if I touch you. It's been years Luffy-ya, you should know that.”

The moment he finished his sentence, the boy slowly disappeared. Law rolled his eyes. It was often happening when Law reproached something to Luffy – not to listen, usually. To be honest, he was suspecting the young pirate to actually master a bit his disappearances. Or at least push it away until he didn't want to anymore – and so disappear.

He sighed.

He sighed a lot around Luffy.

“So?”

“They took my nakama.”

Luffy's look was severe, and angry. Very, very angry. The guys who did that didn't know how much they were going to regret it, obviously. His soul revealed a body covered by blood and wounds. He must have suffered a lot. He must have gone through a lot of pain, before passing out – well, actually dying, but what was the difference for Luffy now?

Law had a poor smile.

“Then get your ass back there. What are you doing here?”

“... Hi there?”

Law stretched his back – he didn't have to since he didn't actually feel tired – but this is something he'd seen so many times in humans' memories he'd started doing it without realising it. He was never against trying human things anyway, since he had all eternity why not try from time to time?

Anyways. He greeted the new guy as usual:

“How did you die?”

And the common usual answer came immediately.

“I didn't die what the fuck?”

'What the fuck' was not always in it though. Maybe implied. But yeah. Common.

Law met the guy's eyes and froze right away. That man had taken so much pain, it was barely understandable how much he'd taken before he died. He was worse than Luffy's state back in that Enies Lobby thing, when he wanted to save this Robin. He was swimming in it. He couldn't even try to guess his hair or skin colour.

And then, the soul suddenly flickered, and Law's shoulders relaxed. So he was one of those. He took a little inspiration to prepare his little explanation, but before he could even start, he heard something familiar with a voice not familiar at all.

“Torao?”

That was pretty odd to hear that from someone else than Luffy. He frowned.

“And you are?”

“Zoro.”

“Oh.”

The first nakama? What was he doing here now?

“So you got into a big fight, huh?”

“Worth it,” he replied without hesitating.

“You do know you could have died? You do know you can die?”

This time, Zoro frowned.

“You're Death aren't you? Not gonna try to kill me?”

“Try?” Law noted.

“Yeah, as if I'd let you. I'm not the greatest swordsman of the world yet.”

Obviously. Obviously Luffy's friend had to be as crazy as Luffy. Obviously. What was he even thinking about.

“Well, if that can reassure you, you're not dead. Your soul isn't rightly materialised. It's still holding onto your body. You're actually half here.”

“Great. How do I come back down there?”

“You don't. This is your body's job. I hope you have a very good doctor around, because that's not gonna be easy.”

The swordsman smirked.

“Alright, see you next time then.”

“Don't be in a hurry.”

“Wait, so Luffy's really immortal?”

Law smiled.

“Yeah.”

“Fuck. They'll have to believe him now when I'll tell them.”

“They could,” Law said. “But you're half here. You won't remember a thing about our conversation. And the pain's too great for you anyway – I know enough about you, humans, to tell when you've reached your limits.”

“That freaking sucks,” Zoro spat.

“Regretting life's choices?”

Zoro's smirk broadened.

“Absolutely not. I'll take his pain again without hesitation, mortal or not.”

Law didn't reply. He didn't expect this answer.

“Don't tell him I was here though,” Zoro said. “For the best. Don't.”

Law didn't like that. He never lied. But it wasn't like he had to lie, was it? Only an omission.

“If he doesn't ask, I won't.”

“Thanks.”

When he left, Law sighed. He could try, but there was always things he wouldn't be able to get. Humans were idiots. Especially those around Luffy.

He'd seen him happy. Angry. Pissed. Tired. Bored. He'd seen Luffy in many emotions. But never before had he seen him so... sad.

He wished he could do something for him. He didn't know what had happened, but it was bad. Very bad. In years of- of what, acquaintances? F-friendship? (Luffy did say they were nakama), he was discovering a whole new Luffy.

A Luffy who didn't talk. A Luffy who was holding all the sadness in the world in his eyes. So Law didn't talk, either. He sat next to him, on that submarine sofa he'd created on his last visit, facing the sea. He made a move to touch his back, but remembered at the last minute it was useless. And the feeling of going through someone's body wasn't something he was comfortable with.

They remained here in silence for some time. Eventually, Luffy disappeared again.

Later on, he learnt about Saboady, the loss of his nakama... he saw it through new souls who'd died around first, and the on Luffy's next death. When he asked why he didn't ask about his nakama's lives – he was surprised he didn't want to know whether they were alive or not?, Luffy simply replied:

“I know, deep down, they are still somewhere around!”

That time, after Sabaody, also worried him. He'd almost lost his body and brain control on this one, against a guy controlling poison. It was important, and he had to go back quickly for his brother, apparently. He got a lot of information about that as Luffy and the other prisoners got busy sending him new souls all over again.

But still, Law didn't like it. Immortality didn't mean everlastingness of health and brain. He could easily never die and lose his mind.

“Holy fuck.”

Law stared at the guy facing him, frowning.

“What?”

“You're him.”

“I'm-?”

“You look way more serious than I thought.”

What the fuck was this guy saying? And what on Earth was that huge hole in his chest?

“I'm Ace.”

'Ace'. Oh, Law had heard about Ace enough times not to forget it. So that must be Luffy's brother, since he seemed to know who he was talking to and- holy shit.

He was dead.

Luffy'd lost his brother.

“I guess you know who I am judging your expression. Isn't Death supposed to look creepier? I mean sure, you look like you haven't slept in centuries, but I've met hundreds of guys like you. You're much more expressive than I thought. I can't believe that idiot was right. I can't believe I didn't listen to him- this dumbass can't lie and- I can't believe he was right- fuck.”

Not knowing what to say, Law naturally opted for his usual welcome.

“How did you die?” he said, stretching his hand to him.

Ace stared at his hand, but didn't take it.

“I protected my little brother.”

If Law had a heart, he could have said it dropped.

Idiot, he wanted to say. Your brother is Immortal. Which, obviously, wasn't his case... Wait, it wasn't? He hadn't touched him yet, after all.

If Law was human, he'd start sweating. One Immortal, alright, but he wasn't ready for a hundred of them. At the same time, it wasn't like he wanted Luffy's brother to die, he'd seen how dear he was to him. And he'd seen how Luffy reacted for Sabo's desperation.

“I should have known you didn't look like Luffy's drawings, but still, I'm surprised.”

'Luffy's drawings...?'

For the first time since Luffy, Law didn't feel in control of the situation. His brother was leading the conversation, doing observations and wasn't even trying to listen to him at all.

Ace got closer to him without blinking, not hiding he was observing him very closely now.

“Nice tattoos,” he said after a while. “You look rather young, actually. Is it like, a shape you choose or are you just like this?”

“Does it really matter?” Law replied.

“I'm just asking questions. Why is Luffy calling you Torao?”

“Can't pronounce 'Law'.”

“Your name is... 'Law'? Not Death?”

“I have multiple names. Law's my own name. Are you only designed after your job?”

“I'm-... I was a pirate.”

“See,” Law confirmed, ignoring the change of tense. “People can call you Pirate, but you still have another, more private name.”

“... If you say so.”

Silence fell on them, but not for long, broken by Ace's voice:

“That makes sense though, since death is a law you can't avoid.”

Law opened his mouth, closed it.  He smirked.

“That's rich coming from a pirate.”

“Touché.”

Another silence. Law never felt awkward during those – because he didn't even know what awkwardness was. But with Luffy, he'd learned a lot of new... way of feeling things. And that definitely felt awkward. He didn't like that. He didn't like that one bit.

Of course he'd have to take people close to Luffy away one day. People Luffy cared about. Actually, since the guy was Immortal, that would happen a lot. But he never thought about it, not really. And not so soon.

“So what now?”

“You're supposed to come with me to the Underworld,” Law honestly replied.

“That shit exists?”

“I guess it does if I'm taking you there.”

“So there's no way back at all, huh?”

Law stared at his hole.

“That'd be complicated to fix.”

“I know,” Ace sighed. “I was stupid.”

“A lot of people died in a stupid way I can tell you yours is rather alright.”

“No,” the man firmly said. “I was stupid.”

Law shrugged. He wasn't here to argue whether his death was stupid or not. He didn't even know how this wound happened, to be honest.

“Shall we go?”

“Wait-” he grasped Law's hand, and unconsciously, Death immediately sighed in relief. “I'd like to know something first-”

“I can't tell you what's going to happen to you there,” Law warned.

“What about Sabo?”

He froze, and looked down at him. As their eyes met, Ace's lips turned into a smile. A huge one. It actually looked like one of Luffy's so genuine grins.

“He's alive! Fuck, I can't believe it-!” his face suddenly saddened and Law wanted to be anywhere but here right now, which is something he'd never experienced before. He'd never been anywhere. “I punched him in the face.”

It was a simple statement, but Law knew very well what he was referring to. Feeling guilty much?

“I think he got over it,” Law tried to joke.

Had he ever specified how bad he was with jokes?

“At least he's not alone,” Ace twitched a smile, “they still have each other.”

So many things were wrong with those words. Sabo hadn't reappeared since his 'death' so why should they have each other? Sure Luffy wasn't alone he had his crew but what about Sabo? None of them knew anything about him. Maybe he didn't care about them anymore and that's why he never came back. Maybe he didn't even remember them.

But Law put aside all those interjections. It was none of his business, and he wasn't prepared for an argument with someone related to Luffy. No, thank you. So he just naturally tilted his head, looking away, and scratched the back of his neck.

Ace noticed it and took a deep breath. He had no choice now, had he?

He'd seen so, so many people linked to Luffy and Ace. It was a war, after all. People died, in wars. And, knowing Luffy– He'd expect it. He expected Luffy's arrival. It was as if the guy had an subscription to death or something anyway, so he had to expect him.

Usually, when people died and he'd see Luffy in their memories, it'd make him smile. He knew he could expect his visit soon. But that time, it was different.

His brother was a human. A mortal human.

He died.

Unlike Luffy, he would not be coming back. And, knowing Luffy, he knew he'd ask for him. Just like he did for Sabo. And, just like Sabo, he wouldn't lie.

That didn't mean he was prepared for that.

“Torao?”

His eyes widened. Already?

He turned and saw him – he noticed the absence of his straw hat right away.

That wasn't good. Souls always wore important material to them with them. No matter where the object was. Luffy's materialisation without his hat, he deducted, was the materialisation of an incomplete soul. But, again, Luffy was not like the others. There was nothing he could do about that.

“Is he dead?”

Then, he saw his wound. On his chest. For a second, he saw Ace standing right where Luffy was now. Fuck, did he really have to do that? He had no idea how things worked. He had no idea how to deal with feelings.

“Tell me- TELL ME! IS HE DEAD?”

His voice kept breaking. He'd never looked so- so human to Law than now.

If he'd been able to grab him by his clothes to threaten him for an answer, Luffy would have. But he didn't, as his arms went through Law's body, as expected.

“He is,” Death whispered.

Luffy lost it. He fell on his knees.

“You brought him there? To... to the Underworld?”

“I did.”

He found himself unable to do complete sentences. Just quick answers. What was he supposed to do, anyway?

He was Death.

He wasn't human.

He wasn't from Luffy's world.

They weren't supposed to know each other. Not like that at least. They shouldn't even have developed this sort of friendship or whatever this was. He had to do it.

He was Death.

Luffy was shaking. He looked like he could kill someone – which, really, was freaking irony here.

He looked down at his hands. He looked up, at Law. Law, who was emotionless. Or seemed so. Deep down, he wished he could touch and embrace him. It was an impulse he never had had before.

“Why did you take him?”

He was Death.

“I am Death.”

“Why,” Luffy took a deep breath, “did you take him?”

His words were all articulated, slowly, one by one. The Straw Hat seemed broken. Falling into pieces. Law remembered Ace's past, what he whispered to his little brother, and he closed his eyes. Luffy stood up again.

“LOOK AT ME!” he yelled.

He looked at him. So much desperation into those dark eyes. So much sadness.

So much rage.

“You killed him, Law.”

The coldness of his tone froze Law.

“You killed Ace!”

He shouldn't be alarmed by such a statement. That was his freaking job. But, technically, yes. Yes, he did. He killed Ace.

“How COULD you?! How DARE you?! You're Death! You're literally the best person to stop that! You're the best person to decide whether you take someone away or let it go! You had a choice!”

“I didn't! You don't think I tried before? How long do you think I've been here? Nothing else than death happens! This IS death! This is the place! You're like, the only exception! You're the only exception!”

Luffy glanced at him.

“That's on you! You change things! You are the one in charge! You make your own rules! You-”

And before he could finish what he started, he disappeared.

I assume everything I just made you go through. Feel free to scream in the comments, and/or send me a message! You can also ask me any questions you wish, assuming this isn't anything implying spoilers for next chapter. Also, uni starts again soon, and I don't have a computer for now, but I will try my best to keep writing as soon as possible. Thank you for reading!