#never writing a long runner in my life again (that's probably a lie)

[secretagentspydetectiveninja]

The Misadventures of Prince Kim - chapter 72

The final chapter. Phew. I don’t even know what to say. (That’s a lie, I left several rambling paragraphs of crying on AO3.) It’s been one hell of a ride. Everyone who read this, thank you and I love you. Kim, thank you for existing, and I love you too.

Read it on AO3 where the Morse code actually works and you can see the aforementioned rambling paragraphs of crying

It took several weeks for the telecommunication lines to be repaired. In the meantime, plenty happened. Empress Chloé continued to work on sorting out her empire, and very slowly, things began to improve. The weather remained stormy for a while, but soon cleared up. The raging river eventually returned to its normal, peaceful state. Many more students left, and by June the school seemed almost empty.

Adrien, though under a lot of stress from the recent events, sent a letter to the court of the Agreste Empire, letting them know what had happened. The crew of the ship that Gabriel had used to sail here all bowed down and swore allegiance to Adrien, their new emperor, though he was not sure how much he could trust them. Did they think he had murdered his father? There was a chance that a lot of his subjects would think so, and be wary of him. He had to be careful.

After some tearful goodbyes he sailed away with the crew, back to his home for the first time in years. His new empire could not wait for him much longer. What with the school being so devoid of students, there didn’t seem much point staying until the official start of the holidays. It would be best to go back right away and cement his reign before any troubles began.

No news was heard from Gabriel. If he had made it ashore, he was keeping quiet.

The school soon received a letter from the kingdom of Lê Chiến, informing them that the border troubles had cleared up, meaning that it would finally be safe for Kim to return. A zeppelin had also been sent up in the 7th region to provide remote telecommunications access, and within a few days it would be up and running, meaning that phone calls could once again be made to the kingdom. Preparations were immediately begun for Kim’s departure – the remaining porters collated all his luggage from his room and loaded it onto the carriages.

By this point there was no need to stay at school until the very end. No one was here anyway. Chloé, Sabrina and Lila had all left long ago. Adrien was gone now, and Marinette had soon returned to her own home, eager to see her parents again after such a long break. Nathaniel had not even returned to school after the spring holidays. Lady Caline was still here, but she was one of the very few teachers remaining. It was not possible to learn much with the school in a state like this.

The building itself seemed haunted now, too, every creaky chandelier and broken piece of tiling reminding Kim of his near-demise. He really did not want to stay here any longer. This school did have good memories for him too, of course it did. But in a way he had outgrown it. The time was right for him to begin a new chapter of his life – this time as king, ruling over a country.

He stood in his now empty room one sunny June morning, his phone in hand. Today would be the day he finally left. It would take him a while to get back home, all the way on the other side of the world, and no aeroplanes yet to take him there. But at least he was finally going home. It had been three whole years. Would much have changed?

There had been a certain number he had saved into his phone long ago. Now he dialled it, and held his breath, waiting. According to the timestamp on the letter, the communications zeppelin went up over a week ago. Surely there would be enough time for it to be working now. There had to be.

A voice finally answered.

“Good afternoon, you have reached the kingdom of Lê Chiến. How may we help you?”

It worked! It actually worked! He was speaking to a real person from back home, an actual official! It had been so long that he’d even forgotten about the time difference – of course it was late afternoon back home.

He stopped himself from laughing in relief, reminding himself to sound like a proper ruler now. “Hello, this is Prince Kim calling from my personal telephone. I think I sent the phone number details by messenger pigeon a while ago, so you can verify it if you need to.”

“Ah, Your Highness! We have been hoping to hear from you. Please wait one moment while I verify your details.” There was a pause for several seconds. “Yes, we have your personal telephone number on record. Thank you for your phone call. What do you require from us today?”

What did he require? He wasn’t even sure. He had barely thought about it at all, just wanting to see if the phone lines would even work. There was something else he definitely wanted, though, and he had wanted it for quite a long while. “Um… can I talk to my family? If possible?”

“Of course. Your parents are away at the moment, overseeing the summer solstice festival arrangements, but the Queen-Dowager-Regent is available. She has been eagerly awaiting any news from you. Shall I pass the phone call to her?”

“Yes please.”

“Right, please hold the line for a few moments.”

“Thank you.”

Kim waited for a few minutes, his heart beating rapidly. It had been far, far too long since he had last directly spoken to his grandmother. He missed her so much it was getting impossible to bear. And now, within just a few moments, he would get to hear her voice again! He was so excited he couldn’t stand still, having to pace around the room as he waited.

Finally, that familiar voice spoke. “Kim, I’m so glad to hear from you!”

He hadn’t expected to suddenly be overwhelmed with emotion, and hastily wiped tears away from his eyes. “H-hi bà… how are you?”

“I’m doing very well, thank you, but I really should ask about you! With the communications finally open we’ve been receiving all the world’s news, and it sounds like you have been through quite the adventure. What happened? I want to hear it directly from you.”

“Well… Emperor Gabriel showed up at school and tried to kill me, but then… he fell in the river when the balcony broke…” He was still crying a little, and was aware that his grandma could probably tell.

“Goodness gracious, that really is a terrible thing to have happened to you. I assume you���re out of danger now though?”

“Yeah.”

“Good. We’ve all missed you ever so much. And we’re very proud of you, too. You’ve managed to get our country into the International Alliance without any of us even being there to help you. You’ve grown up so much over the past three years, and I for one can’t wait for you to return so that I can see this change for myself.”

Kim smiled, his heart soaring at the thought of finally getting to go back to his home palace and be with his family once more. “I can’t wait too. And… I’ll try and be a good ruler.”

“I’m sure you will do just fine. We’re planning the coronation to happen around two months from now so that you have plenty of time to get back and adjust yourself. I’ll still be on hand to always help you out. And I’m sure the friends and alliances you’ve made at school will be willing to help you out too.”

“They definitely will.”

“Excellent. With you as leader, and the trade routes back open, I don’t doubt that our kingdom is going to prosper.”

Though still nervous about being a king, Kim was finally beginning to believe that too. Maybe he really could do a good job. He had survived this far, hadn’t he?

“I’m leaving school today,” he said. “My luggage is all packed away and those carriage guards who have been stuck here for like two years can finally take me home.”

“They are still there? My god, I had forgotten about that. As soon as they return they’re getting a hefty pay rise and promotion for their duty. Will you tell them that?”

“Yes.”

“Fantastic. And make sure to give us another call when you’ve almost reached home, so that we can be waiting to greet you. It was so good to speak to you again. We’ll see each other soon.”

“Yeah, see you soon.”

“Goodbye, Kim.”

She hung up. For several seconds Kim just stood there, grinning to himself, unable to stop. He was finally going home. It didn’t feel real. Home seemed like a distant memory, like a movie he had watched some time in the past or a dream he’d had, rather than a real place. The thought of finally getting to go back filled him with so much relief it made him dizzy.

He was not sure how long it was before the knock on the door – time seemed to have stopped entirely at this point. Putting his phone back in his pocket, and walked over and opened the door to see Markov hovering there, bobbing up and down a little less than usual.

“Markov! Good to see you!”

Markov wordlessly flew into the room, looking around at the emptiness of it.

“I was gonna come and say goodbye to you actually,” Kim said to him. “I guess you just beat me to it.”

Markov slowly turned around to face him before speaking. “Kim, I… I am feeling an emotion I’ve never felt before. A strange, terrible one. I don’t like it. It hurts.”

“You mean you’re feeling actual pain?” Wow, that robot was always surprising him. Every time he thought Markov couldn’t get any more sophisticated, he did.

“No, not physical pain. I do not have nerve receptors. It is an emotional pain.” His eyes were beginning to be overrun with little pixel tears. “Kim, you’re going to leave, for a very long time. And I won’t get to see you. This is a very intense kind of sadness I am feeling right now, because you are my friend, and… I… am going to��� miss you… and I’ve never ‘missed’ anyone before!”

His voice was wobbling, and he seemed to be shaking. Was this a robotic form of crying? Without thinking, Kim hugged him tight.

“I’m gonna miss you too, Markov,” he said. “But I’ll try and visit as often as I can. I’ll see you every Peace Ball, at least.”

“That’s only once a year. A maximum of around 21 days out of 365!”

“Well I’ll call you up every single day. That way you can talk to me 365 days out of 365.”

“Thank you, that does make me feel a little bit better…”

“Awesome.” Kim let go of him, letting him fly back into the air. “You’ll take care of Max, right?”

“Yes, of course! In fact, that reminds me, I’m also here to inform you that Max is waiting for you at the school entrance.”

“I guess I’ll go see him, then. There’s no point me hanging around here any longer.”

Markov still had tears rolling down from his eyes. “Kim… when I first met you, I did not realize I would become emotionally attached. I didn’t even expect to form emotions in the first place. But your kindness and friendship helped with that, so thank you. Thank you for helping me experience what it is like to be human, just like you.”

Kim’s own eyes were filling up a little too now. “Hey, uh, it’s no problem. I didn’t realize you were gonna be so cool.”

“Good luck with ruling your country. I think… I think I’m going to go now…” He turned and flew out of the room.

Kim’s cheerful mood from earlier was beginning to slip away slightly. Sure, it was exciting to finally be going home again. But saying goodbye to his friends was not fun, not at all. Thank goodness for the existence of telephones. That would make things so much more tolerable.

Taking one last look around the dorm room that he had spent the better part of the last three years in, he stepped out of the door and closed it for the last time. Maybe he would come back and visit this school again one day. As much as he was getting sick of it, he didn’t want to say goodbye forever.

He headed through the maze of empty, dilapidated corridors, towards the entrance where Max would be waiting. Before he had even exited the dorm areas he caught sight of a familiar face.

“Hi Ivan, what’s up?” he said, going over.

“Hi Kim!” Grand Duke Ivan had been looking out at the courtyard through one of the windows, and now turned to face Kim with a smile on his face. “I heard you’re leaving today. Is that true?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh good, there’ll finally be a bit of peace and quiet around here.”

“Hey!”

“I’m kidding, I’m kidding!” He suddenly gave Kim an almighty pat on the back, almost knocking him over completely. “You know, you’re actually alright. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but… I’m really glad you’re not dead.”

Kim grinned. “Coming from you, that’s a compliment. Thanks.”

“You’re welcome. And good luck for the future. I think you might actually do an okay job.”

“Excuse you, I’m gonna do an amazing job, you’ll see. Anyway, have you proposed to Mylène yet?”

Ivan’s pale face suddenly flushed red. “We’re only 18!”

“Pfff, that didn’t stop me proposing to Max one time. You’re just a wimp.” He left out the fact that it had been a complete accident, and he didn’t really mean it, and Max had never replied to that anyway.

Ivan crossed his arms, going back to his usual sullen demeanour. “I take back what I said. You’re gonna do a terrible job and I’m glad you’re leaving.”

“You don’t mean that. You love me really. And also I was kidding, take your time with Mylène.”

“Of course I will.”

“Cool. I gotta go see Max now, but I hope I’ll see you again someday. Good luck and everything.”

Ivan nodded at him, unable to hide a smile. “You too.”

Kim continued down the corridor as Ivan turned back to the window. It was nice that things were cordial between them now. As much fun as it had been in the past to annoy Ivan on purpose, it was even more fun to do it when they were on good terms, when they both knew it wasn’t serious. Perhaps someday they could become proper friends? Kim hoped so. He didn’t want to be a jerk to anyone ever again.

He was distracted from his thoughts when he heard someone around a corner saying his name.

“…and I guess I haven’t been calling you ‘Kim’ at all recently, have I? You’d just get mixed up with human Kim. But I should have been calling you your actual name, Imhotep, and instead I’ve been calling you ‘snake’, so in revenge you can call me ‘human’ if you want…”

He would recognize that voice anywhere – the voice of his best friend in the entire world. He ran around the corner to see that Pharaoh Alix was indeed standing there, talking to her pet snake that was wrapped around the sceptre.

Walking over, he leaned an arm against the wall, saying, “Hey, human. What’s up?”

She hit him with the sceptre. “Only the snake’s allowed to call me that!”

“Well considering that time you called me ‘Emperor Palpatine’ for like a whole week, it’s only fair if I get to call you ‘human’, right?”

“Whatever. You won’t even be here for a week anyway.”

Oh yes, of course. Now was probably the best time to say goodbye to her. He had very much been putting that off.

“I was just heading down to the school entrance,” he said. “The carriage is there with all my stuff in it. And Max is there too.”

“So this is goodbye?”

“Yeah…”

“Okay then. Bye.”

He frowned. “What, is that it?”

“I didn’t want to make it all stupid and dramatic!” She was looking down at the floor, avoiding eye contact. “What did you want me to do? Tell you how cool you are? How awesome a friend you are? Start crying and hug you and admit that I’m g-gonna miss you? Because that’s… that’s n-not happening…”

.-.. .. .- .-. the snake tapped out, sliding off the sceptre and wrapping itself around her headdress.

“Oh fine! I’ll say it! I’m gonna miss you ‘cause you’re my best friend, and l-like… I never had best friends before going to school. And I never cared about anyone this much before. And I know the main threat’s gone, b-but… you have to promise to be careful! I can’t go through losing you again! I can’t!”

She dropped the sceptre and put her face in her hands, seemingly trying very, very hard not to cry. Kim had mostly avoided thinking about his near-death as much as he could, and definitely avoided thinking about the fact that in one timeline he really did die, and all his friends were there to see it. Alix had outright forbidden anyone from speaking about it at all, so it was surprising that she was bringing it up now.

He bent down and pulled her into a hug. “I will be careful. I promise.”

It wasn’t the first time he’d promised her that he would be careful. To be fair, the death wasn’t his fault at all. From now on, though, there were no more timeline splits to ruin everything. It was just his own willpower against the world. This time, he was going to survive. He was sure of it.

“By the way,” Alix said, “I’m gonna call you up every single day and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

“Good. So I’ll get phone calls from you, Max, and Markov. That’s a lot of phone calls.”

“You’ll need our help, you Kimbecile. You have to do a good job at being king.”

“Don’t worry.” He let go of her and stood back up. “I’m gonna be the coolest ruler ever. Well, almost. You’re the coolest, of course.”

She smiled, wiping tears away from her eyes. “I can’t believe that’s an actual thing you said out loud…”

“Yeah, this is the last time I’ll properly see you for ages, so I have to say all the stuff I wouldn’t otherwise say!”

“Well then, since you did go and make it stupid and dramatic and cheesy, I guess I may as well carry on.” She crossed her arms, her face going red. “I think I learnt a lot from you. Like, I’m not so idiotic and reckless anymore, and I’m better at not scaring people away. That’s definitely at least partly your fault. But you got way better too, which is great ‘cause I sorta hated you when I first met you. You’re cooler now. And I didn’t think I’d end up caring this much, but I do. So yeah.”

Kim rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “Yeah, I was a jerk at first, wasn’t I… but you were really annoying too.”

“I’m still annoying, actually.”

“Good point. But I love it now.” He ruffled the little bit of hair sticking out from under her headdress. “I learnt a lot from you too. I mean, we have the wackiest history ever, don’t we? I don’t think I’ll ever have another friend as close as you. You’re special. If platonic sweethearts were a thing, I think I could call you one… if that doesn’t bother you?”

Still smiling through her tears, she shook her head. “It doesn’t.”

“Nice.” He suddenly realized that he was about to start crying too, and quickly changed the subject. “You’ll still go visit Max loads, right? He and Markov can keep you company. I know you don’t wanna lose any friendships and stuff so like…”

“Of course I’ll hang out with Max and Markov all the time. And I’ve got Jalil, too. I’ll make sure I’m not lonely. I’ve actually got the hang of friendship now.” She finally looked him in the eyes. “You don’t have to worry about me, Kim. I’ll be fine. You focus on ruling your country and not dying.”

Ruling his country… not dying… that was it, the tears were already rolling down his face before he could stop them.

“I’ll see you at the Peace Ball,” he managed to say, sniffing, hoping she wouldn’t make fun of him for crying. She was an expert at being hypocritical like that. “Maybe I’ll challenge you to a rematch of… that thing that happened in the lift…”

“Oh yeah, that thing!” Alix laughed. “I’d almost forgotten about that! You haven’t told anyone what happened, right?”

He shook his head.

“Good, neither have I. And I never will.”

.-. .- .--. / -... .- - - .-.. .! the snake tapped, rather enthusiastically.

“Yeah! Hey, maybe next time the snake can take part too.”

“But I won’t understand what he’s saying…”

“Well then, you’d better learn Morse code before the next Peace Ball. I’ll be waiting.”

Kim just nodded, knowing he wouldn’t have the time or patience to do that. “I… I guess I should go now…”

“Yeah. You should go see Max, and uh, get in a bit more scientific research before you leave.”

Kim had been putting off saying goodbye to Max too, and the thought was twisting at his insides rather nauseatingly. “Yeah, I’ll go do that… You be a good pharaoh, okay? And tell Jalil I said ‘screw you, square’ and… keep swearing on international television and being awesome…”

“Dude, if I say ‘fuck’ one more time in an interview they’ll probably start censoring it. They’ll just have to interview the snake instead.”

Kim gave the snake a stroke. “I’ll miss you as well, little buddy. Uh, Imhotep or whatever your actual name is.”

The snake gave his hand a lick with that adorable little forked tongue.

-- . / - --- --- !

“Lemme guess, is he calling me a punk bitch again?”

“Nah,” Alix said, shaking her head. “He says he’ll miss you too.”

“Aw, he’s so sweet. I can’t believe I used to be scared of him.”

“Yeah, in my experience, human beings can be far, far deadlier than snakes…”

That much was true. It was very, very true.

“Anyway,” she said, “you should probably get out of here now. The sooner you go home and see your family, the better.”

“Yeah…” He finger-gunned at her. “Remember, I love you. No romo.”

She rolled her eyes, grinning. “Whatever. See you later, weird prince guy.” With that, she picked up the sceptre and ran off with the snake.

After a few seconds of getting rid of any remaining tears, Kim continued wandering down the corridor towards the entrance, nostalgia weighing on him. Back when he had first started here, he had never considered that he’d end up best friends with the tiny, terrifying little pharaoh who had somehow managed to enrage him and also capture his heart. Life could be so bizarre sometimes, couldn’t it? There had been rivalry, and reconciliation, and coming outs, and kisses, and fist-fights over Monopoly, and too many stupid challenges to count. He couldn’t have predicted any of that.

And he hadn’t realized he would fall in love with Max, either…

No, when he had first started here, Prince Max was just that good friend of his, the guy he had seen at summer camps and found fun to hang out with. Now they had been together through the worst of times, the thought of looming wars, assassinations, influenza. Max had always been there for him. To the point where he started crushing hard, and didn’t even realize that the love of his life felt the same way in return.

In fact, when he started at this school, he hadn’t even realized there were more “fish in the sea” than just girls! Perhaps that was something he’d keep quiet about back home for a while, though. He wasn’t sure how they’d take it.

All too soon, his feet had carried him to the school entrance. The doors were wide open, allowing the warm sunny air into the large entrance room. Unlike the end of the previous years, it was almost deserted. A few servants and porters were scurrying around, packing the last things into the carriage on the path just outside.

Max was leaning against one of the walls, watching them absent-mindedly. Kim’s heart instantly lifted, the way it always did whenever he saw Max, and he rushed over.

“Max!”

Max turned around just in time for Kim to hug him tightly enough to lift him off the ground. When he put him back down he did not quite let go, only pulling back enough to be able to see his precious sweetheart’s face.

“Hi Kim,” Max said, a sweet little smile on his face. “Did you see Markov?”

“Yeah, he told me you were waiting here. He’s really gonna miss me, poor guy.”

“Well, he’s not the only one who’ll miss you a lot…”

Kim rested his forehead against Max’s. “I’ll call you up every day, I promise. And I’ll build that airport soon so you all can visit.”

“Keep an eye on the budget so that you don’t overspend on the airport. There are probably a lot of other things that your kingdom could use the money for too.”

“Your advice is gonna be so helpful, I just know it.”

Max chuckled. “I’m glad you think so. Hopefully it’ll help you avoid more misadventures.”

“Misadventures? What’s that?”

“An adventure with misfortune or tragedy. Much like the ones that have plagued us over the past few years.”

“Oh, right. Well I’ll definitely be sure to avoid those.”

Max’s voice was starting to waver, and Kim noticed he was clinging on rather tight. “Kim… there’s something I’ve been meaning to say…”

And now the goodbyes were truly going to start. Kim’s eyes were stinging, but he tried to ignore it. He couldn’t start crying again, couldn’t he? He had cried enough for today!

“I’ve already told you a lot how much I care about you,” Max continued. “And you’ve told me, too. It’s not something we ever hold back on. In retrospect, I think I owe that to you. I tend to act very logical and rational, and you’re the opposite, and it really did me a lot of good. We’re… we’re a very good balance.”

Kim smiled. “I was gonna say the same! You’re the best thing that ever happened to me, Max.”

“You’re the best too! So open with your feelings, so free with your heart, so passionate and full of confidence and energy! No wonder I’ve liked you for so long. Well, that, and also you’re rather attractive…”

He was sure he was blushing hard. At least Max seemed to be blushing too, as invisible as it was with skin like his.

“I don’t want to make this too long. I know you want to see your family again as soon as possible, and the journey will be long. But…” Max sniffed. “…you’re like a dream come true. You’re the one encouraging the part of my brain that runs on emotions, rather than logic. And you’ve always been supportive! Ever since I first met you, probably ten years ago now. The fact that you love me back is a bonus, since your support is worth the friendship either way… oh, I don’t even know what I’m saying, I’m just rambling…”

“You’re doing the thing I always do,” Kim said. “That thing where I gush at you about how cool you are?”

“I suppose I am doing that. Though it’s not like I haven’t done it before.”

“Well it’s my turn now.” Kim willed himself to at least hold it together long enough to say something heartfelt – Max deserved that much. “Honestly, you’re so cool I still can’t believe you like me. I used to be a jerk and everything, but you’d still hang out with me, trying to tell me to be better, trying to get me to use my brain for once and stop being an idiot. And thanks to you, I did. I got nicer, I got better at schoolwork, I’m at least a bit less reckless now…”

“Kim, that wasn’t me! That was you, thanks to your own hard work and effort.”

“You helped, though. You’re always really supportive too. I mean, you were helping me out with all my hopeless crushes even though you were into me? I’m still not over that. And you stayed in quarantine with me for months, even though you’d been vaccinated and didn’t need it, and I feel like I can tell you anything and everything, no matter what. You’re like the best mix of a best friend and a sweetheart. When I’m with you I feel more… stable, I guess.”

Max’s smile had been growing wider and wider while Kim had been speaking. “I’m going to miss all these compliments so much.”

“I’ll still compliment you over the phone!”

“It’s not the same though, is it?”

“No, I guess not…”

“There’s another thing I wanted to say,” Max said, sounding far more nervous suddenly. “Do you remember that time when you… um… accidentally proposed to me?”

Kim’s heart leapt right up into his throat. He nodded – how could he forget it? That had been mortifying!

“Well, we’re too young for that, as I’m sure you know. But, that being said… if you feel the same way in about seven years or so, then uh… feel free to ask again…”

“I will,” Kim said, his brain already coming up with all sorts of cheesy romantic proposal scenarios in his head. “Exactly seven years from now, I’ll ask. Mark the date.”

Max grinned. “Perhaps I’ll surprise you by asking first…”

“No way, I’ll beat you to it for sure!”

“Oh really? Like how you beat me to confessing your love for me? Oh wait, that didn’t happen, because I got there first.”

“But I asked you out first!” Kim shook his head, laughing. “It doesn’t matter anyway. As long as it’s in exactly seven years. I’ll have time to let my kingdom get used to the idea. And then I’ll abdicate, or maybe we could do that thing Marinette’s parents did, where their kingdoms became twin-kingdoms and they split their time ruling both… oh, I don’t know. I’ll decide nearer the time.”

“Good, you need a while to relax now. These past years have been very stressful, and ruling a country won’t be easy either. Make sure you don’t burn yourself out.”

“I’ll try.” The prospect of leaving, going home and being coronated, was weighing on him again. “You make sure to look after Markov, and have fun, and go visit Alix lots, all that stuff…”

“Of course.” Max went up onto tiptoes suddenly, leaning in closer. “None of the porters are around, so how about a goodbye kiss?”

Goodbye kiss… why did those words hurt so much? Everything about this moment was so bittersweet. Everything about the past several months had been bittersweet, actually. Perhaps it was a side-effect of growing up. Maybe his whole life was going to be bittersweet from now on.

Well then, he’d better revel in the sweet parts, and learn from the bitter.

“Sure.”

He leaned in and kissed Max deeply, wrapping his arms around him tight, never wanting to let go. If he could stay here forever, he would.

But he couldn’t. He was a prince, soon to be king, and he had a duty. Plus, he would see Max again. This wasn’t goodbye forever.

He was already crying by the time he pulled away, tears spilling out of his eyes faster than he could wipe them away. Now that the moment had actually come to leave, it was hitting him just how much he would miss this place, miss all his friends, miss his sweetheart, everything. This school and everyone in it was a part of his life now. Letting go was not going to be easy.

“You’ll have to go back to pillows from now on,” Max mumbled, taking off his glasses to brush tears away from his eyes too. Kim laughed weakly, wondering if he was blushing again.

“Pillows can’t compare to you.”

“And robots can’t compare to you.”

“I’m still gonna tell Markov about that someday…”

Max smiled briefly, then looked over at the carriage waiting outside the doors. “Your carriage is waiting for you, Kim. And your family is too.”

“You’re right, I should go…”

“Kim, I love you. And just… thank you. For everything.”

“I… I love you too, Max…”

He was crying too much to be able to say anything, so he just pulled Max into one last ribcage-crushing hug, before turning and walking towards the carriage. The guards had opened the door and were waiting for him.

“My grandma says you’re getting a pay rise when y-you get back,” he said. “You deserve it.”

“Thank you, Your Highness,” the guard said with a smile, before shutting the door.

Your Highness… Soon he wouldn’t be called that anymore. Soon it would be Your Majesty. How quickly would he get used to that?

As the carriage set off down the path, Kim looked out of the back window. Max was standing at the entrance, waving. Kim waved back, though he wasn’t sure if Max would be able to see him through this tiny window. He noticed suddenly that up on the roof, Alix and Markov were there waving at the carriage too – how had they got there?! He waved at them too.

Slowly his friends faded out of sight, and the school did too. One chapter of his life was finishing, and the next was about to begin. Would it be as turbulent? As stressful? As dangerous? Hopefully not. At least he was much better at dealing with all that than he used to be, considering how much he had grown up over the past three years. Thinking back to his very first day of school, it was astounding to note the difference.

Now his spirits were lifting again, thinking of his family waiting for him at home. The familiar palace, those friendly servants, the sports rivals, everything and everyone he had been missing so much. Lê Chiến was still very dear to his heart, even after all the other places he had seen. From now on, that was what he had to focus on. Ruling his country and doing a good job, staying out of war, promoting new technologies, making allies. Everything he had been taught at school would surely help him out.

Yes, once he got back home he would not be a prince anymore. He would be King Kim, ruler of Lê Chiến. It was time to take the lessons he had learnt from the past, and put them towards making a bright future for himself, his country, and the entire world.

He looked forward to it.

[myherowritings]

PART 4. HOW THE RICH SUCK THEIR OWN DICKS

SUMMARY. Todoroki Shouto was a wealthy, young CEO who inherited his father’s enterprise. You were a barista at a local cafe who wouldn’t mind some extra cash. One day, Shouto came in during an early morning shift and tipped you such a large sum of money, you were certain it had to have been an accident. To your surprise and complete pleasure: It was not.

PAIRING. ceo!todoroki shouto x barista!reader

WORD COUNT. 2.9k

GENRE. ceo/barista au, fluff, eventual smut

WARNINGS. enji makes an appearance bleh, enji being classist, enji...ew, okay i swear most of the chapter is shouto and y/n being cute though 

A/N. ngl i have genshin brainrot real bad at the moment but i still have motivation for ceo!shouto and ceo!shouto only u.u there are only 7 parts to this series so we’re at the halfway mark already AHHH i hope u enjoy reading and lmk what u think!! :3 xx sof

SERIES MASTERLIST

© myherowritings — all rights reserved. reposting, modifying, copying, or translating of any kind is not allowed. do not read my writing as asmr. do not plagiarize.

Shouto’s day went from good to bad faster than it took to pull an espresso. 

It started off with a good morning text from you and having a brief, but pleasant, interaction at your work. Actually, the past few weeks have been going along a similar routine that he found himself settling into all too comfortably. You even upheld your promise of stealing him away one weekend to walk around the park, get food, and just have time to relax and be happy for once. 

Getting to be in your presence almost daily became so normalized in his life that even some of his employees heard about the cute barista with the best pastries. Yet, although he saw you often, he found himself wanting to talk to you more and more.

But for now, Shouto told himself to settle with starting the mornings off with you. They were the best mornings he’s had in a while and he didn’t want to sound ungrateful. 

Today, however, went sour fast after he heard his father was coming up to the top floor for a meeting with him. He didn’t find the idea of Enji visiting to be the most abhorrent thing, but the moment his father opened his mouth, Shouto quickly took that back. 

As expected, his father reminded him about the annual charity gala Todoroki Enterprises was expected to attend. Handfuls of galas ran through the year, but the once hosted by Naruhata Industries under the guise of raising money and awareness for the charities of choice.

In theory, a charity gala ball sounded humanitarian and a way for the upper class to give back, but in reality, most of the funds collected didn’t go to the actual charities, instead they went to paying for the venue, live bands, entertainment, the most expensive catering, decorations, and more. What presented itself as a charitable event in the eyes of the public was really a way rich people could flaunt their wealth and feel good about themselves for doing absolutely nothing to benefit society. A way for the rich to suck their own dicks, if you would. 

Shouto absolutely hated it. 

It was also a press opportunity and, in his father’s eyes, a way to gain public favor for the Todoroki business. Today, Enji attempted to tell him that bringing a date that fit the mold of high society was the best way for him to establish rapport through media coverage. Apparently, the image news outlets have placed on Shouto were either a heartbreaker and playboy with no care for other’s emotions, or a monotonous stoic who seemed like a robot with no care for other’s emotions.

In either cases, there seemed to be a theme of Shouto not caring for others. 

He sighed. 

“You can’t keep that image, Shouto,” said Enji with his arms folded across his chest. “If the media sees you with someone—a nice girl with a good upbringing—then your likeability will increase tenfold. If there’s no one you like, I’ll have to set up a date for you.”

For a while, he was torn between telling his dad to fuck off and trying to do as he said to keep peace within the family. But then, an image of you popped into his head.

“Actually, there is someone I like.” 

Enji narrowed his eyes. “Oh? An educated girl with wealthy parents?”

“There’s someone I like,” he simply repeated, the tone in his voice growing cold. 

He didn’t know anything about your upbringing or family nor did he exactly care. Shouto didn’t want to bring a date to the dumb gala, but if he had to, he would want it to be you. Only if you agreed, of course. But if you weren’t willing, then he had to face the facts that his father would most likely force a date of his own choosing upon Shouto. 

“That’s good you like someone, son,” Enji said through his teeth, “but we have to make sure it’s not some sort of...loose woman. That’d be even worse publicity—”

“I like someone and if you really cared about my happiness like you said you did, that’d be enough.”

There was a tense silence in the air. Shouto didn’t have enough fingers to count the number of times Enji had told him and his siblings that he would try to be a better dad. A caring dad who only wanted what was best for his children. A better husband for Rei. A better example for the public. The first few times, Shouto believed it. But Enji said the same things over and over again with no lasting change and Shouto was just fed up. 

After hearing the same lie told to him over and over again, it seemed to lose its weight. He seemed to lose his hope in his father ever changing.

Still, Shouto had to deal with him for as long as he lived. That much he knew as a son living in this society. 

But he hoped Enji at least had enough guilt to let him have this.

“Fine.”

Shouto blinked in surprise. 

Enji stated, “If you think your date can help your public image and not be a complete embarrassment to the business, you can bring them.”

That was the closest thing to approval Shouto would get today. He nodded and listened along to whatever else his father had to say, the only thing actually on his mind was thinking about how he would ask you out on a date to some stuffy gala. And hope that you’d say yes.

— ✩ —

“Wait, so, let me get this straight— You’re the CEO of Todoroki Enterprises and even after almost two months of knowing you, I had no clue?”

He inclined his head, looking solemn. “Yes, I’m sorry. Are you upset with me for not telling you sooner?” 

Initial shock aside, you couldn’t say that you were too surprised at the revelation. You knew Shouto was wealthy and probably in some high-up position in the business industry, but you never knew to what extent. A CEO? That had to be the highest rank in a company! And a company as well known as Todoroki Enterprises? 

The thought made you a little nervous. The guy you slowly befriended over the course of short cafe visits and silly texts was Mr. Todoroki? Or worse— The guy you stole away from doing work for a whole weekend was someone as busy as a CEO? You internally groaned. That had to be against laws of the universe or something. 

“I’m not upset, no,” you said with a shake of your head. “I just...can’t believe it I guess.” Eyes widening, you were quick to amend your words. “Well, I can believe it. You seem very intelligent and well-put together and, uh, rich! But I guess I just didn’t think a CEO would be so funny and kind.” You winced. “Oh no, is that mean to say?”

“I don’t think it’s mean.” He shrugged. “You’re right to say most people in this field aren’t known for their delightful temperaments.” 

You absentmindedly drummed your finger against your thigh, trying to process this new information. “So you’re Todoroki Shouto...and you want me to be your date to the Naruhata Charity Ball?” 

“Yeah. I know it’s a huge favor to ask, and I promise you can say no if you choose,” said Shouto in earnest. “I don’t want you to feel obligated to agree.” 

With a hum, you stretched your legs out under the table before crossing one over the other again. It was a Saturday afternoon where you had no work and Shouto managed to escape from his for a few hours of the day. You took him to your favorite ice cream place nearby and the two of you ate at a dining area outside the establishment. 

Just a mundane day as two friends hanging out with each other where you found out one of those friends was the chief executive officer of a billion dollar business headquartered in Japan. 

Totally normal, everyday occurrences, obviously. 

“And you need a date for this event?” you asked. In all honesty, you would be more than happy if Shouto asked you out on a date. He was fun and you enjoyed getting to know him. But these particular circumstances made you a tad bit more nervous.

“I normally wouldn’t need to bring one, but my father insists it’d help my public image and in turn the image of the company.” With a pinched look on his face, he took a bite of his ice cream. “In other words I bring a date or he picks one for me.” 

You weren’t the most caught up on super rich people drama, but it was almost infamous how estranged the Todoroki family was. Again, you didn’t know much but you did know enough to say that Todoroki Enji seemed like a Class A asshole. If you could help Shouto out with his weird dilemma, you saw no reason not to. 

“So this charita gala is like where they have those live auctions and silent auctions and get tipsy on fancy wine and champagne for hours right?”

He tilted his head to the side. “Yeah. Have you attended one?” 

“Not quite,” you said with a sheepish smile. “I’ve volunteered at one in school though. As one of those runners? It was fun. I got a bunch of those tiny complimentary candies!” Your mouth watered at the memory. “What kind of drug were in those candies? I’ve never had candy so good before!”

“The tiny, circular candies with the excessively big wrapper? The fruity ones?”

You shot up in your seat, excited he knew what you were talking about. “Yes! That’s the one!” 

The corners of his mouth quirked upwards. “I always see those at these types of events.”

“So… The candy will be there at the gala you want me to accompany you to?” 

“Most likely.”

“Can I take a bunch of those from candies there…?” you asked with an optimistic grin.

“I’ll be your accomplice in sneaking them out.”

“It’s a date!” you said before Shouto could get another word out. 

You’d be reunited with those yummy, fancy candies you’ve been separated from for far too long. What other reason did you need to agree? 

With a determined look on your face, you held your hand out for Shouto to shake to seal the deal. 

He blinked. “Wait. Did you want to discuss it some more? Maybe have a few days to think it through? I’m grateful, of course, but I don’t want you regretting anything.”

“No. I won’t regret it. I’d do anything to taste those candies again.”

Shouto looked unsure what to say. “Isn’t there some parable warning people not to be bribed by candy?”

“Not to take candy from a baby?”

“No. Not that one.”

“That’s the only one I know.”

“Never mind then.” 

The two of you exchanged confused looks before letting out fits of laughter. You weren’t sure if either of you knew exactly what the other was laughing at, but the moment was an enjoyable one nonetheless. 

“Yet another reason to bring me to that fancy event— I’ll make sure you’re entertained all the way through,” you playfully bragged, smoothing down the front of your shirt. 

“The event will definitely be more bearable with you there.” He licked a small bit of his ice cream from his pink spoon, making a sound of approval. “But you can change your mind about coming at any time, Y/N.”

“I won’t,” you said, holding a pinky out. “Pinky promise.”

With what seemed like a bashful expression on his face, Shouto extended his own pinky to interlock yours. You sealed it with a kiss and a heart, like you were a kid again. 

“Now, am I supposed to be in love with you at the gala?” you asked nonchalantly, finishing off your last bite of ice cream. He offered you a spoonful of his and you tried not to grow too flustered at Shouto feeding you his dessert. You murmured a quiet, “Thanks.”

He gave you a small smile. “You’re welcome. As for being in love… I don’t think that’s necessary. Just pretend you like being around me, I think.”

Under the table, you nudged his shoe with yours, pulling a face. “I don’t have to pretend about that, silly.” 

“Ah, well,” he paused, offering you another spoonful of ice cream, “I don’t either.”

“I’m glad.” Then, “Is this strawberry? I was never a big strawberry ice cream fan but for some reason this tastes so good.” 

You ignored the nagging voice in your head that said maybe it wasn’t so much the ice cream flavor but who you were enjoying it with. 

The two of you finished his dessert in peace and after cleaning up the area with a napkin, Shouto turned to you with an intent look on his face.

“Before the gala, would you mind if I talk you shopping so you could pick out what to wear?” he asked. “I would pay of course— It’s the least I could do to say thank you.”

You shook your head. “You don’t have to thank me! You’re my friend and I want to help.” You thought about it for a moment. “And get the candy.”

“Anything for the candy.”

“Exactly,” you said in complete seriousness. “But I wouldn’t mind going shopping with you. You could help me decide what to wear! I’m not exactly sure how to dress for an event as fancy as this.”

“You could wear anything to the event and still look amazing.” His words were ones of flattery but his tone sounded completely genuine. 

Heat rose to your cheeks at the compliment. “Look who’s talking— You’re practically runway ready no matter what time of day.”

“I’ve never walked a runway before.”

You stifled a laugh at his literal interpretation of your words. Cute. “Me neither.”

He looked confused at why you were grinning, but it still brought a smile to his own lips.

By now the sun had begun to set and Shouto was walking you to the train to see you off before you went home.

“Can I pick you up next weekend in the morning?” he said. “So we can get your outfit for the gala?”

“Sure! I’ll text you my address.” 

He nodded in contentment. “And again, you don’t have to worry about any costs.”

“Is this why my friends have called you a sugar daddy?” you teased, bumping your shoulder against his as you walked down the street, side-by-side. “But thank you. Shopping will be fun— We can even match colors!” 

“Mn.” He looked between the both of you, as if trying to picture what colors would complement each other. 

You crossed the sidewalk in a comfortable silence, enjoying the scenery by Shouto’s side. A few times, you even felt his knuckles brush against yours and you had the undeniable urge to hold his hand. Would that be weird? you asked yourself before deciding against it. 

Just because he asked you to be his date for the Naruhata Charity Ball didn’t mean he actually liked you, right? It was just a favor from a friend to a friend.

Something about that though made your stomach unsettled. Maybe part of you wanted it to be a real date— Wanted this to be a real date. 

“So I won’t be seeing you tomorrow,” you said after a moment’s silence, trying not to look too dejected. 

You knew he’d still text good morning and good night and ask you random things throughout the day (all of which you found really endearing, by the way), but it was still different from seeing him in person. Even though your time together in the morning was small, they still were enough to make your day. The thought of your waking hours being so entwined made you nervous, but for some reason it didn’t bother you as much as you thought it would. In fact, it was sort of...nice. 

“I’ll see you Monday morning, right?” you asked hopefully, though you were already fairly certain of the answer.

Shouto nodded. “Of course. It’s already marked on my calendar.”

“Ever the flatterer, hmm?” 

“Not flattery, just the truth.” He pulled his phone out and showed you his (rather packed) calendar app. To your surprise, a little reminder that said ‘See Y/N :)’ was marked on his Monday schedule. 

Unable to stop the beam from spreading across your lips, you hid your face in your hands. Gosh— Did he have to be so cute? He was making it harder and harder to only like him as a friend. And even now, you weren’t sure if you liked him only as a friend.

But you pushed those thoughts away.

That was something to deal with at a later time.

When you reached the train station you normally took home, you turned to Shouto, giving him a big hug. He was tall and warm. You could feel his lean muscles through his button-down shirt as you rested your head against his chest and arms around his waist. 

“Thanks for today,” you mumbled. “I’ll see you again soon.”

After a pause, he gave you a hug back, hands rubbing hesitant circles on your back in a way that made you smile. “Text me when you get home safe,” he said as you both reluctantly released each other from an embrace.

“I will,” you promised. “You do the same! Later, Shouto!” 

And with that, you waved goodbye and boarded the train, unable to shake the unwavering grin on your face all the way home.

a/n: when shouto started feeding y/n spoonfuls of his ice cream i cried (Ｔ▽Ｔ) that’s so cUTE OF HIM LIKE PLS SIR STOP BEFORE I FALL MORE IN LOVE WITH U !! >:O he’s such a sweetheart ahhhh,, i hope all the fluff made up for the brief appearance of endeavor ಠ╭╮ಠ  FHDJKF 

what to expect in the next part:

shopping for the gala time !! 

y/n struggles with their fEeLiNGs~ part 2

oh my, y/n has to try on dresses? oh my, it’d be a shame if they needed help putting it on :o *fake gasp* 

yeah things get just a lil steamy but shh

[writings-of-a-hufflepuff]

My Liability, My Deadweight

Fandom: The Chronicles of Riddick

Collection/Series: My Liability, My Deadweight

Pairing: Richard B Riddick x Female Fat + Glasses Wearing Reader

Writer: @writings-of-a-hufflepuff aka @hufflepuffing-all-day-long

Rating: T (Swearing, Riddick is Riddick, violence)

Warnings: Swearing, violence towards deadly alien creatures, violence from deadly alien creatures towards the reader

Summary: None of this was supposed to happen. You were supposed to be on a holiday resort planet, relaxing by glistening waters and forgetting your troubles. Not traipsing through a deadly jungle on an uncharted planet with a just as deadly companion who seems torn between helping you and hating you.

Notes: So I guess this is going to be similar to Western AU Din in that i’ll probably write some stuff in the same sort of world/vein as this. I’m just interested in the idea of Riddick with a reader who is the opposite of a survivalist, who isn’t fit or strong, who is scared. The idea of Furyans having mates or soulmates that they don’t really get to choose and the idea of Riddick having to come to terms with the idea that the person he wants to protect so bad needs his protection more than most is interesting to me.

This is probably such a niche thing to write, not only because the fandom is tiny, but also because people tend to write Riddick fanfic where the reader or OC is extremely capable, but I wanted to write it. So self-indulgent fic coming up.

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Kratos is a horror show of a planet. It’s the sort of planet you’d never thought you’d end up on, the sort of planet that you saw on horror vids and read about in the tales of survivors of tragedy. You weren’t supposed to be on it. You were just on a short trip, just supposed to go to a stupid holiday planet, at the insistence of your boss that you needed a break from your desk, that you worked too hard. You were a city slicker, an urban citizen, not an outdoorsman or an adventurer, certainly not the sort of person who’d come to a planet like this. But, your pilot had needed to make a stop, said there was a problem with the fuel cells that he needed to check out. So you’d made a pit stop on a barely charted planet. Nothing good ever happens on a barely charted planet. 

Covered in dense, muggy jungle, the planet would have been beautiful had it not been trying to kill you and your, for want of a better word, companion at every turn. It was covered in vibrant green forest, tropical plants, exotic and brightly coloured flowers (many of which, it turns out, were deadly themselves). There were brightly coloured bird-like creatures and primitive mammals that scurried through the trees and across the ground. It would have been beautiful, except for the limp in your walk from the burning claw marks deep in your thick thigh, except for the blood that followed in your wake, the dead bodies of the crew you’d left behind, and the yellow eyes that seemed to follow the two of you under the dark canopy.

After a stupid decision by your group to go out into the jungle to try and find a settlement of some sort, just because it had seemed like (as if there was any real reason to leave), you’d been picked off one by one. You could only describe the beasts as fucked up panthers. Two tails with stingers at the end, sharp spindly spines along their backs, an elongated neck, venomous fangs and sharp teeth and claws. They were hard to spot, silent in the underbrush and decidedly and most definitely deadly. The only reason you were still even alive was because of Riddick, because for some unknown reason the man, the murderer, had decided to stick close to you, like glue. You weren’t complaining.

At the time of boarding the ship for your trip it had seemed horrifying, to know that you were travelling on the same transport as Richard B. Riddick, escaped convict, known murder, predator. He was the sort of man your parents whispered about, the sort of man that you never wanted to meet. He was someone from your worst nightmare. Now he is your saving grace and surprisingly not what you had expected of a notorious big bad. While he meets many of your expectations, crude at times, harsh, and physically intimidating, he defies them too. He is at times oddly gentle with you and, the mere fact he cares about someone’s survival other than his own, is in itself a surprise. A fortunate one for you. 

“Are we nearly back to the ship?” You ask because your leg is killing you, because you so desperately just want to get off this planet even if it means being stuck in a confined space with a convicted murderer. You hate this planet, you hate the constant feeling of fear and of uselessness. You hate the truth of it all, that you are weak, vulnerable, prey not the predator. It has you realising your many weaknesses, many vulnerabilities, many failings. 

“Shhh…” Riddick raises his hand out in front of you, a universal sign to stop, while the other comes to his lips in a shushing motion. If he were a dog, his ears might very well have pricked up at the slightest sound. 

To you nothing seemed out of the ordinary. There were no unusual sounds or movement in the brush. You couldn’t see anything out of place. Just as you begin to notice the silence, the lack of sound, that is the moment everything goes terribly wrong.

“Riddic-” You were cut off by your own scream. 

Things happen so fast that you don’t really have time to process them. One minute you are standing behind Riddick attempting to get his attention, the next a dark shape crashes into you and you’re on the jungle floor a heavy weight pressing on your chest and stopping your breathing. Your hands reach up instinctively, pushing against the creature in an effort to keep sharp gnashing teeth from your face, but you’re not strong and you’re not a fighter and you can feel your arms beginning to collapse already. Can hear yourself screaming for Riddick even as part of you thinks he’ll leave you there, abandon you to be eaten alive. There is a deep fear that this is it, this is the end. That it shall be painful, terrifying, lonely, and unfamiliar. 

Claws scratch at your arms, blood runs over your skin in rivulets as you scrabble in the dirt. Then as suddenly as the weight came it was gone, hefted off of you with an angry roar and the sound of a knife hitting flesh over and over again. You don’t look, can’t bring yourself to look, just lie there and breathe, in and out. You don’t want to see him do what he’s good at, don’t want to see alien blood, a dying creature, the parts of him that are less than gentle. So you stare up at the canopy and catch your breath, feeling the blood flow down your arms, the bruises that ache over your stomach, hips and legs. Feel the relief flow through you, combat the shock, as you realise you are not dead, you are alive, and he did not leave you to die. 

You’re rather numb in truth until you hear him muttering above you, “goddamn liability, deadweight…”, it shouldn’t upset you because it’s true. But it does, it upsets and angers you because you didn’t want to be here, you didn’t want any of this and you didn’t ask him to hang around, didn’t ask him to help you. You had no say in this. This was not your idea of a holiday, your idea of fun, or your fault. 

It forces you to your feet, forces you, despite the blood dripping from your wounds, to stand and face him, despite the bruises, despite the pain, despite the fear. You find yourself planting your feet even as you sway unsteadily, standing with hands on your wide hips and a scowl aimed at a man that could kill you easily. For the first time you’re too angry to overthink your actions towards the man. For a moment you stop thinking and start acting. 

“If i’m such a goddamn liability, then just leave me here! I didn’t ask for you to stay, Riddick! I didn’t ask for your help! If it’s such a fucking chore to have me along, if i’m really dead weight then leave me! Go!” You didn’t normally scream at anyone, it wasn’t your personality type. You were quiet, shy, retiring. A wallflower. You didn’t scream. You didn’t start fights. You didn’t do any of that. Anger wasn’t your natural response to anything. Fear was. But after being hunted down, time and time again by giant alien cats with venomous fangs and an uncanny ability to hide on a jungle planet, all while being called a liability, a dead weight by the one person you had to rely on, well, you were finally at your wits end. You were in pain, you were upset, frustrated and ready to just go home. 

You didn’t understand it. Why Riddick even bothered with you, practically a stranger. You knew you were a liability, that’s why it hurt so much when he said it. You were soft, emotionally and physically. You were a slow runner, a poor fighter, had terrible eyesight that required glasses, you weren’t light on your feet or graceful and you certainly didn’t know much about survival. You were overweight, unfit and unsure on your feet. You were prone to panic and tears, you were easily emotionally and physically unbalanced. Until this trip from hell you’d been content in the inner rim, working a normal job, a safe life. Your day to day had been comfortable, safe. Easy. You weren’t cut out for this, for danger and potential death and had Riddick, this known criminal, one of the most sought after murderers in the verse, not decided to stick by your side you’d have died at least ten times already. It didn’t make any sense and your frustration at yourself, the situation and at him had tears pooling in your eyes. You didn’t ask for any of this.

“I can’t.” He’s so impassive, so calm, that it pisses you off more. It pisses you off how hard it is to read him, how he hides his eyes behind black goggles that stop you understanding him. How he hides all emotion from you so easily. How is he okay with this? How is he so calm when everything around the two of you wants to kill you, when he could have left this goddamn planet already if you weren’t slowing him down at every turn? How could he stand there above the body of some hell spawn creature and just stare at you like that, like everything was just fine, just normal? Like he wasn’t covered in it’s blood. Like you weren’t dripping in your own. Like you hadn’t almost died. Again. 

“I..I don’t get it…? What do you mean you can’t? You could walk the fuck away right now. I can’t stop you! No one else is here to stop you! If you want to leave, leave! No one’s holding you back, Riddick! No one is going to stop you! I can’t bloody well can’t! Look at me!” You sound hysterical even to your own ears but you can’t help it. You are so scared, so confused, so frustrated, so panicked by all that’s happened, all that could happen. You gesture down to yourself, to the bloody coating you, the way you protectively hold yourself off of your hurt leg, the sheer stature different between the two of you. All the things that make it very abundantly clear that if he chose to simply walk away you couldn’t stop him. 

“Listen, princess, it’s not that fucking simple!” The snap is almost relieving, that he’s not as cold, not as impassive as you thought. That he could break too. That he could be angry, that he could be upset, that this wasn’t just normal. Even as his steps closer cause your back to hunch, cause you to second guess your antagonist behaviour. 

“I don’t understand!” 

With a growl he’s crowding you against a tree, thick arms caging you in. He’s imposing, large, a head taller than you and the action has him taking over every one of your senses. He never touches you in anger and while the display is intimidating, it oddly enough doesn’t scare you. It almost feels secure. Perhaps because not once has he done anything to suggest to you that he would hurt you, every move he’s made has been to keep you safe. Every time he’s touched you has been to pull you from danger or bring you back to your feet. Despite his harsh appearance, his foul language and the deadliness that he displays at every turn, he has never once given you cause to fear him. To fear how he would treat you. 

“You’re my mate, got it?! I don’t get to choose, I don’t get a choice! I can’t leave you! I just fucking can’t, so you’re a fucking liability and dead weight, but you’re my dead weight, got it? I ain’t fucking leaving you, we either both get off this motherfucking planet or we both get eaten by these fucks, princess. There’s no inbetween, understand?” Silver eyes flash at you as he tears the goggles from his eyes,  his brow furrows and the muscles in his thick neck and broad shoulders bunch and move with every piece of tension that bursts through him. You are distinctly and sharply reminded that Riddick is a predator in every sense of the word, while you are prey. You are on two separate ends of the spectrum. 

“Mate…?” Your eyes flit across the landscape behind his head, trying to process all those words and all their meanings. You don’t understand, you don’t understand any of it. But, those words soothe you in a way you can’t explain. He isn’t going to leave you. For whatever reason, for whatever this is, whatever he means, he isn’t going to leave you.  You let out a breath you didn’t even realise you’d been holding. He’s not leaving, even if you’re a liability, a deadweight. Even when things get bad, he’s not leaving. He is, at this point, your only chance at getting home, getting away from him, of surviving. The panic in you begins to soothe, calm and settle. 

“We don’t have time for this.” You’re startled by the sudden display of affection as the man cups the back of your neck and presses his forehead into your own, “Just trust me.”

“I do, Riddick, I trust you” It’s hard to explain, the trust you feel for him, the safety as you let him lead you once more through the jungle. You are bleeding, in pain and still ever so aware of the dangers around you, but you have an implicit belief that with Riddick you are as safe as you can be. That if there was ever a person to carry you through this it would be him. 

You might still be confused, might not understand what he means by you being his mate or by his obligation towards you, but you know that he isn't leaving you for dead and that is enough right now. That is more than enough.

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

                                                   All Works Taglist

@charradelange @belfry-bat  @gabile18 @beccaboo929​  @trasheater

[ahkaahshi]

priorities [miya atsumu x reader] (req)

anon: hello! how are you doing? i hope you're great and feeling well! may i request a one-shot for atsumu? like, atsumu dumps his s/o due to his other priorities (y'know like volleyball) 1-2 months later reader and atsumu encounters at a park. he tries to talk to her in a friendly way but reader avoids him bc she still loves him sm. whenever she sees him she gets an urge to kiss him and punch him at the same time shjsbjshskhks. happy ending please!! thanks in advance ♡♡♡ (i love your writing btw!!)

fran: hi anon :) I'm doing alright and I hope you’re doing well too! thanks for sending this in! I'm glad you said happy ending bc it’s atsumu and I want the best for him 🥺 I really appreciate your kind words! hope you enjoy :)

pairing: miya atsumu x fem reader

genre: angst with a fluffy ending

warning(s): a bit of swearing

word count: 1.3k (again, I swear I'll get my mini shots down to 1k and under LMAO a word count limit just never stopped me I guess!!)

With a long sigh, you slow your pace and take a few moments to walk off an annoying cramp that’s developed in your calf. The music you’d had blaring through your earbuds seems way too loud now given that you’re no longer running through the busy streets and have reached a quiet park instead, so you take your phone out of your pocket to turn it down. While you do some light stretches to alleviate the pain, a cool breeze floating through the air reminds you not only of how sweaty you are but of the time.

It’s early enough in the evening for the sun’s dying rays to linger in the sky for about a half an hour longer. The city streets are packed with the traffic of workers heading home for the day or venturing out in search of dinner. Though it’s a challenge weaving in amongst people going about their end of the day activities, being immersed in liveliness is enough to distract you from the somber mood you’d been stuck in for about two months now.

Breakups were never easy, but this one had been harder for you to shake off than the others, mostly because you’d been deeply in love with the man who’d shattered your heart. And, of course, being told you weren’t a priority had only added insult to injury.

You hadn’t expected yourself to be completely healed of your heartache in two months, but you also hadn't anticipated that you’d still be so broken up about it that you pined for him every moment your mind wasn’t occupied. It was torturous, and you wanted to move on from it.

Running was one way you could literally and figuratively escape from your problems, but you knew you could only avoid them for so long before they caught up to you. Now, as your mind idles once more, your thoughts return to you again in full force.

Another runner’s tall figure further down the path ahead captures your attention when you lift your head from inspecting your leg, and your heart instantly drops into your stomach. That unmistakable blonde head of hair painted a vibrant orange in the rays of the setting sun, a black jacket bearing the name of a professional volleyball team, and a body chiseled by the gods themselves were instant indicators of the man’s identity.

Shit, you think frantically, wracking your brain for different routes you can take to avoid crossing paths with him. But, it’s too late.

“(F/n)?” you hear him call out to you in between breaths, the pounding of his footsteps echoing closer and closer to you with each moment that passes.

Not knowing what else to do, you decide to pretend like you don’t hear him, turn on your heels, and start jogging in the opposite direction. You know it’s lame to be running away from your ex-boyfriend, but it’s the only option you can think of to avoid having contact with him. However, your fatigue quickly catches up with you, and the pain in your calf makes it hard to escape as gracefully as you’d like.

“(F/n)!”

When you hear his voice again, he’s right beside you, touching your shoulder to grab your attention, as if you hadn’t just seen him and tried but failed to avoid a conversation with him. With a sigh, you surrender, bringing yourself to a halt and taking your earbuds out. The pain surging through your irritated calf muscle makes you grumble softly and avert your eyes from his curious gaze to examine it once more.

“Hey, are ya okay?” he wonders, dark amber gaze traveling to where your fingers are kneading into the back of your leg.

With a dismissive wave of the hand, you lie, “I’m fine.” 

When your eyes finally meet, you feel all the emotions you’ve been holding back threaten to boil over. All the love you still felt for him as well as the disdain you’d been harboring towards him since your breakup floods your thoughts. You can’t decide if you want to kiss him or punch him in the face, but, since neither’s acceptable at the moment, you place your hands in your pockets and let out a slow exhale.

“So, how are ya?” he wonders, removing his own pair of earbuds and brushing a few, shining droplets of sweat away from his forehead.

“What are you doing here?” you ask curtly.

His thick eyebrows furrow in confusion as he responds, “Whaddya mean? Why can’t I enjoy a brisk, evenin’ run through a public park?”

Narrowing your eyes at him and shifting your weight off your injured leg, you state, “You can. It’s just that this park isn’t exactly in your area.” His lips settle into a deep frown, and he remains silent for a beat. “Seriously, Atsumu, what do you want? I’m trying to move on like you told me to.”

“Okay,” he grumbles, breaking eye contact to look anywhere but at you as he admits, “Maybe I’ve been comin’ through here every now n’ then on my runs hopin’ that I’d bump into you.”

The vulnerability in his tone and demeanor sends a pang of sadness rippling through your body. You voice is nearly inaudible as you whisper, “Why?”

“Because I wanna talk to ya, (f/n).” His answer is instantaneous--spoken without a hint of hesitation despite how embarrassed you’d assumed he would be to confess anything that he thought would make him look weak or desperate.

His hand extends towards you, as if requesting that you remove yours from your pocket so he can hold it. You deny him this access with a shake of the head, though it makes your eyes sting ever so slightly to reject him. “About what?” is your next inquiry.

There’s a much longer pause as he summons his courage with a deep breath and finally turns his face toward you so your eyes can meet. “I fucked up, okay? I shoulda never treated ya like you were just livin’ yer life in my world. I shoulda never been stupid enough to think that volleyball was more important my own girlfriend, ‘nd that I had to choose between that ‘nd you. Never. I shoulda never made ya feel as if you were second best. I won’t forgive myself for doin’ that to ya.”

You dig your thumb into the cuff of your jacket and raise it to your cheek to wipe away a few, stray tears that had escaped without warning. Judging by the look of yearning in his eyes, he probably wants more than anything to embrace you and litter your skin with gentle apologies in the form of kisses. Keeping the distance between the two of you is painful, but you know how susceptible you are to him since your wounds never had time to heal.

“I’m literally so in love with ya, (f/n). So in love with ya that I don’t care that I'm here, puttin’ my pride aside to admit that I royally fucked up ‘nd tell ya that I wantcha back. These past couple of months without ya have been hell.”

“’Tsumu,” you whimper softly with a sniffle, willing yourself to regain your composure so you didn’t turn into a sobbing mess in such a public place.

Upon hearing his nickname leave your mouth, a small smile creeps onto his lips before he asks, “Will ya give me another shot ‘nd lemme treat ya to dinner?”

In the scenarios you’d imagined in your head for this very moment, you acted tougher--reminding him that you deserve more and acting cold and indifferent toward him. But, now, in this moment, after the sincerity of the apology he’s given, all you can do is nod and say, “It’s going to take a bit of time, but I’m open to trying again.”

A grin graces his handsome features as he offers, “I can tell yer leg’s hurtin’ ya, so I’ll give ya a piggyback ride to any restaurant of yer choice in exchange for a drive home. Jus’ pick a place nearby, would ya?”

“Okay,” you accept and wipe away any tears left on your face. He brushes a few strands of your hair away from your face in a tender gesture before turning around so you can climb onto his back and let him cart you off to get a much-needed meal as a first step towards rebuilding a better relationship with him.

[tobeornottotc]

So much to say about all Friday shows my brain shut down it’s weird how in a day all the shows that aired from we best love to TT finale made my day and made me happy I cried. We best love is a gem that has come and taken my heart it’s everything I love in BL, it’s like reading a novel and never wanting it to end, the pinining, longing and now the angst still upcoming. My love to all the characters? Everything about the acting, music, and writing. Taiwan came back and said you haven’t forgotten why you adorE BL right? Well here’s more reasons. I’ve missed Taiwan shows for so long I used to take the history series for granted despite my love for it and now look at me. We best love is just so great and cheesy and yet done so well I’ve not have any issues with it 😭 it’s not short, I like how angsty yet sweet it gets. Just everything

Then you have to my star. Is there any moment when Korea does something that does not make me shout from the rooftops another great one!! Like are we surprised at this point. Where your eyes linger still is my favourite Korean BL and although different I get the same vibes from to my star, there’s secret pining, confusing hidden hints to maybe more than just a very happy celebrity that is clingy and flirty. Seojun seems to know he likes boys from the start or is it just me. I won’t be surprised that the reason he’s hiding that video is because the reason there was a fight was because it’ll out his sexuality, either he had something with said guy he paid money to keep quiet about or said guy knows about his sexuality and threatened to blackmail him. But it’s the subtle hints that he may know about himself and his feelings like in episode 4 how many times he leaves clues and hints he likes Jiwoo but hides it behind this clingy want to be friends persona, I think when he was drunk he let out his true feelings he’s been hiding and he outed himself on purpose. I’m probably thinking too much but there’d be a lot at stake in my opinion if someone knew he likes guys it’d be a bigger scandal that’s probably why he acts like he doesn’t know when he’s flirting or hinting he likes someone. Just me? Jiwoo is also an interesting tsundere why does he have his walls so up, he clearly also has feelings but in the trailer he’s going to harshly break Seojun’s heart? Obviously I think it’s a lie it’s noble idiocy he realised it was the way to help him not get caught in another scandal. I really need to know more about his character. And the chef who knows more than he lets on who is he speaking to about Seojun does he know the other guy in the video? Does he know why Seojun is hiding the video he seems to have picked on the chemistry of Seojun and Jiwoo more proof that person was right? Let me know what your ideas are on this show. If this show is dealing with internalised homophobia and the scandal of the media invasion and celebrity lifestyle then man it’ll be fun to rewatch this time and time again. Kisses in Korean BL shows have become a staple for revealing a lot of secrets and pushing our couples to confront the truth about what they try to rationalise when it comes to their feelings. In where your eyes linger them entering a relationship was not good for them because it’d lead to separation and more. In Mr heart the kiss was revealed and forced our marathon runner to question his priorities and feelings. And in wish you the kiss happened when Sang yi could no longer run away from what he was feeling even if it meant they couldn’t be together because of same reasons as this show I’m guessing a scandal being caused because idols and celebs dating is a bit forbidden in kmusic and kdrama industry. Loses the fans. And attracts media attention. Let’s see what To my star reveals with this kiss now Seojun isn’t hiding what he feels anymore.

Then we have 1000 stars premiere and I cried at sheer greatness I’m a clown I came into it trying hard to keep my expectations at bay but my 30 minutes in I was bawling stunned and quiet. The directing is exquisite, in depth and littered with clues and hints to the themes of the show. The focus on the flashbacks of Tiens life coated in dark light and suffocating aura compared to the light and warm atmosphere of Torfuns narration whose life seemed hard but she found peace and joy just helping people and learning about the joy of finding value in every little things she had and saw. The peace that Tien couldn’t feel because he felt stifled and empty from his own choices when he thought his life span would be short. He didn’t know the value of money, life or little things. He wasted and gambled precious things to him, acted privelaged and lost hours in a sea of acohol, cigarettes and more. His lifestyle felt wrong after he realised he was given a second chance to find meaning. There’s an overall dark theme of corruption, greed and power that’s going to me an obstacle for the characters. Torfuns demise is clearly more than just an accident with the way people are trying to push her life to the side rapidly, hide details like even selling Tiens car which I have a feeling is what took her life (not him but he bet it in a race before he fainted) or clues that Phupha isn’t going to be done trying to figure out what happened to her it’s foreshadowing this isn’t over yet. We also have another villain who fled during the forest ranger fights at the beginning, he’s definitely coming back I wonder what these criminals want and how much danger Pha will have to deal with with this boss and his other hooligans. Why are they in the forest and what do the rangers have to protect? Lastly our couple met and you can’t tell me that Pha isn’t smitten he is struck with love at first sight immediately he meets Tien but he hides it through his stern cover and he finds it funny to bicker and tease him. He also thinks Tien is too delicate, rich and shallow to stay to help the kids, so he’ll struggle with liking Tiens determination and drive to feeling angry at how much value of life and money he takes for granted but it’s a learning arc something Tien will grow learning and transforming from. Their bickering is cute, both are intrigued by each other already Tien because Pha is connected to Torfun’s wishes and hopes, but also he saw him in the weird fantasy dream thing. He’s intrigued by his stern cover vs why people seem to think he’s sweet and kind. And he’s irked by the guy who keeps getting under his skin and calling him out. It’s going to be fun to see his own reactions and feelings develop slowly and his doubt that it’s his and it’s Torfun’s heart acting up. That conflict will be so interesting to explore and knowing Backaof we’ll get a deeper conversation about sexuality, spirituality and more. All his shows even his fantasies have these deep reflections and conversations about feelings and life of someone struggling with what their sexuality is to them. Even when fantasy he never fails to include those scenes. But also there’s always a massive plot twist hidden in the story that could tear our characters apart, and it’s connected to our girls demise 🥺 i have so much more to say about this show. But for now just know I’m obsessed in awe and excited for this journey. It’ll be emotional a roller coaster of emotions and lessons, but also a love story I can’t wait to see unfold

Lastly TT finale. It’s precious to say TharnType will always have a place in my heart, marked into it as my favourite couple. Their love is so incredible, everlasting and theirs, their journey to each other has never been easy and yet their love is constant, precious and real. They make me smile and want to cry because I still can’t process we’ve come to the end. Boy was it a good way to say goodbye. I will miss this show, the annoyances, problems and also the good moments. I will miss my LeoFiat dramatic souls, their angst and their own journey to each other. Glad to seeFiat finally got to define the relationship he’s been hoping and waiting for. And Leo finally got to show Fiat how much he’s cared. Question why didn’t I get a kiss scene from them? Forever staying petty about that. Champ and Khun did what they were meant to do, their own relationship was also adorable and I just wish it wasn’t only the last episode we had to deal with their confession and realisation that there’s been something here all along. Champs cute though his nativity and dumbness was real and pure but I like how he understood what he was feeling and why he wanted Khun by his side and more. So well done to them getting together. We had Tharn finally Wade his way into Type’s fathers acceptance I wish he wasn’t just a comedic role but we had more conversations serious ones about him learning to accept Tharn still it was wholesome he grew to finally let them be together he understood Type was never going to leave Tharn and was at his best with him. Love the Kirigun family and how much they push Tharn to be his best. Their support was earnest and I loved we saw Thorn get married like a full circle after he proposed and found his own love story. We Stan a very protective supportive older brother who has always been a source of help during TT relationship. Techno irked me in this series and he became one of my least fave characters his snooping whilst cute just didn’t mesh well with me and I kept wondering where his man was because he acted like someone who wasn’t satisfied in the relationship he was in. Just an annoying presence overall. Sorry not sorry. That being said I didn’t hate this sequel and I know rewatching it as second part to TT journey watching 24 episodes of TT back to back will be an emotional experience and will show you all the clues, meta, subtext and overall plot of these two in a better light. Overall TT is always going to be a fave show of mine, and the sequel whilst not fulfilling all my expectations it made me still feel like it was worth my attention and care. Thank you to the cast, crew and production for this. My Fridays will never be the same we’re really now in 2021 with these new shows 😭 just manner of d@earth to go. 😭

Friday shows bringing me joy, excitement and most of all new lessons and new ideas. I’m so excited and I loved that these are the shows we have in January. Let’s hope they keep being great and our Fridays stay exciting and warm 👌

[arcaneranger]

Final Thoughts - 2019 Long Shows

Dear Lord. This is where all the good shows went.

2019 was absolutely awful on a season-by-season basis (except for Summer, anyway), but that’s mostly because most of the best shows ran longer than what has become the industry norm of a single season. And indeed, heading into the new decade, we seem to be seeing a major renaissance for two- or split-cour shows, given the massive success seen by shows like My Hero Academia, Food Wars, and Haikyuu!!..particularly in comparison to the new perpetual-runners Black Clover (which, despite running for over two straight years now, is still not the most popular show of Fall 2017 by viewer count on MAL, and sits at a ‘meh’ 7.2), and even worse, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, which is faring even worse on both counts even though it premiered two whole seasons earlier and the fact that it is the sequel to Naruto.

As a reminder of my rules, the shows on this list may or may not have premiered in 2019, but they finished airing this year. The split-cour rule (stating that I judge any show that “finishes” and then premieres a “new season” within six months) didn’t come into play for any 2018 shows, but it will for Ascendance of a Bookworm and Food Wars this year, at the very least.

With that being said! 25 shows running longer than thirteen episodes finished airing this year after being simulcast, and of those…

I skipped 6:

Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure Part V: Golden Wind, Fairy Tail Final Series, A Certain Magical Index III, Ace Attorney Season 2 and Cardfight Vanguard (2018) because I either dropped or have not finished their previous (also long-running) seasons.

Yu-Gi-Oh VRAINS because the simulcast started late and also it was bad.

I Dropped 8:

Worst Long Show of 2019: The Rising of the Shield Hero

It’s always fun to see that a show you hated from its first episode only gets more and more distasteful afterwards, but it’s less fun when a service you have to promote because they’re the legal option is forced to shove it down your throat because they had a hand in making it and it became a massive hit that your friends don’t see any issue with because the author wrote a story that justifies its hero’s patronage of the slave industry. This is my punishment for watching the whole first season of The Asterisk War before I knew better.

YU-NO: A girl who chants love at the bound of this world

A confusing mess from the word go, this ill-fated adaptation of a visual novel from the nineties seems like it was mostly made to cash in on the popularity of the Science Adventure series, but failed to present itself in a way that made an ounce of sense or looked remotely interesting.

Fairy Gone

Am I really the only one that saw potential here? I mean yes, it ended up a boring slog that didn’t care to move its plot in a meaningful direction, but the first episode was at least cool. I guess Izetta: The Last Witch should have taught me better.

We Never Learn

I know that I’m in the minority in terms of the male demographic for shows like this, but honestly, how are bland harem shows still this easy to market? A copy-pasted protagonist with copy-pasted waifus drag down what could be an interesting setup for a story. 

Karakuri Circus

The first episode of this one had me excited, the second and third left me bored to tears and wondering if it would continue to look uglier by the minute. I haven’t seen a three-cour show look this janky since Knight in the Area.

Radiant

Having heard good things about this show from my cohorts, I do feel bad for saying I’ll probably never return to Radiant, but when you have a show that’s notably written by a European author...and it turns out to be a frustratingly standard shounen affair with middling production values, well, you can see my earlier annoyance with Cannon Busters.

Ensemble Stars

This one still gets to me. It almost looked like a male-idol show I would finally be able to get behind, what with its rebellious attitude and oddball setting...that is, until the setting got to be too unbelievable and the show began drowning its audience in side-characters because they had to squeeze every husbando from the mobile game into the story, and it all began to resemble UtaPri a little too much...but without the production value.

Boogiepop and Others

This was a hard drop, honestly. I spent a lot of time trying to figure out how I felt four episodes in, before concluding that I was bored and not particularly invested, two things that should never describe the experience of watching a Madhouse show. The fact that this was the project responsible for ruining One Punch Man only made it worse. There’s a slow burn, and then there’s walking away without turning the stove on.

And I Finished 11 (holy crap that’s like three hundred episodes just on their own).

That Time I Was Reincarnated as a Slime (5/10 & 1/10)

I’ll be honest, I had forgotten just how livid I was with the ending (and especially the sad excuse of a recap episode) of Slimesekai, and reading back through my write-up of it, it’s certainly coming back to me. While this year had bigger demons to fight (Shield Hero), the bad taste that Slime left me with hasn’t really faded, and the wasted premise bugs me to this day.

Hinomaru Sumo (7/10)

What Hinomaru lacked in production value, it happily made up for in good execution and earnest heart. I can’t believe this came from the same studio as Conception, Try Knights and 7Seeds, but if they can only get out one good show a year, I’m glad that we got one bringing attention to a sport that many will joke about but few understand, respect and appreciate.

Kono Oto Tomare (7/10)

Speaking of giving love to traditional Japanese culture, here’s a decent-if-unoriginal show about a local high school koto club down on their luck, and the troubled teens coming together under a scrappy protagonist to bring it back to life. Kono Oto Tomare doesn’t have much that you haven’t seen before, but a decently-executed club drama with Your Lie In April-inspired musical performances is more than enough to keep me interested, and since Forest of Piano kinda crashed and burned under the weight of its own self-importance this year, it was nice to have an alternative.

MIX: Meisei Story (8/10)

It’s hard to judge MIX next to the other shows on this list because it’s almost too old-school for its own good, revelling in an eighties storytelling style that didn’t end up jiving with a wide audience this year. But at the same time, its fun character dynamics (and a very good dub from Funimation, despite them saying they’d never touch sports anime again) were very entertaining to watch, even if it didn’t focus as much on the sport it was supposedly about as much as I’d have liked.

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (8/10)

I fully admit that I’m very salty about the fact that this won Show of the Decade in Funimation’s poll while it was still on and I thought there were hundreds of more deserving shows, but I can’t deny that Demon Slayer was a very enjoyable experience, albeit one that I had notable problems with. That’s not gonna stop me from getting mad when it sweeps the Anime Awards in a few weeks, though.

Fire Force (8/10)

I was very afraid that David Productions wouldn’t be able to match the energy of Studio Bones’ adaptation of Ohkubo’s previous work, Soul Eater, but I was happy to be proven wrong. Even if the last few episodes contained a bit too much infodumping, it was all sandwiched between jaw-dropping fight scenes that proved that the people who make Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure can still handle the reins of a more traditional action show.

Fruits Basket 1st Season (8/10)

I know that my score for this one is a bit lower than others, but I think that Fruits Basket did pretty well in its first season, considering that it was largely spent setting up future storylines and adapting the part of the manga we’d all seen before, but with much higher production value. I’ve been familiar with this part of the story for over a decade, and the scene with Tohru and Kyo (you know the one) still made me cry. Now, we get the real plot going.

Dr Stone (9/10)

A great start to a totally new spin on shounen, Dr Stone gives me hope for survival in the post-Shokugeki world in which we’ll soon live, as a show that wears its research on its sleeve. A complex plot weaving interesting characters in and out of a narrative surrounding a philosophical battle where both sides actually do have fair points (even if one of them is going about it in a pretty cruel manner). More please.

Vinland Saga (9/10)

Once again, a great start to what will hopefully be years of quality storytelling, Vinland Saga made it seem like it was dragging in the middle only to reveal just what its slow burn had been leading up to, with twist-heavy storytelling and a fantastic cast to match the high visual quality of its brutal battles.

Run With the Wind (9/10)

It’s not often that Production I.G. gets to make a complete, fully-realized show anymore, and this one was a glorious reminder of the potential of the studio in the TV space, and a great rebound for the director of Joker Game. It’s gorgeous to look at, the cast is wonderful, and the story is both realistic and idealistic in a satisfying balance. It’s a miserable process to get to the finish line in real life, but sitting back and watching this was nothing but a treat. At least, until a minor fumble at the end.

Best Long Show of 2019: Dororo (9/10)

Speaking of complete stories, Tezuka Productions and MAPPA teamed up for a breathtaking adaptation of an underappreciated Tezuka classic that expands upon the story in exactly the right way to create a thrilling, savage, beautiful masterpiece that focuses a laser-sharp eye into the relationship between two characters in their journey to, literally and figuratively, become complete people. Also, that opening was killer.

And that’s it! That’s the fun list. Next comes the painful one. Stay tuned for the trash heap.

[gryffindorcls]

Meant To Be:  Chapter 1 (Concert)

IT’S DAY ONE OF LOVESQUARE FLUFF WEEK 2020!!!  

Thank you @lovesquarefluffweek​ for organizing this event!

I decided to write a multi-chaptered fic this year.  Today’s prompt is “Concert”.

Enjoy!

---

Next —-> 

AO3

FanFiction

Chapter 1: Concert

“What’s that bright light coming from the park?” Chat Noir asked, perching himself on the edge of the roof and observed the scene below, “I know there are street lights down there, but they’re not usually that bright.”

Ladybug moved next to him. “Well, I did see some workers setting up for a wedding earlier today.”

“A wedding? How do you know?”

“My fam…uh,” she cleared her throat, “I mean, my favorite bakery is catering the event this weekend.”

“Oh.”

“But the workers finished hours ago, and I don’t see any people down there right now. I know that they put one of those temporary chain-link fences around the venue, but we should probably go check it out anyway. I doubt it’s an Akuma, but maybe they accidentally left something running?”

“Sounds good, my lady. Lead the way.”

The duo leaped off of the rooftop and landed gracefully inside the fenced-off area. Ladybug dove behind a bush and gestured for him to come. Chat quickly joined her behind the foliage and peered over the leaves. After a few minutes of observation, they both came to the conclusion that they were alone in the park.

“I think everything is safe, my lady,” he declared, “We should get going. I know you’re probably itching to get our patrol started.”

“Wow.” To his surprise, Ladybug ignored his statement, grabbed his hand, and pulled him into the decorated space. “They did an amazing job. It’s so beautiful.”

Everything within the boundaries of the fence was tastefully adorned with an explosion of pink and white. Chairs made of slatted wood-lined both sides of a shimmery aisle runner while large pots containing rose bushes in full bloom were scattered throughout the grounds.

A white gazebo that had been fashioned into an altar was the source of the park’s illumination. Light poured through translucent white curtains that swayed gently in the breeze. A cascading garland of pink and white roses adorned the entranceway.

“It’s like walking through a dream,” Ladybug whispered, reaching out to touch the delicate petals on the make-shift archway.

Chat stood next to her under the flowered veil. “Do you like roses?”

She nodded. “Yeah, the pink ones are my favorite.”

“I’ll make sure to remember that.”

“Thinking of getting me flowers?”

“Purr-haps.”

Ladybug flicked his bell. “I thought this little kitty was smitten with someone else. At least that’s what he told me that last time I checked.”

He turned his head away. “Um...no. Things didn’t exactly work out with her. We were...um...too alike.”

“I’m sorry to hear that, Chaton.”

“Thank you, my lady.”

A dull ache resonated throughout his body. Every fiber of his being yearned to be with Ladybug. A lot had changed between them, but she was still his everything. Several months ago, he’d tried so hard to move on from his crush on her, but looking for love somewhere else only made him realize that he’d never stop being in love with her.

After Ladybug became the Guardian, Chat began to spend time with his partner after patrols. He knew that she needed his unwavering support, and he was more than willing to provide it.

At first, their conversations centered around plans to find and defeat Hawkmoth, but they eventually started talking to each other about their everyday lives. Without revealing their identities, they got to know each other on a more personal level.

Soon, Ladybug was no longer just the beautiful enigma who’d stolen his heart. He’d come to discover that beneath her serious exterior was an ordinary girl who led an extraordinary life. She had hopes and dreams like everyone else. She wasn’t perfect, but she was real. Chat always knew that his lady was brave, creative, and intelligent, but he was pleasantly surprised to learn that she was also quirky, kind, and selfless. While he still didn’t know her name, it was almost as if she was someone he knew in his civilian life.

It didn’t take long for them to become each other’s best friends. Once this happened, he knew things would never work out with Kagami. His heart would forever belong to his lady, and loving anyone other than his partner proved to be an impossible task.

So, with a heavy heart, he told Kagami that he was in love with another girl. Initially, she’d been upset, but they eventually came to a mutual understanding. In the end, he was happy that he and Kagami were able to remain friends.

Chat didn’t tell Ladybug about the overwhelming love he still felt for her because he was afraid that she didn’t want to know about it. His lady had mentioned going on a few dates with someone, but she said that she decided to stay friends with the mystery boy. He knew that she wasn’t dating anyone at the moment, but he’d become terrified of rejection. His heart wasn’t ready to hurt again.

Being in Ladybug’s presence made him feel broken and whole at the same time. However, after seeing the wonderment in her expression tonight, he was on the verge of shattering into a million pieces. As he continued to watch her gush over the decorations, a surge of emotion pressed against the fissures in his soul.

When tears started to brim in the corners of his eyes, he turned his head away from his lady and did his best to focus on something else. His gaze eventually landed on a white baby grand piano in the middle of the gazebo.

He sniffled, hastily wiped the wetness from his cheeks, and took a seat on the bench. After lifting the lid, he gently ran his fingers across the keys. He took a deep breath and began to play.

At first, the notes came slowly. As he continued to play, his song started to evolve into a tune that reflected his deepest desires. It was the song that his soul sang every day. He closed his eyes and escaped into the music.

Her voice cut into his reverie and pulled him back to earth. “That’s beautiful, Chaton.”

“Thank you, my lady.” His fingers still danced across the keys while he spoke.

“I’ve never heard that song before. Is it from something?”

“I wrote it. The melody took over every thought and wrote itself on my heart.”

“It’s incredible.” She walked over and sat down next to him. “What inspired you to write it?”

Chat’s fingers went still. “You were my inspiration.”

He heard her breath hitch. “What?”

“I wrote it for you.” He met her gaze.

“Please don’t stop.” Ladybug’s voice was barely a whisper.

“Anything for you, my lady.” Chat looked back down at the keys and started again from the beginning.

He once again lost himself in the melody. Every passing note screamed a hidden declaration of love. As if it was the last thing he’d ever do, he poured every ounce of himself into his playing. He couldn’t find the courage to voice the “I love you” that pounded against his chest, so his song spoke for him instead. Tonight, the piano sang the song of his soul, and he really hoped that his lady was listening.

When the song ended, he became painfully aware of Ladybug’s presence. Chat turned his head only to find his lady looking at her lap. Her bangs obscured her face, making it impossible for him to gauge her reaction.

“Thank you for playing that for me, Chat,” she said softly, “I have to go home now, but I’ll see you soon.”

He reached out as she got up and walked away from the piano. “Wait! We didn’t finish our patrol.”

“It’s a school night, and I have to finish some homework before tomorrow. Paris will be okay for tonight.”

He felt his entire body droop. “You hated it.”

Within seconds, her hands slipped into his own and she pulled him to his feet. “Oh, no, Chaton. That’s not it at all. I loved it. I loved it with all my heart.”

“Then why are you leaving?”

“The schoolwork thing isn’t a lie. I really do need to finish my Physics homework; however, I have a feeling that it’s going to take a little longer tonight because I suddenly have a lot on my mind.”

“But what does…”

Before he could finish his question, Ladybug slipped away and stood in the gazebo’s entranceway.

“I’ll see you soon, kitty.” She gave him a little wave and swung off into the night.

Chat felt the beginnings of a smile tug at the corners of his mouth. “Goodnight, my lady.”

***

Marinette sighed and stared at the ceiling. She’d been in bed for six hours, and, to her utter despair, she was still awake. Nothing felt right. Nothing felt comfortable. Her usually soft bed had betrayed her.

With a huff, she sat up, fluffed her pillow, and flopped back down onto the bed. She then scooped up one of her throw pillows and screamed into it.

“What’s wrong, Marinette?” Tikki mumbled groggily from her nest of blankets.

“Why is it always the blond ones?” She turned onto her back and stared at the ceiling. “Why couldn’t I have just fallen for the cute one with the black and blue hair! It would have been so much easier!”

“Sorry. I’m not quite following you.”

“Do you remember when Luka played me that song when I was trying to get over my crush on Adrien?”

“Yes.”

“Well, when he played that song, it felt like the giant gaping hole in my chest had been refilled. It wasn’t the same, but I felt whole again. It would have been easy to fall in love with him.”

“Okay, but what does that have to do with blond boys?”

Marinette squeezed the throw pillow against her chest. “When Chat played me that song tonight, it made me feel more than just whole. I felt complete. Like I gained something that I didn’t have before...something I didn’t even know that I needed. Does that make sense?”

Tikki giggled. “That makes all the sense in the world!”

“What do you mean?”

“I want you to think for a moment, Marinette. How do you really feel about Chat Noir?”

“He’s my best friend. My partner. We’ve never been closer, and I trust him with my life.”

“No, really think. How do you feel about Chat?”

Marinette laid her head on her pillow, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. She let her consciousness wander back to the park and the glowing lights of the gazebo. Chat’s melody rang through her mind like the gentlest lullaby. It quieted her thoughts and soothed her soul.

Moments before falling asleep, everything suddenly made sense.

“I love him, Tikki,” she whispered before drifting into a blissful slumber.

That night, Marinette dreamt of spots, flashes of black, and soaring over the rooftops of Paris. It was as if her mind was finally catching up to her heart.

She awoke the next morning with cheeks that were sore from smiling. It’d been so long since she’d felt this way. The heartbreak of walking away from Adrien had crushed her, but for the first time in months, she was walking on air.

Even though she’d only gotten two hours of sleep, she felt wonderful. Her brain was a little fuzzy, but she decided that it was okay. Marinette knew she would spend the whole day dreaming about the next time she would see Chat.

She hummed while she got ready, and she kept humming while she walked to school. When Marinette took her seat, she continued to hum. After taking out her textbook, she rested her head in her arms and stared wistfully into the distance. Her entire world was a blissful blur.

“Girl!” A foreign entity screamed. “ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO ME?”

Marinette blinked twice and looked up. Alya stood before her with her arms crossed over her chest and a smug grin painted on her lips.

“Yeah, what’s up?” Marinette did her best to focus on her best friend.

“Where is your head today? I’ve been calling your name for a full minute. You didn’t even move when I poked you.”

“I...uhh…” She sighed. “Sorry, Alya. I didn’t get much sleep last night. I think my brain is still dreaming.”

Alya laughed. “Girl, you are a mess!”

“I know.”

“It’s okay. I’ll let you copy my notes if you fall asleep in class.”

“Thank you so much! You are a lifesaver!”

“I know. But if I do this for you, then you’ll have to tell me the real reason behind that lovesick grin on your face.” Alya nudged her arm.

Marinette began to panic. “W-what do you mean? My face is perfectly normal, thank you very much!”

“Mmmmhmmm. Don’t lie to me. I haven’t seen an expression like that on you in months. Spill. Who’s the guy? Did you finally say yes to Luka?”

“No.”

Alya leaned in and dropped her voice to a whisper. “It’s not Adrien, is it? I heard he’s not dating Kagami anymore.”

“NO!” Marinette shouted before clearing her throat and adjusting her volume, “No, it’s...wait, when did he break up with Kagami?”

“A few weeks ago. Nino told me.”

“Oh, wow, but um...no. It’s not Adrien.” A pang shot through her heart, and she quickly brushed away the sensation. “You don’t know him.”

Alya squinted. “You’re lying.”

“No, I’m not!”

“Fine, keep your secrets. But you will owe me a whole box of pastries when you finally start dating Adrien. I’m telling you, girl, you and he are meant to be! It’s like the whole universe is working to get you two together.”

“Alya, it’s not like that. Adrien and I are just friends.”

“Sure! Go ahead, and keep telling yourself that. Just know that I’d like a mix of eclairs and chocolate croissants.”

“Hey, babe,” Nino called from across the room, causing both girls to whip their heads towards the door, “What’s up? You two look like you’re having a pretty deep convo.”

Alya looked back at her. “Marinette was just telling me about someone who caught her eye.”

“I was not,” she responded through gritted teeth.

Adrien walked into the room and took his seat. “Good morning! How is everyone today?”

“We’re all doing great,” Alya beamed, “Thanks for asking. How’s your day going, sunshine?”

“I’m...um...okay.” He took a deep breath. “I have a lot on my mind today.”

Before Marinette could react to his statement, Miss Bustier sauntered into the room. “Good morning, class. Let’s get started right away. Please open your books to page three-hundred and ninety-four.”

Marinette’s eyes may have stayed open during the lesson, but her consciousness was somewhere else. By the time class had ended, Chat’s melody had once again surfaced in her mind. Even though she couldn’t hear the notes with her ears, she allowed herself to become lost in her memory of them.

Eventually, she began to hum.

A gentle hand touched her forearm and snapped her back into reality. Within seconds, she became painfully aware of two shining green eyes looking into her own. Marinette could have sworn that there was admiration behind Adrien’s softened gaze. It was the kind of look that she had only dreamed of seeing him cast in her direction.

She found it strange how the love she felt for Chat seamlessly transitioned into a resurgence of feelings for her former crush; nonetheless, she allowed herself to revel in his closeness. In doing so, she was transported to a place she never thought she’d have the chance to revisit. Yet, here was the boy of her dreams, looking at her like she was the center of his universe.

It felt familiar.

It felt safe.

It felt right.

“Adrien,” she said breathlessly.

He swallowed before speaking. “Where did you hear that song?”

Marinette’s heart pounded against her chest as she struggled to find an answer.

[thequeerwitch]

Dancing In The Starlight

Gordon Ramsay x OC

Word count: 1611

Rating: PG-13 

A/N: Kinda posted this on impulse, I wrote this a while ago and reread it to see whatever edits it needed, but it honestly seemed pretty solid so I posted it. This fic does include an OC named Yvette, the profile preview isn’t up yet but it may be up when you’re reading this. Also, this kinda ends abruptly cuz I was planning on writing more and delving into adult content, but I didn’t think it really fit the vibe of the rest of the fic. I’ll work on the 

          When the party grew dull, I went out for fresh air. The marble balcony overlooked an elegant garden, perfectly pruned and cared for. I leaned against the railing, the chill arose goosebumps against my bare arms. I looked down at the garden—roses of all colors peppered the deep planes of green hedges, surrounding a marvelous three tiered fountain. I turned back to the party. Contestants were mingling in extravagant gowns and suits while a camera crew recorded it all. Some dancing together, others enjoying themselves at the bar, and a few glared across the room at each other to give the cameras something interesting to capture. The life of reality television. I turned my back to the window dividing the balcony and the ballroom. I was glad to be alone for once, away from the constant buzz and chatter of my colleagues. I wanted so badly to feel happy for the winner of the show as Chef Ramsay presented her at the ceremony, but I couldn’t help but linger on the subtle taste of victory that I had for a moment. For one moment as she and I stood side by side, Chef Ramsay eying us both, I knew I was going to win. My heart raced, and my palms were slippery from sweating. Gordon gave me one final, remorseful glance, and he chose the other contestant. Sure, first runner up wasn’t too bad, it would look great on a resume. But it wasn’t winning. It was soul crushing disappointment, and the knowledge that my dreams were over.

          A pair of footsteps trailed outside and stopped right behind me. I couldn’t face them, whoever it was. In fact, I really didn’t care. But I knew the cameras were on me, so I plastered a smile to my face and turned. There she was, her wine colored gown hugging her curves a little too tightly, and a cocky smirk painted across her face in scarlet lipstick.

          “Congratulations,” I said. “You really deserved this victory.”

          “I know.”

          “Is there something you wanted to say?” I asked.

          “I just wanted to step away from the cameras and have a chat, y’know, contestant to contestant.”

          “Alright.”

          “I told you Gordon favored me.”

          “And I told you I don’t really care.”

          “Oh, I know you care. You said it yourself in the first episode, all you wanted was his approval.”

          “That has nothing to do with it, everyone wants his approval. Just because you got his ultimate approval doesn’t mean you can be a prat about it now.”

          “Now, now. Don’t be a sore loser.”

          I swallowed back a retort and held my head high. “Sure, you’re right. I don’t want to ruin your night with my sour feelings. Let’s just call a truce here, yeah?” I extended my hand to her, trying to make my face seem as friendly as possible.

          She quirked her lip up and approached, grasping my hand and bringing my close for a hug. Then she whispered, “As long as you know that you’ll always be number two. You’ll never be a master chef as long as you live.” She pulled away, offered a smile, and returned to the party.

          My hands shook at my sides, tears threatening to ruin my makeup. I turned back and leaned against the railing, covering my mouth so I wouldn’t sob too loudly. I couldn’t go to the bathroom, that meant passing by a number of cameras and being caught by more contestants. I had to pull myself together and get out before someone found me like this.

          “Yvette?” His voice was low and gentle, I knew who it was without needing to see him.

          Shit.

          I couldn’t bear to look at him, I couldn’t let him see me like this. Chef Ramsay came closer, and a warm hand closed around my shoulder. I instinctively pulled away tried to hide my face. “I’m fine, I just—I needed some air.”

          “Yvette, look at me.” His fingers came to my chin and beckoned my face to him. I met his cool, blue gaze. His sandy hair was fashioned out of his face, and he wore a flattering black suit and a red tie to match the member of the team who won the season. “Talk to me, what’s bothering you.”

          I pulled away. “I know what it looks like, I’m not upset about not winning.”

          “Alright,” he said.

          “I’m not sure it’s best to speak of it like this.”

          “Why?”

          I decided it was best to lie. “It’s…personal. Personal business.”

          “I get it if you don’t want to talk. But may I do something to get your mind off of it?”

          “I don’t know if there’s anything you can say that will help.”

          “Dance with me?”

          I turned to him. “What?”

          Gordon presented his hand to me with a warm smile on his face. “Yvette, may I have this dance?”

          I hesitated for a moment. How could I do this with the man who was—and for all intents and purposes, still is—my boss? Then again, this may be my last chance to rectify this. In some way, this may be the approval I needed from him, and maybe more. I took his hand and he lead me out into the middle of the balcony. His hand glided to my waist and while his other held onto my hand, and I wrapped my arm around his shoulder. We swayed for a moment, the slow music flowing with our steps. For a moment, our hearts were in sync as we spun slowly in place. I didn’t care about the cameras, or the contestants, or even the woman who won in my place. It was just Gordon and I together, and everything melted away. His hand tightened around my waist and brought me closer to his chest. I could smell his musky cologne now, feel his breath against my face as he exhaled. He brought his forehead down to mine, and I closed my eyes. He squeezed my fingers and brought my hand to his neck. My fingers shakily grazed the soft edges of his hairline. Our noses touched at the end more then once, and I felt his breath against my lips. And in that moment, all care and dignity went out the door. I brought our lips together, and he kissed me back. His hands rode up my waist and to my shoulders, one hand cupping my cheek as he turned his head to deepen our kiss. My pounding heart ushered gentle warmth through my body, toes curled in my shoes. I could taste the sweet cherry wine on his soft lips. His thumb grazed against my cheek, bringing me as close as he could to kiss me again. I rested my hand on his chest and he gripped it tightly. I could tell he didn’t want this to end anymore than I did, but any further and we would be undressing ourselves for the public…the party…the cameras.

          I broke away for a brief moment, only for him to dive in for one more kiss before obeying and pulling back. My entire body felt hot, but for a different reason this time. I didn’t want to look away from him in fear of what I would see if I turned towards the party, and from the look in his eyes, he felt exactly the same way. I rested my chin against his shoulder and spun so I could get a glimpse of the party. Thankfully, it appeared that everything had gone on without notice. I whispered, “We’re clear,” and I pulled away, locking my hands behind his neck. I didn’t know what to say, so I watched over his shoulders to avoid looking him in the eye.

          “Y’know,” he finally said. “This is why I couldn’t choose you.”

          I shook my head and squeezed my eyes shut. “You don’t have to explain, she really deserved—”

          “You and I both know that’s a load of shit. She’s an excellent cook, yes. She has the skills to handle a restaurant of her own. But she doesn’t have the attitude, or the passion that you have.” He brushed his fingers across my cheek. “I let my feelings get the best of me, which is why I couldn’t let you win. It would be too obvious. The viewers, and even some of the chefs, are starting to take notice.”

          “Notice to what?”

          He chuckled. “Seriously? They keep saying I’m soft on you, they think I fancy you. They have no idea that they were right, which is why letting you win would have destroyed both of us. If you wanted any hope of a successful career, I had to make it clear my feelings weren’t biased, and I let the clearly inferior chef win over you.”

          “You—you let her win…because you loved me?”

          His grip loosened on my waist and he stopped swaying. “I’m…sorry. I know how you must feel.”

          “No…no, it’s not that. Earlier, I thought my career crushed. I honestly thought I wouldn’t achieve my dreams…but being here with you, it makes me realize that my dream has only begun.”

          He held my close and pressed a kiss to my forehead. “That’s what I wanted. This night is about you, not her.”

          “We should probably go back,” I said. “What if the cameras see?”

          He hesitated, then pulled away and released me, his warmth and muskiness left with him. “You’re right. But…I want to see you again.”

          “I’d like that.” 

          “We can discuss the details in the morning. For now, go mingle and enjoy your night.” 

          “Yes chef.”

          “Call me Gordon. I’ll see you in a few hours.” He kissed my cheek then returned to the party. I stole a few moments of victory to myself, smiling into my hands to avoid squealing, then I returned to the party with a new kind of confidence. I mingled with a few contestants who congratulated me on making it so far, apologized for my disqualification, and even went as far as to say I should have won. All through, I remained humble and praised the winner, probably more than she deserved. Her words whispered through my head a few times, “You’ll never be a master chef as long as you live,” but I kept thinking of Gordon, the breathtaking kisses he left against my lips and his earnest words screamed over the vile poison that tried to plague my thoughts. I didn’t let her words drag me down, tonight was my night and I was going to act like it.

[kindness-ricochets]

A Measure of the Sum of Parts

My second fic for the Grishaverse Big Bang ( @grishaversebigbang )

Corporalki: the glorious @rebooka17 who kept me from writing complete gibberish (the partial gibberish is my fault!) + sensitivity reading by the wonderful @dana-willowfeather

Materialki: @battoad (artwork here — I had literally never seen this style before and I’m still not sure how to say how cool it is), @sheitha & @itsbrilliantjustlikeyou

Summary: Wylan works to improve Kerch, partly by aligning with a growing workers’ movement, even as half the Merchant Council digs in their heels. Jesper knows he should be more, but he’s afraid to become more of a disappointment. The boys love each other. It’s enough… just barely.

Then Jesper makes a terrible mistake, one that leads him to Ravka and a sojourn to the Little Palace. It’s only meant to be a short trip—but what if Wylan decides against going to Ravka? What if Jesper doesn’t want to see him?

And what if, when they see each other again, they no longer belong together?

(What you can expect from this fic: many chapters. Much angst. Special appearances by a certain pirate and bastard.)

Ao3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26282656

On the nights the ghosts visited him, Wylan didn't wake up the following morning. There was no transition, no moving from one world to the next, no disorientation. No, none of that for Wylan Van Eck. Images, growing clearer with the morning light, replaced the smears of memory that filled his sleep. Seeing a thing was different from knowing it existed. Seeing the solidity of his life brought a heavy, cold feeling to his belly. It was real. The things that came to him when he slept, they had been real, too. It wasn't like sleeping. It was like taking a stroll through time and catapulting back to the present, never granted the escape of dreaming.

Useless!

Wylan slept on the side of the bed nearer the washroom and closet, with Jesper nearer the windows, sleeping soundly behind him, snoring. He claimed he didn't snore, a claim to which Wylan had once replied without thinking, Jesper, you've never slept with yourself , and Jesper nearly laughed himself sick. Wylan had blushed, but laughed, too. On good mornings, when he woke up to Jesper's arm around him, Wylan was happy. Sometimes he stayed that way. Other times, like today, it frightened him. This moment was only a moment. The next one would change. Time moved once more in its steady linear fashion. And you trust Wylan Van Eck? Wylan wanted to lie here, beside Jesper, for the rest of his life. Wylan never wanted to lie here again. How could something so wonderful be so fragile? How could anyone survive if something so deep inside them shattered? He squeezed Jesper's hand, then slipped away from him. Jesper was warm and he liked contact--he needed contact. It didn't matter how they went to sleep. Wylan often woke hugged up in Jesper's arms. And on good days, it was everything in the world Wylan never thought to dream of. Today, the cold morning felt better. It was real. The cold slid under his nightshirt and ripped the air out of his lungs. Wylan shivered as he dressed. Trousers first, buttoned under his nightshirt to limit exposure. He gasped when he removed his nightshirt, shaking into his undershirt, fumbling the buttons on his shirt. Gray waistcoat--he looked ridiculous in gray, but he looked seven years old in black. Last night they had been up late. Jesper was usually up late, but this time they were both awake. Wylan looked at the papers on the bedside table. There were a couple of books, too, one of those gruesome thrillers Jesper loved and a romance novel they had been reading together. Wylan imagined it had a thin layer of dust by now. Jesper read through facts and figures with him over and over… Over and over, because Wylan still wasn't prepared. Six months. Six months ago, shaking from nerves but trying not to let it show, Councilman Wylan Van Eck attended his first meeting. He needn't have worried. Karl Dryden, the next-youngest Councilman, was twice his age. And to the rest, Dryden seemed rather young to hold his seat. On the rare occasions Wylan added his voice to the debate, he was usually overlooked. Tolerated, perhaps. Wylan cleaned his teeth and combed his hair as quietly as he could. He had let his hair grow and now wore it tied at the nape of his neck. A few curls always broke free, but Wylan didn't mind. It was a hairstyle he had always liked, even though a man keeping his hair so long was horrifically old-fashioned. He never would have had the courage to do without Jesper encouraging him. He picked up his shoes and started for the bedroom door, walking softly as he could. He had to do better. It was why Jesper was drawing away from him, he knew it was. Why would someone like Jesper Fahey--someone so clever, so talented, so absolutely beautiful--waste his time with a milksop aye vote? Wylan had to do better for Kerch, and he had to do better for Jesper. "You're leaving me like that? Not even saying goodbye?" Wylan set down his shoes. He went to sit on the edge of the bed, scooping up Jesper's hand in his. Jesper had amazing hands. Ghezen did not do , he did not make , but if ever he did, he would have hands like Jesper's, perfectly formed, warm, strong. Wylan knew every scar on every finger, he had spent so long studying these hands. "I didn't want to wake you," he half-whispered. "What could be better than waking up to your gorgeous face?" "Mm. Sleeping until noon?" Jesper smiled. "Close call. Did you sleep okay? You look tired." Please, Papa. Pathetic, useless little-- "Yeah." Wylan brought Jesper's fingers to his lips, hiding that he wasn't smiling when he knew he should. "I'll do well today. I remember what we covered last night." The Council would debate many subjects, as they always did, but top of the list was pay rises for the bodymen. It felt small enough, yet important enough, that Wylan could start having a louder voice. "Merchers won't know what hit 'em." Jesper sat up, abandoning the safety of warmth and heavy covers to hug Wylan. Wylan held him, and it was the best feeling in the world: the two of them together. And the worst, because he would try today. He would try. But… "Saints, it's freezing out here," Jesper said. He drew away from Wylan and pulled the covers up around his shoulders. He had been doing that a lot lately. Drawing away from Wylan. "If my mother's having a bad day, will you send a runner so I know to come straight home? I might stop by Alys's." It had been ages, but he was so busy, there wasn't much time for visiting. "Of course. Now go knock their trousers off." "Thanks, Jes, now I have to picture Hiram Schenck's undergarments." Jesper laughed. "You were awfully quick to pick Schenck, do I need to be jealous?" "Never." In so many ways! Wylan knew he would never stray, that even when things were less than perfect between them, he wanted no one else but Jesper. "Good, I'd be worried if your taste in men was me and Hiram Schenck. With whom I have nothing in common, that old podge." It was true that Jesper and Schenck were different in many ways. They were both clever, but Schenck didn't have Jesper's warmth or his honesty. Wylan didn't like working with Schenck. The man was an absolute cutthroat. But he was brilliant, too, like a lesser version of Kaz. Wylan knew he could learn a lot from Schenck. He couldn't deny that Schenck was old, at least in the context of a romantic partner for Wylan, but, "Schenck's not so bad. My father didn't trust him, for one thing. And I've seen him give De Een Bevoorechte Fchuld to runners." "The… Wy, it's early." "The Favored Debt," Wylan translated, "in Old Kerch. I thought you knew, they're the best chocolatiers in the city." And thus the best in the country and probably the best in the world. Knowing Jesper had a taste for sweets and indulgence, Wylan had assumed he already knew the best chocolatier in Kerch. "And you haven't taken me there? A man could be hurt." Wylan laughed and pressed another kiss to Jesper's knuckles. "I'll make it up to you, but now I really must be going. Get some sleep. It's still early." "No mourners." "No funerals. I love you." "You too." Jesper curled up under the covers. Wylan picked up his shoes and left the room.

[goodlookingforagirl]

Oc-tober Day 14: Cornered

Today’s prompt is takes places in my main storyline, but it’s a conversation that’s only ever referred to. I decided to actually write it out for today! This takes place in 1980, right after Randy is released from prison. I did as much research as possible on the legal process so I hope everything I mention is accurate. No specific trigger warnings, just that there are some heavy things mentioned. Thanks to @oc-growth-and-development for making this list! 

Day 14: Cornered

Mom dropped me off at the church’s back door and waited until I went inside to drive away. The door led to a short flight of stairs down to the basement, where the only light came from a few hallway fluorescents, spaced far apart. It reminded me of an empty elementary school, except that instead of crayon drawings on the walls, there were solemn religious portraits. One of the fluorescents started buzzing, and I quickly walked down the hallway, searching for the door that read “Associate Pastor”.

    I finally found it — the last door on the left — and knocked. There was faint shuffling from inside, and I wished I could run back to the car and make Mom take me home. After all I’d been through, it was stupid to be afraid of one old pastor, but I was. He would probably tell me what a bad person I was, and how I needed to “get right with God” without offering any real help, like all the chaplain’s used to do.

    The door opened to reveal a well-dressed man, barely middle-aged and smiling broadly. “Good afternoon,” he said, extending his hand. “I’m Reverend Burke.”

    “Randy Nicholson.” I shook his hand and tried to smile back, but it came out as a grimace.

    “Please, come in.” He stepped back and gestured to a red leather chair in front of his desk. “Can I offer you anything to drink? I’m afraid all we have is water and tea — we cleaned out the coffee on Wednesday night.”

    “No, thank you,” I automatically answered, then immediately wished I hadn’t. I really could use some water. My mouth already felt like sandpaper, and we haven’t even started our meeting.

    He sat down in his desk chair, so I sat in the leather chair. He folded his hands, so I folded my hands. Finally, he spoke.

    “Your mother called me last month. She said you were in need of reintegration counseling.”

    “Yes, I am.”

    “I’ve worked with many ex-convicts before. Usually, the first meeting is for us to get to know each other. In subsequent meetings, we’ll focus on goal setting and progress.”

    “Okay,” I answered, having nothing else to say.

    He looked at me expectantly. “So, what should I know?”

    “I — I don’t know. What do you need to know?”

    He chuckled. “Well, I need to know your story. Your crimes, your arrest, your incarceration, and anything other pertinent information.”

    Pertinent information. What did that mean to him? Did he want my whole life’s story? He must have noticed my confusion, so he said, “How about we start with the arrest?”

    I leaned back and tried to detach myself from my words as much as possible. “I was walking downtown late one night — or, really early one morning — making a delivery for my dealer.”

    “What kind of dealer?”

    I cocked my head. Could he really be so stupid? “A drug dealer.”

    “I guessed that, but what kind of drugs?”

    “Oh. Well, he dealt a few different ones, but that night it was heroin.”

    “Were you using heroin at the time?”

    “Yes.”

    He nodded, and I continued.

    “So, I was carrying the heroin and a stolen gun. I didn’t steal it myself, but still, it was stolen. And then I ran into some guy, probably a bum, and got in a fight. Then the police rolled up.”

    “Why did you start fighting him?”

    “I don’t remember. I was high at the time, and he probably was, too. The police coming was just a coincidence. We weren’t going at it long enough for someone to have called.”

    “So you were arrested for fighting?”

    “Yeah, and it didn’t take long for them to go through my pockets, check the gun’s registration, all that. They charged me with unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell, and aggravated assault.” I winced at those words. “I mean, the other guy got charged with assault, too. We both hit each other pretty hard. But that doesn’t matter — it’s still on my record.”

    Reverend Burke nodded and wrote something down on a legal pad. “How did you plead?”

    “Guilty.”

    “On all charges?”

    “Yeah.”

    “Did they offer you a deal?”

    “They said they’d drop the firearm charge if I told them where I got it from, but I didn’t. I pleaded guilty because I didn’t want to lie. And I mean, they caught me in the act.”

    “And this was all how long ago?”

    “Five and a half years ago.” I still couldn’t believe it. All that time spent in a cell because the cops happened to drive by right at that moment. No, because I decided to break the law and I was rightfully caught. Okay, fine, maybe because of both reasons. And for what? So I could get a little extra smack for being a runner?

    “How did you cope in prison?” Reverend Burke asked so casually, like it was an everyday question.

    “I read a lot of the library books. Some religious ones, too. Those helped me a lot.”

    “Did you make friends?”

    “I was considerate, but I kept to myself. That’s the only way to stay safe, really, unless you get involved with all the prison politics, which I didn’t.”

    “A lot of the men I counsel tell me that,” he commented. “Did you keep in contact with family and friends on the outside? Did they visit you?”

    I subconsciously gripped the armrests of the chair, my knuckles turning white. We were getting close to the subject that I really didn’t want to talk about. My least favorite subject in the world.

    “My family in Texas wrote to me sometimes. That’s my mom, my grandparents, and aunts and uncles.”

    “Your father?”

    “I’ve never met him.”

     Reverend Burke looked sympathetic but not surprised. “Did he pass?”

    “Almost ten years ago, but I didn’t know him before he passed, either. He and my mom — it’s complicated. The last time they saw each other was when she was pregnant with me.”

    “I see,” he nodded. “Did your family ever visit you?”

    “Sometimes,” I said, my throat getting tight. “My brother did.”

    Reverend Burke raised his eyebrows. “You have a brother?”

    “Had a brother,” I corrected him. “He died three years ago.”

    His face fell. “Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. You were still incarcerated then?”

    “Yeah.” I stared at the floor and tried to ignore the pain that was rushing in. “He visited when he was still alive. Everyone else wrote, and I called them sometimes, too.”

    “I see,” he muttered, writing something else down. “So, you made it through prison without any major issues, it seems like. Relatively speaking, of course.”

    “I didn’t join a gang, if that’s what you mean.”

    He chuckled. “I guess that is what I mean. When were you released?”

    “My mom picked me up on Wednesday. You’re the first person I’ve talked to since, besides her.”

    “She’s the only one who came up?”

    “Well...yeah.” What did he expect, my extended family holding up banners, welcoming me home with open arms?

    “Are there any people in the area you could reconnect with? Old friends, co-workers, classmates?”

    I half-shrugged. “Maybe. I can’t think of anyone right now.”

    Reverend Burke tapped his pen on his legal pad a couple of times, then stood up. “I have some reading that might help you.” He grabbed three books off of his shelf. “I need to run by the copy room and Xerox some pages for you. Forgive me, but I learned long ago not to loan my books out. They have a habit of never coming back.”

   “No offense taken,” I replied with an awkward laugh. He excused himself and left me alone in the office, tense and nervous and itching for a cigarette, the only habit I hadn’t kicked yet. I resisted, smart enough to know that I shouldn’t smoke in a church. But I craved any kind of relief — anything to stop me from feeling like a frightened animal, cornered by my own past.

    People to reconnect with. There weren’t any. I didn’t have friends in high school — not real friends that would remember me. Most of my “friends” were other addicts, and I didn’t want to see them again. My family was in Texas, and I didn’t want to move there. And Roland — Roland was gone. The one person I actually wanted to reconnect with, and I couldn’t.

    Reverend Burke came back in and handed me a small stack of warm paper. “Fresh out of the copier,” he grinned.

    I flipped through the pages and read the headers: Finding God in Grief; Convict Turned Convert; The Road to Recovery. I didn’t even have to read them to know that I hated them. Life’s darkest chapters reduced to cute, alliterative phrases. Reverend Burke didn’t know what it was like. He had no clue what it felt like to be cornered by your past, every day of your life, only for someone to write a pat little paragraph about how easy it is to overcome. And I wasn’t mad at him for it — I was jealous. I wished it were that easy for me. 

[randomfandomimagine]

Fate Is Sealed. Chapter 1

Fandom: John Wick

Pairing: John x Elizabeth (OC)

Chapter Index - Next Chapter

AO3

A/N: I hope you all enjoy this series based around my imagine ‘We’re Even’. As every time I start writing something as long, I get a little insecure about it, but I'm still very excited about this series. If you like it, please like/reblog/leave feedback! Hopefully you’ll like the first chapter :) More action in the next one, as well as some actual interactions with John.  

I was running out of patience with these assholes. They wrecked my car, wouldn’t leave me the fuck alone and then that. They’d see.

Bam, another hit. Closing my eyes tight, I took a deep breath to try and assimilate all the adrenaline pulsing through my veins.

“Where the fuck is my money?”

“I don’t have it”

“You don’t…”

“Fuck off” I looked away and spit out the blood that was accumulating in my mouth. “If I had it, I wouldn’t be here letting you beat the shit out of me”

Gaige ‘Smiling’ Stoakes smirked, and I grimaced at the gesture. If you happened to be tricked into thinking his smile was lively and friendly, you were in for a nasty surprise.

“What are you gonna do with her then, boss?” Dominic asked him, still watching everything.

If I didn’t know any better, I’d say they found some sort of twisted satisfaction in witnessing this. Gaige’s other two goons, Delfino and Simone, were still there as well.

I stirred in the chair, uncomfortable in that position as my hands were tightly stuck behind my back. After receiving so many punches, I was weak and exhausted and basically sunk in my seat. My vision was a little blurry as well.

“I dunno…” Gaige replied to Dominic, serenely bringing a hand up to comb his dark hair. “Maybe teach her a lesson”

While they all had amused expression on their faces, it was Simone who took a step forward. She cracked her knuckles and set her heavy brown eyes on their boss.

“Go ‘head” Gaige turned around, then glancing at the other two. “You, come with me. And you, stay here and watch that one doesn’t try anything”

Appreciating the breather, I tried to settle down my heartbeat and accommodate my quick breathing pattern into a calmer one. My eyes followed Delfino as he walked after the boss, at his orders, and Dominic stayed with Simone and me.

“Well” She dedicated me a shit-eating grin. “Where do we start?”

I opened my mouth to say something, but before any words could leave it, she had crossed my face with her fist. I took a few seconds to recover from the violent hit and glared back at her. That hurt more than usual.

“Bitch” I muttered, watching the brass knuckles that suddenly covered her hand.

I could feel the wounds forming all around my face, the impact of her punch burning in the skin of my cheek, eyebrow and temple.

“Oh, Lizzie” Simone sarcastically said as she took me by the hair and tilted my head back. “What a shame… I hate to do this to you”

“Don’t lie” I still glared at her, speaking through grit teeth. “And don’t call me that”

“This would all be over if you paid” Dominic said behind Simone just as she let go of me. “That’s all we want”

I bowed my head down in exhaustion. However, I wriggled my hands in the handcuffs, trying to reach my sleeve.

“And I’d be happy to comply” I lifted my eyes to meet with theirs, trying not to arise any suspicion as I took the paper clip tucked in my sleeve. “But five grand is a bit much to ask”

“Then you shouldn’t have put yourself in this situation on the first place”

I rolled my eyes, refusing to fall into her trap. I pursed my lips and focused all my efforts in twisting the clip and introducing the end on the small hole in one of the handcuffs.

It was hard to ignore the pain and exhaustion, but I pushed through just out of spite against Simone. And against that other douchebag too while we were at it.

“Or maybe Gaige should just forget about the stupid debt”

As I expected, Simone let out a sarcastic chuckle, loud enough to cover the low satisfying click of the handcuffs. I turned my wrist in a sharp movement and freed myself from it.

Now or never.

I stood up at top speed and punched Simone in the throat while she was distracted. She immediately fell to her knees, gasping for air as she clutched her neck. Then I kicked Dominic in the balls and ran as fast as I could, swinging the door open.

I found myself in a room full of mobsters that turned their heads towards the running young woman who still carried one of the handcuffs wrapped around her wrist.

“Get her!” Yelled a mixture of voices.

“Shit” I tried to make a run for it, managing to make it through for a few meters.

It wasn’t long before a pair of hands amongst the sea of arms that tried to reach me actually took ahold of me. I squirmed, shouting and kicking in a desperate attempt to break free from the arms that took me from behind and lifted me off the ground.

“Let me go! Let go of me!!”

“We got a runner” I heard Gaige’s unmistakable voice and soon I saw that pair of calculating brown eyes set on me.

“What are you gonna do?” I said between ragged breaths. “Kill me? Then you won’t get your money”

“I have a better idea” There came his treacherous smile. “You’re gonna do me a favor”

An unsettling silence established in the room. My eyes frantically darted from him to the others present in the room. The rest of them had gone back to their business now that the interruption was taken care of, except for the three usual lapdogs as the other two reunited with their friends.

“I’ll settle the debt…” When Gaige spoke, I perked up at the possibility of living with that freedom. “If you solve some business for me”

“You can’t mean…” Delfino muttered behind me as he set me back on the floor.

“Great idea, boss” Simone’s wide grin was definitely a bad omen.

Dominic left the room, too busy swearing under his breath and driving his hands to his head in outrage. I watched the scene in confusion, and my stomach churned in anticipation. Gaige’s twisted smile only worsened my unease.

The Continental, a sight for sore eyes. I hadn’t been there in a long time, and even if I always felt more comfortable in the safety of my own home, I knew there I could rest until I recovered.

It was a huge effort to even get the heavy door open and dragging myself through the lobby to speak to Charon. The sight of the elegant marble floors was almost exhilarating, as well as the familiar face of the receptionist.

“Miss Dawson” Charon looked me up and down, tranquil as usual despite my terrible state. “Busy night?”

“More like a rough one” I leaned my arms on the counter, supporting my weight there and catching my breath.

“Would you like a room?” Charon slightly moved his glasses down to type on the computer.

“Yes, please” I shoved a hand in my pocket and pulled out a gold coin. My last one.

“Very well” Once he was done typing, he locked eyes with me again. “Shall I call the doctor?”

“No, that’s okay” I grunted as I pushed myself off the counter. “I can take care of these bruises myself”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, I want to be alone”

“As you prefer. Please give me a call if you need anything”

“Thank you”

He slid the keys over the counter and I took them, looking forward to lying down. I moved slowly, since with every step my whole body ached with the aftermaths of the beating. But I headed to my room in peace, with the comforting knowledge that the Continental was a safe haven.

My hands shook as I closed the door behind me, setting my eyes on the hotel bed but barely watching it. Evoking the events of the day and their consequences felt utterly draining. Suddenly feeling exhausted just at the mere concept of pursuing this mission, I plopped down in the bed and blankly observed the ceiling.

I wanted nothing more than to close my eyes and sleep, pretending like what happened never occurred. Still, I knew I probably should take care of my wounds and bruises first, even if they weren’t life threatening.

Waiting a few more seconds until my legs felt capable of holding my weight again, I pushed myself off the bed and to my feet. A groan escaped my lips, my sore muscles and bruises sending a collective complaint, as I forced myself to go into the bathroom.

I positioned myself before the sink and held my hands around it for support. I weakly reached up to open the mirror and grabbed the contents from the first aid kit.

Observing my image in the mirror, I feebly worked to cover all my bruises. First the long cuts along my cheek. Then my eyebrow. And my temple. And my jaw. Fuck.

“What a mess…” I whispered, watching my reflection once I was done.

My face was now covered in plasters, with blood subtly seeping through the material.

I bowed my head down as that damn thought popped up in my brain again. I had to accept my destiny. I needed to do what Gaige told me to, I had no choice.

I had to kill John Wick.

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[mara-twins]

Leave it for Another Day

Genre: Angst with Fluff at the end

Word Count: 2,550

Warning: Death and Mental episode

=============================================================

It had been four days since you last saw Mark and in those last moments you worry you ruined everything.

Flashback

“What’s the matter?” Mark huffed. Mark was venting about his day and you usually took pride in listening to him since he tended to just bottle things up. However, Mark knew you well enough to know he was right when he asked his question. You don’t normally lie to Mark because he can always tell when something is wrong; however, you weren’t thinking like you have been all week.

“Nothing,” you said, you lacked emotion in your voice and on your face making him arch an eyebrow. Mark decided to stop talking and ask you again. You were both seating on the couch in his living room and as Mark really looked at you. He noticed that you were on the other side of the couch too. His eyebrows furrowed just then because you both tend to be attached at the hip, yet here you both were sitting on opposing ends. In Mark’s head the short distance was much larger than it appeared, like you were on the other side of the world. He looked over you again, you were sitting on one foot with a throw pillow in your arms, facing Mark. However, just because you were facing him doesn’t mean you were looking at him.

“Love,” Mark started and watched your hold on the pillow tighten as you bite your lip. He would have thought naughtily of it if it wasn’t for the calmness settling itself within the room. Mark knew this kind of calmness and it made him gulp down the worry that inched its way up his throat. He takes a second to look around the living room. The tv that was once on wasn’t anymore and neither were the fairy lights you normally put on when you come over.

“Love,” Mark starts again reaching over to touch your cheek to which he was thinking you would lean into it like always. Although, that wasn’t the case this time. You swatted his hand away and screamed. Your movements were faster than Mark eyes were able to piece together, apparently, since you somehow were on the floor at that point.

“Baby, hey, what’s wrong?” Again, Mark, reaches for you to make sure you were okay. As he rose from his spot on the couch you started to shake your head, with every step he took you moved back, your hands and feet helping to pull you away. When Mark closed in half way you bumped the wall, your eyes darting around frantically. The two seconds it took for Mark to take a step you bolt away from him.

Mark’s eyes followed you and it took another two seconds for him to register your running away from him. Just like how you bolted so did he, but you did have those two seconds and that made a difference. You ran around his house, throwing things to block his way furthering adding to the seconds you had ahead of him. In the end, you got to his bedroom and locked yourself in. Mark shakes the knob after he collided with the door, causing a loud BANG!

“Baby, open up!” Mark can hear you crying on the other side and with every pound of his heart a piece would break off. But you didn’t and with how you were being Mark didn’t know how to approach you.

“Baby, I love you, please open the door. I want to help if I can, but I can’t do that if I don’t know what’s wrong.” Your began sobbing then. Mark’s heart, at the sound, cracked all over. How it was still together he didn’t know.

Again you didn’t open the door, instead you laid on the floor sobbing until to fell asleep. Mark didn’t move from by the door either.

You ended up waking up with a splitting headache like you always did after crying really hard. Just then you remembered what happened and the embarrassment made you want to cry some more. You reinforce the dam you have built, which held back most of your emotions. However, a tear slipped passed and slid down your cheek. You wiped it away immediately before getting up.

You open the door slowly, checking to see if Mark was leaning on it. The door didn’t try to push back so you knew he wasn’t, instead you found him sleeping on the floor in front of it. You momentarily admire how peaceful he looks, but the memories from last night again flooded your mind. It made you walked over Mark’s body to clean up the mess you created. It took about half an hour, but you were able to clean it up before Mark woke up. You decided to write Mark something.

Markie,

I’m sorry about last night and for how I’ve been recently. As you saw last night I had an “episode.” I have been getting them since I was 13, after I saw my mother die in front of me. I still get them at least once a year and always around this time because her death anniversary is coming up. I have come a long way since then and I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about this before. I know you love me, but you love the parts of me I’ve shown you so far. I knew you have been stressing this week, so I wanted to try to help you by letting you vent it out. I know now that with how close it is to the anniversary I probably shouldn’t have come over. They say we can’t care of others if we aren’t able to care for ourselves. I’m still not ready to really talk about this part of myself. I’m sorry if I scared you too last night and thank you for trying to be there for me. I love you more than I can willing admit aloud right now. I also know that I need time to myself right now. I know you know I’m a runner from my problems and when it comes to facing harder stuff in my life at the time. But I’m not going to run from you, from us, for very long. Just long enough so I can bring myself to talk about all of this. I’ll be back, but for now please don’t come looking for me, okay? I promise I’ll be okay. I love you, babe.

Y/n

You finished with your letter and kissed it. There were tears that fell as you were writing this so you knew it will leave stains on the paper. You leave the paper on the kitchen counter by the coffee machine, where you knew Mark will find it. You also left you phone so he couldn’t find you. Then you left.

*Present day*

You’re squatting in front of your mother’s grave, the last of your family to leave. You wanted to tell her about what happened with Mark, but you didn’t want anyone else to know. So you told them that you’ll catch up with them later. You touch her plat with her picture and name telling her everything that happened. You lips curve down into the frown you try to hide, your eyes sting with blurriness, and that pain in your nose appears as you prepare for the flood of mucus to release. It wasn’t a pretty sight, you know this. It’s why you made sure to bring some tissues. When you were done you say, “Mama, it’s been days and I don’t know what to do. I don’t know if I’m ever going to be ready to tell Mark about what happened, but I’m scared that if I don’t I will lose him altogether. Mama, I know you’re always around or looking out for me so please, if you can, send help because I don’t know what to do.”

Just then a hand touch your shoulder scaring you to the point you fell onto your bottom.

“I’m sorry Y/n, I didn’t mean to scare you,” They said. You honestly thought it was Mark, but it couldn’t be since the person next to you is a woman. You look at her closely because she looks vaguely familiar. Just then you remembered why, she came to your mother’s funeral.

“It’s okay, I think I remember you from her funeral.”

“Yes, that was a hard day for a lot of us. I don’t know if you know this, but I was a friend of your mother’s from childhood. However, the last time I saw her, you were just born.” Your surprise on full display.

“Yes, my family and I had to relocate for work; however, when we moved back here I make it a point to visit her when I can.”

“Thank you, I’m sure she enjoys your visits. Do you, um, I mean..could you tell me some stories about her from back then? I never cared to ask too much about it when she was around.”

“Sure, are you free now? If you are, we could go to her childhood home, it’s two blocks from here. Have you been there before? ” You shake your head in reply, surprise by her questions, but intrigue washes over you. You know the whole stranger danger thing, but this person’s energy reminded you of your mother’s so you went along with it. From intrigue to the familiarity of her energy all of this is a different feeling then what you have been feeling recently. You wanted to fix things with Mark and you know that a change of scenery will further help you.

You walk with her and she tells story after story. Some made you cry because of how much you missed her and others made you laughter out of pure childhood recklessness. After the fifth story you made it to the house the kind lady spoke of, she then says that her house is right next door. It’s why her and your mother were such close friends growing up. Just then you heard a voice you missed more with every passing second, you heard Mark.

He calls out for his mom only for your mother’s friend to look in his direction. Suddenly, Mark comes into view and stops in his tracks. His eyes swept over his mom landing on yours. How his eyes didn’t pop out of his head you didn’t know. You silently wondered if meeting his mom at the cemetery was your mother’s way of helping you.

‘Okay mom, if this is my sign I’ll trust it.’

“I’ll leave you two alone, I’m sure there’s a bit you need to talk about.” Mark’s mom says before leaving. Mark makes his way towards you until he was able to pull you into his arms, to which is exactly what he did. You hug him back and whatever worry you tried to hide since that day flooded out; darkening his black shirt.

“H-hi baby, you okay?” You asked Mark making him laugh in disbelief.

“Shouldn’t I be asking you that?” He replies pulling back enough to see your face. You knew you looked horrendous as tears burned streams on your face and mucus cascaded down to your chin. You pull out some tissues to blow your nose and Mark wipes away your tears. He kisses your forehead and looks you over again.

“I’ve missed you, but I’m still angry that you just left.” He spoke gently, hugging you again. This time tighter than he ever has before. Whatever parts of you felt broken now felt as if they were being reattached and stronger than ever.

“You should be yelling at me right now.”

“From the look of you I can see that you’ve been through a lot already. Right now isn’t the time to yell at you.” Mark’s voice is soft, yet you can tell your not out of the woods just yet. You made a mental note to prepare yourself for that talk for another day.

“So that’s your mom huh?”

“Yeah, how did you guys?”

“She found me at my mom’s grave. Today’s her death anniversary.” Mark didn’t say anything, he just pulls you back into that tight embrace. “Our moms were friends since they were kids, can you believe that?”

“I wondered why she made a big fuss about going out when she did.” Mark loosens his grip a bit and you pull away. His face falls, but then changes to that side smirk, you love so much, when you intertwine your fingers together.

“I have been staying here since you left because my place didn’t feel right anymore.” He explains as he leads you to his parents’ house, moving to the back side. His mom was sitting in the shade of the patio with cups, a kettle of tea, and some cookies ready for whoever wants any.

“Thank you, Ma, for finding her.” Mark says before he kisses her cheek. You heart ached at the affection and some tears started to flow before your mind could say no. The two looked at you with concern before Mark’s mom got up to give you the warmest mama bear hug you’ve ever felt.

“I miss her too,” she says making you cry harder. Years have passed since that day, but you still cry like a baby when you think about her during rough patches in your life. They both gave you a minute and thankfully you were able to recompose yourself before turning to Mark.

“Do not EVER miss a family get-together, do I make myself clear?” You pour out as much authority as you could muster, which makes Mark stiff as a board. However, he nods in reply not wanting to know what your response will be if he said the other option.

“Thank you,” Mark’s mom chuckles as she rubs your arm, still in a hug.

“Did he tell you about me?” You asked her.

“He did, but ages ago. I’m surprised he didn’t being you around before.”

“After mom passed, dad would plan get-together as often as he could. With only one parent left, I didn’t want to miss any unless absolutely necessary.”

“Well, now that you know about me, come by whenever you want. Even if your not with Sonny, I can tell you more stories about your mom.”

“I will and I would love to hear some of baby Sonny,” you say as you look to Mark. His mom laughs and that started the rest of your day. You definitely got your stories, of both your mom and Mark, that by the time you had to go check in with your family your cheeks were starting to cramp. You were afraid it might stick that way. Mark drops you off because he was too scared to meet your dad just yet. Although, before you get out, Mark says, “You know we still need to talk about what happened right?”

“I know,” you reply with a sigh, “but let’s leave that for another day shall we?” You kiss him so you can get the answer you wanted, which was a nod. “You should you don’t want to come inside? You can meet my dad.”

“Let’s leave that for another day, shall we?”

=============================================================

Hey guys, so this was a harder piece for me to write. I lost my mom just last year, to cancer, don't worry I wasn't graced by the universe with her death being like in this piece. To whoever has dealt with that, you will forever be in my prayers. Anyways, so I hope you enjoyed this, I cried literally at all the parts that dealt with remembering my mom. This piece also started writing itself at around 4:30am one morning. Well I guess that's all for now and until next time. Lani OUT!

[jojotier]

what’re your thoughts on sugimoto for the character ask thing? :)

I actually did him before, but by God have things changed since now and the last time I did these rounds….

Favorite Thing: Last time I espoused on how much I adore Sugimoto’s curiosity and willingness to listen and learn all about the Ainu from Asirpa, as well as his kindness, but this time I wanna focus on how devotedly selfless he is for those he loves!! Even though he was singularly focused on Asirpa, he still paused his pursuit to make sure that Shiraishi could be saved from the ice drifts and so that he could assure Shiraishi that he was alive- and God, 188 just showed how much he’s willing to put on the line for those he loves!! 

He’s even willing to save the life of someone he positively abhors if it means making sure that Asirpa doesn’t have to become a murderer. This selflessness is even more impressive when you realize- he’s putting this all aside while also fighting impulses to give into even more violent episodes due to his injury. It’s fantastically realistic writing from a narrative standpoint (while a brain injury in the frontal lobe can drastically change personality, anything extreme usually doesn’t last in the long term- look at the case of Phineas Gage- and the previous personality shows at least in some measure) and makes his selflessness all the more poignant. 

Least Favorite Thing: Some of his more extreme behavior post-injury is kind of annoying, like the willingness to do weirder shit, leaving his photo with the Russian couple, etc- but then again, this is a very, very minor gripe. My real least favorite thing is the same as last time. Stop sympathizing with bearfuckers, fucker

Favorite Line: It’s still his speech about how soldiers have to rebuild themselves on the battlefield in ch100. The persimmon scene is, in general, the single most powerful scene in all of Golden Kamuy so far, but this may simply be due to extreme personal bias. I’ve been quite close with a lot of soldiers in my family, and Golden Kamuy has one of the most genuinely realistic depiction of PTSD and survivor’s guilt that I’ve ever seen in media, as is their effect on military families.

Once, in an uber, I was talking with my driver, I mentioned my Dad had been in the military and served in Iraq. He said that when a soldier serves, their whole family serves, and thanked me for my service. I still remember that- because when my Dad was in the army, I was about 5. This is becoming more of an Asirpa meta, but the persimmon scene encompasses that principle- that not just the soldier themselves serve. All the closest family and people the soldier meets afterward, who the soldier shares their closest lives and struggles with, in some measure are changed by war, even if they don’t know what war is. And it shakes me.

brOTP: Asirpa and Sugimoto- aka, Knife Dad And His Lesbian Daughter. Or like, maybe it’s Gay Dad and his Knife Daughter? I don’t remember how it goes. In any case- I love the sibling dynamic between these two!! Sugimoto obviously has come to love what Asirpa teaches, and enjoys spending time with her, and their joking, teasing manner of doing things is so realistic to how actual siblings act. No cutesy “Big bwother uwu” or “lil sis umu” shit here- Asirpa mercilessly tears into Sugimoto whenever he’s a dumbass and in turn, Sugimoto teases Asirpa for being a tiny goblin who’s weird about poop. He’s obviously endeared, but he doesn’t patronize Asirpa, and I think that’s beautiful

OTP: Oh SugiShira, definitely. Like I still love Sugimoto with a lot of the cast (Umeko and Toraji OT3 included,,) but SugiShira is definitely my all time fave in terms of content and making content! Their relationship is amazingly fun and sweet, and let’s face it- any boyfriend who lets Sugimoto go All Out with courtship is a boyfriend who Sugimoto is gonna go apeshit over, the fuckin sap. The big runner up is SugiKoi, because I still love TsukiKoi but also I love a good rivalmance. Like a rival-to-lover thing that’s ACTUALLY rival-to-lover and not just hatefucking

nOTP: Remember how last time I was like, oh, OSugi’s a soft no, I can’t see it in canon but in a well done au maybe? Yeah lmao not anymore!! Abashiri happened, Ogata kept getting worse and Sugimoto has irreparable brain damage that will affect how he forms and maintains relationships with other people and how some of his motor skills go for the rest of his Life.  I won’t even lie and say “oh maybe you can convince me with an au uwu” because fuck no you cannot. Especially after 188 when people were going apeshit over the eye vore- yall were being fucking weird and that was weird. So yea. Goodbye, Osushit

Random Headcanon: Sugimoto stayed and held vigil over his family’s house as it burned to the ground. Even though the smell of burning flesh made him nauseous, even though his family lay inside, voices slowly being snuffed out and coughing finally coming to an end, he stayed and watched until the flames subsided. It was to make sure things didn’t become a wildfire, he told himself, but in truth he watched because he was mourning. His parents were already as good as dead- had it really been right to hasten them to their graves? And for what, he own fleeting reputation? I headcanon that even now, Sugimoto can’t look at a large fire without the pit of his stomach twisting in on himself. Not without the smell of flesh coming to him. Not without remembering the life he burned.

Unpopular Opinion: Or I guess this is a popular one, idrk? Either way… Sugimoto is a way better guardian figure than Wilk was, despite his few mistakes and general lack of needing to parent Asirpa- he’s not there as Asirpa’s father, just as her guardian and brother and best friend. Which is far more than Wilk has ever done, the son of a bitch, training Asirpa and trapping her in this gold hunt as he did under the guise of parental love. 

Song I Associate with him: I still associate Still in Saigon with him, but after he started getting those psychotic violent episodes, I started ALSO associating Back From the Dead by Skillet with him. Lord knows that’s probably how everyone feels when Sugimoto appears again lmao- and plus, it acts as a great battle track for the Ogata/Sugimoto showdown we never got!

Favorite Picture: I’ve looked at this for five years now

[runveganwankerrun]

Sat 19th Nov '22

Butterflies in the stomach pretty much constantly at the moment re London. I got on t'interweb and booked a hotel as close to the start as I could afford. It (like the Manchester one) is no payment up front and free cancellation. Thank goodness I've been saving for a couple of years, putting pound coins in a money box. I think I can cover both hotel stays with the contents of that money box.

Today started with an early run. Up at 6.45am and out for 5k. As I've been finfing recently, I really want to run the night before I go out, but the morning of, I could very easily be tempted to just lie on in bed. This morning however, thought of possibly doing Londaon, never mind Manchester, got me up and out. I thought about starting out a bit faster than the rest of the week. I am supposed to do one slightly faster paced run. All this morning proved to me is that I have no idea how to run to feel. I was not faster at all. And I've no intention of even trying tomorrow. I'm out on a social run and I will already be feeling the pressure of running with other people, never mind adding pace to that.

This morning was cold enough to need long sleeves and no shorts. Definately seeing the Winter start to think about arriving. Positive to come from the run today was that, as much as I still don't enjoy the actual run, I didn't feel bad afterwards. I am getting fitter.

I feel good about my food again. After my run, I had some Tailwind Recovery. Not wholefood, but not high cal, and has a decent amount of protien. That's what the Recovery drink is all about. I haven't used it for ages, but it's good to haveif I don't have time to eat after exercise.

TGG and I went for lunch after parkrun. Mine was high enough in cals, vegan sausages in a white bread roll, with sweet potato fries, but I compensated for that by making soup for dinner. It was one of my "use up the veg that's in the house" soups.

600g potatoes

400g red peppers

400g onions

200g edamame beans

4 tbs nutritional yeast

salt

onion salt

Chinese five spice

Chop the potatoes, peppers and onions and add to a pot of boiling water (about a litre) bring down to a simmer and add the seasoning and five spice. Cook till very tender, then blend with a hand blender. Add the edamame beans and cook through. Stir in the nutritional yeast. The pot makes about four big bowls worth about 280 cals per bowl. I ate two bowls. With a punnet of grapes as a snake, I was ona about 2200 cals for the day, but I'd earned 500 from the run and a walk after lunch. That's okay on balance.

It's occured to me over the last day or two that this is all very repetative. I'm writng...

went for a run (it was shit)

ate some food (it was healthy or not)

drank some water (or didn't)

weight went down a bit, weight went up again

Manchester, Manchester, Manchester

London, London (recent addition)

This strikes me as dull, yet it's what I started out to do. This is me, one time fat, then fit, middle aged woman. One time super enthusiastic runner who found some form in her fiftieth year in a sport she'd never considerd earlier in life, then lost a lot of her joy in it.

My running mojo fucked off and I'd no idea how to get it back. My get up and go got up and went. The blog was to make me honest. If I can write about my struggle, see it in black and white, maybe it will help keep me accountable. It's repetative because that's how running training is and that's how weight loss attempts are. It probably is boring to read, but I think I'll find it useful to go over if I hit a slump.

[cutiecrates]

Cutie Reviews: Yume Twins August 18

I took a few days longer than I was planning on, but since I got my November Gacha Gacha crate (like three or four days ago <3<) I realized I should probably get to work on this!

This months theme: Dream Land (ᴗ˳ᴗ)

We are all about trying to make every part of your day cute and relaxing, and this month we are all about making sure you end your day on a cute note. This includes when you are heading to bed after a fulfilling day! Your kawaii box this month is packed with items that will help you wind down, relax, and drift off to dreamland!

Contest

Despite the items not being at all Pokemon themed, the Contest was to draw your most favorite Pokemon and include it with a pic of our Pokemon-themed item in the box.

The prizes included a Sailor Moon Luna Shoulder Bag, and a Sailor Moon Uniform wallet for Grand Prize, while runner-ups won a Sailor Moon plastic cup.

(I really, REALLY love that purse x3 I wish I had entered~)

Yume Prize

And again we’re bombarded with Sailor Moon (not that it’s bad of course), plus some My Melody action on the side. They had been doing a collab around the time this came out (or maybe right before?), so I think this was a cute idea~

Our special topics for this month featured Gudetama celebrating his 5th anniversary, and Sumikko Gurashi.

Sleepy Pokemon Cable Protector

Our first item is an adorable Pokemon cable protector blind box, themed after sleepy Pokemon. There was 6 available, including Umbreon and Espeon, Pikachu, Vulpix and Alolan Vulpix, and Eevee. 

I love all of Eevee’s forms, and Pikachu, but Vulpix is my favorite Pokemon- so I really, really wanted one of them! But they all look so sweet, I’m not that disappointed.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

It’s a really cute, high-quality figure. Even if you didn’t use it for the intended use, you could probably do quite a few things with it. But there is one thing bugging me; am I one of the few people who doesn’t get what a “cable protector“ is about?

I mean... why does the cable need protected anyway? It’s a really popular blind box trend in Japan, but I just don’t get it. I’ll still use it, but I don’t get it.

Don’t get me wrong though, if I got one of the vulpix I’d totally be super-excited to add to my collection.

Mini Cooling Pillow Cover

First of all, this fit a normal-sized pillow. If this is mini, I want to see what normal or large size to them is.

Anyway, this is a cooling pillow- a great item to have during summer when the warm weather can make sleeping or taking naps a real pain in the cutie. Especially if you end up tossing and turning, and often flip the pillow to find it’s cool patch, something I do often.

The pillow is made from cooling fabric made to instantly cool and remain cool by keeping a specific temperature. It came in a doggy-coffee themed design and was available in mint or indigo (the book mistakenly says “two designs”, but they’re both the same).

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 

I’m not even going to lie. When I got this I took it out to try it right away, and I’ve been using it since (or at least until a month ago, because lately I’ve been using a different pillow. But it still works perfectly fine!). Even now when it’s winter, it’s cool to touch and doesn’t seem effected by the chilly weather, but I noticed it feels a tiny bit different. But it’s not uncomfortable or anything. 

Not only that but it makes a really cute decorative pillow~

Kawaii Sanrio Notebook

This one goes great with my folder I got a few months back~

Besides being cozy for bed, it’s also nice to unwind by writing in a diary or journal, or recording your various dreams. So for this month, we get a Sanrio-themed notebook for that purpose. There are 2 designs, including Little Twin Star, and this one I got featuring Marumofubiyori, one of Sanrio’s newer characters. He is joined by his two toy friends, Kanikama the crab and Gyoniku the fish.

The inside of the notebook has a simplified design featuring Marumofubiyori, and this is the back of it. It serves as a little character section.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 

What I like about this notebook is it’s high quality. Like the Sailor Moon one in the Doki Doki box I just reviewed, it’s thick and made from nice material, and it has a spiral binding. It also has a stretchy band to keep it shut, which you don’t see on too many of these notebooks we get.

I really don’t write in a diary anymore (I don’t have a life, so I don’t have much to say), and I never kept a dream diary either. But I will use it for something one way or the other.

Relaxing Puffy Plushie

This is the perfect item for bed and nap-time! A plush toy x3 I love plushies and stuffed animals. Not only was there six different cuties available, but when you squeeze their tummy they make an adorable squeaky snore. They’re also a little bit mochi-like so they can handle a little pulling.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ 

It’s a really cute and nice plushie, but I’m kinda bothered by the fact three of the animals are shown holding an item, while the other three don’t. Maybe it’s to make them unique or something- but to me it seems weird. Not only that, but doesn’t a squeaky toy kinda defeat the purpose of relaxing sleepy time?

Sumikko Gurachi Wash Towel

This is an important before and after bed item : D nothing feels better then washing your face after a long day, or a long sleep. It came in 2 designs (the other matching the cup I got some boxes back), and is 34cm x 36cm length.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 

Not only is the design really fun and cute-looking, but it’s a useful practical item that you don’t need to make exclusive for bed time. Other than that, a towel is a towel you know?

Kawaii Animal Bookmark

Our last item for the bx is this adorable bookmark set, featuring five different animals, each with four unique sticky note sets. A very detailed, but cute and simple-looking product.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 

It’s things like this that I really like- especially since I’ve been reading again these past two years or so. I could also see it coming handy for work or school, or if multiple people are sharing a book..

♡ Cutie Ranking ♡

Content - 5 out of 5. Everything was decent and cute, and I loved how it all had variety.

Quality - 4.5 out of 5. Quality is there for sure, but I’m not sure they were worth the price. I’m probably just being really picky but I just can’t see this specific box matching the price we pay.

Theme: 3 out of 5. It’s there for sure, but honestly I feel like there was a missed opportunity here. There are so many different things they could have put in here to say “this is specifically a dreamy-cute bed-time or nap item~“ rather than “it’s so practical you can use it at practically any time of the day!“. I mean that’s good and all, I like practically. But at the same time I would have loved to have more bed or nap-time worth items. Like maybe an eye mask, or a sleeping cap, a tooth brush , or maybe some cozy socks or some kind of relaxation item??

Total Rank: 12.5 out of 15 Cuties. It wasn’t a bad box, bu I can’t say it was my favorite. Practicality was definitely there and I do appreciate that and how cute everything is, but I was turned-off by missed opportunities and how it could have been so much better.

♡ Cutie Scale ♡

1. Sleepy Pokemon Cable Protector - They’re so cute and adorable looking! These would be perfect for pictures~

2. Animal Bookmark - I love it’s soft hues for the coloring, and how sweet each set looks. I would have been happy to get any of them.

3. Pillow Cover - It’s covered in a cute doggy and coffee stuff! I love coffee~ Not that you could tell since I’m always really tired.

4. Plushie - It’s cute, but... I don’t know, to me it’s lacking something.

5. Notebook - Same as below, but it's so sweet due to having so many different details/designs~ I just wanna cuddle Mofu whenever I see him~

6. Wash Towel - As adorable as Sumikko Gurashi is, this is a generic design from the brand.

Okay, so that’s it for this review! Since I got November’s Gacha Gacha I’ll probably be doing that one next before I resume August box reviews. It’s just easier this way. I’m planning on getting 1 or 2 more reviews done before Christmas, but in case I don’t I’ll just say Merry Christmas now!

Until next time, stay dreamy cute~

[teacoffeeandwhatnot]

The Gay Agenda - Chapter 2

Chapter 2 is here! Its a yoonmin chapter, so tuck in and enjoy!

Please keep in mind, sentences written in Italic is what is being said by the panel, or people in the studio. Normal text is what is happening otherwise.

As always, also available on my Ao3! 

(if you want me to tag you every time i update, please dont hesitate to message me and I’ll add it in the next chapter)

To be fair, the flyer had hung in the music department on a bulletin board that explicitly said “Music Work Opportunities” over it. To be even more fair though, Yoongi hadn’t really read the flyer properly. He saw the word competition and immediately assumed it was for writing and producing.

He promptly wrote his application, adding his (maybe slightly exaggerated) sob story of how he’s “wanted to do music since he was little,” and “music is my whole world,” and topping it off with a little bit of “music saved my life, I wouldn’t be here without it”. He also included, what was in his opinion, one of his best works, just the right amount of balance between showing his skill and dissing anyone who dared question his talent and legitimacy.

So, to say he was surprised when he walked onto the property of the address he was told to appear at in his acceptance email and saw the giant flashing, glittery sign reading “The Gay Agenda”, was an understatement. He checked and double checked his phone but nope, he was in the right place. He tentatively approached the building, thinking maybe it was a shared recording space and the show he was supposed to be in would be somewhere in the back. But as he was approaching the building, seeing the sign up closer, he stopped dead in his tracks. The sign looked weirdly familiar. He recognized the colors, the general shape, even the overload of glitter. When it dawned on him, he took out his phone slowly, dreading that it would confirm his suspicions. Sure enough, when he looked at the email one more time, right at the top, was a large, pink, glittery logo, clearly saying “The Gay Agenda”. Fuck. How could he have missed this? Searching back through his email history, he realized the logo had been on all the correspondence he had had with the studio, but he had simply never given the logo any attention.

Wracking his brain on what to do about the situation he found himself in, Yoongi quickly decided to just walk in, tell some secretary or PA or something that this was a giant misunderstanding and get the fuck out of there as soon as possible. Yup, that’s what he would do. Right now. The moment he was able to force himself to walk into the building. Which was….now.

When he finally decided that he looked like a crazy person, whispering to himself in the parking lot of a filming studio, Yoongi managed to actually make his body listen to him and walk into the studio.

It was surprising how little attention was paid to him. Right when he walked in, he almost knocked down a man carrying a clipboard and frantically yelling instructions into a headset. When he attempted to ask about who to talk to about his dilemma however, he was quickly waved off and left there to stand alone. Yoongi walked around a little more, trying to just find someone to talk to, and was just about to just leave and just not show up to whatever this show was, when he stopped dead in his tracks for the second time that day.

Looking back, it seemed like a shitty, cheesy, teenage rom-com. It felt like time had slowed down. His breathing stopped when he saw this…this...angel. That was truly the only way to describe the boy (man?) standing in front of him. He seemed to be glowing, mysteriously being lit up from behind, making him look even more ethereal. (Yoongi realized later it was just a stage light and felt a bit stupid but hey, in the moment he didn’t question it for one second). The boy was blonde, had a small, fucking adorable face, round cheeks, a small but strong stature and looked seriously out of this world.  His very tight jeans showed off his extremely well-toned thighs, which was contrasted by the oversized hoodie he was wearing. Yoongi was speechless. He had never seen someone that beautiful. Sure, he was very open with his preferences, liked pretty much anyone but god damn, something about this creature in front of him made him feel like he had never felt before.

When he came back to his senses, he was staring into the expectant eyes of the new love of his life, who seemed like he had just asked him something. Oh shit.

“Uhh, sorry, what?” Yoongi said intelligently, facepalming inwardly.

The angel laughed. “I just asked if I could help you with something, you seemed a little lost there,” came the reply (fuck, fuck, fuck, he’s so cute). His dazzling smile made his eyes almost disappear into half-moon crescents, his round cheeks bunching up. Yoongi felt a little faint, awkwardly leaning more into the wall to his right in an attempt to keep himself upright.

Five minutes ago, Yoongi was determined to tell the show-runners exactly what he thought and get out of there. But now…. Now was different. So, without him really giving his mouth permission to, Yoongi kind of just blurted out, “I’m here for the show.” Great.

It wasn’t technically a lie. He was here for the show. It just wasn’t what he thought he had signed up for and definitely not something he would ever sign up for had he known, but the situation was completely different now. He doesn’t even know the name of the angel person before him yet, but Yoongi knows he would already die for him. Which….yikes. he really needs to get a grip on himself.

The man once again smiled his million-watt smile.

“Oh great! Some of the others are here already too. Let me take you to the green room so we can get you show ready! I’m Jimin by the way, I’ll be on the show with you! If you have any questions or concerns or anything at all really, please don’t hesitate to hit me up!”

Yoongi was so entranced, he hadn’t even noticed that they had apparently walked to the green room while talking.

“Here you go! I’ll be off to get ready myself then. See you later, cutie,” Jimin said and left Yoongi in front of the closed door. It took Yoongi almost 10 seconds to process that Jimin had just called him cutie and promptly had a mini break down.

When he managed to compose himself, he turned towards the door and with a quick thought of “here we fucking go, I guess”, pressed down the handle.

Ok, so don’t get Yoongi wrong, he is an out, proud, big-ass Bi, but this really wasn’t his scene.

Standing in the doorway, Yoongi just kind of gaped at the room in front of him. There were about 20 other people, presumably the other contestants, who seemed to be massively varied in ages, stature and personalities. Considering his social anxiety, this realllllly didn’t seem to be his thing and for the 100th time that day, he begins to question why he was still there and why he was doing this to himself. The thought of Jimin creeped back into the back of his mind and he just sighed before getting over himself, and walking in.

‘This day is really getting worse and worse,’ Yoongi thought to himself as he was sitting in the crash course that the contestants had to take before being quote “sent out there to do some damage”.

Once again, the only light at the end of the tunnel for Yoongi was that Jimin was the one who was leading the crash course. He had changed out of his causal outfit from earlier and was now wearing a velvet blazer with gold embellishments, an almost see-through white shirt underneath and another pair of sinfully tight black pants. He had a light dusting of eyeshadow on and his hair had been neatly styled. It had taken everything in Yoongi to not moan out loud when Jimin had walked into the room.

Yoongi had also had his makeup done, and someone had ruffled through his hair, but other than that he was still in the same clothes that he had arrived in. Suddenly he felt very underdressed in his sweater jacket, white tank top and black jeans.

A very enthusiastic Jimin began by explaining all the rules and goals of the show to all the contestants once again, which Yoongi was very thankful for, since even though most other contestants looked like they knew all this already, probably being avid watchers of the show, Yoongi had no fucking clue what he was even supposed to do or competing for.

“So, now that we’ve got all the admin out of the way, lets talk strategy!” Jimin said with a large grin on his face.

“Obviously, everyone here will have a slightly different approach. We all have our preferred flirting methods and there is nothing wrong with that, I’m not here to tell you what to do. The point of this is to simply give you some ideas and starting points, should you run out of ideas or need some help getting your brain thinking. So obviously there’s the classics. A little smile, a little bit of beating your lashes, leaning over the counters more than strictly necessary, ‘accidentally bumping into someone’, you know the drill. One of my favourites will always be cheesy pick-up lines, if I’m honest. I am aware that they are not everyone’s cup of tea, and you should definitely try to get a feel for what kind of person they are before you drop one, but if they seem like they would be accepting, they can go a long way. They can be flattering or simply a brilliant ice breaker and they are always pretty funny”, Jimin said with a slight giggle.

Yoongi’s hand immediately shot into the air.

“Yes, Yoongi-hyung, may I call you hyung by the way?”

“Oh yeah of course. Hey Jimin, did it hurt when you feel from heaven? Because someone like you simply can’t be from this world,” he said with a smug smile. Jimin immediately laughed, seeming to put his entire body into the action which made Yoongi’s heart ache fondly.

“Something like that, exactly. You’re a fast learner,” Jimin said. Yoongi couldn’t help but feel a tiny bit disappointed at the fact that Jimin seemed to think he was only doing this for the sake of the course, and hadn’t actually meant what he said, but the light blush dusting Jimin’s cheeks as he continued giving more tips, made him keep a sliver of hope.

“Moving on, all of you must be wondering what today's shooting location will be. Well we are all going to be in a mall that has been completely fitted with hidden cameras and prepped to capture all your interactions. You can choose whether you want to be a clerk in a certain store or just be a customer, its completely up to you. If you choose to be a clerk, I would suggest though that you choose a store that has something to do with your interests, so it looks at least a little bit like you know what you are doing.”

“Will you also be there?” Yoongi asks.

“Yes, I will, I will work at the jewellery store right here in the corner”, Jimin replies while pointing to the store on the map of the mall he pulled up. Yoongi makes a mental note to remember exactly where it is, so he can ‘coincidentally’ walk by as many times as possible later on.

He also takes note of the record store a few stores down. He immediately fills out the form they were given, stating that he would like to work there, since it would make it easier to actually get people to talk to him if he looks to be working in a store, and music is basically his entire life, so it just feels right.

He ends up working in the record store with a barely legal kid called Jisung, who vaguely resembles a squirrel and has way too much energy for Yoongi to handle. Sure, the kids’ cool and seems to really know his stuff. They talk about producing and music for a really long time, since Jisung is interested in studying music production just like Yoongi. Yoongi can tell he has a talent for lyrics and he’s impressed by the rap that Jisung performs for him, but there’s only so much excited talking and yelling and gesturing Yoongi can take all at once.

He decides to go see what Jimin is up to and ‘randomly’ walk by the jewellery store a little bit down the hall.

“Hey Jisung, I’m gonna go out for a while, you good?” he asks Jisung, while already half way out of the door.

Jisung looks like a dear in headlights but replies with a short, stuttered “oh, okay hyung.”

He makes his way to the store and walking in, he is once again blown away by Jimin’s beauty. He doesn’t think he’ll ever get used to it. He approaches the counter and decides, for the sake of the show, and since there are other people too, to just pretend to be a customer.

“Hello, I’m looking to get some custom rings made, do you do that here?”, he asks a confused looking Jimin.

“Uh hi, yeah Sir we do those, what would you like?” Jimin thankfully plays along.

“Okay, so. Hear me out. I want 4 rings, one for each of these fingers (he points to his pointy to pinky fingers) right? And I want them like big ass rings with like glittery stones and like you know those rings rappers have? Like that. And I want each one to be a different letter and I want them to spell out SUGA. You think you can do something like that?”

Jimin looks confused as fuck and maybe even a little bit bewildered.

“Um ok, I think I understand what you mean, Sir. You are aware that this will probably cost quite a bit, yes?”

“Whatever it takes, I’m very dedicated to the idea.”

“If I may ask, why SUGA?”

Yoongi leans in, as if to let Jimin in on a secret and whispers, “because I’m sweet like sugar, babe” while winking horribly.

When he pulls away, Jimin is looking at him with the most done expression on his face that Yoongi has ever seen someone pull.

The audience and panel, who have been watching their interaction from the studio, burst out laughing at the way Jimin looks into the camera like he’s on the office, rolling his eyes so far back, only the whites of his eyes are visible.

“So, what do we know about Yoongi? He seems to be quite the rebel here, hitting on our lovely Jimin rather than literally anyone else,” Heechul says with amusement.

“Well hyung, his application was rather unusual, I must say. Rather than write about why he wanted to be on our show, he wrote about his passion for music, how he’s been playing the piano since he was a kid and boasting about his, admittedly, excellent rapping skills,” Holland explained.

“Wait, I’m confused, why was he accepted then? It sounds like he said nothing about this show and wanting to be on it at all?”, Key questioned.

“Well, with his application, he also admitted a demo song called ‘Cypher pt.3’. The lyrics are well… suggestive of his sexuality. He mentions, and I quote ‘Like you all know my voice turns people on, whether it be men or women, my flexible tongue movements will send them to Hong Kong’. I guess recruitment saw potential?”

“Well my man Yoongi certainly has a lot of faith in his oral skills,” Key said with a way too suggestive wink. “Gotta hope Jimin goes for him or I might have to myself.”

“Now, now, hyung, please keep it in your pants,” Holland mediated, but failed to keep a grin off his face.

While Jimin is a little irritated by the fact that Yoongi is still hanging out with him and clearly not attempting to even look at anyone that isn’t Jimin, instead of actually doing what he is supposed to, he can’t help but feel a little flattered at the fact that this (really fucking hot) guy has chosen to say fuck it, and just hang out with him. He really tries to not encourage Yoongi any further, but as much as he doesn’t want it to, his face eventually betrays him and he starts smiling at the horribly cheesy pick-up lines Yoongi keeps throwing his way.

After he’s finally gotten a smile from Jimin, Yoongi doesn’t leave the jewellery store for the rest of the show, even though Jimin repeatedly tells him that this is not what he’s supposed to do and he wont win if he stays. Yoongi honestly doesn’t give the slightest fuck about winning, considering this isn’t what he signed up for in the first place.

In the end, he gets bad marks from the judges, which was to be expected. He didn’t talk to a single person that wasn’t Jisung or Jimin the whole day and it didn’t even cross his mind to go look for a guy to chat up. On the one hand, it was definitely a consequence of the fact that he had not singed up for this show in the first place. On the other hand, even if he could’ve been convinced to participate, after seeing Jimin, that idea would’ve been scrapped pretty quickly. There was just no way that Yoongi could go after anyone else, when someone like Jimin existed.

After the recording had finished, everyone was back in the green room, changing, taking off their makeup, generally relaxing after a whole day of filming. Yoongi was ready to get the fuck out of there, sick of having a camera shoved in his face all day and his social battery was running pretty low. He was about to say goodbye and bolt, when Jimin walked in again, now back in his jeans and hoodie that he had worn when Yoongi first met him. Sure, Jimin had looked downright ethereal in the velvet outfit he had worn during the taping, but Yoongi couldn’t help but prefer his casual look, messy hair and makeup free face.

“Hey peeps! I hope all of you had lots and lots of fun today! I totally understand if you just want to get home, but I thought I would extend the invitation anyways: me and a bunch of the panel and crew are going out for a drink at a club around the corner, so anyone who would like to, is welcome to come! Well, unless you’re underage, sorry kids!” Jimin said with an apologetic smile towards the younger contestants.

Yoongi reallllllly wanted to go home and vegetate on his couch with a bag of chips and watch shitty reality tv reruns, but deep down he knew, as soon as Jimin invited them, that he would tag along. He hadn’t managed to convince Jimin to give him his phone number all day and he wasn’t about to let this perfect opportunity slip by him.

Which is how a tired, lowkey grumpy and Definitely-Not-Ready-for-This Yoongi ended up in a gay club on a Thursday night with a bunch of people he’d only met that day. He was beginning to regret it though, because as soon as they had arrived, he’d lost sight of Jimin who was being pulled along by some way too hyper kid called Taehyung (Yoongi thinks, he isn’t great with names).

He was about to turn and leave, when he saw him again. Now, up until this moment, Yoongi had believed that Jimin was some sort of angel, sent to him from heaven to make him see exactly what he was missing out on and what paradise would look like. Jimin had been this pure ray of light that was just too good to be true.

But in about 0.01 seconds, his outlook changed a whole 180 degrees. Now he was convinced Jimin was a demon, sent from hell to torture him in any way possible. Not only was he cute and adorable and clearly sculpted by the gods, but the way he was moving those hips and well-toned thighs in those tight pants was downright sinful.  There was just no other way to describe it.

Yoongi’s breath caught in his throat when Jimin turned and made eye-contact with him. His hips never stopped moving and Jimin’s face curled into a lowkey predatory smirk, his eyes dropping half closed (which was about the most attractive thing Yoongi had ever seen in his entire life). Yoongi quickly realized that he had been caught staring and turned away, feeling his face rapidly heat up. He must look like a goddamn fool, caught with his mouth hanging wide open, red as a tomato. Way to be subtle.

He startled when he felt someone tap his shoulder. He spun his barstool around way too quickly and almost knocked over Jimin, who was now standing way too close to him.

Jimin leaned in, so Yoongi could feel his hot breath on his ear, sending a shiver down his spine.

“I saw you looking, hyung. Did you like what you saw?”

Yoongi temporarily lost his ability to speak. He had flirted with Jimin all day, but the boy had only had shy giggles and small smiles for him in return. Jimin being so forward and flirty was throwing Yoongi for a loop.

“Y-yes,” he managed to stutter out.

“You know, hyung, this isn’t a look but don’t touch situation. I wouldn’t mind if you touched, too,” Jimin said and leaned away again to gage Yoongi’s reaction.

Yoongi spluttered for a second, trying to find an appropriate response. Jimin seemed to have mercy on him. He was holding out his hand, an invitation to the dance floor.

Now Yoongi was not a dancer. He was a rapper, a lyricist, a producer. He was excellent at all those things, but dancing? He looked like a drunk grandpa at a wedding.

But when Jimin held out his hand, Yoongi couldn’t deny him. He let himself be dragged onto the dance floor, and when Jimin turned around, pressed his (glorious) ass into his crotch, put Yoongi’s hands on his waits and started to rock his hips, Yoongi’s brain short circuited. He stood completely stiff for at least 20 seconds, before Jimin turned his head to look at him with a questioning gaze. He quickly broke out of his trance, tightened his grip on Jimin’s waist and began to move.

Yoongi didn’t ever think he’d get so into dancing, but he really started enjoying himself. Sure, it was probably due to the fact that he had the hottest man alive grinding, not so subtlety, on his dick but whatever. His hands had migrated under Jimin’s shirt at some point, touching the glorious abs that seemed to be there and Jimin’s hands were fisted into his hair, pulling slightly, not that he minded.

It seemed like Jimin had hit a breaking point, when he suddenly turned around forcefully, cupped Yoongi’s face with both his hands and smashed his lips against his. The instant heat that came over Yoongi was glorious and he couldn’t believe that Jimin was kissing him. He moaned into the kiss, pulled Jimin impossibly closer.

Later, when Yoongi was stroking Jimin’s bare back, who he was lying with his head on his chest, drawing slow circles with his fingers, both of them a little out of breath, he thought back to how his day had started. This was certainly not the ending he had predicted, but he certainly wasn’t complaining one little bit.

Pt. 1