#not 100% convinced of this brush yet though

[silasbug]

this was supposed to be something else entirely. now it's my evil alter ego, Eden Reed. what a dick. wish i had his hair.

[snixkers]

Einstein's Theory of Relativity

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Fem!Reader

Fluff

Content Warnings: Large dog, mention of rabies, allusion to cheating, slight suggestive content, kissing

Summary: Spencer comes home to find you in a compromising position.

Author's Note: Decided to post a drabble I've had for a while, enjoy!!!

Feedback is always welcome!

Requests are OPEN

Usually, I was greeted by her face as soon as I got home, rushing to the door and enveloping me in a warm hug that smelled of citrus and comfort. But today, I set down my things and looked around at an empty apartment. Even though it was illogical, my first thought was to panic.

Did she leave? I knew I worked unpredictable hours and was hardly ever there, but I always tried to make it up as best I could. Maybe she decided she couldn’t take it anymore and left. Then my mind slipped into darker territory, worries I buried in the back of my mind and refused to let out.

What if it wasn’t of her own volition? The BAU was no stranger to targeted attacks, especially on their loved ones. I kept a tight grip on my service weapon as I crept through the house, using my training to carefully clear each room.

Finally, I reached the bathroom, where slivers of light were peeking through the door. I sighed in relief, putting away my things when a noise caught my attention.

She clearly was not alone in that bathroom, and she sounded out of breath as she splashed with the other person in the bath. I wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt, but I immediately assumed the worst. I opened the door quickly, stepping inside and-

I stared in surprise at the sight of her wrestling with a large rottweiler, her t-shirt left soaked from an unsuccessful attempt at a bath. She turned around to face me, offering an apologetic smile. “Welcome home?”

I stood there dumbfounded for a moment before realizing what she had done.

“Where did you get it?”

She rolled her eyes at me, brushing off his concerns as if the 100-lb dog sitting in the tub was just a guinea pig.

“It is a he, and he was wandering the neighborhood. I wanted to take him home and clean him up.”

“You can’t just take dogs off the street. Up to 99% of rabies cases are from domestic dogs.”

She grinned, ready to dismiss my concern with a counterargument as soon as the words left my mouth.

“He didn’t have a collar, so I took him to the vet. He’s not sick, but he’s not chipped either, which means he’s ours to keep.”

I narrowed my eyes, not ready to give up quite yet.

“Well, where are we going to put him? Who will watch him? I’m halfway across the country most of the week.”

She stood up, crossing her arms proudly at how much effort she had put into this.

“Our apartment is big enough, and pets are allowed. I work from home most days, so I can take care of him just fine.”

I took a deep breath, running a hand through my hair as I tried to convince her that this wasn’t the great idea she thought it was, but every time I came up short. Despite trying to be rational, something about the dog made me want to just hold him close.

She sighed, pouting softly and standing up to move closer to him. “I just need a week to prove it to you. He’s the cutest little thing. Please?”

I stared down at her, my resolve crumbling as she stuck her lip out slightly.

“Fine, we’ll see how this goes.”

She broke into a huge smile, wrapping her arms around me gratefully. I pulled her closer, trying to take in as much of this moment as possible. I stepped back a few seconds later, squinting my eyes at the dog in the bath.

“What’s his name?”

She grinned, clearly pretty pleased with her idea.

“I was thinking of Einstein.”

[sheerluxk]

𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 | hajime kashimo x f!reader

synopsis: you’re a recently graduated jujutsu high sorcerer with a hint of gojo satoru’s charm and confidence in your personality, trying to hunt down kashimo over his 100 points, but you end up getting your ass whooped, until you decide to pull up your domain as a last resort.

warnings: slight mention of bruises and blood; organ puncture?; kashimo being rude, but cute; violent thoughts that include drowning and impaling; mentions of sukuna; mentions of gojo; hint of jealousy; reader has an air-based cursed technique cuz she’s an airhead

__________________________________________

Who knew that the Culling game was going to be this dynamic? Kenjaku, obviously.

“Got any last words, girl?” the spiky-haired male covered in all white taunted, holding out his nyoi staff towards your beaten up form, as you were currently sitting on your ass, covered in bruises and bloodied up.

Even a little zapped, as he continuously sent charged electricity attacks your way, until you lost count of the times you tried to redirect them by manipulating the air molecules around you. You slipped up once and he took advantage of your opening, absolutely throwing a combo of lightning bolts your way.

You’re pretty sure your hair was standing up like Megumi’s at this point. You didn’t look cute, like him, though.

And yet, before all this unfolded, you had somehow convinced Panda and Hakari to let you negotiate with the other player currently in possession of the 100 points, other than Hiromi Higuruma, who was Yuji’s personal endeavor. That player being Hajime Kashimo, the Thunder God, self proclaimed or not. As the battle progressed, you were nonstop eating shit and Kashimo was feeding it to you.

Needless to say any further, you got yourself in a pretty messy situation.

“Argh, what a pain…” you groaned as you felt your nose getting stuffy from all the blood currently clogging it. Using reverse cursed technique would exhaust you too much, as you only had one chance to turn this fight around.

And perhaps show off a bit. You were Gojo-sensei’s recently graduated and favorite student, after all. Well, one of the favorites. That top spot was either reserved for Yuta or Megumi.

Or even Yuji was a good enough candidate—

You decided it was best to shake away the slight churn of jealousy in your stomach, and focus on the flow of cursed energy coursing through your body. The current conditions of the fight coincided with your domain’s potential for success. That didn’t happen a lot, so the Kami were on your side that day.

You didn’t mind the cocky smirk the reincarnated sorcerer was sending your way, as you stood up and brushed your hand across your runny nose, leaving a trail of red across your face. For what it was worth, you’d consider yourself looking badass in that moment.

Kashimo was still looming over you, observing your every move attentively. He was essentially letting you do your thing, which convinced you that he was underestimating you, but you didn’t let that thought from stopping you to summon your domain that you’ve been working on tirelessly throughout the span of your high school years.

You cupped your wrists together in a fist with both index fingers pointing upwards,

“Domain expansion: Iron Lung”

A large, dark glass-like sphere engulfed both you and the monotone-clothed man. The vicinity of the domain was pitch dark aside from the apparition of two giant lungs, seemingly expanding and shrinking, as if they were breathing. You were nowhere in sight.

“My domain is simple,” your voice echoed around the walls of the enclosure, “It sucks up all of the oxygen in your body in 1 minute.”

Kashimo heard footsteps approach from behind. He chuckled under his breath, “I’d need less than a minute to defeat you, girl.”

He whipped his body in your direction, swinging his staff towards you, aiming directly for your head. You seemingly evaporated upon contact.

He raised his brow, his smile only growing larger,

“Oh?”

You cleared your throat, “I wasn’t done. In my domain, I myself, am just like air. The sure-hit effect doesn’t affect me, though.”

Meaning that you wouldn’t run out of oxygen. The white-haired male hummed in response, seemingly unfazed. In mere seconds he appeared to have thought of something,

“You ought to have made some pricey binding vow for that, girl,” he smirked.

He swiftly dashed towards the giant lungs, throwing his staff with a zap of imbued cursed energy, successfully puncturing the left one,

“You’ve made this all too easy for me, woman!” he taunted, laughing.

He felt as if he had found the weak spot in your domain. No, he was convinced that was it. It had to be.

Though, nothing stopped him from feeling the air around him get stuffier. About 30 seconds have passed since the domain had been active, and it wasn’t showing any signs of breaking. The punctured lung was also pulsing as normal.

He let out a whiff of annoyance. There had to be something else to your domain, and he was too stubborn not to find out.

“You’re bluffing, girl.” he mouthed, despite the air demand getting higher by the second.

“I’m not unfortunately, Kashimo-san,” you chirped as you balanced on the protruding part of Kashimo’s nyoi staff. He found the act rather disgusting. And saying his name brought weirder sets of feelings of it’s own. He hated it.

You were playing with him and he hated it.

“I made my domain extremely vulnerable to outside attacks, so that it’s basically near indestructible on the inside. Unless you have some buddy to save you,” you pretended to look at an imaginary watch, “Then, you’re pretty much done for. All shriveled up like a little raisin.” you giggled at your own association for a joke.

You had to admit in that moment that Gojo’s way of taunting his enemies was rather contagious. It was very well passed down to you at this point. You weren’t sure if this quirk was best left untreated, or completely abandoned. But you knew that you missed him. So, you had to obtain those 100 points, as your teammates and Gojo alike were relying on you.

Kashimo ignored you as he was starting to feel the lightheadedness kick in, but despite that he was still able to mouth a snarky remark, “You’re a total trash sorcerer, but I guess you still took advantage of the situation, huh?”

You could swear that he almost sounded impressed.

He couldn’t believe that he was getting outsmarted by such a weakling. Your cursed energy output was low but rather high in reserves. Average at best. It was also air based, and the attacks included flinging him up in the air, which needed some work. In terms of damage you were like a cloud, while he was lightning, obviously.

And yet, you still had the upper hand. Simple techniques were always so complicated, and he hated it.

By this time, he only had about 10 seconds left before he was out for good. He couldn’t use his trump card, as it was reserved for the King of curses, but he also couldn’t die out here like that.

Much to his dissatisfaction, he swallowed his pride, the idea of a rematch later in time softening the blow to his ego,

“Fine. The points are yours to take, girl.”

Before he took one of his last breaths, you jumped down from your little elevation, as the domain scattered like broken glass all around you.

You and Kashimo found yourselves back at the dock you two were previously fighting at. He felt the extreme urge to drown you in the body of water, but he was too focused on gasping for air, as he was supporting himself with his knees and hands. His staff hit the ground with a violent thud not long after. His intrusive thoughts of having it impale your head then and there were suppressed. After all, it’s petty to attack when you’ve already waved the white flag. He knew that.

Ironically, he did look like one giant white flag, while you looked like a walking red flag in his opinion.

You eventually walked up to him and crouched down next to his form, and shot him a grin, very reminiscent of the one belonging to the strongest sorcerer of the present era. He was too stupefied to respond to your advances at that time.

“Ah, now that you know the conditions of my domain, guess it’s best to change the binding vow, no?” you said to yourself, putting a finger to your lip.

Kashimo observed you quietly, ‘You can’t just change a binding vow to your liking, you fool.’

You watched him sit up as you two were staying still for a while, “So, you mentioned you wanted to fight Ryomen Sukuna?”

“Don’t taunt me, girl.” he growled, turning his face away from you.

His reaction earned a gasp out of you, “No, I’m not! I can help you find him, swear!” you defended.

He faced you again, as the rogue hairs of his messy buns swayed, “You really are a fool.”

You ignored his comment and got up to dust your uniform off. “You can consider me Sukuna’s senpai!” you exclaimed, pointing to your chest with your thumb.

Kashimo’s expression changed into one of pure confusion. A look that almost said “Huh?”.

Nevertheless, for what it was worth maybe keeping you around would prove fruitful. A rematch was on the way, too.

[therealcocoshady]

Recovery - Chapter 22

Eminem x FemReader Fanfiction

Summary : Y/N sneaks out to meet with Em.

Tags : Fluff

Y/N’s POV

The first two weeks you spent with Marshall were nothing short of heavenly. You could hardly believe it : you finally got to be with the man of your dreams. He also seemed to be as happy as you, being the amazing person he always was, but showing a romantic side on top of it. Whenever the two of you were alone together, he would be all over you. Well, to be fair, it was pretty mutual. Whether it was holding hands, hugging, cuddling or having sex, you were almost always having some form of physical contact. At least, that was the case when it was just the two of you. You had not told anyone yet. You didn’t mind most people not knowing that you were with Marshall, but you were dying to tell your roommates. However, he didn’t seem too keen on the idea. 

Can I at least tell Talia about us ? You had asked. She is my best friend and she knows everything about me...

I don’t know, babe, he had said. I mean, I get it, but you know her… If you tell her, she’ll tell Jamal and one of them might let it slip. I’d just like to enjoy the two of us for a little while, you know ? 

It sort of made sense. Talia and Jamal were your best friends but they could be too talkative for their own good, sometimes. Especially with something as big as this. You knew them enough to know that they would tease you every chance they would get and might let something slip in front of other people. Obviously, they meant no harm and to you, it wouldn’t be the end of the world, but you knew how Marshall was about his privacy. He had a lot of friends but was still secretive about so many things. You didn’t mind at all. Actually, aside from the disappointment of not being able to tell your bestie about the most exciting thing happening in your life, you were fine with the idea of not telling anyone you knew. If people on Marshall’s team knew about your relationship, you could already see going downhill. Paul would probably be an ogre about it, plus, he already seemed to hate you enough as it was. As for Porter, Royce and the other people at the studio, you got along with them and considered them to be good friends of yours, so you really hated the idea that they might see and treat you differently. You’d been in that situation before, dating someone from your friends group, and ended up being considered as the guy’s girlfriend, rather than a member of the group. 

There was also a hidden perk to it : no one knowing about your relationship meant it was even more exciting. You were obviously in the honeymoon phase, taking every opportunity to be close to each other, and you soon found out that sneaking around was rather exhilarating. For instance, every time you hung out at the studio, the two of you would exchange glances, brush against each other on purpose and kiss every time the others left the room. You loved it and it was extremely arousing. So much so that, when you snuck out at night to go and see Marshall, the sex was even more mind-blowing, due to the release of the tension of the day. When you went to bed, you usually waited a couple of hours to make sure that Talia and Jamal were sleeping and snuck out to see him. You’d spend the night together and he’d bring you back in the early morning, before they woke up. You weren’t sleeping too much and were starting to feel tired, but in your opinion, it was 100% worth it. 

One morning, though, you got home a bit later than usual and found Talia sitting in the kitchen, drinking coffee.

Hey, you said. 

Where were you ? She asked with her eyebrows furrowed. 

I went out for a little walk, you replied as you tried to stay as evasive as possible. 

So early ? 

Yeah… I had a bad night, you said as you tried to sound convincing. So I decided to go for an early morning walk. What are you doing up so early ? 

I’m a bit worried for you, she said. Are you sure that breaking up with Josh was a good idea ? I mean, it’s… so sudden. 

I know, you said. But with everything that happened, I think I might need time to recover a bit, maybe focus on myself, you know ? 

Is it because of your anxiety ? She asked. 

Kind of. I have a lot going on.

I can tell, she said. But are you sure that splitting up with Josh is actually a good idea ? I mean, he loves you, he is here for you… He’s your lobster, Y/N. 

He’s not, you said softly. 

Is it because of Em ? She asked. 

Maybe, you replied. 

You didn’t want to lie to her. She was your best friend in the world and you wouldn’t want to disappoint her by lying to her face. But it also killed you because you just wanted to tell her everything about you and Marshall, how happy he made you and how he rocked your world. Also, you were sort of hoping that she would shut up about Josh. Ever since you had broken up with him, she had questioned your decision and tried to convince you to get back with him. And why wouldn’t she ? You probably would have done the same for any friend who broke up with such a good boyfriend out of the blue. The two of you chatted for a couple of minutes and you got ready for the day. 

On another occasion, she accidentally walked in on you in your underwear in the bathroom and noticed some marks on your body. As your lovemaking sessions were quite… intense, you had gotten a few bruises and scratches. Thankfully, you didn’t have hickies on your neck, but the same could not be said for your stomach, your ass or the inside of your thighs. What could you say ? It was passionate to say the least. You didn’t think much of it, but as soon as she saw the marks, she let out a horrified shriek. 

Oh my God !!! What the hell happened to you ?! She asked, completely panicked. 

Nothing, you said awkwardly, quickly grabbing something to hide your body. 

Not nothing, she replied. You have so many bruises, oh my God ! Did you get in a fight ?! 

Of course not ! You know me, I’m clumsy, that’s all ! 

At first, she seemed not to believe you, but she had to admit that it was plausible : you were the clumsiest person she knew. Whenever someone had to accidentally get hit, fall down the stairs or accidentally get a cut because they were too distracted by staring at a certain person, it had to be you. It was some sort of rule that the universe had created, apparently. It was so usual that it had become a running joke in your circle. So, eventually, she dropped it and pestered you about paying some damn attention for once, or else you’d die a stupid death. Technically, she wasn’t wrong to remind you, but if only she knew… 

The next day, you were spending the day with everyone else at Marshall’s, and you and Talia watched as the guys were playing basketball. You were supposedly here to cheer on Jamal, but you were too distracted by Marshall, who definitely looked way too good in gym clothes. Seeing him all sweaty was driving you crazy and you couldn’t wait for the next time you’d get to be alone with him. 

Quit staring at him, Talia whispered with a giggle. 

I’m not staring, you lied. 

Yeah, right… I know being single again sucks, but don’t forget that it’s Em, she said. Just because you’re not with Josh doesn’t mean you have to get back into whatever it is that was between the two of you. You’ll only end up suffering, baby. 

You think ? 

I’m sure. Plus, he’s obviously out there, getting laid by God knows who, she pointed out. 

What makes you think that ? You asked with your brows furrowed. 

He’s got a hickie and some scratches ? She said. I mean, you can see them on the back of his arms and his neck. I can’t even imagine what his back looks like. 

Oh, you said sheepishly as you realized that the two of you definitely needed to be careful, especially with Talia being so attentive to details. 

I’m sorry baby, she said as she rubbed your back. But maybe it’s better that way ? 

Maybe, you said with a yawn. 

Still tired ? 

You have no idea, you said as you tried to hide a grin. 

Hiding this from her was definitely too hard. All you wanted to do was to have a sleepover with her and some girl talk about your sex life and finally be able to brag of being the one scratching that handsome man’s back. You wished you’d get caught, but you also couldn’t be the one to give her the hints, as you didn’t want to betray Marshall’s trust. 

LATER THAT DAY - MARSHALL’S POV 

He was laying in bed with Y/N, cuddling after yet an intense physical session. Both of them were panting from exhaustion, not only from tonight but from the past weeks. They were basically running on sex, very little sleep and more sex. He was tired, but he wouldn’t have it any other way. Every morning when he woke up next to her, it put the biggest smile on his face. Normally, he wouldn’t move that fast with a woman. He wouldn’t have her come over all the time, let alone sleep in his bed at night. His last girlfriend had never even seen his bedroom : that’s how guarded he was when it came to relationships. But with Y/N, it seemed right. Not that he had much of a choice anyway : whenever he was away from her, he felt like an addict on withdrawal, thinking of the next time he’d get his dose. Everything about her was intoxicating, from the longing looks she threw at him when there were other people around to her kisses to the way she whispered “I love you” right before she fell asleep in his arms. With both of their workloads, him at the studio and her at uni, they didn’t get as much time together as they wanted - or at least as he did - but he was willing to take every second he could get. Even if it was just at night with crazy logistics involved, and plans not to get caught by anyone. However, between work on the album, his activities as a producer, trying to spend time with his family and sharing his nights with her before waking up early to drive her back, it was starting to be exhausting. He could tell it was the same for her as well. Both of them looked like raccoons, with dark circles under their eyes, and all he wished for was to be able to sleep in, with her in his arms.

I love you, she whispered in a sleepy voice. 

I love you too, he chuckled. Shower and then bed ? 

How about we just stay here ? She suggested. I’m so sore… 

All the more reason, he said. Let me take care of you, baby. 

That’s right. With her he even got into aftercare. In his previous relationships, even the most successful ones, as soon as the deed was done, he usually rolled onto his side of the bed and fell asleep immediately. Not that he didn’t care about his partners, he did, but he usually put himself first. Not with Y/N. He was giving her the princess treatment and the worst part was that he secretly loved it. He had been a lousy boyfriend and husband in the past, to a lot of women, but he wanted to do so much better. Partly because now, he knew better, but also because he knew that the universe, no matter how good it was, would never provide him with someone so great. 

After a long shower and a massage, his girl had fallen asleep and he was ready to do the same when he heard the doorbell ring several times. It was 3:30 AM. He groaned and looked at Y/N, who was still asleep, by some sort of miracle. He kissed her forehead and got up as the doorbell kept on ringing. When he opened the door, he found Talia, going absolutely crazy on the doorbell. 

Talia ?! He asked in surprise. What the fuck are you doing here ?

Em, I’m sorry to bother you, but it’s an emergency, she said in a worried voice. 

Come in, he said. 

He led her to the living room, not sure what to expect. It was probably something serious. Talia never barged in unannounced, especially not in the middle of the night. 

What’s up ? He asked. Everything alright ? 

I am pretty sure that Y/N is using again, she said on the verge of tears. 

Wait ? What ? He asked in disbelief. 

I am sorry to bother you but you’ve been there, you know about relapse, and I just don’t know what to do…, she sobbed. 

Why would you even think she relapsed in the first place ? 

She’s not herself, she explained. She broke up with Josh out of the blue, she doesn’t seem to sleep, she’s become super secretive and she disappears in the middle of the night. I don’t even know where she is right now… I don’t know what to do, Em. What do you think I can do ? 

He tried so hard not to laugh but failed miserably. Talia’s concern was the most adorable thing ever and what she was saying actually made sense. Only she was far from the truth. He also felt a little bad : it was his fault if she was sobbing on his couch, since he was the one who insisted on keeping the relationship a secret. She shot him a death glare as he let out a little laugh. It was probably time to tell her. 

Don’t worry, he said. She’s fine. 

How do you know it ?! You’re an addict, you know how serious it is ! She said as she started to get worked up. 

She’s here, Talia. She’s sleeping, he said with a smile. 

WHAT DID I TELL YOU LAST TIME, EM ?! I told you that if anything happened and she came to you, you had to call me !!! She yelled. GOD YOU’RE A STUPID ASSHOLE !!! 

He burst out in a fit of laughter. At that point, it was probably the nerves and fatigue. He tried to calm himself before explaining but Y/N came to the living room, probably alarmed by the yelling. 

Talia ? She asked confused. What are you doing here ? 

What are YOU doing here ?! Talia fired back. 

I… well, I…, Y/N hesitated as she looked at him. 

I WANT YOU OUT OF THE HOUSE AND INTO A REHAB CENTER BY TOMORROW, Talia yelled. I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU’RE USING AGAIN !!!

But I’m not, Y/N said. 

Don’t lie to me. I’ve seen the bruises, I know you’ve been sneaking out, you don’t sleep and you’ve been acting impulsive. It all makes sense ! 

The bruises ? Marshall asked. 

On my thighs, Y/N explained. 

He tried really hard not to laugh. The tension was palpable. 

Oh… that’s on me, I guess, he chuckled.

What the fuck ? Talia asked him with a threatening tone. What are you doing to her ?! 

Nothing she doesn’t want, believe me, he said as he tried to hide a smirk. 

Marshall !!! His girl interjected. 

I don’t understand, Talia said as she looked pissed off. 

They’re hickies, he chuckled. Y/N has been sneaking around, yes, but she’s coming here. We’re together. 

You’re together ? She repeated. 

Yeah, she’s my girlfriend. Like… couple stuff, you know ? He clarified before taking Y/N’s hand in his. 

Talia looked at him in shock, her mouth open, while Y/N stared at him tenderly. 

Aaaaw… I’m your girlfriend ? She asked with a smile. 

What ? Want me to refer to you as « bro » or « homie » ? He chortled. 

Girlfriend is fine, she said with a shy smile. 

Why didn’t you tell me ?! Talia blurted out, visibly hurt. 

I asked her not to, Marshall clarified.  Believe me, she wanted to tell you. This one’s on me. 

He didn’t want Talia to be mad at his girlfriend and he was ready to take the blame for that one. In retrospect it hadn’t been the smartest thing to do. 

Shit, guys, do you know how worried I’ve been ?! She said. 

I’m so sorry, I wanted to tell you, I swear, Y/N said. 

How long has it been ? 

About two weeks, Y/N explained. Happened right before your birthday actually…

Before ?! Is that why you broke up with Josh ?! She asked. 

Yeah…, his girlfriend said sheepishly. 

Talia looked up and down at the two of them. He was holding his girlfriend’s hand and smiling. She shook her head and took Y/N in her arms, holding her tight for about a minute. 

So, you’re alright ? She asked. 

Yes, his girlfriend said. 

And you’re happy ? 

So happy, Y/N confirmed. 

And he’s treating you well ? Talia asked again. 

Of course I treat her well, Marshall scoffed, almost offended by the implication. 

Not talking to you, Em, Talia said as she gave him a side-eye. 

He treats me very well, Y/N said softly. Like a princess, actually. 

Talia hummed and kept staring at the two of them. At that point, it was almost freaking him out. All he wanted was some sleep ! Now that she knew that Y/N was alive, breathing and not under immediate danger, couldn’t she just go home and let them rest ? Of course, it was purely rhetorical… in the past three years or so, he had spent enough time with Talia around to know that this woman only did what she wanted. She was not the intrusive type but he had also come to understand that when it came to her best friend’s safety, happiness and well-being, she could be ruthless. He may have been twenty years older, she was the « scary » one in that situation. So, even though he was not ecstatic to have her disturb what could have been a peaceful and much-needed night of sleep, he didn’t say much. After a while, Talia sat back on the couch and told them to do the same. Once again, it wasn’t time to discuss the orders. Usually, he would not have anyone tell him what to do, especially not someone who could be his daughter and even less in his own house, but Talia was the exception. He also low-key appreciated that she treated him like a normal person, with a « no-nonsense, no bullshit » attitude. It was something that made him respect her. She had that sort of aura that usually prompted people to do what she told them to. She was a pretty damn persuasive person and there was no doubt as to how she had Jamal around her finger. 

Let’s be clear here, she said as she looked at him, Y/N might be satisfied with the princess treatment, but it certainly won’t impress me. She is exceptional and if you fail to treat her in a manner befitting the empress that she is, I will make sure you regret it. 

Of course, he said with a smile. 

And if you make her suffer, I will make sure you suffer twice as much, she added. Don’t get me wrong : Jamal is the big scary dude who will punch you, but I will be your worst nightmare. 

Believe me, I’m counting on it, he replied. 

Good. You, Y/N, do not think about lying to me ever again. Especially about something like this !!! She told her best friend. 

Promise, Y/N said. 

Now, I would love some tea and hear about how this happened, she said with a smile, gesturing at the two of them. 

Right now ? Marshall couldn’t help but groan. 

Would you rather tell me about your misjudged idea of asking my best friend to lie to me and causing me to have a stroke ? She asked with a raised eyebrow. 

So, green tea or black tea ? He replied with a sarcastic grin. 

Green, she chuckled. And Y/N usually drinks…

… hot cocoa, he continued with a smile. I know, I know. Are we really doing this, Talia ? You bullying me in my own house ? 

You bet we are, she chuckled. You owe me, for the emotional damage, Em. 

He chortled and went to the kitchen to prepare the hot beverages while he could hear Talia grilling Y/N with questions. He would have snapped at anyone, but Talia’s concern for Y/N was so genuine that he could only appreciate it. Plus, seeing the relief on his girlfriend’s face was priceless. From the other room, he could hear her giggle as she answered some of Talia’s questions. When he came back to the living room with the mugs, Talia was commenting on the hickies. « Y’all better chill. What are you ? Horny teenagers ?! ». He chuckled and sat next to Y/N, who curled up on his side. It felt a little weird to have someone know about their relationship, but he had to admit it also felt good. They talked for about an hour before he decided to go back to bed. 

Can I be dismissed now ? He asked with a smile. 

I’ll allow it, Talia said. Plus, I can’t get Y/N to tell me about the nitty-gritty stuff if you’re sitting here ! 

Don’t tell her anything, he said. 

She will tell me everything, she replied. 

He chortled and kissed the top of his girlfriend’s head before getting up and hugging Talia. 

By the way, you have my blessing, Em, she said with a smile. 

I don’t need your blessing, he chuckled. 

Yeah you do, she giggled. You just didn’t know it. 

I’ll take it then, he grinned. Thank you. 

Thank you for making my girl happy, she whispered with a smile. 

[octuscle]

Working everyday sucks. I mean is this the life we dreamt of when we were young? I mean I had the choice between knowledge and sports. I chose the academic way but there are days I wish for another chance to decide. Working with my body instead of my brain would be cool. Is there a Chronivac program to solve this problem?

Dude, I understand you so well. I mean, you're in-house counsel at your company, 48 years old…. Got 20 more years to work. The peak of your career is probably right now. Damn it! If you would have made the right decision at the right time… I'll choose the setting "Become younger with simultaneous modification of the past". Means in clear language, you become now each hour a year younger. And at the same time you have dedicated yourself one year more to a career as an athlete. Whether you end up as a gold medal winner, Formula 1 champion or coach of a soccer team in the district league, I can't tell you yet. But I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you.

Friday morning, 6:00 a.m. At this time you feel like an old man. Your back has been better. But trust me, in a few minutes you will feel better. Your mind is already off the weekly meeting in the shower. They're on the runs you're planning for the weekend. By the time you sit down to breakfast at 7:00 a.m. (raw vegetables, sugar-free muesli, low-fat quark), you already feel considerably fitter. You sold your car a year ago. Your new bike was almost as expensive. And now you ride it to the office like every morning.

09:00 a.m., weekly meeting of the department heads. Since you've been doing more sports, you love Casual Friday. Your tight suit pants fit snugly and your rolled-up arms show off your tanned, wiry forearms. Three years of hard training are having an effect. It's certainly helped your career, too. Most of the other department heads are not only fatter than you, they are also much older.

The morning goes well, at lunchtime you can convince your colleagues to have sushi. Normally, they always go out for schnitzel at the brewery on Fridays. Then you would have had to take a salad again. And a non-alcoholic beer. Okay, that would have worked, too. But in the meantime it causes you physical pain to watch how some people maltreat their bodies. As you brush your teeth in the office after lunch, you grin very contentedly in the mirror. You are now 40 years old. But as a rule, everyone thinks you're younger. Triathlon and soccer have gotten you out of your post-college slump over the past eight years. And now you're the departmental Adonis. One of the youngest department heads in the entire group. And an absolute winning smile!

The building empties out at 3:00 pm. But you don't just give your all in sports. When you shut down the computer at 6:00 p.m., all the e-mails have been processed. Yes, you are considered an absolute nerd. And you are. Ever since you graduated with your bachelor's degree 12 years ago, you've been working hard. In sports as well as in your job. Your promotion is only a matter of time. But that doesn't matter. You hang up your suit in your closet, stuff your shirt, shoes and knee socks into your backpack, put on your racing bike outfit and start cycling. You'd like to do another 100 kilometers tonight. Two and a half hours would be a good time… Sometime between 20:00 o'clock and 21:00 o'clock it makes click. You almost lost control of the bike. You are now just under 24 years old. And after graduating from high school, you decided to become a carpenter. The alternative would have been to study law. Like your father, like your grandmother, like your brother. But even though you weren't particularly talented at handicrafts, you wanted to do something completely different. Something physical. And fuck, that was the right decision. Today, at 33, you have your own business, plenty of time for sports, and certainly a much more relaxed life than your brother….

Now the changes come one after the other. The beginning of the transformation quickly reaches your 17th and 16th birthday. And the younger you are at the time of onset, the more serious the effects.

At 11:00 p.m. you lie in bed showered. It was a hard day. But you love your job. In the past, you would have dreamed of a different life. When you started playing soccer at the age of 14, you were already too old for the big career. Well, you were active in the second Bundesliga for a while. But now, as a physiotherapist and fitness trainer at a first league club, you're not dissatisfied. It pays pretty good money. And a bit of the boys' glamour falls on you, too. At least you get around a lot… You fall asleep at the thought.

Alarm clock rings like every day at 06:00 o'clock. You don't give a shit that it's Saturday. Could also be Sunday or Christmas. Drink a liter of water to detox, then run ten kilometers. At 07:30 your physiotherapist comes to the hotel room, 08:30 breakfast with the team. Kickoff for the soccer game is today at 8:30 p.m. Until then, light training, a yoga session and coaching with your social media consultant are scheduled.

Let the haters make fun of the soccer millionaires. You've been fighting for your career since your foot first touched a ball. And you work a hell of a lot harder for success than any armchair farter who studied business, law or mechanical engineering. And that's why you will win today!

[metarexslayer2025]

Ian Flynn Shills

The people who defend this, yet still curse SEGA/Sonic Team/Pontaff for the "Sonic, help me!" in Forces are nothing more than a bunch of shills.

"He's 8!" Then he shouldn't be in a war. The battlefield is no place for children.

"He's surrounded by Zombots!" The Zombots are garbage and have 0 place in a kid's book, which is exactly what Flynn called it.

Seriously, you pricks bitch and moan about Shadow's horrendous characterization in Issue 19, and snarl at SEGA and their mandates even though the plot point for Shadow to go down to the Zombots was Flynn's from the start and was made to have him go out like a chump.

Yeah, I'm feeling nasty today, and the IDW crowd 100% deserves it for their worship of Flynn and belittling of past writers. Ian clearly has little respect for Tails. It's always been this way since his tenure at Archie. He views Tails as Sonic's subordinate. As a sidekick. The IDW comics straight-up call Tails a sidekick, but call the OC Tangle a hero.

And for all the people in the comments of that post I highlighted, Tails wasn't useless in Forces either. After that scene with Chaos, Tails started getting his confidence back with Classic Sonic by his side. And once he's finally reunited with the Blue Blur, things start turning around. In fact, Tails is able to come up with a plan to neutralize the Phantom Ruby, and Sonic convinces the others to listen to him. And it's thanks to Tails's plan that the Avatar player is able to neutralize the Phantom Ruby sun and turn the tides.

In the IDW comics, Sonic doesn't listen to Tails when the latter voices his concerns about Metal Sonic in Issue 12. The hedgehog brushes him off and claims "I feel the odds are in our favor." And look where that got him. Tails even brought up how Sonic told him to repair Metal in Issue 50 and even asserts how Metal was still dangerous in his base form.

But I know you people will just write it all off as "Forces bad," and stick to your guns by claiming that "IDW fixed Tails." The truth is those of you who claim such nonsense are a bunch of miscreants who have a parasocial relationship with the writer, to the point where you'll waste your money on his podcast to have your pointless questions answered.

You're nothing but a cult. A Bumblekult.

[glystenangel]

Hiiii i saw that your requests were open do u think you could write a fic about Gojo just like being the overall best boyfriend to the reader whos on her period, i guess i just need the comfort rn:)

Here for You

Gojo x Afab!Reader (Canon Universe)

tags/warnings: none, 100% fluff, bf/gf status, loveeee, period comfort, acts of service & words of affy, cuddling

summary: you're on ur period and gojo can't leave you alone

~1k words

thanks for requesting and enjoy<333

_________________

Gojo stopped asking you what you needed a long time ago.

Now, he knows the exact answer, and he loves providing it.

“Feeling better?” Strands of white soften the bright azure of his eyes as he leans down.

You haven’t taken your gaze away from him since he began massaging your hands, sighing whenever he paused to soothe an unpreoccupied hand down your side.

“Yes.”

A small smile folds up the corner of his lips, but it’s the pleased look in his eyes that makes your heartbeat fasten.

“Good.” He says, kissing between your knuckles.

You don’t think you could ever bring yourself to stop loving him, he was too gentle with you. Almost as if he would break without you, so he had to be extra careful to not break you either. Being on your period meant your boyfriend’s natural inclination only increased tenfold.

“Can we go out to eat? I think I can get out of bed now.” You place a hand on his cheek, gesturing at your curled up position in bed with the other.

The large palm of Gojo’s hand cradles yours against his cheek, he leans into the touch with a thoughtful hum, and you can feel it travel down your wrist. 

“I don’t think so.” He finally says, an amused yet firm tone filling his cadence.

You roll your eyes, recognizing the protective stance of his shoulders. 

“I’m hungry.”

“Then tell me what you want to eat.” He clasps your hand more tightly to convince you, “I’ll go get it.”

Every word he says seems as though it was made to convince you that you are loved.

“Maybe my favorite?” You hesitantly mumble, running your thumb along the pale curve of his cheek.

“Done. Don’t move.” Gojo warns before getting up, keeping your hand in his as he rises to his feet from where he was sitting by you.

“I won’t.” You swing your still attached hands between you two and quietly add, “You would know anyway.”

You had tried to get up and brush your teeth by yourself this morning, and the moment he sensed that you were caught. Gojo lectured you the whole time he had carried you to the bathroom before setting you down and brushing your teeth for you.

The chuckle he lets out tells you that he remembers the entire, recent affair himself, “Okay, I’ll be right back. Text me if you want anything else, okay?”

Looking up at his tall figure, you run your eyes over every sculpted dip of his lips, his collarbones, and chin. Any movement he makes radiates grace and strength, but his actions were more kind around you. Sure, he was handsome and powerful, but he never made you feel like you were beneath him. Often, he told you that he looks up to you. That you keep him strong. Just thinking about how he adores you as much as you adore him makes your chest swell.

A beam adorns your face, the pain in your lower abdomen a distant background to the beat of your heart, “I love you.”

The reply is immediate and sincere, “I love you too.”

_________________

As soon as Gojo returns and you both finish indulging in your favorite guilty pleasure meal, he decides that it’s time for cuddles.

You hate to admit it, but Gojo is the absolute best at cuddling.

Maybe it had to do with the massive size of his hands, or the way he would let his breath tickle your neck as he draped himself over you.

“I hate to see you like this.” He murmurs, chin cupped by your shoulder and his fingertips roaming along your waist.

“Me too. It’s gross, right?” You joke, laughing as much as your knotted insides will allow.

It ends up turning into a wince.

A displeased grumble escapes Gojo, and you feel your boyfriend’s chest press nearer to your back after he tightens his careful hold on you.

“You don’t have to pretend for my sake.” The words are subdued, and you feel his cheek brush against yours.

At that, you turn to face him, despite his tsks that you shouldn’t move if you’re in pain.

You ignore the protests, reaching for the side of his jaw with a tenderness you only reserved for each other, “You don’t have to either. Ever.”

He visually melts. The arch of his eyebrows relax, and he swallows, speechlessness occupying what minimal space rests between the two of you. The aquamarine shine of his eyes is full of an emotion you can name but don’t always have to put into words.

“When did you get so sweet? Hm?” Gojo rouses himself out of his brief stupor, pulling you in by your waist and lips curling into a teasing smirk.

“I’ve always been this sweet.” You cradle his face in your hands, earnestly smiling back at him.

“You’re right.” He easily admits, broadening his grin.

You tuck your face into his chest, sighing with more dissatisfaction than you actually felt.

“I’m tired.”

Gojo holds you in his embrace, his breathing even and steady, “You’ll be okay.”

You prop your chin up to look at him, “You think so?”

He kisses a spot by your temple and it feels like a streak of sun just warmed the skin there, “I know so. Remember, when you’re tired-”

“I have you.” You faintly interrupt, his subsequent laughter making his chest shake with the light sound.

“And when I’m tired?” He raises your chin again, flitting his vision all over your happy face.

It’s not a test, more of an encouraging prompt. A promise you have been sharing since you started dating.

“You have me.” You finish, and he settles your face into the nape of his neck.

That’s right, I’m here for you. I love you. The small gesture says, and you close your eyes, listening to that sweet reassurance until you fall asleep.

_________________ End Notes:

pretttyy short but I hope u like :)

also i know this is late so sorry if i missed the timing!!

[lv-iceprince]

sun-kissed

pairing~ jung wooyoung x male! reader

genre~ (au) (f) (s)

word count~ 9.5k (it’s that god damn smut scene i tell ya) 

synopsis~ It’s the summer of ‘72 and y/n- an ex boy scout, arrives home after his college life is ruined by something as mundane as a crush on his best friend. in an attempt to run away from his concerns surrounding his sexuality, y/n returns to pinefield. there he meets jung wooyoung, a delinquent who really shouldn’t be there. the pair, both from different worlds come to the realisation that maybe what they were feeling wasn’t intense hate but something special...

or the one where an ice cold camp counsellor meets a boy who he’s convinced holds the sun in his eyes

featuring~  two closeted gay kids who are stupid and in love, reader is san’s cousin but it doesn’t really add to the plot that much, insinuated homophobia (nothing is actually directly mentioned), switch reader & switch wooyoung, frotting, a sickening amount of fluff, kissing and pda, wooyoung’s smart mouth and dolphin laugh, the longest and most respectful smut scene ever, praise & body worship, cum play, unprotected sex (don’t do this please i just had to keep this era appropriate).

playlist~🌼 (excuse the amazing lack 70′s music on this playlist) 

a/n~ at this stage i will probably always be thanking you @kpop-ship-silver for actually encouraging me to get some thoughts out there, especially this fic. and @flwrboi​ i know we just started dm’ing but let me be bold and say you’ve 100% become my muse of sort. even though i started this fic months you and your presence inspired me to make this the cutest thing in the universe. lets just say this is a token of “please be my friend?” “or maybe at least consider being moots for more than a couple of weeks?”

 also the song y/n and wooyoung listen to in the lake scene is Go All The Way by Raspberries 

You can’t help but feel somewhat guilty, your family had been waiting for months to see you, yet you currently sat in the shadiest area of your yard tracing shapes on your bare knee. The sizzling meat and the children that ran wild, though loud, was reduced to background noise in your mind. Family barbecues were far and few between yet the atmosphere remained the same, regardless of the change within your heart.

A few days prior you stood in a phone booth on your campus weaving a narrative of your seemingly amazing college experience, even if you didn’t address it the distance in your voice was booming, so your dad took immediate action dusting off the same apron he wore years ago in an attempt to at least gift you with a faint smile when you arrived home. He had yet to see that smile but still had a few tricks up his sleeve, even if he was practically forced to man the food. After the not-so-subtle “You know you can tell me anything right champ?” you didn’t budge, and that in itself felt wrong. Throughout your life you had always been the sweet little boy who would always peck their mum on the cheek before running off to explore their backyard, which eventually led to you becoming the beloved poster child for the town’s local scout troop. 

Honesty, integrity and kinship practically ran in your blood even during your awkward teenage phases. And as soon as you outgrew your troop you snatched up the opportunity to volunteer as a counsellor every summer, even now the familiarity of it pulled you back in, and right now you were as desperate as ever to forget about the events that had taken place.

The first couple of months of college had lulled you into a false sense of security, gifting you with a decent roommate, friends, you even managed to find a girlfriend. If you could go back and give your past self a helpful warning you would have looked him in his e/c eyes and said “Sometimes the best things are temporary”. It began as a faint jolt of electricity that ran wild when you brushed against Jaehyun’s arm. Then eventually you found yourself drifting in and out as you scanned his handsome features, and when someone noticed you responded like clockwork “When did admiring your best friend become a crime?” That question was later answered the night you refused to go further with your sweet bookish girlfriend Anne and instead opted for sneaking a hand into your boxers, letting soft whimpers of Jaehyun’s name slip loose and drift into the cold night air. 

Your major game plan was to keep the double life you were leading under wraps, but eventually you made a lapse in judgement. The night was painfully ordinary, Jaehyun laughed at his joke that nearly fell into the realm of being a dad joke. You had a good sense of humour but the joke was a complete miss, but the sparkle in his eyes, that made everything worth it.  From that point on your body was acting on its own, after taking one sneaky glance at his lips you took your chance. In some fantasy world Jaehyun would have stolen your breath in one swift kiss, but it never came. Dread coated your entire being as your eyes, which had since then clasped themselves shut, finally opened.

There was no hint of emotion on his face, it was as if he had already blocked out what had happened. Your friend stood, reaching for his bag. Slinging it around his shoulder he tilted sideways trying to avoid making eye contact.

“I was just joking.”

“I think I should go.”

Those five familiar words carried a venomous sting to them that was only heightened by him turning on his heels. Speaking proved to be a struggle, everything you wanted to say never made it past the tip of your tongue. By the time you managed to croak out a string of words he was already out the door.

“Jaehyun…I’m sorry.”  

From that point onwards Jaehyun made a habit of taking elaborate detours in hopes of avoiding you. Maybe he was doing you a favour since there was no way you could work your way up to looking him in the eyes let alone start a conversation. However, your perspective clearly changed when a heartbroken Anne sat across from you, you knew where this was going even before you registered the words she spoke.

It didn’t take long for it to spread like wildfire, everyone knew about the little ex-boy scout who wasn’t as innocent as he seemed. So instead of unloading your baggage to your father you ultimately decided to ditch and disappear into the semi-wilderness and confront your feelings later, what could possibly go wrong?

A thud to the back of your head withdrew you from your thoughts, snapping you back into reality. Before you even had time to swivel around your younger cousin Ethan was frantic, “Sorry!” Looking down to your side you notice a lone soccer ball, the adults around you immediately set into action scolding him. “You know y/n’s not well.” That was what your mum used to smooth over the situation, she knew even less than your dad but she was still out here defending you while holding a stack of paper plates.

“Mum I’m fine.” Feigning innocence, you stood flashing a gentle smile before you dashed towards Ethan. The young boy playfully squealed as you trailed him around your back yard, finally cornering him you picked him up carrying him to the blow-up swimming pool. He was already in his swimsuit so when you plopped him into the pool the boy giggled like crazy, splashing you with water.  

The familiarity of it all was a soothing balm over all the things that had happened in the weeks prior, and returning to Pinefield was a much-needed cure for your broken heart.

Wooyoung shuffled in his seat irked by the whole scenario, he didn’t deserve to be in this hellscape disguised as a cubicle. He wasn’t going to deny that he resorted to minor threats but that’s all it was, he wasn’t going to beat the dude up. But no matter how many times Wooyoung had stressed this to his community service officer he was dismissed with a passive aggressive smile.

The combination of the man’s feigned innocence, the pasty walls and the noisy water cooler was starting to break Wooyoung. His head fell into his hands muffling a frustrated sigh, “Now… the last time I checked a verbal threat doesn’t equal community service.” “Well, it does in our books, now Wooyoung you’re eating into my lunch break” “Good” “Son, just choose something you have no choice in the matter.”

Snatching the clipboard out of the man’s hand Wooyoung traced his tongue along one of his fingers and took to flipping through the pages, it didn’t take him long to realise that each listing was just as bad as the last. However, one caught his eye. “Camp Pinefield? You’re kidding me, a scout camp? You’re willing to let a “delinquent” volunteer around children, that’s good to know.” Wooyoung expected to at least get a chuckle from the man in front of him but much to his disappointment he got another blank stare.

Frankly all of these options were shit, but it was still an easy choice to make. There was no way he was going to willingly clean up after the people who got him in this situation to begin with, he also didn’t ever feel comfortable working in a local cemetery.

“Camp Pinefield it is.” “Well, if that’s the case I will contact the head of the scout troop and organise the paperwork. The camp starts in three weeks so I expect to see you back here next week to register. But until then enjoy your freedom.”  Wooyoung was already walking away when he recognised the cocky comment. “It’s a scout camp not a prison.” “Your right, twelve weeks isn’t that bad right?”  Luckily the officer couldn’t see how Wooyoung’s face paled immediately. Used to Wooyoung’s antics the man didn’t even react when he dashed back into the cubicle once again ripping the clipboard out of his hands once again, “Don’t you mean one to two wee-“Wooyoung’s voice faltered after rereading the rough penmanship, ‘Oh shit’ .

“Okay look, Tom I’m sorry for wasting your time, you deserved that lunch. Almost as much as I deserve to not do twelve weeks of community service at a camp.” The boy, who just so happened to be gifted in the art of persuasion, kneeled down so his head sat on the desk. There was a side to Wooyoung that barely saw the light of day and it only appeared in moments of complete desperation, he scrunched his face into a bright smile that saw his eyes disappear behind his cheeks. “I change my mind.” Without realising it Wooyoung had given the guy all he needed to make a smartass comment that sliced deep into Wooyoung’s ego.

“But with a face like that, the children are going to love you, I can’t disappoint them, right?”

“Oh, come on! It’s not even final, I can change my mind.” “I’m sorry my hands are tied” “No they aren’t!” “I don’t care how loud you get; I am not budging. Have a nice day.”

In that moment Wooyoung’s suspicions had been confirmed, he had indeed spent the last hour and a half in literal hell.

“Well fuck you too!”

He was fuming when he rounded the corner only to be met with Yeosang stifling his laugh, even after he had spotted Wooyoung he made absolutely no attempt at hiding his amusement. It was Yeosang’s idea to sync up their community service meetings, a cute little privilege that he reserved for his best friend. Much to his delight he managed to be placed into the cubicle right next to Wooyoung, meaning he had a front row ticket to the chaos that Wooyoung was raining down upon the poor officer.  

So Yeosang didn’t even bother to ask about what had truly taken place, and even though silence had plagued them the entire walk home Yeosang failed to hear what the other had murmured through gritted teeth.

“Twelve weeks, what a dream.”

You sat adjacent to scoutmaster Hawke, entertaining the man’s conversation as you prodded a stick into the flames watching the logs crumble. You didn’t know whether you were just gifted with a huge ego or whether you were just so used to being a model citizen, but seeing the logs reduced to ash made you feel like a god. You had arrived at the camp grounds just as the sun was rising, an act which was 100% unnecessary but it wasn’t hurting anybody. Hawke knew what to expect from you considering he had known your family for thirteen years, if you had wanted to show up at the crack of dawn, so be it.

Once upon a time you had been subject to Hawke’s strict nature, but as soon as your mother had been dubbed the longest serving chef Pinefield had to date you were given a pass to do as you pleased. It wasn’t actually as irresponsible as it had sounded, they all knew you had a working head on your shoulders.

It was nearly eleven and the egg yolk sun washed over the campgrounds. Saturating it in a friendly type of warmth. Since you had arrived Hawke kept you close by after giving you a special task, to welcome one of the new camp counsellors. This was by no means out of the ordinary, with your innocence, charm and enthusiasm you could win over just about anybody so why not put you out into the front line to ease the worries of the newbies?

What Hawke failed to mention was that he had indeed met the new camp counsellor, and if that day was any indication of the type of person Jung Wooyoung was all hands-on deck were needed to reform him.  So, he concocted a list of plans spanning from A-Z, and plan A was more or less chaining Wooyoung to their best volunteer. It was a complete shot in the dark but it was easily the better of the plans.

The older man was actually relieved that Wooyoung hadn’t shown up yet, it gave him the opportunity to calm your nerves before he could spring everything onto you.

“Y/n you know I’m not one for sentimentalities but it’s good to see you again, I wasn’t sure if you’d be back, seeing as you weren’t here last year.”

You playfully scoffed, bickering with the man as if he was a beloved uncle.

“Hey! You know you can’t get rid of me yet Hawke, you’ll be long gone before I leave you all behind. But seriously I really miss being here.”

“Just know that you don’t have to volunteer to come back and visit.” “Yeah, I know.” Truth be told you were never accustomed to the idea of not giving back to the people that basically witnessed you grow up, so you stayed. All the kind words he had showered you with were merely a way to put your heart at ease before he threw you into the tiger’s den, and you hadn’t the slightest clue.

“Not to cut you off there, but are you really sure he’s showing up?” “Just give him some time, he’ll show up alright.” There was something slightly ominous about Hawke’s answer but you let it slide. The tweeting birds filled the silence enough for you to relax once again, however, just as you dropped the stick to your side a rusted cherry pickup truck rounded the corner.  From where you were both standing it was hard to clearly make out the owner of the car, but that didn’t really matter as the person for Hawke was waiting for exited the pickup truck.

It was proving incredibly difficult to mask the shock on your face, he wasn’t meant to be here. Maybe you were a serial gatekeeper but your anxiety was beating you into submission. Even if the phrase “Don’t judge a book by its cover” was repeated on loop throughout your childhood, you adopted an immediate distaste for the boy. His raven hair was slicked back, held in place by a black and white bandana. The rest of his outfit hung loosely on his body, a mix between the hippies your mother whispered about and the delinquents your father urged you to distance yourself from.

Your guest took his time, speaking to the driver of the vehicle before flashing him an emotionless smile, he hadn’t even been here for a whole minute yet he already seemed to be suffering.

Sending a salute to his friend he approached, coming to a stop right in front of you. He had yet to utter a single word but his piercing gaze was preventing you from blurting out the usual camp counsellor spiel.

“Good to see you son.” Hawke’s words didn’t seem to faze the young man, that or he was a mute, somehow you had a hard time believing that. Hawke’s sharp exhale was a warning sign in itself, the ex-army veteran had a very…unique sense of respect, his morals were so deeply ingrained in him and it was terrifying. Even if his heart was relatively big, his anger was no joke and nothing angered him more than stubborn silence.

You inadvertently flinched when his large hand came to rest on the stranger’s shoulder, gripping it in faux jolliness. It wasn’t a friendly gesture at all, it was a clear show of dominance. But Hawke was met with a challenging tilt of the head. As if he could sense his brash nature Hawke retracted his hand.

“Y/n I’d like you to meet Wooyoung, he has been kind enough to take on the role as Clarke’s replacement. I have asked Y/n to be your mentor of sorts or as we say, your buddy. Even if he does hold more authority over you, treat him as you would a good friend.”

“Sounds great.” Oh great, he was a complete asshole, well he definitely looked the part, but you had held out hope that he would at least save the sarcasm for later.

“Now Y/n why don’t you show Wooyoung around.” You could tell by the crease forming between his brows that he already needed to recover from Wooyoung’s attitude.  “Sure, will do.” Turning to Wooyoung you flashed him the best poster-boy smile you had, maintaining it until Hawke was out of sight, there was no way you’d let him see you so nervous and fidgety. “I’m Y/n, in case you missed it.” “Didn’t miss it.” “Cool! So how about we drop by the cabin to ditch your belongings so we can get this tour rolling.”  You were preparing yourself for another sour response, not for him to push past you and walk off to God knows where. “I’d suggest dropping the quirky scout thing, it’s not very convincing.” Your jaw dropped in sheer disbelief “You’re going the wrong way.”

One would have thought that you had tortured Wooyoung, when in reality you had just given him a tour and his scout uniform. “I think it suits you.” Wooyoung sighed “Please don’t say that.” It had been what, an hour? Yet you could already feel a pin prick of a migraine forming. Not wanting to give him fuel for another sassy comeback you attempted to change the subject. “So Wooyoung, what brings you to Pinefield?”  For the first time since you met, he actually thought over his answer before exhaling a forceful sigh. “Look I promise it isn’t as bad as it seems, but I’m here for community service.”  Wooyoung didn’t want to admit it to himself, considering you had been so persistently bubbly and invasive, but the way you tilted your head in confusion, was honestly one of the cutest things he had ever seen.

“Wait, I didn’t know that was a thing, don’t you need to be back in town picking up garbage?” “Okay, pretty boy, you obviously missed the point THIS is my community service.” A flaming blush coated your cheeks, it wasn’t meant as a compliment but it still had an effect on you. “Right, I’m sorry I just didn’t know you could do that, honestly that sounds like a pretty good deal. I have a cousin San, he just started his community service a couple of days ago, he nearly took the Pinefield gig to spend time with me but he absolutely sucks at leading children. So, he’s cleaning empty houses.”

One would have thought you just said the most outrageous thing based on the pure shock on his face. “Your cousin San?” Wooyoung had no idea how many people called San lived in this area, you couldn’t be talking about his best friend. “Technically he’s my fourth cousin but I didn’t think that mattered.” “This might be a stab in the dark but are you possibly talking about Choi San?” He watched as your eyes lit up ‘oh fuck’ “Yeah do you know him?”  There was no way, well actually that could possibly explain why you were so attractive. But besides that, you were nothing alike. “He’s a close friend, he actually drove me here.” “What?! Why didn’t he come and say hi? First, he misses our family barbecue and now this.” “I’m more surprised you didn’t recognize your own cousin.” “I have bad eyesight sometimes! And I haven’t seen his new truck.” And there it was, a pout that was nearly identical to that of his best friend.

For the first time since he arrived Wooyoung chuckled “The difference is amazing, I can’t believe such an uptight, do-gooder is related to San.”  You responded with a shrug “Well I am.” Wooyoung crouches down so he’s eye level with you “Hey lighten up, I think we’ll get along fine.” “I doubt it.” “Oh, come on, now who’s the depressing one, look it’s not like I’ll torment you, I wasn’t going to… but now I know you’re San’s cousin I can 100% say I’ll behave. Scout’s honour.” Wooyoung gave a small salute and a bright smile, you could see why the two got along, there was something oddly sweet about the guy, but he was still a major pain in the ass who had been pushing every single one of your buttons since he arrived.  So, you’d have to pass on actually being his friend.

All you could do was flash him a false smile and glance at your watch hoping you had somewhere to be, your call was answered in seconds. A knock on the door brought Wooyoung to his feet in time for another counsellor to enter the change room. “Y/n there you are” He didn’t seem to notice Wooyoung until he turned to his side. “Good you’re here too. The scouts are here.”  It was in that moment that you realised your watch was definitely showing the wrong time. “Oh, flip. Okay we’ll be out there soon.” You could feel Wooyoung smirking as the counsellor left the room “Oh flip? San 1, Y/n 0.” “What does that even mean?” “I’m keeping count. Whenever you say anything cheesy or lame San gets a point, I dunno how you get points but I’m sure you’ll figure something out.”

Wooyoung did in fact keep his promise, he definitely didn’t set out to make your summer difficult. But that didn’t mean that he wasn’t annoying, oh god was he annoying. Three weeks into his time at Pinefield he had ditched his cold bad boy persona and became the golden child of the camp, the children adored him, the female counsellors had a crush on him and the adults showered him with praise.  Even so, Wooyoung had a soft spot for you, even if it wasn’t mutual. You had made it completely obvious that he was a burden to you but he honestly didn’t care. He still had fun testing your patience.

Truth be told, if you weren’t studying a degree in social studies, you probably would have been an actor, solely due to the fact that you were able to convince others and yourself that you despised Wooyoung when in reality you had become one of those who were completely enamoured by his everything. But this felt too familiar and if Jaehyun had taught you anything it was that you were doomed if you let your heart get the best of you.  

“Look, I’m not saying you’re wrong, but why don’t you like him? He’s so nice.” Your friend Christina interrogated you over breakfast, you let out another sigh aware of the possibility that you were grasping at any reason to hate Wooyoung. “You know what if you spent every single day paired with him, you’d be losing it too.”

His sarcasm had rubbed off on you, whenever questioned about him you always had a defensive answer. Because at the heart of it, there was a reason why you disliked him and it was growing bigger and more complicated every week, day, hour and minute that you spent with him.

Your prayers had been answered, then dashed in a matter of time. Wooyoung didn’t show for breakfast gifting you with much needed silence, but the world also condemned you to a good couple of hours in the presence of a shirtless Wooyoung. The lake on the edge of the camp wasn’t the biggest lake in the world, but it was still in need of a lifeguard. The lake was connected to a string of other lakes that ultimately connected to the sea, a perfect get away for Wooyoung who sat on a cherry-red lifeguard chair. Instead of actually watching out for the kids he let them run free, closing his eyes to inhale the salty sea breeze. Feeling eyes on him he pauses his Walkman “You good?” It was a struggle to keep your cheeks from turning red. Wooyoung had to be aware of his visuals, his cockiness was most definitely a result of over-confidence.

“I’m fine, just watching you shirk your responsibilities, if you aren’t going to be the lookout let me do it.” “It’s all good up here don’t worry your pretty little face about it.” Huffing out a sigh you stretched back allowing your feet to dangle off the end of the jetty. Even from your spot the sea air managed to tussle with your h/c locks. Wooyoung resumed his position, reclining back into the chair. Just as he was about to press play you spoke again “What are you thinking about?” “That’s a pretty invasive question.” “I’ve never seen you make that face before.”

There was a moment of hesitation. He wasn’t keen on telling you the truth, that he was thinking about you. It didn’t have anything to do with your relation to San, even if you hadn’t told him that bit of information, he still would have found you so insanely attractive. He couldn’t deny the fact that he frequently wondered what your mouth could do, other than nag him. You were uptight to a fault. Any other person would have been offended by your harsh approach, but Wooyoung found it endearing. He actually enjoyed your company, every single attempt he made to get closer to you was in good spirit. He wasn’t even certain that you were into him or guys in general, it was more of a suspicion that was proving itself true with each lingering glance in his direction.

So instead, he responded with a witty retort. “I’m imagining that I’m at the beach with the hot sun and even hotter babes.” Man, this guy sucked, however, he was attractive. You hadn’t seen it before but the sun shining down on him proved to be your new weakness. Summer looked good on him.,

“Sounds like a dream, now share!” Springing up you strolled towards the boy, tugging at his arm that was lazily thrown over the arm rest. “The hell?!” “Didn’t you hear me? Time to share that fantasy, get down.” Wooyoung, used to this behaviour could only chuckle at your words. “Wooyoung.I.Just.Want.To.Do.My.Job.” “Fine, move out the way I’m getting down.” Wooyoung Leapt down from his throne with ease “There you go, have at it.” Wasting little time, you fumbled up onto the seat. Ironically you had little to no climbing abilities despite being a scout and since you were focused on not slipping and getting a concussion you failed to notice your swim shorts ride up your legs.

Something as simple as that broke any self-control Wooyoung had, but it was the innocence that got him. You seemed just as oblivious as always, he was actually willing to overlook this mishap until you smirked at him.

In your head the smirk was a sense of dominance, you had gotten your way, end of story. However, that smirk led Wooyoung to the point of no return.

“I think we should get out of here.” You rolled your eyes “Look we only have twenty minutes left. I’m not letting you out of my sight.” How were you not getting it? He was being so blatantly obvious. “Look. I’m feeling, God, can we just talk… privately.” It was all too tempting to tease the guy but he looked completely on edge. “Yeah of course.” Landing on the ground as gracelessly as possible, you looked around for the best place to have this conversation.  It was decided that the small lifeguard’s unit that sat about a hundred feet from the lake was the best bet.

Unlocking the door, you ushered Wooyoung inside, taking the extra step to lock the door behind you. “What’s u- ““Look, I could be completely wrong but do you like guys?” “I’m not against them, you’ve seen me with my male friends.”  He was starting to wonder whether you were just that oblivious or just a stick in the mud. “I know that, I’m asking if you’re attracted to other men.”

Wooyoung had promised that he wouldn’t torment you, but for some reason you were still anticipating the worst if you did confess to anything. So, you gave the same answer you gave to Anne all those months ago. “That’s absurd, I’m not into guys. I’m straight.”  Your lie seemed to convince her at the time but Wooyoung saw through your half-hearted words. “Look I’m not asking because I’m weirded out but you’ve been acting a little…look you keep staring at me and I don’t know how to feel about it.” “Oh, come on don’t flatter yourself Wooyoung, it’s nothing really.” Wooyoung licked his lower lip in frustration.  “Look if I tell you something about myself can you answer one question for me?” “If it’ll make you happy go ahead, but please make this quick I don’t want to leave the kids alone for too long.”

“Great! Don’t worry this won’t take long.” He may have come across as overly enthusiastic but in reality, his nerves were starting to get the best of him. “You’re not the only one who isn’t straight, unlike you I’m just better at hiding it. So let me ask you again “Are you attracted to me?”

It felt absurd, this couldn’t be happening. While you were still trying to comprehend the words, he had spoken Wooyoung leaned in, his voice no louder than a faint whisper. “Feeling’s mutual.” While your brain attempted to come up with a long list of excuses as to why you shouldn’t give in to him, your body acts, swiftly pulling him in for a kiss. After the initial shock Wooyoung resumed his cocky playfulness, nipping at your lip. “I didn’t think you liked me that much.” “Shut up.” “Come on I’m just teasing.”

Wooyoung cupped your face, pulling you back it didn’t take long for his soft lips to soothe every single one of your worries. “More, Wooyoung I think I want you to touch me.” Even in his most vivid fantasy he never thought you’d be begging for his touch. “Where? Here?” The amusement was evident in his voice as he brought his hands to rest upon the bare skin just shy of your hip bones. The light circling motion as he traced aimless shapes summoned gentle whimpers. “S-stop teasing me, you know exactly where I want your hand.”

Wooyoung clicked his tongue, his mock displeasure wholly covering up the fact he thrived on your demanding attitude. “I didn’t know pretty boy had so much bite.” Whining in frustration you rested your forehead against his. “Woo you’re wasting my time.” Maybe he had gotten carried away, he quickly glances up at the clock hanging on the wall. “Looks like I’m going to have to make you cum in less than ten minutes, challenge accepted.”

Wooyoung swiped at the various clipboards that littered the desk behind you, too caught up in the moment to even react when they hit the floor with a clang. He leaned in for one final kiss, whining when you tilted your head to the side. Not wanting to let you win this heated battle he took to nipping down the side of your neck as he lifted you onto the desk. While you were far too preoccupied with the sensation of your skin between his teeth Wooyoung tugged your swim shorts down tossing them off to the side.

A hiss slipped through your gritted teeth as his hand came into contact with your already hard member. Even though his touch was light and his hands soft, your voice remained caught in your throat. You wanted to test his patience just as he had tested yours, but the only thing you had to offer was a pathetic buck of your hips each time his hand edged closer to your balls.  You shuffled forward holding yourself against him, leaning your head into his shoulder you whined. “Don’t stop.”  As if to spite you Wooyoung stilled his hand, bringing your head up you frowned at the loss of contact.  “Hey lighten up, I want to try something.”

It was his turn to pull down his swim shorts, not knowing what to expect you play nice, allowing him to bring your left leg up for better access. You closed your eyes waiting for him to enter you, instead he pressed his dick against yours. Once again, his hand returned, this time he held both of you in his hand resuming with short, feverish strokes. Your own arms began to shake as the pleasure he deprived you of returned, feeling far more intense than before.  Letting your eyes close and head loll to the side you failed to see him swipe your tip, merging your precum with his. One more clench from him had you shuddering against him as you came onto his hand, even though you were trying to recover Wooyoung continued. The overstimulation forced you to open your eyes looking him chase his high, not even phased by your cum coating his hand. “Woo, stop, it’s too much.” “Hang in there, I’m nearly done.” Wooyoung moved his hand faster only for you to cry out, gripping his biceps you left small crescent indents. The light pain was it all took for him to reach his release.

Even through the lust that was clouding your mind you managed to peer up at him, marvelling at how gorgeous he looked with his clenched jaw that only slightly relaxed when he began muttering a string of incomprehensible curses.

Catching his breath Wooyoung pulled away from you, looking at the clock. “Told ya I could get you cumming in under ten minutes, I think that deserves a kiss.” His comment was weightless, it was intended to float in one ear and out the other but you caught it mid-air with a warm smile that made his heart skip a beat. “You’re ridiculous.” Normally whenever you’d say that it would sting, as if you were ripping a band-aid off of his heart. Instead, you gifted him with a honey-sweet kiss, reassuring him that this wasn’t a dream, even if it felt too good to be true. It was nearly impossible for you to admit that you liked him, the words just weren’t there but the lovesick look in your eyes told him everything he needed to know

The walk back to the lake was full of the cheesiest smiles that the two of you could muster, you intended to drop it when by the time you came in view of the kids. But Wooyoung had another one of his brilliant ideas, ignoring your whining he pushed you to the side so he could take the small climb back onto the chair. “Wooyoung!” Instead of answering he shuffled into the seat, partially spreading his legs “What’re you waiting for? Didn’t you want to share that fantasy with me?” He stretched his arm out smiling when you took his hand, steadying yourself just so you could climb into his lap.

All the wriggling that he was doing became apparent when you realised, he had pulled his Walkman out from behind him. Noticing your doe-eyed expression Wooyoung took it upon himself to lean in close placing one ear pad over your ear and the other on his.

For the first time that day you closed your eyes, ignoring the loud game of Marco Polo that was taking place but before you could fully drift into a peaceful daydream Wooyoung made sure to let you know how he felt.

“San 37, y/n 2.” “Wait how is a confession only worth two points?!” “It would have been five points if it was a verbal confession. But don’t worry, we have the rest of summer for you to catch up.”

By the time the last day had come around you were still far from beating San, while you would say the whole point system was just there to piss you off, Wooyoung begged to differ “You’re just a little embarrassing.” You both currently stood in the kitchen, staring at the bacon that was closer to ash than anything edible. Having Wooyoung as your boyfriend meant that you drew the short straw with kitchen duty, ever since Doris gave him the opportunity to cook breakfast once a week you were pulled along even if you weren’t the best chef around. The only thing you got out of these moments was complete privacy to kiss the life out of him. Ever since that awkward confession you were unable to be around each other without acting like dumb kids who were hopelessly in love, luckily Pinefield remained oblivious to everything that had happened. Shocking considering how touchy Wooyoung was.

Amongst all of the sexual favours you had done for each other you always faltered when it came to actual sex.  Back in the lifeguard’s unit all those weeks ago you were prepared to get it over and done with in thanks to that lust filled frenzy, yet things weren’t that simple. You just couldn’t bring yourself to feel that open and comfortable again, it wasn’t like Wooyoung ever pressed you on the matter. He was content either way, but today was the last day you had with him, well not exactly, yes you were leaving Pinefield but Wooyoung assured you that you had him for life now. That didn’t make you feel any better, you were aware of how removed and cold to the touch you could be, you were way more mellow now but you still felt wildly uncomfortable admitting out loud that you actually loved him. There were countless times wherein you had accidentally cock-blocked yourself, each time you credited that to the trauma that came from your near kiss with Jaehyun.

But that was then and on the last day, it felt all too right to switch roles. It was time you became the one with the bright, charming disposition. Which wasn’t really the easiest thing to do, but if that issue of Teen magazine you found lying around told you anything, it was to trust your heart.

“So Wooyoung, you doing anything tonight?” “Probably not but I haven’t even thought about what I want for lunch, you’re expecting a lot from me Y/n.” “Well, is it okay if I steal you away for the night? I wanted to repay you for this summer. “You’re such an idiot I told you I’d come by your place after we got home, stop trying to ditch me it’s rude.” Wooyoung wrapped his arms around you while you stirred the scrambled egg “Stop twisting my words, I’ve got a surprise for you.” “Nice! See you then.” The door creaked open causing Wooyoung to let go of you making you lose balance and singe your finger on the flame that licked the side of the pan. “Mother of God Wooyoung! That hurt!” You intended to give him a piece of your mind but instead you were greeted with Doris’s friendly smile. “Y/n deary that looks bad, Mr. Hawke wants to see you, but first come with me, let’s get some ice on that.”

Unfortunately, that was the only time you had with Wooyoung until you slipped into the cabin that night. Hawke had kept a close eye on you giving you housekeeping tasks that left you in his presence for the majority of the day, you had assumed the camp was none the wiser but all of Hawke’s questions alluded to quite a bit of suspicion from the older man. You preached the cover story that you weren’t a sinner, and in fact Wooyoung was a friend of a cousin of yours and that he was actually a decent person to be around. All of that acting tired you out, the only thing preventing you from crashing your head onto the pillow knocking out for the night was your lover’s expectant look. In an attempt to seem as casual as possible you walked past him to the bathroom, when you had  passed him you spoke lowly “I’ll come get you when the others fall asleep.” Wooyoung nodded immediately launching into a cover up “I’m glad your finger’s better, I didn’t think it would be that bad.” As usual his constant chattering went over the head of the others urging them to fall asleep quicker than anticipated.

Making sure the coast was clear you sat up scanning the room, realising that Wooyoung was also up doing the same thing. When he made eye contact with you, he smiled and pointed towards the cabin door. Nodding you gestured towards his shoes. While he was getting ready you tiptoed towards the corner of the room grabbing two kerosene lamps, lighting them while you still had the dim cabin lights.

Wooyoung let out a loud exhale when he joined you outside “We better get out of here I’m not sure if I saw someone walking up or if it was a trick of the light.” Passing him a lamp you shushed him with a frown and walked off into the distance waiting for him to jog up to you. “Sorry about that Woo, I really don’t want to get caught. But I’m glad to see you. I really missed you.” “Hey well you’ve got me now, so do what you will with that.” Your free hand reaches towards Wooyoung’s clasping it tightly as you walked ahead practically dragging him behind you. The fool behind you giggled, he had mentioned it casually during conversation but whenever you demanded something from him or “wore the pants” in the relationship, he became weak at the knees.

It had to be no less than a ten-minute walk away from the campground when you came to a stop. “We’re here.” Wooyoung wasn’t sure he knew where “here” was but he got some kind of idea as the orange light illuminated the field of daisies around him. Placing the lamp to the side you fished out a plaid picnic blanket laying it down you sat down waiting for Wooyoung to take his seat next to you.

“I didn’t expect this from you of all people.” “Oh hush, I have a plan and if you keep running your mouth, you’re going to make me anxious.” You reach back for his hand, your nerves showing as your hands shook in the warm summer night’s breeze. Instead of addressing the elephant in the room aka your shaking hands Wooyoung brought your hand up stroking it before giving it a chaste kiss. “You’re probably wondering why we’re here.” “I admit it did cross my mind.” “I wanted to star gaze, but I brought you here for another reason. I found this place in my first year and I thought it would be suitable to say goodbye here.” Wooyoung froze, his heart in his throat. Shocked was an understatement, he didn’t even do anything this was so messed up “You’ve got to be kidding me.” “No, I don’t mean it like that! I just don’t think I’m coming back to Pinefield next year. So, I wanted to make my last night memorable.  I was already thinking of cutting my ties with this place but Hawke just basically interrogated me today and I decided that I don’t want that. What I do want to say is that I’m an idiot who can’t tell his boyfriend how much I love him.”  You looked up at Wooyoung your eyes crinkled as you flashed him a bashful smile. “I don’t say it enough but I fucking love you Wooyoung”

If it was any other occasion, he would have laughed at how awkward your cursing sounded but instead he pulled you in for a rib-crushing hug. For the first time since you had known him, he was rendered speechless, just existing with you in his arms. Deciding to play along with him you let him pull you down onto the picnic blanket, he shuffled around so you could both look up at the twinkling stars that hung low in the night sky.

After a brief moment of silence had passed before Wooyoung found the right thing to say. “Coming here was a mistake, I didn’t even want to be a counsellor but now, I can thank my stupidity otherwise I wouldn’t have had my heart stolen by an annoying, uptight, cold-hearted camp counsellor.” “Well, I’m glad you like them cold. But seriously thank you Wooyoung. You fixed a broken heart.” It was Wooyoung’s turn to tilt his head in confusion “I was outed for trying to kiss my best friend, word spread that I was just some gay little camp scout, so I came here. Basically, thank you for being so stupid.” Despite the moonlight shining down upon the two of you, you swore you saw the sun in his eyes, so you kissed him. It felt different from all the other kisses you had shared, it felt complete.

Wooyoung snaked his way under your shirt, his touch searing your skin, but it was okay, it was safe. You pushed Wooyoung onto the blanket straddling him. He was about to whine and kick up a fuss when you tightly intertwined your hands with his, leaning back in for another kiss. His lips were reminiscent of the sticky marshmallows that he ate by the bonfire, which made up for the fact that Hawke wouldn’t even let you join in on their small end of camp celebration.

The kisses that were initially forceful and demanding were now needy and messy. Impatient as ever Wooyoung pulled his hands away from yours to try and flip you over, you pushed his hands away with a cocky smirk. “I’m sorry but It’s my turn to love you.”  

You left his lap only to part his legs, kneeling between his thighs you placed a soft kiss on his forehead. A silent oath that you were going to treat him as if he was made of glass. Wooyoung’s jaw went slack when you removed your shirt, arching your back as you did so. There was no doubt that you knew how to get him flustered, it was a shame that you hid that side of yourself as often as you did. But maybe it was for the best, Wooyoung never denied the fact that he was a possessive guy. So, he was just counting all of his lucky stars that he was the only one who got to see you like this.

“I should have asked earlier but are you sure you’re okay with me doing this Wooyoung?” “I want this, please go all the way.” You were trying to remain serious but you broke into a fit of laughter as he continued to quote the song you listened to by the lake. “It feels so right, being here with you tonight.” “Stoppp you’re making me blush! But seriously are you okay with me being on top?” “Relax will you! I want this.”

“In that case” You gripped Wooyoung by the hips, tugging him in closer “I’m about to rock your world. “San 79” “Don’t you dare mention San now, that’s such a turn off.” Wooyoung’s squeaky laughter was contagious, but you were too worked up to laugh with him. Instead, you pulled his shorts down focusing on palming the bulge in his pants. Failing to grip anything more than the picnic blanket Wooyoung sat up holding you close to him, if he couldn’t handle this, he had no idea how he was going to get through tonight. Despite his clinginess you continue to palm him while he began to lazily place kisses across your body, starting at your lower jaw and travelling down to your Adam’s apple and finally stopping at your heart.

It was a tricky job, considering Wooyoung was so firmly pressed against you, but you managed to remove his boxers sighing as you felt his length rest against your lower abdomen. “As much as I want to keep holding you like this, I’d prefer to fuck you.” Trust you to seem so proper even when you said the filthiest things, Wooyoung leaned back trying to give you as much space without having to stop touching you. Discarding your boxers, you guide Wooyoung to lie down, fighting against all of your urges you took it slow bringing three fingers up to your mouth and lathering them with saliva. The sensation of your pointer finger entering him made him throw his head back allowing himself to look up at the stars once again.  The sensation of your finger pressing against his tight inner walls was borderline euphoric, if it wasn’t for the sweat beading against his torso, he would have thought he was dreaming. The feeling intensified with the addition of a second finger being buried into him. “Shame on you for not doing this sooner, your fingers feel so good.” Wooyoung moved to angle his hips trying to get your fingers to sink in deeper. However, at that moment you had already pushed in a third finger. “F-fuck!” Concern was at the forefront of your mind thinking assuming that you must have hurt him, his blissed-out face quelled your worries. “You’re doing so well Woo, thank you so much.”

That simple comment sucker punched Wooyoung in the heart, he wanted to be the one thanking you, instead he was writhing around trying to delay an orgasm that felt too close for comfort. Then you had to go and effortlessly brush against his prostate “Y/n, please stop, m’gonna cum if you keep this up.”  Wanting to drag this out a little longer you removed your fingers, brushing them on the edge of the shirt Wooyoung was still wearing making him scrunch his face up in disgust. “My bad, its not like you’re going to be wearing it the whole time.” It sounded like a random comment but Wooyoung could tell by the dominance in your voice that it was an order, so he removed his shirt.

Getting a closer look at the tattoos spread across his body you brought his legs up, licking your palm you brought it down to lubricate yourself before brushing the tip against his entrance. Wooyoung shuddered at the sensation only to whine when you finally dipped your body and pushed into him. His body went rigid, he let his eyes fall shut so he could marvel at how well you filled him up, once you had bottomed out completely you pulled him towards you so your body was tightly plastered against his. Even though you had yet to move your heart was violently thumping against your chest, as you both gasped out disorderly breaths.

“You feel so good Wooyoung, just relax and I’ll make you feel so good just you wait.” “I already feel good, but fine, you’re the boss .” Keeping to his words Wooyoung exhaled, loosening around you. As soon as his body was lax you started thrusting into him “Y/n oh, that feels so good. More.” Heeding his word you gripped his legs, placing them over your shoulder. It was hard to maintain any self-control around Wooyoung, especially when he looked like that, face red and flushed, hair sticking to his forehead. A particularly hard thrust forced a groan from Wooyoung “Shit, I’m sorry Woo, I’m so sorry.” Making a move to pull away from him Wooyoung held you in your place “We’ve spoken about this; you never have to use that word; you have nothing to be sorry for.”

Lowering his legs by a fraction you began moving again, though your thrusts weren’t as hard they were hitting the right spot each time. Wooyoung whined at the friction, he knew full well that he was nearing his climax and this time he welcomed it. He tapped your hand, “I want to do something.” You let go of his legs watching him prop himself up with his arms, his back slightly arched. Moving back and forth he tried his hardest to ride you, it was a precarious angle but it hit his prostate spot on. “I’m so close, I can’t...” Before Wooyoung could finish his sentence, he came, cum spurting onto your lower torso, he really wishes he could have held out just that few seconds longer so he could experience the magic of cumming with you but at least he got to really take in the sight of you pulling out only to cum on his stomach.

Wooyoung crinkled his nose when you fell to his side, placing a sloppy kiss at the corner of his mouth. “That… was amazing.” You smirked at the boy who was still trying to get down from the high he was riding. “I hope it made up for lost time.” “Didn’t it ever. I can’t believe you just did that.” Any sense of dominance that you had disappeared leaving you a blushing mess. As if you hadn’t just spent the whole night making out with him you leaned in for another kiss. You made the move to rest your head on his shoulder, Wooyoung did the same almost headbutting you in the process. “Don’t worry Woo, I’ve got you.”  Not having the energy to refuse you Wooyoung brought his head down to rest on your chest.

It was nearly impossible to determine how long the two of you were cuddled up, talking and pointing at the stars. The sex-crazed stupor you were still in broke when something small and wet fell onto your cheek.  Luckily you caught Wooyoung before he fell into a light slumber,” Wooyoungie, it’s raining, get up sleepy head.” The rain was getting heavier by the minute even though there wasn’t a single cloud in the sky. You didn’t notice it initially but Wooyoung had fallen behind a slight limp in his step. Coming to a stop you waited for him to catch up, passing your back pack to him you crouched low waiting for him to jump on.  You marched through the forestry, dodging mushroom rings while Wooyoung wrapped his arms around your neck, murmuring the sweetest things one could ever imagine.

The rain was pelting down at full force by the time you returned to the cabin, masking your heavy footsteps from the added weight of Wooyoung who had been attempting to tickle you for one whole minute. Dropping him off onto his bed, you brought him in for one more hug ruffling his dark hair. “Well, thanks for being my date for the night, I’m sorry this is awkward I don’t know what to say… Maybe just go to sleep, you look like you’re about to pass out.” Wooyoung rubbed his eyes and whined “Well I am going to sleep but not because you told me to.”  Rolling your eyes at Wooyoung huddled under the sheets you returned to your own bed, finding it nearly impossible to stop smiling as you thought recalled the entire night.

Another thing you found impossible was falling asleep, you were put off by the thunder and lightning despite it not being that violent. It wasn’t a complete fear of yours but it bothered you all the same. Murmuring a soft “Oh my god” you sat up, hair a mess and a frown plastered on your face. Clearly the lack of sleep was messing with your head considering you got out of bed tiptoeing over to Wooyoung. Not wanting to disturb him too much you lightly tapped his shoulder trying to wake him up, to no avail. “Hey, hey wake up… Wooyoung!” You whisper shouted, he jolted awake blinking rapidly, trying to adjust to the dim light. “Mmm, it’s just you” With that he turned over not even phased by your presence. Instead of whining at him feigning ignorance you stayed perched by the side of his bed. “I can’t sleep.” Maybe you didn’t sulk but Wooyoung could feel you pouting, so he turned over pulling his sheets back, his eyes were still closed and his brain could barely comprehend anything more than a few words.

So, you slid into his bed, sighing when his arms wrapped around your lower back. It was his turn to pull you closer letting your head rest against his chest. The thought hadn’t crossed your mind that the two of you could potentially get caught, but it truly didn’t matter. It’s not like you were ever coming back to Pinefield anyways. Yes, it had been a home to you for years, but something had changed. You weren’t the hurt guy that showed up 12 weeks ago, you weren’t scared of the judgement anymore. It was a soothing balm to your heart knowing that you could move on all thanks to Wooyoung who had said it many times “I don’t care whether you like it or not Y/n, but you’re stuck with me for life so get used to it.” So, you fell asleep. The heavy rain and his soft heartbeat the soundtrack for a summer love that was far from over.

all rights reserved to ppoppokari

~in other words please don’t repost or steal my work as i’m a slow writer~ 

[crisiscutie]

ayeeeee babbbbb seems like you're on a roll! <3 i'm glad!

noticed you got my boi vincent on your character list 👀 so i'm wondering, do you have any thoughts on chaos!vincent? like when they actually merged or vincent getting taken over by chaos? i always felt by himself, vincent is a super sweet but super awkward emo boi who would never dream of actually harming his darling (at least not physically outside confining you thing in his misguided effort to protect you probably) but chaos? that's when he gonna go all wild on his darling and may or may not feel bad afterward but couldn't stay away no matter how much chaos/vincent might've tried. noncon, monsterfucking, breeding, all the good shizz...

if youre keen👀i may send in couple hc requests...

Thank you hon, you've been a huge help to me and a inspiration for this blog~! Everyone, go check them out! ❤️❤️❤️

And please do send in those requests!

Content Warnings: Yandere Vincent, Discussion of Non-con, Confinement and other NSFW themes.

 ༻❁༺ Chaos!Vincent is totally bae.

He provides so much material for the best kinks~! And I really love that side of him because of how it adheres to FF7's symbolism with monsters. You can control the beast inside of you or let it take over. I love how Vincent perseveres with an unbreakable resilience. To me, he fills the same role of being a foil to Sephiroth, just like Cloud. Even though his circumstances and past caused him immense pain and grief, he does his best to keep his heart in check and never let out his anger upon the world. Unlike Seph, who couldn't take the anguish anymore with no bonds, and Cloud, who survived his mental breaks from the bonds he did have... I wouldn't condone Vincent taking his anguish out on the world, but I would understand why he would want to!

And from what I remembered about DoC, Vincent had Chaos implanted in him after Hojo more or less killed him, right? I think I also remembered Vincent was at the helm mostly, until Chaos decides to take over at the worst times. It's tragic, that no matter what, Chaos will always be intertwined with Vincent's life, an unfortunate reminder of his past. Now, I think Lucrecia did a good thing by giving Vincent protomateria, maybe she could've atoned for her other sins in the process too. The protomateria is what kept him alive and let him control Chaos until he lost it so I gotta give credit when it's due. We wouldn't have our emo bae without her. Unfortunately, she's only made things… More complicated for him when it came to other shit she's done and that totally doesn't include experimenting on her unborn child, nope.

 ༻❁༺Vincent is a total sweetie to his darling.

I 100% agree. For the confinement thing, I agree it would be done to protect his darling from danger as a last resort, but also really think about how he lost Lucrecia. He would be so scared to go through that same heartbreak, he probably won't even let himself think about it. It's just too much for him to bear. Now, I'd imagine a yandere Vincent would be zealous about that because not only he doesn't want his darling to go down the same path as her, he isn't risking any chance to let them leave him.

I think Normal Vincent would feel so terrible after sex when his Chaos side go wild on the darling. Bonus points to the tragedy aspect where the darling struggles with the turmoil that Chaos Vincent causes them, yet they still choose to love Vincent and stay devoted to him. I'd expect the Darling to try to brush over what happened to not worry him, but Vincent will pick up on their cues and will confront them about it.

Then Vincent would totally consider to CONFINE himself again, but his darling isn't having any of it and tries to talk him out of it. To get him to work with them on the issue, they would need to craft some pretty convincing arguments.

But just imagine the oncoming fluff, where they finally come to an compromise. The darling will embrace him tenderly, promising to stay truthful to him, and he'll vow to retain control of Chaos for their wellbeing... ❤️

 ༻❁༺I'd imagine Chaos would greatly influence a yandere Vincent.

He probably wouldn't feel as bad as normal Vincent would after a rough sex session with the darling. He would try to convince them (and himself) that it feels so good and how it deepens their connection. And Vincent's desire to protect his darling from others would be through the ROOF. Won't even let his darling ask or wonder about other people out loud. Concentrate on him, he will always be there for you, unlike the others who come and go.

But I can't see yandere Vincent being (deliberately) cruel to his darling. He still has goodness within him. He would try to reason himself and to his Darling, (maybe with Chaos too in his deluded mind) that he was doing the right thing in protecting them. He would acknowledge how it's not pleasant, but he has to do it, anyway. I think this would lead to him developing something like a savior complex over his darling.

 ༻❁༺ Ending with another ramble

I'm a bit sad that DoC isn't gonna be getting a remake, and getting regulated to some chapters in a mobile game. It's such an important game to both Vincent AND Sephiroth and the rest of the FF7 franchise. They could've just remade it in the same vein as 7R and take creative liberties like they also did for that game's writing. I want Vincent Valentine to be reintroduced to new generations of FF7 fans as a lovable, edgy emo. I'm worried that the remake trilogy may not give him the prominence that he deserves...

[sleepdeprivedsimp234]

We honestly need more New YorkxTexas stuff

I 100% agree and now here’s a very rushed fic for this very underrated ship! <3

~~~~~~~~

8am.

Texas was currently cooking breakfast in the kitchen of the condo that he and New York had moved into a few months ago in Houston. How Texas convinced New York to move somewhere so humid and hot, Texas wished he knew. But they lived in love together and that’s all that matters, at least to them. Texas jumped a tiny bit when he felt the slim yet strong arms of his boyfriend wrap around his waist, though he quickly relaxed when he felt New York place a gentle kiss to the nape of his neck.

"Hey darlin’." Texas said, not bringing up the fact that New York seemed to have slept longer than usual. He placed down the spatula and turned around to wrap his arms around the Empire State. He gently slides his hands underneath NY’s tank top and massages his thumbs into his upper back, smirking at the small groan that escaped the shorter state’s lips. Texas notices that New York’s eyes are kinda squinted and he appears to be trying to the light, and he honestly had half a mind to tease him about ‘being a vampire’, but the pained expression on the Empire State’s face stopped him.

"Ya alright hun?" Texas asks, pulling New York closer to him.

NY sighs, though Texas could hear a whimper mixed in towards the end. He places his head against the taller’s chest, which felt surprisingly nice despite Texas naturally being really warm. "…head hurtsss….."

Texas instantly lowers his voice as to not cause any more pain for the shorter state. "Oh…"

That’s when it clicked! The Lone Star state swiftly picks up New York and carries him to the couch, carefully laying down on the couch next to his boyfriend. He takes NY’s head in his lap and gently brushes his hair with his fingers, attempting to sooth the pain. Texas had to hold back a squeal of adorableness when he feels and hears NY purring and leaning into Texas’s strong hands.

Texas hums a little lullaby from when he was younger that he learned from his mom. Eventually, they both fell asleep, forgetting about breakfast.

[n30nwrites]

Which of the Lost Boys do you think is the most likely to…

Paint your nails?

Know how to cook or at least make something edible?

Have a tattoo(s) or to get one?

Borrow something and not return it?

Shoplift?

Take home a zoo animal?

Take the longest in getting ready or do their hair?

Talk or snore in their sleep?

Want to do karaoke?

Eat a spoonful of wasabi?

Get hangry before a meal?

Pie someone in the face as a prank?

I actually love this shit, I’m currently writing through some asks rn but please send in more stuff if you can, college is hectic rn and this stuff makes me happy.

1. It’s Paul 100%, David would sure as hell mess it up, Dwayne doesn’t like the smell and Marko would mess it up worse. Paul 100% knows what he’s doing when painting nails, not a professional but at least he won’t gag at the smell (Dwayne)

2. It’s gotta be Dwayne. David orders out all the time and your telling me you’d actually trust Marko and Paul in the kitchen? Marko will set fires on accident and make a huge mess and Paul will walk off, completely forgetting about the food. Dwayne has the patience to cook and can actually understand the instructions. Marko can convince Dwayne to help him with Pot brownies though, Paul can’t convince Dwayne.

3. Tattoos are tricky. I think Paul and Marko are willing to get one, just haven’t yet. I believe David has one and is willing to get more (especially to show off cause my man has an ego) and Dwayne has a few. They just depend on what story you go by. Go by the prequel he has a few tattoos he got to impress girls, going by the story where they all met separately, he has tribal tattoos from the Huron tribe.

4. Assuming Borrow something and not return it means from you or the other boys. It’s 100% Marko. My man will take the others shirts and turn them into patches or cut them up. Paul will at least return it eventually whilst Dwayne just likes his stuff. David doesn’t care to take it but if he has it he won’t say anything, just discretely put it back (don’t confront him about this)

5. Shoplifting, it’s David. David is the type of guy where if he wants something he’s getting it, especially if his partner wanted something, well then they are getting it. Paul and Marko will do it if they get into the mood, Dwayne is the same just with more class (if he gets caught he totally gaslights them into thinking he already bought it)

6. Paul - only in the case of fighting it. Marko - only in the case of keeping it as a pet.

7. This one takes me a sec to think. I believe Dwayne would brush out his hair but only to keep it nice. David probably has hair gel but it’s a tie between Marko and Paul. Paul because of his hair and Marko because of his outfits. It’s clear on his jacket he cares about his looks but I think they are tied for this.

8.Dwayne talks in his sleep, David snores so loud. Paul and Marko also snore but David could cause the second earthquake with his snoring

9. I can only think of Paul. David has enough toxic masculinity to not do that, Dwayne just doesn’t really sing and Marko doesn’t seem like the type either. Paul just seems like if it will lead to a good time, he’ll do it.

10. David because he wants to prove he isn’t scared so he’ll take the spoonful and regret it a few seconds later but won’t ever admit it.

11. Marko is insatiable, he wants his food all the time. If he could he’d just be eating 24/7.

12. Paul, to David. He pies David and thinks it’s funny, won’t try it with Dwayne though, too scared of that.

[deonideatta]

Bots. Yeah. Same problem here 😭

Anyway, drabble prompt: classic "sick fic" for TwiYor?

They never has anyone take care of them, so the awkwardness are there, but also genuine concern.

Hello, thanks for the prompt!!!! This is definitely longer than a drabble but I had fun with it lol. And in my defense i didn’t know that apparently a drabble is only supposed to be like 100 words 😂😂 

It took a bit long to finish because I got sick myself midway through writing it lol. At least I can say that all the details for the sick parts are based on fresh and recent first hand experience haha

But yea here it is!! Hope you enjoy!! :)

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

Twilight does not forget things. Least of all mildly important things, like his umbrella on a day when the forecast won’t stop bringing up the rain. And yet, when he reaches the hospital exit at the end of his shift, he realizes with a start that he’s left it at home, by the door in the umbrella stand. Despite his best efforts he makes it home soaked to the skin, rainwater dripping from his hair like it’s mocking him.

Yor takes his coat to hang in the bathroom, and Anya carries a whole pile of towels over to him. He takes just one, drying himself off as well as he can. But even after he’s changed into drier clothes he can’t shake off the cold, shivering all through the evening despite Yor and Anya piling blankets over him.

He brushes off their concerns, though he imagines it’s hard to take him seriously from underneath a mountain of blankets. He doesn’t think it’s anything to worry about, but he heads to bed a bit earlier than usual on Yor’s insistence. A little extra sleep probably won’t hurt.

He wakes up the next day with a deep seated ache in his muscles. The mere action of turning to check the time takes far more effort than it should, and his eyes burn as he squints at the clock in the low light.

He tries to get up, and promptly lies back down when his muscles scream in protest and his head spins. His senses come to him as if through fog, and he registers vaguely that his throat hurts and his room is way too warm. 

At first, he wonders if he’s just tired. There’s always some degree of exhaustion lingering in his bones, but he’s a master of staving it off, and not letting it influence the standard of his work. But it’s just past 6am, and he’s pretty sure this is the most he’s slept in ages.

Has he been poisoned? Some kind of nerve agent? He stares groggily at the ceiling, trying to clear his head. Even through the mental haze he knows it’s unlikely. No, this is probably just the result of the unholy union between the rainstorm he’d been caught in and weeks of getting a maximum of 3 hours of sleep per night.

Twilight groans in annoyance, making a new effort to get out of bed. This time he succeeds. Well, partially. The moment he stands up he has to sit down again, breath coming in short, frustrated puffs. 

He tries again. There’s work that need doing, he doesn’t have time to be sick. If he just manages to get up and douse himself in cold water, he’ll probably feel fine enough to at least deliver some reports. Moving at a quarter of his usual pace, he manages to make it to his door and halfway to the bathroom before Yor intercepts him with a greeting from inside the kitchen. 

“Good morning Loid, did you….” she trails off as she takes in his face. Whatever she sees causes her cheery smile to drop, and Twilight frowns. Surely it’s not that clear that he’s sick.

“Loid, are you alright? You look really ill!” Yor’s voice is filled with concern, and she rushes out of the kitchen to stand in front of him, studying him worriedly.

“I’m alright, Yor, don’t worry,” he says. It’s his least convincing lie ever, pathetic in everything from its delivery to the tone of his voice. “I just need a cold shower, and I’ll be fine.” He tries for a smile, knowing it looks feeble even before the worry in Yor’s expression deepens.

Twilight is just about to force out another half-hearted reassurance when Yor reaches up and puts a hand on his forehead, mirroring the action with her other hand on her own forehead. The contact and the proximity are the final straw for Twilight’s already struggling train of thought, and the protests die in his throat. 

Yor pulls her hand away suddenly, like she’d been burned. With how warm he feels, it seems fitting.

“I’m sorry- I just,” Yor stammers, gathering her hands together. Her concern for him seems to override her embarrassment, and for some reason Twilight feels vaguely flattered. “I didn’t mean to overstep, but Loid I think you have a fever.”

That checks out, given the headache and the warmness. With the sore throat, it might even be the flu. He doesn’t manage to say any of that, suddenly hit by a wave of lightheadedness. 

He must have stumbled, because Yor's hand is suddenly on his arm, steadying him.

"Loid, I don't think you should go to work today," Yor says, and she sounds nervous and firm all at once. “And fevers are best treated with lukewarm water, not cold.”

"I appreciate your concern Yor, but I have things to do," he starts, and he's vaguely aware of how petulant he sounds, like Anya asking to watch another episode of Spy Wars before bed. And speaking of Anya. "Anya needs to go to school as well, I need to help her get ready."

Yor's hand on his arm is cool against his flushed skin as she shakes her head resolutely.

"I'll help Anya get ready. You need rest, and that's more important than work," she says, and all of Twilight's inbuilt desire to be efficient at any cost screams in protest. 

"Just let me call work then," he says anyway, because despite that internal drive he has to admit that he's not sure he'll be particularly useful in this state. He must be getting soft. He’s persevered through injury and illness alike - it’s almost humiliating to be so incapacitated by a fever.

Yor nods, letting go of his arm to let him shuffle towards the telephone. He makes a quick call to Handler, who sounds equal parts amused and annoyed. He can almost see her raised eyebrows when he tells her he’s sick, but something in his voice must be convincing because she agrees to take care of his workload for the day and tells him to rest up. He scoffs at that, going to hang up.

"Take better care of yourself, Twilight," she says, just before he can lower the phone. "I know we give you a lot of work, but don’t neglect your health just to keep up with it.”

He mumbles something in return and makes his way back to his room. He catches a glimpse of Yor in the kitchen as he passes, filling a glass with water and gathering some medicine from the cabinet.

Lying down is a far bigger relief than he’d expected it to be, to the point that he barely registers the sound of knocking on the door, followed by Yor pushing it open. She hands him a glass of water and some pills, and he downs them, trying not to wince at how sore his throat feels. 

“I’m going to go to work now,” Yor says gently. “I’ll make sure Anya gets to school on time too, so don’t worry about her.”

She hovers above him, worried but seemingly unsure, and he does his best to give her a reassuring smile.

“Thanks, Yor,” he says, voice still annoyingly weak. “I’ll be fine, so don’t worry about me either.”

Yor smiles back, looking somewhat placated, though the worry lingers in the tightness of her smile. She closes the door gently behind her, and Twilight contents himself with half-listening to the sounds of Anya and Yor getting ready for the day, drifting in and out of sleep.

A while later Anya pops her head in to greet him and say goodbye, and he musters up enough strength to give her a weak wave and a goodbye in return.

Then he lies there, alone and in the dark, uselessly sick. Rest, Yor and Handler had both said, but his brain refuses to cooperate, racing with thoughts about the mission reports he really should have finished yesterday. Except it isn’t really racing, it’s trudging slowly through the mass of information he’d normally have no problem speedily sorting through. It’s frustrating, and it makes his head hurt more.

The longer he lies there the more restless he feels, like he could be making far better use of his time. To make things worse, his room is still far too warm. He squeezes his eyes shut more tightly, trying to force himself to sleep. If he sleeps, perhaps he’ll feel better more quickly, and then he can get back to work. But any sleep that comes is shallow and restless, and the stupid reports just won’t stop trying and failing to sort themselves out in his mind.

The clock reads 10am when Twilight gives up. Pushing himself up despite the way his body protests, he shuffles out to the living room, a folder of reports in one hand and a pillow in the other. The cooler air is pleasant against his skin, though the light stings at his eyes at first. 

Settling on the couch, he opens the folder and starts to read. He barely gets a few paragraphs in before what had been a mild headache morphs into a sharp pain behind his eyes. He squeezes them shut for a bit, finding relief in the dark. He repeats the cycle a few more times, until the headache gets to the point where the words on the page start to blur.

He’s vaguely aware of the fact that he’s started to tremble, and suddenly he’s glad he brought the pillow with him. It’s cooler out here, so maybe it’ll be easier to sleep for a while. The cacophony of aches and pains in his body lessens slightly as he lies down, and he feels himself drifting away surprisingly quickly.

Just a little sleep, he thinks. Just to get rid of the headache, and then he can get back to the reports.

When he opens his eyes, he’s back in his bed, and there’s sounds of movement coming from the kitchen. He lies still for a moment, disoriented and very confused. His room isn’t as stiflingly warm as before, and the clock tells him that it’s past 3pm. Alarmed, he tries to sit up, and finds that the feverish aches in his muscle have lessened, albeit marginally.

He looks around, trying to sort out the mess in his head. How on earth did he get back to his room without realizing?

Yor interrupts his thoughts by poking her head into the room, and her eyes light up when she sees him awake.

“Loid! Are you feeling any better?” she asks, coming to stand by his bedside.

“A bit,” he says, still mildly confused. “How did I- when did you…?”

“Ah,” Yor says, flushing lightly. “I came back early because I was worried, and I found you sleeping on the couch.”

Her expression turns disapproving. “You really shouldn’t work when you’re sick, Loid,” she says, frowning. “I understand wanting to be productive, but it shouldn’t be at the expense of your health.”

He feels oddly chastised, and nods silently. Yor’s expression melts into a small smile.

“I’ve made you some soup,” she says. “It’s the best thing for when you’re ill. I asked Camilla for the recipe, so I hope it tastes alright.”

Twilight nods again, filled with the trepidation that usually surrounds Yor’s attempts at cooking. Yor disappears out of the door, returning shortly with a bowl of soup and a glass of water on a tray. Despite her track record, the soup smells rather good, and Twilight can’t say he isn’t grateful for the kindness.

Yor hands him the tray, and he studies the soup. It looks good. It smells alright. Perhaps it’ll be fine to eat a bit. His stomach doesn’t tie into knots at the thought, so he plucks up his courage and takes a spoonful. And then another, and another, because it’s actually some really good soup. A surprised smile makes its way onto his face.

“This is really good, Yor,” he says, and despite everything there’s a note of genuine happiness in his voice. It’s nothing groundbreaking, a simple broth based vegetable soup, but it’s soothing and warming and Twilight finds that he appreciates it even more for the effort and care that went into making it.

Yor beams, and Twilight finds himself captivated by the sight.

“I’m glad to hear it!” she says, her smile wide and proud. Radiant. It causes a warm feeling in Twilight’s chest that he doesn’t think he can blame on the fever or the soup. He chooses to ignore it, tearing his eyes away from Yor and focusing back on emptying the bowl. Being sick is no excuse to indulge in things that aren’t relevant to the mission.

Oblivious to his brief internal battle, Yor sits on the bed next to him, chatting about her day and the process of making the soup. He listens, occupied by eating, interjecting here and there. It’s nice, and despite the lingering aches of the fever and his mind warning him not to get too comfortable Twilight almost feels peaceful.

“By the way Yor,” he says, when there’s a lull in conversation. “How did I get back here?”

Yor immediately goes red, eyes shifting everywhere. 

“I- I carried you over,” she mumbles. “It wasn’t too hard, and it was mainly because I was afraid that you’d hurt your back or your neck from sleeping on the couch, and when I brought you back it was way too warm in here, so I opened the window a little to let some fresh air in, and…” Yor seems to have realized that she’s rambling, trailing off.

Twilight doesn’t know what to say. The extent of Yor’s concern fills him with more of that warmth he doesn’t know what to make of. For almost all of his life, getting sick has been an arduous and solitary affair. He hasn’t really had anyone he trusted enough to help him through something as vulnerable as sickness. Miserably dousing himself in WISE provided medicines and trying to keep working through whatever coughs and colds came his way had become standard procedure for him.

But Yor’s smile is more soothing than all those medicines, and the soup is flavourful and gentle on his sore throat, and some emotion he can’t (won’t) label sweeps through him. He’s vulnerable in this state, he can’t work, and he still feels the aches and pains of the fever. And above all, indulging in domesticity is supposed to be out of the question. And yet there’s a deep seated contentment that settles in his core as he sits there and eats the soup, knowing that he’s cared for.

“Thank you,” he says, instead of addressing any of the feelings building in his chest. “I really appreciate you taking care of me like this.”

“It’s ok, I’m your wife,” Yor says seriously, before flushing and fumbling to amend her statement. “I mean, as your wife in this arrangement, it’s the least I could do.”

Twilight laughs, a quiet but genuine thing, and Yor smiles through the blush on her cheeks.

When the soup is finished, Yor leaves him to rest again with a promise to come back later. Settling back under the covers, Twilight finds that sleep comes a lot easier when his mind is filled with thoughts of Yor instead of trying and failing to analyze mission reports.

Over the next few days he recovers under Yor’s watchful eye, slowly but surely. She brings him soup and tea, and Anya comes to sit on his bed in the evenings, reading chapters from Spy x Wars to him.

There’s something soothing about the fact that they care about him enough to look after him like this. It can’t last, and he knows it, but Twilight selfishly relishes it all - the tenderness in Yor’s touch when she puts her hand on his forehead to check for returning fevers, the way Anya does her best to help out, the way Yor checks in on him throughout the day.

He still feels a bit useless being bedridden and unable to take on his usual workload, but he does his best not to think of it as going soft, or overindulging in domesticity. The severity of his sickness this time is probably the result of years of never allowing himself to recover from illnesses properly. So he lets himself rest, and if those days spent recovering are some of the most peaceful days of his life, no one has to know.

A week or two after he’s healthy again, Anya comes home sneezing. When he starts sneezing as well a few days later, Twilight begins to wonder if perhaps he should take more vitamins and start working on fixing his sleep schedule.

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

Hope it was a good read!!! I enjoyed writing it :D

[navibluebees]

I’m 19!

Im super curious about what is softie recom!reader was captured by the sullys when spider was taken.

Like on the way back to the village readers hands are tied and she sees how young the kids are like ‘are you kids hungery? I have snack!’

Or even ‘are you tired I can carry you!’

Thanks for letting me know <3 Oooh, I love the appreciation softie recom is getting! Since I've written Softie as GN until this point, I'll probably write this ask as GN as well.

Softie Recom - Hostage

All ageless & empty blogs will be blocked. No minors!

okay so I'm picturing it as the recoms snatched Spider and Jake ends up seeing you in the brush, you surrender pretty easily not being incredibly skilled in hand to hand combat yet. The Sully's take you with them back to High Camp.

100% Jake's got a grip around your bicep as Neytiri herds the kids along. TBH he's probably extremely confused as to why you gave up so easily, but he figures he'll figure it out soon enough.

Neytiri took Tuk and Kiri on her ikran, Neteyam took Lo'ak, and you were stuck with Jake. He tied a long flexible leaf over your eyes as a blindfold and after you climbed up, he pulled the cuffs from your belt and put them on you.

In the air, you swung your legs around a bit, feeling the breeze and Jake's all "What the hell are you doin'?" "Just happy to be flying. I never thought I could."

That leads to a discussion where you give him basic info about the recom program and how you weren't even a soldier before and this has given you a second chance in a healthier body. Your history resonates with him and he feels a bit of sympathy for you.

When you get to high camp, he pulls the blindfold off and you gape over the edge of where the ikrans land. Jake pulls you back before Neteyam's can slam into your face. He pulls you to a nearby rock and tells you to sit before he goes to talk with his inner circle about what to do next.

Tuk comes over and pokes at your vest, opening all the pouches to look inside. You hear her stomach gurgle and get a bit excited because FINALLY there's something you can do. "Do you want a snack? I know kids aren't supposed to take things from strangers, but well-" *raises cuffed hands*

Tuk digs around in your bag and pulls out the wrapped snacks, eyeing them warily. She's especially confused at the animal crackers and so you begin to explain about Earth animals

Kiri hovers nearby, watching the exchange, still hurt about Spider. She senses your kindness, though, and steps away only to return quickly with supplies to fix your cuts.

"Oh! You know first aid?" She laughs a bit at you and says, "A bit more than the basics."

Lo'ak and Neteyam are glaring from off to the side and start in on you, angrily. You hold your hands up, interrupting Kiri's work and say, "I don't even have a gun on me. I've never fought someone before. Not even today."

Eventually, all the kids are surrounding you, pawing through your pack and pulling out all the interesting things. Tuk is making a giraffe fly around.

Kiri is sniffing warily at a protein bar.

The boys are picking through each piece of tech they've recovered, including your damaged communication device.

After playing for a bit, I'm absolutely convinced that Tuk curls up and falls asleep on your feet.

***

Taglist:

@ikranwings@sweetirilly

[commentaryvorg]

The Great Ace Attorney Final Trial Commentary: Day 2, Part 2

This is an ongoing mini-commentary covering the final trial of The Great Ace Attorney (Resolve) in line-by-line detail. It’s written from a perspective of already knowing the full truth of things, so there will be spoilers for facts that only get revealed later on in the trial. This is not a commentary to read along with one’s first playthrough!

(The commentary will update on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Check this blog to find any other parts currently posted, and if it’s not yet finished, follow to catch future updates!)

Now that we’re below the readmore, I can add that this isn’t quite a commentary for everything going on in the final trial. It’s focused specifically on Kazuma and what’s going on in his head, only covering things which are relevant to him in some way (for the most part). I already had a lot to say about him in a big analysis post over on my main blog – but I have even more to say about him during the trial in even more detail, so here we are!

We left off after Gina had delivered her second testimony but before starting the cross-examination part of it.

--- Testimony 2 – [Cross-Examination] ---

If you want to see every possible bit of dialogue from this testimony, you need to press statement 5 first, because it gets replaced with something else once you press statements 1 through 4.

Van Zieks:  “Every single person killed by the Reaper was a criminal of the first order. Lowlifes like that have no compunction about robbing hundreds of others of their futures.” […] Van Zieks:  “Their ludicrous acquittals in court give them the freedom to make hundreds more suffer.” […] Kazuma:  “So what? You justified your actions because you were protecting innocent people’s futures?” Van Zieks:  “…I’m not suggesting that the Reaper’s methods are justified at all. But life isn’t black and white. That’s all I’m saying.”

Van Zieks speaks up to try and console Gina in some small way, with a lovely nuanced view of how what the Reaper does is understandable even though it’s still wrong. And Kazuma is having none of this nuanced view that implies maybe van Zieks (who is totally the Reaper, he’s clearly talking about himself, right) isn’t 100% a monster and his actions might be justified. There was nothing justified, no protecting innocent people involved in murdering his father, must be what Kazuma’s thinking.

It’s interesting how Kazuma’s even temporarily able to entertain this idea that the Reaper acts to protect innocent people, when, as will be illustrated extremely clearly in just a little bit, he’s convinced himself that there is no sense or rationality at all behind any of van Zieks’s (the Reaper’s) actions. Seems this is one of those things that he brushes aside almost immediately because it doesn’t fit his very firmly-held view of how van Zieks definitely is.

(I’m skipping over Gina’s parts in this because she’s not directly relevant to Kazuma, but it needs to be said: she deserves hugs, I love her.)

The recap dialogue as the testimony loops back to the beginning is also something that’s easy to miss out on.

Susato:  “…Did you notice how Kazuma-sama reacted to Lord van Zieks’s words?” Ryunosuke:  “When he called him an even more sinister Reaper, you mean?”

I like how Susato, probably the most emotionally intelligent person here, picked up on Kazuma’s reaction to being accused of corruption. She cares about how her friend/brother is feeling about all this!

Ryunosuke:  “Well, I’m sure Kazuma intends to eliminate any shred of doubt that the man is guilty. He’s looking for revenge against the person he considers to be his father’s killer, after all.”

In theory, Kazuma’s certainly intending to eliminate all shreds of doubt about van Zieks’s guilt. But in practice, he’s doing a terrible job of it, since he seems to genuinely believe that his ridiculously flawed argument here is going to do just that.

Van Zieks:  “The ‘Reaper’… is an organisation.” Kazuma:  “With you at its head?” Van Zieks:  “………”

I love how much van Zieks is just not having any of Kazuma’s nonsense. Just a pointed silence and then continuing on with what he was talking about, not even bothering to acknowledge Kazuma’s completely unfounded accusation.

Kazuma:  “As shown by the passport found in the victim’s metal trunk.” Ryunosuke:  “…!” […] Susato:  “Is something wrong, Mr Naruhodo? You seemed a little shocked by something a moment ago.” Ryunosuke:  “Oh… No, it’s… it’s alright.” (I’m overthinking this, aren’t I?)

Oh, Ryunosuke. He’s very much sharp and observant enough to notice when Kazuma’s being subtly suspicious, but he doesn’t want to suspect his friend of wrongdoing, so he pushes it out of his mind and tries not to think about it – even though that means running away from the truth! It seems like his go-to method of dealing with something painful – as we also see with his grief over Kazuma’s death – is largely to Not Think About It. I had a lot of fun playing with Ryunosuke’s mental avoidance of his nagging suspicions about Kazuma in my fic.

It's also interesting to think about why Kazuma made such a slip-up. He didn’t need to go and mention that the passport was found in the metal trunk! If he was focused on revealing as little as possible, you’d think he’d have avoided saying that. But perhaps, the knowledge that the passport was in the trunk and if Ryunosuke somehow got hold of the former then he must also have seen the latter, with all that entails, has been bothering Kazuma to the point that it slips out.

Ryunosuke:  “Ah! Then perhaps what it said on the passport document… ‘Permission for the applicant and one additional person to travel’. Could that additional person have been…?” Kazuma:  “Clearly the assassin, who was meant to take Seishiro Jigoku’s life.”

It’s remarkably bold of Kazuma to just offer that up, considering that he was said assassin! I suppose he’s calculated that simply suggesting this fact can’t reflect badly on him, since it’s easy enough to figure out – perhaps he even thinks that by volunteering this idea, it’ll subtly make everyone less inclined to think that he could ever be the assassin himself.

Ryunosuke:  “Gina! Can you confirm that?! Against the final entry that listed ‘Grouse’ and ‘Seishiro Jigoku’… what name was written?”

Ryunosuke seems particularly urgent about learning this, given that this is preceded by a frantic desk-slap as opposed to one of his more confident desk-slams. I wonder if some part of him is beginning to put two and two together about who this assassin might have been, given other facts he’s noticed, and he’s desperate for confirmation or denial.

Gina:  “It, it just ‘ad like a question mark or summat there, I think.” Stronghart:  “In other words, Gregson himself didn’t know the identity of the assassin in that case.” Van Zieks:  “But Gregson was the one making the plans, was he not?”

Presumably what this is implying is that Kazuma was officially designated as the assassin for this job before he regained his memories, and therefore when Gregson didn’t know what his name was, rather than that the assassin hadn’t been determined when he wrote that entry.

(Really, though, Stronghart, what the hell were you expecting to do if Kazuma didn’t regain his memories before the mission? Did you actually seriously think he’d just agree to kill a guy for you out of absolutely nowhere?)

Ryunosuke:  (A nameless assassin…?)

Since Ryunosuke lingers on this for a moment, I wonder if a part of him is thinking about a certain someone in this room who was apparently “nameless” until a not so long ago.

Ryunosuke:  “What do you mean, a criminal?! Judge Jigoku is no criminal!”

Oh, Ryunosuke, if only you knew. (And if only Kazuma knew.)

But in this case, they’re talking about his petty crime of breaking a witness stand and saying some rude things about the British Empire during Genshin’s trial – which I assume was in fact genuine! There’s no evidence that Jigoku was involved in the half of the plot that framed Genshin, only the later half about the prison escape.

Kazuma:  “And there you have it.” Van Zieks:  “Have what?” Kazuma:  “Surely the accused hasn’t forgotten his own rule? That there’s no saving anyone who faces the Reaper in court… guilty or innocent alike.”

Yes, Kazuma, that’s definitely van Zieks’s own rule, obviously. It couldn’t possibly be that the idea that anyone would decide to kill Jigoku over such a petty indictment is so irrational that it didn’t even cross his mind, because he’s not actually the Reaper.

Kazuma:  “But then – ten years later – the mark returns to Britain once more.” [he smirks] “Perhaps now you start to see… just how vindictive the Reaper is.”

Kazuma really is so heartbreakingly convinced that van Zieks is just that petty and vindictive.

(When really, the pettily vindictive one here is looking a lot more like you, Kazuma.)

Ryunosuke:  “Come on, that’s absurd! To take someone’s life for that?”

The whole time he’s been engaging with the concept of the Reaper, Ryunosuke has been perfectly aware that there’s a point to it, that the idea is to stop actual criminals from getting away with their crimes through corruption and going on to hurt more innocents. So of course this is absurd to him. Even the Reaper – whoever he actually is – wouldn’t wait ten whole years just to murder someone over something as petty and minuscule as this.

Kazuma:  “Isn’t the whole premise of the Reaper absurd, killing those who have been found innocent? Clearly the rules by which the man operates… are beyond a sane person’s comprehension!”

But to Kazuma, the Reaper is supposed to be absurd. He has never engaged in this concept while imagining that there must be an understandable motive behind it, because he first heard about it from the angle of “the Reaper is Barok van Zieks, the monster who murdered my father even though he was innocent”. So there doesn’t need to be any rationality behind it for him. Killing innocent people for no reason is just what van Zieks does, in Kazuma’s mind.

This is such a heartbreakingly telling line which made it so clear to me that Kazuma has to have hated van Zieks for the better part of those ten years, ever since he read the newspaper clipping that came with the letter. His hatred is too irrational to not have festered within him for all that time.

Ryunosuke:  “But…”

Ryunosuke is bewildered by this, clearly sensing something off here but unable to find the words to articulate just how irrational his friend is being.

Not that he’d get to say much even if he knew how to, because he’s promptly interrupted by Gina objecting.

Gina:  “All this nonsense about the boss plannin’ to kill people… It’s cobblers! Come on, ‘Oddo!” […] Gina:  “You’ve gotta find a flaw! You do usually! Someone’s lyin’ ‘ere, no question! You’ve gotta work out who it is!”

Gina’s desperately begging for Ryunosuke to figure out some way to prove that Gregson wasn’t really part of the Reaper. But unfortunately for Gina, he can’t do that, because… Gregson was, and that’s just the truth.

Gina:  “I’ve ‘ad it wiv the lot o’ ya! It’s lies every bleedin’ place ya look in this world, innit? Well I’ve ‘ad enough!” […] Ryunosuke:  “So have I. After that little speech of Gina’s, I’ve made up my mind.”

Yet it’s interesting how Gina’s outburst (and Stronghart’s callous cruelty in firing her from the police force in front of the whole courtroom) nonetheless sparks something in Ryunosuke and spurs him to finally face the truth he’s been running away from for most of this testimony. Even though said truth is absolutely nothing to do with what Gina was begging him to prove. (And it also doesn’t involve anybody lying, just a certain someone knowing more than he ought to.)

Ryunosuke:  (I’m not going to let Gina’s plea for help fall on deaf ears.)

…Except this really isn’t so much about helping Gina as it is Ryunosuke helping himself and facing up to the truth at last.

Ryunosuke:  “I want to thank you, Gina. You helped me find my resolve.”

The resolve of Ryunosuke Naruhodo to not run away from the truth! …Even if it means his best friend has been up to some very shady things.

Kazuma:  “What do you mean?”

I like that Kazuma responds to this, taking an interest in his friend suddenly being more resolved than before. He may or may not yet have any inkling that this involves Ryunosuke zeroing in on him.

Ryunosuke:  (I don’t quite know what it means yet, but…)

Don’t you, Ryunosuke? Even though you examined the trunk as well? I have a feeling he may still be lying to himself just a little about exactly how much he’s able to piece together right now regarding Kazuma’s actions.

If you present either Gina or van Zieks as the person who said something inconsistent, the game will entertain the idea and allow you to attempt to present evidence to prove how, since they are testifying right now and I suppose the game thinks a player might assume it was one of them. If you present anyone else other than Kazuma, the game just tells you that no, they aren’t testifying and so can’t have said something inconsistent – even if it’s Stronghart, who perfectly well has also been speaking enough to have potentially said something suspicious, just like Kazuma! Alas.

Ryunosuke:  “By you… Kazuma Asogi.” Kazuma:  “Me?” Stronghart:  “Is this some attempt at filibustering, Counsel? Prosecutor Asogi has given no testimony.” Kazuma:  “What are you suggesting I said that was inconsistent?”

I enjoy how Kazuma isn’t trying to use the technicality Stronghart brings up, that he hasn’t been officially “testifying”, to get out of this. He knows he’s been saying things and that his words deserve just as much scrutiny as anyone else in the courtroom, and he has confidence in his ability to have not let anything slip or said anything incorrect. He’s very aware of how good he is at hiding things without lying, after all!

Ryunosuke:  “Which means that nobody should have known anything about the trunk. Unless of course… we’re talking about somebody who was present when the victim was killed.”

Kazuma was not, in fact, present when Gregson was killed. But by saying this, you sure are making it sound like he must have been, Ryunosuke! Ouch.

(Which, of course, would mean a lot more if Kazuma was actually going to be arrest—)

Kazuma:  “………”

Props to Kazuma for being able to remain silent and unresponsive even as he is likely beginning to realise exactly how he messed up. Perhaps because he’s already planning to brush it off as proving nothing, as he goes on to try and do, since he could totally have guessed or assumed about the trunk without having been there, right.

Ryunosuke:  “Answer me honestly, Kazuma!”

Ugh, it stings that Ryunosuke makes a point to demand Kazuma to be honest with him. He’s realising now just how much Kazuma’s been hiding and being evasive about lately and he just wants his friend to tell him the truth already.

Ryunosuke:  “On 31st October… where exactly were you?!” Kazuma:  “……… At the Port of Dunkirk, on board the SS Grouse��” [he smirks] Kazuma:  “Is that the answer you’re looking for, Ryunosuke?”

And Kazuma responds in what has to be the most infuriating way, seeming for a moment like he’s giving a straight honest answer, and then immediately deflecting into a “well that’s hypothetically what you want me to say, isn’t it?” Goddammit Kazuma just talk to your friend and tell him the truth, you know he’s going to drag it out of you anyway if you don’t.

Ryunosuke:  “Kazuma! What did you…?!”

Even though Kazuma phrased his words in such a way that they were an admission to precisely nothing, hearing him say this apparently shocked Ryunosuke into properly facing the fact that yes, he really was there.

Ryunosuke:  (I hadn’t considered the possibility before, but… if Kazuma was there on the ship, it can only have been for one purpose…)

And here Ryunosuke is only just beginning to consciously entertain the idea that Kazuma must have been acting as the assassin, even though that’s something easy to piece together from the moment it became apparent why Gregson was on that ship and that Kazuma was most likely with him. I really do enjoy the way Ryunosuke is so incredibly hesitant to accept each tiny step of the picture of what Kazuma was up to that day, even as he’s mentally resolved to face the truth now. He really doesn’t want to think any of this about his best friend!

Susato:  “Oh no, Mr Naruhodo! Surely… surely you don’t think…?”

And apparently Susato, too, didn’t want to think about this until now, until she sees some hint of it in Ryunosuke’s expression and realises just what he’s thinking.

Kazuma:  “Ha ha ha ha hah! Come on, Ryunosuke, you know the rules. The only thing that really talks in the courtroom is hard evidence.”

It’s pretty impressive of Kazuma (and also painfully jarring) that he’s able to break into one of his big hearty laughs over this, despite that he knows just how cornered he is. He must surely expect Ryunosuke to be perfectly capable of proving he did indeed do something very shady and illegal that day.

Kazuma:  “As I understand it, Gregson always took that case with him when he travelled. So as it stands… you’ve proved nothing.” Ryunosuke:  “Kazuma… are you challenging me to prove it, beyond all reasonable doubt? That you were there that day… in the same place as the inspector!”

I love how Ryunosuke can read his friend well enough to know that, despite Kazuma’s evasive phrasing, he is in fact challenging Ryunosuke to prove this. On some level Kazuma must know Ryunosuke can prove this and just wants to see his friend show off his awesome lawyer skills that he’s so proud of, even if they’re being used against him.

Van Zieks:  “He, he was there? With Gregson?”

Meanwhile, as Ryunosuke implies that he has strong proof of this fact, van Zieks has a notable reaction. What with his own grudge against Kazuma and the Asogi clan, I strongly suspect van Zieks is beginning to think that this may well mean Kazuma’s the real killer.

Ryunosuke:  “There’s a clue that you’ve overlooked! A secret this trunk can tell us.”

“Overlooked” is a bit much, since I highly doubt that Kazuma is unaware of his precious sword having been broken. And it’s not like he could have checked to see whether the tip ended up embedded in the trunk or not, as he hasn’t been able to examine it himself.

Ryunosuke:  (I can’t be sure at this point. I’ll need to verify it. But I have a nasty feeling… that I’m going to be right.)

It’s very notable that Ryunosuke’s thoughts here are not at all phrased like he is only just realising the significance of the blade tip in the trunk. It reads very much like he was already aware that this was a potential clue to Kazuma’s involvement and just thoroughly Did Not Want To Think About It until he had no choice right here.

Ryunosuke:  “And when it says ‘permission for the applicant and one additional person to travel’…” (…I can’t believe it was you, Kazuma…)

When you’re looking at the trunk in order to present the sword tip, you can examine the passport instead and get this new dialogue. Kazuma has not yet explicitly confirmed that he was the one on the passport, but of course Ryunosuke knows it anyway.

I also suspect Ryunosuke may be somewhat lying to himself about the extent to which this surprises him (or that his “I can’t believe it” statement isn’t precisely one of surprise but rather of hating to believe this about his friend). After all, his approach to cornering Kazuma here in general rather suggests that he already had a inkling things would be going in this direction and just really did not want to confront it until now.

Ryunosuke:  “Won’t you draw [Karuma]? Here in this courtroom… for all to see.” Kazuma:  “………”

Kazuma hesitates for a moment, despite that he must know how refusing would look. On some level he must just not want to reveal it – not only the conclusive proof of his crime (and not just that he was with Gregson, but that he attacked him because he wanted to kill him), but also simply the fact that he desecrated his clan’s esteemed blade.

Van Zieks:  “Exercise caution, my learned friend. That man is the son of London’s most notorious killer.”

Yikes, van Zieks! He is definitely low-key thinking that Kazuma might have killed Gregson, what with implying here that Kazuma might take the chance to attack someone with his sword just because he’s the Professor’s son.

Stronghart:  “Bailiff! Watch Prosecutor Asogi like a hawk!” Kazuma:  “…That won’t be necessary.”

And it’s that – and Stronghart going along with van Zieks’s implication that he’s dangerous – that compels Kazuma to stop hesitating and obediently draw his sword. The last thing he wants to do is make anybody think that he (and the Asogi clan in general) is some kind of vicious killer hiding his true nature. No doubt van Zieks’s words made his skin crawl.

There is an ever-so-slight quiver in the sword at the very end of the animation of Kazuma drawing it, just before it becomes a still frame like most AA animations end on. The animators did not have to include that tiny quiver, but they did. I enjoy this.

Susato:  “Oh no!” Ryunosuke:  “The tip… is broken…”

Susato is shocked to see it, but based on Ryunosuke’s body language, he isn’t, and is simply stating this as fact. He already knew, didn’t he – since probably long before he asked Kazuma to show them.

Van Zieks:  “…!”

(Van Zieks is also shocked to see this confirmation that Kazuma did indeed show aggression towards Gregson that day.)

Ryunosuke:  “If the fragment of metal from the trunk fits together with the end of the sword… the question of who was there with Inspector Gregson will be answered. Agreed… Kazuma Asogi?!”

Guh, Kazuma’s usually the one doing it to him, but here Ryunosuke’s using Kazuma’s full name. It’s like he’s trying to make this accusation and proof of Kazuma’s crime more formal and distanced, so he doesn’t have to think so hard about the fact that this is his best friend.

(He could have said “Prosecutor Asogi”, which would be even more formal and distanced – but no, Ryunosuke uses an exact mirror of the way Kazuma keeps addressing him.)

Kazuma:  “Expertly done, Ryunosuke! That’s a point to you, and well deserved.”

It’s also just really disorienting how Kazuma responds to this. Rather than showing any kind of agitation about what this means for him, he’s just… praising Ryunosuke’s lawyering skills? Kazuma is, after all, frustratingly good at bottling up any kind of distress he might be feeling, and in this case it seems he’s doing that by choosing to focus on just how proud he is of his friend’s abilities.

Stronghart:  “And the mission was…?” Kazuma:  “…The assassination of the mark.”

Kazuma is deliberately not naming the mark here, so as to hide the truth without having to lie. On the one hand, the mark technically was still Jigoku for the purposes of the Reaper mission they were supposedly on (which Kazuma definitely believes was genuine, because as we’ve seen he very much believes van Zieks would have wanted Jigoku dead for petty reasons) – but on the other hand, he’d have been able to figure out that this mission was also due to the exchange mastermind, who has to be the same person as the Reaper, expecting him to use this as his chance to kill Gregson.

Ryunosuke:  “Wha… WHAAAAAAT?!”

Ryunosuke, did you not basically figure out that Kazuma must have been the assassin just a little while ago? It seems that even then, he still didn’t want to properly face that fact, to the point that hearing it confirmed still elicits a shocked reaction from him. He is so hesitant to accept his best friend being an assassin, aaa.

Ryunosuke:  “You mean… you’re the killer whose name was omitted from this notebook?! You were following the Reaper’s orders… to dispatch Judge Jigoku…?” Kazuma:  “……… Let me make one thing perfectly clear: I have killed no one.”

Kazuma is somewhat dodging Ryunosuke’s question here, in order to avoid mentioning that the assassination mission he was on that day was in fact not quite the same one that Ryunosuke’s referring to.

But yes – he really hasn’t killed anyone. That’s the truth. I distinctly remember on my first playthrough, what with all of my own doubts and worries about what Kazuma had got up to, feeling relieved when he said this. Even though I actually (wrongly) thought Kazuma must have been lying about several things to do with the case, something in me knew he wouldn’t lie about this. I wish Ryunosuke was shown having some kind of a reaction to this line, too.

(But then, it doesn’t really matter, does it, because Kazuma never bloody gets arreste—)

Stronghart:  “Explain.”

Stronghart responds to this assertion of Kazuma’s with a curt demand and a very displeased expression, with the implication of “are you sure you didn’t kill anyone, you’d better be able to prove it.” Except no, he’s not thinking that, apparently, because he doesn’t do anything about Kazuma’s very likely-looking guilt, does he, grrrr.

(Maybe instead his irritation is more along the lines of “okay but you should have killed someone, that was the point.”)

Kazuma:  “But I never had any intention of carrying out the plan.” Ryunosuke:  “You were never going to do it…?”

Guh, Ryunosuke echoing that as soon as he hears it. He so desperately wants to believe that yes of course Kazuma was never intending to kill anyone, that makes sense, that’s the Kazuma he knows, unlike everything else he’s learning right now…!

Also, note Kazuma’s phrasing. He never intended to carry out the plan, which is the truth. He does not say that he never intended to kill anyone, because, um. About that. Saying that would be a lie.

Susato:  “…We can believe Kazuma-sama, I’m sure. After all, Judge Jigoku arrived safely in London the following day.”

Yes, Susato, because the fact that his target did not end up dead is definitely 100% ironclad proof that he had zero intention of ever killing him. That is definitely logic with no holes in it. (Oh, Susato, also just wanting to believe in him.)

Kazuma:  “Then we boarded the SS Grouse and made for the cabin deck – as indicated in the plan.”

Huh. So I talked earlier about how Gregson being here surely meant this was an information-gathering mission, but the way Kazuma mentions a “plan” here implies this was at the stage where Gregson had already gathered his information and finalised the plan to kill the target. In which case, I still can’t help but question why Gregson even needed to be there at all for the actual killing! (You know, in theory, if this were hypothetically a real Reaper mission and not a get-Gregson-killed mission.)

Kazuma:  “He wasn’t there, though. We decided to wait, but…” Ryunosuke:  “But you’ve already told us you had no intention of going through with it anyway.”

And again Ryunosuke butts in to remind the court that it’s fine, because Kazuma never meant to kill anyone, right? okay? Definitely nobody he needs to reassure of this, he’s just, you know, mentioning it. Again.

Kazuma:  “I didn’t come to Great Britain to take anyone’s life.”

Guhhhh. Knowing that Kazuma came to Britain with an assassination mission already weighing on his shoulders makes this line hurt a lot more. He really didn’t come here to kill anyone at all, despite the promise he was forced to make!

And yet. Again, this is very specific phrasing. He had no intention of killing anyone when he came to Britain. But after that, during one very specific moment in that cabin…? He’s not talking about that. To include that as part of his statement here would be a lie.

Stronghart:  “Then what became of Jigoku?” Kazuma:  “Gregson was no assassin. So the mark was spared.”

Given the ambiguity of Kazuma using the word “mark” here, what he’s really saying is something to the effect of “Gregson wasn’t exactly going to assassinate himself.”

Kazuma:  “I’m sure it’s easy enough to imagine what happened after that.”

On some level, his belief that van Zieks killed Gregson is bound to also be down to the idea that van Zieks is the exchange mastermind who wanted Gregson dead and had to do it himself when Kazuma refused to do so. But he can’t argue that in court without incriminating himself in another assassination mission, so, never mind, arguing that van Zieks killed Gregson for the failure to assassinate Jigoku it is, an argument he goes on to outline once again for the court as if it makes perfect sense. That still does make twisted irrational sense in Kazuma’s head as half of the reason why he would have done it, anyway.

Van Zieks:  “Objection! But if you did nothing as you claim… how did the tip of your sword come to be lodged in the inspector’s trunk?”

I like how van Zieks is the one to try and force Kazuma to answer this. Ryunosuke certainly doesn’t want to think about it, but van Zieks would very much like to know. And the timing of this, just after Kazuma’s yet again argued that van Zieks totally killed Gregson, feels almost like some kind of attempt to counter him and get back at him, just a little.

Kazuma:  “……… I don’t need to answer that.” Ryunosuke:  “…!”

I enjoy Ryunosuke’s little reaction there. Why doesn’t Kazuma want to answer that? If he really did nothing wrong, what would be so bad about saying what happened…?

Kazuma:  “The victim was killed by a gunshot. A small fragment of a Japanese blade isn’t relevant to the case. And accordingly… I choose to exercise my right to silence on the matter.”

Frankly I find this argument pretty bullshit! Just because it was a different weapon doesn’t change the fact that the blade tip very strongly indicates that Kazuma showed aggression towards the victim during a period in which the murder could have taken place. That’s pretty relevant to the case, I think! He could easily have switched to a gun after having his sword strike blocked! Stronghart should totally have been able to shut him down and insist that actually he does have to testify about this. But noooo, because apparently Stronghart cares more about convicting van Zieks than convicting Kazuma for some reason, grumble grumble.

As it is, this part’s only actual purpose in the narrative is to give an excuse for Karuma to be added to the Court Record, and not any actual kind of fun hinting at Kazuma’s potential guilt. Bah.

The great sword ‘Karuma’ has been entered into the Court Record.

I like how even the Court Record text wants to show the proper respect to Karuma by referring to it like this. Aww.

Ryunosuke:  “The tip of the great sword… broken… It’s such a shame. It’s been so meticulously cared for over the years. I can almost hear Karuma’s sobs…”

I love Ryunosuke personifying Karuma, imagining it sobbing at having been damaged. He really does care about the sword and see it as having a soul!

Ryunosuke:  (Kazuma must have really taken a swing for that to happen…)

He sure did. I wonder how hard Ryunosuke is letting him think about exactly what Kazuma was aiming at, or how he would have been feeling at the time.

Along with being able to examine Karuma’s broken tip, you can also get some new dialogue if you re-examine the blade tip itself in the trunk, now that Ryunosuke and Susato know where it’s from. This bit was updated as soon as Kazuma admitted to having been there with Gregson.

Ryunosuke:  “The tip of Karuma… So this is how it was broken. Kazuma’s swordsmanship is second to none. I can’t believe he’d misjudge it like that.” Susato:  “Clearly he wasn’t in his right mind. He didn’t have full control of the power in his stroke. Too distracted by malicious thoughts, perhaps…” Ryunosuke:  “Well, that wouldn’t be surprising. After all… he was on an assassination mission.” Susato:  “…!”

It is heartbreaking that both of them seem to be getting rather close to the thought that maybe Kazuma acted out of anger and malice and genuine murderous intent, ouch. And all because of their belief that he would never usually be this careless with his swordsmanship!

Kazuma:  “When a foreign dignitary invited to Great Britain goes missing for twenty-four hours… it’s only natural that the question of his safety should arise.”

This statement implies that any reason for Jigoku having potentially been murdered would most likely be some kind of international political plot, what with him being an influential foreign politician. This is actually what I believed was the real reason behind the obviously-bullshit Reaper mission on my first playthrough!

Kazuma:  “The Reaper has more than one assassin at his disposal. And he has the power and influence to give orders from the inside of a prison cell.”

Kazuma, do you have any evidence whatsoever to back this up? A list of the people who’ve been visiting van Zieks in prison so that you can point to potential conspirators, perhaps? Because I imagine you’ll find that Ryunosuke and Susato are in fact the only visitors he’s had. You can’t just make a wild claim like “this guy is capable of orchestrating a murder from in prison” without backing it up in some way!

(Except, apparently, you can, if the judge is Stronghart and he wants you to win the trial.)

This is, again, such ridiculous nonsense, but of course it makes sense in Kazuma’s head, because van Zieks is The Worst, don’t you know.

Kazuma:  “Isn’t that right… Lord van Zieks?” Van Zieks:  [swirling a chalice of wine] “…If I were truly the Reaper, I’d be able to tell you.”

Again, I love van Zieks’s thoroughly dry response to this. He is so done with Kazuma’s bullshit unfounded accusations.

(Another rare instance of Kazuma calling him “Lord van Zieks”, but in this case it could certainly be read as being delivered with heavy sarcasm.)

Stronghart:  “Guests of the symposium have been told to maintain regular contact with the organisers’ office. If the man can’t be located within half an hour… we will have to assume the worst.”

Really? We will have to assume that he’s freaking dead, and not simply that he decided to go against the instruction to stay in contact for one of a myriad of possible reasons? Mikotoba is also a symposium guest and has also not been in contact with the organisers since last night; does that mean we’d better assume that he’s dead too, rather than that he had some other reason for running off? This is bonkers.

Kazuma:  “No one would want to kill a harmless Japanese man who’d only just arrived in the country. Except, that is… for the Reaper, wanting to finish off a mark that slipped through the net ten years ago.”

Yes, Kazuma, there’s no other possible reason for anyone to want to kill an important foreign politician. Certainly nothing at all that you implied yourself just a minute ago by pointing out that foreign dignitaries going missing leads to worries about their safety. Nah, the only reason anyone could want him dead is if they’re a petty monster like van Zieks totally is. Kazuma’s mental gymnastics really are incredibly impressive.

Stronghart:  “I would have to agree.”

And of course, conveniently Stronghart is here to agree that Kazuma’s terrible logic makes perfect sense.

Stronghart:  “If we’re unable to confirm Mr Jigoku’s healthy existence in the next thirty minutes, you will face grave difficulties.” Ryunosuke:  “Ah!”

So here we have the situation: if Jigoku is missing, then he’s definitely dead, and if he’s dead, then it must be because van Zieks had him murdered, which is totally something he can do even from within prison and we don’t need to show any proof of that. So if Jigoku isn’t found then it means that van Zieks absolutely must have killed Jigoku, which also somehow proves he killed Gregson I guess because Jigoku’s murder isn’t even the one this trial is about.

This is absolutely ridiculous.

At this point, I really am stretching my suspension of disbelief as to how Ryunosuke accepts this. Idolising Kazuma to the point of not expecting to see flaws in his reasoning is one thing, but come on. Ryunosuke’s determined to defend van Zieks, so you’d think he’d be able to find the words to argue that there’s still no actual proof that van Zieks killed anyone.

The court empties for the recess, but Ryunosuke and Susato stay behind.

Susato:  “Kazuma-sama, the Reaper’s assassin… I feel as though I’m in a nightmare.” Ryunosuke:  “I can hardly believe it either.”

A brief interlude of Ryunosuke and Susato freaking out over something they actually ought to be freaking out over! It cannot be easy to learn this about their friend. (And they don’t even realise yet just how deep Kazuma’s involvement in assassination plots goes.)

Ryunosuke:  “But on the other hand… Kazuma isn’t in the habit of making up stories.”

I also enjoy Ryunosuke feeling like it must be true, even though he hates it, because of this. He knows his friend. Kazuma doesn’t lie, so he certainly wouldn’t claim something as outlandish as this unless it was the truth.

Susato:  “……… I have such a terrible sense of foreboding.”

It would be nice if this line of Susato’s were referring to the Kazuma-being-an-assassin situation in some way. But…

Susato:  “If something awful has happened to Judge Jigoku… then I feel as though things will only spiral further and further out of control.”

…never mind, this isn’t about Kazuma at all, it’s about the Jigoku situation. It’s valid for her to be legitimately worried about Jigoku’s safety right now, but even if he is dead, that should not have to have any bearing on how this trial for Gregson’s murder will go. Not you too, Susato.

Ryunosuke:  (I felt it from the moment I stepped into the courthouse this morning. That strange sensation that we were careering towards a foregone conclusion…)

This, too, is a line that would work so well if it were referring to Kazuma being an assassin! Given that he’d examined the trunk and other related evidence, Ryunosuke had plenty of reason to already have a subtle inkling in his head this morning that he was going to reveal something Very Bad about Kazuma’s actions that could lead to big trouble.

But somehow, this is actually about Jigoku’s situation as well, which… how on earth was Ryunosuke supposed to have had any sense this morning that things would turn out like this? He had been vaguely told that Jigoku was missing during the pre-trial antechamber scene, sure (though that’s after he stepped into the courthouse…!), but for him to link that to the idea that he’s been assassinated, and that this somehow totally proves van Zieks’s guilt is way too much of a stretch.

Really, it’s truly boggling to me that these lines, which would be so perfect for a narrative in which Kazuma is about to get arrested because of all his suspicious actions, somehow exist here in this narrative where that’s not remotely what happens. That and the sheer flimsiness of the insistence that Jigoku’s disappearance is extremely dire for Ryunosuke’s case make me seriously wonder whether Kazuma being arrested was the original plan by the writers, but for some reason it had to be cut. Like these lines are the remnants of it being written that way to begin with, but then this different turn of events was shoehorned in somewhat hurriedly, without the writers actually removing all of the build-up and foreshadowing that originally pointed towards Kazuma’s now non-existent arrest.

So anyway, it’s bunny time, something Ryunosuke was told to use only if they were “out of options”. Because pointing out that there has been precisely zero actual proof of van Zieks’s guilt presented in this entire trial day does not occur to him as an option, somehow.

Conveniently, not only is the court recess half an hour, but the SS Grouse is also going to leave Dunkirk for good in half an hour. So, if the writers wanted this part to be a race against time, they didn’t even need to have the pressure of “we must find Jigoku before the end of the recess” going on. We could just be worried about losing access to the evidence at the real crime scene if Sholmes doesn’t investigate it quickly! Jigoku doesn’t even necessarily need to be fleeing the country for this bit to still have narrative urgency!

Ryunosuke:  “We’ve just entered a recess. The trial resumes in thirty minutes from now.” Susato:  “And if we’re unable to present any new leads then, I’m afraid to say…”

Ryunosuke and Susato don’t even tell Sholmes that their current burning problem is that Jigoku is missing and might be dead! All they’re asking him to find is new leads, aka evidence from the actual crime scene that the actual crime took place there. That would work perfectly well on its own!

And even if Jigoku was still fleeing, the tension could be over the fact that Ryunosuke needs to summon him as a key witness to his version of events, and that he’ll have nothing to back up his argument if Jigoku isn’t found. We still don’t actually need the “if he’s missing he’s definitely dead and that definitely means van Zieks did it somehow” in order to create tension here.

Back in the courtroom after the interlude…

Ryunosuke:  (Kazuma Asogi… I know you, and I know you wouldn’t lie. But still, there’s no doubt… that you’re holding something back. You know more than you’re saying!)

Oh, he knows a lot more than he’s saying, Ryunosuke, especially since he managed to get out of having to tell anyone why he attacked Gregson’s trunk.

This is adorable, though. Ryunosuke understands his friend! He knows that Kazuma doesn’t lie (which is very correct) and can tell when he’s hiding things anyway!

So of course, Stronghart and Kazuma didn’t find Jigoku.

Kazuma:  “We must accept the unfortunate conclusion that the Reaper has already done the deed.”

No? There are a million other possible reasons as to why you couldn’t find him?

Kazuma:  “There’s no sense in wasting any more of the court’s time. The prosecution calls for an immediate verdict.”

No????? Even if Jigoku had been killed by the Reaper, that still provides absolutely zero proof that van Zieks is the one responsible, let alone responsible for killing Gregson?

Kazuma’s logic is so, so incredibly flawed here. Jigoku’s disappearance could theoretically be explained by van Zieks being the Reaper – thus, in his head, it’s been twisted around into proof that van Zieks is definitely the Reaper. This is some seriously heavy tunnel-visioning going on in Kazuma’s mind.

Ryunosuke:  “No. The trial cannot end now.” Kazuma:  “You’re a Japanese man, Ryunosuke. You should know when to lay down your sword.”

Even then, that time would not remotely be now! Even if Jigoku was indeed missing! Kazuma really is so impressively convinced that his terrible argument is in fact flawless.

It’s also interesting to see this little nod to it being a Japanese cultural thing – I think particularly a thing from the samurai culture which Kazuma was raised with – that one should know when he’s beaten and accept his fate with dignity. It’s ironic to hear this from Kazuma, of all people, who is so fervently determined to never give up on his mission to avenge his father. Really, he’s the one who’s having trouble seeing when he’s… well, not quite beaten, but certainly losing the battle a lot more than he’d ever be able to admit right now.

Ryunosuke:  “And you should know never to presume when the battle is won.”

At least Ryunosuke does throw this idea right back at Kazuma and somewhat point this out to him. (Though he’s only saying this because they located Jigoku, and apparently he would be giving up if they hadn’t managed to find him???)

Kazuma:  “The court has already been presented with all the evidence and heard all relevant testimony. And there can only be one conclusion: that the accused is guilty!”

No! It really, really hasn’t, and there really, really isn’t! Kazuma is so zeroed in on “van Zieks definitely did it” that it somehow fails to occur to him that whether Gregson could have been killed while he was on the Grouse is in fact a very relevant thing to discuss. The previous court day’s “let’s discuss whether Gregson was killed somewhere else on the day before he was found” really was just a deliberate diversion, because he’s not remotely considering doing so today, now that it might actually go somewhere.

Kazuma:  “Who on earth is this crucial witness?” Ryunosuke:  “…Seishiro Jigoku. The very man allegedly murdered by the Reaper!” Kazuma:  “J-Judge Jigoku?! You’ve found him?!”

Kazuma flinches back in shock at this revelation. He really was completely convinced that van Zieks had definitely murdered him. What do you mean that’s not actually the case.

Stronghart:  “But the investigations of every policing resource in the capital suggest that Jigoku is already dead.”

Really, Stronghart. “They looked for thirty minutes and couldn’t find him, boo hoo” totally suggests he’s definitely dead, right. Usually it’d at least take finding a body for someone to be so insistently presumed dead that quickly. Dude’s been missing for barely over a day, come on.

But no, because Stronghart really wanted to just convict van Zieks (for some reason) based on Kazuma’s horrendously flawed reasoning, and to let Jigoku safely flee the country and get away with murder. How dare Ryunosuke drag him here to testify after all.

Ryunosuke:  “Inspector Gregson almost certainly met with Mr Jigoku on the night of his death.”

Finally! Finally we have Ryunosuke arguing something to the effect of how Gregson was probably killed on the Grouse, actually. Why has he not been making more of a point of this before now.

Kazuma:  “………”

Kazuma remains silent and inscrutable. It may well be occurring to him that, huh, this sure is a relevant period of time that hasn’t been examined by the court and his case isn’t yet as airtight as he’d somehow convinced himself it was. But he’s not going to let slip any sign that he’s kicking himself over this, of course.

Ryunosuke:  “Which means that Seishiro Jigoku is the sole witness… who can clarify exactly what happened aboard the SS Grouse on 31st October!”

I mean. He’s not the sole witness. There’s one other very pertinent witness standing right there opposite you, Ryunosuke. But I guess in AA verse where it’s allowed for the lawyers standing in court to also be directly involved with the case, they just get to not officially testify because you can’t have a lawyer also be a witness.

(Again, Kazuma really should have been forced to talk about why his sword tip ended up in Gregson’s trunk, because that seems quite potentially relevant to the murder, actually.)

Kazuma:  “The prosecution concurs. The court must hear Mr Jigoku’s testimony. No judgement should be passed until all testimony has been considered.”

See, look, everyone, Kazuma’s still being very pointedly non-corrupt, making a big deal about how they must consider every angle and it would be unfair to hand down a verdict without doing that. He definitely wasn’t wilfully forgetting about any other possible remaining angles until just now when Ryunosuke pointed one out. The most fair and just and above-board prosecutor here, unlike that van Zieks.

Kazuma:  “………”

Kazuma has a lot of pointedly-shown silences in this bit, inviting us to consider what he might be thinking. No doubt he’s still managing to convince himself that Jigoku’s testimony will amount to nothing, because obviously van Zieks killed Gregson at Fresno Street and so he has nothing to worry about. His case is fine and correct and just. Van Zieks is a monster, and Kazuma is fated to win this trial and bring him to justice, so it's fine.

[truly-morgan]

[Reigen has a terminal illness and hides it]

Reigen Arataka | Mob Psycho 100 06-04-2023

Having some Reigen angst morning thoughts:

Him being diagnosed with an illness that will be the death of him and he has at best only a handful of years left.

Yet he doesn't tell anyone, doesn't want to worry and burden anyone.

Like, maybe he had been struggling a bit nore already in the past months, but always brushed it off because it came and went. Although he's half forced to go by his employees when they botice he doesn't seem too good.

Then he get the result about his terminal illness.

And of course, he doesnt tell anyone.

Not his family, not that he'd know how to tell them to be quite honest. It seems like a lot of trouble to deal with.

He doesn't tell Serizawa, he doesn't need to worry about his boss when he's already focused on his night class.

Plus he doesnt quite trust the man wouldn't accidentally spill the bean.

He doesn't tell Tome, she's already occupied enough with her first semester and year of college, she doesnt need to worry about him.

He doesn't tell Ekubo, because he feels like the spirit would likely tell Mob.

And of course, he doesnt tell Mob. His little student is in his last yeard of high school, he should focuse on having fun, his finals and college application.

Something in Reigen hopes Mob will go to a college away from Seasojing City (contrary to Tome) so he can more easily hide it from him. He knows Mob would worry about him and would likely try helping him more, and he refuse to take away parts of Mob precious teenage Years because he's sick.

So instead he hides it from everyone. He doesn't need the people he cherish to worry over him, to feel sad or awkward around him because of it.

He wants to only leave good memories behind.

And at first it easy enough to hide.

If he's getting tired more easily, he just brushes it off as him getting old (even though he barely entered his 30's). And sometimes simply says he just stayed up too late the previous night.

But then sickness days comes more regularly and that is a bit hard to hide properly, making him look awfull. And there's only so many excuse he can give for that.

He still tries to reassure everyone, but even Reigen doesn't find his bullshiting convincing.

And he goes months not telling anyone, the uncertainty and awkwardness still settling in the office despite his attempt being the opposite of that.

and with time he also grows weaker, and thinner from his lack of appetite and his medication not helping that.

And everyone tries acting as if they were seeing nothing.

Until Mob simply snaps.

He snaps because Reigen lost consciousness as they were fighting against a spirit and nearly got himself gravely injured.

Snap because he now has months of frustration and worries piling up and he NEEDS to know what the fuck is happening with shisho.

and maybe he grows really quiet when Reigen finally admits it.

and then Mob looks mad. mad and sad "Did shisho ever plan to tell me? Did you think I would rather one day stop having you reply to me while I am away only to learn from someone else you died?

"Did you think I would be happier not knowing you are in pain, that I would be happier to not make proper goodbye if I can?"

emotional talk and angst, everyone around Reigen end up finding out too and they all do try to help him out as best they can, but also try to not overwhelm him with all this attention.

Maybe Mob decides to take a little break before going to college, so he can stay with Reigen and help him. Maybe Reigen feels guilty about it, because he didn't want this to happen.

But really, there's nothing that would change Mob's mind once he decided on something.

Also maybe havinghis precious Mob by his side in his last moment wouldn't be so bad...

(I just realised this was angst with a bit of comfort at the end lol, always need a little bit of comfort at least)

Original

[zenithpng]

100 Ways To Say I Love You

93. "I believe in you."

lotura fluff for the soul <3

full text of the fic under the cut, or read on ao3 (and maybe leave a kudo and/or comment while you're there 👀)

On days like these, Allura finds herself wishing she was more like her father.

The Sincline ships are an endeavour the likes of which has never been attempted, and every time she comes into Lotor’s labs and workshops to try and make progress, she further learns why. There’s an astounding amount of detail that must go into every imaginable part, and the integration of science and magic necessary has her reeling even just thinking about it. She tries, she really does, to maintain a smile and a determined posture. Maybe if she can convince everyone else that she knows what she's doing, Allura herself will start to believe it too. 

She longs silently for her father's knowledge, for his guiding hand. Of course, he has long rejoined the stars, and no such guidance comes.

Allura picks up an artefact, brought from Honerva’s old laboratory. It’s a piece that her alchemy has been drawing her to, though she knows nearly nothing about it in practice. She sets it down just as the door behind her slides open.

In comes none other than Lotor, posture relaxing marginally as the door closes.

"Princess," he greets, serious.

"Emperor," she says back, teasing. Lotor's face colours at the title, his cheeks and the tips of his ears going a slightly darker shade. 

"How many times must I tell you to call me by my name?" he asks, shaking his head. His hair falls over his face in a curtain that doesn't quite hide his amused smile. Allura smirks, feigning innocence. 

"Your generals and subjects call you emperor," Allura says.

"Of which you are neither."

"Well," Allura begins, "why should I be any different?"

Lotor looks at her, those piercing eyes holding something unreadable, unfathomable. There’s a long moment of silence. He takes a deep breath in.

"Do you know how much you mean to me, Allura?"

The Princess smiles, turning back to her work. She picks up the artefact she'd been studying before he came in.

"Well, you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone else in this universe that can access Altean alchemy." She turns the relic this way and that for a moment.

"Not your alchemy," Lotor says, voice quiet, almost reverent. Allura looks up, feeling something inside her catch.

Their gazes meet.

"Do you know how much you mean to me, Allura?"

Silence, heavy but not unpleasant, hangs over them. For a long moment. Allura feels as though her lungs do not, cannot take in air. The sincerity in Lotor’s words takes her by surprise. Smiling shyly, she ducks her head, feeling her face grow warm.

“Do not tell me you’ve fallen for me so soon, Lotor,” she says, even as something in the back of her mind tells her even if it were so, things wouldn’t be so bad. Lotor moves forward, one hand twining in between her fingers.

“I would not say fallen, ” he mutters, voice still carrying that same air of reverence from before.“A fall implies pain, of which I feel none, not with you.” Those dark eyes wander, across her face, down to where their hands interlock. “I feel I have grown rather than fallen. Grown fond, perhaps, or grown into something else entirely.” He brushes the knuckles of the other hand against her cheek, so light that the touch is hardly there. 

“Even I would not be so proud to think I could describe what I feel for you.”

“ Oh. ”

It’s more breath than an actual word. She isn’t quite sure how to react — his forwardness has taken her by surprise, but she can't say she dislikes it. Without really thinking, she tightens her grip on Lotor’s hand. He squeezes back, holding her gaze.

She can't say the same about him, not yet. It is still too early for her to make such confessions, especially their statuses, especially with the universe hanging in the balance. But soon, maybe. Soon she will look at him with just as much adoration.

"I'm–" She's usually rather good with words, having been brought up to be a diplomat before all else. And yet, now her words fail her, mind racing to keep up with just what is happening in this moment.

"I am flattered," Allura finally manages. "Truly, Lotor, I– I have no words." She laughs, a breathy thing, coming from the overwhelmedness she's feeling more than from actual humour. “I’d implore you to hold off on such confessions, though. You haven’t yet seen my lack of progress on your ships.” Lotor waves, dismissive, as if such things pale in comparison to the girl before him.

“Have I not just told you that it is you, not your alchemy that matters to me?” he says, a gentle reminder. “Besides,” he continues, bringing their hands up between them. A smile, so soft it looks almost out of place on him. “I believe in you, Allura.”

There’s an ever-so-slight touch of lips against the back of Allura’s hand, so gentle that at first she questions whether or not it actually happened. And then Lotor is pulling back, releasing his careful hold, turning back towards the door.

He glances over his shoulder just before the door shuts, staring at her as if she is the most beautiful of constellations.

She watches as the door closes, and wishes for the day that she can look at him the same way to come faster.