#not to mention the tea she'd have to spill about those two

[lalune9x]

SCTIR Translation - Chapter 472: Letter (3)

The central table was also decorated with flowers. A five-tiered tray was piled with various desserts. The elegant tea set was adorned with flowering vines that spilled over and cascaded down to the floor. Beyond all that stood Sung Hyunje.

Chapter translation under the cut.

---

Chapter 472: Letter (3)

'This is close to what I expected.'

It seemed to be a banquet hall or something of the sort. The overall lighting was dim, with only the center brightly illuminated. Round tables and chairs had been pushed to the edges, leaving just one table in the middle.

The air was perfumed with the scent of flowers and grass. Not only were the tables decorated with fresh flowers, but every corner of the room was adorned with them. I wondered how much all those flowers must have cost.

'Looking at this, it seems he really does like flowers.'

Director Song once mentioned that over the years, he'd received enough flowers from Sung Hyunje to fill several trucks. He also had an indoor garden at his house. Though on the other hand, Yoohyun and Hyuna-ssi had apparently never received any flowers from him. Soyoung had said she'd gotten one or two occasionally, though she'd grimaced while commenting that they felt more like a warning, the way the mafia sends messages.

The central table was also decorated with flowers. A five-tiered tray was piled with various desserts. The elegant tea set was adorned with flowering vines that spilled over and cascaded down to the floor.

Beyond all that stood Sung Hyunje. I'd often wondered before why he went to such lengths for this kind of thing. Though in fairness, he probably just gave orders while his subordinates did all the hard work.

'They must be well-paid.'

Probably something like 100,000 won an hour. Honestly, I was also kind of tempted. Imagine earning a month's salary for a single day's work. And even though those tasks could be done by a regular person, given that an S-rank hunter was involved, they probably got hazard pay too.

As I crossed the plush carpet, I couldn’t resist asking. "How much did you pay for all this labor?"

"…Hmm. I’m not sure."

"But you must have had a budget."

"It's pocket money. I don't set a budget for light hobbies. Surely Han Yoojin-gun is the same."

"No, not really. I even recorded things like the cup of tteokbokki I bought on the street in my expense journal. I set limits for how much I can spend on snacks each month."

I had been the same even after becoming an adult. Even when I bought a cup of coffee on a cold day, I'd think about how much money I had left to spend that month. Now, though, my assets were so vast that keeping track had become difficult, but I never spent money carelessly on personal hobbies. I always checked roughly how much something might cost and how much I'd already spent.

"Well, Sung Hyunje-ssi, I suppose if you went bankrupt, you'd bounce back quickly."

Even if all the Awakened and dungeons disappeared tomorrow. Maybe he could go into show business. These days, high-rank hunters were considered the new nobility, but before that, celebrities had held that status. He was Korean by nationality, but I bet if you dropped him in Hollywood, he'd fit right in, as if he'd been a child actor there who'd been successful since a young age.

It was late autumn, almost winter, but the table that I stood resolutely in front of smelled like spring.

"I was too agitated yesterday," I said, meeting his golden eyes squarely. "Because I like you, Sung Hyunje-ssi. That's why I got so angry, disappointed, and frustrated."

If I hadn't been fond of him, I would've just thought, 'Oh well, this is a hassle,' and left it at that. If I had never stepped inside the marked boundary, I wouldn't have felt suddenly pushed out. If a close friend said out of the blue, 'I'm moving away today,' of course, I'd be confused. I'd be hurt they didn't tell me sooner, and I'd worry about why. But if it were just a stranger from the neighborhood moving, I'd just think, 'Ah, those people are moving,' and end it there.

"I also like you very much, Han Yoojin-gun," Sung Hyunje said as he lifted the teapot.

"If you're sincere, then you could show me the letter. And you could also tell me exactly what you're planning."

He poured the tea into a cup.

"You said you received a proposal, but you didn't tell me any of the details."

Given that the people involved were those who had dragged me to China, I was naturally sensitive about it, but maybe the proposal was something trivial. It could just be a dinner invitation. Maybe Park Hayul's noonim even had a thing for Sung Hyunje. He did seem to be popular with older women. If you thought about it, even the Crescent Moon was older than him.

"This letter, you mean?"

Sung Hyunje put down the teapot and took out the letter. I immediately held out my hand, but of course, he didn't give it to me.

"There are restrictions, naturally," he said.

"A contract, huh? Well, there's no way someone would deliver such an important letter without any precautions. It's probably something like 'don't show or share the contents with others,' right? Come here."

It was just a contract. Surely it couldn't be SSS-rank or higher. I opened my arms as if to hug him, but he just placed the letter down on the table.

"If the contract is broken, Chloe will leave too."

Ah… Of course. Even if they locked down the airports, an S-rank hunter could easily cross borders. She could swim to China or Japan if she had to.

"Then will you help us catch Hunter Chloe?"

"What should I do?" Sung Hyunje said, the corners of his lips curling in a mischievous way. "The contract terms aren't that straightforward. Naturally, there are exception clauses."

He tapped the table lightly with his index finger, right next to the letter.

"I don't have the loyalty to be willing to risk my life," he continued. "If I can't protect the letter with my own abilities, and it gets taken from me, it won't count as breaking the contract."

"Hey, Sung Hyunje. If you don't want to die, hand over that letter."

Obviously, he didn't give it to me. That so-called exception clause was basically meaningless. How was I supposed to take the letter from him? Maybe I should butter him up and take him to meet the Elder.

"If you have time, would you like to go on a date with me? I know a nice dungeon nearby," I said. I'll treat you well.

"As much as it's a shame to turn down a rare date invitation from you, we haven't even visited the aquarium yet, so I'll have to decline."

"I think we could make do at your house for that."

Sung Hyunje put on a disappointed face, as if he was going to cry. He really could make it big in Hollywood. Just look at that detestable expression.

"Ah fine, let's go to the aquarium," I said. "How about we take everyone along?"

"If even one S-rank hunter accompanies us, taking the letter out of my inventory could result in a breach of contract."

"…That's annoying. So you can only bring out the letter when you don't feel threatened?"

"That's right. Right now, I can even place it on the table with no problem because Sung-Han Gyeol didn't come along."

"It's Han Gyeol. Maybe it'd just be easier to check the letter after we've caught Hunter Chloe."

How could I possibly take the letter from him by myself? Even if he took a few steps back after putting it down, I wouldn't even be able to touch the table before he restrained me.

"She might not come in person to get the reply," he commented.

"Then could you just... Ah, that would be a waste."

If Sung Hyunje stayed on our side, it would be better to keep the contract intact, regardless of whether Chloe came in person or not. We could dig up more information that way. So, the best course of action would be to check the letter's contents without breaking the contract.

'...But there's really no way, is there?'

F-rank stats, no attack skills, and even though I had various gear, my opponent was a disgustingly strong natural born S-rank with combat foresight. There was no way I could take anything from Sung Hyunje with my abilities. That was why he was so relaxed, knowing the contract would remain intact.

I had to take the letter in a situation where Sung Hyunje was absolutely certain he wouldn't lose it. It was like being told to go through a closed door without opening it, breaking it down, or using teleportation.

His golden eyes curved in a relaxed smile.

"Shall I add a condition that if you successfully take the letter, I'll obediently cooperate?" he offered.

Was he making fun of me now—wait a minute.

"You're annoyingly confident," I said.

I frowned deeply and tensed my legs. I glanced to the side, pretending not to look at the letter, and—

Crash!

I lunged towards the table. The letter that had seemed to be within reach vanished in an instant, and the table tilted sharply. The flowers and dessert tray came crashing down to the floor alongside me. I ended up sprawled on the carpet, covered with the tablecloth and flower vines. My thigh, which had hit the table hard from my forceful lunge, was throbbing.

"That wasn't a very commendable attempt," he chided.

I raised my head from the pile of flowers. Golden chains that had appeared out of nowhere were holding up the teapot and teacups. Not a single drop of tea had spilled. Forks and knives jingled as they dangled in midair.

"Well, I thought I'd at least give it a try," I muttered, sitting up among the heap of flowers.

Sung Hyunje lightly flicked the fallen table up with the tip of his foot. As if pulled by invisible strings, it righted itself neatly. The teapot and teacups settled smoothly back on top.

"As you can see, there's no way I can take the letter from you by force," I said. "So how about a wager? Judging by the conditions, it seems it might work."

"If there's even the slightest chance I could lose, then it's impossible."

"We'll make it something where you have no chance of losing. If I win, you hand over the letter, completely intact, with the contents readable. If I lose, I'll do one thing you want, Sung Hyunje-ssi, whatever it is. But it has to be something related only to me—nothing like handing over the Rearing Facility, or asking Myungwoo to make you a weapon, or forcing Han Gyeol to change his family name."

If Sung Hyunje lost a bet that he was absolutely certain he wouldn't lose, it would be like losing the letter by a force of nature. That level of loophole should work, and was probably why he was taking out the letter and putting it down in front of me.

"That's quite tempting."

"You can ask me to side with you, if you want. Or you could even take me with you when you leave Korea."

At my words, Sung Hyunje's eyes narrowed momentarily. Did he interpret it as me asking to be taken along if he was going to join Park Hayul's side or wherever else?

"The condition will be one I want, not one Han Yoojin-gun wants."

"In any case—what do you say?"

"And the wager is?"

"Hmm, let's play tag. It won't be for long—let's say just ten minutes. I absolutely won't go through the door, or break the walls, ceiling, or floor."

"You have teleportation items, don't you?"

"With the points I have left, I can't afford any. And teleportation can't pass through barriers. Besides, it's only ten minutes—do you really think you couldn't catch me if I jumped outside? If I receive help from anyone else, I'll automatically lose. That includes monsters."

Sung Hyunje tilted his head slightly. He knew that, on my own, I couldn't possibly escape him for ten minutes.

"Since I'm at such a disadvantage, how about you give me three tries instead of one? What do you think?" I suggested.

"I could still win even if it were just five minutes, however…" He looked at me carefully. Of course, he'd be suspicious. "You said you spent almost all your points in the Nightmare Dungeon, didn't you?"

"Before that, I blew through them buying Yoohyun a sword. I can't afford anything like an SSS-rank item, even if they're one-time use."

"You had been serious about trying to kill Director Song Taewon, too," he said thoughtfully. He seemed to be recalling the items I had used back then. The most useful one I had left was probably the Mini Mini Cookie.

"And the dungeon rewards this time wouldn't be for yourself either," he said.

"You're unnecessarily well-informed."

Sung Hyunje took out a pocket watch from his inventory and placed it on the table. A contract appeared beside it.

"If I happen to win, you can't break the contract or withhold the letter," I added.

"I don't have the loyalty to suffer a penalty. If it's taken away because my abilities fell short, I'll accept it gracefully."

Just in case, if I won, I would deactivate my Curse Resistance immediately. We each signed the contract. Right after that—

Clink! 

"Ugh, wait a moment!"

In an instant, chains wrapped around my body. I was lifted lightly into the air, flower petals falling in a flurry.

"That's try one."

"Shouldn't you give me time to equip my gear?!"

"I'll give you three minutes. And of course, I won't deduct it from your time."

How generous. Just before the chains released me, I used an item. The King of the Mist Sea's 71st Drawer. My surroundings immediately shifted. I could see the bright blue sky, and beneath my feet—

"What—!"

Splash!

The sound of displaced water echoed loudly. Damn it, was it because she was a jellyfish? Why was there water here?! I had Grace activated, of course, but that didn't prevent me from swallowing a mouthful of water. At least it wasn't salty.

"Damn it—ugh—stupid Jellyfish!"

— Tweet! Tweet!

Wasn't it called a 'drawer'! Even Grace seemed startled and popped out. I floundered in the water, trying to swim, but even staying afloat was a challenge. Quickly, I pulled out a wire and threw it toward a tree that I'd caught sight of. The wire wrapped around the tree, and I used it pull myself and crawl onto land.

"Cough—that was close…"

I could just leave this place immediately, but then I'd lose. So, soaking wet, I collapsed onto the grass looking like a drowned rat. Both my shoes were gone... they had been expensive.

"No, but this… Can't I specify where I land?"

Appearing above water might not matter for the Jellyfish, but it did for me. With Grace, I'd honestly prefer a fire pit. Then again, I guess being in a fire pit could still be dangerous if I ran out of oxygen. But seriously, what kind of drawer was this…

"This drawer…"

— Tweet!

As I stood up, a building that looked like a villa came into view. It was a three-story mansion painted in bright colors that reminded me of a resort in the Mediterranean or some kind of vacation spot. It was on a small island surrounded by water, but the lake wasn't very large. The horizon curved like a dome enclosing the area in all directions. It felt like being trapped inside a snow globe.

"...Is this supposed to be small compared to Myungwoo's smithy?"

They had said it was just a simple storage room? And that it wasn't spacious?

"Grace, you'd better head back inside. It might be dangerous."

I couldn't be sure what might pop up. To kill 10 minutes, it would be better to stay put and not wander around unnecessarily.

I felt pleased at the thought of how surprised Sung Hyunje must be right now. He definitely didn't expect me to have an item like this. In terms of grade, it would probably be about L-rank. Especially since I'd gotten it from someone who had been a former enemy and who had no reason to be friendly towards me. Unless he was a fortune-teller, there was no way he could have known.

I decided to leisurely wait out the 10 minutes before going back out.

"If I can keep using this, it could really be used as a vacation home."

The weather was nice, and the water looked clean. I wondered what the inside of the mansion was like. It seemed that it would be quite difficult to replenish the drawer's mana stores, though.

As I slowly walked toward the entrance, casually glancing around, something caught my attention.

'...Huh?'

Something moved. What was that?

[silurisanguine]

Sensory prompt #3!

Serene x Pirate au Sam(you can ignore it if you want but you know how I love himb)

The whistle of a tea-kettle

Frozen in fear

Oh this is good and um may have helped me write a section of the Pirate verse . And since it's Sunday, i'm killing two birds with one stone...

"So...You want us to go to Akila...cos you think something is there? I’m guessing one of them artifacts ?" "Bingo. In every universe there is an artifact in the Empty Nest." Sam's eyes narrowed at the mention of that place. He rubbed his hand over his beard, deep in thought. "I vaguely recollect a place called that. Something ol' Solomon mentioned in his journals that dad kept locked up tight from me. But I remember taking a peak once. There was something weird about the place...bout how no Ashta would go within a mile of it, I think." "Exactly, the artifact's energy keeps all animals away" Seren replied with a nod. "and Terrormorphs are animals too, so I'm thinking it will be one place we'll be able to land." "Well I'll be. Thing is darlin, Terrormorphs may be animals, but they ain't natural and the ones down there will be with the Bonded." Sam shuddered at the mention of something she'd never heard of, which made Seren wonder what the hell he was on about. The digital whistle of the kettle made Sam jump, almost spilling his whisky and he inwardly swore as he got up to make Seren the tea she'd asked for. "Bonded?" Seren asked confused as Sam brought the tea over to her. "Only once have I ever been frozen in fear and that was when I saw one of those freaks look right at me when I was scouting out a abandoned building on Kreet and legged it when I saw them. Dead in the eyes, souless...Wait? You don't know what a Bonded is?"

Since it's snippet sunday, tagging the Coemancer crew as always. Plus anyone else who'd like to share their WIP.

[just-some-random-blogger]

good morning, meow meow!! it must around 8:30 a.m. in your timezone and i've just finished all the tasks i needed to do *star eyes* 'i forgot to answer your ask this morning' good. i already thought i said smth wrong, shouldn't had linked those songs or idk TT glad to hear from you anytime, though! 'if you dont want to' no but i literally don't know if i even have an opportunity to do so... actually, the whole death thing is... you know, burning? it's really important to talk about it. it's hard to describe but the death is just not the thing that stops me. omg i haven't watched comebacks for.. a lifetime... srry. but it's really been a long time. 'WHO IS YOUR BIAS MINE IS JOHN' giirl give you 3 seconds to guess yourself... yeah mine too. also doyoung seems too much like me so i just LoOk and relate. 'thats so random' I FORGOT THE WORD COACH!!! hghfjjd. awful. like irl i always say every word i know while trying to cheer up smn so my friends joke about me being one of those buisness-motivation coaches. 'interesting to know you like music like that' ig it's more about hyperfixation and nostalgia. it's published in 2012 and it feels. but it's the best part for me. actually, i like 'my sea' better. but i did fell in love with noize and all his songs yeah... 'i didnt really like the song' it's ok. i was just excited to unit my two fav thins at this moment: your fics an this artist. 'i like the chorus part' AHAAH it's funny that i'm opposite TT 'i never actually imagined the first scene to be a childbirth scene' LOLL ok maybe it's me and my bad memory but it mentioned a child and a wound on her stomach so i though... 'fuck your trauma, she could die and you wont be there?' SAME!! i was a little taken aback when i've read he wasn't present during rhaenyra's labour and didn't support her after due to his trauma and was like?? you claim to love her, fuck she beared your child and you couldn't like don't pay attention to the thing that happened how much time ago? 6 years? literally dont remember even if she died, you wouldn't be there to say her goodbyes like with laena?? i'm angry now(( 'i love how were planning the ending already but i havent even made p3' lol well you asked for this and triggered my imagination, so just enjoy. i'm glad you at least like it. *proud of myself* you may or may not include it, it's just a thought, maybe i'll even have the other ones after another part(s?) i trust you to do your big brained thing. 'i started writing it' YAY good luck catmom, meow meow!! sending you all my best love and big brained thoughts through a lot of kisses!! 'wow i love it when language does that' i'm glad you love it TT i was really nervous about sending russian songs. 'i will say im not feeling making smth fluffy' ig i'm falling ill so my fluffy side craves more sacrifice so... what's going on with the lifetime... 'honestly im a sucker for plots like this' GIIRL were again the same!! i always think what if daemon had a wise present wife instead of rhae (sorry babe you were perfect) who would've made him attend all the council meetings so viserys would've thought about naming daemon his heir... thinking... thinking so much... she'd be besties with corlys and rhaenys and they'd spill some tea every now and then.... ok now i'm crying bc it sounds good for me. (winking but not really. you decide. but one day maybe...) What about dimash!! this song is in russian. a lot of artists from post-soviet countries sing in russian. it's easier to promote like this ig. dimash is not really popular in russia as i know? he's been famous for being popular in asian countries as i remember from my most active time in kpop. but he is indeed talented. his voice is amazing. i'm happy to hear he inspires you so much. he's soso good i think he should be more popular and appreciated. hope you've done good with your midterms last semester! love you!! have a nice day/evening!!! take care!! <3

GOOD MORNING LOVIE

me going through your love letter HAHHAAAH

it must around 8:30 a.m. in your timezone and i've just finished all the tasks i needed to do *star eyes*

well im readinf this at 10:13 am, i googled russian time and the general consensus is that is morning, good morning <3 HAHAH

'i forgot to answer your ask this morning' good. i already thought i said smth wrong, shouldn't had linked those songs or idk TT glad to hear from you anytime, though!

T_T plssssss T_T i will always reply to you i promise T_T i literally just forgot i hadnt done it yet you can tell me anything, link any song, i will read and listen to it all. i will reply as soon as I can always <3

'if you dont want to' no but i literally don't know if i even have an opportunity to do so... actually, the whole death thing is... you know, burning? it's really important to talk about it. it's hard to describe but the death is just not the thing that stops me.

that's fine if you cant watch it. i agree the whole death thing should be talked about, as well as other things that are quite hard to process as a human being.

omg i haven't watched comebacks for.. a lifetime... srry. but it's really been a long time.

that's fineee T_T its all fine T_T

'WHO IS YOUR BIAS MINE IS JOHN' giirl give you 3 seconds to guess yourself... yeah mine too. also doyoung seems too much like me so i just LoOk and relate.

OMG JOHNNY GIRL!!!!!!! I LOVE THAT FOR US :AS:ASH:FAHS:FSAAFAFJFAJF:JASFJASF SLAYY SOULMATES <3 AND DOYOUNG LIKING YOU TOO MUCH AHHAHAHHAH RELATABLE

'thats so random' I FORGOT THE WORD COACH!!! hghfjjd. awful. like irl i always say every word i know while trying to cheer up smn so my friends joke about me being one of those buisness-motivation coaches.

like a motivational speaker? AHAHAH it's ok i get what you mean but LOL ??? THE EARN YOUR FIRST BILLION WAS SO RANDOM HAHAHH

'interesting to know you like music like that' ig it's more about hyperfixation and nostalgia. it's published in 2012 and it feels. but it's the best part for me.

i completely understand what you mean. i have a lot of song i hated as a kid that i love now only because its a song i knew when i was younger. not that im saying you hated this song or whatever

actually, i like 'my sea' better. but i did fell in love with noize and all his songs yeah... 'i didnt really like the song' it's ok. i was just excited to unit my two fav thins at this moment: your fics an this artist. 'i like the chorus part' AHAAH it's funny that i'm opposite TT

yeah i like the 2nd song better too. interesting to know you like noize haha. i cant believe my fics are one of your two fav things T_T and HAHAHHAH it so funny we're opposite about the chorus HAHAH

'i never actually imagined the first scene to be a childbirth scene' LOLL ok maybe it's me and my bad memory but it mentioned a child and a wound on her stomach so i though...

NAH YOURE SO RIGHT THOUGH. i didnt give too much details on the first part because what was important to me was to show she was DEAD HAHAH and i thought she was like, idk, stabbed in the gut by someone mid wartime thus why Daemon managed to find a sorcerer cos he and yn were situated someone like idk the woods yeah. also in my head she was not that pregnant like full on big belly pregnant ya know. but its 100000% fine that you thought it was kind of a pregnancy death scene T_T albeit the fact again idk if i would ever write smth like that.

'fuck your trauma, she could die and you wont be there?' SAME!! i was a little taken aback when i've read he wasn't present during rhaenyra's labour and didn't support her after due to his trauma and was like?? you claim to love her, fuck she beared your child and you couldn't like don't pay attention to the thing that happened how much time ago? 6 years? literally dont remember even if she died, you wouldn't be there to say her goodbyes like with laena?? i'm angry now

ReAL 🤬🤬🤬🤬 men (derogatory)

i understand that you got trauma boy, but being pregnant/giving birth IS SUPER FUCKING TRAUMATIZING AND DEADLY HELLO??????????????????????????? men (derogatory)

(( 'i love how were planning the ending already but i havent even made p3' lol well you asked for this and triggered my imagination, so just enjoy. i'm glad you at least like it. *proud of myself* you may or may not include it, it's just a thought, maybe i'll even have the other ones after another part(s?) i trust you to do your big brained thing.

[chanting] trust in the big brain. i love all your ideas. im happy i trigger your imagination. [pats head] i'll do my best to make everything coherent and add as many ideas as you told me into the story

'i started writing it' YAY good luck catmom, meow meow!! sending you all my best love and big brained thoughts through a lot of kisses!!

'wow i love it when language does that' i'm glad you love it TT i was really nervous about sending russian songs.

you can send me alien songs id still listen to it

'i will say im not feeling making smth fluffy' ig i'm falling ill so my fluffy side craves more sacrifice so... what's going on with the lifetime...

[chanting] SACRIFICE SACRIFICE i will say tho i have some fluffy fics lines up so HAHAH but idk if p3 of waiting for a lifetime will be fluffy

'honestly im a sucker for plots like this' GIIRL were again the same!! i always think what if daemon had a wise present wife instead of rhae (sorry babe you were perfect) who would've made him attend all the council meetings so viserys would've thought about naming daemon his heir... thinking... thinking so much... she'd be besties with corlys and rhaenys and they'd spill some tea every now and then.... ok now i'm crying bc it sounds good for me. (winking but not really. you decide. but one day maybe...)

the 'sorry babe you were perfect' AHHAHH 💀💀💀💀i love the chaos. DAMN sometimes i wish i could just watch these ideas instead of writing them T_T or someone else could write it so i could fucking read T_T asflashfasfafhafash [dramatic wailing noises]

What about dimash!! this song is in russian. a lot of artists from post-soviet countries sing in russian. it's easier to promote like this ig. dimash is not really popular in russia as i know? he's been famous for being popular in asian countries as i remember from my most active time in kpop. but he is indeed talented. his voice is amazing. i'm happy to hear he inspires you so much. he's soso good i think he should be more popular and appreciated.

he is he is such an amazing artist. im glad it was in russian i totally knew that AHHAHAH lololol jk. interesting fact to know about post-soviet countries. he is more popular in asian countries i think. i hope he finds more success too <3

hope you've done good with your midterms last semester!

yeah my midterms was fine. my partner made her part too high and un-singable for herself though 💀💀💀and i couldn't save her with autotune. idk why she did that i made the key not so high and she still messed it up a/lshflas T_T RIP

love you!! have a nice day/evening!!! take care!! <3

i love you <3 i hope you have a nice day as well. i fell like i have to say i finished writing at 10:45am so idk you know what time im sending this from <3

take care my lovie. i have assignments to do now

xxx

[phoenixfire-thewizardgoddess]

Rosie sends an invite to Alastor, Niffty, Husk, and Charlie to come for dinner to meat her husband.

Charlie is clearly excited, gushing to Vaggie about building connections across pride and of course how wonderful is it Rosie married?

She doesn't get the giggling Niffty does but then, that's just who Niffty is.

Husk looks on the verge of telling her something... but gives up before a word comes out.

Cut to a large tray inthe middle of the table, the lid comes up and it's a special dish by the recently widowed. Cooked to perfection, naturally.

"Ah my dear, allow me to introduce you to my dear ex-husband... he was rather persistent about being introduced to my friends, so it felt only right to do an eat'n'greet."

"Aha... oooookaaaaaay..." Charlie grins, tightly, shooting a HELP ME glance over at Husk.

"Just try a little, Charlotte, Rosie always does find the most delectable specimens to marinate in her matrimonial methods." Alastor encourages, directing her to a nice cut of thigh meat.

"CAN I EAT HIS DI-...!"

A shadow tendril covers Niffty's mouth, giving Charlie a chance to take a bite without the full scrutiny of the table. She automatically tries to reject it, knowing that the meat was a Who rather than a What... but, and she's never telling Vaggie this... after the flavour hits her tongue it's clear she can manage this.

"...wow..." she huffs.

"Right? My last husand was a bit dry, so I went a little overboard on the juices this time... but if I do say so myself, he came out perfectly." Rosie preens. A calculating looks enters those voidless sockets. "Hmmm, but you, my dear... so youthful and brimming with power... why, I don't think I'd even need to go that far. Maybe mix in some spices for a compliment to your persistent personality..."

"Uhhhh...."

"(Cough)It'sacannibalcomplimentthingjustgowithit(cough)" from Husk.

"...thank you?" There's a pause. "Well, I'm a fan of sweet things so... I think... I'd want to try that recipe my dad likes where you mix spice and sugar on the meat so it tastes just balanced between the two?"

Rosie claps her hands in delight. "Oh, what a lovely thought, my dear! Alastor, you didn't mention how charming she was before, and I think you two need to collaborate if you ever get around to eatin' little old me... that's almost as scintillating as your idea."

"An excellent proposal!" Alastor heartily agrees. "Now, do... as you referred to it last time... 'spill the tea' about what is happening in that odd little territory by the railroad. You mentioned something about a budding overlord with some sort of... condiment theme?"

"Why yes, fascinating little upstart! Let me tell you..."

And it faded into the general murmur of dinner conversation as Charlie decided one that what Vaggie didn't know wouldn't hurt, as she finished her plate. She vaguely wondered if they could try the recipe with a non-sinner meat sometime at the hotel...

--------

Upon returning to the hotel, Charlie was able to report that things had gone exceptionally well, and relations with Cannibal Town were stronger than ever!

Lucifer congratulated her, but his snake-like tongue caught the faint scent of sinner on her breath when they spoke, and he merely raised an eyebrow. Raising more questions for Charlie about if her parents had ever had a... a meal of that calibre, in their aeons in Hell.

Vaggie was carefully dissuaded from a kiss until after she'd had a chance to brush her teeth, of course. Even if that meant a rather pointed pout in her direction.

"Heeeeey Whiskers, you wanna come t'my room and have a little after dinner entertainment?" Angel croons, lighting up as the cat appeared behind the group, half-carrying the yawning Niffty.

"Now, now, my good man, I believe dear Husker has had more than enough man meat in his mouth for one night..." Alastor drops, casually into the conversation, before striding off like nothing had happened.

Angel spat his drink a good four feet and wheezed as Husk tried desperately to provide context.

"...Charlie, what was that about?" Vaggie hedges.

She turns, guiltily grinning awkwardly and shrugging. "Uhhhh, nothing, just an inside joke from dinner..."

"Was that another euphemism...?" Angel croaks, half dead but no longer actively choking.

"Well, if one must be technical then it could be said everyone has had a specific sinner inside them tonight." comes the cackle as the shit-stirrer general disappears into shadow.

"I think Smiles is tryna kill me with weird innuendos..." Angel groans. "I didn't even know he could DO that..."

"Rosie's been teaching him 'slang'... often against his will." Charlie laughs, then covers her mouth as if she'd accidentally shared the wrong secret. "Ooops... please don't tell him I told you that, or he's going to call me a Cringefail Queen again. It was weird eough the first time."

"He called you a what in the who now?"

"Don't worry about it Dad, I'll tell you what that means later."

"Are we skipping over the fact you all ate sinner tonight, or...?" Vaggie queries. "You, Missie, are brushing your teeth before goodnight smooches."

"Heh, it's a... cultural exhange of sorts?"

"She's right Maggie, everyone's eaten a little flesh here and there over the centuries. No biggie."

"Did the short king just admit to eatin' ass?"

"He's going to turn you into charcoal if you keep that up, Legs."

"Pfft, you think that'd rile me up, Angel? I stole BOTH of Adam's wives, and got the big idiot eventually... of course I eat as-..."

"Lalalalalalalalaa CAN'T HEAR THIS!" Charlie yells, hands over her ears, as Vaggie steers her out of the room.

Angel, intrigued, leans forwards. "Tell me more..."

"Okay, so imagine existence before good and evil, there was this garden and-..."

Niffty vibrated in the corner, hanging on every word.

[cryopathiic-a]

The cuss prompts Dōma to suck a breath through his teeth. His sympathetic smile seeks to placate the glares of fellow 'parents' present — all of whom look vastly different from him in every single way possible. Older, somber, more... put-together. If he wasn't so lost in his own bubble, he may have placed a heavier significance to the way Inosuke had become the center of unwanted attention upon his arrival. But those were people whose opinions he hardly valued. Other people. Not part of the Family.

Not part of his world.

A teacher approached while he was getting ready to start the car. The expected pleasantries ensued; a brief greeting, feigned interest over some plan to buy a house that she had mentioned to him a month ago at the parent-teacher meeting, that kind of thing. And amidst all that, with precision that almost founded the rumors of Dōma being clairvoyant, his hand wedged against the wheel to keep himself composed in front of her just as Inosuke cussed and kicked his seat. All that came of the child's outburst was that same frigid smile, leading the perplexed woman into a hurried goodbye before she'd have enough time to dwell on what she'd just witnessed.

" — and, about Inosuke's report card-- "

❝ Well, we are really in a hurry, so we can talk about that some other time. Have a nice evening, good luck on your viewings, Miss Matsumoto! ❞

And so the engine revs up. And the next moment, they've pulled out of the driveway with a tire screech and the music has come back on ( some Korean band Dōma was obsessing over at the time ) A click heralds the car's child lock system coming shut. Well manicured fingers hold up the cord in the space between those two front seats. He has learned from experience not to dangle things in front of the child too much; Inosuke jumping on him while he's driving sounds like an awfully possible scenario.

❝ Uh-huh, what do we say first? ❞ He doesn't really wait to hear the 'please', this time. The insistence is half-hearted, of course. And that alone is unlike the Founder. Usually he would take his chances with the child rather than surrender it that easy. Dōma, that day, had been a little absent-minded.

❝ Oh, we'll go home! But first... we need to make a little stop at one of your Uncles. If you want, we can stop for bubble tea too! ❞ Of which there were a handful. And they were everywhere. As Dōma pulled up into a rather busy street and the traffic lights stopped them, he paused to light a cigarette and reach for his phone from the passenger's seat. There was a split moment of him checking the screen and making a face. One of those indecipherable epxressions. Like he didn't find something on that phone that he'd been looking for. Then, he dialed a number. The car's bluetooth system begun to beep.

' Beep... beep... Moshi-mosh? '

❝ Haii, beautiful Mei-Mei! How are you, bebi? ❞

The girl on the other end lets out a squeal and the conversation proceeds as Inosuke would know them to; with a lot of chattering. There's a notable shift in the tone when Dōma asks the strange girl whether her father is home at the time; some reluctance on the other end of the line, something of an off vibe as if he had treaded a thin line with the question.

" He doesn't usually take visitors at home— "

❝ Would you do me a solid, babe, and tell him who it is? I'm sure he can make an exception for his Nephew, right? ❞

" Dōma-kun... "

❝ That's a yes~ Awh, Mei-Mei, you're the best, you know? That's why your favorite Cousin picked up some mochi from that place you like downtown~ ... Yay, of course I did! Okay, I gotta hang up 'cause we're on the way. I'll be right over, okay? Thanks, angel~ ❞ And then, just seconds before the light turns green and the wheel swerves abruptly enough to spill some diet cola on the passenger's seat; ❝ Oh, before I go, I—- have the kid with me. You won't mind watching over him for me for a second, right? ❞

Prismatic eyes spare a passing glance from the rear view mirror at the child. So long as his Switch has battery, it should be fine, right? He's been fed, he's got the child locks on... it should be fine. He can handle that.

He'll prove Naraku wrong.

[mimi-cee-hq]

A Glimpse of Yellow: Suna x f!reader - Chapter 5

« Chapter 1 | ‹ Chapter 4 | Masterlist

Read on AO3

Relationships: Suna x f!reader, mostly platonic!Inarizaki x f!reader (relationships in the tags may be romantic or platonic)

Summary:

Despite being Atsumu's best friend, you barely knew his aloof and nonchalant teammate. Suna only made the occasional comment on the twins' antics when you were around.

So when you needed a way to escape from the twins' interrogations –including one about your longtime crush because you were definitely over him– Suna offered to walk with you after school to provide a way out. This raised a few eyebrows including yours.

Things got even stranger when the twins assumed you were dating Suna. And for some reason, he went along with it.

Genre, etc.: fluff, romance, friendship, getting together, fake dating, slow burn, acquaintances to friends to lovers, canon compliant, eventual angst but it's the shoujo type

Warnings: none

Words: 2.3k

*****

"No Miyas today?"

"No, not today," you replied with a laugh. Suna and you stood in front of the cash register of the soba restaurant you frequented. You leaned onto the ebony counter, resting your arm on it.

"So you're here with your boyfriend instead?" the restaurant owner, Tsukimori, teased, her eyes twinkling.

You froze, wondering if she had heard the conversation the last time you were here. How far did you have to go to keep up this charade? You glanced over at Suna only to see him covering his smirk with the back of his hand.

A week had gone by since training camp and the two of you continued your walks after school. The twins never asked where you were going anymore, so this fake dating thing was working. You were relieved, but now you started to wonder if it was a bit silly to keep up with this act.

After that setting practice with Suna at training camp, you wondered if you should try talking to Atsumu again. You felt better after Suna's off-handed comment that reminded you it was okay to not be as ambitious as Atsumu. You smirked, imagining that if Suna had told Atsumu he didn't care about how good his sets were, he would have been offended.

You glanced over at Suna, his hand on the counter next to a potted plant and tip jar. You recalled his spiking range and how powerful his hits were. Suna had mentioned that he was scouted during your last walk together. But you couldn't shake off the feeling that he wasn't completely happy about that.

Tsukimori came back to place two cold, purple drinks on the counter; taro bubble tea was Karin's favourite.

"Pfft," Suna made a noise next to you.

You raised an eyebrow at him, but he shifted his eyes away, pretending nothing had happened. As you pulled off your backpack, you saw a gentle smile on his lips but his brows were creased.

"Your boyfriend already paid for you," Tsukimori said, declining your card.

Your eyes shot open. "What?" you said, turning to Suna. "Why did you pay for that?"

"Apparently it's because I'm your boyfriend," he said with a shrug.

You narrowed your eyes at him. You couldn't say anything because at this rate the owner might spill it to the twins.

You scratched your forehead. Those drinks were for you and Karin since you promised to get her some. What were you going to do now when it was supposed to be your treat for her?

You dug your hand in the pocket of your bag, only to pull out a few coins. You sighed, thinking this would have been a good time to have cash on hand.

You shoved the coins into Suna's hand. "Here! Take this for now."

Suna stared at his hand before complying, stuffing the coins into his pocket.

Tsukimori handed a couple of straws to Suna. "You know," she said, "I always thought you'd end up with one of the twins."

You scrunched your nose and shook your head. "Nope," you replied. "Nope. I'm like the sister they never had. Besides, they've seen how er… obsessed I could be when I like someone."

She laughed and said, "Well, have fun on your date."

You took a peek at Suna as your cheeks heated up. You could see why she'd assume it was a date.

The two of you left the clay-roofed building, walking past the ginkgo tree. After walking a few blocks, you turned the corner and your eyes skimmed over the bike rack across the road. At a distance, you could see the row of picnic tables under the slate grey shelters. A preschooler squealed, standing on the wooden playground before gliding down the red plastic slide.

You started to check for cars before crossing the street, but Suna's voice caught your attention.

"Hey," he said in a low mutter. "How would you feel if you had to move away from the twins?"

You raised your brows, but because he looked at you straight in the eye to show he was serious, you decided to answer him.

Scratching your cheek, you replied, "I think... it would feel like someone cut off my arm."

Suna blinked at you a couple of times.

"Hold on," you retracted your statement. "Maybe not quite like that." You rubbed your chin. "It would feel like that but maybe with the ability to regrow my arm?"

Suna smirked at you struggling to find your words.

"Okay so basically it would hurt a lot but I'd eventually get over it… I think," you finally explained.

Pfft. Suna covered his mouth with hand, turning away to hide his laugh.

You groaned, telling him to forget all of that.

Turning towards the park, your eyes widened when you glanced back at the bike rack, spotting a purple framed bicycle.

"Oh! Karin is here already." After checking your phone, you exclaimed, "Shoot! That took longer than expected."

You were about to cross the road but stopped after a couple of steps.

"Did you wanna come?" you asked Suna.

"No."

You pursed your lips. "Does he not like parks or something?" You paused, realizing you were making assumptions again. "No, all he said was no," you told yourself. "Just leave it at that."

After Suna left to go home, you grinned, clutching the two drinks in your hands.

Crossing the road, you saw a girl in a yellow shirt and black shorts at a distance, jumping up and down and animatedly waving her arms at you. She knew you saw her, but you pretended to walk away with her drink in hand.

"Y/n-nee-san!!! Where are you going??" she yelled at you, pouting.

You smirked at her before finally making your way to the picnic tables.

"Ahh... This feels so nice," commented Karin as she slurped up her chilled drink.

"Do your teeth still hurt?" you asked

"Mmhmm," she nodded with a puffy pout.

Karin messaged you yesterday, complaining how much her teeth hurt after her braces were tightened, so you promised to get some cool bubble tea to help with the pain.

"Are you sure you still want to practice today?" you asked.

Karin nodded her head, her dark and wavy ponytail bouncing. She then gave you a wide grin; her narrow eyes turned into crescents.

"Okay," you told her. "Let's do something that's not as intensive though, just in case. Maybe we'll work on your serves again." You nudged her before saying, "Let's see if you'll get it over the net today."

Karin took out the volleyball you gave her from her backpack before you both made your way to the sand-filled court.

"Is that a new t-shirt?" you asked her.

Karin tilted her head down to the logo of her yellow gym shirt. "It's not new at all!" she exclaimed, laughing. "This is part of my gym uniform from my last school."

You smiled. That colour suited her. Your school's gym clothes were plain black and white.

Karin was able to serve the ball over the net a couple of times. Afterwards, you taught her the basics of receiving but weren't quite finished when it was nearing dinner time. The sky was still bright and you thought it was odd that your time together felt shorter than usual.

"It's because you took longer to get here," Karin told you. "At least, this past week."

You sorted through your brain to recall the last few days after school. On Tuesday, you had volleyball practice, but on the other days, you walked with Suna to the park. Your eyes grew when you realized why you've been late.

"Have I been walking slower?"

You pressed your lips together, quickly putting that thought to the back of your mind.

*****

"What? You're inviting Suna?" you asked.

"Yeah," said Atsumu. "Why not? I thought you'd want me to."

You bit your lower lip since you were worried that Atsumu might notice something, that he might catch on that you're not actually dating. If the three of you were studying together, you thought that Atsumu was bound to pick something up.

"Are you sure you won't get distracted?" you asked him.

"Yeah."

He lied.

You sat across from him at his kitchen table. Atsumu chatted away without a care in the world even when Suna was mostly unresponsive. You placed your hand on your forehead, knowing this would happen.

Osamu was in his room, away from all of the yapping. Atsumu had gotten so used to doing homework with you that he would get distracted whenever he was alone or with someone else. Adding Suna to the mix didn't change the result.

Atsumu got a glass of water for himself and brought one over to you as well. But when you looked up at him, you saw a smidge of a blueish purple.

"What happened to your hand?" you asked Atsumu.

He examined it to figure out what you were talking about. "Oh this?" he said, showing you the heel of his palm. "I must have hit the ball wrong yesterday."

"Oh. From volleyball," you thought to yourself. "Maybe I shouldn't have asked."

"It kind of hurts when I'm serving, but it's not too bad," he continued. "Oh!”–his eyes lit up–"I should really teach you how to do a jump serve!"

"No," you mentally answered, a frown forming on your lips. "I really don't want you to." You lowered your eyes and started to fiddle with the hem of your shirt.

"So you want to teach her how to hit a home run?" Suna commented out of nowhere.

Atsumu and you turned your heads to see Suna scribbling an answer on his worksheet, his eyes still on his paper.

"Ha?" exclaimed Atsumu.

"You hit three serves on the basketball net," Suna replied nonchalantly, finally looking up from his homework. "Which sport are you playing again?"

"As if your serves are any better, Mister 'I'll just lob it over the net.'" Atsumu yelled back. "You might as well do an underhand serve!"

"You wouldn't receive it anyway."

"That's because I'm a setter you idiot!"

"Pfft." Your laugh finally slipped out.

"Why the heck are you laughing?" Atsumu yelled, pointing a finger directly at you.

That just made you shake more from laughter as Atsumu's lips twisted into a frown. You were able to calm down after a minute or two.

"Hey, Atsumu," you told him.

"Yeah?"

You looked down at the hands on your lap. After taking a breath, you put on a slight smile.

"I don't think I want you to teach me right now," you told him. "I... I don't think I'm emotionally ready for you to critique me yet."

He blinked a few times before heaving a sigh and rubbing the back of his head.

"Alright."

"What?"

"I said alright! What more do you want?" he snapped back.

Your shoulders relaxed and you released your breath. He was trying. You looked back down at your homework, now with a small smile on your lips.

"Ugh. Could you not do that in front of me, Suna?" Atsumu groaned.

You raised an eyebrow, looking up at Suna before you both stared back at Atsumu.

"He's going all googly eyed at you as if he wants to kiss you."

You furrowed your brows, glancing at Suna, who simply stared back at Atsumu with a neutral expression.

"What? He looked like he wanted to kiss me?" you wondered. "What does that even look like?"

"Don't worry," Suna responded, making eye contact with you. "I don't want to kiss you."

You blinked a couple of times before your eyes caught his smirk.

"Oh really. Who'd want to kiss you anyway."

"You mean you don't?" he said with a sly smile.

"Nope."

"Ughhh. I shouldn't have suggested for Suna to come," Atsumu complained, grabbing his hair with both of his hands.

You smirked and began to look over your homework questions. As you picked up the worksheet, you placed a hand on the table, drawing little circles with your finger.

Atsumu continued to stare at you. "You must really like him."

"What?" You gave him a weird look. "No I don't!"

"Pfft." Now it was Suna's turn to hide a laugh.

"Wait," you thought to yourself. "We're supposed to be dating." You wanted to slap yourself.

"Stop lying!" Atsumu exclaimed, directing a finger at you again. "You're doing the same thing as before!"

"What are you talking about?" you snapped back.

Suna chuckled a bit before reaching over to place his arm on the back of your chair. You leaned back and crossed your arms, rolling your eyes at Atsumu.

"You two have a weird way of flirting with each other," he commented.

You and Suna looked at each other, smirking at the irony of the situation.

"I told you we didn't need to do much," said Suna.

You had to laugh at that because he was right. For some weird reason, you didn't have to worry about getting caught faking this relationship.

The three of you returned to your worksheets, finally getting some work done. Suna finished first so he laid on the couch with his phone in hand. You and Atsumu had a few more questions left.

You glanced up at Atsumu who was biting his lip as he thought through the problem he was on. You started to wonder if maybe you didn't need to avoid him anymore now that he was trying. Maybe you didn't need to lie to him anymore and things could go back to normal.

"It's because you took longer to get here," Karin told you. "At least, this past week."

Your shoulders dropped a little and you slouched in your chair. "Yeah, things could go back to normal," you thought to yourself as you avoided looking at the couch.

*****

Chapter 6 ›

I hope you liked it. If you're enjoying this, please leave some sort of comment, but only if you want to. :)

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[rays-of-fire-and-ice]

ok, I loved gif reactions post you did recently and I hope you don't mind me requesting a follow up post: what if Toshiro and Momo were trying to keep their relationship a secret? How would they react? And who do you think spilled the beans?

Context for those who need it, this is basically a what-if sequel to this post.

Toshiro, going about his morning drinking tea with Rangiku talking to him, then a subordinate casually expresses how happy everyone is that he finally got together with Momo:

Momo finding out when she walks into the office and Shinji pulls out a bottle of sake to celebrate:

WARNING: Pretty much absolute crack from this point. on I hope you don't mind anon, I just found the whole situation getting more and more whacky in my head the more I thought about it.

Toshiro trying to figure out who found out and blabbed (with Momo watching):

Toshiro, eyeing anyone he's highly suspicious of and the other having no clue why they're getting the icy death stare:

Renji, walking into a room with Toshiro and/or Momo, thinking he might have said something because of that one time Ichika came home and told him she'd seen the two of them being 'lovey-dovey' together and in a drunk stupor at a bar visit from two days ago with Rangiku, Hisagi, and Izuru he might have told the the three of them and was overheard by others in the bar:

Izuru, vaguely remembering hearing something about the relationship two days ago, wondering if that weird haiku he wrote while drunk that day was somehow about the relationship and was read by someone else and gave the relationship away:

Someone at the Seireitei Communication Hisagi, who remembers absolutely nothing from that night about the relationship being mentioned, coming up with the idea to write a story about the whole thing and find out who was really behind spilling the beans, and maybe somehow relate it to some major Seireitei conspiracy *coughCan'tFearYourOwnWorldcough*:

BUT PLOT TWIST: Rangiku remembering she was the one who told everyone (when she told the others at the bar two days ago and then accidentally sent out a drunk text to a mass group chat about how she saw the two of them alone together on a roof):

...and starting to back away from her captain who is in hyper suspicion mode:

BUT ACTUAL PLOT TWIST: It was Ichika, who had told dozens of people before about what she saw and the rumour had slowly been spreading throughout the whole Seireitei and had to reach most of the higher ranks

(In all seriousness I don't think Rangiku would ever tell anyone if she knew her captain and Momo were in a relationship, drunk or otherwise, even if she wasn't told by either of them and only suspected it).

Thanks for sending this in!

[ivyprism]

How they react to seeing ivy preform ;)

Ace: since his relationship with prism is fairly new, ace will be especially on his brothers case about being on their best behavior. He even hand picked butch and slims outfits with boss’s help lol. Those two are not fashionably inclined. He’ll have a single yellow rose ready for ivy after her performance. He thought she did great of course, but all his attention was on prism and how gorgeous she looked in that dress~

Slim: it’s rare that he gets to go out with all the brothers at once, and never because of one of their partners. So slim is pretty nervous. He really doesn’t want to embarrass ace at all. Formal events aren’t really his scene and he ends up trailing behind butch the whole time and getting tipsy. Slim thought ivys performance was great! The parts he can remember that is lol

Snipe: he’s experienced in formal events, parties, and entertaining people so snipe is in his element right now. Plus it’s his job to make friends with the willow family there. Normally that goes to ace, but he’s dating a member so he’s compromised this time lol. Snipe will be sure to compliment ivy on her stellar performance afterwards and strike up some conversation.

Bruiser: bro he is bored out of his mind. Poor man isn’t allowed to drink either because unlike slim who’s just a dizzy drunk, bruiser gets stupid. So he watches the singers and daydreams. He almost missed ivys performance but was warned by ace right before she came on stage lol

Butch: this man is playing guard for Madame for the night. Fun fact. Madame is just as alcohol resistant as butch. So Madame and butch are at the bar chatting people up left and right and drinking all the admirers under the table. When Madame goes up to praise ivy, butch will follow and of course flirt with her. It doesn’t go anywhere though

Boss: he enjoys formal events because it gives boss a chance to look at all the styles people have on. Boss actually really loves fashion. When ivy came on stage, the first thing he saw was her dress. But then she started singing. Boss swore he was listening to an angel. It’s rare that you can catch this man off guard, but there he was, a faint bush on his cheek, mouth wide open, and a sneaky bruiser snapping a picture of his reaction. Boss was thrown so off guard that he winds up forgetting his name when he meets ivy. Luckily butch is a great wing man and saved him.

Tempest: she’s Dons guard for the night. And tempest stays pretty focused on her task. This is her maybe second time meeting prism, so wholes she’s polite, she’s not all that friendly. Tempest does have to admit that prisms dress is great though. She doesn’t really notice ivy’s performance

Don: he spends most of his time meeting with a few “ acquaintances” but does make sure he steps away to say hi to prism. Don likes her. He can tell his son is happier when he’s with her. Plus prism keeps ace out of trouble. Don doesn’t take too much notice of ivy, but he definitely notices boss’s reaction ;)

Madame: rip boss. Madame saw instantly and took prism aside to get the tea about ivy. After a good interrogation where poor prism gets to see Madame’s scary side for a second, Madame decides that ivy is good enough and instantly starts mentally matchmaking lol. Over the next few days, boss is going to find himself running into ivy quite a bit

Prism would gladly tell Madame everything she knew about her sister. She isn't afraid or embarrassed about it. Ivy is worth mentioning. She would spill all the tea to Madame. Every. Last. Drop. Much to her sister's chagrin.

Ivy would appreciate their compliments. She'd be intrigued by Boss and would approach him. She'd definitely compliment him on his appearance while inadvertently stroking his ego. She'd also be courteous and kind to Madame. She'd tease her twin sister about Ace from time to time. She'd also mention that she takes requests.

Ian is keeping an eye on what's going on. He did, without a doubt, photograph Boss's reaction. He easily converses with everyone. When asked, he praises his sisters and shows how much he adores them. He'd wink at Boss, indicating that he knows but won't say anything.

Perseus is going to be grumpy the entire night. He is in charge of Ivy's bodyguarding. He'd be polite to the mafia boys and their families while also being a little passive aggressive. He'd be more hostile and irritable if they met in another way. He makes it clear that he will protect his family. But he wouldn't get in the way of the romance... But, for some reason, he breaks away from the group and cancels something.

Omari definitely was there tricking some idiot other mafia members into deals. She is so bold to do so.

Camari would be there to record it and then she'd definitely give it to Ian to give to them. She would wink at her friend when she's talking to Boss, but then wander off.

-H

[wastelandcth]

we’re going home - cth

we’re going home (calum hood x fem!oc) || masterlist || series masterlist

summary: how calum discovered home isn’t necessarily a particular place but rather can be a point in time, a memory, or a person.

warnings: calum is having a bad day. 

author’s notes: hope you guys enjoy this chapter! once again - based off of vance joy’s album nation of two!

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Calum hadn't been home in years. Sure he'd visited a couple of times during the holidays or whenever they were on tour or doing promo. But he hadn't been able to enjoy being home in years, not since he left with the band to London those many years ago. He missed not having to go to bed in a small bunk that made his back hurt in the morning when he woke up in a city he hadn't fallen asleep in. He missed being able to take Duke on a walk, hell, he even missed waking up to him barking at the birds in the backyard. 

Lying awake in the bunk for what seemed like the third day in a row, Calum listened to the soft breathing coming from Clementine next to him. She'd been asleep for a couple hours, something that Calum was extremely jealous of, she could always just fall asleep whenever and wherever. He'd held her close when they had gotten into the bunk after the band and they had played an intense round of Mario Kart, Clementine's laugh ringing out throughout the bus as. Michael had decided to call it a night, no longer being able to stand coming in second place and especially after Luke had beaten him and he was brought down to third.

With one of his arms wrapped around Clementine, their soft whispers about the day they'd spoken in the darkness of his bunk. Calum felt her breathing even out and eventually heard the soft snores leaving her body, with her mind in dreamland, Calum was left alone with his racing mind. The last couple of shows had been exhausting for him, his body still not accustomed to the ever-changing time zones they seemed to be experiencing every day. He was tired, exhausted even, of waking up after restless nights in a new city or in some cases, a new country. He was tired of the constant interviews that all asked the same questions. He missed the days when he could run home to his mother on the days when it all became too much. Calum was just tired and eventually, his brain shut off for long enough that his eyes closed and sleep overtook him. 

It wasn't much of a  surprise to the rest of the band and Clementine that Calum wasn't himself lately. He'd been grumpy ever since the bus had pulled into whatever arena they'd be playing at the next day. Clementine had noticed how his hands wouldn't stop shaking, his fingers playing an invisible bass. She had tried to cheer him up, to get him to talk to her about how he was doing. She even tried distracting him with pictures of Duke that the dog sitter had sent her and all she got was a simple nod before Calum walked off the tour bus with the rest of the guys, off to some radio show they'd have to do before they had the rest of the day off to explore whatever city Calum hadn't bothered to look up when he woke up to his alarm blaring. He was like this sometimes, locked away from the rest of the world as his sunglasses shielded everyone from seeing his tired eyes, so the car ride to the radio station was quiet and lonely for him, the rest of the band lost in their own conversations as he tried to get a couple extra minutes of sleep. 

Clementine had been checking out at a local grocery store when she got the call from Ashton. A sigh leaving her lips as she rushed to pay for the few essentials she'd picked up for herself and Calum. Ashton's retelling of the radio show made her nerves run wild as she made her way back to the arena, knowing she was walking into a situation her and Calum had only been in once before. Calum's bad days were an accumulation of multiple days gone wrong, finally spilling over. The man was known for his blank expressions, never showing emotions whether they be good or bad. So whenever those emotions did spill over, Clementine knew that he'd been holding something in for far too long. 

When Clementine saw the other three men standing outside of the tour bus, small smiles on their face, she realized that either Calum had kicked them out or he was a lot more bothered by this morning's events than Ashton had let on over the phone. Giving Aston's arm a small squeeze, Clementine walked up the steps and onto the tour bus. The lights weren't on, the windows filtering soft light into the bus. Calum's soft cries were heard throughout the bus, the only other noise was the bus engine, which hummed like a song you hear in a dream. 

Calum looked out of the tour bus window, his eyes focusing on the birds outside. Anything he could do to get his mind to be blank. He hadn't slept since yesterday, his mind was awake after the radio show, the adrenaline pumping through his body and mind. Even now, when the sun was shining through the bus windows, Calum was sitting on the couch, his fingers tapping against the couch as he watched the birds fly away when they'd eaten all the crumbs, moving on to their next destination. 

Making her way to the back of the bus, Clementine felt her heartbreaking as she saw Calum. His shoulders shook with every sob he let out, his body curled under a blanket with his back turned to the door, his gaze focused on the outside world.. The soft knock against the wall Clementine made caused his head to perk up and turn to look at who the intruder was. His eyes were overflowing with tears, his nose red from his hoodie sleeve coming up to wipe away his sadness. He stayed silent as he sat up, pulling open the blanket as he looked at her, his brown eyes pleading for her. Once she was in his arms, Clementine wrapped her arms around his torso, pulling him close as she laid back against the couch. They laid like that for what seemed like ages, Calum's cries muffled against her shoulder as she ran a hand through his hair, her lips pressing kisses to his curls every once in a while.

"I...I don't know what happened. I just couldn't play the damn notes and I couldn't remember the right words." Calum finally spoke after his tears had died down a bit, his voice shaky as he pulled Clementine closer to him, his face nuzzling itself in the space between her neck and shoulder. "I didn't feel like myself, didn't feel like I was putting on a good show for the fans and they all just seemed to laugh it off. And the stupid questions they kept asking were just...it's like they don't even know us, we're not teenagers anymore and they talk to us like we are I couldn't...I was an asshole to them, to the fans, to the guys, and even to you. I'm sorry..." He mumbled, his voice laced with sleep as his tired eyes closed, his brain wishing he could tell her about everything he was feeling.

Watching Calum sleep, Clementine couldn't help but hold him a little closer than normal. He was so good at hiding his emotions, she knew that the radio show going bad wasn't the reason for the breakdown. But she wasn't going to push him more than he had already pushed himself these past couple of days, she'd noticed the lack of sleep. How his eyes weren't as bright as she was used to while they explored arenas and the city sights whenever they had a chance. She'd noticed how he hadn't told her any facts about the cities they'd seen the last week, he hadn't mentioned the wonky buildings in Amsterdam and their meaning. He hadn't been Calum, and Clementine wasn't going to push him into admitting what was really wrong until Calum was ready to say it out loud. Looking back down at the sleeping man, she pressed a kiss to his forehead before her own eyes closed and she joined him in sleep. 

Clementine's arms were around Calum when he'd woken up, her hands running through his curls as she tried to soothe his anxieties, his worries, his fears. His body had stopped shaking a while ago, his sobs being replaced by soft breaths as he listened to the soft words Clem spoke into his ear. She'd only ever seen him like this once before when his thoughts overran him and the pressure of the world became too much for him. It was when their relationship first took a turn into something more than just sex, it was the first time he'd slept over at her place. It was when Calum realized that Clementine was different, that she was more than just a distraction from whatever the hell was going on in his mind. It was when he realized that Clementine was someone he wanted in his life whether that'd be as a friend or more. And as she let Calum cry into the band shirt he'd gotten for her from the merch stand a couple days ago, Calum knew she would always be there for him, in the good and bad days. 

Calum's head raised from her chest, his puffy eyes meeting the guys' as they walked onto the tour bus. Ashton's smile made Calum sigh, his body sitting up as he turned to face them. He knew he should say something, but all he could manage was a shrug of his shoulders as he ran a hand through his hair. 

"Alright, Hood. Let's get some good food in you. We got a whole night out planned." Ashton nodded, chuckling as Calum shook his head and sighed, "Oh come on, when have I ever led you wrong?" 

Calum's mouth was on fire as he ate the noodles, coughs escaping him as he took a sip of his milk tea. The guys laughed at him, Ashton teasing him about how he told him that the spicy was going to be too spicy. But Calum was always up for a challenge and he was going to finish his noodles even if it meant his taste buds would be gone for the next couple of days. Clementine laughed softly,  leaning against his arm, her lips meeting his cheek. Her laugh brought a smile to his face, his eyes looking over at his friends and then they landed on Clementine, who also seemed to be in as much pain as he was from the spicy food.  The guys had planned a whole night out for Calum, none of which included a club or a beer. Which Calum was eternally grateful for, he didn't think we could handle a night out with paparazzi following them and then having to wake up with a hangover tomorrow. 

After a very spicy and laughter-filled dinner, Ashton led them all to a park nearby, the place lit up with music and stalls offering different keepsakes. The night market was bustling with people, no one seeming to mind the group of them walking from stall to stall until they found their way to the open grass field where the music playing in the air seemed to float up into the stars. Even as they all sat down in the grass, a bottle of cider passed between them all, Calum felt like he was in a dream, a  dream he didn't want to wake up from. He felt warm, Clementine's hand was holding onto his arm, seeking warmth as he looked up at the night sky, his attention shifting to his best friends who seemed to be laughing at how Luke was horrible at trying to speak to the German shopkeeper earlier that day. His own laughter surprised him, the bottle of cider being passed to him as Michael went off into a story about how he'd almost broken his guitar at the last show they'd played when he tripped over a microphone stand Luke had thrown. Calum felt his worries slip away from him, even if it was just for a moment, he was happy about it. He felt content, he felt safe, he felt like everything would be okay in due time. Calum realized at that moment that this was home to him. That being there in the park on a cold winter evening with his best friends and Clementine, that was home. It might not always be perfect, hell, it was almost never perfect but at that moment as he sat in the freezing cold next to them all, he knew he'd always be home as long as he had them all by his side.