#only for him to call us shortly after to be like Um You MUST Be Misremembering. I Have a Good Memory And I Would KNOW If I Told You That

[pussymasterdooku]

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[slayfics]

Explosive Tendencies a slow burn fan fiction about the readers developing relationship with Katsuki Bakugo.

Chapter sixteen: Katsuki helps you in the provisional licensing exam.

Chapter links

Shortly after moving into the dorms, Aizawa had everyone focusing on creating ultimate moves. He shared that since the training camp was interrupted and the class couldn't get their provisional licenses, now you'd all have to take the provisional licensing exam. These ultimate moves were to help prepare you for the exam.  

With how hard you and your classmates had been training on your moves you were almost relieved when it was time to take the exam and give training a break.  

It was explained that the first part of the exam consisted of needing to eliminate three other students by hitting their targets.  

Easy you thought. However, once the exam began it was clear that the other schools were grouping together to target all the U.A. students.  

While Izuku was beginning to explain that everyone should stick together Katsuki, Eijiro, Denki, and Shoto split up from the group. And shortly after students from Ketsubutsu Academy began to attack you and the rest of your classmates.  

One of the students used an earthquake quirk that split open the floor and separated you from the rest of your classmates.  

You struggled not to panic as you searched around for any of your classmates but found none in sight. While the earthquake attack had split you up from your friends it drastically disrupted the battlefield and split you up from any attacking students.  

You began to make your way around the arena searching for any of your other classmates while keeping on guard for any attacks.  

It didn't take long before you heard an explosion not too far off from where you were. Assuming must have been Katsuki's quirk, you took off in that direction.  

You made it to the tip of a bridge and the sight you saw was enough to make you want to gag. Denki was fighting a student from Shiketsu who appeared to have a quirk that turned others into what looked like meatballs. Looking over the multiple lumps of skin you realized they were all competing students in the exam. Two of which looked familiar with spiky blond hair, and unmistakable bright red hair.  

Just as you jumped down to help back up your classmate, Denki let out his quirk, and with the help of his new equipment, zapped the Shiketsu student.  

"Holy shit, look at you," you said complimenting Denki, surprising Denki who turned around in a startled jump.  

The shock Denki gave the Shiketsu released Katsuki and Eijiro who returned to their normal not meatball forms. Katsuki and Eijiro both took down the stunned Shiketsu student and then turned back to you and Denki. 

"When did you get here?" Katsuki asked. 

"Just now, um looks like we have a lot of company," you said pointing to the rest of the competing students who were now beginning to wake up from here meatball forms. 

"Perfect. Targets," Katsuki said as he took off intending to take them out. You, Eijiro, and Denki followed him into what became a big one for all of students attacking each other and attempting to get points by hitting each other's targets.  

You managed to get two students out leaving you with only one more person to eliminate. By this time, the group of battling students was thinning, and time was beginning to run out.  

You felt yourself begin to panic as you looked around for another student to take out. 

"HERE!" You heard called out at you. You turned in the direction of the voice to see it was Katsuki yelling at you. "TAKE HIS LAST TARGET!" He yelled at you as he held the struggling student down.  

You ran over shocked by his help, "Did you already get your three students out?" You asked. You were sure that's the only reason he would be giving you a free target. 

"JUST DO IT HURRY!" He barked, and you followed his directions, hitting the students' last target, and officially passing this portion of the exam.  

"What about you?!" You asked looking up at him, but Katsuki had already exploded off to grab another student.  

Once Katsuki had secured all the points he needed to pass, all four of you walked to the back room where all the other students who had passed were waiting. 

You found yourself still stunned by Katsuki's help. It was uncharacteristic of him to go out of his way to help someone else.  

"Hey Bakugo," you said as you all reached the entrance of the waiting room. 

"What?" He called pausing momentarily to look at you. 

"Thanks for your help." 

"Tch- you ain’t gotta thank me, let’s go I want to get out of this damn arena already," he said walking into the room. 

The next portion of the test had to do with saving injured bystanders. After the test, the results were shown on a big screen. All the names of the passing examinees were shown.  

You sighed with relief seeing your name up on the screen. However, there was just one problem. Katsuki's name was not.  

After the final remarks were made and the test ended, you went to Katsuki to see how he was doing. You knew he would be furious about not passing. However, when you walked up and tried to talk to him, he walked right past you as if he had not seen you. 

Tags: @anon-mouse223 @unofficialmuilover @maddietries @sikuthealien @queenpiranhadon @melrs21 @poemzcheng @kazuumii @bakunianadecorazon @ur-crusty-uncle @reads-stuff-quietly @chixkadee @perfectsukii @faetoraa @fem-weeb

[diabolikangel158]

Maybe We Should Talk About It...Or Not?

WARNINGS: Mentions and/or use of the following: verbal, sexual, emotional, physical abuse, strong language. No explicit smut, but somewhat mentioned. Alcohol abuse (?) slightly. Valentino. Yes. That should be a warning.

Valentino x Reader angst

Admit it. The only reason you stay with Valentino is because you don’t know what it’s like to have someone who actually cares about you. You’re used to the abuse already.

That’s what Husk told you one of the nights you were visiting the hotel, drinking your worries away. At the time, you had just blown him off, telling Husk to mind his own business. After all, what would his alcoholic ass know about meaningful relationships?

You decided to return to the V tower shortly after that. You knew Val would get upset if you “overstayed your welcome” as he would put it. So, you call up one of the drivers Valentino lovingly appointed to you. Getting in the backseat, you thought back to what Husk said. You’re used to the abuse already. You suppose that is the price you pay for blabbing to him about all your family problems you used to have when you were alive. 

You head to Valentino’s room– well, your room, too. There’s hardly a night that goes by where Valentino doesn’t want you in his bed. Unless Angel Du– no, no. There’s hardly a night that goes by where Valentino doesn’t want you. Husk’s words echoed in your mind. Maybe if you talked to Valentino… everything could be cleared up? Surely?

You knock on the porn production room; Val must be working late. One of his employees opens the door for you nervously, and moans fill your ears from the actors’ performance. “Good evening, Ms. Y/N. He’s just finishing up.” You nod and your eyes trail to Valentino, sitting with confidence in his director’s chair. Valentino felt your eyes, regarding you for a moment. He winks and throws a smirk your way before turning back to the scene in front of him. Your heart couldn’t help but flutter– out of love or anxiety you couldn’t quite tell anymore. Or was it always one in the same? 

You wait patiently while Valentino finishes the shoot. When it’s done, he motions to you with one of his hands, beckoning you closer. “Hey, amorcito… What are you doing here?” He blows a heart-shaped puff of smoke in your direction. 

You try not to make it too obvious how much you revel in his attention. “Um… babe? Can we talk for a minute?” You ask carefully. 

He sighs with a hint of annoyance in his tone. “Fine…what do you need, amor?”

You fiddle with your fingers and turn your gaze to the floor between your feet. “It’s…come to my attention that…” You struggle to find the best words to describe your feelings. 

He hums with curiosity. “Hm? What is it? Did someone badmouth me again?”

“Well not really… more like… us?” You reply quickly. You know he abhors when people speak poorly of him. 

Valentino seems uninterested, yet annoyed at the same time. As though people speaking badly about the relationship with you is fine, but your concern is irritating. He takes another breath from his cigarette. “And what did they say about us?” 

You take a deep breath and hurriedly tell him with a glance to his face, “They say that you’re actually really toxic and that the only reason I don’t know is because I’m so inexperienced and just used to it.”

Valentino looks down at you and whistles lowly, blowing even more smoke in your face. “Oh boy… and you’re telling me you actually believe that garbage?”

You’re back to fiddling and looking down. “Well sometimes you..well you…”

Valentino’s eyes narrow. “Oh yeah? Sometimes I what?”

Your voice lowers to a whisper. “Sometimes you get a little… mean.”

The tension is thick in the air. Valentino looks around the set, dropping his smile. “Everyone except Y/N get the fuck out!” The rush as though their lives depend on it; in all honesty it probably does. He turns his attention back to you. “Oh right…I’m a horrible person to you, right? I’m so horribly mean and inconsiderate to you. Is that what you’re saying, carino?” You don’t say anything. “Well? Go on, don’t be silent now. Say it. That’s what you believe isn’t it?”

“No…I- well…You are unsure how to proceed. You subconsciously start rubbing your forearm and wince. There’s a fresh bruise there that you had forgotten about. 

Valentino smiles, flashing that golden tooth of his. He peers at you over his heart-shaped shades. “Ah there it is. The bruise. Of course. Did I do that, amorcito? Am I the one who causes those bruises?” He asks, sugary sweet. You nod slightly. He nods along with you, leaning down to get a closer look at your face. “Yeah. Just as I thought. You honestly believe I abuse you, don’t you?” 

You can’t help the tears that start to form in the corner of your eyes. “I don’t know…is this…that?” You ask with genuine questions in your voice.

Valentino notices your welling tears, saying, “Yeah that’s right, just keep crying. Go on, get your little act out because you’re just so abused and innocent. Cry on command just like the little actress you pretend to be.” 

His words hurt. “I’m not pretending!” You cry out. “I just… wanted to talk to you about it.” You wipe pathetically at your tears, hoping that maybe if they stopped, it would quell Valentino’s anger towards you, even if just a little. 

Valentino sighs and rolls his eyes. “Yeah, sure you did. And is that all you wanted to “talk” about?” He places one pair of his hands on his hips, while the upper pair lights another cigarette. You nod and he looks down on you. “Right… So what about those bruises? How’d you get those? Did another man hit you? Is there another man you care for, amorcito?” He inhales the smoke, a small smile forming in the corner of his lips. 

“No of course not,” You reply swiftly. “Maybe… you don’t realize it… but you’re… you can… be a little rough with me at times, love.” You trail off slightly. You are running out of ways to describe things in a… nice way. 

He looks unbothered by your words, giving a small shrug. “Oh I see… so I just get a little rough is that it? You know, that’d be fine if you didn’t have such fragile little bones and weren’t such a coward. All it takes is a little shove and you’ve got bruises. Does it hurt more because I’m mean?” 

You take a small step back, replying, “Nevermind…I’ll just go back to my room.”

“Oh no, no, no,” Valentino chuckles. “You’re not going anywhere. We’re going to finish this little chat right here.” You pretend not to hear him and try to open the door, but he smoothly blocks your path. “Where do you think you’re going, amor? I told you, we’re not done here. You wanna talk about bruises? Fine, let’s talk about bruises. But you’re going to listen to me now.” He roughly grabs your arm and you flinch as he points at the array of blemishes present on it. They vary in color; different stages of healing. Yellow, purple, blue. An in-progress canvas he paints on you. “So I’m the reason for all of these. That’s what you’re saying, right?” 

You can feel the rising panic inside of you. You regretted everything. “Y-yes.” You stutter out. 

Valentino’s grip tightens around your arm. “And are we going to ignore the fact that you’re such a fragile little thing? You bruise so easily. That’s not my fault, is it amorcito?” He pauses, taking his other hand and tenderly traces the marks. His voice softens. “You have no idea how easy it is for me. Don’t you believe me? I could break your arm right now if I wanted to.” He brings his eyes to meet yours. He’s serious. Dangerously so. 

“Val… please…”

He gives you a look of mock concern and he coos, tilting his head to the side and pulling your arm close to him to cradle it…or prepare to break it, you’re not sure. “Aww… am I saying something that’s bothering you, carino? Is it intimidating to know how easily I can physically hurt you? Is that what all this whining is about?”

“I’m sorry.”

“What are you sorry for? Are you sorry because you believe I abuse you? Or are you sorry because I’m right, and you’re just a frail little thing who bruises at the drop of a hat?”

“I didn’t mean to upset you.”

His grin widens, red saliva dripping from between his teeth as he presses his face even closer into yous. “Oh, yeah? I’m not upset. I’m enjoying this. Tell me the truth. The fact that I could break you if I wanted to… does it arouse you?”

Your eyes widen. Of course Valentino would turn this into about that. “No way! That’s not what this is about.” The panic begins to creep into your voice. 

“Liar. I know you enjoy it. You don’t want to admit it, but inside you crave that feeling of fear and helplessness.” Val blows another breath of red smoke into your face.

You  shake your head, but you feel confused. Do you like it? Do you like being afraid? “Maybe… but I don’t like the pain.”

Valentino chuckles again. “Sure… keep telling yourself that.”

You are desperate to simply leave this conversation and never bring it up again. “May I go back to bed?” You ask as politely as your trembling voice will allow. 

He drops your arm, instead pulling you in close, holding you. “Oh no you don’t,” he says right next to your ear. “I’m not done with you yet. Tell me one thing…” He presses his lips to the side of your head, kissing you gently. You stay quiet, waiting, wishing that Hell itself would just swallow you whole so you could disappear.

“Are you scared right now?” He whispers. 

“A little.”

“And isn’t that lovely? Aren’t you just adorable, all scared and helpless like this?” You try to pull away, but Valentino firmly holds you in place. “No, no, no… I’m not letting you go anywhere. I want you to stay here and tell me… Tell me how scared you are you stupid fucking bitch.” 

Your heart races as you look into his eyes, the fear plainly written in them. “I’m scared. Very scared.”

Valentino strokes the top of your head, smiling into you and continues in a mockingly kind tone. “That’s good… Do you know what that fear makes you?” You shake your head. “That fear makes you mine. It means I have control over you and there is nothing you can do to stop me. I’m the one who decides what happens to you. Do you understand…amorcito?” 

“Yes… Valentino.” You look off to the corner of your eyes, ashamed.

“That’s right. Good girl. Just a scared little actress who’s too inexperienced to know how good she has it…or when she’s being taken advantage of by people trying to ruin the only good thing that’s ever happened in her pathetic, miserable life.” Valentino abruptly stops caressing your hair and grips it hard, forcing you to look in his eyes. “Now tell me… are you going to be good for me from now on?”

You nod helplessly. “Yes Val.”

“Good!” He smiles and lets go of you. It’s as though nothing even happened. The air feels clear again, the tension gone. “That’s better. Now go ahead, little one, go back to bed.” Valentino kisses your cheek happily. “I’ll be there soon.” 

You turn around slowly and begin the walk back to Valentino’s room, heart beginning to calm down from the danger. 

“And remember,” Valentino calls out from behind you. “Next time I might not be so gentle.” 

[melpomenelamusa]

A Matter of Pride Pt. 2 - Chimeras

~Original story~

Previous

CW: Mention of pet whump, mention of past kidnapping.

Of all the bad days Fidi had ever had, she considered this one to be one of the worst. Suffering abuse and mistreatment from her so-called "owner" was something she had grown accustomed to for years, despite everything; but seeing someone else suffer was different. It made her feel even more helpless and vulnerable than when she was tied up in a box for two hours.

"Poor guy," she thought. She couldn't help but wonder where Madame Lavenza had gotten him from, if there was a family missing him or a life he couldn't return to. Fidi didn't have a life or a family to return to if she left this mansion, and this tiger boy looked to be around her own age, with a body that showed no signs of hunger or previous abuse. She felt very intrigued.

Madame Lavenza had left, so she had the entire mansion to herself for the afternoon. Usually the service staff ignored her, although there were a few people (counted on one hand) who agreed to a brief chat from time to time; but in reality she usually had nothing to do and preferred to stay in her room drawing. However, this time she decided to go out and look for her new companion. The poor boy must have been traumatized at the very least, and something in her made her feel like it was her duty to support him in this difficult situation.

When she was bought she was alone. She didn't want him to feel that way too.

Since she didn´t know which room the newcomer had been assigned to, she kept knocking on all the doors in the pet hallway, as the house staff called it. It was basically a long hallway in the west wing of the mansion, on the second floor, where the chimera children that Madame Lavenza brought to the mansion were confined. It was a lonely and silent hallway, which only had Fidi as an inhabitant. Or at least, that was how it had been for a long time.

Just three doors to the left of her own room, Fidi found the right door.

"Who?" a hoarse voice said on the other side.

"Um, hello," Fidi greeted, somewhat unsure of how to continue. "It's me, the... the other girl." She would never use the word "pet" to define herself. "We met a little earlier. I just want to talk... I wanted to know if you wanted to talk to someone..."

This felt strange. The previous chimera children she shared a roof with always tended to be much younger than her, newly transformed, which made them elusive and difficult to deal with. She was never able to get close to any of them, although deep down she was glad for that.

After a while the door to the room opened and she was faced with the sad face of the tiger boy.

"Come in, I guess," he said.

Fidi entered. The room had the same layout as hers, except that the nightstand was empty. The tiger boy shuffled back to the bed and sat on the edge of the mattress.

"I want to go home," he said, his voice pitiful.

"I'm sorry," Fidi replied. She really was, but there was nothing she could do. After an awkward moment of silence, she spoke up: "By the way, my name is Ofidia, but you can call me Fidi."

"I'm Tigri," the boy introduced himself, a little unsure. "How long have you been here?"

Fidi thought back, doing mental math.

"Almost ten years."

"Ten years?!"

Tigri's stupefied look almost made her smile.

"Yes... My parents sold me to Madame Lavenza shortly after I transformed. They thought I was some kind of curse or something, so they didn't hesitate to accept. At first I thought this would be an improvement for my life, but as you can see, it wasn't…”

"I'm so sorry," Tigri said. “I... My parents were very surprised when I transformed. And who wouldn't be, I mean, one night you go to sleep and the next day your hair changes color and you're kind of a furry... My parents never stopped loving me, they always accepted and supported me. My little sister even loved to show it off, she says it's like her older brother is a big living stuffed animal.”

A small smile appeared on the boy's lips, but it didn't reach his eyes, which became melancholic.

"Someone tried to hurt my little sister. I tried to save her. It was a trap." He took a deep breath. "Those guys... kidnapped me, and... and now I'm here. She... Zuri must have been so scared... she's only seven..." His voice broke. Tigri covered his face with both hands and began to cry.

Fidi felt his heart clench. In an attempt to comfort the boy, she timidly put her thin arms around him and gave him a hug. Unlike her, Tigri's body was robust and strong, and very warm. The snake girl easily understood why the boy's little sister compared him to a big stuffed animal.

After a while, once the trembling and sobbing had subsided, they separated.

"And now what?" Tigri asked, sniffling and wiping his face with his hands. “What will become of us now?”

“Well, it will depend on what Madame Lavenza wants,” said Fidi, sitting on the mattress next to him. “Sometimes she wants a pet, sometimes she wants an accessory to show off, it depends on the mood she wakes up in.” She was silent for a moment. A mischievous little smile made its way to her lips. “I know, you can say it here in private if you want, that woman is a bitch.”

“More than just a bitch,” Tigri agreed. “From her attitude, she seems to think she is the queen of bitches.”

They both laughed.

“Hey, can I show you a trick?” Fidi put her hands on the back of her neck and unhooked the metal collar around it. “You can take it off whenever you want, although I advise you to always wear it when you leave your room. Madame Lavenza gets angry if she doesn't see you with it.”

Tigri brought his hands to his neck, feeling the metal ring around his throat. He pulled it off and threw it on the bed.

“It’s strange, isn’t it?” Fidi continued. “We can take off the collar whenever we want, we’re not locked in a cage, chained or tied up… Well, not always. We have three luxurious meals, our own room, branded clothes; but we’re still prisoners. We can’t leave the mansion, we have zero contact with the outside world, and the people here don’t even really see us as people.”

“Aren’t there any more chimera children here?”

“There used to be more, but they were all sold. I’m the only one left.”

“It must have been really hard for you.”

“I did what I had to do to survive.” Fidi held her collar in her hands. How she wished she could crush it and destroy it. “But I hate it. I’m sick of always having to be her pretty little doll.”

“Did you ever try to escape?”

“I have nowhere else to go, and ending up on the street, for someone like us, is not a good alternative. Besides, if I left, it would be impossible for me to see that person again.”

Neli's smile suddenly took over Fidi's mind, along with the memory of her strawberry perfume and her soft hugs.

Tigri raised his eyebrows, in an expectant gesture of curiosity. Fidi decided to continue talking. When was the last time she had a real conversation with someone? There was only one person with whom, until then, she had been able to open up like that.

“Her name is Neli. She is another chimera child. Her so-called owner is a rich guy who sometimes attends the events that Madame Lavenza goes to. That's where I met her. I don't know the details well, but I think she was also kidnapped from her family. She's been my only... friend for all this time.”

Fidi lifted her legs onto the bed and hugged them to her chest. A wave of sadness invaded her.

“Hey, I'm sure there must be some way we can escape,” Tigri said. His voice had regained some strength and confidence. “We'll get out of this birdcage, you'll see, and then we'll go rescue your girlfriend.”

At that last word, the snake girl's cheeks turned pink, a color that stood out a lot on her normally pale skin.

“She's not my...!”

“I know that look!” Tigri replied, and a playful laugh came out of his throat. “Don't worry, your secret is safe with me. We'll escape, save your girl, and everyone will be happy forever. What do you say?”

Fidi thought about it for a moment. She thought about everything she had lived until now, about the times when, looking out a tinted window, she saw outlines of a life she couldn't have... no, that had been taken away from her.

“We'll get out of here,” she said. “We will.”

Next

Taglist: @scoundrelwithboba @morning-star-whump @lancedoncrimsonwings @3-2-whump @whumped-by-glitter @string-of-broken-hearts

A little comfort for these two. I'm already working on the chapters for the next mini arc; but I feel like I want to make this pair suffer more. I'm accepting ideas! Even if they're outside of what I have planned for the story, I can write a special chapter, whatever, I feel like I still want to do a lot with these characters.

Thanks for reading this far! Take a little star ⭐

[wind-becomes-lightning]

600 followers 🥳Yaaaaay! Congrats 🎇🎉🎈

For the prompt, if it's alright to ask for Gen instead of a ship.. remember when kid Obito noticed that Kakashi suddenly changed, suddenly stopped coming to the academy for a while and then when he graduated from the academy shortly after, he became even more distant, stopped coming to play with them like he used to and when he asked Rin she was like "um sorry I'm busy I gotta go"? What if Minato and Rin decided to actually do something and didn't keep it a secret.. so as a result, Obito didn't find out about the reason Kakashi changed as late as he did in canon?

hi!! I hope this is something like you envisoned! :D I'm sorry the end is so short, I was already over word count xD

A sort of Team Minato (but mostly Obito and Kakashi) Gen fic

Discussions of suicide

2542 words.

It wasn’t like Obito was watching Kakashi all the time, but still he noticed the change in demeanour instantly when it happened. It was the day he came back to school after having been absent for about a week with what the teachers called “a need for some rest” which added no information. That day Kakashi, when he walked past Obito, didn’t even look up to exchange eye contact with him, not taunt him, not make fun of him, he just walked on without a word. Obito knew something must be very wrong then.

He kept Kakashi in his eye, not because he particularly cared, but because he knew Rin did and everything Rin cared about also was something Obito cared about, at least that was a way to rationalise it to himself. Kakashi remained quiet for the rest of the month when they attended the academy together, answered only when asked, didn’t play with his classmates, didn’t say a word while sparring, he seemed all in all completely absent.

Not that Kakashi had previously been the life of the party. Obito had never been able to stand Kakashi and his big mouth. He knew how talented he was and how famous his father was and as such he liked bragging a lot. They had never gotten along for more than to make Rin happy, who tried to be friends with both of them.

But still, now, Kakashi had almost become mute, as if that week away from school had taken his voice completely. Something must have happened, Obito concluded, but when he asked the teachers they didn’t want to give him a straight reply and nobody of the other students seemed to know (at least those that didn’t immediately walk away from him when he asked.) Asking Kakashi directly would be fruitless too, because he would never admit to having problems.

It was clear to Obito though that Kakashi was having problems and maybe he would have eventually approached the younger boy if by the end of the month he hadn’t stood in front of them with a shiny new headband. “Kakashi is graduating early,” the teacher said with a smile. “He will be a genin from now on.” 

Kakashi was just staring into space in front of him, giving no indication that he had heard Obito say “what that guy?!” or taking a stab back at him. He just bowed, said goodbye with a proper thank you to the class he was now leaving and then he was out the door. It took months before Obito saw him again. 

This was also how Obito, momentarily, forgot about the change in Kakashi’s mood. He didn’t see him for a long time, and didn't hear of him either. Rumours said he was difficult to work with other Genin teams, that he did a lot of stuff alone and refused to communicate. That aligned perfectly with the arrogant, know it all Kakashi Obito had always argued with and so Obito let it slide. Kakashi seemed to be Kakashi again anyway.

It wasn’t until autumn came around when Obito saw Kakashi one afternoon at the river fishing. He was talking to himself. “If I catch one more I should have enough for dinner…” Obito wondered why Kakashi didn’t just go to the store to buy fish to eat or why his father wasn’t providing him with food.

Then Obito realised he hadn’t seen Kakashi with his father for a long time. Even before Kakashi graduated and left. He couldn’t even recall the last time he had seen the older Hatake.

Parents could disappear for weeks on end for missions, that was something Obito, himself an orphan, had learned from classmates. They were in a war and so every hand was needed. It was not unusual for younger children to be alone for a long stretch of time. But several months? That seemed incredibly unlikely. Especially at the age Kakashi was at. Not even seven now, he was definitely not a child to be left alone for half a year.

That brought the thoughts back into Obito’s head. Of how speechless Kakashi had become from one day to the other and how he had tried to figure out why he had been out of school for a week. The way the teachers had put on the fakest smile they could find to tell him that nothing had happened. It was a lie, Obito knew that now. His first instinct that something must have happened was probably right.

And though he despised talking to Rin about it, because talking about Kakashi with her was always so extra exhausting, he didn’t know who else to approach. 

“Rin,” he said eventually one morning at school when he had finally gotten over himself. “I have seen Kakashi fishing at the river recently. Do you happen to know if his father is on a long mission?”

The Nohara were part of the hospital and had run it since Konoha’s inception and as such they had eyes and ears in many places. Rin scratched with her feet on the floor. “He is not on mission”, she said shortly.

Obito narrowed his eyes: “Uh, in the hospital?” Maybe Hatake had been injured on a mission and now needed long term treatment. That would qualify Kakashi for some support payments, so that wouldn’T explain the fact that he felt like the need to fish, but maybe Kakashi was smart in everything but budgeting money. Obito certainly wasn't good at it.

“No, he -uh, is also not in the hospital.” Rin seemed reluctant to talk about whatever was going on. She started again: “He..” but was interrupted with a loud crash as Gai flying kicked Genma right out of the hand to hand combat circle. There was some noise for a moment, a little exchange between the boys and it took a moment before quiet was restored.

The topic seemed to have been lost for a moment and both of them moved on to their own matches, but after school Obito suddenly remembered again. He followed Rin out of the school gates. “Wait, wait, you didn’t tell me what happened to Kakashi’s dad!” 

Rin stopped and looked at him, suddenly a deep sadness in her eyes. “I’m not sure it is my story to tell, Obito. Kakashi might not want it.”

“Come on Rin, is Kakashi here to say no?” Obito whined and then said: “I just… worry about him a little.” One time in his life he was honest about Kakashi and he would never ever be again, he told himself.

The strategy seemed to work though. Rin stepped a bit back so she could be closer to Obito. “Promise me you won’t make fun of him for it.”

“Fun? When do I ever-”

“Promise me.”

Obito made a face but then offered his fingers for the unison sign. Rin took it and they held it for a moment, making their promise count. Then, Rin sighed deeply. “Hatake Sakumo has died. Months ago. You know when Kakashi was out of the school for a while.”

Somehow Obito had suspected something like this, but hearing it out loud was different. “On a mission?” he asked. That was something that seemed to happen quite often in this war. HIs parents had died on a mission as well.

“No.” Rin bit her lower lip. “No, he was out of mission rotation for a while at this point.” She stopped for a moment, as if the next words caused her physical harm saying them out loud.

“He killed himself.”

Obito’s jaw dropped open against his will, but the only thing that came out was: “Oh.”

Rin continued. “Kakashi found him and reported him dead. Kakashi organised the wake and the funeral, since then he has lived alone. I guess money is scarce now that his fathers’ mission earnings are no longer there. I should go by his house and help him if I have time…” She seemed to lose herself in her own thoughts.

“Why?” Obito found his voice again, but he could feel himself shaking. “Why would his father do something like that?”

He hadn’t expected to react so heavily to this news. He felt a mixture of anger and rage. His parents hadn't left him because they wanted to, they had died for a cause. But Sakumo had apparently decided that caring for Kakahshi wasn’T worth it and now his son was starving.

“I don’t know the exact details,” Rin explained, “I heard adults whispering about a mission that Sakumo was the leader of. He was supposed to assassinate someone high ranking in the enemy's military and didn't do so. It turned out that he could only go through unnoticed if he’d sacrifice his entire squad and he decided to save them instead. The target stayed alive and the war is still going on. My dad said many had hoped the death of that one person would have ended the war, but my mom thinks that it would have just led to more violence.”

Obito needed a moment to parse through the entirety of the information that had just been provided to him. “So,” he said trying to draw a conclusion, “He made sure everyone in his team made it home alive and he killed himself because… he was ashamed?”

Rin scratched her foot over the ground again: “I think the other people in the village shamed him for it, not him so much himself.” She looked up into Obito’s pale face and then added quickly: “But I don’t know the details, Obito, I just…. I’m just sorry I can’t help Kakash in his grief.”

“It’s okay, Rin” Obito put one hand on her shoulder, “Thank you for telling me what I asked you to tell me. I will need to head out now, but thank you anyway.” He put his googles down over his eyes and gifted Rin his brightest smile and a thumbs up.

The girl seemed like she was half crying, but when they looked at each other she found a smile too. “Just remember that you promised not to make fun of Kakashi for this.”

Obito nodded and then ran off as fast as he could. He didn’t understand why Rin thought he would ever make fun of Kakashi for this. The opposite really. For the first time in his life, Obito openly admired something about Kakashi’s life.

The Hatake compound was located outside the village in a little clearing in the forest. Once they had been farmers, Kakashi had told the others in school, and so they were not one of the big clans of the village, at least not like the Uchiha were. Obito had proudly made fun of him for this. Called him a peasant and pointed at him. It was the only thing Obito had superior to Kakashi and he wouldn’t let him forget it.

“Kakashi!” Obito yelled when he arrived, almost ripping the door open when he arrived. Kakashi, eyes wide, stood in his own kitchen, another fresh fish half cut open on the counter. Obito wanted to hurl at the sight of the animal, but he couldn’t show weakness in front of Kakashi so he made a face and then looked away.

“Why are you here?!” Kakashi looked around himself as if he expected other classmates to jump out of the bushes any minute now. It wouldn’t have surprised Obito if Kakashi had thrown the knife like kunai, expecting just another invader, but luckily for Obito that had not been the case.

Obito threw off his shoes and barged into the house, even though it was rude to enter a place without being invited in. “I have come to tell you something!” he announced and pushed his pointer finger into Kakashi’s chest.

“What…. Why?” Kakashi shook his head. 

“Rin told me what happened to your father,” Obito said deadpan. “I’m sorry.” He meant it.

Kakashi’s eyes went dark very quickly. He turned away from Obito and looked at his half gutted fish again. “I don’t care about that,” he replied in an icy tone. “Please leave.”

“Bullshit! Of course you care!” Obito felt enraged again.

The boy did after all throw the big knife, but not in Obito’s direction, but against the wall at the backside of the kitchen. He looked up to his former classmate. “My father broke the rules that it takes to be a successful shinobi. He died in his own shame.” It was like Kakashi pressed out each word with pent up cold anger. “I don’t care for trash.”

Flabbergasted, Obito took Kakashi by his shoulders and shook him a little: “What are you saying? What the hell?”

“If you can’t stick to the rules, you are trash.” Kakashi’s eyes were hardened. “That is what you need to know to be a shinobi. He should have known that.”

Obito wanted to hit him, but instead let go and took a step back. “It is true that those who break the rules are trash,” he said. “But to me, those who abandon their friends are even worse trash!”

Kakashi’s eyes opened and he for the first time actually looked at Obito.

“I think your father is a hero for what he did!” Obito put his hands into his side. “I think, if we had more shinobi like him in this village, it would be a better place.” 

He paused for a moment to watch Kakashi’s mouth quiver beneath his mask. Then he let out a big breath to continue: “Ah, if he had been my father, I would be so proud of him.”

Finally, the dam broke and Kakashi’s knees gave in. He crashed onto the floor and curled up into himself as if he was trying to make his body as small as possible. Obito had never seen Kakashi show any sign of weakness before, so seeing him sob so uncontrollably felt almost like it was a different person.

Obito jumped forward and wrapped himself around Kakashi as much as he could. “Hey, it’s fine, it’s okay,” Obito whispered, trying to imitate what his grandma did to him when he cried. “I’m here, you’re not alone.”

Kakashi cried for a while and Obito stuck around until he had at least somewhat pulled himself together. Once on his feet again Kakashi finished the fish he had been preparing and they ate dinner together, all without exchanging much of words. Neither was ready to discuss their new found understanding just yet, but from then on Obito would come by the house to eat dinner with Kakashi. Sometimes Rin or Gai accompanied them too.

In time, Kakashi put up a little shrine in memory of his father and Obito always brought a little rice for it. If he was Hokage, he swore to himself, then he would make sure that good shinobi like Sakumo would be rewarded for their heroism and not judged. Despite all the admiration Obito had for Sakumo, sometimes he also hated him just a little, for leaving Kakashi alone like this. That was when he tried hardest to spend time with Kakashi. Never openly of course. He couldn’t have Kakashi know that he cared. That would have ruined his image.

[fakecrfan]

Hi just want to say your story about the superhero was incredible. It broke my heart and I loved it

AN ASK ABOUT AN ORIGINAL THING I WROTE? 🥺

I wrote two superhero stories but only one has been getting likes in my activity feed recently so I think you mean my construction superhero short story. (checks the post) oh uh wow that’s getting more traction than I realized. Shit. So that’s why a bunch of people followed me recently.

Anyway, I don’t know if you are still watching my blog anon but since you liked my story have another snippet I whipped up just for you.

--

Excerpt from an interview with prisoner #4598, also known by the code names “Constructor,” “Destructor,” and “the Architect.” Transcript incomplete due to being salvaged after the attack on the prison records. Interview conducted by Mitchell Newman.

---

MN: Okay, well, since our memory experts can’t see anything in your head but muck and have established we’re not going to get any information out of you, anyway…

4598: Lethe is very good at memory stuff.

MN: Right, yes, of course she is. So since you’ve forgotten all useful information and I have to visit you at least for two hours a week just so this doesn’t count as solitary confinement--

4598: Could I talk to Sandy?

MN: Ms. White hasn’t asked to speak to you.

4598: Right.

MN: Anyway as I was saying, since I have to be here anyway why don’t you just tell me about yourself? Give me the whole manifesto.

4598: (no answer).

MN: Right. Well. Let me just continue then and you can answer if you feel like it. Sound good? Good. So, here is my question. What do you think about what people call you now? The first time you got arrested, you didn’t escape for months. Why?

4598: (no answer)

MN: Everyone thought it was because you needed to know the makeup of the material in order to shape it. When you stayed put they thought they’d gotten you with their Akonite walls. But it turns out you never needed to know that and you were just… sitting in there anyway.

4598: Right.

MN: What stopped you from escaping?

4598: (no answer)

MN: Did you think that you’d be let out if you played along, since you had good PR then?

4598: No.

MN: Okay. Was it that you still believed in the justice of the system?

4598: No.

MN: Second thoughts about trying to stop the construction of that stadium?

4598: Uh, no.

MN: Alright then. Why?

4598: (no answer)

MN: Is it related to your apparently still-developing powerset? Are you hiding some ability or--

4598: Depression.

MN: What?

4598: I was depressed.

MN: Ah.

4598: Everyone I had looked up to wanted me in jail. I thought no one would agree with me, so there was no point.

MN: Right.

4598: Uh, that’s something Sandy taught me. It doesn’t really matter what powers you have. If you want to get things done--big things, like building cities--you need lots of people. The things I’ve done, rebuilding… It's always because people have helped me. Cleared away poisons so I could go in the area. Gave me materials. Helped me learn.

MN: And without those people, you decided you couldn’t do anything?

4598: Yeah.

MN: So what changed your mind and made you decide to enact the largest villain breakout in history?

4598: It…

MN: What’s that?

4598: I had to try. It wouldn’t be right to just give up immediately. I couldn’t do it alone so I decided to find people who could help.

MN: And those villains--many of them serial killers and terrorists--these people shared your altruistic goals?

4598: (no answer).

MN: Right, sorry. That was a bit blunt on my part. I just mean it must have been a difficult group to work with.

4598: Hm.

MN: You’re pretty famous for not killing anyone yourself, even now. I really believe you don’t want people to die if they don’t have to. How do you reconcile that with working with, oh, Inferno. You know, the one that burnt innocent congressmen alive?

4598: (no answer).

MN: Some of the villains who escaped that day went on to kill innocent people, even if the ones you became friends with didn’t. Do you have any regrets?

4598: ...Skinner killed three children before we caught him. Toxica got… one, but made 48 people very sick for a while. Um, the others--I counted it all up. The amount of people who died due to the actions of villains that escaped because of me was 28.

MN: So you--

4598: The attacks your heroes do on other countries have casualties that number in the hundreds. Thousands sometimes.

MN: We were tracking down a highly dangerous villain with a power that could--

4598: That could not do half of that damage. They never can. The serial killers and terrorists--they’re hideous people. But there has never been one with the power to do what American “heroes” do every year.

MN: That’s because we kill them first.

4598: And then there is the damage afterwards. The sickness. People who die in the rubble. People who have their entire homes destroyed only to be turned away as undesirables when they try to find a home somewhere else.

MN: That’s not equi--

4598: You asked me if I have regrets. Yeah, I do.

4598: I regret every single fucking base I built for all of you.

---

The rest of the transcript is unsalvageable. Prisoner #4598 escaped shortly after, as containment measures on the subject once again failed. Future heroes are advised to use lethal force on sight, as containment has proven impossible and these transcripts indicate de-radicalization is unlikely.

[obsidiancreates]

An Honest Talk

(Got to the episode where Valerie gets the ghost hunting stuff. I just want her to be happy and not Filled With Vengeful Rage so, here's this.)

Jazz sees the whole thing.

Really, Valerie isn't even good at hiding it. As soon as that Ghost Hunter shows up at that school game, Jazz figures it out. Not just because her voice is the same, but because of the insults she shouts while hanging in that basketball hoop. Sure, Jazz is in a higher grade, but she's heard that A-Lister group plenty of times in the hallways and after school.

They're real jerks. But not murderous jerks.

So she decides to do something about it. No-one attacks her baby brother. ... Well, except other ghosts. But Jazz can't always help with those.

This? No problem.

"Hey, Valerie."

Valerie jolts, yelping and almost dropping what is clearly some kind of ghost-detecting device. "Who are- ugh, aren't you Fenton's sister? What do you want?"

"To talk to you," Jazz says in her most empathetic voice. "I noticed you're having kind of a rough time."

"Why do you care?"

"Because my brother does." Cares about not being pummeled, at least. But Jazz is sure Danny hopes the best for his schoolmate, even with the attacks.

Valerie huffs. "Great, pity from the loser kids."

"Come on, it won't hurt to talk about it?"

"Talk about what? That some ghost kid and his dog ruined my life? That we're broke, and all my friends hate me for it? yeah, talking will fix everything."

Jazz sits down on a bench, and pats the seat next to her. Valerie looks away.

But then... she sighs. And sits. "I keep thinking about that five hundred dollar shirt I ruined. Maybe if e hadn't bought that, or I hadn't worn it to school, we'd be a little better off right now."

"It's not your fault."

Valerie grits her teeth. "Yeah. It's that ghost kid's."

"Ghost kid?"

"... You believe in ghosts, right? Because of your parents?"

Jazz nods. "Plus, that thing during the school game,, Kind of hard to deny."

"Heh. Yeah. ... That dog broke into the place my dad was working for. he was showing off what he did for their security, and none of it stopped the dog or the kid. And then they showed up again at the garage sale and wrecked our moving van, and the dog stole my lunch after all my friends rejected me!"

Valerie wipes her eyes, scowling. "It's not fair!"

Jazz hands her a tissue. "It's not, not at all."

"I wanna destroy that kid," Valerie growls. "Like he destroyed me."

"... Valerie... how old is he?"

"About my age, I think."

"And he's a ghost."

"Yeah. And?"

"So... how do you think a ghost kid comes to be?"

Valerie doesn't reply. But after a moment, her eyes widen a little. "Oh... no, no, but... but he's a kid. He can't be any older than me."

"Yeah," Jazz says softly. "So something horrible must have happened to him already."

Valerie looks at the device in her hands. "... But... he still ruined my life." She sounds a bit unsure now.

"Maybe he didn't mean to. I mean... imagine one day you wake up and everything is... different. Suddenly you've got no gravity, and-and no-one can see you sometimes and you're this weird thing-"

God, how scared was Danny when it happened? She's pretty sure by now that it was The Accident that did it, she can't think of anything else that explains it. What was it like for him, waking up as something different?

"It would be tough," Jazz finishes, looking at Valerie.

Valerie still won't meet her eyes, looking at the beeping device. "Then why is he following me around?"

"... Well... does he show up first, or the dog?"

Valerie thinks for a long moment. "... The dog. It's always the dog."

"So maybe he's trying to catch it."

"... I mean, I guess that could be it. But he's been fighting me!"

"And you've been fighting him."

"But-! ... Aw, geez..." Valerie deflates. "What do I do now, then? I can't... I can't keep attacking some kid who... we've barely lived, I can't just make it so that he's barely lived twice."

Jazz stands up and offers her hand. "How about we try talking to him?"

Valerie looks at her. "For real?" She's skeptical.

Jazz nods. "For real. Maybe we can clear some things up."

Valerie turns away again. And then, with a hefty sigh...

Takes Jazz's hand.

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

"Cujo?" Danny calls out. "Cujo! We need to get you back to the Ghost Zone, buddy! Come on, where is he?"

Someone clears their throat behind him, and he yelps as he shoots up in the air.

He turns around, and sees possibly the worst thing he could see right now.

His sister, and his hunter.

"Hello, Ghost Boy!" Jazz calls out.

"Um... hi." Danny waves, still looking startled.

Jazz nudges Valerie, and Valerie huffs. "Hi," she says shortly. Jazz smile at her, though.

"I'm here to mediate a talk between you two," Jazz says, walking closer (and somewhat pulling Valerie along behind her). "I figured there might be more to this story than we all three think."

"Um, you're not- I mean, I'm a ghost, you're just... casual about this?"

Jazz nods. "My parents are well-versed with ghosts, this is nothing."

A straight-up lie. Jazz hadn't even believed in ghosts until she peeled Spectra. But maybe it's to save face for Valerie? Or maybe Jazz recognizes him as the ghost from that day.

"Anyway," Jazz says, "Valerie here has something to say."

Valerie, arms cross and back hunched angrily, glares at Danny. "Who are you, and why are you out to get me?"

Danny floats back down to the ground, standing on it now. "I'm, um... Phantom-"

Valerie gives him a disbelieving look.

"Uh, Ghost Names are uh, different! It's this whole thing. And, I'm not out to get you, I swear. It's all been terrible coincidences."

Valerie scoffs.

"Val, we're here to listen," Jazz reminds gently. "Let him explain his side of things, and then you can explain yours, and we'll come to a solution. Trust me, I read a book about this."

Danny doesn't doubt it. "I don't own that dog, I found him wandering around outside. I thought he was cute at first, and then he turned into the big dog that keeps haunting you."

"And why's he doing that?" she snips.

"I don't know yet." Danny rubs the back of his neck, embarrassed. "I'm trying to send him back to the Ghost Zone, but he keeps coming back out! I'm starting to think it's some cliche 'unfinished business' thing. But until I can figure it out I don't know how to get rid of him. All I can do is try to minimize the damage."

"Doing a great job." Valerie rolls her eyes. "Ruining my father's business, ruining our garage sale, ruining my lunch!"

"I swear, I was trying to help! He's really, really hard to get under control! He's like five times my size!"

"And you can't grow bigger and handle it that way?" Valerie retorts.

"No! I'm only a few months into this, I-"

He cuts himself off at the look on Valerie's face. "What?"

"A few months? ... So... so I could've known you?" Horrified, is the best word for her expression.

Danny shrinks, holding his bicep and hunching a little. "Um, nevermind. I just mean I'm not super powerful."

"No, no, we're going back. Did I know you? Is this a revenge thing?"

"What? No! I already told you, I'm trying to help prevent things from getting worse! And... no. I'm a loser kid, and you're popular."

"... Was," Valerie says quietly. "... All my friends ditched me when I lost my money."

"That's awful."

Valerie nods. "I don't know why I thought they liked me for more than money, looking back. But it still hurts. Being a lonely loser is the worst."

"Tell me about it," Danny mutters. "I mean, I have friends, but sometimes some stuff just makes you feel alone no matter what."

He thinks he sees Jazz tear up at that, but he's not sure. He's distracted by Valerie letting out a sob.

"I don't have anything left," she says, voice quavering. "I don't have the popularity, I don't have money, I don't have the grades..."

"... So you turned to revenge?" Jazz's voice is soft.

Valerie sobs again, and Jazz gives her some comforting slow pats on the back. She looks at Danny, nodding at Valerie.

Danny gets the hint. "You... you could, um, make something, more?"

Valerie gives a somewhat bitter teary chuckle. "What is that supposed to mean, huh? I'm already hunting ghosts. It's... something."

"... You could try to make new friends."

"Oh sure, that's easy. I'm a social pariah."

"So am I. But even just one or two friends helps a lot."

"You got a lot of ghost buddies?"

"... Humans, actually. An if I can make friends with some high school kids as a loser and a ghost, you can make friends too. You just might have to lower your social radar a bit."

Valerie rubs her arm. "... You're really not out to get me, are you?"

"No, I'm not. I want to protect people, not hurt them."

"... I'm sorry I shot those missiles at you."

"I'm sorry I couldn't keep the dog contained."

"... I'm sorry you're a ghost so young."

Danny snuffles a little. "... Thanks." Sometimes he is, too.

Valerie looks at her hand, and then holds it out to him. "Truce? I won't mess with you. I can't promise the same about that dog if it keeps showing up, but I won't mess with you."

Danny sighs. "So you're keeping the weapons."

"Oh, you know I am. Even if I'm not hunting you, now that I know about ghosts I want to be prepared."

"I guess I understand that." Danny shakes her hand. "Truce."

Jazz grins. "See? Just needed a real, meaningful talk!"

Valerie laughs a little, wiping her eyes again. "Yeah, I guess. But... now what? Who do I blame for this?"

"Probably the boss who decided that Ghosts Suddenly Existing was your father's fault," Danny says.

Valerie's eyes harden. "Yeah. Yeah, I can go with that."

"But," Danny and Jazz say at once. They look at each other, and Jazz let's Danny speak.

"But," Danny says again, "Maybe focus on making some more friends, first. One thing about us losers, is we don't ditch someone just for money reasons."

"... I'll give it a shot." Valerie smiles a little at Danny. "With better aim than the ones I took at you."

Danny chuckles a bit.

They both wave goodbye, Jazz and Valerie leaving Danny to continue his search.

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

"Hi."

Danny, Sam, and Tucker all look up. Valerie is standing nervously with her brown paper bag of lunch. Tucker brightens up, and Sam gives a little, slightly suspicious, wave.

Danny scoots over. "Wanna sit with us?"

Valerie looks over at the A-Lister table. They're all staring, smirking, whispering.

Mocking.

She looks back at the 'losers'.

They're looking at her with... openness.

"Yeah. Sure."

She sits down, and gets out her lunch. For a minute, she just listens to them talk while she unpacks the sandwich.

"Hey, is that peanut butter and honey?" Sam asks. Valerie nods.

Sam holds up a thick roast beef sandwich. "My parents are trying to get me to eat meat again, but I'm staying vegetarian. Want to trade?"

Valerie blinks. "Uh... sure?"

They swap sandwiches. Valerie looks at the sandwich, mentally trying to figure out the carbs and calories and fat content-

She looks around the table. No-one else is analyzing their food. Or, judging hers.

She takes a bite. It's pretty good.

This... is pretty good.

She smiles, and laughs a little at a joke Danny makes.

Yeah. This is pretty good.

[joelletwo]

[following up my poll about his dad, who the committee DID assign gnc]

both yona and natsuyuu have other queer-readable characters who are NOT creepy villains, it must be said. neither have notable other human characters with facial differences that stand out to me in my memory. but both their creepy villains with facial differences are ALSO. hm. deviant in gender performance

so we have a plausible connection of authors using the otherable traits of Feminine or Gay Demeanor combined with facial differences to mark a villain as Especially Threatening. given that, what can we say about this guy❓

(a lot. this is long.)

to put it as shortly as i can stand, gender nonconformance in gintama is hard to cleanly map - many chars of many canon sexualities and genders run a spectrum of many visual presentations spanning historical and modern sensibilities. long hair, ornate patterns, colorful flamboyance, western or japanese clothing styles, et cetera are unremarkable char design options. what does it look like to conform to manhood in gintama❓

kyoushirou the flamboyant host on the left is basically the pinnacle presentation of successful straight cis manhood in the series,

while katsura in the middle, in his straitlaced generic-for-the-setting design, is clocked as nonconforming and womanly by several chars (even out of drag),

and soutatsu on the right, a villain with a similar presentation to kyoushirou's and a certain sideways similarity to takasugi, has his spade called a spade and gets described by the wiki as feminine. gender success is shown by other factors, not mappable by reading visual presentation ❌

what ARE takasugi's visuals? early on, hair covering his eye, a jewel-toned butterfly-motif-patterned haori (or maybe yukata, but it's worn as a haori later) worn as open as possible with nothing underneath, his kiseru, and being short and gaunt and generally bedraggled and corpse-like.

any of those on its own, not really Gender Deviant. altogether, it has a strikingly characterizing effect, though im not sure i'd call it a feminine one. still, the character he bears the strongest [inexplicable] resemblance to is this woman:

this is in his most villainous presentation, where he revels in senseless violence against his enemies and allies alike, moves and lounges and lurks bonelessly, and is animated very ugly in his smirks and insane grins (it rules). his visual design is clearly contributing to the nefariousness. this is also, of course, when we meet him with eye bandages covering his stabbed-out eye. this is a decade after the eye was stabbed out, so one has to assume its not medical and there's still something under there to be covered.

later, once sympathizabled and meow meowed, he wears clothes properly and in less vibrant colors, has neat glossy hair, and removes the bandages for good to reveal - nothing? an artfully permanent closed eye and an unscarred face. he is much softer and ukefied in demeanor.

in childhood and teenagehood, his appearance is pretty unremarkable - the only standout details are, as a teen, he wears western clothes, and he is canonically attractive to women.

then is the argument that he's queer-readable: trauma makes you gender nonconforming❓ (normal -> deviant -> resolved and normal again)

(or is it: the growing success and therefore budget to "improve" the art style of a series makes you lose your Otheredness❓ (early-series imperfect corpse -> late-series shiny kid/adult))

so there's gender presentation. i have trans takasugi readings, and other people have trans takasugi readings, but i don't know that there's anything canonically queerly Other flagged about his appearance. ❌

is he queerly Other in behavior❓

in literal behavior - does he have a certain flavor to his speech or movements like matoba and hyo do? he has a very. um. unhinged giggle. that i personally can only describe as faggy. but this is subjective, i suppose, as it's unremarked on by other characters.

koyasu's vocal performance in his intro festival episode also has a certain conversational Meandering and Lilt to it that is pretty unique for gintama acting, but it's not Gay Voice, afaik. it's more of the being in gintoki's space in an intimately invasive way tactic. interesting, but queer?

is his corpsely naked lounging sensual, sexual, seductive? is his behavioral preoccupation with stabbing and being stabbed his own manifestation of the series' preoccupation with dicks and penetration? would these things be queer❓

some generic thugs say [someone posing as him] looks like his dick can't satisfy women. that's pretty weak. ❌

he was attractive to women as a teen, but he was uninterested in doing anything physical with them, we see. that's interesting! and gets him briefly made fun of by his male friend. ✅

when gintoki takes on his identity as a disguise, he's subjected to a comical amount of sexual humiliation. that's pretty funny as a thing to glean meaning about takasugi from but largely gender conforming: sexual humiliation is male in gintama, and it happens here at the hands of women. normative. ❌

abstractly, he has many romantic motifs throughout the series, none of them really directed anywhere. i dont think he interacts with a woman other than matako, and he's distantly hands-off kind but unreciprocating to her. (he menaces at some girls and stabs sacchan, but not like, in a misogynist way. you know.)

his strongest bond is with gintoki. his strongest echoes with otae are about her relationship to gintoki. its very very very very very easy to read him as gay, however you think that manifests. but do other characters treat him as gay? not that i can think of ❌

katsura has a line in farewell shins about it being human to want to live or die by the side of a friend. this gets characterized as feminine in the silver soul battle thats all about defining gender and gender failure and gender essentialism, and its pretty consistent w the rest of the series (men fight to protect, and women want to be by their side, and these Truths conflict and bring tragedy):

in both instances, the speaker would be saying this about gintoki, the default man for women to be in love with in gintama (katsura wasnt speaking about himself, but as a fellow human, who else would his specific someone be?). and what is more takasugi behavior than wanting to live or die (mainly die) by gintoki's side? it's essentially his only motivation.

in the same battle, jirocho says, essentially, that men and women in kabukicho (the hometown to be protected) are inherently nonconforming Weirdos who fail at their assigned roles, and that this is a strength that keeps both fighting to assert themselves:

this echoes the arc message that gintoki-ginko concludes genderswap arc with: that struggling with your identity, including gender, makes you human and connects you to everyone around you. living is a Verb, a neverending action. the gender ideals that gintama romanticizes in many of its arcs are not ones that the characters we know best have found a way to fit into.

then, is the argument: takasugi is visually (the shopkeep), relationally (tae), thematically (tsukki and katsura), and principally (the platonic ideal of a Woman Who Wants conflicting with gintoki's Man Who Protects, bringing tragedy) aligned with women, in contrast to our actual recurring women chars, and in this way he is gender conforming rather than nonconforming, and in this way he is inert, inactive, not Verb Living, and narratively doomed to die through yet another literary proof❓ in a womanly way❓ rumor come out, takasugi death was a fridging❓

^ this is not very serious, but it is fun. these are also questions i am not offering answers to. because i want the poll results ✅

all this has been fact finding and laying out without a very central guiding question or argument, other than that, obviously, i find takasugi to be very visually queer and am surprised he's not one of the gintama characters whose queerness is made the butt of a million jokes.

so, in absence of real evidence, i can't say that takasugi's Visual Otheredness as a villainy multiplier - while remarkably visually similar to hyo's - is functioning in the same queer-coding framework.

that leaves the facial difference commonality.

fact laying out: hyo's is visual and hard to hide, matoba's is multisteppedly a visible disability (covered up for his own protection, which also functions to cover his facial difference from others -> the eyepatch affects his depth perception, and it makes people assume a missing eye is the disability).

takasugi's is mechanically unclear, but hopefully he got that eye taken out post-stabbing. we only see him bandaged or with the lid closed, and we know he can't use it, anyways, so it's a disability. but he has no facial wound or scar under the bandages.

unlike the other two serieses, gintama has MANY other chars with facial scarring as well as an obsessive preoccupation with stabbing eyes out (that ramps up any time takasugi and gintoki are in a room together, btw).

the chars with facial scarring run the spectrum from villainous (oboro) to sympathetic (the guardian dog guy) to tsukki, who is a visual and relational match for takasugi in many ways but has never been an antagonist. facial scars on male chars are basically just Cool Backstory Markers (like most of gintama's instances of disability), but for tsukki, hers are a textual factor in her gender experience, they affect how she relates to herself, and they affect how other people relate to her.

takasugi's eye is probably the most similar and one of the most powerfully that a char's disability affects them in gintama: it affects how he relates to himself, warping his identity around the day he lost it and what it captured in its last moment and warping his presentation around covering a wound that doesn't exist, which affects how other people relate to him (as someone consumed by trauma that has made him into visibly a ticking time bomb, ie someone to either ally with or run really far away from).

(is takasugi's eye also a factor in his gender experience? is this how clockably queer takasugi can win❓)

and giving your first big recurring villain a visible disability/facial difference is, uh, inarguably meant to be coding to make him creepier bc that's what it always is as a char design choice (and one may reasonably infer that i think this fucking sucks).......................

but given that hes not the only character with one and its not only villainous characters with facial differences and disabilities, that takes out the remaining parallel with hyo and matoba's writing.

so i present:

an extremely long argument that slowly dismantles itself and proves that the obvious (joelle loves offensively written and acted villains, out of spite and bc they rule) is, in fact, i guess,

NOT! ❌

case study 1: the yona villain

hyo/hiyou YonaOfTheDawn runs the drug black market that is ruining a town and turning its people into puppets in his arc. as an antagonist, he makes the protagonist group, their newfound friend fighting her political ruler dad's political inertia, the king who is at odds with the protags, and a substantial military/merchant force mobilize and work together to take him down. hes powerful! he is primarily identified by his scar.

he wears ornately patterned floral robes and has delicate features and longish hair, none of which stand out to me as an unusual design choice considering the rest of the cast, but he /is/ immediately characterized as very vain and 'prissy,' especially about his scar.

and, uh, his own men scoldingly call him slurs for acting femininely (the other translation has him say a shrill voice like a woman's, like here v)

he hates busty women and his men police his gender. subtle

(the scar is doubled after yona slashes him in their confrontation.) he has lots of comedic exaggeration panels, which is normal for defanging and pathetic-ifying yona villains (tae-jun.............<3) and also the cast as a whole (yona as a series has exceptional comedic timing, for all its serious plot)

but this doesnt diminish his threat as an antagonist, which i remember being very heightened for yona's normal villain writing to that point, especially due to it being very. women focused. (in an author's note later, she notes that the "carve pieces from her thighs" was a typo of the originally less charged "from her belly," but she left it in because it was fitting for his misogyny.)

he obsessively and creepily hunts yona throughout the arc for derailing his plans (and adding to his scarring), but in the end, he's pretty unceremoniously punched out of the plot by yona's shoujou image of masculine perfection/future boyfriend, hak.

[waitimcomingtoo]

The Morning After

Pairing: Tom Holland x reader

Synopsis: no one knows you’re dating until the boys walk in on you and Tom after your first time

Requested by @iwantacertainlondonboy

Masterlist

“I’m starving.” Harry whined. “Why didn’t anyone make anything?”

“Because you divs used all the dishes and didn’t clean them.” Harrison shot back as his tummy growled.

“Well who was supposed to go grocery shopping?” Sam snapped. “You. Now, all we have is hummus and barbecue sauce.”

“The barbecue is starting to look real good.” Tuwaine mumbled.

“Let’s get Tom and Y/n and go get brunch or something.” Harrison suggested.

“They’re sleeping.” Harry whined again. “Why don’t we just go without them?”

“Because if we go without them, Tom won’t pick up the tab.” Harrison said as he tapped the side of his head.

“Smart thinking.” Sam agreed. “I’ll get Y/n.”

Sam got off the couch and made his way to your bedroom. He took a deep breath before knocking on your slightly open door.

“Y/n?” He asked softly as he pushed the door open. He tip toed into your room and gently shook the pile of blankets on your bed.

“We were all going to get some breakfast.” Ge continued in a soft tone. “Do you want to come?”

When you didn’t answer, he frowned and shook the blankets again.

“Y/n?” He asked. “Are you awake?”

Sam furrowed his eyebrows and pulled your blankets down. He saw that you weren’t in the bed and retreated back to the living room.

“She’s not in her bed guys.” Sam announced when he got back to the boys. “Did she get up already?”

“I haven’t seen her.” Tuwaine shrugged.

“Did you check on Tom?” Harrison asked.

“I was just about to.” Sam answered.

“Should we all run in there and scream?” Harry said while rubbing his hands together.

“Why would we do that?” Harrison asked.

“To piss him off.” Harry said like it was obvious.

“Yeah.” Harrison nodded in agreement. “Okay.”

The rest of the boys got up but Tuwaine stopped them before they could go through with the plan.

“We can’t do that.” Tuwaine shook his head.

“Why not?” Harry asked.

“We need him to pay.” Tuwaine reminded them.

“He’s right.” Harrison said. “I’ll go in there and wake him up.”

Harrison went ahead of the group and went into Tom’s room. When he opened the door, he saw you asleep in Tom’s bed. Even with Tom’s arms wrapped around you, it was apparent that neither of you were wearing clothes. Harrison caught sight of the splatter of hickeys covering your neck and his eyes widened. He quietly backed out of the room and went back to the boys.

“Is he awake?” Harry asked him.

“Um, see for yourself.” Harrison gestured to the door. Harry gave him a strange look before going into Tom’s room. He saw exactly what Harrison saw, also catching sight of your discarded clothes on the floor. He quickly shut the door and ran back to Harrison.

“Dude.” He said as he pointed to Tom’s room.

“I know.” Harrison nodded. Harry thought about what might have happened between the two of you and his eyes bulged.

“Dude!” He whispered harshly.

“I know!” Harrison matched his tone. “What’s going on in there?”

“What are you guys talking about?” Tuwaine asked them. They both silently pointed to Tom’s door in response. Tuwaine went into the room and came back shortly with a shocked expression.

“Dudes.” He said softly.

“We know.” Harry and Harrison said in unison.

“What’s wrong?” Sam asked. “Is he awake?”

“Uh, I wouldn’t go in there.” Harry stopped Sam before he could go into Tom’s room.

“Is he sick?” Sam wondered.

“Let’s just say, uh, the British are coming.” Harry answered.

“What?”

“I think they already came.” Harrison mumbled under his breath.

“What? What are you talking about?” Sam looked between the boys in confusion. No one wanted to be the one to tell him, so they all stepped aside and gestured to Tom’s door. Sam gave them a look before opening Tom’s door. He immediately tripped on Tom’s boxers by the door. His eyes went up the trail of clothes leading up to the bed, where he saw you and his brother tangled together. Tom stirred a little in his sleep and kissed your shoulder, making you smile in your sleep. Sam felt all the color drain from his face and before he knew it, he was screaming.

“AHHH.” He screamed, instantly waking you and Tom up. You both shot up in bed and screamed back.

“AHHHH.” You and Tom screamed in surprise.

“AHHHHH.” Sam screamed back and smacked his hands over his eyes. The rest of the boys rushed into the room when he heard the commotion.

“Whats all the screaming about?” Harry asked before his eyes fell on you.

“Woah, tiddies.” He chuckled as he pointed a finger at you. Tom quickly covered you with his hands and glared at Harry.

“Everyone out now!” Tom commanded. “We - we’re doing laundry!”

“I’m seeing an alarming lack of clothes for people doing laundry.” Harry snickered. Sam looked at him in horror for making light of the situation.

“Get out!” Tom said again. The boys scrambled to the door, knocking and tripping over each other as they went.

“Sorry!” Harry called as he shut the door behind him. You and Tom caught your breath once silence settled back into the room. You looked at each other in a panic as your heart rates returned to a steady rhythm.

“Do you think they saw us?” Tom asked you after a beat of silence. You looked at him for a long time as flashes of all the screaming played back in your mind.

“Yes, I think they saw us.” You replied.

“Oh no.” Tom groaned. “They’re gonna know.”

“Maybe not.” You shrugged helplessly. “Maybe they think we were just doing karate or something.”

“Darling, I don’t think they’re gonna think we were doing karate.” Tom chuckled as he brushed his thumb over your series of hickeys. You laughed as well as you took his hand off your shoulder and kissed the back of it.

Elsewhere, the boys were trying to process what they just witnessed in the living room.

“What just happened?” Harrison asked the group.

“They were just sleeping.” Sam said quickly. “They probably fell asleep watching a movie or something.”

“Naked though?” Tuwaine raised an eyebrow.

“I don’t think they were naked.” Sam’s eyes darted around as he lied.

“No. They were.” Harrison concurred. “I definitely saw some peen.”

“I saw boobs, so,” Harry shrugged. “I’m happy.”

“What do you think they were doing in there?” Tuwaine wondered.

“Definitely not laundry.” Harry muttered.

“Hm. Let’s think. What were two adults doing naked in a bed together?” Harrison asked sarcastically.

“Karate?” Sam suggested weakly. The rest of the boys looked at him, their silence deafening.

Back in Tom’s room, you tried to come up with a plan.

“What should we do?” You asked him. “Is it safe to go out there?”

“Let’s give them a minute to process it. I don’t want to get asked a million questions right now. I just want to stay here with you.” Tom said and he picked up your hand to hold it.

“I wanna stay here too.” You mumbled. With all the commotion of waking up, you had momentarily forgotten that you had sex for the first time last night. You leaned in to kiss him to thank him for a magical night. He immediately kissed you back, putting his hands on your face face to keep you close.

“I’m glad we did it. I’m less glad about being woken up by screams, but I’m glad it happened.” Tom chuckled as he stroked your cheek with his thumb.

“Me too.” You smiled softly. “I was really nervous, but now I’m just happy.”

“You were nervous?” Tom asked curiously.

“Yeah.” You said sheepishly. “I had no experience. I was scared I wouldn’t be any good.”

“Well, you were perfect.” He told you as he kissed your knuckles. “I’ve always thought you were perfect.”

You smiled and cupped his face to kiss him again. You kissed him multiple times before moving to press kissed all over his face.

“I’m so happy.” You beamed. “I’ve never been this happy.”

“Me either, darling.” He matched your grin. “I love you.”

You kissed him again and pulled him into a hug.

“I love you more.”

In the living room, the boys were standing around, impatiently waiting for you and Tom.

“Why haven’t they come out yet?” Sam whined as he paced around the room.

“Round two, perhaps?” Harry joked, giving Harrison a nudge.

“You seriously think they hooked up?” Harrison asked him. “That’s kinda bold for them.”

“Is it? You know how close they are.” Tuwaine shrugged. “Tom must have seduced her and lead her to his bed chambers.”

“Under our roof?” Sam gasped. “With us in the house? Those whores.”

“I mean, I personally saw this coming.” Harry raised his hand. “It was only a matter of time.”

Everyone else nodded, which caught Sam’s attention.

“You guys saw this coming?” He asked sadly.

“Yeah. It was pretty obvious they liked each other. And with all of us living together, some hanky panky is bound to happen.” Tuwaine explained. Sam stopped pacing and looked down at the ground.

“I just didn’t think she liked him back.” He mumbled.

“Maybe she doesn’t.” Harrison suggested. “Maybe she just wanted to get off and he was there.”

“I was there too.” Sam shrugged. “We all were.”

“Yeah, but, she picked him.” Harry stated. “Can’t blame her. I’d shag a superhero too if given the chance.”

“Have none of you ever heard the word “sex” before or…” Tuwaine said under his breath.

“Wait, shhh.” Harrison hushed the crowd “They’re coming.”

Tom sheepishly padded into the room, fully dressed now. His hair was sticking up in every single direction, worse then his usual bed head. His pajama shirt did little to hide the love bites on his jawline, and absolutely nothing could hide the grin on his face.

“Hello everyone.” He said, bowing a little to the crowd.

“Good morning.” Harrison smirked. “How’d you sleep?”

“Or did you not get much?” Harry quipped. Tom shot him another look and dropped his smile.

“I slept fine.” He rolled his eyes. “What did you guys see?”

“More of you than I ever wanted to.” Harry began. “But as much of her as I wanted.”

“Don’t be a div.” Tom smacked the back of his brothers head.

“You’re the div.” Harry insisted. “Who doesn’t lock the door?”

“It’s not our fault. We didn’t know it was gonna happen.” Tom replied.

“What did happen?” Sam asked wearily. Tom looked around at the group and saw everyone leaning in to find out more. He wanted to keep the sweetness of your relationship to himself for a little longer, but he knew was was caught.

“Not that it’s any of your business, but we had sex last night.” Tom said slowly. The group fell silent, then erupted into applause.

“All right.” Harrison cheered and shook Toms shoulders.

“It’s about time.” Harry clapped him on the back as well.

“Was it good?” Tuwaine inquired.

“Did she peg you?” Harry asked.

“Where is she now?” Sam spoke above the crowd.

“She’s bloody embarrassed after you all woke us up screaming.” Tom said with annoyance. “She didn’t want to come down.”

Everyone nodded, understanding where you were coming from.

Tom looked around the room before muttering, “Also, she can’t walk.”

Excited murders came from Harry, Harrison, and Tuwaine while Sam groaned.

“Oh my God.” Sam gagged. “I’m gonna be sick.”

Not wanting to hear anymore, he left the room and went to sulk in his own bedroom.

“Whats his problem?” Tom asked once his brother had left.

“Not sure.” Harry shrugged. “The rest of you are happy for you though. I don’t think any of us thought you had the balls to go for it.”

“Well I do.” Tom folded his arms. “Y/n can vouch for me.”

No one liked that joke as much as Tom did, and it showed in everyone’s faces. The room fell silent as Tom stood there, proud of what he had said.

“Don’t be gross, man.” Tuwaine mumbled.

Suddenly, you walked into the room wearing Toms shirt from the night before. You had sleep shorts sticking out under the shirt, barely hiding the hickies littered on your thighs. Tom caught sight of them and flushed, adverting his eyes to calm himself down.

“Good morning.” You said quietly. You stood next to Tom and wrapped your arm around his, feeling particularly clingy this morning.

“There she is.” Harrison clapped. “The girl of the hour.”

“How are you, beautiful?” Harry asked you. “Do you need anything? Water? Breakfast?”

“Plan B?” Harrison said in the same cheery tone.

“Shut up.” Tom snapped.

“Actually, I could use some water.” You laughed softly.

“I’ll get it!” Harry and Harrison said in unison as the ran to the kitchen. You could hear them fighting over a water bottle in the kitchen and looked to Tom for answers.

“Whats up with them?” You wondered.

“They saw your tits.” Tuwaine said timidly. “You could hit them with your car and they’d be okay with it.”

“Interesting.” You chuckled.

“Not interesting. Unacceptable.” Tom grumbled with jealously. “And I will definitely be hitting them with my car.”

“Don’t.” You rubbed his arm soothingly. “Let’s just have a nice day. No vehicular man slaughter.”

“Okay.” Tom smiled at you and kissed your forehead. At that moment, Harry and Harrison ran back into the room with water bottles in hand.

“Here you go.” Harry said as he presented you with a water bottle.

“Mines better.” Harrison smacked the bottle out of Harry’s hand and held his out. “It’s colder.”

You laughed and took Harrison’s water bottle with a grateful smile.

“Thank you.” You said before taking a long sip. You didn’t realize how dry your mouth was until you got some water.

“Do you need any?” You asked Tom, and he nodded.

“Yeah. Thanks, love.” He said before opening his mouth. You poured some water in, smiling as it ran down the love bites on his neck.

“Ew.” Harry scrunched up his nose when he saw this. You used the hem of your shirt to wipe Toms face free of water. He smiled gratefully before leaning down to kiss you.

“So, are you guys together or what?” Harry wondered. “Because if you just wanted to sleep with a Holland brother, might I suggest m-“

“Shut up.” Tom cut him off. “We’re together. We’ve been together for a few weeks now.”

“Really?” Tuwaine asked. “How come you didn’t tell us?”

“We were planning on telling you guys soon.” You said. “Just not like this.”

“None of us could have planned for this.” Tuwaine agreed.

“I’m happy for you guys though.” Harrison piped up. “I think you make a good couple.”

“Thank you.” Tom smiled proudly as he wrapped his arm around your shoulders.

“Just, you know, lock the door next time.” He continued.

“Trust me.” You sighed and patted Toms chest. “We will.”

You looked around suddenly and noticed one of your housemates was missing.

“Where’s Sam?” You wondered.

“Probably crying in the other room.” Harrison chuckled.

“Crying?” Tom furrowed his eyebrows. “Why?”

Harry and Harrison exchanged a look, neither wanted to be the one who broke the news.

“You should probably go talk to him.” Harry said. Tom looked at you curiously before nodding.

“I’ll be right back.” He told the group before leaving the room.

Tom found Sam in his bedroom, blankly staring at the wall. He shut the door behind him, making Sam jump a little.

“Mate, what’s going on with you? Is everything okay?” Tom asked. Sam looked at him for minute before looking down at his hands.

“I can’t believe you slept with Y/n.” He mumbled.

“Why?” Tom wondered. “You guys tease us all the time about how close we are. I thought you’d all see this coming.”

“I didn’t. I didn’t think you two would ever actually do something.” Sam sighed. “What even was last night? Was it a one night stand or…”

“Well, we’ve kinda been dating.” Tom said slowly. “Not for very long, though. We both agreed we wanted to be more than friends and I don’t know. Things just kinda happened from there.”

“Why didn’t you tell any of us?” Sam asked. “We live together, for Christ’s sake.”

“Because, I don’t know.” Tom shrugged. “I didn’t want anyone to know yet. It was just our little secret. Haven’t you ever had a secret?”

Sam opened his mouth and quickly shut it, feeling the irony of Tom’s question hit him. He didn’t want to lie to his brother, so he let out a sigh.

“I like her.” He said, barely audible but Tom heard.

“What?”

“That’s my secret. I like her.” Sam looked up. “I’ve liked her ever since we met. And now you…you ruined it.”

“What?” Tom repeated. “I didn’t ruin anything.”

“My older brother slept with the girl I liked.” Sam said fully. “That kinda ruins things for me, mate.”

“I slept with my girlfriend.” Tom corrected. “And it was a big deal for us, so don’t rain all over it.”

“It’s a big deal for me too.” Sam insisted. “I really liked her.”

Tom was about to raise his voice, but decided against it. He knew better than anyone that you could not help who you fell in love with. He knew that if he was in Sam’s shoes, he’d be just as upset.

“Look, I’m sorry your feelings are hurt.” Tom said as he sat down next to Sam. “I didn’t know you liked her. But you never said anything about it. How was I supposed to know?”

“Would it have changed anything if you did know?” Sam asked quietly. Tom though about it for a moment before he gave his reply.

“Honestly, no.” Tom answered. “I love her. Nothing would’ve changed my mind.”

Sam stayed silent, not happy with this answer.

“Would anything have changed your mind?” Tom asked. “Would you have stopped liking her if you knew I did as well?”

“No.” Sam realized. “I guess I wouldn’t.”

“So do you understand now?” Tom hoped. “I didn’t do this to hurt you. I love her. This was always about her.”

“I guess.” Sam huffed. “It still sucks for me, though.”

“Yeah.” Tom chuckled. “It does. But you still get to be her friend. And she still loves you. Just, you know, like a brother.”

“I wish it was different.” He mumbled. “I’ll get over it. But for now, I really wish it was different.”

Tom looked at his brother and sighed. He knew this wasn’t the kind of problem he could fix. Tom definitely wasn’t the person Sam wanted to be around right now. He patted his brothers shoulder and left the room, going to find you for help.

A few hours later, you spotted Sam sitting alone on the couch. He was staring at the wall, seemingly a little out of it.

“Hey, Sam.” You smiled at him as you took a seat next to him. He broke out of his trance to look at you, giving you a weak smile back.

“Hi.” Sam said timidly.

“What’s going on?” You asked as you pushed his shoulder playfully.

“Tom told you?” Sam knew right away.

“Yeah.” You gave him a sad smile. “He told me.”

Sam stayed quiet, feeling his cheeks flush with embarrassment. You noticed this and put a cold hand on his face.

“You know I love you, right?” You said softly. “So much, Sammy.”

Sam nodded and looked down at his clasped hands.

“But not like that?” He asked wearily. You folded your lips in and nodded a little.

“But not like that.” You repeated. He looked up, but not at you. You put your hands on top of his and gave them a gentle squeeze.

“I’m sorry.” You whispered.

“It’s not your fault.” He said. “We can’t help what we don’t feel.”

“I guess not.” You agreed. Sam nodded again, not trusting his voice enough to speak.

“For what it’s worth, you’ve always been my favorite brother.” You told him honestly. He finally looked at you and smiled a little.

“I won’t tell Harry.” He told you, assuming he meant favorite of the twins.

“Or Tom or Paddy.” You added. “It’ll be our little secret. Can you keep a secret?”

Your words caused Sam to think of all the times he wanted to tell you he liked you, but didn’t. He briefly wondered if things would be different had you known.

“Yeah.” He smiled sadly. “I can.”

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[dialovers-translations]

Diabolik Lovers LOST EDEN ー Reiji Dark [07]

CHAPTER MASTERLIST

ー The scene starts in the kitchen of the Sakamaki manor

Reiji: Well then...I am all done. Please carry these to the silverware cupboard. 

Yui: Okay.

Reiji: Try not to get any fingerprints on there, okay? ...I will not be able to tend to my collection for quite some time after all. 

Yui: Eh? 

Reiji: I will leave for the Demon World shortly. ...And I might end up staying there for quite a while. 

Yui: How come?

Reiji: I must discover why I am having so much trouble controlling these powers. 

...I will learn to master them before any serious issues arise in the Demon World. 

Yui: ...Reiji-san, I...!

Selection

→ Ask to join him

Yui: Can I go to the Demon World with you?

I’ll try my best not to hold you back...So please!

Reiji: Good grief...I wonder where you get that groundless confidence from? 

You might have special blood flowing through your body, you are still a regular human in the end. So how can you be so sure of your statement...? 

You are as simple-minded as ever. I have no words for it.

Yui: ...I’m sorry. 

( Seems like I was a bit too upfront. )

→ Carefully look for the right words (❦)

Yui: ( I wish he’d take me with him but...I’m sure I would only get in the way since I won’t be able to defend myself. )

( However, I doubt I’ll be able to see him off with a genuine smile. )

( It’d be selfish of me to claim that I don’t want us to be apart. I’m well aware of that, but... )

Reiji: Why are you pulling a hundred different faces at once? ...It is pretty obvious that you would like to join me, you know.

Yui: Um, well...

( It’s a little embarrassing knowing that he predicted me perfectly... )

Reiji: ...Honestly, I am a little surprised by your hesitance...Especially coming from the same girl who had no issue straight up calling me ‘socially awkward’ earlier...

Yui: I’m sorry...

Reiji: However, I do think it fits your personality. 

While I have a hard time grasping how your mind works (1)...I do not dislike it. 

Reiji: However...The Demon World in its current state is highly dangerous to you.

You are the Eve chosen by Father himself after all. ...I am sure there are plenty of people who would love to use you for their own personal gains. 

Yui: No way...

Reiji: In terms of power, while Father was not the Demon King himself, nobody will dispute his position as Supreme Ruler. (2)

Meanwhile one could say that you are considered the daughter of this man who was feared by the lower classes. 

Now that the Supreme Ruler has passed away, the commotion regarding the fight for sovereignty over the Demon World worsens with each passing day. 

While this is obviously the case amongst the leaders of each respective clan, there are even those amongst the lower classes who see this as a prime opportunity to gain authority. 

They might try to make use of this opportunity and target you...as you could provide them with the key to earning power. 

To be honest, while staying here entails risks of its own, I would say it is more safe than the Demon World. ...You do understand where I’m getting at, right? 

Yui: ...

Reiji: ...Well then, I need to get ready, so I shall return to my room for now.

While I am away, I will leave this house...as well as those idiotic brothers of mine in your care. 

Yui: ...Um!

Reiji: Yes?

Yui: ( I don’t want to hold him back, but still...! )

I am fully aware of how selfish this is of me. However, I want to come with you...! 

Please let me be with you!

Reiji: ...

Yui: I’m begging you...!

Reiji: ...Haah. Okay.

Yui: Eh? You’re giving me permission? 

Reiji: Yes. The human world has become quite dangerous as of right now with the increasing threat of Demon Hunters. 

Therefore, I might actually feel more relieved to have you by my side, rather than having to leave you behind here. 

Yui: Thank you so much. Um, I promise I will try not to get in the way...

Reiji: It’s fine. What I want...is for you to be there with me regardless.

Yui: ...Yes!

Monologue

I wonder just how bad things are over at the Demon World? 

Personally I cannot even imagine it,

however, I am sure that Reiji-san is the only one,

who can break through this dire situation. 

Exactly because I feel that way,

I want to be (居たい) there right next to him. 

Who knows what waits up ahead. 

However...

No matter what happens, I shall never leave his side. (離れない)

That’s what I decided for myself. 

ーー TO BE CONTINUED ーー

Translation notes

(1) Literally he says that he has trouble weighing or gauging her criteria, most likely referring to how he finds it difficult to predict how she will react in a specific situation because her decisions sometimes conttradict each other. 

(2) Maybe I missed this in previous games, but I’m actually not quite sure what the exact difference between 魔王 (maō) and 覇王 (haō) is in the DL universe. On the DL wikia, both Burai and Karlheinz are listed as ‘Demon King’, but while Burai has been referred to as 魔王 or ‘Demon Lord’, in Japanese, Reiji here makes a clear distinction with Karlheinz being not the Demon King, but instead the 覇王 or ‘Supreme Ruler’. 

[butterflyyeo]

jealous

pairing — han jisung x reader

genre — angst (?)

tw — slightly suggestive (?)

wc — 3035

a/n — yall idk wtf this is im trying my best to get better at writing angsty (???) stuff so im really sorry if this is absolute trash T^T. feedback is appreciated !!

———————————

you hadn't seen your brother, chan, for a long time, six months to be exact and of course you missed him dearly. when he called to tell you that he was coming home for a while you nearly cried of joy, however, the happiness faded when he mentioned that he'd be bringing his band mates, that meant changbin... and han jisung.

it wasn't exactly a secret that you didn't get along with jisung, and you never knew why. he always just irked you a bit, and on purpose too. it was constant bickering between the two of you, fortunately, chan and changbin had learnt to tolerate it. speaking of changbin, you actually quite liked him and he was rather fond of you too. chan knew this, in fact, chan saw all the underlying tension between you and the rest of 3racha. he was thankful that he was your brother, but he didn't have to intervene, he was fully aware that you could handle these things on your own. unless of course you asked for help, and in that case, he would go to war for you.

a sturdy knock hit the door a few times and you ran to the door, unlocking it.

"channie!!" you leaped onto him and hugged him tightly. he dropped his bags down to the floor just so he could hug you back. "i've missed you so much!" you said as you hopped down and picked up both of his bags.

he grinned, "i've missed you too, y/n."

your smile dropped almost instantly as you saw jisung leaning against the doorway, a smirk across his face that just made you want to slap him. faking a smile, you greeted changbin, "hey changbin! good to see you." he gave you a sincere nod and smile before picking up his suitcase. "now chan, shall i put these in the guest room?" you asked, chan was already going through the fridge, looking for food.

"mm." he mumbled. you took it as a yes and heaved his bags to the guest room, dumping them beside the bed. as you turned around to help changbin with his luggage, someone blocked your way.

"you didn't say hello to me?" jisung questioned, though, it sounded more like a statement.

huffing, you responded, "why would i?"

"because you love me," he said as he leaned in close. "and you missed me."

"you must be confused." you shrugged and pushed past him. that was too close for comfort. you thought as you walked out and picked up changbin's last bag.

"hey y/n," chan began, "what's for dinner?"

you sighed, "i'm gonna have to go shopping chan, i don't have enough food for all of you." you went to put your shoes on and a jacket too, since it was getting late and more chilly outside. "who wants to chauffeur me to the grocery store?" you joked.

"anything for you, my love." jisung said teasingly as he held his hand out to you.

"uh, i'd rather not." you swatted his hand away. "c'mon changbin, let's go!" you said while dragging changbin up from the sofa. he groaned, but honestly he didn't mind so much. he was just being a big baby.

the car trip was short and quiet, mainly because changbin was tired from all the travelling they had done to get to your house. plus, their schedule has been so full lately, they were lucky to have this time off.

wandering through isles, you began picking up ingredients and placing them intro a trolley.

"you really missed us?" changbin began, "me and chan of course..." he trailed off but a playful smile tugged at his lips.

"of course i am! jisung on the other hand..." you rolled your eyes, pushing the trolley along.

he chucked, "you really still hate each other? after all these years?"

you huffed, a little too obnoxiously, "yes. i do still hate him. and i'm sure he despises me too. i don't even know what it is... it's just... the way he treats me. he acts like he deserves my friendship, which he doesn't. it's something you earn."

"remind me to never piss you off." changbin laughed as he put a bag of chips in the trolley.

once you had everything you needed you put it through the register, changbin insisted he paid, since you were letting the three of them live with you.

shortly after you arrived home, you began cooking. while he wasn't the best, changbin offered to help as best he could. you actually thought it was really sweet. he passed you utensils, condiments and he even set the table.

meanwhile, chan was fast asleep in the guest room and jisung was showering in the provided ensuite. you turned to changbin and high fived him, "we're all done! i should wake up chan. you can start eating if you want." proud of his efforts, changbin sat down and began to eat.

gently pressing the door open to the guest room, you whispered, "chan? dinner is ready." you walked over to him and was about to softly shake him when jisung walked out of the bathroom, only a towel around his waist. his tousled wet hair dripped little drops of water down his chest and it was rather overwhelming to see him so exposed.

contrary to your thoughts, he couldn't care less, he enjoyed watching the way you panicked and blushed heavily. if this is what it takes. he thought.

"oh! um, jisung. i'm so sorry, i was just coming to tell chan that dinner is ready, i should've knocked or-" you blurted out in a quiet voice, weary of chan waking up.

jisung let out a low chuckle, "it's fine, y/n. i'll wake him up once i've dressed."

"thanks," you said as you went to leave, "wait... no snarky comment?" you puzzled.

he said nothing, just winked at you as you closed the door.

you joined changbin at the dinner table, sitting across from him. "how's the food?" you asked as you took a bite for yourself.

"y/n it's amazing! you're seriously a great cook. man, i wish i was this good." he said as he took a small bite of the spaghetti you had prepared.

at that moment, chan dawdled out the door and jisung closely behind. they joined you at the table and also began eating.

"don't worry about it binnie, i can teach you to cook, years of living on my own without chan seems to have payed off a bit." you joked.

"binnie?" jisung questioned the nickname you had given to changbin, whilst changbin sat there furiously blushing. he tried to hide it by lowering his head but that honestly seemed it give it away more.

"sounds cute." you shrugged, not thinking much of it.

chan cleared his throat, "okay so here's the plan for tomorrow," he began, taking another bite of spaghetti, "changbin and i have to go talk to JYP about an upcoming show we are doing, so we could be gone all day with that. there's lots to plan."

"wait a second, why am i not going? i'm apart of 3racha too." jisung stated.

changbin replied, "did you get the email from him?"

jisung shook his head, "well, no but-"

"then you're not coming." changbin grinned cheekily, knowing this upset jisung.

when everyone had finished with their meal, changbin stood up and collected all the dirty dishes, only to begin washing them in the sink. you quickly tried to stop him, "oh, changbin! don't worry i can do that." you said as you tried to take over, but he refused.

"no. you won't. dinner was great! you've done enough for today, if we are gonna be living here for the next few weeks then i might as well be of some use." he smiled at you before nodding to the tv, signalling for you to relax.

tired as ever, chan come over and kissed your head goodnight before going back to sleep. by now it was nearly 10pm, you had a late dinner but that was because they arrived later than expected.

you sat down on the sofa and began browsing movies. you decided to watch your favourite, even though you've seen it a million times. once he was finished with the dishes, changbin joined you on the sofa to watch the movie, you quickly filled him in on all the little details of the plot.

jisung was still sitting at the dinner table, scrolling through his phone, he was contemplating coming to join the two of you in watching the movie, but decided against it when he saw changbin put his arm around you. rolling his eyes and scoffing a little too loud, jisung stood up and went to the guest room he was sharing with chan. he tried his best not to slam the door but somehow that didn't happen.

"huh, wonder what's up with him?" changbin asked, looking at the door wide eyed. "i'll go check, sorry, i'll be back in a sec." he followed jisung into the guest room, you heard changbin quietly ask if he was okay.

what started as a whispered discussion soon became a hushed argument, you were worried that soon they would start yelling at each other. luckily chan was a deep sleeper, he also slept with earphones in, so you were pretty sure he wouldn't hear any of it.

the minutes passed and their quarreling continued, you debated going in there to try and make some peace but you decided against it, this seemed to be something personal between the two of them. instead, you switched off the tv and the lights, and went got ready for bed. as you were about to close your eyes you heard the jingle of keys and the sound of the door opening and closing. whoever it was, you knew they could take care of themselves, they were both adults and probably just needed some space.

when you woke up, it was around 7am. you quickly threw a hoodie on over your shirt, feeling a bit cold and walked into the living space to see changbin, sleeping softly on the sofa. it only just occurred to you that there wasn't enough beds for all of you in your current living situation.

you gently peeked into chan's room to see him sprawled out, sleeping a deep sleep. you smiled to yourself, knowing that he got all the sleep he deserved. the empty bed in the room didn't go unnoticed however.

it was jisung who left last night. and he didn't seem to be back yet.

slightly worried, you decided to cook up some bacon and eggs for when the boys woke up.

"morning y/n." you turned around to see changbin leaning against the kitchen counter.

you smiled, "morning! sorry if i woke you up, i'm just making some breakfast, you've probably got time to shower if you want to before you eat."

"serious? man, what did we do to deserve you?" changbin said looking at you sincerely.

you laughed lightly, "nothing, now go! and please wake chan up when you get out."

he just chuckled as he walked away and closed the guest room door behind him. you wondered if you should make enough breakfast for jisung, would he be back soon? if he wasn't, he could just re-heat it, you thought.

the last few pieces of bacon finished cooking so you begin buttering the toast, you made a lot knowing that chan has a big appetite and there was a good chance they wouldn't have time to eat today. your train of thought was interrupted once again by changbin.

"anything i can do to help?" he asked, he was dressed quite smartly, but you understood as he was going to console with JYP himself.

"nope! i'm just about done, plus, you wouldn't want to dirty your clothes," you said as you began serving breakfast.

"ah okay, i woke chan up, he wanted to have a shower so he shouldn't be too much longer." he said, "can i?" he asked, pointing to one of the cups of steaming hot coffee you set on the counter.

"of course!" you said. a question burned in the back of your mind and you wondered if you should ask or not. "uh, changbin..." you began.

changbin knew exactly what you were about to say, "he's okay, y/n. he just wanted some space." his eyes stared at the wall blankly. there was more to this than needing space.

"so.. why was he upset then? you guys had a pretty heated argument.."

changbin's eyes met yours, "i'm sorry you had to hear that." he took a sip of coffee, "we just had a bit of a disagreement, it happens all the time... you see, the thing is-"

"good morning to my favourite people!" chan said as he waltzed out of the guest room, also looking rather sharp.

you and changbin smiled at his enthusiasm, "morning!" the two of you chimed back.

"breakfast made? hot coffee? you seriously are the best sister in the world! it's like we're staying at a five star hotel." chan said picking up a mug of coffee.

you laughed, "i'm your only sister."

he shrugged, "still the best," he took a sip and hummed, looking around the room, "hey, where's jisung?"

"i don't know. i heard him leave last night." you said, placing two plates of food at the dinner table.

chan sent a red hot glare at changbin, knowing exactly why jisung would've stormed out. changbin looked away sheepishly.

"okay, well, breakfast is ready! eat up, you guys have a busy day." you said sitting down in front of a plate.

chan and changbin began discussing things for later with JYP, while you just sat their mindlessly eating your breakfast. you still couldn't help but wonder where jisung had went, and why he wasn't back yet.

you had completely zoned out and was just picking at the scraps of your plate when chan spoke, "well that was seriously great y/n! what a good way to start the day."

you smiled at your brother, "ah, it's the least i can do, maybe you could ask JYP if you can dedicate a song to me in return."

the three of you laughed and you began to clear up the plates while the boys finished getting ready. shortly after, they said their goodbyes and closed the front door behind them. although the door muffled his voice, you heard chan say to changbin, "you seriously fought over that again?"

you sighed to yourself, what were you going to do all day? you decided to finish cleaning up and have a shower.

you let the water run until it was warm before stepping in, you had to remember to be mindful because you often got carried away and distracted in the shower and lost track of time.

which is, exactly what happened, before you knew it you had been half an hour. shit, you thought. as you wrapped a towel around your body, you remembered jisung and how you saw a little too much of him after he showered. you blushed furiously just remembering it. that's when you realised that your feelings for changbin were just a deflection of the feelings you have for jisung. you're ridiculous, you thought. he hates you, despises you, enjoys making fun of you. you quickly ruled out the possibility of him ever returning the feeling and finished dressing.

you spent the day multitasking some of your studies while watching movie after movie, trying to be somewhat productive. your stomach suddenly growled and you checked the time, "must be time for lun-" you said aloud, "oh, it's 5pm." you laughed at your silly sense of time and how you had got carried away all day. but you soon frowned, 5pm and jisung still wasn't back?

since the boys weren't home you made yourself a light meal and sat at the dinner table alone, listening to some background music. it was actually quite relaxing. the evening golden sun shone through the window as you finished eating. you quickly began washing up your plate, when you heard the door creak open.

"oh, chan you're home! i just finished eating, but i can make something for you and changbin just give me a min-" but when you turned around to greet them, it wasn't chan or changbin. it was jisung. "jisung."

"are you gonna admit that you missed me this time? or do i have to leave for longer?" he smirked but you just sighed in relief. you hated to confess that you worried you wouldn't hear his stupid comments for a long while.

you spoke quietly, "of course i missed you. i was worried sick."

"oh? worried now?" he toyed.

"yes, worried! i heard you arguing with changbin and then you left!" you exclaimed.

his face turned away at the mention of changbin's name, "well sometimes changbin and i argue, it's normal."

you scoffed, "that's what he said."

"he told you?" jisung asked.

"no, he didn't tell me what you fought about, but it would seem that it isn't the first time because i heard chan scolding him after they left this morning." you admitted.

"they're not back?"

you shook your head, "nope," jisung looked away, "look, i just had dinner but is there anything you want?"

"yeah." he began.

"what would you like?" you asked.

"you." jisung said bluntly, catching you off guard. "and changbin wants you too."

it all made sense now. "oh, i, i see.." you said, quite taken aback. "jisung, it could ruin everything, we'd be playing with fire."

"i don't care, y/n." he said taking a few steps closer.

"but, chan is my brother." you said.

"he's my best friend." jisung countered, coming closer again.

"what about changbin?" you asked.

"he's also my best friend." at this point, jisung was standing face to face with you.

"hang on a second," you took a step back, hitting the counter, "i don't owe you anything." you whispered, pressing a finger to his lips.

he smirked, "but i owe you everything."

[cuddlephoria]

𝙎𝙏𝙍𝘼𝙒𝘽𝙀𝙍𝙍𝙔 𝙁𝙄𝙀𝙇𝘿𝙎 𝙁𝙊𝙍𝙀𝙑𝙀𝙍 | T. Uzui x Male Child Reader

                                                CHAPTER 7

"Listen, don't do anything that'll make you stand out." Tengen said, him and M/N riding in carriage into the entertainment district with Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Inousuke behind them in their own carriage, "So, whatever you do, don't get out of the carriage." Right when Tengen said that, Both Zenitsu and Inousuke jumped out of their carriage, the two in awe over the district. Tanjiro quickly got out of the carriage himself, following them so that they wouldn't get lost. "Those stinking brats!" Tengen angrily yelled, his and M/N's carriage stopping so that they could get out. Tengen started to chase after them with M/N shortly behind him, M/N looking around the district with wonder in his eyes.

After finally regrouping with the three, Tengen noticed just how mesmerized M/N was and softly chuckled. "Flashy, huh?" Tengen asked, ruffling M/N's hair as he looked up at him and smiled. Tengen smiled back, picking M/N up and letting him take in the sight. "This is the Yoshiwara Entertainment District." Tengen said, giving an introduction to M/N in where they were, "Awash in vanity and the desire of men and women, it's a town of the night swirling with love and hate.". "Why do they call it the entertainment district?" M/N asked, Tengen telling him "It's because of the prostitutes that reside here.".

"What's a prostitute?" ".....When you're older, you'll find out."

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

Tengen had managed to find a place to briefly reside in, Tengen sitting in front of Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Inousuke in the room they rented while M/N sat on his lap. "Now, When you've infiltrated the entertainment district, first look for my bride." Tengen said, explaining what the mission entailed for the others, "I'll be digging for information on the demons, as well.". Zenitsu just angrily glared at him, shouting "THIS IS OUTRAGEOUS!" while Tengen just raised a brow at him. "Huh?" "How dare you use your subordinates to personally find a bride for yourself!" Tengen glared back at Zenitsu, asking him "How did you get that idea?"

"I CAN't BELIEVE YOU HAVE A SON AND STILL ACT THIS WAY!" Zenitsu yelled, Tanjiro trying to calm him down. "I'M SURE THAT A SCREWED-UP ODDBALL LIKE YOU HAD NO LUCK WITH THE LADIES. EVEN SO, JUST BECAUSE YOU WANT A WIFE, THAT'S NO REASON TO USE DEMON SLAYER LIKE US!". When Zenitsu said that, Tengen yelled back at him "ARE YOU AN IDIOT? I'M TALKING AVOUT A WIDE WHO'S INFILTRATED THE ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICT AND IS HARD AT WORK GATHERING INTEL ON THE DEMONS!". Tengen looked down and saw that M/N was hiding his face in his chest, scared over his and Zenitsu's loud arguement. "Now look at what you've done...." Tengen muttered, rubbing M/N's back to comfort him while Zenitsu just stared with an annoyed expression.

Tengen than took out multiple envelopes, saying "These are the letters sent via the Kasugai crow.". "There's quite a lot." Tanjiro said, picking up some of the envelopes, "Has she been undercover for a long time?". "Well, I do have three of them. Wives." Tengen told him, Zenitsu's eyes widening as he went into shock. "Three of them.....wives?" Zenitsu let out, quickly asking Tengen "WHY DO YOU HAVE THREE WIVES?". Zenitsu turned his attention to M/N, asking him "ARE YOU AWARE OF THIS?". M/N nodded, telling Zenitsu "They are my mommies!". "SO YOU NEVER QUESTIONED WHO GAVE BIRTH TO-" Zenitsu didn't get a chance to finish his question, Tengen punching him in his stomach with a glare on his face.

Tanjiro, trying to chance the subject, asked "Um, in the letters, they keep reminding you not to stand out when you come. What are we going to do exactly?". Tengen sighed, telling him "Disguise yourselves, in a drab much I must regretfully inform you.". Just then, M/N took Tengen's hand and tugged on it, Tengen looking back at him and asking "Yeah?". ".....What did you even send them here for?" M/N asked, Tengen realizing he hasn't even told the reason they were even here in the first place to him. "Well, since this place is only active at night, I wanted to see if this would be a good place for demons." Tengen said, M/N tensing up when he heard "demons".

"When I first went as a customer, I couldn't get anything on them. So, I sent in your moms in as prostitutes to be more closer than a customer could be." Tengen smiled a bit at M/N, M/N looking down to the floor and mumbling "I hope that they're alright....". "It sounds like they've died." Inousuke spoke up, M/N gasping and feeling tears form in his eyes. Tengen quickly punched Inousuke in his stomach, going back to M/N and comforting him by saying "They're not dead....". Soon, the door to the room opened, a man with a box beside him telling Tengen "Sorry to intrude, but I brought the things you need.".

"....thanks." Tengen said, taking the box and opening it to reveal kimonos. "Dad, are you really going to...." M/N said, now seeing what Tengen was going to disguise Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Inousuke as. Tengen nodded, asking M/N "Want to do their makeup?". M/N beamed with excitement, taking the makeup kit and going over to the three with a big smile.

"I'm going to make you beautiful!"

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

M/N kinda went overboard with the makeup.....

Tengen and M/N took the disguised Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Inosuke (Who currently went by Sumiko, Zenko, and Inoko respectively) to the Tokito house to hopefully sell one of them, Tengen posing as their seller and M/N posing as his assistant. The chaperones of the tokito house were.....shocked when they saw the three "girls", the makeup combined with their awkward faces serving to their displeasure of them. "They sure are....quite homely girls, aren't they?" The female chaperone said, the male chaperone having to rubbed his eyes to make sure that what he was seeing in front of him was accurate.

"No, I don't think we can...." "isn't there any way you can reconsider? Under your training, I'm sure they can turn into diamonds." Tengen smiled at the female chaperone , the female chaperone blushing while the male chaperone tried to turn down Tengen's offer. However, The female chaperone said "I guess taking in one wouldn't be a problem!" Before he was able to, smiling with the blush still on her face. "Then, please take one." Tengen told her, M/N noticing that sparkles were coming around him. "Dad's really good at this...." M/N thought, wondering if he would be that attractive when he grew up.

The genes in the Uzui family must carry on to him....right?

"I think we'll take the one in the middle!" The female chaperone said, pointing to "Sumiko", "She looks very obedient!". "I'll work my hardest!" "Sumiko" exclaimed, Tengen waving goodbye to "her" while walking away with M/N, "Zenko", and "Inoko". "You guys are beyond hopeless!" Tengen told "Zenko" and "Inoko", angrily looking at the two as they walked down the district to the next house, "I can barely give you away!". "Is it my fault?" M/N asked, a small frown on his face while Tengen softly patted his head. "No, you did great with their appearances." Tengen said, softly smiling at him in order to cheer him up. "Zenko" just glared at Tengen, mad that he had to put their makeup in the hands of a 9 year old instead of doing it himself.

"Hey! A bunch of people are swarming around over there!" "Inoko" said, pointing to a crowd that had just formed. The four went over to it, seeing that the crowd formed over a beautiful young woman adorned in a gorgeous kimono. M/N blushed when he saw the woman, his heart racing as he pulled on Tengen's Yukata to get his attention. "Who is that?" M/N asked, Tengen smiling and telling him "That's Tokito's house's Koinatsu Oiran. She is the highest ranking courtesan and is going off to meet her client.". "This is called the procession of courtesans." M/N smiled, Tengen noticing this and asking him "Did my son somehow fall in love?". M/N snapped back to reality, shaking his head and saying "No! I just think she's pretty!". Though, when M/N went back to looking at Koinatsu, he saw her look at him for a moment and smile at him.

M/N's face went a tomato red, Tengen holding back a laugh and patting his head. "Excuse me, sir." A voice said from behind the two, Tengen and M/N looking back to see a woman with "Inoko", "I'll be taking this girl to my house, if that's all right.". "Hey, so you're" "The Ogimoto house chaperone." "If she's caught the eye of the Ogimoto house, I couldn't be more thankful!" As "Inoko" started to walk off with the chaperone, Tengen waved goodbye to "Her" and exclaimed "Take care of yourself, Inoko!". M/N looked over at "Zenko", thinking to himself "So that just leaves...." while seeing Tengen give "Zenko" an annoyed face. "Oh...." M/N let out, putting his hands together for a prayer.

"DON'T PITY ME!"

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

While it took a while, Tengen managed to charm the Kyogoku house chaperone to take "Zenko"......

As Tengen and M/N walked beside each other, M/N yawned and began to rub his droopy eyes. "Tired?" Tengen asked, M/N nodding and extending his arms out so that he could pick him up. Tengen was just about to do so, but a chaperone for another house came over to him. "Excuse me, but may I take that little girl with me?" The chaperone asked, Tengen shocked to hear that he asked to him. "Little girl?" Tengen asked, soon realizing that the chaperone meant M/N. Thanks to M/N long (H/C) hair, he was mistaken for a girl by most people. "I'm sorry, but he's not for sale." Tengen told them, taking M/N into his arms as he laid his head on his shoulder.

"Please, I'll pay you." "I said.....he's not for sale." The chaperone didn't seem to care for this, making Tengen glare at them so that they could leave. The chaperone quickly nodded and walked away from them, the glare that Tengen gave them still engraved in their mind. "Dad, who was that?" M/N asked, Tengen pressing a kiss to his forehead and saying "Nobody....". Tengen then walked back to the place they were staying at, going into their room and laying him on the mattress. "Get some sleep....I'm going scouting for a while." Tengen said, putting blankets over M/N. Though, before he left, M/N grabbed his hand and asked him "Stay?".

Tengen went quiet for a moment, but eventually smiled and laid down next to him. "Goodnight...." Tengen whispered, kissing M/N as he slowly closed his eyes. "Goodnight....I love you." M/N whispered back, going fast asleep while Tengen watched him with a small smile.

[todrokishoto]

bnha boys x tickles

character(s): bakugou, deku, denki, kirishima, todoroki

warning(s): tickles, blood (nosebleed), swearing? 

a/n: random idea i had. enjoy this hc/scenario thing while i work on some longer fics. p.s. i’ve never really written headcannons before so idk if i did it right lmao

B A K U G O U 

mans isn’t ticklish 

trained himself to tolerate it bc being ticklish is for the weak 

won’t tell you that tho bc it’s a valid excuse sometimes ok??

like,,, let’s say you’re tracing mindless patterns on his abdomen right

the two of you are just lying on his bed in his dorm room

and while it might have been innocent enough on your part

he can’t help but be... flustered as your hand moves awfully close to the waistband of his pants 

feeling his cheeks heat up, straight up refusing to let you see how much your touch affects him, he swats your hand away with a grunt

“that tickles, dumbass,” he huffs, his voice slightly strained. you pretend not to notice. 

your eyebrows lift upward in surprise at his statement. not once had he ever mentioned he was ticklish. propping yourself up on your elbow, you let your eyes trail over his features, studying him. 

his eyes are closed but only after mere seconds of feeling your gaze, they open back up. his crimson orbs stare into yours, neither one of you breaking the prolonged silence. you, frankly, didn’t want to. bakugou, on the other hand, refused to - fully aware his voice would betray him again. 

he couldn’t believe he had just lied about being ticklish. but, letting you believe your soft touches had tickled him rather than admitting they made him feel things he know he shouldn’t seemed like the most logical option. yes. there was no way he’d reveal his less than innocent thoughts. 

“what?” he grumbles, quirking a brow questioningly. “take a picture. it’ll last longer.” 

you fish your phone out of your pocket, holding it up above him. “okay—” 

your words turn into a squeal as he smacks the phone out of your hand and grabs your arm, pinning it above your head. he hovers above you, eyes full of mischievousness, his teeth exposed by the grin dancing on his lips. you stare back up at him, eyes wide, body tense as you attempt to gauge his next movements.

“how ‘bout a taste of your own medicine, huh? since you seem to find it so funny.” 

and before you can protest, his fingertips dig into your sides, eliciting careless giggles from you as he tries his best to find your most ticklish spots. 

K A M I N A R I 

would tickle you on the daily just to hear your laugh

pls he’s a total sucker for your squealing giggles. they’re his favorite

this boy will find any excuse to tickle you; pinching your sides, blowing raspberries on your stomach while lying in your lap - you name it 

one of his favorite ways is to use just a teeny tiny bit of his electricity, making the ticklish that much more unbearable 

we all know his love language is physical touch, so he just can’t help himself really

but don’t even think about tickling him. boy will practically screm bloody murder and literally run away from you like a child running away from their parent when it’s time for bed 

you’re bored. so bored, in fact, that you’re even thinking about purposefully provoking your boyfriend’s explosive friend just for some entertainment. you quickly scrap the idea, not feeling like being the target of his harsh words today. 

your boredom quickly dissipates, however, as the yellow locks of your boyfriend come into view. he’s chatting animatedly with kirishima and sero, his back facing you. you put a finger to your lips as a pair of red eyes look at you curiously. luckily, the redhead understands and says nothing as you sneak up to the table they’re currently seated at. 

“hey, babe!” you greet loudly, your voice dripping with fake innocence. 

before he can turn around, your hands are at his sides, pinching and poking with all their might. an odd sound - something between a gasp and a grunt - escapes your boyfriend at the feeling and he flails his arms, desperately trying to escape your hold. 

you underestimated just how ticklish your electric partner is, it seems. because before you can dodge it and sero can warn you, denki pushes his chair backward, knocking you over in the process. your boyfriend whips around immediately at the sound of your body colliding with the floor. 

“oh my god, baby, i’m so sorry. i didn’t mean—” his apology trails off at the sound of your loud laughter. 

you’re clutching your stomach with one hand, attempting (but to no avail) to silence your laughter with the other. denki rubs the back of his neck, eyes full of confusion, while he tries to regain his breath from your surprise attack. once again, he catches you off-guard as he crouches down next to you, his fingers finding your tickle spot with ease. 

your laughter gets louder and he smirks. “not so funny now, is it?” 

K I R I S H I M A

mans has a hardening quirk

aka he can just harden his skin, so tickling him is basically impossible 

once in awhile, when he knows you just want revenge for the times you’ve been tickled by him, he won’t activate his power 

but still, he barely chuckles, which makes you frustrated™

he doesn’t really tickle you on purpose that often tho bc that’s not manly

will tickle you accidentally while rubbing your arms or breathing on your neck while cuddling 

you’ll squirm in his hold and he will just apologize with a laugh and hold you tighter

you sigh, shuffling ever-so-slightly, stuck within your boyfriend’s tight grasp. the two of you had been cuddling on one of the sofas in the common room, but he had succumbed to his exhaustion and had fallen asleep next to you.

normally, this wouldn’t be a problem. you had no issue being his pillow once in awhile and his cute, little snores made it impossible for you to wake him. today, however, he had fallen asleep in the crook of your neck and his soft breaths were tickling you. with every exhale, your body tensed as you tried your best to remain still.

“kiri,” you whisper, his nickname slipping past your lips with gentleness. “babe, wake up.” 

he stirs at the sound of your voice, his breathing halting momentarily. you wait in suspense but he only buries his face further into your neck, a long breath fanning against your exposed skin. you squirm instinctively. your movements must have alerted something in him because he begins shuffling shortly after. 

you can’t see his face but you can tell by his breathing that he’s slowly but surely waking up. you practically hold your breath, praying that he will move before you have to voice your discomfort. unfortunately, luck isn’t on your side it seems. 

“kiri, i love you, but please move,” you plead, pushing against his chest softly. his red eyes are filled with confusion as he props himself up to look at you. “you’ve been tickling my neck for the past fifteen minutes. i was going insane.” 

he pouts then. “aw, babe, you should’ve told me. you could’ve woken me up, y’know?” 

“yeah, i know,” you sigh, rubbing your neck where his breathing had been just a few seconds prior. “i just didn’t want to wake you, is all. you’re so cute when you sleep.” 

“you’re cuter,” he quips enthusiastically, poking your nose with his index finger. “okay, your turn to cuddle me instead. i’m not ticklish so lay wherever you want.” 

M I D O R I Y A

i feel like this broccoli bean would be ticklish everywhere?

either that or he’s not ticklish at all

maybe his body’s been beaten so many times that his nerve-endings are either overly sensitive or they barely feel anything 

idk™ BUT

sweet, freckled little izuku would also not tickle you without consent

we stan a respective king 

he would be so careful to apply a little bit of a firmer pressure to not tickle you

sweetie had been to flustered to ask if you were ticklish when you first started dating and it was too late to ask now 

you’re sitting next to him on the gras outside of the doors, relishing the feeling of the nice evening air against your skin. the two of you are chatting mindlessly. well, izuku’s doing most of the talking and you’re mainly listening, but you don’t mind at all. 

his arm is grasped between your two hands as you gently trace the scattered freckles and scars adorning his skin. he had been so flustered when you had grabbed it, unable to will the redness away from his cheeks. you had only giggled in response. 

izuku didn’t know why you seemed to be so fascinated by his scars. you had always asked questions about them, wondering if he remembered where he got them. always made sure to call him handsome on days where he was particularly bothered by the markings on his body. 

he loved it. he loved you. 

but as your continue to trace them, your touch featherlight, he can’t help the shiver that runs down his spine. he squirms, his hand clenching together and forming a fist. you take notice and halt your actions immediately. he turns to look at you, meeting your wide eyes. 

“did i do something wrong?” you ask quietly, feeling the guilt claw its way to your chest. 

“no!” he practically shouts, his voice a few octaves higher than normal. he clears his throat. “n-no, you didn’t. it’s just that... heh. i’m, uh, kind of sensitive in certain spots, i guess? and while i really don’t mind you touching my scars, you were so gentle and i-i just... it tickled.”

his chin tilts toward the floor, his bashful gaze flickering away from yours. you notice the pink dusting across his freckled cheeks but decide not to point it out, desperate to make your boyfriend feel at ease again. 

“zuku, say that next time! i’m sorry. i didn’t mean to tickle you. i didn’t even know you were ticklish, to be honest.”

he rubs his neck, peering over at you once again. he grins sheepishly. “i-i never told you, i guess. usually, i’m able to resist the urge to squirm, um, like that.”

“you’re so cute!” you gush, grabbing ahold of his hand once again. “i’m ticklish too, y’know. but i’ll let you find my tickle spots on your own.”

and, for the umpteenth time that night, your boyfriend blushes as he thinks about exploring your body to find your very own tickle spots. 

T O D O R O K I 

we all know he had a shitty childhood fck u endeavor

he never had tickle fights with his parents or siblings when he was little

so poor bby probably doesn’t even know he’s ticklish until you accidentally find his weak spot one day

let’s say you’re both cuddling in your bed right?? and things are getting a little heated 

so,,, you detach your lips from his, placing a kiss on his cheek, then his jaw, then his neck

and let me tell you - this poor boy doesn’t know what to do 

he tenses up immediately, slamming his chin down to protect his exposed neck, his jaw banging against your nose in the process 

“y/n!” he calls out immediately, chest heaving, his body still tense as if on high alert. he reaches out to you when he spots you holding your nose, your brows furrowed in discomfort. “i’m so sorry. i don’t— are you alright?” 

you nod, releasing a hum to confirm your response. your nose is throbbing, but when you open your eyes and meet shoto’s wide bicolored ones, your pain subsides quickly. poor boy looks so helpless - torn between reaching out for you and distancing himself. 

“hey, sho, it’s okay. i’m alright,” you remove your hand clutching your nose to shoot him a smile but you stop midway, noticing the crimson liquid on your palm. 

“you’re bleeding,” your boyfriend observes quietly, the guilt obvious in his voice. “i hurt you. i’m so sorry. i... what you did made me feel weird and my body just reacted. i, uh, i’m sorry.” 

he scrambles out of your bed, reaching for the box of tissues he knows you have stashed in your desk. he hands you a handful of them, awkwardly lingering by the foot of the bed as you wrap the paper over your nose, clamping your fingers shut around it.

you shake your head with a gentle laugh. “sho, it’s okay. i didn’t know you were ticklish there. i can’t really control what my body does when i’m tickled either, so i don’t blame you.” 

“ticklish?” he repeats aloud, almost as if testing out the word. 

you nod, the innocence of your boyfriend once again surprising you. you feel your heart ache slightly at the thought of him not knowing what the action is. had nobody ever touched him enough for him to find his tickle spots? 

“yeah. most people are ticklish somewhere on their body. usually either on their waist, their armpits, feet or neck - like you. it’s normal. typically, when people are touched where they’re ticklish, they’ll squirm and laugh.” 

he nods and you remain quiet as he processes the information. then, much to your bewilderment, he leans forward and grabs ahold of your side with his fingertips. he pinches gently and you jerk, narrowing your eyes at your boyfriend smiling harmlessly. 

“so, is that your tickle spot, then?”  

[fallout4reactsblog]

could probably use some lighter courser ask storm prompts after all those whumpy angsty sounding ones, hmm. companions react to sole builds a raider cage but decides to see what happens if they bait it with fancylads, discovering later that it consistently traps coursers. each companion's personal part has them open it to find a different random courser inside, including named ones like x6, z2, & chase (who has some explaining to do). the jarring ooc surreality of the situation is amusing.

Ada: “You seem to be stuck.”

The courser inside glanced up at the sound of her voice, box of snack cakes in hand, and slowly nodded. “I didn’t realize it was trapped.”

“Usually this is baited with chems in order to trap raiders,” she said, beginning to fiddle with the release mechanism. “I am unsure why it is baited with cakes this time, but I’m sure it’s just a mistake. Don’t worry, you’ll be out shortly.”

“Thanks,” they said, slowly getting to their feet.

“Here, another box for your troubles,” she said, pulling one out of her bag. “Though I don’t believe I caught your name.”

They took it with a nod. “I’m X4-18. Nice to meet you.”

“I am Ada. My apologies for the inconvenience.”

“No problem,” X4 said. “Thanks for getting me out.”

In a flash of light, they were gone.

Cait: A rattle from inside the raider cage gave her pause on her way back home. She almost didn’t stop, the raider cage was sole’s problem after all, but what the hell. She was a little on edge today, and maybe beating the shit out of some unsuspecting soul would do the trick.

“Hi there!” A voice said from inside.

That gave her pause, but she went on fiddling with the lock. These things were usually baited with drugs after all. Wouldn’t be the first cheerful raider to come out.

The door swung open to reveal a blond courser, grinning ear to ear.

“I seem to have found myself in a bit of a predicament,” he said, sticking out a hand. “X7-22, nice to meet you. Don’t suppose you’re willing to help me out?”

A courser? Hell no. Slowly, she shook her head and started closing the door again.

“Hey! Wait a second, I’m sure we can come to some kind of agreement.” He shifted to stay visible through the gap in the slowly closing door. “There’s gotta be something I can offer you. Money? Supplies? Anything? Come on, talk to me-”

With a click, the lock re-engaged. She dusted off her hands.

Coursers in the raider trap. Now that was a problem for sole.

Codsworth: “Oh, dear.”

He slowly hovered around the cage. The courser watched him with wary, predatory eyes. Codsworth made a noise akin to a sigh.

“They never learn.”

The courser opened their mouth to protest, but he waved his saw arm through the air, cutting them off. “Sole simply refuses to listen! I told them nothing good would come of this, and now look where we are. A courser is stuck in the raider cage. No good!”

He poked at the lock, still griping. “The raiders I could understand. No-good hooligans need to be disposed of. But this is madness. What is there to gain?”

The courser had shrunk back into the cage, presumably having realized that this lock was not built to be opened by a Mr. Handy, and they were going to be stuck listening to what he had to say for a while.

At least there was snacks.

Curie: “Pardon me.”

An unfamiliar voice made Curie jump, and she spun to see a man with slicked-back brown hair staring at her from the raider cage. She stiffened and turned back around.

“Ah, c’mon,” he said. “Don’t ignore me. I’m harmless.”

“I have no interest in speaking to such an unsavory character as yourself.”

“Not even a little sympathy for a fellow synth?”

She glanced back behind her, eyeing the man in the cage. He gave her a slick smile.

“What is your name?” she asked.

“Z2-47″

She frowned a little, gears turning. So he was a synth, and a courser at that. And by all accounts, she was a synth that needed to be brought back to the Institute.

...Hadn’t sole said something about needing to kill a courser?

She took one last look at him, still looking every bit like the cat that ate the canary, and put on her best smile. “Oh, but of course I will help you. I simply must find the person with the key. If you will wait but a moment, I will bring them.”

Not waiting for a reply, she went off in search for sole.

Danse: The trap’s mechanism was very simple. The cage was built so that you had to step inside to get the bait, then the weight triggered the door to close and lock behind you. Sole had built it to trap raiders in, usually baiting it with chems, though he couldn’t say how many times they’d sent him to go get Hancock out of there. That ghoul never learned.

Today, though, it was him eyeing the cage from across the street. Yesterday, he’d seen sole baiting it with no less than three full boxes of Fancylads Snack Cakes they’d pulled out of an old vault. That meant they were in pristine condition, untouched by the taste of radiation. He’d been too shy to ask them for one of the boxes, and now seemed to be his chance. He just had to get them out of there.

Glancing around to make sure no one was watching, he approached the trap, bracing one foot against the small step up into the cage and curling his right hand around the doorframe. If he leaned in, he should be able to...

Evidently, lose his balance and fall in.

With an unceremonious crash, he toppled to the floor, door slamming shut behind him. For a brief moment, he stared around at his surroundings, truly confused on how this had happened.

At least he hadn’t landed on the snack cakes. Might as well make the best of a bad situation, right?

Deacon: “Well this is awkward.”

Chase glared up at his mischievous grin as he asked, “So, how’s the weather in there?”

“Exactly the same as it is out there. Let me out.”

“C’mon, Chase. At least finish the snack cakes. That’s what you’re in there for, after all. Don’t tell me you ate them already.”

She glared at him in lieu of a response, and he fake gasped. “Chase, there was, like, three boxes in there!”

“Coursers burn calories very quickly.”

“Probably all that running and shooting and all.” He sighed and started to fiddle with the lock. “Well, no sense in leaving you in there. You’ve got work to do after all.”

“This stays between us. Understand?”

He laughed and said, “Sure. Between you, me, Glory, Dez, whoever they tell...”

“Oh, you’re impossible.”

Gage: The satisfaction he got from seeing a locked raider cage was like nothing else. Commonwealth raiders were stupid bastards, and if they were dumb enough to go into a very clear trap, well, they were dumb enough to die.

He chambered a round in his rifle as he swung open the door.

An Institute courser snarled and swiped at him with a very large, mean-looking knife. He narrowly dodged, shifting to dodge her second strike, and slammed the door in her face. An unholy screech of metal on metal echoed down the street, and he winced.

“Damn,” he muttered. “Coursers these days.”

The whole cage shuddered as the synth inside slammed herself against the door, shouting obscenities. He took a step back, debating whether or not he was willing to open it up again. On the one hand, there was a synth that needed killing. On the other, well, he still had one eye left, and he was keen to not lose it to a very pissed-off courser.

“Overboss!” he shouted up the street. “There’s some kind of feral thing in your cage.”

“What? Hold on, let me come look, just give me a second...”

A second was never just a second with the Overboss. He sighed and resigned himself to a very long wait.

Hancock: "Well, hey there.”

“Oh! Monsieur Hancock. What wonderful timing!”

Curie grinned up at him with a smile to light rooms, and he almost shielded his eyes against the brightness. Geez, this girl was bubbly.

“Whatcha doin’ in there, Curie? I don’t take you for the raider type, and last I checked chems weren’t your style. Mine, yes. Yours, no.”

“It is a funny story, really,” she chuckled. “I saw this box of snack cakes inside. They are in pristine condition, and one of my few vices, so for a moment I simply was blind to the fact that-”

“Snack cakes?” Sure enough, there was a mint condition box in Curie’s hand. “Holy shit, share.”

In a flash, he ripped open the door and launched himself at the second box of snack cakes. And damn, were they good. Untainted by the taste of radiation, they were perfectly balanced between sweet and sour, sponge still moist, coating still soft. Heaven in a crinkly plastic wrapper.

“Um, Hancock? Is it not rather cramped for the both of us?”

Oh, yeah. He’d landed right on top of poor, unsuspecting Curie. “My bad. I got excited.”

“Oh, no, that I do not so much mind. I simply wonder how we are going to get out now.”

Shit.

MacCready: “The way I see it, this stands to become a mutually beneficial exchange.”

Ol’ Z2 looked disgruntled, but asked, “How so do you mean?”

“I mean we could both gain something from this. I let you out of there, and you offer me something in exchange. Sounds fair, right?”

“Maybe.”

He rocked back on his heels. “So, what do you have to offer?”

Z2 frowned and dug around in a pocket. “I have some fusion cells.”

MacCready rolled his eyes. “No good. Sole’s got tons, and I don’t use a laser weapon.”

“I have a few bottlecaps.”

He squinted into the cage. “What, like, ten? Yeah, no. Not gonna cut it.”

“Well, then I’m afraid this won’t work out. Coursers travel light.”

MacCready tutted, tapping a finger against his chin. “I don’t know, that coat of yours looks pretty snazzy. Bet it’s well-armored, too, huh?”

Z2 looked almost offended. “Are you suggesting that I hand you my coat?”

“The way I see it, you don’t have much of a choice. You can hand me the coat and get out of there, or wait for a less sympathetic person to come along and shoot you like fish in a barrel. Your call.”

It took only a moment’s hesitation before Z2 agreed.

Nick: "...Danse?”

Former Paladin Danse’s head shot up, and for the first time probably ever, he actually looked happy to see him. “Nick?”

“What on Earth are you doing in the raider cage?” He cut him a sideways glare. “Don’t tell me you picked up a chem habit.”

Danse looked appropriately embarrassed, and held up a box of snack cakes. “No. These were the bait this time, and I rather foolishly thought I could retrieve them from the trap unharmed.”

“Isn’t the whole point of the trap that you can’t get them out without falling in?”

“Of course, and I knew that. I simply allowed my pride to get the better of me. I should have left them alone, but couldn’t resist the temptation.”

Nick just shook his head. “Well, at least you can admit it.”

“Would you mind letting me out? It has been a significant amount of time.”

“Yeah, fine.” He set about picking the lock. “I assume you’d rather keep this between us.”

“If that’s an option.”

“I guess. Wouldn’t want someone spreading it around if it was me.”

“I appreciate that.”

Old Longfellow: There was a long moment of silence. He stared into the raider cage. Reinhart stared back, still slowly chewing on a snack cake. The eye contact seemed to last forever as Longfellow tried to figure out what the actual hell Reinhart was doing.

“Did you need something?” Longfellow finally asked.

“Did you?”

“I’d like to know what you’re doin’ in there.”

“I’d like to get out of here.”

Longfellow folded his arms. “You answer me, and I’ll let you out.”

“I wanted the snack cakes,” Reinhart replied, sliding an open box across the floor. “Here. There’s still a few in there, if you want.”

“I’ll pass, you keep ‘em.”

Reinhart slowly slid the box back toward himself. There was silence again.

“So are you going to let me out, or...?”

“Right, right. Yeah. I guess I’ll go find sole, they probably have the key...”

Piper: Piper Wright looked and felt every bit like the cat that caught the canary.

“Well, well, well, look at what we have here.”

“Miss Wright-”

“For the first time, we have a courser who has embarrassed himself in media res. Incredible!”

“Piper, please-”

“X6, can I get a quote? What do you have to tell the people?”

She held out a fake microphone, which was actually a rolled up copy of the Publick. He just sighed and said, “Could you please let me out?”

“Not a chance!” she laughed. “At least, not until you tell me how you got stuck in there. I mean, c’mon X6, a raider cage? You’ve gotta be smarter than that.”

He visibly deflated. “Unfortunately, Fancylads Snack Cakes are a common vice among generation three synths.”

Piper practically crowed with delight. “Snack cakes! You’re in there for snack cakes!”

“Yes, if you could just-”

“Sole!” she shouted up the street. “You gotta come see this!”

X6 resigned himself to the fact that he’d never live this down.

Preston: The person in the raider cage was not a raider.

She glared at him through the bars. He could only stare back in shock.

“You’re a courser,” he finally managed.

“No shit.”

“How... how did you get in there?”

She hesitated just a moment before replying, “Snack cakes.”

He pinched the bridge of his nose and muttered, “Dammit, sole. Everyone told you this was a bad idea, but you did it anyway?” To the courser, he said, “I’m sorry about this. We’ll get you out of there, promise.”

“Thanks,” the courser replied, then added, “I’m X9-96.”

“Preston Garvey, Commonwealth Minutemen. Nice to meet you X9. I’m no good with locks, so I’ll need to go get the key. Will you be okay in there until I get back?”

She shrugged. “So long as no more rifle-toting raiders come by, yeah. No promises I won’t kill him if he comes back though.”

So Gage had been by. Just great. Under his breath, Preston muttered, “Be my guest.”

[eriace]

C o n f e s s i o n // Nagito Komaeda

Reader: Female Genre: Fluff Character: Nagito Komaeda // Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair Requested: Yes

" Anyways, where did you even get that? " Fuyuhiko asked pointing at the bottle of wine.

" Somewhere. " Kazuichi answered shortly making me sigh at my seat.

" Isn't Chisa-sensei will be mad if you guys got caught? " (y/n) asked while looking at them.

" We have Nagito, we won't be caught because luck is on our side. " Kazuichi said while throwing his arm in Nagito's shoulder, making (y/n) roll my eyes.

" Yeah yeah, have your way. "

(y/n) lay her head on the desk and looked at Chiaki who was playing at her nintendo switch. Mikan, Mahiru, and Hiyoko weren't in the room while Ibuki and Sonia were with Peko.

While (y/n) was in the deep of thought she felt a light tap, making her raise her head only to be met by Kazuichi's orbs.

" What do you want? "

" Ah I... we kinda mess up and something happened." Kazuichi said, smiling nervously while scratching his cheek.

" You guys were caught by Chisa-sensei? " (y/n) confusingly asked while looking away but didn't saw the substitute teacher.

" No no, Nagito was...umm drunk, I guess? He was calling you so I thought you could help him. " Kazuichi replied.

' Calling or saying my name? ' (y/n) thought.

" Ah, okay okay sure. " (y/n) stood up and approached Nagito. Nagito eyes lit up as he saw her like a child who just saw a new toy.

Nagito's tie was loose and had flushed red cheeks, his temperature was sure to warm.

" I'll leave him to you (y/n)! Thank you. " Kazuichi said while dragging Fuyuhiko away. The two began to talk to the others while (y/n) stared deadpanned at Nagito's state.

' Did I just got left out? ' (y/n) thought and sighed.

(y/n) touched Nagito's forehead again but regretted it because it was too hot.

" What the hell is that wine...do it have a side effect where a person who drinks it will get sick or something? " (y/n) grumbled to herself before looking at Nagito's face-lidded eyes.

(y/n) face flushed red as Nagito gave a soft smile to her but (y/n) shook her head and calmed herself. She carried Nagito into a bride style because it is much easier for her than a piggyback ride.

' Mikan...she must be on the clinic. '

She nodded at her own thought and left the room without anyone noticing, that's her ultimate talent after all. The Ultimate Escaper.

" Unto the cliniccccc, Sir Nagito Komaeda. " (y/n) playfully sang while walking into the halls. Nagito hummed, shuffling a little into (y/n)'s arms while hiding his face into (y/n)'s crook.

(Y/n) blushed and stopped for a second but continued walking again.

" Hey, hey (y/n)-chan. I like you, let's go on a date. Oh, oh maybe a marriage already? " Nagito whispered into her ear, making her face explode.

" I- um... "

Nagito kissed (y/n) not letting her finish her sentence and pulled away after 5 seconds.

Nagito gave her a soft smile, (y/n) didn't respond and continued walking.

(y/n)'s knees became jiggly and her destination was near making her walk fast as she could but every time she would think of what just happened, she could feel that anytime she would faint.

She put Nagito down, holding his hand to support him from not falling, and knocked on the clinic's door, not too long Mikan opened it and saw us.

" Hello, Mikan! Umm... could you take care of him for me? Thank you! " (y/n) said while giving her Nagito.

(y/n) ran away and Mikan gave her a confusing and worried look.

" O-Okay I w-will, but are you a-also f-fine? " Mikan tried her best to shout so (y/n) could hear it.

(y/n) on the other hand, continued running and shouted a 'don't worry about me'.

---

' Next day '

" (y/n)? You want to talk to me? A tra- "

" No no shhh. " (y/n) said slightly almost shushing him with her finger. Nagito shut himself and looked at (y/n) who was fidgetting with her fingers while blushing.

" Ah um about yesterday...I like you too. " (y/n) said.

" Huh? What do you mean? " Nagito slightly confused but blushing madly.

" Uh...is that a prank about yesterday? " (y/n) asked sheepily, nervous was stuck on her throat.

" What...? "

(y/n) told him everything that happened yesterday that made Nagito embarrassed more, he confessed properly again that (y/n) gladly accepted, again.

End

© eriace ;; don’t repost my works.

[hxlyhead-harpies]

Ivy (R.L.)

Evermore

Pairing: Remus Lupin x Reader

Summary: The reader is trapped in a loveless and neglectful arranged marriage. She hires her old school crush, Remus Lupin, to tutor her son

Warnings: Alcohol, mentions of abuse, the reader is a mother, cheating, angst

Word Count: 4.9k

A/n: i am actually so so proud of this so um i hope you like it

Your life was nothing but a monotonous cycle of sameness, every day identical to the one before. Every day you awoke to a cold and empty bed, your silk sheets barren of who should be a loving husband. And every day you sat by your bay window with a cup of tea, leaving it unsipped until it became cold. You watched your son stumble around the manor, his tiny legs still clumsy like a newborn foal. You painted or read to bide your time, hoping to make the long hours go faster, but they never did. Nearly six years of this routine but no part of you longed to break free from it. 

You had been bred for this life since you had sprung into existence. You came from a prominent pureblood family and you were taught your place early on. You were to be silent and polite and you must not speak unless spoken to. It didn’t matter your intelligence or wit, you were nothing but a commodity with good posture and acceptable table manners. You were a pawn in your father’s chess game, something to be used for business deals and backdoor dealings. Your existence was for the purpose of your father’s advancement in pureblood society and nothing more. 

For a while you had wanted more, to be free and to have agency and choice. Back when you were in school you were exposed to ideas beyond blood supremacy and submission. You let yourself dream of a life away from your family and their ideals, where you could have your own free thought and you could love whom you chose, but the fantasy didn’t last much longer than your third year. 

When you had dared to voice your opinions one day during the summer holiday you were swiftly met with the back of your father’s hand. Your life quickly began to consist of long sleeve jumpers to conceal bruises and nights where your supper was withheld. You quickly resigned to the life you had always been told you’d have. 

You thought about running away and starting a new life away from the toxicity that oozed from the windows of your childhood home. But you were often reminded of what happened to daughters who disobeyed; you’d be subjected to a life of destitution.

So you did as you were told, obliging to the word of your father and keeping your head down. Of course, you still held your own ideas close to your heart; you didn’t believe in the sickening rhetoric that was blood supremacy, but you couldn’t tell anyone that for the sake of your safety. 

You were seventeen when you had gotten betrothed to Humphrey. It was your seventh year at Hogwarts and you had gotten a letter in mid-march informing you of your own engagement. He was your father’s business partner and eleven years your senior. He was cold and serious. Something about the way he had a perpetually raised brow and a scowl made your stomach drop. You had cried yourself to sleep that night, any remnants of your fantasy finally shattering in the clutches of your fiance. 

And now here you sat, six years later, your cup of tea cooling in your hands as your son asked questions you didn’t know the answer to. Every young wizard went through this phase, wondering why the lights would flicker when they were angry or why sometimes they could do things that they didn’t understand. Your son knew that he was a wizard, but his young mind couldn’t quite grasp what that meant. When you were his age, you had a governess who explained these things to you as well as taught you other things like basic arithmetic and history. You desperately wished that you could find someone, maybe a tutor, who could teach your son. 

Your child, Montgomery, was inquisitive and wild. He was named after his great uncle but detested the name, preferring to be playfully called Monty instead. He was born to be the picture of a perfect pureblood son, but he was wild and untamed no matter how hard you tried. You were afraid of how his father would treat him as he grew, and you were desperate to temper him.

That night at dinner you sat at the head of the table, Monty next to you, and your husband at the other end. It often felt as if there was an impossible distance between the two of you, a distance that could never be crossed. You rarely truly felt like his wife, usually only feeling like an employee in your own home. You poked at your meal for a while, chiding your son to eat his vegetables. In the darkness that shrouded your home, Monty was your only source of light. If you were to go on like this it would be for him. You took a deep breath, preparing yourself to raise the question. 

“Would it be alright if we hired a tutor for Monty?” you asked, “I had one when I was his age and I just think that it would be the proper thing to do.” Humphrey sighed and placed down his spoon, it clanking harshly against the rim of his bowl.

“Montgomery,” he corrected harshly. You swallowed thickly and nodded, avoiding his gaze. “And I suppose it would be a good idea,” he said, “We want him to be top of his class when he arrives at Hogwarts.” You nodded quickly, knowing that agreeing with him was the fastest way to get what you wanted. Humphrey thought for a moment before resuming his dinner. 

“You can pick out his tutor, just inform me when his lessons have started,” he said before going back to ignoring your presence. A sense of pride filled you at his words; it was rare you ever had a say in any of the decisions made around the house and the prospect of having a voice sent a shock of happiness down your spine. This single act of agency was not real freedom, but you would revel in pretending that it was. 

You sifted through ads in the Prophet and inquired with other mothers. You were hesitant to call them your friends as they held the same ideals as your husband, but they were the women you’d be forced to have tea with during business meetings. None of the names that came up seemed quite right. As a last resort, you sent an owl to your old professor, Professor McGonagall. She had been your favorite teacher back at school and you still kept in touch occasionally. When you were a teenager McGonagall tried relentlessly to help you see your potential, but you just brushed her off, knowing that you’d never be allowed to have a career once you were married. 

McGonagall’s response was swift, an owl knocking on the library window only a few hours later. 

The letter opened with her usual greeting, her insistence that you call her Minerva and not Professor. She offered up a name that made you pause. 

Remus Lupin. You could understand why she would suggest this name. He had been top of your class in school and a prefect. He had even tutored you once and had proven himself to be quite the teacher. You knew he was more than capable but his name still caused you to pause.

You had been absolutely infatuated with Remus when you were an awkward sixteen year old. He was handsome and smart and he was nothing short of gentle when he spent late nights in the library trying to teach you astronomy. Something about his hazel eyes and boyish smile had made your heart pound in your ears and your palms sweaty. But you never let yourself dwell on your feelings too much; you knew you’d be married shortly after you graduated and your father would not take too kindly to you dating anyone, especially a halfblood. So you had pushed the feelings aside and forced yourself to forget. Yet here you were, years later, and the shape of his name still caused butterflies to erupt in your stomach. 

You wanted so desperately to write back to Minerva and ask for his address, to send him a letter requesting his services, and to let him into your home. But you were afraid of what would happen if you did. You had spent so long trying to push away the stirrings in the back of your mind and ignore any inkling of restlessness. You feared that welcoming this man into your house would only ignite these feelings to a point where you couldn’t avoid them anymore.

But still, Monty needed a tutor and you knew that Remus Lupin was a damn good one. You sent an owl to Minerva asking how to contact him. 

The first day the Remus was meant to come to your house you were a ball of nerves. Monty was excited, yearning to learn and to meet this new person. But you were anxious about seeing him after all these years. You couldn’t be sure that he even remembered you. His time tutoring you had been brief, though you held that short time together close to your heart. 

You found yourself putting on your favorite clothes, feeling desperate to put up a good front, hoping the clothes would mask your unhappiness. The cream shirt and long navy shirt helped you play the role of a doting wife well, just old fashioned enough to make most believe that you agreed with this life. You tied back your hair with a silk ribbon before heading down to the front hall. You had nothing better to do than wait for him.

A heavy knock finally filled the empty halls of your home signaling you to his arrival. You called out for Monty before you walked to the door and opened it gently. 

You shyly looked around the edge of the door, meeting his eyes. It took everything in you to suppress some sort of physical reaction as you took in his appearance. The years had surely treated him well. His hair was longer now, curlier too, and his freckled skin adorned a few new scars. It was snowing lightly outside and snowflakes sat in his bronze curls. But his hazel eyes still shone at you warmly, and his small smile was familiar and dimpled. He looked older of course, slightly taller and with broader shoulders. He was wearing a beige shirt and a dark tie, a satchel slung over his shoulder, and a stack of books under his arm. 

You opened the door wider to allow him inside. “Hello, Mr. Lupin, I’m so glad you could make it,” you said softly, sticking out your hand. He quirked up an eyebrow and adjusted the books before reaching out his hand. His hands were cold and calloused as he placed his hand in yours, the contact sending a wave of warmth through your body. 

“You can call me Remus,” he said with an amused smile, “No need for the formality, it’s not like we haven’t met before.” You laughed softly at his comment, reluctantly pulling your hand away. 

“Of course, I wasn’t sure if you remembered,” you admitted, “May I take your coat?” Remus chuckled before shrugging off his jacket and handing it to you. 

“How could I forget, charms was it?” he asked. You flushed at his comment but hid it by turning to place his coat in the closet on your right. 

“Astronomy,” you corrected. He hummed affirmatively before rocking back and forth on his heels. You composed yourself quickly before you turned back to him. “Let me show you the library,” you said finally. 

The two of you walked down the hall in silence as you made your way to the room you spent most of your time in. You heard him gasp as you pushed open the mahogany doors. The room was magnificent; books lining every wall from floor to ceiling. Your precious bay window let in natural light and the plush carpet muddled your steps as you walked in. There was a table by the window which you had designated for Remus’s lessons. You had placed some books, quills and parchment, and a globe on the surface. 

Remus’s mouth was wide as he took in the room. You shuffled awkwardly towards the table and his eyes finally landed on it. 

“I wasn’t sure what you needed so I just found a few things,” you said, gesturing to the makeshift desk. He gave you that lopsided smile again and your stomach erupted with butterflies. 

“It’s perfect, thank you,” he said. You felt yourself smile widely as you wrung your hands. Since you had gotten married it was rare that you received a compliment. Even as small and insignificant as his words were, you felt the warm caress of approval anyway.

Before you could say anything else Monty tumbled into the room. His shirt was rumpled and messy, half of it untucked. His hair was wild and his cheeks were red. It was clear that he had gotten into some sort of mischief before heading to the library. He barreled towards you and hugged your legs. 

“Hello dear,” you said affectionately, unable to contain the smile on your face as you smoothed down his hair. 

“Mum you will not believe what I found in the garden,” he said breathily, a gleam in his eye. You raised your eyebrows at him.

“You’ll have to tell me later, Mr. Lupin is here,” you said, nodding towards the man. Monty turned towards his tutor and smiled shyly, hiding behind your legs slightly. It was rare that he met new people as he spent most of his days cooped up at home. Remus didn’t seem phased by his shyness, only stepping closer and bending down slightly.

“Hi, Montgomery is it?” he asked softly, offering his hand for Monty to shake. He shook his head furiously before putting his tiny hand in Remus’s.

“My name is Monty,” he said proudly, giving Remus a firm handshake. Remus smiled brilliantly. 

“Okay Monty, you can call me Remus,” he replied. Monty slowly detached himself from your legs, heading towards the table with Remus. He smiled as he hopped up on his chair and spun the globe. You smiled as you watched them interact, Remus ever so gentle and warm. 

“Do you mind if I stay?” you asked suddenly. Remus looked up with raised eyebrows. “I’ll be quiet,” you promised, “I’ll just be reading.” You gestured towards the spot where you usually read. Remus smiled and nodded. You made yourself comfortable and opened your book. But you couldn’t quite focus on the words, your attention captivated only by Remus. 

That night you laid awake next to Humphrey, unable to sleep. Your mind was busy replaying every moment that Remus had been in your house. How enthusiastic he was about teaching and how tenderly he’d answer Monty’s questions. You thought of how he’d look over Monty’s head and give you a goofy smile when Monty would innocently ask a funny question and how he gave you a lingering handshake when he had left. 

Watching Remus teach became how you passed your hours away. You finally indulged yourself and wondered what it would be like if he felt the same as you. You often found yourself imagining a life where you ran away together, stealing Monty away from the virulent environment of your life. You imagined that you’d move to the city, somewhere near the friends he spoke of so fondly, or away to the countryside in a small cottage. Of course, the fantasy was dashed every time he left and you were once again left in your solitude, waiting for your husband to come home and ignore you as usual. You grieved for the relationship that could never be and the life you could never have.

You felt trapped, a feeling you had been trying to suppress for years. But you were married, a binding and final contract, so there was nothing for you to do. It was as if you were a Rapunzel, waiting in her tower. Only your prince never came to save you. Instead, he was your captor and key keeper. 

Your favorite part of your day soon became the stolen minutes before lessons began and the fleeting seconds after they ended. That was when you could be alone with Remus, learning more about him through menial questions in the name of small talk. He was just as sarcastic and full of wit as you remembered, though there was a certain level of softness that hadn’t been present before. 

Every day, as he left you, shook hands, a task that was most likely no longer necessary, but you loved the feeling of your hand in his. Every time your palms touched you wished that he was taking your hand because he wanted to, not just as a formality. 

Remus’s mere existence consumed you, leaving you yearning for every inch of his mind and soul. Your thoughts were full of his smile and his beautiful eyes. You dreamed of running your hands through his hair and resting your head on his chest. You felt yourself falling in love with him slowly and it terrified you. But there was nothing you could do to stop it. It was as if he had planted himself in your mind, the vines of his ivy covering you completely, overrunning your mind, body, and soul. 

About a month into his teaching you arranged a meeting to discuss Monty’s progress. Remus had readily agreed and he appeared at your doorstep promptly. Humphrey was supposed to attend the meeting but he had been pulled away on business. Or at least that was what he told you. Often times when he was away for work he’d come home smelling of another woman. 

You sat in your husband’s office, just you and Remus. The lighting was dim and your breath was quickly becoming bated because suddenly, you weren’t so sure if you had been imagining the tension between the two of you. He fidgeted in the seat across from you, staring at you with those alluring hazel eyes. They were the type of hazel right between green and brown, the perfect sweet spot that made them appear almost yellow. You looked away quickly and cleared your throat. 

“So how is Monty doing?” you asked, placing your hands neatly in your lap. Remus smiled and ran a hand through his hair.

“He’s doing wonderful,” Remus said proudly, “He’s quite inquisitive. He wants to know everything about everything.” You let out a breathy laugh and nodded.

“Yes, he used to bombard me with questions before you started teaching him,” you admitted, “I couldn’t answer half of them.” Remus laughed this time and shifted in his seat, leaning slightly further over the desk.

“I’m sure you had no problem answering. I was honestly surprised when you sent me the letter, I would have assumed that you were teaching him yourself,” he said, “You were always so smart back in school.” You flushed and shook your head. 

“Do you not remember how you had to save me from failing astronomy,” you answered teasingly, the banter between you flowing easily. Remus pulled back and raised an eyebrow at you. 

“If I remember correctly, it never seemed like you needed much help,” he said. You felt your face heat up. In all honesty, you hadn’t needed help with astronomy. You had just wanted to be close to Remus and that was the only way you had known how. 

“No, I needed the help,” you chided, “You just happened to be an excellent teacher.” Remus met your praise with that boyish smile you had fallen for. The two of you fell into easy conversation after that, forgetting your purpose for the meeting in the first place. You knew that you were entering dangerous territory but you couldn’t find it in yourself to care.

That night as he left you walked him to the door. 

“Thank you for meeting with me,” you said softly, a hint of a joke behind your eyes. Remus nodded with a smile, rubbing the back of his neck. 

“Of course,” he said softly, “Goodnight.” His eyes were rounded and earnest, sending the beating of your heart into overdrive. As he turned to leave you found yourself grabbing his sleeve and turning him around. You were unsure of what your intention was but suddenly he was standing so close, his eyes roaming your face and your breath mixing with his. The two of you stood like that for a moment, staring at each other. Finally, you pulled back slightly, diffusing the tension.

“Goodnight,” you whispered back, your voice slightly hoarse. Remus swallowed thickly, before nodding and leaving quickly. 

The next time he came over for a session the two of you acted as if nothing happened. You hoped that this was because you were under the watchful eye of your husband and not because he didn’t return your affections. You worried the entire time that you observed the lesson, chewing at the inside of your cheek. He didn’t even spare you a glance the entire lesson.

Once he and Monty were done you walked him to the door, as usual, dread settling in your stomach. You worried that you had ruined everything. But when you reached the door and slipped your hand in his for your usual handshake, he surprised you by lifting your hand up and pressing a kiss to the back of it. 

Your life soon became waiting for stolen moments with Remus. Tentatively tangling fingers in a hallway before Monty rumbled down the stairs. There was so much you learned about him, but you could tell there was something he was holding back. There was an ever-present sadness in his eyes that made your heart break. He seemed cursed, as if there was something dark lurking underneath the surface. But he never shared too much with you. 

You scheduled your next meeting several weeks later and you waited for it impatiently, longing for moments alone with the man whom you loved. But unfortunately, luck was not on your side. Humphrey, who was supposed to be busy, had decided to join you. So he sat in the big chair while you stood behind him, your head down and your hands clasped behind your back. 

Remus sat uncomfortably in his chair, sneaking glances at you when your husband wasn’t looking. You were aware of how submissive and deferential you must have looked. You had never wanted Remus to see you like this, to see how truly trapped you were. You were afraid he’d pull away and realize that loving you was futile as you had no way to escape the shackles of your marriage. You longed to look into those hazel eyes and pretend that everything would be alright. But instead, your husband placed a rough hand on your arm and told you that it was time for the men to talk. 

You sat in the library and worried, afraid that Humphrey had somehow found out and was trying to confront Remus. But truly, what was there to find out? All there had been were lingering gazes and grazing touches of hands. You hadn’t dared to kiss him or even make it known how you felt. 

But when the meeting was over you watched Humphrey give Remus a cordial handshake and thank him for his services. Remus glanced at you for a split second, but his gaze quickly moved past you as if you weren’t even there. 

You feared that everything had been ruined. That he’d realize that you were too broken and too chained to be loved. But the next moment you had alone with him, he pulled you into a bone-crushing hug, the most contact the two of you had ever shared.

“He can’t treat you like that,” he murmured into your hair. You let out a shaky breath, holding back tears, and pressing a soft kiss to his shoulder. 

“He’s my husband, that’s how it’s supposed to be,” you replied. Remus pulled back and cupped your face. 

“No, it’s not. You deserve to be loved, not manhandled,” he said, his voice filled with a soft determination. You smiled sadly at him. 

“That’s how it’s supposed to be for women like me,” you said softly. Remus leaned forward and pressed his forehead against yours.

“He’s not worthy of you,” he whispered. You closed your eyes and sighed. 

“I don’t have a choice. I never did,” you murmured. 

Tentatively, Remus pressed his lips against yours. The kiss started out soft, his chapped lips moving gently against yours. Your mind was spinning and your legs went weak, this moment feeling like a dream. The way his hand was in your hair, cradling your head, and the way your body was flushed against his felt like something out of a fantasy. But soon, the kiss became more heated and more desperate, Remus’s lips pressed harshly against your mouth. When he finally pulled away you were breathless and dizzy, wishing that you could grab him by the collar and pull him back down. 

“You always have a choice,” he said, his voice gravelly as he whispered in your ear. And with that, he detached himself from your embrace and entered the library. 

As winter slowly turned to spring you spent every waking moment thinking of Remus and how you wished you could be with him instead. Your secret meetings became more frequent, filled with desperate kisses and unspoken confessions. The words often burned at the back of your throat, begging to escape and profess your feelings. You desperately wanted to tell him that you were irrevocably in love with him and you longed to know if he felt the same. But you knew that once those words spilled from your lips you could never take them back and things could never stay the same. But suddenly, you wished that things would finally change. 

You were often kept up at night with the fear that Humphrey would find out. That he’d catch a quick kiss in a darkened hallway or finally notice how Remus’s eyes lingered on you. You knew that if he found out you’d be on the receiving end of some unspeakable punishment. But you feared not only for your safety but the safety of your love as well. Humphrey was a scary man when he was angry, and you dreaded what your husband would do to Remus. 

On a brisk spring night, you sat in the study with Remus, an open bottle of wine on the desk. Humphrey was away on business so you took it upon yourself to schedule another “meeting” with Remus. He now sat at the desk and you stood between his legs, a bright smile stretched across your face. You sipped from your glass, reveling in the taste. It was an expensive bottle that Humphrey had imported from France and you knew that you weren’t supposed to drink it. 

Remus’s hand was settled on your hip as you talked, your faces so close that your lips almost touched as you spoke. You longed for moments like these, where you could bask in his affections unashamedly, without fearing getting caught. 

He brushed a stray hand of hair from your face and you suddenly became more somber, desperately staring into his eyes, your lip trembling slightly. His eyes furrowed as he sensed your mood change. 

“What’s wrong?” he asked softly. 

“Take me away from this place,” you pleaded, “Please.” Remus let out a trembling breath, his expression falling into one similar to yours. 

“You know that I can’t,” he whispered. You shook your head frantically, clutching the front of his shirt in your fists. 

“Yes, you can,” you said, “You, me, and Monty, we can all run away together.” Remus shook his head and looked away.

”No, we can’t,” he breathed. You felt tears pool in your eyes as you tried to convince him.

“Yes, we can! Monty adores you and I-” you took a deep breath, “and I love you.” You looked at him defiantly and unflinching, never surer of any statement in your life. Remus froze and stared at you, his mouth agape. 

“You don’t love me, you can’t,” he replied. 

“I do Remus,” you said softly, your grip on his clothes loosening. 

“You can’t. I’m poor and I’m-” he paused, seemingly trying to gather his words. “I’m ill,” he finally settled upon, “I can’t take care of you.” You cupped his cheek and shook your head. 

“I don’t care about any of that,” you whispered, “And you’d take far better care of me than he does. You already do.” Remus sighed before pressing a burning kiss to your lips. 

“When does Humphrey get back?” he asked as he pulled back. 

“Two days,” you answered. Remus closed his eyes, mulling something over. He finally leaned over, kissing your forehead lightly before speaking. 

“Go pack your bags,” he whispered. You smiled at him before turning to leave the room, ready to grab your and Monty’s essentials. But before you could leave he grabbed your sleeve, spinning you around to face him. Your faces were so close you could feel his breath fan across your face. 

“I love you,” he murmured softly. You simply smiled before grabbing your bags and gently waking Monty, preparing to break out of the tower that confined you. Ready to live the life you had always wanted with the man that you loved.

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