#perfect circle advertising

[theamericanpin-up]

Bill Medcalf - "Perfect Circle Piston Rings Advertising" - 1950s Brown & Bigelow Calendar Illustration -

[rainrot4me]

Rain’s Kinktober 2024 - 10

Kagekao x Female Reader - Stalking/CNC

SMUT WARNING MINORS DNI

TW: Stalking, consensual non consent, teasing, cunnilingus, blood and gore, depictions of murder, gross pervert man, semi-public, cat and mouse, blood smearing, begging, pleading

Tag: #rainykinktober2024

Words: 2.6k

Wrapping his scarf tightly around his neck, Kagekao scanned the busy roads and overcrowded bartops bustling with all kinds of people. Drunk bastards and flirty couples shoveling their way through streets and stoplights, cars honking and people shouting with excitement. He liked to watch, to examine just how different each one was. The rooftop view was nice though, out of sight from any curious eyes so high up. 

The chilly night air was comfortable, leaning casually on a beam holding up a larger advertisement sign, the bright luminescent colors flashing obnoxiously above him. The demon could’ve stayed there all night, the stout smell of cigarettes and alcohol floating up to his perch and easing his excitement.

But he had a pretty girl to look for.

Every once in a while, when Kagekao grew bored of his usual games and repetitive forms of entertainment, you both would agree on a little cat-and-mouse routine, something to spice up the late nights when he grew restless. You would leave for the night, and Kagekao would follow discreetly, your oblivious mind never knowing when he would decide to swoop in and snatch you up.

You would dress up, harboring some skimpy clothing that revealed just a little too much and grabbed all the wrong attention, flaunting yourself in busy bars and crowded restaurants. Nasty men would circle, wrapping their arms around your waist and asking if you needed a ride home, buying you all kinds of fruity drinks and things you didn’t really like. Kagekao was there to watch it all, hopping from rooftop to rooftop as the breeze ruffled his dark hair, keeping a close watch on his precious woman.

You always promised you wouldn’t be a flirt, unaware that the demon was watching your every move, following along and catching your every sly smile and intentionally roaming hands on their chests or arms. Such a tease, such a minx. And he ate it up, too.

He watched you jump from bar to bar, hanging on to one guy after another. He hung on every step of the way, his excitement growing, waiting for the perfect moment to infiltrate your fun little night. It always ended the same, you just had to decide who.

It was late, far after midnight when you and some unnamed drunk stumbled out of a nasty dive bar, his arm wrapped around your shoulder while you leaned into his touch. The demon knew you weren’t unfaithful, far from it- this was all your ploy to get his breathing spiked, claws scraping against the concrete of the building as he watched you both saunter into a dark alleyway. Kagekao could feel his heart thump in his chest, each moment he watched this disgusting man press you against the rough wall, stupidly kissing along your bare neck and tugging at your tiny skirt, it just made his blood boil.

People walked by unknowingly, the darkness of the cramped alley covering any suspicious activity, but he could see it all. Every place his hand touched, every time his lips pressed against yours, every inch his fingers moved closer between your thighs- every action reflected with a sickly sweet smile on your face just to piss him off.

“Well played, angel.” Kagekao stood straight, adjusting his mask, the stark glow of his eyes flickering and sucking in the light around him. Tapping his feet off the edge of the rooftop, the demon gave just another moment of enjoying yourself before he dropped. It wasn’t incredibly high, unsurvivable for a human, but lucky for him landing on the ground was nothing more than a slight sting. 

The loud thump of his arrival in the alley alerted you both, the drunk guy going to town on your neck glancing back, his eyes glazed over from the heavy amount of alcohol. Kagekao stood there, feet away as he smiled, clapping his hands slowly. 

“Kage-” You breathed, pressing your hands on the man’s chest and shoving him off, pressing back against the wall. The guy was stunned, his confidence staggering as he looked the demon up and down, thrown off by his unusual attire. “Hello, pretty girl. Good show, really.”

“Wait a min- You know this guy, hun?” The drunk guy slurred, his use of a nickname nearly cracking Kagekao’s demeanor entirely, his claws aching to get a hold of him. You don’t answer, the man puffing up his chest and crossing his arms, some show of dominance that was futile. “Hey man, finder’s keeper, a’ight? Won’t you jus-” 

You had already turned your head, looking in the opposite direction down the tight alley by the time Kagekao was on top of him, thick claws sinking deep into the meat of his neck. The demon’s eyes were piercing, staring, unblinking as he watched the man sputter and choke on globs of his own blood. “Aww, guess that means I get to keep her then? Ain’t that right, angel?” He chirped up, smiling under his mask at the satisfying pop of the man’s tendons snapping off of his spinal cord. He was gone, half-dead from the impact of his skull hitting the hard concrete ground, but now his eyes were already lulling back. Blood pooled onto Kagekao’s claws, thick globs running down to the ground and staining, the sour smell already thick in the air.

He was so lost in it, glaring with bloodlust intent that he almost missed the sound of you coughing, choking at the sight. Your heels clicked as you tried to shuffle away, pressing tight against the wall like you were trying to disappear into it. Kagekao flexed his claws out of the neck, the poor guy’s body shaking and flinching with the last efforts of life before going limp, a satisfying end.

Focusing his attention on you now, Kagekao’s eyes shone bright, the fiery irises burning a hole in you. Taking several steps back, you held your hands out, shaking your head as slowly as you could to not alert him further. “Kage… Listen, I- You’re not thinking right-” You’re stumbling over your words, looking for the right things to say as your gaze flickers from the demon’s mask to the mangled body feet away. “You’ve never- Oh, God… Kage-”

Maybe he had gone a little too far. The usual routine was to knock the guy out and tease you around a little about being such a flirt before swiping you away for more fun. So what if this one had been a little too cocky for his liking, and a little too touchy… It didn’t matter. Kagekao was itching now, body wracked with so much pent-up energy he had to expend it somehow.

“What? We’re having so much fun and now you don’t wanna play anymore?” He mocked you, taking heavy steps closer and closer, laughing every time you took another inch back. You were cornering yourself, shoving deeper into the dark alleyway like it would be safer. You were shaking your head, skirt riding up your pretty thighs just enough to make him groan. He couldn’t blame the dead guy, you were so easy on the eyes it was hard to even look away.

“Angel. Don’t be runnin’ now…” He chuckled, closing the space between you two as your back connected with the back wall, panic creeping in as his eyes nearly glowed in contrast to the shadows. He snaps forward, a yelp as Kagekao’s claws wrap around your cute face, blood smearing across your skin and snaring into your hair. It felt hard to breathe with his chest pressing against yours, the rumble of his words shaking you as he playfully smeared dark red across your rosy cheeks. “Please, don’t…”

You try to push away, hands clawing and ruffling his clothes with anxious breaths, shaking under his weight. The demon smiles, swiping the blood on his claw across your puffy lips and smiling at how nice it looks. You were whimpering, tears welling in those pretty eyes. Kagekao could feel his cock getting harder by the second.

“Angel, fuck- y’look so gorgeous like this.” He snarls, dipping his claws lower to snag around your throat, tightening his grip just enough to make you gasp. “What- Oh ngh- Fuck-” You’re gasping when he nudges his knee between your thighs, separating them and pushing that skirt up further, your plump ass barely staying hidden. “Gotcha.” Kagekao smiles at the feeling of your clothed cunt drooling, seeping onto his pantleg, excited already. 

“Don’t go acting like this wasn’t your intention. That’s alright, girl, I get it.” Letting off of your face, the demon drops to his knees, dipping his claws between your plush thighs and pushing them apart further. He wastes no time, pushing his hood back and nudging his mask up to his nose, his sour smile sending waves of anxiety through you. 

Snagging his claws under your skirt, he shoves the fabric up, pushing it to your waist. Your panties are next, the damp fabric tinted with your arousal, and quickly being hauled down to your ankles. You settle your weight on the wall behind you, reaching forward to tangle your fingers into his hair, the dark strands being tugged uselessly as he presses forward. 

You can’t see his eyes anymore, mask covering them, but you can see his smile- so sickly sweet as it disappears against your cunt. He licks a long, languid stripe up your swollen folds, your pussy gushing its arousal and soaking your taste onto the muscle. Oh, how Kagekao loved this little game, the pathetic little whimpers leaving your mouth as he teases you, hot tongue going all the way up from your base, just underneath your swollen clit. He doesn’t fuck into your sloppy hole yet, he wants to hear you ask for it. 

You moan out, doubling over as he abuses your clit, “Quit! Kage- not here, not now!” You’re so shy, so ashamed of the way your body reacts to him. You might’ve enjoyed it if every time you glanced up, you weren’t met with the body of the poor bastard you dragged out here. Kagekao wasn’t sane right now, wouldn’t listen to you. It’s so useless when you try to push his head away, shoving at his mask while he sucks heartily on your clit, completely avoiding your sopping entrance. “Stop- please, stop-”

“Keep cryin’, it jus’ makes you wetter…” He drooled, lapping at your throbbing clit as it pulses and jerked, heavy with your panic. You sob, fat tears rolling down your cheeks as you push against his head, trying desperately to shut your thighs but he's so much stronger, pushing them even further apart like it’s nothing. “Yeah, jus’ like that.” He groans, tongue rubbing obscene little circles on your poor clit.

You hiccup, face burning at how unreasonable he was being. “Kagekao- I don’ want this- No!”

The full use of his name had him shuttering, wasting not another minute on your feeble clit and shoving his tongue into the warm pool of your entrance, shoveling his way past that tight ring and into the gush of your taste. “Oh, yeah?” He teases, voice muffled around your swelled cunt, so deep that his nose was rubbing tiny, sinful little circles on your poor clit. “Hard to believe when you’re nearly dripping…”

His lips and chin are smeared with your juices, tongue lulling in and out of your cunt, pressing all the right spots. You can’t help that your hips jerk with the feeling, grinding down onto the muscle like you weren’t pleading with him to stop, to just wait a minute-

You’re dragging your pussy so sloppily all over his face, his tongue fucking you with such reckless abandon, like this is the reward you get for participating in his sick little game. “You make me so fuckin’ hard, angel. Y’know that? Little pussy is soo tight-” He slurs against you, nose bumping your clit and dragging a long, agonizing moan from your throat. The demon hopes each oblivious passerby can hear, each one glancing down the alley and getting a full view of you falling apart just from him.

“Maybe I shoulda kept him alive, s’like you wanted me to fuck you right here. To have him watch how I’m gonna fucking ruin this pretty pussy on my cock.” You’re scrambling to grab at his hair, biting into your puffy lips until it hurts, his tongue flicking with intent across your clit. You’re too distraught to even think of a reply, sobbing as you will your eyes not to look up at the body feet away, keeping them trained on only Kagekao’s nasty tongue. “N-no- I didn’t wan-”

“You’re right- Poor bastard… Look at what ya did to him… But look at what I get to do to you…” He claws against your thighs, blood smearing across your skin and glistening an ill reminder. You want to argue, to fight something pointless, something that can’t be changed now. “No, no, no-”

The demon is practically pussydrunk, blatantly teasing you for every sorry excuse for a plea as you ride his tongue, groaning at the lewd smack of his tongue dipping in and out of your puffy folds. He smiles against your lips, smearing your arousal across his lips and licking them obscenely, chuckling into your warmth. You’re so close, gut so heavy and knotted you could cry. Kagekao can feel it, the way you flutter and clench onto his tongue, his lower lip collecting all of your sweet taste with the mess of your juices and saliva. “Kage- quit, I’m gon-”

But he doesn’t let you, sultry tongue stalling just long enough to have you rutting your hips down and physically begging for it. He’s taunting you with that sick smile, tongue smearing long, nauseating stripes between your folds, but refusing to brush your clit. “Tell me.” Murmuring even deeper into your cunt, “C’mon, now, angel. You’ve been asking me to stop all night, go ahead an’ tell me you want it.”

You sob, sniffling as you rut your hips, giving in to whatever restraint you had before. “Kage! Fuck- m-close- So, so close- Please don’t stop!”

Snagging his soiled lips onto your throbbing clit, he’s sucking like his life depends on it, wracking your body with jerk after satisfying jerk. You’re barely managing a strangled moan before you finally cum. All you can do is tighten your hold on his hair as wave after wave of such intense ecstasy hits you. With each flick of his tongue, he jolts you, sending flashes of light behind your eyelids as he crushes your hips down lower. Satisfied, Kagekao lets you have it, smearing your soaked cunt across his devilish tongue as you ride him out, shuddering. 

Finally tugging away, you’re panting, sniffling the last of your tears down your cheeks as Kagekao stands, tugging his mask down so his eyes gleam a hearty white at you. You’re shaking, cunt still wracking with waves of pleasure, knees weak from standing.

You glance at the body behind him, cringing before the demon takes a step in front of your vision, blocking the unsightly view. You stare up at him, whining softly with each panicked breath. 

“You’re so cute when you try to play victim, angel.” He’s cupping the side of your face, free hand easily unbuckling his belt, the cold metal sounds enough to have your cunt pulsing between your tired legs. 

“Now, let’s see just how loud you can get before somebody comes looking…”

Thanks for reading!

Comments and reblogs are appreciated! 𐚁₊⊹

Thanks to my wonderful editors @h3llw1 and @solarbites!

[hoe4hotchner]

Tree | [AH] - Christmas 2024

Pairing: Aaron Hotchner x Gn!Reader | WC: 1.4k | CW: Fluff, christmas based

A/N: Fun fact: As far as I know the most popular type of tree to get for Christmas in Denmark is Norway spruce — at least that's what I've always grown up with, what i've noticed being advertised and also what I see in stores.

Read other parts here: Snow | Tree | Presents | Christmas

The air was crisp, carrying the mingling scents of pine and fresh snow as you stepped out of the car. Jack was out first, bounding into the thick powder, his boots kicking up a flurry of white flakes that sparkled in the morning sunlight. His laughter echoed across the open space, a bright contrast to the peace of the tree farm. You pulled your coat tighter, smiling to yourself as Aaron came around the car, shutting the trunk with a decisive thud.

In one hand, he hoisted the red-handled saw over his shoulder like a suburban lumberjack about to conquer the wilderness — he was just missing a beard, then he could almost convince you of his "new" trade. The sight made you grin. There was something endearingly out of place about your usually suit-clad boyfriend preparing to chop down a Christmas tree. His smile mirrored yours, soft and almost imperceptible, though his tone when he spoke carried a trace of his usual pragmatism.

“I still don’t see why we couldn’t have just bought a pre-cut tree,” he muttered, his breath warming the air between you. The words sounded like a complaint, but the amused glint in his eyes told a different story.

“Because,” you replied, tugging your scarf up against the wind, “this is about the experience. And look at him.” You gestured toward Jack, who was spinning in a circle a few feet ahead, gathering snow to throw in the air — you weren't sure if the boy had seen this much snow all at once before — his cheeks flushed a rosy pink from the cold. Snow clung to his boots as he pointed toward the distant rows of trees.

“This is going to be awesome!” Jack declared, his excitement bubbling over in every word. He stopped spinning to face you both, his eyes wide with wonder. “Can we get the biggest tree they have?”

Aaron raised an eyebrow. His gaze shifted to you, and you could almost hear the gears turning in his head as he mentally calculated ceiling heights, tree stand dimensions, and the inevitable cleanup of pine needles. His expression was pure dad-mode efficiency, and it made you laugh under your breath.

“Let’s see what we can find first,” you said, rescuing him from the need to outright veto Jack’s grand plan. Jack didn’t seem to notice, already darting toward the nearest row of evergreens, his boots crunching loudly in the snow.

Aaron let out a soft sigh beside you, though there was no mistaking the affection in it. He adjusted his grip on the saw and fell into step beside you, his free hand brushing against yours. “Biggest tree they have,” he murmured, shaking his head with a hint of exasperation. “Of course.” He should've known his own son better than to think smaller could do.

And yet, as you glanced at him, you caught the same spark of excitement you felt — hidden beneath the practicality, but it was there, all the same.

“We’ll see,” you interjected quickly, reaching for Aaron’s free hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze. “Let’s just find the right one.”

The tree farm stretched before you like something out of a holiday postcard, its rows of evergreens dusted with frost glittering under the soft winter sun. The landscape felt alive despite the chill, families scattered across the snowy expanse, their laughter ringing out as they debated over their perfect Christmas trees — Just like you and your family. Little ones toddled through the snow while parents snapped photos, their voices blending with the distant sound of carols playing softly over a set of outdoor speakers.

Jack was a blur of motion, darting between the rows of trees like an enthusiastic scout on a mission. He paused every few feet to call out his latest discovery, each declaration more animated than the last.

“This one’s too short!”

“This one’s crooked!”

“This one looks perfect, but… wait! There’s a hole in it!”

You exchanged a glance with Aaron, his amused smile tugging at the corner of his lips. His steady pace beside you was a welcome contrast to Jack’s frenetic energy, his gloved hand brushing against yours occasionally as you navigated the uneven snow.

Jack’s voice continued to ring out, his commentary growing more dramatic with each tree he passed. “Who would leave this tree here? It’s a disgrace to Christmas!” he shouted, throwing his arms in the air at one particularly lopsided pine.

Aaron chuckled under his breath, shaking his head. “He certainly has opinions.”

“He gets it from you,” you teased, earning a raised eyebrow from him in mock protest.

After what felt like an endless parade of trees — all either too short, too sparse, or too “totally wrong” according to Jack — he finally came to a halt in front of a towering Fraser fir. Snow clung to its perfectly even branches, giving it an almost magical glow.

“This is the one,” Jack announced with absolute certainty, his eyes wide as he gazed up at it. His breath formed little puffs of vapor as he stood there in awe.

You stepped closer, tilting your head back to take it all in. “It’s… big,” you said, your voice tinged with both admiration and concern.

Aaron came to a stop beside you, hands in his pockets as he looked the tree up and down. “Big,” he echoed.

Jack turned to you both, his excitement radiating like the twinkling lights he no doubt envisioned on the branches. “Can we get it? Please?”

Aaron let out a long-suffering sigh, the kind that only a dad could master, but the smile that followed gave him away. “Well,” he said, glancing at you, “it’s definitely a contender.”

Jack grinned. “We can make it fit!”

“Famous last words,” you quipped, nudging Aaron in the side. Aaron sighed, resigned but smiling, and handed you the saw. “Your idea. You chop it down.”

You blinked at him. “Me? I thought this was a team effort!”

Jack clapped his gloved hands together. “You and Dad can take turns! I’ll supervise.”

Aaron crouched down beside the trunk of the tree, inspecting it. “You hold the saw steady,” he instructed, “and I’ll take over if you can’t get through it.”

“Deal,” you muttered, feeling more determined than you probably should have been. You weren't even sure that you could get it through the door, but somehow you would have to try, none of you wanted to dampen Jack's mood — worst case you could always put it up in the garden and get a smaller one for the house.

The first few pulls of the saw were wobbly and uneven, eliciting a snort from Aaron and an encouraging cheer from Jack. “You’re doing great!” Jack shouted, though his tone implied more enthusiasm than belief.

Aaron eventually stepped in, his sleeves rolled up over his jacket as he took over. The two of you worked in shifts, trading the saw back and forth while Jack offered increasingly unhelpful advice like, “Cut faster!” and “You missed a spot!”

When the tree finally began to tip, Jack let out a cheer, and Aaron braced the trunk, easing it down into the snow with surprising grace.

“See?” he said, his breath visible in the cold air. “Easy.”

You groaned, brushing snow from your gloves. “I’ll feel ‘easy’ in my arms tomorrow, that’s for sure.”

Jack threw himself on top of the fallen tree dramatically. “It’s perfect! Can we take it home now?”

Aaron glanced at you, his face soft with amusement. “Let’s get it loaded up.”

The drive home was filled with Jack’s excited chatter about decorating the tree, the car smelling like fresh pine.

It had been a nightmare to get it inside, and even then, it didn't fit. Somehow you'd managed to convince Jack to allow you to cut about 1/2 ft of the bottom to even be able to fit the star on top.

Later that night, as the three of you wrestled with tangled lights and uneven ornaments, you couldn’t help but smile.

It was a lot of work for a tree, but as you looked at Jack’s delighted face and Aaron’s warm, contented expression, you decided it was worth every second.

“Next year,” Aaron murmured to you later, as you both watched Jack fall asleep by the twinkling lights, “maybe we just buy a pre-cut one.”

You laughed softly and leaned into his side. “Not a chance.”

[shamrockqueen]

Omega retreat : chapter 5

Pairing: Alpha Bucky × Omega Reader

Warnings: R18, Smut, Not what it seems, ABO dynamics, knotting, biting, bruising, sexual themes, adult themes

Word count: 2029

Bucky Masterlist

Summary: As an unmarked and lonely omega you find a flyer for a service called The Omega Retreat.

You are paired with a compatible alpha to spend your heat or just a week at a luxurious cabin at a forest resort. Amenities and Utilities included. Enjoy the beautiful scenery, fresh air, as well as the company of an alpha of your choosing. What could possibly go wrong?

He circled his fingers around the necks of the bottles, letting his nails cut through the wet labels as he pulled the beers from the cooler. The ice crunched together as it filled in the gap left behind before Bucky shut the lid and walked away.

His associates sat outside, and as he offered one of the beers as he approached one of the other men.

The third gentleman sat, unmoved, in a luxurious deck chair. His legs were spread, creasing his white trousers as his ankle sat on top of his other knee. He scratched at the chin of his dark goatee, looking back at his colleague through tinted glasses.

“I take it that the shop talk is over.”

Bucky sat back on his chair, rubbing his temple as Tony spoke.

“Not that it isn’t interesting.” Steve laughed back as he smoothed down a stray tuft of his sandy blonde before reaching back down to twist the top off his beer. A bit of foam followed after to dribble out over his thick fingers, and he switched the bottle to his other hand as he tried to shake the mess from his skin.

"Geez, Buck. Did'ya shake it?”

Bucky shrugged, laughing a little as he popped the cap off his own bottle and sat back before Steve shot back with another joke.

“Is this your way of getting back at me?”

Bucky shot back with equal sarcasm. “Yeah, I shook your beer because you were prowling through my Omega’s profile.”

“Can’t blame me for being a little jealous.”

“Oh? Back on the dating game, boys?" Tony gave them both a smirk as he asked.

“I think it really came through this time.” Bucky said before taking a sip of his beer.

“She has you smitten this soon?” Steve smiled back.

“She’s something else; I could tell right away.”

“I feel like I’ve heard this song before.” Tony teased, turning his eyes away from the other men.

“I know that this time is different. It’s that itch in my belly that had never been there before. She just really brings my Alpha out just when I hear her voice.” Bucky brought the spout back to his lips and knocked back another swig of beer before continuing to speak.

“I think that website finally came through for me.”

“You lucky bastard, but I can’t say they don’t owe you one at this point.” Steve shined back as he sipped up the last of his beer.

“I hope they know better than to let this end like any of the last ones.” Tony shot back, still trying to crack the sugar coating on this story to find a more realistic center. “I still say it’s no better than burning your money, especially after how long you’d had the subscription.”

“Says a man who’s already married.” Steve tried to grin away a small sneer.

Tony was a Beta—a married Beta with a baby on the way. He would never know the struggle of finding one’s perfect match when there were so few to look through.

“Besides, the girls get it for free, so somebody has to pay.” Steve didn’t even look up from his empty bottle when he said it more to himself than the other men. The website didn’t advertise as such to the desirable Omega’s, but the Alpha’s were given a much more formal subscription through a sister site. The Alphas were always willing to pay, of course.

“I just think that at this point, it would have to feel like a scam after all you’ve been through.” Tony spoke back.

"Well, there will be hell to pay if it is.” Bucky didn’t look back up as he answered, choosing instead to watch the swirl of his beer as he tipped the bottle back and forth.

Tony finally cleared his throat, annoyed that his pushback didn’t yield any results. “You know, I’ve heard some stuff about that place.”

Bucky hesitated before giving a stern “So have I.”

Tony took a deep breath, not wanting to insult his long-time friend any further. “I’m not saying you're that kind of person. You’re a good man, Buck. I just wish you didn’t associate with something that didn’t match your character.”

“I appreciate your concern, but I don’t do those kinds of things. I want to do right by any girl of mine.”

Bucky never led any of his friends to believe he was anything less than an upstanding man, so Tony believed him as he spoke.

Steve cleared his throat, trying to disperse the cloud of awkward tension in the air. Especially what had circled his own head.

“Love at first sight then; I hope she lives up to this hype.”

“I’d say so.”

“Caught the fish I couldn’t.” Steve smirked back before leaning forward to tap his empty bottle against the one still in Bucky’s hands.

Bucky closed the gap with a little ‘clink’ to finish the small toast to his success.

“And don’t think you can try and steal her.”

Fed up with the sparks of jealousy, Tony hit his knees with the palms of his hand before pushing up from his seat.

“Well, I think it’s my turn to get a drink.”

With his colleague’s departure, Bucky felt the subtle buzz in his pocket before he could pull Steve into another conversation.

Bucky lifted his finger to excuse himself before walking back, passing Tony and his now-full glass of scotch.

He flipped his phone open, finding a picture on the small screen. He has to bring the phone closer to his face before yours becomes recognizable in the image of a changing room.

It was from an angle to show a flowy floral dress that ended along your upper thigh. It dipped along your bustline and tightened around the hourglass dip at your waist.

He smiled, leaning on the wall as another notification lit across the top of the little screen to signal you’d sent another photo.

You had gone through with your little shopping excursion, lifting your once dampened spirits. It was actually nice to like how you look in new clothes, and you made sure you weren’t the only one.

There was no doubt that you were perfectly Omega. From your overall shy demeanor to the soft shape of your gorgeous body as it lights up across the screen.

Bucky had had his fill of pushy women. He wasn’t asking for a servant, just an equal partner, but their demanding nature too easily turned him off.

He looked back at the glass door that stood between him and his friends out on the deck. It was just a small gesture to secure his privacy as he clicked a few buttons to bring himself to the new picture.

It was a romper, a low v-cut sitting over your breasts as the ends of the shorts rose high along your thighs.

He lingered on each dip and curve for as long as it would take to paint the picture to his memory before thumbing back with, ‘Doing some shopping, doll?’

He didn’t have the luxury of watching your response load with the dance of bouncing dots, but was almost immediately met with, “Yeah, I didn’t have vacation-friendly clothes. Whatcha think?’

‘The second one is a bit risqué, isn’t it?’

You flinched at the last message, and you hoped that it didn’t mean you offended him.

‘Oh geez. It is a bit, but I already bought it.’

‘I never said you didn’t look good; it’s certainly more than I’ve gotten to see so far ;)'

You laugh a little, feeling bashful upon seeing the little winking face as you hold your phone close. You wanted to type back, but his messages popped up before you could.

‘Are there any more pictures I can look forward to?’

‘I sent a few; you should have gotten them by now.’ You answered back just as quickly.

His simple flip phone wasn’t that great at receiving pictures, but just in time, two more made it through.

It’s you in a long, flowy dress of blue, showing less skin besides a leg peeking out from a slit at the side. It was cute; it looked form-fitting and soft.

The other was a simple plaid button-up top and a pair of denim shorts. You had your body turned to show the curve of your ass as a little peeked out the bottom of the denim. It made him glad that he’d be having you all to himself over that weekend.

His tongue spread over his lips as he pictured the thin strip of denim that would be covering your hidden pink center and how the seams would pop as he tried to pull it out of his way to find it.

‘Please tell me you bought that last one.’

‘Just the shorts, the shirt seemed like it would be too hot.’ You tapped away with a reddening smile before lifting your gaze back up to the other stores ahead. A familiar cursive name lit up in pink crossed your vision before you stepped towards it.

He must have been lost in thought as he studied the last few outfits, giving you time to let your own wander around the rest of the shops.

It had been a long time since you had this much fun, and even as you crossed through the threshold of the store and looked around at its overpriced goods, you wanted nothing more than to treat yourself like the beautiful omega he seemed to see.

There were some stringy pieces in the back, all lace and a little fabric. Not quite your style, so you kept browsing. There were a few baby doll dresses, some with fluff, and one that was nearly see-through. You eyed the black mesh bashfully, only now feeling just a bit in over your head.

You pinched the fabric, a little surprised at how silky the mesh was between your fingers.

You pulled it off the rack, sizing it up against your body, before shifting your eyes towards the changing room and thinking about what a good picture this beauty would make.

By the time your clothes were off and the dress was on, you knew it would be an immediate purchase before you even snapped the photo. You almost wanted it to be a surprise, but you craved this new kind of attention. To push past the edge of flattery into something deeper, maybe even darker.

Bucky stared at the small screen as he tried to navigate to any new photos, only to have it buzz between his fingers. It was you in a thin black nightie, showing him just a glimpse of everything he’d been pining to see. The subtle dips of your body and bare skin, the apex of your smooth thighs still hidden under the black hem, and the dark circles of your soft nipples nearly totally visible through the sheer fabric over your breasts.

He felt the air being punched out of his lungs like a blow to his stomach. It was one of the few times he would curse himself for not having a more modern phone because he couldn’t zoom in further.

‘Do you have any idea what you're doing to me right now?’

You replied with a cheeky ‘just a little’ before another photo flooded over his dinosaur of a phone.

This time you were facing away from the mirror, showing the contours of the back of your body that were now visible. You’d tried to bend your leg so it popped your bottom out in a desirable pose. It did just as you’d wanted, giving him a view of the cleft of your round ass as if the negligee were melting away to finally reveal your bare body.

He had to close the phone just to better calm himself so his building erection could leave as quickly as you’d given it to him. He’d never hear the end of it if he walked out, as it began to strain against his jeans.

There was no question now, even before his last message came through. You would absolutely be buying this one.

Chapter 6

Tags : @bethyruth @scott-loki-barnes @wintrsoldrluvr @buckysdoll85 @lendeluxe @meowmeowyoongles @heletsmelovehim @mcira @buckysbaby-doll @serendipitouslife90 @unicornicopia1 @animegirlgeeky @matchat3a @darkdemeter @onyxwolf @thebuckybarnesvault @nicestgirlonline @jbuckybarnesfan @val-writesstuff @birdenthusiastez @ozwriterchick

[echantedtoon]

A Lovers' Circle (Poly Haishira x Reader) Ch8 A Scarred Heart

(How many hearts can Y/n conquer? Let's find out on the next episode of Dragon Ball Z- Jk. Warnings for death mentioned.)

Taglist: @shadyd3ar @jcrml @tengensangel

@miniverse-zen @mysteri0uz @jjamsbangtan

@the-unknown-fandom @lavenderdropp

@mimisweetz. @purplesoulsapphire

Remember if you want to be added to the taglist lemme know

Your heart was fluttering. Soaring like a plane even. As you walked down the road with your head leaned against Gyomei's arm, arm wrapped around his own, and holding hands. It was the perfect start to your new morning and walking outside only to be surprised by Gyomei patiently waiting to walk you to work.

Although you both did stop by the cafe where you had your first date to grab some coffee and something to eat. Chasing after kids all day meant you'd be needing the energy, however you were surprised by seeing a small box next to the cash register. A sign above it advertised some kind of raffle.

"What's that?," you asked pointing towards the box out to the cashier.

He brightly smiled. "It's a raffle to celebrate Kimetsu Academy's fiftieth anniversary! If you leave your name and contact info, you get a chance to win a thousand dollars and a certificate for free cafeteria meals for the rest of the year! Only registered students can enter though." He nudged the box closer to you. "Would you like to enter? I just need to see a student ID to confirm you're a student and you can enter for free!"

"It's going on today?"

"Actually students have until classes are over this Friday to enter, and the winner's gonna be drawn Saturday. How about it? Wanna enter?"

A thousand dollars AND free lunches for the rest of the year!? You could use a thousand dollars to help pay off your car! Or pay bills for a while! Or get Gyomei a great present! And free lunches for the rest of the year would save you SO much money!...Buuut the chances of you getting picked within like thousands of other students was slim. Oh what the heck. It was a free raffle. Even if you didn't win what's the harm?

You did end up digging your student ID out of your bag to confirm your student status to the cashier before writing your contact info on a piece of paper, slipping it into the box, grabbing your coffee, and then leaving with Gyomei.

He himself felt his cheeks and ears burn up a bright happy pink as the smaller hand squeezed his. He was still half convinced that it was all just a dream and he'd wake up to no one being there. But as she held onto him as they crossed the campus and towards your workplace. You were surprised to see that he came inside with you until your coworker came up to you with a baby currently nomming on their hand in her arms.

"Y/n, there you are! Practically everyone dropped their kids off already and we've been swamped!," she grumpily said. "It's about time you and the new guy got here!"

You blinked staring at her confused. "New guy?"

He gestured to Gyomei behind you bouncing the drooling baby on her hip. "Yeah? Himejima. The boss liked his application so he got the job."

You blinked in surprise blinking before turning to Gyomei who still only smiled at you. "Is that what you meant by 'the job interview ' you had?"

He nodded. "Yes. I'm sorry for not telling you beforehand but I didn't know if I would get the job here. It's only going to be for a year anyways before I finish my last year and earn my degree."

You beamed. "Are you kidding?! That's amazing! I'd love to work with my boyfriend! This is like a dream come true for me-"

"Then would you two PLEASE get changed and help me with playtime?," your coworker interrupted with a raised brow.

"Oh! S-Sorry."

You two quickly got changed into the signature pink aprons (honestly you were surprised they were able to find one that fit Gyomei-) and quickly just got to work helping your coworker take care of the infants that the parents dropped off before going to classes as your manages escorted Gyomei somewhere else. Guess she wanted to walk him through his first day on the job, and help out considering the increase of children that came into the daycare last month. But I digress. You only busied yourself by helping in the infantry wing of the daycare. Getting to work changing one crying baby's diaper before going on to sit down and attempt to rock a stubborn baby down for a nap. However he was stubborn and kept waking up just as he started to nod off and give an angry babble in protest.

"Stubborn little guy aren't you?," you asked him still gently rocking him in the chair.

Again the baby made a noise pouting and waving his tiny hands in protest making you chuckle-

RING!!

Until the front desk bell rang out. The noise caused you to stop rocking and your coworker to look up from counting the diaper supply in the nearby closet, both of you looking towards the doorway.

RING RING!!

The noise came back louder than before and one of the sleeping infants gave a small noise of protest in their sleep.

"Oh you've got to be kidding me." Your coworker mumbled before lightly placing her head on the closet door.

DING DING DING DING!!

The constant dinging of the bell made her inhale deeply and turn to you. "Give me the baby and go see who the heck is there before I go and ding that thing against their heads!" She was already holding out her hands for the baby in your arms just as another two ding sounds sounded from up the hall. "And tell them to shut up before they wake up these babies!" She hissed already plucking the half asleep baby boy from your arms and heaving him onto one shoulder.

"Sure." You stood up with a smile. "I'll get right on th-"

"WAAAHH!!"

Your head whipped behind you as finally the previously stirring baby woke up and started crying. Your coworkers eye twitch as only more dinging came from the front desk. You only quickly scurried out promising to come back soon and help her.

DINGDINGDINGDINGDINGDINGDINGDINGDING-!!

A rapid ringing sounded as someone repeatedly just mashed the bell at the front desk making you frown annoyed. What kind of Karen were you going to be dealing with today? With a frown you poked your head out the doorway making out half the figure of a man turned away from you looking around the front lobby, a toddler on his hip and two bags slung over his shoulders. You frowned before inhaling deeply and forcing a customer service smile on your face.

"I'm coming!," you called out making your way towards him to which he turned around sharply.

"Oh thank fu-.." He paused looking at the boy in his arms. "..Fudge! Thank FUDGE!! I've been standing here forever and I'm late for my da-..DARN classes! It's doesn't usually take this-.."

He paused seeing who came out from the back hallway and you also paused seeing who it was. You blinked once. Twice. Before the realization that SANEMI was the one standing in front of you hit you. The same thing must've been happening to Sanemi because he slowly blinked, face surprised. You both probably would've continued if the little boy in his arms didn't look up from his toy and gasped happily!!

"Y/N!!," he cheered tugging on Sanemi's shirt and pointing the toy at you. "Nemi it's da nice lady!!"

Sanemi jumped as his little brother squealed out and looked at him. "What?"

"Hi, Sanemi," you greeted making him look back to you sharply however you just smiled. "It's nice to see you again. Were you looking for Gyomei?"

He seemed to finally snap out of it before shaking his head. "No. I'm dropping off my baby brother for my mom. She's busy trying to fix an emergency at work." Without saying anything he leaned his little brother forward into your awaiting arms. "And I'm already late for my dam classes-"

"SWEAR!," Koto tattled pointing back to his brother hurrying to get the diaper bag off his shoulder.

"Here! He's got some clothes n' stuff. I'll pick 'em back up when my classes are done!" The bag dropped on the counter with a plop sound before reaching out to ruffle his little brother's head. "Be good. I'll see you later."

With that he turned and practically ran out with Koto waving at his big brother. "Bye bye, Nemi!" A toy was shoved up to your face. "Play?"

"Not right now. I have to work but I'll drop you off somewhere you can play with the other nice kids."

In the end you dropped off both Koto and his bag with your manager in the daycare room before you left back to help your frustrated coworker in the infantry wing. Luckily it wasn't too much of a problem afterwards to get both babies to sleep again and help her with a supply count. It was a bit of a pain to have so many children with a few workers but somehow you all made it. However you can't say you weren't happy when the day started to tick closer to a close and slowly parents started filing in, some carrying backpacks or books from classes, and picking up their kids after showing confirming identities. You waved goodbye to a little girl who was picked up by her tired dad after coming back from chemistry class and waved goodbye to you with a smile! You couldn't help but wave back with a chuckle before returning to the back to help clean up and disinfectant everything else for tomorrow, passing by your coworker hauling out some trash and stopping by one room which lead to what was essentially a giant playroom bigger than your kitchen and bedroom combined.

A few people were already in there sweeping, and picking up toys, and wiping down things with wet wipes. One being your boyfriend who was still holding a familiar toddler in one arm and wiping spilt grape juice off a table with the other.

"How was your first day?" His head turned to you with a smile already on his face as you leaned on the doorway. "By the looks of it, you had a wild snack time."

He chuckled and you swore his deep chuckles would make anyone blush. "Just an accident with a leaky juice box. Overall it was rather well." He slowly stood back up turning his head in your direction. "They seemed to like story time."

"You should've seen him!" Your boss proudly looked at him from spraying the toys with a disinfectant spray. "The kids all adored him! And he put them all down for naps in record time! I knew I had a good feeling when I saw you!"

He chuckled a bit flustered at the older woman's praise. "I thank you for the compliment."

"Is he the last one here?," you asked nodding at Sanemi's brother in his arms.

"Yes," Gyomei confirmed, "But Sanemi might be a bit behind today. He's been really busy with classes and helping his family these days."

"Oh no. I hadn't known about that."

It was then Koto looked up at you and gasped. "NICE LADY!!" He cheered making Gyomei blink at him. "Now we play?!"

You couldn't help but laugh at the two year old. "No sorry. I have to help clean up."

A loud whine escaped his throat but Gyomei only hummed. "I had no idea you already knew Sanemi's family."

"I don't. Well not all of them." You gestured to the boy in his arms still giggling in his arms. "I've been working here since Koto was a baby, but I had no idea that Sanemi was his older brother."

He nodded wiping the table again. "Yes. His mother uses his student discount for the daycare since his other siblings are already school aged. I'm afraid Koto still can't attend the local preschool until he's four or five years old."

"Oh, that's why he was dropping him off. But it's strange I've never seen him drop Koto off before."

He hummed brows furrowing slightly. "Well it could be because of the recent strain his family is going through."

Recent strain? What recent strain? You didn't think Sanemi looked stressed yesterday when you all went to the onsen. Other than arguing with Obanai on horror movies but with how those two acted you got the sense that's how they were all the time. So what could it possibly be? 

"He didn't seem that stressed when I saw him Friday or yesterday even. Is he alright?"

Gyomei looked at you before again his head tilted at the boy playing with a toy car. "... We'll talk later."

You weren't sure what he meant by that but you respected his choice. For now you you left to go help clean up the nursery room before it was time before you all left. By the time you got done helping to wash and change the sheets and wiping down the surfaces, Gyomei was already standing outside waiting for you still in his giant pink apron and still holding Onto who looked like he tuckered out and decided to take a nap in his large arms. He turned towards the directions of your footsteps and smiled brightly. 

"Ah. There you are. Are you finished with your duties?," he asked politely.

You nodded. "Yes. Oh." You stopped seeing Koto still asleep in his arms. "Has Sanemi not arrived yet?"

He shook his head no. "No but he'll probably be running a little late. He also tutors for an hour after classes to help make some extra money."

"What does he do for a living anyways?" 

"He tutors math lessons and currently works online part-time for a telemarketing company that sells magazines."

"Oh. He must be really good at math then."

"The best actually. He's smarter than he looks."

"I don't doubt that." You giggled at the memory of him using those skills to get more girls on Tengen's back Friday. "Did you want to come over to my house for dinner tonight? I can make a mean spaghetti with mushroom sauce."

He hummed and was about to say something but before he could say anything a loud shout from up the hall caused both of you to snap your heads to the left towards the front lobby. It sounded like a woman's voice.

"No identification! No pick up! Now leave before I call security!"

You knew that voice. Your coworker.

"Fucking hell! That's my student ID! You want my dam driver's license too?!"

Uh oh. You definitely knew THAT voice. Quickly you approached the front peeking around the corner and sure enough found the sources of the cussing. Sanemi was looking annoyed down at your coworker with gritted teeth and his student ID was laid out on the counter by his hand. You coworker looked angry but slightly intimidated by the way he was leaning over the counter. She remained firm crossing her arms.

"You're not on the registry for pick up or emergency contacts. You're not allowed to take any child unless you're on the registry or the guardian calls to confirm alternative pick ups which neither have happened."

"Fucking-" A hand gripped his hair before running down his face. THUD! She jumped as both of his hands slammed down on the counter and he leaned farther onto it to shout at her face. "We have the same fucking last name! I dropped Koto off this morning!! What other fucking 'confirmation' do you want?!"

"S-Sir, if you don't calm down a-a-and leave I-Ill  call campus security."

"I AIN'T LEAVING WITHOUT MY BROTHER!!"

Oh no. This was escalating quickly. You had better step in before things got out of control.

"Lacey." Said woman jumped up and both of their heads snapped up as you smiled walking in calmly. "Is everything ok?"

"Oh thank fuck! It's you!" Sanemi sounded relieved before snapping Lacey another accusing look. "This walking clown is refusing to give Koto back! Tell 'er that I dropped him off!"

"Sanemi, we are a daycare. I'll have to ask you not to use cuss words and foul language or I'll have to ask you to wait outside." You lightly scolded him with a smile which caught him off guard with a blank blink. You just hummed turning to Lacey. "Now what seems to be the problem?"

Lacey scowled. "He's not on the registry. No registry or guardian notice means no pick up."

Sanemi looked about ready to combust with an eye twitch and a few viens popping up on his body. 

"Here. Let's just take a look at it to confirm just in case." With a hum you just gently nudged her out of the way so you could have access to the computer. Humming to yourself you just typed into it with both watching you. "Koto Shinazugawa. Right here. Now let's see...Oh. it does look like only his mom is listed." Lacey sent a smug look at- "Let's see if we had any missed calls from her." You continued into your database and with a few clicks of a mouse found something. "Oh. It looks like we have two missed calls from Mrs. Shinazugawa."

"Yeah! My mom tried calling you guys to let you know I'd be here!"

"I'm sorry for the inconvenience. Let's just call her back real quick just to make sure everything's lined up. Alright?" You stayed professional smiling at him as he continued to glare but slowly relaxed. Leaning off the counter and crossing his arms as you grabbed the phone and redialed the number. A few rings went by your ear before you perked up. "Hello, Mrs. Shinazugawa! I'm sorry to call you-...Yes. I know you are probably busy with deliveries. No. Your son is fine! Sleeping like a baby! I just wanted to call you back to make sure Sanemi was supposed to pick up his brother....Really? Great! Sorry for the missed calls. We were swamped today. You have a nice day, Ma'am. Sorry for bothering you." The phone hung up with a click as you smiled at Sanemi. "Sorry for the inconvenience. I'll go get Koto's bag for you."

Lacey's face dropped as Sanemi huffed. "It's about time."

"You're really going to give him the kid?"

You turned to Lacey. "Their mom confirmed it just now." She opened her mouth- You pointed at her. "You know you're supposed to check the database before denying or confirming anyone who comes in here. We provide good customer service which means we check first. You know that from training."

"It's not my fault." She hissed at you. Before half nodding back towards the now much calmer man. "Have you seen him?"

"I have actually. What are you getting at?"

She looked at you like you were crazy. "uh-..Are you blind? He looks like he just got out of jail!" Sanemi's eyes shifted over. "By the way he acts, I wouldn't be surprised if he's done some crap too-"

"Lacey. Do me a favor. Shut up."

Her face blinked at your happy smiling one. "I-..What?"

"You heard me. Shut up. I don't care what you think, discriminating someone just because he has scars is as stupid as saying that someone is dumb because they're blonde. And if I hear that again I'm telling our manager. So why don't  you just get the broom and start sweeping the front like you're supposed to?"

She didn't say anything as you turned to leave- Blinking at Gyomei standing there still with the sleeping toddler in his arms and tilting his head down at you. However you only patted his arm with a smile and informed him that you were going to grab Koto's overnight bag before leaving to go grab it from the cubby closet. He stood there still before tilting his head at Sanemi and could guess the surprise that was plastered all over the other man's face right now. Staring wide eyed in silence. 

You returned a moment later with the bag Sanemi left with you and by then Gyomei was already handing him back his baby brother. Koto yawned half way woken up by the jostle however lit up when he saw his big brother.

"Nemi!" He tiredly reached out to him and tiredly curled up on his shoulder with a yawn.

"Here's his bag." You smiled handing him the duffle bag he just slumped over his shoulder with a blank look.

"Yeah. Thanks."

"Sanemi, are you going home after this?"

Said white haired man looked at Gyomei with a frown. "My mom doesn't get off work for another three hours. Genya and Teiko can watch the other three for a little longer. I'm just gonna work on my project until my mom picks up Koto."

"In that case do you want to join us for dinner?" The loom Sanemi gave you was like if you just slapped him. "I'm making spaghetti tonight."

"Sketti!" Koto peeked up immediately turning around to you with a smile. "YUM!"

Sanemi continued to stare at you.. before he shook his head and turned. "No. Kanae's picking up something. I'll see ya round Gyomei."

You frowned at him. Was it something you said? Koto waved at you from his big brother's shoulder and you waved back until they left out the door. Well safe to say that was strange, but you supposed that since he's been going through a lot it wasn't that out of the ordinary. You also decided not to pry Gyomei for answers. That was between Sanemi and his family and partners so you'd respect that privacy. Although you couldn't say you weren't curious about it all.

Tuesday went by better. This time you got there early enough to be informed that Sanemi and Koto's mom called. Apparently Sanemi would be dropping off and picking up Koto for the foreseeable future until she became available and to put him down as an emergency contact in the daycare's registry. You remembered Mrs. Shinazugawa. She was a middle aged woman who was oddly small and always looked tired when she came in starting to drop off Koto as a baby three years ago. At the time you assumed that she was going back to college to earn a degree and that's why she was using Kimetsu University's daycare.

But finding out she was using Sanemi's status as a student for a discount on childcare was both a more believable answer and only more curious about it. But again you respected their boundaries and only tended to Koto and the other kids until it was time for his big brother to pick him up. You thought it was adorable. He'd get so excited and shout 'NEMI' every time he saw him regardless of just seeing him that morning. 

Each time he'd give you a strange look before just taking his brother and leaving. You were confused about the looks but they weren't angry looks just almost confused. He probably just was still getting used to Gyomei having a new girlfriend. You were still getting used to having a boyfriend yourself so it was understandable. Lacey continued to give him and you dirty looks..but hadn't done anything since Monday's fiasco so you didn't worry about her anymore. It wasn't until Thursday morning that your curiosity was finally sated. You forgot your lunch at home while fishing out to work one morning, so again you decided to stop by the campus cafe to grab a sandwich to eat later when you ran into two familiar faces. One was a woman with long black hair and pink eyes. The other was a tall man with white hair and red wine eyes. They were shuffling around the side of the register as people walked by. 

Hey. Wasn't that-

"Kanae?" Your voice asked before the woman turned her head around with a blink followed by the white haired man. "Tengen?"

On cue he smiled. "Well, well, well. If it isn't the future Mrs. Himejima." He winked sending you a finger gun making you chuckle. "What's cooking good looking?~"

You couldn't help but giggle at him. "I forgot my lunch at home so I was just grabbing a sandwich for later. What are you guys doing here?"

"Entering that raffle. Tomorrow's the last day you can enter."

"Oh. Planning on getting that paint set you mentioned if you win?"

Tengen frowned shaking his head. "Actually it's for-" He paused looking back to Kanae and jabbing a thumb to you. "Actually it's ok to tell 'er right? Or is that stepping over a boundary?" She looked at him then at you.. before nodding. "Alrighty then." Red eyes looked back to you. "It's actually for Sanemi."

You blinked. "What?"

"Well if any of us win that is. No guarantee that any of us will." He waved a hand. "But the more of us that enter, the better chances there are of us actually getting it."

"Why does Sanemi need it?" You didn't think he was anymore broke than you were.

"It's not exactly for him really. It's so his mom can pay off that debt faster." 

That's when it all clicked. The mentioning of Mrs. Shinazugawa struggling, Sanemi helping to take his brother to daycare, Gyomei's reluctance to talk about it- You almost didn't catch what Tengen said next with a distasteful bite to his voice.

"Ever since that asshole died, his family's been having nothing but a hard time."

"Let's not speak ill of the dead Uzui," Kanae lightly scolded him. "He's still Sanemi's father."

"Wasn't much of a father in the first place."

"Wait. His father passed away?" You went wide eyed at them when Kanae nodded.

"It was an accident. A hit and run driver ran him over when he was crossing the road at night-"

"Right as he was coming back from the casino." Kanae shot Tengen a scowl this time. "Oh come on, Kanae. Don't sugarcoat it. If we're gonna tell her might as well tell it how it is." He looked at you with a mad look. "The greedy rats ass was killed coming back all high strung from the casino. Good riddance I'd say but because his mom wasn't divorced yet from the deadbeat now she has to pay off his gambling debt! At least they didn't have to pay for the funeral."

You could only stare at him in shock. "That's awful. How much was it?"

"Seven thousand dollars." Tengen threw up his hands. "How do those debt collecting sharks expect her to just magically come up with that money?! She's already trying to raise like six other kids!"

"Seven thousand dollars?!"

That was a lot of money! If Mrs. Shinazugawa was already struggling then this would've put a lot of strain on her already. 

"A thousand dollars ain't much but it'd be a thousand dollars she doesn't have to pay. ...*sigh* Anyways you said you wanted to get a sandwich?"

"Uh.. Y-Yeah. I was."

You made sure to be extra nice to Sanemi after that and play with Koto when he asked, despite the confused looks Sanemi still gave you. He wasn't ever mean to you and after finding out about his family situation you didn't have any reasons to be mean back. Soon Thursday and Friday turned into Saturday morning and you FINALLY got a day off to yourself to finish up some real work.

"Are you sure you don't want to come join us at the park? I heard there's going to be a vendor that sells delicious homemade ice cream."

You smiled one shoulder holding up your phone to your ear as you continued to write down on a piece of paper. "Sorry, Mei. I'd love to but I have to get this report done before Monday and I already planned on cleaning my house today. Maybe tomorrow."

"I understand completely. I'll swing by later today to make sure you're not overwhelming yourself."

You smiled. If there was one thing that you already loved about your boyfriend is was how understanding of you he was. "Alright. Have fun on your date with Giyuu and Shinobu. I'm sure you'll have lots of fun."

With that out of the way you were able to get your project mostly done. Mostly because of a second phone call you got right in the middle of trying to finish up your health class report. Which honestly did annoy you a little bit. You wanted to get this done TODAY and then get all of your household chores done TODAY so you could have TOMORROW off with your boyfriend! It continued to ring so with a sigh you dropped your pencil to pick it up and hold to your ear.

"Hello?"

"Y/n L/n?"

"Yes. Who is this?" You frowned but soon that frown disappeared and your eyes widened. "Shut up. You're kidding? Wha- No! I'm not busy! I can come over right now and pick it up! Where?" You stood up quickly nearly knocking over the papers on your table as you ran to grab your shoes. "Dean's office! Right! Are you sure this isn't a prank call?....Ok! Im on my way right now! Holy cow this is unbelievable! Yeah! I'll see you soon! Bye!"

You squealed in utter astonished happiness as you ran to go grab your shoes! What should you do first?! Pay off your car? Get that pet ferret you always wanted? Maybe take Gyomei out for a really fancy dinner? The possibilities were endless! You happily skipped out of your house and ran down the road towards the academy. Running and running and running...

But slowly your running slowed.

And the giddy smile turned to a thin line.

And you stopped in the middle of the sidewalk.

Staring at nothing in particular until you blinked and looking back to your house.

......

THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD.

"Nemi, chill! You're gonna give yourself brain damage if you keep that up!"

Two small hands on his head stopped Sanemi in his pursuit of hitting his head against the table repeatedly. Only stopping so he didn't painfully smash Suma's fingers between his forehead and Tengen's table. Not like it'd do anyone good even if they stopped him. 

"I just found out Genya and Hiroshi got a part time job to help my mom pay bills and Teiko started babysitting for money." His head lifted up to glare angrily at nothing. "HOW THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO BE CALM?! THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO WORRY ABOUT BEING KIDS NOT HAVING TO HELP MY MOM PAY BILLS!! NOW TEIKO IS STUCK TRYING TO WATCH THE OTHERS AND OTHER BRATS AT OUR HOUSE AND MY BROTHERS ARE FLIPPING BURGERS AT A WACKDONALDS!!"

He ended his rant by slamming his fists on the table and letting veins bunch up in anger. Most people would flinch but considering how used to his anger they were, his girlfriend and Suma only looked on in growing concern than actual fear.

"Honey, it's not going to be forever." Kanae attempted to soothe her boyfriend with a gentle hand softly rubbing his back. A small kiss pressing to his cheek. "They promised you it's only going to be until that big debt bill is paid off, and you guys already paid off a good portion of it."

That seemed to calm him down somewhat as he ate least unclenched his teeth and relaxed back a little bit. "I know. I just don't want them to get it in their heads that they have to work at an early age! They should be worried about school and getting good grades not paying bills... Maybe I should drop out and get a full time job."

"WHAT?! NEMI, NO!!" Sum hopped from one foot to the other. "You came so far! And you'll graduate after next year!"

"She's right! You only have a year and a half more then you'll graduate. Your mom wouldn't want you to quit."

"Maybe that's not what she wants.." Body deflated. Head hung. "But that might be what she needs."

There was silence as both women stared at him then at each other in lost. He couldn't just quit. He worked so hard to get to where he was at, already sacrificing lots of things. If he did this now..then he'll regret it later. But with his family struggling as it was how could they ask him to change his mind? They would've continued to sit there in silence if there wasn't a loud knock on the door that had them all look up. Again there was silence before the knocking came again but a bit louder. After exchanging looks, Suma eventually stop up and went to go answer the door. Pulling it open, blinking...and then beaming into a smile.

"Y/N! Oh my gosh! Hi! What are you doing here!?"

"Hi, Suma. Is Sanemi here?" Said white haired man perked up hearing his name. "Gyomei told me I could find him here."

"Yeah! You wanna come in?"

"Can't. I have to go pay some bills and finish cleaning my house. But can you give him this for me? It's really important he gets it."

"Sure! I'll do that right now!"

"Thanks! You're a life saver!"

They were surprised when Suma closed the door a moment later before turning and revealing a large manilla envelope in her hand.

"The hell is that?"

She shrugged. "No idea. Y/n said it's for you. OOH!! Maybe it's the recipe for that ohagi you liked! Y'know she ones she made that weekend."

"Tch. That'd be one good thing outta this dam day."

He mumbled under his breath as Suma walked over to him and he just bluntly took it from her. Giving a look at the front and back before just tearing off the top and peeking inside. In an instant his face went from bored and annoyed to cartoony shocked in one second. Both girls watched his expression change rapidly, looked at one another, before Kanae just reached over to pull the opening up more to look inside and VERY quickly gained the same shocked expression.

"Oh my," was all she managed to say.

"What is it?! Tell me!"

"Money."

"What?!" Suma quickly joined the two gasping out. "HOLY COW!! LOOK AT THE ZEROS ON THAT CHECK!!"

Sanemi continued to stare at the envelope blankly until Kanae pried it from his hands to peer inside with a raised brow. "There's a card in here too." Holding it up, narrowed pink eyes were able to read it. "It's a gift card of some sort."

"Hey. Wasn't this stuff like...the prizes for that raffle or something?"

Again there was silence as a realization of what exactly was sitting in Kanae's hands washed over them all...until a loud scraping of a chair caused both ladies to jump as Sanemi abruptly stood up and just..stared at the table. Silently stirring something around in his head before both hands landed with a loud thud sound on the table. 

"Sanemi?" "Honey, are you ok?"

"I'll be damned...Kanae."

"Yes?"

"If Gyomei doesn't marry that woman we will."

[aayakashii]

my pictures of you

Warnings: Yandere!Sagara Haru x reader; SFW; unhealthy obsession

Haru was, once again, in debt. Precisely, ¥625000 in debt, due to his latest and most important acquisition so far: A Canon EOS R5, with 45 megapixels and 8K resolution at 30p – the best professional camera in the market that would allow him to take the prettiest, clearest and most detailed pictures ever.

Now he could finally post only the best photos on instagram, advertising the Jabberwock safari, and even enter photo contests that could get him back all the money he spent over his months as Captain, in the off chance he actually won them.

But most importantly, now he could finally take proper pictures of you.

The GPS he had snuck into your phone case beeps, alerting him of your location and Haru smiles gleefully. Perfect timing – he had just finished feeding all the animals and now all that was left was cleaning the dorm, but that could wait a little bit. Now he needs his daily dose of you, even if only for a few moments.

Haru cannot properly pinpoint when this little habit of his started. One day he saw you playing with Peekaboo and sneakily snapped a photo on his phone. He couldn't help it, it all just looked so pretty, so lovely! Seeing you with his baby just warmed his heart and he needed a way to make that moment last forever.

Everything went downhill from then on.

Haru knows this isn't exactly the most normal of activities – he's pretty sure Ren would tell him time and time again that that's harassment. But, another part of him keeps on being louder and louder, so he asks himself: how can that be? He just wants to be able to capture all of your moments and have them with him forever.

Haru craves your every smile, every tear, every brow furrowed. He needs to have them all, to collect them like precious little stones.

He's not truly doing anything wrong, he's not hurting you – he would never hurt you! He just loves to see all your moments and wants to keep them all safe and locked beside his bedside table.

With a skip on his step, Haru enters his room and opens the table's drawer to get his newest trusted partner.

Carefully picking up the camera, he eyes the thick envelope in which he keeps all of his most beloved treasures and smiles again, satisfied to see that it is untouched.

His collection of photos of you fills the envelope to the brim, and it is actually surprising how it hasn't torn apart yet.

Every photo, a different moment he secretly captured, each one with some new little detail about you he's all too ready to treasure.

He has pictures of you smiling bright and wide, a blinding light in the middle of the grim campus in which you all reside. But despite how lovely you look, these are the pictures he avoids looking at the most. Because someone else will always be in the frame of the photos, someone else will always be the target for your smiles. Haru feels his stomach churn as jealousy washes over his body.

Oh, what would he do in order to be the only one who sees you smile like that every single day… if he wasn't so busy, if he hadn't so many responsibilities, would you choose him?

No one else but him truly sees you, no one deserves your pretty smiles as much as he does, so, in a perfect world, would you smile like that for him and him alone?

In some pictures, however, you look like the weight of the world is on your shoulder and Haru knows; it might as well be. Through the lens of the camera, he sees the dark circles under your eyes, your tiredness, your concerns. He has seen you in person on the campus during these moments, and it always pains him to see you like this.

If he could, he would rid you of all your burdens in the blink of an eye. There is nothing Haru wants more than to protect you – from your curse and from all the dangers of the world (and from other ghouls). He has to keep you safe, right there, in his arms, where nothing and no one could ever hurt you. He wants to kiss every tear away until your brows unfurrow and you finally rest against his chest.

Sometimes, he snaps photos of the way you longingly look at the Galaxy Express, undoubtedly thinking of the world outside.

He hates these pictures. He hates when you think of leaving Darkwick, of leaving HIM behind. How can you think that? Wouldn't you miss everyone you met - no, scratch that, wouldn't you miss HIM?

How can you think of a life in which he's so obviously not included? Even though his own life is now all but revolving around you? He works faster to be able to see you, barely sleeps to be able to see you, eats almost nothing to be able to see you… How dare you think of leaving him?

In these moments of unrestrained anger, Haru entertains the idea of simply stealing you away. Locking you behind a door to keep you safe, so he can always know where you are, no GPS needed.

The only thing that keeps his hands from doing it, is thinking about you fearing and hating him – this would hurt just as much as you leaving him behind. He needs you to love him otherwise his dedication would all be for nothing.

His favorite photos, however, are the ones he takes late at night, when you are sleeping.

Oh, you look so cute! Snoring quietly, fully relaxed and defenseless, he wishes he could just scoop you into his arms and have you sleep away in the safety of his embrace.

Sometimes, when he goes to your window, he sees some weird floating doll flying away from your quarters, but he chalks it up to just some harmless anomaly that likes to watch you sleep.

At the end of the day, he understands; he loves to observe you as you dream away during the night. You look so peaceful, so comfortable… Haru hopes to have the courage to ask to relax with you just like that someday.

But he's so busy, so so busy.

So for now, he is content with taking endless photos of you sleeping. He promises he keeps them safe in his bedroom, sleeping with them on his pillow for the few hours he manages to close his eyes, hoping you'll invade his restless dreams every night.

“Haru, hi!” You smile brightly at him once you see him come closer to where you are – an open clearing with nowhere to hide. Nowhere for him to take photos secretly.

“What a coinkydink, honor student! What brings you here in this place?” Haru happily skips his way towards you, camera still in hand.

“I just found this place when I was trying to run away from Romeo” you scratch your head, sheepishly “He's being annoying and trying to make me run some errands for him, so I ended up hiding here. What are you up to? I didn't know you were a photographer!”

Snapping out of his thoughts of how he could keep Romeo far, far, far away from you, he looks down at his hands as if he just noticed it was there.

“Oh! Yes! Haha! I like taking some pictures here and there. Good for advertising the safari, you know?” He gives you a thumbs up.

“That seems cool!" you say, a surprised expression adorning your features "Can I see what you took so far?” You ask, shyly holding out your hand.

“Hmmm, actually I have a better idea” Haru quickly says, clearing his throat, before the panic of having you find out about his ‘hobby’ settles in “How about we go to Jabberwock and we take some pictures of you in the safari? I do need someone to model for my advertisement.” Haru says it as if it was the most revolutionary idea in the world and not something he thinks of on the daily at all.

“Are you sure? I've never modeled for anyone…”

“Of course!! Don't worry, let's go, let's go!!” He grabs your hands and pulls you towards the fields of Jabberwock “As long as you have fun, you'll be the perfect model!”

You let yourself be dragged by him for a moment, until you nod your head in acceptance.

“Okay! If you put it this way, I guess I can do it. I always have fun when I'm with you in Jabberwock!” you smile brightly at him and Haru swears you would be able to see hearts floating around his head at any given moment.

He's so happy you accepted to be his model! He will never ever post any of these pictures on Instagram, though. They'll look just fine beside all his photos of you sleeping.

[heich0e]

wouldn't it be nice? - suna rintarou/f!reader (haikyuu!): fluff but suggestive at times, established relationship, talk of babies/families/pregnancy, committing to the bit is all fun and games until the bit commits to you, tw: light miscommunication since some of u guys hate that, let the record show this was NOT written for his birthday, i didn't even KNOW it was today ok, i will not be taking questions at this time (or ever)

You know exactly what started it.

The problem.

It was some sappy commercial you saw on TV one lazy Sunday afternoon.

You rarely even watch television—not proper cable television anyway—preferring the simplicity of streaming services in this modern day and age. It's a complete fluke that you happen across it at all while you and Rintarou rest sprawled across his couch in the afternoon sun, your feet tucked underneath his thigh. You wouldn't even go on to remember what the commercial was for; all you remember is the perfect, cherubic little baby at the centre of it, and the way that it made your heart melt.

You let out a long, wistful sigh once the advertisement transitions into the next. "I want to hold a baby."

It piques his interest. That stupid, completely unremarkable comment that you'd come soon to regret.

Rintarou pulls himself a little more upright at his end of the sofa, shooting you a mischievous look. His expression might seem placid to most people, impassive even, but you know it, and him, and all his minute eccentricities too well to be fooled.

"I'll give you a baby," he muses, angling his body over yours on the sofa with his arms caging your waist. You draw your legs back instinctively—hips perpendicular to your thighs and heels to the bottom of your bum—at the first sign of trouble.

Your lip curls, and you lift your sock-clad feet so they press flat against his chest, pushing him back with all the strength you can. He hardly budges, but you expect as much.

"Ew, Rin," you snort, head lolling to the side to idly watch the next useless commercial on TV as it unfolds, “gross."

Suna pauses, a hand loosely circling your ankle, and you glance at him from the corner of your eye. There's a look that you don't recognize that flitters across his face. His grip tightens a little, his thumb sweeping down over the round protrusion of your joint and back again.

"Gross?" he asks softly.

"Yeah, gross," you say, pulling your foot out of his hold. It takes a bit of effort, because he doesn’t seem to want to move, but you roll over onto your side and wiggle out from under him to rise up off the sofa. You shuffle into the kitchen for a snack, and you feel his eyes on you as you go.

But that was just the start.

You’re not sure if you just never noticed, or if the universe has a deeply perverse sense of cosmic humour, but after that Sunday afternoon, it seems like there are babies everywhere you go. 

And if not actual living, breathing babies, then it's all matter of things that are decidedly baby-adjacent. Itty bitty onesies on display at the store you two are shopping at. Sweet souvenir plushies at the Aquarium that are meant for little ones to hold. Diapers, formula, and various other baby necessities are advertised in the posters mounted on bus stops, on train stations platforms, and on flashing digital billboards. 

And every single time, without fail, you see them when you’re with Suna. 

And every single time, without fail, he looks at you and waits for you to meet his gaze. 

You’ve gotten pretty good at avoiding it, honestly. But then he’ll always make some comment. Point it out. Make it obvious.

“Look at that baby’s tiny hand. I bet our baby will have my hands.”

“Can you believe that babies are really this little? Do you think ours will be this small?” 

“If you were buying these for our baby would you get the yellow or the—“

“Trick question,” you cut Suna off, snagging the yellow pair of training chopsticks (complete with a little ducky on top) out from his hands and shoving them back onto the display he’d just plucked them off of. You don’t allow yourself to linger for too long on how cute they really are. “Babies don’t use chopsticks, and also we’re not having a baby.”

You continue down the aisle of the market, a familiar pain throbbing just behind your eyes that Rintarou seems so uniquely skilled at eliciting. Your face is hot too, but that’s probably just from the frustration. After a moment you hear his feet shuffling along after you, and the two of you finish your grocery shopping in relative silence.

You’re used to putting up with all of your boyfriend’s other annoyances and oddities, so this is just another one to add to the ever-growing list. But this time, something feels a bit… different. 

The two of you stop at a vending machine for coffee on your walk home since it’s cold out. Suna has the largest of your two reusable grocery bags looped over one of his arms, and somehow while you’re digging for change in your wallet he manages to weasel the other one off of your arm and onto his own, too. 

“There’s a coffee shop right around the corner, why are you stopping here?” he asks, watching as you carefully make your selection from the humming machine in front of you. You press the button of your choice, and a can of cafe au lait clunks down into the waiting chute below. 

“The metal can keeps my hands warmer,” you explain, sticking a few more yen into the machine and choosing Rintarou’s favourite, too. His choice makes the same descent yours had, and you crouch down to retrieve it for him, holding it out to him in offering as you stand. 

He blinks at you.

“Nah, I’m good,” he says, shaking his head a little. “Hands are full, anyway.”

You balk at him soundlessly for a moment. “Give the other bag back, then!”

“Nope,” he replies, making a point to enunciate it clearly in a way that you know he knows drives you crazy. He takes a step in the direction of your apartment, and you have no choice but to stick the can of coffee he’d declined into your coat pocket and chase after him.

It does a great job of keeping your hand—tucked into your pocket and wrapped around it—warm as you walk, though.

Nearly back at your apartment, your can of coffee drained and properly disposed of, a little ball of fluff waddles past you on the sidewalk, heading towards the entrance of a nearby park. You and Rintarou both pause, equally confused by what you’ve just spotted.

Behind the amorphous little thing is a couple, maybe a few years older than you two are, trailing not even a metre away. You watch as they coo and fawn over it as is wobbles unsteadily towards the open stretch of grass ahead. They call it pet-names, and try to convince it to turn around for mom and dad so they can take a picture.

Oh.

A baby.

Probably a little older than a baby given the whole… walking thing. But it’s still so tiny, even in its big, puffy coat, so they can’t be very old. The hood is pulled up over the child’s head, and you realize upon closer inspection that it has—

“Teddy-bear ears,” Rintarou says, cupping his fingers over his mouth and blowing warm air into his hands. “That’s so cute.”

“Yeah,” you say with a soft smile, watching as the child toddles along in their fluffy little teddy jacket.

Suna must have put the grocery bags down at his feet at some point when the two of you stopped walking, and when he pulls his hands back from his face, you see how the tip of his nose has gone pink from the cold. He dips down in front of you, his eyes narrowed, scrutinizing you up-close. 

“What?” you ask him nervously, a hand fluttering self consciously to your face. 

His breath leaves his mouth in wispy clouds as he tilts his head to the side. He’s so close that the warmth brushes against your lips like an airy, indirect kiss. You wonder if he can taste the coffee that clings to yours.

“What?” you repeat yourself again, a little more insistently this time. You reach up and pinch either of his cheeks between your thumbs and forefingers—stretching the pliable flesh outwards in an attempt to get him to back off a bit. His rosy cheeks are cool under your warm touch.

“Do you think we’d make a cute baby?” Rintarou asks, though the question is a little garbled thanks to your grip, and your stomach clenches involuntarily. His hands, and his frigid fingertips, reach up and rest over your own where you’re still pinching his cheeks—though your vice has eased slightly.

“You can barely even make an omelet,” you huff out as heat rises in your cheeks, pulling your hands out from under his and looking away. “Like I’d ever trust you to make a baby.”

“People make them all the time by accident, you know,” he remarks, rubbing at his stinging cheeks where you’d been pinching him. “I’m sure I could do it on purpose if I really set my mind to it.”

You dip down and grab the grocery bag he’d taken off your hands earlier, hiking it up onto your shoulder.

“Why are you so obsessed with this stupid baby joke?” you ask him exasperatedly, following it with a long, aggrieved sigh that you can see as you breathe it out.

He looks at you for a moment, his brow pinching in the middle. His nose is still so pink, and it makes the green in his eyes stand out more. 

You watch how Suna’s lips part, like he’s going to say something, but then they press together in a thin line again without uttering a word. He picks up his grocery bag with one hand and sets off in the direction of home, and this time you feel a little sheepish as you follow after him.

The apartment is quiet when you return home, and it stays that way as the two of you unpack the groceries in your kitchen side by side. You bought more than you usually would on a weekly grocery trip, all because Suna’s been staying over more than he usually does. But there’s a sudden frostiness that seems to have creeped in from outside, as if clinging to your coattails, and the chill has now settled between the two of you. 

It makes a strange sort of anxiety prickle under the surface of your skin, tender like a bruise. It makes you wonder if half of these groceries are going to go to waste.

“I’ll shower first,” Rintarou mutters without turning towards you after he puts the last pantry item away and closes the cabinet.

Stress sits heavy in the pit of your stomach when he doesn’t look at you. It’s intentional, you know it is. Suna’s favourite hobby is staring at you—he’s told you that himself many, many times. But he doesn’t even spare you a glance before he shuffles off towards your bedroom. 

You stand in silence in the kitchen, as though that weight in your gut keeps you anchored in place. You can hear the rustle of Rintarou’s clothes hitting the hamper. You hear the bathroom door close. You hear the spray of the shower turn on. 

You hear your heartbeat. Loud and wet in your ears.

You’re being ridiculous. You know that. You’re all worked up over nothing. 

This was all just some stupid joke that he was being annoying about in the first place. That he found every possible opportunity to bring up. 

You aren’t even sure what’s upset him so much; uncertain as to why you being annoyed about one of his blatant attempts to annoy you seems to have caused him offence.

You curl up on your sofa as Rintarou showers, picking at the fraying cuff of your hoodie as you similarly pull apart every second of your memory from the walk home from the market in an attempt to identify what could possibly have gone wrong. You’re thinking about the can of coffee—left sitting, unopened and room-temperature now, on your kitchen counter—when you hear the shower turn off.

The seconds tick by agonizingly slowly as you wait for your sullen boyfriend to emerge, but when he does he still seems resolved to avoid you. You wait on the sofa, your fingers stilled in the motion of fiddling with your sleeve, anticipating that he’ll come ask you to blow-dry his hair, just like he always does.

He doesn’t. 

The hairdryer clicks on in the other room, and the sound makes you feel sick. 

“Rin!” your voice leaves you involuntarily, without an ounce of conscious effort. You sound panicked.

The hairdryer clicks off immediately, and Rintarou appears in the doorway to your bedroom—half-dressed and hair half-dried—in an instant. His eyes are alight with concern.

Your hand had flown to your mouth as soon as you called out for him, too late to actually muffle the sound. But it stays there as you look at him with shocked, notably-guilty eyes.

“What’s wrong?” he asks you, eying you suspiciously.

“Nothing,” you murmur, your fingers still resting lightly over your lips, you avert your eyes. “It’s nothing, sorry.”

He hesitates in the doorway for a moment, and then turns to head back to the hairdryer.

“It’s just—“

He pauses when you speak again, one of his hands resting on the doorframe he’s lingering beneath—neither in nor fully out. 

“—you’re mad at me.”

You watch his shoulder blades as your words hang in the air between the two of you. The chill in your apartment, unlike it had been outside, is only proverbial—but you half expect to see wisps of vapour slipping out on the edge of your breaths.

“I can’t figure out what I did wrong.”

Suna looks at you over his shoulder, his already vulpine eyes narrowing a little further. Not in irritation, but consideration. For all the strangeness between the two of you today, you can still recognize that much in his expression. 

“I’m not mad at you,” he finally says, and you hate how relieved you feel at so few words. Hate even more how him turning back to face you makes the weight in your stomach lessen. That as he approaches you on the sofa you feel the air warm with every step.

Rintarou perches on the edge of your couch, a full cushion between the two of you as you sit there quietly. Both of his feet are on the ground, but yours are drawn up onto the sofa with you, facing him. Slowly your feet creep forward, slipping your toes under his sweat-pant clad thigh.

Suna’s head droops forward, and he lets out a breathy, wry laugh.

“What are your theories so far?” he asks quietly. 

Your head tilts to the side in confusion.

He peeks over at you, peering up at you from the corner of his eye.

“What do you think you might have done wrong?”

You hum quietly, pursing your lips slightly.

“Well, I… I thought maybe I got you the wrong coffee. I didn’t ask, but you always choose that one, so I just thought…”

Suna clicks his tongue.

“Nope.”

You huff a bit, staring at your hands in your lap. “Well… there was that baby at the park.”

You feel Suna’s eyes on you, but you’re suddenly too wary to meet them. He doesn’t tell you you’re wrong though, so you continue. 

“And I said you can’t make an omelet.”

He laughs a bit again, and you know that wasn’t it either.

“Are you upset because I said that I didn’t think you could make a baby?” you ask, peeking up at him. “Rin, I’m borderline militant about taking my birth control. I obviously don’t think you’re impo—“

Rintarou tips his head up a little further, meeting your gaze. Caught in his stare, it’s suddenly like your words die before you can get them off the tip of your tongue. Slowly, he reaches out towards you, taking one of your fidgeting hands and holding it in his. His touch is warm now, in contrast to what it had been at the park. He lifts your hand up to his mouth.

Delicately, he kisses your fingertips. His lips brush against the digits, over your knuckles and up to your palms. He presses your hand to his cheek and looks at you with the most pitiful gaze. It makes your chest ache. 

“I don’t like it when you say that,” he says reticently. And for all Rintarou’s height and weight and sheer breadth, he sounds so impossibly small.

“Say what?” you ask him, and your voice is quiet too. Vulnerable.

He leans his flushing cheek into your hand, holding it to his face and closing his eyes as he nuzzles into your touch.

“That you wouldn’t have my baby,” he whispers, “that you don’t want it.”

You resist the urge to pull away. It’s an instinct you can’t explain: a desire to keep him at a distance, to always laugh things off, to make a joke out of very real feelings. 

“Because I do.”

You blink.

Suna opens his eyes and looks at you, and for the first time you see the very real, very not joking pain in his eyes.

“I want that with you.”

Your mouth is dry and you’re frozen. You stare at him, completely still, stunned by his sincere confession.

“What?” you manage to squeak out. 

Rintarou closes his eyes again, breathing out a little sigh. He pulls your hand from his cheek, folding your fingers down so they’re hooked in a loose fist around his thumb. He brings your hand to his lips, not quite a kiss but close enough to call it that anyway. 

“Not right now,” he murmurs into your knuckles, lips brushing against you as he speaks the words. “But someday.”

You’re still so shocked that you don’t know how to respond. He peers at you, hand still held to his lips, his eyes more resolved than they are wounded now. 

“And I want you to want that. But I don’t know how to make you want it too.”

Your heartbeat thumps in your chest, resonant and palpable. Heat has crawled all the way up your face now, and you’re fairly certain your hand has gone clammy, but Rintatou passes no comment even if it has.

“Do you think you could?” he asks you quietly. Sheepishly. Earnestly. “Could you want that? With me?” 

You pitch yourself forward suddenly, and Rintarou lets out a little grunt of surprise as the two of you topple back into the sofa. You hide your burning face in the crook of his neck, that smells like your body wash and shampoo but somehow so much better, clutching onto him like your life depends on it. Suna seems shocked for a moment as he finds himself flat on his back with your weight on top of him, and his body is stiff as he processes it. After a few beats of your too-loud, too-telling heart pass, he finally eases. He wraps his arms around your waist and holds you tightly to him.

“You’re so stupid,” you grumble, your eyes squeezing shut tightly.

“Yeah,” he agrees, and you can hear the smile in his voice. The genuine laughter that’s hiding just behind the words. He hugs you a little tighter. “Probably.”

You stay like that for a while, basking in the warmth of Rintarou’s body and the rhythm of his breath.

“You love me though,” he says quietly, “so that reflects pretty badly on you.”

You lift your head to meet his gaze, and find him barely holding in a laugh. You can’t help but laugh with him. Can’t help but enjoy your favourite sound.

Rintarou scoops you up in his arms again, tugging you into his lap. He presses featherlight kisses to the corner of your jaw, and you fiddle with his long, lithe fingers. He sighs, but this time the sound is at ease. His damp hair tickles your face as he rests his forehead against your temple, nosing at your cheek.

“Hey, Rin?” you murmur as you run your thumb over the space between his first and second knuckle on his ring finger. You think about the kid you saw at the park in the fluffy jacket, and the besotted parents trailing along behind it.

He answers you with a content, if not slightly curious, hum. 

You turn your face towards him, and your noses brush. Rintarou’s lashes flutter as his gaze turns a little heavy-lidded. You can feel his breath on your lips, that’s how close he is. You inch forward until the space between you is almost completely gone.

And just before your lips meet, you smile.

“I do think we’ll make a cute baby.”

[sevenop]

Billie Eilish x Fem!reader: Eau De Parfum

A/n: once you love the warm and calm fragrance of Eilish no. 1, you studiously avoid its diametrical opposite - the bold and dark no. 2. According to your first impression, the languid woody trail of the perfume is not your path. But why does it feel so appealing? Billie helps you decide, revealing this fragrance in a new light.

«... cause I feel like, it's weird, but I feel like a fan myself. I just... It doesn't feel real!» - A genuine smile for the camera and a slight shrug, that's what Billie is all about. A knack for the camera and an incorruptible amount of sincerity, even when she's actually on the other side of the screen from her fans.

Eilish brought you along to shoot the launch of her fragrances Eilish and Eilish no. 2 for Ulta Beauty, and you just couldn't say no to her: your mutual desire to spend more time together and the opportunity to wander around a completely free (not counting the small film crew, a couple of consultants and security, of course) store is definitely what made you say yes. And enjoying Eilish's looseness in the crosshairs of the cameras is a huge pleasure, I must say.

After a few unsuccessful doubles, you realize that standing in the same position with your back against the wall for the last thirty minutes has been quite tiring. Darting between the many racks of cosmetics and perfumes, you try to entertain yourself a little to shake off the fatigue and late night slumber. Your gaze confusedly clings to the endless bottles of perfume, attracting you with their rich color or unusual shape. It is really difficult to concentrate on one thing, and not to lose your sense of smell after a dozen samples that you have managed to smell - something mind-bogglingly impossible. A short conversation with a nice female consultant pleasantly brightens up your wait, when you are already tired of circling the store for the third time. You come out from behind a row of boring shelves, wanting to go back, but you stop abruptly.

The confident gaze of the dark blue eyes, the seductive wet ink-black strands of hair mysteriously falling over her shoulders, the neat palms, on both sides closing black, like a symmetrically carved flacon. And, of course, devilishly inviting lips. Frankly speaking, you are staring hungry at a large advertising poster with your own girlfriend, as if you are seeing it for the first time. Well, I congratulate you.

Mixed with aesthetic admiration, thoughts of this tantalizing second perfume are in your head again: is it even worth trying it on yourself when you prefer the comfortable vanilla "hug" of the first one? Billie's languid, woody scent certainly suits her, but... what about you?

"Just a couple more minutes and you'll soon be making a hole in the glass," - the familiar velvet voice and the warmth of the palm that created a perfect 'lock' with yours, - "I'm wildly pleased, though."

Billie brings you out of your trance as suddenly as you entered it. Smiling, you close your fingers a little tighter for a few moments. A tacit confirmation that you are back in the real world.

"So... You want to give it a try after all?"

The tangle of tangled thoughts and doubts is back in motion in your head. You stare helplessly at the poster, then at Eilish herself. The better solution is to shrug your shoulders and sink your gaze into the socks of your slightly battered Jordans. Which is exactly what you're doing.

"Honestly, I don't even know, my love. On you it reveals itself so tantalizing. I don't think it would suit me."

"But you haven't even tried it," - her eyebrows come together gently the bridge of her nose in a confused squint, the word storm cloud over seas of blue.

"I know, but..."

The words remain unspoken: Billie, armed with a confident smirk, pulls you toward a rack of her own products and gallantly beckons the consultant over to you. By the end of the shoot, you're already sitting in her car with the "intimidating" dark box of a full-size bottle from the second collection on your lap.

"And yet I don't think it's mine."

"Relax, baby," Billie deftly slung the seat belt over her shoulder and turned the key in the ignition. The pleasant murmur of the engine is immediately heard in the Audi's interior, "Just let me prove how tantalizing you are. I'm sure you two will become friends."

The car slowly pulls out of the parking lot, remaining almost invisible in the night darkness that has descended on the city. And while Eilish drives the car relaxedly, biting the corner of her lips in thought, you nervously beat a rhythm with your fingers on the surface of the box that only you know. You're nervous, but you silently allow her. You allow her absolutely everything.

×××

The cool shower dampens your excitement until Billie enters the room: the singer looks like she's stepped out of that poster, except that instead of a black dress, she's wearing a long cotton T-shirt that reaches mid-thigh. Otherwise, the differences are nil, even in her hands she now has a weighty charcoal figure in the form of a woman's bust. You wince somewhat, bumping the tip of your nose against the collar of your terrycloth robe.

"I promise it won't hurt," - Billie's irony is what she finally disarms you with, sitting down at your side. Eilish's smile across from you and the rustle of the blanket, infused with a special warmth, is reassuring. You trust her, despite the childish stupidity of your situation.

"I'm ready," - you say confidently and clearly, eyes fixed on the eyes opposite, as if it were a lifeline. Billie chuckles, palm touching your cheek.

"Just let me put the finishing touches on it, my brave girl."

A second, and you're completely naked in front of her: in a few deliberately leisurely movements, Billie first loosens the knot in the waistband of your robe, then removes it altogether. The terry softness slips pleasantly off your shoulders, giving way to the sassy gaze of blue eyes. She freezes, admiring the etude that has emerged before her in the golden-warm semi-darkness of the bedroom, and you smirk. Confidence grows.

Picking up the cap of the flacon with her fingers, she apply three cool, but mentally scalding sprays: your collarbones, the area behind your ear, your wrist. Eilish takes her time, looking clearly into your eyes with each cloud of fragrance. You instantly smell the voluminous scent of ebony and palo santo, mysterious in its tranquility; you see the crazy blue lights dancing in Eilish's eyes.

"First sensations?" - The carved lid of the expensive vial taps lightly, like marble, returning to its rightful place, the vial itself flinged in the center of the bed - Eilish has no intention of being ceremonious, focusing all of her attention now on you alone.

"It's much more intimate than the no. 1. So... warm, lingering. It's like I'm in some kind of gothic cathedral with you."

"Very good, we can keep going."

And then it all blends into one continuous pleasure: hot kisses, sheets, bites, moans. Eilish is enjoying yourself, and you're absolutely lost, torn in half by the smells and sensations. Her hands seem to be everywhere; the barely husky whisper of over-the-top excitement penetrates your subcortex. When her tongue traces a path between your collarbones and downward, you can smell the poppy odor. Placing a few bright hickeys on your neck, a perfumed black pepper shoots into your nose, driving you both crazy. Eilish hungrily grabs your thighs, spreading them a little more - the scent of papyrus is more pronounced in the air. She kneels down, tongue placing the place where it's hottest right now - you smell vanilla, making you throw your head back and breathe intermittently. Only lastly, apple blossom and bergamot cover you with their tranquility as you cum, rhythmically thrusting yourself onto her fingers.

The diametric opposite in flavor perception is replaced by understanding. Eilish no. 2 is a long-awaited night shared by two, something that envelops you with desire and passion, something that gives you the confidence. It's a flavor closer than any other.

"Perfume always opens up on hot skin in a different way. And it suits you no less than it suits me," - she playfully whispers into your jaw line before you both fall asleep in each other's arms.

[weirdmorefics]

I Don't Know Who I am Anymore

(Crowley x Platonic Reader x Aziraphale)

A/n- Sorry, I haven't been finishing requests it's hyperfixation time and this time it's Good Omens. This also can be read as romantic or platonic

Pronouns- They/Them

Word Count- 1,183

Summary- The reader is an angel more like was and gets cast out of heaven. When they fall they happen to fall directly in front of their good friend Aziraphale's bookshop.

I never expected falling to feel so cold. I just always assumed it would be burning hot as the air pulled you down to hell. I never thought it would happen to me though. I shut my eyes tight and waited for the feeling to pass. I tell myself this nothing I should embrace the cold before I am forced to an eternity of hell fire.

I hit the ground with a huge thud and cracked the pavement below me. I feel like I can't breathe which is a strange thing I have always been perfect as an angel. My wings shielded me from most of the blow from hitting the ground but I am missing a lot of feathers which are now on the ground. I move my wings around to see what is left of them and they are no longer the shiny white I once knew but a dark grey. Just when I started to breathe better from the fall the shock from the sight of my wings left me completely breathless. I start wheezing uncontrollably and try to stand up my vision blurring from my tears. I whip my head back and forth feeling many eyes on me expecting many demons to be staring at the incompetent angel that couldn't make it in heaven but instead, I see a shocking amount of humans pointing electronic devices at me. I turn in a circle and humans surround all sides except behind me there is a familiar bookshop.

Some humans were asking me if I was okay, some were assuming I jumped, and others said I must be on drugs. Then a tiny human came behind and pulled painfully hard on my already sore wings and shouted "Mom their wings are real they are really real!"

At this shout the building from behind me door swings open at high speeds. I instantly recognized him as the angel Aziraphale he used to be my dear friend we even helped Job together. He probably hates me now because I am no longer an angel they probably sent me here to get tortured by the person it would hurt most from. I just wanted nobody to get hurt! All I said is why should we fight Adam he is just a tiny human, he isn't even fully grown yet. I just didn't want a war where all kinds of beings would die and now I am a traitor! I look at Aziraphale with fear in my eyes pleading with him to just let me run.

I try to turn away but he is quick to grab my arm and announce to the crowd, "Be assured this is just a costume for an advertisement of a new book that will be coming to my shop soon! We were just testing that? Isn't that right Y/N?"

I swallow hard and nod in agreement so as to not make the angel hate me even more. The humans find this as an acceptable excuse because they often will accept anything to explain the unexplainable.

Aziraphale pulls me the rest of the way into the building that is filled with shelves and shelves of books.

Another person walks towards us " What was the commotion angel?" His face instantly sours at my presence, "Who is this demon and what are they doing here?"

That can't breathe feeling is back I try to back up towards the door in preparation.

Aziraphale looks at me and back at Crowley "Surely you must be mistaken! This Y/N they helped us with Job!"

"I remember Y/N but they were an angel this is a demon," He states like Aziraphale is blind. He gets closer to look into my eyes "Though they do look remarkably like Y/N. The Y/N we knew though refused to leave heaven after the job incident for her guilt of disobeying God." He rolled his eyes.

I fall to my knees and beg, "Can we end this charade, please? I know I was only sent here to be tortured before my eternity in hell! By those I consider my only true friends."

Aziraphale's jaw lightly drops open in shock, Y/N is the last angel he would ever think of falling. He is stunned speechless and does not move.

Crowley shakes his head and immediately pulls me to my feet, "No, no, no there is no need for that."

"I- I have failed God. I don't know who I am anymore. I have no purpose in this world. I will no longer be accepted by Heaven and Hell will surely not accept me as you said I did not leave Heaven in decades and I fell trying to keep the anti-Christ safe and out of celestial affairs. I am no one!" I rant out so fast I can truly breathe no more I start wheezing and tears blur my vision.

"Crowley I am not quite sure what to do in this situation. I have never witnessed an angel fall in person." He looks at Crowley with uncertained worried eyes.

Crowley walks up to me but I hardly notice in my state until he holds my body still, "Hey breathe! Heaven is idiotic to let you go! You are the most loyal angel I have ever met and so kind it is nauseating. Heaven doesn't deserve all you have done for them and Hell doesn't deserve your kindness! What do you say and join our side!"

I pull out of his grasp still tearful, "Your side! Aziraphale protects the gates and visited me frequently in heaven! He is an Angel and you hardly know me!"

What Y/N doesn't know is that Crowley already knows he frequents Heaven to visit Y/N. She is a common topic among them during their visits to the Ritz. Aziraphale has always regretted getting them involved with Job because it made their love of God turn to fear making her scared to connect to humans and leave Heaven.

"Trust me, I know you Y/N. You have loved humans since day one when you praised Aziraphale for giving his swords to the humans and assured him it was the right decision."

I twiddle my fingers embarrassed "You know about that?"

Aziraphale pipes in nervously, "Yes, sorry about that. I may have told him since you made me feel so much better in my decision. We also may discuss you a lot… I have been worried about you."

This angered "Did you have doubts about me being a good angel and if so why didn't you say anything!"

"Y/N you have to know I didn't imagine anything like this happening. But there has to be a reason you ended up here and not Hell and it isn't to torture you. You are good Y/N and I know it even Crowley knows it. So as Crowley said join us in our mission to prevent armageddon and we will take it one step at a time together."

I take an unsure breath and look at them both, "Ok I will join you."

[sentientcave]

Let's Riot!

When the Reader St arena gets bought out from under them by Morgan’s vengeful ex, Pippa Graves, The Reader St Riots suddenly find themselves without a practice space. Pippa may say she’ll play nice, but Morgan knows that she’ll either have to get back under Pippa’s manicured thumb or the whole team will be out on their ass in no time. Problem is, the only other practice space around that’s not booked up to the tits belongs to Jo Price, captain of the Femme41, and well… Morgan has a bit of ugly history with her too.

Still, Jo’s at least a little more reasonable than Pippa, and Morgan may hate to beg, but she’d hate to see the Riots disbanded more. And well, maybe there’s room for a little cooperation, especially when their teams get along so well.

Contains: Lesbians! Almost everyone is a woman (Alex is NB and there are like. A few men mentioned.) and most of them are gay, OCs: Readers and OCs from a bunch of my projects and also Bambi and Bricks who belong to the esteemed @dragonnarrative-writes , Roller Derby!, complicated dating histories, this is just a fun little palette cleanser because I got sad working on one of my other projects lmao, alcohol consumption, cannabis consumption

~3k - 18+ MDNI

“Frank, you’ve got to be fucking kidding me!”

“Come on, sweetheart, calm down—”

“I am calm!” Morgan snapped.

Chelsea quickly put an arm in front of Morgan and dragged her back a step. Calling Morgan sweetheart was a great shortcut to her blowing her top. “You are definitely not calm.” She looked back at Frank. He stood between them and the doors to the arena, a short, balding man that looked a bit sweaty and nervous in the low light. “You couldn’t give us any notice?”

“Look, I’ll return your deposits for the month—”

“That’s not the issue!” Morgan's brown eyes flashed with fury, her jaw tight, like she wanted to bite the man, which would be distinctly unhelpful.

Chelsea dragged her back another step. “It is a little the issue. What happened? We’ve never had any trouble, we’ve always paid on time, there’s no reason why you’d drop us like this.”

“New owners,” he said weakly. “I’m sorry, they cancelled everyone. You were just at the bottom of the call list, and you got here before I could.”

“New owners! Since when was it for sale?”

“Hell if I know. They don’t tell me shit either. All I know is that Gerry came in here with some blond bi—" He thought twice about his wording, giving Morgan another nervous glance. "--Woman and she’s the boss now.”

Morgan walked in a tight circle, looking up at the sky, hands on her hips. This wasn’t happening. It didn’t have to be her. Maybe it was some other blond woman with money to burn. “Fuck.”

The doors behind Frank opened. “Oh, hey sugar,” a too-familiar voice rang out, southern accent distinctive. “Fancy meetin' you here.”

Morgan turned around sharply. “Pippa.”

Chelsea groaned. “Oh here we go.”

“Go back to your office, Frank. I think I’ve got this from here.” Phillipa Graves patted Frank on the shoulder and walked past him. “Morgan, I’ve missed you. You never return my calls anymore.”

“Is that what this is about?” Morgan shifted her grip on her bag, glancing toward the parking lot. Bricks and Doll were lingering at the edge, talking to each other and looking back with worried expressions. They knew the history between Morgan and Pippa well enough to be wary of what might happen next. “You’re gonna steal our practice space because I won’t call you back?”

“Aw, honey, don’t be like that. We’re all big girls. I figure we can learn to share. Why don’t you join us tonight? And early next week we can grab dinner and make a new schedule. I’m sure there’s a way to make sure we’re all… satisfied.” Pippa twisted one of Morgan’s curls around her finger, leaning in close. Even ready for practice, she looked perfect as always, more like she was about to model for a roller skate advertisement than actually practice. Sleek blonde hair swept back in a low braid, a tight pink tank top, leggings that clung to her thighs, pads on, skates off, preparation interrupted by all the fuss she was certainly expecting.

“I’m the one that does the scheduling, usually,” Chelsea interjected. “Maybe it’s us that should get dinner.”

“If you like,” Pippa said smoothly, barely sparing Chelsea a glance. “The more the merrier, of course. Though I do have some personal business to talk over with Morgan too. Suppose it can wait.” She tapped Morgan under the chin with her first knuckle. “Come on, sugar, practice with us. We’re not so bad. And you’re all already here, ain’t you?”

“We’ll have to talk it over.”

“Course. Y’all come on in when you’re done talkin’.” Pippa winked at Morgan and sauntered back inside.

Chelsea sighed, elbowing Morgan as they walked over to the others. The rest of the team had gathered around Bricks, her height marked among the group of shorter women. “You’re gonna have to sleep with her.”

Morgan rolled her eyes. “I’d really rather not.”

“She’s not going to be reasonable,” Billie pointed out. “She’s pure evil. She’s the head of the PTA at Ellie’s school, and she runs that shit like the navy. She’s gonna bend us over a barrel to get what she wants.”

“Have you ever tried not having antagonistic relationships with your exes?” Bricks asked. “Because that’s what I do, and no one has bought a whole arena just to fuck with me.”

“Yet,” Doll said reassuringly. “It could still happen.”

“The whole team is awful,” Bambi said. “One of them works in my office, and she’s a real— Well, I don’t like her.”

“Harsh words, DB.” Bricks propped her hands on her hips. “We can suck it up for one night, a free practice is a free practice. And if you have to flutter your eyelashes at her the whole time, you’re gonna do it.” She pointed at Morgan accusingly. “This is your fault.”

“It is not!”

“It is,” Chelsea said solemnly, fixing her pink bun from on top of her head to low on the nape of her neck to fit under her helmet. “Pussy game is clearly too strong. Maybe try being a worse fuck.”

“She can’t.” Bricks gently turned Morgan around so that she was facing the doors, and nudged her forward a step. “She doesn’t know how.”

Chelsea turned fully toward the others, walking backward. “Alright, drills only, we’re not going to let them goad us into a scrimmage, they’re gonna play dirty as hell with no refs, and we can’t afford an injury this close to a game. Keep it loose, and if anyone hassles you, come to me, or come to Bricks. Do not tell Morgan or she’s gonna punch someone and we’re gonna lose our space for good.”

“I’m not!”

Bricks laughed and caught Chelsea’s arm, spinning her before she hit the edge of the door. “Yes you are, Morgan. Stay on your best behaviour. Maybe even try being charming.”

Bunny nudged Dancer, grinning. “If you’d joined up last year, like I told you to, you could have been here for the whole explosion. It was great.”

“Great?” Billie asked, raising her eyebrows. “Were we watching the same breakup?”

Bricks glanced over her shoulder warningly. “Save it for drinks, ladies, or Morgan’s gonna make us skate line drills till we drop.”

They dropped their bags along the benches and geared up, watching the Shadows zip around the track. The Shadows were mean, not just on the track, but off too, in that sugar sweet way that left you wondering if you were just reading into it. They were a pretty well-rounded team, and coordinated, thanks to Pippa. She did nothing in half-measures. It seemed impossible that she’d be able to raise children, run school events, coach a junior team as well as an adult one, somehow have a job on top, and still have time to run around keeping two relationships secret from each other for nearly eight months, but Pippa was the kind of woman who really could have it all.

The Riots were… A good team. Pippa had poached two of their players during the breakup drama, and Pepper had moved back home to take care of her grandmother, and they were still trying to get back to where they had been a year ago. Kitten Caboodle and Break Dancer were pretty solid for fresh meat, but with a small team and only four of them with more than a few years experience, it was rough going out there. Hard not to get demoralized when Kortac had beaten them 240 to 60 during their last game. No one’s fault really— Bunny and Sweetpea had been out sick and neither Kitty or Dancer were prepared to jam more than a few rounds with players that rough. They’d gotten shaken, so Morgan and Billie had done most of the jams. Nobody and Freddie Kruger had just torn right through their weakened pack while Morgan and Bill tried to wrestle their way past Queenie.

Once Dancer and Kitty got more confident, they’d be hard to catch. Kitty was tiny, and Dancer was agile, but they both needed more time. Doll and Bambi, who had joined a little over a year ago had turned out to be a highly effective set of blockers— Small, but sturdy and hard to knock down. When they were out on the track with Bricks or Chelsea, they were nigh impossible to get past, which would leave their fourth blocker free to assist the jammer, in an ideal world.

The ideal world simply had five more players in it. Maybe more, since no one but Morgan and Bricks made it to every game.

Later on, worn out and sweaty from practice, crammed into the biggest booth at a diner that was roughly equidistant between everyone’s homes and the arena (and the young man that worked the fryers had a massive crush on Sweetpea, which meant everyone got more fries), they debriefed.

“That’s gonna be tricky for me to stomach long term,” Morgan admitted. “I’m gonna sleep with Pip if I have to be too nice.”

“You don’t actually have to sleep with her, you know,” Bricks said.

“No… I’m gonna.”

“We can find somewhere else,” Billie suggested. “I don’t want Morgan and Pip to get back together, it was so annoying when they were. All in favour of Morgan not fucking Pippa, say aye.” She raised her hand to note the measure.

“Aye,” they intoned together, all raising their hands as well.

“Simone says the Femme41 practice out of Jo’s warehouse now. Pippa did the same thing to them eight months ago. I bet they’d let us skate there.” Bricks tossed another fry into her mouth. “If someone behaves herself.”

Morgan scoffed. “It’s impossible for me to date another one of her girlfriends, her relationships hardly last the weekends now.”

Bunny mouthed the word Pippa at Kitty and Dancer.

“Then you won’t have a problem asking her,” Chelsea said. “Maybe bake her something nice as an overture. A pie or something. You make good pies.”

Morgan winced. “We have a game against them this weekend. We could ask her all together.”

Billie shook her head. “No, this one’s on you. Captain to captain conversation. You have Chelsea’s schedule key, you can negotiate for a time that works.”

“And if she says no? She hates my guts.”

“Wear something low cut and bake her a pie,” Bricks suggested. “Maybe just go wearing nothing but an apron.”

“I’ve got one that says Born To Be A Lesbian Housewife,” Doll said. “You can borrow it. It’s very frilly.”

Bambi giggled. “I’ve got one that says Vagitarian.”

Doll laughed too, knocking her head against Bambi’s shoulder. “That’s way better, Morgan, borrow that one.”

"I'm not going to-- Did you people hear me when I said she hates my guts?"

"She still has eyes, Morgan," Bricks said. "And you have nice tits."

"If you don't sort this out, we might have to disband to other teams. And I don't want to. I like you guys." Chelsea looped an arm around Kitty. "We started this team because we wanted to get together and have fun and challenge ourselves without it getting so damn competitive or mean. Bill and I are not going back to the Shadows, and there's no way Bricks wants to go back to Kortac. So put on your big girl panties and a cute dress, and charm Jo into sharing the warehouse with us. Got it?"

"Got it." Morgan sank back into her seat with a groan. I'll talk to her after work tomorrow."

"Good," Billie said, a note of finality in her voice. "Now, did anyone else watch Game of Dragons last night? I have opinions."

By the time Morgan got home, walked Laika, showered, ate cold leftovers out of the fridge and stepped out on her balcony with a joint, it was well past dark, and she was bone tired. Jo was out on her own balcony, feet up, smoking a cigar. She was a thick, barrel chested woman, wearing a tank top and jeans, cigar in one hand, glass of whiskey in the other. Her hair was longer than usual, tucked behind her ears, like she'd been growing it out. It had been a while since Morgan saw her without a hat on.

They acknowledged each other with a curt nod, and Morgan settled into her swing chair, tucking her feet up underneath her. Laika went to the railing to give Jo the biggest, saddest eyes she could.

Jo maybe didn't like Morgan much, but it was hard not to like Laika. The big goofy rottweiler loved almost everyone, and knew exactly how to get what she wanted (big sad eyes, a few pathetic whines, a raised paw, if need be). It was only a minute before Jo was up and leaning over the railing to give Laika a pet.

Usually they didn't speak. The smallest things seemed to spark up into fights between them, and Morgan found it was easier just to keep their interactions to a minimum.

So it was a surprise when Jo spoke first. "Rough night?"

"Yeah. You could say that."

"Want to talk about it?"

“Thank you for pretending to care, but not really.” She grimaced. It really was the perfect opportunity to ask, but it was hard to shake the habit of brushing Jo off.

Jo snorted. “You know, I really preferred fightin’ to this cold shoulder treatment.”

“That’s because you’re a disagreeable sort of woman.”

“That’s the spirit, pet. But you can do better than that. C’mere.”

Morgan glared at her. “No. I’m good where I am actually.” She looked the other way, puffing on the joint. She could ask tomorrow. She wasn’t in a mood to deal with anyone else tonight. Having to smile and play nice with Pippa had been bad enough. She needed a good sleep before she could even pretend to be friendly to anyone else.

She startled when Jo’s thick fingers plucked the joint out of her hand. “Hey! I didn’t invite you over here.”

“Your weed’s better than mine.”

“Probably because I grow it myself. What do you want?”

Jo sat down on the solid little coffee table in front of Morgan, holding her cigar and whiskey glass in one hand. She leaned forward, glass resting lightly on her knee, bleeding condensation into the denim. Mixed drink, then, not straight whiskey. Jo drank the better stuff neat. “Pip called me today.”

“Oh yeah?”

Jo hummed, offering the joint back, blue eyes stern. “Don’t be coy, if you’re fuckin’ her again I’d rather know than get blindsided bumpin’ into her in the hallway.”

“Did she tell you we were?”

Jo’s jaw clenched tight. “She said she was lookin’ forward to seein’ you tonight.”

“Well I’m sure it was super nice for her. She bought my team’s arena. I am gonna have to start fucking her if I want to keep our usual practice slots. She made that… Well about as clear as she ever makes anything.” Morgan handed the joint over again. “So not very, but I still got the gist of it.” She scrunched up Laika’s ears, humming. Laika’s tail solidly thumped against Jo’s shin, bridging the space between them.

“Extortionist,” Jo scoffed.

“Yeah. Pretty much. Bricks said you might take pity on us if I asked nicely. I know you practice out of your warehouse.” Morgan lifted her eyes back up to Jo’s face.

“Is this you askin’ nicely?” Jo leaned forward slightly, her soft stomach spilling over her belt a bit, biceps flexing as she leaned more weight on her arms. “You can do better than that. Not so much as a please.”

“It was not me asking nicely. I had no intention of talking to you until tomorrow, and I’m still not asking until I’ve had at least four hours of uninterrupted sleep.”

“Surprised you’d come to me.”

Morgan looked away first, just like she always did. Jo had an intensity to her that was hard to match, blue eyes drilling into her own like she was looking for faults she could use to crack her open entirely. It was much easier to study the freckles on the top of her shoulder, just above the pinup girl sitting on the curve of a crescent moon that looked rather a lot like her ex wife, Sadie. “I wouldn’t if I had literally any other option. But I have to admit that you are slightly more tolerable than Pippa. Even if you do park half in my spot and fuck squealing college girls at all hours of the night.”

“You don’t need the space. You have a bike.”

“So that gives you the right to park your big-dick pickup truck wherever you please?”

“Sure does, sweetheart.”

“Don’t call me sweetheart! We have one conversation that doesn’t make me want to punch you, and you have to ruin it.”

She grinned, shifting back again. “Not being very nice to someone you want to ask a favour from.”

“I’m not asking the favour until tomorrow. I’m too grumpy to be nice tonight. You invited yourself over and plopped yourself down in front of me and started smoking my weed.” This was not helpful. Why did Jo always manage to get her this worked up? She drew in a centring breath. “No, you’re right, I should be nicer.”

"I did bogart your joint," Jo conceded. "That's on me." Rather than hand it back, she took a long drag, the cherry burning bright all the way down to the folded cardboard filter, and dropped the remains in the ashtray. She leaned forward again, cupping the back of Morgan's neck with a strong hand, and blew smoke directly into Morgan's face. She grinned wickedly when Morgan spluttered a bit. "What's wrong, pet? Thought you wanted me to share better."

"Maybe I am better off negotiating with Pippa," Morgan grumbled, swatting Jo's hand away.

"Hm. Maybe. Why don't you think about how you'll ask me about practice space tomorrow, and I'll get out of your hair." Jo stood up, gave Laika another pat, and climbed back over to her side of the balcony without another word.

Morgan ushered Laika inside, fuming again, and furiously got ready for bed.

She was sure of one thing; Jo Price was going to make a truce between them nigh impossible.

Title card made on Canva - Image Credits: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 (Stickers are Canva assets) Dividers by @/cafekitsune

[theamericanpin-up]

Earl MacPherson - "Perfect Circle Piston Rings Advertising" - 1956 Shaw-Barton Calendar Illustration

[arandomcranberry]

Hot take but I actually don't mind the bnha ending. Obviously it's not perfect, but nothing is and that's what fanfiction is for. I'm mostly talking about the post timeskip part of the ending, since the long drawn out battle stuff is what bored me from the series in the first place.

More thoughts and spoilers under the cut:

So I've seen people upset about Izuku losing one for all, but him being quirkless again brings it all full circle and makes sure the whole one-for-all/all-for-one thing is actually done with. Since it's hard for quirkless people to be heros in quirked society, especially with his messed up arms, he becomes a teacher to he can still help and inspire the next generation. The part where he tells the circle hair kid that he CAN be a hero, even with a weak or nonexistent quirk, is him learning from his past and doing better than his predecessors by inspiring the next generation (instead of crushing their dreams...All Might better be glad midoriya didnt go villain...). Plus, at the end, it's implied that he gets to become an active hero again with the use of support gear, so he eventually gets to directly help people in the field as well as indirectly in class. I know a lot of people were hoping for ships and pairings to become canon, but honestly I don't care about that. There's so much discourse in the mha fandom already about that, and this way people can still ship who they like or whatever.

Anyways, I prefer Clouds fics and a couple of others to the main series anyway (mostly because they're shorter and get to the point a little faster) so take my thoughts with a grain of salt lol.

(Just gonna advertise some of my fave bnha fics lol)

Clouds fics:

Cheat Code: Support Strategist

Deku? I think he's some pro...

Mastermind: Strategist for Hire

Viridian: The Green Guide

Shadows: The Horror Movie Heroes

Other fics:

Yesterday Upon the Stair/Deku Sees Dead People

Residual Hope (haven't caught up with this one in a bit)

The Capture Scarf Caper (sigh, hasn't been updated since 2021)

Hero Class Civil Warfare

Regenerate, Fate

[lvcky0ne]

Royal Flush is the 2nd full studio album by Lucky under Prismatic Entertainment. It was released on Oct 7, 2024, the group's 10th anniversary. The album features 10 tracks, including 4 solo songs, one for each member, BOOM! as the title track, and Stellar as a promoted b-side. It is available both physically and digitally.

Lucky promoted the album for a total of 6 weeks. BOOM! peaked at 6 on the Circle Chart and won 3 music show awards. Stellar exploded in popularity, rising to 1 on the Circle Chart and peaking at 12 on the Billboard Hot 200. Stellar won the group 6 music show awards.

｡:°ஐ i. the tracklist !

✧ . Take Off produced by HWI and Hiro

✧ . BOOM! ( title track ) produced by Angel, Hiro, and HWI

✧ . Stellar ( promoted b-side ) produced by Hiro, Han, and ROZE

✧ . Eat Ur Man ( sunnie solo ) produced by Sunnie and HWI

✧ . Lemonade ( angel solo ) produced by Angel

✧ . JAM ( hiro solo ) produced by Hiro and KOHH

✧ . Hot Hot ( han solo ) produced by Han

✧ . SourSweet produced by Kaori and Sunnie

✧ . Check Yourself produced by HWI and Angel

✧ . Atmosphere produced by Hiro and Sunnie

find Kaori at @sug4rsweet !!

｡:°ஐ ii. the styling !!

✧ . this era was heavily accentuated with lots of leather and chrome, blunt angles, and lots of layering and belts

✧ . lucky's stylist was quoted saying her biggest inspiration were pieces that would be found in a futuristic alien casino

✧ . hiro rocked a mid-length shaggy silver cut, han with grown out black locks, angel had an undercut bleach job, and sunnie kept her classic long black hair with blunt bangs

｡:°ஐ iii. the reception !!

｡:°ஐ iv. the highlights !!

✧ . as described by thousands of 4luvs online this era served many things, but most importantly: cunt

✧ . a perfect transition from brat summer, playing on a heavy edm sound that is rather new to the group

✧ . when asked about the more experimental songs on the album, sunnie said that with the creative control they're given, the group is always looking for ways to challenge themselves and push the bounds of typical kpop

✧ . lucky has always been known for pushing boundaries in the industry, and their second full album is no exception

✧ . while each member was dressed in relatively racy outfits, especially for BOOM! stages, one of hiro's Stellar outfits took the internet by storm, wearing a tight cut-out top that revealed some under-boob

✧ . it was a source of many arguments online in both 4luv and non-fan spaces, debating whether it was appropriate or even safe to be wearing while dancing on stage

✧ . hiro later posted a selfie in the top from a low angle on her instagram story writing "holding it down," some taking it as a taunt while many fans argue that she was simply assuring that the top was more secure than it seemed

✧ . in between music show appearances, members of the group would make appearances at clubs around seoul for mini performances including hiro and sunnie doing their own dj sets

✧ . these appearances sparked rumors that one or more members would be doing a set at nyc's infamous boiler room, but nothing ever came of it... yet !

✧ . these performances were never advertised, leading fans to do some serious digging and speculating on what clubs to visit on what weekends

✧ . it seems lucky has fully embraced their party reputation with this album, not unexpected by fans but still widely scrutinized by knetz

✧ . even han had something to say about it on live which surprised many 4luvs as he was usually the least outspoken member, saying "we're all adults. we have been for most of our career and we're not scared to shy away from it. we never have. i don't know why it's such a problem all of a sudden."

✧ . Stellar got much more popular than anticipated as a promoted b-side rather than a title track

✧ . the song was only supposed to promote for 2 weeks after BOOM!'s 3 week promotional period, but another week was added after its rise in popularity

✧ . hiro told W Korea that she thought Stellar should have been the title track, but she was outvoted by the production team and that a new remix of the song is in the works

✧ . when asked what songs on the album were their favorites, sunnie chose SourSweet, angel chose JAM, hiro chose Take Off, and han chose Stellar

✧ . kaori went live to give bonbons a sneak peak of her newest album when she was asked about working on SourSweet saying "it was great getting to produce a song for lucky and work with them a bit! i haven’t done much producing since touring and working on a new album back to back, so it was great to get back to it, especially with them! the song is amazing, i promise."

✧ . when asked what Lemonade is about in a q&a on his instagram story, angel answered in video form saying "so, basically, i'm telling the haters they can suck on this--" the video cut off before he could finish the sentence

✧ . overall, Royal Flush has taken its place among the competitors for lucky's most iconic era !

[iscopeee]

wrote a thing for the first time in years because wreck it ralph randomly implanted itself in my brain big time and i had to get it out or ill explode so i feverishly wrote this in one night YIPPEE

1997.

That was the year printed on the garishly coloured calendar hung proudly on the arcade’s wall. Litwak had hung it there mere hours ago before shutting down the arcade early to run off and go enjoy the New Year’s festivities, leaving the inhabitants plenty of time for celebrations of their own. Turbo could hear their cheerful voices now, echoing through the arcade - they were probably all gathered at Tapper’s or wherever, not that it mattered. Turbo had no interest in joining even if he were able - celebrating the passage of time felt pointless to him with how long he had spent in this purgatory of his own making.

It had been 10 years since his perfect life had been ruined. A whole decade since everything he had worked for had been ripped away. Now he was little more than a ghost with no game to call home, hiding in the shadows to avoid detection. He knew no one would forgive him for what he had done, and some of them would probably try to kill him if they found him. It was easier to lie low.

Turbo gripped the cloak and pulled it tighter around his shoulders. His cloak - black and white checkered, fashioned from the finishing flag from his home game. It wasn’t much for a disguise, but it at least bought him a few seconds to slip away without being recognised whenever he was spotted. He couldn’t help but smirk whenever he overheard talk of the “checkered spectre” when hiding behind the vending machines in game central station. It felt good to have his name on people’s minds, even under a false identity - though not as good as it felt to hear them whisper his true name under hushed tones. 

Turbo ran the flag’s fabric between his thumb and forefinger. Aside from himself, it was the only physical reminder he had of his glory days in TurboTime. The rest was destroyed, gone forever - not that he missed it. He didn’t miss his scowling opponents - those obnoxious twins, the only thing standing between him and his trophy. He didn’t miss the mind-numbing monotony of the circular track, the gravelly ear-splitting growl of his kart’s engine, not a thing - all he missed was the glory of winning, the warm glow of admiration, the beauty of the spotlight. Nothing else mattered. 

So then why did he feel such a pang in his chest as he stared down at the monochrome fabric?

Turbo scoffed and shook his head, looking back up at the calendar. He was perched on one of the girders in the Donkey Kong cabinet, his legs dangling off the side into the void below. This was one of the only vantage points he could use to see outside without being spotted by the others. Donkey Kong only had three inhabitants - Mario, Pauline, and of course the ape himself - meaning Turbo was often lucky enough to find the place completely deserted at closing time as the trio left to go do whatever the hell it is they do with their time.

On the calendar, the 7th of January was circled in red marker, with the words “new games!” barely visible written inside. Turbo squinted and leaned forward a little, looking for more information. A small poster hung next to the calendar, advertising the new games Litwak had ordered. Turbo’s eyes were instantly drawn to one particular listing. Sugar Rush. A racing game. Turbo’s lifecode. The gears in his mind instantly began to turn. 

Of course, multiple times in the past 10 years he had already considered jumping into someone else’s game long-term. It would certainly be preferable to creeping around in the background alone, with no one around to admire his talent. But that was the thing - his talent was racing. If he tried to blend in to any other type of game, he’d stick out like a sore thumb - and the other characters in the game would know he didn’t belong there. After TurboTime and Roadblasters were pulled, Mr. Litwak was oddly hesitant to order in any new racing games - the arcade had been completely devoid of them for 10 years now. He had always been a superstitious guy; maybe two racing games breaking at once drove him away from them. Until now.

A grin uncontrollably crawled across Turbo’s face, his hands balling into fists as he clenched his cloak. Yes. Yes, this had to work. It must work. Sugar Rush was a brand new game - it would be switched on for the very first time when it arrived at Litwak’s. The game’s denizens would be completely clueless, and would believe anything he told them - after all, they were quite literally born yesterday. It would be so easy to just make himself at home - make himself the star. It wouldn’t be hard to do at all. He had a trick for that.

In his time hiding in the background, Turbo had taught himself to manipulate a game’s code. It was shockingly simple. Each and every game had a control room hidden away somewhere, which could be used to edit the very code that makes up the game’s reality. All Turbo had to do was find the control room as soon as possible after the game was plugged in, and it would be all too easy to slot himself in as though he had been there all along. He could change his appearance, his name, his voice, everything to make him fit right in. But he wouldn’t be just any racer - of course not. That wouldn’t be good enough. He had to make himself the most important character in the game. A king.

Turbo was uncontrollably shaking at this point, bent over, manic chuckles escaping him and echoing through the empty game. One week. One more blasted week.

All he had to do was wait.

[merinsedai]

Rooftops of London snippet 5

for @dreamlingbingo

Snippet 5/5 for my WIP: The Rooftops of London :)

Square/Prompt: A4: Domestic (plus adoptable prompt: Humming)

Title: The Rooftops of London

Rating: T

Ship(s): Dream of the Endless/Hob Gadling

Warnings: n/a

Additional Tags: Second Chance, Mary Poppins AU, yes you read that correctly, Dream is Mary Poppins, Hob is Bert, Dream of the Endless | Morpheus is Good with Kids, popping in and out of paintings, teaparties on the ceiling, Developing Relationships, potential flying of kites, Will Roderick Burgess be redeemed? Is it possible? Who knows, read on and find out, fat pigeons

Summary: In 2025, Dream awaits Death as the Kindly Ones ravage the Dreaming.

In 1910, two young boys send out an advertisement for their perfect nanny.

or, the tale of Dream attempting to Mary Poppins his way out of his 20th century nightmare

Read the first chapter on AO3 here

And snippet 1 here

And snippet 2 here

And snippet 3 here

And snippet 4 here

Final snippet (I think) featuring a late-night moment between Dream and Alex

“Morpheus?” A tiny voice draws Dream attention back to the Waking world, and he blinks back into his body at number 17 Cherry Tree Lane. Alex is standing in his doorway, all sleep-tousled hair and bleary eyes. Bleary, wet eyes now Dream looks properly. And a tremor running through his small body that has nothing to do with the coolness of the night, and everything to do with fear.  “I had a nightmare,” the child mumbles, clutching his Steiff teddy bear to his chest.

Dream takes a second to look into Alex and take in the shape of his nightmare. Amorphous shapes coalescing into normal childhood fears: darkness, an unknown, frightening creature giving chase. Nothing, fortunately, pointing to any of his adventures with Dream; and nothing, more surprisingly, about the loss of his mother.  He holds his hand out to the boy and beckons him forwards.

Alex hesitates, visibility steeling himself before stepping forward. And Dream’s lips tighten at the realisation that part of this fear-perhaps the majority- is not from the residual memories of the nightmare, but of Dream’s reaction to his presence. The little boy thinks he is going to be scolded for disturbing him. Thinks he is going to be shouted out and rejected; sent back to bed with a brusque admonition and no comfort. And yet, still he has come. 

And Dream has lived fatherhood before, and left it with many hurts and regrets. With his own son… with Orpheus… there had been a time, in the brief flame of Orpheus’s childhood where he had found being a father the most wondrous and joyous of gifts. No ask was too big, no comfort too small. But childhood flies quicker than the wind and now there is no way to fix what has been broken. No way to put right the wrongs of the past. Though he has not seen his son in countless centuries, he knows his wants and dreams as if they are his own. And what Orpheus wishes for, his father does not have the courage yet to face.

But that is the past and the future. Here in the present, in this new century, there is another child who needs him in that simple, trusting way of the very young. Not a child of his own blood but one he is coming to… feel some affection towards nonetheless. And this is a comfort he finds himself more than willing to provide.

So Alex comes to him on hesitant feet and Dream lifts him onto his lap, lets the little boy settle his body against his, head tucking into Dream’s neck and little hand curling around his lapel.

“Would you like to tell me of it?” he says quietly, and Alex shakes his head, exhaling heavily and melting into Dream’s embrace. 

“Very well,” Dream folds one arm around the boy, holding him close, and with the other he rubs soothing circles on his back. “Rest here awhile. You are safe with me.”

“Aren’t you going to send me back to bed?” Alex asks in a small voice. Dream turns his head to rest his cheek gently atop Alex’s head and closes his eyes briefly. “Not yet,” he whispers, “Not yet… you can close your eyes and rest. I shall not leave you. It is ok.”  He looks to the banked fire and it bursts back to life; he thinks a rocking chair would better serve his purpose than this overstuffed armchair and so it becomes one. Manipulating the Waking still takes more effort than not, but it is worth it.

And though he could use his powers to send Alex to the Dreaming with just a thought, he does not. Instead he sits and rocks them both gently, humming an ancient, forgotten lullaby; one he had forced himself to forget for more than two millennia but has now returned to the forefront of his mind. Very quickly, Alex’s breathing slows, and his body goes heavy with sleep, fist going slack on Dream’s coat.  He should get up and return him to bed, yet instead Dream sits and rocks them, holding Alex close, staring unseeing at the flames and thinking of little boys and the precious gift of their trust.

[docholligay]

You think young Haruka would ever pull out “my life is hollow, like the center of this donut” or would even she find that a bit pathetic?

Young Haruka? Oh for sure that is not beyond her. Not even for moment. Not even for a breath.

"I think," Haruka sat across from Michiru in the cafe, hair brushing over her brow, "That I might be hollow. Like the center of this doughnut."

She held the cake doughnut aloft, sweet and spiced and a bit dense. Not at all the worst metaphor for herself Haruka had managed, even today.

"Like there should be..." she sighed for emphasis, "Something there. But there isn't."

Haruka had a bit of an obsession with finding ways to describe what she imagined to be the worst in herself. It was, at the very least, and interesting intellectual exercise, though Michiru could do without hearing how the darkness within her was like the inside of this cereal box.

"Haruka," she looked up from the note she was penning, "A doughnut is not hollow."

"What do you mean?" Haruka looked at the doughnut. "It's--"

"Made in the shape of a circle. The hole is cut before it is ever baked. What is the doughnut itself, is whole and entire. It gives no illusion. When one bites into it, it is what is advertised. One does not bite into a doughnut and swallow air, when one expects sweetness. It gives said sweetness."

She looked back to her notecard. It was, in that way, perfect for Haruka, though she would never say such a thing, not now. She was a strange creature, Haruka, and clearly things had been cut from her before she had a chance to cook, but she did offer that same sweetness. Every bad thing she imagined for herself was only in comparing herself with something like a cookie, or one of those ridiculously decorated cupcakes. She was simple, and sweet, and honest as she was made.

Michiru was herself a globe of pate a choux, but Haruka had no need to know that, and it would be too late when she discovered it.