#period where you're deciding what to do with your own issues

[ladyknight33]

Curently a PACU RN and had 48 hr call because Right to work states have laws saying you are signing up for this shit at will, even though the job makes you take call. One weekend I worked about 43 of those 48 hours. Another I worked 21 hours without being able to clock out. May have been only one patient at a time and periods of no patients because they were in the OR. But the point was we had to be there and awake to receive the patient whenever the OR was finished.

As a floor nurse, the 12 hours can be killer. Depends on how many patients and what kind of patients and if things go to hell. Even on relative easy nights/days, you're ready for the day to end around 3 or 4 am/pm.

On the one hand there was the thought that fewer shift changes improved continuity of care.

On the other hand, companies got rid of one third of their staffing needs and related benefits.

3 days a week is okay. On days it is better than on nights. It would be more tolerable if staffing ratios actually met the patient acuity needs.

But so long as RN/PCT/CNA/Techs or any other medical professional required to do 12 hrs is seen as a COST to the company rather than the very function of the hospital service, companies will never improve working conditions. Everything is geared towards Productivity. Productivity models that were designed for Manufacturing like Toyota.

Hospitals are a service but are being run like a manufacturing plant.

Doctors, Providers, PAs, NPs.... they have their own issues. But they have a lounge or office with food and non-alcoholic beverages provided to them. A place to go that is not in the immediate view of the patients. Some are not even in the building as they are on-call. So their 12 hrs is broken up much more with sitting around and dictating care notes. Rarely do they actually do physical labor to care for a patient beyond walking to the patient's room.

Doctors, Providers, PAs, NPs..... love you, but please answer your phone and not get annoyed when I'm calling about an issue or required notification. Or at least call back in a reasonable amount of time. Sometimes it feels like an eternity.

Here's why. A nurse will have one to seven patients depending on the unit and required care. A provider will have 20-50 or more, I haven't see the lists. Sometimes they are actually with a patient. Sometimes they are asleep (nights, on-call, expectations to work the next AM).

It is a messy system and one solution won't fix everything. More staff would be fantastic. Budgets won't adjust. CEOs C-suite level management won't give up the crazy high salaries. the CEO of one not-for-profit hospital system I worked in had a published salary of $,$$$,$$$. (Do not remember the numbers, but that's how many digits). The next one down was in the 200,000s-300,000s.

Government decided to decline or reduse reimbursement for readmissions or extended stays. Getting patients out faster is cheaper, but runs a higher risk of readmissions, which reduces payments, which reduces hospital income. Hospitals in rich areas don't see much reduction, hospitals in poor areas see large reductions and may eventually close, i.e. rural small county/regional hospitals.

Surgeons and ORs make money for the hospitals. Every other floor is lucky to break even. ICUs and ERs are more likely to loose the hospital money.

There are many people in the U.S. that don't have insurance, and will never payback their hospital bill so the hospital eats it by charging even more to the insurance companies. Why is 4 tablets of Ibuprofen hundreds of dollars when you can get a bottle of 200 mg tablets for under $20?

A nation wide insurance system where everyone who pays taxes, make it a sales tax if you're so worried about illegals getting "free healthcare," would improve on the non-payment side of things.

Stop letting CEOs make thousands of times more than their average wage employee. If there is anything about the pre1980s that was good in this monetary scenario, it was the relatively closed gap between average salary and CEO salary. And that is for any company. Not for profit is just another way of a company not paying taxes and to squirrel away the not-profits(really profits) into the salaries of the highest paid levels of management. Seriously some charities/nonprofits have crazy compensation packages. For profit companies risk being even worse.

This is a very simplistic view of the state of things. Just know that staffing can be terrible but the hostpial staff is trying to do the best they can for the patients. Please have patience for them. Retail and foodservice people get it. Holidays are hard for them.... Just as influxes of patients are hard on hospital staff. I've now been both a foodservice staff and a hospital staff.

Be kind.

--- Confessions of an RN who has learned too much and is tired. why am I getting a MSN degree?

Fucking hell why are we making people in hospitals who are responsible for the health and wellbeing of everyone work 12 hour shifts with no breaks I feel like I'm going insane does no one else see the problem here??

[bravevolunteer]

i love multifandom discord rp so much. starting off the day with michael afton going to b.aldur's g.ate 3 with two vampires and a fairy to destroy shit and burn down an abuser's home

[giannan04]

Hiii, can you please write a Yandere San X reader fanfic? Maybe where he’s her therapist and he gets her to break up with her bf because he’s been obsessed with her? 🙏🏽make it dark pleaseee? Tyy in advance

Thanks for the request!💕🫶🏻I hope you like it, I tried to fit everything in the best I could 🥹🫶🏻I hope it’s dark enough for you 👀

-

Pairing: Therapist Yandere! Choi San x afab! Reader, Mention of Jung Wooyoung X afab! Reader

Genre: Yandere; thriller

Warnings: Manipulation, mentions of a toxic relationship, slight smut, character death, very slight gore.

MINORS DO NOT INTERACT! 🔞

-

Dr. San Choi's reputation preceded him. He was the therapist everyone seemed to swear by. Patients praised his ability to get results where others failed, and he was known for treating some of the most complex mental health cases in the city. When your relationship with Wooyoung started having problems, your best friend Mingi suggested therapy. You were hesitant at first, but when he specifically recommended Dr. Choi, someone who had worked wonders for him, you decided to give it a try.

“Trust me, San’s the real deal,” Mingi said, leaning in with that serious look he gets when he really means something. “He helped me when I was going through one of the darkest periods in my life. If anyone’s gonna help you figure out what’s going on, it’s him.”

That’s how you found yourself meeting with San in his warmly lit office multiple times a week. From the start, Dr.Choi had a way of making you feel truly heard, like every word you said mattered. He never rushed through sessions and even went as far as canceling other appointments just so you could have more time when you needed it. He never told you that you were wrong, no matter how messy or complicated your relationship issues sounded. Instead, he listened with that same calm, reassuring expression that made you feel understood and validated. Over time, he even gave you his home address, offering to meet there if you ever needed to talk outside of office hours. You didn’t think much of it—you just figured he was incredibly dedicated to his work and to helping you through this tough time.

Over the weeks, San subtly guided you into believing that your relationship was toxic, that Wooyoung was holding you back. He never said it outright; instead, he asked questions that made you second-guess everything. "Do you feel like you're truly happy?" he'd ask, his voice gentle but insistent. "Sometimes, we stay in situations because we're afraid of being alone, not because they're right for us." Little by little, you found yourself reexamining your relationship with Wooyoung.

San’s advice seemed to play on repeat whenever you fought with Wooyoung. The tension between you two had been getting worse for months, with minor disagreements escalating into major arguments. Every time you argued with Wooyoung, you couldn’t shake the feeling that San’s words were right there with you. Even though part of you still hoped things could improve, the truth was hard to ignore: deep down, you knew San was right, there was no saving your relationship. It felt like there was no way to fix what had become broken, despite your hopes that things could somehow get better.

One night, after another argument left you in tears, you found yourself at San's apartment instead of your own. You needed someone to talk to, and San was the first person you could think of. You had caught Wooyoung with another girl, and you didn’t want to be alone. You needed to let everything out. Your heart was broken, and you know the only person you could talk to was San. You hadn't planned on it, but he'd always offered you to come to his place,and before you knew it, there you were, standing outside his front door.

When San opened the door, pleasantly surprised to see you. His brows furrowed as he glanced at his watch. “Y/N? What happened? It’s almost midnight,” he asked, concern replacing the confusion in his eyes as he noticed that you were sobbing. Tears covered your face, and you were so hurt and anxious that you were shaking. San’s heart broke seeing you like that. Without hesitation, his expression softened, and he gently took your trembling hand. “Come in,” he said, his voice soothing as he pulled you into the safety of his home.

You sat on his couch, trying to hold back more tears as you told him everything—how you found Wooyoung with another girl, how you felt like your relationship was falling apart. San listened intently, never taking his eyes off you, nodding with genuine empathy. When you finished, San leaned in closer, brushing a tear off your cheek with his thumb. “You deserve so much better than this, Y/N,” he whispered, his voice low and comforting. “You deserve someone who would never even think of hurting you like that. Someone who truly values you.”

You felt a blush rise to your cheeks at his words and the way his hand lingered on your face, the soft caress sending a warmth through you that you hadn’t felt in a long time. His touch was tender yet firm, making you feel safe; cared for. You haven’t felt that way in a while. You caught your breath as he leaned in just a bit closer, his other hand gently resting on your thigh, as if waiting for your permission. “I can show you what it feels like to be treated right,” he murmured, his gaze darkening with desire. Despite the hesitation you felt at the back of your mind, you couldn’t deny the lust and attraction you felt in that moment. You leaned into his touch, your body responding before your thoughts could catch up.

His lips were dangerously close now, and there was no more space between you. All the tension, all the confusion, all the heartbreak you were feeling—everything faded away as his hands slid further up your skirt, placing his hands on your ass, pulling you into him with a gentle firmness that felt intoxicating. “Let me take care of you, Y/N,” San whispered, his words making your body tingle and heart flutter. And before you could even think to resist, you found yourself nodding, your body betraying you. In your head, you knew this was wrong, but your body felt so right. And you needed, no, deserved to be loved and cared for. It was about damn time.

“I want you, San… I need you. Please, take care of me,” you told him softly, never looking away from his brown almond-shaped eyes. That was all San needed to hear-the very words he had been waiting for since the moment you stepped into his office. San smirked, as he began undressing you with a deliberate slowness, savoring every second. He took in each sight of your beautiful body, pleased that it belonged to him.Before you knew it, he was fucking you right there in his living room, each touch, each kiss, each thrust leaving you wanting more. For the first time in months, Wooyoung and your relationship problems vanished from your mind, replaced by the warm sensation of San's hands on your body, the way he whispered your name like a prayer. The way his dick filled you up, the way he kissed your body was he made love to you.

The only things you were thinking about was how you never wanted San to stop making love to you. And San knew, finally… you belonged to him. San's hands rested possessively on your waist as he thrusted deeper and deeper inside you, your ass slapping against his thighs. You moaned uncontrollably, never wanting him to stop. You wanted to show him he had complete control over you. San’s eyes never left the sight of you, he loved seeing what a slut you could be for him, and how only he could make you feel this way. Smirking, he bent down close to your ear, whispered sweetly to you. "See? You feel it, don't you? How good we are together. You don't need him, Y/N. I'm the one who understands you, who can give you everything you’ve ever wanted, and more. Only I can make you feel this way. You belong to me, and I’m never letting you go."

The next morning, sunlight peeked through the curtains, but the warmth in the living room felt oddly suffocating. You noticed a heavy blanket was draped over your naked body. You must have fallen asleep after what happened last night, so San must’ve brought a blanket out for you. You glanced over and San was still lying beside you, sleeping peacefully. His arm was wrapped tightly around your waist. Yawning, you reached for your phone which was on the floor next to you. You unlocked your phone, and your heart nearly skipped a beat when you saw a text from Wooyoung: I know I fucked up. But I love you. And I want us to work on things. I don’t want to lose you. Let me know when you’re ready to talk.

Your heart fluttered with a sense of hope, but before you could respond to the text, you felt San's eyes boring into you. You looked up at him, not realizing how closely he was watching your every move. You didn’t even hear him wake up. His expression remained calm, but the slight clenching of his jaw told you everything. He was furious. He must’ve seen you open the message on your phone when he woke up.

"Oh. Wooyoung texted me. He wants to fix things," you said, a little too eagerly, not noticing the anger settling into San's expression.

San's smile didn't quite reach his eyes as he leaned in to kiss your forehead.

"That's... nice," he murmured, though his voice didn’t reflect that. He actually sounded pissed, but you could tell he wasn’t trying to show it. San stood up, wrapping the blanket around him as he walked towards his bedroom. “I have to get dressed. You can stay here as long as you need, Y/N. I actually have to head out for another appointment, but make yourself at home, alright?"

You nodded. “Okay, thank you,” you said sweetly, ignoring the tension.

San drove in silence, his knuckles white as he gripped the steering wheel. He replayed your excitement over Wooyoung's text in his mind, a bitter taste settling on his tongue. How could you be so blind? After everything he had done to get you away from Wooyoung, after showing you what real love felt like, you still had the nerve to be excited about that cheating scumbag reaching out! Pissed off didn’t even begin to describe how San felt. He was so angry his eyes twitched and his hands shook as he drove. He had to do something, he was about to have you all to himself until that mother fucker sent you that text.

His thoughts darkened further as he arrived at the home you shared with Wooyoung. His plan formed in his mind, making him feel only a little better. He knocked on the door, his face wearing the mask of a friendly, concerned therapist. Really, he was the furious therapist who wanted to fuck somebody up.

Wooyoung opened the door, blinking in surprise. "San? Aren't you YIN's therapist?"

San let out a cheerful laugh. "Yeah, I am! My office is getting renovated, so I thought I'd stop by and see how things are going. I know Y/ N's been having a tough time, and I wanted to touch base."

Wooyoung relaxed slightly, shrugging. "She's not here right now, but come in. We can talk about how she's been doing. Ive been wanting to talk to you, anyway. Maybe you can give me some insight."

San stepped inside, carefully observing every detail of the house, the place where you once tried to build a future with someone who never deserved you. They moved throughout the home and as Wooyoung started talking, San could feel his blood boiling but he knew he had to remain calm. Wooyoung would get what he deserved shortly.

Wooyoung led San into the kitchen and pulled out a bottle of bourbon. “Want some?” he asked, holding the bottle up. “No, thank you. I’m just here under professional circumstances” San smiled, watching as Wooyoung shrugged and opened the bottle. “Suit yourself,” he said, taking a sip. San and Wooyoung sat at the table, ready to discuss sessions. Which was what San wanted Wooyoung to think, anyway.

"Ever since she started therapy, it's like she's blowing everything out of proportion.

She's been acting like our problems are way bigger than they actually are, like she's ooking for an excuse to leave. I don't know, man... it feels like she's being pushed into seeing the worst in me." Wooyoung stared long and hard at San.

San's eyes darkened, his smile slipping for just a moment as he watched Wooyoung ramble on. How dare he accuse him of manipulating you? Wooyoung was the one who had been lying to you, hurting you, cheating on you, and who knows what else. Hell, this dick was the whole reason you needed therapy in the first place! And yet here he was, acting like the victim.

"You really think so?" San's voice was low, dangerous. He took a step closer to Wooyoung, who didn't seem to notice the shift in San's tone.

"Yeah, it's like she's-" Wooyoung was cut off by the sudden pressure of San's hand around his neck. Panic flashed in Wooyoung's eyes as he struggled against San’s grip.

“San, what…what the hell are you doing?" Wooyoung croaked, trying to break himself free. He managed to break out of the hold, shoving San back with surprising strength, but San's fury was beyond reason now. The therapist quickly regained control, his movements turning brutal as he rained down punches, each one fueled by the sickening memories of everything Wooyoung had done to hurt you.

"This is for Y/N," San hissed between clenched teeth, his eyes wild as he struck Wooyoung with relentless force. San began to stop on Wooyoung, not caring that his blood was getting thrown into the air.

"For every tear she shed because of you."

Wooyoung's resistance weakened as blood dripped from his split lips and broken nose. San's breaths were ragged as he lifted Wooyoung's head by his hair, glaring into his fading eyes. “Pl-please, man…don’t do this. I love Y/n. I never hurt her that much. Believe me”, Wooyoung tears mixed with the blood covering his face satisfied San beyond reason. “Sorry, but with you gone, Y/n will be happier. If you really loved her, you wouldn’t mind dying.” With a final surge of strength, San twisted his hand, the sickening crack of Wooyoung's neck snapping echoing in the room as he tore his head clean off.

The lifeless expression on Wooyoung's face was frozen in terror as San calmly wiped his hands on a towel he found in the kitchen. The sight of Wooyoung's head dangling by his fingers didn't faze him-in fact, he was feeling a sense of satisfaction

San returned to his apartment, already mentally preparing to tell you to ignore Wooyoung’s text, that he didn’t deserve you. But when he entered his home, he found you pacing the living room, your phone clutched tightly in your hand.

"San, I've been thinking... maybe I should give Wooyoung another chance," you blurted out. You didn't notice how San's entire demeanor shifted, his smile growing unnervingly cold.

"Why would you even consider that, Y/N?" San's voice was sharper than you expected, laced with barely-contained fury. You thought your therapist would’ve been happy for you, that you were ready to work things out. “After everything he's put you through, why would you care? Especially after what we did last night."

His words cut through you like ice. You hadn't anticipated such a strong reaction from him. Your face turned bright red and you avoided his gaze. "I... I don't know. I guess I was just confused. I just wanted to feel loved but I’m in love with Wooyoung, and it’s hard to let go of someone you cared about for so long."

San's eyes narrowed, his patience thinning. "You shouldn't have even cared when he texted you. Do you think that was fair to me? Letting me be the one to comfort you, only to get excited over him? And then you let me fuck you-" His words dripped with venom as his eyes blazed with barely-restrained anger. “You’re a worthless whore. Disgusting… I don’t know how I’m even looking at you right now. I shouldn’t have felt bad for you all of those times you came to my office, crying about him. You deserve to be treated like shit!”, his words dripped with venom, his face turning red as he screamed in your face. Your ears throbbed and you broke down in tears. San was scaring you, and the things he was saying to you hurt.

You took a step back, sobs shaking your body. San... I didn't mean for things to get so complicated… please stop yelling at me, you’re scaring me!,” you put your hands in front of your face, just in case he was going to starting hitting you.

San's expression hardened, and without another word, he grabbed your hand, pulling you toward the living room. "I think it's time I show you something, Y/n.

You nodded, unsure of what he had to show you. For some reason, there was a feeling in your stomach, a gut feeling. Something was off. The unease grew as he led you to a trash bag that was sitting in front of the front door. “What’s that?,” you asked, confused. Why on earth was he showing you a trash bag? Did he want you to take the garbage out?

San laughed, but it wasn’t humorous. With a single swift motion, San tore the trash bag open, revealing the gruesome sight inside.

Wooyoung's severed head stared back at you, lifeless eyes wide open in horror. His olive skin had turn a sickly gray color, and a stench burned your nose. Your breath caught in your throat as you stumbled back, terror freezing you in place. You screamed, your hands covering your eyes as you dropped to the floor. “Why… why would you do this?”, you covered your face, as you choked on snot and tears. Your body shook and between the crying, the smell of rotting flesh, and the sight of the love of your life’s body-less head was all too much. You stared up at San. Someone you trusted with your problems, someone you felt safe with, was a monster. San looked at you, a twisted grin on his face.

"Now, Y/N, tell me... are you still confused about who really cares about you?"

-

I’m still taking requests everyone, I’ll write anything🫶🏻❤️

[obeythebutler]

Hey, I'm glad to see you back!

I'd like to request "having a water balloon fight in their own backyard" with Leviathan, or "both waking up in the middle of the night and going on an adventure to find the perfect snack" with Belphegor please.

Whichever one you find the easiest to write. ^_^

Humans primarily sleep at night.

To recharge for the day ahead, ensure that new memories are consolidated in the brain and to rest and repair cells.

Belphegor sleeps because his sin compels him to.

Effects of such an extended sleep schedule hasn't been studied yet in demons. You think. There are simply too many books in RAD's library for you to conduct a research project, and nor have you stumbled upon any such scientific papers yet. But it is evident that all those extra hours of slumber have had a positive effect on the demon's memory. You had watched him use the RAD-issued Devildom History Textbook, 671th revised edition as a pillow before his test during second period in class. Your own two eyes can testify that he had not studied; and yet he had scored full marks.

Osmosis; he had told you with a snarky grin.

You roll around in your bed, the movement effective in stirring the demon from his sleep. Belphegor pokes out from the mountain of blankets like a cranky cat being awoken: bedhead glory and all. Gapes at you for a moment or two and groans when you stare back.

"Stop staring at me like that. You're creeping me out."

"But I can't sleep," You counter, nudging yourself closer until your forehead touches his shoulder, and you burrow further into it. "And you always are awake at random hours in the night."

You hear him sigh. Once. Twice. Then a hand stretches out to reach for the D.D.D. on the table.

"You're right," He whispers, voice heavy with sleep. "And now we're both awake together."

“What to do then?”

“I don’t want to get up.”

"Me neither."

"Mhm."

It takes three minutes for you to blurt out the words: “I’m feeling hungry for a snack though.”

"Beel might already be in the kitchen," He states, resting his head under his arm. "And Lucifer is awake at this time."

"Blegh."

"What do you want to eat?"

"Uh-"

Fifteen minutes later, you and Belphie stand in front of the establishment.

"It's closed."

Belphegor mutters with dejection at the closed sign in front of him. The always open 6/13 is closed. Under repair, the notice glued on the door states.

All that walking for nothing.

You check your D.D.D. "Let's try Uncle Demon. You and Beel often frequent it for donoughts, right?"

"Yes, but I don't want something sweet right now."

"Savoury?"

"Yes."

Belphegor rubs his eyes. "Cafe Lament has revised its working hours from 10 to 11pm to being open till 2am in the night."

"How'd you know that?"

"Beel told me."

An Ignis Owl hoots in the distance, breaking the quiet. You are reminded to look at the time. "We have," You bend down to tie your shoelaces, "Exactly twenty-five minutes before it closes."

"Shit." He says. "Better hurry."'

Countless times Lucifer has had to drag his brother downstairs to the dining table. Innumerable instances have occurred where one of the brothers had to carry Belphegor to whatever destination they were after in that moment. Many a times he fell asleep in your lap.

And now he's grabbing your hand and making a run for it.

The wind roars in your ears as you scuttle along with him. His face is determined, hair tousled by the wind, breath coming out in huffs.

You know he'll be exhausted by the end of it all, eyes droopy and breath slowed. He's so much like a cat sometimes, getting brief bursts of hyperactivity in the night, then settling down near you for a nap.

Lucifer hasn't started blowing up your D.D.D., which means the ruse of pillows arranged like two bodies sleeping has worked. Or that the demon has decided to plop down on his pile of paperwork face-first in exhaustion. Beelzebub has gone back to sleep. You'll get a snack packed for him too, hand it over in the morning.

Later, when both of your cravings have been satiated, and the clock will strike three, you and Belphegor will make it back to the house, the gates opening quietly. They're old iron gates, and usually they would screech, but the House knows the mannerisms of its inhabitants: when to be loud and when to be silent.

You know you're going to wake up late, but midnight adventures like these don't come often.

For now, you're content sleeping with your demon in the attic.

[celaenaeiln]

Hello, hello! It's been a while!!! Hope you're well. I had this hc about how Batfam is susceptible to manipulation, but only if it's Dick doing it. Like the blind faith he commands, there will literally get everyone ready to get him what he wants without him actually having to do anything. Like of anyone asks for a reason: "Dick said so". That's enough.

Just wanted your opinion on this

Omg hello!!! It’s been so long!! I’m so happy to hear to hear from you again 😆💕❤️!!

Hc that Bruce being completely susceptible to all of Dick’s manipulations due to the sheer faith he has in him? ABSOLUTELY!!

It’s so friggin true I’m pretty sure this is borderline canon if not canon already!!

Because here’s the thing: from the dawn of Batman comics to now, through all the changes that have occurred, there has only been one thing that remains constant and that is the fact that Bruce trusts Dick unconditionally.

There are MULTIPLE scenarios where Bruce confides solely in Dick and he actually worries heavily when his only companion leaves:

The Brave and Bold (1955) Issue #197

"My only real friends know me as Batman...Dick, Alfred, Kathy Kane...except..what do I do when Dick graduates college...and Alfred retires...and Kathy gives up being Batwoman? What do I do...when I'm finally alone?"

Bruce...that's a whole lot of pressure and expectation to put on a kid a decade younger than you..

But the point still stands because Bruce needs Dick. In the beginning of the Batman comics, there wasn't even Alfred around. It was just Dick and Bruce and they lived in an entire mansion together by themselves and had dual responsibilities of Dick Grayson and Bruce Wayne as well as Batman and Robin. It was quite literally only the two of them in their own world. They went on adventures you wouldn't believe and had things happen beyond people's wildest imaginations. The Golden Age was a fever dream that encompassed only the two of them. They didn't have anyone else and they didn't want anyone else.

Dick pulled Bruce out of one of the worst times of his life when he was just Robin and Bruce pulled Dick out of depression during his. This resulted in a unbreakable bond. It's a deep kind of unshakable, irreplaceable love and profound trust that they have in each other that the other will only and always be there for them in the worst of times of their lives and the happiest of ones as well.

It's that kind of devotion and attachment to each other that established their relationship for decades. Every single timeline has consistently kept this - "You're my only one." - kind of relationship between the two of them.

Batman (2011) Issue #2

Bruce knows that of everyone he's ever met, Dick will always be the one to know him and hear him.

There's another comic panel that stuck out to me too-

Titans (2008) Issue #1

"No one knows about them except Bruce, Alfred, Tim. Barbara knows about a few. And ofcourse me."

Bruce only trusts three people - Alfred, his current robin, and Dick.

So consistently and unconditionally, it only comes down to two people at ALL times. For another example, during Death Metal, when the entire Justice League is hunting down Batman and the Batfamily, Bruce would only entrust the deadliest weapon in the world to one person and the entire league knows it.

Dark Nights: Metal Issue #2

Bruce just has pure faith in Dick for everything. He is the one person that Bruce believes will never do any wrong and he's the one person he always believes and believes in. Period.

Titans: Beast World Issue #1

Whatever Dick decides, it's the final word.

So that is why Dick is the only person Bruce is susceptible to. He never questions Dick in the comics ever. He's questioned every single person he's ever worked with about their intentions but never Dick. So Dick tells him the world is ending then the world is ending for Bruce.

If Dick tells him that red is an awful tie color, then it's an awful tie color that Bruce will never wear.

If Dick tells him to slick his hair back, take a break, be more compassionate, have faith - Bruce will do anything and everything. And this has been proven time and time again for the most menial situations to the most serious ones.

While everyone looks up at Bruce for answers and orders, Bruce will look to Dick and what he says, that's what they'll all do.

And here's the thing - the entire superhero community doesn't rely just on Bruce for commands, Dick is shown to have an equal weight. A single person has the equivalent weight of the Justice League. They will do what Dick says regardless of what Bruce says.

But the point is Bruce's utter faith in Dick gives him privileges. Anything and everything Dick decides, that's the answer, logic, and light of very reasoning to Bruce because Dick is the very source of existence for Bruce. In Forever Evil he almost let the world die intentionally because he felt that there was nothing to the world if he couldn't save Dick. At times he's fought Dick over his personal choices but every single time, without fail, he comes back literally two issues later to tell him sorry and you're right and we're going to do it your way.

Dick could let the world burn to fucking ashes and Bruce would stand by and clap and praise him. That time in the Blockbuster arc? Where Dick passively killed a man and started self-harming? Bruce roughly grabbed his face, got real close, and told him in his darkest voice that he doesn't give a flying fuck who dies or who Dick kills. As long as Dick doesn't dare hurt himself.

Dick can tell Bruce anything he ever wants, lie or truth, big or small, and Bruce will believe it with no doubts and no questions asked. That is the weight of his faith in him. Of course if someone does ask why he chose to do something a certain way? He can just say, "Because Dick said so." And as you called it, that answer alone will be enough. For everyone.

Don't be fooled by Dick's submissiveness to Bruce's commands. Bruce is holding him by the neck, but he's holding Bruce's leash just as tightly.

[hazbinpage]

Lucifer x Reader HCs

(In which your relationship is romantic and you both live in the hotel.)

WC is 1741

(A/N: I love Lucifer so much. What a man. That being said, he's probably really OOC in this: we've only seen his character in a select few situations, none of which demonstrate how he treats his romantic partner or bonds with people he doesn't know, and I haven't read enough fics about him to decide what I like. Additionally, I'm not the best at writing romance at this point, so hopefully nothing is too off lol! With the disclaimers out of the way, please enjoy and lmk what you think! :))

-He isn't very fond of sinners, and while his perspective on them has changed since joining the hotel, his opinion certainly hasn't flipped 180 degrees. How could it have? Good deeds never made the news in Hell, and the dead he was forced to interact with were powerful. Powerful sinners were never innocent; no one becomes an overlord by accident. Centuries upon centuries of talking to the powerful, witnessing only violence and hatred, will not be undone by a single moment of comradery in war — a battle where he couldn't know if the sinners were acting solely in their own self-interest.

-This is why, when you first arrive at the hotel, he's fairly aloof. He'll be polite, of course; he has no reason not to be (especially while lowkey still trying to win over his daughter), but will hold himself distant.

-Despite this, he admits you're kinda cute....

-You don't see him often, which doesn't help with his distance — he isn't used to being around so many people, and while he's pretty charismatic and extroverted, he's also still depressed and has a habit of self-isolating when he's going through it (which is often). He only really comes out for his daughter's sake.

-To get to know him faster than his changing perspective and mental challenges would otherwise allow, you could: one, approach him directly! Be friendly, open, and interested in his hobbies. This only works if you do the same for the others, though. If you don't, he might see your advances as manipulation. Two, you could develop a relationship with Charlie. Support her, believe in her cause, and have her back. He'll see you helping his daughter and will want to understand you further. Three, you could talk about ducks. That'll get him. He'll approach you eventually and strike up a conversation.

-If you don't do any of these things, that's fine; he'll just get to know you at the same pace that he gets to know the others. He'll slowly open up to the idea that not all sinners are violent psychopaths, become more comfortable with the rest of the crew, and realize how well he connects with you over a period of several months.

- Lucifer catches feelings pretty fast once you start hanging out for real. He's enamored with you: not only are you cute as fuck, but his daughter loves you, and you're the nicest sinner he's ever met (while kindest of the damned is not a hard-earned title, it's one he appreciates nonetheless).

-Once he realizes he's caught feelings, he'll ask Charlie for permission to ask you out. He doesn't want to pursue you if she isn't comfortable with it; she's already got familial issues, and he doesn't want a sudden shift in the family dynamic to hurt her further. If she says yes (which, if she likes you, she probably will), he'll ask you out to dinner.

-Prepare for the first date to be really awkward. Even if you've known him for a while at this point, he's incredibly nervous — he hasn't done anything romantic in a good while, and the last time he tried a relationship, it didn't work out. The whole time, he's fumbling over his words and cringing at himself, saying things he doesn't mean to while trying to be suave. When he escorts you back home after a very bumpy evening, he'll be downtrodden. He messed things up, just as he knew he would, and now you probably hate him; thoughts of self-loathing and regret swirl in his mind until you say you'll pay him back next time (he blinks up at you owlishly. "Next time? Like...another date?" You confirm his thoughts. "Oh--- oh! Yes, absolutely! I mean, no, no need to pay me back; of course not, but next time sounds good! How does this Saturday at 3 sound?").

-A couple of dates in, and he's feeling more confident, which reflects in his now far more self-assured demeanor and smooth language. He's a silver-tongued devil, after all, and he has to live up to his name.

-If all goes well, after about a month, he realizes he wants you to be his partner. He, once again, gets Charlie's permission and brainstorms with some of your friends about how to pop the question. Initially, he wants to impress you, pulling out the big guns and whisking you off your feet on the balcony of a lavish black-tie restaurant rented for just the two of you. After some discussion among your peers and deliberation of his own, though, he decides to do something else. He invites you to his tower, where he's prepared a handmade dinner with candles and soft music in the background. The food isn't particularly good (he can't cook very well and enlisted Vaggie and Nifty's help to make his dish edible), and the smoke from the candles stopped being pleasant about a half an hour in, but regardless, you both have a wonderful time, laughing about his lack of culinary skills and the excessively warm room. He asks if you would like to be his lover at the end of the evening, nervous but somehow also self-assured, and is overjoyed when you say yes. The next day, he parades you around the hotel, bragging that you said yes and talking about you to anyone who'd listen.

-If he wasn't big on physical affection before he got so lonely, he is now. While his hands might not constantly be on you, they've come close to that, especially if he's going through a hard time. Expect lots of hand-holding, arm-looping, cuddling, and kissing. He likes resting his head on yours (or your shoulder, depending on how tall you are) while he wraps his arms around you (or the reverse — he loves being cradled), you both sitting together on the couch. He also has a habit of rubbing his thumb in circles over the back of your hand while holding it.

-Smother his face with kisses, his cartoony heart-eyes expression will look a tenth lovestruck as he feels.

-You receive frequent duck memes, duck-themed gifts, and duck dissertations. He doesn't go around parading his interest, but if he trusts you, he can't keep himself from wanting to share everything about his hyperfixation. He's concerned about being annoying, though, and while you could try to curb his insecurity by telling him he's not, the best reassurance is to match his energy: talk about your own obsessions and be just as weird about them as he is. Not only does he feel better about himself, but he gets to talk with you for extended periods of time, your eyes alight and grin large. He'll probably try to get into whatever you talk about, wanting to connect with you further.

-He likes giving you gifts in general. Especially those that show you're in a relationship with him, like wearable apple or goat paraphernalia. While he does enjoy gift-giving for its own sake, he's insecure and doesn't want anyone to think they can cross him by taking you. If you give him anything duck-themed, handmade, or (heavens help him) both, especially without reason? He will melt. He loves it; he can feel the thought and effort you put in for him and feels known and loved.

- He’s kinda clingy; he likes being around you as often as possible and gets nervous if you're gone too long; if you leave for more than a day, he's like a koala when you return. It's comforting to him to know where you are, but it’s even more comforting when you tell him how much you love him before you go. His self-esteem isn't at a record low, but it certainly isn't high, and he has huge abandonment issues. Every once in a while, because of this, he'll grow distant; his thoughts of being undeserving or theories about how you're going to leave him become too much, and he semi-subconsciously pulls away to protect himself. Be patient with him during these times; show him how much you care and how you would never leave. Tell him you love him as he is. The first time you say so, he'll cry in your arms and snuggle you for hours.

-He'll become less clingy and insecure as your relationship goes on, but will always rather be with you than alone.

- He's majorly protective. He knows what it's like in Hell, and he knows that by dating you, he's put a target on your back, which only adds to your lack of safety. He will pull all the strings he has in order to keep you safe, whether that means accompanying you when you're out and about, actively keeping you away from overlords, or tracking your phone without your knowledge. He feels bad about some of his less savory means of protection, but not bad enough to stop. The thought of your death haunts him too much to let you be.

-Similarly, though he won't ever admit it, your redemption keeps him up at night. If you're redeemed and go up to heaven, he can't see you anymore — maybe ever. He knows you want to better yourself and tries his best to support you in your improvement, but sometimes his fear gets to be too much. In those moments, he has to spend some time alone before he tries to sabotage your progress in any way — any more than he already has.

-It's hard to tell what his love language is because he uses all of them. He wants to spend time with you (though he will give you a break if you need one; he understands needing to be alone, even if it makes him nervous), give you gifts, be touchy, do things for you, and tell you how wonderful he thinks you are. He wants you to know just how much he cares in every way he can and will be receptive to any form of love in return.

-He doesn't use as many pet names as some of the rest of the cast would, but he does use them! He likes calling you sweetheart and angel-eyes the most.

-Overall, he has a lot of insecurities and mental health problems to work through, but tries his best to be the best partner he can be for you. It's hard work to improve himself, but if you'll have him, he'll stay by your side forever.

[weebsinstash]

Ya know, I've made posts about the yandere Batfamily before, and I've been thinking lately about one person in particular, and I think I've decided that Alfred is probably the most dangerous and formidable person in that entire house and have been brainstorming what a formidable platonic yandere guardian sorta figure he would be

For one, he's the man that canonically kept THE Batman from going over the edge, basically THE sole reason Bruce Wayne grew into the man he is. Literally, in alternate universes where Bruce never had Alfred, he literally 9 times out of 10 becomes a murdering sociopath. Alfred doesn't just have intelligence, he has EMOTIONAL intelligence

We're talking about the tenured elderly man who is former MI6 and doesn't give a fuck about murder, has killed, and will kill again. Bruce finds someone attacking you, he'll beat them up and cart them off to jail to be arrested and rehabilitated. Alfred will pull a pistol on a robber and shoot him dead before he allows you to get even a single scratch on you, just puts the guy down, "oh dear, I suppose I'll be late making dinner tonight, it seems I'll have to give testimony to Mr Gordon again"

I've seen fics where the sidekicks kidnap Reader or disable them for Bruce's sake, but don't you think Bruce himself would cross that line for Alfred? This man cooks, cleans, does everything for him, is practically a second father and his greatest friend, really kind of RAISED HIM. I just picture Alfred getting attached to Reader like you're practically his grandchild and then you return to your normal life, move out after staying them for a period of time or whatever, and Bruce can tell Alfred is... out of sorts, a little sad frown on his old withered face as he absent-mindedly sweeps the same corner of the same room for an hour, sighing, thinking about how he wanted to teach you all sorts of things, but, you're just gone now. Siiiiiiiiigh. And Bruce can't stand seeing Alfred like, actually depressed, even making mistakes he doesn't usually make, dropping things, lacking his usual playful sarcastic wit, just kind of a shell of his former self. You don't think you'd be getting an extra super special Uber ride in the Batmobile from the Dark Knight himself after that?

But I also think Alfred would be capable of really putting his foot down. He once told a disrespectful Damian he should be thankful Alfred wasn't his father in a very "because I'd actually discipline you" coded sort of way, and, say Reader grew up without a dad, or any parents and maybe has some traumas and potential behavioral issues from that. I could see Alfred being the kindest, sweetest, most patient grandpa, teaching you how to bake, keeping you company in the library, teaching you all kinds of things, and then the second you do things like start getting drunk, acting out, THROWING things, then he's putting his foot down, "now you listen HERE! Your behavior is absolutely unacceptable and you will not be allowed to degrade yourself within the walls of this home!" and manages to simultaneously scold you without putting you down, leaving you in ashamed embarrassed tears over your behavior that you're standing there crying, and he pulls you to take a seat in a nice chair and starts combing your hair and telling you he just wants best for you while you're bawling for his forgiveness, and he tells you he's already forgiven you and that he can run you a nice bath before bed

I can see a captive Reader scenario where you manage to break out of the house while everyone else is gone and you think, oh, you're home free! Batman and everyone else is busy! Lost in your own hubris as if Alfred doesn't have perfect knowledge of everything in the Batcave including the equipment and vehicles. You're in an alley cornered by a bunch of drunks who just want to beat the shit out of someone and suddenly, is that Batman? Wait, the costume is different, and the height, and, the body shape, and, and, and it doesn't even matter because Alfred can still lay all of them flat, blood on his knuckles as he wearily regards you, "you're not going to make a tired old man have to carry you to the car, are you?" and after what you just saw, you know better than to put up resistance

But like I can't get over the idea of, Reader staying at the Wayne residence for a limited period of time, you're injured and Bruce is offering you safe harbor, you're being targeted by a specific criminal group and need protection until the thugs are caught, something along those lines, and, one day, when everything is better, you just. Leave unexpectedly. They had already offered you a permanant place in the house but you still seem to be falling into a depression until one day you're straight up gone, only leaving a note that Alfred is the one to find, only 3 word, "Thank you. Sorry." and hr suddenly??? Can't think straight??? You're gone??? Why??? Why didn't you tell them?? Are you hurt?? Did they do something wrong??? How is he supposed to know if you're sad or if you're hungry or if you're in DANGER if he doesn't know where you are and what you're doing at all possible hours?

Just visualizing the idea of Bruce coming home one day and you're suddenly in the house again and you're seeming very much distressed but Alfred is looking fit as a fiddle again and it is very extremely incredibly obvious to Bruce that Alfred straight up brought you back against your will. But. He doesn't care because he agrees with Alfred that OBVIOUSLY since you're a member of the FAMILY NOW that OF COURSE you have to stay in the house

Can you imagine yandere Alfred but Bruce and everyone else is just, totally normal and just hardcore mega coping with Alfred's sudden change in behavior and occasional questionable actions. One day Alfred is dusting and without turning around, "Master Bruce, would you care to fetch my granddaughter for me while i finish this room?" and Bruce is just like "granddaughter????" And Alfred looks to him like he just said something BEYOND stupid, "Yes, my granddaughter, about ye high, awfully broody much like yourself, currently housed in the spare second floor bedroom at the end of the hall on the right? You act as if she didnt help bake that casserole you and the boys absolutely devoured last night"

Nightwing going down into the Batcave for like actual mission stuff and Alfred is already using the Batcomputer to monitor all your online internet use. What's that, some young man is trying to slide into your DMs? O-oh no, there was, uh, suddenly a glitch and he received a threatening message with no traceable source that told him to stay the bloody hell away from you! Whoops!

You're just his captive little grandchild who he helps teach recipes to and teaching you anything you're curious about. You make an offhanded comment one day that you would've loved to learn to play piano "but I'm too old now/it's too late now/I probably wouldn't be any good at it" and later on, after Alfred has brought you back after trying to live alone again (you being drugged if need be), and when you wake up he's all smiles, telling you about all the new structure he's about to introduce to your life, and, of course, you have to pick a day of the week for your new (now mandatory) piano lessons :) on Mondays you'll go for walks and have tea in the garden, Tuesdays you'll read in the library, on Wednesdays you'll learn piano, on Thursday he'll teach you a new recipe every week, Friday--- this old man is gonna force you to be productive and happy is all I'm gonna say

[whumpshaped]

Thing I'd read for forever: Whumpees who don't think they're people

There's a moment in Linden and Colton in a flashback when Colton breaks and he disregards his own personhood bc "this was too awful to happen to a person" so he doesn't believe he is a person. These things don't happen to people, therefore he must not be one

It's makes me feral! LIKE YES! RATIONALIZE IT!

Even better if they get questioned on their logic and they straight up do not understand.

My absolute favorite thing is a caretaker being like "well you're a human so you must be a person, right?" And whumpee is like "no. not a person. obviously." Literally believing they're built different from other humans. Just how it is.

Like how do you even combat that logic?? You don't. Sorry. This is Whumpee's worldview now. Good luck.

tw dehumanisation, conditioned whumpee, past trauma with multiple whumpers

"I appreciate it," Whumpee said softly. "I do. You're... you're very kind to me, and I know you're trying to comfort me, and it means a lot."

Caretaker listened, unsure where this monologue was going. They knew Whumpee had a lot of issues, a lot of new triggers they had to watch out for and avoid. Had they missed one? Had they upset them in some way?

"But I'm sure there are people who need you. I know– I know this is your decision, and you decide whether you want to waste all this energy on a useless thing like me, but... but if you care for my opinion at all, and you seem like you do, because you're s-so nice, then... then stop wasting time on me. I'm okay. Whatever duty you have in mind for me, I, I can start doing it today."

Caretaker hummed. "The person who needs me right now is you."

Whumpee shook their head a little. "Not a person."

They didn't flinch. They continued holding Whumpee's hands in their own, rubbing circles into the backs of them. "No?"

"Just a thing. A thing to use. I don't need such kind attention, though I am endlessly grateful for it." They shifted, averting their eyes. "I had to say something. I couldn't keep lying and taking advantage of such a kind person. I'm sorry I didn't speak up right away."

"You couldn't," Caretaker reminded them. "You were unconscious when I found you and barely conscious in the following days."

Whumpee didn't have a reply to that, but their guilt was palpable.

"How come you're not a person?" they asked gently. "You seem like one to me."

"I thought so, too. When I was still stupid and useless and arrogant. Bad. But Master taught me what I was. Showed me."

"Showed you?"

"Yes. They stopped pretending I was a person. They treated me like a thing, like I deserved to be treated, and no one said anything. You wouldn't have been able to treat a person like that. Somebody would've said something."

Caretaker tried not to let it show just how crushing those words sounded. Even through such a casual retelling — or maybe because it was so casual, like it was normal, — they could picture everything too vividly. A poor soul trapped in that horrible place, with monsters who brainwashed them to the point where it was all Whumpee knew. Trapped in a small world of torture and humiliation until they gave up the memories and the experiences of their life from before.

"I see," they forced out.

"I'm sorry if that was upsetting, I was just trying to answer truthfully and–"

"I know. You didn't do anything wrong."

Whumpee fell silent, their fearful eyes searching Caretaker's face for any lies or deception.

"For the time being, why don't you think of this little recovery period as maintenance?" they suggested carefully. "Would that make more sense to you?"

"Maintenance?"

"Yes. Repairs, even. Getting you back to full working order instead of pushing you to your limits with barely any rest time over and over again for no reason. You wouldn't do that to a thing you intended to keep for a long time."

Whumpee thought about it. Caretaker could almost hear the cogs turning. "I don't think I was meant to be kept for a long time," they whispered.

Caretaker squeezed their hands, prompting them to look up. "Yes, you were. If Whumper got to treat you however they saw fit, then it's only fair I get to do the same, right? And I would like to treat you like you matter, person or not."

~

general drabbles taglist: @ashh-ed @whumpsday @whump-queen @the-scrapegoat @hidden-dreamland @rosewriteswhump @dismemberment-on-a-tuesday-night @whumpkinpie @delicateprincepaper @whumppmuhw @whump-em @cyborg0109 @morning-star-whump @justanotherlokifan @2in1whump @lthrboy @justletmereadmywhump @florissimps @anonymous-tiangou

[tsukimefuku]

Team fighting

You decided to train team fighting with Higuruma in an unorthodox way.

Tags: Jujutsu Kaisen, f!reader, light Higuruma x reader, crack taken seriously, fluff.

WC: 1.1K

The song (heh): Aozora Lonely - Sunny Day Service (on YouTube)

This is part of my "Jujutsu Partners Canon Divergence AU". A sequence of short stories and random drabbles for a Nanami x Reader x Higuruma long fic I might write. To see the ever-growing list of one-shots and short stories, please visit my masterlist :) 

Disclaimer: they’re NOT written and posted in chronological order of events. To see where this story fits in the timeline, please check the masterlist mentioned above.

"Are you... Serious? Aren't we a little too old for that?" The former lawyer asked, sat beside your makeshift dorm room bed, incredulous, as you pointed at your phone, showing him a video of two teenagers playing Dance Dance Revolution. You sighed, because even though he had a point, you thought it'd be beneficial to try it in order to develop your synergy in the field.

You had been working alongside Higuruma for two weeks now, and on your third mission by his side, you had to save the sorcerer from being hit by the poison curse both were fighting, rendering you bedridden. Furthermore, you still had a couple of days to rest, but thought that, as long as there wasn't any actual fighting or cursed energy manipulation involved, you'd probably be just fine.

"Look, playing things like these has helped me improve my control over my cursed energy. It teaches you to move without thinking." You pointed out. "But if we do it together, maybe you will learn to sync your movements with someone else's. God knows you need it."

He scratched the side of his temple with his thumb, pensive, without any faith this would work. "I can get behind the principle in what you're suggesting, but aren't you still in your recovery period?"

"I am, but this is just dancing, not actual heavy training, you know? I think I'll be fine."

He looked at you, wearing pajamas and sitting on your bed. You still had a few wound dresses around your face and neck. The video showed an extremely vigorous dance game session, with all the jumping, stomping and pirouetting. Higuruma thought to himself that sparring would probably be a lighter exercise routine when compared to this. 

"This looks pretty intense, and no offense intended, but you don't seem to be ready for this much exercise at the present moment." He said, still staring at the screen.

You sighed, a little defeated, and leaned back against the wall on the side of your bed to think of an alternative. Even if he wasn't right — and he was —, there was still the issue of leaving Jujutsu High's headquarters and walking around Tokyo to find a joint that had Dance Dance Revolution.

Then, you had an idea.

"Higuruma, get up and put your chair over there." You said, pointing to a corner of the room. Curious, he followed suit, as you got up, and started to search around the songs you had saved on your phone. "I had an idea."

"And what was that? I might get behind it, or leave you to your own devices. You still need to rest and shouldn't be coming up with these kinds of shenanigans." He said, putting one of his hands inside his pants' pocket. Even if he was more open to collaborating accordingly with Jujutsu High, his demeanor was mostly uncooperative, overall. Higuruma was still feeling like a wild animal in domestication process, and you noticed that, trying to propose this exercise to chip away at his aloof facade. If this got him to fight less like a suicidal maniac, you'd be satisfied enough.

"I'm doing this in order to not get hurt again when trying to protect you from your lack of practice fighting alongside other people" you told him, still searching for something to play. He opened his mouth to answer you, but felt a light surge of guilt, choosing not to say anything instead. After all, it was his fault that you were injured like that. These little pinches of guilt and remorse creeping up on him were bringing Higuruma back to the real world and its consequences, after what happened when he awakened his cursed technique.  

"Ah, here it is." You finally found a song, and let your phone on standby over the bed. "We will dance together, and you'll let me lead, okay?"

He huffed, somewhere between a sigh and a sardonic chuckle, still in disbelief at your idea. "I have no problem with that, but is this really necessary?"

"Firstly, I'm bored out of my mind. If I don't do anything, I might actually go insane locked up in this room." You began answering. "Also, you're great when fighting alone, but an absolute menace to any ally around you when fighting with company. We can't have that being the norm when you're stuck working with me, and I'm stuck working with you."

Higuruma sighed, defeated, and acquiesced.

You took both of his hands and pulled him to stand right in front of you. Then, raised one of them to rest over your waist, holding the other around shoulder-high, and rested your own palm on his shoulder. "Are you ready?" You asked.

He simply shrugged. "I guess. I must warn you that I am not very good at this, though."

You smiled and parted from his hand briefly, extending your finger to press 'play', beginning to waltz around to the beat of the song. You chose something easy and slow enough to start out. Higuruma was stiff as hell, so you tried the simplest thing you could, trying to guide him two steps back, two steps forward. Your efforts were fruitless. He was sturdy and his body would simply not budge. The sorcerer was clearly having a lot of difficulty following your lead, ending up stepping over your toes a few times. On top of that, he was trying to follow your movements by looking at your feet, as opposed to feeling the movements of your body and following along.

"Ouch! Higuruma, what the hell? I feel like I'm dancing with a rock." You told him, stopping for a second.

"In my defense, I informed you I wasn't good at this" he pointed out.

You sighed. "This isn't difficult." You looked at Higuruma and pulled him closer, so he wouldn't have room to be looking at your feet in between your bodies. "Come on, look at my face, not our feet."

You felt his body tightening, as his shoulders stiffened and rose up slightly, startled at the sudden way your bodies had pressed against each other. You tapped the hand you had over one of his shoulders and said, "relax. If you don't, I won't have toes at the end of this. Inhale, exhale, you know the drill."

"Fine." Higuruma closed his eyes, inhaled, held his breath, exhaled and then looked at you. He seemed more focused now, and you began to dance again, pulling and pushing him slowly to the beat of the music. This time, he had his eyes locked on yours, and followed your steps appropriately, so you began to increase the difficulty. You started to dance circularly, and he followed your waltzing effortlessly, as you smiled at him.

"There you go. See? You're not so bad," you said, "not bad at all."

For the first time in months, he truly smiled. This was the first time you saw him smiling, actually, and you returned the expression.

Higuruma began thinking to himself that this, maybe, was really not bad at all. 

[teatitty]

Some more Sharkteeth Iruka thoughts:

He has very much internalised a lot of insecurities about his teeth bc of all the shit he's seen and heard Kohari get about her own over the years

These feelings were heavily reinforced when a bunch of kids in class decided to play an innocent spin the bottle but when it landed on Mizuki, the kids all screeched about not wanting to get bitten/sliced/etc

The first time he kissed Kakashi it was through the barrier of Kakashi's mask bc he was scared of doing it otherwise. The first kiss without the mask in the way is sweet and tender and lead by Kakashi as way to prove he has nothing to fear

When Iruka is annoyed or irritated he makes little noises by sucking or tutting his teeth. These sounds are just as diverse as a person's hand signs and you can tell what island someone's family came from in Water Country based on the specific sounds they make

Teeth gnashing means he's either in pain or actively pissed off and yes that makes a sound too. It's like a sharp clicking where his teeth snap and grind together

His accent is quite noticeably thick because he has to talk without slicing his tongue so he stretches out certain vowels/consonants/etc or just straight up ditches others [example: "the, there and that" becomes "de, dere and dat" and "with what" is "wiv whuh", "mouth" is "mof/muhf" etc]

Because he uses a henge to transform his mouth into something more "normal" his natural accent is usually hidden, though his grins, smiles and laughter are still very wide and large since he's used to, well, having different teeth to work around when at home

If he gets worked up enough the accent will slip regardless of the henge

The sharkteeth of Mist exist because the local produce is quite thick and tough so you need teeth capable of ripping and tearing without hurting the jaw. Put a juicy steak in front of him and Iruka will be able to tear it to shreds with no issue even if it's super fatty

He can also crunch into shellfish and just. Eat the shells. He doesn't do that because they "taste really bad" but he could

A spaced/zoned out Iruka is likely to bite you out of reflex if you make him jump. Gai found this out without meaning to and was very chill with it bc he's used to Hatake 'I express my affection via biting' Kakashi but Iruka was a bit of a mess about it

Speaking of Kakashi: he's so normal about the Sharkteeth. So so normal. It doesn't count as an oral fixation if you're just using your fingers to poke around in there whenever you can guys he swears!

He really likes it when Iruka applies a soft pressure against his exploring fingers with said teeth. It reminds him of his dogs when they playfight with him

Iruka stops using the henge sometime during the blank period between part 1 and shippuden. He started borrowing Kakashi's masks instead hehe. Both a practical solution and a sweet one since Kakashi's romantic self gushes about it constantly. Somehow it still takes their coworkers absolutely ages to click on that they're dating. Incredible

[yippeeometer]

The Northeast states watching out for each other, but they're subtle about it. Like dropping off a cup of coffee, but if someone comments on it, they'll brush it off like it's no big deal

oh no its much worse.

the northeast but they're trying to be subtle and desperately failing bc they're all as dense and emotionally constipated as the other.

cut drops off coffee for york. york immediately assumes he's laced it with poison bc they are peak sibling core. they argue intensely, during which cut insists if he needed to kill york he would be MUCH more physical and he has not poisoned the coffee (he had laced it with sleeping pills bc 'the city that never sleeps' turns out not to be an exaggeration.

cut spends the next few hours complaining to new hammy about it. hammy's eye twitches the whole time as he recollects last week, when he did the exact same thing to cut and they had the exact same argument. ur honour they're not beating the 'exact same person in different shirts' allegations.

in fact, many of them can recite, word for word, the exact schpiel jersey goes through every time someone asks for ingredients from his garden. oh my god i hate you get a job why are you always mooching off me. what the fuck do you mean you'll go to a grocery you're taking things from my garden. ill bring them over myself. idiot.

there's just a silent agreement that there's no alcohol allowed at parties anymore bc after Pa's like 9th attempt at sobriety they all had a big think ab where the problems were stemming from and that was the best thing they could think up.

because i am a heavy believer in jewish ne supremacy there is a wonderful period between rosh hashannah and yom kippur when they're all putting in the best effort to be nice to each other which immediately dissolves the second they have to try and decide who gets to use the shofar. they may not be able to physically fight today, but trust the grudge will be remembered.

the level of PTSD and just general issues within that group must be so intense but because they are emotionally represed. they just. arent allowed to talk about it. someone could be having a full breakdown but u r a member of the northeast and you should just let ur heart break inside and never ever talk about it because it would be Awful and Wrong

however. what u can do. is watch sport together in silence. maybe you'll even say 'good game' at the end by be careful of that one because its basically a confession of ur endless fraternal support, wouldn't want to get too deep would we.

and ur only allowed to talk about ur problems through jokes. haha yeah i still see faces of war in my sleep. haha yeah i cant cope w the guilt anymore. hehe.

so to answer your ultimate question, the most pain you can experience is not even your own, but that of ur brother when he drowns and you are not allowed to save him. but anyway.

[batmanisagatewaydrug]

hello! is hair (similar to pubic in "texture") growing around the nipples a sign of hormonal imbalance or some shit for an afab person? i'm 27 and this has never been sth my body does, i started noticing the hair maybe two months ago and there is more and more of them... for the context ive never been on any hormones and i am most definitely not underweight (i know body hair does weird stuff when people are malnourished)

hi anon,

hair growing on the areola (the pigmented skin surrounding the nipple) is extremely typical for anyone, regardless of the gender they were assigned at birth or what hormones are most prevalent in their body. humans are hairy creatures, and it's considered "normal" for hair to grow pretty much everywhere except for on our lips, the bottoms of our hands and feet, and right out of the actual nipple itself.

for most people the growth of body hair begins in earnest around puberty, although there's no reason why it couldn't happen in your twenties - bodies are always changing!

the only reason I'd say this might be cause for concern would be if you've also noted any other changes consistent with certain conditions that can also cause unexpected hair growth. polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a common offender, as it causes people with vaginas to experience a higher-than-average amount of "masculine" hormones. those can cause more hair growth than is typical, although the big tell with PCOS is usually going to be an irregular menstrual cycle that swings from missing periods altogether to painful, heavy, long-lasting bleeding.

the other option is cushing syndrome, which results from having unusually high levels of cortisol in your body. this can cause such a buckwild buffet of symptoms that it's simply going to be easier for me to borrow this handy graphic from our friends at Healthline rather than list them all out:

and that's not even all of them; my personal favorite is that is can also cause erectile dysfunction! and, yes, for people with vaginas, it can also include an excess of hair in places where hair wouldn't usually be.

anyway, cushing syndrome is triggered by an over-production of cortisol and is most often triggered by a significant source of last, chronic stress: physical injuries and illness, pregnancy, rigorous athletic training, severe malnutrition, or mental health issues like depression and anxiety.

in all likelihood there's no reason to be alarmed about the hair on your areolas, but if you're experiencing any other notable physical changes that sound like they could align with PCOS or cushing syndrome I'd definitely recommend doing a little research on your own to see how well the symptoms match up and decide if you want to take your suspicions to a healthcare provider.

[alatismeni-theitsa]

I really really hope I don't end up coming off as rude in this, but I found your account from the Hades tag (the game--which I suppose I don't really have the same negative feelings for, both because I'm neither greek nor religious and thus am very disjointed from the frustrations expressed ) and seeing as the designs were the main talking point (I know I'm oversimplifying her I'm so sorry if this comes off as rude) I was curious as to what would be a respectful depiction of Greek mythology. Greek mythology has always been something I enjoyed reading about, but knowing that a lot of my exposure to it has been heavily westernize one way or another, I was wondering if I could ask for I guess more insight? I might not share the same feelings (due to again having grown up unreligious and thus trying to compare how I might feel if my own chinese mythology was given the hades treatment isn't exactly far becaue to me they really are just kinda like prompts in my mind--though I'm not sure how wrong it is for me to think like that) I do wish to understand it because your culture religion and mythology isn't a prop. It deserves the same respect every other culture/religion has/is getting. sorry for the lengthy ask, but it's perspectives like you're I want to hear more about though I've struggled to really open up to them because often time the discussions felt hostile (that said I am conflict adverse so this is probably a me problem.). On a final side note (and this is definitely where I am about to sound really stupid/bigoted but I really have to ask because my conscious will not leave me alone about it) but would it be ignorant for a person such as myself to find enjoyment from a game such as Hades less because of it's mythological roots though they are a factor and more for the story it's decided to tell (for what is honestly when I really do think about it) using the greek mythology "props"? Like enjoying it seperate from the source material?

Hello and apologies for taking so long to answer! Two consecutive hours where I exist undisturbed is very rare in my life during this period, so please, again, forgive me for replying a month later. 💜💜💜

A second anon question I got about the same issue:

I appreciate both of you for asking. Identifying the problem in the context of your situation, and what you don't know is a great step forward (and I am very sorry I wasn't able to respond to you earlier). For those who don't know, this blog, despite the salty content, is all about peaceful discussion and understanding.

I think answering the first anon ask will also cover the first. Let me start with one point and elaborate on the rest:

"On a final side note (and this is definitely where I am about to sound really stupid/bigoted but I really have to ask because my conscious will not leave me alone about it) but would it be ignorant for a person such as myself to find enjoyment from a game such as Hades less because of its mythological roots though they are a factor and more for the story it's decided to tell (for what is honestly when I really do think about it) using the greek mythology "props"? Like enjoying it separate from the source material?"

Neither I nor any other (sane) Greek would like to police people in a way of stopping their enjoyment of media. Like other Greeks, I have also played Hades and liked it. I believe we can enjoy the present media and still advocate for better media in the future. We can all be more aware, and push for gods and heroes to be treated like the cultural figures they are, and not as products of late-stage western capitalism.

Greek gods and heroes cannot be separated from their culture and still be the same since they no longer carry their stories or embody the same values. (This goes for every cultural figure.) What would be the point of Heracles if your only exposure to him was that "he is an ancient strong guy who kills monsters"? There is a whole story to him beyond that, what makes him "Heracles", a hero that Greeks hold as a symbol even in our days. Without his story, he's no different than an average modern American superhero.

To the first anon: If you were to explain any Chinese hero or deity to me, you would still need to explain all the "surrounding" elements, like the world domains, the monsters, what is "respectful" and what is "not respectful" to do within the context of the Chinese culture. You wouldn't just drop the figure in question and expect me to understand everything, right? And for this reason, I don't think it would be fair to this figure and the Chinese audiences to just drop this figure separated from Chinese culture in a super American setting. As you suspected, it would leave a bad taste in the mouth of religious and non-religious people who know this figure.

There is some effort from Western media to incorporate these elements into their stories but it's done superficially through the classic Americanized lens. This doesn't allow the audience to feel these values and stories within a different context. The producers will do anything so (mainly Western) audiences don't feel alienated by exploring a foreign culture - but this entirely misses the point of exploring a foreign ancient culture.

I don't want to be entirely absolute here and say that no modernized depiction of these figures is good. It was even a fresh take a few years ago but now the market is so saturated with this presentation that even the audience who "loves Greek myth" is only exposed to this, and misses all the nuances of the ancient Greek context.

To its credit, the Hades game incorporated some ancient elements successfully (the gods offering their favor and getting vengeful when ignored, or having their own "human-like" interactions without getting reduced to the presentation of "petty humans"). This is more than what most westernized media has achieved but I still feel we only got crumbs compared to what we could have.

For me and some other Greeks, the game would be considerably elevated by the use of actual Greek culture, in addition to its cool story. By "actual Greek culture" I mean ways of interaction, clothes (not just the standard white chiton), music, etc. It looks like most western media fears that the Greek gods inside their culture will be "too foreign" for their audiences, which treats the audiences as if they're dumb and frustrates the already tired Greeks because god forbid we ever are "too foreign", "too unapproachable" to rich/western foreigners.

As always, depictions of heroes and gods from other cultures should be kept. The very recent phenomenon of westerners just deciding to "re-paint" the Greek gods Nordic pale or West African dark - according to their social sensitivities of the time - is a decision they took alone and without any consultation of Greeks. It's a decision that treats the Greek gods like props, as well, precisely because people of the original culture were never asked, and they are negative about this type of change. This decision was taken with the same brass the western colonizers used these same figures to set harmful standards for the colonized peoples and other nations they deemed "lesser", like the Greeks of their time themselves.

As we are not expected to change Maori, Chinese and Congolese gods' appearance (symbols, clothing, phenotype (or "race" as it is in some countries)) same goes for Greek gods. We grant all gods this standard because we recognize that they're - among other things - symbols of the overwhelming majority of the indigenous people of their land. Many USians mistakenly equate Greeks with the Western colonizers and the US culture, a thought that feeds their ownership attitude which I've spoken about many times in the past and i won't elaborate further on, for the sake of your sanity xD

Finally, if one struggles to place the Greek gods in the context of an actual religion, I think it would help them to read ancient hymns for the Greek gods (which are widely available online, in English at least) so they can see firsthand the veneration they were/are worth to their worshippers. Reading plays like the Bacchae or Alcestis, or parts of the Iliad and the Odyssey where the gods are present will show the magnanimity of the gods within the religion.

I'd also encourage them to recall examples of being present when their family or friends expressed veneration towards a deity (be it the God of Abrahamic religions, the Chinese pantheon, the Hindu pantheon, and so on) and try to imagine the same veneration towards the Greek gods. Studying Greek Orthodoxy is another way to understand this veneration. Since many ancient Greek elements remain in our Christianity, in it one can find many of the old type of respect. (Saint veneration replaced the deities' worship, the Greek type of offering worship, prayer to a home altar with offerings, road altars, funerary customs and processions, etc). If one is already familiar with Christianity this study would be a good middle step, in my opinion.

Having the context for each Greek myth figure one uses can be challenging but big studios should be able to hire specialists and offer proper representation. "They want the pie whole and the dog full", as we say here; they want quick profit with the least possible effort. They know that if they just name-drop some stuff western audiences will believe they have done deep research because previous media never invited them to engage deeply with the Greek heritage.

No culture is "uncomplex" and "easy to learn". Ancient Greek culture, like all, needs significant study to fully grasp. People should not expect to know it all after one Wikipedia reading. There's always more to learn and more context to be understood. The good news is that if you speak English and have an internet connection, translations and analyses of ancient Greek texts are super accessible to you.

It shouldn't be expected from all people to become experts but if one "loves Greek mythology" and their knowledge is PJO level, I am sorry but this person doesn't really know what they "love". A decent amount of study, at one's own pace, will enrich and deepen engagement with the Greek myths. Once you gain more knowledge, you understand why it's needed.

For the second anon's question, "What would be a proper representation of a Greek god", I have mostly answered it in the above paragraphs, but I would also like to add something culture-wise. Since the Greek gods in the media can exist in various eras, one should not divorce them from the Greek element. The Greek gods are an expression of the ancient Greek collective, therefore it wouldn't make sense for them to have lost all touch with Greek ways of thought and attitude. If they were Americans, they wouldn't be WASPs, or Native Americans or Black Americans. They would be more like First Gen Greek Americans. They would love (to a healthy degree) and mention their culture because that's where they came from and that's what they represent.

[weebsinstash]

Ok so tmi (on the tmi blog lol) but the first day of my Cycle I had a dream that I had just given birth and I was holding my baby and I was goddamn euphoric even though the logical part of me was like “???? I am 22 and broke i CANNOT have a baby rn” and I woke up crying and called my friends like I WANNA HAVE A BAAAAAABYYYYY I WANT A BAAAAAAABYYYYYYYY so basically. Imagine. Miguel catches you in a moment of weakness. And he NEVER. FUCKING. FORGETS IT.

Oh wow girlie those period hormones grabbed you by the uterus and absolutely REFUSED to let go

NO BUT FOR REAL don't look at me but I've been thinking of a concerning number of ideas where it's like, "Reader suddenly realizes they may want a baby and is actually putting serious thought into it and Miguel finds out (bet your ass Peter B tells him, i can see him as a "well intentioned" platonic guardian/mentor figure who sells you out to Miguel the second he thinks you're doing something risky or he thinks it's for your own good) and Miguel starts making all these plans and preparations behind your back to have a baby with you" and obviously I like the extra juicy option of "he found out you got extremely depressed and tied your tubes or something because you either see no point in you having a kid/think it's too late, OR, Miguel was the only person you were looking at as a potential father and you either decide it wouldn't work out or he does something to hurt you and you lose trust in him" so like, the double whammy combo of him being hit with the news you basically walled off your fertility that he's kinda fantasizing about AND you blame him for it

You see him chokeslam Miles on the train and having all these serious anger and stress issues and you're like "hmmmm don't like that" and basically make the tubal ligation appointment that week (but, you know, he'll either interfere before you can actually get it or even reverse it later on)

Like. Ugh I'm not sure if I should go super into detail bc I feel like I want to put this scene in the YouTwo fic or in a different idea i have thats more centered around motherhood, but, picture he catches you in his monitor room one day after you've lost your home dimension, you're having a little more than just a small identity crisis, and he catches you having Lyla show you the model for your life, or what the algorithm had predicted your life was supposed to be like before your universe just magically poofed away. You're just staring at these holograms with tears running down your face and he occasionally catches you starting to reach out like you want to touch what you see. He comes to stop you because he already knows all too well where this could lead, you can't become tempted to break canon and go somewhere else, but you beg him to let you watch just a little longer

"I was supposed to get MARRIED! I was supposed to have a BABY! I was supposed to have a family!! It's not fair!!"

And he's in total agreement with you because, who even fucking knows why your universe suddenly destabilized and vanished. He sees you as this person who has so much promise and potential who had their destiny and future literally snatched away from them and now you're lost and confused on what you're supposed to do, like really he totally understands why you feel so aimless. But watching these holograms is like torturing yourself, and he goes to stop you when you just keep crying because this is basically sending you into a critical mental health episode

"Someone was supposed to fall in love with me... we were supposed to have a baby... would I have been a good mom? Would I have had a boy or a girl? Cant you at least let me find out what my daughter's name would have been?"

And it's like NOOOO you can't hit him with the daughter card, don't you see what you've DONE!!! Gets him right in the heart. Now he's got this massive soft spot for you, bigger than it already was anyways, and he can tell over time you're just really starting to, grieve the future you were supposed to have, falling into a depression. Peter B is hanging around with Mayday like he usually does as both men can tell you're really staring at his baby today and he offers to teach you how to hold her. you're standing there misty eyed twirling one of her little curls around your finger as her dad starts volunteering information to you, "you know she's about XYZ months old now, they aren't really talking yet at this age but they're really curious about their surroundings and--"

Miguel watches as you start talking about children and suddenly get this really really tortured expression and just say "it's not meant to happen" and or some combination of "it's too late for me" and gives him his baby back a little too quickly in typical "I am clearly leaving the room to go cry" fashion. Meanwhile Peter B is like 38 wondering why you think you're out of time or it's not supposed to happen

Miguel's working one day and Peter is trying to shove his phone in his face, "you know I think this is one of the BEST photos of Mayday I've ever taken, she's looking so cute here, you just GOTTA see it" and Pete just won't let up and Miguel finally looks just to humor him because the man is being unusually annoying and, it's a photo of Mayday, duh, but being held by you, and you're clearly looking down at her with watering eyes and the smallest little smile that says "I'll die for you" and Peter is just all 😏 as Miguel is 'suddenly' interested in the photo. "That's a really good photo of MAYDAY, right? 😏 I figured you would like it, that photo of MAYDAY 😏" and Miguel is just grumbling and grouchy bc he sees what this guy is tryna do, but he's still like ".... send it to me later, I'm trying to work right now"

It's even worse if you're a member of his strike force because you're constantly around him, Peter B, and Jess. Miguel just, idly wondering where you are and deciding to walk around a little bit and eventually finds that you're having some sort of conversation with Peter B and Jess and he can tell you look really weepy as the other woman invites you to feel her baby kicking, like, you could not more obviously be developing baby fever, and you ARE around that age, and ESPECIALLY if you live in Nueva York because it's like, YEAH you're still a Spider and YEAH you help the Society with stuff but. Your home universe is gone, your canon is gone, you're kind of. Free as a bird really? But you're also scared because, if someone was destined to love you, does that mean it technically isn't meant to be to fall for anyone else? You can't exactly hook up with people at the Spider Society because of canon or them already having relationships, and you don't exactly have identifying documents if you wanted to try and adopt

I think it'd really reach a stressful breaking point if you and the strike force go to another universe to fight an anomaly and Miguel catches you staring out into the crowd of people you just saved and he sees what youre looking at instantly and his heart sinks. Another you, another normal you, never bitten by a Spider, is standing there with her husband and her little sputtering baby, and he has to all but drag you away as you cry "it's not fair, it's not fair, why does SHE get a normal life!!"

Sidebar for a moment, I think that's probably also one thing that would be so INFURIATING about the doppelganger stealing your life story because THEY have a home universe and YOU don't. They take your life, they take literally everything you have left, your friends, your sense of community, your literal purpose. I've already decided on YTs motivations but could you imagine you finding out YouTwo actually has a decent life and maybe even a husband and kid of their own and you're just furious because they're basically abandoning their duties back home not only as a Spider but as a parent/spouse to steal what YOU have? You can't kill them because it would break their canon and kill like countless people but Miguel and the others would def let you beat the shit out of your evil double and get some of your anger out. Like. Jesus could you imagine Miguel kicks you out thinking you're the fake and after you're gone, YouTwo breaks canon and that's what exposes them, or theyre exposed when they eventually take a trip back home and get caught. The Society's regret, the guilt, the anger, just marinate me with the drama

But anyways back to Being Sad and Babycrazy, you go missing one day and Miguel has to decide what to do when he finally tracks your bracelet and you're back in THAT dimension again. He has to physically track you down using your bracelet's signal because you refuse to answer his messages and you're, in the home of the other you while she takes a brief nap, in the nursery, holding her baby. Miguel quietly climbs through the window and you're in a rocking chair and you've got her hugged to your chest and your eyes are closed and you sense him and, obviously cry because you know you have to leave. Unlike with the holograms he doesn't give you any leeway on this, putting his foot down that this has to end here, this cant go on, this is already so dangerous. And, you're good for him and understand, leaving the baby back in its crib as you and Miguel warp away. You're heartbroken but ultimately understanding when he has to disable your watch's ability to visit that specific dimension again, and you're obviously extremely depressed for a while, having multiple Spiders coming to check in on you as word spreads around that you aren't doing well

I can just see Reader becoming kind of desperate because the only options for a baby you really have left is to either 1. get a serious relationship, which you're scared of because you have to trust that person and who can you even pick, you're nervous about breaking canon or something, or 2. Get some random person to impregnate you so you can run off with the baby

Miguel gets a call from Peter B that you went to a bar and you're EXTREMELY wasted as you try to pick someone, ANYONE up and like, you have admirers for sure but there's enough decent people around to keep the creeps in line, clearly you are in a vulnerable state of mind right now, and Miguel gets to tote your drunken ass back home as you drunkenly word vomit all your feelings to him because, unfortunately for you, he has your trust, and you need comfort right now, and you even ask him about what being a parent was like for him. You encouragingly tell him he shouldn't give up if he still wants kids, you trying to be genuinely nice and not trying to imply anything, blubbering about how he deserves to still be happy and he's still got time, and here's Miguel who's practically tracking your cycles at this point, TOTALLY not going to use anything you say to him while you're piss-drunk against you

Especially if you add ABO into the mix and you have a Miguel who's either Alpha/Omega and is already babycrazy af and he sees you literally fucking YEARNING for it, like. You've got a 6'9" Alpha basically looking at you, his poor lil Omega crush, with the big yandere goo goo eyes and how you need all this love and support and stability and how you're in need of a proper husband and of course he's all too willing to volunteer himself for the job. Even if he's too awkward to come right out to you and say it, he'll be thinking in his head and planning behind your back ways to take care of you, keep you away from any drugs/alcohol (no more smoking weed with metro boomin Spiderman, you've gotta detox your body to have a baby! Also, different concept but, Miguel basically keeping you in a bubble to control all your meals and recreational activities and all of that so he can make sure you're perfectly healthy for a baby)

Don't let this man catch you slipping up! Throw you to the Spider Society and you'll come back pregnant 😭 he sees you so depressed and wanting a baby and it's like well, if your life needs new meaning, he can help literally make one for you 😏 he's been feeling protective and nurturing of you anyways, so, it's an extra benefit for him to think of getting to have both you AND a little baby of your very own ❤️

[w3bgrl]

truth woven within the venom

synopsis: even when she reached out he was pushing her away; after months of festering angst and a growing list of instances where they butt-heads, changbin and juyeon’s pent up feelings finally boil over in their first ever fight.

date: late september 2019

era: pre-double knot

word count: 1.5k

featuring: kang juyeon, seo changbin, bang chan mentioned, ot10 referenced

warnings: swearing, arguing, hurt/comfort?

a/n: eeek soooo happy to be posting again! i hope you like sweet & sour as much as i do (*^▽^*)

"but you don't listen! that's the problem! it goes in one ear and right out the other. why don’t you listen to me?"

in hindsight, it was really quite a minuscule issue that started this screaming match — but hindsight was always 20/20.

after dinner on this particularly cold september night, changbin and juyeon had been the poor souls to lose rock-paper-scissors against the rest, leaving the grumbling pair to wash dishes and throw away any trash left behind by the 8 full-bellied boys. and though the other members' eyes would all wearily shift to chan for guidance on the volatile pair now dragging their feet to the kitchen, he'd simply round them up before making up an excuse for them to be out of the house, hollering something about the studio before the door closing behind them echoed throughout the starkly silent walls.

"i'll dry, it's your turn to wash." juyeon would say shortly as she gathered the plates. she honestly half-expected the response from changbin.

"but — i washed them last week."

"right," she placed them in the sink with an already clenched jaw "but i washed dishes yesterday, so it's your turn."

the mahogany-haired boy then shook his head dissmisively. "i think you're remembering wrong."

and that's where it started; over who was going to wash the dishes and who was going to put them away. again, a minuscule issue that wouldn't have been a problem if not for the thinned patience this duo had with one another over the past few months. they'd been butting heads quite frequently, not big enough to actually create an issue but often enough for the other boys to notice, which is why the leader hurried the boys out to hopefully allow them to work it out on their own. however, not one of the members could have expected it to pan out the way it did.

"oh —" changbin nearly scoffed, arms folded over his chest as the dishes had now been long forgotten in favor of their argument "sorry i don't heed your every word, your majesty. i didn't know whatever you say was of the utmost importance."

juyeon huffed and rolled her eyes "you are such a baby sometimes. you know that's not what i said."

"it's what you want to say! so just say it! 'i'm juyeon and i'm just so fucking important that what i say goes.'"

"don't be a dick."

he nearly laughed now, the blissful victory on the horizon curling his lips into a condescending smile "see! 'don't be a dick, changbin. watch your tone, changbin — bend over backwards on my command, changbin.' you're so full of yourself that you can't see how fucking demanding you are."

this jab at the older girl quickly became apparent as a step in the opposite direction, as now she was the one smiling deviously, a dry chuckle escaping her bitten lips. "at least i'm not a whiny little bitch all the time! honestly," she laughed again "it's like you're always on your period or something. even my emotions are on thicker ice than yours."

"it's not me on thin ice, juyeon, it's you. you are just so —”

changbin’s face tomatoed as he searched for the words before ultimately giving up on accurately pinpointing what it was about her that drove him mad, instead deciding to return the putrid way she made him feel, throwing the oozing pus infecting his heart back in her face.

“you drive me insane! you drive me up the fucking wall every day, juyeon! i can’t stand you! i can’t stand living and working with a bitch like you! you are the worst thing to happen to me — truly. i would be relieved if you just fell off the face of the earth."

there was a brief beat before her response, and from his place across the livingroom changbin could see her demeanor shift; her furrowed brows softening along with the sharp gaze pointing daggers his way, replaced by the discernable crease of a frown in the corner of her lips, folded arms falling with the weight of sheer disappointment. “is that true?”

his own intensity reeled back at her reaction and changbin found himself grasping at the truth woven within the venom — the well-meaning feelings masked by the disease of lovesickness. and while the memories felt so distant by this point, that feeling juyeon afflicted him with still lingered, nurturing his yearning until it grew teeth and learned to bite.

“is it?” juyeon prodded “that i’m the worst thing to happen to you?”

it wasn’t — of course it wasn’t. “you…” he’d start, starkly gentler than before “you live in every corner of my mind, ju. i can't think without thinking about you. i just — i miss you."

now, from her place by the door where she'd threatened to walk out before turning around to bark back once again, juyeon watched as his eyes grew glossy while he fought to keep his composure. his previously broad stance had dissolved into that of a teenage boy caving into himself, and as his hands found the back of the couch to brace the weight pressing him into the mantle, changbin lowered his head to hide the humiliation boiling his cheeks. this image in itself had her own vision going blurry with the tears forming.

"you think i don't?"

changbin would only sniffle. juyeon took a step closer.

"changbin." she'd say almost sternly, his wet eyes peering up to look upon her call "you think i feel any differently?"

"how should i know? you've kept me at an arms length for months now."

now juyeon felt the nausea of shame. she gulped before nodding. "you know what? you're right; i have been distant for a while, and i'm sorry. but you are the one that's been pushing me away."

jisung always did boast how well of a communicator juyeon was. hell, changbin knew this himself, but it was still quite overwhelming when knelt before her authenticity. he knew he should mirror her — own up to his shit and apologize — but as the words failed to come out he noted the inability to fully be that vulnerable with her now; even when she reached out he was pushing her away.

changbin looked back down at the couch. the air in the room grew thick with each passing second of silence the older girl refused to fill leaving them both sniffling quietly, parallel with one another in the group's living room, oxygen in their lungs coagulating like soup. finally, after what felt like eternity of changbin's ears growing a deeper shade of red, she spoke again.

"when did we get like this?"

finally something easier to respond to. "like what?" he asked.

"like...guarded. there used to be nothing you couldn't — wouldn't say to me."

changin lifted his head, cheeks wet and eyes red from the tears he'd concealed from her, offering at least a step in the right direction. he found juyeon a step closer with her own tears dripping down her chin. "you know when."

"why?"

he shook his head now, a dry chuckle almost escaping his glossy lips. "because —" changbin cut himself off. juyeon was then suddenly moving to sit on the couch with her attentive eyes peered up at him, waiting earnestly for him to continue. he inhaled sharply at the burn in his chest.

“because i hate how you make me feel. it feels pathetic — i feel pathetic. because you exist and suddenly i can't act right. and i have all this feeling inside and to you it’s only words — and i love you — like a monster like a beast; like something not worth loving back. and all i want is you but i can't have you, and it feels pathetic.”

for a moment just long enough for him to note her concentrated gaze fixated on his, juyeon sat and thoroughly sifted over his words before finally looking away. this, too, was only for a moment, as she soon looked back up to gingerly place her own hand on top of his.

“i told you; the love isn’t going anywhere, bin. it’s always here, even if i see you everyday, even if i never see you again. it’s not going anywhere. are you?”

it was changbin’s turn to marinate in her tender words. “n-no,” he sputtered “no.”

“then stop pushing me away. let me in, and be my friend again while the days pass."

"even after everything i said?"

juyeon would look up expectantly. "well...is there anything else you want to say?" he didn't need to be convinced this time, the older girl's transparency now came as a comfort than a threat. changbin placed his other hand on top of hers.

"i'm sorry. truly. i didn't mean any of it. i just...wanted you to hurt like i hurt."

finally, for the first time in months, juyeon's smile was directed at him; small and weak and honestly barely there, but it most definitely wasn't the frown he'd grown accustomed to. "we'll work on that." she hummed.

chan and the rest of the boys would return home an hour or so later with half-eaten ice creams in hand to find a completely clean kitchen.

[luckyshotwrites]

Ch. 107 // You Dug Your Grave, Wendie // Day 108

Contents (Warnings): What's wrong with Underkin? (Angst, character and monster info as always). Read full chapter on A03

Wordcount: 3,200+

Song I correlate to this Chapter: None unfortunately

Author Note: Hello everyone, sorry it has taken me a while to get this chapter out! I have been having a lot of issues with my eyes as of late. It's been a ongoing problem I've had for years and the doctors don't know why. But, it got really bad recently to the point where things were hard to focus on or cloudy. They are doing a lot better again with this new medication, so I should be back up and running. THANK YOU FOR THE PAITIENCE AND HAVE A BOMBASTIC DAY AS ALWAYS. (Nonnegotiable).

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

(Jan. 30th, Monday)

Lynette

I sighed, sitting alone in the breakroom.

Our weekend games were light. I won Alexander's game on Saturday because Drake distracted him. I didn't expect Alexander to be good at checkers, of all things.

I put my right elbow on the table and my chin in my palm.

I watched the door from the round table closest to the breakrooms kitchen area. It had the perfect view of door 1 and the door leading into breakroom 3. They'll be coming in soon...

"Shoot!" I scrambled up and went toward the fridge. I won't forget to drink another smoothie.

I opened the fridge to get my pineapple strawberry smoothie. "You won't be lost like the other Sunday, promise." I joked, taking it out.

Drake's game yesterday distracted me so much I forgot about my 'lunch'. We walked on our hands all lunch period. More so Alexander and him, I couldn't hold myself up nearly as long. I chuckled to myself remembering how funny it was seeing them fight to knock the other over.

Drake won it and in turn gave me another break.

The sliding doors far behind me opened. I turned around putting the straw in my mouth and took a sip by the counter.

It's Xander first. I lifted my hand as an acknowledgment.

I ensured the fridge door was closed and returned to my seat, but he sat in it first.

Why did I push the chair in? Why didn't I leave it open? He would have understood it was mine if I did. I sighed, going to sit in the chair across from him. I didn't like having my back to the doors, especially when Lev was working.

"What's the game today, Shrimp?" Alexander asked.

I pulled out the chair and sat down. Instead of explaining why I brought my laptop and drawing pad, I cracked a joke: "Darts again."

Alexander's head hunched forward slightly, "you're fucking kidding me." He saw the attempt I made at a serious face and sat back, crossing his arms, "I'm not helping your ass win again this time."

"Huh?" I placed my smoothie down. " What are you talking about?" my brain scrambled to remember. I won that. Hold on, no, I won because Alexander sneezed loudly and messed Lev up.

"I knew you did that on purpose!" Lev's voice came from the door when it slid open.

Alexander didn't expect him to enter and disregarded what he said, "Oh, fuck you. Like you haven't done shit to mess with me before." He unfolded his arms, "Besides, it wasn't like I forced myself to sneeze."

"No," Lev said, smirking as he approached our table. "However, you decided to make it as loud as possible next to my ear."

Alexander denied doing it next to his ear, and they started to argue about who was more right.

I looked behind me at the sliding door and wondered how Lev heard him before it opened.

I took another sip and asked, "Lev, how did you hear him from out there?" Does he have super hearing like Drake?

Lev's lips curled, and his throat hummed, coated in excessive pride, "Oh.~" He pointed to his own lips and spoke slowly. "I-can-read-lips." He waved his finger over Alexander and me. "Especially all of yours. I've seen your faces for so long—it's second nature."

Alexander's expression read disgust, "so you were being a creep and watching us talk?"

Lev's eyes flicked to Alexander, his head still facing me, "only for a moment, don't flatter yourself." He put a hand to his lips to stifle the laugh he fought to swallow. "You rarely say anything worthwhile."

"Fuck you."

Lev stood straighter, pulled out a seat, and sat between Alexander and me. He turned his body to give Alexander his undivided attention. "Like that, all your speech consists of is swearing and simplistic dialogue." Lev lifted his hand, "I bet I could guess every word that'll come out of your mouth."

He went to tap Alexander's lips with his finger, and Alexander swiped his hand up to grab it. He missed.

"Asshole." They both said in unison.

Alexander's eyebrows narrowed, and I watched Lev lower his hand and copy Alexander's raised shoulders.

They both got up simultaneously and slammed their hands on the table. "You fucker-"

(Art Courtesy of @toast-tales)

Alexander abruptly shut his lips, and Lev closed his, too, smiling.

His face flushed a deep shade of red, betraying his profound embarrassment, while his nostrils flared in evident annoyance.

Lev fixed his gaze, his expression patient and attentive as he waited.

Alexander opened his mouth, closed it again, and slammed his fist down again in perfect rhythm with Lev.

"What's wrong, Wendie? Don't you want to say I'm being a fucking child and that this doesn't mean shit."

Alexander's eyes grew wide, and then a low, menacing growl escaped from deep within him. Lev's imitation growl reverberated through the air, triggering the same physical flee response in my body as Drake did when exuding his animosity.

I leaped out of my chair, my hand instinctively reaching for my weapon, which drew both of their attention.

Lev's eyes drooped as a soft chuckle escaped his lips, "Sorry, Lynette, I forgot the effect it has on weaker beings."

I eased my nerves, "Like Drake's-"

"Vampires learned it from Taulmelkin. Deep speech is how us, Drakin, communicate." He adjusted his posture, leaning in to be over me like always.

Alexander dropped back down into his chair, "Boasting about your own flaming species?"

What, that's not Lev's species, is it?

"What's wrong with Taulmelkin?" Lev craned his head back to look at Alexander.

"Nothing. You're just annoying as hell to fight."

I saw Lev's pupils widen out of the corner of his eye. "You've met one?"

"Then what's an underkin?"

His head snapped back immediately.

As his lips parted, his smile transformed, revealing sharp, prominent incisors. His golden hue glinted fiercely, reminiscent of the day I accidentally read his text out loud.

"Now, now, Lynette." He ran his hand through his dark midnight hair, "It seems you're attempting to misdirect us off the topic of today's game."

"I wasn't-"

"Then why don't you share your little secret first? Then we can continue this discussion," Lev's insistence was immovable as his intense gaze fixated on my lips, suggesting a desire to silence me.

Why does that species bother him? Are they enemies?

"You'll both see at lunch." I lowered myself back into my seat to finish my drink.

Luckily, Lev dropped it, and he continued to mock Alexander for the rest of our break. I never realized how many details Lev picked up on.

I was relieved to return to the counter and not have to work with either of them today—it kept my shift relatively peaceful.

Zilla walked behind the counter, handing off her bag to the kitchen, and unlike most of the time, she had to wait for them to finish it in the back.

She slid beside me, her lower back on the counter's edge. "You're looking confident today."

I adjusted my hat and looked out to ensure no customers were coming to the counter. I didn't see anyone coming in or anyone getting up from their seats to meet with me.

"For the most part, unless Lev has randomly played the game I chose," I replied.

She gripped the counter as she bent back. "Lev has such a strange collection of knowledge, including very unusual hobbies." She continued to lean back, her face appearing slightly disgruntled as she did. "From my understanding, he'll always adopt his latest dates."

"Adopt?" That sounds sweetly innocent.

"Heeeee-" I heard a pop noise from her, and I turned my head. She let out a satisfied exhale and rolled her shoulders. "Sorry, Lev studies every little thing he can about their favorite hobby or obsession, whether it be beetle fighting, woodworking, you name it, he'll learn as much as he can leading up to the date." Zilla rolled her shoulders, "I think it is far too much effort for a one-off date."

A one-off date? "Don't you usually date to find someone to be with?" Not that I'd know that.

"You'd think," Zilla looked back toward the open kitchen doorway. "He told me he doesn't go on dates to find someone. He enjoys twisting their perception of him at the end of them."

Now that sounds more like Lev. I couldn't quite understand why he'd do that. Why would you put in all the effort then?

"I don't see a point playing catch up with you. A year is nothing to me." "I'll probably outlive twenty of your generations, if not more. There's no point."

I couldn't remember any other time I heard his voice drop like it did that day. It was like I was speaking to a different person.

He never spoke like that at his house, either.

"He doesn't make sense to me," I said quietly.

"Lev wants power," Zilla looked at the ceiling, and I did the same. "Control is something we all strive for, isn't it? If you could, you'd want to keep them from getting you, right?"

"Not control them..." I muttered. I'd like to comprehend them and build some kind of trust between us. I let go of that thought. It was a childish hope.

The grayish-haired Zilla grabbed at the tips of her hair, "Unfortunately, to control someone, you'd either have to keep all your secrets to yourself or have nothing you're ashamed of that someone could use against you."

She tugged them, "We play chess on the days you and Wendie aren't here, and I found he touches his hair when he's nervous, or if we salsa on a topic about himself, he'll quickly redirect it."

Why is she telling me this?

"Wondering why I mentioned it."

Am I that obvious to read? I nodded, "a little."

"It's because I'm curious," Zilla tapped her manicured nails on my head, I shooed them away. "Lev gives me the same look he does about you when I ask him about Beatrice." Zilla squatted down and puckered her lips, giving me a playful and somewhat mischievous look. "Did you confess your dying love to him too?"

"WHAT?" I made space between us, and she lifted herself back into a standing position.

"Come on, you don't like his teasing charm?"

"DO you like his 'charm'?"

Zilla put her fist near her plump red lips, "I suppose out of the options here, he's the best, and frankly, the only one I can maybe see my brother being fine with."

Zane? "He's not a fan of everyone else?" He does sing Zilla's praise a lot.

Zilla faintly smiled; it looked as fake as a painted face, "well, everyone here is okay with..." her eyes dropped, and she was quiet. I waited, looking over her as she avoided meeting my eyes.

I reached out to touch her shoulder��it felt similar to the other time she caught me tearing up while playing darts. "Zilla?"

She flinched at my touch, grabbed my hand, and removed it from her. "I was thinking of a past relationship. No big deal." She dismissed it and said, "Zane has a high and strict standard for who's good enough to date me." She snickered, flashing me a grin, "Good to know you aren't pining for the one Beatrice claimed, or she'd probably rip you in two, and then I'd lose my precious bait."

"Thanks, Zilla," I grumbled, seeing a customer walking up to the counter and Alexander coming out from the kitchen to hand her the satchel full of pizzas.

She waved me goodbye, reminding me how little I knew about her. I saw her as less of a problem than Lev or Alexander. If anything, she'd occasionally be considered a blessing when she didn't screw me over. She always worked for her own benefit. So does that mean she wanted to know what makes Lev tick, maybe from me, in hopes of abusing him with it later?

I didn't know if that was her game or the correlation between Beatrice and me. However, I suspected it had to do with whatever an Underkin was. Would that also mean Beatrice was the one texting him that day at his house?

...

Alexander

He's been such an asshole lately.

Even to Alexander, Lev's been on a war path to piss everyone off. And it's fucking working on Drake. He can only take so much shit.

"Pretending to be on your phone doesn't work when you've been staring at the door for the past five minutes, Wendie,~," Lev said without glancing up from his mobile device.

Alexander lowered his phone and faced Lev, "Don't call me that."

"You 'almost' sound threatening," The drakin teased, lifting his eyes.

Alexander's brows furrowed, "shut up."

Lev shifted his seat closer to Alexander's, "were you thinking about Lynette?~"

The name was enough to make his stomach groan. Fuck, you had to remind me of her. "No."

His yellow hue fixated on the glasses-wearing fellow like Lev was a lie detector. You're so fucking weird. He sighed, "You're so booooringly honest."

Alexander moved his seat a few inches to the left, away from Lev. "There's no point playing, "was I or was I not," game or lying." Alexander grumbled under his breath, "I'm not like you."

"You all always accuse me of being dishonest." Lev glanced toward the door, "Can you think of one lie I've ever told you?"

Alexander rolled his eyes. He thought of plenty of things Lev had told him, especially the few nights they played online fighting tournaments, but not a blatant lie.

"Whatever."

The door behind Lev opened, and he turned back in his seat to greet Lynette.

Alexander turned back to the phone, checking the last text he got from Drake. Drake's right— Either Lynette or Lev is winning the game today.

Lately, he found himself less and less motivated to play. Most of the time, Lynette or Drake would win on the weekends, and Lev would win most other days.

What's the point anymore. Alexander thought while looking at Lynette. She was walking toward the couches to grab her backpack and talking to Lev. They were exchanging some kind of banter.

I could just eat her. He told himself, but the games had become an integral part of this whole system that he couldn't stop—no matter how much his body told him he should.

How am I going to handle Zilla later? He groaned and heard his nickname come out of her mouth.

"Xander, you were looking over here. Did you want to go first?"

"Go first in..." Alexander squinted at the screen as she turned it to him. The screen had flashy anime girls and an odd tune playing from it.

"SUO, it's a rhythm game," Lynette said.

He slumped in his seat as she handed him the pen to use on her drawing pad, "oh, fuck me."

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," I am shit at rhythm games. Lynette put the level and difficulty to the one she planned on doing herself since Alexander declined to learn how to properly play by watching her. Z and X were the keys Lynette had him press when he made contact with the pen on the orbs that popped up to the 'beat of the song.' He almost immediately got overwhelmed.

"What kind of level is that!?" Alexander groaned sorely.

He could keep up with the presses but not the rhythm or speed the pen needed to go across the tablet.

He nearly missed all the numbered circles that popped on the screen.

"It's the level I'm currently working on," Lynette confessed. "Sorry."

"Yeah, I'm suure you are."

"Mad, you're going to be Zilla food today?" Lev sneered, "I thought you'd be used to losing by now."

"Shut up, you aren't going to win either."

Lev's attention was on the screen when Lynette started, but he still spoke to Alexander, "Will you throw a tantrum if I do?"

Fuck you. Alexander held his tongue. No, I was humiliated enough today. He'd have to deal with Zilla anyway, so he went to take a seat, and when he did, she walked in.

"Hey, Wendie." Her violet gaze swayed from him to the game, "I hear music," she looked over at the screen, heavily interested in the game. Alexander also peered over Lev's face, seeing his eyes follow the beats.

What the hell?

Lynette messed up slightly when Zilla joined the viewing party over her shoulder, yet she completed it with an A rank.

"I've never seen this game before nor expected you'd be fairly good at it," Lev said. His face lit up with an immense excitement, he was impressed by her performance.

There was no way I would have been able to do that.

Zilla chuckled, "Did you already go?"

"What do you think?" Alexander replied.

Lynette watched Lev move the pen around the tablet and get ready to start.

"Zilla, you might as well have you snack now." Lev said as he hadn't begun the game yet.

"I don't want to miss what you do," Zilla admitted.

These fuckers, always working together. And Shrimp thinks I'm the problem.

As soon as he thought that, he bit his lower lip.

"Start already," he wanted something to distract him from getting lost in his own thoughts.

The dark blue haired asshole smiled back directly at Alexander, "are you that eager to be eaten?" He put the pen by his lips, "Or are you just that pifitully eager to give up?"

The noise from the game seemed to deafen, his ears ringing. His feet shifted as he heard it once more, "give up." It was coming from Lev, and slowly from other voices around him. No one was really there but he didn't stop hearing it. His chest locked up, unable to breath.

I should.

He couldn't move.

I keep stupidly fighting, why?

He couldn't think of anything else.

"Lev, stop harassing people and play the game." Lynette accidently brushed into him, bringing Alexander out of thought. She didn't notice and tapped on the her laptop screen. Alexander couldn't take his eyes off her.

"Eager to lose too, huh? Funny because you have such a sickening tenacity to keep going even when you lose indefinitely." Lev said he moved the cursor to the start.

She stood behind Lev and declared, brightly, "there's always hope."

Alexander didn't hear Lev's reply to her comment, whatever it was, it made her annoyed enough to puff up her cheeks and argue.

He ran his left hand through his hair, brushing along the new scar at the side of his head. He shook out of it and took his mind off everything by playing the cat game Drake made fun of him for on his phone. He made sure it was on silent as he played.

"H-How-you said you never played before!" Lynette looked stunned seeing his C rank, it was still below hers, meaning she won but Alexander couldn't believe it either.

"Hmm?" Lev got up, and smirked down at her, "When I say I remember everything, Lynette, I mean every—single—detail.~"

There is no way he's saying he memorized that shit.

Then again, Alexander didn't know enough to counter it.

"So you both lost?" Zilla asked and like always the two got ready to run...except Alexander for the first time since he met Lev or any of them he used his magic against them. Not in a way to break policy, but to get Lev back for the shit he said today.

You're not winning this.

Alexander had the advantage in the sprint now, as Lev's case wouldn't break. He locked Lev's human case leading him to be eaten by Zilla.

...

Lev

The moment he opened his eyes, he already focused in on the door. He swung up and before he got off the bed, he spoke to Sandra who was surprised by his sudden spring. "Are we done? I feel great."

Sandra allowed him to go and Lev, only had one thing on his mind, a promise he told Alexander before.

He stepped into the kitchen, ignoring the sound of Lynette and Zilla upfront.

Alexander, who was washing the trays watched his approach in surprise.

"Lev?"

He sauntered over, his hand slipping across the counter, stopping short of the small puddle linger around the rim of the sanitizing sink.

"I told you once before, Alexander," his vocals hopped with each tempo. "If you EVER sealed my human case," Lev stepped closer, closing the gap between them. Alexander was two inches taller so it really made no difference.

"I'd be paying you back with interest."

"Doing what? I don't fucking have a human case."

His eyes flared, the curiosity and perturb Alexander had by their close distance made him giddy. "That's for me to plan and get back with you on Thursday about.~" Lev said pulling back. He turned around and hesitated on taking that first step, he spoke, "and remember, you stayed in that poker game and lost, SO you still owe me 5 hours of a day."

He hummed hearing Alexander's further confusion, "what the hell is that supposed to mean? Why would you even walk up to me to say that." The frustration was evident. Being vague ticked Alexander off the most, which made it all the more fun for Lev to listen to the blonde's desire to chase after him and make him explain himself.

...

Hey, you, thank you so much for reading. I'm glad I put out a story that people can enjoy! I hope you continue to enjoy it as WE have a LOT more to go! YOU BETTER KEEP PROSPERING! (Nonnegotiable, as always~).

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