#please don’t judge me ahaha

[cryptids-lobelia-garden]

Lol sorry this is a day late I was honoring the April 1 strike for Palestine and then yesterday my internet was really slow and Tumblr draft edit wouldn’t work

Anyway.

Warnings: idk how these work please lemme know if I need to tag anything else but uh. Manipulative/kinda creepy whumper, a conditioned whumpee and his self destructive/self sacrificial tendencies, caretaker was hurt by whumpee in the past (not in a whump way just in a whumpee tried to destroy the world and caretaker had to stop him way) but he’s grown over the time they’ve been apart and come to understand the whumpee’s actions, uh. This is Pokémon and I’m going with a nuanced take of some of them are sapient and some aren’t and caretaker is very much a Pokémon, also whumpee is a canon character and might act OOC for. Reasons that will hopefully be revealed over the course of this month if I can get this challenge done :D oh also I follow canon VERY loosely bc there’s like three different canons and I’m here to have fun not to police my story writing so uh. Ye

Anyway, there’s also some mind control in there, some frostbite, some.. It’s like a chemical burn sort of, some dissociative panic attack flavored stuff, uh. Animal attack? Oh yeah and dismemberment lol- this one is. A little. Uh. Yeah

Oh and if you see these characters on another account ask that account if it’s me before getting upset bc uh. I have posted abt them on my main before

Anyway. Yeah. Enjoy this, uh. Please don’t judge me I can’t get these freaks out of my head hsjdjdjd

Day 1: Limp

Reunited Arc Part 1

~~~~~

It was supposed to just be a normal day off.

Cheri was headed to Celestic City to meet with a historian, to answer questions about Dialga and the Diamond Clan.

He’s taking the train, since he didn’t feel like walking all that way or making any of his Pokémon carry him.

It was supposed to be a normal day, but he sees a familiar face, and he has to do a double take.

Long blond hair, one eye covered, tied in its usual messy bun in the back. A shining silver eye, which is currently focused on a watch on their own wrist. Cheri would’ve guessed that was Cynthia, but he’s a guy, and he’s wearing a form-fitting black turtleneck tank top, a denim jacket over it.

The modern clothes on him are such a foreign sight.

But there’s no mistaking it.

Volo.

Cheri feels his blood freeze near instantly. A few people step away as the space around him begins to grow cold, a breeze of malice brushing through the air.

Volo hasn’t noticed him yet, and Cheri’s debating between just leaving and confronting the man.

Celestic Town is pretty close to Mount Coronet, but Cheri has prior arrangements. If he decides to go after Volo, he might not make it to the city on time, if at all. And someone guards the mountain now after Cyrus, right? So it’s not like Volo will be able to actually get there.

Unless he takes a path that isn’t through the caves. But even then, Arceus will be fine, they’re a god, it’s fine.

Maybe Cheri should just avoid all this and ride a bike to town. He left himself enough time to, after all.

But the train doors close, making Cheri’s choice for him. He can’t just say nothing.

So he steps forward.

“Hey.”

Volo looks up from his watch, eyes wide. “Hello- I’m sorry, am I in your way?” Who is this? He looks familiar..

Cheri shakes no. “You shouldn’t be here.”

Volo stops, staring at the stranger(?) for a moment. He knows me. Who is this? Usually, when people are angry at me in this time, it’s because they’ve mistaken me for Cynthia. But it seems like this one’s here for ME, not her-

His eyes widen. He goes pale. Takes a step back, his voice quiet enough that only the man in front of him hears it. “Cheri.” The one of the siblings I ESPECIALLY did NOT want to run into.

I don’t have time for this! Not now- of all the times I could have run into him, it had to be this last mission?

He pushes his thoughts aside, putting on a grin and trying to act like everything’s fine.

“Haha, it’s fancy seeing you here! What a coincidence!” I can’t do this right now! I’m on a time limit- this is THE WORST possible timing for this to happen, so of course it does.

“What a coincidence indeed,” Cheri says, voice low, taking another step forward as Volo takes a step back.

Volo’s smiling, that same pleasant grin Cheri remembers from all those years ago. But Cheri knows it’s a lie, can sense the fear coming off the man.

“Why are you headed to Mount Coronet? You and I both know you shouldn’t be there.”

“Listen, I can explain, but I don’t have much time- but I am not here for Arceus.” Cheri doesn’t seem convinced, so he keeps talking. “I’m here to protect Arceus, actually, from someone much worse than I am.”

“Hm. A likely story.” Cheri starts reading his emotions a little more.

“I swear on my life, that’s behind me.” Please, please, please please PLEASE believe me. I know you have every reason not to, after what I’ve done, but please just listen.

Cheri hums, thinking this over for a moment.

He doesn’t sense any lies from the man, strangely enough. He lets his magic push forward a little further, sensing for Volo’s intentions.

He doesn’t sense anything to do with Arceus at all, actually. No lies, no deceit.

Interesting..

Volo shivers as he feels a cold chill brushing through him, though the pleasant mask of a smile stays firmly in place. They reach their stop. I need to get away. He turns on his heel. “Well, I’ll be seeing you around-” Cheri’s hand is on his shoulder, and he tenses, breath catching in his throat. Please have mercy. Whatever you’re about to do, just don’t hurt me too badly.

Cheri’s voice is quiet, his expression grim. “You’re on a suicide mission, aren’t you.”

Shock, surprise. He shakes his head, smile growing strained. “Wh- how did you-” Volo clears his throat, turning back to smile at Cheri. “It doesn’t matter. No matter what happens, whether it’s him who dies or me, the problem will be over. And I’m probably not going to die anyway. Why?”

Cheri frowns, thinking that over for a few moments. Him? I’m assuming that’s who he’s saying he’s protecting Arceus from? If Volo dies, doesn’t that mean the problem isn’t technically over? Because we still have someone out there who’s willing to attack Arceus to further a goal. And if Volo, of all people, thinks this guy could KILL him, with Pokémon as powerful as his.. “..I’m coming with you.”

Why? What does he want out of this? “He is dangerous. You shouldn’t come with, he could kill you, and I am not worth it.” How much does he know? How did he know?

“Well, that’s all the more reason for me to come with.” If this guy really is as much of a threat as Volo says he is, I need to make sure this guy doesn’t get anywhere near the creation quartet. The two step off the train, and Cheri crosses his arms, head tilting to the side. “If you’re telling the truth, it sounds like this guy needs to be taken out.”

Volo looks up at Cheri for a second, opening his mouth to argue, and Cheri ignores his own annoyance, interrupting before Volo starts.

“I’ve fought gods. I’ve fought you. I’m sure I can take this guy out just fine.”

Volo frowns. “You should want me dead, you know-”

“No. Nope.” Cheri pinches the bridge of his nose. “Shut up with that, I’m not gonna listen to you talk about yourself like that.” Because as angry as I am at him for everything..

I can’t bring myself to hate him. Can’t bring myself to hate anyone, really, but ESPECIALLY not him.

We’re the same, after all.

Volo shuts his mouth, keeping the surprise off his face. I betrayed him and his siblings. Am I not just speaking truth? “..okay. ..I’ll explain while we walk, but we need to hurry.” I really am not worth it. But.. I doubt I’ll be able to talk him out of this. He always was stubborn, even more so than his sister at times..

What does he want, coming with me on this? Perhaps he’s just making sure I’m telling the truth about not being after Arceus, but then if he knows how dangerous this mission is..

..What should I tell him? What should I leave out? He needs to know at least some of the situation. Maybe if he knows it’s no real threat to anyone except me, he’ll leave the situation be? He knows I deserve this, after all, was on the receiving end of my worst mistake..

Cheri follows the man, who seems to be lost in thought, and he soon gets lost in his own. Who is “he”..? I could look into his fears and see.. no, that’s too invasive. Even for Volo.

..I really don't know much about him, Hisui was so long ago.. And even back then, he tried to avoid being around me as much as he could. He could tell I didn’t trust him. He hung out with Ana and Keyo much more often. But..

He looks up at Volo. Volo looks back, smiling that pleasant smile again. But it’s tense. Almost strained. Cheri gives as reassuring of a smile as he can, but it only seems to make the guy more tense, so Cheri looks away.

I’m pretty sure that this isn’t like him. He manipulated my siblings and I into helping him collect the Plates, avoiding the dangerous work for himself; it isn’t like him to do something so dangerous like this.

Cheri carefully looks at Volo out of the corner of his eye, studying Volo’s face for a moment. His eyes glow as he looks into Volo’s emotions, grimacing when he feels a wave of anxiety and self hatred and quickly stopping, pulling his magic away.

Whoa..

..He doesn’t feel the same. I don’t feel the sense of untrustworthiness I did back then.

I wish I had a hold on my powers then, because I don’t have any idea how different he truly is, I have no clue if that self hatred was there before, but I know for a FACT the anxiety wasn’t. I can see it even without my abilities.

Volo’s looking around at every face as they walk. It’s hard to notice the nerves behind the pleasant smile, but Cheri can tell from how tense he’s holding his shoulders, a tenseness that didn’t exist back in Hisui.

And his eyes are.. darker, somehow, and his breath hitches every so often as people look at him.

And he looks sick. He has eyebags dark enough they almost look like bruises. He’s pale- even more so than he was back then.

He’s still smiling, but something about the smile is even more fake than it used to be; at least in Hisui, the confidence was real.

What happened to take his confidence?

They’re around less people now, and Volo takes a breath, turning to look at the trail. “So!” Volo claps his hands together with a fake chipper attitude. “The man we’re going after.. His name is Eclipse.”

With the name, Cheri notices fear.

Memories.

He doesn’t look into them, that’s invasive, but he can tell they’re there. That’s not good.

“He’s..” Volo thinks for a moment. “..Not a good man.” Then he points into the air, finger wagging as he talks. “And he’s leading me straight into a trap! And he likely knows that I know that it’s a trap. And he also knows that I’m going to come anyway, whether I know it’s a trap or not. But!” Volo turns to Cheri suddenly, pointing at him with a smile. “If I walk into the trap, he’ll stop everything he’s doing. He only wants me. I mean, he also wants to take revenge on- well, that doesn’t matter, but he’ll stop if I give myself to him.”

“If you what?” Cheri’s staring to get genuinely worried, eyebrows furrowing. “Volo, who is this guy?”

“Someone who gave me what I deserve,” Volo says quickly, then he shakes his head. “It really doesn’t matter. Go home, this doesn’t concern you.”

“Arceus is part of it, and you are too, so uh. Yeah. It does concern me, actually.” Damnit, that wasn’t supposed to sound so pointed. I’m WORRIED, about HIM, not about Arceus.

Volo shakes his head. “Really, it’s fine. I’m not here to do anything to Arceus. No plates, no flute, you can check my bag if you want. I’m just here for Eclipse. I’m here to try to take him down, and if that doesn’t work, well.. The problem will be gone either way!”

There’s a sour taste in Cheri’s mouth. Something’s very, very wrong here. “So, what, you’re just gonna let this guy take you and do Arceus knows what?”

“It’s deserved.” Volo smiles at him again, though it’s more strained and looks much more like he’s pleading. “Please, just leave, this is not worth your safety.”

“Nope. No, not happening. I’m coming with you whether you like it or not, you’re not gonna talk me out of it now.” This whole situation.. Whatever’s going on, it really seems like it’s MUCH worse than he deserved. Prison maybe, I could see that. Maybe getting grabbed by a time traveler who could teach him about exactly why what he did was dangerous.

But something tells me someone went way too far.

Volo’s smile grows more strained. “..I was afraid of that,” he murmurs, then he shakes his head. “Well. Hm. ..okay. I.. suppose this might be a good thing. He probably thinks that I’m not coming with backup- I wasn’t planning to, so.” Volo shakes his head, smile fading entirely as he turns back to the trail up Mount Coronet. “Anyway.. He has been collecting legendary and mythical Pokémon from different times and places. We’re not sure what all he has- we know for sure he has Regiice, Azelf, and possibly the other two lake spirits, as well as the Red Chain.”

Who is “we”?? Wait. SHIT. Cheri’s neck snaps he turns to Volo so fast. “He has the red chain?”

Volo, fairly used to ghost-type shenanigans, barely bats an eye. He just nods, a grim look on his face. “And he’s going after Arceus with it.”

“That’s.. not good.” Cheri turns back to the trail, frowning down at it and kicking a few pebbles forward. “But if he takes you, the problem’s over? Why?”

Volo thinks for a moment. “He’s.. very angry with me, and it’s me specifically that he’s after, despite the situation,” he says. Cheri can tell Volo’s verbally stepping around details, so he stays quiet, waiting for Volo to explain. “..I caused him to lose everything he had.”

“..with the rift, or..?”

“Oh, no, not like that.” Volo quickly shakes his head, hands waving. “No, he just..” Volo grimaces, looking away, what Cheri would have been able to see of his face hidden behind his hair. “He.. Well. He did some pretty bad things to me. Which! That was deserved, really, you know I deserved them.” Cheri grimaces. He keeps saying that it’s deserved.. it’s putting a bad taste in my mouth. Before Cheri can say anything, Volo keeps talking. “But when Management saw what he did, they kicked him from-” He shakes his head. “You know, I actually don’t think I’m supposed to talk about that. Forget I said anything about Management.”

“Okay.” So, he was in some secret club or something, and this Eclipse guy hurt him and got kicked out over it. “..the hell you mean ‘it’s deserved’? What did he do?”

Volo’s lips press into a thin line for a moment, then he glances at his watch. “Oh, look at the time!” Volo grimaces as he looks at the cave through the mountain. “We should hurry, let’s leave the path and just climb it, this cave system must be new; I am unfamiliar with it.”

Okay, he’s avoiding the question. Cheri frowns, ignoring the annoyance stewing in his gut and following Volo off the path. Then Eclipse must have done something pretty bad.

Or maybe he’s just a very private person. He avoided questions a lot back in Hisui.

Then again, in Hisui, he had a lot of things to hide.

..What is this club he was in? Some sort of evil team? But if it is, why would they have sent him to PROTECT Arceus from this Eclipse guy?

Given our past, I’d think he was lying if I couldn’t tell. He is so incredibly lucky I have the ability to tell.

“..so. He’s got a bunch of legendaries. Why are they with him?”

“They’re not with him willingly,” Volo explains, finding a good spot on a cliffside to start climbing. “He has this device, it’s from the future- Ah! Did I mention he’s from the future? Anyway, he has this device, which is controlling them through technologically created psychic power. They don’t want this, so we need to try to avoid hurting them, so the hoppers can bring them home- they’re from different times, he’s been jumping through time to take them.”

Cheri blinks a few times, head tilting to the side in confusion. “Hoppers?? Jumping through time???” Holy shit, wait, was I accidentally right about a time traveler grabbing him?

I guess it makes sense how he’s here then.

“It’s a very long story.” One I am probably not allowed to tell you. Well.. I might be able to, considering the fact that technically, you’re a time traveler. One chosen by Arceus, no less. But.. I don’t want to drag you into this mess. Not any more than I already have, anyway. Volo shakes his head. “Anyway, we’re not sure what exactly he’s controlling them through, but we believe it’s his bracelet.”

“Gotcha.” Cheri frowns. “So, don’t hurt the legendaries, break his bracelet.”

“Exactly.” Getting to the top of the cliffside, Volo turns around to pull Cheri up, though Cheri waves him off, he doesn’t need the help. “And try not to get hurt yourself.”

Cheri nods, smirking. “Thanks, Sherlock.”

Volo blinks a few times in confusion. “..Sherlock..?”

“It’s a reference- there’s this book-” Cheri shakes his head. “Nevermind.” Noticing a sneasel sneaking up on him, he snarls at it, letting an illusion lash towards it. It squeaks in fear, running off. “Sorry, can’t risk it with dark types.”

“No, that’s fine.” I already knew he wasn’t human anyway, though it’s interesting to see him actually use his abilities.

However, it IS a little frightening.

Was that meant to be a show of power, or was he genuinely just scaring it off?

What exactly does he want with me?

Volo turns, and they keep walking, an uncomfortable silence falling between the two.

“..you know.. I have time.”

Volo looks over at him in confusion.

“For a long story I mean.”

“This isn’t one you want to hear,” Volo quickly says. Please don’t ask again.

Luckily for Volo, Cheri just looks at him for a moment, almost seeming to study him. Volo shudders at the way Cheri seems to be staring straight into his soul.

Then Cheri nods, turning to the next cliffside to climb in silence.

Volo watches him for a moment longer before turning back to climb. ..He doesn’t trust me. I can tell. He might never trust me again, and honestly, that would be warranted.

It’s really unfortunate timing, that this has happened now, of all times. Right now, when I’m doing something important. One last thing before there’s nothing left for me to do, nothing left that I can fix.

..I suppose if I survive this, I can let him and his siblings decide my fate afterwards. Those three were the ones most directly affected by my actions.. Then they’ll get the final decision, if it isn’t made here.

..for now, though.. I can, at the very least, try to give him closure.

“..I.. want to apologize,” Volo mutters.

Cheri turns to look at him, subconsciously checking his intentions, and oh, this is a genuine apology. “Hm?”

“For.. Not only the rift, and pulling you and your siblings from your home, but also for betraying the three of you. ..I hope you know it wasn’t just.. It wasn’t all just manipulation. You three were some of the few people I could genuinely consider friends, had I not been holding you all at arms length.” I might as well be genuine. Maybe in return, he’ll do the same..

No. I shouldn’t hope, I don’t get to hope, but..

It would be nice, if it was something I deserved.

Cheri blinks a few times as he feels the sincerity. Interesting.. “..They’re going to want apologies too, you know. ..thanks, by the way, that.. actually means a lot.” He looks up the mountain, thinking for a moment. “..You really have changed, haven’t you.”

Volo hums, making a so-so gesture. “I’d like to think so.”

“..I forgive you, you know.” Cheri shakes his head. “Honestly, I did a long time ago. What you did was fucked up, don’t get me wrong, and a LOT of people got hurt that shouldn’t have. But.. I dunno.” He shakes his head. “..I can understand your reasoning.” What I learned about him, about his people..

Volo stops, looking over at Cheri with confusion. He forgives me..? Why? It doesn’t make sense to me. What does he have to gain? I don’t know if I should trust this, that might be exactly what he’s aiming for. “Really?” Volo looks up to meet Cheri’s eyes.

Confusion, a hint of fear, and Cheri realizes he should explain. “I wouldn’t ever do the same thing you did, don’t get me wrong. But the world really is full of unnecessary suffering.” Cheri shakes his head. “And.. if I’m right about where you came from, you’ve dealt with a lot of it, right?”

How much does he know about me? And how does he know it? Why does he know it?

Volo doesn’t let his uneasiness show on his face, humming noncommittally. “It doesn’t excuse my actions. I ended up bringing harm to a lot of people.” I don’t deserve forgiveness. “..Thank you, though,” he murmurs.

Cheri studies him for a moment. So, the self loathing is probably from the rift and everything surrounding it, at least partially.. Not sure what the uneasiness is about, but he doesn’t like something about me. It might just be the whole zoroark thing, but it’s been growing, so maybe it’s something I’ve been saying or something? “Don’t mention it.” He looks up, getting to the top of the cliff they’re climbing and offering a hand to pull Volo up, which Volo takes.

They’re about halfway up the mountain now. The air’s growing colder- though Cheri can’t really feel the cold himself, Volo’s pulling his clothes a little tighter around himself.

..conversation topic.. Oh, the plan. “So.. About this Eclipse guy..”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Volo says quickly.

“No, I wasn’t asking what he did, don’t worry.” I don’t want to push him too much, he’s wary. “I just want to know, he’s trying to kill you, right? Do you want him alive, or? If you’re, uh.. taking him out, what’re we doing with him after? What’s the plan?”

“You don’t have to worry about that, he’ll be taken care of either way, and.. alive would be preferred, but if he dies, I.. don’t really care.” Maybe that’s a little harsh.. Well. Maybe I’m allowed to be a little harsh. Volo shakes his head. “However, I would like to be able to capture him and bring him in. I.. have some questions that I want to ask him, with prison bars separating him from me, of course.”

Cheri hums, studying Volo’s expression for a moment, sensing the emotions behind it. Is that.. Pain? Exhaustion?

Concern? ..Overthinking, maybe..?

“..What sorts of questions?”

Volo shakes his head. “..I just.. hm.”

I don’t know how to word this. I want to know why he did it. I want to know why, out of EVERYONE he could have chosen, every timespace criminal he had access to, he chose ME to hurt.

“..I want closure.”

Cheri hums, looking away. “..He might not give you that. Talking to him might make it worse, you know.”

Volo turns to Cheri with a glare, hissing “You know nothing about him, or my situation.”

Cheri’s a little surprised by the sudden anger in the air, though it’s understandable, he doesn’t blame Volo for it. After a moment of thought, trying to figure out what to say, he shrugs. “I might know next to nothing about the situation, but I know trauma when I see it.” He glances over at Volo, letting his eyes flash, a subtle reminder of his abilities. “He hurt you, yeah? On purpose, I’m guessing.”

..Just how much does he know..? And what is he trying to get out of knowing this about me?

He’s right, and it scares me. Does he know because of an ability? Did he look into my fears? Or did he figure it out on his own?

Volo turns away, the silence giving Cheri all the answer he needs.

Shit. It seems like trying to bridge the gap is just making things worse.. Honestly, I should’ve expected this, got too personal too fast.

Well. There’s no point in dropping the conversation at this point. He can try to make me leave, but it’s not gonna work, I need to make sure this Eclipse guy doesn’t fuck with Arceus. And besides..

I’m worried. About Volo, of all people. That’s saying something. “..And he’s trying to kill you even now.. I doubt he’ll give you closure.” Cheri turns away, frowning. “If anything, talking to him might make things worse.” It made it worse when I talked to Keyo’s bio parents, after all. Dickheads will be dickheads, it’ll always hurt to talk to em.

“Perhaps.” Volo shakes his head. My pain shouldn’t matter to you. You can’t actually care, especially not with everything I’ve done to you, so..

It must matter to you because you want me hurt.

“..Let’s talk about something else, shall we?” And if you do somehow care, you shouldn’t get attached to me anyway, you shouldn’t get attached to someone who deserves a bad fate. It’ll only hurt you.

“Hm.” ..yeah. He’s probably done talking now. Cheri looks up the mountain, squinting as the sun hits his eyes. “..Not much further now.”

Volo nods, checking his watch. “The readings said he will appear in the cave that leads to Cloudcap Pass.”

“Alright. So we get to the pass, then go to the cave from there?”

Volo nods. “And then we’ll wait until he arrives.”

“Right.”

They climb in silence until they reach the top, coming out near the destroyed temple. Cheri takes a deep breath, taking in the air.

This place feels as holy as it always did, the presence of the gods closer here than it is anywhere else in the region, and he feels the power of Arceus’s blessing within him shift.

They’re watching.

Volo glances over at the spear pillar, an unreadable expression on his face, and Cheri senses a spike of guilt. Then he turns away from it, wordlessly heading to the cave, a grim determination filling his gut as he lets his Pokémon out.

Cheri lets his own Pokémon out too. He hadn’t been expecting a battle today, but most of his Pokémon are pretty strong anyway, so it should be fine. He’s got Sprigs with him, and Sprigs doesn’t fight, so he was left in his ball. But Cheri has a few with him that do fight, some of the ones that he hasn’t spent much time with recently. Hydra, Eelectra, Zigzag, Tiktok, and Sylvie- his hydreigon, eelektross, linoone, galvantula, and sylveon, respectively- all can fight. And in the worst case scenario, he can fight too.

Recognition. Feeling a pulse of emotional energy towards him, he turns to look at Volo’s Lucario, who’s staring at him with confusion and a little bit of fear. Cheri takes a breath, summoning up feelings of forgiveness, knowing the other Pokémon can read them. After a moment, the Lucario nods, pushing another feeling towards him. Friendliness, a gesture of goodwill. That is SO much better than what I got from his trainer. Cheri smiles, letting the feeling rise in his chest and sending it back, then he looks over at Volo.

Volo looks normal on the outside, but Cheri can tell he’s terrified, can feel the feeling seeping off him even without reaching towards him with his abilities.

“Hey,” Cheri says, resting a hand on Volo’s shoulder.

He nearly pulls away when Volo flinches, but then Volo leans slightly into the kind touch, looking up at him with wide eyes.

He’s touching me. Why is he touching me. I..

Why am I.. not all that scared of it..?

“I’ve got your back. You’re gonna be okay,” Cheri mutters. If you’re gonna die, he’s gotta get through me first.

Volo stares at him for a moment, then nods, his smile becoming a bit more genuine, though there’s sadness in his eyes. Oh. This is genuine kindness?

I should have expected it from Arceus’s chosen.

..I really don’t deserve this. You shouldn’t get attached to me. He opens his mouth to speak, but then his watch starts to blare, an alarm that he quickly moves to silence, expression hardening. “He’s coming,” Volo says, pressing a button on his watch. A hologram pops up, indicating a specific location, and Volo turns it off and takes a step away from there, staring at it, getting low to the ground, ready to dodge at a moment’s notice. Okay. I can do this. All I need is to last long enough to break that bracelet. His Pokémon quickly surround him, protective. Cheri motions for his own to do the same, and they quickly get into battle-ready stances.

The group stands in silence, staring at the spot, waiting with bated breath.

And then a portal opens, and Volo’s garchomp snarls, dashing forward.

“Ah- Shark, wait-!”

But it’s too late. Shark is thrown into the nearest wall, a Mewtwo holding him there. He snarls, kicking at the walls, the ground, trying to escape the psychic grasp, but it’s no use. Should I recall him and let him back out? I don’t know if that would work, don’t know if I could move quickly enough-

“Well, hello there,” someone says.

The voice is unfamiliar to Cheri.

But Volo stiffens even further.

Goosebumps rise on his arms.

Cheri can feel the fear seeping off him as he turns to stare into the portal.

The strange man steps forwards, grinning. “That’s not the friendliest welcome.”

“Eclipse,” Volo mutters, shrinking back. Shrinking back.

What the hell did he do, to make Volo react like that? Cheri looks over to Eclipse, taking in the high-tech bracelets on his arms, the look in his eyes.

He’s immediately hit with the man’s aura as he reaches his powers out, a sense of complete malice washing over him, and his eyes narrow as he braces himself against it, subconsciously baring his teeth.

“I can’t let you near Arceus,” Volo says, taking a step forward despite his fear, his Pokémon moving with him.

Eclipse waves his right hand, and a few more legendaries appear.

Volo stops moving forward. The whole cave is at a standstill.

Cheri notices strange yellow wires around the legendaries’ forms, feels psychic energy coming off of them, and then his eyes narrow as he notices a small yellow bracelet on Eclipse’s wrist. It’s barely noticeable, but it matches the wires. That must be the one.

“You know what I want,” Eclipse says. Volo’s Pokémon growl, protectively moving between the two. “All you need to do is come quietly, and all this can end. You know you deserve what’ll happen to you. It’ll save the world, even; it’ll finally redeem you, to prevent the same thing you did from happening again.”

And his grin widens, the malice surrounding im grows stronger.

“Don’t you want that?”

The manipulation leaves a bad taste in Cheri’s mouth, but he looks over at Volo, waiting to see how the interaction plays out.

“..I..” I do deserve it, but I still have my Pokémon to take care of. I don’t want to leave them behind, but if this doesn’t work, if I attack him and it ends up being for nothing, will he hurt them as retaliation for my actions?

..If I just go with, I won’t have to worry. They will be at least a little safer. The land may be different in this time, but it’s still their home region, and I trust they’ll be able to take care of themselves if needed, but..

“Are you going to return the legendaries to where you got them if I do?”

Volo’s pokemon make sounds of protests, but he holds up a hand to keep them quiet.

“Of course. I only needed them for this, after all.”

Okay. Fuck this. Cheri steps forward suddenly. “He isn’t going anywhere with you,” Cheri spits, moving between the two himself.

“And who are you? His new toy?” Eclipse sneers. “He’ll only betray you, you know; he’s betrayed everyone he’s ever gotten close to. He’ll manipulate you and then throw you aside, like he always has.”

Cheri feels the way Volo shrinks back, feels the guilt pooling off the man, and he snarls. Gods. Why does every powerful man I meet have to be SUCH a DICK? “Shut the fuck up. You think I don’t know the risks? I’m one of the guys he betrayed, and you’re still wrong for treating him like this.”

Eclipse raises an eyebrow, a spark of curiosity in his eye. “Oh really?” He tilts his head to the side. “Haven’t you noticed he’s better now? Haven’t you noticed he’s not going to try anything anymore? That change is because of me. Really, the world is better off with him in my hands-”

Cheri rushes forward. He’s reaching for the bracelet on Eclipse’s wrist, aiming to break it, and the other Pokémon in the cave rush forwards with him.

Within seconds, Mewtwo flings a bunch of their Pokémon out of the cave. Zigzag, Hydra, and Volo’s Spiritomb are frozen in a huge block of ice that Cheri narrowly avoids himself. Galarian Moltres flies past him as he dodges another blast of ice. There’s something glowing electric blue over there, but Cherry doesn’t see what it is before another ice blast blocks his vision.

Cheri can’t see Volo, but he knows Volo has Sylvie and his lucario with him, so he focuses on dodging Regiice’s attacks. With an angry scream, fire blasts from his throat, knocking Regiice out cold. One last blast of ice manages to catch his arm, and Cheri yelps as frostbite sets in-

Volo screams, a sound that reeks of agony, a bloodcurdling sound that makes Cheri’s heart drop, and he turns to Eclipse, letting his true form show, ten feet of pure protective rage aiming for Eclipse’s wrist-

Mesprit. Blast of emotion. Panic.

Frenzy.

Magic rushing in his ears. Time blurring together. Screaming, sounds so far away.

Blood flying through the air. An arm, mangled human arm, on the ground, blood pooling, blood in his mouth, between his teeth, on his hands, broken bracelet, mutilated flesh.

He tries to breathe. Everything sounds underwater, the world spinning, spinning, out of his control.

Out of control.

Out of control.

Out of control, he’s out of control-

Ribbon around his arm. A sense of calm pushes the panic away. He’s left on the ground, gasping, catching his breath, residual shakes leaving him exhausted, shifting back to his human form on instinct.

He looks up after a few moments, looking up at Sylvie, who’s staring at him with wide, terrified eyes.

“h.. Hey, buddy,” Cheri murmurs, gently scratching the top of Sylvie’s head. “You okay?”

Sylvie makes a sound, butting his head against Cheri’s chest before pulling away and dashing around the chunk of ice.

Cheri recalls the Pokémon who are still stuck in the ice, then stands on shaky legs, hurrying after Sylvie- Oh no.

Volo’s on the ground.

Cheri can’t tell if he’s conscious or not.

He rushes to Volo’s side, his uninjured hand hovering over the man, trying to figure out what’s wrong-

“Cheri,” a weak voice, and Cheri looks up at Volo’s face.

Contorted with agony. He reaches out with his magic to see where the pain is, burning blasts through his side. He pulls back.

“Is- is he gone?” Volo asks.

“Yeah, I- I think I got him, I think he’s gone,” Cheri mutters, rolling Volo over despite Volo’s cry of pain.

His shirt’s stained black in a large spot on his side. Cherry pulls it up to see a huge burn. It’s.. odd, though, it’s not a normal burn. The area around is stained black, but it isn’t charred, nothing is charred. It almost looks more like a poison than anything.

Cheri can feel the dark-type energy coming off it, sapping his own energy, and he takes a shaking breath through his mouth, trying to will away the feeling as he scoops Volo up. Volo lets out a pained sound at being moved. “Sorry,” Cheri mutters with a grimace, trying to ignore how hard it is to move his hand, how numb his arm is. Once he’s sure Volo is securely in his arms despite that, he gets Volo’s Spiritomb in its ball, then runs out of the cave.

“‘S fine, deserved,” Volo mutters, eyes slipping shut as he leans into Cheri. Cheri takes Volo’s pokeballs and recalls the injured Pokémon he finds scattered around the outside of the cave. “Can.. can you take care of them for me..?”

It’s all Cheri can do to not scream, shakes running through his entire body. “Shut up. Don’t do this shit, you’re not dying on me.” I came here to protect you, and by Arceus, I’m gonna do it.

Volo laughs, an exhausted, mirthless sound, even as a tear slips down his cheek. “It’s okay,” he whispers. “It’s okay. I deserve this. It’s okay.”

“Shut up!” Shit, I’m being a little harsh. Gods. Fuck. “Sorry, actually, don’t shut up. But stop that. You don’t deserve it.” As he talks, Cheri quickly recalls the rest of their pokemon, then he gets back to running down the mountain, not even bothering going through the caves, he knows where he’s going. He shifts back to his true form so he can jump down cliffs and land it, jumping over tree roots and fallen logs, trying his best not to jostle Volo too much.

Volo’s taking shuddering breaths, silent tears slipping down his cheeks, but he doesn’t complain at all. Self hatred, agony, and a sense of utter hopelessness is coming off of him, all of it is mixed with acceptance.

He genuinely believes he deserves this, Cheri realizes, a sick feeling building in his gut. Fucking hell.

“Why’re you doing this?” Volo murmurs, looking up into Cheri’s eyes. “You can’t seriously want to help me. What’s your motive? ”

“Is it so hard to believe I could genuinely like helping people?” Cheri spits.

He was aware of the way his voice echoes in this form, but Volo flinches at the sound.

And it reminds him that, yes, it is.

He isn’t human, after all. He isn’t even living.

He’s a vengeful spirit.

And sure, he chooses not to indulge that side of himself.

But how is Volo supposed to know that?

“Sorry, sorry,” Volo murmurs, breath hitching slightly as Cheri jumps down a cliff. Blood starts to drip down his side, and Cheri internally curses.

“It’s fine,” Cheri says, setting Volo down and tearing off pieces of his own shirt to start packing the wound and make a quick makeshift bandage. “Talk about something, anything, just.. Just keep talking.”

Volo winces in pain. “..You know the Pokémon that got me? Galarian Moltres?” He looks away, eyes unfocused. “Some say it burns your very spirit away.” He laughs, though the laugh turns into coughs. “I must be very lucky that mine’s still intact, ahaha- Ow!”

“Sorry.” Having tied the makeshift bandage tight, he quickly scoops Volo back up. “What else about galarian Moltres do you know? Any interesting legends? Anything?”

“G-galar was never really my focus,” he mutters, taking a few steadying breaths- they’re shallow, it hurts him to breathe. “I’m just..” He lets out a quiet wheeze, resting his head against Cheri’s shoulder.

There’s exhaustion radiating off him, Cheri realizes, and Cheri gets running again.

“Don’t go to sleep, I don’t know what happens if you do,” he mutters.

“Mmh..” Volo shakes his head. “Trying..”

“Good. Keep talking.” Cheri takes a shaky breath. “What about normal Moltres? Any cool legends?”

“..they’ll dive into volcanoes to heal themselves,” Volo mumbles. “And they.. bring an early spring, to cold places..” His eyes slip closed.

Cheri nods. “You know the Indigo League Flame is said to have been lit with their flames?”

“Oh yeah.. I.. I remember that.. s.. Sorry, I can’t..” Volo goes limp in his arms.

“Hey, Volo, keep talking! Volo!!” Not sensing anything from the guy at all, Cheri grimaces. “SHIT!!!” Cheri moves faster, shifting back as they get to the bottom of the mountain, not wanting to be seen by anyone who doesn’t already know in any form outside of a human one.

shit shit Shit SHIT SHIT!!! Cheri bursts out of the trees, running into Eterna City, dodging around people as he heads to the nearest hospital.

He rushes into the emergency room. “We need a doctor, now!” It comes out louder than he meant it, almost echoing, though for some reason, it’s hard to hear himself anyway.

Everything feels so far away as the emergency room suddenly turns into a rush, a stretcher coming out to take Volo away. People ask what happened, and he explains as best as he can, telling them Volo got hit with a powerful dark-type attack that sapped his energy, leaving out the legendaries and the reason for the blood staining his hands and teeth.

He.. doesn’t entirely know why that’s there. He has a faint idea, but he blocks that out on purpose.

He can process that later, he can process that he probably killed a man another day.

The doctors are concerned about it, though, so he tells them it’s from the one who attacked the two of them, and they accept that answer, bringing him back soon after for his frostbitten arm.

Time seems to stretch to forever as his injury is treated, but when he’s finally left alone, allowed to leave, it feels like no time’s passed at all. He leaves the hospital, heading straight for the Pokémon center to drop off his and Volo’s Pokémon.

Relax. Just breathe, Cheri. Just relax.

Breathe.

He takes deep breaths as he walks, wrapping his arms around himself and closing his eyes, sensing people’s feelings to determine where they are so he can avoid them.

Thankfully, he makes it to the Pokémon center without an issue, setting down the pokeballs on the nurse’s desk.

“Those six are unregistered, he- he made their balls himself,” he explains, trying to ignore the shake in his voice.

The nurse scans the pokeballs. “They look registered to me..”

Sure enough, they are registered, under a Volo Discere.

“Huh.. interesting,” Cheri mutters. Did he always have a last name? I know Volo means to want. What’s Discere..? “Okay, nevermind, then. Um- I’ve gotta go, he’s hurt. Can you take care of them while I’m gone?”

“Of course, but- Wait-!” She looks up in worry as he leaves, but he doesn’t have time to chat, making his way back to the hospital.

I need to see if he’s okay.

He heads to the nearest waiting room. Someone passes by in the hall, he recognizes her as the nurse who treated him.

“Hey!” He rushes over, catching her attention. “Volo, uh, Discere- is he okay?”

“Huh? Are.. you asking about the one you came in with?” She gives a weirdly strained smile. “They’re still fixing him up, but it’s looking like he’ll pull through.”

“Okay.. okay.” Cheri lets out a sigh of relief. “Thank you.”

She nods, rushing off, and he finally lets himself relax.

Okay.

Okay, we’re okay.

Not sure what she was freaking out about, but it should be fine..

..they’ll come to me if anything happens with him, right..? I’m probably not on his emergency contacts- he probably doesn’t have those, actually- but I AM the one who brought him here..

WOULD he have emergency contacts?? His Pokémon are registered, so maybe???

Cheri sighs, sitting in one of the chairs, leaning back with his hands clasped together behind his head. He lets his eyes slip closed, taking a few deep breaths.

Whatever the case, if he needs me, if he asks for me, I’ll be here.

After a few moments, the exhaustion of the day catches up to him.

And finally, he slips into sleep, all his day’s plans forgotten.

[leilani-lily]

~Oh Deer~ (Chapter 9)

A thousand apologies my dearest does and bucks ｡°(°.◜ᯅ◝°)°｡

This took much longer than anticipated; I hit a bit of a wall, and time escaped from me. But we're here! We trekkin' on! The story continues \( ᐖ)/

.... And we're actually splitting this into 3 rather than 2 because over 6k later and we're still not done yet so ahaha! Whoopsies~ (´∀｀);

｡°⚠︎°｡ Final note. This is a WARNING that this chapter includes mention of VIOLENCE, GORE, and SEXUAL ASSAULT so please read with caution if this is a trigger for you!! ｡°⚠︎°｡

Thank you all for your love and support, honestly ꨄ I've been feeling down lately and re-reading comments has really helped to boost my spirits and push me to keep going! I love y'all dearly ( •̯́ v •̯̀)♡

OK! Without further ado~ SYNOPSIS: AroAce! Alastor x Chef!Singer! Reader. You venture off on your own to grab Alastor's gift, unaware of the dangers to follow... Word Count: 6.2k Chapter under the cut! ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Your feet pounded on the pavement below you and you jogged towards the coffee stall. Your eyes were sharp and alert and your grip on Alastor’s microphone tight. You knew you had to be quick and extra careful now being on your own. But surprisingly enough, you weren’t afraid. Your blood was pumping with adrenaline, and with Alastor’s staff, you felt more powerful than you ever had in your entire life. It was exhilarating, to say the least.

Dodging in between sinners and recognizing landmarks, you were able to find the vendor in question without any problems. You breathed a sigh of relief, coming to a stop in front of the display table and taking a moment to catch your breath. A large, older imp with a white goatee raised an eyebrow at you questioningly from behind the counter. Finally, you stand up straight and give him a quick smile before your eyes flickered over everything he had to offer. 

As much as you enjoyed some of the quirky mugs on display, you knew in your heart what you really wanted. The problem is, you only knew the bare basics about coffee; you had no idea what made a good machine or not. You glanced around at all of the modern tech and felt your shoulders sag. Alastor would hate all of these; you needed something from his time; something more classical. 

“Somethin’ ya looking fer in pa’ticular dollface?”

You lifted your head to the imp across from you. He was leaning against the table with his other hand on his hip, his eyes tired and dull. You gave him a sheepish grin, clearing your throat quickly. 

“Ah, yes please…” you start, “This might sound weird. I’m looking for something from the 30’s that helps to brew coffee.” a thought crossed your mind, and you could feel yourself beginning to sweat, “I… uh. Actually. I don’t even know what they used back then… A kettle? Or some sort of special press…?” Your eyes drifted down awkwardly. Satan’s Ass, you have no idea what the Hell you’re looking for. This guy’s gonna think you’re an idiot. 

To your relief the imp said nothing, but you could tell he was judging you hard. He looked you up and down before simply shrugging off the table and turning on the spot. He began to shuffle through the shelving unit behind him, tea kettles and mugs clattering as he searched. The imp spoke to you over his shoulder.

“Ehhh, I don’ know girlie. I know I had somethin’ a while ago, but might’ve been snatched already.” he shuffled some more, “Antiques like dat are hard ta find, n’ when ya do, dey sell pretty quickly. Humans n’ nostalgia n’ all ‘at.” 

You could feel your fingers fidgeting nervously; you really hoped you didn’t just risk your safety for nothing. The excitement from earlier was beginning to fizzle out with the thought of not being successful. Maybe you could get him a nice mug instead? Or maybe one of those cute, little stirring spoons…

“Well I’ll be blessed th’n damned again…”

You looked up to the seller to see him turn around, a crooked smile on his face as he held what looked like two glass pots connected like an hour-glass. Your eyes widened in amazement at the strange looking contraption. 

“Called a ‘Silex Vacuum Siphon’. D’know what year it’s from, but ya ain't gonna find something more vintage den dis, I can guarantee.”

You tucked Alastor’s mike under your arm as you carefully took the glass contraption in your hands. It was definitely used, and could use a good cleaning. But there were no cracks or chips to be seen, no major damage that could affect its ability to brew. Given it was nearly a century old, it was in fairly good condition.

“It’s perfect.” you breathed, thumb grazing over the glass tenderly as your heart pittered excitedly. Alastor would absolutely love this, you just knew it. You had to get it for him, it was like it was destiny. Your head whipped up to the seller.

“How much?”

Said imp looked you up and down for a moment before his eyes landed near your arm. A sly smile crept up his mouth as his pupils flicked back up to your face.

“How ‘bout that fancy lookin’ cane o’ yours?”

Immediately you placed the siphon back down and clutched the microphone close to your chest, shooting daggers at the creature in front of you. “Absolutely not.”

To your relief, the imp just smiled and shrugged his shoulders, “Eh. Was woith a shot.” he chuckled, helping your tense shoulders to slowly relax. His eyes darted between you and the siphon, clearly deep in thought before crossing his arms.

“400”

You felt your breath catch in your throat. For fuck sakes, you figured it would be expensive, but this was highway robbery. And you knew very well that he knew that too; he was totally upping the price knowing how desperate you are. And as much as you needed it, you didn’t have enough on you. A thought crossed your mind, something you had observed when you explored the market. With as much confidence as you could muster, you laid your hands flat on the table and leaned in, giving him a very serious look.

“200”

The imp’s smile creaked up to his ears. “375”

You had to stop yourself from smiling and breaking the facade. It was working. Thank God, he seemed like the type who enjoyed a little haggling. If you could just get him down a little more, maybe you could actually pull this off.

“250”

“350”

“300” You finally declare, before quickly adding, “And! you wrap it up nicely for me.” you stare him down, leaning back up and crossing your arms in front of you. “That’s my final offer.”

The background noise of the market droned on as you both glared at each other across the booth. Eventually, the imp’s lips curled up devilishly before giving a sigh and shaking his head.

“Ya drive a hard bargain toots. Deal.” He cocked an eyebrow and reached a clawed hand out. You shook his hand coolly, but it was so hard to contain the excitement bouncing around in your chest. There was something exhilarating about negotiating prices; you could see why some demons got such a high off of coming to markets like these. Of course, this purchase was still going to drain you of all your cash, but it was well worth it. 

While he got to work bubble wrapping the siphon, you basically dumped your purse out and gave him every cent you had. He made sure to cushion the glass carefully and even found an empty box to place it in for double security. You honestly didn’t know how this interaction would've gone; you were initially worried he would’ve robbed you blind or threatened you. But as he handed you the bag with the goods and gave a final nod, you were beyond relieved to find that he actually seemed to be a decent guy. Maybe this market wasn’t completely full of thieves and swindlers like you had thought. 

You were practically skipping down the alley, one hand tight around Alastor’s microphone and the other holding your precious gift (but careful not to swing it around too much). You couldn’t wait to give this to him. You could feel your whole body tingling with anticipation. You really hoped that it did make a good cup of coffee; it would be a shame if it didn’t. Even so, it was such a funky looking thing, at the very least it could make for a cool decoration and hopefully bring back fond memories… You wondered how much of a difference there was between drinking coffee from a coffee machine or a siphon. You’d have to brew a pot with him tomorrow morning and-!

Your daydreaming was instantly snatched away as you were quickly dragged into the darkness of the ally beside you.

You went to scream but a large paw had clamped around your mouth before you could utter a sound. The bag slipped from your grasp and fell to the ground with a clatter, but thankfully you kept your grip on the staff tight. You immediately went to swing your arms, but both your wrists were grabbed, looking like mere toothpicks in the claws of the Hell Hounds that pulled you in. You kicked your feet up in protest as your yells were muffled, but you were no match for the sheer strength these creatures had as they dragged you further into the darkness and away from the crowds. They hauled you backwards until you felt your heels no longer dragged, indicating you had stopped, but you were barely aware of your surroundings. You continue to thrash your shoulders around and kick your feet up, desperately trying to escape like a caged wild animal. 

“Now now, there’s no reason to cause such a ruckus.”

Your eyes flash open and whip to the deep voice ahead of you. Your eyes fall onto a large silhouette leaning against the wall to your right, the brightness of the market ahead of you shading your captor’s full appearance. But as he pushed off and stepped closer, your eyes adjusted and were finally able to take in the finer details. Dripped in a rugged leather jacket and ripped jeans, the wolf looking Hell Hound sauntered towards you. His grin was fierce, and neon-yellow eyes practically glowed in the darkness. You could feel your mouth go dry and your legs turn to jelly. 

Your initial frenzied shock subsiding, you took a moment to look up at your two captors holding you back, One seemed to be a tall, muscular Mastiff with a slobbery snarl, his paws holding your right wrist and shoulder. The other was a Doberman type with cropped ears and sharp eyes, gripping tightly to your mouth and other wrist. You mumble out a pathetic plea and shimmy your shoulders again, trying to get their attention and hope that they take pity, but they pay you no mind, focusing instead on their alpha. 

“Don’t even bother chickie,” the silver dog snarked, making you turn your attention back to him, “We Hounds are very loyal to our pack; they’ll only listen to me.” Your eyes narrowed into angry slits, shooting daggers at the alpha. He merely snickered in reply. 

“You’re probably wondering who we are,” he mused, putting his hands behind his back and calmly pacing in front of you.  “Wondering what we want, why you’re here, ‘yadda yadda ya…” the dog babbled, making a yapping motion with his claws. He turned to you and gave you a cocky grin. “You should know that we don’t usually do this kind of thing… we’re actually nice guys once you get to know us!”

The two dogs behind you chuckle darkly, not at all making you feel reassured. 

“We’re nothing but humble thieves,” the wolf continued, sauntering back over to you, “Steal enough to make a humble living. Only take what we need. Provide for the pack. Today was supposed to be like any other…” 

The alpha’s yellow eyes suddenly grew dull, his smug smile slowly falling to a sneer as he stopped in front of you. The look on his face made a nervous shudder crawl down your spine. 

“... Until that ugly ass, bob-cut bastard stepped in.”

Bob-cut…? What in the Hell is he-

“Tyrion was so sneaky about it too, I was sure the wallet was as good as ours.” the wolf continued, his voice a mix of sorrow and venom. “But then that red-clad fucker saw him and…” you noticed his paws clench into tight fists, his eyes narrowing angrily. 

Red-clad… Oh god… could he mean?

“I saw it with my own eyes. That mad-man butchered him like a pig. Didn’t even give him a chance to apologize or make amends.” His nose was scrunched up in rage before it softened, his eyes holding the tiniest bit of horror, “But I think what was the most haunting was the way that creep smiled the entire time. Almost as if he was enjoying it.”

… God fucking damnit Alastor. 

“You seemed like such an easy target too.” the alpha’s neon eyes flicked up to you. “We didn’t realize what kind of monster you had on a leash.”

You felt your heart sink into your stomach as you recalled that wild look in Alastor's eyes earlier, the way his smile seemed sharper... Damnit, you felt so stupid now. How did you not notice? Dear God, how many others had died today by Alastor’s hands? It was clear that this ‘Tyrian’ was trying to steal from you, but did that really warrant death? You felt a twinge of guilt settling in your stomach. 

“So when my boy’s noticed you gallivanting on your own, I couldn’t believe our luck.” the wolf chuckled, leaning in closer until you were face to face, “You seriously made our job so much easier.”

Your cast-down gaze immediately scrunched into one of distrust, feeling your body become on-edge as you focused back on your captor. The wolf smirked at your helplessness, eyeing you up and down before his gaze fell to your left hand. His eyebrows shot up in interest.

“And look at this!” He taunted, leaning back up and reaching for Alastor’s staff, “You even brought us an apology gift! What a nice little girl~”

Your eyes widened in horror, trying to jerk your hand away from the wolf’s grasp. But the Doberman held your wrist tight, making it near impossible for you to do anything as the alpha grabbed hold of the microphone and ripped it from your grasp. You let out a whimper of despair as it left your hand, to which the silver dog’s ears perked, and turned to give you a hungry look.

“Hmmm, what a pretty sound. Almost makes me want to hear it again~”

You could feel your blood boiling at his words, and in a fit of rage, you kick your feet up aggressively. To your dismay, the leader jumped out of the way in time, a joyous laugh escaping his muzzle as he hopped to the side. The two dogs holding you immediately tightened their grip on you, pulling you back and holding you more securely. You huffed through your nose like an angry bull, shooting the wolf a venomous glare as he howled and dusted off his jacket. 

“Wooh! And feisty too. Gotta admit, that just turns me on more~” he grinned, showcasing his sharp fangs and blackened gums. His pupils flicked between his friends, “Do me a favor boys, secure those legs of hers so she doesn’t do that again.” 

Almost immediately, the two henchmen each step on your feet with their large paws, pinning your feet underneath theirs. You try to lift your legs up and away to test your mobility, but sure enough, your feet were locked in place. Panic started to settle now realizing just how much trouble you were in, and instinctively, you jut your shoulders out aggressively to try and once again escape. The wolf snickered at your struggles, slowly moving closer to you. 

“Now originally, we were just going to kill you and leave it at that.” the alpha hummed, eyes slowly grazing your body, “But hey, why stop there? Why waste a perfectly good meal without getting the chance to have a bite~”

Faster than lightning, his free paw came up and slashed at your chest, making you cry out in pure agony underneath the Doberman's paw. White specs blotted your sight as your mind froze in shock. You didn’t have to look to know; you could feel what he had done. Your body felt both cold and hot, from where your dress was torn and your body exposed to the air, and from where you could feel your blood begin to soak into what remained of your dress. You tried so hard to not make too many noises after the wolf's disgusting words, but the way your skin was burning, it was hard not to. Your eyes were beginning to water as you focused your attention back on the leader. Guilt be damned, you didn’t feel a thing for these bastards anymore. You wanted to make them hurt the way they hurt you. 

Outrage helped you find the strength to thrash around again, desperately trying to free your limbs so you could land a punch, a kick, anything. The Hell Hound took a step back to avoid your violent thrashing, chuckling at your display and licking his lips.

“Calm down now Sheila, don’t make this harder than it needs to be. It will be over before you know it…” He began his advance again, and you could feel your skin begin to prickle with panic. You continue your thrashing, lifting your legs and pulling at your arms, hoping that something would give way before it was too late.

And by the grace of God above, you felt your left shoe loosen under the paw of the Doberman.

An opportunity.

You spring into action, giving your left knee one final thrust upwards, making your foot pop out of your shoe and free from its confinement. Without even thinking, you slam it down hard into the Doberman’s bottom foot, making sure to dig your heel in deep. The skinny dog howled in agony, his grip on your arm and mouth loosened, giving you the chance you needed to act. As he bends over to grab at his tender paw, you bring your left arm across your chest and swiftly ram your elbow right into his muzzle. The force, along with his now injured foot, is enough to send him toppling over and slamming onto the ground, clutching his now bloodied nose.

Not wasting a precious second, you take the momentum from your left elbow and swing it over to your right, turning your body and socking the Mastif right in the face. He too yelps in pain, letting go of your right arm and freeing your other foot. As he steps back, distracted by the punch you landed, you grab him by the shoulders and lunge your left knee square into his groin. The Hell Hound let out a pathetic squeak as he immediately crumpled to the ground, curling into fetal position as he cradled his tenders.

Two down. One to go.

“Oh you BITCH!”

Right as you turn to face the wolf, his arm was already raised and ready to strike, swiftly bringing it down and backhanding your cheek. You cry out in pain, the sheer strength knocking you off your feet and making you fall harshly on your backside, cracking your head on the pavement. Your bun had come undone, your hair curtaining your glassy gaze as you watched the alpha throw the microphone to the side and stomp towards you. Too dazed by the blow, you felt him come down on you and straddle your hips, bringing his paws down over your throat.

“You think you’re tough shit girlie?” he snarled, his grip on your neck tightening, “Let’s see how tough you are once you beg for mercy.” 

You gasped for air desperately, your hands clawing at his paws and legs kicking out behind him. Your heart was racing anxiously, eyes darting all around you to see if there was anything around that could help you. A shimmer of light catches your eye, and you're just able to turn your head ever so slightly to your right. Your silver hair pin glistened in the light beside you, like a gift from God himself. 

You turn your attention back to the wolf, not wanting to reveal your plan to him. You could feel your vision begin to spot from lack of oxygen, but you stretch out your right arm, desperately trying to reach the pin without making it obvious. You felt the cool metal suddenly come in contact with your fingertips, rolling it closer to you into it finally was tight in your fist. With as much strength as you could muster, you swing your arm up and over, stabbing your assaulter right where his shoulders met his neck.

The wolf immediately howled in pain, rolling to his side and off you to grasp at the makeshift weapon lodged in his neck. You gasped for breath, feeling your blurry vision slowly speckle back as you choked in air. Exhaustion was taking over at this point; your head felt heavy from all the blows, and you could feel your body becoming numb from the blood-loss. Your eyes lazily scanned the area until they locked on Alastor’s mike, and you knew this would be your last chance if you wanted to survive this. 

You force your weak body to move, crawling on the ground as quick as you could towards the staff, scratching your arms and stomach as you went. You whimpered in agony, wishing to just give up and let sleep take over. But Alastor was waiting for you. Your friends back at the hotel were waiting. You couldn’t give up, not after coming this far.

Finally, you manage to stretch out and grab the mike, pulling it close to your mouth and taking a big breath.

“ALAS-!”

A fuzzy hand gripped your ankle and yanked you whole body away, making you cry out in fear as your plea was cut off. Your body scrapped painfully on the ground, dirt and tiny rocks grating against your open wounds. You whip your body around, cane still tight in hand and flinging it over to strike your opponent. But the wolf caught it skillfully in his paw, his pupils constricted and baring his fangs, the fur on his neck now sticky and tainted red. 

“Enough of this shit.”

The hound threw the staff out of your grasp and to the side, straddling you once again, but this time pinning both your arms over your head with one arm and leaning over you dangerously. You sobbed out in agony, your mind desperately telling your body to fight, but too exhausted to react. The alpha sneered down at you, panting and eyes wild with fury.

“Believe me when I say I find no pleasure in killing.” he growled, his hot breath hitting your face and making you whine out in dread. “But now…” The dog began to raise his free arm high in the air, his claws extracting with a sharp sound. 

“I’m gonna enjoy watching you bleed out.” 

A sob escaped your throat, tears streaming down your face in thick streams. This was it. This was going to be how you died. You had never actually died in Hell yet, and a part of you was scared. How long until you came back to life? Would you remember any of this… Fuck, would you remember anything at all? You couldn’t imagine a life outside of the hotel, not now. Not without the friends you've made. Certainly not without Alastor. The thought was unbearable. 

His arm came down swiftly, and you cried out in terror, shutting your eyes tight and turning your head, trying to block out the nightmare in front of you. You heard a slash of skin being torn and felt your whole body tense at the sound. You waited for the searing pain, for the blood to gush out from you until you became numb. 

But oddly enough, you didn’t feel anything.

You dared to peek up at the wolf on top of you, a peculiar look on his face as he was frozen in mid swing. His eyelid twitched, mouth partially open before his top half suddenly began to … slide?

“Funny you should say that, I was thinking ₮ⱧɆ ɆӾ₳₵₮ ₴₳₥Ɇ ₮Ⱨł₦₲.” 

Before you could comprehend where the voice came from, the wolf's upper body slid clean off his waist, toppling to the side and beside you on the ground. You slowly sat up, unable to speak as blood began to pool around you, both from his severed chest and his hips and legs. A large black tentacle came up from behind you and grabbed onto one of the wolf's ankles, picking up the severed lower section and flinging it off of your body. You blink in recognition, feeling your  initial shock subside and your chest tighten with hope. You turned around towards your saviour, but had to hold in your gasp at the creature behind you.

Microphone once again tight in his grasp, this demon was as tall as the buildings surrounding you; body barely able to fit between the narrow alleyway as he bent over you. Horns tripled in size and much more resembled deer antlers, black tentacles splayed from his back and writhing around, huge hands and talons sharp, eyes black as night and scarlet pupils in the shape of  dials, and a red ‘x’ on his forehead burning brightly. 

You had never seen Alastor in this state; in his true demonic form. You almost didn’t believe it was him. But his characteristic smile was ever present, your skin feeling that familiar buzz of electricity from his sound waves. You knew just how powerful he was, but to witness him at his full potential, it truly was a sight to behold. 

The giant form was watching you this whole time, dials flickering over your tiny body below him. From your face, to your torn chest and dress, to your bloodied legs, and back up to you. You felt a chill crawl down your spine as you locked eyes, your breath catching in your throat. Any other person would have been terrified looking up at such a creature, but oddly enough, you felt the safest you had ever been. Though you could feel the outrage that was emanating from his very body, you could sense the recognition in his eyes, the kindness deep within those haunting eyes.

The clatter of a loose can snapped you both out of your gaze, Alastor whipping his giant head up and forward, once again sharp and on alert. You heard a whimper of fright and manage to notice the Mastiff tumble out from the shadows and begin to run, yelling like a child and scrambling to get as far away as possible. There was a sudden buzz in the air, the Radio Demon’s smile curling up on his face and drooling blood. A chilling laugh escaped his throat, his jaw practically unhinging like a snake. 

“Well that was not a wise decision on your part…” Alastor growled, his voice deeper and booming as the sound practically shook the ground beneath you. His large body began to move forward, crawling like an animal and the screeching of static ringing out in the air.

“Don’t you know a hunter ⱤɆⱠł₴ⱧɆ₴ ł₦ ₳ ₲ØØĐ ₵Ⱨ₳₴Ɇ??”

The Overlord pounds forward, surprisingly fast for his size as the Hell Hound screeches in horror, sprinting further into the darkness of the alleyway ahead. You sat in the pool of the alpha’s blood, still stunned at the events of this afternoon and unable to do anything other than sit and stare. You numbly look over to the severed wolf beside you, his eyes already glossy and deprived of any life.

One.

You look back up to the large lanky demon stomping forward, laughing maniacally as whimpered screams of the Mastiff could be heard bouncing off the brick walls.

Two.

You blinked for a moment, your brain slow to process, but eventually catching up to the current events and what seemed wrong about this picture.

Fuck. 

Where was the Doberman. 

You heard some shuffling from behind a dumpster and whip your head over, your previous question instantly being answered. The skinny dog limped forward, eyes locked on Alastor and unaware of you watching him. He limped forward, his right paw still sore from you stomping on it. But his arm was tucked into his jacket suspiciously, and you felt your eyes narrow dubiously. A soft click snapped from inside the cloth, and the Doberman pulled out what appeared to be a gun, pointing it right at Alastor’s back. 

But there was something about this weapon that made you feel uneasy. The silver finishes that swirled around it, the way it practically radiated light in the darkness. There was something about this weapon that felt unnatural; like it didn’t belong in this world.

It seemed almost… Holy… 

You felt your blood run cold. 

It was all a blur. Rage and fear had taken full control of your body. Whatever exhaustion you had felt earlier was forgotten, whatever aches and pains slowing you down were no longer a hindrance. Completely fuelled with adrenaline and desperation, you scramble forward, bending over and grabbing your hair pin splayed on the ground. You sprint at a speed in which you never had before, screeching out Alastor’s name in warning before leaping onto the hound from behind.

The Doberman shouted in protest, raising his arms in defense and misfiring. The sound ricocheted off the walls, causing the Radio Demon to whip his head around, mouth half full of the Mastiff to a sight truly unbeheld. 

Your legs tight around the Dobermans waist, your one hand gripped at his head while the other continuously stabbed him in the neck. The dog clawed away at your arms desperately, howling out in pain as blood began to gush from his throat. But his screams were nothing compared to yours. Like a wild animal, you shrieked in fury, holding him tight and eyes feral as you punctured his neck again and again. The Doberman’s eyes eventually rolled to the back of his head, falling to his knees and landing face first on the ground. But as you went down with him, you continued your assault, kneeling over him with both arms overhead and slamming the hair pin into his back again and again and again.

Alastor watched from afar, jaw hanging open and the Mastiff’s carcass falling out from between his razor teeth. Never had he imagined he would see a spectacle such as this, certainly not from the likes of you. Not the girl who sang jazz in the kitchen, laughed at his horrendous puns, and slept so peacefully in his presence. He was convinced you were an angel in disguise, too pure for this damned world. 

And yet.

Here you were, stabbing and slashing and drenched in another's blood.

And he got to witness it.

Your furious screams started sputtering into sobs, and Alastor immediately snapped out of his thoughts. He immediately shifted into the shadows, slithering to you at lightning speed and emerging beside you, back to his regular appearance and hesitating a moment before gently placing both his hands on your shoulders.

“Y/n,” he spoke tenderly, “Y/n, darling. It’s ok. He’s gone. You’re safe.”

The sound of his voice made you whip your head up to him, snapping you out of your daze. Your eyes were wide with horror making Alastor flinch, unsure how you were going to react. Immediately, you turn your upper body to him, grabbing onto his cheeks with bloodied hands and inspecting his face all over.

“Are you ok??” you sob, eyes panicked and looking all over his body, “you didn’t get hit, did you?? God please tell me you’re ok!”

Alastor blinked back his confusion, his eyebrows furrowing at your words. “Of course I’m alright my dear, whatever do you-!”

A glimmer of light caught his eye, and his gaze was momentarily pulled away from your frantic face. Upon laying eyes over the peculiar weapon, he felt his eyes widen in recognition. There was no mistaking the silver swirls decorating the gun. He had heard rumours of such weapons, not yet having the pleasure of seeing anything of the like in real life. 

He had heard the gunshot earlier, and was worried you were on the other end of the rifle which had triggered him to turn. But he hadn’t considered that the bullet was intended for him. Of course, a regular bullet wound was of no concern to him, he had survived much worse. 

But a bullet from an angelic weapon? 

As he formed the picture in his head, you calling out his name desperately and your sudden panic for his well being, it didn’t take him long to put the pieces together. 

You didn’t kill out of self defense.

You had killed to protect him.

You had killed for him. 

His mind was tumbling with this new wave of information and emotions, something that he didn’t often struggle with. But he felt your hands slip away from his face, causing him to focus back on you. Your head was bent down, hair draping over and covering your face, and soon your shoulders began to tremble. The distinct sound of you crying caused a jolt to shoot up Alastor’s spine, and immediately he lowered a hand under your chin to tilt your head up towards him. Sure enough, big salty tears were streaming down your face. But what caught him the most off guard was the weepy smile spread across your face. 

“Thank God.” you wept, your voice so soft he almost didn’t hear it, “I-I was so worried… I couldn’t live with myself if…” your lip trembled as you burst into tears. Whether they were tears of relief or fear, he wasn’t sure, but one thing was for certain.

Alastor had never seen someone so shaken at the thought of him dying.

And that made him feel… something. 

But he didn’t have time to delve into that. Not right now. He had to address this situation before he could dissect his thoughts. He knelt beside you, truly taking in your state of dress and being. Your dress was torn to shreds and blood-soaked, your chest bearing deep claw marks, the side of your head had dried blood spilling from your hairline, cheek swollen, scrapped stomach and legs, and bruises scattered all over your body. 

Rage swelled up in his body. Furious at the hounds who did this to you. Bitter at you for thinking that going off on your own was a good idea. And most of all, outraged at himself for allowing this to have happened in the first place. And when that last thought trickled into his brain, he felt something else slither in his mind to replace that anger. An ancient feeling he hadn’t felt in a very long time; ever since he was alive. 

Guilt.

What a terrible emotion. He hated it with every fiber of his being. He never felt regret or sorrow for the actions he took since descending to Hell. Why would he when dealing with demons and creatures alike that he saw as mere obstacles in his way? But as he looked down at your crumpled form, his usual sunny sparrow clipped of her wings and trembling before him. Knowing that he had broken his promise of protecting you… 

His eyebrows furrowed, ears falling flat on his head as his jaw clenched tightly. 

Of course, you weren’t at all aware of the torment currently happening in Alastor’s mind. You were just so damn relieved he was ok, and that you were alive to tell the tale. Your choked sobs were slowly lessening, trying to focus on your breathing and just so freaking grateful to still have oxygen in your lungs. As you took deep breaths to calm your racing heart, you could feel your eyes growing tired, body slowly relaxing finally knowing the horror was over. The aches and pains were coming back to life, your chest especially burning painfully and your dress sticky with blood. Whatever adrenaline that was pumping through your veins was fastly subsiding, blood loss making your head heavy and limbs numb. 

You didn’t even realize you were falling over until you felt long arms catch you, holding you up so you didn’t hit the ground. You could hear the familiar buzz of Alastor’s radio-like voice speaking to you, but your head was swimming, and your ears weren’t able to pick up what he was saying. You tried to look up at him, but your vision was so blurred, he was just a red fuzz in your eyes. You were so tired; you just wanted to sleep. And Alastor’s body was so warm and familiar, it was like a comforting blanket. You leaned in closer to his body, desperate for that feeling after such a harrowing event.  

You could feel yourself fading fast, and a single thought emerged that made you panic a moment. The bag. The present. You can’t leave that damned thing behind. You reached out a hand and lazily padded at Alastor’s chest, mumbling out a string of words that you prayed made sense. The red blob tilted to the side, and you knew he was confused, but you couldn’t fully explain yourself. He was smart, you knew he would figure it out. And you knew he would take care of you; you were in safe hands now. 

You could finally allow yourself to sleep. 

Your vision was quickly dimming, darkness beginning to surround you until eventually your eyelids fell shut and you blacked out completely.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

FIRST PREVIOUS NEXT

My beautiful does and bucks: @saccharine-nectarine @doowopshewop @mysterypotatoink @wendds @crispybelieverworld @raicomme ((WE GOT MORE BEAUTIFUL SINNERS YAY ꨄ ))

[archiveikemen]

『 The Past Records 』 Collection Event: Chapter 1

Jude Jazza & Ellis Twilight

This is a fan-made translation solely for entertainment purposes with no guaranteed perfection. I do not own any of the original content. Please support CYBIRD by buying their stories and playing their games. Reblogs appreciated.

❥･• Warnings and FAQ

< Ellis' POV >

I’m sure we met each other four years before we joined Crown.

On the night I arrived in London and was wandering around town in search of accommodation, I was crossing a bridge when I saw him there looking up at the moon.

Looking at his vacant facial expression from his side profile as he finished smoking a cigarette, I thought he was going to fall into the river below.

So, I asked him a question.

Ellis: Are you happy?

Jude: … So what if I am?

Ellis: I’ll make the happiest moment in your life… last forever.

Jude: Hah? What was that? You’ve got a screw loose.

Jude: The happiest moment in my life, huh. Perhaps—

…

< Third Person POV >

Victor: Work again? I was informed in advance, but you two sure seem busy.

It was morning at Crown’s castle. Victor had just arrived at the dining room for breakfast when two people were already heading out after finishing theirs even though it was still early in the morning, and so he called out to them as they passed by one another.

Ellis: Sorry, Victor. We’ll be back by nightfall, so let’s discuss the mission then.

Victor: Ahh, how very commendable! I’m perfectly OK with that!

Jude: Shut up. You don’t have to apologise to this weirdo every single time.

Victor: You have a very sharp tongue, Jude. But I like that about you.

Jude: Creep.

Ellis: We’ll be taking our leave now.

The two left the castle with facial expressions contradicting each other’s.

Liam: I’m impressed with how you’re still not depressed despite being treated with that tone daily, Victor.

Victor: Well, those two were recruited by me after all.

Liam: Just like them, you also told me that you were “OK with me keeping my current job” when I joined Crown. But they seem so much busier than I am.

Liam: I wonder if they have the time to go on missions for Crown.

Ever since Ellis and Jude joined Crown a few days ago, the two had yet to even go on their first mission.

William: Well, there’s no deadline for when they must have their first mission by.

Harrison: … You know, can we really trust those two guys?

William: What makes you say so?

Harrison: They say that they're traders, but I heard some suspicious rumours about them. It’s said that they have enemies everywhere holding grudges against them.

Liam: Oh, I heard those rumours too. Such rumours occasionally spread amongst my fellow actors.

Liam: There's rumours about things like an aristocrat got swindled of their entire fortune.

Harrison: It won’t be a problem if they’re merely immoral businessmen.

Harrison: But if they're spies from elsewhere, we can’t just sit back and do nothing.

Victor: Do you not trust them?

Harrison: As much as you’re a weirdo, but I believe that you’re a good judge of character. It’s just that…

Victor: !! Did you hear that, William?! Harry just praised me!

William: Yes, I did. He has more to say.

Victor: Right, please continue!

Harrison: … You’re really a pain in the neck.

Harrison: It’s just that because of these rumours, their background is too dubious for us to feel like we can safely assume that they’re trustworthy.

Harrison: Don’t you think we shouldn't let them go their own way too often?

Victor: Hmm, you have a point… but I don’t want to impose too much restriction on their freedom.

William: Why don’t we ascertain for ourselves, whether they can be trusted?

Victor: Ascertain for ourselves… I like that idea!

Liam: Ahaha, looks like something’s brewing.

Harrison: Ohhh I have a bad feeling about this.

…

Victor: All members of Crown are here~! It’s time for a new mission, and I call it “Operation Observe Jude and Ellis’ Way of Life”!

Liam: Wow—! *seal clapping*

Alfons: Another one of Victor’s idiotic plans? Marvellous.

Victor: I want everyone to observe the two of them and submit reports to me.

Victor: The theme shall be “are the two of them suited for Crown?”.

Harrison: Damn it… I shouldn’t have said anything. I already have enough on my plate as it is.

Elbert: … You’re busy?

Alfons: If I’m not mistaken, you’re in the midst of a proofreading job with no extensions allowed for its deadline, and the author of the book has yet to submit their first draft.

Alfons: I think you also mentioned having to burn the midnight oil before the deadline.

Liam: Then, why not have Harry be the commander?

Liam: The investigation works will be distributed amongst all the members except Harry!

Alfons: A Sneaking Mission? Sounds like fun.

Elbert: I don't mind.

Roger: I mean, I don’t see why not?

Harrison: … By the way, can I choose NOT to be a part of this?

William: At this juncture, I highly doubt so.

Harrison: … Right.

Victor: Well then, the investigation begins!

[chasedeys]

do you write any rpf, like on Ao3? I’m new so idk if you’ve posted about it or not but IM LITERALLY OBSESSED with your answers to any anon ask. I would read a whole ten page essay from you about joemarr and im not joking. anyways, i love anything you post!!

hiiiiii loveeeee, thank you for liking my thoughts on joemarr!!! kind of self conscious abt it honestly bc im drawing up conclusions abt them technically without any basis but yeah 😭❤️ (also english is very much not my first language so i struggle to word things so saying you'd read a 10 page essay from me is very <33333)

i have written and posted 1 (one) fic and its a ja'marr gets nipple piercings fic lmaooo and opposite to the way it sounds it's not even horny or even tender horny its just like full of love and devotion ahaha no but really don't expect much please

some extra under the cut wkwkwk

SORRY BUT im taking advantage of this ask to add a whole unfinished 2k- jumble of another fic i was working on but probably won't finish bc the lack of full understanding of how contract and free agency works and like refusal to actually research shit bc i get stupid sad thinking about it so:

Joe stares down the stretch of the field, Ja’Marr standing by the rest of the receivers laughing as Chuck and Andrei try to playfully (....maybe) murder each other via sumo wrestling moves that are definitely not regulation. He’s just wearing tights today for bottoms–so the delicious tautness of his thighs are free for Joe to gaze hungrily at. Truck, 30 yards in front of him very patiently waiting to catch his warm-up throws, has cleared his throat three times in the past 45 minutes for Joe to tear his eyes away from Ja’Marr Chase and throw the damn ball.

It’s torture. It’s love, devotion.

It’s disgusting levels of Down Bad.

(joe gets introspective throughout practice post ravens lost yada yada they go back home, joe invites jamarr for sudden cheat day meal at like 2 am)

Ja’Marr shows up in his front door bleary eyed and sleep rumpled. He’s decked in thick flannel pajama pants that absolutely do not look cheap, dark grey geaux tigers hoodie with purple LSU letters that clashes with the red of his pants, last season’s bengals beanie that also clashes with the rest of his outfit colors, and gucci slides…that also clash with the rest of the outfit. It’s a mismatched sort of vulnerability that twists up Joe’s insides. Here’s his north star wrapped up in all the things Joe cherishes.

Ja’Marr turns up his nose when he finally finishes yawning right at Joe’s face and notices Joe with his raised eyebrow looking up and down amusedly at his outfit.

“Shut up,” he says. “It’s a 2 am non-party night. Like hell I’m dressing up pretty for you.”

Ja’Marr’s always pretty to Joe, but that’s fine.

“I didn’t say anything.” Joe replies back, moving to the side so Ja’Marr can drag his feet inside the threshold, “I don’t judge you for your fashion taste.”

Joe cleverly dodges the foot being kicked back to his side. Amazing reflexes, of course.

“Where’s this hearty meal you promised me?” Ja’Marr just talks loudly over the dig Joe makes at him.

“On its way. DoorDash says it’s 7 minutes out.”

“Did you get extra cream soup?”

“Yeah, of course.”

(yada yada some banter some cute shit wanted to describe them sitting in joes billion dollar custom renovated kitchen that i would stress out is 'modern and kitschy' with different shades of pink for accents)

He’s been making insane catch-and-runs, Joe reflects. Offers to his agent would be stacking up starting next year, his last year in his contract with Cincinnati.

“It would be easier.” Joe says, throat cramping. “If you want to trade.”

Ja’Marr’s hands stutter and his stupid little butter knife clatters to the table.

“What?”

Joe darts his eyes to the other man, a millisecond glance and he’s gazing back to his ice cream. The receiver’s voice had been harsh, choked up in surprise. Joe feels his insides curdle even worse.

“Just–” he starts, a mess of thoughts jumbled in his head, “if you wanted to. I would understand. Your stats are amazing. If Duke’s still gunning to be an idiot and wait for your contract to dry up before resigning, you can–”

Here he pauses. Saying things makes it real. Saying they’re not a championship level team made him want to gouge his eyes out. Saying how Ja’Marr could leave him would possibly end his life as he knows it.

But Ja’Marr deserves to know Joe won’t hold him back. He refuses to. So:

“If you want, you can sign up for free agency. Next season.”

Well.

Ja’Marr’s face is heartbreaking to see. Joe feels the corner of his mouth drag down, his eyes are fucking burning, his throat is closing up, his hands are clammy, his ears are ringing, his neck is cold but his head is on fire.

“Do you��” Ja’Marr starts, but his voice is cracking, so he has to start over again. He’s scrunching his eyes shut and his mouth is quivering and Joe feels like he’s clumped up dirt under a needlessly expensive boot. 

Twice this season now he’s caused Ja’Marr to look like this. At least this time he’s not pushing him physically, but with the way Ja’Marr’s trembling all over this might just be worse. God, Joe can’t even blame being in Kansas City for this. This time, Ja’Marr isn’t hiding from the thousands of eyes scrutinizing him from the bleachers, from across the field, from the houses of unknown fans through LED screens. The agony is clear in the widening of his eyes and the curl of his mouth and the crack of his voice. 

“Do you not want me?”

Just the barest whisper like Ja’Marr’s vocal cords has up and left. Joe feels insane thinking of the heart-clenching anymore? Ja’Marr doesnt say.

Joe’s mouth falls open but no sound comes out. There isn’t a single universe in the hypothetical collection of potentially diverse multiverses Joe believes in, that a Joe Burrow wouldn’t want Ja’Marr Chase to stay by his side. But would saying this to the other be right? 

He takes too long to answer. Ja’Marr’s face shuts down, going cold.

“Wow, okay, fuck you.”

Joe flinches back at the viciousness of the curse. He has never once in his life been the direct recipient of Ja’Marr’s brand of tiger claws defense, teeth sharp, no mercy. 

“I cannot believe you. I thought we were fine now! We’re on the same page again! I leave that contract bullshit behind, you fixed your anxiety over your wrist, but, what, another fucking shitty pick and you don’t think I got it anymore? Fucking free agency, shut your stupid fucking mouth, Joe Burrow, before I do something I regret.”

Joe’s hands automatically flashes to settle the plates rattling when Ja’Marr abruptly stands up and slams his hands to the table. He’s looking up at him now, still sitting down on the bright pink stool in his billion dollar kitschy kitchen with Ja’Marr Chase looming over him in fury.

“I followed you here! To fucking Ohio. I hated the idea of even stepping foot in this state before I fell in love with this fucking city! I did it because of you! I have said multiple fucking times that I’m not leaving you. I said to the fucking media that you were like a god to me, are you fucking kidding me? I bullshitted my way through all those disgusting interviews trying not to say the wrong thing and still having people say I’m stalking you or some shit because I can’t help word-vomitting over you! I have been this fucking close–” 

Ja’Marr shoots his right hand up right in the space between them, pressing his thumb and pointer finger so close the skin whitens.

“–to saying to fucking Hobs that I’m ass over tits in love with you! And now you’re telling me it’ll be alright if I leave? That it'll be easier? Just because, what, this stingy ass poverty franchise doesn’t know how to handle its players unless they’re you? That we keep losing even when you throw fucking bullets and I run across the entire fucking field from endzone to the endzone for 60 points? Joe Lee Burrow, I swear if I loved you less I would kill you.”

Ja’Marr finishes his rant with another slam on the table like he needs one more outlet for his anger. He’s heaving breaths, tears running down his cheeks (god, no), face all twisted up. Through Joe’s frozen state, he could see Ja’Marr’s face pale rapidly as he fully realizes what he’s said. Mouth always running a full minute over his brain.

God.

Joe stands wobbly quick when Ja’Marr stumbles around the table towards the kitchen doors.

For all that Joe unashamedly lies over how fast he is–(’i am fast, ja’marr. I can outrun you.’ ‘be so for real right now.’)–he can never outpace Ja’Marr. But for this one thing–this one thing–Joe slams against a blurring Ja’Marr and uses the momentum and extra inches and pounds he’s got over the man to cage him against the nearby fridge.

Ja’Marr yelps as his back rattles against the fridge doors, magnets and receipts and photos and post-it notes not trapped between him and the door fall to the floor. One of those brightly colored humanoid magnets slam against Joe’s left toe. A polaroid of Joe and his Mom somehow balances perfectly right on top of Ja’Marr’s head before fluttering away when Ja’Marr shakes his head in furious disbelief. His beanie had fumbled off his head in the initial tackle, lying on the ground right next to Joe’s right foot. 

Joe’s left hand is pinning his man’s right shoulder against the fridge door, hips flushed against him, a leg between his thighs, right arm tucked against the side of Ja’Marr’s waist, face right up against each other like every other overly enthusiastic helmet slam in the field after a ridiculous yard run–but there’s no helmet this time, and there’s no reason for Joe to hide how his eyes slide down the length of Ja’Marr’s face to his lips, letting his gaze linger deliberately long.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?!” Ja’Marr blusters, cheeks going deep red, eyes pinballing widely over Joe’s own features (to his lips even! how exciting.), hands curling on each of Joe’s elbows with his nails biting down through the thick fabric of his sweatshirt over his skin. “What, are you going to hit me? Break my heart? You already did, asswipe, no need to be an annoying overachiever this time! Get off of me, I swear–”

“I don’t want you to go. I never want you to leave. Ever.” Joe cuts him off brutally. Let this be the firmest truth he’s ever said in his life. “I asked you to come here. I always want to play football with you. I always want random midnight DoorDash dinners with you. You keep saying insane shit about me in interviews, have you heard me talk about you? The last KC presser I had to hold back saying I hurt you in front of 50 people sitting down with their laptops open looking at me like I’m a bug to study. I have never been normal about you. You drive me insane, stop staring at me with those cow eyes. Who the fuck lies about dressing their friends up in magazine interviews? And that fucking photoshoot! Were you planning on killing me? Tee sends me your Instagram training pics from back in May like once a week to torture me! I nearly blocked his ass, Ja’Marr, shut up.”

(like. i want the speech to be more?? idk more emotional in the confessional aspect but alas i don't know how to write shit out)

Ja’Marr looks back at him wide-eyed. He hasn’t really said anything throughout Joe’s turn of ranting, but even so Joe needs him to shut up, genuinely. This beautiful, beautiful man doesn’t know Joe loves him. Stupid. Stupid.

“Ja’Marr.” Joe says, low and hoarse. He slides his hands up to cup at his cheeks now that Ja’Marr isn’t pushing his weight back at him. The wetness of his cheeks from his previous tears seeps into Joe’s skin. “I love you.”

“Oh, wow.” Ja’Marr just says back, hoarse and dumb. This man, Joe swears.

Whatever.

Joe kisses him hard and gets dizzy with it. Ja’Marr chokes in surprise, but gets with the program quick enough.

The side of his nose presses against Ja’Marr’s, he’s biting at his bottom lips, his lashes brush against the cold wetness of his cheeks, his hands press hard against the side of Ja’Marr’s neck and he feels like he can count each heartbeat against the tender skin of his wrists pasted to Ja’Marr’s jugular.

“Hi,” he murmurs over his man’s lips, heart feeling so fucking full.

Ja’Marr laughs against his lips incredulously, eyes screwed shut and lips stretched stupid wide. The prettiest thing Joe’s ever seen in his life. Insanely, he feels that if he were to play all 12 games of the season left this morning right after separating himself from Ja’Marr, he’d throw over 300 yards each. Things love could fuel you to do–winning a championship of a sport he’s thrown his entire heart in, with a man who’s gripped it tight since he knew how to throw it to him too.

“Dumbass,” Ja’Marr murmurs back, nudging his nose to Joe’s for the softest nose kiss Joe has ever experienced, “hi to you too.”

ok bye

[olderthannetfic]

please, send help. i (23y/o) think i am getting to a stage where I need to be a Cool Aunt TM for my niece (13y/o). She's been a bit too online since she had to move around a lot. She had a bit of antis mentality, but i'm trying to pull her away from it slowly. At the same time, she's been around the internet, reading 18+ yaois and shit. I did the same at her age, so I can’t say I don't understand her. But as an adult idk how to talk about this 18+ healthily with her? or do I even need to? should I leave her on her own devices? I didn't have an adult to talk about these things with growing up so idk how you're supposed to do this.

There is not way to say how my parents or sibling (her mom) would react if I drop this on them, could be +/- , but it's a bit of a lottery depending on the most recent online articles they read lately. lol. They're open to convos, but a bit religious.

I'm taking suggestions if anybody would like to give some.

P.S. I am also not a cool person, i'm pretty much a lame homebody so… i also don’t know how to be cool lol.

im so sorry idk who else to ask.

--

Ahaha. Well, don't try too hard to be ~cool~. Nothing could be more offensive to the sensibilities of a 13-year-old.

A well delivered "Oh, come on, no one really thinks that" and eye-roll in response to the more delusional anti stuff has a wonderful effect if you're offline and the person respects you. Humans in general and 13-year-olds in particular are hypersensitive about fitting in. A boring and serious lecture from an older person will set off every melodramatic "The old people don't understaaaand!" instinct, but a well-timed "LOL, WTF" causes internal panic that one has missed something. If she wants the serious and nuanced explanation, she can ask for it, but I wouldn't start there.

As for how you talk about raunchy art... it really depends on the person. If she realizes you like the same stuff, she may bring it up. I think recs are fine, and so is euphemistic "I liked the ship dynamic in this one". "I got off to this" is TMI on your part. (Well, it's TMI on her part too, but be prepared for TMI if you become the confidant of a 13-year-old.)

Honestly, as long as she's directing the conversation and you aren't sharing details of your masturbation habits, I think you'll be fine. 13-year-olds aren't babies. If they're old enough to read porny doujinshi, they're old enough to talk to a trusted adult about them.

My teen tastes were weird art films full of sex. 13 is pretty young, but within a couple of years, she'll be the age I was when I was trying to see shit like Crash. She could be anywhere from self-assured in her tastes and interested in discussing her favorite media to easily-influenced to paralyzed by guilt. Creepy grooming shit comes from groomers choosing to groom, not from the topic of sexuality being in the air. If she's reading something with even a shred of plot or romance, you can talk about that without the actual conversation being X-rated. My main concern would be to avoid her trying to impress you by consuming media she finds uncomfortable or talking about things she doesn't actually want to share. You can really only judge that by body language and tone of voice in the moment.

I mean... does "18+ yaois" mean actual BL series here that have a few sex scenes or doujinshi that are entirely porn? ('Yaoi' basically means 'PWP' and is not exactly complimentary, after all.) It's somewhat harder to talk about the latter. But I liked some pretty out-there shit as a teen and did talk to adults about it. They just let me do most of the talking.

Probably the easiest way to broach the topic is to catch her reading something and go "Oh, I read that one" or "I liked [name of BL]".

[amorest-viesse]

[A Touch of Magic for the Model] - Chloe SSR Card Story Translation

Ft. Faust and Akira

For Future Reference - Chapter 1

[Dressing Room]

Akira: (It was a tough journey to get here, but I’m glad everything turned out fine for Chloe in the end…)

As I made my way to the dressing room, I reflected on our experience with “The Amoire’s Diadem,” the premier fashion contest in the West. It was the stage all designers strived for...

Faust & Chloe: …

Faust and Chloe were already inside when I got there, sitting in front of a mountain of papers with worried looks on their faces.

Akira: Faust, Chloe, is something the matter?

Chloe: Master Sage! Apparently winning first prize comes with a ton of paperwork to complete.

Chloe: We’ve got a whole pile to knock out.

Much like the fashion competition itself, the documents Chloe showed me were decorated with stylish patterns and accents.

Faust: From what I can tell, these papers address things like legal rights and storage instructions for your design.

Akira: Winners still have it rough after the competition huh…

Chloe: Right? But we’re at the final stretch, so we gotta pull through!

Chloe grabbed a document from off the pile.

Chloe: (W- What does any of this mean? There’s so many complicated terms that I can’t make heads or tails of it…!)

Akira: …Are you alright, Chloe…?

Chloe: T- Totally! Umm, I think this one is saying my outfit is gonna be displayed at some grand hall in the West!

Chloe: If that’s fine with me then I just need to sign here…

Faust: …Hold on a second. There’s some more information here.

Faust: The exhibition will only be open from evening hours until morning in accordance with the theme of the competition… Will this cause any issues?

Chloe: Wow, I can’t believe I almost missed that! Since the text was in cursive along the border, I totally thought it was part of the design!

Akira: It really does blend right into its surroundings… Good catch, Faust.

Faust: It's nothing special. I have to deal with this regularly in the East, so I’m used to it.

Faust: …Would you like some help with the rest of those papers?

Chloe: Huh?

Faust: Judging by your reaction, I assume you’re new to this.

Faust: While it’s good to want to tackle things on your own, it doesn’t hurt to ask for some help either.

Chloe: Faust… Thanks so much for the offer.

Chloe: If you’re willing to help out then… Could I ask you to teach me how to do paperwork too?

Akira: What do you mean?

Chloe: It won’t do me any good in the long run if Faust just does the work for me.

Chloe: I want to learn how to do it myself in case I ever win another competition like this again in the future…

Chloe: Ahaha, I’ve only won this one though, so I’ll stop here before I jinx myself…

Chloe: Anyways, I’m sorry for the hassle! If you don’t want to do it, you definitely don’t have to!

Faust: …It’s not a problem whatsoever.

Faust: If that’s what you want, then I’ll teach you what I know.

For Future Reference - Chapter 2

Faust: First off, I’ll explain how to break down and read a document.

Chloe & Akira: We’re all ears, Master Faust!

Faust: …It’s funny hearing that from the two of you.

As Faust was lecturing, Chloe took down notes with rapt attention. Beside him, I listened in for any useful information.

Faust: …And those should be the basics. Next we’ll try applying them for real.

Faust: The easiest way to learn is by practicing over and over again while familiarizing yourself with the formula. If there’s anything you’re unsure about, please ask.

Chloe: Understood! Now where should I start…

Chloe: “From the Armoire to You: A Ray of Light For the Residents of Fashion Nation Consent Form”?

Akira & Faust: (That’s one heck of a title…)

Chloe: First off, I need to replace difficult words with simpler phrases…

Despite the unfamiliar terminology and Western flair of the documents, Chloe continued to write away.

Sitting beside him, Faust would check over Chloe’s work and give advice while I sorted the papers as they were completed.

Chloe: Sign my name here and… Done! Could you hand me the next one, Master Sage?

Akira: Of course! And with this one, we’re halfway done.

Chloe: Already!? I’m taking so long to read these that I was sure we had more to go.

Akira: Aw, don’t say that! You’re getting faster and faster with every document. It’s genuinely impressive.

Chloe: …Now that you mention it, I’m recognizing more of those stock phrases, so it’s getting easier to read things.

Chloe: This must be what Faust meant by “formula” earlier.

Faust: That’s exactly it.

Faust: However, don’t rush things either. You’ve overlooked a few things here... and here, so take your time and be careful.

Chloe: Really!? I totally wasn’t paying attention there… Thanks for catching that!

Akira: It’s natural for your mind to wander once you’ve been doing the same task long enough.

Akira: At times like these, it’s good to get a little change of pace. For example, you could raise your arms and stretch as high as you can.

Chloe: Ahaha, I do that while working on an outfit too! Taking a break can do wonders.

Chloe & Akira: Stre—tch!

Faust: …The two of you remind me of cats.

And so, we made our way through the pile.

Akira: The next one is the final document!

Faust: This one ought to wrap things up nicely.

Akira: What does it say?

Faust: It concerns the first place prize money. Messing up here could mean not getting paid.

Faust: There are several things to fill out, and it’s the most complex form yet. However, if you apply everything I taught you today, I’m sure you’ll do just fine.

Chloe: Wow, this one’s a wringer…

Chloe: Still, I can’t let everyone’s efforts go to waste! I’ll make sure to get that prize money!

Filled with more motivation than ever, Chloe began to read through the final document with a determined look on his face.

For Future Reference - Chapter 3

As Faust watched over him from behind, Chloe scanned through the document with his class notes in hand.

Chloe: Umm, first, I need to read over the whole thing and make sure I have everything I need to fill it out.

Akira: Is there anything?

Chloe: Um, let me see… Ah! Yes!

Casting his spell, Chloe conjured his sketchbook and flipped to a page filled with neat, round handwriting.

Akira: What’s this?

Chloe: A record of how much I spent to make the outfit.

Chloe: Thankfully, Heath said he’d write that down for me.

Akira: Oh! Nice going, Heath!

Chloe: Next… I need to check if there are any terms or conditions that would disadvantage me.

Akira: Make sure to look for any hidden ones like on that first document.

Chloe: Absolutely… Hmm… This looks fine… This too…

Chloe: Alright! Everything looks good to me!

As Chloe went along, he carefully filled in all the required information. Finally, all that was left to do was sign.

Chloe: We finished!!

Chloe: Wait no, I can’t forget! We gotta check one last time for any errors or oversights!

As Chloe looked over the paperwork, I made my way to him and Faust.

Chloe: Master Faust! Please check over it one more time too!

Faust: Good work, Chloe. I’ll take it from here.

Faust: …

Chloe & Akira: …

Chloe: Ohh, I can’t look! What if I did something wrong…

Akira: …I’m sure it’ll be fine Chloe. You got this.

Chloe: Master Sage…

Akira: After seeing how hard you’ve been working today, there’s no way you could fail now…

Chloe: …Ehehe, thank you. Hearing that makes me feel more confident too.

Faust: …Chloe.

Chloe: Y- yes sir!

Handing back the paperwork, Faust looked up at Chloe and smiled.

Faust: Everything looks perfect. Well done.

Chloe: R- Really!?

Akira: Congratulations, Chloe!

Chloe: Thank goodness… I really appreciate both of you for helping me out today!

Chloe: Thank you for taking a break with me Master Sage, and thank you Faust for teaching me how to navigate all this paperwork…

Chloe: Because of you guys, I had a lot of fun learning something new!

Faust: I’m glad it worked out in the end.

Faust: I’m sure you’ll do great the next time you win a competition.

Chloe: …! Thank you!

Chloe: Alright! I’ll make sure to work even harder from now on to make sure I don’t let these skills go to waste!

Looking at Chloe’s bright smile, I could only imagine where he would go from here.

The thought of it filled me with excitement as he took yet another step towards the future.

Start Where You Can - Card Episode

Akira: You did a great job with all that paperwork, Chloe.

Chloe: Thank you! It was super overwhelming at first since I’d never done anything like it before, but I’m glad everything turned out fine in the end.

Chloe: Eastern Country paperwork must be a completely different beast to tackle though. Have you ever dealt with it?

Akira: I received some from Sir Cock Robin before. They were completely crammed with print from top to bottom.

Chloe: Right!? I was helping Faust carry some Eastern paperwork earlier too, and he showed me a couple pages…

Chloe: Every single one I flipped to looked exactly like that. It was insane.

Akira: If anyone could handle that, it’d be Faust.

Chloe: Right, right? If it were me, I’d probably be knocked out before I knew it!

Akira: Ahaha… It was the same back home.

Akira: Whenever I read something I didn’t understand, I’d just end up spacing out.

Chloe: I totally get that. That’s why I think people who can do that kind of work are incredible.

Chloe: Since Faust took the time to teach me, I’ll definitely do my best to get there… Although, maybe I’ll start with Western style paperwork first!

Home Screen Voice Line

“There are times when Heath comes off as cool and capable, and other times when he’s more reserved, like a cute, younger brother. Either way, isn’t he just the best? Even though Heath tends to hold back, he can be quick to make decisions and show how he really feels when it comes down to it. Wait, is this what you call ‘gap moe’?”

[imkillerbae]

Dancing in the Dark (Part 2) (Valorant Yoru x Fem!Reader x Valorant Sova)

Part 1 Here.

Summary: You're confronted by Yoru about your lies and decides to have his way with you in a broom closet.

Words: 2k

CW: Crying, regret, FLUFF. Happy ending

(A/N: I was supposed to add a smut after this but got lazy so I didnt hence the broom closet AHAHA anyway here's the ending! REQUESTS ARE OPEN. Please send me ideas i am running out of ideas i beg) Listen to 'Dancing in the Dark' originally by Bruce Springsteen covered by LOLO for better experience.

The bottle of whiskey was barely drunk from, and you held the neck of it with a tight grip. You were glaring at the man in front of you, and he returned the look, although less hostile. Yoru tried to tug the bottom of the bottle from your grasp but you did not relent, pulling it towards yourself even more.

“You’re not planning to drink all of this yourself, are you?” You ask in annoyance.

“And what’s that to you?” He muses, raising his brows to taunt your question.

Sova’s birthday party was getting more and more unbearable for him, especially with the mind blowing news he received just moments ago. He needed to go numb, to just let his brain go blank even just for a moment. You weren’t helping the situation, because it was taking all his self-control not to drag you to the nearest broom closet and—

“I know how you get when you’re drunk.” You reply, looking at his shoulders rather than his eyes. He was much taller than you, something he liked to relish in.

You couldn’t help but intrude when you saw him heading for the bar, Sova walking the opposite direction of him. You didn’t see them talk but you could tell he didn’t like being around Sova anyways. And when he’s drunk, he gets a bit violent and destructive. Not the bad kind. He just becomes painfully unaware of how strong he is and just breaks things. During Phoenix’s birthday, they dared him to dance on top of the tables, and he broke them in half.

The tables were made from metal.

“I don’t think that’ll be any of your business.” He reaches for the bottle again, and you switch it between your hands, holding it out of his reach. “It is my business. Sage took extra effort to get this whole party perfect and I’m not gonna let you ruin it with your drunken antics,” you lied, trying to seem uncaring. He furrows his brows at you, his blood simmering under his skin. Ruin it? He would never. He didn’t even think of doing that at all. Not even slightly.

“Oh, sorry if my presence disturbs the party. Wouldn’t want your archer boyfriend to get upset right?” He taunts, trying to confirm what Sova told him before. Her heart is set on no one else but you.

You sigh and shake your head. “He’s not my boyfriend.” You say in defeat. He’s still hung up about it. Rephrase: he’s still hung up about nothing. Sova wasn’t anything to you other than a friend and a teammate. Why couldn’t he see that?

Yoru tries another time to grab the bottle from you and succeeds, your low mood affecting your reflexes. He pops the bottle open and drinks from the spout, not bothering to put it on the glass anymore. “Oh yeah, he’s a brother to you. Although brothers don’t usually confess their love to their sisters, but whatever floats your boat Y/N,” he glares after drinking, his voice full of spite that you almost shudder.

You stood in place, shocked. He knows? How? Did Sova tell him? But you agreed to keep it a secret. Your blood runs cold even with the alcohol in your veins. Yoru knows that he was right to be suspicious. And now he thinks you’ve cheated on him. “I-I…” You start, but he intrudes.

“Strange family dynamic but I’m not judging,” he laughs at his own joke, pushing your arm gently to get you out of your trance. “You lied to me Y/N. You lied to me about him, got me worried sick about you, and you tried to gaslight me into thinking I was wrong,” he smiles an empty smile at you, tossing the whiskey glass over the bar. You don’t hear it shatter, getting caught by the fine sand.

“Why did you have to lie to me?” He asks, shaking his head in disbelief. You clench your fists, looking down guiltily. You thought you could have gotten away with it. But in reality you knew he was bound to find out eventually. You just didn’t think it would be so soon.

“I-I’m so sorry Ryo… I-I thought it would be best you didn’t know! I know you would be mad at me for not seeing it, and angry at Sasha a-and confront him about it,” you start, tears forming and flowing down your cheeks and nose. He tilts his head to the side, listening intently. “I was told that if a fight broke out, one of you w-would be fired from the protocol, a-and I didn’t want to lose you…” You grab your own arm and squeeze, trying to get yourself together.

“Y-you were right, a-and I was wrong and naïve and stupid a-and I broke your trust… I shouldn’t have lied but I was scared what you’d do if you knew you were right about him… I was scared that you’d hate me for being so naïve and not listening to you…” I hate myself for not listening to you, you thought but didn’t say anything of the sort. You didn’t want to turn this into something about you. You hurt Yoru and tried to make it seem like he was the bad guy in all of this, just so you could play peacekeeper.

With that, you were already crying as you stood, and you muffled yourself with your hands. He stood there watching you, wanting to hug you, hold you in his arms, but he couldn’t just do that. You needed to learn your lesson. Seeing you crying was the last thing he wanted tonight.

“Puta no!” You both hear Neon yelp, but it was too late. You didn’t see what happened but somehow Neon short circuited the lights, causing all the lightbulbs to pop above you, surrounding you all in total darkness.

“Merde, has anyone seen my glasses?”

“Everyone, stay calm, the generators will open in any moment.”

“Ow! That was my foot Gekko!”

“I—I’m all the way here! That wasn’t me!”

“Can’t you go up in flames or something Phoenix? We need light!”

“With all the flammables lying around? Do you want to get toast?”

You uncover your face and you couldn’t see anything. You could only hear the sounds of the ocean waves and the ruckus going on in the crowd. You then hear a sigh before you’re dragged by the wrist by someone, Yoru you’re guessing. You stumble after him as he walked quickly, opening a door and ushering you inside. He closes it and you hear a clicking sound.

“They won’t hear us talk here.” He says. You reach out your arms and hit his chest mistakenly. You step back and step on a few things, making sounds. “Will you stop that? They’re going to think there’s someone out there that isn’t us,” he scolds, and you make an angry face at him, or wherever your face was directed to. “I can’t see you!” You complain, reaching for him again until he reaches for your hand and puts it on his cheek. Your heart skips a beat, and you blush. He couldn’t see that though.

“There. Is that better?” He asks, his voice more quiet than usual. You nod, but then remember he can’t see you too. “Y-yeah. Sorry if my hands a-are wet.” You wipe your other hand on your sundress frantically, and he grabs hold of that too and places it on his shoulder. He then grabs your waist, pulling you closer. You start to feel him move side to side, and a picture formed in your head.

You were dancing in the dark.

“I get up in the evening, and I ain’t got nothing to say~” You sang quietly, and he laughs a bit. “I go home in the morning, I go to bed feeling the same way~” You continue, humming.

“I ain’t nothing but tired. Man I’m just tired and bored with myself,” he sings along after a while, and you pull him closer. “Hey there baby, I could use just a little help.”

Can’t start a fire, can’t start a fire without a spark.

This gun’s for hire, even if we’re just dancing in the dark.

“I was dying to dance with you all night,” you admit, whispering it in his ear. He nods, breathing against your neck. “Me too.” He replies quietly. “I missed you so much. So much. I’m so sorry for lying, I’m so sorry for being so naïve and not listening to you. I’m so sorry,” you cry, and he holds you closer, letting you sob on his shoulder.

He was still mad, but hearing how sad and lonely you sound, he knew this was hard on you as it was for him. Miscommunication was a bitch, and you both became a victim to it. Ironic since you had excellent communication systems.

“I understand why you lied to some degree. And you were right, I would’ve murdered him in his sleep. But you know I could’ve gotten away with it,” he chides, and you step on his foot. He feigns hurt but keeps dancing. “You tried to protect me and had the protocol’s best interest in mind. Can’t fault you on that too much. But it still pisses me off that lied. You shouldn’t feel the need to lie to me.

“But that was my fault. You were scared of how I’d act. And yeah, I know I can get carried away most of the time. Just a few minutes ago, I almost broke Sova’s nose,” he chuckles at the thought but continues. “Point is, we both made mistakes.” He finishes with a sigh.

“Please take me back,” you ask, and as soon as you did, the power went on. You adjusted your view, and saw that Yoru was also a bit teary eyed. You smile tenderly and hold his face with your palm, caressing it. “Please take me back. I love you and only you,” you begged. He stops moving both of you and leans into your touch, thinking. He hasn’t seen you this close in a while, and from the bags under your eyes, he could tell how unwell you’ve been without him.

“Promise me you won’t lie to me anymore. Promise me you’ll tell me anything that bothers you, even if you won’t like my initial reaction. And I promise to listen to you more, and to never doubt you again,” he asks, leaning his head on to your hands, melting him like putty. You nod, your smile quivering as you cry. “I promise. I promise,” you were able to blurt out, pouncing on him and hugging him tightly. You both dance again as you hum the lyrics to your favorite song.

They say you gotta stay hungry, hey baby, I’m just about starving tonight

I’m dying for some action, I’m sick of sitting round here tryna write this book

I need a love reaction~

“C’mon now, baby give me just one look,” he pulls away, giving you a smile before he kisses you longingly as you dance the night away. He missed you more than you know. And he was glad that he was your last dance tonight. He wanted to dance with you so bad.

You can't start a fire, sitting 'round crying over a broken heart

This gun's for hire, even if we're just dancing in the dark

You can't start a fire, worrying about your little world falling apart

This gun's for hire

Even if we're just dancing in the dark.

(Tagging: @sv03, thanks for waiting!)

[toreii]

Lost in the Book with Stitch part 22

Disclaimer: This is a fan translation. I apologize for any mistakes. I’m by no means fluent in Japanese, but I try my best. Please, support the official translation when it comes out. Be kind and friendly, and feel free to support me by donating a ko-fi if you’d like. Link is in my description!

Uninhabited Island - Beach

Riddle: “I didn’t think you were really preparing for a campfire…”

Riddle: “When did you collect so many new pieces? Floyd.”

Ace: “I thought I’d be the one to do it. Yesterday’s Floyd-senpai was super excited.”

Jack: “I figured you’d be fed up with this.”

Azul: “He doesn’t give up until he achieves something he doesn’t care about…”

Floyd: “I once saw people make a fire on the beach, and thought I should try it once~.”

Floyd: “Everyone’s sitting around the fire talking. It’s really exciting, isn’t it?”

Lilia: “Not only did you make a wonderful home, but you also had a bonfire ready!”

Lilia: “Sit on a sandy beach where the warmth of the sun remains, listen to the beautiful sound of the waves, and watch the fire…”

Floyd: “This fruit is also delicious. I thought I wouldn't be full with just fruit, but I'm surprisingly satisfied.”

Lilia: “Uh-huh, keep eating. If it’s not enough, I can go pick more.”

Riddle: “Stitch also ate fruits. I wondered what he would do if his eating habits were different from ours.”

Jack: “Being sent to a uninhabited island, I thought it would be a dangerous situation, but it unexpectedly worked out somehow.”

Lilia: “Yeah. There's water and food. It is an island so rich that I find it strange that there are no people here.”

Floyd: “It’s going a little too well, and it’s starting to get boring for me.”

Floyd: “I wonder if there will be more excitement.”

Stitch: !

Ace: “Hm? Stitch, what are you making this time? It’s a small wooden box with thread…”

Floyd: “Oh, I see. It’s a ukulele, right?”

Azul: “It’s true. It’s a simple one, but it sounds like a stringed instrument.”

Stitch:♪

Jack: “You can even play an instrument…you’re really versatile.”

Floyd: “Great~! You even know what music is perfect for bonfires.”

Floyd: “Another ukulele? You want me to play, too?”

Floyd: “Okay. I feel good right now, so I’ll play it.”

Floyd: “Hm. What kind of song should I play?”

Floyd: “I’ve decided.”

Floyd: : ♪

Ace: “I can’t believe Floyd-senpai is playing…it’s so relaxing and beautiful~.”

Lilia: “Hmph. The Pop Music Club’s thunder is stolen.”

Lilia: “Still, I’ll dance to this wonderful music!”

Riddle: “Lilia-senpai puts his hand on his waist, and is dancing around... fufu, looks like he’s having a lot of fun.”

Jack: “It's a dance I've never seen before, but it goes well with the music.”

Lilia: “This is a dance is passed down in the Southern Islands. What do you think?”

Grim: “Nyahaha, I’m dancing, too!”

Grim: “Come on, Yuu and Ace, hurry up.”

Ace: “Huh, oh? No, I don’t think this kind of thing…”

Floyd: “Hmm. Are you trying to say that you can't dance when I play?”

Ace: “I suddenly want to dance!”

Ace: “…Well then. Come on, Yuu, let’s go.”

Yuu:

“Leave it to me!”

Ace: “Huh? Your dancing is surprisingly intense…!”

Floyd: “Ahaha! That’s good, that’s good! Why don’t you swing your arms more?”

“I’m not confident.”

Ace: “I’d be embarrassed if I was fidgeting! This is exciting, exciting.”

Floyd: “What are you afraid of? Shrimpy-chan, you haven't forgotten about the log-collecting punishment game, have you?”

Floyd: “Until I say it’s okay, Baby seal-chan will keep on dancing.”

Ace: “Hey. Get up and dance, Jack.”

Jack: “Hah? I’m good. It’s not a gala…”

Ace: “Oh, are you not confident? It certainly seems that you feel bad about the tempo.”

Jack: “Hah, what? If you say so, let me show you my dance!”

Grim: “It’s simple…”

Grim: “Well then, I'll judge which one is better.”

Ace: “That’s funny. Come on, Jack, get serious. Yuu is also forced to participate!”

Lilia: “Oho. Instead of staring, why don’t Azul and Riddle dance, too.”

Riddle: “M-Me too? I have no experience with this kind of casual dance.”

Azul: “I also practice properly before dancing...”

Lilia: “It’s fine, it’s fine. This kind of thing is exciting.”

Azul: “Woah, don’t pull on my arm! I can’t dance even if I’m suddenly told to!”

Lilia: “Don't worry. Just let the music take over and let your body move freely.”

Azul: “Even if you say that…my legs are tangled.”

Riddle: “Everyone is dancing happily. Fufu, it's bad manners to sit down when everyone is dancing excitingly.”

Riddle: “Azul, let's dance, too.Even if you mess up, I'll lead you so you can rest easy.”

Azul: “Riddle-san... With such jerky and awkward movements, I can say that you will lead with full confidence.”

Riddle: “I just don't remember this strange dance! I'll learn it soon.”

Azul: “It has become ridiculous to hesitate.Let's dance, too.”

Azul: “I'm not very familiar with this dance…but, at least I think I have a better sense of rhythm than Riddle-san.”

Floyd: “Everyone is doing so good. Let’s raise the tempo! Go ahead, Stitch.”

Stitch: “ROCK ’N ROLL!”

To be continued…

[taiyaki-translations]

Autumn Cafeteria - Fall for All 4

Season: Autumn

Characters: Yuta, Koga, Tsukasa

Translator: taiyaki-translations

Proofreader: raspberrytls

<A few hours later, in front of Café Cinnamon>

Tsukasa: It’s getting late, so this should be the last one for today. Well, let's do our best ♪

Yuta: Y-Yeah...

Koga: Ugh…

Tsukasa: ? What’s the matter, you two?

Yuta: I’ve been ordering on the assumption that we’re café-hopping (1), but this is already the fifth one…

Koga: Yuta and I usually only get somethin' to drink…

How are ya orderin’ sweets every time? Is this what they mean when they say people have a separate stomach for dessert?

Tsukasa: T-That's...! I just thought that it would be best to try their ‘special products’ as part of our inspection.

You won’t know what it looks or tastes like unless you order it, after all…

...Uu. Did I eat too much? I'm sorry to have shown you this disgraceful side of me.

Koga: What are ya apologizin’ for? We ain’t angry, we’re actually impressed. Yuta and I ain’t big fans of sweets, ya see.

Yuta: Right, right. Actually, it’s been very helpful. We wouldn’t be able to judge how good the sweets taste.

Being able to eat lots of sweets is also a talent, isn’t it?

Tsukasa: Oogami-senpai, Yuta-kun… I am honored by your compliments.

Leave it to me. I, Tsukasa Suou, will eat on your behalf!

Koga: No, you don't need to get so worked up. You won’t be able to eat dinner at this rate.

Tsukasa: T-That's true. Then, in moderation…

Are there any seats available…? How about in that corner over there?

Yuta: Sure. The corner is cozy~

Koga: Here’s the menu... Hm, there are new sweets, huh?

Tsukasa: New Sweets... ♪

Yuta: Ahaha, your eyes are sparkling~ You really like sweets, dontcha?

Oogami-senpai, can I look at the menu with you?

Koga: This is called “White Rabbit Mont Blanc,” a soft rice cake cracker shaped like a rabbit’s ears. It says “In collaboration with Shino Hajime” here. So he’s working with ‘em?

Tsukasa: It's the winning entry in the Idea Contest. This café occasionally accepts suggestions from the public. These sweets are offered for a limited time only.

Yuta: Ooh, you know a lot, huh?

Tsukasa: Actually, I’ve been trying to submit something for a while now. But I always end up coming up with an Idea only to shelve it.

Koga: Hmm~... But you’ve got an idea, even if it's just a vague one.

How about we try servin' it at the café?

Tsukasa: Eh? You mean the Sweets I came up with?

Koga: Yeah. We’ve seen other places offer limited-time menu items— they make ya curious to know what they’re like so people are more likely to check them out, right?

If we have somethin’ like that, regulars and new customers will wanna try it, won’t they?

Tsukasa: I see… It’s a good idea to stimulate interest with limited time offers.

Will my idea match expectations, though? It’s just something I came up with on a whim…

Koga: It’s only at the idea stage and you’re already gripin’?

Once it gets approved and we brush it up, your sweets idea is gonna get released into the world, ya know? Think positive.

Yuta: If you're not sure, why don’t we try making it ourselves before discussing it with the owner?

Actually, there's a dessert I'd like to try making, too~

Koga: I thought you weren’t a fan of sweets?

Yuta: That’s actually the reason why. Aren’t we surrounded by people with sweet tooths?

As nice as it is to see them eat so happily, doesn’t it get a little boring that we can’t join in?

I’d like to make some desserts that aren’t too sweet, so that people who don't like too much sugar can also enjoy them...♪

<After school the next day, Garden Terrace kitchen>

Tsukasa: —Here, this is my concept of what the finished Sweet will look like ♪

Yuta: Ah~ It’s a parfait. Kinda reminds me of last year~ (2)

Tsukasa & Koga: Last year?

Tsukasa: …Ha!?

I-It's nothing. Yuta-kun, please don't say it.

Yuta: There's nothing to hide anymore, though? We all know you like sweets.

Mitsuru-kun invited the two of us to a coffee shop in the downtown area. The menu had a lot of options.

He couldn’t choose between the parfaits and didn’t want to regret not trying the ones he didn’t end up getting, so he said, “I’ll have one of each, from the top to the bottom of this page, please.”

Tsukasa: Ugh, this is embarrassing…

Koga: Hm. So there are people other than Adonis who can do something like that.

That guy also likes sweets. He already conquered all the sweets on the menu at a coffee shop downtown.

Yuta: Mitsuru-kun said that Otogari-senpai recommended the shop to him, so maybe it's the same one? It would be an amazing sight if Tsukasa-kun and Otogari-senpai went together.

Sweets on the table as far as the eye can see, their aroma filling up the entire restaurant~…

Koga: Ugh, I'm gettin' heartburn just thinkin' about it.

Yuta: Me too. Even though I said it myself, I feel a bit sick…

Koga: We're gettin' off track. Let's get back to makin' that "Red-headed Young Master's Parfait (name subject to change)".

Tsukasa: What kind of name is that... While the two of you were talking, I finished prepping the ingredients.

Yuta: All that’s left to do is arrange it like the finished concept. You’re very handy~

Tsukasa: Fufun. Making “Sweets” is a speciality of "Knights"…♪

Translation Notes: 1. Yuta says 梯子する which literally means “to do ladder”. It comes from hashigo-zake (はしご酒), ladder alcohol, which is the Japanese term for bar-hopping. Nowadays,  梯子する can be used for any kind of restaurant. You can read more about it here. 2. Referring to the story Fruits Parlor.

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[naraven]

FALL IN FALL

synopsis: when you finally decide to go to the local flower shop for your latest client, what you didn't expect was for the part timer there to be cute. also he's somewhat of an asshole but that doesn't deter you from falling for him anyway.

an: yes that's right, i'm trying to write a series/set of drabbles on a brainrot that ruined me while i had covid! thanks for reading, you deserve a pat on the back for dealing with this.

cw: none, scara is a bit of a meanie, mc is big stupid(the self insert is real)

wc: 2.2k

Season comes and goes to return And love comes and goes to leave Memories come and go to stay still And that season has come back

It all started when the bell hanging from the glass door jingled, swinging back and forth to notify Kuni of a customer.

He echoes a small “Welcome in.” and let’s them go on about their business. They make no indication of whether they heard him or not.

He glances up to see who it is, then quickly looks away when he notices it’s not anyone he knows. They aren’t going straight to him, instead slowly wandering around the store aimlessly. He can sit and wait for them to finish whatever they’re doing and hope they leave him alone.

He looks toward the stranger in the shop two more times. First, to see them looking everywhere frantically, scouring the store for what they need. Second, to see them giving up and staring at a Cecilia for what seemed like 10 minutes at least. Kuni elected to ignore them from then on, thinking it better to just let them be. If they were going to be weird in his store, as long as they aren’t actively causing harm to him or the store it’s fine.

That was, until, he was checking on the newly delivered Rukkhashava Mushrooms and he heard a voice behind him, “Excuse me?”

He closes his eyes, sighing as quietly as he could through his mouth, before turning around with a small smile and asks “Yes?”

“Sorry to bother you, do you have any sweet flowers?

…Hmmm. Maybe he misheard. Would anyone try looking for the most common type of flower in the world in a flower shop? Why would you go out of your way to buy them in the first place?

“I’m sorry, did you say sweet flowers?”

With a completely straight face, they nod yes. He can feel his left eye twitch and has to hold himself back from audibly saying anything bad, thinking back to Auntie Nahida’s hour long scolding on how to treat strangers.

“I’m… Afraid we don’t. If you need sweet flowers, you could try a nearby park to see if there are any there.”

“Oh yeah.”

Kuni had to physically restrain himself from strangling this person. “OH YEAH” his ass, how did they not think of this before walking in here?? Did they not see any sweet flowers growing between the cracks in the sidewalk?

He suppresses his desire to wrangle the stranger by laughing lightly.

“Ahaha, it’s all good. Do you need anything else?”

“Do you have any… Kalpalata Lotuses, Padisarahs, and Dendrobiums? One of each.”

“…I’m sorry, we don’t sell individual flowers either.”

Kuni could feel the migraine setting in when he sees their brows furrow. He felt kind of bad, but you have to understand that he has never had to tell someone that they couldn’t buy sweet flowers. Here.

“Ok then, a bouquet with all three would be perfect. Is - Is that okay?”

Maybe his expression had changed into one that was too harsh, judging by the nervous grin he was presented. He sighs as the stranger in front of him brings their hand to the side of their neck, slowly rubbing against a strange pattern winding down their shoulder. He makes note of the dark blue, almost black drawing of a strange looking flower near their clavicle.

“That’s- fine. Please wait here.”

Kuni gathers some Kalpalata Lotuses and Dendrobiums out from the display while going to the back for a couple of Padisarahs. When he brings them out, he can see the person grabbing their wrist where a watch laid tightly against their skin. The cash register’s little ding! echoes across the store.

“Here you are. Your total is $13.56, are you paying with cash or credit?”

“Cash. Here you go.”

He watches them fish out a ten and five dollar bill, fingers touching against their gloved ones. He sees another pattern on their skin peaking out from beneath the glove, travelling up to about midway up their forearm. He fishes out the coins from the register and places it into their covered palms.

He hands over the freshly wrapped bouquet, watching as they hold it as if they were holding a persons’ face. Never in Kuni’s life had he seen anyone hold a bouquet so closely to their face without the intent to smell it.

He watches in morbid fascination as they walk out the shop with a fresh bouquet of the most contrasting colored flowers. But really, he can’t judge anyone’s favorite plants when his favorites were a strange looking mushroom.

~

The second time you enter into the flower shop across the street, you see the cute part-timer spraying some large leaves with gloved hands. You aren’t one to comment on how people look, but he looks as stunningly pretty as the last time. Maybe when you get closer to him you can ask what his skincare routine is.

You carefully close the door behind you, bell chiming charmingly in your ears. You see the part-timer turn his neck to see you and shove your hands into your pocket.

“I won’t waste as much of your time today, do you have any Qingxin and Glaze Lilies?”

His large eyes blink without any sort of indication of how he feels. Man, tough crowd as always.

“I’m afraid we’re out of Glaze Lilies at the moment. If you’d like, I can give some seeds for you instead?”

Oh, darn. And you kind of needed the Glaze Lilies more, too. The client booked two weeks on Thursday and it was Tuesday today.

“How fast do they grow? I need at least one within the next couple weeks.”

He closes his eyes to think, bringing a hand to his chin to think, and he gestures you over to the counter. You lean on your elbows to look at him rummage through a basket.

“If you want to see bulbs form, you should expect to see them in a year at least.” Oh. “Glaze Lilies are on the bigger side so they take about a year or two to fully bloom.”

Ok then growing is out of the question. You really, really didn’t want to be delegated to looking at image references again.

“Do you know when you’ll have Glaze Lilies in stock again?”

“It’s quite early in the month, so probably early next month? We had a big order of them pretty early on and we restock near the beginning of the month.”

Wow, fuck that random person who bought all the Glaze Lilies. Didn’t they know that you had clients to ink?? Your disappointment is immeasurable and your day is ruined.

“You look like you need Glaze Lilies pretty quickly. If you want, I can try and find some for you.”

Your savior speaks up in front of you. Man, did you look so pitiful as to warrant such a response from a part-timer?

“If it’s too much trouble to find a single flower, it’s ok. I’ll look elsewhere, but thank you for your offer.”

His eyes narrow and admittedly you simp harder, “You’re giving up that easily? You’re clearly in need of those lilies, I’ll give you your lilies.”

His dedication is admirable. As long as you get your hands on one, it should be ok, right? Captain shouldn’t be bothered as long as you do a good job at making the Glaze Lily come to life…

“If you insist. Really, part-timer, if it’s too much work don’t force yourself.”

Just as he’s about to retort, you chime in with a “Oh, but you can give me those Qingxin right now, right? Those’ll do for now.”

He sees your dismissiveness on the topic and sighs. He really does hate dealing with idiots, but just this once he’ll overlook how sad and pathetic you are for one flower.

“What could you possibly need a Glaze Lily for in the near future? Just to have something pretty to look at?”

This is your moment, “If I wanted that, I would just come here everyday to check out the cute part-timer that works here.”

Nailed it. You inwardly smirk at the slowly rising redness on the part-timer’s neck that would otherwise go unnoticed.

Unfortunately, he doesn’t say anything besides shove the small bouquet of Qingxin into your chest. He’s kind of shy, but you don’t mind the quiet ones. In fact, it’s all the more fun to see them sputter when you push the right buttons.

“That’s on the house. You can pay for them when you come back for the Glaze Lilies. Now go and do whatever you want with those flowers, it’s none of my business!”

You laugh as you skip towards the door. The bell rings out across and you can hear the sounds of the city louder than ever, tires skidding and peoples’ voices all turning into one cacophonous noise.

“It’s for a client! I’ll take a picture and show you when I’m done, part-timer!”

He sighs and looks as though he’s contemplating something. Just as you were about to leave, he calls out,

“My name isn’t part-timer, it’s Kuni! If you don’t come back and show me what you do with the flowers, I’m making you pay double the amount for those Qingxin!”

Now you really don’t want to know how much these Qingxin cost. Best to just not know for now, this is a problem that future you could figure out.

“Ok then, Kuni, I’ll show you my work in three weeks time! Until then, bye bye!~”

You run to the intersection and sprint to your humble abode, the Crux Parlor. Cradling the Qingxin given to you by Kuni, you greet the rest of your coworkers and rush to the back room to grab your sketch pencil and notebook.

It struck you that Kuni had no idea what you actually did for a living. You just suddenly burst into his store and demanded flowers from him. If someone walked into your store and demanded flowers from you, you’d understandably be kind of freaked out too.

As you grab one of the Qingxin, you stare at it and smell it. You’ve had Qingxin as herbs before, and the bitterness of it still lingers on your tongue when you think back to when you tasted the pasty white medicine. The smell, on the other hand, is rather mild. It smells rather fresh, since you watched Kuni cut it off from the stem, and also kind of…cool? It’s hard to verbalize, but you can’t say you hate it.

The petals are thinner than you thought they were but they don’t rip easily. Would Kuni like Qingxin? He seems to care for all the plants in the shop; he’s always watering or taking the plants in the back to the sun for the day. Such a busy body, that guy.

As you finally start sketching, you think back to how his eyes are always so expressive. His lavender colored irises always narrow when you say something stupid and his mouth is always twisting into a smug smirk or a flustered line. You noticed how he half bit his lips when you teased him a little earlier. How cute.

Oh, and now you have a full sketch of the cute part-timer. How simp-like of you. It looks way too good to just erase so you’ll just open up to a new page-

“Whozzat?”

You cover the sketch with your hands (like that did anything to cover it) but your dear manager rips your hand off and takes your notebook to look at the charcoal sketching.

“Beidouuu give it back! Right NOW!!”

Damn her and her giant muscly arms! Your stick thin limbs can barely even get past her shoulders, curse your genetic weakness!

“Is this the guy from the shop across the street you won’t shut up about? He’s cute, I say go for it!”

“That’s not the point, I just needed flowers from him!”

Beidou hits your forehead with your notebook, laughing at your face. You imagine this is how Kuni looked like when you teased him.

“Alright, but I thought you needed other flowers too? Where’re those?”

You tuck your notebook underneath your arm on the table, sighing as your flop down on your forearms, “He said they didn’t have any. I’m praying that he has some soon.”

Beidou hums loudly behind you and pats your shoulder way too hard. She talks about how you should shoot your shot but you’re still too embarrassed by her words to focus on what she’s saying. When she goes elsewhere to talk to your other coworkers, you peak into your notebook again to see Kuni’s face again. It makes you want to sketch another one of him.

Hm, you drew him too pretty for a sketch.

[akehoshimystar]

Chapter 1

"… See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil when it comes to other people's secrets and your own." "That's the safest way to do it…"

Ito: ………

There is still a slight feeling in my palm, as if I had been clenching it a moment ago. I woke up, slowly undoing my stiffness.

Ito: (…………A dream. I don't know what it was, but it’s kind of… scary) (……Sheesh, I can't remember a thing. It's okay… It’s nothing important…) …………… ………….Wait, what time is it now!?

Ito: (That was close. It's too much of a nuisance to be late today…..) (……Ah.) ………………Kamiya-kun.

Kamiya: Oh, deputy. Mornin’! Ito: Good morning. Kamiya: Did you even have breakfast? I think today will be pretty tough, but I look forward to your support. Ito: Same here.

As I was dazzled by his greeting and smile, which showed no trace of lethargy…. The words I've been repeating for a while came to my mind again.

Ito: (It really is unexpected.) (I can't believe there's someone like this in the ST Dept…)

ST Dept. Their main role is personal security. A service that is only available to a limited number of customers, and the fee is higher than that from the other departments. They deal with clients and situations where it is difficult to use security services elsewhere. The department where the most dangerous jobs are concentrated in Aporia…..

Ito: (….. Or so I heard. I just assumed that the atmosphere of the people who work for that department would be nothing like what Kamiya-kun shows.)

Customer 1: Excuse me. Is this gapao very spicy? Kamiya: I wouldn’t go so far to say that it’s super spicy, but you can still feel the spiciness.

Customer 2: Can still feel it, huh… I wonder if I can handle that. Kamiya: If you are interested in gapao, you can order something else today.. And I'll put a little of it on the edge of the plate. Customer 1: Eh! Really? Kamiya: It's really just a bite, enough to know the taste. Also, it’s because I couldn't serve you the almond tofu you were looking forward to the other day. Customer 2: You remember that? Wow, I'm so happy…! Ito: ……… (They say you can't judge a book by its cover… but even so, the contrast is just very apparent.)

The restaurant was bustling with customers at lunchtime. While helping out in the dining area in place of Mao-san, who had do a special service at short notice, I had that impression of Kamiya-kun. Although he was away for a while on a business trip, he was said to be “one of the main forces who can be entrusted with running the cafe in Kise-san’s absence.” Even though the number of staff was down to less than half, he’s still calm, cheerful, and efficient.

Kamiya: ? Ito: (Crap, he caught me staring.) Kamiya: Oh, that was fast. You're almost done wiping everything now, thanks. Maybe I deliberated how to arrange a cutlery set too fast. Shall I explain it one more time? Ito: No, no. It's fine. I was just observing the way you serviced. Kamiya: Oh, so you're watching… No, stop it. I don’t think it’s something that’s worth your time.

Kamiya: Sorry for bothering you when you're busy, Shinobu-kun. I'll write it here just in case, but please serve the iced tea with extra syrup on the side at table A. Also, some customers are saying it's a bit cold, so I'll go get some blankets. Shinobu: Okay. Have a safe trip.

Ito: (Ah.)

I suddenly noticed that a plate had just been put out from the kitchen behind the bar counter.

Ito: (Alright…)

The friendly atmosphere created by Kamiya-kun and Aizawa-kun had begun to relax my mind before I started to pulled myself together and walked over there.

Yu: Table F. Ito: Thank you. Yu: Table A will be coming soon. Ito: Got it.

Shinobu: I'll make a drink then. Ito: Yes, please. Shinobu: Ahaha. What a polite reply. Yu: ……. Ito: (Haa… No good, just talking makes my hands sweat.)

Nina Yu-san. A staff member in charge of the kitchen, and is one of the cafe members who comes to work a lot…. But he is also a cool type who doesn't speak much. So far, I have never exchanged words with him outside of work.

Ito: (…Maybe the reason why Kamiya-kun's personality is so surprising to me is because Nina-san is the only member of the ST Dept. I've met.) (Well, I was the one who assumed everyone was like him.)

He doesn't actively interact with those around him, and it's clear that he has created a huge wall. Unless he has some kind of work-related interaction… or a special request for the ST Dept., which is "supposedly rare”. I may continue to maintain this distance from Nina-san. I don't think there's anything wrong with that. "Appropriate distance" is different for each person.

Ito: (……Okay, now all the food has been served. I guess we're past the peak time now?) Shinobu: I'm off to number 3 for a bit. Ito: Take care. (3…… Is it a restroom?) (Come to think of it, the number used depends on the store. If my memory serves me right, the place where I used to work part-time at was number 1…)

Yu: Yashiro. Ito: Eh.

Aizawa-kun has just left the bar counter, and Kamiya-kun is rushing to check the bill. It’s just me and him now. I turned around to check if my guess is correct. And my eyes met with Nina-san who peaked through from the kitchen.

Yu: …………Yashiro Ito. Right? Ito: Yes, it’s Yashiro. (Did he remember my name? I've never been called by that name before, so I thought he didn't know it…) (Although that was so unexpected that I ended up looking back as if I was in a horror movie.) Yu: I'll make a meal for you, so choose. Since we don't have enough chicken, that leaves 2 choices, pasta or gapao. Ito: Oh, yes. Thank you. I'm fine with either. Also, I'll check with Kamiya-kun and Aizawa-kun once they’re back. Yu: Actually, Kamiya and Aizawa told me to ask you. As a thank for your help. Ito: (Oh, how considerate of them…) What about Kise-san and Kosaka-san? Yu: Kosaka won't eat today's menu. And when I asked Kise, all he said was "I'll eat anything". Ito: ……I see? (You really eat everything with great joy, Kise-san.) (But I guess "I'll eat anything" is a problem for Nina-san. Pasta or gapao… What should I pick…?) Yu: .….Some say gapao is spicy. Ito: Eh? Yu: So it’s not really Kamiya’s and Aizawa’s favorite. Ito: …………Then, can I have pasta please? Yu: Okay.

Nina-san took his eyes off me after a short reply and started preparing my meal with efficient movements.

Ito: ………. (Apart from Kamiya-kun, who is in the same department, he even knows Aizawa-kun's preference. He’s also considerate. I see.)

It's a small thing, but that's why I felt warm from Nina-san's thoughtfulness. Even if he's a cool type, he's not a cold person.

Ito: (Maybe ST Dept. might not be the kind of department I thought it was.) (I mean… I still don't know who the other two are, so I can't say anything yet…)

Then the door opened….

Kamiya: Welcome…Ah.

A woman in a suit with dignified aura and Kise-san has entered the store.

Yuzuru: Good work. Have you already taken the last order for lunch? Kamiya: Everything is fine for now. Yuzuru: Great. Then please show one more person in. Ito: Right away, sir. Yuzuru: Well then, Nakahara-sama, that’s all from me. I'll get back to you later. Nakahara: Thank you very much. Ito: (… Maybe she came to the office to request special service?)

Kamiya: …..We finally managed to get through it… Thank you for the help, deputy. Ito: Don’t mention it. You also supported me a lot… I’m glad if I was of help even a little bit. Kamiya: You deserve all the credits. With how crowded it was today, it was definitely impossible for just me and Shinobu-kun to manage. Ah, I’m seriously hungry right now. Time to eat! Ito: Thanks for the meal…Hmm? (There's something stuck on the locker.)

“Thanks for today. I left some donuts on Ito’s table, eat them with everyone. Mao”

Kamiyas Huh? What's that note? Ito: It's from Mao-san. Looks like he bought some donuts for us, I'll go get them from the office. Kamiya: Donuts!? Seriously? Yay. Ito: Do you like it that much? Kamiya: “Like” is putting it lightly. It’s a creation sent from God to me. Ito: (His eyes are shining brighter than ever.) (Yuragi-kun also ate sweets that were said to irritate his throat, so I guess he has quite a sweet tooth too.)

As I registered that thought, I headed to the office.

Girl: ! Ito: ……Eh?

When I opened the door, a little girl was sitting on the sofa in the reception area.

Chapter 2

[verycharismaticdragon]

On Air Island - chapter 3 - part 6

navigation: [prev] - [next]

catching up: ch.1 [full video] - ch.2 p.1 - story so far [transcript]

other: [character guide] - [to avoid sp⊘ilers]

Me utterly delighted with the chance to show you more Ezra like a kid who caught a crab at the beach and is now running around showing it off to everyone. Look at him!

(the transcript is available below the poll, under keep reading)

Uh-oh the girls are fightingggg (again) (now with more girls).

Transcript legend:

In-game text

Character speaking: dialogue line

regular chat message Donation: donation message

available donation messages

{ Alternative translation }

|| 🏅 award (achievement) collected ||

———— ———— ————

Jin: Well…… make yourself comfortable. 

[player] donated 50 Small Clover: Ezra keeps noticing me. { Ezra keeps paying attention to you }

Hanse: Did he? Let me ask you something. { Oh? Is that so? Let me ask. }

artofhan: Yeah iamfan: He is looking at him so intensely iamfan: *shaking*

Hanse: Ezra, if you have anything to say to me……

MoMoliza: Wow those two got a nice visual combination

Ezra: Oh, my God… Did you really notice? { Oh, my… was it that obvious? }

forhanse: I got enlightened by watching the show

Hanse: I can't believe it…………!

nohanse: Startled Hanse

Ezra: Ahaha, I wasn't expecting that reaction.

Ezra: It's no big deal, maybe you could sit next to me… I was thinking about that. { It’s nothing special, ‘should I ask him to sit next to me’… that’s what I was thinking. }

iceice33: Last time, Hanse said they wanted to get close, so I like them more now (It’s definitely not because of their face) { I think Hanse said he wanted to be friends with him last time, so I feel more favorable towards him for no reason (it’s definitely not because of his face) } 97amy: Anyone can tell it’s because of his face. Onemore: Ezra is flirting with Hanse again??

Hanse: Well, I'd love it if you would……! I would have come and sat down. { I, I would appreciate it if you did ask……! I would have come and sat down right away. }

EatDuck: Ohooo GeeksWay: It’s worth to watch clover30: Let’s keep our eyes on this

Ezra: Really? I'm glad to hear you say that.

BIGNING: He looks really delighted BeASolo: Look at that expression! 

Hanse: Speaking of which, how did you get into broadcasting? { Come to think of it, everyone, what prompted you to participate in this show? }

9nine: Eh?? Meu1: He is suddenly mc-ing? HeIsGod: He really got these leader vibes in him SaMSiKi: It’s like a talk show hanspor: LOL GuSa: a talk show? LOL

All: ……………

Jin: ……I'm opening a campsite soon.

Jin: To promote it in advance… to get the word out.

Star1han: WOW Storia: I should go once she opened it nazang12: Like, she is trustworthy, just look at the way she light the fire Saesae: As expected from a survival master itsmine: I’m sure that I will survive in uninhabited place as long as she is with me

Alice: What? But it hasn't opened yet, has it?

Alice: What's the point of promoting it now?

9contest: Eek Flos: HAHAHAHAHA hasiopea: I know right jimjman: Jin are you a thinker? { Sis, didn’t your MBTI have a T in it…? } Onemore: That’s true though { lmaooooooo for real }

Jin: I'm going to put my name on the campsite, and I'm going to advertise it over and over again on social media and my personal channels. { I will put my name on the campsite, and continue to promote it through social media and my personal channel. }

JinJira: WOW onmang: Jin’s camping ground 178x181: She got a plan! GuardHim: So she starring in this because of her business

Jin: I'm offended, so don't judge me so easily. { It’s unpleasant, don’t just judge others as you please. }

winkhans: Whut… captain: She did though… Hsworld: But why do I feel like she is just being harsh to Alice?

Alice: Heh, heh, heh! I was worried about you!

tissueak: Uh-huh lookatme: Are they fighting again? Blinkhan: It’s a bit too much tbh HeIsBaby: Hanse being trapped in the middle of a fight again…

Stop them before they get into a fight.

This is exciting. Let's pop some popcorn.

[archiveikemen]

Liam Evans Main Story: Chapter 21 (Blind Love)

I do not own any of the Ikemen Series content being uploaded on this blog, everything belongs to CYBIRD. Please support them by playing their games and buying stories. Not 100% accurate, expect mistakes.

read this before interacting with my posts

Liam: I don't ever want to disappear before your eyes again.

There was a passionate look in his rose coloured eyes as he gazed at me, and I was so mesmerised that I forgot how to breathe.

We’ve exchanged glances like this many times, but somehow that felt like it was the first time.

The slight change made my heart go crazy.

It made me want to embrace the change.

Liam: Hey, Kate.

Liam: I couldn’t take your hand back then. However—

Liam: However…

While his face contorted as he tried to force out the words that were caught in his throat, I shook my head.

Kate: You don’t have to force yourself to say something. You can tell me when you're ready to.

Liam: … Okay.

Liam: Thanks… Kate.

Kate: You’re welcome?

Liam: Ahaha, why did that sound like a question?

Kate: Fufu, I wonder.

When we looked at each other and burst into laughter, I realised that it had been a while since we last laughed together.

The tiny change that might seem insignificant to others was so precious to me that it caused a yearning feeling in my heart.

…

The next day, Liam and I headed for The Scala.

It was to put into action the plan William proposed, and—

As usual, all the troupe members were present at The Scala, practising their vocalisations and rehearsing for the play.

Tom’s eyes met Liam’s while he was mixing around with the troupe members and earnestly guiding them.

Tom: … Li… Liam.

Liam: … Tom.

Liam: … Tom… I… you...

Before Liam could explain himself, Tom ran up to him and threw his arms around him.

Tom: You don’t have to say anything. … You’re here now, and that’s all that matters to me.

(Tom must have so many questions he wants to ask Liam, but his happiness from seeing him has surpassed them.)

Liam: … I’m sorry. And, thank you.

Troupe Member: Uwa, Tom and Liam are flirting with each other again!

Troupe Member 2: Are you okay with that, Kate? He’s being unfaithful, he’s a cheater!

We smiled at each other as the troupe members watched and teased us.

Liam: Anyway, Tom, I have something to discuss with you— I mean, with everyone here at The Scala.

Tom: Judging from the look on your face, it must be something as important as a love confession.

Tom: OK, I’ll have everyone gather.

When Tom called out to them, everyone gathered around Liam and I.

(Everyone at The Scala should never know about me being a fairytale writer and the existence of Crown.)

Anyone who found out about that secret would have only one possible fate awaiting them — being silenced.

When I thought about it, I knew that the plan would be anything but calm, and I could get a sense of the lengths William would go to.

It seemed that Liam was thinking the same thing, and he spoke with an even more serious look on his face.

Liam: Long story short — there is a message I want to send to all of England, through the use of this play.

Liam briefly explained that a dangerous organisation in England by the name of “Golden Butterfly” that had once been annihilated was showing signs of reviving its activities.

Due to the identity of the mastermind behind its revival being unknown, the plan was to make use of theatre to convey the message “stop the revival”.

(It might not sound very convincing because he left out some pieces of information to avoid putting everyone at risk.)

Liam: I can’t reveal the reason why I want to destroy that organisation. … I’m sorry.

Liam: But I know for sure that if we leave them as they are, more people will be hurt.

Liam: Therefore, I hope that all of you will agree to help me…

Kate: … I, too, would like to ask the same of everyone.

Tom: …

Tom: Lift your heads, Kate and Liam. The answer to your request for help is YES.

Kate • Liam: …!

Tom: What does the art of stage acting exist for? It exists for the people.

Tom: We believe that theatre has the miraculous ability to move the hearts of people. Is that right, all of you?

The eyes of the troupe members around us were filled with passion, hope, and trust.

Tom: It’s time for The Scala to come together and destroy that wicked organisation…!

Entire Troupe: Woooo…!

Troupe Member 1: Don’t we look like heroes standing up for justice?

Troupe Member 2: Yes, yes. I’m getting all pumped up!

Liam: Oh—... uhm.

It was rather funny to see Liam being the only one standing there awkwardly amidst everyone being excited and calling the plan “justice”.

Tom: Moreover…

Tom: This is the first time you’ve ever asked us for a favour. Therefore, we’ll do everything possible to help you!

Liam: … —anks.

Liam’s soft ��thanks” reached my ears as I stood next to him.

Bianca: Men! It’s nice to get excited, but we should at least decide on the play first!

Bianca: Right, Kate?

Kate: Fufu, you’re right.

Tom: I’ll write a script that will include the existence of “Golden Butterfly” in the story and will make the crowd go wild.

Tom: Word won’t spread all over England if the story is boring, right?

Liam: In that case, how about “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”?

I recalled the time Tom had previously explained to us what he wanted The Scala to play.

"The story is set in 15th Century Paris. At the Notre Dame Cathedral, there was a man named Quasimodo.

Quasimodo spent his days alone at the top of the tall tower ringing the bells, never knowing what the outside world was like.

One day, he met a beautiful dancer named Esmeralda and fell in love with her."

Liam: I’ve read the original, and I thought “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” was a story about battles.

Liam: Battles against fate and things that hurt oneself. … I don’t know how to phrase this better, but I just think that this story is perfect for our current situation.

(Everything Liam just said are truths. They’re all precious things that I treasure.)

(However, Liam’s tone… it sounds different from before.)

He was definitely saying those things out of his own will, and it moved the hearts of everyone present and mine as well.

The gentle warmth melted the ice.

Everyone present nodded in agreement.

Tom: Then it’s decided, The Scala’s next production will be “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”. So, Liam—

Tom: I still want you to play the role of Quasimodo, the main character. Will you accept the role?

Liam: …

Liam: What do you think, Kate?

There was a hint of fear in those eyes in front of me, but the old dangerous tendency to invalidate one's own will in order to satisfy others was no longer there.

Kate: What do YOU want to do, Liam?

Liam: I…

Liam: What do /I/ want to do, huh?

Fearful of taking the first step, Liam’s lips trembled.

Liam: I want to play the role of Quasimodo. I’ll do my very best, so please let me do it.

Tom: … Of course.

Tom: Now that it’s been decided, I shall make the necessary changes to the script! There’s the stage setting to take care of as well. Things will get very busy from now on.

Liam: Ahaha, that’s right.

…

We worked days and nights to prepare for the performance of “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”.

During that period of time, we received some unexpected help—

Troupe Member: Kate, Liam, over here!

(Huh…?)

The members of the theatrical troupe were holding more lavish packed lunches than their arms could carry.

Troupe Member: It was delivered to us without prior notice, but the sender didn’t leave a name. We only have this message card.

Liam: …?

“To my beloved Liam and Kate.

I made these myself, so please enjoy them with everyone there.

Wishing you all the best for your performance.”

Kate • Liam: … It’s Victor.

Troupe Member: I was about to throw them away because they could be a bad prank, but they looked too delicious…

Liam: Pfft, ahaha. A prank?

Liam: This is from a very passionate fan of mine and Kate’s. All of you can be rest assured and eat up.

< timeskip >

Troupe Member: I need to put this curtain up, but I can’t reach that height. Does anyone have a ladder—

Ellis: … You want to put this up? Alright, let me help you.

Troupe Member: Huh…?

Ellis unexpectedly dropped by the theatre to help out and was able to get much of the work done easily with his amazing agility.

Bianca: Liam. You sure have a few rather… unusual friends.

Liam: Mm, that’s true.

Ellis: Kate, Liam, is there anything else that needs to be done?

Kate: Oh, in that case—

(... Everyone is doing what they can to help out.)

Every time, Liam would smile, a little bewildered, but he was genuinely happy.

He savoured every subtle act of kindness like each one of them was a miracle.

(... I’ve been by Liam’s side for quite a while, but this is the first time I’m seeing this side of him.)

I didn’t want to miss out on any changes that could possibly be happening in Liam’s heart.

My gaze was naturally drawn to him, like a butterfly attracted to a flower.

When we were almost done with the preparations for the play, an unexpected “guest” came to the theatre for Liam.

Liam: … Harry.

Kate: Huh?

We went up to the second floor of the theatre and saw Harrison leaning against a wall, staring at the stage.

Harrison: Haha, you’re too quick to notice. I intended to keep watching for a little more before calling out to you.

Harrison: Looks like all of you have been working and rehearsing hard. Good work.

Kate: By any chance, are you here to help?

Harrison: No way, I’m not such a kind person.

Harrison: Now, I did something else instead.

He looked at us as we cocked our heads in puzzlement, and narrowed his mint coloured eyes that could see through lies.

Harrison: There’s a limit to the amount of people you can convey your message to, if you rely solely on your performance.

Harrison: That means that your message might not reach the initiator of the revival of “Golden Butterfly”, who could be somewhere else in England.

(Um, so that means—)

Kate: In order to spread this one drop of poison throughout England, we need to make it a popular topic for conversation…?

Harrison: Yeah, exactly.

Harrison pulled a letter out of his pocket and waved it at us.

Kate: An invitation to the play?

Harrison: I made a request to an acquaintance in the publication industry to invite journalists from newspaper publishers and magazines to the play.

Harrison: If they enjoy the play, they’ll publish huge articles about it.

Harrison: Ah, and of course this invitation is real. I spoke to Tom Crawford, and he gave me this seat.

Liam: Could it be that…

Liam: You’ve been working behind the scenes?

Harrison: This is one of my missions. All I did was get my job done.

Harrison: If the performance is of poor quality, our plan will be a failure. Do your best.

Liam: … Thanks, Harry.

Harrison: Yeah. Oh, and one more thing.

Harrison: Your father, Max Evans, was given an invitation too.

[gmmtv-bl-tournament-but-evil]

Been talking about 2gether here-and-there for a while but seeing your attitude towards it has got me itching to talk a bit about my thoughts on it. Because god, do I have thoughts.

So, I went into 2gether with low expectations. I heard it was subpar from MDL and I don’t like fake dating that much. But with a combination of curiosity over one of the biggest BLs historically and my personal interest in Bright and Win coming off the Bright cameo in Enigma and my enjoyment of Good Old Days, I went into the show. (Probably a different path from most to go from the non-BL to the BL but ahaha)

First thing. The show is very cheap. This shows even moreso because it’s BrightWin? Like, this was their first GMMTV show (and first for Win) so the company definitely didn’t have the drive to put as much money behind the show as they would for a show like F4 Thailand, but goddamn. Second thing. The music in this show was… huh. Were the guitars just not tuned sometimes? What are some of these? I say this as someone who actually loved BL singing, so it was a massive letdown I only enjoyed a few of the (very numerous) musical scenes. The OST for the show was great! But.

Sarawatine are character archetypes I really enjoy in general. I like weird, panicking, cheery bisexual losers (got me through Kiekoi!) and kind of grumpy and cold but devoted to their love interest guys. But the way the show wrote them was so disappointing? I would have expected so much more from the show for its main couple? Like, make me care about the characters, not just hope I’ll ogle at the hot actors and get through the show thanks to the scenarios, please. I usually don’t harp on physical intimacy between characters, also, but 2gether was so uncomfortable. And it sticks out like a sore thumb when the famous line of the show mentions kissing until dropping. There is NO kissing until dropping going on in the Sarawatine apartment, that’s for sure. And seeing some of the subpar acting between them just generally… I wasn’t enjoying myself much.

I actually found the show quite funny in certain scenes. Comedy is hard to judge a show on objectively, but I’ll say I did laugh. But I did not get emotional with the show, even when it wanted me to be. The Mil nonsense was hard to forgive, as was the “girl Sarawat liked!” Oh no! (My sarcasm could not be more embedded here) I genuinely started to feel pain watching the show because of how frustrating I found how Sarawat was dealing with the situation and how Tine was reacting. Like, I don’t care. Please. No one here wanted this cheap emotional climax. Especially after the weird time skip post-getting together.

And. The portrayal of women and the stereotyping of Green. All the women in this show are bland (but cute, thanks to the actresses, at the very least) or actively such a “girl who gets in the way of our BL boys!” that it hurts. And Green. I don’t enjoy when a show uses a feminine gay character as a source of ridicule. Green is seen as lesser by Tine and the others, and yeah, he acts like kind of a creep sometimes in the beginning. But the show writes him like that with a purpose. Of course the one who is openly gay and feminine is also the one pushing boundaries and being a predator. Amazing representation, 2gether. It got worse when it turned out Dim was abusive, and Tine just lets him in? And they get back together? No???? Like. Why. What. Who? Watching Still 2gether, I tried to pretend that whole scene never happened and DimGreen was just a tumultuous on-again off-again relationship, because I actually did find some of their Still 2gether scenes funny, but no. I could not forget. I appreciate the attempts at saving them by Aof, but no. Could not be undone. Green was funny as hell in the second season for me, though, so I’m hoping he dumped that abuser’s ass for good after the show ended.

MilPhukong was… fine. I felt absolutely nothing for them, despite the time invested. I actually quite enjoyed s2 ManType, just for the established relationship of it all and seeing them get along well, so I forgive them, but the s1 plotlines for them were questionable (Man, stop being a creep. Type, what are you doing with irt your brother? Really?)

I think Still2gether was an improvement (director change, yay!) but the emotions still didn’t work for me. I enjoyed the more slice-of-life style of the series and I felt the characters were more likable, but it was a short series with little actually going on. It did leave me off with a much better taste in my mouth, and better scenes all around, though. I imagine I could watch this season again and not groan my way through it. I’d probably even enjoy it if I take it as it is. The foundation can’t be forgotten, though. It is ever-present as a problem.

Oh, and here are some of my (very ineloquent) thoughts on 2gether as I live-blogged it:

This is stupid. Side couple on screen rn is stupid. Tine being a crying cannot communicate uke is stupid. Sarawat is being stupid.

Do not enjoy this simplification but I was very frustrated at the time. I still am.

Okay, now to pull back a little. I can totally understand why people would’ve loved this show. Because I’m 100% sure if I had watched 2gether before other shows, back in 2020, I’d have ignored most of the flaws out of my excitement for a show with cute scenes and pretty boys. Especially at the beginning of the pandemic, and especially if this was my first BL drama. I think that if you just settle into it with that mindset, you can find enjoyment in the show. And honestly, I’m very happy about that. That we’re at this point, with shows like Not Me, Last Twilight, etc. If 2gether is a show that seems horribly outdated now, in just a few years, I think that spells great things for the future of GMMTV BL, even if it isn’t a steady thing (looks at the tournament we’re in). And despite my words on them, I did in fact end up with a soft spot for Sarawatine. I think they’re neat in theory. In practice, not so much, but here I am anyway. The two of them definitely are important to BL, especially in GMMTV, and I respect them for that.

Don’t think I’ll ever rewatch 2gether, though.

I wanna preface this by saying that even though I really don't like 2gether, I don't rembember it in nearly as much detail as you do. I know I don't like it 'cause I immediately didn't while I was watching it and right after when it was still fresh in my mind.

Now, that said, some of the things you mentioned did spark recognition and in general I tend to agree with you. The Green thing, oh Iord! And the guitar........ Unlike you, I tend to shudder when BL boys bring out the guitar so for me that whole show was a real test.

Honestly, I don't need to go into detail more than this 'cause you already put it so eloquently yourself and I also understand what you mean about watching it back when it aired. I'm probably going to regret mentioning it but TharnType also aired in 2019 and is extremely beloved by some. I'm not saying I agree - and I'm generally wary of people who say it's their favorite BL ever - but I certainly understand it and my personal feelings about it too are so complicated I don't even know if I'd be able to put them into words.

What I'm trying to say is that while I have specific preferences and opinions on every BL in this list and many others not on this list, I respect that some of the judgements others have on them come from a very contextual and personal place. As is also the way I feel about the shows I hold dearest! Still, I appreciate the conversations we've been having on all of them 🩷

[hoshibatake]

Sunflower Live - Chapter 4

Previous chapter

AV room

Mao: Hey, guys! I’ve got some great…

Hokuto: Don’t do it, Akehoshi! You’re being rash!

Makoto: He’s right! We might have other options! Please reconsider!

Subaru: Other options? If only we did! I feel bad about it, but I have no other choice…!

Subaru: Don’t you stop me either, Anzu! I’ve made up my mind! I’m gonna smash this piggy bank…!

Mao: Uhm… C-Can you all calm down for a second〜?

Mao: Subaru, that piggy bank you’re holding is one of your prized possessions, isn’t it?

Subaru: It is. I was going to smash it in order to scrape together enough funds for the Sunflower Live, but the others stopped me.

Subaru: There’s only coins in there, but it should be enough to buy some buttons and other supplies.

Subaru: I can’t think of any other way we’d be able to participate in the Sunflower Live, so we’ll just have to use this!

Mao: ……

Mao: (It looks like Subaru feels the same way about this as I do.)

Mao: Don’t worry, Subaru. We can participate in the Sunflower Live, even without breaking your piggy bank.

Makoto: Huh? What do you mean? Oh, were you able to get a loan from the student council?

Mao: No, the student council wouldn’t lend us the money, but the president did.

Subaru: Huuh!? Eichi-senpai lent us his money? Does that mean there is some kind of catch?

Hokuto: Likely. It is the student council president we’re talking about, after all. There’s no way he’d just lend us money out of goodwill. We should assume he’s working on some kind of scheme.

Hokuto: Tell us, Isara. What kind of conditions did he impose?

Mao: (They’re too perceptive〜)

Mao: (As Trickstar’s leader, Hokuto has had a lot of dealings with the president, and it seems that Subaru has somehow gotten to know him well enough to call him by name, too.)

Mao: (They clearly know him well enough to realize he wouldn’t lend us money without imposing any kind of condition.)

Mao: (They’re correct, but if I tell them I had to sacrifice myself to get the loan, I’m sure they’ll all start to protest like they were just doing towards Subaru.)

Mao: (I guess I should at least tell them that we’ll need to be the most successful unit during the Sunflower Live.)

Mao: Yeah, you’re right. He did impose a condition.

Mao: The condition is that we’ll have to become the most successful unit out of all those participating in the Sunflower Live.

Hokuto: That’s awfully simple. I wonder if he thinks we’re struggling with the aftermath of the Summer Live.

Hokuto: It’s true that we were disheartened because the Summer Live turned out so unfavorably. But we’re not so weak that we just keep wallowing in it.

Hokuto: We’ll satisfy the president’s condition without much trouble.

Subaru: That’s right! We’ll be the brightest stars of the Sunflower Live〜!

Mao: Ahaha, you’re full of enthusiasm, I see.

Mao: I’d already guessed that you guys wouldn’t be intimidated by a condition like this, but hearing it from you directly has put me at ease.

Makoto: Just a short while ago I would’ve been shaking in my boots thinking we’d have to beat all the other idols in an event.

Makoto: But we’re gonna have to compete with many more idols after this.

Makoto: I can’t let myself be shaken up by something like this. I have to be strong, like all of you.

Makoto: Alright, now our funding problem has been solved, would it be alright if we asked you to make our costumes, Anzu?

Hokuto: Yes. You’re the one who knows us best. I’d be very glad if you would be willing to make our costumes.

Hokuto: Thank you. I’m looking forward to standing on stage during the Sunflower Live, wearing the costume you made for me.

Makoto: Whoa, Anzu-chan? What do you mean ‘if that’s the case, I have an idea for the costumes’?

Makoto: Oh, so you want to base these costumes off the idea you had for our costumes for the Summer Live?

Makoto: Oh, right. During the Summer Live we ended up wearing the costumes Eve had prepared for us.

Makoto: Ahaha, judging from your fist pump, you’re all fired up about this. We’ll make sure our performance will be just as wonderful as your costumes.

Mao: Alright. I’ll go submit the paperwork for jobs outside of the academy. We also need a teacher’s permission for this, so I’ll have to go ask someone.

Hokuto: Please and thanks. …By the way, Isara. Don’t you have to go back to the student council to do work there?

Mao: Actually, after I talked to the president about the Sunflower Live, he told me to prioritize the preparations for it over working at the student council.

Mao: And there wasn’t much work that needed to be done, anyway. It’s the summer holidays after all.

Mao: They’ll manage without me, so I was told to focus on Trickstar’s activities until the Sunflower Live is over.

Hokuto: I see. Well then, while you go prepare the paperwork, we’ll apply for the Sunflower Live through the school’s social media.

Hokuto: And we’ll also start thinking about the details of our performance. Let’s discuss what we’ve come up with when you return.

Subaru: Hey, guys. I actually need to take Daikichi out for a walk, so I have to head home soon…

Subaru: But if we’re gonna talk about the details for the Sunflower Live, I should be here, right?

Hokuto: I see. If that’s the case, you can head home, Akehoshi.

Hokuto: Actually, Isara is also supposed to be focusing on our activities, so…

Hokuto: We should probably call it quits for today and properly start working on the preparations for the Sunflower Live starting tomorrow.

Hokuto: …Even so. If we’re going to be setting up a booth, we’ll need to decide what kind of merchandise we’re going to sell. It would be helpful if you could give that some thought while you’re walking Daikichi.

Subaru: Understood〜 I’ll start thinking about what kind of stuff we’re going to be selling!

Makoto: Merchandise, huh…? I’ll also go surf the web to see what kind of merch is selling well these days.

Hokuto: That’s decided, then. Isara and I will be thinking about the details of our performance, and you and Subaru will be thinking about possible merchandise.

Hokuto: Fufu, we’ve divided the work nicely among ourselves. Let’s set our sights on the first place and go for it during the Sunflower Live.

Next chapter

[malleux]

Hiii can I have a male genshin matchup? Please take your time with this and feel free to message me if you need any more information :D!

Pronouns: she/her

Sexuality: Straight

Hobbies:

-Listening to music! I love classical music, but I also don’t mind a few pop songs every now and then

-Reading books because books are nice

-Taking care of other people! Whether it’s physically or emotionally, I’m always there to support and help my friends and family and I also enjoy the long conversations as much as the comfortable silences with them

-Singing; I don’t have singing lessons or sing in a choir, but I do find myself humming or singing a tune quite often. My friends say that I have a nice voice but I’m often too shy to sing in front of people ahaha

-Writing; especially fan fiction ahahaa

-Learning new things because I am curious and love to learn whenever I can

Likes (what I like in a partner :D):

-Loyalty

-Trust

-Communication

-Honesty

-Treats me and my + his family well

Dislikes:

-Dishonesty

-Disloyal

Personality:

-I feel like I’m a bit more of a listener because I love listening to people talking, but I can also be the talker if I wanted to

-I’m more quiet and calm, but when the time comes I can be talkative and energetic and funny. People say that my personality is like two sides of a coin, but that’s what they normally like about me because I’m not too loud nor too quiet

-I’m more patient than the average person and if, say, when someone snaps at me or takes their anger out on me, I don’t get mad. Instead I just let them calm down before talking to them again because I don’t really see the point in getting angry over small things. I’m slow to anger but when I actually am angry, I can hold on to it for a very long time

-I am physically affectionate and love to cheer my partner up/say positive stuff to them, but if they aren’t comfortable with it then I can tone it down for them

-I like to be flirty and confident and I drop pickup lines often with people I’m comfortable with, but I become a flustered mess inside when they do it back to me (talk about having a taste of one’s own medicine ehehe)

-I am understanding and open-minded, so I’m not quick to judge

I don’t have anybody that I don’t want to be matched with, so go ahead and take your pick :D

i match you with… zhongli!

I personality think Zhongli is completely and utterly enamored with you.

When he first saw you, hanging out with the Traveler, you automatically caught his eye. To him, your smile rivaled the sun and your musical laughter put even the most talented of bards to shame. He had to meet you— and was very lucky that the Traveler and Paimon were so welcoming when he approached.

It was from there that the two of you began hanging out alone, occasionally inviting the Traveler whenever they were in Liyue.

Zhongli enjoys that he can speak and be heard. You listen intently to his stories, and he does the same to you. There’s rarely a quiet moment between the two of you, but when there is it’s incredibly peaceful.

Loves physical affection, even if he is a little reserved about it at first. You may have to take the reins at the beginning, but Zhongli warms up quick enough.

He gets especially more comfortable with it once he realizes just how much he affects you. He loves how his flowery words can make your cheeks rosy, or how a simple arm around your waist can make you stumble across your words as you speak to someone else.

Zhongli is for sure a tease— it’s incredibly subtle to anyone else, but to you it’s all you can think about. And he loves it.