#really should have figured that out earlier

[urbaebarnes]

Ok but since Thunderbolts is coming out soon, how about something where Reader is either his campaign manager, or secretary, or like his handler when he makes appearances and somehow Bucky trusts her more than anyone else on his staff, so he invites her as his plus one to the Gala.

If you want to make it angsty/throw in some action, you could have Valentina sabotage his date at the gala by slipping something in her drink or having her goons tail reader home afterwards. 👀👀👀

Anyway, hope this gives you some inspiration! No pressure to use this tho

AHHHH i actually lysm for this!! thank you for sending me this and basically i got carried away so i'm gonna be splitting this up into like 2/3 different parts which should be out soon!

anyway i basically have the first half of the request in here and the rest will be in the next one! i love love love this idea so much and the new pictures that came out of him in thunderbolts has me in a chokehold like okay we see u babes

also i know very little about UK politics and even lass about US and my limited knowledge of media officers all comes form F1 so this probably makes no sense if your a professional in any of them but shhh its okay we move

Two Hearts: part 1

congressman bucky barnes x pr manager fem reader warnings: no use of y/n, she/her pronouns used, probably curse words (maybe not idk) word count: 1.3k words

You’d started out as his PR manager, for the first few months, that’s all you were to him, and he swore by that, he really did. But somewhere along the way, you’d become something much more, something he couldn’t quite put his finger on.

It didn’t start when you first entered the office, you were a breath of fresh air to the mundane office, but you were just new. Your desk was filled with little trinkets colourful sticky notes plastered over the frame of your computer monitor. But all Bucky thought was that you were sweet.

But then you had to start coming places with him, and doing interviews just off camera so he could look to you for help, and all of a sudden your sweetness became a buoy, something to desperately grasp onto as he felt he was sinking into the depths of the interviewer's questions. Even if you didn’t need to step in, your presence was always calming enough that he knew exactly how to handle it, a situation he’d found himself in too few a time in his life.

So what, you became something along the line of a friend for him, someone he could confide in and sort of trust. Which meant a lot coming from a man who spent months trying to let goddamn Sam in, and you did it within a few weeks.

Somehow throughout the campaign, he couldn’t stop himself from letting you weasel yourself into the list of his most dearest. Between your reassuring smiles and little gifts and honestly just you, Bucky felt like you could very possibly be his person. Sometimes you could just be there and it would put the tiniest of smiles on his face, sending you a little wave across a crowded bar- and yeah Sam would take the piss out of him for it, but he’d gotten past Sam’s endless teasing a while ago.

That bar had become a weird sort of crossover point for your and Bucky’s life outside of work. Sometimes you’d sit with your friend when you finished a little earlier or occasionally a group, Bucky noted he never saw you with a boyfriend but wasn’t really sure why his brain would even think that. He and Sam would meet there after long days at work and oftentimes, you and your friends would be regulars in the crowded building, lazing by the bar as you drank together.

You’d never talk to each other in there, but it seemed that the other was constantly in your eyeline, always watching, subtly checking in. But after a few of these nights, Bucky couldn’t stop his eyes wandering to your figure all night. Sam was twittering about something or another, and he tried to focus, he really did, but how was he supposed to do that when you were sat a few seats away, looking so captivating.

Sam had stopped talking halfway through, not that Bucky had noticed, and instead started laughing as he watched the unusually stone cold exterior of his friend crumble as he longingly stared at your back. “Dude, you're whipped!” He’d managed to get out between his breathless laughs.

Sam’s words had managed to catch his attention, gaze flicking from you to him as the words set in and his brow furrowed. “What- I’m not-”

Despite his protests and insistent denials of having any sort of interest in you in that way, Bucky Sam persisted and eventually, it took more energy to deny it than let Sam have his fun - or at least that’s what Bucky said to himself. And sure that little flutter in his chest he felt whenever you smiled felt as if it grew every single goddamn day, he still couldn’t quite bring himself to admit that he had a crush on you.

But even if he did, it would be wrong and immoral, he was trying to represent a need for change, present to the country why he could be trusted, and you were supposed to help, not make him fall into some strange tango of emotions with you. But you did, and it wasn’t your fault, he didn’t think he could fault you for the goddamn end of the world if you caused it.

So when he needed a plus one to a gala, you were the only logical answer. He trusted you above everybody else who worked with him, and maybe he wanted an excuse to see you outside of your office or press conference or interview rooms. Bucky wanted a glimpse of you he’d seen at the bar with your friends, he just wanted a taste of the life he wished he could have with you.

Your office was a place he’d enjoyed being in more and more as the past few months had occurred. The photo frames on your desk were scattered and everything had a slight messiness that brought a feeling of coziness. He’d often find reasons to linger in there, so it wasn't out of character when he appeared one day.

“Morning.” You greeted him with a smile after his polite knocks, sipping on your coffee, one hand wrapped around your kermit the frog mug whilst typing out an email to a news agency with your other. Bucky had nodded, he was usually less talkative in the mornings -which you’d taken a note of to move any media prep to the afternoons. You blew on the steaming mug before tilting your head, “You good?”

He’d sat himself on the sage green couch tucked in the corner of the room and smiled softly at you before relying. “I have a question for you.”

Immediately, you placed your mug on the coaster and stopped typing, letting your arms cross over the wooden desk, elbow brushing the wrapper of one of those breakfast bars you liked so much. He’d made sure to stock up the kitchen after finding out your habit of snacking on them. “Ask away.”

Now, Bucky Barnes wasn’t generally a nervous man,or at least not when it came to women, but you managed to make it seem like asking you to be his +1 was a life or death event, as though the decision itself would alter the way the earth spins on its axis. Which to him, it may well have.

Bucky avoided your eyes, glancing just past your head at the drapes that were tied beside your large windows looking out into the city. “That gala I have to go to next month, the fundraising one, I don’t- erm…”

You let out a sigh as you leant forward on your arms, lips pursed. “Bucky, you have to go. It’s too late now, I can’t get you out of it, if you’d told me a few days ago then maybe but-”

“No, no, you have it wrong.” He quickly interrupted, shaking his head, “No, I was going to say that I don’t have a plus one, and I would be really grateful and forever in your debt if you’d possibly…” He trailed off again, scrunching his nose and finally meeting your eyes, “Go with me?”

You blinked once.

Then twice.

And finally a third time before you managed to move your head, looking behind you out the window once before looking back at him. “What? You want me to-?” You stopped abruptly, seeing the serious look on his face, his eyes looking straight at you, as though reading your mind.

You’d wondered if he had that superpower a few times before, especially when you first started, which would’ve been a nightmare seeing as at the beginning of your role here, you struggled to hold yourself up when around him. Bucky Barnes was -to put it simply- gorgeous. Everything you’d ever looked for in a man was right in front of you in the body of your boss, and if he could read minds, well you’d ruled that out seeing as you most likely would’ve been fired by now.

Your voice lowered as a small smile made its way onto your lips, knowing it probably meant nothing, but at the same time, it meant everything to you. “If you’d like me to, I’d love to.”

[hellvst]

OFFSEASON – quinn hughes

featuring ; quinn hughes x fmc (sydney gray)

✮⋆˙ warning & content ; swearing

✮⋆˙ word count ; 3.7k

✮⋆˙ previous chapter – series masterlist – next chapter

a/n ; woohoo quinn's back & it's not just luke for hughesbowl lol! not really proof-read. happy reading <3

CHAPTER FIVE

QUINN

Simon: ‘Touch my sister, and you’re dead.’

Simon: ‘She’s off-limits, so don’t even think about it, Hughes.’

I woke up to a very cryptic text from Simon. A threat, really.

My eyes idle at it for a long moment, then tossed my phone back onto my nightstand and rubbed my hands down my face.

What the fuck did that even mean?

Simon never texted me ever, not once in our years together with the Canucks. He never had the reason to reach out to me. So, he most likely got my number from our team’s group chat–which I had to be very active on as the captain. 

The team and I sent messages to each other, updated each other during breaks or days off, hockey shit, and a few memes here and there. Simon never responded to it, maybe once or twice, but almost never. 

The only time he would text in the chat was when he had something to show off to the guys. Typical. 

I didn’t bother answering him. I figured I’d get my answer when I saw Sydney later today, but that text threw me off guard. 

Sydney Gray.

During the few days after officially meeting her, I couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that she was the cafe girl from weeks ago. On top of that, she was our trainer and–worst of all–she was Simon’s sister. How does one cope with all that information dumped onto them all at once?

But, she wasn’t anything like I’d imagined.

The few times I overheard Simon talking about her over the years, I’d expected her to be just as lively, stubborn, and prideful as her brother. Sure, they had the same spunk and shared some traits with one another. But she was nothing like that at all.

Sydney was more level-headed, quieter, and dry-witted. The complete opposite to Simon.

If Simon was all fire, then Sydney would be ice. Not cold…just more controlled.

When I showed up to the Lumé Wellness studio days ago, I was fully prepared to at least tolerate her–and Simon–just to get through the summer. But what I didn’t expect to find out was that the same girl I had met at the café–who I couldn’t stop thinking about–was siblings with the one person who had it out for me.

I wasn’t sure why Simon thought otherwise and was implying that I had a ‘thing’ for his sister. This thing between me and her was strictly professional, nothing more and nothing less. 

I had no intention of going for Sydney Gray.

So why were you eager to leave this Canuck’s campaign shoot to get to the studio earlier to see her?

I scoffed at the little voices in my head. Shut the hell up.

As soon as I arrived at Lumé Wellness not long after the shoot, I walked in the same studio room from the other day, but stopped by the door frame when I saw her.

Sydney was already stretching on the mats, bobbing her head to the rhythm of the music blasting through the speakers.

“Rihanna? What happened to Michael Jackson?” My voice cuts through the music, just enough for her to hear me. 

Sydney turned to face me. Our eyes collided, causing me to stand upright by the door. 

She looked surprised at me as she stood up to turn the volume down. “I didn’t think you’d ever listen to a Rihanna song.” 

“Oh come on, Gray. Way to underestimate me.” I said as I placed my stuff on the floor, next to hers. “I don’t live under a rock.”

“I highly doubt that.” She smirked.

I found my spot next to her and started following her stretches, keeping one eye on her as she moved through the routine with ease.

For a moment, we fell into a comfortable silence, the soft hum of the speaker filling the space. 

The stretch had become routine now, something that should have felt mindless. But as I reached down towards my toes, feeling the familiar pull in my hamstrings, my gaze flicked to the clock on the wall. 1:17 PM. Simon was late. 

I recalled the events that happened on Monday, when Simon got an emergency call from his wife and left the session early. Then Sydney mentioned that he was going to be a father soon. It made me realize, even as teammates for the past few years, that I really knew nothing about him at all.

I exhaled through my nose holding the pose as I glanced at Sydney. She was focused, rolling out her shoulders, which I noticed she always did before we started.

“Is Simon coming?” I finally asked.

Sydney paused for a second, then shook her head. “No, not today. Or–” she tilted her head. “–at all, actually.”

I gave her a confused look. “What do you mean?”

Was I missing something here?

“Simon’s wife is going into labour,” she started, sighing. “He left for California the same night he got the call. Your coach okayed his leave and he’s officially out for the summer. So, that means it’s just the two of us now.”

Now that explained the random-ass text I woke up to this morning.

If I hadn’t been so groggy and barely awake, I would’ve understood that more clearly. But now, hearing Sydney say that Simon was officially out of the cross-training sessions, it made more sense.

“Wait,” I said, my brows clashing together. “Then why are we still doing this? If Simon’s out, doesn’t that mean we should–”

Sydney shook her head, denying my question before finishing it. “Grace said the agreements between the studio and the Canucks were already signed and the program was already paid for. There was no going back just because one person had to make a sudden leave.” 

“Right.” I stood up straight, finishing my stretches, and turned to face her. “And you’re okay with this?”

I was only curious about what she thought in light of recent events. I mean, I don’t blame her for being upset or annoyed that this was how things turned out. It wasn’t ideal for the both of us given her slight tinge of annoyance in her voice while she was explaining. 

What if she was looking forward to it? Nah, who was I kidding? Of course she wasn’t.

Sydney shrugged her shoulders as we exchanged glances. “It’s not like I had a choice.”

Oh come on, don't look so disappointed.

I pressed my lips into a thin line. “I guess there’s no point in fighting it. So now it’s just you and me.” 

She only nodded, “Yeah.”

I let out a slow breath, settling onto the reformer before Sydney demonstrated an exercise using the carriage and the foot rest. 

This whole thing was getting more complicated than I wanted it to be.

I wasn’t opposed to the idea of having one-on-one training with Sydney–as much as I hate to admit it, I enjoyed the first session more than I expected. But that wasn’t the point.

I also couldn’t stop thinking about how I could be in Michigan right now.

Spending time with my brothers, training with my dad, cooking with my mom, playing pool in the basement, getting out on the lake, watching the on-going Stanley Cup finals–although, it would've been difficult for me to watch knowing our team could’ve been playing on the big stage as well.

The point was, if I didn’t have to be here, I could be back home. Living out the off-season like I always did.

Instead, I was in Vancouver, about to suffer through another session with Sydney Gray. 

“So, are you ready to start for real this time?” Sydney asked once I finished a few sets of the first exercise. “Because you said last time this wasn’t difficult enough for you.”

I will admit, just from that first exercise, I was definitely starting to feel it. But I tried to conceal that from her. “Did I say that? I don’t exactly remember.”

“Yes, you did.” She tapped the frame of my reformer. “Let’s see if you still think that today.”

I didn’t.

We started the real session, and I immediately knew I was in for it.

The reformer exercises were harder than last time. During the first day here, I had held my own, keeping up with whatever Sydney threw at me. I thought it was easier than I assumed, but clearly not since those were only the basic workouts.

Not halfway through the next few exercises when my muscles were burning. My legs shook as I pushed through another rep, my arms were going limp as I struggled to maintain my form.

Sydney noticed. Of course she did.

“Are you sure these aren’t that difficult for you?” she asked, the smirk in her voice making me want to push and power through it out of spite.

I gritted my teeth. “Yeah. Don’t mind me.”

She let out a soft laugh but didn’t say anything else. The sight of me having a hard time was her new source of entertainment.

By the time we finished and hit the end of the session, I was sweating more than I wanted to admit, my breathing a little heavier than it should have been. 

“So, was that enough of a challenge? You look pretty banged up.” Sydney folded her arms, obviously pleased with herself–I was a mess in front of her.

I shot her a look, pretending like that hadn’t absolutely kicked my ass. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I wiped my forehead with the back of my hand, playing it off. “Barely felt it.”

“Sure…” I heard her mumble out.

She began picking up her things, indicating that our time was up. 

I waited for her by the door of the room, watching as she fetched her water bottle before walking towards me. We yet again found ourselves walking side by side in the hallway.

Not too sure why I did that the first time around–waiting for her. It was like an unspoken rule between us, like we didn’t want to end our conversation just yet. Or maybe it was just me. Most definitely.

I glanced around the studio as we walked in silence. Like the last time I was here, the studio was so empty that it was eerily quiet. No other clients, with the exception of a few other instructors lounging around. And us.

“Where is everyone?” I asked. “Why aren’t there any other classes happening?”

Sydney looked around before shrugging. “Grace said it’s for safety precautions. We clear out the studio before and after your sessions.” 

Well that’s a bit much.

I blinked. “Why?”

“Apparently,” she started. “The studio can’t afford to have too many people know about your special training here.” 

My eyes widen a bit, taken aback. “For me?”

She nodded. “I guess they didn’t want to risk the media circus or something.”

I took that in, feeling a strange mix of appreciation and guilt.

They went through all of this for me, to make it easier for me. They didn’t have to, but they still did.

At the same time, I understood why they couldn’t risk it. I’d had moments before where reporters caught me outside of hockey, anywhere in public really. Fans stopping me for pictures and autographs wasn’t anything new, I didn't mind that. But to this extent? Where would they clear out a whole studio for me?

That was an overkill. I didn’t think I was that much of a celebrity for it. I was sure I could handle it if anything did happen–

I spoke too soon.

The second Sydney and I reached the foyer to the front doors, we were swarmed and blinded by flashing cameras from the other side of the glass doors–deafened by the voices overlapping as questions were thrown at me from all directions.

“Quinn! How do you feel about losing in the second round of the playoffs?”

“Quinn! Quinn! When did you start taking Pilates?”

“Rumors say that you’re training with Simon Gray this summer. Is this true?”

“Is she your girlfriend?”

"Quinn! Are you two hooking up?"

I tensed, my jaw clenching as I stared at the sea of reporters and photographers in front of us. I had thought I was in the clear on my way here from the arena. I guess not considering that they found me here. 

How?

I have dealt with this kind of thing before, but never in my life like this. Never where I felt trapped or confided. And I hated it–the sudden ambushes, invading my space, making me want to just flip them off–but I couldn’t do that.

And then I looked over to Sydney.

She was stiff beside me, her eyes wide, her breathing slightly shaky. Anxiety and discomfort was written all over her face, and I knew she wasn’t used to this. She didn’t deserve to deal with it.

I had to get us out of here. Fast.

Without thinking, I reached for her arm and pulled her back into the hallway. “Is there another way out?”

“Back exit, through there.” Another voice cuts in, I glanced and recognized the woman who was presumed to be the owner of the studio. Grace–was it? “I’ll handle them. Go. Now.”

Sydney and I nodded quickly, not wasting a second leading her through the hall, navigating through the studio, moving faster than I thought possible after the workout I just finished.

We made it out the back door, into the back alleyway of the studio, and carefully walked towards the other end of the building.

I peeked around the corner, enough to see the mob still crowding the front.

Grace was out there, stepping outside the studio doors, trying to get them to leave. But it wasn’t working as they continued to press on her.

“Shit,” she said under her breath. “My car is parked right in front of them. They’ll definitely see me if I make a run for it.”

In my head, I tired coming up with different ways to get–

One of the reporters turned, locking their eyes on me. Fuck.

There was no time to think.

“Follow me.” I said, my hand finding hers, clasped together tightly, as she ran with me to my car.

Sydney slid into the passenger seat, then I immediately started the engine, pulling out of the lot before anyone of the reporters could catch up. I wasn’t even sure where I was driving. I just knew I needed to get us out of here.

The car ride was quiet for a moment, save for the faint hum of the engine and the distant sound of traffic as I drove away from the chaos.

I kept my eyes in front of me, but I could see her in my peripheral. Sydney was staring out the window, her hands still clenched into fists in her lap. She was trying to calm down, so I gave her the space to do that. 

I was anxious about how she was feeling, most likely feeling all sorts of emotions. But the last thing she needed was me bombarding her with questions.

After a long while, Sydney let out a slow breath. “Thank you for what you did back there. I wouldn’t have known what to do if it weren’t for you.”

I took my eyes off the road for a second, glancing at her. “You okay?”

She let out a slow breath and nodded. “Yeah. Just…probably didn’t expect my first encounter with the media to be this crazy.” She shook her head slightly, like she couldn’t believe what had just happened. Then she turned to look at me. “Does that happen to you often?”

“No. Not like this.” I admitted, but I found it hard to believe that she had never experienced something like that–considering who her brother was. “You’ve really never had this happen to you? I figured you’d have to deal with it before since Simon gets swarmed all the time.” 

Her brother had been in the league longer than I have, and let’s just say, he wasn’t exactly media-trained. Reporters loved to leech on Simon, always trying to get him to slip up, to say something worth putting on the articles. I mean, it was his fault for giving the reporters nothing to work with during post-game interviews. The guy was a walking soundbite, whether he meant to be or not. 

If she was related to him, surely, she would have been dragged into it at some point.

Sydney sighed, leaning her head against the seat. “Simon and I don’t really get involved in each other’s lives like that. As much as I stay out of his hockey career, he stays out of mine too. We have our own things, our own spaces, we don’t overlap much.”

“So you never go to the games? Or attend family events?”

“Maybe one or two games in his whole career. The only time we really spend together is at each other’s house or when we text and call.” 

“You two are pretty close then.”

“Yeah, well, we try our best to be. We grew up here in Vancouver with our parents, so we were naturally close. Even though Simon was three years older than me and played sports on the ice together as kids, we still got along well. He was like my built-in best friend. Always looking out for me.”

Although I hated that the conversation was about Simon, I could easily get lost in Sydney’s voice. It was less about the subject–her brother–and more about her. Just the way she spoke–soft, thoughtful, unguarded. 

I could listen to her talk all day.

But then something she said caught my attention, and I wasn’t going to dismiss it either. 

“Wait, sports on the ice?” I repeated her words, my grip on the wheel tightening. “Did you play hockey too?”

Sydney hesitated. I saw the flicker of uncertainty cross her face, the way she tensed faintly like she revealed something she hadn’t meant to.

I was about to take it back, tell her she didn’t have to answer, but then she spoke.

“No, I didn’t play hockey,” she paused before continuing. “For as long as I can remember, we both grew up on the ice together. While Simon had hockey, I had figure skating. I’ve been a figure skater for almost half of my life and then I quit years ago when I was eighteen.”

I slowly nodded, not missing the way she said it–regret, maybe?–like there was something more to it. I figured if she wanted to talk about it more, she would. So I knew better than to push on the matter.

Still, the fact that she had a background in skating–that was something I never would have guessed. It was weird. I hadn’t thought I would ever get a glimpse into Sydney’s life like this. At first, she seemed so closed off and had her wall up from anyone trying to break their way in. 

But now that she was opening up, I was more intrigued than ever.

I was so lost in my thoughts while my gaze was still on her, that I barely realized that the lights were changing and she noticed. Shit.

“Quit staring and eyes on the road, Hughes.”

I snapped my attention forward, just in time for the light to turn green, pressed my foot on the gas. 

Clearing my throat, I scrambled to cover up the fact I had been caught staring at her. “We can’t go back to the studio. Not if the reporters are still there.”

Sydney checked the time on her phone and sighed. “Yeah, I figured. It wouldn’t be a smart idea to head back right now.”

I paused before asking. “Did you have plans later?”

“Yeah, sort of. I was supposed to meet my friend at her workplace after training today.”

I thought about it for a second. I still had about an hour to kill before my own training. Considering what happened earlier, I owed it to her. And besides, I still haven't made it up to her for ruining her hoodie the first time we met.

“I can drive you there.”

She paused, giving me a look. “You don’t have to do that.”

“I want to.”

For a long while, Sydney eventually caved in, as if deciding it wasn’t worth arguing about.

She handed her phone over with the address, and the moment I saw it, recognition hit me instantly. It was the arena was the same place I was heading to for practice. 

“Funny story actually,” I paused. “I’m heading to the exact arena for practice.”

“Oh, that’s convenient.” Sydney said, her expression was unreadable. “Are you sure? I could just bus–”

“Gray, I am completely sure. Just let me do this for you, please?”

She seemed very reluctant to accept any offers from me–first the hoodie, now this. I wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad thing, but gave me a short nod and didn’t say anything more. 

My curiosity was starting to get the better of me, though. “Do you often not let other people help you? Or is it just towards me?”

“Just to you, Hughes. And It’s definitely on purpose.” Sydney said.

I caught the corners of her lips curve in my peripheral, making me chuckle at her words. “I believe that. You know, since you don’t need anything from an NHL player and all.”

She gave me a look once I repeated what she had said to me during our first encounter.

Sydney rolled her eyes, “How do you still remember that? Seems like ages ago.”

I shrugged. “It’s easy when you’re not that hard to forget, Gray.”

She was quick to turn her head out towards the window, shaking her head with a small laugh, not commenting any further. So instead, I chose to let it go and focused on driving.

Then my mind wandered back to what she had said about her friend that she was going to meet up with. 

If her friend worked at the arena, then maybe I worked or knew of them. A trainer? An employee? Maybe even a player? God, I hope it’s not someone I already knew.

Instead of keeping my thoughts to myself, I asked her. “What does your friend do at the arena?” 

Sydney simply smiled, glancing at me. “I guess you’ll have to wait and see.”

all rights reserved © 2025 hellvst. please do not copy, translate, or modify my works in any platform.

[cawslew]

BSD: SUNRISE NAVIGATION POST

The day Atsushi and Dazai meet...

[AO3 LINK]

It had been exactly four years since she left, and not a single day has passed without Atsushi's mind wandering back to her.

Even now, as he sat on the damp ground, morning dew seeping into his pants as the crisp September air of Zephyr was biting into his skin, her absence clung to him like a phantom that would not let go.

The river stretched out before him, sun rising above the water illuminating the soft oranges and golds on it's surface. Reminding him of the long dark night where his body ached and his mouth tasted of blood, when the only proof that he was not really in the depths of hell was the rising sun over the horizon. Always indifferent to his suffering.

He was hurt. Other people were hurt. Yet the world kept spinning.

There used to be a time when he watched those sunrises with her. Now however, all he had was an old, mangled phone charm. So worn and disfigured that it was nearly unrecognizable in what it used to be. So loved and cherish that it is no longer the same.

Was this what truly love was?

To be changed by someone, to be left with pieces of them long after they were gone? To be destroyed even in the gentlest of hands?

Nevertheless he batted away the thought, sighing at it. He'd tried his best to live as she asked, to save people, to make a difference, to scrub away the blood on his hands even if it was a rotten work. To live the way she wished him to.

But. No matter how much he did, how much he tried and do what felt right, it was never enough. Not to him at the very least. Leaving him in a state of wonder if she would have liked the life he's leading a lot more then him. If she was here instead of here, she would have been happier.

Atsushi closed his dual colored eyes, focusing his senses on the sounds around him, the whispers of the wind, rhythm of the water, every now and then even a humm of a passing car, loud clatter of a train, eve somewhere behind him a military squad had jobbed by earlier, their boots thudding heavily against the pavement.

And then-

A splash.

His eyes snapped open instantly.

For just a single moment he thought he might have imagined it. Then he saw them…. two legs floating on the waters surface upwards, with the current pulling them under, bit by bit.

Huh?

Atsushi stared.

Someone's…. drowning???

His body moved before his mind caught up.

The shock of cold water hit him as he moved towards the sinking figure. His hands grasping onto the fabric, with sharp pulls he dragged the person back towards the riverbank, forcing them onto the solid ground.

The man looked barely conscious, his dark hair plastered to his bruised face. Atsushi caught his breath, then pressed two fingers against the man’s neck, searching for a pulse. It was weak, but it was there.

A soft buzz spread against his fingers at the skin contact.

Atsushi leaned in, checking for breath, but just as he did so, the man lunched upwards with a sharp gasp, nearly colliding with Atsushi in the process if he had not pushed himself away.

Dark red eyes meet the purple-gold.

They stared at each other for a good while, none of them speaking up.

The man blinked blearily. Then, as if only just processing that he's in-fact alive, a mutter left his cold lips, "Ah."

A beat.

"Ah," he muttered again, slightly louder this time. "I'm alive."

Atsushi, dripping wet and cold, "Yeah. The current must have swept you up," he stated "You should be more careful."

The man turned his head in a jagged way to look at him fully, gaze slow as if trying to piece what had happened. Then, after a long pause, he let out sharp and annoyed "Damn."

"Excuse me?" Atsushi frowned.

The man flopped back onto the grass with a dramatic sigh, crossing his arms over his chest as he glared at the sky. “That was the point.”

"What." He blinked, unsure if he’d heard him correctly.

"I was meant to drown" his tone was lecturing, as if Atsushi was the idiot here.

"Well, congratulations," he said flatly. "You failed."

The other just let our an exaggerated sigh "How tragic" he whined.

Atsushi pushed himself up to his feet wringling out his sleeves. He looked up and down the man, he wasn't anything special, more so reminded him of a drowned cat. He didn't even has any shoes, only mismatched socks. "Look, I don't know what's going on with you and honestly I don't have the tie for this. Just… don't do it again, get a therapist or something."

He was rewarded with a noncommited humm.

"Im serious."

"Im sure you are."

The white haired man already could feel a migraine coming his way "You got a name?"

Black hair titled this head lazily, as if evaluating if he should give his name in the first place." Dazai. Dazai Osamu."

Atushi eyed him, just for a moment before nodding at him "Right. Well, Dazai-kun, I-"

"I suppose that makes me your responsibility now," Dazai cut in without a care. His tone was just as carelss as his posture, one leg stretched out while the other was bent, his smirk couldn't be even descriibed as smug, but more so lazy.

"What." he seemd to be saying that quite a lot when interacting with the youngin.

Dazai stretched his arms over his head, looking completely ar east despite being int the soaked state and being half-drowned a minute ago. "You saved me. That means you've got to take care of me now."

"That's… not how this works," Atsushi stared at him, unblinnkingly, his words said slowly as if he was talking to a child.

"Isn't it?" The other turned to him fully now, a faint smirk gracing his lips. "You pulled me out of that river. You stopped me from dying. Now I have nowhere to go and no one to turn to." amusement was evident in the other "You wouldn't just leave me after all that effort would you?"

Serval different responses ran through his head, sure Atsushi could leave, he probably should. But, a little part of him that was still hung on what he promised was whispering, take him in, she wouldn't want you to abandon someone in need.

And even Atsushi himself was not a man who leaves someone behind. He never had been. Never wanted to leave those in need. He could feel the phantom weight of a worn charm in his hand.

Atsushi rubbed the bridge of his nose "Im not babysitting you." it could have been a rejection "But fine."

Dazai grinned, slow and sharp "Oh, I wouldnt dream of it."

Somehow Atsushi didn't believe him.

[damn-stark]

Chapter 6 That’s life

Chapter 6 of Sinnerwoman

A/N- “I'm on my way to save Elena!”—“I'm on my way to kill Elena!”

Warning- ANGST!! Some fragments of fluff. Talks of pregnancy. Weapons, swearing, blood, violence, and death. Spoilers for the show!

Pairing- Hwang Jun-ho x fem!reader

Episode- 2x07

(Let me know if you want to be tagged)

——

Just as you were going to try and stop everyone in order to share your intricate plan, the solemn voice of Gi-hun travels out first. “Wait.”

Your curiosity piques and before everyone can go to bed you stop first.

“Before we go to our beds I need to talk to you all first,” he shares, making everyone share confused yet curious looks before he guides everyone to a secluded corner.

“Those bastards are acting suspicious,” Dae-ho points out as he’s the last one to join the group. “It looks like they’re up to something.”

Everyone tries to steal a peek at the opposing side, but you keep your eyes on Gi-hun to wait for what he wants to say. However, he looks almost like he’s trying to figure out a way to share what he has in mind.

“Whatever those idiots do, once we win the vote tomorrow, it’ll all be over,” Jung-bae shares with a hint of cockiness.

“You think we’ll be okay?” Dae-ho asks the group. “They say things were really crazy in the bathroom earlier.”

You sigh and Gi-hun finally breaks his silence. “Once the lights go out, people on the other side will attack us.”

Fear and tension spread through the gathered group, meanwhile, Player 007 is the first one to probe. “Really?”

Gi-hun nods stiffly. “Because if they kill us, they’ll be able to win the vote and increase the prize,” he adds, making Player 007 stammer.

“So what do we do?” He asks now.

“Let’s attack them first,” In-ho suggests before Gi-hun can respond. “They’re probably thinking we’ll just wait for the second vote. We can use it to our advantage. We’ll attack them first once the lights go out.”

You blink and look at your hands whilst Player 047 speaks up. “That’s right. It’d be better to attack them first. We have more women and elderly on our side.”

Your eyebrows furrow in response to his comment.

“If we get attacked, we’ll be at a disadvantage,” he adds. “Attacking them first would give us a better chance of winning.”

“I agree,” Player 145 says shakily just before Gi-hun cuts in.

“We can’t do that,” he states, making you lift your eyes off the ground and narrow your gaze on him.

“But we have to get out of here,” In-ho argues to press him. “You said it yourself. Staying calm won’t get us anywhere now.”

You shake your head. “But we’re not here to kill each other,” you counter, gaining In-ho’s immediate attention. “Some of them may have lost their minds due to that money, but we can’t play into their trap.”

“Their?” Jung-bae asks as he leans forward.

“Those who created this game,” Gi-hun answers for you. “Those who watch us play. If we’re going to fight someone, it should be them.”

“Where are they?” Dae-ho asks.

“Up there,” Gi-hun says and looks up and everyone around slowly follows his line of gaze, but you and In-ho. You both look at each other and he doesn’t miss the chance to pass you a questioning look that you pretend to act clueless about and instead look back at Gi-hun to not miss a single thing.

“On the upper levels are the rooms they control the games from,” Gi-hun continues as he now points up with his finger. “The man in the black mask is their leader.”

You stay still to avoid giving even a small reaction.

“Once we capture him, we’ll be able to win.”

Jung-bae sighs after Gi-Hun’s comment and In-ho proceeds to add a question to the matter. “How are you going to fight them? They have guns.”

You want to give Gi-hun an idea taken from your plan, but now that he saved your hind by sharing his plan first, you wait to avoid looking suspicious to In-ho or anyone watching behind those cameras.

“We’ll fight them with guns too,” Gi-hun shares what you hoped he’d say.

“But we don’t have any,” Jung-bae points out the obvious.

“We’ll take their guns,” Gi-hun deadpans.

“From those masked men?” A Player asks.

Gi-hun nods stiffly, making Jung-bae sigh and lean his head back.

“That’s too dangerous,” In-ho pretends to be concerned. “Even if we manage to take a few guns, we’ll still be outnumbered.”

“What then?” Gi-hun interjects swiftly. “Are you going to kill each other all night and hope you survive? Is that what you want, Young-il?”

“But we also can’t just shoot aimlessly,” you finally chime in with a doubt that has yet to be answered. “What do we do after we get the guns? We’ll be sitting ducks in here. They have all the control from out there.”

Gi-hun finds your gaze and as much as he seems to have thought his plan through, you see that he can’t give you an answer to your question. Thus a silence falls that Player 120 fills with a question.

“Do we…stand a chance?” She expresses worry.

“We do if we catch them off guard,” Gi-hun tries to assure the group. “Out of everyone, they’re the ones who would least expect us to attack first. This is our last chance to end these games once and for all.”

“And we will,” you try to add more consolation to try and boast everyone’s confidence.

“How are you going to take their guns?” In-ho asks.

“Once the fight begins tonight, we’ll have our chance,” Gi-hun shares what you had in mind. “Once the lights go out, get under the beds quietly. You must not get caught by those planning to attack us.”

With all that said you realize you’re more interlinked than you thought. It’s true there’s only limited options to survive the attack and then get guns, but he’s more tactical than you thought.

“We have to hide until the fight ends,” Gi-hun continues. “Don’t get caught up in the fight.”

“But that would put people on our side at quite a disadvantage,” Jung-bae shares. “Without us in the fight, they’ll be outnumbered.”

Gi-hun nods. “I know. But if we fight with them and some of us end up dead or injured, it’ll ruin our entire plan. We can't beat those bastards with a lower headcount.”

He’s also more selfish than you thought, considering he’s all about not killing each other.

“Are you suggesting that we make a small sacrifice for the greater good?” In-ho asks as he also finally gets to see Gi-hun be selfish and show that he’s just like him and everyone else in charge.

“If we miss this opportunity,” Gi-hun says after a moment of silence. “The sacrifice will be even greater. Even if it takes a sacrifice…we must put an end to this game now.” He states, causing you to slowly glance over at In-ho as his point is proven right at that moment.

“In that case, I’m with you,” he says, further gaining Gi-hun’s uttermost trust.

“As am I,” you say but you’re not deceitful like In-ho. You’re sincere.

“Thank you,” Gi-hun whispers and then addresses the whole group. “The fight won’t last long. Because if all of us end up hurt or dead, there can’t be a next game, and they wouldn’t want that. So once the lights come on, the soldiers will come to settle the situation. They’ll try to break up the fight first. They won’t pay attention to the dead. They’ll scan our trackers to identify us. That’ll be our window.”

You nod slowly to show you understand and a second later the PA turns on and an announcement is given. “Lights out in five minutes.”

You all glance up at the speakers before you all stand up.

“Remember,” Gi-hun adds. “Go under your beds once the lights go off. Be careful everyone.”

“Shout if anyone ends up in any trouble,” you offer the group. “I’ll be there as quickly as I can.”

“Thank you,” Player 149 offers you, causing you to offer her a smile before you follow everyone to bed to pretend to follow along cluelessly.

However, before you can climb onto a bed you catch Jun-hee walking further away, so you call out to her. “Hey, Jun-hee, where are you going?”

Said girl stops in her tracks and turns on her heels to face you. “I’m going to talk to someone,” she says. “I’ll be right back.”

Your eyes dart behind her to try and find if someone is nearby, but you don’t catch anyone in particular so you just offer her a comprehensive nod. “How about when you come back you take the bunk under mine, hm?”

Jun-hee nods, letting you smile with relief before you turn away to let her do what she needs to do. However, when you are climbing to your bed, you hear your name being called from under you, so you stop and look down, catching In-ho with a hand on a bed frame and his eyes attentively on you.

“I just want to tell you that this is our last stretch,” he says in that fake friendly voice he’s been using for the past couple of days. “Just a little longer until we get to go home.”

You hold his gaze and find yourself having trouble offering him a smile. Not because of your own hidden agenda, but because you can’t tell if it’s a warning or a threat.

He’s seen how close you’ve gotten to everyone. You’ve broken that barrier you isolated yourself behind and he sees that, so you can’t tell if he’s threatening you to remember why he thinks you’re here.

Or maybe he’s figured you out and is threatening you about that.

Then again he could also be discreetly warning you that he intends to foil Gi-hun’s plan before he can reach the control room.

You don’t know, you can’t figure it out, so after your lashes flutter you offer him a strained smile and a soft nod.

In-ho takes what he gets with a nod before he turns away. You stay where you are and watch him walk off to his bed with concern. Once he’s climbing in you peel your eyes away from him and finish ascending to your bed, making sure to do every step to make it look like you’ll be going to sleep once the lights go off.

You remain there like some frozen statue forever staring off in the distance, and wait, feeling your pulse skip a beat before it starts to rise with every second that passes and gets closer to lights out.

“Lights out in ten seconds,” the PA echoes, making you turn towards the ladders. “Ten,”

Ba-dum.

“Nine,”

Ba-dum.

“Eight.”

Ba-dum.

“Seven.”

Ba-dum.

“Six.”

Ba-dum.

“Five.”

Ba-dum

“Four.”

Ba-dum.

“Three.”

Ba-dum.

“Two.”

Ba-dum.

“One.”

Your breath hitches and you’re unable to exhale, so you hold your breath and watch the bright lights go off and a yellow-orange light remain.

After a couple of seconds, those dim lights also go off, so you relieve your body by breathing, and then with the adrenaline kicking in you throw your blanket off your body and fling yourself to the stairs to climb down discreetly but quickly, making sure to glance at the other side so no one in particular is watching you.

Once you’re on the ground you see Jun-hee, and you let out a sigh of relief before you help her get on her knees so she can drag herself under the bed. The moment she’s made it halfway across you’re much swifter since you don’t have a swollen belly in the way, and quickly slide under the bed with her.

“Don’t worry,” you whisper and proceed to pull out the fork you got for dinner. “I’ll look out for you and your little one.”

Jun-hee turns her head and through the dim red and blue lights shining from the floor, you catch the fear brimming in her eyes. “Okay,” she whispers without a quiver, but the fear is still clear in her eyes.

“We’ll be okay,” you add in a sweeter voice.

Jun-hee lets out a shaky breath, and for a second relief flickers in her eyes before her fear returns to take over. Thus you drape your arm around her to keep her as close as possible and keep her comforted as the other players finally start to make their way to your side, making sure to be as quiet as possible.

And much to your surprise their plan worked without a hitch. No one cluelessly in bed was aware of what threat was lurking their way until the first victim let out an agonizing cry that alerted everyone of the attack and started the chaos.

Lights were also flashing from above, escalating everything around you, and making every dying cry and every sound of attack sound that much more horrifying and intense.

You would say work has prepared you for such horrors, but nothing can prepare you for not being able to do anything but hear people die. You know what you have to do though and you don’t feel an itch to step out of line to help.

Perhaps that is what leaves you an easy target or perhaps your acceptance to do nothing makes karma strike, but before you know it, cold hands slap around your ankles and drag you out of hiding.

Jun-hee yells out for you as you’re suddenly robbed from her side and you’re unable to hear, but through your confusion and panic, you yell back. “Stay! Don’t you dare try to help!”

From one second to the next, you’re flipped over, facing the woman who attacked you on the first day; the woman who’s been trying to figure out ways to curse you with her glares, and the woman who attacked you during mingle.

“You,” you snarl and quickly throw your hands out to try and claw her face to try and gain the upper hand, but she hits you with a right hook that leaves you disoriented and feeling a dull burning pain on your lip.

She hits you again, making you groan and feel streams of thick and warm blood run out of your nose and mouth. You feel the pain heighten and turn sharp now too, but through that pain and through your disorientation you swing your fist and jab your knuckles in her throat, causing her to choke and falter.

“I didn’t want to hurt you,” you growl and pull your fork out of hiding. “But you’re leaving me no choice,” you say and snap up to quickly scramble to your feet.

The woman sees you’re up now and tries to tackle you, but you use your body strength to slam into her so hard that she hits the wall.

You then try to bring your hand forward to impale her with the fork, but she doesn't take the time to collect herself. She manages to capture your wrist before she quickly grabs your throat with her other hand, going straight for the attack and managing to hurl you on the ground and disarm you.

“I learned how to fight in prison to try and kill the monster that locked me away,” she seethes, making the corner of your lips curl to a scowl.

However, you don’t waste a breath trying to respond. You throw your hands up to wrap them around her throat too, so she responds by picking your head up and slamming it on the floor.

You cry out and feel your world spin and a darkness blur your vision.

The woman then reels her hand back and swings her fist across your face for a third time. She then doesn’t give you time to try and recover, she grabs your head and picks it off the ground. Albeit before she can slam it down a second time, suddenly her body weight is lifted off you and through your blurry vision, you notice In-ho grab her by the collar and pull her to her feet before he slams her against the bed frame.

He doesn’t make another move after that. He lets her go and she collapses on the floor, letting you flip your body around to push yourself to your knees through all the confusion. When your eyes fall on her you notice her lifeless eyes, and the blood spilling from the back of her head.

He killed her for you. And it shouldn’t be as shocking as it currently is, or maybe it’s because your mind is still fuzzy and your vision is still blurry, but you’re left speechless and staring completely dumbfounded at the woman’s limp body.

It’s not until In-ho towers over you that you snap out of your stupor moments before he grabs you by your arms and pulls you to your feet.

“You weren’t supposed to come out of hiding,” you scold him softly whilst he squints through the flashing lights to try and see the cuts on your lips and the marks on your face.

“But I did,” he snaps with no real venom.

“But you did,” you whisper back and finally lock eyes, feeling at the heat of the moment as your vision finally clears and your head stops spinning; your heart skip a beat, and a warmth start to unfurl in your stomach that makes you hold his gaze in between the chaos for a second too long.

You also feel the urge to close the gap, so you do. You move in and wrap your arms around his neck to pull him in for an embrace. “Thank you,” you whisper sweetly, feeling the gentle touch of his hand on your back moments before the flashing lights come to an end and the bright lights come on again.

Now there’s a choice In-ho can make. He can either continue playing along with Gi-hun or expose himself as the Front Man.

Will he do the latter? You wonder as you watch him and prepare yourself to turn against him so the plan can go on.

Nevertheless, he pulls back and makes sure to grab your hand before he pulls you with him past the beds to throw yourselves on the floor and play dead.

“I’ll pass a gun to you,” he whispers as he closes his eyes. “Just cover us. Don’t strain yourself right now. Wait until after.”

You would argue, but your head still hurts, and by the time you try to storm to the control room you want to be stable enough to help them, so you give in and close your eyes.

In the following seconds, the alarm buzzes before the doors open, and pink soldiers storm in shooting their guns to make everyone stop fighting. They waste no time after that. Some men go around searching for anyone hiding, some point their guns at people they caught fighting, and others approach the dead to check the IDs.

However, since they know In-ho and you, the guard walking over simply crouches down and pretends, and it’s at that moment that In-ho jumps up and grabs the guard by the head to throw them on the floor. You then push yourself off the floor and watch In-ho yank the guard's gun off them to shoot them before he throws it at you to catch it.

After that with no time to examine the scene unfolding around you, you turn on your heels and shoot a guard straight through their mask, letting In-ho run over to the dead guard to rip their gun off their body. Much like you, with little time to breathe, he turns and ends up saving Gi-hun’s life by shooting the guard who was about to shoot him.

After that, since In-ho has a gun you turn and proceed to shoot a guard on the opposite side, while the other one is taken down by a different player. However, more guards are hidden between the beds trying to find their way out, so you find somewhere to hide and try to take them down while the other players try and take down the ones in the front.

You only manage to shoot down two before a bullet flies past you. When you look back you see a guard falling on the floor, so it means someone thought they were saving your life. Who? You ask yourself before you come out of hiding and see that it was Player 120.

Thus you offer them a thankful nod before you turn your aim ahead and take a guard down before the PA comes on to make an announcement. “Retreat.”

The guards gather up and start to walk backward towards the doors. Neither of you stops trying to shoot them though, you keep shooting with more ferocity as they all try running out of the closing doors, becoming an easy target.

Albeit you only manage to shoot one guard because they all manage to escape before the doors close. All except for one.

“Stop! Hold fire!” Gi-hun orders once the commotion has come to a halt and he spots the trapped masked manager. “Everyone, hold fire!”

Jung-bae and another player run up to the masked manager whilst you scan the room so there aren't any other masked guards hiding inside.

“Hands above your head! On your knees!” Jung-bae orders the masked manager.

“You goddamn bastards!” You catch someone shout and when you look over you notice Player 047 pointing a gun at the other players, so you quickly run over and yank his gun down.

“Drop it!” You bark without worrying about what plans the others have for the masked manager because no matter what, they're not allowed to expose who In-ho or you are unless you do it first.

“Drop it?!” The man remarks shakily. “Do you not see this? They are not human. They’re like goddamn vermin blinded by money!” He cries and brings his gun up again, causing the others behind you to yelp in fear.

However, you quickly counteract by pulling his gun down again and trying to get him to calm down. “Perhaps,” you agree about one thing. “But that’s not why we took these guns. If you shoot them now what do you gain from it? Satisfaction? For a little while maybe, but at the end of the day, you would have just repeated that cycle. You would be just like the people behind those masks.”

The man’s breath trembles and he keeps looking at you for a moment before he drops his aim and drops his head to cry quietly.

“We’re all tired,” you whisper as you start to walk past him. “But we won’t get out of here if we don’t keep pushing. Just for a little while longer.”

You pat his shoulder and then run over to Jun-hee as you notice her crawling out from under the bed.

“Everyone!” Gi-hun talks in the background. “Don’t be scared. Gather round, please!”

“It’s okay to come out,” Jung-bae echoes Gi-hun.

“We’re not trying to hurt you!” Gi-hun adds. “Come on! I have something to say!”

Before you can reach Jun-hee you come to a skidding stop as you catch Se-mi’s lifeless body bleeding out on the floor. The defiance once so lively in her eyes has now been swallowed by death.

What a tragic affair…

Yet you can’t stand there and feel guilty because if you blame yourself for not warning her then you’ll blame yourself for every dead player here, so, no you can’t feel guilty. You pull yourself away and finally reach Jun-hee.

“Are you okay?” She beats you to the question, so you respond to her first with reassurance.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just a little banged up but I’m fine. Besides, with all the adrenaline pumping through me I don’t feel a thing. You, are you okay?”

Jun-hee grabs her belly and smiles gently as she nods. “Yes, I’m okay,” she assures you, making you sigh with relief before you grab her shoulder and give it a gentle squeeze.

“It’s a good thing Young-il went to go help you,” she says with a sweeter smile as if she’s prouder than you are that he did what he did. “He’s a really good man. He seems to really care about you.”

Your smile falters but you don’t give anything away. You just nod softly. “Well, it’s a good thing he does because I probably would have come out worse than I look.”

“You held your own though,” she praises you. “That’s very impressive.”

You scoff and smile shyly at the ground. “Shucks.”

You proceed to roll your head up and meet her gaze with your lips slowly losing that smile. “Jun-hee, as you know, we’re going to leave soon to continue with this plan. And as you know it’s a risky plan. I just want you to know that…I will try what I can. Even if I don’t come back,” you add, sounding a little morbid.

“What does that mean?” She asks quietly as she looks at you with concern.

“Just,” you breathe out. “Know I will try everything I can,” you say with a smile before you pat her shoulder one more time and then turn away to walk to the front of the room with Gi-hun and the others as they also gather in front with collected guns, ammo, and radios.

“Everyone,” Gi-hun addresses the entire room. “We will now head up to the masked men’s headquarters. We’ll capture the ones who captured us, put an end to this game, and make them pay. Anyone who knows how to use a gun and wishes to join us, please step forward.”

You watch the ground as you wipe the blood off your face, but don’t see anyone coming forward. There’s not even a moment of hesitation.

Thus it’s probably why Jung-bae steps forward to address the crowd too. “Hey. I know you’re scared. I’m scared too. But this may be our last chance to make it out of this place alive. Ride with us so we can go home together. All together.”

You scan the crowd again and four people volunteer. Four out of all that remains after the bloodshed, after everything you, Gi-hun, and even Jung-bae have said, which actually gives your mind clarity since now you don’t have to debate whether adding a speech of your own or not because no matter what you have to say, nothing will change their minds.

At least some people chose to fight.

“Please check your guns and ammo,” Gi-hun orders after no one else decides to join.

“Let's take one radio each,” Jung-bae adds as he shows the radio in his hand. “We’ll use channel 7, the lucky number.”

You take a few steps forward and pick up two radios, one for you and one for Dae-ho who seems to be nervous.

“Are you doing okay?” You ask and he gives you a delayed answer.

“Yeah. Yeah,” his voice quivers. “You? You took quite a beating by the looks of it.”

You shrug whilst you check your ammo. “I’ll be okay. But you…are you sure you’re okay?” You ask as you notice how shaky his hands are.

“Yes, yeah I am, don’t worry about me,” he throws out at you.

“Attention!” A loud voice calls from a few paces ahead, and when you look over you see Player 120 facing the group with her gun pointed up. “This is the MP5, a submachine,” she says. “First, if you press this lever in the middle and pull the magazine, it comes off like this,” she says as she demonstrates how it’s done, making it seem rather easy. “If the selector switch is down, it’s set to full auto mode. Up is single-fire mode. We don’t have many magazines, so set it to single-fire mode. Lastly, insert the magazine, pull the handle, and then release it. That’s how you load it. Are we clear?”

“Yes,” you all agree in unison, and even if you already knew, it still still felt nice to hear it over again.

Soon thereafter, Gi-hun and Jung-bae approach the masked manager with a revolver.

“Take it off,” you hear Gi-hun order and when you look over you see the masked manager break the rule and expose himself to the masses.

“Good god,” Jung-bae gasps as he sees how young the manager looks. “Do your parents know what you’re doing here?”

With no space to answer Gi-hun cocks his gun and steps closer to the manager to sound more threatening. “Take us to your captain.”

Without the control room, exposing In-ho now would be stupid.

You keep telling yourself that as you leave the room and make your way to the control room following behind Jung-bae.

“All Players,” the PA cuts off the lullaby to give an alert. “It is bedtime now. Please return to your quarters immediately. Otherwise, you will be eliminated from the game. Let me repeat. All players, it is bedtime…”

The voice behind the PA tunes out as Jung-bae interjects. “I think I’ll be hearing this voice in my dreams. Don’t you?” He asks and looks back, making you sigh and agree.

“Every night.”

You then peer back at Dae-ho and he spares a glance at you and Jung-bae and agrees awkwardly before his eyes continue to dart the hall.

“…otherwise…”

Once again before the announcement on the PA can be finished, it’s interrupted. This time by Gi-hun shooting a speaker in the distance.

Nevertheless, it’s while you’ve taken that stop and waiting for Gi-hun to continue pushing forward that you spot three guards with the high ground across the hall, so you quickly react with panic. “Duck!”

A lousy interjection is given by the guards shooting their guns at you in hopes of hitting anyone that came with you, but luckily everyone ducks in time, leaving you stuck in the corner.

“One o’clock!” Gi-hun lets everyone know where the gunfire is raining from.

“Cover me!” You hear Player 120 shout from the back, which is why it’s not aimed at you, but you glance over and catch Player 047 standing up to shoot, so you quickly push yourself up and turn around to aim at the guard in the middle while they’re all distracted, managing to hit them right in the center of their mask.

There’s two guards left after that, but you crouch down again, catching Player 120 already ahead taking cover behind a corner before immediately going up and shooting ahead, managing to shoot one. There’s one left after that and they get taken down, but more guards pop up, so wait until there’s a second of silence and then peek out.

Guards come out of hiding, so you quickly aim your gun and shoot one before they start to shoot again, causing you to take cover and let the others pop out to try. After a few rounds are shot, Player 120 cuts in. “Hold fire!”

“Hold fire!” Gi-hun repeats so the others can be heard and no one can hit their triggers.

After that, when no fire rains down from above you all slowly stand up and scan the area to make sure the ghost is clear.

“Is everyone okay?” Gi-hun asks after he doesn’t catch anyone, but you keep looking so there aren’t any guards sneaking over.

“Yes,” people reassure him.

“Yes, I’m okay!”

“All right,” Gi-hun says with some hint of relief. “Let’s go up!”

He proceeds to turn around to pull up the manager so he can continue to lead the way.

“Good shot,” you praise player 120 as you pass by her.

“Thank you.” She nods. “You too.”

You flash her a quick smile and then realize that she lingered behind to shoot singular shots at something you aren’t able to see, but given the fact that they were singular bullets, she probably shot at the cameras like she did before.

Not like it does any good given the fact that you’re already passing that section and she can't shoot out any cameras that you’ll come across. If you could turn the cameras off from anywhere else but the restricted levels, that would be great, but alas, you can’t so they know every step you take.

They know when Jung-bae finds ammo in the pocket of a dead guard hanging over the wall, and they see when you all come to a stop in front of a protected door.

“How much farther?” Gi-hun asks the manager after he brings him and everyone else to a stop. “Is this the right way?” He asks as he turns him around.

The manager turns to point at the protected door. “The entrance to the management area is around that corner. The control room is right above it,” he says with a shaky voice.

“Move it then,” Gi-hun urges.

“Wait,” the manager says and proceeds to try and pull out his mask, but since Gi-hun doesn’t know that’s what he needs, he stops the manager.

“What are you doing?”

“I need my mask to pass security,” the manager assures him, so Gi-hun lets him go and the manager takes out the mask.

However, as the manager is lifting his head up to look away from what he’s doing, you see his eyes lock on In-ho seconds before his eyes drift behind his shoulder to also spot you and look at you with the same disbelief.

He recognizes the both of you, but nothing brings him more fear than In-ho, because he knows that there’s no escaping the fate that awaits those who break the rules.

Moreover, as if spotting In-ho is some bad omen, the sound of a bullet breaks the silence seconds before it rips right through the manager and steals his life. Neither one of you hesitate to take cover after that to avoid succumbing to the same fate.

Well, all but one player avoids getting hit in the surprise attack. He was trying to be brave and stood out in the open. The rest of you stay hidden for a few seconds. After that, a couple of players pop out and shoot at the guards.

When they take cover again after a few rounds are shot, other players take their turn shooting. You wait albeit until the tail end of the group takes their turn to shoot to catch the guards off guard. There's no real need to do so since bullets hit below or above you and never at you, but you’re no longer playing a part. Killing them is you dropping your act, but they don’t know that, so it’s easy to bring them down and play it off like you’re an excellent shot.

“I’ll go look for the management area!” Gi-hun tries to shout over the gunfire so he can be heard by the group.

“Will you be able to find it?” In-ho asks as he keeps pretending. “Should I come?”

Much to your surprise Gi-hun declines his offer. “I’ll go with Jung-bae. I need you to buy us some time!”

“Gi-hun!” You exclaim and inch forward to be seen by him. “I’ll go with you.”

Right away In-ho looks over and turns you down before Gi-hun can try and answer. “No, I need you here with me, covering for me.”

Gi-hun’s eyes shift to you and you see him debate that decision before he nods stiffly. “Young-il is right. I’ll see you again soon.”

You clench your hands around the gun and nod softly. “Alright. Good luck over there. Let me know if you need backup.”

He hums and then looks at his friend. “Jung-bae, let's go.”

He proceeds to swipe the mask off the floor before he goes off and disappears around the corner with Jung-bae, leaving you to instead try and take down as many guards as you can.

Yet just as you’re about to turn around you notice how recklessly Dae-ho is shooting. He’s not even looking over at his targets. He’s just shooting blindly as if he’s scared or never actually shot a gun before. It’s why he runs out of bullets.

“Here,” you exclaim and then quickly scurry over to the wall he’s hiding behind to hand him the extra ammo you had in your pocket. “And stop shooting like that. You’ll waste all your bullets, or worse, shoot one of us.”

He nods frantically and then grabs the ammo to insert it shakily.

“Dae-ho,” you call out softer, and he clicks in his ammo first before he gives you his attention. “Breathe, okay?” You try to comfort him the best way you can. A way you would like to be comforted. A way…you’ve been comforted before. “You’ll be okay.”

He looks into your eyes, so you make sure to soften them so he can find ease in your comfort before he exhales deeply and offers you a comprehensive nod before looking away.

After you turn the other way to try and come out of hiding to continue shooting, you catch In-ho’s wandering gaze that hardens slightly as he furrows his eyebrows.

You don’t know what he can possibly mean by it so you just look away and pop out of hiding to shoot.

Yet no matter how many guards you or the others take down more and more guards come out in groves. Which is expected by you, but it doesn’t make it any less annoying because you know there’s no way the Players will survive this if Gi-hun doesn’t reach that room, or if you don’t go ahead to help him.

“We’re in the management area,” you hear Gi-hun come in through the radio, making you pick it up to bring it to your ear—“We’ll make our way up.”

If only you could warn him, but there’s too many reasons you can’t right now and one is next to you, growing angrier and angrier the closer Gi-hun gets to that room. The best thing to do is keep trying to pick off the number of these guards. How long can you keep this up with the limited ammo you all have and the small group you came with? You don't know, all you know is that if you don’t move forward you’ll be picked off or trapped.

Player 046 notices the predicament and comments on it. “This isn’t getting us anywhere! Let’s follow them to the upper level!”

“We might get surrounded if we move together without a plan!” In-ho responds with the actual harsh truth. “Let’s wait until they find the control room!”

“Young-il is right!” You add as consolation. “We’ll only get killed if we move ahead now.”

Player 047 groans but doesn’t push. He keeps trying to fight and so do you.

“Everyone! Check your magazines!” Player 120 yells not so much later, but first, you come out of hiding and try to shoot a guard, but you miss as they duck in time.

“I’m down to half,” you hear someone say before other players proceed to announce their current status.

“I’ve got less than half.”

“Same!”

“I’ve got two-thirds left.”

“I’m almost out!”

“Mine is empty!” Dae-ho announces.

“I’m almost out!” You say but only guess because you don’t actually check even if you take cover again.

“I’m almost out too!” In-ho says last.

“Young-il, Dae-ho!” Jung-bae comes through the radio at long last. And after he says your name too he proceeds with what he needs to say. “Can you hear me?”

“Go ahead!” In-ho responds for the group.

“I think we’re right below the control room! But we need backup and more ammo,” Jung-bae shares.

“We’re running out of ammo too!” In-ho shares loudly.

“There should be spare magazines in the soldiers' pockets in our quarters,” Gi-hun says this time. “Go get them!”

“Got it!” In-ho assures them before he turns to the group. “Did you hear that? They need backup! Four of us will go, and the rest will stay! Join us once you get the magazines! Besides, Player 002, who wants to go with me?”

“I’ll go!” Player 047 volunteers before Player 015 does the same.

“Let’s go!” In-ho commands and is quick to lead the way. Before you follow them though you turn to Dae-ho.

“You’ll be okay,” you add one last piece of comfort. “Just remember to breathe.”

He nods quickly and then speaks shakily. “Be careful.”

You offer him a gentle smile. “I will,” you assure him before you turn away and follow the others, finding it easy to reach the management area since no guards pop out and scare you, and Gi-hun and Jung-bae propped the door open with a gun—Which is smart on their behalf. And that's not all, they also seemed to use the mask they took as a decoy to distract the guards they faced.

“Dae-ho,” you hear Jung-bae speak through the radio. “Can you hear me? Where are those magazines?”

“Yes?” You hear Dae-ho’s shaky voice. “I’m on my way to get them.”

“All right, Dae-ho! We’re counting on you!”

“Yes, you can count on me, brother!” Dae-ho assures him. “I’ll be there soon!”

Hopefully, he stays true to his word. He looked rather terrified when you left him. It’s a long way from there to here.

“Was that boy even in the Marines?” Player 047 wonders out loud. “He was shaking like a leaf and shooting like a madman.”

You shrug as you keep your gun up and your eyes peeled. “Who knows, but we need to trust he’ll stay true to his word. People are relying on him,” you say as you move along.

After you ascend a few stairs and walk a few paces, you finally come across the first violent scene that marks that Gi-hun and Jung-bae are going the right way. You also hear bullets, but with the way this section is built the sounds echo, so there’s no way to pinpoint where the noise comes from. It’s a good thing you’re not going into this blindly.

Albeit In-ho still walks slowly and pretends to be clueless so as to not give anything away, and with no other choice, you pretend too.

Once you find Gi-hun and Jung-bae you keep up your act because of the number of guards there is ahead of you. In-ho surely would end up turning them against you if you expose yourself now.

You need to wait. Just a little longer.

“Gi-hun!” In-ho announces your presence as you round the corner. “Did you find the control room?”

Gi-hun points his head toward the guards as he responds. “I think it’s right up there, but we can't go this way. I want you to find another way.”

“I did a quick scan of the layout here. I’m sure there’s a way to go around them,” In-ho says. “I want you guys to keep their focus on you. We’ll hit them from behind.”

Gi-hun nods. “Okay.”

And before In-ho and the rest of you go, Gi-hun stops him. “Wait. Here take this,” he says and offers him his spare ammo. “You’re going to need it.”

You clench your jaw and turn away to avoid giving anything away.

“Are you sure?” In-ho asks as he makes sure to pretend to be hesitant. And without a damn fault, Gi-hun shows that he is a good and reliable man.

“Dae-ho will be back with more.”

He’s the humanity In-ho seems to lack…

But you also can’t be sure. Not at this moment. Not here because no matter what way you view this current situation, the truth is you are stuck and need to find a way out.

Maybe you shouldn’t rely on those running thoughts. You can’t find an excuse for him because you know him more than you care to admit. Yet wouldn’t it be foolish to not hold out hope?

He leads the way so confidently, like if he’s not hiding a secret, like if he is just another desperate player. Every step he takes to carefully lead the group drives you further into the belief that his heart has softened and that he wants more than just this island.

“Gi-hun,” he says after you find your way around the guards and wait with the other Players taking cover across from you while In-ho and you hide next to each other—“we found it. Start attacking and draw their attention. Then we’ll hit them from behind.”

“Okay, got it!” Gi-hun responds and ends the conversation. Not long after that, he’s not hesitant to do what he’s supposed to do.

Thus once the guards are distracted, In-ho gives the other two the okay to sneak out and stalk toward the guards from behind. You wait until they’ve rounded the corner before you try to follow after them, but In-ho then puts his hand out, telling you to wait before he walks out.

You don’t listen to him however and carefully follow after him.

The moment you round the corner you’re startled by him killing the Players.

You don’t know why you let such a violent act scare you. It’s what he does. He’s cold and quick to act, but…you still wanted to hold out hope. Desperately. Because maybe just maybe he would turn out to be different. He would have had a change of heart. He would have learned from Gi-Hun’s heroism and his bravery and remembered that there’s a point to life. There’s so much more than this island and this frigid life of games and death.

You thought that maybe, just maybe you had changed his mind too. Not with what you have said, but with your kindness toward him and the reminder that there are people who love him. Not just Jun-ho, but you too, but…he just killed those Players only trying to escape this hell, so what can you hold onto now? A flickering glimmer of hope?

How stupid, but…you hold on like a fool. You don’t show him kindness. That’s a mercy you don’t grant him.

First, you spin around and shoot out the cameras with haste. In-ho had grabbed his radio and was going to talk through it, but as he hears the sounds of your gun, he pauses and wants to turn, but you don’t let him face you so he doesn’t have the chance the point his gun at you. You press the head of your gun against his head and snatch the back of his collar before you tug.

Without commotion or alerting the guards, In-ho walks back with you so you can hide behind the wall so the guards don’t come to help him.

“I’m going to give you one chance, In-ho,” you break your silence and start to answer his confusion. “Do the right thing.”

He scoffs. “What’s the right thing?” He retorts. “Don't tell me you’ve believed what you said and the bullshit Gi-hun has spat.”

You swallow thickly and with that, he has his answer, so he strains a chuckle and steps forward, slipping from your grasp and attempting to turn. Albeit you press the head of your gun harder against his head, making him stop and mutter. “I should’ve known…”

“You should’ve known,” you continue for him in his brief silence. “I was nothing like my father. I was nothing like everyone here. You should’ve known that I would fight against the monsters.”

In-ho takes a deep breath and stays quiet for a moment before he responds. “Is that what you believe? That you’re different? You may try to fight for the right thing, but you are just like your father.”

Your breath hitches and when he hears that he drops his gun and turns around, locking eyes with you above the gun still pointing at him.

“You let all these people die for your plan. You played them in their faces to try and achieve your own goals,” he continues, making your bottom lip tremble as the truth hurts. “No matter how many times you turned away from the violence you still let the blood shed. At least Tae-woong didn’t turn a blind eye.”

You inhale sharply and reaffirm your aim.

“So no you’re not different,” he remarks. “That’s why your place is here. Don’t be stupid. Put the gun down. There’s nothing waiting for you out there. No one. What life can you have out there when you’re so dependent on wanting a family?”

Your breath trembles and tears break out of your eyes and run down your cheeks whilst the hold on your gun falters.

In-ho is quick to use that slight mistake and moves forward, but no matter how much hurt you’re hit with at the sound of him using your vulnerability against you, you still step back.

“Prove your father wrong by doing better than he did here,” he adds and steps forward, but you take a step to the side and he follows your lead.

“So,” your voice quivers and you begin to walk around him slowly, but he never lets you get behind him. In-ho follows your every step without letting go of your gaze as if you’re in an intimate dance—“That’s your answer then? You don’t even want to try? Jun-ho will take you back.”

He finally gulps at what you said and sighs as that coldness he looks at you with falters. “No,” he deadpans. “There’s no option to retreat. Not here.”

Like a candle against a breeze. That hope is snuffed out and you’re left standing there cold and swallowed by the dark.

“Okay,” you mutter and stop dancing around him, instead, you tighten the hold around your gun as you accept the harsh truth that he picked this damn island.

Just like your father, In-ho also picked the Island…

It hurts. It angers you to accept, but even so, you still don’t raise the gun to point it at anything past his shoulders. You keep the head of your gun slightly lowered to try and catch him off guard.

Albeit In-ho is smarter than that, he sees your thoughts forming behind your eyes and instead, catches you by surprise when he grabs the head of your gun with both hands and pushes the gun back harshly to hit you with the butt of your own gun.

You groan and stumble back, but refuse to let the gun go, so he pushes back again, making you hit the wall this time.

With the gun still attached, you try to press the trigger, but he catches that attempt and throws his leg out to kick you hard on your belly, causing you to groan and your hold to falter as you’re riddled with pain.

Thus, In-ho snatches the gun from your hand and swiftly turns it around to point it at you now. Yet before he can hit the trigger, you ignore your pain and lunge forward to tackle him to the ground.

In-ho drops the gun, but he doesn’t let you gain an opening. He grabs your shoulders as you try to slide your hands to his throat, and then wraps his legs around your waist before he flips you over, unaware of the fact that you were on the ledge of a top step so you both tumble down the stairs.

Thankfully, the flight of stairs is short so you hit the ground soon and manage to land on top of him. He does quickly try to push you off him, but you slap his hands away and pin his arms down before you bring your head down to headbutt him.

In-ho groans and becomes dazed, whilst your head throbs too. Yet you don’t let your pain overwhelm you, you slide your hands up his arm to wrap your fingers around his throat.

Without hesitation and with anger that he decided to choose the Island over leaving with you, you squeeze forcefully.

In-ho doesn’t give up, of course. He drags his hands up and also wraps his hands around your own throat with a firm squeeze. And rather than competing in a challenge of who can run out of air first, he manages to fold his leg and jab his knee in your stomach, making you let him go as every muscle in your body is overcome with pain.

In-ho then shoves you aside and pushes himself on his feet to run away. You watch him run and you assume he’s going to grab a gun, so once again you shove the pain aside and pull yourself up shakily. When you’re on your feet you break into a sprint and manage to catch up to him so you throw yourself at him to shove him against the wall using your body. You then grab a ball of his hair and yank him back a few inches before you slam his face against the wall with vigor.

“Ah!” He yelps and you do it again and again, but when you’re going to do it a fourth time he jabs his elbow on your side, making you stumble and letting him turn around to grab your throat with both hands and throw you against the other wall.

When your body hits the wall your radio slips out of your pocket, so you purposely fall to the ground and reach out for the radio, managing to swipe it off the ground. In-ho is busy grabbing a gun so you press the button to talk. “Gi-hun!” You shout through the radio. “Jung-bae! Young-il is—”

Before you can finish warning them about the truth of how In-ho is, he kicks the radio out of your hand and then proceeds to reel his arms back to slam the butt of his gun against your head. Albeit you manage to catch his attempts and quickly react by snapping your head away, resulting in him hitting the ground.

Instead of proceeding to attack him, you flip around as you hear Gi-hun calling you through the radio, but In-ho drags you back and then flips you over.

“Do it,” you grimace as he points the gun at you. “Kill me…but then,” you say with tears running down your cheeks. “I want you to look your brother in the eye and tell him you killed the woman he loved. Kill me and make me a martyr you fucking monster!” You cry out.

In-ho lets out a deep breath through his nose and clenches his jaw as he points his gun at you, making you tilt your chin up to hold his gaze with defiance and rage. He then proceeds to hover his finger over the trigger, but before he can shoot you in the head, he lowers his aim and shoots your shoulder, causing you to cry out in pain seconds before he turns the gun around and once again reels his arms back.

This time instead of missing he manages to hit you with the butt of the gun and knocks you out.

——

*A LITTLE BIT LATER*

“How many?”

“Three on both sides.”

Your eyes flutter open, but before you can focus your eyes you’re blinded by a natural brightness you haven’t seen in days, so you immediately shield your eyes and keep hearing distorted voices.

“That’s enough. Close it and push it into the water.”

“Yes sir!”

Between the throbbing pain completely radiating from every muscle of your body, you hear the sound of footsteps hitting against rocks, so you quickly bring your arm down and see where you are now that the panic lets your eyes focus. You’re outside.

Your eyes quickly take in your surroundings and you notice that you’re lying in a black box. You’re in one of the boxes they put dead Players.

Pink guards proceed to appear above you and they look down with their masks.

“Where is he?” You blurt. “Where is the Front Man?!” You demand to know, but neither guard responds, instead they disappear for a second, making you heave with panic.

“In-ho?” You call out in hopes he’s nearby. “In-ho?!”

The pink guards appear again but this time they appear with a black lid that they don’t hesitate to bring down, meaning one thing; they’re trapping you inside. They’re going to send you out to sea.

“Wait!” You cry out and try to throw your hands out but you can only throw out one hand because the other pierces you with sharp pain. “WAIT!” You bellow and try to push the lid away, but they’re stronger between all four of them. They slam the lid down, pushing your hand down and enveloping you in darkness.

“No,” your voice quivers as you’re overwhelmed with terror. “No, please! Wait! In-ho, please! PLEASE!”

You hear the sound of drills before you hear the sound of nails securing the lid on the box to make sure you can’t escape.

“The Crane has been eliminated,” a distorted voice announces before you feel the box getting pushed and then proceed to hear the sound of their footsteps as they move forward on the sand with your box.

“Please don’t do this!” You cry with absolute horror. “Please take me out! Please! Please!” You beg and begin slamming your fist against the box. “Get me out of here!”

The box stops moving but only because you feel it hit the water. You see the water splashing in through the holes on the box and you completely panic.

“PLEASE! PLEASE! DON'T DO THIS! IN-HO! IN-HO!”

Yet no one responds. No one pulls you back on land. They push you further away so you can drift away with the waves and eventually drown or starve to death. Either or this is punishment because you’ll die in the sea…

.

.

.

.

A/N- OH MY GOODNESS! WILL WE BE SAVED?! And if so, by who?!!!

[thenyoukeepliving]

The Five Love Languages: Stupid Rabbit Edition

S/G: i fucking hate the stupid rabbit yall……..

A/N: I have a uni class called Social Skills Development and we were talking about relationships and the main love languages. Naturally, I spent almost the entire class thinking about how these would apply to the bnnuy rabt. Then I did the same in my next class… then I came home and turned those thoughts into whatever this is – instead of studying for my three upcoming exams.

I’m also writing this intro two days after completing the whole thing, when I’m also supposed to be studying. Am I going to pass any of these exams? Should I be making better choices? Will I ever succeed in anything in life like this? Do I even care? Let’s not find out! 

So anyway, enjoy! My academic achievements certainly won’t!

CW: none | asshole rabbit (affectionate) | prompts are NOT cohesive AT ALL | also I think I tend to write Jax a bit OOC so be aware of that I guess?

Word count: 1571

Gift Giving

“Oh wow, a gift? From me? To you?” He smirks, handing you a tiny, glittery box. You open it to find... a single peanut.

“I got you a present.” He holds out a tiny piece of paper with ‘You Suck’ written on it.

“I found this and figured you’d like it.” Hands you one of Zooble's parts that he stole from them earlier.

“Here, I made this for you.” Gives you a poorly drawn doodle of you with “Dumbo” written above it. (It’s actually kinda cute.)

He tosses something at you without warning. You barely catch it, looking down to see... a single, slightly crumpled flower. “Eh, it was in my way.” He shrugs, avoiding eye contact.

“Pfft, no, I didn’t get that for you. It just appeared out of nowhere. Weird, huh?” He says after gifting you something genuinely nice but refusing to take credit for it.

Jax casually flips you a small, shiny bracelet. You realize it’s the one you lost a while ago in the circus during the gloink adventure. “Found it,” he says, walking off before you can react.

Words of Affirmation

“Wow, you suck at this.”

“Huh. Guess you’re not completely useless.” After you do something impressive.

You make a self-deprecating joke about yourself. Jax frowns, his ears slightly twitching. “Okay, no. I refuse to let you talk about yourself like that.”

You mess up something huge during an adventure, making everything more difficult for the whole group. Your face is flushing with embarrassment. Jax leans against the wall, barely suppressing a laugh. “Yikes. That was so bad I almost wanna be nice to you. Almost.”

“Ugghh, why do I even like you? Oh, right. Because you’re so great and cool and all that other annoying stuff.” Gives you the biggest side eye.

“No, no, no, don’t give up now! You’re my main source of entertainment!”

Quality Time

“Wow, alone time? In this economy?” (You've JUST sat down to do something on your own.)

Wordlessly follows you around for hours. When you finally ask why, he shrugs. “Dunno. Just seeing how long it takes for you to snap.”

OR you're reading a book on the couch. Jax is just sitting on the other end, staring at you like a creep. “So how long are you planning to do this?”

“What? You’re busy? Nah, c’mon, whatever it is can wait. I gotta show you something.”

You decide to take a walk by yourself to clear your head. After just two minutes, Jax appears beside you out of nowhere. “Did you really think I wouldn’t follow you?

You're trying to focus on something, but Jax keeps lingering over your shoulder and walking in circles around you like a clueless puppy. Finally, you snap and give him a groan. "What? We’re bonding. This is quality time."

BONUS, if somehow you'd have phones: He randomly yoinks your phone out of your hand while you're using it. “You’re welcome. It’s called being present, ever heard of it?”

Acts of Service

Steals your things so you “learn independence.”

Sneaks in your room and rearranges your stuff just because it "looked off." ((((based on this post of Jax's very organised room from @backtothedrawingboard hehe))))

You’re struggling to reach something on a high shelf. Jax smirks, grabs it easily, and then holds it just out of your reach. “Oh, you wanted this?”

“I technically helped you, so, y’know, you owe me now. And I'm definitely cashing that in later.”

"I’m practically doing all the work here. Just saying." (Does literally 1% of whatever it is that needs to be done.)

You’re carrying a bunch of stuff, struggling. Jax takes exactly one item from your arms. “There ya go. Better?”

Jax hands you something before you even ask for it.  “How’d you– ?” You blink.  “I pay attention. Sometimes.” He grins. 

Physical Touch

Flicks your forehead out of nowhere – “Just checkin’ if your brain’s still in there.” 

OR flicks your nose for no reason – “Dunno, just felt like it.”

Pokes your cheek repeatedly. “Just makin’ sure you’re real.” (None of you are.)

Ruffles your hair and immediately messes it up, making you groan his name in annoyance – “Nah, looks better like this.”

Casually throws an arm around your shoulders. “Look at us. Best buds.”

“Whoa, careful there.” After he stuck his foot out to trip you, but caught you last second.

Drags a single finger down your arm just to see you shiver. “Ticklish, huh?” (He's a 100% aware of this already.)

“Ughhh, standing is so hard.” Leans on you dramatically.

[domm1etae]

sent to tempt me - chapter fifteen

chapter fifteen: mister doctor

chapter summary: Yunho tries (and fails) to avoid Mingi, only to get roped into another talk with him. A shower should help clear his mind, but instead, he ends up spiraling...and looking for a solution

pairing: yunho x mingi

genre: smut (not yet but there will be eventually), angst, fluff, romance, m/m, non!idol!ateez, sub!yunho, dom!mingi, drama, coming of age, collage, religion

rating: 18+ (for the whole series bc there will be smut eventually) | mdni

word count: 2.2k

warnings under

collage, roommates, sub!yunho, dom!mingi, bad boy mingi and religious church good boy yunho, same-sex attraction, m/m, teasing, dark themes, homophobia, self discovery, pet names, strangers to lovers, religion and religious topics, aaaand more will be added soon hehehe

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author's note: long time no see! anyways, hope you will enjoy this short chapter. another one is already in the making, hopefully it will be out this week as well. don’t forget to follow me on x for more updates on sent to tempt me

It was around 10 p.m. when Yunho finally returned to his dorm after spending the evening with Jisung, Seonghwa, and Hongjoong. The entire hangout had been nothing short of amazing—easily one of the best experiences he'd had since arriving at university. He was so glad he’d gone, even if meeting new people had initially been daunting. Up until now, the only person he really knew was Jisung, but tonight had changed that. He actually had people he could call friends now.

That was... nice. Different, but nice.

Yunho had always been okay on his own. He’d spent years relying on just himself, convinced that he didn’t need anyone else. But having friends—people to talk to, to laugh with—made him realize how much he might’ve been missing out on all this time.

Even so, there was still a lingering sense of guilt gnawing at him, especially when he thought about Seonghwa and Hongjoong. How had he been so oblivious? Now that he looked back on it, their dynamic was obvious. He really hoped he hadn’t said anything to make them uncomfortable, especially with the way he’d spoken about his faith. What if they thought he was judgmental? That thought made his stomach twist. He’d never want to make anyone feel that way.

With a quiet sigh, Yunho slipped off his shoes by the door and stepped further inside, immediately hearing the soft rush of water coming from the bathroom. That meant Mingi was in the shower.

Good. That gave him some time to wind down before having to deal with him.

As much as Yunho was trying to be open-minded about this whole “let’s be friends” deal, it was still strange. Mingi had gone from treating him like a joke to suddenly deciding they should be civil—not in public, of course, just here, behind closed doors. Yunho still didn’t know what to make of that. But at least Mingi was in a good mood earlier, and he hadn’t been outright mean. That was something... right?

Deciding not to think about it too much, Yunho walked into his room, setting his backpack down near his desk before shrugging off his cardigan. The cool air made him shiver slightly, but he ignored it as he moved to his bedside table.

Carefully, he reached for the chain around his neck and slipped off his rosary, placing it gently on the wooden surface of hid bedside table. His fingers lingered over the cross for a second before he pulled away, turning back toward his desk.

He sat down, opening his laptop to check his assignments. He still had work to do, and he figured he might as well get a head start while waiting for the hot steaming shower, that was very much needed.

After about 45 minutes of staring at his laptop screen and making progress on his assignments, Yunho finally decided it was time to take a shower. His brain was starting to fog up from all the reading, and a hot shower sounded like exactly what he needed.

He stood up, stretched his arms above his head, and grabbed a fresh set of clothes along with his towel. With everything in hand, he lazily made his way to the door, opening it as quietly as possible before carefully pulling it shut behind him.

Or, well, that was the plan.

The second the door clicked shut, a loud voice rang through the dorm.

“Yunhooooo!”

Yunho shut his eyes, sighing. Mission: Avoid Mingi Today had officially failed.

“Come here pleeeeease,” Mingi called out, his voice dragging on in a whiny plea.

For a split second, Yunho considered just running straight to the bathroom and pretending he didn’t hear. But who was he kidding? Mingi would just call out again, louder, and probably start banging on the door if he ignored him. With another sigh, Yunho turned and headed toward the living room, his steps reluctant but obedient.

And there he was.

Mingi sat comfortably on the couch, his legs stretched out as he scrolled through his phone with one hand. His hair was still slightly damp from his shower, the strands falling naturally over his forehead. A plain white t-shirt hung loosely on his frame, paired with his usual Adidas baggy shorts and black slippers. No jewelry, no accessories—just a freshly showered, relaxed Mingi.

Yunho swallowed. He looked... softer like this. Less intimidating.

Mingi finally glanced up, a small smirk tugging at his lips. “Hey. Heading to the shower?”

Yunho nodded. “Yeah.”

“Nice.” Mingi leaned back against the couch, his fingers still tapping on his phone. “Take as long as you want, I’m not gonna use it again tonight.”

Yunho blinked. That was... it? That was why he called him over? Just to tell him he had free reign over the bathroom?

“Oookay?” Yunho answeard shortly wanting to head over to the shower finally but Mingi spoke again.

“Anyway, do you have any plans this weekend?”

Oh.

There it is. So this was the real reason Mingi wanted to talk.

Yunho blinked at the question, caught a little off guard. Plans? Did he have any? Not really. But something about Mingi asking him made his brain short-circuit for a second.

He cleared his throat, trying not to seem weird. “Well... um, except for studying, not really.”

Mingi’s face lit up. “Ah, that’s amazing, then.”

Yunho frowned slightly. Amazing? Why was that amazing? Did Mingi just enjoy the thought of Yunho rotting away in his room with nothing but textbooks?

But then Mingi continued, and Yunho instantly regretted even wondering.

“I hope you didn’t forget—we kind of have a project to work on.”

Oh. Right.

Yunho forced himself not to react, but inside, he was screaming. Oh, how he wished he could forget. Just push it to the back of his mind, pretend it didn’t exist, maybe pray a little that divine intervention would make it disappear.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t forget. Because this wasn’t just some minor assignment. No, it was most of his grade for that seminar.

So. Hahah. Yeah. He was stuck with it.

And stuck with Mingi.

Mingi kept talking, completely unaware of the mental breakdown Yunho was having. “I’m away tomorrow, but we could work on it on Sunday. What do you think?”

Yunho looked up just in time to see Mingi smile.

And, oh. Oh, no.

Why—why did he look like that? Like an overgrown puppy who had just been told he was a very good boy?

Yunho had seen plenty of people smile before. His mom. His teachers. Jisung. Even strangers on the street. But for some reason, when Mingi smiled at him like that, something inside him felt weird. It was like—like his brain suddenly started lagging, and his heart did this stupid little flip in his chest, and he completely forgot what words even were for half a second.

So, naturally, Yunho found himself smiling back. Just a small one, barely there. But it happened before he could stop it.

“Sounds nice,” he said, his voice steadier than he expected. “We can do that.”

Mingi nodded. “Perfect. Thanks.”

Yunho took that as his cue to finally escape. He turned around, heading toward the bathroom, so ready to scrub this entire conversation out of his brain with scalding hot water.

But, of course. Of course.

Mingi wasn’t done.

“Oh, and Yunho?”

Yunho stopped, shoulders tensing. “Mhm?”

Mingi tilted his head, raising a single eyebrow. “Could I book my promised doctor’s appointment after you’re done in the bathroom?”

Yunho’s brain completely blue-screened.

Oh no. No, no, no, no, no.

Yunho completely forgot about that.

His stomach dropped, and his brain instantly started spiraling. He didn’t think he could handle another very close-up health session with Mingi. The last time had been… a lot.

Not because he didn’t want to help. No, Yunho was a good person, a responsible one. He’d offered in the first place, and he wasn’t about to go back on his word.

But the memory of touching Mingi’s skin, of being that close to him, of feeling his warmth and hearing his voice up close—it all came rushing back, and Yunho suddenly felt like he needed that shower immediately.

Still, the moment he turned around and looked at Mingi, he knew there was no way he could say no.

Even from a distance, Yunho could see the healing wounds on his face, still visible, still a reminder of what happened. They weren’t bleeding anymore, thank God, but they were still there.

Mingi still had bruises.

Mingi still had scars.

And Yunho wasn’t heartless.

They’d promised, hadn’t they? They were going to be… "friends."

So Yunho swallowed down whatever weird feelings were creeping up his spine and nodded. “Yeah, I can take a look at it.”

Mingi grinned. “Thank you, Mister Doctor.”

Yunho didn’t even have time to react before his body made the executive decision to flee.

He spun around so fast, heading straight for the bathroom, because no way was he letting Mingi see the heat that immediately spread across his cheeks and ears.

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

Hot droplets of water ran down Yunho’s skin, tracing the contours of his body as steam filled the small bathroom. His head, however, was far from relaxed.

Ugh. Yunho, don’t worry. You can handle this.

But could he?

It had already been a good twenty minutes, and still, he stood there under the spray, letting every single pore open up, letting the scalding heat sink deep into his muscles. His fingers had long since gone pruney, his skin sensitive from the impact of the water, but he needed this—needed to put off stepping back out into that living room for as long as possible.

Because Mingi was there.

And Mingi had this… annoying ability to mess with Yunho’s head without even trying.

He always knows exactly what to say.

One minute, he’s making fun of him, laughing at Yunho’s awkwardness. The next, he’s dead serious, his voice soft and even, like he actually understood Yunho.

And that stupid nickname. Mister Doctor.

Yunho groaned under his breath, rubbing his hands down his face, as if he could scrub the memory away. Why did Mingi say it like that? With that little smirk? That teasing lilt in his voice? Like he was amused by Yunho’s entire existence?

Yunho hated it.

No—he hated him.

…Or at least, that’s what he told himself.

He sighed deeply, finally deciding that standing under the water wasn’t going to wash his thoughts away. With a resigned sigh, he shut off the shower and grabbed his towel, running it over his skin before tying it loosely around his waist.

His first instinct was to check himself in the mirror, but the glass was completely fogged up. Figures.

Reaching out, he dragged his palm over the surface, creating a small, clear circle in the middle. Just big enough to see himself.

And when he did, all he could think was—

You look a mess, Yunho.

Okay, so now, let’s stop overthinking and actually think.

Yunho exhaled, gripping the edges of the sink as he stared at his reflection. He needed to focus—not on how flustered he felt every time Mingi opened his mouth, but on how to handle it.

I cannot let him play with me like this.

But how?

Ugh, I’m hopeless. He had no idea how to act in these situations. He’d never been good at quick comebacks or teasing banter—he either froze up or turned red like an idiot, which only made Mingi push further.

Wait. The internet.

The internet knows everything.

Grabbing his phone, he immediately started scrolling while absentmindedly applying his skincare routine. There had to be advice for this, right? But every search result felt useless.

“How to deal with teasing from friends”—nope. “What to say when someone keeps making fun of you”—not quite right. “How to respond when a guy teases you and you don’t know why”—getting closer, but still not helpful.

He groaned, rubbing his temples.

I can’t call Jisung. I was just over there, and besides, Jisung is probably already asleep.

There was only one other option. A last resort.

AI.

Yunho hesitated for a second, then quickly typed:

"What to do when my roommate, who I don’t know that well but have a school project with, keeps teasing me all the time and always knows what to say to rile me up, but I don’t?"

He hit enter and waited, watching the screen load.

Sounds like your roommate enjoys pushing your buttons.

Yup, that is true.

If it bothers you, you could try one of these approaches:

Okay, please let these be useful.

1) Stay Unbothered – The more you react, the more fuel they get. Act like it doesn’t phase you, and they might lose interest.

…That’s basically what I’ve been trying to do. (Not at all working, obviously.) Next.

2) Address It Directly – If it’s actually getting under your skin, you can casually bring it up.

Nope. Not happening. Yunho would rather die than openly admit Mingi was getting to him.

3) Flip the Script – Ask them straight up, “Why do you love messing with me so much?”

ABSOLUTELY NOT. Yunho could already imagine Mingi’s smug face if he ever asked something like that.

And then, the last one caught his eye.

4) Play Along – If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. Tease them back, even if it’s just lighthearted.

…Hmm

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[inkshadow]

"yeah, it's really no problem. i can see several advantages to the height thing, though. you really don't have to look all that hard." not that he's about to ramble any of them off, all too eager to slide out of his clothes and step inside the shower. "i hear she's a bitch to girls once a month though. you can say no, you know. if you keep leaving it up to me, i probably won't ever leave you alone. a heads up for the future." a shrug and hands grip onto the hem of his shirt, easily tugging it off his person to start a dirty pile in the bathroom upon stepping in. was it to maybe bait her into deciding for herself? maybe, but given her reaction to his earlier airdrop, jesper figures it's safe for him to show off a little. the waterfall shower head springs to life with a quick yank of the handle, the glassed-off, dark-tiled space more than big enough to fit two people should she actually choose to step in with him. his trousers are the next to go, though his thumb accidentally yanks the last remaining article along with it. swift and efficient, he supposes, not that it bothers him to be fully naked in front of her for the first time — only quite aware of it. just as he opens the shower door, jesper flashes one more look over his shoulder with the most smug expression he can muster. "your move, lastra."

“hm, i still think it would clash with the whole aesthetic you've got going here… but i’m more than happy to take the compliment anyway.” she always is, especially when it comes to him. there are few people she knows who are as willing to speak highly of her as jesper is and that gets sadder when she remembers that she’s only known him for... what? a month at most? maybe that says more about who este is as a person than it does about him. “yeah, that would be great. see, this is where the height difference between us comes in handy.” the shirt will probably resemble more of a dress on someone of her stature, but there’s no complaints here. anything is more comfortable than staying in damp, tight workout clothes. she's already itching to get them off. “ah right, poor old mother nature. bless her heart.” she’d almost forgotten about that part of the conversation, but it doesn’t take long to make a decision on the matter. “no, i don’t need privacy. if you really want to join, that’s fine with me… for her sake, of course. we all have to do our part.” 

[charlie-is-aroace]

Actually getting emotional about Andi winning😅

[egophiliac]

Favorite Disney Princess?

this would be a much easier question if they let Meg into the lineup. dangit. >:(

in terms of, like, favorite movie/adaptation, I have a lot of appreciation for the OG three -- Snow, Cinderella, and Aurora (...okay, yes, I was basically predisposed to being obsessed with Diasomnia). overall it's a toss-up, but Snow has my favorite design! she's so classically '30s but in, like, a technicolor way. it's great! ❄️

in terms of who I spent my entire childhood low-key obsessed with (and isn't Meg)...that would be Jasmine. no question. especially in the purple dress. I love me a snarky princess covered in organza and it's all her fault (and Meg's).

[hanzajesthanza]

should i change my headcanons based upon “i saw it in a dream”

[hearthandhallows]

‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎  Felix barely had a second to process everything before they were in Leo’s lap, breath stolen. The weight of Leo’s hands on their body, the way their lips moved together, the hunger in every touch… it sent a shiver through their body. They weren’t sure if it was from the cool night air or the intensity of it all. Maybe both. Probably both.

‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎  Their mind was reeling, but their body knew exactly what it wanted. They melted into Leo’s touch, gripping his shoulders as if grounding themselves. The hesitancies, unsureness, and shyness they’d felt earlier were gone at this point. Knowing Leo was attracted to them was one thing, but hearing it? Feeling it? That was an entirely new experience, one that had heat pooling low in their stomach.

‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎  When they finally parted, all Felix could do was catch their breath, blinking as if they needed a second to reboot. The grin on their companion’s face made their chest tighten in a way they weren’t prepared for. “Oh? Well,” they let out a breathless laugh, fingers absentmindedly tracing his shoulder. When they spoke again, their voice was lower as they glanced down at Leo’s lips before dragging their gaze back to his eyes. “You really think I’m surprising, huh?”

‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎  A teasing smirk curled at the corner of their mouth, but there was something in their tone, something unsure. It wasn’t that they didn’t believe Leo, but Felix had never thought of themselves as the kind of person who could make someone lose their composure, and yet, Leo was looking at them like they were something to be devoured. 

‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎  Their hand slid up, fingers tangling in Leo’s hair as they leaned in again, just close enough that their noses touched. They could feel Leo’s breath, warm and steady against their lips. “Guess I should be careful with all this power, then.” Then, they kissed him again. Savoring the way Leo responded to him and the way his grip tightened. “I hope you didn’t have any plans to go to bed early.” They laughed through kisses. Earlier that night, Felix had been dreaming of their bed and how they were probably going to have a hard time sleeping. Now, though, Felix figured they’d be tired after all.

Leo felt the way Felix seemed to tense at his words, but he could tell that it wasn't in an unpleasant way, the way someone would if they were uncomfortable. No, Leo thought that Felix seemed to like what he said, the way his hand lingered on his thigh, and he continued to rub it gently as he nodded and replied, "Yeah, I really do. Seriously cute, and seriously hot. It's a dangerous combo, you know that? You might not realize the power you have, but you, my friend, are a genuine threat. People don't know what hit them when you turn on that charm." This was again something Leo suspected Felix wasn't even aware of, and he was more than happy to enlighten them about how truly sexy they were. It felt like something Leo wanted Felix to know. And Felix was funny too, Leo laughed at their comment. Wow, he really is dangerous, Leo thought, looking over at the other and smiling as he laughed some more. Sexy and charming and funny? Yeah, Felix could knock 'em dead, even if they didn't realize it yet. "You caught me," Leo replied. "I'm magic. You're welcome for the boost, though I expect some sort of compensation when we get to my cabin." Leo laughed as he said this (and at the way he had subtly just told Felix he was a witch), but with his hand still on Felix's thigh, the comment felt appropriately loaded. He looked over at Felix and smirked.

As he stepped back into the living room a little later with just the towel low on his hips, Leo felt his face heat up at the way that Felix looked at him, even with the joke they had made cutting the tension a little. "Yes, I must have grown," Leo replied, knowing that might be taken in a dirty direction he hadn't fully intended (but wasn't unhappy about). And he was definitely growing as he watched Felix walk outside completely naked. Oh fuck, Leo thought, not even hiding the way that he was checking the other out. Sexy didn't even do them justice, Leo realized, swallowing hard at the sight of them. "It's cold, so you better get in here," Leo commanded, and he was pleased that Felix scooted close once they had joined him in the hot tub. Even with as sexy as Felix was though, they were also fucking adorable, that nose crinkle nearly doing Leo in . Oh, he was in trouble, Leo was sure of that now. He put his arm around Felix when the other did the same, moving even close, their bare thighs flush against each other. "I might know it," Leo replied with a cheeky grin, "but it's still nice hearing someone as sexy as you say it." Felix was so close, his breath hot against his cheek and neck as he spoke seductively in his ear (and Leo wondered if Felix even knew they were being so seductive, which actually made it even hotter for Leo). Even if Felix hadn't made the first move, Leo was about to kiss them, couldn't not kiss them anymore. It was like a primal need to have his lips pressed against the others. But Leo loved that Felix initiated it, loved that Felix was constantly surprising him.

The kiss was immediately passionate, Leo pulling Felix even closer, using his strength to pull them into his lap. Yeah, Felix was going to be able to tell just how sexy Leo thought he was now. They kissed deeply, Leo's tongue slipping into Felix's mouth, one hand on Felix's side and the other moving down his back to his ass, giving it a little squeeze. Even their ass is cute, Leo thought, and when he finally broke the kiss, he looked in Felix's eyes and grinned, laughing softly. "Yeah, you're full of surprises," he remarked.

[gio-cosmo]

Yk I wasn’t originally planning to talk abt my ao3 account on here but I don’t really gaf anymore. Embarrassment is a concept. Embrace joy and whimsy.

..anyways! If you want to read some of my works my ao3 account is bittersweet_serendipity ^_^ I love to write and am always aiming to improve. I state this a lot in authors notes, but if you ever spot any major weak points or mistakes in my writing, feel free to point them out to me! Constructive criticism helps a ton.

Do be aware that my older works (aka the first 2 I published) are literally filled to the brim w grammar mistakes like it’s actually baffling 😭 we should all collectively ignore those for the sake of my mental sanity actually! <3 I need to go back and edit them but I keep pushing it off ughh…someday.

[completeoveranalysis]

[5]

The UNEASE when one of the fun Mokona quotes of the series (Mokona is Mokona) is thrown BACK AT MOKONA in the distressing time loop situation (The princess means the princess!)

Kurogane visibly SWEATING (from the heat, as Fai observed last chapter?) as he wonders when in the timeline of Clow this is. ME TOO KUROGANE THANK YOU FOR THIS. 

Lava Lamp does his dialogue duty and asks the npc directly so let’s see let’s see

Do you think I will like this answer. 

I do not. 

SEVEN

BABY SAKURA TIMELINE ACTIVATED

BABY APPLE SAKURA TIMELINE ACCIDENTALLY ACCURATE?

I have deep deep appreciation for the murder dads getting to react in shock at these revelations and then also vocally discuss the implications of everything between them. I’m living for this active investigation. It’s all spiraling further and further into confusion but they’re keeping all the pieces together in a logical form for now. And LOVE that expression on Fai when he says they won’t find any useful answers here.

Meanwhile Mokona asks her own question in the investigation (about seeing Sakura, because Mokona is always a darling) but the answer is that she’s not in the castle. The pause in everyone’s reaction to this makes me think the next line he says is going to be even worse. 

INTERESTING. 

This is new information (to us) but Lava Lamp reflects on this as if he should have been able to figure this out all the way back here. WHEN HE WAS ALSO SEVEN.

WHEN HE WAS SEVEN YEARS OLD (or close enough) AND TRAPPED IN A LAVA LAMP, UNABLE TO DO ANYTHING AT ALL EXCEPT LOOK THROUGH SOMEONE ELSE’S EYE, and he still thinks he should have been able to piece together the mystery from the fact that Sakura did purification rituals at the ruins before her birthday. 

Hindsight can be a bitch to deal with but Lava Lamp is just unerringly hard on himself. 

[skrunksthatwunk]

just finished s2 of kaiji and it was good i really liked it but i hope i never see that fuckass pachinko machine again!!!

[casket-of-imps]

guy who blogs on the autism site: guys this is gonna sound crazy but I think I have autism

[bookshelf-in-progress]

How many times do I have to learn the lesson that I should start the story when the story starts instead of trying to tack on introductory worldbuilding?

Seriously. My instincts about when to start the story are almost never wrong. But I always assume the first scene in my imagination requires set-up that people outside of my imagination don't have. So I tack on an intro to set the mood and to set up the plot and characters and world. And it's boring. When I should have just started where I wanted to start so I could weave explanations into a scene where things are actually happening.