#rei can learn to share him a bit alright

[chesacakeripper]

It's obviously going to be a big jump in income and workload for Kazuki and Rei going from contract killers to owning and running their own diner, right? Sure, Kazuki's got a pot saved from his refused payments to Karin, but that's likely to run dry quite quickly - deeply unlikely that either of them are receiving their gunshot wound care and PT/OT from an official source and shady mob doctors aren't going to come cheap.

The café/diner is definitely a goal and a reliable income stream when they get there, but that's going to take some time, some physical recovery, not to mention the overheads!

What I'm saying is, whilst I don't think that Kazuki or Rei go back to the organisation by any stretch of the imagination, I don't think they'd divorce themselves from the underworld completely at first. Entry-level minimum wage jobs would be a start, but they'd need other income sources to make up for the loss.

And with Kazuki's honeypot history, I don't think it's too much of a stretch for him to transition into some escort work 👀

[aeoki]

Primavera - Quiet Spring: Chapter 3

Location: Seisou Hall (Eichi, Rei & Aira’s Room) Characters: Touri & Yuzuru

TL Note:

The Japanese word for “love (愛 / ai)” and is homonymous with the first half of Aira’s first name (although the characters are different).

< That night. Eichi’s room, Seisou Hall. >

Eichi: …………

(*...Sigh* That was a heavier announcement than I had expected.)

(There is a possibility “Chocolat Fest” may be cancelled – If it were my usual self, I would say, “Things like that can happen.” and would have paid it no mind.)

(But I had a hunch that Touri would be shocked to hear the news. I hesitated and wondered if I should have really mentioned it to him.)

(Hehe. The heir to the Tenshouin Zaibatsu is weak to those important to him.)

(I tend to forget where I stand when I’m in front of Wataru, Yuzuru and Touri.)

(Now that I think about it, I’ve been learning about kingcraft for a long time now. They really cared about my health and created “Eichi Day” because of it, but those feelings are so precious and radiant.)

(That’s why I wish to do something for them… Thinking realistically, there is a big problem that is stopping us from holding “Chocolat Fest” at the moment.)

(Delivering love with chocolates, huh…)

(I see. Perhaps, the reason why I feel irritated is because it’s an issue related to “Chocolat Fest”.)

(Because it’s an event where we give love through sweets…)

(Just like how “that person” once gave me love, I wonder what they would think of me now.)

Aira: I’m back~♪

Yup, my vocal lesson today was perfect! The vocal trainer praised me for once today!

They looked like someone scary and strict so it feels even better. Ehehehe, I can’t help but jump for joy ♪

Eichi: Welcome back, Shiratori-kun. I see you’re making progress every day in your lessons ♪

Aira: Huh…? Tenshouin-senpai!? I didn’t notice you there!

Wow, that’s really embarrassing! The room was so quiet so I didn’t think anyone was in here and made a loud fuss!

Eichi: No, don’t worry about it. This is a shared room so there’s no need to be so proper, is there?

Actually, I’m sorry for talking to you out of the blue like that. It’s still a bit early to sleep so I guess you wouldn’t expect someone to lie in bed this early.

Aira: No, no! It’s my fault because I didn’t take a proper look around the room!

But it’s rare and unexpected to see you flopped onto your bed like that, Tenshouin-senpai.

You’re usually sitting on the sofa or a chair so I didn’t notice you on your bed.

Eichi: Yeah. I was a little lost in thought. That’s why I was lying down. It’s a bit embarrassing to have shown you my weak side.

Aira: Ohh… Is there something on your mind?

Eichi: Yeah. It’s about “Chocolat Fest” – In extension, it’s something on the topic of love.

Aira: That sounds really grand…! As expected of you, Tenshouin-senpai – The things that are on your mind are probably something totally different from what I think about.

Eichi: Hehe. I tend to exaggerate things. It’s nothing on that level but… Since you’re here, would you lend an ear to my troubles, Shiratori-kun?

Aira: S-Sure! It’s about love, right? I was kinda curious since my name is “Aira[*]”, after all ♪

Eichi: Thank you. Then, I’ll brew us some black tea while we chat.

Aira: Oh, are you sure? Thank you so much! It’s so ravely to see you’ll brew a cup of tea for me ♪

Eichi: It was the perfect timing as I had time on my hands. Are you fine with Darjeeling?

Aira: Yes! I’m fine with anything you choose, Tenshouin-senpai!

Eichi: Alright. I’ll go prepare the teapot so can you wait a little? You can listen to what I have to say while it boils.

I… Or more so, the Tenshouin family has always been a patrilineal family. All boys born into the family must undergo strict education.

Like my ancestors, I too had to study the family precepts, kingcraft and other various concepts.

But I’ve had a frail body ever since I was born and the burden on my body was dreadful. I tried to run away from my everyday studies.

The only one who was kind to me was my grandmother. Every time I clung to her in tears, she would give me sweets.

It was either chocolates, cookies or candy. Sometimes, I would eat it there but other times, I would secretly take it into my room to eat.

Thinking back, those sweets served as something she poured her love and affection into.

I only realised that when my grandmother passed away, but it was a sweetness my young self needed.

I was thinking about next year’s “Chocolat Fest” and remembered.

Just like how my grandmother once did, I too wish to give love through sweets.

Aira: It sounds quite romantic… I went to see “Chocolat Fest” when I was in junior high school and was looking forward to participating the next year.

But if you’re thinking about it despite already having graduated, then does that mean you’ll be appearing in a Yumenosaki event as a guest?

Eichi: Hehe. As expected of you, Shiratori-kun. You’ve got a good hunch after pursuing idols on an everyday basis.

Actually, just like how the graduated students can hold Valentine’s Day events freely, I plan on holding “Chocolat Fest” at ES. It’s in the review stage at the moment.

If I had more power, I could have the final say in it but…

Aira: ………?

Eichi: No. Just talking to myself. The hot water has finished coming to a boil, so this should warm your cup.

What would you like served with your tea?

Aira: Ehehe ♪ Then, I guess I’ll have to go with chocolate!

I kinda feel like having some sweet chocolate after hearing you talk about it ♪

Eichi: Hehe. I unconsciously led you into thinking that.

Love cannot be perceived with the eyes and that’s exactly why it should be exchanged when it’s delivered. People, items and customs – All things cannot escape from loss.  

Frighteningly enough, you may only come to realise it when you lose those things. It simply means the things that you once took for granted may actually be something irreplacable.

← Previous Chapter ᠂ ⚘ ˚⊹˚ ⚘ ᠂  Next Chapter →

[hanazuma-inactive]

Hey, thinking back to your “conversation” with the Kaminari anon, I got an idea.

Basically- Y/n (M! Reader) and Kaminari are having a competition at work, and the winner will get to top that night. The competition is pretty simple; at the end of the day, they will count up how many civilians they helped and how many villains they took down each. The one with the highest number, is the winner. The two had done this challenge quite a few times before, and Y/n had won almost every time due to Kaminari’s quirk’s side effect. But this time, Kaminari had made sure to prepare. He had trained with Bakugou to try and build his tolerance and had also gotten help from Kirishima to figure out which streets were busier and full of people during the day. And after convincing his boss to let him patrol that particular street, it had all worked out. He had won the competition, and what was waiting at home was a long night.. kinky-

Take your time and don’t rush it, Rei. Have a nice day/night! :>

lust games (nsfw), denki x reader

pronouns: he/him (FEMALE ORIENTED DNI!!)

warnings: edging, flirty denki, vibrator, light bondage

a/n: i love denki sm ty for this request, this was also an amazing prompt

_____

pro hero chargebolt and h/n, always arriving at the scene just in time and occasionally a little late. the citizens could always depend on the couple to save the day with their amazing synergy and playful manner of defeating the villains. you and denki mostly patrolled near each other during work so the two of you usually help each other out when needed. or y'know, the blonde hero might casually stroll over to your area with a cup of coffee in his hand and lay a few flirtatious words on you.

"i'm winning today! and there's no doubt about it!" is a sentence you hear from your boyfriend almost every single day but never fulfilled his promise. he came close before but it never actually happened. this little game of yours started when the two of you started to lose motivation to work in general. knowing denki being the horn dog he is, you proposed this game. whoever helped the most civilians, or captured the most villains will get to top for that night. and ever since then, you've been winning everyday without fail, leaving denki as the bottom for the night.

he didn't mind as long as it was with you but a competition is a competition and he tries everyday to reverse what usually happens. little did you know today was the day it finally happened. denki had been training secretly by himself so that his quirk wouldn't overload himself as easily. it might also count a bit as cheating but he asked his friend, kirishima, to leak him all the locations near his area where civilians need help. in a way it's kind of sweet to think about all the things that he would do just for you. at the end of your patrols you tallied up the counts.

"56...57 and 58, how bout you denks?"

"56, 57, 58 and...59. i won! i won! you know what that means?! denki shouted and jumped in joy.

"alright alright! good job, i knew you could do it. i'll be waiting for what you have in store then~"

"oh just you wait baby boy, i'll give you the night of your life!" denki said while shooting finger guns at you.

you weren't expecting anything special, just usually what you do to denki but in return. what tricks could he have up his sleeves anyways right? you headed home with denki after that and enjoyed a hot bath and dinner together. you cooked denki's favorite hamburgers to reward him for doing so well at work today. the two of you watched some tv afterwards and relaxed in each other's arms, almost forgetting the big event for tonight.

"hey babeeee~" the blonde cooed in a flirting tone.

"hm? what's up."

"did you forget what i won today?"

"oh yah, you did win that huh. well, i'm ready for anything you're gonna do to me so…do your worst."

"with pleasure~"

denki picked you up with his arms bridal style and carried you inside the bedroom. he settled you down the bed and sat you up as he towered over you. not fazed by his actions you giggled a little at his attempt to top but it was still cute. your boyfriend gave you an angry pout and placed his lips onto yours. caressing you and stroking your arms gently while he was at it. you were usually rougher with him so it was a surprise to you how gentle he was.

the kiss ended with denki blushing and a smirk from you. despite all the preparations denki made he still gets flustered whenever he shares a kiss with you, it was adorable of course.

"a-alright! you won't be ready for this!"

"oh? let's see what you got, baby boy."

denki moved his lips down around your nipples. lifting your shirt up enough so that your abs and pink nipples are exposed, kaminari started to work on them. he was surprisingly well with his tongue. the blonde has been on his knees many times sucking your dick, but this was a different type of pleasure. it made you more sensitive than usual and you felt your cock start to rise inside your pants.

"wow~ look what we got here baby?"

you look down to see the bulge in your pants. unable to contain it any longer, denki took off your pants to reveal the cock that's been throbbing ever since he got started. he reached for your cock and started to stroke it while kissing your nipples. the stimulation from both below and above felt so good it didn't take long for you to start leaking some precum. seeing this, denki rubbed the tip of your cock and spread the precum onto the rest of your length for lubrication. he started to speed up his strokes and just when you were about to cum, denki stopped stroking your cock and focused on your nipples, making you orgasm from them instead.

the cum got all over your abs and some on denki's face. he gladly licked it all up and gave you a grin in return.

"just wait baby...if you felt good with that you won't be able to handle what comes next…"

you were a little scared of what denki was about to do next but excited at the same time. the blonde reached into the nightstand and grabbed a small rope to tie your hands up with.

"h-hey denks! what's this for?! you're kidding right!"

"ah uh uh~ this is to make sure you stay still for later hehe…"

you realized resistance was futile against your boyfriend and he had entire control over you right now. you let go of your defense and let him tie you up to the headboards. he reached into the night stand again to pull out an egg looking toy with a remote around it. you knew what it was but you didn't know when and how denki got his hands on it. denki placed it on the side and licked two of his fingers. lifting your legs up right after to prepare your asshole. he reached your prostate so fast and it felt amazing.

"f-fuck denki, right there...that's the spot o-oh fuck-"

"hehe~ these are just some tricks i learned by myself, glad to know it's making you feel good baby."

denki continued to loosen you until his fingers can enter and exit smoothly. it also wasn't a surprise your cock was hard again and dripping with precum. denki's eyes lit up seeing your hard cock and he grabbed the egg shaped toy he put out earlier. carefully, he strapped the toy to the tip of your cock and grabbed the remote control himself. he tested some different levels of vibration and found the right one judging from the volume of your moans. you started panting after denki finally settled down with the remote but you realized he wasn't done there. he won the game and he hasn't got what he wanted yet.

"alright baby boy! time for the main course, get ready for the night of your fucking life…"

denki took off his pants and stroked his cock a little. aligning the tip with your ass and slapping gently a few times before entering.

"oh fuck baby...didn't know you were this tight."

"hnngh…denki a-ah~"

denki struggled to fit in his entire length in your ass but managed after a few min. his cock immediately hitting your prostate and the vibrator on your dick getting you close.

"denki...please start moving, i want it…"

"you asked for it baby, here i go, hnngh!"

your boyfriend slowly started to move his hips, thrusting his cock into you again and again, deeper and deeper every time. you've never felt this type of pleasure before being the top and it left you speechless. it was a little painful at first but eventually felt heavenly. denki began to move faster because your moans became louder. his flirty attitude disappearing as he gasped for breathe in sync with you.

"f-fuck y/n, baby, i'm gonna cum soon, your ass feels too fucking good."

"please d-do, cum inside denki, cum inside!"

denki leaned over to you and connected his lips with yours while you wrapped your arms around his neck. his cock pumping cum into your ass while you came as well from his cock. both of you left breathless after the new experience you had. denki gave you a faint smile, glad to know you enjoyed it as you grabbed him back in for a kiss. leaning your foreheads together you two giggled, laughing at each other. he layed down next to you and wrapped his arms around your waist, you were pretty tired too so you let it slide today without cleaning up. denki snuggled into your back as you gave him one last kiss on his forehead before heading to bed.

[writers-blogck]

A House, Not a Home ( Dabi x Todoroki!Reader )

Warning(s): This is siblings.  It is not a romantic story. Don't be gross.  This will have spoilers for the current Manga arc, though not many.  A little bit of health-related issues but nothing too graphic. Title inspired by Madds Buckley's Dabi song. 

Title: A House, Not a Home Pairing: Dabi x Reader (Little Sister)  Fandom: My Hero Academia  Word Count: 5,405

Ages: 0 and 6

        Rei sat on the futon, legs tucked under her as she held you close to her chest. Her fourth child, smaller than the other three had been. She loved all of her children but as she looked down at the crying newborn, she knew this wouldn't be enough for her husband. He would want another one to get the perfect prodigy. A small sigh left the woman's mouth. She was getting tired. She knew she had to keep it together for her children but she wasn't sure how long she would be able to keep this up. 

        Everyone else was asleep as she rocked you in the main room, or so she thought. Bright turquoise eyes came into view and she couldn't help but let her heart speed up. Enji had been a good husband once but after Fuyumi, he could no longer focus on anything but his legacy. He needed to be first and if he couldn't, then he would create the next number one hero. This kept him from ever being soft to his children or wife. Had you woken him up? He was never pleasant during the middle of the night... She had learned that the hard way just after Touya was born. 

        As smaller feet shuffled closer, Rei felt her shoulders relax. She couldn't help but be frightened by her son Touya at times. He had the same eyes as his father, so extreme and filled with a fire she couldn't describe. There had been nights where she worried Touya would follow his father's footsteps of intensity but moments like these gave her hope. He only ever acted this way when it was just the two of them. He had to be the cool big brother around his siblings and he dare not show any weakness in front of Enji. Rei wished she could change that, she really did. But, she was only one woman.

        "Is she alright?" He spoke softly, eyes as wide as the moon itself as he stared down at your flushed face. 

        "Yes, she's just hungry is all. Babies need to eat a lot you know. You'll probably hear her cry a lot during the night but you don't have to worry. Mommy will take care of her." Rei ran her hand ever so slightly over your fuzzy head. What color hair would you have? White like her own? Red like your father's? She was just gratefully you had inherited her eyes. She didn't know if she could take another pair of those piercing eyes. 

        "Won't she get fat if she eats all the time?" Touya quietly sat down next to his mother, shoulders brushing against one another in a silent piece of affection. Love was shared in secret in this house. Enji didn't want Rei to make his boys soft because she babied them. He was better with Fuyumi but Natsuo proved that he hadn't learned his lesson.

        Touya was too young to remember Natsuo or Fuyumi when they were babies. He had been four when Natsuo was brought home and barely over a year with Fuyumi. This was the first time he would ever truly get to experience the troubles that came along with a newborn. Natsuo still cried a lot but he just was scared to sleep by himself. 

        "Oh no, darling. She's growing and needs all that energy. Just like you are a growing boy. You know, she's lucky to have a big brother like you...."        

        "Really?" 

        "Of course. All of your siblings are grateful for you, Touya. Don't ever think differently." She ran her free hand through his white hair, caressing his face as she pulled away, attention shifting back to you. 

        As you squirmed in her arms, she feared for your safety. She didn't have the best of health and Touya had inherited that, though not as severely as her own. Rei feared that you had inherited it more than any of the other children. Giving birth had been hard and there was a moment there when they didn't know if you were going to survive. She never wanted to admit that Enji was right but you were weak. Just a baby born into a harsh world. How would she be able to keep you safe?

        "Touya, I need you to promise me something."

        "Anything!" Touya could be described as a mommy's boy, though he hid it as much as he could. All of her children preferred her, as most children do prefer their mothers. It didn't help that Enji was as rough and intimidating as he was added onto that. 

        "This is your little sister and it's your job as a big brother to protect her. She is going to need you more than Fuyumi or Natsuo. She's sick and could really use a good big brother in her life." Rei spoke softly, eyes shifting between her two children who were awake. She didn't want to put such a burden on her eldest but something in her stomach made her fear for your future. Enji would see you as weak and interact with you as little as possible. Natsuo was too young to be a real big brother to you just yet. Touya was the best chance for you to get a good male figure in your life. 

        "Can you promise me that you'll always protect her?" 

        "Of course, mommy! I'll be the best big brother you've ever seen! I'll make sure she never cries around me!" 

        Rei smiled and hoped that was true. She knew if her children were going to get affection from somewhere other than her, it was going to have to be with each other. Enji was a demanding father and while Rei tried her best, she couldn't help but get tired at times from her own health issues. Touya had taken on the duty of leading his younger siblings as soon as he could walk but this was different. She could feel it and she didn't know if that was going to be a good thing or bad. 

        "Would you like to hold her?" Touya nodded in awe as his mother placed you in his arms, keeping her own hands there as a safety precaution. You were still so young, it would be some time before she really trusted Touya to hold you all on his own. But, she would teach him. There was so much in store for all of her children, that much was certain. 

        You looked so fragile like you could break if Touya even looked at you the wrong way. He could play rough with Natsuo, though he would get in trouble if he made his brother cry. Fuyumi was only two years younger than him and though she was his little sister, this felt different. So tiny...So little. 

        Your sobs quieted as you were moved into your brother's arms, your attention now shifting to this new person in front of you. At that moment, Touya felt his heartache for the future. He knew his dad wasn't the nicest but he wouldn't let his dad do anything to you. Not while he was around. He would be your guardian angel. 

        "Don't worry," He whispered as you stared up at him with watery eyes, "I'm gonna make sure you never get hurt. You'll never have to cry when I'm around. I'm gonna be your new big brother and I won't let anything happen to you. 

Ages: 3 and 9 

        A sharp yelp followed by loud cries brought Touya rushing to the backyard. How had you even gotten out? Was no one watching you? Mom should have been...But since Shoto was born, her attention shifted to focus on him. She didn't do it on purpose but she gave him most of her attention. It was more likely to be Touya who calmed you after a nightmare, not Rei. He was the one who cleaned your cuts and put a bandaid on them. 

        As he ran outside, he was shocked to see you sitting on the ground, tiny fires alight on the blades of grass surrounding you. It wasn't hard to stomp out such small fires before they got big but he was more concerned about you. Why were you crying so much? What happened? Someone was always watching you, or at least he thought so. He had slipped when doing his homework. If you got hurt, it was his fault. 

        "What is it? Tell me, show me." He spoke, moving to where you were sitting with your legs pulled close to your chest. You were hiding your chubby hands behind your knees, shoulders shaking as you let out sobs. He was never the best when it came to you crying. He normally would just curl up next to you when you had a nightmare but it was different when you were hurt. You were always the one to go to him crying when you got a small cut or when you fell. Yet, now you were cowering away from him.

        "Show me." His tone was more serious this time as he wrestled with you, finally getting a hold of your chubby hands. He felt bad when he saw you wince but he needed to see what was wrong. What if you had broken your wrist or cut off your fingers? How would you do that? He didn't know but he was sure going to find out if you had. He hadn't been expecting what actually had happened. How could he? You were still so young...

        As you unfolded your hands, he was greeted with the sight of harsh burns. There was nothing around you that could have burnt you, nothing obvious anyway. He looked over your arms quickly, in a small state of panic. He may be more mature than some kids but he was still only nine. He only knew so much. The next thing he noticed was how hot your arms had become, something he had only ever felt between two people. 

        Taking a closer look, he noticed the dim light shining through your skin where your veins would be. When he ran his finger along the lines, he could tell they were the hottest part. The rest of the heat was dispersing from those areas. His stomach began to drop as he realized what had happened. He had hoped, dreamed, prayed that you would inherit everything from your mother. Sitting here on the grass with you now proved to him that he was wrong. 

        "It's okay! I know how to deal with this, you just burnt yourself a bit. It's going to be okay. Nii-chan gets burned all the time. I'll make it feel better. Let's go inside and we can watch a movie, how about it? We can do that after we get your hands fixed up." Even though he was still young, he was able to hoist your body up and carry you inside, though he was shakily wobbling the entire time. One day he would be big enough to carry you without having trouble. He hoped it wasn't obvious how worried he was about the situation. 

        He hadn't been prepared for when you would show your quirk for the first time. He had hoped that it would have been something ice-related. Something like Natsuo or Fuyumi. Something like your mother's. A quirk that wouldn't hurt you but he hadn't gotten that lucky. You shared the same fire that your father and Touya had within them. Would yours be as harsh as his own? The flames had been red so that was a good sign. 

        He was skilled at taking care of burns at this point because of his own quirk. Touya knew he was going to have to tell your father about your quirk appearing but, what if that made him focus on you more and make you train like him? This was still a little young to be showing your quirk. Maybe he could just hide it for some time while he taught you how to control your power. Touya could still remember how painful it had been when his father tried to teach him to hold his fire in. He wouldn't let that happen to you, he couldn't. 

        He would never let your father hurt you. Not while he was around. 

Ages: 9 and 15

        It was late in the night when you heard someone walking around when everyone was supposed to be asleep. Who would be up at this time? Shoto would be asleep for sure...Fuyumi too. Perhaps Natsuo had gotten hungry in the middle of the night? It wouldn't be the first time he had snuck around at night to fill his stomach. If you didn't know any better, you would think his quirk was a black hole in his stomach. You would never understand how he could eat as much as he did. Still, a snack didn't sound that bad.

        Wrapping yourself up in your blanket, you made your way to the main room of the house where the front door was. Instead of seeing Natsuo as you had assumed, you saw your eldest brother Touya instead. He wasn't in his pajamas like he should have been...As you looked him over, you noticed that he even had his shoes on and was tugging on his leather jacket. 

        "Nii-chan?" 

        Touya's head shot in your direction, a wild look in his eyes. His neck was bandaged up and you weren't sure if it was because of his quirk or if your father had done something to him. Enji was roughest on Touya. Both verbally and physically, Enji always would hurt his eldest son. Touya had been good at hiding it but there were still rare occasions where you saw something you weren't supposed to. Glimpses of the truth.

        "Where are you going?" 

        "(Y/N)..." His voice was hoarse. Had he been screaming? Was he getting sick? He crouched down, eyes staring at the wood of the floor as you moved closer to him. How would he explain this to you? You were the closest with him out of all of his siblings. He had been hoping to slip out without having to say goodbye to anyone. It would hurt less and it would leave less of a chance that he would be caught. 

         He could still hear what his mother had told him the day she brought you home as you moved closer. He was supposed to protect you but he couldn't stay there anymore. It was too much. You would be fine with Fuyumi and Natsuo to protect you. Plus, there was Shoto, you weren't the youngest anymore. You could live without him. 

        "I need to go away for a while, okay?" Slowly, his head moved up to make eye contact with you. He had to keep it level even as you began to tremble and form tears in your own eyes. He had to do this, no matter what. If he stayed tonight, then he would just be reminded tomorrow why he wanted to leave tonight. It was the best opportunity that he would have for some time. Your dad had drunk some alcohol tonight and would be passed out upstairs. 

        "Where are you going?" 

        "I don't know." 

        You shuffled over, unable to truly understand what was going on. Touya reached out, pulling you into his arms, and began to run his hand through your hair. Your mother would be so disappointed with what he was doing but he had to be selfish. Sometimes you had to look out for number one. Sure, you would have a crappy childhood but your dad never hurt you. If Touya stayed, he didn't know if he would make it to his next birthday. He had to plan for his own survival. 

        "When will you be back?" 

        "I don't know." 

        "Will you be back?" This question was quieter than before. Timider, meeker. He could hear the fear in your voice but knew what he had to do. He knew what the answer was. No, he wouldn't be coming back. He was running away for good this time but how do you tell your kid sister that? Plus, if he did explain, there was a chance that you would tattle.

        Without answering, he let go and stood up, pushing you back a bit so there was space between the two of you. A few stray tears were running down your cheeks, had Touya seen it as he turned his back on you and opened the door? He had to leave before he changed his mind. 

        "I love you!" You whisper-shouted as the door shut behind his retreating figure. Touya was walking away from the life he knew and walking into a new one where he would become an entirely different man. 

        Had he heard you? 

        You knew you should have gone and woken up your father but something kept you from telling. You trusted your big brother and he had gone away before in the past. Maybe this would just be like those times and he would be back within a day or two. That had to be it. If not, where was he going to go? Even after the door was closed, you couldn't move from the entrance, eyes trained on the door as if he would walk in any minute. 

        This would be the last time you would ever get to hug your brother. 

 Ages: 15 and 21

        It had taken some convincing to be allowed but somehow you got your father to let you attend UA. Today would be your first day and while you were excited, you were scared at the same time. It had never been easy being the daughter of a top hero. It was hard to know when someone really wanted to be your friend versus those who are just sucking up in hopes of meeting your dad. Would that be worse here since these people actually wanted to be heroes? 

        A small sigh left your lips as you brushed a stray tear away. Shoto would be coming here in two years. He was already the pride and joy of your father. You had times where you would doubt whether or not he actually loved you or not. He would rather see you locked up in your room than out. Fuyumi said he was just being overprotective but you weren't so sure. You thought it was because he was ashamed of you. 

        This was to prove him wrong. Was that the wrong reason to become a hero? To prove someone wrong? Maybe...You liked the idea of saving people but the biggest thing pushing you was your father. There was a fire inside of you that yearned to prove him wrong and get his approval. Still, Shoto didn't always have it easier than you. While your father barely paid attention to you, it was rare that he wasn't pushing some training on your younger brother. Ever since your mother...No, you shouldn't think about that. The past would only ever haunt you and cause nightmares. Both the events with your mother and Touya's death. You kept telling yourself that you needed to move forward. Today was a new day. 

        "Hey, are you lost? Whatcha looking for? Maybe we can help you find it!" A loud and booming voice spoke, laced with nothing but kindness. Quickly turning, you were greeted by a blonde boy and a black-haired boy. The blonde had a huge smile on his face while the black-haired one was trying everything he could to keep you from paying attention to him. 

        Instinctively, you tugged at your sleeve to hide your arms even more. People always would look at you weird if they noticed the scars covering your arms. They would judge you, just like everyone does. For once, you wanted someone to be willing to get to know the real you and not assume things because of your appearance and your father's reputation. Even still, the blonde seemed to radiate sunshine and you almost changed your mind on how they would react. Almost. 

        "Oh!" With a small sniffle, you pointed quickly at the main building of UA, "I'm looking for 1-A. This is my first year going here and I guess I'm just a bit nervous. I don't know anyone who is going here so...It's just been one of those days, you know?"

        "Really?! We both are going to 1-A too! We are gonna be in the same class!" The blonde wrapped an arm around his shy partner, pulling him into the conversation whether he wanted to be a part of it or not, "Why don't we walk there together? We'd be happy to be your new friends if you want! The more friends, the better, right Tama-chan?" 

        The black-haired boy didn't respond. 

        This would be your first time ever meeting your two future best friends. Mirio and Tamaki would become almost as close as family to you. How many nights would you end up staying at Mirio's just to stay away from home? Late night walks with Tamaki because you couldn't sleep due to your nightmares? 

        Dabi was making his own friends on the streets, or whatever you could call friends. He was filled with rage and a fire that had only grown since he had left home. He would see clips of his father saving the day and reporters gushing over him. If they knew the truth, they wouldn't be acting like that. Someone just needed to prove it to them. 

        And Endeavor? He deserved to pay for everything he had done to Dabi. He needed to hurt as much as he made Dabi hurt. The older boy knew he wouldn't be able to do that alone and began to make allies in the underground areas of the city. Drug dealers and gang members. He would climb the ladder and become a true villain but everyone had to start somewhere. He would need help to get his revenge and he was okay with playing the long-con.

Ages: 17 and 23

        Civilians were running in a panicked state as fire surrounded them. Screams were all you could hear save for the blood pumping in your ears. As you searched the crowd for a hero, you were greeted with the sight that you were terrified of. There were no heroes in the area. Not yet. They would be here in less than fifteen minutes but you knew how crucial that time could be. 

        Fifteen minutes. 

        As everyone around you ran from the flames, you ran into them. The flames licked at your skin as you entered the chaos but your skin allowed it to glance off of you. You had grown used to the feeling of being burnt due to your own quirk. Deep red scars that followed the patterns of your veins littered your body due to the fire inside of you. In certain lights, your scars could even come out to be slightly purple in color. 

        You had been going to UA for three years now and this was the exact situation you were being trained for. It was this pulling inside of you that lead you towards the danger that made you a real hero. You were a real hero. You wanted to be a real hero...When would a real hero get here?

        "Oh, do we have someone playing a hero here? A schoolgirl come to save the day from the big, bad villain?" Black boots crunched against the gravel of the road, each step as casual as the last as he stalked closer. Burned flesh greeted your eyes as Dabi emerged from the flames. You knew it was him, the blue flames made it obvious. You had seen video footage from the training camp. This was a specific type of fire. This was Hellfire.  

        "You can't do this!" Your hands clenched into fists, veins burning as your emotions began to run wild. You were terrified. This would be the first time you faced a villain by yourself without active-backup on the way. Interning at your father's agency could have its perks but it also meant you never got dangerous tasks. Even with Shoto just starting, your father took him on more hero-like outings. He was playing favorites and it hurt. Did he not think you could be a hero? Were you too weak in his eyes? 

        "Aw, and why not, little Matchstick?" A devilish grin spread over the burnt face, stables keeping the two pieces together as one, "Whose going to stop me? You?" 

        "Yes!" The quiver in your voice alerted to how scared you actually were. Just remember Mirio and Tamaki. Remember how brave they were. You wanted to be just like them and this was the perfect time to do that. They wouldn't run when people were in danger. Even if they were scared, they would go running towards the danger because they were true heroes. Mirio had saved Eri and Tamaki had protected Kirishima more times than you could count. Your heart was telling you to run as it pumped quickly but your feet were planted as if held by concrete. You wanted to be like them. 

        You wanted to be like your dad. 

        "What do you even want?" You continued, hoping to distract the man just long enough for the heroes to make their way here. Maybe Hawks would be the first to arrive. He did have his wings. Perhaps your father could use his flames as he had when fighting the nomu. It didn't matter who the hero was as long as they got there as fast as possible. You would even take Mount Lady, a hero who you had a hard time dealing with. 

        "What do I want? I want what every man wants!" His arms extended as his trenchcoat billowed around him, a crazed look on his face. Fire surrounded the two of you, catching anything that it could on fire.  You could see why the bottom was as tattered as it was as the fire singed the fabric, but if Dabi cared, he didn't show it. 

        The man walked closer to you but you kept yourself in a defensive position. You couldn't run, you could end up leading him right to the majority of panicked citizens who were trying to evacuate. The best course of action, even if it meant you could end up getting hurt, was to stay right where you were. You wanted to be a hero. You were a hero! No matter how your father acted, you were a hero. How many nights had you stayed up late, practicing to control your quirk for moments like this? All you really wanted was for your father to finally see how strong you could be. 

        Ten minutes. 

        Before you knew what was happening, you felt your back hit a hard chest and a hand much larger than your own wrap around your neck. No matter how you struggled, Dabi kept you from escaping with the force he was pressing against your neck. The other hand gripped your chin, forcing you to look up at your assailant.  There was a crazed look in his eyes that were as blue as his flames. It made tears well up in your eyes from fear. 

        The edges of your vision were beginning to blur with the lack of oxygen. Just before you felt your legs begin to give out, the man loosened his grip just enough for you to gasp at the air around you. Coughs filled the air as you dealt with the lack of oxygen as well as smoke that was staining anything it could. 

        "Revenge. That's what I want." His lips whispered next to your ear, causing a chill to run up your spine. This wouldn't be the first time a villain wanted revenge and it wouldn't be the last time. You used all the force you could muster and kicked the villain in the shin.

        This seemed to work as he let you go, but it wasn't for long. He snatched your wrists in one hand while the other went back to its place on your neck. This time he only used enough force to keep you from breathing comfortably. This was starting to look worse and worse for you with each passing moment. Still, you just had to remember heroes were on the way. They would save you. 

        "And you, my Little Matchstick, are perfect for my plan." 

        "Let me go!" Your shrill voice screamed as you felt the flames burst around your wrists, using your own quirk now. A grunt of pain and some mumbled cursing escaped Dabi but instead of losing his grip, you felt a searing pain spread over your own skin. The pain caused you to lose concentration of your quirk, all too focused on the blue flames that the man emitted from his hands. For a split moment, the two of your flames seemed to dance around each other and turn the light a purple like Dabi's scars. 

        The hand at your wrists lit up like a beacon as Dabi's quirk began to come out. Screams would have escaped your lips if not for the hand constricting your breathing which was now burning your neck as well. All you could see was white as the worst pain you had ever felt kept you writhing. The flames began to creep down your arm, spreading towards your body. The hand on your neck reminded you more of an iron as there were no actual flames appearing. Some sick version of a human cattle prod. His hand print would be scarred over your neck, a permanent reminder of this night. 

        The next thing you could remember, you were slumped on the ground like dirty laundry. The world around you was spinning. It was beginning to darken in a mixture of you losing consciousness and smoke as the seconds ticked by. Tears streamed down your face from the pain and ash filling the air. A horrid smell wafted around and you feared that was coming from you. 

        "Come now, the heroes aren't going to save you. They always break their promises, just like villains. Hell, I couldn't tell you how many promises I've broken in this day alone! Heros and villains are one and the same when it comes down to it! The only difference is that villains are seen as a disgrace while heroes are praised for doing publicity stunts!"

        Five minutes. 

        Dabi's boot came crashing down on your throat, pushing as hard as he could. You could feel the heat of life begin to diminish with each passing moment you lacked oxygen. Shouts in the distance could be heard, the heroes were almost here. Yet, they wouldn't be here soon enough. They wouldn't be here to save you. Was this really how you were going to die?

        One particular loud shout registered as your father and for once, you felt grateful that he was around. He didn't even know you were here, you hadn't told him where you had gone after school. Would he be moving faster if he knew you were there? If anyone could save you, it would be him. You wanted to feel his arms wrap around you, holding you and making you feel safe one more time. He could save you. 

        Or at least he could be here as you died.

        "Poor Little Todoroki, it seems like you are going to just miss out on the fun." The rest of the world was blurring and disappearing into the growing darkness, leaving the fire illuminated Dabi as the only thing visible. 

        With a smirk illuminated by the sharp blue flames, you stared up at the eyes that would be the last thing you would ever see. They were eyes that seemed so familiar to you. They were...your father's eyes. No, not your father's. That wouldn't make sense, you weren't hallucinating. No, they were eyes filled with the flames you had only seen in two people before. These were the eyes of the one who had cared for you the most once upon a time. How had it come to this? How could it be true? He wouldn't hurt you but as you lay dying at his feet, you knew there was no denying it. 

        "Dad isn't going to like this, now is he?" 

        They were Touya's. 

[theoriginalcarnivorousmuffin]

So what exactly do you think about the whole vampire “mate” thing? Along with the whole idea that the vampire emotional nature is like “stone” and thus can only love romantically the once?

Mates? I don’t think they exist.

Alright, fine, a serious answer.

I think it’s not so much mates, per se, that there’s one person out there for you in the whole wide world and if you miss them you’re a soulless husk forever but a product of vampire neurology. 

It’s not so much that vampires don’t change, or at least, no less than humans do (we tend not to change without catalyst either). However, I do think that vampires are a bit more stubborn in their nature than us humans and their profound memory helps them along.

A vampire never forgets the joy of being in love, never forgets what they initially loved about their partner, and in the case of Marcus never forgets the grief of losing them. 

But I think they feel love, sorrow, anger, etc. as much as we humans do. They just have this overly romantic mythos that they themselves have bandied about for thousands of years.

What do I mean?

Well, the ‘mates’ we see are unconvincing. There’s Marcus, yes, and it’s implied that he had something truly profound with Didyme. But what about the others?

The Cullen Family alone is full of disastrous marriages that will fall apart any second now.

Bella/Edward is such a shit show of yikes involving no love whatsoever and more the lust that a lion feels when about to feast on a gazelle (that Edward also uses this analogy really says something to me). Remember that Meyer presents Bella/Edward as the best and brightest of all the mated pairs.

Edward marries and falls in love with her while she’s still human, a very rare phenomenon. He tries to leave her but finds himself physically unable to, within six months both he and Bella attempt suicide (nevermind that Bella was clinically depressed and Edward is in love with his own tragic theater and martyrdom). 

Meyer describes them of having the wonderful spiritual connection of Carlisle/Esme and the physical intamacy of Rosalie/Emmett (which of course means that Rosalie and Emmett are the only couple in this goddamn house that actually have any sexual intercourse). 

This is the love story the entire series hinges on.

And it’s like a virtual novel where you’re playing as Bella Swan, and if you made even one, small, wrong choice along the way Vampire Patrick Bateman sneaks into your room and devours you, your father, and maybe your entire graduating class.

By some miracle, Bella unwittingly travels the golden path. For her, that is, for everyone else it will end in very very bad places.

Then we have Carlisle/Esme, where they seem to be held together by wishful thinking and denial. Neither is really what the other wants, they share completely different values, their miscommunication is profound, and while I won’t get into it here I will say that I think they very likely have 0 physical intimacy for a variety of reasons.

Edward looks to Carlisle/Esme as his ideal relationship and what he wants to recreate with Bella. Which is... very Edward.

The only ones in the Cullens not a complete disaster, but still should have couple’s therapy, are Rosalie and Emmett. And here’s where I go, “alright, maybe there’s something to this mated pair thing”. Because the story of Rosalie is she finds this man torn apart by bears, after having been a victim of gang rape, carries his bleeding carcass for miles, dumps him on Carlisle’s table, and says, “MAKE ME A HUSBAND”. And it somehow works out for them. It’s the world’s weirdest pairing, in Midnight Sun we learn that Rosalie is just as weirded out as we the audience are, because her brain just tells her that this man is her husband.

So perhaps there’s some instinctual connection, but we certainly don’t see it in all vampire couples. So, if the mate thing does exist, I suspect it’s a) extremely rare b) is probably not one unique match in all the world.

That said though, even Rosalie and Emmett have issues and I’d hardly call them soulmates. They don’t really get each other, I think. Emmett certainly doesn’t understand Rosalie and I think Rosalie does find Emmett is often a boor. They love each other, certainly like each other, but they’re not two connecting puzzle pieces.

Otherwise, outside of these guys there’s... Pretty much Marcus.

Aro is gay, clearly enamored with Carlisle, and locked his wife in a tower.

Caius also locked his wife in a tower.

Eleazar left the Volturi for Carmen, but Eleazar is a dick and useless (this is for another meta). By the sounds of it Aro was jumping at an excuse to get rid of him.

Marcus, mourning for two-thousand years straight, is enough to convince me that something’s up. However, he could simply have been in love the way elves in LotR love, and they don’t have soulmates either.

Plus, mates are so cheap to me.

Every time, every time, I see it used it’s a cheap prop to do away with actually convincing us this is a convincing and moving love story.

Bella and Edward belong together because they’re soulmates.

Kylo-Ren and Rey are a dyad in the Force and therefore their love is a great one.

Tom Riddle and Harry Potter have their names written on each others arms in your fanfiction du jour and it’s very angsty because they’re soulmates with their greatest enemy and someone they don’t even like. Don’t ask how they could possibly be soulmates in this scenario, they just are, because I say so.

Every time you resort to using mates to convince your audience that your pairing is a superior love a puppy dies. 

Right, the falling in love romantically once, well look at my fics and I clearly don’t believe that. What I will say is that vampires can hold onto their memories longer than us, so if they want to reminisce over being romantically in love, they can, and falling in love with someone else might be harder for them. 

However, I don’t think there’s anything stopping them. We see many vampires with very complicated and frankly very human relationships. They play themselves for fools, yearn, and settle for people they do not truly love just as much as we humans do. 

[sweet-rintarou]

Today was the day that you were to meet with the person you'll be establishing a relationship. Understand how it's worded that way, changing the entire concept of how a relationship work. It shouldn't be a business tactic, in order to bring media attention onto those in the relationship, but should be a way to join two different people in a romantic sense, filled with trust and genuine feelings between one another.

You've had your fair share of relationships, none of which were ever done to benefit one or the other, nor were they ever done in a way that mutual feelings were absent. You don't claim to still be in love with any of your exes, nor is there any bad blood, so your concept of love and romantic relationship is quite vanilla.

Now, the game has changed. You weren't ready, hell, who the fuck would be ready to have to date someone only for publicity? To risk having the secret be released to the media, it would ruin your name and you were highly aware of it. No matter how anyone wants to try to put it, Japan was still behind when it comes to gender equality, it was traditional and placed men on a higher pedestal. You knew that if word got out that you both faked a relationship to gain attention to each of your agendas, that you would receive more backlash than your "significant other".

"We'll always protect you, Y/n," Suga reassured you when you decided to voice out your concern after being out. It was now nine, the next day, and you had to meet with the CEO again at noon.

"And fans will understand," Terushima added, "even though there'll be people that are rude for no reason, there will always be those that truly care for you, and will back you up for anything."

You couldn't necessarily talk, most of your replies were of gratitude or heavy sighs. Ever since the conflict with Semi, it seemed that the world was going against you, that everything that were to occur in your life was going absolutely crazy, and nothing seems to be working out. You felt as if most of the negative attention was caused by you, and only you.

As noon came around, your feet dragged heavily against the marbled floor. The weight of what was to come prevented you from walking with the usual bounce of life that you used to sport. Once you entered the meeting room, you only spotted the CEO, his assistant, and two other people you didn't recognize. Everyone besides the five of you were in formal clothing—suit and tie—so it was safe to assume that the person you were to be together with was not here.

Seated across from the two you didn't know, the CEO cleared his throat.

"Alright, these are the representative of who you will be meeting with, Ms. Y/n," he started off, "unfortunately he is unable to attend, but because I also like surprises, I'll disclose his identity later on."

I hate surprised.

"Before we get into signing the agreement, there are obviously a set of rules that must be established between the two parties, which are us, Rei Records, and the second party of Ryo Agency.

"First and foremost; the fact that the relationship is only for business purposes should never be disclosed to anyone other the present parties, your "significant other" included–" you couldn't help but gag a bit "–no disclosing this to close friends or families, the media obviously."

"Second; the period of this agreement will last for 6 months, this will fit with the timeline of Silver Lining's album release, album promotion, with a national tour, and Ryo Agency's agenda of their client's movie release, movie promotion and tour as well."

So he's an actor. Admittedly, you weren't too caught up with the latest news in the entertainment industry other than the music industry of course, so your knowledge of any actors around your age was limited to those you've seen in western film productions.

Semi rose his hand, "Isn't a bit unfair that Y/n hasn't met with the guy? I'm sure he already knows who she is, right?"

"No, actually, neither of you know what each other look like, we haven't disclosed either of your identities to one another." The response garnered dumbfounded looks from the five of us.

"We can assure you that he is a decent man, there is no toxicity from his behaviour to our knowledge," CEO Yashimoto reassured, although it did little to calm your anxious thoughts. He continued, "You will meet with the young man tonight, at the agency's restaurant, there will be no paparazzi as this should be a chance for you two to get to know each other."

"Which agency?"

"This agency," his assistant snapped, causing you to roll your eyes.

"Anyway, your relationship will be publicised on Friday, which is two days from now."

Without allowing you to say anything, his assistant—you honestly don't bother to learn his name—pulled out sheets of paper, placing it in front of CEO Yashimoto and the opposite agency, the five of you only able to observe the exchange.

"Alright, you all may leave, and Y/n, be ready to be picked up at six."

-

"How is it six already?!" You screamed. The CEO's assistant knocking incessantly on your hotel door.

"What if I grab him and toss him out the window, do you think anyone will know?" Terushima asked, eyes wide with genuine curiosity. The four of you stared in concern.

"You know it's the thought that counts." Heaving an exasperated sigh–which sounded more like a grunt–you changed into presentable clothes before exiting the hotel room, your bandmates watching your back, clearly upset as well. I cannot cry, but fuck, do I want to.

With only a glare, the assistant guided you to the car and the drive to the restaurant was quiet and awkward.

Monoma opened the door for you, allowing you to step out and he led the way towards the restaurant. Your hands were prepared to type the name once the words left his mouth, but his lips were sealed shut until you reached the entrance of the restaurant.

"Table under Yashimoto," he told the hostess, to which she led us to the table in the far back. A figure was clearly sitting in one of the seats, but you could barely recognize or make out the features with your deteriorating eyesight.

"Yo, Monoma, what's the guy's name?" He only casted a side-glance.

"I lied," he said, "with the fact that your phone is out now, I don't know where you'll send what I'm about to say."

"It's to my friends, no need to be so uptight," you retorted. "Fuck, fine." Stuffing your phone into your pocket, you'll just have to tell them when you get back.

"Hello," ignoring your presence, Monoma shifted his attention to the brunette by the table, to which the latter stood up upon the arrival of you. "This is Y/n L/n, the girl you were arranged with."

"Y/n, this is—"

"Oikawa. Tooru Oikawa," the brunette introduced himself, "it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

silver lining | w. ushijima smau

previous | masterlist | next

part twenty-four

—tooru

author's note: lmao now that we have oikawa in the story there will be more crack between him, y/n and ushi :3 and fair warning, the next few parts will be in written format, so be prepared

taglist: @alienvarmint @amberalisa @naughtylittleweeb @tycrackculture @someone-you-dontknow @iloveyouasmuchaspoohloveshoney @stargirlara @brownsugartease-blog @leviathans-watching @kenjiru @ushiwakaismybae @elianetsantana @kagebunshiin @koushiwrites @marajillana @wannakeillmyself @bokuto-buns @smolcactusqwq @ihateccmber @changkyun-not @mischevious-pixie @mochi-the-uwu @haengbokpixie @kiritokunuwu @kittyddandnyla @runningwitches @cevanswhre @mint-mai @that-random-emo-girl @franko-pop @bigchaosenergy @luhvsnoir @shadowpurr @milkyyamatobio @fueledbyapplepi (send an ask if you want to be added)

[kyber-crystal]

fluff alphabet || poe dameron

a/n: for @jangohshit​!! sorry this was so late—i thought it was queued already but oh welp ,.,.,., thank u for being literally one of the best mutuals anyone could ever ask for <3 also leia is peak mom material in this friendly warning :) angst to fluff thrown in, as well

A = Affection (How affectionate are they? How do they show affection?)

we all know he’s the most affectionate person ever despite his seemingly intimidating persona—he loves giving you forehead kisses, back hugs, and picking you up and spinning you around when he gets the chance. 

B = Best friend (What would they be like as a best friend? How would the friendship start?)

the friendship started because leia had introduced you to him. you ended up clicking right away and spent nearly every waking moment you had together to the point that the entire black squadron would joke about how you and poe shared one functional braincell (i mean, they weren’t entirely wrong). he’s very overprotective—one time you tripped and fell off a ladder while helping rey fix something and he was freaking out about it more than you were. and you were completely fine, asides from a few scratches. again, the squadron loves teasing him about his ‘mama bear’ persona that he develops when he’s around you

C = Cuddles (Do they like to cuddle? How would they cuddle?)

YES. poe absolutely loves cuddling. he’ll take any chance he gets to hug you—whether that’s hugging you from behind during meetings, running into your arms when reuniting after a mission, or wrapping his arms around you as you relaxed with him and the others by the campfire several nights. you rarely ever slept alone, it was always you sleeping together in yours or his room, and jessika or finn would have to run in and wake you up several times in a row because you got too comfortable and nearly overslept. in short, you and him are attached at the hip

D = Domestic (Do they want to settle down? How are they at cooking and cleaning?)

it was a mutual agreement between you two that you’d settle down and get married once the war was finally over. you hadn’t had many opportunities to actually sit and talk about it so the conversation was often brought up late at night when nobody else was awake.

poe isn’t the greatest ever at being tidy, but he isn’t bad at cleaning up stuff when he needs to—and any messiness is made up for with his beyond amazing cooking skills. he’s constantly pressured week after week to cook for everyone because the first time he’d made something it was love at first taste. now he’s dubbed the ultimate pilot and sous chef of the resistance

E = Ending (If they had to break up with their partner, how would they do it?)

if you had to break it off with each other, it would be because of the war. getting into a relationship while trying to fight for your lives could put you into a compromising position and poe hated knowing that he could lose you at any point. this ultimately led to a huge argument—coincidentally, right before you left for an eight week-long mission. there were many tears involved.

you wouldn’t get together right after you claimed victory, but instead, took time building your relationship back up again before finally doing so. there were no real hard feelings involved—it was just a matter of reconstruction :3

F = Fiance(e) (How do they feel about commitment? How quick would they want to get married?)

once poe is committed to something, he’s committed—he’s in it for the long run. of course, he wants to make sure you’re comfortable first before anything else—and in terms of marriage, he’ll probably wait about a year or two. nothing too fancy. 

G = Gentle (How gentle are they, both physically and emotionally?)

even though poe knows that you’re one hell of a fighter and can take practically anything that’s thrown at you, he’s very very gentle with you—same goes emotionally. he knows you’ve also been through a lot and makes sure to constantly remind you that you’re not alone and that if you ever needed someone to turn to, he’d always be here. 

H = Hugs (Do they like hugs? How often do they do it? What are their hugs like?)

alright, this man NEVER misses an opportunity to hug you. hugs from behind, picking you up and spinning you around until both of you got dizzy, surprising you and then hugging you, holding you in his arms to help you fall asleep after a nightmare, you name it. you joke around about how you don’t need therapy when you have his arms within reach :)

I = I love you (How fast do they say the L-word?)

he says it first. you recalled it being after you returned from a quick little recon with a few other pilots and ran straight into his arms (as always, because mans loves getting hugs from you yk). 

“I love you.”

“I know,” you responded.

“I taught her that!” -han, shouting as he approached. “You really didn’t think to say hi to me first?”

“Dad.”

poe only laughs and kisses you again.

J = Jealousy (How jealous do they get? What do they do when they’re jealous?)

ooooof so when poe’s jealous, he doesn’t like to show it but you can tell when he is. it’ll be little death stares from across the room or tightening his arm around your waist, even if it’s another squadron member jokingly flirting with you

K = Kisses (What are their kisses like? Where do they like to kiss you? Where do they like to be kissed?)

poe’s kisses are either very gentle or very passionate—it depends. he likes kissing you on the lips but he loves forehead kisses the most. it gives him a sense of protection over you and he loves knowing you’re his special person :3

L = Little ones (How are they around children?)

the kids absolutely LOVE him. you always get this warm & fuzzy feeling inside whenever you see him interacting with the younger ones on base; sometimes he’ll catch you staring and just winks at you in response (this little shit KNOWS how he makes you feel and loves it)

M = Morning (How are mornings spent with them?)

it’s pretty relaxed most of the time (that is, if it’s the weekend or you’re on break) and poe likes to stay in and cuddle for a little bit before you actually get out of bed. if not, both of you are up at the crack of dawn LOL. you often start off the day with a relaxing morning walk around the base before settling down to eat :)

N = Night (How are nights spent with them?)

on nights that neither of you can fall asleep, you’ll go outside and stargaze. it’s a very soothing habit you’ve learned to develop and 9/10 times it has one of you (it’s usually you) nearly knocked out cold after just an hour or two. (poe also sees this as an excuse to carry you back inside in his arms)

O = Open (When would they start revealing things about themselves? Do they say everything all at once or wait a while to reveal things slowly?)

poe’s naturally a very open person but there are some things he prefers to keep to himself. but once he fully trusts you he tells you everything—though this takes maybe a couple months or so. 

P = Patience (How easily angered are they?)

both of you are aware he’s the more impatient of the pair, although when it comes to you he doesn’t mind waiting. when putting that aside, his patience runs a little bit more thin.

Q = Quizzes (How much would they remember about you? Do they remember every little detail you mention in passing, or do they kind of forget everything?)

alright mans knows you like the back of his hand. literally. like. the back. of your hand. everyone on base knows it, too—he remembers the smallest of things about you that even you don’t remember sometimes. this was the biggest giveaway for him that told everyone he was most certainly in love with you. you can guess who hosted your surprise birthday that one night after exegol : ‘)

R = Remember (What is their favorite moment in your relationship?)

your first kiss—not just because it was a first, but because of how it happened. it started pouring heavily as soon as you returned from a mission and everyone ended staying outside and having a giant water fight. while high on adrenaline, you jumped straight into his arms and before either of you had the chance to think, his lips were on yours and you were kissing underneath the stormy sky. everyone stopped what they were doing halfway and noticed, lowkey it looked like some scene from the notebook (arguably more romantic)

S = Security (How protective are they? How would they protect you? How would they like to be protected?)

even though the two of you claim to share one braincell, poe is very very protective over you no matter how much you protest and claim you were capable of taking care of yourself. usually he’s the one who’s more freaked out about any injuries you get. other than you understood that you had to look out for each other and stick by each other no matter the cost—a promise you two intended to keep for as long as you possibly could.

T = Try (How much effort would they put into dates, anniversaries, gifts, everyday tasks?)

a lot. he’s very, very extra. very. han pokes fun at him sometimes for it but he too, was initially like that with leia so he can’t really argue—so instead, whenever poe’s in need of help with planning stuff he’s off to the rescue : ‘) fam rlly went from “no, you are NOT dating my daughter” to “why haven’t you guys gotten married yet?” one time for your birthday, with the help of your parents and the entire black squadron, he put on an entire air show for you complete with firework displays, and needless to say you were head over heels that night. 

U = Ugly (What would be some bad habits of theirs?)

he doesn’t sleep. poe has a very fucked up sleep schedule and often counts on you to remind him to get some rest—you found him working on his x wing one night and he told you he hadn’t slept in the past thirty-six hours—after which you scolded him and dragged him to bed. he ended up dozing off until noon 0_0

V = Vanity (How concerned are they with their looks?)

he’s not very concerned. though when he notices you staring or whenever you compliment him about his looks it does boost his ego :)

W = Whole (Would they feel incomplete without you?)

oh definitely. so much to the point that it has also become a joke among fellow rebels, even your parents (leia often tells you that she’s worried he won’t function properly unless you’re around and tbh she isn’t wrong lol). you’re his soulmate and other half whom he wouldn’t trade for the world

X = Xtra (A random headcanon for them.)

poe has the best taste in music. straight up. nobody argues nor complains when he’s in charge of music for the day, they’re always satisfied with whatever tunes he’s playing throughout the base and it puts everyone into a good mood

Y = Yuck (What are some things they wouldn’t like, either in general or in a partner?)

lack of respect. being inconsiderate. coldhearted. you’re thankfully none of these and for that very reason he’d chosen you—you’re everything he could ever ask for in a person

Z = Zzz (What is a sleep habit of theirs?)

poe doesn’t snore, but he has a SOLID iron grip when fast asleep. “best friends always sleep in each other’s beds!” he’d claim as he crawled in next to you many nights and fell asleep hugging you very tightly. everyone knew it was again, an excuse to get closer to you. but you didn’t mind : ‘)

[chocochar]

ᴍɪꜱꜱᴇᴅ ᴍᴇ? | ᴅᴀʙɪ/ᴛᴏᴜʏᴀ x ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ | ᴘᴀʀᴛ 1: ʙᴀᴄᴋ ʜᴏᴍᴇ

Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Valentine’s Special | Part 6: TBA

(AN: feel free to skip this first part of the AN, slight spoilers for the story ahead!: Okay so before we start some quick notes: 

Reader and Dabi are 25 presently, Dabi is the eldest sibling with the others being their canon ages.

(I’m mentioning this next part here because I couldn’t figure out how to add it to the title eue) Reader and Touya went to school together since their first year of middle school.

She had gotten pregnant at around 15 with Touya’s baby (this all gets explained!) but given this follows the Touya theory he ‘died’ so she’s a single mom.

I was sorta iffy posting this fic, because I wasn’t sure if it would get any attention, but I’m also excited to do it so... Here you go? lol

Reader’s quirk: Mirror: The ability to make a large force field spanning up to 30 feet or smaller force fields to protect people within it/them. When projectiles hit the fields they are deflected, when non ranged attacks hit them they bounce off. )

[F/n’s POV]

        It’s been 10 years already, since I last saw Touya Todoroki. Even now it feels like almost yesterday his ashes were found in his room at the Todoroki house. I still remember Fuyumi calling me in tears, sobbing nearly to the point she was inaudible and she had to repeat herself more than once. I was 15, pregnant, and finding out my boyfriend for a little over a year had cremated himself, I went into shock before I broke down. My mom was there fortunately, and held me as I shook with sobs.

        “I didn’t even tell him, mom!” I remember screaming over and over until my voice gave out. It was a bad dream, it had to be right? I hoped that every night for a year that I’d wake up to a call from him telling me to get up, that he was outside my house waiting to walk to school.

        But the calls never came, I only saw and talked to Fuyumi and later Natsuo after that; like me they seemed so numb, after all their mom had been sent to a hospital shortly before, their little brother was a complete stranger thanks to their father, and then Touya was gone… I was there for them as much as I could; my mom shortly after Touya’s death moved us a few cities away too, resulting in me changing schools to attend a normal high school. UA became a far away dream along with my future as a hero; this baby became most important to me, it was going to be the last connection I would have to Touya.

        After Kaoru was born it became hard to focus on school and homework, but I pushed through, my mom and older sister Rina helping me with him along the way, and soon enough I was graduated and working towards a career in the police force. Becoming a hero then… It stayed a faraway dream, plus I still wanted to help people.

        “Are you sure about this? Rina and I have already said-”

        “Mom,” I stopped her, smiling while I fed a then 3 year old Karou,”It’ll be fine, plus my quirk will help with hostage situations and raids no matter what. I’ll be a hero in a way still even if it isn’t a pro.”

        Even with my words and smile I don’t think she believed me, but she helped me either way. She was a single mom young, raising Rina and me by herself, so she understood.

        I eventually told Natsuo first about Kaoru and let them meet so long as this big news was kept from his father. Fuyumi was next, and while she tried to convince me to let Kaoru meet his grandfather (if you can even call him that, much less a father) I told her I wasn’t comfortable with it. Especially when Kaoru’s quirk came in: My force fields along with his father’s powerful fire? Not an easy combo when your son wants to try out his new powers. Last to meet him was Rei, and surprisingly Shouto who was visiting his mom, last month; Karou by this point was 10, and while I was surprised to see Shouto so grown up from the pictures I saw (and feeling bad it took so long to bring Kaoru to finally meet his other grandma) they were even more shocked by the little redhead clinging to my leg.

        Kaoru… Looks just like a mini version of his dad: messy, wild red hair, bright blue eyes, pale skin (with a slight mix of my (skin color)), just like Touya. The only thing resembling me is the streak of (hair color) in one of his bangs. Rina and Natsuo have taken part in jokingly calling him ‘Chibi’ but it doesn’t seem to bother him much; he’s a calm little guy, a lot like his dad in personality too although he gets his brains from me.~

        Now 25 I’m a police officer, working mainly on tracking cases and hostage situations. Kaoru and I moved back to Musutafu two weeks ago due to me transferring to the station there; with his problems handling his quirk I was hesitant but it made it easier for him to see his other family and I’ve considered asking Shouto if he or one of his friends can help his nephew learn to conquer this power.

        Things seem… Okay. But moving back I can’t help but get this feeling something will change. I just can’t place my finger on it.

[X][X][X]

        “Alright, Kaoru, do you have your bag?”

        “Yes mom.”

        “All your books inside? Did you double check?”

        “Yes mom.”

        Smiling I hand Kaoru his bento to also slip into his bag after I tuck mine into my own. 

        “Good, I made some yummy stuff this morning, there’s some extra so if Hari-chan wants to try any of it you should share a little,” I tell him while slinging my bag over my shoulder. I watch his cheeks turn pink at the mention of his best friend/crush and bite my lip so I don’t giggle. So cute.~

        The two of us leave the apartment and start walking to the stairs, the morning peaceful at least as we head down the steps and start on our way. People pass the two of us as we weave our way through the crowds, people going to their jobs or schools just like Kaoru and me; it’s silent between us, although Kaoru doesn’t talk much normally but Natsuo has been trying to get him out of his shell. 

        “What do you want for dinner tonight?” I ask him, glancing down while we wait to cross the street. He shrugs, meeting my eyes.

        “I don’t really mind anything, I guess oyakodon?” He replies, the crossing light changing and the two of us following the crowd.

        “Oh that sounds delicious! Alright then, I’ll pick you up from Hari-chan’s house after I get off work and we’ll head to the store to get anything we need, okay?” I tell him, Kaoru nodding while the breeze blows through his crimson locks. Looking down at him I sigh, patting his head feeling his hair. “I keep telling you to brush it, Kao,” I smile, the little guy tilting his head away from my hand and scratching the back of it.

        “Natsu-oji said it looks cool, he said it’s how dad started to do his…”

        I go stiff immediately, remembering him again. My eyes watch ahead as my brain swirls with memories I had pushed to the back of my mind a while ago; I keep him in my thoughts of course, it just is painful to regularly remember Touya. Kaoru looks more and more like him as he gets older, from his messy crimson locks to the way he smiles, which makes me both happy and a bit depressed. He never got to see him, he’ll never get to see him grow… My chest tightens thinking about this.

        “Mom?” I stop abruptly and meet my son’s eyes, surprised and coming out of my stupor. He’s pointing to the left at another crosswalk and says,”We need to go this way.” I glance at the street sign realizing I was about to pass where we need to go while so lost in thought. Shaking my head I step next to him and wait, my mind steadily repressing those feelings and thoughts. Kaoru seems to have noticed my shift in mood as I feel his smaller hand take mine and hold it, my (eye color) eyes peering down in surprise. He doesn’t meet mine but I can tell he’s trying to comfort me as best he can while we’re waiting and giving his hand a squeeze we begin to cross when the light changes. 

        We reach his school first and kissing his forehead goodbye (much to his embarrassment) I wave as I hurry off to work.

[X][X][X]

        “Heyyy (F/n),” a voice that makes me inwardly groan speaks up. I stop what I’m typing to look up at Nanaka-san, another officer who’s only been here a few months more than me. He’s younger and seems to know what he’s doing, his quirk giving him the ability to suck in gases and fumes and use them to his own advantage, but he also, from what I’ve seen and heard, has done a few shady deals in the past. I try to steer clear of doing anything more than talking to him while at work. He grins down at me and turning in my chair to face him, he continues,”We’re all goin’ out drinking after work today, you free to join us?” ‘He knows I’m not…’ I think, rubbing my neck and shaking my head.

        “Nanaka, I told you not to ask,” Ira-senpai says, coming over as well. “(L/n)-san has a kid, remember?” 

        Nanaka, while trying not to show it, I can see he’s annoyed she even came over, replying,”Well he has other relatives, right? Can’t they pick him up and watch him?”

        “They work and stuff so I try not to bother them. Maybe another time, okay?” I smile, hoping he gets the hint this time. Fortunately he sighs, shrugging and going off to talk to another coworker. A sigh I didn’t realize I was holding releases while I sit back. “Ira-senpai, thank you. I can’t seem to get him to understand,” I tell her, the older woman’s arms crossed and a chuckle escaping her lips.

        “Just ignore him or let his words go in one ear and out the other, alright, (L/n)-san? He set his sights on you the moment you entered the office but as long as you deflect his advances he’ll move on,” she replies, patting my shoulder. “Tell Kaoru-chan I said ‘hi’ alright? I have to go check out some things on the League of Villains case.” With that she heads off to her desk and I watch her go before turning back to my work. The League of Villains… I too have also been looking into them but given my being new they’ve kept me a lot out of the loop. I only really know their names and appearances and the like, pulling them up in the database I glance over the information that’s accessible to me and read through them.

        ‘They’re kind of like boogeymen,’ I think, getting a look at the photos we do have of them. ‘Powerful yet elusive, they give nightmares to parents and children alike, and people are starting to wonder if they’ll be caught…’ I reach one specific person of interest who stands out: Dabi. His name, ‘cremation’, most likely derived from his quirk which… Uses bright blue flames allegedly powerful enough to cremate. The rest, for the most part, have their true names as well as their villain names but no one seems to know who he is. No crimes beyond the work with the league, no age but appears to be early to mid 20’s, no image but a description of black hair, messy, blue eyes, and scars lining his body along with staples seeming to keep his skin in tact maybe? After reading all of this I decide to check out any articles pertaining to the League, but all I find are mostly discussing ‘Tomura Shigaraki’, the attacks on the UA students, their involvement in the Shie Hassaikai situation, and All Might’s retirement. 

        I do find some murder cases where the victims were burned alive, including the hero Snatch, but they’re unsolved and there’s no suspect yet. Still, I keep it bookmarked for later.

        Standing I sigh as I pop my back. Sitting for most of the day can really take a toll on your body sometimes, especially when you’re used to going on missions regularly. Seeing I have about an hour left before I can head home I go grab some coffee before jumping back into filing case notes. I get halfway to the break room when my cell phone starts ringing and furrowing my brows I see it’s Hari’s mom calling me, which is a bit odd given she knows what time I’m off.

        “Hello?” I answer, pressing it up to my ear.

        “Oh (L/n)-san, thank goodness you answered!! It’s Kaoru, he’s having trouble controlling his quirk again!” Her voice is panicked and my eyes widen.

        Ever since his quirk came in he’s struggled to control it, and hearing Hari yelling trying to calm him down in the background I say,”I’ll be over soon!” I hang up and hurry to my boss’s office, knocking on the chief’s door. He luckily isn’t busy as I almost barge in and I’m guessing he can read my expression as he immediately looks worried. “Sir, am I okay to leave early? I hate to ask, b-but my son is in trouble!”

        Luckily he understands, this isn’t the first time Kaoru has had this problem since we moved here, but he replies,”Yes, you’re fine to leave now. But (L/n)... You might want to find a way to help him control it, before something happens.” The way he says it I look away and slowly nod, knowing better than to reply in case I say something I shouldn’t. Shutting the door I rush to my desk and grab my bag, logging off my computer, then running out of the station going as fast as I can to Hari’s house.

        When I get there it seems like things are under control again but I clearly see the damage; not only is Kaoru burned on his fingertips and hands but a wide circle of dead grass sit in their yard. Hari and her mom are rubbing his back when I arrive, all three on the front steps of their house and looking up when I'm jogging up to them. My son looks terrified, hiding his hands and having trouble meeting my eyes. 

        “... I’m sorry, mom,” he mumbles, the crack in his voice leaving a tightness in my chest. I quickly lean down and pull him into a hug, rubbing his back.

        “It’s okay, Kao, go get your stuff okay?” I tell him pulling back and getting him to look at me. He nods and turns, going inside to grab his things while I step back and run my fingers through my (hair color) locks. “Tsuachi-san, I’m sorry.”

        “Don’t worry, (L/n)-san,” Hari’s mom smiles sympathetically. “We’ll get the yard taken care of, I’m more concerned with Kaoru but he wouldn’t let me bandage him up.” I sigh, glancing at the ring again, knowing there’s nothing I can do but still trying to think of a way to fix that. “But (L/n)-san, I’m worried for when he’s at school,” she continues, and turning back to her I’m confused for a second. “Has he gotten any sort of training or something to help him learn to control it? I hear many kids struggle so have you thought about getting him maybe help from his dad’s side of the family.”

        “Of course, I’ve talked to his uncle about it, but he’s just in high school… He said he’d help him when he has the time, but lately he hasn’t…” I trail off, crossing my arms and looking down as I start to get lost in thought. Maybe I’ll go visit Shouto again or text him, see if he has any availability or if a friend of his is willing to help. His friend Midoriya offered too when I was talking to their group, maybe I can go talk to him too. I blink out of my thoughts and look up to see Kaoru is saying goodbye before facing me. He’s still having trouble looking at me, and I ruffle his hair as we start walking away, saying goodbye.

[X][X][X]

        The walk home is silent, people passing us and the streets not as busy since many people seem to still be at work. I glance at Kaoru a few times, not knowing what to say while he trails a step or two behind me still looking upset about earlier but trying to hide it. I rub my neck in thought, looking up at the sky and humming.

        “So how was school?” I ask, looking at him again.

        “It was okay,” he mumbles. I nod, and again the awkward quiet settles.

        “Did you like your lunch?”

        “Yeah.”

        “Kaoru, you know… Hari and her mom weren’t mad at you,” I say, deciding talking about earlier can’t be avoided. I catch the way his brows furrow and continue,”They’re just worried.”

        “I can’t help it mom,” he says back, making me go quiet as he finally starts to say more than a couple of words. He looks at his hands as he continues,”I-I keep trying, and trying, b-but it’s so hard, I don’t want to hurt anybody, a-and I’m scared…!” His voice cracks again and I can tell he’s trying to stop himself from crying. My brows furrow and I pet his hair, giving a soft smile.

        “Kaoru-” I go quiet when my phone buzzes and I pull it out, checking it while I keep walking. I hear my son stop in his tracks a few feet behind me.

        “A-are you really going to ask Shouto-oji to help me?” he asks. I halt too and look back at him, nodding.

        “Yep, in fact he just text me back,” I let him know, looking at my phone again. Luckily it looks like Shouto may be available this weekend so I start texting him back, telling him thanks and letting him know what times I’m open to meet and ask where he’d like us to go to do the training. “Uncle Shouto said he can probably do some training with you this weekend, what do you… think…” 

        My voice trails when I look back at Kaoru; he’s standing next to an alley between two shops and staring up at something. While that is already a bit alarming the expression on his face is what I notice the most. His blue eyes are wide and while he does look stiff he doesn’t look all that scared, more like he’s looking at something that’s left him frozen in place and curious. My brows furrow, my motherly instincts kicking in immediately as I start to come back over, asking,”Kaoru…?” But he blinks and looks at me suddenly, replying,”O-Oh really? I miss Sh-Shouto-oji, his ice is fun to slide on…”

        I don’t say anything for a moment and move in front of him, peering into the dark alley, hands ready to use my quirk if needed, and looking around. Notably I see the black marks almost like a fire had recently burned here, but other than that nothing. I’m confused, my eyes scanning over everything for any movement but again, nothing. That doesn’t stop me from taking Kaoru’s hand and saying,”Yeah… I’m sure he misses you too, honey…” I pull him away from the alley, wanting to hurry home.

        I don’t know what it was, but even if I couldn’t see anything in that alley… I could feel us being watched. I just hope my gut feeling earlier about moving back isn’t a bad sign.

(AN: Part 2 is already halfway done (Dabi comes in too!) so if this does well I’ll post that too. I have a looooot of ideas for this, and WARNING it is going to follow canon like.... Only a little. Like mentions to activities going on in the universe will happen but given this is about Dabi/Touya, (F/n), and Kaoru it’s obviously gonna stray from canon lol 

Anyways I hope you guys enjoy! Let me know if you wanna see more, maybe?)

[catboysimulator]

Story Two - Daily Grind

In the early morning of the desert, the weather feels warm yet fresh against one’s skin. In the wee hours of dawn is when the Seekers of the Sankres begin to awaken, eager to begin their day while the Keepers continue to rest after having turned in only an hour or two prior. Fortunately, the Keepers are quite used to the Seekers’ morning routine of sound-offs, some hooting and others chirping, while the rest bellow and lazily roar.

 Coming out of their adobe homes after getting ready for the day, they are all prepared and eager to finish their workload. The inner machinations of the tribe work like the simplest, yet most efficient, well-oiled machine. Not one person works alone, every Sankre is integral to the pride for things to operate smoothly. Whether it is tending to the farm, taking care of the little ones, feeding the Gryphons, repairing, cleaning, cooking… The list goes on, and on.

 After his arrival, Azhi’li had no idea just where his place was. Everyone worked so easily, as though it was complete second nature. Azhi’li was itching to work, to do something, yet he was worried about trying to offer his help, afraid of making a mess of things.

 Of course, that was only after the first month or so of his arrival. He still feels a bit out of place, but he has gotten much more comfortable.

 “Good morning, Zizi!” a crowd of little voices chime eagerly, screaming and laughing ringing throughout the caverns as a pile of young miqo’te crowd and climb onto Azhi’li. The red Seeker laughs in amusement as the children cling onto him, lolling their heads back as they tug at their cousin.

 “Good mornin’, little ones! C’mon, y’all, get back down! Y’know very well I ain’t a tree!” he chastises them, yet his tone is purely amused. Still, the children listen, getting off Azhi’li and lining up, theatrically puffing up their chests and saluting the older Seeker by pounding their chests with their little fists. The older Seeker couldn’t help but bark out in laughter, rolling his eyes with a giant toothy grin while the young ones also laughed and lightly shoved at each other.

 “Alright, come on. Let’s all head on over to the trainin’ grounds, yeah?”

 Leading them along, the little miqo’te followed their cousin like little ducklings in a row, chattering amongst themselves.

 “What are we going to learn today?”

“I don’t know! Maybe he’ll show us how to split rocks with our BARE HANDS!”

“Or maybe show us how to split the EARTH!”

“Oh, oh! What about if he--?!”

 “Hey, hey! Come on, guys, cut me some slack! That’s all a bit too much ta be learnin’ right now, don’t ya think?” Azhi’li quipped in return while the children whined and asked, “So what are you going to show us today?”

“Mm… Well, before we start, how ‘bout we do some stretches, yeah? Come on! Early mornin’ stretches! Th’more relaxed ya are, th’better you’ll learn!”

 As soon as that was said, the young ones were quick to quit their questions and move on to do as told. Once their 10 minutes of stretching regiments were completed, Azhi'li let out a "whew!" before grinning towards the kids and pumping his fists. "Alright, li'l pugilists! Let's get started t'day, aye?"

"Aye!" they repeated before laughing excitedly.

It has been this way for a few sennights now, where Azhi'li would show the children what he knows, ever since his uncle G'sena told him of their history.

"We were built on the backs of monks, you know," Sena informed him with a gentle smile. "Our ancestors were refugees of Ala Mhigo during the time of King Theodric, when he razed the Temple of the Fist. What few miqo'te that had been under Rhalgr's teachings escaped to Thanalan, and made our home the way it is today. They carved the sides of the mountains with their hands to make our home, and gave us the Sun." He gestured up towards Azeyma's watch.

"Yet, the people here have long since forgotten our monkhood, and we have instead taken upon blades and shields, bows and axes, staves and chakrams. No one here has encountered a monk ever since your father, and even then he was not taught the way you were. We have soulstones, but no one uses them, nor has used them for many summers," he explained further, holding a box within his hands. "No one can open the box without the blessing of our matron. Yet... I believe with you here, Dhezi, you might manage to rekindle that fire within our people and the matron. And the best place to start with that, if you are interested, is with the younger generation."

"I could see that you are feeling a bit out of place still, so this might be a great opportunity for you to get in touch with your cousins... What do you think, Dhezi?"

Ever since that conversation with uncle Sena, Azhi'li had volunteered to take care of the little ones who were interested in pugilism. He wanted to take them through the steps he had first learned back in Ul'dah with the pugilist's guild, and fortunately they all seemed to be taking in the lessons quite well.

For the ones who didn't understand or seemed to struggle a bit more than the rest, Azhi'li was sure to be patient with and take his time teaching them. He knows he has plenty of time here, plenty of time to learn more of his family and to teach them what he knows, as well as learn about what they know.

This is his home.

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

After training, he takes the little ones to have lunch. Moving into the kitchens, he cooks them up some aldgoat stew, the same way Mama Azhi used to make it for him. He wears a bittersweet smile on his lips the entire time he cooks, soft hums escaping him as his tail sways slowly behind him. 

The children wait outside at the tables for their food, while Azhi'li is joined by some older miqo'te. Sunkissed, sunworn; the crinkles on their face creasing as they smile towards Azhi'li. "Dhezi, dear, that smells wonderful. Is there any way we can help?" 

"Ah! No, y'don't have ta--," he stammers out, before one of them chuckles and places a gentle hand upon his arm. "We would like to."

That makes the red Seeker pause before smiling a bit sweeter, nodding. "Alright. Let's make enough fer everyone, yeah?"

And so they cooked together, making steaming pots of aldgoat stew. The smell wafted out from the kitchens out into the caverns, bringing in many Sankres from each corner. A feast was not really planned out, but, here they are, passing out bowls to everyone so they can all eat together.

Sharing a warm, hearty meal like this, surrounded by so many people who are considered his family... It feels so strange, honestly, with how many there are-- yet, it is not an unwelcome feeling. These strangers are warm, kind, considerate, and caring to someone who they were meant to know all their lives, yet only just met. It helps Azhi'li relax, helps him realize that these people are indeed meant to be his family.

The caverns are full of laughing, smiling faces. Warmed by Azeyma's rays, as well as embraced by Menphina's light. This is not the type of tribe people have always warned him about back in Ul'dah, ever since he was a kid. Truly, what farfetched lies and stereotypes he was fed.

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

"What're ya making, Zizi?"

Approached by a young miqo'te, G’luna, Azhi'li looks up from his craft before offering a gentle grin. "Wanna see?"

"Yeah!" The little one's too-large-for-their-head's ears perk up and his giant, round eyes widen considerably as he steps closer and peers down at what Azhi'li was doing.

Weaving beads together, Azhi'li held onto the string carefully before lifting it to show the curious one.

"Oh! You're making a necklace?"

"Well, makin' that 'nd more. There's a lot of tagua that tio Sena told me about, 'nd the abuelitos showed me how to make jewelry out of them, so..."

"Why are you making so many, though? Do you like to wear them?"

"I do! But these are not for me. They are for m'friends 'nd family."

"... But we are right here? And we already have enough?"

Azhi'li couldn't help but to laugh lightly, nodding. "Ya are, 'nd ya do! But, I'm talkin' 'bout m'other friends 'nd family outside of the Sankres. I have more brothers 'nd mamas that aren't here, y'know!"

"More brothers? Why aren't they here, then?"

"Mm, b'cause they have their own family."

"... I don't get it."

"Haha, that's okay. So, y'know how y'have yer friends, right?" Azhi'li inquires while smiling, continuing to polish some more tagua before weaving them with string. Luna nods. 

"Well, I have many friends. People who are not related to me, yet that I know and that I enjoy th'company of. Some a'those people I consider very close, closer than anyone else that I know... so they're like family to me, too. Yer family doesn't only have ta consist of th'people y'were born with, but they can be yer friends, too."

"-- Oh. Okay, I think I understand, now. So, my best friend can be family, too?"

"Well, why not?"

"I dunno."

"So then what would stop ya from callin' 'em such?"

"... Nothing?"

Azhi'li would give them a toothy grin at that, nodding. The young one released a small 'ooh' of revelation, before shifting to sit beside the older Seeker. "... Can I help you make these? How many are you making?"

"Aw, hey, a'course y'can. I'm makin' lots! I gotta make some fer Toadie, Miss Rei, K'ilhi, Mama Azhi, Zi'a, Zi'to... Miss Nana, Ryska, Si'ra, Livia, Latika'a, Yato... ... Poki," he murmurs towards the end, his voice growing smaller the more names he listed. The names he missed more and more as the days went by. 

The little one canted their head to the side, looking up at Azhi'li with brows pinched upwards. "Zizi?"

He hadn't realized it, but globs of tears were pouring down his face. He takes in a sharp breath, lifting a paw to wipe at his eyes while muttering, "Sorry, 'm sorry."

Wordlessly, G'luna shifted onto their knees, shuffling closer to Azhi'li and embracing him warmly. "Papa always told me to never apologize for tears, he says they are blessings of one's love."

With a nod, the red Seeker shifted to return the embrace, taking a few moments of deep breaths before pulling away and stroking Luna's head. "Thank you, prime. ... Well, let's make the prettiest collares y pulseras for everyone, hm?"

"Yeah!"

[ryuukia]

[Translation] Tsukihana Kagura Message Cards

If you’re one of the lucky people who got to buy this pamphlet, you probably got some message cards with it. I only got Hajime and Arata, but with Ruby’s help I managed to gather all the messages (thanks again).

I translated Tsukiuta, SQ and Alive, Ryota translated the Vazzrock and infinit0 messages. Enjoy~

Please don’t repost/retranslate/reuse my translations. Likes and reblogs are appreciated.

Six Gravity

Shiwasu Kakeru:

“Kou-kun’s refreshments are so, so, so delicious……. I’m always the first one to take my share! I-it’s not like I’m waiting in front of the desk!“

Mutsuki Hajime: 

“I ended up taking a nap while waiting, and when I woke up in front of my eyes was Issa-san’s sleeping face. I was ready to get up due to astonishment, but then I realized Shun was glued to my back in his sleep. I had to ask Haru to help me out. Stop laughing.”

Kisaragi Koi:

“The costumes are once again so cool! They’re so cool I can’t help but get excited! When I’m so excited I feel the strongest! Tsukihana Kagura, Kisaragi Koi, ready to dance!“

Yayoi Haru:

“Random Tsukipro miscellaneous knowledge: Among all our idols, those who can memorize the script fast are Hajime, Tsubasa-san from SolidS, Ryo-san from Growth, Takaaki-san from VAZZY and Ruka from ROCK DOWN. I guess I should get to work too.“

Uduki Arata:

“Why can we have team muscle training, but we can’t have team strawberry milk? Because it’ll make us more thirsty? That’s not true. Would you like to have some, Ouka-san?“

Satsuki Aoi:

“Rikka-san and I engaged in this blissful discussion about herbariums while we were waiting. We promised to go to a course about it together as soon as we’re done with Tsukihana Kagura. I can’t wait.“

Procellarum

Minaduki Rui:

“I made Russian pudding for the first time in a long while. Roa got the ‘bullet’ and I got a nice reaction from him. Rei laughed.”

Fuduki Kai:

“Kensuke and I got so pumped up after talking about ramen that we started visiting shop after shop together! The others told us to stop because we’ve already eaten too much! All these rehearsals are making me hungry!”

Haduki You:

“This scent coming from ROCK DOWN’s Reiji…… is it, by any chance…… First Love & Rose?“

Nagatsuki Yoru:

“Eichi from QUELL taught me the recipe for his Horimiya-style dry curry. I’m looking forward to giving it a try after we’re done with this.”

Kannaduki Iku:

“When I talked to Ren-kun about how Rui's been teaching me to play the piano, he said "Let's perform together someday!"... I gotta practice more!”

Shimotsuki Shun:

“Each dance reflects its unit’s personality and charm, I guess that goes without saying. …...But among them! Hajime’s! Kagura is!! Bewitching!! Amazing!!! The best OF the best!!!! That sleeve you see waving in the air is mine!!!!“

SOARA

Ohara Sora:

“Who’s been waiting for it? The day when this guy will be performing the ‘kagura’ is coming……!! I’ll dance!! With elegance! And beauty! Achoo!“

Arihara Morihito:

“Hearing Sou during the reading practice reminded me of our school days. When we talk to each other across the desk, it feels like nothing has changed since then. “

Kagurazaka Soshi:

“While we were practicing the kagura, Sora sent his folding fan flying. “Nice catch!’ my hat. From now on we’re under intensive training. Look at Ayumu-san and Haruto-san, that’s the kind of dancing posture you should have.”

Munakata Ren:

“Talking with Sou-nii and Eichi-san about training clothes got me really excited. With their build, they’d really look good in that. I wish my shoulders were as broad as theirs. “ 

Nanase Nozomu:

“It seems in this play we have traditional Japanese instruments! I want to try playing the shamisen too~! The charismatic shamisen player (?) is here!“

Growth

Etou Kouki:

“It's really fun talking to the other units’ members whenever the refreshments I bring catch their attention. The first one to notice when I bring refreshments is…… I’ll keep that a secret (laughs).“

Yaegashi Kensuke:

“This odd group consisting of Kakeru, Koi, Iku, Naosuke, Takaaki-san and I went yesterday to a shop that sells Sichuanese food~! It was so spicy I think it made me sweat more than the rehearsals did (laughs)?“

Sakuraba Ryota:

“It’s better for you to stretch properly, Mamoru. If your body is not warmed up enough, you might end up injuring yourself.“

Fujimura Mamoru:

“Ryo-kun is a demon when it comes to stretching! But I think he’s so strict with me because he cares about me! In other words, all I have to do is give my best!”

SolidS

Takamura Shiki:

“With my other jobs’ deadlines and the stage play rehearsals overlapping each other, I’m slowly starting to feel like I’m caught on a battlefield. After I get past this mountain, I think I’ll be able to dance naturally.“

Okui Tsubasa:

“Whenever we have to wait, Dai-chan and Kai from Procella always work on their muscles, but at one point the number of members increased so much that now it feels more like a club activity~ (laughs). Kai is the head and Dai-chan is his assistant!“

Sera Rikka:

“Lately, Shiki’s been in high spirits. But considering his current work situation, that excitement came to surface because this play gives him the chance to escape from reality. Whenever he’s in a tight spot during rehearsals, he ends up resorting to ad-libs.  Right now he’s in need of a lot of attention (smiles bitterly).”

Murase Dai:

“The number of people joining us in muscle training during rehearsals has been increasing. Futaba from VAZZY and Gaku from ROCK DOWN are in really good shape.  Seeing them makes me want to practice sports.“

QUELL

Izumi Shu:

“Seeing familiar faces in the training hall made it very fun. I guess it was also a good boost for Issei and Ichiru.“

Horimiya Eichi:

“The apple pie I baked together with Aoi-kun from Gravi was a delicacy! The stewed refreshments brought by Yoru-kun from Procella were also really tasty, so…… won’t you tell me the recipe after this?“

Kuga Issei:

“Since Haru-san and Morihito-san were reading something during break, I asked them to recommend some books. I want to give them a try after this. Both of them are thirsty for knowledge.“

Kuga Ichiru:

“With You, Nozomu, Issa and me part of the red team, our colour team’s dance skills level is high! I have to keep up with them!  Alright! I’ll do my best“

VAZZY

Mamiya Takaaki:

“I went out to drink with a few of my old colleagues ♪ We talked a lot about so many interesting things like what parts of us have changed and what parts haven’t.“

Kira Ouka:

“I’m still in the middle of learning how to be an actor, so I observe a lot of things in the practice hall. Arata and Aoi seem to have stage experience, so I consult with them about how to conduct myself on stage.“

Kiduku Issa:

“I’m looking for a place to sleep in, y’know? They’re practically people I’m already familiar with. Sho, Hajime, Arata, etc. They won’t mind even if I sleep next to them.“

Kiduku Futaba:

“I’m training extra hard with Nao-kun and Yuma-kun for the kagura! It’s pretty difficult dancing in a kimono, isn’t it? I’m trying hard to make sure not to have my sleeves hit me in the face… (bitter smile) “

Oyama Naosuke:

“It’s so fun talking with the other units during the joint stage! I was talking about cats with Procella’s Rui-san the other day! Yay!“

Shirase Yuma:

“I’ve gotten along with Issei-kun and Ichiru-kun after we went out to eat one day. I managed to give them their birthday present, too!“

ROCK DOWN

Onoda Sho:

“What I was looking forward to during rehearsals was tea time with Shun. We’ve been told that the ‘atmosphere feels weirdly white’ when we talk, you know?“

Kujikawa Haruto:

“Since the traditional costumes are very heavy, it can become taxing both physically and mentally. But since the back is not tied up, it feels a bit more loose. I'll try to do this with dignity.“

Amaha Reiji:

“Just watching the other units in their costume is fun. Koi and You and… Oh, Tsubasa, too. It seems like they were interested in other units too, because they ended up approaching me the other day (laughs).“

Tachibana Ayumu:

“The Japanese sweets I was given yesterday were so delicious they moved me. Like that one I got from Growth’s Kouki-kun. I’ll ask him where he bought that next time.“

Oguro Gaku:

“I stretch and do muscle training at our rehearsal hall. I’m next to Procella’s Ikkun a lot, so we’ve become friends ♪“

Nadumi Ruka:

“Signing the promo posters turned into a competition against Gravi’s Arata! I won’t lose~ ☆“

infinit0

Sukigawa Rei

“I was expecting the design of Mamoru’s costume to be a pachira, but I was wrong. Guess that’s obvious (laughs). I was really interested in hearing about your song-writing, so let’s talk more next time, okay?“

Mikaze Roa

“This is my first time putting on a costume like this! I’m so excited ☆ But Taka-chan, please stop tickling my sides~! If you do it to me, I’ll fight back! There!”

If you want to support Ryota and her work, you can buy her a ko-fi right [here]. I also have my own [ko-fi] page and [commission page] linked here.

[schrijverr]

B for Chemistry, now live

Forgetting Dean was live early this week, Claire barges in to share the good news about her recent grade.

This is part of the Famous Husband verse, which is also a series.

On AO3.

Ships: Destiel

Warnings: none, but tell me if I missed something or you want me to tag something, cause I’ll happily do it without question!

~~~~~~~~~~

It had been going well for a while now, a few weeks actually. Claire was feeling a bit guilty about lying about her parents to her friends and she was toying with the idea of telling them. She had talked about it with Pops and Papa and they were chill with it, so now it was more waiting for a good moment to bring it up.

The moment came a few days later. Claire knew Pops had uploaded the burger video with Papa yesterday and she was talking with Rey and Mary about it during the break. Then it turned to theories. Rey said: “We’re not touching them with a ten feet pole on our insta anymore.”

“Yeah, we learned our lesson.” Mary agreed.

“Exactly, but it is quite curious what people have been saying.” Rey said.

“What have they been saying then?” Claire asked, never having pretended she was a hardcore fan, but a willing listener.

Rey answered: “Well, the videos have had some weird cuts since the documentary and Dean stopped himself from saying some stuff during the live streams. So, there are a few theories he’s hiding something.”

“Hiding what?” Claire asked, raised brow.

“That he has a kid.” Mary said.

Claire chocked on her lunch and there was a bit of chaos as she coughed, trying not to die. When everything had settled down, Mary asked: “Are you alright?”

Claire nodded after which Rey asked: “What was that all about?”

Deciding that something better than this wasn’t going to come, Claire answered: “They’re right.”

“What?” the two others said.

“The theorists.” Claire expanded, “They’re right about the kid.”

“And how would you know that?” Rey asked, not sure why Claire would be saying that.

“Cause I’m the kid.” Claire shrugged.

It was silent for a moment, as Mary and Rey processed the new information with open mouths. Then they both exclaimed different things. Mary yelled: “Are you serious?” and Rey: “What! Are you fucking joking? That’s not funny, Claire!”

“I’m not joking.” Claire said, raising her hands in innocence, “At first we weren’t sure if it was going to work and stuff and Pops, uhm, Dean didn’t want to give me the feeling he only took me in for the views, so we just shut up about it. I wanted to tell you, but I wasn’t sure how.”

“You aren’t joking?” Rey asked with wide eyes.

Claire smirked and shook her head: “I’m not, you can come over after school if you want to. I’ve been dying to show you my room, I got a big bed and everything. It’s amazing.”

“Oh my gosh, you are completely serious.” Rey said, sharing a look with Mary filled with disbelief and excitement.

Then Marys face fell and embarrassed she said: “Oh no, we’ve been talking with you about your dad the entire time, that must be so shit, I’m so sorry.”

Rey also blushed in embarrassment and Claire reassured the two: “I didn’t mind, it was pretty funny and at first also comforting that he didn’t seem a complete asshole from your perspectives, about Cas too.”

The two groaned again when Cas was mentioned, they had talked quite a lot about their favorite teacher/husband of their idol.

Claire laughed at them and said: “It’s okay, really.”

The bell rung and they all had different lessons. Claire stood up and told them to just come over that afternoon, before she walked off.

That afternoon the three got off at Claire stop and she walked over to her house. The Impala stood in the garage, so they couldn’t tell from that. Mary and Rey were still on the fence about the whole thing, but when Claire had opened the door they heard a very familiar voice yell: “Claire, that you?”

Claire yelled back: “Yeah, it’s me. I brought friends.”

There were footsteps on the stairs and in the hall arrived Dean, it was really him. Seeing that her two friends were speechless, she said: “This is Rey and that’s Mary. You know them right?”

Dean grinned at the two and stuck out his hand: “I heard a lot about you two, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Dean.”

Still speechless Mary shook his hand, but Rey had regained speech a bit and said: “Same, uhm, hi. I’m Rey.”

Claire laughed at her friend and Rey snapped right out of it and shoved her with a: “Shove off, Claire.”

Claire just stuck out her tongue at her friend, before pushing past Dean into the kitchen while asking what the other two wanted to drink. Dean stuck his head around the corner and said: “Do you need anything or can I go back upstairs. I was in the middle of editing when you came in.”

“Oh, no, you can go back to work.” Claire said after she’d thrown a look over her shoulder.

“Okay,” Dean said, then he asked: “Your day good?”

Claire nodded: “Yeah, just the usual. Mr. Delaneys class was pretty boring though, he spend fifteen minutes talking about his fishing trip.”

“Ugh, that is boring.” Dean agreed, then he bid his goodbye and left Claire with her friends, glad that she made them and was comfortable enough to bring them back home.

That was now a few weeks ago already and everything had still been going well Dean hadn’t slipped up during his live streams yet and all the videos were triple checked before they went up on the channel. And he had even managed to make two videos with Cas without giving it away.

And Cas hadn’t mentioned suddenly being a father in his classroom either.

So yeah, it had been going well.

But knowing the Novak-Winchesters that had to come to an end sooner rather than later.

It was ten weeks after Claire had moved in that it happened. Dean was doing his live stream on a Friday this week, since they’d planned to go on a family trip that weekend and he didn’t want to be working on it.

He had told Cas and Claire that, this morning and Cas was dutifully in the kitchen leaving his husband on his own. Although he had appeared on the channel multiple times now, he was still rather self conscious and he wanted to be able to review his words later and have a say in what went online about him, so he hadn’t joined in on a live stream yet.

Claire, however, had completely forgotten. She was home a little later that day, since she’d gone out with her friends for a milkshake and since this morning to celebrate. Claire had never been good at Chemistry, but she had studied very hard and gotten a B on her last test. So after the milkshake she had rushed home to tell her Pops and Papa.

She slammed open the door, startling Cas and Dean. She had heard Deans voice from the living room and assumed he was in there talking to Cas, so unthinkingly she barged in and yelled: “Pops! I got a B for Chemistry.”, while she ran and jumped on the couch to give him a hug.

Dean caught her, letting the laptop drop from his lap. Before the two had recovered Cas was already running through the hall, calling out: “Claire, wait! He’s doing a live stream!”

But he was too late.

When the words registered Claire jumped back with an apology and just looked at Dean with big eyes, which he returned. Cas had now appeared in the doorway and he asked: “Is it salvageable?”

Dean leaned over his fallen laptop and read out loud: “‘What happened?’ ‘Is that a girl? Is he cheating?’ ‘Did she call him Pops?’ ‘Was she talking about Chemistry?’ And it goes on and on.”, he looked over at Cas and shook his head, “You can fill in the rest.”

They both looked at Claire, who was biting her lip as she thought about what to do.

Dean was about to stop the stream when Claire surprised everyone, including herself, by saying: “Wait!”, she went on, “It’s okay, it’s my fault anyway. Besides I read everything about when Cas did this, I think I hate the thought of the theories more, you know?”

“Uh, okay,” Dean stammered, “Uhm, wanna come over here then?”

Claire got up as Dean picked up the laptop and told the viewers: “Like I said with Cas, this was a mess-up, not a promise and not a reason to pry, okay? Be nice everyone.”

Then Claire sat down next to him and waved, not really smiling, but doing that awkward lip thing. She said: “Uhm, hi everyone. I’m Claire, uh, Cas was my dads cousin and they found me and took me in.”

“And we couldn’t be more proud of her.” Dean smiled.

Claire shoved him lightly and said: “Don’t be sappy, old man.”

Dean rolled his eyes an replied: “I’m not old, I’m 28.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” Claire said, but she smiled as well. Then she glanced at the screen and involuntarily commented: “Jikes.”

Instantly Dean got serious as he looked at the comments and asked: “What is it? What happened?”

“Nothing,” Claire assured him, “I just read: Dean is really Daddy now. And I suddenly felt the need to barf.”

Dean cringed and agreed: “Yeah that’s pretty bad.”

Cas also appeared in the background to read along on the screen, he pulled a few faces at the dirtier comments, but concluded that over all it could’ve been much worse. While he was reading them, Dean and Claire were still talking.

“So, a B for Chemistry.” Dean said, “That’s amazing! I know you worked hard on that. Well done.”

Claire smiled and thanked him.

Dean went on: “We are celebrating this tonight, yeah. What do you say, movies and ice cream?”

Claire smirked: “Heck yeah.”

The Dean turned to the chat, before turning back to Claire and asking: “Is it okay, if I say a few things about you?”

“Yeah, sure, go for it.” Claire shrugged.

“Wanna be here for it?” he asked.

Claire shrugged again, before answering: “Not particularly, no. Just tell them not to go digging or something that’s just creepy.”

“Of course.” Dean said, then he turned to the camera and said: “I’m serious everyone. One) she’s a minor, two) it’s basic fucking human decency, three) I will take legal action against you, no this is not a joke.”

After that Claire waved again, before leaving, but she did stay to watch, just from the other side of the lens.

Dean turned to Cas and asked: “Do you want to stay or not, angel?”

Cas looked at Claire, who nodded, then replied: “Yes, I will. Thank you, Dean.”

“Okay, lets start.” Dean said as he clapped his hands, “Firstly, sorry, but this has to be done, but I’m not risking it, so I’m just going to say this all again. I want you all out of her private life okay. Don’t go looking for her on social media, don’t Google her, just don’t, okay. Secondly, this isn’t going to be a regular thing. I’ve said it before, but I’m not here to make money of children, okay. You all weren’t even supposed to know and this is again nothing against you, but people deserve their privacy and with an online community like this I simply cannot guarantee that.”

He saw a few comments and said: “No, it’s not like Cas. He had thought about it after and just wanted the guessing and digging to end. The fact that he’s on my channel from time to time is not the same. Stop it or I will not proceed.”

Claire was feeling pretty guilty about the whole thing. If she’d just thought for a moment, before barging in this whole thing wouldn’t have happened and Pops could’ve just be having fun with his subscribers.

Castiel noticed her look and cocked his head in the questioning manner that had become so familiar to her. She waved it away and scribbled down on a post it note: Later. And showed it to him.

Dean was meanwhile continuing: “Now that I’ve said that, I can tell you all some more fun stuff. Me and Cas got ourself a real talented lady. She’s been living here for ten weeks now, which was why I took the break if you guys remember that. Anyway, she is really smart and funny, but don’t tell her I said that or she’ll get an ego.” Dean grinned at the last part, fully knowing that Claire was right there.

Cas piped in: “She really is. It’s amazing to see how well she fits into our little family here. It probably wasn’t easy for her to suddenly uproot her life and come here to live with us, but we’re grateful every day that she did.”

“Jup.’ Dean agreed, “It is great to see. Is there anything else except that, Cas? Don’t go looking for her and she’s epic and we love her and are proud of her.”

“I think that captures it quite well.” Cas smiled, then the smile dropped and he said: “Wait, for the kids at school. No drama about it, okay.”

“Good one, huggy-bear.” Dean said, “That was all then. Sorry that we have to cut this short, but I’m sure all of you will understand why. For those of you all that missed it, there won’t be a stream this Sunday, but the videos will continue on schedule.”

He ended the live stream and immediately rushed to Claires side and asked: “Are you okay? Do you need something? That was quite something, so suddenly.”

Claire shook her head and waved his concern away. She said: “It’s okay, really. I don’t mind.”

“Are you sure?” Dean pressed her again.

She blushed and said: “Yeah, I kind of like it. Just knowing that this is real and having other people confirm it or something, if that makes sense?”

Cas and Dean smiled back and hugged her. Dean gave her a kiss on the head and murmured: “Makes perfect sense, sweetheart.”

After they’d sat there for a while, Claire checked her phone. She had heard it buzzing, but hadn’t been in the mood to see. Ignoring most messages, she opened the groups chat with Rey and Mary, who had been yelling at her.

The two had lessened the Dean talk, to make Claire less uncomfortable and had decided that tey could watch the stream later when they went out with Claire for milkshakes. They’d assumed she knew, but when they’d gotten back to catch the last part they had been startled to see her and were texting her to check up on her.

Claire appreciated it and assured them that she was okay, for now. She was packing the last of her stuff and decided to turn her phone off that weekend. She let Rey and Marty know, before turning the device off and chucking it in her bag, just in case.

Meanwhile, downstairs Dean was pacing as he worried. Cas watched him for a while, but he couldn’t take it and stopped him. He said: “It’s going to be alright, Dean.”

Dean gave him a look and replied: “We don’t know that, Cas. Everything could go wrong and terrible and she could hate us.”

“She won’t.”

“She might.”

“Well, we’ll just have to see, because we can’t look into the future. Lets just focus on here, we’re going to do something fun, don’t let later ruin that for you.” Cas told him, ever so wise.

Later, he thought. Dean could do later.

Yes, later he would check up on what everyone was saying, even make good on some of the threats he had made, but for now he was too busy loving his little girl. He was busy celebrating her win over Chemistry and then he was busy making sure she had the best first family weekend she’d had in years.

Yeah, he had more important things to worry about than some people on the Internet, especially when he now had a picture of Cas and Claire leaning against each other in the back of his baby, both fast asleep.

[zarcake-writes]

Finals and Cuddles

Ok! Here’s a commission for the wonderful and kind @fatedeniedhope. It was another fun piece to work on, and I hope everyone enjoys it. 

The study material in front of you doesn’t make sense anymore. You’ve been looking at your notes, homework pages, tests, a few textbooks, and your computer all day. As helpful as old tests and homework pages are, the textbook does not give you all the answers. So, you go to the internet in search of help. A few online videos usually clear everything up. Usually.   

But you’ve been doing this all day. And your eyes hurt. The table your sitting at is a mess of papers, opened books, and pens. There’s a crumb filled plate in front of you. It was half a sandwich you had earlier. Honestly, that's the only thing you've eaten today. An empty cup of coffee is next to the plate. You’ve had more than you usually have during the day. The need to stay awake and focused overshadows your usual caffeine tolerance.

Your fingers hurt from all the writing. And there’s a slight pinch in your wrist from the constant typing you’ve done. Your hands are just so sore. When you think about it, your entire body hurts. 

Luckily, you aren’t alone. Gabe is sitting next to you, holding a stack of flashcards in his hands. He’s been testing you for the last hour. While he doesn’t know the subject you’re studying, he does know how to test you with flashcards. He’s been very helpful, maybe a bit distracting since he is shirtless, but still very helpful.

He's been helping you since late afternoon. He got home from running errands and tried getting you to take a break with him, but you refused. So, he showered and again, offered you food. While his bare upper body was enticing, you still denied his offer. Like any good long-time boyfriend, he offered to help you study instead.

Gabe sat up straight and stretched his back. “Babe, why don’t we take a break? Get something to eat, then you can get back on this?” 

You glance at your phone and frown. Shit, it’s dinner time. Your stomach growls at the realization, but you can’t stop. Not yet. You need to pass every class this semester. So, food can wait, studying can’t. 

You shake your head. “No, can’t.”

“Babe.”

“Gabe. I need to pass. I’ll eat later.”

“Babe, you’ve been doing this all day. The only reason you’ve eaten or drunk anything other than coffee was because of me. You need a break.”

“Gabe, I appreciate you taking care of me and helping me. But I really, really need to continue studying. I don’t deserve a break, not yet.”

“Don’t deserve a break? Babe, you started doing this at eight this morning, and you haven’t taken a break since. You need to rest your eyes and eat something other than snacks.”

“I need to study.”

“You also need to eat. Come on, I’ll make us something great to eat.”

“Gabe, if you’re hungry, go eat. I need to finish studying.” 

You turn away from Gabe and open a textbook up. The words on the page blur, but you rub your eyes and continue trying to read. Gabe lets out a sigh and sets the cards on the table. You hear the chair move and he walks away towards the kitchen. 

You feel a bit bad. Gabe was just looking out for you, he always does, but you can’t stop now. There’s so much you’re still unsure about. And you have so many questions. Finals are only like two weeks away, and you still have a handful of projects due before then. So not only do you need to study, but you also need to finish actual work. 

Everyone always seems excited about the end of the semester, but you hate it. Everything is due at the same time. It’s like every professor decided to say fuck you to their students by having everything due within like days of each other. While the professors apologize and say “We’re busy too,” it’s not the same. Sure, they’re busy grading, but it feels like you and every other student are busy trying to survive. A bad grade this semester can ruin you.

So, the threat and fear of failure stop you from taking a break. Even Gabe offering to cook for you can’t get you to leave the study material behind. But he is a great cook. And his food always tastes wonderful. Honestly, every time you eat Gabe’s food you feel so much better. But, no. No. You can’t eat, not now. You need to study.

You turn back to the textbook and continue to read. From where you’re sitting, you can hear Gabe moving around in the kitchen behind you. The clinking of pans on the stovetop and the faint sound of chopping, followed by the sizzle of something cooking reaches you. Music begins to play; you recognize Gabe’s cooking playlist. It’s nothing too crazy, but nothing too boring. Perfect for cooking, he always said. 

The sounds and music aren’t distracting, they’re calming. You might be stressed, tired, and a little hungry (not that you are going to admit that), but hearing Gabe in the kitchen makes you feel so warm inside. It’s a type of domesticity that makes you feel safe and loved. You love him so much, and having him in your shared home makes you so happy. Honestly, if he asked you to marry him right now you would say yes. Well, maybe not immediately because you are trying to study. 

The smell of cooked food gets your attention. Your stomach rumbles loudly, and the words on the page don’t make sense anymore. You look towards the kitchen and see Gabe. His bareback is a wonderful sight to see at any time of the day. His jeans make his butt look amazing. You can tell he's wearing an apron. After the bacon grease incident, he learned not to cook shirtless. 

“You gonna come eat?” Gabe asked. 

You scowl at his back and let out a huff. You want to say no, but God does his food smell good. So very good. Fuck it, you think. I can take a break to eat. 

“Yeah, I’m coming,” you mumbled.

Gabe turns and places a prepared plate on the counter for you. He smirks when you take a seat and begin to eat. By the time he turns around with his own plate, half of your food is gone. You meet his amused gaze but don’t say anything. You know he won’t say “I told you so” but he’ll give you a look that gets the message across. Stupid, handsome man.

“Thanks for the food,” you said.

He swallows and takes your hand. “You’re welcome. Anything for you, babe.”

“Flatterer.” 

“I am good at flattery. How’s your studying going by the way?” 

You shrug. “Alright, I guess. I keep thinking I’m going to fail, and then I’m going to have to retake a class and I’ll be screwed basically.”

“If you fail a class, it won’t be that bad. You can retake it, and sure it will be on your transcript, but it won’t be that bad.”

“I’m not worried about that, well, I guess I am. But if I have to retake a class then I’m going to fall behind. And I don’t want to do that.” 

“Hey, nothing wrong with that. Life and education aren’t a race. You might have plans, but something happens that messes with them. That happens with everyone. It’s happened to me.”

You wipe your face. “Really?”

“Yes.”

“If I fail, will you be disappointed in me?”

“Oh, baby girl, no. Never. I’ll never be disappointed in you. And if you pass or fail this semester, I will always be proud of you. I love you, no matter what happens with your schooling. If you decide to take a few semesters off, then I’ll support you. If you decide to drop out completely, I’ll be here. Change your major? I’m here. I love you, and your school and career choices will not change that.” 

You nod and sniff, trying to fight the tears in your eyes. Gabe pulls you in for a big, comforting hug. You melt at his touch and cling to his body. His chest is so broad and his arms are so big. His skin is so warm and he smells so good. He’s home, you think. 

“Why don’t we clean up here, then I can continue helping you study. How does that sound?” Gabe asked. 

You nod and wipe your face. Gabe kisses your lips and gathers the dirty dishes. He begins to wash, then hands you the wet dish to dry. You’re both quiet, the only sounds are the running water and the music coming from the speaker.

The playlist ends. Gabe dries his hand and reaches for his phone. You finish drying the pan and place it in a cupboard. The music comes back on, and you instantly recognize the song. Ignoring the chills along your skin, you look over your shoulder at Gabe. The apron he was wearing is placed on the counter next to his phone. He’s smirking at you and holds his hand out for you to take. 

I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream 

You smile and take his hand. Gabe doesn’t care that your hand is damp or that you’re still dressed in your pajamas. But he isn’t dressed any fancier, not while he’s shirtless and in those old jeans that hang off his hips. His hair is slightly messy and his facial hair needs a trim, but you don’t care. He’s so handsome. 

The hand you take is soft and warm. His large hand on your waist sends tingles throughout your body. Pressed against his bare chest, you can’t help but blush. Gabe smiles down at you and begins to lead. It’s not really dancing, just swaying back and forth, but that doesn’t matter. His skin is warm beneath your hands, and his body is so firm. 

“I love this song. It’s almost haunting, kind of scary.”

Gabe smiles and nods. “It is. But I guess love can be scary, you know? Especially if you wish someone will love you again.”

You nod and rest your head against his chest. The arm around your waist tightens and he pulls you closer. He smells so good, like his body wash and his natural manly scent. Delicious, you think. 

The song continues, and Gabe begins to sing along. His voice, so low and deep, matches perfectly with Lana Del Rey. The music is haunting, and Gabe’s voice adds to that aspect. If you were to hear this song in a dark house or a dark forest, you might just cry out of fear. But in your kitchen, in the arms of the man you love, you aren’t afraid.  

You’ll love me at once, the way you did once upon a dream

As the song ends, Gabe dips you low. If it was anyone else, you might have worried about being dropped. But Gabe would never drop you, not with those thick arms that you love so much. He presses a soft kiss to your lips, not caring that you still taste faintly of the food he just made. 

Gabe helps you stand and gives you a cheeky grin. He leans down and gives you another kiss, this one is deeper than the first kiss but just as sweet. Another Disney song begins to play, but you’re not focused on it. 

“You feeling better?” Gabe asked. 

You think for a moment. The pressure of passing your finals is still there, but at the moment, you feel good. There’s warm food in your stomach, you share a home with the love of your life, and you’re happy. The stress of school won’t go away until the semester is over, but until then, you have all the support you need in the world. 

“Yeah, I am. I am feeling better. Thank you.”

“Anytime, sweetheart. Want to get back to studying?”

“Yeah, I need to. Let’s get the kitchen cleaned up first.” 

Once the kitchen is cleaned, Gabe continues helping you study. But studying with Gabe isn’t as stressful as it was before. Every time you get a question or term correct; Gabe gives you a kiss. His praises make you blush and smile. If you get something wrong, Gabe makes a note and gives you a pat on the shoulder, a promise that you’ll get it right next time. When you finally get something correct, he gives you a huge smile and gives you another kiss. 

When you yawn for the millionth time in five minutes, Gabe sets the cards down. It was late evening by then, and your eyes were burning. Even with the break, you took earlier, you need a full night’s sleep and a chance to let your frazzled mind rest. 

“Ok, babe. I think we should call it a night,” Gabe said. 

“Yeah, I think you're right.” You yawn again and wipe the tears from your eyes.

Gabe helps you stack the papers into piles and organize the table. “I think you got these tests babe.”

“I don’t know about that.”

“You answered almost all these questions right the first time. And then the second time I quizzed you, baby girl, you got everything right. You got this.” 

You look down at the stack of papers in your hand and frown. “I hope.”

“Babe?” 

“I’m just… I’m just scared that when I get the test, I’m going to fucking flop. And then I’m going to cry because I’m gonna be nothing but a big failure.” 

Gabe grasps your shoulders and turns you to him. “Baby girl, that’s not true. You will not forget everything when the test day comes. Trust me. And even if you do, you won’t be a failure. You will never be a failure.”

You nod and let Gabe pull you in for a hug. His hands run up and down your back. He hums softly, his fingers dig into the spots along your spine. It feels good, so very good, that you can’t help but moan. Gabe chuckles, his laugh echoes loudly in his chest. When he pulls his hands away, you whine at the loss.

“Relax, baby girl. How about this? You continue cleaning up this table, and I’ll go run you a warm bath with one of those bath bombs you love. And when you’re done, I’ll rub you down. That sound good?” 

You smile and nod. Gabe leaves you to finish cleaning up. When all your stuff is put away, and everything is organized, you head to the bathroom. 

Gabe is inside, testing the water. He smiles at you and drops a pink bath bomb into the water. He helps you undress. The feel of his fingers along your skin sends chills down your body, but Gabe’s hands don’t linger. He simply helps you into the bath and helps pin up your hair. The water is so warm, and it smells amazing.

“You want to join me?” you asked. 

Gabe shakes his head. “No, this is for you. Plus, both of us don’t really fit.” 

You laugh at the memory he’s referencing. After moving in together, Gabe and you tried to fit in the bathtub, but it was much too small. The moment ended with Gabe pouting and you laughing on the bathroom floor. 

You spend an hour soaking in the hot water. Gabe comes in and out, checking on you and bringing you water. He'll sit and tell you about his day and what he wants to do tomorrow. When the water cools, and your fingertips are turning to prunes, Gabe wraps a towel around you. He dries you off and carries you to your shared room.

The room is dim, but there are a few lit candles scattered around the room. You give Gabe a look, but he just looks away slightly embarrassed. 

“Just wanted to set the mood.”

“What kind of mood?”

“A massage mood, my love.”

You smile and give him a kiss on the cheek. Gabe smiles and sets you down. He helps you into a pair of comfy panties then motions for you to lay down on your stomach. When you’re comfortable on the bed, Gabe begins his massage. His fingers are gentle as they work out the knots in your upper back. He’s gentle, making sure not to push too hard and cause you any pain.

You wake sometime later. You’re beneath the blankets and the room is barely lit. The candles are out, but there's a lamp on behind you. When you look over your shoulder, Gabe is sitting up in bed reading a book. When he notices you moving, he turns to you and smiles. 

“Hey, sleepyhead. Feeling ok?”

You shake your head. “Head hurts.”

“I know.”

Gabe closes his book and settles in bed. He motions for you to scoot closer to him. You lay your head on his chest, his heartbeat echoes in your ears. When you’re comfortable and already half asleep, Gabe turns off the lamp next to his side of the bed. The room is dark, the only light comes from street lights outside.

One of his hands settles against your upper back, his fingers trail along your bare skin. You shiver at the feeling, but you don't move. His other hand begins to play with your hair, gently pulling the strands and rubbing your scalp. It feels good. In fact, every time he touches you, you feel good. Everything about Gabe makes you feel good.

With finals coming, the next few weeks will be so very stressful. There will be a few moments where you might want to give up, you might cry and scream, but you have Gabe. No matter how stressful or demanding life might be, you know Gabe will be there with you. Rain and shine, Gabe will always be by your side.

It’s with that thought you fall asleep. 

[madasthesea]

Alright, so my friend and I were having a debate over what colour lightsabre peter would have in your Star Wars AU; we’re both stuck between peter having a blue sabre, mostly on the evidence that both he and obi wan share much of the same internal motivations, and him having a yellow one, mostly as a reference to his MCU role, as that “best of all of us,” high morality, look-out-for-the-little-one character; just wanted to ask your opinion :):)

Ok, I’ve thought about this for a while. Long-winded explanation (and a little bit of sequel trilogy complaining) under the cut

So, I gave Peter a blue lightsaber in my SW AU. Jedi with blue lightsabers are known as Jedi Guardians (in legends. There’s no explanation for lightsaber colors in canon as far as I’m aware). They take a more physical approach to solving problems than an academic or spiritual one. Now, I chose this for Peter partially because of his suit color, but largely because, like Obi-Wan, this boy just really cannot stay out of a fight. In fact, in Peter’s case, he actively seeks them out. Not because he loves fighting, but because he feels it’s his duty to protect people that can’t protect themselves. He guards them. I would argue that his primary drive is being a physical shield to those around him (whether that’s out of a sense of duty or atonement is irrelevant to this discussion) and the fact that he gets to swing around a glowy sword and do cool flips is probably not a negative.    

Now, yellow lightsabers are harder because, until the last scene of The Rise of Skywalker, they were in legends only. But, from what I’ve found is that yellow ligthsabers were the mark of Jedi Sentinel, who are more interested in academic pursuits then physical. This is different from a Jedi Consular, with a green lightsaber, because Consulars are focused on spiritual pursuits. Sentinels like to learn many different fields; mechanics, politics, mathematics, etc. They rely on ingenuity and a wide-range of skills to solve problems, rather than force or the Force (heh.) Now, I personally don’t see this fitting Peter that much because, while he is extremely intelligent, MCU Peter at least doesn’t seem that focused on learning everything he possibly can about every topic. He has his interests that he excels at, and is always a little eager to finish his homework to go out patrolling. Not what I would call stereotypical Sentinel behavior, but I guess everyone’s different. 

But getting back to Rise of Skywalker, because it bears mentioning again: as you know, Rey has a yellow lightsaber at the end--one that she has presumably built on her own rather than an inherited one. Now, of course, the sequel trilogy writers don’t explain why she has a yellow one, because they don’t explain anything and they probably don’t know why she has a yellow one themselves because they know absolutely nothing about Jedi or the Force and just thought it looked cool. But I digress. I personally think her yellow lightsaber is absurd, because she doesn’t fit the description of a Sentinel at all, and if anything she should have a purple lightsaber because she is the closest thing to a “gray Jedi” I’ve ever seen (even though gray Jedi don’t exist, people just don’t understand the Jedi) and she has definitely been tempted by the Dark and has, I guess, overcome it. But, that being said--she and Peter actually have sort of similar drives, but to me, they manifest in very different ways. Rey wants to protect her friends and doesn’t really care that much about people she doesn’t know, and her past often shows itself in anger. Peter is determined to protect everyone and his past makes him act out of duty and a need for redemption. Bascially, if Rey has a yellow lightsaber, I personally don’t think Peter should.

So, yeah, I like Peter with a blue lightsaber, but I think Star Wars is best consumed as a choose-your-own-canon media, so if you’ve found something that supports Peter having a yellow lightsaber, then by all means, give the boy a yellow lightsaber.

[reylo-trash-4ever]

HELLO REYLO FAM!!!

Wow... I am incredibly nervous about posting this because I haven’t shared my writing in years, but the incredible @lana-n95 gave me the idea when I made my prompts post, and I just rolled with it and made it an entire fic. SO HERE YA GO! 

Shout out to @scav-eng-er for being my Reylo Soul Mate and literally giving me the courage to do this!! I couldn’t ask for a better support group in @mojona1999 and @firethebluesky as well! You lovely people are who keep me going and I promise I’m working on getting us all a group chat so we can be friends for life.

This will be updated fairly regularly, but please do not expect a lot yet. I’m working towards bi-weekly, but for right now, this is all I have. I hope you enjoy! EEK!!

“The Game” - a Reylo AU

Universe: AU/Modern day New York

Rating: M (this chapter only has some mild language and sexual themes)

Word Count: 3629

Pairing: Rey and Ben Solo

PART ONE:

The New York winds were especially biting that December morning as Rey made her way through the bustling streets of the city. She wove in and out of passersby as everyone went about their day, each individual having separate lives, separate troubles, and separate dreams.

Rey had quite a few dreams of her own, but they were sometimes hard to make into reality. She had worked her ass off to get to where she was today, though. It was a great and classic story; a ‘nobody’ girl who came from the rural countryside making it big in the city. She’d always been passionate about helping people and doing what she could for the underdog, probably because she had felt like one all her life. Nobody thought she could do it, but she graduated at the top of her class in almost every subject, excelled in sports, and even dabbled in the theatrical arts when she had time. Her determination and hard work didn’t leave room for many friendships, but she didn’t mind putting all of that behind her when she moved to the city to study law.

College was good to her. She finally met some people she would call lifelong friends. She studied hard, and she learned harder. She was still kind of a ‘loner’ at heart, never really being the person to be seen out at parties, bars, or clubs. Every once in awhile she let herself go crazy, but it was rare. So much so that her friends started calling her “The Black Cat” because it was such a shock, and slightly unnerving, whenever she actually showed up to events. She knew the superstitions and implications surrounding a black cat, and she easily could have taken offense at the nickname, but Rey secretly liked it. Let her be known for her sly, hard work and mystery, not how well liked and popular she was or wasn’t.

It was this mentality that ultimately landed her a job as an intern at Skywalker and Associates straight out of college. It was a miracle from the stars that she got accepted into one of the top law firms in the state so soon after graduating. She didn’t really believe in a “higher power”, but something up there in the infinite galaxies must have been on her side. She knew she was good, and had the potential to be the best, but she had never before had the resources due to her upbringing. The opportunity was something she would never be ungrateful for.

It had been almost eight months since she started interning, and already she was making her way up in the company. Her dedication to cases and her keen eye for detail had gained her the attention of some of the more prominent names in the office and she hoped it was enough to be the next Jr. Partner.

Rey pulled off the street to step into a small coffee shop. A little bell chimed as she pushed open the door and the wondrous smells filled her nose as she took a deep breath in. The warmth filled her body and was almost a shock coming from such a drastic difference only seconds before, but she welcomed the comfort.

She stepped in line and perused the menu, even though she already knew what she wanted. It was the same thing she always got - a french press, dark roast with just a little bit of half and half - as she was a woman of pattern and repetition. Getting the same thing day in and day out had never bothered her. It was safe, it was what she knew. Why risk something that would rock the boat? Even though she didn’t normally believe in “luck”, she didn’t want to risk it today. This was her chance to finally start doing real cases and to work on projects that would make a difference.

“Would you like to round up your order and donate to the Children’s Hospital for the holidays?”

The barista’s voice took her out of her own head after she had apparently told them her order without thinking. Rey smiled and nodded her head quickly in response. She felt in a ‘giving mood’ that morning. Send as much “good karma” out into the universe as she could.

“Thank you so much, and have a nice day!”

The words faded into the hustle and bustle of the crowd as Rey stepped away and waited for her drink. She dug her phone out of her pocket and soon got lost in social media, scrolling mindlessly. Friends and distant family passed her screen, seeming to all be living happy and comfortable lives with their loved ones.

Rey had always wished for that kind of security and ‘home’. It was one of the reasons she worked as hard as she did, so she could hopefully someday give that life to herself. The one she never had, but always wanted. Her mother passed away when she was in grade school and her father left before she was even born. Being an only child, her uncle had offered to take her in, but he was a bachelor with a demanding job and very little time for another human being besides himself. He wasn’t the worst person in the world and they got along well enough, he was just never really much of a ‘parental figure’. She learned early on that she would have to find her own place in the world, and her fierce determination was set from that moment on.

She didn’t know why this was the morning of reminiscing, but something about the possibility of change must have had her brain in that mode. Rey brushed off the weirdness as she got up out of her seat after hearing her name being called. She made her way through the crowded cafe and grabbed her coffee.

She turned to leave, thanking the employee behind the counter again over her shoulder, when suddenly, she was almost knocked off her feet by an incoming stranger. She caught herself and her coffee, thankful for the lid stuck solidly to the cup, and turned around with a glare.

A tall man with broad shoulders and dark, shoulder length hair had been the culprit. His tall frame towered over her, but he seemed intent on barely even acknowledging her in his attempt to rush past. She caught his attention though, and he turned to look back at her over his shoulder. Rey, astounded by the audacity of the stranger, continued to glare and silently dared him to apologize for the discrepancy.

The man simply blinked at her for the briefest of moments, a glint in his dark eyes as they gazed back at her with an air of pride and so little remorse that it sent a shiver down her spine. Then, without a word, he continued on his way as if he had never hit her at all.

Rey scoffed angrily and whipped around on her heels as quickly as she could to get out of the coffee shop, now with a sour taste in her mouth. Some people are just assholes, she concluded as she once again walked out the door. A gust of blistering cold air hit her face and she closed her eyes. She tightened her scarf around her neck and pulled it up so that it was covering her nose, trying to shelter as much of her face as she could. God, she hated the cold...

***

It was as busy as always at the office. Rey quickly got lost in her work, and she didn’t realize how much time had passed before she heard her co-worker, Rose, calling her name.

“Do you ever take a break?”

The short cropped, black haired girl crossed her arms over the top of Rey’s desktop computer, forcing her to break from her work. She couldn’t help but smile when looking up into her ever cheerful, grinning face.

“I don’t have time for a break,” Rey said, trying to see past the distraction.

“I admire your dedication,” Rose stood on her tiptoes to lean over and look at Rey’s computer upside down. She was one of Rey’s favorite coworkers. Unlike the other women, she didn’t sit around the office and gossip all day, but had just about as much dedication to her job as Rey did. Well, almost as much.

“Did you hear about Rex and Ava?”

“Oh my God, no! Did they hook up?”

The chatter of the women standing behind them was too much for Rey. The office was notorious for rumors, especially of the romantic kind. Apparently, the people who worked there were infatuated with who was dating who, who had an affair with who, and who slept with who. Personally, Rey wanted nothing to do with it and couldn’t care less about the love lives of her coworkers. Unless it was Rose, but one of the things Rey liked about her was that she was pretty private and kept her personal life separate from her work life.

“I heard they got lunch yesterday and-”

“That’s crazy! I thought she was seeing that Lando guy from Brooklyn-”

“Look,” Rose said, “you eventually have to take a break. You know that, right? It’s bad for your mental health to be so busy all the time. And it’s kind of required by law.”

Rey smiled at her friend. “I know,” she said, placing her palm on Rose’s head and softly pushed it back so that she had to move off of her computer, “and thank you for caring, but I’m alright.”

“You would let me know if you weren’t, right?”

“I heard that the CEO’s son was going to start here in the new year.”

“No way! That arrogant jerk wants nothing to do with his father’s company. And he’s supposedly a real ‘ladies man’.”

“But I heard he’s super attractive and has that ‘rich bad boy’ vibe. Wouldn’t that be so hot?”

“Well, I have to admit, that would be a welcome change around here.”

Rey tried to drown out the distractions of the noises and she managed to plaster another reassuring smile on her face. “Of course I would.”

“It’s a long shot, but we’re all getting drinks at Naboo’s, that new cocktail bar down the street, if you’d like to join us?” Rose asked, motioning to a few of the other women who were all filing behind her and collecting their coats and respective purses. Her dark eyes begged Rey to come along, and she hated to disappoint, but she knew she didn’t want to go.

“I wish I could,” Rey said with a hint of genuine sadness in her voice, “but I just have so much work to do. I was planning on staying a little late tonight anyway.”

“Well, you can’t blame me for trying,” Rose chuckled with a shrug. She turned to leave and gave Rey a little wave over her shoulder.

“Have fun without me,” Rey called after her as she walked away, grabbing her own coat as she passed by the coat rack.

“Would be more fun with you,” Rose teased. There was a small ding and the now collective group of men and women who were leaving for the day clamored into the elevator.

Rey watched as the doors slid shut and just like that, it was silent in the office. She let out a breath she didn’t know she had been holding and sighed with relief. It was always nice when she could be here by herself. She found that she got more work done with less distractions. She wouldn’t be there that late anyway and her bosses didn’t mind as long as it helped further the business. Some of them were still working in their own offices, so she wasn’t completely alone.

She grabbed her laptop to take to the conference room and finish some paperwork on a particularly difficult case. Although, she quickly discovered that maybe not taking a single break that day, even to eat, was probably an issue. Her stomach growled and at first she tried to ignore it, but when her hunger headache began, she knew she wouldn’t be able to keep it up for too much longer.

With a long sigh, Rey stood and made her way to the break room. Taking a peek through the floor to ceiling windows, she could see the city all lit up for the evening. There was something special about New York at night, but especially around the holidays. People had candles in their windows and hung colorful lights on balconies and railings and really wherever they could find space. She loved upstate, and not just because of the expensive look of her surroundings and the other rich things it had to offer, but because the city really did look stunning at night. Like a million, twinkling stars, but unlike the unreachable night sky above, if you reached out to touch them, they were almost in your grasp.

***

After making a quick protein filled smoothie, Rey went back to the empty room to finish her work. Only, when she got there, she discovered that she was not alone.

A man lounged in her chair, his back towards her. Without even seeing him standing, she could tell how tall he was just by how far his legs extended out from under him. He was sitting with his feet propped up on another chair close to him, one leg crossed over the other, and he was staring at her open laptop. The light from the screen illuminated his frame and she couldn’t see past his thick shoulders and broad upper torso. Something about him was so familiar to her, but she didn’t care enough to think too deeply on it as her focus was more caught on how he was snooping in on her personal case.

“Excuse me, what the hell do you think you’re doing?” She said sharply, expecting to see him jump in surprise at being caught, but he didn’t move a muscle. Instead, she heard a calm, deep voice come from the opposite side of his large body.

“I’m reading.”

The response was simple, but the tone of it made her feel like she was the stupid one for even having asked the question in the first place.

“That’s my laptop,” she said plainly, taken off guard and not knowing how else to react.

“Is it? That’s interesting,” the man sounded bored and Rey thought for a second that he didn’t even seem to be listening to her at all.

“I’m sorry, but can I have my seat back? I was working on an important case.” Rey took a few defiant steps closer, trying to be as brave as she could. Something about this man unnerved her and she was suddenly very aware that she was alone with a stranger in an almost completely empty and dark room.

“I can see that,” he said, reaching a hand up to his face and rubbing his chin, “you’ve missed something important in your report though.” He still didn’t turn to her, but his other hand appeared beside him and he wiggled two fingers, motioning for her to come over to him. Rey felt her face heat with anger and embarrassment. How dare this strange man try to correct her on her case. Who did he think he was, anyway?!

Against her better judgement, Rey couldn’t suppress her pride and she realized she had to know what he was talking about. She’d looked over this case for almost an entire week now, and she was sure there was no way she could have missed a thing. It was a pretty cut and dry case, anyway. A man cheated on his fiance and she was suing him, hoping to make him pay for all the money her and her family had already spent on the upcoming wedding.

“What are you talking about?” Rey asked bluntly as she stepped over to the man. She leaned over his shoulder and squinted her eyes in the laptop light, trying to find the discrepancy she was sure was nowhere to be found.

“Right here,” the man’s deep voice was directly in her ear and she could feel his hot breath on her neck, instantly sending shivers down her spine, “the report says that your client’s ex-fiance cheated on her with another woman. That’s a lie.”

“No it’s not, the evidence proved that he was seeing another woman while they were together, and one of the witnesses all but admitted to being his mistress. It’s a cut and dry case.”

“Except that he wasn’t seeing another woman. He was seeing three.”

“Excuse me?!” The accusation was so outrageous that Rey had to turn and give the man the most incredulous look, and when their eyes met, she suddenly remembered where she had seen him before. The scene from that morning in the coffee shop played in her mind like a rerun of a bad TV show. Her breath hitched in her throat as he stared back at her with a wry smile on his lips.

“The sample of hair they found on his suit coat the night of the supposed affair is blonde. The color of your witnesses hair is a muted brunette,” he began to explain his reasonings, never breaking eye contact with Rey while she stared dumbfoundedly back at him.

“That’s only two women. You said there were three.” She stood up straight and looked down on the dark haired man who leaned back further into his seat to keep her gaze. She knew her response was weak, suddenly doubting everything she thought she knew about this case and hating herself for missing something so obvious as that. But she was still determined not to let this stranger get the better of her.

The man’s smile faded and he moved from his seat, slowly getting up. It seemed to take him an impossibly long time to rise, but when he stretched to his full height, he towered at least a good foot above her. He looked down at her with little interest in his eyes, as if he had just gotten bored of their conversation and was bothered by her presence.

Suddenly, he was leaning in towards her and Rey’s hand instinctively grabbed the pepper spray she carried in her jacket, but the man reached past her and pulled over a plastic baggy full of evidence. Rey’s breathing was heavy with a mixture of fury and fear as he grabbed the bag and pulled it towards him.

“The perfume found in his car is an original vintage bottle of Versace made in 1983. There are only a few of these rare finds left and their price runs around one thousand dollars a pop. Judging from the size of the pocket books on both of the ladies he was seeing, neither of them could afford such a luxury. Which of course suggests that he had another, more prominent and wealthy woman on his hands.”

Rey swallowed hard and tried to keep her expression as blank as she could, but he was making too much and too little sense at the same time, and her head was spinning with confusion. Who did this arrogant bastard think he was to come in here and completely destroy her work like this?

“Not to mention, I happen to know the lovely lady who owns this particular bottle,” his fingers traced the side of the bag and he looked at it with such a perverse smile that it made Rey’s stomach turn, “She can be very… persuasive when she wants something. Her father, who owns a tenth of the real estate in upper Manhattan, will do everything he can to fight the scandal. Which means new, expensive lawyers on the defendants side and probably a lot of shaddy underground work to get him out scotch free. I have a feeling your client isn’t going to get the money, if anything, as easily as she thought.”

The silence that followed was excruciating. Rey was shocked by the revelation and the ridiculous outcome of this case she had been working her life away on. There was no way that they could have hidden this from her, was there? Her mind raced with all the possibilities that this could mean and she scrambled to find a way, any way, to turn this back in her client's favor. Could she beg for a settlement and at least get some money to the poor, mistreated woman? Or maybe she could convince the judge that this was a gross misuse of trust and blame emotional manipulation? There had to be something, anything...

“Or,” the low drawl of the man’s voice as he drew out the word snapped Rey out of her spiral. His black eyes glittered once again with something she couldn’t place and the corner of his mouth twitched up in a cocky smile as he wiggled the evidence in his hand, “this could just be a regular old department store perfume bottle and I was simply fucking with you.”

Another silence filled the room and Rey found she couldn’t breathe again. What… the… hell had he just said?

“I-I’m sorry, what?” She hissed her question and the smile on the man’s face grew wider.

“That was fun, sweetheart,” his condescending words made Rey’s blood boil, “let’s do this again sometime. When I need comic relief in this shithole of a job, I’ll look for you.” He stretched his arms behind his neck and sauntered around her, making his way out of the room. He stopped in the doorway and turned over his shoulder to give her a taunting wink.

“See you around.”

*to be continued*

[pulpwriterx]

WOODS

Just a little Reylo smut for Valentine's Day. But with a sense of humour.

Rebel Base: Six Months After the Events on Crait

Rey closed the door of the large, semi-permanent tent that was her only home in the world and followed the moon out into the woods.

She had a place she went to, a little clearing where there was soft, sweet grass under a big, beautiful, sheltering tree.

Even when it rained, the grass just under the tree was dry.

Rey went to her special place and looked up at the stars.

She tried to reopen her bond with Kylo Ren.

Where are you, Ben?

Are you still furious with me?

I hope you have some peace of mind, now that Snoke is dead.

Both the day that she gave Ben his scar, and the day they altered the Balance of Power in the Galaxy were Thursdays.

So, every Thursday, she would come to her special place, and ask those three questions to the stars.

“I am on my command ship, in my bedroom. We are near Coruscant. I was furious with you, but now I’m only angry with myself. I didn’t explain any of my plan to you; I was too general. Because I wanted you to join me, and I figured we would iron out the details, later. I have been able to see and to think much more clearly, now that Snoke is dead. Some of the changes I have made on the planets in my dominion have been for the better. I have personally executed despots. I have brought order and civilization to the places they ruled. Not to mention access to food, clean water, and decent housing. I am an autocrat, but I have no desire to punish, terrorise and dominate the people I rule over.”

Rey felt Ben’s fingers entwine with hers until her hard little hand was engulfed in his.

She turned.

He was also looking at the stars, and he had put something on.

A black bathrobe.

“I thought if I showed up stark naked, you would think I was trying to seduce you.”

A smile tugged the corners of his mouth.

“I don’t want to talk about religion or politics, right now. I’m too tired.” Rey told him.

She wanted him to hold her, but it was nice, holding his hand.

“That’s because my mother is training you. You know what I learned from my mother? Endurance. Being tough and hard isn’t enough. You have to have endurance. The strength to go on, and do what you must. Never falter. Never retreat. Never surrender.”

Rey nodded.

“She doesn’t talk about a lot of religion and politics, does she?”

“My mother doesn’t like labels. Or rules. She likes to get things done. My Uncle trains monks. My mother trains soldiers. Teachers. Diplomats. People who have to get things done in the real world. Where there’s no Dark Side and no Light Side. Just what you have to do and the skills you need to do it. I wish she could see that we’re doing the same thing, in different ways.”

They both looked up at the stars.

“You know, before my Uncle blew up the building we were sitting in, I was going to kiss you. When we were in that elevator and you were giving me the standard Luke Skywalker lecture? I kept looking at your lips because I wanted to kiss you. If you would have taken my hand in Snoke’s throne room, I would have kissed you. I still want to kiss you.”

Kylo Ren put his arm around Rey, and she put her head on his shoulder.

“There are orange hairs on your black bathrobe. Short ones. Do you have a cat?”

“Yes. Hux and I share a common room, and a cat. Her name is Milicent. We also have a small private kitchen. He eats my food and I drink his Arkanian mead. Armi never cleans the cat box so the cat always shits where I keep my mask.”

Rey laughed.

“Why are you telling me this?”

“I understand that the Resistance is made up of people. You need to understand that in the First Order, we are also just people.”

“That you’re just a man, even though you’re Supreme Leader Kylo Ren?���

“A man who aches to kiss you.”

Rey thought about it.

He probably had never kissed a girl, before.

He went right from the Jedi Temple to the rigorous, torturous Sith training.

Rey was a woman of the world; she’d had some boyfriends on Jakku.

It wouldn’t hurt to let him kiss her.

To show him how to kiss.

“Well, sometimes when you talk to me about the Galaxy? I wish you’d just shut up and kiss me.”

Rey was going to say something else, but Ben had taken her into his arms and kissed her.

Things changed.

She was in the arms of a man who knew exactly how to kiss a woman, especially how to kiss a woman like her.

Their lips parted.

Ben’s eyes were still closed.

“Ben?”

“Don’t talk.”

He kissed her again, and this time, he laid her on the sweet soft grass like an empty dress.

Rey put her hands inside his bathrobe, touching his strong, broad chest.

One of his arms was around her waist, the other curled around her body and as they kissed he stroked her breast, letting the pad of his thumb roll around her nipple, touching her through her clothes.

Her nipple hardened under his fingers, jumping to a peak for him.

The jolt between Rey's legs rolled her thighs apart, just a little, and she felt Ben getting hard against the inside of her thigh.

Their lips parted, again.

“Why did I think you were some kind of inexperienced Jedi Monk?”

“I don’t know. Before I was a lusty, rampant satyr of a Sith Lord, I was a lusty, rampant satyr of a ruthless pirate and hotshot flyboy. But you’ve got me half-right. I was a virgin until I was 20. Now I have to make up for lost time.”

“I think you should get off of me, Ben.”

“I should. But is that what you really want?”

She had never seen him smile, before.

He had a beautiful smile.

His unconventional male beauty had never been so apparent to her.

It distracted her.

So did his fingers gently rubbing just the right spot on her panties.

“No, no, don’t touch me there. Please.”

“Why is it that when you say that, your tone of voice says don’t stop touching me, I need you to keep touching me, I haven’t had a man’s hands on me for so long that I forgot what it feels like? All those flyboys in the Resistance, why are you starving to death at the buffet?”

“My vows.”

“More of that Uncle Luke bullshit. You’re getting pretty moist for a woman who cares about her vows. Did my mother ever mention those vows to you?”

“No.”

“Well, she’s your Master now, and all my parents ever did was fight in the kitchen and fuck in the bedroom. Leia Organa would never expect anybody fighting a war to do something so stupid as to be chaste.”

He had a point.

But Ben had stopped touching her.

“Why did you stop?”

“You told me to stop. So I stopped.”

“Now I do want you to get off me.”

“Alright. I will. But can I kiss you, one more time?”

“Fine.”

He grabbed her ankles, pulled her forward, pulled her leggings down, and entirely off one bare foot, settled her legs around his shoulders, and kissed Rey, in an eloquently intimate manner in her most intimate of places.

Of course, never in the history of any Galaxy has any woman ever said to any man, especially a man she was involved in a midnight makeout session with, now listen, mister, you had better stop licking my pussy, or I will contact the authorities.

Rey didn’t, either.

Indeed, she tangled her fingers in his thick dark hair and encouraged him.

“That was a dirty trick.” She told him.

After.

“You said I could kiss you again. I never said where.”

Rey suddenly came out of her afterglow, and sat up on her elbows.

“What are you doing?”

“What does it look like I’m doing?”

“Ben, I do not want to watch you play with yourself!”

That was a lie.

His black bathrobe was open, and the sight of his long white body and of his big sinewy hand stroking his cock was perversely exhilarating.

“Would you like to help? Seeing as how you’re drooling, just a little.”

She laughed.

“I might as well. Don’t pull my hair. I didn’t pull your hair. If you start yanking on my hair, I’ll stop.”

He did not pull her hair.

Ben was a very big boy, and Rey enjoyed herself, quite a bit, more than she liked to admit, sucking the enemy off.

The dense manly scent of him filling her nose, the heaviness of his balls in her hand, the hard heaviness in her mouth of his big, meaty cock, salty and stiff and her fist hardly able to fit around him, so long since she tasted a man’s heat.

So long that she wanted it to be Ben's.

They lay together, on the grass, again.

Now he held her in his arms.

“Are you asleep?”

“No. You give great head. I can’t stand girls who spit.”

They looked at each other, and the stars.

“Rey, did you say, 'Oh gods, meat!', right before you sucked me off?”

“Yes, I did.”

“Oh you sweet, hungry Little Rebel Girl! You can eat my meat any time you want.”

Rey laughed, a little.

She had undone the mighty Kylo Ren with a kiss.

Of sorts.

Kylo took her hand again.

“Rey?” he asked.

“Yes?”

He brought her hand to his lips, and kissed it.

“Can I fuck you, now?”

She started to laugh.

She had expected him to make some corny pass at her, and say something stupid, and ruin the whole thing.

But he had said what he said, instead, and it made her laugh.

“What was that, again?”

“I mean it. I really need to fuck you. I’m hornier than I was before. I’m fucking hard again. You have to let me fuck your sweet, pretty little pussy. Please? Pretty please?”

Rey laughed, again.

“You’re a real goofy bastard, you know that, Kylo? And you’ve got a filthy mouth.”

“Yeah. Ben is too. We’re a couple of horny goofballs.”

“Are you any good?”

Now Kylo laughed.

“I’m not telling you.”

“Kylo?”

“Yes, Rey?”

“How come you’re not fucking me, now?”

They both laughed.

“How do you want it?”

“How do I want what? Your gigantic monster cock? Well don’t put it in my ass. I won’t be able to sit down for a year!”

They could barely speak, they were laughing so hard.

Finally, they stopped.

“First, I’m going to take off the rest of my clothes. And then? I think I’d like you to be on top of me. Like you were, when we were kissing. That was nice. It felt good.” Rey told him.

Kylo Ren took off his bathrobe, and Rey took off her clothes.

She lay down on the grass, and opened her arms to him, and he kissed her, again.

Somewhere during that kiss, he started fucking her.

Slowly

It was nice.

It felt good.

She put her arms around him, and raised her knees up, and his eyes were shut but Rey’s were open, and she studied his face, and moved her hands over his body.

Then his eyes were open, and he was smiling at her again.

“Rey?”

“Yes, Kylo?”

“How do you like this long, slow, deliberate fucking?”

“It’s nice. It feels good. But it’s kind of boring. What do you think?”

“Well, some girls like getting fucked like this. I get bored doing it.”

Rey laughed again.

“Will you stop being such a goofball and fuck me like you mean it?”

“Yes ma’am!”

All the sudden goofy Ben turned into a raging inferno of violent hot lust, and he was fucking her like he was the Devil, himself, and she was his favorite witch.

“Oh gods, Ben! Don’t stop! Keep fucking me just like that!”

“Okay.”

She would have laughed if he wasn’t stroking the hot spot inside her with every thrust.

“No! Oh no, Ben, you have to stop!”

“Why? No implant?”

“No! I have one. But you’re going to make me squirt!”

“Squirt, killer. Come for Kylo. Squirt all over my balls.”

She did.

Somewhere in the throes of her orgasm, Kylo Ren had his.

They lay together in the grass, star-crossed lovers, their bodies entwined together.

“Rey?”

“Yes, Ben?”

“Why don’t we meet in person on Thursdays? I’ll find a place. You have an X-Wing. I have a TIE fighter. No one has to know.”

“No religion or politics?”

“None.”

“OK. We will."

“You know what? Now that I know how to make you squirt? The next time I go down on you, I’m going to finger you, so you squirt on my face.”

“That was really dirty. If I go and wash up in the stream, can that be right now?”

“Don’t go wash. I want to eat your cunt when it’s dirty. Then, can we fuck again?”

“You are so bad! Yes. We can fuck again. But this time I want to be on top.”

“Your wish is my command.’

[gosatsuvns]

Weekly Update Compilation

Just realized that I kinda neglected the weekly updates here on Tumblr (sorry about that!), so I'll compile the last few right here:

Weekly Update #328: CG & BGM Progress

This past week, I've focused on drawing the "dead body" CG for GENBA no Kizuna, which is quite an undertaking to say the least. I've made a lot of progress on it, but there's still some work left to be done. It took me quite a while to figure out the exact perspective and angle. Thankfully, being married has its perks, so I got Kuna to take a bunch of reference pictures of me while I was lying on the floor, pretending to be dead, haha. That definitely helped tremendously.

Still, the details are going to give me another headache for sure. We're talking about a guy who got eaten by a T-Rex after all, so there's a lot going on in terms of, well... damage.

Anyway, every now and then, I've also continued working on the outline for Withering Without Hope. And speaking of which, I have just released a new Patreon post, delving into the topic of how Broken Beyond Despair sets up and dictates the direction for its sequel.

If you're curious about the changes I felt were necessary in our recent anniversary update, be sure to check it out!

Next week, I'm planning to make another post talking about the time in between BBD and WWH and what exactly happens there. There is quite a gap between October 30 and December 23 after all...

Now, in other news, I've been working with Solo, our composer, on a new BGM track for GENBA. I've already received a first preview of it and it sounds amazing! Can't wait to hear the full version and share it. This time, we're tackling another investigation theme, specifically for the segments you will play as Rei.

That kinda wraps up this week's progress report. I'll get back to working on that CG now, so please enjoy the rest of your weekend and, until next Saturday, take care! :3

Weekly Update #327: BGs, CGs, Sprites & WWH

After a bit more BG work, I have finally finished a variation for the 1st Floor Main Hall and one for the 2nd Floor Main Hall. That now only leaves one more variation of the 1st floor and all the necessary BGs for the first three chapters of GENBA are done! Hopefully, I can get to that soon, but first of all, I've decided to tackle the "dead body" CG instead, as it is kinda tied to that BG.

Basically, after recovering the body from the Rex jaws, it will be spread out in the main hall and you will be able to catch a glimpse of it on the missing variation of the 1st floor background. At least that's the plan, but I think drawing the CG first will better help me understand what exactly and how much needs to be visible on said BG.

The CG is kind of intimidating to think about, as it is going to be the most difficult to draw by far. As a result, I've been pushing it off for a while now, but I figured, if I get it out of the way now, that'll be a big relief, haha. I've actually started working on it a while ago, doing some initial sketches. You will see almost the entire body lying on the floor. It's going to be an interactive CG too, meaning that players will be able to click all over the body in order to examine it. As you can imagine, it's going to be a very crucial asset towards solving the mystery death at the Kaseki residence, so it will require a lot of attention to detail.

My goal is to finish it by the end of the month, so I have just about a week left, which will hopefully be enough!

Outside of finishing those BG variations and getting back into the body CG, I've been working on some more sprite variations for Keiichi and Amber. Unfortunately, I kinda suffered a setback of sorts by accidentally deleting one of Amber's new sprites "orz Thankfully, I still had the low quality preview I posted on Patreon, so I was able to restore it, even if that was kind of an annoying and rather frustrating occurrence...

I have to doublecheck with the script, but this might be it in terms of sprites for the first chapter, too. In the end, Keiichi only got one new one, depicting him with a somewhat worried expression:

Now, one other thing I've been working on is Withering Without Hope. With the Christmas season drawing near, I'm really getting into the mood for it, so I've been working on the outline for the first chapter. I'd like to continue working on this on the side and hopefully finish at least the entire first chapter outline before the end of the year. The goal here is to have the full script for the game done by the time GENBA will be released.

If you're a patron, you should keep your eyes open, as I'm also going to share some behind-the-scenes info for WWH soon! Been wanting to do that for a while now and just haven't gotten around to it...

Anyway, guess that about wraps it up for today so, please enjoy the rest of your weekend and, until next Saturday, take care! :3

Weekly Update #326: GENBA Background Progress

Alright, after a bit more work, I have finally finished the background for the second floor of the main hall and, along with it, adjusted the other two main hall BGs. If you want to learn more about my struggles with these, be sure to check out last week's blog post where I talk a little about visual consistency. I've also made a post on my private Twitter, showcasing the differences between the old and the new version of the first floor main hall. As for the second floor, here's another preview for that one as well:

Now, what's left are the variations of these two BGs, which I've also worked on. One variation for each of them is almost done as well, just missing one last detail which I'll take care of tomorrow. That will leave only one more variation for the first floor background, which will display a couple more pieces of evidence. As mentioned last week, once these are done, we're gonna be good on backgrounds for a while. That's because the second chapter will not need any new BGs, as no new locations inside the residence will be visited. As for chapter 3, the mid-point case discussion... that one will take place entirely in the exhibition room featured at the end of our demo. So no new BGs for that one either!

Well, I did mention before that I'm playing with the idea of making one more simple BG for said exhibition room. Since the cast will spent quite a while there, discussing the mysteries (think of the dining hall in SHINRAI), it would probably be nice to get some visual variety. However, as I don't deem this to be an "essential background", it's a bit lower on my priority list. For now, I just want to focus on the assets that are absolutely necessary to tell the story. And when we talk about "essential" backgrounds, there are actually only four left now: the wash room, the back corridor, the backyard and one of the suspect rooms.

Before I get to any of those, I'm still aiming to finish all the assets for the first chapter, though. Which (BG variations aside) now only leaves a couple of sprite variations and two CGs. One of those is going to be very elaborate, though, so it will probably take me a while to get it done. I'll most likely work on it next month and, for the rest of November, take care of the sprites and script revisions.

Anyway, that about sums up the current progress. Time to get back to work, so please enjoy the rest of your weekend and, until next Saturday, take care! :3