#saw someones art of them and I was instantly converted

[ukarimo]

Big hand,,, all the better to grab vanillas tiny waist with!!

[mxnrly]

the red house, changkyun

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slight nsfw, thriller !

I wrote this like a year ago, when this song came out and I fell in love with the mv and the lyrics. If you want to see what the song is, here it is. Either way, I'm editing this at 2 am because I felt the need of posting it. I originally wrote this in spanish and it really took me a while sjdjs I hope you like it tho! 

tw: not too explicit nsfw, unprotected sex, dom/sub dynamic (both are switches, y’all see), pet name,  mentions of blood. 

wc: 6.8k

⠀

An idiot.

That's what I liked to call the kid who lived across the street. An undoubtedly attractive boy. Gorgeous and with a sensual aura like no other. He had an attractive look, and his presence was always full of mystery. He looked like a demon brought from hell, always wearing those dark denim pants that stuck to his legs, a white long-sleeved shirt and a leather jacket set with the logo of a serpent crossed with two swords.

His hair was always messy, because it was straight and he used to run his hand through it at all times. Not that I was constantly looking at him but, it was a twitch I had gotten used to seeing since I had known him.

The boy had been my neighbor for two years now, and every Saturday it was the same, he would leave the house and not come back until the next day. Whenever I told my best friend about him leaving, he told me to just stay away from him, that if I really wanted to keep his trust I should just forget about that boy and move on with my life. But, it was so easy to say or think about it, but not do it. Somehow, being neighbors was making my life difficult because now it seemed that my walls wanted to know about him too and they were getting thinner so that I could hear from when he was leaving until when he arrived.

My best friend's older brother, Jooheon, was the neighbor's best friend. I knew this because I had already seen him in front of the boy's door with his car, a black '69 GTO convertible and a beer in his hand. The two of them got along great because every day since I lived there, they always went out at the same time, no matter what.

That night I was partying with my best friend and a girl with whom I had started to form a friendship because she was in the art department, although she was just a year younger than us.

“You're crazy if you think we're going to let you go.” And there I was, another Saturday night wanting to go wherever my neighbors were.

“I see you've been very interested in him for a long time, what do you think they are doing?” asked the girl while Jooheon and the idiot went inside their house.

“I really don't know, but since he came to this place I want-”

“You want nothing, God, stop making her get any ideas." scolded the boy to the other girl.

The room suddenly became silent, and then somehow, I started to feel my throat and stomach warm. “I don't understand why you don't want me to go.”

“We've talked about this a million times. I'm just protecting you.”

“But from what? I won't know if you don't let me come closer.” My voice was getting louder and louder until it exploded. “You won't let me get close but I know you're as curious as I am, Jooheon is your brother!”

“Jooheon comes back every morning smelling of alcohol and cheap women's perfume. There are always cigarettes in his car and I've found underwear in the glove compartment, do you really want to continue with that curiosity? I don't know exactly what those two do but, believe me, they don't go to a lake to drink and have fun, they have their plans, do strange things and then come back as if nothing had happened.”

“Didn't you try to tell your mother?" asked the younger girl, suddenly causing the boy to deny instantly.

“One of the rules Heon gave me was that I had to keep silence, first of all if, I wanted to continue living with him. Until I'm legal, I can't buy an apartment on my own." he said with a shrug.

Silence reigned again somehow. There was only the faint music of an American artist whom we did not really know.

Staying out until the morning, I can hear the door.

I can smell all the whiskey and the smoke on your breath.

A chill ran down my back and I sighed. “I'm sleepy guys, the day was really exhausting from the beginning and we have a test on Monday so I want to take tomorrow off at dawn to study." I said faster than I planned.

Because tonight, sleep was the last thing in my plans.

Once they had left my house, I went to my room to change my clothes. I put on something comfortable to keep up with them. With my shoes on, I left my house taking my car keys. The boys were leaving the house so I had to hide quickly behind the vehicle. I felt the heaviness in my chest from doing something against my morals.

The sound of the GTO engine took me out of my thoughts. They came quietly out of the parking lot, giving me time to get into my car and start it. My heart started pounding but I stayed focused and started following the boys' car with some distance. They were getting further and further away from the circle of places I knew, but my curiosity seemed to dominate at this point over reason. I knew that was a bad sign, but I had gone far enough to take it back.

The car quickly drove off the road into some black buildings. Now, I knew that if I followed them in there I would look very obvious, so I drove past the place and saw that there was no way out. They were parked in front of a wall that was purple because of the neon light up there. Debating whether to go or not, I finally turned off the vehicle and started getting out of it.

I walked to the large green door which was lit by the purple light, noticing that, from the wall, a strange vibration could be felt. Music. That's all it could be.

I opened the door and instantly smelled the stench of nicotine and liquor. There was a certain mixture of lotions and perfumes that made everything more intense. The door closed behind me, making me shudder. Hell, I wanted to go home.

Resigned, I began to walk around the place watching my feet because there seemed to be unevenness everywhere. The place was painted red, although it was because of the coloured lights on the sides of different walls. Red was the only thing you saw, everything was tinted and it seemed to be a much scarier place than it really was.

I took the first glass I saw, smelling the strong smell of tequila and mint. I grimaced a little and took a sip, as I put it back in its place again. I couldn't see the boys anywhere and that was starting to scare me. What if they were somewhere else and had deceived me?

I was overthinking the situation, when I felt a strong pull on my arm. Someone had taken me in a very firm manner. Before I could protest, the person who had alienated me showed his face.

And I saw him. I was dazed at seeing his face tinted by the red lights.

“I told you not to come, why don't you ever listen to me?”  my best friend, the one who always prohibited me to come to where his brother was, asked almost above the level of the music. My mind was beginning to wander, but I held on.

“What do you mean, don't come? You had told me that you had no idea what they were doing, and now it turns out that you are one of them?”

The boy rubbed his face lightly and took me by the shoulders. “You're crazy, they're going to kill you. Get out of here, now.”

That made my world stop. Kill?

“What are you saying?” But before he could even answer, the light went out making the music go away, causing all the people to scream. Several people beside me ran past, knocking me to the ground, and I feared the worst.

I squatted in fear without really knowing what to do, when I suddenly stopped and hit someone running in my direction. I felt a camera flash in my face and my stomach turned over. The flash went off leaving me stunned. The person took my hand and started running towards what appeared to be the other side of the room, opposite the direction of where the exit door was. Suddenly the screaming stopped and the door lock was heard being set. My legs shook and I swallowed hard. I didn't know anything about self-defense, so I thought about the only thing I was supposed to protect myself and that was my car keys. I grabbed, with each key I had between my fingers, making a fist with spikes in case this person got too far.

Then the light came, but not the artificial light. A natural light. A candle.

I looked at the back of the person who had lit the device, noticing a snake on his back. Oh God.

“You're lucky I brought you this far. People usually die in the state you were in, not to mention that it's your first time in the red house.”

My mind was spinning. Death? Red house?

“I'm sorry, I…”

“I know you don't understand anything, you don't have to worry, (Y/N). Things are simple…”

“Wait wait, how do you know my name?”

The boy smiled, but only because he didn't answer my question. “I am Changkyun, so we are even.”

A small silence formed. There were hasty footsteps on the other side of the door and desperate hands trying to find a room, I supposed.

“Quiet," he said, "no one is going to come in, but they can’t know that we’re here.”

“So, are you going to explain to me what this is all about?” I asked, anxiety in my voice.

“Listen, this place isn't for people like you," he said with a dark look in his eye. “Every Saturday there is a massive party where people come to play something like hide and seek," he said with a touch of mockery, but there was more to his voice than that. “There are people who are the "seekers", those who look for people to catch them, when the lights go out, people have ten minutes to run and hide without being able to leave the place, and when those ten minutes are over…”

A loud noise that made the whole building rumble was heard loud and clear. Changkyun smiled and looked at me. “It is time to play.”

The boy reached inside his jacket and looked at me before taking the goatee. “Don't leave here until I come back for you. Don't open the door for anyone, understand?”

My nod did not reach his eyes for he had already left the room and locked it again before closing the door behind him. I turned around to look around, finding a couch that looked warm, a rug in the middle of the room, and a mini-bar. I didn't want to wonder what the room was for because there were other strange surfaces.

I sighed as I sat on the couch with the candle in my hand. The idiot was into this kind of game, but I still didn't understand enough, what did he mean when he said it was time to play? The idea that this was a deadly game haunted me, but it couldn't be that murky. I unconsciously denied it by huddling more in my place. A few screams were heard outside the room, causing me to shiver. Good Lord, what was all that about?

I couldn't just stand here, what if I'd just been set up? Yes! That had to be it.

I approached the door slowly, removing the latch and preparing to leave when I felt the door open from the outside. It was Changkyun rushing in, panting without facing me. I looked at his back with curiosity, without blowing out the candle, he turned to see me. I could see the drops of what appeared to be blood on his shirt and face.

My body froze.

"Run"

My movements went faster than I thought trying to go around him to escape through the door that was still open, however a gust of wind hit my face when I noticed the door closing with twice the speed I was going. I closed my eyes in fear and lowered my head. Was I really going to die now?

“Raise your head, we must get out of here," he said, puzzling me.

“Aren’t you gonna kill me?” I asked, but he didn't answer. He walked past me and opened the only window in the room wide, tore the spring and squatted on the frame. And out of nowhere, I lost sight of him.

I screamed as I saw him fall. Rushing to the frame, I saw him standing in the grass on that side of the place. I wondered how come we were on the second floor if, in my memory, I hadn't walked up the stairs.

“Jump!” He shouted from below, showing his arms in front of him.

“You're crazy!” I shouted in annoyance looking behind me. There was no way he could make me jump.

“They're going to kill you. Come here.”

“How do I know you won't kill me?” I asked, scared, my throat tightening. I looked at the free fall I would have and felt the air get stuck in my chest.

”We'll go home, I promise, I'll tell you everything, but please come with me," he begged, and it was the first time I'd seen him this worried. He always used to look relaxed and without any worry in him, but the reality just now was different.

My shoulders fell in place. I would die anyway. The screams kept coming from the door, when it suddenly opened. The latch had never been set and now it was just me and death. I looked over my shoulder, noticing a figure approaching.

“Please!" was the last thing I heard before I fell freely through the door frame.

And everything went black.

A severe headache was constantly poking at my head. The back of my eyes hurt, as if I had been looking at the artificial light for a long time. I was cold and somehow I could think it was midnight. Hearing noise in the distance, I sat down where I had been lying. It was my living room, but there was someone else. My heartbeat quickly started to increase when I remembered a little of what had happened.

“You woke up. Here, I made you some tea, but I'm not good at anything that has to do with cooking so I don't think it tastes like anything," said the idiot, suddenly appearing with a half smile, rubbing the back of his neck in discomfort.

I tasted it and indeed, it tasted like nothing but bitter water, but I didn't tell him. I just took a deep breath and looked at it. He was looking at me so intently that I almost forgot what had happened. The stains on his shirt gave him away and he wasn't wearing his jacket.

“What happened," I asked, holding the cup in both hands so that he could give me some warmth. Changkyun sighed and sat down beside me. “You fainted, I think from the fright and the mixed emotions. I had no car, so I went through your pockets and found your keys and brought us home.”

Listening at his statement, I took a look outside my house seeing the car perfectly parked in the driveway. “Did you put your hands in my pants?” I asked with a scowl.

The boy instantly raised his hands in fright. “No, the keys were in your sweatshirt," he said, clearing his throat after that. “I'm sorry you were there, you really can't go back…”

“I want to know everything about that place, though…” Changkyun looked at me with doubt, and I put the cup down on the small coffee table. “You said you would explain everything if I threw myself out of the window, and here we are so start talking.”

“Well,” he was a bit quiet after that, as if trying to find the right words. “every Saturday there's a massive party at that place. Everyone knows about that party because of its high class alcohol and good vibes, but everything has its price. When it's eleven o'clock, the lights go out and people have to hide, of course, the ones who know what the game is about, the ones who don't, just run around senselessly. You have ten minutes to hide wherever you want in the house and when those ten minutes are up, the seekers come out to have some fun. What we call, "the wolf." Have you ever heard the nursery rhyme of, "We'll play in the forest while the wolf is away? Well, that's what it's about. They go out at ten past eleven to kill anyone they can get their hands on, lights out. When another ten minutes go by, the lights come back on and the party's over.”

My surprised face seemed to alarm him as he got nervous and looked down. “Once you enter the red house parties, you can't stop attending, because after that day, they know all about you and will do his best to see you die. The red house is a secret, no one should tell the police, and there has to be a winner. One that's left alive among all of us…”

“Then you and Jooheon…”

“Yes, he and I went into those parties three years ago, but after the first one we were as scared as anyone else. We left intact and tried to just forget about it and move on with our lives, but the seekers were smarter. They started sending us letters threatening to come back or kill anyone we came in contact with. We tried to move but nothing worked, so... We had no choice but to play the game.”

“But why are you the one who's full of blood? I could bet you're carrying a knife in your jacket right now.” I accused him, staring at his stained shirt.

“I'm carrying a knife because we've formed a clan. We're seven people from different places and ages who are willing to kill the seekers to end this nonsense, but... They have lots of henchmen, too, and every Saturday it seems to get harder.”

I looked at the clock on the wall in front of us striking twelve in the morning. I felt somehow agitated and helpless. “Jooheon’s little brother told me that you were beginning to be interested in going to the parties, but he never let you because we knew what you would be exposed to. He is an ally, not a member of the clan, but because of Jooheon he ended up in trouble. You were really warned, you have to run away, or dig a hole and stay there…’

‘What if I fight with you?’ I said but I felt I should have kept quiet. His gaze became darker as his breathing became heavier.

“I would never let you expose yourself to that, you are crazy.” His tone was so authoritative that I did not know whether I wanted to challenge him or obey his order.

“Listen, you said that somehow the seekers know who you are. Before I jumped out the window a man saw me, they know who I am already... I might as well die so let me fight for my life.”

“I can't let those bastards hurt you.”  his voice seemed to get deeper as time went by. “I won't let them touch a single strand of your hair.”.

His attitude took me by surprise. “Changkyun…” I tried to negotiate with him, come to an agreement.

My voice was interrupted as I was whipped on my back, with both of his hands around my wrists pinching any possible movement. I had him so close, God. He smelled of pure masculinity... of heavy, dark perfume mixed with sweat. I inhaled without wanting to look too harassing, but it was impossible to go unnoticed by the boy's eyes, who smiled so charmingly.

“You are not going to die... Not tonight, not ever," he whispered close to my lips. I stuck out my tongue as a reflection and that drew the boy's gaze upon me. His eyes connected with mine, directing them a few milliseconds to my lips and back to my eyes, as if to say let me kiss you.

I inhaled hard again filling my lungs with his scent, starting to feel the weight of his lips on mine. I closed my eyes on contact and I could swear I had tasted an aphrodisiac. The texture was so similar to silk but the depth with which he took me was so mesmerizing that my brain threatened to fade again. I opened my eyes, noticing her eyelashes lying so thinly on his cheeks, which were slightly flushed. His black bangs tickled my eyebrows because of the closeness. Slowly he let go of my wrists, giving me way to touching his shoulders and running my arms around his neck, as I felt his muscles contracting. One of his hands went down to my waist in circles, while the other remained steady on my cheek, not letting its weight fall entirely.

His back muscles tensed and relaxed as my tongue gently traced his lower lip, seeking to deepen the kiss. Changkyun gladly agreed to begin a delightful dance, each taking his time to delve into the other's body. Changkyun pressed his body against mine, causing me to gasp, which separated me from the kiss, causing us to open our eyes to see each other. His lips were tinged with a light and beautiful red, while I happened to notice a glint above his left eye. I reached out with one hand to clear his bangs and found a striking detail on eyebrow. A captivating perching that lit a flame inside me.

I brought him back to my lips and we enjoyed each other's company all night long. Maybe this game thing could be a reason to see each other more often.

I woke up in my room, in a horrible heat. My neck and back were sweating, which made me instantly sick. It was 7:00 in the morning and it was already so damn hot. I took a shower and went into the living room to find Changkyun's body lying on the couch. His jacket was on one of the kitchen chairs, so I went over to check it out. I reached into the first pocket, instantly pulling out the knife I knew he was carrying. It was partially covered in blood. Feeling an electric shock down my spine, I couldn't help but sigh deeply. At any rate, Changkyun was the good guy, right?

I found his cell phone, but I felt his stare on the side of my head. I turned around to see that Changkyun had woken up but not only that, he was looking directly at me.

“Are you looking for something that proves the opposite of what I showed you yesterday?”

“I am.” I said, nodding.

“Damn it, I thought everything was all right," he said in a hoarse voice, snatching his cell phone from me.

I frowned and shrugged. “You always have to be careful.”

That seemed to insult him as he looked at me skeptically. Not giving a second glance at him, I headed to the kitchen for a glass of orange juice. The boy quickly went to the refrigerator to pour himself the same drink. I noticed the smell of last night with more intensity and turned around to see it. He wasn't wearing a shirt.

The liquid froze in my throat making me feel the sudden acidity, causing my body to cough slightly. The image that I had in my kitchen was worthy of admiration but I simply could not stand it at seven in the morning. Changkyun laughed and tapped my back.

“I'm sorry to surprise you, it's just that it's hot," he said as if it were the most normal thing to do. My eyes rolled back in their narcissism and I headed for my living room.

“Don't you want to take a shower?”

The boy moved his eyebrows suggestively. “Do you want to see me all wet and naked?”

My face turned a deep red and I had to refrain from throwing the remaining juice in the glass. “At your house, you idiot.”

“Yes, try to fix your horniness.” He said, taking his clothes. “I'll be back in a minute, princess.”

I fake gagged at the pet name and rolled my eyes. He put his shirt back on and left my house giving me time to breathe. God, couldn't I be in the same place as him for one more minute without thinking about indecent things?

After a few minutes of searching for something to watch on netflix, I settled down on my couch when the doorbell rang.

“It's still open.” I yelled because I assumed it was Kyun, but no one came in. Strange. I got up from my place opening the door, finding Jooheon’s brother.

“Can I come in?" he asked hesitantly. I looked at him in surprise, and without saying anything to him, I moved away from the door to let him in. “I only came to apologize for having lied to you about not knowing anything. I also came to see if you were all right.” His look never connected with mine, which bothered me to some extent. I crossed my arms and looked at him.

“I don't understand why you did it, but I guess it doesn't matter now, it just matters to get out of that silly game.”

“Did Changkyun explain everything to you?” I nodded and cleared my throat.

“Yes, he brought me home.”

He played with his hands and reached into his jacket bag. Taking out a small envelope, he gave it to me. “Don't trust anyone.” He whispered before he left, making me scoff. Yeah right, look who says that.

Once the boy left my house, I took the envelope in both hands and sighed. There was no sign of Changkyun returning from his home, so I tore the white envelope and found a half-wrinkled note with somewhat illegible handwriting, but which clearly said, "Welcome to the game.” with my name in the bottom right corner. There was an extra note that made my heart start beating fast. I was beginning to think that my best friend, if I could still call him that, had more ideas about the game than others might have. I shook my head and sighed, I couldn't do that to Changkyun and Jooheon, they had somehow kept an eye on me all this time.

The doorbell of my house rang, making me shudder, to quickly put the letter in the first drawer I saw. I took three deep breaths and then approached the door. I opened it to find the boy with a purple hoodie and a gray pantsuit. I smiled at him as calmly as possible and invited him in.

Saturday again. I had contacted my best friend several times after that letter. He assured me that he did not know absolutely about its contents but I knew that he was lying to me. Now he would take me to the building, winning over Changkyun whom I had to refuse the offer.

Speaking of Changkyun, we had both had meetings at the other's house, more casual than I would have thought. He rarely went over the line and always used to make the times much more comfortable. We had not reached the stage where we had gone to bed for any purpose other than sleep, and somehow he felt that he was waiting for something.

At ten o'clock, the car parked in front of my house. I was just about to leave when I noticed my best friend coming into my house at a fast pace with a box in his hands. He scanned my body, noticing my red satin dress and my silver heels. He smiled and took my hand.

“I think I have something for you," he said, pulling out a black dress that was supposed to be attached to my body, halfway up my thigh and angel wings of the same color. I looked at him skeptically and he laughed. “Come on, it's part of the deal if you want to come to the party after all, and I know Changkyun will not resist you with this on.”

I took the garment in my hands and took a big breath of air. Would he really?

I didn't think about it anymore. Going to my room and putting on my clothes. A chill ran down my back but I did not let the feeling of fear win over me, just taking a couple of deep breaths before returning to the room where my friend was sitting on the couch with his cell phone in his hands. When he saw me, he smiled broadly and took my hand to walk on my feet. “Damn, you look beautiful. Let’s go now, there’s a boy you must conquer tonight.”

That night I felt that I was about to make the biggest mistake of my life but at the same time I thought… Do I really have to do this to come out alive? Could the game end after all?

We entered the building. The walls were moving at the sound of the song playing currently...

My breath got stuck in my throat when I located the boy I was there for. Changkyun saw me with such a penetrating and seductive look. He was wearing leather jeans alongside a short-sleeved satin shirt with different colored patterns, purple, blue, yellow and red. There was a chain on his pants and from his neck fell a necklace of what appeared to be a gold chain. His hair was disheveled, although it had a specific direction and that was his right, raised slightly upwards allowing me to see his forehead and his piercing to perfection. As we connected glances, he smiled openly at me. My throat closed for a moment, leaving me breathless, but I managed to look normal to his scrutinizing gaze.

Apologize, never apologize

You hate the way I lie

So here you go, I'm being honest

“Hey, are you a fallen angel?" he asked, touching his fingertips to the wings tied behind my back. I smiled and denied that question.

“No, I only came to find a demon with which to play tricks in this destroyed world." I said, approaching him tentatively. At my boldness, I noticed how his gaze darkened a little.

“Then it's your lucky day, because I'll be the one to deny you entry to heaven, honey.”

Narcissist, come on, give us a kiss

Let's have some fun with it

It's kinda sweet...

Both of us, with the look of some children with a new toy, starting to head for the same place. It was still early, so the seekers and his henchmen didn't worry us at all. Once inside the room we had been in a week ago, Changkyun locked the door, his back at me. At the sight of his legs inside those leather pants, I couldn’t help but bite my lower lip. Thoughts of impurity began to tingle in my mind, causing my temperature to rise constantly.

Once the boy began to approach me, I felt that I still had a way out and that everything could change at any moment. That I still had time to take it back. But then he planted his lips on mine and all I could think about was "Shit."

The situation was getting deeper and more exciting. It tasted bitter, as if it had tasted blood itself before it kissed me. The slight taste of alcohol flooded my taste buds as his tongue investigated my palate. Our tongues brushed against each other, sending shivers down my spine. Jesus.

His scent was beginning to make me dizzy. Too manly and addictive, it made me want more, like nicotine straight into my bloodstream. I gasped for air, which the boy agreed to do by separating himself from me. In less time than I thought, my back was on the couch in the room, my eyes looking directly into his irises that I could hardly discern from the lack of light, since the only light there was the red LED light that was all over the building. His skin was slightly pinkish. His touch traced my figure in an exquisite manner, making me feel a warm path where he posed his fingertips.

Four in the morning, you're changing the locks

How could you do this to me?

I placed my hands around his neck and brought my lips close to his, nibbling on the soft, tender skin. His moles covered some extremities of his body provoking me to mark each and every one with marks that could become darker for the next morning. He was mine. Changkyun was mine for the night.

I only love you when you don't love me

Oh, baby, so, why do you love me?

His hands pulled the wings off my back in a slow and torturous manner causing the air to get stuck in my lungs with no escape. His lips went to my collarbones making me separate from him. His tongue began to trace the exposed skin smiling on the way. With his hands, he slipped the straps over my shoulders to drag the dress to my lower body. That's when I leaned on the bed with my feet pushing my hips up so he could finish pulling the garment out.

He smiled at the sight and stood on his knees on either side of my waist to remove his shirt. Every button he undoes means one more step towards one of my deepest fantasies. His torso was exposed, with only his chain resting lazily on his torso. His marked abdomen prompted me to run my tongue over it to taste his sweet flesh and be ecstatic about the ragweed.

I sat up on my elbows looking at the belt that clung to his pants, asking permission with my eyes to help him with that task. Changkyun took the hint and laid down beside me, letting out a gasp. I smiled as it dawned on me that we were at the edge of the cliff, but if it was with him, I would give it my all.

I sat on his lap, feeling his bulge against my core. I gasped at the sensation and made my way to unbuckle the black belt with the silver buckle. I removed the garment in two moves and now, I needed to unbutton his pants. I ran my tongue over my lower lip, directing my hands at a slow speed to tempt his patience, which did not seem to last long. The boy raised his hip to me, grunting underneath.

“What's the matter, kitty, do you want me to help you with your torturous pain?" I asked in a voice that was as if in velvet as I squeezed the right places to make him delirious. “Learn how to beg, darling.”

My index finger began to sway over the boy's covered member, which drove him crazy. He looked at me with his lust filled eyes. “Do it. Please.”

He mumbled that last word, more against his will. With a smile, I removed the button from his leather jeans, dragging the cloth down his thighs. Then I stared at his underwear with a hungry look. The boy noticed my glance and with one movement I was at his mercy again under his body.

“Well played, angel, but in this game you must learn who is in charge," his voice so damned hoarse made my body eager with the sound. The boy took off my bra with one hand, looking agitated. My head dropped back quickly at the sensations. My center began to vibrate with the music in the background.

Without being able to wait a second longer, he removed my underwear by tapping the middle finger of his left hand on my bundle of nerves.

“God..." I hissed at the feeling of that digit, groping on forbidden ground.

The boy smiled as he took off his only remaining cloth, positioning himself on me. We looked at each other for a minute. A long minute, where I could read his eyes. Pure, raw lust.

His member was slowly and pleasantly buried inside me. My hip was raised by the reflection, making me take a big breath of air. I was not a virgin but, it had been so long and the sensation was new and delirious.

“Welcome to hell, little angel," he whispered as he began his deep pounds on me. My face broke into pure moaning and unexplained sounds as I enjoyed the sensation produced by her touch.

The moment reached its peak, approaching with a great electric shock that ran from the tips of my feet to the surface of my head. We both came in unison, creating an exquisite harmony to the contrast of his deep voice and mine. Our gasping and gasping breaths spoke for themselves. Our glances spoke what our mouths couldn't. The connection we created in that instant was so strong and powerful that I thought it would fade. The red light around us fell in a minute, leaving us in darkness. The smell of liquor and sex surrounded us without shame.

In the face of that darkness. The boy came out of me causing one last tremor. And that was the sign. I crawled to my clothes strewn over the arms of the sofa, pulling a knife from the wings of my costume.

I'm fucking crazy, you're fucking crazy, we're all fucking crazy;

I held my breath for a minute.

And then, exhaled hard.

I couldn't see anything at all, and that made everything strangely interesting. I gasped away, crawling to the edge of the sofa where the light was slightly off. And then I saw him.

I noticed how his skin glowed with sweat and his eyes darkened. The light coming in from the window helped me to identify his eyes. His torso was still naked but the bottom was on the dark side of the sofa.

“Pity angel, you decided to be seduced by the ideas of living in a world of lies.”

I drew my knife dangerously close to his naked abdomen. His breathing became faster and his heart began to beat erratically. The metal device I held in my hands began to trace his chest slowly, delineating his skin, his outline. The boy looked at me, some kind of mix between horror and pleasure on his features. Happy in how the game had turned out, I took his jaw with my free hand looking directly at him. A smile spread across my face and I instantly noticed the boy's eyes opening wide, looking up at me, like begging for mercy.

I began to apply more pressure on his chest by opening a slight cut. The air got stuck in my throat, forcing me to continue.

“Only then will we set you free. Kill the leader of the snake clan. Kill Changkyun. It's an easy job, don't you think?"

I closed my eyes trying to make the seekers boss' voice disappear from my ears. My jaw clenched tightly as I struggled with my subconscious about the real right decision.

“Please...” his voice came out in a thread of voice as I felt the burning in his chest, but maybe not because of the physical wound but because of the wound in his heart.

“Oh no," I said with a smile, denying in the process. “No. Your glory days are over, kitty.” I took the impulse, and then, to add more drama to the matter, I asked. “Your last words, Changkyun?

Great was my surprise to see him looking much darker than ever before. With a confused look on my part, I heard him say. “Do you know what they say at the end of every game?”

I jumped up and down as I felt his hand grab my wrist. He dropped me on the arm of the sofa using my own hand, now in the opposite direction, showing the edge to me. With a serious and firm look, he approached my ear whispering the words that were about to dictate my death.

“I knew you wouldn’t be brave enough. It’s time to say game over… (Y/N)”

[dinosaurtsukki]

housemates with shiratorizawa

helloo!! new headcanon series here hehe. i hope you like this very long set of headcanons!

how you ended up in a house with these guys:

they're such a tight-knit bunch considering the fact that they've been living in a dormitory throughout high school

it was probs semi or kawanishi who suggested getting an extra roommate to help with the rent (tendou and goshiki are accident prone they need someone to help pay for repairs)

so ushijima made and put up an ad for an extra housemate. although he didn't disclose the fact that you'd be rooming with 7 other dudes

you were kind of desperate for some housing at this point so you just went with it

the person who greets you at the door is shirabu. but its more like he saw you, your bag, and went back inside the house leaving the door open

you stood there for a whole ten minutes before kawanishi came up to invite you inside

you're instantly greeted by goshiki and semi cleaning the house like crazy. semi was punching a couch cushion so that it looked an extra soft pillow

tbh the only normal you see are ushijima and reon. they're probs the ones who interviewed you to see if you were a good fit as their housemate

despite how weird your first impressions of some of your housemates were, you were still keen to move in

and then that's when tendou decided to come home from the pet shop with an iguana

living there:

you're roommate ends up being shirabu because no one else wanted to room with him (jk they all drew straws and he was lucky)

he's a pretty good roommate: clean, keeps to himself, doesn't play music too loudly

except the fact that he ALWAYS HOGS THE UPSTAIRS BATHROOM

the bathroom might as well just be his because it's FULL of beauty products. also shirabu takes a million years to get ready that at this point, everyone uses the downstairs bathroom

lmao y'all get your revenge tho by using some of shirabu's products when he's gone

its particularly you, semi, tendo, and kawanishi who like to do that

kawanishi: *walks past shirabu*

shirabu: bitch, did you use my fucking Splash of Pomegranate with Exfoliating Sesame Seeds: Rainforest of the Sun Bath and Body Works shower gel?

kawanishi:...no?

semi and reon are both roommates and are probably the most normal people in the house which is saying something

also idk why i feel like they both have a thing for scented candles but they're too shy to tell anyone

like,,, they have a closet full of scented candles and everything

reon: hey, want me to light up Spring Lake or Summer's Kiss?

semi: Summer's Kiss all the way

that's why they always keep their door locked and whenever someone knocks, they quickly snuff out the candle and fan the smoke out of the windows

you: whoa, why does it smell so nice here?

semi: ...air freshener

is kawanishi the only sane, normal person in the house? yeah, probably

he's the one who remembers to get groceries and buy toilet paper and shit and he's so happy he has you to help him out

the thing is though, he's a NOTORIOUS prankster. like, nobody suspects him because they assume its tendou who put packets of ketchup under the toilet seat but no, it was kawanishi

but his favorite person to mess with is his roommate: goshiki

okay goshiki is a Heavy Sleeper and one night you and kawanishi decided to draw criss-cross stocking marks on his legs with permanent marker

goshiki is an alright housemate. he's polite, does his assigned chores, rarely gets into your privacy

but oh my god every morning at 5 am he wakes up the entire house BY BLENDING PROTEIN SHAKES

you and shirabu considered soundproofing your room or chaining goshiki to his bed

ONE OF THE HOUSE'S GREATEST MYSTERIES: how does goshiki cut his hair?

tendou knows you've been dying to know why so one day he's all 'do you really wanna know?' and you're like 'HECC YEAH' and he takes your arm and brings you to goshiki's room

in there you find him with a bowl on his head and cutting along the rim with his scissors

shirabu is also with him but he has a ruler for his bangs

its the only time they ever get along

tendou and ushijima has hands-down the most chaotic room set-up

for one, half of it, ushijima's half, looks like a traditional japanese house

you know that scene in BNHA where todoroki was showing off his room? yes that one

y'all are like 'how was he able to bring tatami mats in his room?'

and then tendou's half looks like a weird-ass storage room complete with an iguana tank (yes he kept it)

tendou probs has those color-changing lights too

and the funny part about it is that both ushijima and tendou are completely okay with the set-up

also tendou has the most irregular schedule ever. like,,, circadian rhythms just wasn't installed in the being that is Tendou Satori

like,, he'll be making mac and cheese at 3 am and just enter your room asking if you want anything

you: WHY WOULD I WANT MAC AND CHEESE AT 3 AM???

shirabu, who's still awake because he's a med student: i'll have some

ushijima on the other hand has such a set schedule and daily routine. he's the definition of 'working like clockwork'

you guys even use him as your clock because why not?

you: guys what time is it?

reon: ushijima just left for his morning run so probably 7am

the only thing is that ushijima,,, generally doesn't cook??

and by that he likes to eat raw vegetables. no seasoning, no nothing

and he always offers to make people snacks and he does it so sincerely that you can't help but accept his snacks

*insert scene of you eating raw carrots at 11 pm while studying*

house incident: everyone being a closeted fan of Naruto

everyone in shiratorizawa is a closeted naruto fan (except for a few but we’ll be discussing) and no i don’t accept criticism on this

goshiki MAY have rock lee’s signature bowl cut and sometimes walks around the house in leg weights but he doesn’t say who he copies them from outright

but EVERYONE ELSE 

you started having your suspicions when you walked into semi and reon’s room looking for a pencil and found semi sitting in bed with a pile of tissues around him and his laptop on his lap

you guys stare at each other for a while and semi just quickly yells “I WAS WATCHING PORN”

you: I DON’T NEED TO KNOW WHAT YOU’RE WATCHING

my boy semi was actually crying to that part in naruto when zabuza and haku died

his roommate reon on the other hand has a secret tattoo

it’s a sharingan tattoo and its on his back, just between his shoulder blades, which is why he doesn’t go around shirtless (his favorite character is itachi don’t @ me)

reon probably owns an akatsuki cloak too

kawanishi has an ENTIRE playlist of the naruto opening and ending tracks that he got from youtube and converted into mp3 format on youtube mp3 converter which he then downloaded and organized into a playlist with the album art when he was thirteen

sometimes you’ll hear him whistling Ikimono Gakari and everyone in the house is all 👂👂👂

tendou is the only one not lowkey about it but he’s not lowkey about anything he likes

and then one day you and tendou are in the kitchen and ushijima decides to watch tv while eating breakfast

while flipping through the channels he comes across the rock lee vs. gaara fight and he just decides to watch while eating

tendou’s like ‘wakatoshi? do you,,, like naruto?’

ushijima: is this naruto? it looks pretty cool

AND THEN YOU AND TENDOU JUST AMBUSH HIM AND GO INTO A TED TALK ABOUT HOW AWESOME NARUTO IS 

while you’re busy ranting about it, semi, goshiki, and reon, who recognize the unmistakable Sounds of Naruto, creep downstairs

semi: oh, cool. it’s naruto

reon: yeah, used to watch it when i was a kid

goshiki: hmm, seems like an alright show

and then USHIJIMA LOOKS AT GOSHIKI AND THEN AT ROCK LEE AND JUST GOES

‘hey, you remind me of that guy’

AND GOSHIKI ALMOST CRIES 

reon and semi end up sitting on the couch, trying to hold in their middle-school selves while watching 

and then kawanishi comes in and he’s just like OH MY GOD NARUTO!!

now almost everyone in the house is watching. at that part when rock lee drops his weights reon and semi jump off the couch and cheer

they can’t hold themselves back anymore

last but not the least, shirabu, who came back from class, walks into the living room to find all of his housemates cheering and crying in front of the TV that’s playing naruto

shirabu: omg u guys are lame

goshiki, sobbing: WE’RE NOT LAME IF WE FOLLOW OUR NINJA WAY

shirabu: welL, OBVIOUSLY THE BEST FIGHT SCENE IS WHEN NARUTO AND ROCK LEE GO AGAINST KIMIMARO YOU UNCULTURED FUCKS

and then he runs up to his room before coming down with THE FULL BLU-RAY DISC SET OF NARUTO ALL THE WAY UNTIL SHIPPUDEN

basically you guys end up watching naruto all day and semi finally admitted that he wasn’t watching porn the day you came into his room

taglist (still open to anyone who wants in!): @montys-chaos​ @miyumtwins​ @strawberriimilkshake​ @pocubo​ @sugawara-sweetheart@akaashisbabydoll @laure-chan@therainroguefanfiction@atetiffdoesart@stephdaninja@oikaw-ugh@charliefredb@dramaqueenweeb1469@tremblinghearts@applepienation@doodleniella

[marvels-writings]

Back & Forth (2)

Maria Hill Masterlist

Series Masterlist

| Part 1 | 

A/N: Is it wrong that I can personally relate to how sassy and arrogant the reader is?

“Hey, Tony?” You asked, entering his lab with the tablet in your hands and Maria following you.

The doors to Tony’s lab opened. One side of the room was arranged with different sizes and colors of suits, the other side with fancy cars and bikes he had collected. The center of the room was an absolute mess, it contained a few hologram projectors and tablets. In the middle of everything, Tony sat working. 

“What’s up, stranger?” He asked, working on one of his suits. You rolled your eyes at the nickname.

He did not bother looking up when you entered. It was a regular occurrence for you to come down to his lab and rant when you were not having a good day. Tony glanced up when he heard two sets of footsteps entering his lab, surprised when he saw Maria following you instead of leading you.

“What is up with this suit?” You showed Tony the tablet. “I mean, this is something I’d buy at the Disney store if I wanted to dress up as Natasha.”

Tony snickered and took the tablet from you, converting the screen into a full-scale hologram in front of him. Maria stood there, a little stunned at the technology, she had not been to Tony’s lab often. You groaned at the suit and started fixing the gloves and the chest area.

Tony switched on his rock playlist, which only annoyed you more. You took the music controls from him after bickering and played your playlist. Tony glared at you and got back to his work as electronic music started playing through the room. You noticed Maria staring and shrugged.

“They all have weird music tastes, my brother listens to classical, I can’t tolerate it,” You gestured around you. 

Maria noticed the rock band posters on the walls and the cd’s which lay spread out in front of a cassette player Tony had plugged into the surround sound. 

“What song is this?” Maria asked, sitting down on one of the boxes in the corner as she watched you work.

“You don’t know this?” You asked, incredulously. Maria shook her head. 

“No one knows your music y/n,” Tony muttered, you glared at him.

“It’s ‘Back & Forth’ by MK, Jonas Blue, and Becky Hill,” You answered, humming the lyrics while working.

Maria shrugged and continued watching you, she needed to observe how you worked and how you thought to give you tasks. But you started making conversation with her while you worked on your suit which caught her off guard. The brunette stuttered while answering your questions, glaring at Tony whenever he snickered at her behavior. Tony had never seen Maria blush or fluster around someone. 

“How long have you worked with them?” Maria asked you shrugged and replaced a part on the hologram. 

“A few years at least, you wouldn’t believe how often they get themselves injured.” You answered, humming to the music you were playing.

Tony got up and fidgeted with the thermostat, making it warmer. You groaned and bickered with him. 

“You picked the music,” Tony argued, you glared at him.

Eventually, it got too warm for you. You unbuttoned your button up to reveal a tight tank top underneath it. You fanned yourself with the collar of your button-up. Maria tried not to stare but failed. 

“So, what exactly does the s/o do?” You asked, changing the topic before Maria could start complaining about the temperature. 

“I supervise what you do, guide you to become better, and observe you,” Maria answered easily.

“That’s it?” You asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Well, I also,” Maria stuttered when you took off your button up in the heat. 

The brunette gulped, staring at you. The sweat on your body had created a light sheen, but you wore it like you were glowing. You looked hot.

“Also?” You asked, drawing her out of her thoughts. smirking when you saw her blush. 

“I, I also make sure you stay out of trouble,” Maria said. You laughed at her response, knowing it wasn’t her original response. 

“Good luck with that.” Tony chuckled.

“What?” Maria asked, you snickered and went back to work, leaving Tony to explain. 

“One of the greatest spies in the Avengers and Captain America have been trying to keep her out of trouble for the past four years,” Tony explained, gesturing to your laughing state. “None have succeeded.”

“Well, that’s that then,” You laughed, getting up and stepping away from the suit.

You swiped the hologram back into the tablet and showed the newly improved suit to Tony. His eyes widened slightly. You had improved it a lot. There were now fingerless gloves. The suit was a little tighter. The shoes were athletic trainers. There were lines of fav/color and gold adorning it. 

It was minimalist but gorgeous. 

“See, now it doesn’t look like a Halloween costume,” You remarked. 

Tony grumbled a sarcastic comment and plugged it into a machine and examined it. Maria moved to leave, but you called her name, stopping her. Slinging your button-up over your shoulder, you gestured outside. 

“Wanna go get a bite?” You asked. 

“Where?” 

“I don’t know, Tones, any suggestions?” You shouted over your shoulder while walking outside. 

“There’s a great Italian place a few blocks out,” Tony shouted absentmindedly.

“Great, JARVIS, send the directions to my car.” You instructed, grinning as you left the lab.

“Of course Ms. Strange,” JARVIS said, interrupting the music. 

Tony grumbled something about the music and changed it back to his rock music. 

“You know your way around,” Maria commented, you shrugged.

“Isn’t that a good thing though?.” You asked, walking around as if you owned the tower.

“Maybe,” Maria shrugged.

You left your room to change into something else, Maria didn’t have a change of clothes, so she waited for you by the entrance. 

Maria thought about you while waiting, she hadn’t expected you to be like this. She Had heard you were arrogant and conceited, just like your brother. The brunette had expected you to hate her, but instead, you had invited her for lunch. The rumors about you were true, you were arrogant and annoying, but it was easy to get along with you. 

Deep in thought, the brunette didn’t notice you walking up to her. 

“S/o, you ready?” You asked. Maria turned around to face you, you’d changed into a casual light blue v-neck blouse, with black ripped jeans, Puma shoes and a smoke denim jacket with a flannel interior. 

“Stop calling me s/o,” Maria muttered, you laughed and led her over to your car.

You drove a black Lamborghini, bought with your own money. Stephen wanted to claim it as his, but you refused to let the master of the mystic arts drive around in your car. So, you kept it.

“But you are my s/o, or are you cheating on me?” You teased, opening the driver's seat of the car and sitting inside. 

The interior of the car was a bright red, Maria looked around the car while sitting down. You looked at the instructions on the screen and shrugged. You started the car and played your playlist, talking about how you bought the car before you noticed you’d been rambling. 

Maria was absentmindedly listening to you, her attention to how fast you were going. She had been in a car with Romanoff and many other people who loved to drive fast. But you were going faster than any of them. 

You glanced over to see Maria clutching the armrest tightly, you chuckled and put your hand on top of hers casually. 

The brunette almost pulled away instantly, already tense at how fast you were driving. But she stayed, clenching and unclenching the fingers of her free hand. ‘Back & Forth’ started playing from your playlist, you started humming and tapping the beats of the song on Maria’s hand. 

‘You're only nice when you wanna be

You always leave me wondering, wondering’

Maria took in a deep breath, unsure of where lunch with you was going to take her, but she was liking it so far. 

‘It's the same old story in this tug of war

We go back and forth, we go back and forth’

| Part 3 | 

Tag List: @capcarolsdanver, @versdan, @lesbian-girls-wayhaught, @lovebotlarson, @dhengkt, @5aftermidnight, @hstoria​, @natasha-danvers, @veryfunnyal, @xxxtwilightaxelxxx , @ophelias-heart  , @never-didbefore , @justarandomhumanhere, @the-most-unicorn-of-them-all , @thatssocamryn , @lesbian-x-blackwidow , @marvelbbyx , @wlw-imaginesss , @hcartbyheart , @summergeezburr let me know if you’d like to be in any of my tag lists!

A/N: I’m in a bit of a writer’s block rn so this chapter isn’t as good, but tell me what you think!

[connorandersons-blog]

He Didn’t Miss

Rating: Explicit Word count: 6452  Ship: Convin (Connor/Gavin Reed)

Summary: Connor and Gavin are forced to work together on a serial killer case. Someone is killing androids with bat and doesn't seem to leave a trace. Can the two figure out who the murder is and somehow get along?

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

"You gotta be fucking with me," Gavin growled, crossing his arms. Connor stays standing behind the chair, looking between the Captain and Reed. 

"I am not. While Hank is away you two will work together. Connor is still not allowed to work alone and you're my next best detective." Fowler sighs, rubbing at his face.

Connor had guessed this was going to happen so he was already prepared for the news. Gavin turns and glares at Connor like this was his idea, which it wasn't. 

"Fuck, how long will Anderson be gone?" Gavin sighs. 

Connor cuts in before Fowler can answer. "He will be gone for two more weeks and three days." 

While Hank was gone he left the house and Sumo for Connor to take care of. Connor was happy to do so, and since he already practically lived there it wasn't much change. 

"Fuck. Fine, but don't expect us to get along." Gavin says. He doesn't wait for Fowler's dismissal before stomping out of the office. 

"Is there anything else, sir?" Connor asks. 

Fowler just shakes his head. "No. Well… Reed isn't so bad. Just try not to kill each other and you'll be fine. Now get out." 

Connor nodded and walked out, closing the door softly behind him. He went back to his desk, pulling up the case he and Reed would be working on. 

There had been four murders already and one that had just been found. They'd have to go to the crime scene soon, but Connor thought it best to let Reed cool down a bit. 

It took the detective exactly 28 minutes and 32 seconds before Gavin walked over to Connor's desk. "Let's get a fucking move on." 

Connor quickly stands, making sure his tie is tight before following Reed. He's half-expecting for them to get a cab or just use one of the cars the dpd has. Instead, Reed leads them to the parking lot and a red 1971 Ford Mustang Convertible. 

"This is an old car, 68 years old to be exact," Connor says, looking it over. It's clear that Gavin takes good care of it; the car is completely clean and polished. 

Reed glances at him, eyes widening before he scowls. "Yeah, what about it?" 

"I'm simply appreciating it." He tries to smile warmly but it probably comes off a bit awkward. 

Gavin furrows his brows before shaking his head and getting in. Connor follows suit, sliding into the passenger seat. The seatbelts are already buckled behind them so Connor just sits there while Gavin starts the car.

"Never gonna say goodbye

Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you"

Gavin's eyes went wide and he quickly turned the music off. "Shit! Uh, I…it was, I wasn't actually-" Gavin trailed off. "Don't you dare tell anyone about this, you hear me?" 

Connor quickly put his hands up. "I won't, though I don't see why you would be embarrassed about your song choice." 

He had experimented with every genre of music available, and listened to all the songs Hank deemed as 'classics'. 

"I'm not fucking embarrassed. Just-just shut the fuck up, ok?" Gavin said before pulling out of the parking lot. 

Connor stays quiet as requested for the rest of the drive, mentally going over what they already knew. There was very little available while also having too much. 

They get to the crime scene and Connor quickly leaves the car. The silence had been too heavy and too awkward for his liking.

The house looked like a cut out from Architects Today magazine. It was beautiful, but not in the olde-worlde quaint kind of way. Everything was geometric, which he guessed you could say about almost house with square windows, but on this house, he couldn't help but notice it. 

The roof was flat for a start and the door was wide as it was tall. The windows took up entire walls with only polished steel beams to break them into yet more rectangles. 

The look would have been entirely metallic like a mini downtown skyscraper had it not been for the cedar beams of the external porch and the matching raised plant beds that contained only white blooms. 

It was definitely crafted after the revolution and for androids. Markus had set up lots of funding for housing from money Carl had gifted him along with selling his own paintings. He would do his best to help any androids who wanted to buy their own homes instead of staying at Jericho. He also knew Carl Manfred donated most of his art to the cause as well. 

The door was already open and officers walked in and out. The floors were polished concrete and the furniture scandinavian in style. The only mess was the wet footprints the police tracked. That is until they reached the living room. 

The living room is decorated the same but now it also had blue blood everywhere. The humans couldn't see it, but he could and it sent a shiver down his spine. 

The android, an ST200, lies on the ground the body completely mutilated. She's stripped completely bare but that doesn't mean much at this point with how her body is. 

She's almost unrecognizable with how badly damaged she is. "Shit." Gavin grumbles and Connor nods numbly. 

He walks over, careful not to disturb any evidence before crouching down. He scans over the body making notes in his head of any important details. 

Her eyes are still open, staring lifelessly up at the ceiling. Connor reaches out and closes them, not being able to handle them open. He hated remembering Daniel's eyes just staring at him as he kneeled on that roof. 

There is no way this Chloe could be repaired. Her memories would be far too damaged to do so. Not to mention the amount of trauma she must have gone through.

Once he finds everything he can he slowly stands and looks around the room. There is a small shrine set up for rA9 near a window and Connor glances at it. He hadn't thought much about rA9 but it had become common to say 'oh rA9' like humans would with God.

There isn't an obvious murder weapon lying around so it's more likely that the killer had brought it with them. 

"I believe the killer brought a bat with them, so this could definitely be from the same killer as the other four," Connor said once he had looked through the rooms.

"Nah dip," Reed said, looking down at the body then grimacing. "So we got a serial killer who beats androids with a bat. Wonderful." 

"I don't agree, this isn't wonderful in any way." It was horrifying and gruesome. It made his stomach churn and he couldn't even get sick. 

Gavin snorts but quickly cuts it off. He looked around them before glaring at Connor. "I was being sarcastic." 

Connor slowly nodded, hiding his own grin. He knew Reed was being sarcastic, and his response got the reaction he was hoping for. Reed may not like him now, but he made it his mission to become at least on friendly terms by the time Hank gets back. 

He wasn't as clueless as many thought. Sure there were things he didn't instantly understand, but he had the entire internet in his head. Even then there were some things that he still didn't understand, but that was fine. Not knowing the answer to everything was a part of being alive. 

"Oh, I will try to remember that. Sorry for the misunderstanding, Detective." Connor nods. "I believe I may be able to get more information from the other bodies." 

There had to be some DNA evidence somewhere. The person may not be in the system, but the evidence would be used once they got a suspect. 

Gavin looks down at the body again before wincing. "Hopefully they aren't as bad as this one. I'm gonna take a look around the rest of the house." 

Connor follows along even after Gavin started bitching about 'stupid androids' and 'acting like a lost puppy'. Connor took it in stride, making small comments when Reed would say something particularly stupid. 

"You're the most annoying android I've ever met. Aren't you supposed to just obey and not talk back?" Gavin snaps at him. 

"Sarcasm is just one more service I offer. If you'd like to make a complaint I'm sure Cyberlife won't give a single fuck either." He grins. Then he's shoved back against the wall, and Gavin is glaring up at him. 

He almost feels satisfaction from getting Reed this worked up, but most of his attention is directed on how close they are. 

Gavin holds him against the wall even though Connor could easily get away if he wanted. They both knew who would win in a fight. "Shut the fuck up. I am your superior and you will not talk back to me while at work." 

Oh, he made it too easy. "So that means I get to talk back when we aren't working?" 

Gavin quickly pushed away, wiping down his clothes like he thought Connor had cooties. "Fuck off!"

"What a way with words, I'm so impressed." Connor deadpans. Messing with Reed was just too easy. "We have searched the whole house, I believe we should head back." 

Gavin clenched his fist before slowly relaxing it. "Fine. Let's go, Tincan." He hit his shoulder as he stomped away. 

Connor couldn't help but roll his eyes as he followed after. At least he had a good view from back here. 

He wouldn't deny Gavin being… aesthetically pleasing. He often hid behind baggy shirts or jackets, but Connor could tell he kept very good care of himself. 

He just didn't have the best of personalities. He was impulsive and crude. He made comments on basically everything he didn't agree with or disliked. Though, he seemed to lie a lot when it came to androids. 

Connor had yet to figure out why he lied or why he was so angry. There was a suspicious lack of background in his file, so perhaps something happened in the past. How he could completely cover something up was beyond him. He didn't have any hacking skills from what he saw. 

He had to find out what Gavin was hiding. Hank hadn't told him anything even with all his pushing. He couldn't ask Chris or Tina, he wasn't close enough to them to even bring it up. 

So that left asking Gavin. He'd either have to get him angry and frustrated enough or he could try to get closer. He'd prefer to later, but there was a very low success rate of that. 

He still wanted to try, though. He wanted to get to know Gavin. He wanted to become friends and have him to turn to if he needed help. Maybe they could be more, though that was laughable. 

If Gavin couldn't get over his prejudice then it would never work. He couldn't be close to someone who hated his people. He could try to change his mind slowly, but until then he couldn't let himself dream. 

The ride back was just as uncomfortable and awkwardly silent as the ride to the scene had been. Gavin never looked over at him as he drove, he didn't even turn on any music. 

Connor didn't try to make conversation. Small talk would just make things more uncomfortable. Connor pulls his coin out and rolls it across his fingers. 

Gavin jerks the car slightly and the coin drops to the ground. Connor glances over as he bends to grab his coin and sees a small smirk on Gavin's face. 

Connor goes back to doing his coin trick and having to pick it up whenever Gavin is a bit rougher with his driving. 

That lasted the entire way back and Connor had dropped his coin exactly seventeen times. Neither says anything as they get out of the car and go into the station. 

Connor goes to the evidence room while Gavin goes back to his desk. 

The android parts are no longer just hanging, but they now are treated similarly to humans. 

Connor goes over the bodies, taking samples when necessary. He's gotten good at compartmentalizing so he does his work without letting his emotions get in the way. 

That didn't mean it was hard to see. Anyone would have problems seeing their own people brutally murdered. 

From the looks of it, the androids had been alive when most of the damage was dealt. Their death didn't stop the killer from continuing to beat the bodies until they were unrecognizable. 

Whoever did this really hated them, and from what he could tell the only connection was that they were androids. 

He was on the last body and had very little hope left. He hadn't found one spec of DNA so this was looking more towards an android committing the crimes. Definitely wasn't the first time an android murdered, but it was odd to see this much rage directed at their own kind. 

He was about ready to give up until he saw something. A small spec of dried red blood. 

He pressed his finger against it, and then brought it to his lips. He found DNA. He could jump for joy, but he keeps his cool. There was no match in the system, but they needed this. 

He could find a lot out just from the blood, so that would narrow down their suspect pool. 

He stands there for a few seconds, analyzing the blood. Once that was done he quickly jogged out and to Gavin's desk. 

Gavin was sipping on coffee and talking to Officer Chen. He slowed his pace as he got closer. He didn't want to interrupt as that had a high chance of simply pissing Gavin off. 

Chen looked up and gave him a slight wave. "Connor, how has worked with grumpy pants been?" 

Connor walked up, leaning slightly against Gavin's desk. "Not the worst. I just found a break in the case. How have you been?" 

"Not bad on my end. This fucker won't stop whining about how sn-” she's cut off by a hand over her mouth. Gavin glares at her, and then quickly pulls his hand away. 

"Ugh, that's disgusting Tina. You're such a bitch." He sighed, wiping his hand onto Tina's arm. 

She squeals and jumps away, flipping him off. "But I'm your bitch. Talk to you boys later; don't get into any extra trouble." She laughs as she runs off, waving at Connor. 

Gavin sighs and shakes his head fondly. Then he turns his attention back to Connor and his expression quickly changes to one of irritation. "You found something?"  

"I did. I found a small drop of red blood on the body that most likely came from the killer." He starts. Gavin nods along, propping his feet up on his desk. "The blood belonged to a white man, 24 years old, with AB+ blood type." 

Gavin raised an eyebrow. "Anything else? Maybe you can get this man's name too." 

"The most common boy names born in 2014 in the US are Noah, Liam, Mason, Jacob, William, Ethan, Michael, Alexander, James, and Daniel. There is a chance that he would be named one of those." 

Gavin stared at him for a few seconds before slowly bring a hand up then slapping his own forehead. "Right. I shouldn't have said anything. Is there anything else you got?" 

"There is. The man appears to have had gastrointestinal cancer in the past." There couldn't be that many with all of those requirements. 

"Damn, that sucks. Doesn't give him the right to murder though." Gavin says, rubbing his face. 

Connor has to go over that again a few times to make sure he heard right. He'd never heard Gavin say an android's death was murder. He rarely even said they were killed. Now he had agreed they were murdered. 

He was quickly snapped out of his thoughts when a hand was waved in front of his face. "You still in there?" Gavin asks. 

Connor nods and quickly pushed Gavin's hand away. "I'm fine. I'm just simply shocked. You said they were murdered." 

Gavin freezes before shrugging nonchalantly. "And? That's what happened, isn't it? Beaten to death equals murder." 

"Right, of course. Do you have any leads?" He changes the subject. He didn't want to push Gavin too far with that line of questioning. 

Gavin nods and moves his feet off his desk, tapping on the computer until three files are pulled up. "This fucker is Jonathan Beek. He was arrested for assault using a bat. This one is Abby Willmore; she's works at the same hospital as the other androids. And this ugly fucker is Leon McKenny, he was just released from prison. He was busted for trying to drug androids. Though he may have something to do with it since he was cellmates with Beek." 

"Wait, the androids all worked at the same hospital?" He quickly moves to stand behind Gavin, leaning in to see the screen. 

Before Gavin can say anything he's interfacing with the computer and downloads all the information. He pulls his hand back, setting it down on the desk so he can lean on it. 

His fingers brush against Gavin and Gavin quickly pulls his hand away. Connor hadn't meant to do that, but it still sent a jolt down his systems. 

All of the androids had worked at Karmanos Cancer Institute and they all worked in the same area. This was definitely a lead. 

"Fucking hell, you didn't have to do that weird android thingy. I was gonna answer you." Gavin mumbles, standing up. 

"It's called interfacing, and it's faster that way." Connor points out. 

"I know what fucking interfacing is. God damn, how does Hank stand you? You must be really good in bed if he willingly keeps you around." Gavin snorts. 

Rage builds up and Connor grabs one of Gavin's arms while slamming his down into the desk. Gavin yelps but doesn't struggle in Connor's hold. 

He leans down slightly, tightening his hold. "I don't care what you say about me, but I will not stand for you disrespecting Hank." 

His relationship with the Lieutenant was purely platonic and he never even thought of him once in that manner. 

Gavin's face turns bright red, but from what Connor isn't sure. He shifts slightly, before letting Gavin go. Even then he stays still for a few seconds longer, staring wide-eyed at Connor. 

"He has some people we need to talk to. But I need to check on Sumo first. I can meet you at the hospital or you can join me." He smiles politely and Gavin finally stands back up on shaky legs. 

"I'll come with," Gavin mumbles, staring at the ground. The officers around them quickly turn away when they see Connor looking their way. 

Connor nods and turns on his heel, walking back out of the station. There were a few more hours until the change in the shift so they didn't have too much more time off they decided to end their day with everyone else. 

Neither had taken a lunch break, so Connor really needed to at least let Sumo out to potty before they could continue. 

Gavin followed after Connor, keeping his eyes trained onto the ground and hands shoved into his pockets. 

Gavin drives and doesn't even try to make Connor drop his coin this time. His eyes almost seem glazed over as he stares at the road. 

Connor doesn't question it, just like he doesn't question it when Gavin silently follows him into Hank's house. 

He drops to the ground to pet Sumo before letting him out back. He closes the door and slowly turns when he hears Gavin walking towards him. 

He's ready for whatever Gavin is going to say. What he isn't ready for is for Gavin to push himself against Connor, rolling his hips forward. 

"You think you can just do that and get away with it?" Gavin sneers, pushing Connor back against the wall. "You're a fucking prick. Do you know how much I hate you?" 

Connor stands there shocked for a few seconds. Out of everything Gavin could do—punching, yelling, shooting—grinding against him didn't seem like an obvious choice. 

"You are too perfect. You got this stupid puppy dog eyes, and you can never do wrong. Fuck that, and fuck you." Gavin growls out. 

Connor wasn't exactly opposed but he had hoped this would happen some other way. Maybe after Gavin finally got his head out of his ass. 

"Will doing this make you more agreeable?" Connor questions. He doesn't want to do this just because Gavin is angry. If he was simply pissed then he could go off and find someone else to sleep it. 

"Fuck off. Maybe. I don't know. Just don't slam me into any more desks." Oh, so that's why. 

It made sense, but Connor hadn't thought about that possibility when he had done it. Was it the slamming into a desk or that he did so publicly that got him excited. Perhaps it was both. 

Instead of answering out loud, he grabs Gavin and easily flips them around so Gavin is the one against the door. 

Then Connor pushes their lips together, grabbing him by the hips and one hand around Gavin's throat. He doesn't actually squeeze, but he does put enough pressure for Gavin to feel it a bit. 

Gavin gasps and Connor takes the opportunity. This was far from his first kiss, so he had no problem taking the lead. 

He had experimented after his deviancy and he had found what he liked. There was always more to explore, but that could wait. For now, he focused on kissing Gavin until his knees were weak. 

That goal was soon accomplished, and the main thing holding Gavin up was Connor's body pressed against him. 

So Connor broke the kiss to reach down and pull Gavin up. Gavin yelps and wraps his legs around Connor. 

He easily moves them to his own bedroom and dumps Gavin onto the bed, not even trying to be gentle. If Gavin liked it rough then that's what he was going to get. 

Connor pulled down Gavin's pants and underwear in one motion. He didn't even let Gavin take a breath before he took him in hand. 

Gavin moaned and gripped the blanket under him. "Fuck, Connor." 

Connor smirks at Gavin before leaning down and takes his cock in his mouth. Gavin bucks up into him, but Connor shoves his hips back down. 

Once he has Gavin full-on withering he sucks him to the base. Then he uses his throat and Gavin reaches down and grabs his hair, yanking on it hard. 

Connor hums and continues for a few seconds longer before pulling off with a pop. 

"When the fuck did you learn to do that?" Gavin pants, letting go of Connor's hair. 

Connor pulls his clothes off and throws them towards his hamper. Gavin sits up quickly and pulls his own shirt off before reaching out to touch Connor. 

He lets him explore his body before pulling Gavin into his lap. "Behind a bar." He mutters before nipping down Gavin's neck. 

Gavin drags his nails down Connor's back. He would have broken skin if Connor was a human. Sadly he wouldn't be able to leave a mark on Connor. Though, Connor could leave many marks on Gavin. 

He did try to keep them under where his shirt would be. 

"Fucking ass! Too fucking perfect." Gavin says, once again yanking on Connor's hair. He pulls Connor away from his neck to crash their lips together. 

It's far from gentle, and Connor bites Gavin's bottom lip hard enough to draw blood. In return, Gavin reaches down and grabs Connor's cock, roughly pumping his hand. 

"Didn't know you had one of these." Gavin manages to get out between kisses. 

"I thought you were being a dick to overcompensate, glad to see we were both wrong," Connor smirks before pushing Gavin to lie on his back. 

"Fuck you!" Gavin sneers but spreads his legs. Connor reaches over and opens the small drawer beside his bed. 

He didn't need lube for himself, but he kept it just in case he slept with a human. "I was planning on fucking you. You seem like the kind of slut to like that. You like to be used." 

Connor could relate, though. If he was bottoming then he loved that. He loved feeling used and worthy. He wouldn't judge Gavin for what he liked. 

"Yes! Fuck me. Please fuck me," Gavin begged, spreading his legs even wider. Connor opened the lube and spread some over his fingers. 

Without any warning, he pushed a finger all the way in. Gavin let out a shout but didn't ask for Connor to stop. 

He prepped him as fast as he could, adding fingers in without warning. Gavin didn't seem to mind, actually seemed to enjoy it quite a lot considering all the cursing and moaning that came out of him. 

"Fuck me already you piece of shit!" Gavin snapped and Connor pulled his fingers out. 

He was half tempted to slap Gavin's ass but he holds back. "So needy. You're such a slut for me." Connor murmurs as he lines himself up. 

Gavin half-heartedly glares up at him but his expression quickly changes to one of pain and pleasure as Connor pushes in. 

He only waits a few seconds before he starts to move. He'd instantly stop if Gavin asked him to, but that didn't seem to be happening any time soon. 

Connor grabbed Gavin's legs, pulling them so they were hooked over his shoulder. Gavin was babbling nonsense as he sped up, hitting his prostate with each thrust. 

Connor was so close to the edge, but he wanted Gavin to come first. That doesn't seem like that'll take much longer. 

Gavin comes with a shout, and Connor doesn't slow. He spends up just slightly and soon he's coming inside of Gavin. His hips keep rocking until he's completely spent. 

Gavin is completely limp on the bed, staring up at Connor through glazed eyes. 

Connor pulls out slowly and drops onto the bed beside him. His energies are far lower than he'd like. He hadn't thought he'd go through this much exercise and emotional strain so he hadn't actually gone into stasis for a few days. 

"I need to sleep for a few minutes to regain my energy. You can stay here if you'd like." Connor mumbles. A large part of him wants Gavin to stay. He wants to curl up and pull him to his chest. 

He doesn't get his answer before he falls asleep, but he doesn't feel Gavin leave the bed either. 

He's abruptly woken up by a wet, large tongue being dragged across his face. His internal clock tells him he had only slept for thirty minutes. 

He gently pushes Sumo away, wiping his face off before opening his eyes. 

The bed beside him is cold and Gavin's clothes are no longer on his floor. He must have let Sumo in at some point while Connor was asleep.

Connor climbs out of bed, grabbing his clothes and putting them in the hamper before pulling on clean ones. 

He walks out of the room, Sumo following along beside him. The house is completely silent and empty. 

Connor's heart sinks and he stares at the door. He should have expected Gavin to leave. He should have known this was just a way for him to get his frustration out. Yet he couldn't stop the tears that threaten to spill over. 

It wasn't like he hadn't had one night stands before, but this was different. He actually knew Gavin, at least somewhat. He thought there was the chance that Gavin really knew him, and wanted to be with him. 

But of course, he was wrong. Of course, Gavin didn't want him. Who would? He was only good for a quick fuck. Why had he thought this time was different? 

He slowly slides to the ground, tears running down his cheeks. How could he be so stupid? Why had he let himself think Gavin would have stayed? 

He buries his face in Sumo's fur, letting out choked sobs. It was like someone took a hammer to his chest and beat him with it until his thirium pump was in tiny shards all over the ground. If he moved he'd step on a shard and just cause him more pain.

He stays on the floor until he can finally pull in a breath. He stumbles back into his room and curls up on the bed. Sumo jumps up and lies at his feet, laying his head on Connor's legs. 

He closes his eyes and slowly drifts off into sleep. 

 He drags himself out of bed in the morning. He goes through the motions with limbs that feel as heavy as lead, but he has to work. They still have a case to solve, no matter how much it's going to hurt to be around Gavin. 

He'd be completely professional. No snark, no sass. He could do this. He just had to solve this case and hopefully, Hank would be back early. 

Then he could eat all the thirium ice cream he wants, while curled up on the couch rewatching Finding Nemo for the hundredth time. Hank would sit with him and Connor wouldn't even scold him for the beer he would drink or the pizza he would order.

He made sure Sumo was well taken care of before calling a cab. Part of him wants the cab to get in some accident so he doesn't have to face Gavin. 

Sadly the ride goes quickly and smoothly. He gets to the precinct in record time which makes him just want to smash his head into the cab. 

Instead, he climbs out and makes his way in. He doesn't even look at Gavin's desk, heading straight to his own. He had nothing to apologize for. Gavin hadn't given him any indication to stop, and he definitely would have if Gavin had. 

Gavin didn't really have anything to apologize for either. It wasn't like he was required to stay afterward. He didn't have to at least wait until Connor woke up to leave. 

Yet Connor wanted to wake up with Gavin lying beside him. He had done exactly what he didn't want to do until Gavin stopped hating his kind. 

He hadn't even thought of that when they kissed. He hadn't even thought to really think if he was honest. So if there was anyone to blame it was himself. 

He sat down at his desk and clocked in. He'd have to question people at the hospital but for now, he simply logs all the information they had already gathered. 

He goes over the victims and finds some interesting information. The first one to die was an android made specifically to help patients with cancer. The android–Goa–had continued to work as a doctor even after the revolution. 

Another one–Sierra– had been a consulting doctor that often helped Goa after the revolution. 

The other two had been nurses while the ST200 had been a receptionist. Perhaps a human had been angry about being cared for by androids. 

It seemed a bit excessive to beat the androids as much as he did if it was just because of that. There had to be something else he was missing. 

"Let's go to the hospital," Gavin says, causing Connor to practically jump out of his skin. He hadn't heard him walk up, but he had been incredibly focused.

He can't even look up to meet Gavin's eyes before he stands and pushes his chair in. 

If he thought the car rides had been awkward before, they had nothing on this. Connor wasn't going to be the one to break the silence. If Gavin wanted to talk about what had happened, then he would. Until then, Connor would keep his mouth shut and to himself. 

The hospital is pristine and has that odd smell only hospitals could have. The floors and walls were white and the lights bounced off them a bit too much. 

The two flash their badges and ask the receptionist a few questions. Apparently, the ST200 had kept the name Chloe and everyone loved her. Even the humans that had been unsure of androids had quickly warmed up to her. 

They then move on to question the other nurses, but they get the same results. No one had any idea as to who could have wanted them dead. 

There was the possibility that it was another nurse, but none fit the requirements. 

They pull a human doctor aside when the man has a break. 

"So, do you know of anyone who fits this description?" Gavin asks curtly. His arms are crossed and he stands as far away from Connor as possible without seeming odd. 

The doctor thinks for a second before his eyes light up. "There is one man, he just left. His name is Noah Alexander Smith. His son had same cancer as him and was treated here. He sadly didn't make it, but he went into remission shortly after his son's death." 

"You said he just left?" Connor asks, quickly glancing at Gavin. The doctor nods and gives them a brief description before the two run towards the parking deck. 

The man fit the description perfectly and he had a reason to kill. He probably blamed everyone at that hospital for his son's death. 

"Noah Smith puts your hands up," Connor calls out once they finally find him. The man turns to glance back at them before taking off running. 

Gavin and Connor both let out a sigh before they start chasing after him. They chase him until they get to the top of the parking deck. 

Before either can truly react the man turns and fires a gun at them. Both Connor and Gavin reach for theirs, but it's Gavin who makes the shot. 

The man drops to the ground and Gavin quickly runs over to check his pulse. There isn't one but Gavin wasn't surprised, he had gotten him in the head. He pulls his phone out and quickly calls for help, but Connor can barely think over the pain.

Gavin does a quick check over himself, glad to find no bullet holes. 

Connor stumbles closer, pressing a hand against his stomach. It hurts so much but he can't seem to say anything. 

"Can't believe that. We were right there and he still missed." Gavin sighs, shaking his head, but still not looking towards Connor. 

Connor sways on his feet, his vision glitching and warnings flashing in front of his eyes. "He didn't miss, Gavin," Connor mumbles before his legs give out. 

"Shit!" Gavin yells, quickly moving to catch him before he hits the ground. Gavin slowly lowers them until they are sitting, and Connor keeps his hand over his wound. "Fuck, hey it'll be ok, right?" 

Connor blinks a few times to try to clear his vision. The warnings and alerts won't stop and the timer to shutdown starts. "I need, I need to go into stasis. It'll give me more time." He breathes out. 

"No, no you need to stay awake. Connor, come on. I can't lose you." Gavin pleads, pressing his hand against Connor's. He winces at the pain, body jerking slightly. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. Have to keep pressure, ok?" 

Connor nods and leans heavily against Gavin. "Yeah. Did you call for help?" 

"Of course I did, you fucking idiot. They'll come and you'll be fine. Just gotta fix you up." Gavin says, pulling him closer. 

Connor's eyes fill with tears as he checks his time. "I really need to go into stasis. Stay with me?" He pleads his arms and legs slowly going limp. 

"Of course, I won't leave you, Connor," Gavin says, before frantically calling for help. 

Connor snorts and nuzzles closer. "But you left yesterday. I fell asleep and you left me." 

Connor can hear how fast Gavin's heart is beating as he brings a shaky hand up to touch Gavin's face. "I didn't think I was wanted. But I'll never leave. I want to stay by your side." 

"Why do you-" his mind is flooded with more alerts and he quickly brushed them away. "Why do you hate androids?" 

"I-I don't hate androids. I hate the man who created them, you. I was just angry and scared. I promise I don't hate you." Gavin says. 

"Oh, well you can tell me more about tha-" he's cut off by his systems forcing him into stasis. The last thing he hears is Gavin yelling his name. 

 He slowly wakes up in a bed that's definitely in a hospital. His internal clock tells him he's been out for five hours and forty-two minutes. 

The main in his stomach is almost completely gone, but it does feel a bit different. 

Once all of his systems are up he slowly opens his eyes. The lights are bright so he turns his head. Gavin and Hank both sit in chairs beside his bed. Hank is asleep while Gavin is fiddling with a coin. 

"I can teach you if you'd like," Connor mutters. Gavin jerks and the coin drops to the floor, but neither of them cares. 

Gavin jumps up and slams their lips together. It's a bit uncomfortable and there's way too much teeth, but Connor loves it anyway. 

Gavin slowly pulls away and presses their foreheads together. "I thought I lost you." 

"You can't get rid of me that easily." They both keep their voices down for Hank. Connor stares at Gavin, not being able to get enough. "Though, I still want to know about why you hate androids, or well, why you hate Elijah Kamski." 

Gavin sighs and sits on the bed, interlacing their fingers. "It's a long story, but basically, Elijah is my brother. We had a big fight and yeah. I promise I'll really explain it later, but for now, I think Hank should be woken up." 

"How about this. You tell me about you and Kamski later but you kiss me a few more times before waking Hank." Connor says, grinning up at him. 

Gavin pretends to think for a second before nodding. "I think I can agree with that." Then Gavin leans back down, cupping his face gently. 

It's much softer than before and Connor feels like he's floating on a cloud. 

"Oh, Jesus Christ Connor!" Hank shouts and both Gavin and Connor burst into laughter. 

[nagasanis]

i can't belieb i have no self control... here, take my daughter. she is sneaky. she is pretty. she will not bark but she will bite. i luv her. // im basic so her intro is p much her app

✧ ━━ the courts of switzerland present NAGASANI BEGUM of HINDUSTAN, the TSAREVNA of RUSSIA. the TWENTY-FOUR year old has been QUIET and LOGICAL before the break of war but have now become SCHEMING and STUBBORN. SHE is often remembered by their likeness to ANYA CHALOTRA and FAITHFUL KNEES TURNED TO KA'BAH, HIDDEN FROM ALL CURIOUS EYES ; GOOSEBUMPS FROM THE COLD, ARMS SWAYING A SMALL CHILD ; BEAUTIFUL BLUE AND GOLDEN ROBES STUDDED WITH STONES WAITING TO BE WORN AGAIN. the rumour mills of europe claim that his allegiance lies with HERSELF/HER DAUGHTER and that she is for WAR.

headcanons ;

i ; daydreamer - living under the roof of sultan humayun was no easy feat. however a failure in his political position, humayun was a strict parent. he showed love, yes, but not affection. he drowned his children in expectations to be met from the moment they were born, and nagasani was no different. his father expected her to become a graceful, picture perfect poster child of hindustan - beautiful, skilled in the feminine arts and a devout wife to her husband, as her mother had become. the granddaughter of a german settler turned important merchant, her mother had converted, changed her name, made herself truly hindustani. as she grew, nagasani could never truly understand how her mother could leave behind her whole history and culture for a husband, and do it so flawlessly and easily. however, she was a happy child. in the company of her many siblings she found comfort. in her sisters, of course, she found confidantes and true friends, spending most of her time around them. in akbar, however, she found a mentor, almost. their age difference would not allow for a closer, more horizontal relationship, and her brother's claim to the sultanate left him with little time for his little sister. however the challenges may have been, nagasani had in akbar someone to give her advice, make her stronger. together, they saw their father make mistakes, and together, they would see akbar fix them in his reign. 

ii ; cold shoulder - her brother murad was never a mystery to nagasani. he was trustworthy and an all around loyal man to the sultanate, unlike many of her half-brothers. his opinion came as a surprise. how could he think that selling his little sister off to a russian man was the right choice? most of all, how could akbar keep her from weighing in on the decision? it was final, however. nagasani was to be married to tsarevich yuri, a man known for his promiscuity. she was, after all, a trading coin, she should have known. the decision drives her and her older brother apart, not only geographically as she moves to moscow, but emotionally as she becomes resentful of akbar, and murad much the same. 

iii ; tired - her distaste for the circumstances of her marriage, combined with her husband's reputation, makes nagasani weary of the betrothal from the start. the cultural shift doesn't help, and she becomes rather expressive on her opinions about her move to russian territory. she instantly dislikes the people she's surrounded by, not allowing them a chance, as well as the country itself. she sees no point in trying to love a man who is not willing to love her back, and cannot find a way to grow loyal to a country she holds no affection for. her husband is unfaithful and unbothered, and so she finds no problem in finding her own indulgences. still, she fulfills her duty as a wife when she can, if only to not be killed or disregarded completely. her true love is born out of a loveless encounter with an inebriated tsarevich and tsarevna, and despite not being considered an heir for her gender, karina brings life to nagasani's life. she is her only tie to russian lands, and although she might wish she had none, she does not hesitate in including her daughter in her plans to leave the country.

iv ; hometown glory - her grudge for her brothers do not diminish her love for hindustan, that much is true. she aches to return home, if only to see her land again, her sisters and her old friends, her nieces and nephews, her new sister-in-law whom she has yet to meet in person. going back to living as a begum, however, does not suit her interest. it is true that she has yet to come with a plan for what happens after she frees herself from russian hold, yes, but would it be so far fetched to dream of a loving marriage? would she have to beg akbar and murad not to trade her off again? she is not sure she would survive such a thing. that the future holds for nagasani is still unclear, but while that is yet to come, she makes sure to do what she can to improve her odds at getting it her way.

plot points ;

murad mirza ; chasing pavements - a game of blame is played between siblings. nagasani blames murad (although she doesn't exempt sultan akbar from his share of blame) for her failed marriage, for he was aware of her wishes to remain in hindustan. she fails to understand why roshanara was allowed to marry a once kitchen servant and her forced to marry a man like tsarevich yuri. murad blames nagasani - she was supposed to lure the man into her grace. had she not been raised to be a devout and graceful wife, after all? the dispute is bound to become clearer as siblings reunite in swiss grounds, and nagasani does not wish to mask her resentment for the actions taken by her brothers. 

tsarevich yuri ; rumour has it - her marriage was rotten from the start, that was clear as day. nagasani had no desire to be taken northwest to moscow, and yuri, on the other hand, no desire to be married to a foreign woman. his heart belonged to another, and nagasani not once hoped to gain her husband's affection (although some respect would have been nice). throughout their marriage yuri has not made an effort to hide his endeavours, and nagasani has made no attempts to stop him. she does not care and, in fact, takes his shamelessness as encouragement for her own rendezvous. unlike him, she is more secretive, for she knows a woman has more to lose than a man, and being foreign doesn't help her case. yuri is the embodiment of nagasani's curse and for that, she despises him. the only good thing that ever came from him was karina, and even then, she is unsure of her daughter's truest parentage.*

*note: karina is, in fact, yuri's daughter. i guess in the 1550s there was just no way of really knowing!!

[sparda3g]

Kimetsu no Yaiba Chapter 166 Review

Kokushibou is no joke whatsoever. If his calmness and lack of any expression other than curiosity didn’t tell you that, I don’t know what does. Actually, this latest chapter will certify that claim. It was horrifying enough with Tokito easily overwhelmed; it only gets worse from here, unless that man pulls a miracle. This chapter was damn riveting with yet another horrifying display and surprisingly, a heartwarming scene that instantly changed my mind.

I like that Gotouge sometimes uses the chapter’s cover to illustrate a moment from elsewhere, instead of using multiple pages. It’s not necessary to exploit it with exposition; it can be shown in one image. In this case, we now know Tanjiro is reading the letter about a huge possibility to defeat Muzan. It could be the deal breaker, though we won’t know until he goes for it, let alone learn it. With that out of the way, it’s back to the horror story.

Kokushibou easily impressed me the last time. We’ve never seen his sword yet, so more shock value is on hold. It only makes me even more worried. It’s good for interest level, but bad for me that truly cares about these characters. Even if Tokito doesn’t die, him becoming a demon is bad enough; fate worse than death. The first page was sort of convincing that it was going to happen. The second page helps the nerve, but the tension remains high.

I’m mixed about Genya appearing. I’m happy for he will have a moment to shine and save Tokito, somehow, someway. I’m upset because he’s about to go up against Upper Moon 1 who singlehanded defeat a Pillar. It’s telling when Genya is scared to pull the trigger. One move, one fail, God help them all. That alone got me nervous. But that feeling is nothing compared to the follow-up.

Kokushibou is scary as hell, all thanks to well thought-out sequence. Your nerves were running wild with Tokito about to convert to a demon. Kokushibou explains in an eerie fashion, as Genya takes aim from behind. Then the very next page, Kokushibou appears instantly behind him, asking if he agrees. That’s so unnerving. His dialogue flow perfectly, as if all three were always in the conversation. That’s how you display a serious threat. I haven’t felt this frightened since Arima from Tokyo Ghoul. The hype, the atmosphere, and overall presentation had me convinced.

The last chapter was tough to watch Tokito losing badly. This one however is even worse. I gasped hard when I saw Genya’s arm sliced off, and you can’t even see it happen in motion. He’s a demon, so he should be fine. Still, the way how the scene plays out gives you damn chills. Genya goes for a swing and that arm gets sliced off as well. Again, you can’t see the motion. It’s so instantaneous, his Demon Art might as well be Time-Travel.

Genya should be fine, but good God almighty, Kokushibou wasn’t done. Cutting his arms weren’t enough, so he just cuts him in half. I’m all out of gasp. This is brutal; no, it’s insanity. I don’t know what to believe anymore. You have Genya trying to reach for his arm, which by the way, a nice subtle development compare to the last arc. He is more of a real fighter now, and I respect that. You have Tokito trying to remove the sword, and he’s the only hope to save Genya. “Live or die” is the name of a game. It’s hell of an intensity that leads to a hell of a surprise.

Sanemi comes to save his little demon brother. Now, this is surprising to me because of couple of reasons. One is that Sanemi appears out of nowhere with a badass attack, Rising Dust Storm. Hell, he even has a one-liner moment. Second is how happy I was to see him, and yet, this is the same guy that I detested a lot in the past, especially the time when he was harming Nezuko. Lastly, he never comes to my mind because his impression has been rough, and for writing perspective, that’s a good thing.

I was under impression that Sanemi was a total prick. Even Tanjiro don’t like him. I didn’t think of him as a possible savior, because he looks like a guy who wouldn’t mind his brother getting killed. Fans would be deceived to think him as a cold brother who wants to kill all demons; nothing more, nothing less. It is now that we get to see him in a more shockingly sentimental side, and honestly, I am so shocked that I feel stupid for my dislike for him.

I’m not saying everyone should feel the same, but you should reconsider his character as a whole after he expresses his genuine feelings. It’s worth mentioning that he has been stroke hard with sad and dark reality as of late, which is probably why he’s more collective. When Ubuyashiki died, he was legitimately broken up. It’s like his insane persona is what keeps him alive and motivated, and judging by his words here, it really sounds like it.

The flashback with Tanjiro’s words of wisdom is touching; adds more to the drama that needs to bring them close once again. By the way, Tanjiro sitting on Inosuke’s back is so funny to look at. The point is, despite Sanemi being rowdy and bashful at Genya’s action, nothing has changed. He’ll always love him. Take it from Tanjiro; he knows sibling love all too well. Amazing how these characters can benefit from each other. If his words weren’t convincing enough, Sanemi will settle it.

I was surprised about him caring about Genya, but I’m even more surprised when he speaks in sincere tone. His words are strikingly heartfelt. It’s his deepest regret that his little brother has become a demon. He couldn’t save his family. He couldn’t save their future. That hits me hard. Genya makes the scene warmer with his only reply, “I’m sorry.” I mentioned this in another series that I reviewed, but brotherly love always gets to me, and this is no exception. To sum it up, Sanemi is more or less a tsundere, and that’s fine. I really like the fact you don’t see his face during the tender moment. You don’t know if he’s sad, smiling, or anything. You can only judge by his words and its tone, and that enough makes this scene so heartwarming.

You can damn well tell he’s pissed when you do see his face however. The action has just started and already, it’s promising as hell. The glimpse of the main course is stellar with its solid sequence. The baseball slide from Sanemi is slick, but couldn’t get Kokushibou, even with Dust Whirlwind Cutter. At least it looks awesome. It’s a relief that finally someone is able to force Kokushibou to draw his sword. I thought his design is great, but now I can say the same for his sword. Nasty, but a great complementary to the overall.

This was a great chapter. The tension remains strong and believable. I was cringing badly during Genya’s downfall. Sanemi was a character that I really didn’t like because of his attitude. Now that we got a clearer image, it’s a lot more understandable. You don’t have to forgive him, but I am willing to give him a chance. Plus his brotherly love was heartfelt and sincere. I believe his sorrow, even without seeing his expression. The artwork is solid and the action looks very promising with a slight of hope showing. I should note Kokushibou mentioned about brothers; I wonder if he had one. Three slayers should be fine to take on him; or is it? We could only wait and see.

[complicatedandstained]

The Other Day at Hot Topic: Xigbar

There’s nothing Xigbar wouldn’t do for his cousin, Saïx, and his punk, pretty boy boyfriend, but sometimes they test his limits.

Thursday, and Axel texts him at five o’clock in the morning with a ‘pick me up and take me to work.’ No explanation. No please. No heart emojis. Nada.

And it’s Thursday, so there’re no appointments booked, so it’s not even like it’s work that’ll help Xigbar keep the lights on. It’s Axel’s stupid side gig at the mall that he got so Xigbar’s cousin and Axel could keep tabs on each other. Which come to think had probably set Saïx’s therapy sessions back several years. Yeah, better not to think about that at all.

Pulling up to their place, Xigbar dials—speed dial, and Axel must just be loafing in the AC waiting for him, because he picks up damn near instantly.

“Get your tail out here,” Xigbar barks, heat prickling under his collar, and he must sound as grumpy and half asleep as he feels because laughter answers him. Maybe this is why Axel and Saïx call him “Gramps” when Xigbar’s only got a few years on them. Xigbar clicks off the phone before the snarky retorts come in and rolls down his window.

After a few flicks of the butt of Xigbar’s cigarette against the ashtray, Saïx and Axel step onto the porch of their modest condo and into the warm morning air and aren’t they a pretty picture? Towers of muscle, crowned with take no prisoner attitudes, the light settling in their hair to highlight sky blue and sunset red, clutching at each other’s arms in damning insecurity.   

With a final salute of his water bottle to Saïx, Axel sets off down the stone path of their condo, past a pair of paopu trees, out to the curb.

Axel’s metallic gold jeans catch the light and about near blind half the cul-de-sac.

Jesus. As if the guy doesn’t stand out enough already. Saïx must have done something to really tick him off this morning, for him to put on something so attention grabbing.

But hey, Xigbar can help with that. Leaning an arm out the window, he smirks, wolf whistles, growls out, “There’s my sexy future brother-in-law.”

Axel beams back, smug, and tries hard not to look over his shoulder. Is not successful.

Xigbar doesn’t bother. He knows his cousin, practically his brother, and of course Saïx is glaring daggers, fists clenched, jaw stiff. Nobody particularly wants to see a brawny biker/tattoo artist hitting on their boyfriend. That’s pretty much the point.  

Xigbar curls a finger toward Axel before he can climb in the passenger seat. “Travel tax.”

Axel rolls his eyes as saunters up, but he leans in, letting Xigbar kiss his cheek, his fingertips brushing lightly against the redhead’s sharp jaw.

“Missed you too, boss,” Axel teases, meeting his eye, and then straightening up.

It’s been less than twenty-four hours since they’ve last seen each other.  

“Don’t gimme that ‘boss’ crap,” Xigbar counters, knuckles colliding with Axel’s bony shoulder, “it’s supposed to be my day off, and here I am carting you around like we’re friends or something.”

Boy’s damn lucky I’ve got a soft spot for him.

Axel grins. He knows he’s Xigbar’s closest friend by a mile. Even if Demyx insists otherwise. There are more fun words for what he’s got going on with Demyx.

“Yeah, well, car’s in the shop again, and his highness over there has a meeting with the sexiest man alive.” Axel waves off over his shoulder.

“I heard that,” Saïx teases, probably from the porch swing, probably pausing to appease his phone.

Xigbar freezes, processing this, rubbing at his forehead with a palm. “Axel, for God’s sake buy a new fugging…”

Xigbar cuts himself off, wonders if Axel can even afford it. Definitely could if he worked at Never, their boardwalk tattoo and piercing parlor, full time. But, of course, he isn’t allowed. Saïx doesn’t want him to spend all his time with Xigbar, and Axel doesn’t want Saïx to have to go all week without him.

Totally normal. Obviously.

Saïx has probably spontaneously combusted by this point. Xigbar likes to remind him what he’s got to lose. If he doesn’t start treating Axel right, somebody else is gonna do it. Hell, if Saïx weren’t his cousin, maybe Xigbar would do it.

See, Saïx’s discomfort is not altogether unprecedented.

Once upon a time, Xigbar didn’t think anyone could look at a man who’d had his face carved up like a Friday the Thirteenth movie and see anything but the scar—the threat.

Once upon a time, a motorcycle accident left Xigbar with three casts, seven stitches across his cheek, and an eyepatch to boot, and he’d said the hell good bye to the idea of a relationship.

His cousin had flown in to help get him back on his feet. The pair of them had always been close, grew up on the same street, dealing with bastard fathers and empty fridges. When it had gone south with Saïx’s father, he moved in to Xigbar’s house. The young men bonded over a mutual love of kickboxing in high school and, after graduation, when the secrets started spilling, a mutual love of men.

They began to go their separate ways when Xigbar dropped out of his art program and Saïx started getting serious about his classes and counseling. Then Saïx had stayed in Hollow Bastion for work and Xigbar had moved to get away from “work.”

Ridiculous that it was a motorcycle accident that got him and not his previous occupation—security at a bar where everything got shadier with every passing day. Xigbar’s boyfriend hadn’t even believed him when he messaged him what happened. That had been it for them, really.

The accident brought Saïx and Xigbar back together. Somehow, between helping Xigbar deal with torn muscles in his legs that left him with a permanent swagger, and stitches in his face that made it hard to chew, Saïx found time to let the island sun soak into his skin and mellow his thoughts and moods. He called his boyfriend often and, hearing the smile in his voice, the guy agreed that a move to the islands might be exactly the fresh start they needed.  

Then Saïx had brought home Axel. Axel, their childhood friend, who not only accepted Saïx’s scars (and the hefty stick up his rear), but saw the beauty and good humor beyond them. And at a time when everyone else backed up two steps at the sight of Xigbar, Ax’d run at him with open arms, a cocky smile, and a Chicks dig scars, y’know.  

So, horrible human being that he was, after Saïx had gone to all the trouble of nursing him back to health, Xigbar had fallen for his cousin’s boyfriend hard.

Cheesy as hell, yeah, but Axel had given Xigbar hope. He hadn’t thought it was possible for either of ‘em to find somebody, scarred as they were, inside, outside. Let alone someone stunning, strong, intelligent…

‘Course, it had also made him jealous. Because he and Axel got on like fire and paper, and if Xigbar had met him first… 

Well, Xigbar had his vices, but he wouldn’t flip every time Axel smiled at a waiter the wrong way. Hell, if Demyx hadn’t stumbled his way into the picture, Xigbar’s not sure what he’d’ve done.

Presently, Xigbar unlocks the passenger side of his ancient convertible, and as Axel makes his way over, Xigbar salutes his cousin, who, miraculously, remains in one piece.

“Mornin’, Sai.”

But Saïx is blood, his cousin and his friend, and losing Axel would wreck him, pure and simple. And after the hell that was their childhood, Saïx deserves to be happy now. Just, not at Axel’s expense, right.

So Xigbar flirts relentlessly. Treats Axel like a fricking princess. And Saïx is perfectly aware of his crush, less convinced than Axel is that it ended when Demyx came into the picture. (Though it more or less had, except in off moments like these when Axel shines like a goddamn sun.)

But thanks to Demyx, Saïx has no grounds to gripe at him for it. And thanks to the tattoo parlor, Saïx can’t fire him for it. So Xigbar takes a certain pride in getting away with everything, horrible human being that he is.

“Morning.” Saïx’s response is cold, brief, detached. Narrowed blue eyes command him to keep his hands to himself. Not ideal, but better than explosive, Xigbar supposes.

Realizing this is all the conversation he’ll get from the man at this point, Xigbar rolls up his window and pulls lazily away from the curb.

“He let you leave the house in that, huh?” Xigbar’s eye skims the golden denim hugging at Axel’s muscles a final time as they roll out and a knowing smirk lights his lips. “That’s progress.”

“Oh?” Axel sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Is it?”

Xigbar cringes at the unexpected dose of bitterness. He glances over, seeing the man has strapped himself in, crossed his arms, and dedicated himself to staring out the opposite side window, probably watching Saïx climbing into his sensible, sleek black sedan, off to metaphorically solicit himself out to corporate executives.

“No,” Xigbar sobers, reaching across the narrow space to squeeze Axel’s shoulder. “Sorry, snookums. Guess not.”

“One of these days, though,” fingers comb through burnt red hair, jade eyes painfully hopeful, “right?”

Xigbar can’t meet Axel’s gaze for longer than a second. “He loves you, kid.”

[davidfostercomedyblog]

My Trip to Paris: A Review

Like any typical heterosexual male the idea of engagement photos seemed as appealing to me as that of a fantasy football league might to most heterosexual women. Nevertheless, I am happily engaged to the latter, and in cliché fashion conceded to said photo shoot, and have never been so grateful for a decision.

It was a week before our European vacation, and our (French) photographer asked us: “Where will you be staying when you go to Paris?”

“We got a hotel in Nice, Airbnb in Paris.”

“Oh, you better make sure they have air conditioning,” she informed us. “Most Parisians don’t have A/C’s. The units are considered ‘unsightly.’”

Umm… seriously?

The forecast for our upcoming trip was to reach record highs in temperature. Not record highs for July or our particular dates. Record highs. It was going to be 109… degrees! The hottest two days in the history of Paris, on which we’d scheduled a walk to the Louvre, then down the Seine River, and up the gabillion steps of Sacre Couer, at the end of which I’d implicitly scheduled a good night’s sleep, which would be impossible without air conditioning.

I reviewed our booking on Airbnb, and sure enough there was no A/C. When I emailed our would-be host to confirm this preposterous notion she responded: “I have a great fan though.”

Good for you.

Our late cancellation was the happiest we’ve ever been to eat $240. We had a hideous air conditioner in our otherwise lovely, entirely red suede hotel room in Villa Opera Drouotin Montmartre. There was red everywhere. Red wallpaper, red blankets, even a 360 red velvet seat in the red lobby. But it was cool, literally. It was the greatest continental breakfast we’ve ever had in our lives, and we were happy.

The first thing I noticed upon arrival at the airport was the urinals. I’ve never seen bulls’ eyes of such small diameter. Do the French have better aim?

Second was the plethora of friendly assistants at the train station, all of them fluent in English, all eagerly awaiting the opportunity to help even the most dumbfounded of tourists, which pin-pointedly described us. Can you imagine such an experience with a New York MTA worker? They look at you like instead of “Excuse me,” you opened with a derogatory slur and are requesting they literally carry you on their back to your desired destination. Paris: 1. NYC: 0

Next we sat on the train, which was faster and cleaner than New York’s, though that goes without saying, as every train on the planet, I imagine including those of third world countries, is much cleaner than New York’s. Paris: 2. NYC: 0.

We sat next to college kids, two French and one British, who were making fun of American tourists’ stereotypical ideas of Paris being this “romantic town, where everyone just gets cheese and wine and a baguette and eats it all on the streets.” When we got off the train I swear to God all I kept seeing were locals walking along the sidewalk eating baguettes or sitting at outdoor restaurants drinking wine and smoking cigarettes.

Baguettes were everywhere. I saw old men walking along the street chewing away at them, sometimes plain, others with ham and/or cheese stuffed inside. I saw young girls with grocery bags full of baguettes, others with just the one long one they’d need for that evening, way too large to fit in the designer pocketbook held in their other arm. Older women, young men, apparently poor people, rich people, black, white and Hispanic people (just kidding, there’s no Hispanics in Europe) – it seemed everyone had a baguette. I digress.

We weren’t sure if the cliché college kid pontifications were for our benefit, but I chose not to respond, a) becausewe weren’t sure, b) engaging in philosophical debate with college kids makes as much sense as engaging in confrontation with the schizophrenic homeless guy on the 6 train, and c) I was so jetlagged that they probably could have spread brie cheese all over my face and put their cigarette butts out in the mush and I would have let it slide. Whoever can get more than a few hours sleep on those red eyes are as gifted in my mind as Michael Jordan or David Blaine. Finally, the kids’ insults were at “Americans,” which I don’t identify as anyway. We’re New Yorkers - not Americans. There’s a difference.

We were two hours early for check-in, so decided to maximize our tourist time by taking the 20-minute walk from Montmartre to Sacre Couer.

Jesus, was it hot. It was 105 degrees. The walk was perpetually uphill and when we finally arrived there were more staircases than in the MTA’s latest atrocity, the 86thSt. Q train. What a moronic architectural disgrace that is.

We bought water from a local store and the lady didn’t even offer us a plastic bag. None of the stores did for entire whole trip. They all had them behind the counter if you needed, but I never saw anyone take one. Paris: 3. NYC: 0.

I could feel sunburn setting in. I took off my long sleeve shirt and threw it over my head to protect myself. The Asian tourists kept their umbrellas up for protection (though when do they not?), and the Italians were next to naked (though when are they not?). The heat was inescapable. It felt like the temperature was climbing along with us up the steps. Instead of a church, it was as if we were making the pilgrimage in Egypt. We had to take regular breaks and be mindful to breathe and stay hydrated, and constantly remind ourselves: “This is vacation, we’re having fun. This is fun. It’s vacation. This is… this is… this hot as fucking hell. Let’s take a lap around this church and go home.”

Sacre Couer is gorgeous: Incredible view of the city outside, and even better art inside. A local came over and requested I remove my hat, and I wasn’t sure whether my Americanism or Judaism was more apparent. We put hats on intentionally in our place of worship.

Finally checked in the hotel, we passed out for two hours in the coolest bedroom in Paris and woke up rejuvenated. We had dinner reservations at Derriereat 19:30, which was the earliest possible reservation because 19:30 is what time Derriere opens, which is just about the fanciest thing I’ve ever heard of.

Our table wasn’t even ready yet, but the maitre’d was friendly.

“Please, have a seat, we’ll get you a glass of wine and let you know when the kitchen’s open.”

Lovely!

Even my fiancée, who is rouge-exclusive, opted for white because of the climate, and it was the best white wine either of us had ever tasted in our pathetic American lives. Pouilly Fumé, crisp, minerally, dry and perfect and it was 6 euro, half what it would be back home.

We waited and waited, watched a few other parties get ushered into the restaurant ahead of us, and wondered if we should say something. I got up to remind the host of our presence, and he was flamboyantly sweet, super pleasant and matter-of-factly excited to seat us.

Ahh, Europe. Is it possible for a constant intake of alcohol, tobacco, bread and cheese to be physiologically offset by a complete lack of urgency and adherence to time?

When we finally got inside we found an adorable, almost hipstery chic spot that had apparently been someone’s home converted into a restaurant. We each sat in our own cushiony love seat across from one another in a spread out living room/library/game room as an active ping pong table was set about three feet behind my head.

Our waiter, Tyler, was from Canada, hence boasted the perfect hybrid of debonair French style with a western work ethic. We were relieved that he spoke English, but soon discovered so does 90% of the country. Tyler was jovial and handsome and encouraging of our order choices. The duck was insane – the best we’d ever had – the braised beef with zucchini was even better.

“Fuck you,” my fiancée kept exclaiming at how blown away she was by the food. I was happy we were able to show the local Parisians how New Yorkers applaud quality – by cursing it out.

We could have returned the knives, as the meats would have fallen off their bones with even the side of the same soup spoon we used to eat the best Gazpacho I’d ever tasted. With dinner we had the best rouge in the house for only 14 Euro per glass, and as a reward Tyler and the sommelier came over and insisted we all do a shot of rum. We were adequately buzzed with bellies full of beef… and bread. The whole experience was magnefique.

We followed Tyler’s recommendations for the night (we would have followed Tyler into the gates of Hell), on to cocktails at The Little Red Door, and although neither my fiancée nor I are very much into cocktails you couldn’t help but trust in the elitist mixology menu. Drinks were fantastic. We ended up yukking it up with some gay New Yorkers coincidentally seated next to us on the couch, mostly over how superior the culture everywhere else in the world is to America, with the exception of New York – one of my favorite topics of conversation.

We walked the mile home because time flies while walking through any city. We stopped twice for some nightcaps and allowed the city lights to fuel our way. Although New York is the “city that never sleeps” Paris is apparently the city that always eats. 1:00 in the morning on a Wednesday night and it seemed almost every restaurant with outdoor seating was not only open, but practically filled with locals literally and figuratively chewing the fat. Any potential for jet lag and heat exhaustion had been instantly healed by meat and alcohol, but still we were spent, and a had a long next day ahead planned.

It’s possible I was woo’d by the air conditioning as I’m not much of a museum guy, but the Louvrewas great, definitely our favorite tourist attraction of the trip. We’d bought tickets beforehand and it took about 60 seconds to enter. Almost everyone there was quite pleasant, though the best part was the security guards at the Mona Lisa who were anything but. Groups of us at a time were being yelled at for not moving fast enough – like waiting on line to view the classic piece of art was a local crime and we owed a cowering apology while running and ducking for cover. They could have been instantly beamed to the central bookings jail in downtown Brooklyn and not missed a beat. One of them was the first white guy I’d seen in France with that pathologically rosy facial complexion that screamed alcohol, hypertension and New Jersey; and although it was clearly his job there to be an asshole we believed it to be a case of chicken or the egg.

I’d love to tell you it was beautiful, that Monawas beautiful and a magical experience of tourism, but I don’t think I ever got a good look. It was pure chaos, herded into a swarm of fellow tourists, and one of the only contexts where typical Asian good manners actually fell by the wayside as they refused to be denied the perfect photographs. Spun into confusion and shitted out the other side of the room we much preferred the rest of the less popular parts of the museum.

Before leaving my fiancée insisted on taking pics by the Pyramid outside and I… I just cannot tell you how hot it was. There were other people out suffering as well, but most were huddled in the shade, massaging their skulls with frozen water bottles and drinking from another. We muscled through it, took photos with fake smiles, feigning joy or even comfort so that everyone on social media could see that we had fun at the Louvre. Indoors we did. Outdoors was about survival.

Next door we passed by the other popular museum, D’Orsay (What is this, the museum district?), and fiancée asked if I wanted to go in. As I generally visit one museum per decade at home, my rule overseas is one per trip.

We walked along the Seine River,which was beautiful and I imagined on any day under 109 degrees would have been crowded with other cute couples cut from similar cloths. They’d be eating cheese and baguettes, as everyone had instructed us to do, but ours was a different kind of trip, and I’d surely have jumped into the river before sitting along it with quickly melting brie. There were benches where I could picture us sitting, but even the mental effort of creating said picture was burning calories at an alarming pace. We passed through the Tuileries Garden, got a croque monsieur and more gazpacho.

On the way home I bought a suit for our wedding! It wasn’t the plan, but hey… we’re just some hot shot New Yorkers flying by the seat of our pants in Paris. Beautiful pants as it were, as I never thought I could make such a baller move.

Of course going into the store was wifey’s suggestion, but I went along with it. “Should we go in and see if they have any nice suits?” she asked.

“We should go in and see if they have any nice air conditioning.”

They did.

And before we knew it we were whisked away into the back room as if we had a reservation for two. Everyone there’s faces were beautiful and their outfits even more beautiful. I felt a bit underdressed in my Marcus Camby Knicks’ throwback jersey (while sweating like Patrick Ewing) and my crooked Yankees cap, but before I knew it I was Julia Roberts with Roy Orbison blasting in my head, as one of the most charming men on the planet, Tomas, put together ensemble after ensemble, creating his own Mona Lisa out of me.

Me, the sweaty asshole who just walked in the door in his gym clothes. Instead of angry security guards yelling at us, Tomas took his time with me, like a true gentleman, never allowing me to put any of the jackets on myself. His assistant brought us bottles of water and suddenly I began to suspect I was on a hidden camera show and Richard Gere was going to come out of the back room and ignore my sexual advances.

One fabulous suit I tried on was apparently made of some high-quality but more delicate fabric that Tomas warned me of: “A suit like this – you can only wear this to work maybe two or three times a week… otherwise it will not last.”

Two or three times a week? Who the fuck does this guy think I am? I’m sorry, Tomas, I love you, but in case you haven’t heard it’s only about 1% of the professions in New York these days that even require a suit at work… and those guys can afford enough suits to wear them two or three times a year. I’m not worried about it.

After about an hour of trial and error, mixing and matching and texting photos across the pond to Mom and others for feedback, finally we came to a unanimous decision. Tomas even threw in the pink tie from his own personal stash, and when we said Au revoirI could feel that none of us really wanted to. What we really wanted was to buy four more suits, then two giant homes in New York and Paris respectively where we could all live out the rest of our years together as the most stylish commune of love. Unfortunately that’s not how life works. But I found more than my wedding suit in the Paris SuitSupply. I found one of my favorite people, one of my fondest memories from the trip, and finally, a hell of a deal! Weeks later my (Jewish) fiancée did her research and discovered after the conversion rate I’d gotten a $1000 suit for almost half the cost. Paris: 4. NYC: 0.

When we got outside it was still 109 degrees. We went home and hosed down in preparation for another night on the town…

Bofingerfor dinner: An apparently pork forward venue that seemed to specialize in shellfish and sauerkraut dishes. I’d never had to de-shell my own snails before, and if you would have told me at any point in life I would twice in one day feel like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman I would have at least figured one of the two would involve prostituting myself on Hollywood Blvd. Thankfully, none of the “slippery little suckers” went flying across the room into any waiters’ hands. A now experienced acupuncturist I figured I could successfully navigate this previously foreign task and eventually I was right (although two of them were stuck super deep inside and I resorted to simply brutally cracking them open). Absolutely drowned in the plate’s bath of garlic and oil they were delicious!  

The chilled cream of asparagus soup with mascarpone was the best I’ve ever had in my life. I understand this superlative is beginning to sound like a broken record, but hey, we’re discussing food and wine in Paris. It isn’t like I’m telling you I heard the greatest hip hop song of my life there.

Unfortunately the sauerkraut dish was anti-climactic in taste, overwhelming in size. A beast of a platter, and we figured the reason the runner brought burners to light underneath it must have been because no one could possibly finish this plate in less than three hours. Most of my family has hefty appetites and within my family I am generally the one most derided for overeating; but my fiancée and I couldn’t even make a visible dent in the dish. We left full sausages just hangin’ and neither of us even broached the monstrous pork knuckle that looked like too much to tangle with. What was most fascinating was the gentleman next to us ordered the same dish, had it arrive after ours, and absolutely demolished it before we’d thrown in our towel. “Was he overweight?” you ask.Absolutely not, he was handsome and slim, fit. This is Wonderland.

We had nowhere to take our leftovers, but figured better to gamble on running into a homeless person then just throw it out. We saw some poor man seated on the train station floor on our way to Latin Quarters, and bestowed him with what I assume was the best meal he’d had in years.

We passed by Notre Dame, and I felt kind of like an asshole - like the tourists in NYC taking pictures in front of Ground Zero before the new tower was built: Odd locational tone for a photo opp.

Latin Quarters sucked. Think Bleecker Street meets Time Square, and in case you thought bro-douchery didn’t exist outside of America think again. Lots of pubs and sports bars, novelty shops and loud partyers, and you could skip it. A friend of us warned it would be like this but was worth seeing once. Another friend told us of a cocktail bar there on the Holiday Inn rooftop, from which you could see the whole city. Sounds lovely!We passed by only to be told the roof was closed as a result of the heat. Night Deux was a bit of a letdown.

The next day was a more of the same, only to reinforce a lesson that as New Yorkers we should have already known: Avoid tourist traps. The elevator at the Eiffel Towerwas broken which greatly appeased my fiancee’s terrific fear of heights, however I’m still awaiting my refund for the aloof purchase. Champs Elysseswas… ehhhh… like Fifth Avenue meets Soho, but not even the nooks and cranny side streets of old Soho of the 1990’s – more like vomit-up-your-ass chain retail, Broadway Soho of 2019. My fiancée got to take some nice pics of that other humongous fuckin’ old thing, but besides that the marathon distance walking through the desert level heat was beginning to wear on me… and by this time my neurology had shifted to a degree of alcohol dependency which is not my norm. It was time to call it a day and begin the night.

We closed more similarly to how we opened, in a more cultured reverence for gluttony in a local spot we’d been recommended that happened to be right down the block from our red suede hotel room.

Le Bouillon Chartierdidn’t take reservations and had not one, but two lines wrapped on to the sidewalk of mostly locals waiting to get in. We wondered, with gratitude, why our wait was only about ten minutes, and were inadvertently given our answer once inside. It was packed and fast-paced, pretty noisy, though not much to look at. It had the gritty feel of Katz’s Deli or Barney Greengrass and the waiters were curt and void of pleasantries. Ahhh… we felt right at home.

The most expensive bottle of wine on the menu was 23 euro. And it was great! The prices of everything were dirt cheap – like fast food cheap - which only partially explained the line around the block. The duck confit was excellent, as was the whole sea bass (I felt I needed something just a touch lighter than incessant pork and red meat), and I think the whole meal with the full bottle of wine came out to 58 euro. I think it was during this meal that my fiancée began suggesting another “quick trip back” next month. “We can just come for a few nights and eat in places like this!”

We closed the night as we had every other, with drinks on the sidewalk at Café Le Brebant, which faced out on to the corner of the main strip, Poissonniere Blvd., constantly serving us a nice hybrid of the authentic Paris experience with familiar comfort of New York. Also, constantly serving us lovely wines until the early morning hours, though I always closed with a nice, cold IPA in a chilled glass, as I now suffer from alcoholism. The servers were still mostly God-awful and we always had to walk over to place orders, but they were all pleasant and we rationalized it was worth it to be absolved of gratuity.

The next day we took the train seven hours to Nice. It should have been six but Mercury was retrograde and shit was fucked. Nice was OK. Glad we did it – would never do it again. It’s a beach town, which in spite of its historically fancy reputation means the same thing it does anywhere in the world: More plastic surgery, less culture and nuance. Saw some boobs on the beach, but as is customarily the case, none of the boobs you wish to.

The water was beautiful but the rocks were painful and expensive. We had to buy special mats and shoes in order for the beach experience to be at all relaxing and I highly doubt I’ll ever use either again. From now on I’m sand exclusive.

We saw a great band one night, coincidentally named Bofinger, and had one amazing meal at Terres de Truffes, which translates as Truffle Land where they (predictably) put truffles on everything! White truffles over burrata cheese and sundried tomatoes as a “caprese,” summer truffles on the lamb confit and black truffles littered across the porcini mushroom ravioli! We downed a bottle of our new fave, the Margaux, and finished with the crème brulee with truffle infused caramel drizzle. It was fucked. Up.Suddenly we suspected maybe there was reason to come back to Nice after all. That was until my fiancée searched and found the spot had another location in Paris. So like, why ever go to Miami for a restaurant that exists in NYC?

To exhaust a cliché, we loved Paris. Who wouldn’t? Who doesn’t? I’ve literally never heard a negative report. It’s like New York but with its own twist and flare, and without our recently vampired cultural extraction by transplants only to be replaced with the vapidity of chain stores and pharmacies that once were implicitly prohibited from the once greatest city in the world.

It took me a full week to recover from the neurological storm of jet lag and alcohol withdrawal, though having to spend double the price for half the quality wine eventually ensured my sobriety. Sadly the same can be said for our food quality… even in New York! It’s an awful shame the farming practices our government permits in this country, and in my opinion reason enough to kneel for the Star Spangled Banner should you feel indifferent around the racial issues. Never say never, though I still doubt I could ever make a home across the pond, as I just don’t think anywhere in the world can offer the vibe of New York, nor our diversity. It’s possible that Paris and many other cities may come close in cultural diversity, though never in variety of style, subcultures and psychology. This was my one critique from an admittedly brief first visit – that Paris appears a bit more of a one-trick pony than NYC. In fairness, where doesn’t? They probably do their one trick better than anywhere in the world but it’s just not New York. The weekend after I came home I went out to dinner at Kyklades Greek restaurant in Astoria, then took the train uptown to the EPMD concert in the park in the South Bronx, where my boy, Ed and I were two of seven white people of the 800-1000 there. We watched the legends and devoured some dope, authentic Jamaican food for 8 euro (J/K, it was $10). Afterwards we got drunk at a bar by Yankee Stadium and watched the Yanks beat Boston. The next morning my fiancée and I had the best bagels, lox and cream cheese in town at the Upper West Side institution, Barney Greengrass. Our city is dirtier, as is our food. Our leader is dumber, our drinks are pricier. Still it’s always nice to come home.

[stereksecretsanta]

Merry Christmas, @vanessawolfie!

Rating: Explicit

Tags: Post Season 6 AU, BDSM, Dom!Stiles/sub!Derek, Alpha!Stiles, established relationship 

Read on AO3

 *****

Green Eyes

Chapter One

It was a mystery to Stiles how they got here. Sometimes it felt like he had blinked and changed overnight from being Scott’s sidekick and extraneous human to an emissary-in-training and general badass. On other days he looked in the mirror and saw how much he had changed in the past six years, going from adolescent to man and now more than able to hold his own. Either way he was grateful because it had brought him more than he would have ever thought he’d get. He had a good job working as a supernatural consultant, his Spark carefully nurtured into maturity as Deaton’s apprentice after they were finally done with Gerard and Kate. Now he was the one being courted by other packs, no longer living in Scott’s shadow even though he was loyal to his pack and his alpha.

He lived in a small house on the edge of the Preserve with enough land to have a well-tended garden and access to the woods behind him. It was close enough that if he wanted to he could stroll out into the trees at night and stare at the stars or run with the huge black wolf that haunts them at night. Once he was done, he went home to lie in the huge bed in the loft that they’d converted to an attic and listened for the distinctive bang of the oversized doggie door that lead into the kitchen at the back of the house. He’d installed it as a joke, almost vibrating with glee when he’d unveiled it to the house’s other occupant only to get a raised eyebrow and a slow grin that had told him that his challenge was most definitely accepted. In fact, Derek used it more than he used any of the other entrances into their home.

Ah yes, Derek. Another little surprise Stiles had had on the way to adulthood (not maturity because it’s still abundantly clear that he doesn’t have much at the best of times. The time honoured way to settle disputes in the Stilinski-Hale household is by thumb war.) but one that he’d been delighted to get. After the Argents were dealt with, there had been a very short lived thing with Lydia, which had pretty much exploded in their faces and the first time they had had sex had left them both confessing that it wasn’t going to be a thing. Two weeks later, Lydia was at MIT and he was at Berkley and their friendship had been cemented. Three years later and they’d both come home and Lydia had moved straight into her grandmother’s lakehouse with a certain deputy/hellhound who’d quietly become a permanent fixture in her life and Stiles was on his own again. Scott and Malia were headed for long term mated bliss with the pack’s first cub on the way, Jackson and Ethan had moved back to the US and were living in San Francisco and the rest of Scott’s pack were paired off so he was on his own again.

Well, him and Derek. It had been only sensible for the two of them to rift towards each other just like they had before, their relationship slowly changing until they had a standing pizza night, standing baseball night, standing dinner with the Sheriff night and a standing avoiding Peter night. The fact that they were spending almost every evening together, frequently falling asleep on each other’s couches and then in each other’s beds, had hit them both by surprise when Noah and Peter had pointed out that they were in fact behaving like they were in a committed relationship. Stiles remembered the night vividly. It had started with he and Derek laughing over ribs and beer about what their respective family members had said and then suddenly they were staring at each other.

‘Shit.’ Stiles had looked at Derek, drawn in by those beautiful iridescent green eyes like he always was. ‘I think I love you.’

‘Fuck.’ Derek had looked equally astonished. ‘I think I love you too.’

The next thing they’d been kissing and that had turned into hands down each other’s pants and tongues in mouths and toppling over onto the sofa. Clothes had gone flying and Stiles had discovered that werewolves did not in fact have knots. They did, however, have a thing for scenting his neck and biting the insides of his thighs so it was still a win. Things had been surprisingly easy after that, he and Derek falling into sleeping with each other and becoming an item like they’d been doing it all along. Which, he supposed they actually had. Now it was two years later and they were mated and happier than Stiles had thought possible, even if Derek shed all over the couch and drank milk straight from the carton and his closet contained no less than seven different leather jackets.

Of course, that didn’t mean he hadn’t been caught off guard by some things. He had known what to expect with Derek in terms of his traumatic past and abandonment issues and the guilt he wore like a second skin. He hadn’t expected the need for boundaries that Derek had gradually trusted him enough to confess to needing. Being a beta wolf in a large pack had made him very aware of where his place was and what was expected of him and their loss, Laura’s death and Derek’s brief stint as an alpha had thrown all his instincts out of wack. Added to that was the loss of not one but two packs and a desperate need to trust and submit but with nobody he could do that with. He and Scott were still suspicious of each other, their less than amicable relationship meaning that Derek was not officially pack, although as a Hale he had land claims that meant that they had to play nice and share Beacon Hills. It didn’t help that Stiles had openly stated that he would not necessarily be taking Deaton’s place as Scott’s emissary.

Because of all this, it was fair to say that when he and Stiles had gotten together, Scott had not been best pleased. It had taken Stiles sitting him down and relating every single way Scott had screwed both him and Derek over in the past four years until Scott had lost his temper and declared that maybe he was being an asshole but that Stiles was being a traitor. Stiles had promptly chucked the rest of his beer in Scott’s face and stalked out of the bar, refusing to even speak to him until three days later when Scott had turned up on his doorstep and declared that the fact that he’d been an asshole was not in dispute and that he was very sorry and he’d appreciate if Stiles would forgive him.

Stiles had met Malia’s gold eyes over Scott’s hunched shoulders and grinned. They had not worked out but he was glad that Scott had someone like her to be blunt enough to get him to pull his head out of his ass. Derek, of course, had wanted to go over and eat Scott’s face off. Stiles had laughingly considered it for all of a second and then bopped him on the nose with a rolled up comic. So now here they were, a Spark and a werewolf who bordered on being an omega playing house and trying to just get through all the shit that the supernatural world threw at them.

The way Stiles had gone to bat for Derek just like he always did had meant that with their new dynamic there had been a subtle shift in the way Derek interacted with him. He had become more tactile, fiercely protective but also in need of reassurance and approval from Stiles in a way that he hadn’t been before. Stiles had been a little bemused by things until one night when he’d been doing his best to fuck Derek into the bed and he’d reached out and playfully pinned Derek’s hands to the bed. He’d never thought anyone could come that hard, but apparently it was a thing because the next time he did it Derek growled loud enough to rattle the windows and bit right through the comforter.

So, Stiles being Stiles, he’d gone into research mode and read all he could on wolf pack dynamics and nearly kicked himself for missing it. Derek being a near omega meant that he had a compulsive need to submit to an alpha and it was getting completely out of control. Stiles laying down the law on his behalf with Scott meant that his wolfy self had taken this as a sign that Stiles was now his alpha and of course wanted to submit to him. There was a hell of a lot of bullshit all twisted up with this so Stiles knew had had to tread carefully and he took the maxim of sane, safe and consensual very very seriously.

What he hadn’t realised was just how much he would enjoy it.

They had started off slow with Stiles gently restraining Derek during sex with his hands (not ropes, never ropes) and scenting him in the way he’d learned Scott did with his pack. That had turned into Stiles issuing instructions and Derek had fallen instantly into giving over control, the relief evident on his face when Stiles took charge. There had been other things, Stiles playing around with his role of stand in alpha. He’d learned to mimic an alpha’s deep growl enough to make Derek whine and bare his throat to him. Through magic, he was able to flash his eyes red and change his scent to the musky richness of an alpha wolf and the results had been spectacular. Now all he had to do was adopt the authoritative tone he used during their scenes and Derek’s pale eyes would go soft and hazy and he’d fall willingly to his knees, sitting at Stiles’ feet with an adoring look on his face.

Stiles wasn’t one to disregard such a gift and in truth, he completely got off on Derek being comfortable enough to trust him with every choice that needed to be made. He’d always wanted to be in control, wanted to be more than he had been and save everyone around him. Now he had a way to make that come true, just the littlest bit. The power he felt was heady and addictive and now they had it down to a fine art. Stiles had learned to read Derek so well that he could tell just when his sourwolf needed to let go and give everything up for a while.

Which was why he was now looking at Derek arguing with Scott about border disputes and knew that he was getting close to shutting down in that way he did when he was overwhelmed. It had taken years for Stiles to realise that the bad attitude, general tendency towards violence and the need to martyr himself was Derek reacting to being given to much to carry. He was so bad at asking for help that he just turned it inward and Stiles knew that he’d be hostile and snappy for hours afterwards if he didn’t do something.

‘Scott.’ Derek’s voice was tight and the tension in his shoulders was more than evident. ‘We can’t just turn up there uninvited. That would be considered a hostile act.’ He wasn’t pack per se but he was still consulted in matters where his knowledge of born wolves and how they worked outstripped any other information than the rest of them had.

‘So we’re just going to wait for them to bring the fight to us?’ Scott had his arms folded. Stiles could not fault his bravery or his wanting to do the right thing, but he still didn’t think things through like he should. ‘This is my territory, Derek. I’m not just handing it over.’

Derek’s eyes flashed once and a muscle in his jaw twitched and Stiles knew that was going to the be the final straw. Scott’s grand declarations of ‘his’ territory didn’t sit well with him at all, but Stiles knew better than to let him get into it right then.

‘If you’re not going to listen, why the hell did you ask my opinion?’ He snapped and Stiles decided enough was enough.

‘Okay, we’re done here.’ He got up from the chair he’d been occupying and walked over to where the two wolves were standing off. ‘I think we all need a time out and it’s after two, Scott. We’ve got to work in the morning.’

‘I agree.’ Lydia yawned where she was on the couch, her head cushioned on Jordan’s shoulder.

‘Yeah, I got to second that.’ He smiled at Lydia like she was his entire world and Stiles was once again grateful that Lydia had found someone who valued her and appreciated her the way she deserved. ‘I think we should call it a night.’

Scott’s face changed and he glanced around the room, seeing for the first time how his betas’ heads were all drooping. Stiles was convinced that Liam had slept through the last hour.

‘We’re not done.’ he said and Stiles sighed.

‘We’re also not making any progress and I’m tired and they’re tired and I want to go home and get into bed with my mate.’ He reached out, hand going to the back of Derek’s neck. He squeezed gently enough that it was barely noticeable, but the effect was immediate and he felt the tension flow right out of Derek’s body.

‘Fine.’ Scott threw up his hands and then looked around. ‘Where’s Malia?’

‘She went up to bed an hour ago.’ Mason was hauling a sleepy Cory off the chair he’d been curled up in.

‘See?’ Stiles grinned. ‘We should follow the pregnant coyote’s example.’ He did not mention that the last thing he planned on doing when he got Derek home was sleeping.

Goodbyes were finally said and everyone got into their respective vehicles and left Scott’s house. Stiles was the last, standing on the porch while Derek lurked by the Jeep.

‘He’s right, you know.’ he said and Scott frowned. ‘You should trust what he says.’

‘He’s not pack.’ he replied. ‘And I think sometimes you’re too close to see that he’s not always right.’

‘Neither are you.’ Stiles countered. ‘And he may not be pack but he’s my mate. That should be enough.’ He patted Scott on the shoulder and walked down to where Derek was waiting. They got in the car and Stiles watched him lean back, breathing out deeply.

‘Hey.’ He kept his voice low and warm. ‘Look at me.’

Derek did, his eyes tinged with blue. Stiles cupped his face in his hand and ran his thumb over Derek’s lower lip.

‘Safeword?’ he said and Derek’s eyes flared.

‘Aconite.’ He growled it out and Stiles smiled.

‘Okay. You’re going to sit there and let me drive you home. Once we get there, I want you to go inside and upstairs. You’re going to get ready and wait for me. Got that?’

Derek nodded, rubbing his cheek against Stiles’ hand.

‘Yes, Stiles.’ He was completely different to the way he’d been inside, all banked power and slowly relaxing into the role he was going to play.

‘Good.’ Stiles started the car. ‘Let’s go home.’

Chapter Two

The drive home was all of twenty-five minutes but it felt like longer. Stiles used the time to tune into his mate, letting his magic show him Derek’s aura. It was its usual blend of deep blue and green shading to almost black, but tonight also shot through with deep red. The anger was slowly dissipating though and Stiles put a hand on Derek’s knee and squeezed. Derek rumbled deep in his chest, part plea and part defiance. He was already on his way though, falling into the headspace he needed to let Stiles take control and his movements were lethargic as he got out the car.

Stiles followed him, checking the Jeep was locked up before heading to the front door. He unlocked it and ushered Derek inside, glancing back once to check for anything out of the ordinary before going inside. He locked up, listening to the heavy thud of Derek’s boots going up the stairs. He placed his left hand flat against the door and the symbols inscribed into the wood lit up sliver as the wards locked down for the night. These ones shrouded the house in silence, blocking out everything and keeping away any would be intruders. Stiles preferred complete privacy for what he and Derek did and this was a guarantee that they would be undisturbed.

He fussed around for a while, getting bottled water and fruit juice out the fridge and some of Derek’s favourite chocolate bars from the cupboard. He could hear the shower going and considered doing the same in the guest bathroom, then decided against it. Derek liked him to smell like himself and the spell that Stiles used to alter his scent wouldn’t be as effective if there was no base to work from. He walked slowly up the stairs, giving Derek plenty of time to get into position and settle himself as well. His own headspace was equally important and Stiles took his role as Dom seriously. Derek’s care was his first and foremost thought.

Their bedroom was at the end of the landing, the door closed. Stiles approached and stopped just before he opened it, invoking the spell that would turn his eyes red and make him smell the way Derek expected him to. Alpha’s gave off a unique cocktail of pheromones that induced obedience in their betas and Stiles sensed the change in more than just his appearance. He felt more dominant like this, as if his natural aggression was ramped up a level. He’d had to work hard on his control, but it had been worth it. He cracked the door and got his first look at what was waiting for him, his breath catching.

Derek was kneeling facing the side of the bed waiting for him. His naked skin had an ethereal glow in the dim light of the nightlight, something Stiles had never quite been able to figure out given that Derek didn’t lie around in the sun regularly. His head was bowed, the beautifully sculpted line of his shoulders contrasted with his inky black hair and the stark curves of the triscele between his shoulder blades. His legs were folded neatly beneath him, the bare soles of his feet oddly vulnerable, and Stiles knew that his hands would be folded in his lap, holding the simple black leather collar they used and waiting for Stiles to put it on.

He took his time, setting out the drinks and snacks on the nightstand and going into their bathroom to undress. He stripped down, shedding his clothes and shoes until he stood naked and taking in his reflection in the mirror. He wasn’t the same skinny teenager he’d once been. Now Stiles was strong and muscular, although he’d never achieve the same level of ripped as Derek. He had abs now and hair that grew in a patch on his chest, thickening down his stomach to his cock. Derek loved it, enjoyed rubbing his face along it and getting his scent all over Stiles. He met his own gaze, the starling crimson of his irises a perfect reproduction of an alpha wolf’s. He’d tried with fangs once as well, but it hadn’t worked so now he just held onto the back of Derek’s neck with his human teeth. They worked just as well.

He left the bathroom, turning off the light and going to the bed. He was already getting hard, heat curdling in his chest as he came to stand in front of Derek. He drew in a deep breath and reached out, fingers brushing Derek’s hair.

‘Derek.’ He kept his voice perfectly measured. ‘Look at me.’

Derek responded beautifully, his green eyes blown and his mouth slightly open as he looked up at Stiles. There was no tension left in him, every line soft and easy in a way Stiles had never seen before they’d started doing this. It made Derek look years younger and Stiles took a moment to feel for the young man he’d once been and whose innocence had been so brutally ripped from him. It brought out all his protectiveness, and he gently cupped Derek’s chin and smiled at him.

‘Are you all right?’ he asked. ‘You want this?’

‘Yes, Stiles.’ Derek smiled back, completely at ease. He blinked slowly like a cat, thick dark lashes hiding a subtle flicker of blue as he submitted, tipping his head to the side to expose his neck. Stiles rested a hand on the exposed skin, thumb stroking over the jumping pulse in his neck.

‘You’re so beautiful.’ He never got tired of telling Derek that. ‘So obedient. You’re a perfect beta.’

Derek’s pleased rumble filled up the air between them, his eyes dipping in a bashful display so unlike his normal self-assurance. It was flirtatious too, and Stiles could almost feel the electricity between them.

‘Behave.’ He tightened his grip and Derek shuddered under his hand. He was also hard now, uncut cock rising from his lap and gleaming at the tip. Stiles held out his other hand and gestured for the collar. ‘Give it to me.’

Derek offered it up in both hands and Stiles took it, running the supple leather through his fingers before sitting down on the edge of the bed and spreading his legs.

‘Here.’ he ordered and Derek rose up enough to shuffle on his knees between Stiles feet. He waited patiently as Stiles collared him, tightening the buckle securely enough but leaving enough room for Derek to breathe unimpeded. It was plain, the steel fittings the only embellishment. The second it was on, Derek let out a soft breath and he leaned in far enough to rub his cheek against the inside of Stiles knee. His stubble scratched deliciously and Stiles rewarded him by running his fingers through Derek’s hair, getting a handful and tugging softly.

‘You good?’ he asked and Derek smiled at him.

‘Yes, Stiles.’ His eyes were now glowing blue, muted by his emotional state, drifting happily into subspace almost effortlessly.

‘I’m going to make all the decisions.’ Stiles told him. ‘I just want you to be. Can you do that for me?’

‘Yes, I can.’ Derek pushed into the hand in his hair.

‘Good.’ Stiles leaned back on his other hand and gently guided Derek forward. ‘Hands behind your back and open your mouth. You know what I want.’

Derek nuzzled in close, his hot damp breath hitting Stiles cock. He moaned softly and licked up the length of Stiles’ cock, the velvety drag of his tongue knocking all thought out of Stiles’ head. As much as he loved to give Derek his quiet, it was just as effective in silencing his own racing mind, drawing his focus down this single thing. It got even better when Derek slid his mouth over the head of Stiles’ cock, lowering to take him in as far as he could. He was good at this, sucking hard on the lift before easing back down again in a steady rhythm that had Stiles clutching at his hair again and panting. He could come easily from this, but he didn’t want to yet and so he gripped tightly and guided Derek’s head into a slower pace. Derek went with it, swallowing around Stiles and using his tongue just under the head and driving Stiles slowly insane until he finally pulled him off. Derek’s eyes were back to green and glazed over, his mouth swollen and wet. He licked his lips, eyes flicking back down to Stiles’ cock with undisguised desire.

‘No.’ Stiles pushed him back onto his heels. ‘Not yet.’

He leaned back and looked at Derek, taking in the way his chest heaved and his breathing stuttered. He was deep in subspace now and it wouldn’t take much more to put him completely under and send him right off into a deep dreamless sleep.

Stiles got up, moving to the side and pointing at the bed. Derek had pulled back the covers as part of getting ready for their scene.

‘Up.’ He’s still so calm, a side of himself that he found utterly unnerving the first time he’d fallen into his own dom space. ‘Get on your knees and spread your legs for me. Hands on the rails.’

Derek unfolded himself from the floor, getting onto the bed and into position. He gripped the cast iron footboard in both hands. Back perfectly arched as he spread his knees apart and presented

himself to Stiles. There was a gleam between his legs and Stiles smiled. Derek paid close attention to his instructions and knew that Stiles liked him wet.

He got on behind him, admiring the shadowed planes of Derek’s body and rubbing a hand over the dimples just above his ass. Derek growled happily and Stiles decided to push him a little bit.

‘Is this what you wanted?’ His other hand grabbed one muscular thigh and squeezed. ‘You want your alpha to mount you?’

The growl turned into a whine and Stiles gave him an admonishing swat on the ass.

‘Say it.’ he demanded. ‘Ask me for it.’ He ran his hand down, thumb dragging over Derek’s entrance and then pushing in easily. Inside Derek was hot and wet, clenching down around the intrusion.

‘Please.’ It was rough with want. ‘Mount me, Alpha.’

The words went straight to Stiles’ cock and he got in close, guiding himself to rest against’ Derek’s body, precome adding to the slick glide.

‘I want you to howl for me.’ he instructed and then pushed in, bottoming out in one steady thrust.

Derek tipped his head back, fangs bared and claws clinking against the railing in his hands. His snral was harsh, and he pushed back hard onto Stiles’ cock, the muscles in his back and ass flexing in a way that made Stiles’ mouth go dry.

He got a firm grip on Derek’s hips, easing back out and then slamming back in. It jolted Derek forward and he made a sound like an angry dog, dropping his head and arching his back into an exaggerated curve. Stiles laughed and started a punishing rhythm of thrust and pullback, the impact of their bodies loud in his ears and the smell of them both overwhelming to even his nose. Derek was growling continuously, his skin sheened with sweat and the corded muscles of his forearms standing out.

‘That’s it.’ Stiles upped his pace, driving in as hard as he could. There would be bruises on his hims the next day but he was damned if he would stop. ‘I want to see you come. Let it go, baby.’

‘Fuck, Stiles…’ Derek sounded desperate and he took one hand off the railing to stroke his cock, the movement of his hand falling in with the way Stiles was pounding into him. It wasn’t before he was bearing down hard around Stiles’ cock, chasing his orgasm and throwing his head back to howl when it hit. Stiles fell forward, one hand around Derek’s throat and his teeth sinking into the back of Derek’s neck as he followed, the strength of it enough to white out his vision and make him deaf to anything but the rush of blood in his ears.

He fucked his way through it, spilling deep inside Derek until he finally stopped shaking. Beneath him Derek was a writhing mess, whining like a cub and collapsing onto the bed. Unfortunately he took Stiles with him, his own descent nowhere near as grateful. He didn’t pull out though, knowing that Derek’s instincts loved being filled in imitation of mating.

They lay there until their breathing regulated and Stiles lifted enough to gently ease out of him. He smiled at the sight of his come leaking from Derek’s body, his open mouth tracing a wet soothing line down Derek’s sweat-drenched back, salt bursting on his tongue.

‘You good?’ he asked and Derek made a muffled noise of assent into the bed. He was drifting now and Stiles gave him a pat and got off the bed. It was a quick walk to the bathroom for a washcloth to clean them both up and then he manhandled Derek up and back onto the pillows, cracking a bottle of water and feeding it to him, followed by a couple of pieces of clementine and chocolate.

Derek’s smile was beatific, his eyes now perfectly clear. It was such a gorgeous sight, never failing to take Stiles’ breath away and he leaned in and kissed him, soft swipes of his tongue through Derek’s mouth.

‘You sleepy now, baby?’ he asked and Derek made a low noise that sounded suspiciously like a purr, snuggling down into the covers that Stiles pulled over them. He ended up nestled into Stiles side, his mouth against Stiles’ neck.

‘Thank you.’ he mumbled and Stiles kissed the top of his head, absently spitting out a mouthful of hair afterwards.

‘You’re welcome.’ He pulled Derek in closer. ‘But you’re making breakfast tomorrow.’

‘Okay, Alpha.’ Derek’s voice was fuzzy with fatigue and he was asleep before Stiles even had a chance to turn off the light. He muttered a small incantation and it fizzled out, leaving them in the dark and the quiet. He lay back down and closed his eyes, drifting off to Derek’s soft snores and the steady thud of his heartbeat under Stiles’ hand.

Tomorrow would undoubtedly bring more bullshit but for now, Stiles could keep his beta safe.

[followthru4]

                           Sunday Morning, 11:00am

Hope: “So I told the man he could either take the painting with my twenty percent mark down, or leave.” She laughed describing an encounter with an annoying customer at her art gallery. They were having their usual Sunday afternoon phone conversation.

Rhys: “Nice momma. Next time let me know sooner. You know I’ll pull up.”

Hope: “Yeah, maybe. I’ll consider it.” She said with a bright tone. She loved that her son was always willing to help keep her happy. He was maturing into a wonderful young man and she could not be more impressed.

Rhys: “Okay. Well momma, I wanted to come see you and Magnus today. I miss ya’ll a lot. School has been...stressful. I could use some family vibes to clear my head.”

Hope: “Oh son, you know you are always welcome here. When will you make it over? I’ll get dinner started so that it’s ready once you arrive.” 

Rhys: “I’m stepping into the yoga studio right now, but after this I’ll be on my way.”

Hope: “Rhys hunny, you felt like yoga today? Good to hear! It’s great on your muscles and tendons with all that tension you put on playing basketball.”

Rhys: “I know momma. I’m taking care of my body like you said.”

Hope: “Wonderful Rhys. I love you very much. Enjoy your class, and we’ll all be ready to see you in a bit. I’m not even going to tell Magnus.”

Rhys (laughing): “Nice momma, he’ll love the surprise. I’ll see you soon. I love you too.”

He hung up the phone and took a deep breath, relieved that his mother didn’t hear the true reason behind his stress on the phone. She generally knew all of his moods and could read him like a book. They had always been extremely close, especially since his parents divorced before he was born. He never got the full story out of his mother because she always found a way to avoid the conversation. He told himself one day they would have a heart to heart, and he would get the whole truth.

Once inside of the yoga class, Rhys choose a mat and began to clear his mind. The situation with losing his scholarship, not talking to his boys after losing his scholarship, and the fear of sharing this news with his mother was all overbearing. As he took a seat on the first available mat he saw, the yoga instructor greeted him.

Rylee: “Hi Rhys, welcome back.” She smiled.

Rhys: “Hello.” His reply was low and spiritless.

He was releasing all of his negative energy onto the mat beneath his body when two more students entered the class. One of them was a slim bodied, artsy looking, student. The other was Sage. Rhys only realized it was Sage by her voice when Rylee greeted the others and Rhys heard Sage respond. His spirit instantly converted positively and he was now more excited to be in this class than five minutes prior.

The instructor began leading the group with poses and tranquil instructions. Rhys loved every second of it as he released all of the tension and stress he carried from his head to his toes. He didn’t realize how tense his body was until the instructor transitioned into some more difficult progressions. The class lasted exactly one hour.

Rylee: “Great session today everyone. I will be here next Sunday as well. Namaste.”

The students bowed with the palms of their hands together and against the center of their chest, “Namaste.” They replied in unison. Rhys hurried to grab his belongings and try to catch a word with Sage. Damn, what’s her rush? He wondered to himself. Luckily he was able to greet her right outside of class.

Rhys: “Hey Sage. That was a bomb session today, huh?”

Sage: “Rhys, what’s up? Yeah it was definitely needed on my end.”

Rhys (smiling): “What else are you up to today? If you don’t mind me asking?”

Sage: “Um, having lunch with my girls. We’re hardly ever apart.” She chuckled.

Rhys: “Ah, I see. Well I just wanted to let you know I had a great time at the party with you on Friday. Thanks again for, you know, just chillin’ with me.”

Sage: “Yeah, I enjoyed the party too. Emmett told me what happened at practice yesterday though.”

Rhys: “Really? He did?!” He was shocked, hoping she was referring to their coach’s anger and nothing more.

Sage: “Yeah, it was really bold of you to take the responsibility for the guys Rhys. Why did you do that?”

Rhys was surprised Sage was interested in the details of his decision. He was also nervous to explain further.

Rhys: “I just don’t like being a snitch.” He shrugged.

Sage: “Sticking up for your boys is huge. I don’t think myself or even Emmett for that matter would have done the same.”

Rhys: That punk didn’t do the same! That fool is a bitch. He thought to himself.

Sage noticed Rhys didn’t respond to her compliment. “You doing alright after all of that?”

Rhys: “To be honest with you, no I’m not. I haven’t had anyone to talk to about it either. I’ve just been to myself, trying to process it all I guess.”

Sage: “Really? That’s terrible Rhys. You shouldn’t hold things in like that. I’m here to listen if you just need someone to vent to.”

Rhys: “Nah, I don’t want to stress you with my issues. It’s bad enough you have to deal with Emmett’s ass.” He joked.

Sage (laughing): “No, seriously. I don’t mind. I think its awesome that you stood up for you friends and for that I can tell you’re a real cool dude.” She batted her eyes at him as she gassed him up some more.

Rhys couldn’t tell if she was just being friendly because he stopped her in her route to hanging out with her girls, or if she seriously meant it. Either way, he was just happy to be on speaking terms with Sage and was down to take full advantage of all the time he could get with her.

Rhys: “Okay. Well is it cool if I get your number then? You know, so that I can...vent.” He casually asked as he squinted his eyes, hoping she wouldn’t deny his attempt.

Sage pulled out her phone and handed it to him. “Just type your number and I’ll text you mine.”

Rhys felt the slight shoulder Sage threw him, understanding that she was a rap producer’s daughter and knew all to well how to avoid being played by men. She was an intelligent girl, this he noticed, and she was always on her toes. He entered his number into her cell and saved the contact as ‘Mr.Big Baller’. Sage retrieved her phone and smiled as bright as she did the night he officially met her in San My.

Sage: “I’ll text you later. Bye Rhys.”She said as she walked away, her bright smile glued to her face.

Rhys watched her walk until she was out of sight, and then proceeded to his dorm to get ready to visit his family. With everything going on around him, he was thankful to be headed home to be in his family’s presence and for the possibility that Sage would text him, hopefully.

Previous | Beginning | Next

[atamascolily]

A Natural History of Tatooine, part 5/?

In which Luke is spared the ordeal of eating live grubs for breakfast and Tor forces him to confront his F-E-E-L-I-N-G-S for two very different Jedi.

(Parts One, Two, Three and Four.)

"Good morning," said Tor. "Did you sleep well?"

"Not really," he said, digging into what he thought was a breadnut, although he didn't usually encounter breadnuts in such a violent shade of pink.

"A special hybrid," Tor said, seeing the flash of surprise in his face. "Extra anthocyanins, supposed to be very good for you. Tastier, too."

"I guess." He couldn't detect any of the differences, but he wasn't going to argue with her.

"Don't look so downcast. I have lots of fat nijki larvae that are ready for harvest that I didn't include because I know they make you squeamish."

Luke grimaced, and took a sip of cha. "We ate mealworms all the time on Tatooine, but they were dried, roasted, and ground into flour, not alive and wriggling--"

"That's how you know they're <i>fresh</i>," Tor protested, but this was an old dispute that she frequently exaggerated for comic effect. "So what did you dream about this time? Any future dangers I should know about?"

He hadn't expected her to segue back to the subject of his dreams, at least not so <i>fast</i>. "No, just old screw-ups," he said.

She looked at him, waiting for him to say more, but he bent into his breakfast and ignored her. The silence stretched out between them for another ten minutes before he finally answered her.

"You don't have to say it," he said. "It was a stupid thing for me to do, to go off to investigate some unknown evil with just two droids and a scientist for company."

Tor raised an eyebrow and coughed loudly. "Depends on the scientist, of course."

"Err--right," he said, aware that he might have insulted her, but she seemed more amused by his faux pas than anything else. Tor might be a professional botanist, but she had studied martial arts at her monastery and she gave even his advanced students a fight to remember. "Cray wasn't a warrior, and neither were Nichos and Threepio--and once I got injured, things went downhill fast--"

"So you didn't stop and think when you found a problem to investigate. Who would you have taken with you instead, given the choice?"

"I mean--hell, anyone, really. Kyp--Kam--Corran. Even Cilghal, I could have used her healing skills out there--"

"Mara," said Tor softly.

He sighed. "Yes, I should have taken Mara. Though--it would have been hard on her, the Imperial conditioning, especially after what happened to her in the Core. She might have gone over this time and not come back." He fingered the place where the cerebral feed had been jacked into his skull, pumping him with chemicals and memories not his own, in an automated effort to convert him to the Imperial cause. Cilghal had healed everything so well there was no trace of a scar.

He almost wished there was. Without it, it was far too easy to believe he'd imagined the whole ordeal.

Though imagining the experience of being trapped on a massive Imperial dreadnaught torn apart from the inside out by warring factions of confused aliens picked up in lieu of long-lost stormtrooper garrisons scattered across the galaxy, fighting the ship's rigid automated programming while coping with injuries that would have killed an ordinary person might have been preferable to the actuality.

"But you had Callista," Tor said. "Surely that counted for something."

Luke buried his face in his hands, and pushed his tray away. He couldn't deal with this level of emotion during breakfast. He didn't want to think about Callista.

Or Cray and Nichos, who hadn't made it off the <i>Eye of Palpatine</i> alive.

Cray, who had been captured and tortured before she'd sacrificed her spirit to save Callista by offering the fallen Jedi her body as a new home.

Nichos, who in one sense had died long before Cray had implanted his consciousness in a droid body, but couldn't bear to continue existing without her.

Tor thrust the tray back at him. "Drink your cha, Skywalker. There's been enough silence. Now it's time to talk."

He drank the cha on autopilot, unable to meet Tor's gaze. He didn't know what there was to say, what he could say. All the words he could think of were inadequate.

Everything was all tangled up inside his head. Callista. Mara. Cray. Nichos. He didn't even know where to start.  

He wished Tor would leave him alone, let him suffer in peace. Everyone else had.

His students twittered to each other in awe about his prowess as a Jedi, wonder in their eyes as he passed. They mourned Cray and Nichos, but accepted their deaths as a necessary sacrifice to prevent a holocaust. Cilghal had healed his wounds, but could do nothing for his head or his heart. Leia and Han hadn't pushed him, trusting he would open when the time was right and not a moment before--and busy enough with their own lives as it was.

Callista had vanished. Mara had walked away.

(That last one wasn't fair, and he knew it. But she wouldn't have left if he'd been open with her. If he had--)

"I despise self-pity, Skywalker. Didn't your teachers ever warn you that leads to the Dark Side, too?"

"There were a lot of things they never told me." He didn't want this, any of this, but she wasn't going to let him slip away quietly. A flush of anger stirred in him. She didn't have the Force. She was strong enough and self-aware enough that he couldn't manipulate her mind, but there were other ways to push her away, fling her back across the greenhouse and away from him--

"It's fine to love them both, you know," Tor said.

Any anger he'd felt deflated instantly. She'd exposed him. She'd said it out loud. She knew everything.

Did everyone else know, too?

"Not everyone," Tor said. As she had pointed out on numerous occasions, you didn't need the Force to tell what someone was thinking--just a very good eye and an understanding of human nature. "Like I said before, the students are preoccupied with their own concerns. The others know that you're upset, but they don't know why--they think it's over Cray and Nichos's death or the considerable head trauma you suffered."

His voice was dry and ragged in his throat. "That's part of it."

"Of course it is," Tor said. "But all your physical wounds have healed. You spent several weeks in a healing trance in addition to all of Cilghal's ministrations. As for Cray and Nichos--I'm sorry. I miss them, too. But they're not the reason why you're stuck in this slough of despond, and it's misleading to pretend otherwise."

Yes. That was true. He'd grieved at his students' deaths, but he'd been overjoyed to learn upon waking that Callista had survived--even if she inhabited Cray's body now. It had been eerie for the students who had known Cray, to see someone else's spirit inhabiting her flesh; it was even odder for Luke, since Cray had been his student and Callista--was his lover.

Prior to his ordeal on the <i>Eye of Palpatine</i>, he'd had long discussions with Mara and the other instructors about the dangers of fraternizing with students. Even under the extenuating circumstances, it was still--awkward, to say the least.

He'd missed Mara the whole time. But he'd come to love Callista during that awful week trapped on board the <i>Eye of Palpatine</i>. Her sense of humor. Her laugh.

He'd thought he was going to die anyway, so why the hell not fall in love with her?

And then Cray, Nichos, and Callista has tricked him, knocking him unconscious and ejecting him in a shuttle with the other refugees to keep him from interfering with their plan to blow up the dreadnought and destroy Callista entirely. It was only after the explosion, after he'd mourned and grieved their loss, that he saw the escape pod holding Callista's spirit in Cray's body and dared to hope that one of them, at least, had survived.

As soon as he saw her, he knew, though the only thing that had changed in Cray's face was her eyes. They were no longer blue, but grey, the same grey he'd seen in his Force visions of her, and in those dreams-that-were-more-than-dreams they had shared aboard the dreadnought.

Due to a series of complicated events he hadn't been able to fully grasp the significance of at the time, Mara had been the one to rescue them both.

"Awkward" didn't even begin to cover it.

[taskun56]

Realm Royale - A new kind of BR

Damn. This one came out of NOWHERE.

Realm Royale is the newest in the latest trend of taking IPs and assets and converting them over for use in the Battle Royale market.

I think games like Fortnite and PUBG are changing the gaming landscape. I hardly know anyone who plays standard team deathmatch style games anymore. A few people play CS:GO and others play Overwatch, which I don’t really consider to be part of the standard Shooter genre anyways. 

Realm Royale is the latest offering from Hi-Rez studios. Yes. That Hi-Rez. Paladins Hi-Rez. It’s a class shooter Battle Royale with crafting and an interesting loot system.

The Realm is the world of Paladins and you can tell by the art style, animations, and color palette. Everything in the game is Paladins inspired including the voice over callouts you can use to communicate with your teammates.

The standard formula is broken here and I gotta say it: This is my new favorite BR. There is so much innovation here to what is already an established genre and yet EVERYTHING WORKS.

The biggest changes are the Down-But-Not-Out system and the crafting.

Standard BR have you either instantly die or go into a downed state and wait revival from a teammate. Realm Royale says no. Instead, hen you die you turn into a clucking cartoon chicken with a white flag and you can run around and jump and hide. After 30 seconds you are automatically revived with half health. This does away with the idea that your teammates have to stop defending themselves to pick you up, which was always a point of contention I had with the system. It meant that every knock-down was that much more critical because you couldn’t resuscitate them without breaking your attention from pushers. It was a flawed system, but until now there hasn’t really been much better. And let’s be honest the only reason the chicken works is because of the Paladins world. That wouldn’t work in Fortnite or God-forbid, PUBG.

The second innovation is crafting. Everything that drops can be instantly disenchanted with one key to turn into a general crafting currency called Shards. You take your shards to one of the numerous forges on the map and use it to craft Random Legendary tier gear or class skills. If you have managed to kill an enemy player in Chicken form you’ll also get a Chicken Leg which is a material used to craft your class specific Legendary Weapon. It means that your highest power spike can’t occur unless you can kill other players. Some people seem to do fine without their weapons, but it’s always a strong option and in some cases is the best thing you can use as that class bar-none. All the gear comes in White -> Green -> Purple -> Orange tiers with Orange, or Legendary, being the highest. If you come across upgrades spamming the assigned “pick-up” button (E by default) will swap it out. It makes the whole “which loot is better comparison” trivial. Better color = better tier and everything else? Shard it.

Now the real kicker. Every time you craft at a Forge the smoke stack lights up and the building becomes one big beacon that says “Someone is here and they’re crafting something really powerful! Come kill them and take it!” It’s an excellent addition to the BR formula. Players aren’t encouraged to hide and unlike Fortnite you can’t build cover and camp in it. The zone moves fairly quickly and with Forges at nearly every single Point-of-Interest there are always showdowns over loot.

Now, for healing yourself there is the standard health and armor potions (Realm Royale’s equivalent to Shields from Fortnite). The difference is that you can only use potions to repair what you’ve lost which means you’ll need to find armor to wear first. That armor also comes in tiers and each slot bestows buffs like movement speed, reload speed, cooldowns, etc. 

To help cover ground int he map every player also has access to a mount by default by pressing Z. It takes 1s to mount and drastically improves your movement speed, but if you’re hit once or fall from to far a height you’ll be dismounted with a 2s cooldown. It seems like this would break the BR tradition about vehicles, but really all it means is that you can spend more time looting and shooting and less time running on foot to get away from the storm.

I won’t really go into detail about the classes because this isn’t meant to be a full review, but it IS a class shooter in the vein of TF2 and Overwatch and coming from Paladins the assets and expertise are there. All 5 classes feel very different and encourage different play styles. There are enough skills for each class that you can play each game as the same class and find different ways to utilize their strengths. Given that you can only equip two skills at a time and each class gets a unique movement skill you quickly realize there are so many ways to play each class. I definitely encourage you to try them all out.

Realm Royale is shaping up to be an excellent addition to the genre, which I’m happy about because things were getting stale for me, personally. I think my biggest thing to focus on is the fact that Hi-Rez saw the opportunity to jump in on the BR bandwagon and instead of just tossing assets together to copy-pasta the genre they made a completely new Battle Royale meta. I’m really glad for them because while Paladins may not be finding its footing yet Realm Royale is going to be huge. And let’s be honest, whatever gripes we have with Paladins it still took them a lot of effort and passion to make that world and its characters. Realm Royale may have left the Paladins lore on the cutting room floor but all the charm of the art style and world still manages to be distinctive and recognizable. I’m hedging bets in their favor on this one. “It’s gonna be huge.”

[blazardragon]

Korotan D - English Translation of Chapter 5 

Here’s all 15 pages of chapter 5! It’s quite a bit to read, this time ^^; 

Things take a dire turn in this chapter, so we get to see Fuwa put her Katsuragi Yako-esque deductive abilities to use, while Isogai, Megu, and Karma use their leadership skills to mobilize the class. Athletic students like Okano and Kimura get a chance to shine as well. Also, as you can see in the picture above, Class E finds one of Korosensei’s houses!

I apologize in advance for the ending, though…

Chapter 5: Thief Time 

The next day, while Terasaka was taking a breather after he had finished carrying all the lighting equipment early in the morning, he noticed several people with an imposing atmosphere. One held a duralumin* case, while another was surveying the surrounding area. Furthermore, behind them was a monk wearing brilliant orange robes.  

Nathonni fidgeted restlessly as he waited for the three to approach.

“So you’ve come at last. Please, allow us to see it.”

The staff gathered as well, one after another.  

The duralumin case was placed on the table, and its lid was carefully opened. Inside was an item wrapped in white cloth, not unlike the wrappings of a mummy. The monk carefully unwrapped the cloth, revealing a golden Buddha statue with a dull gleam.

“Oooh…!”

Nathonni reflexively brought his hands together in prayer. For the sake of his film, Nathonni had borrowed the impossible, a golden Buddha statue designated as a national cultural asset. The statue had such a noble glow that the staff couldn’t help but sigh with awe, and even Kayano put her hands together in prayer.

“This Buddha statue is several hundred years old, a precious item worshipped in one of our villages. It is also considered a work of art, a national treasure of high value. Please feel the weight of this statue. It is my hope that in your acting and filming, you bring to light its profundity.”

Nathonni put his hands together to pray one more time as his eyes shone brightly.

“Alright, let’s borrow the power of this statue and make this movie a success! You’ll be able to act realistically if you’re in front of a statue like this, right, Jerome?”

“Whether it’s real or fake, it’s already decided that I’ll be able to play my part perfectly. Well, just watch my performance and see.”

“Geez, your self-confidence is something else. It’d be nice if your acting skills matched that big mouth of yours.”

Nathonni half-jokingly teased Jerome, making his facial expression change entirely.

“What did you say? Do you know what happens when you make the Jerome angry?”

Jerome pulled out a gun and pointed it at Nathonni.

“W-what are you doing!? Stop!”

A loud gunshot rang through the air. Nathonni reflexively stiffened his body, but nothing happened aside from some nitrogen smoke rising from the shell that flew.

“Gotcha! It’s just a toy gun! So? Wasn’t my acting totally spot on?”

“H-hey! Don’t play with the props! You’re so impossible!”

Totally deceived and red in the face, Nathonni scolded Jerome.

He’s so troublesome……

Kayano made a pained expression at Jerome’s mischievous behavior.

 “In this scene, the novel states that the inside of the ruins converts into a dungeon, but that doesn’t seem like something they can make on set.”

Hazama spoke to Mimura.

“Yeah. They said that they’re doing the dungeon scene at the studio.”

“These days, CGI is becoming more and more common, and they can make replicas, not to mention the actors and staff would be nervous when handling something like a genuine Buddha statue, so wouldn’t you say that they’re handling this poorly?”

“There’s a lot of directors who like to stick to using the real thing. There are movies like Heaven’s Gate**, where they went several billion yen over their assigned budget because they had arranged for things like genuine locomotives and sliver tableware. There’s also Ask This of Rikyu***, where they actually used 400-year-old tea ware designated as a national treasure, making it a very realistic but luxurious production.

“Now that you mention it, I’ve heard of horror movies that invite genuine curses. Poltergeist activity would awaken during filming, and actors would suddenly die. Maybe something abominable will occur here as well.”

“It doesn’t sound like a joke when you say it, Hazama.”

Mimura felt a chill thanks to Hazama.

 “Understand? In this scene, Jerome and Rin reach the ruined temple after they read a clue left behind by her father. When they open the stone doors leading to the inside of the temple, they find the Buddha statue hidden within. It’s a scene where their pains are finally rewarded, so perform with emotional abundance without saying anything weird.”

Nathonni emphasized this to the two of them.

“Take one! Action!”

Nathonni’s voice echoed throughout the ruins. Jerome slowly opened the stone doorway and illuminated the inside with a light. Doing so, the golden Buddha statue reflected the light back to him. Kayano, playing the part of Rin, swallowed her breath.

“This is…… the Buddha statue father left behind!”

“That’s amazing, damn.”

As Jerome and Rin gazed at the brilliant statue, the director yelled “Cut!”

“That was great! You were filled with such splendid realism!”

However, even though he had yelled “Cut”, Kayano continued to gaze at the statue. Jerome poked fun at Kayano.

“Hey, come on now, Haruna, do you actually want that statue? If you want it as a present from me, I’ll ask someone who I can buy it from.”

“It’s different…… This one is different from the one we saw earlier.”

“……What did you say?”

“Look, the one from earlier didn’t shine like this!”

Kayano took the light Jerome was holding, and illuminated the statue from various angles.

“It didn’t sparkle like this! It was a duller, more refined shine!”

The staff closed in around her as she raised her voice. The monk, who was watching them film, lifted the statue and checked its underside.

“This is…… a fake!”

Nathonni rushed over and confirmed what he said, his face turning a sickly white.

“Look for anybody suspicious who may have entered the vicinity!”

Class E, scattered in all sorts of different departments, halted their work and gathered together. They checked with the staff from every team, but nobody had seen anybody suspicious. A member of the production team raised his hand.

“I didn’t see anybody suspicious, but one of our production members has gone missing. A tall, thin person.”

The staff began to whisper amongst themselves.

“Don’t tell me, that person slipped into our staff and stole the statue…..? But how?”

Nathonni was hurriedly looking around beyond the stone doors where he had placed the statue.  

“Nathonni, come here!”

A member of the staff yelled. Nathonni bounded over, and was shown one of the walls of the set they had crafted. The wall that had been designed to appear as if it led into passage connecting to the back of the ruins was torn open, as if someone had passed through it.

“Could it be that they invaded through here to steal it!?”

Nathonni’s shouts echoed through the set.

“Follow that production man! And contact the local police!”

The staff got into their cars in a hurry.

“This isn’t the time to stand around like morons and do nothing. Let’s go chase after that statue thief, too!”

Everyone calmed down upon hearing Terasaka’s words.

“At a time like this, we need to figure out exactly what happened. Let’s try passing through this wall ourselves.”

When Fuwa passed through the break in the wall, she came out behind the set of ruins. Before her eyes was a fence that enclosed the temple site.

Fuwa looked above the fence.

“Look! There’s a broken tree branch hanging over the fence. Moreover, the break looks fresh. When we would play Cops and Robbers, this was one of the things Korosensei taught us about so that we wouldn’t get caught by Karasuma-sensei, right?”  

“That!?”

Fuwa’s words made the rest of Class E remember instantly. When they first started playing Cops and Robbers, they were immediately arrested by Karasuma, but while they were in prison, Korosensei had given them hints to throw off his pursuit.

“Over here! Hurry! This time, we’re the cops!”

Kataoka went ahead of the others and scaled the fence. Within the forest, there were many brand-new traces indicating that someone had passed by. Footprints in the mud, branches broken from being stepped on, and scraped moss all told the story of a person’s passage.

“There’s only one set of footprints!”

“Then, is there only one culprit?”

“I don’t know. There might be others mobilized separately from him.”

All the traces aimed in the same direction straight ahead. Class E ran up the slope of a low hill as they continued to follow. Isogai climbed up a tree and shouted,

“There!”

There was a savanna on the other side of the hill. There was also a man making his way across it. He looked behind him and, noticing he was being followed, took off in a panic.

“He ran away! Everybody, after him!”

At Isogai’s command, Okano and Kimura jumped out together. Everyone else followed behind them.

“I will catch you!”

Kayano shouted desperately.

Jerome appeared out of nowhere and stopped Kayano.

“This isn’t something the lead actress should have to do. The Jerome will get the statue back for you, so watch me!”

Upon saying this, he passed Kayano and daringly ran down the slope.

As the thief was trying to escape the savanna, Okano and Kimura had gotten ahead of him and were lying in wait. The man turned around to try and escape them, but Terasaka, Isogai, and Karma blocked off the escape routes behind him. With everyone cooperating with each other and chasing the man from every direction, they were able to completely surround him.

“What’s up with you all!?”

The man said as he looked around.

“That’s the golden Buddha statue, right? Please hand it over quietly.”

Isogai said as he pointed to the ajar bag he was carrying.

“Just try taking this by force. Who knows what’ll happen to the statue if you do.”

The man whistled a shrill sound.

“This guy’s making fun of us!”

Terasaka tried to stomp right towards him, but Isogai stopped him.

“Wait. Let’s use a projectile weapon.”

“A projectile weapon? Do we even have one!?”

A ball flew from behind and grazed past Terasaka’s face. The ball Sugino threw made a sudden ark and made a direct hit on the man’s head from his blind spot.  

Isogai caught the man before he collapsed to the ground to prevent the bag from being crushed.

“Phew, it was a close call, but we’re safe.”

“That wasn’t a safe. More like a strike, am I right?”

Sugino gave him a thumbs up.

Isogai removed the white cloth wrapping to confirm the contents, revealing a golden Buddha statue.

Its surface shimmered under the light of the sun.

“With this, the case has been settled.”

Yet in the moment Sugino said that,

 *Fwwweeet*

 A whistle rang nearby. A chain of whistling began as if in response to the first. One could see human figures flicker through the trees surrounding the savanna. Their numbers increased rapidly, a few dozen men encircling and approaching Class E. Among them was a familiar figure, the stuntman Rawan. When Rawan raised his right hand, the other men stopped dead in their tracks.

“All of you! If you value your lives, put the statue on the ground!”

Rawan yelled at Class E.

“Rawan! Just who are you!?”

Rawan replied to Jerome���s shout.

“We’re a gang of bandits so notorious that the people of this country tremble upon hearing our name, the ‘Shishidan’!”

“There’s this many people involved!?”

Terasaka felt impatient.

“This has become a big pain in the neck.”

As everyone grew tense, Karma alone remained calm.

“Hey, Isogai. Doesn’t this situation seem kinda familiar?”

It suddenly hit Isogai as well.

“The pole-toppling match at the sports festival!”

“We’re greatly outnumbered, so once they have us closed off, it’s all over. First, we have to break through.”

“Then, I’ll start by running with the statue, so anybody who’s confident in their speed should follow me! We’ll use our speed to throw off our opponents and cause confusion. Those guys will probably go after me, so those who aren’t confident in their speed should separate from me and let those at the filming site know about the bandits!”

“Okay!”

Isogai took off in an instant, breaking out of their encirclement by jumping over one of the bandit’s shoulders, and ran. Kimura, Okano, Maehara, and Kataoka, all having high mobility, followed right behind him.

“It’s been awhile since we’ve done some free-running!”

“Once ya get moving, your body remembers how to do it!”

Muramatsu and Yoshida also followed suit. Terasaka and Itona followed behind them.

Rawan responded against Class E’s movements,

“Catch the one holding the statue!”

The bandits hurriedly pursued Isogai, but Isogai, having run into the forest, climbed the trees, jumping from branch to branch and quickly disappearing from the enemy’s view. The statue was passed back and forth between Class E, making the location of the statue even more transient and perplexing to the thieves.

As Kayano, Nagisa, and Karma were following behind Isogai, Jerome, intending to protect Kayano, complained,

“Heeey, wait for me! You’re too fast, Haruna!”

“If you can’t follow me, go back alone!”

Upon being told this, Jerome desperately continued to follow Kayano.

“Karma!”

Isogai returned emptyhanded.

“What happened to the statue?”

“I passed it to Kimura earlier. I was hoping to confuse the enemy by alternating who held it, but those guys have cornered us carefully. There’s just too many over there. They’re slowly narrowing the net around us.”

“They also have the advantage of being more familiar with this forest than we are. If that’s the case, then simply running around will accomplish nothing. We need to counterattack. We’ll be done in if we don’t find some terrain suitable for fighting so that we can thoroughly crush our opponent.”

Karma felt impatient.

“Nagisa, lend me a bit of wisdom here…… Nagisa?”

Although Nagisa was supposed to be right behind him, he was nowhere to be found.

“Nagisa? Where did you go?”

Karma walked as he looked around for him. Doing so, he saw Nagisa’s back hidden beyond the entangled tree branches.

“What happened?”

“Are these…… ruins?”

Many stone towers and buildings stood before Nagisa’s eyes. They were eroded by the trees of the forest, becoming part of the forest itself. The trees coiled around the towers so thoroughly that it seemed as if the towers were being strangled, and one portion of the towers had completely collapsed. Faced with such an awe-inspiring sight, Nagisa was instinctively fascinated. On one of the pillars of the tower was carved several gods or Buddhas with solemn expressions.

“Amazing……”

Nagisa was overwhelmed by those giant statues that suddenly appeared within the forest.  Nagisa noticed one unusual face carved within those towers. It was the only face engraved on a brand-new pillar. It had a contour close to that of a circle, eyes nearly as small as sesame seeds, and a smile in the shape of a crescent moon.

 “Eh? ……Korosensei?”

Seeing what Nagisa was pointing to, Karma exclaimed with a “What the heck is that!?” in surprise.

“You can’t just arbitrarily become part of the ruins.”

Kayano finally arrived after looking for the two of them and gazed nostalgically at the column of the tower.

“Korosensei…… I guess he visited places like this, too.”

Karma looked around the pillar.

“He didn’t just make this pillar. I’m sure there’s something else here, too.”

Nagisa walked around the relics that made one feel the flow of time and saw a large object beyond the tower. It was a slightly dirtied, dome-like object. He faced in front of the object to confirm its identity, realizing that the yellow dome was shaped into Korosensei’s face.

The dome, large enough to rival a planetarium, received a fair amount of erosion in these past three years, with plants crawling around its surface, adhering their vine-like roots. Someday, after many months and years have passed, it, too, will become part of the forest.

Standing in front of the part of the building corresponding to Korosensei’s mouth, Nagisa noticed that one of the teeth was, in fact, a door. Nagisa’s feet dug into the grass as he gripped its handle and opened it.

“Hey, isn’t this place suspicious? Wouldn’t it be better if you didn’t go in?”

Leaving the fearful Jerome behind, Nagisa entered the dome.

 Nagisa fumbled around and turned on the lights near the entrance, revealing a normal looking, house-like interior. First, there was an entranceway. Nagisa and the others stepped up and opened the door at the end of the corridor, revealing a spacious room. The floor was buried under toys and other miscellaneous goods scattered all over. Furthermore, a TV, a tea table, fans, and other goods necessary for one’s livelihood were scattered about. Everything was coated with a thin layer of dust.

Nagisa was startled by a phantom sound at his feet. He picked up the source of the sound from the floor, a whoopee cushion.

“He had things like this?”

“Over here, too!”

What Kayano was holding was a rough-looking water gun in the shape of a machine gun. They also excavated fireworks, games, candy, sticker collections, and more, one after another.

“Aah, this is totally the room of an absolutely no good human being.”

Karma threw away a bag of sweets.

“In other words, this building…… is one of Korosensei’s hideouts?”

“Probably…… It looks like sensei had rest stops all around the world.”

“Although, for a hideout, isn’t the design too self-assertive? It’s kind of painful. Instead of a ‘painful car’, it’s a ‘painful house’.” ***

“Aha ha, you’re right.”

While Nagisa was laughing, Isogai and the others also entered the room.

“Woah, what’s up with this room?”

“His material desires shine through here, huh?”

“Is this a hideout for when he wants to be a good-for-nothing? Geez, he’s so careless!”

They all wanted to say these things in front of the face of the room’s owner.

“This is so nostalgic.”

Yoshida picked up a piece of candy and examined it closely. The room was flooded with goods that were popular three years ago, the year they spent with Korosensei.

While everyone was still in astonishment, Okajima stared down with a sharp eye a corridor which continued to the back. He staggered forward by himself, relying on his sense of smell, and discovered an erotic magazine room, with dirty magazines displayed all over the walls.

“How divine……”

He gazed at the magazines displayed on the wall as if he wanted to devour them, and with a quivering hand, took hold of one.

“T-this is… the big-boobed gravure idol who recently got pulled into the TV industry! Aren’t gravure compilations of OOO with such extreme exposure actually really rare…..!? Aah, this is bold swimsuit gravure of ΔΔΔ, who’s now a regular in the film industry……This is a sanctuary!”

Itona also looked around and admired the walls.

“These are all women who were no-names three years ago and have recently had their big breakthroughs. That octopus had a frighteningly discerning eye for the future of those with big boobs.”

During this conversation only for men who understand each other, the others who were left behind were being drawn away.

“Everyone, come here!”

Everyone gathered in the direction of Kataoka’s voice. There was a decorated panel on the wall of the room they were lead to. It was covered with photographs taken of everyone in Class E, all holding their guns. They were all life-sized.

“This was……. when we were all aiming at Korosensei.”

“Yeah…… I didn’t know he took a picture of that.”

Memories of their time spent with Korosensei rose to the mind’s surface of each and every member of the Assassination Classroom. That they would reunite in a place like this could only be ascribed to “fate”.

“This isn’t the time to be standing around immersed in our memories. It’s good that we were able to hide here, but sooner or later the bandits will find this place and attack. Let’s look for something we can use to oppose them.”

“You say that, but there’s nothing but junk here…”

Kataoka’s words contained a hint of resignation. Karma picked up a toy slot machine and examined it closely.

“That’s not the case, you know? There’s a lot of things we can use.”

Karma had caught a mouse and held it in his hand.

“There’s a lot of bandits, and I can only come up with so many ideas. You all think of something, too.”

“Yeah!”

Isogai’s and the others’ voices reverberated within Korosensei’s painful house. The Buddha statue was placed to rest in the shrine of the dirty magazines while Class E steadily gathered things to use as they hunted through the piles of rubbish.

 Kimura, holding the bag that had held the Buddha statue, checked his surroundings carefully as he left Korosensei’s painful house. He advanced forward as he hid behind the trees. However, just as he tried to pass by one of the large fig trees, he found two bandits standing before him.

“Found ‘em!”

“Crap!”

He used his speed to shake them off, but as he was trying to return the way he came, two more bandits appeared and trapped Kimura in. He hurried up a large tree and jumped from branch to branch, but the bandits continued to follow his shadow on the ground.

“Those guys are persistent!”

The men let out a shrill whistle. Even more of their comrades gathered, building up a net surrounding Kimura. Kimura shouted in English to those on the ground,

“Try catching me if you can!”

Hearing his provocation, the bandits furiously chased after Kimura. Just as Kimura’s legs were beginning to fail him and three of the bandits were catching up, the three all tripped at the same time. They were caught by a trap, a taut jump rope.

“You bastards aren’t the only ones doing an ambush!”

Terasaka said with a swagger. Beside him, Muramatsu laughed with a “gishishishi”. They tied the bandits up with the jump rope.  

Rawan became furious at Class E’s counterattack.

“Don’t let the notorious Shishidan be put down by a bunch of brats! Use your weapons! Capture them all this instant, and get back that golden statue!”

All at once, the bandits took out huge, butcher’s knife-like swords and began their counterattack.

Terasaka and the others took down bandits one by one with an instant trap they made using insect nets and fishing tools, but they had no choice but to retreat when the bandits began using their swords.

“Crap! We’ve lured enough of them here, so let’s help Kimura out and head back!”

They gathered together with Kimura and ran inside Korosensei’s painful house.

“I won’t let you get away!!”

Rawan and the other bandits rushed in.

It was pitch-black inside. Many people had packed themselves in at once, so the bandits were all crowded tight within the space of the room.

“Turn on the lights!”

The thieves fumbled against the walls as they looked for a switch.

“Ouch!”

Somebody yelped in pain. A mouse was hanging off his finger, pinching down with all its strength.

“Hey! Hasn’t somebody found the lights yet!?”

Just as one of the bandits yelled this out, sounds of something rupturing began to go off here and there.

“Gyaah!!”

“My eyes! They’re burning!!”

This time, it was a sharp cry. What ruptured upon hitting the bandits’ eyes were water balloons left behind by Karma, who filled them with water mixed with Phnon’s specialty, hot chili peppers. Class E started pelting the bandits with their balloon bombs.

“Are you making fun of us, you damn brats!? The water’s coming from over there! Charge!”

Rawan forced his subordinates to charge forward. The sound of their boots resounded as they rushed ahead, flinching as they were shot with powerful water guns containing chili pepper water.  

“Damn it all! They’re making fools of us!!”

The lights turned on in an instant. What awaited the bandits was Class E, all of them wielding guns. Faced with the muzzles of so many guns, the bandits were frightened instantly.

“It’s a trap!”

The moment Rawan yelled out, the bodies of every bandit instantly began to float in the air. The floor had come out from beneath them, and they all fell to the bottom of the pit.

“We did it!!”

“Alriiiiiiiiight!!”

Class E revealed themselves, looking down at the bandits who fell down the pitfall in delight.

“No matter how you look at it, this has to be a hole Korosensei used in his simulations to devise countermeasures against pitfalls, huh?”

“Korosensei was weak against pitfalls, wasn’t he?”

“Putting that panel with those photos of all of us around this hole really makes you feel like you’re being aimed at, too!”

“So Korosensei used measures as desperate as this. It’s no wonder we were almost unable to kill him.”

Kataoka smiled at Isogai as she recalled the days when they worked on Korosensei’s assassination.

“But to think we’d find traces of Korosensei at a time like this…… This brings back all sorts of memories from that class, right, Kayano?”

Nagisa looked around, but although Kayano was next to him just a moment ago, she was nowhere to be found.

“Kayano?”

 “Nagi-“

 Nagisa turned around sharply, certain he heard her call his name. The voice had been silenced mid-sentence.

Notes:  

*Duralumin is an aluminum-copper alloy. It’s strong enough to be used in bulletproof vests. For those of you familiar with Yugioh, Seto Kaiba’s bulletproof case, the one he kept his trading cards in, was made of duralumin!

**Heaven’s Gate is a 1980 American Western film directed by Michael Cimino. Mimura certainly pulled out a good example of a director spending way too much money. According to Wikipedia, Cimino pushed the movie nearly four times over its planned budget. Ask This of Rikyu is a movie released in 2013 based on a Japanese historical novel depicting the life of Rikyu, a historical figure known to have greatly influenced Japanese Tea Ceremony.  That’s Mimura for you! He’s well-versed in all sorts of movies, whether they be old, new, Western, or Eastern! 

***This joke doesn’t make any sense in English, so I’ll have to explain. A ‘painful car’ 「痛車」is a car painted with anime characters and/or loaded with figures and stuffed dolls. It’s a 'painful car' because some people consider it painful to look at. I guess it’s a common enough occurrence to be included in Japanese-English dictionaries. ‘Painful house’ is not a common word, at least not yet, but Karma’s joking that Korosensei’s house is just as painful to look at. One particularly painful example I found via Google images is this:

Where a guy photoshopped himself kissing an anime character and put it on his car along with the words “I love you, Shana,” and “I love you, too, Kensuke”.  

Karma’s pranks are pretty benign compared to Jerome’s, it seems…  I feel like I should be a little insulted that a gang of bandits reminds Karma of Class A, but I guess Gakushuu’s foreign friends did look a lot like bandits. The line about Korosensei’s possessions being coated with dust was a little upsetting to read  ;A; I’m sorry this chapter ends on a cliffhanger! I’ll try to unhang you all as soon as possible!

[oumakokichi]

So what exactly happens in chapter 3? I know that Angie started a student council, but I dont know what the motive was or why the culprit decided to kill at that moment.

Chapter 3 is, as per the usual DR tradition, kind of a hugemess. It has its fun moments, of course! But motive-wise it’s definitely theweakest, in my opinion. The given motive is interesting in theory, per se, butit’s actually not the reason the culprit killed at all. In fact, the culprit’sreal motive for killing is really just… oh boy, how do I put it.

I can explain what happens a little more in-depth, but I’llgo ahead and put it under a read more, just in case!

Basically, Angie’s Religious Student Council started takingshape as early as Chapter 2, but it didn’t really fully form until Chapter 3.In Chapter 2, Angie began showing a lot more influence over Himiko about midwaythrough the chapter, taking her under her wing and “converting” her to herreligion. The word change is so sudden that the word “brainwashing” is actuallybrought up several times, and Angie always avoids the subject whenever anyone asksher what she did to Himiko.

This, combined with the strong implications in her FTEs thather art talent works in a similar way to Mitarai’s, seems to suggest that shedoes “convert” people to her religion by showing them her artwork andessentially “painting” them the picture of god that they want to see the most,as she says her god has a different form for everyone. Himiko is the first onetaken under her wing in part because Himiko herself is seeking an escape from reality,because she doesn’t want to confront either the horrible things that arehappening around her or her own grief and trauma, and in part because Angieprobably saw her as a relatively easy target.

By Chapter 3, Gonta, Tsumugi, Kiibo, and Tenko also “convert”to Angie’s religion, giving them enough members to declare themselves a “ReligiousStudent Council,” whose interest isn’t in trying to escape outside but insteadis in a “peaceful school life.” Tenko only joins in order to keep a closer eyeon Himiko, because she’s worried about the amount of influence Angie has onher, but she pretends to be on pretty good terms with Angie for the first partof the chapter.

Gonta and Tsumugi, meanwhile, seem to have been taken in bypretty much the same methods as Himiko was. Where Angie told Himiko that hergod was young and handsome, she tells Gonta that his is like a kind and nurturinggrandmother. As for Tsumugi, her god has “black hair and red eyes” (a possiblereference to any number of DR characters, but my money is on Kamukura).

There are a few reasons I doubt Tsumugi was taken in nearlyas much as Gonta or Himiko, but I’m not sure how far you want to be spoiled, soI won’t go too far into depth. As for Kiibo, I’m pretty sure he joined mostlydue to wanting to feel more “human” himself. By taking an interest in humanreligion, it was a way for him to show that he was also an “ordinary student”like the rest of them.

In any case, Angie’s Religious Student Council takes theforefront in Chapter 3. With so many people backing her up, Angie feelscomfortable enough to say that they’re going to start enforcing some measuresto ensure that they all have a peaceful school life. No one is forced to jointhem, per se… but it becomes clear very early on that non-student councilmembers won’t get the same benefits as the student council themselves.

They set up a curfew, much like Celes’ own suggestion backin dr1 that no one leave their rooms at nighttime. But student council membershave full privileges to walk around whenever they want, at whatever hours theywant. It’s only non-student council members who are told to stay in their rooms,the reason being that they haven’t actually agreed to cooperate with everyone’s“peaceful school life.”

This sort of authoritative behavior gets taken up to the maxwhen the Monokumerz come by later on to deliver another remember light. Therewas one earlier on in the chapter which the group did use, but upon thedelivery of a second one later on, Angie actually takes the light and crushesit underfoot, saying that “they don’t need memories of the outside worldanymore because they’re all going to live peacefully in the school.” Despitethe fact that her motivations are largely driven by self-preservation, thisscene was actually quite interesting since it’s true that the desire to getoutside is the main motivating factor for most of the murders, not only inndrv3 but in DR as a whole. Not using the remember lights isn’t actually such abad idea in itself.

As for the actual motive presented in the chapter, that’swhere things start to get weird. While most of the motives in ndrv3 feel morestrongly paralleled with dr1’s motives, I’d say Chapter 3’s feels more like ansdr2 motive. The Monokumerz tell all the cast that there’s going to be a “transferstudent”—then tack on the fact that this “transfer student” is actually goingto be one of their deceased classmates. They say that they can pick whoever theywant to resurrect, but only one person. Then they give them a ritual handbook,to tell them how to carry it out.

All the characters express their disbelief, but theMonokumerz assure them that it’s 100% possible, and that they really canresurrect someone. Whether they mean it in the literal sense of the word, orwhether the meaning is a little trickier (which I think is the case, judging bysome of the later chapters in ndrv3 and some of the foreshadowing with theMonokumerz themselves) is hard to judge. Either way though, Chapter 3 as awhole deals a lot with very occult and religious motifs and themes.

Angie, of course, takes the decision of who to resurrectinto her own hands, as the leader of the Religious Student Council. Of the fourpeople who’ve died, they choose Amami, and Angie begins holing herself up inher research lab shortly afterwards in order to prepare for the ritual. Her labis one of the only ones which actually can be locked even though she discoveredit while she was still alive, because she specifically asked for a key in orderto work, stating that she can’t “work as god’s vessel” while other people arewatching usually.

And then we have… why the murders actually took place. As Imentioned earlier, they happened for reasons pretty much entirely unrelated tothe “resurrection” motive, or even the Religious Student Council itself. Themost that can be said is that Korekiyo’s personal motive are religious innature—but that’s about it.

Mostly, he kills because he was always a potential threat,and in Chapter 3 he finally saw an opportunity. He wanted to kill one of the girlsunder the guise of the kagonoko ritual, a ritual specified in a book from his researchlab which supposedly allows for communication with spirits. He set up all thepreparations in advance to make it possible to kill someone in secret duringthat ritual, and Angie walked in on him setting it up while walking through theschool at night. She heard the sound of him sawing and grinding at thefloorboards, walked in on him, and he realized that he needed to silence her ifhe wanted to get away with the murder he’d originally wanted to commit.

Basically, Angie was collateral damage in the same waySaionji was in sdr2. After knocking her unconscious with a plank of wood fromthe floorboards, Korekiyo taped up her head injury, carried her back to herresearch lab, and killed her there with the katana from his own lab. He thenused it to create a locked room by thrusting it into one of the wax figuresAngie had made and tried to make it look as though the murder could only havebeen committed by one of the Religious Student Council members.

Later on, during the investigation for Angie’s murder, hebrings up the suggestion of “trying to talk to Angie’s spirit,” in order to goback to his original plan of killing during the kagonoko ritual. Originally,Himiko volunteers for it, but Tenko steps in, saying she wants Himiko to have achance to say goodbye to Angie as her friend. During the course of the ritual,once the lights are out, he jumped on the floorboards that he’d prepared andslammed Tenko’s body up into a sickle that he’d taped to the top of the cagecovering her, which jammed its way into her neck and killed her instantly.

His reasons for this are… uh, well, because he wanted to “reunite”with his deceased sister. And it goes a lot darker than that. He wanted to sendher “female friends” in the afterlife—by killing them. As long as they werepolite enough, any of the girls would do (the only girls he says weren’tqualified at the end of the Chapter 3 trial were Maki and Miu). He’s confirmedin the Chapter 3 trial to have killed almost100 girls for this reason, saying that he was “almost there.”

He wanted desperately to reunite with his sister because hewas in love with her. It’s gross and it’s not portrayed as some romantic ormisguided thing by the narrative, thankfully. Pretty much all the charactersare shocked and disgusted when they find out. But it’s still really, reallymessed up. He says he and his sister “swore their love to each other,” thatthey were “like lovers,” and that their “forbidden love” had “nothing to dowith being siblings.” So it’s pretty undeniably just incest.

It’s not really clarified whether he was in love with hissister or if the feeling was mutual. All that’s really mentioned is that hissister was older than him. Also, during the trial, he definitely seems to believe he’s being possessed by herspirit. While I doubt such a thing is actually possible considering there’s noforeshadowing for it or indications, I will say it seems like Korekiyo isdefinitely somewhat unstable near the end of his trial, as he begins to “communicate”with her more and more often whenever he takes off his mask. By the end of the trial,he’s a screaming, shaking mess, and he and his “sister” yell at the group to “apologize”repeatedly, like a mantra.

This brings me back to… well, Chapter 3 being a mess. Ithas parts that are a lot of fun, and I will say the actual case this time wasprobably the best one in terms of actual mystery-solving out of all threegames. But the motive given by the Monokumerz is shaky and not expanded upon,and Korekiyo’s actual motives are horrifying and disgusting, and I know a lotof people (myself included) are uncomfortable with Kodaka even touching on thesubject at all. Again, it’s good that nothing about Korekiyo was portrayed in aforgivable or understandable light, but it’s still territory I’m not sureKodaka should’ve really written about since it’s a very, very sensitive matter.

There’s really not much reason as to why Korekiyo pickedChapter 3 specifically to kill, other than that he saw an opportunity and hewent for it, much like Celes in dr1. Just like Celes, Korekiyo was always apotential threat—he just laid low and bided his time until he felt like hestood a good chance of getting away with it. His own research lab opening up inChapter 3 was probably what he had been waiting for the most, considering thekagonoko ritual book gave him the perfect pretense for committing the kind ofmurder that he wanted to.

That’s… really the gist of it. It’s still a pretty confusingmess no matter how I explain it. Again, I feel like it’s probably the weakestin the game, though that’s pretty normal for DR games, but Korekiyo’s motivesin particular were really, really awful, and it’s one of the few instances I canthink of in which a murder (a double-murder, actually) had absolutely nothingto do with the actual, given motive.

I hope I was able to answer your questions, though! Thanks forstopping by!

[dfroza]

by reading the Scriptures we should see God as our Creator

who is Light and Love, and pure Justice who created everything perfect and good, and who has promised to make all things right again from all the damage we ourselves have done on beautiful earth and its sacred ground.

and we should see grace illuminated in the Son, revealed by the Spirit to the heart who is the inspiration for our thoughts in Love and in correction, also the inspiration for the writing down of the sacred texts to conserve spiritual truth for thousands of years.

A point seen here shared in an email i read this morning:

When filled with holy truth the mind rests.

...."we have the mind of Christ [the Messiah] and do hold the thoughts [feelings and purposes] of His heart".... 1 Corinthians 2:16b The Amplified Translation

...."Be still, [in a certain and steadfast trust] and know that I [am] God".... Psalms 46:10 NASB

and we see the significance of the written Word and its conservation in Today’s reading with chapter 8 of the book of Acts that begins with Saul’s persecution toward those who believed in the message of Heaven’s New Covenant of grace revealed, which led to his humbling and conversion, a metamorphosis into Paul as an apostle of grace who wrote of significance in the Letters of the New Testament

[Acts 8]

Now, Saul agreed to be an accomplice to Stephen’s stoning and participated in his execution. From that day on, a great persecution of the church in Jerusalem began. All the believers scattered into the countryside of Judea and among the Samaritans, except the apostles who remained behind in Jerusalem. God-fearing men gave Stephen a proper burial and mourned greatly over his death.

Then Saul mercilessly persecuted the church of God, going from house to house into the homes of believers to arrest both men and women and drag them off to prison.

[The Gospel Spreads to Samaria]

Although the believers were scattered by persecution, they preached the wonderful news of the word of God wherever they went. Philip traveled to a Samaritan city and preached to them the wonderful news of the Anointed One. The crowds were eager to receive Philip’s message and were persuaded by the many miracles and wonders he performed. Many demon-possessed people were set free and delivered as evil spirits came out of them with loud screams and shrieks, and many who were lame and paralyzed were also healed. This resulted in an uncontainable joy filling the city!

[Simon the Sorcerer Converted]

Now, there was a man who lived there who was steeped in sorcery. For some time he had astounded the people of Samaria with his magic, boasting to be someone great. Everyone, from the least to the greatest among them, was dazzled by his sorcery, saying, “This man is the greatest wizard of all! The divine power of God walks among us!” For many years everyone was in awe of him because of his astonishing displays of the magic arts.

But as Philip preached the wonderful news of God’s kingdom realm, and the name of Jesus the Anointed One, many believed his message and were baptized, both men and women. Even Simon believed and was baptized! Wherever Philip went, Simon was right by his side, astounded by all the miracles, signs, and enormous displays of power that he witnessed.

When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that the Samaritans had accepted God’s message of life, they sent Peter and John to pray over them so that they would receive the Holy Spirit. For they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus and were yet to have the Holy Spirit fall upon them. As soon as Peter and John arrived, they laid their hands on the Samaritan believers, one after another, and the Holy Spirit fell and filled each one of them!

When Simon saw how the Holy Spirit was released through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he approached them and offered them money, saying, “I want this power too. I’m willing to pay you for the anointing that you have, so that I also can lay my hands on everyone to receive the Holy Spirit.”

Peter rebuked him and said, “Your money will go with you to destruction! How could you even think that you could purchase God’s supernatural gift with money? You will never have this gift or take part in this ministry, for your heart is not right with God. Repent this moment for allowing such wickedness to fill you. Plead with the Lord that perhaps he would forgive you the treachery of your heart. For I discern that jealous envy has poisoned you and binds you as a captive to sin.”

Simon begged, “Peter, please pray to God for me. Plead with him so that nothing you just said over me may come to pass!”

[Philip and the Ethiopian]

After Peter and John had testified and taught the word of God in that city, they returned to Jerusalem, stopping at many Samaritan villages along the way to preach the hope of the gospel.

Then the Lord’s angel said to Philip, “Now go south from Jerusalem on the desert road to Gaza.” He left immediately on his assignment.

Along the way he encountered an Ethiopian who believed in the God of the Jews, who was the minister of finance for Candace, queen of Ethiopia. He was on his way home from worshiping God in Jerusalem. As he rode along in his chariot, he was reading from the scroll of Isaiah.

The Holy Spirit said to Philip, “Go and walk alongside the chariot.”

So Philip ran to catch up. As he drew closer he overheard the man reading from the scroll of Isaiah the prophet. Philip asked him, “Sir, do you understand what you’re reading?”

The man answered, “How can I possibly make sense of this without someone explaining it to me?” So he invited Philip up into his chariot to sit with him.

The portion from Isaiah he was reading was this:

He was led away to the slaughter

like a lamb to be offered.

He was like a lamb that is silent

before those who sheared him—

he never even opened his mouth.

In his lowliness justice was stripped away from him.

And who could fully express his struggles?

For his life was taken from the earth.

The Ethiopian asked Philip, “Please, can you tell me who the prophet is speaking of? Is it himself or another man?”

Philip started with this passage and shared with him the wonderful message of Jesus.

As they were traveling down the road, the man said, “Look, here’s a pool of water. Why don’t I get baptized right now?”

Philip replied, “If you believe with all your heart, I’ll baptize you.”

The man answered, “I believe that Jesus is the Anointed One, the Son of God.”

The Ethiopian stopped his chariot, and they went down into the water and Philip baptized him. When they came up out of the water, Philip was suddenly snatched up by the Spirit of the Lord and instantly carried away to the city of Ashdod, where he reappeared, preaching the gospel in that city.

The man never saw Philip again. He returned to Ethiopia full of great joy. Philip, however, traveled on to all of the towns of that region, bringing them the good news, until he arrived at Caesarea.

The Book of Acts, Chapter 8 (The Passion Translation)

Ethiopia is said to be the “birthplace” of coffee.

A chapter of the New Testament paired with the closing chapter 3 of Habakkuk and accompanied by the lines of Psalm 4 and Proverbs 4 for the 4th day of january, and Psalm 15 for the 15th day of Winter

[Psalm 4]

For the worship leader. A song of David accompanied by strings.

Answer my prayers, O True God, the righteous, who makes me right.

I was hopelessly surrounded, and You rescued me.

Once again hear me; hide me in Your favor;

bring victory in defeat and hope in hopelessness.

How long will you sons of Adam steal my dignity, reduce my glory to shame?

Why pine for the fruitless and dream a delusion?

[pause]

Understand this: The Eternal One treats as special those like Him.

The Eternal will answer my prayers and save me.

Think long; think hard. When you are angry, don’t let it carry you into sin.

When night comes, in calm be silent.

[pause]

From this day forward, offer to God the right sacrifice from a heart made right by God.

Entrust yourself to the Eternal.

Crowds of disheartened people ask, “Who can show us what is good?”

Let Your brilliant face shine upon us, O Eternal One, that we may know the undeniable answer.

You have filled me with joy, and happiness has risen in my heart, great delight and unrivaled joy,

even more than when bread abounds and wine flows freely.

Tonight I will sleep securely on a bed of peace

because I trust You, You alone, O Eternal One, will keep me safe.

The Book of Psalms, Poem 4 (The Voice)

Listen to me, you elite among men:

How long will you defame my honor

and drag it down into shame?

Will you ever stop insulting me?

How long will you set your heart on shadows,

chasing your lies and delusions?

Pause in his presence

The Book of Psalms, Poem 4:2 (The Passion Translation)

what are you chasing in life on earth?

[Psalm 15]

A song of David.

Eternal One, who is invited to stay in Your dwelling?

Who is granted passage to Your holy mountain?

Here is the answer: The one who lives with integrity, does what is right,

and speaks honestly with truth from the heart.

The one who doesn’t speak evil against others

or wrong his neighbor,

or slander his friends.

The one who loathes the loathsome,

honors those who fear the Eternal,

And keeps all promises no matter the cost.

The one who does not lend money with gain in mind

and cannot be bought to harm an innocent name.

If you live this way, you will not be shaken and will live together with the Lord.

The Book of Psalms, Poem 15 (The Voice)

[Proverbs 4]

Gather, children, to hear your father’s instruction.

Pay close attention so you will understand,

For I am passing down to you important precepts.

Do not abandon these valuable life lessons.

Back when I was young—the very image of my father,

and yet from my mother’s view, still her only boy—

My father, with his years of experience, became my teacher.

Father: Son, grab on to every word I say to you—hold them close—

stay true to my instructions as you live, and they will serve you well.

Whatever it takes to gain Wisdom, do it.

To gain understanding, do it! Never forget this!

Never stray from what I am telling you.

If you don’t forsake Lady Wisdom, she will protect you.

Love her, and she will faithfully take care of you.

Gaining sound judgment is key, so first things first: go after Lady Wisdom!

Now, whatever else you do, follow through to understanding.

Cherish her, and she will help you rise above the confusion of life—

your possibilities will open up before you—

embrace her, and she will raise you to a place of honor in return.

She will provide the finishing touch to your character—grace;

she will give you an elegant confidence.

Hear my words, my son, and take them in;

let them soak in so that you will live a long, full life.

I have pointed you in the way of wisdom;

I have steered you down the path to integrity.

So get going. And as you go, know this: with integrity you will overcome all obstacles;

even if you run, you will not stumble.

Tighten your grip around wise advice; don’t let it slip away.

Protect Wisdom, for without her, life isn’t worth living.

Do not start down the road of the wicked—

the first step is easy, but it leads to heartache—

do not go along the way of evildoers.

Stay away from it; don’t even go past it—

and if you find yourself anywhere near it,

turn your back and run as far as you can in the opposite direction.

For evildoers are so twisted they cannot sleep unless they have caused harm;

they’ll lie awake all night until they figure out a way to cause someone to stumble.

For they feed on evil the way most eat bread;

they drink violence the way most guzzle wine.

Yet the way of those who do right is like the early morning sun

that shines brighter and brighter until noon.

Evildoers travel a dark road because they love to hide their deeds in darkness;

they can’t see the perils ahead that cause them to stumble.

0 My son, pay attention to all the words I am telling you.

Lean in closer so you may hear all I say.

Keep them before you; meditate on them;

set them safely in your heart.

For those who discover them, they are life.

They bring wholeness and healing to their bodies.

Above all else, watch over your heart; diligently guard it

because from a sincere and pure heart come the good and noble things of life.

Do away with any talk that twists and distorts the truth;

have nothing to do with any verbal trickery.

Keep your head up, your eyes straight ahead,

and your focus fixed on what is in front of you.

Take care you don’t stray from the straight path, the way of truth,

and you will safely reach the end of your road.

Do not veer off course to the right or the left;

step away from evil, and leave it behind.

The Book of Proverbs, Chapter 4 (The Voice)

[Healing Words]

Listen carefully, my dear child, to everything that I teach you,

and pay attention to all that I have to say.

Fill your thoughts with my words

until they penetrate deep into your spirit.

Then, as you unwrap my words,

they will impart true life and radiant health

into the very core of your being.

So above all, guard the affections of your heart,

for they affect all that you are.

Pay attention to the welfare of your innermost being,

for from there flows the wellspring of life.

Avoid dishonest speech and pretentious words.

Be free from using perverse words no matter what!

The Book of Proverbs, Chapter 4:20-24 (The Passion Translation)

can you have peace within, no matter the outward circumstances? will you still trust in Love to make things right, eventually, when things on earth go wrong?

we see such hope displayed in the closing lines of the ancient writing of Habakkuk:

Though the cherry trees don’t blossom

and the strawberries don’t ripen,

Though the apples are worm-eaten

and the wheat fields stunted,

Though the sheep pens are sheepless

and the cattle barns empty,

I’m singing joyful praise to God.

I’m turning cartwheels of joy to my Savior God.

Counting on God’s Rule to prevail,

I take heart and gain strength.

I run like a deer.

I feel like I’m king of the mountain!

(For congregational use, with a full orchestra.)

The Book of Habakkuk, Chapter 3:17-19 (The Message)

and for those who wrongfully attack innocent people, at some point it will fall back on their own heads, just as seen written in verse 14 of the same chapter:

Their warriors rushed in to scatter us,

thrilled to consume their poor victims in secret,

But You turned their weapons against them

and pierced the heads of their warriors with their own arrows.

The Book of Habakkuk, Chapter 3:14 (The Voice)