#seriously I start one thought and three hours later I have this fucking novel please help

[you-cant-spell-subtext-without]

hey buddies -

just sitting at my kitchen table drinking coffee thinking about Supernatural, and fathers and anger, and angels and love.  

yeah.  it’s Saturday, I guess.

my eagworms are back, so come think with me after the cut!!

so I'm thinking about how that terrible man Randy who manipulated Claire Novak, a narrative mirror for Dean Winchester, in SPN 10x09: The Things We Left Behind was a narrative mirror for J*hn Eric Winchester, the terrible man who manipulated Dean Winchester for the entirety of his childhood and young adult life

and all Cas wanted to do was make Claire see that Randy was just using her, and she was better than that because he fucking loved her

also thinking about how Dean Winchester was the one who killed Randy

thinking about how it wasn’t as much the Mark of Cain as it was his repressed feelings about his abusive damn father that he’s never dealt with (because he thought he deserved it), and he reacted in a murderous fucking rage because of that, because he saw J*hn in Randy and himself in Claire -

now thinking about the Mark of Cain and Dean’s tendency towards anger, stemming directly from his childhood with J*hn Eric Winchester, thinking about how J*hn used him as a weapon, how J*hn’s entire purpose after Mary’s death was his quest for vengeance, how Dean had to protect Sam from him over and over, despite his father mentally pitting them against each other constantly and manipulating them

ex: 1x22:Dead Man’s Blood

thinking about Cain who took on the Mark of Cain to save his brother Abel, to protect his brother Abel and send him to heaven,  despite it turning Cain into a killer and demon -

thinking about how that story was manipulated through time and turned into a story of Cain killing Abel instead

thinking about how Cain and Abel were Dean and Sam’s ancestors - 

(all hail King Matt Cohen)

how Cain became the father of murder

thinking about how Cain was the son of Adam

thinking about how when we meet Adam, Cain’s father, in 15x17:Unity,  he says all this about Chuck/God:

ADAM

God's "first story," yeah. Jumped through every hoop, talked to every snake. When he kicked us out of paradise, Eve and me, we figured, eh, we deserved it. Then he moved on... to our sons.

...

JACK

You hate him.

ADAM

Oh, no. I've been wanting this for going on 300,000 years. Took me that long to figure out how to do it, too.

JACK

Wait-- killing God is your plan?

**now thinking about Adam’s 300,000 year quest for vengeance on Chuck. but how Adam doesn’t hate Chuck. how there’s no rage in Adam. thinking about why.

NOW THINKING ABOUT HOW LUCIFER WAS THE FIRST BEARER OF THE MARK OF CAIN

HOW CHUCK TOLD LUCIFER HE WAS HIS FAVORITE 

AND THE MARK WAS GIVEN TO HIM BY HIS FATHER WHO USED HIM AS A WEAPON TO IMPRISON AMARA

AND THEN LOCKED HIM UP IN A CAGE WHEN THE MARK CORRUPTED HIM,

MANIPULATING THE STORY SO EVERYONE BELIEVED LUCIFER WAS JUST EVIL 

11x18: Hells Angel

CAS!IFER [smirking]:

It's marketing. He's creating a need in the consumer's mind. Can't be a Super Savior if you don't have a Super Villain.

 ***

thinking about how Lucifer didn’t want to fight Michael in 5x22: Swan Song

LUCIFER/SAM

So why? And why make us fight? I just can't figure out the point. MICHAEL/ADAM

What's your point? LUCIFER/SAM

We're going to kill each other. And for what? One of Dad's tests. And we don't even know the answer. We're brothers. Let's just walk off the chessboard. MICHAEL/ADAM

I'm sorry. I-I can't do that. I'm a good son, and I have my orders. 

***thinking about how Chuck manipulated the two brothers into fighting each other

***DAMMIT NOW THINKING ABOUT AU!MICHAEL AND HOW HE SPENT THE ENTIRETY OF SEASON 14 ASKING THIS QUESTION:

“What do you want?”

***thinking about how angels aren’t supposed to understand how to feel, how to love.  So Lucifer and Michael didn’t understand how to feel, how to love. 

***NOW thinking about how Adam wasn’t vengeful despite wanting to kill Chuck for 300,000 years.  thinking about how Adam had an angel lover named Serafina that entire time. 

JACK (to Dean)

She's an angel.

ADAM

Yeah, she's my old lady. She's the only one who could put up with me all these years, huh?

***REALLY thinking now about how Adam had an angel lover who kept him from going vengeful and murderous, and they just lived happily in love for 300,000 casually plotting to kill God as a side hobby***

NOW thinking about how Cain stopped killing when he met Collette (I won’t go into how she was basically Cain’s angel lover and the Cas/Collette parallel because you should know it by now, and there’s plenty of material out there if you don’t)

****thinking about how our crack-in-his-chassis angel Cas loved Dean. he wasn’t supposed to love, but he did anyway.

how he kept Dean sane for years and years like Seraphina kept Adam sane, how he was Dean’s Collette, how he helped cure him when he was a Demon, how he was the only reason This Dean and This Sam didn’t kill each other in this particular one of Chuck’s worlds, how he pulled Michael out of Dean when Michael eradicated all of Dean’s hope and trapped him -

thinking about how Dean showed Cas how to love because Dean Is Love.

thinking about how Cas loved.

thinking about how his actual confession of love led to this:

Just like Seraphina’s love kept Adam from vengeance, how Collette’s love kept Cain from murder.

THINKING ABOUT how Lucifer didn’t know how to love.  how he wanted to take Jack because he was his son.  how he wanted to be a dad.  how he wanted love.

thinking about Mi!Dam. 

thinking about specifically about “Since when do we get what we deserve?”

thinking about how the Lucifer/Michael fight happened ONLY AFTER CHUCK DISAPPEARED EVERYONE, INCLUDING ADAM - 

thinking about how it was only then that Lucifer and Michael carried  out the story charted for them by their abusive father - because they didn’t have love, Lucifer never having it to begin with and Michael no longer having Adam, the closest thing he would have had to love.  

so yeah, just thinking about that. 

Supernatural Is A Show.  A Show About Love. 

(and daddy issues)

[dreamwritesimagines]

Twisted 23 - Surrender [Spencer Reid x Reader]

A.N.: Thank you so much for your wonderful support my loves! Here’s the next chapter, I hope you will like it as well, and please let me know what you think of it! ❤❤ Ily, kisses! ❤❤❤

Series Masterlist

Warnings: Murder, serial killers, violence, manipulation, mentions of sex, drinking, smoking.

Word Count: 4400

Summary: Secrets can’t stay hidden forever.

The possibility of you sitting with a killer who had sworn to destroy you was scary for sure, but thinking that the said killer could be much closer to you than you had thought was enough to make your blood freeze in your veins.

It was as if you were going through the same thing that had happened with your dad ages ago, but with a small difference;

Your dad had never tried to hurt you, but this time the killer was coming after you.

Spencer stood beside you as you exhaled the smoke of your cigarette into the air, your hands still shaky but you forced yourself to focus on the police and the FBI escorting people out of the building while he kept his gaze on you.

“You might be wrong though?” you managed to ask, looking up at him, “Right? Maybe it’s not—maybe it’s not someone as close to me?”

Spencer heaved a sigh, “We need more evidence, but you need to keep that in mind that it is possible. I mean— it makes more sense than it being just a stranger, don’t you agree?”

“I don’t agree that I’ve had the misfortune to be close with two serial killers throughout my life, no,” you murmured through frozen lips, “Maybe it’s me. Maybe I was doomed to survive one serial killer to be killed by another.”

“I will never let that happen.”

You took another drag of your cigarette, “I have a feeling the killer might end up not asking for your permission, professor,” you stated and turned your head when you heard the sound of heels coming closer. Mina ran a hand over her face, clearing her throat.

“I sent Kenz away from here,” Mina said and it didn’t escape your notice how she was deliberately avoiding giving any details, just in case. “We’ll regroup at mom’s place, you, me and mom.”

“Just us?”

Mina clicked her tongue, “All things considered,” she murmured, “So I’m not going to beat around the bush; we both agree that it’s not Kenzie right?”

You nodded, “Clearly,” you said and pulled your brows together, “Wait, we’re sure it’s not Kenzie but we still suspect each other?”

“I don’t know, do we?” Mina asked back and you shifted your weight, looking down at the cigarette in your hand.

“Mina, I don’t—”

“Listen, it’s not the place for this conversation,” she interrupted you, “Mom’s place, half an hour.”

“That might not be the best idea,” Spencer said, looking between you two and Mina scoffed.

“It’s not our first rodeo with a serial killer among us, Dr. Reid,” she said, “I already gave a list of my alibis to your colleagues, so did my mother. There’s nothing to keep us here.” She nodded at you, “Don’t be late, we have a lot to talk about.”

With that, she walked away from you two and grabbed her keys from the valet while you stubbed your cigarette.

“So did you check everyone’s alibis?”

“Yeah, at least the people close to you,” Spencer said, “They all look solid.”

You raised your brows, “But?”

Spencer clenched his jaw, “I need to go over all the files, all the recordings with your father—”

“I don’t think it’s my father who’s behind this. Not this time, and not at the cabin. He wouldn’t dare.”

He frowned, “Why do you keep saying that?”

“Well think about what happened the last time I-“ you snapped your fingers, “Right. You weren’t there.”

“What happened? Luke just said you walked away because your father got on your nerve.”

“That’s one way to put it,” you muttered and motioned at the valet to give him your ticket so that he could bring your car, “Listen, I gotta go. Mom is probably at home and Mina is going there and I can’t….I need to talk to them.”

“It might be dangerous.”

“Spencer, it’s my family we’re talking about,” you insisted, “I can’t— if I start suspecting them too, I have nothing left to hold on to.”

He opened his mouth to disagree but you saw Luke coming closer to both of you.

“Hey, Rossi says we need to get back to the office. Emily and Tara are already there,” he told Spencer and turned to you, “We need to stop meeting like this, trust fund baby.”

“Dude, you guys are the ones who show up and scream murder everywhere I go.”

Luke chuckled, holding up his hands and mocking surrender while valet pulled over in front of you.

“Here you go ma’am.”

“Thank you,” you offered him a small smile before you looked up at Spencer. “I’ll see you later I guess.”

“Call me when you get there, we’re also sending a car to your mother’s place and your place just to be sure.”

You nodded, heaving a sigh and Spencer squeezed your arm as if to assure you before pressing a kiss on top of your head.

“Be careful.”

“Hey I was trained by a serial killer, how many people can say that?” you tried to joke as you walked to your car, “I’ll be fine.”

You got into your car and valet closed it, then you started the car and drove off.

                                                 ***

The living room was completely silent in your mother’s house. In fact, the whole house was silent, the only noise was the constant ticking of the huge clock on the wall while all three of you sat still, waiting for someone else to talk. Your mother drummed her fingernails on the table, something she would reprimand you for doing if it were another time, Mina bit inside her cheek, her gaze fixed on the wall and you downed the whiskey in your glass, then filled it again.

“Okay,” Mina said and sat up straighter and looked between you, “I just want to say, if it was someone in this room this whole time, we can- I can fix this.”

“Jesus Christ, Mina!”

“You can’t possibly suspect-“

“We’ll say it was dad’s influence, we’ll call it trauma after-“

“Do you hear what you’re saying?”

“I’m just saying, if it is one of us, it’s dad’s fault.”

“It’s not one of us!” you insisted but then you turned your head when you heard the doorbell ring. The sound of heels came closer and Mina threw her head back as soon as Kenzie walked inside.

“Kenz, I told you to-“

“Yeah, spare me the bullshit, I came as soon as I made sure Lily was alright and safe,” she waved a hand in the air and you closed your eyes for a moment.

“Kenzie, you really shouldn’t be here.”

“Why? So that all of you can dramatically blame each other? I know how you guys get, there’s not an ounce of logic between the three of you.”

Your mom heaved a sigh and got the whiskey bottle from you, “What did Spencer say again?”

“That it was possible it was someone at our table. It’d make more sense than it being a stranger.”

“So either one of us, or Lincoln, or Nolan.”

Your mom gasped, “Nolan had nothing to do with that!”

“Just saying, it wouldn’t be the first time some man you loved didn’t turn out to be the man he pretends to be-“

“Mina, low blow,” you cleared your throat and your mother narrowed her eyes.

“I know it’s not him.”

“Then it has to be Lincoln.”

You let out a small laugh, “Dude, don’t you remember what he was like when we were children? He cried when he saw me scrape my knees and his mom had to take him away.”

“People change.”

“I’m pretty sure I’d know if one of my best friends were a serial killer, Mina.”

“He came late to the auction.”

“So did all of you!” you insisted, “You don’t see me blaming you- by that logic where were you?”

“Are you kidding me? My meeting took longer than I expected, go check my security camera footage. Where were you?”

“Mina!”

“I was literally talking to Spencer while it was happening!”

“Are you two seriously blaming each other?” Kenzie gawked at you and Mina shrugged her shoulders before turning to your mother.

“How about you mom?”

“What is this, an Agatha Christie novel?” your mother asked, exasperated, “Ask the driver, it took us more than an hour to get there because of the accident.”

“It could be anyone in that auction hall, yes, including someone in this room but they checked our alibis. Spencer said it was a possibility, not that it was certain,” you managed to say, “They still need more evidence and I don’t know about you, but I’m not going to start blaming the only people in my life that I actually trust.”

A silence fell upon you and Kenzie sat down beside you, then filled herself a drink as well.

“The moment we start blaming each other, we’re lost,” she said, looking Mina in the eye, “Your dad almost tore this family apart once, don’t let this copycat do the same. It’s not one of us and you know it.”

“No one is blaming you Kenz,” you rasped out and Mina ran a hand over her face.

“I’m sorry,” she muttered, “Jesus, I’m— it’s just that… It fucks with my head.”

“You get used to it,” you sipped your drink and turned to your mother, “For what it’s worth, I really don’t think it’s Nolan either. I mean what are the chances of getting married to a serial killer twi—“ you stopped talking as soon as Kenzie kicked you under the table and Mina gasped, shooting you a look as you covered your mouth. Your mother stared at you, her jaw dropping and you cleared your throat, trying your hardest to come up with something.

“I mean—“ you stammered, “I’m drunk and I just saw Spencer being all hot and whispering in my ear after there was a murder so my feelings are all over the place, I don’t know what I—“

“Now that she fucked up first, I can say it.” Mina said, “Nolan will ask you to marry him.”

“I was un-fucking it!” You hissed and Mina scoffed.

“You haven’t un-fucked a thing in your goddamn life.”

“I can’t believe this is how I’m finding out about this,” your mother breathed out, still staring at you two and you let out a whine, burying your face into your hands.

“I’m sorry!” your voice came out muffled and Kenzie let out a giggle, patting your arm as you raised your head again, “I- well- my dad was a serial killer!”

“What is that, your out of jail card?” Mina asked, “The same guy was also my dad but you don’t see me giving out secrets and spoiling surprises.”

“When did he say that to you?” Your mother asked, sitting up straight, “Y/N, you’re telling me everything right now!”

“I saw my ex looking hot tonight and someone got murdered while I was flirting with him, I’m allowed to mess up once or twice!”

“That’s a strange way of describing your whole life.”

“Shut up Mina or I swear—“

“Y/N!”

“He asked for my blessing and I said yes,” you murmured, “So did Mina and Kenzie. But I think we all threatened him first, right?”

“Nope, you’re the creepy one in this group.”

“Yeah I think it was just you.”

“Fine! Okay, I threatened him first,” you admitted as your mother stared at you, “In my defense, I was also pretty drunk back then because of my break up with the love of my life, in case anyone at this table forgot—“

“I wish. Maybe I could try to forget it if you stopped talking about it for five fucking minutes though.”

“Babe!”

“And my serial killer father—“

“Having daddy issues isn’t an excuse to be a snitch, bitch.”

“Mina, stop insulting your sister for a moment,” your mother told her and turned to you, “What did he tell you?”

“That he has been in love with you for… I don’t know, centuries because he’s like a five hundred years old vampire.”

“He feeds on money though, not blood.” Mina pointed out, “I actually can see him as an evil lord somewhere, now that you mentioned.”

“Getting information from this family is a nightmare,” your mother heaved a sigh, “And?”

“And nothing. Make sure to get your nails done when he takes you on a dinner now that we all gave him our blessing but I’m so not planning your wedding, my client list is full.”

“Nobody buys that excuse Y/N,” Kenzie reminded helpfully and your mother shook her head.

“Oh but I can’t possibly—“ she heaved a sigh, “I can’t marry him yet.”

Instantly, all three of you turned to him with the same surprised expression on your faces.

“…Were you gonna hit it and quit it mom?”

Your mother pinched the bridge of her nose “Mina, what is wrong with you tonight?”

“I have no idea. Is this what being traumatized is?”

“Yeah welcome to the club, I’ve been here for a while,” you waved your hands in the air, “Mom, I thought you loved Nolan. Don’t you?”

“No, I’m completely in love with him!” your mother said quickly, “He’s the best man I’ve ever known or been with.”

“Meh, let’s not pretend the bar is—“ Mina started but stopped talking when Kenzie elbowed her, “Sorry. I’m just going to keep drinking over here to keep my mouth busy.”

“But?”

“Sweetie, I can’t get married when…” your mother gestured at you, “When you haven’t found a partner yet!”

You made a face, “Why did we teleport into Jane Austen times all of a sudden?”

“No, you know what people would say.”

“Since when does that stop you?” you asked her, “Come on, who the fuck cares what anyone thinks? They can all go to hell.”

“Y/N, I appreciate the thought but-“

“Mom,” you said, “I might just end up alone, okay? You can’t spend the rest of your life waiting for me to get married or find a partner or something just because of some stupid unwritten rule. Fuck those people, let them talk.”

“It wouldn’t be appropriate for me to have an actual wedding either.”

“Who’s coming up with these rules?” Mina exclaimed, “Mom, do whatever you want. This family threw appropriate out of the window long ago.”

Kenzie nodded fervently, “People will always find something to criticize, you can’t let that get to you. If you love him, go for it.”

“But wait for him to propose first, I have a feeling it’ll be the biggest ring I’ve ever seen,” you clinked your glass with hers and wiggled your brows, “Can I please be the one to tell dad though? I want to record the look of devastation on his face. I’ll make it my wallpaper.”

                                                  ***

The next day, you tried your hardest to focus on work. Even if Spencer’s words kept echoing in your ears, you couldn’t help but think that he had to be wrong.

Maybe he was. Maybe it was someone else in the hall, other than your family or Nolan or Lincoln. It was impossible for you to suspect anyone in your family, and Nolan and Lincoln had had more than enough time to be alone with you and hurt you, but neither of them had given you any sign of being dangerous.

Besides, you were sure that after spending so much time with your father, you’d be able to tell if it was someone around you.

Or at least you hoped so.

You took a sip of your rosé and bit inside your cheek, staring at your dinner table in the middle of the living room which now looked like something pulled out of a horror movie. You heaved a sigh, holding your hand over the various types of knives, the memory flashing in your head.

“Alright Petal,” your father tugged you by the hand so that you could get closer to the coffee table full of knives, “Let’s see if you studied like I told you, hm?”

“I have!” you gave him a bright smile before you bit at the stick candy and he raised his brows.

“Honey, don’t bite at candy, you’ll ruin your teeth.”

“No I won’t,” you said stubbornly, still holding the candy tight, “I’ll brush my teeth afterwards.”

He heaved a sigh and grabbed a blade off the table, then held it up.

“What is this?”

“A trench knife,” you said, looking at the handle that looked more like brass knuckles your father had shown you before, “You can hold it over your fingers so it’s better for…for…”

“Close combat.”

You nodded, still chewing on the candy and your father put it back, then showed you another.

“This?”

“Push dagger!”

“How do we use push dagger?”

“When you hold it in your palm, the blade is between your fingers.”

“So that…?”

“So that the prey can’t see it until it’s too late.”

He nodded, “You really did pay attention, Petal,” he commented and you giggled, rocking back and forth on the balls of your feet and turned the candy in your mouth as he held up another blade.

“This?”

“Butterfly knife!” you said and motioned at him, “I want that one.”

“Because it’s called a butterfly?”

“Daddy I love butterflies!”

He smiled, then grabbed another from the table, “Do you know what it is?”

“Another butterfly knife?”

“No honey, this is called a trainer, see?” he showed you, “I want you to practice with this first. It has no knife, so you won’t be cutting yourself until I say you can switch to an actual one.”

You clicked your tongue, twirling the butterfly knife between your fingers, the motion almost automatic. You had become so good at it when you were a child that you didn’t even need to think about how to flip the knife after all these years, your hands already remembered it.

“Trench knife, push dagger,” you counted slowly as the thunder lit up the dark sky outside, “Good for close combat, good for stealth….Stiletto, good for deeper wounds. Bowie is good for—“ you were cut off when you heard someone banging their fist on the door. You could feel your heartbeat getting faster and you flipped the butterfly knife in your hand, approaching the door but as soon as you looked through the peephole, your stomach made a happy flip.

“Spencer?” you muttered and opened the door, “What’re you—”

“Are you insane?” he cut you off, glaring daggers at you and you pulled your brows together.

“Huh?” you asked as he walked past you into the apartment and you closed the door before following him. He ran a hand through his curls, clearly the rain outside had made his hair even messier and he turned around to say something, but then got distracted.

“Why are you holding a butterfly knife?” he asked and you flipped it again before throwing it on the table and he frowned at the sight on the table.

“What the hell is this?”

“Uh, butterfly knife, trench knife,” you pointed with your finger as you counted them, “That’s a stiletto knife, that’s a switch blade, right next to it is a push dagger and the one over there is called—“

“I know what they are, why am I looking at them?”

You arched a brow, “Take a guess.”

“You can’t be serious.”

“What?” you let out a bitter laugh, “I’m done taking it lying down, okay? Last night was the last straw, if that copycat wants to come after me, I say let them. The man who they’re looking up to was the same man who trained me for my whole childhood, I like these odds.”

“Yeah?” he scoffed, his eyes narrowed in anger, “Is that why you threatened one of the most dangerous serial killers of our time?”

You tilted your head, “My father?”

He threw his hands in the air, frustration getting the best of him,

“Yes, your father!”

“So you basically ran all the way here to yell at me because I threatened my father?” you asked as you walked past him, then grabbed your wine glass and leaned back to the table, “Don’t worry professor, it’s a family thing. We’re impulsive. He’ll be fine, unfortunately.”

He ran a hand over his face, “What were you thinking?”

“To be honest with you, I kind of wasn’t thinking,” you pointed out before you took a sip of your wine, “How is he these days, by the way?”

“I’m glad you find this entertaining,” he said through his teeth, “Because I can assure you, this is not funny.”

“Oh come on, it’s a little funny.”

He took a deep breath as if he was trying to control himself, “You think threatening a serial killer with murder is funny?”

“I mean have you seen the look on his face? I don’t know if the video got that but—“

“Why did you break up with me?”

Well, Spencer had a way of taking you by surprise, that was for sure. You lowered the glass and blinked a couple of times, trying to pull yourself together.

“I’m sorry?”

“You heard me. Why did you break up with me if you were going to threaten a damn serial killer because he implied he might come after me?”

“I hope you know that normal exes don’t have these kind of conversations,” you tried to joke but he only raised his brows.

“Y/N.”

“Spencer,” you heaved a sigh “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I think I do,” he said, his voice almost too low, “You just don’t want me to know what I’m talking about.”

“Listen, I know how it might look like but I can assure you I’d do it for any—“

“Garcia was with me while I was watching those tapes.”

Your eyes snapped up to his as your breath got caught in your throat. You swallowed thickly, painfully aware of how he was probably seeing all your tells but even that thought didn’t stop you from drumming your fingernails on the fragile glass you were holding, pursing your lips for a moment before you cleared your throat.

“What—um—what did she say?”

“You mean before or after she said you broke up with me to protect me even if I’m an FBI agent already working on this case?”

God damn it Garcia.

The thunder boomed outside again and you frantically tried to find the right words, but it felt impossible to do so. He took a step closer to you while you stared at him, completely frozen and you closed your eyes for a moment.

“Spencer…” you muttered as you opened your eyes again, “Whatever training they gave you, trust me, they didn’t train you for my father.”

“Is that why you said all that stuff back then?” he asked slowly, “When we broke up?”

“It doesn’t matter—“

“Yes it does.”

A sad smile pulled at your lips as you put your wine glass down, and shrugged your shoulders.

“I thought—um, I thought it I hurt you that badly, you’d never want to see me again,” you admitted, “So if you were away from me, you’d be safe. Away from my father, away from the copycat, away from all of this. Working on this case is not the same as being caught in this fucked up web, you know that.”

“You didn’t think you should’ve at least asked my opinion on this?”

“You would’ve said no.”

“Of course I would’ve said no!”

“Exactly!” you threw up your hands, “You might not care about your survival in this situation, but I do, okay? I love you too much to let you get hurt because of me—” as soon as your brain acknowledged what had just slipped from your lips, you stopped talking, your breathing getting faster while panic seemed to flood your system. He stared at you, a soft light appearing in his eyes and you shook your head at yourself.

“Fucking great,” you muttered, “Yeah, um you— I’m— it doesn’t matter. Do whatever you want to do with that information.”

You took a step to walk past him but he had already grabbed your arm and pulled you back. Before you could even ask him what he was doing, his lips found yours, letting that warmth shoot through your stomach into your whole system. The feeling was so sudden but so mind numbing that you thought Spencer was right before, this was definitely like a drug, an addiction. His fingers caressed over your neck while your body pressed against his like some sort of a magnet and a soft whine escaped from you as he pulled back slightly.

“Don’t run away,” he whispered against your lips “Not this time.”

You felt the tears rushing to your eyes. “Spencer-“

“I love you.”

“You shouldn’t,” you murmured before he stole another kiss from you.

“I love you,” he repeated, his hazel eyes locked in yours, “And I’m done pretending like I don’t.”

It was a bad idea. You knew it was a bad idea, you knew it would put him in danger, but none of that seemed to matter to you after hearing that he loved you. For some reason, you were convinced that you two would find a way, that everything would be alright as long as you loved each other, naïve as it was.

The happiness burst through you, wrapping you in a soft and warm haze as you reached back with one hand to sweep everything off the table, sending all the knives to the floor with a loud noise before you jumped to sit on the table. A small chuckle left his lips when you tugged at his jacket and he tilted his head.

“What, you don’t have a bed?” he taunted you and you grinned.

“The bed can wait,” you murmured as he dragged his fingertips up your bare legs to pull you closer to him, drawing a giggle from your lips before he kissed you again.

Chapter 24

[delicioussshame]

Please donate to my campaign. My goal is to get friends for Shen Yuan.

Shen Yuan almost jumps out of his skin when he hears a knock on the door. No one had ever visited Luo Binghe since he came to stay here, and he had gotten the impression that it wasn’t that Luo Binghe had sent his usual visitors away for his guest’s sake. He does believe that his favorite student had been dreadfully lonely, these past few years.

How somehow as endearing as Luo Binghe ended up alone and friendless, Shen Yuan cannot fathom.  

Still, if someone is knocking on the door, the doorman must have let them in? It must be important then. Shen Yuan cannot imagine nobodies are allowed anywhere within this complex.

He thinks about texting Luo Binghe to ask, but what if he disturbs him? He must be busy, away at his important job while Shen Yuan does nothing but lazing around. And Luo Binghe did imply that he wouldn’t be ashamed of Shen Yuan’s presence no matter what, so… let’s test that, shall we?

Shen Yuan opens the door.

Shang Qinghua’s frazzled expression faces him.

Shen Yuan almost closes the door in his former colleague’s face.

“Wait, what, Shen Yuan?! Woah, I had no idea you went back to your parents, I thought you said that bridge had burned. Anyway, would love to catch up, but I’m on the clock and at the wrong place, sorry, gotta go or my boss is gonna kill me, bye!”

Shen Yuan stops Shang Qinghua by the shoulder to stop him from leaving. “If you were looking for Luo Binghe, not that I have any idea why you would be, you’re not at the wrong place.”

“Really? Why? How? Is there a story here? Cause it sure seems like there’s a story here. Tell me the story! But later, I have to deliver this?” He waves a boring manilla envelope like it’s supposed to make sense.

“Who still sends letters?”

Shang Qinghua shrugs. “My boss.”

“You’re a mail carrier now? Nice upgrade.”

“Well, I do what I have to do, I don’t live with the country’s most eligible bachelor. Seriously Bro, what happened here? Isn’t he a bit young for you?”

Shen Yuan is sure his blush is terribly incriminating, but he can’t help it.

“Wow. You have to tell me now.”

Shang Qinghua is acting terribly familiar for a guy Shen Yuan hasn’t seen since graduation. “Why should I?”

But Shang Qinghua has already let himself in, unceremoniously dropping the envelope on the nearest table and taking everything in with wide eyes before he lets himself fall on Luo Binghe’s designer couch without a care in the world. “C’mon. Fess up.”

“How about you? Why are you even here? For all I know you’re a thief trying to rob the place.”

Shang Qinghua snorts. “Not exactly my speed.” He shrugs. “Teaching didn’t pay the bills, got an administrative assistant job instead and somehow ended up working for one of Luo Binghe’s associates, hence the private delivery service. How about you? When I saw you earlier, I was sure you were retired and profiting off that sweet family money, but was I wrong? Or is this those Shen connections at work?”

Shen Yuan frowns. Why did he even tell this guy about his family again?

Oh yes, because he had been young, stupid and drunk: the university experience. “No. Luo Binghe is a former student of mine. I’m visiting.”

Shang Qinghua gives him the world’s judgiest look. “Visiting.”

Shen Yuan nods, face still as a lake. “Visiting.”

“While Luo Binghe isn’t there.”

Shen Yuan nods again. “It’s a long visit. I’m staying here right now.”

“At your former student’s house. Look, I’m just gonna say it: sleeping with your student is bad. Don’t do it! That way lies lawsuits!”

“Former student! And it’s not like that!” Technically correct. They haven’t slept together, not in the way Shang Qinghua implies they did. “He’s just lonely and a bit deluded. It’ll pass.”

Probably.

No, not even Shen Yuan believes it at this point. One can only be kissed so often before one has to face reality: Luo Binghe certainly thinks he cares about Shen Yuan more than a student should care about any teacher.

Shen Yuan just isn’t sure what he should do about it.

“If it’s not like that, which, Bro, you’re not making a good case for, you’re staying with him because…?”

“I’m on vacation?” Shen Yuan lies back on the cool leather. “It’s a nice place for it, and cheap.”

“And your “former student” was eager to host you. You, his high school teacher? Because from what my boss told me, Luo Binghe isn’t exactly famous for his openness. I’m half-certain Mobei-Jun sent me here as punishment. He wanted someone else to chew me up this time.”

Shen Yuan snorts. “Still very competent, I see.”

“Well, at least I was teaching my students, not offering “extra credits” if they stayed after class. And since when are you into men, anyway? You always acted like you didn’t notice when men hit on you.”

“Men never hit on me.”

It’s Shang Qinghua’s turn to laugh. “Glad to see that didn’t change. Luo Binghe must be something, to have managed to get through you. What did he tell you, that he wanted to bend you over the nearest desk? Anything less and you’d have been blind to it.”

For fuck’s sake can Shang Qinghua stop saying shit that embarrasses the hell out of Shen Yuan? It’d be very appreciated.

“Oh shit, he totally did! Go him! Did it work? Tell me it worked!”

“No! Can’t you shut up for once in your meaningless life!”

“Not gonna happen. I need to know more. He made a move, and you’re living with him now? His charisma must be something else. At that speed, when’s the wedding? No, wait, how long has this been going on? We haven’t seen each other in forever, you might have been “visiting” for three years as far as I know.”

This is torture. “Didn’t you say you had somewhere to be?”

Shang Qinghua waves his attempt at deflection away. “Forget it, this is way more interesting. Even Mobei-Jun will want in on this. Sooooo?”

Shen Yuan sighs. “I’ve only been here a few weeks. As I said, it’s just a vacation. I’ll leave once the school year starts again.”

“Why can’t you stay here anyway? That dear student of yours must want to keep you, right? Unless you’re really being bankrolled by your parents, this is way nicer than anything you could possibly afford.”

“No matter what he says, I’m not becoming Luo Binghe’s trophy wife.”

Shang Qinghua’s eyes widen. “Ooh, your student wanna be your daddy? He’s paying you to keep you around, is that it? Oh, that has to be it. Explains the weird evasiveness thing you’ve got going on. Never knew you had it in you. I’m impressed, really. Much better gig than my own. I wish my boss would pay me to lounge around on his expensive furniture. I’d be great at that. Plus, you know, it’s not like it’d be a hardship. Mobei-Jun is scorching. I’d be his arm candy any day. Maybe he’d be less likely to murder me that way.”

Shen Yuan longs desperately to return to the web novel he so cruelly abandoned to let his worst nightmare in. “I’d give you my job, but honestly Binghe deserves better.” Better than Shen Yuan, too. “At least you’re into men. Makes things easier.”

Shang Qinghua’s face falls. “Are you telling me you’re not into him? Like, at all? Why are you even here then? The money can’t be that good. Return to your parents and get them to arrange a marriage to a rich heiress. Same result, plus you’re attracted to your partner. Better?”

Shen Yuan flinches in horror. “No! Not better! My parents AND some spoiled brat who only cares about my name? Fuck no. Binghe is infinitely better than that!”

Shang Qinghua laughs. “So you do like him! Good for you! Go get him, tiger!”

“No! Well, yes I do, Binghe is very likable, but not like that!”

“Oh my god can you hear the shit that comes out of your mouth? Look, you obviously trust him enough to agree to be his live-in boy toy, and okay, I haven’t seen you in forever, but whatever you’re doing is visibly agreeing with you. What were you doing anyway? It’s not like Luo Binghe is here most of the day.”

Shen Yuan shrugs. “Catching up on my reading, mostly.”

Shang Qinghua chokes. “Fuck you. He’s paying you to read? While I’m still trying to get pay to write? I hate you with every single atom of my being.”

“Wait, you’re still writing? Please tell me you’ve upgraded genre, at least.”

“Well…”

“Oh god show me now so I can change your mind before you waste even more of your life on this trash,” says Shen Yuan like he hadn’t caved and spent Luo Binghe’s hard-earned money on extras for novels he hates.

___________________

Luo Binghe is caught completely off guard by the loud voices echoing in his home. Even with Laoshi here, silence is what usually he’s greeted with.

Today, Shen Yuan’s voice is alight with what sounds like righteous anger. He can’t quite place the second one.

Luo Binghe follows the call like a sailor freed from his bonds.

He finds Shen-laoshi half-draped over his chair, Mobei-Jun’s lackey sitting at the desk Luo Binghe had bought for his teacher alone, both of them apparently enraptured with an argument about… bad literature?

Luo Binghe wishes he could be pleased with the sight of Shen-laoshi being this animated, but he can’t. He’s not the one who caused it. This little, insignificant man did, to the point that neither of them noticed his approach.

Luo Binghe taps Shen Yuan’s shoulder. “Laoshi.”

Both of them turn toward him, but only Shen-laoshi gets Luo Binghe’s tongue down his throat.

He is very pleased with the outraged look on his teacher’s face. “Binghe! Not in front of the guest!”

The interloper jumps out of Laoshi’s chair. “Guest? What guest? There is no guest, no one here’s. In fact, I should have left hours ago, oh god Mobei-Jun is going to kill me. Shen Yuan, please give Luo Binghe the envelope, sorry for bothering you both, talk to you later, gotta go byyyye!”

Luo Binghe watches the little man flee in terror with satisfaction. Good riddance.

Let’s see him try to contest Luo Binghe’s claim now. “How does Laoshi know Mobei-Jun’s personal assistant?”

“We studied together in college.”

Luo Binghe pouts. How could an old friend of Shen-laoshi find him here? “Were you two close?”

Shen Yuan shrugs. “Not especially. Why do you ask?”

That can’t be true. They were so at ease around each other. It can take Luo Binghe hours to get Shen-laoshi this relaxed.

He stays silent.

Shen Yuan stares at him. “Binghe.”

“…Yes?”

“I realise this is going to sound ridiculous, and for that I’m sorry, but are you.., jealous? Of Shang Qinghua?”

Luo Binghe might be pouting harder. “No. Why would I be jealous of one of Shen-laoshi’s friends he never told me about.”

A (very cute) smile appears shows up on Shen Yuan’s face. “You. Luo Binghe. Are jealous of Shang Qinghua.”

He dares to laugh! It’s not funny!

This time, Luo Binghe is definitely pouting harder.

“Binghe. Binghe. You’re you. Shang Qinghua is… Shang Qinghua. What do you have to be jealous about? He’s just Shang Qinghua! Come back to your senses!”

Well, that does cheer Luo Binghe right up. “Shen-laoshi likes me better!”

Shen Yuan rolls his eyes. “Of course I do.”

Luo Binghe’s chest remains warm for the rest of the day.

[prurientpuddlejumper]

A New Arrangement [Part 3/9]

<- Part 2 | Part 4 ->

Summary: Office gossip, and learning a few new things about your client that leave you embarrassed 

1,194 words

“He was such a weirdo! You have no idea—I legit thought it was going to be some creepy sex party thing,” you laughed, leaning over the top of Roxy’s cubicle.

The plump woman scrunched her face with flawless purple makeup in disgust. “Oh my god,” she squealed. “Do not go back there. Get Bobby to take it over. Seriously.”

“Seriously,” you groaned, although you in fact meant the opposite. The hell you were going to give up a big client to the office playboy.

Maybe you would have to eventually. Dr. Chilton did not seem to like you very much, and to be fair, you really put your foot in your mouth right off the bat and never actually apologized for it. Come to think of it, you could hardly blame him for being a bit churlish.

Three days later, you had another chance. You vowed to start this meeting off on a better foot.

You’d looked him up this time so you wouldn’t stumble face-first into any pitfalls. One of the first headlines was “Chesapeake Ripper Suspect Cleared of Suspicions After Near-Fatal Shooting in FBI Custody” followed by links to his books about the Ripper and the Red Dragon, articles about his being discovered half-drowned in a fountain after being burned and mutilated, and an older article on Tattlecrime about his being vivisected while conscious by a former patient.

This guy had been through the meat grinder!

You started reading his first novel, Hannibal the Cannibal. His writing was as dry and pretentious as his speaking voice, the tone overly-technical, though as you got into the flow of it you began to see how it had held enough of the layman’s attention to ascend to best-sellerdom. There was a ridiculous humor buried in the stuffy formality of its grammar, like an old British comedy.

The day of the meeting, you greeted him at the door with a less-forced smile, did your best not to stare at his absurd suit-and-mask outfit, and thought you were being very polite. You also wore a sexier outfit, just as a little fuck-you for thinking you were drab.

He was, at least, less prickly.

He invited you in, holding the door open and flinching a little as you passed through, stepping into into his personal bubble. The reaction reminded you not to try to shake his hand, though it felt rude. He was a little more familiar with you—he got your name wrong, but it was so obvious that it was on purpose that your lips turned up into a wry smile. You couldn’t see him smiling back, but you had a feeling he was pleased with himself.

Now that the shock of his appearance had worn off, you found he was a well-articulated gentleman and fairly charming in conversation. He might not be a total crazy person after all. You might, actually, not hate him.

But you had barely booted up your laptop and pulled up documents to review when he tossed you out, leaving you wondering what exactly the hell you had said this time to offend him. Roxy was going to get an earful when you went to get drinks after work.

***

You returned the next week, and the same thing happened. This time, you weren’t going to take it anymore.

“OK, what is going on? Are you not happy with my services?” You slammed the laptop shut. “Do you want someone else assigned to your case?” That last addition came out more fragile than you’d intended. It stung to imagine giving him up to a coworker, but if he hated your guts, then he hated you.

“You are fine,” he said tersely, pressing his fingertips to his porcelain brow.

“Then what? Are you just jerking me around for fun? You enjoy wasting my time?”

He said nothing, but his chin tilted indignantly into the air.

“Well, if you’re going to keep cutting these so short, I’m not going to keep driving all the way out here.”

“I pay for the full hour regardless. That makes your time more valuable, if anything.”

You half laughed as you stuffed your laptop and various papers back into your bag. “I’m sorry, but no. There is paperwork and research I have to do back at the office depending on your decisions that I can’t start because you haven’t made any. If you keep blowing these meetings off then you can find somebody else to help you.”

Brusque? Yes, but you were tired of being disrespected by some rich asshole.

You shot up from the desk, chair legs scraping on the hardwood, and marched out.

Before you could reach the door, Dr. Chilton stood and called after you, a plaintive, almost desperate quality to his voice. “I cannot manage these lengthy sessions. Sitting upright too long makes my head ache, and my grafts sting.”

You froze in the doorway.

“I have only been out of the hospital for a month,” he confessed, begging you not to leave. His tone turned sharp and defensive again. “Given your line of work, one would think you would be more sensitive to the needs of the ailing.”

You turned on your heel, hands flying to your mouth. “I-I’m so sorry… sir. I thought that you—of course I will do anything I can to accommodate your needs!” Your cheeks burned hot. Why did you just assume he was blowing you off and force him to explain a medical condition?! He was right, that was like, rule number one at your job. “I am so getting fired,” you whimpered to yourself.

The cavernous study seemed vast in the distance between you. You tried to divine if he was angry, or forgiving, but the mask betrayed nothing. He just stood, distant and observing.

“Is there anything that would make it easier for you? If you need to lie down while we talk, that’s fine. A lot of clients do. I see people in the hospital all the time.” You closed some of the distance until his foot took a half step back.

His head tipped considering your proposal. He was a proud man, that much you were certain about Frederick Chilton, and the idea of laying down would be admitting how sick he was. He would rather rudely cut an appointment short with no explanation than admit to needing extra support. (It wasn’t entirely your fault for not realizing—he literally masked his pain, which made him hard to read). But he also did not want you to be angry and quit, and so he gestured you to follow him to a supple leather couch set into a reading nook. There was a low coffee table in front of it on which to set your computer, and a few leather chairs that sank you into a reclined position no matter how you tried to sit at attention.

He stretched out on the couch with an embarrassed grumble, and lay there rubbing his temples for a few minutes before turning to you and instructing you to begin.

Much to her disappointment, you didn’t have a word of gossip for Roxy the next day.

[mintypineapple]

dw ask game 1-36 and 38-100 DON'T ANSWER NUMBER 37 I DON'T WANT TO HEAR ABOUT CRYING

DaThanks, anon who is probably @truestoriesaboutme!

CHILDHOOD

1. Did you like DW as a child?

Depends. What do you consider a child? I saw Doctor Who for the first time when I was 16 or 17. Does that count? Let’s say that it does. I did enjoy it.

2. Your age at the time of the revival?

16.

3. First DW episode you ever saw?

An Unearthly Child. I wanted to watch it all in order! Still do! My first New Who episode was “Blink,” as forced upon me by @raisegrate. I did enjoy it.

4. Did you have any of the toys?

I didn’t at the time, but I do now. I have a couple of screwdrivers, a Fourth Doctor, an Ice Warrior, and not-quite-Legos of Doctors 1-11. (-WD)

5. Which DW character did you play on the playground?

N/A.

6. Monster(s) that scared you most as a child?

N/A. Nothing scares me.

7. Joke/story you didn’t get as a kid?

N/A. I get all jokes/stories.

8. DW opinion that has changed since you were a kid?

That the only way to watch it was from the very beginning. I eventually gave in and watched New Who before finishing Classic Who.

9. Who introduced you to DW?

Pretty sure I heard about it initially on a forum I went to called The Douglas Adams Continuum. That’s when I started watching the First Doctor. Again, @raisegrate showed me my first New Who. Eventually, I started watching New Who in its entirety with @catastrofries and they started watching Classic Who with me for @rassilonwatchathon.

10. Did you like Sarah Jane Adventures as a child?

Didn’t even know it existed as a child. But I liked it as an adult.

Read more under the cut. There’s a lot!

DOCTOR

11. Who is your Doctor?

One. He’s the first I saw and I’ve went through some of his more than once, due to the podcast, so he has a special place in my heart.

12. Your favourite Doctor?

It varies depending on the day. I quite like Two, Eleven, and Twelve, though.

13. Least favourite Doctor?

Possibly 5 or 13? More because they don’t get a whole lot to do, than them being bad.

14. Best regeneration?

Technically speaking, there’s something about that first one that is still so good. Emotionally speaking, Two’s regeneration is terrifying and I quite like Twelve’s speech before regenerating.

15. Do you like “Doctor-Lite” episodes?

Yeah! They’re all pretty good! Even “Love and Monsters!” Yeah, I said it! (The end is bad, but the rest is good.)

16. Who is the most human Doctor?

One calls himself human a handful of times. Does that count? If not, definitely Five. He seems the most like a regular guy in a weird situation out of all of them.

17. Best multi-Doctor story?

The Day of the Doctor, for sure.

18. Best Doctor monologue?

Eleven’s speech to young Amy in “The Big Bang.” That episode is just solid all around.

19. What do you think TenToo/MetaCrisis Doctor is doing now?

He’s definitely fucked off somewhere and abandoned Rose. He runs a cat cafe that is definitely a front for something, but no one can quite figure out what.

20. Best Doctor/companion pairing?

One/Barbara, Two/Jamie, Three/Jo, Four/Leela, Five/Tegan, (haven’t seen enough of Six, any of Seven, and I honestly don’t remember the companion for Eight), Nine/Rose (that’s the only option!), Ten/Donna, Eleven/Amy-Rory, Twelve/Clara, Ruth/Thirteen.

COMPANIONS

21. Favourite companion?

Classic Who: This is hard. Jamie? Sarah Jane? Leela? New Who: Donna Noble.

22. Favourite secondary companion?

Not sure what this means exactly... My second favorite? If so, I gave three for favorite Classic Who, so one of them. New Who: Rory.

23. Least favourite companion?

Classic: Ben Jackson or Peri. New: Ryan.

24. Best TARDIS Team?

Classic: Two, Jamie, and Zoe. New: Eleven, Amy, and Rory.

25. Most underrated companion?

I love Steven Taylor. I feel like he doesn’t get mentioned enough.

26. Most overrated companion?

Probably gonna get some hate for this, but Romana II. She’s good and I like her, but I was expecting a lot more. I honestly prefer Romana I.

27. Favourite companion’s family?

I love Rory’s dad.

28. Who should have been a companion but wasn’t?

Kamelion. AM I RIGHT? But seriously, Amelia Rumford from “The Stones of Blood.”

29. Favourite (canon or non-canon) DW universe relationship?

Amy/Rory.

30. Who did you not used to like, but really like now?

I hated Tegan when she first came on, but now I love her.

EPISODES

31. Favourite episode ever?

“Heaven Sent.”

32. Least favourite episode?

“Time-Flight” gave me a literal headache.

33. Which episodes do you skip?

NONE. Of course, I’ve not done any rewatches. YET.

34. Best two-parter?

“The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances” are the first New Who episodes that fully sold me on the show.

35. Historical, present day or futuristic episodes?

Give me the future and make it weird!

36. Episode that will always make you smile?

“The Myth Makers.”

37 HAS BEEN REDACTED.

38. Best run of episodes?

“Vincent and the Doctor” through “Day of the Moon” is pretty solid.

39. Best cliffhanger?

“Vengeance on Varos.” Hands fucking down.

40. Favourite Christmas special?

The answer to question 37. “A Christmas Carol.”

SERIES

41. Classic Who or New Who?

Yes please! (Though New Who will take this a little just because the pace is generally a lot better.)

42. Favourite series?

I’m not sure about Classic (I have a harder time thinking of them as different series), but New is definitely 5.

43. Least favourite series?

11.

44. Which series do you skip?

See 33.

45. Favourite series opening?

“The Eleventh Hour.” It’s just a lot of fun.

46. Favourite series finale?

“The Big Bang.” IT’S A GOOD SERIES.

47. Best series arc?

So I don’t sound repetitive and say Series 5 again, Clara’s arc in her last season is great.

48. Thoughts on series 11/12?

I find it largely boring and not well-written. Though there are some things I like! I love Ruth a bunch.

49. How much of Classic Who have you seen?

I’ve seen from “An Unearthly Child” to “The Two Doctors.” And the movie.

50. Who should have had another series?

Doctor: Nine. Or Eight. Or Ruth. Companion: Kamelion, but done better.

MONSTERS

51. Favourite monster/villain?

I love them Fuzzy Chicken Nuggets. (The Yeti.)

52. Most creative monster?

The Silence are an interesting concept.

53. Monster(s) that scares you most?

OAK AND QUILL from “Fury From the Deep.” Fuck those guys.

54. Monster you think is too easy to defeat?

I hate power level questions. Next.

55. Least favourite monster/villain?

I get really tired of the Daleks sometimes, y’all.

56. Monster you want to return?

Chumblies or quarks.

57. In your opinion, what makes a monster good?

The writing. You can do great things with most of them. Even the ones you dislike. Like, I hate the farting aliens, but they are occasionally used well.

58. Daleks, Cybermen or Weeping Angels?

If I had to pick, I’d say... Cybermen. Daleks are very samey and loud. Weeping Angels get less interesting every time they are used. But there’s a human element to the Cybermen that, when utilized, can be very effective and unsettling.

59. Best Dalek story?

The one where Two rides around on ones he made nice.

60. Best one time villain/monster?

I don’t know what it is, but whatever it is in “Midnight.”

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL

61. Torchwood or Sarah Jane Adventures?

SJA is more consistent, but the highs of Torchwood are higher.

62. Favourite Torchwood Team member?

Owen. But like... not season one Owen.

63. Which Torchwood death made you saddest?

See 62.

64. Do you rewatch COE or MD?

I haven’t rewatched anything yet. But I would rewatch COE before MD.

65. Favourite SJA Team member?

Clyde.

66. Mr Smith or K-9?

Mr. Smith is way more interesting. He had a villain arc!

67. Maria or Rani?

Rani.

68. Do you read the comics/novels or listen to Big Finish?

Some. I’m doing them as Patreon bonus episodes for @rassilonwatchathon​. I haven’t done much though.

69. If you do, your favourite additional stories?

“The Chimes of Midnight.” I’ve listened to it twice.

70. Do you like DW analysis (video essays, fan theories, etc)?

I do DW analysis for @rassilonwatchathon AND The Dipp. So yes. My fave is TARDIS Eruditorum, though.

I’LL ANSWER THE REST AT A LATER TIME. I MUST BE WITH MY PEOPLE NOW.

[drarrygirl27]

All right. So... I don't know what to call this, but it is something that I feel is personally important for me to address.

Now before I go much further, I would like to say that first & foremost, I am not saying all of this to be a jerk, an asshole, a bitch, a cunt, or whatever anyone is possibly going to think during & after reading all of this.

I am simply just trying to make sure that something that is very, very important & precious to me is anything & everything, but misunderstood & not very clear.

Lately, I have been getting messages from people that have made me a bit uncomfortable & unsettled to be completely & totally honest. I don't know if that was their intention or not, but the fact of the matter is that I have never been the best at reading social cues from people whether we are face to face or over the internet. Maybe it is because I am an undiagnosed Aspie as they are called, maybe it is something completely else, or maybe it is a mixture of the two or three or whatever. I really don't know. That is something that I really, really hope that I will be able to figure out before it is my time. The only thing that I do know for sure when it comes to things of that nature is that I am most definitely something underneath the Neurodivergent umbrella. I'm just not sure what I am exactly.

Anyway, I know that I am an attractive woman. It took me a little more than a decade of my life to finally see how beautiful I truly am inside & out with all my flaws & such, but it is a fact.

Also, I am not going to name names because I think I am a bit more of a classier person than that. With that being said, these messages have been outright saying that they were looking for someone to pretty much hook up with while some have been just simply saying Hi Dear and such like that.

Now again I don't know if the ones that have addressed me as Dear, Sweetheart, or whatever term of endearment they have given to me are meant to just be friendly or if they're looking for someone to hook up with or date or whatever the fuck ever, but the thing is sometimes sexual & or romantic attraction can start out as people just being friends. I mean that is how Doug (my boyfriend, future husband, soulmate, lover, best friend, & Dom.) and I first started. I won't get into too many details about it because then this whole thing will turn into a much longer novel than it already has.

Anyway, I was 17 and Doug was 21 when we first met. It all started when a best friend of mine handed me her phone to talk to her boyfriend at the time while she went to do whatever she told me years and years ago at my house from that time period. An instant attraction happened between the both of us during that one phone call. It was one of those cases, where two people's chemistry & compatibility was literally off the charts. It was so much off the charts where years and years later people, family, friends, and even exes could see something more between both of these people even from all the way back then. However, both of these people, a man and a woman were never at the right parts of each other's lives to be together romantically or other wise. One would be single while the other was taken or it just wouldn't be a good time for whatever reason for them to go out like they been desiring to for years and years. They both literally either at the same time or not had to put their attraction and more than friends feelings on the back burner so to speak.

Years would go by where they would keep in steady contact with each other, but even when they wouldn't be and they would just contact each other out of the blue it would be like no true time has really passed them by. They could literally talk to each other for hours and hours about anything & everything. It literally took them years and years, but especially on the woman's end to realize that this man has been her best friend & confidant for practically all of the years they have known each other.

Anywho, eventually about 2 years or so after the woman had broke up her engagement after being tired of all the stupid lies & broken promises from an idiot that she was with for almost 6 years and the man had been divorced by that time from his wife (one of the woman's best friends & his girlfriend at the time when the woman & her both were 17.) for 9 years, both the man & woman start talking again after he has been through what he has been through and the woman went into the Army for 5 months, received an uncharacteristic discharge, and her Daddi-o died literal months after her Grandma Jones's died. The man got the woman to truly laugh and smile again, but most importantly he got her to live again. After a little more than a month of talking about the pros and cons of going out with each other after knowing each other from 2006 to 2017 (13 or 14 years I believe.), they eventually got together on her Grandma Jones's birthday of all days. The woman barely realized it at the time, but she when she did it realize it she thought it was pretty cool.

Now the woman & the man have been together for about 3 1/2 years and are still going strong. His ex-wife who was one of the woman's best friends from high school hasn't been a friend of hers since 2019. Apparently she couldn't and I quote be friends with them anymore because it hurt her too much. Something about the girl code and some other middle school & high school type bullshit. She wasn't very happy with it when they (the woman & the man) told her about them being boyfriend & girlfriend. She literally thought that they were asking her permission & blessing or some other shit about them going out with each other. However, that was NOT the case and they both made that very, very clear to her. The only reason they told her about it at all was that they felt like she had the right to know about it being who she was to them years ago & then. She even took the woman to the side and warned her about going out with the man. It was stupid shit really that she said.

Any la who, the woman and the man didn't take anything that the ex-wife said to heart. The woman & the man knew each other for years, but most importantly out of anyone that they were ever with or not, they always felt like they could trust in each other the most. They were each other's best friends from the time they first met face to face and talked til now. Why would they take anything seriously from someone like the ex-wife and who is still now an ex-friend?

I don't know why I referred to Doug and I as the man and the woman. I just did. Maybe it is because I'm crazy or maybe it is because I think it gives our friendship love turned to romantic love story a more dramatic vibe.

Any la way, from what and how I have talked about all of this, it should be quite obvious that I am not looking for someone to hook up with (I am Biromantic Demisexual, after all. I have to have a very strong emotional connection with someone before physical, romantic, & sexual attraction sets in which is how it all started with Doug and all of my adulthood exes.), or have a romantic and or sexual relationship with. I am perfectly happy & satisfied emotionally, mentally, romantically, physically, and sexually with my D.

I am flattered by some of the messages to some tiny extent. I'm not going to lie about it, but again I am with someone very seriously and all I ask is for anyone who finds me attractive or whatever the case is to please respect that. I don't mind nice comments about me, but just know that just because I am flattered by what anyone says that something more than friendship is going to come from it.

However, if someone just wants to be friends with me and that is it, anyone of you is more than free to talk to me. I love getting to know people on here and to be perfectly honest I could use some friends on here. Again I am not posting this to be a bitch or any other derogatory term. I am doing it to make some things clear and also to make sure that no one tries to sabotage my relationship with someone who I already consider my future and not just my for now. Thank you for coming to my Ted talk as they are called.

P.S.-- If you click the more in my description, you will literally see that I am happily taken.

Sincerely with nothing, but good will & good intentions for all, Kendra E. Jones

[bethhxrmon]

do flowers exist at night? -chapter three

Chapter Three: Don’t Lose Your Head

Pairing: Steve Harrington x OC

Chapter Summary: With rumors still flying around, things have yet to get any easier for Annie. Coupling that with her terrifying illusions, it’s easy to see why it is difficult for her to not fall apart underneath everything.

Word Count: 3.2k

Warnings: Swearing, sexual harassment, Billy is the literal worst still, horror

A/N: I’ve never tried to write anything scary before so I hope that aspect of this chapter really shows! If you like this story, please let me know! Also, if you’re looking for an earlier part you can find that here. In other news, I had to publish a bit later due to technical difficulties so please send your love!

~*~*~*~

“Another book already?” Steve asked as Annie got in his car.

She shrugged, “Yeah… I only had a little over a hundred pages left so I kinda went for it.”

“I think that’s gonna take you a bit more time to get through,” he said, glancing over at her as he pulled out of her driveway.

“It’d also take a bit more effort for some asshole to rip it apart.”

“Ah, you got me there.”

Annie laughed a bit, “It’s whatever. I’ve been meaning to read this for a while now. Like, my dad’s this big, fancy literature professor. He said War and Peace was the biggest waste of time and space, so I’m gonna see if he’s right or if he’s full of shit as usual.”

“So you’re reading out of spite?” he asked, furrowing his brows, “Is he gonna say anything?”

She fidgeted with the corner of the hardcover book, “Well, I’m not sure he’s ever gonna know. He kinda stayed in New York. I haven’t seen him in… almost a month I think.”

“Oh.”

Annie shrugged, “It’s not a huge deal, my mom and I are figuring it out.”

The rest of the car ride was filled with a rather awkward silence. Maybe if she hadn’t said anything about her family, the remainder of the ride would have been better. At the same time, there were more awkward things she could have easily brought up, but didn’t.

Soon enough, Steve pulled into a parking spot at the school. Annie thanked him before getting out and going off to the school. Maybe it was abrupt, but she didn’t think Steve wanted to talk to her too much.

Not that she took that too personally, he had plenty of issues of his own. Then again, so did she. That was evidenced by the lack of makeup on her face and the clothes she wore. After all, flipping up overalls was impossible. With a flannel and shirt on top of all that, she was sure she would be fine today. Maybe all the rumors stopped overnight and there was something else going on.

However, as Annie walked, she could hear the whispers still. Just like yesterday. She carefully dodged a couple guys in the hall as she went to her locker. If she just laid low, it would blow over. It had to blow over at some point. Then she saw her locker.

"PROPERTY OF MISTRESS ANNETTE HARDWICK, A COCKSUCKING SLUT" was scrawled sloppily on the locker. Her eyes widened and immediately she rushed up to it, trying to rub it off with the sleeve of her flannel. When none of the black sharpie came off onto her dark green sleeves, she clenched the grip on her book. This simply wasn't happening.

A part of her wanted to curl up and cry right then. Everyone was staring and she could feel the eyes boring into her back. She bit the inside of her cheek to the point it almost drew blood.

"I don't think that's gonna come out, real shame," said a voice belonging to Billy Hargrove.

Annie crossed her arms, "Go fuck yourself."

"Shouldn't you be doing that for me?" he asked, leaning in close.

She swallowed hard and backed up before turning and walking off. It had to have been him. The way he looked at her made her wish she could have turned invisible. Why hadn't she said something? There had to have been some biting remark she could have given, but nothing came out. Soon enough, she found herself sitting under a stairwell.

A moment later, Steve ducked under. It was clear he was more cramped in the space than Annie was.

He crouched down next to her, "Hey, Annie, I'm so, so sorry-"

"It's not your fault," she said, staring at the white linoleum.

Steve sighed, "But isn't it? Look, I can try and help you paint over it or something or request another locker. I just... I'm sorry."

"You don't have to do any of that. I'll just get through today and maybe everyone can find someone else to poke fun at over the weekend," she replied.

"Hey, just take the help, okay? And maybe I can rip that Hargrove guy a new one for your trouble."

She let out a small laugh, "I'd love to see that, but I can take care of myself."

"I'll do it, can't have some asshole picking on my friend," he said right before the bell rang, "But seriously, are you sure you can hack it today? I can take you home or something and I can try to clear everything up."

Annie nodded, moving to get up, "I can take it, okay?"

At least, that was what she thought as she went to biology. It was just a few hours and then she was free for a whole weekend. Surely she could get through the knots in her stomach for the day.

Nothing let up, though. A few notes asking her if King Steve could still "get it" was the tipping point for her. Maybe no one touched her today, but the notes managed to hold the exact same sentiment. It made her want to run and wash her face despite the fact nothing was on it.

Having decided to then blow off the remainder of the day, she slipped a note into Steve's locker so he knew she went home. Maybe he cared, maybe he didn't. She wasn't really sure. That didn't stop her from shoving her headphones from her Walkman on and turning up the music all the way as she left the school.

The walk home was rather uneventful, and before she knew it she was right back in her house. A part of her was tempted to reach over to the phone and call up her mom. Except, she was probably doing important work at the conference she was at and Annie stopped herself. Although, this felt like the sort of emergency her mom said to warn her about.

Then again, so did the illusions she kept seeing. They only seemed to get worse with every passing day. It wasn't like she could tell anyone, though. Had she told someone like Steve or a teacher, she would be written off as crazy.

Maybe that was it, she was just going crazy from the loneliness. When her mom got back, it would all be fine. Sure, she had Erik, but he hardly counted as a conversationalist. She dropped her backpack and flopped on the couch with a sigh. A whole day left in front of her and nothing to do for it. It wasn't long before Annie got to her bag and dug through for her copy of War and Peace.

There wasn't much else for her to do other than to get lost in the story of a few Russian families going through trials and tribulations as Napoleon threatened to invade their country in the backdrop. So she found herself getting wrapped up in the beginning of the story. Though, with how comfortable she was in the position she was laying in, she soon drifted off with the book in her hands.

How long she had slept for was beyond her. It felt like something was moving on top of her. She slowly opened her eyes, expecting to see it was her cat, sprawled across her stomach. Instead there were all kinds of slimy creatures crawling on her. They almost looked like slugs but they had hind legs. For a moment, all Annie could do was stare. Then she realized they were all over her arms and her hands and legs and on her face.

The slime was all over her hands and she felt one on her mouth. She was quick to try and slap it off only to realize the whole living room was covered with the same creatures.

"This isn't real. This isn't real. This can't be happening," she repeated, her voice cracking before she started screaming.

Her screams echoed throughout the house and it felt like her throat was being scratched raw. Annie shut her eyes tightly, wishing they would just go as she screamed. And just like that, nothing. When her eyes opened, there was nothing on her. Instead there was a rapid knocking at the front door and the sound of it opening.

On instinct, she grabbed her book and hurled it at the tall figure that rushed into the room. There was a sound of the novel colliding with someone and then hitting the floor. Upon realizing who ran in, Annie put her hands over her mouth.

"Ope!" Steve exclaimed, rubbing his shoulder that had gotten hit, “What the hell was that for?”

Annie got up from the couch and rushed over to him, "I-I'm so sorry, I didn't... I didn't realize it was you. I mean, you kinda broke into my house."

"Um yeah 'cause you were screaming bloody murder," he said before looking at her, "What happened to you?"

"What do you mean?" Annie asked, knowing she wasn't covered in the slime she had to have imagined.

He pointed at her nose, "You're bleeding."

"Oh... shit, I'll um... be right back," she replied before going to the bathroom.

Sure enough, there was a bit of blood coming from her nose. She grabbed a couple squares of toilet paper to clean it. For some reason it wasn't bleeding anymore. She mentally cursed herself, sure that Steve was going to want to know what happened.

Annie walked back out, "Sorry about that... kinda had a bad dream or something. Um what's up?"

"Or something... are you sure you're not gonna tell me what's got you freaked out enough to hurl the biggest book I've ever seen right at me?" he asked, still rubbing at his shoulder, “You’ve got a good arm.”

She shook her head, "It doesn't matter, like I said, it’s just a bad dream. What do you need?"

"Well, I didn't tear Hargrove a new one, that's for sure," he muttered, sitting on the love seat, "I know I've kinda asked a lot from you already, but... I need to get Nancy back."

Annie raised her brows, "Ah... hey, do you want some tea or something?"

"Um sure," he said, "Look, I already heard she's running around with Jonathan. I love her too much to just let her go like that, and they guys won’t stop giving me shit for it."

She nodded, listening as she put water in the kettle and put it over a burner, "Well, for all you know it's not what you think. I mean, look at us. Speaking of us, what the hell was with the mistress shit on my locker?"

"Oh that... they think they're being clever. You know, King Steve, they call Nancy a princess, that stuff."

"So I’m the Anne Boleyn to your Henry VIII... Christ that's fucked up," she murmured before shaking her head, "Anyways, do you know what you wanna do?"

He sighed, "I'm probably gonna just do the usual: flowers, an apology, the works. If that doesn't work, I don't know what will."

"Hold up, why do you have to apologize?" she asked, grabbing a couple mugs and finding some chamomile tea.

Steve shrugged, messing with the zipper of his grey bomber jacket, "I don't know, 'cause I called her bullshit while I was sober? It doesn't matter. You've just been really helpful so far, and I know it's a lot, but I just want you to help me out a bit here."

There was a long pause as Annie thought about it. If Nancy really didn't love Steve, wouldn't that just hurt him more when she rejected him? Or even worse, what if she just got back with him despite not having feelings for Steve? No, she didn't know the guy super well, but he had already been so kind to her. All the same, Annie had a good feeling that Steve was going to do this with or without her help.

She sighed, leaning against the kitchen counter, "Alright, fine. I'll help you out with all this."

"You're the best!" Steve replied, grinning, "You know, I think this might just work. She really likes red roses, they're her favorite, actually."

A little while later, they were both sitting in the living room, drinking tea. Granted, Steve probably didn't need it, but she would have felt awkward trying to calm down by drinking tea while Steve just sat there. Besides, there was no reason to rush going anywhere since he came over around lunchtime. If they jumped the gun, who knew where Nancy would have been. Though, what really seemed to grind Steve's gears was that Nancy ditched with Jonathan. Something that had to have been a point of contention in the past. Not that she had any idea.

It wasn't her place to ask. She figured that Steve would talk and open up about things when he felt it was a good time. Asking pressing questions wasn't going to do her any good.

"So... are we gonna talk about your… um... episode?" Steve asked, breaking the silence.

Annie swallowed some of her tea, "What about it? I had a nightmare."

"You threw a book at me. If you had a nightmare that seemed real... that's not good," he said, running a hand through his hair, "Look, I uh... if you need to talk to someone, I kinda get it."

She arched a brow, "How could you get it?"

"Uh... it's not important. Just, you've already done a lot for me, you can talk to me, okay?"

"It's um... so it's this recurring nightmare," she started, staring at her almost empty mug, "I'm in the house and the power kicks off and then things get weird. Like, one time there were vines everywhere and it was all cold and slimy. It looked like it was snowing. And um... well, the one I just woke up from I was covered in these slugs? But they weren't slugs, they had legs and they were crawling all over me and um... yeah."

Steve set his cup on the table, "Annie... are these things actually just you in your sleep?"

"Uh... um yeah, of course," she lied, "I'm probably just stressed being alone all the time."

He sighed, licking his lips, "You're absolutely sure? You're not seeing this stuff while you're awake?"

"Well... no... but um, but what if I did?" she asked, starting to grip her mug tightly.

How did he know she was seeing things? This had to be some elaborate prank. Or maybe the house really was haunted. That stupid kid could have been right.

Steve frowned, "Then we need to get you the hell out of here. Your cat too."

She blinked and sat back in her chair a moment, "What do you mean? Why?"

"I can't tell you... not right here, we gotta get you out. Come on, you can stay over at my place, my parents are never home. You can have the guest room, I'll help you get some stuff," he said, already standing up.

Whatever it was that was going on, Annie had absolutely no idea. All she knew was that Steve seemed to have an air of tension and fear that she hadn't seen before. A part of her wanted to call his bluff and say that he was just screwing around in some super technical and sadistic prank. However, as they rushed to get her things together, she started to realize he was being serious. Which made everything she had dealt with the last few days all the more worrying. If she wasn't hallucinating, then what was going on?

What were those things that crawled all over her? She wanted to ask Steve, but he was busy helping get her cat so they could get out faster. Before she could comprehend any part of what was happening, they were in Steve's BMW. Erik meowed periodically as Steve sped off.

He sighed, obviously trying to not appear more freaked out than he was, "Look, I... I don’t know if I can explain all this to you without getting us both killed... fuck I thought we figured this out already."

"What're you even talking about? I'm playing along with all this, but I really need you to explain everything," she said, clutching her fidgety cat close to her chest.

Steve shook his head, soon pulling up to his house, "We don't have much time for that. Come on, let's get your stuff inside."

"Um... are we gonna still try and get you back with Nancy?"

"What? No, we don't have time for that!" he exclaimed, getting out of the car, "Wait, she might know what to do, actually."

Annie rolled her eyes, "Then get the damn flowers, apologize, get back in her good graces or whatever, and try to figure out what the hell's going on!"

"Will you chill out? I'm trying to put all this together!" Steve exclaimed, "Sorry... I know this is probably really stressful for you."

She huffed, setting a dufflebag and then Erik down before shrugging off her backpack, "You know, it might be the tiniest bit less stressful for me if you would tell me what the ever-living fuck is going on! I tell you I'm seeing stuff that’s apparently real and you tell me to get out of my house without telling me why! Now are you gonna tell me what's wrong?"

"Fine, fine, you're right. I just don't know how to explain it quickly. But all you need to know is there's another dimension and there's people-eating monsters in it and your house was flip-flopping back and forth for whatever reason… at least, I think that’s what you were talking about. That's really dangerous, but we'll figure it out," he said, going to put a hand on her shoulder, "And um... you can't tell anyone else otherwise the government's gonna kill you and your parents and your cat and anyone else you care about."

Annie stepped back, crossing her arms, "You're kidding, right? Please tell me you're joking. That doesn't even make any sense! Do you realize how little sense that makes?"

"I know... but if you didn't believe me then why did you let me do this?"

"Um... I... fine, maybe there's something to all this. Let's get the fucking flowers."

Perhaps Steve had a point, she did kind of believe him. Mainly because it was the only explanation, albeit convoluted, to all the things happening in her house that didn't make her seem crazy. He seemed concerned enough for her and for himself for saying all the things he had. They made a quick stop at the grocery store so Steve could pick up the roses. After that, Steve pulled up to what she assumed was Nancy's house.

She gave him a small, assuring smile, "You've got this. Make up with your girlfriend and we'll go from there."

"Yeah. I can do this," he said, getting out of the car and closing the door behind him.

Now Annie was rooting for him more than she originally had. Mainly out of hope that Steve was right in assuming Nancy would know what to do. However, as she watched, she watched their plan grind to a halt thanks to some kid.

Tag List (let me know if you would like to join): @dungeons-and-demodogs​ @jxnehxpper​ @ilovebucketbarnes

[eternalsehyoon]

Park Jinyoung - Beautiful stranger (part one)

Title: Beautiful Stranger

Pairing: Jinyoung x Reader

Words: 1.6k

Summary: You work in a café and meet a beautiful stranger. Being quite insecure when it comes to feelings, and completely naïve when it comes to guys flirting with you, you don’t really see how much this stranger is into you... until your much too involved best friend convinces you otherwise.

I was cleaning the tables in the tiny café I have been working to for the past three years and a half. As much as I told myself I despised it, it had become a part of my routine and I had built my circle of friends around it. The customers were all usual, except for the few occasional tourists. Which meant I could tell you the names of almost every client who walked in the café, and my coworkers were like my family. My goal was to be a best-selling author, but as you probably know, it's easier said than done. I had been working on my book since I got this crappy job, and even though the novel itself was complete, my perfectionist self couldn't dare to send it to a publishing company.

"Y/N!!" My colleague and, most importantly best friend Kim called. "I know how much you hate tying up your hair, but I swear to God Josie will kill you if she sees you serving food with your hair down." I simply sighed, rolling my eyes. I knew Kim was just checking out on me, but I couldn't help to be a tiny bit annoyed by her attitude. I lazily grabbed an elastic in the front pocket of my dark apron and rapidly tied my long brown hair in a messy bun. "See." I pointed to the top of my head. "Happy, now?"

"Very." She simply stated, with a wide smile plastered on her face. Her title had just bumped from simple waitress to assistant manager and she took her role way too seriously, if you ask me.

Kim made her way from behind the counter to literally five inches away from me in the span of a few seconds. My reflexes made me take a huge step back, but my friend quickly closed the space between us and approached her mouth to my left ear, only to whisper: "By the way, you know, just like that... You've been cleaning this same table for the last thirty minutes." I let out a slight chuckle, covering my mouth with my right hand. "I don't know what you're talking about." "Sure..." She rolled her eyes. "I'm certain it has nothing to do with the handsome young man sitting right there, a couple of tables away." She wasn't subtle at all, since she almost yelled out the last sentence. I looked over at the table in question, and thanked the Lord that the "young man" was wearing a large pair of headphones on his head.

I caught myself staring at him again, noticing every little detail. From the way he was holding his phone with one hand, to the way he was using the other to occasionally sip on his latte. I felt my heart skip a beat, what the hell was happening? His hands were veiny, and his fingers were slightly crooked but had a perfect length. His dark brown hair was falling on his forehead adorably, and I enjoyed the way he would grin every so often while looking down at his phone with a smile so genuine, he almost resembled a small child receiving his first toy.

It was the first time I had seen him, you know, he was far from our typical 60 year old customer. When he had entered the place, he shyly asked for a table for one and I escorted him to my favorite spot; a small round table accompanied by two leather-covered lazy boy type chairs, by the window. The bistro was practically empty, so he was the only customer I could take care of, if you didn't count the two elders who would occasionally ask me to refill their coffees. "M-my name is Y/N and I'll be your waitress today." I stuttered. I handed him our menu, and he simply nodded with a smirk appearing on his lips as a form of "thank you". "I'll be back in a couple of minutes to see if you've made your choice." He looked up at me and that's when I realized he had the most gorgeous dark brown eyes. "Earth to Y/N!!!!" Kim exclaimed, bringing me back to my senses. "Go ask him for his number, for God's sake, or I'll do it for you." She ordered, half-serious. I bursted out laughing. "If you think one second that I've got the guts to even do that, you don't fucking know me, Kim!" She cackled. "Don't make me do it, Y/N." She threatened me jokingly, while making her way to the counter to start a new batch of coffee.

Kim had been working here for the past five years; she could pour a cup of coffee, answer the phone and print receipts all at the same time. It impressed me how determined she was, since she was still a student and didn't plan on working here forever.  I followed her steps, only to print the stranger's receipt, since he had been in here for the past hour and a half. I awkwardly strutted towards the customer, "Here's your receipt, don't hesitate to tell me if you need any-anything else." I placed the piece of paper on the table gently, and as he took it, his hand brushed the top of mine, so I removed it swiftly. My cheeks were burning and I could see that his were turning bright red. It was like we were having a staring contest, and I swore I could get lost in his eyes for hours without even realizing it. His gaze shifted from my eyes, down to my nose and lips and then to the receipt he was holding. "My name is Park Jinyoung, by the way..." He muttered. "Uhm... I don't know why I said that but, yeah..." He took his face between his hands, his elbows leaning on the small round table and looked down. I let out a small giggle, I was sort of relieved that he was nervous also, I mean, that was a good sign, right?

Even when he was completely mortified, Jinyoung was still the most handsome man I had ever laid eyes on.  "You can go to the register when you are ready to pay." I mumbled and left.

An excited Kim was waiting for me in the kitchen. She had witnessed this whole scene and was jumping around everywhere, I swore she was going to break something. She took my two hands in hers while she began dancing; I was just standing still, wondering what the hell was going on with this woman.

"He's soooooo into you!" She spoke melodically, almost like she was singing along to her favorite song. I sighed.

"Come on! You have to ask him on a date!" She was enjoying this too much, but that's what best friends are for, I guess. "Oh and I could tag along with Mark! It could be a double date!" She clapped her hands. Kim and Mark were the cutest couple I knew. They had just gotten engaged a few months ago and I always looked up to them as a model for what I want my future relationship to be like. I swore to myself that I would never waste my time with a guy if my eyes didn't sparkle like Kim and Mark's eyes do when they are around each other. That's what true love is, folks.

"Woah there!" I placed my hands on both her cheeks and gently pressed. "You need to calm down, he just told me his name. It's no big deal!"

"Whatever." Kim gave up and rolled her eyes, her sudden change of attitude caught me off-guard. "Just know you're your own cock-blocker." She pointed her index towards me and shrugged.

I was never the one to make the first move with guys. Even though I'm pretty confident most of the time, I always tend to chicken-out when feelings are involved. You could say self-sabotaging was my speciality.

I greeted new clients, placing them strategically all over the dining room. I was taking the order of a young couple while I noticed Jinyoung waiting at the register. My gaze scanned the place all over, Kim seemed nowhere to be seen so I tried my best to serve the couple as fast as I could in order to attempt to speak to Jinyoung for one last time.

Of course, the universe was totally against this plan. The guy, who was the male version of a Karen, wouldn't stop asking questions, and while I knew it was part of my job to answer him, I was completely annoyed. He kept on asking if the menu was vegan, and even though I told him it was not completely, but that we did in fact have some vegan options, he didn't want to cooperate at all. He only kept on yelling that we were all animal killers and left the restaurant, after insulting me.

I murmured a silent "go fuck yourself" to myself, before making my way to the register, noticing that Jinyoung had left the café already.

Just my fricken’ luck.

It was now the end of my shift, so I punched myself out and threw myself, completely exhausted, on one of the colorful bean bags in the break room. I had to wait for Kim, since she was my ride home. I scrolled on instagram for a couple of minutes when suddenly, a wild Kim appeared in the door frame, with the biggest grin on her face. I struggled to get up and out of the bean bag, my best friend laughing out loud at the view.

"I thought you'd want to have this." She handled me what I thought was a piece of paper.

I unfolded the wrinkly paper, soon realizing it was a receipt. Why exactly was she giving this to me?

"Flip it over and read." She ordered in a joyful manner.

It read:

To Y/N, Here's my number: 82-******* Please text me? I mean you don't have to... But I'd really like if you did? Jinyoung

My eyes grew three times their original size and I felt heat rise up my cheeks. So he was actually flirting with me?

******

Tell me if you guys are interested for part 2 and I will post it maybe in later this week!!! Thank you for reading :)

[feverwritingandtextposts]

Bad Decisions Are Always More Fun With Friends

Read it on ao3 here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23730796

This is another OPM fic because im on a filthy binge :( 

It starts, as all things tend to, with Garou’s bad idea.

“I heard that there’s a poltergeist lurking in the Ato High gymnasium,” Garou proclaims, one hot summer’s afternoon, leaning across the messy scramble of tables between them.

“And? What’s that gotta do with us?” Badd asks, after a short silence that indicated Garou was not about to drop the topic, or sit back down on his side of the table. Garou’s grin stretches wider, seemingly nonplussed by the lack of enthusiasm from the other two. “Of COURSE, we’re going to go check it out!”

After all, being young is about making bad choices, break-ins, and chasing ghosts, although not necessarily in that order.

It starts, as all things tend to, with Garou’s bad idea.

“I heard that there’s a poltergeist lurking in the Ato High gymnasium,” Garou proclaims, one hot summer’s afternoon, leaning across the messy scramble of tables between them. He’s grinning so wide; the afternoon sun reflects off his teeth.

Badd makes a non-committal noise in response, not even looking up from his phone. “And? What’s that gotta do with us?” he asks, after a short silence that indicated Garou was not about to drop the topic, or sit back down on his side of the table. Garou’s grin stretches wider, seemingly nonplussed by the lack of enthusiasm from the other two. “Of COURSE, we’re going to go check it out!”

Badd looks up then, eyebrow raised incredulously. “Why?” he questions. Leaning back, Garou fixes him with his own incredulous stare, as if Badd was the crazy one. “Because I want to see it, obviously.” It wasn’t the first time Garou had come up with a completely random, hare-brained scheme to while away the boredom that boycotting most of the school clubs, and most of his schoolmates, tended to bring. Since it wasn’t the first time, both Badd and Genos had enough good sense combined to realise that following through with any of his plans would end badly.

Genos closes the thick mystery novel he’d picked up from the library earlier for some ‘light reading’ with an audible snap. “We are not going ghost hunting,” Genos says, voice as serious and grave as ever. “Ghost?” Badd asks, looking between Genos and Garou quickly. “That pollyte- thing, it’s a ghost? Damn.” Badd mutters, tapping his phone against his chin in thought. “I thought it was some sort of exercise equipment or some shit.”

Garou rolls his eyes, folding his arms. “It’s not ghost hunting,” he says, resolute. “It’s ghost watching.” Behind him, the last remaining stragglers in the classroom were already heading home at the sound of the last bell, filling the room with the cacophony of scraping chairs and echoing goodbyes. The three of them had been sitting there for hours, with the innocent intent to get their homework done before the weekend. A tumultuous ordeal that they had dragged Genos into with the idea of helping them out, which only Genos had managed to succeed in. The other two had instead gotten nearly nothing done, in between snacking, gossiping, Badd being immersed in some noisy phone game, and Garou being immersed in whatever it was that potentially led to this.

Reaching forward, Garou thrusts the phone he’d been cradling in his hand into Genos’s face. Taking it gingerly from him, Genos held it delicately as if worried it might explode, or that the Cheeto crumbs that littered its surface would stain his metal fingers. Badd leaned over in spite of himself to read the article as well, squinting to catch the words written in some tiny scratchy font that the writer probably picked for the best spooky effect.

“This gymnasium isn't even in our high school,” Genos pointed out. “How do you suppose we get in there?”

Garou cocked his head at him, still looking painfully confident. “We’ll just sneak in, duh.”

At that, Genos gives him a flat impassive stare, judgement rolling off of him in waves. “Ato High is an all-girls school. If we get caught, the consequences would be far worse than sneaking into just any old high school.”

Garou smiled, seemingly completely unaffected by the threat.

“Then, let’s not get caught.”

“No way,” groans Badd, leaning back in his chair. “I ain’t gonna get caught sneakin’ around a girls school. ‘Specially not to go look for some damned ghost.”

Garou frowns at that, leaning forward, bracing his hands against the scratched plastic of the table.

“Why? You scared?” he asks. His voice is pitched low and threatening, in that raspy tone he uses when he’s trying to goad someone into a fight, intimidate train station insurance agents from pestering him, or coerce Badd into joining him in his stupid plans. His breath fans hot and wet against Badd’s face, and he resists the urge to lean back.

“I ain’t-“

“You a coward Badd? Chickening out?”

“Who the fuck are you calling a cowa-“

“You a pussy? A little bitch bab-“

“FINE!” Badd yells, half to get him to shut up, half just to stop him from breathing all over his face. “I’ll go find your fucking ghost with you,” he says, softer now, defeated. He realises almost immediately after speaking that he’d been yet again, goaded into doing something stupid. “I ain’t scared of some fucking ghost,” he mutters as an add on, although more to himself than anything.

“Good,” smirks Garou, arms folding in smug glee, clearly pleased that his friend was as easy to rile up as ever. “C’mon Genos, don’t be such a baby, come along.” He reaches over to grab his friend’s shoulder, an action that was supposed to show camaraderie. Garou realises belatedly that most social cues usually go straight over Genos’ synthetic fibre enhanced head. So instead, he pats him on the back a few times, in hopes that it will jump start his motors into saying yes. Genos continues to watch him silently, gold eyes burning with the force of his disapproval. Garou, to his credit, doesn’t even flinch under the weight of Genos’ infamously heavy glare.

Badd, realising that his pride won’t allow him to back out at this point, reaches over to start smacking Genos on the back as well. “If you don’t come and we get caught, we’ll say that you told us to do it,” threatens Badd, with all the barely concealed desperation of someone who doesn’t want to be doing something stupid alone. Or alone with Garou, which was inestimably worse.

Genos lets out a long-suffering sigh, rubbing at his temples. Cyborgs don’t seem likely to get headaches, so Garou suspected he did this mostly for show. “Fine,” Genos says finally looking slowly from each of their faces, “I’ll go just to make sure the two of you don’t do anything too idiotic. But on one condition. We go in, and we go out as quick as possible, okay?”

“Yeah-“

“And we don’t get caught.”

...

They all decided to meet up at the station nearest to Ato High at nine o’clock. Nine, because if they went in any later, they might miss the last train by the time they leave, and if they went in earlier, they might end up meeting some straggling students. As Badd had so wisely put it, “who the fuck would be in school after nine?”.

Garou was easy to spot. Even in the dim of the night, his white hair stood out, catching the streetlights in its luminescent fibers. Genos was no better, with the station’s fluorescent lights glinting off his bare metal arms. And Badd…

“Why do you have a bat with you?” Garou asked, eyeing the glossy aluminium bat Badd was carrying as he hurried past the station gantry to join them.

“Ah? This?” Badd held the bat aloft. It seemed strangely at home in his hand. “It’s for self-defense.”

“Against?” prompted Garou.

“The ghost.”

“You intend on hitting a ghost… With a bat?” asks Genos, who possessed an uncanny talent of making even the mildest inquiries sound reproachful.

“I ain’t gonna hit it with my fists, am I?” challenged Badd, tone booking no further arguments.

The notion that a physical attack of any form will likely do no damage to a ghost, is a fact that Genos graciously decides not to mention.

The three of them set off towards the towering cluster of buildings that make up Ato High, guarded as it was, by the large wrought iron gate that snakes its way around the school’s perimeter. After a quick jog around, they decided on a spot to scale the gate, obscured safely from any prying eyes by a particularly dense crop of trees.

The silence of the deserted school grounds weighed heavily on their ears. Even on the soft grassy ground, wet with dew, their footsteps seemed loud. Genos gave the area a quick scan, sending the other two a furtive nod after determining that the grounds were truly, empty.

“Alright, let’s go Mystery Hunters!” Garou says, jumping up from the crouch he’d landed in.

“Dude,” groans Badd, “don’t call us that, that’s lame as fuck.”

Immediately, Garou’s face contorts into that particular scowl he wears whenever his creative brilliance is in question.

“It is not lame,” he hisses, and it’s only from sheer force of will and a natural predilection to uphold his pride that prevents him from outright whining.

“I agree,” says Genos, from behind Garou’s shoulder. Twisting around to him, Garou’s scowl turns smug.

“You see,” he says triumphantly, “Genos a-“

“I think its lame,” Genos agrees, voice flat and gravely serious as it ever is. “Why would we even need a team name? We already have our own names.”

Garou groans loudly, putting his face in his hands.

“I know we have names, Genos. It’s just cooler if we have a team name isn’t it? Plus, its like, useful in emergencies.”

“So, you pick Mystery Hunters?” questioned Badd incredulously.

“What exactly would be an emergency that requires a team name?” questioned Genos incredulously.

“I don’t know!” snapped Garou folding his arms in annoyance. “Maybe the ghost might attack us and one of us needs to tell everyone else to run or something.” Genos seemed to consider that situation seriously for a moment, metal hand coming to rest beneath his chin.

“Wouldn’t it be more prudent then,” he says, “if we call out the names individually to better direct-“

“Alright, alright fine, forget the names,” Garou says loudly over him, pinching the bridge of his nose. They’ve only just stepped in the school grounds and he’s already reached his limit. “Lets just go find the damn ghost and go home okay?”

Armed with a startling lack of direction sense, they trudged around the school grounds idly peering into dim windows, searching for the infamous gymnasium. The warm night air beaded sweat on the back of their necks as they ducked into the shadows of buildings and trees.

They soon found that every single building in the school was indiscernible from the last, especially in the dark. Ato High was an old school, and most of its architecture seemed to stand unchanged from its original build. Unmarked and paved in dreary red brick, the buildings were spaced far apart, linked by simple grey stone pavements. Its old and borderline dilapidated structure made it seem especially primed for hauntings.

After a while of aimless wandering, punctuated by the occasional offhanded comment and Genos’ complaint of the grass staining his shoes, Badd spoke up.

“Is that the gymnasium? ‘S fuckin big. Why ain’t our gymnasium that big?” Badd asks, pointing his bat in the general direction of one of the dimly lit, nondescript school buildings. There’s no indication of why he would claim that particular building to be the gymnasium, other than the fact that there is a door, which gymnasiums need, and a seemingly high ceiling, which gymnasiums ought to have.

“Our school doesn’t have the funds for it,” Genos supplies helpfully, “considering our school is a common neighborhood school in comparison with Ato High, which is considered an upper-class high school, it can be expected that their budget would far exceed ours.”

“Huh,” Badd supplies in response, having already stopped listening to Genos after the fourth word in. Beside them Garou rolled his eyes, squinting at the building.

“That’s the main building idiots. The gymnasium’s gotta be behind the school.”

“How do you know that?” questions Badd, voice dripping in an unnecessary amount of suspicion.

“Because no school has their gymnasiums at the front?”

“That,” interjects Genos, “is statistically unproven.”

Garou taps his foot on the ground, well and truly annoyed. “Well, do you have any suggestions Genos?”

Genos nods once, sharply. “We enter the main building and check the layout of the school through the signboards. They surely have them inside the buildings.”

As much as Garou hated to admit it, it was a sensible plan. The doors in the school were locked, as expected. Although they could easily have forced it open by hand, they were doing their best to remain undetected, and any broken locks could be incriminating evidence.

Trying to get into a school furtively held all the enchanting mystery that all high school students secretly desired, even overpowered teenagers like themselves. In the end there was just something infinitely exciting about clambering through a window, into somewhere they really shouldn’t be going, rather than just busting through a door.

The three of them tumbled into a hallway, where Garou immediately leapt forward like a cat in search of his new prey. Genos and Badd brought up the rear, Badd flicking on the light on his phone to use as a torch.

The hallways inside the school seemed just as creepy as the outside, walls painted a drab grey, lined with past accolades and framed newspaper clippings. The light from Badd’s phone reflected off the dark classroom windows, briefly illuminating rows of worn tables and chairs from inside the rooms.

“Do you hear anything? Huh Genos?” questions Badd, his raspy whisper ringing clear against the stark silence of the empty school. Genos pauses mid stride, eyes darting quickly about the empty hallways. With a soft whir, Genos expands his focus, concentrating his sensors.

“No, I didn’t hear anything,” he says after a conclusive scan of the school.

“Then maybe there ain’t no ghost at all,” Badd decides.

Garou turned from where he had gone to stalk (scout) ahead, frowning back at him, one hand propped on his hip.

“How do you figure that?” he asks, the hint of a challenge already leaking into his voice.

“In like, those ghost huntin’ shows don’t they hear the ghosts through like a radio or some shit? If Genos can’t hear anything then it means there ain’t no ghost, is there?” Badd reasons, waving his hand airily.

“Genos, isn’t a radio,” says Garou.

“Well yeah but, he’s like sorta… Right?” Genos certainly was not.

“I am a cyborg, Badd,” Genos says, with all the weary countenance of a man who has had this conversation far too many times for it to be healthy. “I cannot hear anything that a normal human or cyborg is unable to.”

“Huh,” Badd says, obviously stumped. “You can’t like, change the channel or-”

“No.”

“Not even-“

“No.”

Badd considers this for a long moment. Garou considers leaving them to it and going on ahead.

“That’s kind of lame,” Badd says finally. Genos says nothing in reply. His stony face betrays no clues, but his palpable annoyance hangs in the air between them. Garou wasn’t an expert, but he’s pretty sure that if they didn’t find the ghost soon, this entire outing would end up in a night time brawl. One that would surely result in a hefty amount of collateral damage.

And that would definitely ruin the whole ‘let’s not get caught’ part of the plan.

So instead, he changes the subject.

“I found a sign for the gymnasium. It’s down that hallway.”

Their steps echo down the empty corridors, impossibly loud in the silent air. Garou had already taken the lead, striding on ahead as if he had any clue where he was going. Genos walked slower, gold eyes scanning every imperceptible mote of dust that hung in the air, looking for clues, or any sort of sign of life.

Behind them Badd strolled leisurely, content on leaving the heavy thinking to the other two.

"This way," orders Garou, pointing out the sign above a door to their left. It led out to an open-air corridor, linking it to the gymnasium. To their mild surprise, and Garou's growing enthusiasm, it wasn't even locked.

"Suspicious!" Garou proclaimed, voice a cheery sing song that contrasted oddly with the mood of the room.

Bads could reason that someone had simply forgot to lock it, but decided that he'd rather not start that argument.

The infamous gymnasium was less impressive than Badd had hoped. It was smaller than some gymnasiums he'd seen, and the floors and benches looked scuffed and aged. It looked much more... Normal, than any of them had been expecting. Large high windows bleached the room grey with moonlight, making the room far brighter than the wandering hallways they were in before. Badd felt more like he was here for a training camp, rather than to catch ghosts.

Garou, evidently, did not feel the same. The minute he stepped in, he turned to sniff around the room, climbing up on benches, and scoping out every corner, as if sure the ghost was about to jump out from behind the trashcan.

After a second, Genos pulled out his phone, tapping furiously on it. Perhaps he had already lost interest in the situation, but Badd wasn’t going to call him out on it. Badd was getting pretty bored, pretty fast.

"Do you think its a female ghost?" questioned Badd aloud, mostly to start a conversation before he fell asleep standing up.

"It’s a girls school so, I would imagine so," deduced Genos. He had started dutifully reading the edgy occult post Garou had shown them earlier that day, the light of his phone casting ominous shadows on his face. Badd watched him, tapping his bat to his side mindlessly.

"Is she hot?"

"Is she hot?" spluttered Garou. He turned from where he was perched like an over-sized gargoyle on a crate of basketballs, trying to read the text over Genos' shoulder. "It’s a ghost Badd. Of course, its hot."

Never one to miss an opportunity to be judgmental, Genos paused his reading to give Garou his most withering stare. “Really?” he asked, voice dripping with derision.

"Should’ve known better than to ask," muttered Badd, rolling his eyes, although his twitching lips betrayed his amusement.

They milled around some more, before Garou probably reached the end of his patience, and demanded that all three of them split up. The post itself had no clues on how to summon the ghost, only that it regularly made a mess of the gymnasium in the night. Any passers by outside would hear the vicious clanging of overturned crates of sports supplies, and harshly rebounding balls, bouncing around the echoey chamber. Overall, not a lot to go on.

Garou reasoned that the ghost was probably just shy, and if either of the other two had any concern for their friend’s sanity, they decided not to voice it. Instead, Genos volunteered to check out the storage shed, Badd the perimeter, and Garou on stakeout in the gymnasium.

...

Badd milled around the front door, scuffing his shoe against the pavement. If the ghost wasn't going to turn up, he doubts any amount of 'searching' is going to make them turn up. So instead, he bided his time until he was sure enough time passed for him to return without raising suspicions of slacking off.

As Badd turned to the door, a soft voice spoke up from behind him.

"What are you doing here?"

Badd jolted, body freezing in shock. That, was definitely not a male voice.

"You obviously don't go to school here. What are you doing?"

Badd felt the sweat start to bead around his collar. He can't believe they've been caught already.

Turning slowly, he met the accusatory gaze of the young girl standing behind him. Clad in the grey Ato High school uniform, the dark-haired girl stared him down, arms crossed. Badd might have considered her to be pretty, if he wasn't so worried out of his mind.

"Um," he said, intelligently. "We're here to-" and here, Badd paused. He could, simply tell the truth, but aside from her finding him extremely creepy, there was the other more pressing issue that she simply wouldn't believe him. He was well aware that he looked intimidating enough for people to start making assumptions about him, and the other two didn't have any better. Trying to move as subtly as possible, Badd hid his bat behind his back.

Before Badd could bluster through some sort of cover up, the girl cut in sharply.

"You shouldn't be here, it’s dangerous," she says, crossing her arms. From where she was standing in the shade of the balcony, Badd could barely make out her features, but he just knew she was frowning.

"Dangerous?" Badd repeated, confused.

The girl nodded her head. "Didn't you hear about the monster that lurks here?"

Was she talking about the ghost? Badd wondered.

"You mean the haunting?" Badd questioned, eyebrow raising.

The girl nodded leaning forward a bit as if excited. It was still too dark to make out her features, and Badd could only hope she wouldn't be able to identify him either.

"I heard its even killed someone before! So, you have to go home!"

Badd blinked. He certainly didn't remember Garou or Genos mentioning that little tidbit of info. But it would make sense for the story to get even more blown out of proportion the closer to the source it is.

In any case, he wasn't going to argue with her. He didn't need any more reasons to get the fuck out of this place.

"Alright man, I’m gonna go tell my friends," Badd hesitated before turning back towards the gymnasium door. "Also, uh could you… not tell anyone you saw us here?"

The girl said nothing, continuing to watch him impassively. Eh, thought Badd, it was worth a try.

...

When Badd entered, he found that Garou and Genos had already convened down by the bleachers, Garou with his head in his hands, trying and failing not to look disappointed, and Genos not even attempting not to look bored.

"Guys," Badd called out as he swaggered in, "gig's up, its time to go."

Garou didn't even look up from where he had slumped over on the bench. "We're not leaving till we find something," he snapped.

Badd rolled his eyes. "Yeah, but someone caught us. Some girl saw me and told me to get the fuck outta here."

That caught attention. Both their heads swivelled up to stare incredulously at him.

"There's someone here? At this hour?" questioned Genos, his face twisting into a grimace.

"Yeah man," said Badd, folding his arms. "Don't think she was gonna report us though. She seemed pretty weird."

"Obviously," Genos said, tone sharp. "What kind of normal person would be in school at this time of the night?"

"Nah, like, she seemed pretty worried about us?"

"Like, worried about reporting us?" asked Garou, tone flat with dread.

"No, like she really thought the fucking ghost was gonna eat us or some shit."

For a second, the both of them stared at Badd, before the implications of his words truly sunk in.

Garou leapt to his feet, bringing himself up to his full height, a renewed fire in his eyes.

"That’s amazing," he hissed out, his infamously manic grin already back on his face.

He strode past Badd towards the door, renewed jump in his step. "Where is she? I'm gonna go talk to her. Maybe she knows how to summon it."

"What?!" snapped Genos, stomping after him to grab the back of his shirt. "She told us to leave. I suggest we do what she says so we don't end up in even more trouble."

"Why?" asked Garou, twisting in Genos’ iron grip, grinning so hard he looked nearly shark-like. “We found someone who knows about the ghost! We need to get more info.”

Badd missed the rest of what Genos fired back with, instead throwing open the door and walking out. Outside, the courtyard was empty, the girl nowhere to be seen. Did she already go home? wondered Badd. At least she’d be spared from whatever Garou was going to try to wheedle from her.

Behind him, he heard plenty of shuffling and the sound of scraping metal, before Garou’s head popped up beside his own, and after a second, Genos’ popped up above his own. All three peered out into the empty courtyard, searching.

“You’d think,” piped up Garou, after a moment of wordless staring, “that if a bunch of weird guys turned up at your school to hunt a ghost, you’d at least stick around to see how it went.”

“Not everyone is as free as you,” said Genos, a little too venomously to imply that he’d escaped the scuffle unscathed.

“I thought you said we weren’t doing any hunting,” asked Badd, warily.

“We’re not,” protested Garou, clearly ignoring Genos, “but… If the opportunity arises…”

Genos clicked his tongue impatiently while Badd groaned out loud. Badd rolled his shoulder, shoving Garou and Genos away from where they had chosen to crowd around him at the doorway.

“Luckily for us then, there’s no ghost to hunt.”

“Yeah, lucky,” muttered Garou under his breath.

“Too lucky,” another voice commented, sarcastically.

Garou turned to Genos, annoyance rolling off of him in waves. “Do you ever stop rubbing it in?”

Genos’ eyes widened a fraction, his permanent scowl only growing more pronounced. “I didn’t say anything.”

“Then who the fuck-“ But the group didn’t get to hear the end of Garou’s tirade, as they turned to notice a figure standing in the middle of the gymnasium floor.

Badd slapped Genos’ arm in alarm, and Genos slapped Garou, and Garou slapped Genos back quickly as if any of them had missed the newcomer’s sudden arrival.

Tall and lanky, the figure stood stock still illuminated by the moonlight streaming in from the gymnasium’s high windows. Features completely indiscernible, it seemed nearly fuzzy around the edges as if they were peering at it through a frosted window. Although none of them made the identification out loud, all of them decided that the person was decidedly, not human.

They stood in awed, disbelieving silence for a full three seconds marveling at the apparition that, just minutes ago, was mere hearsay. Garou was trembling with either fear or excitement, Badd couldn’t tell, and approached the figure eagerly calling out as he went.

“HEY! Ghost, hey, just wanted to say, BIG fan here.”

The figure did not respond, instead, its form which seemed fuzzy at best, distorted even more the closer Garou got to it. It was starting to look like a badly rendered picture now.

Distantly Badd recalled the girl from before telling him how the ghost had caused at least one confirmed casualty, setting him with mild unease as his friend trawled ever closer to the thing.

“Dude, don’t go so close to it man,” he called out, stepping forward alongside Genos to reel Garou back.

“I doubt that that thing is safe to approach,” muttered Genos, hands clenching at his side. “I’m getting a high energy reading from it.”

As Garou turned to address his friends’ complaints, the figure behind him shuddered violently, and stopped all motion with a low beep, like a paused video.

At Badd’s frantic pointing, all of them watched as the ghost seemed to crack like an eggshell, expanding as if its previous form could contain it no longer.

“This is it? This is the ghost?” Badd asked, rather unnecessarily in Garou’s opinion, waving around his bat in the direction of the growling humanoid figure rapidly growing in size in front of them.

All three of them stood there, watching the monster swell and grow in front of them, its face ripping open to reveal rows and rows of razor-sharp teeth. Ever the one to fixate on a point completely irrelevant to the situation, Badd turns to Garou again.

“Garou… Do you really think this is hot?” questions Badd, a touch of concern in his voice.

Genos, never one to turn down the opportunity to be rude, says, “he’s always had questionable taste.”

Garou decided to grace neither of them with an answer. Truthfully, he had seen a monster on last week’s episode of Justice Man that looked pretty similar to this one. He had thought it looked pretty cool. He wisely decided upon keeping that tidbit of info to himself.

In front of them, the beast let out a terrible growl, the tremor from it sending pieces of plaster raining down from the ceiling.

“That, is definitely not a ghost,” concludes Genos decisively.

“Yeah?” asked Garou, sarcastically, “how’d you tell?”

“I am getting an analysis reading that determines it to be a ‘monster’,” informs Genos primly.

Both Garou and Badd were spared from answering as one of the monster’s hands shot out, causing them both to leap out the way to avoid it.

The monster was now large enough to block out the light from the windows, towering over the three teenagers. The monster’s cry was deafening, the very sound of its voice causing the window panes to tremble violently. “Little children!” it snarled, rearing itself up to its fullest height, head brushing the top of the gymnasium’s tall domed ceiling. “I will grind your bones and eat you whole!”

Garou nodded sagely at that. “Grinding bones is a very textbook level monster thing to do, I’m impressed.”

With dexterity uncommon to a thing of such size, it swung its arm down with surprising accuracy towards Badd, nearly flattening him, and obliterating the chaffed wooden floorboards beneath his feet. Narrowly avoiding the hit, Badd turned and smacked the offending massive hand with his bat. A dull thud rang out in the gymnasium, loud enough to still be discernible over the monster’s roars.

Behind the beast, they could hear Genos yelling something that could have been an inquiry as to their wellness, or just a plain insult. With Genos it could go either way, really. Badd’s hit seemed to cause some effect on the monster, as it snatched its hand back quickly, cradling it as if injured.

“Alright, just hitting it works!” called out Badd.

“Great,” answered Garou, sounding no less excited even as he flitted to the side to avoid another massive swing of the arm, “lets beat the shit out of it and take down this monster, Mystery Hunters!”

Even from different corners of the gymnasium, Garou could hear the other two groan.

“Fucking stop trying to call us that!”

“We are not calling ourselves that!”

The sound of the monster’s thrashings thankfully drowned out Garou’s bitter grumbles at their response. Ducking forward, he slid under an outstretched arm to deliver a few swift, powerful blows to the creature’s knee, causing it to roar loudly in pain and stumble back. All three of them converged on the creature, raining it with blows, confusing it with an onslaught of pain from all directions.

The moment of its lack of focus was all they needed. A low hissing hum filled the air before a blinding pillar of light shot out, blowing perfectly through the back of the monster’s head, and right through the ceiling. It took a while for Badd and Garou’s eyes to readjust to the dim light of the room after that incineration flash, but what awaited them made them wish halfheartedly that they never saw it.

Beyond the singed gaping hole in the now still monster’s head, was a clear view of the night sky, viewed through the giant, still smoking, gaping hole in the ceiling of the gymnasium.

“I thought you weren’t allowed to use that?!” called out Garou, over the din of hissing steam and crumbling debris.

Genos gave a non-committal grunt in response. “My mentor allowed the use of my incinerator cannons for dire occasions. This seemed like one of them.”

Badd gave an understanding grunt. Garou shook his head.

“We destroyed like, half this place!”

“Eh,” says Badd, shouldering his bat nonchalantly, “I don’t think its that bad.”

Just as those words were uttered, the winds outside picked up, causing the body of the huge, dead monster to sway, before it fell over with a ground shaking boom, taking out the entire back wall of the gymnasium.

The three of them could only stare in horrified awe at the shambled remains of what remained of the supposedly haunted room. Quietly, they turned to make their way back out of the school in total silence.

...

“So,” says Mr Saitama, rubbing his face for what had to be the fifth time in the last ten minutes, “you’re telling me that you destroyed an entire building, because you had to?”

“Yep,” says Badd taking care to pop the p.

“Yeah,” Garou agreed, shrugging.

Genos said nothing in response, instead staring down his knees with all the weary resolve of a samurai waiting for death.

Mr Saitama groaned loudly, leaning back in his chair. All three of them were sitting crowded around Mr Saitama‘s desk, after being called out of their classes. There were plenty of curious glances thrown their way from the other teachers bustling around their cubicles in the teacher’s office, the warming smell of freshly made coffee and early morning chatter contrasting oddly with the anguished expression on their homeroom teacher’s face. Unsurprisingly, the officials at Ato High had called the police after finding the carnage, who then checked the security tapes, and then somehow managed to identify them.

Perhaps the fact that this was not the first time they had been involved with the police for what Mr Saitama had coined as “various shenanigans”, had made them all the more easier to identify. Personally, Garou believed that the only reason the police found them so quickly was due to a biased belief that they were behind any and all teenager-based incidents. Of course, in this case they were right, but still.

Mr Saitama sighed dramatically, yet again. “Were you aware that the buildings in Ato High, including the one you destroyed, are all historical buildings?”

“No shit?” asked Badd.

“No shit,” repeated Mr Saitama, gravely.

“Aw c’mon man,” whined Garou, slouching in his hard-folding chair, “there was a monster there! You couldn’t just expect us to leave it there!”

“You aren’t supposed to be fighting monsters! That’s the Hero Association’s job! You’re just students! Also,” snapped Mr Saitama, hand slamming down on the table with a bang, “you’re supposed to call me Mr Saitama, not ‘man’!”

“It tried to eat us!” protested Garou.

“Then you should’ve run and called the authorities!”

Beside him Badd rolled his eyes. “As if they’d come in time,” he muttered darkly under his breath.

Saitama pressed his hand back to his face as if to calm himself. Badd wondered if he’d end up flattening his face by the end of this session.

“Why were you even in Ato High that night?”

“Ghost hunting,” answered Garou immediately.

“You,” started Mr Saitama slowly, “went to a girls school… At night… To look for ghosts?”

All three of them nodded.

Mr Saitama sighed, for the umpteenth time. “Should’ve known,” he mumbled softly.

Turning to the table, he shuffled his papers around nosily, seemingly deep in thought. As they fidgeted in their seats, Badd casting pointed glances to the clock, Mr Saitama finally paused in rearranging his table, setting out three identical forms.

Turning towards them, he leant forward, resting his chin on his clasped hands, looking the most serious he’d been since this meeting begun. Sandwiched uncomfortably between Badd and Genos, Garou squirmed uneasily under the intense stare.

“Anything else to say for yourselves?”

No answer.

Mr Saitama tried again, “Genos,” he said, singling out the only reputable student out of the three, “anything to say?”

“I,” blurted Genos, speaking for the first time since being called to the room, “was dragged into it by these two, Mr Saitama!”

Beside him, Garou scoffed. Badd narrowed his eyes, incredulous.

“You throwin’ us under the bus, Gen?”

Genos turned to him, gold eyes flashing. “I told you we shouldn’t have gone there!”

“Genos,” Mr Saitama cut in, voice weary, “it was your incinerator cannons that caused the blast wasn’t it? You’re the one on thinnest ice here, dude.”

Genos shut his mouth with an audible clack.

Under the stares of everyone at the table, he finally continued, “it was necessary to dispose of the monster, Mr Saitama. I was merely doing my job as a vigilant member of the community.”

Mr Saitama deadpanned him a look as if to say vigilant members of the community don’t break into schools at night but said nothing against it.

When Genos made no move to say anything more, Mr Saitama shook his head despairingly, handing out the forms.

“I want all three of you to fill out these. Its an apology letter, something I’m sure you three are already familiar with,” Mr Saitama said, eyeing them meaningfully, “five thousand words. No less.”

He went on, amid cries of protests from mostly Garou and Badd, “AND, one full month of detention.”

Garou choked on air. “One entire month of detention?!”

“You’re lucky they’re not suspending you.”

The three of them wilted, grumbling half hearted protests as they held tightly to their forms.

“Okay,” said Mr Saitama, waving them off, “get back to your classes you lot. I still need to call your guardians.”

The boys kicked off amidst groans and halfhearted apologies.

“I want those apologies on my desk tomorrow morning!” he called after them as the door to the office swung shut.

“Were you talking about Ato High? Ah, that brings back memories,” smiles Miss Fubuki, leaning over her desk divider to Mr Saitama’s desk.

“Hm, did you go to school there?” questions Mr Saitama, swatting her hand away as she reached to pluck the case files from the table.

“Oh yes,” replies Miss Fubuki, finally giving up and leaning back in her chair with a nostalgic smile. “I had a lot of fun there. Sadly though, we never had any camps because there used to be this terrible rumor that a monster lurked the halls at night.”

“Oh?” asked Mr Saitama, looking bored.

“Yes,” says Miss Fubuki, eyes unnaturally bright, “we all thought it was just nonsense, but one day, one of the girls in the year below me turned up missing. Everyone was so sure it was the monster that ate her.”

Mr Saitama gave a noncommittal grunt, fiddling with his fingers.

Miss Fubuki smiled knowingly. “You’re starting to feel really thankful that they came back safe, aren’t you?”

Mr Saitama sighed, sending her a rueful smile. “I’m starting to feel really thankful I never decided to teach there.”

...

“Do you know what the worst part is?” Garou asks, as they trudge back up the staircase back to their classroom, “we never did get to see the ghost.”

Genos shot him a withering glare. “That’s because there was no ghost. People just caught wind of the monster and started the rumor.”

Badd grunted in agreement, shoulders hunching as he thought about the scolding his mother was sure to dole out once he got home.

“By the way,” a familiar voice called out right as he reached the top step. “I wanted to thank you.”

Turning slowly, Badd met the smiling gaze of a girl standing a few steps behind him. Squinting, he recalled the girl’s black hair and grey uniform.

“Oh its you,” Badd said, sending her a lazy wave. After all that drama, he’d just about forgotten about the weird girl from the school. “What are you doin’ here?”

The girl’s smile widened, her brown eyes glittering with an emotion Badd couldn’t discern. “I came by to see you. I have to go really soon, but I wanted to let you know I’m thankful for what you did.”

Badd huffed. “You mean breaking one of your school’s buildings?”

“I meant killing that monster but…”

“Eh, was nothin’,” he muttered, strangely uncomfortable under her stare.

“Tell your friends I said thank you as well,” the girl said insistently, climbing another step up towards him.

Badd cocked an eyebrow. “Tell em yourself,” he said. Poking his head around the staircase landing, he was surprised to see Garou and Genos already standing still on the upper steps, staring down at him.

“Who are you talking to?” Genos asked, eyebrows furrowed.

“C’mere man,” Badd called, waving them over, “this kid wants to talk to you guys.”

Garou peeked his head over the side of the staircase railing, looking wholly confused.

“Who?” he asked, gold eyes flitting around.

Badd groaned, annoyed that they were choosing to be so blatantly rude. Turning around impatiently, he was met with a clear view of the empty stairwell, illuminated by the large windows. Confused, he ran down the steps, peering over the railings just like Garou to see where the girl had went.

Looking back up, he met the strangely concerned gazes of his two friends, peering at him with raised brows.

“Did Mr Saitama set you so much work that you already went crazy?” Garou asked, shaking his head.

“What,” Badd spluttered, face colouring in spite of himself. “Fuck off man, didn’t you hear me talking to her?”

“To who?” Genos questioned again, face pinching in exasperation. “We only heard you talking to yourself.”

Badd stared at him, mouth agape. His head whipped between his friends and down the stairwell, as if unsure who to believe.

“But I- But you-“ Badd stammered, feeling increasingly uncomfortable by the second.

Climbing back down, Garou snatched him up by the arm, half dragging him up the stairs.

“There, there,” he said, patting Badd’s back in a manner that was supposed to be consoling, but came out mildly condescending. “Let’s get you to class, and you can take a nap at your desk as usual.”

Genos sighed, positioning himself on Badd’s other side and gripping his shoulder with a bit too much force to be comforting. “Maybe after your usual illegal naps you’d feel better.”

Despite his own irritable protests, Badd allowed himself to be dragged off bodily to his classroom, secretly agreeing that maybe a good nap was exactly what he needs.

[thecleverdame]

Control and Release - 20

Series Masterlist

TEDTalk!Sam x Reader

Summary: With the rest of the staff caught in a snowstorm, you find yourself acting as a personal assistant to the notorious Sam Winchester.

Warnings: Dom/Sub, humiliation, embarrassment, sexual objectification, mutual masturbation, spanking, cum play, fingering, anal play, orgasm control, nipple clamps, dub-con, breath play.

Beta: @ilikaicalie

Words: 4k

Parts 21, 22, 23 & 24 are currently available on Patreon for a monthly pledge of $2.50. This includes early access to all my stories, including the ABO series Gods of Twilight and Patreon exclusive content.  >> CLICK HERE <<

-

“Holy shit,” you mutter, staring at your black and blue ass in the mirror. These marks aren’t faint or small. Your backside is covered with thick, deep blue welts from his belt. You woke up on your stomach, only to wince in pain once you rolled over. Then you sat up and nearly yelped at the ache. But now as you stand naked in the bathroom you can’t help but smile, twisting around to get a better look. While you’re going to have a hard time sitting down, it’s a thrilling reminder of last night. A reminder of something new and this connection that’s growing between you and Sam.

Your phone rings and you glance at the number, sighing before answering.

“Hey, mom-”

“Don’t you ‘hey mom’ me. You said you’d call me back and I haven’t heard a peep in forty-eight hours. I’ve been calling and calling.”

“The FBI took my phone. This one came by courier this morning, honestly, I just turned it on like ten minutes ago.”

“Are you trying to give me a heart attack?”

“Of course not,” you roll your eyes, glancing at your butt one last time. “A lot’s happened in the last twenty-four hours.”

“Do you want to come home? You can move home with your dad and I. We haven't touched your room.”

“I’m not moving back to Albuquerque. I’m okay, really.”

“And what? You’re headed to Chicago all by your lonesome after what happened? That’s not a good idea.”  

“No, I’m staying here in Boston. Things have changed.”

“I’ll come there, then. I was looking at flights this morning. Your father and I can be there by this afternoon.”

“Mom, seriously, I’m fine,” you suppress the urge to get riled up. She loves you, but sometimes it’s too much. Slipping into the closet you find your tiny section of clothes amid Sam’s vast wardrobe.  

“Don’t be ridiculous, of course you’re not fine,” she fires back. “Who would be alright after something like that? I’m coming there to take care of you.”

“No, mom, just stop and listen to me. I’m a little shook but honestly, I’m doing good. I’m seeing a therapist. I’m going to be late for my appointment if I don’t hurry up and get dressed.”  

“No one should have to go through this alone, sweetheart.”

“I told you, I’m not alone.” You stop to look at the empty bed, Sam was up and out the door before the sun came up. “I’ve got people here. Just please, stop worrying about me so much. I’ll call every day, I promise.”

“I don’t like this. You said you were moving because there was nothing left for you in that God awful city and now you’re staying?”

“Things just...changed. I’ve got positive things here, but it’s hard to talk about it. I feel like shit for talking about anything good that’s in my life when people were just killed. I need time to process everything.”

“Who’s going to make sure you eat? Your appetite is always the first thing to go when you’re stressed. Are you in a hotel? Where are you staying?”

“I’m with a friend until I get my living situation figured out.”

“Thank God, hotels are so impersonal. With those tiny soaps and the coffee is never good. You need a home.”

“Look, I have to go. I’m going to call you later, okay?”

“Alright, I love you so much.”

“I love you too.”

As you hang up you walk to the small dresser at the back of the closet and open the top drawer. The two photos that used to be on display are now tucked out of sight You take out the one of him in college. He’s so happy and in love, it’s hard to imagine your Sam is this same person.

If nothing else it’s a reminder of the fact that people are capable of great change.

-

Walking down the hallways of the hospital you glance down at the paper in your hand with a room number written on it. Pausing at room 7059 you confirm the name scribbled on the dry erase board and knock.

“Come in,” calls out a male voice.

“Hi.” You shuffle inside, leaning around the curtains pulled in a half-circle around his bed. “I’m sorry if I’m bothering you.”

“You’re the last face I expected to see,” Tim laughs and then coughs, grimacing in pain. “But you’re not bothering me. I’m bored out of my mind.”

“Are you sure? I can come back later…” you’re already backing out of the room as he leans forward, wincing in pain.

“Please, just sit down. I’d like the company.”

You step around his bed, sitting in the plastic chair pulled up beside it. Your eyes flutter closed as your ass throbs.

“Oh, I brought you something,” you remember, reaching into your bag and pulling out a copy of The Reckoning by John Grisham. “It was this or Danielle Steel. The gift shop didn’t have a lot of options. I don’t even know if you like to read.” It’s at that moment you spot a Kindle lying beside him on the bed. “Or if you already have an e-reader with access to any book you want.”

“This thing is my mom’s, it’s full of Agatha Christie novels and I don’t have her password to buy anything else.” He holds up the Kindle. “I do like to read and I prefer books. Thank you for bringing me something other than flowers.”

He gestures around the room.

“Wow,” you look at the dozen or so bouquets and potted plants. “I guess people go with what they know.”

“I guess,” he nods, smiling at you. “I’m glad you’re alright,”

“Thanks. I’m glad you’re alright too.” You shift in the chair. “That’s why I’m here. I don’t think I would be alive if it weren’t for you.”

“Eh,” he grumbles, looking away. “I’m not the hero in this story. Winchester is the one who took him out.”

“True, but you distracted him. People were running and you stepped forward, put your arms out in front of us.”

“That was nothing. Just instincts.”

You shrug. “Instincts that bought the rest of us a few seconds. Sam got there just in time, but if you hadn’t tried to help us, I don’t think it would have ended the same way for me. Thank you.”

“You’re very welcome.” He nods, clearing his throat. “I heard Callie, the redhead who did the corporate travel arrangements...she died this morning in surgery.”

“Yeah,” you confirm, feeling the sadness swell into your throat. “Max died last night. They thought he might make it, but he didn’t.”

The death toll kept rising. It turns out Brent used a particularly nasty bullet designed to do the maximum amount of damage.  A lot of the people who survived the initial attack are struggling with serious complications.

“Shit.” Tim sits back against the pillow. You’re both silent as the murmur of the TV rambles in the background. “I’m starting to think I must be lucky. This is actually the third time I’ve taken a bullet. I’m three for three.”

“I heard that. You never know what’s rumor and what’s not but people said that’s why you left the service.”

“That was the second time. But the better story is the first time. I was just a kid. My brother accidentally shot me with my dad’s .22. He was grounded for a year and I got all the chocolate ice cream I could eat. Hell, I still do. My mom brought me some this morning.”

“Maybe you are lucky,” you laugh, checking your cell phone.  

Two messages are scrawled across the screen.

Sam: Meet me for lunch.

Sam: Parish Cafe at 1:30

“Someone important?” Tim grins.

“Important and demanding,” you chuckle, responding see you there and put the phone away. “Look I know I don’t know you and I don’t want to make this weird, but if you’re feeling up to it do you think we could get together next week?”

His eyebrows shoot up and you backtrack, shaking your head in embarrassment.

“I didn’t mean...I...God, I’m bad at this. I’m seeing a therapist, and yesterday she suggested that I reach out and try to connect with some of the people who were there when it happened. I was kinda hoping Millie would join us, maybe Lexi - God bless her.”

Tim laughs out loud at that, nodding in agreement.

“Sure, I didn’t have much of a social life before all this and I’m guessing I’ll be a captive audience for some time.”  

“Awesome.”

“I thought you were moving? Seems like this would be the perfect opportunity to get the fuck out of dodge.”

You stare at him, a million thoughts merging all at once.

“Things changed.”

“Important and demanding things?” he questions and you can’t help the blush that creeps into your cheeks.

“Yes,” you whisper, getting up. “So, I guess I’ll see you next week then.”

“Just let me know.” He gives you a little salute.

-

Sam’s seated in the back of the dark little restaurant, reading on his iPad when you join him.

“Sorry I’m late,” you slip into the chair across from him, biting your lip as the sting of the bruises take your breath away. “I don’t think my Uber driver has lived here very long.”

“I could have sent a car for you.” He finishes what he’s reading before looking up. A flicker moves from his eyes to his mouth, just a ghost of a smile. “I like that dress.”

You look down at the black and white gingham summer dress you bought yesterday. “Thanks, it’s new.”

“I don’t normally see you this casual.”

“I guess that’s true,” you grin at him. He looks handsome today. Sam always looks good, but there’s something about when he doesn’t wear a tie and lets the top buttons of his shirt lay open that you just love. “You like it huh?”

“Very much,” he confirms. He carefully places his tablet and his phone screen down on the table. It’s something new he’s started doing when he intends on giving you his full attention.

“So,” you take the cloth napkin, folding it over your lap. “This was unexpected. I thought you’d be too busy.”

“Not for you,” he responds succinctly and you feel your heart speed up.

This is Sam trying.

“You keep saying things like that and we might need to get a room after lunch,” you laugh, then realize how much easier this feels, more natural than before. You worried it would be hard to relax around him, but that’s not the case.

“That could be an interesting prospect,” he trails his finger around the edge of his water glass, lost somewhere between amusement and arousal. “Not today, but another time.”

“I’ll look forward to it then. You know, I haven’t officially asked yet, can I have my job back?”

“Of course,” he scoffs, “In fact, I’m thinking of placing you as a sort of mentor to a new guy I have coming in.”

“A mentor? I’m barely a secretary.”

“I meant more of a mentor for navigating the people, the office politics. What happened with Brent can’t happen again. I need someone down in the trenches watching the junior associates. After what happened with you and Max, and now Brent it’s clear it’s the wild west and I intend to reign it in. I should have seen it before.”

“What exactly happened...with Brent?”

“It’s not clear yet. I think Brent took the fall for a couple of other guys, they set him up to be a scapegoat. I suspected it at the time but I also have to walk a fine line. I can’t accuse senior staff of lying unless I have something to back it up. It undermines their authority. I’m bringing in several people from the outside for oversight, we need a fresh start.”

“What are you going to do about the building?”

“Have it demolished. I can’t expect anyone to work there. I was focused on expanding the campus, but now that’s futile. There are two buildings downtown, big enough for everyone but I have to ensure it’s the right fit. I’m headed there this afternoon if you’d like to join me.”

“I’d like that,” you watch him pick up the menu.

You could get used to this.

Two Weeks Later

“You found a place?” Sam inquires, looking through the stack of mail.

“Yup, it’s a loft. It’s small but there are tall ceilings so it doesn’t feel claustrophobic. Lots of windows. It’s exactly what I need right now.” You grin, plopping down on his couch. “They said I can move in next Monday.”

“Are you ready for that?” he inquires nonchalantly, skimming over a letter. “You said your therapist suggested you shouldn’t be alone, not for a while.”

“I’m not gonna be alone. We start working at the office on Wednesday, I always spend weekends with you and I’m hoping maybe I could see you during the week sometimes...it’s been nice spending time together, you know, other than sex.”

You watch him absorb this confession, a thoughtful expression crossing his face as he sets the remaining mail aside and looks at you.

“It’s been different than I thought. I haven’t shared personal space like this in a very long time. I assumed I would feel suffocated, but I haven’t. You’re easy to be around.” He delivers this information deadpan and your entire face goes hot. “It’s been nice.”

“Maybe you could come to my place sometime? I can try to cook something, and I’ll probably have a futon by then. Maybe even a loveseat if my boss gives me a raise with this fancy new position. You can see how the other half lives.”

“That sounds...terrible,” he grins, watching you carefully.

“Yeah, it does,” you laugh out loud, genuinely happy for the first time in a long time. “But I am getting a new bed, I ordered it this morning. We could break it in…”

“You let me know once the futon arrives and I’ll drop by.” He gives in, checking his watch. “There is one thing we need to talk about.”

“That sounds vaguely ominous,” you chatter, giving him your full attention.

“You asked me to void our contract. I had it taken care of this morning.” He gives a curt little nod.

“I wanted to talk about that...about us and how this works now. I’d still prefer if our relationship remained private. For the time being at least.” You’ve been thinking about it more and more over the last few days.

“I understand,” Sam agrees easily.

“It’s just, people will assume a lot of things. And they’re nosey. I like this being just ours.”

“You don’t have to explain, I understand. My life entails more than you realize. No one pays attention to me because I don’t date actresses or get DUIs, but once you’re in the mix, eventually someone will take an interest.”

“We’re not very scandalous,” you snort, “Well, I guess kind of, but not in a ‘Page Six’ way.”

“True.” Sam looks relaxed, more at ease than you’ve seen him since this thing between you started. “You’re always welcome here,” he adds, before shifting his attention back to his work.

-

“You start work tomorrow?” Carol, your psychiatrist, is always examining you. But that’s why you come here, to be an open book. You’ve always been open to the idea of therapy and after everything that’s happened this can’t hurt.

“Yeah, going in on a Wednesday. We’re starting back up with a three day week.” It’s been a month since the shooting and life has inevitably moved despite the many changes. “I’m kinda nervous. I keep having this thought that I shouldn’t feel so normal. Like I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop and have some kind of a breakdown or something.”

“Are you still experiencing triggers?”

“Yeah,” you admit. This is the most frustrating part for you. Ninety-nine percent of the time you’re fine but out of the blue you find yourself spiraling down this dark hole. The panic attacks hit you out of nowhere and disappear just as quickly. It’s normal, that’s what everyone keeps telling you, but the unpredictability of it is infuriating. “I went three days with nothing and then last night we were eating dinner and bam. I almost passed out. Five minutes later I was fine.”

“Was there anything that stood out about that moment? A loud noise? Someone yelling?”

“No,” you shrug. “I was in the kitchen. I don’t even turn the TV on anymore. I never noticed before how many guns there are. Someone’s always shooting or talking about it. The first couple of times it happened I thought that was it. CNN was on the background, maybe I heard something I didn’t realize. But I’ve officially marked that off as a possibility. The trigger must be something else.”

“Well, just keep an eye on it. Next time it happens try to make a note of the details. Write it down right away, or take a video with your cell phone. We’ll figure it out. And if it gets bad, you call me and we can talk about medication again.”

“Honestly, I feel fine most of the time. I was thinking this morning I must be a psychopath. You know I didn’t even cry at Max’s funeral?”

“We’ve talked about survivor's guilt. Everyone’s experience is different. That’s just one facet of it. Take things slow and if you start to experience any emotional discomfort, take a step back.” She suggests, supportive as ever.

“I will. I’m ready to just dive in. I’ve got this new position and a new apartment.” You smile, thinking about all the emerging possibilities.

“New relationship,” she adds, as if you’ve purposely avoided mentioning it. And maybe you have. It’s not that she doesn’t approve, but she’s cautious.

“I know you don’t think it’s a good idea, but we’re actually in a good place.”

“I never said that I thought it was a bad idea. I simply pointed out that you hold things back when it comes to him. You stop yourself from spilling too many details. Sometimes that can be a warning sign. And your work situation is less than ideal. You said he’s your boss?”

“More like...my boss’s boss’s boss. He’s at the top of the food chain.”

“Well, it’s probably better he’s that far removed.” She makes a note on her pad. “And your sex life remains one hundred percent consensual?”

“Yeah, God, you make it sound like there’s something wrong with it.”

“Again, that’s you projecting what you assume my opinions are. But I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t ask. You’re certainly not the first woman in the world who enjoyed being tied up. There’s nothing wrong with it as long as it’s not having a negative impact on your self-worth or emotional health.”

“No, things are really good, all around. It sounds so fucked up to say that, but I feel like my life has a future. Is that weird? It’s not that I was sad or depressed before, but I was treading water. Now I’m going somewhere.”

“Sometimes terrible things bring necessary change. You didn’t know how to move forward here, and now you do.”

-

The new offices are two high rise buildings connected by a walkway. It’s just temporary until Sam decides on where to build the new campus but for the next couple years, this is the home of W & S.

Glancing at the post-it in your hand you look again at the number in front of you.

Workspace 2852

The office team had decided everything is now labeled as a workspace. There are no more offices and cubicles. Only workspaces - that look exactly like traditional offices and cubicles. You trail down the aisle, cubicles flanking the left and offices against the right-hand wall. Coming to the end of the cubicles you check the paper again. You must have missed it.

“You alright, sweetheart?” Gloria from the travel team asks.

“I can’t find my desk. Maybe I’m on the wrong floor,” you explain.

She takes the paper from you, looking at the number and pointing to a small office tucked into the corner. “2852, right there.”

“No way,” you grin, getting closer only to find your last name scrawled across a piece of masking tape in the center of the door.

“Sorry about the tape. The nameplates are coming, that’ll have to do for now.”

“No, it’s fine.” You’re beaming like an idiot, opening the door and stepping inside. It’s small, but the ceilings are vaulted and it’s literally in the corner of the building. Two walls are floor to ceiling windows that overlook the city below. “Shit,” you mumble to yourself, scarcely able to believe this is your little corner of the world.

The office is naked, just a desk, computer and filing cabinet. But it’s yours.

There’s a single, white envelope on the desk and you have a feeling who’s left it for you. Inside is a note written on the back of a business card.

Enjoy. You deserve it.

“Sam,” you whisper, clutching the little card like it’s a bouquet of flowers. Turning the card over you’re met with another shock. The card is yours. Your name with the title of Department Liaison underneath.

“Sorry to bother you.” A new voice and two knocks come from behind you. You turn to find an unassuming man standing in the doorway.  “I know you're probably busy. I just wanted to drop in and introduce myself. I’m Cole Trenton.”

Cole Trenton, your new boss.

“Hi,” you beam back. He looks...nice. There’s a big smile plastered across his face as he extends his hand. His handshake is firm but not too hard, some men feel the need to crush you to prove a point but not him. “Y/N. I just got here. I’m not normally late but I couldn’t find my des- office.”

“Don’t worry about it.” He waves his hand dismissing any concern. Shoving both hands in his pockets he wanders inside, looking at your view. Whistling, he looks back at you. “Someone must like you. I’m right next door, mine is bigger, but nothing like this.”

“To be honest I thought I’d be stuck out there in cubicle land.”

“Not anymore.” He taps your desk with the back of his knuckles. “I’m not sure what your schedule looks like today, but I was hoping we could sit down and I could pick your brain. You’re my eyes and ears right?”

“Absolutely,” you affirm. “Welcome, by the way. We’ve needed someone like you for a long time.”

“I’m lucky to be here. Working for Sam Winchester was pipe dream up until two weeks ago. I just don’t wanna screw this up. I’ve heard he’s a bastard but he can make or break you.”

“He’s not so bad,” you feel the business card burning a hole in your hand. “He just has high expectations.”

“I’m alright with that,” he chuckles lifting his hands palms forward in a sign of submission. “Let me know once you’re settled in. Whadda you say we order a pizza and go over employee files. It’ll be the first act of official business in your new workspace.”

“That sounds great. It looks like you’ll have to bring your own chair.” You’re on cloud nine. You’ve got a boss that doesn’t hate you with his very marrow. “It’s nice to meet you, Cole.”

“You too.” He pats the door frame on the way out, leaving you truly immersed in this new beginning.  

[makeste]

BnHA Chapter 242: SANTA IS REAL

Previously on BnHA: We said farewell to the League of Pliff and were finally reunited with the kids of U.A., an institution which I would just like to point out is so diametrical to the League that they literally took the polar opposite route when choosing their name, and focused only on the acronym. I’m 100% sure U.A. doesn’t even stand for anything. Anyway, so Bakugou and Todoroki went on whirlwind press tour following their ch 219 antics, and the resulting interviews were so disastrous that Aizawa decided to bring in Mt. Lady to give the whole class a crash course in PR 101. Meanwhile All Might scoured Ancestry.com for info on the past users of OFA, and Rat Principal announced that U.A. was going to resume its internship program. This is great news for Deku, who’s been taking his sweet time mastering Blackwhip. Like, we’re not even talking baby steps here so much as little tiny flea steps. Kid’s going to need all the help he can get.

Today on BnHA: Horikoshi targets all of my weak points at once. The My OT3 Academia arc gets off to an incredible, award-winning start with a Christmas party and the announcement of Internships 2: This Time, it’s Compulsory. Highlights include: (1) Kaminari and Mina forcing Bakugou to accept the spirit of Christmas into his heart and soul, (2) Iida rocking a Santa beard, (3) Eri holding a giant sword, (4) Bakugou reminiscing about his internship with Best MIA Jeanist, specifically the part where Jeanist was all “A HERO’S NAME IS REALLY IMPORTANT AND SYMBOLIC AND MEANINGFUL, SO YOU NEED TO THINK VERY CAREFULLY ABOUT IT” and oh my fucking god, and lastly (5) Todoroki inviting Bakugou and Deku to come intern with him at the Endeavor Hero Agency (known for its famous business slogan: “Got Plot?”). It’s like I wished on seventeen different falling stars and they all came true at once. I still can’t even fucking process this. kfkdslgk.

(All comments are my unspoiled reactions from my initial readthrough of the chapter. I did a quick edit for grammar and clarity immediately afterward, and added a few ETAs in the process, but aside from that there are no changes.)

I just got like three excited-seeming asks (I haven’t actually read them yet) in rapidfire succession less than an hour ago, and my dashboard is now filling up with filtered “bnha spoilers” posts, so I took this as a sign that I should read the new chapter ASAP. oh gosh

(ETA:

(1) SAMEEEEEE, and (2) YEEEEEEEEP. listen I’m not religious you guys, but I said “oh my god” so much while reading this chapter that I wouldn’t be surprised if he or she finally answers and is like, “YES!? WHAT IS IT???”)

what new state-of-the-art tomfoolery will our intrepid heroes engage in this week. what novel hijinks will they commence. what frivolous escapades will they embark on this lovely Friday morn?

HOMGAAAHHHHHH

THE TITLE IS LITERALLY MY FEELINGS RN. MERRY FUCKING CHRISTMAS TO ME. YES GOD I LOVE IT. I’LL TAKE A DOZEN

okay. so today, September 6th, is officially Christmas. you heard the man and who am I to argue

so we’re opening with a teacher’s meeting! probably about the internships. or the fact that they’re all screwed. I don’t really know what their priorities are nowadays

okay yeah it’s about the internships. also Rat Principal is nested in Aizawa’s scarf for absolutely no reason, and Aizawa is disgruntled about it. heh. tomfoolery already and it’s only the first panel

oh shit, Nezu’s saying it’s now a government requirement. I got so surprised I actually forgot to call him RP

because ain’t nothing safer than hero internships. if the Basement arc taught us nothing else. it’s that

that was sarcasm in case that’s not coming across. this is clearly a baffling decision. but what are government committees for if not for making baffling decisions I guess

and now Midnight is coming to the same conclusion I was starting to wonder at

can someone please tell me what the PSC’s goals actually are, then? is this not the same group that recently changed the rules of the provisional license exam so that an even smaller percentage of people would pass? so do you want more heroes or fewer? which is it?

how do they cope with it? does anyone even have any idea?? it seems to me like they’re just throwing them to the wolves. we have this problem that we have absolutely no idea what to do about, oh I know, let’s toss a bunch of inexperienced kids at it. and hope that none of them gets murdered I guess

anyway so The Sheriff is speculating that the League must have been involved in the Deika situation, and he’s wondering why the PSC is trying so hard to keep it on the dl

oh yeah. friendly reminder that the PSC, thanks to Hawks, probably knows exactly how powerful Tomura and the League have recently become. so they know full well how shark-infested the waters are, and they’re making it mandatory for the kids to all take swimming lessons. nice

lol back when I was brainstorming ideas for future arcs, I seriously thought Horikoshi would have to go out of his way to come up with excuses for the kids to have future encounters with the League, because the school was so concerned with their safety that they wouldn’t allow them to leave the grounds except on rare occasions. well I sure got that one wrong. though to be fair, for once it isn’t U.A. that’s doing the child endangering here

(ETA: and actually, regardless of how insane it is, I do appreciate that when shit inevitably hits the fan again, at least it won’t be U.A.’s fault this time. I’d like to be able to continue rooting for them, and that can be difficult when they keep doing reckless things that needlessly put children in danger. at least this time they’re not the ones driving the Stupid Bus to Bad Decision School.)

a message to who? the League?? “we’re not scared of you”?? did they seriously not think of all the numerous ways this could backfire?

oh shit Aizawa even went and said the d-word

well there you have it. the government is drafting teenagers to risk their lives dealing with a crisis they won’t out-and-out admit they’re actually having. on today’s episode of “Oh Hero Society, You’ve Got Problems”

anyway so RP is making the admittedly good point that “we’re fucked and everyone is in terrible danger” is hardly a new state of affairs for them these days, and so they’re all moving on. okay then. good talk. lol. gonna need my damn Christmas fluff after all of that

and also RP is mentioning some other mysterious new program to Aizawa too. I wonder what that could be

(ETA: oh yeah I almost forgot about this. thoughts??)

and now we’re cutting to “several days later” oh my god. it’s really happening. I need a moment here, I’m not even ready. gotta get all my Christmas headcanons lined up here. Satou baking cookies. Kaminari and Sero running around arm in arm singing “JINGLE BELLS, ALL MIGHT SMELLS” over and over at the top of their lungs until Bakugou screams at them to shut up. Mineta debating anyone who will listen over the merits of the song Baby It’s Cold Outside. the naturally Christmas-themed Todoroki savoring this, his time to shine

oh shit, we’re still with the fucking Rat Principal. for fuck’s sake

-- ooh but are they talking about the traitor??

will this put an end to the “Horikoshi forgot about it” rumors? several people have mentioned this to me here and there (sorry to everyone whose asks I still haven’t answered), but as far as I know, this was part of a fake interview with Horikoshi that was unfortunately circulated around as though it was the real deal. sometimes people are not cool and think it’s fun to take advantage of communities that are enthusiastic and trusting! always fact-check what you read on the internet just to be safe guys

anyway

so there definitely is one, then. got it

so the traitor is definitely a student in the hero class, then. got it

sob. I got an ask about the whole Kaminari traitor theory earlier this week, so I’m in the process of doing up a whole long post about that. but the cliff’s notes version is, it’s not him. it’s Hagakure. but I will actually go into detail in the post. it’s been a while since I’ve discussed the traitor thing in depth anyway

so RP is asking All Might if he’s coming back today, and All Might is immediately all “WHY, DID SOMETHING HAPPEN TO MY CHILD, OH GOD IS HE OKAY” which, omg. so much love for this man

and RP is like “geez relax” and OH MY GOD

[slaps on a paperboy cap and screeches at All Might in a bad cockney accent] TODAY, SIR?? WHY, IT’S CHRISTMAS DAY

OH MY GOD

I SPOT A GRINCH UP THERE AT THE TOP. SOMEONE NEEDS TO BE VISITED BY THREE GHOSTS FROM VARIOUS DIFFERENT TIME PERIODS

LITERALLY EVERY SINGLE CHILD (GREMLINS ASIDE) IS WEARING A SANTA CLAUS OUTFIT. DID U.A. JUST GIVE THESE OUT FOR FREE

AND IN THE TOP RIGHT NEXT TO SHOUJI, SATOU’S COOKIES! JUST AS THE PROPHECY FORETOLD

I SEE THEY HAVE THE REQUISITE KFC PLATTERS LIKE GOOD JAPANESE CITIZENS. WE SHOULD ADOPT THIS TRADITION HERE IN THE WEST TOO TBH

and last but not least, there are only nineteen children in this panel. it took me forever to figure out who was missing, but pretty sure it’s Iida. Iida where are you. clearly the traitor. certainly not off visiting his brother and the rest of his family, what kind of gullible fool do you take me for

looool

I love when the characters start to become self-aware that they’re the main characters in a story and that plot things keep happening to them at an unreasonable rate

oh my god they really are wearing the suits. it wasn’t just a title page gimmick like I half-wondered

ANSWER THE QUESTION, JIROU. INQUIRING MINDS WANT TO KNOW. do we even know where she did her first internship?? I suddenly desperately want to learn more about this

(ETA: she interned with Death Arms, the traffic cone-looking guy who notably chewed Deku out for trying to save Kacchan’s life in chapter one. Jirou my hope for you is that you find someone better this time around!)

also Tsuyu is observing that Momo doesn’t have a chair, and I honest-to-god was trying to count how much seating there was in the previous page. it seems to me like the common room got a lot bigger. it keeps adjusting to their needs like the room of requirement in Harry Potter

also does anyone else wish that Jirou would move her cup off of the armrest. IT’S GOING TO SPILL ffff :/ this is who I am at parties

oh shit wait, that was Iida with the beard?? I honestly thought that was Satou. well then Satou is the traitor. -- NOBODY TOUCH THOSE COOKIES!!

anyway so he’s all “well Deku not to bring up the elephant in the room but YOUR PREVIOUS MENTOR DIED A HORRIBLE DEATH so what’s your plan huh”

oh sweet god

listen, no offense to Centipeder, he seems like a really nice guy, but if I never see his repulsive face again I will count myself lucky

OH FOR FUCK’S

PLEASE GET RID OF IT IT IS CHRISTMAS!!! here I am trying to have a nice time and!!

god. and like, I feel bad, it’s not his fault he is A GIANT BUG and he has like, fucking mandibles and shit! but I can’t help the fact that my skin is trying to crawl off my body right now, and god but I can barely look at this panel long enough to read the dialogue sob why

(ETA: and now that I’ve forced myself to read it again, this doesn’t even make any sense lol. “we have too much work and not enough help, so we have to pass on you coming back to help us out. ...wait.”)

I want Iida to like. pat his lap and tell Deku in a big booming voice to cheer up and come sit and tell him what he wants for Christmas. not in a weird way you guys, come on. but just, he looks so forlorn. do you want Santa to bring you some cozy All Might socks

or wait, didn’t he want a PS Vita according to that one omake thing. what the fuck Deku. someone get this kid a Switch

anyway so Deku says that participation is mandatory this time, so the school will handle assignments if the kids aren’t able to find someone

meanwhile Kacchan is in the background accusing Mina of stalking him. I think she is trying to get him to wear his Santa outfit. doin’ god’s work

OH SHIT YOU GUYS I CLICKED TO THE NEXT PAGE, AND THIS. THIS IS MY CHRISTMAS OMFG

HORIKOSHI YOU DID GET MY LIST! BAKUGOU BEING TROLLED BY HIS SNEAKY DETERMINED FRIENDS AND MANHANDLED INTO A RIDICULOUS GETUP WHILST ANGSTING ABOUT BEST JEANIST BEING MISSING, YESSSSSS. IT’S SO SPECIFIC, I THOUGHT, “SURELY HE WON’T ACTUALLY DO IT,” BUT SANTA IS REAL, EVERYONE

HFMLSDKMGLKLKL!!!!!LKL:DSF

RED ALERT RED FUCKING ALERT PEOPLE!!! THIS IS NOT A DRILL!!! GET OUT OF THE WAY!!!!

AHHHHHHHHHH HOLY SHIT YOU GUYS

“MERRY CHRISTMAS MAKESTE HERE’S A WHOLE FUCKING CHAPTER ABOUT KACCHAN’S FUCKING HERO NAME COMPLETE WITH A BEST JEANIST META ON THE TOPIC” mother fucker I need to start reading these chapters with a goddamn life alert and a defibrillator on standby

“your name represents your wish.” ladies and gentlemen, introducing the new number one hero... Number One Hero!

heh. just kidding. “what do you want to become?” this, though. this right fucking here is why I’ve been dying to know what name he’ll actually choose. because it does reflect exactly what Jeanist is saying. whichever name he chooses will be an insight into who he is, and who he is trying to be

and this meta is making me rethink all my chapter 223 feels, and tbh now I’m back to thinking that it’s not going to be Ground Zero, unless he comes up with a cool reason for why that name ties in to the image of the person he wants to be (because right now, that particular name is tied more to the past than to the future). but oh my god, if he does choose the name Kacchan I am going to spontaneously combust. I will fucking do it. I will fucking die from being a dramatic excited bitch

(ETA: because. listen. there is one person who has always looked up to him in spite of everything and has always seen his potential. “in the end, in my mind, you’re the image of victory.” this, to me, is the meaning that the name “Kacchan” would have if he did choose it. it would symbolize him choosing to be his best self.)

don’t mind me I’m just stanning this child so fucking hard it hurts

(ETA: oh hey, and more feels on the reread because it looks like the reason he’s having this flashback is because he was planning to go back to Jeanist’s agency to do his real internship, and to show him how much he’s grown. but then The Thing happened. Hawks I just want to talk why won’t you answer my calls.)

Mina and Kaminari are the MVPs of this fucking chapter and I owe them my life omggggg. THEY’RE HERE TO SAVE CHRISTMAS

what are you thinking about there, Best Friend?

are you thinking about your daddy angst. penny for your thoughts

(ETA: “how can I cheer up my new best friend? I know, I’ll make him a lucrative job offer.” actually that’s a good way to cheer up just about anyone in this day and age, Shouto.)

okay, is there some sort of perverted context to Christmas that I’m totally missing here?? or is Mineta just really into the holiday spirit?

I feel like I missed something. eh

anyway Mr. Traitor himself is walking out now and HE’S BROUGHT THE CHRISTMAS GOOSE! or turkey! but goose sounded funnier

of all the things to be shocked about?? “SATOU CAN COOK!?!” like um yes hello you’ve been living with this guy for four months already? like the only thing more ridiculous than this would be, “TOKOYAMI IS A BIRD!?!”

(ETA: like I know baking and cooking are two different things, but in a manga they’re the same thing. fact.)

now someone is making a dramatic entrance! IS IT ERI I WILL DIE!!!! BRING IT

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

I HEREBY SWEAR FEALTY TO THIS PANEL OF AN ADORABLY AND FESTIVELY DRESSED ERI MIXING UP HOLIDAYS WHILE DADZAWA PATIENTLY CORRECTS HER. I WILL PROTECT IT WITH MY LIFE. SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME WHAT DID I DO TO DESERVE THIS CHAPTER SO THAT I CAN GO DO IT SOME MORE AGAIN, OVER AND OVER AND OVER

Ochako is me

(ETA: DEMONS OUT! DEMONS IN!! THAT’S WHAT IT’S ALL ABOUT!! YOU DO THE HOOOOOOOOKEY POKEY.)

and Kiri is out here asking the real questions, but sadly Aizawa says Mirio is spending Christmas with his own class. WELL FINE. I HOPE HE’S EXPERIENCING THE FOMO OF A LIFETIME. HOW DARE HE HAVE OTHER FRIENDS whatever I’m over it

sobbbbb

WELL HOW MANY FUCKING HOLIDAYS ARE THERE!? CAN SOMEONE HELP A GIRL OUT OR WHAT

oh my god I’m just going to reblog every single Dadzawa panel and none of you can stop me go on and try!!

impatiently waiting for fanart of Aizawa tucking Eri in and reading her A Visit from St. Nicholas. get on it, fandom

ohhhhhhhhh my goddddddd

I know it’s not a Christmas song, but I am this close to cranking up “I Gotta Feeling” by the fucking Black Eyed Peas. ya feel

do you guys see him sitting there next to Dadzawa. he finally gave in. Satou is feeding him chicken. his friends will not abandon him to be on the naughty list. motherfucker that’s it. I’m fucking doing it. fill up my cup. mazel tov

lol I don’t even want to click to any more pages because they’re all so happy and it won’t fucking last. :( noooo

good little boys and girls. noshing on that chicken. Kacchan continuing to be stalked by the Ghost of Christmas Friendship. Tokoyami what even is that. lol and is this their weird way of distributing random gifts. did Sero buy Jirou a scarf. did Deku buy Ochako a freaking All Might plush keychain!? FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, WHAT IS THAT THING AND WHY DOES ERI HAVE IT NOW AND WHY IS SHE MAKING THIS FACE

-- holy fuck, IT’S A SWORD. oh my god. THEY GAVE THE SEVEN YEAR OLD A FREAKING BUSTER SWORD AND SHE IS FEELING IT YESSSS THIS CHAPTER TRULY IS ALL MY DREAMS COME TRUE

“dad can I keep it.” Aizawa: [not even opening his eyes, all bundled up in his oogie boogie suit] “sure”

so now we’re cutting to afterwards and everyone’s cleaning up and Deku’s using his freakish super strength to lift heavy things impressively while Bakugou continues to stomp around with his hands shoved into his pockets waiting for someone to finally tell him he can go back upstairs

OH???

motherfucker. are you going to invite them to come intern with you and your dad!!?!?? I know I was all set on Bakugou interning with Miruko just last week, but I TELL YOU WHAT BITCHES, I’M FUCKING FLEXIBLE LIKE THAT

OH SHIT YOU GUYS!!!!

TODOROKI ARE YOU PLAYING THE OT3 SONG BECAUSE HONEY YOU KNOW THAT’S MY JAM, BRO

OH FUCKING SHIT YESSSSS

BAKUGOU DO YOU WANT TO INTERN WITH YOUR TWO BEST FRIENDS, EXCUSE ME, HATED ENEMIES. DEKU DO YOU WANT TO INTERN WITH YOUR TWO BEST FRIENDS. AND THE NUMBER ONE. WHO JUST SO HAPPENS TO BE BEST FRIENDS WITH THE NUMBER TWO. WHO JUST SO HAPPENS TO BE BEST FRIENDS WITH TODOROKI “I DIDN’T HAVE A FLASHBACK IN THE LAST ARC BECAUSE WE WERE SAVING IT FOR THIS ONE!” TOUYA? THAT’S RIGHT, IT’S BEST FRIENDS ALL THE WAY DOWN. OH MY GOD

it’s like Horikoshi made a long and detailed list of all of his regrets about the previous internship arc, and then said, “fuck it. do-over”

you guys. I’m all out of cans. we only have can’ts and cannots. I cannot

Christmas fluff. Dadzawa. Bakugou hero name meta. hints that the traitor plot will soon be relevant again. and the motherfucking OT3 of OT3s, MY SONS, MY THREE RESPLENDENT OFFSPRINGS, interning together at the motherfucking Endeavor Hero Agency because Todoroki is the sweetest most considerate angel, and because KNOCK KNOCK, IT’S ME THE PLOT, I’VE COME FOR YOU AGAIN AT LONG LAST AND I VOW TO NEVER LEAVE YOU ALONE AGAIN FROM THIS MOMENT ON

shit, y’all. I don’t know if it’s possible for an arc to become my favorite motherfucking arc only two chapters in, but damned if this sunnuvabitch ain’t trying

[janiedean]

What do you think about all those dudebros talking about how BRieNNe ARc Is NoW COmPlEte and she can rest in peace? Please, send help. =__=

well.

*deep breath*

first thing to be entirely truthful I would like to broaden that statement to ‘people in general who say that’ because from what I’m seeing it’s hardly a dudebro exclusive and it’s been a pseudo anti-brienne argument for ages around here (ie the SHE’S A KNIGHT SHE CAN ONLY BE A KNIGHT THE MOMENT SHE’S ONE HER ARC IS OVER) so like.... I wish it was just one category X°D

second thing: nope.

nooowwww, here goes the rant.

I would like to start by pointing out that this episode was named a knight of the seven kingdoms. and what’s the point, you will say. well:

now: who is the protagonist of AKOTSK?

and what’s the point, you will tell me?

well, half of it is that he’s most likely brienne’s great-grandfather:

which is not just because of that but also because he’s basically genderswapped brienne:

or better, he’s genderswapped brienne except that he’s Hot For Regular Standards but like if you read those novels he’s so much like her it hurts and actually... THICK AS A CASTLE WALL?

The wench has built a fortress inside herself. They will rape her soon enough, but behind her walls they cannot touch her. But Jaime's walls were gone. (asos, jaime iv)

"Do you mock me?"That pricked him back to anger. "Are you as thick as a castle wall? That was an apology. I am tired of fighting with you. What say we make a truce?""Truces are built on trust. Would you have me trust—" (asos, jaime v)

I’m not gonna go into how the most important romance dunk has in those novels is with a great-great-aunt of jaime’s and how those two have actual jb imagery in their novel because that’s not the point of this rant, but my point is: while obviously this is book canon, in the show they called her the way her ancestor is called in the collection of novels about his adventures and both brienne and duncan are 100% what you’d want in real knights, like dunk is 100% True Knight TM material if jaime had run into him instead of arthur dayne he’d have gotten an even worse mancrush.

now, dunk starts the novels as already knighted (even if no one gives him much credit for it), but what happens to dunk is that before going into the kingsguard he has a very long time of going around westeros with egg doing good deeds and establishing his name to the point that when he goes into egg’s kg everyone recognizes him as a paragon.

now: brienne has strived all her life for that validation of being knighted and recognized as such and she’s spent all her life dreaming of not only being a knight but to be seen as one and respected as one, she gets her wish with the man she’s in love with (because she is) and that she respects and whose worth and honor and bravery she sees to the point that she’s willing to put her own reputation on the line for him in front of people who might not take her seriously actually knighting her, in an episode titled after her ancestor who’s a true paragon of knighthood and who’s known for having been a knight for years and for his quests, and I’m supposed to think that the coronation of her arc is that.......... she dies not even twelve hours after that? it’d be cheap, it’d make no sense and it completely would kill the importance of the moment. if she’s been recognized as one after years of efforts and eating shit for it, it means that now she a) gets to prove it, b) gets to go around and say well fuck you I’ve earned that title, c) gets to come into herself fully and she can be whoever and whatever she wanted to and if she dies that gesture and that moment are worth shit because what was it that for? the last hurrah so she can die happy? fuck that, brienne worked her entire life for it, she got it and now she’ll damn well make use of it, and sorry but if gwendoline is going around talking about how this season she takes her decisions, she goes beyond serving others and does finally things for herself that include embracing her womanly side which she denied until now there is really no way that this is it. this is the premise brienne needs to get the push to actually see herself as not just someone whose worth is tied to her being in service of someone else, and the fact that jaime basically pledged his service to her even before knighting her should say everything about where the priorities lay here.

brienne’s arc isn’t complete for shit. brienne’s arc has just started and it’ll be complete when she’s lived a long fulfilling life in which she’s been a knight, saved people, held up that paragon of virtue thing she has going for her, didn’t do it sacrificing her own wants and needs but along with that and doing it with people who finally see her for the amazing person she is. and like.... ‘okay but grrm is evil’ and ‘okay but people die on got’ aren’t Actual Objections because grrm is hardly as bad as everyone thinks he is and he actually does like a good love story himself and he said he wants the bittersweet ending like lotr, not a bloodbath, and I would like to remind everyone that lotr ends with sam gamgee going back home to his wife and children and living a happy life before going off to join frodo in valinor, not with middle earth being razed to the ground by sauron.

also: the fact that she’s directly paralleled with dunk doesn’t mean that she’s ending up in a kings or queensguard whatsoever. the point is that *dunk* being in the kg was something he’d never even dream of and his coronation of his journey, brienne being paralleled with him means that she most likely has to get what *she* wants full package after being denied it for all her life and I’d like to remind everyone that brienne of tarth actually never said she never wanted a husband or a family case in:

Brienne had been betrothed at seven, to a boy three years her senior, Lord Caron's younger son, a shy boy with a mole above his lip. They had only met the once, on the occasion of their betrothal. Two years later he was dead, carried off by the same chill that took Lord and Lady Caron and their daughters. Had he lived, they would have been wed within a year of her first flowering, and her whole life would have been different. She would not be here now, dressed in man's mail and carrying a sword, hunting for a dead woman's child. More like she'd be at Nightsong, swaddling a child of her own and nursing another. It was not a new thought for Brienne. It always made her feel a little sad, but a little relieved as well. (affc, brienne iii)

never mind that she is attracted to men and she does suffers knowing it’s Not For Her To Be In Love With Guys Who Respect Her.

well, guess what, she has one now riiiight there who has just knighted her. *shrug* and okay, you’ll say, that’s book canon and not show canon, but ffs since this season it seems like they remembered proper characterization and the endgame should be roughly the books’s....... well. my money is that she gets to have the cake and eat it after all the metaphorical (and not) shit she had to wade through for years to get it and that’s my two cents.

[keepyourpantsongohan]

Ayesha Liveblogs Naruto Shippuden S21

What a tender intro omg also why is this filler so well animated

The introduction of modern technology will never not be funny to me. Kakashi on a laptop. Gaara sending emails. What has the ninja world come to 

I know it’s just superfluous background motion but that angry little cat design was amazing. Takes me tf out 

Hello again New English Iruka Voice time to feel slightly uncomfortable 

Doesn’t Inuyasha have a monopoly on this baby with a red ball imagery

Why! Is! No one! Making sure! Naruto is fed! He’s a baby!!!!!!

Naruto and Sasuke were such adorable children my heart

SOMEONE PLEASE EXPLAIN THE FAMILY WHERE ONE OF THE CHILDREN IS JUST A FROG? WHO IS DOING THESE BACKGROUND ANIMATIONS?????

In case you thought I wasn’t being literal:

[Accompanying dialogue to this image: “Did you hear the rumours that Lord Fourth died because of him?” WHO IS THIS FROG CHILD WITH A VENDETTA AGAINST MINATO]

This ninja cowboy music seems slightly misplaced but okay

Hiruzen. U r the literal ninja president. Naruto is foraging in the forest for food bc no one is taking care of him! How r u like ‘Hahah I’m hungry too :D’ 

“The things that we inconsequential humans worry about are often very petty indeed” “You’re right” It’s Philosophy Hours ft. Pre-Schoolers 

“Are you sure these mushrooms are safe to eat? “Won’t know ‘til we eat ‘em” HIRUZEN PICK UP THE PHONE 

SCREAMS FIVE YEAR OLD NARUTO JUST JUMPED OFF THE HOKAGE MONUMENT AHHHHHH

I miss Neji :((((((((((((((((

“Please make sure that you look after Neji” show us Neji’s mum you cowards!!!

“You have to be more positive, and confident!” Nejiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii my boy

“I wish that I could switch places with you, big brother” There’s a lot to unpack here and I’m wildly concerned about all of it. This episode ought to be titled Konoha Desperately Requires Child Welfare Programs

Making an mini-episode which largely depicts Neji’s tragic backstory and centring its ending on Hinata seems like an odd angle to take

 “I’m alone. I don’t have anyone, but I never cry” NARUTOOOOO

KJHFKJHG THIS NINJA BASEBALL OUTRO I LOVE IT 

SASUKE USING HIS SHARINGAN TO CHEAT AT BASEBALL I WHEEZE

Also not that I don’t like Genma but why is he a central figure in this ending. Has he had more than a single conversation with Naruto in his life

Lmao @ Sasuke and Itachi’s child versions going back to having their adult voices. Pick a lane SP!!!

“Things in season are always cheap and tasty” “Oh, is that so, Sasuke? Hahaha” Sasuke learning about the ninja economy

“We’re going to visit your mother’s family” Two questions: 1) Aren’t your families the same family (eep) and 2) Don’t they all live in the same part of the village

90% of this dialogue is recycled from prior episodes except delivered more slowly and it’s a little confusing 

Itachi sure knows a lot about cooking for an eleven-year-old 

Sasuke being a clumsy child is such a cute character detail ahhhh I love him so much 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

“[Confused laughter] You want to be like me?” What a Mood Itachi

Sakura’s hideout in the woods is so sweet yes 2 semi-normal childhoods

Poor little Sakura already concerned about her appearance they never let girls live do they

“You’re really cute Sakura, don’t hide it” Ino and Sakura are the most adorable children in the WORLD I love their relationship 4ever

“If she’s cute like you say, then I would love to meet her” who will stop all men

“But Ino, aren’t you good friends with Sakura?” “No, not really” Okay not to project but. I have a lot of thoughts on this narrative 

GASP Inner Sakura’s first appearance!!

Tiny Team 7 is all I need in the world honestly I would watch a whole show that was just those three growing up

I have only just now noticed Suigetsu as third baseman. This ninja baseball game and season in general raise so many questions

Noooo Gaara don’t cry you are gonna be so loved in the future

Rasa, can I just say, from the bottom of my heart, I’m going to yeet you into the sun

“When I look up at the sky, the pain inside my heart feels a little bit better” He’s like 4!!!!!!! >:(

“Instead of a mother, you get to have me, Lord Gaara” Yashamaru: Self-Diagnosed Mumncle 

Ngl baby Gaara’s recollection of Karura is nothing like she looked like

I really don’t care for this new Iruka voice I just keep listening to him like ‘that’s not the sound of Naruto’s dad!!’

I will admit him spooking the sleeping children was cute I don’t know why I always find that so funny kjhgkjhg

“Let me buy into this fight” who taught seven-year-old Naruto to gamble

Christ alive the implication that Naruto has been doing the sexy jutsu since he was seven who will put this boy in ninja therapy

If Orochimaru had just continued to be Jiraiya’s long-suffering friend he might be half-endearing but alas he is fecal matter personified 

“Come on out, I made plenty, so you might as well stay and eat” Hjgjfjgfgffg I’m not sure what’s funnier about this scene the implication that Obito and Rin both independently followed Kakashi home without noticing each other, or that Kakashi did notice and rather than question this turn of events was just like “Guess I should make more fish”

“When you’re older, do you think you’ll become a chef” I would pay to see the AU where Kakashi becomes a professional chef why couldn’t that have been his Road to Ninja persona 

Ngl I spent the first half of Kakashi’s minisode wondering if Sakumo was dead or simply too depressed to take care of Kakashi and I think dead is the less upsetting outcome 

“It’s no fun when you’re not around, Kakashi” Obitooooooooooooooo

I’m not saying it’s suspicious that Sakumo is given two different depictions of his grave site in the anime but Sakumo fucked an alien and I stand by that statement 

All I remember from Sasuke Shinden is that a character called Sasuke “Sassy” as a nickname and if they do that in the Eng dub I won’t survive

“[Deep sigh] Alright Sakura, what is it?” Fhfjhfkjh what’s your damage Kakashi can’t your kids come to visit when people start exploding

God Sakura and Ino’s relationship is the realest.... she went to the Hokage bc her gal was worried abt her family friend and then comforted her from her loss... the looooooooove

Hinata not to devalue your work in any way but why did u collapse after poking one (1) man in the chakra point isn’t gentle fist based in taijutsu

Fhjfhkjhf I’ve seen that gif before of Kakashi knowing that Sakura was thinking about Sasuke but it’s still funny

Sasuke just hanging in the woods with kittycats what kinda redemption journey is this lmao

Ehehehe I’m still not over the fact that Sasuke recognizes Sai’s jutsu and Kakashi uses it to communicate like there are six members of team 7 and this arc PROVES IT HELL YEAH

I can’t believe I forgot the circus ninja oh my god 

“There’s good money to be found for performers like us” MOVE OVER EXPLODING HUMANS WHERE’S MY EPISODE ABOUT THE NINJA CIRCUS 

Everyone always commenting on the pupils and sclera of the Hyuga and Uchiha but nobody caring about Old Man Demon Eyes from the Bamboo Village:

You’d think at this point no amount of genjutsu could traumatize Sasuke 

They’re leaning wholeheartedly into the ninja cowboy music

That is not how I thought they would pronounce “Sassy” this show is full of twists and turns

“What about reviving the Uchiha clan? You’re the lone survivor right?” said Chino, inquiring about when Sasuke was planning to have vaginal sex

“You really think you’re going to find him inside that seriously scary looking cave?” GASP IT’S TENZO TIME

AIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIE IT’S MY BOYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

“You’re Sasuke, right?” asked Yamato, as if Sasuke had not provided the memorable introduction of stabbing a seasoned ANBU in the shoulder as a sixteen-year-old during a dramatic reunion with his team

“It would be easier for us to keep things coordinated, if you sent us progress reports as you went...” Okay not to be that gal but I love that Tenzo and Kakashi are an “us” in this mini-lecture about how Sasuke should call his father (Kakashi) more often

P sure that’s Yamato’s last speaking role goodbye sweet man we knew ye well

“So does this mean that you trust me?” GO TO JAIL OROCHIMARU

Every time that Orochimaru touches Sasuke I want to leap through the screen you leave that boy alone!!! Go! To! Jail!

Sasuke having to explain his social life to Taka is a dynamic I never knew I needed. What more do I want from Naruto than frames like this:

"By showing everyone that Sasuke isn’t in the Hidden Leaf Village and that he’s still out journeying around the world, it reduces the possibility that the village will be harmed” “So are you saying that Sasuke has to keep travelling forever” “That might be so” I can’t believe the entirety of Taka came up with a better explanation for Sasuke staying outside Konoha than Kishimoto himself

“Compared to me, the likelihood that Kabuto will return to evil is extremely low”

He still helped kill......... 40,000 people????? Okay dude

I CAN’T BELIEVE OROCHIMARU IS ACKNOWLEDGING HE IS STILL EVIL!!!! GO TO JAIL!!

I’m gonna pretend I don’t see Tenzo following Stranger Danger and he’s on vacation on a beach where he belongs

Fhjkhfkjhfkj what’s the meaning of this Orochimaru you’ve looked the same since you were 25:

Sasuke: No. She’s older than I am

Orochimaru: [Soft gasp] What?

Man I remember vaguely Sasuke being involved in this fight based on the Tenzo novel scene later on but hoo boy I do not like this

SCREAMMMM TENZO TRYING TO PROTECT PPL IN THE AREA HE’S HELPING

“I can’t make direct contact with him, so I better go now” I hope it is because you filed a restraining order, Yamato

“To increase the rarity, what I’ve even done is, had all but one person in a clan killed” at this point En Oyashiro is just trying to bait Sasuke

God I love how righteous Sasuke is being rn like this is the kind of dismantling of oppression I wanted for him instead of sad murder times

This battle is bonkers:

Villain: Looks like you brought a sword to a dodgeball fight

Sasuke: Looks like you brought a dodgeball to a magic eyes fight!!

Well I certainly breezed past this part of Sasuke Shinden hello Fushin

I find it hard to believe that anyone but Naruto could best Sasuke rn 

I keep joking that those eyes in the sky look like Tenzo but I’m right and I should say it

What a long, drawn-out and slightly suspicious backstory for Chino (looking at you, Fushin of two personality types)

“But now you’re still able to travel freely... and that is all because you have people who love and protect you” Team 7 cutaway with closeups of Sakura and Naruto, Narusasusaku game strong

“For the Leaf’s nourishment, your entire clan was absorbed by your village’s Roots” wow what a shitty time for such an excellent pun

Unbelievable kkhkjhfk and by this I mean completely believable:  

Chino: Please explain your change of heart re: village corruption

Sasuke: I got a boyfriend

Unbelievable x2:

Chino: KILL ME 

Sasuke: Consider this.... you have.... boy who is friend. Good enough

Chino: Wow Sasuke, you’re right

Lmao @ Kakashi proudly announcing that Sasuke is about to enter an unsanctioned jutsu fight in a bet to free enslaved people how did this letter go “Dear Hokage-dad-Kakashi, I am writing to inform you...”

Even funnier: If Tenzo wrote the letter bc Sasuke is shite at contacting people: “Dear Kakashi-senpai, Brace yourself to be worried and proud—”

“Are you Sasuke’s...” yes Chino, whatever the end of that sentence is, you’re correct

Huh I could’ve sworn at least a good chunk of these freed people go to the Leaf. I didn’t make that conversation up. I have discussed it many times!!! My poor Tenzo cut out for more logical story lines I guess 

Omggggggg the Raikage is telling Sasuke about Naruto’s most vulnerable Sasuke moment..... the love!!! Is this the only reason they invited A lmao

En Oyashiro joining Rasa and Hiashi in the Bad Dad Club

I’ve said this before but Naruto and Sakura going on a date to talk about Sasuke is the most legit representation for their relationship I’ve ever seen that’s it that’s what them dating would be like 

“You’re just like a one man police force” lol @ them cutting out the fact that Sakura said this bc Sakura’s not allowed to have individual connections to Sasuke and also just like....... how much Sasuke still wants to be a cop kjhgkjhgk baby stop

I’ve belatedly realized that Kakashi types to the beat of the intro music and it makes me giggle

“The adult world can be complicated” is that ur way of saying ‘nepotism’ Kakashi

“I’m startin’ to get a belly” “I don’t want to hear about all that” PLS

“You two are really the only ones who are special to me” aw Shikamaru

That slap was A  Lot, Temari, surely there are better ways to tell Shikamaru you want him to be your boyfriend

“You don’t really think that Sai has—” “Well, he is very innocent.” 

Kakashi about Sai: He’s the baby of the family

Sai: I’m the oldest and most experienced of all the youth???

Kakashi: I mark ur ages by when I got you xoxo ur legal age is 3

I’m not sure that that’s the intonation I expected for Hinoko but I guess that’s on me for stereotyping teen girls hahah

“That’s my ninja way” “Our ninja way” I feel like this is shinobi flirtation

The outro with Little Team 7 fading to Big Team 7... I have but one heart

Also the implication that they took a photo immediately post war jhgkjhgkj. Kakashi still has a barely healed stab wound and twenty years of trauma. Sasuke and Naruto both just lost an arm. Also who brought a camera to the battlefield. Who took this picture. (Tenzo waking up from a 224 episode coma: We gotta take a family photo)

“You might consider yourself a member of Team 7, but I wonder if they think the same of you” [Naruto voice] Believe it!!!!!!

“If we just kill the lookouts, it’ll be like easy to get past the checkpoint” okay calm down Soku

Lmao Shikamaru struggling to deal with rebellious teens jhghjkg why are the anime episodes I watch so fitting to my own life

Man not to get 2 real it’s fucked up that Soku fears peace wyd militarism 

I don’t really believe that Soku is deserting the village but it’s a good tactic

[Panning to the bird scene at the beginning of this arc] We call that foreshadowing

Komori’s judgement seems to be clouded by his lowkey crush on Soku

“I’ve just been having these really bizarre dreams lately” that’s PTSD Shikamaru

“Feudal lords are always [tyrants] no matter where you go” then why.... do you have.... feudalism.......... [Tobirama screams in the afterlife]

Not to judge these guys so much but like.... ur ANBU and a veteran ninja surely you should have a disguise after faking your death??????? Kakashi, Iruka, what shinobi standards are you teaching exactly?? U didn’t even change ur hairstyles???

“Something similar happened to me as well” what are you... are you talking about when you pretended to be asleep during the Chunin exams because that’s not the same thing as sleeping under a pile of corpses Shikamaru 

NOOOOOOOOOO SAI WHY ARE THEY HANGING MY ANGEL FROM A CRUCIFIX 

AHHHHHHH I don’t like seeing Sai like this, Kakashi’s right he’s a baby!!

“Let’s just say I’ve found the place where I belong” Fhdjskhfksjhf this is definitely Root Code for something because Kakashi uses this line on Tenzo in his Tsukuyomi dream

“Then why didn’t Naruto come to get me? You and I have never been particularly close, so why were you the one who came here?” LMAO SAI ‘you’re not on my list of eligible rescuers Shikamaru 😒😒😒😒’ 

“Fret not, to me this is but a trifle” said Ro, lying prostrate on the ground in between groans of pain (same)

I mean... Gengo makes some pretty compelling arguments abt the shinobi system

“The alliance of nations that the Leaf is currently a part of... is only going to maintain a dark, tenuous peace” I mean... Gengo’s right even if he is a dick

“Lord Hokage told me everything... and I had a hell of a time getting it out of him too” “I don’t want to know what you did... I don’t even want to imagine it” JHGKJHGKJHG I WANNA SEE TEMARI INTERROGATING A FORMER ANBU, KAGE-LEVEL NINJA I LOVE IT

Wait are these last twelve outros dedicated to each of the rookie teams + Team Guy bc that would be adorable

JHGJHGGHGJHG DO WE ACTUALLY GET TO SEE TEMARI YELL AT KAKASHI

Update from 3 seconds later: We don’t but Kakashi’s “Euh?” sound as she knocks down his door is still very funny

“Friendship is useless” “If that’s true, then why are you crying right now” he’s been taking Sasuke lessons in his spare time

“Do you know of a man named ‘Zabuza Momochi’” !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

“These are my only friends” said Sai, about two giant cartoon lions 

Sai’s genjutsu scene was actually much sweeter in the book bc Naruto, Sakura, Kakashi and Yamato’s chakra were all protecting him inside his own mind but I don’t mind my boy getting a hug

HAHAHAHAHA WHAT IS THIS CUTAWAY TO NARUTO BATHED IN GOLDEN LIGHT ANNOUNCING “RAMEN” LIKE IT’S A WHOLE SENTENCE OKAY STUDIO PIERROT U NEED A BREAK I GET IT

“What in the hell was that?” that was also my question Shikamaru

Shikamaru with full conviction: To be lazy.... that is my dream 

Hahahaha it’s Ninja Teen Romance Hours I guess

“Oh, you don’t want to [go out on a date]?” No that’s not what I’m saying” [walks away] TEMARI PLS

“Going on a date without a strategy, would be like trying to fight a tailed beast unarmed” [Nodding] “You have zero chance of winning, that way” I suddenly understand Kakashi’s dating life a lot more

They really rely on you being aware of Naruto the Last huh gjkhgkjhgk there’s been no mention in any of this filler of Naruto and Hinata even being in a relationship to this point as far as I remember

Fhjkfhkjhfkfh poor Iruka none of the kids know he’s President of the Naruto’s Dad Society

“I know I’m supposed to be striving to get ahead in my career, but there’s also a part of me that really wants to just continue teaching kids, one on one” Irukaaaaa <3333333

Looool even as Hokage, Kakashi just drops out of nowhere to give cryptic life advice and then leaves

Smash the statue, Tsukune, don’t let the establishment tell u what to do!!

“Eating ramen everyday isn’t healthy you know” am I to believe that Kakashi, the man who told Naruto, ‘if you're going to be a ninja, you need to eat your vegetables’ is on a ramen-only diet?? Falsehoods

“And it’s all thanks to you Iruka” khjhgkjhgjhg alright.... you win this round KKIR shippers

WHO IS ANIMATING THIS SCENE IT IS BUCKWILD??? There is no character model to speak of, most of the kids don’t have noses, everyone’s upside down or spinning around, and Iruka is... hiding in a frog sign???

There is no English translation of this caption???? EXPLAIN JAPAN. TELL ME YOUR FROG SECRETS YOU KNOW I LOVE FROGS [INSERT PICTURE OF TENZO HERE]

(Update I looked it up in the sub and the caption offers no more insight. “IRUKA UMINO, AROUND 30 YEARS OLD. STEALTHILY”)

“This is for Hinata, so let’s all try our hardest” Kiba loves Hinata MOST

You know how if you pause in the middle of an animated action, you sometimes linger on an in-between image that looks goofy because it was meant to add to the motion rather than be focused on? This whole episode is animated like one of those images

It’s okay Lee the only dumbbell Naruto is fixated on is Sasuke Uchiha

I know don’t usually post so many images in these liveblogs, but I really need anyone reading this to see the Leaf Village’s semi-canonical Unofficial Mascot Konorin:

He is??? The love of my life???

“I don’t even have a boyfriend and train every day from morning til night” yes you do. His name is Neji Hyuga and he’s very alive and he’s a jonin sensei and he will buy you all the knives you want after he takes all of Hiashi’s money and redistributes it. In this essay I will—

You see what I mean??? Neji wants to be there for Tenten (and Lee)!!!

Tenten: What would Neji do if he were here now

Neji: [starts manifesting]

“It’s you since you’re a taijutsu specialist, but Naruto and Hinata aren’t” yes????? Hinata is???? She doesn’t use weapons but Gentle Fist is entirely taijutsu??? Why does everyone keep forgetting

KHKGJHKJHGKFHKJHFKJ I CAN’T GET OVER NEJI JUST. MANIFESTING ABOVE LEE’S BED TO GIVE HIM SHITTY WEDDING GIFT IDEAS 

“And don’t forget: Hyuga” Neji........ what.... does this mean!!!!!!!!

Why say “Neji” like that Orochimaru and in fact why say anything at all [Konan voice] I’m the Hokage now, the entire criminal justice system is on its way you are going to jail!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I really can’t believe that the Naruto writers looked at Tenzo’s role in Naruto SD and decided “let’s do that.... but worse” 

They animated?????????? A smaller Lee??????????? Into Lee’s mouth???????????? As if the animation style wasn’t enough. I need a minute

They are really going full Naruto SD huh??? Cut away skit like a ‘genjutsu’ scne. Lee and Guy playing a married couple and Tenten a baby. Neji in drag. This is a choice

“How can you misunderstand Neji so much” “Even if it’s only as a ghost, I’m sure that Neji would appear” I need. Several minutes

Fhjkhfkjfh Shikamaru’s vision of Gaara, Bee, Kakashi and Tsunade hanging out at this fancy restaurant. Is this who he thinks Kakashi’s social circle is these days (he might be right)

“Okay, I’ll hear you out!” Is this implication of this scene that Temari thinks Shikamaru’s idea of a first date is marriage... and she’s WILLING TO GO ALONG WITH THAT. TEMARI PLS

“Hey Ino, why would you go out of your way to make something I love? Bc she looooves you Sakura

“Sakura, I thought the same thing” GOD JUST GET MARRIED

“It’ll be too late once we go in, I could get all caught up in the mood or something like that” wait........ does Temari think Shikamaru wants to get married or fuck???? Or both??? OH MY GOD

Gaara: Naruto’s getting married.... without meeeeeeeeeee

God I love Gaara’s Blank Period hair it is truly careless and happy hair

“His ramen’s extravagent?” JKGHKHKJH everyone in the Leaf Village trying to convince Gaara that Naruto’s taste is incredibly obnoxious which is true but not in the way being described 

Kankuro what’s your damage let Gaara buy a nice and personal present for the love of his life 

Every time I think this arc can’t get more ridiculous it exceeds my expectations:

[Vaguely horrified accompanying dialogue: “The Raikage—” “—Will do the Hidden Cloud Dance?”]

“Well then, Gaara is just going to have to do the Hidden Sand Samba” Ah. Of course. The Hidden Sand Samba. Why didn’t anyone think of this plan before

Gaara is blushing because his new dream is just to samba dance with Naruto into the night

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh Teuchi giving Naruto an “all you can eat forever” coupon that’s cute our sweet boy is so loved 

Gaara: My wedding gift to you, Naruto... is me :)

“I’m just disappointed that we aren’t going to get to see you dance, Gaara” you know what that’s fair Kankuro me too 

Hahahaha Shino dissing Kiba’s plight for becoming Hokage to these random kids

I can’t pay attention to anything this ninja cat is saying because they’ve got Naruto’s voice and it is very distracting

There’s something to be curious about how it would be if Kiba married into a family that has a contract with the Uchiha lmao

Literally the girl who Kiba is supposed to be in love with is given Hinata’s voice #kibahinarights

“Oh, just take it. Money means nothing to me” the Beekeeper is truly one of the strangest characters in the Naruto universe just conceptually. Why are they wearing a giant bee stinger on their butt?

LMAO @ Kiba having absolutely no self-doubt whatsoever. Goals!!

Shino becoming a teacher after the war is actually one of the post-699 futures I like, good for him!

Iruka sweet man Naruto has compared you to a father like 1500 times have you not overheard him one (1) time

Kakashi is such a dumb stubborn bitch trying to find a way for Naruto to have a happy wedding... I love him

“This is my fault, I never taught him how to treat women! Not that I even really know about that kind of thing of course” Iruka Umino confirmed canonically gay

“I just have to bow my head a little” KKIR: 2; Me: 0

I love this tradition of Hokage boys bowing their heads for cooperation between villages yesssssssssssss

Outro for the whole OG Team 7.... I’m fine everything’s fine I’m good cool cool cool cool cool

The implication that they just sell Kakashi wigs in the village... amazing

I know this is about to be an emotionally poignant moment but what Naruto’s presence is reminding is that the only word he has said in the past 6 episodes is “ramen” LMAO

“I’m going to have to apologize to her for raising you as a such a thoughtless, inconsiderate man” raising you... RAISING YOU..................... TRULY PRESIDENT OF THE NARUTO’S DAD SOCIETY GOD BLESS IRUKA UMINO

LOOK AT THIS CRYBABY NINJA THIS IS WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT ONE OF MY FAVOURITE PARTS OF KONOHA HIDEN WAS HOW IRUKA KEPT BURSTING INTO TEARS OVER NARUTO EVERY OTHER MINUTE THIS IS WHAT BONDS LOOK LIKE

God..................... the Team 7 lover in me just despairs of this final episode bc they’re all separated and also Tenzo needs justice 4 being Kakashi’s co-wedding planner it’s in the book I read it!!!!

I will set aside my feelings to recognize that Kakashi looks very handsome

Goodbye Naruto you were certainly an experience and I mean that in every possible intonation 

[dabble-writes]

Death’s Bride--(1)

| Prologue | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |

Pairing:

Namjoon/Reader

Summary:

You are a Seer. What is a Seer? A Seer is someone whose sixth sense is stronger than most people’s and can see Death. You did not want to be one, you just want to be normal—yet what happens when Death comes for you? No, not for you to die—for you to be his bride.

*Based on a novel I wrote before in Wattpad by the same title*

Tags:

Romance, Fantasy, Comedy, Fluff, a little angst

Warnings:

Death

CHAPTER 1: A DEADLY DEAL

Seers.

That’s what your grandmother calls people with a certain…gift.

Their sixth sense is more developed than an average person, so you can sense things like people’s auras or spirits or can predict something that may happen moments before it does.

You hated this so-called gift. It was annoying and burdensome, having that responsibility.  For you, it has always led to trouble. You just wanted to be a simple kid and lead a simple life.

The most annoying part, however, of being a Seer was seeing him.

Death.

You have only seen him a few times in your life, but he always left a chilling presence. His arrival always marked tragedy, the mood in the room instantly darkens as he stands there all tall and imposing. You could still remember the first time you have ever saw him.

You were just a child, not quite six, when your grandfather passed away. You heard a mysterious man with a dark aura arguing with your grandmother. You hid behind your mother’s skirts, for he looked very scary indeed. Your grandmother pleaded with him, begged him to spare her husband. He just looked at her with his cold, dark eyes and said nothing; it was like he was a statue. Not an hour had passed before your grandpa had a heart attack.

You could still hear her pleas to him, “Please save him.”, as he stood over the body, expressionless. You remembered wondering why your grandma was begging to an evil man. You later asked her who that man was.

“What man, honey?” Grandma asked, wiping a tear from her eyes.

“The evil man. The one you were begging to.”

Your grandma froze as her face grew pale, “Y-you can see Death?”

You nodded, “Who’s Death?”

She took hold of your arms and stared into your eyes, “Y/N, dear, listen to me and listen to me good. That man, the man you saw, his name is Death.”

“D-Death?”

“Yes, if you see him do not bother him. Do you hear me, y/n? Do not talk to Death.”

She looked very serious, so you nod.

“Promise me.”

“I promise, grandma.”

She then pulled you into a tight hug.

Since that eventful night, you saw Death all around the city; near car accidents, after a murder, at the hospital.

He never spoke to you once, nor you to him. You kept your grandmother’s promise, which was fine by you because you did not want to involve yourself with him. You just wished to live a normal, peaceful life.

A hand suddenly was in front of your face and you heard a voice, “Hello? Is anybody home?”

You shook yourself out of your thoughts and looked at your friend, Lisa, who was smiling at you.

“Yes, someone’s home and they are annoyed.” You answered flatly.

“Ah sorry, you were just spaced out for a second there.”

“Yeah, I’m thinking, which is more than I can say about you.”, You teased.

She gasped, “I think! I just don’t fantasize.”

“Well we better keep walking or someone’s going to take our seats.”

“You’re right. Come on, let’s go.”

She grabbed your hand and you rushed to the courtyard where you guys normally sat for lunch. Thankfully, no one had stolen your spots yet. You sat down and ate your lunch with Lisa. All was well. Everything was normal. Yet, at the same time, something was wrong.

You looked up and, to your dismay, saw Death.

And he was staring right at you.

Panicking, you quickly looked away and turned to Lisa.

“…with that project, huh?” She smiled at you and you weakly smiled back, trying to keep it together.

Why is he looking at me?

“…and the…are you even paying attention?”

“No, I am.” You lied and she didn’t buy it.

“You’re thinking of Jungkook again, aren’t you?” She accused you and you blushed.

“No I wasn’t!”

“I mean I can’t blame you, he is the golden boy of the campus.” Lisa said dreamily.

Normally, you would love to talk about how perfect Jungkook was, but you were sort of having a crisis with Death being here and staring at you.

Maybe it’s your turn.

You tried to shake the thought and sneaked a glance at Death.

He was gone.

Huh, you thought, maybe I imagined it…

You couldn’t stop thinking about how your eyes met though, his cold eyes looking like bottomless tombs; you shivered.

“Hey, are you ok?” Lisa asked, concerned.

“I’m fine.” You muttered, “Just a bit stressed for Calc today.”

“Tell me about it.” Lisa groaned.  

When you went home that afternoon, you ran to your grandma and asked her, “Has Death ever spoken to you?”

She paused her painting and looked at you in alarm, “Why the sudden question, y/n?”

“I…had a strange encounter with Death today.” You admit.

“What kind of strange encounter?” Your grandma looked more alarmed by the second and you bit your lip.

“Um…well he was kind of staring at me in lunch today?”

“Did he spoke to you?”

“No, he sort of disappeared after a while. What does this mean? Am I going to die?”

Your grandmother ran her hand through her hair, “No, this can’t be happening—”

“What’s wrong? Is something wrong?” You saw her panic and thought the worst.

I guess I am going to die.

“We Seers,” She said slowly, “have a prophecy that has been passed down for generations. The prophecy has something to do with Death choosing a bride among Seers every time the planets aligned—or some bullshit like that. It has never been confirmed and I never knew it was true—until he spoke to me.”

“Death spoke to you?”

“Yes. It was during a solar eclipse, I was around your age. Death spoke to me, said I was chosen to be his bride.”

“His bride?”

Whatever you expected, you didn’t expect this. Bride?

“Yes, I pleaded with him, said I was in love and planning on getting married. Surprisingly, he heard my pleas---but it came with a price.”

She closed her eyes and turned away from you.

“What was the price? Grandma, what’s going on?”

Your grandma turned back to you and you were surprised to find tears in her eyes, “I am so sorry, y/n.”

“Grandma, what was the price?” You had a feeling of dread in your stomach.

“I was young, foolish, and in love. So I agreed with his terms. I was not to be his bride…but the next Seer in my family will be.”

It took a second to process this and you couldn’t speak from the mix of emotions you were feeling. Betrayal being the prominent one.

“I’m so sorry, y/n.” Your grandma tried to wipe the tears from her eyes, “I didn’t mean to pull you into this. You can realize my horror when I found out that you were a Seer as well.”

“Does this mean I will die?” You ask quietly and she bit her lip.

“I don’t know, I’m sorry.”

“I just wanted a normal life.” You said, mostly to yourself, “How can my life end up so fucked?”

“Well Death hasn’t spoken to you yet, that’s a good sign. Maybe he’s only suspicious that you are a Seer. Try not to confirm his suspicions, ignore him if you can.”

“Do you think that would help?” 

“I don’t know,” she answered honestly, “but it’s the best chance we got. Please promise me you won’t speak to him.”

You doubt that will help, but your grandmother looked so desperate, “I promise. I’m going to go now, I need some time to think.”

She didn’t stop you as you walked past her, to the door. Your mind was in chaos as you walked to the playground near your house.

Death’s bride.

The very thought disgusted you, you wanted nothing to do with that…man. If he can even be called a man. You weren’t sure what he was.

You sat on the swings and looked at the familiar, worn playground; a place your grandmother brought you to a lot as a kid.

You felt betrayed by your grandmother, but knew you couldn’t stay mad at her. You loved her too much to stay mad at her for too long. You were still hurt though, that she sacrificed you. Though she didn’t know you or thought it would be you at the time, a voice reminded you. She was your only family. Her and your mother. You three only had each other.

Mom.

You wondered how to explain this to your mother, who was completely clueless about the whole ‘Seer’ thing, can you even explain it to her? You felt a wave of guilt and wondered what will happened to her when you’re gone.

You sighed as you kicked some gravel, still, this is some bullshit situation to be in. Why should I be his bride?

That’s right, you thought, why should I be his bride?

You decided then and there that you won’t give up without a fight. You weren’t some Victorian maiden easily swept off her feet by some man—you were better than that.

I will not die.

And with a newfound determination, you went back to your house. 

“…it’s such a shame he has a girlfriend. I heard he was seriously packing.” Lisa said dreamily and you sighed.

You loved Lisa and all, but sometimes she gets a bit boy crazy.

“Why are you sighing? You like Jungkook like the rest of us, so don’t act all high and mighty now.”

You laughed, “You’re right, but he doesn’t have to be all we talk about. Plus like you mentioned, he has a girlfriend. A serious one at that.”

Lisa pouted, “A girl can dream, right?”

You smiled, “She can certainly try.”

Your smile dropped though when you noticed that Death was here again. Staring at you again. Like some creep.

Honestly, his stalker-y behavior is starting to get annoying. Doesn’t he have more important things to be doing? Like taking souls, for example?

You decided to ignore him like what your grandma suggested and finish your lunch. You sneaked a look and saw that he wasn’t there.

Maybe you’re just getting paranoid, you reasoned with yourself as you got up to use the bathroom.

You passed Jungkook and his gang and couldn’t resist thinking how cute he looked with his doe eyes and huge grin.

Get a grip, y/n, he has a girlfriend. Don’t fall for a pretty face.

You entered the bathroom. After you came out of the stall, you washed your hands. The sound of the water splashing cut through the silence filled the bathroom. You looked up at the mirror and almost had a heart attack.

Death was right behind you staring at you through the mirror.

You froze, not knowing what to do, but slowly looked back down and continued to wash your hands.

The water continued to splash into the sink, really adding more suspense as none of spoke to the other. You could literally feel the pounding of your heart in your ears and you knew for sure Death could hear it.

Boom-boom, boom-boom.

You felt a cool breeze next to your ear and you tense up, your sixth sense tickling like crazy. Then, for the first time, you heard his voice.

“I know you can see me.” Death breathed into your ear, giving you goosebumps. His voice was deep and pleasant, like honey. If you weren’t careful, you can see yourself falling into it’s honey trap.

Instead, you kept a pokerface and reached for a paper towel.

“Ignoring me won’t help you.” He continued.

At that, you nearly ran out of the bathroom; the tension of the room was too thick.

I’mScrewedI’mScrewedI’mScrewed, you kept chanting to yourself like a mantra.

When you got safely to your class, you finally let out a huge breath you didn’t know you were keeping in.

Why did he had to be so creepy about it? This is a romance story, not horror.

You reached to your seat next to Lisa, who started to drone on about spring break. You were still shocked by the encounter so weren’t paying much attention.

She soon noticed your disinterest.

“Y/n, I know you hate going out but I refuse to let you stay at home and watch Netflix all spring break.”

“It’s a valid way to spend the time.” You said distractedly, looking around the room to check that Death didn’t follow you here.

“Are you looking for someone?”

You blush, “I-it’s nothing.”

Lisa smirked and nudged you, “Is it a boy?”

“No, I’m not looking for anyone.” You replied, but she didn’t seem to believe you.

This is the icing to the cake, you thought as you stared at the rain pouring down, Of course the day that I didn’t bring an umbrella.

Usually you were so good at predicting when it will rain, having a developed sixth sense and all, but you were so distracted with Death that you didn’t notice the signs. You inwardly cursed Death, another way he was ruining your life—it seemed like he was doing so well.

You sighed and pulled the hood over your head and zipped up your hoodie; guess I have to brave the elements then. You started to walk into the rain, resigned to your fate.

The rain wasn’t a drizzle or even a soft pitter patter, it was a downpour and unrelenting; you were soaked in a matter of seconds.

You were a few minutes in when you heard a familiar deep voice.

“Do you need an umbrella?”

You turn and are startled to see Death holding out an umbrella to you. Realizing your mistake by acknowledging him, you quickly turned around and walked away—

--but are stopped by Death appearing right in front of you.

“It was cute at first, but I think it’s time to stop the games, honey.”

You grit your teeth at the pet name and try to step around him—he steps with you, blocking your way again.

“Y/n, dear, please don’t make me lose my patience.”

You try to avoid him but he blocks you again.

This made you lose your patience.

“Can’t you just leave me alone?” You hiss.

He smirked, “Never, now take the umbrella, you’re going to catch a cold.”

You scoff and walk around him, successful this time and you are able to walk away.

“I’m already soaked, genius. Plus, I rather be sick than get help from the likes of you.”

“You can’t run away from me, y/n. You are after all my bride.”

“Bride my ass.” You called over your shoulder, “I don’t remember signing up for this.”

He pops in font of you again, to your frustration.

“Yes, but your grandmother gave her consent, and seeing she’s one of your guardians the contract is void.”

“But I am of age.” You narrowed your eyes at him, “I don’t need my guardian’s consent for anything.”

“It doesn’t matter, your petty laws here on earth are not the same as where I come from. Your grandmother made a promise to me, I came to collect.”

“I don’t care, I won’t marry you.” You say stubbornly.

He takes a step closer to you and you are suddenly struck with how tall he was.  He opens the umbrella, covers you with it, and with a snap of his fingers you were dry. Now that I see him up close, he is pretty handsome. You quickly shook your traitorous thoughts away, just because he’s cute doesn’t mean he can just waltz in and make me his bride.

“You will marry me, y/n, because I have nothing to lose while you have everything to lose.”

You narrowed your eyes at him, “Is that a threat? What do you mean by that?”

“You’ll figure it out,” He simply said and disappeared.

 How dare he blackmail me? He sure knows a way to woo a lady, you thought sarcastically. You then realized the sneaky little bastard snuck the umbrella into your hand when you weren’t paying attention.

You quickly cast it aside, not wanting to touch something that’s Death’s—it could be cursed.

You go home and saw your grandmother was painting. Your grandmother reads tarot cards and palms for a living, taking advantage of her sixth sense, but her true passion is painting. You saw her mixing the acrylics and putting delicate brushstrokes unto the canvas.

“Hey grandma, I’m home!” You called out and she snapped out of her artist trance to look at you and smiled.

“Y/n!” She then took in your wet state and frowned, “You walked home in the rain! You should have called, I would have picked you up.”

You shook your head, “I didn’t want to bother you, and knew you had a customer earlier.”

She quickly placed her brush into the water cup and made your way towards you, shaking her head, “Go change and take a shower right now, you’re going to catch a cold!”

“I’m fine—”

“That wasn’t a suggestion, it was order. Now go.” She ushered you out of her studio and you changed and took a bath, which you had to admit felt very nice.

You walked into the kitchen and saw that your grandma prepared some hot chocolate. You lit up and started to drink it.

“So how was your day, y/n?”

You froze thinking about Death and immediately said, “Fine, just fine. Same old.”

She noticed your hesitation, “Is it Death again?”

“I---”

“Y/n, I don’t think it’s safe for you to go out anymore. It seems silly, but I don’t want him to—”

“N-no, grandma, it wasn’t Death.” You lied, “I’m fine, really.”

“If you say so…”

“So where’s mom?” You asked, wanting to change the subject.

“Out doing groceries. Which reminds me, I have to go to the flower shop to get more flowers.”

“In this weather?” You asked.

“It’s not pouring anymore, it toned down a bit. Besides, how am I supposed to draw flowers without flowers?”

“I dunno, from your imagination? You’ve looked at a lot of flowers. Or maybe you can look at photos on the internet or something.”

Your grandma gave you a withering look, “Have I taught you nothing? It is not the same to draw from a picture than from an actual subject---if you do, your drawing will come out flat.”

You winced, now I stupidly unlocked her ‘artist lecturing mode’. It’s better just agree now with whatever she says.

“Okay, you’re right, grandma.”

“Well then, as long as you remember this time. I’ll be going now, take care.” She waved at you.

Suddenly, Death’s warning (well, more like threat) played out in your head and you panicked—what if he’s talking about your grandma?

“Wait--!” She turned around, “I’ll go with you.”

Your grandma gave you a confused look, “Now why would you do that? You hate shopping.”

“I-I just don’t want to be alone in this house.” You lied and she gave you a sympathetic smile.

“I know, you must be scared of Death. I would be too.”

You felt bad in lying to your grandma, but you had to make sure she is safe. You followed her out the door into her car.

“So grandma, do you have any idea what flower you’re going to buy?” You asked as you tried to ignore your sixth sense telling you this was a bad idea.

“No, of course not! I pick whichever drives my inspiration.” She answered, then said in a stage-whisper, “Or more like what my sixth sense tells me is the one.”

You sighed, that means this might take a while.

You arrived the flower shop, a quaint little shop that your grandma frequented. You were sure the reason this shop is still in business is because of her.

Your grandmother greeted the worker by name and started to go through the plants and flowers. You start to wander around aimlessly, waiting for your grandma to make a decision. You stared at the lilies--they had a wide selection here. 

You kept feeling anxious, but you tried to shake it off. Ever since you spoke to Death, your sixth sense was all over the place and you couldn’t really trust your instincts. Besides, you trusted your grandmother. If she didn’t feel anything, it’s probably nothing. Her sixth sense is better developed than yours after all.

“What do you think of my plant?” Your grandma went up to you, holding a potted plant.

“I thought you were getting a flower…?”, you asked as you walked out the door to the car.

“Yes, but this one called to me. And get this: it’s called Handsome Devil. Ironic, huh?” Grandmother laughed.

“Yes, we are rolling in irony.” You said, and she handed you the plant.

“Take this while I drive, will you?”

“Sure.” You said, and she started to drive.

“It’s Latin name is Viburnum, it’s going to be very fun to paint.”

You looked down at the plant on your lap and frowned.

Handsome Devil.

You looked up and saw a car coming towards you with screeching tires. Before you could react, your world went white, then black.

Beep… Beep… Beep.

Everything hurts.

That was your first thought as slowly opened your eyes. For a second you thought you died and went to heaven but realized that the white in front of you was the ceiling of a hospital.  

The beeping of your heart monitor grated your nerves and you wished you could turn it off.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

You looked around the room and your eyes landed unto a figure staring down at you.

You narrowed your eyes at him, “What happened?”, your voice sounded weaker than you would like.

He just gave me a sorrowful look and you repeated the question, “What happened?”

This time, it was a bit louder.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

You knew from the look on his face what happened, but you needed him to say it.

“Death, tell me what happened.” You said as tears started to stream down your cheeks to your ears.

“It was her time.” He said simply.

“Bullshit.” You said bitterly, “You caused this! This is low, even for you.”

You heard the beeping becoming faster, but you ignored it.

“I caused nothing. It was her time.”

“You did this so I can be your bride! You’re crazy, I will never do that.”

Death frowned at you, “I do admit it is very coincidental, but you are nowhere right.”

You continued to feel the hot tears fall down to your ears and neck and the burning sensation of your chest grew.

Beep.Beep.Beep.

“Please” You begged, “give me back my grandma.”

“I cannot change fate.” He simply answered, “Besides, you don’t want to be my bride. Why would I do favors for strangers?”

With that, he disappeared. Frustrated, you weakly throw a pillow to the spot where he stood and break down crying.

BEEPBEEPBEEP---

The nurses must have sensed your distress because they quickly fill the room and try to calm you down, but you couldn’t even hear them.

GRANDMA!

They put something in your IV to lull you back to sleep. Still, you could feel the hot tears flow down from the corner of your eyes.

You sat on your bed, hugging your pillow. You thought you would have run out of tears by now, but your body kept surprising you and the tears just kept coming.

It was miracle, they said, that you survived. It was a miracle you came out of the accident that killed your grandma with minor injuries. A fucking miracle.

You haven’t heard from Death since that fateful encounter, and you hope it will stay that way. But you knew that you weren’t that lucky.

You heard the door knock and you quickly wipe your tears.

“Y/N?”

You looked up and saw your mom at the doorway, her eyes red from crying. Yours probably was in the same state.

“What mom?” You asked and turned to look out the window, not knowing how to face her.

“I know it’s hard and you’ve been closer to your grandmother than me, but please let me help you. Sometimes pain is better shared.”

“Mom, I appreciate the effort, but I want to be alone right now,” You replied as you tried to keep your voice from crackling. You succeeded, sort of.

You were met by silence and you knew it was a dick move. You knew your mom was hurting too, but you’re too much in pain to comfort her. After a few minutes, you heard her leave the room and close the door behind her.

I miss her so much, you thought and a sudden wave of inspiration took over you. You slowly made your way to her studio so that you can   feel closer to her.

It was dark, no one came here since her death. You opened the curtains and light and memories flooded the room.

“What a nice painting! What is it, dearie?” Grandma asked, she smiled as she looked over my shoulder.

“It’s the flower.” You answered, pointing to the floor on the vase across the room.

Grandma chuckled, “You have a strong eye. Such unique colors for a flower.”

You grabbed a purple crayon, “I want to be just like grandma.”

She smiled, but the smile didn’t quite reach her eyes. She muttered something, something so low you didn’t think you caught it right.

“Child, pray you’re not just like me.”

You looked at the painting on the easel, forever unfinished.

The subject was resting not a few feet away, already dried up and withered, as if it knows that it’s painting will never be finished.

You touched the canvas, feeling the texture of the paint, and remembered when she tried to teach you how to paint.

“Don’t overthink it—just feel.”

You groaned as you put the paintbrush down, “Just admit it, I suck at this.”

“Hey,” She hugged me from behind, “Don’t beat yourself over it, it’s just paint.”

“I’m not good at anything though.” You said dramatically, it was the height of your teenage angst after all. “At least you can paint. I can’t even do that.”

You grandma turned your face towards her, “You’ll find your place in this world, y/n—”

You groaned, and she hushed you, “You will. Maybe not now, but later you will. And just know that I’ll always be proud of you,

This brought a fresh round of bittersweet tears as you reflected on how much she loved you.

And I loved her as much, you thought as you wiped your tears.

You hated funerals.

This one was no exception. As a Seer you can sense Death, smell his scent, bringing very unpleasant memories.

Seeing your grandma in a box and not up and about laughing…it was just wrong.

You felt a hand on your shoulder and looked up to your mom’s sad smile.

“She’s in a better place now,” your mom said.

Tears threatened to spill again as you grit your teeth.

“I-I need some air.” You told her and she gave you a nod.

“Don’t get lost, okay?”

You numbly nodded and went to the lobby of the funeral home, which was empty. You took a few deep breaths as you tried to control yourself.

“It’s a pretty good turnout, your grandmother was very loved.”

You didn’t even turn around. You knew who it was.  

“Are you happy now? Taking away the one I love the most?” You said numbly.

Death stayed silent and you turned around. He stood there stiffly, wearing his usual black suit, looking reflective.

“Your grandmother lived a great, long life, which is much more than a lot of souls. You should be thankful she lived that long.”

You glared at him, “It wasn’t long enough.”

He sighed, “You humans are so selfish sometimes. Have you ever wondered that maybe she’s happy dead?”

“How can one be happy dead?”

“Death isn’t such a horrible thing, y/n. She is ecstatic about seeing her husband and deceased family. The only thing she worries about is you.”

“Why would she talk to you?” You asked in disbelief, “Grandma doesn’t like you too much.”

“Everyone has to talk to me, I’m Death.”

There was a silence and you grew weary.

“Why are you here? Why did you come to her funeral?”

“You know why I’m here, y/n.”

“The answer is still no.”, you grit your teeth, angry he will bring this up during your grandmother’s funeral.

“This isn’t up for debate, you will be my bride. The only reason I haven’t dragged you with me is for your consideration.”

You looked at him in disbelief, “Well thanks for that, thanks for your consideration.”

“What if I say you can meet your grandmother?”

This caused you to pause.

“What do you mean?”

“Don’t you see? If you go to my Kingdom, you can see everyone who’s deceased. Including your precious grandmother.”

To have one more chance to see your grandmother one more time and maybe say a final goodbye would be something you would give anything for.

But would you give up your life? Your future?

“Why should I trust you?”

“Frankly you shouldn’t trust me, but that’s also besides the point. Let me put this plainly: I don’t want you to be my bride either. I, frankly, don’t give a damn. It’s just this stupid prophecy that binds our fates together. I have tried to find my way around it many times, but it always ends up with the same conclusion.”

“So you tried to oppose the prophecy?”

He sighed, “Yes, and it was all for naught. Whenever I will teleport it will bring me back to the bride. If not, the bride will magically appear in my kingdom.”

You grit your teeth, hating that you can’t hate him because he’s a victim of fate like you are. That doesn’t mean that you have to like the guy though.

“Death, I may be your bride, but don’t you think for a second I am going to love you. I’m not doing this for you or this stupid prophecy, but for my grandma.”

He smirked, “As long as you understand that I would not love you as well.”    ��   

  A/N

Will update every Friday

[thestarsaroundyourscars]

I met you in the dark, you lit me up, ch 6

Chapter 6: The day of Bev’s party (part one)

Summary: In which it’s finally Beverly’s birthday. Featuring the birthday girl, Richie, Stan, Mike, Ben and a very nervous Eddie. And as per usual, some Reddie adorableness as well.

Pairing: Richie Tozier x Eddie Kaspbrak, Beverly Marsh x Ben Hanscom (minor)

Words: 4,559

AO3 link

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5

Tag list: @daddyphantomtbh @yes-dillman-yes @richietoaster @beepbeeprichiellc @thetheatregal  @its-stranger-than-you-think @lemonaayyee @pennys-pet-kitty 

A/N: This took a bit longer than usual since I’m back at college, so I don’t have as much time now. I hope the wait was worth it though. Enjoy ♥

When Richie woke up on Friday to the sound of his alarm, he was confused for a second. He didn’t have classes on Fridays, so there wasn’t any reason for him to wake up at a specific time. He was trying to snooze his alarm, when he caught a glimpse of the date and realized why he had set it in the first place. Today was Beverly’s birthday and as his best friend, he had things to do.

Unlike Richie, Beverly did have classes on Fridays, but last night she had told him that she was skipping, since it was her special day and she wasn’t going to waste three hours of it listening to her boring professor. Richie hadn’t even tried to dissuade her, he had done the exact same thing many times before. Since she didn’t have get ready, it didn’t come as a surprise to him to find her door was still closed. In fact, he was glad, it gave him time to do what he had to do.

He made his way to the kitchen and as silently as he could, he started to grab all the things he would need to make what he liked to call chocolate chip pancakes à la Tozier. He had been making them on Beverly’s birthday for three years now, ever since they moved in together. The first year, he hadn’t planned on making them, he had just woken up way too early for his classes and figured he could make something different for breakfast. Then Bev had woken up and when she asked if he had made the pancakes especially for her, he didn’t have the heart to tell her the truth. Eventually he came clean and they both laughed. The next year, Richie had surprised Beverly with the same pancakes, this time on purpose, and it had been a tradition since.

Once he was done, it was still too early to wake Bev up, so he decided to take a shower. He was putting on his clothes, when he heard some shuffling coming from her bedroom. He hurried to get ready, grabbed his present from under his bed and stepped outside of his room just as Beverly was leaving hers.

He tackled her with a hug and an enthusiastic, “Happy motherfucking birthday, Marsh!”

She yelped in surprise. Then she wrapped her arms around Richie’s shoulders and he spun her around a few times before putting her down and placing kisses all over her face.

Beverly was laughing when she said, “Take it easy on me, bud, I just woke up.”

“Well, I’ve been awake for hours, so deal with it.”

She chuckled, “You are awfully enthusiastic today.”

“Well, it’s my best friend’s birthday, I’m allowed to be excited. Here!” he said as he handed her the gift bag he had been holding.

She squealed in excitement, before grabbing the bag and sitting down on the floor to start pulling out its contents. The first thing she pulled out was a pair of rose gold earrings and a bunch of leather bracelets in several different colors. She smiled, delighted as she put them on right away. Then, she pulled out it was a pair of earphones, Richie had bought those the day before, after Beverly told him she had lost hers on the way home. The last item was a white t-shirt, with the words “I’m a fucking lady” written in black, cursive letters. Richie had seen it and immediately thought of Bev and if the way she was smiling as she looked at it meant anything, he had been right to do so.

“Did you like it?” Richie asked, nervously.

“Do you even have to ask?” Bev replied as she put the t-shirt and the earphones inside the bag again, “I love it, just as I’ve loved every single present that you’ve given me for the past ten years” She stood up then and hugged Richie, who laughed in relief.

“I’m glad to hear that” He said, as he wrapped his arms around Bev’s waist for the second time that day.

She kissed his cheek and said, “Thank you, Rich.”

“You’re very welcome, Bev. Now, there’s something waiting for you in the kitchen.”

“Fuck yes, chocolate chip pancakes!” She exclaimed and ran to the kitchen.

While Richie heat up the pancakes, Beverly poured coffee for her and orange juice for him. They ate their breakfast together in comfortable silence with Beverly’s phone ringing every once in a while from all the birthday texts.

“Was I the first person to wish you a happy birthday?” Richie asked, without looking up at her.

When she didn’t answer right away, he looked up. She was staring at him apologetically, “Sorry, Rich.”

“Damn it! Was it Stan? It was Stan, wasn’t it? That fucker.” Richie muttered.

“Uh no, actually it was Ben” Beverly said, “We were on the phone last night until after midnight.”

“He gave you his present then? Some phone sex to start your birthday right?” Richie said with a leer.

“You” Beverly said, pointing her fork at him “are gross.” Richie merely shrugged his shoulders at the accusation.

“But seriously, how dare he wish my best friend a happy birthday before me?” Richie said with mock offense, “I will fight him.”

Beverly snorted, “You really don’t want to do that. He was part of his high school wrestling team, he would have you pinned down on the ground faster than you could say ‘fight me’.”

“Wow, your faith in me is astounding” Richie said, sarcastically.

“Richie, one time you knocked yourself out trying to punch a guy.”

“I-” He started, before changing what he was going to say, “Yeah, you’re right, please tell Ben not to fight me.”

Bev let out a chuckle, “He most likely wouldn’t, he’s too nice for that.”

“You’re seeing him today? Before the party, I mean?”

“Yeah, we’re meeting for coffee later today, after lunch with you guys.”

“You could’ve brought him to lunch.”

“You are already meeting him at the party, so. Besides, he wanted to give me my present while it was just the two of us.” Richie wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. Rolling her eyes, she added, “While surrounded by people in a café, so stop doing… that.” She said, waving her hand as if to encompass Richie’s expression.

He shrugged, “That doesn’t mean it’s not a sexy present. That’s what bathrooms are for.”

Beverly scrunched up her face, “That is most definitely not what bathrooms are for” she said with a laugh.

After they finished eating, Beverly left Richie alone so she could go get ready, they had a couple of hours before they had to meet Stan and Mike for lunch but it always took her forever to get ready, so it was better if she got started right away. And with good reason because ten minutes before they had to go, she was still getting ready.

When she finally left her room Richie saw that she had put on the t-shirt he had given her and thrown a red-and-black plaid shirt on top of it. She paired it up with a denim skirt and white sneakers. One of the things Richie admired about Beverly, and there was a lot to admire, was her amazing fashion sense. That’s why he hadn’t been the least bit surprised when she had told him she wanted to major in Fashion Design.

They managed to arrive to the restaurant on time but still Stan and Mike had already been waiting for them. They greeted Bev with hugs and kisses and ’happy birthdays’ and then handed her the presents they had brought. Then the four of them sat down on the table and ordered their food. They always went to this same restaurant, an Italian place they had discovered on their first year, to celebrate special occasions, so they already knew what to order.

While they waited for their food arrive, Beverly opened her presents. She opened Stan’s first, he had gotten her a new sketchbook and a 100 colored pencil set for her designs.

“Stan, oh my God, I love it. So many colors!” Bev said, staring at the pencils in awe, she looked up at her friend, smiling, “And I needed a new sketchbook too! Thank you so much!”

Stan smiled back at her, “I’m glad you like it, Bev, I was worried it was too… I don’t know, simple I guess.”

“Honey, you could give me one single colored pencil and I would love it” Beverly chuckled, but she was looking at Stan seriously.

“Thanks for the tip, Bev. Next year, you’re getting three colored pencils, one from each of us” Richie joked.

Then, it was Mike’s present turn. He had gotten her a new Jane Austen book, ’Emma’. Last semester, Richie and Bev had taken a course called “Influential women in history” and as part of the class they had had to read one of her novels, ’Persuasion’ it was called. Ever since, Bev had been completely obsessed with her.  

“You stole that from work, Mikey?” Richie asked when he saw the book. Mike had a job at the public library and he absolutely loved it there.

Mike turned to look at him, outraged by Richie’s accusation, “Stealing books from libraries is a serious offense, Richie” he said, with so much seriousness his three friends laughed.

Apart from the book, Mike had also given Beverly a beige wool sweater.

“I hope it fits” He told her while she was looking it over, “I made Stan try it on before buying it, since he is lean like you.”

Richie snorted, “How did you manage to convince him to do that?”

“I can be very persuasive” Mike said with a wink, which earned him a high five and a laugh from Richie and an elbow to the side from Stan.

“How do I look?” Bev asked. They hadn’t noticed her taking off her plaid shirt and putting on the new sweater instead. Now, she was standing next to the table, posing, to show it off.

“You look great, Bev.” Stan said.

Mike nodded, “It fits perfectly.”

Richie smirked, “Tell us Mike, who wore it better? Stan or Bev?”

Both Bev and Mike erupted in laughter, Stan on the other hand, glared at him. Richie was glad there was a table between the two of them, he didn’t think Bev would appreciate one of her best friends murdering the other on her birthday, it would definitely ruin her plans.

Shortly after Bev thanked Mike for the present, blowing a kiss at him from across the table, their food arrived and they began eating. The rest of the lunch was rather uneventful and after they were done, Stan and Mike said their goodbyes, Stan had to get to class and Mike had football practice, so they said they would see the other two later at the party.

As for Beverly and Richie they parted ways as well, since Bev had to go meet Ben. Richie didn’t have anything to do for the next few hours until he had to go pick Eddie up for the party, so he went back to the apartment to get some sleep, knowing he would need the energy later.

He woke up around five to the sound of the front door closing loudly and then two people talking and laughing. He recognized one of the two as Beverly and even though he had only heard Ben’s voice once before, and he had been mildly inebriated at the time, he was sure that’s who the second voice belonged to. He got up and walked out of his room, interrupting Bev and Ben, who had been making out against the front door. They both turned to look at him, Beverly in annoyance and Ben in surprise.

“Sorry to interrupt, but I had to make my presence known before the two of you started to take off your clothes in the middle of the hallway” Richie said with a smirk, he turned to Ben, saluted him and said, “It’s good to see you again, Ben, my dude.”

He waved awkwardly with one hand, the other still holding Beverly’s waist, “Hello Richie, uh, it’s good to see you too.”

“I thought you had to pick Eddie up” Bev said with a raised eyebrow.

“Yes, but I was taking a nap first, you know, gathering up energies for tonight. Besides, Eds’ shift at the book store ended like twenty minutes ago, I’m giving him time to get prettied up… Not that he needs to, of course.” Richie said.

“I thought you’d be dying to get some time alone with your boy before the party.”

“I think that was you, Bev.” Richie replied with a smirk. Bev glared at him, confirming what Richie had just said, which only made Richie’s smirk grow wider.

Ben wouldn’t make eye contact with Richie, his eyes intently examining the doormat he was standing on. Still, Richie could see he was blushing.

Beverly opened her mouth to say something, probably to tell Richie to fuck off so she could have her alone time with Ben, when the first notes for Dexy’s Midnight Runners’ “Come on Eileen” coming from his phone interrupted her, letting Richie know that Eddie was calling him.

Richie had chosen that song for Eddie’s ringtone on Wednesday, when he saw how, after the song started playing at the pizza place they were at, Eddie had had to consciously stop himself from jumping out of his seat and start dancing along to the music. He had told Eddie as much and when he had tried to argue, Richie had replied with a ‘Come on Eddie’ to the beat of the song and the other boy had started giggling, completely forgetting what he had been arguing about.

Richie answered the call with a “Hiya, Eds”, Bev’s eyes still on him.

“Hi, Rich.”

“To what do I owe the pleasure? You’re not calling to cancel on me, are you?”

“Uh, no. Actually I was wondering if maybe you could come get me a bit earlier than we agreed on.”

“How early?” Richie asked, he could see Beverly and Ben exchanging whispers.

“Like, right now?” Eddie said uncertainly. Richie’s eyebrows rose in surprise, but before he could ask him why, the other boy continued. “It’s just, I got ready faster than I intended and now I’m sitting here, doing nothing and the longer I do that, the more anxious I get, so I thought if you came earlier then… I know it’s silly and it’s okay if you can’t, don’t worry, I’ll just-”

Richie could practically feel Eddie’s nervousness through the phone, so before he gave himself a panic attack, he stopped his rambling and said, “I can be there in fifteen minutes.”

That stopped Eddie on his tracks, “Oh. Really? You don’t mind? If it’s too much trouble, you really don’t have to.” Eddie said, but he sounded hopeful.

“Trust me, seeing your adorable face earlier that I intended is no trouble at all” Richie told Eddie, and he heard him let out a sigh of relief. “I’m leaving right now” he added.

That seemed to get Beverly’s attention. She turned to look at him as if expecting Richie to already be gone. Richie’s smirk returned to his face.

Before Eddie could end the phone call, he said “We might need to hang around your apartment for a while though.”

“Why?’

“Because Ben is here and he and Beverly are just waiting for me to leave before they start taking their clothes off” Richie laughed.

“Richie!” Eddie said, disapprovingly, but Richie could tell he was trying not to laugh. “Ben is there? He must be blushing so much right now.”

“He’s almost as red as Bev’s hair.”

Eddie giggled, “You’re the worst.”

Richie shrugged his shoulders even though Eddie couldn’t see him and said, “It’s been said, yeah.”

“Just… get here, okay? And leave those two alone.”

“I never make promises I can’t keep, Eddie my love” Richie said, and before he ended the phone call, he added, “I’ll see you soon.”

Once Eddie was gone, he directed his attention to the other two people in the room. By then, Ben seemed to be getting his blushing under control, but Bev was still looking at Richie with a murderous expression.

Richie grinned, “Smile, Marsh, I’m leaving right now, you can-“

She interrupted him, “You’re on thin fucking ice right now, Richard, so choose your next words carefully.”

Richie raised his hands in defense, “I was just going to say, that you can text me what we are missing for the party and I’ll get it on my way back.”

Ben snorted, “Nice save.” Richie winked at him.

“You’re fooling no one, but fine, I’ll let you know.”

Richie nodded, and grabbed the keys from the table next to where Bev was standing, then he kissed her cheek as a goodbye. To Ben he said, “I’m sorry about all that” even though he didn’t sound apologetic at all.

“It’s okay.”

“You’ll have to get used to it, though, if you plan to stick around, or else there will be a permanent blush on your face.”

Ben chuckled, “I’ll try my best.”

Richie smiled and patted him on the back. He opened the door and turned towards them. He waved and said, “Hasta la vista, suckers!” before walking out.

And before the door closed completely he was able to see Ben laughing and Beverly fondly shaking her head at him.  

-♥-

After parking in front of Eddie’s building, Richie took out his phone and called him.

“Hello?”

“O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo?” Richie said dramatically when the other boy answered his phone.

Eddie let out a chuckle. “I was never a big fan of Shakespeare but uh, what light through your window breaks? It is the east and Juliet is the sun… or something like that.” He replied, humoring him.

Richie let out a laugh and as he got off the car and started walking towards the building, he said, “Aw Eds, you think I’m Juliet? Am I as pretty as her?”

“No.” Eddie said automatically, but then after a pause, he added softly, “You’re prettier.”

Richie choked on whatever snarky comment he was about to make. When he didn’t respond, Eddie asked him if he was okay.

Richie cleared his throat before he said, “Give me a minute Eds, you just called me pretty, I need to get myself together.”

“Oh shut up, you say I’m pretty all the freaking time” Eddie replied, and Richie could tell he was embarrassed.

“Yes and that is the honest-to-God truth, but I don’t think you’ve ever complimented my looks before, or me for that matter. I’m just savoring the moment.”

Eddie frowned, “Really? Never?”

“Uh no, I think I would remember.”

“Oh.” Eddie felt a little bad, as annoying as some of Richie’s compliments could be, they never failed to put a smile on his face or to make Eddie feel good. “Well… I do think you’re attractive, like a lot. And you’re pretty great too and I really like you, so, yeah.”

Richie gasped, “Eds, you better stop that unless you want me to drop dead right here in front of your building.” He joked, but if Eddie had been able to see him, he would have seen just how big Richie’s smile was.  

“Don’t be an idiot” Eddie said.

“Easier said than done, Eds.” Richie replied as he reached the building. Once there, he rung the intercom of Eddie’s apartment, a second later, he could hear it ring through the phone.

“Did you just… we are literally on the phone, Richie!” Eddie exclaimed.

“Yeah, but I’m still waiting for you to let me in.”

Eddie sighed, “I’m hanging up now. Get up here, you dork.” Richie heard a buzzing that indicated he could go inside.

“See you in a minute, Spaghetti man.”

“Oh hell no-”

Richie ended the phone call before Eddie could finish the sentence, which was most likely going to state his hatred for yet another one of Richie’s nicknames.

When he arrived at Eddie’s floor, his apartment door was open and he was outside, waiting for him.

“Couldn’t wait to see my pretty face, huh Eds?” Richie smirked as he sauntered to the door.

Eddie rolled his eyes, “Remind me never to give you a compliment again.” He moved aside so that Richie could enter the apartment.

Once they were both inside and Eddie had closed the door, he turned to face Richie and immediately wrapped his arms around the taller boy’s neck and kissed him. As soon as their lips met, one of Richie’s hands went to Eddie’s neck and the other one to his waist, pulling him closer.

Before then, they had only shared short, mostly chaste kisses, so Richie was a bit surprised when Eddie parted his lips and pressed them harder on his, deepening the kiss. Not that he was going to complain or fail to reciprocate, of course. Eventually they had to stop to catch their breath, so they pulled apart. They didn’t go far though, instead Richie rested his forehead against Eddie’s.

“Wow” He said, with a dazed smile, his eyes fixed on Eddie’s lips, red and glistening from the kiss, “That’s what I call a warm welcome.”

Eddie laughed, which made his nose scrunch up in the cutest way possible. “Shut up” he said, taking a step back, so that he could look at Richie without his eyes crossing. “Thank you for coming sooner.”

“Anything for you, Eds” Richie replied with a wink, “I did mean what I said, though, it’s best to stay here for a while, we don’t want to walk in on our best friend. Been there, done that” Richie said, shuddering at the memory.

Eddie frowned, “Yeah, I definitely don’t want that.”

A perfectly wrapped present that was sitting on the kitchen counter caught Richie’s attention. He pointed at it and said, “You got that for Bev?”

Eddie looked at it and nodded.

“What did you get her in the end?”

“Uh… I couldn’t decide, so I got her everything that you said. The M&M’s, the vanilla scented perfume and some nail polish” Eddie said.

Richie snorted, “She’ll think you’re trying to win her over with presents” but when Eddie’s eyes widened in worry, he added “She’ll love it. She’ll love you, babe, don’t worry.”

“What about your other friends? Mike and Stan?”

“Stan might need a while to warm up to you, but that’s just the way he is. Mike is the sweetest, friendliest and nicest person ever. So nice, that I sometimes wonder why he is friends with us” Richie said. He had a smile on his face that Eddie had noticed he reserved for when he talked about his friends, “You’ll have no trouble hitting it up with him, I’m telling you.”

Eddie nodded, but he didn’t look entirely convinced.  

“You’re still worrying about it, aren’t you, Eds?”

Eddie shrugged, “It’s kind of what I do, yeah.”

Richie’s expression was thoughtful when he said, “How about… we cuddle on the couch, watch some TV and forget about the party for a while? It’s still early after all.”

Eddie smiled gratefully at him and nodded.

Richie sat on the couch, while Eddie searched for the remote control. When he found it, he sat down as close to Richie as he could without actually sitting on his lap. Richie wrapped an arm around him, and after a few minutes of going over the different channels, they settled on a Grey’s Anatomy episode.

Richie wasn’t a big fan of the show, but Eddie had told him once that medical shows were his guilty pleasure and that he loved watching them, if not for the drama just so he could tear it apart for all the medical inaccuracies. He figured since the goal was to distract Eddie, he could endure watching an episode or two.

In the end he didn’t pay much attention to it, instead he listened to Eddie go on and on about everything that was wrong with the show.

“You think that the surgeons are the ones who do everything? Bullshit, I mean, in a real hospital you’ll see nurses and other hospital staff much more than you’ll ever see an actual surgeon. Yet they are the ones who take the scans, do the bloodwork, the physical therapy. The only time we see the nurses is when they are involved in the drama, like in season 1, when a nurse slept with George and gave him syphilis. After that was done, we barely see her again, not until she gets fired. And don’t get me started on the way they perform CPR, I mean-”

Richie would just stare at him in amusement, and nod and hum whenever he considered it necessary. They ended up watching two more episodes, and by the time they left the apartment Eddie was in a good mood and most of his anxiety over meeting Richie’s friends seemed to have disappeared.

On their way back to Richie’s apartment, they stopped to get the ice Bev had texted him to get. By the time they were on the elevator of Richie’s apartment complex, he noticed some of Eddie’s nervousness was back.

Richie stopped the elevator by pressing the emergency button, knowing he wouldn’t get in trouble for it since it had stopped working before he had even moved in. Eddie turned to look at him in confusion and he said, “Last chance, Eds. If you want, we can ditch the party and go somewhere else.”

Eddie stared at him, he seemed to be considering Richie’s offer. In the end, he shook his head and said, “I would never ask you to bail on your best friend’s party. And I already bought her a present and we are already here” he looked at Richie with a determined look on his face, “Let’s do this.”

Richie eyed him for a second, then nodded, “Okay then”. He pushed the button again and the elevator started working.  

As they walked towards the apartment door, Richie carrying the bag of ice and Eddie carrying Bev’s present, they could hear music and voices coming from inside the apartment.

Once they arrived at the door, Richie put the ice bag on the floor and turned to face Eddie. He cupped the other boy’s face with his hands, making Eddie shiver with how cold they were and then he kissed him. It was a soft reassuring kiss that made Eddie smile. Richie pulled apart shortly after but kept his hands where they were, thumbs rubbing the other boy’s cheekbones.

Then he said, “They’ll go crazy for you, Eds, just like I did when I first met you.”

Eddie blushed. Then he smiled softly at Richie and said, “Let’s go meet your friends.”

Richie nodded. He opened the door, picked up the bag of ice and stepped inside.

“Alright, losers!” He yelled into the room, “The life and soul of the party is here, let’s get this show on the road!”

Most of the people inside cheered and whistled, but Eddie also heard a particularly heartfelt groan.

Shaking his head fondly, Eddie took a deep breath and followed Richie inside.

Next chapter is when 6/7 losers finally meet!!! And don’t think I’ve forgotten about Bill, he will get his chance as well.

[moonprincess92]

Fic: I don’t know what this is

Jyn accidentally slept with Cassian last night. 

This is fine. It’s totally fine. 

(Read on AO3)

“Shitballs.”

Jyn winced as the door creaked open, the goddamn bloody thing. The landlord had said he would oil it at some point, along with replacing the faulty fire alarms and the dodgy kitchen wiring, all of which was yet to happen, so she’d at least figured not to hold her breath on it. Shoes held tight in her hands, she deliberated the merits of trying to ease the door shut quietly, or just doing it all in one go in hopes that the noise wouldn’t be so bad. Hand gripping the latch, she ended up going with the latter, cursing once more at the horrific screeching.

“Fuck,” she hissed, hastily tiptoeing through the lounge, around the sofa and coffee table. “Fuuuuck, fuck, fuck, FUCK–”

“Well, well, well.”

She froze.

Wondering where the hell she had miscalculated, Jyn turned. Sure enough, in her morning stupor she must have forgotten to account for the Sunday Morning Jog since Leia Organa stood in the kitchen doorway in her pristine Nike gear and iPod already strapped her to her arm ready to go. However, her roommate was giving her The Look and Jyn was absolutely not in the fucking mood for The Look.

“Please, spare me,” she held up a hand, eyes closed. “I am hungover as all hell, if you say more than two sentences I may cry.”

“I think you’ll survive this time,” Leia mentioned dryly. Leaning against the doorframe, she crossed her arms over her sports bra and said, “So! Someone didn’t come home last night.”

Thankfully prepared for this particular question, Jyn gave what she hoped was a nonchalant shrug  (or at least that’s what she was going for when she had managed to rehearse it a couple of times in the bathroom this morning). “It was getting late and I was tired, so Cassian just let me crash at his,” she said.

“Oh,” Leia smirked. “so kind of him.”

“I said don’t–! Just…” Jyn rubbed her eyes, inwardly groaning.

If she had her way, the conversation would just end there. Jyn would inhale several glasses of water and some painkillers before proceeding to crawl back into bed so she could die in peace. However, she knew her roommate, and Leia Organa was a lawyer for a reason. She had an ass that didn’t quit, and it was the look on her face that finally made her crack.

“FINE, I fucking slept with him, ok?” Jyn burst out.

Leia laughed. “HOLY SHIT.”

“Holy shit sounds about right.”

“Ok – fuck the run,” Leia ripped the iPod off her arm, instead dashing into the kitchen. Jyn approached warily to see her hastily gathering up a supply of what seemed to be strong coffee and a varying array of snacks, only for Leia to then turn Jyn around and practically frog-march her back down the hall. “We’re getting this coffee in you,” Leia shoved the mug into her hands, making her drop her shoes. “and then you are telling me everything!”

“We’re gonna have to go back a bit.”

“Babe, we got nothing but time,” Leia insisted. 

“I can't believe I'm doing this,” Jyn muttered. "Fine, I guess it started last night when we all went out for drinks…" 

7 hours earlier 

“To getting fucked over!” Cassian cried over the pounding bass of the club. He rubbed his eyes, glancing at the now empty shot in his hands. “Jesus, how many of these have I had?”

“Probably too many and also not enough at the same time,” Jyn couldn’t help but grin.

“Yeah, mate,” Bodhi clapped him on the shoulder. “We’re trying to keep up, but…”

“Speak for yourself,” Kay grumbled, rounding off the table ensemble. “at least one of us has to keep us all from killing ourselves.”

“To Kay!” Cassian almost fell off his stool as he toasted his best friend with the empty shot glass. “May we all appreciate the fuck out of him when he’s taking us to the hospital to get our stomachs pumped!”

“To Kay,” Jyn shrugged.

“To Kay!” Bodhi agreed happily.

Kay just huffed.

Quite honestly, Jyn thought Cassian was doing remarkably well for a man whose life was essentially (and almost literally) going up in flames. His latest novel had been rejected a total of 46 times so far (and oh boy, did they know the exact number) and apparently the latest blow had come through right at the exact same time that he’d found out that his sister was having yet another baby. Kay had apparently come home to a mini-bonfire out on the balcony, his novel now burning under Manhattan’s skyline and Cassian in the middle of what appeared to be a minor breakdown. 

(“You DO realise that you have a copy on your computer still, right?” Kay had reportedly told him as he hastily put the fire out.

“It’s a metaphorical burning, Kay!” Cassian had thrown back at him). 

Either way, it had called for drinks, so the entire group had been called in. Han and Leia were apparently busy, so it was just Jyn and Bodhi who were the only ones who had been free last minute on a Saturday night. “Where did my life go wrong, Jyn?” Cassian had said to her in greeting earlier that evening, throwing his arms around her waist.

“Blimey,” Jyn had muttered. “can we get him drunk now? Please?”

But finally her friend appeared to have entered the depressed stage of drunkenness, rather than the far-too-enthusiastic stage. Cassian slumped down over the table and Bodhi laughed, rubbing a hand soothingly across his back. “Mate, it’s really not so bad,” he said. “so you got rejected, you always get rejected!”

“That’ll help, cheers, Bodhi,” Jyn mentioned.

Bodhi kicked her lightly under the table, but Cassian ran his fingers through his hair with an only slightly dramatic whine. “It’s not the rejection,” he said. “well, maybe partly… but my little sister is having kid number three. Three! You want to know how many kids I had by the time I was her age? ZERO, and it’s still zero, because I have no life outside work! I have a shitty day job, in a thoroughly shitty neighbourhood, living in a shittyapartment–”

“HEY,” Kay admonished.

“Sorry, you know it’s true,” Cassian just shrugged.

“All right, that’s it,” Jyn rolled her eyes. “No, I’m serious – get the hell up–” She reached across the table and shoved hard on Cassian’s shoulder, making him sit up warily. “Yeah, ok. Maybe things are shitty at the moment, but you are Cassian Fucking Andor, ok? However bad you might think it is, I can assure you it really isn't. You got things going for you.”

“Like what?” he said.

“Oh, I dunno,” Jyn rolled her eyes. “your mates are pretty goddamn decent.”

Thank the lord, he cracked a grin.

“True. I’ll forever appreciate the day you came crashing into my life.”

“That better not be sarcastic.”

“Noooo, no, I love you,” Cassian reassured, reaching out and squeezing her hand. Jyn scoffed, but let him curl around her fingers from across the table anyway. “All of you, seriously. Thank you for sorting me out while I’m going through what seems to be a quarter-life crisis.”

“Eh, haven’t we all had one of these at some point?” Bodhi shrugged.

“My life is fine, thank you,” Kay rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, and you totally didn’t freak out when you didn’t get accepted to NYU two years ago,” Jyn ribbed.

“That wasn’t – they accepted me the next year!” Kay burst out.

“Sure, sure.”

“I am literally in the engineering programme now, I don’t know why you–”

“So all our lives are shit,” Cassian just shrugged. “Let’s just get mind-numbly drunk on this Saturday night together, yes? I’ll get us another round–” 

“I’ll come with,” Jyn hastily jumped up as Cassian practically staggered from his stool at their table. She caught him before he could hit the ground, winding his arm around her shoulders. “I’m fairly certain you can’t walk by yourself at this point.”

“Thank you,” Cassian said as they made their way through the crowded club. It was dark, the music seeping into her bones. The shots from earlier were definitely starting to hit her head a little and Cassian’s waist was hot underneath her arm as he told her,

“Really, Jyn, I meant what I said. I love you.” 

“Yeah, yeah,” she snorted.

“Is my life really as bad as I’m thinking it is?”

“I told you, no, it’s not,” she said. “but you gotta drink your own weight in alcohol before you believe that, so.”

“I had a plan, you know,” Cassian’s head practically leaned against hers, yelling in her ear being the only way that they could really hear each other. “Get a good job, get married and have some kids – I wanted a life – but I’m 28 and I’m still trying to sell this goddamn book four years later–”

“It’s going to get picked up!” Jyn yelled back at him. “Jesus, Cassian, it’s not like you’re pushing retirement – you think I know what I’m doing with my life?”

“Ugh – I’m sorry,” Cassian squeezed her shoulders, kissing her head lightly. “let’s just get those shots.”

“Yes, please.” 

“So basically,” Leia cut in, the two of them now tucked up in Jyn’s bed, an open bag of potato chips between them and coffee in hand. “His life started falling apart and you fucked him better?”

“NO, blimey,” Jyn hoped to god that her face wasn’t as red as it felt. “Just let me tell the fucking story, ok?”

Several more shots and another crisis or two later, Cassian had thankfully entered the blissfully unaware of any/all worries stage of drunkenness and honestly, Jyn wasn’t far behind him. They had thrown back tequila together, Bodhi cheering loudly at the sting, before Cassian had grabbed her hands and said, “We need to fuckin’ dance, come dance with me!”

Usually, Jyn did not dance unless you paid her an extraordinary amount of money, but she was drunk-Jyn at the moment, and the amount that drunk-Jyn required got less and less the more and more alcohol you got in her. “Ok, but you owe me five bucks!” she yelled, allowing herself to get dragged onto the crowded dance floor. Cassian quite famously didn’t know how to dance at all, but he didn’t let it stop him as pop songs blasted out of the club mix. He slung Jyns’ arms around his neck, hauling her in at the waist. He moved, hips rolling into hers and Jyn matched his uncoordinated sways as best she could. She didn’t care that they probably looked ridiculous. The heat of the dance floor made her skin burn, although maybe that was his hand on her lower back, tracing the skin exposed from the cut-out of her dress. 

Ok. Ok. Maybe she should have stopped and thought for a moment before she got to this point, but it was fine. It was fiiiiiiine! This was who they were. Cassian was her best friend, had been ever since they’d met at Leia’s birthday party four years ago, back when he’d first moved to the city with nothing but a suitcase and bright ideas. They hugged, he kissed her head goodnight, she let him share her bed whenever it got late and he was too exhausted to take the train back home, it was honestly just who they were. Bodhi called bullshit on the closeness sometimes but he was wrong, all of them were wrong, because this was normal, this felt right –

It always felt right. Shit.

She glanced up at him under the lights. His eyes were closed, but they must have felt her watching because he looked down and grinned. God. It had to be the alcohol talking. It had to, because she didn’t feel like this around Cassian, or at least she certainly wasn't supposed to. No, not at all! 

She rocked up onto her toes and with their faces so close together, her lips slanted against his. For a second, they didn’t move. It wasn’t so much a kiss as it was just a brief touch, but he lingered under the lights and she felt him take a shuddering breath. Something passed between them and she wasn’t sure if it was a question or a reassurance, though considering how drunk they were it was probably both.

Fuck it, Jyn figured.

She kissed him again, harder and longer and like he was her air to breathe or some other bullshit like that. GOD, why hadn’t they been doing this as long as they had known each other? She clung to his collar, his hands roaming her hips, her back, her shoulders and she really had no idea what was happening, OH BOY WAS SHE PANICKING A LITTLE?! Her head was swimming. She had definitely drunk too much. 

“Fucking hell–” Jyn gasped as he bit her lip a little.

“Jyn – Jyn – we don’t do this–” Cassian breathed into her mouth, hand inside her dress now thanks to the cut-out at the back. “What am I doing – oh god–”

“Don’t put your hand there unless you plan on taking the entire thing off,” Jyn murmured against his lips.

“Fuck.”

“Fuck sounds about right, I don’t know why I said that.”

“This is a bad idea.”

“Super bad.”

“Our friendship is gonna be fucking ruined–”

“Exactly, so we shouldn’t–”

Their faces, however, weren’t listening and instead were gravitating towards each other without thought. Heat fuelled their kisses, both gasping, and hands snaking down their bodies. Jyn felt his every dip and curve under her fingers and eventually she threw all caution to the wind and said,

“Get outta here?’

“Oh, thank god.”

“So we went home and we fucked, the end,” Jyn finished the story without preamble.

Leia, apparently, wasn’t satisfied.

“We went home and fucked, the end?” she said in outrage. “Nope, I’m sorry, I need more! What actually HAPPENED?”

“What, do you want to know the position or something?”

“I need DETAILS, Jyn!” Leia demanded. “I mean shit, you slept with Cassian. CASSIAN. He’s not like Han, he doesn’t proudly and obnoxiously talk about his sex life in casual conversation–”

“I mean, that’s probably a good thing,” Jyn snorted.

“Yeah, well,” Leia rolled her eyes. “My point is, holy shit. What was it like? Was it good?”

“Of course not,” Jyn scoffed. “We were drunk. It was awkward and he came in like three seconds.”

Leia looked mightily disappointed.

But honestly, Jyn certainly hadn’t expected much else from Cassian considering he’d been so drunk at that point that he couldn’t even remember how to take his own shoes off. He’d tried, he really had, but she had kissed him hard enough to bruise and he was gone completely, and she wasn't going to fault him for it. Her head throbbed trying to think back, but she remembered the two of them giggling, staggering around in the dark and eventually falling into his bed. They’d been half dressed, she’d sworn spectacularly when his hips had ground against hers only to break off into a laugh as he pressed small kisses down the side of her face. There’d been too much fumbling, too much teeth and an awkwardly placed knee here and there, but Jyn felt the blinding smile spreading across her face despite it all.

“Jesus,” Leia mentioned. “must’ve been a fucking good three seconds. I’ve never seen you smile like that before.”

“Just because it was bad doesn’t mean I didn’t like it,” Jyn pointed out.

“OH MY GOD.”

But Jyn just drained her coffee before leaning her head back warily against her pillows.

“Leiaaaaaa, tell me honestly,” she moaned. “How badly did I fuck this up?”

“Depends how much you value your friendship, quite honestly.”

“You know us,” Jyn looked up desperately. “Leia, you know what we’re like, is this doomed? Is this something, are we something?”

“I don’t know!” Leia pointed out. “Hell, I can barely tell if you like ME most days, how am I supposed to tell how you feel about someone else?”

“I like you,” Jyn said.

“Reassuring, but still doesn’t help,” Leia said with a snort of laughter. “What did you say after?”

“Nothing, really,” Jyn admitted. It was a kind of haze. She remembered thinking that she was still breathing hard, still thrumming with heat and feeling like her head was on the verge of exploding, only there was so much alcohol in her system that all she'd felt like doing was sinking into his mattress. Cassian’s hand had reached out blindly, hitting her in the face, and she had snickered into his sheets. She remembered catching it, pulling it close to her chest and him pressing his nose to her hair.

“I think I fell asleep,” Jyn admitted.

“Clearly, seeing as you were trying to sneak in back home at,” Leia checked her phone. “6:15am.”

“I woke up and panicked, ok!” she cried. “What would you have done?”

“Well, I wouldn’t have slept with my best friend, for starters.”

“No, you only sleep with either arseholes or Han.”

“I’d argue, but honestly touché,” Leia said regretfully.

Jyn rubbed her eyes. “Leia, seriously, what the hell do I do?”

“Well, do you have feelings for him?”

“WHAT IS A FEELING?”

“JYN.”

“Look, I don’t know!” she cried, trying not to splash Leia's cooling coffee everywhere. “Sure, I’ve always liked him, like you said he’s one of my best mates and we’ve always been close, but – we’ve never gone there until now and I don’t know why.”

“Have you ever considered it?”

“Maybe?”

“This isn’t a time for guessing, Jyn.” 

“OK, ok! Yes, I’ve considered it a couple times,” she burst out. “but it was never seriously, it was always joking with Shara at work or something, a ‘your friend’s hot’ ‘oh fuck yeah’ something like that. But something just happened last night and it was like…”

“A switch got flicked.”

“Something like that.”

What was she even supposed to do from here? She didn’t know what she wanted and she was fairly certain she shouldn’t face him again until she did, but there was a reason they were all friends! They saw each other on a fairly regular basis, it would be blindly obvious if she started avoiding him and quite frankly, she really didn’t want to. She enjoyed his company, his usually quiet charismatic vibe naturally meshing with her. They didn’t have to say a lot when they were together, but it was like a thousand conversations passed between them anyway. They could spend an entire evening just spread out on the couch, legs tangled and on their individual phones the entire time and call it a great night. They’d both had shit happen to them in the past, they both had shit to deal with now, but there was always something just inherent that made them understand each other.

Was this really worth potentially ruining all that?

Before she could even try and explain all of this to Leia, someone knocked at the door.

“I swear to god, if that’s Han forgetting his keys again I’m gonna–” Leia began, but Jyn grabbed at her arm frantically.

“What if it’s him?” she hissed.

“How could it be, you literally left him out cold after fucking his brains out, right?”

“Wait, wait – LEIA,” Jyn stage cried as she attempted to drag her roommate back to bed with her. However, Leia just kept on ploughing for the door, letting Jyn hang onto her arm with no problems. Jyn’s socked feet slid uselessly down the hallway as she attempted to keep Leia back all the way to the door and she had to practically hide herself in the kitchen when she answered it.

“ANDOR. Jesus, you must've run fast. Do you realise what time it is?”

“I know, I know it’s early, I’m sorry – but um, is Jyn –?”

“Oh, she’s here,” Leia smirked. She turned, grabbing Jyn and having no problems being the one to pull her out into the open.

Goddamn it, Leia.

Jyn found herself facing Cassian once more, less than an hour after dragging herself more or less naked from his bed. He wore old jeans and a large stained sweatshirt and considering she was still in her clothes from the night before, he was probably doing a little better than her at any rate. Leia managed to slink back out of the line of fire as the two of them continued to just stand there in the doorway and eventually, Jyn had to at least try and push through this because clearly he wasn’t going to any time soon.

“Hey,” she said, brightly. “So that tequila, huh? Tell me, does your head hurt as much as–”

He reached out and held her face, kissing her hard in one smooth movement.

“–god,” she gasped once he broke away from her.

“Shit, I’m sorry – to be fair, I think I’m still a little drunk,” Cassian’s hands wavered a little as they pulled away. “but you left before I had a chance to say – um – I don’t regret it, ok? Shit, shit, shit, I don’t know what I’m saying – actually forget all of this, we’ll pretend it never happened – have a good day!” 

“Hold on–”

Jyn had to grab his wrist to stop him from panicking and slamming the door behind him. She pulled him inside before shutting the door, only once she had him standing there in front of her clearly in some stage of inward meltdown once again, she suddenly found that she didn’t know what it was she wanted to say. Damn it, this is why she shouldn’t be trusted with emotions! She probably needed to start somewhere though, and an apology seemed fitting considering that she’d basically jumped him at what had appeared to be the most vulnerable he’d been in his life since she’d known him.

“Cassian, I’m so sorry for last night,” she insisted. “you were emotional, I took advantage of it.”

“No, no, you could never take advantage–”

“But you wouldn’t have slept with me if you weren’t–”

“Trust me, Jyn, I would have.”

“Damn,” she let out a breath, trying not to smile as he let out a similar laugh. “Ok. Shit, Cassian…”

“Look,” He shuffled his feet a little. “again, I don’t regret last night. I regret how drunk I was, because I don’t actually remember a lot and I fear I was mostly off my game, but we fit together well and I–”

“Wanna try again?”

She was almost certain that he was having a heart attack.

Yes, maybe this fucked up their friendship, but it was the least of her concerns. This man was standing in front of her at six in the morning because he cared and damn it, she could only imagine how great it could get if they had sex a second, third or even a fourth time. His life was a mess but hell, maybe this would make it slightly better and she pulled him down to her, his lips hot against hers as he responded in earnest.

“I hope your head doesn’t hurt too much,” she grinned.

“Oh, I’ll survive.”

Jyn pulled away to yell back into the apartment. “LEIA,” she hollered, Cassian attaching himself to her neck. “I’d go for that run now if I were you!”

“Thank the lord,” She heard, rather than felt Leia stomp past as Jyn went back to making out in the middle of the hallway. “I’ll be back much, much later. You kids have fun!”

“Oh, we will,” Cassian whispered into her ear before picking her up under her thighs and carrying her down to her bedroom.

Oh, we will.