#she most likely never thought she would have a chance to do sth with them until ep 7's bridge fight

[sovamurka]

let's be honest, for very ironic reasons, official writers were not really responsible for timebomb being so good, fortiche carried most of the timebomb writing

yes, even in s1 since this is really where writers (*VERY LOUD COUGH* amanda) picked up on very delicate and deliberate details that fortiche put in s1e7, details which could be potentially explored later (as a side plot, of course *sarcasm*, we don't want to overshadow other dynamics of the show, do we?)

but especially in s2 since it's basically confirmed by pascal charrue, fortiche's co-founder, that the episode fortiche studio were most emotionally and creatively involved with in matters of writing is episode 7

which is even further confirmed by linke in the artbook where he states that episode 7 is basically a literal love letter to french culture and that he hopes fortiche is really proud of it

like... wow, the "nobody loves timebomb more than french people do" joke is actually not a joke at all

[runabout-river]

Thoughts on JJK chapter 251 (spoilers)

As I thought, Yuta's slash didn't do that much damage but it's still enough that Sukuna has to actively heal himself and we also find out that Sukuna's assumption from before the time skip was true: the good guys do have the last finger and that's most likely because of Gojo.

I wonder how Yuta managed to copy his CT though because he needs to ingest part of the person and it doesn't look like he was the one ingesting Sukuna's last finger. Maybe Yuji did and Yuta ate part of him? Maybe Sukuna is also wrong and the last finger was never eaten at all.

Yuji and Sukuna have an awesome brawl right in front of us and I'm living for it especially with how menacing Sukuna looks here and how Yuji spat in his face.

Yuji pumps himself up by thinking about his last chance to save Megumi while Sukuna thinks about how his control of his body is slipping and how his CE output is weakening. It looks good for Yuji's team because Sukuna is taking a beating instead of turning the tables on them.

Sukuna decides on tanking the Jacob's Ladder and cutting his three opponents up but they had already planned for that so:

Yuta rips Bellymouth's tongue out, Rika is holding two of Sukuna's arms, Yuji is holding one arm, Sukuna attacks Yuta but his slashes are too weak to stop him so Sukuna's mouth gets slashed, his face explodes because Yuji's blood and one arm gets cut off.

They really trained for this event with all their might.

We go into a flashback about Yuki's notes and how souls work. Basically, they'll never become one even if they can get mixed up a little. Choso says sth interesting here: the soul of the person he inhabits is completely gone, Yuki's notes say that that soul has sunken into extreme depths

This means that the soul was either ejected from the body by the cursed object, or its sunken so deep that it can't be pulled out again because otherwise Yuki would've talked about the moral dilemma that every incarnated sorcerer + plus Choso would face about giving back their stolen bodies

If I remember correctly, Mahito wasn't able to combine two souls either because they rejected each other. In Megumi's case however we know that Sukuna and Megumi's souls are separate so their plan should work...

😢

Sukuna's plan to completely subjugate Megumi was stronger than this part of Yuji's plan to simply shake him awake. But I'm sure that they also planned for this outcome because:

Yuji knows the feeling of despair that Sukuna will put you under. He and Gojo also knew what Tsumiki meant to Megumi and they definitely found out that she was killed by Sukuna. Yuji would've feared this outcome and prepared himself accordingly. Now he has to be the one to save not only Megumi's body but also his soul.

To get to this level of despair, Megumi went through:

Shock of Tsumiki's possession

The Bath in cursed energy

The killing of Tsumiki

Sukuna eating 4 additional fingers + his old head

Megumi suffering through 1700 years of information through UV inflicted on him by his teacher (I counted)

Killing Gojo

This boy really had enough but Yuji once stood in the exact same place. He got up again and so will Megumi.

However weak, Sukuna uses his World Ending Slash on Yuji, Yuta and Rika. Megumi might or might not have managed to take his body back at this point if he had had the will to do it.

Yuta's arm is definitely cut but his torso looks a bit better. At least it's still drawn in one line. Yuji looks better off overall but unlike Yuta he actually has a bit of an immunity to Sukuna's CE.

Yuta's DE breaks and this might be the point for him where he taps out but no fear, Maki is here

Sukuna smiles at her because he most likely wanted to fight her properly and we have a break next week

What now, some more thoughts:

Like I said, the fight for Megumi goes on if he wants to or not, Yuji is here to save him

We now have a concrete point on where his story went down to: it's not the crazy or evil path but the crushed path

The other paths might still come though

As I've pointed out a hundred times, Tsumiki's soul is here! She already made contact with Megumi before the Yorozu reveal! She only has to find a way to communicate with her brother

Mai's soul too could come to help him. Her soul is in Maki's Split Soul Katana. Every time she cuts Sukuna with it, Mai could try to talk with Megumi just like Yuji does with his fists.

When Sukuna's CE is finally on normal sorcerer levels, Nobara might make her grand return with Resonance and show Megumi that at least one dead friend came back to him

Phew, this was an emotional chapter.

[sopphiex]

The chances of this being accurate are low, but never zero, so here's my take on how the relationship between Eddie and Marisol could go:

7x05: Eddie and Marisol starting over because they don't know anything about eachother, their relationship based only on sexual interactions (which still baffles me bc what is this version of Eddie???? It's like he was unable to focus on anything else beside how pent up he was because he wasn't getting any????) and don't even get me started on her moving in and out in the span of a few days without involving Chris in any capacity. They could've showed them being unable to share stuff about their personal lives without this whole living together fiasco. What were the writers thinking coming up with this storyline? Truly the most bizarre thing to happen in season 7, next to Marisol being a nun (although if it was a plot device to kick start Eddie's journey with catholic guilt I will allow it).

7x06: I honestly don't think we will see Marisol at all. First of all, the actress hasn't posted anything from set from this time (and we all know she wouldn't pass up the opportunity to show her wedding outfit or another selfie from the trailer with her being the attention seeker that she is). Second of all, there's probably not enough screen time and she's not that important of a character to be included in this whole storyline. Eddie might mention her in passing like he did in 7x04 but I think that's it.

7x07: Now here's when things might get interesting. I want to see them break up, I really do, not only because the actress is shitty but she's basically a nobody this far into the series and I don't see how they could suddenly make us care for her. Tim saying how he didn't know what to do with her tells me enough that she's not sticking around and he's just trying to fix the mess KR left. Let's not forget Tim saying that at least one relationship (bucktommy or eddisol) will have complications. I'll bet my money the couple in question will be Eddie and Marisol. The episode being titled "Ghost of a Second Chance" (which literally means sth has a little chance of succeeding) makes me think we will see Eddie trying to get to know Marisol (but i'm begging, no more sex scenes between them, once is enough, don't do this to us again) and him coming to realization how little he truly likes about her. I would like to see him go "wait, I actually don't want to do this with her, she's not someone who i want to be with". I think it's too soon for him to see how uncomfortable relationships with women make him and why he always feels like "he has to perform" but it would be a pleasant surprise if they did actually dive into it already. I don't know what exactly could trigger him to break up with Marisol (and I think it will be Eddie who puts an end into this relationship based on the ending of the last episode) but it would be nice if we got some kind of parallel to his breakup with Ana and the "I thought it would work". Since Ryan said in one of his interviews that Eddie has enough on his plate this season, I don't think he will have any kind of feelings realization regarding Buck in 7x07, but if this storyline further explores his repression then count me in, I'm getting my snacks and my drinks and I'm seated.

(just watch this being completly wrong when E*y Gan*m posts another selfie in her 911 trailer in a few days)

[batri-jopa]

WIP ASK MEME

Thank you @notasapleasure for tagging me!

Who should I tag now? Maybe @zorilleerrant and @figuringthengsout ... And whoever else wants to join! It's two month old tag game so every writer probably have been tagged already😅

Now I don't believe anyone would be really interested in my WIPs (though you're all invited to surprise me!) I just hope that maybe writing about my unfinished writings would feel like actually doing something about it? And listing your problems could be the first step to solve them so...

Let's do this:

AND THEN WE DANCED:

"DAFT"* - fix-it-fic: I decided that Irakli definitely MUST see Merab sleeping in front of his granny's block. The rest of the movie plot I try to leave as untouched as I could so it is still far from easy happy ending. But at least I gave them time to think and chance to work on it. And whenever they feel relaxed they start to behave silly for that's the part of their relationship dynamics that I adore❤️ *Note: fic was inspired with Maurice by E.M. Forster where "a happy ending was imperative". I even made few scenes or characters' thoughts as homage to either scenes from a Maurice book or from its movie adaptation. But I doubt ATWD fans know Maurice and even less that Maurice fans care for ATWD. That is I'm not sure if there more than two persons like this, including me😅

WIP with working title: "DEFY THE WORLD"* - could be treated as sequel of DAFT (I decided to put here all the ideas that did't fit to main narration of "Daft". It's a bit like "Mary Poppins in the park" for that matter). All in all - Merab and Irakli are still together in Georgia somehow! I try to give very little details about place and time as possible (I was never good in world building, analysing interactions is what I prefer - so I trust your brains to fill up the gaps💪). I simply just enjoy writing short scenes and some cute aspects of their relationship in my free time. Some are quite good I think. And some are NSFW. *my first idea of working title was "Cud, miód i orzeszki" - it is Polish untranslable phrase indicating a very pleasant situation, and I love it because "orzeszki" means nuts (very important ingredient in georgian cuisine!) but also because you can't say the word "orzeszki" without ending up with broad sweet silly smile on your face - and that's exactly the mood that I wish for our boys!❤️

SOME JUST STAY UNSEEN (aka NIGHT NATION) explaination: that's my vampire story initially inspired with anime series Black Blood Brothers - especially with its minor character Kelly Wong and her people. The moment she told Mimiko sth like: "You don't need to worry, I just had a snack" in the most casual way and gave her that grin - she stole my heart and possesed my mind. Ever since then I've been wondering and analysing, and theorising, and inevitably world-building: were do young, poor, not-noble vampires like her hunt? Were do they live? How do they survive? How do they support each other as a community? My story takes place in "alternative universe central Europe", does not include any of BBB characters and also I changed some rules of vampirism - so I actually don't treat it as fanfic anymore.

Presence (1990s) - story of Robbie, the teenager who was just recently changed into vampire and is struggling to learn the rules of that weird new world, with help of his vampire older brother, Jerr.

Past life of other vampires around (gradually revealed in the main narration but Robbie often stays unaware of those): young widow Jen, jewish girl Arue (turned during WWII by The Oldest), her sister Pam (who Arue turned in 1950s), Apter (The Oldest vampire in this part of the area, changed in medieval times [the name is fucking stupid but initially I named him Sayo which turned out to be a female name]). Jerr's past remains unknown for longest

Human perspective of Alex, a teenage girl who became Robbie's friend

I was writing this story for so many years already (it's spinning in my brain since... 2009? Or longer?) that I feel like I grew up with it. I witnessed my brain gradually turning from empathysing with young Rob - to finally choosing POV of his older brother, Jerr. There's almost no romantic interactions, because I honestly never felt any need for them (I discovered that I am aromantic just 2 years ago - and now I'm fascinated to see how obviously aromantic all my vampire-OCs always were without me even knowing). The story is fucking long (about 500 pages in Word document) and needs huge edition (many important scenes I was describing 4 or even 5 times, always with a bit different details). And the whole thing is written in Polish - if I ever plan to share it I'd need to translate to English with Google Translator or sth.

Should I also list things that I most probably won't even write down? You may notice an obvious pattern of my interest through this... Have some drawings for entertainment:

STORIES NEVER TOLD

OBSESSION OF BLUE - story of winged people. Main character, Nomin, grows up in the country with other winged people only (I had a lot of fun with their world building) but then once is send on another continent to the country of wingless people and stucks there. So he tries to survive among them, hiding his wings and learning different language and culture. His greatest friend back home is a talking cat, Meton, he once got for his birthday. Very sarcastic one. Actually the most interesting character I suppose. Though I like all the moments Nomin behaves so weird in the eyes of the wingless.

KOSA - a winged girl from the same universe as Nomin only she was raised among wingless people in some postapocaliptic fantasy environment. Not knowing anyone like her she is trying hard to be a "normal" girl as is expected from her, though she has passion for long travels and climbing trees. Once she notices her wings start to turn black and she is terrified that she'd turn into a demon (could not know it is a normal sign of a adolescence). So she hides her wings and supress everything her heart desire and still feels like a failure. But when one day her father-figure gets imprisoned, she decides to safe him and that's when she starts to learn how to live and act on her own. That's the girl with sword

CAT RIDER - a young girl (Millie) takes care of an injured tiny guy (Drannen) who fell from the sky. Overcoming the initial prejudice the guy starts to like his young giant caretaker but one day have to return home (he leaves few jewels as gift for her and takes a kitten with him). Another part of the story is few years later: the girl who were turned into a liliput by a bad witch. She meets her old friend who is now a cat rider (she has no idea that he is also a prince). I had a lot of fun with world-building. Nuff said Drannen's compannions call her "the girl who is afraid of her meal" after seeing her reaction to earthworm on her plate

WEIRD TWO FOOTED CREATURE (aka Feet Fetishist) - young centaur meets a human girl on his walk, takes her home and treats as a fascinating exotic pet. Then he gradually learns that she is a person. And that's when their problem appears because centaurs' society is very conservative. (here's Ain and Ida)

WHEELS - very stupid story of boy meets a girl. Or rather get caught? Boy is on wheelchair and girl is... umm, weird? (well, not neurotypical, that's for sure). Anyway the story contains drinking for courage, memory loss, condensed silliness and stupid sexual puns/NSFW. And how was all this inspired with Wheels by Billy Vaughn I can not quite explain (there's also Sail along silvry moon I love it!) I actually always wanted to share this story (anonymously because of how stupid it is) though I never had the courage (what if it's only funny for me? Or if someone would feel offended? I'd burn from shame). On the other hand I guess there's no better place for it than tumblr🤔 But be aware that my most favorite relationship dynamics is "being idiotic together".

I even made few illustrations inventing my new drawing style just for these guys: (the girl here is drunk AF and I love her)

WOLFALIKES - Faith, Love and Hope are three brothers in fantastic world of wolf-alike creatures. Faith is strong (often called Truth for how much knowledge he have and how honest he is), Love is tender and wise and Hope is easy forgiving joy bringer. There's quite sad part because Love and Hope get killed by Hate, Despair and Lie... but they can't be gone just like that, could they? In the other part of the story there's interesting relationship between Faith and Temptation. More about three brothers on my deviantart

NO-WOLF'S TAIL - few stories within a story. All containing wolf-alikes along with demons, spirits, death and trauma. One angry wolf-character with dissociative fugue (after a traumatic quest with his compannion freezing to death and himself halucinating and almost freezing too) becomes a wandering demon-fighting spiritualist (but after another trauma he comes back to his old personality and remembers nothing of what he achieved). Other curious and adventurous young wolf is given the magical power to turn into a human to protect some very important girl - but once a girl gets aware of who he is it becomes complicated (while he's fine with eventually sacrifying his life for her but she's definitely not alright with it). And then there's also a grumpy outcast wolf living in an old castle with bunch of dogs (who despise and avoid him) and his only friend becomes a mouse. Both are disrespected by dogs's society and only have each other. Wolf gets somebody who cares about him despite being scared and the mouse (naive and good heart, easily abused by dogs) gets protection and self-esteem from the wolf.

SARIANS - talking cats on a quest to find a promised land. What's more to say about it? I was a teen and needed an excuse to draw bows and arrows, cats, dragons, foxes and goats... More about sarian cats on my deviantart

[emerulynn]

uh so remember when i said i'll draw Rook with a ton of piercings when i have free time? well i don't have free time but im still gonna doodle him anw. I'll make a clearer more detailed version showcasing all of the piercings he has on himself in a later post someday.

Headcanons I need to get out of my system to study

Rook has a big collection of piercings because of his running internal dialogue of "Do I really need this" and "Oh but it does seem intriguing" (which also caused him to store a lot of knick-knacks he finds on missions or down Undercity in his room).

His collection is filled with piercings that radiate "lesbian earrings" vibes but he wears the more casual and minimal ones most of the time because he doesn't want the special ones to get dirty or destroyed in an unexpected attack or sth.

A good portion of them are gifts from Ben, Gwen, Kevin, Shar and Rook Ben.

Some of them are handmade ones. Rook, being Rook ofc, went the extra mile and made them gadgets in the guise of jewelry. I haven't thought too much abt this tho but there'll be walkie-talkie earrings (naturally), earrings that are also tranquilizer darts, camera earrings and so on. He takes great inspiration from Kingsman and a handful of old spy movies he refuses to admit he loves enjoys because of how "unrealistic and overly-dramatic" they were.

While Ben was the one who gave Rook his first piercing and earring, Gwen was the one who got him sorta addicted (in a healthy sense) to it. I think Gwen in her early 20s will pierce her nose and eyebrows, she's always wanted to but never really had the chance because she knew her mom would freak if she knew (it's not like she has fur to cover up the holes like Rook). So, the first time Gwen decided to pierce her nose, she brought Rook with her (ofc Ben and Kevin also tagged along for fun) and entertained him with the idea of getting his rook (yes pun intended) pierced. She was pleasantly surprised Rook agreed and they became piercing buddies since then.

Piercing was Rook's first "kinda Earthling" hobby, unrelated to his truk, his proto-tool and the whole Plumber business in general so Ben was glad Rook wasn't a full-time workaholic anymore.

[zenon-karr]

Just was thinking about how our anti posts for Melville are never ever intended to be aimed at making milkvans change their minds! They’re for us analyzing byler!! They’re for people who already agree not for those who disagree!! Nobody is really being just a melvin hater. I think we all can’t stand the homophobic shippers more than the actual ship Itself. The issue isn’t they ship it over byler it’s the fact /they/ have issues with us analyzing contrary to their ship. And rather than just saying they think Melville is endgame they have to be homophobic about it towards those who think byler is endgame despite the fact they were more popular before s4. They try to convince US rather than our anti minivan posts are for us not for them! This person aimed entire analysis against byler endgame TO us to make us feel delusional when all we been doing is just be excited. It’s be different if people were harassing Noah or sth and that the motive. But nobody was doing this so it just come across annoying and rude. That why we think antis are homophobic because you antagonize us just for analyzing byler is endgame. You can think it’s not endgame on your own space and that doesn’t make you homophobic obviously but when you aim it at us it comes off so homophobic and rude. I’m not sure if these posters were Melville but it’s almost same logic at this point like if you’re just antagonizing queer shippers for shipping it and calling them delusional it’s p homophobic to me. It’s different if it’s in response to people acting poorly but we’re just antagonizing for people shipping and hoping for endgame - how can you not see how it comes across??? We don’t care about the ancient queer baiting ships that were huge before any chars were even confirmed queer. Our ship got big coz they confirmed Will is in love with Mike and because and it’s open ended how Mike feels. END OF!!

In the end of the day, exterior positive or negative commentary by cast and crew for byler don’t matter unless it’s them saying explicitly no as a matter of fact - see johnlock and destiel. (I’m johnlock so not anti). However nothing in the show said how Mike feels. Loving another character does NOT say they don’t love also another see Archie with Betty and Veronica (comic or riverdale) this what I love triangle IS! I saw byler in s2 so I’m confident since then coz there’s no reason to show a close shot of Mike’s hand touching Will’s a la:

Anyway enjoy Mike reciprocating Will’s love:

At the end of the day even anti Melville meta doesn’t matter or blue meets yellow in the west analysis - what does matter is simple stuff like they’ve set up a love triangle. It’s common sense that it’s reciprocated whether Mike is gay or bi! It doesn’t matter most love triangles have one party who loves more than one person or is dating another. Archie literally said he loved Betty and Veronica in one season of Riverdale and is always in comics can’t decide between them! It’s not unrealistic or delusional to think Mike and Will is requited even if the monologue is genuine! They also set it up like benverly she thought the poem was from Bill so she loved him till she realized the poem was from Ben and you can say his weight is parallel with Will being queer and they both would think there’s 0 chance their love is requited and it was because the poem and painting act a representation of loving a person for who they are not what they look like or gender etc. anyway bylers I love you! Sorry we had to see so much anti takes in one day. ✨💚

[talkingbl]

Top 6 Most Anticipated [Confirmed] BLs of 2023 (so far)!

If I can speculate...I'd add something something Semantic Error 2, something something Bump Up Business, but I'm tired of looking stupid. DMD had me placing Bed Friend as a most anticipated BL for damn near two years now and stayed coming up short. This time, I'm sticking to what I know. So, here we are--my top 6 most anticipated BLs of 2023 (thus far)! -

6) HIStory5: Love in the Future | LinusSean & JasonAnson

lbr, this is a 2023 bl trapped in a 2022 bl's body. Either way, I love a good time travel theme (gives fish out of water--my favorite trope!!) and the HIStory series usually gives us a good main couple.

5) Love Upon a Time | NetJames

Either DMD really believes in NetJames or they feel bad for cucking them in favor of ZeeNunew this past year. Either way, I am somewhat seated for this. Wild, I never expected this from NetJames or DMD more generally, but the historical portion of the story is giving everything I've been begging for from Thailand since I started watching BL. While it's not giving MileApo's period piece trailer in terms of care and attention to detail, it seems very interesting to say the least.

4) Bed Friend | NetJames

After 2 years of blue balling viewers, DMD is FINALLY giving the girls Bed Friend. I am so excited to see an office romance with actual tension between the leads and that forbidden love vibe I love so much. The story is so classic and seems entertaining from beginning-to-end. Hopefully the writing is good and the acting takes a step forward from what DMD has given so far. That said, the trailer looks promising, so fingers crossed!

3) The Next Prince (....what? It gave budget....) | ZeeNunew

Listen, I am not a zonzon or bonbon or ztormborn or whatever they call ZeeNunew stans, but I am SEATED for this. In my last list, I included Cutie Pie in my most anticipated list. Unfortunately, it didn't hit like I thought it would. But I'm willing to give them another chance as this trailer is intriguing. They're hitting budget, royalty AU, enemies (??) to lovers, direction, cinematography, etc. with this one. And the fact that the trailer was mostly silent gives me hope that maybe, just maybe, they will take the show-don't-tell subtext-led approach to acting and writing. Just hope it's not wasted on a terrible plot that goes nowhere and grating acting. S/n: Zee doing stuff w/feet again??

2) Cherry Magic (Thailand) (stfu GMMTV antis and jbl elitists, I'm tryna see sth...) | TayNew

She has no trailer and I'm already here for her.

Per MDL -

Adapted from Japan's 30-sai made Dotei Da to Mahotsukai ni Nareru rashii. Adachi Kiyoshi [Achi in the Thai version] is a regular salaryman who, at the age of 29, was still a virgin. On his 30th birthday, he suddenly finds himself acquiring a new power - the ability to read other people's minds whenever he touches them. Shocked and unnerved by this new ability, he struggles to cope. That is, until one day he accidentally touches the handsome and popular fellow office-worker, Kurosawa Yuichi [Karan in the Thai version], only to find out that [Karan] actually has secret romantic feelings for him. How will [Achi] cope with this new revelation?

Look, I tried the original Cherry Magic and while the concept was appealing, the execution wasn't for me. Ngl chefs, I was bored a bit. But I still love the concept and am interested to see if and how GMMTV and Taynew can handle this. It better give budget at the very least (probably won't lol). Perhaps we'll also see Newwie grow into a more serious BL role. But honestly, even if they turn it into a rom-com, I think this can really work. Either way, they have a lot of eyes on them and a lot of folks predicting their downfall. They must deliver.

1) Only Friends | NeoMark, ForceBook, FirstKhao, ForceNeo, to say the least

Where do I even start with this? Who in the fresh hell could have predicted GMMTV to come through with this? ALL the pairings are intriguing, MANY of the actors can ACT (or at least try to), THE PLOT is something straight out of my romance dreams!!! We love hotties being messy!!!! I am incoherent at this. How did GMMTV manage to outplay the player (ME)?

But to be serious, this is the most interesting BL plot in awhile... And it gets at a real part of the 20/30-something hookup culture that we have (and that people are afraid to show in the context of LGBTQ+ relationships). It's also breaking the mold and allowing actors to explore characters outside of their established ships. It's not adapted from anything (that I know of), which is, like, a first for a GMMTV BL. It includes pairings that are either on the rise (FirstKhao) or that no one could have ever seen coming but somehow feel just right (NeoMark, ForceNeo) (btw, NeoMark are up next in this industry ;)). Plus, it's directed by Jojo Tichakorn who directed and wrote for 3WBF (one of my favorite Thai dramas with a strong BL theme), and has his hands in Never Let Me Go and The Warp Effect (both with strong showings thus far). I trust him but it's gonna really come down to the budget, post-production, and, most importantly, the acting.

Thing is, Neo and First are going to show up and I trust Khao to give a strong effort. Force, I'm not too sure about but the trailer doesn't give me high hopes to be honest. Still, I'm willing to forgive if he can fuck Neo like he means it if the rest of the cast can pull their own weight. And for Mark, I'm willing to bet he'll improve from My School President (which he already is showing promise in). I'm mainly weary because the story looks to be told from Mew's perspective, who is played by Book. IMO Book is not the best....so I'm hoping he shows up. I just need it to really come together and Book holds the key to it in his hands. GMMTV already is a sketchy company for other reasons, don't waste my fucking time with yet another good concept gone by the wayside b/c y'all wanted face over talent.

Also NeoMark please don't be problematic. I want to love Badminton shawty and the best actor at GMMTV not named Gun ATP 😢

[rosierin]

Who survives? ○△□

=> Haikyuu edition

fandoms; haikyuu x squid game

warnings; violence, death, blood, vomitting, swearing, trauma

includes; many

<= previous, honeycomb

=> next, tug of war

a/n: i really struggled writing this one so tis a little late

just a heads-up, i tried mixing the scenarios up depending on the team, that's why some will focus more on the bloodbath itself, while others will focus more on before the bloodbath, such as their feelings towards the games, how they mourn their losses..etc

i did this mainly so you, as a reader, wouldn't get bored, but also partly for myself! i like variety when i write and i felt like writing 40 sth fight scenes would get a little redundant

oh also, some characters ive decided to put into one, since their stories are very much intertwined

anywho enough rambling, here's part three!

For the sake of this AU I'm pretending that the characters know nobody except those within their respective volleyball team.

NIGHT 2 : THE PURGE

Karasuno;

Player 001 (Daichi).

Player 002 (Sugawara), eliminated.

If there was something Karasuno had learned about the second night, it was that nobody was safe.

It served as a reality check, cutting through any sense of complacency that may grow in the off-hours. So far, while the players have been in the massive dorm, they’ve gotten a break from the fear of being killed. But there are no breaks; a gruesome murder led by player 101, if Suga recalls correctly, revealed that no matter how a player dies— on the game floor or in the dorm, by a guard’s gun or a player’s hands— their death counted toward the cash total. When that became known, it was like a whole new feature had been added to the game and all of a sudden, it was like the whole room reeked of predatory instinct, of the urge to kill.

"Please help the others. You can all make it out alive. I trust you."

Daichi's words haunt Suga's mind, etched to the back of his brain like a headache he can't shake off. Keeping his word had never been an issue beforehand, but this time, he fears this might be a promise he cannot keep. One glance around the room and it was easy to tell who the easy pickings would be; the girls, the young, the old, the scrawny— the weak. And although on the court Karasuno were considered a powerful opponent, here, on the battlefield, they wouldn't stand a chance.

If only Nishinoya and Tanaka were here, if there were anyone on the team with more of a fighting drive, it was them. Even Asahi, albeit being as gentle as can be, would've most likely held his own. And Daichi... If only he were here to speak the right words, lead their team in the right direction.

Alas, those thoughts were nothing but pointless endeavours. The fact of the matter was that their captain was gone, and now that role was up to Suga.

No pressure.

Player 003 (Asahi).

Player 007 (Kiyoko) & Player 006 (Yachi), passed.

Kiyoko would love to say that she could protect Yachi no matter what. However, she's also smart, she knows where her abilities lie, and unfortunately combat isn't one of them. She's seen the people she shared the stadium with, and most of them were men, some almost two feet taller than her and definitely packed more of a punch that her frail arms could. Therefore, she resorts to the only thing she could think of; hiding. She grabs Yachi and urges her to slip under the beds. Yachi doesn't seem too convinced at first but she too knows that this is the only thing they could do. Once hidden, they huddles together, Yachi small in Kiyoko's embrace, and together they pray that they make it through the night.

Player 005 (Tanaka).

Player 004 (Nishinoya).

Player 011 (Tsukishima) & Player 012 (Yamaguchi), passed.

Before lights out, Suga had suggested staying in a group— safety in numbers and all, but he should've known that things never went to plan.

Come lights out, it barely takes five minutes before first blood, the entire dormitory turning into a vicious onslaught. Screaming fills the space, pleas of mercy and cries for help falling on deaf ears. Yamaguchi and Tsukishima manage to find each other in the darkness, however save for themselves, the rest of the team is nowhere to be seen.

In a moment of panic, Tsukishima urges that they stay back to back to protect their blind spots, the flickering lights doing little to aid their escape. Yamaguchi stutters out Tsukki's name a few times, asking what to do next, but even Tsukishima, as smart and reliable as he may be, finds himself at a loss.

It's a ridiculous sight to behold, Tsukishima thinks— two boys caught amidst a bloodbath, frozen in place like deers caught in headlights. Strength had never been Tsukishima's forte, but never in a million years had he imagined that he'd be paying for the consequences like this.

He's only roused from his bitter thoughts when Yamaguchi cries Tsukishima's name and before he knows it, he's caught in a headlock. His eyes go wide, mouth agape as the arm wrapped around his throat blocks out any pleas he may think to articulate. In a desperate attempt to survive, Tsukishima tries clawing at his attacker, but it's not enough to successfully pry away their hold. It's too late, he thinks—

This is where it ends.

Around him it's like the world's come to a standstill, what's left of his conscience barely registering the almost seizure-inducing lights, nor the sounds of violence that once made his head spin. Now, all he sees is darkness as his eyes roll back into his skull, the arms of death open and awaiting his fall.

But the embrace never comes.

Instead, he falls to his knees, breathless and confused, the grip of his attacker no longer around his neck. Before him, a wide-eyed and shaking Yamaguchi, clutching what appears to be a metal pole.

Then, the lights come on.

There's a clinking sound as Yamaguchi drops his weapon, and only now does Tsukishima realise he's drenched with blood. Incoherent babbling falls from the freckled boy's lips, a jumbled mix of apologies and 'i didn't have a choice' as he takes a few cautious steps towards the blond, like he's afraid of what he'd think.

"It's not your fault," Tsukishima says, his words finally pushing Yamaguchi over the edge. He throws himself into his arms, sobbing mournfully and when words fail him, Tsukishima pulls him into a hug, rocking him, comforting him, and in a moment's release, finally allows days of pent up trauma and frustration run endlessly down his cheeks.

Player 009 (Kageyama), passed.

Kageyama rather play the honeycomb game ten times over than be responsible for the death of another. If he can help it, he wants to come out of this night with no blood on his hands, preferably counting on his speed and stamina to survive the inevitable bloodbath.

Come bedtime, he and Hinata discuss their plan of action, only to come to the realisation that they both pretty much came to the same conclusion: no killing, just surviving. And so, they make a promise to each other—

No mess-ups, no murder, no mourners. They'll see each other in the morning.

Player 010 (Hinata), passed.

After the promise he made with Kageyama, Hinata got the determination boost he needed in order to make it through the night.

He's fast, he's agile and light on his feet so he's able to easily evade most of the violence. Not to mention his... Smaller stature allowed him to deftly navigate the stadium while avoiding all the crazy mobs who were thirsty for blood. Occasionally he'd take refuge under a bed, other times he'd just fly around the stadium, giving no one the opportunity to catch up with him. Then, before he knew it, the lights were back on. His first instinct was to scan the room for Kageyama but when his eyes landed on a familiar grey-haired boy sprawled out in the center of the dormitory instead, he falters.

Suga.

Aoba Johsai;

Player 008 (Oikawa), passed.

Though his friends deaths had left a deep scar on Oikawa's heart and a massive wound to his sense of leadership, deep down he knew that he needed to move on, if not for him then for the sake of those who still stood beside him. The purge that was going to unfold later that night only highlighted that sentiment, that along with Iwaizumi's plea that the team needed their captain to be in full form if it meant making it through the night.

It took Oikawa by surprise, seeing his childhood friend act so open and vulnerable about wanting their leader back, and although former Oikawa would've jested him for it, this Oikawa couldn't find it in him to joke around and simply nodded as he and his teammates began to come up with some sort of plan.

Nobody on the team seemed opposed to resorting to offense if need be, each of them knowing that come nightfall, getting their hands dirty was most likely going to be inevitable if it meant guaranteeing their own survival. Which they would, this time. Nobody gets left behind.

Player 013 (Iwaizumi), passed.

Iwaizumi never begs, but after Player 101 brutally murdered another player, Iwaizumi knew something bad was about to unfold and he could sense how the rest of the team had grown restless without their former captain to keep them afloat. As for Iwaizumi, he just wanted to get his best friend back. Relief washed over him like a tsunami when Oikawa finally decided to rejoin the team, elated that he'd come back to his senses and would help him shoulder the responsibility of protecting the team.

They were in the middle of discussing tactics when another player walked up to them— number 045. He claimed to have joined the game by himself, which Kunimi pointed out as true, as he had never seen him interact with any of the other players during their time here.

Oikawa and Iwaizumi gave each other a side glance before the latter asked what he could contribute to the team if they were to accept. He seemed earnest with his answer, explaining that before joining he had been taking classes above his grade and was known for being an all around athletic person.

At this, Iwaizumi pursed his lips, convinced but waiting for Oikawa to give him a definitive answer. When he accepted, the man bowed politely and sat among their circle.

It couldn't hurt having another addition to the team, Iwaizumi thought. And with that they resumed their discussion.

Player 014 (Matsukawa).

Player 015 (Hanamaki).

Player 020 (Yahaba), eliminated.

Yahaba was feeling confident once the team's tactics had been fully gone over. They were all strong members: smart, quick thinkers, not to mention with Player 045 added to the mix, their chances of survival seemed pretty high. Needless to say he felt far more secure knowing his friends had his back this time, unlike in the previous games where he had to purely fend for himself. However, there's a saying that goes: "overconfidence precedes carelessness", and Yahaba embodied that saying come curfew.

It happened in a blur, the figures of faceless men running their way, ambushing them from every corner until each member had somebody they needed to fend off. The man before Yahaba is significantly taller than him and he barely has time to react before there's hands around throat, strong and unforgiving. His feet leave the ground as he chokes and splutters for air. He can hear his teammates call out his name as oxygen's slowly being cut off from his lungs, the pressure around his neck growing harsher the more he tries to pry the man off. His eyes are wet with tears when he realises his time is up, his arms going limp by his sides as the last of his strength leaves his body, until eventually his body has nothing else to give and crumbles to the ground in a lifeless pile.

Player 016 (Kunimi), eliminated.

He watches as the whole thing unravels before him, eyes filled with horror as he watches his senior's lifeless body hit the floor. His first reflex is to run for his life. There was no other option, not with the upperclassmen occupied— alone, he didn't stand a chance. And so his mind is made— he makes a run for it, weaving past the attackers all while trying to navigate through the darkness. His mind is in overdrive as he focuses souly on his own survival, the adrenaline in his veins distracting him from the guilt of having to leave his teammates behind. Whether or not what comes next is payback, he doesn't know, but the swift blow to his head gives him little to no time to think it through. The attack takes him by surprise as his opponents throw him onto the ground. He barely has time to catch his breath before one of the men lands another kick to his stomach, then his ribs, then his head. And the onslaught goes on while Kunimi curls in on himself, wailing and wheezing for air until he's no longer able to catch his breath.

Player 017 (Kindaichi).

Player 018 (Watari).

Player 019 (Kyoutani), eliminated.

There's no describing the sheer rage that washes over Kyoutani, his heart tearing into pieces at the sight of his dead teammate. He watches, stunned, the man he'd just taken down lying lifelessly by his feet, unable to fully process the loss of yet another teammate. What he does feel is the way his skin burns, how his heart roars with the need to avenge him. Within a second the flame he'd been so carefully trying to contain goes wild, burning more ardently than it ever had before. He can barely process the actions he commits next, like his body is in autopilot with no way of preventing it. He's grabbing hold of Yahaba's murderer, eyes wild and bulging as he throws him to the floor, and even then, he's still not satisfied. He straddles the man's weakened body and punches, again, and again, and again, until all he can feel is the burning of his raw knuckles drenched with blood that isn't his own.

He barely even hears the voice of his captain over the sounds of his own fury, the blood pumping in his ears resonating like drums of war. Next, there's another voice that calls out to him, loud and booming. He recognises it—

"Iwai—"

The name burns on his tongue until all he can taste are ashes of his own bloodthirst and ignorance, the sharp pain in his neck killing him in one swift blow.

Nekoma;

Player 021 (Kuroo), passed.

Kuroo would like to think he's a mentally strong person, but saying the loss of his two friends hadn't taken a toll on his mental state would be an understatement. After finding out about their deaths, he had put on a strong face for the sake his teammates, only to crack the instant he found some time alone— anger, sorrow and frustration all pouring out at once. It was Kenma who had found him in the bathroom, splashing cold water on his face in hopes of concealing his flushed complexion and damp eyes. But he should've known it would take a lot more than a small ruse to fool Kenma. He told Kuroo that it was fine if he wanted to cry in front of his friends— they were all devastated too, after all. However, right now, they all needed each other, they couldn't afford anyone cracking under pressure for it could potentially lead to the team falling apart. He'd even mentioned their old motto that once upon time, would make Kenma cringe at its cheesiness: "we are like the blood in our veins, we must flow without stopping, remember?", and Kuroo smiled appreciatively at his attempts at cheering him up. He was right, sticking together at this point in time was crucial. And as tough as burying those nagging feelings was, Kuroo needed to press on.

Player 022 (Kai).

Player 023 (Kenma), passed.

Kenma feared something like this would happen. When none of the guards tried to intervene during the fight between Player 101 and a Player whose number Kenma couldn't remember, he knew that it had to be apart of some kind of plan, and when the eyes of all the money-hungry players lit up at the sight of an additional load of money being added to the giant piggy bank, he knew they were in for a fight.

Like old times, Kuroo allowed Kenma to be the mastermind behind their plan of action. He suggested that the team form a line and stand against the wall, that way they could only be attacked from the front and wouldn't become seperated as easily, nor would they be pushed to the center of the dorm which was to be avoided at all costs. Then he suggested positioning the two strongest members at each end of the line, to protect those weakest who would stand in the middle. He asked if everyone was okay with this, knowing that those two positions would be the most dangerous, but he should've known that former Nekoma members weren't ones to back down and Kuroo and Yamamoto were more than up to the task.

Player 025 (Yamamoto), eliminated.

After hearing Kenma's plan, Yamamoto jumped on the opportunity. He took pride in being their team's main line of defense and swore to protect them all until morning, even if it would cost him his life.

His palms were sweaty as he and Kuroo took their positions at either side of their teammates. He glanced at Yaku, Kenma and Lev who took their positions as discussed, feeling part of his anxieties dissipate when Kenma gave him a reassuring thumbs up. All that was left was to wait until the lights went out.

It was eerily silent as the dormitory waited for the last seconds to run out and if you were to lend an ear, one could almost hear the person neighbouring's breathing. Yamamoto hands flexed when rustling could be heard from the bed over from his, and when the first scream rang out, that's when all hell finally broke loose.

Kuroo told them to stay on guard as the killer would most likely target them next, and his hunch was proven correct when Yamamoto's eyes locked with those of a blood-covered man, his heart pumping against his ribcage. He braced himself with tense limbs as the killer made a beeline in his direction, the following seconds happening in a blur. It was a mess of limbs and desperate scuffling as the two men fought, but when Yamamoto's fist successfully connected with the man's stomach, winding him momentarily, he took that opportunity to bring him down— permanently or not, he didn't know.

The next scream that caught his ears was a lot more alarming. It was a man's voice coming from not too far away, and when a struggling Kuroo caught Yamamoto's eye, he didn't think twice before jumping in to his aid. He roared as he fought to fend off the two assailants, using his bare hands to free his captain from their vice grip. He barely took notice of Kuroo's pleas from him to back off, too busy with trying to detach the hands on his captain's arms to fully heed his warning. It was only when Kuroo full-on roared his name that Yamamoto finally locked eyes with him, immediately noting the horror that painted his features. His haunting expression sunk in like the sharp object that sunk into Yamamoto's brain, and as his vision faded to black, he collapsed against his captain.

Player 024 (Yaku), eliminated.

His feet are rooted to the ground as he watches the life fade from Yamamoto's eyes, the shard of glass still rooted into his skull. He wants to reach out to him, to shake him and try and wake him up, his thought process gone into a haze. Instead, he reaches for the glass, his hands trembling as he carefully pulls it out, his stomach churning all the while. He thinks for a moment about what he's about to do, regarding the weapon with wide eyes. There's drops of Yamamoto's blood dripping onto the floor and Yaku feels bile rising to his throat as some of it trickles onto his hands, still warm and sticky. Then it happens, as quick as a gunshot; the need for revenge. His body moves on its own as he charges towards Yamamoto's killer, the glass in his hand heavy with the act he's about to commit to. It sinks into the man's cheek as Yaku twists his wrist, eliciting a howl that's bound to be heard from across the dormitory.

Yaku backs away once his victim falls to his knees, his entire body shaking and his breathing pattern erratic. He can barely process what he's just done, he feels like he's been possessed, his eyes glued on the man struggling to remove the shard from his cheek. Too overpowered by his own gruesome act to move, Yaku falls prey to the hands of another player and feels the glass shard pierce between his shoulder blades, almost like whoever's dealing the blow was unable to fully commit to the act.

He falls to the ground, using his hands to try and push himself back up but failing when someone straddles him, pushing him flat against the floor. Yaku gasps for air as he tries to shake them off, only to let out a strangled cry when something stabs him again— and again, and again until he ceases to move.

Player 026 (Lev), passed.

He feels like a metal rode caught in a thunderstorm. There's fights happening everywhere you look, screams echoing around the room like bolts of lightening and Lev is trapped among the chaos. He watches with dread as Yamamoto and Yaku both lay there, unmoving. And with Kuroo and Kenma occupied, the chances are high that he too, meets the same demise. Lev's no fighter, that much is clear— not with his flailing limbs and clumsiness. His mind is telling him just to run, to see how far his legs can carry him and just pray that he make it out alive. However, his heart prevents him and nag him to stay close to his friends.

The dilemma leaves him reeling, his fingers twitching with the urge to flee. But in a moment of spontaneity, he finally decides to stay, a deep frown marring his features as he charges into the thunderstorm.

Player 027 (Inuoka).

Fukurodani;

Player 028 (Bokuto), passed.

Bokuto didn't know if he should consider himself lucky, or cursed. The loss of Akaashi would certainly be classified as the latter, but succeeding the honeycomb game was up for debate. He'd been fooled into having the hardest shape to carve out and yet there he stood, still breathing. Now, most would consider that luck— if not a miracle— yet as Bokuto stood alone amidst hundreds of bloodthirsty individuals, ready to fight tooth and nail if it meant getting rid of more competition, he honestly thought maybe life was just playing a cruel farce on him and that experiencing all these trauma-inducing games was simply a punishment of sorts.

Or perhaps, just perhaps, him making it this far was a sign for him to keep moving on, to keep living and forgive himself—

Akaashi's smile flashed through his mind.

—but how? How to move on when it should be him standing in his place. It ails him to think of a life without him, without a friend he thought he'd never have to live without. But if he's still standing, still breathing when he should've died back there on the playground, then maybe it's for a reason...

To decide this, he slips under the bed, thinking:

If I can make it through the night without so much as lifting a finger, then I really am meant to live. If not, then I shall accept the fate I should've succumb to a long time ago.

Player 029 (Akaashi).

Player 030 (Konoha).

Shiratorizawa;

Player 031 (Ushijima).

Player 032 (Tendou), passed.

When Ushijima hadn't come back, Tendou was in a state of disbelief. In fact, he'd quite literally fell into a daze, eyes vacant and seemingly frozen in time. It was only as Shirabu noticed and began calling out to him that he finally came back to his senses.

"Snap out of it," he'd said. "He's gone."

The words had sounded cold as they left Shirabu's lips but Tendou would've been blind to let the tears in his eyes go unnoticed.

An odd feeling settled in his chest, one that felt so unpleasantly familiar and that he'd hoped he would never have to experience again. It was the same melancholic feeling he'd felt back in high school; the feeling of having lost something so dear to him it left him feeling bitter. Only this time, it was someone, and along with that feeling of sorrow came a fury that up until this day, had been a feeling almost entirely foreign to him. Hurt, betrayal, loneliness, sadness, and humiliation had all been a part of his life, but never fury. And he didn't know how to handle it.

Player 033 (Goshiki), passed.

Goshiki had never seen Tendou like this. Tendou had frightened him in the past with his freakishly accurate intuition and sardonic behaviour, but never to the point where it put Goshiki on edge. Ever since Ushijima's passing, he was all cold intimidation, and Goshiki felt like he was walking on thin ice and that he could break at any given moment.

Turns out, that given moment was at night. At night when death was around every corner and amidst it all was a blood-coated Tendou.

Goshiki felt every part of his body trembling. To witness his upperclassmen like this was nothing short of blood curdling, with his jersey stained crimson, wild eyes flashing with every flickering light, accompanied by the sound of a metal pole dragging behind him with every step. He wondered if Ushijima had something to do with this, if his death had caused Tendou to go into some kind of craze.

The sound of another person's screams dying beneath Tendou's weapon broke Goshiki from his train of thought. He backed himself further into a corner, hugging himself with trembling hands, praying that this night be over.

Player 034 (Shirabu), passed.

Like Goshiki, Shirabu watches with baited breath as Tendou takes down yet another person. Something must have snapped inside that twisted mind of his, he thinks. The concept makes him feel sick to the stomach, knowing that only have they lost Ushijima in the flesh, but Tendou in spirit, too. Part of him wants to storm up to Tendou and snap him out of the psychotic episode he's currently drowning in, fearing that if this goes on, he'll just end up getting himself killed, too. But what good would that be if Shirabu just ended up getting caught in the crossfire?

He clicks his tongue. Looks like Tendou would be on his own until sunlight. For now, he had himself to worry about, and he wasn't about to die here.

Player 035 (Semi), passed.

He's fighting tooth and nail, sweat and blood trickling down his face. He really wished if hadn't come to this, but alas, a person's greed truly was something to be terrified of. Even if it meant killing their own, a human's greed knew no bounds.

As for Tendou, he wondered if greed was what was fueling him... From the looks of it, it seemed to be more out an outburst, perhaps like some sort of twisted catharsis in response to his friends loss.

When the lights came back on, everything came to a standstill, the events of what just happened painted everywhere in the dormitory walls, floor, and players. Semi fell back onto some persons bed, light-headed and nauseous.

He dare'nt look at the state of his hands.

Inarizaki;

Player 036 (Kita), passed.

His gut was right— something terrible did happen during the previous game. When Suna and the twins came back from the honeycomb challenge earlier that day, it was with great regret that they told him about Aran's death. All Kita could do at the time was exhale a shaky breath, apologising to his former teammates that they had to bear witness to such a traumatising thing. The instant he was alone however, locked in the cubicle of one of the public restrooms, Kita cried. He couldn't remember the last time he broke down the way he did that day, the kind of breakdown that made him curl in on himself, violent sobs making his entire body shake as he clutched his sides in a desperate attempt of comfort.

He stayed locked in there for about an hour until he couldn't produce even a single tear, his body tired and dehydrated. Before leaving however, he'd say a prayer for Aran, wishing him the best in the afterlife and promising to hold a proper funeral for him once he made it out of here.

Player 037 (Aran).

Player 038 & Player 039 (Atsumu & Osamu), passed.

"Kita's been cryin'." Atsumu points out to his twin, his voice unchanging and dull.

Osamu's gaze flits to their former captain and takes note of his swollen red eyes and flushed face, a heavy feeling settling in his chest. "M' not surprised," he murmurs, taking pity on his senior. He remembers them being close in high school, closer than anyone had ever gotten to Kita. What a loss that must be for him.

"I wanna get outta here," Atsumu speaks up, eyes glued to the pink soldiers carrying that creepy, present-shaped coffin out of the dorm. "I don't wanna be next."

"Just be lucky it hasn't already happened," Osamu replies, and he quickly shakes off the thought of Atsumu being the one wheeled out of the room instead. "'Least most of us are still here."

"Whaddaya mean, 'at least most of us are still here'? Isn't one of us dyin' already enough?!"

Osamu feels his heartbeat pick up as Atsumu raises his voice. He'd almost forgotten what that sounded like. Since the beginning of the games, Atsumu's been way out of his usual state of mind, so dim and unsure compared to his usual passionate self. The tone he's using however, never usually means anything good. It's the tone he uses when he's put his mind to something and typically, he doesn't tend to back down once it happens.

"Don't be gettin' any stupid ideas 'Tsumu. You know we can't leave now. The majority voted to stay."

"Yeah? And how's that fair on those who did wanna leave? Riddle me that!"

Osamu holds a stern face as Atsumu glares back at him. "It ain't."

"Exactly." Atsumu says, but just as he stands up from his bed, eyes directed at the pink soldiers standing by the door, Osamu quickly stands up and steps in front of him.

"Yer outta yer mind, 'Tsumu," Osamu starts, calmly, warningly. "The guards don't listen. And put a hand on them and they'll shoot ya."

Atsumu brushes past his brother without so much as saying a word, but when he steps in front of him again with a stern call of his name, Atsumu pulls an indignant face.

"'Samu if you think I'm gonna just sit around and give these pink bastards the pleasure of shootin' my brains out, yer dead wrong. Now stop gettin' in my way. Follow me and make sure I don't get outta line if ya want, but I'm goin'."

With that, Atsumu gives no chance for Osamu to argue. It could be worth a shot, after all. So long as he doesn't get handsy with the henchmen, there shouldn't be an issue. But in case he does resort to that, Osamu'll make sure to stop him before shit gets real.

"Oi, you! Assholes in pink! I want out! It ain't fair that ya keep the ones who voted to leave inside here! What did we do to deserve this, huh? Speak up!"

There's a brief moment of silence as Atsumu pleads his case. Then, one of the masked men, the one with a circle on it, steps forward.

"The rules indicate that if the majority voted to terminate the games, then we'd have no choice but to comply. However, the results show that one hundred and two of you voted to stay, and only ninety nine of you, voted to leave. Therefore, there's no longer anything we can do."

Anger bubbles inside Atsumu's stomach but before Osamu can persuade him to give up, Atsumu's at it again. This time, taking one step closer to the soldier who merely looks up at the infuriated twin.

"I don't care what the majority wanted! That's still ninety nine of us who wanted to leave! What's it to you, anyway? Ain't one hundred and two players enough to satisfy yer sadistic little game show?"

The guard remains still, even in face of Atsumu's yelling. Then, he replies in that same, monotonous voice:

"I'm sorry. We do not come up with the rules. Now, we demand you regain your bed and rest. Tomorrow will be a new game and—"

"Demand? Who do you think ya'are?!" Atsumu growls, signs of his anger growing more and more dangerous by the second. "Go get me yer master then. Maybe he'll be more useful than you little pricks—"

He stops speaking when he feels something press into his stomach, and only when he looks down does he realize one of the armed soldiers has his finger poised on the trigger, the nuzzle of his gun cold even through the fabric of his t-shirt.

"Drop it now, 'Tsumu. You did yer best."

A click of the tongue and Atsumu shoves the gun away from him. There's anger-induced tears welling in his eyes as he and Osamu walk back to their beds, his attempts of getting him and his friends out to safety shattering right before him.

"It's not fuckin' fair, 'Samu," he sniffles.

Osamu feels his heart break just a little more and pats him on the back.

"I know, 'Tsumu. I know."

Player 040 (Suna), passed.

True, the previous game hadn't at all been physically demanding but even so, Suna felt exhausted. Even Kita's harsh penalties back in their high school years hadn't knocked him out this quickly.

Okay. Maybe that was kind of a stretch. But pushing aside the details, Suna had been sleeping for about two hours after the honeycomb game, completely dead to the world on the outside, but a turmoil of emotion bubbling on the inside. He thought sleeping would serve as a perfect distraction from thinking about... Him. About Aran, and how he'd prematurely lost his life earlier that day. But even in his unconscious state, images of his friend came to him in the form of a nightmare.

His eyebrows were pinched as his mind tried to fight off the bad dream, his breath shallow as a dead Aran weakly reaches a hand out to him, pleading him for help.

Then he's abruptly woken up, only to be greeted with the sound of the twins' arguing. It was a welcome change from his nightmare, he supposed.

Raking a hand throw his hair, Suna took a swig from his water which felt like heaven against his dry throat. Then, he turned to Kita, who from the looks it of, seemed to be fighting demons of his own.

Suna couldn't blame him.

"What're the twins fighting about, now?" Suna asks, deciding not to bring up Kita's worse for wear appearance. A change of subject might distract his former captain from the woes he's dealing with, he thought.

"Atsumu wants to leave this place and has decided to confront the guards," Kita replies plainly. "And Osamu's trying to stop him."

"Classic Atsumu," Suna scoffs, though it's more out of fondness than spite. "Looks like Osamu's lost the argument this time."

He watches as the Miyas walk up to the henchmen, and part of Suna is weary of the men wielding those guns.

"If we were to take another vote, what would you choose this time?" Kita asks. Suna regards him with a curious gaze.

"I'd vote to leave." It's an obvious choice for Suna. If he can avoid witnessing more death, he'd fucking love to. "And you?"

"I'd vote to stay."

And at this, Suna falters. He wants to bring up that they've already lost Aran but he bites his tongue. He wants to ask what reason is there for them to stay here, but before he can formulate his response, Kita's already begun speaking:

"Dont'cha think it'd be a waste, givin' up now? Lots of people here have already lost someone they care about. Dont'cha think it invalidates their death if we just decide to leave?"

Suna watches with careful eyes as Kita tweaks with the hem of his jacket, a giveaway sign to his unease. Talking about this must be eating at him more than he's letting on, Suna remarks. He understands where he's coming from, it's true that deciding to bail now would make Aran's death seem in vain, but wouldn't it be even more pointless if they all ended up dying here? At least if they left now they'd be taking no risks.

"I'm not sure," he says. Then: "does this mean you're planning on completing all the games?"

"No matter the cost," Kita answers. His confidence makes Suna smirk a little.

"I thought you were all about fair-play."

Kita merely shrugs at that, dismissing Suna's claims. "Sometimes a little foul play is necessary. Especially with our life on the line."

Suna feigns a gasp, still smirking as he lies back on his bed, arms crossed behind his head. "How shrewd."

Kita chuckles at the small jab, and for the first time in days, Suna smiles.

Date Tech;

Player 042 (Fukutachi), passed.

He sneers as the pink soldiers carry out the corpse, thinking that this place couldn't get any crueller. He'd told Koganegawa not to look as soon as the fight started to escalate, knowing he was more sensitive to the sight of death more than he was. Then spent the rest of the afternoon assuring his team that they'd all make it through the night. He'd told them that like on the court, they would depend on defending themselves, not attacking, and that staying close by was the key to surviving the bloodbath intermission.

Player 043 (Koganegawa), passed.

Upon Fukutachi's suggestion, Kogane had looked away and covered his ears to shelter him from the sounds of murder. He couldn't believe it; how could people be this ruthless, this selfish? And for what? The money? They'd take lives over money? It was beyond him.

When Fukutachi had told the team that there was most likely going to be a big fight tonight, Kogane swallowed hard. He was terrified of the thought of being targeted by hundreds of money-driven humans, fearing that if push came to shove, that he just wouldn't have it in him to end another person's life. Luckily, Futakuchi took that into account and said that all they'd need to do was stand their ground, protect their own and so long as they did that, victory would be theirs.

Player 041 (Aone), passed.

It goes without saying that Aone was the muscle of the team. He was its main pillar and their strongest line of defense when it came to protecting his two friends. Thankfully though, not a lot of people went for this team in the first place because they weren't considered easy targets, and the people who did try and go for them bailed the moment they caught a glimpse of Aone. Overall; not too much trouble.

Miscellaneous;

Player 044 (Suguru), passed.

Upon finding out that are big fight would break out later that night, Suguru's immediate plan of action was finding a group of strong people. The first people that came to mind was the group sitting at the far end of the dormitory; three men all tall and muscular and perfect for assuming the role of potential meat shields. Of course, he wouldn't mention that once the fight broke out, nor would he ask them to team up. After all, how could he be sure that they wouldn't turn their backs on him or even worse, gang up on him?. Rather, Suguru would wait until the lights went out before sneaking past them and crawling under one of their beds, just beneath their line of defense. Then, all he had to do was wait until morning.

Player 045 (Terushima), passed.

His eyes glinted with interest as they remained trained on the golden piggy bank overhead. So that's how it was— whether it was inside or outside the games, eliminating players was still a possibility. He thought for a moment. But why now? Why hadn't the pink soldiers stepped in to break the fight? Wasn't violence among players prohibited until now? He pondered over the possibilities, the only logical reason would be if the henchmen had purposely set this up to spur the players on, to make them break out into a fight. But for what reason? Terushima wasn't sure. To weed out the weaklings perhaps? And if that were the case, then it was obvious that the next games were favourable for those with more refined physical abilities. Clever.

If his assumption was correct and a bloodbath really did break out, he figured the more vicious players would team up and target the more vulnerable first— which included Terushima, seeing as he was alone.

So, the second the men in pink carried away the corpse, he began scouting, carefully observing each team that began to form and inwardly analysing their physical abilities. He'd need a team with more members, preferably men, tall, athletic, and trustworthy, which was the hardest trait to decipher.

In the end, he'd settle on a team of five men, most of them lean and well built, huddling around one of the beds. He interrupted their plan making, faltering slightly under two of the player's intimidating glare. That was good, he supposed. They looked like they could put up a fight. Bowing to show his sincerity, he asked if he could form a team with them and though they seemed to scrutinize him at first, they accepted. Now they were a team of six.

Player 046 (Sakusa), eliminated.

Sakusa doesn't know if he can do it, honestly. Murdering a person with his own two hands. It's too much to even think about, even in a kill or be killed situation. Was it naive of him to think he could make it through the night without resorting to violence? Probably. But that didn't mean he wouldn't try to anyway.

His heart beats frantically in his ribcage as he tries to manoeuvre his way through the obscurity, his eyes squinting as he tries to adjust to both pitch black and the flashing lights at all once. Then he feels his heart stop as someone grabs his leg, only for his stomach to churn once his eyes glance down at the blood-soaked woman begging at his feet. His hand flies up to his mouth, his chest heaving as he tries so desperatly to suppress the urge to gag.

He feels like he's about to faint, but as two hands come and latch onto his throat, squeezing so tightly it makes him see white, he lets himself go and not even seconds later and his heart stops beating.

Player 047 (Hoshiumi).

[papers4me]

Fruits Basket Manga Review, ch (92-93)

That was painful & so well-written! This analysis will focus on kyokyo mainly & faintly on her effect on kyo. Although, her story affects tohru’s life immensely, I won’t analyze tohru’s part & will wait until it’s a tohru’s chapter to use the knowledge of kyoko’s past to better read tohru’s mind & understand her decisions! Can’t wait! after all, that’s why I’ve read the manga to begin with!

-Kyoko’s Atonement:  (the weight of words):

 Kyoko breaks down after she learns she’s expecting. Why? cuz she hurt her mom. The notion that “yeah my parents caused me emotional trauma & so I’mma hurt them as well” is toxic & burdening as it starts a cycle of pain. Kyoko was right. She had no idea how her mom felt seeing her rebel, or follow violence or hear her harsh words. I’m not cleansing the mom from guilt nor responsibility. I’m just saying since the mom’s pov is blocked from us, assuming shes similar to the dad is wrong. kyoko’s fear of being punished with a child similar to herself is genuine, realistic & refreshing to see expressed in anime! usually character like kyoko are cool & brave, but here she’s humanly weak & doubtful. LOVE IT!

Moreover, in furuba words weigh on ppl & have consequences. We see this with kyo. His dad destroyed him verbally with words “ not my fault, it’s yours” that kyo echoes back to yuki! meaning the consequences of the dad’s words cause harm to his wife, kyo & even yuki!. Kyo was tormented with his own words for long time & clung to them even more in order not to resort to suicide! “ not my fault, it’s the rat’s” . Words can crush you down so bad if you hear them from loved ones, & worse if you utter them back to other loved ones! here kyoko learned that just the mere thought of her future child echoing her words back to her would torment her to death! Excellent writing!

-Katsuya invented Furuba’s vision (Accepting weakness & moving on):

The teachings of kyoko & tohru were really katsuya’s after all. I’m fne with that. These teachings are the core of Furuba’s vision. He tells kyoko to accept that she’s weak, afraid & doubtful. it’s okay. But gives her tools to move on. Your kid isn’t you. They’re an individual person. As parents all we can do is give love/hugs (sth kyoko’s parents didnt do), listen to them (sth yuki’s parents didnt do) & if they do sth wrong will explain it & teach them well (sth kyo’s parents didn’t do, his wrong deed was being born a cat spirit & he was hated for it with no explanation, mom gave lots of “fake” love & escaped by death, dad became a raging monster). Accepting weakness & moving on is what the cursed sohmnas needed to do to heal & what tohru taught them. Off course, tohru herself struggled to follow her own teachings & that’s amazingly realistic!

-Kyoko’s guilt (punishment brings ease):

Kyoko wanted to be punished so harsh for her husband’s death. The gossip got to her. She failed him as a life’s companion. Taking care of our loved ones is a duty we carry with much love & care. Them slipping away is perceived as us failing by none than ourselves. The thing is, death comes with no warning at times. It was his time to leave. Accepting it or not, wont bring him back, but accepting it will help kyoko deal with pain while not accepting will cause more pain for her & tohru.

One of the most painful things abt grief is that it’s personal. Life continues around you. Only you feel it.  “didn’t the world end when katsuya died”. No kyoko. Only you died emotionally. Only him died physically. Kyo once said “ mom why didn’t you kill me instead”. A different reaction to grief, guilt & pain, but same conclusion: neither katsuya nor kyo’s mom are coming back no matter how much pain kyo or kyoko felt.

Kyoko found ease in emotional death, neglecting & refusing life, punishing herself for staying after him.

kyo found ease in rage & blaming others as he his father did, later he’ll escape to emotional & physical slow death “ cat cage/confinement”.

tohru... found ease in pretending "I’m okay” & her mom is alive.. but not physically.. emotionally, so she’ll ignore the truth & live only for her.

Didn’t I say grief is harsh, weird & very very personal. It’s hard to explain, deal with & heal. The mere words of consolation hurt cuz the grieving ones dont want to accept loved one are really gone. Her dad’s harsh words cemented the “emotional death” that kyoko felt. I’m not needed. neither katsuya. nor parents in general. depression. misery. sadness. emptiness.

-The tv show helped to trigger kyoko’s desire to “meet” katsuya. She has already reached the conclusion that she isnt needed. So, the tv show with their words of the deceased wanting you to be happy. triggered her into misinterpreting the words as to mean her death NOT fuel her to live in his memory as intended.

- “Loosing your way first before finding your answer” is okay & so human!:

Ironically..Tohru... was the person Kyoko was punishing NOT herself: By being emotionally dead, kyoko neglected her daughter. Her world shouldnt be just one person. There are others. Katsuya himself gave her a person to love. Tohru. Kyoko chose death & unintentionally set tohru into a world of loneliness 10 times harsher thsn what kyoko faced. She was about to do, but was saved by a nameless child who reminded her of tohru. She chose wrong first but later saw her answer. Kyo chose death by accepting the confinement & he, too, unintentionally set tohru into a world of loneliness 10 times harsher if he wasnt with her. He chose wrong first but later saw his answer. Off course kyo’s story is more developed & complicated as he dealt with bigger issues than just tohru & his answer wasn't just loving tohru alone but also loving himself & choosing to live for them both: himself & tohru.

-Kyo’s guilt is a concussion thought eating him alive:

Part of why kyo’s story was one of the most human & complex is due him loosing his way first, failing, repeating mistakes “ I always though that hurting ppl was the only thing I was good at, after all, isnt that why mom died?” Kyo’s nightmare being a conscious effect of hearing tohru’s talk abt “ videos & memories of loved ones” is 1000 times stronger & more human than a cliche effect of seeing a “ hat” & to revive a a blocked memory... What the hell!! truly disgusting how the emotional weigh is reduced for stupid cliche drama !!!!!! ..

Anyway, kyo actively & consciously wanted punishment .He was sure that kyoko blamed him” I wont forgive you” can only mean what it literally means. The purpose of the nightmare is to cause kyo to seek “ emotional death” like kyoko & to loose his path more. It is meant to prepare kyo to refuse tohru even more. Therefore, the pay off at the climax will be better & stronger.

Reading kyo’s inner thoughts will never not be refreshing!!! Also, the slow burn is cooked on low , hot fire , so the pay off will be the most delicious there is!

Side Notes:

I’ve stated my feelings regarding the age gap between kyoko & katsuya in last chapter’s preview post. I’m done with it & won’t let it interfere with my analysis of kyoko nor tohru.

The idea of just being together as a fun hanging out activity without being bothered much of where reminds ms so much of kyo & tohru!! we see them being happy together in the anime in kazuma’s house, shigure’s rooftop, cooking pancake in the kitchen! I really like this domestic feel of romance! it contradicts the notion of expensive restaurant with the girl wearing a breathtaking dress to woo the guy for it to be utterly romantic as we see in movies, & other stories.

NGL, katsuya looked sexy waiting home.. damn it! >_<

I cried watching tohru between her parents, how they acted & how loved she was! T_T. it reminded me of my niece How her dad’s death affected her! She was the apple of his eyes.. T_T.

Tohru is indeed a rice ball! her dad gave her a masculine name while tohru is so feminine! his reasoning is “finding salty taste in sweet things make the taste better & stronger, kinda giving it a hidden flavour”, the rice ball has a pickle inside it & it’s what makes the taste so savory & delicious!

Grandpa’s “ chance meetings could lead to variety of outcomes, good or bad” YES! kyo/tohru/yuki meeting each other by chance. Fiction make it look weird, but trust me, real life has those by dozens!

“ i wonder how lost you’ll be, how much time you’ll need to get your answer”. He will screw up so bad, kyoko! it will be so good! one of the best screw up’s I’ve seen! so painful for him & tohru & amazingly written!

Kyo’s nightmare being connected to him remembering/dreaming of kyoko’s story is bigger effect than opening the ep with it & having the cause be sth that happened last ep, a week ago... the effect is NOT the same.

Momiji is so cute!!! did his curse break here or not yet? he seemed as tall as tohru.

Writing tohru worried abt kyo after seeing him pale is the tohru I know!! Not that stupid girl who watches the guy she loves have a panic attach in se3, ep6, then goes in ep 7...” dahhhh.. Jeez.. I duno why kyo is sleeping until now.. better laugh & make cute rice cakes” giggle giggle...That scene got me so furious even when I first saw it!! THIS IS NOT TOHRU! tohru cried for a stupid story that haru told abt puppets!! she’ll forget the person she challenges herself for is sick?! ugh!

I love seeing yuki & kyo chill & cool around each other.

Kyoko being fully dependent on katsuya can be a factor in her grief, but I’ve seen cases where both partners are independent but still be completely broken after the others’ death. Grief isn’t logical at all & is extremely personal.

[angelguk]

this prompt: jock!jaykay and namjoon running into each other at a party or sth and namjoon being like ‘you finally grow a pair and ask oc out yet?’ and jks just like 😧 and joons like ‘seriously dude? 😑 i’ve been waiting for you to ask her out since before i even dated her’. but make it more angst!!! namjoon is kind of an asshole here. there’s smoking, drinking and jk getting a brief lapdance. oc is a LIAR. jaykay deep in his feels tbh. roughly 1.5k. listen to all i wanted by paramore

Jeongguk's crossed too many paths with people during his life to remember every face his eyes have ever seen. But there’s one he will never forget, no matter how hard he tries to scrub the memory from his brain, ignore the muted forlorn twang in his heart, the low ache that ebbs from the base of his skull. It sparks up again despite years of never seeing the individual who caused the problem. How could he forget those broad shoulders? The sharp analytic eyes. The man whom you’d attached yourself too for a good chunk of your joint high school careers. It surprises him, honestly, because Jeongguk’s got a girl grinding on his lap but his eyes are locked on Namjoon, ears trailing after the sound of his deep laugh instead of the sweet nothings Nayeon (or Naeun, or Nayoung — he can’t fucking remember) is murmuring into the hollow of his neck.

For one, he’s fucked out of his mind. Taehyung probably laced the joint; he liked doing that shit even when it messed up Jeongguk’s trip. He should have known not to take a hit, but he was already ten shots in and nothing sounded better than smoke in his lungs. Maybe not nothing. This girl feels good in his hands, responds to the lightest of his touches, moans in his ear like she wants him to fuck her.

He could. He has before. Probably. She knows exactly where to nip his neck for this to have not been a repeat hook-up. But in the haze of the low living room lights and the spinning headiness of the drinks he’d downed, he couldn’t make out her face. It’d shift and twist and turn into an image that almost makes him want to cry because, at some angles, when the shadows form right, he thinks he can see your face. It could be you in his lap, you whimpering whenever your crotches aligned just right, you clinging to him like the sun hangs onto the evening sky.

But it’s not.

And for some unfathomable reason, Jeongguk’s ruined mind recognises that sucks.

Because it should be you.

He doesn’t know how he gets that girl off. Probably some lie that he needed to pee. In reality, he needed to breathe, because those thoughts surface with malicious intent, purposefully drawing him closer to deep dangerous waters. If he’s not careful he could easily drown, suffocated by desires he can’t even string together into a comprehensible sentence.

The night air hits sharp, seeping through his loose shirt. It grounds him enough for his steps to stabilise, feet following a slow trudge to the edge of the balcony. He doesn’t even know whose house this is. Somebody he’s probably never met honestly. But he wanted you to come. Everyone was coming out tonight. Even your elusive roommate Sohee was somewhere in some bathroom with a head between her thighs. You probably are doing that too, to be far. Even the name evokes bile from his throat, bitter and violent, full of jealousy he’d never really learnt to contain.

Lee Eunwoo. A graphic design major. Slightly taller than Jeongguk (only when Jeongguk is having a bad day) and somehow he can make you giggle like he’s getting paid for it.

You’d mentioned it so softly that Jeongguk didn’t even hear it at first. But then your cheeks had heated up, that stupid sparkle melting through your gaze. You wanted to spend the night with him, take advantage of an empty apartment, perhaps watch a movie or two.

It's obvious that you were going to sleep with him. The thought itself irked something visceral inside of Jeongguk. But he’d given you an easy smile, laughed at the modesty of your demeanour and wished you well with a tight hug. The same low buzzing of frustration that he got when you were with Namjoon was already waning through his system as he completed his sets at the gym with more force than needed.

Which is why he can’t help but release a bitter laugh into the night. Ironically, Namjoon was here while you were getting your back blown out by another idiotic guy Jeongguk did not like.

“What’s so funny?”

He can’t spin around to face him, Jeongguk knows he’ll throw up if he does. But he can’t forget a timbre like that. Not when you nearly wrote a poem about how wonderful Kim Namjoon’s voice was. A poem which you recited to Jeongguk before he begged you to rip it to shreds and never talk about again.

(Subconsciously Jeongguk had adopted a deeper voice whenever he talked to you since then. It came out more when he was drunk, but it’s not like you paid any attention anyway).

“Nothing,” he returns. He hopes Namjoon gets the hint and goes away. The bastard joins him on the balcony instead.

“No, seriously, what’s funny? You look like you’ve got a lot going on in your head.” Namjoon was always so concerned in talking about emotions and putting your feelings into words. It’s one of the reasons why you loved him and probably reason one thousand why Jeongguk hated him.

“Hello to you too, Kim Namjoon. Don’t you think we should catch up on the pleasantries before you start psychoanalysing me?” He retorts, forcing his gaze onto the other man. Namjoon looks good; golden skin, broad shoulders and his hair cropped short. There’s an ease to him that Jeongguk could never replicate no matter how hard he tried. Perhaps that’s what happens when you’re born sure of yourself. Like Namjoon was.

The laugh he receives is empty. Namjoon is busy rifling through his pockets, fingers emerging with a joint and a lighter. “Nice to see you too, Jeon. Didn’t think I’d ever bump into you after high school but the universe works in mysterious ways, doesn’t it?” The jay slips between his lips, followed by a swift flick of the lighter before a deep inhale that Jeongguk swears he feels in his lungs. The smoke floats out pretty, fading into wisps of nothing but grey as the breeze sweeps it away. Namjoon offers it cordially, a simple raise of his defined eyebrows and even though Jeongguk’s legs are melting through the floor he can’t say no.

“You sure?” The doubt tinting his tone makes him take it. His overestimation in his maintenance capabilities leads to a rather rough inhale, and an even worse hacking cough that he wants to be mortified at because Namjoon fucking laughs. But he can’t when the world feels like air in his fingertips, slowly slipping away. Almost like you feel at times. 

“You should stop taking the shit Taehyung rolls. I don’t even know what he slips in there but last time I smoked with him I thought I was on Mars.”

“Taehyung offers, I never ask.”

“You never ask for anything to be frank.”

“What?”

“You heard me,” Namjoon returns, smoke falling from his lips.

“Yeah, I fucking did. I was giving you the chance to pretend you didn’t say it.” Jeongguk’s all in his space in an instant, the itch to smash Namjoon’s face tingling beneath his skin. Namjoon doesn’t even back up, gracing Jeongguk with a quizzical look that leaves him bewildered. “You don’t fucking know me—"

“I do.” There’s a scoff that riles him up even further. Namjoon’s still incredibly unbothered as he talks. “You think being Y/N’s boyfriend I didn’t hear everything and anything about you? Jeongguk this! Jeongguk that! You know that’s the reason we broke up, right?”

That halts him, a lag in his brain as he attempts to process the words leaving Namjoon’s mouth. The older man just stares at him, the sigh that drifts in between them bordering on pity.

“She didn’t tell you that, did she? Y/N lies about a lot more things than you think, Jeon. Where is she by the way? I’ve seen all her friends but I haven’t seen her.”

“Why would you know her friends?” It’s a stupid question but in the jumble of his thoughts it’s the only thing his mind is capable of plucking out. A question that doesn’t leave him bare and vulnerable like the other one’s racing through his head.

“We don’t have each other blocked on everything. Sometimes we talk,” Namjoon supplies easily. And just like that Jeongguk crumbles. He’s not even aware of it but the first crack spears deep enough to leave the rest of him unstable, wavering as he falters away from Namjoon. You never told him any of this. As far as Jeongguk knew you ended the relationship hating him (a thought that briefly consoled Jeongguk if he’s being truthful). But apparently, you felt comfortable enough to share your life with the person Jeongguk thought hurt you the most.

“Man, fuck you.” It’s a release, to say it. Because honestly fuck Kim Namjoon. In the span of a few short sentences he’s tipped everything he’s ever been sure of upside-down, stomped on Jeongguk’s heart like it was bendable and ducked his head right into the ocean he was afraid of diving it, keeping it under until the water filled his lungs and Jeongguk ceased to function.

Namjoon shrugs, not even looking as Jeongguk stumbles back to the door. He needs to find you, ask how much of Namjoon’s words were true. He doesn’t care if Eunwoo is over he’ll kick him out if need be.

But then Namjoon opens his mouth one more time, the final nail in the coffin.

“You should have asked her out. I was waiting for you to it — she was probably waiting too.”

[mrkis]

a twlg ask from 🦄 anon below the cut!! yet again, i had to put it into a separate post to not clog up the dash bc of how long it is!! my response is beneath!!

Im keeping track with the discussion in Discord and all I can say is I am still team Jaemin, and I am still giving him the benefit of the doubt. We have seen fractures of what he went through up to part 3 and during part 4 & 5 a lot of stuff happened between him and mc and to me their relationship took a different route then. Also mc didnt truly fall for him up until that moment before the party in pt 3 when he said "you got me" so they are basically in the same boat up until this point, things change for her after that and I think for him too. And i'd like to think that there is so much more beneath the surface when it comes to him and how he views his relationship with mc, and her as a person.

Like I said in my previous ask yeah at first he sees her as only a fuck buddy, but its normal considering they never really knew each other and had any sort of a bond. I cant blame him for wanting and asking for what they agreed upon in the first place, its also not his fault how mc reads his actions, she doesnt know whats inside his head neither does he know whats inside of hers. Communication is still a big issue for them, they tend to ignore what they want to really say to avoid "complications" or simply because they are more scared of being vulnarable with another person again and its easier to brush it off and pretend its nothing.

Im still salting about how in pt 5 he was waiting for her to talk about that important thing yet she did everything in her power to distract him and they ended up having sex, a soft one which was nice ofc and seeing how much of an effect her calling him "baby" during it had on him, I so desperately want to see his side of that. Or how easily she let him go without even considering if he wants to give Eunbin a second chance, which he clearly stated he didnt, he forgave her more for himself to have his own closure, not to give her the joy of being forgiven.

Idk, both of them have huge faults in how things got so complicate, one honest long talk is all they need to resolve atleast 99 of their issues, but both of them are cowards. I just hope that when pt6.2 comes out we will see more of how things are for him in regards to mc and how he understands it, cause sometimes its hard to understand what you feel or even accept it because of the anxiety that comes with your own reality after you embrace all those feelings and thoughts. Its scary, terrifying even. This is more personal but a few years ago I had fallen for my ex-bffs little brother and believe me when I say those were the toughest, most heartwrenching couple of months in my life. I was in such huge denial, I tried to see him as a little brother but one look from him, one simple touch on the arm had my head spinning, and during those month of internal struggle I was even hating myself (he had a gf btw). I didnt want to admit to anything infront of myself let alone anyone else, and the moment those bursted down I was a wreck. It took me months to get over him. So yeah, I can kinda get why Jaemin, and mc for that matter, struggle with their own reality of what they feel and why, cause sometimes it can feel like its wrong, like some unwritten rule was broken and the world is ending. It may not be at all wrong, we all feel what we feel and its not sth we can control. This got a bit misdirected but you get what I mean 😅

I am still team Jaemin, and until I see him genuinely being a complete and total arse toward mc, like making her feel small and unreasonable and just wrong for having feelings for him, then I will root for him. I try to put myself in his shoes and despite all his wrong doings, I can see why he would build such walls around himself and how scared he must be to let them fall.

Also, for the yy x mc endgame trope, I know he is nice and has feelings for her and all but i cant see them together. Just because they may work good because of the foundation they have for their friendship doesnt necessarily mean they would be a good couple. There are many layers to a relationship and sure they can be cute, but the amount of drama it would create within the group would be too much. Also, i feel like a part of mc will always be for Jaemin, considering the complicity of their relationship. It would also not be fair to Yang Yang to sorta be her second choice after Jaemin. If mc ends up with anyone who is not Jaemin then it should be an outside person, so she can truly move on.

[ mrkis response ] : i'm gonna section my responses in a bulleted list for you!! thank you for sending me this btw!!

its fun to hear you're giving jaemin the benefit of the doubt and that you're still team jaemin!! in six(pt1), we saw jaemins thought process from part one to part three which, i think, is different from his upcoming thought process from part four to five (and so on as i'll be continuing present day in jaemins pov after the flashback scenes are over. but they will go back to mc's pov in part seven!!) — and you're right abt mc!! she didn't fully realise she liked him into the party scene. there was always something lingering, which was the comfort between them both that she craved, but diving further into their fwb relationship and becoming exclusive, that definitely persuaded her. — there is definitely more beneath the surface when it comes to him and his relationship with mc. he does really care abt her a lot and, admittedly, she has become his best friend over this short period of time. bare in mind, in jaemins mind, it has always been jeno and jaemin. jeno has always been his number one (he still loves the other boys, haru and miwoo tho) and jeno still is his number one.. he just shares that spot with mc now. so mc does mean a lot to him!! :D

i like how you said its normal and you can't blame jaemin to see mc as a fuck buddy as that was their relationship, bc its true!! that's all it was!! and its for sure not either of their faults for not understanding whats going on inside each others heads (this is where the communication is needed for sure. its one of their biggest issues in this relationship even though they made it a rule)

with that scene in part five, that was definitely mc's fault for sure. things could've been avoided if she was open abt her growing feelings towards him but she's vulnerable!! and she's very scared!! them being vulnerable and scared also plays a huge part for sure.. it's a problem they need to work on :( —you will for sure see jaemins reaction to the first soft sex scene they've had. it was so.. intimate. something that jaemin hasn't really had in a long time. so i can't wait for you to see that!

they're definitely cowards and both at faults. like i've said before, all this trouble and pain could easily be avoided if they just talked :/ six(pt2), for me personally, is going to be an eye opener. hopefully ahhh. its where eunbin comes into play, its where jaemins head gets fucked and it shows where the people in his life truly stand.

for me, i love the yangyang and mc endgame conversations that have been going on!!! i think they would be good together, mainly bc of how much yangyang truly cares and thinks abt mc... but then again, i fully believe yangyang deserves someone better. he doesn't deserve to be a second choice :(

[softzhongli]

summary: a closer look at the most exclusive group chat in all teyvat. we have two oblivious idiots in love, two horny bastards afraid of their feelings, a grumpy cat and his sunshine boyfriend and one very single and tired girl... among many many others warnings: swearing, probably some angst info: crack fic, multi-chaptered, social media au, not much different they just have phones lmao main pairing: zhongli x diluc side pairings: xiao x venti // childe x kaeya (for now)                                           + lumine and other characters (added as we go) requests: open posted:11/02/2022 a/n: trying sth new i guess, there’s a written portion in this chapter! i wanna add whole written chapters once in a while so i’m testing it out with this one. also ik it says that this is a zhongluc-focused fic but i’m thinking of making chaeya the main pairing? i wanted to write zhongluc but right now i unconsciously made it about childe and kaeya and ngl i kinda like where this is going so pls let me know what do y’all think? who should be the main pairing? zhongluc or chaeya? 

PREV II MASTERLIST II NEXT

CHAT: DICKS AND RAINBOWS 🍆🌈💦 ⮡  members: lumine / venti / kaeya 

kaeya: bringing this chat back from the dead

kaeya: @lumine @venti

kaeya: COME HERE RIGHT NOW

kaeya: this is an emergency

venti: it's not zhongli, calm down ☠️

kaeya: ...

lumine: he's right

kaeya: ...

lumine: kaeya, childe is NOT in love with zhongli

venti: also

venti: since when are you so jealous

venti: i thought you're "just fucking"

lumine: 👀

lumine: he's got a point

kaeya: can we not do this right now?

venti: do what dear kaeya? 😇

lumine: what are you implying my dearest friend? 😇

kaeya: i hate both of you

lumine: 😘

venti: but honestly

venti: you do know, it's you who childe is in love with, right?

kaeya: very funny

lumine: what?

venti: omg 🤡

venti: xiao asks if you're really that dumb or just pretending ☠️

kaeya: i don't remember xiao being in this group chat

venti: well we are laying in bed together so he can read all your nonsense himself 🤷🏼‍♀️

lumine: hi, xiao! 😘

venti: delete that kissy emoji right now

lumine: lol

lumine: as if xiao would look at anyone else than you ever smh

"She's right" tired voice and a low chuckle from behind him, made Venti shiver in Xiao's arms. This was his favourite part of the day. The lazy mornings they would spend together whenever they had the chance. And if not for Kaeya's unreasonable jealously, today wouldn't be any different. They would lay in bed, lost in that blissful state between sleeping and waking up, for a little longer before reluctantly getting up.

"I know" Venti smiled and turned around to face Xiao, after turning the phone off and leaving Lumine to deal with Kaeya. At least for a little while.

For everyone else, it seemed like the the two of them were always together, almost joined at the hips. Mainly because Venti wasn't one to shy away from expressing his feelings for Xiao whenever he felt like it. And even though Xiao was always just a whisper of his name away, Venti, no matter how much he wanted, would never abuse the fact just so he could hug or kiss his boyfriend. He knew better than that.

"There's no one I trust as much I trust you." He added and with nothing but pure love, placed a sweet kiss to Xiao's blushing cheek. It was so warm under his lips he couldn't help but smile and bury his face in Xiao's neck, placing another cheeky kiss there. He closed his eyes and sighed when Xiao's arms wrapped around him a little bit tighter and his lips kissed the top of his head.

"I love you" Xiao was his opposite when it came to expressing his feelings but Venti noticed that in those rare mornings when they're together like this it's almost easy for Xiao to say whatever he wants to say. That's probably the main reason he loved waking up in the morning.

"I love you, too! So, so much!" Venti giggled, the happiness he was feeling, just bursting out of him, too powerful to contain inside. "Kaeya and Childe really are stupid, huh?" He asked suddenly, changing the topic. Mainly because he was scared that all the love and happiness he was feeling in that moment would somehow annoy Xiao if he didn’t dial it down. “I mean it’s obvious they’re in love with each other.” He started venting. “They could have something like this,” He gestured between himself and Xiao. ”Okay, maybe not as good as this but at least like twenty percent of this.” He joked and Xiao just rolled his eyes but the small smile would not disappear from his face the whole time Venti was talking. “I guess I can kinda understand why they’re scared to admit it or say it out loud.”

“You do?” Xiao arched his brow, looking sceptically at Venti. “You told me you loved me and will stay with me forever a week after we started dating.” The smile on his face only widened at the memory.

“Well... it’s not like it was super easy or I was making empty promises.” Venti whispered, somehow unable to meet Xiao’s eyes. He was always seen as the happy-go-lucky, more often than not drunk, bard. And yeah, it’s not like it wasn’t true but even someone as cheerful as him had moments of insecurity and the day when he basically confessed his love to Xiao must now be somewhere near the top of his list of nerve-wrecking moments.

“I know.” Xiao whispered in his hair. “And I appreciate it.” He added after a second of silence. “And I appreciate all the times you remind me you love me. Even if it might not show on my face.”

“You’re gonna make me cry.” Venti groaned, hiding his very red face deeper into Xiao’s neck. The fact that his boyfriend wasn’t so open with his feelings on a day to day basis meant that whenever he did say anything remotely sincere or sweet it always manged to make a blushing mess out of Venti. He didn’t trust his voice anymore so instead of saying anything more he just hugged Xiao tighter and squeezed his eyes shut, making sure he would not cry from how happy Xiao’s every word made him.

“I think they might need you in the chat.” Xiao sighed and only then Venti realised his phone was going crazy with notifications for quite some time now. 

“Sorry.” He mumbled and blindly reach for the device.

“It’s okay. I’ll go grab something for breakfast.”

“Love you!” Venti shouted as Xiao was leaving the bedroom.

kaeya: @venti come back you coward

kaeya: how much longer will you leave me alone with her?

kaeya: @venti

kayea: XIAO GIVE VENTI BACKKKK

lumine: i’ll kick your ass so bad the next time i see you istg

kaeya: ha! dream on

lumine: @venti come back and help me kick @kaeya ass

kaeya: @venti dicks before chicks right?

lumie: omg i hate you

venti: I WLL DESTROY BOTH OF YOU IF YOU DISTURB MY XIAO TIME EVER AGAIN

venti: understood?

kaeya: 😳

lumine: 🥺

venti: UNDERSTOOD?

lumine: yup

kaeya: yes!

venti: so what’s the deal now?

lumie: i’ve had enough of kaeya being a stupid and oblivious idiot

venti: i mean

venti: yeah, understandable

kaeya: traitor

venti: c’mon kaeya

venti: you must know childe is in love with you

venti: or at least that he has feelings for you

lumine: neither of you is subtle

venti: agreed

kaeya changed group name to “ex best friends”

lumine changed group name to “Kaeya the Drama Queen™”

kaeya: fuck you

lumine: bite me

venti changed group name to “XIAO SUPREMACY 🙌🏻”

lumine: 🥵

kaeya: 🥵

venti: 😡

lumine: 😇

kaeya: 😇

[edgysaintjust]

For the ask game, the Enlightenment duo: Voltaire and Rousseau 😈

I read and treasure their works, often see some of them as my personal favourites, but besides the literary aspect my knowledge on their lives is rather poor. Just to warn you!

Voltaire first >:))

• Why I like them: No matter what I will say about him next I really admire Voltaire. He's one of my favourite writers; his esprit never fails to amuse me and the eloquence combined with abnormal amount of irony is just my kind of humour. I'm probably missing half of the jokes and alusions he puts into his works but they still impress me like nothing else.

• Why I don't: Do you want me to send you an essay?

• Favorite ancectode: The fact that mans was always cold. Also, putting his own footnotes in his work and praising the thoughtful author. Outstanding, you go king.

• Favorite quote (from them or about them): "All kinds are good, except the boring one" simple, but I feel like most of his quotes don't work without context.

• BROTP: V and Frederick, hurray for the toxic white men!

• OTP: Like I said, my knowledge on his personal life is very poor. I believe I'm not able to answer this one 😅

•  an-oh-god-why-did-that-have-to-happen: that he had been imprisoned and banned from england. Seriously let the man speak.

• Unpopular opinion: He would get trashed on Twitter.

• A wish 5 words to best describe them: sarcastic, annoyingly eloquent, humorous, and a prick.

• My nickname for them: Storytime! I was once recommending V's contes philosophiques to a friend. For a second she confused him with another writer and asked me how would 'Voltaire' (she said it correctly) be pronounced if he was French. She immediatelly tried to answer herself and said sth that sounded like 'vol toi' and that's the only way I refer to him since then. 

• If you could say one thing to them: "so you're the one who dumped your kids!"

• Favourite portrayal of them: I'm not that fluent in V's portrayals in culture but if I could simply choose a painting I'm going with the T-posing one ;))

• LEAST favourite portrayal of them: nothing in particular comes to my mind.

JJ time.

• Why I like them: He's my favourite philosopher (well maybe besides Camus), so obviously I respect him for some of his ideas.  Discourse on the Origin and Basis of Inequality Among Men was a great reading which changed my mindset and helped me shape my personal vievs; his philosophy is overall comforting and optimistic. I agree with his theory of human nature, excluding the part about women.

• Why I don't: Oh my god NOW I could write an essay. However, being a whiny prick in personal life, supporting the death penalty as a normal part of a functional country and being a raging sexist are my top 3.

• Favorite ancectode: nothing really comes to my mind but I still make fun of his tomb being next to voltaire's.

• Favorite quote (from them or about them): here comes a long one.

The first person who, having enclosed a plot of land, took it into his head to say this is mine and found people simple enough to believe him was the true founder of civil society. What crimes, wars, murders, what miseries and horrors would the human race have been spared, had some one pulled up the stakes or filled in the ditch and cried out to his fellow men: "Do not listen to this imposter. You are lost if you forget that the fruits of the earth belong to all and the earth to no one!

• BROTP: none, really. Again i don't have enough knowledge on his personal life ://

• OTP: exactly same here

•  an-oh-god-why-did-that-have-to-happen: It's gonna be an obvious one but the damn kids he left.

• Unpopular opinion: he's got a point about primitivism.

• A wish 5 words to best describe them: problematic, irresponsible, whiny, egoistic, but overall rather kind

• My nickname for them: just JJ ;))

• If you could say one thing to them: "Voltaire was a better writer." I'm sorry but I'm not gonna be polite with these two, I won't even bother. If I had a chance to talk to them a bit more, then sure! But 'one thing' that has to be said will definitely be rude.

• Favourite portrayal of them: once again, I have no idea ://

• LEAST favourite portrayal of them: and same here.

[angelkurenai]

Lucky idiot - Dean Winchester x Reader

Title: Lucky idiot

Pairing: Dean Winchester x Reader

Warnings: None

Summary: Hey sweetheart May I request a DeanxReader Imagine where reader is a mermaid but with a twist?Idk if you know the kids show called 'H2O just add water'But basically reader always turns into a mermaid if she gets into contact with water.And I imagined that reader would rescue dean from drowning after he was pushed off from a cliff by a ghost or sth?Then like thelittle mermaid moment where he sees her face after waking up.Then sam shows up and reader disappears.Then they meet her at a cafe I❤️u

“Look, all I'm saying is if you'd let me drive for this ti-”

“Get back to research, Sammy, I've got enough things on my head. Don't need you to make me more dizzy than I already am.” Dean grumbled before his brother could even get to finish his sentence.

“Which is exactly my point here.” Sam couldn't help but huff “Do you really think it's a good idea to drive while being so dizzy? I mean, for the love of, Dean, you nearly drowned three to four hours ago! Unless you're trying to finish the ghost's job right now, I was thinking that maybe, just maybe, letting me drive would give both of us higher chances of getting out of the car alive.”

“Bold of you to assume that if I let you drive, you'd get out of this car alive.” the older Winchester retorted with a half smile, that didn't feel even half as real though, before focusing as much as he could on the road before him “Besides, I've been more than nearly killed plenty of times and despite the trip to the other side, I was always the one to drive the car. I'm fine, just like every other time, Sammy. Only impatient to get some food. Again nothing new.”

“And that's supposed to calm me down now, or what? Honestly, Dean-” Sam huffed, shaking his head “I can't understand you sometimes. It was pure luck that you even found yourself out of there, alive. I mean, if the fall from that kind of cliff didn't do it then the water would have certainly been it and you know it.”

“But again it wasn't. Neither of the two did it for me as you can see, tough as it might have been. Unless, of course, your ranting is looking to be a serious contestant in that?”

“I assure you, me and my ranting are not trying to bore you to death. It's the last thing I want. But that doesn't mean I am not going to talk about it. Seriously Dean-” another shake of his head that this time earned an eye roll from the older Winchester “You could have drowned so easily and yet somehow you found your way to the shore, which let me point out is absolutely not normal. Not in the kind of situation you were in. Not unless there was some kind of help coming from very deep within that part of the water which is even more disturbing to think about. Maybe in equal measures to you not admitting that you being safe and sound on the shore within minutes from the spot you fell is suspicious. What if the ghost isn't the only supernatural creature here to begin with? What if we have to look more into other beings like...”

Sam kept going. Dean was sure of it. Not because he was listening closely, not because he was paying attention to every word and pondering over it because he had to admit that he hadn't made it out of the water on his own. There was no way he would have made it out alive on his own, that much he knew and could understand just like every other sane human being would easily would. That didn't mean it was because that's what he was currently wondering about. Not when there was little wondering to do about it, no. Both because he didn't have the mind to and also because... well, for the same reason as to why he couldn't listen to his brother at the moment. The images running through his mind.

Yes, he was sure Sam was talking to him but only because of the murmuring he could hear, which sounded more like a distant echo. And it was exactly because of those images which he couldn't shake off, he could never forget, that everything else around him sounded and looked distant and blurry. As if he wasn't part of the scenery, as if he wasn't living in it, but was actually more immersed in another world.

And truth be told, he was in a way. He was too focused in his memories, in the images, in the feelings that were still as vivid as they were a couple hours ago when he really felt them that he was almost reliving the moment. Even if part of that world, part of those feelings and moment were also just as distant and blurry as the present.

Dean was struggling, his entire body was struggling, his lungs were struggling, every cell and every inch of him, struggling to hold onto life. He wanted to hold onto the air in his lungs desperately so but as even more of it left and he couldn't find new one, his actions became more frantic and panicked than his thoughts. The fact that he had not been able to prepare for any of it had not helped to give him a head start of any kind, making it easier and faster for his vision to get blurry and filled with dark spots as the air and therefore fight left his body.

It was only when his mind had started feeling like it didn't care anymore, like there was no reason for fight and like maybe, just maybe, sleep would be a good choice. It wouldn't hurt anymore and he wouldn't have to struggle too hard, even if he really didn't get the chance to wake up ever again. His mind was in such a haze that all reason and will had left, perhaps even his perception of reality too. Because in his haze as he looked up he saw the blur of something that shouldn't have been there not only because he was all alone and sinking but also because it looked like something that shouldn't exist.

Then again, as he thought of it now in the car, he found about the existence of many things that shouldn't exist. Killed plenty of them too.

And yet none like this. It was no surprise that he kept it to himself, that he still wondered if it was all real in the first place. The flash of a shimmering white tail, not one of a shark or a dolphin, a fish could have been accurate if it wasn't for its shape and the colors that it reflected, sparkling under the minimal sun that could reach such depth almost holographic, extending long - almost endless in his eyes at that moment - brushing past his arms and legs, it was all still there in his mind. Vivid and clear as much as it had been that moment, which wasn't to say a lot, but he still could not shake off the feeling of arms wrapping around his body. Real hands, belonging to a human, touched his face. A small shake, he was sure there was that, but not only was his head a mess his eyes were also nearly closed and what sight he had was blurry. It didn't last long, Dean was surprised to even remember it, before a pair of arms wrapped around his torso and it was in that moment he felt the pull only followed seconds later by water moving past him at a speed that is by no means normal, but is certainly enough for Dean to close his eyes shut completely. The dizziness it offered mixing with his already hazy mind, led easily enough to him losing both track and sight of what was happening; and he was fairly sure his consciousness too.

He felt like he was coming in and out of consciousness far too many times for anything to make sense. There was no telling apart reality from hallucination to even dreams.

The feeling of being dragged into the shore was something like a ghost feeling in the back of his mind, arms around his torso dragging him and struggling to pull him out of the sea, sounds of struggling and an effort beyond the person's strength – because obviously the lack of water and presence of drenched clothes that only became heavier this way along with the sticking sand made it all much harder to move. Similar to that was the feeling of a pair of hands, human-like, far too human-like and that somehow set Dean on edge, that pressed on his chest, pushing with all the strength the person could master. And certainly similar to the feeling of hands on his face, the touch much more clear than when he was underwater, though still under a veil of haziness in his minds.

All of those moments, though, despite how blurry they seemed, despite how hard it was for him to figure out if they were real, he knew there was one that he couldn't have dreamed of; that it had to be real. The feeling of lips pressing on his cheek, chaste and feather-like and very hesitant much like the way a forehead rested against his; all shortly after he felt the water pour out of his lips – out of his lungs – like there was no ends. But there was, and in the end he could finally get the precious and much-needed oxygen his body was craving for. He was probably – certainly – still very dizzy and his vision had plenty of black spots but there was no mistaking the sigh of relief he heard, human-like so human-like, and a hand cupping his cheek.

“What could you possibly be doing there you idiot?” the voice was low, sounding very much English and very much human “If only you knew how lucky you were.” a small laugh, and it was probably the sweetest sound he'd ever heard, one he would never forget, he should never forget and he knew he'd hate himself if ever forgot “Lucky idiot. Hm seems fitting, since I can't get a name out of you. Who knows what-”

He could not remember more words being uttered, not from that soft and caring voice. He only remembered someone, someone that sounded a lot like Sam and was most likely him though his dizzy brain couldn't even put that together, call out his name in the far distance before came the sound of hasty rustling and water splashing. It was in those hasty few seconds that he got something he wished he could hold onto forever: His eyes slid open, just slightly so, catching sight of a face, your face.

Admittedly he had felt all air leave his lungs for the second time in that moment, and when your eyes met his and he noticed you pause for a half second, he couldn't stop himself from reaching out to touch you to make sure you were real. Or at least try to, because he didn't have the strength to get more than halfway there. Fact which he regretted later because he couldn't tell if you really had been a fragment of his imagination, what if the face he saw was only in his mind – hard as it would be for him to even dream and therefore make up such a sight.

A sight that combined with the very much mermaid-like, he could only now tell that he was driving and had sobered up, tail vanishing below the surface of the water had been keeping him on edge. Too much for it all to just have been a fragment of his own imagination. Not because it sounded and looked too crazy, nothing could with the kind of life he had, but because he didn't want it to be just him. He wanted it to be real even if he didn't know where he would ever get to see that face, feel those gentle and caring hands that had pulled him to his safety (if he was right about all of it) and hear that compassionate if not clearly teasing voice that revealed a real spark and personality underneath that he could easily adore.

Wait- Adore?

“That's it. That's the caf- Wait- Aren't you gonna stop he- Dean? Dean? Dean!” Sam nearly yelled to get his brother's attention, thankfully making the older Winchester press on the breaks and make the car come to a halt. The younger Winchester could only thank their lucky stars that the road was empty at the moment.

“Huh? Wh-what?” Dean blinked in surprise, as if finally having been brought back to reality.

“Alright, that's it.” Sam huffed stubbornly “We go in there, get something to eat and then you give me the keys and I'm keeping them for the next three days for sure. And I won't hear a single thing from you. We're lucky to be both alive at the moment. Got it?”

He did not leave any room for argument as he stormed out of the car and made his way to the cafe they were originally heading to. Dean, in all honesty, couldn't be more glad for it. It had been anything but silent in his head all this time, he could use a couple seconds of not thinking and not talking to put himself together because at the end of the day he had work to do as well.

Or at least that was what he kept telling himself, repeating the words over and over again like a mantra, to the point he almost believed it. To the point he believed that he had gotten you off his mind, to the point he believed he was getting over everything and to the point that he had convinced himself he was focused on the job and there would be no further distractions. Or at least so he thought until he pushed the cafe's door open and before he could take more than one step inside, felt something – or rather someone – collide with him.

He looked down, lips parted and ready to retort, only for the words to die out in his lips and every though to drown in the sea of disbelief and surprise that took over his entire being. Once more all air had left his lungs and yet the struggle for air had never been as painfully sweet as now.

“Well, look at that...” your voice was soft just like the smile that formed on your lips as your eyes locked with his and Dean still had trouble wrapping his mind around the fact that you were there, right in front of him; before you added in a low voice “It's the lucky idiot.”

[missblackstar]

inuokko week, day two

it's actually 25th here, so it's inuokko week, day three, sorry, i had a rough day yesterday, taking my first hit of vaccine for covid-19, and i felt like my head was being split open ;-; i couldn't really concentrate and write anything. so here, have a delayed ficlet for day two and in few hours, late evening probably, i will post sth for actual day three, hehe.

i was supposed to stick to tier 1, but i love soulmate au, so i couldn't resist lol. hope you'll like it. it's mainly hurt/comfort, i would say...

warnings: mentions of blood, injuries and child abuse, beware!

*

inuokko week 2021 | tier 2, day 2 | soulmate au

"to think we would bruise so easily"

and I think about it all the time,

lights went out, you were fine,

you kinda struggle not to shine,

he's four and there's a small cut on his right wrist, he could swear wasn't here before.

it's barely visible and his mother just shrugs, says it won't even scar, probably.

she's right. but the cut doesn't hurt.

he's seven and in the span of last three years, there were a lot of fingers-shaped bruises, suddenly appearing on his wrists, or ribs. as if out of nowhere.

slashes on his forearms, near his neck, blood dripping on the new carpet; those ones scarring more easily.

he's eight and he already knows what it means.

he knows what it mean to get an angry red mark and don't feel anything.

(no pain, or the shock of it, nothing.)

but still be able to press on it; see the skin there reddening, in the middle of the night, tissue raw and blotchy.

a soulmate. he has a soulmate. someone made only for him. with whom he will share everything. as he is sharing now.

all those marks and bruises.

a constellation of purples and yellows. of faded scars and untold stories.

(he just wished he could share the pain too.)

he's nine and his mother screams, dropping the plate she's holding, look of absolute horror and incredulity on her face.

he looks in the mirror.

his brows furrowing, this is a new one. an entirely new shape, new texture to the skin, placed right under his left eye; it's something he didn't see before, something he's not accustomed to.

(later he learns it's what cigarette burn would look like.)

(his heart breaking and bleeding and burning, all the same.)

(it's kind of funny.)

(as his soulmate would never know that.)

(it's not a thing you can see, after all.)

he's ten; a whole month have passed, with no blemish coming into view.

that makes him wonder.

if his soulmate is already cold and dead, buried somewhere, and he didn't even stood a chance to meet them and save them, or if they're finally safe.

(he wish for the latter.)

he's eleven when he gets a scar of his own.

the gash on his left knee bloody and itchy. bordering on painful. as he tripped on his way home, running after his friends, laughter bubbling inside his chest.

now it's tears gathering at his eyelashes, even if he thinks of himself as old enough, to not let them spill.

(maybe those are tears of joy really.)

(as he thinks, it's finally the time.)

(for his soulmate to have something of his imprinted on their body.)

(if they're even still out there.)

he's fifteen and amethyst eyes are boring right into his. the light in them stunning, taking his breath away.

one of his friends knocks their sholuder against his, snapping him out of trance.

(he still can't remove that one thought from his mind, though.)

(this is the most beautiful color i've ever seen.)

he's still fifteen when he sees the boy again. it's quick, in passing.

so he doesn't have time to yell, to stop him, grab his attention and asks.

even if he needs to ask, because he has time to see, and he saw plenty enough.

(he would never forgot those scars.)

"i've heard inumaki's mostly mute"

"really?"

"yeah, that has something to do with his biological mother"

"meaning?"

"she was abusing him. abusing him badly. they finally did something about him, when he was nine. they found him a new family, stripped her off custody. he moved here last year. i've seen him using sign language though"

he stands there, unmoving. listening.

soon, there's a sob threatening to leave his mouth, throat contracting. he looks at the inside of his right wrist and reminiscences.

a cut there, when inumaki was only three.

(he dosen't think about all the bruises and marks.)

(appearing only to fade.)

(before he can even remember them.)

(he doesn't want to.)

he's sixteen and he finally meets his soulmate.

(more like get his courage to finally approach the boy, looking so soft and sweet, with an oversized sweater and strands of (almost)white hair falling into purple eyes, from where the boy's perched on the bench, book in hand.)

(the sun setting around them. orange, red.)

there's an undescribed amount of emotions he feels; joy and love and strange sadness, the pity and gratitude.

relief. (that his soulmate is alive and here.)

his fingers are itching for him to touch. to map all the scars he can see, all the imperfections attached to fair skin.

(inumaki's really a sight to behold.)

(the boy's skin a perfect replica of his own. of what they will always share.)

but for now, he settles for a smile. genuine, albeit shy.

"hi, i'm yuuta"

'i'm toge', his companion signs, the book suddenly forgotten; it doesn't escape his eyes, when the other boy takes his full visage in, amethyst eyes brimming with disbelief. and something else shining there.

(is it relief also or happiness, or something in between?)

(the feeling you gain when it all seems to click, just like that.)

(like you just found what you needed the most.)

(that you've been forever searching for.)

his smile widens, warmth spreading inside, heart fluttering. he takes a shuddering breath, in and out, brings his hand up and signs back.

'it's really nice to meet you'

i still love you, though,

i still love you, though,

i still love you always, |x|

*

it's much longer than the last one, huh. the ending is quite open, so you can see what happen next as you wish, but in my mind they will only grown from there, fiding their place, right next to each other.

in this story, every person have their soulmate, and everything that appears on your soulmate's skin will appear on yours, and viceversa. i didn't give much thoughts to drawings and tattoos, if it would include them too, but i guess it could, just didn't write any scene impling it. though the things will appear on your skin, at the same time, there are "inflicted" on your soulmate's, there is no pain, or any other feeling of discomfort to it.

i'm sorry that i made toge suffer, that just seemed to do well with the idea and overall story. toge, i love you.

my grammar is awful xD

[niksixx]

Number 73

Requested: Anonymously 

Pairing: Axl Rose x Reader 

Description: “Hi it’s Tuesday so can I request a smut oneshot where reader is harsh to Axl cuz she thinks of him as a selfish womanizer, and he thinks she’s cold and pretentious so they’re basically enemies, but deep inside she’s unable to resist his hotness so when she’s with her friend she blurts our that she wants him to f*** her or sth, but actually axl accidentally overhears it and next day becomes her worst(best) day?” 

Warning: Smuuuut 

A/N: Reblog please !

*GIF is NOT mine, found on Google. Credit to the owner!* 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“My God, have they come up for air yet?” Y/B/F asks, eyes bugging out of her head.

Without looking, you already know who Y/B/F is talking about. “Let me guess. Blonde. Skinny. Around 5’6, 5’7. Tits squeezed into a shirt that’s too tight.”

“Holy shit,” Duff grins. “Spot on.”

Rolling your eyes, you look over your shoulder, scoffing at how disgustingly accurate your prediction was. The blonde is leaned against the bar, arms wrapped loosely around Axl’s neck as their tongues clash in a heated kiss. Soon, he’d ditch her though, and find the next best thing. That’s just how Axl operated.

“He’s a pig,” you whisper, but Slash hears every word.

“If I didn’t know any better I’d say someone is jealous.”

You scoff. “Please. I have respect for myself, you know.”

Just as you suspected, Blondie trickled back to her friends, and Axl was on the prowl. You watch as he sidles up next to a brunette this time, turning on his charm. Their tongues are down each other's throats less than a minute later.

“Man, he’s good,” Izzy pipes up for the first time that night, earning a laugh from his friends and a death stare from his fiance.

Well, at least Axl’s friends weren’t despicable, womanizing assholes. All were dating, engaged, or married. None of them ever felt the need to sleep around, even though they’ve had plenty of chances. But Axl? It sent him on some sort of power trip.

Swirling the straw in your rum and coke, you turn your eyes down at the drink, leaning a cheek on your palm. It’s a shame Axl’s personality was shitty. He was an attractive man who knew how to please a woman. Not that you’d know, but damn if you wouldn’t love to find out.

Twenty minutes later, a drunk Axl falls clumsily into the chair beside you, earning stifled laughs from his bandmates. You roll your eyes and scoot away from him, only to be stopped by his hand gripping the back of your chair.

“Where’re you going?” He smiles lazily at you.

Conveniently, you notice your empty glass and you stand. “Anywhere you’re not.”

Steven hollers loudly as Axl’s jaw immediately tenses up. Shooting him a smirk, you find yourself heading over to the bar, turning in your empty glass and ordering three tequila shots.

“Rough night?” The bartender asks as she places the shot glasses in front of you.

You groan. “You have no idea.”

The shot glass touches your lips but before you have the chance to taste the bitter liquid, a man pushes his way through the crowd, nearly knocking into you, before settling himself beside you at the bar. “I’ll take three of whatever she’s having,” Axl flauts a fifty dollar bill in his hand, sending a wink to the bartender before smirking down at you.

“Charming,” you say, downing the tequila. It burns, and you kick yourself for not ordering a few limes to go with it.

“I know, I know,” Axl gloats. “It’s one of my best traits.”

“Clearly you lack the capacity to understand sarcasm.”

Axl grabs his first glass, drinking the liquid with ease. “And clearly you lack the ability to be nice. What’s your problem, hm? You always have this stuck up, bitchy attitude. I promise you, sweetheart,” Axl’s face is dangerously close to yours, and you pray he can’t feel the heat radiating off your cheeks. “You’re not all that.”

“Oh, and you are?” On a normal day, you’d let Axl’s comments roll off your shoulders. The highlight of his day would be insulting you, teasing you, and irritating the fuck out of you. And somehow he always got to you before you could say anything back. This time, though, you’re determined to stand your ground and speak the fuck up.

“Of course I am. Take a good look at who I am, angel,” Axl holds out his arms as if he believes you’ll actually admire him. “I’m Axl fucking Rose for shit’s sake. Rock legend, millionaire, ladies man.”

“Actually,” You lean closer to him, finger rimming the shot glass. “You wanna know what I really think of you?”

“Enlighten me,” he says, teeth biting the corner of his bright pink lip. “Tell me everything I want to hear.”

“I think,” you whisper, body slightly pressing against his side. His eyes are dark, lustful, and they betray him. “That you’re a selfish, stuck up prick that never got any attention as a child, and that’s why you crave it now. You have commitment issues, which is why you’re a shag ‘em and leave ‘em type of guy. You’re a womanizing bastard and you know no woman would ever willingly choose to be with someone like you, and that is why your life revolves around sex. Sex is the only way women give you attention. And that,” your lips graze his ear. “Is truly fucking pathetic.”

Axl stares angrily as you down the second shot, staring back at him with such animosity burning in your eyes, he almost believes you truly hate him. But the hatred in your eyes is mixed with something else, and he can’t quite figure it out. As he replays your words over in his head, it hits him.

Jealousy.

Axl isn’t prepared for the next words that come out of his mouth, but he takes a shot of tequila anyway for courage. “And I think,” he creeps closer to your body, maneuvering around the tight crowd so your back is pressed against the bar, trapping you in his arms. “That you are so beyond jealous that I haven’t fucked you yet.”

Your eyes nearly roll out of your head as Axl laughs at your expression. “Excuse me?”

“Tell me I’m wrong,” Axl prodes, eyes flickering to your lips. For a moment it seems as if he’s going to kiss you. “If I said let’s go back to my house right now, what would you say?”

“I’d say fuck no.”

“Riiiight,” he taunts, inching closer to your face. “And you actually think I believe that?”

“You should,” You briefly turn in his arms to finish the third shot before turning back, chest heaving, thoughts racing, pussy throbbing. He’s dangerously close and you need to get out of there, and fast, before you act on your thoughts. “Because I would never fuck someone whose dick has been shoved in about twenty different girls.”

“More like seventy-two, but who’s keeping track?” Axl winks, backing up to set you free.

Stomach twisting, you shoot Axl the most disgusted look you could manage. “You’ve had sex with seventy-two women?”

“And counting,” He grins, eyes racking your body. “Wanna be number seventy-three?”

~

One too many tequila shots later, you’re stumbling down the street with Y/B/F right behind you. The liquor had hit when you least expected, and tequila mixed with anger was a deadly combination.

“Seventy-two women!” You shout, leaning on a nearby pole to regain your balance. “He’s fucked seventy-two women,” your chuckle is empty, “And he...and he asked me, me! If I wanted to be...be his number seventy-three.”

“Does that surprise you?” Y/B/F asks. “You said it yourself. He’s a pig.”

“I know and it’s even worse because I’d love nothing more than to be number seventy-three!” Axl hit the nail on the head when he called you out for being jealous. You weren’t just jealous. No, observing his hookups with random girls and hearing stories about them the next day was infuriating. You’d never even been a choice to him.

“You don’t mean that,” says Y/B/F, helping you off the pole. “You’re just a little too drunk.”

“No, Y/B/F, I’m serious.” The purse in your hand slaps against your thigh, free hand smacking your forehead. “I’ve wanted him for years, but I’ve never been good enough. I don’t want to date him or anything, I know he’s not really into that, but goddamn it can’t a woman get a little hate sex in her life? I hate him, he can’t stand me. It’s the perfect fuck.”

Y/B/F grabs your hand, rolling their eyes as they help you inside a cab. “Jesus, Y/N, quiet down before someone hears you.”

But it was too late for that, as just a few paces away Axl stood in the back alley of the bar, phone lifted to his ear, cigarette hanging from his mouth as it narrowed in a smirk. You wanted hate sex? Oh, he’d give just that.

~

As you sit on your couch, TV on low volume, book in your lap, you try to ignore the aches in your body. As you discovered this morning just by emptying your guts into the toilet, tequila was not your friend. This hangover was the worst one you’d had, and even though it was your fault you’d drank too much, you’d subconsciously blame Axl for making you so hot and bothered, you felt drowning yourself in liquor was the only way to handle it.  

There’s a knock on your front door and luckily you’d kept it unlocked. You had no intention of moving from the couch other than to go to the bathroom. “It’s open!”

Your eyes don’t leave the page in front of you, too engrossed in the scene playing out, until the all familiar voice has you slowly looking up from the book. “You look like shit.”

“Always the charmer, eh, Axl?” Snapping your book shut, you chuck it beside you, pulling the blanket to your chin. “What do you want?”

Your pupils dilate as Axl pulls his shirt over his head, letting it fall to the floor. Wandering eyes run over his chest. He’s not like other men. He doesn’t have hard pectorals or the outline of six pack abs, and you like that about him. You also like that he’s standing in front of you shirtless, but you don’t have a guess as to why. “Two words. Hate sex.”

Your breath hitches as he moves toward you. Instinctively, you shoot off the couch. “I have no fucking clue what you’re talking about, but you need to get out of here right now.”

“Cute shorts,” Axl gestures to the soft gray pajama bottoms that are two sizes too short, the curve of your ass peeking out, giving him a show. “And you know exactly what I’m talking about.”

You move around the couch, Axl watching you like his prey. His thumbs are hooked around the belt loops on his jeans as he shuffles his feet along the floor.

“I was drunk,” you admit, eyes flitting around the room, looking at anything other than the man in front of you.

“Drunk words are sober thoughts,” He says back, folding his arms across his chest. “I know you’re not a huge fan of me. I don’t particularly like you either. But what I do like is sex,” The bulge in his pants hardens, and you beg yourself not to look. “So, how about it, sweetheart?”

You hate the effect he has on you. He knows you want him, he knows he has total control over you now. But you can’t give into him. You won’t. “Get out.”

His demeanor falls briefly, as if maybe he’d read you wrong. “Are you serious?”

“I said get out, Axl.” Walking around the couch, you position yourself in front of him, lightly pushing his chest. “Now.”

He doesn’t budge. “You’re joking.”

“I said get out.”

His head tilts, but he backs up slowly. You follow him toward the door, heart thumping against your chest. Fucking hell, this was your chance! Why were you kicking him out?

“So last night was just a lie,” Axl responds, pursing his lips.

“No, Axl, it wasn’t a fucking lie,” Again, you shove his chest. “I want you. I really fucking want you. But for the six years we’ve known each other, you’ve never given me so much as a fucking wink. For some reason, I’ve never been good enough for you to fuck.”

“And that pisses you off, doesn’t it?” Axl taunts, shoulder leaning against the doorframe. “I knew you were jealous. And I’ve got to be honest, it looks hot on you.”

“Just go, Axl.”

“You don’t want me to go,” his voice is low, raspy, and if he doesn’t leave now, you may just pull him back in. “I know you don’t.”

“Axl, goddamn it--.”

His hand wraps around the back of your neck, pulling you into his body, lips molding against yours. His lips feel just as you imagined. Warm and soft.

He moves them against your mouth with such expertise it was easy to let him guide you. With his free hand he shuts the door behind him as you cling to his body, locking your arms behind his head.

His tongue explores your mouth, claiming you with each sweep of his tongue. He sucks your bottom lip and a moan escapes you. He kisses like an angel, but he’s anything but.

Axl’s hands roam your body, squeezing your hips, the curve of your ass. He whispers “jump” into your mouth and you do, legs locking around his waist, never breaking the kiss. Heat crackles between the two of you, and you’re overwhelmed with the need to feel his skin.

Axl walks the two of you back into the living room, gently lying you on the couch. His lips disconnect from yours and you groan in want, but his lips find their way to your neck and you relax.

“So needy,” he whispers against the base of your throat. His fingers play with the hem of your shirt. “This is in the way.” In a swift motion, Axl rids you of your shirt, running the tip of my tongue over each of your nipples. They perk, and he smirks before closing his lips around the bud, flicking his tongue and softly biting the peaks. Arching your back forces more of your breast in his mouth, and you hook a leg around his waist, bucking your hips upward. “I need you.”

“Be a good girl and wait,” He demands, licking and kissing a line down your belly. He stops at your shorts, kissing your navel once before slowly dragging the shorts down your legs. He kisses the top of your underwear line, lowering his head until his mouth hovers above your clothed center, gently kissing the fabric. Your hips thrust upward in a frenzy. “Touch me, please.”

He says nothing as he takes his time pulling down your underwear. It’s been months since you’d been intimate, and the shyness takes over. Your legs try to squeeze shut, but Axl pushes them back open again. “You’re not hiding from me. I’ll stare at your pussy all day if I want to.”

His tongue licks a stripe up your center before disappearing between your silky folds. Wetness gathers between your thighs and he laps at it, sending a shutter of pleasure throughout your body. He licks and licks, using the tip and flattening his tongue, but what sends you over the edge is his lips sucking your clit into his mouth.

Your toes are curling and your chest is heaving. You do your best to suck in heaps of air, but you can’t focus on breathing as his tongue swirls around your clit.

You want to watch him. Back resting against the couch pillow, you hold yourself up on your elbows just in time to see Axl spit on your pussy. His thumb spreads the saliva across your clit, flicking it rather quickly.

His middle finger slides into your hole, wetness coating the digit as it pumps in and out of your folds. Axl adds his ring finger next, using his free hand to spread you open more. “So tight, sweetheart. Gotta loosen you up a bit so you can take my cock.”

You moan at the vulgarness of his words. This what exactly how you’d pictured sex with Axl. The dirty talk. The fingering. The gentle licks on your clit. This is what you’d been fucking wait for.

Your head falls back as his tongue finds your pussy again, the sensation of his fingers and tongue making your head fall back. “Fuck, fuck, Axl.”

“Yes, baby, I’m gonna fuck you.”

Cold air hits your clit as Axl pulls back, hands finding his jeans and pulling them down his legs. He kicks them off to the side, eyes locking with yours as he fists himself through his boxers. You reach out for him but he slaps your hand away, sliding the boxers down his thighs. His cock springs to life, thankful to not be constricted any longer. He’s long and hard with a few veins on the underside, and you whimper at the sight of precum that dribbles down the head. “Sit up.”

At that point, you’ll do anything he says. Axl sits, hand stroking his dick as you crawl over him, positioning your pussy directly over his cock. You lower yourself a bit, clit brushing against the soft head, and even Axl moans this time. His hands grab your hips, and together you lower yourself down, stifling a cry as his dick forces itself inside your hole, stretching your walls.

Axl’s mouth falls open as you sink yourself lower onto his cock. His hands never leave your hips, but instead aids in the bouncing of your ass against his thighs as you maneuver yourself up and down, up and down. Your tits are perched perfectly in front of him and he licks his lips in delight as he captures a nipple, swirling his tongue in circles.

Your body explodes in pleasure, from the tongue on your breasts to the dick burying itself in your cunt. Hands on Axl’s chest, you balance yourself over top of him, slightly craning your head back to watch as his cock slides in and out of your slick pussy.

Axl’s hand grips your face, turning you back to face him. “This is what you wanted?” He grunts out, hips thrusting upward to meet your hips. “You wanted me to fuck you like a whore?”

Your toes curl. Your legs squeeze against his thighs. Your head falls forward against his, breath fanning over his face as his hand squeezes your jawline. This is all you wanted, and even if you had to wait six years for it, it was worth it.

“Come on, ride my cock.” He grunts harshly as your hips pound against his legs, riding his dick as if there were no tomorrow. Like your life depended on it.

Your pussy clenches around him, and that all too familiar bubble in the pit of your belly only grows as Axl continues his pounding into you. He thrusts at lightning speed, and you’re so caught off guard you reach for the back of the couch, holding on as he fucks the daylights out of you.

“Axl! Shit, shit,” His balls slap against your underside, arms wrapping around your middle to steady you against him. “I’m gonna--fuck I’m--coming!”

Your thighs shake violently as you come, juices spilling out of your pussy, dripping down your legs, and puddling on Axl’s thighs. His load shoots into you and he pulls your forward, nuzzling his face between your breasts, breathing hard. With every twitch of his cock, you moan a little louder.

You close your eyes, steadying your breath as you come down from your sex high. Axl licks his lips, eyes trained on your mouth, and you lean in to kiss him, but your lips never meet as he pulls back.

“This can’t happen again.”

The words stun you as he slides his cock out of you. He stands from the couch, pulling on his boxers and pants before pulling his shirt down over his head, leaving you to process his words. This can’t happen again. Why the hell not?

“Wait, what?” You shoot off the couch, flustered and completely naked. Axl’s eyes run up and down your body, and you can see it in his face, he wants you. But something is holding him back. “I just had the best fucking day of my life, and you tell me it’ll never happen again?”

He shrugs, finishing the button on his jeans. There’s something sad in his eyes, and your heart breaks. “I don’t fuck the same girl twice.”

He turns, and you chase after him. Axl just gets to the door before you grab his arm, forcing him to turn around and look at you. “So that’s fucking it? You’re just going to leave?”

Axl nods, biting the corner of his mouth. “One and done, sweetheart. That’s all I can offer you.”

“But,” you stutter, unable to control the tears pricking your eyes. “But I thought-.”

“That fucking you would be different?” He asks, swallowing nervously as the tears in your eyes break free. Damn it. He wanted to be gone before the waterworks started. “That I’d want to be with you? We’re enemies, Y/N. Our personalities clash. You’re a bitch and I’m...well...you were right. I’m a bastard that only wants sex. You were never an exception,” Axl blows out a breath and watches as your face falls dejectedly. “You were just number seventy-three.”