#she was out of her usual neighborhood so she was probably lost

[forbodium]

today is my big exercise day for the week apparently

first i cut the grass in the afternoon and then found a collared cat in the backyard and she was really sweet but she ran as soon as her mom came to pick her up, so we chased her around until she got tired enough that i could grab her

[strayingawayy]

the great kitten swap...

where minho's little girl's beloved kitty gets lost, and he can't see his baby girl upset now, can he?

the living room was alive with the sound of tiny, gleeful giggles as sora darted around the couch, her three-year-old legs moving as fast as they could. her cheeks were flushed pink, and her tangled hair bounced with each step. in her sights was her constant companion, a mischievous kitten named nari, who dashed out of reach like it was all part of the game.

minho leaned against the kitchen counter, sipping his coffee, his lips quirking into a smile. beside him, you were flipping through a book, though your attention kept drifting to the scene in front of you.

“she’s going to tire herself out chasing that poor kitten,” you murmured with a chuckle, nudging minho.

he hummed in agreement, though his grin widened. “nari seems to enjoy the attention. they’re like two peas in a pod.”

but that peaceful, happy moment was short-lived.

⠀ ‎ ♡^᪲᪲᪲...

it started the next morning. sora wandered into the kitchen, clutching her leebit plushie , her eyes wide and worried.

“papa,” she said softly, her voice trembling. “where’s nari?”

minho stiffened, his coffee cup halfway to his mouth. your gaze snapped to him, a silent exchange passing between the two of you. he cleared his throat, crouching down to sora’s level.

“maybe nari’s playing hide-and-seek,” he offered, his tone far too casual.

sora frowned, her lower lip wobbling. “but she always wins.”

you sighed, crouching beside them and rubbing sora’s back soothingly. “don’t worry, sweetheart. we’ll find her. she probably found a really good hiding spot this time.”

but as the day stretched on and there was still no sign of nari, panic began to set in.

⠀ ‎ ♡^᪲᪲᪲...

for a week, minho scoured the neighborhood, asking neighbors and checking every nook and cranny in and around the house. you called shelters, posted online, and even stuck up flyers. but nari was nowhere to be found.

sora, meanwhile, grew quieter by the day, her usual sunny demeanor dulled by the absence of her best friend. it broke your heart.

one evening, as the two of you sat on the couch brainstorming what to do, minho suddenly snapped his fingers. “i have an idea.”

you raised an eyebrow. “should i be worried?”

he smirked. “when are you not?”

⠀ ‎ ♡^᪲᪲᪲...

the next afternoon, minho arrived home with a small carrier in hand. when he opened it, out stepped a kitten—a near-identical twin of nari. you stared at him, equal parts impressed and incredulous.

“minho, is this…?”

“nari 2.0,” he said with a sheepish grin. “sora’s too little to notice the difference, right?”

you sighed, shaking your head. “this is either going to work perfectly or blow up in our faces.”

but to both your surprise and relief, sora squealed with delight the moment she saw “nari” again.

“she’s so shiny now!” she exclaimed, scooping up the kitten and spinning in a circle.

minho shot you a triumphant look. you just rolled your eyes and smiled.

⠀ ‎ ♡^᪲᪲᪲...

two weeks passed, and things were going smoothly. sora was back to her bubbly self, and the imposter kitten seemed perfectly content in its new role. but then, on an otherwise uneventful tuesday afternoon, you heard a familiar meow from the front door.

minho froze mid-step, his eyes snapping toward the sound.

“oh no,” he muttered.

the real nari was back.

she strutted into the house like she owned the place, her tail flicking with the confidence of a queen reclaiming her throne. sora, who was playing in the living room, looked up and gasped, her eyes darting between the two cats.

“papa,” she said slowly, pointing at the original nari. “who’s that?”

you and minho exchanged panicked glances.

“that’s…” minho began, his mind clearly scrambling for an answer. “that’s nari’s…secret cousin. yeah, her cousin.”

“her cousin?” sora asked, her head tilting in confusion.

“yup,” you chimed in, forcing a bright smile. “her name is…miso.”

sora blinked, her gaze shifting between the two cats again. finally, she nodded. “okay. hi, miso!”

both of you exhaled in relief. crisis averted—at least for now.

⠀ ‎ ♡^᪲᪲᪲...

for the next few weeks, the house became a circus of sorts, with the two cats adjusting to their shared life and sora happily doting on both of them. the original nari didn’t seem to mind the imposter, and miso quickly learned to share the attention.

one evening, as you tucked sora into bed, she looked up at you with a sly smile.

“umm...papa?” she said softly, her voice carrying a hint of mischief. “i know miso is nari.”

your heart skipped a beat, and you glanced at minho, who looked just as stunned.

“you do?” he asked, his voice carefully neutral.

sora nodded, her smile widening. “but it’s okay. i like having two naris.”

minho chuckled, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “you’re too smart for us, you know that?”

she giggled, curling under her blanket. “goodnight. i love you.”

as you turned off the light, you exchanged a look with minho, both of you grinning. your family might have been a little unconventional, and chaotic. but it was absolutely perfect.

inspired by this and requested by @wandamaxoff

[redflagshipwriter]

Nest Swap chapter 5 progress

In which Tim flirts with the sad thoughts but is not committed to them.

masterpost

Probably the best thing to do was to make sure everyone was happy with him. If he did everything that everybody wanted, there would be no issues. 

So, Tim finished his experiment for Miss Fox and sent her his report. The groceries arrived while he was finishing up. After he put it away, he made a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and ate it one-handed while he looked up the address that Jason had told him about. 

“That's pretty far away,” Tim mused. Some grape jelly dropped onto the keyboard. He swiped it up with his sleeve. He was a little less careful about the apartment now that he knew it was Big Tim’s place and not someone important or mean. 

Huh.

Tim paused mid contemplation. Speaking of important people, where was Mom? (And also Dad.) He turned his head around looking for the most recent post card. He usually kept that on the fridge.

Apparently, Big Tim had lost the habit. The dig post card tacked to the fridge was years old. Tim took it down and read it anyway, smiling at Mom’s handwriting. It was neat and precise, just like her. 

He felt better. He'd figure it out later. Tim put a pin on the thought and went back to focusing on his- on Jason's request. He squirmed in his chair while he thought it through.

The address was in a residential neighborhood, the kind with separate houses and not apartment complexes. The suspect himself lived in a duplex. The other half of the duplex was registered to a retiree who Tim didn't find any digital trail of, other than that her Social security checks were being cashed and her bills were paid on time. Oh, neat, she had been part of Gotham’s historical recreation society. She seemed kinda cool.

She had crazy huge electric bills, though. Tim frowned at that. He wasn't absolutely sure. But he thought that most people didn't have electric bills in excess of $600 monthly. How was she even affording that off of her Social security income? 

“Maybe the neighbor killed her and is using her apartment for nefarious purposes,” Tim reasoned aloud. “He's chasing her check and concealing the death. Maybe he uses her apartment to store his industrial sausage making machines.” 

It was a bit of a reach but it seemed a little more likely than his follow-up idea: her hobby was running every appliance in her house at the same time for all the hours that she was awake.

Focus, Tim! How was he going to surveil this place?

It wasn’t like there were any nice big buildings with dramatic awnings and gargoyles to creep around. It was suburbia. 

Tim spun around on his chair miserably, hands on his head to help him think.

Were there any abandoned homes in the area that he could use as a viewpoint? He checked on that. No. No, there weren’t. Dangit. He looked up everyone who lived in the neighborhood, wondering if there might be like, a family on vacation or someone whose second floor was unoccupied. He didn’t see anything useful like that. There were just a bunch of families with little kids.

He spun faster. Maybe the centrifugal force would somehow jar his brain awake.

“There’s nothing for it,” Tim decided ruefully. “I have to go undercover as a child.”

He put on the light up sneakers that he had ordered, washed his face, and made sure he had enough money for the bus. Then he set off on an adventure with a little notepad in his pocket. When he got to the apartment lobby he realized that he probably should have brought Big Tim’s phone, but oh well. It was too far now.

He took three buses and walked twenty minutes. He arrived in the right neighborhood in the early evening, around 5 pm. He looked for rogue groups of playing kids to join in. He’d do whatever game they were playing, then subtly interrogate them.

Unfortunately, it seemed like everyone was inside eating dinner. Tim frowned at one window. He could see a table being set.

Weird.

Alright, new plan. The old lady neighbor was probably dead, so he could just sneak into her half of the duplex, find a place to hide, and observe whatever sick and twisted stuff Jason’s bad guy did. Then he could tell Jason about it later, and he would like Tim.

He tried the backdoor. It was locked. Tim skulked around the house and tried windows until he found one that was open. He had to scramble a bit to climb up the siding to get into the house but he managed it. He hit the floor with a tumble.

“I have a mace!” said a female voice. “I am prepared to use it upon you!”

Tim rolled over to see the retiree. “Oh,” he said. “Hello.” He was a little disappointed that he was wrong about her being dead, though of course it’s always nice when someone isn’t murdered.

Mrs. Henderson yanked open a drawer and withdrew her mace. She pointed it at him steadily over her walker.

“Whoa,” said Tim. “That’s really cool. That’s Gothic, right?”

She looked at her mace. “...I believe so,” she said. “Get out of my home!”

“Yeah, I’m sorry,” Tim said, deliberately not agreeing. He sat up and crossed his legs. “I didn’t realize that you lived here.”

Mrs. Henderson slowly lowered her Gothic mace, which was probably a replica of one from Western Europe and weighed about 2 kilograms. “...Did you mean to go next door?” she said, sounding more confused and less hostile. 

“Yeah, I got mixed up,” Tim lied like a champion. “I accidentally locked myself out and no one is home.”

Although that really wouldn’t be true for much longer. Hm. Maybe Tim should have waited until tomorrow to come by.

[jjkamochoso]

I have a Gen Narumi request!

So basically Y/N turned very cold and distant to (almost) everyone, after she lost EVERYONE they care about from a kaiju attack, being scarred both mentally and physically, she closes off from the world trying to protect themself, but they're wonderful, weird, game addicted captain, just so happens to have broken that ice wall a tiny bit (Y/N's even giggled once in front of him!!) , but he's never seen her cry...until one day he heard quiet sobbing from her office, he checks it out being the great friend he is, but sees Y/N curled up in their chair in fetal position ,tears flowing down their face (Gen tries to comfort her obviously, he would be the best friend ever I swear)

Fluff/angst because I've been reading to much unholy stuff :)

Oooh I like this idea!! Angst and fluff is the best combo🤭 thanks for putting your trust in me for this story and I hope you love it!! 🫶❤️

Comfort from Your Captain

Angst, fluff

Gen Narumi x f!reader

Warnings: mentions of death, depiction of panic attack, small instance of cussing

“Hey, L/n! You wanna grab some lunch with us?”

“No, thank you. You guys go ahead.”

That was a common occurrence for you. Your teammates never failed to extend an invite to their favorite platoon leader and you never failed to deny their requests. They were all extremely nice people which was why you didn’t want to get to know them better—it would make life even more unbearable for you when it was their inevitable turn to die on the battlefield against the kaiju. You had already lost your entire family and friends years ago when a kaiju ravaged your neighborhood, that tragic day leaving an irreparable mark on your heart and mind. The attack hadn’t left you unscathed physically, either; you were haunted by it everytime you looked in the mirror and saw the scars littering your face and body, reminding you of all you had lost, all you were too weak to protect. Since then, you had sworn to never get close to anybody because you knew it was only a matter of time before they got ripped away from you as well.

Until a certain captain entered your life.

When you were transferred to the First Division, you kept to yourself as per usual, but somehow along the way, Gen Narumi was able to break down the walls you had built up for so long. Was it because you knew he was strong, so strong that he probably wouldn’t die in the hands of a kaiju? Was it because of those countless nights you spent together, when both of you found sleep evading you, up until dawn, him playing video games while you silently enjoyed his company, just not wanting to be alone for once?

Was it because you finally found someone who understood what it was like to have nothing and no one at all?

It was a mix of all those things, you thought. Whatever the real reason was, anyway, you didn’t care; all that mattered was Gen Narumi had become the only friend you could tolerate having. He was the only person in the past few years to have seen you crack a smile and let out a giggle when he was being particularly ridiculous. And, as neither of you were team players, you worked well together in the field for that very reason. He would always charge for the large honju while you would take out all the smaller yoju surrounding him. It was a silent agreement between you to stay out of each other’s way and you were glad to have that level of trust in someone for the first time in many years.

Oftentimes, especially lately, you wished you could embrace the happier, more communicative side of yourself you’d had to suppress all this time. Your division was comprised of many kind people who you would’ve loved to learn more about, but your fear of loss was much too strong to allow you to be so vulnerable and open with anybody else other than Gen. It pained you to turn down their many offers to dine together or hang out, but you really couldn’t bring yourself to agree to any of it. However, you were starting to tire of being so lonely all the time. Keeping up your cold demeanor around your team was starting to take a toll on your mental health and you found yourself becoming wrought with despair much more often than normal. When you bid the members of your team farewell, your heart began to quicken its pace and your breathing was becoming rapid. Words flowed through your brain at a swift pace, so quick you could barely create a coherent thought.

What is going on? I feel like I’m dying. Why am I doing this? I’m losing control.

I need to get out of here.

Your body was on autopilot—you ran to your office as fast as your shaking legs could carry you. You hoped the slam of your door wasn’t echoing across the base because the last thing you needed was someone seeing you in this state. Throwing your body onto your desk chair, you tried to even your breathing but your lungs weren’t cooperating. All of a sudden, akin to a thundering storm, came an onslaught of tears from your eyes. You began to sob, your body wracking with each cry you tried so desperately to hold in.

“It’s too bad L/n couldn’t make it to lunch with us. Maybe sometime later this week?”

“Maybe. She always seems to have something going on though.”

Gen listened intently to the conversation happening between your teammates as they walked past him, throwing up lazy salutes to the captain on their way to the dining hall. He frowned, letting their words settle into his head. He knew you had a hard time with opening up to others but it pained him to see you so blatantly blow off people who genuinely wanted to connect with you. He knew all the great qualities you had to offer with your friendship and he wished that you could see it was okay to lower your guard sometime.

I’ll go check on her, make sure she’s alright.

He waltzed toward your office, video game in hand. He had just beaten the level he was on when he raised a fist to your door but stopped in his tracks. Holding his breath and putting an ear to the barrier between you two, his heart immediately sank.

Is y/n… crying?

Gen didn’t know what to do. He had never seen you cry, let alone show sadness in any real sense of the word. You favored the emotionless side of yourself, never letting others see what you were going through internally. Now, with only a door separating you two, he hadn’t the slightest clue whether he should barge in or not. He waited for a moment, but you didn’t let up. In fact, it sounded like you were crying harder, if that was possible. With a gentle touch, he tried the door handle—it opened without protest.

She must’ve ran in here in a hurry.

He knocked on the door as he swung it open slowly. “Hey, uh, y/n? You alright?”

When he entered the unlit room, he could barely make out your figure, currently huddled up in your chair. Your knees were drawn close to your chest, your face hidden in the darkness of the arms covering it. Even with the curtains drawn, he could tell you were quaking in your position. When you didn’t answer him with so much as a threat to his well being, he knew you weren’t doing well. Your labored breaths, along with your sniffling cries, hadn’t calmed and it pained him to the core to see you hurting in such a manner. Without a second thought, he quickly ran to you and took you in his arms the best he could.

“Shh, shh, it’s okay. You’re alright,” he consoled, rubbing his hands up and down your back. “I’m here. You’re safe.”

“Gen, I-I can’t,” you hiccuped, not daring to show your face.

“Can’t what? It’s alright, you can talk to me.”

“Can’t keep doing this.”

His eyes widened in concern. “Doing what?”

You didn’t answer, a fresh wave of sobs taking over your body. He didn’t let up in his care for you, hugging you tighter to his body. After a few minutes, your crying finally seemed to slow but Gen never loosened his grip, adamant on proving to you that he was there for you in your lowest of lows.

You raised your head from its downward position, tear stains all down your cheeks. “Why are you doing this?”

“Doing what, silly girl?” He cracked a smile, softly rubbing circles on your back.

“He-helping me. I’ve pushed you away f-for so long but you’re here.”

Gen shrugged. “We’re friends. And that’s what friends do.”

His answer came out like it was the simplest fact in the world to him. The response was almost enough to send you into another spiral of emotions, but you held back as much as possible.

“You know, there’s a lot of other people that wanna be your friend, too. I’m not happy about sharing ya,” he playfully nudged you, “but I will for your own sake. You deserve to be happy and feel loved. I know how hard it is to get to that point of opening yourself up to others, trust me, I do, but we can work on it together if you want. You, me, and the rest of the team. We all have your back.”

You nodded, wiping your bleary eyes. “Earlier, when I was having that panic attack, I was thinking I couldn’t continue pretending not to give a shit. I just don’t wanna see anybody else I love get hurt. I don’t need any more scars.”

“I know.” The captain pulled you closer, resting an arm around your shoulders. “But that’s why we train. We get stronger so we protect the ones we love. This world is cruel and unfair. That can’t stop us from experiencing joy in the meantime.”

“Joy from things like video games and Yamazon?”

Gen stuck out his bottom lip in a pout. “You’re already back to being mean to me? After my heartfelt pep talk?!”

“I’m joking,” you said, a faint smile gracing your lips. “Not used to that, are you, Narumi?”

“Not in the slightest,” he answered, his two toned hair flopping around with every word, “but I’m not mad about seeing you smile more.”

You broke out into an even bigger grin. It might take a long time and a hell of a lot of work, but you were ready to open your heart again—thanks to the comfort from your captain.

[softspiderling]

catch me or i go (houdini) | r.c.

summary: rafe witnesses a skilled burglar in the middle of the burglary. also, he can’t quiet seem to stop putting his foot in his mouth when it comes to you

pairing: rafe cameron x reader

word count: 6,6k words oops

warnings: mention of peterkin and what rafe did to her, cursing

author's note: i was listening to houdini by dua lipa and somehow got inspired to write this. also kind of lost myself in this fic bc i enjoyed writing it so much. pls leave a comment/like if you liked it and reblog to share. ily!!!

“Are you sure you want to sell it off? We can put it in storage for you.”

Rafe waved the guy off, pushing a fifty in his hand. “It’s fine, just sell it for me, I don’t want to see it again, it’s gaudy as fuck.”

The guy, Jacob or whatever, scratched his head, but seemed pleased enough with the tip that he got into the car with the rest of his team, the trucks pulling off the property.

“Fucking finally,” Rafe sighed, running his hands over his buzzed hair. The renovation of the house was his first step of distancing himself from Ward and he started by getting rid of the ridiculous furniture Rose had chosen. While Rafe knew that it was going to be a pain redecorating, he’d live in the comfort of his own space, instead of being reminded of his psychotic stepmother whenever he sat in the living room. Rafe was about to go back inside when he heard a loud crash coming from Mr. Jenkins’ property. He hesitated for a split second. Rafe never really liked Mr. Jenkins, he was a nosy motherfucker and always liked to call the sheriff’s department when the parties got a little louder than usual. But if that old fuck died right now only to be found like a few weeks later? That stench would probably sit in his nose for months. So might as well be proactive now.

Ducking between the bushes - he really needed to call the guy who trimmed their greens - Rafe jogged over to Mr. Jenkins’ property, slowing his pace when he reached the property line.

“Mr. Jenkins?” he called, trying to sneak a glance into the house, without being spotted at the same time. It’d just be his luck that Mr. Jenkins shot him in the face for evading his property.

Nothing.

Served him right for trying to do the right thing.

Rafe turned on his heel, ready to return home when he caught movement in the second story window: Someone was climbing out of the window.

Reacting quickly, Rafe ducked beneath the bushes, hiding as he watched a girl shut the window behind her, tiptoeing across the patio roof and then scaling down the gutter, all the while carrying a huge backpack. She must’ve robbed Mr. Jenkins’ house, based on her dark clothing and the red bandana covering half of her face.

Rafe’s curiosity was piqued, and he didn’t even hesitate to follow her as she snuck off the property through the yard. He kept in the shadows, not wanting to alert her to his presence as she kept a rather slow pace to keep the attention off of her. Rafe followed her a few blocks down the neighborhood, until she took a left turn into a small, dark alley, but he hid behind the corner of a house when she stopped, pulling the bandana off. Rafe stared at the side of her face, knowing he’d seen her somewhere before, but not quite remembering where from. The lighting was also not helping, as he barely could make out her features in the shadows, while she tugged a floral shirt out of the backpack, throwing it over her black top. After having fixed her outfit, she kept walking, and right as Rafe stepped out behind the house, his foot caught onto an empty glass bottle, making an unnecessary loud noise.

Rafe froze, noticing how her shoulders tensed, barely looking over her shoulder, before taking off in a sprint.

“Wait!” He called, probably the dumbest thing he could have said, running after her but even before rounding the second right corner, she disappeared.

“Fuck,” he muttered to himself, looking around, hoping to catch a glimpse of her, but nothing. One of his neighbors was outside tending to her flowers, giving him a weird look. Rafe only let out a polite chuckle, giving her a wave before he turned on his heel, making his way back home.

“How the fuck did she just disappear into thin air?” He muttered to himself. As he walked through his gate, he couldn’t help to peek over to Jenkins’ house if the old man was home already, but the house was still dark. Rafe tried to get back to work looking at new furniture, but his mind kept going back to the thief. As the sun started to set Rafe finally heard Jenkins’ Aston Martin pull into his drive way, and he figured it wouldn’t take long until the sheriff’s department showed up.

Minutes went by, then hours, and Rafe started to wonder if there was some other case Shoupe had to attend to, must be a real big case if he couldn’t even spare one deputy to check out Jenkins. Then again, Rafe would’ve had heard about it. Kildare wasn’t that big. It was already dark by the time the sheriff’s car pulled up on the street. Shortly after, the bell rang and as inconspicuously as possible, Rafe opened the door, feigning surprise.

“Shoupe. What brings you here at this hour?”

The sheriff only looked at Rafe unimpressed. He was pretty sure that Shoupe still resented him for the entire Peterkin thing, but innocent until proven guilty, right?

“Rafe… There was a break in at Mr. Jenkins’ house and I’m just here to ask if you saw anything suspicious,” Shoupe said, flipping open a small notepad.

Rafe rubbed his chin, sighing. “A break in huh? That sucks. I haven’t heard anything, though, sorry that I am of no help. What was stolen?”

“Jewelry that belonged to his late wife. The thief broke into the safe and completely emptied it. Took all the cash, too,” Shoupe said, scribbling something down on his notepad before looking at Rafe again.

“Bummer… I’ll let you know though, if I happen to remember something,” Rafe added.

Shoupe let out a grunt, stuffing his notepad away and turned to leave. Rafe stood in the doorway, hesitating, before calling out.

“Hey Shoupe.”

He turned around, raising a brow at Rafe.

“What took you guys so long?”

“What do you mean, son? We got here as soon as Mr. Jenkins called us.”

Huh.

“Really?” Rafe said, thinking. “Sorry, I just thought Mr. Jenkins has been home for a while now and you’re just now questioning me. Was wondering how fast you would get here if I had a problem.”

Shoupe eyed him suspiciously. “Mr. Jenkins didn’t notice the break in until an hour ago, his security system was active when he got home, so he had no reason to suspect anything…. You sure you didn’t see anything?”

“Positive,” Rafe insisted. “Have a good night, Shoupe.”

The sheriff stood on the porch for another second before he left with a small headshake, leaving Rafe with his thoughts as he shut the door. The thief must have been a pro. Bypassing the security system and taking just enough to delay the sheriff’s department from investigating? That wasn’t an easy feat. To say that Rafe was intrigued was an understatement. The way she moved with such stealth and precision proved how she knew her way around sneaking in and out. There was no way this was her first hit. He wondered what motivated her to rob the house, if she was just a plain poor Pogue, or a Kook, doing it for the thrill of it.

Rafe had to find out more about the thief. Even two drinks in, he still had to think about her. And when he set his mind on something - or someone - there was no getting past it. He knew it was going to haunt him until he figured it out. Figure her out. Problem was, how the fuck would he? Right, Kildare wasn’t that big, but it wasn’t like he could just waltz around looking for her either. And chances are she was just some tourist, looking for some fun. Before he could start forming a plan to find out who she wa, his phone buzzed, distracting him.

Top: scarlet’s throwing a party tonite. u in?

Rafe thumbed at his screen, having half a mind to decline the invitation, but when he looked up, taking in the empty room, he almost got depressed. Why was he sitting on the fucking floor, thinking about some random girl he was probably never going to see again? Downing the last of his drink, he texted Top that he’d see him at Scarlet’s.

By the time Rafe arrived, the party was already in full swing. Weaving through the crowd, he greeted the familiar faces, gravitating towards the living room where he knew Scarlet’s father kept the expensive stuff.

“Hey Rafe!”

Lifting his head, he saw Topper on the couch with some girl, waving him over. Rafe took his time walking over, because what was he, a dog?

“’sup Top,” he greeted his friend with a light slap to the shoulder. “Give me your drink.”

“Alright, damn bro,” Topper said, handing Rafe his drink, before gesturing over to you, introducing you to him. Rafe gave you a nod as you smiled shyly at him, not bothering to exchange pleasantries. The last thing he needed right now was you simpering over him, no matter how pretty you were.

“Right, so where were we…” Topper said, apparently picking up the previous conversation you were having before Rafe joined them. “Are you leaving for university anytime soon?”

“Uh… No. I could go, but I don’t want to leave my mom all by herself, you know,” you answered, tucking your hair behind your ear. You looked like you’d rather be anywhere else but at this party. Rafe gave you a quick once over as he sipped on Topper’s drink. You were pretty, he figured. Maybe a bit mousy for his taste, with the shirt under your dress and a denim jacket on top? Other girls your age would have worn only the dress and maybe even cut a slit in it, just for the sake of it. Rafe’s brows furrowed as he looked at you more closely, pausing.

“… I know you?”

Topper gave him a very unsubtle look as he chuckled awkwardly, trying to play his friend’s rudeness off, while you just sat there, your back ramrod straight, smiling at him bashfully.

“She used to go to school with us? Then uh… Transferred during her senior year.”

Squinting his eyes at you, Rafe tried to think back to his school years, before realizing.

“Right, your dad embezzled like millions of dollars from his company right?”

Topper cleared his throat, looking up at the ceiling and you only smiled tightly at Rafe, the corners of your mouth not quite reaching your eyes.

“Um.. I think I’ll grab a drink, Topper,” you said, excusing yourself, quickly disappearing between the people. Topper waited until you disappeared to elbow Rafe into the side, who only smirked into his drink.

“What’s her deal?”

“Are you joking?” Topper asked with a sigh, pinching his nose. “You can’t just say shit like that man, it’s obvious she’s embarrassed. Why would you bring up her father?”

“Get off your high horse, it’s not like I embezzled a bunch of money,” Rafe huffed, shoving Topper off of him with an eyeroll. He knew that Topper was frustrated with him, but honestly, why would he care if he hurt your feelings. Topper inhaled deeply and Rafe just knew that an lecture was incoming.

“She’s a good kid. Lives just on the outskirts of the Cut now with her mom. I guess they can still afford to live on Figure 8, but her and her mother are too embarrassed to come back after all of their money was seized and her father got locked up in jail. Which is probably why we never see her around. Now, we’re definitely going to see her less because you’re such a dick.”

Rafe was only half-listening to Topper, processing what he had just been told, the gears in his head turning.

“Wait, what?” he asked, sitting up straight and looked at Topper, finally taking the conversation seriously. “How would they still be able to afford living on Figure 8 when all of their assets were seized?”

Topper shrugged his shoulders. “How the hell should I know? I’m just telling you what she told me.” He glanced to the back and paused, before looking back to Rafe. “She’s coming back. Just… Think before you speak.”

If this was any situation, Rafe would’ve probably bit Topper’s head off for being told what to do, but for once, Rafe decided to lean back and listen. A short while later, you slipped past a kissing couple, joining them on the couch, holding onto a red solo cup with both hands.

“What kind of toxic waste did Scarlet mix you?” Rafe asked as some sort of peace offering.

“Oh this?” you lifted your cup, laughing awkwardly. “It’s juice. Don’t really like alcohol.”

Rafe almost choked on his whiskey, and he let out a cough, trying to hide his surprise while Topper only leaned his head back with an exasperated look on his face, you only stared at him with an open mouth.

“Sorry, went down the wrong pipe.”

After that, Rafe didn’t ask you that much, letting Topper lead the conversation and instead just soaking up information about you. In the brief interaction he had with you, Rafe somehow got the feeling that you didn’t like him that much. He didn’t even know why.

Okay, he knew why. But honestly, he was just asking what everyone would ask, right?

When Rafe got home from Scarlet’s, he didn’t know that much more from you. After he really started paying attention to you, he realized that you never really divulged that much information about yourself, despite answering all of the questions. You were much smarter than Rafe had previously assumed. He wondered how many people you had fooled. But all of this was still a theory, and he had to put that to a test.

The next day, Rafe spent his morning asking the neighborhood about your family, disguising it as friendly neighborhood chatter and it was really far too easy. If there was one thing one needed to know about the people living on Figure 8 is, that they loved to yap.

“- just dreadful. That poor girl. Her mother took her out of the academy in her senior year and now they live next to Franklin Stewart on the other side of the island…” Susannah shook her head as she feigned distress, but Rafe didn’t believe an ounce of the compassion she was showing. She used to be best tea buddies with Rose, that really said it all.

“Oh man… I really hope her family is doing alright,” Rafe said stuffing his hands in his pockets. “Anyways… Thanks for the chat, Mrs. Cooper. I’ve kept you long enough.”

She only waved him off with an obnoxious laugh, “Please, don’t you worry about it. Give Rose my best wishes, okay?”

Rafe gave her a smile, which immediately dropped as soon as he turned to leave. “What a bitch,” he muttered under his breath, walking back to his house. At least it paid off having to talk to Susannah, since he now knew where you lived. He didn’t ponder over it long before he got on his bike, riding over to the Cut. As the mansions and well groomed front yards slowly turned smaller, one might say modest, he couldn’t imagine downgrading from Figure 8 to the cut. Though, now that he thought about it, he figured his family was pretty close from having to give up their life on the north side of the island. Rafe let his bike roll to a stop when he reached Franking Stewart’s house, laying his eyes on the only neighboring house.

It was pretty okay for a house on the Cut. Still on the cut, though.

He took off his helmet, placing it on his bike and getting off, walking in front of his house, contemplating his next move, when the door suddenly opened and a person exited. For a split second, he thought it was you, but upon closer inspection, he realized that it was your mother. She tugged a sun hat on, before pausing when she saw Rafe on the street.

“Can I help you?”

Rafe rubbed the back of his neck.

“Uh, sorry. I didn’t mean to bother you… I’m Rafe, a friend of your daughters…” He said, approaching the house to avoid yelling all over the street.

Your mother beamed at him. “Really? I barely get to meet any of my daughter’s friends. She’s not home right now, but would you like to come in for a glass of lemonade?”

Rafe hesitated. On the one hand, it would be a perfect opportunity to find out more about your situation, and if you really were the thief like he suspected. On the other hand, if you happened to come home while he was still there, you’d immediately know that there was something going on. Then again, high risk, high reward?

“Sure, I’d love to.”

Rafe followed your mother into your quaint home, and while your mother was blabbering away, he took the time looking around the kitchen.

“- she’s a good girl, bless her. A bit too serious, though. I always try to encourage her to live a little, you know?” your mother handed Rafe a glass of ice cold lemonade, which he gladly accepted. He was a sucker for a good old homemade lemonade.

“She is a bit shy,” Rafe agreed with your mother, only making her laugh.

“And very headstrong. Which is why it’s so hard for me to get her to change her mind on anything. I’m just so upset that she took the whole thing with her father so hard… The burden of that really shouldn’t fall on her shoulders. Ever since we moved out here, she got more withdrawn, angry. I know she’s still upset, but I really feel like she’d be happier if she got out of her shell again.”

Hm. Maybe you were stealing to help your mother pay the bills, help your family stay afloat.

“Yeah, I’d know a thing or two about that.”

Your mother laid her eyes on Rafe, smiling sadly.

“I was very sad to hear about your father’s passing. I didn’t know him very well, but I’m sure he was a good man.”

Rafe almost scoffed, because only if she knew, but the noise died in his throat when your mother gave him a shoulder squeeze, rubbing his back.

“I hope you’re alright, honey. It’s hard to lose a parent at such a young age.”

His hand tightened around his lemonade glass, the coldness somewhat settling him down. He hasn’t felt the touch of a caring parent for a long time. “Thank you,” he pressed out, giving your mother a stiff smile. “Um… I should go. Don’t want to cause any more of an inconvenience,” he said, standing up.

“Oh please, don’t worry about it, I always love to meet my daughter’s friends.”

Your mother led him out of the house, and when Rafe passed the staircase that lead upstairs, his eyes caught a very familiar floral shirt tossed carelessly on the bottom of the stairs. Your mother followed his eyesight, palming her forehead, embarrassed.

“Oh god, please forgive the mess. I always try to tell her to keep her things in order,” she quickly said, picking up the shirt and hanging it over her arm. Rafe however only waved her off, giving her a charming smile.

“Don’t worry about it, it’s just a shirt.”

After bidding good bye to your mother, Rafe drove to the nearest beach, shutting his bike off to take moment to process. The shirt confirmed his suspicion, you were the thief he saw breaking into Jenkins’ house. He still didn’t know what your motives for stealing were. It was clear to him that your mother was very open about what your father had done, and you still seemed to be doing fairly well, all things considered. Where you paying the bills with the shit you stole from other people’s houses? Rafe stared at to sea for a second, before he got an idea, pulling his phone out of his pocket.

rafe: anything going down tonight?

top: uh

top: i think there’s a party at the boneyard.

top: pogue party, tho

rafe: thats fine.

rafe: you think you can get your friend to come?

top: … why? so you can embarrass her some more?

rafe: just want a second chance, maybe apologize

top: i’ll see what i can do. no promises, tho

“So, why did you really want her to come?”

Rafe was aware that Topper didn’t even have to say your name for him to realize who he was talking about. Rafe took a sip from his drink, wincing a bit. While he did say that he didn’t care about the fact this was a pogue party, they did always buy the cheapest shit. He could feel Topper’s gaze on him, scrutinizing and a little suspicious.

“I didn’t really make a good first impression. Just thought it’d be nice to make amends,” he finally said, his eyes set on the crowd around the bonfire, studiously not looking at his friend.

“Amends, huh?” Topper replied, sounding not at all convinced. “You’ve never been the type to care about stuff like that, Rafe.”

Rafe shrugged, feigning nonchalance. “People change, Top.”

“Or they have ulterior motives,” Topper shot back almost immediately, and Rafe couldn’t help but grin at the accusation.

He finally looked up to meet Topper’s gaze, his eyes gleaming with amusement. “Can’t a guy try to be better without being accused of having a hidden agenda?”

Topper held his gaze for a moment longer before breaking into a grin himself, shaking his head in disbelief. "Just...don't mess with her, okay? She's been through enough."

Rafe raised his hands in surrender, his grin still in place. "Promise, Top. No messing around."

He did intend to make amends, but not for the reasons Topper thought. There were still so many questions Rafe needed answers to, and he was willing to play nice to get to them.

Topper only rolled his eyes at him, looking to the side for a bit. “Head’s up,” he muttered, before straightening his back, greeting you when you joined them.

“Hey guys,” you said, waving at them sheepishly.

Topper gave you a brief hug. “Hey, I was hoping you could make it. You remember, Rafe, right?”

“Yeah of course,” you replied, your voice light, but Rafe couldn’t help but think that your gaze somewhat hardened when you laid your eyes on him. He hoped that he was still able to salvage the relationship.

“Hey. Nice to see you again,” Rafe told you, giving you a charming grin. “You got anything to drink yet?” He looked pointedly at Topper, who stared back at him, his expression unmoving. Rafe inclined his head, raising his brow and Topper bit back a sigh, standing up.

“Let me get you something to drink. No alcohol, right?”

“Uh no, you don’t have to,” you insisted. “I’m not really thirsty anyways.”

Topper waved her off, lifting his own cup. “It’s fine. I need a refill anyway.” With that, Topper turned to leave, leaving you with Rafe.

“I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable the other night,” Rafe started and you looked at him in surprise, your eyes widened. “I might have been a bit insensitive, maybe a bit too forward. I’m really sorry.”

It felt like swallowing gravel, the over the top apology, but he hoped that it came across as sincere.

You let out a breath, your forehead pinched, like you were holding something back. He saw a flicker of something in your eyes, and he realized you didn’t buy a single thing he just said.

“It’s fine,” you then said, smiling at him and Rafe raised an eyebrow, seeing past your facade, though he had to admit that you were a good actor. If he couldn’t get close to you by being nice, it seemed like he had to resort to his back up plan

“We good, then?” he said, offering you his hand, which you shook, after hesitating for a brief second.

“Sure.”

You leaned back against the boulder Rafe was sitting on, and an uncomfortable silence settled over the two of you. Rafe considered throwing himself into the black water, when you finally spoke up.

“My mom told me you came by this morning.”

“Yeah, I was in the neighborhood and your mother saw me outside your house,” Rafe explained, glancing over at you. “Hope you didn’t mind that I called myself a friend.”

“It’s okay..” You trailed off, like you were about to add something else, but hesitating. Usually, he’d be fed up with people not speaking when they want to, but he was intrigued and figured he’d give you the time you needed to spit it out.

“What did you and my mom talk about?” you asked lightly, but Rafe knew how loaded the question actually was. He waited for a beat, sipping on his drink before he answered, enjoying playing with you.

“Not much, really. Just said how happy she was to meet one of your friends… She’s really nice,” he added and you gave him a wry smile.

“Thanks.”

Rafe paused for a beat.

“You guys are doing okay, right? Financially, I mean?”

You narrowed your eyes at him and he was praying to god he was pressing the right buttons.

“Yes. Why?”

“Was just wondering,” Rafe answered nonchalantly, shrugging with his shoulders. “I remember when Ward’s company hit a rough patch and we almost lost our house. But now, we’re better than I ever, and really appreciate my home and everything in it. I can’t even imagine how it feels like to lose everything just like that.”

He turned to look at you, catching how you were clenching your jaw and like the perfect friend he was, Topper returned with two cups in his hand.

“Hey, so they didn’t have juice, but I go-”

“I’m so sorry, Topper,” you said, interrupting him with a small smile. “I have to go. I forgot that I promised my mom I would help her with something early in the morning. But I really appreciate you inviting me out.”

“I- What?” Topper asked, confused but you only gave him a quick wave, almost ignoring Rafe entirely, before you left. Rafe would almost feel bad for pushing you, if he didn’t exactly know where you were going. Topper on the other hand, turned to his friend, glaring at him.

“Bro, what the fuck?”

Rafe drank the last of his drink, clapping Topper on the shoulder.

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll explain soon. I gotta go, text you later, okay?”

He didn’t wait for a reply, tossing his empty cup into a trash bag and walking up the dune to get to his bike. Rafe took the straight way home, but decided to turn the engine off a few blocks before he got home, walking the rest of the way. The estate stood in darkness, not a single sound coming from it as he approached it, deciding to heave himself inside through a window, before deciding to wait.

It didn’t take long until he heard tinkering on the backdoor from the kitchen, then the unmistakable sound of the door clicking open. The door shut almost silently, and then quiet steps echoed over the marble floor. The moonlight shone through the window and that was the only reason Rafe saw you when you walked through the arched doorway of the living room. You froze mid step as you took in the complete lack of- well, anything.

When Rafe turned on the light, you barely reacted.

“How long have you known?” you asked with a sigh, pulling down the bandana, uncovering your face.

“Not long,” Rafe answered, as he leaned in the door way, his arms crossed. “You’re good at what you do, I’ll give you that. I was just paying attention.”

A range of emotions played on your feature - surprise, irritation, realization and then resignation.

“You saw me while I was in Mr. Jenkins’ house, didn’t you? You’re the one who was following me.”

Rafe merely raised an eyebrow and you groaned, pinching your nose.

“And you saw the shirt at my house. Damn it.”

Rafe smirked at your reaction. “So. Why are you doing this?”

Your eyes met his and Rafe actually saw a spark of defiance in them and for the first time, he actually believed you weren’t putting up an act. This was the real you.

“What’s it to you? It’s not like you’re planning on turning me in. Shoupe hates you more than he could ever hate me.”

“Well,” Rafe started, pushing off the door frame and walking over to you, “Let’s just say I’m curious. Clearly you’re a pro, but the question why is really bothering me. You need to pay the bills? Are you doing this for money?”

“What?” You asked, exasperated. “No, I told you, we’re doing fine financially.”

“Yeah ‘cause you’re such an honest person to come by.”

You gave him a look and only scoffed, turning on your heel to leave, but Rafe was quick to grab you by the wrist, holding you back.

“Don’t fucking touch me.”

“Fine,” Rafe snapped, releasing your wrist, his eyes burning into yours. “But you’re not just getting off this easily. You tried to fucking rob me, you at least owe me an explanation.”

“I wasn’t going actually fucking rob you!” You bit at him, glaring at him with a challenging look in your eyes. Then, you sighed and ran a hand through your hair, a weary expression taking over your face. “Okay! Okay. You want an explanation? Fine.”

Rafe was taken aback by your sudden cooperation, but he wasn’t going to let his surprise show. Instead, he raised an eyebrow at you, waiting for you to continue.

“I’m not doing this for money,” you started, your gaze fixed on a point somewhere over Rafe’s shoulder. “I’m doing this because… Because it’s the only way I can get back at the people who ruined my family.

You finally looked at him, your eyes hard. "The people we used to call friends, the people who claimed to care about us, they were the first ones to turn their backs on us when my father was arrested. They didn't waste a second before they started spreading rumors, tarnishing our family name even further."

Rafe was silent for a moment, processing your words. "So you're... what? Stealing from them as some sort of revenge?"

You shrugged, looking away.

“What about the stolen items? If you’re just keeping them, you’re not really that different from your father, are you?”

“What did you just say to me?”

Your nostrils flared and you glared at him, your eyes burning. Interesting. You stole from people who spread gossip about your family, but at the same time, you resented your father, and his actions, Rafe assumed.

“I sell that shit. I’m not getting caught with stolen items,” you then explained, rolling your eyes at him. “And then I give the money away.”

“Hold up, what?” Rafe paused you, frowning. “What you mean you’re “giving the money away”?”

“I don’t have time to tutor you in English.”

“Shit, you really were putting up a shy girl act, weren’t you?” Rafe huffed in disbelief, shaking his head. You rolled your eyes at him and he was speechless for a moment, not having expected your motive. Personally, he would never steal money just to give it away. Why go through all that trouble to gain nothing from it? He had to begrudge you though, you really had a pair of balls on you.

“I’m giving it to people who need it, people who live on the cut,” you elaborated with a sigh.

“You’re actually insane,” Rafe pointed out. He then froze, thinking. “So what were you planning on doing with the stuff you stole from me?”

“I don’t know,” you said with a shrug. “You were pissing me off and I just wanted to see how far I could get.”

Rafe rubbed his jaw, at loss for words. “You really are something, you know that?”

Your lips twitched in a small smile. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“Figured you would.”

Rafe glanced over at you, taking in your figure, clad in dark clothes, red bandana still in hand. “So what now?”

You seemed to wonder the same, your gaze falling to the floor. “I don’t know,” you admitted. “I never thought I’d get caught, let alone by someone like you.”

Rafe tried to not get offended by that.

“Maybe I should get out of the game while I still can get away unscathed.”

“Sounds like a smart idea,” he said and you looked at him, biting your lip.

“Guess that’s my cue to leave, huh?”

Shrugging with his shoulders, Rafe made no move to stop you and nodded slowly, playing with the bandana in your hand.

“Cool… This was great,” you said, walking backwards. “Let’s not do it again.”

Rafe snorted and you turned around to leave, not before pausing, looking back at him.

“You’re not as bad as I thought you were, Rafe.”

With a grin, you disappeared into the hallway, no doubt leaving just the way you entered the house, leaving Rafe in the empty living room. That was the last time he saw you for a long time. Topper bombed him with questions, wanting to know what happened, but Rafe waved him off, not wanting to spill secrets that weren’t his to tell, but assured him that the two of your resolved your problems. For a while, Rafe though that you had gone against your words and just kept robbing people, but he hadn’t heard any chatter about any unsolved cases. For a while, Rafe thought that you had moved to the main land, but he happened to bump into your mother on a random afternoon, where she promptly thanked him for being such a good influence on you - which left him really bewildered. Because him? A good influence? He really didn’t want to know what that even meant.

When three months passed without a single sight of you, Rafe started to believe that you were avoiding him. Sure, you lived on the other side of the island, but again; Kildare wasn’t that big. He was bound to see you around at least once a month. Rafe wasn’t even exactly sure why it bothered him so much that he hadn’t seen you. Like, okay, he was curious about your story and the motives behind your burglaries at first, but he figured it all out, right? Rafe shouldn’t be wanting to see you anymore. Maybe he should ask Topper about you. But then again, the last time he did, it ended with you walking off.

“What, run out of girls to torment?”

Rafe lifted his head, surprised to see you grinning at him. He blurted out your name in shock like an idiot. He was so deep in thoughts, he hadn’t even notice you approaching him as he was sitting outside on the patio at Kelce’s party.

“What are you doing here?”

“It’s a party, what does one do at a party?” you answered, plopping down on the couch next to him, throwing your legs in his lap like you’ve done it 100 times before. You looked different, too, your outfit wildly contrasting to the nice girl from next door outfit you were wearing at Scarlet’s party. Rafe tried to hide his perplexity by plucking the cup out of your hand, taking a big swig, expecting juice or maybe a coke and nearly choked when he realized it was vodka cran (more vodka than cran).

“The hell?” Rafe coughed, giving you a side eye. “I thought you didn’t drink alcohol?”

“Whatever made you think that?”

You reclaimed your cup, drinking from it like it was water, giving him a coy smile. Rafe ducked his head, smirking. So this is what your mother meant by good influence? You seemed less angry, more comfortable in your skin, like you had unburdened yourself from protecting your family’s reputation.

“Well, you definitely should get your liver checked out if you’re making this a regular occurrence.”

“Yeah, pot, kettle,” you shot back, holding your cup out of his reach when he lunged for it again. If Topper happened to walk out to the patio to see Rafe and you bickering again, he didn’t mention it.

And just like that, you fit yourself into his life like you had always been part of it.

There was rarely a morning when you weren’t in the kitchen when Rafe came downstairs in the morning, never questioning how you got in, building stacks and stacks of pancakes with ingredients from his pantry. You even helped him pick out the new furniture for the house, as the rooms of the Cameron estate slowly filled with interior.

The biggest work in progress was the living room, and Rafe scrolled on his laptop looking for a couch that was big enough and fit in with the rest of the decor of the house. You were sitting on the outdoor sofa next to him, your legs thrown over the arm rest like a damn pogue.

“What about this?” Rafe said, flipping his laptop around to show you the white couch with gold lining. It looked classy and he thought it fit right in with the new wall colors.

You glanced at it, shrugging, before doing a double take, frowning.

“That’s tacky as hell.”

“You know, I think I liked you better when you were acting like you were shy,” Rafe sniffed with a dirty look in your direction, keeping on scrolling. You only snickered, picking up another piece of pineapple on the fork, eating it.

“I don’t think you do.”

Rafe ignored you, frowning at his computer screen as he continued his search. It was harder than expected, and at this point he wondered if it would be easier to hire an interior designer.

“Hey Rafe.”

“What?”

Rafe kept his eyes on the screen, not moving an inch, when you suddenly leaned over, leaning your hands on his thighs and pressing your lips against his in a soft, but very decisive kiss. He let out a soft grunt, not having expected it, before he kissed you back, momentarily forgetting his search for furniture. You licked into his mouth briefly, before pulling away, grinning at him as he furrowed his brows at you.

“Still like me better shy?”

author's note: did you like it?🥹

[mykaelaaa]

lesson learned

✰ lee teaches you how to handle a weapon but you kept getting distracted

✰warnings: guns, crimes, suggestive

✰words: 2.2k

"we have the entire forest around us and live in the woods. who's even gonna catch us?"

it was just simple banter back and forth. except today it seemed a bit more unfair, mostly for you.

it sparked after you read an article about a break-in near your neighborhood.

"listen to this one," you announced the seventh reading session in the past five minutes to lee, not certain if she was genuinely immersed or lost track by the time you finished with the first story.

"a woman suffered life threatening injuries around late night hours while her husband was out of town. they stole cash and jewelry and left without a trace," you quickly passed through the story, turning head in disapproval.

"great, hope FBI has spare guns for the love of your life," you added jokingly, hoping she just might consider it an option.

with closed news tab and a slight bitter feeling left by the nearby crime, you run your eyes over to your unbothered girlfriend. post afternoon nap fashion on display. lazily done ponytail, chapped lips and one of your old hoodies.

she probably thinks she can just teleport from her office to the cabin if you're in danger only if she thinks really hard about it. so it doesn't concern her much.

and that's how it began. neither of you letting it slide easily.

how do you argue with an intelligence officer who holds the highest scores in top-secret exams out of the whole squad for years in a row? and the worst part is she wasn't even bragging, it was a walk in the park for her.

"no."

"lee, think about it-"

"-no, i won't do that. it's not safe and you might get hurt." lee led the conversation flowing with logic and as much as you wanted to exploit the girlfriend privilege and have her drop the attitude or else she can start planning her week on the couch, there are not many ways for you to win this argument.

your begging attempts didn't work for some unknown reason. you just wanted her to show you how to defend yourself, just in case you get caught up in a bad situation.

and who can be a better mentor than lee harker herself?

she bears the patience, the charm, the looks, the wit. all except one thing, she's stubborn loser that cares too much for you.

you were assured it would be no fuss because, in most cases, she lets you get away with many things and not much convincing. it usually starts with a fake, heavy sigh that tries to disguise the fact you already won her over the second you said "can we" followed by "fine, we can do that i guess".

the win-loss ratio goes heavily in your favor.

"i mean, lee, imagine this," you said, putting your phone down to be taken more seriously. "you, real deal FBI agent working overnight on top secret case and me, your average local barista home alone?"

"you're not average," lee stated convincingly, now her eyes locking with yours to further prove it.

modest chuckle left you but you can't falter. not now.

"what if something happens? the headlines being "officers cabin raided; partner had no idea how to defend herself". kind of embarrassing, right?"

she shrugged not fully convinced, again absorbed in the detective game on her phone you made her addicted to.

"not really. many people don't know how to defend themselves nowadays."

she both missed and had a point.

as you took the last sip of the coffee and softly slammed down the mug knowing it will make her look up from her phone, you said "well that settles it then."

and maybe if you add a touch of dramatic scenario, she'd get it.

"if someone hires a hitman, reason being me having super-important-intel-full girlfriend then i won't know how to defend myself and die."

which is partially your fault for wanting to know every single detail about the cases she is working on.

she frowned, putting her phone aside. disappointment clear by the look on her face at the terrible scenario you just made up.

"what? no. what? don't say that."

"it is kind of true, though." you got up carrying your mug to the kitchen. the look you shot over the shoulder made her sigh.

jackpot.

you caught lee looking around the house, chewing on her lip. hands fidgeting in the pocket of her hoodie. eyes searching for nothing in particular but her mind was.

her gaze lingered a bit longer at the fluffy, ruffled blanket near the fireplace she got from you with "FBI Agent Off Duty" sewn into it. even if it sounded incredibly corny she would take a bullet for it, quite literally.

chair screeched against the wooden floor and lee beelined towards her office without a word.

sound of drawers opening and closing slipped through the walls for a minute up until it got suspiciously quiet.

right when you were about to check if she needed helping hand, you stopped to find her figure leaning against the doorway.

jacket on and holster attached to her hip hanging loosely as she held two heavy winter jackets in each hand, presenting them to you. it was hardly that cold outside but she went that extra mile.

"which one do you want?" it's not much of a hassle choosing between her FBI jacket and yours, a bland one on discount.

your answer was fairly delayed because it took some strength to look away from all that officer look going on that often gets you going. her in strictly business outfits are reserved for the work-cramped mornings and nights, not on free days like this one.

"i-i'll take the one that wasn't on discount three years ago." it made her snicker like she saw that answer coming.

you reached to take the jacket first but she stopped you, "turn around first."

"what for?"

lee didn't care to explain why but instead turned you around swiftly by the hips and kept her hands there. her front against your back as she bent her knees slightly to adjust to your height. hair tickling you and cheek brushing against yours.

she can be sly if she wants to.

out of thin air, she pulled out another holster to wrap it around your waist. you concentrated on the way her fingers adjusted it, easy like breathing. speaking of it, lee's face was terribly close to yours. with just a little push forward you would have kissed the corner of her lips.

but you opted to tease her instead, squinting your eyes in suspicion.

"is this how you help interns too?"

that earned you a quick side glance and a pair of raised brows, sort of shocked you'd ask that. do you think she's all that immoral when away from home? does she need to prove it to you?

she turned you around again with more force, face to face with you. her bangs tickled your forehead and you swallowed nervously. looking down at her final maneuvers at strapping you in safely.

veiny hands that buckled the belt with precision, a blend of her unique feminine yet masculine perfume, the heat rising between you.

"i don't do interns."

"you don't do interns?"

lee either ignored you or didn't hear you. she raised her head but still kept gaze lowered, satisfied with her handiwork.

"here," she grabbed her thrown FBI jacket from the couch.

"so what do you do then? baristas?"

"you said you wanted me to show you how to handle a gun."

"i did. you know i'm just kidding lee." you pulled her closer by the hand while snatching the jacket with the other. high quality material hugged your body perfectly. plus points for smelling like her.

it's not often lee sees you in her clothes like this. she would be lying if she said it didn't make her feel warm inside. and whatever else love brings.

"shall we?"

✧ ✧

it resembled professional training, except you were surrounded by the comfort of your home.

and lee was far from just any typical instructor.

she was adamant about teaching you the basics and her dominant side was slipping through the cracks. you didn't mind, not one bit.

after scanning the forest carefully and picking a tree that will serve as the target, lee ordered you where to stand and what to do.

something about your girlfriend bossing you around did a toll on you.

"see where my fingers are? that's the good way to hold it," lee explained, using herself as a reliable example. she kept unnecessary long eye contact with you that made you feel small.

"did you get it?" she questioned with a steady tone.

you nodded too quickly, "yes, yes. i can do it on my own."

that was a lie.

perhaps this wasn't the best idea, and you should rather take classes with someone who doesn't have the same hands that make you see stars almost every night.

and thank god she doesn't do interns.

at first, you battled with the weight of it. lee moved quietly behind you, watching you struggle to recall the correct position. you felt her hands traveling all the way to yours and softly wrapping around them. they were warm to touch, a harsh contrast to the outside breeze and cold metal of the gun.

she guided your fingers to where they were supposed to rest. a shiver passed right through you and you knew who to blame.

"ease off on the grip for me."

you breathed out harshly, unaware you've been keeping it in this whole time. lee didn't notice, sound was muffled by the leaves rustling.

but she did everything else. your hands were trembling under her hold and you held your breath for too long. she didn't understand why. she owned endless patience, especially when it came to you.

she wasn't the most skilled when it came to comforting but at least there was a lot of effort present.

"it's okay, i'm here," her words brushed past your ear, causing you to nearly drop the gun. she can crack a decades old cold case but not comprehend the effect she has on you.

"i didn't know how to use it either but i learned eventually," lee added.

all you did was nod and she wasn't satisfied with that reaction.

"look at me," sounded more authoritative than she wanted it to be. but you didn't dare to turn your face in her direction or else you might end up kissing her. or something worse. and you knew it would come full circle to bite you back.

with inhuman manner and precision, she snatched the gun from your weak grip, simultaneously letting the other land on your cheek, making you face her.

"are you cold?"

"of course not, i got your jacket on," you stated as matter of a fact.

"what is it then?"

"what are you talking about?" you laughed maybe too wildly trying to avoid her gaze.

lee dealt with many liars and you got something similar going on.

"you're distracted," lee stated, not leaving any room for your excuses. it was a plain observation and a correct one.

what a genius. you rolled your eyes, suddenly finding a tree branch interesting to stare at, deciding you can't keep this facade up any longer.

"it's you lee. you're a distraction."

"me?" just a tad of hurt in her voice apparent. probably thinking she wasn't good enough of a teacher. if only you could swap places with her right now instead of explaining yourself.

"yes. you," your hands sneaked up to cup her face, dragging against a rough material and for a second you leaned in forward. you lured her in so effortlessly. she mirrored your movements, eager breaths meeting in the middle but you backed away. not allowing her to kiss you.

you chuckled meanly, playing with your lips she kept staring at like she was about to snap. you left the kiss hung in the air and lee was ready to chase it.

"i don't really care about the lesson right now to be honest."

"i figured," lee barely finished the sentence before she pulled you in. both lips cold and soft. it was simple yet such a complex mix of everything.

her shoulders slumped at ease right as and you deepened the kiss further. her hands gripping your sides. hunger was spilling out from both bodies and eventually someone had to bite the bullet and move it inside the house.

neither was down let go, too breathless from a brief makeout. much bigger shame for a trained officer with good endurance who got all her air knocked out by her girlfriend.

"i thought you'd take it more seriously, you know," you teased, smile spreading across your lips.

"i did. this is a reward for not shooting me," she shot back matching your grin. "and i'll have to keep that jacket under a lock."

"yeah? i recommend doing the same for guns," you flashed the stolen one in front of her eyes before making a run for the house.

lee gave you some time to enjoy your fun and find a hiding spot. preferably somewhere close to the bedroom before she's had enough of her lessons being ignored.

so you'll have to learn a few. it's weekend after all.

[modanisgf]

005. STUCK ON YOU (WRITTEN)

prev | next | masterlist

haerin sat silently in front of her school, waiting for her best friend. they always walked home together, the two having grown very close over the years. but recently, y/n had been acting different. this school year y/n went into basketball, which haerin was happy for her. y/n loved basketball, she always tried to get haerin into it but she always refused. it's what made haerin think y/n and her were slowly growing apart.

y/n found new friends, people who actually had her interests and haerin felt that she was going to be left in the dust. y/n had helped haerin with a lot of things over the years, and haerin felt differently about her.

sure haerin had other friends like danielle, but she never felt such feelings for them like she did y/n. haerin was confused entirely on the situation, choosing to push those feelings to the side. she didn’t need y/n thinking she was weird, especially if she wanted her to keep being her friend.

but haerin couldn’t help but feel her heart hurt a bit at the sight of y/n leaving school with ningning, the two slowly approaching her.

“hi haerin!” y/n said, smiling widely at her best friend.

ningning simply waved, the girl seemingly stressed over something.

“hi y/n.” haerin said, returning ningning’s wave before getting up from her spot.

the three of them started walking together to their neighborhood, ningning and y/n discussing something about basketball. haerin wished she could contribute but she never really had interest in sports, so she just listened as they ranted on about their stupid coach.

“she stresses me out so bad, i don’t know how karina did it last year. she said she’s glad to be in highschool now and that the coach is actually nice.” ningning says.

“wow really? i can’t wait until we graduate then, i really wanna do basketball but it’s hard to maintain everything else in my life with so many practices.” y/n says, ning nodding in agreement.

“i miss karina too, she made it a lot better. i bet she’d like you.” ningning says.

“she seems cool.” y/n states, averting her gaze to haerin.

haerin’s eyes seemed focused on the ground, the girl was probably lost in thought.

“haerin?” y/n called out to her friend, the girl immediately looking up at her.

“yeah?” haerin says.

“you alright?” y/n asks, a concerned look taking over her face.

haerin had always been quiet but never this quiet, and especially not with y/n.

“yeah, don’t worry.” haerin says, trying to look anywhere but at y/n.

y/n didn’t reply, she knew something was up. she knew haerin too well, she would probably ask later. maybe haerin felt uncomfortable with talking about it in front of ningning.

the rest of the walk was pretty silent, ning and y/n talking about basketball briefly. ningning’s house was the first on the block, so she left before both of them.

ning waved to the two before entering her house, leaving haerin and y/n in a bit of an awkward silence.

y/n was confused about haerin’s behavior, truly being worried for the girl. it felt like they had been set back in time, back to when haerin was y/n’s seat mate the day they met.

y/n couldn’t help but tap haerin on the shoulder, the latter looking up.

“haerin are you really okay? you’re quieter than usual.” y/n asks, concern all over her at this point.

haerin blinked slowly like she always did before speaking up, “do you still want to be my friend?” she asks, eyes meeting her friends.

y/n felt her heart break at the look haerin was giving her, “of course haerin, you’re my best friend.”

“you shouldn’t have to ever worry about whether or not i want to be your friend, i’ll always be even through everything that happens in our future.” yn says, not missing haerin’s small smile.

“i love you, y/n.”

“i love you too haerin.”

—

haerin was waiting at the bus stop, having to take the bus today due to the rain. she never liked the rain, the loud noises and gloomy weather always made her feel sad.

danielle was by her side today, as you were nowhere to be seen.

"haerin, is y/n coming on the bus with us today?" danielle asks.

"i'm not sure, she hasn't texted me anything. maybe her mom picked her up." haerin shrugs.

danielle made a shocked face, confusing haerin until she turned around. there you were walking with woonhak and jaehyun, people who you swore you hated just weeks ago.

"when did they become friends?!" danielle whisper yelled to haerin, the girl didn't respond being too in shock.

the two boys were joking around, making you laugh too as the three of you made your way to the bus stop.

"hi rin, hi danielle!" you say, smiling at both of them.

"sorry i got held up, woonhak and jaehyun wanted to show me some shooting tips." you say, the two nervously smiling at haerin and danielle.

haerin chose to stay silent, waving at you before starting a conversation with danielle. you were confused, but continued talking to woonhak and jaehyun.

"yo, you didn't tell us you were friends with danielle!" woonhak whispers.

"why does it matter?" you question.

"in short woonhak's stupid, he somehow has beef with everyone." jaehyun says, making you realize.

"oh yeah, i used to hate him." you say, not noticing your words.

"wait hello?! what did i do?” woonhak exclaims, making you and jaehyun laugh.

“don’t worry about it, it’s in the past anyways.” you say, the words being loud enough for haerin to hear.

‘it’s in the past anyways.’

haerin had to fight back tears in that moment, she knew you two were growing apart.

TAGS 🏷️ (OPEN) — @jayjj7 @saysirhc @sixflame438 @ajjilhan @amourjins @isither @sserajeans @greenniee @isabbellle @gayforalll @leeohknows @airice @yeetaberry127 @l0l44444 @inosfavgf @emphobics @edamboon @s3mz @newhairnewjeans @xen248 @nooneissheree @wintersgff @haechansbbg @gtfoiydlyj @masuowo @he------len @haerinsloverr

a/n— dear tumblr writers how to not get burnt out!! 💔💔

[kamjkaze]

Cal n Andre Halloween hcs to match the season 🎃🦇👻

Since Andre’s family is Jewish, growing up he was never allowed to celebrate Halloween. Any time that he would ask, his mother would lament about how they should have never moved to America where Halloween is so widely celebrated and so massively popular. Then, of course, she would scold him for wanting to do things that promote witchcraft, blah blah blah. Though, I imagine Andre’s father feeling a little bad and perhaps slipping the poor boy some (confirmed kosher) candy.

This idea, that Halloween was A. Not celebrated all over the planet and B. Was seen as “promoting witchcraft” by some was so outlandish to a young Cal.

I think one year, before the pair were old enough to nix the idea of trick or treating all together, probably the last year Cal himself would do it (in the desperate pursuit of cool), Andre would go with him. It was like his final gate into being completely American. Dressing up, probably as something edgy, grabbing a pillow case, and walking around neighborhoods begging for candy.

It’s ironic though, Andre didn’t really have any reason to go out and do it cause, at this age I think he lost his sweet tooth already. Though, it makes more for Cal, I think he has a shameful sweet tooth.

It’s a good memory for the both of them tho, Andre remembers coming back to the Gabriel family home and dumping out all his candy to sift through it. Cal’s siblings were in awe at the amount of candy they pulled in as a team. Their numbers in comparison were pathetic on account of Mrs. Gabriel demanding the kids come in earlier.

I think mrs Gabriel really enjoys helping her kids make costumes, whatever her kids demand she will supply. When cal was old enough to start asking for his own costume ideas, he always went as scary as he could. Blood drenched hair, big teeth, gashes, weapons. Whatever Cal’s mind could conjure as “the scariest costume ever” from the ages of 9 to 15.

Of course, that’s all as younger teens and children, as older boys, they do different things.

Call gets invited to the occasional party, usually on a good word by Rachel, and he attends for the most part. Always dipping out a little sooner than general populous but having a good time nonetheless. Usually he departs from these to go to Andres and comfort him about being the more socially ostracized out of the pair.

They’ll try to find some gorey ass snuff film to watch, get drunk, and steal some of the kids candy for Cal. I think they even get as “willing to have fun” as carving pumpkins, the results of those vary in level of skill and level of freakiness.

A cute idea is that one year, while they were too old to trick or treat but young enough to have some bones not made out of hate, they would bring Cal’s younger siblings into the basement for a little “haunted house” fun. Basically where Andre and Cal scared the shit out of them as much as possible. Be it, screaming in their face, grabbing them, whispering a spooookkkyyyy story before pouncing. If you go digging, there’s probably an old tape of it, Mrs. Gabriel will cherish that tape, that moment of innocence, of fun. I imagine there are many home videos like that, that she’ll watch on late nights after the tragedy.

[anzulvr]

HAIII here's a Halloween request: hcs about Nagisa, Karma, Rio, and Kaede's favorite candy? (And more students if you feel like it!) And which of their neighborhoods have the best candy? (I'm betting it's Karma. Pretty sure he's like canonically rich.)

Or, another request if not that one: what are they doing during Halloween? As in, are they passing out candy? Stealing it? were they dragged along by siblings to participate? Did they make a haunted house? Etc.

Hope either of these rq's make sense 😓

Halloween HCS Assassination Classroom. Nagisa, Rio, Kaede & Karma

What are there favorite candies?

Nagisa likes KitKats or Hersheys, but he’s always been the type of guy to give his candy away! Since he was little he’d be sharing any and all candy he got with his friends even if they have his favorites. He’s just too sweet.

Rio is a Hi-Chew girl, and any gummy candies like gummy sharks and worms. I can see her raiding candy her friends have, but she’d give Nagisa all her Hersheys it works out.

For Kaede, there are candies that taste like pudding those are her favorite. The down side is they aren’t the usual candy people buy or give out. Good news is her friends would go out of their way to get some for her. If not, they’re getting her the real thing, she goes home with around 30 boxes of pudding to eat.

Karma has weird taste, there’s a manga panel out there of him drinking Mackerel flavored milk haha. So his friends make him try gross looking candy. For example the candies that look like they have insects trapped inside, bacon flavored gummies, foamy toilet container candy, anything they’re too scared to try. If it’s super gross he’ll lie and say he loved it just to trick his friends into tasting it.

What are they doing during Halloween?

Poor Nagisa is probably getting dressed in costumes Rio and Karma picked out for him, he lost a bet.

Rio and Karma are having a field day messing with everyone, all their classmates would be on edge because Karma and Rio pranking together is a hospital trip waiting to happen, someone is fainting from the scares 😭.

Kaede hasn’t celebrated Halloween like this in a while, it’s her first year with so many friends around, she’s taking in the experience and just going along wherever Rio drags her.

And yes their favorite neighborhood to go to would be Karmas, he knows where to go too (when he was younger he would have more than one costume to change into and hit the houses at least twice to get extra candy.)

[reborrowing]

curses and confession, part 1 (Stranger Swap)

okayyy this has gotten past 6k and I really want to post so I'm just gonna slice it up since my chapters are usually ~2k anyways!

next | Stranger Swap masterpost Hollow deals with a witch after having an unprecedented close call while checking in on his sibling (probably read that first if you havent!) word count: ~1.8k contains: angst, fear, survivor’s guilt, self-loathing

Hollow

The property behind Glenwood Court apartments had an old, dilapidated shed that the owner mostly used for storage, when they remembered it exists at all. Amid all their junk and forgotten landscaping tools lived an unusual little man named Ely, though most who knew of him referred to him as the garden witch. 

He was a borrower by most metrics: small, secretive, and prone to hoarding any trinkets left unattended. He had a tail and the same sharp hearing you would expect a borrower to have. But he was also quite visibly something Other. Ostentatious, absolutely out of line with a borrower's instinctual pull towards the shadows. He had a love of light and glitter that accentuated the pair of iridescent wings that hung limply down his back. And the tallest borrower he’d ever met had still only been at eye level with his chest.

Most borrowers were afraid of him. Of course they were, they were such a naturally skittish people. But they had good reason to come visit him anyways. Ely was a miracle worker. Something out of a children’s story. A magician. A witch.

He had clients come from all over the neighborhood, maybe even further corners of the city, because he made trades no one else could. The last of your rice for a cloak you lost a decade ago. A secret for a pinch of luck exactly when you needed it most. Give up a warm enough memory and never go cold again. Odd trades for small impossibilities. The prices didn’t always make sense up front, but they always worked out in the end. He didn’t give out anything for free, Hollow had seen that much. 

She watched with a fascinated sort of disgust as the witch molded a stranger’s words into physical paste with a practiced hand. The stranger walked off with a handful of dust and a smile they tried to swallow when they noticed someone was looking.

The witch called Hollow forward. She swallowed nervously and took a seat on a hackysack across from the small giant. The shed was silent for a few seconds as Hollow tried to remember what it was she had planned on saying. 

“You’ve been here before, haven’t you?” the witch said through a thoughtful expression

“Ah, yeah. I–a couple times,” she said. Chai had dragged him here for a sleep aid during the pregnancy, and again shortly after Sunny was born for a sleep alternative.

“I almost don’t recognize you without the piebald. Are they alright?”

“Xe’s fine, I’m not here for…xe doesn’t know I’m here,” Hollow said.

The witch raised a brow as his lips bent into an impish smirk. Hollow tensed as she leaned forward like some housewife gathering gossip. 

“Making trouble, are we? Or are we planning a surprise? I promise I’m quite good at either, for the right price,” he said.

“It’s nothing to do with xem, I just had some questions. About magic. Just questions, I don’t need you to cast…it’s about something I saw happen to someone else, my sibling. Val? I wanted to know, how…did you trade with them?”

The witch drummed his fingers contemplatively against his work table in a quick rhythm, then shook his head. He didn’t remember anyone by that name.

Hollow bit her lip as she worried about where else magic might come from, but she wasn’t entirely surprised. The shed was next door and Val had never been the adventurous type. Not that Hollow knew about, anyway. She could hardly imagine them climbing through the fence. Although lately, every time she tried to imagine much of anything about her sibling, she fell back into nightmares about Val’s hands punching through the colony walls and burying her in rubble or…or worse. 

“Then, do you know where else they could’ve found magic? Or, however you say that. Bargained for it,” Hollow said.

“Other magic? There’s plenty, if you know how to look. I can’t say I know of many others in the area with my level of expertise, but I can ask around. What is it you think you saw?”

“I know what I saw, I’m not stupid.” Hollow said tersely. She glanced around to be sure there was no one who might overhear. “They were huge. Human.”

“Human,” the witch echoed doubtfully. Several seconds passed as the witch considered Hollow’s claim. 

“You saw this? Were they…solid, do you know? Real?”

“They threw me across the cupboard, so yeah, I’d say they were real,” Hollow scoffed.

“How curious.”

The witch smiled and golden wire bangles clattered down his wrist as he abruptly stood up to jump up onto the next shelf. His wings flared for a second, catching the candlelight, even though the jump onto the bracket was low enough that Hollow could’ve easily cleared it. She fidgeted with the frayed edge of her sleeve, not sure if she was supposed to follow. She didn’t really want to see the witch’s full collection of eccentricities.

There was a cluster of thumps overhead as Ely fumbled with whatever it was he was doing. It sounded like a bag full of pebbles, or maybe marbles. Some nonsense. Hollow hated believing in this shit, that someone could just break reality by waving their hands just wrong. There was enough to fear in the world without worrying about finding magic lurking in the shadows beside her.

The witch came back down a minute later, holding a book of scrap paper with messy stitches for binding. It was about half as tall as Hollow was, large enough to be awkward in even the witch’s hands. He sat on the floor and flipped through it, too fast for Hollow to try reading along, though she noticed there were a lot of symbols that weren't a part the alphabet she did know. A minute passed and Ely hmmed and shook his head, evidently there was nothing useful there for him either. 

“Did your sibling say anything about what had happened?”

Hollow fidgeted with her climbing floss. She felt the witch staring at him even without looking up. 

“I didn’t ask. We didn’t talk. I just ran when they saw me. And then they…that was when they threw me. I wasn’t there long,” she said.

“When was this, anyway? You went and saw your sibling without speaking to them?” 

Hollow hadn’t spoken with Val since she had abandoned them—10 years, give or take. Even when Ritos had shown up with Val limping along behind him, Hollow had only been able to stare. They were a ghost back then and a monster now. What was she supposed to say?

Sorry I left you with her, but I was sure she was going to kill me. Sorry I didn’t come back, but I figured you’d be dead. I’m sorry I didn’t do more for you.

Please don’t hurt me. I’m sorry.

“I came here for answers, not to be questioned,” she said stiffly.

“Patience, dear. I don’t know any magic like what you’ve described, and wouldn’t it be nice if I didn’t waste time finding you answers you don’t even want?”

“What does it matter whether or not I talked to them?”

The witch took a seat beside her as if they were two close friends instead of near strangers. Hollow flinched as one of Ely’s long fingers tilted her chin so the two were making eye contact. Unnatural. Everything about this man was unnatural.

“What does it matter? If you’re not on speaking terms with your sibling, what does it matter what magics they play with in their free time? Why are the answers so important that you’ll come out and deal with me?”

“It’s dangerous. Them, I mean, or…if they’re h—if they can pass themself off as human like that, they could come after the colony just like any real human. I don’t need to explain why that’s a problem, do I?”

“Fear? Then why waste time coming to me for answers? Your council has its ways to deal with threats, doesn’t it? Even humans,” Ely said. 

“I don’t know if I want them…dealt with. I don’t know where they’d even go or…”

“So what do you want from me?” the witch asked.

“Answers. I want to know what’s going on,” Hollow said stubbornly. 

“Yes, and I don’t yet have any answers to give you. How I go about finding them depends on why you want them. It will be a lot more work if you’re looking to imitate whatever spell they’ve used.”

Hollow’s face flushed—she’d thought about it, of course. She assumed everyone imagined being human now and then, even if they didn’t talk about it. Who wouldn’t want to know what the world really looked like from human eyes? And Hollow had a list of giants she’d love to confront face-to-face if given the chance: that girl, the leafblower asshole, the gardener, the dog owner across the street, the miniature maker…but it was a daydream. If this sort of thing was real, then dreaming about that sort of violence could invite it. She didn’t really want to fight every other giant that had ever inconvenienced her, even if she could do it without getting hurt. Aggression was their game. 

“I just want to know what happened.”

Ely tilted his head. He looked unsatisfied, like a cat whose prey managed to get out of reach. Hollow looked back down at her lap and took a breath. She didn’t talk about this. She tried not to think about it. There was no good to come of it, just crushed feelings and guilt.

“And…I, yeah, I worry about Val, too. I’m afraid of what they might have gotten themself into. I want to know if they’re…okay. It’s hardly a sin that I care about my sibling, is it?”

It felt like a sin. How dare she? After everything she had failed to do, how dare she claim to care? She’d abandoned them to a horrible fate and then lied about it so no one would find out what she’d done.

“Maybe this was a mistake,” Hollow muttered. 

Ely rubbed her back and for a split second, Hollow felt like a child getting pulled into her mother’s lap after a bad day. And then the overlarge borrower inhaled deeply, almost dreamily, and Hollow pulled away.

“I do love a good confession,” Ely sighed, “Even when the truth is so...plain. You’d likely be better going back and talking to Val yourself, but I’ll see what I can find out, without harming your sibling. Is this agreeable?”

“What do you want from me in exchange?”

Ely smiled, toothy as any predator. Hollow stood up to put at least a few centimeters of distance between them. 

“Don’t worry about payment. I enjoy an excuse to research with my kin and…this has been even more pleasant. I should have some sort of answer for you after the full moon, but you’re welcome to return any time if you need anything else.”

Hollow shook the witch’s hand to seal the deal, then hurried off the shelf. She didn’t want to spend a second more than necessary in that wretched shed.

~

taglist: @da3dm @whumpsday

[takeurexam]

what are we? -choi beomgyu x f!reader

warnings: fluff, highschool love, mutual pinning

part 2 here

_____________》》》》》》》》》》》____________

"Where is she?" Beomgyu asks to your classmate because he knew that your classes just ended around this time, and you and him usually walk home together. But you werent answering his messages when he texted you.

Your classmate told him that you were settling some work with the president in the meeting room, so here he is right now, waiting at the door.

'It feels weird walking home without her.' Beomgyu thought as he stared through the buildings window infront of the meeting halls door.

"Okay, so thats it? Thanks for today prez, see you!" He heard your voice echo across the room as a few students walked out the room, but he didnt care, he just wanted to see one person's face afterall.

"Oh my gosh... its Beomgyu!" One girl whispers to her friendgroup as they squeal in unison. He sighs and walks away a little.

'Beomgyu?' You were just dismissed from an meeting and the first thing you heard outside was your close friend's name. 'Oh, I forgot to tell Beomgyu I had an meeting. I probably made him wait.' You walk around and look for the person the girls described: his hair was a little long, brown, he's a tall guy. And had amazing visuals as well. (Something you would never admit)

"Y/N, there you are." Beomgyu smiles at you and waves a little. You smile back and walk to him.

"Sorry, I forgot to tell you in advance, before my phone died." You explain to him why you made him wait and you assumed he probably texted you.

"That explains it all then." He chuckles and ruffles your hair. It was a habbit of his because he was one year older, and he acted like a caretaker to you. (But it lowkey hurt you because you want something else)

"Lets go?" You look at him as the sun hit his visuals, he nods and lets go of your hair and walks out the building with you.

Beomgyu and you became neighbors in 7th grade. This sparked a friendship between you two because of you bringing some food as a welcome requested by your mother.

Walking down the street you both always walk in together, you realized how you two have grown up so much, it had been years since you have met and now you two are seniors together.

"Lost in thought? You usually would be rambling about your day." He notices you staring all over the place, which made him pout because he wanted to hear you mumble about your day.

"Oh! Thanks for reminding me." You both arrive where you two usually wait for a ride to your neighborhood, "Prez Soobin was really strict today. I feel like someone hit his nerve or something." You laugh as he laughs along with you, "I gotta ask Soobin then." He says.

"Hmm.. and Yeonjun and Taehyun usually bothered me about their coffee jelly, but I was really hungry so I bought a few, they even laughed at me and told me to eat and take care of myself. They really act old."

"Huening Kai and I became partners for an activity in maths and he and I couldn't focus because we both were laughing too hard, it was really fun and a mood booster for me."

Beomgyu listened carefully, one thing that you liked about him; he listens. He even comments and proves that he did indeed listen to the details and amuse you.

"What a nice day." He chuckled as you both got in a bus. Beomgyu always offered to acompany you, rain or shine. He was worried that something would happen to you if he wasnt there- if he was sick or out of town, he would ask your parents to pick you up instead because he would die from being worried sick.

'Why have I been thinking about Beomgyu so much today?' You notice and realize that he's been so appealing to you lately.

"Here you go again, leaving me." He chuckles as he snaps his fingers infront of your face attempting to wake you from your thoughts, which worked.

"Sorry." You mumble to him as you feel a wave of drowsiness wash you. He notices and pats his shoulder.

"C'mon, you've been doing alot today, sleep." He pats his shoulder again and you hesitate- because you think you would die from being too flustered.

"Are you sure...?" You hesitate. He dosent answer and just pull your head into his shoulder (gently) which has you dying from joy.

You hope he cant hear your heartbeat beating so loud and fast and butterflies swarming your stomach.

But your thoughts get cut off as you black out.

Beomgyu notices you fall asleep as he smiles and attempts to remain calm as he felt butterflies rushing all around his stomach.

"Young man, are you two perhaps together?" An elderly woman asks him softly as she feared of waking you up.

"Ah.. no." He chuckles, "I wish."

"I hope you two get together. Im betting on it." She chuckles softly and waves goodbye and returning on doing her own thing.

He widely smiled and looked at you and wrapped his arm around your body to prevent you from falling.

"Psst, wake up." Your sleep gets interrupted by Beomgyu, you assume. "Were here?" You mumble as you shake your head to gain your conciousness.

"Yeah." He prepares his bag and waits for the bus to stop.

"C'mon." You and him walk up to the bus door and get down to your neighborhoods stop. "See you tomorrow." He smiles and waves.

"See you, stay safe." You smile and wave back.

______________________________________________}

part 2 soon :)

[the-queen-and-the-king]

Draught

Summary: Aaron locks himself out of his apartment. He decides to go where he can find some help: at Emily's.

Characters: Aaron Hotchner and Emily Prentiss

Contents: Post-divorce Aaron, but it's mostly fluffy stuff with those two being just idiots in love. :D

Thanks again to all the members of the Hotchniss discord server for their cheering and their energy! ^_^

PS : English is not my mother language so they are necessarily mistakes. Sorry about that.

___

Read on AO3 / lire sur AO3

___

When Aaron heard the slam on the other side of the door, he knew he'd made a mistake. This was confirmed when he returned to the corridor and found himself trapped outside, in his pajamas. An swearword crossed his mind, and he began to ponder the various possibilities now open to him. He soon get that there was only one person who could help him. He sighed and set off.

“Hotch?” Emily exclaimed, discovering him on her doorstep. “What… what are you doing here?”

She was wearing jogging pants and a T-shirt under a fleecy bathrobe. He suddenly realized that it might be later than he thought and that she was probably ready for bed. He sometimes lost track of time. However, an answer had to be given, which would surely enable him to find a solution to his problem.

“I locked myself out.”

Black irises scanned his appearance, and a slight sneer distorted her lips. 

“In pajamas and sneakers?”

She wanted to laugh, that was obvious. It also had to be said that his outfit didn't help to take his misadventure seriously. He explained himself.

“I went outside to throw away the rubbish and an air current closed the door.”

As he was going to bed, he saw that the garbage collectors would be passing through his neighborhood the next morning. The kitchen disposable bin was full, and he wasn't sure he'd think of it when he woke up. So, he put on the easiest thing he had on his feet and left his apartment, leaving the door open. It was dark, everyone was at home, and he only had a few yards to go. Except that the garbage room wasn't completely sealed so that odors could spread to the outside. Entering it had created a draught, which was the reason he was here in the first place.

“Okay,” she did, raising an eyebrow. “And by what miracle do you find yourself on my doorstep? I don’t think I’m the one who lives closest to you.”

“Yes, it’s true,” he confirmed. “But JJ and Will already have enough on their plates with the baby’s arrival; Penelope has a date, Derek has three different addresses so it’s impossible to know where he is, and Dave lives way too far away. “

“Spencer lives two floors above you,” she reminded him, leaning against the doorframe.

“He’s off to see a four-hour Korean film somewhere in town. By now, he’s probably only halfway through.”

“And you didn’t ask your landlord to open your door?”

“He is in Kentucky to see his sick mother.”

He had anticipated this interrogation and prepared his argument. Everything was true. It’s just that he’d thought of it after he’d set off in the direction of her home. He was sure the others wouldn’t have minded taking him in – if only because it wasn’t done to leave your boss at the door – but she was the only one he felt like being with. Because with her, he had the feeling he’d be safe. She wouldn’t try to interfere in his private life in any way, which was the last thing he needed after his divorce. Then Emily’s pout made him understand that he might have made a blunder.

“Is it just me, or does it look like I’ve come to your place by default?”

“There’s a little bit of it, yes.”

He wanted to slap his own face.

“Sorry. That… that wasn’t my intention. And… I may bother you, actually.”

As usual, he made sure to keep as far away as possible from the intimate lives of his subordinates. He felt it was their business, not his. In fact, he'd arrived here without really knowing whether he'd be welcome. And from the way she was biting her lower lip, he deduced that he wasn't.

“Well, the fact is that I had a date too,” she confessed. “With Greg.”

“Accounting?” he reacted immediately, unsettled.

“What? No! No, nothing in common.”

He saw her wince at the prospect. Which reassured him, since the man in question was closer to retirement than to his job interview. That said, it wasn't his place to judge everyone's tastes in the matter.

“I wouldn't have said anything, if that's what you're worried about,” he assured, sincerely. “I’ll let you. I… I’ll try to find Derek. Good evening.”

Without a telephone to locate him, it would take him some time, but less time than it would have taken to go to the home of the man who had recruited him eleven years earlier. The novelist lived in the suburbs, and it would be daylight before he got there by foot. Disappointed, he walked back.

“No, Hotch!” the female profiler called out. “Come back!”

“Everything is fine, Prentiss,” he declared, waving, and still walking. “I… I’ll figure it out.”

“Come back, idiot.”

He froze when he felt something close around his wrist. He looked down at her slender fingers wrapped around his arm, then back up at her.

“Sorry,” she freed him at once. “It slipped my mind. But stay.”

“No, you’re busy. I don’t want to ruin your night.”

“Come on,” she insisted, raising her pupils to the sky. “You're going to freeze to death outside in that outfit.”

Intrigued by her persistence, despite the awkward situation, he let himself be guided back to her lodgings. He soon discovered that there was in fact no one there but her. Emily pointed to the lit TV, on which the image of a guy with a cane was frozen.

“Let me introduce you, Gregory House.”

“A TV shows?”

“What did you expect?” she retorted, smiling.

“A… a human being,” he admitted, embarrassed.

“At first sight, he is.”

Yes, he was aware of it, but he was thinking about a flesh-and-gold human being, not a fictional character. Someone who would have been physically present with her. Because he wouldn't have been surprised if someone had been sniffing around her and she'd occasionally fallen for the charms of one of the candidates. This would have been normal, even logical, given her beauty. And it would have been highly inappropriate of him to prevent it.

“I’m kidding you. Breathe,” she advised him, rousing him from his catatonia. “Don’t you know House M.D.?”

“I tend to fall asleep in front of the TV,” he revealed sheepishly.

He'd lost count of the number of times he'd woken up on the sofa, his back aching.

“Understandable,” she agreed with a smile. “Go sit. I’ll bring you something to drink.”

She took a step towards the kitchen but stopped immediately. 

“Are you hungry?”

“I… I have already eaten.”

Nibbled, was a more appropriate term. He hadn't been very hungry lately and would swallow something in the evening only because he knew he had to feed himself.

“Okay,” she nodded, conciliatory. “Just in case, you can grab something in the pizza box on the coffee table.”

The tomato-sauce-stained cardboard was lying on the furniture. A Regina. There was still half of it. The giant didn’t see any plates or cutlery. He deduced that she ate her dinner with her bare hands. Which wasn’t shocking, considering the menu. Besides, that was one less dish to wash.

“It won’t eat you.”

Emily was back beside him, a glass of water in one hand, a bottle of beer in the other.

“Yes. Sorry.”

He finally sat down on the couch, and she put the two drinks in front of him, before settling down in her turn. It was up to him to choose what to ingest. She had her own can on the table. He opted for the second option, notwithstanding the late hour.  

“Do you mind if I keep going?”

“What?”

She pointed to the television and its still image.

“Ah! No, go on.”

As he had anticipated, she had no intention of putting him through the question. She just wanted to get on with her evening quietly, with him by her side. Which suited him very well.

“Great!” she rejoiced. “So, I'll give you a summary of the previous episodes, so that you don't get totally lost. It’s fine for you?”

She seemed particularly enthusiastic about introducing him to the series. Was she hoping he'd look at it when he got home and then the two of them could talk it over? Or maybe they'll organize new tête-à-têtes to follow it together? Or was she just being polite, so that he would understand what the show would be talking about and not bother her with an avalanche of questions? Which he wouldn't have done, if only so as not to disrupt her routine any further.

“… Okay. I’m listening.”

Smiling from ear to ear, she began by summarizing the initial concept before moving on to a brief description of the characters. Finally, she described the case in hand and asked if he was up for watching. He confirmed and she pressed the play button on her remote control. She toasted with him, grabbed a slice of pizza, and encouraged him to help himself. He gave in when there were only two portions left, and she teased him briefly as she ate the last one. They shared the blueberry muffin she'd ordered with her meal, then she curled up in her plaid for the final episode of the disc. The soft, pleasant ambience got the better of him, and he was fast asleep before the end.

When he woke later, the night was still on. Everything in the apartment was switched off, except for the halogen light next to him, which had been dimmed. The cardboard and beers were gone. All that remained was a sheet of paper on the table, on which he recognized his subordinate's handwriting.

“When you’ll have opened an eye, come to the bedroom. The bed is more comfortable than the couch, she had written before adding. Promise, I won’t jump on you.”

A smile stretched his lips. The sofa was too small for a man of his stature but sharing his employee's comforter – even with all due respect – seemed incongruous. Propriety and FBI regulations would have dictated that he returned home. Except that he was always locked out and had no way of affording a night in a hotel. He also reminded himself that the suggestion had come from her – which tended to prove that she didn't mind – and, besides, no one knew he was there.

So, he got up, climbed the stairs, and reached the landing where the bedroom was. The door was half-open. It was dark inside, but the moonlight streaming through the living room bay window allowed him to visualize the route he had to take. Emily was lying on the right side of the mattress, leaving all the space free for him. With his heart pounding against his sternum, he entered, discreetly pushed back the door to preserve the darkness, then took the two steps that separated him from the box spring. He slid slowly under the quilt, attentive to his neighbor's movements. She looked deeply asleep. Waking her up would annoy him so much that it was sometimes difficult for them to find some rest.

“Good night Hotch,” she said suddenly with a smile in her voice.

He flinched, caught off guard. Then he calmed down and answered her:

“… Good night… Prentiss.”

He turned onto his side and sank with a smile.

___

I hope you have enjoyed the ride! ^^

[anteroom-of-death]

Spin in the City ch. 2

Synopsis: Samantha dwells on things as Malcolm’s first day comes to fruition. A bit of a spark?

A/N: I don't know anything anymore ever. Bon Appétit! Yay! A Samantha chapter. Double yay!

Samantha remarked that the shell of this titan of politics was a bit…saddening to see. Usually, she didn’t care if a man lived or died unless that man had wronged her or a friend. Men were there to fuck and forget, after all!

No, this odd old man tugged on her heartstrings. She was a London girl by way of her mother and visiting the city for her grandparents over the years, but even she, in all her American-Ness, knew what a shit deal that some Glaswegians got. Especially certain neighborhoods and certain…types…of Scottish people. She did a quick search online and found out about the East-West divide in Gorbals, it’s reputation for a hard-scrabble life and a… supposed vampire problem? She admitted she wasn’t educated enough to fully know every detail. She just knew the headlines and what it fully was may forever be a mystery to her.

She wasn’t ageist by any means. She was older than him by a year it seemed. However, in comparison, he looked rough. Nearly completely grey with a haunted look that you only saw on people who left war zones in his eyes. Obviously, he wasn’t big on the skincare routines that most men she’d slept with or worked with in the past seemed to cling to.

A more natural look, perhaps.

It wasn’t unattractive, she just usually preferred her men to look like they gave a damn.

She would master him eventually. At this rate, he’d he easy to tame compared to him at the full height of his power.

The next task distracted her and she went on to do work, real work. No thought of Malcolm Tucker and the shaky, hollow look in his grey-green eyes.

Time went on, the week dragged, a promotional tour for a luxury skincare brand, some influencer drama, par for the course. She even went to some event and fucked the hell out a of young, hot new singer.

She hadn’t any real friends anymore, not a single gal pal.

The morning of Malcolm’s first day rolled around. She didn’t remember until she walked into the office and he was there early, Red Bull in hand and a bag of Satsuma.

She enjoyed being early, gave her some silence to sit down and get a good amount of work in before another person could get a jump on the day. By afternoon, she could relax and look ahead towards the weekend and perhaps find out if it was worth it to find new friends at her age.

She still ached, despite Rock kept begging her to help them come out, she couldn’t even bear the thought of Charlotte hearing and it getting back to Carrie. It halfway seemed like the poor child was close to jumping on a plane to cling to their Auntie Sam.

She couldn’t really blame them. Charlotte was traditional and had trouble wrapping her mind around rayon-blends. The nuances of gender were probably lost on her.

Samantha wasn’t up to date, but she was open-minded and understood some things.

The most she would do was send flowers in condolences…

Last she heard, Carrie had spread it from Montauk to Morristown that she was some money-hungry grubby bitch who couldn’t deal with her firing her as publicist.

The truth was so much darker and more twisted than that…

Samantha shuddered any time she thought of what she’d found out about dear Mr. Big.

What was the term the younger girls were using these days? A pick me? Carrie, the pick me choosing that ill-advised man yet again. A form of self-harm really. Despite any evidence to point to anything, she was hell bent to chose John Preston over friends or rationality.

No wonder her grapevine, what little still existed in New York after Carrie spun that tale, that that Natasha woman was afraid to leave her house suddenly.

Carrie would never let anything go.

How many times had she, Miranda and Charlotte had to pace the streets while Carrie got her money’s worth in chatter?

Samantha regretted her years of loyalty in retrospect.

However, in this current day, in this current moment, there was a man in an outdated suit getting up to open the door, despite Samantha having the keys.

“Did you really come in early for your first day?” She drawled on in that tiny dog owner voice. The ‘good boy’ was tacked on implicitly.

If he was as good as the legends of Wikipedia said, he’d pick up on that.

He shot her a look, but didn’t bother to talk back.

He did.

“I was going to have Alexis do your on-boarding, but you’re here now.” She walked into her office and laid her stuff down and hung up her coat.

“You’re at the slack desks with the rest of the middle talent.”

Malcolm snorted, she could see the cogs in his brain turning. The line of his lips did something.

She gave him a key fob and some paperwork to fill out, “I’ll be in my office. You’ll get more to do when Alexis is in. Coffee maker and kettle is on that wall, along with the snacks and samples. The restrooms are over here…” She pointed towards a door, “You might appreciate the anti-ageing creams…” She joked as she started back.

“Aye, ma’am. I’ll look like a rent boy soon enough, you’d like that.”

Samantha laughed, her first real laugh in about a year.

“You’re funny, I’ll pay extra for funny.” She swatted his shoulder and made off.

She got her work done and made off to make herself a latte, she noticed that the work was done and he’d left his desk. There was small picture placed near the plug for laptops. (Among an already torn apart and devoured satsuma…) She silently cursed her partner for being off sick, would make this entire operation today go smoother if it wasn’t only her and Malcolm in a sea of young movers and shakers.

She glanced, it was a woman. Not mousy but definitely mousy-adjacent. She had an easy smile and was holding a book. Deep in thought, a thick knitted blanket engulfing her.

A candid snap.

She felt touched as she walked.

It was almost time for the rest of the team to come in.

Let’s see what that old dog had him, she found herself thinking as she took her latte back to her desk.

Malcolm made his way back to the desk from the restroom.

The rest of the day flew by. She was in meetings and on-call for it so she had little time or need to visit outside her office. Her PA kept her in food and drink.

She called Alexis to the office.

“How’s the new hire going?” drunk, tone clearly skeptical.

“Besides general tech-illiteracy, fine. He even helped us in layouts for what Hermès wanted to do with Sasha McAllan’s brand deal.” Alexis seemed genuinely impressed. “Nothing sus, just swears way to casually.”

Samantha nodded her head. It wasn’t uncommon to swear in the workplace, but if someone had to point it out, it definitely wasn’t a minor issue.

She’d pull him aside later.

For now, she was going to finish up, go home and bang her head against the wall or worse, join Tinder like some agoraphobic millennial.

As she made her way to the lift and locking up, a thin hand snaked for the button and pressed for her.

“I thought you’d be scattered like the rest of these teeny-boppers.” She remarked.

“I had to master the apps.” He seemed sheepish in admittance.

“I haven’t lived in London since I was a girl, where can a good woman get a stiff drink around here?”

“I haven’t had a fucking drink since the night I assassinated Campbell.” Malcolm shot out.

Samantha shot him a look, “Assassinated?” She couldn’t keep the shock and curiosity out of her voice.

“Stole my mentor’s job. Should have seen that happening to me. Who fucking knew he’d actually developed a spine in the course of his appendectomy and that inquiry!”

She knew of Campbell, she’d thought of fucking him when she was younger.

But who was the replacement of his replacement? Was he as fuckable as the man Malcolm replaced?

Another thing to Google later on…

“Point taken.”

“There is a real Italian café near Downing Street if I recall. Does real nice fuckin’ tiramisu, filling's white and thick as a baby’s arse.” He went on, as if that was an appropriate way to describe food. “I’m distantly related to the owners.” He tacked on.

“Maybe they do Spritzes?” He shrugged. “Sorry, love, I lived here for decades and only knew what was outside my door and wherever Sam told me to go.”

He trailed off at the mention of a Sam character.

Against her better judgment, Samantha invited him along with her. She even offered to pay, he protested and said, “Not me, boss, I’m real fucking old school. I’m no weak fifty-fifty bitch.”

More to endear him to her.

Curiosity got her cat. Or however that old saying went…

The two people huddled into the lift and went out into the street, onto something...

[pattybbee]

Sunday

11:43 am

I have been in a roller coaster. The other day I was at the peak but yesterday I woke up in the pit. It was the feeling of misery again. Fear. Insecurity. Emotional Trauma. And I really, really just don’t want to be here anymore. In this place, in this neighborhood. I fought this feeling hard as I tried to fall asleep. I fought with what I knew I was worth. Repeating to myself over and over that I am above this suffering. I succeeded for the night. But I woke up as the same, demotivated girl that I have been while I was in the said state I’ve been trying to escape. The sun is bright outside. It’s a beautiful Sun-day. Yet I’ve been refusing to wake up since 7:25 am. I have abandoned my morning workout. Abandoned my Sunday morning freedom, to stroll this neighborhood. It was already 11 when I finally decided to have a beautiful day—on the outside. Because we all know that most days, I can make daily life look aesthetically pleasing.

I made my refrigerator stock of rice, some green beans for lunch, coffee and warmed up a pastry to start my day.

Which person should I be today? Which personality am I deploying?

A very tricky feature that’s built in me is my multiple personalities. The struggle is…they’re not friends. They have different interests and different methods to go around things. This feature isn’t bad because it allows me to understand people who are different than me, very deeply. My mind is open, and nonjudgmental…to others. But to myself? Very judgmental. One personality won’t let the other be. It’s an episode of Split every time and the personalities are fighting for their turn for the spotlight in this body.

I just want to finally come undone, have a mental breakdown and cry. I’m pretty sure it’s the Pisces in me. Having my Venus in Pisces, the love, romance and financial department of my life is a wreck. Exalted in theory but a wreck in execution. I just want to process a heartbreak sometimes but my Moon in Leo, and Sun in Capricorn are judging my Venus in Pisces for that need. Leo asks why? “Have you seen you? Why would you be sad over insignificant people? You are the loss.” Capricorn says, “It’s not even worth it. Not worth the time. Not worth the thought. If you pull up to the receipts, you can see that you’ve been at a disadvantage. So just cut the losses because really, the only thing that you’ve lost was money for spending time with people who didn’t see your value. You will be richer if you invest in yourself instead." By the way, I have my Mars in Cancer, and she will eventually want to wish a certain person a horrible outcome. She probably even caused this nostalgia in the first place! But for now, she’s retreated in her shell, sleeping sadly with my kitty cat babies, after wreaking havoc in my head.  My Sagittarius Rising just wants to get out of here honestly. Just let karma run its course. Just want to go to the gym, do sunset yoga by the river and be productive. And maybe that’s the only comfort my Venus in Pisces can seek solace from. Do Venusian things to escape. Maybe start writing again, start cooking, make videos or watch slow living vlogs to calm myself with the daydream that that’s me if I had it my way—my Piscean way.

Most of my personality is tough. And they usually take the wheel. And because of it, I couldn’t feel things as it happens. It’s very delayed because my pride won’t let me. In certain matters of the heart, my mind could never accept what has been done to me. My heart could get all beaten and blue, and my brain will still say no one broke it. It’s not heartbreaking, rather it’s just disappointing.

 What most of my friends say is... “You are in your head too much”. And that’s true. I predominantly operate in my head and not in my feelings. That personality doesn’t get to be in the spotlight too much. And when it does, it gets judged. I don’t hate my other personality traits however, because they’re not wrong. They are all for me. To back me up and to soothe me. Yet the irony of it all is that it’s always Me against Me. But even if sometimes they don’t sync, that’s okay because by the end of the day all I have is me and my multiple versions. At some point they will all have to agree.

[alloveydovey]

Dramas baby

No Gain, No Love, 2024 (kdrama) 9/9.5

Wanting to climb the corporate ladder (and seeing how the company she works for favors married people), FL marries ML, who works in her neighborhood convenience store and with whom she really doesn't have a good rapport.

Kdrama gods saw me disappointed with Love Next Door and threw me in for a surprise with this drama. It's not that I was expecting it to be bad (never with the Shin Min Ah as the lead) but I wasn't expecting to get as into it as I got while watching. It felt like going back to when I'd watch a drama in two/three days. No Gain, No Love nailed the rom-com vibe that I feel other dramas like Love Next Door and others from this year haven't been able to pull off as well. I was missing so much this concept of the leads not really knowing each other (kinda). It makes everything feel more organic. It was funny and very romantic, and the sob side of the story was well-developed. Probably one of my favorites from 2024 so far.

Extra: Spice Up Your Life, 2024 (kdrama)

They definitely had a great premise to create at least a 10-episode drama with this, but I assume that if they did that then we would prefer Ja Yeon as Yeon Seo with Gyu Hyun as Ha Jun and perhaps that would have ruined their story in the main drama so I get it. They were cute as hell and a nice add-on to their story.

What Comes After Love, 2024 (kdrama) 8.5

Korean FL moves to Japan and falls in love with Japanese ML. We suddenly see them again years later, broken up. By chance, they get to work together and we get to understand why they broke up.

Kentarooooooooo. Always obsessed with him, but what got me hooked was obviously Lee Se Young and her amazing acting. It was insane watching the interviews and them in some way or another expressing that even though they had an excellent relationship, the language barrier was still present. I thought, well, for sure, this might affect their performance together, right? And then I went to watch it to discover they had the biggest chemistry I've ever seen in a drama???? The story itself is not a big deal; it's really the actors that bring the drama to life. Seriously, chemistry 12/10

Mr. Plankton, 2024 (kdrama) 10

ML is a drifter who discovers he doesn't have much time left. FL, his ex-girlfriend, is about to marry into a significant family when she discovers she has premature menopause and therefore cannot become a mother. When ML sort of kidnaps her on her wedding day, they begin a jorney in search of his biological father... and something more.

Perfect. It has been some time since I gave a drama a 10, but I am leaving all of my flowers here. It was probably a surprise because, from watching the production pictures and behind the scenes of the actors, I didn't assume it'd be such a ride. Even less an emotional one. As a strict rule, I try to avoid sad-ending dramas. When I started this though (apart from spoiling myself lol), I kind of knew the ending was going to be a sad one because no character kidnaps another one and gets away with it with none repercussion—unless he’s going to die, then TV usually allows it because he’s a lost cause and you have to give in to the extremes lol. I thought it'd be an okay drama. Woo Do Hwan needs to chill with the hot shit, Lee You Mi is the best, and obviously Oh Jung Se is a king. I swear I'll watch anything with that man in it—instant killer drama.

The Judge from Hell, 2024 (kdrama) 9

A literal judge from hell makes a mistake and is forced to spend one year on earth as a real judge, killing souls who deserve to go to hell. A detective quickly catches on to her… side activities. In the end, both of them join forces to defeat Satan... or something like that.

When it first came out, this drama was so hyped up that even I, who wasn't interested in it, waited unpatiently for it to end so I could binge. Everyone was praising Park Shin Hye and the story, which was well-deserved. Shin Hye did amazing here. The story, for me at least, has its ups and downs, but it's overall a fantastic watch. It's funny how love stories always go hard when they're not the main focus of the drama. The chemistry was on point. Shin Hye is an absolute queen.

It Started with a Kiss, 2005 (taiwanese-drama) 8

FL is kind of obsessed with ML; ML can't stand a dumb girl. Mistreatment, mistreatment, mistreatment. Kiss! More mistreatment, soft mistreatment, ML grows fond of FL. Confusion, unrequited love, and everything that goes on with the mischevious kiss storyline.

I kind of don't like the mischevious/playful kiss story. I watched the Korean version and wanted to kill the ML (like I truly hated him), then I tried watching the Japanese version but I couldn't even get past the first eps. Finally, I saw all over TikTok that the Taiwanese version was the best one and that the ML was a lot softer in this version and decided... why not? I should be studying for exams but I'm gonna waste my time watching this oldie drama instead. I'm glad I did, though. I binged the first season and people are right. ML is mean but he's a lot softer in this version or at least you can tell he really likes FL. Plus, the chemistry they have is 10/10. It sort of gave me the same vibes I felt while watching Princess Hour for some reason. The characters in this version reminded me a lot of the ones there. Also, I watched the first episode of the second part, "They Kiss Again," and damn, they kiss indeed. This reminded me of how much I love watching oldies. I may postpone the second season for later.

A Witch's Romance, 2014 (kdrama) 7.5

A 39-year-old vicious journalist gets tangled up with a 24-year-old guy who is taking a break from med school after losing his girlfriend. After a couple of compromising situations, they start developing feelings for one another but there's that 14-year age gap stopping them and someone else showing up to kill the mood.

I was studying for exams and wanted to watch something lighthearted and romantic that wouldn't require much thought. I read all sorts of negative reviews about this one, and for some reason I can't get into a lot of Park Seo Joon's dramas, but I decided to give it a try. According to reviews, the leads didn't have chemistry and the plot was a hot mess. The plot thing... yes. It's not the worst I watched though and I'll be honest, it wasn't the plot the reason I started it for; I just wanted to watch some sexy romance. But even that was hard to do when the leads kept getting separated and they kept suffering so much because of it. The chemistry was 100% for me. It was just that after the second/third episode, they decided to simmer it down and never turn it back on.

Brewing Love, 2024 (kdrama) 8/8.5

A sensitive ML and a hardcore FL meet by chance and then for work. He feels everyone's feelings; she bottles up everything. Oh, and they make beer.

I'll be honest, despite binge-watching this whole drama in three days, as I kept watching, I kept thinking I wasn't sure I was into it that much. It just felt like another bland romance drama. Kim Se Jeong and Lee Jong Won changed my mind a bit, though. First of all, Se Jeong is charming as hell in romcoms. I beg for her to keep on doing them because she's truly great at them. Also, it was a nice change to have a more passive ML, and Jong Won was great in this. The couple's dynamic was cute as hell, and it was probably what kept me watching. The second couple was also adorable as hell. This is truly the year of second couples!

[texas-writes]

Leon S Kennedy being a dad

My brain is literally rotting and dripping out my ears wtf… i need him

Anyways-

HE IS A GIRL DAD

Leon knew that trying for a baby would probably, y’know, result in a baby, but he was still horribly nervous when he found out he was going to be a dad. He acted cool about it but his nail-beds told a different story.

Even though you’ve told him he needs the rest more than you do because of his job, but he insists on getting up whenever the baby cries in the night. He usually wakes up the next morning sitting on the couch, holding the baby while she sleeps.

Nearly shits himself when he finds out baby #2 is on the way. He’s relaxes so much when he finally gets to hold her for the first time though. He was really just worried about something happening to either of you while you were pregnant.

Whenever he has to go on missions, he feels bad leaving you with two kids under two, but alas, duty called. Always made sure to make up for lost time as soon as he got home.

He’s personally offended when their first word isn’t “papa”. (They were ‘cat’ and ‘now’ respectively)

He lets them dress him up like a Princess for tea parties and shit

He’s also really big on taking family trips, even if it’s something simple like having a picnic at a park

He’s always enjoyed spending time with his girls, but once they gain an attention span (and stop trying to run off) he enjoys taking them to museums and stuff, just wanting to teach them about the world around them.

He’s proud to say that both of his kids go off to school already knowing how to read.

Leon’s always willing to help them with their homework. (even if it is just addition and he’s digging his nails into his hand with frustration)

When they get older he tries so hard to comprehend their interests (what in tarnation was a Frankie Stein?)

Scooby Doo becomes the common ground (it was his favorite show growing up)

Is definitely like the hoahh, yes yes yes yes hoahh vine (PLEASE know what I’m talking about)

He’s literally terrified of/ for them when they become teenagers, forgetting every emotional interaction he’s ever had, but he’s always there for them (fighting the urge to say ‘I told you so’ when Darren the skater breaks her heart)

Never goes to bed until they’re home from wherever they were.

First time one of them stays out past curfew, he’s not angry, he understands that young people are like that sometimes, but he squeezes them to him and makes sure they’re okay before sending them off to bed with a finger wagging and a ‘just call next time, okay’

Gives advice/ answers questions in the most terrifying, convoluted way.

“Listen, you’ll know you have the right one if it sounds like a bone snapping when you break it up.”

“Dad I just asked if the kindling was the right size…”

After they’re both done with the weird emotional stage he’s really cool with them. After they leave for college they’ll come over to visit mom and ‘hang out’ with dad.

He understands them a lot better now that they have more common interests. (He’s now very familiar with monster high lore, and his girls understand the importance of watching the neighborhood from a lawn chair in the garage)