#she's literally telling ken to express himself and be who he wants

[becca-alexa]

never in my life have i ugly-cried during a movie like i just did for the Barbie movie

[auras-moonstone]

hits different — ethan landry

word count: 1,464

pairing: ethan landry x fem!reader

summary: ethan starts to feel insecure in his relationship with y/n so he breaks up with her, leaving her a mess for the first time.

author’s note: i literally wrote this in ten minutes. i don’t know why i write faster when it’s not a request 😫 i hate myself. i promise i’m working on the requests but i’m having writer’s block with them 😬.

Y/N HAD A REPUTATION THAT PRECEDED HER. She only had had one boyfriend, and moved on pretty quickly with another guy. She hadn’t been in a serious relationship since, just mere casual Kens she would switch and then ghost after a couple of weeks of dating.

Hence why Chad was so hesitant when the girl told him her and Ethan were going on a date. “Y/N, why him? He’s the sweetest guy ever, I don’t want you to break his heart”

“Chad, he’s not a baby” Y/N laughed. “He knows how this works, and he was the one who asked me out. So, relax”

“Fine, just be nice” Chad warned her.

“I’ll be extra nice” she winked, making him do a face of disgust.

“Ready?” Ethan asked nervously as he walked down the stairs. He was wearing one of his adorable collared shirts, jeans and a jacket. “You look beautiful”

“Thanks, Eth” she blushed, and Chad looked at her in surprise. Y/N blushing? That was new. “You look very handsome, as always”.

“Okay. Bring him before curfew, okay?” Chad said jokingly.

“Of course, sir. I’ll bring him before midnight” she followed the act.

“Stop it you two. Let’s go, Y/N/N” Ethan grabbed his date’s hand and led her through the door.

Soon after their date, they started dating. Everyone noticed there was something different with Y/N this time, she actually seemed invested in the relationship. No one could deny that sparks flew around the couple every time they were together.

As it had always been before, people still flirted with Y/N—only she didn’t seem to be interested. She would always brush everyone off. Yet, Ethan couldn’t help but feel insecure. In his eyes, everyone was a better match than him and he was waiting for the time Y/N would walk towards him and tell him their time was over. So, instead of being brave and express his fear, he chose the cowardly route and broke things off before she could.

Gossip travelled fast, and no one could believe it until Y/N’s appearance pretty much gave it away. No one had ever seen her in such devastating demeanour after a break-up.

“It’s okay, Y/N. Love is a lie, anyways” one of her friend told her. “There’s a party tomorrow, why don’t you come? It could help you get your mind off… things”.

Y/N sighed “I’ll think about it”.

SHE DID END UP GOING TO THE PARTY, ONLY TO WASH HER HANDS OFF THE MEMORIES OF THE FAILED RELATIONSHIP. She planned on gluing herself to the drink table and drown in alcohol until she could forget about the tall boy with brunette curls that haunted her mind all day.

“Oh, okay. Holy shit” Chad said when he caught her drinking a can of beer in one sip “He really made a mess of you” he whispered.

“What?” Y/N shouted, not being able to hear because of the music. “Wait… Chad! What are you doing here? I didn’t know you were coming”

“Oh, you’re very drunk, jesus” he muttered. “Yeah, I came with E-“ Chad stopped himself, definitely not a good idea to say his name.

But Y/N wasn’t dumb, she knew exactly what he was going to say “With Ethan. Where is he? No! Actually, please don’t tell me. I don’t want to know if he’s with other girl… but is he? Oh god, I’m going to throw up”

Chad held her hair as she kneeled in front the nearest toilet. “I’ve never seen you like this… moving on was always easy for you”

Y/N started crying “Because they were not him, Chad. It hits different because it’s Ethan”

“Okay, okay. You’ll be fine” he hugged her as she sobbed. “Where are your other friends? The ones you came with?”

“They left me, said I was slurring his name too much”

“Do you want to go home?” Chad asked.

She was about to respond when the tune that started to sound caught her attention. It was Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! by Abba. The song she and Ethan always sang their lungs out to while they drove around the city. “They’re playing our song, Chad”

“Oh, god. We’re definitely going”

“Nothing has ever felt so wrong. Why did he break up with me? I though he would be the one” her glossy eyes and crest fallen expression made Chad feel sad.

“I don’t know, Y/N. I thought the same thing” Chad said in all honesty as he guided her to his car. He laid her on the backseats and closed the door.

“Chad? What are you doing?” Ethan looked at him confused. “You forced me to come to this party and now you’re leaving?”

“It’s an emergency”

“What’s wrong? Who is in the backseat?” Ethan asked confused.

“Um… it’s Y/N”

Ethan froze, the mention of her name made him vulnerable “Is she okay?”

“She’s just drunk… she threw up. I’m taking her home”

“I’m going with you” Ethan said, walking to the passenger seat.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea. I don’t know why you broke up with her, and is not the best time to discuss it, but she’s hurting a lot”

“She is?” his voice already unstable.

“Yeah. Look, if you are coming to fix things, then get in. If you plan on going just to leave again, please don’t” Chad said. “I’m just going to say this, pretty much everyone in college noticed it, but she loves you, Ethan”.

Ethan didn’t hesitate to open the door and get inside the car. He had been stupid, but he was going to explain himself and hope Y/N would take him back.

Y/N WAS SLEEPING ON HER ROOM, AND ETHAN WAITED ALONE IN THE LIVING ROOM, REHEARSING THE SPEECH HE HAD MENTALLY PREPARED. And then his attention was caught by an artifact laying on the furniture, next to the TV. It was the necklace he had gifted her on her birthday, it had a locket the shape of a heart and inside was a picture of them. He took it in his hands delicately and cried. He cursed the space he thought he needed—he missed her more than words could describe.

“I cried over your hat the other day” Y/N’s voice resonated in the room. Ethan brushed the tears off and looked at her, even with her mascara all smudged and her messy hair, she was still the most gorgeous girl he had set his eyes on. “I suppose you’re here to talk… and although a part of me is just in desperate need of kicking you out, I want to know what went wrong. Because I’ve been trying to make it make sense ever since you walked out from here that night, but I just can’t”.

“That’s because you did nothing wrong. It’s all me, in my head” Ethan finally said, putting his hand on the cushion next to him, signalling her to sit down.

“What do you mean?” she asked, sitting next to him. It had been so long since they were this close. She missed those eyes and hair she had only been seeing in her dreams.

“I got insecure… every popular, handsome guy would flirt with you and I just thought… that’s it. Y/N is going to realize she’s out of my league and leave me. And I couldn’t bare to listen to that…”

“So you broke up with me?” Y/N asked in disbelief.

Ethan nodded, absolutely embarassed “I know I basically put you in jail for something you didn’t do. But the voices in my head were so loud… I’m sorry about how I handled things”

“I understand” she said after a while.

“You do?”

Y/N nodded “I just wished you’ve talked to me, so I could tell you that you’re the one that I want. I would’ve fought your doubts and show you that I love you, only you”

“I’m sorry that I hurt you” his voice broke. “Will you forgive me?”

“Only if you promise me you’ll come to me when you have these thoughts” she said, grabbing his hand.

“I promise” Ethan intertwined their fingers “Are you still mine?”

“I’m still yours” Y/N smiled and climbed onto his lap to give him a hug. They both cried in each other’s arms. “I love you, Eth”.

“I love you too” he smiled against her chest. “Not that I don’t enjoy your hugs, but why aren’t you kissing me right now?”

“Because I threw up a couple of times” she laughed. “I’m going to take a shower”.

“Okay, I’ll make you something to eat” Ethan smiled, not getting the hint.

“Babe, I’m kind of inviting you to join me”

And then Ethan took her hand and dragged her upstairs so fast they almost tripped.

[lesbianfakir]

hi! I started reading your fanfic a couple days ago and I just wanted to let you know how amazing it is <33 I finished princess tutu less than a week ago and I'm so glad to find such high quality content ! Do you have any specific headcanons about rue and mythos relationship?

Aaaaa tysm Im so so happy you like it!! Man. Man finishing tutu for the first time literally a transcendent experience, it rewired my brain chemistry forever.

I will preface this with saying I think rue and mytho are really cute. I like how it’s her strength that draws him to her. When he sees how much she’s suffered under years of abuse he realizes he WANTS to love her which is monumental considering mytho spends most of the show unaware or confused about what he wants.

THAT SAID… ohohohoho Ruetho you have so many problems. I hope it’s coming through in my fic but I write them as walking on eggshells around each other. Rue is frightened that one day he’ll “wake up” from his love and she’ll be left directionless in life. Rue has put all her eggs in one basket for her entire life. We, the audience, know she would be okay without mytho. Not only does she have Duck but she has so many admirable qualities that we KNOW she’ll be okay standing on her own. Rue doesn’t see it that way. Mytho has, in her eyes, been the only person who could love her for so many years of COURSE she conceptualizes her whole identity around him. If she loses mytho she loses her sense of self. So she tries to be what her idea of a perfect princess who was never touched by the raven would be. She only wears light colors, she tries to never show negative emotions, and she works hard to make everyone in mytho’s kingdom love her. The problem is she believes she’s one tiny slip up away from losing everything

Mytho on the other hand loves Rue truly, but he has yet to process his trauma by her hands. If you look for it, in my fic I write little details like him flinching when rue raises her voice or snapping to attention when she gets angry. But he hates these responses in himself and he tries to steam roller over them. I imagine mytho as someone who’s so wrapped around the idea of being the perfect honorable prince, and princes love their princesses unconditionally. They aren’t angry or hurt or afraid of them. And Rue is rue right? Kraehe was a trick of the raven. So he tells himself he’s okay and he tells himself he’s moved on from their past but all the while the cracks in their relationship grow bigger. Deep down he’s hurt and he’s angry but those are ugly emotions he’s been without for so long he doesn’t know how to process them

I think a core detail in how I conceptualize them is they both perceive themselves as being the lesser one in a a power imbalance. Rue is a plain, human girl unworthy of a prince and one day he will realize his mistake and leave her. Mytho is afraid of Kraehe, no matter how much he reassures himself he has forgiven rue, and as such he’s very careful with what he says and does around her

Anyways I like to think in the 3 years between the end of the show and the start of the fic they have never gotten into a real argument. They both won’t let themselves show their real emotions so we have these two people wearing beautiful, flawless porcelain masks to hide the absolute maelstrom of emotions they are feeling. Their love comes from a real foundation and they do express it, it’s everything else that is wrong. Tldr; she’s trying to be a perfect barbie and he’s trying to be a perfect ken. They are both miserable

[moonrisecalamityretreat]

ripples in the water || loic || re: ken, yvette, yuriko

It’s too fast. He should see it coming, but he doesn’t, and he can’t do anything to stop Ken from driving his fist into Maxime’s stomach.

“MAXIE!” 

Immediately, he’s hovering over his brother and fretting, looking at where he knows the injury they worked all trial to conceal is. He doesn’t see blood seeping through his shirt yet, so he assumes it’s fine for the moment, but it doesn’t stop him from fussing, looking more frazzled than he ever has. Once he’s assured that Maxime isn’t about to pass out or is grievously injured, he takes a breath to collect himself before shooting a glare at Ken. 

“Threaten me all you want, but don’t you dare lay a hand on him ever again, do you hear me? You’ve seen what I’m willing to do for him, so don’t test me. I am not scared of you. Besides, what are you going to do? Break into the Angel’s Lounge? Get Tsuneo to let you into our room? If I don’t want to be found, I won’t be, so don’t get your hopes up.”

And then comes the reaction that he was most concerned for.

[♫♫♫]

When Yvette finally addresses them now that everything is out in the open, and he doesn’t have to worry over saying more than he should to reassure her, his expression crumples. His eyes scan her face like it will hold some sort of clue for what he can say to make the consequences of his recent actions disappear, but he knows that sort of magical combination of words doesn’t exist. He’s hurt her. Like Mio, he’s prepared to see her walk away from him, too. 

There are a few select people here who make him wish he never had to pick between his brother and the others. Yvette is undoubtedly at the top of the list.

Loic…has never had a friend before. Not outside of this place. Keeping people at arm’s length made things easier. It was threatening, the idea of letting people in only to be used by them. Other people were…they either didn’t care, or they cared for the wrong reasons. That’s what he’d believed, at least. Yvette, though…

Yvette just cared. And so did Loic.

He saw pieces of himself in her, and he related to her on a level that he’s positive no one else here could understand. No one else in this room understood what it was like to lose everything to AEDS. Maybe there was a death here or there because of it and many of them lived through the literal apocalypse, but there was something that, to his knowledge, only her and him understood: being forced to watch someone you care for deeply struggle with a condition that tried to make them someone they weren’t. When he’d heard the story from her about her brother, he understood. He just got it. But he was the lucky one between them. He knows this. 

(He hopes she doesn’t resent him for it.)

“Loic, if you or Maxime ever need anything...you have to promise you'll tell me. You two...you have to get out of here together."

“We're both here for you through anything; if you ever need anything or need support with anything, please let one of us know. We'll both be there in moments to help you with whatever it is.”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t say anything before. I’m sorry. It’s not because I didn’t trust you, I promise. I trust you. I do. And I care more than I can say, I…”

He thinks about how to say this. How should he say this? How could he say this? Maybe it doesn’t need to be explained, though. Maybe he can just…

“You’re my best friend.”

Loic’s not sure he’s ever gotten to say that to someone before. He can’t recall it, at least. But he’s certain of it.

Once more, for good measure, he says:

“I’m so, so sorry.”

And then, there’s Yuriko. Another friend he’s gone and lied to, broken everything that he had between them. She cuts herself off from his brother, and he knows he deserves the same fate. It’s just likely that she didn’t say it to him because, well, why say something twice when you only need to say it once? Why waste words on telling the sidekick you don’t want anything to do with them, too, when you’ve already told the main character?

“I didn’t--Outside of here, I didn’t lie. Not…Not like this. I meant what I said during our conversations.”

He can’t stop himself from trying to tell them reassurances. Loic’s fine with being hated, but he doesn’t want them to think for a moment that he ever didn’t like her.

“I never wanted to leave anyone behind. I just…I couldn’t--I couldn’t let Maxime…He’s my family. I had to protect him. I’m sorry I had to lie to you to do it. I’m sorry I abused your trust in me. I…I can’t make up for that. But I didn’t pretend. When we spoke, I promise I didn’t. But--But you’re within your rights to not believe me. I would deserve that. And I’ll respect your decision no matter what. But I always liked you. I didn’t lie about that.”

Yuriko’s kind of kindness was rare. Something as gentle as it shouldn’t have been trampled on the way he did. He’s a hypocrite, getting mad at everyone for getting on his case and then abusing that same trait in someone who’s managed to persevere with it and remain strong through it all. No words of apology can make up for it or fix it. He can’t take it back. Wouldn’t take it back.

But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t regret the collateral.

[sabaramonds]

let me tell you about fate/negi. so you might be wondering what the fuck mahou sensei negima is. well it was (takes a deep breath) (grimacing) so it was a harem manga published from 2003 to 2012 by ken akamatsu (yeah that ken akamatsu who got elected into politics to protect loli manga. yeah thats another can of worms.) i read negima in my public library when i was like 10 years old, the same age as negi as the series start. to be honest i should not have been running around the library unsupervised because this also led to me reading angel sanctuary. another separate can of worms. anyway so negi graduates magic school and a magic hat full of slips of paper tells him his career is going to be Go Be A Teacher In Japan and hes literally 10 years old. and its an all girls school. the general premise is that more and more of negis students discover his magic and involve themselves in his life and also the school itself is run by mages and also aliens exist and also magic is siphoning the life from mars. or something. its been a hot minute. the thing with negi and fate specifically is that our wretched author wrote himself into a huge corner with fate because negi had a more engaging and entertaining dynamic with fate, who 1. actually looks negis age so it isnt as weird to see even if fate is technically a lot older but hes like a homunculus basically, and 2. too popular and OP to be killed off to avoid the gay ending, so akamatsu had to commit to the bit you meet fate relatively early on in the series, like within the first 30 or so chapters, but he disappears just as quickly for something like 50 more chapters until negi and his students get their asses thrown into the magic realm and fate frames him for terrorism. really fun stuff. we are off to a great start. consistently from this point on, negi is shown having way more fun fighting fate than he ever seems to experience any other time, ever, and this is reciprocated. fate, who is reticent and rarely changes from his default 😐 expression, cant help but...

and then at the end of negima he shows up at the school to hang out with negi because theyre going to build an elevator to mars together and stop the planet from dying and the girls who have a crush on their literal 10yro teacher (and they are like, 16-17) about who has the best chance and because akamatsu is reluctantly committed now, fate manifests in front of them to say

???? OKAY. in fact akamatsu had to commit so hard that in the sequel, which takes place 70 years later, (negi is missing and possessed by the embodiment of human suffering or something its a lot), negis own "grandson" (kid made with cloning technology) is like ummm....

like ok we also got to see some hilarious things like fate trying to say, dead serious, "i dont love people" and then a chapter later hes full on crying about negis suffering and how HE should be the one experiencing that pain and not negi

and then 20 chapters later negi shows up possessed and oh no terrible things almost happen but fate and negi talk in negis soul or something and they very meaningfully (despite being fully grown adults) appear as the age they met one another and its like. wow.

fate tells negi about how he wants to make all of humanity immortal to cure suffering and pain and then the thing possessing negi should be satisfied, right? (this is not true and he should know this because that thing created him. yeah i forgot to mention that he used to work for her or whatever because shes his mom. sort of. i dont know) and he does this knowing negi wont want that because it wouldnt be right to force on others and the world will stagnate and also it wont even work, but hell do it anyway, for his sake. and negi doesnt even hate him for it

however to compensate for how gay he had to keep making this, akamatsu did create a failsafe to prevent rivalship yaoi from happening with touta (negis grandson) and kuromaru by making kuromaru a fantasy intersex species that chooses their sex during puberty and hes spent his entire life living as and wanting to be a boy but because he likes touta his body starts to become that of a womans. even as he actively thinks of himself as a man and does not want to be a girl, he just wants to be with touta. but he has to be a girl. for that. because. ? so i do think ken akamatsu should kill himself. but unfortunately 20 years of autism has me biting my desk over negi/fate. forever. to say nothing of albireo and nagi.

Do you ship it?

[script-nef]

Confession in the moonlight | Gojou Satoru

Category: fluff

2.2k words; Hatsumoude date [6/6]

Happy New Year everyone!

← Previous chapter | Masterlist

Bells and chatter are almost deafening even this late into the night. Families and friends are gathering here, mingling and pushing against each other in the narrow path leading up to the shrine. There are so many carts lined up on the sides, owners screaming their products and shouting over another.

And you're walking through the crowd with the one person who you want to avoid the most in the world.

Thanks to the event which is now dubbed "The Alcohol Incident That Can Never Happen Again", you learned about a couple of things in the following days.

First, alcohol is the enemy. This is ironclad and nothing will ever shift your opinion on it. Alcohol. Is. The. Enemy. None of it will ever touch your lips again.

Second, you discovered what type of a drunk you are. The clingy, bubbly one who has the misfortune of remembering practically everything that happened. Worst combination ever. Because your brain wants you to die from embarrassment. The only plus is that you don't feel like throwing up and you don't have headaches. Whatever Gojou fed you worked wonders. 

Just thinking his name makes you want to slam your head into a wall. 

Facing him again after that has proven to be a challenge. The memory of what happened on that day intrudes every time you see his face and then you have to take a break to calm down. Faking ignorance and acting as though you remember nothing from the night was your choice. Which was a bad choice since you’re not known for your acting skills and you also have the misfortune of wearing your heart on your sleeve. Which brings on the next problem.

Third, you… seem to have feelings for Gojou. The romantic kind. Like, the boyfriend-girlfriend kind. When you woke up the next day, it was probably the most clear your mind had been in months. Alcohol is a confusing drink. Still, you're never going to go near it again. Making a fool out of yourself once is enough.

Lastly, perhaps most importantly, you basically confessed to him. While drunk. And then went to sleep.

Sitting up in bed the morning after, hair everywhere and jacket still on, you did an analysis. 

It's like a typical light novel cliché. A guy and a girl, co-workers or something like that, comfortable with each other, hangs out all the time, one major event or couple of minor events happens, the girl falls in love with the guy or vice-versa, confession and then happy ending. 

It all kind of made sense with your new, alcohol-cleaned brain. The fluttering feelings, the spike in heart rate, the uncontrollable blushing and noticing physical contact more. There’s a reason why he’s so comfortable to be around, why you practically entrusted your life in his hands. And you literally said to him once, you think in the movie theatre, that he would make a good boyfriend. To his face. Who says that? Embarrassment turns into self loathing. It makes you wonder how you didn’t notice it last time.

With this new shocking revelation, you didn’t know what to do. Confess? If there is even the slightest bit of chance he doesn’t like you back and rejects you, life will be hell to live. Because you live in the same goddamn place, work together and all of your friends are his friends.

So two options. Three outcomes. One: you confess and he accepts and everything is fine. Ideal. Two: you confess and he rejects you and so you leave the place, never come back again and work in a farm halfway across the world by changing your identity. That sounded reasonable enough. Three: you don’t confess and somehow act naturally around him. This has problems because, again, you wear your heart on your sleeve. It’s still very tempting. More so than the second one. This is perhaps the most difficult decision you’ve made in your life.

So you turned to the one person you can vent this kind of thing on. Shouko. Who looked at you like you were either stupid or dense. Maybe both. Definitely both. It was quite amazing what she could express while moving the least amount of facial muscles. 

“So… yeah. I think I like Gojou and I don’t know which of the options I should take. Help me?” 

She just stared at you. With a deadpan face that has all the stress and exasperation in the world. You pride yourself in being able to read other’s faces quite easily. Rubbing her fingers over her eyes and groaning for a bit, she eventually took her phone out and dialled a number. The line rang for a bit.

“Ijichi? You owe me 10,000 yen.” Clicking off the phone even before hearing a response, Shouko turned her focus back to you. “You seriously don’t know?”

“Don’t know what? What was the phone call about?”

“That he likes you? That’s he’s insufferable because of that? You seriously don’t know?” She inched closer and closer until her face was right in front of yours. Shouko is seriously scary when she’s angry, like a sleeping lion. And you just somehow poked her. “Look at me in the eyes. You seriously never realised?”

“Um, what?”

“The dates. Remember when I couldn’t go to the movie for Howl because someone came in? I immediately gave it to him because I owed him a favour and he wanted to spend time with you. The time he went shopping with you by flying. Do you know why he offered that in the first place?”

“I mean, it was getting late… And I was in a bad mood so— oh.”

“Yeah. Oh. Do you get it now?” 

“So then… the dinner, that was also…”

“A date.” Sighing, she sits back on the sofa, letting her head drop onto the backrest. Thoughts jumble inside your head, all of them slowly clicking into place.

“Wait, so. He likes me?”

Annoyed moans are her response as she thuds her head into the furniture. Something along the lines of “Why me.” could be heard.

“So him inviting me to hatsumoude today is also a date?” Her hand waves lazily in the air.

“Yes, it is. Tell me you accepted.” You nodded, then realised that she can’t see from her position.

“I did. I can’t really say no to him.” She makes a gagging sound.

“Good. Finally. So just confess to him then. He’ll accept, you’ll be happy, he’ll be happy, and we’ll all finally be free.”

“Free of what.”

“Your denseness.” She snaps, sitting back up. Fire burns in her irises. “It’s like the Chinese story, the one with the shield and the spear. You’re the shield, oblivious to every single one of his advances and he’s the spear, never giving up. And we’re the spectators who are bored and tired. So dress up in your prettiest clothes and go.”

And that’s why you’re walking up the steps to the shrine, swaddled in clothing. Gojou is right next to you, enjoying mochi he bought from somewhere and humming. He’s humming while you’re having one of the worst crises of your life. God, you envy his ability to keep cool. 

Making every effort to keep calm and not look move your head in his general direction, you finally arrive at the bell. The sound resonates clearly into the night. Coins clink into the offering box. Two bows, two claps, pray, one bow. Your wish is the same as always, with one more sentence. Gojou copies you, mochi finished and trash discarded.

The way down is much easier, your heart a little lighter. Maybe the rest of the night will be fine. 

This is a delusion and you realise it as soon as Gojou opens his mouth.

“What did you wish for?” His voice cuts through the commotion, nudging for your attention. You flinch a bit at the closeness but try to regain your composure. If he saw it, he doesn’t comment on it.

“I—I  wished for everyone I love to survive the fight with Sukuna and have a peaceful retirement. Especially Ken-chan.” In actuality, you did wish for that but also for a way to confess. He doesn’t need to know that yet. Your voice trembles a bit, betraying you. 

“You do know that saying it out loud negates the wish right?” There’s a delighted tone in his voice, like he’s happy he baited you. How is a person this childish? And what does that say about you, the person who likes him? A hand ruffles your head before you have a chance to lament your heart. “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure your wish comes true.” Your heart thumps.

It’s so unfair how he always knows what to say. It’s so unfair that it’s having this kind of effect on you. Your earlobes grow hot and you scramble to find a reply.

“What did you wish for then?” He shifts his head to look at you. “Yeah, I know. It won’t come true if you say it out loud, but if you can protect everyone and save the human race, I’m sure it's not up to the gods or spirits whether or not your wish comes true.”

He seems to contemplate it. Then nods. 

“Yeah, you’re right. It’s not up to them.” 

“See? So what’s yo—”

“It’s up to you.”

You nearly trip over one of the stone tiles, flailing for balance. Of course Gojou comes to your rescue, hands gently gripping at your sides. The first problem here is that your reaction was too obvious. You can’t feign ignorance now, like you didn’t hear him over the crowd. The second is that you just made a fool of yourself. Which leads to the third problem. 

He is way too close. 

“You okay?” And now he’s whispering. The blushing worsens. “Come on, let’s go.”

It’s a clearing in the forest a bit away, a smaller dilapidated shrine on the edge of it. A small pond is in the middle, fireflies skimming over the surface and glimmering beautifully. 

“There you go.” He guides you to the steps of the ruined shrine, letting you sit down but stays standing. Shifting on his feet, neck cracking as he rolls it. Nervous energy leaks out of him. Wait, is this— 

“I don’t know what to say. I’ve rehearsed this like, hundreds of times but my heart is kind of going crazy.” So is yours. He comes back to you then lowers himself to one knee. Your heart stops. “I’m not proposing. Not yet. I’ve heard dating comes first.”

One of your hands slots into his. He removes his blindfold, revealing his cerulean eyes to you for the second time. Breath hitches and he most definitely heard it because his smile, no matter how tentative it was, becomes full and true.

“Let’s get to the main point straight away. I like you.” The words burn you alive and you try to take your hand back but his grip is strong. So you do the next best thing. Averting your face. “I know you do too. I also know you remember the night. Your acting skills are terrible. And Shouko told me.” If you’re not drowning in mortification and something that feels vaguely like hope, you might hit him. And Shouko.

But the second you face him, you see him. The heart-gripping worry in his eyes, the way he’s smiling to cover for his anxiousness, the light trembling in his fingers. It’s so different to his normal self, the aloof and laid-back aura completely dissipated. This is what you do to him?

“I’m not good at this. But I mean every word when I say that you’re the kindest, cutest and the most loveable person that I’ve ever met. You put up with me, and that’s saying a lot.” Protest is at the tip of your tongue, ready to argue that he should stop being so hard on himself and that you genuinely like spending time with him, but he recognises the look on your face and laughs delightedly. “See? So ready to come to my defence, even if it’s me you have to fight. Everyone’s fed up with me to some extent, and I know you are as well, but you still put up with me. That’s what made me fall for you. That unlimited kindness.”

He presses a kiss to the palm of your hand and it feels like he’s giving you his heart at the same time. Love shines in his eyes and clogs at your throat. A shuddering breath passes over the both of you. But then the cheeky smile comes back.

“I think that’s enough to sweep you off your feet. Is your heart beating fast?” A nod. “Hands clammy?” A nod. “Think you can manage granting me my wish?”

A wave of calm washes over. Gojou’s words, filled with sincerity and bare hearted emotions, turn into butterflies that travel to every inch in your body. It’s delightful and there’s no way you can live without hearing it again.

The distance between your lips close, and you swear your heart synchronises with his when they finally touch. 

[pillow-anime-talk]

his talented baby. {pt.1}

synopsis: You as a person with a huge (and hidden) talent, and also a girl who really surprises your boyfriend.

# tags: scenarios; current relationships; romance; fluff; some PDA; sfw

includes: female reader ft. ken kaneki & nishiki nishio {tokyo ghoul} + yuuma isogai & itona horibe {assclass}

— KEN (ft. singing)

Your closest friends invited you to a popular karaoke bar on one Friday night to celebrate a successfully passed semester in college. Of course, you couldn’t forget about your lovely boyfriend, who was at the same university, but in a different field (i.e. Japanese literature) and always supported you with all his might, knowing how much you want to do your dream job in the future.

So you went to the meeting together, and on the way to the designated place you talked all the time about what the next year of study would bring you. As soon as you reached the room where your three closest besties and one male friend were waiting for you, you both greeted them warmly, immediately taking off your thick coats and taking your seats on a soft, leather couch next to a table filled with tasty-looking snacks and colorful drinks.

Long minutes of conversations between the six of you resulted in drunk plenty of alcohol and blushes on the faces. After drinking, you always got more talkative and more self-confident, so you suggested using the TV and the karaoke machine. Of course, you first offered your friends and Ken to sing something, but they all declined, saying that you should start as an initiator. One of the girls, blonde-haired Minami, smiled at you with a sparkle in her pretty golden eyes, adding that you are the best in this and you should show how to do it correctly. You chuckled in response, waving your hand at her to dismiss compliment.

Kaneki, on the other hand, frowned as he looked at the boy who was sitting on his right.

“... Oh, you don’t know? Y/N-san hasn’t yet praised herself to you that she has a wonderful voice? Huh, huh.” The black-haired boy shook his head, reaching for the glass filled with blue something again. “Hmmm, well. Normally Y/N’s very shy, but she always sings at trips when she’s drunk.” He chuckled while you picked one of your favorite songs in the meantime. So everyone looked at your standing figure, then heard the characteristic sounds from one of Selena Gomez’s songs coming from the gray speakers.

“My dear, I dedicate it to you~!” You looked with joy on your face towards the eighteen-year-old, giving him a quick wink, and then you started your little performance with ‘Love you like a love song’ from the above-mentioned artist.

Your friends didn’t seem surprised and instead started clapping to the beat of the music... but Ken’s eyes widened and he spat out his high-percentage drink, not knowing how to react to the fact that for nine, long months of your relationship, you concealed the fact that you could sing so well and so beautifully. Your voice was perfect for the song that was playing now, and you seemed to be having a great time – there was a huge smile on your lips, your eyelids were slightly closed and your hand was over your heart. If it weren’t for the fact that you were at a karaoke bar, everyone would definitely think you are playing a concert on the biggest stage in Tokyo city.

After the song was over, another girl got up to present a completely different choice, and you handed her the dark microphone, bowing in the process.

Kaneki still seemed speechless and as soon as you sat down next to him, he immediately kissed you on the warm forehead, asking you to sing more to him, especially when you two are going to be alone, because he probably fell in love with you once again and just wanted to experience that love every day thereafter.

— NISHIKI (ft. ballet)

Nishiki, as a pharmacy student, didn’t have much time for extra-curricular activities or unnecessary meetings; in addition, the fact that he was a bloodthirsty ghoul and had to watch over himself made it difficult for him to function normally in the life of Kamii University. However, the brown-haired man always found time for you, for his beloved girlfriend.

You had been dating for over three, long years, and the man definitely couldn’t imagine his own life without you by his side. You knew each other better than anyone else in this world, but sometimes some tiny things of your ordinary day eluded Nishio; of course you understood it perfectly and you weren’t angry or disappointed with him. After all, he had to protect himself, you, take care of his specific menu, be vigilant at every step, and additionally he had to pretend to be the perfect student, senpai (or kouhai) and friend of other people.

So you weren’t surprised when one day you handed him a silverish ticket for probably the most important show of your life and he just looked at you in wonderment. At the beginning, the twenty-year-old asked if it was a performance related to singing or playing an instrument due to the fact that the colorful paper didn’t tell him too much, but you just smirked as you tweaked the unruly, soft hair on his head.

“Hmm. If you don’t remember what I do in my free time, it’s even better, I guess. Come and see it for yourself, honey. I think that thanks to this you will even calm down a little and rest due to the recent weeks.” You announced in a light tone of voice, and the young man sighed under his breath.

“So... I’ll find out in three days, am I right?” He made sure by correcting his glasses and you nodded, then grabbing his rough hand and kissing his cool cheek. A short while later you suggested going to your apartment and catching up on a few episodes of your favorite series that you started quite recently.

The anticipation of your important day passed very quickly and on Saturday, at 6 p.m., when everyone took their seats (with your boyfriend sitting on one of the balconies with the best view of the stage), delicate music was played in the theater, which made everyone shiver on the whole body. Until then, the brown-eyed boy somewhere in the back of his head had the impression that it was a theater performance or an opera, but when he saw your person appear on stage in a beautifully tailored dress and ballet shoes, all the questions that flickered in his mind disappeared in literally one second.

‘Well, yeah. I remember now. She always told me about ballet classes and new shoes.’ A huge, proud smirk came on his pale face and you glanced out of the corner of your eye towards his VIP seat.

Though your expression was cold and composed, you felt an enormous heat in your small heart as the man waved at you, showing two thumbs up. His lips moved even slightly, and although Nishiki tried to hide it, you knew perfectly well that the pink blush and mute ‘I love you’ was sincere and even better than being able to play Odetta, the White Swan, in a ballet spectacle.

— YUUMA (ft. songwriting and guitar playing)

Christmas at school was never what you enjoyed; maybe due to the fact that before, your classmates on main campus were quite specific and you definitely didn’t fit with their strange ‘ideals’. It was only in the class E that you felt that you could find real friends or people who would share your ideas.

But, hmm. Still, you seemed to stand out from the rest of the girls in the class who had more... down-to-earth hobbies or characters than you; Okuda liked chemistry and was really excellent at it, Kirara loved reading, Rio was the best at English and had a great sense of fashion, and Toka was pretty good at cooking. Contrary to them, you preferred to... do more ‘intimate’ things. Writing short poems filled your heart with peace and prevented you from being as critical of yourself as usual. And when you wrote the lyrics of the songs, made notes or melodies to them and sang quietly, you could feel like a real artist that everyone wanted to admire and imitate.

Therefore, when your first and last class holidays with the rest of the 3-E students were fast approaching, Koro-sensei was the one who asked you for a short talk. You weren’t sure what this was about, but moments later your uncertainties were dispelled.

“Y/N-san, I think you mistook your notebooks today and instead of giving me your homework, you gave to me... this.” He said in his as always happy voice, and seeing the black notebook in which you always wrote songs and notes, you blushed all over your face, apologizing profusely for the mistake. “Huh? But this is no mistake, my dear. If it weren’t for this, I would never even think that we have such a talented soul in Class 3-E. So would you like to perform in front of the rest of the students and teachers during the holidays?” The easy question made you widen your eyes and sighed.

“I-I’ve never played in front of anyone, so...” You admitted shyly, and the tall, yellow octopus just chuckled.

“I’m pretty sure they will love it. We can practice together.”

Well, you couldn’t refuse (especially when Koro-sensei offered to bring your favorite, foreign snacks...) and on class Christmas day you showed up with your acoustic guitar and a notebook full of chords and songs. Everyone was surprised and curious at how well you play guitar. After all, you’ve never even mentioned that you can play any instrument before. On the other hand, the class representative, and your boyfriend at the same time, immediately came up to you, asking if you were really okay; better than anyone else, Isogai knew that you didn’t like too much attention and big crowds. But you reassured him it was okay and promised your teacher you would do it, so you smiled at him and then took your seat under the blackboard with a wooden guitar on your lap.

The song you chose for the day was a song you wrote quite recently. It had a little bit of magic, and at the same moment it seemed very romantic and delicate. Even Karma seemed delighted with your beautiful play and soft voice that echoed from time to time between the walls of huge classroom.

At the end of the song, you decided to raise your gaze and simultaneously look at your all friends, three teachers and other half; everyone was really happy and positively speechless. So you gave Yuuma a slight wink, making him blush sweetly.

The young teenager definitely hoped you would show him more of your songs someday, not necessarily the happy Christmas carols Kaede and Ritsu asked for.

— ITONA (ft. dancing)

“... You never mentioned that you can dance.” He admitted softly, and you squeezed his smooth hand tighter.

“So... I mention it right now. It’s not a big deal, baby. I just ... like it and enjoy it a lot.” You giggled as you correcting the black sports bag over your shoulder, then opened the heavy door to the training room, immediately jumping up at the sound of loud squeals and greetings from your closest friends. “Guys, this is Itona Horibe, my boyfriend that I told to you before! Love, it’s Aki-chan, Yui-chan, Kazuya-kun, Saburo-kun, and our cameraman and editor Ryuu senpai. Most often, the five of us cooperate with each other when it comes to dance in groups of five people. And... today we are going to cover a song so I hope you’ll like it. I’ll go change and you all, please, don’t scare my boyfriend and give him something to drink!”

As a group leader, you often came up with choreographies and warm-ups for yourself and others. So, it couldn’t be otherwise this time. For the last week and a half you have been practicing the choreo you came up with and today you were supposed to record material for the video on your quite popular YouTube account. You were extremely excited, not only with the new content, but most of all with the fact that your beloved one would be able to watch it live and evaluate your skills that have been refined over the years. So as soon as you got back to the teens waiting for you, you kissed the light-blue-haired quickly on the right cheek and told him that he could sit against the wall, close to the table full of snacks and the contact for charging the phone.

Then you talked with everyone for a while, doing a short warm-up and reminding the cameraman about how to move the cam. A few short minutes later, you lined up in the middle of a huge white room with Ryuu in front of you. You knelt down in the center, of course, gently moving your shoulders to calm your rapidly pounding heart and heavy breathing, and when a song by Ariana Grande started playing all over the bright room, you all looked at the already activated camera, shaking your heads and then you got up from the wooden floor.

Itona... was speechless. He has never seen people dancing before, he has never even been interested in others, only you and what you like. Today he got to know your little passion, which turned out to be a breathtaking talent, and the boy wondered if you could do anything else; are you good at one specific dance genre or are you able to move your body in a completely different rhythm than he currently saw?

From Koro-sensei’s history lessons, when you two were in junior high, the eighteen-year-old remembered perfectly well that there is also classical dance, tango and breakdance. So could you also do that? He had to ask you about it later.

But now his curious gaze was focused on you and your huge, radiant smile, and the sound of feet hitting the ground. He also looked at your legs, tiny hands, stomach, and hair, while he wondered if he might learn to dance too, to be even closer to you and your hobby. After all, you looked so beautiful and so joyful... He wanted to share these emotions.

[ejzah]

A/N: Once again, I went a bit dark with this. I hope it’s not too much.

***

Where It Hurts Most, Part 4

“Do you see anything that looks different?” Callen asked Kensi, keeping a few feet back as she slowly walked through the kitchen. Sam and Rountree had already been through the house and found nothing useful.

Kessler’s fingerprints were everywhere, but his were the only ones. There was a strip of yellow tape cutting off the kitchen from the rest of the house. It was yet another sign of violation. She ripped it off, not caring if it was against protocol.

“He obviously moved some things. I don’t see anything that could be taken as another message or used to trace him,” she responded finally. “It’s just another power play.”

“It seems like a pretty risky move to break in if he wasn’t going to leave anything behind.”

“It would have been enough for him to just be here.” She noticed the coffee mug Deeks always used was on the counter instead of the cabinet where they usually kept it. She ran her finger across the rim, picturing Deeks leaning against the counter sipping at his morning coffee. “He knows how violating this would feel and he gets a kick out of it.”

She straightened a few more things before turning back to Callen. He was watching her cautiously, like at any moment she might explode if he wasn’t careful.

“If you have something on your mind, spit it out.”

“Kens…don’t let him do this. You let him get inside your head like this and he’s already won,” he said.

“I’m not letting him get to me, Callen. I just know how he thinks,” she said firmly. Even if it wasn’t completely true, Callen didn’t need to know that. She wasn’t going to be benched. Not when Deeks’ was in danger.

Her phone range and she pulled it out, giving the screen a brief glance before she answered, turning on the speaker.

“What do you have, Fatima?”

“Hi guys, I was able to ID three of men who attacked Deeks. Two of them are off the grid completely no cell phone or credit activity,” Fatima answered quickly.

“But…” Callen prompted, glancing at Kensi again.

“But I was able to get a cell signal for the last using the message he sent to Deeks’ phone. I don’t know if he was just sloppy or if was on purpose.”

“Tell me you have an address,” Kensi demanded. She was half way to the door before Fatima even had a chance to answer.

“I do. The message was sent from a building that used to be a garage of some kind,” Fatima continued. “There aren’t any security cameras in the area, so I can’t confirm if Kessler or any of his men have been there. It could be a red herring.”

“It’s not.” She caught Callen’s eye and knew based on his grim expression, that he’d come to the same conclusion as her. It wasn’t an accident that Kessler had chosen a garage to hold Deeks. “Send the coordinates to my phone, we’re on our way.

***

“I’m glad you find me attractive,” Deeks whispered, his voice barely more than a growl.

Kessler set the metal device back down, but Deeks didn’t feel any relief. His attempts to control his reaction were completely out the window now and he felt moisture sliding down the middle of his back as he forced himself not to fight against the straps binding him. Although they were far from loose, he felt a small amount of give.

“You can keep trying to distract me, Detective. It’s not going to work,” Kessler responded, making a sound to himself as he fiddled with the box, shifting items around. After a minute or so he removed a small blade. It almost looked like a scalpel, only more lethal.

Deeks shivered, Kessler’s comment about his face making more sense. He needed to do something quickly while he had the chance.

“Really? What if I told you that Kensi thinks about you all the time?” He hated himself for saying it, for dropping to Kessler’s level.

Kessler didn’t react at all for a moment, then he let out the quietest of sighs that made Deeks’ stomach crawl.

“Tell me more.”

“She hates it,” Deeks continued, licking his lips. “She hates that you’re in her mind.” Turning slowly, Kessler crept forward and knelt in front of him. His eyes were gleaming with excitement and Deeks hatred for him bubbled up inside of him.

He acted almost instinctively, slamming his forehead into Kessler’s nose and the other man reared back, dropping the knife as he clamped his hands to his face. Deeks ripped his arms free, ignoring the feeling of his skin tearing along with the binds, and slammed his chair into Kessler’s side who crashed to the ground.

Deeks followed him to the floor, wrapping one arm around his neck and holding it taught with the other.

“I lied,” he hissed into Kessler’s ear, increasing the pressure until he choked. It gave him a perverse pleasure to literally feel the man’s fear as he fought against him, growing more frantic with every second. “She hasn’t thought of you at all.”

Kessler’s body started to grow lax, but he still didn’t let go. He wanted to be sure he wouldn’t move again.

The door burst open an light flooded the room as, voices shouting at him. Deeks clung to Kessler even as the same men who had attacked him before roughly tugged him away, jerking his arms behind his back so hard it felt like they might dislocate.

For a second, he though Kessler might be dead, but then he stirred and coughed, gasping as he crawled to his knees. Deeks heard a click and one of the men forced a gun beneath his chin, a mercenary gleam in his eye.

“Don’t kill him,” Kessler ordered unexpectedly, clumsily getting to his feet. He wiped blood off his face, his eyes hard and angry. “Not yet. Tie him up again and tell me when it’s done. Make sure he can’t get out this time.”

***

A/N: Oh dear, I just can’t give poor Deeks a break. What is happening with me? Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this.

[zoffra]

Why Hisoka decided to kill the troupe ?

Analysis in two parts:

1- Hisoka's pre-fight personality

2- Hisoka's post fight psychological change

Part 1 -

Let us make a point on Hisoka's character.

Hisoka's a character who takes pleasure in fighting strong opponents, it's his reason for living, it's like a drug in the proper sense of the term. If he doesn't fight for a long time, or if he's about to fight and - for whatever reason - the fight doesn't start, he'll kill anyone to satisfy his need and calm his excitement. This happens, for example, during hunter exam after meeting Kurapika and Leorio (= satisfying his need), or after Illumi's meeting with Killua and Alluka (= calming his excitement).

Other than that, he carefully chooses his opponents and will even refuse fights if he judges that the person isn't worth it.

Hisoka's incredibly patient. In order to fight Chrollo, he'll put in a lot of effort. He joins the spiders - which already isn't an easy task - and waits for three years that an opportunity presents itself, so that he finds himself alone with the leader and can fight him. The other members don't interest him - except maybe Machi to a much lesser extent.

After Chrollo lost his Nen, Hisoka assists the troupe in search for the exorcist. Shizuku assumes that Chrollo promised him a fight in exchange for his help. It's not known how long Chrollo's deprived of his Nen, whats certain is that several months go by.

Abengan's Nen works like this: he invokes a Nen beast whose shape and size varies according to the curse's power posed by his user. The stronger the curse, the longer that will takes time- and you can be sure that Kurapika's chain was far more powerful than Genthru's bomb.

Later, we learn from Gitarakuru that after recovering his Nen, Chrollo fled. During this time, he returned to Meteor city to prepare his fight and steal various capacities - in particular that of the dean, Shalnark and Kortopi. Finally, after all these waiting years, Hisoka's finally rewarded and they'll fight in a place - that Chrollo himself chooses, as floor master : Celestial tower.

I'll not describe the fight, I can only advise those who haven't read the manga to go and find out for themselves. If I could sum it up in one word, it would be 'disappointing'. But not for us, readers, for Hisoka.

Chrollo used sneaky methods, avoiding to maximum close contacts with Hisoka, while sending his puppets to fight for him, waiting for opportunities to hit him critically. Warning! This isn't a criticism, I'm not saying it's something bad, these are just the facts.

We know that Chrollo's calculating and that beyond his extraordinary physical abilities, he distinguishes himself from others by his intelligence. For me, this fight is the very reflection of his personality, calculated like music paper and orchestrated by Chrollo as master of ceremonies.

It's also a nose thumb at the relationship they've always had. Hisoka spent more time killing puppets with no interest to reach Chrollo, rather than fighting him. He finds himself in the situation where he has always been.

At the time of his 'death', Hisoka made a pact with the Nen to bring him back to life. By using condition and oath - his death being the condition to be fulfilled - he wish that his heart's functions and his lungs will be restored. And from there, the troupe will have big problems.

Part 2 -

Spiders made several mistakes. When they inspected Hisoka's body, they were negligent. When Shalnark testified to Hisoka's death by asphyxiation, no one found his hands position strange. By that I mean they're seasoned Nen users, cold-blooded killers, they know that Nen gets stronger after death.

An important detail is that you can revive a suffocation victim - it shouldn't last too long of course, but it's not as if his head was cut off. And that's exactly what Hisoka will do.

He probably used Ken to absorb the explosion, surrounded his heart and his lungs with his Gum, then practiced a cardiac massage to resuscitate himself, - I pass about after-effects that his brain would normally have undergone, which is an ease logical scenario.

Machi said one interesting thing: '[Hisoka] still paid me in advance.' This means that she was in contact with him before, and Hisoka asked her to stitch up his wounds after the fight. Machi probably understood it as 'if I win the fight, can you heal me', but for Hisoka there was probably a double meaning: healing his wounds if they were too serious so that he do himself, or if he hadn't been in fit state to do it.

Biggest mistake spiders have made has been to underestimate Hisoka.

Towards fight's end (chap 355) when a puppets horde rush towards him, Hisoka has an angry expression. Hisoka's neutral facial expression is a mischievous pout, or in fights where he has to fight seriously, he has a concentrated expression.

It's extremely rare to see him angry, and I think his change of mind manifests himself at that time. Hisoka's face takes half a page's place and is a terrifying blackness, it's an important moment. All accumulated frustration since years literally explodes during this bitter taster fight.

When he wakes up, we don't immediately notice his change of mind, but when he speaks it's clearer.

'Reality knows how to wake you up.' Hisoka realizes - if not already done - that he'll not be able to defeat Chrollo with his usual methods.

A little higher, I said the trio had underestimated Hisoka but I also think of Chrollo. During the fight he was arrogant, explaining his abilities, inviting him to flee and then, telling him that isn't to taunt him - you can't make me believe thats true.

'If you've learned your lessons from this, then next time make sure to choose your opponent and the location you fight.' Machi's words complete Hisoka's decision, it was clearly not the thing to say to him at this precise moment.

This how Hisoka's change of mind worked for me. Hisoka's an irrational person but he killed with a certain consistent logic - strong ones who deserve his attention. His death - more precisely, circumstances of the fight leding to his death - played a major role in his transformation. He's no longer undefeated and has been ridiculed, Chrollo practically whistling when he sent his puppets against him.

'No matter where they go and who they are with, I won't stop until I kill them all' It's revenge.

His actions are no longer directed by the will to fight strong adversaries, they're guided by the outright brigade eradication.

Strangely, he leaves Machi alive. Don't tell me thats because he just wants she getting her message across to the other members, there were a thousand ways to warn Chrollo and the others without leaving her alive - and considering the awkward position she was in, he could have kill her without slightest concern. - In an interview, Togashi says that he didn't want to kill her at that time because he has other plans for her.

Kortopi was visibly relieving himself when he was killed. He was a pointless opponent for Hisoka, especially considering the situation in which he found himself. This proves once again his change of mind, it's a method of murderer.

Same method when he sends Kortopi's head to Shalnark. At that moment, Shalnark grabs his friend's head - which is edifying of stupidity - to verify that it's him, and Hisoka punches him.

On several occasions, I've read some people would have liked to see a real Shalnark vs Hisoka fight. But we had it, and difference in strength is too great. At that moment, it's true that Shalnark couldn't use his Hatsu, nevertheless he could still use his Nen but he didn't even had time to defend himself with his Ten.

We don't know if Hisoka kills Shalnark in one blow, it's possible that he survived for a moment. However, this isn't what the staging seems to evoke. The fight literally takes a half page, speed with which Hisoka starts the fight and shock's power when he hits Shalnark leaves no doubt as to the fight speed end. In addition, even though Hisoka's Nen strengthened, he was seriously injured - he was able to repair his limbs in appearance, but he has no healing ability like Machi or quick regeneration like an enhancer.

The last chapter page sounds like a real turning point. We knew Hisoka was sadistic, he likes to torture his opponents psychologically (cf: Kastro fight, Goto), but we had never seen him at work physically. After his fight, he took the trouble to stage the Shalnark's and Kortopi corpses, tying Shalnark to the swing like a puppet, refering to his ability and his fight against Chrollo.

Chapter ends abruptly with a sentence / thought from Hisoka: 'There are 10 left.'

Number 10 is interesting. At that moment, members still alive are the following: Phinks, Feitan, Machi, Kalluto, Nobunaga, Shizuku, Franklin, Bonorenov and Chrollo.

That makes 9. I consider that - even if he didn't see her die - Hisoka is aware of the Pakunoda's death. He spent a lot of time with members at Greed Island and Chrollo, it's impossible that he didn't learn it.

The 10th member is therefore Illumi - reader learns of his membership in the troupe only 20 chapters later -, he was therefore recruited before Hisoka announced his vendetta against spiders.

Last point I wanted to emphasize: when Hisoka says 'there is 10 left', he includes Chrollo. This shows that he no longer puts him on a pedestal, seeing him as the head or someone important. It's simply a leg to be eliminated.

Hisoka's personality has radically changed, he has finished playing.

[ask-them-bois]

A King and His Soldier, part 2/3

(Okay, well. Zeruki appeared ahead of schedule. Let’s figure out how the hell that happened.)

-AgressiveUndead began trolling GlitchingVampire!-

AU: Blxlit.

GV: AlMMawt.

AU: …

GV: … lMMao hi.

AU: Hello.

GV: What do you want?

AU: I need you to find someone for me. Ribbit.

GV: Oh yeah? Who? And also, why should I care?

AU: Xre you fxmilixr with x boy nxmed Ursidx?

GV: I think so? It sounds faMMiliar.

GV: oh.

GV: wait…

GV: ….

GV: Yeah I know that naMMe.

AU: I thought xs much. How do you know him?

GV: … I knew hiMM from the CoMMpound. He was the engineer MMy… designs… got sent to. He was, like, MMy assigned partner.

AU: I need you to find him. Ribbit.

GV: Why.

AU: Becxuse I need his xncestor on my side, before Mxddel cxn get him. Becxuse I know who his xncestor worked for, xnd I’d much rxther hxve them both on my side. It’d mxke this whole thing x lot exsier. Ribbit.

GV: I have no idea what you’re talking about dude, lMMao. But the answer is no. I’MM not gonna go find someone froMM the coMMpound. I blew up those bridges a long tiMMe ago.

AU: …

AU: I understxnd thxt, but I xsk you to reconsider. I wouldn’t xsk xt xll if it wxsn’t importxnt, Blxlit. Ribbit.

GV: What’s in it for MMe?

AU: Wow, rexlly?

GV: You realize what you’re asking MMe, right? You want MMe to go find soMMeone froMM a place where I was literally IMMPRISONED and ENSLAVED. A place I BLEW UP. What if he turns MMe in? I’MM a wanted robot, MMusrio. I can’t just get in contact with the Fleet like it’s no big deal. So if I’MM gonna do that, I want soMMething in return.

AU: …

AU: Blxlit, under thxt childish, prxnkster personx of yours, you’re quite… xstute, xren’t you? Ribbit.

GV: Bitch I built war machines. I MMake robots and eXXplosives. I’MM hella sMMarter than you take MMe for. I’MM hella ass-toot.

AU: Xstute.

GV: Ass-toot.

AU: There’s thxt childishness I wxs spexking of. Ribbit.

GV: lMMao

AU: Fine. Whxt do you wxnt, then?

GV: ... I don’t wanna say yet.

AU: Why?

GV: Because I’MM not ready for you to pay off the favor so fast. Having a zombie wizard at my beck and call? Who the hell would pass that up?

AU: I’m xn undexd necromxncer. Ribbit.

GV: Ass-toot.

AU: Ugh. Fine.

GV: Good.

GV: I’ll find your guy, AlMMawt. But you’re gonna owe me big for this.

-GlitchingVampire ceased trolling AggressiveUndead!- -GlitchingVampire began trolling SoldieringSkybear!-

GV: Hey you.

GV: Are you still alive?

GV: Been a while, huh.

GV: If you’re still in the city, MMeet me on a rooftop, okay? We need to talk.

-GlitchingVampire ceased trolling SoldieringSkybear!-

Corden closed down Trollian and spun around in his chair. Once, twice, and he jumped up, catching the chair before it knocked into the desk.

“Batmom, I’m gonna go out for a bit. You wanna come?” He spoke to a large meow-beast tower that stood next to the desk. After a moment, a very small bat poked her head out, golden eyes blinking sleepily.

She squeaked, and with a flutter of four wings, lighted on his shoulder.

“Cool.” Corden made sure to pocket his knives and a handful of gadgets, before he left his respiteblock. Jumping down the stairs two at a time, he stopped at the bottom and glanced around. “Ken-ken?” He shouted.

“Yo?” Makeno looked up from where he was laid on the lounge-plank, scrolling his palmhusk, hair still damp from a shower.

“I’m going out for a bit.”

“M’kay. Be safe.”

“No promises.” Corden snickered, extending two fingers as he walked past. Makeno reached up and connected two of his own fingers to Corden’s.

“Pale for you, Cordy.”

“Pale for you, too.”

Corden stepped outside, rolling his neck as he headed down the walk and made his way to the city proper.

Once he was among the towering hivestems and workhives, his tense shoulders loosened. The buzz of the city hummed in his ears, hyping him up until blue and red sparks were dancing along his horns.

He roamed the streets for a while, a vague plan beginning to form in his head. He paused on the sidewalk and craned his neck back, looking up at the soaring buildings. “If there’s one place to find him, it’d be up there, huh?” He asked Batmom.

She chirped, and he nodded thoughtfully. Turning, his cape swishing, he marched into a nearby alley between a hivestem and coffeehive. With a burst of psionics and a jump, he landed easily on the fire escape that went up the side of the hivestem.

The smell of the coffeehive’s garbage bin in his sniffnub, he quickly scaled the fire escape to… well, *escape* the smell. The higher he went, the bolder he became, his psionics swirling around him to keep him from falling if he slipped. His hair began to stand on end from the energy alone.

Wind blew it back from his face as he neared the top of the ninety-story hive. He vaulted over the lip of the roof and landed easily. Standing up straight, he looked around; it was a clear night, and from the edge of the building, he could see across the whole city. He stared at the millions of lights, almost entranced by their glow.

Across the city, hidden by the towering buildings between him and it, was the burned out, collapsing remains of the compound. The place he grew up, worked, and lived for the first sweeps of his life. The place he blew up, leaving virtually no one alive, in a daring attempt to escape. No one, save one person, who he’d sent a single message before it went up in flames.

Corden sat on the edge of the roof, dangling his legs. All he had to do now was wait, so he allowed himself to indulge in his memory files. He slid one hand over the back of his shoulders, where he could feel the tips of the scars that marred his back.

“Still don’t know why they thought flogging a robot was a good idea. All it did was tear up my exo-skin.” He said to Batmom. The tiny bat only trilled in response.

Corden sat there for a good half hour, watching the city as he got lost in painful memories. Finally, however, he heard the telltale sound of several jingling bells as someone vaulted onto the roof behind him.

“Ayyye, it’s the Cordy-bordy-robo-bro! Wassup manbot? Dude it’s been like- fucking sweeps huh? Fuck yeah man, whatcha been doing since the compound went-” The newcomer made several vocals to indicate explosions, before he laughed, his loud voice amplifying his thick lisp.

Corden held in a sigh as he got to his feet and turned to face them. “Nice to see you again, too, Engineer-class Fleetman Zeruki Ursida.” He said formally, his posture suddenly stiff as he swept into a low bow.

Zeruki stared at him like he’d grown a second head; at least, Corden thought he did. It was hard to tell with the hair. The tealblood’s tail lashed, sending the bells jingling vigorously.

“Oh, so we’re being all form-fit-finessed here, are we? Fine. Nice to see you, Gold-Station #315.184.514, Bloodline: Blalit.” Zeruki stuck out his split tongue in disgust, “WTF man, I don’t do that,” He blew a raspberry, “shit unless it’s with the ssssssuperiors. You and I are buddies, ain’t we?” He clicked his tongue, his tail bobbing and jingling again. He tugged on the lip of his helmet, nodding to Batmom, “Hello, missy ma’am.”

“Are we?” Corden repeated, his voice flat and emotionless.

Zeruki shrugged, bouncing on his toes. “I dunno. Sure. Yep. LMAO. Anywaysies, what didja message me for? I thought you never wanted to see me again, after you,” he waved a hand vaguely, making more explosive vocalizations, “ya knoooooow? After you killed all our buddy-bros and left me to clean up the mess.” His expression soured for a moment, before he was grinning again.

Corden frowned; he wasn’t sure what the meant. “I didn’t want to see you, but a… friend, asked I find you again. He needs you for… something.” He explained.

“Ah, dope. Totes. Uhhhhhh, he wouldn’t happen to be an olive dude? Real skinny, looks like a doritos bag? Got soda-cola-pop for hair?”

Corden frowned. “No… That sounds like Oliver, though. You haven’t been talking to her, have you?”

“Eh, meh, kinda, no.” Zeruki snickered, his tail shivering and jingling. “They approached me after I left the base a few nights back. Told me they wanted to talk, and started going off about some magicky-tacky-spooky stuff. Wanted my blood so he could meet some doctor or ssssssomething. No idea what that was about, so I bounced. Now your dude wants me, too? Didn’t know I was so famous.” He grinned with a mouthful of crooked teeth.

“I don’t think it’s you they want. They want your ancestor. But believe me, my dude is on the right side here. I can give you his Trollian Handle.” Corden pulled out his palmhusk and did just that.

“Freaky-deaky, dude-bro-bot, buuuuuut… I dunno if I’m down for this shit. I’m just trying to keep my skull off a threshcutioner’s sickle, ya know? I’m barely making it as an engineer, duder, I don’t need to get caught up in any of this shhhhhit.” Zeruki shifted his feet, frowning.

“I don’t know, but okay. Just give Musrio a message. I’ve done my job, so I’m going home.” Corden pocketed his palmhusk and turned way.

In a flash, Zeruki was at his side, his tail surprisingly dexterous as it wrapped around Corden’s metal wrist. “Yo, hold it up, brody-Cody! You just gonna hitch-snitch and ditch like that? Maybe I’ve got a message for you, too!” He said sharply, before looking down at the metal hand. “Yoooooo, that’s new.”

Corden wrenched his arm from the quad-horned troll’s grasp, before he raised an eyebrow. “A message?”

“Yeah-huh. Uhhhh… what was it.” Zeruki screwed up his face in thought, before he perked up, his tail wagging and chiming. “Oh yeah! You remember Fallen? The freaky-deaky-spooky dude who patrolled the compound sometimes, ‘cause his ancestor ran the place? He’s out, dude. You’ve got a mory-dory-morail right? They had history or some shit, didn’t they? Exes, or something?”

Corden stepped back, alarmed. “How do you know all that? Ken-ken never talks about his ex.” He demanded, one hand reaching for the knives at his side.

“Aye, dude, I got freaky ears, remember? These bitches hear everything!” Zeruki slapped the side of his helmet for emphasis, before he flinched, “Ow. LOL. Anywhoodle-doodle, he’s out of confinement again. Back on the streets, you get it? His daddy-oh paid his bail or whatevs.

Fallen is fuckin’ nuts, man, I’ll bet nothin-touchin’ he’s gonna come visit Makey-dakey-sharky-chef. He’s, uh… what do those weeby-dweebs call it? Yonder-wander. Sssssunder-thunder. Whatever, LMAO, one of those. He’s got a bone to pick with Faslet, and a general lack of a thinkpan. So…” He sucked air through his teeth and blew another raspberry, before popping his lips. “Yeah. Watch out for Fally-bally.”

Corden stared at him, before he nodded slowly. “Okay, I’ll let Ken-ken know.” He heaved a sigh, stepping back. “Thanks, Zeruki.”

“Yeppers-peppers, Cordy-bordy-bro-bot.” He rolled his R’s, and made a buzzing sound. He raised an arm and rolled his glove forward, checking a device wrapped around his wrist. “Oh, brrr, I gotta get home. Mama’ll be wanting dinner before sunrise.” He snapped a two finger salute to Corden. “Until next time, bro-bot!”

With that, he turned, ran for the edge of the roof, and leaped off, shrieking, the fuzzy end of his tail the last thing to disappear from view.

Corden rolled his eyes, walking over to the edge of the building and looking down.

Zeruki was not a smear of cyan on the pavement, but instead a blur, bounding between the walls and roofs of the skyscrapers and buildings like a free-running character in a videogame.

Corden faintly heard him shriek again, cackling manically.

“He’s nuts.” Corden told Batmom, who chirped in amused agreement. “Guess we should go home, too, huh?”

Corden shook out his hands, a burst of psionic energy rocketing across his body as he stepped off the other side of the building and made his way home.

[another-sonic-blog]

@maishemicalromans​

(Sorry for posting this like this but Tumblr won't let me answer your ask properly, idk it's acting weird)

Alright, so I was going to post first the Silver character analyzation and writing tips but I’ll love to answer your question first since I think I need to put this out before the Silver post.

I want to first say that I am not doing this to talk negatively about the current writer of Sonic IDW’s comic. This is merely my opinion. An opinion of a fan, who although does not master the art of writing, I am still allowed to express it. However, I still believe that every opinion should be backed up with evidence and that’s what I am going to do. Sorry, if the answer is too long but I think what I am about to write is necessary.

I haven’t read the Archie comics because I heard that was a mess until Ian Flynn showed up, I read he wrote pretty good things. However, because of the whole mess with Archie Comics, SEGA implemented rules as to how people should write Sonic and friends. I don’t know how strict these rules are and if that’s the reason why Flynn is writing a very ‘unlikeable’ Sonic (In my opinion)

I am not here to talk about that but just putting that out there. I am not criticizing Flynn nor SEGA (If we had to blame someone it’ll probably be Ken Penders and SEGA but we don’t talk about that guy in here) but just the writing.

Alright, now that we have that out of the way I am going to say that there are 2 things that I STRONGLY DISLIKE about Sonic’s character in IDW.

1. Sonic manipulating Shadow

I don’t have words to express just how wrong it is to bring up someone’s past mistakes, use that against them and manipulate them. Yes, this is manipulation. Sonic is using Shadow’s insecurities to benefit him. How does even Sonic DARE to compare Shadow to Eggman? Eggman who has tried to conquer planets, destroy worlds, kidnap innocents, tortured him, tries to kill him (and friends) and started wars? Eggman does all of these when he is CONCIOUS, he does all of those things because he WANTS to. Shadow in the other hand, in SA2 he doesn’t want to destroy Earth but he is doing it because he CARED too much for Maria and the ‘promise’ he made to her. He did everything because of a PROMISE he made to a little girl, a sister, the person who cared for him. The person who sacrificed their life in order to protect him. How does that even compare to Eggman? Who only seeks destruction for his own benefit? Not only that but Shadow redeem himself. He helped save the planet and Shadow continues to help saving the world. He does this for multiple reasons but one of them is that he still regrets trying to destroy earth back at the ARK. He still remembers this incident and the regret still haunts him till this day.

Why would Sonic even bring this up? Sonic out of everyone must know the turmoil Shadow has been through and still he decides to use Shadow’s insecurities against him. He really went out and said “Look I am not saying you are wrong but remember that time you fucked up? Yeah that was bad, you were really evil back then too. You are in the same level as the person who constantly tries to kill me and my friends. Oh, but you saved the world multiple times? Yeah, I know and I don’t care. You are always making the wrong decisions, just listen to me because I am right. Your opinion is invalid because of the mistakes you made, because you were bad.”

Can’t he see Shadow’s hurt face? Can’t he understand how the words affected him? Shadow was again reduced to thinking that no matter what he does, he is always going to be seen as evil. That everyone will remember his mistakes and that no matter what, they will always remember that. Sonic just deepened that wound, he increased Shadow’s insecurity.

And Sonic still has the guts to smile? Boy, what the heck are you smiling at? You just denigrated Shadow the Hedgehog, a hero, to the likes of Eggman. Get out of here.

“Losing one’s memory doesn’t make them any less dangerous”

And you know what makes me sad the most?

That I am sure that Shadow saw himself in Mr. Tinker. Shadow said that he wanted to ‘destroy’ him. It makes me think that if Shadow could, he would also like to destroy the past version of himself. If the Shadow right now could go back to the past and destroy his past self … He would.

I am sure Sonic knows this. So, still it just makes me wonder why? Why Sonic the Hedgehog, a character who is said to always live in the ‘present’ looks backs at Shadow’s past mistakes and manipulates them to his benefit? To the benefit of a Eggman who he knows has brought pain to him, to his friends and the world?

You would think that after Sonic Lost World, Sonic would have learned something about listening to others or thinking before acting. Especially when the whole mess on Sonic Lost World was due that Sonic jumped into action without listening to Tails first. Shadow is really telling Sonic to not trust Eggman so easily for two reasons.

1. Experience, Shadow more than anyone knows that losing one’s memories does not make them any less dangerous. (No pun intended lol)

2. He is doing it to protect what is left of the world. In Sonic forces, it is stated that Eggman conquered 90% of the world (Or more, I don’t remember exactly) The world is basically in ruins and after the war they have begun to restore it. If Mr.Tinker remembers he was Eggman, the Resistance would be at a total disadvantage. They have no resources nor people … how can they win another war?

This bothers me as well …

Sonic doubted Eggman … and he still left him … unsupervised. Like why in the world you trust a man who has attempted to do genocide multiple of times?

2.   Sonic’s lack of guilty

This? Good

This? Bad.

“But heroes have nothing to be sorry about.”

           Can he just shut up?????

Was that really necessary to say? Honestly, he could would have said, “But she has nothing to be sorry about.” That would have been great.

Why?

When Sonic and Tangle are talking, he is actually apologizing. Tangle tells Sonic that he has nothing to be sorry about and that she knows that Sonic would make things right. At first, I thought Sonic was saying that Tangle was right to reassure her. That way, Tangle could get infected with some peace at her mind. She can go away thinking that her hero didn’t do anything wrong and that he will fix things for everyone.  However Sonic still thinks he is at fault.

That would have shown so more deepness in Sonic’s character. But no, Tangle got infected and he went ahead to make it about himself because he is that self-centered, right?

That line, ruined it. ‘But heroes have nothing to be sorry about?’

This whole thing really went down like:

Tangle: “You have nothing to be sorry about.”

Sonic: “Lmao you are right.”

Because that line wasn’t meant towards Tangle, NO it was meant for himself. He literally is saying that he has nothing to be sorry about. Now, I am not saying its Sonic total fault or that Sonic should be crying saying that he is sorry or something like that. What I am saying is that Sonic was really reckless, overconfident, and naïve (Which is no good because he already has enough experience dealing with Eggman, this can even be see as stupidity.)

Maybe Sonic it’s not at fault that Mr. Tinker got turned into Eggman, but Sonic DID contribute to the problem at hand. To an extent he is at fault.

Letting go of Metal Sonic even when there was the possibility of him turning evil? Of someone using him for their benefit?

Not listening to Shadow and recklessly leave Mr.Tinker alone when there is the possibility that Metal Sonic is looking for him? Or that they may encounter each other at some point?

Deciding to trust a criminal who constantly tries to kill you instead of trusting the hedgehog who saved the world, redeem himself and knows better of how dangerous people with amnesia can be because he himself has being there?

I think what bothers me the most is that we have already gone through this.

In Sonic Lost World, Tails pointed out that Sonic trusted Eggman more than him. Tails was right, Sonic did trust Eggman more. Sonic trusted Egmman to shut down his machine over Tails. (Sonic has seen Tails do amazing things, why wouldn’t he trust he can shut down a machine? IDK but oh well) Sonic even admitted to doubting Tails’ abilities and then went head and said he was never doubting him again.

So, watching this I was like alright. Sonic learned something, he developed. Sonic will trust his friends, listen to them and won’t doubt their abilities.

But then again, he decided to trust Eggman.

And the worst is that he is no showing remorse whatsoever? Even after they had been through a similar situation before?

He didn’t listen to Tails back then. He didn’t listen to Shadow now and because of that the world is at stake again.

To conclude all of this, I want to say that it just seems that Sonic hasn’t develop whatsoever. He hasn’t learned a thing and won’t ever develop if he keeps thinking that he wasn’t done anything wrong. Mistakes are good because you learn from them but at this point it seems that Sonic is so self-absorbed that he just won’t admit that he made a mistake. Because he is a hero, he always makes the rights decisions. There is just no way that he can be wrong.

Sonic is self-centered and self-absorb. Those are character flaws which would have been fine, the thing is that we have already gone through this and it seems like he didn’t improve at all. Or he is not even trying to improve.

Some may argue that Sonic is just good like that. That his character is made to see the good in everyone. Be good at all costs and accept people for who they are and of course that this fiction and the way the world interacts is different from our world. However, what makes a good character is how they react to different circumstances. You are trying to write a character that is relatable to us, but you can’t do that unless that character shows different sides. A character needs to make mistakes and overcome them, to be vulnerable.

Alright that’s it. This was all over the place lol. Anyways, it’s not terrible writing and like I said this is not to talk bad about IDW. I am just pointing out some of the things that I dislike. I really hope that on the next upcoming issues, Sonic at least develops a little. Maybe he starts to be a little bit insecure about himself or just doesn’t trust anyone that easily. Any type of improvement would suffice. I won’t stop reading IDW because at the end of the day I think the story is good. The characters are decently written and the story plot is pretty entertaining. I like how Flynn has done the other characters.

This is a pretty long post but I hope this the type of answer you wanted? Like I said I don’t like to give an opinion unless I have evidence to prove it. Anyways, thank you for asking! This was fun to write.

For my other followers who wanted a Silver Character analysis and writing tips, that would be up soon enough as well. Thank you!

[sierraraeck]

Betrayal (Pt.1)

BAU x OC Aundreya

Masterlist | Series Masterlist

Summary: Partially inspired by 8x4 God Complex. Aundreya finally figures out who Spencer has been calling on the payphone. Story ten.

Category: Fluff at the beginning, then angst.

Warnings: Cussing. Normal CM stuff. Mentions of drugs. An internal identity crisis.

Word Count: 3.5k

A/N: Please welcome Tara Lewis everyone. I know that she was never a part of this particular team, but she now has a guest appearance because I wanted her to have one.

“You have zero manners,” Morgan said.

“That is not true!” I snapped back.

“Yes. It is. You literally inhale your food in under ten seconds and just now you walked in here and basically yelled ‘I’m back, baby’ to the entire bullpen,” he pointed out.

“Okay, sure, but that doesn’t mean I lack all manners completely. I just have unconventional ones,” I countered.

“Unconventional?” Prentiss snorted. “You are one of the most uncivilized people I have ever met.”

“Fuck you, I’m civilized!” I said, flabbergasted. They both just stared at me with a knowing look and I wanted to hit myself. I slowly nodded my head, and clicked my tongue. “Yeah. I hear it now.”

Morgan gave a single laugh shaking his head and Prentiss just rolled her eyes and smiled.

“Ah, who cares? At least you keep things interesting,” a voice behind me said. I turned around to see a tall, gorgeous woman I didn’t recognize standing behind me.

Prentiss jumped up and hugged her, “Tara! It’s good to see you again. I’m glad you could join us for this case.”

“I’m happy to be here,” she said.

“Derek Morgan,” he introduced, holding his hand out. She shook it and then turned to me.

“Aundreya Chambers.”

“I know,” Tara said, extending her hand. I didn’t know whether to be insulted or flattered, but I just brushed it off.

I was about to reach for her hand when Morgan interrupted, “Woah, woah, woah. You might not want to do that.”

I turned to glare at him, knowing he was going to make some dumbass joke about me ‘rubbing off on people’. But then I decided I’d not only go along with it, but I’d take control of it.

“Wait, why?” Tara asked, hand still floating in mid air.

“It’s because I have a highly contagious, chronic disease. I hope you have all of your vaccines,” I said before Morgan could jump in. He gave me a wide-eyed look, but shortly after, I saw him suppress a smile.

“Oh, really?” Tara’s expression was a mix between confusion and worry.

“Yeah, I’ve been battling it for pretty much my entire life. It’s gotten worse over these past couple of years, though,” I said. Emily frowned at me, but Derek was definitely enjoying himself.

“What disease?”

“It’s uh … It’s called uh,” I started, snapping my fingers like I was trying to recall the word. “Derek, what’s it called?”

“Being a bitch?” he offered, eyebrows raised.

“Ah! That’s the one!” I said, pointing my finger over at him like I’d just had a revelation. I winked at him and he couldn’t hold back his grin any longer.

Tara started laughing, but then quickly composed herself. “That sounds really serious, I’m so sorry to hear that. How are you doing?”

“You know, I manage,” I said, smiling at her.

She nodded, returning my smile. “Well, I actually lived with someone fighting that very same disease, so I’ve built up the antibodies. I don’t think one handshake will hurt.”

“Few. That’s a relief,” I said, finally shaking her hand.

“You will have to excuse her and her occasional antics,” JJ said walking by.

Spencer was right behind her, gesturing toward Morgan. “Yeah, and his. He’s not much better.”

“That’s a load of crap,” Morgan was quick to defend.

“Sure it is,” Emily said sarcastically.

Rossi walked into the room, already knowing that we were being unprofessional. “Guys, behave. Agent Lewis, I apologize for anything they may have already said or done.” He looked pointedly at Morgan and I. We both put our hands up in defense.

Tara still had a smile plastered on her face. “Don’t worry. I already like your team. I’m going to have no problem working with you all on this case.”

“And we already like you,” I told her. “I’m glad you have a good sense of humor.”

“What can I say? I enjoy trying to keep the mood as light as possible. Gotta have some sort of balance working a job like this,” she said. We all nodded profusely at her words.

When we arrived at the round table, Hotch was already there.

“So I see you’ve met Doctor Lewis,” he raised his eyebrows.

“Ooh. Doctor. Be careful Spencer, she’s coming for your title,” I joked.

“Oh, no! Definitely not. Under no circumstances do I want to compete against the genius,” she quickly corrected. Reid just shyly smiled.

“I think you should at least try and give him a run for his money,” I entertained.

“Aundreya?” Aaron intervened.

“Yeah?”

“Focus.”

“What is it with you people today, coming at me like this,” I let my hands slap against my thighs.

“Aundreya.”

“Yes, okay, I’m focused, god.”

He gave me that signature stone face and I gestured for him to continue. I saw Derek smirk out of the corner of my eye, so I swiftly made eye contact with him, scratching my temple with only my middle finger. He blew air out of his nose in a small laugh.

“We are going to be flying to Phoenix to revisit the Ken Keith case. As you all know, he was one of Phoenix’s most prolific serial killers and at some point we thought he had a partner, but the killings stopped after he was incarcerated, so we figured we had it wrong. Last night, there was another killing that partially matched Keith’s MO and signature,” Aaron explained.

“Partially matched?” Prentiss asked.

“When the body was found, they had all of their limbs, except their leg had been amputated and replaced.”

“Okay, so a copycat?” JJ asked.

“That’s what the local PD initially thought, but the victim had traces of tomato soup in her stomach, a ritual that was never released to the public,” Hotch said. “Doctor Lewis will be aiding us in speaking with Keith considering that is her area of expertise.”

I leaned over and whispered, “Have fun with that.”

“I always do,” Tara replied.

“If this partner is anything like Keith, we need to catch him as quickly as possible. Wheels up in 30.”

# # # # # # # # # # # # #

Ken Keith is what you would call a mad scientist. He spent five years amputating one of his victim’s legs, and then trying to replace it with someone else’s. When it didn’t work, he would cut off all of their limbs and dump their torso with their head. We never knew what he did with the rest of the limbs. After he got arrested, he refused to tell us why he did any of it. Hopefully Tara could change that, but if not, the rest of us basically started over with the profile.

On the plane after we had already discussed all of the information we had, I saw Rossi fumbling around with a Rubik’s cube.

“I didn’t take you for a Rubik’s cube person,” I commented.

He set the cube down in front of him with a frustrated sigh. “That’s because I’m not. I had an old friend give me this, challenging me to figure out how to solve it before he could. As you can see, it is not working out so well for me.”

I laughed. “I can help you.”

“You know how to solve a Rubik’s cube?”

“Don’t sound so surprised. I have a variety of odd skills.”

“I’m sure you do,” he said, relinquishing the cube to me. “Have at it.”

Within the next thirty or so seconds, I set the cube back down, completely solved.

“I have to say I’m impressed,” Rossi admitted, picking up the cube to evaluate it, “I don’t know how you do that.”

“It’s really just all math,” Reid said, sitting down next to us, “See, there are a variety of algorithms that are used at various steps in the process, and many people have come up with numerous different ways that work. For example, there is one that solves for the entire first and second layer, then moves on to completing the top before the corners, and then there are others that do the reverse, completing the corners before the top.”

Rossi just stared at him, and if I had to guess what was going through his head, it was somewhere between ‘I have no idea what the hell you just said’ and ‘I’m not quite sure I care’.

“In other words, there are patterns you can learn that will help you solve it. We can teach you, if you want,” I offered.

“I’ll have to take a rain check. I’m not sure I’d be able to keep up,” Rossi said. He slid the cube back over mine and Reid’s way.

Reid scooped it up and started fidgeting with it. “I didn’t know you could solve a Rubik’s cube.”

“I can. Not only that, but I can solve a two-by-two, and a four-by-four,” I said, content with my answer.

He looked at me with furrowed brows. He opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off by Tara. “Prove it.”

I looked up at her. “Gladly. When we get back, I will show off my cube-solving skills.”

She smiled, “I look forward to it.”

“Or she can just prove it now,” Spencer said, retrieving three cubes from his bag.

“Of course you would have those in your bag,” I chuckled. “Go ahead, then. Mix them up for me.”

“Okay, now I have to get in on the action,” Morgan said, reaching over Reid from the seat behind him and grabbing the biggest cube. I rolled my eyes.

Once the three of them thought that the cubes were sufficiently mixed up, I started solving. I solved the two-by-two first, then the three-by-three, then the four-by-four. I set them down in a row next to each other.

“I’ll be damned,” Morgan said, shaking his head.

“What? Did you ever doubt me?” I feigned offense.

“Definitely not,” he said with a wink.

“Well, it looks to me that you are now the one giving the genius a run for his money,” Tara said.

I scoffed. “Nope. I’m sure he could still kick my ass.”

“Willing to test that theory?” Derek asked.

“Absolutely,” I said, looking at Spencer expectantly.

“Sure.”

Tara messed up one of the three-by-three cubes for me, and Derek messed up the other for Spencer.

“Okay, I want you both to start at the same time when I say go,” Tara said. She teased us, making us wait on the edge of our seats in silence before finally saying, “Go.”

We both started solving and according to the lovely commentary provided by Derek, I was in the lead. Soon though, too soon, that started to change.

“Oh no. He’s catching up,” I said.

“How do you know that? You haven’t taken your eyes off of your own,” Emily asked. To her point, I hadn’t even realized she was there.

“I can hear it.”

“You can he-” Morgan started, cutting himself off. “Of course you can. Naturally.”

A few seconds later, I put my cube down, just moments before Spencer put his down.

“That’s unbelievable,” Rossi teased. He was resting his chin on his hand, an amused smirk on his face as he watched Spencer and I compete. All he was missing was a bowl of popcorn.

“I almost had you!” Reid exclaimed.

“You’re outta practice. Maybe next time, champ,” I said, patting his shoulder.

# # # # # # # # # # # # #

Three days into our investigation, we had a possible partner’s name and body language confirmation from Keith. Garcia sent us his work and home addresses like the lovely queen she is, and we split up into two groups. Spencer, Emily, Rossi, and myself went to his work address while Hotch, Morgan, JJ, and Tara went to his home address.

“Can I help you?” asked a tall, black haired man.

“Yes, we are looking for Caleb Wheelan,” Prentiss said, holding out her badge.

“He’s not in today,” the man responded. “Is there a problem?”

“We just need to ask him a few questions. Do you know where he would be?”

“I’d assume at his house because he called in sick this morning,” the man told us.

We asked him a variety of other questions about his co-worker and even searched his cubicle and computer and found nothing.

“Thank you. Please give us a call if he turns up,” Prentiss concluded, handing the man her business card. The man nodded and we walked away, Reid already on the phone with Aaron.

“He wasn’t at his house, but there is nothing there that points to him being our unsub,” he said once he got off the phone.

“Okay, so we keep digging, and hopefully we’ll be able to find him and ask him some questions,” Rossi said, and we headed back to the precinct.

The next day, Caleb Wheelan called us.

“I just got off the phone with Wheelan, and he claims that he knew Keith before he had his psychotic break. They worked together and Keith tried to rope Wheelan into his experiments, but once Wheelan realized what was actually going on, he backed out,” Emily said, walking into the conference room.

“Do you believe him?” I asked.

“Yeah. The rest of the details he gave me, the fact that we found nothing at his home or work, and he only fits portions of the profile, suggest that he’s telling the truth,” Emily stated.

“Okay, great. What now?” JJ asked.

“Now we revisit the profile. Lewis is still having trouble getting Keith to tell us anything, so we should start coming up with ideas as to why he did this, and why this new unsub hasn’t escalated as much as Keith, only removing their leg not the rest of their limbs,” Hotch said.

We didn’t have much time to brainstorm because the deputy came in, informing us that there was another body.

We raced to the crime scene, a small, trashed alley, immediately noticing the change in MO.

“The victim’s name is Maria Rodriguez,” Morgan said.

“First time he’s operated on a woman,” Reid pointed out.

“And he transplanted the left leg this time,” Morgan said.

“She died from blood loss, there’s no gangrene on the transplanted leg which means the surgery’s fresh.”

“You think he still has the other woman?”

“It justifies his haste in dumping her here. Why didn’t he go to the desert or a hospital?” Spencer’s voice slowed on the last word, realization taking over his face.

“It also means he’s speeding up his surgeries,” Derek deduced. Without another word, Spencer walked away from us, reaching for his phone in his pocket. “Reid, where are you going?”

When he didn’t answer I called after him, “Reid!”

I turned back to look at Morgan, puzzled.

He shrugged his shoulders and asked, “What’s going on with him?”

“I have no idea. I’ve been trying to ask him about it, but I keep getting a bunch of nothing.”

“You don’t think he’s back on drugs do you?”

“No. This is a whole different kind of strange,” I said. Derek just sighed and turned his attention back to the victim.

I glanced back at Spencer right as he hung up, making eye contact with me for only a second before turning away. “Tara! Lewis, wait. Where are you going?”

This caught Derek’s attention and he looked back over to where Reid was now jogging toward Lewis.

“Hotch called. He wants us back at the station ASAP,” Tara said. I checked my own phone, realizing I had just received a text as well.

“Can you give me a ride to 5th and Main? It’s on the way,” Spencer asked.

What the hell?

“Uh, yeah, sure,” Tara started wearily. “What’s at 5th and Main?”

That’s what I’d like to know.

“I need to talk to somebody,” Reid said, walking around to open the passenger-side door before any one of us could protest. Derek and I looked at Lewis, eyes wide, but she just shrugged.

“Oh, okay, sure.”

Not even concerned with personal privacy, I called Garcia.

“Hey Queen P. What’s at 5th and Main?”

“It’s a payphone. I don’t know why he asked for it either,” she responded.

A payphone? So he is back on drugs?

“Okay, thanks, girl,” I said, hanging up.

Derek and I got into the car and drove back to the precinct. The nice thing was that Spencer was right: 5th and Main was on the way. Once we got there, I decided I’d take a ‘bathroom break’. When I was out of sight of the rest of the team, I hauled ass to 5th and Main. I didn’t want to take any chances in case he was going to meet another dealer, considering how well that ended last time.

When I got there, I easily spotted him. I crept up the side of brick building just behind the payphone, getting as close as I could without being seen.

“Yes, thank you, exactly! That’s not an accident. He’s obviously using it as a cover to screen for something and that’s why I’m calling you. I’m hoping that you can help me figure out what he’s screening for,” I heard Spencer say.

What? Why is he discussing the case with this person? Clearly he’s comfortable with them because of how he’s addressing them.

My mind was racing.

“Yeah we worked doubling into the profile … I don’t know, actually … So you think this guy’s pursuing his own impossible cause …”

Who is this person? Who’s smart enough that Spencer’s going to them for help on a case? Not to mention close enough to him?

“Before he transplants, he turns them into amputees. That’s part of his experiment. What if there’s a condition the victim shares, something involving amputation?” he asked.

He’s calling them from a payphone like he did with his dealer, but this person isn’t a dealer. Could this be that friend I never followed up on that was being threatened?

“Unless it’s congenital, something that caused the amputation in utero?” A pause. “Exactly. So I guess the question is, what else causes birth defects?”

Okay, focus. He’s been calling someone on a payphone for at least a month, that I know of, so probably a bit longer. He has a secret friend that he really wants to protect. He was acting weird around Derek and I earlier tonight and asked Tara, the temporary member, to drive him instead of one of us. He’s showing no signs of relapse drug abuse.

I was racking my brain, trying to make sense of all of this.

Wait. If he’s calling this person on payphones, was he calling them right before we went to meet his dealer?

“What if we focused on what causes limb deformities specifically?” he asked.

This person is knowledgeable in the medical field. Surgeon, nurse, pediatrics, geneticist, epidemiologist, immunologist, infectious disease specialist…

“But there are a lot of different strains of herpes. You know, chicken pox, for instance. If a mother isn’t inoculated and she passes the virus in utero, can’t that cause birth defects?”

He’s literally solving this case with whoever the hell this is and the rest of us aren’t even included. He‘s talking with such passion and intrigue, his mind and mouth moving a million miles an hour, something he usually only did when he was bouncing ideas off of me or talking with me on the jet.

I checked my watch.

Shit. I’ve been out for five minutes.

I had to get back to the precinct and soon. The team was going to ask questions, and I couldn’t risk Reid getting back before me. I couldn’t wait to hear what else he had to say, quickly moving away from the side of the building, bursting into a full on sprint. I reached the precinct doors, somewhat out of breath, knowing the pink tint on my face was going to betray me.

I entered the conference room as casually as possible. Luckily, they were all deep in thought, wondering what we’d missed. I would’ve loved to jump in and offer what little information I heard from a one-sided phone call, but I knew I wouldn’t be helpful and all it would do would just let them know that I was eavesdropping. We’d just have to wait until Spencer got back.

When he did, he had the key information that we needed to narrow down our search. Apparently, we were looking for a man who married a woman that had limb deformities caused by chicken pox. The only one that showed up in Garcia’s search was a John Nelson. Rossi, JJ, and Reid headed over to his house to bring him in for questioning.

“What was that about?” Emily wondered aloud.

“I’d love to know,” I agreed.

“No, not that. Well yes, that, but I was more wondering about you.”

“About me?”

“Yeah. Is everything okay? You look stressed,” she pointed out.

“Oh, I’m fine,” I replied.

“You sure? You look a little flushed.”

“I’m good, I promise.”

“Alright. Let me know if that changes,” she said with a quick eyebrow raise.

“Will do,” I said. We both knew that was a lie.

Part 2

Taglist (open)

@justanothetfangirl

@kris-stuff

@wooya1224

[a-collection-of-villainous-aus]

BLIND AU PT SIX THE REWRITE PT2

Link to part one

He never directly tried to look at White, lest his moronic kin figured out he was blind, tongue tasting flesh, lingering smoke on salted skin, feeling his pulse actually grow in pace…interesting.

Even in this position, his doctor was at his chest...he really was tall, this creature belonged to him and he would not let this little bitch take what was his.

Demencia was staring from one of the doorways and then face palmed hard, this was not the plan, not the plan at all, he was supposed to just lean on him and say to white can I help you know ...get off my property as well as away from my doctor then slingshot him out, not this....just...fuck.

Acylius who had no clue of the plan or what was going on, was outraged, he thought this was the best course of action to take then FINE!

Pupils turning into slits, snarling he pulled him over his shoulder, down to the ground pinning him on the floor by his throat.

“You like to make your little displays and assume you are the one in charge, why not be truthful my little gremlin and tell White here that I made you my toy and you liked it.”

If Black Hat was honest, he’d let Flug take him right there in front of White, that dominant display had his heart rate going through the roof.

Amadeus never wanted this moment to end, his doctor had never done anything like this, he could sense Acylius on all fours above him, a whine escaping him, let Flug know how he felt, let him catch his scent maybe it would finally get to the demon above him to finally take him.

In his dark world, feeling tender touches were the light he would no longer see, but the warmth was so much more than that, he wanted to lean into his hands and give in, a growl bubbled within his throat but before it comes to full completion he felt Acylius’s lips pressed to his, it was passionate, desperate as if the Legion wanted to devour him….god how could he resist, hands rising up, tangling in his hair, returning the embrace with just as much fervour.

White Hat was just watching, stuffing popcorn into his mouth that he’d poofed into existence and enjoyed the show, his pupil blown wide, what a show, only to catch Demencia glaring at him, she looked down then back up at him in disgust, like she got it but seriously right in front of them.

“Dude take your tent pole and fuck off, they’re having a moment!”

If there was one person he did not get along with, it was Demencia, she left him unsettled and was about to disappear, he was going to need lube and his right hand after this display.

“But he said he resisted and –“

“Fuck buddies have you never heard of them, surprising considering you’re all about them!”

“That still doesn’t make sense!”

“A private life, have you never heard of that either!”

Well White was confused to say the least and perhaps it was best to leave, he’d text Acylius later, his brother was indeed the jealous type but apparently nothing official so it wasn’t against the rules to dance with the doctor.

When Thaddeus left, literally the moment he’d gone popcorn tub spilling on the floor Acylius let Black Hat go, Amadeus was just laying there, now staring out into the eternal darkness because honestly what else could he see, but the taste of Flugs lips, the sensation of his scars, he’d never known Acylius had such signature scarring…

And then reality came crashing back down on him, wait did this mean, his doctor was not disguising himself, that he’d let White see his true face…those scars meant that every photo he’d ever seen of Flug , he had on file were some character disguise…no one knew how he looked…not that looks were important…but still to not share that with him…

He wished he could see, to know him completely.

Pushing his face away, claw tips pressed to flesh, turning from him, the mood changing from Acylius actually stroking his cheek to coldness with Black Hat’s reaction.

There was a pang of regret in what the old demon had just done, oh no there had been a crack there, the doctor had shown affection, it only dawned on him the moment he stopped feeling that subtle caress under his eye.

“You expose your face to that, insipid fool and remind me in your attempt to show dominance what you refuse to allow me the chance of seeing!”

That was when Hat felt the confusion leave Acylius and a heavy foreboding feeling replace it, moving back, he looked up at the door and slammed it shut with a wave of his hand, he would contact White later.

Of course he couldn’t hurt the demon below him, but he still chose to pick him up by his throat with one hand, so that he was face to face with him, Hat was still clasping at his face fingers flexing as if fighting an urge to scratch him before Acylius none to gently grabbed his wrist and pulled it away, Hat’s stunned expression was surprising to say the least, even Demmy was standing there wide eyed as she heard the change in her friends voice…it was like Amadeus’s when he was mad only deeper…rougher…demonic …oh he was really, really pissed off.

“And why should I show it to you, you who acts like a petulant child when I dare to talk to someone outside of this company, we are not dating, we are not in a relationship if I decide I want to climb on top of your dumb fuck brother for my own relief I will…”

Dropping Hat unceremoniously with a thud, he stood there above him

“Yet still you seem to believe to can own me…even though…”

His glare was colder and darker than the depths of the ocean; he towered over the blind demon at a height of six ft seven.

“Even though you, you will bed whom you please , I am not bound to you in that manner and you have no right to see my face as it does not help with the progress of my work.”

Placing a foot on Black Hat chest and pinning him back against the floor, he would probably be punished later for putting Black Hat in such a demeaning position, but he didn’t care, his master needed a strong dose of reality, leaning down further than any human could cause you know perks of being a demon.

Acylius raised a brow as Black Hat sucked in a breath and actually looked…flushed?

It was hard to miss that shiver from him as a growl rumbled in his chest.

“I wear different faces with the aid of the hologuise you were once so impressed by, no one has seen my face in centuries, it clearly shows how easily you have forgotten my abilities Lord.Black.Hat.”

His face softened only slightly as he could see the realisation on Black Hat’s face.

“Yes I see, you understand now, you nearly killed me in the assumption I be so disrespectful as to just prance around with my real face on display simply because you were blind…do you…do you really think so little of me?”

His gut twisted, that slight pause and crack of his voice the old demon could tell he’d really hit a nerve, how could he tell him now he thought he was sun , moon and stars and so much more, Acylius would not listen to that not after this.

“But I could feel your scars…”

Amadeus returned weakly, waiting to sink into the floor and he knew he could but he wouldn’t he had to stay for this…after nearly killing him, yes it was an accident but his own jealously had caused it, he should have known it was something Flug would never do.

Acylius snapped a guttural snarl leaving him

“Your own powers are too sensitive to be fooled by magic that conceals one identity through touch, you know more about how I look now than anyone else…the last people to see me as me are dead and buried centuries ago.”

Silence passed between them, Hat had no answer to give, feeling Acylius remove and hearing him sigh wearily…and the slight flap the kind when ears droop….

Did Acylius have ears…demonic ears, the kind closer to animal ones?

“I will still be communicating White Hat later, informing him I am still free for our dinner date, if he has not been put off by the idea.”

“I hope he has, he needs to learn to stay away from what is-“

Mid way through his snarling comment, Flug immediately grabbed him by his shirt front, only to slam him into the wall, of course it did not hurt Black Hat…at least not physically, his body leaving a dent in the wall, he remained silent because under all that anger he heard something else…desperation.

“Will you just for once be quiet! I am free to do as I please in these matters; there are more things at hand that you do not even realise because you are so up your own arse!”

“What are you talking about?”

Hat returned sharply.

What on Earth had gotten into his doctor to seek out White of all beings, he easily freed himself from Flugs grasp, only to misjudge how high he’d been lifted off the ground, his head was swimming…Acylius actually wanted to date his brother?

It took him a moment to realise he’d not hit the floor, but that Flug had caught him, he hoped he was facing him directly.

His doctor’s hands felt firm and sure on his waist, under his coat, he was sure he felt a slight caress of Acylius’s thumb as he listened to the sombre tone of Flug’s voice

“It does not matter until it does.”

“I see...would you at least walk me back to my office?”

He knew Acylius wouldn’t...but some small part hoped just maybe he’d say yes.

“No, I need to have a word with Demencia, 505 please escort him back to his office.”

“I understand.”

Despite looking stern, standing upright, under his hat, his ears were hanging low, the only sign that his words hurt, hidden away under his trademark clothing.

Acylius looked over at one of the many doorways, a mess of green hair poking out, distracted momentarily by the soft baw of his creations voice as he took Hats hand.

The old demon didn’t even argue as his claws curled around 505s paw, allowing himself to be guided by a big teddy...this was his life now apparently.

As Amadeus walked with him he could sense it, Acylius was actually watching him until he was out of sight, perhaps his doctor did not detest him entirely, his heart beating just a little faster at the thought...he should not be so eager to wish for such a thing.

It was enough to drive one mad.

Once he was sure Black Hat was far enough away from them, he folded his arms, he was feeling a mix of emotions he truly did not want to deal with at this moment.

Calling Demencia from her hiding spot as if she were some mischievous child, she stepped out, hands together and looking at the floor, a foot shifting as she tried to explain

“He was only supposed to lean all over you and get White to go, the boss likes you Doc and-“

Acylius put an abrupt stop to that, cutting her off

“He does not like me, not in the way you are insinuating, I am simply another notch to be carved into his bed frame or desk. He will never make me a number on his chart, I will never give him the opportunity to laugh about me with someone behind my back, to simply use me like a toy to then throw out after he’s played with me...I have more self respect than that...our boss if you are somehow not aware of this is a cad!”

Demencia blinked, oh...Acylius really was of that time of devotion and loyalty...he had the elements of those who period dramas of gentlemen that were loyal and would shed their blood to save the one they loved...and were torn when the lover broke their heart.

How many pieces was it in, she wondered, recalling the years of students they’d known Hat to have bedded even after Acylius became Black Hat’s scientist.

Scrubbing his hands down his face, he was so tired, but rest would not help, there were experiments to still run, things to try, he was going to fix Hat’s sight or at least try every damn thing possible.

No matter the cost...the only ones safe from him were 505 and Demencia.

“But why White, he’s an idiot-“

“Despite being a moron, Thaddeus is one of the few ancient Eldericht’s Black Hat has not killed in a show of dominance, he might actually have at least some idea on how to help Black Hat! “

As she watched him, it suddenly dawned on her just how exhausted he looked, a subtle sway of his body, his glamour was clearly wearing thin as she saw the dark circles under his eyes, he’d been hiding it from all of them.

Poor Acylius he was love sick for a man he refused, Demmy wanted nothing more than to comfort him, but he could be as stubborn as accepting help as Black.

“With your plan and Black Hat’s actions, White’s mind is now no doubt playing out scenarios and ways to...I will go as far as I have to if there is any hope for Amadeus.”

“You should tell the boss what you’re doing and-“

“NO! If I do that he will stop me, not because he feels any affection, but his own pride and possessiveness over his toys will get in the way.”

He grabbed her shoulders, he was a man at breaking point and he needed her to listen

“White is my frantic attempt, I am willing to give him what he wants of me, you just have to promise me you will not say anything until I know it is a dead end.”

Demencia didn’t flinch as he held onto her, at this moment she was observing his actions, his grasp was actually gentle despite the firmness, she’d been aware on how much he cared, but it was this moment that showed the despair he’d been concealing, how much he wanted to help.

“You know Doc, you are allowed to ask for assistance, you’re gonna break like a china doll like this.”

She wanted to place a hand to his face, offer solace, but that was a particularly sensitive subject and so opted for his shoulder.

“No...not with this, Hat’s blindness, if someone found out, if the wrong people...at least with White I know he will agree to a Legions promise if it means he will bed me or have my blood.”

“Fine but you want me to keep quiet, rest, get to bed and sleep, you can’t work like this.

Flug looked at her and nodded, sighing, perhaps she was right.

Sleep was needed if he wanted to keep his mind sharp on the subject.

Flash back Hat’s pov.

The hour was late, his office smelled of off world cigar smoke, akin to bonfires, his taste for Earth brands did not suit him at all.

Rich scents of what a business man should smell of clinging to the atmosphere, a grandfather clock ticking loudly, breaking the sound of silence.

Black Hat was struggling to focus on the papers spread about his desk all the words were a blur to him.

His mind was lost, wrapped around the thought of Flug, his voice even though it was softly muffled by the plastic of that green bin, that brilliant mind, the moments he’d laugh, how he moved...

His students practically threw themselves at him...so why couldn’t the one he stared out at over the sea of faces look towards him, draw him into the depths of his embrace and promise him only himself...gladly would he wade through the people to reach out to him if Acylius only offered his hand.

Ever since their first meeting, when they’d gone over his inventions and papers together, shoulder to shoulder, he’d stolen glances at the exposed neck and yearned to touch...still now months later the fires within him burned so brightly it was agonising, the flames were cold and Flug was their only warmth.

Often following Acylius in the shadows, stalking him, watching as he went about his day, smiling when he’d wear that cerulean scarf given to him by a ‘secret admirer’.

When he wore it with that long black coat that hugged his body just right...mmm, it had certainly led to a few lewd thoughts.

So what if he couldn’t see his face now, one day he’d see it right and no matter what...it’d be beautiful because it belonged to Acylius, it was his.

The air about his student drew him in closer, leaning back in his chair he knew at this time Acylius would be in bed, clothes strewn over the floor and sleeping, he’d watched him often enough.

He’d told himself only one time...until it was every chance and finally he’d given in and crawled into bed, always wary of his sleeping patterns making sure he remained in his slumber...yes only once...it was supposed to be just that, but the warmth and closeness was etched into him and he craved it after that.

Flug’s presence alone soothed the age old monster that wanted nothing more than to curl up to him, watch as he drew, see how animated his hands became as he talked about things that excited him...

Then there was that one Halloween.

Acylius was wearing a plague doctors costume and the attention to detail was gorgeous.

Posies clasped in one hand and cane in another, he surveyed him over the rim of his glass, tall and towering above the other attendees at the party, whom were all gathered in groups giggling, drinking or using substances...it was as if the eyes of that mask was waiting to see which student would die from their own incompetence...and he fucking loved it.

He’d given a few students a moments attention by dancing with them, Amadeus wanted him to see his grace and hoped Acylius would be impressed only to see by the seventh dance he’d disappeared at first his heart sank until he felt a soft tap on his shoulder and this was the moment that truly sealed the obsession, the moment before he felt the urge to climb into his bed and steal away moments unknown from him.

The Legion demon knew perfectly how to dance like in the days of old, such a beautiful waltz, a hand on his waist, the other gasping, lacing fingers with the other, Hat never forgot how they felt on him, inside he was screaming, please carry me off take me to bed, use me as I have used others if you must...but please just...

By the end of their turn about the dance floor Acylius simply gave a respectful bow and left him there...Black Hat refused to dance with anyone else that evening and even so by then everyone was so far gone nobody cared.

Placing a hand in his pocket, his heart skipped a beat, the posies Acylius had been holding had been left there, he would keep them, they were far more of a treasure than the greatest wonders of the universe to him.

His hands rubbed over the top of his desk, yes a wonderful memory that had him unable to hold back, he was an addict, that urge within him would not be silenced, clawing to reach out and take him there, every part of him ached and would only be comforted by the embrace of Acylius Flug.

Travelling through shadows, slipping under the door, he stood now watching over Flug’s sleeping form.

He was trembling, he shouldn’t be afraid, he was older than time itself and yet as he looked down at the now bag covered face, body tucked under covers, wondering what if Acylius woke up this time, found him there...cuddling him...straddling to place kisses at his neck, he’d never take it further than that...it was a risk he was willing to take, it always was.

The room was dark and he was quick, so if that happened, he could leave quickly, let Acylius mistake him for a dream or...nightmare.

Sliding under the covers cautiously, still clad in dress pants, waistcoat and shirt he pressed against him, his student still asleep, soft breathing and gentle heartbeat, nuzzling against his neck, taking in his scent, an arm over his chest, that night had been different.

Still in his slumbering state Acylius had turned on his side and cuddled him...those arms were around him and his sleeping pattern felt even more relaxed, Black Hat was slowly stroking a small piece of hair that had been exposed as the bag had lifted slightly at the back of his neck.

Just for these moments he could pretend they were lovers.

He would kill anyone who dare to share Flug’s bed like this, these were his moments.

End flash back.

When 505 had escorted Black Hat to his office, Amadeus had asked for him to bring a meal fit for a king, of course the bear, eager to please made a sound that was as close to YES SIR as he could manage before going off.

Leaning back on the plush leather chair he felt the top of his desk for a small latch, pricking his finger tip on it, the top opened inside a thick folder, not some flimsy folder, it was made of volcanic crystal, perfected and beautiful, it’s sheen treated to look blue instead of his famous red.

After all it was Acylius’s favourite colour.

There was another blood seal, he pricked a second finger and opened the folder which was more a case, inside it was lined with deep blue padded velvet, removing a glove he caressed over the contents, soft petals kept alive by magic, preserved and still perfect after these fifty years, his greatest treasure.

A pocket full of posies.

End

[mobius-prime]

192. Sonic the Hedgehog #124

Sonic Adventure 2.5: Λlphλ

Writer: Karl Bollers Pencils: J. Axer and Steven Butler Colors: Jason Jensen

All right everyone, we've finally made it to the "Endgame" of the fourth era! While it's not quite as epic and game-changing, this story, spanning this issue and the next, alters the setting and the plot quite a bit, and also sees the return of Shadow the Hedgehog, whom we only got to see a quick cameo of back in Sonic Adventure 2. Also, amusingly, the word "Alpha" in the title is actually spelled with the Greek letter Lambda, not the actual letter Alpha. I know it's for the Aesthetic™ and all, but it's still funny. But anyway, let's jump in and see what this era's finale has in store for us!

So first, we learn the story of how Shadow survived his fall from orbit. Turns out, he didn't actually fall at all! Before he entered the atmosphere, he was caught in a beam from an alien spaceship, and brought aboard.

Well now, isn't this interesting! These are the same aliens that transformed Eggman and Snively back to their organic forms a few issues ago. It seems they're quite interested in meddling in the affairs of the planet, for whatever reason, and now they're using Shadow as a method of escaping from a second spaceship full of different aliens who appear to be quite aggressive. Shadow tries to fight back against them, but the ship hits him with an energy beam, and he begins to lose consciousness once again, falling back towards the atmosphere just as before. Meanwhile back in Knothole, Sonic wakes up, seemingly excited about something big today. He races to Knothole Castle where he kisses Sally hello, the two now openly dating now that they've admitted their true feelings for each other. She asks him if he's ready to "pop the question," to which he says he… is… wait, what question is this, Sally?! You can't mean…

At the same time, in Station Square, the president finds himself contacted by Eggman, who tries to make him a deal to become allies in exchange for advanced technology and protection. Of course, he's trying to propose an alliance to the same people who literally nuked his city because they didn't like him, so this goes about as well as you expect. Naturally, Eggman doesn't like this response one bit.

Rouge swoops in to save the president and his driver as the car careens into a river, but just as they think they've escaped danger, the entire false sky above the city shatters under the attack from a mysterious foe… But before we find out who has done this, it's time to find out what question Sonic is supposed to be asking.

…okay, honestly, this is just bizarre to me. I get that absolute monarchies tend to want to marry their heirs off young to secure alliances, but really? These two haven't even properly dated yet, beyond a little these past months (as at least a couple months are implied to have passed since Sally's kidnapping), and now at the age of sixteen they're planning a future wedding? This entire bit seems so weirdly out of character for both Sally and Sonic, if you ask me. The comic has flirted with the idea of marriage between the two in the past, but that was mostly during the earlier issues when each story was only focused on being silly and telling a funny, self-contained story. Obviously, these two have had a deep crush on each other for years now, and have a lot of chemistry in their own way, but a de facto engagement between the two of them is just strange. Sally is much more pragmatic than that, having broken off a potential relationship once before in favor of focusing on her official duties, and as for Sonic, we've been directly shown before that he's flighty, afraid of commitment, and generally prefers casual friendships to heavily romantic relationships. Now, this might make more sense if you instead view it as an announcement of convenience, a plot concocted by the both of them to get Sally's parents off her back about being married off to a "suitable partner" as the future ruler of the kingdom. If it were portrayed this way, then maybe I could give this a pass. But we're given no such inkling that it's anything other than exactly what it appears to be. And that, to me, makes this plot point a completely bizarre departure from the usual attitudes of both these characters to romance and relationships. Even weirder, as we'll see, this doesn't even affect the plot of the comic at all in future issues - while there's a reference to it here and there, it's nothing plot-important and could have easily been written out without much trouble.

Anyway, Sonic runs out to investigate the boom only to find Shadow lying in a crater outside the castle. Man, lucky for him that he just so happened to land here instead of literally anywhere else, huh? Sonic approaches him and Shadow lashes out in confusion, knocking Sonic aside, before coming to and apologizing. All this does is rile Sonic up and he tries to attack Shadow in retaliation. Really, Sonic? You thought Shadow was freaking dead, and the moment you see him again you try to punch his lights out? Sally, luckily, steps in to reprimand him for his behavior, and Nicole contacts her, telling her there's an emergency message for them back at the castle. The Freedom Fighters, along with Shadow, follow her back in, where both Eggman and Rouge contact the royal family simultaneously, each claiming their cities have been attacked by an overwhelmingly strong foe. Shadow confirms that this is likely an attack from the same vessel he had just been fighting, but then… something happens. A telepathic message spreads out across the globe, echoing in the minds of every single sentient being on the planet, demanding the attention of the "inhabitants of planet Earth…"

Well, this is bad. And now, they're back to finish what they started… Eggman panics and tries to immediately get King Max to agree to an alliance of convenience, but Max cuts him off without another word, justifying his actions to his shocked onlookers as making sure Eggman is good and ready to accept a truce on his terms by making him sweat a bit first. Sonic expresses confusion that the aliens seem to be confusing Mobius with another planet called Earth, but they get a call from Angel Island at that moment where Locke offers his assistance. Of course the Freedom Fighters ask about Knuckles, and he sorrowfully informs them that he's dead. They're shocked and saddened, but don't have time to mourn, as they have to prove the Xorda wrong about their planet. Sally begins some research into the history of the planet, but Hope unexpectedly steps forward, offering her own insight into how the Xorda ended up here in the first place.

Oh boy, Shadow, I sense we're going to have some emotional turmoil over Hope in our future. Also, I just wanna note that this issue claims that the Xorda were last here three thousand years ago, but future issues retcon this into twelve thousand years. Anyway, Sally soon discovers something shocking in her research… Mobius and Earth are, in fact, the same planet!

This. Is. It! This is the big reveal that I've been so carefully dancing around for almost two hundred issues! I have been meticulously wording every reference to Mobius being an "Earth-like planet" to be spoiler-free but also totally accurate in the light of this reveal. Yes, ladies, gents and enbies, the Archie Sonic preboot takes place twelve thousand years into our own future. The first Xorda invasion was, in fact, the first recorded Day of Fury, which is why it's recorded as having wiped out nearly all life on the planet. And this is also the origin of the split between five fingered humans, and four fingered Overlanders. The humans survived underground, unaffected by the gene bombs dropped by the Xorda, while the Overlanders are the result of, essentially, re-evolved humans that were affected by the gene bombs. And as for Mobians? Well, we are talking about a weapon called a gene bomb, so Mobians obviously came about through severe mutations caused by said bombs, eventually becoming the dominant species of the planet! This is why the planet's continents look very similar to those of Earth, with the differences easily explained by not only twelve thousand years of continental drift, but the massive geographical alterations that such a dramatic cataclysm would have caused on the planet. All those old references to previous Earth civilizations exist because those things actually happened, even if the people making said references no longer know what the Confederate States were, or who the Aborigines were. I know this reveal wasn't particularly liked by a lot of readers, and certainly without the context of the previous two hundred issues it sounds downright absurd (hell, even with the context it kind of does), but in the end my personal opinion is that this was a bit of a masterstroke on Karl's part. It's a great way to tie a lot of old plot threads together and develop a more cohesive and solid history for Mobius as a planet, and ultimately provides us with a more clear timeline of events for the various races and civilizations of the world. And it's all thanks to a species of creepy vengeful Mother Brain octopus alien things deciding to commit genocide!

Afterlife (Part Four)

Writer: Ken Penders Pencils: Art Mawhinney Colors: J. Jensen

So, Kenders. With the big milestone issue fast approaching, is there anything you wanna add in this next installment of Afterlife? Like, perhaps, finally addressing what exactly is supposed to, y'know, happen in the afterlife? Knuckles certainly wants to know, having spent the last two issues doing nothing but reliving his entire previous life verbatim. Aurora explains that though he feels it's unfair that he died, it was unavoidable, as he simply came into his power too quickly and couldn't temper it or learn to control it quickly enough to pull off his saving-Dimitri stunt without essentially going supernova.

This part actually does interest me, because Knuckles' reaction implies that until now, the fact of his death hasn't fully sunken in. He seems to be under the impression that he can come back from it and just resume his life where he left off, instead of traveling onward into the next phase of life. Aurora apologizes and explains that everyone only gets one chance at life, and beckons him toward the mystical portal to the Chaos Force. Knuckles requests only one more thing, to become his normal red self once more, and when Aurora gently corrects him that he doesn't need her help for that, he finds himself instantly back to his old color scheme with a mere thought, which raises the minor question of whether he would have been able to revert back to red all along, or whether it's due to the malleable nature of existence in the afterlife that he's able to do so now. Regardless, the reign of Green Knuckles over the comic's B-stories has finally ended, and Rad Red steps into the portal, ready to claim his destiny. And thus, we get ready to say goodbye to our favorite echidna once and for all, as he takes his place amongst the… wait, hang on a second…

Good old Athair! I missed you, buddy. Aurora tries to argue that Knuckles should still advance forward into the Chaos Force, but Athair merely frowns and crosses his arms, leaving the ending of this story ambiguous… and ripe for a true conclusion next issue, as we hit another major milestone in the history of the comic!

[ichigopanhpff]

BNHA Fic: Blink! Ch. 24

Read Ch. 23 | Masterlist

Hope everyone had a good holiday season and a great New Year! The next few chapters will be posted sporadically. I need to concentrate on finding a new job the next few months.

As fun as it is to write “Blink!”, I’ve been finding the lack of motivation to post since it’s not getting much reads. This was to be expected considering it’s not a reader insert and it takes place in S4.

The grandiose ball room was brightly lit with a crystal chandelier at the center, with decorative sconces symmetrically placed on every wall that wasn’t a full on window with breathtaking views of the Tokyo nightscape. Waiters dressed in white jackets and black vests served glasses of champagne, cocktail and hors d'oeuvres to the self-important adults chatting away incessantly with some top tier heroes and other ambassadors. A live 3-piece jazz band could be heard playing to give the party some ambiance. Ren spotted her mom talking with Aizawa and two other unknown faces.

“I guess I should go say hi,” Ren sighed. “Let’s meet back at this spot in an hour, then we dip. I really want that ramen.”

“It’s a plan.” Seri gave her a thumbs up and all the luck, watching her friend walk off.

“Kubo-senpai...” Todoroki softly called. “About what we were talking about before...”

She looked up at the red and white haired boy, her gaze falling more on the cautious side.

“While it’s true I need to sort out how I feel about Ren-senpai, please know I intend to be honest and the last thing I want to do is hurt her in any way. And… I really do care about her. It’s not much, but that’s the most reassurance I can give you at this time.”

Seri softened her expression at Todoroki and sighed, closing her eyes in understanding. “You two really are alike. She’s doing the same with you.”

“Is… she?”

Seri watched Ren’s side profile in the group of adults, looking attentive to their conversation. “So, does she know your story?”

“The timing was never there,” Todoroki said. “But I get the feeling she knows some parts already based on what I could tell her.”

“It should come from you, not from her assumptions.”

“Seri. There you are,” a man’s deep voice called, making her let out a soft, tired breath from her lips.

“The shackles are here in the form of my father,” the owl-faced girl lamented. “See you in an hour, Todoroki-kun.”

And then there was one.

Casually walking around, he grabbed an hors d'oeuvre from a moving platter and took a small bite, immediately grimacing at the sudden taste of freezer burn. Quickly finding a napkin, he vacated the vile item from his mouth onto it and balled it up in his fist. He now understood why both his upperclassmen were looking forward to ramen. Looking around the room, he recognized a few heroes, even though they weren’t in costume.

Was this what being a pro hero is?

Rubbing elbows with powerful people who do nothing but desk work and mindless chatter?

No wonder his father didn’t like coming to these events.

Having other important government people and heroes approach him in the span of half an hour, he politely excused himself and made his way out to the restroom to center himself.

He is representing Endeavor, the number one hero of Japan, after all; he’ll have to be at these events again when he’s older. As annoyed as he was to be here, at least he’s able to get some form of experience from this. Plus, the company helped.

After a series of extremely mind-numbing adult conversations about the current state of government policies on heroes and such, Ren was able to recuse herself to get some air. The moment the door gently slammed shut, she walked a few steps and let out a huge breath while taking off her draped blazer and slid down the wall.

Were she to do this for another second, she’d literally suffocate. She was mentally reminding herself she’s doing this for the ramen

 And it was damn well worth it.

“Senpai?”

She looked up to see Todoroki.

“Are you okay?”

“Just taking a breather.” She patted the carpeted floor to get him to sit next to her, to which he did. “How are you doing?”

“The food is horrible and these shoes pinch my toes,” the bi-colored haired boy groaned out.

“Tell me about it.” She lifted her right foot up to show her 3-inch pumps.

The two chuckled listlessly and sighed, letting the serene silence sit. The two closed their eyes.

“Ren-senpai?” “Hm?”

“If you’re not too tired tonight, do you have some time… to talk?”

Ren slowly opened her eyes to turn her head to Todoroki, who still has his closed.

“Um… sure.”

A short beat soon after, he slowly stood back up and patted his backside off from any possible dirt from the carpet.

“I guess we should head back in.”

“Do we have to?” she whined and slowly made moves to stand. The duo-quirk wielding boy held his hand out for her to grab for support, to which she accepted.

“Unfortunately, yes. They’ll notice we’re missing.”

Standing back up with a short grunt and feeling the pressure on the balls of her feet, she dusted herself off before thanking him. As they turned to go back in, a deep voice called out to Ren.

“Shit...” she mumbled out and furrowed her brows with drooped shoulders before turning to meet three tall and sharply dressed boys who looked older than her.

“You know them?”

“That’s… one way of putting it.”

“Thought that fine ass was you, Takahiro,” the boy with messy black hair and glasses arrogantly belted out and looked her up and down with lecherous desire. “Damn, you filled out nicely.”

“And hello to you too, Edogawa,” the pink haired girl greeted in a terse, monotone voice.

Behind him stood two more boys; one was tall and boxy with his brown hair done up in a pompadour, the other a slender build with his blue hair in a swooping quiff. They were all wearing expensively tailored black suits with their own accessories. “Goto, Hattori. You two look well.”

Hate is often a very strong word she would never use other than on Chisaki Kai; but she hated these three boys with a passion.

Edogawa Ken. Goto Daiki. Hattori Kyosuke. The sons of three high-ranking embassy officials. Having been childhood friends, they were thick as thieves by the time they could walk, talk and quirk. Some would say they were the male counterparts of her, Seri and Tomoe; only difference was they were extremely rich assholes.

Todoroki was quick to catch on as to who they were: The Preppy Posse.

“Heard you got into U.A., Takahiro,” Hattori remarked with a snobbish tone. “Tryin’ to be a hero with that weak ass quirk of yours?”

“She’s already one,” Todoroki stepped in to defend her honor. “She has her provisional license.”

“Oh, my apologies then, Miss Taka-hero,” the blue-haired boy mocked with a bow and chuckled at his own pun.

“Wow, they really give that shit out to anyone nowadays,” Goto sneered and crossed his arms. “The pro heroes must be desperate since All-Might retired, huh.”

Ren quickly gripped Todoroki’s forearm as he tried to lunge at them. He quickly turned to look at her lightly shaking her head, reminding him to not engage.

“You… Two-tone boy.” Edogawa took three steps toward him, analyzing his face. He put his hand up to cover up his right side and focused on his left only.

“Holy shit,” he chuckled out in disbelief and took two steps back. “You’re Endeavor’s kid.”

“And if I am?” His voice was deep and rough through gritted teeth. The gentle hetero-chromatic eyes Ren was used to seeing were now intensely harsh and cold, glaring at the ring leader.

“Bro, no disrespect.” The black-haired boy held his hands up in neutral. “Just an honor to meet the son of the number one hero, is all. No need for the fire, my dude.”

He held his hand out to shake as a friendly gesture, only to come up empty from the dual-quirk wielding boy.

“If you have no more business with us,” Ren quickly stepped in to diffuse the situation, keeping up with the curt act. “We really should be getting back to the party.”

As she spun and grabbed Todoroki by his wrist to make their escape, Akahiro immediately stretched his arm and grabbed her waist, yanking her away from the bi-colored haired boy. She forgot his quirk was Nobi Nobi* and inwardly cursed at herself for it.

This was going to be troublesome.

“Ah-ah,” the messy jet-black haired boy tutted with a menacing grin on his thin lips. “Actually, we have business with you. Personal. Business.”

He leaned in close enough to Ren to shy away to gain what little personal space she could get, catching a whiff of her sweet perfume.

“Ooh hoo, you even smell nice,” he growled out and flashed a toothy grin at her.

He hungrily licked his lips as his free hand stretched around and caressed her backside, forcing her closer to his body and felt something halfway hard press against her thigh. Todoroki was seething with rage.

“Let go of her!” he growled out and summoned ice in his right palm.

“Todoroki, stop,” Ren commanded. “Just stay calm.”

She made solid eye contact with him, mentally projecting him to trust her.

“Yeah, Todoroki. You should listen to her,” the boy jeered with venomous elation. “We’re in the Embassy building at the heart of Tokyo. You let your quirk loose here, your hero career will end faster than you can apologize. Not even your dear ol’ dad can help you out.”

Clicking his tongue in anger, his logical side kicking in to assess the situation, released the ice in his hand.

“What a good boy you are,” Edogawa commended in a vindictive manner before turning back to Ren, leering at her through half-lidded hungry eyes. His gaze then went further down and leered at her breasts, imagining all the things he was going to do with them.

He tilted her chin up at him and spoke softly in his deep voice. “Now, if you don’t want your mom to get in trouble with, say, having your asylum status revoked, you’ll be a good little kitten and come with us.”

“You wouldn’t do that,” she arrogantly stated with a matching smirk.

“Oh?” His interest was peaked. “And what makes you so sure?”

She leaned in and whispered, “Because I know about ‘Remedy.’”

The boy’s grin immediately dropped to a scowl. The hand wrapped around her back slipped to the front and roughly slammed her onto a nearby wall by her neck, knocking the wind out of her lungs and grunted.

“Senpai!” Todoroki exclaimed. As he made moves toward her, Goto and Hattori stood in between.

“Not so fast, lover boy,” Hattori tutted.

“You fucking bitch,” he growled out with dark, angry eyes. “How the fuck you find out ‘bout that?”

“Oh, I have my sources,” she laughed wryly through strained breath. Her rebellious hazel-green eyes didn’t leave his and saw panic flicker in his irises for a second. “You’ll let me go right now if you don’t want it leaked by accident at, say, an important event where mommy and daddy are at tonight.”

Growling with dissatisfaction at the fact this nobody damaged his pride, Edogawa crudely released his grip.

“We’re leaving,” the boy hastily barked. “They’re a waste of our time.”

Edogawa stomped off angrily, with Goto and Hattori following not too far behind. Todoroki immediately ran up and held onto her for support as she placed a hand on her chest and gasped out loud, lightly wretch coughing.

“That was reckless,” he scolded. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine…” she wheezed out and rubbed her neck. “Guys like that… You gotta use your brain rather than your quirk to beat ‘em.”

“What did you say to him?”

“I know something that’ll get him into a lot of trouble. Call it insurance.”

“Senpai… I’m glad you’re on our side,” he blurted out. “You’d be a pain to deal with as a villain.”

“I almost get choked out and that’s what you say?”

Ren could only chuckle as Todoroki huffed a sigh of relief from his lips and slowly drew her into a one armed hug. Her limbs stiffened up at his touch, stunned by his action.

“I couldn’t do anything to help...” he spoke into her shoulder, feeling his hot breath cascade down her arm. “I’m sorry...”

“But you did.” Ren relaxed and reached her right hand up to pet the back of his head, consoling him. “You trusted me.”

Before they could continue with their conversation, they were interrupted with someone clearing their throat. The two turned to see Seri staring intently at them with her yellow and black owl-like eyes with her hands on her hips. She was clearly unamused.

“This isn’t a love hotel, you know,” she flatly pointed out. Realizing how close they were to each other, Todoroki suddenly released her and looked away shyly, remembering their talk earlier. The owl-faced girl then noticed the now formed bruise on her right forearm and red marks around her neck.

“I-I’m gonna use the toilet real quick,” the pink haired girl muttered and sped walked into the bathroom.

“Todoroki...” Seri spoke in a growing dark voice. “What did you do?”

He inwardly panicked as her eyes started glowing and felt his body going numb.

“It’s not what you think,” he calmly explained. “The posse approached us.”

The girl immediately stopped and asked him to explain while Ren was fixing herself up to look presentable again.

“Those bastards...” she angrily hissed out as their friend emerged from the lavatory. “Ren, let’s go fuck ‘em up.”

“We don’t need to,” she calmly replied and went to pick her blazer up off of the floor to dust it off before draping it back on her shoulders. “I got collateral on one of them.”

“What kind?”

“I think I heard her say something called ‘Remedy’?” Todoroki spoke up.

Her eyes grew went wide when Ren’s train of thought quickly hit Seri.

“I hope you took extra precautions, you idiot,” her snow owl friend scolded.

“Of course I did,” Ren defensively huffed out as a matter of factly. “Who do you take me for?”

“I’m sorry.” The red and white haired boy interjected in confusion. “What are you two talking about?”

“Ren-Ren used the Dark Net to obtain her information,” Seri revealed and crossed her arms. The boy quickly glanced over at his upperclassman in shock. “Talk about high risk.”

“It was a calculated risk and it paid off,” she briskly corrected. “Would you rather have me end up being their plaything and calling ‘em ‘master’? I sure as hell don’t.”

“So what is ‘Remedy’ exactly?” Todoroki asked. “And why was Edogawa so scared by it?”

“Our lovely stretchy worm has been secretly investing in overseas quirk-boosters and playing the black market,” Ren explained in a hushed voice. “And here’s the kicker: the money’s partially from his inheritance to which he laundered through ill-gotten gains in other drugs and firearms. I’d say the only smart thing he did was doing it through an alias, but little did he realize the money trail he poorly covered up.”

“So why can’t we report him now and have him arrested?”

“Diplomatic immunity. That’s why,” Seri bitterly spat out and crossed her arms. “We need substantial physical evidence to catch him.”

“Gotta love government loopholes,” Ren irritably lamented and sighed. “You’ll learn quickly not everything’s black and white in their eyes, Todo-kun. As much as heroes think they’re in the right in dealing with villains and doing a service to law-abiding citizens, there are situations that call for dirtier tactics to justify the means. I’m sure Uncle All-Might and even your dad’s got stories to tell you about.”

“And this is the stuff school tries to shelter us from to prevent cynicism from spreading in the budding hero community,” the owl-girl mentioned. “It was inevitable for us due to our upbringing.”

“So why tell me about this?” the bi-coloured haired boy finally asked.

“Because you’re capable,” they both said in unison.

“You’re the type who calmly analyzes a situation in order to decide the best course of action,” Ren praised. “Like you did before with the posse.”

“And you’re well aware of your status so you don’t act brashly,” Seri added.

“You speak too highly of me.”

“You have two of your senpais acknowledging your intelligence, Todoroki-kun,” the snow owl girl firmly stated with a small smile. “Now’s not the time to be humble.”

“Anyway, we should head back in,” Ren finalized. “I’m sure our respective parents would’ve noticed we’re gone by now.”

“Hurray,” Seri unceremoniously cheered and rolled her eyes.

The boy stood by himself for a moment to collect himself from their words of encouragement, watching the two girls walk back to the ballroom entrance. Ren stopped in her steps and turned back to him.

“You coming?”

Rejoining the group, the three re-entered the ballroom without fanfare.

“Ren! There you are,” her mom called and walked up to her daughter, noticing the marks on her neck. “What happened there?”

“Huh? Oh! I think I may be allergic to the perfume I’m wearing,” she quickly fibbed. “Couldn’t stop scratching.”

“Be sure to get that checked out tomorrow okay?”

“’Course mom.”

“Seri,” Ren’s mom warmly greeted and drew the girl into a hug. “You doing well in U.A.?”

“Of course, Aunt Victoria,” the owl girl responded with a small smile after releasing. “Who else will keep Ren-Ren out of trouble?”

“I’m actually offended you see me as a problem child,” Ren feigned betrayal by splaying her right hand over her chest and fluttered her eyelashes.

“Oh and who may you be?” Victoria turned to Todoroki and asked. “I didn’t see you on the video call last time.”

“I’m Todoroki Shouto, ma’am,” he politely introduced himself with a light bow. “I’m here in representation of my father Endeavor tonight as he’s still recovering from his injuries. Very pleased to meet you, Mrs. Takahiro.”

“No need to be so formal, Shouto-kun,” Ren’s mom disregarded with a wave of her hand. “Victoria’s just fine.”

“T-Then I will greet you as you wish.”

“How is your father by the way? The injuries he sustained looked pretty serious,” she asked with genuine care in her tone. “I do hope he’s not pushing himself too hard.”

“Thank you for your kind words, but my father will be fine,” he reassured in an almost robotic manner. “He’s gone through worse scrapes.”

“While that’s true, I still do worry about all the pros out there...” The elder Takahiro trailed off and looked at her daughter. “You all put your lives on the line everyday and anything can happen that’ll turn a minor situation into a major one.”

“It’s an occupational hazard, mom,” Ren stated and rolled her eyes. “We’ve talked about this before.”

“I know but I still worry,” Victoria firmly stated and drew her kid by her waist to hug her.

All her daughter could do is sigh, knowing anything she’d say wouldn’t quell her doubts. As conversations continued, Ren noticed something amiss from her peripheral. Hattori came in stumbling about like he drank too much whisky; he was sweating profusely and tugged at his tie to get air, his eyes bloodshot. She quickly scanned the room and the other two were no where to be found. To prevent making a scene, Ren excused herself and stealthily approached him from the side.

“Hattori,” she called softly to catch his attention. “You okay there?”

All he could hear was gagging and she looked down to see his form hunched over and foaming at the mouth. She pulled his collar down to see a reddened puncture wound at his jugular and pulled him up to support his heavy frame.

“What did you take?” she whispered. “Get it together, man.”

“I-It’s a-a-all your fa-fault, Taka...hiro,” he stuttered out and slowly turned to meet her shocked expression. His eyes started gradually glowed red and charged up.

Oh shit.

She pushed him away in time as his eyes shot out lasers that hit the hangar loop of the chandelier. The decorative centerpiece snapped and made its way down, drawing party goers to run for cover as it crashed down with scattered crystals flying across the marble floor.

“This… is your doing, Takahiro!” Hattori huffed out and stared at her with glowing red eyes and shot at her again, not caring about the patrons around. The moment she dodged, Todoroki quickly created an ice wall in between the startled guests to absorb the laser attack. The slender boy roughly gripped his now messy blue hair and screamed, peeking the tip of his now blackened tongue.

She tapped her bangles to transform into T-clubs on instinct.

Seri immediately jumped to her left side and asked, “Hattori, is he...”

“He’s boosted,” she huffed out, watching the boy’s form wreath in pain and clawed at his chest.

“Leave this to us,” Aizawa came up from behind them and prepared his Capture Device. “Help with the evacuations.”

“He’s after me,” Ren stated. “I should take respon–”

“That doesn’t mean you ignore your other duties as a hero,” the ebony haired man firmly lectured and walked past her to shield the three U.A. students. “We’re the pros here, not you.”

Before the pink haired girl could even move, Hattori charged at full speed toward her, only to be intercepted by one of Fourth Kind’s brutish strength from two of his four arms.

“You’re not goin’ anywhere, young’un,” the four-armed hero gruffly spoke and rebounded his body back.

“Be careful of his quirk,” Ren warned. “His ability is to absorb attacks and recoil it in the form of kinetic energy through his eyes.”

“You kids and your troublesome quirks,” Aizawa blurted out and clicked his tongue. “Thanks for the intel. Now go.”

Ren knew they could handle it and gritted her teeth. Both Seri’s and Todoroki’s voices brought her back as they ran to assist Gang Orca and Kamui Woods with clearing the building before it went on lockdown. Within the maelstrom of panicked party goers, Ren found the back of her mom’s head.

She was safe.

One less thing to worry about.

Moments later, they were all out in the main driveway of the embassy building, all looking up in hopes of seeing what’s going on. Ren could only wait with baited breath and scanned the growing crowd for two certain boys.

“Ren,” Seri called with a hushed voice by her side. “Goto. Four o’clock.”

God bless Seri’s owl quirk. The pink haired girl gingerly moved backwards to not attract attention and immediately teleported behind the person of interest. He let out a light gasp upon feeling her locking his left wrist.

“Move and I snap it,” Ren spoke in the shell of his ear in a low voice. “You will answer my questions in the form of head nods. We clear?”

Goto swallowed thickly and nodded, with beads of perspiration rolling down his temple.

“Is there a booster in Hattori’s system?”

Goto nodded once.

“Did he inject it in himself?”

The stocky boy shook his head furiously.

“Is Edogawa still here?”

He hesitated to answer and saw his shoulders visibly shake.

“Is Edogawa responsible for this?”

The brown haired boy bit his lower lip and clenched his free hand into a fist, fighting crocodile tears. They were both his friends. He couldn’t possibly out them! A sudden thought crossed her mind: Could Hattori be involved with Remedy and this was a fallout situation?

“Goto, you need to tell me now,” Ren’s growled out. Her patience was running very thin. “The longer you hesitate, the more danger Hattori’s life will be in; he can die.”

The boy finally conceded and choked out, “After we left you, Ken… checked something on his phone. He was pissed about something he read and popped some kinda pills before getting into it with Kyo,” Goto whimpered. “Said something about being snitched on.”

“So he thought Hattori betrayed him.”

“Kyo didn’t know what he was talking about and next thing we knew, Ken...” He stifled his words and softly dry sobbed. “I’ve never seen him this angry before. The drugs he’s been taking’s been making him more paranoid than usual.”

“Do you know the booster dosage that’s in Hattori’s system?”

Goto furiously shook his head no.

“L-Look,” he stammered out. “I-I’m sorry for all the shit we said about you, but please...” The boy desperately pleaded. “Save Kyo. Because I can’t. Not with my quirk.”

Goto Daiki’s quirk is Machina, where he can communicate with and fix anything machine-based. As much as he hated it, it’s been proven useful in becoming the go-to I.T. person in his circle of friends and family, albeit annoying and tiresome. However, he can only activate this only if there’s something wrong with its functions and can’t hack.

Releasing his wrist, Ren said nothing more and zipped away from him to regroup with Seri and Todoroki. She didn’t like the boy, but you can’t fake that kind of desolation.

“Did you get anything out of Goto?” Seri hurriedly asked.

“Hattori and Edogawa had a fallout. Stabbed a booster in him, so we’re on borrowed time,” Ren summarized.

The penthouse windows immediately shattered, raining glass down below. Todoroki summoned a giant iceberg to shield the people from being hurt as they ran further away from the entrance. They saw a small dot jump out with the debris; it was Hattori.

“How are you at using your flames, Todo-kun?” Ren quickly asked.

“Not good enough to propel us mid-air to catch him.”

“But you can get into air?” Seri chimed in.

“Halfway.”

“Good enough. Let’s go.”

“Seri! You will stay here,” a booming voice rang out. The three turned to see a tall, portly man glowering down at them. It was her father.

“I don’t care what you think of my choices, father, but there’s a life that needs saving right now,” the owl-faced girl angrily snapped. “I need to be a hero.”

“Where you need to be right now is safe and away from harm,” he firmly demanded.

“Mr. Kubo, with all due respect, I need Seri,” Ren cut in. “Time’s of the essence and she’s essential to our plan.”

“Ren, let’s go,” Seri dismissed her father’s request and sped walked away to Todoroki’s side. “He’s too stubborn to understand.”

Her pink-haired friend stood stationary for a beat, facing her friend’s dad.

“Ren?” she called.

“She’s not as weak or fragile as you think she is, Mr. Kubo,” she softly spoke within an earshot, firmly meeting the man’s aged brown eyes with determination. “Watch her.”

Seri’s heart swelled with pride and purpose hearing her best friend’s praise. Rejoining the group, they made their way to the curved frozen structure the two-tone hair colored by created before. The two grabbed onto Ren’s shoulders and teleported them halfway up the ice.

The grayish white-haired girl closed her eyes and took a breath, spreading her arms out as they transformed into white spotted owl wings; her hands morphed into sharp, black talons. Reopening her yellow tinted eyes, they were focused and ready to go.

“That never gets boring to watch,” Ren gushed with a smirk. “Let’s go, Hedwig.”

“The name’s Athena, zippy,” she blurted out and flapped her wings a few times to prepare for take off. “So what’s the plan here?”

“Todo-kun’ll use his ice to restrain his movements and eyes while I try to knock him out cold. Your job’s to bring him down safely,” Ren briefed and tapped her bangles to transform them into T-clubs again.

“How will you get down?” she asked with concern.

“I’ll figure something out. He’ll be with me.”

Seri took a running start and flew up at an incredible speed, causing blow back from her wings. Ren shivered slightly only to feel something warm immediately envelop her.

“Your lag will get bad if you’re too cold right?” Todoroki held his flame engulfed left hand out to her. Ren hastily rubbed her hands and hovered over it.

“I’m good now, thanks.”

“Hold on tight,” he instructed as he turned his hand back. She gripped onto his torso, with his right arm snaked around hers. “I can’t do it like Bakugou or my old man, but I’m gonna try.”

Torquing his fire to near maximum output, Ren and Todoroki blasted up into the air at an awkward angle and neared Seri’s flying form. As planned, he cut his fire as Ren zipped across the sky like a zig-zagging shooting star to get close to Hattori’s falling figure. The dual-quirk user immediately gripped his shirt and encased his body in ice and let out a white breath from his lips. Ren released her grip and struck the laser eye boy at the base of his neck, knocking him unconscious. Seri then swooped on by and caught him with her back with a soft grunt before making her way down to the ground.

The spectators screamed as they watched Ren and Todoroki free fall at an alarming speed. The two strained to grab each other’s hands before succeeding seconds later. Unable to see where she could teleport them to safety due to the blistering cold G-force winds blinding her, the dual-haired colored boy angled his right hand down and conjured ice from his palms, creating a makeshift bumpy slide. They roughly landed on the slippery surface and descended at an alarming velocity. The boy then created an ice cushion at the bottom and grabbed Ren to shield her with his body from the collision. They hit the ice wall with a thud and knocked the wind out of his lungs.

The two heavily panted and felt their hearts pound out of their chest from the adrenaline; their hair a disheveled mess from the wind and fall.

“You okay?” Ren finally spoke between breaths.

“Yes...” Todoroki swallowed hard and gulped up air, releasing a large white breath from his lips. Parts of his arms and face had remnants of ice lingering. “You should plan better next time.”

“Noted.”

They gingerly got off of the ice and back up on their feet to make their way to Seri, who was with an unconscious Hattori by her side. Todoroki walked up to him and shielded his eyes with ice in case he woke up and went berserk again. Moments later, Aizawa and Fourth Kind emerged from the crowd to take care of the rest with the now arrived authorities. Goto could be seen with his parents and talking to detectives. Todoroki melted the ice he used to restrain Hattori before he was slapped with a pair of cuffs and goggles on the gurney before tending to the other structures he made. Edogawa was still no where to be found.

“Ren!” her mom cried and ran at her to tightly embrace her daughter. “Are you hurt anywhere?!”

She released and looked at her mom with a small smile of reassurance. “I’m fine. Todo-kun used his ice to cushion our fall.”

“Never scare me like that again, you hear me?!” Tears were flowing freely from her aged green eyes and drew her back into a tight hug before making her way to the bi-coloured haired boy.

“Todoroki-kun, thank you.” She firmly gripped both his hands into hers. “You were brilliant.”

He shyly looked down with a matching blush and softly smiled.

“It was Ren-senpai who came up with the plan–”

“But you saved her,” Victoria added. “Knowing my daughter, I’m sure she didn’t think that far ahead.”

“Wow, you guys are just on it with the insults tonight,” Ren blurted out with exasperation and crossed her arms.

Their celebration was short lived and sensed something launching in their general direction. Ren immediately tackled her mom to the ground to shield her. Todoroki ducked below and was on high alert. The police and other pro heroes jumped out and aimed their weapons at the hidden assailant.

“You… You fucking told them didn’t you?!” a hoarse voice shouted from the shadows and out emerged a disheveled looking Edogawa. His hair was a mess and his once neatly tied tie disappeared. The boy obsessively clawed at his own throat and smiled manically.

“You bitch, you did this...” he muttered out and dryly laughed to himself. “You’ve ruined me!”

“Stand down, Edogawa,” Aizawa told him and prepared his device in his hands. “You’re surrounded by cops and heroes. There’s no where for you to run.”

“Oh, that’s where you got things wrong, hero,” he tittered out in frenzy.

The boy took out a vile of black substance from his jacket pocket and aimed to stab it into his neck. Ren teleported over just in time to hold his wrist back by force and twisted it far enough for him to loose his grip on the booster. Aizawa timed her moments perfectly and used his quirk to disable the boy from using his.

“Whatever’s happened, it’s not worth your life.” Ren tightened her grip on his wrist, her eyes focused only on his bloodshot ones. “Not like this.”

Edogawa could do nothing but whimper and collapse on his knees, completely breaking down. As the authorities closed in on him, she held out a hand to stop them in their steps. This wasn’t what he needed right now. She released her grip on his wrist and knelt down beside him. Fourth Kind slowly approached her and placed one of his hands on her shoulder, allowing him to take over.

“He’s… fragile right now,” she softly spoke to the four-armed man. “Take care of him.”

“Friend of yours?”

“Not particularly,” she flatly blurted and took a few steps away. “But he still deserves some kind of sympathy.”

Slowly making her way back to her mom and friends, Ren suddenly got hit with an overwhelming sense of vertigo and staggered. Unable to control her motor functions, she fell into Seri’s feathery arms, who rushed in on time to catch her. Victoria and Todoroki followed not too far behind.

“Ren!” The owl girl gripped her friend tightly. “Did he do something to you?!”

“Think I… “She swallowed hard and squeezed her eyes tightly shut, letting out a light, shaky breath. “I overused… my quirk...”

“My God, woman. You’re more trouble than you’re worth.” Seri let out a sigh of relief and gently set her arm around her shoulders for support.

“But did I die?” she lightly scoffed.

“Part of me thinks you’re only alive for the ramen.”

“Damn right.”

[hazeleyesirwin]

i’ve seen you before (part two)

summary: self-indulgent soulmate au feat. ashton being softer than he comes off. 

Lunch was interesting to say the least. Chloe and I met Calum and Ashton at a little deli a few blocks away from where they were working. Calum and Ashton ended up there before us because Chloe refused to pay for parking so we spent an extra ten minutes circling the block for a free parking space. We walked up to them while they were still bickering about a new song they had been working on all day. Ashton’s eyes met mine and I felt relief wash through my body. He smiled his same smile that engulfed his entire face and made the corners of his eyes crinkle. He leaned down to kiss me and I leaned up to meet him halfway. It was over quicker than I would have liked, but our best friends were standing right there, awkwardly waiting to be introduced. Ashton introduced himself to Chloe more formally than he had the night before then introduced Calum and Chloe. They shook hands which made Ashton let out a scoff. It got slightly less awkward after we sat down and started to eat. Chloe and Calum had easy conversation about their jobs and how at some point they might have crossed paths before. Ashton and I planned our next date and discussed the possibility of introducing our friends to each other in a group setting. I glanced over and saw Calum absolutely beaming at Chloe. Ashton followed my gaze then we shared a look. This was right. 

Chloe and I got back in the car after a rather lengthy goodbye to the boys which involved them slowly walking us to the car while Chloe chattered about dance and Calum listened more intently than I had ever seen anyone listen to someone talk about something. It was like his life depended on this conversation with Chloe. He was crushing on her hard. “He asked me out,” Chloe said, her hands on the wheel as she stared straight forward at the car parallel parked in the space in front of us. “He what!?” I replied, looking over at her with wide eyes. “Calum asked me on a date and I said yes. We’re going out tomorrow night.” 

“Where the fuck was I when this happened?” 

“Kissing your fucking boyfriend.” 

“He’s not my boyfr-”

“He is and don’t even try to argue.” 

“I can’t believe you’re going out with Calum.”

“Why? The fuck is wrong with him?” 

“Nothing, nothing. I’m just surprised it was that fast. Usually it takes a month of ‘talking’ before you agree to go on a date with someone.”

“He’s different.” 

“Yeah?” 

“Yeah, it felt like the right place at the right time.” 

“A little like getting saved from walking into traffic?” 

Chloe looked at me and rolled her eyes, but nodded,”Exactly like that.” 

My bed is soft. Warm. Warmer with him beside me. The book I’m reading has a spine so broken I need to get a new copy. I need to write that on my list in the morning. His left hand grazes my thigh. His hand is warm, but his wedding ring is cold. His right hand reaches over to put my book on my bedside table. He lays it so it’s still open, not losing my page. His hands go to my middle, where I’m growing our child. The baby kicks his left hand which makes him beam with pride. He speaks softly to the baby. I want his attention, but he needs to bond with his child. He’s going to be such a good father. Kind, warm. In a time when fathers are cold and distant toward their families. He wrote a lullaby that he sings each night and will sing when the baby is born. I’m smitten. Husband, father of my children. Soulmate. I hope our baby has his eyes. The eyes that are on mine. The ones that remind me he's really there in front of me when I’m falling down my rabbit hole. 

I woke up, sitting up in Ashton’s bed with a gasp coming from my throat. My head was spinning. I couldn’t make out where I was in the dark. I felt a hand on my back which brought me back to earth. Ashton sat up and clicked on the lamp beside him. When I looked over at him the first thing I saw were his eyes, filled with concern. I hope our baby has his eyes. I couldn’t breathe. He noticed my shallow breathing and pulled me closer to him, taking slow, even breaths to get me to slow my own breathing. My face was pressed into his neck. I could feel his heartbeat underneath my palm. Steady. When my breathing evened out, he asked if I was okay. “Just a dream,” I replied. “Do you want to talk about it?” “No.” He laid back down, bringing me with him. He tucked me close to his side. 

Later that morning after the dream, I woke up to an empty bed and a sticky note on the pillow where Ashton’s head should’ve been. His handwriting scribbled across the yellow paper in black ink. “I texted you the address for the studio. Meet me there at 4?” I hadn’t even looked at my phone. I reached over to the bedside table for it and saw two texts from Ashton. One was him sharing his location with me and the other read: “forgot to write this in my note, but you need to sleep in my bed every night. I’ve never gotten such a good night’s sleep.” I decided to tidy up around Ashton’s house and do the dishes for him before getting dressed and heading out to the studio. He had left keys for me to drive one of his cars which was honestly pretty dumb on his part. I’m not a great driver and this car was expensive. 

When I walked into the studio Calum greeted me with a quick hug then led me to the booth where Ashton was recording backup vocals. He opened the door for me and I was surrounded with the sound of Ashton’s voice. His voice made my chest warm. He paused for a moment and glanced over to where I was standing. He motioned for me to join him and wrapped his arm around my shoulders. He leaned down to kiss me sweetly. A crackly voice from a speaker sounded in the booth as we broke apart,”Guys, you’re literally in front of a mic. Please don’t make me listen to your kissing ASMR.” “Shut the fuck up, Luke. You did the same thing. You’re just bitter because you’re single,” Ashton replied, directly into the mic. He flipped a metal switch and took off his headphones. He leaned down to kiss me again. His hands ran down my back. He pulled away after a minute,”I like this dress,” He commented. “Wanna borrow it?” I teased gently. “Hell yes,” He replied. 

We walked out the door of the booth and to another room where a bunch of guys were sitting around, including the half of the band I hadn’t met yet. “Luke, Michael, this is the girl I was telling you about,” Ashton introduced me. Michael wrapped me in a bear hug which was warm and comforting. Luke shook my hand and had me sit next to him. Calum was recording next. He went into the booth and started to sing. The pitch was slightly off so Luke told him to go again. After five tries, Calum was clearly frustrated. I looked down at the soundboard they were using,”You might want to turn down the higher frequencies because you’re picking up the high pitches in his undertone.” I looked over at Luke and he had a shocked expression on his face. Michael leaned over me and turned a few knobs then told Calum to go again, making slight adjustments as he sang. He was on pitch in the recording this time. “How the fuck?” Luke asked, looking at Ashton,”Where the fuck did you find her again?” “I saved her from throwing herself dramatically into traffic,” Ashton replied, a smirk on his face, dimples painted on his cheeks. When Calum was done, they were finished for the day. 

Ashton suggested we go bowling with everyone. So, we met at a secluded, kind of run-down bowling alley. Honest to god, it was kind of creepy. I introduced the girls and Ashton introduced the boys. Kass nearly collapsed the second Michael smiled at her and asked her if she wanted to help him get drinks for everyone. Ken and Luke wandered behind Kass and Michael to order pizza for all of us. Calum and Chloe went to get shoes. Ashton and I set up the scoreboard on the little screen above our lane. His hand was on my back while he typed in names on the sticky keyboard. He put up bumpers for me, which I complained about for a minute, but let’s be real for a minute, I need bumpers. Michael walked over to the table behind our lane and set down a pitcher of beer. Kass was close behind him with a stack of cups and a stack of plates. “You really labeled me ‘cocksucker’?” Kass protested from behind me. I turned over my shoulder and laughed. “You really had to call me out like that in front of boys I just met?” She gave me a look and flicked her eyes toward Michael who was pouring beer into cups behind her. I shrugged,”It’s your name, dude, I don’t know what to tell you.” 

We got settled, everyone picked out a ball to use, and the game began. Kass was up first and put her ball directly in the gutter while trying to show off. She spun on her heel, stomped back to the table and downed her beer, taking Ken’s spot beside Calum when Ken got up to take her turn. Calum patted Kass on the back and told her to “get ‘em next time”. She shot him a glare that made him slide back in his seat. Ken got a strike, which pissed Kass off even more. By the end of the first game, we were talking and drinking more than bowling. I was tipsy, giggling like a child, and staring at Ashton every chance I got. I swear, he gets more beautiful in every life. Kass was teasing Michael about how bad his score was, clearly flirting as hard as she could. She couldn’t see the absolute admiration in Michael’s eyes through her beer goggles. Ken and Luke were both on their phones, but had drifted closer together throughout the night. They kept showing each other thing on their phones and laughing together. It was very sweet. Chloe was trying to convince Calum to chug the rest of the pitcher of beer that was sitting on the table and had gotten warm. He was refusing, but laughing so hard at her argument he was crying a little. It all felt so familiar. I saw a flash of neon carpet in my mind for a second before I felt Ashton’s hand on my arm. My eyes refocused on his face. I saw his familiar smirk, his warm eyes, his red hair. God, I’m so far gone with him. I’m in too deep. “Ready to go home?” He asked softly. I nodded, standing up. He steadied me when I wobbled slightly. I wrapped my arms around his neck and he pulled me close to him. “You smell good,” I mumbled, looking up at Ashton. “You smell like beer and bowling alley,” He replied, then leaned down to kiss me, contrasting his previous statement. Mint gum, beer, aftershave. If I wasn’t already drunk, his kiss would have intoxicated me. 

I woke up in my own bed for once, a heavy arm slung over my waist, a familiar hand holding mine. I wiggled in Ashton’s arms, turning over to face him. I pressed my face into his neck. I felt him start to wake up. His grip on me tightened as he woke up, tugging me closer. “Ash, you’re gonna suffocate me,” I groaned softly. “If I suffocate you then you can’t get out of bed,” He replied, his voice a little deeper than normal. I pulled back slightly to run my fingers through his hair and sweep it off his face. “Are you ever gonna go back to your natural color?” I asked. I felt Ashton shrug,”Probably. Might dye it black first.” 

“I like the red.” 

“I’m glad.” He paused for a moment, staring at me. 

“What?” 

“Nothing.” 

“Ashton Fletcher Irwin, you have been looking at me like you saw a ghost every time we wake up together for a week, tell me what’s wrong.” 

“It’s like, I don’t fucking know, it’s like deja vu.” 

“Of what? Me?” 

“Us. Yeah. But, you look different. And it’s so clear and real. You’re cooking in the kitchen, but it’s not now. Like clearly, not this time. You come up to me and push my hair back like you do when we wake up together. Your voice is the same. It’s like this hazy fever dream.” 

“Like a past you didn’t know you had?” 

“Exactly… I’m crazy, right?” 

I shook my head,”No, baby, you’re not crazy.” 

We laid there together for a while longer. I could feel his heartbeat under my fingertips. Steady, even thuds that made me feel serene. Completely at peace. With Ashton, there was no anxiety. No panic. No fear. Steady. 

“We have to get up,” I broke the comfortable silence. Ashton nodded and pulled away from me, sitting on the edge of my bed then standing. My eyes raked over the expanse of his back. He turned and threw a shirt at me,”Stop eye fucking me and get dressed.” I stood and tugged the shirt he threw at me over my head. I walked over to him, my bare feet making soft pat noises on the hardwood floor. I had to stand on my tiptoes to reach his lips with mine. He met me halfway and we shared a quick kiss. 

I walked out of my room and was met with three sets of wide eyes. “What?” I asked, stopping in my tracks. The energy of the living room was the opposite of the calm I had just left in my bedroom. The way Chloe was looking at me made me want to cry. “Someone please stop staring and tell me what the fuck is going on,” I begged. Kass and Chloe shared a look. Ken kept staring at me like I was going to break into a million pieces at any moment. “Seriously, what the fuck?” I asked again. “You haven’t checked your phone this morning, have you?” Chloe finally spoke, but didn’t even give me a hint as to why they were looking at me like that. “No, I didn’t pick it up this morning, why?” I started to panic. I walked back into my room and picked up my phone. I saw hundreds of notifications. I clicked on one. A tweet that had an article by the daily mail linked in it. I clicked the link. The headline of the article read,” 5SOS Drummer Ashton Irwin’s New Fling”. I scrolled through the article, skimming over tweets from fans that were linked, saying I was the girlfriend of the week, that it wouldn’t last long, that he didn’t even look happy with me. Ashton approached me with caution,”Sweetheart, don’t take that seriously.” “How did they find out? I never once saw a camera,” I didn’t even look at him, consumed by the thousands of notifications still pouring in on all my social media. Ashton took my phone from me and turned it off. “Am I just a fling?” I asked, finally looking up into the eyes that brought me so much comfort. “No, what the fuck? I would have left last night after we fucked if this was a fling,” He replied. Wrong answer. “How many girls did you leave after you were done fucking them?” I stared at him in shock. 

“Is that really important right now?” 

“Yes, how many?” 

“A lot, okay!? A lot. I had a lot of meaningless sex and left a shit ton of girls in bed by themselves.” 

“Am I just another one of those girls?” 

“No, I told you that. You’re more to me than anyone else has ever been.” 

“I don’t want to get fucking attached to you if you’re going to up and leave!” 

“What about you? Are you going to leave? Are you using me for a career boost?” 

“No, why the fuck would you say that to me right now?!” 

“I don’t know! I don’t even know why we’re fighting!” 

“Because I’m already attached and if you break my heart I’m not going to recover so if you’re going to hurt me just do it now before I’m in too deep.” 

“I won’t leave.” 

Train station. Beige uniforms. I reach up to fix his hat. “I’ll be back before you know it,” his voice reaches my ears and I know he’s unsure. “Just don’t break my heart, soldier,” It comes out more of a plea than I meant it to. “I won’t. I promised, remember?” I do. I hear the conductor ringing the bell. He needs to leave. I lean up to kiss my husband. Mint. Aftershave. Desperation. He kisses me harder than he ever has before. I feel tears slipping down my cheeks as he walks away toward the train. Please don’t leave me. You’re the love of my life. I won’t recover. 

I stared up at Ashton, watching him breathing heavily. He was frustrated, everything in his body language told me that. I reached up and brushed back that one curl that always fell in his face. “I want you. I don’t want to leave. I never want to leave,``he explained, his tone softened as he spoke. “I’m scared,” I admitted. My fingers brushed down his jaw. He took my hand and pressed it to his chest so I could feel his heart beating,”I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere. I’m not deja vu. I’m not a dream that leaves when you wake up. I’m here. For the rest of this life. I’m right here.” “This life?” I asked softly. “And the rest of them. As long as we both come back to earth, I’ll find you,” He had this look in his eyes that I had seen a hundred times before. The look that said “I’m going to love you as long and as hard as this body lets me”. The look that broke my heart because it reminded me that this life was fleeting. That we might get forty years if we’re lucky. Despite the dread my soul was enthralled in, I leaned up to kiss Ashton. Mint. Aftershave. His steady heartbeat under my hand.