#so I think the fucking crisis is mostly passed

[ljuerlav]

often susceptible to that human folly that is wanting people who are also part of a thing to at least acknowledge when you spent a bunch of hours working on something thats is for that thing

[thankskenpenders]

I have to admit that the more we see from CrossWorlds, the less enthusiastic I am about it. Mostly thanks to all the crossover DLC.

Early on, following its announcement and the public playtest, CrossWorlds was pitched as this big celebration of Sonic in kart racing form. A big roster of characters, a bunch of tracks based on locations across the series, even the return of the Babylon Rogues and Extreme Gear for Riders fans. It seemed like it was doing everything right.

And then they started announcing the crossovers.

First they announced the first few Sega guest characters who'll be added for free. And that was fine. That made sense. It's all Sega stuff, and seeing Ichiban and Miku racing against Sonic characters is funny.

And then right after that, they announced... Minecraft. Minecraft Steve will be in the Sonic racing game, along with a whole Minecraft track, as part of the season pass that's being announced months before the game is even out. It seemed very arbitrary, just doing a crossover with something super popular as a marketing stunt.

And then, as had been previously leaked, we got the SpongeBob announcement. SpongeBob and Patrick will be in the new Sonic racing game, along with a Bikini Bottom track. And like, yeah, I love those first few seasons of SpongeBob as much as the next late-gen millennial, but does that mean I think SpongeBob makes sense to include here? No. And later in the season pass we'll also be getting TMNT and Avatar crossovers, because of course we are. Nick characters are literally half of the season pass. I will admit that the turtles are a good fit for Sonic, but the rest? Come on. But please be sure to pay $90 USD to get the Digital Deluxe Edition so you can play as Aang, everyone!

The current fan favorite (Sega-developed) Sonic kart racer, All-Stars Racing Transformed, also had its fair share of random third party guest characters. I didn't mind it there. The difference to me is that the selection there was so random and asinine that it was kind of charming, and easy to ignore. Including Danica Patrick, Wreck-It Ralph, and one of the guys from the YogsCast in a Sonic racing game was so stupid that it was funny. It was also easy to ignore in a game that already had such a hodgepodge crossover roster.

But here it feels cynical. It's a generic corporate synergy move in what was pitched as purely a Sonic game. Viacom will shove SpongeBob, the turtles, and Aang into every game they can as cosmetic DLC, from Fortnite to Fall Guys to Smite and beyond. We're not getting these characters because someone at Sega thought they'd be the best fit for Sonic, but rather because Viacom owns the Sonic movies and they wanted to do cross-promotion of their Most Valuable IP with Sega. This wasn't a decision made by a creative, it was made by a boardroom. And also they had to do it on the cheap, I guess, because they couldn't pay to get Tom Kenny or Bill Fagerbakke to provide voice lines, or even get the rights to use stock clips of theirs. So SpongeBob and Patrick are just going to be mute in this racing game that places a huge emphasis on having a ton of voice lines and interactions for the Sonic cast. There's a very real chance we're just gonna see lobbies full of mute crossover characters when playing online. Sonic is simply a part of the Viacom corporate machine now, whether we like it or not. And Minecraft is here because it's the most popular game in the world and its movie just made almost a billion dollars, I guess.

It just feels like it's watering down the identity of the game so much. I like Fortnite, but I don't need every other game in the world to turn into Fortnite with all these corporate crossovers. It's fucking exhausting. I won't go as far as going "slot crisis" mode here and assume that these DLC characters have taken slots from other characters I'd rather see included, but like... If the game comes out and Tangle and Whisper aren't in it, but SpongeBob is? Sorry, but you're never going to hear the end of it from me lmao

(I know fans have already datamined an Extreme Gear for Whisper that seems to point to their inclusion, but that's not exactly a confirmation. It could literally just be the Extreme Gear thrown in as a nod to the comics and nothing else. Also now that we have all these mute crossover characters part of me worries that they wouldn't even bother casting voice actresses for them, which is half the reason why I'd be excited to see them in a game in the first place. I know it's a whole different rights situation with the Nick characters, but still, the thought is in my head.)

So yeah. I dunno. It'll probably still be decent. But these last few announcements have kind of killed the excitement for me.

At least I still have Ring Racers.

[femmehaljordan]

Something I noticed about every fanfic that has the "Jason for some inexplicable reason decides to take pity on Tim after Damian replaces him as Robin" plot-line is that it always feels like it's less about developing a realistic relationship between the two and more about bashing Dick Grayson. For example, there always seems to be some moment where Jason will mention how Dick was super shitty to him for being Robin, but from what I've read with that storyline, the worst Dick comes across is kinda aloof towards what is essentially a random 13 year old (please note that I've only read Nightwing Year One and that one panel from the RHaTO Annual that shows that Alfred had Jason sleeping in Dick's room, so if there is a version I've missed please let me know)

Meanwhile Tim really was shitty towards Jason and his death but for some reason he gets a free pass.

!!!! THANK YOU

So I am actually a Dick and Jason pre-death relationship enthusiast so this might turn out to be mostly about them because as much as I hate Tim, I love talking about Dick and Jason more.

But it’s the classic case of those fans taking things that were mentioned in passing or were very minor and blowing them way out of proportion.

So pre-crisis Dick and Jason did not interact very much after Jason became Robin but before Jason was Robin some interesting things happened. Precrisis Jason was just blonde/red head (no it’s not the time to get into the semantics of that) Dick Grayson. You have to understand that to get it. He was an acrobat in a family called the flying Todd’s. His parents were actually named Joe and Trina. And they were killed by killer croc after they died we got this

DICK WANTED TO ADOPT JASON!!! HE DIDNT HATE HIM AT ALL. I don’t have a picture of the panel with me, but I have the issue it’s in but the first time they meet Dick says to Jason, that he reminds him of someone he knew a long time ago. (Obviously referring to himself.)

And Jason was originally going to form his own identity, which is where this suit comes from. 

But then Bruce gets captured so he dies his hair and steals a robin suit. (TIM HATE SIDEBAR NOT EVEN TIMS ORIGIN IS ORIGINAL LMAO) but he still wasn’t going to become Robin

We have this panel where he’s wearing the original suit trying to come up with a name after he dyed his hair because he got in trouble with Bruce for stealing Dick’s suit because he’s not Robin. 

And then Dick shows up and gives him Robin!! Tells him that he’s allowed to be Robin and that he’s gonna come up with a new identity with the Titans. Pre-crisis Bruce and Dick‘s separation was very amiable. 

(Another sidebar DC give Dick a mole again)

The idea that Dick didn’t like Jason at first comes from post crisis. Specifically Batman the new adventures #416 (this one I’m pulling out because I don’t remember exact details)

You have to take everything in this with a grain of salt because it’s written by Starlin who wanted to make Jason look as bad as possible. He makes Jason break into a possible drug lab and has Dick save him and call him reckless. and that it’s also not a drug lab so that Jason was wrong. What’s interesting about this is we learn that Jason did not know that Dick was Nightwing because Dick’s name drops Bruce and Jason is genuinely concerned about a stranger knowing Bruce’s identity.

And then we get Dick and Bruce fighting about Jason.

(These might be out of order but you get it)

But even with this by the end of the issue, we get this scene 

We’re dick and gives Jason his robin suit and his number (this page is so awful for so many reasons. Jason never grew into that Robin suit. And do you think he tried to call Dick before he went to Ethiopia?)

Then they go bust that drug ring together because it turns out Jason was right because even when Starlin was trying to make him look bad, he was so bad at it.

It ends with Bruce being smug as fuck like “I knew they would work it out” or some shit.

TLDR: Dick never hated Jason. He voluntarily gave him Robin both pre and post crisis, but post crisis Bruce gave it to him first without Dick‘s permission and Dick was upset with Bruce because of it, not Jason. 

Anyway, back to Tim hating. I personally think it’s because there’s no other reason for Jason and Tim to relate to each other. And keep in mind ALL of the “replacement” stuff is blown way out of proportion. From every predecessor to successor. But these people only care about Tim. They use Jason and Dick as vessels to make Tim look as good as possible. I doubt any of them have read any pre Jason death comics let alone ones where Dick and Jason interact. 

Or even modern comics set before he dies!! Because even at nightwing year one they bond and RHATO is probably the only comic they’ve read of Jason‘s. But again they have bonding moments in new 52!! Not as many because it’s new 52 but there are a few.

Anyway, my point is those Tim stans are in a bad game of telephone because they don’t actually read comics. 

(Sorry I just got so fucking excited to talk about Dick and Jason)

[harmonyrae]

Ivy League

Fall Semester: Freshman Year🍁🍂🎃🏈

Premise: Based on this post by PomeRinn aka @waterrinmelonn -their idea? All the LADs boys are modern rich kids going to a prestigious university. And they’re all international students. My addition(s) - they’re attending Yale, an Ivy League University in the American Northeast. They're all the same age. My FMC will end up with only one of them in the end.

Content Warnings: Mildly Suggestive & Explicit Language. Mostly fluff & angst. Romance will happen eventually. Most likely only 1-2 parts will have any smut. To be safe, 18+ MDNI

Word Count: 6.6k

Of all the things you expected from move-in day at Yale, you couldn’t possibly have predicted a housing crisis. The dorm room you were assigned to was overbooked. When you arrived to find every bunk taken and four girls staring at you with raised brows, you panicked. Luckily, they directed you to their resident advisor before you hit the floor.

“Wait, you’re sure they assigned you 121? Lawrance Hall?”

You nod and she taps her chin. She motions for you to follow her and you pick up your suitcase to waddle through the narrow door, your backpack almost slipping off your shoulder.

“Did your things get delivered to 121?”

“Yeah, the girls said they’d keep it all safe until I get this sorted.”

The girl nods, her long legs outpacing yours by a mile. She rushes up to a faculty member and explains the situation. The elderly woman smiles sympathetically as she gives you a once over. Your flushed cheeks, sweat dampening your bangs, you’ve had a hell of a first day. When she approaches, you hold your breath, half convinced she is going to tell you to go home - all those years of busting your ass for nothing. Just to get kicked out because of a housing mistake. The woman quickly reaches out to retrieve your backpack, slinging it over her shoulder instead.

“I’m Ms. Dudley, I’m so sorry about the mix up. Come on then, we’ll find you another room immediately.” You really should stop doomspiraling like that.

You follow her to the Student Affairs building and wait while she works to find another room for you. She returns with a wide smile.

“We found someone without a roommate in Durfee Hall. It is on the co-ed floor, if you’re alright with that?”

Nodding without thinking, you eagerly stand and follow her back outside. You’ll gladly deal with rowdy male neighbors if it means you have a place to stay.

She ushers you into Durfee Hall and up the stairs to the fourth floor. You’re out of breath as she pushes open the doors to reveal the long hallway, filled with people running back and forth. A group of girls circle around Ms. Dudley.

“Since when is Durfee Hall a co-ed dorm? It was all-male last year!”

“The first two floors are still all male! It reeks of testosterone!”

Ms. Dudley shushes the girls and turns to you, passing you your backpack and a room key.

“You’re in room 27, dear. Your roommate's name is Tara. I’ll organize the movers to bring your things and check on you in a little while!”

And just like that, you’re on your own. Ms. Dudley walks off down the hall with the gaggle of girls to discuss their concerns. You shuffle forward, lugging your suitcase behind you. Room 27, two doors down from the shower room. Oh god… Is the shower room shared as well? Before you can spiral down that rabbithole, you fumble with the key, completely missing the lock and dropping it along with your backpack.

“Oh for fucks sake…” You mumble under your breath.

“Need some help?” A low voice rumbles behind you.

You stand up straight and whip your head around. Your backpack slips right off your shoulder again, slamming onto your foot. The man in front of you, leaning oh so casually against the wall next to the door across the hall, is drop dead gorgeous. Tall, ashen hair, perfectly disheveled, a fitted black tank top showing off a fit figure and broad shoulders, dark jeans with strategically placed rips along the knee and thigh, combat boots with loose laces and that face. A sharp jawline, prominent nose, plump lips with a deep cupid’s bow that makes your knees weak, and his ruby red eyes sparkling with amusement.

You’re staring. And you’ve been caught.

“Uhhh… ye-yea, that would… that… yes.”

He chuckles and pushes off the wall to pick up your backpack. His fingers brush yours as he takes your suitcase from your hand, freeing both of your hands. You quickly open the door to find the room half filled, but your roommate nowhere to be seen.

A group of students in matching brightly colored t-shirts approach you. You immediately recognize the boxes and suitcases in their hands.

“Room 27, right?”

You nod and they begin to file in one at a time, placing your things on the floor next to the empty bed. You step back to let them work, bumping into the handsome stranger in the process.

“I’m Sylus, by the way. I live across the hall.”

You watch as he nods his head in the direction of the closed door directly across from yours. Room 29. You squint and lean against the wall next to your room.

“Are you locked out or…”

“Oh, ha… My roommate is doing a, what did he call it, an evaluation.”

He sets down your bags and props up his arm on the wall next to your head to lean towards you. His bicep flexes as he moves. You swallow and cross your arms, suddenly very aware of how sweaty you are.

“He’s really just checking the mattresses for bedbugs.”

You gasp and look over your shoulder at your bare mattress, skin already itching at the thought. Sylus chuckles and you return your attention to him.

“Ms. Dudley assured him they replaced all the mattresses this summer since these floors were going co-ed. He’s just ‘making sure.’” His air quotes are clumsy, sarcastic… cute. You shake your head to refocus.

“Gotcha. I’m Y/N, by the way.”

“Nice to meet you, neighbor. Zayne should be almost finished. Unless you want him to fumigate your room too? I’m pretty sure he’s going to offer his services to the whole floor.”

You giggle and shake your head. The movers have finished bringing your belongings in and jog down the hall to “help” a group of girls waving at them with coy smiles. You jump as a door opens and your jaw aches from how hard you clench to keep it from dropping open.

Another man stands in the doorway across the hall. A bit shorter than Sylus, but tall enough for you to drool over. Dark hair, neatly combed and cut, brilliant green eyes, the loose long sleeve shirt and jeans he wears doesn’t hide his impressive build. His choice of shirt makes you raise a brow, with the sweltering heat of summer lingering you’re sure he must be hot. You catch a glimpse of his forearms where his sleeves are rolled up, they’re covered in scars. He pulls his sleeves down hastily and you realize, once again, that you’re staring. Blinking and blushing, you look up to meet his gaze. Oh great, he’s not only well-built, but his face is the sweetest thing. Glasses slipping down his nose, cheeks slightly flushed, dark brows framing gentle eyes. You thrust your hand forward before you can stop yourself.

“Hi! I’m Y/N, you must be Zayne.”

He raises a brow and glances at Sylus, who huffs a laugh. Zayne takes your hand and gives it a firm shake. His skin is cooler than you expected. He forces a small smile.

“Yes, I’m Zayne. I assume you are one of our neighbors?”

You point to the room behind you with your thumb and nod sheepishly, suddenly very aware of your predicament. You are going to be living across the hall from two incredibly attractive men all year. And who knows who else lives further down the hall. Maybe you should have waited for a different room after all.

“Oh my god!” A shrill shriek pierces the air making all three of you jump. “Are you my roomie?!”

Stepping forward to look past Sylus, you see a slender woman with short hair and an adorable expression. She hurries forward, the books piled up in her arms nearly tumbling to the ground. Zayne reaches out a hand to grab them, restacking them as she thanks him profusely.

“I was wondering if anyone would get assigned! When I checked online, I thought they’d accidentally given me a single room. I’m Tara!”

You introduce yourself and catch Tara sending Sylus a sly smirk.

“I see you’ve met our resident lurker. He’s been standing in the hallway since before I left for the bookstore. I’m guessing you’re Zayne, the roomie inspecting the mattresses?”

Zayne rubs the back of his neck and Tara giggles. Sylus steps through the circle and loops an arm around Zayne’s shoulders, catching him by surprise.

“Yep, I am so grateful to have a roomie willing to irradicate those nasty fuckers.”

Zayne laughs, or what you assume is a laugh, and Tara rolls her eyes.

“I better help you settle in, looks like your stuff got delivered!”

She skips past you, waving to Zayne and Sylus as she backs into your room. You give the pair one last look, steeling your nerves.

“It was nice to meet you both.”

“We’ll see you around, I’m sure.” Sylus winks and you squeak, closing the door quickly, letting his chuckle turn muffled behind the barrier of oak.

🍁🍂🎃🏈

Tara gets right to work, diving into your boxes and suitcases. She puts on a peppy playlist and points out the door for your closet. You welcome her help, it’s been a hell of a day. Before long, you’re chatting away like old friends. Tara is ridiculously easy to talk to and you say a silent prayer that this dynamic remains.

“Okay, spill. Which one do you think is hotter?”

You unfold your plush pink comforter and spread it across your bed.

“Who?”

“Our sexy neighbors, of course! I saw Zayne moving in before Sylus arrived and nearly fainted on the spot to be honest.”

You giggle, thankful someone else has similar physical reactions as you do. She looks down at you from her precarious position on her desk, her hands stretched above her holding a set of string lights. You pass her another pin and lean against the desk next to her.

“They’re both… attractive.”

“Oh girl, you don’t even know the half of it! When I left to pick up my book order, I talked to Sylus for a minute and found out both him and Zayne are international students!”

You tense, your legs feeling like jelly all over again.

“Apparently, Zayne is from China, where both of his parents are prestigious surgeons. And Sylus is from South Korea, his dad owns Che Enterprises, which is already crazy. Like, he has to be the richest kid on campus - aside from that Rockefeller kid - but when he told me who his mom is? I almost screamed.”

“Who’s his mom?”

She hops down off her desk and opens the top drawer. She pulls out a stack of fashion magazines and flips to the centerfold. A tall woman with luscious blonde hair, curvy hips and perfectly tanned skin lies draped over an equally attractive man who holds an expensive looking bottle of perfume. Tara points to the woman.

“That’s his mom.”

“Katya Artyomov is his MOTHER?” Tara giggles wildly.

“I know! I KNOW! I could tell he immediately regretted telling me though, so don’t bring it up unless he does, okay? I don’t want to scare him off because I think his mom is hot.”

You laugh with her. So your neighbors are international students. Hot. International. Students. Great. Love that for you.

Your phone dings and you flop down on your bed. 7 unread texts and 2 missed calls from Caleb, shit, you promised him you’d reach out once you were settled. You quickly press the dial button and he answers before the second ring.

“Pips! Holy fuck… I went to Lawrance Hall and they said you don’t live there. What the hell happened?”

You explain the situation and he calms down. But when he finds out you got a room in Durfee Hall, he goes silent. His voice is noticeably harsher when he speaks again.

“So you’re on one of the co-ed floors?” You pinch the bridge of your nose, there he is, your childhood best friend, still as protective as ever.

“Yes, Caleb. And I’m fine, okay? Don’t worry.” He sighs. “You can visit, if you want, if my roomie is okay with it.”

Tara looks over and gives a thumbs up. You didn’t even need to ask, her trusting nature is sweet but you have a feeling you’ll be looking out for her. A crash sounds from Caleb’s end and you wince. He groans and then sighs.

“One of my suite mates just broke the coffee table in the common room… I’ll visit another night. Just text me, okay?”

You agree and hang up, letting him go deal with the chaos his roommates are causing. Tara digs out two water bottles from her mini fridge and tosses one to you.

“Brother?”

You shake your head and down at least half of the water.

“He lived next door to me growing up. We went to the same prep school and graduated together. He convinced me to apply to Yale. I didn’t think I’d get accepted, but then we both got our acceptance letters on the same day.”

“Aww cute! So… you’re dating?”

Again, you shake your head. She pouts, glaring at you.

“So if you’re not dating him, are you dating anyone?” She wiggles her eyebrows and smirks.

When you shake your head, yet again, she nearly drops her bottle of water to clap her hands.

“Great! So I can work on setting you up with one of the hotties across the hall, right?”

Water dribbles down your chin as you slap your hand over your mouth to avoid spitting. Tara laughs so loudly, you’re sure the whole floor can hear it. She falls over onto her bed and giggles into her pillow. Clearly, your shock was very amusing. Your roomie is definitely going to get you in trouble this year, isn’t she?

🍁🍂🎃🏈

You weren’t going to go, but then Tara dragged you out of bed.

“You have to join a club or a team or something! Live a little! Meet people!”

You told yourself you wouldn’t repeat the mistakes you made in high school. You wasted two years doing the bare minimum before you realized colleges looked at extra curriculars and volunteer activities, not just grades. By the time you started to enjoy yourself, graduation was around the corner. So, yes, you were going to join a club or a team or something.

You throw on a breezy sundress, a light pastel pink with lace detailing along the hem. Slipping on your converse and hooking your bag over your shoulder. You decide to forgo doing anything with your hair, it’s way too hot, your messy half-up do will have to… do.

The quad is buzzing with activity, booths line the sidewalk decorated with bright signs. Girls in tiny skirts waving pom poms jump up and down, gaining the attention of almost every guy walking past. You spot Tara at the “French Club” booth - she’d mentioned her mom was from France and she spent every summer there since she was three.

A flash of white catches your attention, followed by that low, rumbling laugh. You finally find Sylus in the crowd, he points to something on the ground and claps with a wide smile. As you get closer you see an array of small robots whirling around. Sylus looks up and you wave, he smiles and tips his chin in response. You quickly move past the crowd of rowdy nerds to find another long line of booths. Another small crowd circles a pair engaged in a dual. The clang and clash of foils draws you closer, a fencing club?

“He’s got to be a professional!” “No way he beats the captain!” “Who is that guy?”

As you approach, you hear the whispers and praise for one of the competitors. Breaking through the crowd, you watch the masked men step and bend. With a swift jab, the taller of the two scores a point and the crowd erupts in applause. Both men take off their masks and shake hands, the loser bowing to the winner in awe. You rise to your toes to try to see the winner, but with his back to you all you can see is blonde hair.

“Tell me what I have to do to get you to join. Consider it done. We need you, man!”

There’s a breathy chuckle, the winner lifts a hand to the back of his neck.

“If someone beats me, I’ll join.”

His voice is soft, with the hint of an accent. European? Sounds like he’s trying to cover it up, but it bleeds through. The crowd thins as the loser, who everyone is referring to as “Cap,” makes his rounds. When you don’t back up or look away, he stops, giving you a once over. You were definitely not dressed for a dual, but you couldn’t pass up the opportunity to hold a foil again.

You’d been hesitant to join your high school fencing team, but the prospect of holding a sword won you over in the end. You felt powerful, like a knight. You liked the concept of being your own knight in shining armor, so you decided to train like one. Turns out, you’re a natural. Perceptive, limber, daring when it counts. Winning the state championship was a boost to your college applications and your ego.

“Care to give it a go, miss?”

You knew he was being polite, probably thought he was being such a gentleman. But you never liked being called “miss” - it always felt like a backhand somehow. You stand up straight and shrug.

“Sure, why not?”

The captain smiles, handing you the mask and draping a padded chest piece over you. When you look up, you see your opponent has already donned his mask once more. You quickly secure your own and take the foil offered to you. Your movement will be limited, but given what you witnessed at the end of the last fight, the reigning champion was precise, not necessarily swift. If you could side step at the perfect moment, he’d leave himself open.

“Positions!” The captain shouts.

You and your opponent stand at the ready. Your cheeks ache from how wide your smile is, you’ve missed this. You lift your foil to salute and wait for the captain’s command.

"Pret? Allez!"

Just as you suspected, blondie is precise, methodical. Formally trained, for sure. You had just a few months of training, but your team was made up of cheaters, always finding ways to bend the rules and challenge your skills. You maintain your stance, stepping slowly and swaying out of the way just as he thrust forward. A giggle escapes your lips and your opponents huffs. Not angry, amused.

Another lunge and you’re leaping to the left, allowing him to step too far forward. You’re tempted to swat his ass with your foil, but you doubt the captain of the Yale fencing club would appreciate that. He spins and you take your chance, darting forward to stab the padding at the center of his chest. Point.

The crowd is silent, but you can tell people are whispering about you. You can feel it. Removing your mask and tucking it under your arm, you extend your hand to your opponent. Your smile falls as you feel the crowd eyeing you. And then he pulls off his mask, smiling as he closes his hand around yours.

Oh for fucks sake…Those rumors your girlfriends in high school talked about are true. College guys are hotter.

He runs a hand through his slightly damp blonde hair, letting it fall back down over his forehead. His t-shirt had a subtle sweat stain around the collar, the hem of his cargo pants dirty from kicking up dirt and grass. You can tell his sneakers were once a pristine white, they must be his favorite. When you meet his eyes, oh lord, a blue so clear you audibly gasped. His smile widens and you internally slapped yourself for being so reactive.

“Your footwork is excellent.” There’s that hint of an accent again. “I’m Xavier, and you are?”

You introduce yourself before the captain approaches and pops your little bubble. He puts a hand on each of your shoulders, bringing you both closer together.

“Listen, I just had two of my best members graduate last year, I’m begging here…”

Xavier glances at you and shrugs.

“If she’s in, so am I.”

It feels like you swallowed your tongue. The captain turns to you, queuing up his puppy dog eyes to signify his desperation. You clear your throat.

“I’m in.”

🍁🍂🎃🏈

This semester was relatively simple class-wise. You focused on knocking out some of your least favorite gen-ed requirements. Math was kicking your ass… Thankfully, Sylus was a math wizard. When he mentioned his major was mechanical engineering, you swiftly asked if he could help you with your math homework. He didn’t hesitate to agree.

Tara became known as the coffee guru of the fourth floor. The only payment she requested for making a cup using her fancy machine was coffee beans and a glowing review on Snapchat. Zayne was the only one who requested tea and Tara happily obliged. He bought a box of Jasmine tea and since he didn’t have Snapchat, she requested he sit in your dorm room while he drank it.

“I’ll only make it if you promise to socialize. Sit with us, bring a book or your laptop to study. But you’re not allowed to take the mug back to your room.”

After a long pause, Zayne agreed and coffee almost spurted out of Sylus’s nose. Sylus was used to being Zayne’s only friend and source of socialization. The look of pride on his face when Zayne agreed was comical, but sweet.

The fencing club met every Thursday evening after dinner. You began to look forward to meeting up with Xavier, who had essentially “claimed” you as his practice partner. He never practiced with anyone else and you never complained. He challenged you with his skill while you surprised him with your antics. Your unpredictability helped him improve and the first time the club competed, he easily won every round.

Xavier occasionally brought his roommate, Rafayel, with him to practice. Rafayel claimed it was for his drawing class. So he could practice drawing athletic movements and muscular builds. But you could tell he really just enjoyed watching his roommate lose. Dropping his pencil to point at you and clap, your personal cheerleader. After practice, you would sit and look through some of his drawings. He was incredibly talented, not to mention incredibly handsome.

Rafayel was lean, but when you caught a glimpse of his abs when he would pull off his hoodie before sitting down to draw, you’d feel your heart skip a beat. His style certainly stood out amongst the American Northeast Ivy League sweaters and jeans. But given the fact he grew up on the fashion forward streets in Japan, he wouldn’t dare tone down his style. Or his hair. His shaggy mullet was a gorgeous shade of purple, closer to mauve but with a blue undertone that reminded you of mixed berries. It nearly matched his eyes, a stunning deep blue that shone pink in the sun. When you described them to Tara you used the words “the beach at sunset” and she immediately stole your phone to try to invite him over.

When you learned about Rafayel and Xavier also being International students, you immediately thought of introducing them to Zayne and Sylus. You couldn’t imagine the culture shock, linking up might be a source of comfort. Then again, Xavier spent a lot of time in London with his aunt and uncle. Which is still very different, but at least there’s not a language barrier. Well, given some of the phrases you’ve heard him say… He may have learned to hide his accent, but when he says things like:

“Do you think practice will end early tonight? I’m knackered…”

You nearly peed your pants from giggling.

You organized for all the guys to meet up at the dining hall. You even invited Caleb since you knew he’d be able to chat Xavier’s ear off. With Xavier being an Astrophysics Major and Caleb an Aerospace Engineering Major, you were sure they’d get along. Sure enough, they ended up talking about their black hole theories all throughout dinner. While Rafayel, Tara and Sylus argued over the recent change in art style for an anime they all watch. You and Zayne spent the evening rating the dining hall's desserts. For a premed student, Zayne sure likes his sugary treats.

Football season was well underway and while Caleb was a huge fan, your new group of friends were extremely unfamiliar with the sport. Xavier took every opportunity to bring up “real football” when you’d mention it. Which only turned into a back and forth of fake British accents and light hearted mockery.

The final game before winter break was rapidly approaching and you realized you hadn't been to a single one. It took some convincing, but everyone agreed to go to the tailgate party and enjoy a good ole American football game together.

🍁🍂🎃🏈

“When’s sundown?”

You can hear Zayne sigh from across the hall. Leaning back from your closet, you look through the open door and give him a pleading look. He looks up from his book, resting in his lap, and pushes his glasses up.

“5:05 pm, exactly an hour after ‘kickoff’ and 3 hours after the ‘tailgate’ event starts.” The way he said ‘kickoff’ and ‘tailgate’ never fails to make you smile. Like he’s half disgusted, half intrigued.

“So I shouldn’t wear my cut offs then?” Tara mumbles while halfway buried in her closet.

“It is inadvisable to wear shorts in November in this part of the country.”

His deadpan expression, the logical advice, he’s the dad of the friend group and he doesn’t even realize it. Bless him.

You settle on an oversized Yale hoodie and lightwash jeans with pink bows down the outseam. You sit on the edge of your desk to lace up your white converse, you didn’t want to wake Caleb from his nap by bouncing on your bed. He was convinced he’d oversleep, so he arrived early and crashed in your dorm. It was quite a sight actually, not one you’re unfamiliar with, but it’s always funny to see him curled up in a pink blanket with a mermaid plushie against his chest.

“Zayne, you can’t bring a book with you to the party.” Rafayel’s voice was unmistakable.

Leaning against the doorframe, you watch the boys file into Zayne and Sylus’s room. Zayne groans as Rafayel snatches the book from his hands and slides the bookmark in place, depositing it on his bedside table. Xavier snoops through their minifridge and swipes an energy drink. Looks like Zayne’s warnings didn’t deter Sylus from his newest addiction. A whistle from down the hall draws your attention, a group of girls lingers outside the bathroom , twirling their hair and smiling. They certainly aren’t dressed for a November football game, but what can you… oh…

Sylus emerges from the bathroom and gives the girls a polite nod. He rubs his hair with a towel as he walks toward his room. He never listens to the RAs when they tell him to dress in the bathroom, preferring to walk the short distance to his room and risk the write up. A second towel is wrapped around his hips, dangerously loose.

You’ve successfully avoided seeing him shirtless, knowing how you have zero self-preservation skills and a lackluster poker face. Well, you were successful, until today… He was just as well built as you imagined he’d be. But as your eyes roamed, you noticed the metal piercing his nipples. Your jaw fell open. To quote Xavier, you were positively gobsmacked.

“What are you staring at?” Tara pops up beside you and before you can answer she lets out a small giggle as she eyes Sylus. “Oh, first time?” You elbow her in the ribs.

“I can almost hear you purring, kitten.” Sylus teases.

You’re not sure when he started using the nickname or when you stopped giving him shit for it, but the way he was looking at you, while looking like that… Zayne huffs and you notice he’s behind Sylus now, shoving him into the room to finish getting ready.

“I don’t know how you’re always the last one to start getting ready.” He mutters softly, loud enough for you and Tara to hear and giggle in response.

“And yet, I still look amazing every time.” Sylus calls out from somewhere in his room.

He’s not wrong.

Once Sylus is ready, you gently wake Caleb. He tosses the plushie to the side ignoring your smirk to slide his shoes on. Unlike you, he’s already declared his major, but he followed your advice to get his least favorite gen-ed classes out of the way first. He hated writing essays in high school, you always helped him proofread and even pulled a few all-nighters with him. This time around, you made sure he did the bulk of the work. So while you slept through the night, he stayed up to write his final paper. Hence, the impromptu nap before the game.

“Let me guess, it’s ass.”

You slap his shoulder and pick up the paper off your desk. Leafing through the pages, you try to count how many notes you left, or grammatical corrections you made, but the higher the number went you decided to just keep it to yourself.

“It’s not bad. Just needs some fine tuning. You can make these changes in less than an hour and turn it in tonight.”

He stands quickly and wraps his arms around you, squeezing you to his chest. You grunt, but return his hug.

“Thanks Pipsqueak. You’re a lifesaver.”

He places his hands on your shoulders and gives you his signature smile with that little head tilt. You try to regain your composure to scold him.

“I told you, no more ‘Pipsqueak’ - we’re in college now, it’s embarrassing!”

He ruffles your hair and you gasp in mock-horror. He raises his hands in surrender and smoothes out the strays.

“But I’ve called you that forever! What about ‘Pips’? Is ‘Pips’ still okay?”

You snarl, but it comes out as a pitiful grumble. Rolling your eyes, you nod.

“Fine. But try to call me by my name when we’re in big crowds, okay?” He nods and pulls you into another hug.

“We better get going, I can hear the music from here!” Tara finishes her makeup and stands from her desk, batting her lashes. “Caleb… you’ll carry my hoodie for me for a while, right?”

Tara was smitten with Caleb the moment she saw him. You couldn’t blame her, Caleb was handsome. Tall, strong, chestnut hair that falls down his forehead over those eyes… You remember the first time you really looked into his eyes and didn’t see the scrawny kid you grew up with. Golden specs floating through a deep purple, it made you feel like you were looking at the night sky during a meteor shower. You were used to girls surrounding him, flirting and giggling like idiots. Tara knew you were self-conscious about your childhood bestie, so her flirting was always exaggerated. She’d never cross that line unless you gave her the go-ahead.

“Yes, Tara, I’ll carry your hoodie for you.” Caleb snickers and grabs her matching Yale hoodie off her bed.

It takes about 10 minutes to walk from your dorm to the parking lot where the tailgate party is being held. Music blares, the scent of hot dogs and burgers gets stronger making your stomach growl. The lot was packed, volunteers manned the food tent and upperclassmen were already cracking beers open.

“I’ll find a spot for us to sit!” Xavier grabs Rafayel by the collar and drags him along. You’re not sure what they’re fighting about but it’s been going on for almost two weeks.

“Caleb, you want to help me grab some food?” Sylus runs a hand through his hair as he turns toward the food tent.

“Sure. Dog or burger?”

“Burger please!” You smile as he hands Tara her hoodie.

“I’ll come too!” Tara calls out, her head stuck in her hoodie. You help her escape and she rushes after the boys.

You move closer to Zayne as the crowd gets rowdy. He extends his elbow and you suppress the urge to say “aww” - eagerly looping your arm with his. You point to a smaller tent selling cookies and pull him along behind you. Unfortunately, a group of stereotypical frat boys cut you off, one of which you immediately recognize. Mark Blakely, the thorn in your side, yet another reason you despised your math class.

“And you told me you weren’t dating anyone. Sweetheart, I’m hurt, truly.”

You roll your eyes and try to move past him, but he blocks your path. Zayne tenses, keeping you close. He doesn’t speak up to correct Mark, and you’re grateful.

“I don’t believe she’s interested in speaking with you.” Zayne says, his tone calm.

“I don’t believe I asked for your opinion, smartass.”

“Mark, fuck off.”

“You’ve dodged me all semester, come on, just one date. You won’t be disappointed.” He tucks his thumbs in his waistband and winks. Bile rises to the back of your throat.

“If my calculations are correct, given your height, posture and hand measurements, I’m fairly certain she would definitely be disappointed.”

You are simply too stunned to speak, all you can do is stare at Zayne. He tilts his head, challenging Mark to say something else, his quick wit begging for a good stretch. Mark’s jaw clenches, his hands sinking into his pockets.

“Who the fuck do you think you are?” Mark takes a step forward.

“Li Shen, I go by Zayne. But for you, I’m sure one day you’ll refer to me as your doctor while I repair your organs after years of drinking to soothe your fragile ego.”

Oh he’ll never recover.

Mark’s face flushes as his anger builds. He reaches out to grab a fistful of Zayne’s hoodie. You hold onto his arm, allowing yourself to get dragged forward as Mark pulls. But before Mark can say a word, two large hands clap down on his shoulders.

One is Sylus’s, the other Caleb’s. Mark looks over his shoulder at the men, scowling as they tighten their grip.

“If you wouldn’t mind, let go of my friend.” Sylus growls.

“Now.” You didn’t know Caleb could even sound like that.

Mark lets Zayne go and backs up, his friends standing beside him with angry glares of their own. Zayne doesn’t make a sound, but as you wrap your hands around his forearm you see his lips curve into a smile. When Mark finally stalks off with his buddies, Sylus, Caleb and Tara, who is struggling to balance styrofoam containers of food on her own, circle around you and Zayne.

“What the hell happened?” Caleb says, trying his best to stay calm.

“Mark was being a dick. Looks like he couldn’t handle getting put in his place.”

Sylus crosses his arms and smiles wide.

“Finally, someone else has seen Zayne’s dark side, not just me. He’s brutal isn’t he?”

You laugh and pull Zayne into a hug, he tenses.

“Thank you.” You whisper in his ear, he relaxes. His arms creeping around you to return the gentle hug.

“My pleasure.”

When you all finally find Xavier and Rafayel, they stop their bickering just long enough to ask what happened. Both of them bounce between anger and shock at the revelation that an asshole bothered you, but that Zayne shut him down. Tara distributes the food before Caleb asks Zayne to come with him to get drinks for everyone. Almost as soon as they leave, Xavier and Rafayel begin arguing again.

“Okay, what gives? Why are you two at each other’s throats?” Tara shouts over them.

You lean back and feel Sylus behind you. Before you can jolt forward, his hand rests on your shoulder. He eases you back, letting you use his shoulder as a backrest. You’re thankful he’s behind you so he can’t see how red your cheeks have gotten.

“Rafayel decided to use me as a model without telling me. Now there’s a portrait of me sleeping, framed, in the art gallery. But that’s not the worst part.”

Rafayel covers his mouth, but you already saw his smile. He’s proud of his little stunt.

“He named it ‘Sleeping Prince’ and now people are asking me if ‘the rumors are true’…”

Xavier had told you about his royal connection, but never shared details. You had no idea if he was a distant cousin or if he really was a prince. Given his expression, it looks like there is more validity in the ‘rumors’ than you realize.

“In my defense, I didn’t know you were actually–” Xavier slaps a hand over Rafayel’s mouth.

You feel Sylus’s shoulder shake behind you as he laughs.

“So, the rumors are true then?” He asks.

Xavier drops his hand and focuses on his food, his ears a dark red. Tara moves to sit next to him on the grass, she puts a hand on his shoulder.

“We’ll keep it a secret, okay? Oh! I have an idea! Rafayel, you start a new rumor.”

Rafayel motions for Tara to continue. Caleb and Zayne arrive with your drinks just in time to hear her grand scheme.

“Start a rumor that Sylus bleaches his hair.”

“But I don’t.” Sylus mumbles, his mouth full.

“I know, but it’s the kind of rumor that doesn’t hurt anyone. If people keep talking about the Xavier rumor, it could make things harder for him.”

“Fine by me.” Sylus offers.

“You don’t have to do that.” Xavier mumbles. “But… thank you.”

🍁🍂🎃🏈

After the game that night, Tara tells you more about the rumor. Xavier’s mother is a Spanish princess, making him a legitimate prince. The bits and pieces Xavier has told you about his upbringing starts to make a lot more sense. He had mentioned running away as a teen to live with his aunt and uncle, guess the royal life wasn’t for him? You decide to keep it to yourself, no reason to make Xavier feel more awkward by telling him you know.

The game itself was boring, but listening to Caleb explain how the game worked to the other guys was pretty entertaining. You’d splurged on extra desserts from the concession stand, forcing Zayne to accept your gratitude via sugary goodness. He didn’t argue too much. Rafayel worked his magic and started spreading the new rumor to the students around him. Sylus had people eyeing him the rest of the night. Tara ended up falling asleep against Sylus’s shoulder before half-time. He carried her back to the dorm when the game ended and lingered in the hallway with you before going your separate ways.

You won’t deny it, Sylus is attractive and charming. Sure, you have a crush. But you also don’t want to pursue anything, at least not right now. Your freshman year was for you, no one else. It didn’t make his flirty remarks and teasing any less tempting. Rafayel and Xavier had flirted as well, even Zayne had started complimenting you while his cheeks turned rosy. And Caleb… You’re never sure with him. Your best friend, your first kiss… Neither of you ever brought it up, but he’s always been extra critical of anyone you tried to date after that.

None of that changes the fact that you’re determined to make the most of your college years. Experience everything. Have fun, try to stay responsible and make as many memories as you possibly can. 🍁🍂🎃🏈

𝕿𝖆𝖌𝖑𝖎𝖘𝖙: (If you'd like to be added to the Ivy League taglist comment a🎓) @trishiepo0 @not-so-quite-human @kitsunetori @babyx91 @libriomancer @lilyadora @crowskitten22 @letharue @silverbrain @alastor-simp @drama-trauma @0tterteeth @mysticcollectionvoid @godzillaglitter @godoffuckedupcats @klmpun @ariallaisawesome @spidy-spider01 @ankitavminkook @m00nchildwrites @plsdonttakemyname @hauntedbysmutm0 @withering-dream @lostwingz2236 @simpfortheseven @bubbleteakittyy @stellar-seas @babylilxc @havenhope-art @lly5duck @freddy-2002-blog @sylus-hunter

AN: I was in college back in 2013, so it's been a HOT MINUTE. Not everything will be super modern as I am drawing from experience. However, I did not graduate, so this is also a healing fanfic for me. I'm living vicariously through the FMC and rewriting my past. With hot international students. Yay.

[sunderwight]

Much as I love the idea of PIDW being rife with terrible porn tropes and interesting (if contrived) erotic writing conventions, all actual evidence in canon would seem to indicate that apart from some sex pollen and "uh oh, the protagonist has gone into a fugue state, whatever shall calm him down?" type stuff, it was fairly vanilla.

Like, that's part of both Shen Yuan and Airplane's frustration with it, I think. It's full of sex and it's not even sex either of them enjoy the concept of. Airplane was fully just trying to pander to an audience he felt he knew and could manipulate, but not one either he nor his ultra mega hate reader were actually part of.

Not that they understood that themselves at the time.

I mean I know fandom likes to make Airplane less closeted than Shen Yuan (for a lot of reasons), which I support, but I feel like in canon at least... he didn't cotton on to Luo Binghe's change in interests at first either. It wasn't until he was watching his protagonist obsess over resurrecting Shen Qingqiu at any cost that the light started to dawn. For Shang Qinghua, also, many more years have passed since he was back in their original world. He's had more time to reconcile himself to certain ideas.

What glimpses we get of the person he was before he died, was reborn, and lived a whole other life well into adulthood, would seem to indicate that he probably wasn't much better than Shen Yuan back when he was writing.

I mean he probably was still BETTER (the bar is on the floor), like I bet he could have a fantasy featuring Mobei Jun without having an existential crisis or pretending it didn't happen, but he would have probably been like "wow I guess I've been writing so much m/f porn that I can't even enjoy it anymore and my brain had to come up with something else, anyway Mobei would make a hot chick tho, I'm gonna write one of his cousins as Binghe's next wife" and gotten on with things.

Basically I guess what I'm driving at is that it would be funny if SQQ and SQH figured they had a solid handle on the kinds of sex pollen-y porn tropes to expect from the world (mostly just the occasional fuck-or-die that missionary can cure), only for the rug to get ripped out from under them because the system incorporated a bunch of stuff from Airplane's subconscious to fill out the gaps. Not even his notes. His daydreams and fantasies.

SQQ: what the hell?! PIDW didn't even have werewolves or tentacle porn monsters!

SQH, suddenly reminded of some very specific fap sessions: right?! this is definitely weird and in no way my fault! it must be because of the genre switch!

SQQ: *suspicious*

SQH: which is your fault! you made the protagonist gay! in fact it's probably your fault that I'm gay too now!

SQQ: bullshit. what did you do. was this in a draft?!

SQH: *sweating* I can say with absolute confidence that it was not! I never wrote anything like this!

SQQ: *having a crisis now because maybe he DID accidentally cause the monsterfucker stuff and he desperately doesn't want anyone to realize that he's actually into it*

SQH: *continuing to sweat because the world is consistently manifesting content from his personal spank bank and if cucumber ever figures that out he's a dead man*

[magicalmatcha]

SWEET LIFE: Missin Something

@/offbrandheiress tweeted!

↳ i have to work a 12hr shift and ashido mina is partying it up 😒

LONG WRITTEN PORTION UNDER THE CUT!

"Katsuki!"

The party was bubbling, music thrumming through the decks of the yacht, laughter ringing out beneath the soft burn of the setting sun. Dozens of guests moved like light across the sprawling vessel, each one draped in summer looks that cost more than most people’s tuition.

Bakugou stood near the starboard rail, one hand shoved into the pocket of his tailored slacks, the other holding a half-finished glass of mead. He listened, mostly tuned out, while Kyoka and Hagakure chatted beside him, their voices trailing between beats of the ambient lounge track humming through the yacht’s sound system.

His head snapped to the side at the shrill, familiar voice. His scowl didn’t shift.

Barreling toward him in a whirlwind of pink and white silk was Mina Ashido, radiant and visibly unhinged, dripping in Swarovski jewelry like it was armor. Behind her, Kirishima followed fast, holding a tiny gold Prada clutch with both hands like it might explode.

“This caterer,” Mina hissed, skidding to a halt in front of them, “thinks takoyaki is a suitable finger food. Takoyaki, Katsuki!”

Kirishima grimaced in agreement. Mina tossed her hair over one shoulder and threw her arms up dramatically. “And it’s not even the fact that it’s takoyaki, it tastes like it came from a street cart. He’s making a fool of me.”

Katsuki stared at her for a beat, vaguely amused. “Have you ever even had street food?”

“No,” she said instantly, appalled. “That’s why I need you to try it.” She grabbed his forearm in desperation, about to drag him off when he planted his feet and pulled away.

“Calm down, Princess Bubblegum.” He reclaimed his arm with a shake. “I got the caterers, remember? They’re the same people who did the afterparty for Seoul Fashion Week 2022. The squid’s wild-caught, flown in from the damn Caribbean.”

He said it casually, but there was weight behind it, and Mina stilled, visibly unclenching.

“Right. Of course.” She smoothed her silk skirt as Eijirou wrapped an arm around her waist, steadying her.

“Just relax, Mina,” Kirishima said gently, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “The sunset hasn’t even peaked yet.”

Katsuki raised a brow, taking a sip of his drink. “What, you doubted me?”

“A little,” Mina admitted without shame.

“Fuck off.”

She grinned, crisis averted, the gleam returning to her already over-glittered eyes.

Sero and Denki wandered over, their presence announced by the faint sound of Denki chewing gum too loudly and Sero glancing down at his camera, flicking through footage with practiced swipes. Denki tugged on his arm impatiently, trying to get him to keep pace.

“Yo, has the Golden Trio pulled up yet?” Denki asked, eyes scanning the yacht’s entrance. “Yn promised we could use her for clout for at least three minutes of the vlog.”

Mina shrugged, effortlessly elegant as she plucked a cosmopolitan off a passing tray Kirishima flagged down for her. She held the glass like an accessory, nails glinting in the warm gold of the setting sun.

“Party started at five,” she said, sipping without smudging her gloss. “They’ll come fashionably late, just late enough to make an entrance, but not late enough to look like they’ve stopped respecting time entirely.”

“Elite punctuality,” Sero muttered, checking his screen again. “The most terrifying kind.”

“They’ll be here any minute,” Mina added, glancing up just as a new wave of laughter rang out from the upper deck. A smaller boat had just docked, a sleek, minimal thing with all-white trim, and more guests filed in, the yacht tilting ever so slightly beneath the shift.

A drone floated overhead, lazily circling, its blinking red light barely visible against the darkening sky. Whether it belonged to an influencer’s vlog or a Tattle Tokyo scout was anyone’s guess and no one cared enough to find out.

Bakugou’s brow furrowed faintly, listening. Kyoka had pulled her phone low, glancing at the screen like she was trying to read discreetly under the table.

“She’s here,” Kyoka murmured, not bothering to raise her voice.

“How do you know?” Sero leaned over curiously, handing the camera to Denki without taking his eyes off Kyoka’s phone. “When I checked her location thirty minutes ago, she was still holed up in some house in Azabu.”

Kyoka flipped her phone around to show them.

On the screen was a grainy zoomed-in photo from the Tattle Tokyo live stories, Yn, unmistakably poised, descending from the new boat in a stunning dress and heels too high to be safe on a floating structure. Behind her trailed Momo, graceful and immaculately composed, and just a step back from her, Todoroki, looking every inch the heir to a dynasty.

The caption underneath read:

“BREAKING: Japan’s princess has docked. Yn Fushikage, flanked by her famously difficult-to-access entourage, has arrived at Ashido’s end-of-summer sunset soirée. Todoroki in white linen. Yaoyorozu carrying what looks like a vintage Bulgari clutch. And All Might's protege clad in Versace. A strange girl seems to be accompanying them. We’ll be watching.”

Denki let out a low whistle. “We are so getting the thumbnail.”

“God bless Tattle Tokyo,” Sero muttered reverently.

Bakugou rolled his eyes. “Bunch of creeps with a drone.”

“You’re literally in three of their top-viewed posts,” Kyoka said without looking up.

“And you looked good in them,” Mina added with a smirk. “Be grateful.”

Just then, the ambient music dipped for half a second, the kind of subtle signal a DJ might cue when something or someone notable entered the space.

And like clockwork, the golden light of the setting sun spilled across the upper deck, and the Golden Trio stepped into view. Accompanied by Izuku. Of course. A vaguely familiar face.

They were late, an hour and forty two minutes but who's counting, probably. Her sunset-toned gown matched the color of the sky behind her too perfectly for coincidence, delicate gold accents catching the last of the light as if the setting sun had chosen her for a final bow. Her hair was in a style Mina would later describe as “casually imperial.” A glass of something citrusy and expensive was already in her hand, and she hadn’t even spoken to a single person yet.

There were air kisses exchanged with the artistic elite, someone from the Tokyo Ballet circle, a fashion house heiress, an actor’s daughter. Todoroki and Yaoyorozu flanked her with practiced ease, stepping into conversations with ghost-like grace. Midoriya, in tailored off-white and nerves, trailed just behind, caught in a too-long conversation with a P.R. girl who worked for Valentino.

And glued to Yn’s side was someone Katsuki vaguely remembered, a short-haired brunette with a nervous smile and a hand that clutched Yn’s arm like she might float away without her. Greece trip. Mykonos. Something about a villa and too much talent but not enough money.

She looked terrified now.

“That’s the ballet girl,” Kyoka murmured, having sidled closer beside Katsuki, eyes flicking between the newcomer and her phone. “Uraraka something. I remember her from Greece, Fushikage must have used her plus one after all.”

Mina arched a brow. “She looks like she’s one shaky breath away from falling off the yacht.”

“She’s new,” Kirishima offered gently. “She’ll adjust.”

“Or get eaten alive.” Denki appeared again, camera in hand. “This place smells blood in the water faster than actual sharks.”

Sero nudged him. “Let’s get the shot. Yn’s dress is doing 90% of the work for us.”

Katsuki didn’t speak. He just kept his eyes trained on her, on the way she laughed with someone she didn’t like, no-one liked, the way she held her glass like she hadn’t been raised around people who had to hold glasses like that. Regal. Remote.

She looked good.

Too good.

And then she glanced down.

Not at him. Not yet.

At the stairs. At the party below.

The golden light softened her already-gentle features as her eyes skimmed across the crowd. Her smile, polite, practiced, and warm enough to be disarming, never faltered. Even when it landed on them.

Mina straightened instinctively.

Kirishima gave a tiny wave.

Denki whispered “here we go” like a man preparing for liftoff.

And Katsuki—

Katsuki narrowed his eyes the second her gaze locked on his.

Because she saw him. Oh, she saw him. And the worst part?

She smiled.

Not like she was amused. Not like she was being sarcastic.

No. Yn Fushikage smiled at him like he was a welcome sight. Like he was someone she was happy to see.

Her head tilted just so, one hand resting lightly on the banister of the upper deck. That same impossibly soft smile still playing at her lips. She didn’t wave, didn’t smirk. Just dipped her chin in a delicate, regal nod.

The way one might acknowledge a butler who’d done something correctly for once.

Bakugou scowled. His grip tightened around the glass in his hand.

Yn turned away like she hadn’t just mentally dropkicked him off the side of the boat using nothing but grace and composure.

And worst of all?

The moment she vanished behind the sweeping curtains of the lounge deck, he could still feel that perfect little smile burning a hole in his skull.

“We have to greet Ashido,” Momo murmured, her voice low and deliberate in Yn’s left ear.

“Honestly, it’s the first thing we should have done,” Shoto added from her right, eyes flicking toward the glittering upper deck.

“I just saw them,” Yn said evenly, swirling the pale pink drink in her hand. Her voice was calm, aloof, detached in a way only she could pull off in four-inch heels. “Didn’t say hello, however.”

The three of them stood in a quiet alcove near the edge of the main deck, half-shadowed by a canopy of gauzy linens and warm string lights. Around them, the soirée glimmered like a perfume ad, music pulsing softly under the chatter of guests, designer fabrics rustling in the warm breeze off the water.

Midoriya appeared beside them like a ghost, Ochaco trailing behind, fingers wrapped tightly around his arm like a lifeline. His voice was quiet and firm. “We just went to say hi to the Brat Pack. I'm about to get Raka something to eat. Or snack on, these are finger food at best."

“Oh, great,” Yn sighed, finishing the last sip of her drink and placing the glass on the tray of a passing waiter without ever breaking eye contact. “So everyone’s said hi but us.”

Shoto didn’t bother to look smug, but his silence did it for him.

With a soft sigh, Yn reached into her bag, already resigned. “Hold this.”

Shoto flipped open her compact mirror before she had to ask, holding it up with practiced ease. She caught her reflection, hair still perfect, lashes curled, the faintest shimmer of champagne highlighter on the high points of her cheeks. Still, she reapplied her gloss with surgical precision, pressing her lips together once before sealing the tube.

She stared at herself a moment longer than necessary.

Then she shut the compact with a quiet snap.

“Alright, fine.” She turned toward Momo with the air of someone walking into a war council, not a party. “Let’s go."

They made their way across the yacht with the quiet precision of seasoned diplomats. Shoto trailed just slightly behind, unbothered, unreadable, while Momo walked with purpose, all elegance and posture. Yn was in the center, unhurried, letting people part around her like tides.

“Try not to look like you’re marching to the guillotine,” Momo said softly, offering a half-smile.

“I might as well be,” Yn muttered back, flashing an award-winning smile at some politician’s son in Gucci loafers.

A gasp caught in Momo’s throat. She stopped abruptly, causing both Shoto and Yn to freeze mid-step.

“What’s wrong, Mo?” Shoto asked, brow raised.

“Oh, I just remembered, we have to say hi to the president’s son. His father’s approving the expansion of the railroad industry. My family benefits greatly from that.” Her eyes darted around the crowd, her voice coated in an obvious lie.

Shoto blinked at her, unimpressed. “We can do that afterward. We have to say hi to the host of the party. It’s only polite.” He nodded slightly toward Yn as they continued walking.

But Momo quickly grabbed both their arms, tugging them back. “Oh, but I insist, they’re on the other side of the boat. Let’s go. Please.” Her tone had changed, urgent, tense.

Shoto narrowed his eyes. “You’ve never been a good liar, Mo. I saw you talk to him when we got here. What—is this about some guy? You have feelings or something?”

Yn gasped, eyes lighting up. “Oh, that’s so cute! Momo with a crush? Never thought I’d see the day. But please, you know we have to say hi to Ashido firs—”

Her voice faltered as she caught the direction of Momo’s gaze.

“Wait��� why do your eyes keep darting behind me?”

Shoto turned first. Then Momo. And finally Yn.

Her heart didn’t shatter, it sank. Quietly. Slowly. Like a ship folding beneath the waves with no fanfare, no warning. A collapse so still it almost didn’t look like anything at all. The silence inside her felt too loud.

There, near the second staircase at the far end of the deck, sat Hugo.

Her Hugo.

He was laughing, half-listening to some Arsenal player she didn’t recognize. He looked good, effortlessly so, in that untouchable, aloof kind of way that used to draw her in. His curls caught the light just right. His posture was casual, relaxed.

His arm was draped lazily around a girl with brightly green dyed hair. Her laugh rang out like wind chimes, airy and thoughtless, as he leaned in close, whispering something into her ear. His lips brushed skin. The girl’s nails matched her Balenciaga wedges. Yn hated how easily she noticed that.

She giggled.

He smiled.

Yn blinked.

The image stung with a slow, dull ache. Not like a knife. Like a bruise. Like a realization.

Shoto and Momo stood still, unsure of what to say.

It didn’t matter. There was nothing to say.

Yn exhaled once, the sound short and clean, like the click of a clasp. She reached for her composure like it was just another item in her clutch, matte, minimal, and ready for use.

“Well,” she said softly. “That’s humiliating.”

She smiled—cold, perfect.

Then turned her back on him completely.

The sun dipped lower behind them, bathing the yacht in a wash of molten color. Somewhere on the deck, the laughter of strangers echoed, and Hugo didn’t even look up.

inside scoop!

momo is a bad liar, if you want to keep a secret you don't tell her

if this was any other story maybe yn would have confronted him but as much as she's the biggest hopeless romantic, she also has an appearance to maintain and she can't have a break down on in front of people

Also that whole bit of "maybe Hugo's sleeping bc time zones" yn knew he was in Japan. Her friends didn't. Thats what made her even more confused

that took me forever to write, I didn't know how I wanted this to flow. I still don't like the way it turned out

Mina's party had 215 people in attendance. The yacht is not that big. Actually idk how big yachts are.

Now the songs/titles will actually pertain to the story

Not proofread. I got lazy.

<< paper machine | waste my time >>

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[whiskeymeaway92]

Every Day Dangers

Jason Todd x Reader

Summary: Jason prepares for a lot of uncommon dangers but what about a regular everyday building fire.

:Readmore:

Jason spent a lot of time making sure your shared apartment was safe for you while he was away on patrol, and he triple checked it all before he left for a mission. He had security cameras at all the entry points, he had an alarm system that would alert him and stream that video footage right to his helmet if anyone dared break in. He had a gun stashed in the apartment for you and he made sure you know how to use it properly. He had knives taped in inconspicuous places all over the apartment. There was no place in that apartment that you wouldn’t have something to defend yourself with until he could get to you. What Jason had not considered was you needing to fight to escape the building itself.

You had gone to bed early that night without anything to do and with Jason being away on a mission this week. Your Friday night was spent curled up with a book in bed, cocooned in blankets and pillows and reading until you passed out with the book still open. You were sleeping hard, completely oblivious to the smoke filling your apartment and the temperature rising. The smoke detector began to go off in the kitchen and you stirred but you didn’t think it was anything more than your alarm clock and you were not coherent enough to realize it was actually a warning. You kicked the covers off you as you got overheated and rolled over still mostly asleep. Eventually you started coughing and that finally woke you up fully. The air was thick and smoky and you couldn’t catch your breath. You reached for your bedside lamp and found it wasn’t very useful in providing visibility through the thick smoke. You were coughing and gasping for air, fire, the apartment is on fire you realized through the disorientation of just waking up and not being able to breath or see clearly. You needed to move, you needed to get out, you stayed low and used the wall to guide you toward the living room. You hurried to the front door of your apartment but jumped back with a hiss as you grabbed the doorknob, it was so hot it burned the palm of your hand. Your adrenaline was keeping the pain bearable as you began to feel frantic, trapped. The fire was in the hallway, you bumped into a piece of furniture and you began to hyperventilate, you were panicking. Smoke stung your eyes making it more difficult to see as they teared up. You wanted Jason, you needed to hear his voice…your phone. He would lose his mind if he knew you went back into your bedroom to look for a phone while the building was burning. Problem was you weren’t thinking logically right now, you were freaking the fuck out. You got on the floor and crawled back to your room and quickly shook the blankets nearly crying out with joy when your phone quickly tumbled to the floor. You grabbed it and hit his contact putting it on speaker as you crawled back towards the living room noticing the bottom of your front door now had flames licking at it. Sweat beaded your brow as the temperature went up a notch further.

“Hey baby I was just about to call you”

“Jason!!!” You gasp out “The buildings on fire, I can’t go out the front door, I’m scared” you frantically told him coughing between every few words.

“Fuck! Baby you gotta use the fire escape, I know it’s scary but just don’t look down okay, you gotta get out of there NOW!” Jason didn’t hesitate, he knew exactly what you needed to do and this is why you had to get your phone, you needed him, he is great in a crisis and you are learning first hand right now that you, are not.

“Jay” you whimpered

“Now, y/n!”

“Okay, okay I’m going, I’m putting you in my pocket please don’t hang up”

“Never baby I’m right here, you gotta do this but I’m right here with you you’re going to be okay, open the window and tell me when you’re outside”.

You slid your phone into your pocket of your shorts and hoped it wouldn’t fall, hoped you wouldn’t fall too. You were terrified of heights, you never understood how Jason did it every night leaping from rooftops and grappling across buildings, and that was the easy part of his job. You pushed the window with your good hand, cradling your burned one close to your chest. You crawled out of the window onto the fire escape feeling a wave of nausea hit you. You began to mentally chant to yourself “you have to do this, you have no choice, suck it up y/n”

“O-okay Jay, I’m on the fire escape” your voice wobbled and you knew Jason could tell how terrified you were.

“Good, take a deep breath for me sweets, I’m out there every night I’m going to tell you exactly what to do to get down safe, trust me”.

“I trust you, I just hate this so much”.

“I know baby, I’m sorry Im not there with you. Listen okay, the first bit is easy just hold onto the railing and walk down the metal stairs, don’t rush but I’d like you on the ground as quick as you can be.”

“Okay, can you just…can you keep talking to me? About anything, how are you? Do you know when you’ll be home?”

“Yeah baby I can keep talking to you, if you think I’m not already working on getting back to you after this you have lost your mind. Fuck the job, you’re more important. I hope you know that.”

“I do Jay, I love you and I just really want to see you. I needed to hear your voice, it’s why…why I went back for my phone”. There was a heavy silence and you rushed to fill it. “I know I shouldn’t have but I was panicking and I couldn’t think, I needed to call you.”

“You can bet your sweet ass we will be doing evacuation drills from now on baby. I get it but yeah I don’t love hearing you went back into danger for a phone. We can talk about it later though. Are you hurt at all?”

“I burned my hand, I ran for the front door first and the doorknob was scalding hot, otherwise I’m fine. I was asleep, I didn’t wake up until I was choking on smoke”.

“The alarm didn’t go off?!”

“The smoke detector did, yeah but I must have slept through it, I didn’t notice it until I was already awake”.

“Shit, okay. I’m sending Alfred to come and get you, he will patch up that hand and check your lungs. Where are you now?”

“Going down the last flight of stairs, Jay idk if I can jump the last bit, it’s too high.”

“You don’t have to baby there is a ladder that you should be able to push down, be careful with your hand, can you rip some of your shirt to wrap it?”

“Um, I think so, this is your shirt though Jay..”

“I don’t give a fuck about the shirt, rip it and wrap your hand”

“Right, okay I’m pausing to do that, I’m at the ladder thing now”

You found a weak spot in the seam of the sleeve and ripped it off wrapping the fabric around your palm wincing at the feeling. You used your teeth to help you hold the fabric and managed to tie it off with one hand. Then you began working on shoving the ladder down and with a few solid pushes it dropped with a clang into place.

“You okay?”

“Yeah, that was just the ladder falling into place.”

“Okay, good, your almost done baby, next step is the ground and Alfred is already on his way. Just climb down this last little bit, easy work, you got this”.

His reassurance was exactly what you needed to hear, you took a second to steady your nerves and then worked your way down the ladder. “Jason, it doesn’t reach all the way”

“I know, you’re going to climb it all the way down, let yourself dangle off the end of it and your feet will only be a few feet above the ground. You can do this”

“I hate this so much”. You muttered as you did what he said climbing down until your feet were on the last rung, you used all your upper body strength to work your way down the last few rungs with your hands, made increasingly difficult by your burned palm but you were happy for the fabric barrier that was there. You looked down and could see you weren’t far off the ground but you still didn’t like the idea of dropping to the ground below. You closed your eyes braced your self and let go. Letting out a shriek of fear as you did.”

“Y/n?!, what happened? Answer me”.

“I’m okay, just got scared when I let myself drop. I’m on the ground now. Where do I go?”

“Cross the street love, get away from the burning building please, Alfred should be there any minute.”

You took your phone off speaker now that you were safely on the ground and brought it back up to your ear. You made your way across the street as fire trucks started to arrive and you saw many of your neighbors, most of whom you had never met, also lining the sidewalk staring up at their homes burning.

“Oh god Jay, this is bad, the whole building….all our stuff”

“It’s just stuff, the only thing in that apartment I can’t replace is you, fuck I’m so glad you’re okay. This isn’t the kind of emergency I expected, break ins, enemy attacks, that’s the shit I planned for. I’m so sorry baby, I should have had a plan for the basic emergencies, should have gotten you more comfortable using the fire escape, fuck”.

You could hear him spiraling now that he knew you were out of harms way. His voice now shook as he likely was thinking worst case scenario and of coarse he found a way to blame himself. Jason is a protective man, he takes responsibility for the safety of others.

“Jason this is not your fault, stop that train of thought right now. You can’t see the future, you can’t stop everything from happening. I know you want to, but it’s not possible. What you did just do was help me. You talked me through a terrifying moment, you kept me calm and you kept me safe. I was panicking before I called you, I think I would have froze up if it weren’t for you Jay. This isn’t something to blame yourself for so please, please don’t”.

Jason let out a heavy sigh on the other end of the line, there was a pause and then he said “yeah, okay I’ll try. I love you y/n I’m so relieved you’re okay. I’m on my way I’ll be back at the manor in a few hours. Alfred should be pulling up now do you see him?”

You saw the familiar looking car pulling up right in front of you and watched Alfred climb out. He put a reassuring hand on your shoulder and guided you to the car where he held the door open for you as you climbed in.

“Yeah, just got in the car. I love you too Jay, drive safe okay no speeding”.

“No promises sweets, I’ll see you soon. Let Alfred patch you up, no complaining, I need to know you’re ok”.

“No promises”. You quipped back with a smile on your face even though you knew you would do as he asked.

“See you in a bit baby, be good, I love you”

“I love you too Jay, see you when you get here”. You hung up the phone and say hi to Alfred as you settle in for the drive to the manor.

[entername322]

One weird day

Yuri (Izone) x Male Reader x Minju (Izone)

Length: 11644 words

Next part

Highschool, such a mixed bag of memory and experience. For you, entering highschool has been very, scary. Not because you heard about how shitty it is. Mostly because you're not ready to grow up so fast. It felt like just yesterday you reached middle school, now you had to live to highschool, and prepare yourself for college?

"Stop dozing off idiot"

A sharp pain on your arm wake you up from your crippling mid life crisis, well, quarter life crisis. "Damn it I don't like highschool", Hearing your words Yuri just rolled her eyes on you. "We haven't even reach school for our first day stupid" You shake your head, "And I already hate feels good man"

"Come on we're gonna be late for our first day" Feeling the tug in your arm you tried to fight her only to fail miserably. "Bro we still have half an hour left for our 5 minute walk", Disregarding your complain Yuri grabbed your arm and made you sprint the rest of the way to school.

"Bro, you look smaller than before vacation", Your best friend, Jin greeted you when he saw you walk in the school grounds with Yuri dragging you. "Fuck you, did you grow again?" He nodded proudly, "Fuck yeah, 189 cm, soon I'll be in the NBA" Yuri rolled her eyes at him. "Heh, keep dreaming dumbass" Jin turned to the girls that's holding you. "Yeah, yeah, nice seeing you here too Yuri, I think you grew shorter", Jin have a thing with death, he likes to tease them by pissing Yuri off. "Damn it, bro help me"

Such a shame, he was so young too. Walking away from the crime scene you went to find your class. 1A, none of your friend is here. Of course you have two friend, one is dead the other killed him.

"Why you leave me bro, et tu brute?", Your ears tingle hearing that name. "Stop it with that name" You don't hate it, it's just weird. "Can't, your performance was too iconic", You left Jin to his injuries as you get in class and put down your bag.

Far back seat, next to the window, the anime protagonist seat. Except, the windows are tinted, a way to make sure the sun doesn't get in the students eye. And the view doesn't get to their mind. You heard Yuri loud footsteps chasing after Jin who bolted out of the area. As Yuri went pass your class she saw you and walked towards you.

"I'm in the same class with that idiot", How does she know? "How did you know?" She sighed, "I checked the announcement in the group chat", Ah yes, the group chat for all the new year students, you didn't read it.

"Idiot", Yuri slapped your head. "Damnit Yuri, go back to your class", She slapped your head again, "Class haven't started yet"

"Jin talked shit about your fatty arms", A bait, a bad one. "Woohoo, Brutus is getting karma" The classroom turns to a colloseum filled with your classmate cheers as Yuri is deconstructing your whole body with her punches. "I'm sorry", You let out a small whimper as she let you go. "Tchhhh", She snorted before leaving you to bleed out from your injuries.

"Hey Brutus, don't step my back when I'm paying attention in class okay?", The guy in front of you tried to befriend you. "Actually Brutus stab Caesar in the front so that he knows that he got betrayed" You don't mind getting new friend. "Oh yeah, fix your glasses when you do that", You're not wearing any. "Here use mine"

Watching the glasses he offered you stare at him silently before taking it. "Ackkshually, Brutus stabbed Caesar from the front to gloat over his dead body to announce his betrayal", He laughed at you before giving you a fistbump. "Perfect, I'm Doyoung"

"I'm-", "Brutus, I know", Seems like you made new friends on your first day.

You glanced at the entrance seeing, an angel. "Who is that?", Granted, you're not the most social person in your middle school, but you are sure you never saw the girl that just walk in. You would've remember someone that pretty.

"New chick, the guys went ham yesterday at the group chat trying to stalk her", Your friend seems to be in daze. The girl looked around before taking the seat next to me. "Act cool brute", You are acting cool, Doyoung isn't.

"I hate that name", Not really. "It suits you", It doesn't. "How", Doyoung just shrugged at you. "It just does", Brutus is not your real name, but it seems the name has already stick.

"Alright everyone, quiet down, get to your seat", Your homeroom teacher silent the class before starting the day, the year, the highschool life. The first class is math, and of course, you don't understand a single thing.

"Alright, let's have an exercise, complete this paper in a group of two please", Ah yes, making group, something you hated. "Brute", Doyoung turned to look at you. You wanted to say yes, but then you glanced to your right to see the new girl is looking around.

"You want to pair up together?", Bros before hoes, since you've only met Doyoung today, like 2 hour ago, he's not your bro just yet. "Uhmmm, okay", She nodded meekly.

Doyoung just stare at you with disbelief before his mouth formed a smile and he shake his head. "I'll get you for this", He mouthed with a smirk before turning to his other friend.

The teacher walked around giving the paper and hand it to you after asking who my partner is. The room got a bit noisy for a second with the sound of tables and chair cluttering as everyone combined their desk to work together. You looked at your new partner before using some geture to ask if she wants to merge desk. She nods so you moved yours to her.

"I'm Minju", She sound shy. "Hey, just call me Brutus, that's what everyone call me anyway", You don't know why you said that but you don't mind the rebranding of yourself. "Right, let's see the exercise", It was a ten question exercise all of which is our of your range.

"It's pretty easy", God hand you help using an angel called Minju. "Full disclosure here, I'm pretty stupid, so I'm sorry but I might be a dead weight", You're an idiot but not scummy. "No it's okay, I can help you", She tried, she really did.

"Listen here Min, I know you meant well, but I think we need to pause our tutoring session. There's not much time left and I already feel bad for dragging you down. You should finish it so you don't get your grade fucked up by me", Saying that made you cringe a little. She has helped you study a little but you just told her off to finish the assignment yourself.

"No it's fine", She waved her arms trying to convince you. "I really feel bad, I already drag you down with being your partner now I have to tell you to finish it off yourself but I really think you should just prioritise your own grade. You can write my name off the assignment", She looked at you for a second.

Oh fuck did I piss her off?

"Sorry, I-i-i-i'll finish it then"

Shit I pissed her off.

You just sat there quietly as she finish the whole assignment. As she finished, she didn't write off your name before handing it to the teacher.

"Sorry" She shake her head, "It's fine", It's probably not fine, for your pride. "It's fine really, I don't mind", She reassure you. "Now you make me feel worse", You accidentally gaslight her. "I don't mean to, it's really fine", She looked concerned. "I'm hurt" Now the position has turned, "What do I do to make you feel better?"

"Uhhhhhh, make me buy you lunch for payment?", Smooth, even Doyoung glanced from the side giving you a thumbs up. "I, okay then", Sweet, you just made another friend, doubling your friend size in the first day already.

"15 more minutes, if you finish your assignment already just raise your hand and I'll take it", Minju nervously opened a book and start writing. "What you doing?", You don't mean to snoop around, you're just bored. "Oh, nothing, it's nothing", She hurriedly close it before looking at you nervously.

"Sorry, don't mean to intrude"

"It's fine"

"You say that alot"

"Sorry"

"Nah don't be, I'm just curious that's all"

"Oh well, ask away"

Bonding time I guess.

"Where are you from?", Kim Minju, recently moved to Seoul, no friend in the school or the city. Likes photography and watching K-drama. As the class ended you went to the bathroom.

Getting a few moment of quiet Minju opened the book she hide from you earlier. It's a diary, where she wrote almost everything that happened in a day. You, been in the school since kindergarten, had a friend named Yuri who likes to, 'send you to god' occasionally. Likes reading and watching movies or show. Not very smart, pretty self aware and open about a lot of stuff.

Your favourite food is honey fried chicken and a strawberry smoothie. Likes cookies and sweet stuff as well. Hobbies include reading and spending the day in bed. During your attempt to know more about Minju you actually spend more time talking than her. Something Minju appreciate since she get to know more about you as well. When you returned Minju immediately closed the book and throw it to her bag.

"Well, should I move back?"

All the other classmates left their table and chair still merged while chatting. You don't want to make her uncomfortable so you asked if you should move. "No, it's fine", Alright, more bonding time. "Okay then, do you know what's next?", You obviously don't know or care about it, but you want to make some chitchat. "The class? From the schedule it seems like Korean?"

"What schedule?", You said confused. "The one in the group" Oh yeah, the group, are you even in it honestly? "Oh, I didn't read that", Carefree and ignorant about school. Minju made mental note for later.

The Korean class was fine, the teacher doesn't mind the seating position and just start handing out essays for us to analyse. "Are you having problem?", Minju think you're an idiot, not in a demoralising way, but in a concerned way. "No, I'm fine, look", She was throughly surprised seeing how through and detailed your comment was. "Oh right, you like reading", Good at literature, another mental note for her.

"Yep, it's I've read more fictional than not but it still have the same rule more or less", Minju seems intrigued. "What's your favourite series then?", You're surprised she's curious about it. "Mistborn, although I loved a lot but that one is the one I find myself revisiting often", Avid bookworm, another mental note. "Oh I like it too, although I haven't really read the second era", Minju like to read, in fact both of you spend the rest of the period to talk about some of your favourite series.

Once the first break came around you still busy talking to her about it. "Bro", Jin announced his arrival with a thunderous roar. He raised his eyebrow watching Minju. "Sup, meet Minju, she's new around town", Proudly, you show off your new friend. "Hello, I'm Jin", Oh, Jin is pulling out his flirting smile again. Yuri squinted at Minju for some reason.

They exchanged greeting, then both of them take the empty seat in front of us. "What's up with the seating here?", Jin said looking around, "Math, they had us do some assignments in a group of two", Yuri immediately know what you did. "And you burdened her by teaming up with her?", Yuri pinched your hand, Minju saw it and frowned. "It's fine, I really don't mind", Yuri still glared at me before smiling at Minju. "Sorry about this idiot, you should be careful he might drag you down", Jin saw a chance and took it, "That's right, if he cause trouble just call me and I'll take care of him"

Minju doesn't like your friend, she thinks they're demeaning you too much. So she grabbed your other hand. "It's really fine, I helped Brutus in math he helped me in Korean earlier", Yuri look at her hand grab which cause some unpleasant feeling in her stomach. "Brutus? You really want to take that silly name?", Jin laughed.

"Listen, some rebranding needs to be done okay?" Such a cheesy name, you rather find it quite funny. "It sounds silly", Yuri find it annoying, mostly because how you got the name. "I think it's pretty funny", Minju find it to be quite cheesy but it's right up her alley.

"Goddamn Brutus already being fight over by two goons", Doyoung came back with his friend. "Doy did you turn this idiot to Brutus?", Jin and Doyoung know eachother from basket you believe. "Perfect name honestly", Perfectly cheesy, "Don't you fucking call him that", Yuri glared at him, "Come on now don't kill me"

You see Yuri's head vein started to pop. You grabbed her hand that's pinching you. "Come on now Yuri, don't be rude to my new friend", You tries to defuse her anger. "Friend, I'm still mad at you for leaving me at math" Doyoung whoped his head dramatically. "Are you good at math?", He smiled at the argument. "Touche, I'm Doyoung by the way, nice to meet you", Jin stare at Doyoung seizing him up. Do note that he doesn't do that when Minju grabbed your arm.

"Oh hello, I'm Minju", Doyoung stare at the two hand you're holding right now before smiling at you. "Very smooth Brute", You stop holding the two girls hand. Minju find it to be unfortunate, she likes how warm your hand is. It's another thing she should add to her diary. Yuri hate it and happy that you let go. That's what she admits even though she felt some disappointment in her heart.

"Sorry guys, we need our seats back", Jin and Yuri reluctantly get off and left the class. "See you at lunch, Brutus" Jin peaced out. "Don't sleep in class again", Yuri is acting like your mom. Minju doesn't like her, she thinks she's too controlling. The word abuser has come up for her to describe Yuri.

Minju is a vixen trying to play with your heart. Yuri doesn't like her, she thinks Minju is up to no good. She kept a mental note to watch her.

"So, your friends seems.......", Minju struggled to find the right word. "Rude?", You helped her, "I was gonna say blunt, but yeah" She smiled. "I mean, that's just how they are", You're all young, politeness is not a thing yet. "You've known them for long right?", She needs to know more. "Well me and Jin know eachother around middle school. He just hangout with me sometimes" Jin doesn't seems like a bad person, but Minju would rather avoid him seeing the visible interest he has on her.

"Yuri, well we're neighbors, like her home is literally next to mine. We've been buddy since we were 3", For a moment Minju imagined what it feels like to have a friend like that. She felt jealous.

I want that, a childhood friend that's always been there for me.

The next period is English. You and Minju is good at the subject. You because you read some English novel, Minju because she's just perfect like that. So during the period you just talk to her some more. An enjoyable experience for you and Minju. Once the lunch break rang you grabbed her hand.

"Let's go to the cafeteria, before it got full", Minju happily grab your hand and hop with you to the cafeteria. "You want some tteokbokki with fried chicken?", Minju was busy enjoying your hand holding and stayed quiet. "Alright", You take her silence as an agreement.

When you wanted to lay she insisted that you alread repay her with the Korean essay but you shut her down by giving your money to the cashier before she can. "Really you don't need to do that", Minju seems kinda cute when she grumbled doesn't she? "Nonsense, come on let's find a place to eat", She has the same idea as you to sit at the corner of the cafeteria.

"Brutus has a new girlfriend already", Someone yells, "Hell yeah bro, on the first day too", Another follows. You're not sure where you get the attention from. It's mostly because the guys was already watching for Minju ever since they saw her in the group chat. Seeing her with you they felt a little dejected, but it's not like they are in a rush. It's only the first day after all.

"Goddamn I never been this acknowledge ever since, well ever", Do you mind it? Kinda. "Yeah, me too", You looked at her with a 'really?' face making her surprised. "Come on now look at yourself", Minju liked your compliments, she never liked being complimented by guys before. "Thank you", She said with a proud grin, "Alright diva", You two laughed as Jin joined you.

"Fuck I hate math, he took so long to teach now the cafeteria is already full", Minju decided to sit a little closer to you to discourage Jin from making a move. "Well, you won't get your food faster by sitting here", Thankfully you accidentally sends him off. "Fuck you", Just like how he come, he goes without explanation.

"What's our last period?"

"Hmmm? I think history"

"I hate history"

"Hahahaha, I thought you'll love it, Brutus"

"Since when does our history teach about the wacky Roman empire"

"Well, you got a point there"

As much as Minju is enjoying the lunch with you, it doesn't last long as Yuri came by. "Move Udon", Yuri is very persuasive, especially when she used her knee on your ribs. "Can you just drop that name already, and there's space there", She doesn't care so you reluctantly moved.

The seat was two seater facing eachother, but since all three are you small as a stick it fits. Minju is next to the wall but she doesn't mind since you get to be very close to her. "Mom wants me to buy some milk and eggs so we're getting a detour on our way home", Yuri feels the need to say that in front of Minju for some reason. "Feel fre to do so, I'm gonna go home and-", She denied your request with a slap to the head.

"That's not very nice", Minju grabbed your head. Some because she's concerned for you, some because she wants to feel up your hair. "Hey, mind your business princess", Yuri feel a weird agitation seeing Minju is caressing your head. "No way I'm letting you abuse your friend like this", Oh no, Yuri vein is popping again.

"Hey, I know this guy ever since I know how to walk, don't snoop around our friendship", Yuri grabbed your hand again. She hate it don't think that she want to hold your hand. In fact she's done it a thousand time already, so don't think anything weird is going on.

"Are you okay?", Minju disregard the angry Yuri and turned to you. This act of disrespect is not gonna slide so easily. "Hey, back off", Yuri glared at Minju, "You first, you're making this place feel small, and we got here first" Yuri rolled her eyes. "It's probably because you're fat", Minju doesn't seems to got hurt over it, she just smiled. "Hmmm? Is it? I guess you are too small to make a difference anyway. By the way are you sure you didj tleft your height in middle school?", Maybe, making 2 friends is s little too much for your new day.

"Girls please, can't we just have a normal lunch", The two looked at you with a frown. "Please?", They sighed but didn't let you go. "Are you okay?", Minju is running her finger through your hair.

Fluffy, can I keep holding on to it.

"I'm fine Min, thanks", She sighed and let go fo your hair. She will find a way to hold it later. "Yuri, can you let me go", Yuri glared at you, she's holding you to keep you safe. Yeah, that's all. "Yuri please", Knowing her for a while you know how to make puppy eyes that she just can't refuse. She can't refuse it because she felt pity seeing you so desperate. Obviously it's not because that look always gave her a heart attack.

"Fine", The two of them have some staring competition here and there but they don't cause any more trouble with you. Jin never came back to your table, you didn't look for him either. You're too busy to make sure no world war happened in the table.

"You shouldn't sleep at the next class Udon. You're in highschool now, the teacher won't be as lenient as before", Yuri scolded you, "I'll be fine", Since you all finished your food you drop down your hand which Yuri took to pinch, and hug. No not hug, she's locking it so you won't take it away.

"It's okay, if there's something you don't understand just ask me", Minju smiled at you and grab your other hand. It's nothing but skin on bones, she needs to change that. "Tchhh, the teacher can teach better"Yuri have a point. "Sometimes a little lesson from your classmates can help you better", Minju does not agree. "A smart one" Yuri scoffed, "Thank you"

Yuri's furious burning gaze and Minju's cold sinister gaze fight over eachother with you in the middle of it all. Yuri  then grabbed your hand tighter, pulling to between her boobs.

Oh fuck that felt good. What? No focus Yuri.

"Don't trust this girl, she's playing with you", She whispered in your ears. For the first time, your childhood friend that's basically your sister has turned into a, woman. Minju frowned and pulled your hand, so much so that you almost fall to her. Reactively you put down your hand to keep your balance. Minju felt disappointed until she saw your hand is between her thighs. With a mischievous smile she immediately wrapped it with her soft pale thighs.

Hmmm, I should move a little bit to the front.

Thankfully for you she didn't. "You know I think since you pay for my lunch I have a debt for you, what if I buy you some smoothie on our way back"

Fuck her thighs is so soft and smooth. Fuck since when did Yuri have such big boobs. FUCK WHAT IS HAPPENING.

"Girls please, let's get to class", Minju showed Yuri a triumphant smile making the latter frown even deeper. "Oh yeah mom is cooking some quiche tonight, come and join us for dinner okay", You love quiche, you don't love it when it's used against you. The two then send eachother glare yet again before the bell rang. "I'll see you later after school Yuri, come on Min time for our last period", Reluctantly the two of them let go of you. You were also reluctant of leaving their embrace. Min didn't let go of your hand much to Yuri dismay. As you two walk into your class she stick out her tongue to Yuri behind your back.

Fucking whore.

The history teacher told us to return our table to the previous state. Minju looked at you separating from her with a sad face. You're not stupid, you see what's brewing between her and Yuri. It's just, weird. Yuri have been your friend for so long you're practically inseparable. You've slept together, spend holidays together. Bath together when you were a kid. Yet today, she seems to find something new about herself regarding you. The changes has happened around late middle school already.

How she always try to protect you, how she doesn't like when other girl tried to group up with you. She's did not deter them from you, that part is on you with your edgy phase. Sometimes you would think about the future, and she will always be there. You think today, she was forced to confront that feeling seeing someone so pretty is around you. You can practically see the change in her mood the moment Minju came to comfort you after she hit you. It's like her whole existence is being tested.

Minju on the other hand is very pretty. Like pretty to anyone standard, but for you, she's the picture perfect manifestation of  beauty. Everything about her looks checked every box in your type. Then there's her personality. Kind and caring, patience too remembering she let you burdened her in math. Not to mention, she's actually a bookworm like you, how many girls you met actually have the same taste in book?

Her current situation is also perfect.

New girl in a new school, new town even remembering she said she just moved in nearby. A secluded girl who seems to be the perfect girl for your type. How many guy would kill to have this exact chances. While you were thinking this, your two friend is also thinking about the same thing.

Minju liked you, she felt a certain familiarity with you after one day. Just like how she's perfect for your type you're also, well, passable for her type. Personality wise, too early to judge but seems promising. Hobbies and interests, perfect fit. Looks? A little too skinny but she don't mind, helping you. More than that, she projected her old memory to your current friendship with Yuri. She wants to protect you, she wants to make sure you never go through what she did. Of course, she's reading too much into it, but she doesn't know that.

Yuri is in turmoil. Somehow, today, your smile seems very different than usual. Your touch seems way more warm. Your stupid smell is also lingering in her mind. She is angry at you for making her feel that way, distracting her from class. Yet above you, there's Minju, someone she's throughly furious at. The new girl just moved in and suddenly got all close and friendly to you? Minju is up to no good, that's the consensus Yuri has reached. She needs to stop Minju, she won't let her hurt you. She might be covering her anxiety of losing you with some stupid reasoning, but she doesn't know it.

The day ended, as Minju was pacing up her things she saw you is ready to leave. No, she can't let you leave yet, you're gonna be taken to the hand of that abuser. "Wait", She grabbed your hand. She has grow fond of the feeling from your soft hands. "All okay Min?", The little name he got for you made her believe that your friendship is already a strong one. "Can we, go walk together?", Inside you is two wolf. One want to spend more time with Minju and solidify your first day friendship. One doesn't want to be in the middle of war again.

"Sure, where do you live?", The former won, the latter screamed that you will regret this with it's last dying breath. "It's just down the street actually, 5 minute walk", Seeing you accept, Minju immediately grabbed her things and put it in her back quickly.

"Let's go", Minju speed up for two things, one she doesn't want to make you wait, second she sees other guy is trying to talk to her. In order to deter anyone from making a move she wrapped her arm around you. A gesture, you appreciate very much. The two of you walked out your class to see Yuri is waiting for you. The gesture isn't as appreciated as before.

"Minju want to walk home with us", With you, she wants it with you. Yuri's face contorted before grabbing your other hand and start dragging you out of the school. "Yuri slow down", You tries to stop her. "Mom need to make her quiche you're gonna make her wait too long", Yet feeling your hand yanked Yuri back, a painful feeling starts to stab her heart.

"Calm down first, Min where's your house?", Minju gloat over Yuri's visible turmoil. "It's down this street, right in that corner, that one", You can actually see her house from the school, it's on the way to your home and right after the convenience store. "Oh perfect, that's on the way home, come on let's get some milk and eggs", Minju smiled to Yuri who is frowning.

The three of you made your way to the convenience store. It was supposed to be milk and eggs, but Minju seems to have a shopping list to fill. "What are you doing, we need to go home", Yuri doesn't like that Minju is holding you up.

"Sorry, I just need a dark chocolate bar", Minju continue dragging you through 5h3 store. "If you really sorry let go of him and go find it yourself. It's faster", Minju stared at Yuri for a second before looking at you. "Ehmm, go find it Min, we'll wait at the cashier", This time, it's her that went to a turmoil, making Yuri smile victoriously. Minju hurriedly scurry off while Yuri dragged you to the entrance.

"You need to stop talking to her", You look at her confused. "What? Yuri are you insane?", She grit her teeth hearing you,"She's up to no good, I just know it", Yuri hate seeing your confused face.

He doesn't know, I need to protect him, I can't let him get hurt because of some whore trying to play with his heart.

"Yuri, we just met today, I'm getting to know her. She's nice, funny, beau-" She doesn't like it, she doesn't like hearing you praise Minju. "You don't understand", She might yell the last part too hard. Seeing everyone in the streets turn to her all the blood on her body start to rush to her face. "I, let's talk about it later", The second wolf was right, you will regret this.

Not long you saw Minju walk out to you. "Sorry for taking too long", Her smile, it's quite pleasant to look at doesn't it? "No problem", Your smile is also quite pleasant to look at, according to her.

"Look, try this on", Minju bring out a sunglasses and put it on you. "You buy a sunglasses?", You laughed fixing it's placement on your face. "I don't know, it looks cool", It's also at a scammy price. "Ughhh, come on, you've stalled us long enough", Yuri pulled you to walk again.

You felt Minju tugged your other arm. Looking back at her you see she has her phone out and took a picture of you. "Huh?", You're not really sure how to respond to that. "Oh no, you look cute when you wear it", Oh, you actually managed to spend the day with her without blushing once. Until now. "Hahaha, the glasses is really good on you", Another picture of you, looking away while the blush is creeping up in your face. "That's your house right? Bye bye", Yuri was squeezing your hand seeing Minju is flirting with you. "Okay, see you later oppa", Since when did you become her oppa? Both you and Yuri was pondering that question when Minju walked into her house.

"Alright, see, she's nice", Yuri just grimaced at you. "Take that sunglasses off", Oh you still wearing it. "Oh fuck, Minju", You ran after Minju while Yuri is squeezing your hand even harder. "Awww, Yuri stop it", She didn't, so you just continue walking in defeat. "Minju, your glasses", Minju walked out of her house again. "Keep it, I didn't buy you smoothie today", Is this gonna be a war between you and her? "Come on take it back", She shake her head while smiling mischievously. Damn does it pierced your heart. "If you don't like it, you can repay me tomorrow, good bye, see you later", She winked at you. Oh yeah this is war, of kindness and favour.

Yuri is fuming, "Alright see you tomorrow", You immediately drag Yuri with you. This time, the chance of murder is actually high enough to be a possibility.

During the walk Yuri can't stop hugging your arm. Her finger occasionally pulled on your jacket, her nails sometimes sinked to it piercing to your skin. "Yuri you're gonna make me look like a cat attack victim" Your hand tried to held hers making certain feelings wells up in her. "Shut up", You shut up.

Yuri dragged you into her house, against your will. "Yuri, don't kill your boyfriend on your first day of highschool", Her mom laughed seeing you two. "He's not my boyfriend", Yuri screamed while putting the groceries on the table before dragging me down to her room.

"Yuri, what is happening to you?", You rubbed your arm. "What is happening to me? You were the one who act like a stupid boy being overdosed by hormone chasing a whore like her" You felt your anger raise hearing her say that. "Yuri, Minju is not a whore", Your cold voice surprised Yuri which she hide by more yelling. "Yeah? I see how she acts around you, she put your hand between her legs just to tease you, she's a fucking whore", For the first time in forever, you actually got angry to Yuri.

"She's not a whore and I don't appreciate your fucking jealousy ruin my new friendship" Yuri's face contorted at your words. "What jealousy are you talking about idiot, you think I did this because I'm jealous of her?", Yuri felt her hand shaking, of all the time you scolded her you've only fought back a few times, enough to be counted in one hand. Yet now, out off all the time you could've fight her you choose today. "Listen, she's a-"

Hail Mary this shit.

You reached out to hug her. You know Yuri doesn't like physical touch. Ever since you two were 15 she stopped hugging you or holding your hands. She become self aware about her own sexuality and stop the physical touch between you. So today, seeing her so touchy with you, it might require drastic measures to calm her.

Why did you never hug me again? I've been missing your touch.

Yuri take a deep sniff of your body. If not for today she might forget how it felt. Your little skeletal body feels so warm and, calming for her. "Yuri, Minju is a nice girl, and I want to befriend her. Relax okay, she won't take me away from you", Your voice seems so calming, since when did you have such a deep voice.

Oh god, I am falling for him. All those time I denied him from any physical touch. I was rejecting my own feelings. Mom is right, this is my boyfriend. And I won't let that fucking whore get him.

As you were waiting for her to respond you felt a sharp pain on your chest. "Yuri", You pulled away from the hug only to find Yuri is already hugging you tight. "Acckkkk, Yuri stop", She let go, looking at you with..... Ecstasy.

"I don't like her, at all", Maybe hugging her was a terrible idea. "Yuri please-" She cuts you off with a finger to your mouth. "But I'll let you befriend her, for now", Well, not, a terrible idea?

"Thank you", She doesn't like hearing your relieved sigh. "On two conditions", No such thing as a free meal. "One, if she got touchy or flirty with you then I'm calling it off", Oh no, you realised you force her to confront her feelings and accept it. "And two, we are sleeping together", Still hugging you, Yuri felt your heartbeat rises, something she take pride off.

He's so nervous, that means he like me too. Oh god I was so stupid, if I would just let us continue our antics we would be married by now.

"What?" Your voice break a little. "We're sleeping together again, at my house, at your house, I don't care" Yuri sinked her head to your chest. "Yuri you know we can't do that?", You can, but you need to make up an excuse. "Why not?", Yuri suddenly whined like a kid making you very surprised.

"Because we're already grown ups", She frowned before grabbing your arm and pulled you downstairs. "Mom I'm sleeping with oppa", Two girls make you their oppa today. "Oh? That's a quick change, okay honey have fun", Yuri smiled happily before dragging you back to her room.

"Yuri, since when am I your oppa" The whole thing is so confusing. "Since now, get on the bed, we're having a nap", Without waiting Yuri throw you to the bed and jumped on you.

"Yuri" You tried to sat up. "Ssshhh, go to sleep oppa, I'll be right here, I'll keep you safe", Out of your expectations she reached in and kissed your cheek. Something that scares you, also arrouse you a little. "Don't be so nervous oppa, I promise I won't bite again if you play nice", That's a lie, she will bite you again, but later. "Yuri, I need to change my clothes and- ackkk", What a nice boyfriend, you gave her the chance to bite you again now. This time, it's on your neck. Despite you flaunting your limbs she doesn't stop until she's finished.

"There, that'll look good on you, oppa~~", Your hand reached out to grab your neck, feeling the stinging pain as you touch it. "Did you leave a mark?", She just giggled before putting her head on your chest again. "Yuri" Yuri pulled back your hand and sleep. "Enough oppa, it's been a long day, get some rest", She put her finger on your lips, and you feel she will put another thing on it if you keep resisting. Reluctantly you lay your head down, closing your eyes."Good night oppa, my oppa"

As you and Yuri is having a nice, platonic sleeping session, Minju is busy writing down her diary. All the detail she notices from you. All the funny feelings she has for you. She printed out the picture she took of you before and glued it to the diary. Writing and writing on, she didn't realised she's taken 16 pages writing just about you. The day already settled as the sun sets. Your two pictures is hanging on her desk. The realisation kicked in like a truck.

It's love at first sight. That's right, he's my soulmate, oh god I'm so lucky. So what if he's a guy, love doesn't care about sexuality or gender.

She quickly stripped out the name she have for you at her diary entry. The title of your page turned from 'First friend' to, well you know, 'Boyfriend' obviously.

I need to make some brownies for oppa, I can call him tonight, I can meet him again.

First thing she needs to do, is help you gain some weight.  You're perfect as you are, but she's scared you might break your bone from a falling leaves. Founding a new motivation her small elegant steps echoed around the empty house.

Around 5 PM you woke up, seeing Yuri is biting your chest. "Yuri", Surprised by your voice Yuri looked at you with an excited smile. "Morning oppa", Without warning you felt a soft pair of lips pressing up against yours. The kiss was so gentle, you almost didn't believe it was Yuri who's kissing you.

I'm kissing him, I'm actually kissing him, oh oppa how much I wished I never reject this feelings.

The kiss ended the polar opposite of how it started.

Slowly you two pulled away from eachother.

Your forehead still pressing up against eachother.

Your soft breath intertwined with hers.

Yuri was staring at your lips, her hand reached out to grab her cheek and her thumbs gently caressed your lips.

Her eyes darted upward to see your are in a daze.

"I love you oppa"

She whispered so quietly you felt like she was just breathing normally.

"Oppaaaa, I love youuuuu"

She hummed it as she pulled up.

"I, I don't know Yuri"

Intoxicated by the kiss and her own delusion, Yuri find your answer to be a cute reaction to hide your embarrassment.

"It's okay oppa, you can answer me later"

She came down again to give you a peck on your mouth.

"I need to take a shower"

Surprisingly Yuri let you go.

"I'll see you at dinner oppa, mwah"

She kissed your neck sending tickling sensation through your body.

You ran to your home, your loud footsteps drawn your sister attention.

"Where did you go?"

You saw her spawend in front of you.

She was just standing there, you actually got so much in your mind that you didn't realise it.

"I was just, with Yuri"

That's the usual explanation you had for her, now it felt so different for you.

"Ohhhh? I see, go take a shower then, and button your chest"

You looked down to your chest to find it riddles with lipstick mark.

"I need to go"

The only thing you heard from her is the echoing laughter that will haunt you in your dreams tonight.

You looked at yourself at the mirror, your mouth is so red that it might be mistaken as a cherry.

A cold shower, a really ice cold shower is exactly what you needed.

After finishing up your shower you saw a text from Minju.

"She wants to meet? Tonight? Fuck"

You tried to come up with some excuse.

The problem is, she can see that you're typing, so she called you.

"Fuckkkk"

You screamed, yet you answer anyway.

"Hey oppa, I was sorry for stalling you up earlier, so I thought I'll make it up to you"

Think fast cowboy, if you say no, it will mean that Yuri might discourage Minju tomorrow.

If you say yes, you might have a your lifespan shortened.

"I, don't know, I still owe you for the sunglasses"

"Hehehe, it's okay, you look good in it, come here oppa"

The Hail Mary strategy from before failed.

.

.

.

But it won't fail twice in a row right?

"Okay, I can see you now"

"Perfect, see you here~"

You have 2 hour till dinner, you get dressed and ran downstairs.

"Noona, I'm going out, I have dinner at Yuri, and, probably gonna spend the night there"

Your sister smiles at you.

"Okay, have fun, don't forget to buy condoms, in fact I still have it from the last time my boyf-"

You are not taking three hail Mary strategy today.

You ran off to Minju's place, the moment you got at her fence you saw her walked out the house.

"Hey oppa, come on"

She grabbed your hand and hurriedly pulled you inside.

Her house, is big, you didn't realised it before since Yuri is tearing your hand apart while Minju is tearing your heart.

"Look, brownies"

The smell of freshly baked brownies made your stomach grumble.

"You made this?"

"Yep, I learned baking for a while now, come on sit, I'll prepare a plate for you"

She sat you down at the living room couch.

Looking around, this house looks expensive as fuck.

The wood walls, the high ceiling, the black marble kitchen counter.

Minju really is a princess.

She came back with a plate of brownies and a glass of, vanila smoothie?

"I know you like strawberry smoothie but I only have vanilla, I'll buy some strawberry tomorrow"

God damn the Minju option is getting more and more enticing.

"Dig in oppa"

She sat next to you and hugged your arm.

You noticed her outfits, a thin white shirt with a red side stripe pants.

No bra, and her short is pulled up so high you might be able to take a glimpse to her-

Brownies, yeah, you're eating brownies.

"Thank you Min, you really don't have too"

She smiled seeing you eating her brownies.

It was really good, you never really buy any brownies outside the store one so this homemade brownies taste heavenly.

"You want to go out with me oppa?"

You felt a piece got inhaled to your respiratory system making you cough.

"Come on slow down oppa, I still have a lot more for you"

She laughed seeing you coughed up the brownies before swallowing it down.

"Here, drink this"

She take the smoothie and you sip it.

It's a very enticing option really.

"Min, we just met today"

A fair argument.

"We're soulmate oppa, I feel it the moment we've met, I love you"

A strong counterpoint, mostly because of her face, and body, and voice, and brownies. It's a bit unfair for you isn't it?

"Listen-"

She crawled on top of you, putting her closing statement to the argument.

"Sssshhhh, don't be scared, time doesn't matter. We're getting together sooner or later, so just starts now"

The second part of her closing statement is her soft lips pressing up against yours.

If the aggressive and impatient Yuri had a super soft and gentle kiss.

The gentle and elegant Minju have a passionate and aggressive one.

Her tongue slitehered into your mouth, pulling yours to a fight.

You weren't sure if it's because your mouth is still coated by the brownies and smoothie but her kiss felt so sweet.

Minju looked at you with a lustful eyes.

"Stay the night oppa, I want to spend it with you please"

"I, I have a dinner with Yuri"

Why did you say that?

Minju felt annoyed, that's right, annoyed, not angry.

She find Yuri to be a non competitor but an annoying flies between you two.

"Please oppa? I'll make you a tasty dinner"

Ah shit, what now?

"Are you, free after dinner?"

It's an acceptable term.

"Okay then, when is your dinner?"

"In an hour"

"Then we have an hour"

You didn't have to ask for what because she returned back to kissing you.

As much as you were enjoying her kiss your mind is pulling out a plan.

You need more time to make your decision.

So you have to make this two girls have a ceasefire until you made up your mind.

"Min"

You pulled away from her aggressive kiss.

She frown at you, oh no, she's so cute.

"Aren't your parents gonna be mad when they walked in seeing us?"

"Oh, my parents doesn't live here"

"What?"

"Yeah, they bought the house for me to stay in during highschool"

A princess.

She lay down her head to your neck, to find, something.

"This wasn't here before"

Her cold finger touch the bitemark Yuri gave you.

"Yeah, something happened"

As she raised her head you can feel the temperature dropping down below 0.

"Oppa, I really don't want to ruin your mood by making you break your relationship with her. But if this is the kind of relationship you have with her-"

"It's not, it's complicated okay?"

Minju is not satisfied with your answer, but there's another matter to deal with for now.

She leaped to your neck, and bite it.

"Min"

The hickey from her felt, sensual, mostly because she's grinding on you.

"Min I need to go"

You hear her growl before she let go of your neck.

"Come back soon okay oppa? Don't make me wait too long"

"I promise it won't be long"

She smiled happily and gave you another kiss before seeing you off.

You opened your phone to see Yuri has been calling you non stop.

Gritting your teeth you ran to her house.

Her parents look at you surprised.

"Yuri just went to get you in your house"

"Oh I was from the convenience store, I'll go get her"

Let's try to calm her down before dinner with the parents.

"Where were you"

Yuri bolted to you the moment she saw you walk to your bedroom.

"I'm sorry I wa-"

"With that whore"

Her grip tightens on you.

"Yuri after-"

"She even marked you, oppa you were cheating on me?"

"Listen Yuri, I need you to come with me after dinner okay?"

She looked at you angrily.

"I need to talk to both of you"

"There is nothing to talk about, we belong together, we're already together since we know how to walk and we will still be together until we die"

She shake your body while her eyes got teary.

"Listen, Yuri, can you just, listen to me for once"

Within Yuri mind, a thought is forming, the thought is that she's losing the fight.

It hurts her, it hurt her very much, it's so painful she might just break.

"Why, why oppa I know you for so long already, why did you have second thoughts already? Just because of some girl you met today?"

"Yuri, I just want to make sure"

"Fine, I'll make amends with her"

You're not really sure what she meant by that.

"Thank you Yuri"

Yuri will have you in her life, she will make sure you're not taken away from her, even if she has to compromise with a whore.

Your hug managed to calm her down.

"Yuri, are you crying?"

She answer with her muffled sobs.

"Yuri... Calm down"

You caressed her hair as she hugged you.

"Oppa, don't leave me"

"I won't Yuri, I won't"

"Don't leave me"

"I won't"

"Oppa"

"Yes Yuri?"

"Oppaaa"

You keep answering her as she calm herself down.

Yuri like the way your finger ran through her hair, it's so comforting.

It's decided, she will have to compromise, anything to keep you in her life.

"Yuri let's fix your hair"

You don't want her parents to start asking questions.

A smile formed on her face seeing you wipe her tears and brush her hair.

"I think that's good enough, let's go"

She didn't move, her smile was frozen in place so is her body.

"Yuri?"

"I love you oppa"

"I-"

"It's okay, come here"

She reached out to pull you for a kiss.

So soft and slow, especially compared to Minju's kiss from earlier.

"Let's go"

She whispered before pulling you to her house.

"Bye you two, don't forget to use protection"

"Noona"

"We will unnie, bye"

You glared at Yuri who's smiling happily.

"Ah there you are, well come on, dinners ready"

Yuri grabbed your hand and intertwined her finger with yours.

Her parents smiled seeing her actions.

You two sit next to eachother while facing her parents.

"So, what happened between you two"

Her mom is smiling curiously while her dad, he just doesn't care.

"I'm dating now"

"Good for you sweetie, and you too darling, you two are so perfect together"

"Thanks mom"

Yuri kissed your cheek while you're just sitting there eating.

"Dad aren't you gonna congratulate me?"

"No, you two are meant to be anyway so it's just the matter of time"

"Tccchhhh"

Yuri's dad is an absolute apathetic, her mom is a gossip girl, how did Yuri become an MMA fighter?

"How was your first day in highschool?"

"Everyone called oppa Brutus now and he just force them too"

"Really? Because of that drama?"

"Yes"

You can't really eat properly since Yuri is busy cuddling with you, at the dinner table, in front of her parents.

"Yuri, sweetie, why don't you take your boyfriend to your bedroom, you two seems like you need a room"

Her mom said as we finished the dinner.

"Me and oppa is going out for a walk, see you later Mom, bye dad"

Yuri and I walked to Minju's place.

"What is she doing here?"

Minju's open hostility made Yuri answered with her own. However she managed to keep herself calm.

Be patient, I need to be patient for oppa.

"Can we get in?"

Minju carefully eyes Yuri before grabbing your free arm.

The three of you sat at the living room, the two girls refused to acknowledge the existence of the other one.

"Listen, I know, you two are in love with me"

"I love you more, we're soulmates"

"I know you longer oppa, we are already meant to be together"

"Shut up, now, Minju, I know you for one day, Yuri, we've been growing up as friends, until today. So I can't make a decision yet"

"What decision, we are soulmate oppa"

"Shut up, oppa is talking"

The two exchanged glare for a moment.

"I need sometimes okay? I need time to make my mind, and I want you two to have a ceasefire until I made my decision"

The two doesn't like your proposal.

"How long"

"A month at least"

"No, a month at most"

Minju is very unpleased.

"Oppa, I need to talk with Minju"

"No, you two gonna kill eachother"

"Oppa, just leave for a second, I promise I won't kill her"

Minju stare at Yuri cautiously trying to gauge her intentions.

"Minju?"

"Fine, wait in the kitchen oppa, you can watch us from there"

Reluctantly you left the two girl to their own devices.

Yuri and Minju stare at eachother for awhile.

"Share him"

Minju definitely didn't expect that.

"What?"

"I'm not losing him, and I don't like to gamble, so share him"

"Are you stupid? Why would I share him when he's already mine"

"Because you might also lose"

The two stare at eachother angrily.

"We're soulmates"

"Does he know that?"

"I will make sure he does"

"I know him long enough to know he's not believing those kind of things"

"You know him for so long yet he still thinking about me, the girl he met in the first day"

Yuri felt her patience is slowly draining.

"Just share him with me, we can get a piece together"

Minju is not stupid, she knows the possibility of her losing you is a 50/50.

Yet she still doesn't trust Yuri.

"Why?"

"What?"

"Why you want to share him? You're antagonising me the whole day and you want to make peace with me?"

"Because he's conflicted. And I know, if he chooses you it will hurt, so much I might lose my mind. And if he chooses me, he will feel hurt for hurting you that I might also feel guilty"

Those thoughts has also went through Minju's mind.

"You're scared aren't you"

"Of course I am"

"To me?"

"My whole life I've known him and you come in and managed to threaten my position in the first day, of course I'm scared"

For a second, Minju realised, Yuri might not be as bad as she thought.

"Awwww, are you insecure?"

Minju patted Yuri's head making the latter frown.

"Don't do that"

"Hehehe, you're just a timid little girl aren't you, I'm sorry for scaring you"

"Minju stop it"

"Fine, I agree, I'll share him"

Seeing the changes on Yuri's face Minju felt a little relieved. Yuri might be a good partner to have as well.

She's cute, pretty, also when she got all embarrassed like this it make her heart flutter.

"Let's set up the ground rule then"

"Fine, we're the same priority, no main girl or something like that"

"That one is acceptable, second is group chat. I don't want any private chat between us and oppa. Everything need to be said in the group chat"

"That's, acceptable too I guess. Then you can't have too much date. If we both have two date and you took him out in one you can't have another one after I get one"

"You read my mind cutie"

"I'm not cute"

"But you're blush is so-"

"Stop it, another one is I want a budget limit on our dates"

"Oh come on, I want to pamper him"

"I can't keep up with your money, look at this house, you're definitely rich"

"I am, and that's okay cutie, he will still love you even though you won't be as rich as me"

"Fine, guess I'll just have to take him to dates with my family and parade him as my boyfriend"

.

.

.

.

"So the spending limit, let's say, 100 thousand won?"

"Are you insane?"

"Ughhh, fine, how about this, I won't take him to super expensive place, and we don't buy him anything. Our gifts need to be made by ourself"

"Good, I like that"

"Butttt, I want to buy him some new clothes, I want my boyfriend to dress well"

"Ughhh, his wardrobe is so bad"

"Hehehe, shopping trip with us then"

Minju hugged Yuri making the latter develop a smile.

"I'm looking forward to work with you, Minju"

"I'll be looking forward to work with you too, Yuri"

You are watching this weird interaction and was completely baffled seeing the two girl hug.

Ah shit I made them gay and fell for eachother.

Then the two of them turned to you with a creepy smile.

The wolf you pick has changed sides and tell you this is a bad idea.

"Oppa, come here"

You're not sure which one called for you.

Slowly you walked back to them.

Once you're close enough Yuri grabbed you and sat you down between her and Minju.

"Alright oppa, we will have a ceasefire"

Minju draw around your chest with her finger.

"Good, I promise one-"

"Forever, because we don't need to fight for you anymore"

Yuri start nibbling on your arm.

"What?"

"We are sharing you, aren't you happy oppa?"

It would be a lie if you never thought of the harem option. It would also be a lie if you think that the option is a genuine option to take. Yet, it's also a lie, if you say you're not excited right now.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I can't believe you're actually second guessing yourself for a girl you just met today oppa, bad oppa"

You felt a sharp pain in your shoulder as she sank her fang to it.

"That's okay oppa, I won't make you have the painful responsibility to hurt one of us, so we compromise"

Minju kissed your cheek.

"So first of all oppa, you have to love us equally"

"That's right, we are also using a group chat for now on, no private chat between us"

"Then, we will keep track of how much date to make sure it's fair", Notes, you need notes. And maybe some water splashed to your face. "Are you two, actually, serious"

The two of them looked at you, stare at eachother before attacking you. The two of them wrapped one arm around your neck locking it in place. Then they kissed your cheek. So synchronized, so creepy. Of course you're overwhelmed already so you're not feeling the desperate self preservation your brain is trying to send off.

"You're our boyfriend now okay?","Our oppa" They are synchronized now. "Okay, okay, okay", The two are ecstatic with your response and giggles before they bite your neck.

"Ahhhh, girls", Your moan of pain only made them even more excited. "Who kiss first?", Yuri raised her hand in response, "Rock-paper-scicors"

Yuri won and get the first bite of your lips. The lips of her new boyfriend. Minju is watching you with smiles all over her face. Once Yuri had enough fill she slowly parted from you, her mind is in a daze. She tried to inhale as much as your scent. "You're so shy when you kiss Yuri, so cute", Minju smiled.

"I'm not cute", The sight of your tomboyish childhood friend turning to a tomato is too cute. "You are kinda cute", You supported Minju's words. Yuri hide her face letting out a squeal before dropping to your chest.

"Hehehehe, my turn", Minju crashed her lips on to yours. Her passionate kiss only seems to get rougher as time went on. Your tongue and lips turned numb at the end. Minju is happy with how meek you are, such a perfect boyfriend.

As you two pulled away you saw Yuri is watching you two in a daze. "See? That's how you kiss cutie", Yuri frowned. "I'm not a horny bitch like you" Yuri pouted, "Really? Our boyfriend seems to like it"

She turned to you who's still in a trance. "Oppa", Yuri pouted making you wake up from your daze. "Yuri it's fine", Doesn't convince her. "Here, let me teach you" Before any of you can react, Minju grabbed both of Yuri's cheek before kissing her. Oh boy, it's getting harder and harder, you know what it is.

As they parted you see Minju is smiling at Yuri with a mischievous smile while Yuri was in a trance. "On second thought, your soft kisses are also enjoyable, good job cutie", Minju's hand let go of Yuri and wrapped itself around you. The two of them slowly came to hug you and stay quiet for, an hour?

"It's late already, we should go home", You don't want to go home, but things might escalate if you stay. "Come on, sleep with me, I want to sleep with oppa", Minju tightened her hug on you. "I told mom I'm going to sleep with oppa tonight" Yuri looks conflicted if anything, "So do it here, with me too" Minju said. "How though, I can tell mom I'm sleeping at oppa's place", You opened your phone to check if the coast is clear. "Then, I should ask Noona"

"Who's Noona", Minju squinted her eyes angrily. "My Noona, my older sister", They still have their jealousy trait, that's good to know. "Oh that's fine then", She smiled and turn to cuddling you again. You see your sister already texted you that she's leaving for the night so I can use the house.

"Oh? Should we move to your bedroom then oppa?", Minju whined at Yuri in response. "Here is better, I'm living here alone", Minju said making Yuri raised her eyebrow. "What?" Minju then smiled confidently, "Yep, mom and dad buy me this house for my highschool life", You hear Yuri curse under her breath but you can't make out what."Okay princess, but oppa's house is also empty, and that way I can also show to mom I am sleeping at oppa's place"

"Empty?", Minju turned to you. "Oh yeah, my parents passed away a while ago", She looked at you with concern and guilt. "Oh baby, I'm sorry",Well, a kiss always a good way to cheer someone up.

"We should go out to a date this week"

"Three of us"

"Of course cutie, I won't leave you"

"Let's go to the park again"

"Let's, go to my place, because I'm tired"

The two of them smiled and kissed your cheek. "Let me put on something more covering clothes then", Minju let go of you and skipped away.

"She's such a vixen", You tuned to Yuri who's doesn't seems to be mad."Yuri?", She turned to you, "I don't mind it, but she's too flirty, she might try to take your virginity oppa", This, is going to fast no? "I mean, Minju is a bit more, brazen? But I don't think-", She put her finger on your mouth to shut you down. "She will give you your virginity, and so do I, the question is who will take yours"

Alright, how do you tell them you're not a virgin anymore. "I'm back, let's go", Minju is wearing a baggy sweatpants and jacket. "Right, let's go", Maybe they don't need to know.

The three of you walk back to your house, you slipped Minju in while Yuri tell her mom she's sleeping at my place. "Hmmm, this place, smells just like you", Minju was looking around your bedroom with lusty eyes. "I miss sleeping at your bed again oppa, come on"

Yuri is definitely thinking about something other than sleeping. You lay on your bed with the two girls hugging you. Minju take off her sweatpants and jacket turning back to the previous very open and very thin outfit. Yuri actually changed as she went to her house earlier to a big oversized t-shirt that cover her mini pants.

"Oppa, this bed is so comfy, I can't believe you've been sleeping here with him this whole time"

"Hehehe, childhood friend advantage"

"Ssshhh, let me sleep"

"Yuri, you're thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Yeahhhh, oppa, we want some goodnight kiss"

Minju jumped on you and start making out with you. She pulled your hand in between her crotch and start grinding on it. "That's unfair", You hear Yuri whined.

As you are busy kissing Minju you felt Yuri pulled your hand inside her t-shirt. "Rub it baby", Minju moaned, you comply and starts rubbing her pussy through her pants making her moan.

Your other hand was led to Yuri's bare tits. "Squeeze it oppa", You comply again and made her moan. This continue for sometimes before you felt the wet pants Minju is wearing pushed itself onto your finger.

"I'm coming oppa", She pressed her forehead to your temple as she whispered in your ears. You saw her body quivered for a moment before slumping down. Yuri the jumped to your free mouth and start to get her own kiss. Your hand travel down to her pussy and starts doing the same thing you did with Minju. Your other hand travels up to start massaging Minju's breast.

Just like before Yuri started quivering and pressed her head to your neck. "I'm cumming oppa", She screamed, thankfully your house is empty.

"Oh my god, that was great"

"Yeah, we should repay the favour now"

The two of them look down to your erect cock."So big","So warm" The compliment only made you even hornier.

You felt one of them grabbed it through your clothes making you moan. "You're so hot when you moan oppa", Who said that? "Let's get this out of the way", Who said that too?

Feeling your pants being pulled down your cock got free from it's cage and the cold air washes over it. "Follow me cutie, I'll lead you", Okay that one is Minju.

You felt two sets of hand grabbed your cock, their warmth made your precum leaked."Slowly, go up and down" Minju take the lead as Yuri followed her, "Okay", Fuck the feelings of being jerked by two different hand is something else.

"Are you enjoying this oppa?"

"Yes"

"Yuri focus on your rythm"

The two girl continue their sensual and slow Handjob. Minju then come to whisper in your ears. "Can you cum for us oppa? I promise I'll drink it", Oh fuck, "Oppa, cum please, for me", Yuri followed her and made this whole experience a little too much for you.

"It's squirming"

"That means oppa gonna cum, come on oppa, cum all over our hand"

Can't keep up any ore your sperm shoot out, Minju closed off the tip just in time to make sure it doesn't spray anywhere. Looking down you see Yuri is also doing the same, making their hands covered with your sperm. "So warm"

Yuri whimpered. Minju smiled before licking her hand."Minju?" You hear Yuri's questioning tone, "So sweet, you taste amazing baby", Seeing the ecstasy on Minju's face, Yuri did the same, and start sucking on her own fingers. "Hmmm, it tastes good oppa"

The two of them went down to your cock and started licking it, getting any excess cum off of you. The sensation send your cock back to it's glorious form. "So vigorous, Yuri, follow my lead"

Minju climbed down to get to a more comfortable position, Yuri followed suit. "First, you kiss it", You felt Minju thick lips pressing up against yours. Then Yuri's soft pair of lips pressing up against the other.

"It smells so good"

"I know right? Now you start licking it"

The two started licking around your shaft giving some ungodly feeling.

"Now, watch me first", Yuri moves to the side before Minju started swallowing your cock whole.

"Whoa", Yeah Yuri, whoa, you did not expect Minju to be so good at this. The feeling of her throat massaging your cock while her tongue reached out to lock your shaft and balls is too good.

"Yaaaa, my turn", God damn Yuri looked so cute when she's pouting. Minju let go of her mouth before moving aside. "Now, first you need to try with the tip first Yuri"

Yuri was inexperienced, for like 30 second before she start giving you deep throat as well. "I'm so proud of you Yuri"

Minju get down and start sucking on your balls. Needless to say, as you're still sensitive from the ejaculations from before, you didn't last long.

Minju pulled Yuri up to only have your tip in her mouth while she use both hands to jerk you off. "Come on, cum oppa, cum all over cute Yuri's mouth"

Your hips bucked forward and start spraying your sperm to Yuri's inside. As your ejaculation subsided your cock fell limp to your crotch.

"Open your mouth Yuri, learn how to share", Yuri opened obediently and Minju's tongue slitehered to Yuri's mouth before they kiss. You see Minju's tongue scooping out your sperm into her own mouth occasionally. Then the two parted way, a loud gulping noise can be heard before they let our a satisfied moan.

"Thank you oppa"

"It was nice oppa"

The two gave you a kiss to the cheek before slumping down to your chest.

"Fucking hell, you two are, dangerous", The two giggles before they let out a sigh. Your breath and heartbeat seems to synchronize with them as your consciousness start to slip away.

It's been a long day.

[meggannn]

Ranking the Driving of CP2077 NPCs

Based on my experiences getting in the passenger seat next to my friends and allies across all these hours playing Cyberpunk 2077, I feel equipped to judge them on their driving skills or lack thereof, scripted and unscripted. For context, every time someone offered to drive me somewhere, I always said "yes" first out of laziness, but then out of horror, because I had to document proof that some of Night City's finest should never have been allowed on the road.

Not listed: People who drove me while I was in the backseat because I usually didn't know their face or name, e.g. Dexter DeShawn's driver or the Peralezes' driver. Important characters only, basically.

Jackie: 10/10 Got me home safely, apologized for scratching my car up during a gunfight, borrowed my car for a date, and delivered it back unscathed in the morning and because he paid for the damages to be fixed overnight without me asking. He's a real one. In honor of Jackie and to repay our peaceful trips together, I always make sure his ARCH remains scratch- and accident-free.

Judy: 9/10 Even when she was worried out of her mind trying to find Evelyn, she gave me a pretty unremarkable trip experience, which honestly puts her in the highest tier. Probably the best you can hope for in an NC driver is someone who can drive safely while in the middle of a crisis, because that's all the time.

Reed: 8/10 Genuinely a pretty good driver, just fucking slow as hell, but I guess I can't blame him for that in the super narrow streets of Dogtown.

Takemura: 7/10 Did his best while a bunch of assassins were shooting at us. Crashed the car into a very obvious billboard support to kill the guy on the car's hood, however it did nearly flatline us both when we were already in critical condition, so I can't give him full marks. That said, he saved my life and kept me alive while we were being chased by said assassins, then delivered me to a ripperdoc and helped carry me while he was also bleeding out. He also somehow managed to mostly stay in the correct lane while driving backwards down a curving road (!) just so I could have easier aim at a motorcyclist behind us. (I have mixed emotions on this: I'd understand wanting to brag that you can do that, but I think when we're already both full of bullet holes, it may not be the best time to show off.) So overall, his judgment skills range from excellent to questionable in a crisis. But we did have a much more pleasant, relaxed drive on our second trip together going to see Wakako, so with those two extremes, he weirdly averages out to probably be one of the most normal drivers in the city.

Nancy/Bes: 6.5/10 A lovely ride that would've been better if she hadn't "tapped" me at the end after letting me out. I give her a small pass because it was the middle of the night and I had just rescued her from a two-day stint in a Maelstrom hideout, so who knows what kind of fumes she'd been exposed to.

Delamain: 6/10 I mean, as drives go it was fine, but I'm knocking points off for not letting me change the route to stop at a goddamn doctor when my friend was bleeding out. I should be able to trust my driver to change routes to make the right decision for passengers in unexpected or urgent scenarios, which Delamain's service will not or cannot provide. As it runs its own business, it has more autonomy over itself than most AI, so I feels like it should install an emergency stop/rerouting mechanic somewhere in its programming.

River: 5/10 Technically never hurt anyone and he does obey the rules of the road, but I'm not sure which I'm more fearful of, his bad luck or his baffling judgment. Every time I ride with this guy to chase down a new lead, he somehow finds a car crash, shootout, or some other sort of jam on the road, drives slowly up to it, and then stops to gawk at it for several minutes, both hands at ten and two, glaring at the problem through the windshield as if that will make it wrap up faster... when he could, I dunno, turn right and drive slightly around it instead? The bad luck isn't his fault, but trips with him don't make for a pleasant experience.

Panam: 4/10 Her overall success rate getting me to and from places safely is very high... at least in the Badlands when there's no traffic around. As a streetkid, I would certainly trusts her driving skills over mine in the desert. However I know I cannot trust her in the city around other cars, because when we first met she drove STRAIGHT into my parked, newly fixed car, shoving it backwards onto the sidewalk without pausing at all. Then she looked right at me as if to say "What are you gonna do about it, bitch?" Still haven't forgiven her for that. So it's probably for the best Panem went back to the Aldecaldos, because she can't be trusted in a dense, urban lane.

Claire: 3/10 Guilty of several hit-and-runs, and I don't just mean the illegal street racing. Ran me over while dropping me off twice. I can forgive one time, but twice is a pattern as far as I'm concerned; I don't believe in third chances. She also shamelessly knocked over some pedestrians, so I know it was her, not me. I can see why she wanted me behind the wheel for our races so at least she's self-aware.

Kerry: 2/10 Like Panem, he is also guilty of crashing into my parked car when picking me up to go somewhere, yet unlike Panem, he did so while "borrowing" someone else's car while on a mission to blow up a third one. @skys-metro has also shown me he's guilty of crashing HIS OWN fancy Aerondight as soon as he leaves Denny's mansion, every time. Y'know, that car he specifically asked Rayfield to manufacture for him, of which there are only four in the city? As I've established above, twice is a pattern in my book. Johnny is correct not to trust Kerry behind the wheel, but I'd add an addendum: Do not ever trust this guy with any vehicle in any context whatsoever.

Rogue: 1/10 Absolutely fucking abysmal. Now I see why Rogue plants her ass in the Afterlife and lets work come to her, because her license not only needs to be revoked immediately but she needs to be on a billboard about public safety hazards. Not only did she crash several time into various railings and support poles, but at one point she drove in circles at 70mph for about five minutes and then chased down other cars on the road just to slam into them (including a police car but tbf that was just funny). Could she have just been getting some pent-up anger out of her system on the way to track down Grayson? Sure, I get that, but leave me out of it, old woman! Her gaze was ice cold and her hands were completely steady, but I felt the heat from the fires of Rome burning just beyond our fragile windshield. Not even using the "Skip Ride" feature would let me escape this madness, because it just teleported our car somewhere else, with her still behind the wheel, still glaring at every other car on the road as she rammed them so hard their hoods came off. Poor V was trapped in a never-ending, unwilling game of bumper cars from hell that Rogue was playing with herself, so eventually I had to pull a divine intervention and reload an earlier save (Guess what: Rogue STILL drove like a maniac the second time, but at least this time "Skip Ride" actually worked). Some footage of this godforsaken drive has been saved and shown below, because my V wanted to record her possible last moments and warn people of this terror in the streets in case she didn't make it out alive.

So there you have it: I nominate Rogue as Worst Driver in Night City, which is not a decision I take lightly, as there are a lot of contenders.

[toxycodone]

Manipulative papa curly hits so right because no one suspects a thing from their wholesome captain. I think his dick gets extra hard if you happen to look like him at all because it feeds his incest fetish. Which he tells himself is just a harmless daddy kink but it's not. And you know it's not. He calls you 'kiddo' and says passing weird things like 'look how you've grown' despite having met you as an adult

OKAY I AM. Going to explode

yes I agree mostly I think the only thing is Curly gets too anxious about it when it comes to like. The fact he is thinking about it too hard

it’s all good because in the end you ARENT related so he doesn’t have to feel the real guilt of that attraction. And also if he thinks too hard about it he gets bent out of shape (mid life crisis/anxiety shit). HES DEFINITELY GOT THE FETISH. Just in a “it’s cool bc I don’t actually have to feel guilty about it at the end of the day” type beat does that. Make sense.

BUT YESSSS…it just makes it even weirder ❤️ bc he’s like basically putting his fantasies on you. lol. FUCKING PERVERRTTTTT GOOOOD I LOVE PERVERT CURLY WHO SEEMS SO COOL AND REGULAR BUT HES NOT!!!! AND THEN HE HAS THE AUDACITY TO DOWNPLAY IT LIKEEEEE yeah.

[zeke-fanfucs]

PART TWO OF :

Oh There’s a baby

Featuring: Kamor being a little shit baby. Albus teaching a lil-Kamor to play with a knife and more!

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

The dust had barely settled when the group found themselves standing over an unconscious brute, a broken ray gun, and a very tiny, very distressed Kamor. And that’s when Kamor started wailing, it was game over. Mahatma, still awkwardly cradling the infant, winced. “Oh—oh no, oh no, okay, buddy, please, shhh—” He bounced Kamor slightly, but the baby only cried harder, his tiny fists clenching. “Oh, Attila, help—”

“What?! Why me?” Attila grumbled, his voice as sharp as ever. Mahatma, still flustered, carefully shifted baby Kamor into Attila’s hands. But the second Attila held him, Kamor let out a soul-piercing shriek. “Oh, for—” Attila pulled the baby an inch away, his usual scowl deepening. “Are you serious, brat?”

Kamor, tiny and tear-streaked, did not care. His little face scrunched up even tighter as he sobbed louder, little hiccups breaking up his cries. Mahatma cringed. “Uh, yeah, so I don’t think he likes you very much right now.” Attila huffed, clearly offended. “Not my problem.” He immediately extended his arms, shoving the wailing infant toward Albus. “Here. You take him.”

Albus, who had been smirking at Attila’s misfortune, took one look at the baby and backed up. “Oh, fuck no! I’m not holding him!” He waved his hands as if Kamor was some kind of unstable bomb. “Do I look like I hold fragile things?”

Everyone, including baby Kamor (who was still crying), collectively answered: No.

“Exactly!” Albus gestured wildly. “I am not risking dropping the kid!” Hipswitch, who had been silent through the ordeal, finally let out a long sigh. “Gimme.”Attila didn’t hesitate to shove Kamor into his arms, and the second Hipswitch had him, the crying slowed to a few soft hiccups. Kamor blinked up at him, his tiny fingers gripping at the fabric of Hipswitch’s coat. Hipswitch raised a brow. “Well, would ya look at that. Guess I win the ‘who holds the baby’ contest.”

Albus scoffed. “Yeah, congrats, Switchy. I totally wanted to hold the baby.” Kamor gave one last tired sniffle, his tiny body curling against Hipswitch’s chest. He grumbled something incoherent—probably some baby version of a pout—before settling down completely.

Mahatma sighed in relief. “Okay! So, uh, crisis mostly handled. Now we just have to figure out how to fix this.”Hipswitch glanced down at the now calm baby in his arms, his mechanical hand gently patting Kamor’s back. “No rush,” he said, his voice softer than usual. “Ain’t so bad like this, is it, partner?”

Albus made a gagging noise. “Don’t get attached, Switchy.” Hipswitch smirked but said nothing, adjusting his grip slightly as Kamor let out a sleepy sigh.

One thing was for sure—this was going to be one hell of a day.

A few days had passed, and the group had somewhat—adjusted to their new reality. Mahatma and Hipswitch had spent every waking moment researching the Ray gun that had turned Kamor into an infant, pouring over old files, scouring shady databases, and even bribing a few black-market tech dealers. Finally, after endless searching, they had an answer.

The effect lasted a month.

So, for an entire month, they were stuck with Baby Kamor. Mahatma had nervously presented this information over breakfast, fidgeting with his gloves as he cleared his throat. “Okay, uh, so, good news! Kamor will turn back! Bad news… it’s not gonna be for a while.”Hipswitch, who was balancing baby Kamor on his hip like it was second nature at this point, simply grunted. “Figured as much.”

Albus, who was busy tossing a knife between his hands, perked up. “A month? That’s plenty of time to train him up!” Mahatma blinked. “Train him? He’s a baby, Albus!”

“Yeah, but he’s still Kamor under all that baby fat!” Albus grinned, flipping the knife one last time before offering it to Kamor. “Here, Welp! Get a feel for it!”

Kamor, now at the stage where he liked grabbing everything, eagerly reached for the knife. Mahatma nearly had a heart attack. “ALBUS!”

Hipswitch, without even looking, smoothly snatched the knife away before Kamor could get a good grip. “What did I say about handin’ the baby weapons?”

Albus threw his hands up. “Oh, come on! He needs to start young!”

“He’s been young for three days, ya jackass,” Hipswitch deadpanned, expertly shifting Kamor to his other arm. The baby let out a tiny, content sigh, snuggling into the bounty hunter’s chest like it was the safest place in the world. Albus huffed, crossing his arms. “You’re way too good at that, cowboy.”

Hipswitch smirked. “Ain’t my fault I’m the only one here with sense.” Attila, who had been watching all of this with his usual unamused expression, scoffed. “He’s not wrong. Mahatma would have a breakdown, you’d drop the kid in five seconds, and I have zero interest in childcare.”

“Okay, rude—” Mahatma started, but Attila was already ignoring him. Hipswitch adjusted his hat, glancing down at Kamor, who was now sleepily sucking on his tiny fist. “Month’ll go by quick,” he murmured. “Just gotta make sure none of y’all get him killed before then.”

Albus pouted dramatically. “Y’all act like I’d actually let him get hurt.” Mahatma sighed. “I don’t think you’d let it happen, I think you’d cause it.” Hipswitch just chuckled, shifting Kamor slightly so he was more comfortable. “Don’t worry, partner. I gotcha.”

And as Kamor sighed in his sleep, one tiny hand grasping onto Hipswitch’s coat, it was clear—Hipswitch really was the only one keeping this whole situation from absolute disaster.

[nekropsii]

Hiiiiiiii! Insane your iceberg post and was wondering if possibly i could have the sources for: the one about horrus being a system, the cronus abelism one as Well as the one about kurloz talks cronus out of being the hero if its not too much of a bother! Have a lovely day and Take care!

Oh, sure! I absolutely can do that! Easy-peasy!

------

On Horuss Being a System...

Horuss's Plurality is quite an easy one. He references it multiple times! It verges on interesting, but every time the bait is taken, we get hit with the switch of it being a really cruel punchline against an extremely vulnerable group of people.

Yikes!

------

On Cronus's Disillusionment...

We mostly get this one from Aranea's infodump on Cronus. Here it is, verbatim, with the relevant portion in bold:

The 8ard of Hope may seem a little jaded these days, 8ut once he had a deeply abiding faith in magic, and dedicated himself to 8ecoming a great wizard. He 8ecame convinced he was hatched to defeat an extraordinarily evil magician, one he swore the angels foretold of. Though when pressed for the name of the man, he would not say it, claiming it was too dangerous to even enunciate. Part of his self-aggrandizing mythos was that this magician once somehow from afar tried to strike him down at a young age, so he would never have to face him. But the evil spell was deflected, sealing the magician's spirit away in a series of unassuming vessels until he could find some other cunning way to enter our universe. The attack supposedly left him with his distinctive scar. 8ut at some point he became disillusioned with magic. Any truth to his far fetched vision, the legacy of defeating the evil magician would have to 8e passed on to his descendant, or if his descendant proved to be as much of a failure as he did, then perhaps on some other Hero of Hope. I'm unsure why he suffered this crisis of faith, aside from the obvious reasons having to do with an overall lack of character, or any other redeeming qualities. Perhaps someone talked him out of his 8eliefs. Maybe a friend close to him. Or, if one is to 8elieve his fantasy held any water, perhaps someone who was in league with the evil magician.

Yep! It's just fucking Harry Potter, with a twist! But it's implied that Kurloz did that. He is pretty well known for colluding with the "Evil Wizard" in question, being Lord English, as well as mysteriously being there at every major event, ever... And Cronus is terrified of him, so. I think the only reasonable assumption is that Once Again, Kurloz Did It.

------

On Cronus's Ableism...

And finally... Wait. Wait, hold on a minute...

Did you just ask me for evidence that Cronus is Ableist?

The other two things are understandable, but... Really? You need a source on Cronus Ampora being Ableist? Are you... New here? Have you ever actually read anything Cronus has ever said? Brother, Cronus being Ableist is just about the most obvious trait he has. This is one of the key takeaways most people get from the Openbounds. His ableism is so fucking bad it's what made most people stop reading the Openbounds. His ableism is so bad it's genuinely triggered people before. It's so bad it's made people physically nauseous.

Well... You asked for it. I appreciate you seeking out knowledge, even if I'm a little confused by it. Here's a compilation of SOME - stressing, SOME, not ALL - of the vile things he's said to Mituna, who's mentally disabled due to a Traumatic Brain Injury.

Presented without further comment. Do I really need to make one?

------

You have a lovely day, too, Anon. Take care. May fortune find you, in mind and in wallet. Lol.

[catboybiologist]

Transition journal and documentation: Jan and Feb of 2024

Measurements for January are up, and February will be soon to follow! Tagging @whalesharkcat and @trans4hire here. If you want to be tagged when I post these, let me know! The advice for injections is in the journal below.

Some quick notes to clarify things:

I'm consolidating qualitative observations into my journal. Oftentimes these haven't been easy to cleanly classify into different categories of observation, so I'm not really gonna bother.

As I'm sure you've realized, the timing of these observations isn't consistent. I have a private document with exact date stamps for everything, and these are mostly right at the end of the month. But my levels checks don't match up to this cleanly, so I group them with the closest set of other measurements. Sometimes I don't have one that cleanly fits.

I can't trust myself to measure height anymore, to be blunt. I want to ask the doctor every time but chicken out about it easily.

But anyways.

And now, as a journal, a brief summary of my thoughts on the past two months:

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

*deep breathing*

fuuuuuuuucccckkkkkkkkkk

Okay. So. I'm not gonna list off everything that's happened since the year started. So many independent things started happening, one after the other, that I had to start formatting it as a bulleted list to tell people I know irl what's been going on. Each one has been a crisis on its own- massive emotional events, health problems, health problems in people close to me, transphobic drama with former "friends", academic&research problems, and a resulting mental health spiral. And all of this leading up to my qualifying exams at the end of February, for which I barely scraped by and passed.

But. With all of this. There's silver linings.

The biggest one is that the start of this year has been a stress test of my overall emotional state since starting HRT. I'm not gonna lie- if all of this had happened a year ago, I don't think I would be here now. I either would have completely snapped and done something I regret, or... yeah. But as it stands? I cried. A lot. I isolated a bit. I had mood swings and anxiety and anger and excitement and relief and highs and lows beyond my wildest dreams. It was intense. It was not pretty. But it was cathartic, and healthy. Before this, I would've processed all of this as a generic, stressful, anxiety-ridden malaise, that would've weighed down on me until a breaking point. As it stands, however, I made it. Not in a neat way, not even really in an emotionally stable way, but I made it. And there is no fucking way that would be true pre-HRT. I think I can genuinely say at this point that estrogen has been life saving for me.

In the middle of all this, I switched to injections, right at the start of February. A mistake? Maybe, but I'm too fed up with delaying my progress because "the time isn't right", so I stubbornly refused to delay that change any further. It's a goal I worked out with my provider ahead of time and I stuck to it. So how's that been?

It's been an incredible and WILD experience. I'm on estradiol valerate. For those that don't know, estradiol is conjugated with another compound, which is then cleaved over time in your body to release it. For injections, that results in a peak irculating levels about 1-3 days afer injections. Some people feel it more than others- and holy shit, do I feel it. This has given rise to "the Sundays", because on Sundays, I'm going fucking nuts. My senses are heightened, and I start craving and reacting to physical touch in intense ways. It's not always sexual- while arousal comes easier to me the closer I am to peak, mostly I just become a cuddleslut. It is WILD. I'm also more emotional and cry more easily. Some cis female friends I have confirmed that it mirrors the feelings they get at a certain point in their monthly cycle, so essentially the fluctuating levels are giving me the sensory and emotional effects of a period every week.

The flip side of this is that I feel like shit on Thursdays, like I missed a sublingual dose when I was on that. After the first two weeks, I started taking 2mg sublingual on Wednesday night and Thursday mornings to avoid this, which helped a lot. My provider specifically said this was a good idea, so if you're dealing with that yourself, consider trying it out. I might move to a 5-day injection interval instead, but we'll see.

I've only had one problem with injections so far, which I'm dealing with right now- on my fifth self injection ever, I had unsteady hands and hesitation before stabbing myself, causing a not-great needle stick. Currently, I have a nasty looking injection bruise. Not painful, and healing pretty well, but not fantastic to look at. Self injecting has been intimidating and scary, moreso than I thought it would be. But the actual physical pain is much, MUCH less than I thought it would be, its just that the lizard brain refuses to stab yourself.

If you're thinking of switching to injections, here's a bit of my advice:

keep as many oral/sublingual pills on hand as you can anyways. These will be helpful if you feel your injections aren't carrying you emotionally for the entire interval, or if you don't have an environment where you can inject regularly

If you have a provider, they should provide a nurse tutorial and consultation for you to inject properly. If they don't, try to insist on one. They'll give better advice than I can.

think less, do more. Ideally, the actual moment of the stab should be painless. Be quick and steady about it. The fluid entering feels like pressure and slight burning, but nothing more than that.

vary your injection sites. A doctor or nurse should explain this to you, but this reduces risk of doing what I did and bruising yourself.

be extremely sterile about things. All of the wiping down and sterile technique you'll hear? Don't fuck around with it. Infection is no joke, and absolutely can happen.

Purchase spare needles and syringes from a pharmacist or online. Several reasons for this- one, if you make a mistake and a needle is no longer sterile, you don't want to hesitate about throwing it away. And two... well, let's make a second point about this.

If you want to stock up on estradiol for the future (if you're worried about future access to HRT), this can be easier with injections- but you have to be careful, and you'll need extra needles (for the love of fuck, do not reuse needles). Vials will always have excess medication, because it allows standard volumes to fill and distribute, and it also ensures that needle draws will always be able to be fully submerged. Do NOT try to run your vial out. You WILL run into sterility and contamination issues. That said, vial expiration dates are typically measured from time of first puncture. This will vary, but for me, I was told that the vials are good for 4 weeks after the first puncture. This is overcautious, but not egregiously so. My recommendation would be to use each vial for 1-2 extra punctures, and open the next vial a bit later. Still get prescription refills as frequently as you can. That way, you can stock up on unpucntured vials in case anything happens to your supply. THIS SAID- if you notice ANYTHING wrong with the vial- if the seal isn't containing the fluid properly, if bits of the seal are falling into the medication, if you can see a noticable hole in the seal, DO NOT USE THAT VIAL. Look me in the fucking eye. Do. Fucking. NOT. get sepsis. Do not fuck around with this. The flexibility to be cautious about your vials is a great reason to stock up on a bit extra in the first place.

To anyone in the US, if you're comfortable with doing this to stock up, I would highly, HIGHLY recommend starting this now. Slowly start using your vials for 1-2 punctures extra, stock up unbroken vials. Just in case something bad happens after the elections.

Typically, your medication will come with two sizes of needles- a draw needle (puncture the seal and draw medication into the syringe) and an injection needle. You might want to consider going *slightly* smaller on one or both of those needles. Estradiol is dissolved in a viscous oil as medication, and can be difficult to draw and dispense as a result. But, if you're patient, a smaller gauge might help. For the draw needle, it can help do less damage to the seal and preserve it a bit longer. For the injection needle, if you have a bit more sensitive skin, it might be comforting. Don't deviate too much, though, ESPECIALLY without a medical professional involved.

Remember that I'm not a medical professional, please consult one whenever possible.

I'm still on spiro for now, and I'm continuing it until my next levels check comes back clean. I don't want to erase months of progress getting my levels up by dropping it too early.

Measurement-wise, there hasn't been much change. But I'm starting to realize that the measurements aren't really telling the full story. My breasts look so much larger and, for lack of a better word, breast-like than they did even a couple months ago, but that hasn't been coming through in the measurements very well. I think what's happening is that my fat around my sides is shrinking at the same time my breasts are growing. This is reflected a bit in terms of underbust and waist measurements, but it still seems more dramatic than those are letting on.

Face wise, I think I'm really seeing some changes now. It's hard to put into words, but I'm starting to look more and more androgynous or femme by default, especially if I shave. I'm estatic, honestly, and I hope the trend continues. My chin and nose continue to be problems, but as the structure of the face around them changes, that's becoming less and less true.

I've been getting laser, but so far it's done pretty much nothing. There's lag time, and some of my health issues meant that I had to delay a session and get both sessions at a much lower power than I would've like. I was really hoping to have visible hair removal by June or so, but it looks like that's not happening. That kinda stings, and is a huge blow to my ability to pass by the one-year mark, which has been my target.

I think my boymoding has been holding, for the most part, although its been harder. Even with my sports bras, small bumps are visible under a t shirt, and the face changes won't be unnoticable forever. I've def been more loudly bisexual, and I think most people just write it off as me being fruity. Cis people can also be pretty oblivious, especially when changes are gradual. That being said, I've been coming out slowly to people, giving my usual speech of "I'm still presenting as a man for now, but just so you know this is what's going on", which removes a lot of the pressure and anxiety from boymoding. Still, I haven't told everyone (notably, labmates and family), and my timeline of social transition between June and August seems to be holding steady.

So uh, yeah. If you're curious about anything specifically, I'm an open book, although I may move it to DMs if it gets too personal. Hope that my progress updates are helpful to at least someone!

[uhuhmaries]

CHAPTER 5 | SURRENDER

Series: Surrender (18+)

⊹ ࣪ ˖₊˚⊹⋆ ⊹ ࣪ ˖₊˚⊹⋆ ⊹ ࣪ ˖₊˚⊹⋆ ⊹ ࣪ ˖₊˚⊹⋆ ⊹ ࣪ ˖₊˚⊹⋆ ⊹ ࣪ ˖₊˚⊹⋆ ⊹

— Ludo’s POV

I don’t plan on going.

But two nights pass, and I’m standing outside the warehouse again anyway. Same heavy doors. Same cigarette haze leaking from every gap in the walls. My fingers twitch with want—something to smoke, something to drink, something to take the edge off.

But I’m clean.

Mostly.

Just mascara, lip gloss, vintage heels, and the heaviest liner I own to sharpen the version of me that doesn’t care.

I’m not here for Harry.

I tell myself that three more times before stepping inside.

The place is packed. Sweaty bodies pressed together like secrets. Bass already rumbling through the floor. My skin buzzes. My pulse kicks.

And then I see him.

On stage.

Spotlight low across his chest. Fingers working his guitar like it owes him something. Head tilted down. Hair damp at the edges. His voice curls around the room like silk set on fire.

He doesn’t look at me.

Not at first.

But then—he does.

Mid-song.

One slow drag of his eyes across the crowd until they find mine.

And when he sees me?

He fucking smiles.

It’s crooked. Dangerous. Quietly proud.

And I feel it like a slap to the ribs.

After the set, I slide backstage with the casual charm of someone who looks like they belong. No one stops me. One guard lets his eyes trail down my legs but doesn’t ask for a pass.

“Harry around?” I mutter.

He nods toward a hallway.

“You’ve got five minutes before they close the green room.”

I nod, heart pounding. Walk faster than I should.

I don’t know what I’m looking for.

Not Harry.

Not really.

But curiosity’s a bitch that smells like blood.

And I always bite.

The hallway bends left. There’s a locked door slightly ajar.

The kind of door that’s supposed to be locked on purpose.

I glance around. No one watching.

So I push it open.

It’s a supply room—or looks like one.

But inside?

There’s a table. A few crates. Neatly stacked.

Cash.

Wrapped in black bands. Labeled with numbers that don’t make sense.

And phones.

Three. Maybe four. Lined up like they’re being rotated.

A printer. A stack of IDs. Laminated. In different names.

Hold the fuck up. This isn’t merch.

My stomach drops. This is something else.

This is what he didn’t want me to see.

The click of a boot behind me sends panic screaming through my spine.

I spin.

Harry.

He’s at the doorway, chest rising and falling like he ran. One hand gripping the frame.

Eyes locked on mine.

Frozen.

“Ludo…” he says, voice low, warning.

I back up.

Hands in the air, like I walked in on a murder and I’m already guilty just for looking.

“I didn’t—” I start.

He steps in.

I step back.

“I didn’t see anything,” I lie.

His eyes harden. “Don’t fucking do that.”

“I said I didn’t—I’ll keep my mouth shut, alright?” I snap, heart pounding.

“Ludo—”

But I’m already turning.

Running.

He calls my name once—sharp, broken—but I’m gone.

Out the door. Down the hallway. Back into the crowd.

Because I don’t know what this is.

And I’m not sure I want to.

I don’t go back to the hotel.

I don’t even go back to Ueno.

I leave everything in the room—passport, bag, the shirt I stole from Harry’s drawer—and I disappear the way only a girl like me knows how to disappear.

No paper trail.

No receipts.

Just ash and perfume and silence.

I take a cheap room on the other side of the city. One of those hourly love hotels that smell like bleach and heartbreak. I keep the lights off. I don’t charge my phone. I don’t open the curtains.

I just… exist.

And think.

And spiral.

The money on that table wasn’t band payment. The IDs weren’t for stage crew. The phones? No one needs that many phones unless they’re running something bigger than music.

And now I know.

I’m not just tangled up in some moody rockstar’s personal crisis.

I’ve slipped into something criminal.

And worse?

I’m not sure I want to run away from him.

But I do anyway.

Because I don’t trust myself.

Because the last time I ignored a red flag, I ended up needing stitches and therapy I never finished.

I can still feel the way Harry looked at me—after I turned, after I ran.

Like I wasn’t supposed to see that part of him.

Like he wanted me close but hated what it meant.

And now?

There’s no word. No knock. No text.

Just silence.

The kind that sounds like punishment.

⊹ ࣪ ˖₊˚⊹⋆ ⊹ ࣪ ˖₊˚⊹⋆ ⊹ ࣪ ˖₊˚⊹⋆ ⊹ ࣪ ˖₊˚⊹⋆ ⊹ ࣪ ˖₊˚⊹⋆ ⊹ ࣪ ˖₊˚⊹⋆ ⊹

— Harry’s POV

She’s gone.

No text. No call. No smartass reply.

I’ve sent six messages. Called twice. Showed up at her hotel three times.

Room empty. No check-out record. No forwarding info.

Nothing.

Even the night manager looked at me like he couldn’t remember her.

“Girl like that?” he said. “Nah, don’t ring a bell.”

But he’s lying.

They all lie when the money’s right.

I stand outside the hotel for a long time after that. Chain-smoking. Staring at the pavement like it might spell out a clue.

She ran.

I would’ve, too.

The room she saw—the cash, the phones, the IDs—it wasn’t meant for her. I fucked up. Left it cracked open because I was distracted. Because I was thinking about her when I should’ve been thinking about protocol.

Louis is going to lose it. He already suspects.

I told him I handled it.

I didn’t.

Because I can’t.

She’s not just a girl anymore.

She’s a fucking hurricane with a mouth that begs for forgiveness and a heart that doesn’t believe in it. And I’m in it—deep—with no lifeline.

I lean against the wall of the hotel and finally let my head fall back, exhaling through my teeth.

Ludo’s gone.

But I don’t think she’s done with me yet.

And I know for fucking sure—

I’m not done with her.

⊹ ࣪ ˖₊˚⊹⋆ ⊹ ࣪ ˖₊˚⊹⋆ ⊹ ࣪ ˖₊˚⊹⋆ ⊹ ࣪ ˖₊˚⊹⋆ ⊹ ࣪ ˖₊˚⊹⋆ ⊹ ࣪ ˖₊˚⊹⋆ ⊹

📝 Author’s Note:

YALLLLL IM SORRY FOR BEINF KINDA INACTIVE IVE BEEN BUSYYYYY AYEEEEE 🙂‍↕️🙂‍↔️

[ego-meliorem-esse]

Could you talk a bit about Matthew and Alfred relationship? Our boys need love too

The lads! The fellas! The absolute units!

Bear with me here I wanna give a little bit of a context and a personal explanation as to why I'm really fascinated with these two countries in general.

If there is one nationfolk relationship that comes as close to pure and friendly as it possibly can, it would be the Us-Can one. Of course, it has major problems and unavoidable disputes. But let me tell you, as a balkan, ex-yugoslav cretin, I cannot help but be intriqued with the way these two comunicate. They make fun of eachother sure, they have disputes and squables, sometimes outright clashes, but when there is crisis in the US for example, all I hear is Americans straight up saying "ok well time to move to Canada". It's fascinating to me! As a Croat who, after returning from Serbia from a 3 day trip, brought home souveniers (key chains mostly, with the Serbian flag) I was yelled at by my dad who afterwards didn't talk to me for a few days. All because I dared to bring this enemy countrys flag into our home. Now, I was born in 1999. I have no connection to the war 8 years prior. No excusable, personal vandetta. But still it' s very much acceptable to hate so strongly. And even if it wasn't 8 years that passed, but 80, there still would be a widely accepted resentment. But alas, I am not talking about people, cus frankly people are just people. Alliances and relations between countries are another thing. Imagine sharing a huge fucken border with another country and being friends. My euro brain is imploding. Uncomprehensible.

Now I do understand the US is often described as a bit of a phycho, and frankly Canada is an expert at dealing with the phycho. Kudos. Keep the yanks from whipping out their home protection assault rifles and unleashing hell fire is risky shit. Canada manages tho. What I'm really interested in is the USA's view of Canada. They aren't a threat. They aren't suspicious. They are a force to be reckoned with tho, but they are friends. If there is one ally the USA can rely on its the maple sucking french/anglo bastards up north. So much history in such a short time. Fascinating.

To relate this to the bros, I think these two understand eachother better than most. Matt is quiet, obsetvand and passive (mostly), while his unit of a brother is loud, idealistic and prone to thinking the world owes him time on the world stage. And it works. Matt is the one to talk to his brother in a way that gets Alfred to listen. H speaks Alfreds language and can communicate with him freely. I think that that is a skill and in the modern era, a privilage that not many have. Not many dare to tell Alfred to his face that he fucked up majorly, but Matt can. He knows he can. Alfred knows he can. So he does. Matt can pull his brother aside after an outburst, and for the lack of a better word, humble him.

Alfred respects his brothers oppinion more then other nations'. He went from seeing Matt as a weak, self-pitying and ambitionless dominion, to accepting his views, ideas and even asking his oppinion on certain matters. I like to draw a parallel here. Matt had to sacrifice everything and himself to have Arthur call him into the war room and ask Matthew for his oppinion. Alfred is not much different. It takes time for Matthews voice to be heard, but when the time comes, it's desperately needed.

Alfred tho, is and always will be Alfred. And if somthing else catches his attention, he will ignore the house on fire across the street. He is prone to isolation and ignoring his brother for extended periods of time, just sending him a tiktok every month or so. That being the only indication to Matt that his brother is alive. Alfred has so much shit going on and his 13 braincells have to spread evenly across to cover it all. His brother is a constant in his life, stable and therefore forgotten.

That being said, I don't think there is another person on Earth Alfred loves more than his brother. Showing it is not something he ever learned tho. He knows he cannot buy his way into showing his love for Matt, so with his lack skills of other forms of love expressions, he does nothing.

As for Matt, he checks up on Alfred as much as he can. His history and past have tought him to expect nothing form the people he loves. So he doesn't. He knows Alfred is his closest ally and best friend, but doesn't ask for anything Alfred himself isn't giving. He is a person who waits to be asked to hang out on Saturday instead of asking his friends himself.

So while almost all I talked about is sad and somewhat negative, I do think the bond and conversations these two share are one of the most honest and true expressions of brotherly love. And by god I usually don't use the world love when describing nation-folk relationships, but in this case there isn't a replacement.

sorry for the personal shit and Alfred slander, I love him.

[isa-ghost]

some qphil and pomme hcs 🥹? i was thinking abt the rescue we were robbed of

Okay bear with me, I didn't get to see her a lot because I didn't watch most POVs she was on so these might not be spicy and deep or smth, they'll mostly be silly or surface level stuff. 😭

Phil headcanons masterlist

He thinks she's one of, if not THE most brilliant egg. Pomme's mind is something else /pos. He'd love to sit down and pick her brain sometime as one big brain to another (though he'd never admit he's big brain).

He makes dad jokes about Chayanne making anything apple flavored/centric like "How could you cook Pomme like that D:" and it always gets him smacked by both Chay and Lullah.

And then he'll see Pomme and be like YOU'RE ALIVE :O!! and watches her scramble like ?!?!?! before dying laughing and explaining himself. Etoiles has started to get in on this, much to Pomme's dismay.

He makes so many apple-related dad jokes in general, he enjoys watching all the kids die inside too much when he makes them. He doesn't even LIKE dad jokes that much, he's just a shithead.

He actively encourages Pomme to "compete" with Richas in collecting dads

There have been multiple occasions where they've had a Moment of some sort with or without other people around and he's told Pomme how much of her parents he can see in her. He's talked about seeing Baghera, Etoiles, and Pierre.

Phil loves the way Pomme just kinda blends in with her parents. She's not a Mommy's Girl or a Daddy's Girl. If she's with Baghera she's a lot like her and that her is different than when she's with Etoiles and those are both different from when she's with Pierre. And so on. Phil finds it endearing that Pomme takes after each and every parent and how it really shows when she's with them individually.

The couple times she (usually also with Dapper or Richas) would come to Phil in the wake of big stressful things going on, it was because she knew of all the islanders, Phil is one of the ones who's no doubt seen the most in his lifetime. He Gets It. He'll be real and raw about it, he won't sugarcoat just because she's a little girl. He'll level with her, and that kind of insight and comfort is what she needs in those trying times.

I think if Phil was Pomme's parent then she would've pulled a Chayanne and personally beat Ender King's ass right out of his body. And she'd spend day and night beforehand painstakingly plotting a plan to ensure it goes right too.

My memory is fuzzy on Pomme's first day, but I remember Phil being on high alert while the French were getting on their feet and offering everything he could in order to help keep Pomme safe while they settled in. Pomme's never forgotten that. If there were ever a crisis that left all of the French AND Bad + their bases inaccessible or unsafe, she'd go straight to Phil next. She knows how much effort he puts into keeping his bases safe and secure, and she knows he has always dropped everything at any moment no matter what in order to prioritize the eggs.

God these two shake hands on the insomnia fr. The only reason Phil eventually passes out is bc of his weird universe transcending fuckery. He may willingly Go to sleep but his ass doesn't willingly Fall asleep if that makes sense. Brain too busy going 90 miles a minute.

Phil's never thought abt this but I am: Of all the eggs, I think Pomme is one of the ones who would survive the best in his Hardcore World. She'd lock the FUCK in.

And Phil would've seen that if we weren't robbed of the rescue. 😔 The rescue would've changed how Phil views Pomme in a positive way I think.

Because as of right now, he just feels awful that Pomme has to grow up and be mature so much faster. There are too many horrors, she just doesn't let herself be a kid. Chayanne does similar things but he at least still let's himself be a kid. It saddens Phil that Pomme seems to think she can't be, even if she wants to be. :(

If he wasn't afraid of an awful accident happening, he'd probably spar with her. She's the daughter of Etoiles, he has no doubt she's a lil fireball. But he only trusts himself to spar with Chayanne and Lullah. (I think I've said this somewhere already,, hm. Well at least I'm consistent LMAO)