#so i would look for the team and/or the network that airs their games on twitter

[rulerofstars]

the unlikely schemer

oneshot: after breaking up with kuroo, you and your cat, kevin, are stuck in an awkward co-parenting arrangement. but with kevin’s matchmaking skills and some help from friends, old feelings start to resurface. will your tangled past and kevin’s scheming bring you back together, or is it too late for second chances?

pairing: kuroo tetsuro x reader

tags: fluff, exes-to-lovers, co-parenting

i. the cat custody misunderstanding

You’re just tying your shoes, running late as usual, when your phone pings. The text is short, so typical Tetsu.

“Is Kevin with you?”

It takes a minute to sink in. You’d just assumed Kevin was at Kuroo’s place today—it was his turn, after all. You hesitate, your thumb hovering over the screen as if you’re about to reply, then think better of it. You know exactly where this is going, so you text Kenma instead. He’s usually somewhere between Kuroo and sanity in situations like this.

“Hey, tell Kuroo to check his laundry basket. Kevin always curls up there.”

Minutes later, Kuroo sends a photo of an empty laundry basket with a sarcastic caption: “Look at this. So Kevin. Very here.”

So, it’s going to be one of those days.

By the time you reach Kenma’s apartment, you’re not surprised to find him gaming quietly in the living room, headphones half-off and tapping away at a console, with Kuroo leaning against the counter, arms crossed. He raises an eyebrow at you, which you promptly ignore, focusing on Kenma, who’s practically part of your support network at this point.

“Kuroo lost Kevin. Apparently, he’s ‘everywhere but nowhere,’” you explain with a mock eyeroll, making quotation marks in the air.

Kenma barely looks up from his game. “Pretty sure I saw Kevin’s cat carrier in your car last time we hung out.”

You freeze, suddenly remembering. In a rush to get back to work yesterday, you’d left the carrier in your back seat. Kuroo notices the realization flicker across your face and lets out a sigh, shaking his head in that trademark half-exasperated, half-amused way that used to drive you crazy.

“So,” he says, voice low and full of dry amusement, “you’re the one texting me about losing the cat when you had him all along?”

You cross your arms defensively. “In my defense, I assumed he was curled up in some basket in your laundry room. It’s his thing, you know?”

Kenma finally looks up, glancing from you to Kuroo. “Maybe you guys should put a tracker on him.”

“Right? It would save us a lot of hassle,” you say with a chuckle, nudging Kuroo’s shoulder. “Or, we could always get two cats. Double the trouble, double the mess for both of us.”

Kuroo smirks, and his gaze lingers a little too long on you before he finally looks away, back to the counter. “Yeah, we’re barely managing one cat. Two? I think I’d lose my mind.” He pauses, then adds with a slight edge to his tone, “Though, at least if I lost him, I’d know it.”

The silence hangs a little too long. You know that Kuroo hasn’t really moved past how things ended between you both, and neither have you. But here’s Kenma, already back on his console, looking pointedly unaffected by the tension in the room, which, of course, is his way of telling you two to work things out—without actually saying it.

“Well,” you sigh, determined to keep things light, “guess it’s settled. I’ll take Kevin today, and you can have him next week. Just—keep him out of your laundry basket.”

Kuroo’s lips twitch, caught between a grin and a frown. “Yeah, maybe you should check your car twice next time.”

A few days after the “Kevin custody confusion,” you find yourself at a small gathering hosted by the Karasuno volleyball team—Hinata’s idea of a “relaxing team bonding” that somehow ended up including you, Kenma, and, inevitably, Kuroo.

The evening is full of the usual chaos. Tanaka and Nishinoya are arguing over whose spike hit harder in the last practice, Yamaguchi’s laughing, and Tsukishima’s making sarcastic quips from the corner, clearly trying (and failing) to look uninterested. Amid the friendly noise, you notice Kuroo leaning against the kitchen counter, idly stirring a drink, his gaze following the playful banter with a faint smile.

You try to ignore the little jolt that hits you. It’s unfair, really, how seeing him in a setting like this—a few stray hairs falling out of place, that casual but slightly competitive air—still makes your heart stutter.

Kuroo catches your eye and smirks, jerking his head toward Hinata and the others. “They’re treating this like the Olympics, you know.”

You roll your eyes, feigning indifference. “Some people just have team spirit, Kuroo. Not everyone’s as calm and broody as you.”

Before he can reply, Hinata bounds over, practically glowing with excitement. “Hey, you two should join our game! It’s totally volleyball-related—sort of. It’s, uh…a spike accuracy contest, but with plastic cups!” He gestures to a pyramid of plastic cups stacked against one wall, courtesy of Nishinoya and his “training ideas.”

Kuroo raises a brow, glancing at you with a teasing glint. “I don’t know, do you think you can handle it?”

“Please. I was beating you in these games back in high school,” you scoff, hoping the heat creeping into your cheeks isn’t obvious. This was supposed to be fun, a way to forget for a few hours. But here you are, trading familiar jabs with Kuroo, half-suspecting he knows exactly how to get under your skin.

“Alright then,” he grins, a competitive spark lighting up in his eyes. “Loser buys the winner’s next cat food haul?”

You can’t help but laugh, rolling your eyes as you square off. “Deal.”

You’re both lining up for a turn when Kenma appears at your side, his voice a low murmur. “You know, you could just talk to each other. Without the middle school competition part.”

You shoot him a playful glare. “Don’t act like you’re not rooting for me.”

He shrugs. “Just saying. Even Kevin’s tired of the back-and-forth.”

Before you can respond, Kuroo lands his “spike,” sending cups tumbling dramatically across the floor. He raises his hands in triumph, throwing you a smug glance. It takes all your self-control not to stick your tongue out.

“Guess that means you owe me,” he says, voice low, as the noise of everyone laughing and cheering fades into the background.

You take your turn, successfully knocking over even more cups, and smirk right back. “Guess again. Your treat.”

The words are casual, but there’s something in the way his gaze lingers, something questioning and almost vulnerable. For a brief second, it’s like you’re back in high school, sharing inside jokes and trading glances that say so much without saying a word. And just as quickly as the moment comes, it’s gone, replaced by the clamor of the team celebrating your win.

Kuroo doesn’t push it; he just steps back, smile dimming a little but still there, an unspoken challenge lingering in his eyes.

ii. kevin’s plan

Kevin, it seemed, had developed a mischievous knack for engineering his own little reunions, and he was subtle, a master of feline subtlety. For starters, he had a way of "escaping" whenever he sensed you were home. One minute you'd find him snuggled up on the windowsill, eyes half-closed, as if he'd happily stay put for hours. But the instant he saw you putting down your bag, Kevin would dart to the door, yowling at the handle in a way that you knew meant, I'm not just done with Tetsuro today. And you knew—this was a game. Kevin wanted out, because that meant one thing: Tetsu needed to come pick him up.

"Hey, Kenma?" You called Kenma up one evening after a particularly trying cat-chase. You could practically hear the amusement through the phone as he listened to your woes.

"So he climbed into Tetsuro's basket…again?" Kenma's quiet laugh was the only real noise on his end, and even though he sympathized, he found the whole thing hilariously on-brand for Kevin. "Are you going to call him again, or…?"

You groaned, resting your head against the cool surface of the window as you watched Kevin curl up and blink at you innocently. "Apparently, I'm not the one with a choice."

Kenma’s voice softened. “Maybe it’s for the best, you know?”

“Kevin meddling is ‘for the best’?” You grumbled, throwing Kevin a look. "He's a cat, Kenma. I swear he’s got a playbook or something."

Kenma laughed, “Well, you could ask Kuroo to stay for dinner next time. He’d probably be less willing to ‘rescue’ Kevin if he got to see you in a normal setting for once.” There was a beat. “I just think he misses you. A lot, actually."

As you listened to him, you thought about what he’d said—about seeing Tetsuro in a setting that didn’t feel so strained or impersonal. You couldn’t deny it sounded…nice. There were moments when the banter softened, moments that reminded you of how easy everything had once felt. It was different now, of course, but maybe Kenma was right.

That weekend, you decided to take a chance.

Kevin, true to his antics, found his way into Tetsuro’s room yet again. But this time, when Tetsuro came over with the usual look of bemusement and mild exasperation, you were ready.

“Dinner’s on the stove if you want to stay," you said, sounding more casual than you felt. "It’d save Kevin from his…habit.”

For a moment, Tetsuro looked stunned, almost as if you’d suggested something outlandish. But then, a familiar, quiet smile broke across his face as he nodded, the unspoken warmth of old memories settling in between you. And for a while, it was like nothing had ever really changed at all.

As Tetsuro took off his jacket and washed his hands, you felt the unspoken tension hang thick in the air. He was careful not to look at you too closely, like he was afraid of pushing something fragile that he hadn’t quite realized he wanted to hold onto again. Kevin, meanwhile, weaved around your ankles, giving you what could only be described as a smug look before he trotted over to Tetsuro, meowing with an air of absolute satisfaction.

“So,” he started, voice light but a little uncertain as he settled at the table. “Kevin’s getting pretty good at this whole escape thing, huh?”

You couldn’t help but laugh, gesturing toward the little troublemaker. “He’s like an escape artist at this point. Or…a schemer.”

Tetsuro smirked, glancing down at Kevin, who was rubbing his face against Tetsuro’s leg with an innocent expression. “He gets it from his favorite co-parent.”

“Oh, so it’s me now? Not you?” you teased, raising an eyebrow as you spooned some soup into his bowl. “You were the one who taught him to open doors, remember?”

“Hey, I taught him how to close them, too,” Tetsuro replied, trying not to laugh. “He just…ignores that part. Selective memory.”

You rolled your eyes. “Yeah, he’s got selective memory alright. Probably picked that up from someone, too.”

Tetsuro’s smile faded a little, and for a second, he looked like he was about to say something serious. But then, with a rueful little shrug, he muttered, “Touché.” His gaze lingered on Kevin, who had now curled up comfortably in the spot right between the two of you, purring contentedly as if his mission had been a complete success.

For a few quiet minutes, you both ate, sharing the familiar silence that used to be filled with so much unsaid affection. Even now, there was something comforting about it, like the past was a blanket thrown over the room, warming you both without permission.

“So…have you thought any more about…?” He trailed off, his voice unexpectedly softer.

You didn’t need him to finish. You knew what he was getting at: the breakup. The distance. The plans you’d made separately that had edged each other out.

“I have,” you said, voice barely above a whisper. “And…I think I’m realizing some of it didn’t have to go that way.” Your eyes met his, and for once, neither of you looked away. “I guess I just wanted to feel like I could do things on my own. And I thought…” You trailed off, taking a breath. “I thought you’d understand if I needed time, but maybe I didn’t need so much time away.”

He nodded slowly, his gaze shifting from you to the empty space between you, that chasm that had grown in the months apart. “I get it. I think we both felt like we had to prove something, but in doing that, we…kinda lost what we already had.”

The words hung there, and Kevin, in the timeless way of cats, chose that moment to yawn dramatically, pushing his face closer to yours with a nudge that felt suspiciously well-timed. You could feel the little nudge of his head against your knee, almost like he was trying to physically push the two of you closer together.

“He’s persistent,” Tetsuro murmured, amusement warming his voice. “Like he won’t stop until…well, he gets what he wants.”

You laughed, scratching Kevin behind the ears. “Sounds like a certain someone I know,” you replied, nudging Tetsuro’s foot under the table with your own.

The casual touch, the gentle press of your ankle against his, was so small yet felt monumental in that quiet moment. Neither of you pulled away, and for the first time in months, the space between you felt smaller.

“Maybe…” Tetsuro started, voice uncertain. He glanced at Kevin, who seemed completely at peace, oblivious to the storm of feelings he’d orchestrated. “Maybe we could…try again? Start with small things, I mean. Like, um—Kevin dates?”

A laugh bubbled out of you, unexpected and genuine. “Kevin dates? Seriously?”

He grinned, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. “Hey, he’s a big fan of them, clearly. And we wouldn’t want to break his heart, right?”

You met his gaze, something familiar flickering in the warmth of his smile. It was the same look that had been there in high school when he’d confess he’d waited outside in the freezing cold just to walk you home. The same look that told you maybe, just maybe, there was still something worth holding onto.

“Alright,” you murmured, voice soft but firm. “Kevin dates it is.”

And as Kevin let out a satisfied little meow, you couldn’t help but feel that maybe he’d had the right idea all along.

Weeks had passed since that night in the kitchen, and things between you and Tetsuro had gradually shifted back into a comfortable rhythm, like slipping into an old pair of shoes. The cracks of time, once jagged and deep, had started to fill in with laughter, shared moments, and the kind of quiet affection that only came from familiarity.

Kevin, of course, continued to play the role of orchestrator, his paw prints everywhere—on the pillows, on the couch, and especially on the small, shared space between you and Tetsuro that no one could quite explain.

It was a Sunday afternoon when you found yourself at Tetsuro’s apartment, leaning against the couch, watching him and Kevin "interact" in the most absurd way possible. Kevin had somehow managed to get himself tangled in Tetsuro’s headphones, and the two of them were locked in a standoff: Kevin, half-playful and half-aggressive, tugging at the cords, and Tetsuro, trying his best to untangle the mess with the patience of a saint.

“I swear, this cat is too smart for his own good,” Tetsuro muttered, glancing up at you, clearly exasperated.

You chuckled, biting your lip to hold back a grin. “What did I tell you? He’s a schemer. You’re just his latest target.”

Tetsuro let out a breath of frustration, shaking his head as he finally freed the cat from the headphones. But Kevin only looked at him with that smug, knowing gaze that said, I’ve won.

“Yeah, yeah, laugh it up,” Tetsuro grumbled, but there was no real bite to it. “I can’t believe I’m co-parenting with someone who has no shame.”

You raised an eyebrow, stepping closer. “Someone? Are you sure you’re not referring to yourself?”

He shot you a teasing look, but there was something different now—something more vulnerable behind the playful facade. “You know, I don’t mind this. The whole co-parenting thing. And I think…” His voice softened as he picked Kevin up gently, cradling the cat in his arms. “I think I like the idea of us being in each other’s lives again. Even if it’s just for Kevin’s sake.”

A silence settled between you both, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. It was easy, the kind of quiet that came from knowing each other for far longer than you’d care to admit. You sat down beside him, your fingers brushing against his lightly, just enough to feel the spark. Kevin, now settled in his lap, gave a low, contented purr.

“Well,” you started, voice gentle, “Kevin’s a pretty great reason to keep showing up. I guess we’ll just have to stick together for him. And, you know… maybe for us, too.”

Tetsuro met your gaze, his dark eyes warm. He didn’t say anything right away, but the look he gave you was enough. It was full of understanding, of patience—of someone who had learned the value of quiet moments and the unspoken things that meant more than grand gestures.

Kevin, once again, seemed to know just when to intervene, hopping from Tetsuro’s lap and nudging his way toward you, as if to say, This is how it’s supposed to be. You couldn’t help but smile as you reached out to scratch behind his ears, and Tetsuro, catching the moment, did the same.

In that little, seemingly insignificant moment—Kevin purring contentedly between the two of you—you realized the truth of it: Maybe we didn’t need grand gestures to fix what was broken. Maybe, we just needed to be here.

And as Tetsuro leaned back, letting the warmth of the afternoon sun spill through the windows, you felt the smallest but most important shift—the promise that, this time, you wouldn’t have to let go. Not again.

Maybe it was always meant to be this way—small moments, messy, imperfect, but full of love all the same. And maybe, just maybe, Kevin was the real genius for knowing it all along.

[itstheghostofmypast]

Our Little Secret

Sergeant Choi San x (f) Criminal Reader ft.Wooyoung

Summary: Maybe he was not as bright as his superiors made him believe he was, or maybe he was just a fool, or maybe he was just a tool in a much larger game at play. Either way, one thing was for certain, Jung Wooyoung was impressed by a man who had one too many little secrets, some that he was to keep as well.

Genre: Hurt/Comfort Fluff

Warnings: mention of gunshots, mentions of r*pe (heavy stuff), panic attacks, illegal stuff, strong language- (Mc is a perv, sorry not sorry- lowkey San is the same)

Word Count: 7.8k

Read Time: 38 min

Networks: @cromernet @k-labels

Banner: @cafekitsune

Rating: mature

A/N: I may have had a little too much fun writing this

Wooyoung hated this part of the job, ever since he had joined the force, he had wanted to do nothing but good, but here he was in the late hours of the night in a mansion that belonged to one of the many corrupt political figures that ruled the land. He had begged Captain Park not to put him on night parole, even insisted on doing all the paperwork for everyone, including the slacker Mingi, but the captain was in no mood for negotiation, instead, he had told him the sergeant would accompany him.

Truth be told, the officer was afraid of the sergeant, he had heard great stories about the man, and the first time the young officer had laid eyes on the mountain of a man, he began to believe the rumours. From his well-built body to his feline mannerism, the way he would walk with an air of pride around him, forcing those around to bow in respect, or fear, either way, it didn’t matter because Wooyoung knew one thing for sure- he wanted to be like Sergeant Choi. Due to this very reason, he had agreed to attend this nuisance of an event, a masquerade ball for the elite, filled with all activities which would be illegal if one were poor or even middle class. What confused him, however, was why the Sergeant had agreed to conduct this trivial task. Captain Park had mentioned how he had volunteered himself, even bringing the blueprints of the mansion and the surrounding gardens, speaking with the security teams at the place of function as well- trivial tasks that are often left to juniors like Wooyoung, so why was his superior doing all these things himself?

“Officer Jung, do you copy?”

The static voice rang in his ear, yes, they were given the state-of-the-art technology just for this freak show, the budget the Department of Defence was given had their captain shaking in his boots, which would explain why he was hell-bent on using every penny to the most ‘professional’ manner.

“Yes, Sergeant, loud and clear.”

“Good, the east wing is clear, I’m leaving the man ballroom now.”

“West wing is clear too, Sir.”

“Heading North, to the main gate. Keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary.”

“Heading to the greenhouse at the back Sir.”

With that Wooyoung slowly started to walk down the stairs and out into the open, taking a deep breath, the crisp, chill of the night prickling against his warm skin, a shiver running down his spine, he thanked heaven that they were allowed to wear civilian clothes, San had insisted that it would be safer for them and the visitors this way. Ironically, he had chosen to wear a leather jacket, much like his superior, guess he had his boss somewhat figured out at such a quick pace- he really was smart, wasn’t he? Pulling the leather jacket closer to his form, he looked around the luxurious lawn, it was indeed pretty, with a variety of trees and flowers that one would only see in books or the internet, most of the species were not even native, but then again, then again, certain laws of physics or nature do not apply to the rich.

He was glad it was quiet though, a few more hours and this shit show would be finished by midnight, which meant he could go home in peace, and possibly expect some form of praise in the morning from his superiors. Speaking of superiors, he didn’t know much about the Sergeant, only that he was cold and ruthless, and incredibly gifted in the department of looks- apparently was smart too, and that he had a blackbelt- okay so maybe Wooyoung did know a lot about him, but it was all so textbook. He had no personal details on the man, only one thing, that he was married- but that was because of his wedding band that he saw the Sergeant wear in a makeshift necklace. The wedding band wasn’t even on his finger, and the only way he had seen the necklace was when the man had taken off his jacket, the ring toppled onto his shirt, earning a low groan from the man, though Wooyoung’s eyes quickly scanned the item, a simple silver band, hanging from a silver chain. He watched his superior gently tuck it back into his shirt, pressing it against himself for a quick second before sighing, as if he was afraid, he had almost lost it. That was the only glimpse Officer Jung had gotten of his superior that was not consistent with the rumours of his ruthless stature.

Opening the door to the greenhouse he stepped in, the strong scent of herbs hitting his nostrils, making his nose itch. Clicking his tongue in disapproval, he walked down the isle of potted parsley and mint, looking around for anything suspicious, not that there would be anything there. Or so he thought, for the moment he stood at the heart of the glass building, looking around with his hand on his hips, and he heard a little chime- a cat? No, this place was locked and he made sure to close the door behind him, he was sure of it, which is why he was about to dismiss the noise until he heard it again.

Slowly making his way to the source of the sound, he reached for his gun, being as quiet as possible, spotting a silhouette near the roses, and pointing his gun at the intruder he cleared his throat before ordering;

“Freeze! Raise your hands and turn around slowly.”

He was ready, he was oh so ready to prove to his superiors that he was well deserving of that promotion, he was ready to take down this- woman? He was not ready for this, visibly swallowing at the sight before him he tried to not look at anything but the kitsune mask of the woman.

“Miss, are you here by accident or…”

“Oh, honey if you think only men are criminals, then you are part of the problem.” her red lips stretched into a cocky smile, shifting as she leaned against the stand, the slit of her red satin dress shifting, showing a bit more leg than what Wooyoung would consider modest, though his glance served to be more useful than perverted, the silly little shiny pistol hooked to her black net garter caught his eye, the ribbons of the material gripping onto the gun.

“Eyes up here sweetie, my husband wouldn’t appreciate other men ogling at me like this.”

“Cut the crap,” spitting he aimed at her, “Take off the mask and get down on your knees.”

“Kinky.” Was all she said before something smacked against Wooyoung’s hand like a sharp slap, stinging his wrist his gun fell to the ground as he groaned, glaring up at the smirking woman who winked at him, finally noticing the black leather whip in her hand- did they even make whips this long?

He was about to reach for his gun on the ground before it was kicked away, her heel pressing against the back of his hand, “You’re cute, I’ll give you that, but I don’t have much time, cutie.”

Wooyoung was about to tackle her, only for her to smack him across the face with the back of her hand, the rings on her fingers stinging like hell as she made a run for it, laughing like a mad woman, her chuckles echoing across the greenhouse. Growling in frustration he grabbed his gun and ran after her, he knew he couldn’t shoot around like a madman, one shot would be enough, but the leg? No, she’d bleed out. The shoulder? He was hot on her tail, the red dress hard to miss, along with the sound of the bells hanging off the tussles of her mask, his fingers just grazed her dress before she took a sharp right.

“Shit” following after he stumbled behind the shelf, only to stop at the sight before him. The woman was pinned to the ground, her wrists pinned above her head, San’s grip tight as he watched her struggle under him.  “She has…a gun” Panting Wooyoung pointed at the now fully exposed leg, her dress had bunched up against her waist as the Sergeant’s lower half kept her legs apart, his free hand reaching for the gun, though Wooyoung could swear his boss was taking his sweet time, he could swear his boss was caressing the woman’s leg, somewhat toying with the garter before ripping it off her, earning a squeak from her followed by a whine.

“Enough.” His voice boomed, gripping her face he squished her cheeks hard, staring down at her, as she instantly stilled, looking up at him, not moving an inch. It was as if she was wired to his command- to have authority such as Sergeant Choi’s would be a dream come true for Wooyoung.

“Did you grab the kitty’s tail?”

“The what?”

“The whip Officer Jung, she calls it the kitty’s tail- you didn’t read the report last week, did you?”

“I umm- I’ll go get it, sir.” With that he ran back to the original scene of the crime, acquiring the whip that she had dropped on the way, probably while running away from him. When he had come back, San was locking her handcuffs, his rough movements causing her to wince, but when he tightened it against her wrist, she whimpered- and that is when he saw his superior freeze for a second, and if it were not for his cunning fox-like observation skills, he would’ve missed how San’s eyes had softened, his hand that was on the cuff loosened its grip, “Let’s go.” That was all he said before leading the two out the back entrance, claiming that the event was already over anyway and that they had to report to no one about their departure.

.

He glanced back at the woman in handcuffs, chin in palm as she admired the view outside. It was now that he got a good look at her, with her mask in her lap, she was beautiful, no, the word beautiful did not do her justice, so why was a woman as pretty as her involved in something as ugly as this? Wooyoung frowned when San took the turn to exit, unsure of what his superior was doing

"Sergeant Choi, I think you took a wrong-"he was cut off, his eyes flicking to the rearview mirror, the lady still sitting in the same position, but her question caught him extremely off guard.

"Sannie, will you be home for dinner tonight? "

Did she just call him Sannie? Though San remained as nonchalant as well, "I didn't Wooyoung, don't worry." he answered only his junior ignoring the woman, this was the first time he had addressed Wooyoung by his name, what exactly was going on? Glancing at the side view mirror, San raised an eyebrow at her, she was sitting right behind the driver's seat, his seat, watching her pout and look at him through the reflection. A small whine made its way through the silent car.

"Come on Sannie~ you can't gimme the silent treatment forever?"

"Detective Jung?" his tone extremely authoritative and hard, earning a flinch from his junior, though the lady behind him just shivered, with something other than fear.

"S-sir its officer, the detective exam’s results aren’t out yet”

“You’ve passed Wooyoung.” He sighed, gripping onto the wheel a bit harder, as he pressed on the gas.

“Sir I- how, how do you know that?” he should have just been happy at the knowledge of his new title, but curiosity always got the better of this foxie, always wanting to know the answer behind the whys and the hows.

“I checked the exams- why do you think Seonghwa sent you with me tonight? They don’t send just anyone with me to such a high-profile case?”

“N-no Sir I-

Once again, he was cut off by a bratty whine, only this time she leaned forward, shifting so she was in between the two seats, her upper body leaning against the gearbox, turning to look at the Sergeant who did not glance away from the road;

“Sannie~ It’s been a week, this isn’t fair.”

"Wooyoung, open the glove compartment, there's a roll of tape there." he gestured to the glove compartment, "Tape her mouth shut for me, would ya."

"Sir!?"

"Sannie~ wait, hear me out-eep" she yelped almost as loud as the screech of the brakes, falling back as her back hit the leather with a thump, Wooyoung's own heart made its way to his mouth, ready to jump out in fear.

"Wooyoung. Tape. Her. Mouth."

As his junior fumbled with the glove compartment the Sergeant parked the car in a secluded area off the road, getting off and slamming the door shut. Wooyoung gulped as he noticed his superior’s body language, he had never seen him like this, what was he going to do with her? Should he save the woman? Were the rumours about him being a ruthless killer of ‘criminals’ going to be proven true after what he was going to do to this woman? Swinging open the car door from her side he pulled her out by her wrist, noting how she winced and looked up at him, "Sannie…you're hurting me." This caused his grip to loosen, though not enough to let go, not that she had any plans of escaping, his cold hard glare was enough to have her rooted at the spot, fumbling with her words- extremely out of character.

He had had enough of this, tonight was too close to be just a risk, she was lucky he was there, there was no way Seonghwa would let her go, and if this was some kind of sick trick to get his attention, he wasn’t interested in it, nor was he going to entertain it.

"San, I swear I was wearing my mask I-"

Her words were cut off by the sudden pressure of his lips, his body pressed flush against hers, pressing it against the car door. Her cuffed hands gripped onto his jacket and pulled him ever closer as his hand at the base of her neck gave her a little squeeze as if warning her to not test him, though a muffled giggle broke past her lips as he slowly parted, the hand on her waist pressing into her. She didn’t care about how rough he was being or how he wasn’t even crouching down properly to meet her halfway, having her stand on her toes just to feel him close, she didn’t care because at least he was giving it to her now, his attention. With their foreheads pressed together, he gazed down at her gentle features portraying nothing but innocence- false innocence, but the sincerity in her eyes was what always had his knees buckling. The sincerity of love that she had for him, letting him catch her every time, letting him into her world, into her life- truth be told it wasn't her who fell into his trap, but it was him who was wrapped around her pinkie.

Wooyoung cleared his throat, "Ummm…" Extremely baffled by what had just broken out, he had not just seen his superior fully make out with a criminal- was this legal? Well, technically no- wait was this harassment? Or no, she did call him Sannie, did they know each other?

With a slight chuckle, she stood on the tip of her toes to peck her lover's cheek, "Didn't know you were into that stuff…the audience turning you on huh, never knew my husband was so kinky?"

In an instant the tape was snatched from Wooyoung's hand and smacked across her pretty red lips as she stared at him wide-eyed, a bit confused, a bit scared, but oh so in love.

"Be a good little wife and stay quiet, no need to traumatise my junior even more than you already have."

With that he forced her back inside the car and went to sit on his seat, leaving a sweaty-palmed Wooyoung standing there in complete, utter shock - possibly turned on too- wait- WIFE? Suddenly her statement about her husband rang in his ears, she had mentioned a husband before- was he? Was this man an enemy of the law or a loyal servant of the law? Wooyoung stood there grounded, confused about what to do and what had just happened. Perhaps he had stood there a bit too long, clenching and unclenching his sweaty fists but the driver's door opened again, causing him to flinch, unsure if he was about to move to the car or reach for his gun, he wasn't sure but before he could decide his senior opened the backdoor. He watched another scene of confusion unfold before him, San shrugged off his jacket, and crouched down into the car, placing it over her torso, and tucking it around her upper body, "There, now you're all warm."

Wooyoung was dead sure he heard San chuckle, but the muffled whining was louder. Standing up straight he closed the car door and turned to look at Wooyoung, his white T-shirt clinging onto his well-built frame, the ring in his necklace glimmering under the streetlight. Just who was this man?

"Wooyoung, if you aren't comfortable with this I-"

Huffing the junior stomped to the other side of the car, slamming the door shut. Shaking his head in defeat San let out an airy chuckle, staring up at the stars, "Man, I just attract brats, I'm sure of it."

.

"You know…this is illegal right?"

They had been driving in silence for almost thirty minutes before Wooyoung had decided to slice the tension. What bothered him more was how it was only he who could feel this tension, the lady at the back was literally snoring away in wonderland and his boss was driving with one hand on the wheel, the other was resting on the armrest, casually drumming against the material.

"Hmmm? What is?"

"This. She's a criminal! We literally caught her-"

"Doing what? Looking at flowers? In a mask? It was a masquerade ball, Detective." he sighed, already using the new title for his junior, who hissed in disapproval, who was this man, where was the man of great stature and moral value that he looked up to since his trainee days.

"You know what I mean, you're becoming an accomplice to a crime and-"

"Then report me Wooyoung." he slammed the brakes, causing the younger one to squeak, holding onto the handle, thanking God that he was wearing a seatbelt, his eyes wide with fear as he looked at his superior staring dead ahead as he mumbled, "Report me if you must, but I'd be damned if any of you try to lay a finger on her again."

"Again? What do you mean-"

Once again, he was left hanging as the man got out of the car slamming his door shut, the entire car swaying in the process. He turned to look at him again when the back door opened, though he noticed the way the woman shook her head and scooted away from him, causing him to sigh, he looked so…defeated. Was she scared of him? Wooyoung's eyes flickered to the woman, his profiler skills on overdrive, what if he read it wrong, what if he was supposed to save this woman from the sergeant? He noted the way her eyes had watered, tears threatening to slip at any given moment, waiting for the last push- he still wasn't sure about their dynamics, what if none of this was consensual? She kept on pulling back until her back pressed against the door, legs pulled closer to her chest as she shook her head, heavy tears dripping down her cheeks, her mascara running like a stream, her entire form shaking, her sobs muffled by the tape- this was not the woman who had smacked him across the face, this was not the woman who had stomped her heel on his hand, this was but a mere broken, scared little girl.

"Sir-" For the third time tonight Wooyoung had reached for his gun, ready to shoot anyone who he thought was suspicious at this point.

"I won't go…I promise I won’t, he explained it to me and I- f*ck I'm so sorry, I'm sorry." His head hung in disappointment, eyes not even meeting hers, palms pressing on the seat, “I’m staying, I swear I won’t leave again.” He whispered reaching for her once more, his hand resting on her ankle, thumb stroking the skin, Wooyoung noticed the way she visibly relaxed a bit, manoeuvring to let him pull her out, he reached for her cuffed hands, pulling them over his head, their faces inches away from each other as he gave her a gentle, dimpled smile- that was new. What he did not expect was for San to completely ignore him, as the Sergeant pulled out his wife in one swift motion, holding onto her bridal style as her muffled squeak echoed across the empty street, followed by his laugh.

He kicked the door open, smiling at the little meow that resonated across the empty hallway, coming to greet her parents, she had indeed spent a week with her distressed mother and in the absence of her father, especially after witnessing the two in a full-blown argument, must have scared the little fur ball.

“Byeol, didn’t I tell you to watch mommy, while I was away?” he called out to the cat that walked beside him, making sure to rub against his leg as he slowly sat her down on the couch, reaching to scratch his baby’s head, only to stop when she gently tugged at the ends of his hair, before her fingers slowly caressed the nape of his neck, arms still looped around his shoulders. He glanced up at her sheepishly, smiling at her, “Sorry, forgot about that,” reaching up he reached for the tape, “I’ll go slow, okay?” nodding at him she looked at him determined, and ready. He did it slowly, making sure he caused minimal pain, and glad he kept the paper tape in the car, usually for their little activities, any other tape would’ve hurt more.

Sighing she licked her dry lips, looking down at her lover, “Won’t you kiss me?” she whispered before turning her head to look at the newcomer, as soon as Byeol hissed, “Nevermind, officer cramped-undies is here, he’s allergic to love.” she mumbled, glaring at Wooyoung who was glaring back at her with the same intensity.

Shaking his head at the two San pulled her arms over his head, undoing her cuffs, and tossing them away somewhere, the clinking of the metal attracting the cat that went running across the room to it. Grabbing her right hand he hummed, gently applying pressure, taking in her reaction, “Sorry, didn’t mean to…”

“It’s okay, Sannie.” She smiled, placing her left hand over his, “I’ve been through worse.” Wooyoung noticed the way he froze at her words, his smile turning into a deep frown, glaring at the ground for a split second before shaking his head, and looking up at her with a gentle smile, “I’ll be back.” With that he stood up, gesturing to Wooyoung to follow him as the two made their way into the kitchen, that was across the hall. Wooyoung stood next to the marble island in the centre of the dark kitchen, hands stuffed in the pockets of his jacket, watching his superior rummage through the cabinets mumbling stuff, “Ah…I told her not to change the place…tsk…this woman never listens to me…where are you…hah! Gotcha.” Like a cat filled with pride and glee after catching a mouse, he turned around with shining eyes, only to pause when he realised it was not his wife, he had turned to but his junior who wore an extremely sour expression, with the whole blank eyes and deep frown, the complete look.

Clearing his throat San looked at him, nodding as if he were grateful to his junior for not reporting him- yet. Wooyoung raised an eyebrow before pulling up the Kitsune Mask, “Care to explain?” his voice held a certain edge to it, more importantly, San knew that wasn’t a question, but an order- wow, he really did attract brats.

“I…” sighing in defeat he nodded, before gesturing to his face, “Apply this, it’ll stop the bruising, just let me patch her up first and…try to get along with her, she’s just been on edge today.” He mumbled walking out of the kitchen after placing a tube of ointment on the counter beside Wooyoung, who scoffed, she was his wife, not Wooyoung’s so why was he supposed to bear her tantrums?

San walked into the living room where she was trying to undo the strings of her heels with one hand, grumbling at the way she had tightened the knots. Placing the medicine box beside her on the couch, he gently pulled away her hand, mumbling a ‘let me’ before his nimble fingers began to work on the knots and strings, “Running in heels is dangerous.” He concluded, taking off her heels and placing them beside him, his baby girl had expensive taste, that was for sure, much like her psychotic brother- biology be damned.

“Are you going to be in trouble Sannie?” she asked, eying Wooyoung who had sat across the three-seater on the opposite loveseat, watching the scene unfold with a blank stare, honestly at this point, he was somewhat intrigued by the way his boss was swooning over his wife, the delicate intimacy making him a bit jealous due to the lack of a partner in his life. Morally, he wasn’t sure where he stood anymore, but this was a side of the Sergeant he had been dying to see, so who was he to deny the favour God had bestowed upon him?

“I don’t think so,” he muttered, opening the box to pull out her makeup wipes, he pulled one out, reaching for her face with his other hand, cupping her cheek, eyes instinctively closing, "But I swear you're in so much trouble." His warning had her eyes snapping open with a pout, though he clicked his tongue and grunted, "Hold still, close your eyes." But she grabbed his hand, staring at it, before meeting his eyes, "Your…ring…You took it off- I- did I- You- I mean we-" her breath hitched, another wave of nausea hit her, the all too familiar ringing in her ears resurfacing. "Hey- no, no, no love, look at me." He gently patted her cheek with the wet tissue, the hand she was holding onto rubbed soothing circles on her thigh, "I didn't remove it, just wore it here" Pulling back he plucked out the necklace from under his shirt, "See, " holding the chain up for her to see, the ring dangling off it, "Just kept it hidden, to keep you safe, okay? You're okay, I'm okay….we're okay." he whispered back, bringing her hand to his lips to press a gentle kiss to her palm, watching her sniffle, "Now, close your eyes, no more crying, or I swear I'll cry", waiting for her to follow instructions, glad when she did, with that, he gently began to clean up the streaks of mascara and residue of her makeup, hand working like clockwork, impressing Wooyoung, much like how he had handled her panic attack- what exactly was going on here, how did San know what to do? Had he perhaps done this before? Why did the sight before him make him feel like he was intruding on something personal, should he leave?

"Wooyoung?" his mental debate came to a halt when his superior called him, looking at his broad back, his face still turned to his wife, smiling up at her, as she looked down at him. She was…beautiful- no, she was charming, her freshly cleaned skin radiating with an alluring glow, almost inviting- was she a siren?

"Wooyoung, if you're done staring at my wife like a perverted teenager-"

"Sannie" she stopped him, as soon as she noticed how the younger one was blushing, clearing his throat as he looked everywhere but at the couple.

"I.I wasn't Sir- I-"

"The ointment." was all San, craning his neck to glare at the man, his eyes cold and hard, swirling with jealousy- possessive huh?

"Yes, sorry, here." scurrying over to the couch he placed it in San's open palm, pausing to glance at his wife- wanting to get a closer look at what may have been his first and only interaction with an angel. Sergeant Choi did strike a deal with lady luck on this one, her features were not only soft and delicate, much like her gentle gaze, especially how she was staring down at her husband with endearment that had him almost vomiting, but her overall persona had changed, not like the devious little being he had encountered at the greenhouse.

"There." Pulling on a cute bow he looked up at her with a smile, "Go change, dinners on me tonight." Standing up straight he side-eyed Wooyoung who stumbled back at the sudden proximity of the taller man, he didn't realise he was standing so close to the two. Cupping her face his thumbs caressed the swollen area of her undereye, her eyes closing at the gesture, nodding when we whispered gently "Go."

With that she was gone, leaving the two men alone, Wooyoung standing there looking somewhat guilty- even though he wasn't part of any of the crimes committed tonight.

"Come on, you want chicken flavour or cheese-flavoured ramen?" San asked, calling him over his shoulder earning a sound of disapproval from his junior, "What?"

"You're going to feed your wife instant ramen?"

"I was going to feed you too, but if you'd rather be ungrateful then who am I to force you."

"Sir?"

"What?"

"Let me cook. Please."

That's how Choi San found himself sitting at the barstool at the kitchen island, somewhat glad how big it was, his wife was right, the bigger the better- for kitchen appliances, mind you. On the opposite end of the countertop, Wooyoung was silently chopping vegetables, done with carrots, green onions and now the cabbage, this couple ate well, and had good taste in produce as well- Wow Jung Wooyoung, so much for begging God to let you know more about your boss, should've asked for something else instead, like a million bucks or something.

San admired the way the younger man was working, he knew Wooyoung was a hard worker, but his skill and expertise amazed him, also made him realise he attracted brats, but those brats knew how to cook.

"Who is she?" Wooyoung asked, sliding the diced cabbage into the strainer, "What are you involved in please tell me now, I'm at the ripe age of my youth so I can jump careers unlike you-"

"I'm literally only three years older than you."

"My point exactly."

Shaking his head in disbelief San signed, resting his chin on his palm, "You really are something else, huh?"

"I've been called worse, Sir."

"She's…Kim Hongjoong's sister." he began only to stop when Wooyoung slammed the butcher knife onto the board, "THE KIM HONGJOONG? HEAD OF MATZ? THE SOLAR DRAGON? THE MAN WHO KILLS WITH JUST HIS GAZE??? THE SAME MAN YOU ARRESTED- how- HOW DID YOU GET HIS SISTER TO MARRY YOU?" His shrilly voice echoed around the kitchen as San rubbed his temples, God was testing him today.

"First of all, yes, not biological, the two grew up at the same orphanage and secondly, I did arrest him but no one knows she's his self-proclaimed sister- well, other than Seonghwa" he mumbled, pulling off his necklace and staring at the ring,  "I remember being like you, believing in the system, believing in the goodness of people, that those who are innocent are never wronged- I was a fool, this entire system is whack and for some reason, fate decided to send me a stray that was abused enough to convince me about how wrong I was."

Wooyoung watched him in silence, placing the dirty dishes in the sink as he turned on the electric stove, "I… see." was all he said, waiting for the water to boil, "Do you have garlic paste?"

"In the fridge, I think." San pointed at the fridge before sighing, "How much do you know about Hongjoong's mission?"

Opening the fridge the man stared at the neatly stacked containers of food, all untouched, if San didn't come home for a week, why was there so much food there? Was she…waiting for him? Making him dinner every night? The knot in his stomach twisted a bit too tight as he sighed, closing the fridge, “You were undercover for a year, by the end of it, you captured the Matz leader and most of the gang."

"Did you know Kim Hongjoong came to me himself?"

"What?"

"Exactly," exhaling he pulled the ring out of the chain, slipping it back on his finger, all snug, where it belonged, "I started the mission as an undercover agent. I was part of an underground fight club, one of the many Hongjoong owns- Django." he nodded to Wooyoung who was adding strips of meat to the bowling broth, "It was fine, the usual bullshit, took me a few months to even get recognition, but one thing was for sure, everyone feared Hongjoong, everyone but one person- his advisor."

"And… that was her?" he asked, deciding to take out the side dishes she had packed away in the fridge.

"Yeah…" Reaching for the mask he admired the details, memories flooding back, "We never saw her face, this mask was who she was, she was quick and agile as a cat, but Hongjoong's favourite. She was also my meal ticket to her brother. After a match I was about to leave when I heard a scuffle, honestly, I was going to leave but the bell" Shaking the mask the bell resonated in the kitchen, and the only other sound present was of the boiling broth, "I knew it was her so I went to check, a few guys had cornered her, I don't know why, maybe she was tired that day, maybe they were physically stronger, but while one held onto her the other reached for her mask and that's when I snapped, all I remember was my hands were bloody and before I knew it I was being taken to meet Hongjoong."

"You saved her?" he asked, as he opened a few cabinets, before looking at San who pointed at the one at the far right, "Plates and bowls are there. Cutlery is in the drawer." With a thankful nod, Wooyoung motioned him to continue.

"Yeah, I did. I was assigned as her bodyguard. I wanted to be Hongjoong's but usually, where you'd find her, you'd find Hongjoong and the other way round." he took a deep breath, “Either way, I realised this little cat burglar was more than just a petty thief, she was his eyes and ears, his map maker, she was Hongjoong’s prized possession. I gained a good number of business details, the only problem was that I also began to learn about her, and how she’d be at school during the day- only a handful of people had seen her face and somehow, I had made it to the list.” Chuckling he placed the mask down, looking at Wooyoung who was busy setting the cutlery, “the first time I had seen her without her mask, I swear I froze up, I never thought I was religious but when I saw her, her gentle eyes to the slope of her nose to her flushed cheeks, I was sure of one thing, God really did make angels and I had just seen one in the flesh.” Wooyoung paused at the statement, only mere minutes ago he had held the same sentiments, but something else got to him too, which he bluntly put forth, “You fell for her?”

“Hard…I fell hard.”

“So …did you like…”

“No” he shook his head, “I was a hot-headed officer on my way to a promotion, like hell, I was going to give in to her, I entertained her fantasies but…never took any advantage of her, she made it difficult though,” he chuckled before sighing when Wooyoung sat down across him, plating the dishes, “I was at the precinct one-night when Hongjoong came over, offered a deal, he said, and I quote;

‘Congrats f*cker, you have my sister wrapped around your finger and she won’t let me make an example out of you, so I come with a deal, take me in- but remove her from all your papers, she never existed- ya got me?’

I didn’t think Seonghwa would agree, but even Sergeant Park Seonghwa was looking for a promotion, so we agreed, The next day we raided the HQ and got a good chunk of their top men, including Hongjoong and she was nowhere near in sight.”

“So you married her after?” Wooyoung asked, placing a bowl of rice in front of San who shook his head.

“No, I hated her, I felt like it was wrong, even if she wasn’t directly involved, she was being protected by the law. But who was I to argue? I remember, a few weeks later she came to see me at the precinct, I remember ignoring her and walking out, she literally followed after me, told me she was going to start on a clean slate, and that she could change for me.” He sighed, staring at his soup, cabbage soup, wow, maybe he should invite Wooyoung over more, “I feel like that was my fault because the very moment I told her that the sight of her disgusted me, every inch of my being hated her- she looked…so scared that night like she had lost her purpose.”

Frowning at him Wooyoung mumbled, “But…she wanted to change!”

“I know, I was a d*ck, I was arrogant, the youngest detective in the precinct, the golden boy, and she did change, went to school regularly, got her degree, hell she even got a decent job- she approached me again after that,” he sighed, before reaching to grab her plate, adding a good portion of rice and meat.

“Did you…you know, accept it?” Wooyoung asked before stuffing his face with the kimchi his wife had prepared for him, man an angel that can cook.

“No.” placing her plate down San glanced at the clock, she was gone for almost 40 minutes, must’ve been in the tub, “Worse, I led her to the worst night of her life, I broke her. We met at a club, by accident of course, I never went to clubs anyway, but when I got promoted to Sergeant, Seonghwa was simultaneously promoted to Captain, and they took us to celebrate. I met her there, she was out with some friends- she approached me, sweet as ever, though I bit back, told her to get lost, that I wouldn’t even care if she even disappeared off the planet.”

Wooyoung visibly winced at the choice of words, truly amazed by the harshness of his superior, especially after witnessing the love he had for his wife, waiting for him to continue.

“I lost her that night, only saw her getting in a cab with her friends, saw the guys too- honestly I thought to myself that night ‘so much for I love you San’. But that was my fault, I should’ve noticed how her eyes were clouded, I should’ve seen how her so-called friends were carrying her stumbling form, how they were handling her, how the guys were touching her.” He paused before letting out a shaky breath, “The next morning I remember reading an online article about another horrendous case, only this time, I knew the victim. I went to Seonghwa, the first thing I could do but he had beaten me to it, he had taken the case to the superiors who had shut it down, you know why?” he asked Wooyoung.

“Because it involved rich kids?”

“Not just any rich kids, Minister Lee’s useless son and his friends- honestly, I was more horrified by the fact that the girls were in on it, the case was closed before it even reached court. I couldn’t let it go though, I tried to contact her, but she wouldn’t even let me see her at the hospital, the nurses told me to leave and when I pushed my way through…I saw not my angel in her glory, but someone whose wings were ripped off- the way she looked at me that day, it’s like she could see through me, with the same disgust I showed to her for several years.”

“What did you do?”

“The only thing I could do, I went to Hongjoong.”

“Did he…”

“Beat me up? Yeah, the man runs the prison too, and I was foolish enough to tell him that I had met with his sister before the crime, and while he was busy breaking my fingers he asked me this one question, ‘Who does your system serve? A rich kid with STDs or a civilian girl trying to rebuild her life?’ I know that was all it took for me, for Seonghwa, that’s when we realised this is more than just some way of life, no, we were wearing the badges of honour, but we were on the wrong side.”

“Then?”

“I don’t know, he beat me up so bad I was knocked out when I woke up, I remember Seonghwa standing by my hospital bed, asking me, ‘Do you want to do the right thing?’ and I said yes. The next thing I knew as soon as I could walk again, I was at her apartment, she didn’t let me in though, but I never stopped, I’d go there each night, sit outside her door, listening to her cry at the other end. One day though, when I was about to ring the doorbell she opened the door, looked up at me, and asked me, why I’d come every night and honestly the only explanation I had was, that if there was one person, I’d give up everything for, it would be her.”

Sighing he chugged down a glass of cold water, “Things were…okay, Seonghwa and I became part of the crew, unofficially of course, we still did our jobs, she still went to work, we bought an apartment together, lived together, did everything’s couples would do. One night she asked me if I’d still love her if she took back what they took from her, she wanted to burn out the fire and there was only one way…”

“What did you…say?”

“I said I’d protect her either way.”

“So…his son didn’t technically…”

“No, he didn’t decide to end his life, she did.” He shrugged, “Who was I to stop her, I am merely her husband and her bodyguard.”

“Wait.” Wooyoung cleared his throat, “So…why did you two…I mean- what- this entire week? Why’d you fight?”

“Oh- that!” shaking his head San sighed, “Obviously Hongjoong wasn’t done with his act of vengeance, I told him it was stupid and reckless and rejected the idea, it's been years and we needed her to not think about it anymore. Though I was supposed to assign two officers for tonight’s duty, and then last week my maps were missing, I suspected it was her, that she gave them to her brother and we fought…she was angry, I was scared of losing her again and well things escalated- I didn’t believe her, until last night, that’s why I removed Officer Song as your partner for tonight, even if Hongjoong wasn’t involved, I didn’t want to risk any chances of her being there- I knew she stopped after she took his son’s life, but knowing how the two crave for blood of the rich, I needed to be sure I’d keep her out of any danger”

“Sannie!” she called out, the padding of her bear feet echoed across the floor as she came running into the kitchen, both men turning to look at her, though Wooyoung instantly looked away, clearing his throat and San sighed, “Where are your pants?”

“Pants?” tilting her head, a bit confused she looked down at her usual sleepwear, his shirt, it was big enough, covered her till her thighs, plus she was wearing her undies, “Forget that- look, did you know Joong’s gonna come visit us tomorrow?”

Choking on his spit, Wooyoung turned to stare at her wide-eyed, what did she just say?

“What???”

“Kitten, what are you saying,” gesturing for her to come closer, she sat down beside San, eying the food before showing San the food, “Apparently Minister Lee’s house caught fire- crisp like burnt chicken I hear,” she giggled before turning to smile at Wooyoung, that smug smile reminding her of a sly cat, “Didn’t know you could cook.”

Forcing a smile Wooyoung muttered, “I can, Mrs.Choi.”

“Thank you for the meal.”

“Anytime.”

“Holy shit…” San sighed, “Seonghwa is gonna have a stroke, I swear- did you- did you do this??” he turned to look at her, sighing and reaching to grab her empty glass and filling it with water as she shook her head, “No, of course not, I told you I didn’t even know the layout of his house.”

“Then what were you doing there?” he asked, finally, the right question Wooyoung thought to himself.

“Because I knew you’d be there.”

San felt like his heart was about to combust, wanting to fall into her palm, letting her squeeze it to her contentment, like a little girl with her favourite teddy bear.

“I knew you’d be there.” She smiled, leaning closer to grab his hand and admire the wedding band, right where it belonged, right where they belonged. Wooyoung could only smile in disgust, this act of pure, blind passion making him envious.

“Oh, he did text me though.”

The two men looked at her, waiting for her to speak up, but like any persistent, stubborn feline she had them wait, only continued when San poked her side, earning a giggle, “He said he wants to meet Offic- sorry- Detective Jung. Seonghwa approved of him too.”

“WHAT?” Wooyoung shrieked in disbelief earning a sigh from San, “Well, welcome to the team brat.”

“WAIT NO! I”

She giggled leaning over the table to smile at him, San’s arm instinctively wrapping around her frame, pulling her into him, “It can be our little secret~”

Taglist: @edenesth @mlysalt @spooo00oky @cereal-simp @yessa-vie @marsvillee

[waughymommy]

Once again this story was completely revised and edited by myself with the help of online tools to do so. I decided to take this road because finding someone to proofread it is really complicated and apparently my last story was pretty well-written. It is probably too far from being perfect but I promise that I try to improve my writing skills every day. I hope you enjoy it. Thanks for reading.😘😘 Waughymommy

Another… night… Another workday.” Princess Luna said while she stretched walking to her bedroom preparing herself for the daily duties of an alicorn princess like her.

“Hello, sis. Everything ready for the night?” Princess Celestia said while she walked across the corridor to take a well-deserved rest after a long day of duties.

“You bet! The moon is raised and let me tell you that tonight’s stars are few of my best ones…” The dark blue alicorn said proudly.

“Great! Dreams realm patrol then?” Celestia asked.

“Dream realm patrol,” Luna affirmed. Soon both sisters said goodnight and left. Princess Luna, had, like every single night, to lay down on her bed while she used her special magic powers to patrol the dreams realm to find dangerous nightmares and help ponies with all their troubles and nighttime fears. After all, that was her main task as the princess of the night and it was pretty important to keep her subjects safe and sound. Sadly, this task was getting more and more boring with time. For some reason ponies were sleeping less, dreaming less and having more boring dreams each night.

“Time to work.” princess of the night after all. She had to find out something related to the sacred part of the day that she guarded, not just being the sidekick of the princess of the day. That'd be humiliating...

Luna thought that if she was going to change her way of working, she had to find out how and soon. She returned to her bedroom and turned on one of those new machines recently installed in the whole castle. Every worker there apparently has one. Those were called computers and were getting pretty popular in recent times. They could help the ponies without magic writing faster and better. It was possible to read books on it without visiting a library. But maybe most important, thanks to the technologies team of the Princess Celestia School for gifted unicorns, it was possible to navigate on a thing called Magic Network of Machines or MNM… Usually just called MagicNet to abbreviate. The same theology that connected the dreams or magic of unicorns from long distances was now able to transmit information through the air. Amazing, huh?

Princess Luna used then her magic to turn on and control the strange device. In the first weeks, it was hard to control, but with the time it was easier than levitating feathers in magic kindergarten. Luna entered in the MagicNet with the hope of finding a good way to make the nighttime job more interesting. At first, she was looking for recent researches about magic. There was a curious study about the effects of changing the horn’s shape in unicorn's magic powers. Suddenly, moving across different sites, she found something completely unexpected in one of the ads.

“Canterlot Legends? What is that?” Luna said to herself surprised when she found that screen with several shiny colors and a detailed description. “Create your own powerful pony and fight with your team against other players in tremendous battles. Completely free!” She read. Luna had heard about this too. Apparently, there was also some kind of games in this MagicNet. Like those arcade machines where you could beat your own score in silly games like jumping across lateral maps or eating small balls in a maze. In other circumstances, the princess of the night would be probably not even close to being interested in this foals' stuff. But the boredom was at an extreme level, there were still three hours before the sunrise, and she had to do something.

“Okay, let’s try out this thing.” She said to herself. Clicking on the start button quickly brought her to another screen where she could create her own pony character. Apparently, she was able to choose the whole appearance of the virtual creature. She wasn’t too creative and simply created a pony as close as possible to herself. Once that the character was completely customized, she was able to choose a class.

“Attack, defense, balanced, tank, health…” Princess Luna said as she tried to find the logic behind those words. She simply chose randomly the defense class and started to play. Her character appeared in the middle of a virtual battlefield and she had to move it and apparently attack other players tapping on them. Even if the game mechanics looked too simple, the screen was somehow full of numbers, bars, statistics and buttons to press. The princess though decided to ignore them and just continued attacking other players.

The low skill level of the newbie princess simply ended in an easy victory for the rival team. With the defeat letters on the screen, Princess Luna felt disappointed by the game, she was about to leave it. But before she could realize, another match loaded, and suddenly she defeated one character and another… And another one more. After five minutes, her team won the match, and before she could even realize that again… She was in another match… That night, without a doubt, the hours passed faster than ever.

[thewildwaffle]

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

-This is kind of a continuation of my other short "Injuries" - this is from a prompt given to me about aliens' reaction to how complex human shoulders are and how we can throw hard and accurate without hurting ourselves.

***

“Take me out to the baaaaaaall game! Take me out with the crowd!” Human Vincent all but shouted the words to the tune he and Human Kate had been singing off and on the entire time they’d been “decorating” the rec hall.

Captain Kar’rim looked around at the humans’ efforts of setting up for a ‘party’ in one of the ship’s smaller rec rooms. It wasn’t much, but it looked nice. To be fair, the event was fairly last-minute and they’d made do with what they had on hand. The ship had just left hyperspace last rotation after a long-distance run to nearly the edge of the galactic arm. As per protocol, as soon as the ship was back in range of the Central Galactic Communications Network, an information update packet was downloaded.

Somewhere in all that data, one of the humans found a mention of a major sporting event from their home planet that was available for streaming upon request. They submitted the request and it had been quickly granted. Instead of just watching it immediately, it was unanimously decided that the humans would instead hold a “watching party” and invite anyone on the crew who was off-duty at the time and interested in participating. Captain Kar’rim had come by just to see how things were going and had ended up sticking around after he saw what they’d done with the rec hall.

There were long strings of curled paper strung from one side of the room to another. The humans had the video stream queued up and projected against the wall. All cushions from the chairs that were not black, red, gray, or white had been removed and, as he was told, stowed away in some closet nearby. The tables had been moved closer to the seating area and were covered in various trays of different foods. The humans themselves were decked out in strange uniform-looking shirts with numbers embroidered on the backs. Well, Vincent, Leo, and Kate were. The others just wore their casual rec clothes in colors that matched.

It wasn’t just the humans either. There was quite the crowd milling about excitedly by the time Kar’rim entered the rec room. He knew the humans on his crew were very social and friendly, they had a warm and comforting presence. He knew they’d made a lot of friends on the ship, but he was still surprised by the crowd around him now.

“Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jacks!” Kate had joined in with Vincent’s ‘singing.’ “I don’t care if I never get back, so just root! Root! Root for the home team!”

Suddenly all the humans were singing along with varying levels of volume, much to everyone else’s amusement. “If they don’t win it’s a shame, for it’s ONE! TWO! THREE strikes you’re out in the old! BALL! GAAAAAAAAAAAAAME!”

“Oooh, dinner, and a show,” Booka Vern chuckled as he tossed one of the foods from the tray into the air and caught it in his mouth. It was a trick he’d learned from one of the humans.

“I know peanuts are a type of plant from Earth,” Effyn Merl spoke up while looking over the table of foods, “but what are cracker jacks? If they’re anything like their name implies, they sound fun.”

Human Kate pointed at a bowl to Merl’s right, “Those are Cracker Jacks. Kind of. They’re homemade. Basically, it's just hardened caramel popcorn mixed with peanuts. The bowl has a yellow sticker, so everyone needs to check the allergy list over there to make sure it’s safe to eat.”

Kar’rim looked at the list. He was very impressed to see that they had made a color-coded list of possible allergens that corresponded with labels on trays and bowls spread out across the tables. The humans had really put a lot of work into this party and made sure as many of their crewmates who wanted to join could do so safely.

“If everyone’s okay with it,” Human Leo shouted, “I’m going to get the broadcast started. They always have a bit of the warm-up and show the first pitch being thrown and all that, so by the time everyone gets food and settles down, the game should be close to starting.”

No one disagreed, so Leo hit play and everyone grabbed plates gathered foods they could eat, and found a comfy spot to settle down to watch the game. There was a lot of chatter and a lot of questions about the basics of how the game they were about to watch worked. Most everyone had seen the humans throwing baseballs around before on their downtime, but this was the first time anyone had actually seen how it all came together to a whole sport that some humans spent their entire professional careers playing.

Kar’rim had not intended to stay. He was just going to check in for a moment and leave to spend his precious downtime resting or maybe taking a stroll through some of the corridors on the lower level of the ship. But now, with everyone settling down and the players on the projection taking their places on the field, he had to admit he was very curious. The excitement was infectious, and he couldn’t imagine wanting to do anything else but watch as he found a comfortable spot to sit.

The game was, to say the least, not exactly what he thought he’d been expecting. It was a strange mix of one-on-one between the human in the box holding a bat and the human on the pile of dirt in the middle of the square (or diamond as Kate corrected someone. It was a square though.) and a full, working-together team sport. If the human in the box hit the ball with the bat, suddenly it activated the roles of the rest of the team on the field. They would run, dive, and throw with practiced precision.

Kar’rim felt his mandibles drop as he watched the first few of such throws. He knew the humans on his crew could throw with insane accuracy and speed. Stars above, he’d seen the results of what happened when Human Kate had been hit in the face after such a throw! But what he saw on the broadcast was like nothing he thought could even be possible!

“What the frewan?!” Effyn Merl exclaimed. Normally, Kar’rim would have scolded such foul language, but he was in a bit of a state of shock and had to agree that the outburst felt warranted.

“How did he do that?” Merl pointed at the projected human who nonchalantly picked the small white ball from his glove and threw it (this time much slower and gentler) back to the pitcher. “How did that other guy throw the ball like that? I could barely see it move - it was like he teleported it!”

“Do we have the conversions of the speed from miles per hour to something the rest of us can understand?” Booka Vern asked between mouths of plain popcorn.

“I don’t think so for the throws in the plays,” Human Vincent scanned the screen, “but this pitcher usually throws around 93 mph, and I think that comes out to somewhere around 120, maybe 130-ish glatts per segment?”

“You’ve got to be pulling my tail!”

“I swear I’m not! I’ll look it up if you think I’m lying!”

Kar’rim shook his head. He believed it. He thought back to when Kate had been sent to the infirmary after getting hit by a baseball that had been traveling around 80-ish or so glatts per segment. He thought she was going to die that day. He’d underestimated humans back then. Even now, he still learned new things about them that surprised him. Like how their arms and shoulders were basically deadly projectile-launching weapons.

“Does it hurt?” One of the stransi’s on the crew piped up from where she was coiled on her favorite cushion.

Human Kate looked over, “Does what hurt? The catch or the throw?”

“Uhhh, well, the throw. But wait, uh, does the catch hurt too?!”

“Not usually, you catch the ball between your fingers and thumb, and the glove protects your hand from contact. And the throws don’t hurt at all.”

“At all? What are their arms made of? Do they have some sort of implants?!”

“Uhhh… no? It just takes a lot of practice. I guess it could hurt if you don’t stretch before, or uh, I guess some pitchers need to take special steps to take care of their arms since they throw so much.”

At this point Demfar, the ship’s head medic, spoke up from between bites of various foods he’s mixed into a bowl. “The human shoulder is a very complex structure. The joint itself is one of the most flexible in their entire bodies.” He took another bite. “The downside is that it’s not as stable as other joints, and is thus prone to injuries. I wouldn’t worry about it much though, “ another bite, “ if these humans do this as their full-time employment, I’m sure they take the proper steps to avoid injury and always listen to their physicians.” That last bit felt a bit pointed, especially since Demfar turned to stare down Human Leo, who cleared his throat and shifted a bit uncomfortably in his seat.

There were a few chuckles, but soon all eyes were back on the game as the human in the box swung and hit the ball so far that the ball flew right out of the stadium, far beyond any hope of being caught. The humans were suddenly on their feet and cheering. Most looked around surprised, except Booka Vern who sat his popcorn down carefully and stood up to bound and cheer as well, looking a little confused but happy to join in.

It was explained that the hit was called a “home run,” and that the batter, as well as the runner “on base,” could then run “home,” thus scoring points. It seemed simple enough to Kar’rim, pretty straightforward. He was sure there was plenty more to figure out about the rules and reasonings, and he knew he’d figure it out while he watched, or while the humans explained the rules as the game went. Overall, he felt it was very impressive. This game took a lot of accuracy from every player. It was certainly more than just throwing a ball back and forth to each other.

He was once again reminded how thankful he and the rest of the Galactic Alliance were that humans were friendly and on their side.

[beautifulchris]

arts & crafts center

wc: 0,8k

pairing: demigod!hyunjin x gn demigod!reader

summary: your shared passion for art and your father's powers bring you closer together

genres: fluff, little angst, demigod!au, camp half-blood!au, strangers to friends!au, mutual pining!au, son of aphrodite!hyunjin, child of aether!reader

tw: magic, physical injury, infirmary, idiots

notes: yeah, since there's more cabins being constructed, i took the liberty to add gods of my choice. meet aether, the primordial god of light and the upper air! i'm reposting the works i posted while shadowbanned, please don't mind me

networks: @kflixnet @k-labels @whipped-kpop-creators

permanent tag list: @badwithten​ send ask/dm/comment to be added!

GIF publié par juiceofmoons

The guy spent most of his time in the arts and crafts center to paint. You went there to sculpt every once in a while.

Every time you went, he was the only one that wasn't from the Athena cabin. There were always Athena kids there, but an Aphrodite son... Now, that was something.

When you'd hear him complaining about the light, you'd bend it so that it would hit his subject —whatever it was— like he wanted. It was just practice for you and a divine gift for him.

It went like this for a few weeks, until he came to see you after finishing a painting. "Aether kid? Thank you. My paintings are way better when you're here and use your powers on the light," he smiled, bowing slightly.

"It's my pleasure to help a fellow artist, Aphrodite kid."

"Please, call me Hyunjin."

"Y/N."

"Sorry I didn't come earlier Y/N, I had to make sure it was really you before presenting myself."

"Of course, it would've been embarrassing to thank someone for something they didn't do," you giggled and he laughed with you.

Since then, you became friends, often going to the arts and crafts center together —at least when you went— which was more often now.

Sometimes you'd pass by on your way to the training grounds and turn invisible to scare him. Nevertheless, you'd wait for his paintbrush to be everywhere but in his hand to avoid a disaster (you're not a monster).

Once, though, he was so focused on something important for him, he got mad when you sneaked up on him, which startled you.

"Stop scaring me like that!" he hissed, annoyed.

"Okay," you faltered, "I'm sorry."

He looked over and his anger dissipated a bit. "Ah, sorry. I didn't mean to use charmspeak."

"No, it's okay. I'm really sorry. I promise I won't do it anymore."

You kept your promise alright. You were so ashamed of yourself that you avoided going back there altogether. No, it was not the best thing to do. But hey, you were young and your feelings mattered.

Of course, Hyunjin's too.

Even knowing that, you'd turn invisible and flee every time you'd see him looking for you. When he walked past your cabin (your siblings sure knew an Aphrodite kid was searching for you), before and after meals, chariot races and games of capture-the-flag.

Yeah, it lasted a while. Around two weeks, I think.

Then, Hyunjin had enough. He never thought he could miss someone so badly but here he was, pathetically whining about you not wanting to speak to him.

Needless to say, all his friends knew about you and the terrible things he did to drive you away. It was a matter of time before they teamed up with your siblings to stop this nonsense —according to them, anyway.

Fortunately —or not, depending who you're asking—, on one fateful Friday evening, an Ares kid hurt you badly enough during capture-the-flag that you ended up in the infirmary.

Guess who came to see you first?

Yes, Hyunjin, good job!

You were laying in bed, your sword arm in a plaster. He was standing a few beds away, panting and staring at your face then your arm.

If you spotted him, you did nothing to leave. Maybe you were too badly hurt from the game or just exhausted from running away. Either way, Hyunjin approached and sat on a wooden chair next to you.

"Hey," he greeted sheepishly, rubbing his nape.

“Aye,” you greeted back, a little weak.

“How are you feeling?”

“Like my arm has been run over by a train. I’ll be okay tomorrow.”

“Okay,” he breathed, then inhaled deeply. “Y/N, I’m sorry. Scaring you away was the last thing I wanted.”

You shook your head and held his gaze. “You didn’t do anything wrong. I did. I used my ability to make you uncomfortable and I deeply apologize. I avoided you because I was too embarrassed.”

His eyes softened at your sight and kind, honest words. “I got mad at you for nothing, I’m sorry.”

“It was justified,” you insisted.

“Still, I shouldn’t have snapped at you.”

“It wasn’t cool of me to do what I did, your anger was rightful.”

“I—”

“Can you please stop and make up already? Gods, you’re so dense, both of you,” Lia cut off, frowning and tending to another camper in the bed next to yours.

Hyunjin and you apologized at the same time and laughed quietly.

“The truth is… I was painting something for you, and I wanted it to be perfect. I might have been a lot stressed about it.”

“You made a painting for me? You’re so sweet Jinnie.”

Blushing at the nickname, he looked away and took your unharmed hand in his.

“So… are you coming back to the arts and crafts center if only to receive my gift?”

“Depends,” you smirked, “do you miss me or my powers?”

“All of you.”

thank you for reading! if you enjoyed, here's the masterlist <3

[the12thnightproject]

Chapter 2: Tick, Tick….People are disappearing. Meanwhile Katsu & Mitsuhide’s second meeting goes about as well as their first..

Mitsuhide x OC; Hideyoshi x MC (Mai)

All Chapters Archived on Ao3 

Logline - With Mai, Hideyoshi, and Aki missing, Mitsuhide and Katsuko reluctantly team up. Disguised as a merchant and his concubine, can they outsmart the man known as the God of Deceit?

Six weeks later…

Aki was late.

Not the normal lateness common to people living in an era that didn’t have clocks – that I was used to. No, he was over a week late to meet me in Niigata. For the past nine days, I had been holed up in an inn, basically counting the lines on the floor (twenty-four), playing both sides of a game of shogi (to a draw), and teaching myself to juggle. The fact that I could now easily manipulate five makeshift ‘bean’ bags (wood shavings and gravel sewn up in fabric) said everything about my boredom. Aside from one kunoichi who stopped in to wait out a rainstorm, there had been nobody interesting to talk to (granted, she had been really interesting).

While I would have said that Aki could survive anything and everything that life threw at him – nine days late was an ominous sign. Sure, he’d always been prone to disappearing for long periods of time. He’d also had a knack for reappearing on the exact day he’d promised.

Something’s wrong.

It was possible that he would eventually show up at the inn, but I couldn’t continue to hole up indefinitely – for one thing, inns cost money. I had paid for the 10-day “week” in advance – did I really want to commit to another week of this?

I need to be looking for him.

If Aki had been around to ask for advice, he probably would have suggested I return home, to the The Mountain, and wait for further communication. But that would just guarantee that Fume would put me to work scrubbing floors for the rest of the year. Hm…. I could continue south, and go to Azuchi. Aki maintained a bookstore there, but that was a front. In truth, it was a message drop for his couriers and spies. If anyone had seen him recently, then Takauji, who was currently manning the store, would know of it. And, if not… well, I could at least leave him a ‘where the hell are you?’ message while I figured out my next move.

Once decided, I wasted no more time and headed out into a cool late summer morning. The air had a bite to it, and the breeze carried the smell of harvest fruits. If I hadn’t been so preoccupied with wondering what happened to Aki, I might have enjoyed the journey to Azuchi. But happy as I was to be on the move, my mind was consumed with images of all the disasters that could have befallen him. Maybe he’d gotten caught up in a petty squabble between neighboring daimyos. Maybe he’d been injured or taken suddenly ill somewhere.

Maybe he simply got tired of you and never planned to return.

Ugh! Mental doomscrolling wouldn’t do me any good. Ok. Positive thinking. Instead of worrying why he was lost, figure out how to ensure he was found. Though Aki’s system of couriers and spies wasn’t nearly as vast a network as some others, like the Takeda mitsumono, there were still a lot of us. If we all worked together, we’d run him to ground… somewhere.

By the time I arrived at the bookseller’s in Azuchi, I had nearly convinced myself that finding Aki would simply be a matter of legwork. I could do that. I’d been criss-crossing the country on my own for years now. I had contacts in every city. I could do this… I could d--

“Thank the Gods you’re here.” Takaugi greeted me, not with his customary vague hello-and-can-you-take-over-so-I-can-go-piss, but a frantic announcement. “Francisco sent a message that Aki is missing, and I don’t know what to do.”

There is a reason why Takauji is often the one getting stuck in the old man disguise here. He has no initiative.

I dumped my pack on the floor behind the low counter. “Has anyone else heard from him?”

He shrugged. “You’re the first courier to come through since I received that message.”

Like I said. No initiative.

I put my hand out and after a momentary pause, Taka realized what I wanted and plopped Francisco’s note in it. I scanned it quickly, then slowly, but Taka had indeed given me all the available information. It simply said that Aki had missed a scheduled meeting and Francisco was concerned. But then he had likely needed to pay someone to write it for him, as he barely could speak Japanese. Writing it was far beyond his abilities.

Shit… if Francisco was worried too, something had to be terribly wrong. But… I couldn’t freak out in front of Takauji. Someone needed to take control of the situation, and I appeared to be the only candidate at hand. Taka wouldn’t listen if he saw me panic.

“Alright. Let’s first send out messages to all his couriers – we’ll have them search the corners of the country.” Which had basically been my plan anyway.

Taka simply gaped at me (literally, unhinged jaw). “What should I write… exactly?”

It deserved its own hashtag. #Takahasnoinitiative. I bit the inside of my cheek to avoid snapping at him. He couldn’t help it. Maybe he had been dropped on his head as a child. Daily. “I’ll write the first one. Then you can copy it.” I grabbed my pack, plus some paper and writing supplies we kept behind the counter and started to head for the private courtyard behind the shop. Then, I turned back to Taka. “Oh, and don’t tell anyone he is missing. Anyone who isn’t one of us.”

It shouldn’t have needed to have been said… but Taka doesn’t think either.

Once safely in the courtyard, I allowed myself a moment to have a private breakdown. I could feel my throat and chest tighten. What if Aki never came back? What would we all do? He’d spent years building his network. Would it disintegrate without him?

Ok. Breath.

Breathe.

I flipped myself into a handstand to center myself… focusing on the physical to cleanse the mental. One thing at a time. Listen to the wind, alert to when it chang-

At that moment, what I heard instead of the wind, was the sound of a packet being slapped onto the counter. This was followed by a voice that almost made me topple over. “I have an urgent message for Akihira.”

Mitsuhide.

He sounded about fifty percent less calm than the last time I had heard him speak, and… why am I upside down again? From where I was, as long as I kept still, I wouldn’t be visible from the front, but I couldn’t change positions without potentially alerting him to my presence.

Hopefully, Taka would remember not to mention…“He’s… he’s errm. I’ll m-m-make sure it goes out with the next courier.” Good. Though Taka had stumbled, most normal people would not have noticed.

Then again… this is Mitsuhide we’re talking about. He’s not normal. He might not even be human. Of course, he noticed. “My, my, that was quite the stutter. Is there a problem? You keep looking toward the-”

“Don’t go back there!” Taka sounded like every guilty toddler on the planet.

Footsteps.

Sandalwood and cinnamon.

That prickly feeling shot through me again, destroying all the focus I had just worked so hard to achieve.

Before I could react, my view was impeded by Mitsuhide’s legs. I tilted my head to look upward, meeting Mitsuhide’s eyes halfway. Then he crouched so that we were nearly face to face. “How very interesting, child. One might almost be convinced that this is your preferred …position. Perhaps you are part bat?”

Thank goodness I hadn’t yet started writing the ‘Aki is missing’ messages. Mitsuhide would definitely have noticed those. “Oh, you know. I’m just hanging around.”

No response.

Tough crowd.

It was tempting to stay upside down and force Mitsuhide to continue to crouch, or potentially get a crick in his neck, but today I was Aki’s representative and there was no reason to further antagonize him, even if he was the most aggravating man in this era. I flipped back to my feet with an artistic flourish. “Not to worry, I will make sure that Aki receives your correspondence the moment I see him.”

Neutral professional tone. Don’t give him anything to react to. These are not the droids you are looking for.

His posture shifted, just a little, just enough for me to register his skepticism.

Ok. Jedi mind tricks don’t work on kitsunes. Good to know.

He let me stew in silence for a moment before asking, “what are you not telling me?”

Seriously? We’re doing this again?

“You know, sometimes I think you say things like that not because you believe the person is holding back information, but because you hope they are. It’s a fishing expedition.” And I am not going to bite him. Anything. I’m not going to bite anything.

His eyebrow went up. “After a single meeting, you’ve determined this about me.” Sarcasm dripped into the air and plopped down at my feet.

“I’m very perceptive.” Which is true, as far as it goes. But something about Mitsuhide short circuited the connection between my brain and my mouth. And with my worry about Aki, my shields were low anyway.

“Perceptive… If you say so, Brat.” The heavy pause mid-sentence made it clear that he had other preferred adjectives for me. “I have not forgotten our last meeting.”

Neither had I.

I made a point of smiling at him. Ok, it was a fake smile, and I’m sure he was aware of that. “Perceptive and memorable.”

Eyebrow.

Distract, distract, distract!

I took out my juggling bags and tossed them into the air. “Dexterous too. There was nothing I could have told you anything that you didn’t already know – or that you didn’t learn soon anyway.”

Although I hadn’t personally witnessed any of this past summer’s conflict between Nobunaga’s forces and the Ikko-Ikki, my friend Sasuke (and his friend Yoshimoto) had later filled me in on the details – not that they had been part of the battle either, but instead were part of the diversionary tactic that led up to it.

Mitsuhide fluidly reached over and took over my bean bags – juggling them as effortlessly as I had. “You cost me time.” He let go of the bags and before I could return to the rhythm of the trick, they all fell to the ground.

Plop. Plop. Plop. Plop. Splat.

The fifth one landed on its seam, and burst open, scattering pebbles and wood shavings across the courtyard.

Mitsuhide stared down at the jumble of bean bags at my feet. “Interesting. It appears you aren’t as skilled as you believed you were. It would behoove you to learn, and quickly, that recklessness and overconfidence are quite a fatal combination.” He patted me on the head – patronizing, not affectionate. “See to it that Aki receives my correspondence.” He bowed. Polite but distant, then, without another word, Jareth-with-better-teeth strolled out of the shop.

I hate him.

That had been even less pleasant than my first encounter with him. I felt like someone was jamming an ice pick through my sinuses. Maybe I’m allergic to sandalwood. Or cinnamon.

Maybe I’m allergic to Mitsuhide.

“Did I do that correctly?” Taka peered nervously into the courtyard. “And… he’s not going to come back and kill me, is he?”

You? No. Me? Jury still out.

It would take me years to explain to Taka the art of misdirection. Easier to simply say, “you did fine.” Then I took Mitsuhide’s message out of his hands. Without a second thought, I opened it to read—

“You told him you were taking that to Aki.” Taka scratched his head. “You shouldn’t read Aki’s mail.”

“I always read Aki’s mail. In fact, he once told me I should. Anyway, what I told Mitsuhide was that I would give Aki the message as soon as I saw him, which, of course, I will. But since I don’t know when that will be, if this is important, then I’d better see if there’s something that I can do to help.” I did… owe Mitsuhide that much.

His letter was coded, which made sense, but Aki had made a point of teaching me all his codes, not just the ones he used for his correspondence. We had even created a special code together, but that one was only used between the two of us. In retrospect, this was an ominous sign… maybe he had already been worried about his future.

I made myself comfortable on the ground and started to decode the message. “Go back up front, Taka, this is going to be a while.”

“Can I go take a piss first?” Taka was already heading through the back exit en route to the city’s cesspits.

“Sure,” I called to his retreating back, then got back to the message. Friend. Have you had any knowledge of who might be interested in smuggling Nanban weapons out of Sakai or the western ports? Or at least, would you be able to point me to the daimyos most likely to be stockpiling them?

Hm, if Francisco was to be believed, Aki had been headed to the port of Sakai the last time anyone had heard from him… Was it possibly that he had already been looking into weapon shipments? If so, that was the sort of information that Aki kept to himself, and none of the rest of us had much experience with smuggl—

Except me. I had had experience with them.

“Once they load the crates on board,” Iekane gestured to the other crates, “you ought to be able to climb out at night and track down your brother.” He showed me where there was a latch on the lid, and I tested the escape mechanism. “The ship isn’t planning to leave for a few days.” He handed me my bow and arrows. “Light one of these on fire and shoot it into the air. I’ll wait on the dock with our horses. Goodbye… well, good luck, I mean.” I lay back down in the crate and my world became dark as Iekane closed the lid. A few moments later, I heard another voice. “You there! What are you doing with my … shipment?” Footsteps came closer to the box. I held my breath. Now would not be a good time to be discovered. Hopefully Iekane wasn’t in trouble either. “Final inventory check!” Ooh, that was a good bluff on Iekane’s part, since he couldn’t know what was in these boxes. I heard the lid on another box open, and the dull heavy clank of metal – but the only metal that would be imported these days would be Nanban guns. Crap. Of all the crates to pick, we’d somehow gotten mixed in with someone’s weapon smuggling outfit. “Wait ‘til they get a load of these, heh heh.” The clunk of that lid. I prayed that this guy wouldn’t inspect every box. Another voice, this one with a European accent that I couldn’t place through the walls of the crate. “I’m happy you approve, Motonari. You, boy, help us move these.” “Of course.” That was Iekane’s voice. I felt the box being lifted. The motion was soothing, almost like being rocked in a cradle, and in spite of my anxiety, I felt myself becoming sleepy. But after about half and hour or so, my crate’s journey ended with a thunk. And then more thuds – oh the other crates. The jingle of coins. “Pleasure doing business with ye!”

Even after over five years, memories of that near-death experience still gave me nightmares. I couldn’t go into small spaces without having a panic attack… but that also meant that I had very clear memories of exactly how to find that warehouse in Sakai, a warehouse that had at one point been used to store Nanban weapons.

Still, it had been five years… the warehouse could have changed hands, the weapons could be coming to an alternate location now. Was this enough information to pass along to Mitsuhide? Maybe I should check it out on my own first… especially since I had another reason to make that trip. Aki had been planning to meet Francisco, who lived in Sakai. I could go to Sakai myself, check things out, and question Francisco. Then if I learned anything interesting, I could bring that back to Mitsuhide, with a mea culpa for reading his mail.

It's better to ask for forgiveness than permission. Or… something to that effect.

By the time I dropped three stacks of messages into Taka’s hands, my fingers were sore and cramping. Originally, I had planned to have Taka make the copies himself, but I didn’t trust that he would complete them, or avoid a transcription error that would spill over into all of them – this was too important to trust to a Takauji version of “telephone” in which “Aki is missing” turned into “Go to the province of Aki to look for a missing letter.”

“Give these to Ryo, Kinshiro, and Heitane when they pass through.” Each of them would distribute their stacks to Aki’s spies, who were scattered across the country.

“Are these for Aki, or for Mitsuhide’s request?” Taka looked at the store’s entry, clearly worried that speaking his name out loud would cause the man to manifest.

Don’t worry, Taka, you must stand in the middle of a pentagram and say the name three times for that to happen.

“This is for Aki. I’ll deal with the other on my own.” At my words, Taka sighed, in what I presume was relief. “Um, do you mind if I bunk with you tonight?” There was a set of rooms for the bookseller to use above the storefront. The quarters weren’t terribly big, but for one night, it wouldn’t be so ba-.

“Must you?” Taka frowned, as he glanced at the position of the setting sun on the horizon. “Er, normally I wouldn’t mind, Katsu, but there’s a woman and…”

“Say no more.” Did this woman realize that under the old man disguise Taka was about thirty years old? Or… not? Maybe … you know what. I did not need to speculate on Taka’s love life. I could find a cheap inn. “If Mitsuhide comes back, all you need to tell him is that I took his message to Aki.”

“What if Aki comes back looking for you?” Taka carefully stored the messages under the counter. “Are you heading back to The Mountain?”

Hm, it probably would be a good idea to tell someone where I was heading, just in case. It would be better if I could tell a useful someone, someone with initiative, but I had to work with what I had. “No. Sakai. I’m going to Sakai.”

The shops in the castle town were all in the process of closing for the night, but a few merchants were still willing to sell their wares, even as the sun set. If I was going to be in Sakai, I would need a decent wicker or bamboo hat. Otherwise, in the warmer coastal weather my hood would stick out like a sore ninja. While I waited for the woman in front of me to decide between two different decorative obi cords, as usual paying attention to everything and nothing, the conversation between the woman and the merchant caught my attention.

“Weren’t Lord Hideyoshi and Lady Mai supposed to have returned to Azuchi by now?”

Mai… that’s Sasuke’s friend… the one who works in Azuchi castle.

I’d never met her, but she and Lord Hideyoshi had figured prominently in Sasuke’s tales of this past summer’s battles. I turned a woven hat upside down, examining the inside, pretending to be concentrating on its weight and not her response.

“Um. Well. Yes. But. Um. They are having such a nice time together that they decided to extend their trip. In fact. Mai sent a nice note to all the seamstresses telling us about how pretty it is in Sakai and the weather is lovely there so they are not yet coming back.” The woman’s hands were shaking.

She’s lying.

One of the rules of lying? Keep it short and simple. The more you talk, the more you have to keep track of.

Proving my point, the seamstress continued, “Of course she also said that Azuchi has the best fabric merchants, so I’m sure that when she and Lord Hideyoshi return, she’ll come here immediately… because our orders are piling up.”

“I look forward to seeing her again,” the merchant said while he wrapped up her purchases (she bought both ties).

After the woman took her package and left, I quickly paid for my hat… clearly, I had some additional research to do…

Later that night, when I was holed up at yet another inn, I jotted down what I had learned that afternoon. Mai and her fiancée Hideyoshi had taken a trip to Sakai, and they had neither returned when expected nor sent a message announcing a delay. This was atypical behavior for Lord Hideyoshi (per a couple of Oda’s vassals who probably shouldn’t have been talking that loudly in a public restaurant). Item number two – Mitsuhide was concerned enough about weapons smuggling and smugglers to send a message to Aki.

Were these two items connected?

Meanwhile, Aki had also disappeared, sometime before he was due to meet Francisco in Sakai.

And though I did not know where Aki had been specifically going prior to intending to meet Francisco in Sakai, that was enough of a confirmation to me that all roads led to Sakai.

I hadn’t spent a lot of time there myself, but I knew enough to get around. I knew the blind alleys and the rooftops. Even better, I was certain that Francisco would be willing to trade lodgings for in-house translation services. I could take my time and investigate this properly.

‘Case log’ begun. Travel plans solidified. Hat acquired. Time for sleep.

Time to attempt sleep.

Time to stare at the ceiling again.

Sleep never comes easily for me – I have to chase it, tie it down, hug it to me, and hope for as much rest as possible. Unsurprisingly, when I finally dropped off, I was haunted by the memories of the crate, the weight of full boxes pressing down, the voices of the weapons smugglers checking their stock.

Likely these dreams were summoned by my plan to return to the scene of the so-called crime.

But maybe in doing so, I would finally put some of those ghosts to rest.

@mllorei @selenacosmic @tele86 @bestbryn @lyds323 @akitsuneswife

[abundantchewtoys]

HS^2 re: p533-553

Late reply but I’ve been sitting on some observations I want to discuss.

... Cloudflare, the web host, is down it seems so I’m going to be doing this from memory. Luckily, I can also look at my brother’s reaction post for notes.

How good is it to finally get a view of some of our old protags as guardians in hero mode?

Makes you wonder how Dad, Mom, Bro, Grandpa, Nanna and well B2 Mom, B2 Bro, Grandma & Poppop too, would have looked from their own perspectives in sprite mode :D Probably shorter than guardian sprites! So this takes place around the time of John’s trip to the meteor, as he or Roxy are being listened into by Jane’s goons. We go down memory lane as Harry explores his room & interests, so we get an even better picture of the kid.

Harry Anderson, I saw being pointed out on Tumblr, could be revealed to be a future Prospit dreamer, as he has a made-up bed, which was a distinction the kids all shared. :B

He has a Con Air bunny (reproduction) as well, leading me to think about how this bunny or similar ones are probably owned by Vrissie and Tavros as well. If anything, they might end up getting gifted to Yiffany!

And of course it would have been John gifting this bunny to his newborn son! Some rituals have to be observed!

I said it’s a reproduction (probably), but how funny would it be if it turned out temporally related to the original Liv Tyler bunny, like being a fixed-up version of the bunny Roxy gave to Jane originally, or something? :D The chain of gifting must continue!

It also makes me remember to wonder about the fate of Lil Seb & the Meat-retconned B2 kids on Caliborn’s planet... Feels like they might reappear at some point. Though you have to wonder as well, by now, if that Dirk is also part of Meat Dirk’s superego, or not.

What else? Harry is shown to have quite the extensive chumroll, further underlining the fact that he at least has a cohesive social network outside of his closest friends & relatives, unlike the B1 & B2 kids. (Unless this got somehow retconned by the Pesterquest games.) Harry & Vrissy’s meetup was enjoyingly cute, and I’m hoping their relationship can withstand what the game/world/Vriska throws at them, would be fun to watch them overcome opposition & bias as a couple/throuple with Tavros.

At the end, there’s clear indicators way that Tavros, Vrissy & Harry are about to all be in the same room as Yiffany, a first!

Readers, meet your new Sburb team(?)!

[jvstheworld]

My Ted Lasso Re-watch: S2E2

Lavender

Oh Jamie, going from reality TV, to talk show and looking like a muppet. Also, the bit with Phil and Holly has not aged well with ermmm... Recent discoveries behind the scenes. Not of Ted Lasso, of the talk show This Morning.

Man City doesn't want Jamie. But he still has support of fans, that's good. We do eventually find out why he left Man City.

Beard and Jane are not a good or healthy couple. They should not be together. Beard deserves better but the thinks that's what he deserves.

Nate micromanaging Will. He's just doing his job, and doing it well. Leave the poor guy alone.

Aww, Will has a girlfriend. Good for him.

Roy cares about his new team. Especially Kokoruda and Phoebe. Too bad he wants nothing to do with Richmond.

Keeley knows what she likes in a man and isn't afraid to express it. Go Keeley.

Ted riding the lawn mower, what a dork.

Ted is hurt about Dr Sharon staying for the season because he still doesn't trust her. Even though it's good for the team and later him. She does have a cool bike though.

Ted is confusing. He wants to be included about decisions for the team but wants Higgins to make his own mind up about things. It was Higgins's idea to bring Dr Sharon in and since he is director of football operations (what does that even mean)? He should get a say in what is best for the team. And Dr Sharon is what is best for them.

Nate is still too quick to complain about Will. I will say, personally I find lavender to be kind of horrible to smell.

No one wants Jamie. Because he shows no loyalty to anyone. And clubs and the public have seen that. They don't wasn't to sign him for something if he's just going to jump ship when he gets bored.

Ted bursting though doors is everything to me. I love that manic pixie dream boy. But yeah, don't barge into a therapist's office.

Sudeikis does actually play video games in real life, because they are fun. If something is taking over your life you should change your habits to prevent it from taking up most of your waking hours. This only applies to non-addictive things. You don't want to deprive yourself of enjoyment because that will make you miserable, but just adjust how you view that relationship you have with it. It's why some people struggle with dieting. Because they try to eliminate the things that are 'bad' for them, instead of accepting that they can be part of their diet but not a major part of it.

Ted is very disarming. He wants to know everything he can about a person straight away. But Dr Sharon sees through it.

Keeley mentioning Dubai Air, for the campaign that Sam will be a part of next episode.

Robert Plant and Jimmy Page. I have watched too much Supernatural to have gotten that joke before Ted did. Plant and Page were Sam and Dean's most used aliases. You are off your game here Ted, Dr Sharon really must have you rattled.

'What a fucking arsehole' is back again, because Dr Sharon doesn't eat sugar. I'm going to have to keep track of how many times it's said in the show.

As much as Rebecca might know what her problems are, she still show see a therapist because they would have knowledge and the capabilities to help her move on from her relationship with Rupert. She manages on her own well enough, but there are still things that might need addressing. And Ted, he works out that he needs help eventually. Friends aren't your therapists, they can only do so much to help. If you need help, see a professional, your friends are your support network to help keep you in the right path to getting to a healthier emotional state. You're not burdening people by sharing your problems, but they might not always be able to help you in the way you need, that's where professionals come in. Spoken as someone trying to get that help now.

[business-of-sports]

Top-Rated Live Sports Events on Indian TV: July 28 – August 4, 2023

Cricket is the King!! Nothing new but when Indian Cricket team plays then the TVRs numbers go up exponentially. And when India played West Indies recently, even though aired on DD Network, the TVRs reigned supreme alongside the average viewing time as well. Fans spent more than 22 mins per session in each of the 3 ODIs and a T20 match. For those who are not sure about the #2 Sport on Indian TV, let me tell you that WWE has ruled the game for years and Sony Pictures Networks India has been using it very effectively for their network. With more than 26 mins average session time, it is great value for money. Disney+ Hotstar has been holding the top position for some time when it comes to Cricket programming. Now it has challengers so they are looking at smaller or newer T20 leagues to boost its programming. LPL, GT20 Canada and Sher-e-Punjab are the new additions to their portfolio. Although the viewing time is far lesser as compared to International Cricket but still it gives Star Sports some leverage to add programs to the top list. But recently concluded Ashes series and newbie The Hundred are clearly showing how top quality Cricket and classy production still draws more eyeballs than anything else. Viewing session of more than 22 & 26 mins respectively, both the series are comparable to Indian cricket on that count. Heartening to see Football fans have picked Old horse Durand Cup and new found love for FIFA Women's World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023™ . Will soon share the full event standings of these two for more detailed conversation later. New born MLC and Zim Afro T10 leagues had a few takers but worse was the time spent by each viewer. Ofcourse MLC is targeted for US local market and non-prime time in India, it still had a good start but other #Cricket leagues will have to do some out of the box thinking to make their business model work. Lastly but lovingly, I must congratulate Pro Panja League for having a good start and made it to the top 6 events beating some other Cricket programs in the week. The session time may be short but that’s perhaps to do with the format of the sport but I am sure the organisers would look at the ways to improve on that count. I will posting updates on the “Top Sports Events (Live) on Indian TV” and will invite discussions with experts on their views about the same. #tv #viewers #sports #football #fifawwc #ashes2023 #hundred #indiancricket

[daphnethebanjolover]

Ranking every original show currently airing on Game Show Network because I have nothing better to do

Yes, I know. Game shows are for old people. I'm reminded of that with every prescription drug commercial, but I still watch game shows at age 22, and dangit, I'm proud, so here we go.

America Says: Of course I have to start with what has to be GSN's flagship show. John Michael Higgins hosts in this show where two teams of four take turns guessing blanks off a board with a question like "When I go to the amusement park, I always ride the ___ first." As far as game shows go, this one's pretty standard except for when the contestants start singing or dancing during the get to know you segment, and JMH is more than willing to engage in the silliness. They air it for hours at a time, and you know what, I can just keep watching. This show is only one of many that follow the unfortunate GSN trend of forcing contestants to give stupid answers because there's no pass option, but there's always room for America Says on my TV. 8/10 I can't believe the only team to get a perfect score is The Canadians.

People Puzzler: Take the People magazine crossword, put it on a giant screen, turn it into a game show, and get "King of Queens" star Leah Remini to host it. This show is iconic mainly because of Leah Remini. She definitely has way more sass than most game show hosts, and she's not afraid to tell contestants when they're wrong. ("It's okay, Hector. We won't judge." *looks judgmentally at the camera*) However, she will also tell contestants "you were so close" if they lose the final round even if they only get, like, five answers. It also has the most samba-rific theme song on GSN. If you're looking for a good dose of chaos on weekdays at 9 am central, watch People Puzzler. 9/10 When are we getting the New York Times crossword puzzle game show?

Master Minds: This one is one of the biggest head-scratchers on the network when it comes to the questions, and it doesn't help that the contestants are pitted against three trivia "master minds" (if you want to know the type of people I'm talking about, Ken Jennings is one of them). This show is entertaining to watch partially because of how challenging the questions are and because of Brooke Burns's hosting job. The Beast (who originally debuted alongside Burns on The Chase, another iconic show that has gone the way of the dinosaur) has joined the lineup of master minds this season. I know they probably did it for views, but it allows Brooke and Beastie's dynamic to continue on. This show has the interesting gimmick that if a contestant wins the final round (not just the show but also the Ultimate Trivia Challenge at the end), they get to come back for the next episode, and if they win three times, they become a master mind. This seems nigh-impossible considering how hard it is to win once, but apparently, it has happened before. 8/10 I miss The Chase.

Common Knowledge: This show is honestly kinda mid. Sometimes, I forget it exists. The questions are described as "things everybody should know" as in various life hacks (example: What should you do if you get doggy business on your shoe?) The problem is that the knowledge doesn't seem so common, and most of the time, I'm left thinking, "How am I supposed to know that?" There's also the gimmick that if all three people on a team give the same answer, they get a bonus if they're correct. I personally would add a smaller point bonus if two people picked the same answer to further promote answering similarly. Lastly, Joey Fatone's hosting kind of falls flat. Every time a contestant answers correctly, he says, "Is it (answer)? It is!" 5/10 The theme song is just one treble note and two bass notes.

Chain Reaction: This is the third version of Chain Reaction produced by GSN and the second hosted by Dylan Lane, who still manages to be hot despite being bald. It's a shame I don't watch it as much because I don't normally watch TV while it's on. This version improves on the 2006 version in many ways. For one thing, they got rid of the "guys vs. girls" gimmick and now allow coed teams. Secondly, they replaced that bullshit in the final round where two teammates have to make questions one word at a time with three speed chains. However, the 2006 version has it beat in terms of the theme song ("It starts with 'word.' There's a G underneath. Guess the word 'game,' and you're right. The word 'game' starts a chain. Pick a letter. Take a guess. Connect a chain. Win some cash. It's guys against girls right now on Chain Reaction.") 7/10 As it turns out, this version only ran until 2022, but it's still cool. If they reboot it again, they need to bring the old theme song back.

Switch: This show is actual bullshit. There is no scoring system. There are five big numbers on stage, and you move towards number one with right answers and towards number five with wrong answers. This means that if you're in spot number 5, get a question right, and everyone else gets it wrong, you're shooting straight to the top, and if you do it on the last question of the round, you get to move on even if you did terribly on the rest of the questions. It's like Splatoon Turf War in a bad way. I would personally add a point value to each number to keep track of each contestant's position throughout the show with the lowest-scoring contestant getting the boot after each round. I don't remember the host's name, and to be honest, I don't care. He always asks contestants why they picked the answer they did, forcing them to admit they guessed most of the time, and sometimes I wonder if he's going to get carpal tunnel from doing the "switch" gesture with his hands all the time. 0/10 Just add a scoring system.

Split Second: They gave John Michael "There is a GSN executive with his hand up my shirt" Higgins a second show. (I kid you not. He said that.) It was originally hosted by Monty Hall, but GSN has given it new life. In this show, contestants have to answer questions with split-second reactions. First of all, I have to appreciate how much less misogynistic JMH is than Monty Hall. Second, they split the points among the contestants who got the question right, making it that much more important to be the only one to get each question right. It also makes it equally likely for the contestants to be close in score and for one person to just sandbag in last, and you never know what you're going to get. The final round is close to impossible. You're supposed to answer seven questions in 60 seconds, and I've only seen two people win it. 6/10 It's got the second most samba-rific theme song on GSN.

Hey Yahoo: The newest show on GSN. I originally expected to be disappointed because it's not about the weird stuff they ask on Yahoo Answers (think "how is prangent formed"). Instead, it's a combination of America Says, People Puzzler, and Family Feud where teams have to guess questions that are formatted as autocomplete suggestions for questions one might ask on Yahoo specifically. The show is hosted by Tom Cavanagh (whom I call knockoff Tom Kenny for reasons you'll understand once you see him), and he's on the "more personality" side of the spectrum if you put Leah Remini on one end and the Switch guy on the other, but the one thing that has more personality is his suits. The weirdest feature is that if an individual contestant gets a question wrong, they're eliminated for the rest of the round, which seems out of place for a team-based competition. I also gotta give a shoutout to the soundtrack. The theme song sounds like something from a hoedown, and the track for the lightning round is quiet and pensive while still having that hoedown sound. It's slowly climbing my favorites list. 5/10 YaHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Tug of Words: I've literally only seen half an episode of this because it airs so early, and it was this morning, but here are my impressions of it. This show involves two teams of two guessing words using a six-letter word with two letters highlighted and a definition. The answer involves changing out the highlighted letters. (Example: The word is FLAUNT. Clue: Proficient in a language. Answer: FLUENT.) There is no scoring system. Instead, there is a virtual flag that moves closer to one team's side with each question they get right. The team who has the flag on their side wins the round. This show does a better job than Switch at being fair without a scoring system. The position of the flag keeps track of both teams' progress in relation to each other unlike Switch, where everything can be jumbled at a moment's notice. I don't remember the host's name. I think it's Samantha something. She seems friendly and entertaining enough, but she briefly lost her balance in those heels the costume department has her in. Lastly, this show is unique on GSN in the sense that it has rave music for the theme song. 5/10 It looks interesting, but it airs too early for me.

[wild-karrde]

WHAT A WAY TO START MY SATURDAY. Maybe today is the day I will FINALLY get caught up on this fic. HERE WE GO.

WOOOO KAZI, GIRL, I FEEL YOU ON THAT CLAUSTROPHOBIA. I think you perfectly captured how it feels when you're in a space that's just a bit too tight and you're trying to keep your cool about it. And just OOOOOOF the fact that her escape from Ceaia worsened it?

“Do you know what motivates him?” Fehr asked. Woven braids adorned her head in elaborate spirals that further established her aura of authority and composure.

THIS IMAGERY IS SOOOOO GOOOOOOD. I LOVE THIS.

“You asked to meet,” Commander Cody said. The commander’s tone was harsher than usual. The warmth and friendliness he used around Neyti, and the politeness he used with Kazi and Daria were notably absent. Kazi only then realized the clone commander had a distinctive military voice. And he elected to forego it at the house.

I adore this little detail. I absolutely love watching Kazi figure things out about the clones, and in a sense, I think that each little thing humanizes them more to her. By all accounts from what we see in canon, the clones weren't really thought of as human, and what most people knew about them was likely limited. They were these borderline-faceless soldiers that were created to fight for the Republic, and even though you don't say it explicitly, I can feel that Kazi's view on them shifting as she picks up on little things like this, and I love that. So much.

“Kazi.” His smile was chastising, humored. “The Head Treasurer can’t access confidential government funds, you know that.” He leaned closer, lowering his voice. “You wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for the network.”

Alright, another person I'm ready to brawl with on Kazi's behalf.

AND CODY GETTING PAINTS FOR NEYTI??? MY HEART. I LOVE THIS. I LOVE THAT HE PAINTS. THIS IS GREAT.

She searched his face, studying the white scar embedded into the dark skin of his left temple, trying to stifle her shock. Painting seemed a strange hobby for a soldier, much less a commander. 

YES. I LOVE THIS. MORE OF THIS. YES. MHM.

And the bit about Kazi keeping space subtly from others, and Wolffe invading that space to tell her he kept her confidence? AL;KSHDGLAHGDL;AHJ;GOHASDLK;FJASKDJFAS SO GOOD. SO WELL DONE.

Commander Wolffe levelled her with a hard look. “We will never bring in someone who could hurt her. You’re aware of this, yes?”

Wolffe's concern for Neyti is going to be my undoing. It's so inherently him in how unsure he is, how he asks questions he immediately regrets because he does care, but he knows he's walking into sensitive territory. IT'S SO GOOD. I KNOW I KEEP SAYING THAT, BUT IT'S TRUE.

Also, can't explain it, but Carinthia makes me think of Fox Face from the Hunger Games for some reason. Also also, yet another person I want to fight on Kazi's behalf lol. I mean, I get it. There's a lot at stake, but at some point, you've got to lean in a little with the people that already have the "in" so to speak. Poor team-building. LOL But it feels like Carinthia's hostility comes from insecurity or a sense of entitlement, which makes me trust HER less. Round and round we go, I suppose.

Late evening sun warmed the paved pathways of Hollow’s Town’s Marketplace. The air carried a scent of coming rain, and the colorful tarps canopied above the pathways were pulled taut to protect vendors from potential rainfall. 

This environmental description? *CHEF'S KISS* SO GOOD. It feels SO immersive, and that is just such a cool experience as a reader.

She should have known. Too much time had passed since she and Daria were younglings who cared deeply for one another. She knew her sister and her sister’s motivations, and her dashed hopes were her own fault. Her sister didn’t care for her outside of an arranged marriage, and she couldn’t even blame Daria. Because she was the one who created the distance and enforced it. For years.

Big. Fucking. OOF.

Also, Kazi is nicer than me. Because I would have put my sister on blast in front of this man. The fact that she's trying to remain composed? I would not have even made that effort. The fact that she made it through dinner? GOLD STAR FOR KAZI.

But her rage? I FEEL THAT. Hoooo boy the indoctrination is REAL, and it's one of those things where two people raised in the same household came out SO DIFFERENT, and they both think they're right (personally, I'm Team Kazi here, but maybe I'm biased). And I know Daria thinks she's being helpful, but AAAHHHH I'M SO ANGRY ON KAZI'S BEHALF.

Solitude was her companion, but loneliness was a shadow she couldn’t lose.

This line is so good I want to throw something at you.

“Commander Wolffe. Commander Fox. Are you in need of something?”

*screaming*

“I’ve changed my mind.” The commander rolled his shoulders back, his demeanor cold. Apathetic. “You’re not wanted.”

WHAT. WAIT WOLFFE WHAT.

That last line? STUNNINGLY GOOD. But also, I AM CONFUSION. I AM ANGER FOR KAZI. I HAVE MANY THOUGHTS. Ok ok IMMEDIATE NEXT CHAPTER LET'S GO.

I Yearn, and so I Fear - Chapter IV

Masterlist | Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

General Summary. Nearly a year since the Galactic Empire’s rise to power, Kazi Ennari is trying to survive. But her routine is interrupted—and life upended—when she’s forced to cohabitate with former Imperial soldiers. Clone soldiers. 

Pairing. Commander Wolffe x female!OC

General Warnings. Canon-typical violence and assault, familial struggles, terminal disease, bigotry, explicit sexual content, death. This story deals with heavy content. If you’re easily triggered, please do not read. For a more comprehensive list of tags, click here.

Fic Rating. E (explicit)/18+/Minors DNI.

Chapter Word Count. 5.0K

Beta. @starstofillmydream

35 Nelona

“It’s my immigration status,” Kazi explained. “The magistrate wants someone who isn’t loyal to Eluca. Someone who will willingly turn on others and uncover potential rebels.”

Beneath the evening sun, the warehouse reached temperatures so high it was difficult to breathe. Stuck inside the metal box, Kazi glanced, again, at the broken door. She wasn’t trapped. 

Even though the heat was suffocating and sweat a second skin, she was safe.

She had always struggled with tight, enclosed spaces—an irrational fear she would be trapped, unable to move, and die from either suffocation or starvation. She would suffer until the end.

The escape from Ceaia did nothing to quell her fears.

“Do you know what motivates him?” Fehr asked. Woven braids adorned her head in elaborate spirals that further established her aura of authority and composure.

“Personal greed aside”—Kazi looked between Fehr, Bash, and Carinthia—“he desires greatness. He wants the Moffs, and probably the Emperor himself, to respect and appreciate him. He wants praise and adoration.”

Bash shook his head. “He’s a boy with an inflated ego.”

“I wouldn’t underestimate him,” Kazi warned. In the last two weeks, she’d had time to analyze her conversation with the magistrate. To disseminate his words and actions. “He has power and money, and I get the sense that his paranoia combined with megalomaniacal tendencies makes him dangerous.”

“Moff Harpy views him as backwater scum,” Carinthia said. “I doubt he will surmount to anything.”

Kazi disagreed but it wasn’t her place to further argue, and frankly, she didn’t care enough to, either.

The door to the warehouse grated open and Kazi jerked around. Her first thought was the local police. To her bemusement, though, the three clone commanders strode into the building. 

Outfitted in black suits bolstered with armor along their biceps and chests, they must have just returned from their last mission. Kazi hadn’t seen them in four days. 

Confused, she glanced at the three rebels, all of whom wore serious expressions. They had planned this. 

Chagrin simmered in her blood and Kazi fisted her hands behind her back. She despised surprises, and she loathed when others made plans without informing her. It left her feeling unprepared.

The clone commanders stood opposite the three rebels, leaving Kazi awkwardly placed in between. Like a mediator. A poor example of a mediator. Her opinions were too strong and logic overt so that she always knew which side to pick. 

“You asked to meet,” Commander Cody said. The commander’s tone was harsher than usual. The warmth and friendliness he used around Neyti, and the politeness he used with Kazi and Daria were notably absent. Kazi only then realized the clone commander had a distinctive military voice. And he elected to forego it at the house.

Intrigued, Kazi studied the other two commanders. Commander Fox maintained a carefully neutral face devoid of emotion. Commander Wolffe was similar, the annoyance or tetchiness he displayed around her were missing, replaced by a reticent vigilance. 

“Our people are interested in a collaborative partnership,” Fehr said. “A mutually beneficial situation.”

The clones stood still, unresponsive. 

“You come in contact with Imperial ships, prisons, and bases,” Fehr continued, undeterred by the clones’ silence. Her sharp eyes drifted from one to the next. “We want you to collect intel for us.”

“That sounds like an order,” Commander Wolffe said. His tone was casual, but a hint of warning laced his words.

“It’s an offer.” Fehr lifted her chin. “You’re already visiting these places—”

“To complete our missions,” Commander Cody said flatly. “It’s dangerous infiltrating these places. And we’re on a time crunch. Stealing intel is a complication.”

Fehr shared a look with Bash and Carinthia. “We would pay you.”

Commander Fox chuckled. “We’re not mercenaries.”

“Your missions don’t pay. Your funds must be running low, and we could solve that problem for you.”

The narrowing of Commander Wolffe’s eyes confirmed the validity of Fehr’s assumption.

Ever tactful, Fehr lifted a placating hand. “We don’t need an immediate answer. Take whatever time you need to discuss. If you decide to work with us, send the intel to Kazi. She’ll analyze it for us.”

Kazi kept silent, hoping her features didn’t reveal her irritation. Fehr never conferred with her; Fehr never asked if she was willing to accept more work. Already she spent hours of her evening analyzing intel for the network. Already she risked her career—and her fucking life—to spy at work. She wasn’t a pet to be ordered around. 

The meeting dissolved soon after. Fehr and Carinthia secluded themselves in a corner filled with rusting farm equipment. The clones moved off to the side and Kazi made to leave until a hand on her bicep pulled her to an abrupt halt.

She shot Bash a reproving look and pulled her arm from his grip. “Yes?”

“I need you to steal some intel for me,” he said quietly.

Kazi pursed her lips. “What type of intel?”

“Codes to a government fund.”

“No.” She took a step back. “Bank codes are kept behind the highest security-clearance walls, not to mention I have no authority or reason to be accessing them, and you’re Head Treasurer—”

“Kazi.” His smile was chastising, humored. “The Head Treasurer can’t access confidential government funds, you know that.” He leaned closer, lowering his voice. “You wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for the network.”

“Are you threatening me?” She kept her tone flat and unimpressed, even as a cold hand of apprehension gripped her neck. 

“See what you can do, all right?” With a wave in Fehr and Carinthia’s direction, Bash exited the warehouse. 

Kazi stared at the warehouse’s broken door, unease roiling in her stomach. Stealing codes to a government fund was risky, and she didn’t even know if she could access them. 

A raised hand from Commander Cody interrupted her thoughts and, exhaling an aggrieved breath, she approached him. The commander offered her a polite nod. 

“Neyti is a good artist. For her age,” Commander Cody said. The topic of conversation surprised Kazi, piquing her curiosity. “I haven’t seen her draw in the house.”

A question hid within his statement and she frowned. “She doesn’t.” 

He nodded, like he had expected—no, hoped—for that answer. “I picked up a set of paints on our mission. I want to give them to her.”

Dismay rendered her speechless and Kazi blinked dubiously at the commander. Dark brown eyes regarded her carefully. 

“Why?” The question came out sharper than she intended, suspicion palpable in her tone.

The commander straightened, a flicker of annoyance crossing his face. “I paint. It’s something I’ve done for years. And I thought Neyti might want to try it. It’s not sketching but—”

“It’s art,” Kazi finished for him. 

She searched his face, studying the white scar embedded into the dark skin of his left temple, trying to stifle her shock. Painting seemed a strange hobby for a soldier, much less a commander. 

“I don’t know if Neyti likes to paint,” she admitted, thinking about the three additional sketches she added to the fridge the last few weeks. “But I think she would like it.”

“Good.” The corners of the commander’s lips lifted, and for the span of a heartbeat, Kazi felt herself smile smally in return. 

The moment shattered, Commanders Wolffe and Fox joining them, the latter clapping a hand to Commander Cody’s shoulder to pull him away. Kazi let her eyes rove across Commander Wolffe’s face. He appraised her similarly. Her former ease dissipated beneath the intensity of his gaze and their close proximity. 

Years ago, when she attended weekly networking events, Kazi learned just how much she liked her personal space. Elbows touching, mouths near her ears, intentional positioning so that she was crowded, leered down at, made her uncomfortable. Made the situation feel out of her control.

Over the years, she learned how to discreetly position herself to keep the distance while maintaining the façade of closeness. Half a meter worked well. 

So she was slightly put off when Commander Wolffe took a hesitant step closer. He didn’t bend down, and his eyes remained on hers. But it was close enough she could smell him. A hint of sweat and an odd reminder of Ceaia—

“Cody isn’t giving Neyti paints out of pity,” the commander said. His voice was low, gruff. “I haven’t told him or Fox what happened to her mother.”

“Oh.” It was the only response she could think of. She studied him skeptically. “Why haven’t you?”

The commander hesitated. “Do you think she’ll like the paints?”

Of course he would ignore her question and reply with his own. She shrugged. “I don’t know.”

She expected judgment—disdain or expectation—but his face remained forcibly indifferent, like he was trying to hide his intrigue. His shoulders rolled back; his gaze wandered across the windows lining the top of the warehouse. He seemed hesitant. Jaw flexing, eyes shifty. 

“Is she still…scared of us?”

The commander seemed to regret the question. He folded his arms over his chest and looked away. Annoyance downturned his mouth. 

She wasn’t sure why it mattered to him. Why any of them cared. 

Maybe it was the moment with Commander Cody, or maybe it was the overt tension in Commander Wolffe’s tone—his unspoken desire to know if Neyti felt comfortable, safe—but Kazi decided he deserved an explanation.  

“Neyti is shy and quiet, but she’s also curious and imaginative.” Kazi smiled slightly at the memory of the little girl who hid behind the upper level’s banisters to study the clones. “Her life was upturned only a few months ago and all of this is unusual and probably disconcerting. I don’t think she’s scared of you—”  

“She doesn’t spend time downstairs.”

When we’re present was buried beneath his words. 

“She watched her mother get shot. By someone with your face,” Kazi said. The commander winced and she shifted awkwardly between her feet. “She’s not scared, but she doesn’t trust you. And the situation is even more confusing with new soldiers appearing every few days.”

Commander Wolffe levelled her with a hard look. “We will never bring in someone who could hurt her. You’re aware of this, yes?”

Kazi tugged on her braid, discomfort warming her cheeks. She couldn’t answer him honestly because the truth was: she didn’t trust him or the others. 

“Neyti’s just a child,” she said. The commander’s eyes narrowed. He knew she was intentionally avoiding his question. “She doesn’t rationalize the way you or I do.”

The heat in her face worsened and she fought the urge to look away, unnerved by the way Commander Wolffe assessed her. After a long moment, he straightened, clasping his hands behind his back.

“We have some intel that needs to be analyzed.” He worked his jaw. “Are you interested in it?”

Nonplussed by the offer, she frowned. “I thought you analyzed your intel.”

“I do.” He shrugged, appearing blasé. “I get busy. And we’re planning another mission that needs my attention.”

The apathy in his features made it difficult to detect a lie, or potential doubt. 

“Sure.” She glanced at Fehr and Carinthia who were still speaking together. “This won’t include the network, will it?”

“It’s off the record,” he answered smoothly. Nodding at Commanders Cody and Fox who were waiting beside the door, he unclasped his hands, his gaze heavy on hers. “We can discuss it this evening.”

Kazi waited for the clones to leave, still shocked by Commander Wolffe’s offer, and then made her way to the door. 

“Analyzing the clones’ intel… Do you think you have the skillset to do it?”

Stiffening, Kazi stopped just before the door. Carinthia mirrored her. A quick perusal of the warehouse revealed they were alone. Fehr must have left when she was talking to Commander Wolffe. 

Wiping a bead of sweat from her forehead, Kazi eyed Carinthia. “Fehr clearly believes so.”

“So she does.” Carinthia picked at a fingernail, her smile coy. Biting. “The intel should go to me. I was the primary analyst before you arrived.”

Exhaustion from the varying conversations the last half hour made Kazi roll her eyes. “Then take it up with Fehr and Bash.”

“Proximity seems a more convincing argument as to why you were chosen. The clones do live with you after all.”

“You forget that I didn’t want them to live with me.” Kazi sniffed. “It wasn’t something I had much of a choice in.”

“Yet you prosper from it.”

She snorted. “How do I prosper from sharing my home with soldiers who threaten my family’s very existence? Soldiers who served the Empire? I didn’t want them. I still don’t want them.”

Carinthia tossed her a bored look. “Were you aware Magistrate Aro is attempting to track deserting clones in this sector?”

As a data courier to Moff Harpy, Carinthia maintained one of the most important and dangerous positions out of the rebel cohort. Her security level was fairly low, but she had access to some sensitive Imperial information. Information that proved valuable. 

The job also meant Carinthia overheard secrets and rumors.

“I did.” There was no point in lying. “He asked me to analyze the data.”

Carinthia arched a perfectly trimmed eyebrow. “You didn’t think this important to tell us?”

Kazi shrugged. “What do you care?”

“I don’t trust you.” Carinthia sneered. “You’re a liability to the network.”

“If you say so.” Uninterested in more accusations, Kazi turned on her heel and exited the sweltering warehouse, heading toward her aircar.

Lost to the brief relief of the jungle’s leafy shade, it took her a moment to realize she wasn’t alone. Leaning against a tree not far from the warehouse’s entrance stood Commander Wolffe. 

The commander was watching her. Lips pressed together, brows furrowed. The calculation in his expression was severe.

A stilted breeze rustled the nearby trees. The commander gave her a final once-over and then stalked away. His odd behavior left her feeling uneasy.

Late evening sun warmed the paved pathways of Hollow’s Town’s Marketplace. The air carried a scent of coming rain, and the colorful tarps canopied above the pathways were pulled taut to protect vendors from potential rainfall. 

Restaurants, an outdoor theater, shops, cantinas, and bakeries picketed the pathways to the compacted aisles of the Marketplace. Stalls crammed the aisles. Vendors sold a myriad of goods: fresh fruit and veggies, sliced meats, spices and herbs, clothing, souvenirs from foreign planets. 

All pathways led to the center of the Marketplace—the heart of Hollow’s Town—the Square. 

Busiest on off-days, the Square was the place to socialize, barter, and relax. The paved pathways roughened into cobblestone. A fountain, elegantly carved from the gray stone native to Eluca, stood in the center. Elaborate spurts of water danced the edges; a statue of a black jaguar, Eluca’s national animal, prowled the base of the fountain, its ears alert and maw open in a vicious roar.

Crowded and convivial, Kazi avoided the Square on off-days, preferring a quieter tone. Like this evening. 

Confirming Neyti still walked beside her, Kazi made plans to visit the stalls after dinner. They were running low on lumina berries, anyway. A quick spree would be useful and—

“I wonder if any vendors sell canvases,” she mused aloud. Neyti lifted her face, confusion wrinkling her forehead. “We can get some canvases for you to use. With the paint from Mr. Cody.”

Nose scrunching, Neyti considered the offer. 

The little girl was mystified when Commander Cody gifted her a small set of paints an hour ago. It took Kazi’s encouragement for her to accept the paints. And even then, Neyti left the paint set on the stairs, not bothering to bring them to her room. Kazi caught a hint of dejection on the commander’s face but he didn’t press.

“It was kind of Mr. Cody, you know.” Neyti scowled and Kazi stopped in the pathway, giving the youngling a hard look. “It was. He thought you might like something new.”

Still scowling, Neyti toed the ground. Kazi tentatively, lightly, placed a hand on the girl’s shoulder. 

“Look,” she said. “Mr. Cody is nice. And Mr. Fox and Mr. Wolffe are…too.” She released Neyti’s shoulder, awkwardly rubbing her arm. “They’re not going to hurt you. I promise.”

For a quiet moment, Neyti studied her, and heaving a sigh far too exasperated for a six-year-old, she conceded with a shrug.

Stifling her amusement, Kazi continued down the pathway. She and Neyti rounded a corner and entered the Square. Stalls of vibrantly colored flowers edged the closest buildings. 

Smaller than its neighbors, the restaurant Daria asked Kazi to meet at hosted a simple outdoor pavilion. Twinkling lights wove among the patterned ceiling of the lattice-styled veranda. Large, leafy vines slithered along the walls.  

A handful of patrons were seated, the lull of their conversations quiet. The cooler weather of the evening and the wink of the bulbous lights created an amiable environment for a night out. Kazi hadn’t realized how much she craved a simple, uneventful evening with her, Daria, and Neyti. It felt like a family dinner.

“Kazi!” Daria stood up from a table she snagged at the corner of the veranda. A view of the rolling, jungle hills eclipsed the horizon.

Starting to smile, Kazi beckoned Neyti forward. A few more paces brought them to the table, and to the male rising to his feet. A male seated at their table. A male who looked in her direction and gave her an interested smile. 

Her pace slowed and she shot her sister a dark look. “Did you make a friend?”

Daria laughed, gesturing to the male. “This is Jason. I asked him to join us today.”

Jason extended his hand, his smile warming into charisma.

And her ephemeral contentment dissipated. Suddenly, she was too warm, her blood overheated, her muscles tensed.

Daria had planned this. Planned a date under the pretense of wanting to spend time together. 

She should have known. Too much time had passed since she and Daria were younglings who cared deeply for one another. She knew her sister and her sister’s motivations, and her dashed hopes were her own fault.

But it didn’t stop the constriction in her chest; it didn’t stall the hollowness burrowing deep inside of her, scooping flesh and muscles away until all that remained was a skeletal shell. 

Her sister didn’t care for her outside of an arranged marriage, and she couldn’t even blame Daria. Because she was the one who created the distance and enforced it. For years.

Electing maturity in the wake of both a public setting and Neyti’s disconcerted countenance, Kazi accepted Jason’s hand, pulling away as quick as possible. She took the empty seat across the table and surveyed him.

Light brown hair, skin tawny, crinkled eyes, an impeccably tailored suit. Probably four years older. 

He was conventionally handsome. A man most women would be interested in. Which begged the question: Why was he still single? And why was he entertaining arranged dates?

“Daria,” Kazi said in a thin voice, picking up her menu. “A word.” Snapping open the menu to hide their faces, she dropped her false smile. “What the fuck is your problem?”

“Kazi,” Daria hissed, glancing at the closest tables. “We are in public. Control yourself.”

“I wouldn’t be reacting this way if you hadn’t ambushed me with something I specifically told you I wasn’t interested in.” Her voice shook with the rage she was trying to keep buried. “What did you tell him?”

Daria sighed, as if she were dealing with a petulant child. “I told him you were single and interested in a meeting.”

“A meeting about what?”

“Marriage.”

Kazi released a sardonic breath. “You thought it wise to bring a strange man to dinner?”

“I met him through Fehr.” Daria tucked a loose curl behind her ear. “He comes from a family that’s aware of these types of practices—it’s not odd to him. He’s kind and hard-working. And he’s wealthy—”

“I don’t care—”

“You’re being rude.” Daria sat back in her chair with a pointed look in Jason’s direction. “He joined us for dinner. The least you can do is entertain him.”

Shoving the menu aside, Daria engaged Jason in superficial conversation. 

Kazi flattened the menu to the table. Blankly, she stared at it. 

Heated anger rumbled beneath her skin and coiled in her stomach. Coiled so tightly it was sure to burst. 

A drink of cold water and a forced inhale reminded her to maintain control over the emotions fluctuating inside of her, slamming their fists against her mental walls to escape.

She would not make a fool of herself tonight. She would remain composed and in control. She would not humiliate herself by reacting. 

But it was difficult to ignore her mounting anger. To ignore the hurt brought upon by Daria’s betrayal and her self-loathing for feeling this way. 

Jason peered curiously at her but welcomed Daria’s conversation, eager to talk about himself. His family’s name. His family’s wealth. His family’s business and traditions and culture.

The dinner was too similar to her juvenile years. Years her mother used to turn her into a young woman suitable for an affluent marriage. 

Years she spent in etiquette classes learning how to maintain a home, how to groom a youngling to become future heir, how to best support a husband and his career. 

At sixteen, her mother scheduled arranged marriage meetings. Luncheons and parties and events. Hours spent in the company of male suitors who saw her as an object on their arm. Hours wasted beneath the critical stares of their mothers who evaluated her manners, poise, body size, fingernails.  

Lack of emotion, a general air of indifference, and a refusal to endear herself to the males her mother presented, the arranged marriage dates ended with a still-single Kazi. Much to her mother’s chagrin. 

At seventeen, Kazi overheard a conversation between her mother and friend.

“Your daughter is too unlikable. Her bluntness is derogatory, and her face too inexpressive. You need to marry her quickly, or no man will ever take her.”

“She doesn’t yet understand the importance of marriage.” Her mother’s sigh was both exhausted and vexed. “She’s difficult to reach. Too unfeeling. Devoid of emotion.”

“Men want someone who shows interest—both dutiful and supportive.” Her mother’s friend sniffed. “Marry her off to an older man. A widow. A man desperate.”

Her mother didn’t respond, even as Kazi silently begged her to argue. To refuse.

“You have four more years until she reaches an acceptable age. Much can happen between then, and contracts can be broken.”

“What are you saying?” her mother demanded.

“Marry her next year in a hushed event. No one needs to know, and then she will no longer be your problem.” 

Kazi tried to ignore her mother’s words. Her mother’s accusations. She wasn’t unfeeling, and she wasn’t devoid of emotion. On the contrary, she felt too much. 

She didn’t want to feel so many emotions.

But she did. She felt deeply, and it was a burden to bear. 

Dinner lasted two hours. 

Kazi spoke no more than twenty words. She relied on Daria to lead the conversation and Jason to fill in the bouts of silence.

The moment the bill arrived, she snatched it up, paid off the credits, and stood. She turned her attention to a stunned Jason who was hastily rising to his feet, glancing between her and the paid bill. 

“I apologize for wasting your time tonight,” she said flatly. “But I’m not interested in a marriage at this time.” Jason opened his mouth. She cut him off, motioning for Neyti to join her. “We’re leaving. Goodnight.”

The silence on the aircar ride back to the house was fraught with tension.

Daria stared straight ahead, lips pressed thinly together.

Kazi gripped the steering wheel, her knuckles white. 

Once inside the house, Neyti looked furtively between the two sisters and then trudged upstairs. Kazi stalked around the kitchen bar, noting pieces of dirt on the hardwood floor and a new set of embroidered curtains covering the kitchen’s windows. Daria’s mess and craft. 

The moment Neyti’s bedroom door shut, she spun on her sister. 

“How could you do that?” she snapped. “How could you spring a fucking marriage date without consulting me first?”

Humiliation and rage warred within her, clashing in endless waves of resentment. 

“Did you not listen to me when I said no more?” She slammed a hand on the kitchen bar. “What the fuck were you thinking?”

Daria straightened, her face pale with her own rage. “I was thinking about my sister and her future. I was thinking about what you need—”

“What I need?” Kazi laughed, the sound deranged. “You don’t even know what I want in a relationship, much less what I need.”

“That’s the problem, Kazi. You don’t know what you want!” Daria inhaled a shuddering breath. “You’re getting old—” 

She snorted. “I’m twenty-six—”

“And you’re reaching an unmarriable age,” Daria snapped. “On top of your age, you have Neyti. A man can overlook your age since you have appealing features, but it’s harder for him to overlook a youngling. Neyti isn’t of your blood nor his, and she’ll be seen as such. You need to find a man to marry now before it’s too late.”

Kazi stared at her sister in disbelief. Disbelief that a man she would marry would see Neyti as a hindrance—a burden—rather than a kind, imaginative girl. 

A real man would be lucky to call Neyti his daughter. 

“If I marry, it will be to a man who loves me. Not a man who’s desperate for a housewife.” She ran a hand through her hair, mussing her two braids. “If I marry, it will be for love. Not duty or desperation.”

“Love can be learned,” Daria argued. “That is the point of a courtship.”

“I don’t want to be courted by a man I don’t know. Especially not by a man whose only intention is to determine if I’m a viable candidate for marriage. I have standards, Daria. I won’t settle for mediocrity.” 

Kazi fisted her shaking hands at her sides. Surely Daria understood her sentiment. Surely Daria realized she didn’t want fictional love fabricated by forced companionship. 

“I can take care of myself perfectly fine,” she said. “The only man I’ll show interest in is a man who recognizes my humanity. Who sees me as a person.”

“Your independence and obstinance will alienate you from any man who might show interest.” Kazi recoiled and Daria levelled her with a frustrated glare. “Men want to be wanted. Needed. Your opinionated attitude and critical personality counteract what they want. You emasculate—”

“He’s not a real man if he feels threatened by my independence.” 

“A man can’t properly lead if you constantly question him—” 

“I’m not living my life to please a man!” Her body was trembling, her hands fisted so tight they were nearly numb. “I’m independent and stubborn and self-righteous. Those qualities are who I am, and if a man refuses to accept all of me, then I don’t want to be with him.”

“Men like that don’t exist!” Daria waved a dismissive hand. “You’re being too idealistic and impractical. Men want convenience and they want fulfillment from a wife. What you’re naively thinking about is unattainable.”

“Then I’ll never marry.”

“Then you’ll be alone forever.”

Kazi shook her head, looking away. Solitude was her companion, but loneliness was a shadow she couldn’t lose. No matter how hard she tried to ignore it. Her current loneliness was intentional, yet she yearned for more. She was always yearning for more.

“That’s hardly a problem,” she argued. “I enjoy the peace and quiet of being in control of my life. I enjoy my solitude—”

“Yes,” Daria spat. Her tone was bitter, scornful. “I’m well aware that you prefer your solitude over any sort of companionship—including my own.”

Something was buried in the words trying to escape. Trying to make itself known to Kazi. 

But she didn’t care enough to solve the mystery. 

Her sister had betrayed her trust—humiliated her in a public setting for her own personal goals—and she’d had enough.

“Never do that again,” she said coldly. 

The resentment on her sister’s face twisted into surprise.

“Get it through your thick fucking skull that I don’t need to be married in order to be happy.” Anger surged hot beneath her skin, like a case of shaken tibanna about to explode. “If I do get married, it will be to a man who wants to be with me—no matter my obstinate personality—he will be a man who sees all of me and still wants to be with me—”

“Commander Wolffe. Commander Fox. Are you in need of something?”

Kazi faltered. Her heart fell at the same time her spine straightened. 

Turning around, she found the two clones standing in the partition of the sunroom. Bruises marred their faces and blued their fists. Sweat glimmered on their foreheads and necks; their chests rose with heavy yet slowing breaths. 

Embarrassment flushed her face and Kazi gritted her teeth, gripping her trembling hands behind her back to hide the remnants of her anger and mortification.

How long had they been standing there? How much had they heard?

Flustered, Kazi ignored her sister, opting to meet Commander Wolffe’s disinterested gaze.  

“If you give me a few minutes, I’ll be ready to discuss the intel—”

“That won’t be necessary.” 

She frowned. “I thought you wanted to talk—” 

“I’ve changed my mind.” The commander rolled his shoulders back, his demeanor cold. Apathetic. “You’re not wanted.”

Kazi could only stare at him, bewildered by the abrupt change in his demeanor. She didn’t understand the sudden antipathy glinting in his eyes. She didn’t understand why he asked for her help that morning only to rescind it. Rudely. 

Behind him, Commander Fox rolled his eyes, shouldering his fellow soldier before making his way to the basement. Commander Wolffe regarded her for another moment and then followed. 

The bookcase slid into place with a soft hiss. 

A headache thumped behind her eyes and Kazi slowly faced her sister. But Daria was already mounting the stairs, her features drawn, her hand spasming on the guardrail.  

Soon Kazi found herself alone. She leaned against the kitchen bar, rubbing her temple.

Stress pressed down on her, like the chains of an anchor dragging her down. Dragging her into unescapable darkness. 

A/N: Next chapter release – February 1st

This is your friendly reminder to pay attention to the date and month of each chapter. There will be major time jumps between certain chapter groupings.

Star Wars Months:

Elona Kelona Selona Telona  Nelona Helona Melona Yelona  Relona Welona

Masterlist | Chapter 3 | Chapter 5

[joeydaccord]

Hey, this might be a stupid question but I'm new to hockey and I was wondering where you find videos from the intermission interviews? When I find replays of games they always just cut off the intermission. Thanks!

unfortunately a lot of replays/game downloads cut the intermission content in order to shorten the video/shrink the file size, so most of the time when i gif intermissions im watching the game live and can grab it then.

[rileyslibrary]

Living With Ghosts: 4. Pretty Broken

His body stands straight, but his mind betrays him. He still wears his gun around his left shoulder. It looks too heavy for him now, just like his conscience.

Relationship: Simon “Ghost” Riley x F!Reader

Word Count: 1,150

Notes:

Warnings: Mentions of blood and war

As much as I like Ghost’s demeanor throughout the game, I cannot help but wonder what he would be like suffering the aftereffects of war.

Entire work on AO3

Table of Contents

———————————————————————

It’s been days since you last talked to him.

His inattentiveness, however, was not the outcome of your petty little brawl—not the direct consequence, at least. If you had to venture a guess, it’s because he was busy with other matters at the moment—far more important ones.

The Russian Mafia appears to have increased its presence in the region over the past week, raising suspicions of a potential terrorist attack. As a result, the CIA has requested high readiness from the Special Forces operators deployed in the area.

That’s where he is, you fool. It doesn’t matter how abandoned, lonely, or insecure you feel, for he had a job to do. He was right there, at the front line, risking his life for the nation’s—and probably the world’s—safety. You were the last thing on his mind right now; if you ever were anything to him but a mild inconvenience.

Let’s not forget that you also had a part to play in this operation; to actively scan land, air, and sea for irregular traffic and report to the CIA.

Well, not actively, per se—the safe house has a well-equipped wine cellar for that specific purpose.

“Surveillance Control Center,” they call it—SCC for short.

What was once used to store ruby-red Chianti Classico Riserva bottles can now be confused with the cockpit of a spaceship. The CIA engineers have outdone themselves with this one—you give them that.

The SCC is part of a computer network connecting every CIA safe house in the Mediterranean. It incorporates CCTV monitors, cameras, radars, and motion sensors designed to detect unusual movements in the region. Live-streaming feeds are processed using highly sophisticated software, which, upon catching unusual traffic, alerts the SCC’s terminal. The wine cellar also houses an arsenal of weapons and ammunition, just in case the shit hits the fan.

Your job, for now, is to oversee the SCC’s flawless operation and inform Laswell of any findings.

Boring; that’s what your job was. Boring.

“Christmas is coming,” Laswell’s voice sounded over the telephone, “You guys should do something to celebrate.”

“Do what, exactly, Kate? Go from house to house and sing carols on behalf of the CIA?” You reply, leaning forward as if you were trying to physically get your point across.

“If you’d stop being a sarcastic shit, then perhaps you could think a little better.” Her irritation rasped in her voice. “Do something together; think of it as a team-building event.”

He said he’d fix that attitude of yours; when was that team-building event going to take place?

She was right, though—as much as you’d hate to admit it. Christmas does bring people together.

You begin to reminisce about the good times back home when your family used to celebrate every year. You used to cook together, sing along to festive songs, watch Mr. Bean on television, and exchange gifts.

You remember your mother, who refrained from buying ornaments from the shops. She used to bake them instead—yes, bake them. She used to roll out the dough, give shape to it with cookie cutters and bake the ornaments so you would all decorate the Christmas tree with them. The entire house smelled divine with these four little ingredients she used in her recipe—cinnamon, salt, flour, and water.

Ingredients you already had in your pantry.

“Laswell, when’s my shift ending?” you asked in anticipation.

“It ended thirty-seven minutes ago. Tired of me?”

“I thought of something.” You announce, sitting on the edge of your seat.

“Wha-”

“I have to go. Over and out.” You report as you close the comms and head upstairs to the infamous pantry.

Cinnamon, salt, flour, and water.

You were determined to make it work, right here, in this safe house—with or without Ghost.

You hurried outside, scanning the area for the tree branches he trimmed a few weeks ago. If you tie them together, you could create something resembling a Christmas tree.

When was the last time he felt the Christmas spirit? Does he have a Christmas tree at his house? A family to sing together next to the fireplace? A warm, festive meal?

You moved frantically—part Christmas elf rolling out dough and baking ornaments, part Frankenstein trying to assemble a Christmas tree monstrosity.

Time flew by; hours passed like minutes as you worked hard, your creativity unleashed, putting forth your best effort to create something out of nothing.

To create festive decor out of raw ingredients.

To construct a tree out of stray branches.

To form a connection out of two peoples’ broken pieces.

“What’s that smell?”

You were so focused that you didn’t notice him standing behind you.

You turn around to see a wreck, the fragments of a man who has probably seen terrible things and done far worse.

“I—is everything all right?” You hesitate.

“Out of trouble, for now.” He replies.

His body stands straight, but his mind betrays him. He still wears his gun around his left shoulder. It looks too heavy for him now, just like his conscience.

“Yes, I know. I spoke with Laswell. I mean, are you all right?”

“Been better.”

His uniform is dusty, and his boots are covered in mud. There is a slight rip on his balaclava, teasing you with a subtle view of his jawline, like a Geisha exposing her nape.

“It’s over, for now.” you try to comfort him.

There’s blood on his left sleeve—a lot of blood. He just became aware of it as well.

“Not mine.” He announces and hides it behind his back. “What’s that smell?” He repeats, trying to avoid the conversation.

“Cinnamon.”

“Ya bakin’?” He seems shocked.

“Sort of; They’re ornaments for the Christmas tree,” you say, pointing in the direction of your most recent creation.

“A Christmas tree.” He stutters, glazed eyes darting left and right, assessing the new environment.

You want to tell him that there are no booby traps here, nothing dangerous to be careful of. You want to console him that there is no need to be alerted for an ambush here, for this is a safe space. No more killing, no more death, for now. Just you two, a hideous Christmas tree, and badly shaped cinnamon-baked ornaments.

“Do you like them?” You ask reluctantly, trying to divert his attention from this week’s horrors. “I couldn’t find any cookie cutters, so I shaped them with a knife instead. I tried to make them look pretty, but some came out broken.”

“Aren’t we all?” he mumbles as he walks towards the Christmas tree.

“Aren’t we all exactly what, lieutenant—pretty or broken?” you ask, attempting to lighten the mood.

“Pretty broken, kid,” he whispers as he picks up a shattered ornament. “Pretty damn broken.”

———————————————————————

Next ->

[pufflix]

arts & crafts center

wc: 0,8k

pairing: demigod!hyunjin x gn demigod!reader

summary: your shared passion for art and your father's powers bring you closer together

genres: fluff, little angst, demigod!au, camp half-blood!au, strangers to friends!au, mutual pining!au, son of aphrodite!hyunjin, child of aether!reader

tw: magic, physical injury, infirmary, idiots

notes: yeah, since there's more cabins being constructed, i took the liberty to add gods of my choice. meet aether, the primordial god of light and the upper air!

networks: @kflixnet @k-radio

permanent tag list: @soobin-chois @badwithten​ send ask/dm/comment to be added!

The guy spent most of his time in the arts and crafts center to paint. You went there to sculpt every once in a while.

Every time you went, he was the only one that wasn't from the Athena cabin. There were always Athena kids there, but an Aphrodite son... Now, that was something.

When you'd hear him complaining about the light, you'd bend it so that it would hit his subject —whatever it was— like he wanted. It was just practice for you and a divine gift for him.

It went like this for a few weeks, until he came to see you after finishing a painting. "Aether kid? Thank you. My paintings are way better when you're here and use the light," he smiled, bowing slightly.

"It's my pleasure to help a fellow artist, Aphrodite kid."

"Please, call me Hyunjin."

"Y/N."

"Sorry I didn't come earlier Y/N, I had to make sure it was really you before presenting myself."

"Of course, it would've been embarrassing to thank someone for something they didn't do," you giggled and he laughed with you.

Since then, you became friends, often going to the arts and crafts center together —at least when you went— which was more often now.

Sometimes you'd pass by on your way to the training grounds and turn invisible to scare him. Nevertheless, you'd wait for his paintbrush to be everywhere but in his hand to avoid a disaster (you're not a monster).

Once, though, he was so focused on something important for him, he got mad when you sneaked up on him, which startled you.

"Stop scaring me like that!" he hissed, annoyed.

"Okay," you faltered, "I'm sorry."

He looked over and his anger dissipated a bit. "Ah, sorry. I didn't mean to use charmspeak."

"No, it's okay. I'm really sorry. I promise I won't do it anymore."

You kept your promise alright. You were so ashamed of yourself that you avoided going back there altogether. No, it was not the best thing to do. But hey, you were young and your feelings mattered.

Of course, Hyunjin's too.

Even knowing that, you'd turn invisible and flee every time you'd see him looking for you. When he walked past your cabin (your siblings sure knew an Aphrodite kid was searching for you), before and after meals, chariot races and games of capture-the-flag.

Yeah, it lasted a while. Around two weeks, I think.

Then, Hyunjin had enough. He never thought he could miss someone so badly but here he was, pathetically whining about you not wanting to speak to him.

Needless to say, all his friends knew about you and the terrible things he did to drive you away. It was a matter of time before they teamed up with your siblings to stop this nonsense —according to them, anyway.

Fortunately —or not, depending who you're asking—, on one fateful Friday evening, an Ares kid hurt you badly enough during capture-the-flag that you ended up in the infirmary.

Guess who came to see you first?

Yes, Hyunjin, good job!

You were laying in bed, your sword arm in a plaster. He was standing a few beds away, panting and staring at your face then your arm.

If you spotted him, you did nothing to leave. Maybe you were too badly hurt from the game or just exhausted from running away. Either way, Hyunjin approached and sat on a wooden chair next to you.

"Hey," he greeted sheepishly, rubbing his nape.

“Aye,” you greeted back, a little weak.

“How are you feeling?”

“Like my arm has been run over by a train. I’ll be okay tomorrow.”

“Okay,” he breathed, then inhaled deeply. “Y/N, I’m sorry. Scaring you away was the last thing I wanted.”

You shook your head and held his gaze. “You didn’t do anything wrong. I did. I used my ability to make you uncomfortable and I deeply apologize. I avoided you because I was too embarrassed.”

His eyes softened at your sight and kind, honest words. “I got mad at you for nothing, I’m sorry.”

“It was justified,” you insisted.

“Still, I shouldn’t have snapped at you.”

“It wasn’t cool of me to do what I did, your anger was rightful.”

“I—”

“Can you please stop and make up already? Gods, you’re so dense, both of you,” Lia cut off, frowning and tending to another camper close to them.

Hyunjin and you apologized at the same time and laughed quietly.

“The truth is… I was painting something for you, and I wanted it to be perfect. I might have been a lot stressed about it.”

“You made a painting for me? You’re so sweet Jinnie.”

Blushing at the nickname, he looked away and took your unharmed hand in his.

“So… are you coming back to the arts and crafts center if only to receive my gift?”

“Depends,” you smirked, “do you miss me or my powers?”

“All of you.”

thank you for reading! if you enjoyed, here's the masterlist <3

[staysuki]

hey, hey, golden boy! | lee felix fic

pairing: childhood friend!reader x popular boy!lee felix | friends to lovers (alternatively: basketball club manager!reader x basketball player!lee felix)— a little bit of reader x juyeon (the boyz) as well genre: fluff, angst, high school au, mutual pining(?) word count: 11.0k (whew!) warnings: nothing much, some small mentions of physical violence. (also me not knowing how basketball works but accidentally incorporating too much of it in the story) synopsis: deep down you knew that things won't always be the same as it was when you were kids. as you grew up, felix became more and more popular compared to you, who remained invisible in the crowd. although you took this as a sign of drifting apart and denying your feelings for your childhood bestfriend, felix did not.

networks: @ficscafe

a/n: this gif makes me weak (edit: accidentally put "juyeon from ateez" in the title bc im big dumb who got confused)

"felix! over here!"

"you're the best, lee felix!"

cheers erupted from the gymnasium thanks to the current basketball game ongoing. though you had zero interest in the world of sports, you were not one to flake from supporting your bestfriend just because of it.

despite the fact that felix was just asked last minute to fill in a spot for an injured player, there was no doubt that he suddenly became the star of the show, with the air being filled by the sound of his name. you'd think that the actual basketball team would be jealous except they weren't, because felix was also leading them to victory.

he was the resident golden boy after all.

perfect looks, perfect grades, perfect personality.

he had it all.

you, on the other hand, did not.

"dude, felix absolutely knocked it out of the park. he should've just been in the basketball team from the start!" your friend said, recounting the details of last week's game.

thanks to felix, the school's team was able to make it to regionals and you couldn't be more proud.

"hmm, yeah, probably." you agreed mindlessly, not wanting to say something like 'he always liked soccer more.'

you see, you've been bestfriends with lee felix since you were both in diapers, and it's safe to say that you both knew the ins and outs of each other.

your families were so close that they all even decided to transfer to a different city together so that you'd all still be neighbors. so, in junior year, you and felix found yourselves transferring to a new school together. but unfortunately, it also coincided during a time of teen angst and budding social constructs brought upon who does puberty best, making junior year also the phase where felix skyrocketed to high school fame, leaving you behind in the shadows.

so when you were both offered a chance to start afresh due to the move, you begged if you could both pretend to not know each other, it ended up blowing into a huge argument, one you've both never had before but it definitely got you what you wanted.

"we've been bestfriends for so long, why do you suddenly want to act like strangers?"

"because!! just let me have this, felix, please."

"i just don't get it, y/n..."

"can't you just leave me alone? stop asking about it, you know we won't be kids who'll be stuck to the hip forever!"

"fine. have what you want, y/n."

you felt bad about how you two ended. how senior year started in your new school and you both avoided each other in the hallways, two bestfriends acting like they've never known each other at all.

but you couldn't tell him it's because you felt inferior to his sudden glow up. he grew taller than you, lost baby fat, developed a deep voice that brings chills to anyone's spine, and everyone started noticing him. he's always been a ball of sunshine who loved joining extracurriculars so having him noticed with a spotlight was inevitable— it helped a lot that he was cute too.

his rise to popularity was more so a question of when and not if. unlike you, he was everything put into one. a symbol of perfection. especially when he decided to dye his hair blonde— matched with his sunkissed freckles, he looked like the epitome of a happy summer day.

he wasn't just amazing at the things he chooses to do, he's also sickeningly sweet and nice. even when you two ended up not talking to each other for a week after your argument, he was still the first to climb the window to your room and apologize with a bunch of snacks.

he apologized, when you were the one at fault.

how much perfect can he be?

because of that, you realized that you at least owed him an explanation.

"what?! y/n, that's not true! you're smart and kind and pretty—"

"ok ok stop!" you waved him away, trying to hide the creeping blush on your face, accidentally pushing him off your bed. felix is a sweet talker, and you know that that's just how he talks to everyone in general. the compliments meant nothing since he could turn around and say the same things to somebody else right now.

"—ah y/n!!!"

"sorry!!" you tried to help him up but since you couldn't stop laughing at his demise, he ended up overpowering you and pulling you down with him.

"ugh i hate you!"

"what? you don't get to say that, you pushed me off first!" he just put you in a chokehold as you laid on top of him, despite pulling you on the floor with him, he still made sure to cushion your fall, bursting into fits of laughter together.

"look, y/n, you're my bestfriend and i don't want to lose you so i'll do what you want. but if you ever need anything, i'm always here. so please, let's stop fighting already."

"mm, okay." you just answered, snuggling to him on the floor as you felt his soothing breathing on your hair.

that was almost 5 months ago and although you two were still close at home (and sometimes in public when you felt brave risking it), you never approached him at school.

this made felix sad, of course, but he wanted to keep his word, and soon enough, he got used to it.

"you called for me, mr. kim?"

"ah yes! y/ln y/n! just in time, have a seat." you tried to hide your dubious face as you sat down in front of the club advisor's desk, eyeing him carefully.

"umm... is there something wrong?" you fiddled with the ends of your sleeves anxiously, the act of being called to teachers' offices always sending a shudder down your spine even when you were confident that you did nothing wrong.

"oh! no no! not at all. sorry for scaring you, ms. y/n but the basketball club actually needs a favor."

"oh... i don't think i'd be much help with that, sports isn't my umm.."

"ah, worry not ms. y/n, we're not asking for you to shoot some hoops in court. the male's basketball team actually needs a manager."

"a manager?"

"yeah, basically you watch over them and stuff. i don't know if you've heard but dahyun, the original manager, had been suspended from club activities because her grades were falling down. and now that the guys are set for regionals, they need a manager now more than ever."

"i'm not sure sir..."

"please y/n. it's only until dahyun gets her grades back up, you're our best option right now. you're in perfect academic standing and you don't drool over these sweaty teenage boys, gah! you won't believe how many applications we received of girls just wanting to get closer to mr. lee felix— he's not even actually in the basketball club!"

you wanted to laugh but also felt bad for mr. kim, so you couldn't stop yourself from caving in. "alright—"

"yes!! you're a lifesaver y/n! don't worry, i'll make sure to give you some compensation in terms of extra credits. i'll make sure that this isn't a waste of your time."

"that would be great sir, thank you."

"no, thank YOU."

although it felt nice having the promise of extra credits and helping, you soon felt queasy as you left mr. kim's office. he told you that dahyun would show you the ropes so you could efficiently fill her spot but dahyun was a former basketball varsity whilst you couldn't tell the difference between a tennis racket and a badminton racket.

you didn't know the first thing about managing a basketball club so with the remaining one hour left before club activities started, you did what you do best: study. you binged on guides to playing basketball and the terminologies, how the rules work, etc.

but cramming wasn't really your style, so you ended up jamming too much information than your brain could handle, making it all mixed up in your head.

"y/n, right?" dahyun immediately greeted with a smile when you entered the school's gymnasium.

"yeah, sorry, i don't know what i'm supposed to be doing."

"pshh, it's fine! as long as you're not one of those girls who climbs up the gymnasium windows to catch a peek at the guys then you're already great!"

"mm, yeah no, definitely not." you cringed, not realizing people were taking it to the extreme. you knew that good looking guys were always popular but you didn't know that they were that popular.

dahyun handed you her files and made you a checklist of what to do (which you rewrote because of how messy it looked), she showed you the way to the court and where the balls are kept. she told you which member liked what flavor of sports drink and which ones needed more pampering than the rest.

"spoiled boys." she rolled her eyes as she recounted having to baby one of their forwards, haechan.

she also told you most of what she does— watch them practice and take note of their playstyle: who scores the most, who plays their position well, etc.

it was a lot to take in but you were somewhat able to keep up. this was a favor which you weren't obligated to do but with your hardworking persona, you wanted to make sure you deliver a good performance. not that dahyun would be submitting a performance review afterwards.

"but most importantly, if they're being annoying, just smack them across the head." she smiled mischievously, and just as your crash course had ended, the club members finally started filing in.

you were just starting to be more comfortable around dahyun but now that you're gonna be doing the real thing, your nervousness came back to its all time peak. especially since your mentor was going to leave you alone.

"ok dumbos, listen up. as you may know, i will be taking a break from being manager—"

"because your grades are ass, we all know." someone piped and dahyun just glared at him, making the guy shut up which they all laughed at.

"—ANYWAYS, shutting up an idiot named wong lucas aside, someone else is going to be filling in for me. everyone, meet y/n, y/n, meet the stress inducers of my life."

you meekly greeted but they all introduced themselves politely. amidst the situation, you weren't able to notice how felix brightened up at the back of the group, happy to finally have a reason to be close to you in school.

"i'm chan, i'm the team captain, i'm currently just co-coaching right now since i'm busy with college applications and will be retiring as captain soon—but if you need any help, let me know!"

"i'm lucas, i'm the center, both in court and the looks department." he winked and you just awkwardly smiled, not knowing how to return the energy. dahyun made a barfing sound beside you whilst chan smacked the taller one on the head.

"i'm haechan, not to be confused with chan, i'm the small forward!"

"soobin, fellow small forward!"

"lee minho. point guard. co-captain."

"i'm juyeon, shooting guard."

"hi! i'm felix, i'm not an actual member but i'm standing in for xiaojun as the power forward until he's back from the hospital."

you nodded along everyone's words, keeping track of their names but it was helpful that dahyun already gave you a list beforehand, all that's left was to put faces to the names.

"umm, i'm y/n. i don't know anything about basketball, i was just forced to do this but i'll try to be as helpful as i can." you bowed, and they all suddenly burst out laughing, making you look up at them with wide eyes.

"she's so formal!" lucas cracked.

"d-did i say something wrong." you whispered the question as you turned to dahyun and she just shook her head with a laugh, patting you on the back.

"no no, you're honest, we like that— be good to her, idiots, i'll be off now." she gave them a small salute before cheering you on as she exited the gym.

now that the bubbly energy of dahyun was gone, you were left standing awkwardly in front of everybody, the dead silence being cut short by chan's clap.

"alright everyone, let's not make y/n's life any harder. it's time to practice for regionals!" he said and gave you a thumbs up. you immediately pulled out your notepad as you took a seat on the bench, waiting on their play. the six guys broke off into rival teams of three, including chan even though he said he wasn't much of a player anymore.

in the meantime, soobin took a seat beside you, offering you a kind smile.

"are you not playing..?" you asked curiously and he shook his head with a laugh.

"no, i'm a sub." he answers and you just nod, still not knowing what that means though it seems like he still caught your unsure face. "it means i'm not that good enough to be the first one in, i fill over haechan whenever he gets tired—which happens a lot but i don't normally get switched in until the last half of the game."

"that's not true, you're on the team, that means you're good enough to be in it, right?" you didn't really get the whole economy of it all but soobin just nodded beside you. you felt kinda sad thinking about how the boy just sits down and watch his teammates do their best knowing that he wants to be a part of it too.

"i guess that's one way to think of it."

you started to relax in soobin's presence as time went on, he helped you take notes and teach you more about the mechanics of the game. he also helped you distribute refreshments and take care of haechan and his god awful stamina because you felt awkward fanning the boy and wiping his forehead as he laid on the cold wooden floor.

"sorry y/n, this boy doesn't know how to conserve his energy at all." chan said, trying to kick haechan off the floor, making the boy roll over with a whine. "if you keep going like that then you're going to get used to doing it even in regionals."

"but that's why soobin's here ughh—" you didn't know whether you should feel bad or laugh at haechan but you found his antics kind of cute. though you bet he's probably in pain right now so you crouched beside him and patted his back.

"why don't you rest for now and let soobin fill in?" you offered, glancing at him and soobin with a shy smile.

"really~? you'll let me do that? dahyun never lets me rest until the third quarter!"

"well i'm not dahyun so.."

"thanks y/n! you're my favorite manager!" he immediately pretends to doze off, snoring on the floor and minho had to drag him by the feet away from the court, haechan protesting but couldn't break free from the stronger man's grip.

you signaled the start of the last session with a firm whistle, giving them an encouraging smile as they headed back in court to practice. you felt a small swell of pride in your chest, knowing that you did great for now.

"that was really nice of you, y/n." felix piped from beside you as you both mopped the gymnasium floors together.

"hmm? what do you mean?"

"letting haechan rest and letting soobin play."

you shrugged at his words, "i don't know, i just thought it made sense."

he nodded at your words, looking at you with a certain adoration that you couldn't quite understand, "yeah, but dahyun pushes haechan to the max to train his stamina, though the team could tell that it hasn't been working great for him. it also makes soobin feel like he's less of an asset to the team so i'm sure he's happy that he got to play for longer."

you just listened to him, taking in his feedback so that you'd be able to better your manager skills. you really hadn't been paying much attention to the game earlier, moreso just relying on soobin's commentary on what scores to put on whose names. when haechan switched with him, you were too shy to ask the resting boy so you moreso just winged it with the information that soobin had left you.

although you made a lot of mistakes on the sheet, chan just excused your faults, finding all the question marks written on the paper to be quite funny.

"you should've just asked me~! i was right beside you the whole time! you were so quiet i thought you didn't wanna be distracted so i didn't talk to you." haechan said when you all ended today's practice.

all in all, everyone seemed nice and welcoming. aside from minho who seemed to have had a naturally cold exterior. everyone was also very skilled at playing, watching them with a newfound wonder as you imagined what it feels like to have such a talent in sports.

for the next practice, you promised yourself to be more assertive and accommodating, so you spent all night reaserching and chatting with dahyun to know the personal ins and outs of the members.

although you felt bad for distracting dahyun with her studies, the girl was more than happy to catch a break.

so that night, you found yourself slaving away in the kitchen as you listened to basketball lessons on youtube.

you made a refreshing pitcher of lemon water for everyone as well as a sandwich basket. you know felix loves brownies so you added a few baked goods to the mix. but mostly you tried to keep it in the healthy track, cutting up a bunch of fruits and arranging them neatly into a container for everyone to snack on.

although you can't offer grounded wisdom about the gameplay like dahyun, you wanted to make them feel supported and taken care of. the least you could do was make sure they're eating well and not burning away their strength from strenuous practice since you could tell that this is a big deal for everyone.

especially juyeon, who you heard was aiming for a basketball scholarship.

it made you see felix in a more different light as well, seeing how he was talented enough to be pulled in last minute and play amongst aspiring athletes who've spent most of their lives playing basketball. meanwhile, felix had always been more of a taekwondo and soccer nut, though he had the natural skill for sports, being good at basketball was honestly something he didn't expect from himself.

you guess it was simply how some people are: favored by the gods.

when you had came over for the next training period, everyone seemed more than happy with your brigade of food and refreshments.

"i wish dahyun fails chemistry again so we can have y/n as a manager for good!" haechan quipped which earned him another smack from the club captain.

"y/n if i gain a few extra pounds i'm going to blame you for it." lucas snided jokingly but quite obviously is the one fishing for most of the food.

"thank you for this y/n! we really appreciate all your hard work." felix commented with a bright smile as he munched on the brownies. it was his favorite, especially when you were the one who made it. although he has had in countless times in his life before, it never fails to make him happy.

"hey! how come felix is the only one with brownies??" soobin mentioned.

"oh? does ms. manager have favoritism?" juyeon laughed as he eyed you suspiciously but you just shook your head vigorously.

"you guys can have some of it too!" you quickly saved but felix was too fast for any of them.

"nope! all mine! i love y/n's brownies, you guys didn't take some earlier so now it's too late." he stuck his tongue out as his other members chased him across the gymnasium, with lucas just settling on throwing his shoe towards the freckled blonde— and in true basketball player fashion, he was a good shot, hitting felix square on the back of his head.

"alright, children, that's enough!" chan bellowed but in amusement as he watched his teammates, getting the attention of his rowdy members. he looked like a fond father watching over his chaotic kids.

the day continued with them hunkering down to practice seriously. watching them is thoroughly enjoyable. seeing the way they interact and goof around off-court, like they're all close friends just playing a game together. but once they step inside the court, they all change into a different person— all serious and motivated with a drive to win. even the goofiest ones like haechan and lucas quiet down when it's time to ball.

haechan and soobin also seem a lot happier and relaxed now that you've split the time evenly between them: haechan gets to rest then soobin gets to play more.

it's been a couple weeks since you've become the basketball club's manager and you've already started to become closer to the boys.

most of all felix. he was so excited that you guys finally had a chance to "naturally" develop a close friendship in school so gone are the days that you two act like strangers. because now, if people asks, you guys could just say that you grew close during club times. he was so so happy, and it showed.

especially with the way that he insists on walking home together now, almost all the time. at first you were a bit apprehensive but he managed to convince you with his puppy dog eyes and adorable pout.

"pleaaaaseee, y/n? we could just say that we found out that we live in the same area so it's more convenient for us both!" he whined so you couldn't exactly say no.

aside from the basketball team who seemed to be conspiring behind your backs on shipping the two of you together because they found the sudden closeness a bit suspicious, there were also a number of students that noticed the growth: namely, felix's "fanclub."

"what's your relationship with lee felix?" one of the cronies asked.

"ummm, we met on the basketball club while i'm temporary manager."

"are you guys dating?"

"no?"

"well, do you like him?"

"i don't." you said with confidence. you've said the same answer ever since you were young and felix has had lots of girls having crushes on him. meanwhile, you didn't want any conflict so you made sure to get out of their way as much as possible. although every time the answer comes out of your mouth, slowly you start to feel like it's becoming more and more false.

the days pass and your previous invisible position in social circles started to break, people started noticing you more and more as you hung out around the basketball team. they spared glances your way, glaring at you, some envious, some curious, but all were thinking how such a random nobody got the close adoration of the most popular boys in school.

"y/n~~~ you're making food again right?" haechan said as you met on the hallway.

"only if you guys do well later."

"i'll last the whole four quarters!!"

"haechan that's not what i—"

"see you ms. manager!"

you rolled your eyes fondly at the boy's antics. although you weren't as technical as dahyun and weren't able to give them sports insight (so you leave it to the actual coach to do so), you've never had any moments of low morale. soobin has improved a lot and haechan were now able to last longer without having minho drag his limp body off the court.

overall, their close bond worked wonders in their team play and communication. even felix who was the "outsider" of the group was able to move in sync with the other members.

you were proud whenever you watched them. they were such beasts in the court and it made you wonder how they'd possibly be able to lose.

well. maybe you shouldn't speak too soon.

felix: i have extra curric work today, can't go home with you :((( you: it's fine, i can wait if you want?? felix: no no! this is probably gonna take long, i wouldn't want you to wait for me :( you: alright, get home safe later. felix: i should be the one saying that >:((( you: pfft kk. talk to you later. felix: <3

you put your phone on your pocket as you decided to head on first, but meeting a familiar face by the gate.

"y/n?"

"juyeon?"

"no felix today?" he gave you a knowing smile as he wiggled his eyebrows and you just rolled your eyes at him.

"he said he was busy today."

"ah yeah, that guy's got a lot going on in his plate. kinda amazing how he still had the time to spare to help us out but i'm glad that he did. i don't think we would've gotten this far without him."

you widened your eyes at him, "what? no way! you guys are great, i mean, i haven't seen you guys play without felix but i'm sure you would've achieved it all the same. getting to regionals, that is."

"wait wait wait, you haven't seen us play without felix?"

you shook your head no.

"did you just watch our game for the first time because felix was there?"

you opened your mouth to say no but you couldn't bring yourself to lie nor think of a good excuse.

"w-well um uhh— no? my friend just uhhh.... forced me to go? coincidentally?"

he gave you a knowing look, bumping your shoulder with his. "a felix fangirl huh? maybe i should tell the others that hmmm?"

"hey! not true!" you smacked his arm as you both laughed, not even noticing that you were following his walk.

"well you seemed very close now and you watched our game because of him soooo...?"

"ugh fine, can you keep a secret?"

"of course y/n, i definitely won't tell the whole team that you're whipped for our resident golden boy." he totally would've but you just rolled your eyes again.

"it's not that, juyeon. we're actually bestfriends. we've known each other since we were kids."

"wait really? you guys don't act like it."

"yeah.. that's kinda on me. i told him i wanted to act like strangers."

"ok weirdo."

"please— it's hard being in his shadow all the time, back in junior year there would be girls coming for my back and also use me as a message deliverer."

"pfft, i take it that's such a drag?"

"very. i was used to it but since we get to have a new start i thought, why not have a change of pace, you know?"

"valid valid. so you don't like felix?"

you shook your head, or at least, you think you don't. "i mean, we've just been friends for so long." that part you know is true. you've been friends for so long that the feeling could easily be a misplaced feeling of familial love. maybe you're just comfortable around felix, not because he makes your heart beat but because you've never been apart.

a comfortable silence fell on the air, you didn't even realize that you two had started walking until it had become quiet. you immediately turned to face juyeon, getting ready to say goodbye. "oh, i should probably head home now."

"well, ms. manager, since your prince is still currently stuck in the castle, why don't i give you a ride for today?"

"please, he's not my prince. do you drive?"

"well then, i'll be your prince for today. i have a sick horse." he winks at you with a playful smirk as he points towards a motorcycle at the school's parking space. "you scared, y/n?"

you shook your head, taking the helmet that he had handed you as he assisted you on hopping onto his motorcycle. he tied his sports jacket over your waist to provide you a bit of modesty that would be gone with your uniform's skirt flying all over the wind. you mutter a quick thanks with his chivalry.

"just hold on tight if you start feeling nervous, it's alright."

"i probably won't but okay. my house is at—" you told him your address and he nodded.

"actually, can i take you somewhere else first?"

you shot your eyebrows up at his offer. "uhhh...sure? where?"

he threw you another playful wink, "somewhere that may or may not be a date."

"what—?!" before you could even mutter any follow up questions, the engine roared to life, blasting you both through the wind. "juyeon!!!" you shouted as you instinctively held onto the back of his uniform.

"yes princess?" he laughed, amused that you decided to hold on.

"you're going too fast!!!!"

"i thought you're not scared?"

"yeah if you weren't going a hundred miles an hour!"

he just laughed but you could feel the motorcycle slowing to a proper pace, you finally braved to let go of his coat and put your hands at the back instead. "this is better."

"but i wanted to make you feel the wind, y/n."

"i can feel it plenty enough, thanks."

you both arrive at a quaint little establishment— a small coffee shop adorned with plants and fills the air with the smell of freshly brewed caffeine and old books. the interior was cozy and felt a little like a better version of home; plush couches, red brick wall, just the perfect temperature.

"this is a nice place." you uttered to juyeon.

"yup, it's a bit out of the way so not a lot of people go here. it's my secret spot."

you scoffed amusedly at him, "and let me guess, i'm the first person you've ever brought here?"

"what? no, i bring the basketball guys here all the time." he laughed at your embarrassed expression, "did you want me to be a cliché, y/n? i'll go look for another secret hangout spot and then bring you there right now."

you waved his ridiculousness away, "whatever, juyeon." but you did feel embarrassed for getting ahead of yourself. not that you could blame yourself much when he's the one who said that this may or may not be a date. which, honestly, sounds confusing.

"what's your poison?" he asked as he led you to the counter, he greeted the barista and true to his word, he seems to be a regular at this place.

"i would like—" "—wait no no no, on second thought. i wanna guess."

you looked at him dubiously but didn't protest when he led you to sit down, trusting him with ordering for you. what you didn't know, however, was that this was juyeon's way of getting you out of the cashier area so that he'd be able to pay for you without doing the wallet tango. for some reason, he feels like you'd be the kind to insist paying for yourself.

a few minutes later and he comes back, "ummm, what'd you get?"

"you'll see when it arrives."

as you waited for his order, you both conversed about different kinds of things. your life before transferring, his life around basketball, etc.

you found out that there's a lot of expectation around him to snag that ivy league athlete scholarship— because that's the only way he could get into a good college. they weren't rich nor did he think he was smart enough to get some other kind of scholarship.

"i can tutor you!" you immediately said and he just smiled.

"well, i wouldn't want to add more to your plate but if you have time to spare then i'd love that."

you gave him a thumbs up but told him to focus on regionals for now.

"you've been a great manager, you know that?"

you shook your head no. "hours before the first day meeting, i was binging on basketball-for-dummies youtube videos because i don't even know anything about it!"

"pfft, well you learn fast."

as the conversation slows down to occasional banter, the order finally arrives. the barista hands juyeon a regular cup of coffee then proceeds to hand you a cup of cocoa with whipped cream and chocolate shavings on top— along with a whole box of strawberry shortcake that says "thank you" on top.

"going all out, i see."

"the boys pitched in for this but it was supposed to be a surprise for tomorrow, the final day of official practices— but you know, i wanted to have you for myself so i'm giving it early as an excuse."

you scrunched your face at his attempt of flirting but he just kicked your leg under the table, which resulted in you kicking him back.

"hey! you can't injure your mvp! that's basketball managing 101."

"too bad i don't know how to be a good manager then."

juyeon took you home near dark, not expecting for you both to take this long outside, but it was time well-spent. you enjoyed your time with him outside that you forgot to check your phone the whole time.

[5 texts and 3 missed calls from felix]

felix: omw out, did you get home safe? felix: y/n, your mom told me you're not home yet, where are you? felix: please reply if you're safe! i'll wait for you in your room. felix: y/n please be okay ;(((( felix: haechan told me he saw you leave with juyeon.

you made a beeline towards the kitchen, putting in the cake in the fridge before going straight upstairs.

"yah, y/n! where have you been?" your mom greeted from the counter.

"i was out with a friend."

"well stop worrying that boy too much, he's been pacing around this whole time that i sent him to wait upstairs because it was distracting."

you wanted to laugh at that but felt bad about making felix worry. he probably would've been blaming himself had you been put in a dangerous situation because it's the first time that you two hadn't gone home together in a while.

"felix?" you called out softly as you entered your room, and true to your mom's words, he was indeed pacing around.

he abruptly stops when you show up and he stops on his tracks. he looked like he wanted to envelop you into a big hug but also chew you out for causing him stress.

"you worried me."

"sorry, i was out with juyeon. i wasn't checking my phone."

he sat down on your bed, just waiting for you to come in. "did you guys have fun?" he asked with a small smile that didn't reach his eyes. you couldn't read his expression but you passed it off to just him being tired.

"yeah, he took me somewhere nice." you said, joining felix on your bed but instead of sitting, you lied down beside him.

"was it a date..?" he asked hesitantly as he followed your lying position and you shrugged, looking at him in eye level now as you faced each other.

"i'm not sure. he said it may or may not be, it's confusing."

"well, did you want it to be a date?"

you averted your eyes from his intense gaze. you've never really seen felix this serious. you wondered if he was mad at you for not answering his texts and making anxious.

nonetheless, you shrugged once again. "i don't know. i'm good with either."

felix didn't know what to say. he's not stupid, he knows what jealousy is when it comes but he has never felt it before, or at least, not as strong as this one. he should've expected it— you were kind, smart, and pretty, soon enough, somebody else was going to see the amazingness that is you. he just didn't expect that you'd have eyes for someone else too.

he always gave small hints under your nose, but it seems like you always turned it away or passed it like some joke. but one thing is for certain: it's that felix wants you. he's always had.

and if it's going to take more than small hints to get you to notice, then he'll do his best. he promised himself that he'll finally tell you how he really feels and stop keeping his love for you under wraps.

but for now, regionals.

you were on the bus alongside the other boys, on your way to the rival team's school. dahyun was going to be late due to classes still ongoing for her so you were stuck taking care of the guys again. but you didn't know how to rally them up pre-game. you could tell that they were all on their nerves. you could tell that chan was trying to ease their mind but for the members like juyeon who was aiming for a scholarship and had heard that a scout would be watching— this was all or nothing.

even haechan hasn't cracked a joke in 30 minutes, which worried you a ton. being nervous meant that this is important for them, and that nervousness could translate to fighting spirit. but it could also get to their heads.

you gave haechan an encouraging pat on the back before walking to the front of the bus, facing all of them. though you weren't one for public speaking, you tried your best to calm them down. "ummm... i've seen you guys practice almost every day for a month and a half, and even when there weren't any official training hours, some of you still went to the court or train all alone. i know how hardworking everyone is and how skilled you are at playing basketball so don't be scared to kick some ass. i know you guys can do it!"

they all let out a content sigh, taking in your encouraging words as you instilled confidence in their veins. even ice-cold lee minho offered you a gratuitous smile.

"thanks for taking care of us, y/n." soobin piped up and you waved him off, telling him it's no big deal.

"no seriously, we all know you were just forced to deal with this because coach didn't trust anyone else to not just take advantage of the situation and drool all over me— i mean, everyone." lucas said, earning him a smack from minho. "yah! lee minho, you're lucky i'm sitting down, it's the only way you can reach my head."

"what did you just say?" the man in question now holding his hands in fists.

in a single second, everyone managed to turn the gloomy atmosphere into a rowdy one like always. felix shot you a thumbs up, proud of you for doing so well.

in the corner of your vision though, you see someone still in their head. wanting to laugh along but so visibly tense.

"hey, you good?" you asked juyeon, joining him in his seat.

"yeah, just.. you know, scared."

you rolled your eyes at him, "you're the best player i've ever seen, don't be so glum."

"yah, y/n, if you don't stop rolling your eyes at me i'll poke that off." you both laughed, easing his own tension.

"want me to sit here with you?"

"that would be nice, yeah."

"i always listen to music to calm my nerves, here." you offered him your other earbud.

"y/n, you have shit music taste."

"i'm throwing you off the bus."

felix isn't the only one who took notice of this, the others have also seen the way you and juyeon had grown closely.

and as the others watch the way felix stared intently at the back of your heads, face unreadable, chan tried to distract the freckled boy by cheering him on for the game. though felix offered a small smile, one could obviously tell that he wasn't feeling the greatest. especially not when he could plainly see the girl he has loved for so long slowly be enamored by someone else.

as you guys arrive at the rival school, everyone was back to their serious facades, putting their game faces on as you were all led to your own backroom in the gymnasium.

"oh? you guys got a new manager? finally got tired getting chewed off by dahyun because you're so bad at playing?" a long haired blonde greeted, wearing the other school's jersey. your eyebrows rose at his douchey comment, about to retort when chan just held you by the shoulder.

"nice to see you too, hwang. dahyun is just busy. we'll see you in court." your team captain said as he ordered for everyone to focus and just go straight inside the room, not to mind the taunts of their opponent.

"who was that?" you asked.

"hwang hyunjin. their shooting guard." juyeon answered, seething at the guy who seems to be his arch nemesis.

"he seems like a douche." you commented, making them snort.

"well yes, he is, but he's got the skills to back it up. he's also in line for a scholarship and rumor has it that only two will be able to get it from the ivy league that juyeon was shooting for." you nodded at chan's explanation.

"then if hwang hyunjin gets it then surely juyeon would be the other one!" you said which made chan nod, juyeon shrugging.

"i don't know, i mean, they could take lucas or someone else from the other team."

"hey hey hey, i'm not gonna steal your thunder man, you know i want to be a model." lucas said, raising his arms in surrender. "but i'm flattered to know that you think i'm good enough to steal your spot."

"don't let it get to your head, wong."

"too late." the taller smirked.

you all shared meaningless banter while they warmed up, with haechan jogging calmly in place as to not expend unnecessary energy so early on. while they prepped, you learned about the enemy team.

hwang hyunjin goes against juyeon. they always seemed to have a silent competition between both of them and no one has won yet.

haechan (and soobin) goes against han jisung, the wild card. compared to haechan, jisung has energy that could go on for days and he was completely unpredictable in court.

lucas goes against choi san. "i'm much more handsome." the tall one quipped.

"that's not the competition, dumbass." minho said.

apparently san was well-known to play dirty, and although he was hiding it within jokes, you could tell that lucas was a bit nervous to go against someone with an infamous reputation.

minho was going against jung wooyoung. "piece of cake, that guy's a sissy." and you wholly believe that minho can hold his own. you don't think there's anything that can go against lee minho and win— except for cats.

felix was going against jeno, "just an average dude." haechan commented.

all in all, despite the wacky mix of characters, this team progressed to regionals for a reason.

"chan, i think you should enter first before me." lucas said as they discussed team strats.

"lucas, we trust you. don't let san get to your head." soobin commented.

"haechan, at any time that you're getting out of breath, just call in, don't try to match han jisung." the team leader advised. "most importantly, nobody leave your posts."

the bell signified the start of the first quarter. everyone was cheering and shouting, the air was mixed with hyper support for their fellow schoolmates. although you were in rival territory, your school's fighting spirit didn't allow to be drowned out by the other's.

you sat down beside chan and soobin on the bench, your knees shaking up and down in anticipation as you watched the game unfold. it's barely been 10 minutes but everyone was already head to head.

chan put a gentle hand on your knees to relax you, "don't worry y/n, this is what we've all been preparing for." you nodded at him and tried to relax, though your knees had stopped, you still kept squirming on your seat every time the opponents scored a shot.

the first quarter ended with your group being 5 points ahead. it was nice to see but it wasn't enough, it would be easily overtaken.

"haechan, you still good?" you asked as the game took a breather, everyone huddling up by the benches.

"yes, han jisung's been taunting me to chase him but i won't bite, he probably thinks i'm stupid." haechan spat, glaring at his enemy's head.

"san seems to be behaving right now, maybe it's because there are scouts watching." chan observed.

"they have good teamwork, but not as personally close as you guys, hwang seems to be the only one pulling most of the work. you got this!" you cheered and they all just looked at you. "d-did i say something wrong?"

soobin shook his head, "you've learned how to observe the game well, y/n. we're also proud of you."

you blushed at his compliment swatting him away.

"any advice for us, ms. manager?" felix smiled at you sweetly, despie his labored breathing, he still seemed calm, his stare making your heart swell. it feels nice that they hold your word to a similar regard even though you don't know anything about basketball. perhaps you've learned a fair sum.

"do your best?" they all laughed.

"you were being overly ambitious with that question, golden boy." minho nudged felix who just laughed.

the second quarter started and this time, hwang's team were able to catch up and overtake the team by 15 points. a higher margin than what your team had set in the first quarter but not an impossible chase. this time, it seems like they've started to divvy up the work. this time you can see wooyoung stepping up, being able to butt heads with lee minho's strength.

jisung still kept running around, instigating a wild goose chase with haechan but he wasn't having it. he kept his eyes on the ball. but for all it's worth, han jisung was ridiculously good at slinking in between spaces and blocking the ball.

but jeno still couldn't hold a candle to felix. your bestfriend being too dexterous in game, it was highly enjoyable watching felix play. no matter what he does, there was a certain air of elegance around it, he moves like a fairy, his limbs filled with gracious motions that's akin to the way he dances. everyone couldn't help but gaze at him, even hearing the rival school's students whispering about the golden freckled boy that they've never seen before. you even hear some of them arguing who was the better blonde: hyunjin or felix. in your heart, you know exactly what the answer to that is.

the second quarter finished and your team was now down by 37. although it seemed like a wide gap, it wasn't anything they couldn't catch up to. gone were the boys filled with nerves, they were now just filled with a fighting passion, a drive to win. lucas and haechan were now switched with captain chan and soobin.

the other team seemed to deny switching places with anyone else, you marveled at how they could all last for so long but you suppose it was the same with your team as well. you always just thought that it's because they didn't have anyone to substitute for them but perhaps they're really just talented enough to hold their own.

with a few minutes of rest in between quarters spent strategizing, you made sure to accommodate their rest. giving them cold towels, water, you name it.

third quarter started and dahyun had sent you a text that she's going to be late, but she was already stressing out with the current state of the game. she wanted to offer some advice but with the way that she couldn't see what's going on, she couldn't really do so.

but with the entry of chan and soobin, things were starting to go back up to your favor. the margin started getting lower and lower until by the end of the third quarter, it was down to 11. time seemed to flow faster and you didn't even realize that the game was on its final match. you see dahyun burst through the gymnasium doors and go straight towards the team.

"please tell me we're winning." she said.

"we will be." lucas gave a thumbs up as he leaned on the bench, just enjoying a juice box.

"did you tap out early? you're our best blocker!" dahyun asked and the boy just shrugged.

"he didn't want to deal with choi san." chan explained and dahyun nodded.

"did he try anything funny so far?" the team shook their head.

"probably trying to look good in front of the scouts." haechan pointed towards the sleek dressed men in the front of the audience.

"no way, they all know hwang's the one getting that scholarship, i bet he's just biding his time."

"stop being so negative, dahyun, we're only a few points away, we can do this!" felix cheered, trying to calm everyone before dahyun's words get to them.

a bell signified the start of the last quarter, everyone's on their toes, everyone's thrown away every tense nerve to replace it with a do or die attitude.

"come on guys, take it home." you heard dahyun mutter towards you.

as the time ticked by, the points hiked up, they were able to close the gap with 2 points away.

haechan held yours and lucas's hands squeezing it in anticipation so you took dahyun's at your side as well.

with fifteen seconds left on the clock, this was their last chance to victory. they had to make this shot count.

you saw juyeon barreling his way to the opponent's net, shaking off hwang hyunjin whose cocky attitude had been wiped off a quarter prior.

but the enemy team had probably seen this coming, with juyeon being too good and your side's teamwork being unmatchable, they suddenly pulled their wildcard.

han jisung and choi san both left their posts, instead making hwang hyunjin face against the two that they had left behind— soobin and chan. with the guy's height and innate talent, he was able to spin the two around his palm.

san had thrown his dirty play into the mix, trying to incapacitate juyeon's shot. it all happened in a blink. juyeon was down to the floor and despite the shouts and protests of the people around the gym, the referee didn't call foul play.

you could hear your friends cursing under their breaths as han jisung snatched the ball away from a downed juyeon before attempting to run towards the other end of the court.

what they didn't expect was your team's trump card. the appearance of your golden boy. felix had left his post, risking leaving jeno open to face han jisung. he fell to the spot naturally, and despite jisung's tricks, the freckled blonde was able to undermine the boy and take the ball away.

it was two points left. felix had to make it count. he was never one for risks, but this time, he didn't want to play it safe. although overtime will be granted for a tiebreaker, your bestfriend sidestepped everyone's attempts to stop him as he went towards the three-point line. as he bent his knees to prepare for a shot, everything had turned into slow motion— he spared a glance towards your face before moving his eyes back to the net, letting go of the ball in his palm as he aimed towards victory.

5..

4..

3..

2..

1..

and that's a match.

"LEE FELIX YOU ABSOLUTE BEAST!" dahyun immediately shouted as the boys got back to the bench.

with his last shot making the hoop, felix had brought victory to the school's name, his immense risk of the last second decision under pressure is a play that will be ingrained at your school. he truly was the golden boy.

chan was so happy he had carried the smaller boy over to his shoulder, making him bask in everyone's attention as your whole school had sent compliments and flowers to his merry way. you could tell that he was feeling shy with the attention but he was happy to have won the game for his team.

"everyone did great as well! we couldn't have caught up to them without everyone's help." he said modestly as chan set him down. "i'm sorry i left my post, chan."

"dude, no need to be humble, you absolutely killed that." lucas patted him on the back, even minho was nodding with acknowledgement.

"felix you have to sign my jersey now." haechan joked and felix just smacked his jersey away.

"alright alright, let's get you off those sweaty uniforms." dahyun said as she pushed everyone to the backroom. "in a few moments, that crowd's gonna be brave enough to approach ya'll and then we won't be able to leave."

although dahyun wanted to stay, she still had schoolwork to worry about, so she left you to wait outside the guys' room while they changed. she was utterly delighted with the win and would try to join the post-celebration party once she's free.

as you waited for them to finish, a man approached you from the stands. you immediately took notice of his sleek attire, a professional polo topped with a tie, remembering that this was one of the scouts watching the game.

"excuse me, you're the manager right? is the team inside?" you nodded at his words.

"yes, ummm, they're changing but i think you could just come in." you knocked before opening the door for him, "someone's here to see you." you shouted, not wanting to take a peek inside.

the man thanked you before heading in, and you curse at the fact that you can't hear anything beyond the door. but this was good, right? this means that juyeon's gonna get his scholarship! you felt giddy at the thought, making a mental note to make him a congratulatory cake.

the scout left the room, giving you a nod as he smiled at you, complimenting the team's amazing play and you just bowed at him politely with a thank you.

you risked going inside, debating that they're probably done getting dressed now.

with a huge smile, you went in, about to say congratulations to juyeon but instead you see him pinning your bestfriend to the lockers by his shirt.

you stopped on your tracks, not knowing what to say but nobody seems to have noticed your presence, they were all busy holding juyeon back as he seethed towards your freckled boy. chan and minho was trying to hold his body whilst haechan was trying to free his grasp on felix's shirt. soobin and lucas was nowhere to be seen, presumably still in the showers.

"you're not even part of the team— yet you took this opportunity away from me!"

"i-im sorry! i didn't mean to! i could just reject it—"

juyeon scoffed, "you're turning a full ride athletic scholarship away? how much of a fucking idiot can you be?! do you get some sort of high from shoving it into people's faces how you're better than everyone? feels nice doesn't it? being the golden boy, talented at everything, everyone worshipping the ground you walk on."

"juyeon calm down—" he shoved off chan who was trying to hold him off.

"my future depends on this scholarship while you just suddenly show up, take it away from me, then have the audacity to tell me that you're just going to reject it? am i a joke to you? are you trying to prove how you can get whatever you want in the snap of your fingers even when somebody else has been working for it their entire life?"

"that's not true—"

"is it because of y/n? you feel threatened that i'm getting closer to her so you steal this away from me?"

"stop jumping to conclusions, man." minho warned.

"don't bring y/n into this, i didn't mean to take this away from you!"

"don't think that i didn't notice your eyes whenever we'd hang out, golden boy. but it's not my fault that you're too much of a pussy to tell her how you really feel about her. don't you think it's kind of shitty for you to keep pretending that you're still just bestfriends even after years? even though you don't look at her with the same innocent eyes of friendship anymore? don't you think that's a bit deceiving? she thinks you're still while friends while you want something more." juyeon continued to taunt, "and now that i'm taking away the one thing that you love the most, you fight back like a snake instead of facing it like a man."

"that's not—"

"y/n?" before felix could continue, soobin called out to you as he stepped out of the showers, suddenly, all pairs of eyes land on your position by the door. the momentary surprise enough for haechan to remove juyeon's grip and chan successfully prying him away from felix.

you opened your mouth to speak but no words come out. instead what came out was labored breathing.

felix... likes you? or loves you? as more than a friend?

"y/n..." he started, but you looked back at him with the eyes of a deer caught in the headlights. as he tried to step closer gently, you immediately bolted out of there, not wanting to reel in everyone's awkward stares.

running towards nowhere in particular and it wasn't until your feet started to ache that you suddenly remembered you weren't in your own school. your team won the game, but at what cost? you know how important the scholarship is to felix— and speaking of, he likes you. you didn't know what to feel. you love him, sure, but he was always worlds away from you. any sort of romantic prospect thrown out the window because you know you'll never amount to how good he is.

you walked around the field, trying to figure out where the exit is, hoping to just catch a bus so that you don't have to ride with the team and sit in the awkwardness.

with your mind spinning around in wanders, you almost fell to the ground when you felt yourself bump into someone. "woah woah, didn't think you'd be the one falling for me." hwang hyunjin snided with a wink as he caught you by the arm, making you gag in your mouth.

"what do you want, hwang."

"why so snarky? you're the one who bumped into me."

"sorry then, i'm going home." you started to walk away but he stopped you in your tracks.

"that's not the way out, you know."

"fine, can you please point me to the exit." he just shrugged and motioned for you to follow him.

"i heard the freckled lee got the other scholarship." he laughed.

"what's so funny?"

"because i got the other one. so i don't care if we lost the game, at the end of the day, i was able to one-up juyeon. i may have lost the fight but i won the war."

"isn't it kind of sad that that's the first thing you think about? is that your motivation for this? trying to one-up others? is your self worth just based around the loss of other people?" you said as you glared at him, a bad taste in your mouth at the thought of juyeon losing something he had worked for tirelessly, competing with hwang wasn't something in his mind, all he wanted was to make his family proud. meanwhile, this reincarnation of a cocky attitude just spits it out like it's nothing.

"watch your mouth, manager. you don't know who i am, and you're in my territory." he stopped as he towered over you, glaring at you with a powerful gaze. you felt a chill run down your spine but you weren't one to back away.

"leave her alone, hwang." the tall blonde tore his gaze from you to look back at the voice that you recognized.

"congrats on the scholarship felix, see you in college." he smirked as he walked away, ignoring the sharp stares the you two are planting on him.

once he was out of earshot, felix risked getting closer to you, and from the heat of the situation you forgot the awkwardness that started to bubble in your stomach, now being too late to run away from him once again.

"are you okay, y/n? did he do something weird?" you were dumbfounded at his closeness but you could tell that he was wary on touching you, not wanting to overstep his boundaries now that you've heard how he felt about you.

you shook your head, "no, no, i'm fine, he was showing me the exit."

"let's go home together?" he asked meekly, looking at you with the same soft eyes that he's always given. and now you notice that you've never seen him give the same look for someone else. those affectionate eyes, the fondness that holds you within. it has always been just for you.

you nodded, making him lead the way. the trip back home felt awkward, and you missed the comfortable silence that you two always shared. this time, you could feel that there was an unaddressed situation that none of you seemed to wanted to take initiative in crossing.

he walked you to your door, giving you a smile before heading back to his own house— that was the first time he'd done that, always walking you all the way up to your room and hanging out before leaving. this time, he'd left you with a small emptiness.

as you went up to your room, the heaviness settled to your core after plopping on the bed, tears slowly streamed down your eyes.

you didn't know if it was because you felt bad for juyeon, or because you were happy about hearing felix's feelings although it didn't come directly from his mouth. perhaps you felt bad because you don't think you deserve him.

but one thing's certain: you loved him back. you've stopped yourself from feeling anything special towards him to the point that it hurts.

but now that the dam was broken, you can't stop yourself from falling, and now with the way felix had left you alone, you weren't sure whether there's still anyone who'd catch you.

with eyes heavy from tears, you fell to a deep slumber.

you woke up at the sight of your bestfriend shaking you awake, your mind felt groggy, your eyes a bit heavy.

"hey, your mom told me you skipped dinner."

"what time is it?" you asked as you rubbed your eyes awake, seeing the moonlight shine inside your bedroom.

"12 AM." he answered.

"then why are you here?" you asked him and he just sat beside your bed.

"i talked to juyeon... he also said he couldn't reach you so he was worried, so i came to check on you. i also got you food." you nodded at his words, seeing the takeout bag in his hands.

"are you guys good now?" you sat up awake, finally getting your bearings back as you stared at felix.

he shrugged, "hopefully, but i think we'll still need some time."

"i see.. that's understandable.."

"but i'm not here to talk about juyeon."

you swallowed, preparing yourself for the next words you're about to hear.

"i love you, y/n. i've always had. i was mad that you wanted to pretend like strangers because i didn't want to lose you to anyone else. i was so used to having you by my side and going to school without you made me realize that i can't spend a day separated from you. i know the way you found out isn't exactly the best situation ever but my feelings for you are real. i was jealous when you were hanging out with juyeon but i know how much the scholarship means to him, i didn't take it away on purpose because of you. i respect your friendship with him and i know you're also sad for him— so please, y/n, i hope you don't think of me any differently."

he just held your hand through his words, nervousness apparent in his voice as he squeezed your hand affectionately. he was anticipating your answer, scared but prepared.

you felt overwhelmed but you knew you couldn't deny it any longer.

"i love you too— and not just as a friend, i've always thought you'd drift away from me because—" you couldn't even finish your words as he trapped you in his embrace. the familiarity of his natural scent mixed with his cologne delightfully filling your senses and turning your brain into mush.

he held your body in his arms and your heart in his eyes as he stared down at you.

and this time, you both risked a shot as your lips softly collided with each others.

basking in the moonlight as you conveyed your true feelings through gentle motions of your lips.

it was soft, sweet, and it felt like a happy summer day.

lee felix was the manifestation of the sun, but he shined only for you.

he was your golden boy.

mastertag: @leagreenly @geniejunn @90s-belladonna

[tenebraevesper]

Identity Without A Cause - Forte.EXE (Rockman.EXE, Axess, Stream)

After having given my thoughts on Bass.EXE/Forte.EXE in the MegaMan Battle Network/Rockman.EXE games, I decided to shift my focus to Bass’ anime incarnation. However, Bass’ role in the MegaMan NT Warrior anime can be summed up with this meme:

Yeaaaahh... With a few exceptions, he doesn’t really get to do much in the anime, with the exception of Stream. It’s really disappointing, but I’ll still give my thoughts on that. I’ll only cover the Japanese dub here, so I’ll be also using the Japanese names.

So, let’s plug in!

Forte.EXE appears in 14 episodes total, as well as the movie Rockman.EXE Hikari to Yami no Program (which takes place during Rockman.EXE Stream). His first appearance is in Rockman.EXE/MegaMan NT Warrior Season 2 Episode 32: Internet City (which kicks of the Gospel Arc).

He is spotted by Rockman while absorbing bug fragments with a rather vacant look on his expression, before jumping off the ledge and vanishing, only to have a cameo in Episode 33: Crush the Virus Factory!, being engulfed by a pillar of light. He doesn’t appear again until Episode 48: Cybernetic Monster!, where he confronts the Gospel Virus Beast.

Forte senses a connection between him and Gospel, with Gospel then leaving. When Rockman asks him who he is, he just vanishes without a word.

To note, Forte does not speak in any of these appearances (I’m talking about Japanese dub only) and his screentime per episode amounts to maybe a minute or two at most, and that’s a generous estimation. Despite being relevant to the plot, as explained in the following episodes, he literally does nothing aside from showing up somewhere and disappearing.

We get an explanation about his existence in Episode 49: Gospel, courtesy of Dr. Wily, as well as more focus on him during the episode.

Dr. Wily reveals to the audience, and the Gospel Leader, that he named the Solo NetNavi Forte and that he has a connection to the Gospel Virus Beast. The Gospel Leader sends FreezeMan.EXE after Forte to delete him, as he fears Forte would interfere with Gospel’s plans.

Forte is once again seen absorbing bug fragments when he suddenly gets confronted by Rockman, who questions him who he is and whether he works for Gospel, with Forte remaining silent through the entire episode (I’m not even kidding, he doesn’t even speak until the end of the episode, having only one line).

The two then get attacked by FreezeMan, who knocks Rockman away and impales Forte with icicles. Cue to Forte shattering the ground beneath FreezeMan, who in turn encases Forte in ice.

While FreezeMan gloats, Forte lifts the whole damn building, showing just how powerful he is. While FreezeMan gets distracted by Rockman and HeatMan, Forte disappears, having broken out of his ice prison, then promptly jumpscares Rockman and kidnaps him.

We learn that he has brought Rockman to an abandoned World Three server, where he scans Rockman’s memories, revealing that he is actually PharaoMan’s reincarnation.

About that part... I did some digging and found out that the MegaMan NT Warrior anime started airing before MegaMan Battle Network 3 had been released. By the time the Gospel Arc (which was the adaptation of the MegaMan Battle Network 2 storyline) had concluded, the anime team had decided to press skip on MMBN3 and use the MegaMan Battle Network 4 storyline for its next season, MegaMan NT Warrior Axess/Rockman.EXE Axess.

This is why characters like Dr. Cossak, Mamoru Urakawa and Serenade.EXE, as well as Alpha, never appeared in the anime, why Forte’s backstory is different and why nothing is done with his character since the game his backstory had influenced was never adapted into an anime. Had MMBN3 been released before the anime started, I’m sure Forte would’ve played a bigger role in it.

In any case, Rockman’s friends and the remaining World Three members arrive to save him, with Forte finally uttering his first line in this anime: “I have awakened.” and disappears. Seriously, I wasn’t kidding when I said that he barely does anything, at least until Stream.

We then continue into Episode 50: Forte, where we learn that Forte messing with Rockman’s memories had caused the latter to be infected with a bug. Forte is then seen confronting the rampaging Gospel Virus Beast (giving us the reveal that Gospel had also been formed from the remains of PharaoMan’s data).

He manages to defeat Gospel and starts absorbing its data (wanting its Ultimate Program), but we find out that it is too much for him (as Gospel had been absorbing excess data continuously in the form of other NetNavis) and he is literally torn apart.

Just to note, the Rockman.EXE franchise will later on get even more graphic when it comes to the deaths of NetNavis, with a special mention to ShadeMan’s death by the end of Axess. This part here is nothing in comparison to what Forte goes through in the manga.

Forte appears lastly in Episode 51: Moment of Break-Down!, after Rockman Bug Style defeats Gospel, having taken over the Gospel Leader’s body (who is a robot in this incarnation).

Having returned, he decides to use the Gospel Bot to explore the world of humans and take over it. However, instead getting some insight into Forte’s plans in MegaMan NT Warrior Axess/Rockman.EXE Axess, he doesn’t appear until Episode 41: Allegro.

He has constructed a robot named Allegro, who had been kidnapping NetNavis and making them fight for his own entertainment. He explains how he had observed the world in the Gospel Bot, deeming it worthless and then promptly shuts Allegro down, deeming his antics stupid. Dark Blues asks him to join Nebula due to his grudge against humanity, but Forte tells him to get out and tells Netto and co. he’ll cross paths with them again.

He doesn’t appear until Episode 46: The Great NetPolice Battle!, observing the unfolding chaos and plugging into the network to and deciding to revive ShadeMan.

When ShadeMan questions him why Forte revived him, Forte claims that he sees a future in the Darkloids and disappears, not appearing until Episode 50: Dark VS Dark, silently observing (in the Gospel Bot) ShadeMan’s rampage through the real world. This is followed Episode 51: At the Place Where Light Reaches, where he leaves (probably in disappointment) when ShadeMan gets brutally torn into pieces by the Cross Fused Dr. Regal and LaserMan.

Yeah, this was all of his contribution in Axess. Aside from reviving ShadeMan, there is nothing that can be said and his appearances were once again a minute or two long. At least he had some speaking role, but even that was minimal.

This brings us to Rockman.EXE Stream, where he is actually given something to do, albeit only in the first two episodes, in the movie (which takes place in the middle of Stream) and the last two episodes (aka season finale). Still, despite the fact that he appears only in four episodes + movie (which can be seen as an extended episode), I actually like his role here because he is more proactive than he had been in the previous seasons.

Despite that, don’t get deceived by his appearance in the opening. It may look like he has an important role, but it essentially boils down to only one thing - defeating Slur.EXE, the servant of Duo.

In Episode 01: Duo, Forte observes the Cross Fused Netto and Enzan fighting a virus, only to kidnap Rockman shortly after the battle.

He explains to Rockman how he wasn’t behind the virus attacks, but that there is another danger looming over them and, while he obviously doesn’t care what will happen to humans, he does want to protect the cyberworld since, y’know, he lives in it.

When Rockman questions him about it, Forte replies how he’ll absorb his Ultimate Program so he can have enough power to fight this threat (this threat being an AI named Duo). Rockman refuses to go down easily, resulting in a battle between them (this is technically also their first battle), with Forte easily having the upper hand.

Fortunately for Rockman, Enzan had sent out Blues to find him, but Forte manages to defeat him before Blues appears.

Is it just me or is Forte a lot more threatening in Stream than he was in previous seasons? I guess having him do more than just toss buildings around or absorb data works wonders for his character.

The resolution of the battle is followed up in Episode 02: Earth Erasure, with Forte attempting to absorb Rockman’s Ultimate Program.

He is stopped by Blues, who questions his intentions. Forte then notes that he wants Blues’ Ultimate Program as well (as it turns out, Rockman, Blues and Forte are the only NetNavis who have it).

Blues manages to create a distraction and escape with Rockman, with Forte finding them a few seconds later, easily shattering Blues’ sword and starts to absorb the his Ultimate Program. The weakened Rockman tries to fight Forte off, but it goes as well as you’d expect.

Yeah, fighting a powerful Solo Navi without your Operator won’t do you much good, Rockman. Fortunately, Netto and Enzan had found them, and team up, giving as a Rockman (Soul Unison: Blues Soul) and Blues VS Forte battle.

This is also the episode where Forte starts using attacks from the games, specifically Hell’s Rolling and Air Burst. While the battle was awesome, my only complaint is that it’s short, as Forte logs out once Rockman and Blues attack him with Sonic Boom.

He does appear again in the Gospel Bot, entering SciLabs and plugging in.

Once he’s inside the network, he uses the satellite connection Rockman and Blues were supposed to use to travel to Duo in order to fight the latter. However, another NetNavi is sent from Duo’s comet, clashing with Forte, the feedback frying the Gospel Bot and rendering Forte’s only form of transport in the real world useless (not that he is going to need it).

After Slur introduces herself as the servant of Duo, Forte attacks her, declaring how he’ll defeat Duo and take his power.

Honestly, I friggin’ love Forte’s depiction in Stream. He gets to say and do interesting things and his battle with Slur is pretty epic.

We also get to see him use Earth Breaker, Dark Arm Blade and Darkness Overload, the latter seemingly taking Slur out. 

Except it didn’t...

Yeah, Slur manages to wrap him up with the cables, then kicks him straight into Hell. *looks down at the script* No, wait, I meant she kicks him into the Undernet, where he remains until the movie. Seriously, what is up with this show and writing Forte out of the season until the finale? *shakes head*

Anyways, as noted above, Forte makes an appearance in the Rockman.EXE: Hikari to Yami no Program, which takes place sometime between episodes 22-29 of Stream. 

Anyways, we find Forte floating in the Undernet, where he encounters Nebula Grey, and then gets promptly brainwashed. Honestly, he can’t catch a break.

He returns from the Undernet to fight with Rockman (their second battle), who had been sent to destroy the Tadashi Hikari Program to save the world from deletion. We get another epic battle between him and Rockman, but Forte still manages to beat him.

Fortunately, Rockman is saved by Colonel, who fights Forte instead, realizing he has been under someone’s control the whole time.

Honestly, I loved the sword duel between him and Colonel, especially since he manages to keep up with the latter. Fortunately, after Rockman destroys the Tadashi Hikari Program, Forte is freed from his mind control.

A light appears, it being Nebula Grey, with Forte revealing that it was responsible for him going berserk and the trio plugs out.

Forte doesn’t appear until the final confrontation with Nebula Grey, pissed off at Dr. Regal for controlling him. He and Rockman jump into the core, where they get restrained by the cables, which start draining their energy and turn them into slime-like creatures.

In one last attempt to fight back, Rockman offers his Ultimate Program to Forte, so he can use his data to become more powerful and defeat Nebula Grey and save the world. Despite Netto protesting against the plan, Forte gleefully accepts, absorbing Rockman and fusing both of them. However, the result...

Despite being fairly powerful, Forte cannot control Rockman’s Ultimate Program, but unlike his encounter with Gospel, this one has a different, more epic outcome.

I swear, I was grinning like an idiot when I saw Forte Cross Rockman on screen. He then proceeds to kick Nebula Grey and Dr. Regal’s ass in the most awesome way possible.

Yeah, he beheaded Nebula Grey with what appears to be Darkness Overload. BAD. ASS!!!

Unfortunately for the two, this has put a lot of strain on the body, causing Forte Cross Rockman to pass out. Dr. Regal activates a black hole bomb that sends them back to the Undernet, although, after they separate back, Forte forcibly logs Rockman out, saving his life in the process and going back to the Undernet alone while laughing like a maniac. He had a taste of power of the Ultimate Program, but won’t pursue it, as he knows that he cannot control it.

Forte then reappears in Episode 50: Colonel Barrel.

He is back from the Undernet and ready to beat Slur, with both of them clashing as the episode ends. It is immediately continued in Episode 51: Toward a New Future.

This time, they’re more evenly matched, with Forte actually managing to overpower Slur thanks to the Nebula Grey fragments he had absorbed while he was in the Undernet.

He then reveals that, after defeating Slur, he wants to go to the cyberworld of the space and seek a new kind of power.

Honestly, this makes me instantly think of MegaMan Star Force. I really want to see Forte’s reaction upon running into an EM Being. X3

After clashing further, Slur is quite bruised, with Forte impaling her with his arm.

He gives her a choice: she can live, but is banished to the Undernet, or he’ll delete her. Slur chooses the latter.

“If the Earth continues to exist, we will meet again, Rockman.”

Uh, no, you won’t. Not because Earth had been deleted, but because writers decided to boot you out of the anime. You guys heard me right, this was Forte’s last appearance, as he doesn’t appear in Rockman.EXE Beast and Rockman.EXE Beast+. Admittedly, I can’t say that his farewell was disappointing - in contrary, having him defeat Nebula Grey and Slur was really epic, but unless its a oneshot character, don’t make them promise they’ll meet the protagonist again only to never appear further in the series.

Honestly, Forte.EXE was a character with a lot of potential, but because the writers had no idea what to do with him in Rockman.EXE and Axess, he got shafted, only to get some importance in Stream and Hikari to Yami no Program. I’m sure that more could’ve been done with him (e.g. have him absorb one of the Cybeasts to rival Rockman or have a confrontation with Zero.EXE), as we’re going to see in the manga.

Due to him barely doing much until Stream, this is why I feel that Forte.EXE was handled worse as a character than Bass.EXE in MegaMan Battle Network.

Thankfully, we still have the manga and I absolutely love how Ryo Takamisaki had written him. However, I’ll cover that one another time.

Plug out!

The Ultimate NetNavi (Story Archive)