#so like this is a shorter version of that conversation actually

[aparticularbandit]

remind me to talk about how i write junko in ttlt and how her analysis ability functions in terms of my concepts of God and predestination vs. free will and also how she is absolutely not a fallen messianic figure and the remnants are not her disciples but also junko maybe definitely did start a cult that may have seen her as a messianic figure.

[inkskinned]

in the time loop the only way out is to leave her there but you don't ever leave her there, never in the roughly one thousand years you have been in the same day. it is probably like "50 first dates" but you haven't stooped so low as to watch "50 first dates" yet. (but who is to say what another thousand years of the same media will bring to you, maybe you will develop a new taste).

you spent about 200 of these years sulking in a bathtub or on the couch or staring at the seaside. 300 of them have been spent slowly mapping the geographical distance you can actually get before the time loop restarts. you have a list of favorite places: one library in Western Massachusetts called "The Bookmill", which has weird hours and has never raised an eyebrow to you arriving out-of-breath and panting, asking to see a specific book on a specific shelf. There is one beach without a name in North Carolina; it is an accident of geography and ownership title disputes - and it is pristine, untouched, warm and cozy. you've taken her on a lot of picnics there. Acadia National Park. One specific birdhouse in the mountains.

you were stuck in the time loop with the money you entered it with: not enough to rent a private jet. you've robbed a bank a few times, you don't like the way it ends. maybe next century you'll get the hang of it. you don't like the look on her face when you say hang on i have to stop at the bank.

you just have to leave her, and you can go back to being a person again. you took 5 years just catching a flight and sitting in the Grand Canyon. if there's one thing you regret more than anything, it's that you hadn't gotten your passport renewed before this fucking time loop. maybe you should spend some time learning forgery - but also, like, you look like an english teacher. nobody is going to be cool about you asking to see their paper printing machines.

the world is very big. that is one of the things groundhog day gets wrong. there are no consequences, so you have literally all the time (or none of the time?) in the world. in groundhog day, he does a lot of very cool things, but in reality - your muscle memory never gets better. you can't necessarily learn how to play piano or sculpt ice, because your hands never remember the practice. but hey - maybe you'll try violin next. drums. synth.

you can open any door and walk into any conversation. money isn't really an object. you can try every meal off every menu, forever. take her on helicopter tours and into every museum and on every event that is happening right-now at-this-moment. parades and funerals and calligraphy classes.

but you are somewhat trapped by the limitations of your body. if you were reading a book, you still need to get up and go back to the library and find that book again when the day resets. (thank god for the internet). it still takes like 2 hours to board a plane, and then takeoff and landing and traffic. you've gotten off to run around on the freeway. one of the little thankful things: since your brain isn't actually developing (it's a muscle too), the days thankfully don't feel shorter to you. that would be agony.

all you have to do to leave the timeloop is let that man get away with it. that's all. in every version of yourself - forever - you have stopped him.

the problem is that this experience has convinced you of the existence of the human soul. after all, how else are you forming memories? your very cells reset. information has to be transferred somehow. and if timeloops are real, you can convince yourself other magic exists. so you have two choices here: this hell, or the next. there might be a millennia where you have been worn down to the point you can accept fate's decision. this is just not one of them. ironically - she is the one thing you have left.

and besides! if you can't always find something new in your partner, aren't you failing them? there is something new about her, every day with the same morning. every brutal day with the same orange sunset.

after all, you wanted to live with her in heaven, in eternity, and, well - isn't this second-best.

[actual-changeling]

welcome back to alex's unhinged meta corner, today's topic: the chest touch at the pub. that scene has me in a chokehold for some reason and i still cannot stop thinking about it.

the first thing i wanna talk about is crowley's reaction, since this is the shorter part. he did not expect aziraphale to reach out to him like this and freezes for a second while aziraphale happily chatters away.

they were both walking and the hand on his chest stops him, so he comes to a stop right next to him while he was slightly behind him before that. his gaze also snaps to aziraphale's face, who is very much not looking at him.

they were having a conversation, but the touch essentially shuts crowley up and zira leaves him to get their drinks.

now, my question is why aziraphale does it. sure, it could just be an absent gesture since they're in a crowded place, just that he has never really done so before. i think it was very much planned, like asking crowley to dance and grabbing his hand later on.

a second before he actually reaches out, he also looks back to check whether crowley is where he thinks he is. that is the only time he does that, he was busy looking for a free table and miracles them one when he cannot find one - the look back is deliberate. especially since crowley is practically glued to his side, he has no need for confirmation, he can feel him brushing against him while walking.

the hand motion he does gets me, too. he is busy fidgeting with his hands like normal and has them clasped in front of him. aziraphale lifts them once he gets to "that is precisely the point", yet also already moves it slightly towards crowley, realizes he miscalculated where exactly he/his chest is, looks to check, then looks away again before actually touching him. am i reading too much into it? maybe.

i think it is his version of a little temptation. not only does it make crowley's brain short-circuit for a second, he also gets them their drinks and is now (or so aziraphale hopes) a bit calmer and will take the news aziraphale is about to give him better. the conversation at the cafe did not go entirely as planned, after all.

additionally, something i am not sure if other people have noticed or not is that aziraphale does not just touch crowley, it is a caress. he moves his hand down his chest.

the movement in order:

bar girl unfortunately moves in front of them, but you can clearly see the way his hand takes. to give you a direct comparison of the starting and end point:

a good point of reference is crowley's bolo tie but also the angle of aziraphale's arm while it is still visible.

the best part, in my opinion, is that aziraphale puts his hand right on top of crowley's heart. i think the symbolic importance of that is pretty clear and does not require any more explanation, although it makes me want to throw myself into a river. but that's by the by.

to summarize, aziraphale caresses crowley's heart chest to get him to calm down and not go insane over the news he is about to give him. he is also simply a bastard and knows exactly what he is doing to crowley.

as always, this is me going nuts with analysis, but i'm also curious to hear other people's thoughts on this.

don't tell my therapist about my unhinged meta posts or she will probably be very concerned for my mental wellbeing

[kaluxsims]

It's here! Halloween! And my Simblreen treat 4! This time, nothin' says lovin' like somethin' for your coven! (That was terrible. I'm kinda sorry, but not very.) There's something for every kind of witch in @satterlly's Witching Hour part 1. I converted all of the clothes and made a little offshoot of one of the dresses. Everything is AF only (sorry, blame the second dead laptop), set as Everyday, and has both morphs. All dresses come without tights in 30 textures and with tights in 5 textures. There's so much here, including three new shoe conversions, so this is a very long post. Or you can download it all right now.

Download: SFS or MediaFire

(Accessories not included - Mostly by Skell)

Note: For reasons I don't understand (and trust me, I tried to fix it), some of these have that thing where there are little skin-color lines at the edges when you zoom out. It only happens on my gaming laptop, not the one with worse graphics. I have no idea why, and if anyone knows how to fix it, please let me know. I hope you want them anyway and it doesn't happen on your computer.

DressShort is an explosion of ruffles. It comes with Skell's witch ankle boots, because DeeDee used them recently and I was running out of time. Some dress colors have new boot recolors by me, as seen in the preview at the top.

DressMedium has the same neckline and sleeves as DressShort, but a full mid-calf skirt. It comes with mary janes by Elfdor (RIP).

This is just too cool, right? A mid-calf skirt and tucked in graphic tee. I paired it with Mina Boots by Solistair (retired).

And last of the Satterlly originals in this bunch, 1Sleeve dress. It comes with @madlensims' Bellanza Boots, the short version. I love the asymmetrical hem with the mock neck and single sleeve.

I was inspired to riff on that style and wound up (thanks to a poll) with a shorter version with two long sleeves. (Ok, they're 3/4 sleeves, but shh.) It also comes with Madlen's Bellanza Boots and is repo'ed to the 1Sleeve dress for the non-tights version.

Dress swatches (same for all dresses):

Skirt/Tee swatches (color at bottom of each is the skirt):

@simblreenofficial

Download: SFS or MediaFire

Credits: @satterly for TS4 clothing meshes and textures, @madlensims for TS4 Bellanza Boots meshes and textures, Solistair (retired) for TS4 Mina Boots meshes and textures, Elfdor (RIP) for TS4 mary janes meshes and textures, skell (retired) for TS2 witch ankle boots, tights textures from TS2 Apartment Life

Just because we've come to the very end of my Simblreen stuff, that doesn't mean I'm done with the frightful festivities. Look for one more thing later today! (If anyone actually read this far, hi!)

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - It's Wild Out There but the Kisses are Good

Organized, in each category, with ones I'm enjoying most at the top.

NOV 2024 Week 3

Ongoing Series - Thai

Kidnap (Fri YT) ep 11 of 12 - I’m really enjoying this show. But I will be glad when it ends next week. I’m ready. The motorcycle rescue in the middle of the kidnapping sequence was so absurdly bad I actually laughed. Meanwhile, in the hospital room did you notice Q’s dad used chan/nai with Min? I actually gasped out “oh, mad respect “ when he did. Papang it’s so damn hot, could he PLEASE get the lead in a BL? Please GMMTV.  

Love Sick 2024 (Sun iQIYI) ep 9 of 15 - I like Earn’s sincerity and open admission in the new version, and I like how genuine and delicate Noh is coping with someone crushing on him. Probably because he knows how painful it is from the other side. The conversation between Phun and Aim was much better and more kind in the new version, too. I'm chronicling my experience with 2024 as compared to 2014 here. 

Every You Every Me (Mon Gaga) ep 6 of 10 - I like this couple a lot, and not just because of all the sex positivity. I just enjoy their dynamic of artist and musician, introvert extrovert. Anybody wondering about that “up against the window blurring thing” with the shirt off the shoulder? That’s a very very old yaoi trope (mostly office yaoi from the early 2000s) that I haven’t seen in a long time. In fact, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen it in Thai BL…… wild. 

Meanwhile, let the weird interweaving of the filming crew begin. The show within a show that we all suspected was due is now happening. I’m not sure about that. (I worry it will be some clumsy commentary on pair branding.) But how hot does Fiat look these days? 

Fourever You (Thurs YT) ep 7 of 16 - I really don’t like the second storyline. It find it unpleasant. I also don’t think the chemistry between Maxky and Bas is good. In fact I begin to suspect Star Hunter should cut Bas lose. Yes I said it.

Caged Again (Fri Gaga) ep 1-2 of 10 - Penguin escapes zoo by turning into a human. Gets trapped in a boys school and a panther falls in love with him. How does a penguin know how to read? OK I’m not gonna try to figure out the logic of this show. There is none. Do I like it? Not sure. I’m not mad about the dynamic or the setting but the main foundational conceit is…… odd. It’s not uncommon in BL, the “my cat boyfriend” thing has been done for many years now. So I know what to expect. It’s not that. Or is it? I do like how the actor playing Junior looks a bit like a bird. I also like how the actor playing Sun really does behave like a cat in his social interactions, it’s funny. I think…… I’m not wild about this so far, but I like it better than I thought I would. Love seeing Jaonine & Nokia in any form. 

Perfect 10 Liners (Sun YT?) ep 3 of 24 - I just don’t like Arc and Arm. Sorry not sorry. However, I do like the sides and future couples. So I’m sticking with this one. 

Jack & Joker (Mon IQIYI) ep 10 of 12 - Because I heard this episode was really rough and the world is a mess I gave this one a miss this week. We’ll see if I’m up for it next week.

Your Sky (Sun iQIYI) 12 eps - (starts tomorrow) A naive freshman and the campus’s popular senior agree to pretend to be a couple - but their fake deal begins to generate real feelings.

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

My Damn Business (Korea Sat YT) ep 7 end - Ooooo counter lift!!! And caught in the act. Very nice. It was a really good final episode and an absolutely fantastic kiss.

In summation: 

Two men work their last few days together at a failing company. I like this but I’m not sure I should like it. This is a classic office romance, short even for Korea, with more than usual workplace harassment (even for BL) in the guise of aggressive pursuit from older boss to younger employee. (The optics are NOT good.) It reminded me of Jun and Jun only shorter, colder, and with more dub con. Now, I happen to be one of the few who truly loved Jun and Jun, it’s very much my style of KBL. I think that’s part of why I liked this one so much. But I suspect that might have given this show too much shine by association. Still, eminently rewatchable and it’s nice to have Korean IP drop on YouTube. 8/10 

Our Youth AKA Miseinen: Mijukuna Oretachi wa Bukiyo ni Shinkochu (Japan Tues Gaga) ep 2 of 11 - Another one that is about abuse, but for some reason I don’t mind it as much as I did Let Free the Curse. Maybe it’s Japan? Maybe it’s the disinterested nature of the director’s lens? This show is examining the inclination of teenagers towards spectatorhood out of fear, while simultaneously giving us a contrived spectator’s perspective with its style of the filming. For example: there is a lot of shots in alleyways and looking in and out of apertures (like doorways and windows) at Hirukawa. He’s often seen from a distance, because Minase thinks of him as distant and somewhat like a specimen. It’s very clever and what I expect from Japan. But it also makes me feel distanced from the characters and their story (intentionally, I believe) which means it’s less raw than Curse, and a lot easier for me to watch. In other words, I am observing this BL, not living it. But that’s the point. And because of that, I’m also liking it. But I’m extremely wary. Japan never drops a kiss early on in a series without some serious trauma to follow.

See Your Love (Taiwan Weds Gaga) ep 5 of 13 - I love them all very much. Carry on.

Blue Canvas of Youthful Days (China Sun iQIYI) eps 5-6 of 12 - So far as I can gather it was episode five that got this one censored and kicked off the air in China. So now we are in unchartered (and presumably only lightly censored) territory. Honestly? I have no idea how they get away with what they get away with these days. Onto the actual meet of the show. I don’t think the teacher should be flirting with the kid if he’s gonna blow hot and cold like that. He is ostensibly the mature one in the relationship. Although if he’s flirting with a child, that is clearly not the case. I get the conflict of the main characters a bit more. Because it’s all about class and the risks that you can take with your identity depending on how much autonomy you have in society. 

Teenager Judge (Vietnam Sat YT) ep 8 of ? - Basically this is just a narrative about bullying. And I’d like to get onto the revenge portion of the program, and that doesn’t seem to be happening anytime soon. I do love that Dat asked for permission to kiss. Consent is very sexy. Also it was a good tentative careful cautious timid first kiss. The actors are older but it felt high school. (Although apparently Bach entirely kissed away Dat’s injury.) 

Love is Like a Poison AKA Doku Koi: Doku mo Sugireba Koi to Naru (Japan Tues Netflix?) 9 of 12 eps - Gosh I really do like this couple. And I like the legal proceedings. But I’m worried about whether this show is going to end well. 

Love in the Air: Koi no Yokan (Japan Sat Gaga) ep 3 of 10 - Frankly I didn’t want LITA the original, so I’m pretty sure I don’t want the Japanese cliffs notes version of LITA. It’s somehow softer, which I wasn’t expecting from Japan. But I don’t mind. The brevity and softness are improving matters, IMHO. I continue to unequivocally loathe the wardrobe department. I’m offended on the actors’ behalf. 

Eccentric Romance (Korea Weds Viki) eps 11-12 end - An odd and somewhat lackluster piece about two college friends, one Thai and one Korean, who get together and become boyfriends while investigating murderer - each speaking in their own language. Neither the BL component nor the murder component was well executed or engaging. It’s not terrible, but that’s no ringing endorsement. "Odd yet still somehow forgettable" is probably how I would put it. 6/10

It's airing but......

Love for Loves Sake got some kind of special supposed to air 11/9. Not sure what, why, or where. Only the rumor that it...... is. I'll believe it when I see it...... literally.

Bad Guy My Boss (Thai Sun Gaga) 10 eps - I DNF'd at ep 7, I couldn't make it. I am weak. Life is hard enough right now, this show is making it harder. It’s not what I want from my entertainment.

Secret Love (Sat YT) 10 eps - Another take on my beloved stepbrothers trope. Adopted into a rich family, boy falls in love. But when he is made the heir instead, everything goes wrong and he leaves. Now enemies the two boys reunite in uni.

DAMN IT! This is airing but in two minute increments on a proprietary app that’s mostly for Android, and it’s already up to episode 11. I’m not wild about this style of distribution, so I’m not gonna bother unless somebody cuts it together as a full piece. Although I do adore the premise.

Bad to Bed (Taiwan Sat YouTube) 10 eps - This is a little too low production value even for me. And just very very odd. DNF

Next Week Looks Like This:

Upcoming BLs for 2024 are listed here. This list is not kept updated, so please leave a comment if you know something new or RP with additions.

November BL still to come:

11/20 Winter Is Not The Death of Summer (Thai Weds YT) ?? eps - Criminals who meet in prison fall in love

11/20 The Heart Killers (Thai Weds Gaga) 12 eps - Jojo directs FirstKhao & JoongDunk in an action romcom about assassin brothers (Khao & Joong) who meet a tattoo artist ex-booster (First) and a mechanic (Dunk). I'm highly amused that Joong plays the older brother to Khao and that we have a take on the Taming of the ShrewBL. I like that everyone is morally gray. This has all GMMTV's best chemistry in one BL and some fresh concepts that I've only seen tackled in m/m romance novels (check out Amy Lane's Racing for the Sun, thank me later). I'm excited. My only quibble is Jojo, I like his style but his characters can get unreliably messy so…... this gonna be interesting.

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENT

Apparently I have feels about wardrobe departments this week, because, to use an old fashioned term, this look on him absolutely slaps. (Love Sick)

It's rare for Thai BL to beat out JBL in the fashion department.

(last week)

The tag BLigade: @doorajar @solitaryandwandering @my-rose-tinted-glasses @babymbbatinygirl @babymbbatinygirl @isisanna-blog @mmastertheone @pickletrip @aliceisathome @urikawa-miyuki @tokillamonger @sunflower-positiiivity @rocketturtle4 @blglplus @anythinggoesintheshire @everlightly @renafire @mestizashinrin @bl-bam-beyond @small-dark-and-delicious @saezurumurmurs

[jccatstudios]

Is it a matter of angles, or does Kaz look like a short, young man compared to Jan Van Eck?

Good question! Most of the time, it is angles, especially when the shot is lower and Kaz is far away from the "camera." I set a lot of my shots at around 4' during conversational panels, so the eyeline of the further away character looks a lot shorter than it really is. I try to make Kaz and Van Eck around the same height to make them seem like evenly matched opponents (by that logic, my version of Pekka Rollins is a bit taller and more imposing than Kaz, just haven't drawn them side-by-side yet).

Also, my Kaz is a bit shorter than his canon height. I like drawing him at around 5'10" than 6'. This is mainly because I first pictured him and Nina being around the same height, with Nina just slightly taller in heels. Knowing the actual heights of the characters came way after I started drawing them haha

[watchtowerindistress]

the empath and the eldritch horror (1/5) - ben hargreeves x empath!reader

Summary: Number 8 challenged him. Ben just needed to decide if he liked it or not. Nope, definitely hated it. There was no way in hell he actually liked the little Empath.

Word count: 3.1k

Series masterlist

Warnings: sparrow!ben is a warning in itself, language, violence, mental abuse (y'know Reginald's usual schtick)

Author’s note: I'm merely writing moments in the lives of these characters, since I don't know all the quotes. So the chapters are going to feel like snippets/best moments. I made this series shorter than I expected, but I'm cramming everything together as I wanted. (Set in S3)

I didn't feel like doing a lot of world-building, to be honest. I'm aware this isn't my best work, sorry, my depression makes me tired. I just realized when I wrote that dojo scene that I liked Sparrow!Ben so much because he reminded me of an older version of Damian Wayne. 😅 Please be gentle 🤗 I've never written for this fandom before. You want to be tagged or untagged, let me know. As always, comments and reblogs are very much appreciated.

“Where the hell is my brother?”

Your determined voice carried to the departing backs of Ben and Fei. Even walking through those corridors in this strange timeline felt utterly surreal. Not to mention, profoundly strange seeing this older version of Ben. After remembering the pictures of when he was still alive.

So, you could only compare this version with the stories Klaus loved to tell. A funny mess. And most of the time a little shit.

Judging by the sarcastic look Ben threw over his shoulder before he fully turned his body, this version of Ben certainly was willing to stir some trouble.

Ben smirked. Fei copied his arrogant demeanor next to him, silently watching this exchange.

“Relax, we just want to have a little chat, and then we’re done with you two.”

Just hearing him talk so unceremoniously about your lives like that simmered something inside you. Like the two of you didn’t matter in the grand scheme of things. Like Luther and you were barely a blip on their radar.

Your face contorted with anger. To infuriate him just a tad, with the way he infuriated you with his callous words, your body barely leaned forward.

“We’re not things you can just dispose of once we served our purpose.”

Ben tilted his head. There was something fascinating about rendering someone like him speechless for a moment. You weren’t foolish enough to think you were getting to him. Your fingertips twirled behind your back to get a grasp on Ben’s emotions, only to sense something akin to a daze tingling under the surface. Not trusting your own empathetic powers what you detected was real.

Barely turning his head, Ben spoke to Fei with a certain voice. “I can handle this one.”

Fei smirked to herself before murmuring, “I’m sure you do,” and leaving Ben on his own.

He laced his fingers behind his back while playfully dancing on the back of his feet. Ben pursed his lips. “Something I can help you with?”

“How about being the responsible one by having a real conversation instead of using people for your benefit by literally abducting them, huh?”

Ben nodded repetitively, like he couldn’t care less about anyone’s feelings. “Right.” He narrowed his eyes in thought. “What’s the name of the big guy again?”

You conjured a patient smile. “Luther. You know, your brother from another timeline?”

Ben crossed his arms, revealing a crooked smile. “As everyone keeps telling me. I wouldn’t call it an abduction,” he exhaled tiredly, shrugging slightly.

“Are we allowed to leave?”

Ben pursed his lips. “I think he’s starting to like it here. And, you know, you seem seconds away from falling for our charms. We do have things to offer that your precious Umbrellas can only dream of.”

Mocking laughter erupted from your chest before Ben joined in. “Right. Wow, someone’s really sold on themselves.”

“I mean, calling it an abduction? Sounds kinda judgmental, don’t you think?”

You clenched your jaw. Remembering Luther’s emotions brought you back to the park, like they were your own. “I felt his desperation ahead of me,” you replied, deciding to remind him.

At the mention, Ben pointed at you, remembering. “So, you’re the emotional one, huh? What’s your number again?”

“I’m not just a number, Hargreeves.” You placed your hands on your hips. “Not surprised that you would deem something like empathy barely a power. I’d like to see you handle an anxiety attack when I’m done with you.”

Ben waved his arms at his sides. His aura was literally shimmering with excitement as he smirked widely. “Oh, don’t threaten me with a good time.”

You rolled your eyes. It seemed like this version of Ben felt drawn to any sort of mischief, the more the better. “And I thought Klaus was the crazy one,” you muttered under your breath. With a normal voice, you inquired, “Where’s Luther?”

“Probably in the kitchen still miserably failing at charming the pants off Sloane.”

A sigh left you when you mutely walked away towards the direction of Fei’s departure. Truth be told, only to get away from Ben faster.

You had already walked away with brisk steps when Ben’s arrogant sing-song voice made you regret all your life choices. “Other way.”

You instantly turned, while grumbling under your breath, “Fucking smart-ass.” You didn’t need to spare him a glance to feel Ben’s arrogant joy coming off of him in waves when he leaned back against the wall, crossing his arms in delight.

“You know where to find me if you want to work on those powers of yours, … Number Eight.” Ben chuckled with mirth.

Self-loathing rippled through you just a tad for not letting your power detect Luther’s aura through the mansion to avoid this embarrassing situation altogether. And you blamed yourself for underestimating him. For thinking Ben wouldn’t have interrogated Luther about you.

“So, this is what you guys are doing in your free time, huh?”

Ben’s eyes remained closed when he performed his tai chi movements in the dojo, not letting himself appear to be ruffled by your presence.

“This tells me everything I need to know about your squadron of Umbrellas. How does it feel wasting your day away, not improving?”

You remained unfazed by his choice of insults. In the end, you were used to Reginald’s mental abuse. Your eyes followed his movements, content with watching his little ritual while leaning with your shoulder against the pillar.

“Depends. What’s it feel like when you’re not being a mascot for a Hargreeves empire?”

Ben scoffed in derision. “You think you can distract me?”

Grateful for his answer, you smiled in pure delight before sitting cross-legged on the middle of the training mat. “Oh, I know I am. Besides, I wanted to take you up on that offer which was made by a helpful Ben.”

He scoffed, shaking his head. “Don’t ever call me that. You’re delusional for thinking I want to help you.”

You dramatically pressed your hand to your chest. “‘Oh, Y/N, I just can’t live with myself if something happened to you. I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you safe, even if that means helping you advance your powers.’”

Forced laughter erupted from Ben’s chest. “Har har, and I thought Sundance was the hilarious one.”

“Klaus.” You reminded him diligently.

Ben rolled his eyes. “Whatever, Empath.”

You were strangely getting used to this Ben and felt truly like you were having a grand ol' time with him. Even if that meant ruffling his feathers. “You want to know what I think?”

“No,” Ben muttered with a gruff voice.

You continued as if you hadn’t heard him, “Someone’s really pretending that they don’t care about anyone or anything. Or, second theory-”

“I’m on the edge of my seat,” Ben interrupted you wryly.

“Maybe you don’t mind a distraction to take your mind off things.”

This time around, Ben turned to face you before he knelt down. Leaning over you until you could feel his warm breath on your skin. “You think you’re so smart, don’t you?”

“I’m the emotional one, remember?” You whispered before you pursed your lips when a thought hit you. “Not to mention, I can feel your curiosity, with a smidge of you itching for a fight.”

Ben snorted. “You’re adorable for thinking you can take me in a fight-”

An angelic smile tugged at your mouth. Your fingers brushed against his bare chest which was revealed underneath the dark robe. Your fingertips tingled before you let your power come to the surface.

The golden shimmer enshrouded Ben’s chest, pulling him backwards. No matter how many times you had done it before, your hands cautiously studied his aura once you heard his heavy breathing.

You still whispered soothingly, “That’s the sensation you get for being close to fainting. That feeling of vertigo tormenting your body and like your head can’t get enough air.”

The caring side of you stroked Ben’s feverish forehead until the dizzying spell lessened and was finally relieved.

You swallowed once you met Ben’s darkened gaze. He stared at you with glittering eyes, like he was truly seeing you for the first time. Ben licked his lips. “I think … I might have some use for you after all.”

“You may not know this, but my power doesn’t work like a medium,” you said, nervously rubbing your thighs to stimulate your senses.

Ben sighed, massaging the bridge of his nose. The Sparrow had changed back into a shirt after the impromptu training session. He leaned forward and warned through clenched teeth. “Do you want to be of help, or not? Get this done, and you and your brother can go back to whatever shithole you stay at.”

“Not with this type of energy in the room.” You widened your eyes at Ben’s glowering ones to make your point. Before long you sat down on Marcus’ bed, with a bored Fei leaning against the door jamb.

Ben’s sister twiddled her manicured fingernails. “Is this a waste of time?”

He clenched his jaw, facing her. “No, it’s not. I know what she can do.”

“Aww, Benny-boo, you believe in me. That’s so cute. Who knew you had a heart?”

Fei smirked, tilting her head. “Not me.”

“You guys are hilarious. Are we done with the ‘band together against Ben today’? I’m doing whatever it takes to locate Marcus here and you two are not helping with the situation.”

You pressed your lips together at Ben’s all too serious demeanor. “Just trying to lighten the mood since your tense atmosphere isn’t helping with the task at hand.”

Ben shared a close-lipped smile, caging your body in on the bed. Despite his threatening air, you remained steadfast and didn’t move an inch.

“Do you mind just doing the thing before I lose my mind and let my tentacles do the talking?”

You narrowed your eyes. Ben needed to work on his lacking social skills, if his only resort were threats. “Say please?”

You could breathe easier again when Ben straightened his body and crossed his arms. “Keep dreaming.”

You exhaled heavily. Half the time he was fun to talk to and other times, he wore you out. “Just give me something of his that holds emotional value,” you mentioned, patiently waiting. The awkward silence confused you to no end. Ben and Fei exchanged glances among each other.

“Why is nothing happening?”

Ben turned to Fei. “Get Sloane.”

His sister tilted her head, challenging him. “Oh, I can just summon my crows.”

The muscles on Ben’s arms tensed before his jaw clenched with his next words. “Fei, take a walk.”

Her shoulder shook with mirth when Fei left with relaxed steps.

Ben’s sarcastic voice pulled you back to him. “I’m guessing giving you one of his leather jackets wouldn’t count, right?”

Your elbows supported you when you settled back. “Wouldn’t get the desired effect. So, let me guess, you guys are just numbers and soldiers?”

Ben shrugged, leaning his hip against the cabinet. “Gets the job done.”

“And you’re content with that?”

“It’s the only thing that matters.”

You didn’t believe him for a second. Or at least, you couldn’t imagine someone being satisfied with being so shallow. “Right. Because being associated to a number is all that matters.”

Ben smirked crookedly. “Oh, there’s nothing better.”

“Right, Number Two,” you added, trying to get to him.

“You trying to flirt with me, Eight?”

You rolled your eyes, retorting, “You wish.”

Ben chuckled, pondering to himself. “Who’d have thought? Maybe I prefer calling you Empath more than Eight. It’s pretty close though.”

You shook your head, feeling your cheeks blush at being more intertwined with that status of Empath than a generic number. “You’re weird.”

The mood of his aura changed to something unfamiliar. At least to someone like Ben. He cleared his throat. “So,…”

“So…?” You teasingly copied him, putting the side of your head against your shoulder, watching his reaction.

Ben crossed his arms. “What was he like?”

“Our Ben? Why do you want to know?” To you, it seemed strange for someone like him to inquire about his alternate version.

He eyed something outside the window. “Just curious, I guess,” Ben said, still not looking at you.

“Why don’t you ask Klaus or the others? I only met Ben after he was dead.”

“Wait, what?” That finally got a reaction out of Ben when he rapidly turned his head to stare at you with a peculiar gaze.

You sighed, remembering the circumstances of you meeting your siblings for the first time. “Reginald called me ‘the replacement’.”

Maybe this was ultimately his plan to ostracize you from the others by using that term. At least, you had Diego and Luther at your side. Klaus soon joined that tight-knit little circle once you confided in feeling that sensation of an unfamiliar aura wandering the halls of the manor.

Sometimes it still hurt how everything progressed. Your siblings emanating their grief onto you didn’t bother you. It was their apathy, that they didn’t care about you.

“I was taken in after Ben’s death. I could only feel his aura around after he was dead. I can sense who someone is in a way. Feel what kind of a person they are. Ben was always…” You pondered deeply how to describe someone like him. How to condense someone’s life and traits into the essence of someone.

“Kind, intelligent, mostly mischievous.” You smiled fondly, whispering quietly, “I could never replace him even if I tried.”

You didn’t know what it was about your gaze that made the Sparrow avoid it again. With the shaking of your head, you dispelled your thoughts. The new aura close by tickling your fingertips was a fitting distraction.

You glanced towards the open door. “Hey, Sloane.”

Seconds later, said woman poked her head into the room, smiling with a delighted air. “Neat party trick.”

An expectant Ben raised his eyebrows, interrupting any further carefree moments. “Sloane, Marcus’ favorite stuff he liked to touch?”

You felt inclined to add something else before more inquiries could arise. “In other words, yes. Or something that mattered to him.”

“There should be a book in his nightstand.”

That was the only mention Ben needed before he opened the drawer. Ben shook his head with a scoff, inspecting the worn edition. He showed his sisters the found evidence. “Are you kidding me? The Velveteen Rabbit?”

Sloane waved her open palms soothingly. “Remember we just want Marcus back.”

“What a nerd,” he grumbled, carelessly giving you the book.

“Says you? It’s a timeless classic,” you admonished Ben lightly before reaching for the hardcover edition.

Ben smirked. “I rest my case.” He furrowed his brows when a second thought hit him. “And what did you just say to me?”

You chose to ignore Ben’s little angry outburst when Sloane sat next to you on the bed. “Will it be enough for you to build a psychic connection?”

You closed your eyes, trying to hone in on the source. With your fingertips brushing along the spine of the book, your search for the truth was soon answered with the first memory remnants hitting you. Shivers coursed through your body at the sensation of Marcus’ memories filling your mind like they were your own.

There was an abundance of wishful thinking contained into the book, the craving of a different reality when Marcus’ birth mother granted him this first and last gift.

“It should suffice,” you said assuredly. With a calming sigh, you leaned your head back against the pillows. The book was held tightly in your grip.

“Yeah, sure. Have a nap, why don’t you? Something else you need? Maybe some soothing music, a face mask?”

Your eyes remained closed when you murmured, “Ben Hargreeves.” To get the message across, you made a quiet coyote signal. Hoping it would calm his frayed nerves.

A ripple of Ben’s undignified frustration wafted through the air. His only answer was a harrumphing noise.

You stirred your head, biting your lip in confusion. “I can feel a strong enough remnant, but I should be able to sense his location.”

“What are you saying?” Ben inquired tightly.

You chose your next words carefully. “I’m saying, … I can’t feel Marcus.”

“What does this mean?” Fei’s strained voice shared Ben’s sentiment. “Are you saying he’s dead? Abducted?”

At last, you opened your eyes. The perplexity of this unsolved mystery still plaguing your mind even after. It was more than nerve-wracking. “I’m saying that I should be able to find him, but I can’t. It’s like he just … vanished.”

The air crackled with hostility. Anxiously, you swallowed, staring straightforward. You jumped back when Ben’s wrath reached you.

Holding you down with his tentacles, with one of them slinging around your throat. Tightly but menacingly enough to spell out his primal urges. Ben’s body draped over yours. Fury blazed in his darkened eyes. “Now, Umbrella, I’m done with your little mind games.”

Sloane stood behind Ben’s shoulder, raising her voice. “Ben, let go.”

“Not until I find out what her family has done to him.”

With a hoarse voice, you implored darkly, “Listen to your sister before your Cthulu tentacles get the memo about me too.” As a warning, you gripped the surprisingly smooth appendage around your throat.

You cursed your curious mind for even harboring the thought of wanting to know how the tentacle’s skin would feel like.

Ben’s smile grew tighter, the more his eldritch monster’s hold intensified. “Try me, Eight.”

Summoning empathetic energy from within to converse it as a kinetic shield, you blasted him against the cabinet and leaving small splinters of wood on the carpet.

With a grunting noise, Ben’s tentacles drew back into his body. “Alright,” he murmured reluctantly. Ben dragged his body upwards until he was leaning against the furniture for support. He offered a blood-stained smile in reverence before he wiped off the crimson evidence from his lips. “Little minx.”

A dull thud resounded when you dropped the book on the duvet. You stood up and with a quiet voice you told Ben in no uncertain terms, “Don’t ever threaten me again.”

Remembering the company of Ben’s sisters and the result of your outburst, you awkwardly glanced at them before your feet led you towards the open door.

Wordlessly, Fei turned her body to make room. Her gaze roamed over your body with fondness after your display of power. As soon as you left the room, her dry voice remarked, “I’d consider this a success.”

Tagging: @cherryinsalemverse @mellowstatesmanhandsempath @ravenmoore14 @blackmagicwoman @lelaamela

[mmhcs]

Miguel O'Hara x Tall!Reader

A/N: (I haven't seen many fics covering this topic so I thought that I'd throw my hat in the ring today). This is dedicated to all the tall girls out there! Y'all are beautiful and amazing!

Warnings: Slightly suggestive, but mostly SFW focus on legs, reader is female(if you'd like to see a gender-neutral version, please let me know!), reader is described as having a curvier lower body (only at one point, though), Miguel is absolutely head-over-heels for reader (pun-intended!)

Okay, y'all. Look at this man. He is 6'9". Big. Very big. Often times, he's the biggest person in the room. Tall and intimidating. And while he likes that (he is the big, scary boss. Hear him roar!), there are times in which he wishes that there was somebody who could relate to him. Like, do you know how hard it is to find shoes at 6'9"?

Now, don't get him wrong, Miguel loves women of all shapes and sizes. Short, tall, average height, skinny, chubby - he doesn't care. But when he saw you? It was like he had a spiritual awakening. Seeing you walk down the hallways of the Spider Society, suit hugging your curves...It did something to him.

Especially when he saw the mold of your legs. For the first time in a long time, Miguel felt himself getting a little nervous. Never had he seen another Spider dominate the room like you did. During your first few days, people used to stare whenever you entered the room - not out of fear as they did with him - but out of awe. You were gorgeous but your height - it just took you over the top.

From your first day forward, all Miguel would hear about is you.

"Did you see the new Spider?" "Yeah, she's really tall! What do you think she does in her professional life? Model?" "Oh my gosh, look at her! She looks good in that suit!"

Whenever you and Miguel would have conversations, he found it hard to focus. First, you have a stunning face but those legs? Oh, he was a goner. Though he had only seen you with in your Spider-suit, Miguel couldn't help but take a liking to your legs. Your thighs, though comprised of muscle - jiggled when you walked, and your calves looked as firm as his demeanor on a bad morning. Miguel had never had a thing for legs before (or at least not to his knowledge) but now he found himself fascinated by your legs and their length and angles. He could spend days worshipping the curvature between your calves and thighs.

When Miguel finally does see you out of uniform? He needs to leave the room. Don't ask why, he just does.

When you two finally start dating, Miguel can't take his eyes off of you. All he can do is stare (mainly at your legs) and thank Padre Dios that he managed to pull you into his life.

But, while what initially made you stand out to Miguel was your height, it actually doesn't play that big of a role in your relationship. As time goes on and lust simmers into love, you and Miguel are just a regular couple.

Though he doesn't spend much time in his home (or didn't until you), Miguel's space is tailor-made for him. Meaning chairs, couches, tables, and shelves big and high enough to accommodate him and his height. While a small thing to note, he's glad that he finally has someone doesn't find issue with it all.

Miguel is aware of the of the stereotypes and jabs thrown at girls of your stature and so he does his best to constantly remind you that you are beautiful, attractive, feminine, etc.

If you're shorter than him (doesn't even matter if it's an inch), he likes to crack short jokes with you here and there.

"Bebita, come look at this!" Miguel yells from his in front of your bedroom's television. "What is it, Miguel?" you ask, peaking your head out of the bathroom. "They say it's going to be windy today," He juts his chin towards the TV screen before refocusing on tying his tie. "Take precaution." "Miguel," you scoff. "What? I don't want you getting swept up by the wind." "Okay, firstly, you know damn well-"

If you're taller than him, Miguel also has jokes for that.

"Bebita, could you please pass me that plate over there?" Miguel asks, pointing his chin at a cabinet shelf that is directly at eye level with him. "Miguel," you give him a pointed look. He shrugs at you, continuing to wash the dishes. "Hey, don't put things up so high if you don't want me to ask you to get them." (For the next week, you started putting all the dishes in the bottom drawer)

The jokes, however, are only reserved for him. If anyone else makes a joke about your height, Miguel gets upset. Just ask Hobie. One time, Hobie asked you how you couldn't tell him what the weather was like from up there (all in good fun) and Miguel, who had no context of the conversation and walked in at the wrong time almost crucified him.

Miguel secretly loves how you two look together. As the head of the Spider Society (again, he likes to be the big, scary boss man), he enjoys the presence that you two create together. Domineering, commanding. Whether you two are in uniform or formal clothing - when you two talk, people listen.

If you work out, Miguel loves to go to the gym with you. Not only because he likes to see you in workout gear (though trust him, that is a very, very, very big plus) but because he finally has somebody who understands the struggle of putting on (visible) muscle.

Miguel loves kisses with you. He's always been very big physical touch in relationships but never before has it been so easy to just steal a kiss. And so, it has been become his favorite pastime.

Miguel loves to see you in dresses and shorts and heels. Anything that accentuates your height. Sometimes when you come home, you see a dress or a new pair of shoes that you've been wanting. However, other times, you find an article of clothing or shoes from a brand that you didn't even know existed. But if it's jeans or a maxi dress, they always cover your legs, if it's a regular shirt, your stomach isn't exposed, and whatever it is always looks good on you.

Sometimes when cuddling, Miguel will just start tracing and/or kneading random parts of your body because there's just so much of you to love and he doesn't know where to start.

At the end of each and every day, no matter if you're taller or shorter than him, Miguel likes to make you feel safe and protected. He likes to play the role of protector/provider and makes you feel taken care of and comfortable.

Bonus: "Your children are going to be some stallions, ain't they?" Hobie says, looking between you and Miguel. You laugh but Miguel glares at him with a scowl that would make most start running for the hills. "Stallions, eh?" you repeat later that night, in bed with him. While not a fan of you slowly assimilating to Hobie's humor, Miguel chuckles dryly and pulls you closer to him. "Indeed," he says, placing a kiss to the top of your head.

[yutarot]

deal or no deal (mark lee smau)

13) “what do you think, mark?” (written chapter) 700w

- the night of the battle of the bands -

[8:12PM]

mark knows how important the band is to you, he had watched you audition, crying on his bed when you got in. so it only felt natural that tonight, he was nothing but overjoyed to see you play.

what he doesn’t feel overjoyed about however, is seeing mingi.

“mark i swear to god, get in the damn van.” you hiss, always running late because mark doesn’t know that 8pm means 8pm.

their new van stinks, letters spelling ‘loded diper’, spread across the door with thick, black paint and probably suffocating them all in fumes.

luckily for mark, mingi is driving, meaning he’s able to avoid eye contact with him the entire journey. once he gets out, however, that’s a whole different story.

he looks across the van, all his friends and your bandmates somehow squished between the instruments.

“touch anything and your dead.” jeno warns, he listens because - well - it’s jeno.

the drive is shorter than expected, mark making jokes with chenle about whether the paint was actually made of loaded diapers but you were quick to shut them up with the hit of your drumsticks on their foreheads.

mark can’t lie, you look great tonight, but he can’t exactly tell you that with mingi glaring at him in the rearview mirror.

he saves the thought for later, as he usually does.

not knowing that he’ll never get the chance to tell u.

clambering out of the van, coughing and laughing, you, mingi, yunho and jeno head into the backstage doors, leaving the rest of the group to enter the venue.

mark is more nervous than ever and he can’t for the life of him figure out why.

his conversation with donghyuck halts the second a guitar riff breaks them from their silence, red lights illuminated to project jeno on the stage.

mark, hyuck and chenle are probably the loudest in the room right now, but they don’t care, screaming all sorts of profanity at their best friend, their own version of support.

it isn’t until the rest of the band, until you get illuminated, that mark quietens down, a nudge from hyuck causing him to break from his silence and let a smile tilt his lips.

he’s seen you perform before, many times actually, at your weekly gigs. but never has mark been so proud of you than this moment right now.

the set is incredible, to donghyuck especially by the seems of it. mark has to take his beer at one point to stop it spilling in his hands as hyuck attempts to start a mosh pit in the audience, which, embarrassingly for him, fails miserably.

he’s never seen an audience so alive, so raw, and he can’t wait to hear from you all about how your feeling in this moment.

but a pair of eyes kill his mood.

mingi.

he was looking directly at mark, the entire time.

mark tries to ignore it, brush it off, but when mingi walks towards yunho, stepping in his place to have access to the mic, mark knows he’s fucked.

as yunho stops singing, jeno stops playing, and so do you. confused, unaware.

mingi wraps his hand around the mic, eyes still glaring into marks.

“there’s a little someone in the audience id like to thank.”

fuck.

mark wants to leave, wants to start walking out but he can’t, he’s stuck under mingis attention.

“thanks to him, im still a sore loser, chasing the girl i want like a fucking dog. is that fair?” his hands go up, finally looking around the room.

the crowd jeers, oblivious, but hyuck turns to face mark who’s face is stern, unreadable.

..until mingis next words light a flame of anger in him.

“what do u think, mark?” with that, mingi steps back to his position, the song slowly gaining back to its rhythm. the bands new single hot sauce blaring through the speakers.

mark can’t even look at you, he knows you’ve probably figured it out, you’ll know now that you have to choose between your friendship with him or your relationship with mingi.

and mark is scared that he won’t win.

because it’s not just the bet he’ll lose, but he’ll lose you too.

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(a/n: sorry LOL)

(comment or send ask to be added to taglist)

@therealbobbyshloby @dudekiss3r @lostinneocity @aek1ra @haechansleftshoulder @sunghoonsgfreal @cyjzzl @nanaxwi @neocrashed

[bambikisss]

OHMAMI : K.HongJoong

🛵 : (mentioned)motorcyclist!HongJoong, badboy!HongJoong

📙 : After getting into a harsh argument with your boyfriend, things seem to get worse when the car breaks down, leaving you both stranded in the rain. So, not being to take it anymore, you call HongJoong to pick you and just drop you off at home. However, it seems he has other plans with you, tonight.

⚠ : mentions of vaping, slight cheating (if you don't take talking about breaking up as breaking up), unprotected sex

🎶 : OHMAMI - Chase Atlantic, Rude Boy - Rihanna, Deja Vu - Beyonce, Inception - ATEEZ

💕: Unprotected sex, vaping during sex (HJ does it once), complete bad boy HJ, passionate to rough, oral (m+f receiving), use of handcuffs, multiple orgsam (reader), taking a video/picture, biting, fingering

->Bambi's notes : I actually love this one so much, plus I love oreo HJ a lot lol. This may be one of my favorites.

(B/N = Boyfriend's name, HJ is just a shorter version of HongJoong.)

COMMENTS + REBLOGS ARE ENCOURAGED AND APPRECIATED | ONLY FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY

You always thought relationships should be easy. No, they should be. So why were you yelling at your boyfriend of 2 years in his old ass car on the side of the highway during a goddam rainstorm, when you should be home in bed?

"No, don't put this on me, B/N! All I asked you to do was block her number and you can't even do that! I asked you to do this almost two months ago and you're still texting her?!"

Oh, that's why- your boyfriend refused to cut off his previous fling. When you both started dating, you met her under the lie that she was his sister. You found that weird because, for the year you had known him before you both had begun dating, he had never mentioned any other siblings, nor did his parents. So imagine your surprise when you hear his phone buzzing in the middle of the night to see a text from her saying "I know we agreed to stop sleeping with each other, but I need you, tonight. The toys don't feel as good as you."

Now, when you first read it, you were in shock as Sweet Home Alabama blasted in your head. But, then you became rightfully upset. You thought about it all night until the next day, bringing it up with him during breakfast. And when you saw the color absolutely drain from his face, you knew he had some explaining to do. That's when he told you the truth: she was his friend and ex-fling. He had agreed to break it off when you and him began dating, but she seemed to think otherwise. You could remember how hard you gripped the spatula at his words, not being able to understand why he had not only lied to you, making you believe that she was your sister, but that she still thought it was alright to text you something like that.

After a few weeks of him apologizing, you told him that the only way you would get closure was for him to block her number. You thought that since she didn't respect his wishes to end it, then she wasn't a friend he should keep around. He agreed to do that for you.

No, he promised. 

So when you saw her at the party you and your boyfriend were attending together, and noticed the way she seemed to look at him, you knew something was up. Your feeling then got worse when you noticed how often your boyfriend was on his phone and how much effort he put into keeping it from your view. Your feeling was then confirmed when you got in the car later and the bright message came onto the car's screen: I promise. Y/N won't know about us.

That now led to the argument you and your boyfriend were having on the side of a highway during heavy rain in his car. As your voices continued to rise, you knew that this conversation wouldn't be going anywhere. You needed to go home and just be away from him, and maybe drink some of your favorite wine. "You know what, B/N? Whatever. No, seriously whatever. Take me home." Your voice was almost deadpan and broken due to all the yelling that had just been happening. Your boyfriend sighed, flicking his wrist to turn the car in the ignition as he tried to turn the car on, mumbling his own "whatever." However, the car didn't turn on. He continued to try and turn it on, sighing when he noticed the E flashing on his dashboard.

You felt a spark of annoyance fill you once more as you realized that he didn't fucking put gas in the car like you had suggested he do for days. Sometimes, it felt like taking care of a child and talking to a wall. "Fuck. What are you going to do?" You didn't hide your annoyance in your voice as B/N rolled his eyes, pulling out his phone. Your eyes then instantly zoomed in on the name on the top of his messages. You then cursed when you noticed he was texting her to drop off some gas for the car, and then sending her his location. You felt your body heat up as you met his eyes. Out of all the people he knew, he chose her, the subject of the argument to come drop off gas?

"Really, her? You couldn't pick someone else?" You asked, crossing your arms as your boyfriend pinched his nose, mumbling a small "shut up, Y/N."

That was your last straw.

You took out your own phone, opening your own messages to click on your close friend, HongJoong. You'd be dammed if you saw his "sister", ex-fling, or whatever she actually was to him, and let her help you get home tonight. You'd find another way.

Your eyes zoomed in on the keyboard as you quickly typed out a quick SOS message and your location to HongJoong. Within a few moments, you were not only gifted with a read receipt but with a message saying "On my way." Good ole HongJoong- would drop anything to come help you.

"Who are you texting?" Your eyes narrow at your boyfriend, his question making you hot once more. You don't respond, choosing to scroll through social media till HongJoong got here. You hoped he would get here before the other woman got here.

Well, you seemed to be lucky tonight, because soon parked his black hellcat in front of your boyfriend's car, then texted you "here. come on, princess."

While you were gathering your things, your boyfriend narrowed his eyes at the car, looking at it through the rain before he realized who that car belonged to. You knew how your boyfriend felt about HongJoong, which also drove you to choose him to come pick you up. Your boyfriend and HJ didn't mix well- your boyfriend hated how HJ always seemed to have his arm wrapped around you, a smirk on his lips when he talked to you, or how he constantly used nicknames with you. HJ, on the other hand, thought your boyfriend was shady and annoying. You smirked as you grabbed your bag, only for your wrist to be grabbed by your boyfriend, his voice now tense as he spoke. "Really, him? You really couldn't wait for-"

"You told me to shut up. Take me leaving as me shutting up" you hissed, ripping your wrist from his grip as you made sure you had everything. Before you could open the car door, though, your boyfriend spoke one more time. "If you get in his car, we're breaking up."

Now, what kind of threat was that? You rolled your eyes before you opened the car door, allowing the rain to hit your body as you met your boyfriend's eyes for the last time that night. "Fine. We're done. Fuck you and have fun fucking your sister." And with that, you slammed the car door closed, making your way to HJ's warm car. When you sat down in the passenger seat, you were met with HJ wearing his signature black hoodie and ripped jeans. He had his half-blonde, half-black hair styled, rings over his fingers, and a fruit punch-flavored vape snug in one hand. When you met his eyes, you noticed his new eyebrow piercing that seemed to glint in the streetlights.

"So, do you want to tell me now or later why I'm picking you up on the side of the highway from your boyfriend's car?" He asked, smiling at you softly as picked up his vape, taking a deep breath of the flavored nicotine before rolling down his window, breathing out the smoke before returning his attention to you. You don't know how many times you had told him to stop vaping, but he always seemed to ignore your words, but respectfully- not vaping around you in closed areas, not pushing out the smoke in your direction, not taking you to the vape shop with him, etc. You always appreciated it, for some weird reason.

"No. Just take me home. It's a long story that I do not want to relive right now." HJ noticed the annoyance in your voice, chuckling before turning his car on, the expensive car revving to life before he simply said "whatever you say, princess"

~>~

"So, like I had told you a while ago, he was still talking to his "sister?" You rolled your eyes at the playful tone in HongJoong's voice as he drove, shaking his head as he approached a red light. When you had told him about the whole situation, you hoped he would comfort you first, then make fun of it. But, deep down, you knew better. "I thought I had made it pretty obvious that I didn't want him talking to her. Then he had the nerve to say that if I got in your car, then he would break up with me."

"Woah, Y/N. So it's over?" HongJoong turned to look at you, raising an eyebrow hopefully. You shook your head as you rested it against the window, watching as the remaining rain drops from the rain storm moved down his windshield. You knew it wasn't really over. He said that in the heat of the moment and you knew that this needed an actual conversation because you knew B/N. He always said something in an argument to leave you a sting of pain.

Your attention soon returned to the street signs as the car moved, your eyebrows furrowing as you realized that this isn't the way to your house, but to HongJoong's. When you mentioned it to him, he only chuckled before he said "Y/N, princess, come on. You really think I would let you go home where I know that you're going to down a bottle of wine by yourself and cry? Why would I, being the great friend that I am, let you do that? So, you're staying with me at my house. No exceptions." You tried to argue weakly with him, but it was obvious that he wasn't going to change his mind. You relaxed back in the seat, watching the familiar street signs move as he drove.

The car soon stopped in front of his garage, the lights on inside to show you that he instantly left when you sent him that text. That thought made you smile. "Hold on, princess." Before you could leave the car, you felt his hand wrap around your wrist, the same way your boyfriend's had, but only more gentle. You turned to meet his eyes as his fingers gently moved over the skin on your wrist, his eyes glimmering with something bad...almost naughty as he looked at you. "Even though I know you know this about me, just remember that I'm the type of man to take what someone says at face value...and since your little boyfriend, no ex, said that if you got in my car, it's over, and you got in my car..."

HongJoong let his words trail off as he lifted your wrist to his lips, pressing a small kiss to it before gently biting it with teeth, making you gasp softly. He smiled more against your wrist before he dropped your hand from his grasp, shooting you a wink before grabbing his vape and car keys, making his way inside. HongJoong had a thing for you for the longest time, it only growing when he saw you with B/N. He felt protective and almost territorial over you, not hesitating to wrap his arm over your shoulder or call you a variety of nicknames even though he knew you were taken. He knew that he could be a better man for you, no, that he was the better man for you. He just needed to see if you felt the same way.

You sat in shock in his car, noticing how slow he was putting his key into the door, as if he was waiting for you. You scrambled to grab your bag and phone before jogging up to join him at the front door, making him chuckle. "There you are, princess. I thought you were going to try and spend the whole night sleeping in my hellcat."

Your mind was still scrambled due to HongJoong's actions, not responding to his comment as you follow him into the house. You smiled at the familiar scent, along with the various motorcycle items on the kitchen counter, all polished. You smiled as you dragged one of your fingers along the helmet, smiling more at the reflection of you and HJ. "You know, you still haven't taken me on a ride on your prized motorcycle. You promised me for my birthday last year that you would" You laugh softly as he rolls his eyes, approaching you with his own smile as he moves to press his chest against yours, making you back up against the counter and helmet. "I rushed to go pick you up from your goddam boyfriend and this is how you treat me, Y/N? I'm offended" You bite your lip softly as one of his hands moved to your lower back, right above your ass as he whispers "plus, you can ride something else, tonight."

You didn't know where HongJoong suddenly obtained the confidence to say such things and touch you like this, but it made you almost dizzy. You had never felt that way for your boyfriend when he did this stuff to you, but HongJoong seemed to have your mind already fuzzy, all from a flirty joke and his touch alone. "Tell me, Y/N, have you ever thought about me when you're with B/N? Do you ever wish you were in my car or in my house when you were with him?" HongJoong raised an eyebrow as he spoke, his hand moving slowly up the small of your back as his fingers poke the under the your shirt, making you sigh. "Do you ever wish it was me touching you like that? Don't you wish you were in my bed, my lips all over you, making you feel so much better than your fucking ex?" You didn't have a response, but he knew. He had seen how your eyes linger on his lips when they're wrapped around his vape, how you get when he wraps his arm over your shoulder, how you seem to call him first when something happens so he can comfort you. You have female friends who could comfort you, but you always seem to want him first.

Your mind was dizzy, trying to remind you about B/N, but you couldn't. HJ had you in a trance...and he wasn't wrong.

You met him in a hungry kiss, running your hands through his hair as his hands move under your shirt, working on removing your bra. You gasped softly into the kiss as he skillfully removed your bra, pulling it from under your top before he picked you up, wrapping your legs around his waist. The kiss seemed to become hotter as he began to walk you both to his bedroom, his groans coming through the kiss as you ground against him. Your eagerness only made him more horny, kicking open his bedroom door before he pressed you against the first wall he saw, your back now against one of his posters as he continued to kiss you, his tongue pushing into your mouth as his fingers push up your top.

"Fuck, Joong," You gasped as your breasts became exposed to the cold bedroom air, the nipples hardening as HongJoong tossed away the fabric. He smirked softly, glad that you're already saying his name. But, he has things to attend to.

Your eyes close as his lips wrap around one of your nipples, the other one getting pinched and rolled by one of his hands. Your legs seem to tighten around his waist, arching your back as his teeth seem to graze over your nipple before he switches, giving the other one the same treatment as he says "wouldn't want this other one to be jealous." You didn't care, running your hands through his hair as he slowly kissed down your breasts, licking along your stomach as he got onto his knees. You never thought you'd see him on his knees, but it did something for you. He roughly pulled down your pants, tossing them away haphazardly before he gripped your legs, placing them onto his shoulders as he looked up at you with hooded eyes.

"You know, I've always wondered if you have pretty panties. Based on all the bathing suits you've worn, it always made me hard to think that you had pretty little panties that could get ruined by your naughty pussy" You didn't have a chance to respond to his words as he pushed your underwear to the side, licking a long strip up your pussy slowly before going back to dive his tongue into you. Your back once again arched against the wall as he played with your folds, taking his time tasting and licking every crevice of you. You hummed against his face, rolling your hips against his face as he sped up.

"Good girl, baby." HongJoong gently pulls back from your pussy, spitting back into it before he sped up his movements, his mind filled with only thoughts of pleasing you, getting you off on his tongue right against his wall. You can't help but moan louder as he speeds up, one of his hands moving up your body to grip your neck as he moans loudly into your pussy, the vibrations pushing you closer to your orgsam. HongJoong smiles as he notices how much louder you've gotten, his tongue now curling and speeding up as he fucks you with his tongue. His eyes never left yours as he squeezed around your neck, his own moan getting louder as your eyes begin to roll back. "Come on baby. Cum for me." He lowly praised you as you came, his tongue only slowing down when you began to whine.

As you slowly come down from your high, you feel HongJoong move you from the wall to the bed, roughly dropping you onto the bed before he begins to strip himself. You turned your head to see him standing in front of you, completely naked with his hand wrapped around his thick cock, moving along his length slowly as he watched you. You could feel your mouth and body regain all of your energy as you watched him, a small moan leaving your lips as his thumb moved along his tip, gathering his precum before chuckling. You sat up on your knees as he moved to sit on the bed in front of you, his free hand gripping your jaw to make sure you met his eyes.

HongJoong had many fantasizes about you, but seeing you right now on your knees in front of him in his bedroom did something to him. He felt like he could cum right at the sight, but he wanted to wait.

His eyes continued to meet yours as his precum covered thumb moved to your lips, watching as you slowly opened your mouth to wrap around it, your tongue moving to meet it as you licked and sucked it clean. He couldn't help but smirk, his eyes darkening once more as his cock twitched.

"I knew it, Y/N. You're absolutely filthy." He chuckled, humming as he moved his thumb around your mouth before pulling it from your lips, smirking at the string of saliva you left connecting to his thumb. You nodded at his words, willing to agree to whatever he said in that moment. HongJoong chuckled at your nod, laying down on the bed with his head against your knees. You looked at him with confusion across your face as he grabbed his vape, your hands running through his hair as he slowly blows out the flavored air. At the feeling of your hands in his hair along with the rush from the vape, he couldn't help but close his eyes. It felt nice, despite the fact that you both were naked and horny still, this moment was something he had always wanted with you. But, his twitching dick needed to be attended to.

"Sit on my face."

The moment was quickly shattered at his words, your eyes widening as your hands stilled in his hair. He slowly opened his eyes to see your reaction, your wide eyes making him laugh. "Come on, Y/N, don't be so shocked. Who wouldn't want you to sit on their face?" You could feel your cheeks heat up, smacking his shoulder as he laughed more. His blunt words had you stunned, but the idea did make you wet once more.

"I've never done it before, though" You had wanted to with B/N, but the opportunity never came up as well sex with him was...bland. HongJoong hummed as he kissed your knee and thighs, shrugging before he looked up at you once more. "And? Who better to do it with than with me?" You gasped as he gripped your knees, spreading them open before his hands moved up your sides, pulling you closer to his body to almost crawl over him. You let him move you, placing your hands on the bed as they sat on either side of his legs. You couldn't help but notice his thick cock once more leaking precum as his hands move up your thighs and ass, gripping your flesh as he hummed. He spread you open before his hands gripped your hips, pulling you back so you could sit on his open mouth. At first, you tried to not fully sit down as you were scared of crushing him, but that only made him groan loudly in annoyance, his teeth meeting the inside of your thigh before roughly pulled you down onto his mouth.

Your head immediately fell back as his tongue eagerly moved around your pussy, his moans now louder. In this position, his tongue could go deeper into you, but he could also feel and grip your ass.

"Fuck, you taste so good. I knew someone as hot as you would have such a naughty pussy, Y/N." HongJoong gripped your hips more as his lips wrapped around your clit, chuckling when he felt your thighs shake. You felt like you couldn't sit up straight anymore, leaning forward so your hands were once again against the bed, your hips still making sure to press down again his mouth. Your moans got louder the deeper his tongue moved in you, his rings adding to the experience as he gripped your ass, spreading you open just the way he wanted. Your head soon turned to see his cock still leaking, you mouth watering once more as you thought of his taste you had on his thumb.

HJ felt you move, raising an eyebrow. "Y/N, why are you- oh my fucking god, baby"

His head fell back as you took him into your mouth, his mouth open as you licked along his length. He was going to ask you later on if you wanted to suck him off, but having you now in this position was just as good, if not better. He chuckled breathlessly as you shook your ass, reminding him of what he should be doing. He licked his lips before his focus returned, one of his hands coming down to smack your ass, moaning deeply with you as you moan around his cock, one of his fingers moving along your pussy before pushing into you. He tossed his head back again as you moaned louder around him, not hesitating to begin to fuck you with his finger while his other hand slowly moved up your back to your head, pushing you down around his cock before he began to fuck up into your throat, chuckling whenever you choked or gurgled around his cock.

"Don't act like you can't take this cock, Y/N. We both know you're a naughty girl," he tsked, his hand moving from your hair back to your ass as he gripped it, moving it so he could watch his finger enter and disappear in you only to reappear covered in your wet juices. You moaned loudly at his words, pressing your nose down against him as you held him in your throat for a few seconds, making him moan before smacking your ass again, a small "good girl" leaving his lips in praise before he added another finger into you, curling it.

You felt your second orgsam approach as he moved his fingers faster, his hand moving to grip your hair as he tugged you off his cock, wanting to hear you moan his name louder as his fingers plunged into you at a rough pace. With him repeatedly hitting your spot and with how hard he was gripping your hair, you knew your orgsam was going to hit fast and hard, just like how you both wanted.

"Joong, I'm so close, don't stop" you moaned, your own body moving back and forth to meet his fingers' movements, making him not only moan, but move even faster. He placed a small kiss and bite to your thigh as it began to shake, curling his fingers once more as you began to shake around them. He praised you as you came, his hand moving from your hair to smack your ass gently, moving his body so you could lay down against the bed. He licked his fingers as he watched you shake gently against the bed, feeling like you could fall asleep right there. But, the feeling of sleep went away when you felt his hands move up your body to your shoulders, the tip of his cock now pressing against your entrance.

"Don't fall asleep on my now, Y/N. I still haven't came yet, nor have you got to wet my cock." You gripped the sheets as you tried to sit up to try and explain that you couldn't move your legs, but he seemed to beat you to it. You rested your head against the bed as he stood up from the bed, walking out of the room. You rested against the bed as you tried to wonder what he was doing especially after what he had said. You had never came twice from someone, especially that hard and without them even using their cock. A part of you couldn't help but be excited at the idea of him fucking you though, especially with how thick it felt in your throat.

HJ soon returned to your sight, his naked body leaning against the doorway as he looked at you. You couldn't see his hands, but you noticed how his eyes slowly moved over your body, admiring it once more as his cock twitched again. He wanted to see it once more before he ruined you, knowing that when he was done having you cum all over his cock, you both were going to be too exhausted to do anything else.

"Tell me, baby, did B/N ever... experiment with you?" You raised an eyebrow at his words, shaking your head at his words. "No, it was always pretty vanilla, why?"

"Well, that's such a shame, isn't it? He should always be looking for new ways to pleasure you, make you scream his name, to make you cum the hardest, right?" You nodded at his words, making him smile. His smile looked mischievous and evil, his tongue coming out to lick along his bottom lip before he fully pushed open the bedroom door, showing a small grey digital camera in one hand and a pair of handcuffs in the other. He slowly approached the bed, his fingers playing with the handcuffs as his eyes locked in one yours. His eyes were dark- like you were being hunted.

"I wouldn't want you to forget about our night together, Y/N. I want you to hold any other man who you sleep with to my standards, princess." He tossed the items onto the bed before he gripped your jaw, pulling you close to him, his lips hovering right over yours. You couldn't help but lean in close to try and kiss him, but he quickly pulled back, chuckling at your pout before he shook his head. "No, no, baby. Let me set you up first, then we can maybe kiss"

"Well then, hurry up" HJ chuckled at your eagerness, despite just not being able to move a few minutes ago. But, nonetheless, he was here to please you.

He moved you so your hands were against the headboard, spreading your legs before he handcuffed your wrists together, then handcuffed them to the headboard. You looked down at your knees that sat pressed into his pillows before he pulled them back a bit, pressing his hand down against your lower back so you'd arch it. When he was satisfied with your position, he then reached down to grab the camera before leaning in to press his chest against your back, the tip of his cock against your pussy once more. He faced the camera towards you both, his lips moving to your ear as he whispered "a little before picture." He pressed a quick kiss to your ear before he clicked a button, the camera taking a picture of the two of you before he tossed it haphazardly onto the bed, his hands moving to grip your hips before he slowly pushed into you.

Your moans mixed in together as his cock stretched you out, your nails digging into the headboard as he his fingers dug into your hips. He slowly kissed up the back of your neck before biting down on your shoulder as his cock fully stretched you. He hummed at the feeling of your warm and wet walls around his cock, feeling you pulse around him before he slowly pulled back out, leaving just his tip in you before he grunted into your ear lowly "be loud, baby. Don't hold back."

Your nails dug more into the headboard as he roughly pushed back into your, his hips now snapping against your ass as you moaned loudly. Your jaw became slack as he fucked you, his loud moans mixing with yours as he smacked your ass. Your eyes had closed at the feeling, his hips beginning to slow down for a moment as he rolled his hips to meet your ass, moving deeper in you. Then, you heard it.

Click.

Click.

You bit your lip at the sound of the camera going off, turning your head back to see HJ holding the camera, taking a picture of your ass against his hips, your arched back, and now-

"Keep looking back here at me, baby" he too a picture of your face as he picked back up the pace, snapping a few of your reactions to his cock diving in you before he dropped the camera once more in favor of gripping your hips. You felt your body heat up once more, panting that you were about to cum again. HongJoong only chuckled deeply before he whispered in your ear "I don't fucking care, cum again for me baby. Come on, cream on my cock, I'm still going to fuck you till I fill you up with my cum"

You moaned loudly at his words, clamping down around him before you came, your body shivering at the feeling as he moaned. The cum ring began to form around his cock, making him have to rip his eyes from his cock before he gripped your breasts, pulling your body. You bit your lip as your back was now fully arched, your wrists still against the headboard while your legs were now against the bed, HJ now straddling them before as he panted, his hair now pressed against his sweat covered forehead.

"Now, I can fuck you deeper baby and push my cum nice and deep, just like you deserve" he smirked before he began to move his hips again, biting his lips as he listened to you moaning his name louder as his cock drilled into you, the new position allowing him to go as deep as he wanted. He leaned down to bite your shoulder, licking the area before his hand moved around your stomach, chuckling as he felt his cock through you. "You're so fucking filthy, Y/N. Be honest, you wanted this- you wanted me to come pick you up, take you my house, handcuff you to my bed, and fuck this naughty pussy just like this, didn't you?"

"Yes! Yes, I wanted you to" you moaned loudly, your mind now a mess as he moves even faster, chuckling against your neck before he grunts, roughly pushing all the way in you before he stops, making you whine. He gently shushes you before he leaned back to grab his phone, unlocking it before he pulls up his camera, setting it on the nightstand so it could see you and him both on the recording before he pressed start.

HongJoong was now panting, kissing your shoulder before he whispered in your ear "I'm about to fucking cum" you nodded, spreading your legs a bit more as he began to grind against your ass, his hands moving up your body to grip your breasts before he bit the shell of your ear, grunting deep in your ear "I'm going to fill you up, baby, but I want to hear you ask for it. Be loud enough so the camera can hear you baby. Be loud"

"Please give me your cum, HongJoong, give me all of it. Fill me up so much that it leaks out of my pussy, so then you have to fuck it back into me"

Your words cause HongJoong's brain to short circuit, his cock driving into you a rough yet pleasurable pace as he wrapped his arms around your body, holding you close to him he placed wet kisses against your shoulder, growling lowly that he was super close. That was your only warning before his hips pressed roughly and firmly against your ass, his dick twitching in your before his cum painted your walls, his moan echoing around the room as he panted against your shoulder. His eyes were shut for a bit before one of his hands moved over your handcuffed wrists, his hips once more moving in you, ignoring how the overstimulation felt for him, his other hand moving to play with your clit. You gasped, meeting his hips as you moved back, your ass slightly bouncing against them as you chased after your last orgsam. Your eyes began to flutter closed as you came, your body falling limp around his biceps.

"There we go, baby, I'll hold you together. I knew you could do make a mess all over my dick" You hummed at his words, feeling like you were beyond cloud nine. You both rested against one another for a bit before he slowly uncuffed you from the headboard, carefully laying you down on the bed. You felt like you were going to fall asleep, your eyes fighting to stay open as he slowly pulled out of you before going to grab a rag and clean you up. You breathed in his scent on his pillow, a small smile coming onto your face at the scent before jumping a bit at the feeling of the cloth.

"Don't move, princess. You body must be sore" he hummed, wiping all of his cum from your body before he rubbed your back, pressing a kiss down to the small of your back before he laid down behind you, gently spooning you. You smiled at his warm embrace, your eyes still fighting to stay open.

You were about to doze off when you felt his arms move, his hands grabbing his phone from the nightstand before he stopped the recording. He then saved it, checking the time before he turned off his phone. "What are you going to do with that recording, Joong?"

"Well, it depends on how you answer my question, baby," you looked back over your shoulder at him, his lips pressed against your shoulder as his hand rubbed your side. You couldn't help but admire him- the moonlight that came through his window made his eyebrow piercing glimmer, his eyes were now soft, and his oreo colored hair was now a mix due to your hands running through them. He didn't look like such a bad boy in this moment, just HongJoong.

He admired you too, smiling against your shoulder before he decided to bite the bullet. "So, is this a one off thing, or...are you going to break up with B/N and maybe see where things can go with us?"

You could see the nervousness develop in HJ's eyes- a look you've never seen, but one you that showed you he meant it, and that he was being vulnerable with you. You carefully turned in the bed to cup his cheeks, a small smile on your lips before you spoke. "You're the person who said you'd take what someone says at face value. He said that if I got in your car, than he was breaking up with me. Plus, I had told him to have fun fucking his "sister," too, so-"

"You said what?" HongJoong laughed, making you laugh as he held up his hand, high fiving you before he slowly intertwined your fingers, pressing a kiss to your hand and your wrist, pulling you close so your head was against his chest. You nodded, squeezing your hand with his before you continued. "So, I think things are over between me and B/N. And, I'd love to see where things go between you and me, Joong. But, you have to take me riding on your motorcycle like you promised"

HongJoong laughed at your words, pressing a small kiss to your forehead before he nodded. "Fine, tomorrow I'll take you out on the motorcycle, but that's only after a safety lesson. Then, we'll go out for dinner."

You agreed with his words, squeezing your hand with his once more before your eyes slowly closed, listening to his heartbeat as you both fell asleep in each other's embrace, listening to the rain outside.

[system-to-the-madness]

Cherry Blossom Interventions 🌸 Fushiguro Megumi x Reader

Pairing: Fushiguro Megumi x Reader (can be read as any gender, no pronouns used) Genre: hurt/comfort – angst to fluff Word Count: 3 271 Warnings: SPOILER for up to chapter 253, suicidal tendencies and implications (Megumi), mentions of death and depression Summary: Megumi has drawn back from everyday life completely, so you intervene A/N: Sorry for the late post; life happened. Played volleyball with friends, went to eat sushi, went running with the same friends, went to Maces, and then to a foot Onsen.

Sakura Festival Masterlist - Masterlist

"Why am I here?"

You stopped in your tracks and turned around to Megumi. He was standing underneath a cherry blossom tree when a cool breeze of spring air swept through his hair, carrying pink petals that caught in his black strands. His hair was shorter than it had been in autumn; not by much but the difference was still noticeable. You wondered whether he had cut it to not resemble the version of himself Sukuna had turned him into.

“You know why you are here,” you answered him, ignoring the frown on his brow. “This is an intervention.”

“What kind of intervention,” he asked back, clearly starting to get upset.

“What kind of intervention do you think it is?”

“Whatever it is, I’m not interested.” Megumi was already turning away from you again when you called out for him.

“We are worried,” you told him, almost shouting.

He just scoffed.

“Who is we?”

“Yūji, me, Toge, Maki, Yūta” you replied. “Panda, too, and Ieiri-sensei. Ever since December, ever since that last fight. Do you think we don’t know what's been going on with you? Do you think we don't know you've been skipping therapy and meals. We know you're just holed up in your room the whole day. We know you don't want to be here; you don't want to be with us anymore-”

“Then why can't you let me be?”

His shout made you flinch, but you had faced scarier things than an upset classmate.

“Because we care,” you shouted back. “We care too much to let you ruin your life like this! Don't misunderstand: We are not making light of the situation you were in - you are in. We understand that none of us could ever possibly imagine the things you have gone through, but you cannot ask us to let our friend die, who we fought so hard to save. You can't ask that of us!”

Megumi just rolled his eyes. “And what about what I want? What about the things I want,” he asked.

“For once, you don't get to say in this,” you shook your head. “It's not much we demand of you. We want you to eat properly. We know you haven't. We want you to step outside at least once a week, doesn't have to be long, just sit in the sun for a few minutes. That's all we ask. Or open your window, it's been barricaded since you moved back in in January. And go to your therapy sessions. We know you have them scheduled and we know you've been skipping them. You can't expect to get better if you don't go to these sessions.”

“And what if I don't want to get better?”

“That's not an option. I told you: For once you don't get to say in this.”

Megumi stared at you from between the falling cherry blossom petals that were carried down to the ground by the wind. You could see in his eyes that right now, in this moment in time, he thought he hated you. You just had to hope he didn't actually feel that way. If he did, you did you definitely would have been the wrong choice to have this conversation with him.

It had been quite a debate between the second years, Yūji, and you about who should talk to Megumi. You even considered asking Ieiri-sensei about being the one to talk to him, but in the end, everyone agreed it would be best if it were you. They were convinced you were the one he trusted the most, the one he liked the best. At least those were the others’ arguments. You weren't sure how true they held, now that he stared at you as if he wished you were to drop dead to the floor.

“All right,” Megumi sighed. “I'll oblige to your demands under one condition: Give me one good reason why I should continue fighting. But keep in mind: my mother is dead. My father is dead, killed by the man who raised me, the man who – although he is not my father – is the closest thing I've ever had to one, the man who I had to watch being killed by my own hands. My sister is dead, also killed by me. What do I live for? Give me one good reason.”

You stared back at Megumi watching the hatred in his eyes. It was obvious he didn't believe you had any idea what he was going through.

Truthfully, you didn't. Your situation was nothing like his, and you never had been in a situation like this before nor would you ever be, but that didn't mean you didn't know all the facts he just listed. His father, his mother, his sister, and Gojō-sensei, all the people he ever might have considered family, were gone, along with so many others. And in a large part he blamed himself for it.

It was not his fault, how could it have been his fault, when it had been Sukuna, who had possessed his body. But you supposed having to watch your own body commit such terrors, having to watch as your hands took life after life, unable to interfere, unable to save his friends and family, unable to do anything but watch them all being slaughtered… it wasn’t surprising he blamed himself.

“Gojō’s in a coma, one he might never wake back up from, and it's nobody's fault but mine. Do you really believe I can live in a world like that?”

You wanted to disagree with him, tell him that it was not his fault, that he was not the one to blame, that as long as you all stuck together, there was still hope, but you knew better than to do so. Instead, you started with what he had demanded of you.

“You want me to give you a reason to keep on living,” you asked. “Gojō-sensei is not dead. As you said he's in a coma. Ieiri-sensei has been working on him every day. As far as we know he might wake up any day now.”

Megumi shook his head. “You really believe that,” he asked, “if you’re really believing that, you are more naïve than I believed you to be.” He sounded disappointed.

“Not naïve,” you disagreed. “Hopeful.”

“Same thing.”

“But let's assume for one moment Gojō were to wake back up,” you continued the train of thought before Megumi could derail it again. “Wouldn’t you want to be there? Wouldn’t you want to see him again, talk to him again?”

“You’re dealing in probabilities; probabilities are not good enough. Give me something tangible.”

You blinked. You had really thought he would give in at Gojō. So, what were you to say now?

“A stary sky then,” you offered. “To go star gazing the way we did last summer. On a blanket, out in front of the school, sharing snacks and drinks.”

Megumi scuffed.

“Another sunrise,” you continued. “Pinks and reds and oranges dying the clouds, a new day with new possibilities-”

“New suffering? Not good enough.”

“A puppy’s fur under your fingertips, these sharp, tiny teeth burying in your skin.”

“And what for?” Before you could answer, he kept going. “All my life I’ve tried to form relationships, be close to people I care about, and all my life they left me. One after the other. So what good is another stary sky, another sunrise, a puppy’s fur underneath my fingertips, if I don’t have anyone to share it with? It’s not good enough.”

A part of your mind was still hung up on the thought that it was probably better for Megumi to blame the dead for being dead than himself, but you quickly answered.

“You have us,” you told him, taking a careful step forward. “Maki, Toge, Panda, Yūta.”

His ocean blue eyes glimmered as he fully turned towards you as if he was waiting for something specific.

“You have Yūji.”

His shoulders sacked, and he looked away.

“Not good enough. They’re all gonna leave eventually.”

“I won’t,” you disagreed. “I’m not gonna leave. I made you a promise when we entered Shibuya together, that I’d always be there, and I don’t plan on breaking that promise.”

Megumi shook his head, biting his lips, still not looking at you.

“You’ll be there,” he asked, sounding disbelieving. “For every stary sky, every sunset. Every meal, walk, therapy session.”

“Yes.” Your reply was unwavering.

“You don’t even know what that means,” Megumi sighed, finally looking back up to you, but now he seemed rather sad than angry. As if the scenarios he had painted were what he wanted but were too far out of reach to even attempt to grasp them. “I’m sick. My mind- I’m broken. Something inside my head is broken and I don’t know if it will ever heal again, and if it does, if it heals right. A promise like you’re offering… it wouldn’t just be for the next days or weeks. It might be months, years, hell, it might be decades of me trying to shut my self away, of nightmares, therapy, being unable to laugh or feel anything other than this pitch-black darkness. You can’t promise me you’ll be strong enough to be there. I don’t doubt that you have the strength to see me through all this, I know you do. But there will be times when it will seem as if I’d be okay, and you’ll be hopeful, but when I have a bad phase again- It would hurt you, and I can’t hurt any more of my friends.”

“And you think the way you’re behaving right now is hurting nobody? Megumi, I won’t promise that I’ll always be there. I can’t. I’m still a sorcerer, I still have to go to missions, and am in danger every time I go. But I will be there for you for as long as I can and for as long and often as you want me to be.”

“For every stary sky?”

“And every sunrise.”

“Every meal?”

“If that’s what you want, yes. And for every walk, and if you want me to, I’ll even wait outside the therapist’s office for you.”

Megumi averted his gaze, staring at a spot right in front of your feet.

“Why? Why would you do that? What do you get in return?”

Carefully you took a step forward. “Because I care about you Megumi. And even though it might seem selfless, getting to be there for you, supporting you, trying to help you to get back to your feet, getting to watch you fight to get better, being with you through all this, is actually a very selfish act.”

Megumi looked back up, his eyes scanning your face for a moment.

“Can you hug me,” he asked, voice quiet over the wind in the branches above you.

“Of course,” you smiled and slowly crossed the last distance between you, wrapping your arms around him. He seemed to melt into the touch, almost fragile, his body moving closer to yours until his whole front was flatly pressed against yours, his face buried against the side of your neck, his hair tickling your cheek and ear. You held him tight, not too tight, so he still could breathe without effort, but tight enough for him to feel how serious you were with everything you had offered.

“I’m just scared of ending up alone again,” he whispered. “And I can’t lose you too. You’re too important to me.”

“You won’t lose me,” you whispered back, rubbing his back through the thick fabric of his oversized hoodie.

“What if you die?”

“I won’t. And if I do, I’ll come back as a curse, like Rika.”

The sound of a small chuckle surprised you, but you quickly held Megumi tighter, hoping to engrave the sound into your memory forever.

Before you could say anything else, Megumi’s phone started ringing. You stiffened up, ready to pull away, but Megumi kept you close.

“Aren’t you going to answer,” you asked, hesitantly wrapping your arms back around him.

“No,” he replied.

“What if it’s important?”

“How important can it be,” Megumi shrugged. “Not more important than this, anyway.”

After a while the ringing stopped, and Megumi slowly loosened his hold on you. Carefully pulling away, you came face to face with him.

“Thank you,” he said sincerely.

“What for?”

“Everything. I… I tend to lose sight of the good things in life and let the darkness swallow me whole.”

Taking a step back, you reached out your hand for him to take. Questioningly he raised his eyebrows at you but placed his hand in yours.

“Now you won’t get lost in the darkness,” you told him with a smirk, making him roll his eyes.

“That’s too cheesy for me,” he shook his head.

“Oh, don’t start laughing now, Fushiguro,” you cried. “I saw that! The corner of your mouth was twitching!”

“It wasn’t! That’s annoyance at how cheesy you were being!”

He only kept his expression in check for another second before he burst out laughing. Using your intertwined hands, he pulled you back into a hug, this one more casual than the first. When his phone started ringing again, both of you ignored it.

After you had calmed down from the laughter, Megumi’s eyes fixed themselves on your face, watching you as were catching your breath.

“Can I kiss you,” he suddenly asked, making you freeze in your motion.

Surprised you looked at him, your heart seeming to miss a few beats, but then you nodded your head, and a moment later his lips were on yours, soft, a little chapped, but gentle. It was a sweet kiss, nothing too extravagant, and still enough to steal your breath and make you weak in your knees.

It was perfect, you suddenly realized, kissing Megumi like his. Around you, cherry blossom petals were floating on a warm spring breeze, birds were singing in the branches above you, and Megumi’s arms were warm and secure around you while his heart beat a firm rhythm underneath your fingers, somewhat too fast for a normal heartbeat, but then again yours was probably racing too.

The perfect moment got interrupted by yet another ring of Megumi’s phone.

“I think you should answer it,” you mumbled against his lips. “It’s probably really something important.”

Megumi sighed but pulled away enough to grab his phone out of his pocket.

“It’s just Yūji,” he rolled his eyes, but before he could answer the call, the ringing stopped again.

He shrugged, slipping the phone back into his pocket.

“I got a question,” he suddenly declared.

“Ask away.”

“You said: another stary sky, another sunrise, and…” he hesitated for a moment before continuing. “a puppy’s fur underneath my fingertips. Where do you plan to get me a puppy from?” He sounded amused, but you knew him good enough to know that he would do hell of a lot to play with a puppy sometime soon.

“Okay, here’s the thing.”

“Oh dear.”

“Yūji and I were thinking, for a while now.”

“That can’t be a good sign,” Megumi sighed. “What crazy idea did you two come up with now?”

“I’m gonna ignore that low-key insult, and let you live” you announced, “But do you know Principal Yaga’s friend, the one who had all these dogs?”

Megumi nodded, clearly hesitant about whether or not he really wanted to know what Yūji and you had come up with.

“So, one of the dogs had puppies a few weeks back and we were thinking that it might be good to adopt one of them, for our year. We’ve been talking to the teachers and thinking things through and if all of us take turns caring for it, it won’t be too much responsibility all at once. And it would give us some sort of stability, having to go on walks on regular hours, playing, teaching it commands… but there’d also someone to keep us company when we don’t feel so good, someone who can’t give us advice, but also won’t ask questions either. Someone who accepts us as we are, no matter how good we are in school or whatever. So… yeah, the puppy is already old enough to be separated from its mother and is moving in next Friday.”

Megumi stared at you.

“You adopted a puppy,” he asked incredulously.

“We adopted a puppy,” you corrected. “Yeah.”

“And we‘ll share responsibility for it?”

You nodded, and Megumi’s eyes suddenly grew hard.

“I don’t know that dog yet, but I’ll fight you for custody after graduation,” he declared, making your eyes widen.

Graduation. That was still three years away, the furthest Megumi had talked about the future since November.

Swallowing your surprise, you shrugged. “That’s okay with me.”

“But wait,” Megumi suddenly stopped. “Before the puppy arrives, we need all kinds of stuff. It won’t be like with Shiro and Kuro, it’ll need a basket, and bowls and a leash! I think we’ll need several baskets, so we don’t have to carry them around all the time. And food! We need special-”

He was interrupted by the ringing of a mobile phone, this time yours.

“Yūji,” you told him, showing him the screen on which a picture of your pink haired classmate had popped up.

“Let’s answer it,” Megumi sighed. “He’ll just keep calling otherwise.”

You had barely pressed the green button to answer the call, when Yūji’s voice was already sounding from the small speaker, loud enough that you didn’t even have to put your ear to it.

“Megumi isn’t answering his phone,” Yūji all but screamed. “I’ve tried calling him dozens of times but he’s not answering! I’m really worried! We need to-”

“Yūji, Yūji, calm down!” Quickly you interrupted your panicking friend, pressing the speaker button so Megumi could listen in. “He’s with me, he’s fine, we were talking a walk.”

On the other side silence spread out.

“And you didn’t call dozens of times, you called three times,” Megumi added, leaning down to the speaker.

On the other end, a small “oh” was audible.

“So, what’s so important that you decided to terrorize Megumi via phone calls,” you asked, shooting Megumi a glance.

His eyebrows were furrowed, and it was not hard to tell that he had only now realized just how worried his friends were about him, how much they cared about him. Enough to send ever cheerful Yūji into something akin to a panic attack just because he hadn’t answered his phone for a few minutes.

“I didn’t terrorize him,” Yūji protested.

“You kinda did, but whatever. What’s going on?”

“You guys need to come to the hospital wing asap,” Yūji told you.

Megumi and you exchanged glances. The hospital wing? That wasn’t good. Megumi took your hand in his and started walking back the way you had come.

“We’re on our way,” you told Yūji, “What’s going on? Who got hurt?”

“Nobody,” Yūji sounded like he was running himself now, slightly out of breath. “Gojō-sensei’s awake.”

And with that he ended the call.

Megumi and you were both so surprised about the message, that you came to a slithering halt. Gojō was awake? Sure, you had told Megumi it was a possibility, that he might wake up soon, but you had not believed it to actually, really happen at all.

For a short moment Megumi and you looked at each other,f inding your own surprise and relief mirrored on his face. And then you took off running, taking the quickest way to the hospital wing, your hands intertwined.

[burn-before-reading]

hiii! could i pls request reader x joost where reader meets his friends??? (stuntje, apson, tantu etc.) :3 thank u!!

Smitten

Joost Klein x shy! reader

word count: ill count it later

warnings: anxiety, imposter syndrome

a/n: This one got away from me. it was supposed to be shorter hahaha. idk if its what you expected but i had fun writing it :) not related to this fic but i love this picture so much Joost in skirts yall <3

also mini life update im finishing school rn so thats my focus. won’t completely abandon this blog but ill be offline a lot

RPF Below the cut ——

“We komen te laat, liefje” (we are gonna be late, love.)

You quickly slipped your shoes on and grabbed your jacket before meeting him at the door. opening your arms you do a little spin to show off your outfit.

“I look okay?”

“Yes, you look beautiful don’t worry.”

“Okay okay. Do the shoes match tho? I think maybe the black boots went with it better, and the shirt feels too fancy, gimmie like five-“

“Schatje,” he coos, grabbing your shoulders to steady you. He starts rubbing them slowly and you take a big breath in and out to relax yourself. “Its just my friends, they’re gonna love you I promise.”

“I know I know, I just wanna make a good impression.” you smile up at him sheepishly and he goes to kiss your forehead. he lets you go but moved his hand to grab yours and intertwines your fingers and tugs you gently out the door.

You make it to Tantu’s apartment about twenty minutes later, and you feel like you need a pep talk all over again. Joost feels your hesitation at the door and squeezes your hand tighter for reassurance before knocking. You can’t really say for sure why you are so nervous meeting his friends, but then the door opens and you are greeted by tantu himself. He introduces himself and immediately pulls you into a hug.

“we’ve heard so much about you. come in come in.”

The two of you walk in and you quickly scan the guests of the house party. Joost is familiar with most, but to you its a room of strangers and you feel all the butterflies in your stomach begin to turn. Joost leads you to where his main group of friends reside and you try to just focus on him and the feeling of your hand in his.

“Hey guys, this is y/n, my partner.” Joost introduces you to the group. “y/n, thats Apson, Alanis, Stuntje, and you met Tantu of course..” he takes the time to introduce each of his friends, and they all quickly wave or say hi to you. The girl you learned was Alanis stands up to shake your hand and go in for a hug as well, startling you again, but once again appreciating how friendly they are being.

“Hi, we’ve heard so much about you! great to finally meet you.” She takes both your hands and holds them. “You should sit.” she starts to pull you away from Joost and you turn and make a face that implies help? he just shrugs. “Theres drinks in the kitchen, Joost, if you guys want something.” she says and he hesitates before walking away.

“ill be okay for a second i promise.” you reassure. you see him slightly mouth something, probably in dutch, to Tantu, but he just shrugs and smirks before following behind.

You sit down and start to feel all their eyes on you. Tapping your foot nervously, you try to find the words to start a conversation, but Apson beats you to it.

“So you work at a coffee shop, right?” he asks. you nod.

“Yeah, for the last couple years or so. Its where I met Joost actually.” You see him just nod and smile, like he’s heard a version before.

“So, uh… what do you guys do for a living?” you ask and they start going around describing all their different creative jobs. Director, music production, art, content creation. The whole variety of creative jobs and it just makes you feel small. They are all so successful. Joost is so successful.

What are you doing here.

“So you and Joost have been dating for Three months, right?” Alanis asks, and you turn to her again.

“Uh, something like that. Its probably a little closer to 2 actually, but I guess we’ve been talking for a but longer than that so uh..” You feel a lump in your throat and start rapidly checking the room for Joost but he is no where to be seen. In your scan, you see a balcony that seems mostly empty so you quickly stand up and make an excuse to leave. “sorry, Uh, im gonna check on Joost.” you say and quickly walk the exact opposite direction of the kitchen and to the balcony. Two seconds later Joost comes back with two drinks in his hand and sees the empty spot where you should be. Glancing at the looks on his friends faces he just sighs.

“what the fuck, guys.”

-

On the balcony you try and use the fresh air to calm yourself down. Taking a breath in and out you just close your eyes in an attempt to center yourself. The sound of the screen door opens and closes behind you and you hear a voice pipe up.

“Sorry if we overwhelmed you. Joost told us you might be shy.” Alanis apologies. You open your eyes and smile at her.

“Its okay. Just feeling a bit out of place is all.” you reply and she tilts her head at your comment.

“What do you mean by that?”

“Well, you guys have all these super cool creative jobs, you’ve all known each other for so long it seems. Ive just barely met you all and I can already feel the talent and charisma radiating off you guys. I just make boring coffee.”

“Oh thats nonsense, you’re not boring at all. Joost wouldn’t have gone out of his way to go to your work every day if you were.” she smiles, “If we came off as overly friendly, its just because we were excited to meet the person Joost has been so taken with these past few months.”

“Guessing he talked about me a lot, huh?”

“Since day one.”

that admission piqued your interest a bit. “really?”

“Im serious. He walked out your shop that day and immediately texted Apson, ‘Just met the love of my life’ I don’t even think he had your name yet.” she laughs and you laugh a little as well learning about this side of Joost. You had known that he had been going out of his way to visit the shop you worked at as often as possible, but you didn’t know how taken he was with you right away.

“ I knew he started stopping by often, I just thought he liked our pastries.”

“He was Smitten. sorry again for being so overwhelming. Joost came back and lectured us all the second you left.” she admitted. The idea of Joost being so upset at his friends being too welcoming made you laugh.

“Its alright. Just feeling a bit overwhelmed i suppose.”

“Mind if I smoke?” Joost knocks on the open glass door before joining the two of you. He wraps his arm around your waist and pulls you closer to him before lighting his cigarette and taking a drag. he takes his cigarette with his free hand to lean a little closer to you and whispers. “alles goed, liefje?" (you alright, love?)

you nod and Smile at Alanis. “Yes, just needed some air. your friends are nicer than I expected.”

He nods and squeezes your waist before taking another drag and offering you his cigarette.

“I think im gonna head back inside. you two will be good?” Alanis asks and you smile and nod.

“I’ll join you in a sec.”

She heads back in. the second she is gone Joost immediately asks. “so how much did she spill?”

“only the good stuff.” you look at him and grin. “don’t worry I was smitten from day one too.”

[avatarmerida]

Begin Again

Huntlow fanfic. Bonus points if you can guess the inspo. 💚💛

-

She looked different but so did he. Well, not different, he just looked the way he used to look. His hair, his face, his clothes showed that he suddenly found himself months in the past, whether it was the result of time travel or a dream was unclear. Hunter could not summon a memory of what had been happening before this moment, it was like he had suddenly awoken but he just knew that this logically was not where he should be. But he had found her. Her glasses weren’t gold (and in his opinion didn’t compliment her eyes as well) and her hair was shorter, not quite long enough to pull into the braids she wore when they first met, but t it was undoubtedly Willow sitting at that lunch table talking to her plant as she scribbled notations in her notebook. The sight of her melted any fear or hesitation he would normally harbor in this moment.

“Hey!” He called, excited to see her as he practically sprinted over to her.

“Oh, uh hi?” She said, welcoming but obviously confused. It confirmed that she did not know him. He intended to change that, giddy at the opportunity for a second chance at a first impression even if it might not be real.

“Is uh, anyone sitting here?” He asked, gesturing to the seat beside her.

“Oh, uh no,” she said, understanding. “You can take the chair if you need it, let me just-.”

“Oh, no I uh meant uh,” his nerve almost escaped him as she looked up at him with wide attentive eyes. “Would it be okay if I sat there? Here? With you?”

“Oh! Yeah, of course,” she said, moving the large plant off the chair and onto the table. “I mean, as long as you’re okay with a centerpiece.”

“I’m more than okay with it,” he said with a laugh, sitting beside her. “It’s rather impressive, how long have you been growing it for?”

“Oh, just a few weeks,” she said, flushing out the vivid, bright green leaves that cascaded in every direction. “I just switched to the plant track so I finally have access to the good dirt this species likes. But it’s due to blossom any day now and I wanna be there the moment it does. I know it’s probably a little silly to carry it everywhere but I-.”

“I don’t think it’s silly,” he said quickly. He remembered Willow telling her about this plant and how it had bloomed during a test and she had nearly gotten detention for how loud she gasped in excitement. “I bet it feels… special.”

She beamed. “Thank you,” she said softly, quickly turning her attention back to her lunch as she tried to suppress the small blush that crept into her cheeks. “I was kind of hoping it would. But that’s probably actually silly though, right? I mean I know plants don’t technically have feelings but-.”

“Well, plants can respond to sounds and touch so they can definitely feel your presence,” said Hunter, remembering a conversation they had one late night messaging. “I think they have feelings, just maybe not in the same way that we do.”

“Yeah,” Willow chuckled, brushing her hair behind her ear. “I’m… I’m always saying that actually, heh. Oh, um, I’m Willow by the way.” She extended her hand to shake his, tilting her head and offering him a gentle smile that made Hunter’s heart melt.

But it always did.

“Hunter.” he said, taking her hand with a lopsided smile of his own.

“Well it’s nice to meet you, Hunter,” she said. “Are you a new student?”

“Um, well not exactly?” He said, not sure what his technical role was or what version of himself had landed here.

“Oh, I’m sorry!” she said quickly, her voice flooding with guilt. “I guess I mean I just haven’t seen you around before! If it makes you feel better, a lot of people don’t notice me either! N-not that you’re not noticeable! I just mean it’s a big school, and we’re on different tracks, but I promise you’re very noticeable! I don’t mean that in a bad way, not that I would, but I mean it like-.”

“Oh, no!” He cut her off, not wanting to start things with a misunderstanding. “No, I just meant I uh… well, I went here awhile ago but then I went back to… being homeschooled and I just transferred back,” he said, summarizing things as best he could without confusing her more with whatever was actually happening. “But I wasn’t here long enough the first time to really make an impression.”

Willow smiled, grateful to see she hadn’t totally blown it. “Well, let’s hope this time is different,” she said brightly. “I mean, about being here longer. If you want. Not that you don’t have to make an impression, but I mean-.”

“Me too,” he said. “I’m excited to be back too.”

She offered him a sweet smile of relief that made any tenseness he harbored vanish. Even if he wasn’t sure where this dream was going, he couldn't help but feel safe near her.

“Hey Willow, who’s this guy and why are you holding hands?” Gus asked from beside them, holding his tray of food. They both looked over at the same time, not realizing they had never ended their introductory handshake, which had at some point turned stationary.

“Oh, Augustus! Hi!” Willow said sweetly as she slowly pulled her hand back. “This is Hunter! He just transferred back!”

“Potions track, huh?” Said Gus as he took a seat across from them. “That’s cool, maybe you can help me figure out how to make my potions homework not taste like old socks.”

“Did you try enchanting the straw?” Hunter offered, remembering the solution Gus had offered him when he stayed at his house and they had tried to make a human realm beverage but it had ended up far too sour.

Gus’ eyes widened, highly impressed. “What?! Dude, that’s genius!” Gus gushed. “Willow, I approve of new friend,I declare he is officially smart enough to sit with us.”

Willow giggled before looking back at Hunter (or maybe she had never stopped?). “I promise he means it as a compliment.”

“I know,” Hunter chuckled. “I won’t say he’s wrong, as long as you won’t say he’s wrong for calling us friends.”

“Dang, new guy is smooth,” Gus whispered to Willow, only half caring if Hunter heard him. Willow bit her lip,and even though Hunter knew she did not know him but somehow felt that she could tell he did not talk this way to everyone.

“Deal,” said Willow with a grin and nod, and Hunter was over the moon with how pleased she looked. She took a sip of her juice box. “So Hunter, how are you liking Hexside so far?”

“It’s been… interesting,” said Hunter, unable to help but feel like he would wake up at any moment. “But it’s getting better.”

“Do you remember your way around okay?” She asked.

“Yeah, if you want we can show you around,” added Gus. “Not to brag, but we know all the shortcuts and the best water fountains.”

“Sounds like a plan, Gus,” said Hunter.

“‘Gus?’” He repeated, intrigued. “A nickname? Already, new guy?”

“Oh uh yeah sorry,” Hunter chuckled, forgetting that Luz had mentioned she was the one who given him the nickname. Whatever dream or time travel had brought him her must not have included that detail yet. “It’s a nickname I heard they use in the human realm for your name so I guess I just-.”

“Woah! A human realm nickname? Are you also a human realm enthusiast?” Gus beamed.

“Oh, yeah! I guess I am!” Hunter declared. “I’ve read a lot of books about it. Actually, there’s a book series over there I really like if you have any interest in human literature.”

“Do I!” Gus exclaimed, summoning a happy face illusion to empathize his delight. “Do you have any plans for free period because the human appreciation society is having a meeting and you literally need to be there dude.”

“Sounds good to me!”

Willow smiled, her heart swirling seeing the boys hit it off and knowing her friend group was expanding. It seemed like such a natural fit.

“Do you have any plans after school?” Willow asked. “Gus and I were gonna do homework at my house and maybe watch a movie. I’d love it if you came! I-I mean, we’d like it. Heh.”

“Y-yeah! Yes,” he said quickly, clearing his throat. “I’d like that too! Yeah, I mean I don’t have any after school activities yet.” A light went off in his mind. “I was actually hoping to join the flyer derby team, do you know if they already had tryouts?”

“Oh, Hexside doesn’t have a flyer derby team,” said Willow with a frown.

“I bet we have a grudgby team though, right?” Hunter scoffed.

“Yeah,” Willow groaned, rolling her eyes in exaggerated agreement. “People are just afraid that another sports team will take away from the grudgby budget. I mean, Titan forbid they don’t get new uniforms every season.”

“It’s like people don’t realize that flyer derby involves actual skill and strategy,” Hunter went on, easily falling back into the shared rant he and Willow had adopted. “Just because it’s not as well known as grudgby-.”

“-doesn’t mean it’s not as exciting.” They finished together, Willow joyfully stunned to hear her thoughts echoed.

She couldn’t help but beam. “Yes! Exactly, thank you!” She said with vigor. “You know, my dads actually met playing flyer derby. We used to play all the time.”

“I bet you’re really good,” Hunter said plainly.

Willow blushed. “Oh, well I don’t know-.”

“She is!” Gus stated, and Willow mimed that he should shush but he went on. “You are, Willow! Especially when you’re in the zone! And now that you’re finally on the plant track, I bet you can do some sick tricks with your vines!”

“When he says ‘sick’ he means ‘impressive,’ not ‘ill.’” Hunter explained with an assured smile, hoping to show his support. Willow and Gus looked at him skeptically.

“I know,” she chuckled, and she and Gus shared a small, amused look.

“Oh, yeah of course you do,” he chuckled nervously to himself. “I suppose… it might be obvious, but just in case…”

“Well, I actually have been thinking about starting a team,” Willow said shyly, tapping her plate. “More like daydreaming, if I’m being honest. I didn’t think there was any interest.”

“Well I’m very interested,” Hunter insisted with a chuckle.

“Oh I bet you are,” said Gus under his breath as he pretended to take a drink from his cup.

“I mean, it would be pretty cool,” she admitted. “But I don’t think I could do something like that. Not yet. Besides, who would join a team I started?”

“I would.” said Hunter.

“Oh,” Willow smiled, the blush coming back for another appearance. “Well, thanks. But maybe you should try and start one! I mean, it was your idea.”

Oh shoot, he definitely didn’t mean to steal her idea!

“We could do it together,” he suggested. “Be co-captains.”

“I mean, that could be fun…” Willow admitted.

“Wo-ah! Look at you, joining the plant track and starting extracurriculars! You’re really coming out of your shell, Park!” Gus exclaimed happily, sending a small collection of sparkle illusions above her head. “It’s the year of Willow!”

“Okay, okay,” Willow chuckled as she brushed the sparkles away. “Well, it does sound like a good idea. How about we talk about it more after school tomorrow?”

“I can’t wait.”

Willow and Gus quickly noticed he had neglected to bring a lunch and quickly offered him the highlights of theirs. They fell into a rhyme both new and familiar and Hunter was brought out of it for only a moment when he couldn’t remember if he was always able to taste things in his dreams.

-

Okay, meeting Willow and Gus earlier was not an uncommon dream for him to have. But not waking up shortly after realizing he was in a dream was. How odd it was to be aware of being in a dream. He knew this was his mind’s way of indulgence and wishful thinking but he knew at any moment things would be too good to be true or too hard to accept and the setting would collapse in on itself. There’d be a mixture of realities or a menacing shadow or something to interrupt his escape.

But he would enjoy the fantasized alternate reality as long as he was able to.

Time went by as it only does in dreams or times of safety, and he fell into a routine as though he had been his all along. That or he got lucky and every classroom he wandered into just so happened to be his next class. And when he stumbled into the library, of course the first table he saw had Willow there. She waved him over and they studied, another simple yet common occurrence in his dreams.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Willow giggled softly as she looked up from her book to see he had not even been glancing at his. The library felt like it was just them in the cozy corners Willow had secured, the rain outside pouring like a soft soundtrack.

“Like what?” Hunter asked, worried. He removed his head from his hand and adjusted his posture. “Is it bad? I mean, t-this is how I always look at you.”

“How can you ‘always’ look at me?” She giggled again. “We just met.”

“Right! Yes, I-I mean I guess I assume I look at you the way everyone else looks at you.”

“Ehh, I’m not sure if that’s true,” she countered as a faint blush graced her cheeks.

“Really? I’m sorry,” said Hunter, feeling his hand begin the sweat. “I’m sure it has something to do with my eyes, I’m sure they can’t be all that comforting.”

“No no, it’s nothing like that,” she assured him, placing her hand atop his. “I like the way you look at me.”

“Y-you do?”

She nodded.

“Oh, uh, good.” He said utterly relieved. “Because I like looking at you.”

He returned to the assignment, unaware of the starstruck look Willow offered him now.

After school he came home to a simple home that was a castle in its own right and Darius greeted him with a smile that lacked any sarcasm or secrets and asked him about his day. The mantle held pictures of memories had had no other way of holding besides in the carefully picked frames, showing him smiling at various ages holding things he had made or earned or just found interesting. It wasn't overly detailed, but he could tell he had wandered into a version of him that had never questioned that he was wanted. But just as he began to piece things together over the most extravagant home cooked meal he had ever had (Darius could cook???), night came all too quickly and apparently his guardian was very strict about curfew and beauty sleep.

He dreaded turning in for the night as he was never able to fall asleep in a dream and continue it. He knew he’d be waking up soon, which was a shame because this was some impressive and detailed world building. He was cozy and eager to see more but maybe he’d be allowed to revisit another time.

But if this was the last night in the slice of life he had always longed for, he decided he might as well get the full effect as he reached for his scroll and typed the numbers he still knew by heart.

“Oh! Hi Hunter!” Willow said as she answered the video call, subconsciously curling her hair around her finger. Before (was it before this or would it be instead of this?), they had only ever texted or voice called once in awhile because he said a video call could jeopardize something about coven secrets (he couldn’t remember the exact lie) when in fact sometimes seeing her made his brain stop working and it was harder to hide that lull when she could see it in real time. “Sorry I look a little crazy, I wasn’t expecting your call.”

Her hair was frizzy, most likely she had come back from a run or a work out.

He had to stop himself from staring. “Oh sorry if this is a bad time-.”

“Oh no not at all!” Willow said quickly. “I was happy to see it was you! I guess I didn’t think you’d actually call, er what I mean is I-.”

“No, I should’ve asked or messaged before I did! If it makes you feel better, you look lovely as always, Captain ‘

“‘Captain?’” Willow repeated, arching her eyebrow, trudging past the ‘lovely’ part of his sentence but tucking it in her mind to revisit and analyze later. “It’s a little early for that isn’t it?”

“Well, this way you’ll get used to it sooner,” said Hunter, trying out a brand of confidence he was only able to summon in the deepest dream scenarios.

“Well you deserve a title too,” she pointed out, leaning back into her collection of pillows. “What should I call you?”

“Well, what do you wanna call me?” He said in a tone he had only said behind a mask and to a mirror (simultaneously). No one had ever heard this side and it was a risk he would never take in real life or at least not so early, but he couldn’t argue with the results. Dream Willow responded perfectly, an obvious blush covering her face as she set the scroll down for a moment as Hunter knew she did when something was just too much in the best way.

“Well hold on now,” said Willow after a deep breath, coming to match his energy. “We haven’t had tryouts yet. How do I even know you’re good enough to be on my team, huh?” She took obvious delight in her witty response to his teasing.

“Well then I’ll be in the stands cheering as your number one fan,” he countered. “But I’ll still get to call you Captain, right?”

“Yeah I guess so.” She didn’t expect a response so genuine and clever at the same time, it mirrored his very being.

He could see the reflection in her glasses of her opening a new text box. Within a seconds, he had a new message appear right above the view of her on his scroll.

Hey dude I’m not gonna be able to make it to the movies so it’ll just be you and Willow

“Oh Gus just messaged me,” said Hunter. “He can’t make it tomorrow.”

“Oh darn,” said Willow in a way that did not feel clever and genuine. “Well are you okay with it just being us?”

“I’ll think I’ll be fine,” he said. “As long as you’re fine with it.”

“I’m fine with it,” she said, making herself more comfortable in her chair.

“Cool then,” he said, doing the same. “It’s a date.”

—-

They talked until sleep overtook them. Hunter was awoken by the sound of Willow snoring, her scroll propped on one of her pillows to see him even as she drifted to sleep. He checked the time, the new day had come and he had still remained in the world he had fallen asleep in. He decided not to question it, not missing any chance to enjoy what could have been.

And it kept going.

There were days where he found himself forgetting that he was dwelling in a dream, a strange sense of altered deja vu. But just as quickly as he made the realization, his mind could not locate exactly what made him realize it. Soon he succumbed to letting it go, looking forward to looking forward and knowing trying too hard to control the dream could cause it to dissolve.

---

“... and then they turn the wall into a mural!” Gus finished, recalling a story that Hunter wasn’t entirely sure if he was supposed to have heard before (he was enthralled nevertheless) that he had overheard in study hall. Hunter remembered similar issues happening, an act of vandalism that was the perfect balance of severe and uninteresting for the guards to let him do alone.

“They weren’t afraid the Golden Guard would show up?” Hunter asked only to be met by inquisitive stares.

“The Golden Who?” Gus asked.

“Ya know the head of the Emperor’s Coven? The Emperor’s nephew?”

“‘Emperor?’” Gus repeated, confused.

“Oh, is this from one of your human realm books, Hunter?” Willow asked with an enthused smile.

“Oh, yeah!” Gus said with excitement. “Don’t spoil it! I wanna read those ones once I’m done with Cosmic Frontier! Unless the emperor is in Cosmic Frontier and I haven’t gotten to that part yet but where would he-.”

“No I mean like the coven system? Didn’t the emperor start that?”

“Pssh, you know no one follows the coven system,” said Willow. “It’s just there in case you need help finding people with similar interests to learn from and stuff. It’s not like we get tattoos about them or something; although I would actually love to get a plant tattoo someday.”

“So we can study any track we want? Not just one?”

“Yeah bro,” said Gus. “Did they not go over that at orientation?”

He looked around and noticed the multi track colors, some students had more than others and some still chose to focus on one. Of course Willow and Gus’ colors didn’t change, they just wanted to rep the track they loved the most but it didn’t prevent them from doing any magic they wanted to try.

Maybe Willow just knew she looked the best in green.

“Oh yeah,” he fake chuckled, going back to his plate in front of him. “Yeah, I must’ve forgotten. Cool.”

There was no threat or dark secret lurking over his shoulder here. And so the immersion became stronger.

-

What also became stronger was his connection with Willow. As he became more comfortable with himself their dynamic only became more solid, their banter quicker, and their time… well she occupied that whether or not she was physically with him,

He would go to her house to do homework, not letting on that he had already done it and he held the completed packet in front of him as he racked his brain for other ways he had thought about to try and impress her. Knowing or at least suspecting that everything here was temporary had allowed his nerves to calm when it came to the things he said to her. But the less he worried about embarrassing himself, the more real everything felt. Her hand would slowly move close to his until they were touching and neither of them acknowledged it with words, then their shoulders would follow suit and lean into each other as they felt compelled to share the same book for no particular reason. Now he knew why he was drawn to her warmth and had the time to enjoy instead of worrying he was putting her in danger.

He loved relearning things about her and seeing what was unique to this time around. He still loved how excited she got when she talked and how her eyes shone on him when she listened. Time with Willow not being plagued by guilt or secrets or trying to return to an apocalypse felt quicker and lighter. Seeing her and Gus waiting for him by his locker, both of them excited to see him and have lists of things they wanted to involve him in made him consider if he hadn’t been trapped in a nightmare before and that this was how everything really was.

He dared not to say this aloud, in case it was the trigger that sent him back. With each day, he remembered the specifics less and less of what supposedly was as it melted into what felt like a memory of a memory, something that passed through him rather than something that existed inside him. Not feeling even a fraction of the sadness that had once been his norm lured him into acceptance. Why had he ever doubted this was what he deserved?

—

“Okay, how does that look?” Willow asked, securing the last tie on the sign.

“Perfect!” Hunter beamed from the ground.

“Thanks, I try,” said Willow with a confident air as she flipped her hair. Hunter chuckled, knowing exactly what she was doing, taking his words and twisting them in a way that made him blush. The subtle way her tone and eyes shifted just for him, like another language hidden in their conversation that they made up as they went. He used it as a way to mask his compliments so they wouldn’t overwhelm her and he was starting to suspect she was genuinely doing the same.

Gus referred to it as flirting.

“Well, you’re succeeding,” said Hunter, often being the first to falter in this instances but knowing he loved the rush he got when her face lit up when he kept going. He especially loved the way she wrinkled her nose when he added with a hushed flair, like icing on the cake: “Captain.”

Her nose wrinkled just as he hoped it would as she admired the sign they had spent all night on. They had definitely taken their time on each letter as an excuse to spend more time together but that had been happening so much lately that it hardly seemed abnormal. “So you think it’ll attract some good recruits?”

“Oh yeah, I think it’s very attractive,” said Hunter smoothly as he leaned against the post and Willow giggled.

“Do you guys forget I’m here sometimes?” Gus teased in a deadpan as he continued to pass out pamphlets.

“No,” said Hunter and Willow simply as they continued to maintain eye contact, unfazed and unembarrassed by their public display.

“I don’t know if that makes it better or worse,” Gus whispered, shaking his head endearingly.

Lost in each others googley eyes, they almost didn’t notice a grudgby ball spiraling towards her to knock her off her staff. As she lost her balance Hunter sprang into action, catching her as though it was effortless, as though she was always destined to land in his arms.

“How are you going to captain a team when you can’t even stay on your staff, half-a-witch?” Boscha mocked in her high pitched voice that fell on deaf ears because once Willow’s eyes locked on his such close proximity there was nothing else as far as they were concerned.

“You okay?” Hunter asked, his voice low and calm. She was in no real danger, deep down they both knew that, but he would dote on her nevertheless. And she was not complaining.

She nodded. “Mhm hmm,” she murmured with a dreamy sigh. “Good thing you were around, huh?”

“Excuse me! I’m insulting you!” Boscha exclaimed in anger. “Are you not listening?”

“Do you wanna go do the uh, the uh… um.”

“The demonstration?”

“Yeah! Yes! That! The demonstration!” Said Hunter. “That we planned. We should… go do it.”

“Okay.” Said Willow, moving to rest her head on his shoulder to look at him with a look of secrecy and mischief as if to say I’m perfectly comfortable right here.

Hunter gulped, trying to remind his feet how to move as he simultaneously tried to assure himself he had read her expression right. He tried to summon his former courage and replied “Okay,” as though to say I’m comfortable with you right there too.

“Okay,” she said with a subtle shrug of her shoulders. She gently kicked her feet and giggled as though to ask Are you seriously gonna carry me there?

“Okay!” Hunter said, tightening his hold on her as if to say I’ll carry you all day if it’ll make you laugh before running toward the front of the school as Willow giggled and cheered in his arms.

He looked down at the laughing girl in his arms, her braids framing her face

“Your hair,” he said, as though truly noticing it for the first time.

“What about my hair?” she said as the laughter was slowly leaving her voice, looking up at him as though expecting another compliment. Normally he’d love to offer her just that but something was off.

“It’s… in braids.”

“Hmm? Oh yeah, I braided it this morning,” said Willow. “Why? Does it look okay?”

“No, I mean yes, I uh but I mean how is it long enough to be in braids already?” He asked.

“Well because I had braids the first time we started the team so I-.”

“The first time?” Hunter repeated, slowing to a stop. “What do you mean ‘the first time?’ Has this…. Do you know what’s going on? Has this happened before?”

“Um no no it’s not… uh…” Willow struggled to process her own words, as she returned to her feet. “No no because now it’s different! It’s better this time! You’re happier and safe, I mean we both are! And we don’t have to-.”

“Willow, how long has it been?”

“How long has what been?”

“Since we first met,” he clarified. “It feels like things are moving fast like I know it should have been months ago but it was barely days ago, wasn’t it?”

“What? No! Because I mean… well…”

“Willow?”

“We… we have a flyer derby team to start! Together!” She said, forcing a bright tone. “A-and we’ll play a real game, with official uniforms! And in the picture, me and Clover and you and- oh no.”

Suddenly, the light around them dimmed as though unable to exist if Willow was uncertain. The scenery flickered, as though waiting and Hunter felt like he could hear a ringing silence. He felt rooted to the ground, feeling as though he was entering a nightmare. But why now? What had triggered it?

“Willow, I… I’m having trouble remembering,” Hunter said as he realized it, he didn’t know how to describe the feeling but it was like he was suddenly overcome with with a recovering pain. His head had subtle pounding, like how it felt after he had been crying. But when has he been crying? “I-I it’s like I know we’re here but I can’t remember how we got here. Like it’s… skipping things. Does that make sense?”

“Oh um m-maybe you’re dehydrated,” Willow offered, her tone suggesting she was hiding something. “Let me get you some water! I’ll get you some water and we’ll do the demonstration and we’ll get Skara and Viney and we can-.”

“How did you know that?” He cut her off. “How do you know they’ll join?”

“Because well… um…” Hunter wasn't sure if she wasn’t sure how she knew or if she didn’t want to share how she did. “Sorry, sorry I can… hold on.”

A flash of green and suddenly Willow was gone. Everything around him felt… fake. Like nothing had changed but suddenly it felt too detailed, as though it had been staged and not lived in. An edited memory.

Suddenly, he couldn’t recall Boscha actually being there. He knew she had been, but it was like she wasn’t worth describing, worth a detailed vision. Her presence was no more than an idea of her. She existed, but only for this moment. So much suddenly seemed to exist only for this moment. One moment. The current moment. Then once it played its part, it faded like they weren’t meant to go back. Everything went forward. Hunter couldn’t focus on going back to something specific. He couldn’t remember the full layout of his house or his class schedule or how he got to school. Like they were there but too complicated to always be there, like once he left everything went with him and would go back when he did.

Flapjack. Flapjack was… wasn’t he? Where was he? Flapjack was there but somehow out of focus, like a memory of a photo. Like the moments he knew he talked to him were skipped. He knew they happened, he knew because there was no Flapjack to fill his place in whatever trick this was. Hunter knew that he knew, deep down it felt off. But he knew digging deeper would take him from this unfamiliar happiness and whisk him back to a real and familiar sadness. Was it any different than hitting snooze to enjoy a dream a little longer? To pretend it could be forever?

Had this dream been a nightmare in disguise all along?

It was not the first time Hunter had tried to fool himself this way, he would interpret his Uncle’s words over and over again until they made sense. He had to believe he was finding the meaning hiding beneath the surface, that he over complicated things because he was smart enough to understand what most people didn’t.

But now this was less about survival and more about wanting. He wanted a fresh start, he wanted more time with his friends. He wanted to be happy. But somehow, even in a dream, he couldn’t have everything. He did not have his voice of reason to guide and ground him, now he only had an echo he was terrified of misremembering.

“Hunter!” Gus’ voice echoed, even though it shouldn’t echo here. It felt saturated, he didn’t know a sound could feel that way. He appeared like he had to fight the scenery to do so.

“Gus!” Hunter exclaimed, running over to him. He suddenly noticed how quiet it was, no singing birds or even the gentle blowing of the wind. An impossible silence. “What’s going on? Is it the collector?”

“No it's… Willow.”

“Willow? Is something wrong? Is she okay?” he frantically looked around for any sign of her. Gus touched his shoulder, knowing he’d easily spiral if he believed Willow was somewhere needing assistance.

“I… don’t know how to answer that,” Gus confessed, and the color around his seemed to be wavoring. “Because last time this happened-.”

“Last time? What do you mean?”

“Willow she… well, you know Willow,” Gus started, looking around nervously as though his time was limited. “You know how much she cares about people, how deeply she feels everything. How much she wants to help. And when something happens that she can’t fix or help, she feels powerless. She doesn’t doesn’t like seeing the people she loves hurt and not being able to do anything about it.”

“Yeah I-l… I know but what does that have to do with whatever is happening now?”

“When I found out that my mom… left us,” Gus said quietly, the memory still causing him to choke up. “I was a mess. I was hurt and confused and sad and Willow was there for me every minute. But there was nothing anyone could really do, ya know? Nothing could bring her back, nothing could make the part of me that missed her go away. Willow tried everything and seeing me hurt hurt her too and her want for me to feel better took over and she made all these plants…”

“Plants?”

“Poppies,” said Gus. “They make you sleepy, make you have vivid dreams. When they’re made by a witch like Willow with such strong emotions, you forget you’re in a dream. She didn’t do it on purpose, she just wanted things to be better so much that the poppies turned her feelings into… well, this.”

“Willow did… all this?” He wasn’t surprised she had the power to summon such dangerous and potent flowers. “For me?”

He was more surprised that she cared so deeply for him that it altered his universe.

Gus nodded, but Hunter still needed more answers.

“Why?”

“I… I don’t think I can tell you,” said Gus.

“Why? Gus, if Willow is hurting too I want to know why,” said Hunter. “This has to be draining her, we need to find her. Why is she doing this?”

“Hunter I… I don’t think she’ll let me tell you,” said Gus. “She’s trying to protect you and this has gone on longer than before and she could be lost to her own magic. She let it drag her into the narrative she thought would help you. But Amity and Luz weren’t there before, and when they tried to step in they got-.”

“Amity… and Luz,” Hunter said. They hadn’t been there, but he knew who they were. They were part of this world. How did they fit in now? They had been there when-.

“They’re trying to get inside her mind but this feeling… it’s complicated,” said Gus. “It’s putting up walls and shifting things. The longer it goes on the harder it is to stop.”

“How do we stop it? What did you do last time?”

“Her magic wasn’t as strong last time,” Gus said. “Her dads were able to calm her down but I don’t know how to end this. It’s like an illusion, kind of, so I’ve been able to navigate it okay but it’s like it can’t end until she’s convinced you’re happy. It’s linked to you, it’s supposed to be your dream. She’s not gonna be able to stop until she knows you have everything you want.”

Hunter didn’t need to know much more about how this came to be to know it must be draining Willow beyond belief. The ever changing details, adapting to his expectations and maintaining the subtle altered reality. This was dedication and focus that could drive even the strongest witch mad.

“Everything I… Willow,” he whispered. “Willow Willow! I want to see Willow!”

No sooner had the words left his lips did the world around him shift and shuffle and there she was as though out of thin air. Her outfit kept changing like a glitch, switching between her sleek school uniform and a tattered black dress with striped leggings. He knew this outfit, but he didn’t know how. He knew he had made that W patch for her. That he had seen it… in a store? He had been in a store with Luz and Amity and it was… he had to wear a hat… it was all there, just beyond where he could reach but it was like when he tried to focus on it it just made it blurrier.

He saw it and thought of her and when she saw it she was happy… because she could wear it for… where were they going?

It was like there was a shield over it because remembering it meant he’d also remember something painful. Willow took it upon herself to hold that pain for him and it showed.

“Willow-,” he started, stepping towards her but before he could get closer vines wrapped around his ankles and stopped his movement.

“No, don’t,” she said, trying to hide herself. She closed her eyes, and Hunter wasn’t sure if it was the poppies trying to take back control or her trying to tap back into them but either way he knew she was ashamed. She was unraveling. She was tired. She was scared.

“Willow, please we need to get you out of here-,”

“No, no please don’t worry about me!” she chuckled nervously, her voice strained. “This is, uh this is nothing! Really! I just need to uh… to…”

“Willow…”

She sniffled. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered, and Hunter swore he could hear her heart breaking. The vines eased for a moment but did not fully release him. “This isn’t what I wanted to happen, this wasn’t supposed to happen. I don’t… I shouldn’t… I’m sorry.”

“Willow, you don’t have to-,” but before he could rebut, the vines grew as though to interrupt him and tell him no amount of reason could make its way through.

“I… I lied to you,” she whispered, as though scolding herself. “I manipulated you and trapped you because I thought I knew what was best for you. How am I any different than Belos?”

“Because you care if you hurt me,” Hunter said simply, slipping his arm out of a coiled vine. “You don’t want to hurt me.You didn’t do this to control me, you didn’t do this to help yourself, Willow you don’t even try to do this; you just wanted me to be happy. The idea of me being in pain made you do all this to try and help me. Willow, I could never be upset about that.”

“But it’s not… it wasn’t… it’s not enough,” she whispered. “This, all this won’t fix anything, it will just make everything hurt longer and hurt more when I mess it up.”

“Willow, I knew at the beginning it wasn’t real,” he said. “I knew and I stayed because I… I wanted to be better, make a better impression. Willow, meeting you changed my life. You made me want to… to have fun, try new things, be myself. Figure out what that meant. I liked who I was around you. I like who I am.”

With each word he said he felt the ground become more unstable. Against his first instinct, he took that as a good sign and continued.

“I know I’ve made mistakes and done things I’m not proud of,” he went on. “And sometimes I wish I could undo them or forget them but I know I can’t. I know it’ll hurt sometimes to think about it but I have to, so I can go forward. So I can do better, know there is something better.”

“But you were,” she said, struggling to speak againest the tears overtaking her whole being. “You were healing, and growing and you were happy. You were silly and you got to relax and it was… it wasn’t fair. You weren’t supposed to get hurt again, you weren’t supposed to lose him. You were… you almost…”

“Mijo! Willow! Sweetheart, please, can you hear me? Are you two okay?” Camila’s voice was a muffled echo just beyond the walls of endless shades green and red.

Scenery flashed around them. The lunchroom, a classroom, his room, the basement at the Noceada’s, the flyer derby field, the throne room, the graveyard.

The graveyard,

The graveyard.

The graveyard.

They were still in the graveyard. They had never left.

She couldn’t keep it up anymore, reality was creeping in. The others were trying to reach them. WIllow was holding on and it was destroying her. She was fighting to be his shield, blinded by her bleeding heart.

This magic was taking everything from her but she could care less so long as she could give everything to him.

Everything came back to him all at once and flooded his being with an intense numbness. It was too much to process, and he instantly accepted that he may never fully be over it. But what kept him afloat was knowing without a doubt that he did not have hide this feeling, he did not have to feel ashamed or bear the weight alone. He may feel this pain forever, but he knew it would not be the only thing he felt.

“I wanted to give you everything you wanted,” she whispered, exhausted. “I should have done something sooner. I should have known something was wrong. I should have… I didn’t save you. I couldn’t save you. We almost lost you. We lost… you lost…”

“I know.” His hand grabbed his chest, an aching feeling washed over him. “I know.”

The ground trembled as tears built up in her eyes. “No no no!” with every word their surroundings shook, her tears hit the ground like waterfalls. “I was supposed to make you feel better! This was supposed to be everything you wanted! I thought maybe… I tried… I don’t know anymore. I don’t know what to do Hunter. I’m so sorry.”

“I know… that you don’t like that I feel this way,” said Hunter, taking a small step towards her. “I know you care about me. But then you should also know that I don’t want you to feel that way either. No ones ever cared about me so much before.”

“But it’s not enough,” she whimpered. “I’m not enough.”

“Don’t talk about my friend like that!” Hunter demanded, a gentle golden glow surrounding him as the rage ran through him.

She exhaled, her breath shaky but slowly beginning to steady. She brought her eyes up to meet his, the green glow was faint now and the bags beneath her eyes envied his own. In reality, perhaps no more than an hour had gone by but she had endured weeks worth. She had gotten just as lost as he had. But she knew this was him, this was not something she had persuaded him to believe or say, no this was truly him. His truth was helping her release the hold she had on herself.

“I won’t lie, I wish I could start over,” he said. “I wish I got to meet you sooner and be a normal witch and have Flap… but I’ll take having you at all, no matter when it happens so long as it happens. I didn’t have enough time with Flapjack but thinking about that doesn’t erase the time I did have with him. And I’d rather make new memories with you guys than dream about what could have been. I know that’s real.”

“But I tricked you,” she said with a tired sigh. “I tricked you to feel the way I wanted you to feel about me.”

“Willow I promise you don’t trick me.”

“But we were… and you said… t-that we… it was-.”

“Willow at first I was aware that things weren’t really like that,” said Hunter. “But I… didn’t care. I took it as a second chance and I promise that the way I feel about you didn’t change, just maybe the way I acted about it did.”

She wiped a tear from her eye. “You say I make things better but here you are making me feel better,” she joked as she adjusted her breathing as the tears dissolved. “It’s just.. hard to let go. To go back. I don’t… want you to have to go through that, you’ve already gone through so much.”

He finally reached her and took her hand in his.

“But now I won’t have to go through it alone.” He realized it as he said it. It was the truth and it didn’t erase the overwhelming weight his grief had collected, but it took away some of the pressure. He knew it would always be there’s but it wouldn’t be the only thing that was there. Willow saw it too. She couldn’t undo the past or guarantee the future, but their present didn’t have to suffer in solitude.

It all came crumbling down as she fell into his embrace. Suddenly, the colors weren’t as vibrant but they were real. The air was chilly but the warmth of her embrace canceled it out. The silence was less deafening. He heard everyone else call out to them, uncertain of how it had all looked from the outside. He knew he was sad, he knew his safety was real but temporary. He knew it wasn’t over. He knew this might be a turning point he’d wish he prepared for more but none of that held him down as Willow wiped away his tears, barely harboring enough strength to stand as she took him into the nape of her neck.

He synced his breathing to the sound of her heartbeat.

“So you’ll really be okay? For real?” Willow whispered as the others surrounded them, keeping them safe from the chill and checking them for injuries.

He didn’t know how but it was like he felt his own heart beating for the very first time.

“Maybe not right away, but I will be,” he said softly into her hair. “As long as I have you, for real.”

[brigdh]

Okay. My thoughts on the Our Flag Means Death finale. Obviously I'm not very happy with the ending, though I'm also not as upset as some people are. I would say I'm discontent. Unsatisfied. Too aware of how it could have been improved, and a bit bitter that we didn't get a better version, but I also don't hate what we did get.

I know a lot of meta has attributed the problems to a shorter season, and absolutely I would have loved to get 10 episodes instead. I would have loved 22 episodes! Why don't we do that anymore? But I don't think the 8 episode length was the ultimate problem. A) The showrunner and writers knew they had only 8 episodes, so they needed to choose a story that fit into that length, but even more importantly, B) my problem is not that they had too much story for too little time, but actually that they had plenty of time and chose to fill it with too little story.

As I've sat with it over the last few days and thought more about the season's arc, it feels to me like we got eight episodes of filler. Filler episodes can be great! Filler episodes can have some of the funniest lines, the greatest scenes, the most intriguing ideas. But filler episodes do not progress character arcs or major themes, and that's exactly the problem this season had.

The only characters who got arcs this season are Izzy, and to a lesser and more rushed extent, Lucius. Which sure is a choice.

Ed and Stede and their relationship did not meaningfully change from S1. (Okay, yes, they had sex, they said I Love You – but these are external changes, not internal. They don't represent character growth. Stede realized he loved Ed and was telling everyone back in 1x10. Ed clearly would have slept with him in S1 if they'd had a little more time.) Ed and Stede in 2x08 are not different from who they are in 2x01. If Ed had asked Stede to be innkeepers in 2x01, does anyone think Stede wouldn't have immediately agreed? One of the big moments in 2x08 is Ed reading a letter that Stede wrote in 2x01! Stede's exact words from the very beginning of the season! What better way to underline that none of the subsequent seven episodes had important growth or changes?

Another one of 2x08's big shippy moments is Ed and Stede running to each other across a beach – deliberately paralleling the dream Stede had in 2x01. What are we supposed to take from this parallel? My original thought was that we're supposed to see how different the real version is from the dream, but there's honestly not many differences. Neither one has a beard, now? The dream mocked how Stede knew they needed to have a conversation about their relationship that he wanted to avoid, but they don't have a conversation in the "real" version either. They exchange about two sentences (which includes Ed's I Love You, yes, which is a big deal but still isn't a conversation) and then they charge right back into the fight, without discussing anything like Ed abruptly dumping Stede to go be a fisherman, Stede killing Ned Low when Ed asked him not to, their differences of opinion on being pirates, if having sex was a mistake or if that's only a thing Ed said because he was panicking, etc etc. They have just as many issues to address as they did in the dream, but just like the dream they act like everything is magically okay without talking about it!

So I think we're meant to take the beach-run parallels as "here's what Stede's been wanting, and after waiting for so long he finally gets it". Which is fine, a very sweet take-away for a finale. But it underlines what I'm saying is the problem of the season: Stede has just been waiting for eight episodes for his dream to come true. Not changing. Not growing. Not doing anything to bring the dream about, other than trying to get himself and Ed into the same physical location. Just... waiting.

This is an extra surprising development, because the show was really good at giving Ed and Stede character arcs in S1! Ed and Stede in 1x10 are significantly different than they were in their first introductions. Also, just to preempt some criticism, by 'progressing' I do not mean 'wrap up literally every loose end and make a firm final ending' – S1's finale is an excellent example of both moving the characters forward and leaving a ton of room for future stories. I wasn't expecting for 2x08 to show us a Stede and Ed who were perfectly on the same page and would never again have a problem. I was expecting them to be somewhat different than they were in 2x01, and I just don't see that.

Instead of arcs, we got little pieces of single-episode growth here and there that never added up to an overall whole. The season brought up a ton of potential arcs for Ed – violence, piracy, guilt, suicide, daddy issues, self-loathing, apologies, redemption, his tendency to idealize escaping into a different life – but didn't do anything with any of these options. Stede had nothing resembling a season arc at all.

Stede works to improve as a captain! Stede kills someone and has regrets! Stede confronts Ed's dark side! <- All potential arcs, but none of which lasted for more than an episode or had consequences. We don't even know what the ending means for Stede: does he want to be an innkeeper because he failed as a pirate in 2x07? Because piracy was always just a displaced search for love, and now that he has love, he doesn't need piracy? What does the crew of the Revenge leaving mean to him? Stede's understanding of their new arrangement literally happens off-screen and we're left to fumble at guesses for its significance to him as an individual.

Ed and Stede's last big conversation in the season is their break-up fight in 2x07, which is a shocking way to send off your main couple in a rom-com. Yes, there's the I Love You on the beach (again: two sentences) and the brief 'let's try to be innkeepers' conversation at the very end, but that's it for them in 2x08, except for their inclusion in some brief large group conversations about their fighting skills and the plan for escaping the British. How can you end your rom-com with the main couple exchanging only a paragraph's worth of dialogue in the finale? None of the stuff was brought up in the fishing fight in 2x07 is ever addressed at all!

Again, I don't think this is solely a matter of time crunch. Instead of using the eight episodes to progress the two main characters, we got a bunch of filler episodes that used the time in amusing side tangents instead of forward progress. I don't think that's the inevitable result of having to work with eight episodes.

Look, I can come up with a better Ed/Stede relationship arc without needing more episodes, and despite only thinking about this for a couple days and not having an entire writing room to work with:

(Note: this only addresses the Ed/Stede relationship. It doesn't fix Stede completely lacking an independent character arc and Ed having about ten thousand of them, none of which went anywhere.)

In 2x05 to 2x07, I would make Ed's motivations in their relationship very clearly that he's pushing Stede away so he doesn't get hurt again. Basically play up Ed's comment about "I was all in" in 2x04, and make him determined not to get 'all in' this time around. This aligns the "let's take it slow" conversation in 2x05, the "sex was a mistake" in 2x06, and Ed running away to be a fisherman in 2x07 into a single arc. He wants Stede, but he's afraid of what that wanting will do to him. He's trying to find a way to have a relationship without making himself vulnerable. He keeps pushing off commitment and openness.

Then, in 2x08, I'd make it more explicit that Ed thinks/fears Stede is dead when he sees the pirate ships burning. I think it's subtext in the episode as-is, but give him a line or two to make it really clear. Ed and Stede still see each other on the beach, have their dramatic run to each other, and Ed says, "I love you". Now this moment is Ed acknowledging his love, exactly what he's been avoiding for the last three episodes.

Near the end of the episode, Ed and Stede have a conversation where Ed says something like, "I didn't want to get hurt again, I was afraid of the risk of falling in love and you leaving again, but thinking you were dead made me realize that never loving you would be worse" (but better written, ha, this is a tumblr post that's already too long). (Also possibly you could tie in Izzy's death here to underline both Ed and Stede not wanting to lose another person they care about, if we must have that plot point for some reason.) We actually get to see Ed asking Stede to come be innkeepers with him, paralleling asking him to run away to China (and paralleling NOT asking Stede to a fisherman), Stede voices some of his worries (paralleling him keeping them inside in 1x09, but also giving him a chance to explain what piracy and love mean to him and why he'd give up one for the other), but ultimately they agree that they at least want to try.

This both puts them into a much clearer place for a happy ending, has clear growth from S1 and the beginning of this season, but also leaves open a ton of room for S3, because welp, it turns out trying to have a relationship entails all sorts of problems! Especially with these two. It also would make me feel like they'd at least addressed some of the issues between them.

Right now I feel like S3 will have to spend at least the first few episodes running through exactly the same "don't talk – break up – get back together dramatically" arc that Stede and Ed have already done twice but have never discussed and never learned from. I liked it, but I don't need to see it yet again. That will – ironically – feel like yet more wasted time, more episodes that are just churning through beats without moving the characters forward. I wanted them to have new, different fights in S3, but now I don't even feel like they've made enough progress to have a fresh set of problems.

[kinokoshoujoart]

is it really toxic yuri if she doesn’t demand you cut off your fingers for her happiness???

”You have given me gifts over 10,000 times. Congratulations!” haha happy wife happy life…. (my fingers are stumps)

as some of you may or may not have realized i am powerless to the siren call of the ultimate devilish blond Harvest Moon Scum Man, and given that the Japanese version of DS Cute gives you TWO saveslots and TWO hands and the ability to to be in a literal toxic lesbian best friendrriage with ultimate devilish mischievous blonde Harvest Moon Scum Woman i have no choice but to meet all of the Witch Princess’s super reasonable honey do list!!

so one of those fun little non negotiable requests from majo-sama is that you need to give her presents 10,000 times before she’ll even consider marrying you, even if you meet all the marriage requirements!

i don’t mean 10,000 items total— even if you give her a stack of 99 items, it only counts as +1 towards the “items given to witch” counter. you have to give her 10,000 items individually…

in normal gameplay (giving her 1 gift a day, accounting for the holidays when her house is closed) you’ll eventually reach 10,000 gifts!…in your 95th year!

you COULD give her 100 gifts a day every day and knock it out in less than a year, and this was my strategy at first! i quickly realized adding another tedious daily chore to a pile of tedious daily chores slowed the game loop to a crawl and splitting items out was really fucking annoying actually

on the other hand, in 5 IRL hours, you can just get it all done in one visit to her house and never worry about it ever again.

“wow, that sounds like a really great use of my limited time on god’s green earth! how can i too win my future wife’s heart through button mashing my fingers into a pulp?” you ask?

˚✧₊⁎optimized pro gamer technique for breaking your fingers yuri style!!٩(๑❛ᴗ❛๑)۶⁎⁺˳✧༚

you will need

dog (each time you show your pet, this adds +1 to the gift counter the same way a gift would)

the bottom screen should be the map screen (reduces loading time between conversations compared to having your rucksack open)

cast endurance on fingers (wait this is redundant, you saw yuri in the title…)

ideal but not required

sometimes when you enter her house, she’s facing the side and her walk cycle never starts. it’s great if you get this glitch because then you can just stand in place for the entire duration without having to look at the screen, and even like watch a movie or whatever while you do all this, instead of accidentally dropping your dog every time she walks to the other bookshelf

if you’re wondering “wait, doesn’t Witch Princess hate dogs and love cats? why are you showing her your dog?” you are absolutely correct! she yells at you to get that stupid beast away from her every time you show your dog to her! her FP goes down by 3 each time! however, since her response to the dog is shorter than her response to the cat, you end up saving like .6 seconds per conversation, saving over 1.5 hours total, so the dog is what she gets

anyway, in true Karen HM64 tradition, after being repeatedly harassed by having a dog she isn’t fond of shoved in her face ten thousand times in a row for like five hours straight, naturally this makes her want to marry you! who said good old fashioned courtly love is dead?!

* as a small note, if you care enough to keep track and give her an actual gift at the 10th, 100th, 1000th, and 10000th mark, you’ll get 4 of the limited Witch Photos early on, which each give you +1 sweet sweet farm degree points every day… honestly that’s not much, but the pain of being told “your hands are full soooo no reward for you lmaoooo sucks to be you” was too much to bear, so i kept track and used a normal present for the 10th, 100th, 1000th, and 10000th…

[casscreative]

wwm/ta outtakes and other cut content

as promised, in honor of 1k kudos, here is cut content from wwm/ta!

context: from one of the earliest versions of wwm/ta, when it was in jotaro's pov. this is when jotaro and kakyoin first meet again. it was originally in jotaro's hotel room, but i switched this for the dock meeting later

“People have died, Jotaro,” Kakyoin hisses, and Jotaro flinches like he’s been slapped, “and your only other backup is a teenager. Forgive me for stepping in.”

Jotaro has never been great with eye contact, but Kakyoin won’t ease up, glaring daggers into his face, using the fact that he’s shorter than Jotaro to his advantage; Jotaro can’t just duck his head like normal.

You couldn’t do it. You failed. I’m here to clean your mess.

Finally, Jotaro just closes his eyes. “I don’t- Kakyoin, you’re going to get hur-”

“And you’re going to get killed!” Kakyoin snarls, Hierophant’s tentacles whipping out and slamming the hotel floor behind him like a child throwing a (maybe justified) fit. Jotaro doesn’t think he’s ever seen Kakyoin so furious before.

“I know you think I’m a good-for-nothing pity that can’t carry his weight-” Jotaro cuts Kakyoin off with a strangled attempt at denial, but the lump in his throat won’t let him verbalize correctly.

“-but,” Kakyoin pushes on, glaring hardening even more somehow. Jotaro feels like he’s bleeding. “Contrary to your beliefs, the Speedwagon Foundation as a whole trusts me and my capabilities, Joseph trusts me and my capabilities, which is why I am here.”

Kakyoin pauses for a second before he adds on quietly, “Do not think for a second I am here for you. That’s why your opinion here doesn’t matter.”

Maybe it would’ve been kinder if Kakyoin just stabbed a knitting needle into Jotaro’s esophagus; the same, small but pointed barb would have the same effect as his words, and honestly, the wound would be easier to clean up.

Jotaro can’t move or speak, can hardly breathe. He still has his eyes closed in a desperate attempt to stop the intrusive violet of Kakyoin’s glare.

Noting that the conversation is over, Kakyoin turns and heads out of the room, the smooth, subtle creaks of his wheelchair the only indication he’s moving. Kakyoin does not hesitate in the slightest as he crosses the threshold and slams the door shut with one of Hierophant’s tentacles. At the sound, Jotaro drops like a puppet whose strings have been cut.

2. context: josuke and kakyoin's first meeting in one of the earliest versions of wwm/ta, again in jotaro's pov

“So,” Josuke’s hands flutter nervously at his sides, fingers curling and uncurling from his palms. Jotaro almost feels bad for him, but the extent of his pity is reserved mostly for himself right now. “Have you guys gotten...acquainted?”

Kakyoin’s narrowed eyes stray a second longer locked onto Jotaro’s face, before he turns to face Josuke, his expression relaxing into something -- not friendly, exactly, but more polite, definitely less hostile.

“Actually, I’ve worked with Jotaro before on a mission,” Kakyoin comments cooly, and Jotaro nearly winces at how distant the phrasing makes them seem.

Josuke nods hesitantly, but understanding blooms in his eyes, though Jotaro knows he’s getting the wrong idea -- however, who is he to correct it? He’s the one who set things up to be like this. Regret is not a rock, but more a viscous, dense liquid in his chest, pinning his heart down under its weight.

Kakyoin pushes his glasses up his nose before he clasps his hands together, slowly relaxing to lean his elbows onto his knees. Jotaro catches the slight wince as he bends his torso, but says nothing, just swallows.

“So,” Kakyoin says conversationally, once again addressing Josuke more than Jotaro, “How long did you say your mom was gonna stay with her relatives?”

Josuke jolts at the direct question, before smoothing his hands on his uniform jacket and stepping further into the room. “Um, the weekend. She...doesn’t want to leave me alone for too long.”

Kakyoin nods, his expression getting more serious now that he has something to focus on other than pettiness. Jotaro feels bad for thinking that, though; Kakyoin’s within his right to be petty.

It doesn’t matter if he hates me. I’ve already decided this. Just as long as he’s safe.

The thought still hurts, and never makes its way to Jotaro’s internalized thought processes, repetition be damned.

3. context: kakyoin and jotaro's argument post the arrow revelation from angelo, again in one of the earliest versions of wwm/ta in jotaro's pov. ultimately decided jotaro wouldn't be using noriaki so i didn't include it even in the "official" version

“Noriaki-”

“SHUT UP!” Kakyoin snaps, his voice raising in hysteria, turning to face Jotaro so quickly it’s as if he was responding to a physical strike, not a word. Kakyoin’s eyes are wild, wide, and they’re caged by a face full of fury. “Shut the fuck up, Kujo- you- you don’t get to call me that.”

Kakyoin grits his teeth for a minute, before Hierophant’s tentacles whip around him for a single moment, almost reminding Jotaro of Medusa. “YOU DON’T GET TO CALL ME THAT!” He repeats, chest heaving, breaths bordering on growls.

Jotaro simply swallows, his throat tight and his arms and legs weighed down with lead, with platinum, with gold-

“Leave me the hell alone,” Kakyoin snarls, a clear dismissal, but Jotaro still can’t move.

Thankfully -- or not -- he doesn’t have to, as Kakyoin moves instead, steps stalking and precise, too thought-out to be anything other than the careful steps of a man trying his damnedest not to run away outright. Jotaro watches him go and feels some of the rock making up his chest give way to a pit, leaving the space vulnerable and unfilled.

4. context: more stuff from when wwm/ta was jotaro's pov

“I don’t want your protection,” Kakyoin’s voice breaks, the shards of it embedding into Jotaro’s skin like glass. “I just- I only wanted- I just want you,”

“I- I can’t,” Jotaro’s own voice cracks, the audible signifier of his chest cavity crashing down around his heart, becoming splinters and shards like a piece of china that had fallen from a cabinet.

“Why?” Kakyoin questions, his voice trying to reclaim the angry edge it once had, but now just raw and hurt and desperate. It shatters Jotaro even more, picking up the chunks that remained of him and smashing them back down to even smaller pieces. “Why can’t you? What’s stopping you?”

DIO. Me.

5. context: more jotaro pov LOL. this was never going to be a real scene so much as just me trying to figure out their dynamic in this au though

If Kakyoin was a fire, he had just been put out; all that remains are the logs, ashy and dry and dark, no more brilliant light inside them, consuming them. Kakyoin stumbles back a couple steps as if he’d been struck, as if the snake were real, and Jotaro tries to take a step towards him but Hierophant appears in his way, his insect-like eyes staring Jotaro down. Hierophant feeling the need to protect Kakyoin from him makes Jotaro feel like the backs of his knees have just been cut, makes him feel like stumbling himself.

Kakyoin collapses into his wheelchair and Hierophant dissolves into a mound of tentacles and retreats to him.

Resting on hand on the arm of his chair, Kakyoin brings the hand up and holds his forehead with it, his long bang shielding his face from Jotaro.

It is quiet for a long time. All Jotaro can hear is static and all he can feel is cold, now that Kakyoin has been put out.

“Why does it always have to end like this?” Kakyoin asks quietly, angling his head towards Jotaro so he can only see his eyes past his furrowed brows. The expression on his face still manages to pierce Jotaro like one of DIO’s knives; he’s not even upset anymore, no tears in his eyes, just sad, tired acceptance weighing his eyelids down the tiniest bit, pushing his brows together.

Jotaro moves to speak but nothing comes out of his throat. He feels like a dead animal, feels like roadkill; the impact swept him up so suddenly, and now there’s nothing he can do but stand stiffly as life leaves him.

Kakyoin nods, slowly, his expression crumpling. “So it seems,” he says, his voice shaking. He swallows thickly, Jotaro eyeing the way his adam’s apple bobs as he does, before he pushes his bangs back from his face and moves his hands to his wheels, maneuvering to turn and, presumably, leave. Again.

Jotaro is such a hypocrite. He collapses to the floor, his knees hitting the carpeted ground, shockwaves zipping up his spine but Jotaro hardly registering them.

Kakyoin turns his head anyway at the thump caused by Jotaro’s nearly 2 meter height collapsing into a heap, but Jotaro still calls, “W-wait- wait-”

It is with a brief but intense flash of mortification Jotaro realizes he is about two words away from crying. He swallows thickly once, twice, but whatever emotion is clogging his throat won’t go back down.

Kakyoin’s eyes widen a small bit, and he turns fully to face him. It’s more than he deserves, Jotaro knows, it’s more than he ever afforded Kakyoin in turn, but he is a selfish, selfish man, he is coming to find.

“Please,” Jotaro heaves out, the lump in his throat forcing the word to be higher than he means for it to be. “Please, pl- please, don’t go. Don’t go. Noriaki.”

Kakyoin closes his eyes, hands clenching noticeably on his armrests, breathing out a harsh exhale.

“You-” Kakyoin opens his eyes, focusing on Jotaro with a small, shakey glare. “You don’t get to ask that of me. You don’t- you don’t get to fucking ask that, Jotaro.”

“I know,” Jotaor wheezes. Why is he so short of breath? Must be that damn blockage in his throat. Jotaro tries swallowing again, but the pain of pushing the swell of emotion just makes his eyes tear up. Jotaro blinks, but the tears are replaced. Fuck.

“I know,” Jotaro repeats, his voice cracking. “I know I don’t. But please. Please stay.”

Kakyoin looks like he’s being torn in two, his expression downturning from a glare to something pained, like just looking at Jotaro is akin to laying on red hot coals.

“Jotaro…”

“Please,” Jotaro rasps again, his voice cracking once more, and mortifyingly, Jotaro can feel a tear fall. It races so face it can’t even properly streak his cheek, only traces the edge of it as it falls to the floor. It splashes on Jotaro’s hand. It’s warm.

Kakyoin’s face turns angry again, a snarl curling his lips as he squeezes his eyes shut. “Kujo, you are the worst fucking person I have ever met.”

But as he says this, he rolls his wheels forward, approaching Jotaro, and Jotaro is so relieved he’s dizzying, vertigo slamming into him so intensely he almost sees double. He drags himself forward to meet Kakyoin without even consciously realizing, feeling the drag of his legs against the floor distantly, like it’s only a dream.

When he gets close enough, Jotaro simply latches on Kakyoin’s legs, squeezing his pants material.

“Jotaro,” Kakyoin mutters, hands reaching out to take Jotaro’s face. Jotaro lets him. It’s the least he can do.

Kakyoin simply studies him for a long moment, staring deep into each one of Jotaro’s eyes, before scanning his chapped and bitten lips, the bags under his eyes, the new small scars on his face.

Kakyoin’s thumb reaches out to rub gently at one of Jotaro’s eye bags, and Jotaro’s breath hitches, less because of Kakyoin and more because the swell of emotion in his throat is only growing, getting bubblier and more pressing. Jotaro swallows but that does nothing to deter it, and another tear falls as a consequence.

“Oh, Jotaro,” Kakyoin sighs softly, leading Jotaro head down to rest against his thighs, one hand combing through his hair, knocking his hat off, the other moving to rub at one of his shoulder blades. “What am I going to do with you?”

Jotaro doesn���t know the answer to that. He just holds onto Kakyoin and cries silently, shudders minutely moving through him, focusing on Kakyoin’s hands in his hair and on his back.

6. context: early kakyoin and josuke meeting once again, but this time in kakyoin's pov

“Isn’t my dad like 90? Why is he friends with a- uh-”

Josuke swallows, coughing, and Kakyoin almost snorts, but decides that would be rude. Josuke’s had a rough enough week without Kakyoin teasing him. “Someone, uh, a lot younger than him?”

“That,” Kakyoin says, pushing his sunglasses up his nose, “is a long story. But to put it short, he introduced me to others with stands when I wasn’t sure if there was anyone else but me that had one.”

“Oh!” Josuke nods, his pompadour bouncing again. Kakyoin really is gonna have to ask him about his products. “Yeah, I guess that makes sense"

7. context: alternate kick off to why kakyoin goes to morioh. i figued it would be more impactful is joseph asked him directly to, so i changed it

Jotaro is reminded of how it looked earlier when Kakyoin’s lungs were straining for breath, and he summons Star Platinum frantically.

“Mr. Joestar,” Kakyoin interrupts, clearing his throat. “I can go in your stead. If you want. I can at least get there quicker than you can. I can make sure things stay calm until you get there.”

“Oh,” Joseph’s creaky voice comes through the phone, lightened in surprised. It’s the lightest his voice has been this whole conversation. “I…but aren’t you working on your thesis right now?”

Kakyoin huffs. “Not really. Just trying to find inspiration while I help my roommate with his.”

“Oh.” Josephs says. “I…I know traveling is hard for you, though-“

“It’s hard for you too, old man,” Kakyoin shoots back.

Joseph laughs at that, the sound slightly breathless but a laugh all the same. “I suppose…but why?”

Kakyoin stays silent for a moment, considering, as the last of the water drains away in the sink.

8. context: elaboration on kakyoin's parents and their ideas of kakyoin's friends in intermissoin 2. eventually i shortened it to what it is in the actual chapter cause it had already gotten long enough and this didn't add much to the theme of it 😔

“...Your friends?”

Kakyoin resists the ruge to roll his eyes, but a part of his seethes anyway, snarlign at the sting the question brought. Is is so unbelievable I got friends?

“Yes,” He says stiffly, resorting to blaming it on his unused throat. “My friends. I understand why you pushed them away until now, but I’d like to see them.”

Kakyoin’s mother and father exchange glances.

“I’ve been meaning to ask you about that,” His father starts, and Kakyoin closes his eyes. “The man you say did kidnap you- should- do you think we should file a report about it?”

Kakyoin sighs. “He’s dead. What’s the point?”

Kakyoin’s father blinks. “You keep saying that, but you haven’t mentioned how. Are you telling me these men just- killed a man in front of you? Why?”

Kakyoin grits his teeth, fingers digging into his blankets. He gets so cold so easily now that he needs multiple. “Because- why does that even matter?”

His father sighs and his mother picks up the slack. “Noriaki…we just don’t want you- don’t feel like you owe them anything. I’m grateful they got you away from your kidnapper, but they killed a man in front of yo-”

“They didn’t kill him in front of me,” Kakyoin snarls, “I didn’t- my- the man who kidnapped me-” the words taste like cough syrup in Kakyoin’s mouth, so victimizing, so weak “-tried to kill me and some of my other friends, so they resorted to killing him out of self-defense.”

His mother and father exchange glances again, and Kakyoin snarls. “I finally make friends and they’re not good enough for you because they cared about protecting me? Can you just give me some space to breathe for once?!”

Kakyoin’s mother bursts into tears and Kakyoin squeezes his eyes shut.

“Noriaki,” His father says softly, and Kakyoin whips his head away from him. It’s immature and he knows, but he’s so angry, why can’t they understand for fucking once-

“Okay,” His father says. Kakyoin blinks, turning to face him.

“What?”

Taking his wife’s hand as she wipes her eyes with her free one, Kakyoin’s father turns to face him, eyes downturned. “Okay. I- I’m sorry for assuming the worst of your friends. We were scared, and worried, but- you’re smart. We trust you. But please understand why we couldn’t trust them until you were awake to back them up.”

Kakyoin takes a deep breath, head falling back against the pillows. “...Right,” he says softly. “Right. I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry,” His mother says quietly, “you went through so much lately and we interrogated you and kept you from your friends. I-”

“Mom,” Kakyoin almost begs, and she stops. “...Dad’s right. I can’t blame you, either.”

She sniffs, before reaching out to run a hand through Kakyoin’s hair. Kakyoin lets her despite his skin itching under her touch.

“...So, will you let them in when they come to visit?” He asks after a beat.

His mother swallows thickly before nodding.

Kakyoin lets out a breath and closes his eyes.

9. context: blurb from what josuke is drunk post shigechi fight. ultimately took it out cause it was distracting from josuke's problems which is what the conversation was about

“What even is the deal with you two?! Mr. Jotaro is weird, yeah, but he’s not- why do you hate him?”

Kakyoin snarls. “It’s more complicated than me just hating him-”

“Then what do you call the- the blowing up at him every chance you get? Huh? What happened on that journey you said you went on?!” Josuke argues. Kakyoin closes his mouth, teeth clicking together, an ache echoing in his jaw.

He doesn’t answer, his heart beating in his throat. He can feel a pulsing in his fingertips, a bleeding between the muscle and bone of his ribs. “Don’t you dare talk to me that way.”

10. context: cut scene of kakyoin meeting tomoko. originally happens when kakyoin is organizing the stand training for the first time with josuke. instead of calling him, kakyoin goes to josuke's house to talk baout it in person. decided to cut this because that chapter had already become so long (had to split it into two) and i decided we should get tomoko and kakyoin meeting later lol, at a more significant date

A woman Kakyoin faintly remembers seeing in photographs opens the door, and her brows furrow as she gives him a once over.

“Uh-” Kakyoin starts, but she turns to call over her shoulder.

“Josuke, where do you even find these guys?” She asks, and there’s a clattering as Kakyoin assumes Josuke jumps up from whatever he was doing.

“‘These guys’?” Kakyoin asks wryly, and she huffs, shaking her head.

“Some other man came by the other day looking for Josuke too -- you are looking for Josuke, right?” She pauses. At Kakyoin’s nod, she shakes her head and continues, “Some other man came by the other day looking for Josuke too. Had a big white coat. I almost thought he could be the science teacher from Josuke’s school, but he…” Tomoko huffs, crossing her arms and leaning against the door. “He clearly wasn’t built for teacherhood.”Kakyoin raises a brow but says nothing. So Kujo does come by to check on Josuke sometimes?

11. context: old version of a scene that's... coming up :)

It’s quiet, save for the trickling of water down Kakyoin’s back as it rushes back into the tub, the soft scratch of a cloth against his shoulders, and the static of soap settling against skin.

Jotaro wets the cloth before raising it to Kakyoin’s back again, washing the soap down the expanse of skin, purposefully ignoring the scar peeking out of the water.

“I thought you were a saint once,” Kakyoin says quietly. Jotaro pauses.

“Why on earth would you think that?”

“I didn’t believe in the good in people, before I met you,” Kakyoin continues softly. “…but you saved me for...for no reason.” Kakyoin lets out a self-depreciating chuckle. “I still don’t really know why you did it.

“Of course, then I gave up in the good in people again, also because of you,” Kakyoin says. Jotaro swallows slowly, guilt swelling his tongue, making it heavy in his mouth.

“But now I’m not sure…what I believe in,” Kakyoin finishes. Jotaro breathes out quietly.

Suds of soap drip off the loofah and into the water beneath. Jotaro’s staring at Kakyoin’s back, the wet, clean skin shiny and reflective.

He hesitates, before saying, “You…really don’t have to call me Jotaro,”

Kakyoin’s brows furrow. “It’s your name.”

“But- so is Kujo,” Jotaro says dumbly. “You’ve been…calling me that this whole time, after all.”

and that's all! I hope you all enjoyed these tidbits that showcase what it's been like to work on wwm/ta <3 new chapter dropping in, erm, a few minutes (: thank you all again so so much for 1k kudos!!!!