#so you'd think the least she could do asking him to risk his life yet again was not make micro aggressions in his house while asking him

[mimisempai]

It's just a risk to take 1/2

Summary

For the fifth year in a row, Crowley's mother insists on inviting him to her charity gala. Although he has refused each time, this time he has no choice. And if he doesn't want his mother to force a date on him, he'll have to bring someone. So he takes the risk of inviting his old friend Aziraphale, for whom he feels much more than friendship. 

Notes

A little Human AU of them getting together

On Ao3

Rating G - 1783 words

"Anthony!"

Though startled by his mother's voice, Anthony did not react and continued to read the newspaper, sitting on his sofa with his feet up on the coffee table.

He heard the door close, then the click of heels coming closer, and only looked up when his mother tossed a sheet of paper into his lap.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that it was the negative response he'd sent to her invitation to the fall charity ball she hosted every year.

Continuing to leaf through the paper as if nothing had happened, he asked, "To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit, my dear mother?"

With her hands on her hips, his mother replied in a voice whose irritation she couldn't quite shake, “This is the fifth year you've refused my invitation and said you'd come next year. Five times!"

Anthony slowly lifted his eyes to his mother and looked at her with an assurance he was far from feeling.

"After four rejections, didn't you think there was no point in sending me a fifth invitation?"

"You know very well that I don't take no for an answer."

"And yet you'll have to do it again this time. I haven't changed my mind."

Crowley closed the newspaper and stood up before throwing it on the sofa and going to the kitchen to have some coffee. Of course, his mother followed him, and he felt that this time he'd really have a hard time staying firm. After all, he took after her as much for her flaming hair as for her stubborn nature.

He filled two cups of coffee and handed her one, which she eagerly grabbed.

He sat down on one of the high stools behind the counter as his mother leaned across from him.

She sighed.

"Anthony, I don't understand, you're smart, you're good at what you do, you're a handsome man..."

"Thanks, Mom." 

"Don't interrupt me! I was saying that you're a fine person, that you're good company when you're not hiding behind your sarcasm, that you have a job that you thrive at, and yet you're hiding in your apartment like an old bachelor."

Anthony replied with all the calm he could muster, "I am hiding, as you say, because in case you didn't know, with my job as a teacher, I see enough people during the day, my social circle is kept to a minimum because I prefer quality over quantity, and most importantly, I'm a big boy and I live my life as I see fit."

His mother took a sip of coffee, set the cup down on the counter with a clatter, and replied, "I never thought my son, so full of quality, would become a homebody. So boring. What a disappointment." 

Anthony knew his mother was being dramatic and didn't mean a word she said, she was just trying to provoke him until he gave in, so he took absolutely no offense.

He raised his eyebrows.

"If you find me boring, that's your problem, not mine."

"And when I'm gone, who's going to take care of your social life, right? You'll be all alone."

Oh, here we were. The feelings card.

He couldn't help but smile slightly and replied, "Mom, this may be hard for you to believe, but I like my solitude. And like I said, I have a few friends. You can count them on the fingers of one hand. But I have a few."

"At least give me one good reason, one real reason why you shouldn't come to this ball." His mother said as she went to refill her cup.

Anthony sighed, "If you must know, it's because I'm sure you want to set me up with some great party you found on Single.com or one of your dating apps."

His mother rolled her eyes.

"If that's all it is, just come with a date. It's as simple as that."

Anthony chuckled.

"Very funny, really."

His mother said in a softer tone, "I'm serious, you know. There must be someone whose company you can stand to spend an evening with."

Anthony immediately thought of someone, but did his best not to react.

Aziraphale.

No, don't think about it. He's just a friend. There's a big gap between being a friend and being someone's plus one for an event like this.

Forget about it.

"Ooooh, I see, so there is someone."

Damn, she really was too sharp.

His mother put down her cup, then came over and planted a kiss on his cheek before turning away.

"It's perfect. I'll wait for you and Aziraphale at the party."

"I never said it was Azi"

"Don't forget to remind your bookseller that formal wear is required."

"He's not my bookseller."

"You didn't deny it was about him, did you?"

"Mom..."

"I know, I know, honey."

Clack.

As quickly as she'd arrived, the hurricane that was his mother was gone.

She was probably already calling her friends to brag about having had the last word with her stubborn son. 

Anthony buried his head in his hands. He would have to contact Aziraphale and risk jeopardizing one of the longest and best friendships of his life.

The longest and most beautiful, in fact.

To do so, he would have to try to ignore the feelings he had for his friend. Feelings that went far beyond simple friendship.

Easier said than done.

Anthony sighed once more before he picked up his phone and started typing.

*********

Aziraphale was sitting at a table at the Dirty Donkey with Nina, Maggie and Muriel when his cell phone began to vibrate. 

He pulled it out of his pocket and, seeing who the message was from, quickly slid his thumb across the screen. He was so excited that he almost dropped the phone.

Nina noticed his fussiness and tried to look over his shoulder.

"I've never seen you in such a hurry to read a message. Who is it?"

"Oh, someone important, no doubt," Maggie replied before pulling Nina away to let Aziraphale read his message in peace. 

Muriel, for their part, made no comment, just looked at him with a knowing smile, they knew him too well. They knew who could make Aziraphale react like that. 

Aziraphale was astonished because, unlike Crowley's usual short, concise text messages, this one was so long that he had to scroll to get to the end.

His amazement grew as he read on.

His heart was beating faster as well.

But he chose to ignore it.

Aziraphale, you'll probably be surprised at what 

I'm about to ask you, but I don't have the courage to ask you in person. 

I don't know how else to say it, but I need your help. 

Would you be willing to accompany me to my mother's fall charity gala? 

It seems I can't avoid it this year, and while I'm at it, I'd rather go with a friend. 

You, in this case. 

Let me know your answer, and if it's positive, I'll send you the details.

Aziraphale swallowed. Several times.

He kept looking at the phone in his hand as he took a big gulp of sherry. 

Then he read the message again. His heart was racing now.

He had forgotten that he wasn't alone and was startled when Nina said, "You're all red, Aziraphale."

Maggie giggled and nodded.

A hand came to rest on his arm and a soft voice said, "You look... happy."

He looked up to meet the eyes of his best friend, Muriel.

"Yes. I think... maybe..."

Unable to find the words, he handed them the phone.

Muriel read it, looking very focused, before exclaiming, "That's great, Aziraphale! It's a great opportunity."

Of course his friend and business partner would say that.

They were, after all, the one who had pushed him to approach Crowley the day he had first walked into the bookstore.

Six years ago. He'd just started working as an astrophysics teacher and was looking for old books. Then he'd come back several times just to see Aziraphale, and a deep friendship had developed. Crowley had become part of his little circle of friends, and not a week went by without them seeing each other. Sometimes just the two of them, sometimes with their friends.

It was only during exam periods like now that their meetings were far apart.

And no, Aziraphale didn't count the days. Or hours, for that matter.

"Come on, Aziraphale, don't keep it a secret." 

Nina insisted, and he could see in Maggie's sparkling eyes that she was just as curious as her wife.

When Muriel handed the phone back, he hesitated for a moment, then finally passed it to Nina, who read the message as Maggie moved closer to read it at the same time.

"Aha... and are you going to say yes?"

Aziraphale didn't hide his astonishment at Nina and Maggie's lack of surprise.

"What? You think it's a secret that you have a crush on him?"

"Huh?"

Maggie continued, "There are even bets on which one of you will make the first move?"

"What?"

Dumbfounded, he glanced at Muriel, who shrugged.

"Neither of you are subtle."

"What do you mean?"

Maggie nodded, "Well, sometimes he looks at you like he hasn't eaten in days and you're the first meal he's seen."

"You've got to be kidding me!"

"I swear it's true!"

Nina nudged his shoulders and repeated, "So you'll answer yes?"

She added, insisting, "Do you realize this could be your chance?"

Maggie continued, "This could be a date!"

Aziraphale downed the rest of his sherry in one gulp and replied a little dizzily, "I certainly hope so."

He was far less certain as he prepared to answer a few moments later in the privacy of his apartment.

No matter how much he told himself not to get his hopes up, it was too late, and the only thing he could do was at least try to remain fairly neutral in his message.

Crowley, we're friends, you know you can ask me anything.

And knowing your mother, I'm guessing you fought bravely. 😛

I'm delighted to accept your invitation.

It will be an opportunity to spend an evening together, 

we haven't seen each other for a month, 

we'll have a lot to talk about.

Send me the details of the evening.

Good night!

Aziraphale hit 'send' immediately, before he had time to change his mind, placed his phone on the nightstand without waiting for a reply, and turned off the light. 

Probably due to Sherry's overindulgence, he quickly fell asleep in a peaceful slumber whose dreams had the face of a teacher with red flaming hair and honey-colored eyes.

_________

Still not beta'd

Still not my native language

Still hoping you'll enjoy this story  🥰

Still thanking you for bearing with me 😝

Ineffable fan fictions Masterpost : here

[qiqi-media]

.

[mrinafria]

And I’d choose you; in a hundred lifetimes, in a hundred worlds, in any version of reality, I’d find you and I’d choose you. (CoS)

[contains spoilers; tw: blood]

When they ask me about the purest love story out there, I'd show them these two.

It's not the sacrifice per se that makes it great for me, it's the way they feel about each other, about the love they give and receive. Even in their last/worst moments, they somehow find the courage because the other one is safe? Im Sol is scared out of her mind handling this traumatic ordeal on her own so she seeks help from the detectives. Her only peace of mind is that at least Seon Jae is safe. Then she learns about his phone call and doesn't spare a second to run. The same girl who was so scared a while back throws all caution out of the window the moment Seon Jae is in danger, because she'd risk her life than Seon Jae's. Can you imagine the trauma seeing him dying for the third time, and her actually witnessing it this time around? If I were Im Sol, I would do anything to not have to go through that too. Even if it meant losing the person so they were never my person to begin with.

And Seon Jae. Boy is dying. Dying. You can see it in his eyes that he's aware of it too and yet, he is so grateful? So at peace with himself and with life? Like he has no regrets about any unfinished business, unlived years, unattained dreams, unspoken words to his loved ones. He already told Im Sol he loved her, and she reciprocated. That was enough. For him, that was good enough.

I go back to this scene like a masochist because THE DETAILS. By the time Im Sol arrives, you know Seon Jae is beyond saving. He knows it too. He's not even trying to escape or save himself. It looks like he's been holding on on his own for a while. His face has turned ashen, breathing uneven, hands slightly shaking. He's barely holding it together. Barely there.

However, he is not trying to push that guy away or take that knife out.

Instead, he's holding that guy's hand.

Let that sink in for a moment.

He is holding on to that hand. JUST SO HE CAN HOLD ON TO THE GUY.

Since the taxi driver is at an advantage here, and Seon Jae knows he cannot fight back anymore, so he is using whatever he can as a last resort to keep the guy occupied with him, and keep him from going after Im Sol. Seon Jae could perhaps guess Im Sol would arrive any time since the cliff was where he'd found her earlier, sitting in shock. But even if she didn't make it, you can bet he'd have spent his last breaths trying to fall off the cliff taking the guy down with him. THIS SCENE. The resolution is so clearly etched on his face.

And then he sees her. And the detectives. She is safe. She is saved. He did it. He saved her. And it's the Im Sol who knows him, who recognizes him, who loves him. She is safe, and that's all that matters. He saved the person he loves more than his life, literally.

His job is done. The choice he made gave him the outcome he wanted and desperately fought for.

And he is exhausted. All that resolve took a lot out of him. So we see his body finally giving up, him finally letting go. He resigns to his fate, but also not in a resentful way. He knew this was his fate all along (because no matter what choice Im Sol made, he'd choose to run toward her any day), it just happened earlier than expected. But he knew it, and he still made that choice. He doesn't regret it because he'd be making the same choice in every timeline (as he has been). He is able to see his Im Sol for one last time before his eyes close, with memories of their time together and Im Sol's voice echoing in his ears, his soul.

Sometimes you know the consequences, but make the same choice anyway. Because you like it.

The faint smile on his face in his final moments before he falls off the cliff? You'd think the boy won a gold medal for swimming or something. It's like he's achieved the biggest purpose there was in his life besides loving Im Sol. True to his words, he is grateful Im Sol exists in the world. That he got the chance to love her because she exists in this world. And he is thankful he gets to leave the world knowing Im Sol still exists in the world, his gift from the heavens.

One is jumping through space and time, living the same nightmare, constantly, over and over again, and yet going out of her way to save her love. Even if it means carrying the trauma and heartbreak and pain and loneliness and longing of three, four, multiple timelines, for the same guy. The other is making the choice to love her through all the storm, all the warnings, all the odds of time and space and fate stacked against him. How could you be so brave when fate is both so very kind and yet so extremely cruel to you no matter what you do? How do you choose to persevere? How do you get to have a love so pure?

Should I be ready to die if I want to be with you? - Ryu Seon Jae

[animeyanderelover]

For my Second request, of 10 random yandere of your choosing, being involved with a gang member female s/o who hides the fact she’s part of another gang from her yandere. She hides the fact she’s part of a gang due to several reasons: she feels a sense of connection and community with her gang, she feels obligated to be loyal to them as her gang had saved her and accepted her, she doesn’t want to be judged by her yandere that she is a part of a gang, and she knows with how stubborn/passionate their yandere is they will try to get involved and she wants to avoid that. With this reasons in mind, she tries to hide it, however, she sucks at lying, so whenever she gets injured, she basically tells them the truth but skips over the fact that since she’s part of a gang, she got it from fighting. But she’s says everything so cheerfully and obliviously, as if it’s no big deal. Such as “oh, this bruise on my arm? Some guy on a motorcycle tried to hit me on the head with a steel pipe, but I caught it (totally not the fact a rival gang member tried to jump Me)” or “oh my broken leg? That’s due to some guy trying to shank me at the side of the street, but don’t worry I kicked them to Valhalla!! (totally not from a group fight where a rival gang member played dirty)” It eventually reaches a point where she becomes hospitalized, but she cheerfully insists that she fell down the stairs, but the yandere by then already knows something is up.

I'm so sorry but this request is low-key Tokyo Revengers coded so this entire post is just characters from Tokyo Revengers. I only wrote about 7 characters since I've been under stress with my most recent exams so I hope that isn't too bad.

Tw: Yandere themes, possessive relationship, obsession, clinginess, manipulation, bribery, violence, injuries, isolation, female s/o

Gang member s/o who sucks at lying

Hanagaki Takemichi

👊​You'd think being part of Toman and having been part of countless battles would have hardened him against violence, especially because he himself has tanked quite a lot of heavy punches and kicks in fights. Any trace of normality has been thrown out of the window ever since he discovered his ability to travel back in time and he has most certainly been misguided by believing that you could provide him with a lingering sense of regularity. Seriously, with the way his life has been shaping what was he even thinking? Normally someone who is on the easier spectrum of being portentially manipulated by his darling since he is a simp, Takemichi recognises occuring injuries you suffer from all too well. His heart always drops when you appear with a new broken limb or injury, though by now he at least doesn't collapse out of shock like he did the first time he saw your horrendous condition. He's seen those wounds before and he has been in a similar position as you before. You can't fool him this time, as lovesick as he may be.

👊​His initial reaction would be to beg you to stop with the way you are living but he is surprisingly self-reflective enough to realise after his initial panic that it would be quite hypocritical of him to ask you to leave your gang whilst he himself has risked his life multiple times for Toman before. To top it all, he knows just how stubborn and scary you can be if you are told to do something against your will, even he is frightened of you when you get mad though it's somewhat sexy too. He turns to people like Chifuyu and Draken to ask them about other gangs they know about besides Toman to figure out in which gang you are even in and as a Division Leader and essentially another head of Toman overall, he does what he can to ensure that you will never get into a fight with Toman and him. Whilst he hasn't seen you fight just yet, judging from how well you deal with injuries he can tell that you are quite robust but he'd rather get beaten up bloody before he has to see you getting hurt in front of him.

👊​He eventually breaks down when he receives news that you had to get hospitalised due to a recent brawl that escalated. He goes down on his knees, begging you to stop with this as he is mentally beating himself up for not having done more to prevent this from happening. Takemichi has a habit of thinking that he has to shield everything by himself as the time traveler and for that beats himself all the more up when something terrible happens as he sees it as his sole fault for not having done more. He starts gearing up to finally take direct action. His route is initially surprisingly diplomatic as he offers your gang to work together as he wants to protect you in future fights either himself or by knowing that there are capable guys he trust involved in the fight yet a rejection won't be accepted in his vocabulary. Always one prone to attempting to do everything on his own, he's probably going to ask for a fight with your leader, even if they are a better fighter than him. No matter how heavy their punches are though, he always gets back up, desperate for them to accept his conditions and not caring what happens to him in the process.

Sano Manjiro

🦶​There is no way to deteriorate Mikey's obsession into something leaning into his dark impulses faster than a darling as reckless as you. It is in a way almost laughable how oblivious you can be to the obvious signs of it all as you give him that carefree grin, reminiscent of the one he always has when he is in a relaxed and playful mood. Only that he does not reciprocate your grin, dark eyes widening as he looks at the cast plastered over your broken leg before dulling when you chirp cheerfully that a few guys ganged up on you. Your half-baked reassurance that you broke the nose of one of the guy and are responsible for a broken jaw of another one does not heal the growing hole in his heart. Instead he steps closer to you, hands grasping your shoulders in a tight hold as he asks you in a flat tone to tell him who did this to you, his grip tightening the longer he stares at the cast. You only get a few seconds to assure him that you dealt with them yourself before he cuts you off quickly. Answer his question. Who. Did. This. To. You.

🦶​Even Draken is astonished with the sheer outrageous lies you conjure up whenever a new bruise or cast appears on your body yet you insist cheerfully every time that it was a stupid coincidende or accident. It really isn't hard to deduce that you are also involved with a gang and brawl regularly with them and that knowledge only has Mikey seething with rage even more. His mind is filled with dark thoughts of murdering every piece of shit who kicked and punched you to the point where some members have caught him mumbling about his horrific fantasies, deeply stuck in his thoughts that he didn't even notice them standing there and looking at him mildly terrified. Another emotion that crawls up his spine after the revelation though is one that is a much sharper and stinging pain. Betrayal. Betrayal that you chose to keep your gang life a secret from him and betrayal that you chose them over him. He would have gladly let you join Toman if you would have asked him. Sure, he wouldn't have let you fight but he would have taken you with him anywhere. Why do you stay loyal to your gang still? He's your boyfriend...

🦶​Paranoia gets the best of him as he fears that you would choose them over him. It is a thought that dominates his heart and mind with fear and growing dark urges. Mikey normally is a person who doesn't want to show any weakness around others yet it is a different story with you. He demands of you to leave your gang and just join his instead so that you two can always be with each other and so that he can guarantee that no bastard harms you ever again yet it is when you firmly refuse that he snaps. Your rejection and affirmation of your loyalty to your gang essentially confirms his paranoia that you value them more than him and would drop him for them. With nothing able to hold him back, he drowns in his obsession and goes after your own gang with Toman, irrational to the point where no one can stop him. The final nail in the coffin is your hospitalisation that convinces him that your gang isn't even capable of protecting you. Toman assaults your gang whilst you lay in the hospital and Mikey takes on your leader, merciless and brutal even after they are down before he tells them with blank eyes that from now on you belong to his gang and that they'd do better to stay away from you.

Ryuguji Ken

🐉​Draken should technically be used to this all and he can't deny that this all is very reminiscent with experiences he was with another person in his life. Exhausting antics, a tendency to get into brutal fights and brush off all injuries despite their seriousness and a carefree grin always given to calm his nerves. It's like taking care of Mikey all over again yet the protective nature he has quickly tranform into an overprotective obsession with you as his darling. He's had his suspicions from a very early point on as he is well informed about gangs and the violent life they lead as the vice-president of Toman. Swollen eyes, broken limbs and other injuries you constantly have the next time he sees you quickly leads him to the conclusion that you must be involved with a gang yourself. Honestly, it really isn't hard to figure it out and he doesn't even know why you are so surprised when he presents you with his theory. Really, have you ever listened to yourself lying before? You're the worst person at lying he has ever met so far.

🐉​Whilst Draken won't demand of you to abandon your gang like Mikey does, he is not fully convinced to let you continue as you are doing either. He starts prying for more information and even if you do not want to tell him about certain aspects, it is rather easy for him to read you due to your inability to be convincing when you lie. It's by constantly questioning you without putting you under pressure by upholding a interested and caring facade that he is soon able to have a rather accurate picture about your gang and its members. That's when he starts using other ways to gather more intel about the individual members of your gang, mainly by letting members from Toman spy on them. All of that of course in secrecy as he wouldn't want to displease you as he's aware that you do not want to get him involved in your life. Draken on the other hand wants to figure out now how capable and loyal the people of your gang really are as you obviously view them in a subjective light and could never seriously criticise them.

🐉​His mind is made up when you land in the hospital with severe injuries from your last fight. His expression is unreadable as he visits you, dark eyes watching you as you muster a grin and tell him that everything is fine and you just fell down the stairs in an attempt to hide from him that you got into a rather intense fight this time before he interrupts you. He thinks it would be better for you to leave your gang. In a short fit of outrage, you nearly get out of bed but he quickly forces you back down and hisses at you to lay still or else your injuries will open up again. His gaze is firm though as he informs you that he doesn't think the members of your gang are good enough to survive gang life out there nor do they possess other qualities needed in his opinion. You're terribly stubborn and he knows that but he can't bear to watch you like this anymore. He will have to find a way to have you leave the gang or to come up with an idea how to break them off. Perhaps he should pay your leader a visit himself and show them just how silly their fantasies are. A good dose of genuine fear may finally help them realise just how dangerous the life of a gang not suited enough is in the streets out there...

Baji Keisuke

🖤​People like Chifuyu can only watch with eyes as wide as saucers as it is almost like watching two Bajis at once when you are around. The similarities between him and you are mindblowing and Baji himself isn't sure whether he should find this amusing or if he should be slightly concerned. Your grin is like a trademark, one that you always flash him even if there are stitches over your eyebrow or if multiple fingers of yours are bandaged. Baji on the other hand always turns up his sleeves whenever he sees your injuries, a feral grin of his own on his face that does little to hide his sparking anger as he asks you which bitch he has to pummel into the ground. The First Division Captain is strikingly possessive and protective and his concern mainly shown in his willingness to beat anyone up who he suspects to be responsible for your emotional or physical strain. He has never gotten a truthful answer from you though as you always come up with bullshit on the spot in hopes of calming him down.

🖤​Whilst Baji may lack in academical knowledge though, he is someone who has a sharp intellect and can understand things well outside of school. He suspects that there is something up that you don't want him to know about and it irritates him that you keep it from him. The irritation is quite visible on his face but he doesn't force you immediately to spit it out what you are keeping from him. As a countermeasure to the wounds you have received though, you find Baji taking the role of the guard dog for you whenever you go anywhere. He's far too stubborn to listen to you when you reassure him that you can spend time on your own without the need for him to protect you. The injuries pile up on you though and he feels more and more like wanting to murder someone as he starts pressuring you to tell him the truth only for you to remain silent. Chifuyu eventually brings up his idea that you may also be involved in a gang and fight with them as your injuries and your horrible lies would line up nicely with that theory.

🖤​Somehwere in his mind he can acknowledge your loyalty to your gang as he is nothing short of dedicated to Toman as well yet there is a double standard that becomes soon apparent. He'd rather have you take a step back from gang life as he deems you as too weak to continue. Far too often do you end up with wounds and injuries that he takes as proof that you are not good enough in fights and that belief is especially strengthened when you end up needing to stay for a longer time in the hospital due to your most recent injuries. Both of you get in an argument as neither of you backs off from their belief and it ultimately leaves Baji with no choice but solve things the way he knows best. With a good brawl. He seeks out your gang himself and challenges them to a fight. If he wins, he demands of them to disband and to not get involved in fights anymore. He's fully prepared to become the villain in your eyes, though that doesn't mean that he'll let you leave him. If you really wanna beat up people that bad though, he wouldn't mind jumping random guys in the streets with you. You look rather hot after all whilst beating someone up...

Mitsuya Takashi

🪡If there is one person in Toman who would see right through your lies even if you wouldn't be such a terrible liar, next to Draken obviously, it's Mitsuya. As level-headed and calm as he is, he serves as the counterpart to your reckless and occasionally feral behavior by attempting to calm you down and talking some sense into your brain. He can tell by simply observing you and taking notice of your injuries that you are part of a gang. Whilst Takashi is also a very essential part of Toman, he surprisingly enough isn't too keen on fighting unless it is absolutely needed which is why your willingness to constantly join the fights of your gang is something he is secretly displeased about. He may not outright scold you nor even let you know that he is already on about your secret that you try to cover with horrendeous lies yet he is already trying to make plans himself. As someone who is a subtle manipulator, Mitsuya gently coaxes you into revealing bits of information about your gang and the individual members every time you two meet.

🪡​Partially he is self-aware about the fact that you essentially do what lots of members in Toman would also do. Inherently he isn't completely against the loyalty and devotion you exhibit for your gang yet all the wounds and injuries you constantly suffer as a result hamper his patience and willingness to let you go on that way. You disregard your own health and body and merely brush it off as little scratches even if he reminds you sternly that one day you may not get away with only a broken leg or twenty stitches. Really, he doesn't want to be overbearing but how can he not end up being very overprotective when you yourself are so incapable of looking after yourself? It gets more noticable as time passes by and he essentially turns into the overly worried mother for you who constantly has to remind you to rest in bed or take it easy to not strain your already injured body. He offers all the help he can give though even if you reject it, he'll end up giving it to you anyways.

🪡​You do not know that yet but Mitsuya has actually already gotten in contact with some members of your gang out of concern for you yet it is when you end up in dire need of an operation that he finds himself confronting them with a much more serious disposition. This has gone too far. You could have died this time around. He demands of them to do some serious reflection on their ways and reminds them that they would stand no real chance if a bigger group would ever decide to take them on. A serious and level-headed composure can be rather frightening under the right circumstances and this is what happens in that moment as he also reveals nonchalantly that he has gotten his hand on some unsavory information that could end up fatal if given to the wrong people. He refrains from violence and instead goes with blackmailing for now, though perhaps his status as a Division Captain is already protection and intimidation enough. Perhaps it would be seen as dirty in the eyes of your gang and even yourself but Mitsuya would be open enough to admit that he has actually held back merely because you see those people as your friends and from what he has observed, they value you as well.

Matsuno Chifuyu

🟡​Chifuyu is the definition of loyal and sticks with you through thick and thin even if your antics threaten to drive him up the wall at times. Your whole demeanor reminds him very vividly of his own Division Captain and even Baji himself likes to make jokes about it when you spend time with Chifuyu. Truthfully spoken, it really isn't difficult to sense that there is something you are hiding with all the injuries that litter your body on some days. You deny it every single time as you come up with an explanation for every broken limb or every scar and stitch that you sport yet seem very unaware of the fact that your lies only fuel his suspicion further. Chifuyu is honestly not sure whether he should be baffled or pull at his hair in frustration whenever you present him with another excuse for an injury. Do you even know that you suck at lying or do you genuinely believe people to accept the lies that you offer? He's worried for you though even if you lie to him again and again and refuse to tell him the truth and those protective instincts push him to grow clingier, worried that with your careless behavior you might end up reopening some stitches.

🟡​He tolerates your bullshit for quite a while though even if he feels like a kicked puppy every time he attempts to ask you if you could tell him the truth only for you to dismiss it with yet another of your stupid lies. Chifuyu is honestly too good to you at times and he is actually self-aware of that but can't help himself. The longer this drags on though and the more serious your injuries get, the more he finds himself pushed closer to the edge. He knows, alright! He knows already that you must be involved in the gang life yourself but it is killing him that you don't let him in on it. He could help you. He could protect you! He's your boyfriend, for fuck's sake. Why are you locking him out? The habit of stalking you is solely born because you refuse to let him in on everything and it is via stalking that he also figures out who the other people belonging to your gang are. He hates to admit it but he feels a sense of anxiety as he realises just how loyal you are to them and wonders if he is just second place as he has entered your life after you had already met your gang.

🟡​He's witness to another violent fight between your gang and another one and when he realises that you are down and seriously injured, he rushes in and takes the beating for you from a member of the enemy gang. Even bruised and battered though, he puts your health before his own as he drives you to the hospital where he waits for hours on end before he can finally visit you. Even then you still dare to lie to him and that's when he breaks. He lashes emotionally out as tears run down his face. Are you serious?! You're still trying to lie to him?? Do you really think of him as that untrustworthy?? It's rare for him to let his emotions overwhelm him easily but it happens in that moment, the most prominent ones are betrayal and a doubtful fear that he really means less to you than your own gang. It's after his outburst that he is finally done with keeping up with your behavior as he reasons that he has in fact been too tolerant about everything. No wonder that you seem to take him for an idiot. He hasn't been assertive enough. That'll change from today on though...

Kokonoi Hajime

💴​Normally Kokonoi would love to mess around with his darling a bit since he can be a tad bit more malicious and sadistic at times yet it's those repetitive injuries that trigger a vulnerable and raw side out of him. Every time he spots you with new broken bones or he notices a freshly stitched wound of yours, his mind automatically flashes back to Akane in the hospital. There is probably no quicker way than to break him down faster than constantly appearing with new casts or stitches in front of him. There has never been a time where he hasn't demanded from you with narrowed eyes to tell him who did this to you so that he can arrange some things here and there to see it through that they never bother you again yet it is your unwillingness to tell him and always present him with a dumb lie of yours that always serves as fuel to the stirring inferno. Whether you see him as an idiot or merely try to hide something from him and just suck at lying, his anger only festers every time another lie leaves your lips.

💴​It really doesn't take long for Kokonoi to already know everything he needs to know and he is beyond unhappy. As someone whose obsession is one build one possessiveness and the desire to control his darling, everything you personify goes against his own wants. You are far too independent, recklessly throw yourself into brawls to defend the honor of your gang as your loyalty lies with them when it should belong to him and risk your own body and health as a result which seems to be a constant fear that has a vice-grip on his heart. He despises your antics and the grin you give him every time you end up with a new reminder of your most recent fight and act as if nothing happened at all. Do you seriously think you'll be fine or do you simply not care? Part of his ire is also turned against your gang though as he loathes them for many reasons. Not only does he see them as a threat to your safety but also as rivals he has to get rid of. He has to cut their ties with you and make you believe that they abandoned you so that he can swap roles with them and become the person you depend on.

💴​Money has always been something he could use to corrupt and buy people and he uses it in this situation as well. He hires thieves to work as spies for him and collect more information on the life your gang leads as well as digging up some dirt on individual gang members. Even if he finds none, he can always make up some stuff. As Kokonoi wants to break your trust in your own gang, he even attempts bribing them with money and manipulating them to abandon you. It's when he is informed that you were sent to the hospital and had to go through surgery that he finally loses composure when he visits you only to be greeted with that same cursed smile that you have been giving him since forever. Do you have a death wish or what?! He flips out for a few moments, hisses out words dripping with venom as he openly admits how he feels about your gang and directs some of his words against you as well. He won't let you risk your life for those people! He can't understand for the life of him what worth they could possibly have. You just wait, he will see it through that you will never see them again.

[lysatoru]

heavenly - cigarettes after sex

gojo fluff! gojo x gn!reader

gojo’s favorite evenings are when he lays his head on your chest and hears you yapping <3

Even though Gojo was busy most of the time with his missions and his title of "strongest", there were still a few quiet evenings when Gojo came home. You heard the keys in the lock of your front door and realized that he was finally home. If he came home in the evening, that meant he was off, at least for tonight. So you smile stupidly as you wait for him to come through the door.

"Hi there," he says, kissing your forehead and tucking an arm behind your back. "How was your day?" you asked, already knowing the answer. "As usual," it was on.

After a good shower, Satoru joins you on the sofa, you're reading a book "The Metamorphosis" by Kafka. He turns on the TV, but doesn't look at it, he looks at you. "The Metamorphosis, eh? Sounds too heady for me," he says with a sneer — "It's a man turning into a cockroach, it's not that complicated" you reply. "Eww! It's disgusting, poor thing" he says, mimicking disgust.

You laugh and he continues to stroke your legs, his elbow resting on the edge of the sofa, holding his head.

"You're really beautiful, you know that?"

You close your book and look at him, "What's the matter with you tonight?" you say, smiling. "I'm not allowed to compliment the love of my life?" he says, taking your book and resting his head on your chest. "You could have said earlier that you wanted to cuddle!" you then start stroking his hair, with your long nails. "No, you're sexy when you read" — he replies, closing his eyes — "Mmh.. Your petting will get me killed."

You stay like that for half an hour, in silence, just the two of you.

If Satoru had a reason for coming home every night, it was because after your work, he knew you'd be waiting for him and welcoming him with open arms, damn it, how he loved your cuddles, the warmth of your body, the softness of your skin and the smell that emanated from it.

You break the silence for a brief moment, "Remember my friend with the black hair and the glasses?" — "Oh yes, the one who left her boyfriend because he cheated on her?" — you laugh, tugging at his hair, how tactless he could be sometimes - "Yeah, well, she had a date last week and it went really well". Satoru immediately rises from your chest, leaning on his arm. "You've got to be kidding! With who? What they look like?" — Satoru looks more excited than you do at the idea that your friend had met someone, Satoru loves gossip. "they’re slightly smaller than her, tattooed, black hair, brown eyes and they seem very nice!" You reply, happy to know that finally, your friend might be getting some respite with this new person. "They'd better not cheat on her" replies Satoru, before lying back down on your chest. You laugh.

These were Satoru's favorite evenings, no fancy parties, no appearances, no hypocrisy. Just him and you against the rest of the world. That's why he loved coming home at night, because he knew he'd get his fill of gossip, and he loved it. Your life was so much simpler than his and yet all the relationships between your friends seemed so complicated, but he loved hearing you talk. He loved, above all, to rest his head on your chest and hear your vocal chords resonate and your heart beat. You were there, you'd always be there, waiting for him. What had he done to deserve someone who could put up with his lifestyle and his much busier-than-average schedule, with the added risk of never coming back once he left the house? But fate had put you in his path, and he thanked the gods every day for that.

The gossip session must have lasted a good two hours, you coming back again and again to the same stories from the past, he knew them by heart but he could listen to them every day without flinching.

"Don't you think it smells a bit burnt?" asks Satoru. "She found him cheating on her- wait, what? no, my lasagna!" You get up just as early to go and look in the oven, the lasagna couldn't wait for the gossip session to end. Gojo stands up, laughs and walks over to you. He takes you by the waist, "You're so good in the kitchen, that's what I like most about you" he says ironically, kissing your neck. "I wanted to please you" — "Oh no, baby… We’ll order, it's no big deal mmh?". He embraces you tightly, "Yes, we should order." He chuckles one last time, you laugh too,

what he'd give to hear you laugh every day.

a little fluff! i think there are grammar mistakes and im sorry for that, english isn’t my first language😿

requests are open! jjk and also haikyu!

[cheegu3]

Enhypen - the glory (part 5)

summary; after rejecting one of the most popular boys at your new school, you soon realised that you'd done the gravest mistake of your life; these weren't ordinary boys, and now they were set on making your life a living hell - heavily based on the kdrama with the same name

warnings; yandere, bullying, swearing, alcohol, hospital scene, mentions of murder & suicide, affair

genre; yandere

wc; 4.8k

pairing; enha x f.m reader

note; this is more of a chill chapter, we get someone's backstory :D but yeah u won't be as stressed after as the last chapter lmao, also I've changed the narrating a little based on this poll I did, if everyone hates it I will change it lol, but I felt it added a little more flavour ??? to the characters.

masterlist

The sound of the phone hitting the floor echoed in the empty hallway. You backed away, slowly while never taking your eyes off of it; as if it had a camera inside and whoever texted was watching with a grin on their face.

It started ringing, vibrating violently on the floor. You ran up and picked it up, only because you were afraid they were still in the building and could hear it. But when looking down at the screen, you breathed out in relief. It was the number that Soobin had texted with.

‘’ Hello? ‘’

You waited in silence, not wanting to risk revealing anything in case that number wasn’t him either.

‘’ Y/n? ‘’

It was his voice, thankfully.

‘’ Soobin! I think they have my number. I got a text from someone else and I thought it was you. ‘’ you said in a hushed voice, starting to walk towards the entrance while hunched over.

‘’ What? Did you say anything? ‘’

‘’ Not anything that would make them think I was talking to you. But who do I say I thought it was? They will probably ask tomorrow. ‘’

Soobin quietened for a moment.

‘’ Maybe it’s best you don’t come to the academy tomorrow. ‘’

‘’ No, that’s a terrible idea! It will make me look really suspicious. ‘’

‘’ Will you really be able to lie to their faces if you see them though? ‘’

‘’ I have to try at least. But if I don’t succeed, a backup plan? ‘’

You heard him hum on the other side of the line.

‘’ We can use Yeonjun then. ‘’

Your face scrunched up, doubt written all over your face. You were pretty sure he’d reject it, rather rudely, based on him telling you to stay away from his brother the last time the two of you talked.

‘’ Or…Yena. ‘’ you suggested.

‘’ Yena? Who is that? ‘’

‘’ Jungwon’s sister. I’ve met her and she gave the impression of almost hating him. It’s a long shot bu- ‘’

Soobin sassily agreed, ‘’ It definitely is. ‘’

‘’ Backup plans don’t have to be super solid. I’m just gonna bet everything on plan A working out. ‘’

You didn’t have many choices after all. Yena was risky and uncertain, Yeonjun was almost certainly a no and you weren’t sure about Sunoo yet. With no other friends that could be undercover right under the noses of your bullies, all that was left to do was to believe in yourself and be confident; which was definitely a first.

‘’ What do I do if they text again? ‘’

‘’ Pretend like you knew it was them from the beginning. If they question it, say you were…drunk? ‘’ 

Your loud laugh echoed. ‘’ Soobin, your suggestions suck. ‘’

‘’ Sorry…’’ he mumbled back.

‘’ I might have to resort to that though, if it all goes to shit. ‘’

‘’ I still don't think you should go. ‘’

‘’ My parents want me to get good grades. I can’t lose my scholarship at this prestigious school. ‘’

‘’ But you already went today. Just use an excuse so you don’t have to see them. We can hang out instead, if you want? ‘’

Your phone vibrated again in your hand.

‘’ Hold on, I’m getting another call. I’ll let you know though. ‘’

‘’ Okay, bye! ‘’

You pressed answer on the incoming call after having hung up on Soobin. It was an unknown number again, so mentally you prepared yourself before putting the phone to your ear.

‘’ Hello? ‘’

‘’ Did you guess right? ‘’

The voice sounded familiar, but admittedly it was one of the last people you expected.

‘’ Sunghoon? ‘’

‘’ Well done! ‘’

‘’ How do you have my number? ‘’

‘’ Took your phone while Ni-ki was busy with you in the gym. ‘’

Ah, of course. It would’ve been almost impossible to divide your attention between all seven of them to catch them in the act if they went through your stuff. You were thankful for having changed your settings so you actually had a password now, making sure they couldn’t go through your phone and see Soobin there.

‘’ Do the others have it too? ‘’

‘’ Not yet. ‘’

You weren’t sure what to say next, letting the silence settle. You felt like there was something else, but he was taking his time saying it.

‘’ Oh, right! I forgot about that. ‘’ he shouted out abruptly as if talking to himself.

‘’ Forgot about what? ‘’

‘’ You texted me back, almost like you were waiting for someone to text you. ‘’

You panicked and was forced to come up with a lie on the spot in just a few seconds. Luckily, since he couldn’t see you, it was much easier to lie. Your face didn’t heat up and you didn’t have to maintain eye-contact with basically one of the living lie detectors out of the group. 

You were incredibly lucky today. If you were face to face, he’d be able to figure out you were lying very fast.

 ‘’ Yeah…my cousin just got a phone and said she’d text me today. ‘’

He went quiet for a moment, scaring you. Was he trying to assess your voice because he wasn’t sure if he believed you? 

‘’ Are you lying to me, sweetheart? ‘’

You froze but managed to press out an answer through clenched teeth, ‘’ No. ‘’

‘’ Are you sure? I can easily check up on your family, you know that. ‘’

But you had already made up your mind, it would be cruel and very stupid to throw Soobin under the bus now. The only option was doubling-down and lying until your nose turned red.

‘’ Yes. I’m sure. ‘’ you tried to put a little irritation to your tone to make it more believable.

After some time, he ticked his tongue and reluctantly answered,

‘’ Okay. ‘’

You waited with bated breath, for what he’d say next.

‘’ You’re coming tonight, right? ‘’

‘’ Tonight? What’s tonight? ‘’

‘’ Just hanging out. Jungwon’s house. Come over. ‘’

‘’ But- ‘’

Your protest was rudely cut off by the sound of the call ending. Looking down at the phone, a scowl formed on your face and you huffed. Another party? What was wrong with them?

You stood in the corridor, feeling completely dumbfounded. Could you even run away now, no- you glanced down at your arms, remembering what happened last time you did and cursing them for giving you such a permanent reminder.

Taking a deep breath you cautiously made your way to the entrance. Despite him not mentioning anything about the hospital, it was still pretty smart to be on your guard on the way out. Who knew if that girl had texted them as soon as you and Soobin left her room, and they rushed there to ambush you.

But it was fairly quiet when you reached the front desk. If they were hiding, they probably would’ve come out a long time ago, since you were just meters away from the entrance now.

You shrugged off the random burst of paranoia and sprinted to hail a taxi outside. Maybe they would let you go home quite early just like last time. There wasn't much you could bring to the table anyway.

You fished your phone out and texted Soobin, telling him that Sunghoon had called and told you to come to Jungwon's house. It felt a bit unusual. You’d never hung out with them after school up until the day before, when Jay dragged you to the party.

‘’ Miss, we’re here. ‘’

‘’ Thank you. ‘’

You got out and hurried inside as it was still snowing, albeit a lot less than earlier. They were standing in the entrance, all eyes on you when the taxi drove away. The gate stood wide open this time, and the front door was open which gave them a perfect view of the driveway.

‘’ Hey. ‘’ Sunoo smiled at you.

You groaned mentally, whole body screaming for you to turn back around and go home. They didn’t even give you a chance though. As soon as you had put your stuff down, you were dragged by the waist to the living room, where all those people had been last time.

However, this time the couches were empty except for when they started sitting down in them one by one. You shifted uncomfortably, being the only one still standing.

It was obvious that there was no party. No music and no other people, only the alcohol in the red cups was the recurring theme from the day before. Why did they make you come there all alone? You felt anxiety start to brew at the pit of your stomach. 

‘’ I-uh…can I use the bathroom? ‘’

It was the oldest trick in the book, but hopefully they had already had so much to drink before you showed up that they wouldn’t think twice about it.

Jake was the only one who answered, with an uninterested grunt. You went right away, in case they would change their minds. Locking yourself into the bathroom you texted soobin. 

6:00 pm

You: Soobin? They’ve dragged me to Jungwon’s house.

The phone pinged almost immediately, you panicked and turned off the sound, looking around in the silence to see if they might’ve noticed. Nothing moved around outside and no noises or footsteps got closer. 

Next you had to suppress a laugh as you noticed you named him cousin so the others wouldn’t notice anything. Naming him ‘’ baby ‘’ would’ve made all hell break loose if they had just spotted it once.

Cousin: What? Like a party? 

You: Not really, I’m the only one here.

Cousin: Can you get away? 

You sucked on your lip while thinking. There wasn’t really a way out of this unless you wanted to have more wounds on your body. The whole thing felt like a very annoying headache.

Cousin: Y/n? Hello? Do you need help? 

You: No! We have a plan, remember?

Cousin: Sorry :(

You: I’ll text you later

Cousin: I live close by, just run over

You: Will you drive me home? :) 

Cousin: ofc!

‘’ Princess? ‘’

You jumped and almost dropped your phone clumsily in the process of getting up from the toilet seat. The phone slipped into your pocket again. You unlocked the door and stepped out, coming face to face with Heeseung.

He only looked at you briefly, then pushed past you to get to the bathroom. You went back to join the others. Sunoo and Ni-ki occupied the only couch that wasn’t full so you went to them.

Sunoo lit up when seeing you and Ni-ki only said something under his breath before moving so you could sit next to him. Sunoo handed you a cup and you poured alcohol in it, downing it almost immediately in a poor attempt to fix your uneasiness.

‘’ Not drinking? ‘’

‘’ Not a fan. ‘’

Ni-ki sounded moody, resting his elbows on his legs so his whole form was slumped over. His head didn’t raise when he talked, indicating he wanted to be left alone. You looked at Sunoo for answers but he just shrugged, mouthing ‘ bad day ‘.

‘’ Do you still box? ‘’

He finally raised his head to give you a very vehement look. ‘’ Yeah. ‘’ 

Sunoo tried to avoid it when his eyes averted to him, knowing he was looking at him in disbelief over what he had blurted out when he was alone with you. Whistling innocently he looked away and pretended like he was interested in the intense and lively conversation Jake and Jay were having next to him.

Now that Sunoo was turned away from you two, you leaned in a bit closer to Ni-ki, asking what you’d been wondering for a long time.

‘’ Do you even like me? ‘’

He frowned and then looked a bit caught off guard, pulling his hood further up to cover more of his face. ‘’ Yeah? I…think so. ‘’

‘’ But like, as much as the others or…’’ you trailed off.

He glared at you through his bangs which made you close your mouth again, regretting saying anything at all.

‘’ Y/n? ‘’

Sunghoon called you over, patting on the empty seat next to him where presumably Heeseung sat in before. Reluctantly you sat down, glancing at Jake and hoping you wouldn’t catch his attention any time soon, since he was extra bad when intoxicated.

Sunghoon must’ve noticed, his long fingers came up to your jaw, turning your head towards him. You stared into his bleary eyes. He looked very drunk, long gone with his pupils struggling to focus on you. But there was still some tenderness in them.

Sunghoon was slightly anxious. He’d never been alone with you before, and not this close in such an innocent way too; they all acted as a group and stuck together as one, agreeing to not be alone with you for too long.

While leaning his head back on the couch the two of you were sitting on, he turned his head to look at you. It was embarrassing how nervous you made him, as if you were some crush he had in middle school. Just looking at you made his throat close up.

‘’ Do you like this house? ‘’ he randomly blurted out, through slurred speech.

You laughed lightly which made Sunghoon smile widely.

‘’ Yeah, it’s nice. ‘’

He wanted to say more, maybe the way to your heart was to make you laugh. But he didn't get the chance to before Jungwon plopped down on the other side of the couch, next to you.

He didn’t seem at all interested in flirting with you, instead going straight into a rather serious-toned conversation, a dead-pan look on his face.

‘’ Do you know why he invited you here? ‘’

‘’ No. Not really. ‘’ you tilted your head.

‘’ From now on, we want to see you outside of school too. ‘’

You turned to him. ‘’ Why? ‘’

His lips were licked as annoyance flashed across his face, his cold eyes piercing through you. ‘’ Because we said so. ‘’

The alcohol had started to rush to your head already, making your speech a bit slower, vision blurrier but also lips bolder. 

‘’ Why are you always so blunt with me? You’re kind of mean. ‘’ 

He grimaced at your whiny tone and got eye-contact with Sunghoon, who probably knew what his friend was thinking. But he could never really stop Jungwon, since he was the leader after all.

‘’ Because, you’re a brat. ‘’ he calmly said, although his eyes were anything but.

‘’ A brat? ‘’ 

You stood up and almost stumbled into his lap when the dizziness hit you. Tauntingly, you looked down at him while swinging your cup in one hand.

‘’ You’re the ones who fucking bully me, you piece of shit! ‘’

‘’ Y/n. ‘’ Sunghoon warned, seeing Jungwon’s eyes narow.

‘’ Don’t talk to me like that. ‘’

You groaned and almost ripped your hair out in frustration. His calm exterior always made you feel crazy; it made you look hysteric in comparison, and wrong when you had all the reasons to be acting like that.

‘’ Shut the fuck up! ‘’ you yelled.

He snapped. Standing up so fast you flinched and lost balance, he was there to jerk you towards him with a harsh grip around your wrist. You lost your chance to talk as he hurried to drag you upstairs, Sunghoon running behind. 

You get pushed into a bedroom and Sunghoon got the door slammed in his face just as he was a few seconds away from it.

The tension in the room is high. Even though your back was turned to Jungwon, you could almost feel how he seethed of anger, but it was controlled and calculated, he was in control not you.

‘’ Face me. ‘’

You shuddered at his low voice, taking as much time as possible to turn around. The door was locked, who knew what he was going to do to you, away from the eyes of others?

‘’ I’m sorry. ‘’

You finally turned, and immediately your eyes unwillingly welled up with tears. It was the last thing you wanted to happen, but you became that girl in the gym again. Just one look at him and you wanted to cower away, beg for mercy or cry like a helpless child. 

You felt like a different person outside of the school. Because when the day was over, so was the torture. Seeing him look like he wanted to tear you apart in a different environment than the bleak walls of the gym reminded you of your grim future; they would torture you in your safe haven now too. It wouldn’t be over as soon as you passed the gates. They demanded you meet them at their houses and text them. What would happen if you answered just one second too late?

Jungwon stared at you wordlessly. He felt his chest swell with pride due to the sadistic nature of the situation. He liked that you were so afraid of him and that he, more than the others could elicit such a strong reaction from you - only a puppeteer could know his toy that well, know exactly what strings to pull for what; and what is that if not love?

You saw his face unmoved by your sniffling, so as a last resort you pathetically went down on your knees, hands clasping together while incoherent pleas left your mouth.

‘’ Please…please- don’t hurt me. ‘’

He crouched and was careful not to show any emotions. ‘’ Say you’re sorry again. ‘’

You looked up at him and he almost became entranced by the look of your teary eyes, glimmering while looking up at him, only him.

‘’ I’m sorry. ‘’

‘’ Good. ‘’ His lips twitched. ‘’ Stand up. ‘’

They tugged upwards momentarily when you obeyed. You kept your head down, scared to provoke him, even by doing the slightest of things.

‘’ I’m gonna give you my number. When I text, answer. When I call, answer. ‘’ 

He turned his back on you to dig his phone out from a bag thrown on the floor. You got the sudden urge to attack him and then make a run for it, but that wouldn’t lead to anything but short satisfaction.

You recollected yourself in time for him turning back and handing you his phone. When you’re done and he took it back impatiently, he stared at the screen for a while. Then he pressed the number and your phone vibrated.

‘’ Save it. ‘’

You gave a fake smile and nodded. However, seeing as it didn’t seem to satisfy him, you quickly did what he asked on the spot.

‘’ You can go now. ‘’

‘’ Already? I haven’t really talked to the others, and they don’t even have my number except for Sung- ‘’ you pressed your lips shut.

Although it was slowly starting to wear off, the alcohol had made you ramble again and by the look of dissatisfaction on his face, you could tell he wanted you to shut up.

‘’ You don’t need those yet. Am I not doing you a favor? ‘’ he stepped closer, making you automatically back away.

There were only a few meters until you’d back into the wall. You prayed to God that he wouldn’t force you to back into it entirely, so he could creep over you.

‘’ Do you want to be here? ‘’

Your mouth fell open at the horrible accusation. Why would you want to be at the house of one of your bullies, where they all hung around you, taking turns to poke their sticks into your skin to get a reaction?

‘’ No. I’m leaving. ‘’

He didn’t stop you, but you heard the arrogant scoff and saw the smirk when passing by him anyway. Your angry stomping down the stairs caught the attention of the other guys.

‘’ You’re leaving already? ‘’ Jake shouted, hurrying to get up so he could follow you.

Ni-ki and Sunoo watched you curiously, not saying anything.

‘’ You basically just got here. ‘’ 

He tried to pull you into a hug, which you quickly slipped out of, seeing Jungwon standing at the top of the stairs. 

‘’ I said she could go. ‘’

His stern voice made Jake freeze and he moved away from you, giving you a small smile which made you raise your eyebrows awkwardly.

‘’ Bye. ‘’ you mumbled, closing the door behind you.

Well that was…weird? 

*******

‘’ I’m here! ‘’

Soobin ran over to greet you, a big grin plastered on his face.

Footsteps approached the hallway and rounding the corner, the owner of them, Yeonjun popped his head out. His smile dropped when seeing you.

‘’ Y/n. ‘’ he said, rather formally.

‘’ Yeonjun. ‘’

Soobin chuckled. ‘’ No need to be so awkward. You’ve met before. ‘’

You took off your shoes and he strolled off in front of you, making you hurry to follow as you didn’t want to be alone with his grumpy older brother.

‘’ Are you okay? ‘’

‘’ Yeah, it wasn’t too bad. ‘’

He looked relieved and started walking further into the house, waving at Yeonjun to come with and ultimately stopping in the living room.

‘’ Maybe we can watch a movie. ‘’

‘’ I’m fine with anything. ‘’ you smiled.

‘’ Is this the part where I leave? ‘’

‘’ Yeonjun! ‘’ Soobin gasped.

His cute attempt at trying to look stern made you snort.

Meanwhile, his older brother threw his head back and groaned in discontent, plopping down on the couch and crossing his arms in protest.

‘’ For how long? ‘’

‘’ I don’t know yet. Don’t be rude. ‘’

Soobin pressed on the control and the large flat TV screen lit up. You almost ticked your tongue and shook your head. Of course he was a Disney nerd.

He turned around, looking childishly excited, and came over to sit down next to you. The movie quite quickly became forgotten, serving as background noise while you and Soobin passionately fought over the snacks.

‘’ I’ll go make you kids some food. ‘’ Yeonjun said, rolling his eyes at the two of you, and leaving you and Soobin alone in the living room.

Soobin craned his neck to check that his older brother had really left before turning to you. There was something he had wanted to tell you for a long time.

‘’ Does he not like me? ‘’

He smiled knowingly and shook his head. ‘’ It’s not that, I promise. ‘’

‘’ Then…did he have a rough childhood or something? ‘’ you sarcastically joked as you didn’t like when people used that as an excuse to be rude.

‘’ Something like that. ‘’

You caught the way his tone sounded borderline uncomfortable so you cleared your throat awkwardly. ‘’ Sorry, I was just joking.

‘’ His friend got bullied when he was in middle school. I’m sure he just feels a bit- well, vulnerable around you. ‘’ 

You weren’t sure how to respond so you just hummed, it was your turn to feel uncomfortable as Soobin was determined to continue no matter what.

‘’ He really struggled to see him like that. There wasn’t much he could do. When he went to the principal he was shut down, told that it was just ‘ friends playing around ‘. Later he found out their parents were pretty rich though, and at least one of them was a part of the anti-bullying committee. ‘’ Soobin shook his head, sighing while a sour expression overtook his face.

‘’ If he confronted them, they wouldn’t beat him. No, they were different, almost psychos despite being kids. They would bully his friend harder instead, knowing it would push Yeonjun away from him because he wanted to protect his friend. In the end, he was lonely. Everyone he loved watched from a distance, knowing that if they intervened it would get even worse. ‘’

‘’ What happened after they graduated then? Did he never get his justice or revenge? ‘’

Soobin looked away from you, his heart felt heavy.

‘’ No. He never did. ‘’

Silence filled up the living room. Hearing that both made you feel incredibly sorry for Yeonjun and also anxious for your fate. Would it be the same as that boy? Would Soobin have to suffer the same way - by the sidelines watching helplessly just like his brother?

You raised your head, noticing he wasn’t completely finished with his heartbreaking story. He had to hurry because the rummaging in the kitchen had stopped, indicating Yeonjun was on his way back.

‘’ It had a very unhappy ending. Remember when I said I recognized the look in your eyes when you were walking to the rooftop? ‘’

Your heart sunk. ‘’ Yeah…’’ 

Did you even really want to hear the next part? 

‘’ He saw that one night. While walking home from school. So just like I did, he followed his friend to a rooftop. ‘’

‘’ He wasn’t as lucky as you were? ‘’ you filled in when he got quiet again.

He nodded, a somber look on his face.

‘’ But, he didn’t jump though. ‘’

You frowned.

‘’ What? What do you mean? ‘’

‘’ He was pushed. ‘’

This time the silence was deadly, stretching on for several minutes. On the other side of the wall, Yeonjun was leaning against it, a single tear rolling down his cheek.

‘’ Did he get justice?

‘’ No. Of course not. The rich and powerful always get away with it. Yeonjun went to the police station but when they arrived, a bunch of black cars were already there. Took about ten minutes of inspecting before they concluded it was a suicide. ‘’

You felt nauseous. 

‘’ Did he…did he see who pushed him? ‘’

‘’ Yeah, it was them of course. The worst out of them all did it, and while they all freaked out, he barely flinched. As a solution, they were transferred to different schools in Seoul and it was swept under the rug. Even if Yeonjun wanted to get revenge, it would be almost impossible to find them. ‘’

‘’ Fuck, that’s heavy. ‘’ you leaned back on the sofa and stared at the ceiling, taking in everything that had been said.

‘’ I think the worst part is that nobody believed him. ‘’ you turned and saw that he was crying now, his knuckles were rubbed due to the rage he felt on the inside.

Breathlessly you watched him. You hadn’t seen Soobin like this yet.

‘’ What do you mean? ‘’ you softly whispered and tried to reach out for him.

He let you take his hand, and you rubbed his knuckles instead, but in a more calming and loving manner.

‘’ Since those fuckers cleaned it up neatly, his parents fought a lot about it. When he told them, crying out and looking for support, his mom didn’t believe him, but his dad did. So they got divorced. Then, his dad met my mom. ‘’ 

He ruffled his hair and scoffed. ‘’ Turns out his dad didn’t really believe him either after all. One night he got drunk and confessed he had an affair and just wanted a reason for divorce. ‘’

Your other hand wrapped around his shoulder.

‘’ But you believed him. ‘’

Soobin nodded. The endless tears had started to stain his shirt.

‘’ Of course I did. He’s my brother. ‘’ he mumbled, pain coloring his voice.

‘’ Is that…why you were so quick to help me? ‘’

‘’ I thought that if I couldn’t help him then, well…’’

Struggling to find the words, you filled in for him. ‘’ Then you could help others, to prevent it from happening again? ‘’

He grimaced. ‘’ I haven’t been successful so far. People don’t really believe in me. ‘’

You felt his words sting. It hit a little too close to home and you found yourself feeling guilty for doubting him like everyone else had.

‘’ I’m sorry. ‘’

Soobin let out an airy laugh, knowing what you were thinking of.

‘’ Don’t apologize, you let me in the end, didn’t you? ‘’

You smiled shyly. ‘’ Yeah. I guess so. ‘’

He smiled too, warmth spreading all over his face. But it faded quite suddenly as he had to look away. Why was his heart beating so fast?

-

-

I can't tag some of u and idk why tumblr is being a bitch??? does anyone know how I can fix this??)

taglist; @peaceout97, @ayadikreino, @beoms-sugar, @keikeu, @sunghoonnsupremacy, @lilyalone, @roses-and-blue-perennial-salvia, @eunchaesmileyface, @nunugget, @seunns, @nshmrarki, @huening-ly

[aylacavebear]

The Curse That Changed Your Life - Part 2 Chapter 4

With the witch taken care of, your hopes of being human gone, and dealing with sensations and emotions you hadn't before, life didn't seem like it was going to get much better. How would he look at you in the morning after what you'd said to him? What would you do after this? What would the next month hold, and how much like a cat were you? There were far too many questions you didn't have answers to and didn't want to ask. Would you find any answers in the month to come? Only time would tell.

Pairing: Dean Winchester x OC Reader/You

Word Count: 3234

Warnings: Angst, Dean being Dean, Charlie being a good friend, preparing for upcoming cycle, reader being hard on herself. Not really much for this one.

----------------------------------------- Chapter 4

Another week passed, and you found solace in the mundane tasks that filled your days. Reading through books, cleaning things that needed attention, and even cooking. Yet, your thoughts were still a turbulent sea, trapped in a cycle of self-doubt and diminished hope. The realization hit you like a wave when the beginning of another week started: Dean had made a move. That same day, the two of you spent hours talking.

So here you were, cleaning the bathroom to get out your guilt for how you’d reacted. It was easier than moping around in your room or attempting to be around any of the others. Sure, there had been flirting back and forth since then, but that was all it had been. You knew so many things could have gone differently had you not reacted like you had. In your defense, you had no idea how sensitive that spot really was.

How do I fix this?

It was the one question that kept plaguing your mind. Somehow, you thought it was all your fault as to why things had ended up going the way they had. You also thought that perhaps he saw you as some weak thing that needed protecting and that if something happened to you, it’d be his fault. You knew you weren’t weak, but you had no idea how to prove that to him.

As you started on the toilet, you got an idea. It was probably a stupid idea, but it was an idea nonetheless. Implementing it would be the problem, as Dean had seemed to be avoiding you. He had also barely spoken to you since he’d confessed his worry. 

You kept trying to dig deeper into the words he’d said. There had to be a deeper meaning to it all, but it kept eluding you. You wondered if he didn’t trust you, but if he didn’t, then why would he share something so personal with you? You sighed as you stood, finally finished with the toilet, and the bathroom was cleaner than it had been.

At least it had kept you mostly distracted for a while. You just weren’t sure what you’d do next in the way of distracting yourself. First, you were going to start with taking a shower. Since you’d cleaned it, you figured you would get the first shower in it.

On your way to your room, you heard the brothers talking in the library. You typically didn’t eavesdrop on anyone, but it made you curious since you hadn’t heard anyone else. You crept close enough to hear them while still staying well out of sight unless someone actually came down the hallway.

“I swear, Dean. I still don’t get why you refuse to let yourself have a small piece of happiness with her,” Sam told his brother, sounding annoyed.

“I can’t risk putting her in that much more danger. A mons-” Dean attempted to argue, but Sam cut him off.

“She’s cursed. She’s already in danger. What do you think some sick monster would do to her, given her appearance? Honestly? She’s probably safer with you. I’m sure she could defend herself if she had to. So, again, what the hell?” Sam pushed, sounding more and more frustrated as he spoke. 

For a bit, you didn’t hear anything and wondered if perhaps the argument was over, but then Dean spoke up, and his words surprised you again.

“I can’t lose her, Sam. If we’re closer than we are now… I don’t know how I’d survive without her if something happened to her,” Dean admitted quietly, and you heard the fear in his words.

“So, teach her about it all. Help her keep herself safe when none of us are around. This bunker won’t keep everything out. It’s only warded against so much,” Sam explained, and you thought his tone had gotten softer, but he was still frustrated. 

You wanted to keep listening but couldn’t bring yourself to stay there. That mix of pain and anger began moving its way through your nerves again. So, to your room, it was. You grabbed what you needed for after your shower, then headed back to the bathroom you’d just spent the last two hours cleaning.

While showering, you realized that you’d been there nearly two months, and your next cycle would be hitting near the end of the week. You weren’t looking forward to this one, especially with what had happened during the last one. A motel room was looking awfully appealing at this point. At least you’d be alone, completely.

Dragging your feet now, no matter how nice the shower had felt, you dried and dressed, then brushed your hair. Half the day was already gone, and you’d managed to stay busy. Now, though, you had no idea what you’d fill your time with. You weren’t even paying attention as you made your way down the hallway toward your room to toss your dirty clothes in the laundry pile.

“What’s wrong?” Sam asked you, only a few feet down the hall from you.

“Huh? Oh, nothin’,” you replied with a sigh, almost to your door.

“Bull. Something’s bothering you,” he pushed, gently, but still. He could see how droopy your ears were, and your tail wasn’t moving much at all.

You shrugged your shoulders, tossed your laundry in your room, and began making your way to find something to do. Sam, however, was having none of it.

“Y/N, seriously, what the hell is wrong? Did Dean say something stupid?” he asked, trying not to get annoyed at his brother, even if he didn’t know what was going on.

Now you looked up at him, puzzled, “No. Dean hasn’t said more than a few words to me in almost a week, I think.”

That, for some reason, at least to you, seemed to aggravate him, “God, my brother is an idiot.”

He’d said it more to the ceiling than to you, and it was more of a grumble than anything else. You just watched Sam, still puzzled, as he turned away from you and went back the way he’d come. Shrugging it off, something else hit you. You hadn’t been outside in nearly two months either. 

Perhaps I’ve got cabin fever? 

You slipped into your room, put on some socks and shoes, added cotton to your ears, and headed to the war room. The brothers were in the library, talking, but had stopped the moment they’d heard you. You didn’t look over at them; you just headed up the stairs toward the door. When the brothers heard the first door open, both of them were in the war room, looking up at you.

“Where are you going?” Sam asked, confused.

“I was just gonna go get some fresh air. I haven’t been outside since I got here. Thought it might help me feel better,” you replied, leaning on the railing and looking down at them.

It wasn’t like anyone would see you, so you hadn’t bothered hiding your ears or tail. The place was far enough into the forest that people didn’t come out this way. 

“Somebody should go with you,” Sam added, worried something might happen. Dean stayed quiet and you noticed how his jaw was clenched. It was things like that, that bothered you. He’d been so playful, teasing, flirty, and seemed interested in you from day one, but now it was like he wanted nothing to do with you.

“I don’t need a babysitter, Sam. I have my phone if you need to reach me,” you told him plainly. Then, you turned away from them and headed outside, not giving either of them a chance to respond.

The biggest downside of living in a bunker, underground, there were no windows to tell the time of day, weather, or time of year. So, when you stepped outside and were met with dark clouds, a chilly wind, and huge raindrops that felt like they’d been in a fridge, it only added to your already deteriorating mood. Grumbling, you went back inside, only slightly damp.

“Be glad you didn’t go with me,” you grumbled, then headed into the kitchen for something to snack on.

Even with the mood Dean was in, he chuckled a little, which you heard, and it sent that mix of anger and sadness through your nerves. Shuffling through the freezer, you found the ice cream hiding in the back. Everyone knew it was hiding back there and pretended they didn’t. Typically, you would have stayed out of it but needed comfort food.

After grabbing a spoon from the drawer, you sat at the table, the container in front of you, not even bothering to get a bowl. Things almost felt more depressing than when you’d been on your own and had to dance at the club, but at least then, you had something to occupy most of your time. For now, you enjoyed the ice cream in the silence around you. With the cotton balls, you could hear things like a normal person did, and the brothers were clearly keeping their voices down.

Next time, I’ll check the weather.

That thought made you pull your phone from your pocket and set it on the table. You tapped the little weather symbol and looked at the following week while eating another bite of ice cream. Realizing that it would be snowing by the end of the week, you grumbled a little. 

How did the time go by so quickly? Guess that’s what happens when you never see the outside world on a regular basis.

The days had blended together for you, so when you saw the date on your phone, your ears drooped lower than they already had. It was mid-November already. Thanksgiving was coming soon, and Halloween had already passed. It made you wonder if any of them celebrated any holidays, but you weren’t in the mood to ask. It was just one more thing to make your situation feel that much worse, and you went right back to the ice cream, turning off your phone.

With half the container now gone, you slipped it back to its hiding place in the freezer, then headed back out to the war room. The others were there now, but your mind was still in its downward spiral, so you headed toward your room, even if there had seemed to be a lighthearted nature to their conversation. You didn’t want your mood to end up affecting any of them. Lying in your darkened room, the door closed, cuddled up in a ball on your bed, you cried. You’d come to terms with the curse not long after it had happened, even finding a way to live with it. Now, though, you’d had your hopes lifted far too much in the last almost two months, only to have it plummet. You thought perhaps there was something there with Dean that might be worthwhile, but as of late, he’d barely spoken to you.

There was also the witch and possibly breaking the curse, but that had been a loss as well. Yeah, you’d made a few new friends, but you still felt like the outsider in the bunch. You weren’t a hunter, not like they were. And Cas, well, Cas was an angel. 

And now the holidays were on you, one of your childhood favorites in only a month and a half. You had a private celebration for yourself when you lived alone after the curse, but now you lived with people. They’d know if you left and brought back Christmas decorations, even if it was just to put up in your room. Then you figured things would just get weird with them. 

Right now, your entire world felt as though it had collapsed in on itself, again. Hope can do that to you, if you let it get doused too many times. This almost felt like rock bottom for you. And, to top it off, your cycle was due to start soon. The need for comfort food and your emotions being out of whack was your first indicator.

I don’t want to start in a few days, though.

Something you’d had to learn since the curse, was how your cycle worked and the little hints it gave you as to how far away it was. Being in the sea of emotions you were, it had been difficult to pay attention to those little details. There was the push to clean, your feelings being out of your control, the craving for certain foods, the pull to wander, and the need to be close to people. 

They were easy things to overlook when considering what you were going through at the moment. Usually, depending on how severe those were, would tell you how many days you had before it would hit you. You let yourself cry for a little while longer before deciding laundry would take up the next few hours. At least this way, you’d only have a small load after your cycle was over.

With your ears still drooping and your tail pretty much still, you gathered your bedding first, then headed toward the laundry room. The others, at least most of them, were still in the library. Thankfully, the cotton balls kept their conversations from reaching your ears. You also didn’t hear Charlie begin to follow you as you made your way down the opposite hallway.

You loaded up the washer with the first load, then sat down on the bottom step, elbows on your knees, face resting in your palms, utterly depressed at the moment. 

“Hey, I’d ask if you’re okay, but it’s clear you aren’t. So, what’s wrong?” Charlie asked in that quiet, concerned tone she’d used with you before. 

“Life sucks, that’s all,” you grumbled as she sat down next to you.

“Wanna talk about it?” she asked, just trying to be a friend that you really needed.

You glanced at her momentarily, then let your gaze fall on the washer again, even if you weren’t really looking at it. It took her a little more coaxing, but you finally let it all out, everything from your last cycle to what you were going through now. She had even started rubbing your back, attempting to comfort you the best she could. By the end of it, you were in tears, and she was hugging you as you cried on her shoulder.

She glanced past you, up the stairs, at Dean and Sam, who were standing near the door she’d left open. Neither of the brothers said anything, though, but they’d heard it all. Charlie knew something had been going on and that it had to do with more than just Dean. She had orchestrated ensuring both brothers would know, as she only wanted to help you. The two of them silently walked away, not wanting to startle you if you realized they had been there. 

Charlie sat there, just holding you for a bit as she formulated her thoughts, “Do you really want a motel room for your next cycle? I could set that up and stay nearby so you won’t be completely alone.”

“Hard to know what I want when I feel like this, and I don’t want to do something stupid either,” you half mumbled, half grumbled against her shoulder.

Again, she thought about a solution. It didn’t take long for her to come up with one, but she wasn’t going to tell you all of it, knowing it would be too much. “How about this? We’ll get you set up in a different room, far away from Dean or Sam but near one of the bathrooms. That way, you won’t or at least shouldn’t be able to smell either of them,” she suggested, the gears in her mind still turning.

“We can try that,” you mumbled somberly. 

She smiled a little and pulled away to look at you, “Let me go get that started. I’ll have Eileen help me so that the guys’ smell isn’t on anything. Okay?”

You nodded a little, but your mood hadn’t really improved any. She hugged you one more time before heading out of the laundry room. You watched her go, then looked back at the washer, which was done. With a sigh, you got up, dried your tears, and then got the loads switched out before returning to where you’d been sitting. 

Sharing what you’d been going through with Charlie had helped, even if just a little. You weren’t used to having anyone to talk to, not since the curse. A year and a half of living a particular way created a lot of habits that had nothing to do with being close to people. Although, the last couple of weeks at the bunker hadn’t helped change any of those either. 

You weren’t sure how your cycle was going to turn out or how hard it was going to be due to how out of wack your emotions were. At least when you were dancing, you didn’t feel anything like this. Your cycles had also become less frequent when you figured out the warning signs. You’d stop working a week before they would typically hit, so they’d only last a few days. After a few months of that, they’d begun spacing themselves out more. You figured isolating yourself had something to do with it.

Just like people, cats could be alone or around others. Their demeanor and behaviors changed depending on that. In isolation, they’d only be around others when they had to be and got used to the solitary lifestyle. Being around people in the short amount of time you had, your cycle had come back, steady. Groaning, you stood and headed back to your room with the first load that had finished, the sheets and pillowcases with one of the blankets. Your mind was still in a fog, and you weren’t paying attention to anything more than the designs on the floor as you padded your way to your room. You made your bed, then filled the basket with the one load of your clothes and headed back to the laundry room. You didn’t notice how the library and war room were void of people or how quiet the bunker was. 

Laundry wasn’t your favorite task, but it was a necessary one. The laundry room was at least a smaller space, and it wasn’t your room, so there was comfort in being there while you waited. You tossed the second load of bedding into the laundry basket, and an hour later, your finished clothes on top, then headed back to your room.

The hallways and rooms you walked through and past were still empty. You didn’t notice, though. Depression and dashed hope does that to some people. Finally making it to your room, you finished making your bed and began folding your clothes. 

There was one piece of this little puzzle that you didn’t know and had never considered. Charlie, though, had been doing a ton of research on cats over the last two weeks. Hell, she could probably almost be an excerpt by now. It was why she’d gone and talked to you, had the brothers follow her, listen in, and now was implementing the idea that had come to her. 

The question that had begun her research, What happens to cats when they get depressed?

----------------------------------------- Chapter 5

Series Master List Part 1 Master List Part 2 Master List Past 3 Master List Main Master List

A/N: As always, if you'd like to be tagged, let me know in a comment. And if I missed your request to be tagged, please let me know. I know not everyone is interested in everything an author writes, so don't mind doing different tag lists for each piece of writing. I just get a lot of requests sometimes.

Tag List: @roseblue373 @zaratahir @jc-winchester @suckitands33 @n-o-p-e-never

@nancymcl @deans-spinster-witch @kindollss @flamencodiva @reignsboy19

@stillhere197 @kr804573 @hobby27 @megs-gadom

[yuseirra]

CRINGE MESSAGE COMING LOL. Seeing all the chapters of Oshi no Ko and the KamiAi makes me feel guilty now for being an Ai’s yume / waifuist lol. She's definitely his. Too bad for me ig, but I'm very happy maybe she really found someone who can love her as she is. Your comics are so good btw !

Don't worry about it, anon! And honestly I have no problems with someone feeling that way about Ai- why would you have to feel guilty? Just as much as I'm passionate about what her relationship could have been with another character, you liked her as a character and wanted to explore in that aspect! Even if she canonically has someone she loves in the story, she's a fun character to imagine and work with and she's really charming! But.. I'm really glad at the same time to hear you feel convinced about this ship too as someone who cares about it 🙏💖..your ask is so wholesome. I feel that's lovely of you to feel happy for her having found someone she can love. Ai would be happy to have a fan like you.

To add, I bet I'm WAY more cringe for having discussed about the ship and the characters in literal essays at this point..! I really appreciate your ask, it's happy(and relieving)to see there are people finding this ship the same way as you do. I really, really hope the manga will direct them in the way I anticipate too~~~~, because I can love them all I want if that's the case and it'd make a lot of sense, too! I can explain. I CAN-

Not that it matters a lot in terms of analyzing characters from a manga, but I STUDIED psychology, it IS a field of interest for me and I want to get things right on that aspect... the emotional areas of people. And from what I can infer, I think what these two characters had...could have actually been pretty good. Ai's reaction towards Hikaru and what's related to him aren't really what someone would have towards a bad partner, it's quite the opposite. Things all started to add up after having seen her say on him in the video. I'll discuss a little more about it below but before that:

Right?? What mattered the most for me the most is Ai's say about the guy and it turns out she REALLY loved him and SHE wanted to be together. I could tell from the entirety of the movie arc that Hikaru would have been very attached to her considering his life circumstances. She literally was only person he could really open up to and love, and Ai did so much for him although she later did give him the pain. I totally see how the lyrics for this show are all like "I can't live without you!" or "I'd give up my own life for yours!", it has to be this guy saying it because that's EXACTLY the way he'd feel about Ai. I started drawing a lot of him after 154 and Fatal because they acted as the major puzzle pieces for me to understand his character. You see how Akane wants to understand her role as Sayahime but has a hard time forming a concept due to the little info she has in the scripts early on in anime S2, right? I felt the same way about the guy. I think...I get like 70% of him now, but the other 30% I am yet aware of can completely turn the tables and my insights about him and that's what makes me so nervous. One thing's certain though, he severely loves Ai and every loving feeling he expresses about her are true. And if it is, then it's at an extent where he can literally sacrifice himself for her sake. Pretty intense, right? So about your ask, the part where you say Ai's found someone who really loves her is DEFINITELY true! I'm glad for her in that aspect(is he worthy enough, however?)

About the "worth" of his love, I've said earlier that Ai's say on this relationship's the important bit, didn't I? And it is, since she could be a victim of a terrible crime and if that's true, whatever feelings Hikaru would have about her wouldn't hold weight or meaning(at least for me). Who cares if a stalker claims they can risk their life for you? You'd just want them to stay firmly out of your life, it's imposing and unwanted and even quite selfish. However, Ai seems to have been pretty content, maybe even happy with him during the times they were together.

We don't really get to see a lot of their loving moments together since things keep happening making Hikaru's life plummet and become miserable and pretty reliant on Ai, but we see his happiest smiles in that brief moment they were together and Ai WAS smiling there, too. I believe that's not just a false vision of her Hikaru has formed in his head. She did actually accept, understand, and love him back. Well, how do we know that? Because the way she reacts to him/what's related to him are consistently loving and shows of concern.

-Ai adores their children and swoons about how cute they are, when they resemble him too a whole lot. It's a little similar to how she's commented how cute he is when they had dinner together(although Hikaru says those scenes are made-up, I feel they would hold some clues to how they actually were bc why would something entirely fake take up entire chapters). It's hard to love the kids of someone who's given you a hard time, but Ai shows no signs of such feelings. Rather, I think her feelings towards her boyfriend extended to their kids they had together and she was able to love them even more because they're the children of someone who she really cares about.

-She also comments(I say this a lot)that she wanted to be together forever with Hikaru. That's not something that'd come so easily from her mouth. She believed her own mother didn't want her. She was so wary, and hid her true self even towards her own kids and always smiled, leading even her own son to believe she never cries even until he's entered high school. She's afraid of forming relationships because she gets hurt. But Ai sincerely wanted to be with this guy. This says a lot because if he was bad to her, Ai would have recoiled and left. However, Ai was able to decide she wanted to settle with him and share a future together. That's what love is. She liked her times with him enough to wish for more of it.

-Ai actively tries to cover for him and shield him from the possible harms he may face: she never reveals who the father is, to the president in her firm, even in her videos to her OWN SON. I get the feeling that she is really protective of this guy. The reason she left him was because she was afraid of causing HIM more sufferings, not because of her being tired of him sticking to her etc. There's a cut where she imagines him raising their children together with a smile and she's also there right beside him forming a wide smile. That's what Ai wanted, and it's so far from what a messed-up relationship could be. Ai knows about Hikaru more than anyone else and she doesn't hold any negativity towards him, she's only worried about his sake. That convinced me, they could have really had this happen. He was good enough for her and she wanted him too as much as he did for her. I don't think she would have the wrong idea about who she chose to love, when her whole story revolves around her struggles on forming a genuine one.

How could this be, if he's someone capable of harming her? I say he actually ISN'T, and that could be backed up by how.. timid Hikaru used to be. This is the 30% I am unsure of, I am not sure how crazy he is or how insane he can get. What I can say is that his innate character isn't the type to actively try to harm someone just because he's hurt. He was hurt all the time, always, by others, and he was never able to really fight back and protect himself before he's met Ai who stood with him(and this explains why Ai is so keen about protecting him-she knows he gets very vulnerable and she's seen him suffer all his life. She never wanted to be the one to add to it. She WANTS to help and protect him so much.)

I can also say he has very low self-esteem and values himself way less compared to what he actually is. This attitude of his is there from the very first time he's introduced, he keeps blaming himself and says his life doesn't have so much value. It's a very weird attitude to have if he's in front of someone who he's murdered.... When he is asked to teach Ai for the first time, he says stuff like "Is it okay for someone like me to...?" When you're this degrading about yourself.. You come to sort of.. Accept every bad thing that's thrown at you. I think that's how his mental state is at this point because Ai died and he believes he's responsible for it. He hates himself and has no problem having to be "punished" for it. He describes himself as a crazy murderer but.. I am still not sure if that's really the case. Aqua blames himself a lot for things he never did, perhaps his dad is even more like him on that regard. I need more pieces of the puzzle, but he's... really interesting and painful to analyze because I can sense that he's really suffering. Does he deserve it?

If he's someone that's allowed a person like Ai to form such a strong, loving and protective feeling towards, I don't think he could be so bad in reality. The things he says and his actions don't line up so well. Good grief, the writer really makes me think SO much. Maybe they never put that much thought into it and thought it's understandable the way it is, but.. He's so different compared to how he used to be. There has to be a reason for a person to change their ways so drastically, and the only reason I can personally think of for this character to shift this much would be Ai's death. I don't think he'd have been so different before that happened, and if that's the case, he wouldn't have tried to hurt her because why do that to the only light of his life? Why do that after a whole 4 years after a breakup, not immediately when it happened? Why try to do it after having realized she's been raising your kids by herself and they're said to be growing up smart and healthy? Many questions arise, it doesn't add up for me. Hikaru SAYS he wanted to talk to Aqua. He did with Ruby, he states he HAS fatherly feelings and I sense no hostility in him when he approaches them, he acts pretty KIND to them. That's not so different from how Ai's pictured he'd be with their children, either. His behavior is mostly consistent except for that one thing he claims to have done(sending Ryosuke), and the death of Yura, but even that is ambiguous and we don't actually know what's happened.

I think he just tried to send a bouquet to her but was too sad to go meet her in person lol, that, or there was some outer force that convinced him it's what he should do? The black star, perhaps?

This became a real essay and I'm the embarrassing one here ;v; ahah but!! I do draw with passion! And with a lot of things in mind and I read stuff over a lot like you do anon! ♥ I really hope they turn out to be something I can fully respect and support bc, I want Ai's love to be reciprocated in the way it deserves. It'd be great if they deserve each other. They are the protagonists' parents too, after all! I feel they'd have a pretty good story. Thanks for reading my comic and for expressing your thoughts to me! I hope what you said and what I speculate about them are true!!😊💖💖

[thecameronchronicles]

I'll Be Home For Christmas

TW: Smut. Language. Moments of angst. Slightly Dom!Drew.

SUMMARY: You decide to risk it all for Christmas…

WORD COUNT: 3100

REQUESTED:

@obxiskewl asked:

Hi sweetie !! Is there any chance that tmr u could write a fix for drew ??since it’s my birthday tmr and he’s the best and ur the best writer ofc !!!

*HEY BABES! HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I'M SO INVESTED IN DOING CHRISTMAS ONES SO I HOPE THAT IS OKAY. HOPE YOU LIKE IT, IT'S ONE OF MY FAVORITES FOR SURE!* 

I’ll Be Home For Christmas

Your eyes fixated on the window longer than they should have in regards to the message he sent earlier today. But as you pressed your chin further to the bend of your folded arms, you were only left looking into the darkness of the night. You'd hoped to find an illumination of headlights over the freshly fallen snow or hear an interruption in the silence of the silent night. Yet, you were left staring across the street in the absence of the one person you'd traveled the fifteen hundred miles to see. 

"Are you okay?" One of Drew's sister's asked as she pulled her focus from the laughter accumulated in the kitchen with the remaining members of the Starkey family, all in noticing her absence. 

Brushing a tear from beneath your thumb to hide its expulsion, you nodded. A forced smile was seen as false by her having known you for the better part of your life. After all, you had met Drew in junior high, having met his family soon after as you'd become close friends. Bonding over a love of books and specific Pixar movies, something that endured a test of time and distance, your relationship remained. Only now, you had decided this would be the year you would risk your friendship at the possibility it could be greater. It was fueled by the comments of mutual friends, the biggest supporter having been Odessa, who was also in attendance tonight as she had flown out a few days prior. But as this conversation took place, she had made note of your shifted happiness, that usually commanded a room. 

"He says he will be here by New Years." 

"I can't stay..." You confessed,having arranged everything around Christmas as that's when he said he would be here. Now that confidence you had had faded into deep apprehension and even relief for keeping from having to take that risk. 

"I think I'm actually going to go to sleep since my flight is early tomorrow..." 

"You're leaving tomorrow?!" 

"Yeah..." You couldn’t fight your sniffle, "I think it's best. " You offered those polite farewell embraces of the day's end before climbing the steps to the guest room. But in the need to think of anything else but Drew, you were surrounded by mementos of him. Old pictures, many that held memories of you being there somewhere behind the camera, had been forced around you as you closed your eyes and hoped to leave without suffering any further heartache. 

"Don't be a dumbass!" You heard Odessa scold Drew as his familiar cadence made your heart swell. This was because he was the one you called when in the crux of your tribulations. 2 A.M. Los Angeles time and he would answer every call no matter how fatigued, always being a reason your tears stopped. Which was why his words hurt you so deeply now... 

"Well I'm doing what I can...I'm not coming all the way back for her-Its a goddamn chore to be around her, Dess-Has been since we were kids…" 

It was enough of a reason to stop eavesdropping and slip away into your Uber as he drove you to the airport. Polite conversation was muffled as Drew's words continued to sting. You were forced to face him at every turn however as you found his name broadcast over your screen before you turned off your phone. You decided once and for all that after years of a 'will they won't they' tango, you would have to move on. 

Or at least try to. 

You had convinced yourself you had a right to be happy, more angry than sad by him at this moment, and it acted as a catalyst to that first step of emotional freedom. But it was easier said than done. Eventually, you scrolled through those old pictures of even the Christmas before as it had been a means for your feelings reaching this fever pitch. 

That damn kiss under the mistletoe. The one his family pushed you to have, and the one you had both laughed off. But truth be told, things had changed. Conversations teetered into more cheeky topics and you found him jealous at the mention of you going on a date in what would have maybe have been support. It drove you nearly insane, especially with how suddenly cold he was. 

"Boarding flight 1204-" The speaker echoed through the airport as you pulled your carry on to the direction of the terminal before nodding. You prepared to leave him behind. That angst. That ache. Even if you were well aware it would remain no matter if you stayed until New Years or left now, you couldn't look him in the eye now in knowing how he felt about you. 

"Drew?" You could believe your heavy, swollen eyes as he paused for a second before looking down to you. 

"How are you-" 

"Odessa called me last night and said unless I wanted ro lose the best thing in my life, aside from her," He playfully rolled his eyes, "Then I better move my ass and stop yours from getting on that plane..." 

"I heard what you said..." You confessed. "About me being a chore..." You corrected him, not allowing this sweet sentiment to blur the pain of those words. 

"I said that about my sister! She’s been bugging me for months to get some makeup from Madison...guess she hooked her up...but...I could ever say thay anything like that about you," 

"I..." 

"Don't go...please." He could convince you of anything. Just as he had done when you were fourteen and trespassed into the public pool after hours to go skinny-dipping, his eyes being the first to make you feel beautiful as they descended you in appreciation. And again at eighteen when you helped him in the senior prank. He was also the one who pushed you to follow your dreams, even if it meant you moving across the country away from him. But it was also what kept you in place now. 

"I have to get back..." 

"Odessa told me why you stayed...said there was something you wanted to tell me..." His eye were hopeful, as if he knew but needed that validation. But as you looked to those soft blue eyes, you feared everything changing. In theory, the worst case scenario of requited feelings had been enough to risk that. But knowing you may not be able to have that now if he weren't to feel the same, you retreated. 

"I should go...We'll talk..." You lied, not intending to face him again as it would have been too difficult. But as you tried to leave, he realized he would be the one to take the risk. With your arm in hand, you felt him direct your focus into him until your chest collided into his. But along with this came a moment where you were aware of what was about to happen. A singular moment where he moved his hand to your cheek. 

"Please don't get on that plane..." 

"Give me a reason to stay...." You spoke as more of a question as he pulled you that remaining distance close. A cinematic kiss, purely romantic and sensual as you were in public. But it would only take moments for thay to alter as you crossed over the threshold of his childhood home and up the steps. You were allowed this moment of disheveled clothes and kisses interrupted by chuckled as they had been out looking at lights as they had done every year prior. But he had every intention if you seeing stars by the night's end. 

"Are you sure?" He asked as he stopped outside of his bedroom, which had since been used as a guest room, the room you stayed in when you visited. 

"Yes." You confessed breathlessly. 

"Good. I'm only asking once." Suddenly something switched behind his eyes. The softness drained to something similar to how he would look as one of his morally gray characters. But it wasn't in hatred or anger, but purr lust. 

You were taken into a lift against the door as it slammed closed behind you, his feet quick to take you to the bed. But as you expected to be undressed fully or even taken quickly, he would set you back on your feet. As you looked at him quizzically, he led you softly towards his lips with a sweet kiss that quickly turned almost sinister with seduction. He made you breathless rather swiftly, undressing you down to your lingerie as he smirked at how it felt beneath his fingertips. 

"I want you to tell me what you were going to say if I hadn't gotten stuck at work...all while I get you ready for me..." He teased his lips down the curve of your neck, resting at the skin revealed by your bra as he taunted the fabric separating your bare chest from his own. 

"I'm ready..." You breathed, almost desperately, as he smirked. The fingers at a recent rest at your hip would glide across the rim of your underwear before dipping inside. 

"Look at that, you ARE...But I still want to know what you were going to tell me..." Suddenly, you were left feeling more vulnerable than you had when you were a virgin. This confession wore the weight of a friendship at risk as you swallowed hard. 

"How about I convince you?" He teased, lowering his voice as he pressed his lips to your ear. 

"Lay down..." He guided verbally as you were quick to obey. Your eyes remained to him as he bent over you. 

"Please tell me...I'm dying to know what made you so scared you couldn't tell me-" 

"I wasn't scared-" Your defensive tone was interrupted by a gasp caused by his fingers tessing your sex as he bypassed the gentle teasing you expected from someone usually more reserved. 

"Maybe not...but you're definitely wet...shit...I've always wanted to be the reason you made this face..." He explained with his secondary hand at your cheek. 

"But I can't wait to know how you sound when I'm actually inside of you..." 

"Please, Drew..." 

"Not until you tell me, sweetheart. I can do this all night..." He quickened his fingers, only to slow them as you wrapped your hand around his wrist. 

"Not sure if you could-" 

"This! This was what I wanted to tell you...this was what I've wanted..." 

"Then who am I to keep you waiting?" His hands brought you to the very edge of the bed. For just a moment, your eyes remained to him, before they fell to the fabric pulled from your hips. He was sweet in every motion, but looking at you with such violent seduction that it could be enough to act as a flint and steel to any fire. 

"Drew...I-" You were suddenly flipped to your knees, hips raised to the air, as he pulled you against his chest. The steady rest of his heart was a vast contrast to the pound of your own as his fingers climbed around your neck. 

"I told you I wasn't going to ask if this was okay again. So I am going to expect you to take everything I'm going to give you, baby..." His hand was at your cheek, turning your head until only your eyes found him. 

"Because that's what you are now. You're my girl...my baby..." You nodded. 

"Please, Drew." His jaw clenched, a deep groan forcing his angry cock to consider those angry thrusts. But once again, he would refrain as he returned to the edge of the bed. 

"Don't come this way." He explained before his tongue made stripes between your lower lips. A taunt left behind as he smirked at the desperate reactions made against him. 

"Drew-" You turned far enough to witness how he appeared behind you. His head bobbed in the licks made against him, blue eyes connecting to you, before smirking beneath to interrupt his ambitions. But it was almost as if this only acted as a means of motivation. His tongue became more focused around your clit, sensations deepening by the insertion of not one, but two fingers. 

"Drew!" You gasped, almost to scold him, until feeling him turn you on your back. Without a word, you were set with one leg on either one of hod shoulders as be returned to your sex. Only now, in pure carnivorous expertise. 

"Oh my God....Drew...fuck..."  You breathed quickly, almost pained, as he led you even deeper against him. His expressions of focus and occasionally pride were impossible to validate in majority as he was a man on a mission in feasting you to that close edge. 

"Don't...come..." He explained with a break, breathlessness and self-satisfaction seen in his order, all before he returned again. 

The sound of the front door coming open behind him would pull his focus just enough to return you to reality. 

"Drew?" But it wasn't until the sound of your name that you would move onto your elbows. 

"I wanted to hear you, baby..." He moved over you, hovering as if to kiss you, but only to act as a distraction to remove your bra. 

"But it looks like that I'll just have to make you scream then..." One hand fondled your breast, paying close attention to your nipple. Capturing behind his teeth, he rolled it until it taunted you in pain, mending this by a suck. 

"Ahhh..mmm..." With a hand to the back of your neck, your head came to a rest in his large palm. His tongue was shameless but determined as it drove up your neck and jaw after beginning at your breast and rising up over the clavicle. 

"But this time..." He unbuckled his jeans. The metal of the keys hung on their loop validating each of his movements until they were silenced when colliding with the floor. 

"I'm just going to have to make you tremble..." The groaning made of his name set his hand to your jaw. Softly but enough to direct you tk him. 

"Quietly." Suddenly he was at your sex. Your body suddenly flushed a thousand degrees as he inched slowly into you. Passion and need behind this insertion as your nails ate into his muscular arms. 

"You feel so perfect..." He praised you while the bed squeaked beneath you both. It was set in disregard as you offered each other that rise to ecstasy that had been foremost on your minds since those feelings of friendship was first held in consideration to this. And it showed behind every motion. 

While growing slick with perspiration, you were offered the kindness of a friend but the desperations of a lover. Where a kiss would be necessary to both silence and validate his care, a wicked tongue commanded you into quietude. With fingers alternating between the sheets beneath you, your hair, and your skin, a devoted set of dominant digits sourced for your pleasure at your clit. The thrusts made were gradually quick but thorough, only to contrast in brutal poundings when he needed to feel you even deeper. 

"I wish you would have told me sooner...could have felt this good," He wrapped one hand into your hair, leading you to rest at his lips, "Could've made YOU feel this good-" He grunted as you took your hand quickly around his wrist as he kept you lifted this way. 

"Drew!" 

"Coming for me?" You nodded. His hand slipped around the back of your neck as he returned you fully to your back, but only to direct you over him in a straddle. His cock or his hands never left you during this shift as you remained wrapped into him. 

"I wanted to be soft-" 

"Fuck me. Drew please just fuck me-" 

He forced his way deeply into your clench around him, a mix of pain from depth but kept pleasure surging through you, as he wrapped one hand over your mouth. 

"I promise you can scream all you want next time, baby...my baby-" He grunted, losing himself to you for a moment. "But right now-yes....JUST like that...." He felt you moan into his fingers encircled by your tongue. But you needed more. 

Your hands pressed harshly into his chest as you forced him onto his back. 

"Baby-" 

"I'm gonna make you come, Drew...and then I want you to make me." He corrected you, hand moving from your thighs to your neck. 

"Together." He corrected as you nodded. 

You rode over him in waves, his cock flexing to your intentional clench and his jaw tensing to the unintentional pulls. The most perfect of aches developed at your thighs as you glided over him in perfection. At times, his hands were soft and a means to stabilize you, but mostly, they are into you for his own selfish need that you adored. 

"Yes!" 

"YES-" He grunted, his own back arching as you pulled your palm over mouth. 

"Gotta be quiet-" You were lifted and rolled onto your back, his words and motions a slave to his coming release. 

"Not when you feel this fucking good. I don't care who hears us...I'm too close and you're too fucking tight...SHIT-" As you smirked in lifting a hand around his mouth, he was quick to correct you by returning you flat. 

"I feel what I do to you. Hear what you do to me." He set his forehead at yours, riding out those final thrusts as you tightened around him, reaching your own climax in the process as he was quick to follow. 

By the time you could walk, night had fallen. 

"You realize there is no way in hell you're leaving now, right?" 

"I'll have to eventually-" You reminded as you reached for the bedroom door. 

"Not without me." He kissed you sweetly before you rejoined the family. Even though it was clear by your presence, the smile of your faces, and that final validation of his fingers interlaced with yours, nobody had said anything. 

At least until you sat at dinner. 

"It was about time! Now all that's left is to get you two married." His mother teased as you choked on your choice of alcohol and he smirked, rubbing your back. 

"Maybe start with a date." You smirked before Kdessa leaned to where both of you could hear her. 

"I'm expecting an honorable mention in your wedding toasts...maybe your first born having my name as their middle." She teased as you shook your head, "telling me it isn't possible with the way you just fucked?" You and Drew both looked at each other before looking back at her. 

"Yeah...we heard…”

Taglist: @hopebaker @iovdrew @penny4yourthoughts @magnificantmermaid @pickingviolets @lovedetlost @trikigirl271 @maybankslover @slut4starkey @slvtherinseeker @obxiskewl @bluesongbird @slut-era @ailee-celeste @camilynn @sweetestdesire @onmykneesforrafe @drews1love

[planetkiimchi]

the hard choice | ready, set, love

featuring: day, almond, paper, son, valentine, chun (from thai drama “ready, set, love”)

word count: 1.4K words

warnings: spoilers for the drama (last episode), lots of angst.

summary — my take on the last episode of “ready, set, love” because i wish we knew what son was thinking at the end (and i really love them and can't let go yet).

"I'm not going."

Everyone stopped short in their tracks, gazes filled with questions that were too difficult to voice. Day stared at Almond, brows furrowed head cocked. Don't do this, her pleading gaze said.

Son didn't bother trying to dissuade Almond. He could see it in his brother's eyes—were they even brothers? For they were unrelated by blood, yet brought up together. Almond's jaw was dead set, but his eyes were filled with desperation. Don't make me choose, he implored Day.

Son fought the urge to cross his arms as he stared Almond down. Almond didn't spare him a single glance, but Valentine tugged on his arm, forcing him to look at her.

"Please come with us. I'm begging you."

"I... can't." Almond's voice broke, and Son saw the monster in him fighting desperately, the part of him that wanted to leave warring his his need to comply with the rules. Because even since they were kids, Almond had always been the law-abiding one, the oldest, the most responsible. The one who hated being late and always saw through their lies, who discouraged all of their rebellious acts.

Most people had a rebellious phase in their teenage years. Son definitely had had one, though not half as bad as Max’s. The latter had always felt the need to act up more than Son, always wanting to be the one in the spotlight. Butt it was difficult when the person he was fighting for attention with was the perfect, sought-after, dream son Son. Son was aware of Max’s attention-seeking tendencies, but he assumed that letting Max win would hurt his pride more than if he didn't win.

However, in all 28 years of his life—or at least the 25 of those years that Son had been alive for—Almond had never been rebellious. He was a follower of rules, and when he had agreed to Day's plan, Son had been rightfully suspicious.

"He's never been one to break the rules. He's the one that's the most likely to discourage us from breaking the law, yet he's choosing to join us now. Why?" Son had asked Day.

"Why do you have to be so pessimistic? Can’t you just be happy that your older brother is on our side?" Day had replied, and Son had dropped the subject.

Well, look at where that left them now; Valentine clinging onto Almond's sleeve while Day and Paper hovered near the door of the van.

"I know what you did." Valentine looked like she was about to cry, her eyes brimming with tears, but—admirably, if you asked Son—not a single drop slid down her cheek. "I know you told Jenny about our plan."

The look of betrayed hurt on Day's face gave Son the push he needed to speak. If Almond didn't want to go with them, that was his choice. Even if Valentine was upset, she was Day's friend, not Son's. He had no qualms about taking Paper and Day out and away from that hellhole if it meant leaving Almond behind. They were already leaving two brothers behind, what was one more? Son could live with that.

But betraying them all? Innocent, naïve Paper, who had initially refused to believe that his mother might have been forced to give him away to the Farm? Day, who'd never loved Almond the way he loved her, but had chosen him again and again, giving up her chance with Son so this plan of theirs could succeed? Valentine, who'd gotten shot and risked everything she had, just to get them all out, including Almond?

If Almond had betrayed all of them, Son would speak. For Paper and Day, who were too stunned to. To give a voice to the pain in their hearts.

"How could you betray us? I had my suspicions when you agreed, but I never thought you'd sell us out."

"Let's please just go, Val. Leave him," Day said, having regained her composure.

"No. I can't. Haven't you wondered why I refuse to leave Almond, even after knowing he betrayed us?" Valentine's voice cracked. "He's my brother." Turning to Almond, she continued, "So, please, come with us. Your mother is searching for you—she has been, for your entire life. Your mother wants to meet you. She's waiting for you. Our mother is waiting. Please, come with us."

Almond shook his head, almost like he was trying to convince himself that he couldn't possibly go. "No, I can't. The Farm is my home." With that one sentence, Almond shattered all the remaining, fragile hope Son had harboured in his heart, leaving nothing but shards of piercing hurt in its wake.

To Son, the Farm had always been a prison, the physical manifestation of the government that had stolen his parents from him. But to Almond, the Farm was a place of luxury, one that had provided for all his needs, the home in which he had gown up. It would be cruel to force him to go; but it would be crueller to make the rest of them stay.

Day wrapped her arm around Valentine. "He's made his choice, Val. We have to go." As she turned, sorrowful eyes meeting Almond's, Son realised that maybe he was the reason Almond didn't want to come. He might not want to come just for his brothers, but if Day had chosen him instead, it might just be enough to make him go. Perhaps the knowledge that the girl he liked was in love with his brother was too heavy a truth for Almond to face every waking second.

Yet, no matter what consequences it entailed, Son would choose Day, every time, over and over again. Perhaps it was selfish of him. But he had grown up in a space where he had to fight for what he wanted, and he definitely wanted Day.

He'd like to believe Day wanted him too.

Paper climbed into the van, Valentine following behind and collapsing in the seat beside him. The tears had long since flowed past the barriers of her eyelids, streaming silently down her face.

Son was the last one into the van. Moments before he shut the door, he turned to see Almond, meeting those gentle eyes that had accompanied him for practically his entire life. In a fit of spite, he slammed the doors in Almond's face, looking away. He never wanted to see his brother again.

"It wasn't supposed to be like this," Paper whispered, staring blankly past Day.

It really wasn't. Not when Almond had always been the best big brother there was, the one who comforted them when they were down, who had taught Max how to cook and read Son stories so he could sleep at night. Not when Almond and Jin were close, so close people sometimes forgot they weren't biologically related. Not when Almond was the only one there for Paper when he was distraught hearing about how corrupt the government really was. Steady, mature, responsible Almond. It was never supposed to end like that.

"Tell me, Chun, if he doesn't come, then is everything I've done in vain?" Valentine asked. It was a question Son would never have been able to answer.

"He made his choice, Val. You can't decide for him. You did what you could." If those words had come from Son, they wouldn't have been half as comforting as they were coming from Chun. But when Chun said it in his gentle, matter-of-fact tone, Valentine seemed to accept it, sniffing softly.

Son looked at his brother, and his other brother's biological sister. The best friend of the girl he loved. And, of course, Day. All of them, broken shells of people who'd just had a part of them ripped out and left behind, just because Almond couldn't bear to leave. People who had been willing to make sacrifices to escape, but not losing Almond. Not that, on top of everything else.

And now, Son's girls—for he had come to think of Valentine as his as well, by some odd familial extension—and his brother were right in front of him, hurting. Because of one selfish choice Almond had made.

Son promised that regardless of what was to come, he would never leave them like that. He could never.

In his heart, he swore it on his life.

[lyon-amore]

*Always remember to drink in moderation*

    He still couldn't get that image out of his head. All he was replaying was the happiness in Carla's eyes with that boy. It had been accompanying him throughout his journey. He needed a break, to forget her in a way.     Jake wasn't one to drown his sorrows in alcohol, he was more of a runner until he was exhausted. But that night was something different. Something told him he needed to do it.

    He left the small inn in Valley of Silence. A place that reminded him of those towns in TV shows about rich people, where everyone was hiding a secret. The problem was that he didn't fit, but what did it matter? At the time he wasn't thinking about what people might think when they saw a boy completely covered from head to toe in black, completely ignoring the looks. He just wanted to forget that image.

   << What happened to the person who does not want to put his feelings on the table? Who closed himself off to the world?>>

    It was all he could think about, how Carla had changed him. He didn't know if it was for better or worse, or if he ever really loved her or if he was just clinging to the idea of loving someone after a long time, perhaps he had seen it coming a long time ago, given that the two had had a difficult relationship. But it was clear that he was doing the right thing in walking away from her.

    He entered the bar and sat down in the far corner of the bar, pulling his mask down a little, but he hadn't taken off his hood yet. That was taking too much of a risk.

   "A beer," he asked in a hoarse voice.

    He couldn't even remember the last time he had had one. How many years had it been now? Six? At least it had been six years since that night. The outings with friends were over. The fun and laughter. The human warmth. All I had felt for years was cold.

    "Bruno, give me a whiskey with ice," he heard a female voice sitting next to him, "apparently I'm not the only one who wants to drown her sorrows in alcohol."

Jake ignored her, focusing on his cold, green bottle. It was best not to answer, and what did she care what he was doing?     Still, he was a little curious and couldn't help but look under the hood. He managed to see a bit of blonde hair falling like a waterfall down a purple blouse.     The waiter handed the girl her glass and she gulped it down. She made a sound of relief and dragged the glass over to him, asking for another.     She turned slightly, noticing Jake's gaze. He quickly looked away, returning his focus to his drink.

    "I wonder why a man is drinking alone in a bar," the young woman spoke again, although he was sure she was trying to make conversation with him. "Is it for money or for love?"

    The black-haired young man turned the bottle over, reading the label. Did she really want to talk to him? Why? He was the most suspicious guy in that bar at the moment. Wasn't she afraid?

   "Sorry to bother you," she sighed, looking genuinely sorry.

    Jake sighed, bringing the bottle to his mouth.

    "Why does it have to be about money or love?" he dared to ask, feeling a little bad.

    Although he didn't look at her this time, she smiled as she listened to him. She leaned against the bar with her hand under her chin.

    "Well, I think those are the two reasons why a man would drink alone in a bar," her tone was calm now, sweet he could even think, "If it were for sport, I'm sure you'd be making a big fuss and breaking everything."

    He laughed at her words, taking a sip of his beer.

    "So can I know? If you want, of course."

    Jake looked out from under his hood at the young woman, at least half of her face. She looked like she had a mischievous smile and playful eyes. Although from the color of her eyes, it looked like she had been crying.     He doesn't know what to say. He doesn't know if it was a good idea to talk about his life. He had only done it with one person and it had gone wrong. It was as if for a moment he had forgotten that he was in danger by being there.

    "I could ask you the same question," Jake countered, watching as she drank more slowly this time, "but it is rude to butt into other people's business."

    "I guess it's because you've piqued my interest, nothing more," he saw how her smile transformed into a more malicious one.

    But that wasn't what made him react, it was that phrase. He once used it with Carla and made him squeeze his hand tightly.

    "Love," the young woman replied, this time becoming serious, "I know, it's crap," she finished her drink in another sip, "In the end, I don't think it's worth it."

    The girl's voice changed. She didn't sound like the cheerful girl who had come to give him a pleasant conversation.

    "Have you been cheated?" Jake asked out of curiosity. Although he didn't know why he did it, maybe deep down he needed to talk to someone.

    "Worse," she spun the glass, making the ice spin, "I slept with my ex-boyfriend," she let out a small laugh, though not out of amusement, "and I just remembered why I left him."

    "It is too superficial to leave him because he's bad in bed."

    "It's not because of that," the blonde ordered another drink, then looking at Jake, "I just didn't feel that chemistry that I've been looking for for years, I was only with him because he was a good guy, he wasn't even the guy I really liked, I guess I was just holding on to something I hoped I would feel.”

    The young man thought about her words. It was something similar to what he thought he was feeling. Holding on to someone because it made you feel good, but was what you were feeling real? In a way, he was afraid to admit that it wasn't real and it was all because she was the first girl in a long time that he liked for being nice to him. A bit of a loser, he had to admit.     Although he couldn’t deny that what he had seen hurt him.

    "I have seen the girl I like with another man and being happy," Jake took a sip from the bottle after saying those words, hoping the alcohol would wash away his feelings.

    The young woman dragged her glass towards him, and he raised an eyebrow as he looked at her in confusion.

    "You've beaten me, yours is worse than mine."

    He stared at the glass, opening his mouth to reject it. But the truth was, he didn't care anymore. He grabbed it and drank it in one gulp, exhaling. It was too strong, it burned more than the beer.     The mysterious young woman —quite ironic, he always was— blinked in surprise at how he had taken the drink.

    "I have not had a whiskey in years," Jake said through clenched teeth, the taste still in his mouth.

    "Oh my God, don't tell me I'm perverting an ex-alcoholic?" The blonde's voice sounded scared and somewhat guilty.

    Jake laughed at her attitude. She was a good girl, he had to admit.

    "No, let us say that..." he rested his head on his fist, smiling at her from under his hood, "I have been busy running away from justice for years," he made a silent gesture with his hand, behind a smile.

    He used a joking tone so that she wouldn't worry, even though he was telling her the truth. Something he had never said to a person he didn't know, he thought it was the alcohol thing, but he hadn't finished the beer and he had only had one glass of whiskey. He had to blame something.

    "Don’t worry, I'll keep your secret," the girl continued with the joke, letting out a laugh as well.

    He stared at her closely, she looked very familiar to him, but he didn't know where she came from. He tried to remember it, but in his mind Carla still appeared, mixing with that girl. There were so many things hr had erased from his past that his present was hindered.

    "Have we ever met?" he asked curiously.

    She looked down, which he assumed was a sign of shyness. Her bold side seemed to have faded, perhaps that was true? Or could it be that he had been too bold just now by asking that?

    "It's too generic a pick-up line, don't you think?" she asked, looking back at him, although she couldn't see him clearly, she thought she was looking into his eyes behind that shadow.

    Jake felt his cheeks heat up at her question. Did he really look like he was flirting? He didn't even know how to flirt.

    <<She really knows how to answer me and that makes me nervous.>>

    The mysterious young woman laughed again as she watched him lean back nervously.     The young man covered himself more with the hood, trying not to let her see his red cheeks, but he tried to see a little of her face under that garment. Until that moment he had not realized that laughter was also familiar to him.

    "I was not trying to flirt, I am sorry if I made you uncomfortable," Jake apologized, his voice shaking.

    "I was just kidding," she placed her hands under her chin, looking at the boy in a charming way. Jake saw her eyes brighten, perhaps from the effect of the alcohol. He relaxed knowing that she hadn't been upset, "It's fun talking to you, I like that."

    Funny? Him? Quite the opposite, she was. That girl managed to make him talk like no one else ever did.     He shook his head. What she said wasn’t true.

    "I do not think so," he picked up his bottle that he had left behind, at least it was still fresh, "it is not at all fun to be talking to me," he replied feeling bad for believing that he was doing something wrong by talking to that girl when Carla was still present in his mind.

    "If you say that because of that girl, it means she didn't appreciate what a nice guy you are."

    "No," he took a deep breath, tapping the bottle, "I know I am the problem, she would not have been happy with me."

    "What do you mean?"

    A sad smile appeared on his lips.

   "She managed to fulfill her dreams," A deep sadness could be heard in his tone of voice. He tried to see everything from the truth. What Carla really needed was not to cling to someone like him, “but I was not one of them.”

    And he knew it. He knew that if she stayed with him she would be trapped in a dead-end relationship. Carla did well to get away from him so she could fulfill everything she wanted in life. He didn't want her to be unable to focus on what she loved most: her music.     The girl remained silent, observing what she could of him. She could hear the pain in his voice without needing to see his sad expression.

    "Tell me, am I the best company for tonight now?" He took a sip of his beer and finished it.

    He thought he had ruined the night for that young woman who only wanted to forget her bad moment with her ex-boyfriend by talking to him about his love problems.     It was even funny that he had those problems, he found it ridiculous.

    "I like it when a boy is honest about his feelings," the young woman spoke calmly, as if they were lifelong friends, "And at least you don't seem angry with her, which makes it pretty noble that you respected her dreams."

    "You know what they say," he saw the glass of whiskey slide in front of him again, accompanied by the feminine hand of his partner for the night, "If you love someone, you have to let them go," he raised his glass in a toast and drank the amber liquid, which was now less bothersome in his throat.

    "Wouldn't you have fought for your love?" Jake passed the glass to the girl and she brushed his hand with her pinky. It was a nice feeling for him to have contact like that after years of not feeling another person's skin.

    The young woman waved her hand at the waiter for another drink and for a moment thought that she missed having that contact again. It was crazy to think about it and with someone he doesn't know.     But none of them seemed to be disgusted by sharing a glass, as if it had been a custom between them for years.

    "Was there really anything to fight for?" He looked at the blonde who was watching him intently. She seemed rather friendly listening to him talk about things that shouldn't even interest her. He thought that the minute I talked about another woman she would leave, “I did everything, I even went back for her, but I saw that she was doing everything she could to continue her life without me. And I did not want to force her to stay by my side.”

    "You're a good guy, Mister Mysterious," he looked at the young woman upon hearing that nickname. The smile on her face was sweet, warm. It wasn't like Carla's photos, the smile he saw was for him.

    He laughed at his new nickname, he was already used to being called terrible things, which when it was a nice one, it almost seemed like a miracle.     When the mysterious woman had finished her turn, she handed Jake the glass with a new round. At least he wasn't going to drive all the way to the hostel.

    "And what about you?" He asked the young woman before drinking.

    "What about me?" She looked at him confused, not understanding what his question was about.

    "Your eyes," he lowered the glass and looked at her, for a moment she thought she saw the color of his eyes, although with the low light and shadow, she wasn't sure, "it seemed like you had cried. Do you want to talk about it?"

    She ran her tongue over her lips, trying to figure out how to begin explaining her situation to Jake. He had already noticed that something else was going on with her and it didn't just have to do with the issue of her ex-boyfriend.

    "If you are scared, I can help you―"

    "No, it's not about that, don't worry," she thanked him with a smile, to which he calmed down a little, but not too much because he didn't know the whole story. She had to clarify it. "It's just that I promised myself that I wouldn't have anything with him again, even my friend reminded me of that," she laughed after saying that word, "I felt empty, there was nothing. Not a bit of satisfaction with what I had done."

    "I think I understand you," Jake answered, beginning to remember his past. "I have been through it too, many years ago."

    "And that feeling sucks, right?" She let out a sound with her nose, annoyed with herself. "You think that maybe that can fix your problem, feeling loved, but all you think about is that you're hurting the other person more by giving them hope and yourself by doing something that you knew wasn't going to fulfill you."

    She took the glass and filled it from the bottle the waiter had left for them, taking it in one gulp.     Jake watched every expression on the young woman's face, feeling compassion.

    "Maybe I'll leave the country," she sniffled, trying to control her tears. She didn't want a stranger to see her cry, "my job needs new correspondents in the United States, maybe I'll ask for a transfer and make a new life away from here," she tilted her head, thoughtful. Her lost look made him worry about her.

    "If that is what you think you need, a change might be good for you," Jake agreed, wanting her to feel better somewhere where she could be happy.

    "What if we go together?" the young woman's eyes shone with a certain mischievous side. "At least we could support each other in our bad streak."

    Jake sighed, taking his turn. It wasn't a bad idea to go even further away and not come back. But unfortunately, he still had some sisters and if they needed him, he would have to help them.     And it's not like going to the United States would be easy for him either, he would need new false documentation and that would take him a long time to get it.     The most surprising thing was thinking about leaving with someone he didn't even know. He knew that this was going to be his last drink before saying something he shouldn't.

    "Although it is not a bad idea, I am afraid I have to reject that offer," he slowly dragged the glass towards her while looking into her eyes, "but I wish you to do what is best for yourself, Miss Mysterious."

    The young woman smiled upon hearing the nickname, reaching out to take the glass. Both of them brushed their fingers without looking away. And for a moment when he had let his guard down to cover himself better, she managed to see the green of the mysterious boy's eyes. A color that calmed her.

    Jake, realizing that it wasn't good for either of them, carefully removed his hand. He didn't want her to make another mistake that night and he only wanted to feel bad about ending up where perhaps neither of them wanted to that night and not remembering it because of the alcohol.

    "I think I should leave now," the blonde took a deep breath, taking out her phone, "my cousin must be worried because I haven't told him where I was going, he'll be crazy asking around the whole town," she let out a nervous laugh, trying to change the situation. fear so that the situation would not become somewhat violent, "It's like having a dad."

    "Or a mother," Jake half-corrected, knowing that he had never had the experience of knowing how a father behaved.

    The night was getting better with each thought he had.

    "Thanks for keeping me company," she got off the stool and, as she did throughout the night, kept her distance from him. But this time, to control the curiosity that was torturing her to know more, unfortunately she felt that it was not a good idea to do something in that drunken state. "Are you going to be in town?"

    "No, tomorrow I am leaving," and that was better. After that night, it was not a good idea to stay in that place. And even more so when the rumor could spread that she had been there that night.

    "Oh..." the mysterious young woman bit her lip, uncomfortable. She thought that maybe it was her fault, although she decided to risk it. "I'm not one of those who give her phone number to anyone, but," she took out a pen from her bag, writing her number on a piece of paper. Jake looked at her curiously at her action, not knowing how to react. He never thought that something like that would happen to him, "if you need to talk to someone, I'll always be happy to listen to you."

    She slid the paper towards him, handling it very carefully, as if it would fall and break into a thousand pieces.

    "Goodbye, Mister Mysterious," he waved his hand in farewell, walking towards the exit. “Put his beer on my bill too, Bruno.”

    "Sure," the waiter laughed, "see you tomorrow, Macie."

    The young man couldn’t help but watch her go, the way she moved. He clenched his hands above the bar, trying to calm himself. He didn’t know her, and she had managed to make him more nervous than anyone else. It was as if this woman knew who he was. And clearly, Jake thought he knew her, which made his curiosity increase. Even her name sounded familiar.

    He looked at the piece of paper she had left him, with her number and name on it. He suddenly remembered why he had to leave, why he couldn't stay any longer. He couldn't accept it. He couldn't have a normal life. He had to go back to the solitude he had sought out. Even so, he didn't take his eyes off those numbers.

    "You're lucky, man," he looked at the waiter while he pushed up his mask. He leaned on the bar, pointing in the direction where she had left, "that girl has always ignored all the guys who have always tried to get in on her," Jake started to get upset. in his way of speaking. He felt disgusted, "I guess the alcohol made her see you as interesting despite your weird appearance."

    Weird. Of course. As he couldn't be anything else. It was obvious when someone saw him.     Jake stood up from the stool ready to leave. He took out a couple of bills, leaving them on the bar. It was the least he could do for her after hearing her talk about her troubles.

    "I will pay for both of us," he wanted to ignore the man's words, not wanting to lower himself to his level.

    "As you wish," he took the bills and looked at the paper with the number. "Aren't you going to take it?"

    "No," he answered dryly.

    "Well, then you won't mind if I―"

    He didn't let him finish the sentence because he had already taken the napkin and started to tear it into pieces. The waiter's attitude disgusted him. He wanted to protect her at least in this way.

    "What are you doing? Are you an idiot?" the man complained, trying to take all the slips of paper, wanting to put them together. But it was impossible, all the numbers were unrecognizable.

    "I guess I am," were the last words he said before walking away to the door.

    The cold snap of opening the door didn't bother him thanks to the heat of the alcohol. He looked around, as if he was watching for his pursuers to ambush him and noticed that girl standing waiting on the other side of the street.     Remembering the waiter, he took a step forward, wanting to keep her company. At least not to leave her alone. It was a strange impulse or perhaps his nature of wanting to protect everything he saw as defenseless.     A car stopped in front of her, which she apparently recognized immediately. Jake stopped suddenly, again, bringing him back to reality at that moment. What was he thinking?     He saw that girl laugh and apologize to the man in the driver's seat, who seemed upset. He assumed it was the cousin she had named.     He passed by her and could see her face, happy. Relieved. He already knew that it was going to be the last time he was going to see her, and he felt more sorry for him than for her.

    "Four, zero, three, five, six, five," he said quietly. He didn't want that number to stay in his head, but now he couldn't get it out, "I am going to need a long time to erase it from my mind."

    He started walking towards the hostel, taking with him the memory of that pleasant night that had managed to take away the sadness he had felt minutes before.

    He knew it would be hard to forget her because she had made him feel the warmth he hadn't felt in a long time, but he would accept it. He had done it before and he would do it now.

And that thought really wasn't about Carla.

[ask-healthy-light]

Secret

Celestia: "I do not know for how long I slept, but I startled awake when I heard Warden groaning in pain. When I got close, I saw a big wound under his wing, and offered to help, but he turned away."

C: "Sky said he was alright, even though we both knew he was not. It was the least I could do, so I insisted. Luckily, he agreed, even if reluctantly, so I took his hoof, and told him to squeeze it."

C: "I think I saw his lip quiver just before I began, but that aside; it did not take long to clean and stitch his wound. But then, as I put the needle back in the kit, he fell as he tried to stand."

C: "I caught him as he dropped to the floor. He told me to rest while he stood guard, but I did not agree. Both of us were tired and hurt, but he even more so, because of the wound beneath his wing."

C: "As kindly and politely as I could, I promised I would watch the cave, as it was clear he needed rest, even more than I. I folded my wing across his back, and we laid at the entrance for a while."

C: "I had many things I wanted to ask him. But the day neared, as the night passed, so my questions could wait. For now, he rested beneath my wing, for what must have been the first time in a while."

C: "I hugged him closer with my wing as he shut his eyes, smiling so sweetly… He fell asleep, not long after. I gently kissed him on his forehead, and wished him well. I do not know if he noticed."

A shy, light blush grew unto Celestia's face as she smiled, remembering the soldier who had rescued her. Risking life and limb, he protected her, yet she knew him not, until that moment in the tower.

C: "I shudder to imagine what would have happened had we not met. Even then, I wish our meeting had been in better circumstances. Stuck in a tower, a fleet of assassins after us, and a war going on."

C: "Our best and only hope is to stay together. I know not whither my family has gone nor wherefore the face of the Moon changed, but, with Sky next to me, I feel less afraid. I care for him dearly."

"I hope he knows�� and feels the same."

(Thanks for reading this bonus! If you'd like a story of your own, feel free to send a request!)

Featuring: Sky Warden from @asklostcelestia

[randomwriteronline]

part of @cantankerouscanuck 's Bionicle/LU AU

"Hey. Champion."

That was how they called him, yes. Because he was a champion. Nobody could best him in the colosseum. Many had tried; many had been forced to try. Many had faced him hoping to shatter his teeth and cut off his spine, or at least he imagined that was the goal - as that was what Skakdi did when fighting between themselves for turf.

He wasn't too interested in keeping trophies. Which explained why he had blown them all up to smithereens.

Wild turned around in his cell to see who had addressed him.

Ah!

The Hordika.

He'd seen him before, yes, he had. Fairly often. His employer was the one who held Wild's leash, after all. The Vortixx on whose behalf he had to fight. But he was nice, a balm for sore eyes.

The Skakdi bared his teeth wider in a grin.

"How are you?" the hulking Kavinika-like Toa asked as he settled a little closer to his cage. "Seemed like a rough fight, last one."

"Hm," Wild replied: "Not so much."

"Your arm looked pretty battered in the end."

"It's alright."

"You need it, you do know that. How would you ever manage to get proper results, exploding things with only one hand?"

"I can do that no problem."

"Yes, but think of the lack of symmetry."

The slave fighter laughed heartily, making the iron bars around him shake with the power of his guffaws. Maybe it wasn't that funny, but to hear such a beast of raw animalistic power talk about symmetry - oh, it was too much for him, far too much for him. He laughed so hard his stomach began cramping.

"I'll consider it," he conceded at last when he could finally speak without risking choking on his own breath.

Twilight smiled back. He paced back and forth along the cage gingerly, trotting with a pep in his abnormally elongated limbs' step; if he could have, he would have gladly snaked into the prison to lean onto the powerful fighter.

He had a soft spot for the little Skakdi, he had to admit, even if calling that hulking mass of destruction 'little' might have seemed like either a cruel joke or an oxymoron. It remained that Wild was young, despite his undeniable strength, and something about that kicked off the instinct of some Rahi or another into him: he often found himself agreeing with the antsy part of him thar ached to demolish the cage and tear him away from that world - he would have rather had the kid go off and play with cubs his age, instead of having to survive death match after death match with few precious minutes between them to regain his breath and lick his wounds clean of the sand and shredded armor pieces.

But what would have happened then? A roughhousing gone wrong? An accidental death? A life on the run for manslaughter? That sort of bloodthirsty struggle was everything Wild had ever known, and he wasn't likely to forget it just as soon as he was out of that circle.

Besides, he couldn't have left Midna like that.

"I am serious, little champion," he said again: "Take care of yourself. I'd hate to see your pieces pillaged one day, and you know I mean it."

A monstrously large finger snuck out from between the bars and gently scratched at the Hordika's armor: "It won't be me losing out there," he promised. His voice was a mixture of reassurance and overconfidence. "There's nothing they can throw at me that I haven't fought yet."

"So you think. You'd be surprised how many creatures there could be in this world of ours - and don't forget that the Makuta live to make more of them every day."

Wild shrugged: "Nothing I can't handle."

For now, Twilight did not add.

He tensed suddenly: his head snapped to the door, backbone arching towards the ceiling to appear somehow even larger than he already was, limbs flattening into a preparatory pounce, ready to stop the approaching threat in its tracks.

The Skakdi turned alert as well, just for a moment. Then the half Rahi relaxed: ah. A known scent, a known step, a known face.

The Vortixx walked in without a single fear, strolling about like she owned the place - which she didn't, not yet, as the arena cells were so kindly provided by Xia itself; what she did own were the powerful beings, one caged, one free, who greeted her arrival with fairly respectful nods in her direction.

"Rise and shine, Heel boy," Midna apostrophed her slave fighter: "I'll be needing your brawn in just a moment."

"What for?" he asked despite Twilight's apprehension.

Of course he knew what for, generally. Skakdi might come in a bit of a dim variety sometimes, but even the stupidest can tell when someone wants to unleash a good old fashioned carnage of any kind.

He simply was a little curious about who, or what, he would be needing to unmake with his own two hands.

She smirked, orange wires wrapped around her neck glowing gently with wicked satisfaction: "Nothing much. We'll just be paying Cia's toys a visit - to gift them a nice, long, painful trip back to their maker. Hopefully in a practical box."

Wild grinned.

'Hopefully in a practical box' was always a fun way to send someone to Karzhani.

[missgirlinred]

September 22, 2024

Where to start? I don't know. But knowing that I am starting to write again means I feel a lot of emotions right now.

Last Friday, Ben and I ended things. It was sudden yet I knew from the start that day will come---where he has to choose between me and his parents. At this point, I already know that you have an idea what happened. Of course he chose his parents, I want him to. But if you'd ask me on a deeper level, I would say, I wish at some point he would fight for me. But I know he tried. He asked his dad about it so many times, only to end up getting the same answer.

You might think I did not do anything. I did everything I could. I message my dad knowing that we are not in good terms. I asked him if we have chinese blood. He told me we have. My lola is half chinese. At some point, I was hopeful. I messaged Ben immediately. But still, his answer was not favorable. For his parents, the standard they have is someone who went to chinese school, chinese backgroud, "basta chinese". It was not just because you have chinese blood, they will accept you. It's not shallow. But then again, I still tried. I told him I am willing to meet his parents, face whatever criticisms they have of me, learn Mandarin if thats what they want. I can do whatever it takes just so I will not lose Ben. I can do everything basta alam ko he is there to trust me, support me, fight for me and fight with me (my exact words). But still, it was not enough. He told me his mom is the one that is hard to please and he does not want me to go through that. He doesn't want to disobey his parents' decision and I do understand that. I do respect him and his decisions in life.

With all this, I came to realize what my sister has said to me earlier. I told her I wanted to try it again with Ben, gusto ko pilitin. But she told me to shift my focus. I should focus on myself now. If Ben truly loves me, he would still try to. But reading what he had said earlier despite me eager to do everything just makes me get a grasp of what was really happening. Maybe this all happened because I must focus on my life again and fate had to remove Ben in my life because they know I would not trade Ben for anything. That I would choose Ben every time. Maybe it was a blessing in disguise. That the guy I perceived to be the last person I will love will eventually walk away. Maybe it was for the better that it ended earlier than I thought. At some point, it was easier to let go little by little. That at least, we both became part of our lives and even if it ended tragically, we still both found love in each other even for a short while.

I was happy and extremely grateful for what happened between us. It was for sure not forced. It happened on the right place at the right time, making me think this was it. I remember the night Ben and I were dancing. I still remember how much I prayed that night for Him not to remove Ben in my life. I prayed so hard. I told Him, I would come back to Him and will never turned my back again. I did it but still fate was not on our favor.

Maybe we were both meant to focus on our own lives and families for now. But I would still be hoping that someday, one day, in another time, under different circumstance, fate will be on our side. Fate will be in favor of us. That soon, we'll be living the lives we both dreamed of together. But for now, this is the reality we both must live in---chained by limitations.

As I end and close this beautifully tragic chapter of ours, I am eternally happy that at least we found ourselves loving each other despite knowing that it is bound to end. The risk we took somehow made us happy and believe in this so-called love that I thought would be powerful enough to make two in-love people stay. Yes, it is powerful yet it is constrained by some unknown force. Our love will remain a memory of our yesterday and an inspiration of our tomorrow; a tomorrow that we will not see together as one anymore. But a tomorrow with different perspectives again. Love united us but it is also the love that separated us.

With all the love that was not enough,

C

[smiletimeisrunningout]

"When did I say that? I don't remember," Emma replied, happy to see just how easily she had been able to make him smile. Just like that, a kiss, and he suddenly looked like the young man he was supposed to be and not the soldier.

Is your faith in me truly that flimsy?

"Yes," she answered with the same mischievous smile, taking a moment to just touch his cheek and enjoy the feeling of being able to do so. "Oh, I think we nearly broke Caleb's heart, I also offered a place next to me while you tell me about books, since I'm not one to read them, so I believe he'll downright refuse to come with us anywhere unless assured he won't be subjected to that." To be fair, if someone had invited her to read stories she may have been just as displeased. "But I do think it helps that while he jokes around... he would never think you'd actually cross that bridge with me."

She wouldn't have believed it until the night before, Ben could certainly be proud of his ability to surprise his friends.

Emma didn't know if she should admit to him that her nerves were more about wanting to see him than actual worry, since he seemed comforted by the fact that he thought her on edge. But his words about her father had her giggling.

"Oh, sweetheart," she called with genuine pity, holding onto his hand to pull him towards her bed so they could sit, "Now you listen to me, my parents will adore you. That isn't something to be concerned about in the slightest, I promise, I talk about you all the time, or at least I write. They already know how much I care about you and how you make my days here so much better, and that alone is enough for them to love you. The only thing you need to worry about is to make sure my father doesn't find us in the middle of... doing what we were doing last night. Because then yes, you'd risk a lot, he's not... he's not the frail kind." She thought for a moment of her father's muscles, and the way even at his age he hadn't needed to stop training yet, only to slow down a little, the picture of perfect health. "... he's kind of like Arnold. But! If you remember, he's also a soft man. A man who believes in hope, and honor and love, and if he doesn't find you in my bed that is the only side of him you'll see."

Poor thing, on one hand she hadn't meant to scare him, on the other it was a very founded fear. "Let's see... if you wish to make a friend of my father, I'd recommend praising me, seeing as I'm his favorite person together with my mother," she pointed out with a smile and a nudge to his shoulder, still holding onto his hand, "Books, of course, especially romance, but he also loves farms and farmer life... horses, swords... Or ask him about his adventures, he and my mother will have some fun telling their stories to people who weren't there, teasing each other about who saved whom. My mother can also be bought by your tutoring background, and of course by praising her favorite daughter. She also likes birds and flowers but I'm not sure of how well-verses you are in such topics, perhaps not hating birds and flowers is a good place where to start. Does this help?" Emma asked, resting her chin on top of his shoulder just because.

Mercifully, the ride back (and the following interrogation from Caleb) wasn't nearly as unbearable as Benjamin imagined. When it came to battle plans and staying alive, he was quite adept at falsehoods and evasion, yet with the topic of womenfolk, the major knew all too well that he often devolved into a bumbling, sheepish clodpate. As luck would have it, he managed to retain his composure and refer to his night with Emma as "illuminating" -- it had certainly been that -- and how they planned on getting more opportunities to learn from one another.

Caleb, naturally, had brushed that off with a scornful hoot. Although he wasn't unintelligent by any means, everyone knew Brewster would much rather bend a lass than the spine of a book, so their conversation had ended almost as soon as it began.

And then came the morning after. While the world was waking up along with vibrant dawn, Benjamin tried to focus on his latest meeting with Washington. Despite his spotty attention span, he (somehow) gave satisfactory answers until his dismissal, which then led to the announcement that Emma's parents were coming to camp. That certainly didn't help with his nerves, and while he floundered about the rest of that morning, he felt a hint of shyness once he stepped into her quarters.

Emma, too, appeared nettled as she paced her room, but before he could ask how she was faring, she curled a hand around the back of his neck and pulled him down for a kiss, cutting off all logical thought as he angled into the sweet pressure of her mouth.

"Hello again," she murmured, smiling up at him.

Unable to help it, Benjamin grinned. "And is that how you greet all of your guests? I thought you said I wouldn't be receiving any special treatment..."

"And how was your day, honey? Got yourself caught by Caleb already, or...?"

"Is your faith in me truly that flimsy?" he asked. "For your information, I told him a half-truth that he immediately accepted -- and one so boring that he didn't dare ask for clarification."

Smile fading with a hint of his resurfacing nerves, Benjamin took Emma's hands and gave them a squeeze. "Are you all right?" he asked. "You seem...w-well...I wouldn't say 'not yourself,' but you're certainly on edge." Gently, he skimmed his thumbs over her knuckles. "I confess to being of a similar mindset. I suppose it's premature to care what your parents think, but given how you've said your father would murder me where I stand, I'm not too keen on writing up my own will and testament." Here, he flashed a lopsided smile, if only to show his jest. "For my sake, I hope you're not anxious for the same reasons..."

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

"I wish Bucky was my boss, and he found out that I submitted my resume to another company and he blackmails me."

Warnings: dark content and implied nonconsent, blackmail, threats, implied voyeurism. If you fail to acknowledge these warnings, you proceed at your own risk.

Requested by: anonymous

Please reblog if you read and leave your thoughts. Thank you to those who submitted and I hope you like the drabble.

✨

Interviews always make you nervous. Your doubts wait with you, tweaking your nerves and setting your leg to jiggle as you balance on the edge of the chair. You want it to be done with but more so, you want the job.

You thought your current job was the one when you got it. Now, you're eager to return to office life; a chair, a desk, a cubicle, and set hours to start and finish. Besides, no suit would be able to track you down as easily as Bucky Barnes.

You try not to think about him. You can't help the paranoia. One day, you tried to sneak in some Starbucks as you were already running late to let his maid in his walk-up and he caught you in line. You really weren't sure why he needed you if he was just going to micromanage 

It was easiest when he was out of town. His missions kept him distant and let you chill and watch his place as you scrolled through TikTok. Yet, that wasn't an option anymore as his assignments were increasingly close to home. 

You dread the inevitable conversation should this one turn out. Your name is called before you can chicken out and you stand to follow the woman back to the conference room. She lets you in after wishing you luck, announcing that Alec is waiting for you.

You enter and stop short. You blink as you look between the two men and Alec introduces himself as he stands and offers his hand. Bucky stands as well and smiles as you peek at him.

"I hope you don't mind, Mr. Barnes has worked with us before, he helped with our security," Alec explains, "I saw him listed on your resume and so I reached out."

"Um, okay," you sit as he offers a chair. It's strange but you don't dare say so.

"He says great things so far. I was just curious to see you go from an office to assistant work and now it seems you're coming back," he continues, "and Mr. Barnes is a trusted associate for our company, we appreciate his judgement."

"Yeah, erm, sure," you fold your hands together, "that's fine."

You force a smile and once more glance at Bucky. He nods and sits back. His face falls and his jaw clenches as Alec scans your resume.

"And so we'll go back to your previous office before we touch on your recent work," he says. 

Bucky's eyes cling to yours as you gulp and acquiesce. He metal fingers curl to a rigid fist as it rests on the table.

"She's a great worker," Bucky says, "I'd hate to lose her."

"That's good to hear," Alec says, "that she's a good worker, not… the other part."

You hesitate and look at Alec. It occurs to you that he may be just as afraid of the man next to him as you. No doubt, he could at least feel the building tension.

"So, let's start easy," Alec clears his throat, "what were your duties at Halsen?"

✨

You know you didn't get it the minute you leave the room. You want to scream. You want to cry. Instead, you bottle it up and toss the copy of your resume in the trash.

As you get to the street, your phone rings. The tune gives away the caller and you know you have to pick up.

"Guess that was your notice, huh?" Bucky growls.

"I… I didn't think you'd care. It's just a job," you argue, "but I'll be sure to ask your permission what to do with my life next time."

"You didn't answer me," he insists, "you quitting?"

"Do you really think that went well?" You say in irritation. 

Silence. The line dies and you turn to head for the underground. You nearly walk straight into Bucky as he pockets his phone.

'We need to talk," he says.

"So, you're firing me?" You ask.

"I didn't say that," he scoffs, "I'd like very much to keep you."

"Why? I suck at this job," you scowl, "we both know it's not working out."

He huffs and checks his watch, glancing over his shoulder. 

"There's a cafe around here, better than that Starbucks shit," he says, "I think we should sit and talk."

"Look, I'm sorry but this isn't going to--"

"Hear me out," he raises his palms then slowly points at you, "or I'll see you at the next interview."

"Fine," you relent, "we'll talk."

He smiles, pleased, and gestures you after him as he turns on his heel. You catch up and he leads you down the street. He shows you to the black exterior of the facade and holds the door for you.

Silently, you wait beside him and order a black coffee, too nervous to think of all the specialty flavours.

"Actually, she'll have the raspberry parfait latte," he interjects, "I'll take an americano."

"Black is fi--"

"Here," Bucky curtails you as he swipes his card, "go find us a table, doll."

You hesitate but don't argue. You do as he says and sit near the wall. You have a few minutes to brace yourself before he nears and places the creamy drink before you.

"You like sweets," he says as he takes his seat, "especially those caramel chip cookies I hid in my night stand."

"Oh," you cringe guiltily, "sorry, it was just one."

"I'm not mad, not about that," he says, "but what pisses me off is the secrecy. It feels like betrayal."

"It's a free market, gee, I didn't think--"

"You didnt." He snaps, "if you had a problem with the job, you coulda come to me. We could've talked--"

"I don't understand why you're so upset. I'm doing you a favour. I'm always late, I'm forgetful--"

"You get the job done, eventually," he waves you off, "look, you don't like the job, alright, it's not for you but… I can find you something else. Something close."

"Really, I just--"

"Let me talk, doll," he interrupts as he hits the table enough to make you flinch, "you're not getting that job or any in this city without my say so. Doesn't matter what you do, I'll know and I'll be there. I'm not letting you go that easy."

"I really don't--"

"You interrupt me again and I'll drag you out of here by your hair," he snarls and you shut your mouth and recoil.

"You're right, you're shit at the job, big deal," he snorts, "I don't want you playing keyholder anymore. I got a better idea."

You watched him, too nervous to speak. He grins and runs his fingers along his short stubble.

"The perks are better. Anything you want, you got it," he wraps his hand around his mug, "you just gotta do the same for me."

You blink and shake your head.

"And what I want from you…" his eyes trail down, "has nothing to do with money."

You sputter and look around. Your conversation is unnoticed among the New York apathy.

"And if I agree to keep the job I have right now?" You venture.

"Too late," he says, "you already gave that up, doll." He takes a sip and hums, "go on, have your drink. You don't got anywhere to be."

You hug the cup with your hands and look at the melting cream. You suck in your lip as your mind races. It can't be. He's playing some trick.

"I'm serious," he assures you as you feel his toe poke yours, "seeing as you always look so cozy in my bed, it won't be too hard a transition, huh?"

Your eyes flick up guiltily. You should've known he kept cameras in his place.

"Oh trust me," he winks, "I saw everything.'