#that it was just a timing thing since another candidate accepted the offer

[cicadaknight]

going through the final round of interviews only to get rejected again? it’s more likely than you think

[lovesuhng]

fake

fake dating, strangers to lovers, fluff w.c: 4.5k

The college exams were really getting to Johnny, but another complicated situation was troubling his mind: his parents' pressure for him to seriously date someone. It was no secret that Johnny was focused on his studies, but he also didn't miss a chance to have fun with friends and even get involved with some people, yet he never started a serious relationship.

One of Johnny's cousins' wedding was approaching and his mother asked him to be there, once again bringing up the fact that he wasn’t dating anyone. In response, Johnny ended up saying he was in a relationship, which was a big lie.

“Why did you tell your parents that?” Jaehyun, Johnny's friend and classmate, asked him while they were in the cafeteria.

“To see if they would stop pressuring me so much, but now I have a week to find a girl to pretend to be my girlfriend.”

“But that’s easy, look at how many women you’ve hooked up with here.”

The fact was that Johnny was well-known and very desired at college. His charm, good humor, and his sculptural body attracted a lot of attention.

“Yeah, but I don’t want to and can’t just take anyone. It’s a wedding!”

So, Jaehyun started suggesting various possible candidates, but Johnny had very convincing excuses. Then Jaehyun looked around the cafeteria and spotted you.

“Why not talk to her?”

Johnny looked in your direction, seeing you laugh at something your friend was saying. You both were in the same major, but you started college after Johnny, making him your senior. You and Johnny had talked a few times, but you were far from being friends. You were known for being a dedicated and very reserved student, not fond of attending the college parties, which made contact with him rare.

“But how am I supposed to ask her? I can’t just go up to her and say ‘do you want to pretend to be my girlfriend for a few days?’”

“That’s not my problem. Think about it, maybe fate will bring her your way in the next few days.”

And it seemed fate was indeed on Johnny’s side. He had gone to talk to the professor of the subject he had been a teaching assistant for the previous semester to resolve some issues. Upon arriving at the office door, he found you talking to the professor, saying you had some questions and needed help to finalize the final project for the subject.

“Unfortunately, I can’t help you because I need to make a short trip to take care of some personal matters.” That’s when the professor noticed someone at the door, directed his gaze to Johnny and asked him to come in. “But it seems you’re in luck. I think you know Johnny. He was my TA last term, and I think he can help you.”

“Really?!” You said, quite excited and hopeful.

“I can help, we just need to figure out some days and times that work, so I can also study for the final exams.”

“Perfect. Are you free after classes tomorrow?”

And so, you arranged to meet in the library the next day for Johnny to help you with the project. He was already waiting for you and it didn’t take long for you to arrive, a bit flustered trying to balance your notebook and notes in your hands, which made Johnny chuckle.

“Sorry for the delay, but the professor wouldn’t stop talking.”

“It’s fine, I just got here.”

After organizing your things on the table and turning on the notebook, you started asking questions and sharing some ideas you were considering for the project. Johnny proved to be very helpful, definitely more than you expected. After some time in the library, you left together heading to the exit, when Johnny offered you a ride since he had a car and saw you were heading to the bus stop. Initially, you tried to refuse but ended up accepting with the condition that you would stop at a coffee shop near your house.

Once there, you placed your orders, which you insisted on paying for, and began talking about various topics, like the similarities of being only children, your tattoos and their meanings, the reasons for choosing that major, and so on. You were discovering more about each other's lives when suddenly Johnny heard someone call his name and recognized his mother’s voice.

“My dear! It’s so good to see you here.”

“You too, mom. What are you doing here?”

“I came to buy some things for your cousin’s wedding and decided to stop for a coffee.” She then looked at you with a very friendly smile. You stood up to greet Johnny’s mother.

“Mom, this is…”

“Don’t tell me she’s your girlfriend?!”

You were about to say you were just a university colleague when Johnny interrupted.

“Yes. My girlfriend.”

Confusion was written all over your face. While being pulled into a hug by Johnny’s mother, you looked at him, seeking an explanation, he just whispered, “I’ll explain later, but please help me.”

“I can’t believe Johnny is finally dating and with such a beautiful woman like you.”

“Ah, thank you…”

“I’m leaving now. It was a pleasure meeting you, dear. And I look forward to seeing you at the wedding.”

“Of course, mom.” Johnny hugged you by the shoulders, startling you a bit. “We’ll definitely be there.”

After saying goodbye to Johnny’s mom with fake smiles, you pulled away from him and demanded an explanation.

“Long story short: I lied to my mom saying I had a girlfriend and she wants me to bring her to my cousin’s wedding. I hadn’t said who it was yet and I was going to talk to you about it before, but then my mom showed up and all this happened. I’m sorry for putting you in this situation.”

“And you think this will work?”

Johnny held your hand and kept his gaze on your eyes. That gave you butterflies, something you didn’t understand why it was happening.

“They say desperate times call for desperate measures. Will you help me?”

You took a deep breath and said, bringing a smile to the man in front of you, “You helped me, so… we have a wedding to go to.”

-

Since you had only a few days before the wedding, your meetings became more frequent, both inside and outside the university. Johnny helped you finish the project, which you presented impeccably and you also studied together for exams, each for your respective subjects, keeping each other company, thus forming a friendship between you.

Already on vacation and on the eve of the wedding, some final details were decided: the wedding and the reception would be in a neighboring town, so Johnny asked you to bring comfortable clothes for the trip and you created a story about your relationship in case anyone asked (you studied at the same university, Johnny always saw you in the corridors and fell in love with you, asked you out, and you had been dating for 2 months).

On Saturday morning, the day of the wedding, Johnny was already at your doorstep, waiting by the car and laughed when he saw you walking towards him with curlers in your hair, holding the dress and a small suitcase.

“Why are you like that?” Johnny laughed as he helped you put your things in the car.

“To speed things up, of course. We would be late if I did this at the hotel and I hate being late. And this isn’t the way to greet your ‘girlfriend’ on a saturday morning.”

“You're right. Good morning, my dear.” Johnny said, putting his hands on your waist and then laughing at the face you made. So, you decided to be as affectionate as he was. Standing on tiptoe, you gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, leaving him very surprised.

“Good morning, honey. Now let’s go, the road is long.”

That little kiss, innocent as it was, significantly affected Johnny, who took a while to process everything and got into the car.

A little over two hours later, you were at the hotel, and since you were returning the same day, Johnny only booked one room for you to get ready for the wedding. You checked in, ate something, and started preparing. You had already showered and were now doing your makeup. Johnny was in the shower but soon came out, complaining that he couldn’t put on the tie.

“I have no idea how to do this, I think I’ll go without it.”

“Calm down, Johnny, I’ll–” You stopped talking when you saw him with wet, messy hair, the first four buttons of his shirt open, giving a glimpse of his chest, and pants perfectly fitted to his body. Even like that, you thought Johnny was the most attractive man in the world and didn’t want to imagine how he would look when fully ready. You approached him, hoping he wouldn’t notice your blushing face, started buttoning his shirt and tied his tie perfectly. Unlike you, who was very “focused,” Johnny looked at every detail of your face, how your eyelashes were long, how your eyes were mesmerizing, how your lips seemed so soft that he wanted to kiss you right there, but he was snapped out of his trance when you patted his shoulder.

“How do you know how to tie ties?”

“I had to wear one for an event and watched some tutorials online.” You said, smiling. “I’ll add the final touches to my makeup and put on the dress.”

It didn’t take long for Johnny to get ready, so he waited for you until he heard, “Johnny, can you help me?” from the bathroom. He entered the room, seeing you struggling to zip up the dress, and quickly positioned himself behind you. This was your moment to hold your breath at his proximity as he slowly zipped up the dress. You felt your arm hair stand up when his breath touched your neck and when his hands touched your waist. You looked at each other in the mirror, and a smile appeared on your lips.

“So, how do I look?”

Johnny, even nervous, tried to talk to you more casually. “You’re so beautiful we might end up going from a fake relationship to a fake marriage.” He laughed at what he said, knowing he was trying to give you confidence. Johnny turned you to face him and said in a more serious tone, giving you goosebumps for the second time that day, “But seriously, you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met.”

Arriving at the wedding venue, Johnny extended his hand to help you out of the car. You held his hand, intertwining your fingers with his, after all, you had to appear as a couple from the moment you stepped into the wedding. You started to get nervous about it, but when you looked into Johnny’s eyes, you felt calmer. As the wedding was about to start, you only waved to Johnny’s parents, who were radiant with the fact that their son was “dating.” The wedding proceeded wonderfully. Mark, Johnny’s cousin, and his bride were happy, and from a distance, it was clear they truly loved each other. His speech made most people cry, including you, which Johnny noticed. In an unthinkable act, he wiped your tears and held your hand, caressing it afterward. You were startled for a second but then gave a subtle smile.

After the ceremony, there was the reception, where you had to really act like a couple. Johnny’s parents greeted you right away. His mother kept talking about how beautiful you were as a couple, made for each other, while his father said he was delighted to see that you made Johnny very happy. A few minutes later, your “mother-in-law” took you to meet Johnny’s aunts, leaving him alone with his father.

“I’m so happy for you, son. It’s clear how happy this girl makes you.”

“Really?”

“Of course. Just by looking at you, it’s obvious you’re head over heels for her.”

Johnny didn’t respond to his father, unsure of what to say. He just looked at where you were, cheerfully chatting with his aunts, fitting in like family. Your eyes crinkled as you smiled, your contagious laugh making him smile unconsciously. You noticed his gaze, smiled genuinely, as if to say everything was fine, and it was then Johnny realized he was actually falling for his fake girlfriend.

The party continued. You had already had a lot of fun with Johnny's aunts, talked to the newlyweds and even danced a bit. Now you were sitting next to Johnny, just waiting for the right time to head back to the hotel, after all, the weather was turning and you would need to hit the road before it started raining. That’s when the bride announced that it was time for the much-anticipated bouquet toss. You weren’t planning to join the others, but your “mother-in-law” pulled you in, you gave Johnny a look pleading for help, but he just gave you a "can't do anything" expression.

There you were, in the middle of some women, trying to give polite smiles but clearly not wanting to be in that situation. Then, you heard the bride’s voice saying that the next one to catch the bouquet would have to get married and soon started the countdown.

3

2

1

And by the irony of fate, the bouquet came your way and you caught it before it hit your face. Your wide-eyed expression made Johnny laugh as he rushed towards you. He was about to speak when his very excited mother arrived, saying:

“I knew that bouquet was yours! Now I want a photo of you two.”

You approached Johnny and whispered for only him to hear: “You two are the same, love taking photos of everything!” In the days you spent more time together, you discovered that photography was one of Johnny’s passions and that he was incredible at it.

When you saw Johnny’s mother positioning the phone for a picture of the two of you, you felt Johnny’s hand on your waist, pulling you closer and you felt a kind of warmth there. You posed for the photo, but you didn’t look like a couple. That’s when Johnny’s mother, quite cleverly, said, “Son, kiss your girlfriend!”

Johnny’s eyes widened. Now what? He couldn’t make you do anything like that. He couldn’t keep up this act. He was about to tell his mother the whole truth when he felt your hand on the back of his neck. There was a brief exchange of looks and you said, “I’m sorry.”

He didn’t have time to respond as your lips on his prevented him from doing so. It would be cliché to say that “it seemed like everything around had disappeared and only you two were there,” but that’s what was really happening. The gentle touch you gave to the back of Johnny’s neck with the hand not holding the bouquet was reciprocated by the way he held your waist. Johnny knew he was in trouble but didn’t want to think about it at that moment. For him, it was like a dream, but he was “awakened” when you pulled away, only to see the man in front of you with his eyes closed. You couldn’t help but smile when he opened his eyes and you ended up wiping the gloss that had stayed on his lips.

After a while, you decided to return to the hotel and, just as you arrived, a heavy rain started.

“It’s like we predicted this would happen,” said Johnny. He asked you to go to the room to start organizing your things while he settled a few things at the reception. The time you spent alone in the room was enough for you to think about everything that had happened, how much you loved being near Johnny, how welcomed you felt by his family, how nervous you got when you had to pretend to be his girlfriend and how much you loved that kiss. But, did he feel anything for you? Did he feel something with that kiss?

Some time later, Johnny returned to the room, and he didn’t look very happy. “The rain is getting worse and some trees have fallen on the road, so we’ll have to spend the night here.”

“Oh, that’s fine then.”

“You don’t mind us sharing the room?”

“Of course not, John, it’s okay. I’ll sleep on that little sofa and you can take the bed,” you said, pointing to the small sofa in the corner of the room.

“Are you crazy? I’ll sleep on the sofa and YOU can have the bed.”

“I think you’re the crazy one. Look at your size and the size of the sofa.” You were right. The sofa was too small for him, so you thought of a simple solution that made you nervous. “If you don’t mind, we can share the bed.” Johnny looked at you as if to say, “Are you sure about this?” You understood his expression completely and said, “It’s fine. We’ll put some pillows in the middle and it’ll be perfect. The bed is huge.”

After showering, Johnny was arranging the bed while you were combing your hair.

“Did you enjoy the wedding?”

“What? So much! Seriously, Johnny, your family is so lively and funny. I talked for ages with your mom and aunts.”

“I noticed. You even danced with them. You spent more time with them than with your boyfriend.”

“What’s up with that? You should have pulled me to dance.”

“Oh really?”

Then, Johnny picked up his phone and selected a song, specifically “More Than Words” by Extreme and, in a very exaggerated manner, extended his hand to invite you to dance with him in the middle of the hotel room. You couldn’t help but smile, which he noticed, and took his hand, accepting the invitation. The dance continued, Johnny made some exaggerated moves, leading you along with him. With each twirl he made you do, your laughter increased. It was amazing how, even in such a short time, you felt light and happy around Johnny, as he didn’t have to make any effort to make you smile, he just was… himself. The “exaggerated dance” went on for a few more minutes until Johnny lifted you and spun around, but ended up tripping and falling onto the bed, taking you with him. Despite the scare, you both laughed at the situation. But the smiles faded as you realized how close your faces were. You had been this close before, after all, you had kissed earlier, but it was all part of a “show”, now you were alone. Your mouths were almost meeting when Johnny’s phone rang, bringing you back to reality for the second time that day. You got off Johnny and went straight to the bathroom to catch your breath. Meanwhile, Johnny answered the call, discovering it was his mother, just asking if everything was alright.

When you left the bathroom, Johnny was already lying on his side of the bed, ready to sleep, and you did the same, wishing him a good night.

-

Although Johnny’s mind was racing because of everything that had happened the day before and because of the new feelings in his heart, he had a great night’s sleep, except he felt some weight on him. Because of the sun rays entering through the curtain gaps, he slowly opened his eyes and realized that the “weight” was your leg over his, your head using his arm as a pillow and your arms hugging him like he was a giant teddy bear. Johnny noticed that the pillow barrier you had made to divide the bed had fallen and now you were in that situation. He couldn’t help but smile when he saw your squished face, sleeping so peacefully and comfortably in his arms. As much as he wanted to stay there, he had to get out of bed. He tried to do it in a way that wouldn’t wake you, but it didn’t work, and your eyes started to open.

“Good morning, sleepyhead. Is this pillow comfortable?”

“Good morning, sort of, it’s just a bit hard…” The next second, you realized you were clinging to him and jumped out of bed. “OH MY GOD, JOHNNY, I’M SORRY! You must have slept all crooked because of me. How embarrassing!” You said while running your hands over your face, while Johnny, still in bed, just laughed at your “panic.”

-

As the days went by, you exchanged messages with trivial updates about what was happening in your lives. With each message you received, you could feel your heart beat faster just thinking it was from Johnny. All your friends knew when you were talking to him because you always had a silly smile on your face, like a lovesick teenager. Missing him so much, you decided to ask him out and he accepted right away.

You arrived in front of the chosen place: a homemade food restaurant where you had once worked and were still friends with Joe, the elderly owner. A few minutes later, Johnny arrived and he couldn’t help but smile when he saw you, especially because of the sunflower-patterned dress you were wearing. He didn’t miss the chance to joke, “Is that dress in my honor?” knowing that he had a sunflower tattooed on his forearm.

Upon entering the restaurant, you took Johnny’s hand to introduce him to the owner.

“Mr. Joe, it’s been so long!”

“Hi, my dear, I’ve missed you.” With a friendly smile, he turned his attention to Johnny. “Did you come to introduce me to your boyfriend?”

Lately, you two were so often mistaken for a couple that Johnny didn’t mind what was said but couldn’t help but feel sad when you stated that you were just friends.

“I see, well, enjoy the evening and maybe things will change tonight.” The elderly man shook Johnny’s hand, winking at him. Was it that obvious that he was in love with you?

You took the lead, followed by Johnny, who found it strange that you were heading somewhere other than where the customers were eating. He was about to ask where you were going when he was surprised as you reached the restaurant’s terrace. It was a rarely used place but very well-decorated and had an incredible view at night.

“Wow, this place is amazing!”

“I think so too. It was one of my favorite spots. I used to stay here during my breaks and sometimes came here to study or just think about life. The owner doesn’t use it much, but I asked a friend who still works here to set it up, just in case I brought someone here.

“And do you often bring people here?”

“To be honest, you’re the first person I’ve brought here.” Johnny gave a restrained smile, feeling special for some reason.

After placing your orders, you talked about various things. It was incredible how you always had so much to talk about. Then, a cold breeze passed, making you shiver and complain about wearing a dress and forgetting your jacket. Within seconds, Johnny promptly got up, took off his jacket and put it on your shoulders, making you momentarily forget how to breathe due to his sudden closeness.

When he returned to his seat, Johnny found it odd that you started laughing for apparently no reason.

“Please don’t get me wrong, I just think it’s amazing how you can sometimes be so sweet despite being so...” You gestured to indicate his height.

“Tall? Handsome? Hot? No need to be at a loss for words to describe me. They say that’s my charm: being sweet to balance out the fact that I’m extremely attractive” Johnny said in a charming tone and you decided to play along.

“For sure, and very modest too.”

After dinner and more conversation, you suggested to Johnny that you go to an ice cream shop near your place.

“What? But weren’t you cold?”

“No cold can make me refuse a good ice cream.”

And that’s how you ended up on your street, heading to your building with your ice creams, you looking like a happy child finally eating your favorite dessert and Johnny laughing at everything you said.

“Well, I guess this is where we say goodbye,” you said, but deep down you didn’t want the night to end.

“The night was amazing. I haven’t had this much fun in a long time.”

“Oh! Before I forget.” You said while taking off the jacket and handing it back to Johnny. “I swear I’ll bring mine next time.”

“So, there will be a next time?” Johnny said provocatively while putting on his jacket. You pretended to be thoughtful for a second and replied, “Maybe… Wait a second.”

You stepped closer to Johnny to adjust his jacket collar, bringing you just inches apart. Your eyes locked, but this time in a more intense way. You could admire Johnny’s beautiful honey-colored eyes while he examined every detail of your face, which looked even more beautiful in the moonlight. You made a move to pull away, but Johnny placed his hands on your waist, preventing you from leaving. Your gaze dropped to his mouth as he said, “You’ve already kissed me once, what are you waiting for to do it again?”

“Now it’s your turn to take the initiative. Kiss me, John.”

Closing the minimal gap between you, Johnny kissed you. Unlike the first time, you felt the intensity of this kiss, and when Johnny’s tongue touched yours, you could swear you would explode with happiness, so much so that it made you smile in the middle of the kiss, causing Johnny to pull away, laughing. “Are you that happy to kiss me?”

“Of course. Because now we’re really kissing.” You kissed Johnny again, unable to believe he felt something for you too. “Hm, does this mean we’re really dating now?”

“Hmm, let’s see.” Johnny made a mock thoughtful face and listed what had already happened between you two. “I’ve introduced you to my family, we went to a wedding as a couple, we slept together… so I guess we are dating.”

“Good.” You threw yourself into Johnny’s arms, standing on tiptoe. “I won’t have to pretend anymore for your family because next week I’m going to play golf with your mom and your aunts.” You said, giving him a peck.

“YOU WHAT?”

“That’s right, I’m going to spend some quality time with my mother-in-law and show her that I’m the best girlfriend her son could have.”

Johnny’s laughter made you smile even more, he couldn’t believe how quickly you had won over his mother. He hugged you tighter, lifting you off the ground.

“Get inside before I end up kissing you all night, girlfriend.”

“There’s nothing stopping you from doing that, boyfriend.”

You both smiled and kissed once more, savoring the moment that was more real than ever.

[secretsandwriting]

All Because of One Lie

A Bruce Wayne x reader

You weren’t quite sure what was going on. One minute you’re headed to cause some problems, seconds later you’re making out with Batman. They guy who had tried to put you in prison multiple times. To make it more confusing, he started it.

Shortly after it started it ended with Batman just leaving.If that was a new plan to get you to stop causing problems, it worked. You went home. How do you even proceed after that? The next day you saw the headlines, made an assumption, and went about your day, because what else were you supposed to do. 

BATMAN CAUGHT MAKING OUT WITH ANTI-HERO MONSTER. IS ANTI-HERO PINK VENOM LYING?

Last week, Pink Venom had told the press she was dating Batman. Guess he wanted to end that story but why was it by making out with you?

The next night you went out Robin ended up patrolling with you and when asked by reporters why he was with you he told them that Batman had told him he could only patrol with adults and you were one of the ones on the “safe” list, things got so much more confusing. If it weren’t for the fact you didn’t talk in costume, you would have told the press the truth but you weren’t quite ready to break your silence over this. Besides, it wouldn’t last long.

The next night you were joined by Red Hood who was at least more helpful than Robin when it came to your normal work. You didn’t really like the idea of letting a child kill people even though he claimed he had before. Then the next night was Red Robin who helped you break into a secure building to do a few things. Then Black Bat who followed you around like a quiet puppy.Then Spoiler, she talked the whole time. You didn’t really mind. Next was Nightwing who was like a mix between Black Bat and Spoiler but male. Overall, you were getting more confused every night that passed. 

After a week of being followed by random Bats, Batman himself showed up at the end of one of your runs. A quick soft kiss before he left. All you wanted was an explanation! Maybe a reason for why your life was suddenly going sideways. When you got home, you started getting ready to take a shower before going to bed, your jacket was the first thing to go. An envelope slipped out of it and onto the floor. There was nothing on the outside so you opened it and unfolded the paper. 10 $100 dollar bills fluttered to the ground.

Monster

I apologize for any confusion.

Two weeks ago Pink Venom claimed we were dating. Pink Venom is not someone I want to be associated with and none of the press would accept a simple explanation that we weren’t dating. So the next best thing would be to give them an actual candidate. All the others suggested you and since I found you before the other suggestion, we went with you.

Enclosed is $1000 as payment for everything. For every week this goes on, there will be another $1000 for you on that Friday. 

Batman

Well, it was an explanation. You weren’t sure how to feel about it though. But the money did help. You did like bribes. 

It continued for a month before Batman started staying around longer. He would hold your hand and make sure you got across the rooftops ok. One day he spent his whole patrol with you. You made sure to ignore the butterflies you got when he was offering you his hand to help you across something.

You weren’t really sure how to feel about it, but every Friday you got an envelope and every time he kissed you more butterflies would join the ones already residing in your stomach. Every time Robin spoke about his pets, you caught yourself smiling. Every time Nightwing showed you a new trick he had been working on, you found yourself excited over his accomplishments. Everytime Red Hood talked about the books he was reading, you found yourself making a mental note to look through it. Every time Red Robin had something he wanted to infodump about, you caught yourself paying more attention to him then your surroundings. Everytime Black Bat wanted to show you the new dance she had learned, you caught yourself being entranced by her movements. Everytime Spoiler would go off on a random tangent, you found yourself trying to keep up instead of just nodding. 

So when Red Hood mentioned his birthday was coming up, you spent hours trying to figure out what to get him. When he unwrapped the first edition Shakespeare book he had told you about, you found yourself wrapped into a hug, when he parted. You slipped a tissue into his hand before parting ways for the night. 

When Robin mentioned he was having trouble in one of his classes, you found and gave him a book about it and didn’t bring attention to the way his hands shook when  he realized the book made more sense than his teachers and textbooks.

When Red Robin mentioned having trouble with falling asleep, you brought him the remedy your late grandmother had taught you and made sure he had the instructions list so he could make it himself. When he almost cried in relief the next night, telling you how well it worked, you just accepted the hug and smiled. 

When Nightwing asked you how you handled guilt, you listened to him pour out his feelings and the next time you saw him, you gave him a copy of all the books that had helped you. You couldn’t stop smiling when you saw how his relationship with Batman and Red Hood started changing. 

When Spoiler had told you about the secret feelings she had that made her feel like she wasn’t girly enough to do or enjoy certain things, you brought her a basket of all the things she had mentioned and held her as she cried through everything she needed to. 

When Black Bat was quieter than usual, you brought some snacks and drinks and enjoyed some time just watching the city. You didn’t twitch when she leaned her head on your shoulder. Moving wasn’t an option until she got up. You made sure to ignore the wet streaks on her mask and continue on like normal. 

Because somewhere in the few months this had gone on, Batman’s kids had become your own. You celebrated their achievements, held them while they cried, listened to their darkest fears and thoughts, felt pride whenever they did something amazing, and their pain hurt you to see. These were your kids and you wanted the best for them. 

Batman started spending more time with you too. After a while you found some charm under all the gruff. When he softened up around his kids you felt your heart race, and the few times he cracked a joke it was a struggle not to laugh aloud. 

You were becoming too attached. When this ends you were going to be devastated. It wasn’t just one of them you were attached to, it was all of them. You thought about trying to avoid them but you couldn’t do that to the kids, so you took a night off to think things through and relax.

The next night you went out, you were alone for the whole time. Which had been unusual since this whole thing started. That was, until the end. Right before you started heading home, Batman stopped you. The oddest part about it was that he seemed a little nervous? That couldn’t be right, you were definitely looking into it too much.

“I know this started out of the blue and really wasn’t your choice, but I’ve been enjoying our time together. I was hoping I could convince you to go on a date with me tonight? A real one. We’d keep our masks on but maybe we could get to know each other a little better?” 

Oh.

Food was picked up at a random restaurant and and you found yourself sitting on the edge of a building looking over the city. Batman would ask you yes or no questions so you could just nod and then he would answer them himself so you would know more from him. The entire time, you never once revealed your voice and you didn’t feel any pressure over it. It was nice. 

One date turned into two, two turned into four, four turned into six, six was when you first spoke and Batman almost choked on his food. Six turned into ten and ten turned into twenty.

Robin started asking for help when he was stumped on his homework, Spoiler came to you with any and all the drama going on in her life, Black Bat came to you when her thoughts were too loud, Nightwing came to you when he needed help figuring something out, Red Hood came to you when he needed comfort, and Red Robin came to you when the remedies didn’t help and he needed a nap. 

You were getting closer to all of them. They would come to you for problems or just to talk or walk in silence. You never turned them away and always offered support. Pleading with any being out there that you could stay in their lives forever, as selfish as that request might be. They were your family now, and you never wanted that to end. 

You were on a walk with Batman after your meal, hand in hand, strolling the streets of Gotham. You could see people taking pictures out of their windows from the corner of your eye when you were gently tugged over to a stairway to a  building taller than all the others around by enough to give plenty of privacy.

“I understand if you don’t want to, just tell me if I’m overstepping. But I would like to go on a date with you. One without the masks where we can talk about whatever we want without worrying about what we give away. The kids love you and I want so much more than this.” He pulled you closer by your waist, his eyes searching yours. “So would you go on a date with me Sunday afternoon at the Italian restaurant on 3rd street?”

Oh. 

This was something you had thought about but had pushed away to the back of your head as a fantasy that would never happen. This was something you definitely wanted. Deciding you were at the point where you didn’t care and were willing to make dangerous decisions, you pushed aside the thought that this was a trap.

“I would love to. I’ll be there at 1. What name shall I give them?” You wrapped your arms around his neck and pulled him a little closer meeting him in a kiss. He smiled against your lips and when he parted, he said the name would be your favorite color before pulling you back for another kiss.

Sunday afternoon, you found yourself at a private table set for two at the Italian restaurant on 3rd street and 12:59. When the waiter came over followed by Bruce Wayne, you weren’t sure what to think. You stood up and a bouquet of red roses was placed into your arms. You let Bruce pull you into a kiss, immediately melting against the familiar touch. 

When you separated, you had so many questions but now wasn’t the time for them. So instead of asking them, you ordered and talked about everything else. Later that night, back in the privacy of the same building he had asked you out on, you would get answers. But for now, you just enjoyed the conversation as it was. 

The next day, you found yourself in the headlines again. You liked this one better.

BRUCE WAYNE ON DATE WITH MYSTERY GIRL

Two more dates came and went before you were officially invited to the manor to meet the kids for the first time out of costume. Alfred greeted you when you arrived before your attention was stolen by Damian who wanted to show you his report cards and pets, Jason wanted to show you his book collection, Cass wanted to show you her personal dance studio, Steph wanted to show you her newly decorated room, Dick wanted to show you his acrobatic studio, Barbara and Duke wanted to meet you for the first time, and Tim who wanted to show you his most recent hyperfixation. 

Somewhere along the way, Bruce joined you for the tour. His arm wrapped securely around your waist. Once you got through the tour, you made sure to sit near Barbara and Duck so you could get to know them a little better.

The next night you went out, you had Barbara in your ear and Duke making rounds with you. As per usual now, your night ended with a kiss from Bruce.

A month later you found yourself attending Damian’s school concert and sitting between Bruce and Cass, you caught yourself watching only Damian everytime he was on stage. Your hand was gently held by Bruce the entire time. The next morning, you found out Bruce holds your hand in his sleep. 

A year later you found yourself moving into the manor. Everyone helped move your things and it wasn’t long before you found yourself comfortably settled in.

Two years after that you found yourself standing at the altar holding Bruce’s hands while you recited your vows. It was quite a story. One you couldn’t tell many, but a good one non the less. After all, you did end up with 7 kids and an extra one who went back to her dad every night, and a wonderful husband. All because of one lie someone else told.

[studentinpursuitofclouds]

hi, hello! absolutely love your work, and wanted to request a scenario for sve i’ve been thinking about for a bit now. It’s sort of complicated and long, so i understand if not, but thank you for reading in the first place! :3 ♡

how would the sve adventurers with marlon, and mages with camilla, jadu, & magnus react to a farmer who is an actively wanted fugitive in the gotoro empire, and also wanted by the ferngill republic for crimes committed against figures in both governments? and when revealed why exactly they did these things, it’s because they were killing them due to said figures being corrupt and harming the people? perhaps even going as far as to get rid of any wizards or witches in the ferngill republic ministry of magic who do it solely for the fame or adventures in various guilds in the order of the knights of pythagoras who are in it for the money and not to protect people? how would they react to this farmer, who’s been right under their watch the whole time, actually turn out to be someone they’ve been trying to capture for years, and completely evading them? i’d imagine even more angst if they had already formed complex relationships and friendships with everyone, only to be a wanted criminal, despite their inherently good intentions.

Headcanon when people who had good motives to protect the world killed other people who were corrupted and bad by their standards?*looking in the direction of the Cult of The Lady With The Red Tail from RSV mod* Yeah, I've heard something about that...

I recommend that you, dear anon, familiarise yourself with the Ridgeside Village mod, because there are at least two marriage candidates out there who live in the same scenario. But anyway, thank you very much for your kind words 🥺 Enjoy some headcanons and have a great day! 💕

_________________________________________

Isaac knew there was something fishy about Farmer! His own gut was screaming that something was wrong with them, and, oh look, he was absolutely right. The very same promising young adventurer, whom almost everyone praised to the skies (and even Isaac himself almost fell into this trap, accepting the offer of friendship), turned out to be a rotten through and through criminal. Killing corrupt people? That's just fucking wonderful, how honorable they are! Isaac wonders who gave Farmer the right to decide the fate of people? Who gave them the right to be judge and executioner? Corrupt adventurers and mages are scumbags who deserve to be punished. But Farmer is no better than them. So Isaac will drag them to the justice, and use force if he has to.

Magnus now doesn't know what's worse: the fact that Farmer he trusted turned out to be a criminal wanted by the Ministry of Magic, or the fact that almost half of his friends and colleagues (some already killed) turned out to be criminals too. And criminals not of the level of "stole 10000g" from the budget, but responsible for some disasters caused by magic that contributed to hundreds of innocent lives. Does he believe Farmer? Of course he believes him, since the wizard managed to put the seal of truth on them. Which, however, doesn't mean Magnus agrees with their path of vigilant. And so when they both decide to deal with the remaining corrupt adventurers, Farmer will also have to recognize their responsibility for killing others. And no, they can't refuse. Because Magnus has managed to put another seal on them...

Camilla only smirked after Farmer's admission. "I know all that, dear. Otherwise you'd have been rotting behind bars in a dungeon long ago." Instead of trying to explain to the main witch of the Galdora Continent about how Farmer had managed to become a wanted man in the Gotoro Empire/Ferngill Republic, they have to listen to details from Camilla that even they didn't know. Turns out she's been covering them. All the time. Why? Because she is well aware of all the secrets of some of her "colleagues" who never got a deserved punishment. Farmer was the first to confront them openly, even at the cost of their reputation. So Camilla felt it was her duty to help them cleanse all "pests". Oh, and she strongly advises them not to tell anyone about what the two of them have just talked about.

Alesia didn't even realise how she'd pointed the bowstring at the Farmer. All this time the man who was killing adventurers was right under her nose.... The sniper didn't take Isaac's warning too seriously... She may not have the same keen sense for criminals like her friend, but Alesia's eagle eyes and skilful hands would definitely keep her from missing if they try to escape. Maybe Farmer's telling the truth. Either way, they're both going to go deal with Camilla, she's sure to get the truth out. In the meantime. Alesia advises Farmer not to make any sudden moves. Unless they want an arrow in the head. So far all the facts are against Farmer: their word vs. entire murder reports of high profile adventurers...

Jadu is at a complete loss. On the one hand, common sense tells him that the man before him is a dangerous criminal who has broken the laws not only in the Republic, but also in the Gotoro Empire, which is at war with it. Not a word of such a person can be trusted. On the other hand, all the adventurers, witches and wizards who had fallen by the Farmer's hand had indeed had rumours of venality and even involvement in dark deeds. But they were just rumours! What if the Farmer had made a mistake, and destroyed a completely innocent man, framed by someone else? That never occurred to them?! Jadu must get them to the Ministry because he doesn't believe a word they say. And don't underestimate him, he is after all, a battle mage as good as any.

Well... That explains a lot to Lance. And there's no need for Farmer to look at him so surprised. After all, the gallant adventurer is not lacking in intelligence and is a very shrewd man. Lance was conducting his own, if you will, investigation, but he did it as carefully and from a distance as possible, so as not to cross the wrong person. Because there were inconsistencies in official statements about past tragedies in Castle Village. Then came the murders of suspicious members of the Order of the Knights of Pythagoras, all the blame was on "criminal №1" (Farmer, as it turned out), and then.... Hmm, yes, now that makes sense. Lance will get Farmer to Camilla, let them tell her everything, and wait to see what others say at the general court. "They were criminals, Farmer. But you too need to answer for your crimes. Murder is no way to solve problems."

Marlon outwardly may seem to have reacted very calmly to the truth, but inside the one-eyed adventurer a storm of emotions raged. His apprentice, a new member of the Adventurer's Guild, is the very same wanted killer of monster hunters from other guilds and clans. His murdered colleagues, according to Farmer's words, were not noble protectors of human race, but cowards and corrupt bastards. But is that true? Should Farmer be believed at all? What should Marlon even believe now? He's angry, but quickly calms down so he doesn't accidentally make any hasty decisions in a fit of rage. "You're in deep shit, kid." That was all Marlon could say. Better get Gil and Magnus to solve this problem with Farmer.

[69misato69]

Desperate Times Call For Desperate Measures (Alhaitham x Kaveh) ✦ smut, 3.5k

archive of our own ✦ twitter

masterlist pinned on my profile !

Summary: Kaveh overhears Haytham having a one night stand and he is unable to think of anything but fucking him. The initial premise was meant to be crack, then it turned into an actual fic but I do still find it kind of funny if I'm being honest. I hope you enjoy :)

Top Alhaitham x Bottom Kaveh

cw: blowjobs, handjobs, ejaculation, slight overstim, unprotected anal sex

writer's note: explicit +18 content, please view at your own risk. thank you, have fun !

“Haytham!” Kaveh angrily walked into the living room to find his roommate reading on the couch as always, “We have a problem.”

The scribe didn’t lift his gaze from the page and turned it over with his index finger, “I have a feeling that it's your problem and I have absolutely nothing to do with it.” Kaveh crossed his arms at his chest, refusing to follow-up in an attempt to get his attention. Per usual, it was a futile effort, so he gave up with a long, annoyed exhale, “I can’t get laid. It’s getting out of hand.”

Alhaitham was unfazed by the abrupt indecency, it was Kaveh after all, he had spent years trying to teach the concept of boundaries to him but the man was sticking to his values of oversharing and making every detail of his life public to their small household. “Impossible, it's your only source of income.” Alhaitham jested, skilfully hiding the half-smirk that formed on the corner of his mouth. Kaveh gasped and squeezed his fists, “Rude and untrue.” he protested. Alhaitham turned another page and settled more comfortably in his seat, “Mmhm, do go on.”

“My proposal is to fuck.”

“Seems like an appropriate solution, any candidates?”

Alhaitham could see where this conversation was going from miles away, but for now his plan was playing dumb and savoring the moment as his roommate further embarrassed himself. “The proposal is for you and me.” Kaveh certainly didn’t sound ashamed, laying down an unchaste and indecent offer as if it was nothing. 

“You want us to fuck?”

“Yes. What is your answer?”

“Who fucks who?

“You top.”

“Why, you don't like it?

Alhaitham heard footsteps approaching him, Kaveh snatched the book away from his hand and put it down on the table. Alhaitham hated it when he did that, but he was drawing too much joy from the situation that he wasn’t bothered at all.

Kaveh stood between his parted legs and looked down on him with his arms crossed once again. “Haytham. Listen to me very carefully. Fucking you won’t solve my problem. This is serious. I need to be thrown around, okay? I need to forget my own name. I can’t take it anymore. You’re as emotional as a Scarab, so I’m sure you won't catch feelings. Also, I assume you’re packing down there. So please , stop drawing this out and just answer me.” he explained calmly, as if the words he uttered weren’t absolutely insane. 

Alhaitham nodded, “Fine, I accept.” Kaveh’s eyes lit up momentarily, then the spark vanished with the growing awkwardness between them. Alhaitham parted the silence, “What are you waiting for?” Kaveh was frozen in place, he hadn’t planned things this far. He didn’t even think the scribe would accept. Though it seemed impulsive, it had been on his mind for some time, since the day he was supposed to check up on a project and stay overnight in the desert last week. 

He had told Alhaitham beforehand, it was an unspoken rule between the two. Kaveh enjoyed having people over but they kept it confined within the walls of his bedroom, Alhaitham would only see those people for a moment in the mornings when they would be leaving, but he would never bring home someone he was involved with. Kaveh didn’t exactly know why, but he knew that the scribe definitely cared for his privacy. Regardless of the reason, he tried to tell Alhaitham when he was going to be away, in case he wanted to have the house to himself and have people over. Everytime he came back he would notice signs but would never pester his roommate about it. 

So last weekend, he got ready for his departure as always, failing to account for the fact that he was extremely tired. He came home and went to bed immediately, confident that he would easily get up near noon and leave with the convoy. But when he finally opened his eyes, rested and light as a feather, the time was nearing five in the afternoon. 

He got off the bed, cursing as he made his way through the kitchen to quench his thirst. He sat on the balcony for a while and then ran inside upon spotting Alhaitham in the distance. The scribe approached the door, Kaveh could hear him from the large window opening to the balcony. But he wasn’t alone, there was a tall brunette tangled around his arm. Kaveh rubbed his temples, trying to devise a plan by the time they made their way up. 

If he left he would undoubtedly run into them, plus he wasn’t even dressed. Even if he found a way to evade them, everyone that would welcome him in the city was out in the desert with the rest of the team. Though he liked to poke fun at Alhaitham, he handled most of the housework, cooking and cleaning, taking care of their plants and, taking care of Kaveh. It was his house after all, and if he saw Kaveh there he would surely never bring anyone home ever again. Kaveh truly didn’t want to shatter his trust in him. 

So, the only option was to hide in his room. It wasn’t so bad, he was still tired after all. Hurriedly, he sneaked a bottle of water and some snacks and ran to his bed. Alhaitham walked in with the man that Kaveh didn’t know, they cooked dinner together, laughing and talking about things that were terribly boring to the blonde. Yet, it was interesting to hear Alhaitham crack up at the jokes, he surely never laughed like that at Kaveh or at anyone at work. 

It was actually kind of nice to see a more human side of him. Kaveh couldn’t help but smile all evening, sketching his new plans quietly and occasionally taking breaks to eavesdrop on the two. From what he had gathered, it didn’t seem like a serious relationship, maybe it was just a casual thing, and maybe it wasn’t even a ‘relationship’ at all, Kaveh thought, until later that night, when Alhaitham took the man to his room. 

After that, all that Kaveh heard was the rustling of clothes and kisses through the thin walls, and the man moaning Alhaitham’s name over and over again. Kaveh should’ve just plugged his ears, but he felt paralyzed, unable to move a single muscle until he realized he was gripping tightly onto the sheets. He whispered curses when he felt a twitch in his groin, it was extremely annoying to get hard at Alhaitham’s grunts. 

Aside from the frustration he also felt, perverted. It was wrong , slipping his hand inside his boxers was wrong, imagining his own self under Alhaitham was wrong, lusting over something that he wasn’t even meant to hear was so wrong. But, that didn’t stop him. He laid down, playing with himself to the melody of his roommate’s soft moans and words of praise. 

It was so unattainable, what that man was achieving. It was so out of touch for someone like Kaveh. What he felt wasn’t jealousy, but it was certainly something. After the two settled down, Kaveh also felt his eyelids get heavy once again. He rid himself of the overwhelming thoughts and drifted off to sleep. Luckily, the house was empty in the morning. All that remained was a note with beautiful handwriting that Alhaitham slipped through the door, probably before leaving for work. 

“Hope you had a safe trip back. I’ll be away until tomorrow. Please do not leave the window open again. H.”

Kaveh sighed. He went to drop off the plans and apologize for missing the trip. Since he was going to have the house all to himself, he decided to hit the tavern and hopefully find someone to spend the night with. He desperately needed to shake off Alhaitham’s voice from his ears, but it seemed impossible. Instead of taking an interest in newcomers, he spent the entire night drinking and thinking of his roommate. 

Kaveh barely made it through the rest of the week, bickering with Alhaitham as usual but having his mind drift off to lewd fantasies of him whenever he was unoccupied was exhausting and confusing. So he really wasn’t lying when he told Alhaitham that he couldn’t get laid, Kaveh had just conveniently left out the part that Alhaitham was the reason for that, and the only cure for his debilitating condition. 

“I—don’t know. Do something, Haytham.”

“I take care of your drunk ass every night, you do something for once.” 

“Fine, but don’t enjoy it too much.”

Kaveh lowered himself to his knees and reached to undo the scribe’s pants. “I don’t think I will.” Alhaitham chuckled. 

“Stop being mean or I’ll bite.”

“It’d be the last time you ever bite anything, Kaveh.” 

Kaveh couldn’t help but laugh as he slipped away his roommate’s underwear. “Damn, pretty.” he remarked out loud accidentally. It really was decent, Kaveh couldn’t help but imagine it inside himself, the thought lit a spark in his groin. “It’s a dick?” Alhaitham said, bewildered by Kaveh’s comment. 

“So, I’m not allowed to find it pretty?”

“Why don't you suck it so I can have some peace and quiet?”

Kaveh huffed and looked up at him daringly. Not fighting back was taking everything he had, but for once, Kaveh had the chance to actually impress Alhaitham. When it came to housework, the scribe would always complain that he didn’t do things properly, and when he acclaimed Kaveh's work as an architect, well, that wasn’t really a personal thing. So, he decided to revel in the opportunity. He tied up his hair neatly and leaned forward, holding onto Alhaitham’s waist with both of his hands. 

Kaveh first left a trail of kisses all over his thighs, grazing his teeth over the sensitive skin. Alhaitham twitched at the sensation as the blonde’s mouth moved up to his groin. He dragged his tongue around the scribe’s cock hungrily, being rewarded with light moans. Kaveh sucked on the tip, looking up shamelessly before sliding his mouth all the way down. 

He was bobbing his head up and down and altering the way he sucked and released with such precision that Alhaitham felt like he could orgasm at any moment if he wanted to. “Not bad.” he mumbled, it was an understatement but was necessary to humble Kaveh. 

But he was persistent, he supported his movements by placing one hand around Alhaitham’s base, timing them in a way that he knew would drive his roommate insane. Curses spilled out of Alhaitham as he yanked on Kaveh’s ponytail and pulled him up by the waist. 

“Hey! I wasn’t done.” the blonde objected, but he still wrapped his arms around his roommate’s neck regardless. Alhaitham freed his hair from the pin and pressed a kiss onto his neck, “Well, I want you here, on my lap.”

Kaveh felt his heart skip a beat, Alhaitham stripped him slowly while peppering kisses all over his upper body. He shivered once he was fully naked on the scribe’s lap, the erection rubbing against his entrance already.

Alhaitham took such good care of him, massaging his thighs, playing with his hardened nipples and leaving bite marks all over his sensitive skin. Kaveh held onto his roommate’s shoulders for support, he felt like a ball of yarn at the mercy of a cat’s paws, he had no choice but to unravel. 

Alhaitham slipped two fingers in Kaveh’s mouth, watching the blonde carefully as he sloppily lubricated them, eager to move on. Kaveh was already grinding back and forth, he couldn’t help it, just as he couldn’t help tilting his head back and moaning Alhaitham’s name as he quivered for his touch. 

Alhaitham took out his fingers and circled them around Kaveh’s hole. Though they had been in this position for some time, Kaveh leaned in for the first time to kiss his roommate on the lips. Alhaitham passionately responded, intruding Kaveh’s mouth with his tongue and his hole with his fingers. 

The blonde sank even deeper on his lap, grinding onto the digits with excitement. His moans escaped into Alhaitham’s mouth, hot breath hovering over the scribe’s face. Alhaitham pulled away and lifted his lips to line up with his entrance, Kaveh took a deep breath before pushing all the way down, all in one go with a low groan. 

Alhaitham hissed, the warmth came so suddenly, and Kaveh’s walls sucked him up with no hesitation or delay, it was impressive, how he took it with such ease and the way fit him perfectly. “So good, Kaveh.” Alhaitham purred in his ear while playing with his nipples. The blonde stuttered and then decided not to speak at all. Instead, he slid back and forth, up and down in circular motions, fucking himself on Alhaitham’s cock as he kept pampering him. 

“L—let’s go inside.” Kaveh offered. Alhaitham carried him to his bedroom without pulling out, with every step he took the blonde gently hopped up on his lap. The scribe entered and immediately slammed Kaveh on the wall, he cried out from the overwhelming sensations, the cold surface against his back, the sharp momentary pain that stabbed his hips, and the way Alhaitham reached so far up his hole with the force of the impact. He was thrusting somewhere so deep that Kaveh didn’t even know such a place existed. 

“Thrown around, you said, right? Does this suffice?

Alhaitham pushed him even further, instead of letting Kaveh slip back, he held his hips and drew them in, maintaining the depth that made Kaveh’s eyes widen with every thrust. “I don’t know about making you forget your own name but I’ll make sure you at least won’t be able to speak it.” Alhaitham cooed in his ear. Kaveh was already far gone, drool spilled from his lips over to his roommate’s chest, he was gasping for air, breathing out incoherent words. 

Alhaitham kept holding him close, Kaveh didn’t deserve anything short of being filled up to the brim. Though, after a few more thrusts, he felt warm liquid seep out of Kaveh’s tip and pulled away, leaving only an understimulating portion inside. Instinctively, the blonde tried to wrap his fingers around his cock but Alhaitham swiftly pinned both of his wrists above his head with a single move. Kaveh winced at the distress, he struggled to free his hands and whined, “Stop it, Haytham, you’re—ruining it.” 

Alhaitham smirked, “Oh, am I?” The rest of Kaveh’s load leaked out pathetically as he begged the scribe to help him out. Alhaitham didn’t seem to care, he watched the blonde ride it out with a cruel and merciless smile. “Put me down.” Kaveh spat out angrily. 

Alhaitham stepped away and released his grip on his wrists and hip. Kaveh hadn’t accounted for the fact that his legs were on the edge of giving out, with Alhaitham gone he collapsed on the floor, his knees knocking up against the harsh, wooden surface. Alhaitham grabbed a handful of his hair and pulled it back roughly so Kaveh would look up at him. 

“I’ll give you a proper one, Kaveh. I promise.” His words were comforting but the playful look on his face surely wasn’t. Regardless, Kaveh was hitting a point where all the pain started to feel right. His aching back, knees and hips, his abused hole that was already yearning for more, and now the stinging feeling at the base of his scalp. It had become so pleasurable, so delicious as it pumped adrenaline through Kaveh’s veins. 

Alhaitham was just as he expected, selfish and impudent, disregarding the amount of agony he was putting Kaveh through and discourteously ruining his high while feeling zero remorse. The more Kaveh realized it, the more he was drawn to the scribe. He stuck out his tongue, leaving a wet trail from Alhaitham’s base all the way up to his tip. He encased his cock inside his lips, this time much more gently, grazing the tip against the insides of his cheeks. 

Alhaitham had expected him to make a bigger fuss before settling into submission again. “I didn’t know you could behave so well.” he gave a backhanded compliment that made Kaveh’s brows furrow and pushed his head away. The blonde’s whines stayed muffle on his throat when the scribe picked him up and laid him on the bed. 

Kaveh relaxed onto the mattress, finally resting on a soft surface. Alhaitham sat between his legs, but the sight suddenly stunned him. He had seen Kaveh almost everyday for the past two years, and in almost every conceivable scenario. Exhausted and alert, sober and drunk out of his mind, snorting from laughter and sobbing uncontrollably. But this was a new entry, unregistered. Laying down on the bed with bruised knees and a sheer coat of sweat, eager to have Alhaitham take care of him. His golden locks scattered over the pillow and his cheeks tinted pink.

He looked absolutely breathtaking, and Alhaitham realized that he never stared at him for this long. The most he would do was take stolen, quick glances from his book when Kaveh would fall asleep on the couch. Not that he was going to wake up, but secretly Alhaitham was scared of seeing something, he didn’t even know what that “something” was, but now it was clear to him. Kaveh was beautiful, ethereal. Slithering over him lustfully, it wasn’t like anything Alhaitham had ever seen before. 

You’re as emotional as a Scarab, Haytham. 

“I know, I’m pretty.” Kaveh snapped him out of his thoughts, Alhaitham had lost track of time, he scoffed with a dramatic eye-roll, “And a shallow idiot.”

“Well you almost came inside that idiot two times so that makes you even more shallow.”

“What?”

“You edged twice, didn’t you?”

“How do you know that?”

“Well I felt it.”

Alhaitham chuckled, he was awfully good at hiding every physical cue, it was interesting, Kaveh was oblivious to his mastery during daily life, but apparently he was immune to the deception when it came to being intimate. 

“How is it that a field expert like you can't find someone?” Alhaitham quipped as he leaned forward and slid inside. 

“I—fuck—don’t know. It’s been like that for the past week.”

“No luck yesterday either?”

“Uhh…not really. I sat at the tavern but no one even bought me a drink.”

“I would. If you were there.”

“Sorry?” Kaveh was flushed, his legs wrapped around the scribe’s waist went numb for a moment, his mind was at a blank as well. 

“I was at the tavern yesterday, doing corrections. Almost all night.” Alhaitham seemed very calm, he was sliding in and out with a relaxed pace, watching Kaveh slowly lose composure and fall apart. It truly was a terrible time for his roommate to come up with an excuse or a lie, and that was why Alhaitham had brought it up right then and there. 

Kaveh felt like an ice cube slowly melting away into a puddle, for a brief moment it actually seemed pretty ideal to disappear so he didn’t have to deal with the situation. Luckily, Alhaitham didn’t expect an explanation, he picked up the pace, eliciting deep moans off of the blonde’s lips. Kaveh was already feeling close again, still longing for a satisfactory relief unlike his last.  

“Your cute little ploy is very amusing but the next time you want me, just say so.” Alhaitham mewled as he nibbled on the blonde’s neck. “Shut up, it wasn’t a—Ah!--ploy.” Kaveh opposed. The scribe chuckled, he brushed against his roommate’s prostate to work him out even more, Kaveh gasped, it was becoming harder and harder to defend himself. 

“You were here last week, weren’t you?” Alhaitham asked. He lifted Kaveh’s hips with a slight angle and pressed down on his groin. The blonde whimpered, the unexpected pressure was making him even more sensitive as more blood rushed to his lower body. 

“I thought a bright man such as yourself would at least think to hide away his shoes.” Alhaitham continued. He was shamelessly badgering Kaveh, enjoying the sight as he squirmed and tried to cover his blushing face with his hands.

“Ah, I see. You’re not embarrassed because you heard it, you’re embarrassed because you liked it.” 

“Please—” Kaveh pleaded.

“You laid here and fucked yourself like a freak, didn’t you?” 

Kaveh was living through an insane thrill, he was desperate against Alhaitham’s claims, they were terribly accurate, as if the scribe could read his mind. Hearing Alhaitham belittle him usually annoyed Kaveh, but in the heat of the moment he felt euphoric, an overload of emotions as his body fluctuated between shame and pleasure. 

Alhaitham’s eyes had darkened, an evil grin was sculpted on his face. He wrapped his fingers around Kaveh’s dick and slid his hand up and down. “Didn’t you?” he repeated the question, not that it needed an answer, but hearing Kaveh admit to his degeneracy would simply be delicious. 

Tears pooled around Kaveh’s eyes as he struggled to talk, “I hate—” but before the blonde could say “you”, he released so intensely that his vision went dark for a second. Ropes of cum shot out in between them as his body spasmed and released. 

Alhaitham hummed, “Ironic.” 

[xatsperesso]

the question is "Iruma will he be able to go with Ameri, as her escort?" because he has his own personal invitation to the deviculum (we see it at the end of chapter 286), like one of the three grandsons.

It mean that he'll be one the most importants people here (with Bachiko, Narnia and the two other grandsons) so i'm not sure he will be able to stay with the SAME person all time.

Bachiko invited him too (even if he has refused since he had already accepted Ameri's demand), but i think that it was her way to keep her two eyes on him because she wants keep him safe after the kidnapping attempt. So being someone's escort isn't especially romantic.

Dance isn't just a romantic thing, it's also a social thing (Like Azz who has offered a dance to the shy girl).

As one of the most important persons of this deviculum, Iruma will be expected to dance and speak with few persons, not only one. Pretty sure that Azz will want to have a dance, that's literally his dream I think XD

The Other persons who should be here : Azz (noble + probably his mother's candidate), Sabro (Noble + Baal's candidate). Maybe Kerori will be here (her family is famous, right?). But for the Misfits, it's all. Maybe Robin will be here too (seen his cousin's promotion). Kalego will be here too. I don't know who in the teachers are nobles. Dantalion is noble, that's sure but he has probably decided to stay at school to protect it.

Oh poor guy will not have a moment to breath. From demons cozying up to him to demons trying to make him look bad and the adults that are gonna want to see sullivan's grandchild who appeared out of nowhere

Ameri will barely have a dance with him and that's it. Iruma will be swept by all the curious demons cause why did sullivan hide iruma until now?

And im curious how the grandchildren will now interact with iruma? Now that they know that he's another candidate will they be aggressive down rights threatening him? Or will they be friendly with him like sabro?

But ameri will also be one of the candidates so she'll also be very busy with other demons

Also i think clara will be there. Why? How? She's clara. She can do it.

[alexilulu]

Books I Read in 2024 #2: Exordia (Seth Dickinson, Tor Books, 2024)

Anna Sinjari, survivor of the Anfal massacres of the Kurdish people by the Iraqi army in the nineties, meets an alien in Central Park. This seeming coincidence spirals out into the destruction of most of human society, a disaster beyond the human imaginary and a race to be the one to discover the skeleton key to reality.

Seth Dickinson is my favorite writer, full stop.

I first knew him from Destiny; he wrote the background Grimoire lore for Destiny 1, and wrote the entirety of The Book of Sorrow, The bible for the eponymous Taken King of that expansion of Destiny. Destiny is probably the biggest touchstone for this novel; If you've enjoyed anything Destiny did in its lore, the extremely high concept of the Darkness as an ontological not-so-evil that rules the galaxy with an iron logic that says only strength survives, the people studying a robot realizing they're copies of themselves being in turn studied inside the robot they're studying (and further down, and further down, and so on), the Ahamkara offering poisoned wishes to all who accept them, oh wisher mine, then this is for you. This novel is him running to all the things he's not been able to come back to since Destiny went its own way (he was only ever a freelancer for Bungie studios, and ultimately where the game is now is a long distance from those foundations).

A huge component of what I love about Seth Dickinson is his nuance. IRL, Seth Dickinson was a doctoral candidate in social neuroscience where he studied racial bias in police shootings. His first novel series, Baru Cormorant, is as much about the idea of a character who passes all the requirements of The Evil Overlord List as it is about the ways that empire is an engine devoted to the grinding immiseration of the imperial periphery to bring in new income, blood and goods for the benefit of the core. That's literally the point of that series; Baru is as compromised by the promise of power as she is by the education she received, her loyalty to her home fighting tooth and nail to not drown in the sea of the ideology of masks.

He does a phenomenal job here by bringing that lens into the real world, circa 2013. The decision to set the story in the late Obama years is vital, to me. It's a time where many felt that call to the end of history once again, that after the highs of the reelection that the democratic party would remain ascendant, that the foreign wars we were still embroiled in would be safely managed by smart people making hard decisions that minimize casualties and produce maximum benefit to the world.

After all, who still speaks of the people who died in airstrikes under Obama?

While the novel is a broad one, utilizing many perspectives across its reading time, Anna Sinjari is a phenomenal protagonist. Funny, a love of horrid not-puns that work just enough to make you wince, with a core of something is wrong with her that cannot be understated. She's interesting in the way I want a point of view character to be.

Honestly, all of them are. There's 6-ish main perspectives across the story, and each of them is bringing something to the table. Lightning-quick to the moral stance Eric, compromised and compromising Clayton, good-to-a-fault Catholic Chaya, brilliantly strange Aixue, and the singularly passionate Davoud. Each of them has a thread moving through it all, rendered in exacting detail. Each of them feels like they're in another novel. Aixue and Chaya channel Michael Crichton, Eric and Clayton a clashing pair straight out of the less-fraught Tom Clancy novels. The novel feels like it's taken 30 years of technothrillers and put them in a black hole, letting the brilliant flame that issues out of its polar jet burn a new story into the canon.

And coming with that brilliance is a care and thoughtfulness I scarcely see elsewhere. Seth Dickinson's protagonists are compromised people to a fault (and aren't we all?), the types who have something that has driven them far from who they thought they were and had to reckon with the reality their life now occupies. And all around it is a beautifully sad world, the world that was inevitable from where they started but couldn't be seen coming until it ran them over. The world itself feels a sort of melancholy of materialism, the world our choices wrought, despite our best efforts. And yet, good things do persist. The Kurdish people survived Anfal, after all.

I really do feel good about this one, in the end. It's propulsive in the way that you'd want a story like this to be, assembling the pieces of the enigmatic alien artifact that lies at its center like a clean room scaffold around it, letting you think things will move one way then snapping you to the side again. My only sincere criticism of it (and it's a small one) is that it's the first story in something that will likely run to a beautiful length. I had hoped for a one and done story that produces something beautiful in the end, but I just find myself wanting more now. I wouldn't ever call it popcorn reading, but i do wish I had another bowl.

[lightlycareless]

First, it hurts— Chapter XXVII

Naoya Zen’in x Fem!Reader

While arranged marriages are not uncommon in the jujutsu community, it was strange to receive a proposal from none other than the Zen’in’s, nonetheless your clan accepted and before you knew it, you were married off to Naoya.

Your new purpose was clear: to serve and submit, to be seen and not heard. To forget any sense of individuality in favor of obeying your husband.

Will this marriage ever flourish into something else? Will it change…for better or for worse?

Chapter warnings: none.

A/N: none pt.2 :> except that I'll take a small break starting april 15th because I'll be going on a holiday!! exciting.

Without any further ado, happy reading! 🥰

Masterlist ➸ Chapter 28

Ao3 link.

There were a lot of things going on in Hinata’s mind as she made her way to Kyoto.

Many things, more than any woman her age should have, yet, here she is, circling over and over again through the following facts.

First, her missions.

Ever since she requested some time off, HQ had decided to answer by dumping her with an immeasurable number of missions as a form of rejection.

Missions, tasks, errands—you name it, she had them. Even those she considered to be the less than ideal candidate for, she still performed the job that was expected from her.

Well, Hinata never complained about her duties, ever — in fact, she loved her job perhaps a bit too much . And there is a common conception inside the community that implied that sorcerers had to be a little bit mad to have this career… 

Maybe her madness came in the form of the overwhelming fondness for her job—and if that were the case, she believes she can be pardoned for protesting about it this one time.

Even then, her rebuttal wasn’t to be long lasting. The satisfaction she obtains through the smiles and admiration of those whom she helped after a job well done is comparable next to nothing.

One example being a mission from last week: clear a village out of curses that had begun to torment its inhabitants ever since the bodies of the victims of a serial killer were discovered inside a house just outskirts of town.

The perpetrator had been previously caught and subsequently convicted by the respective authorities, but these acts triggered an emotional aftermath that had yet to be dealt with, unleashing uncontained negative energy.

Someone had begun to imitate the murderer’s actions, or at least what the media and civilians believed the perpetrator to have done—which didn’t immediately set off alarms back at HQ, keeping their distance by assuming this to be the work of a copycat and nothing more.

That is, until one fortunate victim was able to escape the claws of danger and report what they saw: successions that often entail the presence of a curse.

And that, alongside the unusual number of missing victims, was the defining factor to finally attach a sorcerer onto the case, deploying the one they considered the best for this type of mission—your sister. 

There was nothing more fulfilling than seeing the solaced faces of the community once she finally put an end to this nightmare. 

Her actions offered them the peace and tranquility they desperately sought after—they no longer had to worry about curfews or break-in’s, or for this to ever happen again, for she also placed safety measures around the village to keep curses at bay… or at least pacify them into a manageable level.

Sure, as long as non-sorcerers existed, curses will continue to form. But that doesn't mean she couldn’t make their life easier.

Another mission that had brought her great satisfaction, her personal favorite from the last few months, was when she was able to bring an alleged conspirator of Geto’s to justice.

They had been wreaking havoc in places that were considered to be a harbor of high levels of energy for weeks now—an alarming situation if left unattended, more so when it was noted that it was being used agaisn’t civilian society, which immediately placed sorcerers on the path of bringing this curse user back to the authorities before it was too late.

And they did, after months of chasing this coward, they finally gathered enough evidence against them and their co-conspirators to bring them in, sending Hinata in for his extraction once his location was identified.

Thanks to the calculated work of everyone involved, this was a quick and easy endeavor; yet, disappointing for they turned out to be a completely unrelated incident in the great schemes of Geto. Either way they still needed to face the consequences and that they’ll do for the rest of their life behind bars.

Putting an end to people’s suffering and getting evil out of the streets is what she loves the most in life… but it’s ironic to admit that even with her accomplishments, she’s unable to do much for her own family, for you .

As well as those close to you, the additional layer of turmoil that had kept her mind busy for the past few days.

Once the situation with her immediate family had “calmed down”, she decided now was the appropriate time to contact those that had also been affected by your absence: your friends.

Most of them had a reasonable understanding of your situation due to their connection to the jujutsu world and their first hand experience with it—such as Shoko, Utahime, and even Mei Mei. Arranged marriages between prestigious clans were not unheard of, even outside of their community, and such news were bound to make their way to everyone’s ears one way or another. 

Hinata was relieved that she wasn’t forced to disclose more than the necessary towards them, and was equally appreciative of their understanding as well as support, promising to inform her of anything unusual regarding the Zen’in if they ever caught wind of it.

Dealing with sorcerers was the easy part, so to speak. It’s facing those outside the community that she thought dreadful—such as with the individual named Nanami Kento.

He was a man of great talent when it came to sorcery, but fate had decided that this was not something he would pursue as a career.

If anything, it seems that the more he knew of the job, the less he wanted to be involved, believing this whole charade to be undeserving of this attention, thus after graduating, he decided to retire from the community before he even started.

He cut all ties with anyone he had related to—teachers, classmates, even friends. For him, this was a way to cleanse all the horrors and disappointments he’d seen enough of in his short life—a fresh start. 

Nanami truly believed he’d never see anyone from that world ever again, and he’d made peace with that. 

However, when one of the jobs that he applied for requested proof of education, he found it necessary to return to his alma mater.

This is when he reconnected with you.

Perhaps it was the closeness the two formed as the sole students of their respective class, or because he didn’t consider you as derailed as your siblings or Satoru, when it came to approaching the jujutsu community, that he was able to find you somewhat… relatable, even with your impressive heritage. Prompting a friendship with you many years ago… and rekindle it once he returned to the school.

You soon became the only person that he kept contact with from that world, meaning… that he was the only person in your life that had yet to know what happened to you.

And it was only a matter of time before your disappearance became noted, leading him to contact your sister.

She had to admit that his call was rather… unexpected, but not because she didn’t believe he wouldn’t approach her eventually, but rather… She doesn’t recall giving him (or at least keeping) her number since he denounced everyone from this part of his life.

But even as perplexed as she was, Nanami was kind enough to inform her that she only kept it because you asked him to, as well as Gojo’s, if he ever decided to change his mind and come back to the jujutsu world.

This gesture could’ve been insignificant to others, but not to her.

To believe you managed to influence him into leaving the door open for a possible return made her realize that the relationship you had with him wasn’t like any other, it was special.

Making the task of relaying the bad news even harder than she would’ve wanted.

“I kept my contact to a limit because absences are not uncommon in her line of work, and I’d rather keep my distance than fumble whatever mission she’s been assigned” Nanami explained “but her silence gone longer than usual, and something tells me this goes beyond a simple mission, isn’t it?”

Kento wasn’t known as a brilliant student for no reason: one quick glance at the vast number of unseen messages, and ensuing out of service voice messages that received when he attempted to call you was enough for him to understand that something was amiss.

It’s through this situation that Hinata wonders what others might be thinking of your predicament, but she doesn’t know how to ask, or if it’s even the right thing to do. 

In fact, she believes she’s been doing a lot of things that she shouldn’t, such as speaking with your friends—because at the end of the day, there should be no reason for you to not be able to maintain friendships while married.

But if your family isn’t as lucky to get one letter from you, what are the possibilities for the former?

…

…

It was difficult, if not near impossible. It really was.

To be the one to inform them of your situation was a sorrowful labor on its own… but this just presented a whole ‘nother layer of danger she desperately sought to avoid.

Your sister desired to keep the group of people that knew of your whereabouts and her intentions to a minimum, more so if civilians were to be accounted for.

She was doing enough by having Sumire involved, but since she was in the eye of the hurricane when this all happened, it was only natural that she’d know.

Nanami, on the other hand, was an unaccounted addition that could foil her attempts if she decides to tell him.

So after carefully considering his relationship with you, the risks his involvement might bring, as well as his background in the jujutsu community, Hinata decides…

Not to tell him.

Something deep inside her warns her that this isn't the right thing to do, that Kento wouldn't appreciate being kept away from the truth less to be lied to, but your sister can't seem to bring herself to inflict more pain onto others thanks to Naoya's actions, not anymore… 

So instead, she decides to seize the opportunity his apparent ignorance presents to paint the following version of the successions, and with it, give him the peace of mind which others close to you have been unfortunately stripped from.

“Y/N has been… compromised” she begins. It’s partially the truth, a reasoning that manages to lift some of weight from her tortured heart and guilty conscience… before continuing on with a lie "She’s… undercover, working as a double agent. Has been for a while now. It’s a really dangerous mission, I’m already exposing her enough by telling you this… but I knew she would've wanted you to know either way”

And with that, even if she essentially placed you in a far more dangerous situation that she would’ve liked, Hinata considers an explanation to be served. She avoided giving out any more details than necessary, but at the same time, allowed him to take the time he needed to process this unexpected revelation, while hoping… that he won’t see through her deceit. 

The more time he spent seemingly scrutinizing her words, however, the closer Hinata was into believing she'd been exposed— and of course it would make sense he'd do that: Nanami, as objective as he'd always been, was never the kind of person to not question irregularities, such as the ones she carelessly presented…

Because why would you, so early in your career, be assigned to such a dangerous mission—regardless if your technique was the best for reconnaissance? And above all, why didn’t he hear about it from you first?

But all of these scenarios were just her anxiety speaking, thought up from her assumptions of the relationship you had with him and completely underwhelming her value: although he had a rather complicated idea of your sister, he still recognized her as righteous, and overwhelmingly fond of her family.

In other words, Nanami trusted she had no reasonable motive to lie about you .

And if this was your truth, the reason behind your distance, as well as your desire to keep things this way, then he’ll…  accept it. Even if he wishes to protest against it and the pain it brings him, he'll go with it simply because it’s what you want .

Without anything else to add, their conversation ends—with Nanami coming to the understanding there are things he was no longer entitled to be informed on –or to further inquire about– after he abandoned the community, but to be appreciative that even with his decision, he’s still considered relevant enough for your sister to pass on such information.

But as he was about to leave, something inside him prompts him to go against protocol and request her to send you a message that has your sister sinking deeper into remorse.

"If the circumstances allow it… I want you to tell her that I'm ok. To not worry about whatever plans we had, her mission is first, there will always be more occasions for that and… that I miss her and I hope she's safe"

Hinata glances away in shame, the bittersweetness of all that you were forced to leave behind to marry Naoya pooling in her eyes.

She already suspected you had a special friendship with Kento, but she could’ve never estimated the depth of it until she saw the softening in his eyes and the sorrowful edge on his voice…

He truly did not deserve to be kept in the dark, nor to be separated from you just for the selfish needs of someone else. She could see it in his eyes, just how worried he was for you… Even when he seemingly obliged, there was something lingering underneath them that gave her the impression he wasn’t too compliant to her words, simply accepting them for your safety.

But that’s something she’ll perhaps never find out.

Once that conversation was set, Hinata was able to overcome the last obstacle holding her back from continuing her investigation and finally go to Kyoto.

The trip there was just as she anticipated: in the small amount of time she was allowed for herself in between missions and in absolute confidentiality—she even went as far as to use an alias to book the room she was planning to stay in while away so no one could find her.

Henceforth, after checking in at the inn, she called a taxi and made her way to the school.

She’s only been there… maybe once or twice in her life, for the most part through participating at the sister event, and staying never more than the designated days for the students to enjoy their time there and maybe explore the faculty and city if they so desired.

Options Hinata never found the need to select, at least for the former, because the schools had been designed to be a virtual copy of one another, with small differences here and there that arose through the years to reflect their ethic, and she wanted to visit Kyoto with you, which she eventually did.

While Tokyo considered themselves modern, Kyoto embraced traditionalism.

And she seemed to be particularly fond of it, for she enjoyed basking in the antique decoration that was to be found everywhere around, the rich history behind it, alongside cursed tools she wishes to try out once in her life… things she didn’t know she had until they were gone, courtesy of the wreckage Satoru did back at the Tokyo school. 

But if she was to remain impartial, then she couldn’t complain of the changes he did, not when she had done her fair share of damage as well, such as filling the school to the brim with stray cats…

Well, she couldn’t help it! All of the cats were so cute and were so hungry… What was she supposed to do? Let them starve? Even after they meowed at her so cutely?! It’s not her fault they decided to stay after that, so sue her.

Circling back to her experience at the Kyoto school, what little she knew of it also came from her brother’s brief stay there—Ren, wanting a change of scenery and maybe some distance from his family, decided to begin his 3 years of academic preparation + 2 of professional practices there.

His excitement, however, would turn to be a short-lived one after finding their environment to be a bit too… snobby for his liking—just a few weeks in. 

He didn’t want to sound pretentious, but for some reason, most of the students there were… highly patronizing. And to make matters worse (or unsurprising to some) they also came from a rather privileged upbringing so… yeah, he found them very difficult to get along with.

He just couldn’t get behind the view of sorcery supremacy and only helping important civilians, so after only 1 year of studying at Kyoto, Ren decided that if he was going to have a rough time, he’d rather have it in a place where his family could at least visit him, so he filed his transfer as soon as the second semester ended and returned to Tokyo.

But it wasn’t all bad, in fact, that’s where he met his then-girlfriend and now fiancée, Kanon. The only good thing that came out of his short stay there, in his own words. She was really sweet, funny, but she also wasn’t afraid of calling out people when an offense has been committed, as well as defending those she considers close to her. Personality traits that led her to become a good friend to Hinata and you.

And your sister couldn’t wait to officially receive her into her family once their wedding occurred…a contrasting difference to what she felt towards the Zen’in and their disgusting existence.

Well, Ren and Kanon’s wedding is something she’s looking forward to after all this horror is over. A celebration that she knows will grace her closest with much needed joy… and hopefully, you’ll be there too.

Anyways, even if the school at Kyoto was a place that didn't have that much of a good reputation between her siblings, she still knew her way around it, enough to arrive at the location she thought would be a good starting point: the reception at the administrative department.

Her destination is to be found inside a large hallway, with many doors on both sides of the walls, ones Hinata is yet to know what they’re for, continuing so until the far end of room, where a young woman dressed with a black two piece suit—whom she rightfully presumes to be the receptionist—is to be found sitting behind a small wooden desk.

Behind her, stands a large window which not only served to bring in natural light, but also, exhibited an astonishing view of one of the many properties under the Kyoto school ownership: a vast forest with pine trees covering every inch of the horizon, accompanied by a clear blue sky and the occasional singing of birds. A view she wouldn’t mind admiring for a bit longer, if she didn’t have to do her job first.

These observations were the ones that had remained quintessentially the same since her last visit there, however, her perceptive eyes were quick to notice a slight redecoration: the dark wooden front desk is now of a lighter, walnut color, which fit much nicer with the white wallpaper and wooden floor, than the mahogany one they had before.

From there, hanging on the wall just beside said, was a painting—or a picture? It seemed too realistic to define it—of the front view of the school, an interpretation of how it looked many years into the past.

And most importantly, the woman before her. She already formed her doubts when first entering the room, but it wasn’t until she got closer that she was able to figure out that the receptionist that helped her file her paperwork back in the day was long gone, instead, replaced with a much younger and… attractive face.

Your sister feels ashamed for even thinking that, and in such an unrequited place too… but she couldn’t deny it: there was something about her face… her dark round eyes, her long dark brown hair (styled half-up half-down) accompanied by a fringe that allured her.

Once again, if she wasn’t on a mission…

Hinata prevents the thought from growing any further by blinking it out of existence before readjusting her vision back to the woman, who has yet to glance up and acknowledge the presence outside of the screen she’s intently staring at.

Your sister doesn’t say much of her lack of awareness, for she presumes that having a job of essentially waiting for people to come and provide them with clearance for whatever they needed couldn’t be any less entertaining.

She herself thought that paperwork was a nightmare, nonetheless, she does judge her, for as much as she held animosity for the tasks she had to complete, this was still her job, and it was necessary to treat it with professionalism.

“Good afternoon”

It's only then that the woman decides to look away from the computer and greet your sister.

“Hello” She says, voice monotone as she scans your sister from the top of her head to her feet. If Hinata didn’t know any better, it seems that she was evaluating her, as well as denoting her presence to be an inconvenience . Well, even with the attitude, Hinata still found her engaging—it just made her admiration falter a bit. “How can I help you?”

“Good afternoon” Hinata repeats “I was hoping to see the archives, specifically the records of active sorcerers” she explains concisely.

“ Oh? ” But the woman, whom your sister would later know as Machiko, replies with uncertainty, followed by raising an eyebrow and twisting her lip in a way that would make anyone think your sister just placed an outrageous request for an uneventful Tuesday afternoon. “Were you cited here?”

“No…?” your sister falters, taken aback by this unknown… pre-requisite. What did she mean by cited?

“Oh, so you have the permit then?”

Hinata didn’t know if the woman was genuinely trying to be informative, or was just straight up cornering into a spot she knew your sister wouldn't be able to escape from, judging by the slight condensing tone behind her words; but maybe is just her surprise talking, who knows?

“Permit?” she repeats, confused. “ What permit? ”

“The one you need to see the records, otherwise I can’t let you through”

“I… wasn’t aware of this, nor did I ever have this issue before” Hinata truthfully admits upon recalling the previous instances she’s visited the archives, the ones in Tokyo, of course…

Why wasn’t it the same in Kyoto?

“When did this change?”

“It’s always been like that” Machiko explains “You file a request, get it approved, and then you come down to see the archives”

“I… don’t remember having to do that… at all” Hinata repeats, and she’s not doing it to erupt some kind of entitlement from her, but rather… confusion.

She’s never one to skip details, as insignificant some might consider them, less something as important as a permit . Hinata was even known to double check, triple check that everything is in order to avoid such situations. 

But if she was so cautious… then how did this happen?

That’s easy to explain: she was already enjoying a life relatively free of intricacies thanks to her inherited technique, but this didn’t heighten until she began to have a relationship with none other than the heir of the Gojo clan, Satoru.

In other words, she wasn’t held up to the same expectations as the rest of the sorcerers due to her celebrated status.

Hinata was permitted to easily access information and cursed tools without being questioned, something that she unknowingly exploited… believing this to be a reflection of her hard work, completely unaware that this had been majorly influenced by her civil status—the sad reality of many women in this world.

It was… cruel, really. For no one should be entitled to receive special treatment because of their prestige, but society sometimes likes to play those games, and this was to be just another similarity between the civilians and sorcerers, much to the second’s irony.

And that wasn’t the end of it, unfortunately, and once her engagement with Satoru ended, it wouldn’t take long before the elders of the Gojo clan thought it necessary to stray her from any kind of benefit they provided her with, as well as requesting the schools to do the same, out of spite.

Tokyo opted to be lenient towards her, for Hinata was one of their most accomplished students, not only on a personal academic level, but also in a competitive manner by obtaining many victories in the exchange events. Thus, they thought it unnecessary to oblige to their request and instead, kept treating her as the valuable sorcerer she was on her own, regardless of who her ex-fiancé was.

Kyoto, on the other hand, who had yet to obtain a first-hand experience of all of the things your sister had done for the community, held no emotional responsibility towards her, especially after taking into consideration that they were on the losing end of her victories, thus it was only reasonable they would comply to the request of one of the most influential families in the community and remain in their favor.

Leading Hinata to her current predicament, observing that at the end of the day, her value as a woman was far more important than that of a sorcerer.

“That’s… weird” Machiko skeptically noted before shrugging “Anyways I don’t know how the previous receptionist handled this back then, but these are my instructions now and I can’t let you in if you don’t have the required paperwork”

“I understand” Hinata presses her lips, warily starting to accept this less-than-desirable setback just to move on “… Where do I have to go to get the permit?”

She dreaded to even ask the question, for there’s always the slightest chance that this detour would end up lasting longer than a day, but if it’s something that she needs to complete in order to save you, then she guesses she can’t do anything else than to obey.

Doesn't mean she wouldn’t find it absurd.

“Tokyo” the woman declares, and Hinata pales.

“ Tokyo?! ” your sister, far too shocked to keep her inhibitions in place, reacts with a shrill that has the already unamused receptionist further annoyed evident by her wincing, a reaction that immediately pulls Hinata back into reality and recollecting her behavior before continuing “Sorry, I just… Well, I don’t want to excuse myself but I just arrived from there. Is there… perhaps a nearby office I can go to instead?”

«Are you being serious right now?» Is what Hinata actually wanted to say, but understanding this isn’t her court to act in such a way, keeps quiet as she waits for her response.

“Oh, well… Tokyo is the capital, and most important procedures often occur there, but there might be a place nearby that issues that permit—let me check”

Machiko proceeds to quickly type something onto the keyboard before going quiet after hitting enter. After that, it was only a matter of playing the waiting game for the system to gather all information it could with the placed parameters.

Hinata held back the urge to take a peek at the screen and see what had her so focused, fortunately for her, that wouldn’t be necessary once Machiko sets her attention back on her.

“Alright so… you can get the permit on…”

Hinata swallows, heart painfully pounding against her chest as she discreetly crosses her fingers, silently praying that the gods would be kind enough to grant her the miracle of having the solution in Kyoto…

“Nara”

“ Nara? ” Hinata repeats, dumbfounded, believing her ears to deceive her “Did you just say… Nara? That’s… on a completely different city”

“That’s where the office is” she restates “It’s not that far anyways, like 30 minutes if you take the train”

The look on the woman’s face gives off an aura that Hinata could only interpret as haughty, almost as if she were saying “That’s how it is, you either take it, or leave it”

Your sister wanted to groan, sigh, yell, she doesn’t know—she just knows that she wants to let out her frustrations one way or the other after these revelations.

This was going to take 1 hour from the 24 (realistically speaking, 12) hours Hinata destined for today’s purposes. And that’s just taking into consideration travel time, she still had to account for the time it will take to file the request, if there’s anyone queuing up for it, getting approval, and if the school would still be open when she gets back!

… Guess she did the right thing by booking a room for the night.

«Well,  at least she’s a step closer to getting Y/N out of there» she attempts to console herself «Besides, that’s just the worst case scenario! Who knows? Maybe I’m the only one requesting the permit, so it could be fast and easy!»

And in that note…

“…May I have the address of the office, please?” Hinata requests, and the receptionist agrees by reaching out for one yellow block of post-it notes and writing down the address.

“Here” She hands it over “I also added the bus routes you have to take to get there”

“Buses? As in more than one?” Hinata ponders… you know, just to be sure. Nothing to do with indignation.

“Yeah, this is a new location actually, adapted from an abandoned building to deal with the newfound surge of reports and permits due to the crisis—so it’s quite hidden. Although I still think a simple curtain would’ve done the job, they could’ve even set that office in the middle of the city, guess they just wanted to give a use to that derelict building before it crumbled… but that’s none of my business, I’m not one to question how things work, so oh well” she shrugs, and Hinata can’t help but feel this was an intended… jab towards her. Well, it’s just as many say, it’s not what you say, but how you say it… 

Well, whatever the intentions were behind her small ramble, Hinata couldn’t be bothered to be intrigued by their reasoning behind choosing that building or whatever—she understood that perfectly well.

It was the possibility of having to spend even more time traveling that had her distressed.

«Ugh, this is going to be way longer than a 30-minute trip on a train…» Hinata condemned as she looked down to the written note, reading the address through the neat handwriting.

She’s been to Nara many times before due to official missions, enough to figure out this location was set in a rural section of the prefecture…

«Which means, it’ll take me even longer to get there…»

Noticing she doesn’t have much time to waste, Hinata keeps the note inside one of her backpack pockets before glancing up one last time to the receptionist.

“Alright… Do I need to bring anything else besides the permit?”

“No, once you get that I’ll just ask you to fill some paperwork here and you’ll be able to access the archives”

“Very well, thank you” Hinata says, giving her a courteous bow before turning around and heading back through the same door she entered, doing patience exercises to quiet down her growing turmoil, before heading to her new destination.

It’s at her arrival at Nara that your sister begins to ponder if maybe, just maybe, bringing her own car would’ve been a good idea.

In her defense, she was only planning to travel inside the urban areas where public transportation was more than accessible. Where she could find different options to get where she wanted, whenever she wanted and with an accessible cost.

Rural areas, on the other hand, while most are now seeing an advancement in this field, others are not there yet: the best solution for this disadvantage was to rely on cars: such as a taxi cab which she opted to hire once she realized her walk to her target would be a bit longer than expected.

It was another hit to her wallet, but one she was willing to take if it meant saving her some time.

As she basks in the silence of her journey, Hinata takes this moment to reflect on her emotions.

Was she still irritated?

For sure… the unexpected addition of all these requisites weren’t ones that would make anyone happy.

But were those emotions directed at the receptionist?

... Not really. No. At the end of the day she was just the messenger.

Even when there was something inside Hinata’s mind that was pushing her to believe that this might’ve been nothing more than a misunderstanding due to her adjustment as the new receptionist there—maybe the previous one forgot to relay who she was…?

«No, obviously, not. That wouldn’t be right. Besides, that also makes me sound absolutely entitled»  

For her peace of mind, she relegates this change as headquarters filling the necessity of keeping a record of those that accessed said archives—maybe get a basic idea of who’s reaching out for said information and go from there?

If that was the case, then she could comply… if solely kept between the higher ups. The mere thought of the Zen’in clan getting their hands on said list is enough to send chills through her spine!

Well, at least she could rely on the impartiality HQ has for these things… it keeps her from worrying about being exposed so she could focus on other things, such as how Gojo had forgotten to tell her she needed a permit to access the archives to begin with…

A retribution that will have to wait for another time as a building hidden between the hills becomes apparent at the distance, her destination. For a property that was seemingly abandoned it sure appeared to be in good condition. Or perhaps renovations were already set in place?

Whatever its background, it seems that it was already serving its newfound purpose perfectly, because the next thing that Hinata noticed aside from the refurbishing of the outdoor wood was a large crowd of people gathered by the entrance, a staggering image that might push anyone, specially those with in an anxious, impatient state of mind, such as your sister into panic.

And with the evidence before her eyes, she couldn’t assume anything else than the worst: that the reason they were there was the same as hers, meaning that her stay will inevitably prolong more than expected… with a chance of not being able to complete her task at all!

But if there was one valuable lesson in life that she could apply in this situation, is that she must never assume anything , and this would soon be her savior upon approaching the crowd to ask for directions—or if she’s required to join the queue—where they would explain that they were there for a completely different reason and that she should be able to go inside to the department that will help her situation.

Thus, she enters the building, redirects her way through the halls and onto a small office where she assumed was the right one thanks to the small label hanging outside that said permit department , and be received by another… silent employee who, unlike Machiko, did not hide the fact that he was less than enthusiastic about having this job thanks to the creases on his forehead, the dark circles under his eyes and the serious look on his face.

Hinata feels somewhat bad for him by relating to his disdain, however, that doesn’t stop her from moving forward with her quest and walking towards the reception window, stopping just a few inches away from the counter to be attended.

“Good afternoon” Hinata says, but the man just keeps looking at the screen, almost as if she weren’t there. So she tries again. “ Hello , good afternoon”

At her insistence the man eventually glances up.

“Good afternoon” he grumbles, one brief look at her before diving back to his previous activities—clearly, he wasn’t expecting anyone today. “How can I help you?”

“I’m here to get a permit” she responds “To access the archives”

“The archives ?” He repeats incredulously, almost as if he’d never heard of such a request before. 

If she had a coin for every time someone reacted that way when talking about registries and access, she’d have two. Which weren’t many but… it’s surprising that it already happened twice.

“Yeah, the ones in Kyoto” but far from offering more information to aid her understanding, he seems further confused by the frown on his face.

“…Oh” the man eventually concludes, blinking and gently shaking his head as if she suddenly made sense. “Right… give me a second”

The man types a few things onto the keyboard before abruptly standing up from his seat, turning around, and walking towards the deep end of the small room, turning left past a wall and disappearing from her sight. 

Hinata was… dumbfounded, for a lack of better words, by his bluntness—no, rudeness. He just left without a word and she couldn’t label this interaction that being straight up ignored .

Did that really just happen? Where did he go? Why is everyone acting as if they had stick up their—

Hinata’s thoughts are swiftly interrupted when the man steps back into her view, paper in hand, as he begins to stomp him back to the desk. Once there, he grabs a pen from a nearby pencil and slides both items onto the counter and towards your sister.

Just by quickly skimming through the papers Hinata is able to figure out what it was for and subsequently calm down: a request for a permit .

“Here” he says, gesturing at the paper as he sits down “Fill it out and come back between 2 to 3 business days to see if you were approved”

“ W—what? ” she yelps, stomach sinking at his words . “Did you just say… days?”

“As you can see by the group of people outside, we have a lot of work. It’s a miracle we’re even able to get stuff done with all these piled up requests''

“I—Um” Hinata stammers, eyes away, as her embarrassment begins to bubble up to her skin.

Firstly, because of her unfiltered reaction: there was no reason to act in such a way before a stranger, less one that’s providing her a service. Secondly, because she meant no offense behind her words, she didn’t mean to offend his work or diminish it, it’s just that she was startled… that’s all.

If anything, this further proved just how much of a nightmare paperwork was, no wonder managers and directors grow wrinkles on their faces when they’re barely above 30! Maybe more people should be encouraged to become assistants and directors… just saying.

“I’m sorry” she eventually apologizes before moving to pick up the pen and starting filling out the form.

The first section is just basic information: a first name, last  name, occupation, date of birth, civil status, residency, and so on and so forth, which she filled honestly, contrary to what she’d been doing on previous occasions throughout her trip.

From there, the specifics. Opening with the reason she wants to begin this process, and if there was a… certain sorcerer she wanted to inspect.

Luckily for her, this test of stealth was one she was highly prepared for, and after previously acquiring her permission, Hinata wrote down the name of another sorcerer located in the Kyoto area which she presumed would avoid conjectures—Utahime Iori.

Hopefully this won’t come back to bite her in the future, but she’ll worry about that when she gets there.

After adequately filling out all necessary fields, Hinata slides the paper form back into the counter, where the man takes a brief glance over it before stashing it away inside a nearby metal file organizer.

His action is not what she would call very attentive, but she won’t question his methods.

“Is there anything else I can help you with?” He asks upon feeling your sister’s lingering gaze on him, the reason which prompted his inquiry in the first place, having expected her departure to be seconds ago after getting her things done…

But your sister, who was more than anything waiting to be appropriately dismissed, decided to take advantage of this situation and ask:

“Is there any way I could call to check the status of my request instead of having to come here?” she asks— as cordially as she could to sound the least unappreciative as possible— through the only option she could think of that would help her gather whatever was left from her desecrated planning and recover lost time.

“Sure, yeah—uh, you can try calling, but I won’t assure you you’ll get an answer, as I said, we’re being overworked here” he explains as he picks up a business card from a nearby small acrylic holder and gives it to your sister.

“Oh…sorry.” Hinata mouthed as she received the card, proceeding to read it. There’s a name written down, which she presumes to be his, as well as the office number and extension. Regardless if there’s an answer or not… It's an advancement, that much she can say. “Thank you… Nakamura-san , have a nice evening”

The man hums, and with nothing more to do than to wait for the day her permit is granted, Hinata bids her farewells and sets path to Kyoto, but not without picking something to eat on her way back, to the room she rented for the night from a small family owned inn (which she negotiated with to stay a few extra nights) and call Ren.

Once out of her clothes and into her pajamas, she walks over to the futon—cellphone and lunch hand in hand— to sit down, getting comfortable before finally calling her brother.

The line rings for a few seconds, and eventually, his voice answers from the other side.

“Hinata? Hey, what’s up?” He’s the first to greet, voice slightly enthusiastic as concerned, just to reflect how much he had anticipated her call.

“Ugh, not that good” Hinata groans, leaning back onto the bed as she places her right hand over her eyes, thumbs exerting just the amount of pressure she needed on the bridge of her nose to control her growing headache from worsening. “You won’t believe it! But first, are you at the house?”

“No, I’m actually out eating with Kanon, so if there’s anything you need to say you’re good to go”

“Hi, Hinata!” Hinata then hears the soft voice of Ren’s girlfriend greeting her in the background, sounding just as interested as your brother. 

Getting to talk to her was always a pleasure, so it was only reasonable that Hinata would return the same level of joy with a smile of her own.

“Hey, Kanon” she greets back “I hope I’m not disrupting your date that much”

“Oh, don’t worry about it, whatever you have to say is much more important than what we’re doing right now anyways” Kanon reassures and Ren frowns.

“Hey… ” He pouts, forcing a giggle out of Kanon’s lips.

“I was just joking!”

“I know, I’m just messing with you” Ren laughs, and a sound your sister presumed to be a quick kiss followed. 

«Well, at least someone’s happy…» Hinata thinks as she glances away out of embarrassment, even if they weren’t there.

“So… what happened in Kyoto? Got something good against Naoya?” Ren eventually comes back to the call, and this effectively snaps Hinata’s frustration back to the conversation.

“No!” She reveals with a cry, and for the first time that day, she’s able to release her bottled up emotions—to the point where she actually pushes herself up from the bed due to the adrenaline! “Can you believe I wasn’t granted access to the archives?! I needed a permit for that!”

“What? A permit?” Ren asked in disbelief “Since when did we need a permit for that?”

“Right! That’s what I thought too! I thought that maybe it was different in Tokyo, but… Well… maybe it changed? Perhaps HQ was to be careful with who they give this information to, you know?”

“Makes sense, I guess, still odd but whatever ” He shrugs “So what happened… Did you get the permit?”

“I had to go to Nara to apply for a permit, not even get it. In the new office…” She recounts “I think… I remember reading about it in one of the many letters from HQ, something about needing more space to deal with the rising number of incidents…”

“Nara? I think I remember too… but still I refuse to believe that couldn’t be done in Kyoto” Kanon murmurs a silent agree in the background. 

“Seems not—and I guess shouldn’t even complain, they wanted to send me to Tokyo!” she shakes her head, and her stomach grumbles “Oh, by the way… I think I’m going to start eating too,  so if you wonder why I sound weird…that’s why”

“Oh, don’t worry about it, enjoy your meal” Ren says, Kanon wishing a cheerful itadakimasu soon after. Hinata quickly begins to take out her items from the paper bag as her brother goes on “So… after all that… Did you even get the permit?”

“...No” Hinata dejectedly reveals in the middle of her first bite “Had to file for a request, from there, I gotta see if I got approved”

“How long till then?”

“Like 2 or 3 business days”

“2 to 3 business days?! What are they, overworked?!” Ren cries.

“…Kind of” Hinata sighs, swallowing her food and taking a sip of her drink. “In their defense, we had no reasonable way to assume this was going to be fast just because it didn’t happen before…and… well, there is a lot of work everywhere right now, so I also should’ve expected this”

“As well as Satoru telling you you needed a permit” He accuses “You could’ve gotten the permit over here and then make your way there, why did he think it was a good idea to skip that small detail?”

Hinata frowns. It wasn’t uncommon for him to skip over details he deemed unnecessary, so she’s long gone past the point of getting angry at him for that reason.

However, once she left Nara, she was able to ruminate on the thought as to why this was happening in the first place, and why Satoru didn’t know such a thing…

Until it hit her.

“…Maybe because he never needed to”

“Oh” Ren doesn’t need to be told more to immediately understand what she referred to. And wanting to avoid going down that rabbit hole, he skips through that topic “Well, as long as you get the information you’ll need, it will all be worth it in the end”

“I sure hope so… Ah, well, I just wanted to tell you that—Seems like I’ll be staying here until I get the permit, or need to go to another mission, whatever happens first”

“I’ll let you know if there’s something new over here”

“No word from Y/N still, huh?”

“Not yet” Ren sighs “I’m sorry”

“It’s ok. Let’s just remain focused… What about dad?”

“He’s fine, he actually started to tend the horses again…” Ren says and Hinata’s heart squeezes out of anguish—the last time he’d done something like that was when their mother was still alive… “I’ll leave you to enjoy your meal then, and good luck with the permit. Let me know if anything changes, or if you need more money, I can’t imagine paying more nights is something your wallet is looking forward to”

“Ah, it’s fine. I managed to get a good deal with the owners, but thank you nonetheless, Ren… I truly don’t know where I’d be without you”

“Eeeh, probably married to Satoru”

Hinata rolls her eyes, scoffing—but all in good humor. She likes the fact that even during this hard time, he’s still able to bring out this fun side with her, and Kanon. She truly doesn’t know where she would be without her older brother, and wishes to never know.

“Wouldn’t you like that, huh?” she chuckles “Well, I have to go now… see you later, Ren, Kanon. I’ll let you know if anything changes. Goodnight”

“Goodnight”  and with that, he hangs up, but she does not.

Instead, Hinata stares at her phone for a few seconds, watching the counter of the call go on for a few more seconds as a thought makes way to her mind, before dismissing it by shutting off the phone and placing it aside, just a few inches away from her bed, to refocus on her meal before it turned cold.

Once her stomach was full, her eyes began to grow heavy, signaling Hinata that it was time for her to get ready for bed. She brushes her teeth, washes her face, and gets underneath the covers before finally closing her eyes.

Her last thought is that of a hopeful prayer, one that desires that when tomorrow comes, everything will be much better.

The next few days your sister decided to go around the city to check the nearby shops, eat local food, and maybe actually try out some new clothes for once,  all of this with the purpose of killing some time, as well as distracting her from her feelings of guilt for having to spend more days at Kyoto.

Once it was time to check on her status, she took out the business card neatly stored in her wallet and called the office.

The call went through after a few rings, at least she could say she was given a real number.

Unfortunately, his warning was not a jest. No matter the amount of times she tried, no one was available to answer calls— and it seems this seemed to be an ongoing succession, because after the call went through and was told by a voice message that there’s no one available to assist her, followed by the indication of leaving a message after the tone, she’d be followed up by another message informing her that the voicemail was already full.

So, as she desperately wished to avoid, Hinata is forced to go back to Nara.

She notes there’s less people at the entrance now, which gives her a bit of hope regarding the status of their overloaded work flow, but having learned to not form expectations, less if she desires to be disappointed, she simply limits herself to walk through the entrance and back to the same department as before to get a definite answer.

And Nakamura, the same man as before, is there to receive her. A sight that brings her a sense of relief… or was it familiarity?

“Hello” she says as she walks towards his desk, his eyes still everywhere but on her.

One that doesn’t last long once he starts treating her as dismissively as always.

“Hell—oh, it’s you again” he says when recognizing her, but your sister can’t be bothered to note the tone behind his words, not right now anyways “Here to check your permit?”

“I am” she nods “I wish to know if I’ve been approved”

“Okay… What’s your name?” he asks, back to glancing at the computer screen in addition to some clicking noises from the mouse, which Hinata only encapsulates as him preparing everything to confirm her request.

“L/N Hinata” he types down, another click.

“File date?”

Hinata responds with the date, and the man continues typing. 

From there, he goes silent, focused, as his eyes begin to dart from one side of the screen to the other as if reading through an extensive paragraph.

Your sister believed herself to be relatively composed when arriving at the office, but it wasn’t until the faintest squint in his eyes and the repetitive clicks from the mouse that she noticed the rapid beats of her heart, understanding that she was far from relaxed—she was agitated . 

She wanted to brush it off as being intimidated by the stern look on his face, continued by rationalizing it as that’s just how it looked when focused, didn’t mean anything is wrong… right?

But what about the intense clicking? Why is he still quiet? And why does he now look… frustrated? Shouldn’t it just be a matter of denied, or approved ? Or even pending ? Why is he taking so long?

Oh, the urge of leaning over to see what was going on was slowly winning her over, she really, really didn’t want to spend any more time than she already had to move on with her investigation—Less if it’s shared with this unnecessary build up she feels might induce her into a heart attack!

Then, almost as if the man was able to read her thoughts, he lifted his gaze back to her, as if he wanted to tell her something. And at the prospect of an answer, her eyes lighten up.

Finally, after all the ups and downs (mainly downs) of her journey, she’ll finally be closer to where she needs to be.

But reality wasn’t go be as giving as she anticipated, and this notion was to come crashing down on her excitement when Nakamura speaks the following words:

“The system is down for the moment, so I can’t check the status of your request—you should come back later or tomorrow to check”

“Wha— down ?! What do you mean by—” Hinata stops her ramble mid-way upon sensing a judgmental gaze from him, immediately prompting her to regain her composure by clearing her throat and straightening her posture, just in time before her embarrassment lead her to do anything worse “I meant to say… um… is there an estimate on when the system will return?”

“Probably around 3 hours, or perhaps even more. There’s a lot of requests we need to file, I’m actually surprised we didn’t get this issue earlier…”

«Because that’s just my luck, isn’t it? » Hinata allows herself to ponder with resentment before throwing her irritation out the window and continuing forward. “At what time does the office close?”

“4PM—but we might leave early if the system doesn't come back in the next hour”

Contemplating her options, your sister decides to take him up on one of his suggestions and come back the next day, the complete opposite of her expectations when entering the building,

She couldn’t risk it, if the man was already implying the possibility of them not being able to do their work today because of this, why even bother?

So Hinata ends her stay by thanking him for his attention, before turning around and leaving for Kyoto once more.

Next day comes, and the first thing she does upon waking up is get ready, fetch something quick to eat and make her way back to the office. She didn’t even have time to inform Ren of what happened, she’ll do that when she finally gets a critical advancement.

Her expectations were already on the ground when approaching the same scenario as yesterday, however, her grounding faltered for a brief moment when she saw another person taking Nakamura’s place behind the desk—an woman, who appeared to be a bit older than Nakamura due to her gray streaks of hair in her black tied-up mane, but with a softer face compared to his. 

A change of events she doesn't know how to perceive, perhaps an omen of good fortune?

Either way, your sister doesn’t allow herself to be distracted by this difference any more than noticing it as she standardly approaches the desk to begin, yet again, her senseless chase for a permit.

“Hello, good morning” Hinata begins, and perhaps fueled by her urgency, she doesn’t wait for the woman to respond before continuing “I was hoping I could check the status of my permit?”

“Name and type of permit?” Is all that the woman says, not even corresponding her greeting, as she begins to type into the computer—at least this time Hinata could ease off her worries regarding what was going on on the screen thanks to the reflection provided by the woman’s glasses.

“L/N Hinata, permit for access to the Kyoto archives, and with this file date” she replied with everything she believed the woman before her would need, who in turn, typed everything down just as how it was dictated to her.

She hits enter, and the search begins.

Seconds pass, Hinata… senses to be falling into an eerie sensation of déjà vu—even if she’s given some kind of reassurance through the reflection on her glasses, your sister knows better than to stare, meaning that she’s equally left in the dark as before.

Taking a turn for the worst when the woman sighs, stands up and heads to the back of the room. Hinata assumes her to be doing the same as her co-worker, probably fetching something from the printer, that is, until the woman takes a left turn instead of a right one.

Your sister doesn’t know even how to take this—was she abandoned, or was she rejected?!

She was even preparing herself to call her once she noted her absence to go on hauntingly longer than average, but before she could do so, the woman returned…with a folder in her hand.

“Here” she says, handing the yellow envelope over to your speechless sister once she sat back down at the desk “The permit, you were approved”

And suddenly… a weight is lifted from her shoulders, liberating her from the shackles of her misfortune that seemed to be haunting her ever since she arrived at Kyoto and basking her with fulfillment.

“Thank you!” She bubbled while carefully receiving her permit, taking a hold of it as if it were the most sacred object in the area and keeping it close to her chest. “Oh, thank you so much! You don’t know how long I’ve been waiting for this! Do I need to do anything else?”

“Keep silent, there’s people working on the back”

Hinata blushes, quickly glancing away before hiding her face with a bow “Oh, yes. I apologize” she says “Then if it’s set… I’ll be on my way—thank you, have a good rest of your day!”

Hinata couldn’t hide her excitement, nor did she intend to do so after getting out of the office. She was just so… happy, gratified, to the point where she wanted anyone to know! Starting with her brother, Ren, whom she decided to call as soon as she was outside the school and after calling a cab.

“I finally got it! The permit!” she cheered, jumping on her spot. 

“That’s good news! Making your way to Kyoto already?”

“Naturally! I’ll let you know when I finally get the info on Naoya—wish me luck!”

“Good luck! Also, Hinata… don’t forget that you still have—” Too overwhelmed in her excitement, or for the arrival of the cab, Hinata is too distracted to noticed she hung up on her brother mid-talking; even if she did notice a few instances later, she relegated it as not important for he would’ve contacted her afterwards.

Allowing her to further focus on cheerfully proceeding with her mission, starting by skipping past the familiar wooden entrance of the school, and making her way towards the reception she hasn’t seen in 4 days now—which contrary to her last office experience, the person receiving her was still the same receptionist as before, Machiko.

Who would've known that she could feel elated just by seeing her again? Well, earning a notable advancement in her efforts is bound to influence anybody’s emotions and actions.

“Hello there!” Starting with your sister’s friendlier approach towards the receptionist, who in turn, seems to be somewhat…surprised to see your sister back at the office, evident by her raised eyebrows and fast blinking, almost as if she were checking the veracity of her eyesight.

“I thought I wouldn’t see you here again…” she’d voice to herself as low as she thought undetectable for your sister before changing her tune “Hello, you’re back”

“That, I am” Hinata briefly watches Machiko set aside the book she was previously reading—a title she doesn’t recognize—before glancing back at her with a smile.

“Did you manage to get the permit?” she asks, and your sister nods.

“Yes, I did” Hinata then proudly hands over the manila folder with an aura that sets her up so high in the clouds, one would think she might never come back down.

Her happiness remained intact, even when Machiko dissected the permit from all possible ways, in a way that would make anyone nervous, doubtful of the precision of their work. But never to Hinata, who was always confident in things she did.

…A short-lived temperament that would soon become undone when the young woman closes the folder and hands it back to Hinata, with a look on her face that she could only describe as… disappointment.

“Is… everything ok?” Hinata is prompted to ask after the receptionist sighs dejectedly.

“The permit is wrong” Machiko informs “It was issued for the archives in Tokyo , not the ones here”

“Eh?” your sister’s heart drops.

«How… How could I have missed this mistake?! I thought I… I specifically, no, I remember writing down Kyoto!» she frantically explains as she rushes to open the folder and corroborate her statement—which was to be unfortunately true. 

And that’s what she believed to have seen when she was on the cab, first reading the kanji for Kyo and then To—

Oh.

Oh.

Her mistake becomes apparent.

Too excited to receive her permit, she glossed over the document so fast that she didn’t even bother to proofread its contents, confusing one kanji and assuming the other to be one that is not—a beginner's mistake… that shouldn't even have happened considering she is a meticulous professional and how much she sought after this!!

Did the obstacles she encountered along the way affect her more than she anticipated?

No… she’s just been feeling out of place ever since you left.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t let you in if the permit is not right…”

“No, it’s ok, don’t worry….” Hinata shakes her head, and with it, whatever was clouding her mind “I just… have to get it fixed, that’s all—Guess I’ll come back a few days later with the correct information”

“Of course, and I’ll be here to help you” Machiko adds “Have a safe journey!”

And that… is what Hinata attempts to do.

She tries to not be as harsh with herself as she was beginning to be while exiting the office. Her mother has well said that there’s no use in fretting over a bad situation if there’s still a solution, but this does next to nothing to calm down her guilt and the realization that she messed up big time.

From there, she doesn’t even bother looking at her bank statement, sparing herself the horror she’ll get from seeing the state of her checking account, or inform Ren of her little shameful mistake, as she takes another cab heads back to the same office at Nara, to start the whole permit process once again.

She’s cutting it close to her next mission’s due date, but she’s hopeful that if she gambles with the right cards, she might just be able to get the permit and the information she needs to get you out of the Zen’in estate before that happens.

So after Hinata makes sure to have written down correctly, and checks that everything was appropriately reflected on the permit, she heads back to the Kyoto school, handing the document to Machiko… only to be received with another observation.

“Oh, the date is wrong—I can’t accept permits with more than 3 natural days of being issued”

Hinata wishes to retaliate by saying there was no way she could’ve known that, because she never told her to be mindful with the dates!

Besides, the school administration doesn’t open on weekends! Isn’t that a bit unfair towards her time as well?!

…

Your sister eventually cools down by remembering that this wasn’t her fault, that she was doing what she could with what she had, as well as making peace with the fact that dear Machiko forgot to tell her out of the genuineness of her heart, not through heinous intentions, and that this is what she’ll have to rectify if she is to help you on the long term.

Thus, she went back to get another permit, and returned for the nth time that month, to Kyoto… to jump straight back into the same deblace as before.

“I need a copy of your ID, as well as your active license in order to file your visit— unfortunately, I can’t do the copies here. They must be provided directly by the visitor” Machiko says, and due to her indifferent approach to the many trips your sister has done up to this point, Hinata feels herself tipping over the cliff of her anger… to which she decides to indulge, if just for a hot minute, to not lose her sanity.

“Why didn’t you tell me this before?” she finally confronts, and the young woman frowns, offended by being questioned in such a manner—or at all.

“Because it only came into effect yesterday” she argued, as if it were the most obvious response in the world “I wouldn’t keep this hidden if I knew from the very beginning”

“….I see” Hinata is not so sure of her response, but she’s got the small dosage of unwinding she needed to stop going any further… besides, she’s outgrown picking senseless battles to waste her energy on, so she simply takes back her rejected permit and says “I’ll see if I can get a copy at the library then”

“Oh, the machine there stopped working a while ago… we already called someone to fix it but they told us it was better to just get a new one so we’re just waiting for it to be delivered any day now”

Hinata, at this turn of events huffs—no, laughs . Because of course, why the hell wouldn’t that happen today, conveniently, of all days?

A gesture that unsettles Machiko enough for her to cringe out of concern (if not disgust), in a way that Hinata eventually notices. But far from calming her down as her previous reactions have accomplished,, only prompts her to indulge further into the absurdity.

“Guess I’ll have to go to a public library in the city, or a convenience store… They seem to offer all kinds of services nowadays! They don’t call it convenience stores for nothing, huh?” your sister says with a tense smile that only makes the young receptionist start to lean back and away from her due to concern for her safety…

“I guess?” Machiko murmurs hesitantly.

“Yeah, I’ll see you soon then—goodbye!” Hinata waves farewell, and with that, she turns around, exits the school and makes her way towards the nearest city and to the place where one of the locals were kind enough to redirect her for printing services—where your sister didn’t find herself lingering more than a few minutes, for the employees didn’t need more than a quick glance at her to understand she was angry , and was necessary to help her as quickly as possible to avoid an escalation of her maddening aura.

After she gets the copies, Hinata returns to the reception—with a mentality that will not allow her to let this kind of thing happen to her anymore. She had been patient enough to accept whatever excuse Machiko would throw at her to deny her entrance: but she’s already gone past the point of no return. And if that were to happen once more, then she guesses she has no other choice than to demand to be allowed inside the archives! She’s been nothing but flexible, but this was just straight up ridiculous!

In fact, she’s hoping she’ll see her there, at her usual desk, with the same uninterested look on her face so she can finally give her a piece of her mind!

Instead of the small note placed on the top of the counter which contained the following message:

Had to leave early due to a family emergency—will come back tomorrow.

Hinata was thankful there was no one near to witness her loud groan of exasperation, the peak of all of her frustrations coming undone.

It’s really ironic how the only thing she’s been doing for selfish needs is met with obstacle after obstacle, almost as if fate didn’t want this to happen in the first place, building up a level of aggravations she can’t recall ever experiencing in her life… Gojo being the closest example she could think of, with the receptionist coming close to get his spot!

Was she doing this intentionally, because she was just so bored out of her mind?!

And was it really that hard to be given back what she’s done for others?!

No, but it’s never been a case of give and take… nor should it be like that. 

Actions should always be done out of the goodness of their heart, for everything is just but a fleeting moment in life, and this is something that will open her eyes once realizing that Machiko, the woman whom Hinata was preparing to confront if given another negative response, is now going through a difficult time with her family while she’s here, thinking poorly of her.

It wasn’t the right time, nor place, to discharge her thoughts… regardless of how much she’s been holding them back. 

Thus, stopping herself just before she tips over the edge of her anger, Hinata gathers all of her things and goes back to her temporary stay-in to cool down to try again tomorrow.

After a long night’s rest, the first thing Hinata notices upon waking up is the unexpected sense of obliviousness and guilt filling her senses.

Even after much thinking, she’s still unable to identify what has her feeling… forgetful, but she assumes it to be a side effect of the ongoing labyrinth she’s still yet to come out from—the chronic fear that she might be forgetting a certain piece of paperwork from the many she’s required to bring, or an undetected mistake inside the contents that’s bound to fumble her down to road.

But guilt was far easier to identify: it pertained from the antagonizing way she ended the day; the manner she approached the poor employee whose only responsibility was to follow instructions from above once things stopped going her way, and how she silently cursed while dealing with a family emergency.

Hinata feels awful for the way she slowly began to resent Machiko for her bad luck or alleged oversights, and how she allowed her emotions to get the best of her; even if her approach with visitors was less than desirable, it didn't mean she had to play along. It wasn’t right, and her parents raised her better than this.

Thus, in order to make amends with her feelings and the young woman, she decides to start anew by bringing a peace offering: a small box of assorted chocolates with the intention of lightening up the mood, as well as cheering her up.

She was glad to see Machiko behind the desk upon arriving at the office, for it meant that whatever it was that had her leaving early the previous day had been pacified, at least for now… in a way, representing an omen for a bright new day.

It’s with that optimistic (and slightly apologetic) outlook that Hinata approaches the receptionist, a soft smile on her lips, while Machiko looks… well, a bit under the weather—a normal reaction after what happened yesterday.

“Hey” Hinata is the first to greet when she’s finally in her usual spot before her. The woman carefully lifts her gaze away from the phone in her hands, a bit hesitant to see her, almost as if she was hoping your sister wasn’t acting strangely as before… and upon measuring her safety, the woman turns off the screen of her phone and completely focuses on your sister… and the plastic bag on her hand “I uh… I read your note yesterday, and I just wanted to say that I hope everything is ok… As well as wanting to apologize for the way I behaved before that”

The woman squints her eyes for a second, her gaze flickering from Hinata’s bag, to her face, and back again to the bag. The confusion on her face is… strong, almost as if your sister had spoken in an alien language, before raising her eyebrows and widening her eyes, blinking a few times just to be sure,  when the pieces finally came together.

Machiko then mouths a quiet “ oh ” when Hinata presents her with the bag she’d been silently eyeing for a while now, leaving her to stare at it in absolute silence.

Many would think of her reaction as unusual to have, especially after being given empathy for a seemingly difficult situation, but even if your sister noticed such behavior, she did not comment on it outside of labeling it as reluctance, if not fear, for they didn’t have the best of relationships after all…

“I hope you like them” Hinata adds “I got them from a store close to where I’m staying, the owners said they were really good, but I have yet to try them outside of the sample I was given so… yeah, I hope you like them is what I meant to say. I’m sorry for the way I behaved and… I hope your family is okay” she chuckles nervously.

“Thank… you” Machiko replies, taking a quick peek inside the bag before taking out a pink box and setting it on the counter. To say that she was impressed by her gift was… an understatement.

Of all things she expected today to occur, getting a gift from someone whom she last recalls seeing angry was certainly not one of them.

She’d gotten the impression that your sister was… a bit insistent, carrying an aura of importance which she could not tolerate, and even straight up weird, more so after their last interaction—but that seemed to be nothing more than a misconception, for she was now coming up to her wearing her heart in her sleeve. Something unusual in itself… but welcomed nonetheless.

A reminder that maybe… both got off the wrong foot and to give each other another chance.

“My family is well, thank you for your concern” She informs, returning the box back into the bag and placing it to the side where it wouldn’t get in the way of her work, that is, until lunch “I was told that you were quite angry yesterday for my note, but I’m glad you’ve gone past that”

“Oh, yeah, that… haha…” Hinata looks away, cheeks pink out of embarrassment. The last thing she wanted happening was her getting the idea that she was angry for her misfortune! “I… didn’t mean to lash out like that, I was just frustrated, that’s all, but nothing about your family of course!”

“I see” Machiko murmurs “Well, it’s no use dwelling on the past—now, how can I help you today?”

“Thank you… Well, I was hoping to see the archives today” Your sister responds, handing her the same yellow folder she’s been carrying with for the past few days. “I checked that everything was is in order, just need your confirmation”

«I hope…»

Machiko carefully takes the folder and opens it, eyes beginning to carefully scan through each and every line printed on the papers, verifying that Hinata had indeed provided all that she’s required before: the permit with the right information, a copy of her id, her license… everything was with the correct dates and in the proper format.

And yet…

“Aren’t you forgetting something?” Machiko says upon closing the folder, and at her words, your  sister can’t help but tense up, and the familiar sensation of her frustration begins to creep on the back of her neck.

“I don’t think so” Hinata responds assertively—she made sure to not mess up anything for today, if that were the case, she would have not even showed up. What is she going to come up with today?

“Weren’t you supposed to be an examiner for today’s grade 1 promotion?”

And then, her morning forgetfulness suddenly makes sense.

“ What? ”

“I didn’t say anything before because I imagined you wanted to do something here first before going over there, but… well, I was with the impression that you knew anyways”

“It’s—It’s today ?!” Hinata cries “Oh no! I thought it was—how long have I been going around in circles?!”

The question is thrown at the air with no specific person in mind to respond, but Machiko still finds it in herself to aid her.

“I don’t know, but it’s been a few days… like 2 weeks, I think? You’ve my only daily visitor, so the days are kind of a blur now”

“Holy shi— I… I have to go! Please promise me you’ll be here tomorrow, and don’t tell me I’m wrong with the dates because I’m still inside the 3 natural days of the permit! Also, please enjoy the chocolates!”

Hinata shifts on her heels, sprints through the same entrance she’s gone through a million of times before, and runs as fast as she can to take the first bus that crosses her way, one that will take her towards the nearest train station and hopping on the train to start her 4 hour trip back to Tokyo.

Her luck could literally not be any worse that day—but even with her misfortune, she still considers herself to be blessed enough to have just the required amount of time to get there, and right before the exam started.

Oh, was this what Ren wanted to remind her back then? Yet again, how careless of her!!

She also had time to come up with a reason for her absence if anyone noticed she wasn’t in the area: there was no way she was going to tell them that she was in Kyoto trying to dig up dirt on one of the people she was supposed to examine, under the pretenses that he committed and actual crime!

Less when he was to be there, eventually bumping into another when making way to the respective classroom the applicants were to take the exam.

Hinata really, truly tried her best to not smash his face against the floor upon seeing him. She thought she would be able to control her emotions, or at least ignore them, until he was out of sight. But having been on edge for the past few days made her feel that she was to snap any second now.

Fortunately, she was able to use her emotions to fuel her portrayal. Who knew she could be a good actress when she decided so?

And he was stupid enough to not notice it. If anything, Naoya was just… serious, perhaps a bit astonished to see her there.

«I would too, if I was a sneaky bastard keeping my sister away» she’d concluded as she moved on.

Either way, Hinata continued acting as she always did when he was around: a bright smile on her face, as if nothing were happening, acting friendly as if he was actually a good brother-in-law, and hadn’t kidnapped her sister from the world… holding back the urges to slap the smugness out of his face and rip his exam when he approached her to hand it over… as well as remaining fair on her evaluation.

Because as much as she wanted to fail him, she was still proper enough to do what was right. That, of course, as well as wanting to avoid a complaint of misuse of power , and subsequently have both the Zen’in and her clan coming down on her with full force.

No, that isn’t going to happen—not when she’s tried her hardest to keep them off her case!

So after the exam is finally done for… papers graded and evaluations filed, she exits her alma mater as soon as she’s free, barely bidding farewell to the rest of the proctors that joined her in this activity—and completely avoiding unnecessary “ what have you been up to? ” small-talk to jump on the last train to Kyoto, back into her room, and sleep. 

Sleep with an alarm that’s set to wake her up at 5AM, far earlier than any other time—because the first thing she wants to do is get ready and get to the school as soon as it opens.

In fact, there’s not even time for her to get dressed up nicely, or make proper breakfast—she just needs to get everything done, she doesn’t need to be fancy about that . She needs to be fast! Because it was with this exam that she realized she was dangerously close to being called out for her absence, more so when she remembered she wasn’t discreet enough when dealing with other sorcerers… Maybe Naoya is already growing suspicious of her behavior!

She’ll have to apologize to Ren, whom she’s more than sure is already dealing with the rumors of her fast departure, and prolonged absence, once she returns…

But for now, it’s time for her to enter those archives.

“How did the exam go?” Surprisingly, it’s Machiko’s time to initiate conversation. Maybe because she was startled by Hinata’s… odd appearance.

Your sister, who has gone through too much in such little time, evident by her unkempt hair and bare face, is barely aware to walk towards her and greet her with a less than enthusiastic good morning hum. “You look… tired”

“…Fine” she says, ignoring her comment and placing the small box of donuts she brought along for the trip on the counter, alongside a cup of still-warm coffee: her excuse of a breakfast “It was… surprisingly quick, there weren’t that many applicants to begin with so… yeah—here, I brought food and a drink too. Might as well, I feel like I basically know you at this point”

And Machiko concludes that by the way Hinata dared to appear with her… casual look… That might just be their new reality.

“Thanks… the chocolates were good by the way, but I’m on a diet so I only ate a few and gave them to one of my friends, and I might not eat the donuts…”

“Oh, that’s fine” Hinata yawns, bringing the peculiar yellow folder, skipping formalities and going straight to the point  “…I’m here for the same thing as always…”

“Let me check”

Hinata is too tired to tell her it’s the same paperwork as yesterday, so she keeps quiet and allows her to do what she needs to do, so she could also do what she needs to do.

Even if her silence is a bit unnerving, and by each passing second your sister feels herself to be slowly sinking back onto the same loop she’s been desperately trying to break free, it’s not influential enough to prompt a reaction out of her, not anymore—she’s too berated by her drowsiness to care.

Any moment now, she thinks, Machiko is going to tell her some excuse that will stop her from getting access, sending her back to square one, will this be enough to wake her up completely?

Not really, but the following for sure.

In fact, Hinata doesn’t believe there’s anything sweeter, not even the bread she just brought, than to hear the following words.

“Everything is fine, you can see the archives now”

Your sister exhales—a deep sigh which signifies her freedom from everything that has been weighing her down, and giving her the sight of a bright future. She’s finally, after days and days of efforts, back on the road!

“Really?” Hinata breathes, almost as if she were to cry “Can I really—”

“Yes, you can.” Machiko reaffirms while quickly marking each and every document with a blue received stamp, before stapling them together, to be stored in away in some kind of cabinet, per protocol “It was just a matter of getting everything in order, it’s not that hard”

“Sure, I guess…” Hinata responds, but passes over her hidden intentions. She’s too happy to care about anything else—She’s not even tired anymore!  “Does that mean I can go ahead now?”

“Oh, let me escort you—but before I take you there, there's are a few things we need to go through first”

“Go ahead”

“Starting by the things you can’t take—no personal belongings allowed inside the premises, bags, backpacks, weapons, anything that you might be carrying on your persona”

“That I can agree with, but my wallet and phone is ok, ri—”

“That means no phone or wallets either ” Machiko says, and with the way that she answered with just what Hinata was thinking has her believing she’s got some knack for granting herself back luck—she reminds herself to keep quiet from now on. “We don’t want any sensitive information circulating via video or pictures, it’s just a safety measure. And if you’re worried I might lose your things, I promise you I won’t”

But that was just not it.

The reason why she’s so against these terms is because she was planning on using her phone to write down everything she found suitable as evidence against Naoya—a list of possible witnesses, locations he’d visited and if any of them related to the L/N clan.

It’s certainly a tall order to allow a stranger to strip her of her belongings… more so when they’re going to put her in a less-than-desirable position, but she doesn’t want to mess up anything after coming this far. 

So without much to argue, Hinata relents to do what Machiko asks by placing all of her belongings on a small wooden box she sets aside for this and follows her out of the office and through the halls, towards a room in front of an impressive japanese garden, stopping before wooden door she assumes to lead to the registry.

The receptionist brings out a keychain from her pocket, selecting a key from the many that dangle from it, before placing it into the keyhole and unlocking the door wide open with a soft snap.

Hinata could only describe the feeling she gets from seeing the archives for the first time after weeks of efforts as finding the fountain of youth—or something mythical like that.

She enters the room and the first thing that astonishes her are the rows upon rows of metal stands filled with gray cardboard boxes and black folders to the brim, from one wall to the other. To the point she was unable to make out just how big the archives truly were—the room seemed small on the outside, but now… she’s not so sure. Perhaps she crossed an interdimensional portal without even noticing? Wouldn’t be odd for a school of sorcery to do so…

From there, a layer of claustrophobia is added to her bewilderment, for the metal stands were squeezed as close as possible, only allowing enough space for a person to walk between them (or a child?), presumably to save the usage of another room.

And if that wasn’t enough, the next thing Hinata was bound to notice was the heavy presence of dirt on each and every surface she could lay her eyes on. Some layers were thicker than others, implying human presence in the past, but it was still everywhere all around—Did anyone even bother cleaning up from time to time? When was the last time someone was here?

Oh, and to think that there is a possibility that the dirt that has been collected is already several years old....  The viruses that had been stuck here in time…she’d probably get sick by just looking at it!

Hinata shivers at the thought.

But even as abominable as it was, there’s nothing that she could do about it now—aside from pulling the collar of her shirt above her nose and making haste work of her time here to avoid getting sick with an unregistered bacteria.

She probably would’ve prepared better if she knew this was the state she was going to find the archives in—not that she could anticipate such a thing, since the ones in Tokyo were far cleaner and organized…

Well, she’ll see the consequences of her actions after this day is over, for now… her mission to check Naoya’s record begins.

Thus after Machiko informs her that she’ll be back at the reception if she needs anything, leaving soon after, Hinata makes way to the far right end of the room and onto the last row, where she assumes everything under the letter “Z” to be filed and starts her investigation.

Luckily for her, it seems that there aren’t many family names that start with that letter so there wasn’t much of a search to do in that sense, however, where there is an absence, the Zen’in appeared to have stepped in to fill that void by overtaking the whole row for themselves—endless boxes and folders solely of their ownership. Who would’ve guessed a prehistoric, shady clan like theirs could have so much to report?

But as much as she would like to see the kinds of things they stored away, she decides to hyper focus on her goal and skip straight to the letter N.

“Na, na, na, na… Nao… Nao… Nao…” Hinata whispers as her finger carefully swipes through the spines of the folders in front of her “Naoaki? Naofumi? Naohiko? What in the—just how many Nao’s are there??” 7, she counts in the end. With Naoya and Naobito included. “Could they all be related?”

Whether they were or not, she didn’t care. Not when she finally arrived at Naoya's section: one folder dedicated solely to him, and way thicker than the others— she can’t help but wonder if she should be impressed, or annoyed.

Without time to waste, Hinata takes out the folder, softly blowing off the light layer of dust above it, and opens it.

She skips through the first pages of his record after skimming through its contents, they were nothing more than formalities such as his birth certificate, certificate of studies, marriage certificate , and any other extra courses he completed: it was an extensive detail of his background, which Hinata couldn’t take as anything else but an obnoxious representation of his family’s wealth.

Seriously, who needs to know he was an equestrian champion for 5 consecutive years?

And Hinata’s annoyance only seems to grow stronger the more she reads into his profile, no matter where she looked, all references regarding his persona and performance are in a positive light—with a few exceptions from teachers citing he could improve his ability to work as a team—but outside of that, for all intents and purposes, Naoya was an exemplary sorcerer worthy of anyone’s admiration.

“As if” Hinata silently hisses as she passes to the next page “I’m willing to bet that his family had a hand in keeping his record ridiculously clean…”

Not that it mattered anyways, for she was only there to see his mission history, not hire him.

So she continues skipping through the pages until she finally gets where she wants to be: his mission history.

Every single activity that has been done under his name is accompanied by a detailed description underneath it: the location of deployment, accompanying sorcerers, curses and their grade if applicable, the general objective behind it, and finally, its rating.

Mission’s that he’s completed, postponed, transferred, even canceled or failed . Everything was there, and yet Hinata, far from feeling accomplished, feels irritated .

Because all of them, just as the previous section of his profile, only spoke highly of him.

Had he been an entirely different person, she would've been prompted to admire him and ask for some advice on how to keep such an incredible record. In another world, she even would’ve been ecstatic to have him as a brother-in-law… 

But unfortunately, it's not. He's nothing more than a crude piece of garbage that she wants and needs to take down to ensure the happiness of her family, so those thoughts are quickly discarded to the side as she continues through his report.

There's nothing out of the ordinary, his missions are consistent throughout the whole year… until March , the time she previously theorized as the beginning of everything.

From there, his record has gaps between each mission, usually of 3 to 4 days, until they switch to weeks . With a mission popping up here and there, picking up the pace a few weeks before the wedding, stopping once more at the honeymoon, and returning right after.

Another peculiarity that catches her interest are the uncountable number of requests Naoya made to transfer his missions—some accepted, others rejected, but most of them approved and handed over to fellow sorcerers…

It was clear. With this information… her assumptions became facts

The disparities on his record confirmed what she feared: Naoya had indeed taken the time to speak with her father about the possibility of getting your hand in marriage and the subsequent wedding preparations, but after being received with resistance from him, he decided to take matters into his own hands. Had he hired someone to do it, there wouldn’t be these many vacancies.

Her train of thought took a turn for the worst when realizing that the absences for his wedding and honeymoon were appropriately filed in his folder and cited as personal leave

But the gaps before them did not . If she didn't know any better, Hinata would think that the reason why this was kept blank was because no one would dare to intentionally write the committing of a crime as a reason for departure.

The one her clan was victim of.

With this accomplished, she could finally take the next step.

The first thing she plans to do with this information is take the names of the people that took his missions and interrogate them for a possible lead for such change. Naoya might not have told them directly, but someone must’ve heard, if not asked something , right? 

From there, she would also proceed to investigate all of the properties under the L/N jurisdiction—perhaps it was easier to have done so from the very beginning, but this was something that would inadvertently alarm the elders, only doing so when there was no other path to take. Besides, she still had to confirm Naoya had done anything suspicious enough to prompt this investigation, and she didn’t want to bother her people for no apparent reason. 

This narrows down the list to a much more manageable one, however, her difficulties were not about to end there just yet.

Without anything to write down this information or take a picture with… Hinata is forced to think of a way to take this information as precisely and accurately as possible… eventually leading her to indulge in a dark thought she knew would tarnish her morals and shame her family, alongside a harsh reprimand from those above her if they ever got to hear about it…

She steals the pages.

She takes them out from the folder, carefully enough to not rip them and leave any trails behind, before neatly folding them and stashing them into her pockets, diligent enough to avoid forming any bulges that might give away the impression that she left with more than she had arrived with.

This is something that she’s incredibly disgusted to have even considered , and will probably take to the grave, but there’s no denying that it’s the most adequate solution for her equally undesirable predicament.

She soothes her guilty conscience by reminding herself that this was all for a good cause as she begins to set everything back into place, careful enough to leave the things just as she remembered them to be before her arrival, and making her way back to the reception, and casually as possible, to announce her departure.

"I’m done with the archives, thank you" Hinata says as she starts to pick up her things from the designated container. "Didn’t get what I needed but I think at that point I just wanted to get everything over with—also, I think I might get sick from all that dust laying around… it wouldn’t be a bad idea to have someone clean the room once in a while” 

Your sister attempts to deviate the conversation into a suggestion, but Machiko doesn't seem to buy it… at all.

“Oh, really?” She raises an eyebrow  “That’s… unfortunate, and what were you looking for, if I may ask?

“Oh, you know, a contractor wanted to know more information about a building they’re planning to buy, which coincidentally was a temple a long time ago, so I decided to help them out” your sister lies.

“Should’ve sent them personally…” she cautions.

“That’s crazy, Machiko, can’t send a civilian into the school just because!” Hinata chuckles, but her, reaction far from being one of amusement, is of tension “Ah well, I gotta go now, my family has been asking about me and I want to get some things from Kyoto before heading back”

“Of course… thank you for coming” She discreetly scans Hinata’s face, almost as if she caught on to her intentions, further tensing your sister to the point she believes to have started sweating… before concluding it was just her mind and leaning back onto her chair with a sigh “Have a safe trip back home”

“Thank you, for everything” Your sister smiles and nods “And… I apologize for all the inconveniences my insistence brought upon you"

"I'm just doing my job" the woman says, returning the nod.

"Maybe next time we can go out and get something to eat, eh?" Hinata winks, and the woman can only stare back at her with a puzzled look on her face, wondering what your sister intended to do with that invitation…

But before she’s able to ask for any further clarifications, your sister was already leaving for her native Tokyo, visualizing nothing but her warm, comfortable, and overall free bed back on the estate.

Seconds pass and Machiko, realizing she’s back to facing yet another typical weekday, sighs. 

Hinata had been her most interesting succession for the past few days, but now that she's gone, she really has nothing else to look forward to, except that is, with the occasional help she knows the principal will need with setting up appointments with parents interested in enrolling their kids in this school, ask the cafeteria to prepare her lunch, or… the new responsibility she’d been assigned to just a few months ago.

Confirming to be in the solitude of her presence, and only hers, Machiko reaches for the inside of her bag and takes out her cell phone, quickly dialing a number she had limited herself to only memorize, not save, and pressing the dial button.

The phone is against her ear as she patiently awaits for someone to answer her call, and when it finally happens, she inhales.

"Hello?" A male voice is heard. "Who is it? How did you get this–"

"It's me, Machiko. The receptionist from Kyoto” there’s a long pause, as if trying to remember who it was, and then, a hum “I have something important to relay"

"...What is it?" 

"I wanted to inform that Hinata from the L/N has been able to access Naoya’s file from the registries"

“And you just let her?” the man denotes, and his tone is one that Machiko is able to recognize as dripping with animosity… and danger.

“I did what I could—even with my careful attempts, she was starting to get a bit… suspicious. I found out she can be very persistent, she was bound to find out a this pace, I guess we’re lucky she didn’t—”

“Did she take anything?” he cuts through what he considered to be nothing more than a senseless ramble from a nobody .

“I made sure she left all of her belongings behind, so there were no pictures taken, and from a simple glance I don’t think she took anything either. Besides, she did everything I asked for, down to the smallest detail… and if what you told me was true… I believe she would’ve dared to steal anything”

"But she’s already seen the information” the man counters. “Anyways, I’m a man of my word—and just as we agreed on, you’ll be rewarded by your performance. But make another clumsy mistake and I’ll make sure to ruin your life”

Machiko swallows.

“Keep me posted if anything else happens with her”

"...I will" 

She hangs up.

[tauforged]

dmitri rambaldi (this guy!!!⬇️) is another character i haven’t really touched on, but he and ves have a really interesting relationship so i might as well get into it.

dmitri is an an aspiring entomologist who had big dreams of studying the variety of invertebrate life on the planet’s surface - that is, until the surface lab he was meant to be stationed on was destroyed in a freak accident and surface-dwelling research as a whole was decided to be incredibly unsafe. not ready to let go of this job possibility and go back to jumping between internships, he was offered a change in position - his background made him a good candidate for surface-based security operations, kind of like how exterminator companies hire entomologists to better understand how to kill bugs. he accepted, and next thing he knows, he’s trudging around on the planets surface in hazmat gear patrolling the perimeter of impact sites, keeping an eye out for trespassers and protecting extraction crews from any marauding wildlife or rogue mutants left over from the lab accident (we’ll touch back on those later). most of his coworkers come from military backgrounds which is a bummer for him and he hates it, but he’s shockingly good with a gun for someone who’s never touched one before and so they keep him around. his original character name was ‘murmur’ and it’s sticking around as a nickname that the bootboys gave him because he’s very quiet and withdrawn, usually opting to get his point across in as few words as possible and doesn’t like to raise his voice

as you can probably see, the hazmat gear wasn’t entirely effective at protecting him from the unstable nature of the environment around him. he keeps it under wraps, usually just keeping his suit on at all times… i could have sworn i had more up to date refs of the suit but i guess i don’t so here’s some of his first ever concept art that showcases a much older design that i’ve long since done away with. baby pictures

[destinydecade]

It's been a while since I posted stuff like this eh? Well guess what. The project isn't dead. It's been sidetracked for one reason or another. That and I'm being demotivated. Regardless welcome back. This is all part of my project: MLP EqG Lupinranger vs. Patranger. And this is where we see the remaining Rangers join the fight. Here's some details.

You notice that these two are different from LupinPink and Patren 4Gou. Simple. These are entirely original. Dr. Samuel Bellum, codename: Belljar had spent months trying to reverse engineer the technology that allows the Lupins and the Pats to become Rangers. LupinPink and 4Gou were basically prototypes as they were basically palette swaps of LupinYellow and 3Gou. Eventually he had succeeded, creating two entirely original Rangers. The only question is: who can wield such dangerous power? Take a guess.

First is Lupin Green and he appears in Episode 13 of my story. As Carmen is about to be suffocated by Coach Brunt, something unexpected happens. Brunt sees a portal emerging and a Green Ranger jumps in to deliver a boot to the head. It frees Carmen but Brunt is ready to go after this fellow. But then Eartha Bruta grabs Brunt from below and drags her down, screaming. The Ranger takes Carmen out of there and somewhere safe. The others arrive. Carmen comes to and the others learn who this green ranger is. To their surprise and shock, it's revealed to be Player. Player, about to be in tears seeing his friends for the first time. He embraces Carmen as does the others. He tells them how much he hates having to stare at a screen, watching and worrying for his teammates. He doesn't want to sit and do nothing. He wants to join the fight. He has a reason now, knowing the consequences. Eventually all six Lupinrangers take down Coach Brunt, who had become a Gangler and took her down but not before saving Paris from getting nuked by a counterfeit Lupin piece. With six rangers, the team is now more gung-ho than ever to stop VILE, not realizing that this is just the first step of something much more.

Player aka Lupin Green is an entirely original Ranger developed by Belljar. His suit specializes in stealth and quick combat. Not only that but he has access to daggers that allow him to strike in both close and long range. Plus he can allow his teammates to use them to deliver a six-shot slash. His Dial Fighter turns into a stealth aircraft that can strike from the shadows and also serve as transportation for the team. Combined with LupinKaiser, it forms LupinKaiser Stealth with 2 signature attacks: Good Striker Stealth Arrow Storm & Good Striker Stealth Sinister Air Raid. He's also the key needed for LupinKaiser to activate their combined form: Vernier LupinKaiser.

Next is Patren 5Gou. He shows up in Episode 20 during Book 2 aka the second arc. He actually first appears during an incident where the Lupins and the Pats had to work together to prevent all out war. But point is, Belljar needed someone to operate Trigger Machine 5Gou as it's considered to be a highly dangerous weapon. Lucky for him, he found a perfect candidate. Since VILE threw Crackle away due to his failure, Belljar decides to take their failure and use it as a means to get back at them. After meeting him, he offers Crackle an opportunity. It wasn't easy to convince but ultimately he accepts. What follows is weeks of training and experimentation to see if he was worthy. After much hardship, he proves to be 100% compatible. Now with his candidate ready, he decides to have him take part in an operation and when the time came, he would strike. Things go to hell only for the Patrangers to save him, having learned that they would get a new member. They also learn that it was Crackle who saved them back in India, a revelation that stuns Bellum. All six Patrangers then transform with Patren 5Gou revealed. This has Bellum irate and orders Neal the Eel to take them down, threatening expulsion should he fail. After a heated battle, Neal (who becomes a Gangler) grows huge, threatening Sydney. It forces the team to bring Patkaiser only for their Trigger Machines to experience a Stun Shock. Switching to Siren Patkaiser Trains, they struggle until Crackle appears with his Trigger Machine, a buggy. They form Siren PatKaiser Buggy and with a Buggy Big Shot, they defeat Neal. But this angers GoodStriker who ejects them all and tells them that this has gone long enough. He even states that they change this world's fate. Snails responds in the best way possible: firing at GoodStriker, severely damaging it. GoodStriker, realizing that he had been hurt curses the Patrangers, resenting them and flying off ending their supposed partnership for good. Eventually Carmen meets with Gray who had regained his memories. But having learned that Gray is a Patranger now has only made her realize one thing: the battle isn't over and the next time they meet would be as enemies. Gray joins the Patrangers and becomes the one thing needed to unlock their full potential.

Graham Calloway aka Patren 5Gou is an original Ranger created by Belljar. Unlike LupinGreen, Patren 5Gou's power stems from electricity. He specializes in using electricity as a means to take the fight to his foes. He also has access to the Crackle Rod Mk. III. Not only is it useful to deliver a shock but it also serves as a melee weapon. He's also the one piece needed for Super Patren UGou to even be possible. His Trigger Machine is a Buggy armed with an energy cannon. Not only that but it has a hover function. Combined with PatKaiser (or PatTsar) it forms PatKaiser Buggy with the attacks: PatKaiser Buggy Big Shot and Patkaiser Shoulder Mind Blow. With all five Trigger Machines, they form Full Auto PatTsar. But Graham will soon discover that his training and experimentation would awaken a power that can either make or break him. Spoilers: He becomes the Patranger's Gunvolt.

Yeah, that's a lot. Hope you like. Special thanks to Karyakaki for doing these and I will probably commission him again for the fusion forms: Super Lupin Rainbow and Super Patren UGou. Take care.

[imfromthemiddlekingdom]

“Hey guys the problem with America isn’t the fact that almost all of our population believes in this scary caricature of what communism is and thinks that in order to bring change to a society who’s entire existence is built on the back of oppression, is to *vote* it out! We can change our policies through voting! It’s not a way to break our spirits! Voting works when we want to implement institutional changes!”

Why are y’all so naïve? Let’s start by addressing how “communism isn’t socialism”, have you ever read anything any communist have ever written ever? I beg all of you, no matter if you think “but communism kills!!! 1984!!! George Orwell was write!!!”(like he wasn’t a traitorous slime ball of a man who sold out his comrades for the whisper of rewards).

And if your solution to a very institutionalized problem, one that is written in your constitution, a constitution that has already been changed by the “will of the people” in the past few years, is to vote??? Which party are you going to vote for? The Democratic Party??? The same party who does nothing but filibuster whenever a more “left wing” legislation is proposed? The one who will clam up and shout “bipartisan compromise!!!” If they even get a whiff of the masses unionizing and trying to create parties that are out of their control? Are you going to tell me the same Democratic Party that saw the almost complete destruction of the Black Panthers? Who tried for years to reject every olive branch that MLK tried offering? But you might say “but fei! These all happened years ago! The DP is more moderate and tolerant now! Look at how progressive they are! Look at the diversity!” If your diversity comes at the cost of my global south brother and sisters lives then I do not want it. I reject it so wholeheartedly that I spit on the spirit of your two dime cheap diversity.

How can you dream of saying that the Democratic Party would do ANYTHING to help anyone, especially anyone from the global south overseas or their descendants within the borders. They bomb countries into oblivion with one hand and distract you with empty words and shiny messaging and you forget all they tried to do in regards to fucking over the lives of millions in the Middle East, Africa and South America. Just cuz you can’t see the suffering definitely means you don’t have to comment on it! A word or two on Twitter commenting on “oh how we must stop the bombs Trump just dropped in Syria!!!” But not a peep when Obama does it more and with higher frequency and bigger devastation.

You Americans, especially white middle class Americans, are so blinded by your silly little lives that you cannot being to comprehend how another system that is peace and Justice and stability can ever be achieved and attempted without trying to destroy it. Every time we global south people walk outside of the carefully constructed borders of what is acceptable to YOU, with all our resources taken from us to feed your gluttony and our children’s killed for daring to think maybe, just maybe, we can achieve self determination.

To say “look at Putin and Xi!!! They’re the reason communism has a bad rep!!!” Are you serious or am I just a third world idiot who can’t understand this imperialist language? If you believe Putin or Xi are the pinnacle of communism/socialism (since apparently you think this is a different thing???) you should not be on the internet telling others what to think in regards to politics. You are the reason most everyone who’s interacted with Americans hate you. With your poor political literacy and the fervent need to spread “awareness” that does nothing but boost your own social clout.

Let’s say that you vote for another political party in the next general elections, congrats you’ve wasted your time! If you believe that either party would give up their power for some “upstart” Green Party candidate you’re delusional. There is no “voting the problem out of office!!! We can achieve the change we want if we just all voted!!!” Because that is not how your government works. To enact change you have to be willing to tear everything down and start again. A house is only as strong as the foundations and Americas is rotting. To stop an infested tree from spreading the disease throughout the forest you pull the tree out by the roots and start over. There is no saving Americas “democracy” when it was barely one to start with.

Your solution to your problem fixes the aesthetic issues of your government. It does nothing but superficially hide the rot under the floorboards. What may be good for you in the short term is devastating to the global south in the long run. There is a reason why most of the world despises the global north and it isn’t because we are jealous of your countries democracy and riches. You’ve stolen your riches from our land and when we fought back you bought nothing but ruins and devastation.

Funny you should bring up China in this too, when it is so clear all your opinions of my country is parroted directly from the NYT. And some of you guys have the guts to say we’re brainwashed because “state media has control!!!”. The only difference between you and us is that the oligarchs have control over your news media. All you are fed is in their best interest. How many newspapers have covered the fact that during the afghan war Aussie soldiers committed war crimes after war crimes with their government helping them cover it up in reports? Two. That’s how many. And it took me until I scrolled to the bottom of the page to even find it. Something that should’ve been front and center is relegated to last page news because the war was extremely profitable for those that run the news papers. How much will their soft power diminish if the consumers found out how they helped with this coverup? How much blood money is exchanged through their hands every second of everyday?

You cannot vote people out of power when your entire government is rotten to the core. They get out of office but their policies will never be over turned. Or they run on false promises (AOC comes to mind with her aesthetic of “oh yah I’m a socialist but a DEMOCRATIC socialist, not like those dirty commies!!!) change comes from the barrel of a gun and with the wings of revolution carrying the bullet to where it is needed the most.

And it’s a good thing you bought up the Cold War! Who started it? Who escalated it? Who was the one who put a nuclear weapon right on the border of the USSR and when the Union retaliated threw a hissy fit that threatened to blow all of Eastern Europe and some of East Asian to smithereens just because we dared to say “no more” to the tyranny of the west? Who went ahead and leveraged my country’s need to help against our strongest ally because they were terrified of no longer having the biggest dick in the world? Who turned around and blacked mailed us into siding with them, holding our most vulnerable hostage in order for you to get what you want? “Oh but those baby boomers grew up with threats of nuclear annihilation!!!” So did my mom and my grandmother, and no one in their generation went ahead and decided that if they can’t have something no one else can either.

You pointed out how Americans have a very American centric view on the world, yet you’ve done the same in your call to action.

I dunno I mean I knew a lot of Americans were against it but I assumed they were all elitist right wing weirdos.

What's the mainstream left wing position then if it's not socialism?

[ellevatoor]

ADULTING 101: What happens after college?

Before graduation, I was already sending my CVs to different companies online. I had almost a month of free time since all we had to do in July was attend practices. On July 24, I finally received my bachelor's degree after six long years. It wasn’t an easy journey; what should have been a four-year degree stretched into six because of the pandemic, which had a significant impact on me.

As soon as July 25 arrived, I resumed sending my CV to various companies. A friend offered to help recruit me for a VA job, but I said I’d rest for a week. In reality, I wanted to see if I could find a job on my own. This became my daily routine—checking emails first thing in the morning, hoping for responses to my applications, and then browsing job boards to apply for roles that matched my qualifications.

As a fresh graduate, it was tough, especially seeing job postings that welcomed fresh graduates but preferred candidates with one year of experience. This routine consumed nearly the entire month of August. I even started feeling anxious, worrying about whether I’d entered the wrong email address or if companies were trying to reach me by phone when I wasn’t available.

Then, my first job interview came—via phone call. My fear came true: I missed the call because I was in the shower. I sent a text message, and fortunately, they replied and called again. Finally, my first job interview! Someone had seen my CV and thought I might be a good fit for their role. However, after much research and preparation, I decided to decline the on-site interview. Part of it was nerves, and part of it was wanting to try for a better opportunity with another company that had reached out to me around the same time. Unfortunately, I didn’t get either job and returned to my routine.

I began questioning whether I should have accepted the first offer instead of being picky, especially since it was just my first job and I could have used the experience. But then, another company reached out. I was thrilled because it was a company I liked, but I felt I didn’t perform well in the interview. Where were my English vocabularies when I needed them most?

They told me to wait a week, and if I didn’t hear back, I’d know the result. During that waiting week, another company contacted me, and I had a phone interview. They immediately scheduled me for a second interview, followed by a final interview the same evening. I passed all the interviews and received a job offer right away. I was still hoping to hear back from the other company I liked, but no luck—even though I waited until Friday, which I knew was a holiday. That’s when I decided to move forward and started completing the requirements for the company that offered me the job.

There were moments when I thought school was easier because everything was structured. I just had to follow along, with friends and classmates by my side. But this adulting and job-hunting phase was stressful and full of challenges. Tomorrow is my first day at work, so wish me luck! I hope I do a good job as an adult!

[thealexandriaarchives]

Y'know there are about 50 different straws on my back the last couple months but it's very fucking funny that the one that seems to have broken it is that from being burnt out as fuck at work again already after two days back and not able to give a fuck when I'm already missing deadlines, I've finally managed to get outside of the office for some fresh air and social activity. I am very late and I having a throbbing headache and nausea from day two of a severe period that is not being helped by the sounds of a baseball stadium, a game I don't really care about at all, but it is the home team and bougie stadium with my partner and until very recently they were having a killer summer, so I scored us tickets on the day that also gets us free pink hats and donations that support my favorite local nerdy museum with my membership to said museum. When we finally get to our seats and it is almost the 3rd inning already, my partner, understandably annoyed I left him outside for an hour (I had offered to send his ticket tbf and I had been rescuing his sister or I would have been a reasonable 15 minutes late) goes to get our hats before they're gone with the tickets on my phone and in the sudden silence between innings I have quiet and fresh air and 6 am meetings and work I can't give a fuck about and pushes to move further into a career path that is sensible and sustainable and not at all what I want to do with my life but makes enough money to keep the bills comfortably paid for two most months with new stress Hyperfixation purchases added in and all of a sudden-

My fucking parent corporation's name, logo, a stupid catch phrase I have never heard before, and 'come be an innovator / careers / team name' is all over the goddamn stadium. The Megatron, the banner boards, everywhere. In silence. For minutes. Then it changes. To another nearly identical set of ads for my parent Corp.

I am totally alone. With no phone for documentation for this surreal experience. Come on, be an innovator. Careers with us. It's been 6.5 years since you took your first job at this company and you like your company and the bosses and the work has been fine but the corporation who owns you is getting more restrictive and shitty and you are once again just staying put because you don't know what you want that's actually feasible and you like your boss and want to help which is a terrible reason.

It's a few hours and one talk with my partner who reminds me again that non-profits actually pay the big bucks to retain real full time qualified staff and one half assed overly filtered search later I am staring at indeed.com with a receeding headache and acid still churning in my stomache and half a dozen bad influence new blorbos whispering encouragement in my ear as I consider their opinion that there's nothing wrong with slapping your massive dick down on the table and saying 'so what's up i read your posting turns out I am your overqualified dream candidate with half a dozen things you didn't even ask for but don't worry I'll accept the low six figures and full benefits package you're offering anyways tbh I just want to feel some fucking control of my life again and like there's something useful to the office drone shit i excel at. here is my list of conditions, I await your call.'

[zyafics]

PLAY FAKE | part eight

MASTERLIST (series) | Rafe Cameron x Female Reader .ᐟ

Summary — When Rafe needs to secure a girlfriend for his father to see him as a viable candidate for Cameron Development, he enlists the help of a bartender who wants nothing to do with him.

Content — 18+, smut, angst, depictions of jealousy + aggression, emotional turmoil, mild descriptions of violence, and usage of drugs. Reader is hyper-independent, a people-pleaser, a smart mouth, stands on business, and mysterious past. Rafe is insecure, possessive, asshole, and has mood swings.

You blink through the thinly-streamed sunlight casting into the room and adjust your vision, trying to decipher where you are.

Rafe stands in front of his closet, shirtless, searching through to find something to wear. When you lift your head off the pillow, groggy sounds escaping your lips, he turns his head. 

"Shit, did I wake you?" He asks, brows furrowed together.

"Are you going somewhere?" You respond, rubbing your eyes with the back of your hand. "Should I go home?"

Last night, after you accepted Rafe's invitation to stay over at Tannyhill, you didn't do anything other than shower, take a Plan B, and go to sleep. It was a long day and when Rafe shuffled into his sheets, you pulled yourself to the ledge of the mattress. It wasn't done out of separation, but because of an unusual habit you developed as the sole provider for your sisters. You always stay close enough to the edge that, if any problems arise in the middle of the night, you have the fastest exit.

Rafe shakes his head, rounding the bed to approach your side. He can't believe how pretty you are, even just waking up, fresh-faced with no makeup. His chest buzzes with an indescribable feeling.

"It's fine," he declares. "I'm about to head out to brunch with my dad. We have to talk through some things that happened last night."

You don't miss the grimace in his tone.

Frowning, you offer, "do you want me to come?"

Honestly, Rafe would love that. Having you by his side while he’s conversing with his father would ground him. Because he knows, if Ward Cameron sees him as incompetent and expandable, at least with you, he isn’t. 

"You have nothing to wear."

You glance down at your sleepwear, a borrowed shirt from Rafe's closet that cuts mid-thigh, and realize he's right. It wasn't like you packed an overnight bag and your only options are to reuse the gown from last night or your bartender work attire.

There is Sarah's closet but after Rafe's whole conflict with his sister returning, you'd rather not put it on the table.

"Right." You drawl, pressing your lips together while you consider alternatives. "You could drop me off at my house. I can change."

He shakes his head, concealing a rising smile at your determination to attend. "Not enough time."

"What time is it?"

"A quarter after eleven. I have to meet him there by noon."

He's right. The drive to The Cut is going to take most of that time.

"I'll be fine." Rafe declares. "I've handled him for the past twenty-three years. I can handle a few hours."

You nod, saying nothing. What could you say? You're taking Rafe's words at face value and if he believes he can go into this meeting without having another destructive conversation, then you can only believe him.

"I should go then." You throw the comforter off your body, the coldness of the morning breeze sends a shiver down your spine. Your legs drape off the ledge. "Since you won't be here."

"No." Rafe asserts suddenly, causing you to stop in your tracks. "I'll be back. Just hang out here."

He doesn't want you to leave. Whatever conversation he'll have with his father, it would either settle on a concession or a bad ending. Rafe already mentally prepared the layout of his day and he knows he'll need you after. To talk. To comfort. To be here with him.

"Alone?" You confirm, the idea is scandalous to your ears. "In your mansion? Aren't you afraid I'm going to steal something of yours?"

You're playing into Pogue stereotypes, testing if Rafe trusts you enough.

"You wouldn't." He shakes his head with confidence and you still don't have your answer.

“You don’t know that.” You challenge with a tease. “I saw some things downstairs I would like to take home. If I just swipe them when you leave…” Your voice trails off when Rafe settles in front of you, both arms pressed on either side of your hips and he levels down his face to be inches away from yours. 

"I could just buy them for you."

Your heart sputters. You stare back at him, admiring his freshly-clean look with a faint scent of aftershave. He looks handsome. His blue eyes set on you, captivating and waiting. For a brief moment, you could see yourself letting him in. 

You expel an awkward laugh. ‘Yeah, right,” you hit his shoulders, trying to create some distance between the two of you, but it doesn’t work. The touch only further the buzz within you, stirring something from the pit of your stomach. “Like I would let you.” 

"But you'd rather steal?"

You shrug, needing to look away, pretending to admire a thread you found on his sheets. "What did I tell you that day in Topper's house?"

He hazily recounts the details. The night when you came and propositioned him. Where he got into a fight with a stranger for harassing you. Where you patched him up.

"I only remember you on my lap."

You scoff, turning back to him. "Of course you would." 

You make a move to stand, but Rafe lays a hand on your hips, keeping you in place.

"What?" You ask breathlessly, despite the limited movement.

“You promised you were going to ride me.” He recalls lowly, pushing the fabric of his tee up your thighs and creating goosebumps in its wake. “You don’t have makeup on.”

Shaky breaths leave you, trying to remain in control. But you know you’re losing it with every light caress Rafe is giving you, igniting the heat between your legs. “Are you always this horny in the morning?”  

"Just for you, sweetheart."

Your mind is warping and you fumble for excuses.

"I have morning breath."

"We don't have to kiss."

"You have a meeting in less than an hour."

"We'll be quick."

With a huff, you retort. "Do you always have an answer for everything I say?"

He chuckles. "I know you now."

You're afraid he truly does.

Your lips part when his hand cups the underside of your jaw, tilting your gaze to meet his. His eyes scans over your features, reading how willing you are, and mumbles. "That's my girl."

Your skin buzzes with his praise, and Rafe goes to remove your shirt—his shirt that you’re wearing, the sight of which drives him insane—and exposing your bare tits and panties underneath. No matter how many times he sees you naked, it amazes him every time. That it’s him that gets to see you this way. That it’s him who gets to touch you. 

"Fuck." He whispers, sinking to his knees as his hands spread your legs apart. He wants nothing more than to sink in you, but he wants to please you first. Lowering, Rafe kisses the base of your knee to your inner thighs. "You're so fucking gorgeous."

It's things like this that make your head spin. Not the mind-blowing sex—no, that's a plus—but his words. The little acts. You don't know whether to trust them because mostly, he only utters them when you're intimate. You know how different it can be afterwards.

His fingers go under the band of your underwear and take them off with your assistance. 

"Such a pretty pussy." His thumb traces up and down your slit, collecting your arousal and causing you to buckle from his slow, teasing touch.

"Rafe." You warn. "The time."

He glances over his shoulders to the digital clock sitting on his dresser and turns back to you with a smirk. "How about you watch it and tell me how I'm doing?"

"You have a meeting soon."

"Baby, you really don't want to rush me." He declares, moving closer and pushing your legs onto his shoulders. His tongue lightly grazes your cunt, causing you to bite down on your bottom lip. "I wanna enjoy this."

Rafe flattens his tongue, performing languid strokes as your fingers threads through his hair. You arch into his face when he sucks on your clit, his fingers entering you in simultaneous thrusts. Your eyes flutter close from the sensation.

"You taste so good, baby, I could have you for breakfast every morning." He mumbles against your opening, the vibration of his rasps elevates the pleasure and aids you towards your climax.

When you come on his face, Rafe guides you through your release and when he pulls back, he checks the clock. "Not bad, huh?"

You shake your head softly, a dazed smile on your lips. "I bet I can do better."

"Yeah?"

You push yourself forward to remove his sweatpants, the outline of his bulge prominent, and while you tease him with light traces on his lower abdomen, the sound of a ringtone interrupts you.

Rafe moves over to the dresser where his phone sits and answers the call from his father. "Yeah?" He greets, listening to what Ward has to say. "You said twelve."

Another exchange is made before Rafe ends, and when he does, he rolls his eyes, agitation evident on his features. "I have to go. My dad is moving up the time."

You smother the aching disappointment and nod. "Okay," you say, picking up your panties from the floor and sliding them over your hips. You glance over to the door, contemplating your own exit. He notices. 

"I'll be back, alright?" Rafe reaffirms, coming over to plant a gentle kiss on your temple and your body leans into his touch. "Just stay."

While you wait for Rafe to explain, you take a tour around the estate. Midway through your exploration of family portraits and expensive winery around the kitchen, you receive a phone call from the babysitter. 

"Hello?" You answer, while the babysitter is scrambling to produce coherent words. "Wait, wait, slow down. What's going on?"

She doesn't explain much, informing you to get home immediately and hangs up. Your heart sputters by the sudden disconnect and you race to Rafe's bedroom to collect your things before ordering a rideshare. When you hop in, your leg restlessly taps on the floor of the car while you check the battery on your phone.

You're imagining the worst possible scenarios. Something happened to your sisters. They got injured. One of them is in the hospital. The other is missing. Or, somehow, the house caught on fire and now, you're homeless.

When you reached your destination, the car didn't halt to a full stop before you hopped out, running down the driveway to the familiar, unscathed house. That calms your mind for a moment.

Before you realize it's something much worse.

"Aaron." You murmur, shoulders tense as your eyes widen, recognizing the tall dark-haired man standing in front of your door, talking to the babysitter who's blocking the entryway. He turns his head at your arrival, eyes cascading down your body before meeting your gaze.

"Y'know, you've been a hard woman to find." He chuckles to himself, the sound making all the hair on your body stand up. Aaron pushes himself off the beam of your porch. "Where you been?"

Your heart is hammering in your chest. You glance over to the babysitter to signal her and she reenters the house and barricades the door. Inhaling a sharp breath, you try to calm yourself.

"What are you doing here?"

He tsk. "Wrong answer. I asked you first."

"I know I'm late—"

"I don't wanna hear excuses." He holds out his hand, flexing the various dark ink crawling up his forearms. "I just want an answer."

His voice is calm. Too calm. It's scaring you.

"I've been busy. Business been slow—"

"Is that not an excuse I'm hearing?" He says, stepping closer to you. You can see the outline of his gun tucked under the band of his pants and your breath shortens. "Where have you been?"

With your heartbeat in your throat, you don't know what answer you can give to satisfy him. So, you remain silent.

When Aaron realizes that, he tilts his gaze out into the driveway with a huff. "I heard you been running around with a Kook," he states, matter-of-fact, and you can smell the faint stench of nicotine wafting from his clothes. "Was that him?"

He's referring to your rideshare driver. You shake your head frantically. "No. But, I swear to you, I'll get you your money if I have more time."

He scoffs in disbelief, turning back and ignoring your pleas. His dark eyes find the pendant wrapped around your neck and he lets out a cold chuckle. "And he's been giving you some real nice gifts, too."

Fuck, this isn't a good look for you. Your panic is skyrocketing and you resist the strongest urge to hide the expensive jewelry behind your palm.

"Aaron." You begin again, your voice shifting to desperation. "I just need a little bit more time. This doesn't mean—"

He holds out another hand. "Look, I've been a nice guy. Wouldn't you say so?" He prompts, tilting his head, and when you don't answer, he adds. "I mean, what kind of person would lend you thirty grand? I consider that pretty generous, right?"

You swallow hard, your throat dry. "Right."

"And I've done nothin' yet to make you not trust me otherwise, right?"

You hesitate with a shaky breath, your knees buckling. "Right."

"So, all I'm asking is to return the gesture and give me back my money. I help you, you help me, that's how this relationship works, right?"

"Aaron, I—"

"If you interrupt me one more time, I'll cut out that fucking tongue."

You let out a small whimper, silencing yourself. Both hands tucked behind your back. He smiles at your submission, dark eyes gleaming in pride. "Good."

Aaron draws closer, stopping just in front of you. His grimy fingers trails down the length of your neck, following the chain of your necklace, before grabbing the pendant between his fingers and ripping it off. The clasp breaks and a gasp leaves your lips.

With his other hand, he seizes the back of your neck.

"Three days." He threatens, the grip piercing into your skin. "I'm givin' you three more days and if you can't pay me back by then, I won't be such a nice guy anymore."

He waves the dangling necklace in front of your face. "I'll keep this as collateral."

You're shaking under his touch and he notices, smiling crudely, before he does another sweep of your exposed body. "And y'know, there's other ways of paying me back."

Aaron finally releases you, and you stumble away from him with a few steps. The dark-haired man descends off your porch and disappears on his bike, leaving you trembling at the foot of your door.

You don't move for the next few minutes. Your mind is occupied with everything going on, that when you slip into your house, you run on autopilot.

You pay the babysitter, patting her back as a silent gratitude for her assistance and protection, and gather your sisters onto the couch, holding them close. Hugging them tight. Trying to use their heartbeats to calm yours.

The rest of the night is spent with them. They wanted to watch a movie and you pulled out an old disk of their favorite films. With that on, they quickly fall asleep on your shoulders and you carry them to their bedroom.

That's when the real work begins.

Spending the rest of your time on the kitchen island, devising a plan, you hear a knock at your door.

Afraid that the loan shark had returned to make a second visit, you hoped it would go away, only for the sound to grow more intense and adamant. Your fear spikes and you were afraid he was going to do something much worse if you didn't answer. When you approached the front door, you held your breath.

Only to find a blond.

"Where were you?" Rafe demands, his expression unreadable but his words are cold. It rubs you the wrong way, reminding you too closely of Aaron.

You can't handle it. You attempt to shut the door, only for Rafe to stick his foot between the crack and push back.

"What the fuck? What are you doing?" Rafe enters into your house, his eyes searching the place for anything out of the ordinary, anything you would hide from him, before his gaze lands on you.

You cross your arms protectively over your chest, thinking this is another one of his outbursts. "Rafe, I don't have time right now. Whatever you're pissed off about, you have to wait—"

"I came home and you were gone."

That quiets you.

"Your shit was gone. Even your mess from the bathroom was wiped clean." He recounts, struggling to conceal the vulnerability seeping through his words with each reveal. "You didn't even leave a note."

Your mind is muddled. You didn't realize it would affect him this much and something about the act endears you. You were so frantic, trying to figure out how to get home before your phone dies, that you forgot your own commitment to Rafe.

"Say something." He urges.

"What happened?" You ask softly, discovering your answer when his expression twists. Like he doesn't want to think about it. You don't want to think about your problems either. "I assumed you would go to a party."

You say that because, if Rafe didn't have you conveniently-located at his disposal, he would return to his own vices. It stings him that you still thought of him as his former image, but he couldn't completely fault you because he did—he went to one of the island's parties and came out still feeling empty.

Rafe's jaw locks as he stares at you, breathing heavily. Taking you in. How just the sight of you seems to soothe him. He doesn't know how to explain it, when the tides changed, but it did. The fact that he's here, in this rundown house in the middle of The Cut after a blowout with his father, all because he misses you says it all.

"I don't want to talk." He declares firmly, the resoluteness of his tone shocks you. "Not now. But I will, after, if that's what you want."

You draw your brows together. "What are you getting at, Rafe?"

Rafe swears under his breath. These words, these feelings are difficult to him. It's uncomfortable and unwanted and all it makes him want to do is resort back to his anger, something comfortable he can express himself in. But he can't. Not with you.

"I don't want that shit anymore. I just wanna fuck you."

Your lips part. "What?"

Unintentionally, the natural response came with a tone of hurt but you disguise it well. You recognize your own feelings in that precise moment. When you got into this relationship with Rafe, you knew nothing he does is out of the sincerity of his heart. It's a committed act. A performance of a perfect boyfriend.

Yet, it breaks your heart. How you manage to fall for him, despite knowing everything he does is fake. Even now, standing before you, he's admitting his clear intentions and you can't help but envision another meaning.

It can destroy you, this hope, only if you let it. You'd rather let the clear lines be drawn. If Rafe is telling you he wants to use you for sex, so be it. You won't ask for anything else.

When your silence becomes deafening, Rafe abandons his last shred of pride.

"Please."

You inhale sharply, evening your words. You can detach too. "Ask me."

His large hand tucks under your chin, lifting your gaze to meet his. "Can I use you?"

"Yes."

The confirmation was all he needed before his lips slams into yours. His hands lowers to capture your ass and as a signal, you jump, wrapping your legs around his waist. Rafe moves through the hallway and towards your bedroom, kick-opening the door, causing the doorknob to smash into your wall with a loud thump.

You pull back from the kiss. "Don't break my house."

"I'll pay for that."

Rafe drops you onto the bed and pulls off his shirt you took from Tannyhill. His movements are skilled and hurried, needing to see you, to taste you. He kisses down your neck, to the curve of your shoulders, before finding himself between the valley of your breasts. His mouth covers a nipple.

You tip your head back with a moan, reveling in the way his tongue twirls around the metal barbell, igniting your nerves. Rafe rocks against your spread legs and you feel his bulge teasing your core. "Rafe, please."

"What did I tell you about rushing me?" He murmurs against your skin. "I'm trying to enjoy this."

The challenge hangs in the air and when Rafe gives both of your tits equal attention, he pulls back to admire the sight of your hard nipples wet and glistening. Tilting his gaze up to you, he palms a breast in his hand.

"I'm going to be rough." He announces. "Tell me if it hurts."

Your heart swells from the gesture but you wish he would just do it without caution. It'll be easier to separate your feelings.

Leaning forward to capture a kiss, you breathe into his mouth. "You said use me, right? Then use me."

His eyes darken. "Don't say something you'll regret."

"Then make me regret it."

You're exactly what he needs.

Rafe wastes no more time and strips out of his clothes, his cock springing free from his boxer, all red and swollen. You can't help but feel a pang of pity, remembering how he had to leave this morning without release.

Reaching out to cup him, he snatches your wrists in one hand. "What do you think you're doing?"

You pout. "I'm helping you."

"Did I tell you to?" His words are commanding, shifting to a state that leaves no room for arguments. You swallow hard, feeling a thrill passing through you at his control. "Are you going to be a good girl tonight and do as you're told?" 

You nod.

"I need words, sweetheart."

"Yes." You say desperately and Rafe releases you.

Pushing you back against the mattress, he pulls you to the ledge and removes your shorts and panties. When you're open and dripping for him, he thrusts into you without warning.

"Shit," you let out a cry. Rafe pushes the back of your thighs into a bend, your kneecaps beside your ears, and this new position gives him access to enter deeper.

"Fuck, I needed this." He moans, burying in ecstasy at the way you wrap perfectly around him. "Why would I ever want to go to another fucking party when I can have this every night?"

You can't answer him, too lost in the initial pain that quickly fades into your credence of pleasure. Moans escape you, elevating in volume with each pump. You had to slap both your hands over your mouth to muffle your sounds from waking your sisters.

Rafe recognizes that immediately. That's the only reason he isn't ripping them off right now—to let him hear how he makes you feel, to listen to what he's owed—because he knows where your priorities lie.

"Please don't stop," you whimper through your fingers, which are slowly loosening as you feel the familiar tension tightening in your gut.

"Sweetheart, God can't even pull me away from this pussy right now." Rafe grunts. Your walls flutter around him. "You're about to come, aren't you?"

You nod desperately and Rafe fastens his rhythm, the sound of his balls slapping against your ass as you race towards your orgasm with a loud, uninhibited moan that echoes through the room. He had to slap a hand over your mouth to muffle the noise.

Panting, you try to catch your breath but Rafe doesn't allow you to rest. Still hungry, still needing, he pulls out and flips you on your stomach, hauling your ass in the air.

Your legs burn from the way he folded you but you still get on your knees. Breathing heavily with your profile pressed against your sheets, you feel his hands flattening against the smooth curve of your cheeks, squeezing.

Rafe takes his time to admire you from behind. So willing, so wanting, he can see you dripping and making a mess on your covers. He chuckles. "Do you need me, baby?"

"I want you," you breathe, "inside, please."

"Inside where?" Rafe grips the base, tapping his tip on your wet folds. "Here?" He mocks, before shifting to the opening of your asshole. "Or here?"

Your breath hitches; the unfamiliar contact sends a shiver down your spine.

"Come on, sweetheart. I need an answer." Rafe taunts, rubbing his slick cock over your hole, anticipation pricking his skin as he sees you contract. "Would this be your first?"

You nod, too disoriented to form words.

He grins. "Are you going to let me fuck your asshole?"

The feeling of your slickness rubbing against your back entrance feels foreign but not unwelcome, sending hot desire to your core. While you struggle to produce an affirmative, Rafe leans forward to grab your throat, pulling you upright.

"Are you going to answer me, Pogue, or am I going to have to do it for you?"

You hate the term Pogue, especially when he uses it, but at this moment, with his hot breath fanning the crook of your neck, you're glad he is. It reminds you—to separate the sex and your heart.

"Whatever you want." You confess.

Rafe drops you back onto the mattress, spitting on your asshole and wets the area with the pad of his thumb. He didn't immediately enter, as you would have predicted, and instead pushed a thick digit through your hole.

You try to relax, shivering through unfamiliar contact.

"Oh, shit, you're so tight for me." He breathes out, sliding in two. "I know you're going to make me come in a second."

He thrusts in-and-out at a slow pace, prepping you, but the lack of friction is causing you to grow impatient and needy. All you want is him. 

"Do it. I'm ready."

Rafe laughs. Not listening. "But this isn't about you, is it?"

He tests you out for a couple more minutes, getting you comfortable and relaxed, and it lures you into a false sense of security. When you find yourself gathering your breath, it shifts into a sudden emptiness of his removal, and before you know it—he pushes the head of his cock in, surprising you with a scream. 

The pressure stings from the initial intrusion, and you wince, gripping onto the sheets and burying your face, but as Rafe gradually fills you, the pain fades into an unlikely pleasure, floating and amplified all over your body.

"Fuck, you feel so good," he groans. "Am I hurting you?"

You hesitate before nodding. "Yes..."

He stills. "Do you want me to stop?"

You shake your head. "No."

Something ignites deep and carnal within Rafe. The way your body tightens, your legs shaking, and the submission in your voice as he has his way with you. The fact that you want to continue, despite the hurt, because he wants it, drives him insane.

"You're being such a good girl tonight."

The compliment drives your enthusiasm and you wiggle your ass against his cock, feeling him twitch inside of you. It flips his control. Rafe quickly grabs your hips, holding you in place.

He grits out. "Don't do that."

"Why not?" You whine, wanting to feel him deeper, more full. "I'm only trying to help."

A laugh can't help but escape him. At how cockdrunk you are—it carves something in his chest. "God, you really are my personal slut. Doing anything to make me feel good, won't you?"

You don't answer, the call-out warming your cheeks at your own recognition. You said it once during sex, a tease on him, but now you can't help but see how true it is. Now, it feels like an attack on the independent facade you crafted as part of your character.

Rafe wants to hear you. He grips your hips harder, leaving bruises. "Say it."

You shake your head. You don't want him to know how much you're willing to give him. It's too vulnerable.

The lack of silence isn't enough for him.

Rafe rails into you, bottoming out, and you let out a cry at the intensity of his size, at the pressure buried in you, and the pain-pleasure that pulsates through your body. You understand it's your own punishment, but your teeth sinks into your bottom lip, refusing to budge.

He goes again. And again. To the point that he's rage-fucking you, abandoning all restraints and channeling his aggression from his brunch and your disobedience. He wants to know you'll be willing to sacrifice your pride as much as he sacrifices his and he's pissed that you aren't.

A tit-for-tat. 

One of your hands slips between your legs, rubbing your clit in simulation. The euphoria explodes all over, especially with how Rafe fills you from behind, and you moan wildly, causing him to discover the act and pin your wrists behind your back.

"No."

"Rafe." You beg, the ache between your legs is demanding and left without resolution. "Touch me."

He shakes his head with a tsk. "Bad girls don't deserve that."

You have a retort on your lips but it's forgotten the moment he thrusts into you, so deep, it hits a spot you didn't know existed and causes you to roll your eyes to the back of your head.

"Fuck, you're loud." He grumbles, grabbing your panties from the side and bundling them into a tight ball, shoving it into your mouth. You choke on surprise.

"Rafe–"

"Shut. Up." He warns viciously, knowing the increment level of noises you're producing is going to wake your siblings. Another reason why you won't let him in. "And just take it like a good slut."

Something about his command exhilarates you. Bounded and gagged, Rafe is fucking your ass, and all you can think about is you're letting him. You want this. Even with his harsh words.

You had to give him something.

"Like yours." You admit, the muffling of your panties works wonders at stifling your words.

Despite that, he heard it. Rafe pauses for a moment. You aren't giving him everything, but he hears it in the confession.

His command is low. "Say that again."

"I'm yours." You whimper, desperate and submissive. "Please make me come."

His chest warms and his smile is smug. Rafe slides his hand from your hips to your needy cunt, rubbing your swollen nub with tight circles, causing you to buckle and heightening your rising peak.

"Oh, fuck," you gasp with a sharp breath, "oh, god, oh, god."

When you come, your orgasm hits in waves—intense and demanding—ripping out of you despite the gag, and searing in such an elevated state that you slump back onto the bed. Rafe has to abandon everything to grab your middle, holding you up.

He continues to penetrate you from behind until he fills you up, his hot cum leaking out of you. When he pulls out, he takes his fingers and pushes it back in, causing you to contract with a low, lazy moan.

You're out of it. You thought it would be the end but Rafe's appetite is insatiable. He settles back against the headboard of your bed, breathing heavily with a sheen of sweat covering his taut chest, and beckons you.

"Rafe," you groan weakly. "What?"

"Come here."

Despite the throbbing in your muscles, you crawl to him. Settling next to his pelvis, you glance down at his softening cock. "Get me hard again."

Your eyes widen at the instruction. "Are you not tired?"

"Never of you."

You roll your eyes before your fingers gingerly wrap around his shaft, slowly rubbing him out, feeling it harden underneath your touch in a matter of seconds. You gleam in a bit of pride at your ability. You turn back to him, drawn out and exhausted. "Now, what?"

"Ride me."

"What?"

"Come on, sweetheart." He teases, grabbing your waist and moving you to mount over him. Your entrance hovers over his tip, sensitive—so, so sensitive—that you let out a small whine. "You have a promise to keep."

You try. Lowering yourself to let the head in, you immediately pull back, hissing from your overestimation with a fervent shake of your head.

"Rafe." You pant, eyes searching his face. "I can't. I–I think I'm done."

"I'm not." And with that, he thrusts upwards and into you. You collapse onto his cock, sinking down with a cry as tears prick your line of vision from the overwhelming ache of pleasure.

You still move against him, trying to produce some friction, despite your words. Rafe sees how you're working, trying to please him, that he pulls you down to capture your mouth in a tender kiss, drawing out your pain with some pleasantry.

His hand cups the side of your face and you melt into his touch, the act removes all your inhibitions. When he retreats, he whispers against your lips. "Last one, okay, baby? I know you can hold out for me a little longer."

Determination courses through you.

You, with tear-stained cheeks, nods. You straighten your posture, closing your eyes and will yourself through the pain, bouncing on his cock and ignoring the burning sensation in the back of your thighs.

Rafe watches your tits bounce and uses the opportunity to capture the bar lined between your nipples, twisting and pulling them to produce pleasure for you. The additive of his touch pushes your body into overdrive and you feel yourself growing closer once again.

"Please, please, please." You beg, to anyone, anything with a higher power, to guide you through this climax. It's the hardest to peak, and you try to quicken your pace, but your legs give out and you fall flat. Rafe, knowing the familiar twitch of your walls around him, begins to assist and thrusts into you.

"I'm close, baby," he grunts, pumping forward with enough force that pushes both of you through your orgasm and riding out your highs together. You clench so tightly around him, in the aftermath, that he can barely move. 

When you feel the familiar warm pool spilling inside of you, you let him empty it all out, and when you dismount, you fall into the space beside Rafe, leaking and complete fucked out.

Rafe knows your next move is to pull to the ledge, to separate some distance between the two of you, but he doesn't give you the chance before he wraps his arms around your waist and pulls you into his chest. His breathing is heavy, his heart rate is fast, and he's worn out from the session.

You don't resist, letting yourself calm down with him. It isn't until he presses a soft kiss to the back of your shoulders and wipes away some of your tears that your stomach flips. "You okay?" He murmurs against your heated skin. 

You want to cry. Not from the sensation but because of how gentle he's treating you after; how it's messing with your feelings and making you think of things you shouldn't.

"I'm fine." You lie, putting your hand over his arms and peeling them off of your body before pulling to the ledge. It feels like a safety tactic nowadays.

Rafe takes it as some kind of rejection and when you move into a sitting position, back pressed against the headboard, you turn to him with a raised brow.

"Do you want to talk about it now?" You ask, doing something, anything to stop this feeling from building inside of your chest and giving you hope. You remind yourself of the transactions; the falsehood of it all.

He doesn't, especially with the distance, but he does it anyway, out of respect for your terms.

"My dad is giving away the case to Sarah."

Your lips part. "What?"

"The one with the marsh and hotel? Yeah."

You pause, taking a few seconds to gather your words. "And you're upset because it's unfair?"

He doesn't answer you immediately. He's not upset about the case itself, there's hundreds of other opportunities for him to handle business like that. Especially now knowing he could. It was the fact that it was our case, because you helped him figure it out. You were his partner.

He shrugs, trying to appear nonchalant. "I worked hard on it. She doesn't deserve all the credit."

You hum in understanding. "I'm sorry."

Rafe huffs. "I don't need your pity."

"It's not pity, it's compassion." You correct. "You're pissed and you're hurt by something your dad did to you. It's okay to feel that. I'm sorry you have to feel that."

Rafe says nothing, watching you.

His heart aches.

You’re so understanding. So perfect. He doesn’t know how to explain how every time he comes in with this need for you, for you to satisfy him physically, only to come out of it a different man. Someone better. Someone more in-tuned with himself. He never had someone like that in his life. 

He looks at you like you’re a dream but he’s afraid he isn’t yours. 

You decide to move the conversation elsewhere, not wanting to end the night in such a depressive state. "Are you staying the night?" 

“Are you kicking me out?” Rafe asks tightly. 

He wants to understand you, of where you’re ranking him at. He knows he’s going to absolutely lose it if he has to go back to Tannyhill tonight. 

"No." You declare, grabbing the comforter and throwing it over your body. You should really take a shower and clean up, but you're so exhausted right now, all you want is to go to sleep and figure it out tomorrow.

"Does that mean..." He trails off, wanting to hear you say it, wanting you to ask him.

You don't.

"Whatever you want, Rafe." You yawn, rubbing your eyes. "If you stay, you stay. If you leave, just make sure to lock the door behind you."

And with that, you fell asleep.

★ part nine ★

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[casspurrjoybell-33]

Wreckless - Two Options

*Warning Adult Content*

Finnegan

Emmett had to work this morning so after going to the gym I came in to the office as well.

There's always more work to be done and I feel no need to sit in a hotel room and stare at those walls when I can be looking at these instead.

Besides, there's much better coffee here.

We didn't really settle much last night except now I know we're on the same page when it comes to how annoying this entire situation is.

I find myself spinning in my chair and transforming Bumblebee instead of looking over resumes.

I still need a new head of accounting.

The candidate I liked got a competing offer while I was in Michigan... one more annoyance.

I decide to call my mother.

She may be able to help or at least look at all of this from a fresh perspective.

I tell her everything, well, not about' Little Finn' but everything else.

The vacation house, wanting to buy a place, Emmett already owning, the break-in.

"I think you have two options, honey. You can stay in the hotel another night or week but give yourself a deadline. Then move back in with Emmett. The first night may be tough, sugar but you'll be alright. You're a Walker and you've done harder things than this. Or you start looking for a house and accept that you and Emmett may be apart longer than you want to be. He's gonna need time to get his ducks in a row and I don't blame him for dragging his feet, Finnegan. You haven't known each other that long and he has built a life there that you're sort of turning on its' head."

Why does she have to be right?

I was really hoping for a magic answer that I hadn't thought of but if she can't come up with it, there isn't one.

"I miss going home to him, mom."

"Then go home to him, Finnegan but insist on a security system. There's no reason to not have one, especially after a break-in."

We chat for a few more minutes and I hang up, thoughts of Emmett on my mind.

She's right, I need to face my fears and go back.

I can't be' Little Finn' but that's not happening at the hotel either.

At least I'll be with Emmett.

I may as well do it tonight.

I don't have to be in the office tomorrow so there's no better time.

Finnegan Walker: Mind if I stay at your place tonight?

Emmett Locke: Of course not. I've got somebody coming over this afternoon to put door and window alarms in. Gonna get a fancy doorbell too. That was quick, it's sweet of him to do since he's really only doing it for me.

Finnegan Walker: That helps, thank you. I'll text before I head over? Can we order pizza?

Emmett Locke: Definitely. See you soon, darling.

I don't get back to the hotel until about three o'clock and I get the joy of packing yet again.

I seriously want to burn my luggage.

That's not fair, going to the beach was very nice and I wish we were there this weekend.

Heck, if we'd stayed another week none of this would have happened.

Well the break-in still would have happened but I feel like I would be able to handle it better if I hadn't been there.

It might be a little less scary.

I decide to stop by the store and get another PlayStation.

I'm pissed that it's gone and losing myself in a mindless game sounds really, really good right now.

Of course now I'm thinking about the last time I played, when Emmett put me over the coffee table and that sounds really, really good as well.

I can not walk through Best Buy with a boner.

Um, my sister's best friend cornering me in the hall when I was younger and flashing me.

There, problem solved.

Finnegan Walker: Does soon work for you?

Emmett Locke: They're just about finished up, sure. Really glad you're coming over, darling.

When I pull up there's no truck on the street so I assume the system is up and running.

I grab the PlayStation and leave my suitcase because it's too much to carry.

He opens the door soon as I step onto the porch.

"You did not."

Um, yes I did.

"Guilty, I want to play."

He takes it from me and sets it down.

"Did you bring anything?  You're spending the night, right?"

"Oh, yeah, my suitcase is in the car."

"Keys? I'll get your bag and then hook that up while we wait for pizza."

He's way too good to me.

He comes back in and punches a code into the new little control panel by the door.

"Code is 6789. Not inventive but it'll do for now. We are all locked in now, safe and sound. You want extra cheese, right?"

"Yes please."

He orders, then hooks the PlayStation up in record time because all he has to do is plug the new box in.

The burglar left the old cords into the T.V. and wall so it's a breeze. 

"I wasn't sure if you were spending the night or coming back for good but I'm guessing the suitcase means you're staying?"

"That's the plan, if you don't mind."

He doesn't. 

He kisses me until I forget the question. 

Was it a question? 

See? 

Lightheaded and drunk on Emmett. 

It feels nice to forget about everything for a few sweet moments.

I'm playing, relaxing for the first time in days when the doorbell rings.

Emmett opens the door and of course the alarm starts beeping at him.

"Shit, one second," he tells the delivery person.

Once it's off he takes the pizzas.

"Reset it, Finnegan?"

That I can do, probably.

Yes, it's obvious and the code is easy enough to remember.

That done, I follow him into the kitchen to get myself two slices of pizza.

Everything is normal and everything is wrong but my mom is probably right and I will adjust.

The pizza is perfect just like always and it's really all I can think about at the moment.

"It's so good." 

I'm going to need two more.

"I'd miss the pizza, for sure."

If he moved... If he moved in with me.

"True."

"I can't believe you're really back. I didn't expect it, I mean it's great, Finnegan don't get me wrong but..." he steals himself another slice.

"Yeah, I figure I only have two options and I'm going to take the one that means I get to be with you. I miss coming home to you, Emmett."

I also miss stripping when I get here... wearing shorts in his house feels strange.

I miss being me.

I miss lots of things and I hate the thought of not getting some of them back but at least I have him.

That's enough.

[icherishyou]

wed, 17 jan 2024

finally I'm back to journaling.

it has been a week since I have mixed feelings, though the feeling is less than before, but I still want to pour it into this writing, who knows it could have completely evaporated.

so, last Wednesday, I was scheduled for the last stage of recruitment to become lecturer. days before the schedule, my mom didn't stop asking me whether I'm sure with my decision to be a lecturer or not. I totally understand why my mom asked me that, since I always complain about being in that track of career, yet I was signed for that position, my mom must be wondering. but those contant same questions lead me into doubt. on the way to the venue, I felt like there was something missing about me. so many times my mind and heart were arguing whether this is an opportunity or a trap. deep down in my heart, I know what I exactly want for my career path. I know what I am capable of: writing. that's the thing I always want to do in my life. but since I had no offers yet from that track and got called for the lecturer instead, my survival mode definitely accepted the offer. I mean, I need a job and I need money. but, do I take the opportunity or just give up on my dream? is this the best decision for me to take? what if I'm not happy? what if I repeat the same mistake I did while choosing a major and university a few years ago just because I want to survive, not to fight what I always dream about.

many friends of mine, who barely know my writing ability, support my decision to take this opportunity. they call this as an opportunity because it is indeed in this track. they are good academics, not content writers, content planners, let alone social media content creators. I'm asking the wrong person yet they are so right for pushing me out of my comfort zone. so many times I try to convince myself that this feeling is only something I will take out of my comfort zone after many years of being at home. but that feeling of being afraid of going out while I'm an adventurous typical person still haunts me. but I don't want to sink into that dilemma which leads me into nothing but fear. I try to get up, create content again and this time with a plan and schedule, in hopes I can get the best opportunity immediately. and it helps. I forget some of my sorrows, Alhamdulillah.

despite that career path dilemma, I have another dilemma. during that last stage of recruitment, there were 3 interviewers. one of them asking why I haven't been married yet? actually that's a very normal question for my age. I usually answer it with a joke, chill, and no offense-mode. another candidate also warned me about this question. but I don't know why that time I felt so gloomy and just emotional. I felt like I'm the happiest person lately because Alhamdulillah I'm living my life with all those miracles by Allah, but it turns out some people pity me because I haven't got married yet. I felt so sad. I was crying in that room in front of the interviewers. but then the interviewer who asked that question gave me tips of dua and worship I should do for facing it all, and I have applied it, in hopes I can feel better, be better, and find the one. because I hope the best for me for this side of life. Ameen.

no one wants to live alone. no one wants to spend their lives by loneliness. but also no one knows how this side of the universe works. I just hope to find the one as soon as possible, because looking at all of my friends and brothers who treat their girlfriend, I feel like I've been left behind. but I know I'm not. I believe in God speed. right now I want to be better and less insecure fyuh... I hope the best for this year in all aspects of my life. Ameen.