#the only part of the game I didn’t like that much was chap 9 and 10 bc I thought it was kinda stupid

[pomarrillo]

Hi it’s 3 am and I just finished Yakuza 7 and

[cheesybadgers]

Narcos Fic: Old Habits Die Hard (Chap. 15)

Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8, Chapter 9, Chapter 10, Chapter 11, Chapter 12, Chapter 13, Chapter 14, Chapter 16, Chapter 17, Chapter 18, Chapter 19, Chapter 20, Chapter 21, Chapter 22, Chapter 23, Chapter 24

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Pairing: Javier Peña x Horacio Carrillo

Words: 8,958

Summary: With Javier’s back against the wall thanks to the leverage held over him, can he find a way out once and for all without compromising his relationship with Horacio? And if so, at what cost? Meanwhile, Chucho has some wise words and memories to share with Horacio. 

Warnings: 18+ ONLY. Canon-typical violence, grief, parental loss, period-typical prejudices, blackmail, angst (although it comes with plenty of catharsis), smoking, drinking, swearing.

Notes: Oh man, here we are. Not gonna lie, I cried when I finished the final scene of this chapter 😭 The relief for them and for me that this portion of the story is over with is real. This and the previous chapter have been months of blood, sweat and tears, so I’m absolutely ready to say goodbye to them and move on to the next chapter, where I promise things are finally gonna get better for these two ❤️ 

Also, feel like I need to give a big shout out to Steve in this chapter...you will know why once you’ve read it 😉

Thank you so much to anyone still along for the ride, I always appreciate your comments/messages etc. 😘 I know this fic has been ongoing for about 84 years now lol, but I just wanna do it justice, damnit. And unfortunately, that can’t be rushed. Having said that, I think things are going to get a bit easier for me now that the plot-heavy part of the story is mostly done with. And I can’t wait to give them everything I’ve had stored up in my head and in my notes for about 18 months now 🥺

Oh and I’ve added to my OHDH trivia post to cover this chapter if anyone is interested. 

Whilst obviously I do not own Narcos or its characters, please do not copy, re-post, or plagiarize this fic in any capacity on this or other platforms. If you wish to create any fan works inspired by it, please provide a credit or send me a message if in doubt.

Chapter 15: Sacrifice

Horacio sat on the porch steps of the farmhouse, his fingers nursing a bottle of beer in one hand and a cigarette in the other, whilst Luna dozed beneath his legs. The skies ahead were darkening, and the wind had gathered pace over the course of the afternoon, swirling dust and remnants of hay up like nests of whipped candyfloss.

He wasn’t much of a beer drinker, but he discovered a pack at the back of the fridge – presumably left behind by Steve – and was making lighter work of them than intended.

A newspaper rested on his legs and fluttered upwards, flipping from one story to another, but the subject matter stayed the same. It was easy to forget that the world was still watching and waiting with bated breath for the latest development in all its gory detail. As though it was a cheap form of entertainment and not the future of his country hanging in the balance.

Contact from Javier had run dry recently, too. The few conversations they had shared were brief, and the words exchanged sparse. The silences were prolonged and heavy, and it didn’t take a genius to deduce that Javier was holding something back. Something big, Horacio suspected. Something he feared wasn’t entirely unconnected to the headlines that spoke of vigilantes, bombs and mutilated bodies displayed like macabre trophies across the city. Most concerning of all was a cartoon of Escobar being carted off in cuffs by a police officer wearing a ‘DEA Pepes’ vest. But Horacio knew better than to push.

It didn’t matter what his personal stakes in this were; he was out of the game now. He had been doing well to avoid following the news too closely, but he was only human. And the change in Javier’s temperament had got the better of him. Not that the vindication of noticing was of any comfort whatsoever and was why he was drunk long before sundown.

The farmhouse door creaked open, followed by footsteps echoing off the wooden decking and the rhythmic percussion of Luna’s tail drumming against the hollow steps.

Horacio didn’t turn around but picked up an unopened beer bottle and held it over his shoulder, the cigarette now dangling precariously between his lips.

“It’s a bit early for me…and you, by the looks of things.” Chucho arched his brow at the empty bottles surrounding Horacio. Although his face settled into a more neutral expression once he clocked the newspaper.

Horacio gave a vague shrug and placed the rejected bottle on the step next to him. “I figured they needed using up.”

“Did it help?”

“Not really.”

“No. It never does.” Chucho picked up a bucket kept by the door and collected the empty bottles, plus the unopened one on the step. He made to dispose of the offending newspaper, but Horacio’s elbow held the corner of it on his lap until Chucho gently tugged it away.

The resistance under Horacio’s arm pulled him out of his inebriated haze. He looked down at the smudged print, unsure if it was caused by condensation from his beer or the steady drips of rain that had started to fall. “Have you seen this?”

“I’ve seen enough.” Chucho placed the bucket back by the door, the bottles clinking together from the sudden movement, and the newspaper now folded on top of them. “But you need to remember it’s only half the story. If it is him, he’ll have his reasons.”

“I know. That’s what worries me. When you’re pushed to the limit, you do whatever it takes. Regardless of the consequences.”

“He never could be told. Always had a grand plan of his own. He got that from his Mamá. She wanted to change the world.” Chucho let out an affectionate chuckle that morphed into a wistful smile. “Her parents always told her she was too much of a dreamer. But that’s what I loved about her.”

Horacio felt his own lips curl upwards too. “Sounds familiar.” He took a swig from the one remaining bottle still clutched in his hand, his expression falling into a frown. “There was no point trying to stop him going back. Same way he never stopped me, even when he wanted to. I think he knew I had to figure it out on my own.”

“That’s usually how it goes for the hardest lessons. He’ll figure it out as well, you know.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because that’s what people do when they have someone to come home to.”

For some reason, that left Horacio speechless, and all he could do was stare dumbly at Chucho as if he was telling him something he didn’t already know.

“Come on, let’s get you something to eat.”

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In the warm and dry of the farmhouse, and with his stomach now full of sopa de fideo, Horacio sat on the sofa cradling an extra-large, extra-strong mug of coffee. Anything to show willingness now that he was sobering up.

He hadn’t meant to let himself get in that state, especially not in front of Chucho. He was still a guest here, after all, and he’d already imposed enough, as it was.

Chucho poured himself a pot of tea from the freshly boiled kettle and joined Horacio in the neighbouring armchair. “Feeling any better?”

“Much, thank you. I’m sorry you had to see me like that. It won’t happen again.”

“It’s nothing I haven’t seen before, as I’m sure you can imagine.” Chucho allowed the knowing smirk to pass between them before he spoke again. “It’s nothing I haven’t done myself, either.”

Now that was hard for Horacio to imagine for some reason, and he didn’t do a very good job of hiding the surprise from his face.

“After Mariana – my wife – died, it was as though someone had turned out the light. But I still had to carry on as normal. The ranch was still here, and the bills still needed paying. Javi still needed his Mamá and his Pops. I ran myself ragged for a while trying to be both.”

“My Mamá, Elena, was the same after my Papá, Eduardo, died. I heard her crying at night sometimes, but she was always strong for me and Alejandra – my sister. So, I had to be strong for them. I thought I was the man of the house.” He scoffed at the absurdity of that statement, given how he was barely out of his teens at the time. “I took every promotion I could, just like he’d done. But it never seemed enough.”

Chucho let out a low hum as if Horacio had given the right answer to an unspoken question. “The paradox of grief.”

Horacio wasn’t at his sharpest as the effects of his earlier binge were still wearing off. But he didn’t want to disappoint Chucho by asking what he meant. He took a medicinal sip of his coffee instead and tried again.

He thought about the path his career had taken. About how until the war on drugs, it was almost a direct parallel to his father’s. Except his Papá had managed to marry and raise a family alongside his job. Admittedly, he had been absent more than was ideal, but deep down, Horacio always knew his parents did their best. Meanwhile, he had ended up married to his job. A joke that he was often teased with by his family for not having settled down.

He found temporary respite from prying questions in an old childhood sweetheart. Her name was Juliana, and to the outside world, they were the perfect couple. He was a respected police officer rising up the ranks, and she was a well-liked infant school teacher. And for a while they were happy. It was easy, safe, and convenient until it wasn’t.

Of course, the outside world only knew half the story. They didn’t know of the toll it was taking on Horacio to suddenly be surrounded by so much death on a daily basis. To lose superiors, partners and friends left, right and centre. To be expected to attend multiple funerals in an average week, without pausing for breath in between each one. To not know which colleagues could be trusted and which were selling each other out from right under his nose. To becoming numb to the methods of torture he inflicted on unsuspecting sicarios if they wouldn’t give him the right name or location.

And they certainly didn’t know of his attraction to men. But then, at that point, he was hardly aware of it either, having buried it so deep and out of sight after dipping his toe in that particular water. Javier became something of a re-awakening for Horacio, even if he wasn’t conscious of it at first. And the rest was history, including Juliana.

It wasn’t just Javier, though. A marriage would have been a compromise too far for both of them. He later found out she married and had children with a local doctor. A healer rather than whatever destructive weapon he had become seemed fitting, and he genuinely wished them well.

By this time, his father was long gone, but he couldn’t deny he had never stopped seeking his approval. He had never stopped wanting to emulate his father even when it was impossible and left him feeling like a disappointment. He had never stopped trying and failing to live up to the imagined expectations of someone who didn’t even exist anymore, and that was when it hit him. That was the paradox.

“What if I can’t escape it?”

“I don’t think it’s something we run away from. I think, in time, it just becomes a part of us. We don’t forget, but we don’t let it hold us back, either. We cherish the memories and live our own lives for us. And for the people we share them with.”

Chucho took a sip of his tea before getting up from his chair. “Let me show you something.”

Horacio watched curiously as Chucho left the room and returned with a brightly coloured wooden box engraved with intricate carvings of skulls and monarch butterflies.

Chucho took the lid off to reveal a few old photographs, a wedding ring, a mix of wooden and glass rosary beads, and something that looked like an old box of matches.

“I make an altar for Mariana every Día de Muertos. Haven’t missed a year since she passed. This was us on our wedding day.” Chucho handed one of the photographs to Horacio.

Horacio had never seen pictures of Mariana before he arrived here. And even then, he had only caught glimpses from a distance of the faded frames dotted about the farmhouse. Although Javier’s apartment contained an eclectic collection of ornaments and paintings, it was clear they had come with the place when he moved in. If he had any items of sentimental value from his life back in Texas, he kept them well hidden. So, to be given access to Peña family history like this was an honour Horacio didn’t take for granted.

He examined the photo, taking in Mariana’s long dark wavy hair, smouldering eyes to match and a striking profile that was all smooth skin and sharp angles. Horacio smiled to himself. Now it all made sense.

“She was beautiful.”

“She really was. And in this one,” Chucho passed another photo to Horacio, “you might recognise a familiar face.”

Chucho and Mariana were visibly older in this photograph, but as they smiled into the camera, the laughter lines told a story of their own. They were huddled in a diner booth with a small boy squeezed between them and he was grinning as fiercely as his parents. He wore a badge with ‘8’ emblazoned across it, and there was a cake on the table decorated with the same number of candles.

“She insisted he had his party there because they do the best buñuelos this side of the border.” Chucho laughed and shook his head at the memory. “I buy a box from them every year to go alongside some fresh marigolds and all of this. Although, actually, this isn’t everything. There was a poetry book she loved, but I don’t know where that went.”

“And the matchbox?” Horacio had been dying to ask ever since he caught sight of it.

“Oh, she loved Elvis.” Chucho picked up the matchbox to reveal the singer’s face printed on the front of it. “The influence of one of her gringa friends.” He rolled his eyes, bringing Horacio in on the joke he knew they saw from a shared point of view. “She played his records every day for months on end. It drove me mad, but it’s what she loved.”

“It’s a beautiful tribute. All of it.” However, Horacio couldn’t ignore the twinge of regret twisting in his chest that this wasn’t a tradition he grew up with in his own family. Or how different things might have been if it was.

“I think it’s the best way to remember those who have gone. To celebrate the time we had with them, even if it was cut short.”

Maybe it was the dregs of alcohol left in his system combined with his full stomach or the general air of comfort the farmhouse and its residents – human and canine – radiated. But whatever it was left Horacio overwhelmingly drowsy.

Whilst Chucho tidied the box away and cleaned up in the kitchen, Horacio sunk further into the soft cushions on the sofa until he was practically lying down. Throughout the evening, the storm had built to a crescendo. Sheets of rain bounced off the window panes like jagged pieces of shrapnel, and the wind whistled down the chimney and rattled at the door. The dogs – Luna in particular – were on high alert before settling back to sleep when the perceived danger never arrived.

By the time Chucho returned from the kitchen, the white noise of the storm had lulled Horacio into a deep sleep. Given the time and how retched the weather was, Chucho didn’t have the heart to wake him. So, he did what he had done for Javier many times before.

Chucho crept into his son’s former room and retrieved what he was searching for from a cupboard above the bed. He returned to Horacio and carefully draped a thick, woollen blanket over his sleeping form. And much to his relief, Horacio didn’t stir.

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Despite Javier’s ground rules about only going after sicarios, Los Pepes became increasingly unhinged and reckless with their methods. They were in their element, and discretion was not on their agenda.

Not long after Search Bloc questioned Blackie’s girlfriend, she and her father were gunned down in their own home. And now, the latest target was Escobar’s lawyer, Fernando Duque. During an attempt on his life, Los Pepes managed to kill an innocent bystander whilst Duque escaped alive. However, his respite was short-lived.

Javier tried to help him by offering him a deal and a visa to the states if he became an informant, but it was too late. Even with Trujillo securing a safe house, Los Pepes got to Duque and his son first. Javier figured he was followed to Duque’s hotel. But by this point, he had to operate on the assumption he was being followed wherever he went. And that didn’t just go for those working against him.

Javier couldn’t so much as get up to use the bathroom without Steve or Trujillo enquiring where he was going. It was touching in a way, given that they were as powerless as Javier to control Los Pepes and monitoring him like this was about all they could do. But he was storing up some choice words for Horacio when he next saw him because he knew damn well this was his influence. Apparently, you could take Colombia away from the Colonel, but never the Colonel away from Horacio, a national emblem all of his own.

In the days immediately after Duque and his son turned up dead in the trunk of their own car, Duque’s ex-wife and mother were also murdered. As the death toll continued to rise, Javier felt as though he was hurtling towards a cliff edge in a car with no brakes and no exit route. It didn’t matter how hard he gripped the steering wheel or pressed down on the pedals; the vehicle careered nearer and nearer to its demise, taking down anyone who got in its way.

When Berna called to arrange one of their usual meetings, Javier was ready to declare himself out once and for all. If money was what it would take to get them off his back, then so be it. It was a language spoken fluently in his line of work by both narcos and bureaucrats alike. And it wouldn’t be the first time he’d shoved a briefcase full of notes into someone’s lap to get what he wanted.

But when he showed up at the usual rendezvous, there was no Berna. Instead, he let out a hollow laugh as he came face-to-face with Bill Stechner, the CIA station chief. Of course. He supposed it was only a matter of time before one of their cronies stepped out of the shadows they loved to lurk in so much.

Their paths had crossed a few times during meetings at Carlos Holguín, although they hadn’t spoken outside of those meetings, which was more than fine by both parties. There had never been much love lost between the CIA and DEA, the latter thought of as inferior and small league by the former. Nobody within the DEA really knew what Stechner did. But as Javier was starting to discover, that was probably for the best.

Stechner sat at a table in the corner of the café, two freshly opened beer bottles neatly lined up like they were waiting for the firing squad.

“What is this?” Javier asked once he’d sat down opposite Stechner.

“Just a friendly chat. You’re making some very scary people pretty nervous, Javier. Which puts me in a spot because…I’m the one who suggested they approach you in the first place.”

“Why me?”

“Guess you must have made an impression these last few years. Oh, don’t look so surprised. Your blind loyalty to Lover Boy’s little antics didn’t go unnoticed. And well, your partner turned down my previous offer to collaborate.”

There it was: the vindication Javier had been waiting for. “So, it was you, then. Steve’s kidnapping. The photos. The wiretaps. All of it.”

“Oh, bravo, Agent Peña. You should get a gold star and a cookie for that one.”

“And I guess you’re why we’re both back here after the ambush as well.”

“Ooh, two for two! Your talents are wasted at the DEA. Have you thought about switching sides? I’m sure we could use you somewhere.” 

Stechner’s wide smirk was briefly hidden by his beer bottle as he took a swig, seemingly having far too much fun to stop. 

“Between you and me, I only really wanted you, but I wasn’t gonna get one half of the double act without the other, was I? Not after Lover Boy was moved along. How’s ranch life treating him, by the way? I bet he’s kicking himself Los Pepes is finishing what he started. Or is he proud of the legacy he left behind?”

“Fuck you!” Javier spat. A curse whispered, but its potency was undiminished. His fingernails dug harshly into the palms of his clenched hands as they came down heavily on the table, causing the bottles to wobble and almost overturn.

“Now, now, Javier. I told you this was just a friendly chat, so let’s keep it civil. And let me say this plainly. I have our nation’s long-term interests in mind. That’s the beat I walk. And it means making sure the right folks are left standing when Escobar gets his bullet. So do Uncle Sam a solid. Don’t complicate that with misplaced heroics.”

Javier’s jaw muscles worked overtime as he tried to keep his composure, not wanting to give Stechner the satisfaction of another outburst. “Trying to stop kids being murdered is misplaced heroics, now, is it?”

Bill took a deep sigh. “Are we really doing this? I gotta say, I’m a little disappointed, Agent Peña. Maybe the DEA is the right place for you, after all. Which is a shame, as I saw a promising future for you in a post-Escobar world.”

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

“Let’s just say you could play the dashing hero all you wanted. If you play your cards right now, that is.”

Javier’s grip tightened so fiercely on the bottle in his right hand that it was a miracle the glass didn’t shatter around his fingers. A part of him would have welcomed the release, but he threw back as much beer as he could in one go and slammed the bottle down on the table.

As he stood up, his chair scraped across the tiled floor with a grating whine. “Yeah, well, I’m no fucking hero. And we’re done here.”

“These folks are prone to emotional decision-making. Which you seem to be familiar with as well. And frankly, I’ve got better things to do than talk them down from killing a federal agent. So, do me a favour and stay in your lane.”

Javier lingered in the doorway, his hands cradling his hips and his glare shooting through Stechner with the force of a bullet. He gave him a final once-over before retreating into the night without another word.

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Once in the safety of his car, Javier dropped his head against the steering wheel, closing his eyes to try and quell the rolling waves of nausea. As he took several steadying breaths, he felt the weight of the cross at his neck more than ever. A symbol of faith, but apart from the person who loaned it to him, he wasn’t sure what he even believed in anymore. If anything.

Had everything been a lie since he got here? Had he even made a difference at all? Beyond getting a bunch of people hurt or killed, that was. Even once Escobar was gone, and they could all pack up and go home, hadn’t they just paved the way for someone equally dangerous to take his place? Someone like the Cali cartel, who were clearly biding their time. And what exactly did Stechner have planned for him once Pablo was out of the picture?

As he travelled back to Carlos Holguín, he was glad of the distraction of driving to temper the endless stream of questions spinning through his mind. Questions he had no answers to. Usually, he would have tried and failed to find them at the bottom of another bottle, but now wasn’t the time for that kind of soul-searching. Now, he needed to sleep. To shut down and not think about anything at all, even if just for a few hours.

As he fell into a dense and dreamless sleep that night, Texas and Horacio had never felt further away or more out of reach.

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Horacio awoke the following morning with a stiff neck and a sore head. Judging by the beams of sunlight cascading through the curtains and along the cracks in the wooden flooring, he figured Chucho had long since left to see to the livestock.

He hauled himself up from the couch with a groan and rapidly went in search of coffee and toast to ease his delicate stomach into the day. After breakfast, he folded up the blanket Chucho must have placed over him after he passed out.

The door to Javier’s old room was usually closed, but now it stood ajar. So, Horacio made an educated guess that this was where the blanket lived and crossed the threshold with a rush of anticipation. He was given a brief tour when they first arrived, but it soon became obvious it was a door to the past Javier preferred to keep shut.

As Horacio looked around the room, his gaze skipped over the photos and graduation certificates he had previously seen and landed on the shelves next to the bed.

He moved closer and found several old Police Academy and Criminal Psychology textbooks, a few classics, and a copy of With His Pistol in His Hand by Américo Paredes. Horacio recognised the title, as on a rare night off back in Colombia, Javier had insisted on renting the film adaptation.

He chuckled and rolled his eyes when he noticed a copy of One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez. Reading it had been a rite of passage back in Colombia when he was young. But it somehow didn’t surprise him to see it on Javier’s shelf, too.

Alongside it was a tatty anthology by Rosario Castellanos. Curious by its bedraggled appearance compared to the other books on the shelves, he slid it out and leafed through a few pages.

He double-backed when he noticed handwriting on the opening page. At first glance, it looked like Javier’s, but it was neater and less rushed than what Horacio was used to seeing scrawled across forms and reports. It read:

Para mi amor, Mariana. Siempre tuyo, Chucho.

(For my love, Mariana. Yours always, Chucho.)

It felt like he had accidentally intruded on something private. But then, he remembered Chucho mentioning a missing poetry book belonging to Mariana, and suddenly it all made sense. So, this was where Javier stashed his keepsakes, then. A satisfied smile crossed Horacio’s face as though he had unearthed buried treasure.

He placed the book back on the shelf and knocked some surrounding ones over like dominos. As he tidied up, he noticed an extra book stowed away behind those at the front. It was practically stuffed down the back of the shelf, and it took a bit of effort to dislodge it from its hiding place. Once retrieved, Horacio held the book up to read the front cover: Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin.

After skimming over the back cover, it became clear why this one had remained out of view. Although at least Javier no longer had to worry about that as far as this house was concerned. But it was still a different story beyond the ranch and their small circle of friends, so Horacio put it back exactly where he found it.

It dawned on him he had never even considered the possibility of reading such books when he was young, let alone buying one. And now, all he could do was imagine the comfort those stories might have been to him when he needed them the most.

On the shelf below the books sat several records, some 7-inch and some 12-inch. They spanned multiple genres, including American rock, New wave, Country, Motown, and Tejano. And at the bottom of the pile were a couple of Elvis albums.

As Horacio put the vinyl back in their place, he tried to bat away the sense of guilt creeping up on him for snooping around like this. But he justified it by reminding himself he hadn’t felt as close to Javier as this since the day he left for the airport.

There was never much time or headspace back in Colombia for luxuries like hobbies and interests, apart from the occasional night off. There never seemed to be enough time for anything between them, always stealing minutes and hours together. Always being dragged back into the fray or being pulled apart by circumstance.

If their parents’ stories told them anything, it was that life was too precious for such casualness. Not that they were casual. But their jobs had always been the priority. Jobs that they had sacrificed more for than anyone ever should. Jobs they had lied, killed, and grieved for. Jobs that had pushed them into corners, pulled them over precipices, and plunged them to depths they never thought they would sink to.

As Horacio lay down on Javier’s bedspread and inhaled the faintest trace left over from their first few weeks of sneaking around, a quiet conviction settled on his chest and in the pit of his stomach. Soon this would be over once and for all. For real, this time.

Escobar was running out of time and allies. And Horacio wouldn’t put it past the arrogant son of a bitch to hide in plain sight on the streets of Medellín. In Pablo’s mind, he was still the King, and the city was his kingdom. But a ruler could only push their subjects so far.

Horacio didn’t know exactly what Javier had gotten himself involved in, but Javier’s own words echoed in his mind. We’ve just gotta keep our heads.

He suspected Javier wouldn’t even know whether he was keeping his head or not because that was the trouble when you were caught in the eye of the storm. But his faith in Javier ran deeper than anything he had ever believed in. And if anyone knew what kind of sacrifice Javier would have to make to be free, it was Horacio. Because he had made it too.

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Following the death of Escobar’s brother-in-law at the hands of Los Pepes, his family attempted to flee the country. However, they made it as far as Germany before they were turned back around courtesy of Steve’s intervention. Once in Colombia, they were taken into protective custody by the national police right from underneath Steve’s nose.

As usual, even small actions couldn’t exist in a vacuum for long. Escobar’s family being denied entry to almost every country pushed him over the edge. He had already targeted businesses owned by the Cali cartel with explosives once he learned of their involvement with Los Pepes. But this time, a car bomb was detonated on the doorstep of the Presidential Palace. A message received loud and clear by Gaviria, no doubt.

Although Martínez hadn’t explicitly said he knew who the Los Pepes informant was, Javier didn’t need to be a federal agent to read between the lines. He could feel it in every look or interaction he shared with the Colonel. And Steve and Trujillo exchanging suspicious glances didn’t help matters.

They were all relieved when the latest briefing was over and headed straight for the outer perimeter of the school grounds. Anything to get as far away from any scrutiny as possible.

“Look on the bright side, man. Least you didn’t blow anyone up.” Steve laughed as he exhaled his cigarette smoke, but it was devoid of humour.

“It wasn’t your fault, Steve.”

“Thanks, but that’s bullshit, and you know it, Javi. I think you were right the first time.”

“About what?”

“About us not being the good guys. Least you tried to help Duque and his kid escape. Whereas I flew all the way to Germany to stop Escobar’s kids from doing the same thing. I rang Connie when I got back. Couldn’t tell her the truth. But hey…I’m expecting that Dad of the Year Award any day now.”

“Let’s just call it even in the fucked-up stakes.”

“You drive a hard bargain, but okay, fine. Deal.”

“What’s the plan now, Peña?” Trujillo asked after rolling his eyes at Steve's self-deprecation.

Now it was Javier’s turn to let out a brittle laugh. “I don’t fucking know. If it goes as high up as Stechner, they’re not gonna like it when I try get myself out.”

“I knew I didn’t trust that son of a bitch for a reason.” Javier had filled them in on his encounter with Stechner, and Steve, more than most, had a reason to hold a grudge.

“If anyone comes after you about any of this, you both need to protect yourselves first. You didn’t know anything. You understand?”

“But what about you, Javi? They can’t just get away with this. It’s not fuckin’ right.”

“Someone once told me I’ll know when to walk away because it won’t really be a choice anymore.”

“They’ve still got leverage over you, though.”

As much as Javier appreciated his partner’s support, that was a fact he absolutely needed no reminding of. “I know. I just…need more time to think.”

“Martínez said the Attorney General has urged Pablo to surrender since the bombing. We’re so close, Peña. If we get lucky, all this goes away, right?”

“Well, there’s no guarantee. But yeah, it would take the heat off.”

“Before Carrillo left, I told him if I get a shot, I’m taking it. But I always thought he'd be the one to put a bullet in that motherfucker.”

“We all did, Trujillo. But I can’t think of anyone else he’d rather have do it for him. And for Colombia.”

Because that was something that Javier did agree with Martínez on. It needed to be a Colombian police officer standing over Pablo when his luck finally ran out.

Javier remained on the concrete steps of the school grounds long after Steve and Trujillo disappeared back inside. He couldn’t shake the feeling that he should never have come back in the first place. He should have listened to his Pops and read between the lines of what Horacio wasn’t saying when they had discussed it that night. What Horacio couldn’t��say, because it wasn’t his place to say it. In the same way Javier didn’t think it was his place to tell Horacio what to do when the roles were reversed. Why hadn’t he learned from his own lesson, for fuck’s sake?

He should have stayed in the safety of the ranch tucked away with Horacio, but he couldn’t leave well alone. And now he was paying the price with leverage that felt like a noose around both of their necks.

He hadn’t wanted to dismiss Trujillo’s suggestion that it would all go away once Escobar was gone. But Javier couldn't risk leaving it to chance like that. He didn’t know how yet, but one way or another, he would have to play Stechner at his own game.

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By the time Gaviria publicly denounced Los Pepes, no one had seen or heard anything from Escobar in over a month. And his men were dropping like flies, too, with La Quica and Blackie now in custody. It was no wonder Pablo had run for the hills as his inner circle shrunk further by the day.

Los Pepes released a statement to confirm their job was done and that they had disbanded. Although Javier knew otherwise when he received a phone call from Don Berna.

An attempt on Judy Moncada’s life had been made by the Castaños, as they apparently fancied their chances at taking over what was left of the Medellín cartel. Quite why they had involved Javier in their fight, he didn't know.

“Look, you knew what these people were like. It was your choice to get in bed with Cali. Don’t involve me in turf wars between narcos. It’s not my remit.” Javier turned on his heel to leave less than five minutes after he arrived at the mansion.

“You know, the last I heard, leaking classified intelligence is a federal offence. Especially when it ends up in the hands of vigilantes who have killed innocent people. I’m sure the American press would be very interested to hear more about that. Amongst other things you’ve been up to, Agent Peña.”

Judy’s last sentence made Javier freeze on the spot. “Is that a threat?”

“Yes, as a matter of fact, it is.”

Javier sat back down on the sofa, his eyes boring into Judy’s with contempt. “What do you want?”

“You’re a cop, aren’t you? Arrest the Castaños. Arrest the Rodriguezes. And then accidentally shoot them in the head.”

A sharp scoff escaped Javier’s throat. “You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me. You really think it works like that?”

“Well, tell me how it does work, then.”

“The only way it works is if you become an informant. Give us everything you’ve got on Cali. Then we might be able to give you immunity and a visa. But that’s if you go on record. Otherwise, there is no deal.”

Judy threw her head back with a shrill cackle. “You expect me to become a rat? Against the same men who tried to have me killed? That’s your grand plan, Agent Peña?”

“It’s the only plan.”

“Well, you need to think of another one. Medellín is my home. I’m not being forced out by these thugs.”

“You’re a tier-one narco, Judy. You’re up to your eyes in it. How the fuck did you think this was going to end?”

“Oh, I’m up to my eyes in it, am I? I’d be very careful if I were you, Agent Peña. You know what they say about people in glass houses. I can be on the phone to an American newspaper in a matter of minutes.”

Despite the gravity of the situation, Judy’s threats became a faint echo in the back of Javier’s head. He really was up to his eyes in it. And so was Horacio, even though he didn’t know it. Even though he had no say in any of this. Any wrong move on Javier’s part could ruin everything. Not in terms of his job. It surprised him how little he cared about that now he thought about it. All he felt was tired on that front. A bone-weary, head-to-toe exhaustion that fogged his brain as much as his body.

It was funny. Since he had first voiced the idea of quitting, he realised he’d already made peace with the notion. After all, he had been on borrowed time for a long while. Time gifted to him by Stechner of all people, it turned out. But at what cost? How many more pieces of himself was he prepared to give away whilst being nothing more than a glorified puppet to his government in a country that wasn’t his? And that was the crux of it; he wasn’t just gambling with his own life and future anymore. This wasn’t about him now.

The chill of Judy’s icy gaze pulled him out of his thoughts, but that was fine by him because he had made up his mind.

“Okay, fine. I’ve got another idea. But we’ll do it my way.”

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The wheels were set in motion after a few phone calls and a flight to Bogotá. One of those calls had been to Steve, who as luck would have it, was also in the city with Trujillo. They were following up on a lead from an informant who worked as security for Escobar’s family in protective custody.

It was a big breakthrough, as they had discovered Escobar was using a radio to communicate with his wife. The security guard had a list of radio frequencies, which Trujillo had taken back to Medellín to verify with Centra Spike. If the frequencies checked out, all they needed was for Escobar to make contact, and they could track his location.

Javier had insisted Steve go back with Trujillo. They could be a stone’s throw away from ending all of this, and Steve deserved to be there for it. But naturally, Javier’s pleas were ignored, and they were now stood in Messina’s empty office.

“Javi, what the fuck is going on? What are you even doing here?”

“Listen, there isn’t much time, but I promise I’ll explain everything later.”

“Did Messina summon you? Where is she, anyway?”

“She’s…gone. Back to the states.”

“What? Why?”

“She was moved on. I think by Stechner. From what she told me, she’d started joining the dots with Cali. Pushing for more resources to be redirected there. Someone obviously didn’t like it, and now she’s on a plane to Washington.”

“Fuck. Fuck! So, what happens to us now?”

“You go back to Medellín.”

“Me? What about you?”

“I told you I’ll explain later. But can you do me a favour first?”

“Not until you tell me what the fuck is going on, Javi!”

Before Javier could respond, the door creaked open to reveal Bill Stechner looking smugger than ever.

“Well, well, well. If it isn’t the DEA’s finest.”

“You got a fucking tracking device on me or something?”

“No, Agent Peña, you’re not worth the budget for that. You’re just…annoyingly predictable.”

“What the fuck do you want, Stechner?”

“Oh, the sidekick speaks! Although your presence won’t be needed, Agent Murphy. It’s time for the grownups to talk.”

“I’m not fuckin’ goin’ anywhere.” Steve stepped forwards, eyeballing Bill like he was a red rag and Steve was the bull.

“Steve, don’t,” Javier warned, placing his hand on Steve’s tense shoulder with a pacifying shake of his head, not that Stechner appeared intimidated in the slightest.

“Too bad about Messina,” Bill continued. “I heard she’s likely to spend the rest of her career busting meth labs in Indianapolis. If she’s lucky. Still, it beats losing your job and having your dirty laundry aired in public. But that’s the trouble when you’ve got skeletons in your closet. Oh…um…not that I suppose you’ll be in the closet after Judy’s done with the Miami Herald in about five hours’ time.”

He twisted his mouth into a mocking grimace and sucked in air through his teeth. “That’s gotta be embarrassing.”

That was enough to have Steve lunging for Bill, but Javier was quicker and well prepared. He grabbed Steve around the waist and restrained him. “Don’t be a fucking idiot, Steve. He’s not worth it.” He dropped his voice to little more than a mumble against Steve’s shoulder. “And I’ve got this, trust me.”

“That’s right, Peña, keep your loyal dog on a leash. Wouldn’t want him taking a one-way trip to the vets now, would we?”

With each venomous sentence spat from Bill’s mouth, Javier could feel his own fists clenching tighter and tighter. He wasn’t one to throw a punch, but he was damn sure he could make an exception, and rather him than Steve. However, he swallowed it down and bided his time.

“And Cali? They get a pass too, right?”

“For now. We’re gonna get them someday, but not your way. Never your way, Javier. For everything you know, you’re, uh…extremely naïve.”

The juxtaposition of hearing Bill using his name in full compared to how Horacio said it caused a surge of adrenaline to course through Javier’s veins. He expected it to materialise as rage, but instead, he let out a dry laugh.

“Oh, Bill. I think some of that power might have gone to your head.”

“Ouch. Some might say that’s sour grapes talking.”

“Maybe.” Javier paused, holding Stechner in limbo for an extra second or two, anticipating the shift in his facial muscles when the cogs in his brain began to turn. “How did Berna like Cali, by the way? I hear they’re excellent hosts. Isn’t that right, Agent Murphy?”

Steve looked at Javier with intense confusion, not quite following where his partner was going with this but trusting him enough to play along. “Oh, yeah. They make the meanest passionfruit daiquiris in Colombia. Nice pool too.”

There it was: a subtle shift, but it was there, nonetheless. Javier could practically see Bill clinging to the fragments of his ego that were cracking bit-by-bit right before his eyes.

Now it was Stechner’s turn to laugh, although it was sardonic and didn’t meet his eyes, which had darkened like a shifting storm cloud. “Son of a bitch. I’m almost impressed. You knew she wouldn’t talk.”

“Of course, she fucking wouldn’t. She came running to me after the Castaños tried to blow her up. Going up against them and Cali would’ve been suicide. And Berna agreed. I just had to make you think she would talk.” Javier moved into Stechner’s personal space and leaned close to his ear. “And it worked like a charm.”

Bill’s pupils had narrowed to snake-like slits in his head, his nostrils flaring. “Doesn’t save your career or your Lover Boy, though, does it?”

“Who do you think suggested she lay the blame at my door in the first place? On the proviso she keeps my private life out of it.” Javier paused, too distracted for a moment by Bill’s expression twisting and turning against its will as he stood paralysed, surrounded by his own shattered ego.

It came to him in a moment of clarity whilst sat on Judy Moncada’s plush cream sofa. And it happened in exactly the way Gabriela had described it in a conversation that felt like several lifetimes ago now. He had reached the end of the line; he knew it. He couldn’t arrest the likes of the Castaños or the Rodriguezes. And he certainly couldn’t have them killed. It went too far up the chain for that to be a viable option. He had to give Judy something if he was expecting her to uproot her life and walk away from an empire she had delusions of grandeur about inheriting. But it had become clear that he couldn’t protect his job and Horacio. The two pieces of leverage held over his head were too great, and something had to give.

“Once she knew she’d be safe with access to money, she was pretty fucking cooperative, actually. Because for everything you think you know, Stechner, I know more about the mind of a narco. Call it a perk of mixing business with pleasure and learning from the best.”

“You do know your career’s finished after this little stunt? I was considering recommending you for the, uh, newly vacant Country Attaché position once Escobar’s six feet under. But you’ll be lucky if you’re directing traffic now. This is what happens when you don’t stay in your lane, Peña. And remember, we still have those photos and wiretaps.”

No sooner had Bill finished that sentence than he was laid on the ground. It all happened so fast that Javier barely had time to register it. But then he looked down at Stechner who was whimpering pathetically and wiping bright red blood from his nose, top lip, and facial hair.

Javier looked up and across at Steve who was shaking his right hand out and vaguely wincing from the impact.

“Damn, that felt good.”

They caught each other’s eye, and whilst Javier’s usual instinct would have been to chastise Steve for flying off the handle, his mouth curled upwards, and he gave a firm, silent nod of approval.

Apparently, Steve wasn’t done yet, though. He strode over to Stechner, who was now rambling about how their superiors would be hearing about this. But Steve grabbed him by the collar and slammed him to the ground, squeezing a hand around his throat.

“If you even think about using those photos or tapes, I’ll fuckin’ whistle blow on you myself. And I don’t think the Board of Professional Conduct would take kindly to charges of illegal surveillance and the blackmailing of a fellow federal agent, do you?” Steve shoved him against the floor again for extra emphasis.

Javier tapped Steve on the arm to signify they were done. “I’ll catch up with you in a second.”

Steve reluctantly retreated from the room, leaving Javier looking down at Bill, who was coughing, spluttering, and grabbing at his neck in an overly dramatic fashion, given how quickly the altercation was over.

“See, Bill, this is what happens when you don’t stay in your lane. And you needn’t worry about my future career prospects either, because I’m through. With all of it. For good. So, you can keep your corrupt promotions. And you can go fuck yourself.”

With that, Javier left Stechner to lick his wounds. And for the first time in years, if not decades, he finally felt like he was in control.

------------------------------------------------------

Javier caught up with Steve at the foot of the Embassy steps, both keen to get as far away from the crime scene as possible before anyone noticed the state they had left Bill in.

Javier pulled an envelope from his jacket and before Steve could protest or ask any more questions, leaned in to hug him.

“This is everything Judy Moncada and I know about Cali. Well, everything she was prepared to tell me off the record, anyway. I’m sure there’s more, but it’s the best I could do. Don’t show it to anyone until this is all over. Until there’s an op on Cali up and running. Then it needs to go to whoever’s in charge. Anonymously. You need to keep your name out of it.”

His voice was low and muffled as he patted Steve on the back with one hand and slipped the envelope into Steve’s pocket with the other.

“Javi, what the—?” Despite his protest, Steve followed Javier’s lead and gave a firm pat on his partner’s back in return. He pulled away with the envelope now secured safely in his inside pocket.

They stood silent for a moment, Steve’s face falling as the penny slowly began to drop. “I’m so sorry it came to this, Javi.”

“My old man warned me about trying to fix a system designed to stay broken. So, I guess this is what happens when you don’t listen to your parents.” Javier huffed out a laugh, but the regret was written all over his face.

“No one ever listens to their parents. Think that’s just how life’s supposed to be.”

“Fair point. Although, he did say sometimes we have to make choices that are simple, even if they’re not easy.”

“So, it didn’t all fall on deaf ears, then?” Steve gave Javier a long look. It was the easiest way for him to acknowledge the gravity of Javier’s sacrifice without them having to talk about it when the wounds were still so fresh and raw.

A gesture that was appreciated by Javier and met with the beginnings of a smile. Because he didn’t have the strength or words to dissect recent events yet. That would come later.

“You need to get out of here before anyone starts asking questions. Or finds Stechner.” Neither could resist a chuckle at that. Or of the sweet memory of that piece of shit lying on the floor splattered with his own blood. “And if they do, just tell them everything they want to hear. You knew nothing, and this was all on me. Including Stechner. In fact, make sure that one gets spread around. I’m more than happy to take the credit.”

“Fuck you, Javi. And anyone who comes askin’.” There was no malice in Steve’s words, but once again, it was the path of least resistance to make a joke out of it.

“That’s fair. Just do me a favour? Make sure you get him.”

Steve fixed his eyes firmly on Javier’s as he nodded. “I’ll be in touch when it’s done.”

This time, it was Steve’s turn to pull Javier in for a hug.

“People are gonna talk if we keep this up,” Javier teased as he patted Steve on the back again, only this time without the ulterior motive of smuggling intel into his clothes.

“Let ‘em. Although, er, maybe don’t tell Carrillo I said that.”

“My lips are sealed.” A smirk passed across Javier’s lips as he allowed snapshots of Horacio’s jealous streak to flash through his mind for a second before swiftly getting a grip of himself.

They pulled apart, neither really wanting to be the one to say goodbye first.

“Thanks for everything, Steve. And tell Trujillo and Connie the same.”

Steve mock saluted in return. “S’what partners are for. And will do. But this isn’t goodbye, y’know. You don’t get rid of us that easily. Con wants to see you both again and…I think you owe us a drink or two for pickin’ up the slack.”

“Always the cheapskate, Murphy. Some of us are unemployed now.” He threw a wink over his shoulder as he turned to leave. “See you around.”

As he walked away from Steve, the Embassy and everything that came with it, he heard a drawl asking him to say howdy to Texas. “Not a fucking chance!” he called back. He’d never uttered the word howdy in his life, and he wasn’t about to start now.

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Javier’s next stop was his apartment. He stuffed a few essentials into a battered leather travel bag and tidied the place up as best he could. He took one last walk around each room, his gaze lingering on the bed as memory after memory of Horacio collided in his brain at once.

At the same time, he blinked away thoughts of the photos, some of which were taken here, refusing to let them taint the history of their relationship. A relationship that he would never have had if he hadn’t moved to Colombia. A fact he would always cling to, no matter what emotions unravelled in the future, when he looked back on and processed his time here.

He shoved those thoughts away, for now, preferring to remember reuniting with Horacio after a year apart. The way those first embraces and kisses felt after so long spent going without. The way the sex felt like it never had before. And the way Horacio whispered, “I love you.”

Javier snapped back to the present with a jolt, his last few steps out of his apartment, to Steve’s mailbox to deposit his keys, and into a taxi to the airport, taken with a new sense of urgency.

And as he sat on the plane with his fingers clasped around the cross that had become so deeply embedded in his heart, body, and soul, he closed his eyes and relaxed his jaw. Because he was finally going home. And for good this time.  

[bangtangalicious]

death valley (m) | part 3

summary: welcome to death valley. once you’re in, there’s no telling whether you’ll make it out alive. a summer internship turns wild with blurry nights of dangerous men, dirty money, and extremely hot sex. you soon get caught in a savage game of greed, power and obsession, only to find out that you are the grand prize 

pairing: ot7 x f.reader smut ft: gangster!taehyung x reader, rockstar!jimin x reader, fighter!namjoon x reader

genre: smut. yandere. mystery. thriller. gang!au rockstar!au fightclub!au

wordcount: 9.4k (it goes fast trust me)

warnings: multiple & explicit smut scenes, rough sex, obsessive / possessive / toxic behaviors, oral sex, daddy kink, mommy kink if you squint, glamorization of drug & alcohol use, a whole lot of blackmail, guns (no shooting), manipulation, coercion, illicit filming, post-workout shower sex, choking, cursing, car accident, major character injury, dom!jimin, switch!taehyung, sub!namjoon, reader needs a fucking nap

a/n: NO BC THE ROLLING STONE COVER IS PERFECT FOR THIS FIC??? like its so spot on to this aesthetic. thank you all SO MUCH for the support, a few of you sent me the sweetest messages - they really make my day & inspire me to work harder on this story <3 three smut scenes in one part? yall....damn. (the last one is the best. my fav jimin scene yet) sorry for posting late im just insecure about my writing lol

part 0 | part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4 | part 5 | part 6 | part 7 | part 8 | part 9 | part 10 | finale (lite) | finale (dark) part 11 | part 12 | part 13 | series navi | masterlist |

Smoke diffused from Jimin’s chapped lips. His foot was tapping repeatedly, he was running out of patience. His penthouse seemed so empty without you these days. He hadn’t had you in a while and he was craving a release. He set his cigarette down on a small ashtray to his side, leaning forward.

“I want her now” He snapped, reaching onto the coffee table in front of him to grab his revolver. He looked down the barrel briefly and his jaw stiffened. His eyes then raised as he pointed the gun at a man standing in front of him patiently. “Where is she?”

“Taehyung has gone to retrieve her for you. Shouldn’t be long now” The man spoke, fear evident in his trembling voice. Jimin flashed a teethy grin, his attention back to his gun, twirling it around his fingers.

A phone began to buzz. Jimin rolled his eyes, setting the gun down and picking up his cell besides it. It was Taehyung.

“What?” Jimin grumbled.

“Yeah she’s not home. Hasn’t been all night. But you know who is in her apartment right now—you’re gonna get a kick out of this” Taehyung’s amused voice made Jimin tilt his head with irritation. He was not in the mood for his games. “The street rat”

Jimin’s heart sank, followed by an overwhelming feeling of jealousy seeping through his veins. He clenched his fists. “Taehyung, cut his fucking fingers off if he so much as touches her.” Taehyung laughed, “Do I sound like I’m joking Taehyung?”

“Yeah yeah whatever. Go work on your music, I’ll find her” Jimin hung up abruptly, elbows on his knees as he hung his head down in frustration. He screamed, throwing his phone as hard as he could onto the tiled floors. His fingers ran up his face, clenching the ends of his hair as he began to cry.

He fucked up. He messed up everything. He shouldn’t have threatened you—you probably hated him. You were supposed to be his fan. You were obsessed with him weren’t you? Did you love Jungkook now? You must after all Jungkook was an attractive guy, had money, and you probably didn’t know enough about him to know how dangerous he was. None of it mattered, Jimin wasn’t ready to let you go. He just got a taste, how could you leave now? Tears rolled down his face as he sobbed out.

Taking a deep breath, he attempted to calm himself down. It was his fault. He was too fucked up and it scared you—that had to be it. Deep down he knows that he was too rough with you. He so badly wants to taste your pretty lips but he’s scared. He’s never been good with emotions, and hates that he gets so high when he’s around you.

Taehyung had suggested he should stay away from you right from that night you had passed out in front of him, but Jimin didn’t listen. What does he know anyway? Fucking bitch. Jimin pursed his lips. You didn’t remember that night. You didn’t remember what all you saw after you came to, but he did. He was gonna be better. He was gonna win you back. He grabbed a notebook and pen quickly and began scribbling down lyrics as they came to him.

You almost screamed seeing Taehyung, but before you could he had you in a headlock, with a small knife pressed up to your neck as he kicked your door shut.

“Play along. I won’t hurt you” He mumbled into the back of your head as he turned you around. There, sitting on your couch was Jimin.

“Where were you?” Jimin was seething, eyes flared with rage. Surprisingly enough, he didn’t look high. He almost looked worried.“Why didn’t you come home last night?”

You rolled your eyes. This man’s sheer audacity made you want to kick him in the balls so hard. “Give me a fucking break. I’ve had a really rough few nights and I just want to take a fucking shower and go to work alright” You feel Taehyung slightly loosen his grip on you.

Jimin approached you slowly. “Do I need to remind you that I could fucking ruin you? Deal with your shit. Come over after work tomorrow or I send Yoongi the video” You glanced back at Taehyung who didn’t give you much of a reaction.

“No, I’m not fucking coming, and I want you to leave right now before I call the cops” You hear Taehyung giggle behind you. Jimin marched up to you and grabbed your neck harshly, Taehyung holding you still.

“Right. I heard that she talked to Kim Seokjin. Better fucking keep your mouth shut Y/n” Taehyung said casually. Jimin looked deep into your eyes, before clenching them shut as he steadied his breathing.

“Let’s go Taehyung. She’ll come, she’s not stupid” Jimin snapped his fingers.

“I’m right behind you boss, you go ahead” Taehyung released his hold. Jimin regarded you, a bitter look in his eyes as he huffed, slamming the door behind him as he left.

You whirled around to face Taehyung, who had already raised his hands in defense. “Let me expl—“

“You’re in Jimin’s gang aren’t you?! You motherfucker, you hurt Namjoon! You threatened Jungkook! You’re the cause of all my problems aren’t you” You kicked at Taehyung’s knees, causing him to giggle at your efforts. He dodged your attacks with ease.

“Oh you wish I was your biggest problem jacket girl. That’s far from it. You have Jimin’s black card don’t you?” He opened his palm in front of you “Give it”

You did as told, handing it to him, more than happy to get rid of anything you had of Jimin’s.

You spat at him “Fucking creep. I knew you were no good. You knew that shooting was gonna happen, that’s why you had sex with me isn’t it? To keep me distracted while your guys hurt Namjoon?” Taehyung pursed his lips at your statement, looking around your apartment frantically.

“Of course not dumbass.” He whispered so softly you had to strain to hear him “Shush” He began quickly making his way towards your bedroom. You chased after him, dropping your things on the ground. You watch as he reaches behind your bookshelf and pulls out a small surveillance camera, tossing it onto your bed.

He put a finger to his lips and made his way to your computer monitor. Quickly he took out a gun from his back pocket and slammed the end into the top of the screen. You gaped at him, watching glass shatter onto your desk.

“Okay.” Taehyung sighed, relaxing his shoulders. He fiddled with his watch—there was that watch again—before turning to you “Now that we’re actually alone, no that’s not why I had sex with you. You can’t tell anyone that happened alright. And no I didn’t know the shooting was gonna happen, that wasn’t us.”

“W…what the fuck” You trembled, eyes wide with shock and unease at the fact someone had put cameras in your bedroom. Taehyung noticed your discomfort, clearing his throat awkwardly, “Yeahhhh. You should really be more careful about who you let literally move into your fucking apartment.”

“Jungkook was spying on me?”

“Mmm, more like he was doing someone’s dirty work I would say. He’s a selfish rat who only cares about money. He’s dangerous and a liar. Look…I heard about the kidnapping, are you okay?”

“How do you know about that? How do you know so much?” Taehyung grinned widely, ignoring your questions.

“Y/n, let me tell you something” He took a seat on the edge of your mattress, “There is someone really fucking powerful who has their eyes on you. I don’t know who or even why. Now, we have a bone to pick with that motherfucker for a whole different set of reasons, making you perfect bait. So it would make sense for us to kidnap you and blackmail him or something” You sat down next to him, knees weak as your emotional state spiraled. “But we didn’t.”

“It wasn’t Jimin?” You honestly thought it would have been. After all, Hobi said your kidnappers beat up Namjoon pretty bad and that seemed to be in line with Jimin’s agenda. “Then who was it?”

“Dunno. But I’m gonna find out. You really aren’t safe here, the rat was right about that. Jimin can protect you though”

You scoffed, plopping your back onto the mattress and letting the shift in gravity wave over you. “I hate Jimin” Taehyung turned rapidly at your statement, frowning.

“I thought you were a fan, jacket girl?” He laid back besides you, propping himself up on his elbow to look at you. You gave him a look, rolling your eyes as he chuckled. How is this guy able to find all of this funny?

You sighed, staring at the ceiling, becoming increasingly aware that Taehyung was lying next to you.

“You said you didn’t fuck me to distract me so why did you?”

“Because. I think you’re cool, you’re fucking gorgeous, you’re fun, and I probably would never get another chance. Jimin gets what he wants. He’s in charge.”

“He doesn’t own me” You murmured, turning on your side to face him. “He doesn’t own you either.” Taehyung grinned lazily, gazing into your eyes.

You slid your hand onto his thigh, looking at him expectantly. When he doesn’t react you slowly lean closer to him, noses barely touching. His eyes flutter shut as you kiss him, instantly pushing your tongue into his mouth. You know you need to be fast, Jimin was probably waiting for him.

Taehyung cupped your face, deepening the kiss as he rolled his body flush against you. There were butterflies in your stomach, for some reason you felt like a child again, making out with a boy you liked in your bedroom. You smiled into the kiss.

His hand brushed down your body, lingering at your chest but ultimately finding your thigh and squeezing it slightly. He wanted more, and he needed it now.

“Quick” Taehyung whispered, and you frantically kicked off your shorts, Taehyung simultaneously rising to yank down his jeans. You spread your legs as wide as you could, motioning for Taehyung to come back to you. He licked his lips. “You’re not stretched out yet, are you sure?”

You nodded, “Fuck stop stalling just do it. It’s okay if I don’t cum just fuck me” You whine. Taehyung shrugs, lowering himself down on you. You wrap your arms and legs around him tightly, as if holding on for dear life. You couldn’t understand why you found so much comfort in the man you barely knew. A man you barely trusted.

Were you even really into him? Or were you trying to spite Jimin? Taehyung quickly sunk his cock into you. You cried out—recalling just how large he was the last time.

“So tight” Taehyung’s breath hitched as he stilled himself deep inside of you. You rolled your hips up, taunting him to get on with it. He grabbed your ass, pulling you in towards him, allowing him to fuck into you deeper.

You kissed his neck frantically, moving your hands through his hair and onto his back as he found a steady rhythm. He fucked you with focus, desperately trying to chase his own high as you savored having his body on yours.

Your legs caressed his back, moving up and down against him with every thrust, as if you were almost climbing up onto him. You groaned, tilting your head back in pleasure as the initial pain of his size subsided, and he was able to angle himself perfectly in a way that had you screaming for more.

His lips were tight against yours, hardly kissing but moreso just breathing into one another deeply. He smacked your ass lightly as he picked up his pace.

“You feel so good” He muttered, “That fucking” He thrusted deep “Asshole is so lucky” He was ruthless. You held onto him as tight as you could, crying out as he pistoned in and out of you. “Get’s you all to himself. Fucks you whenever he…wants” Taehyung panted, “Doesn’t fucking deserve this. He doesn’t deserve you” You could hear the slight growl in his voice. 

“Pussy so fucking sweet. So fucking sweet I can’t stop” Taehyung moved his hands to grip your shoulders from under you, digging his nails into your flesh. “I can’t stop. I don’t want to. I don’t want to Y/n. Fuck. Please.”

“Don’t stop. Don’t stop baby I love it” You urged him on, making him hiss. He looked so fucked out as you could feel his cock twitching inside of you.

“Dont wanna…dont wanna cum. Dont wanna stop” Taehyung whined, “Feel so good. Feel so fucking good”

“Taehyung!” Jimin’s voice bellowed from outside the apartment. Taehyung cursed in irritation.

“Shit, come on baby” You bucked your hips up. Taehyung was pissed. He pulled out of you. “Let me finish you baby don’t go” You pleaded, hugging onto him tighter as he began to get off of you.

“He’ll kill me. He will literally kill me. I need to go” Taehyung pressed a kiss to your forehead. He shoved you off of him. He begins to pull his pants back on, but you’re not ready to let him go yet. You’ll be damned if Taehyung doesn’t get to finish because of Jimin.

“No!” You pounce on him, pushing him onto the floor and pinning him down with your knees. You wrap your hand around his cock and begin to stroke it furiously, bringing your face down so that your tongue can wrap around it. You begin sucking on him, watching his shocked face as you bob your head rapidly on him, going as fast as you can. You feel Taehyung’s hand reach to hold back your hair. What a sweetheart. Jimin would never.

Taehyung bit down on his lip so hard it began to bleed as he came up into your mouth. You rapidly licked him off, cum getting all over your lips before you pulled his pants back up and got off of him. You noticed his watch again.

“Where’d you get that watch?” You asked causally as Taehyung pulled his pants back on. Taehyung looked at the piece and a frown tugged at his lips.

“Um…a friend gave it to me”

“He has good taste”

Taehyung gulped, looking back at you “Yeah. He really does”

“Go” You whispered. Taehyung blinked a few times, trying to process as he gets up. He cups your face to plant one final kiss onto your cum stained lips before rushing out of your apartment, hands frantically fixing his hair as he leaves.

-

Jungkook wiped the sweat from off his forehead before bending to lift the heavy box again. It was his least favorite part of the job, moving product. He didn’t understand why they couldn’t just hire more people with all the fucking cash they made but his boss hated bringing new people in.

He wobbled back to his truck, sliding the large package into his trunk before taking a deep breath. Hopping into the drivers seat, he set away to get back to you.

You hadn’t come home last night, and although he knew you were out with Namjoon, some part of him felt uneasy. He had grown fond of you over the past few days, more than he really cared to admit. He knew you were off limits, after all, what business did you have with a guy like him when you were around people like Park Jimin on a daily basis.

Click, Jungkook had just buckled his seatbelt, glancing in the rearview mirror to see an unfamiliar face staring back at him, holding a gun to his forehead.

“Jeon Jungkook” Goosebumps riveted across his skin at the stern voice “It’s so nice to finally meet you. Heard you’ve gone ahead and made yourself Y/n’s roomate” The man was tall, had a sharp jawline and a deceivingly warm smile.

“Who are you? Do you work for him?”

“Move out. Stay away from her or else”

“Or else what? I am the most successful dealer he has, he isn’t gonna touch me”

“Do you really wanna find out?” Bang. Jungkook turned to the noise to see Namjoon tied up and blindfolded, on the ground with a man holding a metal rod to his head. He was knocked out. “Move out, or I’ll beat your little fighter boy’s head in. And I bet your boss wouldn’t want his money machine dead”

Jungkook pursed his lips into a thin smile. “Oh..you’re Jimin’s guy huh? Fine. I’ll leave her. Let Joon go”

“One more thing. You tell Namjoon that you found his friend too”

“Well uh, where is his friend?”

The man laughed, motioning for his goons to follow as they all hopped into twin black Cadillacs, driving off and leaving Namjoon unconscious on the ground. Jungkook clicked his tongue. I’ve seen that guy before. He stretched out his arms and went over to try to lift Namjoon into his truck.

-

You stared at the cameras that Taehyung had found in your room, goosebumps spreading as you tried to comprehend everything. Okay. Just. Go to work. Forget about it. Go see Hobi. You quickly hopped in the shower, letting ice cold water attempt to wake you up from this growing nightmare.

Stepping out of the shower you hear some light rapping at your door. “One second” It was probably Jungkook. He had seen you naked plenty, so you thought nothing of it as you wobbled towards your door with nothing but a towel, hair pinned up to keep it dry.

“Hey, did you want a ride to work?” Yoongi’s familiar collected gaze fell on you. WHY DOES THIS MAN SHOW UP AT THE WORST TIMES you scream internally at your boss who was there standing in front of you. He didn’t look the least bit phased at your state, and in a way you felt offended. I’m half naked. Nothing? Damn.

“Oh! Sure. Give me like 2 minutes. Please, come in” Yoongi stepped inside, looking around with little interest. You ran back to your room, kicking the door shut as your frantically searched for something appropriate to wear. You went to your mirror and slapped on some makeup before returning to Yoongi. “Yeah! Let’s go”

Yoongi drove a nice black Cadillac, which you expected. He was a wealthy guy after all and it fit his edgy but classy aesthetic that he had going on. You felt relaxed in the fresh leather seats, the scent mind-numbingly pleasant. You were just so tired. Yoongi began to drive, and the soft hum of the engine lulled you into a nap. You were out like a light, unable to see the way that Yoongi was licking his lips, glancing at your lifeless frame. Unable to feel the way he took your hand into his and squeezed so tightly.

Back in the studio, you were desperate to find Hobi and hear about what had happened. Instead you found Namjoon waiting for you, and your jaw dropped. Half of his face was covered with a large bruise that looked incredibly painful. You threw yourself into his arms.

“Oh my God are you okay?” You hugged him tightly, and he did you, relishing the comfort of one another’s touch. He shook his head, making your heart clench in pity. Of course he’s not okay.

“Did they do anything to you? Did they touch you? I swear to God Y/n I’ll fucking” You straddled his lap and rest your head against his strong chest. His heartbeat was pronounced and soothing under his soft shirt.

“I’m okay. I’m more worried about you.” Namjoon ran his hand up and down your back.

“Y/n...I think. This might sound crazy but I think I know who kidnapped us” He whispered into your ears. At that moment, the door opened revealing a perfectly normal looking Jimin. You almost jumped off of Namjoon, realizing how compromising your situation must have looked. Jimin’s eyes narrowed briefly.

“Come” Jimin motioned to you without so much as a greeting. You glanced at Namjoon, who was looking at the ground. He seemed scared. “Now.” He snapped.

“Who the fuck do you think you are just ordering her around like that?” From down the hall you hear Hobi’s voice echo through. Relief surged through your veins. “You’re not even recording today, get lost” Hobi walked straight up to Jimin and glared at him.

Jimin chuckled, “Whatever, she’ll come. I know she will” He turned to leave but Hobi grabbed him by the collar, growling lowly.

“Piece of trash. Stay away from my girl” You froze at the term. Jimin’s eyes widened.

“Your girl? Oh Hoseok are you in for a fucking treat because let me tell you what exactly your girl has been..”

“Hobi get off of him.” Like ice, Yoongi’s voice cut through the scene. His footsteps were pronounced as he approached the boys who remained in an aggressive stare-down. “First of all. She is not your girl. There is absolutely no romantic relationships permitted in my label. No exceptions, end of question. Second of all, Jimin, you better not be harassing my employees or you will see me sue you for all your worth, you got that?” Your pussy clenched at the authoritativeness in his voice. Hobi reluctantly let go of Jimin, who brushed himself off.

“You can’t stop us from going out” Hobi muttered. For the first time in your life, you saw Yoongi laugh. And not in a good way.

“Can’t I? Y/n, you’re off your project. You’ll be working directly with me now on finishing Jimin’s album” Jimin smirked lightly, meeting your eyes.

“She doesn’t want to work on Jimin’s--” Hobi began to protest but Yoongi held his hand up.

“Say another word, and your ass is fired. If I so much as see the two of you alone in my place of work, you’re in for it. Have I made myself clear?” You noticed that Hobi’s fists were almost reddening from how tightly he was clenching them, veins popping from his forearms.

“Yes” Hobi mumbled in submission. You had never seen him so angry before. He didn’t give you another look before storming off towards his own office. You rolled your eyes as you heard Jimin giggle.

“Perfect” He grinned. Yoongi simply looked him up and down before turning to you, arms folded.

“Go finish up what you’re working on. From tomorrow you report to me, and we’ll work in my studio.” His voice was significantly softer than it had been minutes ago. He briefly touched your elbow, as if to assure you not to be worried. The gesture was barely there but you found yourself appreciating it as he left, calling Jimin to follow him.

You took a deep breath, turning back into the studio where Namjoon was sitting and listening to the whole ordeal. He looked extremely uncomfortable, so you slid the door shut and took a seat in front of him.

“Sorry. You were saying? Who do you think kidnapped us?” Namjoon gave you an uncertain look. “Trust me, I won’t think you’re crazy. Is it Jimin, is that what you were thinking because I would totally believe--”

“Hobi” Namjoon exhaled sharply, “I think it was Hobi”

Your stomach flipped. The sincerely in Namjoon’s eyes made you nauseous. He saw your reaction and grabbed your hands, holding them sturdily in his own. “Y/n, I can’t tell you everything here. Come somewhere with me. I wanna show you something. You trust me right?” He got up quickly, tugging your arms to do the same.

He led you to his car, parked significantly far in the back of the lot and much to your surprise it was the exact same model as Yoongi’s. Maybe it’s a rockstar thing. But Namjoon makes the same as I do so how the fuck can he afford...oh...the fights. You shrugged, not minding returning to the chic vehicle.

“I feel like we both need to blow off some steam.” Namjoon said, revving the engine “I’m gonna take you where I train for my matches. It’s usually pretty secluded so we should be able to talk there” You nodded. Boxing sounded cool enough, and he was right, you could use some endorphins.

The two of you arrived at what seemed to be an abandoned warehouse. Inside, the walls were a charcoal color, dimply lit by striking white lights. It eerily reminded you of the vibe of the arena, but instead there were a few punching bags set up as well as a sparring ring. Namjoon had been right - the place was absolutely empty.

Namjoon grabbed a few gloves from the floor, handing you a pair which you inspected closely. When you looked up you saw that Namjoon had already pulled off his shirt, and was sitting on a bench, wrapping his hands with the gauze. Damn. You never thought you would be thirsting for your coworker but seeing him all serious had you feeling a type of way. You recalled how deliciously submissive he had been at Death Valley. You needed that. You missed being in control of your life.

“Here” Namjoon tossed the gauze tape at you. “Sit down I can wrap it for you” He slid down on his knees. You let him secure your wrists with the soft material, his brows furrowed with complete focus.

“Why do you think it’s Hobi?” You whispered. Namjoon’s hands stilled over yours.

“The pills. He didn’t actually take them. And then when we were tied up...I dunno...he sounded really far away? And not nearly as freaked out as you and I were. Then when Jungkook found us--well, Jungkook said he already dropped Hobi off but I don’t buy it. He said that the guys he had seen beat me looked really familiar to him. Jungkook might have seen Hobi around Death Valley or something before. So that’s why I think it’s him. Maybe Hobi is in Jimin’s...yknow...gang”

Namjoon finished wrapping your hands. He rose “Come on, let me show you some moves” You pulled the boxing gloves on and followed him reluctantly.

Namjoon patted one of the bags lightly and positioned you in from of it. He showed you how to throw a few types of punches and you listened intently, noting how his biceps flexed with every hit. He stood behind you, allowing you to try punching on your own as he watched your stance. You threw all your weight into your punch, hearing a soft slam as your fist met the bag, which didn’t budge. You hear Namjoon stifle a giggle.

“No, Y/n, you need to...hold on” You hear what sounds like Namjoon pulling his gloves off. He rests a wrapped hand on your shoulder, guiding your arm with the other. “Likeeee that. There you go” He assisted you in making a punch that caused the bag to sway slightly. “Nice job, try again!”

You continued to pummel the bag, letting out all your pent up frustration. Namjoon watched you carefully, pacing around you and observing your form. You suddenly flew a punch so far it caused the button of your shirt to pop off your chest. You stopped, panting heavily as sweat dripped from your forehead, looking down to see your chest decently exposed. Namjoon stood in front of you, face turning pink.

“Shit. Damn Joon should’ve told me to pack some different clothes” You pull of your gloves, setting them down before you unbutton the rest of your shirt and let it slide off of your shoulders, leaving you in a simple nude bra. It wasn’t meant for sports but you didn’t really care. Namjoon wiped the sweat from his forehead and eyed you up and down.

“I think I’m gonna uh…take a break” He gulped. You grinned, knowing that you were making him hot and bothered. He went towards the back of the warehouse where there were a few open showers.

He turned the water up cold, letting it run over him and his pants. You watched as he set his arms out, leaning against the wall so the water hit his muscular back.

“Joonie” You cooed, walking up to him. “Don’t be shy with me”

Namjoon didn’t dare look at you as you walked up behind him, wrapping your arms around his toned waist, letting your fingers tug at his waistband. You pressed your lips into his back.

“Can you be a good boy for me and take this off hm?” You whispered. Namjoon’s breath was shaky and his eyes were clenched shut. He swallowed, trembling as he did as you asked, his wet pants falling to the dirty floor. You turned him around to face you, but his eyes remained glued to the floor.

“Joonie…look at me” You tilted his face up, ad he reluctantly met your eyes.

“Y/n…” He mumbled as you went on your tippy toes, letting your arms snake around his neck. “A…are you sure?”

“You tell me” You grinned, sucking lightly on his neck. Namjoon cursed under his breath, tilting his head to give you more room.

“I…I’ve wanted you for so long” Namjoon leaned back, the water from the shower now soaking you too. He stroked the wet strands of hair from your eyes, before leaning down and kissing you. You could feel him quivering from your touch.

“I really like you” He kept talking, his words barely making it into your brain as you were far too focused on how you were planning on getting him down on his knees.

“Is that right baby?” You cupped his cheek, letting your thumb tug at his lips. “Why don’t you show me huh?” You were down to roleplay, not realizing that for Namjoon his words were his truth.

“C…can I…see your tits…please?” Namjoon’s hands hovered over your body, not ready to touch you without your explicit permission.

“Go ahead” He unclasped your bra, and it fell to the floor. Namjoon gasped. It wasn’t that he hadn’t seen them before. He had—but he still couldn’t quite believe it. His cock twitched, and he was ready to burst then and there, overwhelmed that he even made it this far with you. He cried out in discomfort, his boxers tight against his rigid cock.

“Y/n…please” Namjoon whined, grabbing your breast with one hand while he bent down to suckle the other.

“Fuck” You muttered, his sloppy tongue rilling you up as he desperately licked away at your tits.

“Please it hurts so bad” His cried vibrated into your chest as you stroked his hair affectionately. He sucked you harshly before switching to the other breast.

“Tell me what you need baby…use your words”

“Can I just…put my…if it’s okay I just” Namjoon let go of your breasts and stood up straight. “Wanna fuck you. Want you to ride me. If…that’s okay” You smiled at him.

“Of course baby, let’s go sit you down over there and then mama will take care of you” Namjoon’s eyes widened at your words, his knees wobbling. He gripped your shoulders, furrowing his brows and trying his best not to cum in front of you like an idiot without even being touched.

You led him over to the closest bench, where he sat down, sliding down his boxers so that his cock stood proud. You knew he wouldn’t last long, but seeing how he looked like he was gonna burst into tears, you weren’t about to shatter his dreams. Ridding your own underwear, you straddled him slowly.

His eyes were closed again, much to your dismay. “Joonie. Look at me.” You lightly slapped his cheek. His eyes met yours, wide and watery. He was a mess for you and you had never felt so powerful.

You sank down on him, watching as he cried out, his moans echoing throughout the empty warehouse. He set his hands at your waist as you raised yourself back up, the sweet drag of his cock sliding seamlessly down your wet walls.

“Oh my god Y/n” Namjoon buried his face into your neck as you continued to ride him slowly, bouncing up and down on his cock while he moaned out your name like it was the only word he knew.

You grabbed his face, pushing your lips onto his and shutting him up. His hands slid up to grab your breasts, fondling them desperately as you rolled your hips into him.

He pinched your nipples between his fingers, causing you to moan into his mouth. He let one hand fall to your clit and began rubbing you rapidly.

“Wanna make you feel good too” He murmured, words enveloped by your kisses. For whatever show he put on, you could tell he knew exactly what he was doing, drawing soft circles on your clit and making your pussy leak onto him right away. You clenched down, causing Namjoon to almost scream into your mouth with pleasure.

“Wanna cum for mama? It hurts doesn’t it baby?” You teased. Namjoon pouted at you and nodded. You kissed his cheek. “I know it does baby. I know it hurts” You stroked his back, bouncing faster and faster on him.

“Y/n…fuck…please can I cum inside you? I can’t…I can’t hold back any longer” Namjoon bit down on your shouder, trying as hard as he could not to cum.

“It’s okay. You can cum, I got you baby” It was all it took for him to spill into you, his load seeming never ending. When he was done he hugged you tight to his chest, keeping his cock inside you, not wanting to lose your warmth.

The two of your remained like that for a while. You hummed lightly as Namjoon stroked your back. He cleared his throat.

“I’m gonna register for another fight. Against Jin. We still don’t have a clear winner but I’ve been training almost every day—I have to win” He growled lightly.

“Just be careful okay” You kissed his cheek. He shook his head.

“I don’t care what it takes. I have to win. I have to. I’m gonna win” You squinted at him, seeing an almost crazed glint. “I’m gonna win and finally get my prize” What prize? Money?

-

Working with Yoongi was different. There were far less drugs involved. In a way you were grateful that you were finally getting the real work experience you came for, but you did miss having fun with Hobi and Namjoon in the studio. Yoongi was quite serious about his work, and you admired that. He wouldn’t pay too much attention to you most of the time, simply asking you your thoughts on certain tracks every now and then.

“Tonight the title track drops as a single” He muttered, typing frantically on his laptop. You sat by his side, watching as he finished up some emails “It’ll drop around midnight.” He picked up his phone “Get Jimin in here.”

You groaned, recalling that you were expected to go over to his place tonight. Yoongi noticed your displeasure, raising his eyebrows but didn’t say anything.

“What” Jimin barged into the studio. You hated how disrespectful he was, especially to someone as talented as Yoongi.

“Your single is dropping tonight. Thought you’d wanna know. We should celebrate.” Yoongi shut his laptop and glanced at the both of you. Jimin grinned.

“Oh hell yeah. Party at my place.” He winked at you, “Wear something nice babygirl”

You choked, coughing to try to cover it up. You missed the way Yoongi glared at Jimin when he said that before he motioned for him to leave.

“Does Jimin bother you?” Yoongi asked, a hint—barely a hint—of genuine concern in his voice. You sighed.

“No sir. He’s just a typical rockstar”

What were you gonna wear? It was a formal event. Namjoon had made it clear that he would rather jump off of a cliff than step foot in Jimin’s place so he wouldn’t be going, and you hadn’t heard from or seen Hobi in a while. You assumed Yoongi would be there, so you wanted to look good, just in case. Although deep down you knew that if anyone was fucking you tonight it would likely end up being Jimin himself.

You chose a silky gold slip dress, looking at yourself in the mirror and almost not recognizing yourself without your usual grunge look. You wondered if Yoongi would still wear his chains. You shivered in excitement.

Jimin wanted you there early. He claimed to need to talk to you, but you knew he was probably just trying to get his dick wet. As you walked into the penthouse you were shocked at how clean the place was. He really had decked the place out for a nice party—his living room rearranged.

“Hey” You noticed Taehyung emerging from the kitchen. He looked so different, you had to blink to make sure it was really him. 

He had dyed his hair black, a striking contrast to the mint green you had become familiar with, plus instead of his leather jacket and jeans he had on a fitted grey blazer with a crisp white shirt underneath. He looked fantastic.

“Damn you clean up nice” He grinned, “He’s waiting for you.” Taehyung motioned towards Jimin’s closed room. He quickly pulled you into a light hug, whispering in your ear “If he does anything you don’t want you just say it and I will fucking stop him okay?” You gulped, nodding lightly.

“Will you be watching?” You teased, letting your lips glide over his ear. Taehyung simply smiled and pressed a soft kiss to your cheek before smacking your ass playfully.

“Go get em girl” He let you go, watching as you headed towards Jimin’s room.

It wasn’t anything like you expected. The lights were dim, there were candles everywhere. All over his floor were rose petals. So cliche. You smirked to yourself.

Jimin emerged from his bathroom, looking astounding. He looked younger—like he did back in the days you would be worshiping his body day and night. His hair was styled similarly, up revealing his forehead. His shirt fit him great and you couldn’t help but notice that he chose to wear dangling earrings.

“You came”

Your breath hitched as he came towards you, and you subconsciously backed away from him until he was towering over you—your back pressed against the wall. He took your hands into his, kissing the tops of them softly.

“Stop blackmailing me. I don’t give a fuck if you send that video to Yoongi alright, he won’t care. He’ll protect me from an ass like you” Jimin let your hands drop as he circled your waist, touching his forehead to yours. Your heart skipped a beat. His face was so close to yours—but it wasn’t like before. He was actually looking at you. His eyes clean of any substance.

“I won’t send it. I told Taehyung to delete it. I want you to want this” He whispered, his breath landing in shimmers on your lips. For once he didn’t smell like tobacco. His lips looked incredibly soft, a sweet red tint making them pop.

He gazed at you, his hand traveling up your back where he found the zipper of your dress. “You look incredible. Better than I could have ever imagined” He was breathless. The way he was speaking made you want to melt. It was like every fantasy of your teenage years was coming to life in front of your eyes. He tugged at your zipper.

“I’m sorry for being an ass” He rolled his head against yours, letting his lips trace your cheeks. “You deserve better” He inhaled your scent as you felt him slowly tug the zipper down—your dress sliding off with it. You gasped as the fabric swept over your body until it was a pile on the floor. Jimin stepped back to look at you.

You hadn’t worn a bra, considering your dress was backless. At that point you had also chosen to go without panties—what was the worst that could happen? You’d flash your boss? You wished that would happen.

Jimin was gaping at you before a mischievous smile took his face. Your heart sunk, recognizing the familiar predatory gaze in his eyes.

“So naughty, you were ready for me weren’t you” He began unbuttoning his own shirt, letting it slide off of his shoulders before letting his hand grasp your neck. He pushed his thumb to your lip, tilting your head back.

You shut your eyes, knowing full well what he would do next—but instead Jimin bent down and kissed you softly. His grip loosened, cupping your cheek as he deepened the kiss.

He pressed his chest against yours, his skin burning against you. The heat from the candles was persistent—it was too warm. Your body was flushed. It was the heat. You tried to convince yourself. Your tried to convince yourself that you weren’t enjoying Park Jimin kissing you like you were his.

He lifted you into his arms, lips not leaving yours as he carefully laid you onto his silk sheets. “Tell me what you want baby girl, let daddy take care of you today” He whispered, kissing you all over your face with light pecks before moving to your neck.

You stared at the ceiling, squirming under him as your heart began pounding through your chest. You were overwhelmed. It had been so long since you were fucked like this. On a bed, with delicate care. You weren’t normally a fan, but with everything you had been through you found yourself sighing in relief.

Jimin moved his kisses to your chest, kissing every inch of you as if he was trying to memorize every crevice of your body with his lips. You arched your back in pleasure as his lips wrapped around your breast. He didn’t linger, continuing to kiss the rest of your stomach. You giggled as you felt ticklish when he kissed above your belly. Your eyes were blown—full of yearning. Park Jimin was kissing you—kissing you everywhere. You didn’t want to wake up from this.

As he proceeded to go down on you, you glanced around his room. Your eyes landed on his bathroom door, that was just slightly open. Is Taehyung there? Is he watching? You buckled your hips as Jimin kissed the tops of your thighs. You felt him smile, thinking you reacted to him. But you were imagining Taehyung’s intense gaze—from who knows where.

Jimin climbed back up your body and kissed you again. “My pretty girl” He ran his finger over your throbbing core, teasing it with his soft touch. He watched you, hovering slightly as his fingers brushed back and forth. Your pussy clenched, as if it was trying to catch his finger and swallow it in. You whined out, hands finding his shoulders and pulling him closer to you.

“Daddy” You whined softly, biting your lip. Jimin watched you close your eyes and savor his fleeting touch. “Daddy please” You moaned, prompting Jimin to glide a finger into your sopping cunt. You squealed with pleasure as he moved it excruciatingly slow, in and out, teasing you. He let his head fall against your neck as he continued to finger you. He loved how desperate your pussy was for him.

“Does my baby girl want more?” He teased, nibbling your shoulder. You nodded quickly, and he obeyed, inserting another finger. You groaned—the stretch feeling so good. You needed him to go faster. It wasn’t enough. You spread your thighs, hoping to urge him on, but he didn’t relent. Your nails dug into Jimin’s shoulders.

“Faster” You could barely make a noise, legs quivering with desperation. “Faster daddy please” You were practically crying, and Jimin loved it. He sped up, the sound of your wetness becoming increasingly evident as you soaked his fingers. You bit your lip, nodding rapidly as pleasure soared through you. Jimin watched you, grinning at your reactions. “Yes…yes…like that…more please. Please daddy” You tried to push yourself down onto his fingers more. Jimin noticed this—and pulled them out of your completely. You groaned in frustration, the feeling of fullness leaving you suddenly.

“Did I say you could move?” He took his fingers and shoved them in your mouth. You frowned at the taste of yourself but sucked on them anyways.

“W..as…s..close” You tried speaking as Jimin pushed his fingers farther down your throat. You gagged on them before he pulled them out and dove in for another kiss.

“Bad girls don’t get to cum” Jimin’s voice was so soft, it had you trembling. He got off of you briefly to unbuckled his pants, kicking them off along with his boxers.

His cock was throbbing, eager for some sort of stimulation. He took your hand, guiding it to wrap around his hardened length and giving it a few pumps.

“Daddy’s never fucked you like this has he hm?” Jimin cooed at you, climbing back over you as he lined his cock to your entrance. You widened your thighs, shaking your head. Jimin clicked his tongue “Daddy’s bad. Daddy should fuck his good little girl right” He teased his tip into your folds, moaning loudly at how wet your were as your cunt swallowed him in. He stills momentarily, and the two of your share an intimate stare. Jimin’s heart is speeding, and so is yours. You don’t know what has gotten into him—he doesn’t either. He sinks into you, crying out your name.

“Oh fuck baby oh fuck” Jimin whines, “So good. So fucking good baby, you feel so fucking good” He panted, his voice getting louder. He dug himself as far into you as he could go. “Baby…you’re so tight…holy shit” He tilts his head back in ecstasy—his expressions making you tighten on him even more. He drags his long cock out, angling his hips again before thrusting into you again, this time much faster.

“Baby…my good fucking girl…oh my God” Jimin was losing control. The pleasure began clouding his judgement, making him almost dizzy. He didn’t even realize that he had sped up much more. He didn’t notice that he had grabbed your neck, choking you down like he normally does. He didn’t notice that your moans had swapped out for winces of pain as he pounded into you relentlessly. His eyes were shut. He was gone—lost in the sweet feeling of you.

You came, much to your dismay, as Jimin’s filthy curses and praises got to your head. Your body jerked, twitching all over as you cried out helplessly. You felt good, but were upset that Jimin had gone back to his usual ways. Taehyung are you seeing this? You looked around again. Was he watching from a camera maybe? You looked at the television in front of Jimin’s bed. Squinting your eyes, you could see a slightly gleam coming from the top. Is that it? Do you see me Taehyung? You stared at it, choking as Jimin continued to fuck you silly.

“Stop” You could barely breathe. You tapped Jimin’s shoulders but he didn’t notice. He wasn’t looking. He was too caught up. “Please” You croaked, “Jimin slow down…stop I can’t—I can’t” The air was knocked out of your lungs as Jimin tightened his grip more. You felt your eyes bulge as his hot cum shot into you. His hands fell off to your side and you took the deepest breath you could conjure—little black specks already decorating your vision. Jimin was panting, a big smiled on his face as he looked down at you.

Tears rolled down your face as your gasped for more air. Jimin jumped off of you, realizing what he had done. “Holy shit Y/n” He muttered, looking around frantically for water. On cue, Taehyung barged into the room, tossing him a bottle.

“Don’t look at her!” Jimin screeched at Taehyung as he pulled the covers over your shaking body. You took the water from him and gulped it down, steadying yourself. You gave Taehyung a thankful look and he nodded to you. “I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry. I didn’t…shit I’m so sorry” Jimin pleaded as he helped you sit up, stroking your back.

“Deleted the video by the way” Taehyung walked over to you and sat down by your side. “Jimin, Yoongi and the others are here. You better go, I’ll take care of her” Jimin gave Taehyung a grateful pat on the back as he quickly got dressed, running to the bathroom to fix up his hair and makeup.

You let your eyes flutter shut, Taehyung taking the bottle from you and stroking your hair. You doze off, not seeing Taehyung open a familiar video on his own phone, before hitting send.

-

Jimin did his rounds, plastering a fake smile to entertain and welcome his guests. He excused himself as fast as he could. Yoongi grabbed his shoulder, noticing him trying to leave.

“You okay?” Jimin sighed. Yoongi was one of the only people he could confide in.

“I just need some air. I’ll be back” Yoongi nodded in understanding, letting him go. Jimin found his way out of the building. He paced back and forth on the sidewalk, beating himself up for his actions. God, what was wrong with him? He groaned in frustration, stomping his foot. 

You were the closest thing to happiness he had felt in so long and he went ahead and fucked it up just like he had done with everything—his music, his career, and even his drug empire was on the cusp of falling apart all because of the Death Valley bastards. 

He took a deep breath before reaching into his back pocket to pull out a cigarette and a lighter. He needed a smoke—bad. As he lit the cig, he noticed a black cadillac rolling into the parking lot at a frantic speed. He stopped momentarily, looking up as the car swiveled out of control.

Until it was headed straight for him.

-

People really thought it was a PR stunt. You rolled your eyes as you scrolled through social media at the news that Jimin was in the hospital after being in a car accident. Right after his song dropped nonetheless. You felt bad—the song was doing really well, but he wasn’t even conscious to see it. You yourself really liked it. It reminded you of his older work, but with a more mature touch to it. You could feel that the boy was struggling with something dark within himself. That was something you could relate to.

Taehyung had been wild when he found out, immediately making calls and screaming at people over the phone. You assumed that the accident was probably…not an accident, given his reaction. You wanted to go see him as soon as you could. Yoongi luckily gave everyone the day off to cope, and you headed over first thing in the morning.

Your eyes became teary as a nurse led you to the room Jimin was in. He was unconscious, and looked absolutely beat. You sat by his side, fluffing his hair affectionately. The nurse left the two of you alone, and you leaned down to give a soft kiss on his lips, naively wondering if like sleeping beauty he might wake up. Of course he didn’t. This wasn’t a fairy tale—it was far from it.

You had been up all night thinking about it. You finally understood was Jin had meant when he suggested that you knew too much. Did Namjoon do this? The car was the same kind as his was. He did hate Jimin passionately, you knew this for a fact. But would he really go this far?

You thought back to your last interactions with Namjoon. He did seem to be a little out of his mind lately. You figured it was the drugs. You made a mental note to ask Jungkook what exactly he’s on.

He had been so aggressive about wanting to win the upcoming fight. Did he do this on purpose? You recalled that he said Jimin made him lose the last time. You felt queasy. Maybe all the shit you and Namjoon had been through really got to him, and this was him reacting.

The driver of the car was not found at the site of the accident, and it was by sheer luck that Jimin was even alive according to the police.

You pulled out Seokjin’s business card, finally fed up with all of this. It was getting too dangerous. You no longer felt safe. You dialed his number.

As the phone rang you heard the door swing open. You smiled sheepishly, waving at the familiar cheery face you hadn’t seen for so long. The face of a man that Namjoon had made you doubt. You were questioning everything now. It was Hobi.

-

Seokjin had headphones blaring his favorite songs as he jogged in place, getting himself pumped up at a local gym. He let out a few punches into the air. He was ready to beat Namjoon shitless. He was pleased. Pleased that you had finally called him, agreeing to meet with him and cooperating. He was so close to finding out the person behind all the madness—he just needed to get to Jimin.

The two of you agreed to meet later in the day. You had told him a brief amount of what all you knew and thought, but he recommended not giving details over the phone. Jin knew that gangs were smart enough to wire tap phones of their associates, especially ones who knew as much as you did.

“So you’re Jin” He turned, a man walked in, leaning casually against the wall. “Nice to meet you” He smirked before adding “Officer”

Jin turned quickly, grabbing a pistol and aiming it at the man who simply laughed. “Relax officer. I’m not who you’re after.”

Jin gritted his teeth, not letting his gun down. “What do you want?”

“See. There’s this girl.” He showed Jin a live video of you on his phone, “I have a guy there, on standby to shoot her brains out. Now you can prevent that” He walked closer to Jin, grinning widely.

“What do you want? I can fucking kill you dumbass”

The man shrugged, “You could. But then he will still kill Y/n. The only way he backs down is if he hears from me” The man brings up his own gun, aiming it right back at Jin, “That you’re gonna throw the fight”

“So you are a gangster.” He rolled his eyes.

“Poor Y/n. All alone at the hospital with no one to save her”

“Hospital? Why?”

“Oh didn’t you hear? Park Jimin got in a little accident” The man flashed a evil smile. Jin shuddered.

“Ok, ok. I’ll lose, just don’t fucking touch her. I want a guarantee” Jin raised his arms, lowering his gun to the ground.

“Lose the fight first. Then we’ll deliver her right to you, officer” He turned around to leave, and Jin tried to memorize every detail he could of the man—he had to be connected to Jimin somehow. He noticed the tattoo on his back, and his eyes widened.

The tattoo was of your name.

ᐊ——[ previous ] series navi | masterlist | [ next ]——ᐅ

a/n: again thank you for being patient <3 since butter (and bbmas, and like a bunch of other shit) is coming next week, part 4 will be postponed until after. lets give the boys our all and enjoy everything coming--stream butter, go vote for our boys on twitter, do ya thing you beautiful humans. have a great day as always and thank you for reading! PLS LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK i love hearing your guys’ thoughts :) part 4 smut pairs are up too. JIN PPL JUST TRUST ME OK HES REALLY IMPORTANT YOU WILL SEE

taglist: @imluckybitches @gee-nee @missseoulite @hcneybees @kooookie @queenmasterxx @crustycaitlin @virgo-and-libra @un2-verse @winter-melontea @equivocacies​ @infernal-alpaca @shrimpmsg @meowmeowyoongles @rjsmochii @liltangerined @littlrmills14-blog @issysor @arandomblackgirl @adoringinsanity @giadalin @jeontier @kaithezaftig @jinssexytoe @nonnis97@minyoongiboongi @happygirl62304 

[laurenairay]

If its still available, #9 for mika zibanejad

Thank you choosing Mika for this one, anon – it’s always a joy to write for this sweetheart! Also tagging @tippedbykreider as it’s because of her I adore this beautiful man.

“You came all the way to give it back to me?”

Words: 958

*

Here goes nothing. You knocked on the front door that you’d walked away from only a few months ago, taking a deep breath as you heard footsteps shuffling the other side. Eventually the door opened, revealing your ex-boyfriend, who took one look at you and sighed.

“What are you doing here?” Mika said tiredly.

You swallowed heavily, biting your lip briefly as you looked him over. To anyone that didn’t know him well, they probably wouldn’t notice any difference. But that wasn’t the case for you – three years with him had given you plenty of time to notice all the little things about Mika, and there was so much that concerned you already. The way his hair was ever so greasy at the roots – he hated letting his hair look so unkempt, and you couldn’t actually remember any time other than when he was sick with the flu that he’d let it get this way since you’d known him. There were also the little dark circles under his eyes – he had always been a good sleeper, always woke up with glowing skin, always looked awake and perky and fresh, so for him to have those tired eyes? And then there were his lips – usually so soft and perfect, so pink and pink, but right now they were dry and chapped, with a clear crack in the bottom lip too, and it wasn’t like him to neglect his self-care like this.

And it only solidified your gut feeling of needing to come over to see him tonight.

“I wanted to give you this back,” you murmured.

Mika frowned as you held out your hand, but his lips parted as you opened your fist to reveal a soft pink scrunchie. His soft pink scrunchie.

“You came all the way to give it back to me?” he said softly, confused.

“Yes?” you said hesitantly.

Mika’s confusion shifted to a soft smile. “Really?” he said, raising an eyebrow.

You felt your cheeks heat up, busted, but you bit your bottom lip briefly before offering him a shrug. He always had been able to read you, always did call you out on the untruths, and even though you weren’t together anymore, clearly that hadn’t changed.

“I miss you. I miss you so much. And maybe it’s crazy but I had to see you,” you admitted.

Mika huffed out a laugh, shaking his head. “You’d better come inside. My neighbours don’t need to hear this.”

Well he had a point there – and there was no way you were going to waste this chance, not if he was extending the olive branch like this. Mika stepped to the side, letting you walk past him into the house you used to call your home, but it wasn’t until he’d closed the door behind you that he cleared his throat.

“I thought you didn’t want to wait around for a guy who couldn’t prioritise you?” Mika said softly.

You winced at the sadness in his eyes, knowing that all the stupid things you’d said to him in the heat of the moment were just that – angry flyaway comments that should never have been said, and yet you’d said them all to his face anyway. And you’d hurt him.

But the fact that he was even still standing there, talking to you, holding the scrunchie that you’d – let’s be honest – used as an excuse to see him again, it gave you hope.

“I was stupid. And wrong, so so wrong, Mika. I was angry at your schedule, at the fucking NHL having a Rangers away game on my birthday. Every year you missed things that were important to me, through no fault of your own, and that night was three years of built up frustration. I should never have taken that out on you,” you said softly.

If you could be vulnerable with him right now, be completely honest, putting all your cards out on the table, then it had to mean something, right?

“No you shouldn’t have. It wasn’t fair on me at all, and you know it. You knew it then and you still said it anyway. What changed, for you to come back here?” Mika said shortly.

Alright, you deserved that, you could admit it, his words and his tone of voice.

“Waking up in a bed that isn’t ours, without your arms around me, it doesn’t feel right. Not hearing your off-key singing in the shower, or smelling the amazing food you cook, or making you laugh so hard that you get tears in your eyes – I miss it. I miss you. And I miss us, because we were so good, and I threw it all away like an idiot.”

Mika’s lips parted in surprise at your rant, his cheeks flushing softly, but it was the small smile on his lips that made you lose a little of the tension in your shoulders.

“You’re not an idiot,” he murmured.

You let out a dry laugh, shaking your head. “I let you go, of course I am.”

He chewed his bottom lip as he fell silent in thought, and it was all you could do to keep your hands from shaking, your heart completely laid out for him. If he turned you away now, that was it. There was nothing left that you could say. It was all on him now, as it should be.

“Do you want to stay for a drink?”

Mika’s soft voice broke you out of your spiralling thoughts, and his smile widened into a grin as he realised it too. But you just nodded, smiling shyly back. This was your chance, your second chance with him, and there was no way you were going to waste it.

“I’d like that.”

[hopeless-ro-simptic]

Familiar Cerulean Eyes pt 9

Click Here for other parts! Part 10 is up! 

Warnings: Character death. Kind of torture. This is a very dark chapter and I’m really sorry about it. 

Word Count: 2.4 K

TAGLIST: @skzero-99 @superblyspeedydragon @jparra4587 @flyingowls @emrysaaryn @imuziawi @sheedaabee @peculiarinsomniac @littlelovebug98 @plutoneu @giftofwonder @kitty-kat-ash @fukyouthink @anarchys-bnha-mess @threbony @orenjineki @toobsessedsstuff @bamf-barnes @x-a-delama-x @inanabsentia @reallyshey @godsblesstheboi @operatorsdime @drownedbytears @emilymikado @fluidfandoms @gotagan @mikasackrmann @flowersgirl02 @bohica160 @andrastesbeard​ @riapxq @percabethismyotp14​ @celestiallustre​ @moon-spirit-yue​ @hecatve​

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Shockingly, the door hadn’t been dusted like you thought, apparently the red eyed alpha could, in fact, open a door regularly. As soon as Dabi noticed Shigaraki, he immediately started to scent you again, a reflex from his alpha. You could clearly see the wrinkle of disgust at the other alpha’s scent across Shigaraki’s face from where you were on the floor, but he didn’t seem like he cared that much about you. The other league members did however.

“Y/N! Are you okay? That looked like a nasty spill. That was funny, did you see her face when she fell?.” The mask covered Beta was holding in face in exaggerated shock while the shorter perky blonde squatting down and pushing back your hair from your face, poking at the caked blood as she frowned.

“Who made you bleed Y/n? I wanted to do that.”

“Don’t touch her,” Dabi glared at the small blonde.

“Get off the floor you idiots. What did you do to Compress?”

Dabi helped you get up, lightly shoving you to stand behind him in a protective stance, one which you noticed Shigaraki rolled his eyes at and the smaller blonde pouted at.

“Let me guess, he tried to touch your precious omega? Do I need to worry about your loyalty Dabi?”

“He tried to force bond her.” This ripped a gasp out of the two beta’s perfectly in sync with each other.

The red eyes shifted onto your own, taking in the bruised state you were in, the way you were clutching your stomach in slight pain. The dried blood that was still caked onto your head. You watched him back, ready to tuck and run at the first sign of attack, but he only reached a hand up to scratch at his neck, where his bond mark should be.

“How aggravating. We can’t have our members fighting, and but I can’t ignore Compress’s actions. Hmm.” You watched him argue with himself internally before his eyes snapped up to your own again.

“How should we punish him?”

“What?” You spluttered. Why was he asking you that? What did he mean punishment? Compress was already burnt to a crisp as he had put it. Were they going to kill him?

“You were the one he hurt. How should we punish him?”

“What do you mean punish? Dabi already beat him up.” You pulled into yourself, not liking where this conversation was going. What did he want you to say?

“You’re one of us now. Someone slighted you, hurt you. They need to be punished. How do you want to handle it?” There was almost a smile gracing his chapped lips as he watched your reaction. What was he saying… one of us.

“I-I don’t… want to hurt him.”

“That’s not an option.”

“Shi-“ Dabi tried to step in but Shigaraki cut him off immediately, a glare being sent his way. The two beta’s remaining silent behind him, mixed emotions across both of their faces.

“Not an option.”

Dabi barley glanced back at you, a sheepish look on his face before nodding at Shigaraki. Twice looked like he really wanted to say something but held his tongue.

“W-wait what do you mean not an option? I don’t want to hurt him, I don’t want anything to do with him. Dabi already dealt with him. It’s fine. I’m okay. Please.” The scent in the room was growing more and more anxious as Shigaraki stared at you, his face unreadable. There was no way he actually expected you to give a death sentence to one of his members.

“What is his punishment Y/N?”

“I don’t know!” You chirped, watching as Toga and Twice exchanged a look, Dabi running his hands across his face pulling at the staples slightly. Why was he letting them hound you like this? He wouldn’t even meet your eyes, you barely could hear him as him mumbled, directed at Shigaraki.

“She’s not ready for this. She’s not like us.”

“She will be. Bring her.” Shigaraki took off down the hall, the two beta’s barely looking at you, before following after. Dabi finally glanced at you, a look of guilt on his face as he reached for your hand, which you shoved away.

“What is going on To-“

“Don’t call me that. Not here, come on.” He shoved his hands in his pockets nodding towards the way the other had gone, his face pulling into the disinterested mask he had so perfected.

“And If I say no? I don’t wan-”

“You don’t have a choice.” You flinched as he looked away from you, stoic as ever. He looked like he didn’t have a care in the world, like he didn’t give a shit about you or what you wanted, like the two of you hadn’t just..

“You sound like your father.”

There was no warning as he let out a snarl. Before you could even realize what you just said you were shoved up against a wall, your shirt gripped tightly in his fist as he towered over you, his skin hot to the touch, fire in his eyes. You held your breath. He wouldn’t actually hurt you would he?

Enji hurt Rei.

You let out a soft chirp, Dabi’s face immediately showing regret as he saw the fear creeping into your eyes and your scent.

“Princess… I…” He let you go backing away running his hands through his hair as he tried to get his thoughts and emotions under control. You could see the anger still in him, could see him fighting with himself.

“Y/N, I’m a villain, a bad guy.  This isn’t a game. This is literally the League of Villains you are dealing with. If you’re going to be with me I can’t protect you from this shit. This is my life. This is my…these are my friends. This isn’t going to be sunshine and roses.” You stayed silent as he ranted, watching as he paced back and forth.

“I’ve killed people Y/N, and I’m going to kill more before everything is done. This is real.” It was one thing to know in the back of your mind that Dabi was a murderer, that he hurt people on purpose, that at some point he probably took pleasure in it. It was another thing to hear him say it. Your omega was silent for once.

Words wouldn’t come to you. He had stopped pacing and was staring at you from across the narrow hallway. Watching as your brain attempted to make sense of how you felt. You stayed silent.

He let out an audible sigh after a minute or so. Glancing down the hallway where the others had disappeared to, before steadying himself, his emotions being concealed behind his mask once again.

“You said you didn’t care if you were free as long as you were with me. This life … it let’s you have a lot of freedom that you didn’t before, but for you it’ll just be another cage. If that’s… if I’m not what you want then I’ll get you out of it. But if you are going to stick around… “ He paused looking back over at you, his eyes burning into your own. He didn’t need to finish his sentence, the implication hanging in the air between the  two of you.

If you stayed, you would be surrounded by criminals, murderers, psychopaths, and they would be your only allies. If you stayed, they would expect you to help out, to be fully emersed in their group, to become a villain, even if you didn’t fight. If you stayed, you would be expected to hurt people in some way or form. There was no way you couldn’t be apart of this and still be with him. You would have to choose a side.  

Him or your sanity.

For you, there was no choice.

You pushed your body off of the wall, keeping your eyes on his for a brief moment, forcing yourself to steel your nerves mimicking his mask of no emotions to the best of your ability, before turning and walking down the hallway that the others took.

You didn’t see the slow smile that crossed Dabi’s lips.

 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You’re steeled expression faltered when you stepped into the room, Dabi holding the door open for you, ushering you in, the rest of the team already there waiting expectantly. Compress was bandaged up in the bed in the middle of the room that was covered in dried blood, not all of it his. You could barely smell his alpha’s scent, it being heavily diluted by the rest of the smells in the room, but even the small whiff you had gotten made you want to throw up.

The second his molten eyes met yours you felt yourself taking several steps back into Dabi’s large frame, his hands landing on your hips to steady you as he blocked the door. The whole room was spinning, and you could feel the bile rising in your throat. You’re eyes trailed across his body, seeing just how much damage Dabi had done to him. His skin was blistered, and raw, dried blood and fresh blood splattered across it. It looked like his face had taken a good brunt of the fire, but you were unable to tell, his lower body being completely wrapped.  

You expected this, you told yourself, you knew that Dabi had gotten ahold of Mr. Compress. You knew it couldn’t have ended well for the other alpha. You knew what fire could do to a person and you after seeing this you were shocked that Compress was alive. What you didn’t expect was the anger that flared up inside of you. A little voice telling you it wasn’t enough, not for what he did.

You were prepared for Dabi to have thoughts like this. You weren’t prepared for yourself.

The room was silent for a moment except for Compress’s labored breathing and every breath he took only made your anger burn brighter. You hated that you felt this way, but you hated his eyes on you more.

“I think she’s ready now,” Your eyes stayed on Compress, but you could hear the furtive smile in Shigaraki’s voice. “What should his punishment be?”

There was that question again, but this time vile thoughts flashed inside your head. The thoughts were clear as day in your mind, whispering to you. You took a step towards him, then another until you were standing over him. Your eyes scanning his own only seeing anger before dropping to the damage that was done.

You had seen plenty of burn victims in your life to know Compress couldn’t handle more.

“He’s going to die if you do anything else to him... he might die anyways.” The sound of your own voice was foreign to you. You expected it to come out shaky, scared, but it came out almost as unfeeling as Dabi’s did.

“That’s true.” Kurogiri spoke, watching you from the corner of the room, all eyes were on you, other than Twice’s who were switching back and forth between you and Compress, almost giving himself whiplash. In any other situation it would have been comical.

“Is he on medication? For the pain?” Your voice almost sounded concerned this time, almost. Your eyes following a tube that disappeared under the blanket, attached to a bag up on the table next to him.

“Mhm” Shigaraki answered this time, his voice a mere hum as he scratched away at his neck, his eyes watching your shaking hands with eagerness. Everyone couldn’t wait to see what you would do. No one cared at this point what happened to Compress. Not after what he did. Just because they were villains didn’t mean they didn’t have a code of ethics. A forced bond was unforgivable. The only reason to keep him around was his quirk. Shigaraki knew he was a good ally, but only if he could be trusted, and after this he knew he couldn’t be. Tomura was okay with using him to test Dabi’s little pet.

You could see the seething anger settling in Compresses eyes. You could tell he hated you, which was only proved when he twitched his good hand to be touching your arm, causing Dabi to lurch forward to protect you, only for Compress to let out a noise of frustration, barely to be heard. Compress’s quirk wouldn’t work on you. You already knew it and now everyone in the room knew it too, watching with awe.

It would work on your precious Alpha though.

You could see the thought click in Compresses brain, clear as day. You were pretty sure if the agile Alpha had been at full health he would have been faster than you by a landslide. But he was burnt almost beyond recognition and you were pretty sure the only reason he was able to move at all was due to the amount of what you assumed was morphine he was on. You easily slid over, blocking Dabi from his feeble grasp, gripping Compress’s offending arm, yanking the IV out of it’s place and shoving his arm roughly back against his own chest, watching as he let out a low howl of pain.

You wrapped up the tub and bag, tossing it back to Kurogiri before turning and stalking out of the room with Dabi at your heels, a whisper barely leaving your lips but still being heard clearly by everyone. “Let him suffer.”

Once you were outside of the room, you finally took a deep breath, Dabi pulling into him, his arms wrapping around you, burring your face in his chest. You could hear the other members talking lowly in the room, and it was only a couple minutes before you could hear the hoarse agonized screams of Compress as his body registered the pain he was in. You tried to pull away, to run back in there and reattach the IV so that you didn’t have to hear what you just put the villain through. So you didn’t hear those awful sounds, but Dabi just crushed you tighter against himself, cooing in your ear softly to distract you.

The screams felt like they lasted hours, but in reality was only a couple minutes before they quieted all at once. Tomura Shigaraki stepped out of the room with the others following behind, a quiet nod to you in recognition, the scent of amber and leather disappearing completely, his glove missing from his hand.

You pushed Dabi away just in time to avoid getting vomit on him. What did you just do?

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[robustcornhusk]

I got tagged to answer a “92 questions” meme by @brighterflowers​, but it's 53 questions, and very much a teenage audience circa 10 years ago, so instead i'm going to answer... some asked questions and some new questions that i made up because i wanted to. this means i'm not answering the asked questions, but hopefully i'm answering interesting questions, which is half the point? maybe?

am i going to tag anyone else? no! too shy for that shit!

Most recent... beverage: my partner made me pour-over coffee a few minutes ago; we "fought" over who got to reseal the vacuum canister.

phone call: a few weeks ago, i called my partner to ask what pies they wanted from the handpie shop. they didn't pick up because they didn't recognize my number... but i did get the right pies.

text message: either a group message to partner & -y, giving -y grief about prefering blondies to brownies, or a message to -y, telling him to watch a movie with an actor he likes in it. they were contemporaneous.

discord message: group chat complaining about needing to paint my bedroom.

time you cried: some time in the last week, due to allergies

life facts: List 3 favorite colors: bright lavender, traffic light green, sky blue. or terra cotta, moss green, yellow ochre. i'm struggling with paint colors this week.

First surgery (averted): as a child, i apparently had some kind of sudden abdominal obstruction which is treated by surgery. very luckily for 4 year old me, during prep for surgery, it just-as-suddenly resolved itself.

First surgery (actual): got my chest sucked out in 2016. liposuction hurts a lot and for a long time, and i was a lumpy bag for 4 months after. i look pretty decent now, other than all the body hair, and last i checked, i was the before-and-after picture on my surgeon's website.

Most recent surgery: i got my one and only wisdom tooth removed last august. i was under sedation for 15 minutes. my friend who picked me up was disappointed with how lucid i was. that night, i ate hard and crunchy food. i stopped taking painkillers the next day. i yanked out the stitches a few days later. there were no complications in my recovery.

Weird surgical coincidence: every time i have surgery, a new ace attorney game comes out.

Oldest thing in the fridge: a jar of yeast from 2018. i made focaccia with it last weekend.

Life plans? Get married: i did; good call! i like him a lot. we're at 9 years together, 4 married.

Want kids: i got spayed in 2017, shortly after getting my chest cut off. when we started dating, my partner said he wanted to marry a woman one day, have children, and wanted a dog. he very quickly reconsidered his stance on all three of those matters, and has helped me with all matters of transition, helped me get spayed, and we got a cat.

Career: due to my specific situation, i don't have one and don't intend to get one. my partner is okay with it, broadly; we both agree that i probably have enough [ability] to do a very part-time job, but finding one that would fit me would be pretty difficult, and i do enough at home that it balances out.

City, suburb, or rural: people who live in the suburbs say i live in a dense city, and people who live in dense cities say i live in the suburbs.

Which is better... Hugs or kisses: my lips are brutally chapped right now. it really breaks the mood when you stop to put on chapstick.

Shorter or taller: i thought it would bother me, but actually it took me years to notice that my partner is shorter than me.

Planned or spontaneous: when we lived across the country from each other, my partner told me one day that he was flying to see me in a week as a surprise, and he wanted to let me know in advance so i wasn't *too* surprised. i appreciated it.

a thing he specifically likes about traveling with me is that i'll research where we're going in great depth, so we can "spontaneously" pick a thing we want to do, and then i'll have ten more cool things to do nearby.

Hook-up or relationship: both are good.

Have you ever... Kissed a stranger: my university friends made a hookup graph; i was at the center.

Sex on first date: i've had sex before the first date.

Drank hard liquor: i have 20 distinct bottles of rum on the shelf right now; i got to blow a friend's mind a few weeks ago by making her a daiquiri with a mexican rum; it had a lot of very good and interesting grassy and fruity notes, so she was shocked to hear it was rum, lime, and sugar.

Last year, have you... Made a new friend: yes! former housemate's datefriend is super cool; they helped me move even though they didn’t know me at all. we go hiking together now. 

Had a crush: yeah, they're ridiculously cool, and i can't tell if they're interested. it's baffling. my partner thought that crush was blatantly flirting with me in front of him, and was surprised to find that he didn't really mind.

Laughed until you cried: whenever i laugh too hard, the cat gets VERY WORRIED. he has to get worried a lot, i’m sorry to say.

Found out who your true friends are: my cat was sick one day last fall, and we needed to rush him to the emergency vet. my friend ditched work for twelve hours to haul us & cat back and forth to the vet, and sat in a no-ac 84 degree room with us for 6 hours, with no complaints. i gotta be a better friend, too.

[phantomphangphucker]

Ectober Day 9: Magic - Exorcists Can’t Save Me Now Chap.1: Magically Starts

What if Danny's accident destroyed his body? If the accident truly did fully kill him? And the only option left to avoid joining the Ghost Zone as a full ghost was a doll designed for possession.

The Fenton’s didn’t ‘do’ magic, but when it was something that could one day save their children then they can ignore the lack of science.

Jack and Maddie Fenton were people of science. Always were, always will be. But they were ghost hunters, ectologists, first and foremost. And the Fenton family had a long history in that regard. There was one thing in that history, one thing that wasn’t something of science, that had been passed down from generation to generation. And even though it wasn’t something science it had its worth and value. An almost sacred part of their family, of ghost hunting.

The pair thinking on that as build and create. Create the small dolls fuelled by magic and mystery; that science just couldn’t explain. In the likeness of their children, that will grow and change alongside them just in case they need them someday.

In case they became ghosts someday.

A place their ghosts could go, something to attach to, something to keep them rooted in the land of the living. A way to save them if they ever became one of the ectoplasmic monsters. And it is for that reason, the protection these things not of science could provide, that these dolls, their creation and use passed down through the Fenton family, were the only magic the Fenton parents’ ascribed to. Was the only magic they ever would.

They’d believe in anything, support anything, if it would save their children. And that had held true for every Fenton before them. Jack even still had his, though locked in a box under the stairs. They were important, sacred. Representing a level of safety and protection. A way to avoid becoming the monsters they hunted, if only in a way.

So they build their children’s dolls with steady hands and pride. Uncaring about the lack of science, about the illogical impossibleness. Feeling a level of peace and comfort once finished.

Even if the dolls were exceptionally creepy. Like staring at empty husks of their kid’s, skin made of fabric and dried out hair that genetically matched them. The empty eye sockets, lack of fingernails, mouths that were just a line of thread, and no bones or solid structure of any kind.

It didn’t help that the doll freaked their daughter out too, at least when she was small. Both of them are glad that as she entered teen-hood she stopped really caring about the thing. Though they had to seriously talk and even bribe Jasmine to actually keep hers in her closet instead of trying to destroy It. Danny however, had actually worried them a little, with how overly... fond he always seemed of his. He’d play, dance, and carry It around. Like It was his friend. That creeped them out a little. But at least they didn’t have to worry about him getting rid of It. It always had Its place next to his bed, Its head always leaning against the mattress. Which also creeped them out a little, but little Danny seemed to like it; would pat Its head fondly before snuggling into his blankets.

And he certainly reacted much better to the whole ‘if you ever become a ghost make sure to cling to and slip into your doll okay? And don’t worry, mommy and daddy will help keep your humanity intact’ conversation than Jasmine had. Jasmine had scoffed and grumbled about them being crazy, and left the doll outside of her room for a week just to show how much she rejected their beliefs. Danny, on the other hand, had literally brought the doll with him to the table to eat and had hugged the thing close, giving them a big grin and snuggled It; promising that he ‘really really would’ and ‘not to worry! They’ll protect me!’.

Honesty? They’re glad he’s not so attached to It as a teen. Though they did hope his little ‘I don’t believe in this ghost crap’ phase wouldn’t result in him reject the doll. It had a purpose and they’d rather him keep It close and be creepily fond of It, than not have It around. And generally he did keep it with him, especially if he thought he was doing anything important.

They’ll never understand him naming It though, and still using said name even in teen-hood. Danny and Dammy. At least the teachers managed get him not to bring It to school, they do feel kinda bad that he probably got bullied over that. His friends though, It was practically the fourth member of their little group to them; which did make the parents smile. Even if watching an eleven-year-old try to play video games with a doll and teasing It about losing was weird. Sam doing Its makeup was absolutely hilarious though. Danny trying to get It to teach his friends how to hold a knife made Maddie smile, even though It’s a doll and thus can’t actually hold a knife on Its own.

And eventually came the day when they were so truly and deeply glad for that weird affectionate bond. The day Danny destroyed his body and died in a brutal culmination of electricity and their man-made ectoplasmic portal.

[eleanor-devil]

Boruto: Sacrifices [Remade] | Chap.12 - Pursuing Silence

Written by: Eleanor-Devil & @mirage-05​​

Prologue | Chap.1 | Chap.2 | Chap.3 | Chap.4 | Chap.5 | Chap.6 | Chap.7 | Chap.8 | Chap.9 | Chap. 10 | Chap.11 | Chap.12 - You’re here

There was silence for a long moment. "The sound?" then came a voice, low, emotionless... unknown to most. Naruto didn't even realize all the eyes in the room turning towards Orochimaru, his mind fixated on one word. "The woman...?" "She didn't actively take part in attacking the child, but... She did something much worse." The young Yamanaka paused for a moment, gulped, and continued. "You asked why you couldn't hear the child. She was the reason." The tension in the room was so dense that it was almost tangible. "Explain." the Hokage said simply, his voice suddenly dry.

"Yoshida Suzume, from the Sound's Yoshida clan... A clan who is known by a dangerous kekkei genkai. They form strong sound barriers, and in extreme cases, they can even silence the voice of their opponent." "You mean...?" Konohamaru was easily putting together the pieces, and his eyes widened slightly. "Exactly. She trapped Mitsuki in a sound barrier. Coupled with Takeru’s genjutsu, which was the reason the fire and explosion stayed hidden... even with how close and loud they were, we couldn't hear him fighting for his life." The silence was only interrupted by low murmurs - the news was indeed shocking and cruel. Naruto was lost in thought... He was sure there was no woman when they got there, he had personally made sure there were no other rogue ninjas, and then there was Konohamaru... But Ryu stood in front of him, telling him that there was a woman who was responsible for them not reaching Mitsuki in time... "Shikamaru." he said in a clear voice, cutting into the mumblings. His advisor was right beside him in a second. "I'm listening." "Contact the Land of Rice and arrange three tracker teams to immediately head out to the Sound. We should apprehend that woman at any cost." "Of course." Hearing the Hokage's words, half a dozen of the ninja's in the room got to their feet. "Lord Seventh..." Kakashi started, using his formal title. "As one of the best tracking ninjas, I would like a leading role in this mission." Kiba had also got up. "Me and my dogs have caught their scents before. I would like to be one of the team leaders as well." Naruto wasn't really surprised when he saw Konohamaru on his feet, too. "Excuse me Lord Seventh," the young jounin said, a hardened determination in his eyes. "This is a personal matter for me. I ask your leave to go, too." Shikamaru took a half step forward, but catching Naruto’s eyes, he didn’t open his mouth to voice his thoughts. "Lord Seventh..." That was Ryu. "I can sense that woman's chakra and I've seen her face. If you give permission, I would like to join the trackers, too." The Hokage thought about it for a moment, then nodded. Sai and Ibiki could continue the interrogations, and catching this woman was important. The groups were formed relatively quickly, everyone in there wanted to get this done as soon as possible. Shikamaru approached Naruto. "We got this under control. Go get some rest..." The blond laughed, although it lacked humor. "As if I will be able to rest..." Naruto sighed, but not just out of exhaustion… he gave his advisor a side-long glance. ”There is something I should tell you.” “What is it?” Shikamaru was almost hesitant to ask. “Shikadai… he was in the hospital too, during and after the surgery.” The Nara’s eyes slightly widened at that, and he was quick to grasp Naruto’s hand. “Did he… how much did he see…?” “I’m afraid he witnessed all of it.” Naruto affirmed his worst fear sadly. “Ino is with the kids now of course, but…” Shikamaru passed a hand through his hair with a sigh. “Yeah I… I will talk with Temari too. Excuse me for a moment.” With quick paces, he walked to the door and out. ... The groups were all ready. He himself lacked the necessary abilities for tracking, but Konohamaru felt that luck was going to be by his side tonight. This was an important matter. He couldn't afford to fail... As he was re-checking his weapons, he didn’t even hear the door open. He didn’t look up either, until he heard the Hokage’s voice. “Konohamaru...” The jounin glanced only half up, enough to see his advisor there too, before returning to what he was doing. “Is it time?” “Konohamaru, just…” It felt like the blond was trying to choose his words very carefully. “Why don’t you just stop for a minute?” “With all due respect, Lord Seventh, I don’t have a minute. The teams are heading out shortly and-” “That’s actually what we wanted to talk to you about.” There it was again… that guarded tone, although the Nara’s voice was more formal than the Uzumaki’s. It made the jounin finally look up at them, with just the slightest frown on his face. Although he chose a gentler tone, Naruto’s eyes were just as serious. “We are concerned that you might not be well-suited for this mission.” “No.” The young man had not listened to half of what they had been saying, but he didn’t need to. The implication was too clear, and too horrific. “No, don’t do this to me.” “What you had been through tonight…” Naruto paused a minute, but then continued. “We can’t allow you to succumb to your emotions, not in something this crucial.” “That won’t be a problem.” And with that, he turned his back to the two, but more so for the fact that he didn’t want to look them in the eye. “It will. It’s only too clear.” that was Shikamaru. “Look, I know how you must feel-” “No. You don’t.” Konohamaru cut in, and only the slightest tremble in his voice gave away his inner turmoil. Otherwise he sounded… almost cold. “Don’t I?” For the first time since he entered the room, the Nara was hesitant. “I watched, helpless, as Asuma-sensei was killed right in front of me… I know how it is to want revenge, but this is not the way.” The young man’s posture was a little stiffened from the mention of his uncle… today was really not a good time. He raised his head, but didn’t turn back to the other two. “But uncle Asuma didn’t die believing you can’t stand his presence, did he?” There was a big moment of silence, neither Naruto nor Shikamaru expected to hear this. “That… is not true…” the Hokage started to say hesitantly. Having finished his business, Konohamaru finally turned to them, but he was still avoiding eye contact. “Yes, it is. These last couple of days have been hard for me, and I’ve been out of it mostly… But I didn’t realize I was taking it out of my team… out of him especially… Maybe unknowingly, but it was inexcusable.” “This is all the more reason you shouldn’t go.” Shikamaru tried to reason slowly. “You are not in your right state of mind. In this case you might be more of a liability than help.”   “Shikamaru,” Naruto cut in, in a warning tone. “Easy.” “I won’t. I just… it’s all clear in my mind now. If I do this, when I go on this mission… I will have some sort of closure, some peace of mind. I will be able to live with myself and my mistakes. If… you decide to take that from me…” Konohamaru didn’t complete his sentence, but for the two men, it wasn’t necessary. “We don’t intend to punish you with this,” Naruto said, sighing. “I’m more concerned about you really… But,” he added, having made up his mind. “I also have faith in you, that you can pull this out. Just focus on the mission, and see this as a test to yourself.” Konohamaru felt his throat closing in on itself, grateful for the Hokage’s words. He made a quick, formal bow. “I will not disappoint you, Lord Seventh.” There was really nothing much left to say. With a curt nod from Naruto, Konohamaru was out of the room in a flash. ... No one saw him slipping out of the building. He had enough, dealing with these wretched people. So the sannin made his way, slowly, to the apartments where he knew his son lived. A new beginning... just a chance to become more... make friends... that was all Mitsuki ever wanted before coming to Konoha. Much like how he had a second chance... It would be simple... so much more effortless if he could just get Karin over to heal Mitsuki. He had no doubts that it would work, she was an Uzumaki after all, vast resource of chakra, and her healing abilities... But even if she begged herself to help his son (which he knew she would), he also knew that in her current situation, neither of his two other disciples would allow it. Suddenly, a harsh and sharp voice cut into his train of thoughts. "Halt!" Recognizing the voice, and more out of habit than anything, Orochimaru turned... and looked directly into the eyes of Anko, his former student. From the slight widening of her eyes, the sannin understood that she had managed to see through his disguise... Of course, he would expect nothing less from a disciple. "What do you want, Anko?" "What do I want?!" The woman asked incredibly, nothing but pure anger in her eyes. "What the fuck do you think you are doing here?!" The sannin didn't even bother to reply to her for a moment. "I have neither time nor patience for childish games. Leave me alone." "The hell I will!" The woman cried out, leaning forward in an attack position. "Fight me! You are going to pay for attacking Konoha!" A dangerous glint came into his snake like eyes. "I did not commit the crime all of you are so eager to blame on me." "And you expect me to believe it?!" "Since when did I ever deny something I caused?" "I hope you came here to take your little snake back!" Anko spit out, out of malice. "It was high time you realize he doesn't belong..." Before she could complete, Orochimaru appeared in front of her in a flash, lifting her up by the collar and throwing her, hard, into a wall. "No." he hissed through gritted teeth, and for a minute, Anko feared for her life. "Thanks to you and your wretched village, Mitsuki might as well forever stay in Konoha." Trying to get up, one hand on her throat, the former student gaped at him. "Wh... what?" "Oh, you're telling me you were not informed?" the sannin's tone dripped of heavy sarcasm. "What the hell are you talking about?!" The man turned his back on her, sparing only a brief glance at her. "If you value your life, do not try to follow me." And with that, he was gone. ... The sight of the blackened and barren forest right out of the borders came as a shock for the teams. It was almost mind-numbing - surreal - that a fight this ferocious happened so close to them without them noticing anything at all. In a silent agreement, the teams passed the area without a word, almost in a silent respect. Konohamaru was painfully aware that this place was where Mitsuki made his last stand. Still, with his mind set on one thing right now, to reach the Sound and find the woman who almost cost his student his life, he really didn’t expect he would still be paying attention to even the smallest details of his surroundings. Or maybe he was trying his hardest not to, to keep his focus. But he was a ninja, a jounin after all. The faint glimmer of light caught his eye as they were just about to leave the ghastly sight behind. Discreetly parting ways from the group, he made his way to the soft glimmer, something about it just drawing him closer like a magnet... … She didn't even wait to see the first tents - this was no time to sleep lightly. A bright light shone through the night, creating almost a day-like atmosphere, followed by a huge, rippling sound - but this was no explosion. Anyone who knew Yoshida Suzume knew that this was her kind of warning. "Wake up! Get going! Move! We need to LEAVE!" Slowly though at first, people began filing out. Suzume made sure that there wasn't anyone left inside, going into some of the tents herself to drag people out. "What's going on...?" "When did you come back?!" "Where are Takeru and Hideyoshi?" "They are not coming back! No time to explain! We need to move, NOW!" the woman yelled as she came out with a child in her arms. At once, there were murmurings surrounding the hundreds of people in the area. "We are not going anywhere until you make some explanations," came a strong, female voice, and a woman with long, orange-colored hair and fierce brown eyes came to the front. She had a young child clinging to her neck, looking around with sleepy eyes, his mahogany colored hair ruffled. "Why do we need to leave? Where are my husband and Takeru?" "He was killed!" the woman yelled finally. There were loud gasps. "And Takeru probably met the same end, or captured!" "W... what...?" the orange haired woman mumbled, as if in a trance. "Before we could even start the mission, we were attacked by a child! We had to defend ourselves and silence that kid forever - but if what I saw is anything to go by, he is, in a way, related to Orochimaru!" With her words, a silence gradually fell upon the people. Some of them looked very frightened by that last piece of news, but others looked at one another and one expression remained dominant; shock. "You... attacked a child...?" one of them asked finally. "We didn't have any other choice!" the woman snapped. "If we didn't kill that brat, the mission would have failed!" "Looks like it already did," another in the crowd said. "This mission was a mistake from the beginning..." Hideyoshi's wife mumbled. Some of the children had started crying. "Yeah, so what? What else were we supposed to do?! We all decided on this! Are you deaf - Orochimaru is coming for our heads!" "Hideyoshi would never fight a child!" the woman said while she put the child down and walked forward, towards the woman. "He did!" the other woman practically spat, glaring at the brown eyes. "Who do you think guided us to that child? Who do you think marked his route clearly so we wouldn't miss? Who..." SLAP! Suzume's head turned to a side, eyes slightly widened. "You are not gonna insult him in front of me any further." the orange haired woman said in a dangerous whisper. "There is no point in squabbling over a cast genjutsu," came an older voice then, and an aged woman came forward. Seeing her, Suzume immediately went over to her and knelt in front of her. "Kotone-sama, please... I swear that was the only logical solution... We were taught to put our mind before our heart and I swear I just abided by the Yoshida mantra... I..." "That's enough, Suzume." Kotone then raised her head to look at the other woman, who still had her hand in the air, looking at the younger woman with something akin to disgust. "Sasame, you might have ordered the Fuma out of the mission, but might I remind you that the Shiin, the Oberatsu and the Yoshida all agreed? I actually remember your husband being much honored for being called on this mission. You have no ground in lecturing us." Sasame gritted her teeth, her gaze drifting from the elder to Suzume. "If we have to run, let us run," she finally said, her voice tight. "But someone has to remain behind to cover our tracks." Her eyes held no mercy. "Kotone-sama..." Suzume whispered, looking at her with almost a plea. The elderly woman thought about it for a moment. "Even though you obeyed the Yoshida call, my child... Attacking a minor is still not in our book." The black haired woman's eyes widened, but she knew there would be no arguing to the point. "You will be punished... Of course, when you are finished, you will be allowed to rejoin us." Suzume bowed her head, gaze on the forest floor. "Yes, Kotone-sama." The elder woman then looked back at her clan. "Shall anyone wish to accompany her, I give my permission. Others, make your preparations quick. We are leaving." ... What... were all these...? The sannin felt his blood boiling as he gazed upon the Hokage's idea of 'childish pranks' on his son's door. To be fair, they were insignificant, he had seen much, so much worse during his seventy years of lifetime. But for a village that supposedly prided itself with its peaceful ways... They had no idea how this little drop would turn into a huge flood. His fists clenched a bit more, his teeth gritting as he looked at all of the images one by one, the words written... And he had actually believed that Konoha had changed for a better place. That was initially why he had decided to send Mitsuki back to his own village - that and his constant nagging. For one time in his life - foolishly, naively - he had believed in the young man who was now the Hokage - and even his own former teammate, Tsunade. He had thought that, as long as Mitsuki's identity was hidden, he would be safe and live the normal life he wanted - deserved all along. The red paint of the 'fire' stood out, almost mocking his thoughts. And his boy had still defended them. The image of Mitsuki, with all the severe injuries, once again came to his mind, and he closed his eyes for a minute, as if to not see the graffitis. He would make it his own ambition to make sure Konoha would crumble under the weight of his fury. His hands were shaking, the urge to kill, to make blood covering the streets rising. To make them pay... 'Please... spare... the village...' "We shall see how long I can hold on to that promise, child." Orochimaru murmured through gritted teeth and tried the door. It was locked of course, but it was hardly enough to stop him. The apartment was dark, cold and empty... Even more so now that it was missing his son. 'Come now, Mitsuki...' The sudden voice made the sannin do a double take. Where did that just come from? 'Repeat after me, sweetie... Da-ddy. Dad-dy. D... a... d... d... y...' He knew that voice... This was Karin... But how was that even possible - him hearing her voice from who knows how many years ago...? 'D... da... da...' came another, childish voice, stuttering over the basic word. 'That's right, go on. Daddy... call out for him.' Where was that voice coming from?! He started walking around the darkened house, looking around from room to room, following the childish jabbering. Just when he entered the bedroom... It was not enough to say that he was shocked when a small figure, a toddler about a year and a half of age at most, waddled his way towards him, stumbling, losing his balance and almost falling to the ground. After a couple more steps, the toddler started falling forward, but at the last moment managed to grab his legs. Although... he felt no weight. Then little Mitsuki looked up at him with a big grin, flashing a dozen of pearly-white teeth. 'Da-da!' he exclaimed gleefully and in excitement, before he slowly disappeared through thin air. The sannin closed his eyes for a moment... [Flashback] He was about ready to pull his hair off! It was not working. There was something very wrong with this experiment, and he was thinking this was all going good, the ‘donor’ was a good one after all, more than suitable. And during the nine months the fetus was in the tube, there had been nothing wrong - why now?! In a fit of rage - and without stopping to think what he would cause... the sannin let his fury explode. In less than a minute, the lab was lying in ruins... Broken glass, ruined wiring everywhere... Like a scene that was the aftermath of a battle... All... was lost after all... Just then he heard a strong sound, and his world came to a stop for a minute. A crying... a child... Or, more precisely, a new-born bawling his lungs out... Stunned, it took him another minute to get moving, but finally he moved through the broken tubes, to the one at the end of the left row... And there he was - the blue haired baby he watched growing for all this time... wailing so loud it was practically grating at his ears... More to just quiet him than anything, Orochimaru took the baby in his arms... Sniffling a bit, the baby slowly quieted down. [End of Flashback] Opening his eyes, the sannin sighed before mumbling to himself. "I should have never allowed you to come here..." ... A soft, orange light shone in the darkened room as a hand reached out to grab the phone that was ringing. A man with copper colored skin and blond hair squinted at the phone's screen while a woman with light brown hair half turned to look at him from his side. "What is it, baby?" "Naruto...?" Darui mumbled sleepily and pushed on the screen as he pressed a hand over his face. "You better have a good reason for calling me this early..." As he listened on, the young Raikage's eyes widened. "Goro and Hiraku?" Hearing that, his wife straightened up to a sitting position, putting a hand on his shoulder and leaning over. "No time to lose. I'm taking the first train over." He ended the call and hastily got up, getting ready. The woman got up, too, watching him. "Darui, what's going on?" Darui stopped in front of her and grabbed her arms. "Hitomi, I need to go to Konoha. Take care of Kumo in my absence." ... Looking over the vast clearing in the heart of the forest, Konohamaru felt his spirit failing. "We missed them...?" he mumbled, his eyes wide. "They didn't leave long ago." Kiba growled, his eyes scanning everywhere. "We can still follow them..." "That is not necessary." Ryu and two other ninjas who were scouting up ahead came towards them, excitement apparent in their eyes. "She is still here..." one of them started. "From what we saw, she is covering their tracks. There are two others with her, both kunoichi." "You can deal with them." Konohamaru said, determined. "Leave that woman to me." There was a pause. "Konohamaru..." Kakashi began. "Lord Sixth, please. All of you. Just make sure she doesn't run away, if your involvement becomes absolutely necessary. Otherwise stay out of my way, because I'm probably not gonna recognize you in the heat of the battle, so I can't guarantee your safety." Kakashi sighed but at his nod, no one said anything else. At Ryu's directions, the Konoha ninjas all took their places, getting out of sight. The gaze in the brunette's eyes hardened. "This is my fight."

[stuckylibrary]

Group Ask 179

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Anon 1 said: (dubcon, maybe noncon?)

hi, do you know of a fic where post-ws, bucky comes in from the cold and finds steve, & they start a relationship. but towards the end it's revealed that (the big plot twist), bucky doesn't actually feel anything for steve and is only in the relationship because he thinks he has to be like steve's bucky from before the war/feels as though he has to play the role of bucky barnes and thinks that's what that entails/or similar icr exactly. steve, who thought bucky meant it, is really hurt. thankyou

Anon sent in Out of the Dead Land by orphan_account (complete | 62,707 | E)

opaline-pixie said:

Hello. I’m looking for a story that I read years back. All I remember about it was that Bucky liked being bound up. Steve took them to a cabin and instead of bondage tape he bought vet tape because it was cheaper. That and I remember a game where he blindfolded bound Bucky and surrounded him with sex toys and Bucky had to guess what they were.

Anon 2 said:

I read this fic a while back; I remember that the summary was part of a book that Bucky had written about the accident that lost him his arm (he had a Stark prosthetic, and was touchy about people liking it)? It was an AU where Bucky and Steve were both college professors, with Steve possibly an art teacher? I think Bucky and Steve didn't get on at first? There's a scene where Steve does a painting lesson for some of the professors, and a faculty event/party towards the end? Thank you!

Anon 3 said: (sex work, polyamory)

i’ve been looking for the fic where steve or bucky experiments in sex work and does a porny photoshoot that turns into a threesome w peggy on set for like an hour now and can’t find it. any idea?

buckycuddlebuddy and somesortofitalianroast sent in Push It by thepinupchemist (oneshot | 8,982 | E)

eclipseofparis said:

Hi! I hope you’re all doing well. I’d like to ask if you know or are familiar with this fic. It’s a time travel au (??) where Bucky as The Winter Soldier was accidentally or purposefully sent by Hydra to the 1930s? or 1940s? to kill pre-war Steve Rogers. Before Bucky went back, he told Steve abt Pierce. TFA timeline still happens and when Steve woke up to the new century, he acts all oblivious but in actuality he was plotting his revenge on Pierce. He did killed Pierce in the end I think?

Anon sent in Savage God by LenneWithMilkAndHoney, PottersPink (restricted, complete | 36,127 | M)

Anon 4 said:

i’m looking for a fic I read before, what I remember is bucky works at a company where steve is like the boss/ceo and steve is an ass and fires him one day, then later steve asks bucky if he wants to be in a D/s relationship with him and Bucky moves in to steve’s apartment? that’s all I remember, I hope it’s enough!

buckycuddlebuddy, miraishu, Anon, keepyourelectriceyeonme, wayward-lives, its-a-harlequinade and time-lord-no-more sent in Collar Full of Chemistry by 2bestfriends (complete | 188,111 | E)

Anon 5 said:

hi, I’m looking for a doc that I’m pretty sure is from Buckys pov and it has a recurring motif of a story about a woman going into a river. very literary, it’s like the type of story that has an all lowercase title. Hope that helps

Anon 6 said:

Hi! I’m looking for a WIP fic where both Bucky and Steve are princes. Steve comes to live with Bucky because Steve’s dad thinks it will help Steve learn how to be a better prince. I remember Thor working as the stables guy too. Peggy and Becca are also Bucky’s older sisters in this fic. Thanks!

Anon, emzy2 and possibleplatypus sent in Amaryllis by paperstorm (complete | 70,386 | E)

Anon 7 said:

I'm looking for a fic(probs 1 chap) that basically takes place in a nightclub or somewhere similar, and Bucky sees a girl with a pixie cut and black sparkly dress at the bar, goes to talk to her, and realizes that she is, in fact, a dude(Steve) pretty sure hes not trans,,, the do the dirty,,, pretty sure there's fanart in it too

Anon 8 said:

Hi, what’s that fic where Steve has to teach Bucky how to masturbate or at least just had to be in the same room as him? I stopped reading it a while ago and there’s a lot of works in my ao3 bookmarks that say deleted and I’m scared that’s one of them! Thank you

possibleplatypus sent in Need A Hand? by TeamDamon (complete | 14,555 | E)

keepyourelectriceyeonme sent in both fics mentioned in this post as possible answers

sleeplingsupernova said: (HTP)

We can't find this story anywhere anymore. It was an HTP where the Winter Soldier just got through a mind wipe and was still in the chair and a doctor was trying to give him a blow job and kept getting mad at him because he couldn't get hard. I remember reading it on AO3 but no matter what I try to search up I can't find it. Thank you so much!

Anon 9 said:

There was a story I read once where Bucky worked at planned parenthood and would escort women from their cars into the clinic, protecting them from the protesters? I can't find it and I was wondering if you guys know what I'm talking about? Thanks!

Anon 10 said:

im so sorry this is vague but im looking for a book with the cap quartet in sams house i believe? all i can remember is that bucky drags steve under a dining room table because hes trying to protect him when something makes a loud noise in the house, im pretty sure it was sam dropping a pan. thank you if you can think of it!

Anon 11 said:

Hey, im looking for a fic where steve is buckys neighbor and he has a little kid. Bucky also a kid, but he's older, maybe a teen. Bucky has a crush on steve and starts helping him out like driving him to work and shoveling his snow because he's struggling and always seems to be late to work. Ive tried hard to find it but i cant, please help!

Anon 12 said: (sex work)

looking for this fic: steve find bucky in an alley (?) and because they used to know each other he offers bucky a place to stay, but bucky thinks thinks steve wants some sexual favour in return because he’s been doing that for a while (i think he was homeless?). steve doesn’t want any of that and takes bucky to his place, i think i remember that he was rich or that it was a penthouse or smth? anyways bucky starts trusting steve again and eventually they get together. i’m worried it’s deleted 😭

cafelesbian and its-a-harlequinade sent in tell me how to breathe in and feel no hurt* by Cafelesbian (complete | 198,037 | M) *rape/noncon

[mattmurdocksscars]

Miscommunication Ch. 9

I am so so sorry that I got so behind on this. But hopefully this chapter makes up for it. You got some smut and a cliffhanger 😈

Word Count: 2069

Warnings: Language, smut, 18+

Pairing: First Order!Poe x Fem!Reader 

Tag List:  @himbopoes​, @writefightandflightclub​, @mellow-f1​, @imaginecrushes​, @ladyflyer20​, @kiaralein​, @oakleyves, @nacida-en-la-luna​, @morgannope​​ @thegirlwiththebook​ @twomoonstwosuns @awesomefandomsunited @thesoftdumbass @kittyofalltrades​ @struggling-bee​ @amarvelousmandalorian @seeking-a-great--perhaps @sheerfreesia007 @firstordermariposa @darksideofclarke @damndamer0n

{Prev Chap.} {Chap. 1}

Your life settles into an interesting routine as the next few weeks pass. Kylo and Hux are still having their dispute and you and Dameron watch it all in amusement. Hux attempted to force Dameron to stop spending time with you and the Captain had merely laughed in his General’s face. Kylo was still convinced that Hux was the one who had been sabotaging your missions, but you actually disagreed. Hux was a weasel but this didn’t fit him at all. Plus, you’d saved the ginger haired man a few times and you knew that he wasn’t liable to forget. Still, Kylo essentially grounded you to be safe and so your days were spent in your office.

Your nights, however, were spent in either yours or Dameron’s room. You were still trying to get used to not only being wanted by someone, but also by someone who enjoyed being seen with you. Dameron had no qualms with people seeing the two of you together and greatly enjoyed your shock when he displayed affection in public. The first time he had smacked your ass in the hallways, you had whipped around, ready to chew someone out, only to find Poe looking at you with a smirk. He had immediately pulled you back against him, mouth to your ear, and quietly whispered everything he planned to do to you that night. While you normally didn’t blush easily, you were red faced when he slipped away from you, disappearing down the hall. You’d thought about it all day and by the time he showed up in your room that night, you had practically jumped him. You hadn’t been able to walk straight the next day, but there were definitely no complaints from you.

It quickly turned into a game. Who could rile the other up more? Dameron was very good at getting you going, but you were better. The man was always ready to go as it was and your teasing just cranked his libido up to eleven. It was intoxicating to be so wanted by someone and while you would never admit it, you were quickly falling for the Captain. Getting to spend so much time with him was certainly accelerating the process and when Kylo finally pulls you aside to give you a mission, you nearly jump at the chance. Taking some time away may do you some good. The insecure part of you was worried that if Dameron wasn’t around you constantly, he would lose interest but you would rather find that out now, rather than later. So, you immediately accepted the mission, listening as Kylo explained it to you and reminded you to be extra cautious. He wanted you to leave as soon as you’d had a chance to look over the information on your datapad, so you left his office and headed for yours.

You were almost back to your office when you passed by Dameron’s. You paused outside the door and considered going on. So far, you had yet to enter his office, not having a reason to. Yet, with how soon you would have to leave, you wanted to at least let him know. You hesitated a moment before stepping up the door and knocking. A sharp come in was called and you couldn’t help the slight smirk that rose. He sounded like he was in a bad mood, but you had a feeling you would be able to change that.

The door opened with a snick and you stepped through. Dameron never looked up as you entered, likely thinking you were one of the troopers or a pilot which gave you a minute to look him over. His dark hair was mussed, as if he’d been running his hands through it repeatedly. A sure sign he was stressed, and you wondered if telling him you were leaving for a bit would really be a good idea. Leaving without saying anything wasn’t an option though, so you quietly cleared your throat to gain his attention. His head immediately snapped up, annoyance on his face, before he realized it was you. Immediately, most of the stress left his visage and his gaze changed to curiosity.

“What are you doing here, sweetness?” You smile and walk to stand across the desk from him.

“It would appear Kylo is releasing me back into the galaxy. He’s got a mission for me and I leave as soon as I’m prepped.” You told him. As you thought, his brow furrowed and his jaw set at the news. With a soft sigh, you rounded the desk and brought yourself in between him and the desk, leaning back on it. It forced him to look up at you and you reached a hand forward to carefully smooth out his furrowed brow. You cupped his face with your hand, and he leaned slightly into the touch, just watching you. He would never even consider asking you not to go but you knew he didn’t like the thought that there was still someone out there sabotaging your missions.

“How long will you be gone?” You trace a finger over his lips and his tongue darts out to taste your skin. Both of your gazes darken, and you find yourself grateful that you have no set time to leave.

“Hopefully, no more than a few days. Think you can survive that long without me, love?” He rolled his eyes at your teasing and you laughed. In one swift movement, he stands. His form crowds you against the desk, his hands settling on your hips. Dark eyes search your face for a moment before he leans in, kissing you deeply. You return it with equal enthusiasm, one of your hands tugging on the curls at his nape. He groans, pulling away with a nip to your bottom lip.

“How long until you leave?” You smirk, leaning up to kiss and suck at his neck. He hisses, his grip tightening on your hips.

“Long enough.” That’s all he needs to hear, and he lifts you with ease, settling you on his desk. He nudges your knees apart and nestles into the juncture of your thighs. He kisses you again, his hands flying to your clothes. He undresses you easily, your shirt and bra being whipped off quickly. He takes your pants and underwear off in one go, kneeling between your legs and pressing open-mouthed kisses to your thighs. Your breath hitches as he brings his mouth to your core, licking a solid stripe up your folds before circling your clit. Your eyes slide close at his ministrations, but he immediately stops, tutting at you.

“You know the rules, sweetness.” You whine but force your eyes to open. As soon as your gaze is back on him, Poe dives back in. His tongue delves into your heat and he brings a hand up so he can circle your clit with his thumb. You’re practically begging for your release as he winds you higher and higher, but he pulls away just before you tumble over.

“Poeeee.” You whine but he just grins, pressing a kiss to your thigh before standing back up.

“You’re about to be gone for at least a few days, sweetness. The only way you’re cumming is on my cock.” His hands move to undo his belt, his eyes raking over your figure. “Bend over the desk, sweetness.”

A slow smirk rises at his demand and you eagerly slip off the desk, doing as told. You hear his belt jangle as he undoes it and you bite your lip in anticipation. There’s something so heady about being completely bare to him and you moan when he nestles against you, the head of his cock pressing against you. You wiggle your hips, but he lands a smart smack to your ass.

“Be still, baby girl.” You pout, even though he can’t see it, but cease your movements. You’re rewarded by him sliding into your cunt, Poe not stopping until he’s fully seated in you. He holds there, groaning out an expletive and brings a hand to grasp the back of your neck. His fingers flex against your skin and you whimper.

“Poe, please. Please move, Sir.” At the title, he pulls out and thrusts roughly back into you. He sets a brutal pace against you, almost fucking you through the desk. There will be bruises on your hips from where they’re being pressed into the wood, but you can’t find it in you to care. Poe’s hand slips from the back of your neck around to the front and he applies enough pressure to limit your air supply. You manage a moan at his actions, and you hear him groan as your pussy flutters around him.

“Fuck, baby girl. Gonna fuck you so good that you feel me the whole time you’re gone.” You’re careening towards your climax and it takes everything to stave it off.

“Please can I- fuck, can I cum, Sir?”

“No, baby, not yet. You can wait on me, can’t you, sweetness?” You sob at his words but nod. “Good girl. Just a bit more.”

He gets in a few more thrusts before he suddenly pulls out and you whimper at the loss. He pulls you up, turns you, and sets you down on his desk. He brings a hand up to cup your face as he slides back in and he slips his thumb into your mouth when it falls open. Through lidded eyes you watch him, sucking on his thumb and pulling a groan from the man. He looks unhinged as he returns to fucking you, his free hand gripping tightly to your hip.

“Wanna see your pretty face when you cum, sweetness.” He pulls his thumb from your mouth and brings it down to circle your clit. “Tell me who this pussy belongs to, sweetness.”

“You, Sir. It belongs to you.” Poe surges forward, kissing you before pulling away with a bite to your bottom lip.

“Then cum, sweetness.” His words are like pulling the pin from a grenade, your orgasm exploding through you. He barely manages a couple more thrusts before he’s also cumming, spilling deep in your cunt. The both of you groan, Poe’s head falling to rest on your shoulder. He keeps himself buried in you as you both come down from your highs. If this is that last time he’s going to have you for a few days, he wants to feel you for as long as he can.

As you regain your breath, you bring a hand up to bury in his hair, massaging his scalp. He sighs at the action, relaxing against you, and you can’t help but to smile. It’s amazing to you how integral this man has become in your life over such a short time, but you wouldn’t change it for anything. The two of you cling to each other for several minutes until you finally press a kiss to the side of Poe’s head. You both hiss as he pulls out of you and you immediately feel empty at his loss. You force the feeling down and hop off the desk, Poe helping you dress quickly before fixing himself.

You bring your hands up to cup his face and kiss him quickly. His hands grasp your wrists and he holds you to him for a few moments longer before releasing you.

“You better come back in one piece, sweetness.” You can hear the underlying note of concern in his voice, though his tone is teasing. You smirk and throw a wink his way before heading out the door.

“Of course, love. I’ll see you soon.” You leave his office and head for your room, grabbing your go bag. You take one glance around the room before heading to the hangar, boarding your ship, and taking off. You punch in the coordinates and guide your ship from the hangar, entering hyperspace as soon as you’re able. You settle into your chair with your datapad, going over the information Kylo had given you. The mission seemed to be straight forward, and you were hoping it would be over soon. You would still take Kylo’s advice and stay vigilant, not knowing if there was still someone sabotaging your missions. You would take every precaution you could and make sure to get in and out as quickly as possible.

Unfortunately, it wouldn’t be enough.

[snkpolls]

SnK 131 Chapter Poll Results

The chapter poll closed with  2,192 responses. This month’s poll results were brought to you by @momtaku​, /u/staraves, Crunchwrap, u/_Puppet_, Luna.  Thanks as always for your support.

  RATE THE CHAPTER 2,118 responses

This was a standout chapter for the fandom, garnering a positive rating from over 90% of respondents and an average score of 4.68 which makes it the highest rated chapter since 122 - and in the top 5 in the history of the poll! Many of you were eager to express your enjoyment of it, with this question getting the most responses it has since chapter 102 (over two years ago!). As we go deeper into the endgame, it’s good to know enthusiasm is going strong.

Yams is a damn genius. This is one chapter I have not been able to stop thinking about or rereading. It's just... its so fucked up and SO. WELL. DONE.

I really, really loved this chapter. My favourite so far probably.

This is the first time I cried after a chapter. It hit me so hard.

Almost made me quit the manga. We finally got a confession from Armin, but right in the middle of all that grief, I couldn't enjoy it. Poor Ramzi and Halill, and all other innocent people beyond and within the Walls.

This chapter has had a ripple effect on how I’m seeing the series now in retrospect. I’ve been re-reading the manga , & I’ve become very melancholic after the Rumbling , knowing  everything was leading to this.

This was a phenomenal chapter. Thank you Isayama for everything.

WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING WAS YOUR FAVORITE MOMENT?

2,137 responses

Finding a favorite moment in a tragic chapter isn’t easy but we managed. “Child Eren’s moment of happiness” tops the list with an impressive 30% of respondents. “Seeing the reality of the rumbling” (18.8%), “Eren’s tearful apology to Ramzi” (15.9%) and “Getting Eren’s thoughts on the Rumbling while in Marley” (13.8%) round out the top four.

Very cool to finally see the destruction caused by the rumbling and some more insight into Eren's character

I like that this chapter showed perspectives from both the initiator of the rumbling (Eren) and the victims of his choice. It makes you sympathize with Eren, but at the same time, terrifies you with the price humanity has to pay.

Definitely one of the most depressing, if not the most depressing chapter thus far. Isayama brilliantly handled the transition between Eren's despair and the result of Eren's despair (Rumbling). Beautiful artwork. Great cliffhanger. Definitely a 9/10.

Tragic, Terrifying, Heartbreaking also Awesome because atleast AruAni became somewhat cannon

beautiful art as usual

The freedom scene with kid eren is the most beautiful/horrifying scene of the manga.

I also loved the Annie and Armin talk, anyone who says it's shipping cringe is a child, this was a long time coming and it was executed beautifully. (I also love how Hitch was mentioned twice, she would be proud of Armin this chapter.)

Ramzi and Halil deaths were the saddest part of this chapter, and I don't know about Ymir, but I guess she's helping Eren.

The panel showing the wall titans faces, especially the one shown on the right with empty eye sockets, gave me the chills. Can't wait to see how things will go down between the gang and Eren.

  WHO WAS THIS CHAPTER’S MVP? 2,144 responses

This month giving us the most harrowing chapter in a while made it feel wrong to be looking for an MVP amidst all this despair, and almost half of you agree (47.5%). Just over a quarter of you believe the Eren focus earned him the spot (28.9%), with 9.4% choosing Armin and 9.1% selecting best bros Ramzi and Halil. A distant minority of you chose Annie and Birb, the former of which coming dead last. Poor Annie, you’ll be more popular than a bird one day.

the true mvp was the depression we got along the way

Eren needs a hug

Eren needs to be put down.

I really admire the way Isayama deeply makes you care for a character in a few panels, like he did for those two - relatively unknown - boys.

Annie is the best girl

birbs are the rreak mvp since chap 1

  EIGHT MONTHS AFTER FIRST APPEARING IN THE MEMORY SHARDS, WE GET FEZ-KUN’S STORY.  DID IT LIVE UP TO YOUR EXPECTATIONS? 2,121 responses

Only a month ago, the fandom had no idea what to make of the mysterious Fez-Kun. The plucky pickpocket had a simple but effective story, and knew more secrets than he could possibly have understood. A perfect half of respondents were pleasantly surprised with Fez kid’s part in the story. 41.2% were content as it was about what they expected. 6.2% wanted to see a more in-depth picture but alas, that chance has been crushed mercilessly along with Ramzi’s hopes and dreams (and… the rest of him). 2.5% just weren’t into anything that let Eren lean into some morally black territory. Don’t worry, there are still plenty of grey shades here. Very dark shades of grey.

I didn't expect Ramzy's story to be expanded on, but it's so brutal to see the man he's been talking to killing him, his brother, his family and his hopes.

I know Ramzi and Halil were plot devices, but damn their death hit hard.

I think Eren saving Ramzi is foreshadowing. He knew Ramzi was gonna die in rumbling, yet he saved him. Same will happen, after someone reaching him and reminding him who he is, Eren will stop this madness and die. Or I wanna be hopeful.

even if i'm satisfied with Ramzi's story, I wish there would have been more to it because it is a tiny bit dissapointing but it's more or less what I expected.

Ramzi and Halil didn’t deserve death

i think everybody who dies in this rumbling will get back alive same will happen to halil and ramzi they will come back alive

Ramzi and Halil's deaths were so horrible but so good to see, because this is what it means when you destroy the world. You don't get to pluck out the nice ones and enjoy killing the bad ones. It's the height of cruel selfishness. And no amount of apologies changes that.

Ramzi and Halil deserved so much better

  WHY WAS EREN DISAPPOINTED THAT HUMANITY EXISTED OUTSIDE THE WALLS? 2,117 responses

There’s been disagreement over exactly what Eren meant when he said he was disappointed that humanity existed outside the walls and our poll reflects that. Just over a third of the fandom (34.2%) take Eren’s words literally and believe that his disappointment was with any existence of humanity since it marred his pristine childhood vision. The second most popular option is that he was disappointed in the attitudes, selecting “he was disappointed to discover all of humanity was filled with violence and oppression” (29.5%). We deliberately left off an “All of the above” option but that didn’t stop more than 50 people from writing it in.

He is disappointed at the fact that he has to fight humans with homes, families, pasts and futures and not mindless titans.

It's also a clear contrast between the outside world Armin envisioned and the one Eren wanted. Armin genuinely wanted to know more about it, Eren wanted his worldwide natural park to walk on. When it was full of civilization, he wanted to get rid of it. Like any typical villain wanting to purify the Earth of all the worms infesting it.

When he discovered that humans are just as cruel within the walls as without, it put his entire journey into perspective. He could not be Eren the hero or Eren the explorer and ultimately meant that the sacrifices made by his comrades were negligible in comparison to the big, cruel world , at least in his own mind.

He thought of all the beautiful landscapes and stuff that Armin showed him. Too bad there's these stupid humans in the way. Makes sense to eliminate the entire human population ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Everyone's fight against titans was pointless and the people who caged them could enjoy the things that Eren will never experience. The world is not a uninhabited landscape open to explore it, the world didn't need them and their freedom wasn't a possibility to enjoy it like the others civilizations do.

The world was out there and yet they did NOTHING to help Eldia

yes, eren is disappointed because there are now more enemies. but more than that, he's disappointed that they're not the monsters he's imagined them to be. that he can't kill them without feeling guilt and remorse.

he would never be able to enjoy the freedom he wanted because the clock is ticking and he will have to keep on resisting the whole world till the end without ever having time to properly realize his dream

I think he's disappointed in the fact that he's feeling sorry for humanity outside the walls just like Reiner used to feel sorry about people inside the walls. When he discovered Reiner was a traitor, he especially hated that part of his behavior, and how he realizes they're not that different, and in any case he's worse because at least Reiner had his child soldier brainwashing as an excuse

His disappointment is as bad as it sounds, having to deal with humans outside the walls was too bothersome for him and when the option to wipe them out was available to him, he was more inclined to take it, instead of fight for another resolution.

Typical privileged White boy outraged by prejudice and hatred OUTSIDE the walls, as if that didn't exist in Paradis already.

Any hopeful expectation Eren had of the outside world were completely decimated. Not only did he discover that humanity hadn't perished, but they actively contributed to or blissfully ignored Paradis' hell. In addition, the outside world is exploiting one other for resources. Paradis’ synthetically concocted hell is just part of a game to the outside world (there’s some uncomfortable real-world allusions here and I think it’s important that it’s being explored). Eren thought he was the saviour of humanity only to discover everything's he's done was for naught, humanity's the problem in his eyes.

  WHAT DO YOU THINK OF EREN’S CONTRADICTORY NATURE? 2,106 responses

Deciding to crush the vast majority of the world and its citizens kind of takes a mental toll on people. Who knew? 48% of respondents think Eren’s emotional breakdown side by side with determination to reach freedom at any cost is simply him deciding the results will be worth his immense guilt. 23.2% think it’s a very human case of cognitive dissonance, and that Eren’s just trying to juggle his conflicting values. 19.2% believe his mental state is fraying at the seams reminiscent of the way Reiner’s did. 6.8% don’t buy that there’s any contradiction being shown here.

He was willing to throw away his humanity to become the monster that brings change

He's being a hypocrite. His guilt doesn't hold any value because it's entirely his choice. He's apologizing because there's no greater good, just his selfish dream.

He's never been okay, it's just that we're finally seeing him for who he is without the "protagonist illusion".

I don't think it's contradictory though. He's grieving sure, but he's also going along with his plan. Because he wants to be free.

He's not mentally stable and it shows

He's to some extent influenced by the Shingeki and/or its previous holders

He's trying to convince himself that humanity is evil sl he won't feel guilty about what he's doing

Hes a fully grown adult who knows better, no matter how bad he feels he doesnt deserve sympathy

The future cannot be changed and Eren is a slave to the attack titan's objective to push foreward

This chapter shows a lot of parallel between Eren and Reiner, he even said himself that he's worse than Reiner in the genocide that he's created. says himself that

What a fucking asshole

When Eren saw the future he knew the rumbling was inevitable so he is the one having to carry to burden of being ‘humanity’s enemy’ whether or not it was Eren to fulfill the rumbling it would’ve happened either way so he isn’t immediately a devil

Erens nature isn’t contradictory. He’s just now becoming self aware of the impact of his violent nature

He feels guilty about his actions and feels sorry for people who are going to be killed, but on the other hand - he is selfish and will do everything to reach his perfect reality.

Humans are an amalgamation of their actions. They sometimes arrive at destinations they did not fully intend. They may also realize too late that the path that they’ve set down is leading them in a direction they are not happy with, but eren is too far gone. He’s sane, understands he is objectively evil, but cannot turn back.

He totally snapped and turned into the psychopath that was sleeping inside of him for a long time. It was indeed very dangerous to entrust him with more power than he can handle.

Isayama did the same thing with Zeke. I think he likes the idea of the cool, mysterious guy, but it falls flat when the motivation doesn’t line up & the characters turn out to be crying & weak to fit the narrative once it’s revealed.

I don't know how to word this, but he is caged in his own vision to the point where any human decency and the ability to think is killed. Only a selfish, hateful and childish shell remained that is throwing a tantrum over his childbook fairytale not being true. It's not the same as Reiner, because Eren chose this. He wanted this, it is his fault. He had the power to stop this, but didn't. He can apologize as much as he wants, but he isn't feeling sorry at all.

He feels guilty, which is why he is having a mental breakdown like Reiner.

He’s having a mental breakdown but it's worse than Reiner's

painfully obvious this chapter was just Eren trying by all means to justify the Rumbling. Not because of some noble intention or cornering them into the inevitable, but just because he wanted to erase the world.

the eren reiner parallels man.. they never stop

  IN HIS FINAL MOMENTS, RAMZI SEES AN APPARITION OF YMIR. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN? 2,104 responses

Ymir has finally appeared since we last saw her in chapter 122, and her presence as well as motivations are seemingly shrouded in mystery. Over a third believe she is watching everything but not necessarily feeling good or bad about it (32.1%), and some of you think she may be questioning her decision (16.2%). A minority of you opted to choose that her appearance means she is enjoying seeing it unfold (9.6%), or that we are witnessing a phenomenon related to titan deaths that have occurred all this time (7.5%). The most popular choice, however, (34.6%) is simply expressing bewilderment at the Evangelion-esque shenanigans we’re seeing.

Ymir could be the one doing all the actions of destruction since Eren let her free.

i really think after ymir appeared again even tho eren freed her that she's regretting giving him the founder's power and will have a role is taking him down

the presence of Ymir intrigues me and I hope that in the next chapter we will have her point of view.

I think Ymir is the one who's been pulling the ropes for a long time. Whenever Eren thinks there might be another way (especially throught he disappearance of the Eldian race) he compulsively thinks that he just CAN'T accept that, like there's a force driving him towards seeking freedom.

I hope that Ymir appearance means that she is counting and seeing Eren victims so she can create them Again without Eldian hate

Ymir being outside, and Kid Eren appearing in the paths might have a connection. Ymir was a grownup when she was killed but inside the paths she was shown a kid. Same as Eren being shown in the paths. This might signifies Eren is not in control of the situation but Ymir is.

I have had theories for a while about Ymir possibly turning on Eren, whether this is to save the world to show she is better than Eren, or to bring Paradis to destruction as well to show she is just as bad.

WHAT IN THE EVA?

Loved the Evangelion reference. YAMS YOU MADLAD!

Ymir might be the true enemy

WHAT THE FUCK IS YMIR AYANAMI DOING THERE?  

  WHAT IS KID EREN DOING HERE? 2,099 responses

Child Eren appears in one of the most stunning panels of the chapter, but what does it mean?  Two options came out on top, with the idea that Eren is mentally regressing to a child (37.9%) edging out that it’s symbolism comparing child Eren to current Eren (36.1%).

I think we are going to see different Eren during the rumble, the past with Eren as a child, the future perhaps with a more mature or elderly Eren and the Eren of the present.

Adult Eren is incapacitated and Kid eren took his place through paths, will wake up for the "see you later, Eren"

Adult Eren unknowingly brought kid Eren’s consciousness to the present while he was sleeping under the tree. This is part of his “dream” that he had at the beginning of the story.

It is symbolises Erens mentality as a kid and how his flawed ideology doesn't hold up to the real world he faced outside of the walls. Also to cope.

Eren is the only character who cannot overcome the cycle of violence, so he will die.As you know, only without people can you become absolutely free, so he enjoys it when he realizes that nothing else binds him.

He has taken over paths from ymir, but since he is not bound by anything, he can do whatever the hell he wants, and is the reason he connected to armin while speaking to him.

It shows that Eren is not fully in control of the PATHS. For example in this scene, he remembers Armin because of his memory as a child talking about freedom with Armin then Armin suddenly appears although Eren himself didn't wish for something like that to happen thus it's just to show that PATHS connecting all Subjects of Ymir even in different timeline.

This links in with Floch... Eren loves Floch.

He was dreaming about the past and accidentally used the power of the Founder to show his younger self a vision of the Attack Titan's current point of view.

He's a sociopathic freak

It is symbolic of his old dream that he will have to give up on soon.

Can I say all of the above again? I saw it as a representation of Eren in his most pure, idealistic state which is then contrasted by the realistic horror of the destruction he is causing.

Brought into the present by adult Eren to give his younger self a taste of freedom without all the guilt. This is the beginning of the long dream kid Eren awakes from in Chapter 1.

Child Eren's Evangelion/Devilman(Crybaby)-esque "elation" seems like a metaphorical emotional release (and P A T H S shenanigans).

Something about the kid-Eren “freedom” scene is just so incredible and impactful; fully restored my faith that Isayama will deliver an amazing finale for this masterpiece.

THE MORE I LOOK AT THIS PANEL THE MORE MY HEART HURTS. ITS SO BEAUTIFUL YET SO DAMN FUCKED UP. GOD. FRICK. FRIIIICKKKKKK

  KID EREN FINALLY WITNESSES “THAT SIGHT”, BUT WHAT DID HE ACTUALLY SEE? 2,113 responses

The world-shattering reveal almost a year ago of Eren gaining an important glimpse into the future, characterised as “that sight”, was finally answered in this chapter -- or was it? The majority of you believe kid Eren was merely enjoying the view from above that filled him with freedom, blissfully ignorant to the carnage of the rumbling (50.8%). Close to a quarter (23.8%) think he was able to see the rumbling but was enjoying the freedom in spite of it, with a small portion (5%) believing all the death was a part of his glee. Some aren’t yet sold on the idea that this is “that sight”, perhaps believing we will see it later (20.4%).

I don't think that his inner child is aware of the rumbling. He is only focused on the scenery and wants Armin to see that too.

A world without any walls is what kid eren always wanted to see. Through paths, kid eren achieved this (without seeing the death)

  HOW WILL ARMIN BEING ABLE TO SEE KID EREN THROUGH PATHS AFFECT THE PLOT? 2,114 responses

Child Eren showing up was confusing enough, but he had to see Armin through paths too!?  What does it mean!?  A majority, at 55.5% think it foreshadows Armin’s coming importance in whatever the endgame turns out to be. Almost a third, at 28.6% think that it also opens up the possibility for other characters to connect with Eren through paths.

Armin was the person Eren has been sharing his dreams with. He is mentally showing his friend that the realisation of their dreams is finally at hand.

Eren can call forth anyone he wants, but if he doesn't want to see them I'm not sure if they could get to him

It foreshadows Armin and Eren clashing on a deeper level. I don't think anyone can actually stop Eren at this point.

Eren is so suped up with in this final form and with Ymir's "support" that when he thought about Armin it created a link through the paths.

Armin gets to briefly see the old "idealistic" Eren again. The one he can somewhat see eye-to-eye with and incidentally "created".

I think it might be just a visual metaphor on how Armin and Eren never really understood each other while sharing the same dream and that Armin is realizing that (I mean that the dream of "seeing the outside world" didn't mean the same thing to them). Or it might be that Eren is in a comatose sort of state and that since he technically is in control of paths, his thoughts are "sent" to Armin since he's reflecting on their shared dream

It shows Eren and Armin both want the same end goal. Though they disagree on the means of getting to it

The world is not like the one he saw in Armin's book. Hence why he contacted him, this is his way of reaching for his vision of freedom that he was denied because of the trauma of the wall.

Reference to the ocean scene where Eren was depressed and Armin excited, now its reversed

  WHAT DO YOU THINK OF ARMIN AND ANNIE’S TALK ON THE SHIP? 2,124 responses

While this tiny moment of apparent romance was a delight for the 20% of the fandom who expressed “Whoo hoo Aruani is canon!!”, the remaining 80% were slightly more subdued in their reaction. The largest percentage (35.3%) was happy that the build up between their characters had some payoff. The second most popular selection had nothing to do with Armin or Annie at all with “I just wanna know what’s up with the birds” garnering 26% of the vote. Lastly, 11.2% felt like this moment was completely out of place, selecting “Now’s not the time for love drama Isayama.”

We better see Armin and Annie kiss next chapter

The Armin/Annie was not that necessary, I’d loved way more a more "group" discussion with Mikasa, Jean n Reiner in it. Old 104th days style

Besides the shipping moment, Annie just came to terms with that she’s still not alone, which is huge for her character

I'm not sure if Isayama knows how unnatural aruani is. These two had a grand total of 3 interactions, and sparing each other still isn't prone to romantic feelings blooming on either side.

a bad fking attempt by isayama at romance, should have stuck with eren historia love child

The aruani was unexpected but nice xD I don't exactly ship them but they are cute in this chapter(I can't help but feel one of them is getting a death flag because of this though💀)

What about them talking about all the shit she did or has been through? I wanted to see that.

SHE'S NOT TAKING MY MAN ISTG SHE'S NOT ON MY WATCH

Ship and let ship, this is actually a very intresting pairing and I think the scene flowed very naturally. But I still hope that in the future manga focuses more in the plot and not in the ships. I'd hope the same from fandom, but of course that's too much to ask...

This was a nice moment away from death and destruction

They’re definitely gonna die soon

am i the only one who don’t ship annie and armin? like bro... she squashed your little friends like bugs

Yoo bitch AruAni is canon LETSS FUCKING GOOO Love this cinnamon couple..More canon couple please Yams!

CANT BELIEVE ARMIN IS TRYING TO GET A GF WHEN MILLIONS R DYING HES FR A HOE🤦🏽‍♀️🤦🏽‍♀️

I only saw Bertolt there.

Maybe it's just me but i dont see anything romantic about the scene to me i prefer the weird friendship they have

While it seemed slightly out of place I’m glad Isayama touched on their “therapy sessions”.

Oh God no please don’t do this, Annie isn’t they type of character that needs any sort of romance in her story to be happy

Both aruani is canon 🥳 and wtf Isayama not the time…

c'mon falling for an enemy uncounscious girl with whom you have wangsty once-sided talks, a girl you manipulated to capture and used as a bait against enemies, really ???

They’re finally talking, I’ve been waiting so long for them to talk things out, also I really like Annie’s character development! And finally CANON, I’ve been waiting for sooooo long!!!!!!

I selected the bird because I feel threatened by it but also WOO HOO ARUANI IS CANON

I really enjoyed the scene between Annie and Armin. I think it further cements AOT as a very human narrative. They both know there are bigger things going on, but that doesn't allow them to turn off their very human emotions, which come out in a moment of rest. I don't believe this will necessarily lead to more romantic scenes between them, unless the ending of the story is far more hopeful than I expect it to be.

  WHY DO YOU THINK EREN APPEARS TO BE IN A SLEEP-LIKE STATE? 2,088 responses

Not long after his grand arrival on the shore, Eren seems to be having a little nap. 45.3% of respondents think he’s relying on his base instincts for his walk around the world. 15.8% think he’s wide awake but just trying to ignore the squishy things he’s stepping on. Turns out it’s actually pretty tiring to declare war on the world, or so say 14.2% of you. 12.1% think it’s no coincidence his apparently sleepy face was shown right after the intense stare of birb, and 8.8% think that the image hints at a secret puppet master pulling Eren’s strings. We received a lot of comments suggesting Ymir might be the big bad after all - now how is Eren gonna earn that sweet sweet freedom if he’s not willing to bust a few billion skulls, eh?

He left the Attack Titan on auto-mode

i just wish to know that....now that Eren has a long ass neck.....will he come back as a human or....he will be like this forever

Symbolic of the fact that he isn’t really seeing the sight. It’s a fools errand like Eren’s goal.

I think it is symbolic. The 'adult' in him is sleeping while the 'child' in him is taking the reigns.

His consciousness has been transferred to his titan's brain. He's essentially an Attack Titan battery .

He is dreaming, ignorant to the destruction below and seeing the freedom he envisioned as a kid.

his consciousness is in PATHS dimension and he's controlling things from there

How the fuck is he sleeping when the wall titans are executing complex commands, like diving under ships and surrounding the city?

I don't think he is sleeping. He rather looks beaten and devastated and just numb to what he is doing in order to cope.

I figure that bc he's so big, he kind of has to be like this. Normally when he's in his titan with his eyes open, he's being active. I think that although he's set the titans in motion, he's in a more passive role now. He also can't be all that active when he's that huge, right?

I honestly don't know. I can speculate its connection to Ymir's apparition and child Eren's lucid dream?

He's irrevocably fucked thanks to good old Gabi and her rifle.

He's losing his will to live.  Also leaves an opening for Armin to wake him up like he did in Trost.

HE'S THE SLAVE NOW

Maybe he is actively controlling / managing something else at the time? Maybe something crucial we don't know about yet, I don't believe that he is just exhausted.

His adult self is asleep now because his child self is having fun in his perfect world. Eren is mentally weak as adult but his inner child is strong and is reaching everything Eren always wanted - freedom and happiness.

He’s unable to regenerate due to controlling all the colossal titans, or just won’t because he wasn’t in Titan form when his head was blown off, meaning he will eventually die

i feel as if having eren not be in control would be mildly disappointing because the manga has done so much to set up erens decent into madness and how his actions became so extreme, i would be disappointed if all of that went to waste.

I would guess that Eren might be sifting through future memories at the moment. Looking at the "unknown world"/"the scenery" that made him smile wistfully instead of being horrified/the thing "beyond hell" Eren mentioned to Falco.  

His adult self is sleeping now, while his young self is having fun.

I think hes not fully in control (maybe ymir calling the shots)

I'm kinda torn between him operating on base instincts and him being controlled by someone (Ymir?) so I'm gonna go with both as the possibility.

Maybe he really doesn't want this? I think Ymir's the one in control

Ymir is controlling him

He is not the one driving this titan, Ymir is.

Really? You talk about his eyes being closed and not the fact that he has the neck structure of a turkey!?

  THE FINAL PAGE ENDS ON ARMIN’S HOPEFUL WISH FOR THE EXISTENCE OF THE OUTSIDE WORLD HE ENVISIONED AS A CHILD, BUT WHAT DO YOU THINK? 2,101 responses

Despite the darkness this chapter brought to the story, Armin ends on a hopeful note. The top two options were 36.8% thinking there’s a possibility Armin will in fact be able to stop Eren. and 33.7% believe Armin to be too optimistic, and that it won’t pan out the way he wishes.

Armin's recalling of his childhood dream with Eren in the last page made me think there's still a hidden solution to resolve the dilemma.  

This chapter also shown Armin not wanting to give up with reconciling the Eren he wanted to see and the actual Eren. He hears no evil.

Tragic ending, yes, but I don't think Armin's hope is misplaced all the same. I think Eren cannot be stopped without death, but I also don't think the entire world will be destroyed, and I don't think it will end hopelessly.

Either Armin’s gonna save humanity or everybody just dies the end 😹

That one bird that was perched on the ship might be the symbol of peace. But I'm not sure how that peace is going to be achieved if the option's still on the table.

I hope the alliance is able to save Eren from doing this unthinkable sin.

Probably a blossoming hope through Armin breaking Eren from Ymir's plan uwu

I think Armin could join/support Eren

  THIS CHAPTER CONTINUED THE BIRD MOTIF, THIS TIME HAVING A FOCUS ON SCENES ENDING WITH A BIRD STARING DIRECTLY AT A CHARACTER. WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN?! 2,067 responses

The Spy Birds theory seemed a bit nutty last month, but I don’t trust that seagull one bit. And it looks like many of you agree because that nutty theory has gone mainstream! The majority of respondents (54.1%) think that the birds are under the influence of a higher power, mainly that of Eren (27.4%) or Ymir (26.7%). 26.6% don’t think the birds are suspicious, they’re just free, man. 13% just reckon Isayama has moved on from his love of drawing thicc horses, and birds are the cool new animal. No complaints here. But I still don’t trust that seagull.

The birds are up to something

Animals sense danger coming from nature before humans do.

bird is symbol for freedom, but some bird like crow and raven in some culture are symbol for death.

I think that pigeons are watching me through P A T H S

Black birds symbolize the people's doom , white bird that flew to armin symbolises hope

black birds: death ; seagul: garbage :))) I dunno, the seagul was so random. It means they are approaching the shore?

EREN IS BRAN STARK IN AOT UNIVERSE LET'S GOO

I dont sure its eren or ymir. But i hope there is something about bird. I hope there are a huge plot twist

Might be another Odin parallel if Eren is using them, but I don't really see why he'd bother. I don't think he needs to do recon.

FREEEEEEEDOOOOOM

Last time I thought that the bird theory was a little far-fetched but now I think that's 100% the deal. That seagul is just somehow way too focused on to be just a random animal.

I commented in the previous poll that the birds are surveillance cameras and i’m even more convinced now. And isn’t it poetic that the Wings of Freedom logo is made up of a pair of black and white wings, representing the different interpretations of freedom pursued by Eren and Armin.

This is all just a Genjutsu by Itachi

my personal favorite theory, it’s zeke seeing everything transpire through the power of the beast titan

Pure!Boy Armin gets the seagull because he still has DREAMS and Eren gets crows because he wants to feast on human flesh.

WHAT'S UPP WITH THE BIRDS AAAAAAHHH TELL ME

I don't know but is really cool if you see it as a symbol of hope/freedom. Birds are the only kind who will not going to be tumble over the rumbling.

I think it's about the colors, black is dark, just like the destruction Eren is causing to the world (including Ramzi and Halil) and white is bright, just like the peace that Armin wished for and is aiming to achieve with the alliance

  HOW DID THIS CHAPTER AFFECT YOUR VIEWS ON THE RUMBLING? 2,100 responses

If we thought seeing the reality of the rumbling would be a game changer when it comes to our view of it, we were wrong. Only 5% of people who formerly supported it no longer do. For the rest of us 44% do not support the rumbling and 30% do. Most curiously, 21% claim to have no opinion. More on that below when we mirrored this question about our views on Eren.

I still don't support The Rumbling, I just want it to stop. It doesn't do anything good for anyone, even Eren himself, and this awfully awesome chapter proves it. I totally expect that via P A T H S.FM Armin and Mikasa could stop him (and save him, physical or psychologically, idk) . It's the only plausible way.

I think the rumbling is justified but I don’t think the civilians who had nothing against Erin don’t deserve to die.

I don’t think there is any other solution, and that’s the point… His outburst at Hange tells me that he was desperate for something. This is coming from Eren who can essentially see everything and inherited multiple people’s memories. If he couldn’t come up with it, I don’t think anyone else can (aside from Armin? But I’m not holding my breath). The 50-year plan was a delusional fantasy at best, technology would evolve rapidly and nullify any threat the Rumbling poses.

I was still kind of hoping Eren had something up his sleeve that wasn't mass slaughter, but I guess we're going there

I believe the full rumbling is a morally grey decision, but I’ll concede and say it’s on the darker end of the spectrum. ultimately eren will have to answer for what he’s done, necessary or not killing millions of innocent people is a horrible thing to do.

The world was never peaceful, and never will be. The Rumbling was inevitable, nothing could stop that.

  ON A SCALE FROM “IT’S JUST A FLESH WOUND” TO “HOLY SHIT THIS IS AWFUL”, HOW DID YOU FEEL ABOUT THE PORTRAYAL OF THE RUMBLING?   2,110 responses

This probably didn’t need to be asked but we did it anyway. For the vast majority of us, the portrayal of the rumbling was overwhelming in terms of sheer horror. “It’s awful! I love it!” seems to be a common reaction.

Whelp... we wanted to see the rumbling. I guess be careful what we wish for.

I am once again reminded how gory SnK can be.

No holds barred. This is the sad, traumatic truth that we asked for.

RIP in pieces Clown-kun

At this point, it makes me sick to read pro-rumbling posts. Normally, when you like a villain or a morally grey character (Eren went past this point long ago) you enjoy seeing how their mentality works. And this is fully respectable, but not the "uuuh my baby did nothing wrong". If we did the same with our kings Floch and Zeke, it would be crazy, wouldn't it?

I’m glad the Rumbiling was shown in its full glory. It didn’t hide anything about the situation and was very gory. I’m glad we were shown what happened to the people during it, and not just after.

I can't feel engaged in the rumbling when it has been the default scenario since the sea, but more specifically 123. The boy had a death flag the size of Marley and now he's dead. Thanks for the shock, Yams. I'm interested in the potential of everything else. I hope I didn't follow this story for the final conflict to be whether to save more people or less people

It was great to see the Rumbling in its full gore. Isayama showed it masterfully and rly put emphasis on how terrifying and disturbing it is. I was never anti or pro of it before, bc I'm just enjoying the view as the reader, that didn't change, and I still like Eren bc he is a very entertaining character.

I loved seeing how awful everything was. Ofc in real life I wouldn't support it, but narratively? Wow!

  WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING BEST DESCRIBE YOUR FEELINGS ABOUT THE RUMBLING? (MULTISELECT) 2,109 responses

This chapter didn’t hold back in its brutal display of the rumbling, and it may be difficult to find the words to describe it, so we gave you twelve. A clear majority are able to agree on it being both tragic and terrifying, closely followed by those who would describe it as unavoidable, distressing or immoral. The choices in the minority included describing the rumbling as awesome, justified or heroic. Fun fact, over a third of the people who chose “heroic” also described it as some combination of “excessive”, “immoral” and “indefensible”. Talk about mixed feelings.

  HOW DID THIS CHAPTER AFFECT YOUR VIEWS ON EREN? 2,093 responses

If we thought seeing the horrors of the rumbling would be a game changer when it comes to our view of the person who unleashed it, we were wrong. This chapter did nothing to change the minds of the 40% who support Eren and the 30% who do not. Only a minority (8.3%) said this chapter made their support for Eren wane.

We were most curious about the 20% who selected “I have no opinion.” When we’ve waited so eagerly for Eren’s POV, how could a quarter of the fandom be neutral on how it affected them? Was this a failure on Isayama’s part or were our poll options poorly worded? We decided that rather than having no opinion,  “I don’t know what to think yet” might have been the better cop out...err I mean *neutral* option :P

I was one of those that was convinced that there had to be something more to the Rumbling, and this chapter shocked me to my core by revealing that there really isn't. Eren is just that disturbed. We wanted Eren POV but we weren't ready for it. Now I just want to see how Armin and Mikasa end this.

i love eren so much nothing can make me hate him but he is insane... all this and for what. THEY COULDNT HAVE TALKED IT OUT??? i feel so bad for eren he clearly does not want to kill all those people man...

We finally have Eren's pov now; I still don't know how to feel about it, but I'll always support him.

Eren is a character who really disgusts me because of his fucked up delusion of fReEdoM but I love him at the same time because he's really well written, this boy is a fascinating mess.

This chapter seems to have made things pretty straightforward. Eren is a lot of things but he’s not one to go back on his word. He said he was gonna rumble and now he’s doing it.  Not sure why people are having a hard issue saying he wouldn’t have done it. Uhhhh hello he’s nuts

i get eren's side but i just wish that there was another way to bring freedom and justice without genocide

I support eren as a character, however if his actions were translated to real life I would disagree with them. At the end of the day, genocide is not ok. He could’ve wiped out military bases, but civilian deaths is not ok. HOWEVER, for the sake of fiction, & the fact that there’s no decent alternative, it’s team Yeager.

Deep down his choice is selfish and this is why he is ashamed of it, the rest are just justifications. And he is not the only character who has selfish objectives hidden over good intentions, Erwin fought for humanity, but deep down he wanted to prove his father right, and Reiner on his quest to "Save Humanity" was just a mask to become a hero.

Really I want to see Eren fufill his dream, I’m still supporting him.

Ymir might have a role to play in his mental state.

Not to support the rumbling or anything, but I do feel sorry for Eren. He's like a cornered animal that attacked in panic and that attack's freaking deadly.

Even though the rumbling is tragic, this is Eren truly getting his way, no matter what. It's a rare thing to see in any literary work, and although I'm curious as to what the downfall/tragedy of his character will end up being after this, I love it all because for what feels like the first time, a character with bad intent is using the god power to accomplish their goal, and I can't get enough of it.

  WHAT BEST DESCRIBES YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT EREN THIS CHAPTER 2,111 responses

Empathy for Eren is the theme for nearly 70% of the fandom with “I feel for him. He’s in a tough position” (43.7%) and “my heart aches for him” (22.1%) being the top two selections. On the opposite and more extreme ends of the spectrum, those who think he’s the greatest (15.1%) and those who think he’s the worst (14.9%) are nearly evenly matched. Interestingly only 4.2% expressed “I have no opinion” on this question compared to more than 20% on the question above.

Eren is my favorite character but I also don't support his actions.

I was disstressed for a few days after it.  How did it go to this? I kept reading this far just because I wanted Eren to be happy and have his happy ending, and what do we have now?..

I feel bad for eren, he's in a position no one would want to be, and he hates what hes doing no matter how much he needs to

This chapter could possibly stablish once and for all Eren as a unchangable character since he has reached a point of no return.

Eren is GOAT, the rumbling is wrong but I still love eren

This entire chapter just reaffirms the fact that Eren has always been a self absorbed, self-pitying child from the very beginning

I don't get how people can still support Eren just because he cried a little.

To think that all the shit that has happened since RTS (Sasha killed, Liberio attacked, Tybur murdered, Zackley assassinated, Nile and Pixis titanised, Levi forced to decimate his own titanised squad and then nearly dying, Jaegerist coup, Shadis beat up, Historia pregnant AND ANYTHING ELSE I'VE FORGOTTEN) is all because of some long, convoluted plan for one single boy's childish, problematically simplistic, black-and-white dream for "Freedom" is. I can't. I'm tired. Eren's pov is so outrageously outlandish that I can't relate. At all.

I cant feel bad for Eren, he is the only person responsible on his guilt and sadness. Also genocide is the worst option and even Eren says it.

He was sheltered his whole life; he has no proper context or framework for concepts like racism and war between humans. He “optimistically” thought his fight was that of human vs titan. That's why I don't blame him for coming to the Rumbling conclusion after the basement reveal. I give him a lot of credit for empathizing with "the other side" and I do believe Eren tried his best to come up with alternative solutions.

I feel for Eren, he was sold the idea of a perfect, peaceful, untouched world, ripe for discovery, filled with the beauty and awe of nature, but in reality it was full of cruel xenophobia people who hated his very existance. I don't support the rumbling but i understand why Eren did it.

Eren is obsessed with his perfect vision of "Freedom" where there are no limits to his will, but sadly for him, he lives on a reality where others exist and as long he has to interact with them, there are going to be limitations he is going to be bound. So even if he kills everyone outside the island, there is going to be another "wall" he needs to overcome.  

Seeing Eren cry and hear his doubts actually made me just more angry with him: "If you are so sad about the fate of the outside world then fucking change the future, don't just give up!!!!!!!" He seems to be very clung in the idea that the future is set and there is nothing he can do to change it.

Okay but look at Eren's centipedal Hell's creation's TINY BUTT. It's so funny seeing that little boney ass on this gigantic thing

  EREN SEEMS TO HAVE MANY MOTIVATIONS. HOW WOULD YOU RANK THEM?

This one was interesting. With this chapter’s iconic imagery of kid Eren spreading his arms declaring “this is freedom”, it’s unsurprising that most of us agree with that as a very important motivation for him. His friends were also chosen as a very important motivation, though not as much as his love for freedom. Historia and her child just edged out the motivation of the people of Paradis, though interestingly it has less “somewhat important” votes and more “not important at all votes”, making it clearly divisive even if it has more “very important” votes.. But the motivation with an even more divisive perception is revenge, with nearly an even split between those who view it as very, somewhat and not important at all.  

Everything Eren is doing is for the sake of his friends and Historia, there was no other choice to protect the island.

I think that the only thing what matters to Eren is freedom and reaching the perfect world he saw in his dreams after reading Armin's book. The dream of his inner child is playing the most important role in his life. Eren is ready to sacrifice his friends, his mentors and people on Paradis - just to see the special scenery and finally feel FREE.

Feel sad to see eren need to do all of this, but i know its for his friend and paradis

I hope that Eren doesn’t harm the alliance

  REGARDLESS OF WHETHER YOU FEEL POSITIVELY OR NEGATIVELY ABOUT EREN, DO YOU THINK HE IS BEING PORTRAYED AS A VILLAIN AT THIS POINT IN THE STORY? 2,098 responses

It’s truly a testament to Isayama’s strength as a writer when a character’s deliberate annihilation of billions is met with a majority response of “there are no villains or heroes here.” 57.1% think that as tragic as the situation now may be, nobody in this manga really qualifies as villainous. Or at least, not when our feisty protagonist is involved. 33.7% think the manga is a tale of a hopeful boy slowly turning to the dark side. 5.6% see this all as part of a hero’s tumultuous journey. Finally, 3.5% think it’s unfair to cast Eren as a villain since he’s not the one in control. Gotta say, if Eren is not the one destroying the world he really shouldn’t have said he was going to destroy the world.

This chapter just proves that Eren ISN'T a complete villain. I disagree with the rumbling, but what Eren's going through is something that I empathize with.This chapter just made it easier for me to keep rooting for everyone, even though a completely happy ending is not an option anymore.

I really hope Eren's in for a change of heart soon. I hate the idea of him being the final villain. He's definitely redeemable. Even he is eligible to have a dark foil and rival. Maybe we'll get that later on in Zeke who I feel is also redeemable.

More and more of the story is unveiled, I really like how this is going. Ever since knowing the outside world I have decided that Eren is no longer a hero but then he is not a villain either so does everyone in the story. I like Eren a lot but I'd say that I just like to observe, to see, never to support or to oppose. So this chapter is really amazing to me as I managed to see more about Eren.

eren is a villian whether you like it or not

I feel Walter white Vibe from Eren.

Eren is evil period!!!! There is no justification for mass murder. If he wants to savr his ppl then just wipe out the army, navy, air force, warriors and the leaders period not everyone including INNOCENT ppl....

EREN IS GOAT. He is portrayed as a hero who makes tough choices that no other shitty shonen character even can do.

Eren needs to stop the rumbling. It maybe justified his needs but the people outside the walls didn't deserved it. They're both each other's enemies. He used to say people outside the walls are monsters but he became one himself. He desired freedom but in the end he was a slave to his own desire.

Isayama could chose to make him some what of a villainous character, or he could chose to set it up as if eren is more of an anti hero doing then wrong things for the right reasons

  DESCRIBE THE CHAPTER IN ONE WORD 1,543 responses

No superlatives to describe how great or awesome this chapter was this month. The Rumbling hurt us all (well done, Yams, mission accomplished). That being said, it looks like we’re all masochists, considering this chapter is in the top 5 highest rated chapters since chapter 91.

Tragic [169; 4.69]

Sad [89; 4.73]

Pain [77; 4.86]

Depressing [69; 4.75]

Heartbreaking [48; 4.77]

  WHAT ARE YOU MOST HOPING TO SEE NEXT CHAPTER? 2,089 responses

With what we want next chapter we find it especially surprising that the majority are ready to give Eren’s perspective a break. Since google sometimes fails us in displaying the data, we’ll just list it all out. Of the options we provided, our wishes for next chapter from most to least popular are: Let’s keep it with the Eren POV (23.4%), The alliance reaching Odiha (22.4%), WHERE TF IS LEVI??? (10.6%), I could go for a few more mental breakdowns (10.1%), More Ymir being mysterious (7.9%), WHERE TF IS LEVI??? (10.6%), SAVE US ZEKE (8.9%), Oh god go back to Historia please (8.5%), Finality for Floch (6%) and More birbs ovo (2.2%)

Yo where tf is Rico

I want to see levi

fuck yeah more mental break down, I'm ready to be depressed

I really want to see more of Armin and kid Eren in Paths next chapter. That one panel was super interesting and I would love to go back to it.

hurt me more isayama

Please yams I want to see Flochad kill Hange, that’s all I ask for.

Zeke returns next chapter pleaseeeee

HOPE WE GET TO SEE HOW THE ISLAND IS DOING NEXT CHAPTER

It's getting to the final and I don't like that

as only 3-4 chapters are left, I dont think we are going to get another eren POV, I am still dying to see the conditions of the other main characters, whereas zeke and floch are unfinished mysteries.

someone from alliance is dying soon

I've gotta see more Historia. What is she doing and thinking right now? What is her role moving forward?

Just shut up with historia in this survey. She's irrelevant. Now I hate answering your polls.Never again!

i literally don't know what to expect next chapter like yams is just THAT good

  WHERE DO YOU PRIMARILY DISCUSS THE SERIES? 2,025 responses

The platforms where we discuss the series remain relatively unchanged with Reddit providing the plurality of responses. Thank you Reddit! We appreciate it. That said, we’d love to see this chart balance out a little more so please feel free to share the poll wherever you discuss the series. That includes the 5 of you degenerates on Snapchat.

  ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS ON THE CHAPTER? 553 responses

Uhhh *disappears*

ZEKE-KUN PLEASE BE A GOOD ONII-CHAN AND SAVE THE WORLD FROM YOUR TROUBLED LITTLE OTOTO

listen, birds are pretty cool ok

Beautifully tragic, exactly what I wanted to see from Eren after being shown in a villainous light for 30+ chapters. Being introduced to a new character, in particular an innocent child and then finally revealing his name and story was a perfect way to show the true horrors of an indiscriminate near-omnicide, it definitely brought tears to my eyes.

(😢) SIE SIND DAS ESSEN UND WIR SIND DIE JAEGER (😢)

As expected of Isayama-sensei, it's exactly right.

Annie being revealed as aromantic is the unexpected happy development in this tragedy.

Kiddos, the "it's just fiction" argument refers to the fact that you are allowed to *enjoy* watching fucked up things in fiction because people, in general, can distinguish between fiction and reality. It does not mean writing essays to *justify* said fucked-up things that happen in fiction, because you almost certainly start bringing your own real-life logic to fictional events. Aka, mixing up reality and fiction. Showing your true colors. Allowing your beliefs to slip into discussion. Whatever you call that.

THE BIRDS HAVE PATHS, I CALLED IT LAST CHAPTER!

Annie has always had a hard time expressing her feelings and that she has had complexes for a long time. I'm glad Armin was able to tell her what he was thinking because it will give Annie more confidence. Plus, Annie has always been introverted and I love that Isayama tells us more about her character.

The ravens are a reference to Odin’s, a mythology character. He has two ravens, they symbolise memory and mind/thought.

What a manga.

what eren did is right you can come up with any other solution

What in the everliving fuck is going on? Can we go back to factory reset and knock some sense into Eren before he starts having wild ideas like this one? Please

BEST SHIP FINALLY HAPPENING PROPERLY AHHHHH MY BOY ARMIN IS FINALLY TALKING ABOUT HIS FEELINGS EVEN IF IT'S SUBTLE

If Eren is the bird he really is Armins WINGman.

I KNEW ARMIN LIKED ANNIE! But seeing Annie blush was a nice surprise. I thought she was the ice queen in terms of romance.

This poll is bias toward historia. I wish if y’all stop the shipping b.s

birds are supposed to symbolize freedom in most cultures, innit?

This chapter was so important to me. It showed the reality of the rumbling, and that scenery, and most importantly, Eren's true feelings on the genocide, including his now split younger self. He feels guilty about it, he knows it's bad yet he has to do it because he has no other option if he wants Paradis and everyone he loves to survive. During my life I have had a lot of instances where I had to sacrifice a lot  in order to survive, including disociating and splitting my personality in two, crushing my own feelings to do what had to be done, so characters like Eren are very relatable in that sense to me. In a kill-or-be-killed situation, there is no place nor time for doubts nor mercy and you have to do what you have to do.

Very interesting, trágico and raw, but also  liked the comparison between different concepts of the world and freedom between Armin and Eren. Also loved all the AruAni moments, they were not only adorable but also helped those two characters talk about things they needed to open up about since a long time ago lol.

I want to get off Mr. Isayama's Wild Ride

Am I the only one who can't take the alliance seriously?

Wasn't really feeling the AruAni moment, but other than that top tier chapter can't wait for more.

Armin possibly realizes Eren isn't in the right state of mind. If Eren is projecting himself as a child, then Armin might be able to come up with a plan to stop what he is doing.

Fantastic, worth the wait.

Fav chapter yet. Fall of Wall Maria got overthrown as the most depressing event in the series for me.

Favourite line in AOT :"SIT DOWN"

I don't want it to end, but I am very happy about the direction the manga is going.

I felt for eren

This chapter was legendary, it hit all the right notes for finally giving Eren's POV. The shot of child Eren above the clouds will go down as one of the best panels ever... also Eren's line about "disappointment"... fantastic it gave me chills.

I find ‘the cycle of revenge’ storyline tiring. I’ve seen it so many times before and there isn’t anything new being covered here. I just feel tired and sad honestly. My last (and probably unfulfilled) hope for the series would be for Levi to make it through this, work things out with Zeke without violence and be able to move on in his life. He could help the survivors of the rumbling and reestablish civilization, maybe open his tea shop, see the world, maybe fall in love. I don’t really care. I just want to see my boy alive and doing okay for himself. A ridiculous thought for this series, I know. With 3-4 chapters left I feel we will most likely just be left in a misery marinara. I’m soaking in it right now.

I have too many thoughts on this chapter, I wouldn't know where to begin

i wanted him to save ramzi, but i didnt at the same time?? i was glad he didnt spare him, but im sad he didnt?? i dont know why

I just want everything to end already

i just want the best ending for all characters, esp Eren.

I like how Isayama is pushing the cognitive dissonance that i have of what side i should choose.....he is really fuckin with me at this point. All the thinking has now made me kinda numb

I like Isayama drawing birds and see the art improvement through the chapters :D I announce August is the Eek Appreciation Month dedicated to the Wings of Freedom! EEEEEEEEEEEK

I like that it pretty much ended the discussion of Eren having other plans. He's been totally honest the entire time. If he had other plans, why'd he put his friend in danger by having them fight against him?

for real had to pause for a bit at many points in this chapter lmao

Maybe this is why he never talked to his friends- he didn't care about discussing what's right for them, he just wanted his FrEeDoM and would walk over children to get it.

Glad to see Armin and Annie being cute, they deserve a few moments of happiness.

Glad to see Eren’s thoughts and feelings about the rumbling. There are a lot of loose ends that I was hoping to have some answers for in this chapter but it didn’t happen in this chapter, which just made me more intrigued.

Glad to see that Eren's uncaring exterior was finally dispelled this chapter

God I can't see this ending good and I just really want this to be over soon. Never rooted as much for an MC to die as now.

Which of the following best describe how you feel about the rumbling?  Pointless, it won't achieve anything.

while i find aruani cute i still find it weird since she literally was crying the previous chapter. i was disappointed that we didn't get to see all the alliance

Why tf is Ymir in the realworld!?

WHENS MAHVEL

SS ARUANI GONNA RUMBLE THE SHIP HARDER THEN EREN RUMBLED THOSE POOR CHILDREN, TAKE THAT NONBELIEVERS no really, this was built up from s1, and they have wonderfully complementing personalities. Sad that half the fandom gets triggered from any het ship (and vice versa)

Crack theory: Eren has two personalities which is why he acts in contradictory ways. The "evil" nature is in kid Eren and the "good" nature is in the bird. There is no consciousness in his actual body anymore.

Genocide route best route

Way better than the last chapter. 130 was just good art and shipping bait which felt like it was forced for the sake of the end of a volume. This chapter was amazing and balanced its multiple purposes effortlessly, as opposed to the clunky nature of the previous chapters. Probably the best chapter since Ymir's backstory. I love how Armin tied into it, we haven't seen he and Eren's shared dream brought up for a while, as it had faded into background despite being such a driving force for both characters before the timeskip.

I was sure that the dichotomy between Eren's motivations was clearly between his friends/the people he wants freedom for, and his own quest to soothe the anger he has in his heart. Essentially is he doing this for love or hate. Yet we get a third motivation introduced this chapter, of him achieving his child self's dream of freedom in a wall-less world, and what do you know it's tied into "that scenery/that sight", Isayama you genius. What does this mean about those other motivations, though? Is everything false and it's just what Eren is telling himself? What's the lie? What's the truth? What to believe…

It might just be because Eren subconsciously called to Armin. So if more memories surface, more characters can talk with him potentially.

Time loop theory!

Timey Wimey P A T H S shenanigans.

Even if I'm not surprised, it's disappointing to see how Eren is the worst Jaeger after all. He used to make bad decisions trying to help "humanity", but now he just thinks he's right, when not even half of Paradis agrees with his ideas.

I hate Eren from the bottom of my heart. He's disgusting, a total piece of shit. And I love Isayama for giving me all these feelings. He's the real GOAT here.

Really made me wish Isayama hadn't gone for the ~mystery~ of Eren becoming the villain and had instead at least given us the flashbacks in chronological order. The way this long-awaited PoV reveal has been done has felt so clunky and awkward.

I honestly don't understand those who used to support the Rumbling but no longer do after this chapter; maybe they are the same kind of people that romanticized Omnicide and kept defending it as the  "morally correct thing to do"  and that they "would most certainly do it"  if they were in Eren's shoes... Until the reality hit them and all of their posturing like a bag of bricks - i.e. the typical edgy keyboard warrior.

As a pro-Rumbling fan, I always knew this was the expected outcome; if anything this chapter was everything I hoped that Isayama would show to us because it once and for all disproved the idea that Eren has a plan beyond the Rumbling. A Lelouch ending (which I hope doesn't happen) can still be pulled, but its not something that Eren is actively working torwards, but the end result if the alliance somehow stops him.

rumbling go brrrrrrrr

Zeke is controlling the bird with his beast Titan ability that he learnt from the paths realm

"what will my mother think of me?" Ashamed of you, eren, duh.

I really can't feel sorry for eren when this is ultimately the choice he made. There were always other choices up until the point where he killed many world leaders in his attack on Marley.

A bit sappy but understandable. From a egoist point of view Eren is justified in his actions, but of course this just reaffirms the Eldians "monstrous" nature to them. The Eldians dont have a realistic out unless the titans are truly gone forever if Eren loses. Curious about the birds.

A freckled girl appeared. That's progress.

BRUTAL.

Also what about the Eldians living outside of Paradis Island? IMO they are the ones suffering the most

Can he even be stopped?

Can people stop saying that because you enjoy the direction of the story that you’re a genocide supporter? I like shooter games too but I’m obviously not going to go kill anyone, everyone needs to chill out with the moral policing, you sound like the Tipper Gore crowd. Is the rumbling justified? No, but it’s a great direction for the story and it was inevitable once it was established what was in the walls. Chekhov’s gun had to go off sometime, I’m actually surprised how many people seem to be agonizing over this.

Can't put it into words how amazing AOT has become and is just stepping over each level taking one step at a time !!!

Can't wait till next one

Changed the opinion of many people on eren's genocide

Chapter confirmed Eren is NOT the father

Cruel just like the world

This chapter re-assured me that that first scene of Mikasa is the moment she says goodbye to a dying Eren.

Damn bro it’s great

Dang. When this is animated, I guarantee a lot of youtubers and just the anime fandom in general will think this is the best series of all time.

Eren is one of the best MCs of all time.

Eren is one of the most tragic characters on manga

Eren is the best protagonist

Eren is the GOAT but is also wrong and needs to die real soon

EREN IS THE GOATTTT. AOT IS THE GOATTTT. ISAYAMA IS THE GOATTTT.

Eren is truly the best developed main character from any shonen series, this chapter made my mind.

Eren loses it, again

great job Isayama. well done you madman

Great painfull chapter, Eren having a breakdown Made me so sad and depressed,  I wish him to achieve freedom

Greatest manga of all time

greatest piece of fiction of our generation

Hange is right, this is not an acceptable solution

I cried while reading it no joke

I don't even know what to say about Eren. Sure, this chapter is showing his guilt, but that definitely does NOT justify his actions. EXPLAIN YOURSELVES, YEAGERISTS, EREN STANS!!!!!! (sorry I'm just angry about him)

I still think there needs to be a twist, because for me the character development still doesn't work. Eren and Historia have both forgotten common sense and do awful stupid things for stupid, hollow (plot) reasons, and the 104th this entire arc have both become somewhat useless and self-righteous at the convenience of the author. I don't care if the whole arc happened this way just because clearly Isayama wants to have the rumbling as the last arc, but if this was his objective he should have been more focused on character consistency and less on the mystery of it all. It still all feels less like the choices of actual characters than plot convenience, and it gives me the same sensation of the Serumbowl, which I thought was the nadir of the series.

If truly there's won't be some last minute twist it's just bad character writing in service of a plot decided in advance. Same with Historia and the 104th. Who cares about character consistence? Not Isayama, apparently

For some reason Eren wants Armin to the what his is doing.

Honestly, of all the characters Armin is the last I'd want succeding in stopping Eren. Let Mikasa have the spotlight, damn it.

Beautiful pain

Beautifully drawn but very gory

a person can gladly become a devil or a god if he has to, for justice.

A truly sad and terrifying chapter. I never understood how anyone could support this. Don't get me wrong. I understand plotwise why it had to happen. I knew Isayama would show us this. This part was unavoidable for the story he's trying to tell. Doesn't mean I have ever supported it, or that I ever will. But hey at least Aruannie is cannon, so that's a silver linning to this absolutely horrible chapter.

PS. I never wanted to punch a fictional character in the face as much as I want to punch Eren's. Alas, he's not real and I will never get the satisfaction of doing that.

Adding onto child eren's freedom panel, i believe it represents the idea of freedom he had wished for before he was betrayed by the world itself.

All hail the mad king

All that suffering, for what. You won but at what cost

IT MAKES MY HEAD SPIN AND THE FORSHADOWING BUILD UP TO THIS CHAPTER IS JUST *chefs kiss*

It really shows that Attack On Titan isn’t an ordinary story. It is a storyline filled with emotions, tragedies and somehow the cruel reality that this world possesses.

It shifted through a lot of POVs, it was pretty good.

It showed the rumbling and Eren in much more impartial way.

It was crazy to finally see in Eren's Head but all it did was confirm the things I was thinking for awhile and put me more on his side.At this point I'm ride or Die Eren Yaeger just so I can see how this all ends.

It was good, but I wish we would've gotten more with the rest of the crew going to Marley.

Listen, I really love Eren, I have deeply felt for him. I still do, I relate too much with his own traumas but since the timeskip. I have distanced myself from him and I don't and have never supported on his stance for genocide because he set this up with Zeke and pushed Marley to go into war while they didn't want it in the first place. However I have too much of a strong emotional connection to him so I understand him and I admit, it made me doubt a little bit on some of my stances. Since Eren is so different from who he was back before the timeskip, I have always assumed and the manga has not proved me wrong, that he's being influenced by something or someone which is feeling on his traumas, anger, depression and dissapointments. So I am still extremely optimistic about him.

Jesus Fucking Christ

its funny how the dream dies with reality

Its great to finally get some of Erens thoughts but it’s just made me think he’s not acc the one in control

My tears create a whole new ocean.

no opinion really, chapter felt kinda flat and repetitive in parts

Alliance supporters learning that Eren is suffering with all this shit and isn't trash and pitiful like their hypocrite babies who were genociding their own people in the last 32 volumes.

Amazing. The way Eren developed from this angsty little child to someone who's willing to kill everyone to achieve his childhood dream and save his pals is truly wonderful.

Rumbling go wee

I found it tragically ironic that Eren just has a passing thought of what his mom would think of his actions, and it reminds me of how he wouldn’t listen to her when he was younger. Do you think this is a subtle indication that Eren hasn’t matured from the thought processes of a selfish boy, or does he truly hold weight and more consideration to what his mother (and other people) would think? Personally, I think he is more aware of outside views, but just refuses to accept that reality because he is so stuck on his own desires.

It's one of the pivotal scenes because atleast I know that within Eren he still at somepoint have consicience and shows that at somepoint he can be stopped.

Rumbling goes rumble

Eremin <3

Yams makes me confused! I dunno!

Collosal Titans go brr

CONFUSING IN WAY TOO MANY PARTS!!! where to start or stop... from ymir to bird to child eren is all confusing af but nice :)

Depression and depression

Did we really need to spend that many pages on that AruAni BS? So much for fucking 5% being left.

Dis gon be good

Let's get the final confrontation underway!

Welp, there is absolutely no defying it: Eren is the big bad and there is no secret plan to make it up.

Let’s get ready to RUUUUUUUUMBLE!

LETS FUCKING GOOO

Levi and Hange convo when? Armin and Annie end of the world sex when? Jean confessing to Mikasa when? Floch suprise killing Connie or Jean when? Floch getting thrown over board to die at sea rather than being shot when?

LOLZ at anyone still defending the rumbling after this chapter portraying it as something heroic or justifiable

Make me feel. Make me feel more.

Man, this is rough.

Overall well rounded chapter. Time to get back to alliance and Historia after this though.

Poor Eren. But I kind of understand.

Ppl who are calling Eren GOAT or saying they were only sad in this chapter bc Eren cried are legit psychopaths.

Seeing Eren’s POV and reasoning behind pursuing the rumbling makes me feel for him. We know he cares about his friends, paradis, etc. I am at a loss of words for this chapter. However I will say this, Armin in paths with Eren is not a coincidence. I think isayama is foreshadowing of a conversation THEY’VE ALREADY HAD, and what’s to come..

Isayama is being stingy about letting his characters talk to each other properly. I mean really how many scenes do we have left on this boat while the rumbling goes on? When there’s still so much to be said. Wasted chapter imo, a lot more could’ve been said and done.

E+H=Y

Eren confirmed that he will kill everyone. The rumbling cannot be stopped.

Even though we have gotten some insight on Eren's pov, it has created more questions than answers. His motives are still very confusing and we are still being kept in the dark

Every chapter update makes me sad :( the story has gotten so tragic and i love it but oof. I didnt think it could get sadder but Isayama proves me wrong every month

Every new released chapter is better than the last one. I love these series. Props to mr. Hajime Isayama 💪🏆

Exactly what we needed, have more faith now.

Exceeded my expectations. The last two chapters were mindblowing after a slow mini Arc at the port. Isayama can really pull ar your heartstrings with flashbacks and Eren's pov.

Thanks Isayama for the microscopic eremin crumbs

that kid eren scene though... easily the best scene the series so far

That was damn perfect

That was f***ing amazing and awful at the same time. I want this series to end, but actually no. Keep going Isayama. You crazy motherf***er.

the "beyond the walls" talk between armin and eren is being brought up again and im emotional now thx

The ending's gonna disappoint people, no matter how well/badly it's executed. Chapter was cool, but overhyped imo

The pacing seems slow, but then again, it was recently nodded to that the manga won't end at Chapter 134 or 135 but 136. And Isayama does have everything planned out for a long time. I don't think he'll disappoint.

the significance of many things in the story are too epic, carla and mikasa look alike, grisha and eren look alike, historia and dina even look alike, the repeating actions, along with the intricate history formed, give us a lot to speculate but nothing to confirm.

I am somewhat sad for eren, to see the point that he has reached by having that freedom that he longed for so much but that I hardly think exists is sad, I don't know how the hell this is going to end but hey I don't know

I can't even begin to imagine how this is going to look in the anime. Definitely not for the faint of heart.

I can't imagine how the manga will end in a few chapters

I can't wait for 132.

I can’t believe this

I can’t wait to see this chapter voice acted, holy shit.

I loved the context that Eren's apology provides, really gives some much needed insight on his thoughts about the future during the timeskip

I need him to talk to mikasa and armin!

On this poll, I noticed that there's nothing about Mikasa haha. I want her to have a moment for the next chapter, or appear on Eren's memories. We know she's gonna be playing a big role for this arc.

I like where the story is going and I can’t wait for the anime so I can show AOT to everyone.

I think Eren is going somewhere. If he wanted to rumble the world, he can control the titans even from the safety of Paradis. I think he is going to that tree under which Ymir fell.

I think it focuses on Eren a bit too much. Maybe show us some Levi? Thank you.

i think reiner is gay

I am currently not taking a side. Not with Eren or with the Yeagerists or with our heroes. I'm just here to see how it all goes down and how Isayama wants to play it out. I've been enjoying every single chapter and being so moved it's insane. F the ship wars and the bs, this story is much more than that. And tragedy is written all over it. Ok brb getting my tissues prepared for next chapter.... 👍

I don't know how many more issues we're going to have but I worry that the story is going to come to a screeching halt and leave too many questions unanswered. Isayama has got so many plates spinning, narratively speaking, I have no idea how he is going to finish them or if he'll finish them at all.

Just a series of gut-punches one after the other after every panel, oof this chapter affected me more than any other. It also made me wonder about how the planet in general would be affected.  Like how would ecosystems change?  Will Eren only go after the civilized countries and then stop?  Or will he not let a single person survive outside the island and just actually steamroll the whole planet?  If he does, wouldn't that change climates and stuff?  What's about the animals and plants? Am I thinking too much about this? How will the drastic changes affect the Paradisians? All this assuming the alliance doesn't manage to stop him (which is likely)

although initially him and reiner seemed to pursue the same path, eren initial motive was to wipe them all and he said it multiple times, I don't believe he has guilt nor remorse because "it was all set from the very start"

We also got a seamless reintegration of the theme of what it means to be a "good person", something both Armin and Annie have grappled with as far back as Female Titan arc, and it's great to see it re-emerge in the context of the rumbling. Annie is an underrated character. Isayama could have had her come back with some bullshit royal blood or daughter-of-Kruger twist, but instead he decides to integrate her into the conflict as her own person and make her a more interesting character than Reiner (sorry Soul).

Eren is allowed to have emotions, he should be able to feel terrible about himself for having to wipe out most of humanity. But he also believes that this is the only way. He begged Hange if there was another way, he WANTED an option that didn't end with the world being rumbled. When Hange had no ideas, and no else had a plan that would keep Paradis safe, he felt like he had to move forward, towards freedom.

Eren is neither right or wrong in his decision. Killing innocents, destroying entire ecosystems and ending human civilization is morally bankrupt. In many ways his plan is short sighted, but when I say this, my stance comes from a logical standpoint rather than a moral one(the political instability of the island, the precedent it sets, the danger he put his friends in). The *most* moral thing to do was a partial rumbling(there are still some issues both logistical and moral) and while 2 wrongs don’t make a right, I hold Marley and many other nations equally at fault for not being willing to end this diplomatically. Their scorched earth policy brought this on. It’s unfortunate that their citizens are paying the price for their governments crimes. But you can’t threaten to wipe out an entire civilization with no negotiation and not expect a desperate response like a full rumbling. This doesn’t absolve eren of responsibility of his actions, but the rumbling is an extremely unfortunate even that was 100% avoidable if diplomacy had been an option.

Eren, no! That’s all I can say at this point! Armin please, I’m begging you, stop your mans.

Eren, what the fuck?

Eren's self pity doesn't change the fact that he's killing millions of innocents and he's not going to stop despite it.

Eren’s guilt over his actions doesn’t mean a thing considering he’s still doing it. The fact that he saw the future and did nothing to stop it (and actively made it happen) makes him even worse. I don’t feel sorry for him in the slightest.

Even though Eren has the skeletal structure as an (I don't even know.. turkey/bird.. eh...) people are still going to simp the shit out of him on twitter, like jfc-

Eren wanted to destroy all life outside paradis not because he wanted outside world to be just a wonderland of blazing fire , grasslands etc. but because the people outside are making it impossible enough for him to realise his dream of total freedom

I would like to add that AruAni scene was, in my opinion, really important for both armin and Annie character development, since they're having a romance scene with the theoretically enemy (armin is from paradis and Annie is from Marley). I think this represent well that people from Marley and people from Eldia can live together, without violence. (I wish I could write more, but English is not my first language)

I'm glad we're finally getting things more thoroughly from Eren's perspective. Up until now, his motivations and thoughts have mostly been discussed by other characters, but we finally get to hear from him directly. This chapter mostly confirmed what I suspected, that Eren isn't heartless, but he was also a tragic character that was perfectly aware of the destruction he was about to bring upon so many people. Overall really good, can't wait for the next chapter, whatever it may be.

I'm happy that Isayama made clear what an egoist and violent nature  Eren always had, since he was a child: he's not an hero, not an avenger and surely not the "chad goat" some teen edgelords think.

I'm literally shaking so hard rn

The wall titans were always an obvious metaphor for "what if Japan had WMDs", but in this chapter this is made even more obvious when there is nothing left from migrant children but two dark kid-shaped splatters on the ground, which is a pretty clear visual reference to citizens of Hiroshima leaving nothing but scorched silhouettes behind when the atomic bombing happened.

Ironically, there was a popular twitter thread this week about the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and despite not being very familiar with the topic itself, I was somewhat amused to find the arguments in the comments to be very familiar. It's payback, it's to prevent future war, it was justified because of Japanese government's war crimes, Japanese citizens were indoctrinated and racist and would NEVER give up fighting foreigners so bombings were a mercy, it's collateral damage, etc etc.

The warriors deserve much better than being used as props.

There's 99% chance this series is getting a downer ending

They had it coming. The world was warned yet they still provoked him so much. I feel for Eren..

What is the most disappointing thing is how selfish and unreasonable mankind can be. So much hatred between so many people and nations, the world of Attack on Titan is a cursed one. So much blood spilled everywhere, and why? Is it because it's justice? Or is it because it's mother nature? Or is it because mankind is known for bloodshed and selfishness? So much hatred has blinded people, they no longer care to listen for the reason. Nothing matters to them, just their goals. All of this pointless conflict when people can simply try to speak up, try to understand each other, simply make bonds. If people could only live with a bit more empathy... All we can do is hope that so many deaths will have any meaning. Or perhaps Genocide/omnicide never had any meaning... Perhaps all of this was pointless strife.

This chapter confirmed Uri's predictions during his conversation with Kenny by the river. It remains to be seen now whether the alliance will be able to stop eren. I am sad for the world and for Ramzi and his brother. The pictures were horrible to watch (Isayama is very good at drawing emotions).

i'm...so very tired

I’m freakin cryin i need someone to hold me

Slowly, everything is coming back in its place. I am super dedicated at this point to the manga and I just hope Isayama is gonna be able to reach the perfect conclusion for such all these years of construction.

So Eren is a fish Titan...?

Still pro-rumble

Such a tragedy this whole story is. Really heartbreaking to witness. But so meticulously done and masterfully written.

Somebody said, maybe Eren and Zeke were actually fighting or going on memory journey schmuck in the Paths currently, that's why Eren is sleeping and automatically runs the titan on the outside.

If zeke didn’t pull this shit up in the first place none of this wouldn’t happen

Starting to reconsider the time-loop theory being wrong. Everything is literally coming full circle.

Isayama youre a genius but you love seeing us hurt and confused dont you 😭😭😭

It bothered me how surprised people were that Eren did the rumbling and it was sad.  He's been saying he was gonna do it for ages, and now he is.  What's with the surprised pikachu fandom?

Jesus Christ everyone needs therapy

Please end this story with happy ending!

[imaginationofacrazyfangirl]

*jhs / hanahaki! au/ 🌙☆

*4.5k written 

Summary: Hoseok desperately wants to continue your guy’s friendship despite his girlfriend Soo-min hating you. What he doesn’t know though is that even just being friends will kill you.

A/N: After much consideration what started off as a one-shot then two-shot, shall now have three parts. Thank you everyone for your patience. I appreciate all the support given to me.

—————————————————————————————————

White orchids spill from your mouth as you heave into the toilet only to miss. A minute passes before you collapse onto the cold tile floor of your restroom. Your eyes stare blankly at the white mocking flowers splattered with blood. How fitting for the product of your disease to be such a rare exotic flower. Most people who suffered from Hanahaki threw up roses or lilies, but you got orchids. It is as life wants to personally point out that your first and only time falling in love with someone is doomed.

Forcing the remnants of blood and flowers back into your throat, you stood up on shaky legs. It was 9:10 am last time you checked, and time you spent throwing up has  fucked up your morning schedule. If you don’t change soon you’d undoubtedly be late to your morning class. “Come on (Y/N), you can do it. No stupid flowers are going to-”

“(Y/N)! Are you ready?” a familiar jovial voice calls out, causing only more flowers to fall from your lips. 

Quickly you slam the door to the restroom shut, locking it for extra measure. Your mind races trying to figure out why the object of your affection Jung Hoseok was here. Sure he used to walk you to class every morning, but only to make his ex-girlfriend Soo-min jealous. Soo-min hated you with a passion. Which is why when Hoseok and her broke up, he thought fake dating you would be the best way to get her back-and it worked. 

For three months you faked a relationship with Seoul University’s  ‘sunshine boy’. At first you felt awkward not being a people person and Hoseok was under the impression that you were some sort of monster. Eventually though you two passed those hurdles. Hoseok broke through your icy barriers, he became your first friend and through him you began to make other friends. Everything went perfectly except for the fact you began to fall for him. 

 It started slow, but you could feel the symptoms progressing each day. His love began thawing the ice around your heart. Then a seed  planted itself in it sprouting leaves that grew like ivy. Soon after flowers escaped your mouth the sure sign of an unrequited love. Your love for him was real. Probably more real than anything Soo-min could give him. However Hoseok felt oppositely hence the Hanaki disease. 

“(Y/N)? Are you in there? “ Hoseok knocks. “It’s kind of late to be getting ready. Did you oversleep?”

“Yeah.” You croak. “I just got up. What …what are you doing here, Hoseok? Didn’t you and Soo-min get back together?”

It’s a question you already know the answer to, but you can’t help not to ask. You need to know for sure, before you make any decisions regarding your Hanahaki, you need to Hoseok got his wish. “….we did, but that doesn’t we can’t still be friends-”

    His answer both hurts and relieves you at the same time.  

“It means exactly that, Sunshine boy. You can’t be friends with me. You can’t even talk to me unless you want Soo-min to hate you.” You say, hardening your heart.

   Hoseok isn’t the type to abandon a friend for girl. Not even if he’s only known them for a few months. Which is why you need to be the bad guy here…for both your sakes. “(Y/N)…” Hoseok says.

     Taking a deep breath you opened the door coming face to face with the cherry haired boy you loved. His dark eyes gaze at you sadness radiating through them. You have a feeling he knows how right you are, even if he doesn’t want to admit it. “We can’t. Being friends with you will only cause pain and trouble for us. Trust me.” you reaffirm.

    Hoseok shakes his head. “I don’t believe that. Not for one second. You are my friend whether Soo-min or anyone else wants you to be or not.”

       A vine shoots out at his words coiling tightly around your rib. It takes everything within you not to double over in pain as it bruises muscle and bone. You are so far gone, any sort of relationship with Hoseok will kill you. “What about what I want? What if I don’t want to be friends anymore? What if I am tired of dealing with you and everyone else?’ You snap uncontrollably. “I don’t want to do it, Hoseok. I don’t want to be your friend anymore. Alright?! “

   Hoseok doubles back a crushed look on his face. “Alright. If that’s what you want, I’ll leave you alone then.”

   “It is.”  You say looking away . You can’t handle the expression on his face. It hurts more than anything the Hanahaki does to you. A ray of sunshine like him should never be anything less than shining, especially not at the expense of an ice queen like you. 

    Later that night you receive a visit from Yoongi, Hoseok’s best friend/fraternity brother and the only other person who knows about your disease. The blonde haired boy arrives with an assortment of medicines, books, and pamphlets revolving around Hanahaki. It’s a sight that makes you both laugh and cry at the same time. “I heard you broke up with Hobi.” Yoongi says as he enters your dorm.

    You snort, shaking your head. “We weren’t really dating to begin with, so how can we break up?”

    “He looks awful. Almost as if you murdered his whole family in front of him.”  Yoongi mentions. “Seriously I’ve never seen him so upset. Not even when Soo-min broke up with him.”

      You look down ashamed. “I didn’t want to hurt him, but I-”

  “You had to.” Yoongi finishes knowingly. It’s only been a few days since you revealed to him your secret, but already Yoongi could see the damage done to you by this disease. You are paler than normal, skinnier too with dark circles under your eyes.  Your lips are chapped and your hair lost whatever shine used to be there. Overall you look like shit and Yoongi feels so fucking guilty for not noticing sooner. 

     “He’ll kill me.” You whisper sadly. “Just by being around me, this plant will grow and strangle me to death. It’s not fair-especially for Hoseok, who didn’t even ask for my affection.  So I have to stay away for both our sake.”

    It sucks, but you don’t doubt sunshine boy will bounce back. You’re merely another side note in his novel of a life after all. “Have you decided what to do yet?” Yoongi asks, looking over the pamphlets. “They have tablets that are supposed to reduce hanahaki growth, but they aren’t a permanent solution.”

     “There are only two solutions to hanahaki disease: death and surgery.” Tears well up at the thought. Neither option is preferably, especially since you know first hand the consequences behind them.

        “I hope you aren’t seriously thinking about death. I mean I get that you love Hobi, but it’s only a feeling. It’s not worth your life.” Yoongi says, his dark eyes pinning you with a look. “Besides it’s not like you two can’t be friends afterwards.” 

   Your lips curl into a bitter smile at his words. Memories of a vacant stare and careless question of ‘who are you?’ flash before your eyes. Yoongi’s naivety is not his fault. The horrors behind hanahaki surgery are such that even doctors belittle its effects. After all who wants to hear that the person they loved will be forever erased from their memories?

     And  like that night three days ago you confide in Yoongi about your horrible truth. “Hey Yoongi…have you seen someone go through hanahaki surgery?”

      Three hours later Yoongi stumbles home wanting to throw up. Your words play like a never ending loop in his head gripping tightly to his heart. ‘My parents suffered through Hanahaki disease when I was little. My mother died from it and my father forgot everything.”

  His knees buckle as he steps inside the frat house. For once it is silent. No one up playing video games in the living room, no loud music blasting, or groups of people conversing simply silence, something Yoongi can’t tell if he’s grateful for or not. On one hand he could use the distraction-the noise to blare out your tearful story, whereas on the other hand Yoongi’s glad no one is around to see him like this. 

    “Fuck.” he whispers to no one. “Fuck. Fuck..Fuuuuccck.”

He’s haunted by the calm expression on your face as you whispered. ‘Everyone thought my parents had a happy marriage. After all, my father loved my mother and she always smiled but I guess not all smiles equal happiness…my mother loved someone else. Who? No one knows. She never gave any indication of fancy someone other than my father. No one knew until I found her propped up against the toilet, roses sprouting from her lips like some macabre painting.“

  Seven. Seven fucking years old when you found your mother dead, yet you spoke as if she simply gotten a cold. If he didn’t know any better Yoongi would’ve thought you to be soulless. However the orchids clamouring out of your own body only proves  how much of a heart you did have. “Hey, man is everything alright?” Hoseok’s voice comes, as he steps into view.

    He’s dressed in his normal sleepwear, a white t-shirt and boxers cladded in cartoon birds. His hair is disheveled which normally meant he was sleeping, if not for the purple bruises decorating his neck. Anger flashes through Yoongi at the sight. Soo-min must be over, that fucking bitch. “Fine. Sorry for waking you up.” 

     “I wasn’t really sleeping.” Hoseok shrugs.

“I’ve noticed.” Yoongi says dryly. Logically the blonde knows it unfair to be mad at his friend. It isn’t Hobi’s fault you fell in love with him. Nor his fault that he loved Soo-min…but Yoongi can’t help himself-especially since Soo-min  replaced you. (You might’ve gotten over her bullying you, but Yoongi hadn’t.)

     “Ah yeah, Soo-min got a little wild. She’s never been this possessive before.” Hoseok laughed. “If making her jealous is all I got to do for sex like that, I’ll have to do it more often.”

   Yoongi didn’t even bother faking a smile. Hoseok already knew how much he and the rest of the guys hated Soo-min. “Whatever you say, just keep it down okay? I have a math test tomorrow.”

     Hoseok nods. “Of course. Sleep tight Yoongs! Don’t let the bedbugs bite.”

 “That’s the stupidest shit I’ve ever heard.” Yoongi grumbles, walking away. Hoseok’s laugh echoes down the hall as Yoongi heads to his room. It is not until he falls back onto his soft bed that Yoongi allows the final tidbit of your confession to play.

  ‘Forget. That’s what the surgery makes you do. It doesn’t only erase emotions of love, it erases all memories pertaining to it as well. When my father returned from his surgery the first thing he said to me was, ‘who’s kid is this?”

  Forget or die, two shitty options for someone who already had it shitty. Yoongi closes his eyes thumbing the pair of keys belonging to a certain roommate of his. Slowly he slips the key covered in mickey mouse prints off. There isn’t much he can do to help you make your decision,  but perhaps Yoongi can make life a little easier for you. 

      A week passes from that day and Hoseok can’t ignore the gnawing feeling that something is wrong. He knows your guy’s friendship has ended, but the cherry haired boy can’t keep his distance. Not when every cell in his body screams for him to fix this somehow. 

      After three months of fake dating you somehow became a permanent fixture in his life.  He misses teasing you about your bad breakfast choices, or forcing you to eat an actual meal instead of coffee for lunch. He misses the way you listened to him, barely muttering more than ‘uh huh, ok, yeah’; it always seemed like you weren’t listening until you surprised him with a question or comment. 

   Hoseok just misses you period.

Which is why he decided to give your friendship one more shot. Surely if he misses you this much you feel the same. Memories of your callous words from a week ago come to mind tormenting his fear, suddenly Hoseok feels like he can’t breathe. You said he annoyed you, that you were tired of him, but that was just because you were scared of losing him to Soo-min? Once you see how genuine he is, you two will go back to being friends. 

     "I don’t want your stupid apple. I’ve already eaten. ” Hoseok perks up at the sound of your voice. He’s been sitting on the steps of the language building for the past half hour waiting for you. Your name dances on the tip of his tongue. Eagerly he opens his mouth to call out to you but freezes  at the sight of a familiar blonde walking beside you. 

      "A gogurt and a cup of coffee doesn’t count as lunch, dumb ass. Now eat the apple, it’ll help you from getting sick. “ Yoongi says, shoving the red fruit into your hands.  

     Something within Hoseok twists, he finds himself nearly doubling over in pain. A dark ember burns in his stomach, suddenly Hoseok wants nothing more than to punch Yoongi. "She hates apples. ” Hoseok can’t help but inform. “It’s her least favorite fruit. ”

   Both you and Yoongi jerk surprised by his presence. As if on instinct Yoongi steps forward blocking your view from him,  it causes Hoseok’s blood to boil more. “Hey Hobi, waiting for Soo-min?” Yoongi asks nonchalantly. 

     Hoseok bit his cheek suddenly remembering Soo-min has a class right before yours. The two of you share the same major meaning your schedules often coincided. He walked you to class everyday just to show off your “relationship." 

       "Something like that." 

    "Cool. See you at home I guess.” Yoongi nods, pulling you with him towards the door. You barely even glance up at Hoseok as you’re led away. 

    Again something twists violently in the pit of his stomach and the question, 'are you guys together,’ slips through his teeth before Hoseok can stop. The two of you freeze, Yoongi’s fingers tightening around your wrist. Suddenly Hoseok doesn’t want to know the answer.

     "Something like that. “ Yoongi replies, dragging you into the building. 

    Three weeks go by since your 'break up’ with Hobi, and ironically, you find yourself in another fake relationship this time with Yoongi. Unlike your previous pseudo-relationship this one contains nothing more platonic love. There are no fake dates or pet names. Yoongi doesn’t treat you like some girl he’s in love with. Instead he forces broth and anti-growth pills down your throat only to hold your hair back when white petals flow back up from it. He shields you from Hoseok,  Soo-min and the judgemental glances of the world, protecting you from harm. No, Min Yoongi is a god send, but you aren’t in love with him. 

    Sometimes you wish you were though. Loving Yoongi sounds easier than loving Hoseok, but that could simply be wishful thinking. After all, Yoongi and Hoseok are two different elements. Hoseok is the warm sun melting away all your defenses, while Yooongi is a winter’s breeze offering relief from the sun’s rays while fortifying your protection. "So the date has been set. A week from now I’ll have the surgery and this will all be over. ” you announce, ignoring the painful ache in your chest 

    The idea of forgetting Hoseok scares you. You don’t want to forget him or the way he’s made you feel. As selfish as it sounds Hoseok is the first person to show you affection in years. Your family basically ostracized you after they discovered your father’s amnesia. While he could learn to love you again the possibility of him remembering your mother ran too high. So instead you lived as his niece with an aunt and uncle who despised you, because you looked like your mother. 

     Yoongi nods, glancing over at the calendar. He can’t help but frown at the date circled in red. “I know this is the only viable solution, but I feel like I should ask you if this is what you really want?”

   "No, but I don’t want to die either.“ You say softly. "As much as I want to hold onto these feelings of love, they don’t really belong to me, you know? Hoseok loves Soo-min. They’re her feelings not mine. ”

    Yoongi’s frowns. “Soo-min only loves herself. You know it,  I know it, and deep down Hobi does too.”

  "Maybe but it doesn’t change a thing.“ You murmur, eyeing the date. Your grip tightens around the mug you hold.  You don’t want to admit but you’re scared; scared of waking up the exact person you were before Hoseok: cold, intruding and alone. 

  Yoongi shoots a knowing glance. "Something else bugs you, doesn’t it? ”

   You take a sip of your tea. “ Don’t worry. It’s stupid stuff. " 

    It’s three days before your surgery that you see Hoseok for the first time in a month. Logically you know you should avoid him even if the appointment is less than forty-eight hours away. However you find yourself staying at the coffee shop, eyes unlocking from the cherry haired boy.  'Just one more glance.’ You assure yourself. 'Something to carry with me onto the operating table that’s all I want. ’

     But it’s more than one glance it’s several long stares, watching as the boy talks animatedly amongst his friends. He looks so happy right now practically glows like the sun. The sight is so beautiful it causes your heart to bear faster. This is what you wanted to see. Hoseok happy and carefree even if it is without you. 

   You smile, ignoring the painful pulse your heart gives when the Hanahaki’s vine squeezes around it. This is how things are meant to be. Hoseok deserves a life filled with equally bright people. He deserves happiness in every form. You aren’t.

     A content sigh escapes you. You swore to Yoongi, you accepted the surgery with no regrets, but that was all a lie. Seeing Hoseok like this though, so free and unaffected by your absence, you can finally let go of the little doubt holding you back. 

    "Order for (Y/N)!” The barista calls out sliding your drink across the counter. 

  You cringe at how loud they are; internally hoping that Hoseok hadn’t heard your name.  Seeing him from afar is dangerous enough, if you actually interacted with him…  You push the thought out of your head, quickly exiting the cafe, completely unaware of the eyes following you. 

   "You okay man? You’ve been staring at the barista an awful lot. “ 

    Hoseok blinks, tearing his gaze away from where you stood. The moment you walked into the cafe Hoseok could only focus on  you. It is like everything else disappeared except for you.  "Yeah I’m fine. " 

"You sure? Because if you like the dude that much, I can get you his number. ” Another, Jo Kwon teases. “Though I think Soo-min would kill both of us- wait! Isn’t that (Y/N) up there? Didn’t you two used to date before you and Soo-min got back together?”

     Hoseok nods barely listening. His focus once again on you, this time watching you leave. Neither Dino or Jo Kwon knew about the dumb deal or how sweet Seoul University’s Ice Queen really was.  While they are good friends, they were nowhere near close enough for Hoseok to feel comfortable sharing his secret. 

  "Gotta say you must’ve been really off your rocker, Hoseok. Dating such a scary girl. “ Dino snorts. 

   "Seriously, I heard (Y/N) got arrested for murdering her parents, but since she was a kid no one believed she did it.” Jo Kwon says. “You know someone should warn Yoongi-hyungnim about her. They’re together now aren’t they?”

    "Something like that…" Hoseok mutters. His chest burns at the mention of Yoongi and you.  While you refuse to even look his way, you have no qualms hanging on Yoongi’s every word and move. It is like Yoongi’s the sun and you’re the earth orbiting around him- it pisses Hoseok to no end and he can’t explain why. 

   "Maybe he just figured she’s an easy lay. I mean a girl like her is probably desperate for attention. She’s probably spreading her legs for anyone who looks at her-“ Hoseok’s fist hits Dino’s face before either one can process what is happening.

  The younger boy falls to the ground with a loud crash, causing everyone to stare at them. "What the fuck man!? You just hit me. ” Dino sputters wide eyed. 

    "And I’ll do it again if I ever hear either of you talk about (Y/N) like that again.“  Hoseok threatens. The anger within him is uncontrollable. He can’t explain it. Especially when it is not only Dino and Jo Kwon who pisses him off, but Yoongi too. Just the mere sight of the blonde sickened him nowadays. 

   "You’re crazy man. She’s a freak and she made you one too!” Jo Kwon says.

  Luckily, all it takes is a warning look to have them scrambling out of the coffee shop. “Assholes.” Hoseok mutters, ignoring the still plentiful stares at him. He reaches for his coffee only to pause when his stomach turns suddenly. Annoyed Hoseok pushes the cup away. He must be getting sick.

   Word of the fight spreads across the campus like wildfire. Fury does not explain the anger Soo-min feels when she hears about her boyfriend’s outburst. In all the years she dated Hoseok never once did he get offended for her sake. Boys literally listed off her body count at parties and Hoseok merely shrugged asking Soo-min. 'why does it matter when everyone knows you’re mine?“

    Mine. The claim used to send shivers down Soo-min’s spine. Yes, she was his. Just like how she owned him. They were meant to be no matter how many times they broke up. It didn’t matter if Soo-min decided to date around a little, because Hoseok would wait for her.  

   At least so she thought until one day Hoseok ended up on the arm of her biggest enemy. Originally Soo-min assumed he simply wanted her jealous- a clever ploy really, after all wherever she went you two appeared. Three weeks later though, you started wearing Hoseok’s hoodies. After that Beta-Tau-Sigma invited you to their house, a privilege which took Soo-min months to achieve, but the real straw to the camel’s back happened when Hoseok threatened her. 

   The cherry haired boy who cared little about gossip finally spoke out against it and not for her sake.  In that moment Soo-min realized the relationship between Hoseok and you ran deeper than she assumed. For the first time in her life,  Soo-min felt threatened in Hoseok’s and her relationship. So she ended it.

   With a bat of the eyelashes and the purse of her lips, Soo-min took back what was hers. Once again Hoseok and her were together while you cried your ugly heart out. Everything went back to normal. Except it didn’t. 

     Hoseok refused to leave you alone. He was determined to have some sort of relationship with you, despite now being with her. Not even you dating his own best friend stopped Hoseok’s unsettling obsession with you. 

   "I don’t expect you to understand, but (Y/N) is someone special to me. I can’t just let her go. ” he told her one night. 

  He was right. Soo-min didn’t understand. Nor did she want to. What Soo-min wants is you gone.  “(Y/N) (L/N), you fucking slut! Stay away from my boyfriend!” She hollers, charging after you. 

    You stare at her confused. The sight spurs her rage more so. How dare you act clueless! As if you don’t know what you are doing? She pushes past the throng of students cornering you against a tree. It’s just her no posse unlike last time. Not that Soo-min needs one to kick your ass.

   Since elementary school, she has worked to put you in your place. The only difference now is the strange attachment Min Yoongi has towards you. Last time he stopped her from teaching you a well deserved lesson. Today however he won’t be able to save you.  “I’m not in the mood Soo-min. ” you mutter, walking around her. 

    She grabs onto your hair yanking it. A small gasp escapes you as you tumble onto the ground. “Well I am. So you are going to listen to me and listen real good you got it?”

       "Fucking psycho. “ you spit.

   Her hands twist, tightening the pull on your hair. You reach up trying to pull away, but Soo-min’s stronger.  "Me? Psycho? No no you’re the heartless ice queen here. You might’ve tricked Hoseok and everyone else into thinking you’re some innocent little girl, but you and I know the truth. You are unlovable.”

     You let out a loud laugh surprising her. “Again with that hanahaki shit? You and our family have been holding that over my head for fifteen years.  My father’s disease wasn’t my fault. Nor was it my mother’s. ”

  Taking Soo-min off guard, your right leg sweeps back, knocking her off balance. She loses grip on your hair allowing you to push back. You stand towering over her. “Love is an uncontrollable force. You can’t choose who you love. Just like you can’t choose who loves you back.”

    Soo-min snorts. “What do you know about love? Your mother chose to love over her daughter, and your father chose life over you too. Meanwhile Hoseok only used you to get me back. He never loved you and he never will-”

    A small cough breaks through her rant. One tiny hiccup like cough that normally would go overlooked if not for a single orchid petal escaping your lips. She freezes eyes locked on the white petal. 

     "You…“  She hardly managed to say the word when you turn tails running. 

     Her body moves on its own chasing after you. She doesn’t want to admit it. Doesn’t want to acknowledge it but Soo-min’s scared. As much as she hates you, you are still her cousin. It doesn’t take long for her to catch up to you. Out of the two of you, she’s always been the more athletic one. Moreover thanks to the disease, you hardly make it  a few feet before heaving a basket of flowers up. 

    Soo-min stares at the blood soaked plants in horror. Full stems. You are throwing up whole plants. "You are dying. ”

     The words come out more blatantly then she intends, but you snort nonetheless. “Yeah, I am. Don’t celebrate yet though. I’m getting the surgery.”

       "You. You are in love.“ She continues speechless. 'But how? I mean who? Is it Hoseok?”

    "Yoongi.“ You correct quickly. "I’m in love with Yoongi. He ah he doesn’t love me though. He loves someone else so we broke up.”

   "Oh.“ Her throat tightens around the word. For the first time ever Soo-min does not know how to react. Deep inside she wants to reach out, comfort you, scream at Min Yoongi until she’s blue however she can’t. Not only does Soo-min know you won’t accept it, but there’s still something within that holds onto her parents’ prejudice 

     "Does he know?” Soo-min asks. 

You shake your head. “No. Nor does he need to. In two days this will all be a forgotten memory.” 

     Soo-min frowns. Her heart squeezes pain at the thought. It’s funny she’s always wanted to see you suffer, but not like this. Despite being little during your parents’ illness Soo-min remembers clearly everything that happened. From the hole your mother cut through you and your father’s heart to her uncle’s empty expression after the surgery. More than anything she remembers her warm fun loving cousin falling into herself. The person who was once her best friend suddenly distanced herself from everyone including Soo-min.

    It is a memory that stirs up something within Soo-min, she hasn’t felt in a long time…: guilt.

[icharchivist]

first: WAHHHHHHHHH 😭😭😭 I got so emotional!!! so emotional!!!! so much that I can’t even do this first second pattern bc I have SO MANY thoughts!!!!!!! I’m writing this in my notes instead of straight into the askbox so u know it’s serious business™

ok so debut night!!! I was like ahah yeah it’s a tragedy whatever it’ll be fun to start out with and then the voice acting was SO good that it knocked me out of the park and I almost cried haha. it’s crazy how good the voice acting in a3 is like I love how the dialogue and voice acting works well together bc like it’s limited but so effective!! u can so very clearly see and understand the style they’re going for. especially like tsumugi’s death scene... the Talent jumped out it really did... uh and ok so. I think I may be a littleeee confused abt the play bc I had always interpreted tasukus last lines as raphael to be like abt his being secretly in love with michael. but now that I’m actually reading the line that’s like oh don’t fall for a human it only ends in misery I know that all too well or whatever... ig the implication is that raphael was in love with another human / the same lady michael was in love with in the play. side note I had to go back and edit the proper names in instead of tasuku and tsumugi lol... but speaking of!! speaking of the voice acting and the play itself I 1) love how blatantly obvious it is when tsumugi goes for that grander, tasuku like style of delivery!! like u could just so easily feel the difference it was wild... and 2) tsuzuru is once again spot on with his writing, lol... I felt that like raphaels inability to save or help michael really parallels how tasuku feels abt tsumugi so well, and it’s wonderful that they r able to resolve things and tasuku can properly compliment him on his acting where the angels fail to do so. it’s very good. and I think the play rly highlights (for me at least) that like. to tasuku, it was tsumugi who was sort of an unreachable existence. like were he to idolize and respect someone’s acting, it would be tsumugi. and I think that like caring carries over into their roles really well, because I think in michael’s love for a human tasuku sees like... tsumugi’s style of acting. the heart that he’d lost while within the god troupe. mb I’m losing my mind a little but ah. the play rly works with their relationship so well!! im very excited to see the other winter ppl get main roles tho—same for all the troupes!!! now this ask is too long so I’ll have to do another part lol

going to start off this second part of the ask abt hisoka bc oh my GOD. hisoka. like I was just thinking “hm where r the winter troupe cgs anyways” and then BAM. hisoka CRYING???? especially since he doesn’t seem that emotional it was a really hard hit!!! and who tf is august.... ok well actually theory time!! skipping ahead to the end theres that note that like mentions December and April and. not to expose my friend but very many years ago (a couple years before a3 was launched, at the very least) she wrote this story where there were like 12 orphan assassins and they were all named after months. I remember the main dude was named dec lol. coupled with my “hisoka is capable of murder” bit? listen.... I’m not saying anything but I’m also not not saying anything if u feel me. also I feel like assassin / thief with mysterious background is a common trope!! that was silver from the pokémon adventures manga too... why is this my reference point lmao. anyways I’m unclear if assassins would make it into a3 but like.... if the yakuza and supernatural stuff makes it in...

okay moving away from conspiracy theories and into emotions!!! the quotes from like EVERY mankai actor before the final production made me SO emo... and yay!!! they won!!!! (though admittedly I almost had a heart attack when no one clapped) but they won!!!! that ending cg!!!! and I adore how sakyo immediately goes after god troupe man (I know his name is reni I just don’t feel like calling him that) for the money lol it’s just so sakyo-like. also I love the lil mixed troupe interactions!! I found the game night ch so fun.... ahh, now I wanna reread that ch since it was so good lol

all in all I was super satisfied ahh!! I am SO excited to start up spring troupe again (HELLO character development!!! and chikage) and I’m even MORE excited to get thru all the act 1 events!!!! as a final note, is there any way to reread or replay the flair conversations? I didn’t want any spoilers for the plays while I was doing the practices for them so I kinda sped thru the first time ahah...

HELLO FRIEND IM SO HAPPY TO GET SUCH A LENGHTY ASK ABOUT WINTER IM LKDJFLKDJFLKFD  Winter makes me feel shrimps emotions (i know the whole “shrimps can see more colors than humans can’t comprehend” thing has been disproved but i’m not letting go of that expression, i REALLY feel emotions humans can’t comprehend anymore and i’m going to make it everyone else’s problem)

1) First about the voice acting, rIGHT this is just so fascinating to me!!! I remember after act 2 i came back to reread the main act 1 chapter and i was so thrown out by how GOOD the voice acting was, especially for the first few troupes having to convince you they’re not comfortable or good at acting yet. Winter whole thing is that they’re more subtle and mature and you really feel that with their voice acting, Tsumugi’s voice especially knock it off the park anytime he’s on screen. 

2) Second: what does it say about me that i’ve never, ever considered your reading a possibility because i was so set on “oh Raphael you’re in love with Michael sooooo bad you see it as a tragedy already because you can see him throw his life away” i didn’t even consider “maybe Raphael went through that too”. Though i guess if we’re going with that reading i can totally see “The Woman” they let themselves consumed by easily be a representation of acting or even more the God Troupe, with Raphael/Tasuku knowing to step away before it consumes him completely while Michael/Tsumugi, by his love and passion, pushed himself until he broke, which fits and it hurtsssss god Winter plays hits so hard.

3) Third: oh god yeah when Tsumugi goes for Tasuku’s acting it’s just. It makes me SO uncomfortable, i’ve experienced this scene like three times by now and the third time i was just “can i skip it i can’t go through this again i can’t Tsumugi i love you i can’t do this”. It doesn’t match the play at all and it just throws everyone off balance, and Tsumu you could have told theM YOU WANTED TO DO THAT.... god

4) Fourth: I LOVE YOUR READING SO MUCH I LOVE IT I LOVE IT YES YOU’RE RIGHT!!! Just as we follow Tsumugi let his passion consumes him until he breaks, Tasuku’s character arc really jumps out in Raphael, like, everything you say!!!  The way Tasuku/Raphael knew how the feelings Tsumugi/Michael felt would hurt him on the long run but he didn’t know what to do about it until it was too late, the regrets and the way Raphael voices his frustrations.... Tasuku struggles to be honest without acting (Tasuku pls i love you) but having such a role really help him expressing all he feels about Tsumugi and i’m HHHH this is so good so so good!!! but yeah i also love that Tasuku finally manages to actually compliment Tsumugi naturally, that he understands he can’t let him destroys himself again and it’s just gnhhhhh Tasuku is so kind and considerate and i care about him so much....!!!

5) Fifth: “i’m losing my mind a little” winter mood, winter mood winter mood- (though every troupe’s mood tbh but Winter is gnhhhhh kdhd hdhjf??? you feel me) (i am BIASED i can’t help it TwT) but yeaH i’m looking forward to see how you react to the others plays because the roller coaster juST BEGUN!!!

Onto part 2... Winter Troupe Chapter Feels... 2!

6) Sixth: DLFJDFKLDF HISOKAAAAAAAAAA I LOVE HIM SO MUCHHHHH. Hisoka crying fucked me up so bad!! so so bad!! Like on my first read i didn’t know what to think of him as he starts out very apathic to his troupe and then the more it goes on the more you can feel he starts to open up and i’m soft for this sort of slow burn, but then this whole scene happened and it HIT ME IN THE FACE, he was crying, i was crying, we were all crying, the Unopening Door opened a flood of emotions i can’t cope with. He sounds SO VULNERABLE during that scene and i know all of the Winter Troupe united on “taking care of him” but that’s really the moment i went “i care you and i will keep taking care of you” and look at me now. Thanks funky little scene for ruining my life. I’m glad you liked it i’m aldhjflkjdfkd Hisokaaaaa.....

7) Seventh: I am not commenting on the theory but 👀 that’s so highly specific your friend has a galaxy brain i love it. and i love the idea of “well we have yakuza and supernatural entity what’s an assassin adding himself to it” dLKFJDLKF i know everyone in Mankai calls Izumi out everytime someone joins but that’d be peak. I’m not going further about what December and August and April are all about but i love this plotline sO much, the few mentions of August when Hisoka regained his memories for a minute still haunts me, the guilt he seems to feel and this pain i’m just... godddd such a good set up. I love this plotline.

8) Eigth: EMOTIONS!!  Oh GOD YEAH THE ENDING WITH ALL THE OTHER ACTORS... I cried so hard it’s just. It really shows you it’s not just the culmination of the Winter chapter but of all the act 1 main plot and it really makes you feel how much of a journey you’ve been onto!! A3 is so good at showing you the growth of its characters that especially by the end of Winter you really saw how all of them grew in their respective chapters and how cozy they felt in their new home in the remaining chapters, and the fact this chap has those defining character arc’s lines really drive home “oh my god that was a journey” i love them sO MUCH.... 

9) Ninth: wE WOOOON!!! They’re all so good i just. i’m gonna cry just thinking about it dlfdjlfk i know like, the game has so many content so you know it can’t end at the end of Winter but the suspense really was there. BUT YEAH LMAO I LOVE SAKYO DOING THAT IMMEDIATLY, man sure has the eyes on the prize and we love him for that.  AND THE GAME NIGHT SCENE they are all sO CUTE and sWEET and they’re a family now and i’m hHHHHH i love a3 a normal healthy amount that isn’t just making me cry thinking about how all of them grew so close even through mixed troupes.

10) Tenth: I am SO happy you were satisfied with the plot so far!! I’m genuinely so happy that you decided to take that journey with us and that you shared all of this with me, and i’m so so happy you liked it!! There is still so much content and all of it is so worth it! 

11) Eleventh: Yes!! The flair conversations are all readable on the Mini-Chat tab! So they’re easily accessible and they’re sorted in a way that’s easy to read so you can feel comfortable skipping the flairs if you want until you have seen the stories the flairs are all about. They’re all kinda set during the rehearsals (except for some crosstroupe conversation that wouldn’t make sense if they were like how the Summer Troupe talks with the Spring Troupe in their Flairs DKLFJDF but it’s okay what is a timeline anyway) so some of them are set pre-development and it’s wild to get back to them. I love rereading Flairs i get emotional everytime.

ANND That’s it for this ask! i had a blast reading through your thoughts and i’m so happy and excited!! i’ll send you the drive now so you can start digging through it whenever you feel like it :3c good luck grinding for act 2, meanwhile i hope you’ll have fun with all the act 1 events i compiled for you!!

(side note i need to update the drive too but it’s mostly act 2 content anyway, the only two act 1 things i need to update on it is Sakuya’s birthday card i think?? i think Itaru’s is already in act 2 so i’ll try to get around to it eventually but it’s so far away anyway) (edit: i forgot that the three cards i got for the latest revival are from act 1 DLKJFD okay so i’m missing three cards -)

The drive has backstages and event stories and it may be a lot and overwhelming ahah. Focus on the event stories for the plot and go back to the backstages whenever you feel like it, no need to read them at the same time, unless you want to in which case everything is set up for you :3c and there’s a file with cards that aren’t associated to events too so... lots of goodies hanging around. I’ll send it to you in DM ;O 

Take care and thank you so much for all your thoughts! my inbox remains wide opened for any others thoughts you may have as you go further into it :3c

[lesserfandomappreciation]

Hello hello!  Thank you that’s really kind of you!!! I love your writing (congrats on Chap 9, it was awesome)!

Personally I am terrible at flirting or even understanding how it works, so I did my best with this. Hope it comes across as good!

This wound up longer than expected, whoops! Flirting with Self-conscious s/o ( Red Shoes and the 7 Dwarfs )

Arthur

Charm out the wazoo. Arthur’s boisterous personality combined with his a princely upbringing and deeply instilled ideas on what a knight should be have created an inherent need to be charming when he’s interested in someone. It can range from surprisingly smooth to over-the-top. He’s pretty good at coming up with them on the go too, responding to what may be an innocuous question with a decent line.

His lines come in three main forms. 

Traditional knight/ye olde romantic keeping ideas of courtly wooing.

“May I join you, milady/milord?”

“Should you feel fear let me know. It’s a warrior’s duty to protect that which he treasures.”

Painfully, genuinely sweet lines that work only because he’s showing his real self and is not being over-the-top.

“Could I... hold your hand?”

Boasting: AKA showing off his muscles and hyping himself up (desperate moves he thankfully only rarely uses now thanks to his experience with Snow White)

The issue with all of these is that they come across as a bit fake or showy, as this type of flirting really isn’t for everyone. So a line missing when flirting with his self-conscious s/o is something he sort of expected. He doesn’t think it’s because they’re self-conscious, Arthur just thinks he messed up.

The way the self-consciousness manifests itself is going to change the way he reacts. For example, if they withdraw a lot, he’s going to think he really goofed it and is going to apologize, asking for clarification on what he did wrong so that he doesn’t do it again. That’s a very different reaction than if s/o were to bluntly tell him they didn’t believe him, leaving him dumbfounded.

The first reaction aside, Arthur would want to let them know he genuinely meant it, but his own lack of experience would really get in the way of that. How does he go about this? Him being him though, he would confront them directly about it and in that moment let his inner sweetheart shine as he makes it clear that he meant what he said. 

If they want to explain why they feel that way about themselves, great he’ll listen, but even if they don’t he asks them to not speak about themselves that way. They’re too wonderful to be hateful towards themselves.

After that the prince makes it a point to compliment them every single day. It’s not even always flirting, it’s straight up compliments. Their smarts, their passions, their looks, their hands, their eyes - everything is free game, and he’s not going to stop giving sincere compliments until they get it through their heads he likes them for them for a reason, and they should too. 

Pino

Stating facts about them counts as flirting, right? Cards on the table I don’t think Pino is really capable of flirting well, at least not on purpose. Yes, he’s mature and the eldest but that doesn’t necessarily equip him for the terrifying world that is interpersonal relationships outside of family. To even try to flirt takes a massive amount of pondering before he lets out a single word

His flirting, thus, is not so much flirting as it is:

A) stating things he likes about them/ Sort of.

“You are very smart. And strong. Strong and smart. Smrong.”

“You are a good size.”

B) complimenting them about something they did.

“Good job.”

“’You did good with that.” 

C) Giving up and just staring silently trying to think of something to say. Anything. Come on brain you helped build a selfie machine surely stringing words together isn’t that hard.

That one video of Lin-Manuel Miranda chanting “Come on brain, think of things.”

D) Any of the above, only his brothers are there to be the world’s best worst okayest wingmen.

The thing is, is that with this style of flirting barely comes across as flirting. S/o or not, it is going to be very difficult for anyone to pick up on any of this as intentional romantic interest rather than Pino being... Pino. Most people would maybe register this as awkward platonic compliments, if even that. His insecure s/o’s self-consciousness may not kick in for a while until they figure out that this is Pino desperately trying to show intentions.

Someone give this man cue cards he’s hurting.

Actually no don’t do that his brothers might get ideas. 

Despite this terrible inability to communicate romantic feelings, Pino does have one thing going for him. A stupid amount of emotional knowledge courtesy of keeping an eye on his brothers. Pino’s not dumb. When it comes to the people he really cares about he can get a good read on them. His s/o is no different. 

Upon realizing that s/o, the same s/o he has been pining after for weeks of awkward semi-flirting, has self-conscious issues, Pino is baffled. Bamboozled. Confusioned. Setting his own feelings to the side, the eldest brother works up the nerve to tell them full throttle that they are awesome. He doesn’t know what they have been through, nor where the feelings come from, but he will not let this stand. He is a little curt and blunt, but the intent is there.

If his s/o says 1 tiny negative thing about themselves, he’s armed with something they cannot deny. Facts. Pino has been debating his brothers for years, he will make charts if he has to.

Noki

Constant non-stopping stream of compliments. Noki is what happens when a fidget spinner is outfitted with an energy-drink powered engine. Pino, Hans and Jack can only somewhat keep him from vibrating into another dimension, and that’s with their powers combined. When he has someone in his sights, that energy is re-focused on making his s/o feel like royalty. 

Flirting is, if nothing else, absolutely amazing to witness in just how it is:

One constant stream of consciousness that results in compliment after compliment.

“That’s amazing, you’re amazing, that hat really suits you-”

“Your hair looks really nice today, though it usually looks nice every day-”

Painfully, unapologetically, sincerely sweet, gen-u-ine statements that could give anyone a bad case of sugar rush. 

“Why wouldn’t I want to be here? I really like spending time with you, you’re a really fun person.”

“When you smile your noise gets all crinkly and it’s super cute, you’re like a kitten!”

Cheesy, horrible one-liners that were bad in high school then and are bad in current times now. 

“Do you have a map? I keep getting lost in your eyes.” 

^^^^ That’s as much as I’m writing on that, this stuff is painful.

The painful part in all of this is that Noki, being Noki, is going to have no flippin’ clue that his s/o is feeling about this until he starts paying very close attention to their reactions. Are they turning away from him because they are hiding a blush, or because they are hiding tears? Are they blushing and incoherent because he’s just that good, or because they have no idea how to respond, this is a new experience to them, someone please show them mercy and send help. 

“Wait, you don’t believe me??? Why?!” Noki is not going to hide his bewilderment at all. This whole time he’s been flirting with them and they thought he was kidding??? He thought he was bad at this, not that they were going through some insecurities he may be encountering for the first time. He is going to sit down next to them, and s/o has about two seconds to decide whether or not they’re going to talk about it, because otherwise he is.

“You are amazing though! Everyone knows it! Snow White, Merlin, Sword-head, Hans, Jack, my brothers- we all know it! Do you think I could invent something that can possibly help this? You should have to go through life thinking badly of yourself when the world is a brighter place because of you! I-” 

TBH I do not have room for the whole rant here, but essentially this would likely wind up with him confessing because this is painfully obvious. 

By the end of this, he plans to make them blushy every single day until they see the them he sees, and beyond that too!

Kio

Shy sweetness that will punch you in the stomach when you least expect it. Oh you thought because he’s shyer and quieter than his brothers (and the entirety of the F7) that he isn’t capable of delivering some one-hit KOs using nothing but his words? You thought?! Pino is awkward but mature, Noki is a ball of constant validation, but Kio will use his reputation for shyness as an excuse to flirt out of the blue and then move on like nothing happened. 

Personal touch may be awkward for him but verbally making his s/o a goober just like him is his secret to being confident with his words. His s/o is in for it. 

Kio is a sneaky bastard who has the least range of flirtation (only 2 types really) but boy oh boy are they wildly different. 

The supreme sweetness that Noki (most of the boys if we’re being honest) take notes on when they want to be sweet to their loved ones.

“That’s a new bracelet isn’t it? It’s really suits you, you make it look good.”

“All your expressions are lovely but when you smile, the whole world seems brighter.”

The, ah, spicy stuff that none of the F7 besides Pino know that he is capable of uttering. Pino has no proof and is going crazy trying to prove to the group that the youngest brother can be downright heated with his flirting. 

“I could see you anywhere and be happy. Outside. Inside. In a house. In the bed. Especially the last one.”

“Your eyes are not the only part of you I could get lost in.”

Kio does not have the problem of not being clear in flirting. He’s not subtle. At all. As you’ve seen in some of the examples. The problem is that it can be a lot for a person to process, especially one that has self-consciousness issues. It really is out of the blue, which can throw the other person off when they’re not expecting it. Which is always. 

Thankfully, he is the happy middle between Noki and Pino’s ability to sense that something is wrong. It does take him a bit to pick up on it, but eventually he puts two and two together to realize s/o really is reacting oddly. Not in that they’re shy, but that there’s an underlying issue. It does take him a while to talk about it though because he has no clue how to approach it. It’s not a subject he’s good at tackling. 

The thought his s/o is going through this solo though does get him to gently pull them aside and ask them about it. He wants to know if it’s him overstepping into a very uncomfortable territory, if it’s specific things that trigger a certain response or if it’s something else entirely. Kio is a good listener, and mentally remembers a lot of notes for the next time he wants to compliment them. 

Very much makes it a point to let them know that hey, he likes them for them, and that yes, he is going to continue to give specific compliments their way because he adores them and they are worth it. 

[purplesurveys]

1143

survey by brock-checkitout

Do you like cheese? Yeah but not to an obsessive extent like most people on the internet seem to be. I have a lower tolerance when it comes to cheeses with stronger or more pungent flavors, and I like sticking to those on the creamy side, like feta and burrata.

What type of shampoo do you use? Dove.

Do turtles make you happy? I mean not as much as dogs would but they are animals, so encountering one would still make me giddy and happy :)))

Name one person who snores in their sleep. Both of my parents, which is why I used to dread whenever we’d book a trip and there’s only one main room available for the 5 of us.

Would you walk around a grocery store with a bra as glasses? Sure, if I was gonna do it for like a cause or something. Or if I got paid for it. I can’t imagine why I’d ever have to casually/randomly do it. Also how would that even work, if it actually had to work as glasses???

Can you do the HoeDown ThrowDown? That movie came out when we were in the midst of moving houses and everything was super hectic in my little 10 year old life, so I never got to wach it, actually. I missed out on the whole Hoedown Throwdown craze and I distinctly remember jealously watching over my classmates as they danced it together.

Do you like Hershey's Chocolate bars? Just the cookies and cream variant.

What smiley face do you use the most? :) I very rarely use others.

What type of cell phone do you have? I have an iPhone 8.

Do you listen to rap? Not so much. For the most part, I stick to my tried and tested albums, like Jay-Z and Kanye’s Watch the Throne.

Look at something green, does it have batteries in it? That would be a nearby alcohol bottle, and no, it does not need batteries.

What's the first thing that comes to your mind when I say: PRINTER? Ink and paper.

What is the last cuss word you said out loud? Not so sure, but since I commonly say shit and fuck they could serve as safe enough guesses.

Do you like cows? Sure.

What kind of car does your mother drive? These days we split ‘my’ car between us since we sold our third car, which used to be the one she’d usually drive. The new arrangement used to bug me at first because it meant I now had to notify my mom in advance whenever I planned to drive out, but I’ve since gotten used to the setup.

What do you get in your tacos? I don’t eat tacos. Not that I dislike them; there are just many other Mexican dishes I find more filling.

What is your opinion on blueberries? As a flavor, it’s fine. But I actually tried an actual blueberry for the very first time last week when my aunt sent over a blueberry cheesecake - I really wanted to give it a chance, but I still found it nasty :( I really don’t know why I hate fruits so much lmao.

Are you currently wearing lip gloss/chap stick? Nopes.

Is there a bottle of lotion near you? There isn’t.

Name one person that you know that smokes. Sam smokes superexcessively. Like I’ve completely forgotten how much she can smoke in an evening until I hung out with her again a few weeks ago. It was half impressive and half terrifying; and my clothes ended up smelling because of it.

What's your favorite season? We don’t have the usual four seasons, but based on what I’ve seen in media, spring and winter look and feel the most pleasant to me.

Are any of your friends vegetarians? No.

What is one phrase that you hate hearing? “All lives matter” really pisses me off.

Can you name four presidents right now? Rodrigo Duterte, Ramon Magsaysay, Fidel Ramos, Diosdado Macapagal. But because I’m guessing this meant American presidents...George W. Bush, John F. Kennedy, Andrew Jackson, Harry Truman.

What is the first thing you think of when I say: HOOD? A jacket.

Do you currently own a cat? Nope.

What do you think of Ulta? I think of the fact that I’ve never heard of that before and I don’t actually know what this is referring to.

Have you ever walked into a club and asked for a Coke? No.

Do you like classical music? Sure, some.

What is your opinion on Oreos? I had the biscuits like a billion times as a kid to the point that I got sick of them. I will always pick the Oreo flavor in other desserts though, be it cheesecake, cupcake, cookies, milkshakes, tc. 

Do you like Chips-Ahoy? No, tastes too artificial/processed. I’ll always go for freshly-baked cookies.

What did ya think of this survey? It was fine. I *think* I haven’t taken this before either, so that’s a plus lol.

--

survey by carolynnnnonia

1. What time did you wake up this morning? Around 6:30ish.

2. When did you take your default picture? It’s not a photo of me, it’s a still from BoJack Horseman. Years ago I saw someone on Twitter use it as a default and I found it hilarious, so I decided to do the same thing for this blog.

3. Are you hungry? Mmm not so much right now actually. I had a midnight snack that I only got to finish by like 2 AM so I still feel pretty filled.

4. Have you ever cheated on a test? Yup but just once. When I ended up perfecting the exam I cheated on, I felt like a fraud and I’ve never cheated since. I’d rather get an honest 99 than get a 100 that I’m ashamed of, lol.

5. When was the last time you ate ice cream? I think it had been last week when we had a cookies and cream tub in the fridge.

6. What computer game is in your CPU? I don’t play PC games and it’s been a hoooooot minute since I’ve seen a CPU.

7. Do you like Audrey Hepburn? You’ve come to the right person :))) Yup, obsessed. Have watched her entire filmography except for the ones that are impossible to find DVDs of or online.

8. What color is your winter jacket?

9. Do you have any siblings? Yup.

10. Would you call yourself skinny? Not anymore. I’ve filled up a bit over the last few years but I’m still usually seen as thin. I was a lot skinnier in my teens.

11. Does your phone take pictures? Yes, 2008 survey, it does.

12. Who is your favorite neighbor? They’re not really neighbors, but the construction workers who are currently working on a new house from across ours are crazy over Cooper and love to greet him and give him a few pats when I take him out. My actual neighbors are rather quiet and we tend to keep to ourselves.

13. Do you wish at 11:11? No.

14. Have you ever gotten a detention? We don’t have detention here.

15. Do you still watch Disney Channel? Nah, we took out our cable last year because no one was using it anymore. And I doubt there’s anything watchable on Disney Channel for a twentysomething?? Lmao I usually stick to the shows and movies I grew up with, so.

16. Who did you last IM? Angela.

17. Who is your least favorite teacher? Whoever hated me for no reason in middle and high school. Then in college, I had to power through a misogynist, sexist, delusional Duterte-supporting professor for an entire semester as well.

18. What were you doing six hours ago? I was winding down and watching Good Mythical Morning videos to eventually doze off.

19. What is your ringtone? Just the default iPhone ones.

20. Does your door have a dead bolt on it? I had to look this up haha but yeah.

21. Have you ever been to a show? Like, a live shooting of a show? Hmm....I don’t remember ever going to one yet. I remember being invited to one because they needed seat fillers, but I had school at the time and was never available on the day of the shoot.

22. What are some details about your first kiss? Innocent, pure. Even though that person ended up disappointing me, I don’t regret having my first kiss with them.

23. What college do you want to attend/currently attend? I went to UP.

24. Have you had any soda today? No and I most likely won’t.

25. What is your favorite scary movie? Carrie, The Shining, and Evil Dead are some good ones.

26. Do you own a Wii? We used to and it was a big part of my late childhood to my early teens. We had thrown it out years ago, though, because it stopped working.

27. Did you wear shorts today? I currently am wearing shorts, yeah, and I plan on wearing shorts for the rest of the day.

28. Anything fun happening this weekend? There’s an official Kim Seonho fanmeet happening tonight on Facebook and I’m so excited for it lmaaaaaaoooo

29. What shoes did you wear today? One of my sneakers.

30. What is your favorite type of Pop Tart? We only get 5 flavors here in the Philippines, but my favorite is the chocolate fudge one.

31. Do you subscribe to any magazines? Nope.

32. What was the last television show you watched? I didn’t watch it on TV, but I watched a few clips from this show called Caught in Providence on Facebook. I have such a soft spot for that show.

33. Do you know any other languages? If I’m not speaking in English, I use Filipino, yes.

34. Are you wearing anything green? No.

[ahatintimestorybook]

A Royal Problem Chap. 11

Here is the next chapter of A Royal Problem! Sorry for the long wait!!

So work has been...well...sort of...I won’t get much into it, but yeah work has been weird for me the past few weeks, so I’ve been doing a ton of writing and video game playing in my past time. Good news, I got this story done as well as two other stories, one of which being new so expect a triple upload today!!

Anyways, this is just some (what) of an wholesome chapter, just Mu and Hat talking and what happened when Hat Kid was in Subcon while the royal kids were in Mafia Town.

Enjoy!!

After what happened over in Mafia Town, Snatcher and Vanessa were tired and Hat Kid put them on her bed so they could take a nap while she explained to Mu everything that happened after their battle. She led the mustached girl into the kitchen and grabbed two cans of sodas for them to drink, while they talked about what’s been going on.

Hat Kid went on to explain everything that happened after their last battle. From Snatcher and Vanessa’s fight that destroyed the Time Piece and caused them to revert back into being kids up to the point she left Subcon, came back and found the kids missing only for C.C to tell her they were in Mafia Town looking for her.

“So let me get this straight,” Mu started. “You're telling me those kids were the creepy noddle ghost and crazy lady in a manor from Subcon Forest?” She asked. Hat Kid nodded in reply. “And it was all because a Time Piece made them younger again?”

“Yep.” Hat Kid replied as she chugged her soda. “Time Pieces don’t only go back and time and change reality. It can also age you up or down, so you messing with the Time Pieces not too long ago could’ve made you a baby or a sweet old lady. Pick your poison.” She explained giving a smirk.

Mu glared at her friend. She hated being mentioned about what she did. Even though a few people like C.C forgiven her, a majority of others like the Mafia still hate her about it or even worse wanted her executed. Though it was nice to see Hat Kid still had her sense of humor around her.

“Honestly, removing bad guys is way better than being an adult.” Mu said, giving a disgusted look before taking a sip of her soda. Hat Kid chuckled seeing Mu still had her sense of humor as well.

Soon the two girls were now silent and awkward while drinking their soda. Hat Kid would glance at Mu, and the latter would do the same. It was quiet for a bit until Mu decided to be the one to break the ice. “Besides everything going on with the kids, how was things after...you know the fight?” Mu asked.

Hat Kid sighed after taking a big gulp of her soda. “Crazy!” She shouted. “Some evil cat called the Empress,  wanted my Time Pieces and was paying me a hefty amount of money to work for her gang just so I can get my Time Pieces and give it to her.” She explained.

Mu groaned in disgust seeing it wasn’t just only her who wanted the Time Pieces for herself. However, while she just wanted the Time Piece to stop bad guys, and in turn starting a new justice system, the Empress decided to just keep them for their own collection.

“Did you get them back?” Mu asked.

Hat Kid nodded. “I did, but not before being chased by the evil peck neck cat’s rocket launcher!” She shouted.

Thanks to Hat Kid’s shouting, Mu’s soda then went though the wrong pipe making Mu start to cough. Hat Kid apologized and rubbed her friend’s back. Mu started to calm down and sighed seeing the cough started to go down.

“Man guess you had it rough yourself.” Mu commented.

Hat Kid sighed. “With that and having to fix a broken Time Piece. Yeah.” She replied. “However, it’s not bad taking care of the royal kids. They’re way different than when they were ghosts.” Hat Kid added giving a giggle.

“Like how different?” Mu asked.

“You saw them in Mafia Town? Isn’t that enough for ya?” Hat Kid asked in reply.

Mu chuckled, “nope.” She said, giving her signature smirk. The two girls then started to laugh together like they used to before splitting off from one another. It felt nice for the both of them to share a laugh together then laugh at one another. Once they calmed down, the two smiled at one another missing each other’s laughter.

“I missed this.” Hat Kid mentioned.

Mu smiled. “Me too.” She replied. Soon, Mu's smile turned into a frown. “Hat Kid. I’m really, really sorry for everything. I was just upset I lost my home, and I thought using your Time Pieces could fix everything, but I was wrong. I only made things worse.” She explained causing her to tear up. “Again I’m really sorry.”

Hat Kid sighed but gave a small smile to her friend. She got up from her seat and walked up to her mustached friend and put a hand on her shoulder. “Mu, I should be the one to say sorry.” She said.

Mu sniffled. “W-why? Y-your the true hero! I’m a bad guy!” She shouted.

“No. I should’ve found a way to help you rather than just worrying about my Time Pieces. I didn’t understand how much you went through till much later.” Hat Kid explained. She then went on to explain how she found out more about Mu’s past and told her she found a book of her memories via a Time Rift and saw what really went down between Mu and the Mafia.

“I wanted to tell you, but you know the fight between us happened.” Hat Kid finished. This in turn made Mu feel really guilty. The hat-wearing child sighed and put her arm around Mu.  “I’m really, really sorry you went through all that. If I knew, I would’ve found ways to help you, and even let you stay with me where it's safe.”

Mu gave a tearful smile and hugged her friend tightly. Hat Kid smiled and hugged her friend back. It was at this moment the girls knew, their friendship had been repaired. The two girls looked at one another and smiled knowing they have repaired their broken friendship.

In the back of Hat Kid’s head, she felt the friendship meter that kept track of her friendship with Mu go from enemies to best friends again.

“So, now that we’re friends again. I was wondering if you need help taking care of the kids?” Mu asked.

Hat Kid was taken aback by Mu’s offer. “W-wait what?” Hat Kid asked.

“I figured if you want me to live here with you. I figured I should do my part and help you take care of the kids.” Mu explained.

Sure, Snatcher and Vanessa weren’t too hard to take care of. Okay, hard enough for a 9-year old alien child, but she was taking good care of them plus she did have C.C who handled all of the cooking.

Then again, there were two incidents, which Hat Kid takes full responsibility for that Snatcher and Vanessa got themselves into and it would be nice to have someone else to keep an eye on them.

Though, was Mu good with children?

“Thanks for the help Mu, but how good are you with younger children?” Hat Kid asked.

Mu crossed her arms and gave a prideful smile. “Before the Mafia came and destroyed everything I was the island’s babysitter and took care of many of the younger children on the island.” She explained.

Hat Kid blinked in surprise. “I-I didn’t know that.”

“Well, now you do.” Mu chuckled. Hat Kid chuckled as well knowing more help will be coming her way. As she chuckled, Hat Kid’s sleeve loosened and Mu froze seeing deep red cuts on Hat Kid’s right hand. “Hat Kid what happened to your hand?” She asked, concerned.

Hat Kid paused and frowned revealing her arm a bit more. Mu gasped seeing how serious Hat Kid’s injury was. “H-Hat Kid! What happened to your arm?” Mu asked, grabbing Hat Kid’s arm and seeing the deep red cuts for herself.

“I was in Subcon to find more shards and the same ghost that attacked Snatcher and Vanessa before, attacked me.” Hat Kid explained.

While Snatcher and Vanessa were in Mafia Town, Hat Kid was in Subcon digging through the snow and ground looking for Time Piece shards. However, it seemed looking for the said shards was harder than ever as she was only able to find two. She decided the ground would have to wait due to all the snow, and decided to check the trees for the remaining pieces.

“Aha!” Hat Kid beamed as she found the 2nd base of the Time Piece hanging on the tree. Using the end of her umbrella to hook on to a noose, she was elevated to the tree and grabbed the piece before falling down gently thanks to her umbrella. “Alright, that’s three pieces!” She cheered.

Soon a rustle was heard in the bushes making Hat Kid gasp and jumped back. “W-who’s there?” She asked. “Snatcher? Vanessa? If it's you two, this isn’t funny!” However, it wasn’t the royal kids at all, but Moonjumper.

Hat Kid gasped recognizing Moonjumper as the ghost that went after the royal kids not too long ago. “You're the ghost I saw with Snatcher and Vanessa.” Hat Kid realized.

Moonjumper chuckled and gave a bow. “You are the kid who is close with Snatcher? Am I right?” He asked.

The hat-wearing child gulped and nodded. “H-how did you know about me?” She asked.

“I’ve been a ghost living in the forest for many years, years before Queen Vanessa was even born.” Moonjumper explained floating around. “I’ve seen everything that went on from this forest, from the Subcon Deep Freeze to the day you appeared in this forest.”

“Okay, creepy.” Hat Kid mumbled. She rolled her eyes, but the ghost didn’t seem too bad. Just creepy. “Listen, I’m sorry for what Snatcher and Vanessa did to hurt you. They were scared after you chased them off so I figured they must have done something to you.” She explained giving a chuckle.

Moonjumper got closer to the girl making her nervous. “Oh one of them had done something to me.” He sneered. Hat Kid gulped and stepped back away from the ghost.

“Well. I’m so sorry about that. I’m sure they didn’t mean it.” Hat Kid apologized.

“Oh I’m sure.” Moonjumper said. Soon red strings started to come out of the ghost’s hands and started to make its way towards Hat Kid. The kid tried to run away, but the red strings caught her by her right hand.

Hat Kid yelled and fell to the ground. She tried to tug on the strings, but they held onto her tight. “H-hey! L-let me go!” She yelled.

Moonjumper laughed. “Sorry kiddo, but you have a lot you need to talk about with me.” He stated.

Glaring, Hat Kid snapped back. “Like peck I’ll tell you everything! Also Snatcher is the only ghost to call me kiddo!”

Moonjumper growled and tightened the strings on Hat Kid’s arm tighter. Hat Kid screamed and held on to her hand till she felt something warm liquid seeping through her fingers. She looked at her hand and saw blood. Tears started to appear from her eyes due to the pain she was going through.

Moonjumper’s strings felt like a needle or a sharp wire going through her skin. The ghost laughed and soon loosened the tightness of his strings on the child. The string was still tight on Hat Kid, but wasn’t hurting like before.

“Now, do you want to snap at me again, or do you want your hand to pop right off?” Moonjumper threatened. Hat Kid nodded whimpering. The ghost chuckled, “good. Now first things first, how did Snatcher and Vanessa become little kids?”

Hat Kid gave a small glare. In no way she was going to tell this other ghost about her Time Pieces. She had almost an entire planet knowing about them and knew the consequences for telling a stranger about the Time Pieces.

“I-I don’t know.” Hat Kid lied. “I was just going to see Snatcher and then that happened.” She hoped lying and stalling the ghost would leave her alone and probably drop everything and let her go.

She was dead wrong.

Moonjumper tightened the strings once again causing Hat Kid to scream and cry again. “I know your lying kid.” He growled. “Now tell me the truth.” He hissed.

“Never!” Hat Kid growled.

Moonjumper growled back, and released more strings and tightened them on Hat Kid’s other arm. She yelled in pain and fell on her back. “You are a brat.” He growled. “I don’t know why Snatcher kept his cool around you,” he then scoffed. “People like you would not only have your soul taken away, but Snatcher would have been off with your head just now.” He explained.

Hat Kid gulped remembering the day she and Snatcher first met. Snatcher did tell her that the last person lost his head after completing all of his contracts. It didn’t really bother her, but seeing another ghost who seemed to be threatening them annoying, that scared her.

“But, I’m not Snatcher.” Moonjumper revealed and soon Moonjumper loosened the threads off her. Hat Kid was confused yet relieved that the ghost let her go, but now she was confused why Moonjumper let her go. “I’m letting you go kid, for now. I’ll find out myself how this whole situation happened, but next time I see you here. I won’t be so easy on you.” He explained threatening the child. Soon he disappeared leaving the child alone.

Without hesitation Hat Kid quickly teleported back to her ship. Once she left Moonjumper, hiding behind some trees smirked as he looked down at a glass shard. A shard belonging to the Time Piece.

“After that, I saw Vanessa and Snatcher missing. I asked C.C where they were and told me Mafia Town, so I went on over there to look for them, and well the rest is history..” She explained.

Mu was surprised, there was another bad guy, or bad ghost roaming around the planet now?  “So there’s more bad guys we have to deal with?” Mu asked.

“Well just one for now. I don’t know if this ghost has any minions or not.” Hat Kid answered. “He seemed to be alone, but he is dangerous, and with the Time Piece shards still out there.” She paused giving a sigh. “I don’t think it won’t be Snatcher and Vanessa not going back to normal, but something way worse.” She explained.

Mu gulped. She worried what this ghost had in store for them, and from the tone of Hat Kid’s voice it was something way worse. No, she wasn’t going to be scared. Not this time.

She was the hero! She was going to show she can be a hero.

“And that’s why you need me to help you watch the kids.” Mu explained. “You continue finding the Time Piece shards and I’ll make sure these kids don’t go into any trouble.”

Hat Kid raised an eyebrow. Sure she was fine with Mu helping to keep an eye on the kids, but making sure they won’t get into trouble was an understatement.

Mu sighed. “Okay maybe we might get into trouble, but someone needs to keep in check those kids. That ghost tried to capture them once, what if he finds your ship and catches them there.” She explained.

“You’re right Mu, but you sure you could handle a ghost like that?” Hat Kid asked.

Mu nodded. “I’ll do everything to be the hero I want to be.”

Hat Kid worried about Mu. She didn’t want anyone else involved in the situation, and having her protect the kids would mean Mu getting hurt by Moonjumper. Hat Kid didn’t want to lose her best friend again.

Mu saw how Hat Kid was contemplating about helping her, but she gave a small smile and held Hat Kid’s hand. “Hat Kid, I’ll be fine. I’ve handled the Mafia. I’m positive I can handle a ghost.” She explained. “Even if I can’t. I still want those kids to be safe.”

Hat Kid’s eyes widened and she gave a smile. Mu was being honest and she sensed it. “Alright. I trust you Mu.” She said. Mu smiled and hugged Hat Kid.

“Thank you.” Mu whispered.

“Anytime.” Hat Kid giggled.

The two let go of their hug and turned to see Snatcher, who just woke up from his nap. However, he looked concerned more than anything.

“Snatcher, what’s wrong?” Hat Kid asked.

“Something is wrong with Vanessa!” He cried.

—————- Yep we’re getting into cliffhanger territory!!!