#they probably thought i was of the devil but to their credit they didn't act like it

[muchamusedaboutnothing]

Heart of a Hunter Act VII - Ch. 12

Heart of a Hunter Act VII - Ch. 12

Characters: Dean x doctor!Reader, Sam Winchester

This story is Act 7 of a saga.

New to the story? Get caught up on the Heart of a Hunter Saga here.

All your favorite Winchesters are alive, in spite of the curse that nearly took them from you. After coming so close to losing the only family you have left in this world, you’re taking matters into your own hands. There’s a witch to hunt.

Series Warnings:

Character injuries/sickness - Take note that no one is excluded from this.

Canon-typical violence and language.

Lots of whump.

Lots of caring for hurt characters.

Smut (18 Only. NSFW. You were warned.)

Angst.

Fluff.

Medical talk. Is that even a warning

Image Credit: bing image search, google image search, Supernatural Wiki

Wordcount: 2485

Chapter  12

You grabbed a flask full of holy water out of your duffle bag and put that in your jacket pocket.

You were armed with an angel blade in one hand and your .40 caliber which was loaded with devil's trap ammo. Your .380, loaded with witch killing bullets, was holstered on your hip. You also had several extra magazines containing both loads on your belt.

You were on red level alert, eyes scanning your surroundings. You half expected the shop door to open and more demons to appear as you drew nearer, but nothing so exciting happened as you reached the door.

The shop was still under construction, but your earlier prediction that it was a new shop seemed correct judging by the shelves lining the walls in the first two rooms. You moved quickly and quietly, stepping on paint drop cloths and dodging ladders and paint rollers.

To your relief, you found the entire first floor to be empty. That meant the witch had to be upstairs, but it just couldn't be that easy. She must have sensed you - sensed someone inside the shop and called her minions back to her because you'd only just cleared the first floor and approached the stairway when you heard a noise behind you.

You turned to find one demon stalking toward you, wearing a cocky smile. You pointed in your weapon, lining the sites up between his eyes. He wore a clergy neckband shirt beneath his black leather jacket. It was clear the demon hadn't known what or who to expect until he neared you, but you knew by his expression the second he figured out you were a hunter.

"I was hoping I'd get to have some fun," he said simply, raising his hand in an attempt to thwart you with his power. He was too slow. You pulled the trigger, firing a bullet with a devil's trap carved into the slug.

He couldn't have known what hit him before it was too late. The bullet incapacitated him, stunning him briefly, but it was just long enough for you to unsheath your angel blade and slide it between his ribs.

You weren't naive enough to think he was the only one who would show up. With the stairway behind you and the witch almost certainly waiting upstairs, you were torn about your next move. The witch would have heard the gunshot, but what she’d choose to do about it? Well … you could only guess.

You put your back against the wall, debating about making a break for it up the stairway as you realized the space directly in front of you probably led to the back door. No sooner than you'd completed that thought, you heard a door open, accompanied by more sounds to your left.

Reinforcements had come. More than one, from the sound of things.

You pointed the gun straight ahead with your right hand, wielding the demon blade in your left. You were vulnerable to the witch if she chose to attack at that very moment. You could only hope she didn't want to get her hands dirty and would rely on her cronies to do the work instead.

A demon from the back door came into view first, and unlike the first one, he hesitated when he saw you. You recognized his face from the picture Sam had sent. He’d been a slowly dying patient before being possessed. His hesitation was enough that you were able to fire off a shot, incapacitating him.

But another demon rushed you from the side faster than you could react. This was the other faux Priest demon you’d seen before. He gripped your left wrist, twisting the angel blade out of your hand with inhuman strength, turning it on you as he pulled your body forward.

You spun away from him trying to get far enough away from the blade, but the effort caused your opposite elbow to slam into the wall. Nerve pain zinged through your arm, momentarily rendering your hand useless. It was all you could do to keep a grip on your firearm. There was a hot sensation in your side you would later attribute to a stab wound, but adrenaline masked the pain just then.

In a desperate attempt not to get pinned against the wall, you head-butted the demon. Stars burst behind your eyes for a brief second at the impact, pain ringing through your head.

While it didn't cause the demon to reel backward in pain, it did put him off balance just enough you could angle your body away and plant your feet on the ground.

You pointed your gun in on the demon as he looked up and realized he was in your sights. You hoped the nerves in your arm had recovered enough to fire off a shot. Your vision was still a little blurry, but you could see well enough to aim for the center of his head.

You pulled the trigger, putting a Devil's trap slug just above his left eyebrow and trapping him where he stood. He froze in place, body going rigid, and you took a step forward to yank the angel blade away from him.

In a few succinct moves you shanked both demons. The orange glow emitting from the knife wounds flickered out as they died before the angel blade slid with a sickening slurp when you yanked it free. One after another, the bodies the demons had been wearing dropped in a heap to the floor, adding to the body count.

You took a deep breath to center yourself and appreciate the fact that you were still on your feet. That's when you realized blood seemed to be seeping through your shirt. You holstered your gun quickly, tucking the angel blade away. Your hands shook with adrenaline as you lifted your shirt to inspect the laceration in your right side.

The cut was longer than it was deep and had caught the furthest edge of your skin. You definitely hadn’t been as successful as you’d thought at spinning away from the angel blade when the demon had turned it on you. After a brief moment of assessing the damage, you were at least confident the blade hadn't hit any vital organs.

As if visually seeing the wound had set something off in your brain, the pain associated with it finally came rushing in, burning hot and throbbing. It was also bleeding considerably. The best you could do in the moment was tie your jacket around your waist to slow it down.

Your head ached from your little head-butting maneuver, and the ringing in your ears was competing with the sound of your blood pumping.

You gripped the .380 from your holster that was loaded with witch-killing bullets and stepped past the lifeless bodies of the poor people the demons had possessed. There was no time to mourn them now.

You were on a mission. The grief in your heart for the suffering your infant son had endured at the hands of the witch upstairs fueled you on.

The torment you still carried after having stopped Dean's and Sam's hearts in the infirmary while Jonah had fought for his life pulsed through you with every heartbeat. Every throbbing, searing pain in your side. Every breath moving in and out of your lungs as you ascended the stairway.

Your boots felt heavier than usual as you took the steps one at a time. Your gun felt colder in your hands.

And god … this was revenge, yes, but it was so much more than that. If this Borrower witch was allowed to escape, you'd be responsible for everyone she hurt from this day forward. Not just the people you loved, but anyone who had the misfortune of crossing her path.

You didn't need the details of her plans in this new place to understand the severity of them.

You were a healer. A hunter. You saved people.

You'd do whatever it took to make sure she never hurt anyone again. The revenge part just meant you’d actually enjoy seeing the light go out of her eyes.

Blocking out the pain, you moved quickly and quietly once you reached the second level. It was a more straightforward floor plan with a long hall and several rooms branching off of it. You’d have to clear them all as you went, and even if the witch had ignored the gunshots downstairs, she’d certainly be expecting a report of some kind from her cronies soon.

You had to act fast.

The laceration in your side was still bleeding and had soaked through your jacket sleeve. You could feel the blood seeping down your pant leg and quickly tightened the jacket around your middle, trying again to slow it, though it was going to take some real supplies and your med kit to make any real headway.

The first room was clear of threats, full of mostly open boxes with herbs and bottles of some sort. The second contained more of the same with a few filing cabinets and some framed artwork stacked up against the back wall. The next two rooms were empty and had a fresh coat of paint on the walls from the smell of things.

When you neared the end of the hall and only one door remained, you approached it with your gun pointed in. You sent up a silent prayer to whoever was listening that you’d do what you’d come for and live to tell about it.

Then you quickly turned the knob and threw the door open.

A woman sat at a larger, but simple wooden desk across the room with her back to you. She slowly turned in her chair, and while she cast her eyes upward at your rather dramatic entrance, she didn’t have the sense to be as worried about your intrusion as she should have been.

You stepped forward into the room, barrel pointed in at the center of her chest.

You took a moment to study the face of the woman who had caused your family so much turmoil, so much heartache. Your heart was pounding, palms sweating, and the adrenaline pumping through your system was working against you as much as it was sustaining you in the fight.

“Well, well, well…. Look at you,” she said with a casual air as she watched you approach. You stopped a few feet short of her. “Little Miss Hunter, come to save the town from the big bad demons?”

You weren’t about to dignify that with a response. She sneered in hostile amusement. And seeing the smug look on her face just pissed you the hell off.

“I figured it would happen eventually,” she said with a hint of annoyance. “Some do-good hunter was bound to catch wind of the demon activity in the area and come looking. You see, it’s so hard to find good help these days….Tell me, did you leave me any loyal followers or have you picked them all off? I really hate to start all over-”

“I’m not some random hunter,” you cut in, interrupting her incessant blabbering. “I didn’t wander into a nest of demons only to be surprised that a witch is involved. I know exactly who you are. What you are.”

“It’s hardly a surprise that a hunter would recognize a witch,” she said slowly, but the amused smile she wore was fading.

“Not just a witch,” you corrected. “A stupid witch. One with a death wish. A Borrower.” And the surprise that flashed in her eyes just then was more than a little satisfying to witness. “But these witch-killing bullets I’m packing will do the trick just the same.”

“What makes you think those will work on me?” the witch said as she moved to stand. You made a slight adjustment to your aim and pulled the trigger, purposely burying a round just to the side of her clavicle in her left shoulder.

The witch cried out in pain and clutched her shoulder, falling back down into her chair at the impact. “That’s for the letter you left behind for my husband,” you said.

The implication of your words passed over her face in a quick wave, along with the realization that she'd been wrong to underestimate you.

Everything seemed to happen in slow motion then as she waved her hand with wordless magic just as you fired off another shot. With her left arm hanging limp at her side, she only managed to derail the bullet’s trajectory, sending it ricocheting. You immediately fired again, this time hitting her in the opposite forearm.

By then the first round bounced off the metal filing cabinet, and then the metal beam that ran the length of the ceiling before embedding itself in the flesh of your right thigh.

You gasped and stumbled as the bullet tore through flesh. Even so, you refused to take your eyes off her for even a second.

Regret filled the witch’s eyes as she managed to get to her feet again. Her right wrist was broken, deformed by the damage from the second shot, making it difficult for her to use her hand. As a result, her attempt to combat you with magic looked more like useless flailing.

She was pitiful. And evil. And as good as dead.

“And this one is for trying to take my entire family from me. Go. To. Hell….”

You fired again. The round went directly through her heart. She collapsed in a heap, half landing on her chair before her body slumped off grotesquely and slid to the floor with a dull thud.

You held your aim for thirty seconds longer just to play it safe. With pained effort, you managed to crouch down to feel for a pulse. You just had to be sure, but it was over.

She was dead.

Your relief was so great it dulled the pain in your side and your thigh as you rose to your feet again in silent celebration.

Your thigh was bleeding considerably more than the knife wound had. You reached a hand down to feel for the damage, confirming your fears. There wasn't an exit wound which meant the bullet was still lodged inside. The pain wasn’t as sharp as it would be soon, but the adrenaline rush sustaining you wouldn’t last long.

You needed to get yourself bandaged up. And fast.

You pulled your belt off and secured it nice and snug - but not too tight - around your thigh over the gunshot wound just before you heard the noise.

Someone else had entered the building, and he wasn't being quiet about his absolute shock as he observed the carnage down below. You could hear his exclamations of disgust and fury from where you stood.

And god, this new demon would come looking for his master next.

Act VII Masterlist.

You can find the Masterlist for the Heart of a Hunter Saga here.

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*HOAH Text divider by the brilliant Talesmaniac89

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[spurgie-cousin]

I wanted to work at JoAnn's in college SO BAD. I was in a sorority and the amount of money I spent in that store is actually unreal. We kept JoAnn coupons on the sorority house fridge. I knew the employee discount would save me hundreds. But alas, I never heard back after applying and worked at Macy's instead. Now I can't even step foot in a JoAnn's because I get flashbacks to burning my fingertips off with a hot glue gun by making hair bows en masse for rush at 3am.

It was a decent part-time gig for a recent grad! And dude the coupons...............PSA of the day, all of the big craft stores like that actually bump up prices significantly so they can *always* be advertising coupons (and then make big money off the people who don't bother to use them), so the coupons are like gold lol, after working there I don't even step *foot* in a JoAnns or Michaels without a whole arsenal of coupons (I'm assuming this doesn't apply to Hobby Lobby since they believe bar codes will possess you with demons).

So I got the discount on top of coupons and it was great, I still have so many Halloween and Christmas decorations from my time there 😂 and 99% of my job was stocking fabric with a bunch of ultra-religious gals who sewed everythiiiiinnnnngggg so they were also there for the discounts (the Mennonites I worked with were either old order or just very conservative, bc they were the kind that people often mix up with Amish, they made aaaaallllllllll of their dresses and clothes). It was super interesting talking to them really, they were just as fascinated by me, a 23 y/o who came in with hangovers all the time, as I was about them lol.

[natsspammityspamspamham]

Why You Should Watch Romantic Killer

This is the new anime series that premiered on Netflix a few days ago! Before you inevitably cancel your subscriptions, give this show a go! Trust me, it'll all be worth it! (I'm personally riding on my sibling's Netflix, so I got to watch it officially!)

Edit: I think it’s important to mention since it’s in the very nature of the show that nobody is actually forced to fall in love with Anzu or vice-versa. It’s all purely consensual in terms of that even though the wacky circumstances are not.

I even made gifs for this post just to convince you, reader of this post!

Story

A high schooler named Anzu Hoshino is living the life. She has games, chocolate, and a cat named Momohiki. One day, her life is turned upside down by the devil-- I mean wizard, Riri. Riri confiscates her three most prized possessions with the ultimate ultimatum: Fall in love or live life without your most cherished commodities. Living in this awful world, Anzu swears to not fall in love out of pure spite for this arrangement and for Riri, but unfortunately, Riri has plans in store that might make things harder than they seem. (source: me)

For such a nonsensical story, it fricking works. I like it. As someone who's aroace, I feel this. I really do. I don't object romance, but I sure am not looking for it, and I would be pissed and spiteful too if my belongings were taken.

Characters

Anzu is so much fun. She has got to be my favourite reverse harem protagonist of all time. Her reactions to everything are absolutely priceless, and I love how they incorporate random references. I never thought I'd see Kazuo Umezu face incorporated into a fricking romcom! Characters like her and Bakarina make the genre worth watching (even if Bakarina is too... baka at times). I want everyone to experience this anime without me giving too much away.

The side characters are good in their own right. Sure, Riri is annoying, but that's kind of the point. They canonically don't have a gender so the "they/them" pronouns were used in the subtitles I'm pretty sure. Tsukasa is pretty cold, and I felt indifferent about him until I found out his reasoning for being like that in the last few episodes, and let me just say, whatever you're expecting, it's probably not going to be that. I've never seen a show handle that type of situation for men quite like this RANDOM ROMCOM did. It puts its male characters into situations where they don't need to be strong, and they aren't criticized for it. That right there is positive masculinity. I like it. It diverts the idea of traditional macho masculinity, especially those of archetypes in dating sims. The characters and their dynamics actually seem pretty natural for such an unnatural situation and setting.

Music

Yooo, that soundtrack fricking fits. I like it. Sure, it doesn't stand out, but with the absurdity of this series, I'd be lying if I didn't laugh when a certain string track came on. I don't even think that was the point (I think it's supposed to be when the audience swoons).

That ending theme fricking slaps harder than it needs to. I watched the opening once. Look, that opening skip button is so tempting. I only watched the ending once, but it was the background music for the voice actor interviews, so I got to know it better.

Voice acting

YOOOO, THIS IS THE PART I WANTED TO TALK ABOUT. Sure, they hired your local "ikemen" to play the "ikemen" characters, but can we talk about Rieri for a second? She makes this show good. Her and Mikako Komatsu apparently auditioned in a pair, and you can see, hear, and feel that chemistry. It is absolutely fantastic. Not many anime have had me laughing out loud, but I kid you not, I laughed a few times watching this. And yes, Umehara and Gakuto did sound good. I will give them credit where it's due. They did fulfill the ikemen part really well. Almost too well.

Art

You know what? Even though the art was pretty mediocre, I'm going to give it a pass. It's hard to make a coloured manga. And it's hard to make an anime look good. Plus, they probably spent all of the budget on Anzu's face to the point where the guys look mediocre at best and can only be given "ikemen status" based on their voices alone.

Conclusion

I get why this anime might be a bit mixed in the aroace community, but I think we should enjoy media as it's handed to us. And what was handed to us is a genuinely good show that requires zero brain cells until the last half! Zero brain cells? That's me too!

Unlike most of the shows that I watch, I will rewatch this. Without a doubt. I'm rewatching it as we speak. Even for specific moments that made me laugh.

[nanaminokanojo]

BLOOM | Sukuna X You | Part 1/3

CHARACTERS: Sukuna X You | Gojo Satoru | Geto Suguru | Shoko Ieiri | Maki | Fushiguro Toji | Baby Megumi | Megumi's Mom (OC) CHAPTER COUNT: 1/3 WORD COUNT: 8900+ GENRE: romance | fluff | slight angst | (eventual) smut | ooc sukuna | female reader CHAPTER TRIGGER WARNING: profanity/strong language | alcohol use | cigarette smoking | age gap | unhealthy simping XD SPOILERS: N/A

collection masterlist

one two three | Bloom Masterlist

His hair was the color of cherry blossoms, that's the first thing you noticed. It was the softest shade of pink, easy on the eyes, reminding you of the tendrils of filtered rays of the sun lightly touching the edges of clouds very early in the morning. Or your favorite angora wool sweater.

The man stole your attention from the book you were reading when you chanced a look from your periphery just to check who sat on the stool beside your usual spot on the bar – the seat at the very end by the wall. Your planned glance turned into a furtive stare at the sight of him from his candy-floss-hued hair, the rippling muscles hidden under his white oxford shirt and the array of tattoos that peeked through his neatly folded sleeves. And boy, since when did men smell like vanilla and spring while also exuding such a virile scent?

A smile tugged at the corners of your mouth at the thought, internally shaking your head at your behavior. You should not be staring at people, and though you weren't exactly ogling him, you were still observing him enough to associate him with your favorite article of winter clothing.

"Hey. The usual for you?" you heard Maki, the bar owner, ask, giving you the idea that the man was a regular. How you haven't spotted him before was a mystery.

If it was already hard concentrating on the novel you were reading, you've completely forgotten about it when you heard him say, "Make that single-malt." It's either the gates of hell opened at the sudden heat you felt on your skin at the sound of his voice or the gates of heaven did with how delicious it sounded in your ear, thick like honey and deep with a distinct ring to it. It got you wondering what his mother craved for when she was pregnant with him, and your brain said, "Greek gods," when you lifted your eyes from the current page you were reading and briefly exchanged looks with him as he shifted his line of vision from Maki to you.

You turned your eyes back to your book, making it seem like you were just absently looking about, but in reality, it took herculean effort to wrench your gaze from him. In that brief meeting of your eyes, the features of his face registered in your head like a bar code scanner, etching itself in your mind like a white-hot brand. He wasn't shockingly handsome, but he was beautiful in his own right with those intense eyes that reminded you of drowning pools and the rugged yet refined planes of his face. It was as if an artist painted him in passionate anger, slowly fell in love with the piece and began redefining his features with gentler strokes.

You turned the page of your book despite not getting any reading done. Well, it has been the case for a considerable amount of minutes now, but you tried anyway, furiously staring down at the new page but not comprehending anything. Your eyes kept scanning the same sentence over and over again but it was not sinking in at all.

"Excuse me, miss," that deep voice you've already developed a strange affection for assaulted your senses again, making your head snap up to the direction it was coming from. Hell, you think you'll do its owner's bidding just hearing it at the rate you were going, reacting automatically as if you were programmed with a voice prompt or something.

You were about to look at him but Maki caught your attention as she pushed the smoothie you ordered towards you, placing it precisely in front of you on the hardwood surface with her fingers. She arched a brow at you, causing you to stiffen on your seat.

You've been coming to the quiet little bar since you grew old enough to drink. In fact, you considered it your regular watering hole, going there whenever you can even in the day as it doubled as a gastro-pub. You've already come to know the staff who reserved the spot for you every single time you told them you were coming, particularly the tough but very lovable Maki. She's basically a friend now, and you knew you were acting off if she was giving you odd looks.

"Thanks, Maki," you said just in time, even managing to smile. She just shook her head at you before walking away to tend to another client.

"I have to know what book you are reading," the person beside you said just as you began sipping on your drink, which, you've noted, was a cherry blossom tea smoothie that reminded you of him.

You let go of the straw between your lips, swallowing hard. Turning your attention to him, you found him sitting sideways, chin propped on the heel of his palm as he regarded you. "Huh?" was all you could manage to say to him.

A slow, crooked smile etched itself across his mouth, the action appearing sensuous with the gradual way his expressions changed. "That book," he said for your benefit. "May I know what it is about?"

You just blinked, still questioning yourself if he was addressing you.

"If you're that engrossed about it, it must be great," he said. "Mind telling me the title?"

"Book?" you asked dumbly. He was really frying your brain.

He pointed at the book you were holding with his lips, protruding them slightly before smiling again. Jesus, you loved the way he smiled. The gesture didn't belong there when you've already thought he was the smirking, grinning-devil type. It was too soft a gesture, but then again his hair was shell-pink – a contradiction to his stridently brawny features.

"Oh." Despite yourself, you found yourself chuckling. "I'm sorry, I was distracted."

"Not by the book, I hope."

You looked away, smiling to yourself as you closed the object in question and slid it over to him. When you looked at him, you were surprised to see him actually reading the synopsis at the back, interest flickering in his dark eyes. You were already expecting him to just read the title, probably the author, too, thinking he was just flirting with you judging by his last words. But he was actually reading it.

"It's about an architect," he stated. "He must be mind-blowingly awesome if you're too transfixed on his story."

"No, Howard Roark is mostly a recalcitrant bastard who breaks rules here and there, doesn't cooperate or collaborate and is stone-faced about most anything."

"But it's what you like about him," he supplied.

You nodded. "He’s a breath of fresh air in a world governed by stuffy archaic principles. The spring to a long, stagnant winter of conformity. I'm in love with him." Noticing the look of amusement on his face, you were quick to add, "What?"

"Nothing." His smile didn't waver though. "Are you an architect, too?"

"Too?" you repeated with inflection then tilted your head. "Ah, you're an architect, huh?"

"Guilty."

"Any projects of note?" you asked, tilting your head in wonder when he seemed flustered. "What is it?"

He shook his head slowly. "You're very straightforward."

At that, you grinned. "Should I take you out to dinner before I get that information?" You sipped leisurely at your smoothie, glad that you throw him off as much as he flusters you.

"You don't have to," he found himself answering anyway. "But I work for a firm, so they get most of the credit. We built that new hotel at Shinjuku."

"Eh? Didn't pin you for a baroque kind of guy."

"You know..." He was all ears now judging by how he leaned closer to you. He leveled his expression to yours then. "So, what kind of guy did you think I am?"

There it is, you thought, the smirk you've been waiting for. Without giving it much thought, you said, "The Howard Roark type, of course."

***

"You seriously don't remember, do you?"

It wasn't that you didn't. You simply had no idea how you got home, considering how you ended up all smashed after enjoying too many margaritas after your smoothie. You seriously just didn't know certain things. You didn't know what happened after you reached your limit. And out of all the things you know you should not have missed, you didn't know his name.

You were sitting on the kitchen counter, nursing a headache, trying to fill in every bit of information your friends were trying to leech out of you in your addled state. You've been expecting it - the great inquisition - especially after you returned in a state lesser than they've been expecting, unconscious, according to the collective stories of your roommates, when you told them you were just stepping out to get some reading done. And on a school night, no less. Very atypical of you indeed.

"What should I be remembering?" you responded to Ieiri. You weren't exactly fond of her worrisome nature although you knew she was just watching your back especially since she has been rather disapproving of your escapades with these guys you somewhat dated back then. You appreciated it, but it didn't mean you liked it.

"Oh, I don't know, Y/N. Strawberry blond? Tats? Drives a Jeep? Ring any bells?" she said, jogging your memory. "He came knocking at two in the morning, carrying you in his arms. I mean he was hot according to Satoru, but do you even know the guy?"

“Cherry blossom,” you absently corrected the color Ieiri mentioned.

“Huh?”

“Him, I remember.” You smiled at the thought, not hiding your delight from them. You were sure they were just annoyed that they weren't in on the action since Satoru, your other friend and roommate, who seem nonexistent recently, was the one who interacted with the man you met and supposedly brought you back to the house you rented with all of them. And Satoru doesn't know basic decorum to actually ask what the man’s name was. "Howard."

"Howard?" Suguru, another one of your friends who was in the literature department as you were, asked. "Howard Roark?" He knew the reference, obviously. You forced him to read the book before it even became one of your study materials.

You nodded enthusiastically. "He's an architect."

"He didn't look like a 'Howard,' apparently," Ieiri said.

"That name is from her favorite book," Suguru supplied, his dark eyes shifting to you as he tucked some stray strands of his long, raven locks which were currently tied in a half-up. "So your guy's an architect, too."

"That, but he isn't 'my guy' and I don't know what his name is."

He grinned then. "If you're openly calling him by the name of the character you claim to be in love with, I'm assuming..."

"No!" Ieiri gasped.

You laughed despite the action making your head hurt. You were still hungover after all, but you didn't mind, not when you knew you had a good night. Probably a great night to allow yourself to be hammered like you have been. You only ever drank to your fill when the company is great and when you were in a jovial mood.

"It's nothing like that. He just feels like spring time. Looks like it, too." You waved your hands in front of you for emphasis. Still, your expressions said otherwise.

You weren't in love with the man because you didn't believe in mushy things like love at first sight, but you knew you liked him, just that you weren't getting your hopes up cause there's a chance you might not see him ever again, assuming your meeting was something transient like the blossoms his hair made you think of. Even if he was a regular at Maki's, if your schedules didn't coincide with one another, it would not be easy to meet. You've been coming to the same bar for years and yet, you've only ever seen him that time. You never really know.

But then, you got your answer pretty quickly.

From: Satoru

See you at 7 tomorrow night. Same place.

That’s how Satoru's message read, sent late the previous night. You almost forgot about the agreement you’ve had with him to get unlimited barbecue after sleeping the rest of the day but you made it out just in time. It was something you did with all three of your friends as a way to bond with them individually.

You glanced at the clock on your phone, feeling the stares of the restaurant staff on you. Well, you’ve been there for more than an hour waiting for him. One hour and thirteen minutes to be precise. All you’ve ordered so far was a glass of lemonade and you were able to finish that in the first half hour, sitting on a table for two when evidently, you were alone. All your texts were ignored and your calls were always being redirected to voicemail.

“Where the fuck are you, Gojo Satoru?” you asked him in one of your messages, hissing low into your phone just so the other diners would not be offended by your words. You got a message another twenty minutes later, the sound of your phone almost making you jump from your seat. However, when you looked at it, it was from an unknown number.

You were about to check the message when one of the waitresses came to your table, pad and pen on the ready. She’s always the one who served you whenever you and your friends would go there for a dose of beef and pork fat, and she has always been nice to you.

“Not to be nosy but I think your friend isn’t coming.”

You nodded, grimacing. “Tell me about it.”

“The boss has been giving you the stink eye, too.”

Looking over the counter, you saw the elderly man really looking at you. He looked away when you met his eyes, muttering to himself. You knew how the owner could get, but you simply loved going there since their food is good and the service is just the same. You smiled ruefully at the woman before you. “I’ll have a sukiyaki set and warm sake, please. Thank you.”

“Would that be all?”

“Yeah.”

“Coming right up.” She flashed you a bright smile before disappearing into the back rooms.

You almost forgot the message you saw earlier, but then, your phone lit up again with that familiar tone. The new message was from the same number.

From: Unknown

How are you?

From: Unknown

I hope you’re okay.

You frowned, not having the slightest clue as to who could be texting you.

From: You

Who is this?

Your order came but there was no response from the mystery texter or Satoru. You felt pathetic looking at your phone every once in a while as you ate and drank. Normally, you wouldn’t even have given anybody, including your best friends, the time of the day, making you wait for longer than an hour without as much as a message. You don’t ever wait for people over the agreed meeting time. You hated it with passion. And you were already thinking of ways to make Satoru pay.

You were about to eat a mouthful of beef when you heard the chair across you being dragged back. Your eyes flicked to the direction, and to your utter shock, you almost dropped your chopsticks if it weren’t for the hand that reached out and held onto your hand, securing the utensils.

Once again, you were sitting on your usual spot at the bar, eyes clashing with those intense ones owned by the pink-haired guy who apparently drove a charcoal grey Jeep and reminded you of spring, the same one who drove you home the other night.

“Careful,” he said, his scent assaulting your senses.

A lump formed in your throat, making you unable to form proper words, so you settled for putting down the chopsticks. You folded your hands together on your lap, recovering from your consternation before you finally looked at him, unable to help it but grin. He looked different that day, more laid back in a white baseball cap mussing his candy-floss hair down, a loose-fitting shirt in the same hue and jeans. He looked so fresh, you felt the air around you cool down considerably.

“How did you…” you hesitated and shook you head. “Hello.”

He broke into that crooked smile. “Crazy how the moment you sent the message, I saw you through the glass walls while I drove past.”

You opened your mouth to say something, but closed it again, not quite knowing how to react to it when suddenly, the first part of his statement registered in your mind. “Wait, message?” You picked up your phone, showing him the messages. “This is you?”

He nodded slowly. “Looks like you’re doing great.” He regarded the bottle of sake on the table. “I had to get your number to check up on you. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Y-yeah, I mean, no, not at all. Thank you by the way.” You chuckled, saving his number and naming him Spring God in your contacts. “I wasn’t really expecting you to bring me home.”

“I got your address from your driving license.” He grinned then. “I thought of taking you back to my place, but I didn’t know how that would sit with you.”

Who says chivalry was dead? “I’m sorry for acting crazy, if I did anyway." You chuckled. "I don't remember…and for having to bring me all the way to the house.”

“It’s fine. It was lovely meeting Satoru.”

At that, your face flushed red. You winced. “I’m sorry for whatever he did while I was out of it.” He could be crazy at times, and you wouldn't be surprised if he did something untoward.

He shook his head, letting out a slight chuckle. “He was very nice to me, don’t worry.” He furrowed his brows then. “I also got your name. Y/N. I don’t know if you forgot to tell me or you just didn’t trust me enough, but I’d like to think it’s the former since you didn’t seem to think twice about getting wasted with me like you did.”

You deliberately didn’t tell him your name, but he was making it sound a little nicer. It wasn’t really something you planned on doing again, meeting him, but somehow, he found you. You shook you head, coming clean. “If you put it that way, okay, but really, I thought it was better if you didn’t know.”

“Hmm. Why is that?”

You found it endearing that he tilted his head a bit to the side when he asked the question. Your lips curled upwards at the corner. “I just never thought I’d meet you again.”

“That would be unfortunate.”

You laughed awkwardly at his remark. “I didn’t mean that in a bad way.”

“I’m not offended.”

“Okay.”

You requested for another order of barbecue for him. He declined but you insisted. “Come on. My treat for your act of kindness.” You snickered. “Besides, my supposed date bailed.”

“Date?”

Sighing, you said, “Well, not really. Satoru. We agreed to meet here over an hour ago but he hasn’t been answering my messages or calls. Something probably came up.”

He eyed you thoughtfully. “If you don't mind me asking, is he your...?"

"My what?"

"Your boyfriend…maybe."

You chuckled at the thought, but then you realized you didn't even know his name. "I don't really tell strangers about things like that," you teased.

“Okay, but I thought we’re past being strangers.” He smirked then and you swore you felt your stomach flip.

“We’re in the getting-to-know-each-other phase,” you told him with a laugh, acceding. "Since I didn't tell you my name, I didn't expect you to tell me yours. Plus I didn't ask, so may I have yours?"

"Sukuna," he said. "Ryomen Sukuna."

"Su-ku-na," you repeated, liking the feel of the syllables as they rolled out of your tongue. Finally, the person you've gotten so fond of in just a short time had a name. You didn't know what his name meant but it seemed to match him well regardless of how arbitrary it was to his person. You couldn't think of any better name though. "I like your name. It's pretty." You smiled brightly at him then. "And no, Satoru is not my boyfriend."

Ryomen Sukuna was an absolute puzzle to you. How he could look so badass and pretty much intimidating with his strapping physique and inked skin – throw in the multiple piercings on his left ear which you were noticing or the first time – while also pulling off all these adorable little actuations was a quandary to you. Tall, solidly built men like him should not be reminding you of soft, cute things, but the moment he blinked in confusion, you knew you couldn't get enough of it.

"Nobody ever said that about my name, but thanks," he returned in that deep voice after a moment's pause. And was that a dusting of roses over his cheeks? The surprises you were getting from this man was endless. He really was such a breath of fresh air, so far from the usual stereotypes.

Your face seemed to be perpetually pulled into a smile whenever you were around him, and you didn't think you were doing a good job suppressing the urge to be beaming like an idiot around him. "So, anyway, what made you think that blue-eyed idiot is my boyfriend?" you asked, changing the topic.

"Well, he was a bit hostile at first when he took you from me, making me explain things but then started apologizing after. He told me you could be a handful when inebriated..." He let his voice trail off as if letting you chew on his words.

"You agree with him." It wasn't a question.

"Yes." Sukuna pretended to frown. "He also calls you 'his princess'."

You threw your head back, covering your eyes momentarily in embarrassment. "Now I wish you met Ieiri and Suguru instead," proceeding to explain that the nickname was something akin to what a father would call his precious daughter.

"He was rather intimidating, but I guess he's just looking out for you."

"He's still not off the hook for standing me up," you quipped, "But you finding him intimidating is funny."

"Why?"

You scoffed, gesturing over to him. "I think you can snap him in two if you wished, too."

"He was scary," Sukuna insisted.

"He's harmless...most of the time, but yeah, he’s rather protective. That’s one of my dads for you."

He laughed then. "There's nothing scarier than a fiercely protective friend…or a doting father. I can't muscle my way out of that for sure."

"Ah, then you'll find Ieiri scarier."

The night pretty much went well and ended on a good note. Sukuna did most of the talking for the rest of the night. You learned he was six years older than you at twenty nine, one of the head architects at the firm he worked for, has a love-hate relationship with his job cause he wants to draw portraits instead, was a delinquent when he was younger but got away with things cause he was a straight-A student, loved dogs so much that he cries when they die in movies, was closer to his mom, got his tattoos on a sudden whim, and was pretty much a sweet, charming genuine person which contrasted his appearance. What you see isn't what you get. That just isn't how it worked with him.

You loved it when he talked. It was rather entertaining as he had a way of telling stories which made you feel like you were actually there when it happened. Eventually, you forgot the reason why you were at the restaurant in the first place. It was as if you went there for the purpose of meeting Sukuna himself. Satoru was all but forgotten as you dissolved into carefree laughter and playful banters, and you felt at ease and more like yourself around him, pretty much like when you were with your three favorite people in the world.

“It’s not really that funny,” Sukuna told you, watching you laugh heartily at that one episode in his freshmen year when he made a mistake of going on a date with the wrong girl who happened to have the same name as his supposed date. You continued to laugh as if he didn’t say anything.

“It’s just crazy that both of them were there at the same time. I mean, what were the odds?”

He parked by the sidewalk in front of your house, killing the engine. “That’s the reason why I have never agreed to a single blind date ever again.” He pulled the key out of the ignition, glancing at the direction of your house. “We’re here.”

Your laughter died down when you followed the direction of his gaze. The lights were off except for the one lighting up the porch of the house you shared with your friends. You returned your gaze to him then. “Thanks for driving me home. Again.”

“I enjoyed your company. It’s the least I can do.”

You smiled warmly at him, reaching over to give him a chaste kiss on the cheek when he suddenly turned his head a fraction towards you. That minute change made your lips end up against his instead. He was surprised at first and remained immobile against you, but when you pulled away, he chased you back, connecting your mouths, his lips feeling soft and warm yet emitting that air of dominance as it coaxed yours to move in sync with his. You were kissing him back in no time, but you immediately caught yourself and withdrew, utterly flustered.

Your heart thudded heavily as he held you in his intense gaze, his tongue slowly running over his lower lip, making you even more mentally incapacitated. It made you want to just pull him back to you and covet those lips with yours again. You snapped out of it though. You already knew he was capable of hot-wiring and hijacking your brain.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry,” you told him when you were able to form words again.

Sukuna looked at you from under his lashes, smiling slightly. “I’m not.”

Taken aback, you chuckled nervously. “No?”

He shook his head, reached over and ruffled your hair a bit. “Go inside. It’s late.” You nodded and disembarked from the car while he leaned on the steering wheel, watching you. You were already on the pavement, about to close the door, when he spoke again. “Can I come see you again?”

“Sure,” you said without thinking. “Good night, Sukuna.” Man, you just loved saying his name.

“Bye, Y/N. Good night.”

He drove away while you made your way towards your doorstep. Your fingers flew to your lips once you were standing on your porch, smiling to yourself at the realization of having kissed him. Shaking your head, you fished for the keys from your pocket and entered the house, not quite remembering how you got to your room, but you slept that night with pleasant dreams of running your fingers through pink locks of hair.

***

"I'm really sorry. Something came up and my phone died."

You acceded. It wasn’t as if Satoru did something so big. You went to the outdoor kiosks near the parking lot by the football grounds to catch up on some reading while Satoru ate and told you bits of his past few days, since he got held up at their family estate. Having such a traditional, high-ranking family in the country sure had its downsides, and you weren't about to make him even more agitated than he already was. He had it difficult, you knew that, and you weren’t about to be petty over him not coming to your supposed bonding time. He may be happy-go-lucky but you felt tension simmering just under the surface when you squeezed his hand in assurance.

Suguru and Ieiri followed shortly after Satoru fetched you from class, also surprised to see him there. "So, you finally decided to show up," the former said.

"Don't ask," Satoru said.

"Wasn't planning to," Suguru scoffed, his attention shifting to you. “What are you working on anyway?” he asked, flipping the file you were reading haphazardly to peer through the contents.

“I’m making an analysis report on ‘The Romantic Manifesto’.” you answered, looking up from the notes you were writing when your eyes suddenly strayed over his shoulder. You almost did a double-take, glancing at Suguru before returning your line of vision at the spot beyond where he sat.

“It’s due…” your voice trailed off when you realized just what, or rather who, you were looking at. You weren’t so sure whether what you were seeing was real or a mirage, a very familiar, specific and detailed one, but then, you figured it was the former when the person smirked and cocked his head to the side, beckoning you over to where he leaned against his grey Jeep as he raised a cup of what looked like cherry blossom tea.

Suguru arched a brow at you, looking behind him but not really noticing the object of your distraction. “Hey, you okay?”

Ieiri followed the direction of your gaze and nudged you when she saw who you were looking at. "Is that your Howard? Damn, girl. He’s sizzling."

You nodded, but at that same moment, you rose from the table without any explanation, your feet immediately leading you towards the outdoor carpark. When you were within earshot, you said, “What are you doing here?”

You stopped a few feet from him, glancing behind you to where the others had already turned their heads to follow the path you took, flashing you shit-eating grins. It wouldn’t surprise you anymore if they had pieced together who the person was before you. They claimed to be your ‘parents’ but acted like children at times.

“I brought you tea.” Sukuna walked towards you, standing so close that you forgot how to breathe for a few seconds as you inhaled his scent and took in his appearance, looking immaculate in a plain white shirt and faded jeans, but your brain only seemed to register those lips and the memory of how they felt against yours.

You shook your head, snapping out of your trance, mentally cursing at yourself. “Hi.” You exhaled loudly, trying hard not to smile like an idiot while you absently twirled your hair on your finger, suddenly seeing the world through a pinkish filter. "How do you keep finding me?"

Sukuna's smile dropped. “Did I come at an inconvenient time?” he asked gently, trying hard not to sound miffed, but he obviously was taken aback by your words.

“No.” You shook your head, placing a hand over your forehead. You finally smiled at him, letting out a choked snicker. “No, Sukuna. It’s good to see you. It’s just that I wasn’t expecting to see you here. And you didn't really tell me you were coming.”

He grinned at you then but he still appeared unsure, placing a hand behind his neck. “Right.”

You flashed him a helpless look. “Please don’t look at me like that. I’m just really surprised.”

“Hmm." He moved closer to you, wrapping your hand around the transparent disposable cup. His proximity was affecting you in ways you couldn't admit out loud. "Are you happy to see me, too?"

"Too? So, you're happy to see me?"

"Always."

That's it. You're done for. Trying to avoid his intense gaze and escaping his scrutiny, you glanced over your shoulder to find everyone on your table observing you blatantly. Satoru raised a thumb at you while Ieiri was giggling with Suguru.

"Are those your friends?" Sukuna commented, his minty breath fanning against the side of your face which made you turn a little too quickly to face him again only to be confronted by his face leaning towards yours, mere centimeters away.

“Y-yeah.” You leaned a bit backwards but he moved forward. “That they are.” You stepped backwards again, nearly faltering on your feet, but you immediately gained your balance when he grabbed you by the arm, steadying you.

"Are you alright?" Sukuna asked, looking at you with concern written all over his face which morphed into wonder when you said, "Yeah, you're just overwhelming."

"Huh?"

"I can't think properly when I'm around you," you stated casually, your expressions not giving anything away as per usual. You arched a brow at him when he did the same. "You hot-wire my brain."

"I know what you mean." He smirked despite his confusion. "Is that good or bad?"

You eyed him thoughtfully, biting on your lower lip. "Good for you, bad for me. You can probably tell me to eat dirt and I'd do it in a heartbeat."

He chuckled, looking at you tenderly. "You're too honest."

"To a fault," you agreed, "Suguru tells me all the time. Wanna meet them?"

He ruffled your hair. "Sure."

***

While you weren't exactly expecting to see Sukuna again after the night you met, he became of constant presence around you. You have gone out with him several times over the course of two months. He was a busy person and you also had your priorities, but he always makes you feel special whenever you two would be out and about, behaving like such a gentleman opening and closing doors for you, naturally shifting closer to traffic while you walked, bringing an extra jacket in case you felt cold or a larger umbrella so you don't get wet, bringing you your favorite tea whenever he could.

He picked you up from school for lunch twice, making the most of the hour, and one time, you brought him lunch at work when he suddenly canceled on you, saying he was swamped with work. He sounded really upset so you decided to go to him instead. You brought Suguru with you as a buffer, but Sukuna's colleagues still teased him. He was different in the office – gruff and strict which fitted him more – but he still beamed at you happily when you brought him food, not caring who saw.

Apart from the brief phone calls, you two never really texted. It wasn't really your thing and he didn't like it either, so it could go days on end without you saying anything to each other, but when you do get a chance to speak, it would always be like picking up on where you've left off. He has only ever sent you two messages. One to remind you to take good care of yourself because he was going to be away for a while and another one a week later asking if you wanted to go out with him that coming Friday night.

"Your timing's off," you told him over the phone. You really wanted to say yes, but, "Ieiri, the boys and I are going out that night. Gang tradition."

"Some other time then?"

"Sure."

You hung up after a few more exchanges of words, getting started on reading some notes when Ieiri entered the kitchen. "Was that Howard?"

"Yeah. He's inviting me to go out on Friday, but I already said yes to clubbing with you guys."

She grinned cheekily, wrapping an arm around you as she poked you on the cheek. At times, it feels like Satoru was rubbing off on her. "Are you sure you don't want to ditch us for the hot architect?"

"Hot architect –" You snickered. "Did you just say that?"

"I was supposed to say 'sugar daddy,' literally and figuratively. Sugar and his cotton candy hair. Get it?"

You narrowed your eyes at her, shaking your head. It was supposed to be amusing, but when Ieiri says it, it just sounds weird. "Can I read in peace now?"

She left you alone, but laughed at your expense.

Friday couldn't have rolled around fast enough and you headed out with your friends at the club owned by a friend of yours, prepared to party in a pair of tight-fitting jeans, a crop top and your hair hanging about in wavy layers. You were already expecting the place to be cramped as hell given the day of the week so much so that Suguru had to hold onto you tightly so as not to lose you when you entered until you found the area you had reserved for the night. It was for good measure too since the place was drenched in purple, blue and green laser lights which were disorienting at first. And so, your night began as such.

You were in the middle of dancing, only pausing when you had to down your nth shot for the night when your eyes suddenly strayed to the bar area at the elevated part of the club adjacent to the the leather seats. You looked away but returned your gaze towards said direction when you realized this very familiar guy was looking at you. He was watching you as you danced and let loose, a ghost of a smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

You craned your neck, looking back and thinking the guy looked a lot like Sukuna, but then he couldn’t be. He was engaged elsewhere, still you continued to ogle him until you were pretty sure it wasn’t the same person. But the longer you looked, the more it was being proven to you that it was him.

That lopsided smile drew itself across his lips, seeing as how you were doubting yourself about his identity. There was no mistaking that look on his face, the way his dark eyes seemed to sparkle whenever he smiled even if the action didn't belong there.

“Sukuna?” you mouthed his name and he nodded, motioning for you to come over with his head. It had been a solid ten days since you last saw him, and for some reason, your heart raced at the thought of seeing him there.

Without saying a word to the people you were with, you squeezed yourself through the crowd, your feet carrying to the upstairs bar, to Sukuna. It took you a while to traverse the space between you, and when you finally stood before him, all you could do was smile up at him, taking in the soft look about him as he regarded you which were at odds to those fiery eyes that had the capability to turn into bright orbs of light when he beamed down at you.

“Hello, Y/N. Once again, fate has brought you to me,” he said rather dramatically, a smirk drawing itself across his pretty mouth.

Laughter escaped your throat, unable to say anything when you realized that you actually missed him, missed looking at him. Unable to help it, you stood on your toes and reached out to touch his hair, the action surprising the both of you. He eyed you, his expressions that of a half-smile and a look of confusion while you retracted your hands as quickly as you felt his soft locks with your fingertips, wincing at the realization of what you were doing.

At that, he laughed heartily, stealing your hand and pressing it over the side of his head. “Go ahead. I don’t mind you touching me,” he told you, staring into your eyes that you felt like all the air in the room was gone.

You blinked at him, processing what he said and joined in his mirth. “You're here!” You shook your head when it dawned to you that you were stating the obvious. “I’m sorry. How are you, Sukuna?”

“Pink?” he offered and chuckled at his own joke which made your face heat up. “Kidding. I’m great. I missed you these past days. How are you?”

“You did?” You felt your insides melting at his statement, made worse when he nodded to confirm it. “I’m fine. Great. Where have you disappeared to anyway?”

He snickered a your question. “Madrid.”

Your jaw dropped. “As in Spain?”

He nodded. “Had to do something there.”

“Uh-huh.” His words were rather obscure, but you didn’t want to encroach on his private life.

“What are the odds that we’re at the same club?”

“The owner is a friend,” you answered, smiling awkwardly as you glanced at the direction of your friends on the dance floor. You saw all of them looking at you. Suguru winked at you, giving you the thumbs up, making you laugh at his silliness.

“The gang’s all here, I see.”

“What?” You faced Sukuna, finding him leaning close beside you against the metal balustrade. Just then, a waiter passed by holding a whole tray of shots, and before you could duck, he grabbed you by the waist so that you were leaning against him with no quantifiable space between your bodies. Your eyes widened in shock and you froze, your thoughts clouded by the familiar smell of rain in a bamboo forest during Maytime. “T-thanks…”

He hummed in response to your gratitude, but he didn’t let you go. “I didn’t know you enjoyed places like this, too.”

“Why is that?” you asked, feigning ignorance to how close you two were.

"I never pinned you for the party animal type. I kinda developed a fondness for that quiet, nerdy girl sitting at the corner of the pub."

"Not exactly. I prefer Maki's place to be honest but coming here once in a while doesn't hurt. Especially with those three." You frowned slightly at him then as you thought of something. “So, why didn’t you approach me?” You motioned towards the dancefloor. “I'm sure the three-headed monster won't mind if you joined us. You alone?”

“Yes, sweetheart, but aren't you supposed to be hanging out with them?" You grabbed his arm before he could refuse you and started leading him towards where the others were.

However, he had other plans in mind. Again, he hooked an arm around your waist until your back was leaning against him. You eyed him sideways, startled by his actions, but unable to counteract it anyway as you’re just stunned speechless all the while. “You can go back to them, Y/N, but I don’t think I should go with you.”

You turned around, gently easing away from his hold. “Why not? They already know you, and they like you.”

"Are you sure? I don't want to be a party pooper.” He leaned towards you, tilting his head to the side while his lower lip slightly jutted out.

"What are you talking about?” You rolled your eyes at him then snickered.

He eyed you seriously then. “Just in case this is a friends-only affair?”

“Satoru already ruined that by bringing his girls into the mix.” You laughed at him when you saw him hesitate. “Come on, Sukuna. Join us. For me?” You showed him your best impression of puppy-dog eyes. “Pretty please?”

When you saw that he wasn’t budging, you changed your argument. “Fine. Dance with me then.” You didn’t give him any time to contradict you as you took him by the hand and dragged him to the dancefloor.

He was just standing still, looking uncomfortable as you started to groove to the beat, so you took his arms and started moving them until he was moving on his own, finally breaking into that smile. He looked too awkward that you wanted to laugh but decided against it, simply raising your hands and feeling the music.

“Aren’t you having fun?” you asked him as you were bobbing your head to the bass.

“I am!” he answered above the music.

“You don’t look like you’re having fun. Are you shy?” You chuckled openly at that.

“No.”

“You don’t dance?”

“I can dance.”

You giggled. “Then show me what you’ve got!”

Without a warning, he started moving in sync with you, taking your hands in his and finally letting loose in such a graceful manner as you both got into the beat and started waving and swaying against one another, his hands slowly running at your sides in sensual rhythms that got you reeling in excitement. You almost forgot that you were with other people as you danced with him. It was fun and it felt good to be that carefree, not minding your friends, drinks flowing in nonstop.

Soon, the group you’ve left joined you and Sukuna. They all greeted him excitedly while the boys exchanged high-fives with him as they were dancing. Satoru and the two girls who were with him also joined in and somewhere along that, Suguru offered everyone cigarettes, and you gladly took one when you saw Sukuna taking one as well. You didn’t really smoke on a regular basis but you didn’t exactly shy away from the so-called cancer sticks.

After taking another shot, you pulled Sukuna out of the dancefloor, hollering at the others as you raised your cigarette, signaling where you were going in case they wanted to come with. You made your way to the smoking area at the veranda situated at the back of the building with the older male in tow. You were pretty much buzzed, calming down from the high you had while dancing, grinning wide as the cool night air met you, making your lungs expand as you breathed in.

Sukuna watched you as he took his place against the banister, following him shortly as you produced a lighter from your pocket, something that you always carried just in case.

“You smoke?” he asked, toying with his own battered stick, twirling it around his long fingers.

“Sometimes,” you admitted, watching his reaction. “And you?”

“Not really.”

“You took one anyway.” You wedged the item in question between your lips and raised the lighter, but before you could light it, it was pulled out from your mouth and the next thing you knew, Sukuna was kissing you, his lips pressed against yours as he pulled you closer by the hips which he seemed to have a fixation for since you came up to him. It was a soft yet urgent kiss that cajoled you to respond, and not long after, your lips were submissive clouds moving to the will of the wind that was his luscious mouth.

Like the first time you felt his lips against yours, electricity ran through your body as if he was touching you elsewhere apart from your mouth. It was driving you off the edge of sanity, and you knew you’d probably jump off a cliff for the male. He grinned at your dazed state when your eyes met after he finally pulled away, showing you the cigarette that was supposed to be between your lips before he unceremoniously laid claim to them.

“You’re going to ruin your lips by smoking. I’m keeping this,” he told you.

You were too mesmerized with the tingling feeling in your mouth while your eyes stayed glued to his as you blinked slowly, your mind and heart racing at a thousand miles per second. “W-why would you do that?” you stammered, feeling your throat go so dry that you had to drag the words out.

“Apart from the fact that it’s terribly unhealthy, it ruins your sense of smell and taste.” He waved the cigarette in front of you before shoving it into the pocket of his jeans. “Scientific fact.”

You couldn’t quite process what he was saying. You were asking why he kissed you, but he misunderstood. “Are you going to taser me with your lips every single time I’m about to smoke?”

“Taser…” He chuckled and narrowed his eyes at you. “I might just if it means these dangerous things don’t touch your pretty mouth.”

“What the –” You didn’t know if you would be scandalized by what he said or if you were going to laugh. The latter won and you tittered. “That’s a good one.”

“I mean it, Y/N.”

Boldness engulfed your whole thought process as you stepped closer to him, looking straight into his eyes. “And if I insist on it? Placing dangerous things in my pretty mouth? What are you going to do then?”

He, too, leaned forward, eyes flicking to your lips. “Then I guess I just have to keep your mouth too busy to even think about smoking again,” he whispered to you, his breath hitting your lips.

You smirked at him then. “I guess I just have to make sure you aren’t around if I do feel like smoking.”

He pouted. You burst out laughing.

You reached over and pinched both of his cheeks. “You’re so adorable.”

Sukuna swatted your hands away, but smiled nonetheless. "You're the only one who says I'm adorable."

"You are. You just don't know it."

“Okay then. If you say so.” He tucked a stray strand of hair behind your ear then, your skin tingling where he touched you. “Are you busy tomorrow?”

“Not really.”

“Good. I wanna do something for you.”

You eyed him questioningly. “Hmm. What?”

“That’s a surprise.”

It was already around two in the morning when everyone had the unanimous decision to leave the club which was still packed. You, too, were getting tired especially after Ieiri ended up hammered and Satoru was emptying his guts through his mouth. Suguru was a bit drunk, too, but he was trying his best to help you take care of them. Sukuna had been very nice all night, even helping you load Satoru and Ieiri into the backseat of Suguru’s car.

“Would you like me to drive you home?” he asked you after shutting the door to the backseat.

“No, I’m gonna be fine. Besides, I can’t just leave Suguru to deal with them both.” You motioned to his Jeep. “You should go ahead, too.”

Sukuna grimaced as he nodded. “I guess that would be for the best. Anyway, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Okay. You take good care now.”

“You, too, sweetheart.” He stepped forward and pulled you against him, hugging you, enveloping you in his warmth and that scent you loved profusely. “It’s really great seeing you tonight.”

You returned the gesture, smiling up at him as you tried to compose yourself. “It’s great seeing you, too.” You stood on your toes and pecked him on the cheek before giving him a gentle shove towards the car. “See you, Sukuna.”

He waved at you then boarded the car. You watched as it disappeared down the street before turning away to enter the club to get Suguru who was left to settle the bills. You found him seated on one of the couches, finding your way easily since the crowd thinned a bit.

“You okay, dude?” you asked when you reached him. He was pale and he looked like he was going to throw up anytime. “Do you need to go to the restroom?”

He shook his head. “Just get me out of here.”

You chuckled, leading him faster out of the club. You sat him down on passenger side and soothed his back, asking after him again as you started the engine. He said he was fine, laughing when he caught a glimpse of the two who were already passed out on the backseat with Satoru lying on Ieiri’s lap while her head was lolling limply to the side.

The drive was rather short without much cars on the road, but Suguru was still able to squeeze in a conversation, and of all the topics he could broach, it had to be about Sukuna.

“I thought Sukuna will be driving you home,” he began, glancing at you.

“He offered, but I can’t just leave you.”

“That would have been okay.” He glanced at the rearview mirror then, checking on the two, you could only guess. He could be such a mother hen at times. “I think he’s cool.”

“Mhmm.”

“And he’s really good-looking,” Suguru threw in with a chuckle. “Just date already.”

You chuckled. “Why don’t you date him instead?”

“Don’t you want to try it out with him?”

“He hasn’t even asked me to date him.”

“Yeah, but he already kissed you –”

“How did you know about that?” you demanded, mortified. Your cheeks were heating up again at the memory of it.

“Well, you’re in a public place.” He laughed. “So, it’s bound to end in dating anyway.”

“Not necessarily.” You turned sideways to look at him. “He’s older after all, not that I see the age gap as a problem. But you know, he might just be passing time.”

“He obviously likes you. If you date him, it’s a win-win situation. You like him, too, you just don’t know it.”

You scoffed. “How can you say that?”

He blew a raspberry. Typical Suguru behavior. “You can be yourself around him. You’re all smiley face around him, too. I saw you. You can’t lie to me.”

“Really now?”

“Yeah. You look your best that way. And don’t ever think you are just a pastime. I’ll kill him if he treats you as such.” He smiled knowingly at you. “Besides, you should date properly. Enough with your flings with stupid boys in campus.”

“Okay, dad.” You sighed, trying to contain your excitement. “I do like him though. He’s so nice to me.”

Suguru reached over patting you on the shoulder. “Ah! My daughter is a grown-woman.”

You swatted at his hand, laughing at his antics.

-end of part 1-

If you're curious who Howard Roark is, he's one of my fave literary characters from Ayn Rand's "The Fountainhead." He's excellently made. That's it.

Can architect!sukuna please call me "sweetheart," too?

If you want to be included in the tag list, please DM me :) I'll be posting every week (or I'll try to anyway). Someone remind me to post the next chapters please?

Additional notes are available in the masterlist, particularly on the reasons why I wrote some things the way I did. I don't know what I'm trying to prove there, but haha!

Thank you so much for reading. Likes, comments and reblogs are deeply appreciated! Hope you enjoyed it.

© ORIGINAL WORK BY nanaminokanojo. CHARACTERS ARE INSPIRED BY GEGE AKUTAMI'S JUJUTSU KAISEN. [20210618]

PHOTO/IMAGE/GIF/FANART SOURCES FULLY CREDITED TO THE RESPECTIVE OWNERS.

[iturbide]

Well, to get into the gritty details of Shahid’s death; Shahid had been cornered against a cliff (his wyvern had been slain) and Claude was asking him to surrender (with the implication that Claude just wanted to send Shahid back home), but then Shahid takes advantage of Claude lowering his guard and throws his sword at Claude. Shez deflects the blade before it hits Claude and says “if you don’t do it, I will” (LikeIy peeved Shahid almost killed their friend while he was offering mercy).

Thank you for getting into the gritty details because at this point based on my answers you've probably realized that I'm a little obsessed with them if the devil's in the details I guess I'm hunting down the devil

(Golden Wildfire spoilers under the cut)

So the situation surrounding this definitely clears things up: Shahid hadn't been disarmed yet specifically because he had only just been cornered and pushed toward surrender. It sounds like the physical situation was also pretty fraught -- Claude probably wasn't interested in going in hard when Shahid's back was to the cliff edge, for fear that his brother might fall. Even if their relationship isn't good, Claude probably doesn't want to see him dead.

...but this is where I start to really struggle. Sure, it's completely reasonable for Shez to be pissed off on behalf of his friend -- but why does Claude kill his brother when Shahid had already been disarmed? At that point he can pose no further threat except to himself, since he's in a position where he could fall on his own, and under the circumstances there's every reason to let him live and have him dealt with in Almyra. Claude more than anyone should be aware of the diplomatic nightmare that is likely to ensue when word gets back to the king that one of his kids has been killed in what amounts to cold blood: it would have been one thing if Shahid had fallen in the battle, but by that point the fight was over and he no longer had a weapon, making that act the equivalent of murder. Favorite child or not, I don't think the king of Almyra will be able to overlook that, and it gives Almyra strong grounds to attack with an even larger force in retaliation for the death of a prince.

Irredeemable or not, Shahid was still in a position where he could pose no direct threat. He had no weapon, and his army had already been fractured since we know for a fact that Nader and his men turned to Claude's side. The fact that it's known that he's power-hungry and would have made a bad king just makes the whole thing even weirder to me: unless I'm misremembering, Shahid states outright in the Prologue that he's launching an attack on the Locket against orders to hold his position because he thinks it will prove his merit and push him up in the line of succession. With his defeat in Chapter 8, how does anyone expect him to become king at that point? Doing it by murdering the king probably isn't going to cut it -- and how would he even pull that off if they sent him back in disgrace, disarmed and likely bound for both going against the king's orders and the attempted murder of his brother and the king's favorite son (which the Fodlani contingent might not know, but which Nader certainly would and be able to report)? I can't think of any justifiable reason why Shahid's death was necessary given the context provided within Three Hopes.

This doesn't feel like Claude. Claude should know better.

To give them due credit, I do appreciate that they make it pretty clear that Almyrans aren't inherently evil: while the king of Almyra isn't shown directly, it's made apparent that he's not angling for immediate war, and Nader is generally shown to be a good man both in Three Houses and Three Hopes. But at the same time, they really did have to pile on every single negative stereotype onto Shahid, didn't they? Just playing through the Prologue my thoughts were that people like Shahid are undoubtedly a part of why Fodlan has a bad impression of Almyra. He's terrible and cruel and he has such a vendetta against his younger half-brother that he's willing to target anyone who even looks like him (gods forbid he actually realizes that it is the brother he hates) -- but the thing about Claude, even early on in Three Houses, was that he didn't resort to an eye for an eye. He rolled with it when people treated him with suspicion, he smiled at the rumors, he didn't fight back when Lorenz went on about how unfit he was for leadership. He didn't retaliate in kind, because he knew that wasn't going to get him anywhere, and he had more important things to work toward. If his goal really is peace and understanding and overcoming borders between people, he should know that killing his brother -- no matter how bad their relationship is, no matter how bad a person Shahid is -- is going to work directly against his goal.

That murder is the death knell of his ambition.

[love-hatred-stuff]

No more } Choi San [ateez]

genre: angst, a bit fluff

warning(s): suggestive themes, San being submissive(not in a sexual way), a fight (no violence)

word count: 1k

note: it's kind of a plot-twist in contrast to part 1 ^^ I hope you like it

>>>part 1 , part 3 (soon)

▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎

When he stood in front of your door he began trembling, grasping for the bell with shaking fingers. And after those few long seconds he'd waited for you, San saw your face for the first time in four days and he got even more nervous.

What if you wouldn't forgive him? What if he wouldn't be able to seduce you? What if you had other plans and rather wanted to break things off with him?

All these questions and no answers for any of them yet. San was feeling anxious, scared you would break his heart tonight.

But then you spoke up and interrupted his thoughts.

"Hey~ come in." You waited until he reacted and stepped inside your apartment so you could close the frontdoor.

Of course you didn't miss this terrified look in his eyes, you saw through him and knew what you had to do. Something you always did, yet never let him feel so intense like you were going to. You were going to show him that he should listen to you better, and if not he would have to deal with the consequences.

His small and unsure movements seemed somewhat new and concerning to you. Never was San so insecure infront of you, he always gave his everything to show the best of himself, convince you silently that he was worthy enough to be a boyfriend of a girl like you. Not that that was necessary, but it was just natural that he had to show off somehow.

"Sit down." San's head snapped towards you abruptly. Your voice sounded so demanding, he never had heard that tone from you and it scared him even more, but exited him on the other hand too, though he didn't exactly know why.

So he sat down on your couch while you slowly approached him, his admiration for you getting the best of him as he saw how beautiful you looked towered over him.

"Why can't you just listen to me and fucking obey?" Your choice of words didn't fail to make him shiver again.

You looked down on him, seeing his puppy eyes that glowed up at you harsh comments. But you were too impatient today, today you didn't have the nerves.

"Answer me, San."

But he didn't know what to say to you. Apologise? For being bratty and maybe doing something that could have had upset you.

"I- I'm sorry, y/n." He looked down in his lap, like a sad little boy that gets scolded by his mom.

Your lips left a unamused sigh.

"I know you did this on purpose. I know you made yourself extra fine to attract more girls. Did you think I didn't see you in college three days ago, and how you gave every barbie that looked at you a charming smile?" You ranted down.

For whatever reason this made so so furious, nothing in your life had you so close to the brink of killing someone. And it wasn't San you wanted to kill, it were those filthy girls on the campus that seemed to would have loved to spend one night with your own boyfriend. Just because his style changed and you could see how attractive he really was.

You didn’t like it at all, you already knew about his handsomeness before he started wearing different clothes and styled his hair differently.

You wanted San to yourself. But not like this, you weren't gonna make it that easy for him. He had to know how mad you were, how bored and annoyed it made you that he never told you about changing his appearance this dramatically.

"No, I-.. I just wanted to look better. For you y/n. I know I'm not good enough for you." He whispered, making it pretty difficult to understand him as you were in the middle of downtown, the streets were as full as ever and you could hear them honk every minute on repeat.

You scoffed, furiously coming even nearer to his face. San could sense your rage, it showed up in your darkened eyes as you looked through his fear filled ones.

"I chose you San. Why wouldn’t you be enough huh? I don't want you to change for me. I want you to stay exactly the same how you always were. Understood? And stop acting like you'd be interested in any other girls, I know you're not." Your voice seemed softer than he had expected and he was grateful for your strong ability to control your emotions and keep down whatever was going on inside you.

Your little devil sitting on one of your shoulders, you were able to tame it for a long period of time. Though, if you wouldn't stop thinking about him with other girls, you surely would escalate someday soon.

He nodded as a response. So you did the opposite, shaking your head. "Tell me if you understood me." You demanded.

"I understood y/n. I will not do it again, I swear." His begging eyes looked up to you, in hope for mercy.

"Good." Your mood changed in a matter of seconds, surprising him once again.

Now you were pleased, satisfied with his answer, just hoping he would keep his word. Otherwise he knew exactly what would come and you were sure he would do nearly everything to avoid these consequences.

You observed him, how he sat down on your couch and fiddled with his almost shaking hands. And you realised that he had another thing in his mind that wouldn't let him loose.

But you couldn't figure out what it was until you would ask the black haired boy, who was slightly nervous from all of this fuss and your agitation about him.

Choi San sat there thinking, completely out of this world by now. I probably won't be able to seduce her anymore.

The gif is not mine, nor are pictures I used for the cover, credits to the owners

[minthysugamon]

Everybody wants to rule the world.

Noble Assistant! Namjoon x Assassin! Reader.

1789! AU

Word Count: 2k

Warnings: Mention of dried blood,gunshots and other stuff...i mean..it's the revolution..so yeah.

(Credit for the Original Photo: @/athenaa. I only edited it a little bit. But all credit goes to the original artist who posted the photo first in it's original version)

(Painting: La liberté guidant le peuple by Eugène Delacroix)

14 Juillet 1789,

The streets were overcrowded,people were standing for hours in front of the Bastille. Everybody knew...the reunion of the General Estates was chaotic. The deputies spent months to collect all the reviews that could help them make a reform,that could help the Third Estate to have the same rights as the nobility...but instead of that,King Louis XVI refused all the changes that should have been made. So...the whole Third Estate was back to case one. It was no surprise when the King had dismissed the assembly to go back to his residence. But what surprised him was the determination that the future National Assembly had. They swore,they will give France a constitution,they make up the large majority of the country,they can do it without being harmed too much. The King still didn't care about the 1200 Deputies plea for equality. But dear lord,the Regent was wrong for ignoring all the warning signs about the revolution.

But there she was,waiting for her brother to come back,in a house near the Bastille..waiting for the three volounteers to come out with the gun powder. Not as if she wanted to kill or wound someone..but..she wanted to participate. She wanted to see how people will take over the power. Her brother is a Lawyer...Maximilien Robespierre is his name. But since she is a woman..she will never have the chance to become one...she can only learn from him,in secret,because work is a taboo for women.

"Why are you here?" Her brother grabbed her wrist,looking her dead in the eye. He wasn't amused,at all. "I..i just wanted to come..to see if everything was alright...Mère s'inquiète pour vous¹..." He sighed,letting her wrist go,and he bowed his head. "I told you clearly to stay in Arras,didn't i? You are too curious for your own good. One day it will bring you trouble." She cracked a small smile,only for a moment though,and while she exhaled,she whispered a small "Je le sais,mon frère.²" As she sat down,in front of the window,Maximilien went behind her and watched the chaos unfold in front of the Bastille. "What are they trying to do?" She looked up at him,with glassy eyes. She would never admit it but as much as the revolution gave her adrenaline and excited her...she was also scared. Scared of what will happen. "They are trying to get the gun powder...i guess Launey still didn't give in to take the cannons back." He watched as the people were getting more and more impatient,and then,he headed out of the small townhouse. Since she was also the curious type,she headed out after him. "LA POUDRE. LA POUDRE. DONNEZ-NOUS LA POUDRE³". The crowd was screaming for the gun powder. While Launey was still discussing with the three peasants.

While the crowd was roaring outside,Launey was talking with the three peasants. "Monsieur Kim,would you please tell the soldiers to retract the cannons?" The young immigrant who became Launey's assistant just looked at him confused. "But..Maître...it's nearly impossible to get them retracted,we don't have the King's authorisation." And as the three peasants looked at him with an evil expression,the assistant hesitantly said "I will try to persuade them...but i may need your help if anything goes wrong." The keeper of the Bastille just looked at him with a reassuring smile and said "Don't worry,Mon fils,everything will go alright. Just do as i say." The boy went up,and tried to tell the soldiers what was bound to happen if they don't take the cannons back. The soldiers just laughed and told him to piss off. But at the view of the weapons not getting retracted,the crowd was growing louder with every second that passed. The chance of them getting into the Bastille was also increasing with every shout that left their throat. The assisstant of Launey was running back down to the study of his mentor.

"Maître Launey,what are we going to do? They don't want to retract them. I tried to persuade them,but they aren't listening." Launey only sighed,and stood up. "Si vous pourriez m'excuser,je vous en serai reconnaissant.⁴" With that said,he went up with the young man that he swore to protect after his own son died in his arms due to pneumonia,and looked at the Soldiers. "I sent the message of retracting the cannons. Then why do i still see them here?"

One of the armed men was brave enough to say "We thought that your assisstant maneuvered on his own..." and to that,the Master of the Bastille answered clearly,exercising his authority on them. "Whether it's me or my assistant,you are obligated to comply to my wishes and my commands. Whether you like it or not. Now get those cannons retracted before the people think that we want to hurt them."

At the same time,the youngest Robespierre was following her brother. What Maximilien didn't know was his sister's abilities. Nobody knew,but she was the one of the best trained assassins of the country. She went in the crowd and got lost in it,so no one could see what she was about to do. Her plan was to climb to the first floor and open the gate. And it was going well until ths crowd heard a gunshot inside the court of the Bastille. "THEY KILLED THEM. THEY KILLED OUR ALLIES. LET'S SHOW THEM THAT THEY CAN'T MESS WITH US." "Merde...⁵" The swear word escaped her lips as she was near the backyard of the Bastille. But that didn't stop her. Just like how the crowd didn't stop running down the doors.

Namjoon was scared for his life. As soon as the people swarmed in as bees in a beehive,he was becoming more and more nervous. "Maître,what are we going to do?" And his mentor looked at him,with his pale face,then shouted at the brigade. "RASSEMBLEZ LA POUDRE.⁶ GET ALL THE POWDER. AND TAKE IT DOWN. WE WILL ACT ACCORDING TO WHAT WILL HAPPEN." Then he looked back at his assistant,sending him a look full of emotions and calmly said. "Son,go and hide in the study. Lock all the doors. Don't do anything wrong,and they won't get in." And for once,he spoke to him in an informal way,like how a father would tell his son how to hide. "But,Maître-" Namjoon objected to the idea of letting his mentor,but also his adoptive father in some ways,fight for the Bastille. But before he knew,he was pushed into the study by Launey,and he locked the door before going back to his soldiers. "Que Dieu...aie pitié de votre âme...Père...⁷" And with a heavy heart,he blocked the door with a cupboard and the handles with three swords..the more,the better.

While the crowd was swarming in,(Y/n) was trying to get a better view of the situation by climbing the wall of the gigantic fortress which served as the royal prison. "Pour l'amour des cieux⁸...why did that idiot have to cry wolf when nothing was going on..." and as she finally climbed the first floor which had a corridor,she sneaked in,just like a shadow,almost invisible. The people were or too busy trying to free the seven remaining prisoners,or trying to kill any guard that came their way,or to find the gun powder and leave. She was feeling nauseous from the smell of dried blood on the walls of the hall,but she won't vomit here and now,or people will think she's one of the guards or just a simple whore who paid visit to Launey. But speak of the devil. Two men saw her,and started chasing her,so in the first turn,she turned to right,then to the left and continued this pattern until she fell through a passageway to the Study.

Namjoon was shocked when he saw the girl fall through the secret passage,but nothing shocked him more than to see a girl being armed like a professional assassin. "Qui diable est-tu?⁹" his voice came out more shaky than expected. And the girl only answered "Be glad that i'm not here to kill you. Who are you? You don't seem to be from here." If she was being honest...she never saw someone like him. She could only think about the fact that he wasn't here. Thanks to the books of her father and her brother,she quickly guessed that he was from the Far East. "I asked first,mademoiselle." And she looked at him,unfazed. "Look,i don't have the time to play this. Where is Launey,i have to talk to him." And the young man picked a sword up and quickly took her in his arms to put the blade against her neck. "What do you want from him? Seeing how you are dressed and what you're carrying,i am pretty sure that you mean no good. And most probably,you're on their side. Aren't you?" The only thing she could say was a determined "Yes. But,I only want to talk. That's it. If i wanted to kill him,he would be already dea-" her voice was cut off by loud banging on the front door. "LAUNEY,ON SAIT QUE TU ES LÀ.¹⁰ STOP HIDING AND BE A MAN." And Namjoon only looked at the unknown girl,with panic in his eyes,and she looked back at him. "Go,find somewhere to hide. I'll tell them that no one was here." The assisstant looked at her with confusion plastered on his face. "But..you have the chance to kill me now. Why won't you do it?" And she laughed but in a bitter way,trying her best to keep the door closed. "The stars aren't alligned for that today. It's your lucky day today,Sir. Now go. Hide before they kill you." With a quick nod he started to run towards the secret passage,but quickly turned back and looked at her. "Name's Namjoon." And the youngest Robespierre just looked at him,with an amused look and replied "(Y/n). Remember that name when you'll say grace to God for keeping an eye on you. Now go." And as soon as he was out,she let the door break free. With a half smirk and playful eyes,she cocked her pistol towards one of the peasants. "Good Morning gentlemen,beautiful day to cause a revolution i see. It would be a shame if something..or someone stopped this. So i advise you to turn back around,and go on your way to find the much-wanted powder." One of the peasants just laughed at her,but when she shot him in the arm,the other two,unarmed,were quick to run out of the study.

Namjoon still didn't understand why she spared his life,but he was thankful. For once,his luck was immeasurable,and he felt good about it. But the same went for her...(Y/n) still didn't understand what took over her to spare his life and shoot someone,who was playing on the same side as she was. But sometimes...life puts you in a situation where a plot twist is inevitable.

As the battle was still going on in the court,after what felt like an eternity,(Y/n) but also Namjoon realised...whether you're a revolutionary or a nobleman...you have one thing in common. You want to rule the world. Because if there's something in common in the power hungry humans...is the will to rule the world..because Everybody wants to rule the world.

Translation:

¹ = Mother is worried about you.

² = I know it,brother.

³ = The Powder,the powder,give us the powder.

⁴ = If you could excuse me,i would be grateful for it.

⁵ = Shit...

⁶ = Get all the powder.

⁷ = May God have mercy on your soul,father.

⁸ = For Heaven's sake

⁹ = Who the hell are you?

¹⁰ = Launey,we know you're inside there.

(A/n: I know the end is rushed but i hope you guys still liked it. The idea came to me when i had my history exam,and that was in December,but i didn't have time to finish it...so here is a bit rushed-ended one shot about Namjoon in the 1789 French Revolution. Thank you again for your patience,and i hope you guys are doing well! ❤)

[dalekofchaos]

How The Empire could've won after Endor or why didn't they just use Operation Cinder on Rebel worlds instead of Imperial worlds?

Why not just use the satellites on the key Rebel worlds Chandrilla and Mon Cala? Lets say the Imperial leadership decided they are not going to follow Palpatine's last will...because it's stupid. They unite under one goal. The swift destruction of The Rebel Alliance. They all gather the Imperial fleets and blockade Chandrilla and Mon Cala. Place the satellites on the worlds and hold them hostage using the satellites and use the satellites to slaughter countless people if the Rebels interfere. The Rebels sure don't have the manpower to launch two large scale offensives on both of these worlds. For example if they try to attack Chandrilla, break the blockcade and destroy the satellites, then the Imperials will use the Satellites on Mon Cala and Mon Cala will be reduced to a wasteland. This, needless to say is far better than targeting your own worlds and this would crush the Rebels' morale. The Mon Calamari makes the backbone of the Rebel fleet, majority of their ships and high ranks in their navy were Mon Calamari. To destroy their world is going to cause problems. You can imagine many in the Rebels navy are not going to support anything that could put them, their homeworld and their loved ones at risk.

Meanwhile Chandrilla is homeworld to Rebel leader Mon Mothma and has a very heavy Rebel presence as well to having a vast population center. Again this is going to make the Rebellion very very hesitant to do anything. You're going to see the Rebels draw lines with each other and begin to rip themselves apart. For example, some human Rebels might be very passionate and want to break the blockade at Chandrilla. However if they do that, Mon Cala will be destroyed. Meanwhile the Mon Calamari navy staff will probably want the blockade on Mon Cala to be destroyed. However this will destroy those on Chandrilla. You're essentially putting a huge wedge between everyone in the Rebellion, particularly between aliens and humans, which is not what you want to do. Divide & Conquer.

From here The Empire needs to use this intense time to rebrand itself. Put a spin on the entire thing. In our timeline they simply said Palpatine was not dead and the Empire is fine, it's still strong and you should still fear it. Which is stupid, they should've come clean about Palpatine's death. However, they should've embellished it. Talk about the man who ended The Clone Wars and ushered in which was technically an age of peace and say he was assassinated by anarchist rebels. Denied the existence or purpose of the Death Star. Call it a Rebel lie. Spread information regarding The Rebels, lie about them and launch a bunch of false flag operations on worlds like Coruscant framing them for acts of terrorism. The Imperials still control the Holonet, they should be using it to their full advantage. They control what the people see and hear most of the time, granted the Rebels still have a foothold in the Holonet, but nowhere near the extent of The Empire. They should really be hammering the propaganda right now. Not going around killing their own people and just letting the Rebels running circles around them.

The Empire also needs to start hitting back at The Rebellion. Step up recruiting, both for the army and the navy. As well as enlisting in the help of the criminal underworld and the bounty hunters' guild. They want and need these people's help now more than ever. Make a deal to legitimize them and granting them trade deals once the war is over. Crime syndicates like the Black Suns and the Hutts need a sense of legitimacy, they need something that makes all their illegal money, legal. So grant the Hutts hyperspace lanes, it will be legal and get all the taxes from them and you'll be supported by The Empire. The Hutts would kill for that chance. Plus, don't you think the Hutt cartel leaders would want Han, Luke, Leia and Lando dead for Jabba's death? At the end of the day the crime syndicates were absolutely essential to the Rebels, it's how they got a lot of their equipment. And although previously, the Empire wasn't willing to make deals with them, it's now more important than ever to turn the Rebels' allies to your side and with all of this, The Rebellion has nothing. It can't resupply because the criminals will now firmly side with The Empire. It's kind of a philosophy of "rather the devil you know than the one that you don't." Meanwhile assassins and bounty hunters will be foaming at the mouth for the huge prices on Rebel leaders' heads.  Rebel Leaders that now more than ever are going to be stepping out of the shadows because they need to be seen if they ever hope to create their New Republic. Meanwhile The Rebels will be stuck in limbo, their ability to hurt The Empire results in death and destruction for countless innocents, who are close to them eventually the Rebellion will lose through attrition alone. The Empire will re-establish itself as the undisputed superpower and someone else(maybe Rax or maybe Sloane) will claim the title of Emperor. However this is going to be very difficult to achieve considering the incredibly competitive nature and rivalry between Imperial Leaders.

My point being that ultimately though The Rebellion was far from winning the entire war after the Battle of Endor and The Empire basically gave them the victory on a silver plate. Hell, The Empire could’ve connived all Star Destroyers above Endor and Orbital bombard the shit out of the moon while the celebration was happening. They might’ve destroyed the Death Star and killed The Emperor and Vader, but all they had to do is call up tens of thousands Star Destroyers and destroy the Rebels on Endor.

In a sense, I just won the war for the Imperials even without Palpatine, Tarkin, Thrawn and Vader, if The Imperial Navy just ignored Palpatine’s orders and just sought the complete annihilation of The Rebels without destroying their own worlds.

Instead of actually draw out the war after Endor to show that the Rebels have awakened the Imperial beast without the shackles of Palpatine and Vader, Palpatine stupidly destroys Imperial worlds, the Imperials blindly stupidly follow his last order and the Empire lost on Jakku and The Empire didn't even last as long as they did in Legends. Then rebranded themselves as "The First Order" to being even more incompetent in 30 years time

Credit to Lore Star for having more thought than the so called Lucasfilm "Storygroup"

[whorevader]

Also here are those tags!

I agree completely, and credit, this is something I haven't thought about before. I mean, I disagree with the idea that Anakin is somehow worse than the other generals - I don't specifically recall any of his plans putting his men in more danger than any of the others, but then the only other general we see extensively is Obi-Wan, and Plo Koon comes the closest, but I'd argue that while Plo Koon I can see as considering his men for the situation they are in, I don't think I recall Obi-Wan being much better in trying to keep his men safe? He's more cautious, but I couldn't attribute that to his caring about the men so much as that being his approach to tactics, as well as near everything. And I think Anakin shows at least some consideration for the clones as people. From what I remember, during Fives's arc in season 6, Anakin really wanted to help him, even against the advice of other clones and Jedi. He just thought bringing him in was the only way he could help him. I don't think any of the Jedi care about the clones as they should, but out of all the generals, he, Ahsoka, and possibly Plo Koon (I can't remember tbh) come the closest.

Also, Anakin being raised a slave himself, but not that keen on reflection, I'm not sure he'd entirely come to peace with the fact that slavery was wrong. Sure, he didn't want to be a slave, but he didn't seem to show much hatred for his former owner beyond irritation. He didn't seem to see the He was willing to do a mission where he'd help Jabba, the person responsible for the institution. The more I think about it, the more I start to think that Anakin was in denial about his own and others' circumstances, and the denial of slaves and former slaves isn't the same as the denial of slavers and those outside the system entirely. After all, he was only freed from slavery in exchange for joining and serving the Jedi. He felt indebted to them, which I've long thought is the only reason he stayed with them as long as he did, or at least after he and Padme got married. And really, the idea of living to serve those who provided for you could extend to all the Jedi, who are taken, willingly or unwillingly, from their families at birth, and raised from practically infancy to view themselves as mere vessels for an outside force and the institution that took them in. Can you imagine if, idk, the Catholic Church took children from their parents at age three, claiming they had a special connection with God, and raised them completely isolated from society other than on missions to, I don't know, protect what the Church deemed as good people from what the Church deemed as bad people? Imagine if they took in a former slave at age nine, and spent the rest of his childhood reminding him that his emotions and connections to others were a sign that he was being tempted by the devil because he came so late and they had only just barely decided he worth saving from slavery? That's the closest I can think of to a real life equivalent to what happened, and yes there are numerous differences, but broad strokes, it's comparable, and it'd be easy to hold the institution as partially responsible for his perspective and psyche. Again, there are probably a lot of problems with this comparison, but I just got off a flight and am too tired to think more critically about it. I'll be sure to accept any criticism graciously.

Before I finally shut up, it's probably worth mentioning that I don't think the individual Jedi themselves are necessarily evil either. And again, I don't approve of Anakin's actions or the actions he failed to take, and this time when I say that, it includes his complicity with slavery, his use of slaves, and his failure to act against the Jedi in the face of their orders, but I can't bring myself to condemn a character whose beliefs about the right and wrong of a situation are so heavily skewed by the fact that they've been put in that situation before, and arguably are not entirely freed from it. It doesn't excuse him, but I think his character is still worth understanding and contemplating.

if you blame anakin for betraying the jedi order and not the jedi order for assisting and protecting the slave trade as well as utilizing slavery themselves you can leave