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swarvey · 7 months ago

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paper rings | harvey x f!reader

Harvey remembers when he thought you were the love of his life; you don't seem to recall a time like that at all. After inheriting your grandfather's farm, you finally get to move back to Stardew Valley. Little do you know a certain doctor has patiently been waiting for your return.

a/n: the start of a harvey fic i posted on ao3, thought i would share!

ch. 1 | ch. 2

paper rings masterlist

chapter one: i bet you think about me -> “the love that you’re lookin’ for is the love that you had.”

Harvey hummed lightly to himself as he walked through Pierre's store, carefully eyeing the ingredients of each snack he put in his basket. Although he hated to admit it, he was finally beginning to feel his age; the walks that used to be so simple to him were starting to drag, and he found he needed a minimum of eight hours of sleep each night to wake up energized. He sighed lightly, longing for his college days when he easily walked across campus and would sometimes stay up all night studying for a final.

Still, as more and more time went on, his health was his top priority. His eyes lit up as he saw his favorite granola bars were back in stock.

"Harvey! I haven't seen you in a minute." Harvey turned to greet Caroline with a small smile. "You must be busy. With spring coming along, I'm sure all the kids will be heading over to your clinic with runny noses." She wasn't wrong. Whenever the weather got a bit warmer after the winter, Harvey was always greeted by the town's kids and teens, all reluctantly sent by their parents for a check-up. Most of the time, he simply sent them home with allergy medication.

"Of course, my favorite time of the year," he joked, shaking his head. "How have you been, Caroline? Have those vitamins I recommended you been doing you well?" He picked up a box of cereal from the shelf, pushing his glasses up and examining its label.

She shook her head in disbelief. "I couldn't believe it — I never knew those things could affect me so much! I've been feeling much more awake and energized thanks to you."

Harvey let out a slightly embarrassed laugh. "Ah, well, it's what I'm here for, isn't it?" He traded the cereal he had in hand with another one on the shelf, in awe at the amount of sugar in all of them. "You hear about anything new going on? I'm afraid I haven't been to the saloon in over a week now, so I haven't been very filled in."

Caroline pursed her lips as she thought. "Nothing too crazy going on in the Valley," she said after a moment. "Pierre's been preparing for the spring, Abigail's been practicing a ton with Sam and Seb, just the usual." Harvey nodded, humming in triumph as he finally found a box of cereal to his liking.

"Oh, and remember that girl who used to come by all the time? I heard her grandfather passed away, poor thing. He was a great man." What? Harvey froze, smile dropping. "Now that I think about it, weren't the two of you good friends? She's taking over his farm this spring, you know."

Thud.

The box landed between the two as he remained silent, his face beginning to burn.

"Harvey? Everything alright?"

"Sh-she is?" Harvey stuttered. When he realized how concerned Caroline looked, he cleared his throat, hastily grabbing the cereal off the floor and throwing it into his basket. "That's wonderful! I mean, not wonderful about her grandfather, but—" He shook his head. "I actually have something to tend to at the clinic, so I'll go check out now!"

Pierre gave his wife a quizzical look as Harvey rushedly handed his items to him, ears turning a shade of bright red. Caroline shrugged, clueless as to what she had said to make the doctor so flustered. The two watched half-amused as he left the store with a quick "thank you," keeping his gaze on the floor.

"He's always been a bit shy," Caroline reasoned. Pierre nodded, the couple returning to their tasks.

How? How was this happening? Harvey's thoughts raced as he made his way into his apartment, practically slamming the door shut as he sunk to the floor. Memories came rushing back to him as your name rang through his head, realizing it had been too long since the two of you had spoken. No wonder he didn't hear about your decision beforehand. Guilt began to eat at him as he thought of everything he had missed in your life, taking off his glasses to rub his face in stress. Would you even want to speak with him anymore?

Finally, after nearly half an hour of contemplation, Harvey scrambled up the courage to pick up his phone and give you a call. He could feel his heart hammering in his chest as the dial tone rang, half of him hoping you wouldn't pick up. At least then he could avoid the situation a little longer, right?

"Hello? Harvey?"

Crap.

"Hello? Are you there?" you repeated, raising a brow. "Harvey, did you butt dial me?"

"No, no! I'm here," your friend replied, a slight panic in his voice. "Uh, well . . . how have you been?"

You let out a huff of laughter. "Some things never change, do they, Harvs?" His old nickname slipped off your tongue with ease. You remember when you were kids together, running around playing tag — back then, you would chase him and call him Harvsy. "You're still just as charming as ever," you tease.

There's a beat of silence before he replies with an awkward laugh. "You know me better than anyone." He pauses. "So, I heard you're moving to Stardew Valley?"

"Ah, right, I am! Sorry, I never got the chance to tell you," you sighed. "It's been a while since we last talked, huh?"

"I suppose it has," he agreed, and you note the twinge of sadness in his tone.

It's not like you wanted to stop talking to him, not at all, but with all the complications going on in your life, it was hard to keep in touch with your old friend. You always saw Harvey as a kid whenever you visited your grandfather's farm, as his grandparents also lived there. The two of you grew even closer throughout your pre-teen and teen years, always sharing music and studying together. You even saw him from time to time during college — although he went to a bigger, more prestigious medical university, you were both in Zuzu City and got food with each other from time to time. After you graduated and ended up working at Joja Cola HQ, though, you began to see Harvey less and less. Both of you tried to call regularly, you really did, but when your life began to look too black and white, you gave up on nearly all your social connections, focusing entirely on your work and making it through each day. It didn't help that he was busy running his clinic, too.

Things didn't get much better when your grandfather died. He passed away towards the end of your college years, leaving you an envelope you promised not to open until you felt, "crushed by the burden of modern life." You had actually spoken to Harvey over the phone about your grandpa's words, though both of you were equally confused at what he meant.

That is, until working for Joja became too unbearable.

Only then did you open the letter, more miserable than you had been in your life. Despite it all, your grandfather had left you the greatest gift he could have in order to reignite your spirit: his farm.

"Well," you started, snapping out of your short daze, "I'll be in town in three days, so why don't we catch up then?"

More silence.

Was he always this quiet? Or have you two just grown apart?

"Harvey," you sang, "you still there?"

"Yes!" he exclaimed. "Yes, of course, just give me a call when you're on your way, I can, uh, help you move in. If you need help, that is!" You laughed lightly; he was still the same dork you knew in the past.

"I would love some help, if you can spare the time," you said, smiling. "I'll see you soon, then?"

"Yes, I'll see you soon." You hung up, a smile lingering on your face.

I wonder if he has a girlfriend, you wondered. He had never been the most outgoing, but surely he had to have met someone. You shrugged to yourself, continuing to pack some of your belongings into boxes.

Suddenly, going back to the Valley had become all the more exciting.

Harvey sank into his chair at the saloon, hand covering half his face as he began to question his life choices.

"Oh, come now, my friend," Elliott chided, taking a swig of his drink. "Where is your courage, your hope? You should be ecstatic that your love is returning to the town!"

Shane grunted. "Yeah, right," he grumbled. "Odds are, she's already moved on."

Elliott frowned at him, but ignored him nonetheless. "Tell us what is on your mind, Harvey."

Harvey sighed. He had asked to sit between the two at the bar in hopes of gaining some clarity, but all he seemed to have achieved was embarrassment. While Elliott was overly enthusiastic about his "long lost love's return," Shane couldn't care less about the subject, bluntly stating his pessimistic thoughts. He felt as if there was an angel and a devil, literally, on either of his shoulders — Elliott was to his left, while Shane was to his right.

"Shane may be right," Harvey admitted, rubbing his forehead and closing his eyes. "What's the point of thinking about all this if she's already taken?" With that thought, he finished the remainder of his drink, trying to ignore the stinging in his chest.

The two men beside him were the only ones who knew about his feelings for you. Harvey confided in them from time to time, as they were closest to his age and they had known each other for quite some time. Although their personalities often clashed and seemed impossibly different, it was nice to talk to them. At least he and Elliott enjoyed it, anyway — Shane never outwardly showed his appreciation for them, except for the occasional half-smile at their jokes that they missed the majority of the time.

Elliott shook his head. "You mustn't give up before the battle has even begun," he stated, leaning closer to look Harvey in the eyes. "How long has it been since you first felt this way toward her?"

". . . Ah, you see," Harvey began quietly, his blush adding to the warmth of the alcohol he had drunk, "I've actually liked her for quite some time."

His friend hummed. "Since college, then?"

"A bit longer . . ."

"Oh, high school sweethearts? How romantic!" Shane rolled his eyes.

The doctor cleared his throat. "Actually, since we were about, let's see . . . ten? A little younger?"

Shane choked on his drink as Elliott's mouth fell open.

"Fucking hell," Shane swore, wiping his mouth with his sleeve. "That's like, what, two decades?"

Harvey wished he could cover his face with a blanket and disappear. "It started off as a crush, of course, we were kids," he feebly defended. "Then it just never really faded." He jumped when he felt Elliott strongly grab his shoulder, a new fire lighting his eyes.

"This, my friend, is fate," he claimed confidently. "I am sure now that you two were meant to be."

"Elliott, please—"

"Not another word!" He rose from his seat, dropping coins on the table and giving Gus a thumbs up. "Gus, I'd like to pay these gentlemen's tabs tonight." The bartender grinned, returning the gesture. "Now, Harvey, I advise you go home and rest for your lover's arrival—"

"Not so loud!" Harvey begged, frantically checking if anyone had heard.

"—as you must look your utmost best for her," Elliott finished.

Shane groaned. "Listen, thanks for paying for the drinks, pal, but I think we're done here. You're killin' him." With a quick nod to Harvey and a scowl at Elliott, Shane shrugged his jacket on and made his way out.

"I expect to hear all about your reunion, Dr. Harvey," Elliott said, putting on his own coat and placing a hand on his shoulder once again. "Best of luck! Let fate guide you." A few people glanced over at his theatrics, and Harvey truly questioned why he had chosen to confide in him in the first place.

As his friend left, Gus wandered over to him, brow raised. "What was that all about?" he asked.

Harvey shook his head. "It's a long story," he sighed, pushing his glass toward the bartender. He ignored the fact that he had gotten five refills above his usual limit; this was a dire situation.

Every time he closed his eyes, all he could see was your smile.

Miss me, Harvs?

He sighed.

"Another glass, please."

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teecupangel · 1 year ago

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It's me, the ratatouille AU anon again djjshd

The only thing that would make this even better is that Desmond hears US, the player, also. The amount of times I called him babygirl, or pretty little angel, or my special little boy. He'd be both horrified and flattered.

Also calling Juno a gnarly ghost lookin-ass bitch. I'm sorry Desmond, I know this is serious business but I can't look at her for longer than 5 seconds.

Hello, Ratatouille AU nonny! For those unfamiliar with it, here’s the post where Desmond’s ancestors can hear Desmond as he ‘controls’ them.

“Let me get this straight…” Shaun rubbed the bridge of his nose as he tried to understand the Bleeding Episode currently plaguing Desmond this time around, “You hear voices that’s not your ancestors or anyone they might have known. And you know they’re talking to you because…”

“They call me babygirl.” Desmond said calmly.

Too calmly.

Like the calm of a man who had given up all his sanity and has reached a zen state of craziness.

Rebecca furiously looked over all the documents they have about the Bleeding Effect that Lucy had given them.

Shit.

How accurate were these anyway considering Lucy’s true allegiance?

These could all be fake or some of the important stuff could have been omitted like…

Desmond’s current situation.

“And… what do these voices tell you?” Shaun asked, curious enough to continue even though he could feel a migraine already coming.

“Uuuhh…” Desmond tilted his head slightly before saying, “Dad’s the worst father in these games and I should just beat the crap out of him… Juno’s a gnarly ghost and wants to enslave people after killing me… uuuhh…”

“Wait, wait, wait, what ‘games’?” Shaun asked.

“Oh.” Desmond blinked, looking like he actually just forgot to tell them that big bombshell, “We’re apparently game characters of this franchise called Assassin’s Creed and… uuuhh… I’m their bestest boi in the modern day setting.”

“Modern day setting…” Shaun repeated before asking, “Are you telling me that our entire existence is… fictional? We don’t exist? We’re just characters in this… video game franchise?”

“Oh crap.” Rebecca mumbled, realizing that Shaun was on the verge of an existential crisis.

Fuck.

Of course the conspiracy theorist would latch on to that idea almost immediately!

“Shaun-”

“Pretty much.” Desmond shrugged before adding, “If it makes you feel any better, you and Rebecca are pretty much the only regulars of the modern day setting.”

“Oh, so our very existence have already been taken care of then? We’re just little puppets-”

Rebecca sighed and ignored Shaun’s rant to ask Desmond, “So? Did these voices tell you anything at all on what’s going to happen after we save the world?”

“Oh, yeah, about that…” Desmond turned to look at Rebecca as he said, “They told me to let the world burn… just to see how it goes and…”

“... as a treat.”

(Let’s be honest, guys, if we were given the ability to talk to Desmond, we’ll be such capricious ‘gods’.)

#all i’m saying is we know how the world end up like if desmond saves it #how about we check how it’s like if it does end?#modern day assassin’s creed set in a dystopian future #desmond hears everyone currently playing assassin’s creed #the past players sounds more muted and barely audible to him #ask and answer #assassin's creed #desmond miles #fic idea: assassin's creed #teecup writes/has a plot

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tachimichishrine · 1 year ago

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"sweet and sour"

◝≞▣≞◜ crime executive!jouno saigiku x gn!reader

warnings: except for a bit of guns + cursing and ooc jouno,, none! this is all fluff :) i didn't write this in lowercase??? crazy amirite

"Jouno Sai... Saigay? I was certain there was gay in there somewhere... Anyways! Hi!! It's a pleasure to meet you!!"

The mispronounced man in question glared at the individual who was giggling happily, strolling around in the office like they owned the place, shooting a, "Hey, Fernando, did you get a new haircut?", "Lookin' good in that suit, Ichika!", and, "Oh my god! Where did you get those shoes, I swear I saw the exact same ones at that store down the street, the uh... what's it called? Y'know what I'm talking about, don't'cha?" to his fellow executives like they've been friends for years on end.

The room had always been tense, from what he recalled. When people entered, they expected to get shot by the boss, or be given a task so difficult to complete that they would ultimately get shot. In short, a meeting with the renowned organization that Jouno Saigiku worked for was a death sentence for his subordinates, even more so for rival organizations.

Yet, this person had been bouncing around the walls like a child in a candy store, waving around the knife at their fingertips like a ten thousand yen bill and showing off the gun strapped to their thigh and waist with the same bubbly confidence of a new outfit they'd just bought the previous day.

'They're going to get themselves killed in no time,' he laughed to himself, waiting for the one in charge to enter the room.

For now, he was responsible for managing the building and their potential customer (from another criminal organization. It made him wonder how on earth someone like them could possibly be working in the same sadistic field as he did) until their meeting began. He'd never met this person in particular before, and wished he would've never had to. However, business was business, and he would need to accommodate them well enough to prevent a war between the two groups to break out.

"[l/n], was it?" he smirked, a strained playful smile that was barely hanging above the devilish one he had underneath. "It's Jouno Saigiku, and I'd recommend that you refrain from making yourself too comfortable in here. You are, as you know, on our turf, which means that-"

"Bla, bla, bla! you're so formal!" they scoffed with a wave of their hands, bouncing off of the velvet couch and strolling up to the executive, glaring at him with a particular expression that he couldn't see. "I'm actually rather touched that you knew my name! [l/n] [y/n], I'm your connect with [criminal organization name ~ [c /o/n]] so don't be a meanie!"

..."Don't be a meanie? "

As if by miracle, the boss entered right when they were about to get close enough to his straightened-out figure, almost army-like in posture, to tap his nose with their fingertip as one does with children. In his field of work, only people of utmost trust managed to meet directly with the person on the top, so he considered that perhaps they were prevalent in some other field that didn't have to do with relationships and appearance. Now, all he had to do was wait for his boss to get infuriated at their attitude and demand that he dispose of them and he'd be able to drag them out back and peel off their skin...

"[l/n], dear! It's been a while, has it not?"

This keeps getting better and better.

"Kantoku!" they beamed out, running over to the old man and avidly shaking his hand. "Oh, I've missed you so! Things have changed around here, didn't they? You never told me you promoted a new executive!"

With a playful eyeroll, Kantoku - the man in charge of his crime syndicate - gestured to the couch and began to converse, almost casually. What baffled him, perhaps the most of all, was that every regular beat of their heart was steady, this wasn't a feigned façade nor overcompensation for fear. This person was truly, genuinely an idiot.

"Pst, Jouno," the woman executive standing beside him nudged his shoulder, "the boss is here so we're free to go. Plus, that asshole who stole from us isn't talking, so we might need your help."

With that, he left behind both the room and the lingering feeling of confusion regarding [l/n] [y/n].

Jouno Saigiku did not have a very complex job.

In fact, his daily tasks mostly consisted of torture and punishment, with the occasionally laying off (which undoubtedly meant death. There was quite a bit of death around him, a certain fading scent that permeated throughout any room he'd visit. This was not a literal physical scent, for that would obstruct his sight and handicap his senses, but nonetheless he found himself rather pleased when he felt warm blood splatter across his soft cheeks.)

Today was nothing different; supposedly, someone from [c /o/n] had blundered and fled right into their territory. Given the amical relationships between the two groups, it was their job to retrieve and return the fugitive, annihilate them if they do not cooperate and it becomes necessary.

At the moment, he found himself seated in a vehicle, driving to the last location that this person was last seen, being described as "[s/c] skinned and [e/c] eyed", all attributes which couldn't possibly make any difference to him, due to his lack of vision. When he asked for a name of this person, he was shocked to learn that it was the same energetical and bubbly individual who vaguely crossed his radar a few weeks back.

"Oi, oi, Jouno slow down, we don't wanna pass 'em 'cause you're drivin' too fast, 'ight?" his coworker for this mission reprimanded. "Just 'cause you can do that fancy hearin' thing ain't mean my eyes ain't good, 'ight?"

Jouno thus pressed his foot with more force against the gas pedal, speeding up the car only because he didn't quite like the tone of this person.

"Hm?" he asked innocently. "I'm sorry, I didn't hear you very well, what did you say?"

"I said slow down you-"

They cut themselves off, not allowing for a response since their silence indicated that they had learnt something new.

"Woah, yeah, they're right over there!" they exclaimed, tapping a point on the window so that Jouno could hear the faint sound and distinguish which direction their target was. "Pull over, I'll tie 'em up and toss 'em in the back."

The white-haired man paused momentarily, thin brows imitating each other as they angled upwards in confusion.

"What do you mean? That's not them."

"For a blind bitch, ya really think yer all that, don't'cha? I can literally see them right now, they're standing outside the fuckin' car so pull over and lemme mug 'em."

His lips had pressed into a line, contemplating the situation. The reason he wasn't allowed to go on his own was because they were extremely picky about identifying the right culprit, yet Jouno cared little for his escort of sorts. He'd encountered [l/n] before, and what marked his memory the most, asides from their childlike behavior, was how their heart hadn't betrayed a thing on the outside attitude, despite being blatantly threatened. This person, the one that his temporary partner had suggested was their target, was in fact sweating buckets and had such an erratic heartbeat he might've believed them to be having tachycardia. On top of this, their breathing was not the same, from what he gauged, they couldn't possibly be the right height, build and walking pattern. People on the run obviously become more more jittery when faced with escaping an impossible situation, but this conflicted his knowledge in too many ways to be true.

"I believe," he suggested calmly with a grin appearing, still refusing to unlock the doors or pull over, therefore driving past the individual, "that [l/n] might not be as gullible as we first presumed, and that this person is a decoy set up to distract us."

And so, Jouno found himself pleasantly challenged by the least likely person.

As the sun bled out into the sky during its descent from the zenith to the crepuscule, Jouno had finally managed to shed his gravely irritating partner and complete his task alone.

That idiot - really, that's all he could call them - decided to ignore his words and kidnap the scapegoat. Of course, this person sobbed and repeatedly told them that they're not the right person, that there's been a mistake, but no one believed their words. Inevitably, they were tortured for a few hours and deemed unnecessary. Jouno shot them, then headed back to search for the real culprit.

"Now, where could they be?" he hummed, almost amusedly, to himself. "Most people tend to lay low when running from important and dangerous organizations, but something tells me..."

He was rather lucky, in a sense, that someone had spotted the fugitive near a bar. However, this was over 5 hours ago. People on the run tend to be smart enough to scatter from location to location, but he supposed he shouldn't be overestimating other people's intelligence.

The door creaked with a lowly groan, as did the floor when he applied weight onto it via his heavy tread. Upon first impressions, the bar was nearly empty.

Then, he heard a voice call out.

"SAIGAY!! Ahh, it's been a while, hasn't it?! Come, come! Can I order you anything? You look like a bourbon man, are you into bourbon? Unless... fine wine? Oh dear, don't keep me guessing, come, sit!"

Immediately, as soon as they called out his name and announced themselves with such ardor, he knew he had the right person.

"No thank you," he smiled. "I can't drink, I'm currently at work."

"Are you? Aw, you don't mean you're here to kill me?" they replied, voice dipping down to a pouty grumble as they neared the end of the sentence. "I'm tired of people trying to kill me, it's no fun."

Idling at the entrance, Jouno didn't quite motion to sit next to them, nor did he seek to keep close in case of sudden evacuation. From what he had heard, this person was without ability, so they didn't pose much danger. Nevertheless, he was a cautious man, and had known that false information could potentially be fatal in certain circumstances, especially when the target is acting so laid back.

"You stole half a million yen from one of the most dangerous organizations around, I don't particularly think you'd've expected it to be fun."

Met with muttering, he would've asked them to speak up had he not heard the nearly incomprehensible, "but I didn't steal anything" from their lips.

"You didn't?" he said aloud. "Then where do you suppose the money had gone?"

A pause insinuated, and he pondered repeating his question in a more forceful way when they answered. "Woah, you've got great hearing! I wish I were like that, half the time people talk to me and all I hear is 'bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bl-'"

Jouno pulled out his firearm and pointed it directly at them.

"Enough games. Cooperate and I'll only make it hurt a lot."

"Gee, mister, did someone piss in your cheerios? I'll come, I'll come, just give me a second! I want to finish my drink."

On the table, however, there wasn't a single glass.

Upon having Jouno point this detail out (for while he could not see, he could still visualize objects in space with his other senses), they paused briefly. "So either you're blind but scarily good at it, or you can see through that crazy squinting of yours."

"I don't appreciate you stalling," he hummed, cocking the gun. "Do you think I won't shoot?"

"No, no, it's clear you would!" giggled the individual. "But, oh, do tell me more about yourself. Being threatened is so much more pleasant when-"

He shot them once.

He shot them twice.

Both bullets landed in non-lethal locations, such as their right shoulder and calf, which was enough to get his message across without rushing his punishment for their actions.

"That hurt!" they frowned, clutching at the opening from which blood was rushing out. "Owwie! You really don't like talking with people, do you, Saigay?"

"Saigiku," he corrected with a hiss. "Do you ever stop talking? I could very well kill you right now."

"Well, I sure hope you don't!"

This just made him want to shoot them even more.

He listened eagerly as they let out a few hisses and groans, then a soft squelch and the clattering of a metal against the marble countertop. He guessed that they were taking out the bullet from their calf, since the one in their shoulder had effectively shattered into hundreds of shards, and would require special medical attention immediately if they wished to live for a few more years. Then again, he knew that they probably wouldn't live past tomorrow, so it wasn't his concern.

Letting out a soft gasp while they tore off part of their attire in order to wrap their injured limb, they still seemed to be laughing. "Thanks."

"For the gunshot wound?" the white-haired male tried to clarify. He didn't take them to be such an open masochist.

Yet, his question only spurred a flurry of coughing and chuckles. "Of course not! I meant, thank you for not attacking me further. Really thought you'd kill me here and now, but you're letting me treat my wounds without interference. Is it because you have orders not to kill me?" Adding with a terribly comedic bite of their lip, they said, "Or have you been seduced by my charm?"

Once he made it perfectly clear that he'd shoot again, they backed off on the teasing remarks and requested that he help them up. "To walk," they'd clarified. "I can't walk, y'know. How do you plan on getting me back to your base?"

"I'll drag you by your hair if I need to," he replied.

(He had to hijack a car because there was no way he'd drag a body across the city, especially not a body as talkative as this one.)

"So you're telling me," they pondered while blindfolded and cuffed in the back of the vehicle, "that you're blind, yet you have highlights? They're pretty, I'll give you that, but why did you colour it? Midlife crisis? Doesn't sound right to me, plus you can't even see the colour so why on earth would you do it? Are you responding to me? I can't hear anything with this blindfold over my ears. Aren't blindfolds supposed to obstruct your vision, not your hearing? Man, but maybe I can hear perfectly fine and it's all your fault because you're not answering me. C'mon, Saigay, humor me!"

Of course, he had no intentions of humoring them.

"You're lucky I didn't gag you," he said. "Or cut off your tongue. In fact, knocking you unconscious would've been a splendid idea."

"But you didn't!" the ex-criminal beamed. "Besides, I'm going to get beat up enough once you deliver me back to [c /o/n]. If you ask them to let you watch and/or participate, they won't say no, I think. Pops isn't too strict when it comes to those things."

"Pops?"

"Y'know, the head of [c /o/n]. He's my dad's close friend and the brother in law of your boss."

That explained a lot of things, starting with this seemingly innocent person's involvement with such dark themes. Yet, there was still something Jouno needed to know.

"And you betrayed your own family friend?" asked the blind man, quickly approaching the location of the building in which he was given rendezvous for the drop-off of the traitor.

"Ahh, connections don't mean shit," they scoffed, waving around their tied hands as if to emphasize their point. "But I didn't betray them. I'd have to be an idiot.... No, not an idiot, whatever is worse than an idiot in order to steal money from a man who would've given me the cash if I asked him for it. So, no. I didn't steal anything. That's why I didn't run; I'm not guilty of anything, running would make it look like I am."

Jouno was interiorly perplexed. So they've got a decent brain behind all of that buttery personality, after all. But, there was just something about them that didn't fit with the narrative, something he couldn't wrap his head around.

"Why wait for me to tie you up?" he finally suggested aloud, hearing his own words formed allowing him to make more sense of his confusion. "Why not just waltz into the building? This makes you look both stupid and guilty."

A laugh burst from the backseat, the kind of laugh that makes you want to join in despite not fully understanding the reason behind it. It was however cut short, due to a sharp inhale of pain then a few curses murmured at their injuries.

"Maybe I am an idiot. Maybe I wanted to get caught. Who knows? Maybe this was all part of my master plan to lure you near Negishi Station so that I could use my all-powerful ability."

He spent a few seconds registering that last bit. Lure him out to Negishi so they could...

"BOOM!"

With a jolt, he nearly crashed the car; luckily, in time Jouno had realized that this was just a sound effect from the hostage, and not a real crash caused by an ability. They were, in fact, right next to Negishi, which made the whole thing a huge coincidence, but other than that, nothing occurred. They were still in the car, unharmed and untouched by any ability that he could detect.

Meanwhile, [l/n] was laughing their ass off.

"BWAHAHAH, you actually fell for it!!" they managed between heaving breaths and uncontrollable laughter. "I knew that since you were blind you would be sensitive to loud noises but that worked so much better than I thought it would, you should've seen your face! You were all like," then they proceeded to make a plethora of faces he couldn't see, but that he knew were all mocking him.

[l/n] continued, "By the way, just because I haven't used it doesn't mean I don't have an ability. So watch out for your ass, pretty boy, or else I might just... BAM!"

He did not flinch this time, but he found himself rather frustrated with his previous reaction. People, normal people, never teased him this way. He'd have thought [l/n] would be a bit less friendly around him after sustaining the injuries, but so far, that appeared only to drive them towards a playful alternative to revenge on par with a snowball fight between two children.

"I'll tell you what," concluded the hysterical individual attempting to calm themselves down, "let's do this again, same time tomorrow? Muah, it was lovely meeting you Saigay!!"

Before he could protest or question this, they waved around their somehow uncuffed hands, reached for the handle of the car door, pushed it open and leaped out.

He found himself standing at the entrance of the bar the very next day.

It was beyond frustrating to pick up the pieces of yesterday's aftermath; based on his recollection and the most probable situation, [l/n] likely used the loud noises not only to ruffle and distract him, but to cover up for the sound of the click of their handcuffs being taken off, courtesy of a pin they had picked the lock with. On top of this, their haphazardous mention of Negishi station was just a way of situating themselves in space (since they had been blindfolded) so they could think of the safest escape route.

He quite frankly did not expect to be outsmarted by someone who can't even remember his name right. Yet, the fact remained that he was strolling up to the entrance of the same place as he'd previously apprehended them at, same hour of the day. He rather hated the sunset; nothing felt right for him. Not the consistent buzzing of the cicadas during the day nor the melodic trilling of the crickets; dusk never held a sustainable aura, and for this reason he'd grown to loathe it, despite being told repeatedly that the setting sun was beautiful.

Rushing curtly inside the building, the bells connected to the door jingled, and, almost on cue, a loud cheer roused him from his lucid trance.

"Saigay!! Over here, over here! Can't say I expected you to show up, but I'm pleasantly surprised!" gleamed [l/n] upon his arrival.

"It's Saigiku," he repeated for an umpteenth time, "and I'm here to turn you in."

They shook their head. "I'd have hoped you'd realized that I don't take to being kidnapped. But I do appreciate the perseverance, so I'll make a deal; have a drink with me, then I'll cooperate for an entire 5 minutes without trying to escape."

"...You truly are an odd person," said he, despite taking a seat by their side and waiting. He didn't know what trick they had up their sleeve (rather, their cast. Turns out, they'd gone to a private medical professional in order to have it looked at. He smiled when he noticed this; a sure sign that victory was much more likely tonight.)

"I'll take that as a compliment!" [l/n] laughed heartily, then called for the waiter. "One [favorite drink] for me, and he'll have a cup of whiskey. The good type, y'know what I mean, darling?"

The waiter raised a brow at the nickname and odd hint, but took the order anyways and began preparation. Meanwhile, Jouno sat, trying to protest that he did not want anything to drink, but was quickly cut off by his temporary enemy's much louder affirmations that he did indeed want some.

"You don't look like the type to be trying out sobriety," they hummed, "but I know if I let you chose for yourself, you wouldn't get anything. You'd be all," (and here their voice deepened and became gruff in an attempt to make it clear that they were looking to mock him,) "'I'm here to kill you! I'm a mass murderer so fear me!!' Am I right or am I right?"

Before he could respond, the fingers on their uninjured hand began to flick his dangling earring, on the right side of his face.

"You have an earring," they pointed out, almost stupidly. "Why don't you have one on the other side?"

He wasn't going to respond to any of this. In fact, he was toying with the knife in his pocket, gauging the right moment to strike with such an unpredictable opponent.

"Because I don't," he said dully. The waiter came, their glasses clinking with the ice inside as it toyed around in the liquid, gently being placed onto the counter.

"Fair enough," they smiled. "Okay sooooooo, wha'd'ya wanna talk 'bout? Gimme anything, I hate silence."

That made two of them.

"What is your ability?" he said rather bluntly, with a soft hum. He was in an optimal position to strike, only a few centimeters away, but he thought better than to attack without knowing such an important piece of information. Besides, with the way the conversation was going, they seemed to be eager to tell him the truth, for whatever reason, so he wouldn't lose anything to try.

After taking a long sip from their drink, they paused. "Nothing, I don't have one. You?"

The cautious man pressed further. "I find it hard to believe you haven't an ability in such a dangerous environment."

With a chuckle, they took another gulp from the glass. Then, turning to him with a relaxed heartbeat, they said very calmly and slowly, "I don't believe in needless deceit. Unlike you, Mr. Hide-my-knife-in-my-pocket-that-I'm-going-to-stab-you-with, I don't play dirty. So, when I say that I don't have an ability, don't be so surprised, yeah? The majority of people don't. I supposed when you're gifted, you don't quite try to sympathize with those unlike you."

So, they're aware of the weapon, yet made no move to dodge? Perhaps he's overthinking this, after all there are many people who seem invincible just because one doesn't act based on rational decisions, but based on their feelings. He should know, he spends most of his free time toying with said emotions and tearing them apart.

In one swift movement, he let his knife slide back down his pocket and removed both hands from the shadows.

"You sound genuine," he said, almost to himself.

"Well, I sure hope so," they laughed, despite nothing particularly funny being said. "I am being genuine, after all. You'll be able to bring me in and tie me up properly in a little while, so I'm going to enjoy the now while I still can, that's my philosophy!"

"Your philosophy is to drink something before you get kidnapped instead of trying to escape?" he repeated, incredulous. Perhaps their drink was laced with something, some kind of drug that drags your mood to a high. Even if he smelled no trace of anything other than [favorite drink], he concluded that this was the only reasonable explanation to this indecipherable human being.

Doubling over with a violent wheeze, they were (yet again) laughing at his words. They babbled a few words between gasps for breath, such as, "Didn't know you had a sense of humour!" and "Please, I can't breathe!" like he'd been a world renowned comedian. He almost felt the urge to clarify that he was attempting to degrade them, to criticize them and point out their stupidity, but one does not simply explain themselves when insulting another. Typically, their words transmitted the message well enough, but this was far from a typical recipient.

Finally recovering, they put on a mock angry face and waved around their finger. "You fiend, take it easy, I'm injured! At this rate, you'll make me pop my lungs out, ahah! Is that your master plan? To incapacitate me verbally? Bravo, I didn't expect that!"

"I wasn't..." he said, trailing off as he was thoroughly perplexed. What does one say in his situation? At this rate, his biggest concern was their oddities, not their capture.

On second thought, he nearly forgot that he was here to capture them.

"That's the beauty of it," they exclaimed, waving around their drink and spilling a considerable amount on his shirt accidentally with the grand gesture. "Unintentional torture! Wow, you must be even better than what I've heard about you, Saigay."

Not even bothering to correct them, he said, "And what exactly have you heard of me?"

"One, that you're very attractive. Two, you're ruthless when it comes to sadism. Three, you have exceptional intellect and four, you can hear heartbeats. Is that last one true? Wouldn't that make you a living polygraph?"

He was, but also wasn't, listening. The first thing they'd mentioned was his attractiveness, likely physical, but what an odd thing to point out, that is! Fighting down the odd feeling blooming in his chest with success, he finally mustered a response; an affirmation.

"That must be your ability," they pondered. "Isn't it? You'd be too strong if you had something else on top of this."

With a grin, Jouno explained, "It is not."

A melodramatic gasp could be heard echoing throughout the mostly empty room. "It isn't?? Gah, I must've been astronomically lucky to have escaped you last time!"

He'd've agreed had he not been promptly cut off by a rush of guesses regarding his ability. Most were way off, a select few absurd, and the entirety of them wrong. He felt his face contort into that of a confused expression when they suggested that he might be able to listen to people through walls, drawing an example by explaining that he might, and here the words were engraved into his mind, "listen in on people while they went to the bathroom, thus deducing whether their digestion was going well." Somehow, this had become a conversation in which they recounted the vivid tale of their daunting task of finding a bathroom once when they'd been in a 'foreign environment' - also known as the downtown region of the neighboring city during a negotiation.

All done and said, they'd contented themselves with a fairly one sided discussion, and he sipped down the Japanese whiskey he'd been handed. Upon noticing this, [l/n] stuck out both of their wrists as best as they could, pressed near one another as if pleading.

"Well, a deal's a deal! Take me away, Saigay! Ah! That rhymes! Maybe I should become a poet!" they giggled.

Jouno considered this for a long time, the topic that was on his mind ever since his arrival. The previous day, he'd told his boss that [l/n] couldn't be found, and that he must've made a mistake when saying that the doppelganger was a fake. This, of course, was untrue, but it also gave him leeway in case he found himself up against a formidable opponent. All of this meant that, if he did not turn [l/n] in to [c /o/n], he himself would not lose anything.

It wasn't sympathy, he told himself, that led him to get up and walk away as they left their arms extended. No, it was just an avoidance of unnecessary effort. If he walked away now, he would save himself the hassle of detaining them, all the while giving this person a second chance. Who knows, perhaps they'd be useful to him in the future.

Jouno had not expected to be called by the lower ranking members of his organization early in the morning. What he had expected was to go to his office; not being told that there was a "package" waiting for him at the base.

He hadn't a clue what this package was. His first instinct was that it was a weapon of sorts, a bomb, anything that did damage. Although, it could very well also be a traitor who had been tied up and sent to him as a peace offering. The more he thought about it, the happier he was as he approached the location in which he was expected.

"J-Jouno-sama!" exclaimed one of the nervous underlings - a kid, really - holding a...

...A dog?

It barked at him, growling and struggling in the grasp of the two kids tasked with holding it down.

"What is this, a prank?" Jouno hissed, ready to make them pay before he even got the entire story.

One of them audibly gulped as their blood drained from their face, while the other stuttered an explanation. "N-No! We f-found this dog attached w-with a leash right in front of the building, and there was this attached to its collar," they said as they handed the executive a wrinkled piece of paper which, upon further inspection, turned out to hold an uncanny resemblance to a napkin from a nearby fast food place.

On it, there were an assortment of dots which were ink being pressed hard onto the fabric. Braille, he concluded. This person seemed not only to have specifically destined this to him, but desired to keep the contents for him only, rather than have someone read it for him.

On it, he managed to decipher the following:

'Dear Saigay, Thanks for not trying to kill me!! I'm certain you're just a big softie heheh. The doc told me I shouldn't be moving around too much after those wounds you gifted me, so now I'm kinda on house arrest lolol. Either way, I'd've loved to thank you personally but can't so I got you a present, its name is undecided yet BUTTTTTT they're a bitch just like you so I called them saigay jr. for the time being ♡ plus I figured you never had a guide dog, right?? So here you go! XD

p.s. you never told me what kind of drink you liked. was I right about the whiskey? pls tell me!! i'll recover properly then find you, so you better have an answer by then >:( p.p.s. heheh peepee s p.p.p.s. you still haven't told me why your hair is dyed p.p.p.p.s. SAIGAY JR HAS YOUR MISSING EARRING BTW!!'

What on earth-

He certainly was no longer angry at this weird dog, but at the owner.

What made it worse was that the two kids had finally gotten over their fear of him and started calming down the dog (which he was not going to called Saigay Jr., much less Saigiku Jr.), noticing the earring; it was only a clip on that was obviously made up of cardboard clippings and poorly colored insides, as well as engravings that he could physically feel and recognize, but the resemblance to his own was noticeable. He wondered if this was an insult from [l/n] disguised as a present, but decided that there were too many exclamation marks for this to be anything resembling a threat. Not to mention the "XD".

Now, he had to figure out the dog. It's too much noise and too much effort, besides he doesn't like dogs all that much. He supposed he'll just have to snatch off that wretched earring and dispose of it before anyone makes the link and this haunts him, then kick it out. Surely it'll wander back off to its home or whatever. None of what followed would be his concern.

"Jouno s-sama, what should we do with the dog?" uneasily asked the kid. He shook his head, snatched the makeshift earring in one fell swoop and crumbled it into a ball in his hand.

"Take it outside, it isn't mine and I don't care about it. This was just a prank from someone I know."

With this, Saigay Jr. was released back onto the street, the collar still coated with braille dots that spell out its name.

Once work was done, he decided to go for a walk, for some fresh air. However, Jouno was not expecting to hear panting coming from his side.

Saigay Jr. barked at him, happily wagging their tail and bouncing on their paws.

"What is wrong with you," he swore under his breath, then made his tone much vocal. "Go away! I don't want you here!"

None of this, obviously, got across to the dog, who was still following him closely.

"I said go away!" he yelled, a bit louder but also significantly harsher. "Stupid bitch."

It somehow reacted differently, barking much more avidly and skipping over to him with apparent excitement.

At this rate, he'd never get rid of the dog. He contemplated calling the pound and having someone take them in, but knew that this was likely an unnecessary step to take. Regardless, he'd have to get rid of it soon. All this barking is going to make him dizzy soon.

The sounds subsided as it transitioned from growling to a soft whine, choosing to lay down. It was then that he noticed a certain odor that he hadn't paid attention to before.

...Blood?

He almost could've sworn the dog was injured.

Jouno decided that it was not his concern and left it there, on the street, alone.

The dog was certainly a stubborn little thing, as it was there when he came to work the next day.

He took out his gun, shot it in the air (loud noises hurt him a lot, but he knew the same applied to the animal) and hummed contently as it scurried off out of fear, out of his life.

Saigay Jr. came back the very next day.

"Oh, will you fuck off already?" he groaned, taking out his gun yet again to fire a warning shot. Of course, he wasn't going to actually kill the beast, but he was reaching a point where he was very well considering it.

He stopped himself as he heard it whine, then lower itself to the ground, almost bowing to him in a human fashion.

"I'm not keeping you. [l/n] should've just left you in the dump where they found you," he said, realizing that he was talking to a literal dog.

He reached his hand out with a sigh, and began to pet it. This clearly made the dog calm down significantly, as it was finally getting recognition from the one it believed to be its owner, and so it didn't noticed as he curled his fingers around the leash, detached the ends of the collar then used it to attach the canine to a post.

As soon as it realized its situation, it began to growl, barking aggressively at him, then pouting and almost seeming like it was about to cry. Jouno didn't care, however, as he took out his burner phone and dialed animal patrol.

Somehow, by some un-abiding law of the universe, Saigay Jr. was there, sitting happily, waiting for him outside of the building in which he operated.

Its leg and arm seemed to be getting better, he could tell, which made it likely that it wouldn't stop coming back to annoy him.

"It's like a miniature [l/n]," he laughed to himself.

Over time, he'd almost began to enjoy his daily encounters with the animal. He found it almost enjoyable to pet and ruffle its soft fur, eliciting the pleasant reaction of a calm dog.

Today, he decided, he would stop pushing it away. It's Houdini, this mynx, a Houdini who refused to disappear and could get out of any trap he laid for it.

"First off," he crouched down, stroking its ear, "ground rules. You are not my dog. I'm doing this to see if it'll get rid of you once you get bored with me. Got it?"

Ears drooping, Saigay Jr. seemed to be saying, "aww, but I wanted to be your dog!", to which Jouno replied with a look that said, "Don't make me get up and leave."

"Second rule, keep your piss and shit away from me, I'm not touching or smelling any of that. Third, you do as I tell you to. Understood?"

He wasn't expecting the dog to nod, but would've liked seeing it react other than burrowing its head further into the palm of his hand. Reluctantly, Jouno didn't resist, and sat there entertaining its need for physical touch for a few moments before springing to his feet.

"I'm going home. You are not allowed in my house," he warned, turning around.

Saigay Jr. followed him home anyways.

Somehow, as the day turned into night, he found himself helpless when it comes to resistance against this dog. It was thankfully very unproblematic, not making much of a mess when they arrived to the apartment which he lived in (it wasn't his, evidently. The criminal organization he worked for simply scared off all the tenants and let their members live there, unofficially.) He gestured to a corner for it to stay while he settled down, and stuck there for as long as he told it to.

As he took care of his own affairs, the time to rest finally came, and the dog didn't appear to have any plans to depart from its new best friend.

"Leave," he repeated forcefully, pointing to the door left ajar for it to crawl outside. "I said leave."

The message seemed to be getting across, as Saigay Jr. finally began to trek towards the entrance.

Then, it used its snout to shut the door, returning promptly and sitting down in front of him, waiting for some kind of reward.

"I'd really wish you'd die right now," he threw a hand on his face, tilting it upwards to display his frustration. "Fine. Let's play this the hard way."

He walked outside his apartment, knowing that the dog would follow, and shut the door behind them both. With a smirk, he activated his ability, disintegrating into the smallest specks and re-entering the room while sifting through the openings on the side of the door.

This way, he was back inside while the animal was whining from the outside, scratching occasionally to ask him to let them back in.

"Absolutely not," he laughed proudly, tossing himself into bed, trying to will himself to fall asleep before he'd begin to feel guilt about leaving the diligent and loyal gift from [l/n] outside.

A click, a creak and a shuffle later, and he heard a very clear panting noise.

Saigay Jr. had somehow managed to get inside.

"Fuck, you know what? I don't care anymore," groaned the tired man. "I give up. You win."

As he let himself doze off, the dog had crawled up onto the bed and softly laid its head on his chest, breathing steadily.

Jouno wouldn't admit that the sound and feeling was a nice change to his norm.

At this point, Jouno had practically adopted Saigay Jr.

He didn't hear anything from [l/n], which he found odd since it had been over 6 months since he'd last seen them. He knew that he shouldn't be thinking about them; he'd only known the peculiar individual for a grand total of about 3 encounters, one of which he hadn't even interacted with them and the other two being attempted kidnapping and murder. The white-haired man knew that the only reason their image stuck in his head was due to this dog, this constant reminder of them, on top of their boisterous personality that he could've swore made him look at people like him (who had little to no personality, all business and no fun, as they might've said) differently.

The dog was a weird new addition to his life as well. He'd never seen it eat nor require to be walked. In fact, their relationship had gotten to the point where he was becoming more and more eager to be in its company; he woke up with Saigay Jr. (whose name he couldn't bring himself to change nor get out of his head), the both of them walked to his work, and then when he was done with his daily torturing, the loyal animal was waiting for him at the door of his apartment. He occasionally let it sleep in his bed, but mostly it found a small corner on the couch where both of them seemed content. It was a particularly odd situation; Jouno did not like pets. In fact, he didn't like people, so why would he expose himself to this small, fluffy thing for daily companionship? He didn't know, but found that there was no need to question a mutually beneficial situation.

Today, however, something odd had happened.

Saigay Jr. was not waiting in front of his door when he got back, covered in the heavy smell of blood for today's session was especially... artistic.

"Junior?" he found himself calling out, a name he never had the need to say out loud due to their chemistry. Yet, there seemed to be no movement nearby.

Weird, he thought, but there's no need to make a big deal out of this. The animal probably had to attend to its animal business, or whatever. Maybe the meeting that they always attend while he's at work was running late, he humored himself.

A few hours later, and nothing happened, no one showed up scratching at his front door or barking at it. He'd told himself that he was going to keep going on with his day as if nothing happened, but sleep was difficult to find because of the nagging feeling that something wasn't right.

It was then that he heard a knock at his door.

Not a scratch, but a knock.

He grabbed the firearm from the drawer next to his bed, and greeted the guest with a smile as he unlocked the door cautiously.

"Saigay!!"

He couldn't believe it; [l/n] was standing at his door.

"Sorry, sorry, I know this is sudden but at least be glad you were wearing pants when I knocked on the door," they spoke casually, letting themselves into his apartment and spreading themselves on the couch like they'd been living there for a while, in a particularly odd way that eerily resembled that of his dog, "but I was running late since my dad was telling me that I should come clean about this whole thing and bla bla, y'know that old man wisdom? You seem like you know what old geezers think. Anyways, Dad was givin' me the lecture and whatnot, so I told him that since I was mostly recovered, I might as well come and say hi without barking."

"Without... barking?"

He squinted his eyes even further as he tried to make sense of this.

"So you didn't gift me a dog, you..."

"Were the dog? Yup! The name's actually Soseki [y/n], and I've been a spy at [c /o/n] for about a year or two, can't remember too well since my time was cut short by a certain injury some pretty asshole gave me. Annoying, ain't it? I hate getting shot at. Being a dog is so much easier."

"You lied," he said, trying not to panic from the fact that he had been sharing his life for quite some time with another person in disguise, "when you said you didn't have an ability."

"Of course! Isn't that what everyone does? People lie tons, like when you told 'Saigay Jr.' that you didn't have a ticklish spot, only for me to find out that you have sensitive ears and chest. Very ticklish, especially when you think no one is watching."

He felt the blood rushing to his face while he swallowed dryly. What else had he done accidentally in all that time? He couldn't possibly have kept track of everything.

"Aw, he blushes," they laughed, tapping his nose before he could recover. "Relax, I'm not out to get you. I thought you were interesting and cute when you kidnapped me, so I thought I'd put you to the test for a bit while I recovered from my injuries. Okay, not so much a test, per se, but I wanted to hang out with you. I had a feeling you were lonely, and I was right!"

Heartbroken wasn't the right word to describe how he felt; what was running through his mind was a hellish mixture of embarrassment and fear of vulnerability. It's the sensation one feels when one is deceived and looks back on it, wondering how they could've been so foolish. He should've known, he kept telling himself.

"I get that you probably feel humiliated. Dad says that most people do, so I've just gotta smile and remind them that I've got a terrible memory," they laughed, reading his mind. "Maybe once you get over it you'll come to realize that I wasn't lying about wanting your friendship."

With a timid smile, nothing like what their usual bubbly personality would typically make, they bowed gently to him, seemed to consider leaning in to hug him, then decided that this all would be too much at once.

[y/n] left, hesitantly adding, "Same place... tomorrow?"

Why had Jouno showed up at the bar where they had originally been introduced, all those months ago, when he'd been so foolishly deceived?

Perhaps it was as he kept repeating in his head, that he was there to pick up the pieces of his torn dignity. Or maybe it was to finally kill them and receive the reward on their head.

Or was it to accept their offer?

He reassured himself that he couldn't possibly, that people were terrible and he couldn't let himself get soft with this one or else he'd become mushy and weak. He wasn't sure what terrified him so much about that idea, but he didn't even consider it as an option.

As always, the bells jingled as he entered, but there was no shout of his mispronounced name.

Nevertheless, he took a seat at the counter, ordering the whiskey not because he wanted some, but because he subconsciously attributed it to this location and time, despite not having an overwhelming number of memories here. He supposed that certain memories can be short but impact you more than you could ever fathom.

Even while he waited, he'd began to feel the pit of his stomach drop, like he had a cavity in his chest in place of a soul. Jouno hadn't realized up until now how accustomed he'd grown to a persistent joyful presence in his life, be it [y/n] under human or canine form.

The waiter returned, placing his order against the counter, and murmuring in a melodic voice, "I didn't expect you to come."

He didn't have to glance upwards to know it was [y/n], and so kept his gaze downcast.

"I'd say I'm sorry but I don't quite see anything to apologize for," they said, taking a sip out of his drink, lips lingering at the rim of the glass. "I had a lot of fun in the past few months, haven't you? My approach might've been a bit cruel, but think of it as Karma for shooting me, twice. This way, we're even! Wha'd'ya say? We good?"

Jouno's mouth betrayed him as he snatched the cup from them, chugged it all down at once, then said, "yeah, why not?"

Immediately, their heart rate sped up from excitement, and they leapt across the counter to trap him in a bear hug. Trying to resist but knowing there was no point, he eventually melted into their embrace.

Pulling away, they giddily babbled, "Okay, so now that you've forgiven me, I feel like it's a great time to mention that I've seen you strip multiple times and I would've told you that it was weird to change your clothes in front of a dog but I didn't know how to tell you or look away without acting weird so I just went with it and I feel like maybe I should compliment your stellar abs while I'm rambling like this but complimenting you will probably not do much good so how about I just offer you another drink and we forget this whole thing?"

Jouno cursed under his breath, nearly chuckling but not quite, realizing that they were right. "Fuck, what else did I do?"

"Well, I've got to tell you that your snoring is adorable, but you roll a lot in your sleep and that, mister, is something we need to take care of."

For the first time since he could remember, Jouno laughed a genuine laugh, not laced with malice or sugarcoated, as he listened to [y/n] vividly recounting their numerous embarrassing tales of him, only to be teased back for their dog habits like the panting and tail wagging. He'd've thought that the drinks were making him loose, but [y/n] had actually told the waiter to give them both multiple shots of apple juice.

As the night progressed, Jouno slowly found out that he'd opened himself up a lot more than he was comfortable admitting. Yet, this made him both want to retreat and lock [y/n] out of his life and invite them into his daily rituals, to never let them go. On the other hand, [y/n] had always found him to be a wonderful person, and only became further entranced as they watched him operate on a daily basis.

Somehow, Sweet fell in love with Sour, and Sour fell in love with Sweet.

Another set of months later, Jouno returned from a particular mission given to him in the middle of the night, exhausted, ready to do nothing expect collapse onto the bed and sleep.

He was practically dragging his feet as he approached the door of his apartment, inserted the keys lazily and opened it. As always, his partner called out for him.

"Sai!" they said, skipping up to the door and noticing his beat up expression. "Damn, what did they force you to do this time?"

He shook his head before burying it into the crook of their neck and letting his hands dangle by their side. "The guy I had to interrogate was an opera singer, lungs of fucking steel." Strands of his hair were brushing by their skin, and his lips were murmuring against the warmth. "He wouldn't stop screaming my ears off, even with the gag."

Unable to contain their laughter, they poorly comforted him with a rub on the back while shaking from giggles. "My poor baby, today hasn't been your day, has it?"

Almost like handling an infant, they snuck their arms under his own and half-carried him to the bedroom. Getting in with him and tenderly placing a kiss on his cheek, [y/n] traced out random features on his face with their fingertip, hoping to soothe his body with touch.

"You smell terribly by the way," they said sarcastically in a deep sultry voice. "Do I kick you out to sleep on the couch or are you gonna take a shower? I can smell the blood on you, darling."

Half-asleep already, he slurred a, "Tomorrow...", followed by, "It's not my fault you've got the nose of a dog."

"You aren't any better," [y/n] teased, rolling over on top of him and kissing his sensitive lips with the delicacy of a flower blooming in spring snow.

"Just... let me sleep," he groaned, waving them away like a fly, only to have his hand caught by their own.

"Mnn, fine," murmured the [h/c] haired individual, gazing at him softly with heavy eyelids, as mesmerized with him as always. "Want something fluffy to snuggle into?"

"No, stay the way you are."

With another kiss that lasted a bit longer and in which Jouno participated weakly, [y/n] rolled back and cradled his head, bringing it onto their chest.

"'Night, [y/n]," he managed to say, shifting himself so that he was curled up against their figure. After a brief pause, he shuffled himself again under the covers, resting his head on their body. With their chest steadily rising and falling in sync with their consistent breathing, he found that he slept so much better.

They smiled gently.

"Goodnight, Saigiku."

#bsd #bungou stray dogs #saigiku jouno #jouno saigiku #bsd jouno #jouno bsd #jouno x reader #bsd x reader #jouno bsd x reader #jouno saigiku x reader #jouno x reader bsd

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shannara810 · 10 months ago

Text

"I'm not lookin' for somebody

With some superhuman gifts

Some superhero

Some fairy-tale bliss

Just something I can turn to

Somebody I can kiss."

Percy liked to sing in the shower.

This quirk of his was not born overnight. During his teenage years it would have been impossible between avoiding a monster here and Smelly Gabe there. Did it show up during his stay at New Rome? Nope.

If you asked him, Percy wouldn't really be able to tell you when it started. Just that one morning he had found himself humming a tune with a stupid smile on his face and since then he never stopped.

He didn't have a specific musical genre: everyday was different. And the best thing about his new musical hobby?

"I want something just like this

Doo-doo-doo, doo-doo-doo

Doo-doo-doo, doo-doo

Doo-doo-doo, doo-doo-doo

Oh, I want something just like this"

Luke liked to sing with him.

Percy came out of the shower, wrapping a towel around his waist. Luke was in front of the mirror, busy passing the razor over his cheeks. They had three bathrooms in the house, but privacy was almost unknown to them.

The blonde was smiling as his lips sang the next verse.

"Doo-doo-doo, doo-doo-doo

Doo-doo-doo, doo-doo

Doo-doo-doo, doo-doo-doo

Oh, I want something just like this"

Luke put the razor down and drew Percy by the hips. The blonde didn’t have to shave. He still looked twenty-ish or so and would look like this forever if he so wished, but shaving was one of those activities he said could help him feel human.

Percy: "You're so stupid 😁"

Luke: "Said the stupid who married me".

Things could get pretty hot between them in a second, whether it was for a sword fight or a fight in bed 😁. But sadly this was not the case because right at that moment the bathroom door swung open.

Percy: ...

Luke: ...

Nemo: ... "BROTHER!!! THEY ARE HAVING SEX IN THE BATHROOM AGAIN!!!"

Luke: "This was the plan sweetheart, but..."

Percy: "SHUT. UP. LUKE 😖"

Lee peeped out the door, grabbing his brother by the scruff and winking at them. "Sorry to interrupt you, we are going out with Grandma Sally ☺️. So don't worry and go ahead 😁"

Percy hid his face against his husband’s chest, punching it. "I. Hate. My. Life!"

Luke: "Nah, that's a lie". He looked at their sons again. "You need anything, boys?"

Lee: "A sister would be nice this time 😁."

Percy: "UGH?! 😳"

How could his son be so calm? How could Lee live through the craziness their lives were without batting an eye?

How could Percy survive Michael's next attempt on his life for quote "spoiling his kid's innocence"?! end quote. (He had never intended to start anything with Luke. Not after Annabeth. Not after New Rome. It had been Luke the one to seduce him, thank you very much 😠).

Luke: "It's the Milligan genes. Nothing shakes us".

So what if Percy's life was a new brand of craziness? He had a husband he loved, two amazing sons, loyal friends and a kickass family ready to fight for them. Everything he had ever wanted.

@darkcrowprincess

#luke milligan #percy jackson #midam #crossover #percy jackon and the olympians #lukercy #perluke #spn au #Spotify

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lovelyd0gg · 5 months ago

Note

Hey I love your BoB HCs and wanted to ask you if you could write a BoB HC about the boys seeing the reader for the first time. Like in a bar or something and they falling in love the second they saw the reader.

Would love that, thx🫶

Hey darlin'. I would love to do that, that honestly sounds like a really sweet HC, you ask, I deliver. Enjoy♡

Warnings: mild cuss words, ABSOLUTE HEART EYES FROM THE BOYS.

Extra: I'm using the boys I use regularly and adding Liebgott since I didn't get which boys I should add more so sorry, love😭 BUT if you want me to put more of the boys in some different HC, PLEASE tell me<3

Bull Randleman.

•He was at a bar with his buddies from the army.

•Watching them throwing darts at a board, he wasn't really playing, he was more just watching them and counting the points.

•While the boys we're distracted he looked around the bar, just enjoying some of the surroundings.

•That's when he saw you. And boy, let me tell you, he thought you we're stunning.

•As your hair spilling down to your shoulders, talking to a couple of your friends and laughing.

•He thought you we're absolutely beautiful.

•Guarnere noticed him eyeing you and he nudged him on the shoulder playfully.

•"Someones got a little crush, huh?"

•Bull swatted his hand towards Guarnere's face, telling him to just mind his business.

•But he certainty wasn't wrong, he did get a particular liking towards you.

•After a little mental pep talk he walked over to you.

•"Can I buy ya a drink, little lady?"

•Yes, he did say that. And he had 0 shame in it.

•You smiled and laughed telling him that you'd love a drink, it was pretty safe to say that he fell in love, would he ever admit it to the boys? Hell no.

Eugene Roe.

•Now this man is shy I tell you.

•He is usually the one getting hit ON.

•But he won't back out on a chance to flirt with a pretty lady like you.

•When he saw you across the room in a bar, he got distracted and didn't talk to anyone at all.

•He tried shaking it off and mentally kicked himself for looking at you that way, but he swore he saw you glancing at him from time to time.

•But he couldn't take it anymore! He already saw so many other good looking men that could've swooped you off your feet anytime soon! He had to get his ass to you!

•So he left the conversation with his buddies and walked to you, sitting down, completely silent.

•You noticed him and he immediately started blushing and profusely sweating.

•When you asked if he was okay, he started stuttering and swearing in French from time to time.

•You chuckled and oh my Lord.. He MELTED INTO JELLY.

•He looked at you with wide eyes as he admired your facial features.

•He accidentally touched your hand and apologized like a million times but you took his hand in yours, intertwining your fingers together.

•He thought he might've been drunk that day but from what you told him later on, he complimented you like crazy. (He's down bad🤭)

George Luz.

•He is a hopeless romantic and a total flirt.

•So as soon as he saw your pretty figure and gorgeous eyes, he immediately left to go flirt with you.

•"Lookin' real gorgeous there~"

•The keyword 'tried' is what you are looking for. He TRIED to say it in a flirty tone. He just ended up having a voice crack.

•You giggled, clearly finding him amusing, which gave him the biggest ego boost you have ever seen.

•He kept flirting+joking with you for a good 5 minutes when he suddenly noticed you were laughing so hard you couldn't breathe.

•"Woah easy there cutie, or I might have to do mouth to mouth~"

•Jesus it was so cheesy but you told him that he was a real charm.

•That night, you both snuck out from the bar and made out behind a tree or something, while both of you were giggling like high school girls with a new crush.

Bill Guarnere.

•He saw you from across the bar while having a drink and he immediately chuckled.

•"What a beauty.."

•He didn't want to come off as a pervert or something but you were drop dead gorgeous.

•He walked up to you and leaned against the counter and looking you up and down.

•"You're stunnin'."

•You weren't really flattered by him at first due to how straightforward he was, he could've threw in a joke or two, until you realize.. You might've fallen for him.

•You had a second think of him and you admired him, kinda weird ammiright?

•He started flirting with you and it went back and forth.

•"Alright sugar, I gotta go now, see ya some time."

•You felt kinda sad that he had to go but you let him and continued on with the night.

•Then he goes up to his buds and tells them how he's got you hooked.

•I think it's safe to say that you both have a little love situation going on😉

Lewis Nixon.

•Of course he was drinking at a bar. What did you expect?

•Due to the drinking side-effects getting to him, he became flirtatious.

•So when you caught his eye, he didn't hesitate to even go up to you.

•He started flirting with you which you laughed at and slapped his shoulder gently due to how amusing he was.

•He took your hand and kissed your knuckles while smiling at you gently.

•"Where have you been all my life?"

•He said some words of endearment like "god you're beautiful." Or "You look so kissable right now."

•And somehow, just somehow, he caught your heart in a little glass jar and kept it for himself.

•So now, whenever you two go to a bar and he drinks, he'll flirt with you and due to the alcohol, it'll pretend like he never met you and is seeing you for the first time.

•And I quote "I fell in love all over again."

Ronald Speirs.

•He was more of watching the boys, making sure they don't get into trouble and cause a whole chaos.

•He noticed you in the corner of his eye and admired you for quite some time.

•He didn't come up to you a single time but he was definitely staring.

•He would never admit the fact he fell in love the second he saw you.

•Yeah, he knows it's weird as hell, he doesn't believe in love at first sight but you were different.

•Something about you was enchanting and he couldn't seem to tell what it was.

•But eventually after the boys wanted to go home, he noticed you walking out of the bar and he stopped you.

•"Don't you think it's illegal to look this beautiful?"

•God why did he say that?

•But you were so drunk you laughed and said he was really charming.

•He let you leave but that wasn't the last time he would see you.

Joseph Liebgott.

•He didn't waste a single second when he saw you.

•Just like George, he went up to you and started flirting.

•Telling you what he wants to be when he gets out of this hell hole, what's his type (which he pointed out was all of your features), and some other things.

•You smiled and told him that he was describing you as his type and what he said, oh boy, you will never forget.

•"Someone would have to be a dumbass to not think you're hot"

•You thought it was cheesy and stupid but hey, he was at least charming right?

•He smiled and the whole time at the bar, he didn't leave your side and he just sat next to you, flirting and joking and just having a good time with you.

•You both fell in love with each other.

#eugene roe #bill guarnere #bull randleman #george luz #lewis nixon #ronald speirs #joseph liebgott

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apomaro-mellow · 2 years ago

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random x-men au scene cuz i couldn't get it outta my head.

The sun rose on another beautiful day. It was a good day to have a picnic. Maybe not such a good day to be a mutant. Those kinds of days were few and far between but they had been coming around more often since enrolling in this school.

Steve liked being at a place where his mutant powers didn't earn him scorn. Wasn't so crazy about still having to go to school and having to help with picnic set up today.

Thankfully the picnic set up meant he could skip the second half of classes.

The picnic was a surprise for the younger students. A lot of them were new arrivals and this was a good way to celebrate the beginning of spring and congratulate them on their year so far. That being said, El immediately knew something was happening when she passed by a window on the way to Clarke's class.

"What's up?", Max asked when she stopped.

"They're doing something outside."

As much as they tried to hide it. If anyone saw Kali standing somewhere for a prolonged period, it meant something was being concealed. But what they didn't know.

Max planned on bringing that juicy bit of info to the others for some proper speculation.

Behind Kali's veil, the older students were busy at work. Steve had already expanded to about 20 feet to do his job.

Meanwhile Eddie was being very helpful, leaning against a tree and watching his boyfriend.

"You gonna ogle all day or do some work?", Robin asked.

"There ain't no greater work than watchin' a piece of art", Eddie said, eyes never leaving Steve. He whistled to get his attention. "Lookin' good gorgeous!"

"I'm literally just setting up tables", Steve said with a roll of his eyes. By 'setting up' it really meant holding a stack of about a dozen picnic tables and laying them out across the grass.

"And don't you make it look nice. Gimme a boost beautiful, I wanna smooch!"

Steve put the last few tables under one arm and began to bend over. But instead of picking Eddie, up, he used a finger tip to pat him on the head.

"Nope. I'm busy. And you are too."

Before he could fully pull away, Eddie kissed his giant finger. He let out a sigh as Steve turned to set the rest of the tables.

"I hate seeing him leave but I love watching that big ass go."

#apo writes #stranger things #steddie #he is the biggest boy #and eddie is in love #fanfiction

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sweet-villain · 2 years ago

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The Truth~ J.Q

@haileighboi asked:

A little angst to fluff one shot:

Joe meets reader on stranger things (love at first sight) but due to her past she doesn’t believe would love her so when he ask her out she thinks it is a joke or he just desperate for a body to fuck. So the whole time he is trying to get through her head that he wants her for her. She finally believes him after awhile but he wants it private, he knows how crazy fangirls get. She gets back into her head believing the worst that she played herself again thinking someone actually wants her. She shuts herself out. Joseph is confused doesn’t know what to do you are talking to him, not answering the door when he knocks or when he calls or texts they get ignored. So he calls her best friend to ask if they know what is going on (ofc they do) she tells him about her past and about how she is feeling now. So he finally see her at a con he know now why she is acting the way she is acting so when she is at her table signing autographs he comes behind her hugs her and kisses her cheeks and ask to talk later. Then after they talk it out and they fix everything. :)

@woahlifehitsyahuh @cinemaquinn @pleasantlycrazyworld. @moonchildquinn @haileighboi @ceriseheaven @harringtons-cupid

He couldn't get his eyes off of you as you chuckled at something that Grace had said. His heart raced faster hearing the sound of your laughter. He noticed the way you brushed your hair behind your ear, cheeks hinted a bit of red as you nodded along listening to Grace. When you walked into the room for the table read, being casted for Stranger Things along your best friend Grace, you took notice of the eyes that didn't stop watching you.

" You know he hasn't stopped looking this way since you walked into the room. It's like his whole face light up like a Christmas tree noticing you right off the bat" Grace giggled. You waved it off, never really believing no one would be interested in a little thing like you.

" It's nothing, he's probably looking at you. You're so beautiful" Grace giggled as she pushed your shoulder. " You're such a silly goose, why won't you accept that a man has eyes for you" you shook your head.

The very man that couldn't keep his eyes off of you was Joseph Quinn, he was casted as Eddie Munson and you were casted as Chrissy's best friend in the show. You had a couple of scenes with Joe as Eddie, and you were beyond nervous to look him in the eye. He was very attractive guy and once your eyes locked with his sitting across from him at the table read, he smiled widen as his eyes sparkled as he looked at you reading his lines.

You were too busy in your own thoughts to notice that you had forgotten your line, Grace nudging you bringing you back down as she giggled. The room was quiet but once you realized that you were the one they were lookin at and waiting, you cleared your throat and apologized.

" it's okay, take your time" Joe says. " No need to be nervous" he sent you a comforting smile that you were sure the room heard how your breath hitched and heart sped up.

" He likes you" Grace tells you after you were done running lines for the day. You waved her off once more not believing a handsome man like Joe would take interest in you.

" You did great in there" you heard a British voice at your ear, scaring you a bit causing you to jump grasping at your chest where your heart was. " Oh, I didn't mean to scare you. I'm Joe" he introduced himself. " But you already knew that" his cheeks flushed red making him look adorable.

" My name is Y/N" you quietly tell him. He nods, rubbing the back of his neck. " Such a pretty name for a pretty girl" your own cheeks flushed as you brush your hair behind your ear. Joe spotted you shyness right away as he waited for you to continue to talk to him.

" Uh, I'll see you around" you mumble hurrying up to catch up with Grace who had left you alone with Joe. " Thank you for running off and leaving me into a puddle of mess" you inform her. She rolls her eyes, " Flirt a little, he's into you."

" He's not, don't even start" she sighs as she follows you to the car.

｡ﾟ•┈୨♡୧┈• ｡ﾟ

Joe would never understand why you always were shy around him, maybe it was because he made you nervous or something. He would always complement you, ask you about your day or try to start a conversation with you. You would respond being sweet to him as usual, but there was distance in you that told you he only was talking to you in hopes to get you in bed or was just flirting as a joke.

" What are you doing around dinner?" Joe asked, still dressed as Eddie as you both were on break in between scenes. You stood in your cheerleader uniform in your character turning to him once you took a drink out of your water bottle. Your eyebrows knitted as you were confused for a moment if he was talking to you.

You turned around seeing if there was another person near you that caught his attention and when you found there was no one besides you, he was talking to you.

" Are you asking me?" you asked, just making sure it was you that he was talking to. He let out a giggle as he nodded his head. " Yeah, do you see anyone else, darling?"

The nickname caused a little pause inside your brain to halt. Your eyes blinked a couple of times catching yourself for a moment to yourself before you answered him.

" Um, no?" you answered really not sure yet what you were doing for dinner. You were probably going to have dinner with Grace as usual but she wasn't around today.

He shifted back and forth on his feet as he seemed nervous for a moment. His heart raced at the thought of what he was about to ask you. The two of you got a bit closer as the shooting started, everything was going well and he was sure you were going to say yes to his question. But there was a certain unsurness in your eyes. It kinda put him off but he was going to do it any ways.

" I was thinking we could have dinner together, you know. I can take you somewhere really nice and it's just be the two of us" your heart raced thinking of being alone with him. You two were only alone on set and the thought of being alone with him like that scared you.

" A-are you a-asking me out?" you asked, eyes wide as saucers. He nodded his head ready for your answer feeling his hand sweat and nervously bite his lip.

"Is this a joke?" the question threw him off as his eyebrow knitted together in confusion and there was slight hurt in his eyes. Why would you think he was joking around with you about something like this?

" I would never joke about something like this" he says. " I really want to take you out" you couldn't believe someone as attractive as Joe was asking you out. You. The person that never believed someone wanted to be with. Someone would love one day.

" I'm sorry.. I just... no.." you shook your head, hearing your name being called to on set. " I'm sorry Joe" you threw him an apologetic look before running off. He sighed to himself watching you leave.

He wasn't going to let you slip away that easy.

｡ﾟ•┈୨♡୧┈• ｡ﾟ

Joe continue to presue you, leaving you flowers in your dressing room with little notes that would make you smile. The others noticed the way he would talk about you, especially Jamie who you had a couple of scenes with as Vecna. He would stand on the side with you dressed as Vecna telling you how much Joe admired you and your work.

Never in your life you had someone as determined as Joe. It was new.

" How many flowers does he have to leave until you go out with him? How many loves notes until you say yes? How many looks? What are you so afraid of?" Grace asks, worry written in her eyes. She knew you well enough the answer to your question but she wants to hear it from you.

" To fall in love, to give someone my heart and to have them break it into two" you whispered, but loud enough for her to hear. She reached over to grab your hand and give it a squeeze.

" I hope I'm not interrupting or anything" you heard the sound of Joe's voice. You turned your head to see he's taken Eddie's wig off and standing there in regular clothing with his head tilted to the side.

" No, not at all. We were just talking about you actually" if looks could kill, you glared daggers at Grace causing her to slip away and Joe took her spot instead.

" About me? What about me?" He asked, " I hope it wasn't anything bad otherwise I'll have to tickle you" he jokingly reached over poking your side knowing you'll squirm.

" Stop" you giggled, pushing his hand away. A smile remained on his lips. He thought you were the most adorable and cutest thing he had ever seen. " Now are you going to tell me what you two talked about?"

" It's nothing interesting" you shrugged.

" Don't make me tickle you, darling. I will" you shot him a look before giving in. " It's just all these things you do to get my attention, I think it's not what you really want out of me" his eyebrows knitted together as he listened.

" And what do you think I want?"

" Just a quick fuck, that I'm just nothing more than that" Joe's mouth dropped open hearing the words. He shook his head, " Oh love, that's not what I really want. All I want is you, all of you" he reached over the chair placing his hand on top of yours. The warmth causing you to smile a little.

" I appreciate all the flowers and the notes but, I don't really think I'm worth it to you" your hand slipped from below his hand and as you stood up from the chair, he followed.

" What do I have to do to convince you that's the truth?" you turned to look at him one more time, " I don't know, Joe. You're really great guy and everything but-" he put a hand to stop you.

" I'm not going to stop until you say yes" this caused a smile to spread on your face, with a chuckle.

" why me?" you asked.You had to know why out of all the woman, he chose you to chase after.

" You're the most beautiful girl I have laid eyes on. I know you want to be seen by someone. Well, I see you. All of you. You're smile lights up the room, you're so kind and welcoming, you deserve all the adoration in the world and I want to be the one to give it to you" he says taking a step forward reaching out with his hand to brush a strand of your hair away from your face.

His fingertips brush against your cheek causing a shiver to go down your spine.

" I'll think about it" those words were much better than a no. He took it as he let you walk away from him.

｡ﾟ•┈୨♡୧┈• ｡ﾟ

You watched as he interacted with Jamie in his interviews, the two of them have a special friendship bond that you adored. They have both joined you for an interview this time. You were just having your make up touched up when you felt Joe's eyes on you.

He casually winked at you hoping Jamie wouldn't notice the wink but he did, chuckling to himself. Joe turned his head hearing him.

" What?" Jamie shook his head.

" What's going on with you two?" Jamie motioned his head over where you sat in the chair and the make up artist was brushing your hair away from your face. Joe's cheeks burned red as he shrugged, not really giving Jamie an answer.

" You both are cute, did you ask her out?" Joe nodded his head.

" I did, but she doesn't believe that I want to be with her. She believes else wise." Jamie hummed as he looked over to you. He was going to talk to you and figure out he could change your mind. You were friends with Jamie since the show came to an end.

He would bring you breakfast sometimes, make you laugh and you would show him memes that you found funny.

After the interview was over, Jamie caught up with you before you had chance to leave.

" Darling? Can I have a moment?" he asks, catching you right as you put on your jacket. You took the hair out of your jacket that was stuck inside turning to face him.

" What is it?" you asked. " Is something wrong? Did I say something wrong?" Jamie shook his head.

" Darling, when are you going to quite playing this game with Joe?"

" What game?" he sighed.

" The one where you give him a chance. The poor man talks about you all the time, he completely adores you and would do anything to give you the world. I mean look at him" you turned your head where Joe was talking to his team about something, chuckling at something they said. He had his sunglasses on top of his curls, the crinkle near his eyes appeared and the smile that made your heart swoon.

He was beautiful.

" I see the way you look at him too, you want it. I can tell, darling. Please, just take the risk and see where it goes. He's great, and you two would look great together. It's okay to be scared, I was too when I was in your shoes with my girlfriend"

" But Jamie.." you started to say seeing the look on his face, pausing.

" Okay, I'll talk to him"

" Thank you" Jamie sent you a smile, " I must be off now. You know places to be and things to do" he laughs as he pulls you into a hug.

" You won't regret it, darling. I promise" with those words Jamie was off leaving you to talk to Joe as he was finishing up talking to his team.

Joe hadn't noticed that you were waiting for him until he saw you standing by the door just scrolling through your phone. He wondered if you were really waiting for him.

" Why are you still here?" he asks, stopping in front of you. You put your phone in your pocket as you raised your head to meet his gaze. It was warm and filled with curiosity.

" I was actually waiting for you" that surprised him. It was written on his face that it took him a step back to hear what you said. You were waiting on him. Jamie had already left, he took notice of that.

" Me? Why?" he pointed to himself as he looked around to make sure it was really him that you were talking about.

" Because I want to talk to you"

The words seem to bother him as his expression changed from shocked to fear. But you took a step forward that he could hear you better.

" I want to try, with you"

" Try with me what?" he knew what you were on about but wanted to hear the words from you. He needed to hear them.

" Being with you" there it was. Those words he has been waiting for since he locked eyes with you at the table read that day. He wanted you and now he had you.

He was happy.

｡ﾟ•┈୨♡୧┈• ｡ﾟ

Joe was happy being with you but he wanted to keep your relationship quiet. The only people knew that you were dating Joe was Grace and Jamie who were beyond happy you chose to give Joe a chance. Joe didn't want the fans to find out that the two of you were dating, he knew the hate you would get and how they would act if they found out.

He wants to keep you safe.

But, things took a turn for the worst as your mind began to race with negative thoughts. The thoughts that Joe was really with you because he just wanted a warm mouth on him. That you weren't good enough to be with him.

You had seen online from the fans shipping his character and Grace's character, and you have seen what the fans they about them. It stung because you couldn't just tell them that you were the one with Joe.

It was yours and his secret from the world.

You haven't seen Joe in a couple of weeks, and your phone wouldn't stop ringing as he left you voicemail after voicemail and text after texts. He came by your apartment, knocking on the door calling out your name. He hadn't know what happened and it killed him that you shut yourself out from him. He didn't know weather it was him or something he said.

His mind raced trying to understand what happened and came to find none. He took out his phone from his pocket as he dialed a familiar number on his phone. It rang a couple of times before she answered.

" Hey Joe, what can I do for you?" Grace asked. He paced his own apartment, scratching the back of neck as he asked.

" Do you know what's going on with Y/N? She's not answering me, I'e stopped by her apartment and she is not answering the door. What happened? Did I say something to upset her? Please, I miss her so much. I-I love her, Grace..I really do" Grace sighed on the other line.

" I know why she's like this..."

"Please tell me Grace, I don't know what to do.. please help me" of course Grace was going to help. She loved that you finally chose to be with Joe, he was a good guy and you deserved him.

" She's been feeling like you aren't with her like you say you are. She gets into her head a lot because of her past. She used to date this guy, dated for a couple of months and she fell in love with him but he broke her heart telling her the only reason he went out with her was because she was good in bed... it really hurt her Joe.. I guess she's back in her head reliving the moment where your going to tell her the same thing.."

Joe wanted to find whomever hurt you and made you feel this way, to hurt them. You don't deserve any of the pain and suffering your mind is putting you through. He wanted to run and hold you in his arms.

" I won't hurt her, I'm not like that. I promise you"

" I know, she's going to the same comic on as you in a couple of days, fix it Joe and tell her you love her" Grace says.

" I will, thank you"

Joe was determined to fix this, and to have you back in his arms.

｡ﾟ•┈୨♡୧┈• ｡ﾟ

You did your best to maintain the smile on your face as you signed autographs for the fans at your table. You loved your fans and love interacting with them, but you were missing Joe and feeling guilty that you've been pushing him away. It wasn't your fault your mind decided to bring this back on you.

You wanted to run backstage and cry. You wanted Joe too. He was here at the same Comic con as you. You hadn't seen him yet though, Grace had told you he already was here as she talked to him before coming in.

A little girl ran up to your table with a teddy bear in her arms. The teddy bear was dressed in your character's clothes. It was really cute and warmed your heart.

" Hi, what's your name?" you asked her. Her green eyes widen as you spoke to her looking back at her mom who was happily nodding her head for the little girl to talk.

" My name is Ariel" she says, " I love your character on Stranger Things. She's funny and my favorite" Ariel says. You had the biggest smile on your face as you talked to her. She explained to you that she was going to be you on Halloween and she hoped that you would be in the next season.

" You'll have to find out, here you go" you handed her autograph for her to take. She placed the bear on top of the table, " for you. This is Miss Teddy. She loves you as much as I do and I want you to have this."

" Oh sweetheart, I can't take this. How about this?" you slide off one of your bracelets from your wrist onto the teddybear making Ariel gasp.

" To keep you and Miss Teddy safe, okay?" she nodded her head taking the bear back as she ran to her mom explaining to her what you did. Her mom shoots you a thank you smile as she walks away.

Before another fan stepped up to talk to you, a pair of arms embraced you from behind. A hint of smoke and mint gum catches your nose. Joe. You turned your head just in time as he places a kiss on your cheek.

" We will talk later, darling. I really want to talk to you" he kisses you one more time on the cheek. Meanwhile the fans were watching and squealing as they gushed over what they were seeing. You couldn't help it but blush at what Joe did.

" Are you two together?" a fan asked, the only response you gave her was a small smile before asking them some questions.

｡ﾟ•┈୨♡୧┈• ｡ﾟ

You met Joe outside as he took a smoke break in between the signings and photo ops he was doing. His head turned in time when he heard the door opened and one of his team members led you to him.

" Hi Joe" you stood in front of him, rubbing one arm up and down feeling the chill go down your back. It was pretty cold outside and you didn't grab your jacket before you stepped outside.

He shrugged off his coat and wrapped it around your shoulders to warm you up. " Thank you" you held onto it on your shoulder feeling his scent consume you with warmth. You had missed the way his scent felt. Like home.

" I really miss you, love" he says dropping the cigarette on the ground and stomping it with his foot. " I miss you too" you whisper lowly but enough for him to hear.

" These past couple of weeks have been hell for me, being away from you is something I don't ever want to do" his hands land on your hips and pull you flush against his chest. " You have no idea how much I want to never let you go, I want to hold you every single day, tell you how beautiful you are, how much you deserve the world and more.."

" Joe.." he shook his head letting you know he's not finished.

" I know what happened in your past, Grace told me" a frown appears on your face. You kinda wanted to slowly tell Joe about your past but you were going to talk to Grace about this later. " You don't need to be afraid with me, I'm not him. I promise you" you nodded as he continued.

" I'm far from that, I don't want you for your body love. I want you, everything about you make me giddy and happy. I love the sound of your voice, the way you say my name, the way you pout, the way you smile at me, the way you look at me, the way you want to be around e and the way you laugh. I want you to be safe with me, because honestly love. I've know this for a while, and it's okay if you don't say it back. I love you. I'm in love with you. I love you" Joe says.

Your mouth drops open in shock hearing his words. You feel your eyes brim with tears at his confession. He' so sweet and the one that deserves the world.

" I don't deserve you, you're perfect" Joe takes your hands in his and brings it up to his lips. His eyes lock with yours.

" We're perfect, together" you could not help it but throw your arms around him as you smashed your lips against his. Everything felt right in the moment. You didn't feel afraid anymore, he made you feel safe and wanted. You never want that feeling to go away.

" I love you too" you whispered against his lips once you pull away, Joe couldn't stop smiling as he pulled you back into him, taking you in his arms as he swung you around making you laugh.

#Joe Quinn #Joseph Quinn #Joe Quinn x reader #Joe x reader #Joe x you #Joe x y/n #jewls writes #Joe Quinn x you #Joe Quinn x y/n #Joseph Quinn one shot #Joseph Quinn imagine #Jospeh Quinn x reader #Joseph Quinn x you #Joseph Quinn x y/n

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whooambouttamakeanameformyself · 1 year ago

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Beautiful Bloodshed

Otis Driftwood x Transmasc! Reader. (18+)

Chapter Two

(Chapter One below)

Same summary and warnings apply here. Please enjoy this absolute shit show of a book.

~~~~~~~~~~

(Chapter two starts two weeks after Chapter One, Baby and Y/N have been hanging out almost every day.)

Y/N's shitbox truck pulled up infront of the now somewhat familliar Firefly house, idling for a few seconds before finally turning off. Y/N got out and excitedly ran up to the door where Baby met them, equally as excited as they were.

"Y/N! I've got something really fun for us to do today!" Baby squealed excitedly, her blonde curls bouncing as she jumped around, looking like she drank several redbulls before coming down to greet them.

Y/N giggled at their friends giddiness. "Oh lord, what crazy plan do you have cooked up for today?" Baby's plans ranged anywhere from laying around her room and listening to music while they painted eachother's nails, to going out and luring unsuspecting men back to the house for Mama Firefly.

Baby grabbed his hand and pulled him inside the house like she always did, but this time she pulled much harder, dragging them to her bedroom, giggling and laughing the whole way. She stopped outside her door, turning to them with a crazed grin on her face.

"Okay, get ready, because this is going to be wicked cool!!" She put her hand on the door handle, turning it and counting to three before swinging the door open so hard it hit the wall with a loud 'BANG'. "Ta Da!!" She yelled as Y/N peered into the room. A brunette girl sat on a chair in the middle of the room, bound and gagged, looking terrified. "I thought you and I could turn her into a living doll today!" Baby giggled, pulling them into her room.

They spent about three hours dressing up the girl, doing her hair, and putting makeup on her. Baby seemed quite pleased with the work the two had done, looking over it with a proud smile.

"She looks great! But I'm hungry now, wanna go make lunch with me?" She asked as she walked out the door. Y/N nodded and followed her, walking out out into the hall, stopping, when they see that Otis's door is open. He could see some of the art Otis had drawn on the wall around the tv, mostly a bunch of small doodles around some bigger, more detailed drawings. He was really good at what he did, and they had to admit they really did love the art of his they were able to see. Baby noticed they weren't following her anymore and went looking for them, finding them standing in the hall infront of Otis's door, staring into the room in awe.

"Hey, whatcha lookin' at?" She asked curiously as she approached them. Y/N jumped and looked at her, trying to think up an excuse but coming up with nothing.

"O-Oh! Uh, nothing! Just got lost in my head..." they lied, but Baby wasn't fooled. "Yeah, sure, whatcha lookin' in Otis's room for?" She asked, playfully nudging them, attempting to relax them a bit. Y/N let out a defeated sigh. "Okay, okay... no matter how many times I see the art on the walls in his room, it's always so... amazin', I've actually been meaning to ask you about it." They clear their throat. "You know anything about any of his art?"

Baby crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. "why don't you just ask him, man? I'm sure he'll tell ya if you ask." The thought of talking to Otis made them nervous, not because they were scared of him, no, it's because they didn't want to bother him while he was busy (and they probably wouldn't understand the philosophical answers Otis has been known to give, and has given them many times in the past when they asked a question.) "N-No, it's fine! I'll ask some other time." He shook his head quickly, attempting to walk past Baby, but she caught him and guided him into Otis's room. "Otis! You got a sec?" She called out. Otis looked up from his book, about to say something rude or snarky in response, but stopped himself when he realized Y/N was there. "Depends, what for?" He asked, setting his book down on the bed beside him. Baby grins, gently pushing Y/N toward Otis. "They wanna know about your art, can you tell him about it?"

Hearing this actually shocked Otis. Y/N wanted to know about his art? Well shit, he'll tell them anything they wanna know!

He clumsily got off his bed, excited to finally spend more time with Y/N.

Otis mentally cussed himself out, he wasn't supposed to feel that way toward ANYONE, let alone someone of the same gender... but he couldn't help himself. The few times they hung out together (mostly drinking and talking shit about people) he'd feel his heart flutter when they laughed at one of his stupid jokes, and he'd get the feeling of butterflies in his stomach every time they looked at him with those damn doe-ish eyes or gave him even just a slight smile. Jesus, he felt like a teenage girl getting her first highschool crush and he hated it.

Baby left the room, happily leaving the two alone. Otis wasted no time in beginning to explain each piece to Y/N, getting less and less philosophical when he realized they didn't quite understand it as well as he did himself. Actually, he began to ever so slightly touch on the emotional side of it, allowing himself this one instance of vulnerability. Y/N listened intently, finding each piece and the meaning behind it extremely interesting. Otis found himself smiling as he answered Y/N's questions, feeling those same feelings he felt when he first saw them.

Shit, it's just gunna get worse....

Since Y/N was so interested in his art Otis decided to test just how far he could go before his art grossed them out or scared them. He first asked if they wanted to see some of his other art, and after they said yes (maybe a bit too excited) he pulled a few of the smaller bone sculptures from behind the curtain that hid the more grotesque pieces he'd done. He showed them one of the sculptures, one that was made to look like a bouquet of flowers, it was morbidly beautiful. Y/N let out a soft gasp, their jaw dropping in absolute awe.

"Holy shit, it's gorgeous! How the fuck...." the words left their mouth quicker than they could stop it, gushing over the tiny bone flowers.

Y/N's reaction made Otis's smile bigger. Someone loved his art, truely loved it, saw the beauty and emotion behind each piece....

There was no escaping it, Otis's feelings for Y/N were already too strong.

~~~~~~~~~~

End of Chapter 2.

Hope everyone enjoyed this shit! Chapter 3 coming soon. :)

#house of 1000 corpses #otis driftwood x reader #otis b driftwood #x reader #otis driftwood #otis b driftwood x reader #bill moseley #beautiful bloodshed #trans male reader #horror

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yakool-foolio · 18 days ago

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Hello, give me one for Danganronpa, Ace Attorney and Rain Code of that character ask. (angel wants to know if Yomi anf Kristoph go to super hell)

A package deal! You've sold me on the chance to ramble about so many characters. You opened the floodgates, now you're in the splash zone!

Danganronpa: Blorbo - Shuichi Saihara (No surprises here) Scrunkly - Kiibo (He's so cute man, every time I think about his blushing sprites or him wanting to be a singer I crumple up like a napkin) Scrimblo bimblo - Tenko Chabashira (She deserves so much more love, the writing did her so damn dirty by hiding all her motivations in FTEs. I will never forgive Kodaka for this) Glup shitto - Tsumugi Shirogane (She's my favorite mastermind I don't care what anyone says about her! Anyone who calls her 'one-dimensional' talks like they're stuck in the killing game behind the screen! But I know better! MY DAD WORKS AT NINTENDO!) Poor little meow meow - Nagito Komaeda (Only considered controversial because of what the fandom has done to this poor guy. He's no doubt one of--if not the--best character Kodaka's ever written, and yet I must helplessly watch as he's reduced to 'haha I like hope and I'm crazy,' which is a huge disservice to his complex and well thought out story. Sadly it's a symptom of him being dragged outside of his context by pop culture.) Horse plinko - Junko Enoshima (I dunno, she probably wouldn't mind it) Eeby deeby - Nagito Komaeda again (I had to look up the exact meaning of superhell for this. And honestly he kinda did that to himself. Now wake up Nagito and go get your man so ya can live on that island together!)

Ace Attorney: Blorbo - Kazuma Asogi (Whoops he stole the top spot from Apollo, but believe me I think about him a lot too, especially cause he wins the relatability category; social anxiety go brrrrrrr. Yet no character has had me go more feral than Kazuma and I still have a TON on my mind about him that I really need to put to written word someday.) Scrunkly - Ron DeLite (MY SWEET LIL GUY! I'd let him steal all my valuables cause he's just too darn cute!) Scrimblo bimblo - Bobby Fulbright/The Phantom (The best final case culprit for the best final case in the entire series, I will not waver in my opinion! Bobby is such a fun detective, nearing the heights of Sholmes, while also being revealed to be the identity-stealing assassin I've always dreamed of. I will run in circles forever thinking about this amalgamation of a character. Now if only he was given any official merch...) Glup shitto - Satoru Hosonaga (If Hosonaga only has one fan then that's me! If there's ever a TGAA Investigations game, he better make a cameo someway somehow!) Poor little meow meow - Matt Engarde (This could've also gone to The Phantom but it fits Matt thematically cause he's very orange cat coded to me. My first 'uh oh my favorite character is a murderer aren't they' moment in Ace. And it would not be the last.) Horse plinko - Mael Stronghart (I hate this dude I hope Klint and Genshin are beating him up as ghosts.) Eeby deeby - Kristoph Gavin (If I had a nickel for every time I turned a dynamic between a mastermind antag and a mentor figure into bitter exes cause it somehow makes their relationship more interesting than it already is, I'd have two nickels, which isn't a lot but it's weird that it happened twice.)

Rain Code: Blorbo - Yakou Furio (What blog do ya think you're even lookin' at right now?) Scrunkly - Shinigami (She's really adorable in her blob form with how she emotes, and she's a sweet person under all her snark!) Scrimblo bimblo - Melami Goldmine (The more I think about my personal interpretation of Vivia's backstory, the more I love Melami by association since she's got a lot going on with her as well. I'd kill to learn more about her history and if she's had any canonical affiliation or interaction with Vivia. I need them to be business partners!) Glup shitto - Nun (What's not to love about a cat-eared nun who runs a death metal choir at the church? I'd go to one of her performances any day!) Poor little meow meow - Hitman Zilch (I got real sad over him dying because I thought we'd lost the best antag in the entire game AND WE'D ONLY JUST BEGUN. This hitman has altered my brain chemistry forever and there's no cure.) Horse plinko - Dr. Huesca ("It's what he deserves," I say calmly and rationally through gritted teeth as my fist clenches and trembles with rage.) Eeby deeby - Yomi Hellsmile (If I had a nickel for every time I turned a dynamic between a mastermind antag and a mentor figure into bitter exes cause it somehow makes their relationship more interesting than it already is, I'd have two nickels, which isn't a lot but it's weird that it happened twice.)

#you were right in your predictions anon bravo #ask game #danganronpa #danganronpa spoilers #ace attorney #ace attorney spoilers #rain code #rain code spoilers

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abstractlantern · 1 year ago

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Devlog 7 MASSIVE UPDATE!

ALRIGHT, IT'S BEEN A WHILE SINCE I UPDATED, HUH? My apologies! As I said in my earlier update post, my family has been crazy busy. I'll be a lot busier in the future, too, since I'm gonna start my job in a few weeks.

But to make up for all that time I spent silent/time I may spend silent in the future, here's everything I've worked on thus far! This is going to be a VERY long post, so I'll put most of it under a read more!

I do mean everything. Or at least most of it lol. This here is the title screen! If you have trouble reading the text, the title says Star Flesh, and the choice box says "ATTUNE, RESUME, and END". Since I'm showing the stuff I've done so far, I'll make a new game using the "ATTUNE" option.

Spooky. There's more dialogue than just this, but a lot of it is kinda janky and weird. I'm gonna rewrite it later, but for now just enjoy the cool stuff lol.

I bet your first instinct is to make him sound British, but you would be wrong! For some reason when I was writing him, the first thing that came to mind was a deep South preacher. Like, a Protestant pastor quoting the Bible and stuff. My sister was deeply displeased when I told her Ozymandias has a Southern accent. Tbh, I'm deeply displeased with myself. Moving on!

Here's the fancy name input screen :D

Omg the first appearance of the babey (also please don't mind the placeholder sprites lmao)

Crushed it lmao

Here's the main inside area! It's kind of empty for now, and I still have placeholder sprites and tiles everywhere. As for the doors behind Pawn, one is supposed to lead down to the basement, and the other is supposed to lead up. Not suuuper clear, but it's fine for now.

Outside the building! Lookin a little weird, but it's still kinda cute.

Talking to Ozymandias to move the plot forward! He talks a L O T so I'm not gonna put it all here.

This scene is pretty tho

So there's a lot of stuff he says, but I'm running out of room for pictures lol. Essentially he just tells the player that the world is going down the trash hole and their only shot at redemption is to murdalize the Queen of the Board. And on our quest, we should bring someone along to help. Let's go get him now!

Oh there he is

Hooray! Drama!

Alright! There's not enough room for me to post more pictures, so I might extend this post into a part 2? Depends if people are interested/if I have the time and motivation.

See y'all later! ^.^

#devlog #rpg maker 2003 #my post #indie dev #rpg maker #starflesh development #starflesh #im so tired #indie game

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cheyohara · 1 year ago

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— characters: chey & atlas — setting: some sidewalk downtown, not too busy of an area — partner: @atlaswilliams

It felt silly and incredibly childish that the mere sight of her older brother in the distance on the opposite side of the street would be cause for the grown professor to hide. Yet that's exactly what Chey had done the moment the eldest O'Hara had been spotted.

Somehow the brunette had ducked into the nearest door of the establishment she'd been passing and had avoided being seen.

After an awkward smile was flashed at the shop worker inside, she eased further away from the door but kept a vantage point so that she could watch Carter walk off into the distance and out of sight. Or, get into his vehicle and drive off.

Hazal flickered between the view out of the windows and shaky hands slowly browsing through the goods closest to her. The employee had politely asked if Chey needed any assistance or had any questions, but the podcaster graciously denied and commented that she was only browsing and looking for early Christmas gift ideas.

All had seemed to be going well in those few moments until the professor saw her somewhat childhood friend making his way down the street in the same direction as Carter had been headed. At first glance and assumption the brunette considered that the two old friends were meeting up. It was reasonable enough as Chey remembered Atlas telling her that he'd check-in with the reckless and aggressive O'Hara after hearing about some of his antics as of late.

Things had been unfortunately escalating. Not only had Carter broken into their aunt's house, threatened her and stolen some money, he'd also found her own home and shoved his way in. It had been a relatively short encounter but a terrifying one that had left the professor a trembling mess on her kitchen floor.

It didn't appear to her that Atlas had any clue of what lied ahead of him, his attention was focused on the phone in his hand. Though, maybe, just maybe, Carter had already walked off and was none the wiser? In a split second her focus was pulled from the tense scene across the street when another customer, likely a real one, had entered the shop. When hazel returned to the outside world Chey's heart dropped through the floor and adrenaline slammed through her.

Carter was in front of Atlas, his expressions and gestures seemed agitated. Then two hands pressed into the taller male's chest and shoved him backward, and despite the rush of fear coursing through her Chey booked it out of the shop and tried to hurry across the street.

"You've been fuckin' lyin' to me," the brunette heard her older brother nearly shout at Atlas. "Y'know all these years I had you under my fuckin' wing, lookin' after you and shit... you repay me by betrayin' me?"

"Carter, stop!" Chey shouted when she was a little closer, a panicked hand raised in the air. "I'm right here, leave him alone!"

"Aw, would ya look at that..." Carter spat at Atlas, "I bet you're gonna try and tell me y'all weren't seein' each other. That this is just some crazy coincidence," her older brother continued, gestured at her then shoved Atlas once again.

There was a rage bubbling under the surface about to explode, she could see it from where she was as she closed the distance.

#interactions.#interactions: atlas williams.#atlas williams: 004.#atlaswilliams #this is a mess sorry #i hope it makes sense and is ok

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neoninky · 2 years ago

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TWST Fanfic "Her Lost Voice": Chapter 6

Hello readers: I'm putting a slight trigger warning on this chapter for mentions of abuse and violence in this chapter just in case any of you are bit more sensitive to these topics.

On a lighter note, one of my favorite OCs makes his debut in this chapter and I hope you guys love him as much as I (and @iscarlettappel lolol) do~

Also don't forget to check out my AO3 page and Masterlist if you want to binge read this and my other posts!

Also don't forget to vote if you haven't already!

Chapter 6: Unfortunate Souls

Floyd's nose burned the familiar lingering scent further into his memory bank as he, Cowrie, and his brother entered the Leviathan Club through the kitchens. Luna had been there. The fact that he missed her made him pout with puffed-out cheeks like a grumpy blowfish but the kitchen hand's words did put him at ease.

"Your sister was here, hiding from some real ugly lookin' shark mermen. I'm not sure what they wanted but Mama Ashengrotto told them off real good before making sure Miss Luna left safe and sound."

Cowrie exhaled all of her nerves. Thank goodness nothing happened but still...if Proteus' thugs were lurking about this was bad. REAL bad. If they got even a hint that Luna wasn't tucked away at the Cove like she was supposed to be then the siren would be in hot water faster than Cowrie could blink. The younger sister could practically feel her father's temper scorching her skin already. Well, for now, Luna was safe and the sharks were gone. That's all that mattered.

Once the trio of eels entered the main floor, they found Mama Ashengrotto orchestrating the day's business as usual. The mother octopus looked both relieved and annoyed as soon as she spotted them, "THERE you are!"

Before any of them could say a word she ushered them over to a corner by the bar, "Cowrie dear, I'm so happy to see you're alright. But what exactly is going on? Luna came in here looking for you this morning, looking as white as a sheet. Then those brutish sharks?"

Cowrie's ear fins drooped as she looked awfully guilty, "I'm sorry Mama Ashengrotto...it's complicated but...I think my papa's thugs are being sent to drag me back home. And Luna is...well...she's..."

The hostess' expression softened as she tipped the small eel's chin up, "Now now, you're here and unhurt. And don't worry, I made sure Luna made it back to where she needed to go safely as well. Besides, this isn't the first time I've had to chase off some riff-raff and I doubt it'll be the last. Now, you boys," her eyes sharpened just in time to make the twins stiffen straight up again, "Your mother called me all in a tizzy over you two! You go straight home and apologize to your poor mother right now!"

A cold shiver ran up Jade and Floyd's spines as they envisioned their mother's wrath waiting for them at home. It didn't take too much imagination, honestly. Jade felt another odd sensation as Azul's mother continued to lecture him and his twin. The room was pretty crowded already so in the sea of many faces, it wouldn't be too crazy to feel like someone was watching you...unless someone actually was. He kept his gaze forward but out of his peripheral, he could see another male eel merman staring at him and Floyd from a table on the other side of the bar. Judging from the cloudy grey and yellow-spotted coloring of his skin, Jade knew he wasn't one of his father's men. He heard a snarl coming from Floyd, signaling that his brother had noticed the other male as well.

"Cowrie dear, there's a young man that's been waiting here to see you...given how this day has already gone. I wanted to make sure you felt safe first." Mama Ashengrotto's deep blue eyes flicked off in the same direction as the eelman in question and Cowrie carefully looked before letting out a deep sigh.

"Yeah, it's fine...that's one of my brothers. He's the most reasonable one."

Cowrie gave the twins a reassuring grin before swimming over to the table where Seven was waiting for her.

"Hey, Sevy."

The older brother nodded to her with a disapproving look. Cowrie just frowned before sitting down, "You can talk here. No one's going to punish you for it..."

"Old habit," Seven's voice was a bit gruff as he scratched at what looked like a fresh scar on the side of his neck, "Cowrie, what are you doing here? And with them?"

Jade and Floyd decided to hang around a bit longer, taking seats at a booth along the wall just far enough away from Cowrie and her brother to hide the fact that they were eavesdropping from the rest of the room. Seven didn't much care for it but decided to let it slide for now.

"I have a job here, Sevy. There's no rules against that."

"No...but I'd still watch your tail and who you're keeping company wi-..." Seven's eyes narrowed as he sniffed the water around Cowrie, "...you didn't."

Cowrie's brow hiked up in question as she crossed her arms, "What?"

Her brother's fins bristled as he took in a deep tense breath, "Cowrie, you have another male's scent all over you. And my money's on one of them. You're only seventeen, it's too early for you to-"

"We didn't do anything like that, Sevy!" Cowrie's face was a deep pink as she glared at her nosy older brother.

"So it is one of them..." Seven hid his face in one of his large hands with an aggravated sigh, "Have you lost your mind? You do realize what Dad's going to do him, or even you, when he finds out..."

His sister's stubborn pout only made him snarl, "...at least tell me which one of them it is?"

"Jay J-uh...Jade, " Cowrie pointed over to Jade who just gave Seven's grumpy face a polite grin and a wave as he looked Jade up and down.

"Jade Leech? Don Leech's successor? Well, you have an eye for the big fish, I'll give you that," her brother snorted only annoying her more.

"That's not why chose him!" she huffed, "Jay Jay is very smart, interesting, and handsome. He's also good and kind..."

"Really, Cowrie? One guy doesn't treat you like shit and notices you before he notices Luna and that's all it takes for you to just throw away all sense and cozy up to him??"

Cowrie's temper flared as she jumped up to snap her fangs at the larger male but he was quicker. She let out a high squeak as his long tail whipped around her and forced her back in her seat.

"Take it easy," Seven sighed as he rested his jaw on his hand, "Am I wrong though?"

"I'm afraid so, friend..."

Jade and Floyd had noiselessly approached the table. Jade had a grin on his face but his glowing yellow eye bore into Seven's with a deadly serious aura. He grabbed and yanked Seven's tail away from Cowrie, never breaking eye contact with her brother.

"Miss Luna is quite a beauty, even I am not fully immune to her charms. However, she's not my Cowrie. Cowrie is a precious pearl that has had my full attention since we were first acquainted. I'd hate to also start off on such a rocky foot with my future brother-in-law."

Cowrie's face reheated itself at the sound of Jade's possessive tone. It was smooth and sure and had just enough edge to it to make a point. A very forward, lines-drawn-in-the-sand point. Jade and Seven seemed to be locked in a very sharp-eyed stare down. A typical scene in the early stages of courtship, especially when the female's male relatives didn't necessarily approve of her chosen mate. Floyd smirked off to the side, happy to witness this rare, more aggressive side of his brother in action. He silently hoped for a brawl to happen just to keep things interesting at the very least. In fact, why not stir the pot a bit?

"Besides, Luna's my girl," Floyd said rather bluntly as he blatantly ignored the shocked glare Cowrie was giving him. So much for being sneaky.

"W-What? Luna too? ...with THIS guy?!"

Floyd snarled at the implication that came from Seven's tone. Well, the catfish was out of the net. Cowrie saw no point in playing coy now that these devilish twins just threw all their cards on the table, "Yup. Luna too. She'll deny it if you ask her but I'm 99% sure it's true..."

The twins just smiled smugly right in Seven's astonished face. Cowrie groaned and slid a fraction down in her seat as this whole situation quickly spiraled into a testosterone fueled stand-off. She was flattered as hell by everything Jade was saying and doing but these Leech boys were going to get them all killed if they kept letting their territorial hormones stay in the driver's seat. Seven growled and locked eyes with his sister with an intimidating glare, one he used on his younger brothers constantly to get them to behave.

"Cowrie, you're my sister...half-sister, sure, but still...you have to know just how crazy all of this is? Do you really think you can pursue a future like this without there being serious consequences?"

Jade gently wrapped his arms around Cowrie's petite form from behind her chair as she continued to sit, "Your sister is perfectly safe in our care. Floyd and I hold no grudge against her or Luna simply because of who their father is. You and the rest of Cowrie's brothers, however...well that's to be determined."

Floyd stretched lazily before leaning an arm on his brother's shoulder, "This whole family feud is our dads' problems, not ours. We ain't got any beef with you unless you attack us or threaten our girls...so? We got a problem?" Floyd's tail swished behind him like a cat getting ready to pounce.

Seven quickly took stock of the whole situation. As the second eldest of Don Muraeni's boys, he was supposed to be an example and leader to his younger brothers. He was also supposed to follow his older and far more aggressive brother's example himself. If he was really honest though, Seven knew that the last thing he wanted was to drag his family into a needless turf war. Seven let out a deep exhale, accepting the more peaceful option before addressing the three of them with a calm face, "Alright. I didn't see or hear anything. I was just coming to bring my baby sis home safe and sound. And she can keep working here for all I care, but only if I escort her to and from home...that's the way it's gotta be unless you want Dad sicking Proteus or more sharks on your ass, got it, Cowrie?"

Floyd grunted like he was about to object but Jade stopped him by putting a firm hand on his twin's shoulder. Granted, Jade didn't like Cowrie's freedom being restricted either but he was still smart enough to realize the delicate situation they were in and Jade didn't want to put Cowrie in danger just to appease his own pride. They'd have to play by the rules...for now. Cowrie narrowed her eyes as she grumbled and crossed her arms. Seven refused to be swayed, "Just because I'm not freaking out about this doesn't mean Dad won't. You know he will. I won't snitch on you...or your mate," Seven nearly choked on the words, "but you guys are walking a dangerous line. Don't say I didn't warn you." He really, really did not like this at all but Seven took solace in the fact that Cowrie at least didn't settle for some no-account loser. Or worse, some clueless human boy. Rivalries aside, Cowrie could have done way worse than the next Don Leech.

Cowrie let out a giddy squeal as she slipped out of Jade's embrace to swim around to Seven and throw her arms around his bulky shoulders, "I knew you were a big softie deep down, Sevyyy~"

The older boy rolled his eyes with a huff, "Yeah, yeah. Now say your goodbyes or whatever and let's get going before Dad pops off another temper storm."

Cowrie gave Jade a hug around his neck before he brought her lips to his with a pleased sparkle in his eyes. He was definitely pushing his luck on purpose in front of Seven just to tick him off like the smug bastard he was. Cowrie's brother just grunted and swam towards the door.

"You're both insane..."

Azul watched the music box slow down in a half-awake daze as he sat up on the couch. It wasn't until the song was almost over that he notice the look in Elise's bright eyes. The princess remained lying curled up on her side, watching the dancing figures slow to a halt with such a distant look somewhere between happiness and heartache. It gave Azul an odd shiver. He felt like he was interrupting a private moment but his curiosity still got the better of him.

"You seemed very fond of this music box, Your Highness. Why get rid of it if it means so much to you?" he asked in a sleep-heavy voice as he reached for his glasses.

Elise sat up and began to write on the blank paper in front of her. Azul patiently waited for the answer.

It was a gift from my mother. The song is a lullaby she would always sing to me. I am very fond of it. I used to think I sold it because of my club's funding situation but really, I think it just made me too sad.

I'm happy it went to you though, Mr. Ashengrotto. I hope you've been enjoying it.

The truth was that Azul did find the melody very soothing indeed. He couldn't explain why before now but knowing that it was a precious song that came from a loving mother gave him a good idea.

"What was your mother like?"

She loved the ocean and merfolk. She'd take me and my siblings sailing all the time when we were little. She was just as beautiful as she was kind. Our people loved her very much. So did my father...

A frown formed on Elise's face as she paused her writing. If he was anything like Azul's biological father, Azul imagined talking about her own father was hard for the princess.

My father loved my mother so much that he became somewhat of a shut-in after she died. He still rules our kingdom from the capital with my oldest brother's help but I don't see him much anymore.

"I'm sorry. That sounds...terribly lonely." Azul's brow furrowed as he watched the princess write more with a sad smile on her face.

It's not so bad when I'm at school with Reine and Manari. And Luna and Cowrie, too, of course.

Now, this was something that Azul had wondered for some time. It wasn't unheard of but still very unusual. Especially considering how merfolk like himself and the twins were a bit more elusive in nature, sticking to darker, colder waters normally. In renowned schools like Night Raven and Sacred Crown, it was expected to run into many different kinds of people - merfolk, beastmen, etc. - but it sounds like Elise had known the two eels for quite some time.

"How exactly did you become friends with the Cerith sisters?"

Elise pondered the question, seeming to struggle with writing an answer at first. She gave the curious boy a sheepish grin before finally writing:

It's a bit of a long story...

Azul leaned back into the leather couch and crossed his legs with a charming smile, "I am intrigued, Your Highness. I can wait."

And so Elise started to pen her memory onto the paper to the best of her ability for the patient octopus boy.

It happened when Elise was about seven years old, two months after the kingdom had lost her mother. The young princess spent a lot of her days anxiously trying to approach the beach. Her mother had loved the beach and the water. Elise had many fond memories of days and nights spent on the shore with her sister and her mother but now that her mother was gone...

Princess Elise found the ocean her mother loved so much to be a terrifying beast. One that she wished to face down and brave so that maybe someday she could love it again as her mother had. That particular day was very windy with aggressive waves that relentlessly crashed against the shoreline, the weathered docks, and the large rocks that jutted out of the water further down. Elise was alone that day, the villa not too far off but even so, the small princess felt her skinny legs tremble as she forced herself to inch closer and closer to the water's wild edge. She let out a shriek and immediately retreated as soon as she got a little too close. Hot, frustrated tears prickled at the corners of her minty-blue eyes but her tiny fist quickly rubbed them away before they could fall. Elise was going to give it another go right when she heard something strange ringing through the air.

At first she thought it was the seagulls fighting the strong winds overhead but soon realized it sounded more like a child's voice...a child's wails to be exact. She quickly abandoned her original quest and ran down the shore towards the cries. The sound had brought her to the sharp rocks and Elise gasped when she saw the source. A tiny eel mermaid was caught, tangled up in some fishing nets that stranded her amongst the large stone barricades. The fierce waves kept pushing the mermaid back, tangling the nets around her tiny body even more with each crash. To Elise's horror, the wails were becoming weaker with each wave because of the tight, knotted netting around the small eel's neck. She was being strangled!

Elise's small voice cried out for help but it was easily drowned out by the wind and the water crashing all around her. She looked to the water to see if maybe the little mermaid's parents were around, coming to her aid. But she was alone. No help was coming. Elise jumped back when she realized the water was rising. Another high-pitched squeal came from the tiny eel as she continued to thrash about, trying to free herself. Elise felt her heart speed up as she watched this poor creature's movements start to lose their vigor. If nothing was done then...

The young princess took every ounce of courage she could muster and ran back towards the nearby docks. There had to be something, anything! When Elise saw a leftover collection of items the sailors had left behind, she spotted a pocket knife. The young girl quickly grabbed the closed knife and ran back towards the rocks. The water was relentless: wave after wave tried to knock the little girl down but she pressed on trying her best not to slip off of the rocks until she reached the exhausted mermaid. She didn't know if the eel could understand her but Elise nonetheless cried out that she was here to help as she started to cut away at the netting. She expected the eel to try and bite her or claw at her but instead, she was met with a tired but docile gaze coming from the mermaid's baby blue eyes. The last big wave that Elise could remember crashed over the both of them as she cut away the material wrapped around the mermaid's neck, the momentum snapping the last bit of thread loose. Both Elise and the mermaid were pulled back into the open water.

The tiny mermaid had enough strength to swim away but Elise was left flailing and gasping for air in hysterics, not knowing which direction was up and which was down. The princess felt the adrenaline-fueled panic start to set in right as two pairs of hands grabbed both of her arms and pulled her to the surface. With all the saltwater in her eyes and her burning lungs, the princess didn't even realize that she was being carried to the shore by the wave and the two strangers swimming alongside her. Once she opened her eyes after so much coughing, Elise was met with two curious faces covered in dark stripes and yellow flecks. She recognized the blue-eyed one as the tiny mermaid she had just rescued but the other was another older mermaid with brilliant golden-yellow eyes staring cautiously down at the almost-drown princess. Anyone else would have probably screamed and run away in Elise's position but the tiny girl instead stared back just as curious. She reached out to touch the golden-eyed mermaid's small ear fins only be hissed and growled at. It made the princess laugh a bit because it reminded her of a cat. The two mermaids exchanged confused looks before the smaller one scooted closer to the princess and turned her head so Elise could explore her fins instead.

Elise had never been more amazed in her life as she gently stroked the delicate fins, making the blue-eyed eel start to purr. The elder of the two watched the scene carefully before doing the same gesture, allowing Elise to touch her ear fins with her free hand. The princess giggled and continued to shower both eels in affection. This was extraordinary! She wished her mother were still around to see this. Elise started to feel the mermaids' silk hair when the moment was ruined with a terrified scream. The princess turned around to see her father and one of the maids holding a scared Emily at her side. The older princess sobbed as their father rushed forward, shouting at Elise to get away from the two 'monsters'. In his hands was the harpoon gun he always took whenever he went sailing. The two mermaids shrieked and scrambled back to the water as Elise jumped up, crying to her angry father that she was alright...

...I begged my father not to hurt them. He was so angry. He just kept telling me over and over how they were monsters and how they couldn't be trusted and forbid me to go near the water again. But I didn't listen...I went back to the beach every day, looking for them. It took months but we finally found each other again.

Elise's smile returned as she kept writing.

I learned to play the flute and I would go to the docks and the beach and play it. That's how they found me. I learned their names and we became friends in secret. Luna and Cowrie helped me get over my fear of the ocean by swimming with me, keeping me safe...eventually they came onto land when we were in Jr. High. I guess their father didn't want them attending just any human school because they were enrolled in the same academy I and Reine attended. We've been together ever since...they're like my family.

Azul took his time soaking up every word the princess had written. Their childhoods were very different but somehow her stories reminded him of his own. A lonely child, in one form or another, being scared and hurt before finding...or being found rather, by their companions who have always been there. Reading her family's reaction to Luna and Cowrie only solidified Azul's opinion that it was a miracle that Elise was as kind as she was today. Not that he would ever say that aloud. He gazed up at the princess with an unreadable look, as if there was another question he couldn't ask. This strange, lovely, clever girl. Friend to eels, and now octopuses, he supposed. Her light seemed to never fade when they had first met but the more found out about her past, the more he wondered if this was her true nature or just a cover. Watching her give him a curious tilt of the head and grin only told Azul that maybe it was a bit of both. Whatever the answer really was, it didn't make her any less intriguing.

"I can say with confidence that you most certainly inherited your mother's kind heart, Your Highness. And probably her beauty as well."

It wasn't all that strange for Azul to lean into a more suave charm especially when he was after something. He always had that salesman's silver tongue, even in the time that Elise knew him. This time, however...

Azul's words made the princess' face warm with a slight touch of pink as she bashfully waved them off. He's just trying to flatter me, she thought to herself. She didn't take him seriously but still found it difficult to look at him and his smile directly head-on. Fortunately for Azul, his nerves didn't kick in until after the fact. Much later when he was alone in his room and the whole scene replayed itself in his head...over and over...making him groan into his hands in full-blown, self-loathing embarrassment. He wanted to bury himself in the deepest trench, never to be seen again because of his dorky, embarrassing behavior. What he didn't know what that Elise had a different experience in her own little grotto. Her tentacles curled upon themselves as she thought back over the scene, replaying the boy's kind words and smiling over like a film playing in her mind. The beginnings of a flutter stirred in her chest and stomach as she held her warm cheeks in her hands, thankful that no one else was around. Elise felt a small hurricane of nervous, confused energy start to brew: until that point, there had only been one person who made her react this way...apparently, now there were perhaps two?

'Oh, dear...'

Three days had passed between trips to and from their hideaway in the Octavinelle dorm. Azul and Elise would spend a lot of time just the two of them trying various potions, enchantments, and/or counter curses that Azul had cast on the princess to no avail. The twins would visit frequently enough to either bring food, supplies, or intel. Or for Elise specifically, clothing gifted from Mama Leech who still had outfits leftover from her teen years when she would visit the surface. Cowrie's visits had lessened significantly since her deal with Seven, making it difficult for her to get away. But somehow she and Jade seemed to sneak in some moments together here or there. Today it was just Elise, Azul, and the twins. Floyd was quick to tease his twin about the little love bites on his neck as Azul was trying to concentrate.

"Damn Jade, it looks like Cowrie-chan was trying to carve her initials into you like a tree," Floyd snickered as he literally poked at his brother.

Jade merely chuckled with a wide grin, "Just because I can't leave any evidence doesn't mean I'm going to stop her from doing so..."

Azul groaned as he poured another finished potion into a glass container, "Enough talk of your escapades. Honestly, I know you two are very smitten with Cowrie and her sister but you're just being reckless. Especially you, Jade. I just hope you aren't doing anything inappropriate seeing as how Cowrie is still underage." Azul put stern emphasis on that last word as if he were lecturing some hooligan.

Jade feigned being wounded by Azul's comment. Did his friend really have so little faith in him? "I am nothing if not a gentleman. I'm fully aware that my Cowrie is still too young to become my full mate yet but I can still give her a fulfilling courtship until the time comes. I'm an excellent choice for a mate, am I not, Miss Elise?"

Elise was currently sitting inside a bathtub, in full octopus mode, in one of the more spacious bathrooms the Octavinelle dorm had to offer. While the princess wasn’t that familiar with the courtship practices of merfolk, it was clear that Jade made Cowrie very happy and that Jade was in turn very considerate of her situation and affectionate in his own way. But that didn’t mean Elise would not turn Jade’s eel form into several handbags the millisecond he treated Cowrie badly. Still, she nodded at the statement with a confident grin on her face and gave the smiling Jade an affectionate pat on the head with one of her tentacles. Azul just scoffed and told Elise to not humor the twin too much. For a moment, the pair looked like two parents arguing about their daughter's choice in boyfriend which Jade found very amusing.

After years of putting up with Floyd's antics their entire lives, Jade had the patience of a god. Waiting for his mate to come of age before taking the next step was nothing. Floyd was another story altogether. The other twin was in a fairly good mood today but that could flip on a dime. Floyd had good intentions but barely any patience. Especially when his desired mate was not underaged and not within reach to make things official. Yet. Jade especially had to talk his twin out of some pretty fool-hardy plans to kidnap-er-rescue Luna before they could get help on the inside. Again, patience was definitely not Floyd Leech's forte. However...it was four more days until school started again. Four more days until most of their crew would be far from all the troubles of home on their campuses. In the meantime, Floyd and Jade were both told to wait for a 'signal' of sorts from Cowrie. Currently, they had a front-row seat to another one of Azul's attempts to break this supposed curse on the princess.

"Moving along, try this one, Your Highness..."

Azul handed her the glowing liquid as the twins watched expectantly. There was a reaction as soon as Elise downed the foreign liquid in the form of a burst of blue smoke. The three boys coughed and tried to wave the large cloud out of the room.

"W-Well, Your Highness?" Azul called out in between coughs. When the smoke cleared and Elise opened her eyes...nope she was still an octopus. If anything her tentacles and hair seemed a bit shinier? She sighed and gave Azul a shrug. He groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose, mentally putting the millionth failure tally mark up in his mind, "Uuuugh this is hopeless!"

Elise pouted and leaned on the tub's edge as a few of her tentacles flopped out of the water and onto the tiled floor. Floyd let out a surprised yelp as the tentacles suddenly changed to the same color and texture as the floor they were touching, "Did the potion do that, or is this just an octopus thing??"

Azul gently picked up one of them in his hand and watched as it turned back to normal with a sigh, "Unfortunately not, no, this is just something octopus mermaids are capable of on occasion, usually when we feel great distress. Like our animal counterparts, our octopus bodies can change color and texture to help camouflage us from danger...a useful skill all around I suppose but not remotely magic related."

Elise was fascinated by this new information and wanted to relish in her newfound skill but seeing the disappointment and frustration on Azul's face was too sad. The same tentacle wrapped around his palm as if Elise was trying to hold his hand. Seeing the sweet, encouraging smile on her somewhat shy face only made his nerves bubble over.

"A-Ah, I appreciate your support, Your Highness. But I'm afraid I'm at my wit's end. I've tried everything that I can possibly think of...except..." there was that chilled feeling again. No, no, this was more important than his pride! It was time to be a man and admit that he was out of his depth! "Your Highness, I think we should return to the Coral Sea for now. I believe my grandmother can help us."

The twins' faces split into amused smiles as they chuckled. It had been quite some time since Azul paid a visit to his dear, dear grandma. This should be interesting.

If Mrs. Ursa Ashengrotto was a force to be reckoned with then her mother, the famed sea witch was even more so. Madam Lorelei Ashengrotto, a very gifted octopus merwoman that established herself at quite a young age, now lived a comfortable life on the outskirts of town in her own pocket of property that was on neither Leech nor Muraeni turf. She had gained such a reputation that neither clan really wanted to get on her bad side. She often had a sixth sense about things so when her daughter invited her to have lunch at the fabulous Leviathan Club that afternoon, Madam Lorelei wasn't surprised to see her grandson enter looking like he had a serious problem from her private booth on the second floor. What did surprise her was that he wasn't accompanied by his eel comrades but by a female octopus she had never seen before. Something seemed a bit...different about the girl, however.

She watched with a smile as her daughter greeted the pair and hugged her son tightly before doting on him some more, making him fluster like a baby kitten trying to get away from its mother's attempt to bathe it. The octopus woman chuckled to herself, happy to see that her precious grandson was still as cute as ever.

Azul was a nervous wreck as he and Elise entered the lift that would take them to the second floor of the restaurant. Elise could practically hear his bones and teeth chattering from his nerves. Just what kind of person was his grandmother to have this kind of effect on him? She felt bad for the boy and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder to calm him down. It made Azul jump a bit at first but he soon loosened up under the princess' kind gaze.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness. I must look so foolish right now," he whined, "It's just that...my grandmother is an incredible witch, capable of things I can only dream of being. I've strived to be like her my entire life...the thought that I might disappoint her is...ugh it's absolutely devastating."

He wasn't sure if it was because she couldn't speak or lingering guilt for dragging her into all of this that motived him to speak so freely in front of Elise, but either way, the princess had a presence that was easy to open up to. However, Azul did feel a rush of embarrassment flood his system as he noticed Elise trying to hide a visible giggle behind her hand. The boy huffed indignantly, "A-Are you laughing at me?! I'm being serious!"

Elise found this side of him to be so cute she couldn't help it. Normally, Azul had always been 'in character' of sorts. Always ready to charm his way into everyone's hearts and wallets. Elise wasn't dumb, she knew this from day one. But at the same time, she never really felt put off by it either. She honestly admired his industrious and cunning nature and took his more eloquent nature for what it was. In other words, Elise admired his talent for the hustle. Seeing Azul like this, however, just the two of them in this enclosed space away from prying eyes, he seemed so sincere and endearing. She almost felt bad for picking on him and wanted to apologize...but soon remembered that she couldn't, not verbally anyway. Instead, Elise shook her head with a gentle smile and readjusted his glasses, and straightened up little bits of his appearance for him, making Azul feel even more vulnerable.

Once the lift stopped with a jolt, Azul's nerves returned in full force. Elise playfully bumped his shoulder and looped her arm with his. The pair made their way over to the private booth where the very distinguished Madam Lorelei sat, her neck and fingers covered in jewelry made from shells, coral, and...fish bones? Each piece was elegantly crafted so it was hard to tell unless you were really looking. She had the same eyes Azul's mother did but with a more keen edge to them. Her painted red lips turned upwards in a smile as she rose to greet them.

"Azul, my darling. It's been too long. Come let me have a look at you." she cooed in a smokey voice.

She had a full figure and an unapologetic presence with large purple tentacles that moved precisely together. Very different from the clumsy wiggles that Elise's did. Azul was as stiff as a board as his grandmother circled around him. She paused with a slightly disappointed look on her face.

"Are you still hiding in this human form, Azul? Honestly, my boy, you are doing yourself a great disservice," Madam Lorelei turned to Elise with a sly grin, "I really don't understand where his bashfulness comes from. He's quite a catch in his true form," she said with a playful wink that made Elise giggle.

"G-Grandmother, please!" Azul sputtered feeling outnumbered, "I feel more comfortable in this form. Let me be."

"Suit yourself, precious. Now then, who is this enchanting creature?" Lorelei looked Elise up and down while tilting her face up with one manicured finger under her chin, "Such a pretty face."

Elise's own tentacles curled into themselves bashfully. Azul cleared his throat and answered matter of factly, "Elise Coralette, she is a princess...and uh...she cannot speak. Currently."

When Azul's grandmother raised an eyebrow at the girl, Elise motioned silently as if her voice were an object that literally exited her throat. Madam Lorelei hummed curiously before gesturing for the two of them to join her at the table, "Sit, my darlings. I have a feeling this is a very interesting story."

Azul gulped as he pulled a chair out for the princess. He wasn't sure 'interesting' was the word he'd use but his grandmother wasn't exactly wrong...

Jade seemed to sink back into his stoic, frozen state again as he and Floyd swam back to their family home. Floyd had tried to tease him about being moody because he hadn't gotten to see Cowrie today but Jade remained silent, facing forward as if his brother said nothing at all. Floyd rolled his eyes and pouted, bored and irritated with the lack of reaction.

"Oi, Jade...Jaaaaddddee...."

Still nothing. Man, his brother was in it deep this time. Floyd huffed and continued to swim beside him in silence. Jade had heard Floyd but was too distracted by his own worries. Seven had promised not to rat out Cowrie but somehow being away from her made him anxious, like his gut knew something ugly was waiting just around the corner. Part of Jade's mind told him that he was just being paranoid. You wouldn't know it from the cool veneer he had in place most of the time but deep down, Jade Leech had definitely inherited his parent's worrisome nature. And their protective ones as well. He didn't wear his heart on his sleeve like Floyd but there were definitely times when his instincts took over and held a firm grip on his mental/emotional steering wheel. This became more common after meeting Cowrie Cerith.

He supposed it was a bit romantic in its own way but then again, any male worth his scales would want to protect their mate and be there for them as much as possible. Especially when their mate was younger and physically smaller. Not that he thought Cowrie was weak by any stretch of the imagination, he'd never think that about her. Jade always had an affinity for small living creatures that depended on him for their survival, caring for them, watching them grow and evolve under his careful, tender watch. Perhaps this was part of the reason he was drawn to small eelette as well? Cowrie was, of course, a lot more complex than anything he fostered in one of his terrariums but whenever she was near him, whenever he held her petite form close, something in him just demanded that he protect her and be gentle with her. That he cherish her. It was just second nature...and hormones, let's be honest mostly hormones.

He and his brother were now 'at that age' as their parents constantly told them where a lot of their behaviors and feelings would seem to just kick in or be triggered by certain natural desires or faculties. Again, like wanting to be a good mate that can provide for and protect their women. Surely Floyd felt the same towards Luna...or did he?

Jade's eyes flicked over to his twin. Floyd yawned in boredom as he swam on autopilot. Jade knew that Floyd definitely felt the base attraction and arousal for the siren. That much was pretty damn obvious but it had to be more than that. When it came to Floyd's mood swings, there was regular moody cuz he was bored or tired and then there was deep-seeded frustration that quickly turned into sulking and being depressed moody. The second usually happened whenever Luna was mentioned but not around. Jade would normally not pry when he knew that Floyd wanted his space to do as he pleased, which was more often than not. But that didn't stop Jade from, again, worrying.

"Floyd," he finally said, "...do you want Luna to be your mate?"

Floyd gave his brother a confused look, "I mean we've mated once or twice already," he said bluntly, grinning as he remembered the last time happening after the two of them snuck into the Night Raven library during a sports event without getting caught by some miracle.

"You know what I mean. Do you want her to be your wife?"

Floyd pondered the word and the concept attached to it for a moment. Honestly, Floyd knew that his parents, especially his mother, eventually wanted him to settle down with a life mate eventually but...what did that actually look like? He now realized the icky feelings he had been wrestling with since Luna started ghosting him meant that he legitimately missed the girl. A LOT. But taking on a mate, a wife was serious business. Even Floyd knew not to take the courtship process lightly. It was nothing if not a little intimidating...still, if Luna didn't become his life mate then surely she'd become someone else's? ...Yeah nope no, Floyd's insides didn't like that idea. So did that mean, yes he did want her to be his wife someday?? It wasn't a terrible idea by any means but...Jade could almost see steam coming out of Floyd's ear fins with how hard his brow furrowed in thought over the posed question. The cool-headed twin chuckled.

"I didn't mean to stump you, Floyd..."

"You didn't," Floyd snarled grumpily, "I mean...maybe yes if it means that I get to see Luna and have her around all the time? I'm not sure. Not as much as you are about Cowrie-chan, Jade."

Oh? Jade did seem pretty sure. Or at least he thought so. He was sure of a few things anyway: 1) Cowrie definitely liked him, liked being with him romantically, and definitely did not say no when he asked her to stay by his side for the foreseeable future and 2) he enjoyed this very much and found her presence very stimulating and soothing which made him want to have her around him all the time. And 3) when Cowrie wasn't around, it was noticeable and he seemed to hit a wall mentally and emotionally. This meant he wanted her to be his mate for the rest of their lives. Obviously. Then again... the 'rest of their lives' was a huge commitment, one that he should not take lightly. Jade ran this information over in his mind multiple times like he was reading a report. The more he thought about it, the less sure he felt. Yes he flat out asked Cowrie to stay with him and he meant those words but...well words were one thing but feelings at their core were a completely different animal. Maybe he wasn't that sure yet? Really? But how could he not be at this point?! His brain unknowingly ended up taking the same route as his brother's: if not him, then surely Cowrie would pick another male to be her mate and share her life with-nnnnooooope, Jade did not like that one bit and suddenly he was imagining all the horrific things he'd do to this imaginary rival. Well, that in itself was an answer of sorts. That or maybe each brother was just overthinking this way too much.

Floyd noticed the tiny half-grin on his brother's dwelling face and asked what they both should have thought of earlier, "Hey Jade...what are we going to tell Dad and Mama?"

Oh shit.

The twins suddenly stopped swimming once they realized they were right at the edge of the tunnel that led to the Leech mansion and looked at the other. This could go a few different ways. Right now they had two options: the first being, they tell their parents the truth and brace themselves for outrage, and the second being, they do not tell their parents and continued to be roped into blind dates they had absolutely zero interest in. Hmm...

"Technically..." Floyd quietly mused, "Luna's not a Muraeni but Cowrie-chan..."

Jade frowned. No matter how he decided to spin it, the truth was still the same: he was Don Leech's son and heir and she was Don Muraeni's only daughter by birth. It didn't matter how badly the two of them wanted to be together, it was a match that would cause a massive upset that could lead to a lot of people getting hurt or worse. He agreed with what Floyd had told Seven the other day, this violent rivalry was a problem started and perpetuated by the fathers, not the children. As for Luna, her situation wasn't entirely clear to the boys but it was certainly a tricky one. To be with her was like trying to pry a prized pearl from the world's most stingy and deadly clam. Either way, the brothers had very tempestuous waters ahead of them.

"Perhaps we should wait until the situation is a bit more settled, Floyd." Jade sighed.

"...does this mean we have to go on more boring dates?" Floyd cringed at the thought.

Jade didn't have to answer. The moment their mother spotted them in the distance - with what had to be superpowered vision - Madam Leech left the brothers little chance of escape.

"JADE! FLOYD! YOU TWO GET IN THIS HOUSE THIS INSTANT!!"

The twins both flinched at their mother's intense wails, knowing they'd have to be utter fools to keep her waiting a moment longer.

"My, my...what a mess my grandson has thrown you into, my dear." Madam Lorelei sighed before taking another sip of her drink.

The waters outside were growing darker as the day was reaching its end. Azul had the same expression as a kicked puppy at his grandmother's assessment of the situation. She wasn't wrong but the boy felt a massive harpoon of guilt and shame sink straight into his chest at her words. Elise gave him a gentle pat on his back in an attempt to put him at ease but her kindness ultimately made him feel worse.

"Well, my sweet. I certainly see a couple of ways to approach this, however, it is getting late and I have a lot of work to do and right away. The sooner the better. Elise, was it?" The princess nodded, "A lovely name." Madam Lorelei said with a genteel air, "Meet me here again tomorrow, my dear. Same time, same table. Azul, darling, your presence won't be needed."

A second metaphorical harpoon pierced through Azul leaving him dejected and in fear that one strong currant would knock him flat on his back. His grandmother didn't seem to notice.

"Azul, darling. Be a gentleman and escort Miss Elise back to her lodgings. She needs her rest. We have a lot to discuss tomorrow," she said lightly waving him off.

"Y-Yes, grandmother...you're sure that I shouldn't accompany Her Highness tomorrow?" Azul asked tentatively as if one syllable of rejection would be his undoing. Elise gave Azul's grandmother a hopeful smile as she looped her arm with the poor boy's again, trying to save him from his imagined grim fate.

Seeing the two of them together in this unspoken supportive bond, Azul's grandmother reconsidered her previous declaration, "I suppose Miss Elise would feel more comfortable with a friend close by." Elise nodded to confirm this, "Very well. Please bring her back here tomorrow, Azul precious. Do not be late. I am a very busy woman after all."

Ah, Azul Ashengrotto's self-esteem would live to see another day.

It had been a very busy afternoon, leaving little room for Cowrie to reconnect with her close-knit group and leaving her feeling exhausted. She was in no hurry to leave the locker room and return home but...she knew that Seven was more than likely waiting for her outside already. The young mermaid groaned as she swapped her uniform for her satchel. She felt more isolated now than ever before. Her brother held true to his word about keeping her relationship with Jade a secret but still gave her very little opportunity to see him before he'd drag his sister back home. Luna hadn't been home at all and no doubt had her phone taken from her so communication with anyone was impossible. She also had no idea how Elise was doing or if Azul had made any progress at all. Cowrie could only count down the days until she returned to school in earnest. At least then she'd be back on dry land and away from all this anxiety-ridden drama at home. She could even see her human friends again. Maybe even sneak back into Octavinelle again to spend some time with Jade while the next festival was happening. Ooo, even better, Jade could visit her on her campus during the festival and she could show him around properly and- ....ok this was all very fun to think about but the buzz of her waterproof phone completely disrupted her daydreams and brought her back to reality.

Cowrie checked her phone with a huff, seeing a message from Seven.

Running late. Dad wants to talk. Sit tight.

She tried not to think about this too much. It could be literally anything else that didn't concern her. Ever since she made the deal with Seven to be escorted to and from home without a fuss, the Don and Proteus seemed to be less concerned about whether or not Cowrie was actually present at home when they wanted her to be. If they knew about her job, they never brought it up with her. So no need to worry...

Right?

Seven kept his poker face on as he swam down the long hallway towards his father's quarters. His younger brothers were sent out to collect from the Don's clients, regular and late payments and asked to deal with each situation accordingly. The eldest son and the self-appointed 'alpha' of the sons came out of Don Muraeni's quarters right as Seven approached the double doors. The eldest son, Ventuno, was the spitting image of their father but with more battle damage. He was originally named 'Twenty One' but once he reached the age of eighteen, he earned the privilege of upgrading his name to something with a bit more style. Being the eldest and the Don's successor, he was the only son allowed to do so. Now fully grown and at the age of twenty-nine, Ventuno held the same intimidation factor over his brothers and the family's help that his father did. The only difference was that Ventuno didn't hide the pleasure it gave him. Seven tried to ignore the smug grin on Ventuno's scarred face but his brother quickly blocked his path.

"Sorry to interrupt your babysitting duty, 'Sevy'." their sister's nickname for Seven lost all its affection coming from Ventuno's arrogant tone.

Seven was the second born and as such was obligated to yield to the firstborn. It was unfortunate seeing as how Ventuno's brains were grossly outweighed by his brawn and prowess for assault. But Seven stuck to his usual guns: staring blankly at his brother and waiting for him to either tell him what he wanted or leave him alone. There was a rule amongst the brothers that none of them particularly enjoyed and that was none of them could speak unless given permission either by the Don or if their father was absent, the firstborn son. In short, there was a definite pecking order and Ventuno was at the top of the food chain when their father wasn't in the room. The last time Seven broke this rule, he found himself on the ground with a fresh open wound on his throat that almost killed him. That was the firstborn's handy work and he lacked the little restraint his father had.

Ventuno took his time circling Seven, silently taunting him by refusing to grant him permission to speak as he continued to drawl, "I wouldn't worry too much about the brat if I were you, actually. I think Father has gotten a bit impatient and it may be time to cull the ranks a bit. You know how he is about 'useless things'..."

Seven remained stoic and still, never showing a hint of the dread he felt under the surface. His brother's cool head was probably Ventuno's least favorite thing about Seven. It irked him to no end and preferred the more rash and unpolished dispositions of his younger brothers. Ventuno stopped right in front of his younger brother and stared directly into his empty eyes.

"Oh don't worry, you know how this works. It only hurts a little at first but eventually, we won't even notice one of us is missing. Hurry along. Father is waiting," Ventuno sneered as he swam away, leaving the doors open and waiting for Seven to enter.

The Don witnessed the entire conversation between the brothers but took little notice. He only looked up from the mountain of coins, pearls, and other bobbles given to pay off debts on his desk after Seven had been sitting in silence for several long minutes, waiting to be acknowledged.

"Seven...I told you to bring Cowrie home about three days ago, did I not?"

When the son didn't answer right away, the Don lazily waved his hand as a signal the boy could speak.

"Yes, Father. And I did." Seven's voice was monotone at best.

"And you let her leave again and again. Why was that?" Don Muraeni kept his eyes on the strand of pearls that he twisted and weaved in between his fingers as he awaited an answer.

"She's taken a waitressing job at the Leviathan Club as I told you as soon as I found out. It's on neutral grounds so I didn't see the issue as long as I safely escorted her each day."

There was a long pause as his father continued to inspect each and every bit of bounty on his desk, carefully appraising each piece with his sharp, ice-blue eyes. It wasn't until he finally looked straight as Seven did the son's dread silently grew.

"And why, pray tell does a girl like Cowrie need a job in the first place...? She is my daughter, she wants for nothing. If there's anything she needs or desires, can I not give it to her with little effort? Does she not have everything and more inside these walls?" The Don's voice was even and precise like a hand confidently moving a chess piece across the board.

Seven knew that he needed to choose his next words carefully but his father didn't actually give him a chance. His tone only grew more irritable with each word.

"I will tell you why boy. Because she is up to something...that's the only reason, females in her position do anything of the sort. Because they plan and they scheme. Daughters that grow too crafty for their own good become problematic. I sent those girls to the best magic school the surface has to offer to make them as useful as possible. Luna has performed splendidly and has remained within the set boundaries as expected. Cowrie, however..."

The Don paused to inspect one small, rough gem between his large clawed fingers, "I admit I am to blame for allowing it to happen but my daughter has grown spoiled and lazy. Even if I began giving her tasks again as I do you boys, I doubt she'd bring me any information that would be profitable. Using Luna as leverage to keep her in check has only gotten me so far..."

Seven felt pins and needles crawl across his skin as he watched his father's hand clench the tiny stone so tightly he thought it may shatter. The Don's eyes narrowed as he started verbally formulating a solution.

"My sons know their place and I allow you boys to thrive and grow in the power I have given you. You have no reason to stray from this bountiful life I have made for each of you. But my one and only daughter seems hellbent on trying my patience and breaking my heart by conspiring behind my back...you have done well, Seven, on reigning her in. But I believe some discipline is in order for your baby sister."

The young man did his best to fight the urge to swallow hard in his father's presence. The Don never took well to unnecessary displays of emotion or weakness. His father looked at him once again, his eyes refrozen over and his voice even once more.

"I relieve you, Seven. Leave your sister to Proteus and join your brothers in their tasks...you may go."

Seven nodded silently and left the room as calmly as possible. He didn't pick up the pace until he was out of his father's sight. He could only hope that he wasn't too late.

It was dark outside but Cowrie still waited under the same street lamp down the road that she always met Seven at each night. There were a few passersby coming and going. Elise and Azul had already left by the time her shift ended and Mama Ashengrotto was busy keeping the flow of business nice and steady. The young mermaid normally always said goodbye to her boss before leaving for the night but things had been so crazy, Cowrie didn't want to distract the busy octopus mermaid. So instead she just did as Seven told her: she sat tight at the usual spot and waited. And waited. She was about to check her phone again when she spotted some movement just outside the ring of light she was in.

"Well, it's about ti....me...."

Cowrie's eyes turned wide and full of fear as Proteus and the two sharks merman from before slowly entered her sight. The electric ray gave her a dubious smile as his crimson eyes seemed to burn in the lamplight.

"Hello, little worm."

The girl's instincts ignited all at once and she took off in the opposite direction like a shot. Proteus nodded to the two excited sharks with a pleasant grin and called after them as they gave chase to the terrified mermaid.

"Remember boys! Don't hurt her too badly!" he chuckled.

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